POLEMIC & PARADOX

BEAT THE DRUMS

2009-07-13T11:04:00.002-02:30

It is a large day here in the provincial capital. Sunny and warm. Posting will be on the back burner, as I enjoy the Orangemen's Day long weekend holiday.

Orangemen's Day commemorates the 1690 Protestant victory over Roman Catholic forces in the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. King William III of Orange, the Protestant King of England, defeated former King James II, a Catholic.

The Orange Order was established a century after the Battle of the Boyne and steadily grew in the 19^th century as a patriotic bulwark against what many Protestants saw as treasonous Catholicism. By the end of the 19^th century Orangemen's parades were commonplace in many Newfoundland communities.

What can I say, it is a day off, I will take it!

PICTURES CAN BE DECEPTIVE

2009-07-10T17:25:00.001-02:30

Was it a look over?

LIVING IN A FOG

2009-07-10T13:32:00.006-02:30

From the Tom Kierans school of thinking outside the box comes a suggestion from your humble scribe that could assist the Capital City with its water supply problems.

As you're no doubt aware, our wise municipal elders have implemented a water ban in response to below-average water levels in the City's water reservoirs. A prudent response that will have severe repercussions for folks who have made significant investments in flora and lawns. Some people are complaining about industrial car washes, others are saying it is time to implement water meters which might force people to conserve water, and waste less.

The problem, folks, is pretty simple...we do not have enough water. We have lots of rocks, we have lots of fog, but ground water supplies always get low in the summer. Hold on, did I say we have lots of fog, hmm.

Why don't we tap into that wonderful renewable resource, those dense banks of fog that roll in over the hills along the Eastern Avalon just about every day? We could establish fog collecting nets that could gather thousands of gallons of water for the city every day.

The idea may sound a little bizarre but it can work. With a few thousand dollars and a little labor, we can access thousands of gallons of water a day - without a single drop of rain falling.

It is not a new idea. As far back as 2,000 years ago, desert villages and other rain-starved communities around the world may have started harvesting fog that collected as water and dripped from trees.

Fog collection works not by condensation, which is what happens when water vapor hits a cold surface and transforms into a liquid. In fact, the water in fog is already in liquid form—it's just in very, very small drops. As wind blows the heavy fog through, tiny droplets stick to a mesh.

Fog catchers have been used successfully—though on a small scale—all over the world.

Could it work here to provide assistance in these dry periods? Why not?

Check out this month's National Geographic and learn how fog collectors have worked in Peru and Chile.

FROM THE CREATOR OF ZIPPERGATE

2009-07-10T13:21:00.000-02:30

OBAMA IS AN ASS MAN

2009-07-10T12:49:00.005-02:30

A little irony from the G8 summit in Italy. The host of the event, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is immersed in a sex scandal that threatens to end his career. He has survived corruption allegations, a playboy reputation and his wife’s wrath but is now hooked into allegations from a high-end prostitute that she spent the night at his residence.

It appears that old Silvio is rubbing off on some of the male leaders.

Sex, or at least admiration for the female form may earn some other world leaders attending the L'Aquila summit the wrath of their wives. U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy got caught checking out the perk derriere of a young Brazilian women during the setup for a photo opportunity yesterday. Sarkozy is seen smirking and grinning and Obama is enjoying the view as well.

Aides for the President say an ABC News Video suggests that Obama was actually looking at the ground before helping another lady down the steps.

I bet Obama had a tough time selling that to Michelle last night. I wonder if he got a good night's sleep on the couch.

IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

2009-07-10T11:49:00.004-02:30

Here is one for the inner Star Wars geek.

Remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Han stuffs a hypothermic Luke inside a Tauntaun (alien steed that the rebels had domesticated for travel around the ice Planet Hoth) to keep him warm and escape a blizzard.

What started as an April Fools joke may turn into reality. Thinkgeek had posted a photo of a child sleeping in a Tauntaun sleeping bag but it turned out to be just an April fools trick. Now Lucasfilm, which holds the Star Wars merchandising rights is preparing to develop and market real Tauntaun sleeping bags.

Count me in for at least one or two for my little Jedi's who need protection from the sub-zero wasteland of the planet Hoth.

MAKE YOUR MARK

2009-07-10T11:19:00.005-02:30

The Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs has launched an innovative marketing campaign to encourage citizens of the province to consider throwing their name into the ring of Municipal Politics.

The "MakeYourMarkNL" campaign was launched on June 25th in partnership with the Women's Policy Office, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Professional Municipal Administrators and Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador's Youth.

Chances are, if you're reading my scribblings, you have an interest in your community, your province and your country.

Got ideas on how to make your community better? Run.

ECONOMY NEEDS MORE THAN A SUGAR PILL

2009-07-10T10:50:00.003-02:30

Legendary investor Warren Buffett says the American Government should be considering a second stimulus.

He told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "We're not in a freefall, but we're not in a recovery either,"

He likened the first $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress to "half a tablet of Viagra and then having also a bunch of candy mixed in --- it doesn't have really quite the wallop."

The Obama administration says it does not see a need for a second stimulus.......... yet.

Critics are already saying the government has done enough and that future generations will pay the price. As in Canada, the reason the first one hasn't yet fueled a recovery is that few funds from the first stimulus package have yet been released.

Is it too early to be talking about a second package?

JOBLESS NUMBERS CONTINUE TO CLIMB

2009-07-10T10:22:00.005-02:30

Interesting change in the recession lexicon at the CBC. The country's public broadcaster has joined CTV and the Globe & Mail in using the term jobless in stories about the national unemployment rate, which is up to 8.6 % for the month of June. I suppose it is just semantics, but jobless sounds so much more desperate than unemployed.

The numbers show that the recession is continuing to churn and to wreak havoc in the manufacturing sector. 47,500 full-time jobs disappeared in the month, roughly 40,100 part-time positions were added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harper was in Italy telling world leaders not to spend more money to stimulate the economy. Think things have turned around? Tell that to the army of people looking for work in Ontario.

The numbers show that the Government of Canada does not have a strategy and have shown themselves to be inept at addressing the challenges facing a lot of Canadians. These numbers do not reflect those people who are living on severance or are working at lower paying service paying jobs to make the mortgage payment. The numbers do not tell the entire story.

Some good news in Newfoundland and Labrador, it was the only province to report job gains in June. 2,500 new jobs were added to the economy but the unemployment rate edged up a half a percentage point to 15.6%.

President Barack Obama said the US unemployment rate will reach 10 per cent this year, even as the economy begins to emerge from the recession.

YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP

2009-07-09T21:47:00.004-02:30

The times, the times are changing.

As a young fella two of my favorite games were Risk and Battleship. Do you remember the whiny kid from the 70's commercial yelling, you you sank my battleship. It was a great way to pass a night or a long evening at the cabin. O the good old days.

Apparently, the Milton Bradly Battleship version of 1967 was meant for four players.

Two men, and two women who were consigned to happily watching the men play as they washed and dried the dishes.

Yes, the atomic family. Dad and junior playing Battleship while mom and Susie did the dishes and looked on adoringly.

Mommy is captaining the SS Sponge and Susie says watch out there is dried on egg at 2:00.

Which reminds me, where is that cool electronic Star Wars Battleship my brother gave me for Christmas a few years ago?

AMERICAN LAW MAKERS FOLLOWING PROVINCE'S LEAD...AGAIN!

2009-07-09T18:45:00.003-02:30

Barack Obama is not the only American politician watching how the Williams administration governs and borrowing his policies. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has proposed legislation that would allow all newborns to receive $500 to open a savings account.

The American Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education Act of 2009 would allow the government to open a savings account for each baby to help encourage people to save. Other details of the proposal include:

Savings accounts would be created automatically when children are issued Social Security cards.
Annual contributions up to $500 would receive a dollar-for-dollar match from the federal government.
Up to $2,000 could be deposited annually.
Money in the savings would grow tax-free.

Now Schumer’s savings proposal is meant to help families that are finding it difficult to save money, not an attempt to boost the population as was the nexus for the baby bonus in this province.

Withdrawals from the savings would be tax-free after the child turned 18. Funds in the savings could only be used for college expenses until age 25. After that, the money could be used to buy a home for the first time or for retirement savings.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Perhaps the Premier could refine his program to reflect Shumer's proposed legislation.

POWERFUL SWIMMERS

2009-07-09T18:32:00.005-02:30

Magdalena Kwiatkowska's 13 year old daughter came back from the family's holiday in Egypt with a bun in the oven. Like all mothers faced with the news, Mrs. Kwiatkowska is upset and in disbelief. Her daughter has remained tight lipped.

What is different about this story is that she remains adamant that her daughter didn't meet any boys while she was there, and is suing an Egyptian hotel after claiming her daughter got pregnant using their mixed swimming pool. The complaint states that the girl conceived because of stray sperm in the pool.

I am curious, was she doing the breast stroke at the time of conception?

HARPER SHINES LIGHT ON SCOURGE

2009-07-09T18:00:00.005-02:30

It is quite possible that at times I cross a line in my attacks on Prime Minister Harper. Yes, I feel he has let down Newfoundland and Labrador but perhaps he is not exactly the right wing machine I often paint him out to be.

I have been following the story of Dave Batters. He was a 39 year old former Saskatchewan MP who took his own life last week. He had not offered in the last election because he was battling a demon illness - depression.

Yesterday, I read a report from the funeral that indicated that Prime Minister Harper had delivered a very touching eulogy that some observers felt was uncharacteristic for him. The Prime Minister's poignant comments about the reality of a disease you cannot touch, that impacts families and destroys lives, was deeply moving and sincere. We had brief look into the heart and soul of a private man.

He shone a light on this debilitating and shunned condition that will assist those afflicted and dissipate some of the stigmas attached to it

The science has progressed, but we still don't know enough about depression, and less about suicide.

“But we know this much: Depression can strike the sturdiest of souls. It cares not how much you have achieved or how much you have to live for.

“Unlike its myth, depression is not a function of character, except that to fight it summons strength of character - and a great strength of character like Dave's - to fight it as long as he did. Dave dealt with his illness head-on. That takes courage.”

We may not be aware of it, but we all probably know someone who suffers the debilitating effects of depression, they are our siblings, parents, friends and our neighbors. It destroys people's motivation and energy, you exist in a chronic state of sadness that no else can feel or understand. This endless string of sadness continually pulling at your mind may keep you from moving in any positive direction.

Psychiatrists estimate that one in four women and one in ten men can expect to develop depression during their lifetime; depression affects at least one in 50 children under 12 and one in 20 teenagers.

As Mr. Harper said, it "can strike the sturdiest of souls. It cares not how much you have achieved or how much you have to live for.”

2009-07-09T17:59:00.000-02:30

WILLIAMS APPROACH TO FEDS ON REROUTING LINE IS WRONG

2009-07-09T15:48:00.005-02:30

I have been tied up for most of the day, but did anyone catch if Premier Williams was able to tag along with Peter MacKay for that birds eye view of the Lower Churchill?

I am thinking that after the this latest exposition of the Premier's in-your-face (and/or disingenuous) approach to federal-provincial relations that it might make for an uncomfortable flight.

The approach and tone is, frankly, all wrong. Suggesting that Ottawa find the $100 million to divert the transmission line away from the park, if the UNESCO designation is so important to them, does nothing to entice the feds to come on board and help finance an east-west hydro corridor that would be a great example of nation building. This is not the right way to pitch their participation.

For the record, I do not think that the plan to build 40-meter high transmission towers through the park will impact the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Status. I also believe that if the best business case is to run the transmission line through the park than it has to be considered. My personal preference would be another route - but that may not be practical, or feasible. Of course, I also am not convinced of the need of running Lower Churchill Power to the island with so much Natural Gas located just off our shores to provide energy for generations to come.

Notwithstanding the righteousness, or not, of Danny's expectations of the federal government - where is the evidence that his approach actually works? Perhaps Williams figures this way he can have his cake and eat it too - project the responsibility onto the feds and when they don't come through, as he knows they won't, then it's their fault, and he gets to do what he wanted to do in the first place - put the transmission towers in Gros Morne - while blaming the feds.

BACKYARD POOLS

2009-07-09T15:16:00.003-02:30

Six years ago when Kris and I started searching for a new home for our growing family we looked at a lot of nice places. It was a buyer's market and our pre-approved mortgage provided us with lots of flexibility.

We were looking for a quiet cul-de-sac, kids, a school in the neighborhood, an enclosed backyard and lots of space for the kids to grow. Kris and I both enjoy swimming, so we looked at a few properties with pools.

Our parents were unanimous in suggesting we avoid a pool. They were costly to maintain, a huge liability and our home insurance would shoot through the roof. Of course these very same people told me that my cat had to go because cats could steal the breath away from babies!

However, a little investigation revealed that swimming pools were indeed expensive to operate. A number of people told me that they had gone so far as to fill theirs in. They said they had no peace of mind, as often when they went out of town kids would sneak over the fence and the like.

We decided against a house with a pool. Over the past six years we have had a couple of inflatable pools. Nothing says summer fun than the "splish, splash" of swimming in a backyard pool. Each year the pool gets a little larger (as does the huge deadspot on my back lawn) until last year when we decided that our backyard pool days were over.

Inflatable pools pose the same dangers as any back-yard pool, especially for young children. We were finding it harder and harder to police who was using the pool. As diligent as we were, we would come back from shopping or a night away to find it had been used despite the fact that the back yard is fully fenced with a self-closing, self-latching gate.

Pools can be a fun and refreshing way to enjoy the hot summer months but tragically they are the most common location for drowning or near drowning. The most common cause of drowning for children from age one to four is backyard pools. Drowning usually happens when a child just slips under the water. A child can drown in as little as 5cm of water in only a second. How long does it take for you to turn your head and answer that phone?

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for Canadian Children, and it happens quickly and silently.

My heart goes out to the family in Conception Bay South whose little 15 month old drowned last evening in a backyard pool. My deepest sympathies are with this family.

There but for the grace of god goes every parent that has ever had a backyard pool.

A SWEET ENDING

2009-07-09T14:22:00.003-02:30

For all of us death is inevitable, for most of us we will not know when or how, just that in all certainty we will die. I suppose we have all thought at some point about how we would like to go out of this world.

A 29 year old new Jersey man working at a chocolate factory in New Jersey died after he plunged nine feet into a 8 foot vat of chocolate yesterday. Vincent Smith was with three workers dumping chunks of chocolate into the simmering liquid when he somehow lost his balance and fell in.

Authorities are looking for Willy Wonka in connection with this literal death by chocolate.

UNDERTAKER NAMED HEALTH MINISTER

2009-07-09T10:45:00.003-02:30

It was not a major re-jig of the composition of the cabinet, but a very significant one. Ross Wiseman has been relived of his duties as minister responsible for the delivery of Health and Community Services. His replacement is Paul Oram ,who moves up from the Department of Business.

I am sure that many people will be wondering why, after all of the mistakes, missteps and incompetence demonstrated by Wiseman, that he sill has a role around the cabinet table. Other will simply be relieved that he is gone out of health.

Oram comes with some knowledge of delivering health care programs. If memory serves me correctly, he has been involved with a number of personal care homes that offer various levels of services. He has a diploma in Business Management from a college and has been a successful business person. The fact that in his past life he was a funeral director might be a bad omen, but I do not want to be too hasty in defining him before he gets a chance to get down to business.

One thing is for certain, the best person for this job. The most competent individual in the Premier's caucus and cabinet, hands down is his original Health Minister, the MHA for Topsail, Elizabeth Marshall.

Marshall, a former Auditor General, a former deputy minister with 30 years experience in the provincial public service (23 as a public servant), has the skills and experience necessary to tackle the organization challenges facing the delivery of health care in this province.

Less than a year into governing the province, the Premier's top draft choice and star candidate up and quit the provincial cabinet because she disagreed with the management style of her boss. Danny Williams and the eighth floor had been making decisions involving her department without consulting or notifying her.

At the time of her resignation she said " "I told him yesterday I could not be an effective minister working under those conditions". If the Premier was serious about restoring public confidence in health care, why would he overlook the one independent person that the public could take seriously?

Oram, who earned his spurs running interference for the government on open line programs is considered the consummate suck up. The public can count on one thing, the former Parliamentary to the Premier will not be disagreeing with the management style of the boss. It will be business as usual.

FLAWED LOGIC

2009-07-09T09:48:00.001-02:30

So, is it a hollow threat or just another piece of political "Blame-Ottawa" brinkmanship? Tuesday, Premier Danny Williams basically said that if the federal government doesn't want a power corridor through Gros Morne National Park, the feds should come up with the money to fund an alternative.

"If the federal government is interested in an alternate route because of the importance of the UNESCO designation, because of the importance obviously of Gros Morne as a federal park, then I would expect the feds to participate with us in rerouting that cost," Williams told reporters.

You might say fair enough: the park is a national treasure, and if the federal government wants to protect it, they should open their chequebook. - Telegram Editorial, July 09, 2009

IN OR OUT - MORE OF THE SAME OR SOME NEW FACES

2009-07-09T09:30:00.003-02:30

What's the buzz, tell me what's happening. The Premier is changing the composition of his cabinet again. I was disappointed in the last re-arrangement in April. Will the Premier finally shuffle Ralph Wiseman out the door?

Ross Wiseman has become a joke and Williams' continued tolerance of his bungling approach is hurting the government's credibility on the health care file.

The summer is here, the House of Assembly is not in session. This would be a good time for a major overhaul but this may just be a minor thing. They need to be briefed and know the issues in their departments. The timing could not be better to make changes in a department like fisheries.

Staffers, MHA's and Ministers are calling each other wondering if they have heard anything. Is their boss involved? Who is in...who is out? Will a backbencher get promoted, or even better will a minister get demoted back to the Government members office?

Or even juicier, has a Minister developed a spine and said that this Gros Morne offensive is just that - offensive?

Twenty minutes to curtain time!

ANOTHER SHUFFLE?

2009-07-09T09:27:00.001-02:30

Media Advisory: Swearing-in Ceremony

News editors are advised there will be a swearing-in ceremony for new Cabinet ministers at 10:00 a.m. today (Thursday, July 9) in the Cochrane Room at Government House.

Media representatives planning to cover the ceremony are asked to be in place in the Cochrane Room by 9:30 a.m. An audio feed will be provided.

9:15 a.m.	Cochrane Room available for set up, enter through west side entrance of Government House.
9:30 a.m.	Media representatives in place in Cochrane Room
10:00 a.m.	Swearing-in ceremony
10:30 a.m.	Media availability in the Cochrane Room

THE VIEW FROM OUT AROUND

2009-07-08T15:42:00.003-02:30

With the oil industry on our doorstep resulting in a mini boom on the east coast, spreading benefits to the entire province is a major task for government. After all offshore minerals are the wealth of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, not just residents of the Avalon Peninsula. - Editorial - Southern Gazette.

This week's editorial by George MacVicar speaks to the disparities in the distribution of wealth in this province. An economy driven by oil is creating cleavages for people not making oil sector wages, like those on fixed incomes. The prices for goods and services go up but their ability to purchase goods declines.

While MacVicar does not address some of the significant strides made by the current administration towards poverty reduction, re-training and literacy, his points are very valid. The gulf between middle class and poor is growing.

ALL WORK AND NO FUN

2009-07-08T10:51:00.003-02:30

The New York Times is running a story today about the demise of story lines in modern pornography. Apparently porn studios are turning away from big budget ventures and narratives towards filming content for the Internet.

Stars of that industry are apparently unhappy that plot-centric porn is being bypassed for short action scenes. The stars feel slighted by the lack of scripts and character development. Now I am a bit confused because I always thought these movies were short on plot and dialogue, beyond "here is your pizza"

One notable exception was the 2005 release of “Pirates,” about a ragtag group of sailors who go after a band of evil pirates. The movie had a budget of $1 Million and its sequel cost $8 million. That is a lot of money in an industry where the average movie costs about $25,o00.

Time for a union grievance and perhaps they can do something about all the foul language as well. Porn actors have a responsibility to their younger fans. There are impressionable people watching these videos, and the people up there on that screen need to be aware of that. They need to realize that the things that come out of their mouths have as much of an impact as the things that go in them.

One actress who is upset about the shift towards themes in lieu of plots, said she took her acting seriously and used to prepare studiously for her roles, "Getting it on in one hardcore scene after another just isn’t as much fun."

Apparently, revenue from the sale and rental of porn DVDs has tanked 50% in the last few years.

GOOGLE TO OFFER OWN OPEN SOURCED OS

2009-07-08T10:19:00.004-02:30

Google is not backing down in its aggressive battle with Microsoft. They are planning to introduce an open-source operating system, named Google Chrome OS, that they say will go head-to-head with Windows.

Since the Google system is essentially a web-based platform, third-party apps for Chrome OS will also work on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. It is designed to boot in just a few seconds.

Google is promising that the new software will solve many of the frustrations felt by users of Windows-based PCs, from slow start-up times to threats from computer viruses.

Consumers like me want operating systems that work far faster, particularly on low-powered, cheaper machines such as net books. Chrome OS is based on the so-called kernel, or core, of the open-source Linux operating system, and was designed to run Web-based applications such as those developed by Google itself, the company said, making it the first PC operating system developed from scratch for the Internet age.

TONING IT DOWN A LITTLE

2009-07-08T09:46:00.005-02:30

After a few days off with the boys, I realized something about myself that I don't like very much: I yell at the boys almost every day. They seem to stop in their tracks and listen when my voice gets raised.

For some reason, I always thought that I would do better by my kids, I would keep my calm as they learned the lessons of childhood. Of course, I didn't realize how frustrating it can be to tell 5, 6 and 9-year-olds to clean up their toys a dozen times a day and still see toys and books strewn across the floor, or stay out of the cupboards! Seriously, little boys are always hungry. They are ravenous. They are also always wrestling and picking at each other.

I normally only raise my voice a few times a day - and usually it's because they're doing something that could hurt themselves or others. I'm not alone; according to a BabyCenter.com poll, just 3 percent of parents said they never yell at their children -- if I've got my math right that means 97 percent do yell at some point. OK, so I'm not alone. In that same poll, 53 percent of parents said they always feel regret after yelling at their children.

I try not to yell..but it happens. Sometimes I think they only hear me if my voice breaks the sound barrier! I don't like that I let my impatience and stressed out attitude get the best of me. Do I regret it? Every time.