Birthday Part II:

Fran had indicated that some roses would be nice for her birthday. So me being one to please I started the expediting of request well ahead of time, ya just Got’a do it living up here. So around the 15th march I call out to Goose Bay and enquire about when flowers arrive, could they be delivered to air port etc. Was told flowers usually arrive Wednesday, no problem getting them to air port.
I lined things up with air line, she is all a go, weather permitting.
So on evening of the 20th had a call saying the flowers were in early this week and would I like them taken up to air port next morning. Looking out the window and not being able to see house across the road I replied, “well I don’t think that’s a good idea, and with the weather people saying we have a big low that will last for 2 or 3 days, could you pleas hold off on the flowers”. “No problem” they say.
Weather cleared towards end of week, but then the air lines have catch up with people and freight, Fran very understanding, all is under control, flowers will be late.
The following Wednesday, March 29, the flowers arrive in Goose Bay, taken to air port that evening, arrived at house around 3.30 PM yesterday.
As you can see, it was worth the wait, flowers look great, we had another little calibration. Fran improved on my arrangement skills later.
A big thank you to the Red Berry Patch in Goose Bay for their patience, understanding and first class service, recommend them to any one. Also like to thank the nice staff at Air Labrador for their part.
With a little planning, co operative retailers and air lines and the weather gods, we too can have the little luxuries that are taken for granted for folks in the larger centers.

Yummy:

Knocked up a quick fruit salad for the next few breakfasts. Not too shabby for Northern Labrador. Includes grapes, orange, apple, kiwi fruit, papaya, mango, will add banana when served. Almost as good as you get in tropical Queensland, or not.
The mango at $1.99 was a bit on the sour side, but will be OK in the salad. The papaya at $5.99 is just about right, that’s’ the color and taste not the price. But to hell with the price, it beats out $200.00 plus dollars worth of caned and processed foods that one person had in their cart the other day.

Had a little b/d get together for Fran Monday night. Smaller than usual due to work, health and education issues of other members of family.
I cooked up a nice selection of lamb chops, steaks and roasted vegetables and three greens. Quaffed it down with my home made bolero red, dam fine drop if I do say so.


Pic #1 is Matthew laughing at Grandmas comments on the lousy selection of candles Grandpa came up with. Note nice clean table.






Pic #2 Aimee made a dame fine cake too, chocolate something or other with butter icing on top, chocolate icing and raspberries in center. You can see that Matthew and his sister are not enjoying the cake, not.

March 27.

Happy Birthday to my best friend and love of my life.

For a week and a bit I’m married to older woman. Me bad or What?

Apropros of gloating:

See the commonwealth games in Melbourne are over. Yes, things go on outside the front. In case some people missed it, medal tally went something like; Aust 221 total. Eng 110 total. Can 86 total. Ouch. The medal breakdown is even more embarrassing for some, so will leave that out.
So the little populated antipodean Island in the pacific has given it to the big blokes again. Well big in their own mind, but the smart money knows better, eh?

Nice and cool here this morning, a more seasonal -14. Snow conditions should be good for the heritage dog team race that starts at 11 out on harbor. Should be a Canadian win, no Aust. teams made it in. Or should I say Labradorean win, never sure of the politically correct term these days.

Continuing from last post:

On the positive side there has been some action on cleaning up the environment. The now defunct LIA worked with DND and other public/private entities to clean up the PCB’s at the old Saglek radar site. LIA also worked with people from a Quebec university on testing for [contaminants, mainly POP’s] in the food chain, in areas around some communities. The Quebec Labrador Foundation has been involved with summer projects for some years now. The town council sponsors spring clean ups every year, enters clean beach contests. Volunteer teachers run the re-cycling program, the funds generated go towards a breakfast program at the school, very admiral that is. I’m sure there are some I have missed but that’s the general trend.

So I see a definite trend in what has been happening here; most of the programs are promoted by outside entities, most include some sort of financial incentive. Almost none are promoted by people in leadership or grass roots to do what is right for the environment for the sake of doing it, that it is the right thing to do. There is little to no proactive efforts to deal with litter, contaminants in the air or water on a continuing basis.
Why not some one say; let’s look back at the history of the Inuit, let’s get back to our relationship with the land and animals. Is the way the Inuit are heading what people really want, are we being miss informed and miss guided in this rush to jobs at any cost, the rush to over consumption of consumer goods and processed food.
The jobs at any cost are today mainly in the non renewable resource sector, is this good for future generations?
It’s past time that people started to think hard about these things, alas without strong committed leadership, or a strong committed grass roots, it will not happen.

Some may look at my ranting and say that I’m naive and idealistic. Most who would say that would be the ones whose life style relies on the rush to abuse Mother Nature and the rush to over consumerism? Their life styles also rely on the ever evident rush to what could be called cultural genocide.
My answer would be that I am certainly not naive having traveled and taken an interest in what is happening in the world. I may be idealistic, and I’m proud to be called that. Beats the hell out of being a flunky to the corporatocracy.

Table Mountains in comments mentions the influx of different bird species to his area. We have some smaller species of sparrows that are new to area. Different patterns of some rodent types are evident. More polar bears are seen since 25 years ago. The consensus among scientists seems to be that global warming will affect different parts of the Province in different ways. For instance Northern Labrador will see colder winters and perhaps dryer summers due to more ice and bergs in the Labrador Current. This makes sense to me, and it was actually happening, until this winter that is. A definite warmer winter overall, with very unstable and unpredictable ice conditions. This makes for traveling plans for hunting and wooding to be re assessed. It also makes it harder for animals to hunt; this could lead to extinction of certain species.
Maybe it is a good thing that subsistence hunting is on the way out then, then maybe not in long term.

This is getting a bit long, but it is only the tip of the iceberg of the debate/conversation, so lets up and at em folks. One Inuk in Nunavut used the analogy of; Inuit are the canneries in the coal mine on the Global Warming front. I wonder how many canneries have to die before the world wakes up?

Global warming? what to do about it.

Nain gets a brief mention in this story on global warming in the north.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/21/AR2006032101722.html

Coincidently, just last week I was in a conversation with a leader of the Nunatsiavut Government, I broached the subject of alternative energy, and how was the new government handling the issue of trying to reduce green-house gas omissions and at same time reduce our dependency on diesel generators for producing our electricity.

I wish I could say his answers were surprising, alas they were not. Seems the new government has had discussions on alternative energy, but mainly from perspective of making money. They are looking at the feasibility of supplying the mine at Voisey’s Bay with hydro generated power, and if it is a go perhaps a line over to Nain.

I asked, “well what about other communities”? “What about wind generated power”?
It seems the New Government is relying on information from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro [NLH] for advice in this area. I pointed out that NLH has most likely the worst record in Canada in regards to promoting anything other than large scale hydro projects, and that Canada is behind most of the world in encouraging the use of renewable energy. This information is; the cost of replacing diesel generation with wind power, either wholly or partly, would not result in any cost saving to the consumer, or may cost more. Well I say, “what about the cost to the environment if nothing is done”, what about the term ‘peak oil’, what about the cost of ‘peak oil’ ten years down the road, has this been factored in” No answer was forth coming.
Seems there have been other discussions of what the future may hold regards energy, but I am not encouraged from what I heard. All are long term, and when you get all sorts of rationales NOT TO DO things when you put out suggestions, then it is time to worry.

So I guess the gist of my rant is; I am some what befuddled when I see the words ‘Inuit relationship with the land and the environment’. From my vantage point here in Northern Labrador I see an erosion of this relationship that is very troubling to me. I see very little pro action, or encouragement, to protect what we are very lucky to have. From local all the way to provincial government there are few visible signs that any one really gives a hoot, it’s the old first world axiom of, “it’s the economy stupid”, and be dammed with the rest. With some exceptions the population is also very laze-a-fair in their attitudes and their treatment of the environment. We have an ever increasing influx of large horse power snowmobiles and outboard engines. Same with vehicles. We burn our garbage and the dump is leaching into a small bay that is a popular char fishing area. We dump raw sewage into the harbor not far from the town dock. There is an ever increasing amount of plastic bags, discarded plastic containers, tins, you name it, constantly scatted around town.

To be continued.

The continuing story. Sad boy.

Heard on CBC radio this morning was another in the long and sad saga of the Innu of Labrador and the deplorable way politicians, bureaucrats and private business have miss handled, miss led, taken advantage of, the Innu and their situation and plight for decades.
This morning, ex band Chief Katy Rich of Natuashish was on air complaining about how the band councils, and by extension the Innu Nation, are miss handling the funds the Innu are receiving from an IBA signed with the Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company. CBC reported that the Innu are to receive around 145 million dollars over several decades. This money was supposed to be put into a “trust fund” to benefit todays and future Innu. For reasons that seem a bit dodgy, the trust fund was by-passed and money was borrowed by the Innu Nation with future IBA payments as collateral, and the money given to the two Innu band councils to do with what they wish. Katy Rich claims that the Natuashish band council was issuing cheques to some band members, with the inevitable that the money is being spent in a few weeks, with nothing being put aside for future generations. One other Natuashish resident claimed that money is needed for youth activity, as well as other areas. Natuashish has a brand new multi million dollar ice rink. Due to corruption there has been no money available to maintain the rink, so there has been no hockey played in the rink for two years.
Innu nation head Ben Michel made some half hearted proclamations of dealing with the “trust fund” problem by July, well after the next schedule pay out of one million bucks to each band council. That would make it four million mostly squandered dollars to each community to date.
Shame on Politicians and bureaucrats for their gross miss conduct over the years on this file. Double dame shame on dodgy business people who are blatantly taking advantage of corrupt, and some times ignorant, Innu leaders and members.
Katy Rich stated that if something is not done right now to correct the situation, then she will go to court, I'm with katy all the way.

How’s that BS? [Brissie Shelia], no wimpy expressionless dude in a brothel me eh?

BS is a cyber buddy who likes the way I do not mince words, BS has a colorful way with words herself sure. Hope the weather is not too severe BS.

Just in Time

Well most of Nain’s Labrador Winter Games participants got home yesterday morning just ahead of the fog, freezing rain, wet snow and now rain.
Congratulations to the Nain team, and to all who took part. Special congrats to Cartwright who took the top team honors, not bad for the size of the town.

I feel I have to give a special hat tip to the CBC radio and television crews and their producers. The coverage by the CBC TV was especially good. I was impressed with Debbie Coopers input, it would seem Debbie may do her best work when away from the big city, she really bloomed in Labrador IMOP.
While on topic of public broadcasting; to all those city navel gazers who want to either gut of do away with the CBC I say BUGGER OFF. What CBC did in Labrador this week is what they have a mandate to do, cover the diverse areas of Canada and broadcast it all across the country. CBC may not be perfect, but it is OURS, it works, so go buy a National Post and leave our CBC alone.

We will never cut and run. God bless Canada.

Wow, sounding like the Texas terrier of the north there, will leave that to the PM, he is doing an admiral job of being GWB’s bumster.

No, his is about Canada Post and its northern parcel post prices, ones that have never made sense since the Liberals cut it loose and made it a crown corporation.

This past week I had occasion to order some ski doo parts from Goose Bay, a piston, rings and c clips. By mistake [or not] the supplier included a cylinder head; at $660.oo and change I sent it back.
Any way, the whole package came in air freight on one of the local airlines, very quickly too. The cost of air freight from Goose Bay to Nain was $25.30 tax and all. I keep the piston, rings and clips and send back the cylinder head, this time by Canada Post. The package is smaller than the original, deliberately done by me to counter the dreaded cubing of parcels by Canada Post. The package was smaller than the one I received, and lighter by the weight of the cylinder, rings and clips. Total cost to ship from Nain to Goose Bay, plus insurance at $600.00 via Canada Post came to $26.82. The airlines will usually replace any items lost in transit if you put in claim. Also, It would have cost more if I had sent it express post.
So my question would be: what the bloody hell is going on here?
I have asked that question many times of Canada Post via our previous MP, as I’m sure others have, the answer always comes back in the form of increased fees.
No end of lobbying of many forms by many people have led to naught. It is strange that a large public corporation can not give a lower rate than two regional airlines. Little wonder they both have huge volumes of freight coming into the coast latterly.

Any way, my 2000 Polaris 550 touring is going like the wind again, got the cob webs out of her, been sitting around for two winters almost, hope my back holds up or it will be sitting around again.
One other strange thing, the representative at the ski doo sales said the cause of the problem with the piston, it had a small hole punched through on top, was from over heating. You can do everything right making sure the lube gas and such is correct, but if you drive this particular model at sedate and constant speeds of 30 to 40 KPH, the engine over heats.

Seen on CBC 'here n Now'

Well I’m relieved to see that The Labrador Winter Games did have a more traditional mascot, a big white ukalik. Looking at it it did still have a phallic appearance, or maybe that was just the bad lighting in the arena, or that it was next to Danny Boy at the time.
Danny Boy opened the games, with two of the gold medal curlers there to light the games flame. Looked like everybody was having a good time.

While in Goose bay Danny Boy announced lots of money, well some money, for infrastructure. The big item is 1.9 million for the ‘performance centre”, this has been a contentious issue for Labrador for some time. Last I heard the feds came up with their half, but Danny Boy would not come to the party. Now we have Danny Boy at the party but it is not sure to me if the feds will show up, I sure hop e so. There was also money for roads, long term health.
I will look to WJM for a correct assessment of whose money it all is, besides being mine and yours.

Seen on CBC ‘hear n now’

Party pooper? Or no?

Heard on CBC Labrador morning: There will be three mascots at this years Labrador Winter Games due to start on Sunday. Dick, Peter and Willy are three larges penis’s that will be roaming around the sites of the games, and bars at night, dispencing free condoms and generally promoting safe sex.
This is an idea of the Labrador safe sex committee.

Woman of Labrador

http://www.andyvine.com/page3.html Click on "listen" for a sample.
Women of Labrador is sung by many artists, I have never heard this version before, not that I recall any way. I also did not know that Mr. Devine was the writer of same, I like his version, just a personal preference.
Boy you would not know this was the same planet last couple days, -12 or so and sun sun sun. Much appreciated change from the snow wind warm temperatureses of last three weeks.

Feeling left out n stuff.

What with all the hoopla and goings on in St.John’s I feel I have to get into the act.
I would like to propose we re name the province Labrador and Gushueland. Well at least until the next Olympic gold medal is produced by someone living on the Avalon Peninsula.
Perhaps WJM could help in drawing up the necessary papers ready to present to the two houses for debate and vote.
And what happened to the old guy from away who held the broom and did all the shouting to get the lazy young buggers to work harder on their brushing. No respect for age n experience these days.

Speaking of age; old sir Paul sure does look it. I do not watch shows like Larry King Live, though I did read the transcript of the Lady Sir Danny Boy set too. Me thinks it was an exercise in futility on Danny’s part. Lady what’s her face sure is objectionable at best. I do agree with sir Paul when he said he came into the region with an open mind. Like it is that open it could not hold data as to his actual location, guess that’s why his minders put a shirt blazoned with Canada on him, I do wonder how he would get home with that on though.
The people who organized the whole PR gambit on the ice know their stuff one has to admit, maybe the Liberal Party of Canada should think about availing of their services, Provincial Libs too. After all, fund raising and politics is all smoke n mirrors and about the optics.