Cod - Forget me Not!

Did anyone remember the 21st anniversary of the Cod moratorium - on July 2, 2013?

Many of us missed it.

Government didn't even issue a press release; and it didn't hold a commemorative gathering as it did last year.

On the 10th anniversary of the moratorium, in 2002, the Liberal Government marked the occasion with the unveiling of a plaque in St. John's. They also issued a press release with the following sentiment 

"The collapse of the groundfish fishery was an event that changed our province’s history, and a moment which most of us will never forget," 
No, we must never ever, ever forget.  To do so would be to turn our back on our history, our culture and our collective soul.

There are indeed signs that the Cod is coming back and for that we are thankful.  

 

And while there is research taking place here in the province by the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER), we have yet to have a comprehensive report on what has been accomplished in the three years since the Centre has been established. What is the purpose of the research if we cannot parlay it into something practical for our economy, our people and our province?

 

Both the provincial and federal governments here seem to be in a Cod Fog. They have no idea what is up or down.  Meanwhile Cod has become the Norway's biggest export trend for 2013.

  

The bottom line we must remain vigilant - questioning and prodding - where does Cod fit into the economy, our culture and our lives in the years ahead.

 

We must push for something more than a short annual Cod food fishery.

 

The question is where do we go from here.

 

The first step is NEVER FORGET!

 

The next step for any visionary government is to deliver us from the Cod complacency of the current governments.

----

 

The collapse of the Cod fishery isn't a failure of democracy or government.

It is the collective failure of millions of Canadians

to make their voices heard no matter what.

We cannot be ignored, unless we let ourselves be ignored.

Be peacemakers, but be unstoppable.

 

Chris and Maureen Scoville

Uttering and Buttering

Some utterances should never be said.
Especially not in politics.

Take a comment like this

"It is time to hear the concerns of the people first hand, to better inform decision-making in the coming years."
 

Reported by today's Telegram to have been uttered by the Premier of the province during her cabinet's invasion of Bonavista this week. 

That's like admitting you

haven't been there,

haven't had a first-hand listen,

haven't been getting up close and intimate with the people's real and gritty concerns,

haven't had your hand on the people's pulse.

 

Which was most evident by Budget 2013 - the biggest annual decision-making machine in government.  

Yes, there was the mockery of a pre-budget consultation

But in the end the budget was not written By The People For The People

It was brewed in a fairy land by non-strategists, non-thinkers and big-time people stinkers.

 

Interesting thing about listening

Is that it cannot start at the end.

It has to have a very early kick-start so as to be perceived as genuine.

 

The queen is desperately trying to wear the listening crown during the summer political carnival, but it doesn't fit her head properly.

 

And she's uttering those buttering words - meant to make us feel important,

but instead make us feel we haven't been respected all those years.

Not a good communique from a politician.

Indeed "It is time" to listen...high time.

 

Rehabilitation for some though comes too late,

no matter how hard you try ...

Don't Be Talking!

Shhh ........
Let's not talk about the fishery!

At least that's the undercurrent message the current government continues to convey.

"Well, we can talk about the amazing aquaculture projects - but only the employment boost it brings.
Just steer the dialogue boat away from all the environmental challenges that ails this industry.
Especially don't bring up the watchdog and regulatory roles we should be undertaking - rather than pandering to the industry's wish-list regarding this important industry. 

AND
We can talk about the wild fishery, of course - but only the positive bits & pieces -
Like the research work  carried out by our Cod Warrior George Rose and the month-long visit by the Celtic Explorer vessel from  across the Pond.
And it's ok to be chatting about the projects that are being approved under our technology program.

BUT
Let's not  go on  about the 10 years that have passed under Tory rule & the total lack of a focus on the wild fishery.

Let's not talk about the plan or the strategy we promised, but never got around to doing.
(Jeeze we were so darn busy defending Nalcor & Muskrat Falls - who had the time??)

Let's not talk about the Cod Recovery Plan we agreed to, but did not follow through on.

Let's not go there about the fishery that could be double in its value if we really had placed a priority on this sector. 

Let's not talk about the oil money we could have put aside in a heritage fund  to rebuild our fisheries (Like Norway does with its renewable resources)

Let's not converse about all the fish plants that closed, but could have been saved as regional development initiatives if there were any ingenuity and enthusiasm shown by government.

Let's not blabber on about our failure as it relates to forcing the federal government to put fisheries at the bow of the ship - like extending the 200-mile limit, sharing jurisdictional management, license buy-outs, foreign overfishing, Search and Rescue capacity, etc... 

You see what I mean ... there's so much we shouldn't talk about!

So don't be talking!


Seems it's ok with the Tories to blab about the ol' stuff like the near-extinction of the Northern Cod.
Former Fisheries Minister Trevour Taylor was at it in today's Telegram.
We got to stop blaming the foreigners for that ecological disaster!,  the former fisherman admonishes us.
Yes - let's stop talking about the real culprits.
(And by the way Trevour, the trouble with the Northern Cod goes back to the late 60s, not the 80s - that's why we imposed the 200-mile limit - to keep the foreigners out of our waters.)

Don't be talking about the fishery!   has been Government's mantra since day one - sad state of affairs really.    

It's a shame given it is one of our most sustainable natural resources - meant to outlast oil and gas any day.

It's reassuring to know that Election 2015 is just around the corner.

It will force Government to drop anchor and start to have a real conversation again about the fishery - what is the plan and how are we going to get there ...?





 

THE BIG DISCONNECT

 
There's one helluva disconnect going on in the political arena these days.

At least, that's what the recent political polls in this province have exposed.

Who's it between?

She & We.

What's all about?

Well it boils down to this.

She's encouraged and We're discouraged.

What is she - the premier of our Province - encouraged about?
That she has the support of her politically bias Caucus;
and hence, will remain at the battered helm.

And what are We discouraged about?

Well, just about everything with the Tory Government and how they handle the affairs of our province.

But when She makes statements that She is comfortable where She is and has the backing of the Tory Caucus and that is good enough for her.

Well, that's enough to set the disconnect quake off the Richter Scale!

She clearly isn't listening.

She never listened on Muskrat Falls, Search & Rescue, School Board Amalgamation, Budget 2013, Aquaculture, Justice, Literacy, Poverty, Fisheries, Ferries, Harper, CETA, Bill 29, Public Service cutbacks, etc, etc, etc...

She tried to communicate though - paid a TO firm over $150,000 to tell her how to better connect with We.   Evidently, another waste of hard-earned tax dollars.

We  -the people - do not mind tough budgets as We do them all the time in our personal lives.

But there's the truly ugly part of the Tory Story.

There's the unadulterated wastage, political patronage, arrogance, smugness, lack of consultation, my-way-or-the-highway, condescending attitude, know-it-all, incompetence, manipulation, mocking, finger-pointing, double standard, rhetoric, slick PR, uber-secrecy/ cone of silence and  the latest ... "the BBQ circuit" will make things all nice and pretty again type of communication.

Well, you can see why our fingers are way down our throat ...

Come October 2013, we will be coming upon 10 years of Tory Blue-in-Your-Face Rule.
 
If they decide to foolishly celebrate,  they may as well call it The Divorce Party.

So, heads-up 
to the Disconnect Gang - 
from the Real Landlord of this Province.

Your power supply is being disconnected!

Signed
WE!
 

A Crusade of Courage ...

Dr. Henry Morgentaler's name either grates or elates.

An activist who stood up against the establishment
in defense of those who did not have a voice - woman and the right to control their reproductive destiny - died today.

Whether you were a fan or not of Morgentaler's crusade, one must admire him for his courage and  bravery.

A true warrior and champion, Morgentaler believed in a cause and acted on it. He left no stone unturned in defending a right he felt women in this country should have.

They say that life prepares us for our calling.

This was a man who spent five years in the  Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau. He knew about rights and the lack of them. His mother's death in that camp forged in him a passion to defend the right of other women to live the way they wanted to live.

When his calling came, he was not backing down. He was ready, willing and able to engage in a showdown with the legal authorities.   His fight peaked in the 1988 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada that rendered Canada's long-standing policy on abortion as "unconstitutional".


Carlose Castaneda once said that

A warrior considers himself already dead, so there is nothing to lose. The worst has already happened to him, therefore he's clear and calm; judging him by his acts or by his words, one would never suspect that he has witnessed everything

The truth is that Morgentaler probably already "died"
a thousand deaths in that Holocaust camp.
Everything after that was but a calm shoot of the arrow.

The end result is that women are no longer shamed for criminal activity if they make a choice about their reproductive status. Granted,access to abortion in all provinces is still not equally available.

No woman truly wants to have an abortion,
but if they have to,
they can thank Dr. Henry Morgentaler for the freedom
without being branded a criminal in our country.
In this life we can walk away from a battle or we can stand and face the fear to defend our principles and convictions and the rights of others. 

Henry Morgentaller made a choice that women should have a choice
- a crusade of courage that will withstand the test of time. 

******
If I help women to have babies at a time
when they can give love and affection,
they will not grow up to be rapists or murders.
They will not build concentration camps.”
-Henry Morgentaler











 

Culture - Everybody's Business!

Our culture is smokin' hot!

Our tourism ads are shameless in playing up this attractiveness. 

We're charming and unique. We look good and when we bat those outport eyes, there's no one resisting our come-hither look. Everyone wants a piece of us because we are enchanting, desirable and different ... in a good kinda way. 

But ironically our assets are also fading. Our outports are expiring - our youth are outmigrating, our seniors are left holding the fort and our detached government is using us for our seductiveness in tempting tourist, but they are not willing to pay the price to keep us sustainable.   

As is typical with this Government, a Cultural Plan developed seven years ago has withered on the vines. 
 http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/publications/2006/culturalplan2006.pdf

So, it was uplifting to read of not one, but three projects in the weekend's Telegram that are not only rejoicing in the rural way of life, but fighting to keep it alive and well.

Out in Fogo, something visionary is taking shape. The Fogo Island Inn is hopefully just the beginning of a brilliant cultural renaissance that will sweep across our fair isle.  Built on the rocky shores of the Atlantic ocean, this inn is a blend of tradition with innovation. Imagine an inn with a library, art gallery, theatre and fitness centre with the expected restaurant? Its owners ensured that not only was everything influenced by island life, but built on Fogo Island - quilts, floors, walls and  lights all constructed by Newfoundlanders and Labrador while employing those on the island. I love their philosophy of "finding new ways with old things" like structuring part of the Inn on stilts - a symbolic reverence to the stilts of our iconic flakes which dried our fish that fed the world for centuries.
http://www.fogoislandinn.ca/ourstory.php

Still on the North coast, there is the town of Port Union - "the only town in North America built by an union".  This is a town that has a unique fishing history involving Coaker's Fishermen's Protective Union and an inspiring community spirit which works tirelessly in keeping this heritage alive. The town's richness is the focus of "The Culture of Outports Project" sponsored by a Toronto architectural firm ERA Architects. The team will delve into what makes that town and surrounding areas special and parlay it into a cultural community build project.  A wonderful initiative!

Just further along at Bonavista is The Matthew - a replica of John Cabot's 1497 ship which has in recent times been out of commission. I was there in 1997 when it sailed into the Bonavista harbour on the 500th anniversary of Caboto's landing in our fair province. It is heartwarming to know that this great ship will hopefully be repaired and enrich the town's and surrounding area's array of historical assets.  

Cod bless us - it took centuries to shape us into the beauty that we are. Let us not forget who we are, no matter that governments only half-heartedly support our rural values and lives. 

Let us be inspired by our own self-worth and our deeper beauty of culture, heart and soul. The stories above behoove us to become cultural warriors fiercely protecting our smokin' hot precious heritage -  not just for tourist, but for ourselves and our children!

A "Ray" of Newfoundland Sunshine

This week Joey and Ray had a grand reunion.

That's what I like to think anyways.

Ray Guy, an outstanding satirist, humorist and full-fledged Newfoundlander finished his life journey here this week.

The brilliant words he left behind will forever be our treasures.
Many of those razor-sharp, sinful saucy and yet eloquent words were directed at former premier Joey Smallwood.  Guy was quoted as never having known Joey personally, but he did enjoy inflicting lashings him on a weekly basis in his columns.

There have been many wonderful tributes to this great Newfoundland soul since his passing. Even the current Government sent out a press release - not by the Premier herself mind you, but by a mere Minister of the crown.

Odd again, that this Government did not read a more personal Ministerial Statement into the House of Assembly this week. Why did this tremendous and beloved Newfoundland writer not deserve such an honour? 

Perhaps there is a legitimate reason. But perhaps it speaks to their usual lack of class and small mindedness that they could not use the honourable House to honour Ray Guy's life narrative - especially given politics was the prime target with his ouch pen.

If Joey had outlived Ray, he surely would have stood proudly in the Legislature and presented a message of condolence and recognition -notwithstanding the many lacerations Guy inflicted on Joey's political body by acting as his unofficial "opposition" and keeping the Premier accountable throughout his reign. 

Which is why I imagine Joey's glee in seeing his nemesis coming to the heavenly Legislature to enlighten the proceedings. I envision the two of them smiling, winking and nodding in an unspoken language of  "Let the good games begin again!"

I did not have the pleasure to know Guy personally, but I did read some of his columns through the years and enjoyed his play (which has since been made into a movie) in the 80s "Young Triffie's Been Made Away With." As is true with most of life, I wished I had paid more attention...

But I, like many others, will be aiming to read all that is Ray Guy. His language and his humour were like no other in that they made us more intimate and in love with our collective Newfoundland soul and uniqueness each time we read his work.

And reflecting on the life of the iconic Ray Guy on a cold and wet May 24th iconic weekend, I am blessed with a rare Ray of Sunshine - such was his gift ...

Torn between two Flag Poles!

On the 33rd anniversary of our official provincial flag
- it seems we are asked to make a choice.
The fairly new one by Pratt or the ol 'Pink, White or Green (PWG)?

To quote a song

There are times when a woman has to say what's on her mind
even though she knows how much it's gonna hurt.

I love both our flags - the official and the unofficial one!

Sorry ol Tricoloured PWG,
it doesn't mean I love you any less - but
I do have a thing for the more stylistic and deeper lover.
There's just something about him with his broad symbolism encompassing sea, snow, ice, our collective struggles as a people and the spirit and optimism ingrained in all of us.
I resonate with his deeper respect for our Native and British heritage, our military patriotism and our connection to our fishery.

But you do have your  inclusive qualities - trying to represent the Green of Ireland, the Pink of England and the White of the Scottish thistle. 

Seriously, I love the revolutionary wild side of you
You are the maverick!
(and the bad guys will always get the bad girls, so I know you will not do without your admirers!)

Torn between two lovers
Feeling like a fool
Loving both of you is breaking all the rules

Ya, I could love and  fly you both high - pridefully!

So, don't make me chose between you because there are other pursuers on the dance card.

I mean, how can you ignore the Union Jack and the Labrador Flag with their come-hither look in their eyes?

In the end, whatever I choose is a choice between all that is "good" about our province.

Gee guys, stand back I could handle you all - this shouldn't be a competition - you are all valuable and loved!

Just the same,  only one of you is having a birthday today -
so Happy Flag day to good ol the Sweet Pratt  Love Flag! (for want of a better phrase).

You do stand out -so fly with pride!

The Transparent Head of the Penashue Fish

A fish with a transparent head?

Apparently so!

Filmed at the Monterey Aquarium Research Institute in California- it's called the
large Pacific Barreleye Fish. 

http://www.minds.com/blog/view/55177/fish-with-transparent-head-filmed

Not to be outdone,
here in our province,
we also have our own political transparent head
- the large Penashue (Unbelievable!) Fish.

The beauty about such a creature is
that you can see everything that goes on between its ears and in its head.

It's a wonder to be seen and to listen to
Especially when it utters with its fish-like voice
"Vote for me
I am in cabinet
I am powerful
I can get you money
I can be your sugar daddy ..."

Talk about transparency
and double speak for

"Vote for me so
I won't speak to you (or for you!)
I can ignore you
I might even abuse you
I can serve my Master
(and it isn't you).
I only get you things
(not because I like you' only because I like the role of a sugar daddy -
 especially since it isn't my money)
I like breaking laws
'cause I (like my Master) see myself as above the law.
YES! Vote for me
because I expect you to be as shallow as I am."

Ah, fish with a transparent head are a wonderment-
a freakish, but exquisitely beautiful part of nature.
A wonder to behold.

A transparent politician?
Not so.
And so not worth your vote.

A Sign of the "Unjust" Times

It was a day where foam appeared at the mouth of many. 

MHA Gerry Rogers was found in contempt of the House of Assembly today.

She was charged,found guilty and hung.

Except that she was not guilty.

Even the Speaker of the House said it himself - that a member should be given the benefit of the doubt of the offence for which The Witch Hunt says she was guilty.

It appears to boil  down to the fact that the mild-manner MHA
happened to be walking by a murder scene for which
she was neither aware nor an accomplice.

But, alas the Speaker had to appease the Witch Hunters.

He tried to extract an apology from Ms. Rogers.

And she three times rightly denied owning the offence.

Three times she  railed against the injustice.

The injustice of a wild Witch Hunt looking for a way
to cloak the mess they have entangled themselves in recent times by trying to cast themselves as the victim.

In the end, the MHA was escorted from the Legislature for her so-called offence.

What was outstanding in the whole sordid affair
was how low Government will stoop to impinge any "Honourable" member.

Each day in the Legislature each of our  MHAs who represents us in this province
get to be called  "honourable" members.

It is all about the protocol, respect and decency ingrained in our democratic system.


Rather than speaking privately to the Honourable member to inquire - or give her the heads up about the other fanatical members who threatened the premier - the Witch Hunt instead look the low road to justice.

Instead of treating her on a professional basis,
the Witch Hunt tried to expose her publicly,
created mass hysteria
and brought her to the edge of the burning fire. 

It is a sign of the times -
where there is an over abundance of
Injustice against the Just here in our province.

Imagine that!

Right here in Newfoundland and Labrador
 - the land of the most hospitable people in the world.

It's downright sacrilegious ...


"Each day we should wake up foaming at the mouth because of the injustice of things.”
― Hugo Claus

Cod - Caboto Style?

Codfish So thick
They stayed the progress of our ship
Your fleet will have no further
need for Iceland
This is enuff to feed this kingdom
Oh sire until the end of time ..."
John Cabot

Caboto had a grand wonderful story of Cod mania all those centuries ago.

And for those attending Government's announcement today at the Marine Institute expecting a similar Cod tale - well, there was a bit of a stark difference.

For one thing the prime Cod Warrior (George Rose) was off in Ireland about to set sail from the Irish coast in the Irish vessel -  the MV Celtic Explorer. He's heading across the Atlantic for a third survey of Northern Cod. (Being the real scientist he is, he was not interested in photo ops)

The Anti-Cod Princess herself (the Premier)  wasn't in sight (a sure sign of a lowly affair).

Furthermore, the Cod news itself was really a re-announcement of what was already proclaimed in the budget in late March.

And then there were the Cod Survey results that were suppose to be released - but somehow seemed to have been eclipsed by giddy men looking for the media glare.

"The media got that part wrong," says the Institute's main man when asked about the elusive survey results.

Well, it seems the Fisheries Minister himself may also have been hoodwinked into thinking there would be Cod research details as he issued a press statement promising the same.

The best we got was that "there are positive signs" of Cod being the comeback kid of the year.

No real results, and no plan nor strategy on how we are going to prepare for Cod Comeback.

A bit of a cod indeed!

But hey,even the hint of a Cod return to our waters warms our hearts;
and news of a Cod bonanza off north Norway and  Russia all point to a less bleak Cod future.

Caboto's Cod tale may just have a second re-run if we play our Cod Cards right.

No Snow Job

Budget Budget 2013 on the Fall
Who's the fairest one of them all?
Well, of course you are my dearest Dunder-Fall

Budget Budget 2015 on the Rise
Who's the Fairest of them all?
Why, it's the Voters, my dearest Dunder-Demise


Queen D is shocked to learn that The Voter is still alive!

"Hadn't my huntsman taken care of my nemesis as I instructed him!!?
she wailed across the Kingdom for all to hear.

"I was certain that my strategy to kill The Voter was foolproof -

 

No debate or vote on Muskrat Falls;

Destructive Bill 29;

Short Legislative Sessions;

Appearing only at Fluff events;

Harsh Budget Cuts;

Hiding$90 M (which could have been used to resuscitate The Voter)

Pretending to be a Have province in one venue

and then switching to Have-not when I needed a few dollars;

Gross Fiscal mismanagement;

Completely ignoring the Fishery;

Padding the Polls;

Colouring all the windows in the Kindom Blue."

 

 

" Oh dear, I guess I will have to get more ruthless to kill off The Voter!"

 

And so, the story goes that Queen D disguises herself as an old peddler

and goes after The Voter (alas, another job cut in the "Huntsman" department)

And so after many failed attempts, she comes up with a brilliant idea.

She concocts a poisoned apple and The Voter looks at the apple, starts to bite it ...

 

and then suddenly gives  Queen D the stink eye and says

"You gotta be kiddin me missus!  You think I am going to fall for that lame ol trick!"

 

"Seriously how stun do you think I am?!!"

 "You better get your PR people to come up with something
more brilliant than an apple laced with bull-shit."

"But hey, Queen D, I'll humour you for a while yet

I'll  pretend to be asleep and lay in a glass coffin for a few more years yet.

 

But come 2015, you just know a Prince will come along and you will be booted from OUR Kingdom."

 

Queen D knew she was in trouble.

 

But she kept dancing in her hot shoes until she fell dead in her tracks on October 13, 2015.

 

True story.

Not a tall tale.

 

Definitedly, not a  snow job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The White Fleet & The Disenchanted Fleet

It was the tale of two worlds.

I came to listen to a engaging lecture on the Portuguese White Fleet.

This neutral country that plied the North Atlantic waters for over 500 years was commanded during World War II to paint their sailing vessels white to distinguish them from the enemy.

They came and fished our rich fishing banks with enthusiastic spirits, small wooden dories and ecological long lines.

They worked hard, were happy-go-lucky, caught plenty of fat Cod from one-man dories cast adrift from mother ship. They left their home and family in May and returned in September with a bounty of salted cod and a kinship with our people. 

These Portuguese fisher-folk and their white fleet are distinctly woven into our folk culture and history, particularly in St. John's which was often used as a safe harbour. 

These fishermen were revered - heroic figures.

And sitting next to me at The Rooms theatre tonight was a modern-day young fishermen.

He was there to learn a thing or two about the old ways of fishing he told the presenter.

Before the session began, he offered me a one-on-one engaging tale -like a man that wanted to get something off his chest.

As he spoke about his work, there was earnestness in his voice, a passion for his industry and salt was definitely in his blood. (He could have been in wild rose country he said, but he picked to be on the wild waters.)

But something wasn't adding up.
His million dollar entreprise was tied up at the wharf due to the current crab dispute.

The price of the species he and other fishermen wanted to harvest was too low.

Plus, he pointed out, rising bait and fuel costs, a disengaged government  and a dysfunctional fish price-setting panel were all casting a challenging net on his fishery.

"Something has got to change!" he stated emphatically.

"Our fishery needs to move with the times, but we have no leaders to get us there!"

I listened intently and I heard his cry.

And then the lecture for which I came commenced...

I listened to the glory days of our fishery, all the while remembering the disenchanted tale of the fisherman next to me.

Here he was - not so heroic perhaps (in the eyes of the public), facing uncertain times, a shortage of resource, wondering what the future holds and yet holding on tightly to a dream.

Before the lecture was over, I came to understand he didn't just come to be enlightened.

He came for a bit of hope.

Hope, that perhaps one day the modern-day fishery he was engaged in
would see better days.
like the fishery and the bounty enjoyed by the Portuguese
as their sailed their white fleet upon our same waters so many years ago...

Amen to "Better Days"!

Expiring Shelf Life

A passing soul in my life taught me an important lesson - never make anyone a priority
when they themselves consider you only an option.

Such is the state The Citizen finds themselves here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

They no longer feel like a priority in the eyes of Government. 

More like
Sidelined - rather than bulls-eyed.
Scorned - rather than embraced.

In democratic jargon,
The Citizen is disenfranchise;
And the process called dysfunctional and diluted.

The Citizen understands the need to live within one's means
(they do it day in and day out)

But something is off in the political here-and-now dynamics in this province.

There is an uncomfortableness that those at the helm know not what they are doing.

Decisions are made without
consultation
clarity
compassion
foresight
vision

There is a hyper-reactionary panic
like a ship in a storm without a master Captain. 

Basic public services are compromised
Basic decencies are overlooked
Professionals are uneasy - the courageous are speaking out
Retractions are made at a whim.


In short,
Nothing feels like a Master Plan - just a slam-bam-'thank-you-ma'am indecency

Above all,
arrogance and attitude 
spin and sputter
rather
than partnership and progress
seem to be the order of the day.
 
Life is never straightforward as we know;
but when the one person and your own government
is not making YOU a priority,
you just know the Expiration Date 
is sooner rather than later.

The Flat-Iron Lady

Hi all you unkempt citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador!

My name is Kathy Done-derdale and I am a beauty consultant of sorts.

I have just the magical beauty tool to  achieve the look I THINK looks best on you.
(Unfortunately, it is not the one that you want or envisioned!) 

It's called the Newfoundland Labrador Flat-Iron (Budget 2013)

It works like this. I take a few strands of your collective hair (aka vital public service), say things we don't need like

health care
school boards and teachers
human rights
wildlife officers
justice system
adult basic education
career consultants
public servants
tourism
fisheries
immigration attraction
business attraction
rural development
public washrooms (coming soon!)

and bit by bit (with your back to the mirror) I "flatten" each one of them into nothing.

You won't recognize yourself (this province) when I am through with you!

That's the beauty of my hair-brained scheme - it flat lines everything in one good session (except Nalcor of course). 

And just like any good flat-iron, I can turn it from Warm to Medium to Hot as Hell!

Opps, sorry ... I smell something burning ... did I scorch you?

No?    Well let's ramp up the heat on that damn flat-iron and burn every last hair off your head! (if not now, then in Budget 2014)

There now - you look just wonderful without hair (vital services)!

My pleasure.

KD | Your (unskilled and knowledge-deficit) Beauty Consultant


P.s.  Tom Marshall will rue the day he called me the Iron Lady  that has compassion.

I'm better than that!  I do not have any compassion  -  I flat-ironed that out too!

Customer Service just wasn't my thing. 

Thanks for the vote just the same!




.

Budget 2013: To Hell in a Handbasket

A provincial election looms in 2015.

In case you missed that point, today's Budget didn't.

Its eye was squarely on the prize.

Between now and then, it's going to be a lean, mean, whip-cracking machine.

Layoffs, consolidations, cutbacks, crafty spins and conspiratorial circling of the bandwagons.

Then in 2015, it will get all mushy, generous and overflowing with largess.

Budgets by this government are not really about families, communities or People.
(As their PR spin would have you think)

They are political tools meant to castigate and control our very lives in between election years.

Budget 2015 will then become even more Machiavellian as it targets in to woo, coo and fool the people during the election campaign.

Roads will be paved, hospitals built,ribbons cut, ferries fixed, babies kissed and maybe even a fake tear shed...

Budgets don't have to work that way - they can be a mindful,compassionate,responsive genuinely engaging and thoughtful process.

But that is not the way this Government operates.

They`d rather build self-serving empires than be there for the People.

The bottom line is that Budget 2013 cannot wipe out 10 years of infractions and political interference.

Even with a shallow 10-year Sustainability Plan as part of today`s Budget,
you get the sense that the expression  to hell in a hand basket might just
have been perfectly coined to describe this year`s provincial economic document.

And Election 2015 might just be the year when those in a hand basket
get to take their final haphazard  journey.

The Throne Speech Truth Serum

 

Sometimes when you speak, you disclose more than you intend. 

 

Take today’s provincial 2013 Throne Speech. 

 

In addition to revealing where the path ahead is veering, 

Government also highlighted where there are huge issues.

 

Well, when you are at the provincial helm for close to a decade,

you get full credit for the path you left behind; 

Or in this government's case, for the mess they have left behind.

 

Today, injected with a little Throne Speech Truth Serum, Government admitted that ...

1. They allowed the public sector growth to get out of control.  In their own words Newfoundland and Labrador’s public sector costs are greater than our economy can afford or sustain.   
2. They spent more on public sector than any other province.  In their own words ... This province’s public sector spending per capita is the highest of any province
3. They screwed up on the price of oil leaving less ching ching in government coffers.  In their own words ... From Alberta to Ottawa and beyond, all jurisdictions heavily reliant on oil revenues have suffered large reductions to their bottom lines this year because oil prices have tracked far lower than the markets projected
4. They failed to diversify the economy. In their own words ... We must diversify away from an overreliance on oil if we are to put our economy on a solid, sustainable footing
5. They failed to live within their means.  In their own words ...  We have to live within our means and continue to set clear and responsible priorities. 
6. They have not been prudent managers of our taxdollars. In their own words ...This is the prudent time to take on the challenge of focusing on critical priorities, streamlining our public sector accordingly and zeroing in on the initiatives that place our province’s economy on a solid, sustainable footing for the decades to come
7. They have not set sound priorities since 2003. In their own words ... The path forward is about setting sound priorities.
8. They have not been innovative in their thinking since 2003. In their own words ... ... The path forward is also about innovation – about finding new and more-effective ways of achieving our goals.
9. They have not had a Sustainability Plan until now!  In their own words ... This Sustainability Plan will guide our approach moving forward. It is a fresh approach to governance, with a clear focus on the people we serve, the priorities we stand by, the results we need to achieve, and the path that will get us there.
10. They have not been spending smartly in health care. In their own words ... We are convinced there are ways to spend our health care investments more effectively to maintain and improve the quality of frontline services while increasing the value we get for these investments.
11. Their greatest achievement in the development of our fisheries is the give-away of our resources.  In their own words ...  After several months of intensive negotiation, the province and Ocean Choice International reached an agreement to reopen the Fortune fish plant to process its unutilized yellowtail quota. This agreement will return a minimum of 110 workers to the plant when the retrofit is complete and secure an additional 126 year-round harvesting jobs.

So it seems that Bill 29 cannot silence all Government information.

Sometimes, an innocent psychoactive medication known as the Throne Speech exposes all government's inner truths.

Today's Throne Speech could have been simplified to one truthful line.

We have achieve little, but we NOW have a plan ... after 10 years.

The Truth sometimes hurts,
but it is better than the platitudes and deception contained in the rest of this year's Throne Speech; and the past decade of Tory goverance.

The Penashue Patch

There's a new product on the Canadian market- The Penashue Patch.

It promises fast relief from the withdrawals of being ethical, honest, above board,
and having one last shred of decency left.

It does not affect the withdrawer so much as it pains the person watching how low a paid public servant can stoop to fool its master and not blink an eyelash. 

The Patch is proudly manufactured by the Harper Corporation.

It's the perfect solution for those who want to quit being an upstanding and honourable politician; and instead have the desire to engage in dirty low-down politics - all pain free and devoid of morals.

It is guaranteed to remove all guilt of allowing  one to carry out any charade in front of the public, no matter how sinister and self-serving.

While further studies are pending, the Harper Conservatives have a patent on the product and they are confident it will set the next generation standards of political behaviour.

Further, it is highly regarded by the Harper-ites as a fool-proof remedy to win elections and by-elections.

The Penashue Patch is a highly recommended resource for those that want to butt out democracy and decency.

Other than ongoing delusions and shallowness, there are no real side effects.

Unless of course, you are the victim that has to inhale all this second hand toxic smoke.

Then you might want to exercise your god-given democratic right to butt out and walk away from this poisonous political substance.

It truly is the only cure against the Harper Cancer Stick ...

The Great Rural Rot Strategy

The Great Divide is yawning wider and wider -
the Urban-Rural Divide in NL that is.

In Election 2003, the Tory Government promised a
Great Rural Strategy
"All ready to roll out" promised power hungry DW of his plan
to bring great wealth and expansion to the outlying regions.

Ten years later, the camera is now in focused
And the picture isn't pretty
Rural regions are rotting in the Government's cellar
Like vegetables left too long in the deep damp wet underground...

The Rural Rot stench comes from anti-rural measures
heaped unto the compose pile over time.

But, just in recent memory we have enough stench-ables to make one wonder who is tending to the rural garden.

Look what this government hauled out of the topsoil in NL just a few short months ago

1) The EAS Offices   These offices allowed rural clients to secure long-term employment with the help of people close by and empowering them to reach their potential. Now they are told to swim alone. To boot there are over 226 jobs taken from rural communities due to these cuts. Makes sense if you are trying to resettle - a backward step if you are a rural advocate!

2) The RED Boards   Funding for these critical boards were cut earlier this year both by the feds and the province. Economic and business development in rural regions have lost a major nutrient and now these 19 boards will die on the vine as well as public participation and community education relating to economic growth. 

3) Fish plants    Since December 2011, 12 fish plants have closed under this Government's watch. Actually, government wasn't watching at all - they were hiding behind the rural-urban great divide wall as they gave the thumbs up to industry to wreck havoc with the community garden known as the fishing industry.  They didn't stand proud in front of the people reassuring they had a plan.  Another industry relegated to the cellar!

4) Schools   Government continues to yank schools out of communities by heaping piles of  toxic pesticides  - viable ones at that!  Schools are the heart of a community and once a school closes, a community is not far behind ... Where is the plan to protect communities by ensuring their schools remain opened and multi-purposed?  Government needs a reform of the School Closing Act and a new model to ensure regional economic development and schools are all connected. 

5) Ferries    Communities that depend on ferries need these vessels just like schools in order to be viable and sustainable; but despite many promises and a strategy, the Tory government have not been good gardeners when it comes to providing reliable and safe ferry service to many of our isolated communities. 

6) Rural Broadband  Technology is everything in this modern world but this government has been slow off the mark in planting this vital service to many rural communities. Take the Burin Peninsula where there are close to 20,00 people and large areas without cell coverage! We're not just talking about keeping in touch to have a conversation - this is life and death stuff.

7) Health Care   Government promised a Regional health facility for Western Nl and it is clear this infrastructure will be ripped from the grounds of rural Nl either as a reduced service or a no-go!  

Rural Rot is the flavour of the day under this current government. 

They promised a fertile garden but they have not been diligent nor accountable; and rural Nl has been underseiged.

Communities are in crises - physically and spiritually.

Government clearly is not up to the task of repotting our communities and our regions. 

And so the great Urban-Rural divide continues ...

The rural rot stench rises up to remind us that we must effect change sooner rather than later.


kp

NL - What is this Place?

Newfoundland and Labrador

It's our own little precious space and place upon Earth ...
Our Home
Our Heart
Our Soul
Our Song
Our Temple
Our most treasured amongst all cosmic gifts

Where our families and our tribe are
Where we want to be (even when we are not there)
Where we work (or hope to work one day)
Where we grow and learn (around the shore or up the shore)
Where we dance, sing our songs, recite our stories (in own own unique way)

Yes bye, we're
Geographically interesting
Culturally intriguing
Linquistigly wealthy
Historically rich
Politically passionate
Emotionally connected
Genetically spawned from ocean and waves
Amazingly talented and resilient are our people

We march to the beat of our own drum ... echoes from our Native brothers and sisters
We feel special and scared - even when others do not see our beauty
We are warriors  - yet peacekeepers, hospitable and community-minded
We're fierce about protecting our own and our outports ...
Fightin Nlers when we need be!

Spirited
Creative
Colourful
Genuine
Real
Friendly
Humourous
Charming
Soulful
Mysterious ...


This is where we fish upon the water
in oilskins and Cape Ann batten down
And where you can take the bayman out into the world,
but you cannot take the bayman from the depth of our being ...
Upon these waters we are brave and beautiful beings
and our blood is full of salt water and unimaginable scars
And we suffer our loss with stoicism for it blossoms our character

We know how to reach down to the bottom of our soul and carry on
We know how to lift our neighbours, our friends and our community
We know stuff that others just do not comprehend
Like how to jig a cod, cook a jigs dinner, go mummering
Ya, we just know about the real good stuff of life  and loving ...

We are built to endure  even as over time we 
transform ourselves time and time again
The winds of change ever blows upon our waters and shores and through our complex beings;
Yet, in the end we are attached (beyond a shadow of a doubt)
to this wonderful womb that is called Newfoundland and Labrador
Miraculously, it never changes - even when it changes ...

For it is
Our Comfort zone
Our Heartbeat
Our Shared Identity
Our Pride of Place
Our Universal Place
And which, as one poet enthused, holds fast our hearts and claims each of us for its own

Newfoundland and Labrador is more a place within
indescribably beautiful
our spiritual harbour
a pearl in our inner emotional sea

Even from space, it's soul sings a song of cosmic perfection ...
where "land and people are one ...locked in a forever love and longing ...



Picture - Chris Hatfield

What is this place

that keeps us in thrall

to ocean, to spindrift, to storm?