Believe it or not
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 | 0 comments »
Another article outlining Canada’s ineffective and failed management of Newfoundland & Labrador resources.
Believe it or not
by Averill Baker
The Packet
http://www.thepacket.ca/index.cfm?iid=1753&sid=13250
Before our Minister of Fisheries in Ottawa makes any decision on fisheries management in Canada, he consults with the President of NAFO.
Every letter, awaiting signature by the federal Minister of Fisheries, concerning the management of our Canadian fishery is read and approved by the Chairman of the General Council of NAFO before the Minister signs it. And, if the Chairman of the General Council of NAFO does not approve of the contents of the Minister’s letter, it is not sent – it is shredded.
In fact today the President of NAFO gives his approval on every speech prepared for the federal Minister of Fisheries dealing with the management of our fishery in Canada and if the President of NAFO doesn’t like the speech, it is shredded.
The President of NAFO, and the Chairman of the General Council of NAFO, represents an international organization that has over 200 huge foreign owned draggers – foreign factory-freezer trawlers - that NAFO has licensed this year and next year to fish on the Newfoundland continental shelf.
At any moment in time during the year, from 50 to 100 of the over 200 licensed huge foreign dragger-factory-ships are dragging the Newfoundland shelf. The proof of these large numbers is in a tender call made by NAFO in July of this year, which closes the end of August, for the monitoring of these ships for the next five years while they fish on the Newfoundland shelf.
The Newfoundland continental shelf extends out to about 350 nautical miles in one place called the Flemish Cap. There are two sections of the Newfoundland shelf that extend out beyond 200 miles, and those two sections are called “the Nose” and “the Tail” of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
Our fish swim on the continental shelf and do not regard lines drawn on a map.
For example, our cod swim on our continental shelf crossing what is called the 200-mile exclusive economic Canadian zone line. According to all scientific reports there are about eight major fish stocks that cross that 200-mile line all of the time.
Canada decided many years ago to allow a multitude of foreign nations represented by NAFO to manage all of those fish stocks on the Newfoundland shelf that swim over the line. The list includes Cod, redfish, American plaice, yellowtail, witch, white hake, capelin, turbot, skates, squid and shrimp.
The stated purpose of NAFO is “the optimum utilization” of the fishery on the Newfoundland shelf for fishermen from Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, Europe, Japan, Korea, Norway, Russia, Ukraine and the USA.
NAFO headquarters is in Nova Scotia and they are supported in Canada by all the provincial governments, the federal government, the fishing industry and the fishing unions. Each year Canadian representatives from all of those groups travel the world to attend meetings to determine how much Newfoundland fish to give away to which foreign nation.
So, with that kind of support, it is not surprising that the President of NAFO and the Chairman of the General Council of NAFO should have such sway over the Minister of Fisheries office in Ottawa.
Wherever the Minister goes these days he seems to have his buddy, the President of NAFO, with him.
Its no wonder the Minister claims incorrectly that foreign nations have a legal right to drag our continental shelf. With the advent of the Law of the Sea and Canada’s ratification of that law just two years ago, the law as it relates to dragging the Newfoundland continental shelf has changed dramatically.
Each one of the 200 huge foreign factory freezer trawlers licensed to fish the Newfoundland shelf drag the bottom of the ocean. That is the only way they can catch the fish. Under international law today the soil and subsoil of the continental shelf of every coastal state out to 350 miles cannot be disturbed without permission of the coastal state.
Of course the Minister takes his advice from the President of NAFO and the Chairman of the General Council of NAFO.
Believe it or not, both positions are held by one person who also just happens to be the top dog for Fisheries Management in Canada – in fact he has authority to make decisions on behalf of the Minister – he is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Fisheries Management at DFO in Ottawa.
A true Canadian Joke
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 | 1 comments »
It's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a man makes his way to his seat right at centre ice. He sits down, noticing that the seat next to him is empty. He leans over and asks his neighbour if someone will be sitting there.
"No," says the neighbour. "The seat is empty."
"This is incredible", said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs and not use it?"
The neighbour says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Stanley Cup we haven't been to together since we got married in 1967."
"Oh ... I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else, a friend or relative, or even a neighbour to take the seat?"
The man shakes his head, "No. They're all at the funeral."
"No," says the neighbour. "The seat is empty."
"This is incredible", said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs and not use it?"
The neighbour says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Stanley Cup we haven't been to together since we got married in 1967."
"Oh ... I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else, a friend or relative, or even a neighbour to take the seat?"
The man shakes his head, "No. They're all at the funeral."
The life cycle is all backwards
Monday, August 28, 2006 | 0 comments »
You should die first, start out dead and get it out of the way. Then you wake up in a nursing home, feeling better every day... You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.
You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa room service on tap, larger quarters everyday, and finally you finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case.
You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.
You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa room service on tap, larger quarters everyday, and finally you finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case.
For the first time in ions, I actually stayed inside my apartment for the entire weekend. Vegetated.
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of travel, fresh air, and plenty of sipping from the blood that runs through the devils veins - that being black rum of course. I thought it would be good on the old system to charge up over this weekend with plenty of sleeping, movie watching and as much nothing as possible.
It's isn't easy for me to not "enjoy" the weekend, or even walk about the streets during the days, but I truly feel that I need a rest.
No air, or drink make John a dull boy I guess. So dull that when turning on a burner to boil water, I turned on the burner that had a blender sitting on top of it. First mistake.
Second mistake was forgetting that I had the burner on and went into the computer room with the door half closed. The porn browsing would have to be put on hold (if only for a moment) as the smoke detector cried throughout the apartment. I didn't even have to walk out of the room to see the black smoke billowing from the depths of the kitchen. Well then.
The blender was up in flames and spreading to all the plastic and glass spice bottles spread across the stovetop. Trying to move the blender with ovenmitts only smeared the plastic across a greater distance increasing the chemical flame base. A couple jugs of water did the trick of putting out the flame, but hardened most of the melting plastic onto the stove. Great.
All during this ordeal, the apartment is filling with thick black fumes, while the smoke detector screams like a seagull caught in a lawnmower. I pulled the smokedetector out of the ceiling trying to turn it off and then spent the next two hours in a sultry sweat cleaning up the disaster.
The rum gods sent a stern but acceptable message.
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of travel, fresh air, and plenty of sipping from the blood that runs through the devils veins - that being black rum of course. I thought it would be good on the old system to charge up over this weekend with plenty of sleeping, movie watching and as much nothing as possible.
It's isn't easy for me to not "enjoy" the weekend, or even walk about the streets during the days, but I truly feel that I need a rest.
No air, or drink make John a dull boy I guess. So dull that when turning on a burner to boil water, I turned on the burner that had a blender sitting on top of it. First mistake.
Second mistake was forgetting that I had the burner on and went into the computer room with the door half closed. The porn browsing would have to be put on hold (if only for a moment) as the smoke detector cried throughout the apartment. I didn't even have to walk out of the room to see the black smoke billowing from the depths of the kitchen. Well then.
The blender was up in flames and spreading to all the plastic and glass spice bottles spread across the stovetop. Trying to move the blender with ovenmitts only smeared the plastic across a greater distance increasing the chemical flame base. A couple jugs of water did the trick of putting out the flame, but hardened most of the melting plastic onto the stove. Great.
All during this ordeal, the apartment is filling with thick black fumes, while the smoke detector screams like a seagull caught in a lawnmower. I pulled the smokedetector out of the ceiling trying to turn it off and then spent the next two hours in a sultry sweat cleaning up the disaster.
The rum gods sent a stern but acceptable message.
There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: Those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.”
- Ray Gofort
Blast from the past
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 | 1 comments »
I was reading an article yesterday regarding the demise of Ford and GM, more particularly, their planned layoffs and how much it will affect the region. Growing up in Newfoundland – more so in the outport, you can’t help but sympathize with these people, it’s not easy to stop the only thing you know.
It was over 14 years ago that Canada’s biggest layoff occurred (although the Dominion will never admit to such). Perhaps if it happened within the automobile, manufacturing or wholesale industry, the citizens of mainland Canada would have paid a little more attention. But, alas, backward, funny sounding people have little place in Ontario and Quebec’s version of Canada. Fishing of course, as you know, is something that you do at the cottage on the weekend, not a way of life that has supported a people for 450 years.
We were driving back from my grandmother’s place in the evening anxiously listening to the radio when Fisheries Minister John Crosbie made the announcement that would forever change the former Nation of Newfoundland. A moratorium on Northern Cod was placed upon the peoples of Newfoundland & Labrador. When the sun rose the next morning, and estimated 40,000 were without employment.
40,000 lost jobs is no small number, regardless of the size of the population affected; however, on a population of less than 600,000, that number is tragic. To put it in to perspective, if the State of Michigan were to suffer the same fate within the automotive industry, 800,000 people would go jobless overnight.
Canada's Greatest Layoff (Video Link) - [ Click to play ]
In the years since the moratorium, what was marketed as a two year “trial period” has turned into an almost complete collapse of the fishery. Families are leaving behind the only life they have known at a rate not seen since the Irish Potato famine of the mid 1800’s. When the Provincial government seeks assistance, the general answer from Canada is that we are lucky to get the few scraps that we get, and be careful not to bit the hand that feeds whenever the people ask for a little more.
Families who have fished these areas since the early 1600’s are not allowed so much as a meal of fish for their children. That is unless you are one of the many nations such as Portugal, Spain, Russia or China that fish daily off the coast in factory freezer trawlers. The Canadian Government has made deals with these nations, allowing them - more or less – a free for all on our resources in exchange for the purchase of wheat, auto pact and textiles from Ontario. When these vessels over fish (which is more frequent than not) the Canadian Government will issue the offending vessel the equivalent of a parking ticket. It is then up to the country of origin to prosecute the offending vessel. If by prosecuting you mean, laughing in the face of the defenseless Department of Fisheries and Oceans and returning their ships straight to the Banks of Newfoundland for more pillaging of our resources, than yes they are prosecuted very well.
A lot of these foreign nations - specifically the Portuguese – argue that they have as much right to fish here as the people of Newfoundland & Labrador. The Canadian Government apparently more concerned with the unemployment rate of Portugal and the cultural extermination of the cursed Newfie, allows this to happen. Something tells me that if the Longliners from Newfoundland started fishing off the coast of Portugal, someone there would have the balls to shot the boats out of the water.
Edward Lytton once said that, the pen is mightier than the sword; most times I agree that this is the case; but, lately I have begun to think otherwise. We have sat back for far too long and watched the complete annihilation of our resources, our people, our pride and our way of life – all on the Canadian watch.
Will anyone standup or are we generations from revolt?
More information on the rise and demise of the mighty codfish - [ Click here ]
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/08/23/refinery-sold.html
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=AP&Date=20060823&ID=5966699
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=AP&Date=20060823&ID=5966699
And for my next song, I’ll be playing a little ditty I like to call, go fuck yourself
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 | 3 comments »
For those of you who don’t know me, my trusty six string accompanies me on most of my journeys around this green earth. I admit that I have a lot of demons and the guitar is one of the few things in my life that soothes the savage beast within. Although I am very content to sit alone and play, I am also a performer and get a kick out of playing for a group of people. But from time to time, playing for people annoys me to no end…
We were on a canoeing / camping trip this past weekend in Northern Michigan and drew a decent size crowd from around the other campsites to our lively site. Black rum, big fire, herbs and some late night jamming made for a great time the first night and as soon as the sun was down the next night, people were back at our campsite asking when we would break the guitar out.
Anyone who has performed, understands that you will receive requests from people to hear certain songs; look at the Rolling Stones, you don’t think they are sick of playing Satisfaction after 40 years? This is not a problem, I don’t mind too much playing a song I don’t like, or even playing a song a couple of times in a night if it raises a smile. What chaps my ass though is when people – like the sons of bitches this weekend - demand you to play a certain song.
Or even worse, moan and groan as I am playing a song that they don’t know. I actually had a girl step in front of me and say why are you playing this crap, no one here knows this, play something we can sing along with. Do you people really think I even give half of a shit as to what you want to hear? This ain’t the Backstreet Boys bitch; this is a drunken Newfie who plays for his own satisfaction, not yours. If you like the tunes than great, if not, go back to your campsite, listen to AM radio and play with yourself.
Polar bear attack in the high arctic
Friday, August 18, 2006 | 0 comments »
The morale of the story? Don't fuck with a Polarbear.
It's time for you to wake up
Tuesday, August 15, 2006 | 0 comments »
I am a major proponent of the freedom of speech; even in extreme cases as described in the article below. However, the outcome of this exhibit will most likely have a much different impact on the global community than what the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intended.
Most of us can recall last year when a Danish artist depicted the prophet Muhammad in a controversial - but true to life - cartoon, there were scores of riots throughout the Islamic world. The end result of the madness were several burned embassies, hundreds of dead civilians (including beheadings) and a call for death to any “infidel” in the west publishing the cartoon.
Fast forward a year and we now have an entire exhibit dedicated to the mockery of the holocaust and the Jewish people. If I were a betting man… Wait a minute I am… I bet that not one violent outburst or major event will happen in objection to this. All that will occur is that the world will have another piece of evidence of how truly backward and senseless the majority of the Islamic world is.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying I have an intolerance towards Muslims, I actually hold dear friendship’s with many people of Islamic faith. But, it does make me sad that they can sit back blindly, while the actions of a select group of radicals destroy their reputation throughout the world.
Most of us can recall last year when a Danish artist depicted the prophet Muhammad in a controversial - but true to life - cartoon, there were scores of riots throughout the Islamic world. The end result of the madness were several burned embassies, hundreds of dead civilians (including beheadings) and a call for death to any “infidel” in the west publishing the cartoon.
Fast forward a year and we now have an entire exhibit dedicated to the mockery of the holocaust and the Jewish people. If I were a betting man… Wait a minute I am… I bet that not one violent outburst or major event will happen in objection to this. All that will occur is that the world will have another piece of evidence of how truly backward and senseless the majority of the Islamic world is.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying I have an intolerance towards Muslims, I actually hold dear friendship’s with many people of Islamic faith. But, it does make me sad that they can sit back blindly, while the actions of a select group of radicals destroy their reputation throughout the world.
******
Cartoon exhibit mocking Holocaust opens in Iran
Last Updated Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:06:45 EDT
The Associated Press
Last Updated Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:06:45 EDT
The Associated Press
An exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust opened in Tehran this week, reflecting Iran's response to last year's Muslim outrage over a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper.
The display, showing 204 entries from Iran and abroad, was strongly influenced by the views of Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who drew widespread condemnation last year for calling the Holocaust a "myth" and saying Israel should be destroyed.
One cartoon by Indonesian Tony Thomdean shows the Statue of Liberty holding a book on the Holocaust in its left hand and giving a Nazi-style salute with the other.
Masoud Shojai, director of the host Caricature House, said a jury looked through 1,200 entries received after the contest was announced in February by the co-sponsor, the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri.
It came following worldwide protests by Muslims against the Muhammad cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Many Muslims considered the cartoons a violation of traditions prohibiting images of their prophet.
Hamshahri said it wanted to test the West's tolerance for drawings about the Nazi killing of six million Jews in the Second World War. The entries on display came from nations including the United States, Indonesia and Turkey.
About 50 people attended the exhibition's opening on Monday.
"I came to learn more about the roots of the Holocaust and the basis of Israel's emergence," said 23-year-old Zahra Amoli.
The exhibition runs until Sept. 13 and the winner will receive $12,000 US. The exhibition hall is next to the Palestinian Authority's embassy, which was Israel's diplomatic site in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
I was looking for information on festival in Harbour Grace while I was home last week and stumbled across a page outlining the unique place names of Newfoundland and thought I would steal it and place it here, enjoy...
Newfoundland has the most unusual collection of place names of any country in the world. The hackneyed manner by which other New World settlers identified their communities and natural landmarks did not appeal to the rugged types who settled here. Early Newfoundlanders were men of imagination and wit who were at their best when leaving names to posterity.
Consider their humorous side. There must have been a twinkle in many an eye when such gems as these were bestowed:
• Jerry's Nose
• Nick's Nose Cove
• Come-by-Chance
• Blow-me-down
• Lushes Bight
• Bumble Bee Bight
• Ha Ha Bay
• Run-by-guess
• Bleak Joke Cove
• Calves Nose
• Nancy Oh
• Little Looping Harbour
• Snake's Bight
• Joe Batt's Arm
• Dildo
The depths of their hardship in times long past caused such place names as:
• Gripe Point
• Bad Bay
• Bleak Island
• Misery Point
• Famine Point
• Wild Bight
• Breakheart Point
• Famish Gut
• Savage Cove
• Dead Man's Bay
• Confusion Bay
• Wreck Cove
• Bareneed
• Empty Basket
Some settlers were contented with their discoveries and their satisfaction is reflected in:
• Heart's Desire
• Heart's Content
• Heart's Delight
• Safe Harbour
• Comfort Cove
• Little Heart's Ease
• Sweet Bay
• Too Good Arm
• Little Paradise
• Harbour Grace
• Angel's Cove
• Cupids
Homesick settlers provided place names from their own origins:
• English Harbour
• Portugal Cove
• Harbour Breton
• Turk's Island
• Frenchman's Cove
• Jersey Harbour
• Ireland's Eye
The French colonized a part of the Island and held fishing rights for centuries. They left many a name, all which have been mispronounced for years:
• Bay D'Espoir
• Francois
• Bay de Vieux
• Fleur de Lys
• Chaleur Bay
• Cinq Cerf Bay
• L'Anse a L'Eau
• La Hune
• Blanc Sablon
When imagination ran out they turned to what they had at hand:
• Plate Cove
• Ladle Cove
• Spout Cove
• Chimney Cove
• Table Cove
• Spoon Cove
• Butter Cove
• Cape Onion
• Broom Point
• Bacon Cove
• Bread Island
• Rooms
• Traytown
They also looked to the animals or birds:
• Lion's Den
• Pigeon Island
• Bear's Cove
• Turr Island
• Horse Chops
• Gander Bay
• Hare's Ears Point
• Swan Island
• Cat Gut
• Black Duck
• Little Cat Arm
• Goose Bay
• Otter Point
• Eagle Isand
• Dragon Bay
• Gull Island
• Fox Roost
• Cow Head
• Goat Island
• Muskrat Brook
Many names denote the affinity towards fishing and the sea:
• Caplin Cove
• Trout River
• Herring Neck
• Rope Cove
• Salmon Cove
• Schooner Island
• Boat Harbour
• Dog Fish Point
• Ship Cove
• Mooring Cove
Also, we would add:
• Button Island
• Shoe Cove
• Stocking Harbour
Consider their humorous side. There must have been a twinkle in many an eye when such gems as these were bestowed:
• Jerry's Nose
• Nick's Nose Cove
• Come-by-Chance
• Blow-me-down
• Lushes Bight
• Bumble Bee Bight
• Ha Ha Bay
• Run-by-guess
• Bleak Joke Cove
• Calves Nose
• Nancy Oh
• Little Looping Harbour
• Snake's Bight
• Joe Batt's Arm
• Dildo
The depths of their hardship in times long past caused such place names as:
• Gripe Point
• Bad Bay
• Bleak Island
• Misery Point
• Famine Point
• Wild Bight
• Breakheart Point
• Famish Gut
• Savage Cove
• Dead Man's Bay
• Confusion Bay
• Wreck Cove
• Bareneed
• Empty Basket
Some settlers were contented with their discoveries and their satisfaction is reflected in:
• Heart's Desire
• Heart's Content
• Heart's Delight
• Safe Harbour
• Comfort Cove
• Little Heart's Ease
• Sweet Bay
• Too Good Arm
• Little Paradise
• Harbour Grace
• Angel's Cove
• Cupids
Homesick settlers provided place names from their own origins:
• English Harbour
• Portugal Cove
• Harbour Breton
• Turk's Island
• Frenchman's Cove
• Jersey Harbour
• Ireland's Eye
The French colonized a part of the Island and held fishing rights for centuries. They left many a name, all which have been mispronounced for years:
• Bay D'Espoir
• Francois
• Bay de Vieux
• Fleur de Lys
• Chaleur Bay
• Cinq Cerf Bay
• L'Anse a L'Eau
• La Hune
• Blanc Sablon
When imagination ran out they turned to what they had at hand:
• Plate Cove
• Ladle Cove
• Spout Cove
• Chimney Cove
• Table Cove
• Spoon Cove
• Butter Cove
• Cape Onion
• Broom Point
• Bacon Cove
• Bread Island
• Rooms
• Traytown
They also looked to the animals or birds:
• Lion's Den
• Pigeon Island
• Bear's Cove
• Turr Island
• Horse Chops
• Gander Bay
• Hare's Ears Point
• Swan Island
• Cat Gut
• Black Duck
• Little Cat Arm
• Goose Bay
• Otter Point
• Eagle Isand
• Dragon Bay
• Gull Island
• Fox Roost
• Cow Head
• Goat Island
• Muskrat Brook
Many names denote the affinity towards fishing and the sea:
• Caplin Cove
• Trout River
• Herring Neck
• Rope Cove
• Salmon Cove
• Schooner Island
• Boat Harbour
• Dog Fish Point
• Ship Cove
• Mooring Cove
Also, we would add:
• Button Island
• Shoe Cove
• Stocking Harbour
Coming back from Newfoundland is never an easy task. The vacation was amazing, the weather could have been better, but I guess there are bigger things in life to complain about than the weather.
If you have never left behind everything in the world that matters to you, to leave behind friends, family and the serenity of the briny sea than you have not experienced true heart ache. I believe there is no pain greater than that of a man who longs for home.
Anyway...
We spent the first four days / three nights in St. John’s and as always the George Street Festival did not disappoint, it is without a doubt the biggest little street in the world. No where on this earth will you find so many people packed into one little cobblestone street enjoying the finer things in life. Watching the sun rise three nights in a row is a funny experience; especially when on the third night you get 2.5 hours of sleep and then proceed to drive 600-hungover-kilometres through the interior of the Island to Bay D’Espoir.
If you have never left behind everything in the world that matters to you, to leave behind friends, family and the serenity of the briny sea than you have not experienced true heart ache. I believe there is no pain greater than that of a man who longs for home.
Anyway...
We spent the first four days / three nights in St. John’s and as always the George Street Festival did not disappoint, it is without a doubt the biggest little street in the world. No where on this earth will you find so many people packed into one little cobblestone street enjoying the finer things in life. Watching the sun rise three nights in a row is a funny experience; especially when on the third night you get 2.5 hours of sleep and then proceed to drive 600-hungover-kilometres through the interior of the Island to Bay D’Espoir.
Bay D’Espoir and Hermitage Bay was a brief but soulful experience. Grandmudder had the traditional Newfoundland scoff waiting for us, the joys of salt meat, pea’s pudding, moose roast and local vegetables, yum, yum, yum...
At daylight the next morning we made the trek down to the tiny community of Hermitage and left port in a 40ft longliner out the bay to Pass Island. You can not imagine the ruggedness of this desolate windswept rock situated in the middle or Hermitage and Fortune Bay. There is not one tree on this island and little shelter from the wind blowing off the ocean of Newfoundland’s mighty south coast. Like hundreds of other outport communities across the province Pass Island was resettled in the early 1970’s. The Church and the few leftover homes have long since deprecated and buried throughout the island are pieces of my very existence; will my grandchildren even know this place existed?
We spent a couple of rather mellow nights in around the Glovertown area still recovering from our long weekend of Fear and Loathing in St. John’s. Trevor and I ventured down to the Eastport Peninsula and took in the sights and sounds; including a hike to the look out over Salvage (time has stood still in one of the oldest communities in North America, people have been living and fishing here since 1670).
The three days out on Little Rocky Bay Island were great! We did a lot of boating around Bloody Bay, got in a couple of hikes, did a little fishing and murdered a lot of trees on the island with the mighty jonsered. Life is so peaceful out there; knowing that there nothing around for miles just ocean, mountains, trees and wildlife is indescribable. It puts things in perspective for me; there is more to life than the rat race of the city and the corporate world. I actually feel sorry for people who have never roughed it, how can you ever appreciate who we are as a people or where we came from if you have never cut yourself off from technology and luxury for a while.
It looks like it may be another year or so before I make the pilgrimage back to Newfoundland. I can only wonder how many more people will leave during that time, will the economy ever rebound? If it does, will we remember the lifestyle and culture of the old and will the new generate appreciate those who once stood where they now stand...
In case you haven't seen
Wednesday, August 09, 2006 | 0 comments »
What do you do when you are a washedup band that was never that great to begin with? Give up? Make a video mocking Jesus or course!
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2746525
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