2007-04-13

VOL. 5 ISSUE 15

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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007

Beating the clock

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WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA —

$1.50 HOME DELIVERY (HST included); $2.00 RETAIL (HST included)

SPORTS 29

STYLE 21

Corner Brook’s Jana Bugden’s college career

Local designers ready for T-shirt weather

IN THE RING

Foreign billionaires support new Placentia refinery; time of the essence IVAN MORGAN

N

ews outlets in Europe report two billionaire entrepreneurs — one Irish, one Scottish — are investing in a local development company championing the construction of a 300,000 barrela-day oil refinery in Placentia Bay. Dermot Desmond, cited as the fifth richest man in Ireland, and Scottish mining tycoon Harry Dobson have joined forces with international oil executive Stephen Posford and the highly successful local resource company, Altius, to form the Newfoundland and Labrador Refining Corporation.

The company is wasting no time getting the project started.

“We recognize to a certain degree there is a race in place in the sense of filling this capacity — this insatiable northeastern U.S. market as well as diesel demand in Europe,” Chad Wells, Altius’ vice-president of corporate development, tells The Independent from his St. John’s office. “We’re forging ahead here.

Our timelines are reasonably aggressive.”

Altius owns 37.5 per cent of the company, Desmond, Dobson and Posford split the remaining 62.5 per cent.

The new company is hoping to beat the clock in the race to quench North America’s thirst for fuel. Irving Oil is looking at building another 300,000 barrel-aday refinery in Saint John.

With a completed feasibility study, Altius is now compiling environmental assessments, building community relations with people in the Placentia area and See “A capital intensive,” page 2

Mponda Kalunga-Loksa, known to everyone as George, in the Hard Tack boxing gym in St. John’s. Kalunga-Loksa, 17, came to Canada as a refugee from Egypt in 1999, and took a silver medal win for Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Winter Games in February. See In Camera, pages 8-9.

Paul Daly/The Independent

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Korab is personable, fun loving … the antithesis of Gushue — a stern taskmaster who probably would have made a great living as a Christian Brother teacher years ago.”

— Don Power column, page 29.

BUSINESS 13 This photograph, submitted to The Independent, shows two unidentified men. Two independent sources say the coyotes were harvested in the Sandy Harbour/Gisborne Lake/Mile Hill area west and south of Swift Current.

LIFE 19

Coyote ugly

Province, local author promote killing wild dogs on sight; no bag limit

By Ivan Morgan The Independent

D

arrin McGrath, author of The Newfoundland Coyote, says the provincial government is trying to promote wild dog hunting.

Coyotes — a species of wild dog new to Newfoundland — have received a lot of media coverage recently, and are blamed for the drastic reduction in the caribou population and causing

Carino marks 50 years of sealing in South Dildo

losses for provincial livestock producers. Outfitters and farmers are calling for a cull to reduce their numbers.

McGrath says it appears Newfoundlanders are “catching on” to the sport of coyote hunting.

“Why not? They do it in other jurisdictions. We’re not going to make this animal extinct,” McGrath tells The See “Dog the bounty,” page 2

Wood carver Vince Jones in the Gallery Patrick O’Flaherty . . . . . . . . .

Paper Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Woody’s wheels . . . . . . . . . .

Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11 12 25 28

Senior service As labour market tightens, employers look to new pool of workers STEPHANIE PORTER

I

f you’d told Fran Tucker a decade ago she’d be serving coffee at age 64, she would have laughed. But today, Tucker — not her real name — says she enjoys her hours behind the counter, and the little bit of extra money she pulls in.

“It’s not like we have much time to chat, we’re pretty busy,” she says, taking her morning break. An office worker most of her life, Fran figured she had retired when she left her last job at 60.

But, feeling fit and a little stir crazy after a few years “around the home and garden,” she says she works part-time just to “keep in touch with the world outside.”

Rosemary Lester, executive director of the Seniors Resource Centre in St. John’s, says she’s hearing about more people in Tucker’s situation — retirees, some of whom are seniors, returning to the workforce in different capacities — than ever before.

The reasons are as individual as the people themselves. It’s a trend supported, in the best cases, by a tight job market. In other scenarios, working into

senior years is a matter of necessity.

“If you’re living on the basic old-age security and guaranteed income supplement, I’m sure you’re looking to increase your earnings if you can,” Lester says. “Living on $12,000 or less a year is really difficult.

“But some of it is the need to be out there meeting people and being productive — some people do it through volunteering and a lot of people do it through continuing to work. A lot of professionals are certainly doing it and working under reduced hours and lot of other people are choosing to go out into the unskilled labour force.

“You’re seeing people even going into the fast-food market.”

Lester believes that last trend is “relatively new” — and growing fast. She remembers the situation a decade ago, when her own children were in university, service industry jobs then were few and far between. Teenagers faced stiff competition when applying to sling burgers or pour coffee.

“We’re seeing such a shortage of younger workers that older workers are being valued a lot more now and are going to be needed a lot more,” says Lester.

See “You make,” page 5

At Harvey’s Oil we are committed to building a stronger community. We salute the thousands of volunteers who share this commitment. Thank you for helping make Newfoundland and Labrador a better place to live.

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2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

APRIL 13, 2007

The ‘female’ candidate F

ederal Liberal leader Stéphane Dion has put forward quite a controversial proposal when it comes to nominating candidates to run for his party in the next election. He wants a minimum of 33 per cent of nominees to be female. The House of Commons has 308 ridings, and Dion wants a minimum of 102 female candidates to run in the next election. He has gone so far as to suggest he will intervene directly, if necessary, and appoint female candidates where he thinks it is possible to win a seat by running a woman.

His desired outcome, of having more women in Parliament, is laudable, but his proposed method to achieve the increase in female representation is a little disturbing. Eliminating good men from running for the party by appointing high-profile females seems to fly in the face of true democracy. Such a policy might actually backfire and some of his handpicked candidates just might run up against a backlash from voters of both sexes. While we all want to see

RANDY SIMMS

Page 2 talk more women in government, people will be offended if they are told to vote for “so and so” simply on the basis of gender.

There are currently 64 women in the Commons, representing 21 per cent of the membership. For some, that’s true progress; for others, it’s a sign of outdated and outmoded thinking.

Interestingly enough, in Newfoundland and Labrador we have 10 women serving in the legislature out of a total of 48, which works out to 21 per cent, the exact same percentage.

I have served on municipal council for some time and I have worked with a number of women councillors. I can assure you none of these women would appreciate being thought of as the

“female” candidate.

For these women, making gender a consideration would not be appreciated.

They got elected because they promised to do the job, and they got re-elected because they did it.

With his policy, Dion implies that women are being deliberately excluded from the political process. In forcing the issue, he seems to be saying if we have more women candidates we will all fall in line and be more willing to elect women in future.

Dion has it wrong. We are quite willing to elect women now. We don’t have to wait. However, women face special challenges when it comes to running for public office. Like it or not, we have not achieved equality of the sexes in this nation. For example, women who pursue a career in politics, while leaving the kids at home, are judged differently than men. They have a tougher time raising the needed money to run an effective campaign. The old-boys club is alive and well. As well, children seem

to play a bigger role in a woman’s decision to run for office than a man’s. As one female politician put it, “a lot of women chose to work on the domestic file.”

The times are a-changin’.

Women today outperform men at every post-secondary school in Canada.

More women today are also seeking higher education and training than at any time in history. Women also make up the majority in this country. It’s just a matter of time before we see the representation scales tip in favour of females in politics. If we want, we can simply suggest waiting things out.

Eventually the balance will come.

Dion could help move things forward — not by setting a quota of female candidates — but by promoting and advancing a more level playing field for women.

Females need better day-care options, a better tax regime for single moms and a political environment that encourages more female participation. Expanding

things like the women’s political commission and propping up the Judy LeMarsh Fund for women candidates are good ideas. Some things are happening now, but more can be done. By insisting on appointing female candidates, Dion has gone the route of putting up barriers to men instead of knocking down barriers for women. In my opinion, he’s got it backwards.

Everyone is of the view that more women members in Parliament and the House of Assembly would be good for the political process. There are even those who believe more women would bring about a change of decorum so that politicians would be more polite and less likely to fire insults at each other.

I’m not so sure. I predict things will stay as they are now, with political foes continuing to hurl invectives at each other, regardless of gender. We are who we are.

Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s OpenLine radio show. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca

province and the industry — Aegis were the “valuation advisors” to Vitol when the company sold the Come by Chance oil refinery in the 1990s.

Reports in the European media say if Altius gets green lights on federal and provincial government regulations, it expects to start construction by year’s end and complete the project by 2011.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Refining Corporation is aligning all aspects necessary to proceed with a project of this magnitude — finding suppliers, securing long-term markets, assessing the labour force and, of course, raising the financing.

Wells says that’s where the overseas billionaires come in.

He says Dobson is already involved with Altius through another project — the Rambler copper-gold mining venture they are pursuing on the Baie Verte peninsula. He says Altius did a primary assessment of the refinery idea and saw the opportunities.

“We had enough sense to recognize

that this was a very capital intensive project, one on a scale beyond anything Altius had tackled before,” says Wells.

“And the first person Brian (Dalton) thought of was Harry Dobson.”

Wells says billionaire Dobson felt the project was too big even for him, and brought associates Desmond and Posford into the project.

Halifax-based oil and gas consultant Bill Simpkins says the construction of a second refinery has a number of challenges, including the “not-in-my-backyard” syndrome that has been a barrier to refinery construction in North American and Europe. There is also the need for a skilled labour force and secure markets.

The challenge for investors, he continues, is having confidence in the longterm payout — the time it takes to see a profitable return on an investment.

“If you are an investor you have to look at the future,” says Simpkins. “If your payout is long term 25-30 years, will we have ethanol cars? … Will we

have electric cars? What will be the continuing demand for gasoline in that long term?”

Wells says they have received a very positive reception in Placentia Bay, which “is a very big part” of why Altius is confident about their project.

Potential investors have expressed concern about accessing workers, but Wells says they’ve identified expatriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living in Western Canada who possess the necessary “skill sets.

“For the right opportunity of rewarding pay, they’d come back here in a second. Just for the lifestyle and just to be building a family at home.”

“It’s very good news if there’s another entrant in the market and they’re not going to spend public money on it,” says Simpkins. “If they’re going to spend their own money or other investment money then that’s great.

“If they can do that I think that is pretty exciting for Newfoundland.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

A ‘capital intensive project’ From page 1 seeking financial backing.

Altius has hired Aegis Energy

Advisors, a boutique investment bank in New York, to identify potential investors. President and CEO Garfield L. Miller III is familiar with the

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Dog the bounty hunter From page 1 Independent. “If people want to shoot them on sight, I don’t really have a problem with that.”

In an e-mail response to specific questions about coyote hunting, a spokesperson for the department of Environment and Conservation says the $25 it pays for coyote carcasses is not considered a bounty, but an “incentive to submit the carcass.”

The province allows the hunting of wild dogs as long as general big game hunting regulations are followed to “ensure the safe, humane harvest of coyotes.” As well, a coyote hunting licence is available for hunters. The 10-month season runs from the second Saturday in September through the second Saturday of July.

The spokesperson writes there is no bag limit on coyotes, as the “reproductive biology of fur bearers and harvest methods dictate liberal harvests.

“The legal harvest of furbearers has recreational benefit, provides some economic return, opportunity to be in/on the country, and in this case perhaps helps to mitigate against area predation on big game.”

Theories of how coyotes came to the province range from them crossing on ice from the mainland to their accidental release by provincial wildlife officials.

McGrath says the eastern coyote is here to stay. He says they’re intelligent, adaptable, and consequently hard to hunt. Efforts to control them in other parts of North America have not been successful He says he is conflicted on the issue.

“The dog lover in me hates to see pictures of 25 coyotes piled up like cord wood in the back of a pickup, because these are beautiful looking wild dogs,” says McGrath. “But on the other hand, they are killing a hell of a lot of caribou.”

McGrath says the winter wild dog hunt is not a cheap sport. He says it requires a snowmobile.

Provincial hunting regulations stipulate the use of a .22 calibre centre-fire rifle, which McGrath says can cost $600. In addition, he says most hunters, to be successful, use an electronic gadget that imitates the cry of a rabbit in distress.

He says coyotes, which have good hearing, are lured close to investigate the sound — but not too close. A rifle is required because hunters typically need to shoot them at a range of a “couple of hundred yards.” McGrath says they don’t get too close to humans.

The Minister of Environment and Conservation, Clyde Jackman, was not available for comment.

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3

YOUR TOWN

Patricia Rees captured these serene images around her community of Sibleys Cove.

Your Town, a regular feature in The Independent, is currently accepting photographs by amateur photographers from around Newfoundland and Labrador. Please e-mail submissions to paul.daly@theindependent.ca.

SCRUNCHINS BAY PRIDE CBC TV is set to air a six-part special, April 16 through May 21, called Ryan’s Fancy Remembered. Featuring archival footage from the popular 1970s television series and interviews with Fergus O’Byrne, Ryan’s Fancy Remembered is billed as a nostalgic tribute to the band that celebrated East Coast culture and heritage. The backdrops sound fascinating …

Ryan’s Fancy on CN Railway’s old Bonavista Line, playing soccer in St. Lawrence, performing at the old Strand Lounge at the Avalon Mall in Town, and sailing aboard the MV Bonavista on its last ride to Labrador. Speaking of series … the Beyond the Overpass Theatre Company is slated to celebrate Bay Pride Week with a series of five comedic performances through until April 22 at the LSPU Hall in St. John’s.

Doesn’t performing in Town defeat the purpose?

A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia

D

id you read the news? An image of Danny Williams, our “glorious Lord and Saviour,” appeared recently on a bunch of bananas in Fort McMurray. It’s true … you can read it in The Self-Reliant. “The potassium filled premier brought hope to millions of displaced Newfoundlanders in the town, promising them all home within 50 years. As many of the residents walked away from the Bonavista bushel, a man was overheard saying, ‘Is that Danny Williams in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?’”

It was only a few weeks ago that The Independent reported on the remarkable likeness of Prime Minister Stephen Harper that appeared on a slice of burnt toast, popped up by a missus in Fiddler’s Frig Cove. First toast, now bananas (He’s bananas!!! Read the headline under Danny’s likeness) — what’s happening here?

Don’t read too much into it, Armageddon is a ways off yet. The Self-Reliant is actually The Muse, Memorial University’s student newspaper, which does an annual spoof of local papers. (Last year it was The Smellogram’s turn.) Writers with the SelfReliant include I’ve No Organ (Ivan Morgan says there’s a hint of truth in that … but he knows the name and address of the woman who has his organ), managing editor Stephanie Pooter, photographer extraordinaire Paul Weakly and editor-in-chief Brian Murky. The best quote was from Gusty Etch-ASketch: “Newfoundland got a raw deal when it joined Confederation. God love the cod fishery.”

If only Canada did …

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK The Self-Reliant’s letters section is also priceless, including one titled End the CBC empire.

“As the only province in Canada worth existing, we should have constant coverage on CBC news, and every original show should be Newfoundland-centric. Like that wonderful show with the funeral home starring Mary Walsh. That program should never have been cancelled, even

though it wasn’t funny.”

My favourite letter … The Self-Reliant rocks the rock!

“What a pleasant surprise to read a local publication with a fresh voice. A deep voice. A raspy voice. Editor-in-chief Brian Murky has finally touched a nerve when it comes to calling out those affluent pricks in Ottawa. And when reading his words, it’s like he’s touching my nerves. My special nerve. Ohhhhh yes. Harder. Let me feel your power Murky.

Signed: Brian Murky’s mom.

Moving on quickly …

SWEET TEMPTATION The Toronto Star recently reviewed Tempting Providence — the story of Myra Bennett, a British nurse who went to Newfoundland’s Northeast coast in 1921 and worked there for 60 years — currently being performed in Toronto. Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador has taken the play across Canada, and as far away as the UK and Australia. Wrote the reviewer: “In all, this two-act play avoids the pitfall of straying into the kind of maudlin tripe that makes discerning Canadian audiences wince. Instead, it conveys a wonderful depth of feeling for a gentle and genuine people who inhabit such a forbidding land.” The land that the resource-sucking mainlanders forgot, the reviewer meant to say. Where’s The Self-Reliant when you need it …

ORDINARY PEOPLE John Coulbourn of Sun Media also reviewed Tempting Providence. Wrote Coulbourn: “We are all part of a nation, after all, built by people who found themselves in less than hospitable circumstances, looked around and did what had to be done — simply because, as Myra says, ‘It was the sensible thing to do.’ Tempting Providence reminds us not only that they were here, but that

they are still among us, masquerading as ordinary people.” Here’s hoping their images don’t pop up on a slice of toast or Chiquita banana …

GOING TO THE CHAPEL The National Post reported this week that North America’s first church may have been in Newfoundland. According to the paper, clues about the church’s existence were left behind by eccentric British historian Alwyn Ruddock, who, before her death in 2005, ordered her book destroyed by executors of her will.

According to Ruddock’s book plan, a key backer of John Cabot’s westward expeditions across the Atlantic was Giovanni Antonio de Carbonariis, an Augustinian friar who collected taxes in England for the Vatican. After Cabot’s famous 1497 landfall in Newfoundland, he’s known to have returned to North America the following year. Scholars have found little evidence of that 1498 expedition, but in a note to her publisher Ruddock suggests she discovered a host of documents about Cabot’s second voyage to Newfoundland. Among the facts she apparently unearthed is that the friar accompanied Cabot to Newfoundland and stayed there — to build a church and establish a religious colony. Ruddock appeared to have proof, as well, that the colony, named for Carbonariis, evolved to become today’s Carbonear. If I were a businessman out that way I’d put my money in shovels …

JOHNSTON AND JOHNSTON The Washington Post carried a review recently of The Custodian of Paradise, Newfoundlander Wayne Johnston’s latest book. Sheilagh Fielding, the central character, was “the captivatingly unlikely love interest in Johnston’s luminous, sprawling 1998 masterpiece about Newfoundland, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams.” Johnston gives Fielding some fine lines. “When confronted by her father about her growing drinking problem, she replies, ‘Acquiring a taste for it was easy. The hard part was acquiring the Scotch.’” The newspaper liked the Colony of Unrequited Dreams better.

Oh well, any publicity is good publicity, especially in the likes of the Washington Post and SelfReliant … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca

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4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

APRIL 13, 2007

Employees, residents feeling cash crunch from IOC strike in Labrador City

By Mandy Cook The Independent

R

andy O’Reilly has been mining for the Iron Ore Company in Labrador City for the past 19 years, but hasn’t been to work in 36 days … and counting.

His wife has been working two minimum wage jobs to make ends meet.

“Good Friday was the only day she’s had off in two and a half months to try and keep up our standard of living,” O’Reilly tells The Independent.

“It’s exceptionally, extremely hard on her.”

Parents of six children ranging in age from nine to 22, the couple is painfully aware of every dollar spent.

O’Reilly says his mortgage has been paid for this month, but figures he will have to visit his bank to make arrangements for the next payment.

He’s cancelled the insurance on one of his vehicles, cutting back on “everything.

“You don’t have steak dinners every night, that’s for bloody well sure.”

Nearly 1,000 workers at the IOC mine have been on strike since March 9. Seniority, benefits, contracting out and employee-management relations are the key issues in the dispute between the company and the United Steelworkers union.

Members say Rio Tinto, a multinational company and major shareholder of IOC since 1999, is applying a “corporate-management style” that is proving to be unsatisfactory to most workers.

“A year ago we had to have a demonstration because our members with terminal cancer and other life threatening illnesses were cut off medical benefits by the company,” says O’Reilly.

“We had one individual who just finished chemo get a letter saying, ‘You’re cut off benefits — get back to work.’”

Officials with Iron Ore Company of Canada did not return The Independent’s calls as of press time.

IOC is Canada’s largest exporter of iron ore pellets. Iron ore mined in Labrador is exported to global steel manufacturers.

Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto says any time the main employer in a one-industry community is in a strike situation the result is “dramatic.”

He says the town is starting to see trickle-down effects where small businesses are feeling the pinch.

Heavy equipment and electrical motor companies are being forced to lay off employees.

“There’s contractors in the area that have now had their people leave the area, like Marshall Steel, RSM Mining, all these people who have contracts with IOC,” he says.

“There’s nothing going on there so all of these people have temporarily left the area.”

Contacted by The Independent concerning the economic impact the strike is having on the provincial treasury, a spokesperson for the Department of Finance stated legislation does not allow government to identify revenues from a single tax payer.

Wages at IOC range from $23.35 per hour for a labourer to $29.51 per hour for an electronic technician.

A 2004 strike over wages and benefits lasted 10 weeks. Union members voted 93 per cent in favour of the most recent strike — the second in less than three years.

O’Reilly says he’s giving his employer two weeks. If the strike isn’t over by then, he’s packing his bags and heading out West. He says helping his daughter in her quest to become a medical doctor at a university in New Brunswick is his first priority.

“Right now, this is where the money drain is, and I’m not going to see anybody or anything stand in her way from having her dream. I’m going to do what’s necessary — if that means that I have to pack my bags and leave and go to Alberta some place to work, then that’s what I’ll do.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

Route 2 where?

Unfinished CBS bypass road may soon be completed The end of the CBS bypass road

By Ivan Morgan The Independent

T

he fastest growing area in the province is saddled with one of the longest delays in highway comple-

tion.

Construction on the Conception Bay bypass road, also known as Route 2, was slated to be finished in 2002. Five years later, only two of three phases have been completed.

The highway was designed to reduce traffic flow on more residential streets in the area — such as Route 60, the Conception Bay highway — and provide a faster, more direct route to other parts of the Northeast Avalon, opening the area to development.

It was to be constructed in three phases.

The first phase was finished in 1998. At that time the government announced the next two phases would be completed in 2002.

MP Fabian Manning says an agreement to complete the job may come soon. “I’m surprised that the job hasn’t been done for the past number of years,” Manning tells

Paul Daly/The Independent

The Independent.

He says finishing the highway is a priority for him, and he’s been working to secure funding “over the past four or five months.”

He says federal funding was allocated for the highway under the 1988 roads for rail agreement — but used somewhere else.

Late last year Manning and federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon met with local MHA Terry French and municipal officials to discuss the highway.

Manning says the plan is to finish the third phase to Seal Cove, ending near the College of the North Atlantic campus.

Manning hopes to have a deal with the federal government “in the next few weeks and months.” It will cost up to $8 million to complete the project.

He says it’s time to finish the road for the economic health of the region.

French, who hopes the highway will be finished “sooner rather than later,” says he was told the construction was halted because the province ran out of money. He says Route 2 was originally proposed as a four-lane highway, then scaled back to two

lanes. In the end it was not finished.

French says the “reasoning of the day” was the price of fuel went up through the whole program. “But I have heard from sources that tell me that’s not the case, obviously,” he says. “That the money was shipped somewhere else.”

Funding for the Conception Bay South bypass came from roads for rails, a 1988 federal-provincial initiative. The province accepted approximately $800 million in federal funding for highway improvements in return for disbanding the railroad.

Holyrood mayor Curtis Buckle says finishing the road is a main concern to the town. He says it’s long overdue and will be a boon for the region.

“I think it’s for all the Conception Bay centre areas — from Holyrood right to Colliers.”

Transportation Minister John Hickey is on vacation and not available for comment.

A spokesperson says the bypass is “on the priority list” for completion, but no specific source of funds has yet been identified. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

IS THIS WHAT NEWFOUNDLAND STANDS FOR?

Over three years ago, The Honourable Danny Williams, It was a promise that he made in the 2003 press release and letter. He stood at a then Leader of the Opposition, made a promise to the Metis rally in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and said it to our faces. He stated it over and over of Labrador. again. It was a simple, unequivocal promise.

He promised, “A Progressive Conservative government And he broke it. will acknowledge that the decision in the Powley case Which leaves us with a simple, unequivocal question. applies to Metis in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will Where does that leave us? Not just us, the Metis of Labrador, but us – participate with specific rights affirmed in the Powley decithe people of Labrador, the people of the entire province of Newfoundland sion and other rights protected under s. 35 of the and Labrador?

Constitution.”

Because if we can’t accept at face value the promise of our own Premier, then who can?

He said it as boldly as the words on this page. He said Can the people of the Northern Peninsula? Or the Burin Peninsula? Or yes, even the it in a press release dated October 8, 2003. He said peoples of St. John’s and the Avalon? Because all of you have had promises made to you it in a letter dated October 8, 2003. of one sort or another, and all of you should now be asking what those promises And he said, “We will involve the Labrador Metis are worth.

There is no Nation, as we will representatives of all residents of A promise made should be a promise Labrador, in the process of negotiating a Lower kept.

And as Mr. Williams, quoting Mr. greater Churchill Development Agreement.”

Harper, pointed out, there is no greater fraud fraud than a than a promise not kept.

And now he has criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper for breaking his own promise n written promises. Danny Williams has used Stephen Harper’s words against him.

And when our Premier won’t keep a promot “There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept. No small print. No excusise as simple as the one that he made to us, kept. es.” it’s not just the Metis people of Labrador that On the 5th of February 2004, in another press release, The Honourable Danny lose.

Williams, Premier, broke that promise.

We all lose.

Gaelic Pro verb

20544615

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5

FRIENDS IN FISH

Jump at the pump Opposition questions government’s motives for White Rose production increase Ivan Morgan The Independent

T

he Danny Williams administration and the official Opposition are at odds over government’s motives for increasing oil production at the White Rose field to 50 million barrels a year from 36.5 million.

Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale says the decision to increase production was made for sound reasons consistent with government policy. Natural Resources critic, Liberal MHA Yvonne Jones, says government agreed to the increase to raise more capital and save face in the oil industry.

At the current price of $72 US a barrel, a production increase of 13.5 million barrels could be worth an extra $972 million US. Dunderdale says she won’t reveal what portion of that amount will now flow into the provincial treasury. A spokesperson for the Finance department says those numbers will be released later this month in the provincial budget.

Jones says stepping up production is a good decision, but the timing of the announcement is ironic.

“They have to make up this additional revenue one way or the other. And they’re not getting it from equalization or the Atlantic Accord — we know that,” Jones tells The Independent.

“And I think they are going to need it.

“I think it is coming on the heels of government making some bad decisions in the oil industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Dunderdale says production was increased because it was in the best interests of the com-

Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn and provincial Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Tom Rideout on their way to a press conference April 12 at the Fairmont Hotel to announce a new series of federal-provincial fisheries management initiatives.

Paul Daly/The Independent

‘You make your own choices’ From page 1 Unskilled labour shortages are hardly unique to the St. John’s area. The media has been filled with frequent reports of outlets like Tim Hortons being forced to pay up to $20 an hour to attract new employees in booming places like Fort McMurray or Calgary.

It’s not at that point here, says Mark King, assistant general manager of the St. John’s Board of Trade, but there are “definitely more help-wanted signs.” The tight market may prove an insurmountable challenge for smaller businesses unable to offer higher wages or more benefits.

“We’re always concerned about skilled labour shortages,” says King. “But, at the same time, now there are definitely shortages of the lesser skilled workers.”

HELP WANTED He says all indicators show young people are still choosing to work and participation rates are stable.

“You have to wonder if the aging demographic has something to do with this. There are less young people available for what is probably a growing number of jobs … there are more stores opening at a regular pace, but not as many people — and those are typically young people — to help run them.”

Although the board of trade hasn’t done any official work on the changing profile of workers in the service industries, King says he’s heard some employers giving thought to “what was once a secondary pool of available labour … someone who is a little older.”

As president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, Marilyn Tucker is in touch with all levels of employers across the province.

These days, she’s doing a considerable amount of work to prepare her membership for the province’s change in mandatory retirement legislation — as of May 27 this year, forced retirement (usually at age 65) will no longer be allowed.

According to the province, the change in the law is in response to both the “changing demographics of our province” and recommendations by the provincial human rights commission.

Tucker believes the strain on the labour market was a key motivator in the new rules.

“In Newfoundland we’ve certainly seen, most people want to retire before they reach the age of 65.

Most people want to get out early — but what’s hap-

pening now is people are getting out early and going into another job,” she says.

She uses teachers as an example.

“Government has made it attractive for teachers to move out of the profession because we had an oversupply in the province. So almost everywhere you go you see retired teachers working in bookstores or going into the ministry or going into consultancy.

“Everywhere you look we have retired teachers who are working.”

Tucker says most say they go back to work “for travel money.

“It can be a good thing for people to continue to work beyond the age of 65. And the fact they are continuing to work is a very big plus, especially for the service industry in Newfoundland, because the labour market is so tight and the supply of young workers is drying up.”

As an added bonus for those picking up a side job, she says, the current market is driving wages up.

That said, Tucker has concerns about the end of mandatory retirement — in terms of issues “around safety for older workers as we lose some of our physical capacities and, in some cases, some of our mental capacities.”

pany and the provincial government. She says charges that the government did it to compensate for Hebron not going ahead are based on “mis-information” and “gossip” and have “no credibility.

“It’s really hard for me to keep a straight face with you over these questions.”

Dunderdale says financial considerations are part of every assessment of any development, but decisions are only made when they are good ones.

“We don’t sign off on significant issues for short-term financial reasons,” says the minister.

“We never have and we never will, because to do so would be totally irresponsible, and totally against everything we stand for.”

Dunderdale says stepping up production will shorten the life of the field “by about a year,” but there are benefits.

“We are hoping that it will also encourage the development of satellite fields around White Rose, and will spur that development.

“Payout will come sooner, and we’ll move to a higher royalty rate sooner. The thing to remember is that all of these revenues were coming to the province anyway. And they are just coming sooner now.”

Jones says increasing production at White Rose is being done by the Williams government to make up for bad decisions on Hebron and the government’s negotiation tactics, which have been less than favourable to the oil industry.

The province is paying a price because of those actions, she continues, and it now faces less employment, less investment and a new project that is not going to get off the ground. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

Michael Schade

Kent Nagano conductor

tenor

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra is coming to St. John’s.

STILL CAPABLE She says employers will have to deal with new complications around workers’ compensation and the costs of health benefits.

“Many people past the age of 65 are still very capable, but some are not,” she says. “Which brings with it lots of management challenges … there are a lot of questions around it; we don’t know how this will play out in the work force yet.”

Lester at the Seniors Resource Centre is fully in favour of the new legislation, saying its “in tune with the rest of the western world.

“The whole 65 thing is such an artificial year. It doesn’t seem to make any sense in this day and age, but people seem to think that something changes drastically once you cross that line.

“People don’t necessarily want to just stop.”

And, given the job postings in St. John’s today, there may be less pressure than ever to do so.

“I think the big thing is that people have a choice,” says Lester. “People have the option to stay on in the workforce, or they have the option to just live on their pension if they want to, at a certain age.

“That’s the important thing in all of this — you make your own choices.”

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6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

APRIL 13, 2007

‘Soul Crushing Tyrannical Autocratic Dictators’

T

he Self-Reliant, a Townie newspaper with Bay aspirations, apparently made its mark a few years ago with a 162-point series called The Cost Benefit Analysis of Newfoundland’s Terms of The Union With Those Soul Crushing Tyrannical Autocratic Dictators Known as Canadians. The report can be found on The Self-Reliant’s website, “that is, of course, if you can afford a computer after those blood-sucking Canucks have ripped your livelihood right out from your VERY SOUL.” The Self-Reliant is actually The Muse, the wicked toy that Memorial University students get to play with when they’re bored of the class or two they make it to a week (all’s fair in love and paper cuts). The Muse remodels itself once a year in a parody of a local paper, in this case The Independent.

(The Self-Reliant doesn’t sound so bad, not when you consider last year’s slam of The Smellogram.)

The Self-Reliant ran some solid stories about how “the rest of Canada has been stealing our fish, jobs, money, oil, gems, coins, and pitcher plants.” In fact, ‘NL gets raw deal’, was teased on the front as the story on “every page.” No worries if the paper can’t get the facts, it’s self-reliant enough to pull a few out of the patriotic air.

RYAN CLEARY

Fighting Newfoundlander Fair enough, funny point taken, the accusation has been made a time or two about The Independent, but, for the record, this place has been done in just about every which way you look (and we make it our mission to take a gander). National newspapers like The Globe and Mail would say we’re making a killing off the cake that is our offshore oil while continuing to whine for our welfare/equalization too.

Why is Danny Williams knocking a sweet deal? read the headline of a Globe editorial earlier this month. “His (Danny’s) calculations are wrong,” the editorial read. “Ottawa is correct that Newfoundland is blessed.”

And we are. The few baymen left in the outports should thank Uncle Ottawa for the EI and the scattered project that keeps them going. Never mind that the cod fishery is dead; fishing is the lowest form of employment. (Did Jesus Christ know that when He cast nets? But then that was for men.) There are jobs for the entire crowd out West, so what’s to complain about?

According to the Globe, “Canadians in other provinces are figuring out just how much he (Danny) is pocketing.

They should stand with Mr. Harper in his fight.”

The Globe is right — we’re loaded to the gills down here, at least in terms of character and colour. Financial riches would mean having it all, which is probably a sign of greed on our part.

The broader point missed in the equalization debate is that, for all our resource wealth, Newfoundland and Labrador is practically destitute, a few interest points away from bankruptcy.

We’re managing to keep the ship afloat, but the vessel isn’t so much a luxury liner as a dory with a slow and steady leak. Oil revenue will eventually replace hand-outs from Ottawa, meaning we’ll stand on our own, but we’ll still be poor as sin, with little hope for the future.

The question remains: How do we push this place forward? How to convince mainlanders (the above mentioned Soul Crushing Tyrannical Autocratic Dictators) that we have real value in the federation and should be given more of a chance to do for ourselves?

The Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a Winnipeg-based independent thinktank, forwarded a guest column to The Independent this week on equalization — “now indelibly etched on our

Constitution as a permanent provincial welfare trap” — and how it operates in Italy and around the world. The program shares one important characteristic with its counterparts elsewhere: in terms of helping “have-not” regions regain their feet, it is an “abject failure.”

Former Liberal cabinet minister Walter Noel, a bit of a maverick in terms of thinking outside the formatted press release, wrote a letter to Danny recently (see page 7) asking his administration to commission a study of the financial consequences of Confederation for Newfoundland and Labrador.

As for the premier’s reply, a spokeswoman for his office says Danny has yet to issue an official written response. “So we have no comment.”

The Independent took on such a cost/benefit project in 2004 (ours was six parts — not 162), but we apparently weren’t independent enough (or maybe too independent). Said Wally: “Perhaps it’s time to remind people of some of the conclusions of your Confederation study, which people may not have properly valued because you are not considered economic experts. It’s important to convince people of the legitimacy of our position,” he wrote in an e-mail.

“We’ve talked for years about having a proper independent study done. We need it to demonstrate we are not wel-

fare recipients. We need it to convince our own people they have nothing to apologize for.”

According to the numbers compiled

by The Independent, the long-held idea that Newfoundland and Labrador is a sinkhole for federal funds is untrue.

While the province has benefited by $8.9 billion from the federation; Canada has received six times that, or $53.5 billion. Those numbers didn’t include the value of the province’s million-plus outmigrated workers, strategic location, cultural contribution or other impossible-to-quantify benefits.

If Newfoundland and Labrador has given so much to the federation in terms of human and natural resources why are we still considered Canada’s poorest province?

The question isn’t whether we have the nerve to pose the question, so much as whether we and all of Canada have the strength to accept the answer.

There was an interesting line in one of The Self-Reliant’s letters to the editor: “I am surprised no author has yet produced a book of Newfoundland bedtime stories, based on the economic myths we and our forefathers swallowed wholesale.”

What does it say when a university newspaper spoof makes more sense than Canada’s national paper? ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca

YOURVOICE Harper honeymoon over Dear editor, including Newfoundland. We can’t It doesn’t happen often, but some- forget that he has reneged on his promtimes you’ve just got to hate it when ise not to factor revenue from nonyou’re right. That seems to be the case renewable resources into the equation with my prediction of what might hap- when calculating transfer payments to pen if Stephen Harper ever got a taste the province under the Atlantic of power.

Accord.

Prior to the last federal I guess it’s no more Mr. election, many people (myNice Guy for Harper. The self included) predicted that honeymoon is over. If this is if Harper formed a governthe way he acts with a minorment he would shed his niceity government, I shudder to guy veneer and we wouldn’t think what would happen if have to wait long before his he wins a majority in the next true colours shone through. election!

My prediction is that if he Sure enough, it wasn’t ever forms a majority governlong before we saw him Stephen Harper ment, we’ll see his Reform/Alrefusing to take questions from the media, deciding not to fly the liance/Conservative roots come through Canadian flag at half-mast on federal in a very big way! My grandmother government buildings when a always said that Tory times were tough Canadian soldier fell in battle, and cut- times and with a staunch neo-conservative like Harper, who just happened to ting funding to the Status of Women.

More recently we’ve seen a Harper be weaned at the knee of the likes of budget that pandered to the 75 per cent Preston Manning, leading a majority of the country that could get him elect- government, we’re going to be in for ed with a majority, namely B.C., some really tough times.

Paul Harris, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and Pasadena shunned the remaining 25 per cent,

Newfoundland trip on hold

Where do I mail the cheque?

Dear editor, Danny Williams was beating Stephen Harper like a white baby seal recently on TV and in advertising. Williams’ ongoing rudeness is hurting the province’s image. Danny wears a blue Tory suit but it seems he’s always in Liberal red underwear.

Last year Danny was beating up Paul McCartney’s wife on TV, saying she was using him to get money. The McCartney family could buy Danny 10 times over. He was extremely rude to this amputee who was an example to many disabled people. In

The following letter was written to Premier Danny Williams, with a copy forwarded to The Independent.

short, he was very rude to someone with an opposing view. Danny then had the Canadian flags taken down two years ago because he didn’t get what he wanted. Now he’s backstabbing the local Conservative candidates in the most rude, profound manner possible on TV and in advertising. Promoting Newfoundland as a friendly tourism spot with friendly people is contradicted by Williams’ cruel rudeness. I am putting my trip on hold, thank you.

Carol Brown, Toronto

‘Skillful solo act’ Dear editor, I listened with eyebrow-raised attentiveness to CBC Radio’s March 20 On the go interview by Ted Blades that featured an individual alleging sexual misconduct against a Catholic priest — Rev. Wayne Dohey. The interview of a purported victim showcased a skillful solo act on her part, so much so that there was little need for intervention/prompting from the moderator. Indeed, she struck me as being

too prepared (i.e. polished, articulate, rehearsed, careful, and leading).

Likewise, it is my opinion that she’s attempting to take flight on the coattails of a pre-existing environment — i.e. all one has to do is point an accusatory finger at a priest, plug in a few dates of alleged offences, feign irreparable harm and then tread water until a compensation cheque is cut.

Jerry Lewis, St. John’s

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Letters may be edited for length, content and legal considerations. Send your letters in care of The Independent, P.O. Box 5891, Station C, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X4 or e-mail us at editorial@theindependent.ca

Dear premier, I fully support the campaign you have taken against the federal government, particularly Stephen Harper. I

hereby pledge $5 in aid of your advertising campaign against the lies spread by the Conservative Party of Canada.

Their campaign is about spreading more lies to cover up the lies they already have spread to Canadians. I also call upon all other Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to donate $2

each to the cause. If you could provide the best method for me to send you my contribution, please indicate it, otherwise I will forward a cheque to your office.

Dean Penton, St. John’s (originally from Joe Batt’s Arm)

Former chief electoral officer swings back at AG Dear editor, I cannot let comments attributed to auditor general John Noseworthy in your April 6 edition (Premier considers re-appointing Green to replace Furey

by Ivan Morgan) concerning his audit of the chief electoral office during my tenure there to go unchallenged.

Although what Mr. Noseworthy said was no different than what is contained in his report to the House of Assembly, his comments in your article lack context and perspective. In my view, Mr. Noseworthy’s use of the phrase “significant concerns with regards to the administration” does meet the definition of “significant.” One could get the impression from the article that nothing is being done right, incompetence reigns and the sky is falling.

• With respect to nepotism, we engaged three short-term employees for a three-week period at a total cost of $3,500, representing 2.5 per cent of our temporary staff budget for the general election. It is virtually impossible to advertise, interview and select staff and get the job done within a 21-day election period. We did it where we could.

• There were six instances where a form — which was to be completed in accordance with the Public Tender Act for notices the chief electoral office placed in newspapers and for telephone services — was not completed. This was an oversight in the middle of a general election and a violation of the act. There was no collusion, no skullduggery or misappropriation of funds.

• With respect to overtime incurred without considering alternatives, this is categorically wrong. I personally raised staffing arrangements with the Internal Economy Commission when I submitted my budgets. The practice of using overtime and temporary staff

Wayne Green

was there before I arrived and when the budgets for our office were approved the overtime costs submitted were approved as part of it. If Mr. Noseworthy has a problem with that then he should take it up with the commission.

Furthermore, work was being completed for Elections Canada and they paid for the overtime to meet their deadlines.

The administration of general elections is a project management challenge involving thousands of employees in hundreds of rented locations throughout the province in a highly visible setting. During my tenure there was no fixed election period.

Furthermore, the province had the shortest period of time of any Canadian jurisdiction to deliver the results. In my five years as chief electoral officer and commissioner of members’ interests,

Paul Daly/The Independent

we always completed our projects on or below budget. That is not to say mistakes were not made. Most recommendations were related to accounting interactions between the chief electoral office and the administration unit in the House of Assembly. In my view, to say there are “significant concerns about the administration” is not a credible statement.

In a perfect world there would be no need for an auditor general but my experience as a deputy minister is that we work hard to deliver programs using the limited resources available to us. That is the fiscal reality of our province. Unlike Mr. Noseworthy, we do not have the luxury of being able to set our own timelines and being given all the resources we need to do our job.

Wayne Green, St. John’s

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7

Hiding behind patriotic anger

I

know what it is like to raise a child to adulthood. I have done it and I have seen my neighbours do it. I know people doing it right now.

I don’t know what it is like to lose a child, and please God I will be spared that.

And to lose a child for a lie …

The Canadian people are not being told the truth about why Canadian troops are in Afghanistan. They are not being told the truth as to why they are dying.

My colleague Noreen Golfman got a royal roasting for her thoughts. Now it’s my turn to step up to the plate and try and reason with the electorate.

Good people are being sold a bill of goods on Afghanistan by our federal government. No one questions the bravery of our young soldiers. No one questions their dedication and commitment.

No doubt the men and women of the Canadian Forces are doing what they can — we would expect nothing less.

I question the people who are sending them there. Thinking people need to start questioning why our troops are there.

Our leaders have put them in an impossible position. They will never make Afghanistan “secure.” They are not going to sow seeds for democracy. They will not be able to “rebuild” Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s problems are too deep, too ingrained. Besides, they are Afghanistan’s problems, not ours. Afghans need to solve them.

We are merely there following an idiotic American foreign policy, trying to clean up a foreign policy mess the Americans made.

Things are far worse in other parts of the world — Africa comes to mind — but the Americans don’t care, so we don’t either.

ASK ROMEO DALLAIRE If the Canadian Forces has a proud tradition of service and sacrifice, and they do, they also have a sad tradition of being deployed by idiots. In Rwanda, trained Canadian troops could have made a difference, but were not allowed. Don’t believe me? Ask Romeo Dallaire. Now we are asking them to succeed where they have no hope. Bless them, they are trying. We can ask no more of them.

They are fighting the Taliban. The Taliban are fighting the invaders of their country — that would be us. How are they terrorists? Am I a terrorist if I fight someone who invades Newfoundland?

Are the Taliban a bad bunch? You bet. But so are the governments of North Korea, Somalia, Chad, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan; the list goes on. Russia is no NDP social justice committee these days either.

Jean Chrétien, if he did anything right in his

IVAN MORGAN

Rant & Reason tenure as prime minister, kept our troops out of Iraq.

Stephen Harper was all about sending Canadian troops to Iraq. Luckily for all of us he was in Opposition. After the fact he changed his mind. We have to use our voices and the facts to get him to do this again. Quickly, before we loose too many more of our young soldiers.

Offensive as it is to put soldiers at risk for no good reason, it is doubly so to hear stupid macho posturing to defend the decision. We are told we won’t “cut and run.” We will “stay the course.” Better manly than wrong? Get this line, taken from the Canadian Forces website: “We have made a commitment to the Afghan people and we will stand by that commitment.” This from Stephen Harper’s government? This would be hilarious were it not for our dead young people.

If you criticize this “war,” you are publicly vilified. How dare anyone question our brave troops? It sickens me to see how old men — and most of the policy makers on Afghanistan are old men — hide behind patriotic anger whipped up when the “war” is questioned. I say how dare they offer them up for slaughter.

Harper spoke recently of the Battle at Vimy Ridge forging our nation. The lies. Vimy Ridge saw the indiscriminate slaughter of tens of thousands of young men, who also bravely died for no good reason.

The monument itself commemorates the 11,000 whose bodies were never found. Eleven thousand. Never found. Just ground into the mud. For what?

Our nation, such as it is, has been forged by generations of hard work, perseverance and sacrifice, not by slaughter in the tens of thousands in France. People raise their children to raise their children to raise their children … and along the way, hopefully, a nation is built. People do not raise their children to be blown to smithereens, in France or in Afghanistan.

Canada born in Vimy? What obscenities our leaders feed us.

Far too slowly, progress is being made. It was reported at the recent commemoration ceremony in France that people were shocked when told six Canadian solders were killed that day in Afghanistan.

Eleven thousand is too many. Six is too many.

I grieve every one. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

YOURVOICE ‘Dignity, poise and talent’ Dear editor, The ceremony in France on Easter Monday, honouring the valiant young Canadians who gave their lives in the service of King and country, was extremely moving. As one who served in Corvettes out of St. John’s, I am proud of all who planned, organized and participated in this superb

tribute. Young and old, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s daughter and Peter Mansbridge, represented Canada with dignity, poise and talent.

Bruce R.P. Parsons, St. John’s

New fisheries act must be shelved Dear editor, Fishermen and associations from the east to west coasts of Canada have joined forces to stop Bill C-45 from reaching second reading in the House of Commons.

A petition started circulating about two weeks ago and the response has been overwhelming.

Now a poster campaign has been launched targeting Conservative MPs in Atlantic Canada and

British Columbia. Bill C-45 must be shelved. The fishing industry wants to have input into a new fisheries act, not one written by bureaucrats for bureaucrats.

Josephine Burke-Kennedy, representative of multi-species licence holders, Eastern Cape Breton

‘What happened to Easter’ Dear editor, I have been reading your paper for some time now, first in Bishop’s Falls, where it was given to me by one of your distributors. Since moving to St. John’s I became a subscriber through a telemarketer (a newfie by accent). I have been a subscriber for over a year now. This is not my first contact with your paper. I have written to Susan Rendell regarding my enjoyment of a few pieces she wrote on the downtown.

Actually one of the things I enjoy about your paper — whether it has the same perspective as me or not — is that it is thought provoking.

However, there are times when nothing grabs my attention and it’s quickly in the recycling bin.

That’s when my wife wonders why I keep getting it. We are on a single income and she is in Memorial and we have three kids so $6 a month for your paper is sometimes a perk rather than a

necessity. But then next week’s edition is a “mind full” of thoughts and I can’t put it down.

Which brings me to this letter and this week’s edition (April 5). I have a question: what happened to Easter?

If we were in dialogue that’s where I would pause for dramatic (or comedic) effect. But really, what happened to Easter? Or is that in next week’s paper?

Shawn Witcher, St. John’s Editor’s note: For The Independent’s Easter edition, managing editor Stephanie Porter contacted Father Aidan Devine in Deer Lake. The resulting front-page story (Losing our religion, more than out-migration keeping congregations away) touched on Easter, as well as the state of the church in the province today.

YOURVOICE What are the financial consequences of Confederation?

The following letter was written to Premier Danny Williams, with a copy forwarded to The Independent.

Dear premier, As one who has spent years making arguments similar to your own for a better deal from the Government of Canada, I congratulate you on the efforts you are making. A significant obstacle we face is that people believe we have benefited financially from being Canadians and that we are already being treated generously. The truth, in my opinion, is that we contribute more than we receive. I’ve made various efforts to have our case documented.

On March 29, 1993 I proposed a private members’ resolution in the House of Assembly calling for the appointment of a committee to analyze the consequences of Confederation. As a minister in former Premier Roger Grimes’

government in 2002, I helped create the Royal Commission on Our Place in Canada, which was given the mandate and resources to have a proper financial study done. Unfortunately, the commissioners chose not to do so.

We need such an analysis in order to substantiate the case we are making for better treatment by Ottawa, and to demonstrate the legitimacy of efforts such as having nonrenewable resource revenues excluded from equalization calculations. You would do our province a great service by having such a study undertaken by an internationally recognized consultant. I hereby request you to consider doing so.

Because of the nature of this issue, I know you will not mind my making this communication public.

Walter Noel, St. John’s

Why aren’t anti-sealing groups prosecuted?

Dear editor, If I break the law I can be subject to prosecution.

If any citizen of the province or country breaks the law they can be subjected to prosecution.

If I throw a Tim Hortons cup out the window of my vehicle I can be charged with littering.

Why, then, are anti-sealing groups, who regularly break the law by issuing false and misleading information to the general public in order to raise tens of millions of dollars, not being prosecuted under the Federal Competition Act? Are they immune from prosecution?

Why is the provincial government not taking legal action against these groups?

Why is the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans not taking action?

Why are the pro-sealing groups not taking action?

Where do the Liberals and the NDP stand on the issue?

If we do not take the necessary action to stand up to these groups, then we have only ourselves to blame for allowing them to flaunt our laws and destroy our valuable industry.

Burford Ploughman, St. John’s

8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

APRIL 13, 2007

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9

IN CAMERA

‘No losing no more’ After taking a silver medal at the Canada Winter Games, Mponda “George” Kalunga-Loksa is back in the ring and training hard for an upcoming bout against a P.E.I. boxer. Photo editor Paul Daly and reporter John Rieti took in an evening workout earlier this week.

M

ponda Kalunga-Loksa, known to everyone as George, strides into the Hard Tack boxing gym with gloved hands, a big smile and big ambition to hang

it on.

“I want to fight the best, I want to be the best in the world, not just Canada, the best in the world,” says Kalunga-Loksa.

Like his idol Mohammed Ali, Kalunga-Loksa has gone through a lot — and knows where he wants to go in the future.

Each training session is just another step to getting there.

The 17-year-old, 155-pound boxer came to Canada as a refugee from Egypt in 1999.

He remembers watching an Ali bout that same year.

“Something in me clicked, I knew that’s just the sport for me,” he says. At that time there was no boxing club in St. John’s, but six years later he came to Hard Tack and hasn’t left.

Fresh off a silver medal win at the Canada Winter Games in February, he’s eager to get more fights under his belt.

Kalunga-Loksa has lost seven of his 13 fights, although he is quick point out the losses came against experienced fighters.

“No losing no more, no more,” he says — words he repeats to himself daily.

Five times a week Kalunga-Loksa straps on his black boots and goes through a gruelling practice of skipping rope, jumping exercises, push-ups, medicine ball tosses, practice punches and sparring with the gym’s top boxers.

Hard Tack’s gym is cold, drafty and metallic, yet comfortable. Framed yellowed newspaper clippings about Newfoundland’s finest boxers line the walls behind a row of punching bags dangling from the ceiling. The ring itself is raised a foot off the floor, black canvas stretched over its top, a strip of duct tape covering a gash in the fabric.

Although one of the province’s elite, Kalunga-Loksa joins a regular boxing class, practising beside middle-aged men and high school kids trying out the sport for the first time.

As a ringer buzzes angrily for the boxers to change drills, Kalunga-Loksa ducks out from under a spinning rope and begins throwing a blizzard of punches — jabs mixed with flurries of upper cuts. His sharp exhalations punctuate the blend of uptempo music and whir of skipping ropes.

“I hate every time I train, I hate every minute of it, but to train now and be a champion later on in life is good enough for me,” says Kalunga-Loksa before getting back to his twominute rounds with a punching bag.

Constantly up on his toes, Kalunga-Loksa bends his knees, then ferociously launches into the bags. His powerful and accurate punches send the weighted bag swinging wildly until a punch from the other fist shocks it still again.

After six rounds with the bag, Kalunga-Loksa is dripping with sweat. He says he’s in the best shape he’s ever been in; something he credits to the healthy discipline boxing has given him. “(Boxing) keeps you in shape, plus it gets you away from all the bad things, all the drugs out there, the drinking, all that happens when you’re bored, that you fall back on to escape reality … I was there too before I turned to boxing,” he says.

“No more going out on the weekend, just working out and eating good food. I’m disciplined now, I know what to do, I get up in the morning and go for a jog, and before I couldn’t do that. I was lazy.”

His level of fitness is evident as he spends two rounds sparring with another boxer.

His lip now quieted by a mouth-guard, his eyes do all the talking. It seems they never close, remaining wide open even when he takes a shot to the midsection. They trick his opponent’s glance down to the mat, just enough distraction to land a jab to the face.

Throughout the fight, Kalunga-Loksa keeps his hands low, a dangerous and daring boxing approach that his coach isn’t too fond of. His style forces Kalunga-Loksa to rely on his legs as his defence, shooting him back away from his opponent’s swipes and sliding him sideways when he gets pinned to the ropes.

What does it feel like to get hit by Kalunga-Loksa’s favourite right hand? “Not good,” responds his exhausted counterpart.

With few fighters his age and size able to match his skill, Kalunga-Loksa says he will eventually have to move away to pursue his sport, probably to Montreal. He’s not quite ready to leave yet, though, and he says he’ll continue to do the best he can here.

Kalunga-Loksa is hoping for another solid win when he faces a boxer from P.E.I. in two weeks, and is already issuing challenges: “Just be ready … I’m gonna be coming and I ain’t gonna stop.”

But under the trash talk, red padded helmet and dingy wrist wrappings lies a humble spirit.

As he unwraps his right wrist, he shows the small cross tattoo he got as a two-year-old in Egypt, a symbol of the persecution he endured in his home country. “Everyone in my family got that,” he says “I’m very religious … God got me in Canada, God got me doing all this.”

Kalunga-Loksa is hoping his heart, already tested by the past, will be the key to future success. “I want boxing as my career, I want it to be my profession … and I’m always going to represent Canada, ’cause that’s where I started.”

A Grade 12 student at Holy Heart, Kalunga-Loksa plans to either attend MUN or learn to weld at the College of the North Atlantic next year.

“That’s if boxing doesn’t work out, but boxing’s gonna work out,” he says. “As long as I got the heart I got right now.”

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10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

APRIL 13, 2007

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11

Animal worship O’Flaherty says it’s hard to defend the seal hunt against cultists

A

s soon as you enter St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, one of the greatest sculptures in PATRICK the world can be found off to your right O’FLAHERTY in a chapel. It is Michelangelo’s Pieta, dated 1499. The piece was a stock Renaissance theme, A Skeptic’s Diary and I must have seen dozens of attempts to depict it, in both sculpture and painting, in the Italian churches. It’s a hard scene to get right, tions, followers of some revolting philosophy or because it must be believable to the onlooker other, carriers of the hammer looking for somethat Mary could indeed hold the figure of the thing to destroy. dead Christ in her arms. Often the lesser artists Many people will infallibly find new things to of the period got the Christ figure too big, or too worship — a flag, a cause, their own flesh. stiff, so that you wonder how a woman could lift We Newfoundlanders are the victims of one him at all. such loathsome development. The roots of the Michelangelo, it hardly needs saying, got it anti-sealing movement do not lie in scientific right. The knees of the study or concern for the enviMadonna seem to be exactly ronment. Anyone who has where they should be, and dipped into the literature prothe Christ is so placed that duced by the various lobby Melancholy thoughts Her left hand can be left free. groups, or the threatening letShe seems strong enough to ters mailed by their supportabout contemporary hold her Son. Her face is perers, will see something deeper fect, combining sorrow and at work. The movement is a civilization may resignation, though it may crusade, driven by animal seem a bit young to the casuworship. The seal is at the cross your mind al observer. But in viewing centre of a new and powerful it, you come to accept it. idolatry. as you look at the The sculpture is marble. It Here’s a quote from a circuwas done when Michelar sent by Greenpeace to its Madonna and langelo was only 25 and is, I supporters in the 1980s: “By Christ behind understand, his only signed supporting Greenpeace’s work.

Adopt-A-Seal Program ... you bulletproof glass.

The Pieta, when I saw it, can help save a seal pup’s life. was protected by glass. You We’re going back out on the could only get within 10-15 ice this year to save the pups feet of the sculpture, and the from death, and we would like glass was slightly discoloured, obstructing the to send you a picture of one of those seal pups — view. The sculpture was protected because, your baby seal — plus a certificate of adoption years earlier in 1972, it was attacked by a man identifying you as part of the Adopt-A-Seal wielding a hammer. The man delivered a number Program. We’ll also send you seal commemoraof savage blows to the Madonna’s face. The tive stamps, to use on your letters, share with restoration was completed with the greatest your family and friends, or just save ... attention to detail.

This is barely disguised religiosity. The tone is You stand and look at this marvelous figure pastoral, as if a holy man is addressing a submisafter battling your way through the crowded sive congregation. Holy pictures will be in the streets of Rome and crossing St. Peter’s Square. mail. The circular is also a vulgar parody of seriInside the Basilica it is cool and dark: its vast- ous efforts of Christian-based organizations to ness takes your breath away. It is the largest assist poverty-stricken children in undeveloped church on earth, but it is not as impressive as the corners of the world. sculpture.

A movement of this nature is a hard thing to Melancholy thoughts about contemporary civ- stop. Concern for the economic welfare of ilization may cross your mind as you look at the Newfoundlanders will certainly not stand in the Madonna and Christ behind bulletproof glass. way of the animal cultists. They’ll stomp over us The man with the hammer and all he symbol- in pursuit of their “truth.� The 65,000 cut to the izes is on the march. The temper of our time is 2007 seal quota will be interpreted by them as a on open display. The streets of the world’s great “sign� that their religion is gaining ground and cities feature many devotees to the murderous- will soon triumph over its “enemies.� isms of our day: hawkers, peddlers, zealots with And they may be right. wild gleams in their eyes, mumbling impreca- Patrick O’Flaherty is a writer in St. John’s.

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APRIL 13, 2007

12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

YOURVOICE

‘Can the real truth please step forward?’

Dear editor, Danny Williams’ most recent attack on Stephen Harper and the failure of the prime minister to hold to his promise to the province has left many unanswered questions in the minds of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr. Williams supported Norm Doyle in the last election, which in turn meant he supported Mr. Harper to an election win, I guess Mr. Williams’ read of Mr. Harper failed him on this occasion.

The premier was asking Fabian Manning to support the residents of the province with respect to the latest budget, but when Mr. Manning stood behind the residents of his district while sitting in the PC party under Mr. Williams he was removed from the party.

It seems Mr. Williams wants the members to follow what best suits Mr. Williams on the issues. Than we have Dean McDonald in the local media supporting the premier. Mr. Macdonald’s company was the recipient of a $15-million donation from the Williams government less than a year ago. Would this maybe buy Mr. McDonald’s support?

The residents of the province are still

of troops and outside interest, as well as the increasing earning power of the average Newfoundlander, allowed greater consumption of alcoholic beverages to such an extent that now liquor consumption is at an all time high in Newfoundland but still much lower per head than either Canada or America.

— Sunday Herald, St. John’s, April 13, 1947

Premier Danny Williams

scratching their heads on who is putting the proper spin on the recent budget — the premier or Loyola Hearn. Can the real truth please step forward?

Boyd Legge, Mount Pearl

Uncompromising dedication to old–world quality.

AROUND THE WORLD The soundings which were made between Ireland and Newfoundland before laying the Atlantic cable have made the bottom of the Atlantic almost as well known as the surface of Europe or America. It is covered with a fine mud, the remains of microscopic insects which will one day doubtless harden into chalk.

— The Star and Conception Bay Semi-Weekly Advertiser, April 11, 1873 AROUND THE BAY Gander’s Recreation Committee has signed a contract to bring The Johnny Cash Show to Gander. Johnny and his Company will perform at Gander Gardens on Saturday, May 12. Tickets for the event are priced at $8.50. The Committee feels that all those interested in seeing the star will get an opportunity to do so, because if there is a great enough demand, Johnny will perform a second show the same evening.

— The Gander Tymes, April 26, 1979

Available at Morgan’s Furniture

YEARS PAST Liquor Rationing in NFLD May Never End — The two bottle a week liquor rationing, which has been in force in Newfoundland since the start of the war, due to a possible shortage of liquor, may indeed become a definite rationing policy in this country.

Newfoundlanders, on a percentage basis, consumed very little alcohol up to 1939, but with the influence

“Our production is based on a unit of one”

EDITORIAL STAND The boundary dispute between Canada and Newfoundland seems at last to have been decided. By the decision evidently Newfoundland has title to a very large and rich area which Canada had claimed.

This leads the Toronto Mail and Empire to suggest that Newfoundland be brought within the Confederation. At first blush such a hasty wooing would look very much like a suitor seeking some damsel’s hand, not for her own sake, but because she had had a substantial dower left her. That would suggest on the other hand a measure of caution on the part of the damsel ere she gave herself too readily away.

— The Family Fireside, St. John’s, April 1927 LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Editor — On a recent visit to Lewisporte, I purchased a copy of The Tide. I enjoyed it very much. So did my budgie. Signed, Mrs. S. K., Norris Arm — The Tide, Lewisporte, April 12, 1979 QUOTE OF THE WEEK An ethereal maiden called Maud, Was suspected of being a fraud, Scarce a crumb was she able To eat at the table — But in the back pantry … O lawd!

— The Patriot, St. John’s, April 20, 1885

Dog-poop fuel

By Petti Fong Torstar wire service ACCOMMODATIONS OFFICER (Temporary)

AIRCRAFT PILOT I (Temporary call-in)

One (1) temporary position of Accommodations Officer with the Planning and Accommodations Division of the Department of Transportation and Works located at St. John’s, NL.

(This competition is open to both male and female applicants.)

DUTIES: Development of space program requirements relative to owned / leased facilities, tender specification packages for leased accommodation; development of lease documents, analysis of accommodation requests to verify need and determination of space requirements in accordance with policies and guidelines; performs the tender and tender evaluation process; supervises technical and clerical personnel during the development and construction stages of various projects; conducts cost-benefit studies and analyses to determine relative economics of accommodation alternatives; develops guidelines, policies and standards for all aspects of Government’s accommodations and ancillary systems and services; provides in-house consulting services to line departments, Government agencies or outside consultants, as required; manages all aspects relating to the moving of client Departments into newly acquired space; administers the bidding process for potential leased accommodations; supervises renovations or alterations to existing accommodations required by the client Department; negotiates lease terms; other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate must have thorough experience in facilities and space program planning and thorough knowledge of building design, fire and building codes, accessibility, occupational and safety regulations. Thorough knowledge of micro computer operations and software application is also a requirement. A knowledge and understanding of the Public Tender Act would be preferred. Excellent oral and written communications and interpersonal skills are essential. The incumbent must also demonstrate strong time management and organizational skills. The candidate must hold a diploma from a recognized college in a multi year Architectural/Engineering Technology Program and must have experience with computer aided design AutoCad 2002 or later.

SALARY:

$23.37 - $26.07 (GS-35)

COMPETITION NUMBER:

HQ/AO/P&A/07/08-010

CLOSING DATE:

April 25, 2007

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:

To create a temporary eligibility list for the position of Aircraft Pilot I, Department of Transportation and Works, located at, St. John's, NL. DUTIES: The primary purpose of this position is to function as a second pilot on a government owned air ambulance aircraft. The incumbent will perform pre-flight and post-flight duties in accordance with government procedures, the Aircraft Flight Manual and the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Under the direction of the pilot (captain) the incumbent will perform flight planning and pre-flight checks; fly the aircraft; maintain constant contact with Air Services Dispatch concerning medevac and aircraft status; perform other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS: High school graduation supplemented with the successful completion of pilot training from a Transport Canada approved flight training school; a minimum of 1500 hours total time, 250 hours multi-engine time, 100 hours IFR time. Successful candidate must possess a commercial or airline transport fixed wing licence. A Beechcraft 1900 or King Air 350 endorsement would be an asset, as would a current King Air 350 PPC. SALARY:

$46,619 - $54,721 (PI)

COMPETITION NUMBER:

AS/PI/STJ/07/08-006

CLOSING DATE:

April 25, 2007

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications should be forwarded to: MAIL:

FAX:

Manager of Strategic Staffing Public Service Commission c/o Strategic Human Resources Management Division Dept. of Transportation and Works P.O. Box 8700 St. John's, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6463

Applications should be forwarded to: MAIL:

FAX:

Manager of Strategic Staffing Public Service Commission c/o Strategic Human Resources Management Division Dept. of Transportation and Works P.O. Box 8700 St. John's, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6463

E-MAIL: wstjobs@gov.nl.ca Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, fax or E-Mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. A separate application must be submitted for each competition.

For additional information on this position call 709- 729-1784.

Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, fax or E-Mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered.

A separate application must be submitted for each competition.

For additional information on this position call 709-256-1037

T

he problem was immediate and unquestionable: dog poop on his shoe, but the solution didn’t come to Vancouver park board commissioner Spencer Herbert until he was wiping it off.

“At first I was angry, and then as I was cleaning, I thought, how do we deal with this better?” says Herbert.

“We think just throwing it out in the garbage means we’re done with it.”

Herbert says he began questioning why all the dog waste in Vancouver should go to waste. Responsible owners pick up their dog droppings in plastic bags to throw away, and the irresponsible just leave it on the grass or sidewalk.

He soon discovered San Francisco was pondering the same problem and looking at the possibility of turning dog waste into bio-fuels to heat homes.

The proposal in California is still in its pre-planning stage with a feasibility study, but Herbert would like to see the idea take form in Vancouver. Dog waste would be collected at neighbourhood drop-off spots and deposited in a vat for bacteria to digest, leaving methane gas as the end result. The methane could then be used to heat and light park washrooms or greenhouses.

Herbert says his preliminary research shows turning dog waste into some type of usable energy can be done with technology that already exists, but the question is whether pet owners would co-operate.

Dealing with the dog waste in a city with 60,000 dogs is a big task.

Last month, Herbert’s proposal that the park board prepare a report on environmentally friendly disposal was rejected by a majority of commissioners. But Herbert is determined and trying to gather public support to force the issue back before the board.

Park board chair Ian Robertson said the commissioner’s proposal to study sustainable disposal is redundant because a city dog task force is already considering ideas.

One pilot project is a dog composting system in a Vancouver park.

“We’re looking at the issue already and we’re letting the task force do its job. I get more emails as a commissioner about dogs than on any other issue.

Non-dog owners tell me that we’re too lenient on dogs and dog owners say we don’t have enough parks for dogs.

There are valid points on both sides.”

INDEPENDENTBUSINESS

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007 — PAGE 13

Happy 50th South Dildo company celebrates half a century of swiling

By Mandy Cook The Independent

J

ohn Kearley wasn’t around to witness whalers hauling mammoth catches onto the floor of Carino’s plant in South Dildo, Trinity Bay, but he’s seen his share of seals in the same spot.

In 1957, when the company got started in the Newfoundland sealing business, Carino rented space at the then-whaling plant in the spring of each year to process sealskins.

“Years ago we would bring in truckloads of pelts and they would basically be dumped on the ground which was a concreted over area and was actually the area where they would pull up the whales back in the old days. It was referred to as the slipway,” says Kearley, in his east end St. John’s office.

The slipway may be long gone, but the sealing industry hasn’t changed all that much in the past 50 years. Modern-day food regulations required upgrades in the cooking facilities used to render down the blubber and the process for handling pelts. A half-century later, sealers still harvest the animals much like their ancestors did.

“The removing of the blubber is basically the same as it was back then — the fishermen do it themselves out on the ice.”

In the old days, the blubber would be removed, the pelts put in a brine solution and then it would all be shipped to Carino’s parent company in Norway for secondary processing. Now, during the “raw production” stage of the sealing season, Carino hires approximately 100 people to complete much of the secondary processing at the Trinity Bay plant.

Depending on the volume of pelts, there will be enough work for a month or two. After the pelts are bought, 20 to 25 year-round employees will carry out the shaving — or thinning — of the skins to ready them for tanning. Tanning involves replacing natural fibres with artificial ones to cure the pelts. Just don’t ask Kearley to reveal the company’s tanning technique.

“It’s a guarded secret, like the KFC recipe,” he says, laughing.

“Our parent company in Norway has been in business since 1879, so they have more than 125 years experience in the tanning of hides.

So in that time they have learned a lot and of course have transferred that technology to us.”

Once the sealskins have been dressed and the blubber rendered into oil, the oil is shipped in bulk to be further processed in Norway.

The overseas operation refines the oil and encapsulates it to sell on the health food market.

Although this year’s quota is significantly less than last year’s — down 65,000 seals to 270,000 — Kearley says it could be a good thing. He says Carino believes the quota could be raised, but with markets not as strong as last year, taking a lower quota now might be more prudent, while pelt prices are down.

Carino is accustomed to taking a few hard knocks. In an industry beleaguered by yearly animal rights protests, the company has demonstrated considerable tenacity. In 1981 the company purchased 135,000 seals, but by 1988 only bought 4,000. Kearley says the protesters’ influence put the industry “on its knees.

“Our plant was shut down for a couple of years. It was just mothballed in the early ’90s with no activity whatsoever but in ’95 it was decided to give it another go.”

This year Carino is buying pelts for approximately $57.40 per beater, including blubber. It’s a far cry from last year’s $105, but Kearley says the market could not sustain the steep prices. He says the price of seal skins is governed by the price of mink fur — considered to be the gold standard. Recently, even mink has dropped in price.

“The price of seals really cannot pass the prices of mink. If seals become more expensive than mink, then buyers will take mink over seal,” he says.

Does Kearley think Carino has another 50 years ahead of it?

“I think Carino’s got a bright future for Newfoundland. Things are improving. There’s a big interest in our parent company to put more and more work here and I think the future is very bright in South Dildo.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

John Kearley

Paul Daly/The Independent

The story of Rose and Edwina Think carefully before lending money to friends or family members

A

fter reading my last article on co-signed loans, about a dozen people asked if I have an opinion on lending money to friends. You might say I do. There’s no time like the present to bring the topic up since, without a doubt, it’s an area many of us identify with.

Let me relay a true story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent — and those who think they’re innocent.

Edwina and Rose met in Grade 1 or 2. Neither knew what drew one to the other, but within weeks of their first meeting, they were inseparable. They remained so for the rest of their school years. After Grade 12, both went off to trade school to study — you guessed it — the same course.

As was the trend in the ’70s, they

AL ANTLE

Your Finances both married in their early 20s. Rose fell for a well-paid professional, and Edwina, a skilled tradesperson who earned an above average salary. Rose and her husband moved back around the bay, where her partner found a good paying job. They bought a property that had been owned by his grandparents but required some upgrades, repairs and improvements.

Edwina continued to live in the capital city with her husband, renting at first but eventually purchasing a fairly large

home in an upscale neighbourhood. By both couples’ third anniversary they each had two children: a boy and a girl for Rose, while Edwina boasted about her girl and boy.

All was bliss, love and kindness in Rose’s household. The only discord was about the horrendously high telephone bills resulting from calls to Edwina. They talked daily, some times twice or more, and today’s long distance packages hadn’t yet come along.

Besides, things in Edwina’s life weren’t so great and Rose was trying to help and be supportive.

Edwina noticed her relationship changed around the time of the birth of her daughter. Things did not improve.

Just before the little girl’s third birthday, her husband didn’t come home one day. She learned from his parents about

a week later that he’d moved to the Northwest Territories and would not be back.

While Edwina had worked outside the home during her marriage, her income was simply inadequate to keep all the balls in the air. Rose was a stayat-home mom. Because of the choices she and her husband had made, not only were they enjoying a reasonably high standard of living, but they had managed to set aside a fairly decent amount in savings. Remember, this is a couple still in their late 20s.

Because of Edwina’s crisis and their long-standing friendship, Rose decided to offer some financial help. She did so with her husband’s encouragement and support, and $2,000 was promptly dispatched into Edwina’s bank account to keep the mortgage and other debts up to

date until her house sold.

Everybody was confident the house sale would resolve all the problems and returning the $2,000 was not going to be an issue.

But after the payment of real estate and legal fees, the mortgage, an amount Edwina’s husband owed to the federal government and several credit card accounts, just $500 in cash remained — and it had to be split with her former husband.

“But not to worry,” Rose assured her friend, “you’ll pay us back sometime.”

They comforted each other with the knowledge the whole sordid situation was done with.

Edwina lived with her parents for about two years. She traveled regularly See “Devastating,” page 14

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APRIL 13, 2007

YOUR VOICE Confederation has failed our fisheries Meanwhile, Ottawa imposed a moratoDear editor, rium on the groundfish fisheries in In a recent article for The Globe and 1992, which to this date shows no sign Mail, Jeffrey Simpson accuses Canada of recovery because uncontrolled forof being backward in fisheries manage- eign fisheries continue outside 200 ment because they have not employed miles. the “transferable quota system” and The Terms of Union in 1949 saw us long ago ditched the “common proper- transfer responsibility for conservation ty regimes.” and sustainable development of our According to Mr. Simpson, if we fol- adjacent fisheries to the federal governlowed his advice, all our problems ment. Instead of managing on a sustainwould disappear. We able basis, Canada has have news for Mr. permitted foreigners Simpson and central to practically destroy Our fisheries Canada. our fisheries before From the time we extending jurisdiction have become a joined Confederation and even then left in 1949 the groundmigrating fisheries “stamp factory” fish fisheries adjacent fully exposed to the to our shores and our same foreigners. simply because … continental shelf have Twenty-five years Canada has failed been in decline. ago our population By 1970, Dr. was 575,000. Today our fisheries.

Wilfred Templeman, we are close to renowned fishery sci500,000 and we conentist, warned that tinue to lose our expecontinued uncontrolled fishing by for- rienced fishermen and plant workers. eign fleets would destroy the resource. Our fisheries have become a “stamp Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau factory” simply because Confederation publicly announced the federal govern- with Canada has failed our fisheries. ment would extend jurisdiction from 12 Mr. Simpson and others should miles to the slopes of the continental undertake some East Coast fisheries shelf. research and then do some serious writAs is the case with the current Harper ing about Canada’s failure to protect government, the Trudeau government one of the world’s great resourses that reneged on the federal commitment and has resulted in the near annihilation of instead extended only to 200 miles, a culture and a population. thus exposing all the migrating groundfish species to foreign overfishing, Gus Etchegary, which continues to this day.

Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s

St. John’s airport.

Paul Daly/The Independent

Not well served by Air Canada Dear editor, In response to an April 5 letter to the editor (‘Fairly well served by Air Canada’) by David Paddon, an Air Canada employee, it’s not hard to figure why David feels as he does, for a couple reasons.

In all probability, he gets reduced airfare to wherever he may wish to fly,

an employee perk. He likely doesn’t have to talk with someone in Winnipeg or wherever either, a distant employee who hardly knows where Newfoundland is let alone how to pronounce the name correctly to make a reservation. The more important point for David to think about is that in each of the cities named, travelers have the

choice of driving, an option that is nearly as expensive for those of us living on the island as the airfare.

I do not think we are well served by Air Canada, and I do know that the service in Atlantic Canada is not on par with that on western flights.

Ken Ellis, St. John’s

Ontario has had its fill of the federal teat No one represented our ‘great’ province Dear editor, I have to say how saddened I was during my recent visit to Banff, Alta., where I participated in a conference — addressing gambling-related harm through evidence-based practices.

Being a native Newfoundlander, I was curious to see who might be there to represent our great province.

I scoured over the attendees list to no avail. Upon reading an April 2 article in The Globe and Mail, I felt the need to voice my disappointment to my coworkers.

I wish that the support groups in

Newfoundland had the opportunity to gain the knowledge that was shared during the conference.

My heart belongs to Newfoundland.

Catherine Obacz, Legislative Liaison, Edmonton, Alta.

Editor’s note: the piece that appeared in The Globe was written by Stephanie Porter, The Independent’s managing editor. Stephanie also wrote a feature article on VLTs, ‘Out of control’, for The Independent’s April 5 edition.

Dear editor, From Loyal She Remains: A pictorial history of Ontario, we read: “When the war began, Ontario’s manufacturing complex was just beginning to emerge from the Great Depression. By war’s end, immense enlargement had taken place — chemicals, synthetic rubber, steel and textiles required by the armed forces gave manufacturing a tremendous stimulus.

In 1940, C.D. Howe became minister of Munitions and Supply, to run Canada’s wartime effort. With the blessing of Mackenzie King, Howe and his group created 32 Crown corporations to support the war effort.

None of these Crown corporations were set up in the Maritimes.

In 1944, Howe was asked to preside

over Canada’s post-war reconstruction, that is, to convert the wartime production plants to peacetime production.

Hundreds of millions (billions in today’s money) of dollars were pumped into Ontario to bring about the conversion to peacetime production. Ottawa used the taxes of all the people of Canada to achieve this transition, which primarily benefited the province of Ontario.

In the 1950s and ’60s Ottawa cooperated with the Ontario government, politically and financially, to develop the St. Lawrence Seaway, which greatly benefited Ontario, to the detriment of the Atlantic provinces.

Who gained the most from the Auto Pact?

Halifax and other Maritime ports became only a shadow of their former selves.

Also, the federal government was not hesitant in using more of the Canadian taxpayers’ money in the construction of the Trans-Canada pipeline and the development of nuclear power, again primarily for Ontario’s benefit.

Ontario, having had its fill from the federal teat, is now critical of an adjustment to the equalization clawback, which would allow the Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador to become self-sufficient, and full partners in Confederation.

Bill Sears, Seal Cove

Devastating to all involved From page 13 around the bay to visit her best friend and on one of these trips was introduced to a friend of a friend of a friend.

Within six months they married. The new husband was also recently divorced and was coming from a childless marriage. He was well educated, and earned twice as much as Rose’s husband.

It was only after the marriage, that everything was fully disclosed. He had a huge debt load, most of which was behind. He was about to see an attachment placed on his salary. This prospect was mortifying for him because of his professional status. He’d agreed to adopt Edwina’s two HEARD ALL THE MYTHS ABOUT DEBT AND BANKRUPTCY? GET THE FACTS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND’S PERSONAL DEBT EXPERTS

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children and was perceived by all and sundry to be better than the best thing ever to come out of Rabbittown. And now this!

He and Edwina agreed to approach Rose and her husband. They needed about $5,000, which they would gladly repay over time, along with the original $2,000. Rose’s husband was skeptical, but she was gung-ho and eventually he agreed.

Three years later, nobody had paid a dime and Mr. Rose tells his wife he’s about to talk with Mr. Edwina. Somewhat embarrassed, Edwina’s husband promised to start paying from his next paycheque.

DISCREET INQUIRES About 10 days later they received, not the first payment, but a series of documents which did not make a great deal of sense to either of them. A few discreet inquiries revealed Edwina and her husband had made an assignment in bankruptcy about 48 hours after Rose’s husband had been assured payments would start.

Surely there had been a misunderstanding! Rose called Edwina — the number had been changed. A call to the husband’s office resulted in an embarrassed secretary saying she’d been instructed not to put any calls through from either of them.

On a visit to the city several weeks later, the door was closed in their face. So ended a 30-year friendship.

What was devastating for Rose, and to a lesser degree her husband, was not the $7,000 and the other lost financial opportunities, but the lost relationship. Years later, they both acknowledge that they would have felt better about the loss if some explanation had been made.

If you’re about to lend a friend or family member any amount, first ask yourself if you can afford to lose the amount outright.

Based on your answer, next ask yourself how you’ll feel if you’re not repaid. Will you still consider your family member or friend trustworthy?

Who was it said “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”?

Al Antle is the executive director of Credit and Debt Solutions.

Patients in our local adult hospitals receive quality health care as result of your dedication.

As April is Volunteer Month, the Health Care Foundation recognizes all individuals who give selflessly of their time and talents.

We are especially grateful to members of our hospital auxiliaries, Board of Directors, and event volunteers who have given countless hours and have raised millions of dollars for the purpose of supporting patient care.

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 15

All Canadians have a RIGHT to fish Manning Doesn’t Like this Court Ruling “As the Supreme Court of Canada put it in Comeau’s Sea Foods Ltd. v. Canada … ‘Canada’s belonging to all the people of Canada … it is the Minister’s duty to manage, conserve and develop interest. They do not belong to the Minister”

Larocque v. Canada, Federal Court of Appeal, June 2007

FabianMannningwantsto STEAL it.

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16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS

APRIL 13, 2007

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INDEPENDENTLIFE

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007 — PAGE 17

By Stephanie Porter The Independent

S

isters Susan Pynn and Nancy Keating have also been lifelong friends, connected by the bonds of family, creativity, and a love of literature, children, animals, and — as they’ve only just truly discovered — Newfoundland and Labrador.

The pair recently collaborated on a children’s book, The Colours of My Home: A Portrait of Newfoundland and Labrador, a 28-page journey through all the colours of the rainbow and then some.

Each hue is carefully related to the sights of the province, from the red of partridgeberry jam to the purple of mussel shells to the brown of toutons and “weathered hands with nets to mend, brown paper parcels wrapped to send.”

Every page features a similar rhyme and a handful of pictures that will ring true with anyone from the province.

Pynn has her own writing and editing business; Keating is an accomplished artist and graphic designer.

But it took years of encouragement from others — mainly their ever-supportive mother — to convince them to work on a publication together.

“Finally we just ran out of reasons not to,” says Keating. “I mean, she writes, I draw, I push pencils, she’s a word bird.”

“I’ve always been writing for kids,” Pynn adds. “But I never bothered to do anything for publication.

Normally what I do, generally what I do is corporate writing … but this is what I love to do, I love to write creative, foolish things.”

Both sisters have children, now teenaged or older — well beyond the market for this particular book, but who enjoy it anyway.

The women say they kicked around a number of ideas before settling on a colour-themed book.

“We knew there was nothing like this here,” says Pynn. “It’s such a shame because it’s such a beautiful province, and I love writing this sort of thing and Nancy loves drawing this sort of thing.”

“We must have a strong connection (to home), but I don’t know if I knew that before doing this,” continues Keating.

“I did know that people tend to think of Newfoundland as grey and foggy and I have a real problem with that. I know we have our fair share of overcast days, but … well, my favourite thing to do is sit on the beach and look at the rocks. Even beach rocks are not grey! There are so many different colours.

“I think people don’t make the connection between colour and Newfoundland.”

Keating works in coloured pencil. Although she says most of the pictures are straight from her head — the exception being her dog, Sammy, pictured in a sweater on the pink page — the scenes seem personal, filled with feeling and warmth.

“I hope it’s familiar,” says Keating. “When people look at it, what I want them to see … I want them to feel at home, like they know this.”

Now that they’ve got their first book in hand, there’s no stopping the siblings and their imaginations.

They’ve got a second book scheduled for release in August — they’re tight-lipped about it, saying only “it’s a funny little story … there are puppies involved” — and more in the works. The publication process seems to have only strengthened their commitment to each other.

“Sue’s really funny, and she’s got really good ideas,” says Keating. “And as soon as she tells me about something, I’m getting it. I can see it in my head.”

And through it all, runs the theme of home.

“It’s a beautiful place and I think it’s one of the last places on earth like this, and we don’t appreciate it,” says Pynn. “We’re hoping to remind people of that, and hoping to preserve a little bit of it again. It’s just our small effort to do that.”

Pynn and Keating will be signing copies of The Colours of My Home at Costco in St. John’s April 14, 2-4 p.m. They will officially launch the book April 20, 6 p.m., at Coles in the Avalon Mall. stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca

Colourful connection

Sisters work together on children’s book about Newfoundland and Labrador’s many shades

Susan Pynn and Nancy Keating

Paul Daly/The Independent

Melody of the soul

Young violinist to perform at Holocaust service; believes music key to celebrating culture

By Stephanie Porter The Independent

W

hen it came time to select a piece to perform at the annual Holocaust memorial service in St. John’s, violinist Charlotte-Anne Malischewski knew what she wanted to do.

For the past three summers, Malischewski, 15, has attended a festi-

val of Klezmer — the music of Eastern European Jews — in Quebec. There she met Steven Greenman, a composer, violinist and teacher.

One of his recent compositions, Neshome Nign (“melody of the soul” in Yiddish) struck a chord with her.

“It’s a very beautiful and haunting piece that I think really fits the mood of the Holocaust memorial service,” she says. “It’s fitting because it’s part of the

IT’S

Klezmer tradition, but it’s also fitting because the point of the service is to educate and to revive that culture that’s being lost, and that’s what Steve Greenman does with his music.

“There’s a lot of older pieces that are always played, but this is something new, that hasn’t been heard by people in the community.”

Malischewski has been playing violin most of her young life, and practices

Shape up

about an hour and a half every day.

She’s committed to music, both as a beloved art form and a way to study and share her Jewish heritage, allowing her to be part of a global community that may not exist in her hometown.

“There’s not very many Jewish people in St. John’s, obviously, and there’s nobody really my age,” she says. “It’s a culture that was really popular and vibrant for a long time, and things like

the Holocaust sort of stopped it from being what it once was … I like to be part of the movement trying to revive the music that made those people so interesting and so strong.”

The Holocaust memorial service, organized by Beth-El Synagogue in St. John’s, is held every year at Prince of Wales Collegiate in the city. This year’s

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18 • INDEPENDENTLIFE

APRIL 13, 2007

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTLIFE • 19

GALLERY PROFILE VINCE JONES

W

Woodcarver

ood carver Vince Jones captures the likenesses of wood spirits in his carvings of spruce and poplar — instead of the mischievous sprites capturing him.

Growing up close to his grandparents around the bay, Jones was warned about where not to go in the bush around his home in the east end of Bay Roberts. As a young boy he could not contain his curiosity and went anyway. Now, as a grown man, Jones says he can still feel the “rush” of a recent close encounter with the forest spirits.

“Myself and (my fiancée) had an interesting experience,” he says. “One little grassy spot … Jamie reached out and grabbed a blade of grass and cut her finger. All of a sudden the trees were so thick I don’t say a rabbit would go through them.

“You’d start to hear this really loud bang, bang, bang, and at first I thought moose but there were no hoofs … you didn’t hear the hoofs but you could hear the trees cracking.”

Although Jones says he was unnerved by the surreal experience, faerie faces have proven to be a considerable source of inspiration in his wood carvings.

Picking up the hobby 12 years ago while bored on a boil up and whittling spirits into a twig, Jones has since graduated from small plaques of codfish and seagulls to elaborate and sophisticated sculptures.

Spending the last decade working and carving in Ontario, Jones’ extensive portfolio precedes him. This month, he’s visiting the province on a commission to do a carving for a man who discovered Jones’ work through a friend.

One of the Ontario sculptures was an

18-foot dead tree that required taming.

Jones set up scaffolding, went to work with his professional carver’s chainsaw and, three days later, two wood spirit faces revealed themselves in the forked tree.

“The bottom one looks down toward their wharf down by the lake and the other one looks out toward the driveway to keep an eye on who’s coming and going,” he says.

Jones says he uses whatever wood he can lay his hands on — but not milled lumber. Some of his best finds have been pieces of driftwood washed ashore on Bellevue Beach in Trinity Bay. He says the twists and curls of found wood stoke his imagination.

“You do develop a technique of following the wood — working with the natural shape. You find more (that) suits the piece of wood it’s in. You’re not trying to make the piece of wood suit what you’re doing, you’re working with it.”

The driftwood piece is a sun and saltbleached coil of wood, with the face of an old woman on the thicker end. Titled Sea Hag by Jones, she nevertheless exhibits a thickset smile under a broad nose and ruddy cheeks. Bushy eyebrows complete the happy and fantastical look, hair twisting back and around

into the remainder of the wood.

The artist’s Moratorium piece may not be as whimsical as the sea hag, but it is no less visually impressive. A wall work, it depicts three generations of fishing skippers: a grandfather resting on a lobster pot, his son and grandson flanking him. Tethered to the wharf is a skiff, but it is far out of reach. Above the surface of the water, hemming in the scene, is a school of cod corralled by seals and a couple of big boats.

“They’re looking at a boat where they’re not allowed to go out and get a fish, while the big draggers are still fishing, the seals are still fishing — the guys in the little boats aren’t fishing.”

The image has been rendered in walnut, the fish swirling as if they’re chasing the waves in the grain of the rich wood, like the seals and trawlers chasing the cod.

While Jones is delighted to be back in his native province to live and work, he has yet to build a workshop. He breaks out his mallets and chisels in the house.

He says he has an extremely tolerant fiancée.

“Jamie’s good, but she won’t let me use the chainsaw in the house,” Jones says, laughing. mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

Ahead of the curve

Newfoundland and Labrador artists have long since learned the very trendy skill of multitasking

I

don’t know if it’s a stubborn hangover from decades gone by, or provincial tourism operators’ continuing reliance on pictures of whales and fishing gear to bring in visitors.

It might even be the work of Newfoundland/Labrador expatriates — folks living in Alberta and Ontario who haven’t spent more than two weeks here in the last 30 years, but still insist on using their increasingly phonysounding accents to hold forth on who we are, what we do, what we’re like and what it’s like to live here.

Whatever the root causes, there remains a perception in the rest of Canada that Newfoundland and Labrador is a bit of a cultural backwater. Fun, charming, unique and even smart in a limited sort of way, but behind the times.

It’s not all bad, of course. Nasty mainland reviews for the Mary Walsh film adaptation of Ray Guy’s Young Triffie notwithstanding, the rest of Canada does still seem to harbour a grudging respect for Newfoundlanders’ ability to make art with a definite personality — that comes from and is about somewhere in particular.

In some ways the idea that we’re always a few years behind the trends here is true. Or it was. Television and the Internet are changing things here just as they are everywhere, creating one massive global culture based largely on watching American TV, using

SEAN PANTING

State of the art Japanese electronics and eating foodstuffs made from animal byproducts mixed with everything from hormones and antibiotics to industrial fire retardants.

But as much as we may often be playing catch-up when it comes to fashion and the like, we are and always have been ahead in one very important respect: multitasking.

All over North America cultural workers — actors, musicians, artists, everyone — are waking up to a new economic reality. Major music labels have had the legs cut out from under them by industrious, technology-savvy indies. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has had to acknowledge little independent films made by writer/producer/actors.

The big conglomerates are running scared as artists in all disciplines are discovering that it often makes more sense to do it yourself, and by “it” I mean everything. You maintain control of your work and your image and keep all the money. And all you have to do is work twice as hard.

Acting as your own management company, accountant, writer, publicist,

producer, janitor and whatever else may be the latest entertainment industry trend, but around here that’s the way things have been done forever and ever amen. Writer/actors, actor/musicians, writer/producer/actor/directors … this place is positively maggoty with them.

In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to think of a successful actor or musician from Newfoundland and Labrador who isn’t a multi-talent in one way or another.

You certainly won’t meet any who haven’t had to take on the responsibility of managing their own careers and doing their own bookings.

The reason for this is the same reason why 50 or 75 years ago most of the people around here knew their way around a boat and the woods, could grow their own food and build their own houses — simple survival.

With limited cash and work opportunities, anyone who’s gotten into an arts career in this province has to make the most of all their skills to get by, and that means branching out into related fields.

What might, in a place like Toronto or Montreal, look like a lack of commitment to a single career path is an absolute must.

This genre jumping has been great for the arts. It’s a hallmark of the Newfoundland and Labrador cultural identity. As creators accumulate knowledge of other disciplines they make more interesting, more fully rounded art regardless of what they happen to be

doing at any given time. Of course being a masterful blues musician makes Scott Goudie a better visual artist, just like being a top notch actor makes Robert Chafe a better writer. How could it not?

Having more multi-talented writers and performers also makes for more cooperation all around. The exclusivity and cliquishness that’s so prevalent in the film, theatre and music communities in the bigger centres is virtually

non-existent in these parts.

As the arts in this province continue to grow and develop, we would do well to hang onto the spirit of openness we’ve had to develop to keep working here. If DIY is going to be the wave of the future, it looks like we’re ahead of the curve for once.

Sean Panting is a writer, actor and musician living in St. John’s. His column returns April 27.

T

his newly opened shop located in the original carriage house behind Angel House Heritage INN is home to Angel House Antiques which features decorative arts & furniture from the 19th & 20 centuries.

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Visit us at 146 Hamilton Avenue, just west of Patrick street. For ad ditional information please call 709-739-4223 or visit our website at: www.angelhousebb.com/angelhouse.htm

APRIL 13, 2007

20 • INDEPENDENTLIFE

Rabbit stew

Anthology celebrates the accomplishments and spirit of province’s longest running literary festival

The March Hare Anthology Edited by Adrian Fowler Breakwater Books, 2007. 295 pages.

F

or a province with such a small population as Newfoundland and Labrador, we have a surprisingly large number of literary events on the go. In recent years, the appearance of the Winterset in Summer and Writers at Woody Point festivals has brought our total number of literary gatherings up to three.

But the granddaddy of them all is the March Hare. While its exact origins appear to have been lost in the fog of the not-so-distant past, editor Adrian Fowler does his best to reconstruct the early part of the narrative in his introduction to The March Hare Anthology.

According to Fowler, the Hare began “probably in 1988 as an innovative but inauspicious winter entertainment” devised by poet Al Pittman, organizer Rex Brown and golf club manager George Daniels. Since that time, it has

stand on its own merits.

In terms of editorial aesthetic, Fowler adheres to “the same elusive principles of balance and eclecticism that have always shaped the development of the March Hare programme.” The anthology is loosely grouped according to themes (a favourite organizing principle of many Newfoundland anthologies) and contains multiple genres.

Poetry makes up the bulk of the book, supplemented by short stories, non-fiction pieces and excerpts from larger fictional works.

The fiction of Lisa Moore, Joan Clarke and Wayne Johnston rubs shoulders with the poetry of Michael Ondaatje, Paul Durcan and Louise Halfe.

Despite Fowler’s claim that “there are no stars at the March Hare,” there are certain names so ubiquitous that they can’t help but draw the bulk of attention. This is to be expected, and serves a positive purpose in attracting a readership that might not otherwise encounter lesser-known writers.

While the former might be drawn to this anthology by the names of Alistair MacLeod or Lisa Moore, they’ll come upon Alan Garvey, Bernard O’Donoghue and Patrick Warner within these pages.

Some notable pieces are Danish poet Arne Ruste’s excerpts from Post-It Notes, Just in Case (“If she [in all improbability, or because it suddenly / grew quiet] were to find him in the bath / with an erection the like of which she has not seen / in all their life together …”), Carmelita McGrath’s Hearts of Palm (“Afternoon, desultory in the aisles / the way one moves distracted in a dream / I spy her sculpted in the white-green light, / a tiny woman in a camel coat, the years worn off it / here and there”), and Laura Lush’s The Other Side of the Lake (“Frank and Bea Donkersley lived on the other side, / the sandy part where their dock jutted / out into a long brown tongue.”) There is much more worth reading here.

On the whole, the March Hare Anthology fulfils the editorial goal set forth in Fowler’s introduction: to capture something of the essential spirit of the festival in printed form, and in so doing, celebrate its accomplishments thus far.

According to those terms, it is a definite success — though outside of this context, some selections are obvious hangers-on. On the one hand, the March Hare Anthology seeks to accurately represent the full span of the festival’s readers; on the other, it is subject

to the same dictates of critical taste that govern any such endeavour.

I feel I should mention, in the interest of complete disclosure, that a small selection of my own work is featured in The March Hare Anthology, and as such, I cannot be considered an entirely impartial reviewer. But I figure if an anthology’s editor can include his own writings as Fowler has done here, then there’s nothing wrong with reviewing a book I’m barely in.

Mark Callanan writes from St. John’s.

His column returns April 27.

Relating through music From page 17 event, scheduled for April 22, will mark the third time Malischewski has performed as part of the proceedings.

The evening also features a memorial candle lighting in honour of the more than six million victims of the Holocaust, readings, songs, and a guest talk by principal Brian Vardy. It’s a solemn remembrance event, but focuses on education and accessibility as much as tradition.

Hundreds of people, including many school children, attend every year.

For Malischewski, the service is about more than horror and darkness.

“You can’t think of six million people, you have to think of one person six million times,” she says. “Think of that one person who maybe played the violin, or that one person who maybe sang, or that one person who did something else.

“The way I feel I can relate to those people is through music, because that’s what I do. It’s important to remember those people in what made them happy and what made their culture.

“If you focus on the death and the terribleness, though that’s really important, that’s not really the point of remembering the Holocaust. I think the point is to remember who those people were, and that’s why it’s so bad — not just the details of the tragedy.”

Malischewski is pleased to see others — most notably, the Memorial-based and very popular B’ys in da Shtetl — bringing Klezmer music to St. John’s ears. She doesn’t talk in terms of reviving or expanding the local Jewish community — she’s not sure it’s ever been

hope

MARK CALLANAN On the shelf

grown into a week long, cross-island tour with events occurring in St. John’s, Gander and Corner Brook.

While the Hare features both international and local talents of varying fame, its democratic aesthetic aims to ensure that no one reader, whether emerging writer or literary giant, takes precedence over another.

Fowler sees the festival as an extension of the oral tradition of storytelling and song that is often used to explain Newfoundland’s current literary boom.

He describes the Hare as a populist celebration of words and music, a literary festival-cum-kitchen party where audiences can hear poems, stories, recitations and music performed in a relaxed setting, free of the pretension or egotism that presumably pervades similar events held elsewhere.

At the March Hare, Fowler assures us, “There are no prima donnas mumbling into the microphone or droning from the podium while earnest spectators assume a stoic posture struggling to convince themselves that although it tastes awful it does you good.”

The implication is that this sort of boorish behaviour is typical of every other reading in the known world — an unfortunate instance of definition by opposition given the Hare can easily

Charlotte-Anne Malischewski

lost — but in terms of sharing.

“It’s a kind of music you don’t have to say, oh, just the Jewish community will like this, it’s a culture that other people can enjoy and that other people can appreciate and I think it’s more a matter of showing that.”

The annual Holocaust service takes place April 22, 7 p.m., at Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John’s. Refreshments will be served afterwards. stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca

For every question there is an answer.

Hope through education, support and solutions.

We’re here.

1.800.321.1433 www.arthritis.ca

INDEPENDENTSTYLE

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007 — PAGE 21

Tee time T-shirt weather is due any day — now’s the time to scoop up a few

By Mandy Cook The Independent

M

ost people will agree: there’s nothing quite like the perfect T-shirt.

The one you always reach for to go with your most bum-flattering jeans and sneaks on a sunny weekend walkabout. The thin, body-skimming cotton tee with the subversive message, or the one with the artfully-placed graphics in cool, contrasting colours.

And, all too sadly, when the favourite shirt inevitably begins to wear too thin, it is relegated to the nightshirt category to live out its useful life.

No worries, though. Local T-shirt specialists have been busy stocking up on new tees to replace last year’s wardrobe and aim to satisfy every taste for the upcoming summer season. Shop owners say the T-shirt’s popularity is better than ever — particularly amongst the visiting Fort McMurray crowd in St. John’s.

“Guys will come in here and pick up, six, seven, eight of our shirts,” says Steve Power, owner of the locally-owned XStore in the Avalon Mall.

Power and his business partner come up with the patriotic designs themselves, touting their “Rock Star” design as one of the store’s top sellers.

The Newfoundland Rant shirt is also hot, in addition to the simple pink, white and green Republic flag shirts.

“People come in here and ask, ‘What’s the deal with the separation thing?’” says Power. “But it’s not about that, it’s about Newfoundland pride. Unlike some of the larger chains, we can react — we get an idea or a response and can get the shirts printed and on the shelf. We know what Newfoundlanders will respond to.”

Living Planet, also renowned for its cheeky political designs, still screen print plenty of their Free NFLD shirts, but say it is not something they “push.”

Their specialty is printing tees adorned with local artists’ designs. This spring season is no different.

Mark Bennett, graphic designer at Living Planet, is excited about a co-collaboration between himself and local hip-hop artist Montgomery Hall.

“It’s really stylized, graffiti-inspired row houses — street style but traditional,” says Bennett.

Making a point to sell clothes with a conscience, the St. John’s-based business only prints on sweat-shop free American Apparel tees to sell in their store at 116 Duckworth St. It goes with their mandate to keep things local. Bennett says St. John’s fabric artist Judy Cooper is contributing some of her designs for tees this spring, such as flowers and fish. Bennett says either a print or a saucy message is a smart buy.

“It’s an art piece but you can wear it, and it’s fairly cheap. For $25 to $30, you can wear an original art print and it makes a statement too on what your views on the world are. People are making a statement in their own way.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

Just a drop of acid

A touch of vinegar or citrus can add brightness to almost any dish

Y

ou’ve been touched by an acid. Not in the druggie sense or even the harsh burning of a battery — but your senses have been changed by its distinct tastes on your tongue.

It is the unmistakable sharp bite and the initial wincing — that sympathetic scrunching of the eyes, mouth and the puckering of the lips. It can sometimes hurt as the chemicals over-stimulate the taste buds jolting your senses … OK, so acid isn’t strictly one the distinct taste groups, but you get the picture.

I am a proponent of acid in food. It is the brightness that cuts through and pushes flavours to the surface.

Have you ever tasted a tomato in winter? It’s bland, dull, stingy, pasty, flavourless and not suitable for eating raw. However, take that same winter tomato and season with a little pepper, a fleck or two of salt, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and I will prove to you the power of the acid. The balsamic vinegar brings out the natural

NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path flavours buried deep within. It pushes it up and out until it tastes like a tomato again.

That’s but one example.

Tired of salad dressings from a bottle? Grate the zest of one lemon, one lime and half an orange.

Add the juice of half of each (about 1/4 cup of liquid). Stir with a whisk and add half a cup of olive oil in a thin stream, mixing all the time. Season liberally with cracked black pepper and salt.

There, you have a fresh summer citrus vinaigrette with all the acid to brighten your day.

Serve over peppery arugula along with strawberries, segmented oranges and almond slices for a light summer salad or serve warm over a fresh

grilled salmon fillet.

Citrus is common in most kitchens, but what about vinegar? I have at any time, three or four vinegars to use as an acid when cooking. Each one is used for different purposes.

Three of my favourites: WHITE VINEGAR I use it as much as a cleaning solution as I do for anything else. White vinegar, so known because it is typically clear, is for the most part a solution of acetic acid in water. Pure acetic acid is highly corrosive, but in the miniscule quantities used in food, it is perfectly safe. I use white vinegar on my stainless steel pots to make them sparkle. A teaspoon of kosher salt to act as an abrasive and a good splash of vinegar and the stainless steel pots return to show room condition.

See “Varied vinegars,” page 24

APRIL 13, 2007

22 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE

April 15 - 21

‘Unsung heroes’ Volunteers help keep rural Newfoundland and Labrador going

W

hen it comes to volunteering, it’s often the well-established groups that come to mind, but beyond the minor hockey associations, fire brigades and town councils, Barbara Marshall, a resident of L’Anse-au-Loup in southern Labrador, says being a volunteer can be about so much more.

In fact, she says nothing would get done in rural communities if it weren’t for those who give their blood, sweat, tears and hard-earned dollars on a regular basis.

“It’s the men, women and youth out there we need to applaud, those who see a need and work diligently seeing that need met,” says Marshall,

The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, Archives and Museum, would like to thank the volunteers who generously devote their time to bringing our art, culture and heritage to life.

a co-ordinator with Partners for Learning in Labrador and a member of the Literacy Development Council. She says community volunteers are Newfoundland and Labrador’s “unsung heroes.”

April 15-21 is Volunteer Week and Penelope Rowe, chief executive officer of the Community Services Council, an organization that supports volunteers and assists agencies that rely on the aid of volunteers, says it’s a great time to celebrate those who make an effort to help others.

An estimated 42 per cent of the province’s population over the age of 15 volunteer their time in some capacity. Per capita, people in this province volunteer 188 hours annually. That adds up to a whopping 35 million hours of volunteer work.

“Some people are certainly putting an incredible amount of time giving back to their communities,” Rowe says, adding she would like to get the message out that what volunteers do is valued.

Marshall also praises those who cook, serve and deliver church suppers, those who sell tickets door to door, and volunteers who spend their evenings on the phone inspiring others to give their time and or dollars to a worthy cause.

“I would bet that in rural Newfoundland and Labrador you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t volunteer at something.”

To thrive in a small community, Marshall says, you must be willing to give. “The numbers are just so small that everyone, young and old, must do their part. Building a playground can cost a lot of turkey teas,” she laughs.

Rowe says people are highly motivated when they get something out of their volunteer hours.

Giving can be rewarding for social reasons, it can look good on a resume, and it certainly can leave you feeling good about what you do with your “free time.” Rowe hopes that anyone thinking about becoming a volunteer will take steps to find a “good fit,” as volunteering can be an

“almost endless investment of time, energy and good will.”

Rowe says the efforts of younger people often go unnoticed. Fifty-three per cent of those aged 15-24 — the highest rate of any age group — volunteer their time in some capacity, she says, and the experiences they have are important.

“When a young person has a positive volunteer experience then they are a volunteer for the rest of their lives,” Rowe says.

Sharon Snook, director of the Burin Peninsula Health Care Foundation, is one of those “lifetime volunteers,” in part, she says, because she has “little choice. Attracting and retaining volunteers in an area where out-migration is high is challenging, so everyone has to do their part,” she says. With 20,000 people left in the area, those out to attract volunteers need to be creative,” she says. “If people didn’t get involved like they do we wouldn’t be able to sustain our communities.”

Thankfully, Snook says, there is no shortage of creativity when it comes to fundraising and she points to the efforts of St. Bernard’s resident Frank Stewart. Stewart, 51, works for CP Rail in Alberta from May to November each year and seven years ago he started a recycling project that has raised money for hospitals in the province.

“I noticed there were too many bottles being thrown away so I started collecting them, turning them in for recycling, and sending the money home,” Stewart says. The past three years his recycling efforts have raised almost $3,000, money that helps fund health-care projects in his area. The idea, he says, just came to him.

That’s the type of endeavour that Marshall applauds. “Sometimes volunteering can be about seeing a need and doing something about it, and other times it’s about seizing an opportunity to do good and not letting it pass you by.”

Thank you to the many volunteers who work tirelessly towards the success of the annual St. John's Jazz Festival and its year-round activities.

July 18-22, 2007

www.stjohnsjazzfestival.com

APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 23

V o l u n t e e r

W e e k

A special section brought to you by

Donna Jeffrey has been a volunteer for years with the Refugee Immigrant Advisory Council in St. John’s. April 15-21 is Volunteer Week. An estimated 42 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians over the age of 15 volunteer their time. Per capita, people in this province volunteer 188 hours annually.

Paul Daly/The Independent

To all the volunteers who give of their time and talents to help bring joy and laughter into the lives of our Wish Kids, thank you. We couldn’t do it without you!

www.childrenswish.ca For more information on how you can become a Wish Maker, call 1-800-267-9474

Rogers Television extends thanks to our Volunteer Television Production Crews across the Province who make local television happen. Without your support, local television programs like Out of the Fog, Skyways, Grand Central and Corner Brook Café would not be possible.

Neither would broadcasts of City and Town Council meetings or local bingo games.

Thank you for being part of our communities by bringing local stories into people’s homes

APRIL 13, 2007

24 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE

Varied vinegars From page 21 BALSAMIC VINEGAR One of the few aged vinegars made from trebbiano grapes. True balsamic vinegar is aged between three and 12 years in a successive number of casks in various woods including, oak, juniper, ash and mulberry. Each successive cask imparts its own characteristics to the vinegar. However, the cheapest of the vinegars can be nothing more than wine vinegar with colouring and some sugar.

To place your hands on a “true” balsamic is like buying a Ferrari — both come from Modena, Italy and both are rare. A bottle of balsamic vinegar in the 15 to 20-year-old range costs well over $100, and for those looking for the super premium, paying $500 or more for a bottle of ultra-rare 100-year-old balsamic vinegar is not uncommon.

At this age it transcends being mere vinegar and becomes a syrup — sweet, complex and toffee-like. Drizzled over seared foie gras or hand churned vanilla ice cream and berries, the taste is like nothing you have ever experienced.

TARRAGON VINEGAR I have a bottle of tarragon vinegar that was a present a couple of years ago, and it’s still as fragrant today as it was when it was presented to me. And you know, it’s really easy to make: Fill a mason jar with white wine vinegar. Add seven or eight springs of tarragon, roughly chopped. Cover and store in a cool dark place for three weeks.

Strain the liquid into a sterilized jar or glass bottle with two or three whole sprigs of tarragon. Give them away as presents to friends. Martha would approve.

It works well with almost anything, lemon zest, peppercorns, basil, mint — you’re only limited by your imagination.

Try adding an acid to balance out flavours. You’ll be surprised at the difference a little acid makes.

Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com

EVENTS APRIL 13 • Atlantic String Quartet’s final concert of the season, Cook Recital Hall, St. John’s, 8 p.m., 722-4441.

• From the director of The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Chicago and Cats, Terri Andrews and TaDa Events brings you Gypsy, a musical fable, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 7293900, until April 15.

APRIL 14 • Children’s book signing, The Colours of my Home: A Portrait of Newfoundland and Labrador, by Susan Pynn and Nancy Keating, Costco, St. John’s, 1-3 p.m.

• Celtic Rendezvous and Patchwork Productions present Bingo Night, an original Newfoundland comedy written and directed by Krista Hann, Celtic Rendezvous by the Sea, 7 p.m., advance reservations only, 334-3341.

• Kids CBC Get Set for Life, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., April 14 and 15.

APRIL 15 • RCA Theatre Company’s final showing of Bella Donna, LSPU Hall, Victoria Street, St. John’s, 753-4531.

• Annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony/Celebration, The Fairmont Newfoundland, Cavendish Square, St. John’s, 7-9 p.m., 753-9860, volunteercentre@csc.nf.net.

APRIL 16 • Mother to Mother Breastfeeding Support Meeting, Sobey’s Community Room, Torbay Road Plaza, St. John’s, 7-10 p.m., 437-5097.

APRIL 17 • Journey to the Yukon’s Three Rivers, evening of celebrating art and wilderness, storytelling, drummers, presentation by Yukoner Juri Peepre, and silent auction, Masonic Temple, St. John’s, 7 p.m.

• The Big Comfy Couch: Molly’s Fool Moon Festival, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, April 17, 4 p.m. and 7

The cast of Bella Donna (left-right): James Hawksley, Neil Butler, Amy Anthony, Petrina Bromley and Aiden Flynn.

p.m., Gordon Pinsent Centre for the Arts, Grand Falls-Windsor, April 19, 7 p.m.

• Guess How Much I Love You and I Love my Little Storybook, presented by Mermaid Theatre, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, April 17, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, April 18, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

• Circus Cowboys, Labrador West Arts and Culture Centre, 7 p.m.

Ship Pub, St. John’s, 9:30 p.m.

• Newfoundland Author Reading Series, reading by Laura Morry Williams, author of Becoming Sarah, A.C. Hunter Adult Library, St. John’s, 7 p.m.

• Bay Pride Week, Beyond the Overpass Theatre Company presents five comedic performances, LSPU Hall, Victoria Street, St. John’s, 8 p.m., 7534531. Continues until April 22.

APRIL 18 • CBC Television and the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation present the CBC Janeway Annual Celebration Concert, featuring Canadian Idol star Craig Sharpe, Amelia Curran, Duane Andrews and more, Holy Heart Theatre, 8 p.m., 729-3900.

• The Dardanelles at Folk Night, the

APRIL 19 • East Rock Crew fundraiser party for the Canada Dance Festival, including door prizes, drink specials, dance contest, and more, Etomic, 10 p.m.

IN THE GALLERIES: • Michele Stamp Portraits, 32 works in graphite on paper, RCA Gallery, LSPU

Paul Daly/The Independent

Hall, 753-4531, until April 15.

• In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun, a selection of work by Canadian Inuit artists and Sami artists from Norway, Sweden and Finland, The Rooms, until April 20.

• Michael Young (NS), Let me tell you, and Kim Waldron (QC), The Dad Tapes/The Mom Photographs, Eastern Edge Gallery, 72 Harbour Drive, St. John’s, until April 21.

The Peter Winkworth Collection, 69 works of art, The Rooms, until April 22.

• Fish, by Janet Davis, and Finding my Place, by Stephanie Jayce Stoker, the Craft Council Gallery, Devon House, until April 27.

• Kinetic Portraits of 12 Canadian Writers by Peter Wilkins, The Rooms, until April 29.

Taste first, think later Don’t let squeamishness get in the way of trying new things

I

’ve been accused of having strange taste more than once in my life. Noses have been scrunched up, followed by gag noises and questions like “What on earth is wrong with you?”

My usual response: you’ll never fall in love with anything if you never take the chance.

In a day and age where time is always of the essence, food has largely been put on the back burner (excuse the pun). It has been bumped into the category of daily activities that the quicker it’s done, the better. In the rush to fit eating into our busy schedules, much is sacrificed.

When you’re racing between back-to-back classes and trying to meet the deadlines, setting aside any time to make a lunch seems like an impossibility. Every second counts, and if I can scam an extra 10 minutes of sleep I’ll sacrifice the bag lunch for cafeteria food. I’m sure many of us can say we’ve had whole meals comprised of caffeinated beverages and then had to face the inevitable crash of the body’s outcry for real sustenance.

A good home-cooked meal is one of those luxuries that you never realize just how good it is until it’s gone. I’ve experienced this with people who recently moved away from home. After eating Kraft Dinner or poutine for the millionth time in a week they get drastically more homesick. There’s no better way to get yourself motivated to learn how to cook than when you are forced to eat your own cooking every single day.

It’s sad to think of the smells of a pot full of vegetables, roasted turkey and sweet pie being replaced with the drilling beep of the microwave. Food is one more thing that comes wrapped in plastic and sealed with a picture — that never

LEIA FELTHAM Falling Face First reflects reality — on the box.

Every time I dig into a TV dinner I hope one day my culinary skills and lifestyle will allow for more good meals and less of what is only acceptable as food by stretching the imagination.

The most interesting part about food is that the definition of what tastes good is so personal. The mere thought of eating something you can’t stand is like wearing someone else’s underwear — he or she may make like it, but you are definitely not going to try it on for size.

Unfortunately, this mentality keeps people from diving into possibilities that are offered to the palate. Food really isn’t like underwear, so the “full of cooties” attitude shouldn’t apply.

My own tastes are pretty varied. There hasn’t been much put in front of me I haven’t at least sampled. I won’t lie and say I liked everything and I’ve made my own gagging noises from time to time, but I’ve also come to appreciate world cuisine that truly offers something unique.

I’ve noticed seafood, for some reason, seems to be a touchy subject to some people.

I hear excuses about texture or the questionability of eating something that looked like that when it was alive. I understand people’s squeamishness and reservations, but is eating a fish or crustacean really any worse than pumping your body full of whatever goes into processed or preserved food? Ingredients that are impossible to pronounce and vague descriptions of what a product may or may not contain concerns me more than if my meal was pretty when it was alive.

I haven’t been bold when approaching every situation — but I have never wanted to give up the opportunity to taste something new because of my unwillingness to be adventurous.

When faced with a new dish, be open-minded. It may look terrible, or smell a little strange, but really you have nothing to lose and much to gain. Taste first, think later. As they say, “grin and bear it.”

If all else fails, spit it out.

Leia Feltham is a first-year student at Memorial University.

Her column returns April 27.

What’s new in the automotive industry

APRIL 13-19, 2007

FEATURED VEHICLE

DRIVER AND ROADSTER AS ONE The exceptional soul of the Mazda MX-5 is described by the expression Jinba Ittai: rider and horse as one. This concept of oneness of motion most aptly depicts the relationship between the driver and a Mazda MX-5 roadster.

Mazda used the rider and horse idiom to create a car that would be universally seen as “lots of fun.” Jinba Ittai is the essence of Zoom-Zoom, and it is what makes the Mazda MX-5 so appealing to sports car enthusiasts.

The Mazda MX-5 demonstrates an ideal balance achieved with minimal weight and propelled by a small but spirited engine. Every aspect of design, mechanical function and dynamic response ultimately contribute to complete driving satisfaction.

2007 Mazda MX-5, Available at Penney Mazda, Kenmount Road, starting at $28,095.

Paul Daly photos/The Independent

Wind beneath my Pinto wings I

Ford Pinto ad from Feb., 1972

n the late 1960s an epic battle was waged in the boardroom of Ford Motor Company over small car supremacy, a fight that dropped engineering ethics to an unprecedented low.

Then-president Semon “Bunky” Knudson debated company direction with Lee Iacocca, whose success designing the Mustang made him a powerful force to take on.

Iacocca argued Volkswagen and the Japanese were going to capture the entire American subcompact market unless Ford put out an alternative to the Beetle.

Bunky didn’t see Bugs as much of a threat because Ford made good profit on its medium and large models. The rift caused Bunky to resign; Iacocca became president of Ford and rushed to put his pet-project, the Pinto, into production. He ordered his engineering vicepresident, Bob Alexander, to oversee what was probably the shortest production-planning period in automotive history.

The normal time span from concept to production of a new car back then was about 43 months. The Pinto schedule was set at just under 25 months, by which time it would be ready for

American showrooms with the installing a plastic buffer berest of the ’71 models. Assembly tween the tank and the offending lines take about 18 months to set bolts. But then the added weight up, usually after the quality would ruin the “2,000 limit” and assurance and advance engineer- the plastic buffer idea was tossed.

For the sake of $11 per ing are in place. When vehicle, the Pinto story one of the Pinto’s most would have had a difcritical components ferent ending. became a safety hazard, it was too late to Instead, it gets even change the car. The more ridiculous. timeline had to be met.

In 1973 a company Iacocca had also set called Advanced Vehicle Engineers in a rigid mandate known California chose the as the “2,000 limit.”

MARK Pinto as a platform to The Pinto was to WOOD build its Mizar hybrid weigh exactly 2,000 WOODY’S prototype. We had pounds and cost exactback when I ly $2,000, and that was WHEELS hybrids was young, but they that. The critical comdidn’t run just on ponent failure turned out to be the gas tank, which was wheels — they could fly. The sort of added as an afterthought 1970s weren’t just about great and protruded ominously under music and platform shoes, they the car, close to the rear bumper. were also about experimentation The tank could have been raised … with everything. As I’m terriinto the trunk area but would bly fond of mentioning, safety have restricted cargo capacity to wasn’t invented back then, and if just one set of golf clubs. The gas a couple of consenting adults tank remained in a troublesome wanted to bolt the rear portion of spot. In the event of a low-speed, a Cessna Skymaster on a Pinto rear-end collision, it would move and fly it around, no one was forward into the protruding bolts going to stop them.

Their theory was that the Pinto of the rear axle. The resulting fuel spill would inevitably ignite, could accelerate down the runway with the airplane part runcausing serious injury or death.

Engineers found a cost-effi- ning too, resulting in a shorter cient way to solve the problem by take-off distance. Once airborne,

the Pinto engine would shut off and the craft would run on the rear-facing airplane propeller.

Landing distance, in theory, was greatly reduced by the mighty Pinto’s superior braking system.

Sound stupid? You betcha.

The wings fell off in flight, the car plummeted to the ground and did what Pinto’s do best … it blew up in a fireball. That put an end to the flying car program and sadly, the two pilots.

I do have my own personal Pinto memories. When one of my brothers got married, the best man provided his white Pinto as a means of conveyance to the church for the groom and groomsmen.

Not just an ordinary Pinto — one with a massive V-8 engine squat under the hood. While the groom wore black, the three of us were particularly cool driving around in our matching powderblue tuxedos. The Pinto’s screeching rubber announced our arrival.

Weddings are grand occasions of lavish excess and precious memories. At the time, an overpowered Pinto suited the event perfectly.

Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s has a car story for every occasion.

26 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT

APRIL 13, 2007

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APRIL 13, 2007

INDEPENDENTSHIFT • 27

I

was driving our second car the other eted spot. day, the one I rarely use. As I went to I liked riding up front, especially with gently admonish a driver for darting my Dad. You’d think anyone so cranky out in front of me, I slammed my hand would chase his kids away, but there was where the horn was. Or at least, where it far more to my father than a tall temper should have been. I forgot that this car on a short fuse. He saw things nobody has two little pressure points else could see. masquerading as a horn. I’m I remember the sun glinting sure car manufacturers are just off that chrome horn one day, trying to make us better peowhich means I was sitting up ple, but if they make the horn front. If I’d made it to the any smaller, or move it around front seat, it meant it was just the steering wheel anymore, me and my Dad. As we drove they might just as well leave it along, all of a sudden he out altogether. pointed up into the sky. I The car horn was the only strained to follow his hand; LORRAINE musical instrument my father several large hawks were cirSOMMERFELD played. He practised every day, cling in the distance. and performed full symphonies “See those hawks?” he on long road trips. My mother barked. “Means they’re digwould purse her lips and look ging something up.” I wonout the window, avoiding eye dered how hawks could dig contact with the newly disciplined. something up.

Part of the glory, or perhaps the down“When they start digging to build,” he side, of this bygone era was the differ- continued, “they turn up all the mice and ence in horns. A chrome stirrup nestled little rodents that hawks eat. When you in the bottom half of the huge steering see them circling like that, it means wheel of our 1966 Rambler, my father they’re digging. The hawks are waiting never had to take his eyes of the road. for their breakfast.”

He’d punch the bar mightily, and be I was probably seven or eight, and the rewarded with a physical connection to thought of rats for breakfast didn’t faze that blast of indignant correction. me much. I was far more fascinated by I didn’t see a lot of front seat action. how my father could drive a car 100 km The middle kid is the back seat kid; an hour, honk at anything that moved, sometimes the baby needed to sit up and still see hawks circling miles away. front with mom and dad, though it was He had a hunter’s eye and reflexes like a usually my older sister, who in perfect- steel trap. I don’t think he ever hit anying getting carsick had secured the cov- thing that darted in front of our car, not

POWER SHIFT

even the squirrels he despised so much.

He’d point out owls in trees. A farm boy, he’d tell us dairy cows from beef cows, when the sheep were close to shearing time, and he’d make up names for horses we saw. When we’d drive out west, he’d let us stand beside the wheat to appreciate how tall it was. He never wanted to let us stop to pee, but we could stand beside the wheat.

No matter how long the trip, Dad did all the driving. With his left elbow tanned 10 shades darker than his right, we’d cruise up north or out west with him dictating the placement of windows and the radio dial. In later years when that eyesight and those reflexes gently faded, I’d still dial in CFRB when I drove him.

Like most kids, I wanted to drive long before I actually did. I’d pretend as the car sat in the driveway. This mostly entailed kneeling in the driver’s seat, swinging the wheel back and forth and making engine noises. With eight inches of play in the huge steering wheel, it was richly rewarding. My fingers were too small to span the grooves; the wheel was wider than the circumference of my arms. To get the whole experience I’d periodically lean on the horn until someone came out of the house and told me to cut it out.

I still sometimes think of my father when I hear a horn blowing incessantly.

Of course, I’m not sure whether to look up or down. www.lorraineonline.ca

1966 Rambler

A horn full of memories

CARRIER OF THE WEEK

Legend in racing journalism

I

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had the pleasure last weekend, at the ing price for the customer.

“Their philosophy is that the guy’s in Canadian Motorsports Expo held at the Toronto Congress Centre, to town anyway and what’s he going to do? spend a few minutes with the dean of So we’ll have something for him. But the cost to do a weekend of North American motor racing NASCAR racing today is journalism, Chris Economaki. staggering for the fan. So Economaki, 87, a racing attendance is falling off and radio and TV personality of television audiences are comnote, has been the long-time ing down: it’s too much. editor (and now publisher “This announcement (last emeritus) of the U.S. weekly week in Washington state) that newspaper, National Speed there’s not going to be a track Sports News. Speed Sport (as in the Pacific Northwest … I it’s known) is a one-stop-shopNORRIS MCDONALD think they recognize that the ping paper (now also available bloom is off the pumpkin.” on the ’net) that covers everything from Formula One GOODBYE DOC through NASCAR, NHRA, Champ Car/IRL, ALMS/Grand I regret to announce the Am and just about everything passing, in High Point, N.C., else down to short-track midget racing in of Merrill (Doc) MacDonald, late of Michigan.

Oshawa, Ont. Doc was the father of race In short, if it happens in racing, you’ll drivers Randy MacDonald and Terri find it in Speed Sport.

MacDonald-Cadieux. Cause of death Before we participated in a panel dis- was cancer … cussion, Economaki — whose column each week is a must read for people in FEMALE CLERK the industry — and I talked about a slew Cheryl McCune, who started marof subjects, among them Champ Car (he shalling at Mosport in the early 1970s doesn’t think the Las Vegas GP will hap- and went on to become the first female pen again), Formula One (the historic Clerk of the Course in North America rivalries among the countries of Europe in the late 1980s, passed away in are what fuels interest in that sport, he February. says) and the phenomenon of NASCAR. As well as landing the Clerk’s job at Here, verbatim, is what he said about Mosport, she also served as a steward for the latter: the Players/GM Challenge Series and “A number of years ago, Bill France she managed Robin Buck’s CASCAR told me that everyone in his organization Super Series racing team until 1999 was an old-line racing guy. And he rec- when her health started to fail. ognized the fact that he needed some Her life revolved around road racing business people who understood promo- for almost 30 years and she loved the tion and advertising and marketing. sport until the day she died.

“And he brought in some people from New York, business people, and that’s BULLETS Robbie Wickens of Toronto and what kicked NASCAR off on this wonderful ride its had. Now you get press James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, who are releases from NASCAR and the first competing in Champ Car’s Formula person talking is not some old line racing Atlantic series this year, did us proud in guy but some relatively new busi- the opening race in Las Vegas last weeknessperson. That’s one of the reasons end. Wickens finished second (here’s NASCAR is enjoying some of its suc- how close it was: winner Raphael Matos, 50:39:638; Wickens, 50:39:798) cess these days.

“However, I think NASCAR has gone and Hinchcliffe was fourth, about a too far. They’re overwhelming the pub- blink back. Let’s hope both do as well lic. They have activities on Friday, activ- this weekend at the Long Beach Grand ities on Saturday and activities on Prix …

That NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Sunday and all of it takes up a lot of time and it costs a lot of money to attend. The web site is up and running — finally. But cost of flying to the location and having there’s still no sign of a schedule …

The Canadian Motorsport Hall of a hotel room and everything is a stagger-

TRACK TALK

Chris Economaki

Fame has taken delivery of two Midland F1 cars, donated by former Midland owner Alex Schnaider. The cars are on display at the hall’s home in Halton Hills, Ont. …

A new auto racing radio program is on the air in Ontario. Called Race Time Radio, it can be heard Monday nights, from 8-9 Eastern, on AM 560 CFOS Owen Sound and live on the internet for you folks in the rest of the country at www.racetimeradio.com …

Not sure who’s (or what’s) racing where and when? Check out www.racepulse.com for links to just about every speedway in Ontario and the northern United States and get this: 1,500 race meets are listed for the 2007 season. Who says shorttrack racing is in trouble? …

Katherine Legge might be ride-hunting at Indy. If she gets one, that would make three women for sure (Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher are the others) trying to qualify for the big race and maybe even four, if Venezuela’s Milka Duno shows she can handle a 200 mph missile. If all four get in, coverage of this year’s “500” will blow the Coca-Cola 600 right out of the water …

Not going to be near a TV for the Long Beach GP? Go to www.champcar.ws and click on Race Director and for about $25 (US) you can watch practice, qualifying and the race plus listen in on race control and pit-to-car communications. That subscription is for the whole Champ Car season, by the way, not just Long Beach.

Remember after the first F1 race in Australia, when Honda said it would have its act together by the time the circus got to Europe? Well, now they’re saying Canada. How long before they say 2008?

28 • INDEPENDENTFUN

APRIL 13, 2007

WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Ref’s cousin 4 Not repeatedly 8 “For Better or For Worse” dog 13 New Zealand parrot 17 Golf norm 18 Opposite of applause 19 Lofty nest 20 Closeout caveat (2 wds.)

21 Shut in (2 wds.)

23 Stylish 24 Use the phone 25 Fail to hit 26 Widespread dislike 28 Experts 30 Layer destroyed by CFC’s 32 Purchaser 33 Pants on fire fellow 34 Lo-cal 35 Difficult question 36 Mosquito capital of Canada 40 Corroded 41 Reinforcing rod 42 Basmati and Patna 43 Ultraviolet rad.

44 Profound 46 A Suzuki 47 Seed coat 48 Mercer of merriment 49 French impressionist 50 Brass instrument 51 Representation of a

person 54 Performs an aria 55 Romantic touch 56 Where Joan of Arc died 57 Very curly 58 Central American people 59 Upper limbs 60 Hearing, e.g.

61 Study of diseasecausing agents 65 Start of some Quebec towns 66 Superficially suave 67 Certain Indian 68 Squeeze snake 69 Approximate 71 Canadian jazz pianist Oliver ___ 72 Microbe 73 Mild expletive 74 Not under the influence 75 Portends 76 Spring lake on the Prairies 79 Take pleasure in 80 Where to find Timbuktu 81 Spanish greeting 82 Emergency shelter 84 Scottish port 88 Unpack 89 Rich, influential sort 90 Fierce anger 91 ___ Brunswick 92 Greek mountain

CHUCKLE BROS

93 Persona non ___ 94 Group of two 95 Trinitrotoluene, briefly DOWN 1 Lines to be scanned 2 Chinese “Chairman” 3 Pushes 4 Way too weighty 5 Signs of assent 6 Neck (Fr.) 7 Adoption (of an idea) 8 Not so taxing 9 Object formally 10 Metric weight 11 Trachea traveller 12 Kept 13 Mohawk holy woman: ___ Tekakwitha 14 Pronto!

15 Tartan garment 16 Requests 22 Alta.’s official tree: lodgepole ___ 27 Textile worker 29 In, in French 30 Norway’s patron saint 31 Tubular pasta 32 N.B. artist Molly Lamb or Bruno ___ 33 Lawful 35 Quebec’s oldest covered bridge (1861): le pont ___

36 Some spouses 37 Cleanse 38 The lesser of two ___ 39 Strong winds 41 Rule 42 Tall and thin 45 Weeps 46 German thanks 47 Pertaining to the ear 49 Capital of Belarus 50 Marshy canal (U.S.) 51 Expunge 52 Armed strongholds 53 Chef’s concentrated stock 54 From that time 55 Plastic currency 57 She swam all 5 Great Lakes (1988): Vicki ___ 58 “Wild Goose Jack” 60 Hockey infraction 61 Grape plantation 62 Like a dog that will stay 63 Horror film feature 64 Thanksgiving tubers 66 Polluted city air 67 Homeless wanderer 70 Lizard 71 Oil used in cosmetics 72 N.W.T.’s mineral emblem 74 Nose (sl.)

75 Exposed 76 It’s said with a wave

of the hand 77 Cuts off 78 Roars at a fight

79 Portoferraio’s island 80 Bucks or bytes preceder

83 Fish with long jaws 85 Confusion ___, Nfld.

86 Fabric suffix 87 Terr. of Canada Solution on page 30

Brian and Ron Boychuk

WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) You’re doing better on the flexibility issue, but you still need to loosen up a bit to show you can be less judgmental and more understanding about certain sensitive matters.

TAURUS (APR. 20 TO MAY 20) Your personal aspect continues to dominate this week. But try to make time to deal with important careerlinked matters as well. A change of plans might occur by the weekend.

GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Excuses are not really needed for much of the confusion occurring this week. However, explanations from all parties could help in working things out to everyone’s satisfaction.

CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)

That surprising (but pleasant) recent turn of events continues to develop positive aspects. But be prepared for a bit of a jolt on another issue that needs attention.

some of your current time priorities before you get so deeply involved in one project that you neglect meeting a deadline on another.

LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Creating a fuss might bring you that attention you want. But are you prepared for all the explaining you’d have to do? Better to use more subtle ways to make your bid.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) With an important decision looming, you need to be careful about the information you’re getting.

Half-truths are essentially useless.

Get the full story before you act.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) With education continuing to be a strong factor this week, this could be the time to start learning some new skills that can later be applied to a bid for a potential career move.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) You might do well to reconsider

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Find out what everyone’s role is expected to be before accepting that workplace proposal. Getting all the facts now could prevent serious problems later on.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) A flexible position on a workplace matter could be the best course to follow during the next several

days. A personal issue also benefits from an open-minded approach.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Involving too many people in your workplace problem can backfire.

Remember: Allegiances can shift.

Ask trusted colleagues for advice, but don’t ask them to take sides.

PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR. 20) Before submitting your suggestions, take more time to sharpen the points you want to make. The clearer the presentation, the more chance it has to get through when submitted.

YOU BORN THIS WEEK Your clear sense of who you are gives you confidence when you need to tackle difficult situations. (c) 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Fill in the grid so that each row of nine squares, each column of nine and each section of nine (three squares by three) contains the numbers 1 through 9 in any order. There is only one solution to each puzzle. Solutions, tips and computer program available at www.sudoko.com

SOLUTION ON PAGE 30

INDEPENDENTSPORTS

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007 — PAGE 29

Student of the game

Tom Maguire photo

Corner Brook’s Jana Bugden finishes college career as Providence’s all-time saves leader

By Don Power For The Independent

H

ockey relies on its goalie. The last line of defence can end up a hero or a goat. Rarely is the goalie immaterial.

So when a team loses and its goalie is the most valuable player, it’s an outstanding accomplishment. It’s also rare.

Meet Jana Bugden of the Providence

College Friars. The Corner Brook native just finished her National Collegiate Athletic Association career as Hockey East’s most valuable player in its playoff round. Considering Budgen’s team lost to New Hampshire in the final, the 22-year-old’s MVP award is pretty special.

It makes Bugden the first player from a losing team to take home the MVP trophy.

“We won three championships in her

career at Providence,” head coach Bob Deraney tells The Independent, “and she was instrumental in all of them. Her talent, work ethic and character have elevated the standards upon which everyone in our program going forward will be measured against.”

Heady words for a kid from Corner Brook who hadn’t even heard of the possibility of college hockey when she played for Newfoundland and Labrador at

the Canada Winter Games in her hometown in 1999.

Bugden had barely heard of university hockey, but university hockey had certainly heard of Bugden.

Not long after those Games — Bugden, like most Newfoundland goalies, saw more rubber than a plant worker at Goodyear — scouts came a-calling.

See “She’s a professional,” page 31

Cold as ice

He who throws stones shouldn’t live in glass houses

W

ithin two days last week, the entire curling landscape in Newfoundland and Labrador was altered. One change slipped by with barely a ripple, while the other caused a national uproar, or at least a provincial one.

April 3, Heather Strong announced she was joining forces with Cathy Cunningham on a team for next season.

These two women — the top female curlers in the province and winners of every Scott Tournament since 1993 — will now join forces with Strong’s sister Laura and Cunningham’s long-time running mate Peg Goss to form a super

DON POWER

Power Point team out of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The next night, Brad Gushue unceremoniously turfed Jamie Korab from the Olympic gold medal winning team without so much as a “thank you very much.”

The former will have a far greater impact on the game in this province than

the latter, yet didn’t quite resonate with the fans in the same fashion. Granted, Gushue’s team enjoys a far higher profile, but Korab’s departure — and the imprint of Gushue’s curling shoe on Korab’s arse — is only marginally worse than what Strong did.

I could say that the lack of interest in the Strong-Cunningham alliance — and the absence of disgust in the dumping of players that move caused — means nobody cares about women’s curling (or sports in general, but that’s a point that apparently gets some people riled up).

Let’s look at each move separately.

Because I wasn’t there, I don’t know

what happened at the Canada Cup, or wherever the deterioration of the Gushue-Korab relationship began. Apparently things collapsed during a fifthend break when Korab dared speak back to The Great Gushue.

Let’s get one thing straight. Brad Gushue has only one objective in life as far as sports go: to be the best curler ever. To achieve that goal, he’s willing to make moves that go against popular opinion. That makes Gushue cold, callous, stonehearted or ruthless — pick an adjective.

But guess what? He’s not choosing teams for Red Rover. This is not Grade

4. It’s not a Fair Play program. We’re talking about professional sports. Never mind what these guys tell you about amateur sports, they’re pros. Glenn Howard won $144,000 for winning the Brier. Gushue won $174,000 for winning the Olympic trials. This is serious stuff.

Now, does Gushue need a kick in the pants? Absolutely. He is, as I have already stated, cold and calculated. He’s also a winner.

“Jamie’s play has nothing to do with this,” Gushue said. “He’s proven he’s one of the top leads in the country.”

See “Were they,” page 31

30 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS

APRIL 13, 2007

Breaking out the barbeque L

ast Thursday was an exquisite spring day — the sun was brilliant, the sky deep blue. Snow white cauliflower-shaped cumulus clouds drifted lazily by. Snow was still piled high around the perimeter of the Costco parking lot and lingered in the thick woods, but it was melting fast.

Streams ran high, gurgling with melt water.

All this could have been a villainous charade by Old Man Winter to get our hopes and spirits up so he could dash them with the next brew of snow, wind and ice pellets. Living on a big rock in the cold North Atlantic, one must live for the day and roll with Old Man Winter’s impish punches. Or move to Ontario.

I decided to break out the barbecue.

On the drive home from work I wore shades and rolled the window down. My spirits soared as I pulled in to check the mail and pick up some beer — an essential element for the season’s first barbecue. I visited the local supermarket and chose four thick juicy T-bones, one for each of us. Sharing of steak is strictly forbidden in our family.

At home I quickly worked up a thirst moving my hefty barbecue from the garage to the back deck. I like big grills

PAUL SMITH

The Rock

Outdoors so much that no curses or complaints were uttered, even when I scraped my shin and thumped my elbow wrestling the monster up the steps to the deck.

Finally, propane tank in place and connected, I cracked open a beer, took a deep swallow and soaked up the world around me. The sun was still shining, the trees I had planted and nurtured for many years were rustling in the warm evening breeze.

My wife and kids were busy in the kitchen preparing salad and chopping vegetables. All was well in my world — fooled you this time Old Man Winter.

Enough philosophizing. I took another cool swallow, turned on the gas and lit the barbecue.

I was horrified. Instead of numerous tiny blowtorches licking out beneath a bed of charcoal bricks, tall yellow flames bellowed up in the middle of my beloved grill. Years of selfless service to the culinary delights of our family had taken its toll. My grill’s very core, its

burner, was toast, deteriorated beyond repair by the elements of water, air and fire.

I could hear Old Man Winter laughing in the distant hills. He’d conspired with the God of Corrosion to ruin my very first barbecue of the year.

I decided I would have the last laugh.

I’ve barbecued meat with nothing but birch or spruce, an axe and matches. I turned the gas down till the flames barely reached the grate and strategically placed the four steaks so they could cook without burning. This would take longer than anticipated, and might not be steakhouse perfect, but we would have barbecued steak for supper. I might have to drink an extra beer and the kids might hunger grumble a little but we would all persevere.

The steaks weren’t bad at all, a little scorched here and there but succulent and tender just the same.

Now my only dilemma is what to do about my barbecue. In recent years, more and more consumers and outdoor grilling enthusiasts are opting to spend significant dollars on bigger and more durable stainless steel grills. You see them at all the hardware outlets — massive shiny outdoor kitchens that often include side burners, rotisseries, cutting

boards, utensil drawers and cupboard space.

While I suspect such convenience and features might be unessential, I have to confess to wanting one. One could argue that hard earned dollars would be well spent on a barbecue of weather resistant stainless steel that might serve dependably for decades.

Now I’m at a crossroads: I could buy a new burner for my already long in the tooth grill or fork out the bucks for something new. What bothers me most

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is the price of barbecue parts. The last burner I replaced cost nearly as much as the original price of the whole unit. It’s something like buying a car part by part.

The part companies know all about the psychological effects of broken down barbecues and automobiles.

Maybe I’ll buy a new stainless steel barbecue. The nickel companies, which provide a key ingredient to production of stainless steel, think I should. A recent article in Nickel Magazine notes North American consumers are taking their kitchen renovations outdoors: “No more the rusty, forlorn relics that are all too familiar. New, shiny models that clean easily and look great for years are now available.”

I kind of like my rusty old grill. But stainless steel might just be worth the money if it looks decent and keeps on cooking for a decade or more.

A word of caution: I read on about.com that stainless steel prices are going through the roof, causing financial difficulties for companies in the gas grill business. Some have turned to using enamelled sheet steel in place of stainless which looks good for a while, but deteriorates just like my old clunker.

Others are using inferior grades of stainless that will rust and lose its appearance in short order in our damp salty environment.

Here’s what to do: when you shop for a high-end grill, bring a magnet. It will stick to the crappy stuff, but not the high end stainless that will survive unscathed by our sometimes nasty climate.

Paul Smith is a freelance writer and outdoors enthusiast living in Spaniard’s Bay. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com

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INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 31

Were they the correct moves?

‘She’s a professional in the way she goes about her business’

From page 29 So let’s cut his ass. Korab is personable, fun loving, jovial, always smiling, the antithesis of Gushue — a stern taskmaster who probably would have made a great living as a Christian Brother teacher years ago.

My question is: how bad is the relationship when you can’t stand to stomach the man for another week?

Gushue can remain all pious and high and mighty talking about how it wouldn’t be fair to bring Korab to Calgary. How fair is it to throw a young Nova Scotian into the mix, when he’s going to be bombarded with media questions this weekend?

(Unless it’s an unofficial tryout.)

From page 29 “I’d heard of it,” she says, “but it really wasn’t foremost in my mind.

Then once I got to late high school, that’s when I knew what the next step was, and I knew that was my dream.”

Consider that dream fulfilled.

Not only did she play four years (not counting her medical redshirt year after shoulder surgery), she captained the team for two seasons, and was part of three championship squads. She also leaves Providence as the school’s career saves leader with 2,555.

“It’s kind of like you can’t really enjoy the time until it’s over,” she says, when asked about the record. “All the time you’re working. It’s fun, but when you stop, that’s when you really appreciate the time you had.

“When I came in I was all over the place. My last two years, I developed my style, tweaked it, and really became a positional goalie instead of a reflex goalie. I was more look and react but as I stayed here, I became a student of the game.”

That’s the thing with college hockey — it has a set time frame. Athletes entering university know they have only four years to make their name. For some of the big sports, the potential for a professional career exists. For most, sport is a means to pay for school.

After school, the real world calls.

Bugden doesn’t know which world she’ll enter just yet. She’s got an education degree in the can, but there are also professional hockey options, such as playing in the National Women’s Hockey League.

Bugden is non-committal about which road she plans to travel, but leaves both options open.

“I definitely enjoyed my time in Providence.

I got to grow as a person and a player.”

Jana Bugden

ALBERTA SHUFFLE And what does this say about Gushue’s opinion of Newfoundland curling? He already went outside Newfoundland to find Chris Schille.

It had to be the very first instance of an Albertan coming to Newfoundland to find work. (Feel free to write if you are from God’s Country and landed on the arse of Canada.)

It says nobody here can play with him; they’re not committed (read: good) enough.

Now, what does the StrongCunningham marriage mean? It means a free trip to the Scotties for both every year for the foreseeable future. It also means Strong realized she’ll never win a national championship on her own. Joining forces will help in that goal.

But I haven’t heard anybody say, “The reason Heather Strong doesn’t win is because Shelley Nichols is her third.” The reason Heather Strong didn’t win is because of Heather Strong. Can Cathy Cunningham take her to the promised land?

That move was as cold and as callous as Gushue’s, the exception being the women’s season is over, while Gushue had another event.

I would imagine Nichols and Korab could commiserate over a beer.

Were they the correct moves? I don’t think that question can be answered until the 2010 Olympics. donniep@nl.rogers.com

Cherry takes his act south

T

Jana Bugden

“I’m still looking at the future,” she says. “The opportunities that have come up are not ones that I want, so I’m going to wait. If not I’ll apply for some teaching jobs. If the opportunity were there, I’d love to play, but if not, that’ll be it. If I decide not to play, I’ll come home.

“I definitely enjoyed my time in Providence. I got to grow as a person and a player. I’m not the same girl (who left Corner Brook). I’m more mature and more focused about my future.

Hockey’s definitely helped me mature and get more focused towards my future.”

Bugden’s mark on the Friars’ program is secure. In addition to having her name in the record books, head

Tom Maguire

coach Deraney says her legacy will live on.

“Jana has been a huge part of our program from the first day she stepped foot on our campus,” Deraney says.

“She is the best type of leader, one that leads by example.

“She’s a professional in the way she goes about her business. I’ve always said that if you have a goaltender you’re going to be in the game. If she was in the net, we were going to be in the game down the stretch and more likely than not you were going to come out on the right side of the scoreboard. “(Freshman goaltender) Danielle Ciarletta is going to have some big shoes to fill, and that’s the biggest compliment you can pay a goaltender.”

he CBC and NBC are preparing to foist Don Cherry on an unsuspecting American public.

The Coach’s Corner star and NBC analyst Brett Hull will make joint appearances on the networks during this year’s Stanley Cup final. Details are still being worked on, but Cherry is looking forward to his NBC debut and doesn’t plan to change a thing.

“I’ll just go and do what I have to do,” he says. Though he wouldn’t divulge his choice of wardrobe for his debut he did advise Hull to “get some plaid.”

Hull has no doubt that Cherry will be a hit.

“I think that’s part of the thing that’s missing with not just hockey but all coverage in the American sports world is some personality,” Hull says.

“That’s why you see a guy like Terry Bradshaw is as popular as he is because he’s not just Mr. P.C. ... he tells it like it is.

“One show they might not know but if he did it on a regular basis he’d be just as popular down here as he is up there.”

Cherry says he did appear once on American television. As he recalls, he commented on the long hair sported by “Jammy” Jagr and Mario Lemieux when they were with Pittsburgh.

“I said, ‘There’s Mario and his daughter,’“ Cherry says. “It didn’t go over too good ... that was my last time in the States.”

Cherry says he has no plans to abandon his CBC sidekick Ron MacLean should he become a hit with NBC. “I’ll always stick with him,” he says. “Him and I got something going pretty good. He keeps me on the right track ... I’d have to be with him a lot.”

Cherry says he would much rather be in Ottawa Saturday night instead of doing an afternoon game after the NHL failed to give CBC a game involving a Canadian team in its regular slot.

“I think it will cost us a million viewers going on in the afternoon and we should have been on at night,” he says. “I wish it was on Saturday night.”

— Torstar wire service

INDEPENDENTCLASSIFIED FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, APRIL 13-19, 2007 — PAGE 32

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