VOL. 5 ISSUE 27
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 6-12, 2007
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WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA —
$1.50 HOME DELIVERY (HST included); $2.00 RETAIL (HST included)
EVENTS 24
SPORTS 27
More movies, music and festivals across province
Local cyclists gear up for September’s Tour de Shore
Security breach
CAPLIN WEATHER
Provincial Airlines president allegedly drove onto runway, bypassed security checks BRIAN CALLAHAN
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rovincial Airlines remains tight-lipped regarding an alleged security breach at the airport in St. Anthony. But The Independent has learned the incident involved company president Gus Ollerhead.. Earlier this week, as the incident came to light, the airline would only say it was aware of the allegation. But in a tersely worded news release sent to several media Thursday morning, the company elaborated slightly, acknowledging it did involve one of its employees. “The occurrence involved a Provincial Airlines employee who was provided with supervised access to the apron area by aerodrome security personnel,” states Bob Halliday, corporate secretary for Provincial Airlines Ltd. “At no time prior to or during the flight was there any breach of security that affected the safety or the operation of the aircraft.” That will be for Transport Canada to decide. The Independent has learned it wasn’t just any employee, but Ollerhead who was identified as the person who ventured onto the airport tarmac in a civilian vehicle. Ollerhead could not be reached for comment, and Halliday would neither confirm nor deny the company president was involved. It was an employee of Nav Canada who first reported the incident on the morning of June 26. Nav Canada is the agency that operates Canada’s civil air navigation service. See “Fine for breach,” page 5
Gillian Croke, 13, of Logy Bay collects her catch of caplin July 4 on Middle Cove Beach.
City of supermarkets
Controversial development preps for customers MANDY COOK
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he multi-million dollar Dominion development on the bank of Quidi Vidi Lake and the old Memorial Stadium site in St. John’s is slated to open for business in late September, says a spokesperson for the Atlantic division for Loblaws. The imminent opening is stirring up the old debate among those who are for and against. Workers at the 69,000-sq.ft. supermarket are currently assembling shelves and receiving product orders, says the spokesperson, and the $1million Cygnus gymnastics facility financed by the company is due to open the same time the grocery store is completed. St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells has been in favour of the project since the get go. “The people who (were) opposed to this development are a pack of fools, including the fools that are on council,” he says. “We saved the taxpayers the potential of a huge environmental clean up if we had to demolish the site. We sold the site for $2 million. We are getting $400,000 a year in taxes.” Councillor Shannie Duff has been a
long-time opponent. “I felt it was a loss of opportunity to put something there that would be related to the fact that this is part of a linear park that has a lot of recreational facilities,” she says. “And we did have a proposal from the Y(MCA) … I remember the mayor very clearly saying he would not ever support the Y on that site because it’s competing with private sector gyms … something like that on that site would have been a perfect complement because it would have provided training space for the rowers and the soccer people.” The supermarket development has been a hot button topic since Loblaws’ initial proposal in 1999. Opponents to the project argued the site belonged to the citizens of St. John’s. In the 1950s, the stadium was built from community donations as a memorial to those who lost their lives in war. In early 2005 an independent commissioner appointed to review the rezoning of the stadium site found a supermarket was an inappropriate use of the space. His recommendations were not accepted by city council. The commissioner’s main concerns were the increase in traffic flow of shoppers and delivery trucks. Wells See “Not an issue!,” page 4
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It’s not that the potential is not right here, because it is. But again, as we have seen in the past, we, for some reason, have an innate ability to be able to screw things up.” — Economist Wade Locke on the future of oil production. See page 14
LIFE 17
Preserving a fishing way of life in Twillingate GALLERY 18
Mats by Maxine and Frances Ennis On a movie set . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Voice from away . . . . . . . . . . 11 Book review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Woody falls in love . . . . . . . . 25
Nicholas Langor/ The Independent
Spilling over Federal committee concerned about ‘inadequate’ NL oil spill response IVAN MORGAN
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committee struck by Transport Canada has serious concerns about the ability of federal response organizations to react to a major oil spill in the province’s waters, especially in Placentia Bay, The Independent has learned. In a June 25 letter to federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, the federal Regional Advisory Council on Oil Spill Response outlines a number of concerns. It questions Ottawa’s process of certifying response organizations, noting the failure to designate “places of refuge” for tankers in the case of a major spill, failure to designate a place to store recovered oil and debris from a spill, and concern that a current risk-analysis procedure will fail to address these concerns. In the letter, obtained by The Independent, the committee expressed fear the 10,000-ton capability of response organizations is “suspect at best and has never been tested, only as a tabletop exercise.” It recommends the response capabil-
ity be increased four or five times its current capacity “in light of the actual and anticipated increase in vessel traffic along the south coast of Newfoundland, especially in Placentia Bay.” Stan Tobin, chair of the council and well-known environmentalist, who signed the letter, confirms the main concern is the 10,000-ton response capability. “It’s completely inadequate. And not only is it inadequate, it doesn’t exist,” Tobin says. Although tanker activity in Placentia Bay has increased, and may dramatically increase again in the next few years, Tobin says Transport Canada is rubber-stamping the certification of response organizations. He says the Eastern Canada Response Corporation, which Transport Canada certified as the response organization for the Newfoundland region, is based in Ottawa and is not equipped to respond to a major spill. “Didn’t even give us the dignity to put an office here. Close to $4 million collected in fees last year, 90 per cent of it in Newfoundland, almost all of See “I think it is,” page 2
2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JULY 6, 2007
‘Good days’ in Newfoundland and Labrador Randy Simms says province’s blue sky reflected in election promises
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he Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador recently unveiled a major portion of its political platform for the upcoming October election. No one should be surprised over the policies (promises) announced. According to the Liberals, if we elect them to govern they will do a number of things most of us want to see done. For example, they promise to lower the cost for registering a vehicle. Right now it stands at $180 per year. The Liberals say they will cut it back to $140 if they win government. I like that idea a lot, but I think a better plan would be to keep the $180 price tag for auto registration right where it is. Instead, government should extend the amount of time the car is registered before a renewal is required. In other words, let’s allow an automobile registration to last two years instead of one — effectively cutting the cost in half. Doubling the time to register the same number of vehicles would also effectively cut the work load in half, possibly leading to more savings for us poor consumers.
RANDY SIMMS
Page 2 talk The Liberals have promised to drop the Newfoundland portion of the sales tax on all forms of home-heating fuel. No one can disagree with that proposal. Whenever there’s a price cut it has to be classified as a good thing. But a better idea — or bigger idea — would be to tie such reductions to an energyincentive plan. Consider a plan that encourages homeowners to conserve, make their abode more energy-efficient, and at the same time earn them two rewards — lower heating costs and a tax break to go along with it. Using the tax system to encourage a new behaviour is not a bad idea, and it just might move people to update their homes. The third big promise the Liberals have made is to drop the 15 per cent tax on insurance over the next three years. Conveniently, in the last year of their mandate the tax would be eliminated altogether. Again, this is like
political motherhood: no one is going to be opposed to such a move. A better idea would be to drop the tax immediately. It is an unfair tax and it should go. Why wait? By the way, it would be great to eliminate the tax on funerals. It was Ben Franklin who said nothing in this world was certain but death and taxes. While I recognize the truth of his words, surely the two should not go together. The last indignity to be visited upon the dead has to be the taxman collecting at the burial ground. Someone should promise to put an end to that too. The Progressive Conservatives are approaching the political promise from a different perspective than the Liberals, at least so far. They’ve already told us they will not be making the same promises as the Liberals. In the last budget they brought in the largest reduction in provincial income taxes in our history. As of July 1, every workingman and woman in the province got a virtual raise. The “netpay” box on the pay stub will have higher figures in it next payday than it did on the one before. Who can resist that?
Using the tax system to encourage a new behaviour is not a bad idea, and it just might move people to update their homes.
We haven’t heard a lot of promises from the Tories yet. We may not hear many either. Their biggest push will be to encourage voters to stick with the guys in power, a kind of stay-thecourse campaign. I guess that’s to be expected when the polls show you are way ahead of the opposition. This kind of politics, where we are encouraged to vote a certain way because a party has promised to return some of our money, is known as “pocket-book politics.” Voters can be relied upon to respond positively in
anticipation of a tax break. Much like the maligned “brokerage” politics, some people find it all offensive. Brokerage politics involves inviting people to vote for you because you will be in government and therefore able to provide more benefits to the community. The implication being, that opposition seats get punished or ignored by the party in power. We have always had brokerage politics of one kind or another in this province, but I think pocket-book politics is somewhat new to us. We have never had a debate over how to return money to the pockets of taxpayers before. At least not like this. How is it possible? Well, these are good days in Newfoundland and Labrador. Despite the out-migration, despite the almost overwhelming reality of a lost way of life and the constant annoyance we have with all things from Ottawa, these are good days for this province. The election promises made by the Liberals and Tories prove the point. Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s Open Line radio program. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca
‘I think it is a disgrace’ From page 1 that in Placentia Bay,” he says. “So Placentia Bay is keeping ECRC alive and what are we getting for it? Two employees and 20 or 30-year-old equipment, the capability to respond to practically nothing, and this has been sanctioned and rubber-stamped by the government. I think it is a disgrace.” Cannon was not available for comment, but officials with the department responded in a teleconference interview to the committee’s concerns. They say there are adequate provisions in place to
address oil spills larger than 10,000 tons, and the certification process is appropriate. “We do a very rigorous review of the response organization through the national review board,” says John Latour, Transport Canada’s acting manager for environmental response. Latour says a “place of refuge” for tankers in the case of a spill will soon be designated; oil and debris storage facilities do exist as part of the response organization’s certification requirements. The regional advisory council was a key player in requesting that the risk
assessment process was conducted, says David Yard, Transport Canada’s environment protection division’s senior marine safety inspector. He says a preliminary draft of that analysis will be ready in the fall, and will be circulated to all stakeholders — including the regional advisory council — for further input. Jim Carson, the president and general manager of Eastern Canada Response Corporation, says his company is certified at the maximum planned level of 10,000 metric tons, but can respond to a much larger spill.
He says his company’s equipment is state-of-the-art. “I would focus on people to visit our facility in Donovan’s and see for themselves the equipment that is there and hear what the staff have to say and see the very detailed response plans that they have put in place,” says Carson. Provincial environment Clyde Jackman says with the potential industries proposed for development in Placentia Bay, the province could see the highest oil tanker traffic port in all of Canada. “We have to have the response in
place,” he says. “We can all point fingers at this one or that one but in the end the best interests of Placentia Bay is what’s at stake here. Therefore we have no choice but to work together in this regard.” Tobin is not satisfied that the bay’s best interests are being served. “The oil industry is telling the government that everything’s OK. The government is telling the oil industry that everything is OK, and a 10,000 ton response capability just doesn’t cut it for me.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
YOURTOWN
Burford Ploughman of St. John’s captured these pictures around his summer home in L’Anse-Amour in southern Labrador.
SCRUNCHINS A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia
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o begin, an observation about our competition … The Telegram took a vicious slap this week from Richard Cashin, in case you missed it. (The Independent is here in case you did.) The retired head of the fishermen’s union knows how to handle himself in a verbal spar, much like his uncle Peter Cashin, the great anti-confederate and greatest of all Newfoundland orators (sounds like the makings of an Independent series to me). Richard went after the St. John’s daily for its “countless inaccuracies” in recent years when it comes to our province and its history. More specifically, he nailed a reporter for “stating categorically” that Newfoundlanders rejected union with the U.S. in the 1948 referendum. Only there wasn’t a mention of the States on the referendum ballot. The reporter got it wrong. Wrote Richard: “What kind of place have we become where regular careless, sometimes egregious distortions of our history are commonplace in what surely must be one of Canada’s worst newspapers.” I’d be the last to defend The Smellogram — the Quebecbased owners of which are too tight to buy a new press, because, I presume, it doesn’t Richard Cashin matter if a newfie headshot has six eyes and five lips. But there’s something to be said for publishing the critical letter in the first place. For that reason alone I’d say the rag is most definitely not the worst in Canada … CASHIN IN Richard Cashin was interviewed in March 1999 to mark the 50th anniversary of Confederation, as was the late Grace Sparkes, a former journalist, an opponent of Confederation, and the first woman to run for a seat in the legislature after Newfoundland became a province. Asked whether union with the United States was an option pre-1949, Cashin said he thought it was a “red herring” with only a fringe following. Sparkes, for her part, said Economic Union was
supported by St. John’s merchants anxious to cash in on the pro-American sentiment that prevailed at the time. (U.S. military bases worked like a charm, pulling Newfoundland out of the Depression.) Said Sparkes, “Our dignity was diminished by the way we entered Confederation. It would have been much better if we had got back our selfgovernment and then, perhaps, entered into negotiations with Canada (or the U.S.) as a self-governing Dominion.” With stronger leadership, Sparkes said we might have had a chance to govern ourselves. “I am 91 years old and have yet to be convinced that I was wrong,” she said in the 1999 interview. “I still keep an active interest in politics, but I think the answer to this question really has to come from the younger generation.” Depends on what paper they’re reading … CONSPIRACY THEORY Incidentally, Grace Sparkes said she was sure Newfoundland’s entry into Confederation was a conspiracy orchestrated by Mother England and Canada. “I remember during the war we invited a high-ranking member of the Canadian military to dinner and he astounded me when he asked, ‘How would you like to become Canadians?’” I wonder if Gracie smacked him up the side of the head with the paper before she burned it in the fire … SNAIL MAIL No doubt about it, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have a strong sense of place, with a talent for expressing ourselves. In a letter to The Independent, Donna Canning of St. John’s explains her love for NL this way: “They say the spice of life is variety. What other place on earth can you have such spice that is sprinkled on all of us? The weather that defines our seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter. A spice that gets into your whole being and makes loving our island as natural as breathing in and out.” The twist to this particular Scrunchin is that the hand-written letter was mailed to The Independent on Jan. 29 of this year as a submission to our I Love NL contest. The letter was only received on Thursday, June 28. In other words, it took five months for the piece of mail to get across Town. If you’re reading this, Donna, there’s an Independent hat in the mail. You
should get it by Christmas … CHECKMATE The Globe and Mail ran an editorial this week, Harnessing the Churchill, on the ongoing “chess game” between NL and Quebec over the development of the lower Churchill. First off, the Globe made a mistake — Joey Smallwood never did sign the upper Churchill contract (the one that screws us for 34 more years yet). Secondly, the editorial concluded that forcing Newfoundland to lay undersea cables to get around a refusal to permit an overland line through Quebec is “just plain crazy.” Didn’t the Globe say that about the construction of the Hibernia platform? Ottawa’s still kicking itself for buying that 8.5 per cent stake, and having to rake in the hundreds of millions in annual profit. The Globe may not be Canada’s worst paper, but it’s certainly dirt in these parts. One last thing, the Globe pointed out how there “remains disagreement” over the status of Labrador’s boundary, which was set in 1927 by the Imperial Privy Council. That probably explains why Quebec is always getting its maps wrong … FED UP TO HERE Michael Temelini, a Memorial University political science professor, wrote a piece in the Globe recently, headlined The Rock’s new-found nationalism. He wrote that it’s easy to write
off the province’s grievances, but there’s good reason why the word secession is being heard. “If we want a federalism based on just and fair principles, we need to start by taking this nationalism seriously — not as opportunism, but as an authentic form of patriotism aimed at progressive social improvement,” he wrote. “Many Newfoundlanders, and I’m referring to those on the island, not in Labrador, are genuinely fed up with Canada … the fullest expression of national self-determination is not based on language and culture, as in Quebec, but on resource ownership and control.” Wonder how that got past the Globe editors …
Loyola Hearn
PULL IN YOUR HEARNS Loyola Hearn, our champion in the federal cabinet, went after outspoken DFO critic Gus Etchegary with a vengeance this week on CBC Radio, referring to him as an “arm-chair
Gus Etchegary
philosopher,” guilty himself of destroying northern cod (I can vouch for Gus, he knows what he’s talking about). That’s the same Gus Etchegary who voiced radio ads prior to the last federal election publicly endorsing Loyola Hearn. In fact, Gus and Loyola were inseparable in terms of fishery policy. I guess Loyola’s traitor transformation is complete. Turns out Canada’s New Government is More of The Same … SUMMER LOVIN’ Finally this week, congratulations must be extended to Mount Pearl Mayor Steve Kent, who’s engaged to be married. Steve, who only recently announced that he’s running for provincial politics, had The Independent’s quote of the week on Sept. 18, 2005: “I’m single, very single. Hopefully that will change and hopefully I’ll improve the social life too.” And there you go … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JULY 6, 2007
Talkin’ up a storm Talk radio dominates market; CBC not aiming to compete, says host By John Rieti The Independent
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ewfoundlanders and Labradorians leave their radios on AM and tune in to more talk radio than any other province in Canada. The genre, monopolized by VOCM, captures 29.3 per cent of the province’s market, according to a recent Statistics Canada report. The CBC, which has its own category in the radio study, owns 9.6 per cent of the market, its lowest share in any province besides Alberta. So why do we like talk radio so much? “Newfoundland has a strong oral culture, so we’re given by nature to talking about issues and talking about things that are important to the community at large,” VOCM Open Line host Randy Simms says. “Our history, our culture makes up an interest in public affairs that might be beyond the norm.” Jeff Gilhooly, host of CBC’s St. John’s Morning Show, says working around CBC’s programming can be frustrating some mornings. “We break stories then (VOCM) pick up on them, then we go national and we don’t have an opportunity to follow up on our own stories until noontime … it’s kind of a conundrum isn’t it … it’s a CBC problem,” says Gilhooly. “All our shows have public access but it’s not engaging a live caller with a host.” Gilhooly says the CBC has a core group of listeners that respect what they do and appreciate the national news. “(VOCM) is a business, they have to make money, we don’t. I don’t think CBC would ever try to be No.1 in the market, we don’t want to cut them off at the knees, why would we do that? We have different mandates than they do, that’s the simplest way to put it.” When Ron Pumphrey, former talk radio host and author, began his 37-year radio career at VOCM he envisioned himself as an ombudsman between the public and those in power. “I believe that people can express themselves, they can express their frustrations, they can get across their aspirations and they can get help,” says Pumphrey. “(Joey) Smallwood was a great help there because he said ‘When Ron Pumphrey calls the best thing for us to do is get on the line with him.’” This approach to radio shot VOCM to the No.1 spot in the ratings, passing the once dominant CJON. The Statistics Canada study also shows Canadians are listening to less radio than ever, down to 18.6 hours a week. Newfoundlanders tune in to 19.5 hours each week. Teenagers listened least, at only 7.6 hours, while senior women listened most. Simms isn’t worried about the decline. “In reality, it’s not so much that talk radio is going to grow, local radio is going to grow. The key element, which VOCM has going for it, is that it’s not competing with iPods, it’s not competing with the Internet.” Simms says people gravitate to information radio rather than music as they get older. “Young people, in particular, don’t have a tendency to listen or participate with talk radio but when they get to be adults … suddenly the things that are talked about on talk radio become more appealing.” Gilhooly says there should be more talk radio. “If someone wanted to compete for an audience, instead of having three or four FM rockers, why doesn’t one of them do talk radio?” Regardless of the ratings, all three hosts enjoy working in the medium of radio. “It’s one thing to know that there’s people listening, when you’re talking to callers and talking to folks on a daily basis you really feel like you’re in touch with what’s going on in the community. That’s probably the most satisfying thing,” says Simms. Pumphrey says it was always the participation that appealed to him as well. “We showed an interest in people, you see, an interest in their problems,” he says. “I’ve never liked TV,” Gilhooly says. “I could never put how I was feeling into pictures. “One word can bring 1,000 tears, if it’s the right word at the right time, and there’s a way to do that and there’s a way that words work to the ear that is, just, to me, my life, that’s what I’ve always tried to do.”
Find one of the above toys and oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer will pay $100 (US).
Bucks for ducks Oceanographer looking for help from beachcombers By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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f you find yourself wandering a beach somewhere in the province, Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer wants you to keep your eyes peeled. He’s looking for toys washed up on the shore, and he is willing to pay cash to the person who finds one. Specifically, he’s looking for a plastic duck, turtle, beaver, or frog. If it is one of the toys he’s looking for, he’ll pay $100 US to the lucky finder. “It’s a bit of a needle in a haystack,” Ebbesmeyer, president of the Beachcombers and Oceanographers International Association ,tells The Independent. On Jan. 10, 1992, a container with 29,000 toys washed off a ship in the mid-Pacific Ocean, setting them adrift on their ocean odysseys. Since then, Ebbesmeyer has been tracing their progress through the world’s oceans, using the media and the Internet to alert beachcombers to look for them, and charting when and where they were found. Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer, studies ocean currents. Accidents like this are a boon to his work, as he can use them to trace the drift of debris around the globe from a single point. He says some of the toys may have floated north, through the Bering Strait, and froze into
Arctic pack ice. They would have then spent several years drifting around the North Pole, to be released when the ice melted, and should now be drifting down past Labrador and Newfoundland in the Atlantic. While there has been a “credible sighting” in Maine, Ebbesmeyer says he has yet to have a positive sighting in the Atlantic. He says this is probably a factor of people not knowing about the toys. “People will pass them by and say ‘Well I thought it was a kid’s toy,’” says Ebbesmeyer. “They don’t pick them up and take them home.” The other problem, he says, is with journalists. “The media publishes — almost invariably — pictures of the wrong duck,” he laughs. He says the four toys are easily identified. The ducks have lost their original yellow colour, and are now white, and have the words “The First Years” on their chests. The turtles, beavers, and frogs do not. Ebbesmeyer says the beavers have also faded to white, while the turtles have remained blue, and the frogs green. When asked why this is, Ebbesmeyer laughs. “It’s a chemical question,” he says, “and I don’t have the answer.” Based in Seattle, Washington, Ebbesmeyer is no stranger to this province. His connections to Newfoundland and Labrador go back to the
‘Not an issue!’: Wells From page 1 and Duff are of two opinions regarding the traffic issue. “Not an issue! Big deal. With the volumes that are there now on Circular Road, no problem,” says Wells. “At three o’clock in the afternoon the traffic is backed up to Cavendish Square on the King’s Bridge Road side, it’s backed up to Rennie’s Mill Road on the Circular Road side, it’s very hard to get out of Winter Avenue and it’s a pure crucifixion and it’s going to get worse for the people on the Lake Avenue part,” says Duff. There is one point that the mayor and councillor agree on. “The company is going to spend some $350,000 that they don’t have to spend in landscaping Rennie’s River from the bridge at King’s Bridge Road down to the lake,” says Wells. “I never had a problem with what it would look like. I think it is a much improved appearance and it will be properly landscaped so it’ll look, if you take away the issues around the use, it will look a lot better than the old stadium,” says Duff. Wells says there was no public opinion poll conducted about the site’s usage. He says he was elected twice during the lead up to the redevelopment, making it “7,000 or 8,000 against and 25,000 or more” for the project. A 2006 census of metropolitan St. John’s stands at 181,113 people. mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
late 1960s and early 1970s when he worked in the province’s then fledgling oil industry. “I was there in the early years. I tried to figure out how to tow icebergs,” he says. “I am interested in all things that float, and icebergs were one of my early interests. So I helped out on some of the early studies. I was Mobil’s first oceanographer.” He says he remembers the province’s many wonderful beaches. Now he wants people who walk them to help him out. If there are no ducks to be found, he says people should watch out for one of 29,000 two-inch yellow Lego life rafts, which were part of five million Lego pieces that washed off a container ship near England 10 years ago. Ironically, he says, they were Lego kits for marine adventure. “If anybody finds a little yellow life raft that is obviously Lego, that is high science and there might be money,” says Ebbesmeyer. “Some of them should have spun off your way.” There are also Nike shoes, hockey gloves and a host of other types of flotsam and jetsam he is interested in. “I’m interested in anything that washes up that comes from a long distance.” For more information visit www.beachcombersalert.org or contact Ebbesmeyer at curtisebbesmeyer@msn.com. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Black bear alert Eyewitness accounts on the rise; province has no recent count By Mandy Cook The Independent
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t seems everybody’s got a bear story. From the 87-year-old Hawke’s Bay woman who recently bagged herself a black bear by trapping, shooting and then hoisting it into her pickup truck to French painter Jean Claude Roy making headlines in the ’70s (“Frenchman kills bear”) during a moose-hunting trip in Terra Nova, black bears enjoy a high profile around here. Although the province hasn’t made an official count of the black bear population since 1996 — at which point the average was one bear per 10 square km except for the Gander area which stood at two bears per 10 square km — Environment Minister Clyde Jackman says his own personal experience hunting in the bush leads him to believe there may be a rise in numbers. “I’ve been at it for 25 years or so,” he tells The Independent, “and you often see the bear prints sometimes when you’re walking in through the country but you rarely see a bear. But last year, sure enough, I saw one darting across the marsh.” Asked for his reaction upon encountering the bear, Jackman laughs and says, “Run!” That said, his department’s official advice for meeting one of the animals is to remain calm, speak loudly — to keep the animal at a distance — give the bear space, back away slowly and avoid direct eye contact. To his knowledge, Jackman says, there have been no bear attacks on humans in Newfoundland and Labrador. Their territory ranges throughout the entire province. He also says a spike in black bear numbers — which are indigenous to the island — may be contributed to a plentiful berry crop or related to more moose kills and the presence of carrion in the woods. Janet Feltham, a warden at Terra Nova National Park, has had her share of run-ins with black bears over the
years. She says if a bear can pick up human scent, it will usually leave the area. There was one instance when she was standing downwind and a black bear lurched into view. She said the animal walked towards her, circled around, and stood up on its hind legs. Once it got her scent, it lumbered away. “I was wondering if I should go in the cabin or not,” she says, recalling the event. “Sometimes it takes a bit of time for them to realize what you are and who you are and then once it does it usually moves off. I was just waiting and sizing things up and thinking what I was going to do next.” At another point Feltham was hiking across the barrens when she spotted a bear that had just caught a moose calf. Watching from a safe distance, she saw the bear disappear into the woods while the adult cow took off in the opposite direction. “I could hear it rustling in the woods. I heard the calf bellowing louder and louder and then all of a sudden there was nothing.” Ray Saunders of the Newfoundland Wilderness Outfitters’ in central Newfoundland says the black bear population is “definitely” on the rise and says there are several reasons to account for the increase. The black bear has no natural predator on the island and there is little hunting pressure. Although the province is encouraging a cull by issuing 4,500 licences per year, Saunders says most interest in black bear hunting comes from his American customers. He says the American hunters mainly look for a trophy kill, and like their local counterparts, have little interest in the meat. And unless you’re in pursuit and armed with a shotgun, he says, bears are as afraid of us as we are of them. “Most of the time if you’re in an area with a black bear and it sees you and you see a black bear what generally happens is they both turn and go in opposite directions.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
No obligation
Lawyers cannot turn clients into police: veteran criminal lawyer By Brian Callahan The Independent
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awyers are not obligated to advise clients to turn themselves in after a crime has been committed, nor are they allowed to give them up to the police, according to one veteran criminal lawyer. “Not only are we not obligated, but we are not entitled to call the police,” says Brian Casey, who practised in this province for 15 years before moving to Halifax. Casey also teaches at Dalhousie Law School. The Independent contacted Casey for an opinion after the RNC confirmed it was investigating the actions of Keith Rose, a St. John’s lawyer who advised the Parsons family hours after Matthew Churchill was killed by a hit-and-run driver in March 2005. Robert Parsons was eventually charged and convicted of leaving the scene of an accident where someone
was seriously hurt or killed. He was sentenced to six months in jail, serving four before being released earlier this year. But the Churchill family remains convinced that Parsons might have faced more serious, alcohol-related charges had Rose advised Parsons to go immediately to the police instead of a hotel for the night. Casey, however, says a lawyer would have no obligation — either legally or ethically — to do so. Evidence at the trial revealed Parsons was drinking on the day of the incident, but it is unclear how much because the police couldn’t find him. The Churchills have filed a complaint with the Newfoundland and Labrador Law Society, arguing Rose obstructed justice and helped Parsons evade more serious charges. “It amounts to disturbing, unethical and unprofessional conduct unbecoming an officer of the courts,” reads the complaint.
Casey couldn’t comment directly on the Churchill/Parsons case, but said the importance of lawyer-client privilege (conversations between a lawyer and client must remain private) can never be understated in such cases. “Often times we give clients advice which makes it harder for them to be convicted of something,” Casey says. “And I can well imagine that’s disappointing for the family of any victim. “But every lawyer is obliged to do what he can — within the law — to protect his client’s interests when he gives advice.” And while Casey is careful not to pass judgment on this case in particular, he believes it’s unlikely Rose broke the law or acted unethically. “If a client calls me and says he just drove while he was drunk, I’m not allowed to do anything with that. I’m not entitled. I can’t hang up with him and then call the police, or even advise the client to do so … although it might
FESTIVAL 500 FLYING BY
be an option I can give him. “I might say, ‘Jeez, it’s probably in your best interest to go to the police and work something out.’ I think that’s pretty appropriate advice, even if the client doesn’t want to. But I can’t do that without your consent. And I’d want that in writing. “Nor is there anything wrong with a lawyer saying, ‘I think you should turn yourself in in a couple of days when everything has quieted down.’” That said, if a client wants to “clear his conscience, we can arrange for them to be turned in and so on ….” Casey cited a case from British Columbia recently where a lawyer did just that — calling the RCMP after learning his client had committed a crime. “I don’t think he was disbarred, but he was certainly disciplined on the basis of solicitor-client privilege. Any advice or conversations are protected, and that’s why a lawyer could be disci-
Fine for breach of airline security could be $100,000 From page 1 “The employee reported to us that an unidentified vehicle entered the main apron from an unsecured location,” says Transport Canada spokeswoman Tracey Hennessey. “It was also reported that an individual then got out of this vehicle and boarded a Provincial Airlines commercial flight with what appeared to be unscreened baggage.” In other words, the person may have bypassed all security and taken his own bags onto the plane “without any opposition.” The flight then took off without incident. MANY RULES BROKEN If true, such actions would break many rules governing commercial air travel, which have become more stringent in the post-9/11 world.
Tower New Zealand Youth Choir perform at the St. John’s International Airport July 5 as part of the on-going Festival 500 lunchtime concert series. Performances continue day and night until July 8 and the grand finale performance at Mile One Centre in St. John’s. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Air Canada grounds London flight for winter By John Rieti The Independent
A
ir Canada is canceling its direct flight from St. John’s to London, England, three weeks earlier than scheduled. “We see that there’s a softening in the demand for travel to England after Labour Day … we will not be continuing.” says Isabelle Arthur, an Air Canada spokeswoman. The last direct flight is scheduled for Sept. 4. It was slated to continue until the end of that month. Arthur says the decision has been communicated to travel agencies, and alternate arrangements have been made for people who have already booked flights. “We offer service from other hubs, including Halifax to facilitate connections,” says Arthur. “Having (Air Canada) terminate three weeks early is not a significant
St. John’s airport
impact on the airport, what it does do is it indicates just how important the yearround service we’ve negotiated with Astraeus is to the community,” says Keith Collins, president and CEO of the St. John’s International Airport Authority. Astraeus has been operating three flights a week from St. John’s to London’s Gatwick airport since May 27. Collins says Astraeus is seeing improvements in passenger volume.
plined.” Even if a lawyer did go to the police, they wouldn’t be able to use that in court for the same reason, Casey says. “They might conduct surveillance, and then it’s a question of whether they would have caught the guy anyway. But would a lawyer be shirking his or her duties by not calling the police? No. It’s exactly the reverse.” The only exception might be if the client is about to commit an offence. “Solicitor-client privilege ends if we’re aware of the prospect of an offence in the future.” The exact words of the conversation between Rose and the Parsons that night are unclear. But at least one member of the Parsons family did testify Rose told them to go to a hotel for the night and come to his office in the morning. In an interview with The Independent last week, Rose categorically denied all accusations in the Churchill complaint to the law society.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Collins doesn’t expect Air Canada’s decision to spark as much outrage as their decision to cut the 64-year-old flight last year. “It’s not nearly as dramatic a change,” he says. “I think here when we announced this specific service with a very dedicated aircraft it was clear it was for the summer season,” says Arthur. Air Canada plans to offer the direct flight again next summer. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
It was initially reported the employee who saw the incident works in the air traffic control tower, but Hennessey says that may not be the case. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, Provincial Airlines could face a fine of $100,000, while the person involved could be fined up to $5,000 and face criminal charges. Contacted again just before press time, Halliday again would not deny Ollerhead was the person involved. “We treat any allegation that security has been breached as being very serious and we are co-operating fully with the Transport Canada officials who are conducting the investigation of the occurrence,” Halliday says. It’s not clear when Transport Canada will complete its report. bmcallahan@hotmail.com
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JULY 6, 2007
Gone fishing W
hen it comes to the outdoors, my father is a bull moose. He’s as confident and majestic in the woods as the King of the Newfoundland Jungle himself, although the similarities end there. My father would never lick the TransCanada Highway at night like a Saltsicle, and a bull moose would never care so deeply and passionately about the 25-year-old box the Coleman Stove came in. I would also be classified as a bull, although more of the moose-in-theheadlights variety, the type of animal that stumbles into Town every now and then, drunk on car exhaust and flower pot juice, running around until tranquilizers take it down in its mad frenzy toward freedom at the Mount Pearl border. And so our family of moose — two bulls and two male mooselets (ages 8 and 11) — found ourselves 20-odd miles behind Gambo last week, iceless and with a cooler full of graying meat. No matter that the ice was forgotten, there would be plenty of trout to eat once the moose took to the water. No matter that I forgot Mooselet No.
RYAN CLEARY
Fighting Newfoundlander 1’s T-shirts and socks, and Mooselet No. 2’s sleeping bag, camping is all about roughing it. (And, for the bull that did without a sleeping bag, sleeping on the edge of hypothermia in the front seat of the SUV, ensuring the battery was good and drained by first light.) Out of cell range and with VOCM as our only lifeline, black bears overtook the Blackberry in terms of priorities. The radio reported bear sightings on the half hour, meaning Mooselet No. 1 slept — shirtless and barefoot — with his BB rifle and pocketknife. According to news reports during the week, the only other major ripples in the outside world involved Danny Williams body slamming Stephen Harper’s reputation, and Tara Oram making a name for herself outside Hare Bay on Canadian Idol. Life is ever so peaceful in the
woods, where a surprising harmony has been forged between the squawk of squirrels and the squeal of Tammy Wynette and Eddie Eastman. At one point, between blowing up the air mattresses with the electric blower gadget plugged into the cigarette lighter and figuring out the instructions to the folding picnic table, a question poked into my head. At what point does a Bayman become a Townie? I wasn’t thinking just in terms of the outdoors and knowing how to pitch a tent so it doesn’t blow off in a gale. (And, no, that didn’t happen to this particular moose family — thanks to Mooselet No. 1’s ingenuity with a roll of Duct Tape.) I’m talking in terms of identity. Myself and thousands more like me who relocated to Town from around the bay after high school graduation can technically still call ourselves Baymen because we were born beyond the overpass. But what happens when we reach the point that we’ve lived longer in Town than anywhere else? Do we suddenly morph into Townie butterflies with Townie airs and attitudes?
At what point does a Bayman become a Townie? I wasn’t thinking just in terms of the outdoors and knowing how to pitch a tent so it doesn’t blow off in a gale.
Sure Townies don’t know the fishery’s over, let alone the war, and a province full of Townies doesn’t make for a healthy Newfoundland and Labrador. This place cannot exist on Town alone, a simple fact that pureblooded Townies may not recognize, but half-breeds should be able to see the truth in. St. John’s is doing well enough. Tourists are a dime a dozen, and there’s work to be had onshore and off. One of the biggest news stories to date this year has been downtown
graffiti and the soap opera that is Harper’s Bizarre. But drive around the bay and size up the place. The outports are as pretty as ever, all spruced up for summer guests, but count the number of faded for-sale signs and boarded storefronts. Life has changed since the fishery fell and too few voices have been raised to change the course. The tragedy that is rural Newfoundland and Labrador will have to be faced before the oil runs out and we’re left with nothing. “Hold on now,” I thought to myself at around that point, “these thoughts are too heavy for the woods.” One of my lasting memories of Vacation 2007 was sitting on a rock by the edge of a far-away pond as the sun rose, Duct Tape from the battered tent stuck to my shorts, reading Calvin and Hobbes to Mooselet No. 2, before he took a turn to read to me. Nearby, Mooselet No. 1 shot a tin can through the heart with a BB and the elderly bull moose strolled to the water’s edge and declared the day a good one to be on the water. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE ‘Not a matter of the separation of church and state’ Dear editor, I wish to respond to a letter from Marian Walsh of Conception Bay South, ‘Doyle needs to get his priorities straight’, as published in The Independent’s June 29 edition. In particular, Ms. Walsh takes issue with my announcement of federal funding for the Basilica in St. John’s. The Basilica of St. John the Baptist was designated a National Historic Site by the federal government during
the 1980s because of its historic significance and unique architecture. As such, it qualifies for federal funding under programs operated by Parks Canada. This is not a matter of the separation of church and state, this is a matter of the federal government meeting its obligation to fund the preservation of our nation’s heritage. Norman Doyle, MP St. John’s East
‘A measure of the thinking Newfoundlander’ Dear editor, • The Terms of Union screwed us, I like to read letters to the editor, taking control of the fisheries and especially those in The Indepen- the continental shelf. dent. I believe they are a measure • Quebec (and Joe Smallwood) of the thinking Newfoundlander. screwed us, with the Churchill Falls There are more of deal. these now than there • Ottawa (and used to be. Brian Peckford) Two letters in the screwed us, with We’ve been June 29 edition the Roads for Rails prostrating ourselves deal. caught my attention. Tom Careen of • Ottawa confor centuries — first tinues Placentia (‘Nine to screw us, years not a long with the fisheries to the British, and time’) indicated that sell-out, the minfor the past 58 years ing deals, the we should all mark July 1, 2016 on our equalization lie, to the upper and calendars (emblathe refusal to back lower Canada axis zon it on our fridge us on fallow-field doors) as a day of etc. (Ontario and Quebec) legislation, reckoning with So if 175 of the Ottawa. that controls Canada. 235 nations of the Five pages on, world are smaller Paul F. Murphy of than NewfoundSt. John’s writes, land, what are we “Let’s stand up; we’ve been sitting waiting for? down too long.” My response to Are we still spreading our legs or him is — we haven’t been sitting have we started to sit up? Danny down, we’ve been lying down. might be closing our legs, but are We’ve been prostrating ourselves we sitting up yet? I’m not sure. for centuries — first to the British, Ivan Morgan closed his column in and for the past 58 years to the the same issue (Canada Day? upper and lower Canada axis Whatever) with “The more things (Ontario and Quebec) that controls change, the more they stay the Canada. I’m not sure that we’ve same” (except he said it in French). even managed to attain a sitting I hope he’s not right. Nine years is position yet: not a long time. Sit up! Stand up! Be • The commission government counted! screwed us, selling out to the AmerRoy Babstock, icans. Eastport
Heart theatre sacred Dear editor, In light of recent discussions surrounding the restoration of the Capitol Theatre in St. John’s by a private developer, I would like to lend support to the stance taken by several members of the arts community regarding the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund private enterprise. Rabbittown, the LSPU Hall, the Majestic, the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre and the Holy Heart Theatre support each other, and in fact, complement each other as they each address the diverse needs of the city’s arts community. Admittedly, it is a competitive market with limited resources, but for City Hall to withdraw committed financial support from a hallowed institution like the LSPU Hall and put it behind the Capitol would be an injustice, not to mention that the arts community is fiercely loyal to the venue from which its most creative talents were spawned.
As for the argument the city is lacking a 500-seat theatre and that it would be more practical to close the Hall and invest in the Capitol, I would like to point out that the Holy Heart Theatre is more often than not used as a mid-sized theatre. With 634 seats on the main floor and 313 in the balcony, most of the performances held at Heart are to crowds of 400-500. It is a misconception that because it has nearly the same seating capacity as the arts and culture centre, the Holy Heart Theatre can only be used for sell-out crowds, and its rental prices reflect that fact. Its versatility offers the option of 947-capacity seating if an event or production requires it, or the intimacy of a smaller event. Steeped in history, when the Holy Heart Theatre (then auditorium) opened in 1962, it was not only considered the best theatre in Newfoundland, but also deemed one of the top five theatres in Canada. Over the years it has been a
resource for Holy Heart High School as well as the arts community. In addition to local productions it has showcased the Canadian Opera Company and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and has also been the speaking venue for such renowned guests as Mother Theresa and Dr. David Suzuki. Actors, musicians and audiences alike praise it for its incredible acoustics. With restoration work ongoing, the theatre has the support of the Eastern School District, a volunteer advisory board and restoration committee, Music City, and just this past week, the Mercy and Presentation Sisters who made a generous endowment to the restoration fund, continuing the positive influence they have always had at Holy Heart. Its central location and size secures it as a vital presence in the St. John’s arts community. Leslie Martin, Operations manager, Holy Heart Theatre
‘Cheated out of Responsible Government’ AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
P.O. Box 5891, Stn.C, St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1C 5X4 Ph: 709-726-4639 • Fax: 709-726-8499 www.theindependent.ca • editorial@theindependent.ca
The Independent is published by Independent News Ltd. in St. John’s. It is an independent newspaper covering the news, issues and current affairs that affect the people of Newfoundland & Labrador.
PUBLISHER Brian Dobbin EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Cleary MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Porter PICTURE EDITOR Paul Daly PRODUCTION MANAGER John Andrews ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sandra Charters SALES MANAGER Gillian Fisher CIRCULATION MANAGER Karl DeHart
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The Independent welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words in length or less and include full name, mailing address and daytime contact numbers. 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 editor, It was written recently in a St. John’s newspaper that the people of the Dominion of Newfoundland, as it was at that time, had rejected union with the United States in the 1948 referendum. In fact, there were three options on the ballot for the 1948 referendum: (a) return to commission government, (b) resumption of Responsible Government, and (c) Confederation with Canada. Although it wasn’t by majority, Confederation was rejected in favour of Responsible Government. It wasn’t until 1949, and after the fear mongering by Joey and his buddies, that Confederation with Canada was accepted — by a margin of a mere handful of votes, it should be noted. And even that is disputed. There are still many of us who feel that we were cheated out of Responsible Government, which, without doubt, would have inevitably led to union with the United States. But back to the issue. Britain was
determined, by hook or by crook — and didn’t hesitate to use the latter to ensure the outcome that it desired — that strategically positioned Newfoundland and Labrador would not become an American state. Several facts were clear at that time and even clearer today: Britain wanted to get Newfoundland off its hands; Canada didn’t want to take on the responsibility of Newfoundland but consented, as a favour to Britain, to hold its nose and take Newfoundland under its purvue; Britain ensured, through its appointed governor and commissioners, that union with the U.S. would not get on the ballot even though that was what a majority of the people at the time would have preferred; and neither Britain nor Canada had even the slightest respect for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, despite the enormous sacrifice in two previous wars of a greater proportion of our young men than any other allied nation. We were good enough for can-
non fodder, but not good enough for respectful treatment. Subsequent events indicate that Canada still doesn’t want Newfoundland and Labrador and, in general, the Canadian government and people are ashamed of being associated with the people they dismiss and marginalize as newfies. Whether Newfoundland and Labrador would have been better off, socially, culturally, and economically as an American state is a debatable issue. Some of us believe that there is no doubt that, had we become an American state, we would now be far better off, at least economically, and that our population would now be six to 10 times its current level. Whether that would be a good thing is open to discussion. Moreover, some of us believe that we would now be treated with at least some small modicum of respect. R. Lloyd Ryan, PhD, Torbay
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
Don’t take it easy T
here are those who will read this and write it off to general fogeydom or the summer silly season. So
be it. I have been fixated on something a young person said to me a while back. In the midst of a conversation she said she was hoping for an easy life. I was a little taken aback, and asked what she meant. She said she had planned to take an easy university degree, get a cushy government 9-to-5, marry a hardworking rich guy and “take it easy.” More power to her, I suppose, but I just think by taking the “easy” route she robs herself of so much. I think one of our society’s biggest misconceptions is that easy is good — and that an easy life is preferable to a hard one. There seems to be this general idea that the easier way is the best way. I don’t believe that. There are a lot of things worth doing the “hard” way.
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason The religion didn’t take with me, but the core work ethic of my Protestant roots is strong. I like to be at stuff. I need to be at something. Buddhists tell you it isn’t the destination, it’s the journey that is important. Again, the religion didn’t take — I’m no Buddhist — but I like them and I think they’re on to something. Sometimes it is the doing that is as important as the actual result. Let me offer a case in point. Propane fireplaces are marketed as the easy solution to those who want a fire but not all the fuss and mess of a woodstove. Personally, I love the fuss and the muss. I
pleasure of a fire without any more work. Good for them. They can get a propane fireplace. I am not Amish either. I don’t decry all modern convenience. I have plenty of time-saving devices, and have eaten more than my share of fast food. I am very attached to my microwave. But so many people always take the short cut. Always the soup from a can. Always the microwave dinner or takeout. I know people who live in automatic temperature-controlled homes, heated in winter, air-conditioned in summer, who pay their bills direct deposit, start their cars by remote control. They are all about ease for ease’s sake — the quest to do less and less, for the simple sake of doing less. I think people who pursue this way of living cheat themselves out of so much. Fresh tomatoes are worth the fuss of the greenhouse. Homemade soup … the hours of tending to it, the sipping … a lit-
tle salt … maybe a bit more pepper … is worth the time it takes to make. The making is as important as the sitting down with a crusty roll and eating. Sheets, pillowcases and comforters hung to dry outside on a clothesline — instead of banged in a dryer with a Bounce sheet — are worth the smell when you go to bed in the evening. I don’t work for the weekend, every day is a great day for me. I work for the joy of working. And those who are like me will understand the next statement: I work for the joy of stopping. Hard work improves spare time. I like washing dishes by hand. I like mowing grass. I like cooking for 10. I like taking the whole day to make soup. I have a clothesline. Easy doesn’t always mean best. Sometimes the joy is in the doing. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
STRUMMING UP A BIG DEAL
YOUR VOICE ‘Great to have him here’ Dear editor, I thought that Sean Charters’ guest column in The Independent’s June 29 edition, ‘A Canadian in St. John’s,’ and all the trouble there (as opposed to the way we live in Newfoundland)
love to cut and stack firewood. Maybe because I write for a living, I crave getting out with the chainsaw and the axe. I have a thing about having all my wood chopped, stacked and in before the first snow. I’m doing it now, during the hottest time of the year (before you think me completely around the bend, cyclists and joggers whiz past my house all day long. They too are working hard). Once it’s all done, I like to take a wee dram out to the shed and sip it, gaze on the neatly stacked wood, and be generally pleased. I know it’s odd. It’s hard work, and there is a lot of fuss all winter lugging in wood, lighting the fire, cleaning the ashes. It’s not easy, but I like it. It’s not that propane fireplaces are bad — they are just things, and things only have the value people impart to them (there’s that Buddhist thing again). No doubt there are people who work hard all day and want to come home and have the
was one of the best pieces of writing that I have seen in a long time. Keep up the good work. Great to have him here. David Andrews, Bay Roberts
‘Something we can’t take for granted’ Dear editor, I read Sean Charters’ guest column this morning (‘A Canadian in St. John’s’, June 29 edition). It was very well written and very moving. Sorry to hear about Sean’s friend Nick Karvelas and the unfortunate situation in South Africa. I worked for seven years in a program funded by the federal government, helping newcomers learn
English and adjust to life in Canada. During that time, I learned a lot about how unbelievably bad the daily living conditions are for people all over the world. I also gained an appreciation for how lucky we are in this country. It’s something we can’t take granted. Jay Oram, Toronto
Headlines another reason ‘to love this place’ Dear editor, I just finished reading Sean Charters’ guest column in The Independent (‘A Canadian in St. John’s’, June 29 edition). Pretty heavy stuff for Sean and his mate’s friends and family. When Cathy and I backpacked around the world for 14 months back in the 90s, we did so with full openness to the idea of settling anywhere else we felt comfortable with and thought we could make a pretty good life for ourselves. Of course, we experienced a lot and had lifetimes of emotions, but none so strong for me as the one I had as we rambled over the crest of the
Trans-Canada and saw St. John’s spread out in front of us. I was pretty emotional when I realized our epic journey did in fact find us a place we’d love to settle. I often chuckled at headlines like Cat stuck in tree, Fender bender in Clarenville, and Fog grounds flights. I now recognize that this is just another of the reasons to love this place that others consider “backward” and out of the loop. Thanks for your column, Sean. Tough stuff for sure, but a real eyeopener for folks here who often long for a better life in a better place. David Wells, St. John’s
‘Just remember how good we have it’ Dear editor, On Saturday, June 30, I attended the funeral in St. Patrick’s of Cpl. Stephen F. Bouzane, age 26, killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan. There were two reasons that I attended the funeral: one was to pay tribute to a young man who gave his life trying to stamp out evil in the world; the other reason was to remember and pay tribute to my two uncles who fought in the Second World War, one returned but the other was killed in action a couple of months before the war ended. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have the good life that we enjoy today. When you think you have it tough, just remember how good we have it compared to other parts of this world. Remember Cpl. Stephen Bouzane as a hero who gave his life fighting a
cause he believed in because he thought he could help make this world a better place. Help support our troops wherever they may be. Rest in peace Cpl. Stephen Bouzane. Captain Wilfred Bartlett (retired), Brighton
Mount Pearl-based Garrison Guitars has been bought by Gibson, one of the world’s biggest and best-known guitar companies for an undisclosed amount, Garrison president Chris Griffiths announced July 4. Garrison received $750,000 worth of loans from the provincial government while pioneering their one-piece acoustic guitar design, but officials only expect to be repaid $200,000. Paul Daly/The Independent
JULY 6, 2007
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
IN CAMERA
HEARD ALL THE MYTHS ABOUT DEBT AND BANKRUPTCY? GET THE FACTS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND’S PERSONAL DEBT EXPERTS
www.JanesNoseworthy.com In St. John’s, 364-8148 Offices throughout NL Toll Free: 1 800 563-9779
Actors Lindy Booth, James Thomas, Lawrence Dane and Brad Hodder.
Actors Lawrence Dane.
Gary Sexton, Marty Sexton and Mary Sexton.
Ferryland lighthouse.
Actor Lawrence Dane.
Making movie magic H
alf an hour on foot from the Colony of Avalon visitor’s centre off the Southern Shore highway, the lighthouse at Ferryland Head reveals itself out of the pea soup fog on a drizzly afternoon. Typically a destination location for tourists, the masonry structure sheathed in iron is today the scene of gruesome gore and the lurking undead. Believers in the supernatural world may be disappointed, however, to learn the spooky going-ons at the lighthouse are the result of a hardworking film crew of 36, creating movie magic in the harsh north Atlantic climate. St. John’s-based production company, Pope Productions, has set up shop in the historic lighthouse built in 1870 to film for five damp — but actionpacked — days.
Cloaked in fog on the far end of a grassy isthmus, the Ferryland lighthouse is an appropriately creepy location for the madein-Newfoundland thriller film production, The Wall. While the cast and crew concoct an imaginary world destined for the big screen — or, our DVD collections at least — photographer Nicholas Langor and reporter Mandy Cook visit the set to get a feel for the lights, camera and … action. Cresting the hill and approaching the site, a group of people hover around the base of the lighthouse while two actors attempt to start their cars which mysteriously won’t turn over. Vancouverite Larry Lynn, director of photography, watches a monitor to
ensure synchronicity of takes and a cameraman is strapped into a steadycam — a film camera harnessed to the operator to control the shot and relieve the weight of the equipment. Besides the two actors, who are in typical dress, everyone else is swathed
in hats, winter jackets, snow pants and heavy-duty winter boots to ward off the cold. Guided by security around the perimeter of the shoot location, the work of set painters is visible on the lighthouse itself. Rust-coloured paint has been applied to one section to create the impression of age and wear. Over the steep edge where the lighthouse sits, an industrial-sized generator, orange pylons and coils of cable trail down the incline. Inside, there is a tangible vibe of adrenaline and urgency. Third assistant director Noel Harris monitors the outdoor car scene from inside, communicating via his headset and walkietalkie. Listening for his radioed cues and following his script, he calls, “Rolling!” and “Cut!” after what seems
like the blink of an eye. Sound mixer Paul Steffler is hunched over his sound board in the corner, headset sticking out from under his toque. “Can you sneak a peek at that last slate to see what take it was?” he calls over his radio. Suddenly, a tall white-haired man dressed in priest’s robes bursts into the room. It is Father Hendry — or in real life, Toronto actor Lawrence Dane. Prolonged exposure to the wind and wet has blanched his skin and chafed his hands. Breathing in violently, he attempts to get the blood circulating again. Asked whether he’s shocked by the decidedly wintry conditions in the month of June, he says he’s visited the province before, having produced the
classic 1970s Gordon Pinsent picture The Rowdyman. But in this film, he has a pivotal on-screen role. “I confront the evil entity at the end,” he says, tucking in to a plate of spinach quiche and steamed broccoli. EXCUSE ME, FATHER Ask anyone on set and they tell you the food is the best part of working on a movie. Baskets of oranges, cookies, dried fruit, chips, granola bars and chocolate are littered over the dining tables off the modern kitchen, from which the smell of freshly baked muffins is wafting. “Excuse me, Father,” jokes an elderly crafts services woman passing by Dane, as she carries out a plate of fresh fruit kebabs. The car scene successfully shot, the
filming location shifts away from the lighthouse and down the muck-filled road. This is where the situation starts to become dire for the main characters. After the appearance of trails of blood and the disappearance of some expendable characters, St. John’s actor Brad Hodder — playing New York investor Eric — becomes slightly rattled and decides it’s a good idea to storm off into the woods … alone. “Being from New York I of course don’t listen and start dodging around the woods,” he says, taking a break after several takes. “Inevitably I get separated and with some movie magic I somehow end up on the cliffs of Cape Spear where I may or may not meet a precarious fall.” While Hodder waits until he’s needed again, the camera team, wardrobe
and make-up, sound crew and props team fuss and prep for the next shot. When director Paul Schneider, a Boston native who has made a career making horror movies, is satisfied with his tape, the whole production reverses direction and shoots everything again. Amongst the standing, fidgeting and waiting around, the chipper banter is constant — until the cameras start rolling again and silence is paramount. Mary Sexton, locations manager, says the day started at 2:30 p.m. and will continue until 4 a.m. when every shot is in the can. She says those in the film business love their work, but it’s not for everybody. “It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
JULY 6, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
Directions for tourists I
n 1992 I wrote a tourist guide to the island of Newfoundland called Come Near at Your Peril. Since then mainlanders and others venturing to our shores occasionally phone me up for advice about what to do and where to go. I’m not a good hand on the phone — the one I own is an old style Harmony model that I had to repair myself a few times after Aliant executives declined to do it for me. It’s got a fair bit of what sounds like static, and calls to this office are discouraged. Instead of talking, I’ll write a few reminders and suggestions, confining myself in this column to St. John’s and ending with a note to mark the July Drive. To come back briefly to the book, which I regret to say is out of print, it had a fine sale in its day and now fetches a good price in some second-hand bookstores. It was a truth-telling volume — of course — and featured lines such as this about the chances of getting a decent meal in restaurants outside St. John’s: “If you come here with a choles-
PATRICK O’FLAHERTY A Skeptic’s Diary terol problem, we’ll send you home in a casket.” I can’t think of any clearer or more accurate way to put it. But it got people in the “hospitality industry” upset, approaches were made to the provincial authorities of the day, meetings of senior bureaucrats were held at the Holiday Inn, ministers of the Crown got involved too, and the book was banned from government chalets across the island. It was allowed on the ferry across from North Sydney, but was kept under the counter and you had to ask for it to get your hands on it! On to my subject … The downtown of St. John’s in summer still has a quality found in few North American cities, an old world,
vaguely European ambience. It is threatened by “development,” which has been progressing fairly rapidly of late even though the city has little of what an American or Canadian might term industry. It is essentially a service center for the province. Wandering around on foot, especially along Water Street and Duckworth Street and on the waterfront, or through the parks, can be very pleasurable. (There’s no need to write back to the local press when you get home and say what a good time you had. Write to your own paper in Markham or wherever you belong to.) Best not to bring a car into the downtown. The municipal council allows tractor-trailers and other huge trucks, many bearing containers from a company called Oceanex, to drive through the narrow streets of the historic old city on their way to the highway. They cause great congestion and noise. If you’re in a car you might be tied up for a while in traffic on Duckworth Street, sucking in diesel fumes from a semi on your way to
as we are a judge of it, and well worthy the attention of the inhabitants generally. — The Carbonear Sentinel and Conception-Bay Advertiser, July 11, 1843 YEARS PAST
AROUND THE WORLD
Ship Burnt at Sea — The Ship Reciprocity, of Calais, Maine, from Mobile to Liverpool, with 3,700 bales of cotton, took fire from spontaneous combustion of the cotton, on the 21st June and after efforts to extinguish the fire, was abandoned by the master and crew, who took to the boats. They were picked up by a French vessel bound for St. Peter’s, and on approaching the Newfoundland coast, the mate and seven seamen took the life boat and proceeded to this port, where they arrived yesterday, the Master and 17 others going on to St. Peter’s. — The Pilot, St. John’s, July 10, 1852 AROUND THE BAY
Messrs. Valentine and Doane have taken Rooms at Mr. Henry Hearder’s, where they intend to take likenesses by the Daguerreotype Process. We would particularly recommend the Ladies’ and Gentlemen of Carbonear and its vicinity, to embrace this favorable opportunity of having their likenesses taken, as these gentlemen will remain here only a few days. It is done in a beautiful style, so far
A stage was burnt at Bonavista on Thursday night last. It is thought the fire was caused by a lamp which was placed near the wall, the heat of which ignited the material, which was very dry. Fortunately, there was no wind at the time, otherwise there would have been a great destruction of stages. About twelve quintals of fish were destroyed. — The Weekly Record, Trinity, July 2, 1892 EDITORIAL STAND
There is no freer country in the world than Newfoundland, and no people are freer from restriction and taxes than Newfoundlanders. We have our own homes, the great majority of us, we have our little bit of land to cultivate; and outside St. John’s and a few other places we pay no taxes either. We have no statute labour law that either compels us to work on the local roads or pay someone else to do it for us; we are not specially taxed to provide our schools, our wharves and other public works — all these are provided for us out of the general revenue of the country. Men and women, let us think this thing through before we cast our vote the wrong way and make a decision from which there is no turning back.
a restaurant or bar. (You’ll suck them in as you’re walking too.) Then you have to find a place to park, no easy matter. When you find one, bear this in mind: the city is patrolled by a body of vigilantes who must pay their salaries out of the tickets they write. When your parking meter runs out, you have approximately 30 seconds to feed another loonie or quarter into it before getting a ticket. Drive or walk up Signal Hill, much of which is luckily owned by the federal government and so is protected from the swarm of local developers. The views from Signal Hill are striking. On your way up the hill you’ll see a building hove on its side, as if sinking in the mud. It is not sinking in the mud; someone wanted to build it that way. Mind you, there are beautiful upright structures in the city, two of which are the Roman Catholic Basilica and the Anglican Cathedral. And try to find the Colonial Building, from 1850 to 1960 the site of the Newfoundland legislature. It won’t
be open for visitors this summer but its architectural features are worth seeing. It is a reminder that Newfoundland was a functioning democracy, a Dominion in the British Commonwealth, prior to 1934. Not many such reminders remain. There is another on Duckworth Street, the stunning National War Memorial, unveiled by Field Marshal Earl Haig on July 1, 1924. It commemorates the sacrifices made by Newfoundlanders in the Great War while helping England defend France and Belgium against the German menace. British and French animal cultists have repaid this debt by taking leading roles in the campaign of lies against the seal hunt, and have recently been joined in this by the Belgians. To quote Kipling (slightly adapted): It’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ ‘Chuck him out, the brute!’ But it’s ‘Thin red line o’ heroes’ when the guns begin to shoot. Patrick O’Flaherty is a writer in St. John’s.
— The Independent, St. John’s, July 4, 1948 LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor — I noticed that the Mayor was not around when all the “boys” from St. John’s and Ottawa were down here last week. It would have been a good chance to discuss things such as Water and Sewage, paving, Centennial Project, Canadian Forces phase out and lots more. Don’t you think it would have been more effective to hit the Government up for money for paving while they could see the condition of our roads? The weather was ideal for a joy road — dry and windy. Of course, a drive over Corte Real after a good days’ rain could also serve the purpose. A Centennial Project? Maybe it would be too difficult for them to find one for a town that has everything. A Stadium? Forget it! Mine skates are rusty. — CURIOUS AND INTERESTED — The Northern Reporter, Happy Valley, July 29, 1967 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
On Friday morning last, at a very early hour, a car-driver named Philip Corcoran, was discovered in the ditch near the King’s bridge, with his car and horse lying upon him. The man was quite dead. — Morning Post and Shipping Gazette, St. John’s, July 10, 1860 The Colonist, 1886
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
VOICE FROM AWAY
‘Real and soulful’ Cambodia
St. John’s resident Jennifer Barnable recently returned from a month of travel and volunteer work in southeast Asia
St. John’s resident Jennifer Barnable, 31, has just returned from a month in Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia. Her solo trip was part holiday, part humanitarian effort, as she spent days distributing donations of clothing, toys and medicine in Cambodian villages around Siem Reap, Battambang and Phnom Penh. Before leaving, Barnable sent an e-mail plea for donations to friends and colleagues. Overwhelmed with the response, she made contact with three children’s charities in Cambodia — including Friends Without a Border — to help facilitate and focus her travels. “You should have seen these little children’s faces when they received something as simple as pencils or a T-shirt,” she says. “I just wish I had brought more. Next time, I’ll bring two 75-pound bags instead of one.” A Ferryland native and public relations professional, Barnable is an avid traveller and volunteer. At home, she sits on the board of directors for Heavenly Creatures. Although she’s back in the office in St. John’s and busy catching up on messages and work, Barnable says she’s already thinking of her next expedition — South America, she hopes. Here, Barnable reflects on one day in Cambodia, near the end of her trip — perhaps the most memorable, in a month of vivid experiences and learning. By Jennifer Barnable For The Independent
M
y trip was winding down and I took a day to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields. There’s a very dark side to Cambodia’s recent history, and I wanted to understand more about what happened there, and what it’s still recovering from. Most people don’t know that a holocaust took place in the ’70s in Cambodia, on top of the heavy U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War. Almost three million Khmer (Cambodian) people were killed by the rebel communists Khmer Rouge soldiers who felt they were turning back the clocks and creating a new country. In less than five years, Pol Pot and his communist regime killed more of their countrymen than Hitler or Stalin. Not a single thing could have prepared me for walking into torture cells where everything was left as it was then, seeing graphic photographs of prisoners in various states of death and agony. The building practically vibrated with pain — I couldn’t swallow or speak, as my guide (a survivor) led me through and explained how families were taken during home invasions and never seen again. Tuol Sleng was the Khmer Rouge’s torture and
Jennifer Barnable in Cambodia
detention centre before sending victims to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (20 minutes outside the city). There are 28 mass graves near the river. Human bones poked up through the ground — a jawbone here, femur there, teeth. Rags of clothing were visible through the mud. It was the most horrible feeling, but being there was, for me, part of acknowledging and remembering what happened. People need to know, even if it makes them sick. The skulls of 3,000 men, women and children were stacked up as part of a memorial, the rest of the bones left in the shallow graves. I felt an incredible mixture of sorrow and rage. I was shaking for most of the day. I couldn’t help but think that on the other side of the world, I was a baby then, safe and doted on, while here, Khmer infants were being murdered in front of their mothers. As I was wandering around, I could hear laughter a little ways away. I walked further from the site, and saw a fenced-in field with cows and some children who were laughing and waving at me. Between land mines and malnutrition, rich foreign pedophiles and dengue fever, Cambodian children are survivors. To hear them laughing on a sunny afternoon, only yards away from mounds of skeletons of their relatives … it just speaks to me of strength. “Where you from?” asked a boy of about nine. When I told him, he quickly answered: “Canada? Capital Ottawa,” with a proud smile. Another one reached his hand out through the fence and gave me a handshake, giggling at being able to use the strange Westerner greeting. Soon a dozen little boys and girls were gathered, hands out, shouting and smiling. I was happy that I still had the last of my donations in my backpack. All I had left were stickers, some fruit, hair buckles, colouring books and pencil leads. All the sandals and clothing was already given to children in a vil-
lage outside Siem Reap, further north. But it was enough for them, it seemed. We played a game, me on one side of the fence and they on the other. I would point to something (tree) and they would tell me the Khmer word for it. Everyone got little prizes; they covered themselves with stickers and made a proper mess with the fruit. Their smiles were incredible. I won’t ever forget it. These boys and girls were over the moon over something as simple as getting some construction paper and stickers. It really made me feel, each time, that I hadn’t brought nearly enough. Something so small to us is enough to make a little child feel like a king. And all it took was a tiny bit of effort. I don’t know how a country can recover and heal from such loss, but they are trying. I don’t know how they do it, but they have been rebuilding all this time with what’s left of their families. We need to be reminded of how lucky we are to live in this part of the world. We have more than we
need and whether we admit it or not, I think we’re a pretty ungrateful bunch. I know some of the things I complain about are just ridiculous. Cambodia was a sobering experience, that’s for certain. So when I think of the best moment of my trip, I think of how I felt walking through the Killing Fields and then seeing the spirit of those little children. To see such happiness when there was so much suffering really humbled me. Mass graves and bones on one side, smiling and hopeful children on the other side. Cambodia is still considered a place for the more “intrepid” traveller, but I hope more people will go there and discover the real, soulful place that I did. I never expected the country to grab me like it did. It can be hot, dirty and scary, but it’s a place that I’ll return to for another glimpse of the gem underneath. Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? Please e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 6-12, 2007 — PAGE 13
Lindy Rideout carries one of his customized kayaks from the Cottlesville Bay.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘The only way to see Newfoundland’ Outport kayak company offers adventure tourism on northeast coast; owner crafts his own boats COTTLESVILLE By John Rieti The Independent
L
indy Rideout is expanding his company, Sea Knife Kayaks, to offer guided tours, rentals and, in the future, a lodge overlooking Notre Dame Bay. “There’s a great expansion opportunity there,” Rideout tells The Independent. “Where I have my own boats and it’s unlimited how many I could build … that’s the biggest expense of setting (tours) up, with the boats it was dead easy.” During the summer months Sea
Knife produces four kayaks during every four-day workweek, roughly 50 a season. Each kayak sells for $2,000. Rideout, who has hired part-time workers from the area, says he’s finally keeping up with the demand for his boats. Rideout is the third generation of boat builders. His grandfather built schooners, his father built longliners, and 10 years ago he taught himself how to make kayaks. He studied kayak history — especially records of the province’s aboriginal boatbuilders — and figured out how to properly work the fibreglass into his own uniquely shaped vessels.
Will they tip? “Most people are nervous because they see everybody on TV tipping upside down,” he says. “That’s not the way it happens, nobody does that, that’s just to show off for the cameras. It’s very safe, it’s actually much safer than you think. Where we paddle from is very sheltered so you can paddle anytime.” The coastline of Cottlesville is one of the finest stretches in the province. Bald eagles overlook the bay, and small, rugged islands interrupt the horizon. One of the only visible lines of sun and sea is jammed between a jagged iceberg and two square sea stacks. At its
mouth, a line of choppier water interrupts the calm, but the kayaks cut through swells easily. Sean Hillier and Janet Fradsham from Stephenville were overjoyed as they paddled their two-person kayak towards a giant, rounded iceberg. The pair travelled to Twillingate just to see icebergs, but were dismayed when no tour boats were operating because of the windy weather. They noticed Rideout’s sign on the road home, and became his first ever adventure tourists. “It was a good experience … we’re constantly hiking or doing something different,” says Hillier. “It’s the challenge, it’s a wilder-
ness thing, you’ll go places and see things you’ll never see anywhere else by doing it this way.” Rideout charges $38 for a rental, and says he can offer many more services to kayakers — he will arrange tents and camping equipment so kayakers can paddle and overnight at a beach with a boil-up of fresh mussels. A small building on the bay will soon feature a sauna and accomodations for a few customers. Rideout recently purchased the area’s abandoned school for materials to get started on a larger lodge. See “I grew up,” page 15
Bigger issues at stake Many money squabbles between couples come down to values and priorities — not dollars and cents
O
ne of the more significant challenges couples face is arriving at a mutually acceptable set of financial priorities, oftentimes in spite of their fundamentally different money values. For example, it would not be unusual for one spouse to view a major outlay of cash, say for children’s activities, as important — while the other might want to set some limits on costs in this area and instead concentrate on saving, liquidating debt, or spending in other areas. In my experience, women tend to have entirely different “shopping lists” than men. And the things on their list tend to be affected by whether or not they have dependent children. Sorry guys!
AL ANTLE
Your Finances Last spring I was working with a couple with three kids. They were cracker jacks at money management. Their views of the world, though, were somewhat different — they saw themselves as disasters. They were spending just under $120 per month on each of their children for the things the kids liked to do. The total $360 fit well within their means and the monthly outlay did not cause any difficulty for them. Then mom began to notice that kid
No. 3 was somewhat shy and withdrawn. She began looking at ways to challenge him a little. She feared that if he continued as he was, by the time he arrived at the dreaded junior high years, he’d have evolved into a textbook nerd and would be the brunt of endless schoolyard taunting. She’d been there, done that. Dad was of a different mind. Yes, challenges were in order for this young man. But if they came with a cost, was it right to invest more money in only one child? Was doing so fair? He reasoned there was nothing wrong with the school of hard knocks. Maybe dad’s time in school was accompanied by only gentle barbs, while mom had had to cope with razor wire.
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The reality is that neither parent was wrong — they just viewed things differently. In the end the young man in question began drum lessons (that’s one way to be heard) and the parents agreed to re-evaluate six months later. What were the mother and father really saying? Was the outward conversation about money, or were they getting at something else? I felt they were, and that both were actually talking about the same thing. It was something that genuinely troubled them. Both parents were actually talking about their worst fear. Mom worried that her child might have “issues,” as they say these days. She was prepared to do whatever was necessary to minimize their long-term effect. Dad had the same concerns, but his
chosen means of changing a prospective outcome were somewhat different from his wife. In the end, they both made concessions, and they both got a little of what they wanted. Most households are just like this. An extension to the family home may be about space on the surface, but in reality it may be about privacy for growing children for one parent, and an equity question for the other. The purchase of a second vehicle — or in some households a third — may seem to be about convenience, but it’s more likely and typically to be about safety and efficiency in the adults’ minds. For teenagers there’s probably a little bit of status in there someSee “Help me,” page 14
14 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
JULY 6, 2007
Stretching the resource Economist says oil production increase good, but more finds needed By Ivan Morgan The Independent
M
emorial University economist Wade Locke says increasing offshore oil production is a good idea — but we had better find more oil soon. “In the long term the real issue is that we need more exploration here. That’s what we need,” Locke tells The Independent. “There is no expectation right now that there is no more, it’s just that we haven’t found it yet.” Offshore oil production is up. Earlier this year the provincial government gave Husky Oil the green light to step up production on its White Rose field to a maximum of 137,000 barrels a day (pending the company met certain terms and
conditions), and immediately to 125,000 barrels per day from the previous 100,000. Average total daily oil production for all oil fields in 2007 up to the end of May was 386,763 barrels a day. For the month of May, average daily oil production reached 440,903 barrels a day. Locke says this is a good thing for the province, as prices are high. “Right now, having the extra production now, to benefit from the higher production and the higher royalties, doesn’t strike me as a bad thing,” says Locke. “The point is you get dual benefits. You get the benefit of higher prices — higher value — and higher royalties.” But without long-term prospects, which can only be determined by
more exploration, Locke says the industry’s current rate of production may be too high. “So if we have no more exploration and we don’t find anything else,” says Locke, “then we really do have a decision to make on how quickly we want to exploit the resource, because once it is exploited, there is no more.” When the original Hibernia agreement was negotiated, oil was well under $20 a barrel; reports during the early 1990s suggested the project would break even at $13.65 a barrel. Prices like those registered today, with oil around the $70 a barrel mark, were never predicted. There has not been a significant new oil discovery in decades. “And so the fact that we may be
increasing production now … I would say it was a good thing, but only under the assumption that we’ve got these things in the medium term and there’s things in the longer term that will be developed here,” he says. “This is not three projects and we’re over.” The province currently receives 30 per cent of profits generated by the extra production. Locke says collecting 30 per cent of a highervalued resource right now beats leaving it in the ground until later, when prices may be lower. With no one expecting the price to drop below $40-$50 a barrel — which is a high enough price for tidy profits for the industry, says Locke — the short and mediumterm future of the province’s oil
The Come by Chance oil refinery
industry, with Hibernia South, White Rose extension and Hebron fields potentially on tap, should “carry us forward for a period of time.” It’s the long-term vision that is in question. The oil industry is finite, but Locke says exploration “extends the time period over which you have to worry about the size of the resource being run out. “It’s not that the potential is not right here, because it is. But again, as we have seen in the past, we, for some reason, have an innate ability to be able to screw things up. “But it is not my expectation. My expectation is that things are bright, and will look up.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Help me understand...’ From page 13 where, just for complication. When we learn to distinguish what’s being said from what is truly meant, we’re more likely not to resent or resist our partner’s stated position. If you are ever unsure about your mate’s financial position, ask a simple question: “So what you’re really saying is …” or “Help me understand …” or maybe even, “I don’t quite get that, could you say it again?” In a typical household there are eight major categories of cost and over 75 actual places where we spend our money. In your house there may be many more or less. So you can expect perceptions to be different almost everyday. There are also different personalities, and as our children grow, their opinions and views finds their way into the mix as well. Money is, and has always been, an incredibly sensitive area for us humans. This is where our power surfaces and is most evident to the people around us. Needless to say, human beings like that place of some power, and we resent it tremendously when someone, anyone, takes it away, especially for him or herself. What we really need to do is talk it out, not have it out. Al Antle is the executive director of Credit and Debt Solutions.
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 15
‘I grew up on the ocean’ From page 13 Rideout says he didn’t intend to become an outfitter or a tour guide, it’s just been an evolution of his sales. Many clients pick their kayak up in person, driving from as far away as Arizona to test out the boat and have it customized to their every preference before taking it home. Rideout never misses an opportunity to show off the waters he frequents. “The only way to see Newfoundland is from the water I figure,” says Rideout. “I’ve travelled all around the world and I haven’t seen
anywhere better yet.” Plus, he says, most people who come to paddle once often leave with a kayak. Rideout is hoping to expand sales to markets in the U.K. and U.S., but he says he will always keep working on New World Island and paddling its waters. “I lived on the ocean and that’s what I like. I grew up on the ocean, I scuba dived, I put myself through university by working on a crab boat so the ocean is what I wanted to get out and play with.” john.rieti@theindependent.ca
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 8 Cylinder, Automatic, Tilt, Cruise, A/C, CD Player, Power Group, Keyless Entry, Sun Roof, Tinted Glass, Heated Leather Bucket seats, Trailer Hitch. 59, 500km
2005 Honda Civic 4 Cylinder, Standard, Tilt, Power locks, CD Player, Tinted Glass, Bucket Seats 68,000km
16,900
$
2005 Jeep TJ Limited 4x4 Automatic, Tilt, Alloy Wheels, Soft Top, CD Player, Rear Wiper, Tinted Glass, Trailer Hitch, Side steps.
24,900
$
2001 GMC Yukon 4x4 SUV 8 cylinder, Automatic, Tilt, Cruise, A/C, CD Player, Power Group, Keyless Entry, Sun Roof, Tinted Glass, Heated Leather Bucket seats, Trailer Hitch, Side steps. 90,000km
16,900
Was $18,900 $ NOW:
2005 Mazda 3 Sedan 4 Cylinder, Automatic, Tilt, A/C, Power locks, CD Player, Tinted Glass, Bucket Seats.12,475km
16,900
$
2004 Pontiac Grand Am 6 Cylinder, Automatic,Tilt, Cruise, A/C, CD Player, Power Group, Keyless Entry, Rear Spoiler,Tinted Glass, Bucket seats, Power Trunk. 75,655 km
11,900
$ 2004 VW Jetta Wagon TDI 4 door Luxury Wagon Turbo Diesel Automatic, Tilt, Cruise, A/C, CD Player, Power Group, Keyless Entry, Rear Wiper, Tinted Glass, Heated Leather seats, 98,972 km
17,900
$
2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab Long Box Turbo Diesel, 8 cylinder, Automatic, Tilt, Cruise, A/C, CD Player, Power Group, Keyless Entry, Tinted Glass, Radial Tires, Trailer Hitch, 90,000 km
27,900
$
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 6-12, 2007 — PAGE 17
‘Voice in the wilderness’ David Boyd does his part to preserve Newfoundland fishing traditions by giving tourists a glimpse of a fisherman’s life TWILLINGATE By John Rieti The Independent
D
avid Boyd cuts into the issue of rural decline as quickly as he fillets a codfish. The lifelong fisherman who learned to split cod at age 11 now operates Prime Berth, a fishing and heritage centre at Main Tickle, Twillingate Island, on Newfoundland’s northeast coast. Stepping into the timber-framed berth is like stepping back in time, a visit to the Tizzard’s Harbour of Boyd’s past. Here, tourists become youngsters learning the tricks and traditions of fishing in Newfoundland from an older fisherman who teaches and scolds. He begins his presentation by bluntly telling tourists the way of life they’re about to experience is dying. There are no fish. It’s a life of poverty for fishermen, and always has been, his father told him so. There’s little hope of recovery. The tourists, who come from all over the world, become emotionally involved in the outport story. “I get sympathy and I get sorrow, I get ‘why don’t you run for government’ … I’m trying to tell the truth, I’m trying to tell the story, it’s a sad story,” Boyd tells The Independent. He’s happy to have an audience. Boyd keeps a stack of letters as thick as a book, 38 years of warning the government about the state of the fish stocks. Most have been ignored. “I’m a voice in the wilderness,” he says. He lets his guests in on the conversations and complaints on the wharf, but says most fishermen have been conditioned to keep their mouths shut and accept the blows. In 1992, Boyd says he was one of many fishermen in his community who didn’t know what a moratorium was. Boyd uses four murals to illustrate the collapse of Newfoundland’s cod fishery. First is Cabot’s glorious discovery, then the happy times of pulling up codtraps with enough fish to fill a dory to the gunnels. Then, modern technology and the end brought about by bottom trawling. Boyd remembers the frustration he felt as Newfoundlanders shamed one another for catching a few cod with jiggers when they weren’t supposed to. “I’ve been saying to (government) over the years, ‘Look b’ys, what the hell are you complaining about that for when you got 1,000 foreign vessels off of our coast, listening to your open line shows at nighttime, listening to Richard Cashin (former head of the FFAW) talking about people shouldn’t be out jiggin’ a fish with a cod jigger, while these guys are laughing in their beer … while they’re raping the great cod stock.’” Boyd doesn’t find it hard to explain why rural Newfoundland is collapsing — he’s living through it. “You can sense a certain bitterness in my voice because when I go back to my little fishing village now and see all the houses closed up,” he says. “Where there was 15 or 20 fishermen full of life, now there’s no sound, no children playing, fences falling down, the grass growing up.” As he leads tourists onto his fishing stage, Boyd happily sidles to his well-worn cutting table, filled bucket of cod liver oil on one side and drying, salted flakes of cod on the other. He produces a rock cod — he couldn’t get a northern cod for the demonstration — and a big knife and goes through the motions he’s been performing all his life, turning a fish into a fillet that can be preserved to survive a harsh winter. “It’s fascinating to see how they live in this harsh environment … I just try to imagine what life must be here,” says Debbie Orlowski, a tourist from Texas. Orlowski says she will leave Boyd’s berth with a David Boyd salts cod at the Prime Berth, a fishing and heritage centre in Twillingate.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
See “Story needs to be told,” page 19
Advice for future generations Proud dad Sean Panting has some thoughts for those considering entering the music business
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his week I begin with a moment of self-indulgence. And while self-indulgence is hardly a rare thing for me, rarely do I have an excuse this good — a birth announcement. Yes, this week my wife Andrea and I had our second child. Save your applause, please, just throw money and diapers. Everybody who comes by to have a gawk at Baby Gerry showers us with
SEAN PANTING
State of the art gifts, good wishes and much needed baby paraphernalia, makes more or less the same jokes about sleep deprivation and the lameness of our social
lives, and asks more or less the same questions, eliciting more or less the same answers. Vital statistics come first (nine pounds, five ounces, big hands, big feet). After that it’s labour and birth (G-rated, edited for time and content) and so on down the big list of questions. Somewhere in there between “Why Gerry?” (Answer: that’s my Dad’s
name) and “What does his 16-monthold big sister think of it all?” (Answer: She doesn’t seem to care one way or the other) comes the inevitable “Is he going to be a musician too?” That one always gives me pause. My pat answer is that he can do whatever he wants. It’s his decision, after all. We’re already sweating bullets keeping our offspring happy and fed in the present without having the
added pressure of making up their minds for them about future job prospects. But if — and at this point it’s only an if — Baby Gerry gets a hankering to go into the Panting family business when he gets older, what then? Knowing what I know about the lifestyle and its various and sundry See “Career advice,” page 19
JULY 6, 2007
18 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
MAXINE AND FRANCES ENNIS Rug hooking
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rances and Maxine Ennis have been sistersin-law for 36 years. But in the past five years that relationship has grown to a whole new level — they’re drawn together as partners in craft; artistic collaborators who learn, travel, and hook together. Maxine, a native of Sibley’s Cove, Trinity Bay, says it took some coaxing from a friend to get her to take an introductory mat-hooking course at the Anna Templeton Centre in St. John’s. “Mom was always very good at textiles and fibre, anything from sewing, knitting, to crocheting … I learned all those things, but I didn’t really like it,”
Maxine says, laughing. “But when I started with the rug hooking … I was so pleased with it. And then, when I started to design pieces of my own, it became really important to me.” Maxine showed off the results of her new hobby to her sister-in-law in 2002. To her surprise, it turned out Frances — who grew up in Fort Amherst — had taken the same course, just weeks later. “I’ve dabbled in all kinds of things over the years, but never in anything that captured my interest the way rug hooking does,” Frances says. “When I was making my first mat, I was already thinking of the next one I wanted to do.” Since then, she figures she’s designed and hooked 70 mats — some geometric and abstract designs, others with Newfoundland scenes, animals, and fish. Frances, too, works with Newfoundland imagery, wildlife, and flowers. Both say they love the colours, history, and technique of the craft. Together, their most ambitious and complex project is Sleepy Cove, a five-by-eight foot wall hanging they designed along with their daughters, Andrea Ennis and Sheila Coultas. The piece — a brilliant and striking depiction of a slice of Newfoundland
seascape — hung in both The Rooms and the gallery at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College during much of 2006. Currently they’re working together on a series they call Awful good people — smaller rugs of fishermen, berry pickers, craftspeople and other familiar forms. It seems to make sense, they say — using a time-honoured craft to share images of this province and its people, past and present. “We’re picking up on the tradition of actually making the mats, but also the tradition of storytelling,” says Frances. The sisters-in-law plan to attend an international rug hooking conference in New Orleans in September to learn more about folk figures and how to use them in their work. By the time the annual Fine Art and Craft Fair at the St. John’s Convention Centre rolls around in November, they hope to have plenty of new work to display and sell — under their new company name “Ennis Designs.” The pair recognize how far they’ve come in just a handful of years. They still consider their mat work a “paying hobby” but as they move into retirement, it’s obvious they’ve got their second careers worked out.
“I feel like it’s an artistic expression, one I have been trying to find, I think, a good part of my life,” says Frances. “I have been a writer, I find that good … but I’m one of those people who goes into a fabric shop and wants a piece of everything that’s there. This was an absolutely natural thing to me. I feel like I’m painting a picture with fabric.” They agree rug hooking has had a resurgence in the province of late — there are annual conferences on the island, and they attend monthly “hook-ins” in St. John’s with other like-minded hobbyists. “I think it’s because we all have a connection to it,” Frances says. “And it’s showy and noticeable, bright and fresh,” adds Maxine. “It also has a lot to do with the sharing … I definitely would not have done as much with this if it wasn’t for the sharing. For Frances and I to be able to hook rugs and sit together and talk, it brings that to a whole different relationship. “And to have our daughters share with us just makes it better.” Maxine and Frances Ennis’ work is on display at the Five Island Art Gallery in Tors Cove, www.fiveisland.ca — Stephanie Porter
The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 19
Seduced by its own devices and if you were to read the line aloud (following to the end of the sentence), you’d most likely place a stress on that word pairing to emphasize the change in the relationship Gardner is writing about. Such variations serve to enliven what might otherwise make for monotonous or hypnotic reading. What Gardner often falls down on is his employment of rhyme. Curious thing about rhyme: the more perfectly two sounds match, the less interesting the rhyme. Rhyming “up” with “cup” and “still” with “pill” as Gardner does in Leap Year seems a lazy decision; what’s more, it introduces a frivolous, chiming quality that undermines the serious subject matter of the poem — a meditation on the changing seasons.. More damaging again is Gardner’s tendency to become enslaved by his own rhyming patterns. How else to explain the curious line breaks that follow:
MARK CALLANAN On the shelf Gifts with No Recipient By Philip Gardner The St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2007. 78 pages.
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riting in his landmark 1929 Practical Criticism, critic I.A. Richards warned against the misreading of metered poetry (which is to say, poetry that conforms to a recurring rhythmical pattern): “Readers who take up a poem as though it were a bicycle,” he wrote, “spot its metre, and pedal off on it regardless of where it is going, will … get into trouble.” He went on to argue the best poems are those that play against such metrical expectations even as they work within the context of an established metre. It’s fair to say the bulk of modern poets favour alternate methods of establishing rhythm in their work (using varying line lengths, for instance), and that metered poetry is uncommon enough to be of interest by virtue of its rarity. Philip Gardner, emeritus professor of English at Memorial University, is one of the few poets in this province who regularly works with metered poetry. Gifts with No Recipient, his fifth collection, features selections of his work written between 1991 and 2004. More often than not, Gardner works in iambic pentameter, a line — for anyone who slept through high school English — composed of five pairings (feet) of unstressed and stressed syllables. When he writes something like “Between the row of rooms that faced the sea” in Big Sur, the stress falls on every second syllable, like so: “Be-tween the row of rooms that faced the sea.” Iambic pentameter, see. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, you might say, but not so fast. As Richards suggests, the problem with reading according to metre’s dictates is that rhythm is rarely so regular. Aside from that, nobody actually reads (or speaks, for that matter) in such a stress-heavy way, yo-yoing for rhythmic emphasis. Add to that the fact
certain words earn greater stress by virtue of their sense. Richards allows for this as well: “Metrical form,” he writes, “cannot be judged apart from the sense and feeling of the words out of which it is composed nor apart from the precise order in which that whole of senses and feeling builds itself up.” As an illustration, look at a few lines from Gardner’s collection: I’ve driven through Las Vegas, thanks to you. I was in California, thanks to him. And now the two of you no longer swim Together, and I’ve lost the Western view I got because you did … This is in iambic pentameter, with some variation. We might be tempted to read the third line “And now the two of you no long-er swim,” but to do so would be to ignore the sense of the words themselves. The key bit of information here is “no longer”
Career advice From page 17 ups and downs both artistic and fiscal, would I encourage my son to pick up a guitar and try to make a living at it? If he shows up in the driveway one day with four guys in band T-shirts and a set of drums looking to use the garage, will I happily throw open the doors to my home and fridge and wax nostalgic about my first band while they glaze over with boredom? Or will I panic, stuff Gerry in the car, and make a beeline for the nearest school of anything that turns out money-making, suit-wearing professional types and sign him up? Job to say. Whether I experience panic or nostalgia, pride or annoyance, I’m sure if Gerry decides music is his calling I’ll do what I can to smooth the way. To that end I’ve begun to compile a list — the sum total of everything I’ve learned along the way — for my son, my daughter, or anyone else interested in getting into the thrill-a-minute roller coaster ride of glamour that is the music industry. A few highlights: 1. If you don’t ask for your money you probably won’t get it, so make sure you ask. 2. Show up on time — people like that. I’m not saying I do it, I’m saying you should. 3. Put everything on your tab. A bar owner
might write off your tab if he’s in the right mood, but you’re never getting your money back. On the subject of bar tabs, make sure you get a tab of your own. If you think creative differences about musical direction are a strain on your band’s morale, try sorting out who put how many drinks on the band bar tab and what everybody has to pay in at the end of the night. 4. Try not to be a jerk. There are enough jerks both in the music industry and the world at large. Jerk-oriented activities include but are not limited to: cheating people out of money; swiping other people’s mic stands; and weaseling out of lifting heavy things (see item No. 5 below). 5. Lift with your knees — gear is heavy. What gear? All gear. That’s pretty much it. Everything else — writing music and playing instruments and so forth — is easy. I don’t know what my kids will decide to do with their lives, but if they do come looking for advice on a career in the arts I feel better knowing I’ve done some prep. If and when that day comes, will I encourage them to do as I have done? Sure I will. At least I would right now. Ask me in 20 years and see what I say then. Sean Panting is a writer, musician and actor living in St. John’s.
… You’d crossed just here to climb ‘The dirty little road,’ then found a slimy one above the steep bank … To Edmund at Black Horse Bridge … Red barn, colonial house, a world of rod And perch and sloping hill, still green. Yes, God ’s country, blessed by the altering light-spangles … Mountain Meadow In the first instance Gardner lops a word mid-syllable and in the second slices off the possessive s in order to produce a perfect rhyme at the end of these respective lines. He repeats this mistake elsewhere as well, making tortuous Procrustean beds out of perfectly serviceable end-rhymes. Too often, Gardner’s poetry is seduced by its own devices. Gifts with No Recipient is not a bad collection, really, but could have been much stronger if Gardner had more frequently resisted the urge to conform to the patterns of rhythm and rhyme he’d set himself. The best poems in this collection are the ones that follow a more intuitive, inventive music and don’t content themselves with being well executed metrical experiments. Mark Callanan writes from St. John’s. His column returns July 20.
Story needs to be told From page 17 deeper understanding of the province and more respect for people who are committed to preserving the rural lifestyle. “I find it interesting the people were kind of conditioned to accept their plight without speaking out,” she says. “I think someone does need to tell the story, and (Boyd) has done an excellent job here.” Prime Berth attracts 70 motorcoaches a year, often lured in by the sight of the giant cod trap Boyd constructed. The centre also includes a traditional fishing stage that Boyd towed, by boat of course, to its new site. He builds most of the other structures himself. The museum receives no government funding, and as far as Boyd knows, nobody from the government has ever visited. He proudly tells tourists that he’s a “thorn in the side,” of DFO. While Boyd possesses a sharp opinion, he also has a sweet side. Throughout the presentation he tells family stories, including boyhood tales of drinking cod liver oil “to prove how tough we were. We stopped doing that when we got interested in girls.” He also writes poems, drawing on Twillingate’s scenery and his lifetime of fishing to pen heart-warming images of friendship and sorrow of watching the outport communities he grew up in degrade. “I don’t know if anybody on inside the overpass knows that rural Newfoundland exists,” says Boyd. Regardless, he will continue his work at the berth, splitting cod and opening minds to Newfoundland’s traditional lifestyle. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
JULY 6, 2007
20 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
Six-String Nation T
he Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council is delighted to present the Six String Nation Guitar at this year’s Folk Festival, Aug. 3-5 in St. John’s. A project initiated by CBC Radio’s Jowi Taylor, the guitar was built in Nova Scotia by master luthier, George Rizsanyi, and contains more than 60 pieces of historically significant wood from across the country. The guitar includes wood from the Bluenose and Pierre Trudeau’s canoe paddle, as well as wood from the lighthouse at Cape Race and
labradorite from Nain. This will mark the guitar’s first appearance in Newfoundland, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council is thrilled to be involved in bringing it to the island. Intended to bring Canadians together to celebrate their history, culture and community, the guitar has been put into the hands of musicians and members of the public at festivals and events across Canada. “People in diverse communities right across the country have richly fascinating stories to share, and too
often we don’t hear them,” says Taylor. “The Six String Nation Guitar is a way to put all kinds of stories at the fingertips of musicians and in the ears of listeners.” Some of the artists who have performed with the guitar include Bruce Cockburn, Colin James, Oscar Lopez, James Keelaghan, The Mighty Popo, Ron Sexsmith, Feist, Hawksley Workman, Mae Moore, Madagascar Slim and Stephen Fearing, among others. The guitar will be at the festival all weekend and audience members will be able to look at it, learn about it, have their picture taken with it and chat with Taylor, who will also be on hand. In addition, the guitar will be featured as part of the festival finale on Sunday night (Aug. 5), when several of the province’s finest guitar players will take the stage and put the guitar through its paces. Invited performers include: Pamela Morgan, Gordon Quinton, Sandy Morris, Eric West and Jean Hewson. For more information on the Six String Nation Guitar go to www.sixstringnation.com. For more information on the schedule and line up of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival check out www.nlfolk.com — Peter Narváez Guitar photo by George Douklias
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 6-12, 2007 — PAGE 21
POT ART Clay artist creates exquisite pottery pieces inspired by the world around her — natural and man-made By Mandy Cook The Independent
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vase mimicking the exact essence of a pomegranate, so much so it could be the real fruit enclosed in clay. The sensuous torso of a woman, almost two feet high, black and slick with a brushed silver belt slung at her hips. Textured tree trunk vessels, the clay scored and rough like real bark and literally branching off three ways, provide several options to display delicate blossoms. All of the above are just some examples of local clay artist Florence Donaway’s work. Her versatility and talent jumps off the shelf of various boutiques around downtown St. John’s, including Dandelion Green and the Flower Studio. A retired high school and special education teacher, Donaway began selling her natureinspired creations only about a year ago, prodded by an encouraging instructor at the Craft Council Clay Studio on Duckworth Street. “I had left one of my pieces on the shelf and a co-ordinator left a note in it saying, ‘You should put this in (a Craft Council) member’s See “From the hills,” page 23
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
The gift of a carefree childhood Pam Ghent reflects on her reasons for moving home to Harbour Mille from urban Ontario
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was looking in the mirror the other day as my son was trying to hurry me out of our only bathroom. “Perfect!” I declared as I was exiting. “Yeah right,” he said, closing the door. I don’t feel that old, but I guess the years are whizzing by. This week marks the beginning of our fourth year back home in Newfoundland after 13 away. Hard to believe. As I prepare to attend my 20th (20th??) high school reunion
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk next weekend I imagine the question I will be asked the most is, “How did you wind up in Harbour Mille?” You see, I was born in this little outport, but was raised and went to school
in Conception Bay South, graduating from Queen Elizabeth Regional High School in 1987. When we were preparing to move back we did consider C.B.S., but as I wandered around wondering where I would settle my family, something didn’t feel quite right. A trip out around the bay made me realize what that “something” was. The instant I was out of the car I felt at home — perhaps even before that. There were faces I knew and names I
remembered. Everywhere was a reminder of who I was and who my family had been generations before. The houses were all as I remembered them. In C.B.S. I didn’t run into a soul I knew and the landscape was almost foreign, with all the new developments. Around the bay I couldn’t go anywhere without someone knowing me, and that brought comfort. I guess the next question I’ll be asked
is why we left Ontario. It was all because of a stranger’s child. A 10-year-old girl named Holly Jones went missing not far from our Mississauga home the day after Mother’s Day, 2003. Jones disappeared after walking her friend home. It was supper hour and still light, yet this child vanished into thin air off a busy street. Within hours See “The panic,” page 23
JULY 6, 2007
22 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
The backyard: a home away from home W
hen you are ready to create the right atmosphere in your garden, don’t just think about what you like, but also consider your lifestyle. “Someone might create this beautiful place to sit in their garden, but not think about why they wanted it in the first place,” says Kim Thistle, owner and operator of The Greenhouse and Garden Store in Little Rapids, Bay of Islands. Without prior planning, she says a garden may not be all that it could be. If that “nice spot” is placed near traffic, in the sun, or in total shade, then you might not enjoy it as much as you had originally thought. “Fire pits and outside stoves can be beautiful in the garden, but if you place them near flowering plants they can die,” she says. Homeowners can avoid disappointment by taking that little bit of extra time in the beginning. “Consider the existing layout of your space as well as any future plans you might have. Think about who will be spending time there — now and in years to come,” Thistle says. For many, having a fun, safe place for children to play is a main consideration. If you want a nice place for children to play and to hide, think about planting
a dwarf weeping birch or a mulberry tree, Thistle advises. “These are perfect for children who like to hide behind the big leaves,” she says. “It is always nice to have a child’s garden, a place they can call their own and have fun with flowers, dirt and bugs.” The important thing is to plan ahead. Kevin Avery, manger of the Clarenville Home Hardware Building Centre, says people are investing “big bucks” not only in their homes, but outside them too. “If you want to enjoy everything there is about being a homeowner then you naturally want your yard and garden done up properly,” he says. Upgrading a backyard can involve something as simple as putting in a few decorative lights to installing a fancy Victorian-style arbour. “We have access to over 60,000 items that are only a few days shipping away, so there are certainly no limits to what you can do to beautify your home,” he says. Avery is hard-pressed to say any one item is more popular than another. “It just depends on what you want and what you have to spend,” he says. Patio furniture can suit any taste and match any decor, he says. “You can have the standard plastic, go with a steel frame with a glass top or
have a set made of wicker — the options are almost limitless.” Same goes for cost. “If you want to get a backyard fire pit for $79 you can, or pay over $300 for a more elaborate one if that happens to suit you better,” Avery says, stressing consumers today have options. Trees, shrubs, pressure-treated wood for decks, marble chips for rock gardens, ready-made sheds, barbecues and whatever your heart desires can be had when it comes to backyard lighting, Avery says. His store has it all. “We have solar-powered lighthouses, flowers, and yes, even solar powered turtles that can add that little something to your garden.” Avery advises to think before you buy, adding that a little planning will not only save time and money, but leave you with a backyard space you can enjoy for years to come. After all, he says, having a great backyard space is not only an investment in your home, but also in your leisure time. “A backyard done the way that suits you is like having a cabin — it’s that little home away from home where you can go, relax and get away from it all.” — Pam Pardy Ghent
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 23
‘The panic was like nothing I’d experienced before’ From page 21 of her disappearance police launched a massive search. I watched the news in the kitchen as I prepared supper. The outfit she had been wearing flashed across the screen — it was the outfit I had looked at buying for my same-aged niece the day before. The reporter mentioned how many registered pedophiles lived in my general area. Brody, then six, was playing out front. While I could see and hear him, I instinctively ushered him in and double locked the front door. I was physically ill. The next evening’s broadcast had the little girls’ parents appealing for her safe return. Hours later, body parts belonging to a child were found in two bags off the shores of Toronto Island. I lost Brody in the largest mall in
Mississauga a day later. He was there ers, but misplacing your child when a one second and gone the next. I lost the child killer is on the loose is not OK. ability to function, running back and The next day I left my car running — forth. I found him minunlocked — in a utes later, but the panic busy grocery store was like nothing I’d The first night I called parking lot. It was experienced before. still there when I The next day my son to check on him my returned an hour was on his bike and I later. Why wouldn’t mother didn’t know ran inside to answer someone steal my the phone. I brought new car, there for the where (Brody) was … taking, yet snatch a the cordless outside. Brody was gone. I child off the street? I wasn’t worried. could hear him, I just I called my mothcouldn’t see him and I er, she flew up, and didn’t know which we made arrangeway he went around our block. I was ments to get Brody home as soon as we wondering which way to run when I could. Blair and I would follow after finally saw him coming around the the house sold. The day Brody finished turn. kindergarten I drove my mother and Losing track of your child can hap- son to the airport, gave him a kiss and pen to the best, most observant moth- told him Daddy and I would be in
Newfoundland shortly. The first night I called to check on Brody my mother didn’t know where he was. She said the kids in the community had welcomed him and he was running about the outport somewhere. I wasn’t worried. When I finally spoke to him later that night he was breathless with tales of his newfound freedom. The day I left Ontario was also the day police arrested Jones’ killer, a 35year-old software developer named Michael Briere who lived near her home. He had no prior criminal history. He confessed to sexually assaulting that little girl, killing her and dismembering her body. He attributed his actions to his obsession with child pornography. He pled guilty and received an automatic life sentence. I tried to forget about Holly Jones and the fear and terror her name trig-
gered for me at the time but I suppose I really shouldn’t. I am grateful to her for giving me the courage to alter my life into what it has become and for giving my son the chance to live a carefree childhood in this tiny, beautiful fishing village. I guess I didn’t really leave Ontario because of a child I didn’t know, I suppose I left it for one I did — my son. Now, when I see my old high school friends next week, two questions will have been answered. I guess all that’s left for them to inquire about is how I keep looking so damn youthful. Like my son so eloquently would put it, yeah right. Pamela Pardy Ghent lives in Harbour Mille on the Burin Peninsula. Her column returns next week. pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
TASTE
Thai: for the love of cod By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service THAI-STYLE COD
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his tender, delectable dish will have you hooked on fish. Adapted from Healthy Helpings: 800 Fast and Fabulous Recipes for the Kosher (or Not) Cook by Norene Gilletz. She used sea bass. I used similar-sized pieces of cod. About 157 calories and four grams of fat per serving.
A whole lot of baking going on A
s a professional in the food industry, I am skilled in all manners of applying heat to food. Roasting, grilling, smoking, steaming, poaching, braising, frying and sautéing are my friends. Baking, however, is my nemesis. A while back my wife’s family was over for a meal. We had a good time. Marinated steaks, fresh potato salad and mixed greens were up from my end, and my wife made dessert. While sitting around the table, we reminisced about taking tests and how the Kiwanis music festival has changed over the years. This in turn led to talk of my culinary education and experience with black box exams. A black box exam is cooking for marks — just like on Iron Chef. A variety of ingredients are presented to you and you have to prepare a meal or a series of dishes from them. For the unprepared, it can be a daunting task; for others it’s a chance to really shine. I loved all of the exams except one: my pastry/baking final. ‘I WILL FAIL’ Pastry and I don’t get along. I have warm hands, pastry demands cold hands. Because my hands are warm, the butter melts faster and it takes me twice as long to work with it. Bread loves me — when it rises. I am a pretty good bread baker, there are lots of elements to control but I do all right with them. But for all the tea in china, don’t ask me to make a soufflé or a cheesecake, because I will fail miserably. While I was in culinary school I shone because I was interested in the techniques and history of the food — but during pastry class I was a nervous wreck because I found something I was
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path capable of failing and it hurt. I didn’t do well in pastry class. In fact I was asked to retake my practical midterm over by my chef instructor. I presented him my food and he looked at me and said, “This is not your best work — is it?” “No, chef,” I replied. “It doesn’t look like you had a good day. Come to my other class tomorrow morning and we’ll do it again.” “Yes, chef,” I answered. I returned at 6 a.m. the following day for my final, which I passed, no thanks to a lot of study and a lot of worrying overnight. The long and the short of it is I realize there was no reason for me to worry about pastry class. But to be perfectly honest, I would prefer someone to make cakes for me — someone who knows what they are doing and can do it well. This summer I am going to learn how to bake again. I’m going to ask my mom (who made wedding cakes for me, my sister and a whole load of others) to start me from scratch. I need to know how to do this, to fill in the gaps of my learning and make sure I lose the fear of baking. It’s going to be my toughest challenge so far. Because you can bake in a mistake — but you can’t bake it out.
• 4 pieces skinned cod fillet, each 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick (about 1-1/2 lb/700 g total) • 2 green onions, minced • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro • 1 tsp puréed ginger • 1 tsp Asian sesame oil • 1/2 tsp sea salt • Freshly ground pepper to taste • 1/8 tsp cayenne Line baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with vegetable spray. Place fish on foil. In small bowl, stir together onions, garlic, cilantro, ginger, sesame oil, salt, pepper and cayenne. Rub on both sides of fish. Let sit 20 minutes. Bake in preheated 450F oven 12 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes when lightly pressed. Makes four servings.
Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com
‘From the hills and the scrapes’ From page 21 show,’” she says. “That feedback and encouragement gave me the extra spark.” Donaway says she is in the process of securing new retail opportunities, but is mindful of the amount of product she can generate at one time. Saying she could “never sell it for the time it takes” to make, she is currently preparing enough pieces to exhibit at the annual Christmas craft show in November. Steve Davis, of the Flower Studio in Rawlins Cross and at The Fairmont Hotel, says Donaway’s work is a distinctive and artful addition to the stylish homeowner’s abode. “Each piece is unique, is custom crafted and locally made,” he says. “She’s very good at what she does and they’re very creative, one-of-a-kind and modern. It’s like owning any piece of original art. It’s a conversation piece and a lot of her pieces have a certain whimsical character.” Inspired by the malleable qualities of clay and the element of surprise of
opening the kiln door after double firing each piece, Donaway says her creative muse stems from the combination of the natural and man-made world around her. She says an idea might jump off an image on television or in a magazine or just from something that could simply be used to hold a flower. But it is the choice of raw oxides Donaway uses to finish her pieces that could be the ultimate inspiration. She says the organic material produces an earthy look to her work, something that could have been “dug up from an archeology site.” Her preference for the material might hearken back to her childhood home, the resettled community of Little Harbour West. “I make a variety of things, I’m all over the place, but I’m drawn to real solid structures that don’t have a glossy finish,” she says. “Maybe it comes from Placentia Bay, from the hills and the scrapes — where the hillside is devoid of any trees and has that matte finish.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
NO ONE IS ALONE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER. Behind every person who is touched by cancer, there is a growing force fighting all types of cancer in communities eve r y w h e re. The Canadian Cancer Society is leading the way through research funding, information services, support pro g rams – and we advocate for healthy public policy. Together, we’re growing stronger. To volunteer, donate or for more information, visit cancer.ca or call 1 888 939-3333.
JULY 6, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
EVENTS
Anuna performs at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre July 4as part of Festival 500.
FRIDAY, JULY 6 • Deadline for 6th Annual FRAMED Scriptwriting Contest and Workshop Series for St. John’s and Mount Pearl youth. Submissions can be mailed to FRAMED, c/o St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, PO Box 984, St. John’s, NL A1C 5M3, e-mailed to outreach@womensfilmfestival.com, or dropped off at 155 Water Street, suite 301, St. John’s. • Abracadabra Illusion Show, Rabbittown Theatre, St. John’s, 7 p.m., until July 8. • Thomas Amusements, Peninsula Mall, Marystown, until July 8. • Festival 500, Anglican Cathedral and St. Andrews Church, St. John’s, 2 p.m., World of Music Concert, 8 p.m., www.festival500.com. • Munsch, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, 10 a.m., also playing July 8 and 14, 3 p.m. SATURDAY, JULY 7 • Earth Day Birthday Celebration with Newfoundland’s top bands, Prince Edward Plaza, George Street, St. John’s, 12-7 p.m. • Sonia Glover’s Coping with Crohn’s: The Pain and the Laughter book signing, Coles Books, Avalon Mall, St. John’s, 2-4 p.m. • Book signing by Helen Fogwill Porter, author of Finishing School, Chapters, St. John’s, 2-4 p.m. • Manuels River Watch Your Bobber Race, Manuels River Bridge, Conception Bay South, 2:30 p.m., 834-2099. • A Night to Remember, presented by the Children’s Wish Foundation, with Neil Diamond and Elvis, St. John’s Convention Centre, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., tickets available at Mile One Box Office, www.mileonecentre.com. • Fara Spence’s Black Water Born book signing/reading, Bookworm, Gander, 1-4 p.m. • Heave Away, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, 7:30 p.m., July 7, 8 and 15. • Floral Art Show, MUN Botanical Garden, Mount Scio Road, St. John’s, 12-5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., admission free. SUNDAY, JULY 8 • 2nd Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Dog Parade, Quidi Vidi Lake, bandstand, north side, 2-4 p.m., Newfoundland Dog, Labrador Retriever, and all other dog owners welcome,
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499 722-1524. • The Comedy of Errors presented by Shakespeare by the Sea, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, Sundays and Mondays, 6 p.m., July 8-Aug. 13, 743-7287. • Rats in the Walls/Cask of Amontillado presented by Shakespeare by the Sea, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, Sundays and Mondays, 8:30 p.m., July 8-Aug. 20, 743-7287. • Fairytale Mixup, a comedy for the whole family presented by Celtic Rendezvous by the Sea and Patchwork Productions, 6 p.m., 334-3341 to reserve tickets. • Samarpan Meditation Workshop, Council Chambers Room, 2nd floor University Centre, Memorial University, St. John’s, 6-7:30 p.m., free parking at Lot 16. Register at 754-1133, 722-0165 or vgadag@hotmail.com. • Festival 500 Grand Finale Concert, Mile One Centre, St. John’s, www.festival500.com. MONDAY, JULY 9 • Finding Your Purpose, lecture with Edith Lynch, 7-9 p.m., 6-week seminar, meeting once weekly until July 24. TUESDAY, JULY 10 • Fara Spence’s Black Water Born book signing/reading, Springdale Library, 2-4 p.m. • Opening of Sinatra on the Rocks, Frank Sinatra comedic tribute show with the cast of four singers/characters, The Wilds at Salmonier River, 6:30 p.m., 1-877-661-3023. • Summer Newfie Mug Up, George Street United Church, Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-4 p.m., until Aug. 23.
Nicholas Langor/ The Independent
• Pianist Angela Cheng at Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre. WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 • Fara Spence’s Black Water Born book signing/reading, Island Treasures, Corner Brook, 25 p.m., and Coles, Corner Brook, 7-9 p.m. • Thomas Amusements, Random Square Mall, Clarenville, until July 15. • Kevin Evans at Folk Night, The Ship, 9:30 p.m. THURSDAY, JULY 12 • Fara Spence’s Black Water Born book signing/reading, National Historic Site of Canada, Port au Choix, 2-4 p.m. • Canadian Blood Services Blood Donor Clinic, 3rd floor University Centre, St. John’s, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY, JULY 13 • Grease, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, 7:30 p.m., July 13-14. • Caplin lunch, George Street United Church, St. John’s, 12-1:30 p.m. • Offensive to Some, Rabbittown Theatre, corner of Linscott and Merrymeeting, 8 p.m., July 1314, 3 p.m. Sunday, 739-8220 SATURDAY, JULY 14 • Student Recital presented by Kristin Murphy, program of music for voice, MUN Petro-Canada Hall, St. John’s, 6:30 p.m. • X-posure Rocks fashion and talent show and exhibition, offering two shows at Mount Pearl Glacier, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., doors opening one hour prior to show time to view exhibit. SUNDAY, JULY 15 • Napoleon Surrenders, short ceremony to toast the health of the Queen, free sample of Newman’s Celebrated Port, Newman Wine Vaults, 436 Water Street, St. John’s, 1 p.m. www.historictrust.com. • RCMP Musical Ride, Pepsi Centre main arena, Corner Brook, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. UPCOMING EAST • St. John’s Jazz Festival, July 18-22, 739-7734, www.stjohnsjazzfestival.com. • Macbeth, punk rock take on Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, 6 p.m., July 20-Aug. 18, 7437287. • Mount Pearl City Days, July 20-22, 748-1008, www.mountpearl.ca. • Clarenville Days, July 24-25. • George Street Festival, St. John’s, July 26-31. • Summerdance Festival, Fluvarium front lawn, Pippy Park, St. John’s, July 28-29. • 1st Annual Accordian Idol, Bell Island, July 28-29, www.bellisland.net. • Royal St. John’s Regatta, August 1, www.stjohnsregatta.org. • 31st Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Bannerman Park, St. John’s, Aug. 3-5, www.nlfolk.com. • Tuckamore Festival, chamber music in Newfoundland, Aug. 6-19, St. John’s, www.tuckamorefestival.ca. • Mount Pearl/Glendale Reunion, Aug. 7-10, www.mountpearl.ca, for more information email hubert@nfld.com. • Mount Pearl Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Festival, Glacier Arena, Olympic Drive, Aug. 17-19, 748-1008, www.mountpearl.ca. • Brigus Blueberry Festival, Aug. 9-11, www.brigus.net. CENTRAL • Salmon Festival, Grand Falls-Windsor, July 1923, www.grandfallswindsor.com. • La Scie Crab Festival, local entertainment and concessions for all ages, and July 23-28. • Iron Skull Folk Festival, three-day musical event, Belleoram, July 27-29. • Gander Festival of Flight, August 1-6, www.gandercanada.com. • 2007 Flying Boat Festival International, Botwood and Norris Arm, Aug. 2-7, www.flyingboatfestival.ca. • Kids Day with children’s entertainer, activities and much more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., followed by a Kids Concert, 7 p.m., Terra Nova National Park, Aug. 4. • Botwood Day, parade, food, games, music, dance, and fireworks, Aug. 6. WEST • Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Corner
Brook, July 16-Aug. 30. • Grenfell Heritage Night, Grenfell Park, St. Anthony, July 18. • Mid Summer Viking Festival, Norstead, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, July 20-22, 623-2828. • Humber Valley Strawberry Festival, Deer Lake Powerhouse Field, July 20-22. • Firefit 2007, Stephenville Dome, July 21. • Corner Brook Day, Margaret Bowater Park, Corner Brook, July 25. • Big Hill Festival, Cox’s Cove, July 26-29, 6328815, www.bighillfestival.ca. • Stephenville Come Home Year, July 27-Aug. 4, www.stephenvillecomehomeyear. com. • Bonne Bay Annual Regatta, Woody Point, July 27-30, www.townofwoodypoint.ca. • Codroy Valley Folk Festival, Upper Ferry, July 27-29. • Humber Valley Regatta, Brake’s Cove, Corner Brook, Aug. 4. • Eastern Canadian Ball Hockey Championships, Pepsi Centre, Corner Brook, Aug. 4-6. • Hot Summer Rock Camp, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, Aug. 6-10. LABRADOR • Labrador West Regatta, day of Olympic-style rowing along with music, food and games, July 27. • Makkovik Trout Festival, Aug. 7-11. • Bakeapple Folk Festival, nightly entertainment, crafts and displays, Forteau, Aug. 9-12. • Charlottetown Shrimp Festival with traditional breakfast, boat tours, children’s games, and more, Aug. 17-18. ONGOING • East Coast Trail Group Hikes, weekends throughout summer, www.eastcoasttrail.com. • All ‘Round the Circle dinner theatre, The Collonade, 6 East Drive, Pleasantville, every Wednesday – Friday, 690-9929. • The Rooms, St. John’s, free admission Wednesday nights, 6-9 p.m., www.therooms.ca. • Family Canoeing, Power’s Pond, Mount Pearl, Wednesday evenings, 6-8 p.m., throughout summer. • Historical Walking Tours Tuesday and Friday mornings, 75 minutes, Fairmont Hotel, Cavendish Square, St. John’s, call 364-6845 for reservations, www.boyletours.com • Roller Skating, Mile One Centre, age 18 and up, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8-10 p.m. • When Larry Met Sally the girl from the bay, dinner theatre, Wednesday - Friday throughout summer, Majestic Theatre, 390 Duckworth Street, St. John’s, 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. • Basic Digital Photography Course, The Studio, 272 Water St., St. John’s, 6 Wednesday evenings, until August 15, 739-0346, www.shanekellyphotography.com. • A.N.D. Company Summer Theatre Festival, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Royal Canadian Legion, Queen Street, Grand Falls-Windsor, 6:30 p.m., until Aug. 23. • 3rd Annual Summer Activities, Cochrane Street United Church, tours, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., organ recitals, 1:15 p.m., bridge or auction, 2-4 p.m., Thursdays, until Aug. 30. • Free lunchtime outdoor concert, Murray Premises Courtyard, every Friday until Aug. 31, 12:30 p.m. • Gros Morne Theatre Festival, Main Street, Cow Head, until Sept. 15, 1-877-243-2899, www.theatrenewfoundland.com. IN THE GALLERIES • Conception Bay Museum, 1 Water Street, Harbour Grace, displaying an Amelia Earhart exhibit and film, fisheries exhibit, camera and radio equipment and antique furniture, 10 a.m.5:30 p.m. until Aug. 30. • The Battery: People of the Changing Outport, The Rooms, until Sept. 3. • Two Artists Time Forgot highlighting the work of Margaret Campbell MacPherson and Francis Jones Bannerman, The Rooms, until Sept. 3. • Brian Jungen’s Vienna, giant sculpture in the form of a pristine whale skeleton suspended from the gallery’s cathedral ceiling, The Rooms, until Sept. 16. • Finest Kind, sampling display of Newfoundland’s stories of nationhood, World War I, and life on the land and sea through artifacts, artwork, images and documents, The Rooms, until Sept. 16. • Natural Energies by Anne Meredith Barry (1931–2003), The Rooms, until Sept. 30.
JULY 6-12, 2007
What’s new in the automotive industry
FEATURED VEHICLE
MUSCLED, YET ELEGANT... AGGRESSIVE, YET REFINED The new JAGUAR XKR is truly a menacing beauty. It’s powered by an astonishing 420-hp, supercharged V8-engine is explosively fast off the line, yet precise and assured when driven at speed or required to stop. And to ensure every inch of the engine is given its due, it’s cloaked in a light, lithe — yet rigid — aluminum bodyshell, setting the XKR free to carve the air and steal your breath. In the new Jaguar XKR, luxury is found in even the smallest detail. Unique aluminum weave trim graces its dashboard, all-leather wrapped sport steering wheel, high intensity headlamps, a dash mounted 7” colour touchscreen. The new Jaguar XKR: the crown jewel In Jaguar’s already extraordinary line can be found at Global Imports, 934 Topsail Road. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Hugging Dead Man’s Bay B
y now, my friends tease me mer- John’s wrapped in a brilliant black, low, cilessly about my dream job sleek and exquisitely tear-drop shaped driving the coolest new vehicles weapon. As it switched into second gear and writing about them. there was the sweetest burble In my defence, the job from the exhaust, a note I amounts to an interview with a looked forward to on every machine wherein a relationgear shift. Meandering ship is established in a couple through the city, I shot the of hours and a distinctive peroccasional stretch of road to sonality is coaxed, and familiarize myself with the revealed. In this particular machine and garner some interview, I’d hate for sometrust. It’d be a waste to just one to surmise that any other fly out the highway; this was MARK vehicle feels like a 2008 Audi a car for the high-speed, WOOD TT Coupe. Nothing does, so twisty roads, and from what I far. Everything I’ve ever drivWOODY’S remember, the route to Cape en in my life has led me up to would present a suitWHEELS Spear this moment. able challenge. We’ll divide this story into At the base of Shea two parts: the Emotion and the Heights there’s a sharp curve below an Explanation. overpass with a steep piece of straight The Emotion: Woody falls in love. road heading up into the community. I I drove away from Bill Matthews let the Audi rip that curve in second gear Volkswagen Audi dealership in St. and that was my formal introduction to
the machine. It changed direction with feline grace and charged the hill with power to spare. I paused for a moment on the great vacant stretch adjacent to the Freshwater Bay trail, six seconds later the car was living up to its promise and fast approaching The Curve, the one hugging Dead Man’s Bay. I deftly notched the six-speed shifter back to fourth and dropped into the curve’s apex. It was a moment I’ll always remember, the sheer exhilaration of a precision instrument shredding my expectations. The burble from the exhaust called out across the valley as it hit fifth gear and scorched the other side of the hill. The road to Cape Spear was shrouded in fog for a surreal effect. I was probably only gone about 20 minutes and decided to run to the sunny side of the Avalon Peninsula. Of course, I hit that curve again, but watched my manners all the way until I reached the twisty roads overlooking Conception
Bay. Then I started using the paddleshifters on the steering wheel. You don’t have to go fast to have fun with that, just gear down to second, slip the curves and tip third on the way out. Ah, those sweet, sweet, fingertip paddle shifters. I miss them the most. The Explanation: all is revealed. Like any good structure, the foundation is crucial. The 2008 Audi TT Coupe has an aluminum front sub-frame, aluminum front-end components, and an aluminum hood. In fact, the Coupe is comprised of 69 per cent aluminum and 31 per cent steel. This gives it a distinct lightweight advantage and structural rigidity. The turbo-charged, direct injection, 200 HP, 2L motor feels a lot stronger because it propels such a light package. Oh, and the suspension system is enhanced by tiny magnets. According to demand (such as the deep-bottomed curve in Dead Man’s Bay), they are electrically charged,
increasing suspension viscosity and effectiveness within milliseconds. Unbeknownst to me, when I ran into fog, the brakes subtly and automatically engaged to wipe the brake rotors dry so they’d be at their best when I approached the curve again. The rear spoiler automatically rises at 120 kph when you most need it and retracts below that speed. Or you can press a button and use it to wave at cars you blow past. I’m sure that was what the button was for. Prologue. After returning the most precisely engineered vehicle I have ever met, I drove away in my beloved, ancient truck. It felt like a tree fort some kids built, and even then, ran out of boards. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s suffers a weekly torment of beautiful vehicles and ruthless friends.
26 • INDEPENDENTFUN
JULY 6, 2007
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Conk 4 Quebec’s official flower: blue flag ___ 8 Peter Robertson’s invention: socket-head ___ 13 Closed 17 Blvd.’s cousin 18 Nick’s Nose ___, Nfld. 19 Organizer of Montreal’s Blue Metropolis fest: Linda ___ 20 Poet Patrick 21 State of being much bigger than usual 23 Tropical palm 24 Portoferraio’s island 25 Disgusting 26 Many times 28 Horse in Honfleur 30 Sean Connery and others 32 Soars 33 Jamie Sale and David Pelletier 34 Hockey’s Gordie 35 River nymph 36 Bubbles hotly 37 Extension at right angles 38 Nfld. site with oldest fossil evidence of early multicelled life: Mistaken ___ 39 Not tactful 40 Date 43 Pair of small Indian
drums 44 Squeeze out water 45 Blood-bound bunch 46 Journals 49 “Homeward ___” 50 Wave top 51 Unfold 52 Earthenware pot 53 Barrel maker 54 Movies with many extras 55 Playground fixture 56 Horrible 57 Angler’s bait 58 Spills the beans 59 Clay and loam 60 ___-Adèle, Que. 61 Ecological community 62 Tugs 63 Duck tolling retriever 66 Sage and such 67 The Tower of ___ 68 Vivacity 69 She wrote Larry’s Party 72 Scalp secretion 73 Shyly, sort of 74 The Suez and the Panama 75 Place of worship 76 Spoken 77 Côte d’___ 78 “FBFW” pooch 80 First Parliamentary Poet Laureate: George ___ 84 “___ we forget” 85 Lady with a guitar 86 Not up yet
CHUCKLE BROS
87 French city with great view of Pyrenees 88 Microbrewery products 89 Tall and spindly (plants) 90 Weather phenomenon: El ___ 91 Short of DOWN 1 Tea ___ 2 Egg: comb. form 3 Bird with spectacular tail 4 Epileptic seizure 5 Stir up 6 Med. feeders 7 Flour used for pasta or couscous 8 Scheduled 9 Goddess of agriculture 10 Nothing in Nancy 11 And so on 12 Huge (slang) 13 Rains icily 14 Cut in two 15 Open 16 Ducks with blue wing patches 22 Short letter 27 Italian car 29 Police cry, once 30 Feminine pronoun 31 Mountain pass 32 Falls short 33 With 76D, Ont. town off Georgian Bay 35 Dynamite inventor 36 Flash on and off
38 Couples 39 Ont. peninsula with Tobermory at the tip 40 Slumbered 41 Stand in an atelier 42 Way in 43 Cessation of fighting 44 Treed area 45 Irked 46 Dawn faceoffs of yore 47 Contributions (of ideas, esp.) 48 Blazing 49 Pay to persuade 50 Rake over the ___ 52 Seafood in sand 53 Make cold 55 Slovenly ones 56 Jewish folklore figure 58 Prairies author (Children of the Day) 59 Like the areas around cities 61 Saved by the ___! 62 Sunscreen ingredient 63 ___ Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (Tomson Highway) 64 Jojoba, e.g. 65 Luba of “Air Farce” 66 “With glowing ___ ...” 67 Be unfaithful to 68 Piglet’s pop 69 Italian staircase 70 Historic hurricane
71 Occupied (2 wds.) 72 Not quite proper language
73 Set of principles 75 Highly excited 76 See 33 D
79 Decease 81 Kimono sash 82 No (slang)
83 Author Vanderhaeghe Solutions page 28
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) A perplexing situation needs to be dealt with in order to avoid problems later on. Rely on both your own sense of what’s right and the advice of someone you trust to help work it out. TAURUS (APR. 20 TO MAY 20) Let your sharp Taurean business insight guide you when considering a “dream deal.” Without all the facts, it could turn into a nightmare. Remember: Investigate before investing. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Sharing so much of your time and your gifts with others is what you do so well, and this week, don’t be surprised if others want to share with you. Enjoy the experience. You’ve earned it. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)
A difficult personal situation seems to defy efforts to resolve it. Perhaps you’re too close to it. Take some time to reassess what went wrong, and then see where things can be set right. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Leonine pride could be piqued a bit when someone else appears to be standing in your light. Be patient and resist the urge to growl at the interloper. You’ll soon be the “mane” attraction again. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) A professional situation benefits from your clear assessment of the circumstances involved. On the personal side, that new relationship looks as if it will continue to grow. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) More good news about a loved one helps reassure others who
could not share your more optimistic view before. Continue to help everyone in need of your comforting presence. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Creating new friendships could turn out to be the unexpected but welcome result of reconnecting with old friends. The weekend is a good time for fun and games. Enjoy! SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC.21) The more you learn about what you plan to do, the more likely you are to consider making some changes in your plans. This is good; don’t resist it. Instead, go with it. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) A career change is still in your aspect, but a potential workplace change could be what you’ve
been looking for. See what develops before making any drastic moves. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Your energy levels are high this week, which should help you get all your workaday tasks done and still leave you with enough breath to handle some domestic challenges. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR. 20) An unexpected fluke could cause problems with your travel plans. If so, use the time to troll for other available options, and you might be pleasantly surprised at what turns up. YOU BORN THIS WEEK: You enjoy the company of lots of people, but you can also treasure the moments shared with just one special person.
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
(c) 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
SOLUTION ON PAGE 28
INDEPENDENTSPORTS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 6-12, 2007 — PAGE 27
David Cooper (foreground) trains with Glenn Smith and Jeff Glynn for the upcoming Tour de Shore.
By John Rieti The Independent
M
otorists using the Irish Loop this weekend should be on the lookout for a pack of bikers. Except these bikers are more lean than mean, prefer spandex to leather and ride on extremely skinny tires. The Trepassey Posse, a name the cycling group came up with “on the fly,” will make the two-day, 312-kilometre ride from St. John’s to Trepassey and back this weekend (July 7-8). For cyclist Glenn Smith, the trip that began as a fun outing has become a training session for the half-Ironman triathlon scheduled for July 29 in Corner Brook, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s biggest road bike race, the Tour de Shore, planned for Sept. 1-2. “All it is for us is fun, this is not a serious ride by any means, but it will be trying certainly,” Smith tells The Independent. Dave Cooper and Jenny Harris, a cycling couple who travelled across India
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Spin cycle Road biking gaining popularity in NL
on their bikes, came up with the idea and persuaded some other members of the Nautilus Running Club to come along for the spin. Among their peloton (main pack of cyclists) is Bob Banfield, a school teacher who biked across Canada, Kevin Purchase, a bodybuilder, and Caroline McIlroy, one of the province’s best runners. “We’re basically runners at heart, but in the last few years a lot of people in our club have been adding cycling and swimming to their training … you’re more prone to injury if you don’t mix it up a little,” says Smith. The posse won’t be racing this weekend, but several members are planning to compete in this year’s Tour de Shore. The weekend warriors will be in for some stiff competition from defending champion Zachery Garland. Garland, 21, is currently living in B.C. where he is doing an engineering work term and racing semi-professionally for the Masi-Adobe team with four other See “The Southern Shore,” page 29
Minor baseball on the upswing Long-term plan should be for more minor fields to facilitate the growth
W
hen the Toronto Blue Jays ruled in the early 1990s, baseball locally was king. There were literally thousands of kids playing the game. When the Jays tumbled, and the Montreal Expos (remember them?) left town, minor baseball took a big hit. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it just about died, but it was perilously close to life support. As late as 2003, there were just 270 kids registered. That year was my first season involved with St. John’s minor, as my son began playing T-ball. This season marks his fifth year
DON POWER
Power Point playing baseball, and the prospects for minor baseball have never been better. Another aspect thrown back into baseball is fun. Imagine what a simple idea. Let the kids have fun. And it works. Yes, there are still thousands of kids playing soccer — by far the No. 1 par-
ticipatory sport in the area — but baseball’s numbers are growing, to just below 400 this year. (That just coincided with my involvement; I’m not taking any credit for that.) Steve Phillips, the minor association president, figures that a number of new initiatives the organization undertook were successful. First among them was the distribution of 7,000 application forms to all area schools. Along with that, posters were displayed at the schools. Anybody who’s involved in sports at the minor level knows that getting the
school students is the key to success. How can a child ask his parents to register him if he’s unaware of the program? More importantly, the major areas of increase were with the younger kids — novice, rookie, mosquito and pee wee. For any sports body to survive, you need more kids entering the association than leaving. “We’re definitely attracting new players in the system,” Phillips said this week. He adds 2006 saw a 37 per cent increase in new players. The number of new registrants grew to 40 per cent this
season. Baseball uses more parks every year, including Wedgewood Park and Conway Glenn, two converted softball fields. (Now there’s a comparison for you: the different fortunes of minor baseball and softball.) This past week, I had the opportunity to visit Disney’s Wide World of Sports. It’s the home base for the Atlanta Braves spring training facility. Outside of the main baseball diamond, there are four other minor fields. See “One step,” page 28
28 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
JULY 6, 2007
Tainted Bonds is now MLB marketing pariah By Rick Westhead Torstar wire service
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hank God for steroids. If Barry Bonds wasn’t cloaked in controversy over whether he’s been juiced in recent years as he edges closer to Hank Aaron’s career home run record, corporate America would be irrepressible these days. Bonds would be making appearances every few minutes on TV screens in ads for cars, soft drinks, sneakers, vacation packages and other baubles. “Americans love their ‘against all odds’ heroes,” says Toronto marketer Tony Chapman. “If Terry Fox had been American they would have honoured his achievement with a monument that would rival the Vietnam Wall or the Statue of Liberty,” Chapman says. “And if Bonds had been clean, MLB would have made it a frenzy. You can’t get better than a massive record to spark interest and attention.” But thanks to steroid allegations and his crusty persona, Bonds has become a marketing pariah. Former MasterCard vice-president Bob Cramer said last month that when a newspaper revealed Bonds had told a grand jury he unknowingly used performance-enhancing drugs, the creditcard company backed away from sponsoring Bonds’ chase of Aaron’s record of 755 home runs. Yet in a curious twist, the lack of corporate entanglement is a refreshing change. And there’s no doubt this must irk commissioner Bud Selig. Like other sports, baseball has shown little restraint when it comes to selling out to corporations. For instance, before the move was scuttled in the wake of public backlash, baseball in 2004 had agreed to emblazon spider webs on bases and home plate to promote the movie SpiderMan 2. But Major League Baseball’s sponsor and marketing division won’t be alone in feeling maligned after Bonds tomahawks his record-setting homer. Whoever catches the ball is in for a surprise. The price of history isn’t what it used to be. It’s questionable how much the record-setting ball might be fetch at
Solutions for crossword on page 26
an auction. In 1999, a New Mexico man who grabbed Aaron’s record 755th home run at old Milwaukee County Stadium in 1976 sold the ball at an auction in New York for $650,000 (all figures U.S.). The same year, Canadian comic book artist Todd McFarlane bought Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball for $3 million and later bought the ball that gave Bonds the single-season record of 73 home runs in 2001 for some $500,000. McFarlane figures No.756 might be worth half that, maybe $200,000 to $250,000. “I’d buy it as a guy stalking the big ball,” he says. McFarlane, who created the Spawn comic book series, says he and other collectors would overlook No.756 in favour of Bonds’ final home run ball. “That’s going to be the ball that matters,” McFarlane says. MILLION-DOLLAR BOUNTY When a U.S. auction house recently withdrew its $1 million bounty on Bonds’ No.756, the gallery said it did so because of safety problems. It didn’t “want a fan or a child injured or killed.” McFarlane isn’t buying it. “I think they just realized it’s not worth that much.” Still, he says the steroid hullabaloo over Bonds is overblown. “Everyone needs to get over themselves,” McFarlane says. “Just like we got over the Black Sox scandal and Ty Cobb being a bad guy. When my kids grow up, they won’t be focused on whether Bonds was on steroids.” For collectors like McFarlane, the most vexing dilemma of bidding for Bonds’ record-setting ball will be realizing the record will likely be broken in a matter of years. Alex Rodriguez, 31, has averaged some 35.7 home runs over his first 13 seasons. Bonds over the same span averaged 31.6. Rodriguez has 492 home runs and is on pace to become the youngest to reach 500. “It’s really not a long shot to predict Rodriguez will pass Bonds,” says Brian Marren, vice-president of acquisitions for Mastro Auctions, an Illinois company that sells sports memorabilia.
Solutions for sudoku on page 26
After a morning of salmon fishing in Russia, Jim Lawlor relaxes for lunch.
Paul Smith photo
The best bowl of soup ever While fishing above the Arctic Circle in Russia, Paul Smith samples a delicious reindeer dish
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hose who have read my column regularly know I love food, especially food cooked outdoors — and most especially culinary options that include wild game as the main ingredient. Soups and stews are so outdoorsy; frontier fare capable of warming both the belly and the soul. Last week I enjoyed the best bowl of soup ever. Myself and Jim Lawlor, a very dedicated salmon chaser and businessman from Nova Scotia, had fished hard all morning and hooked two fine salmon each. We had waded, walked and fished from the head waters of the river to the midway tent camp, our home away from home, on a salmon river wilder and more remote than any I’ve ever fished. Our appetites were beyond hearty, bolstered by fording vigorous currents, creeping like mountain goats along ledges and climbing up and down over endless hills. I had also taken a very cold tumble in the river. Waiting for us at the camp, set on a lovely wooden table by the side of the river, was Coke, beer, red wine and vodka — all chilled, with beads of condensing moisture rolling down the side. Have you ever been so thirsty after a long hike that you hallucinate about your favourite cold beverage? I was just about there. Even before removing our waders Jim and I downed a Coke each. Then we pulled off waders and boots and sipped some Bordeaux while lunch was prepared. I could smell soup warming inside the tent. The vapours swirled in the midday air, entered my nostrils and had me salivating at their mercy. I knew this was no ordinary soup. The cook finally emerged from the kitchen tent with the boiler. She ladled our bowls full and placed a container of cream between us. She motioned for us to put some cream in the soup and spoke something in Russian that I can only assume indicated the same. I hesitated, having never mixed cream and soup, but she seemed insistent. I complied and plopped a heaping spoon of cream into my soup and
and half atmosphere. Jim and I were sitting alongside Russian pool, a salmon PAUL SMITH hole of significant big fish notoriety, amidst swaying birch trees in a green The Rock valley oasis on the Eastern European Outdoors Arctic tundra. Looking to the east across the river, a herd of reindeer was stirred it around. A combination of dis- feeding high on the hillside moving solving and coalescing into globules along ancient paths worn deep into the occurred. My soup became cloudy and valley walls. just a little lumpy. Oh well, you know Boulders, grinded smooth and round what they say: when in Russia … and then discarded by retreating glaYes Russia. Jim and I are the only ciers littered the chaotic landscape. The anglers for the day on the Zolotaya river, glistening blue in the sunlight, River in northern Russia. Very north- forever frothing and gurgling to the sea, ern. The Zolotaya meets the sea 250 drowned all thoughts of work and busimiles north of the Artic Circle, draining ness. This soup had full points for a section of Russia’s atmosphere. Kola Peninsula. This Russians put plenty is where the Russian of stuff in their soup, Navy service docks The river, glistening some of which in the their nuclear submapresent context I rine fleet and until blue in the sunlight, couldn’t quite identirecently the area has fy. The meat I knew forever frothing and was reindeer from my been off limits to both foreigners and ordihost’s gesturing gurgling to the sea, nary Russians. towards the hills. I During the Cold identify olives, drowned all thoughts could War years this may onion, carrot, potato, have been one of the of work and business. cabbage, beet and most watched and cracked pepper. guarded places on the But whatever else This soup had full planet — a restricted was in there was cermilitary zone, to put it points for atmosphere. tainly quite approprimildly. The river is ate, blending to create about two hours via an overall exquisite helicopter east of soup experience. Murmansk, Russia’s main Atlantic Russians traditionally drink soup every access seaport and home to the biggest day, usually served in the afternoon, icebreakers in existence. and while in Russia we did as well. What the hell is a boy from the Rock Back home with the aid of the doing here? The lure of Salar knows no Internet I think I’ve identified the bounds. Zolotaya soup as a variety of the But let us return to the soup. I’ve had famous Russian borscht, a soup that some fine soup in my day but nothing always includes beet and is served with like this. The Russians are good at cream. But it’s a complicated matter — much more than making vodka and one website on the country’s cuisine building airframes. has 44 soup recipes. I’m going to My mother made beef soup to die for, attempt making some at home but my wife’s pea soup is killer and my somehow I think it won’t be quite the brother-in-law enriches each Christmas same. Eve with his moose special. Not to mention the variety of exotic soups my Paul Smith is a freelance writer and daughter, a chef in training, has served outdoor enthusiast living in Spaniard’s up. Bay. Soup appreciation for me is half taste flyfishtherock@hotmail.com
One step at a time From page 27 There are also four minor softball fields. (There was actually a minor tournament this week leading into the July 4 holiday.) It is an absolutely beautiful facility, fully lit for night play. I’m not saying St. John’s minor should make an immediate push for something like that, but top notch facilities — like the one at King George V for soccer — bring with it the top athletes. Rugby is living proof of that. Swilers is among the top facilities in town, and rugby is quickly scooping up the top athletes. But something long term should be done — perhaps jointly between baseball and softball — to build a minor facility. Let’s take it one step at a time.
GOOD OLE WRESTLING BOYS I was never much of a wrestling fan, but my son loves it. So when WWE arrived at Mile One we went. It was an entertaining night. Monday of this past week, we had the opportunity to witness, first hand, the spectacle of TNA wrestling, taping two shows for broadcast. We were at Universal, when we saw the notice for spectators to watch the event live, so we went. I have to say it was an awesome show, much better than the Mile One event. I don’t know any of the names, but the wrestlers were extremely athletic. (One guy got “hit” with a forearm and spun around completely twice before hitting the canvas. A 720-degree spin. I was with John Cooper and we just stared at each other with disbelief.)
The staging, fireworks, light show and lasers were outstanding as well. The finale of the night was an eightman tag-team. The first show TNA taped aired Thursday night on Spike TV. Another show will be shown July 12. But the best part were the fans, many of whom were local. A group of good ole boys sitting behind us were worth the cash, yelling at the ref, whistling at the women wrestlers and doing general good ole boy things. But I heard it all when two of them got into an argument over how to spell proudly. The winner — and I’m not making this up — said “P-R-O-W-D-LE-Y.” And he said it prowdley. donniep@nl.rogers.com
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 29
Who’s who at the St. John’s Regatta repairs, safety … the list is long. When I asked about his job he smiled and said “I don’t do mornings!” but eventually ’fessed up about loving to meet new people.
Amanda Hancock Catch and release The second part in rower Amanda Hancock’s six-part series leading up to the running of the 189th Royal St. John’s Regatta.
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he title of this article is not meant to offend. There are a lot of people who work hard at making Regatta Day a success and rarely get the credit they deserve. This ‘who’s who’ is not a question of popularity or ability — but it offers some recognition for two frontline individuals. POWER HOUSE Tom Power was considered a rowing legend and is still pondside every day from May to August. This is a man who resolves squabbles between crews, fixes broken oarlocks and knows every team by name. Power is a rowing icon. His 22-year rowing career started in 1962 and his triumphs are many. Perhaps the most famous came in 1981, when his crew broke the 9:13 time barrier on the men’s course. After that season, Power took a hiatus from rowing before returning for a three-year stint in the Masters division. You’ll never hear him say it, but 2007 is a landmark year. It’s Power’s 10th year as boathouse manager. His summer duties assure smooth operation of the boathouse frontline — staffing, scheduling, maintenance,
ON TOM POWER … There is no shortage of kind words about the soft-spoken boathouse hand: “It’s hard to sum up someone like Tom. The stories about how hard he trained in his day are crazy. He’s the one the songs are about. He’s a mentor and a friend,” says Samantha Power, a long-time regatta participant. Another rower, who asked not to be named, says, “Tom has watched me grow up. I’ve been rowing since Grade 8 and he’s been there every year. He’s been a huge part of my rowing experience; I value his opinion and can’t imagine the boathouse without him.” “You know you had a good spin when Tom asks if you had a good row,” adds Jon LeDrew from Exit Realty on the Rock’s 2007 team. “A hell of a guy, doin’ a hell of a job,” sums up Chris Abbott, IKM Testing. PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT The second nod goes to current Regatta Committee president, Gary Squires. As the 19th president, Squires is one of the youngest individuals to fill the position and is in the final year of his term. He’s in charge of a committee that has made a day of rowing races a part of our province’s culture for almost 200 years — talk about pressure. Having once rowed himself, there is widespread agreement that Squires puts the athletes first and has even been referred to as a participants’ president. With the input of the committee, the president is the one who ultimately decides if the weather is good enough to go ahead with the races. The hefti-
enue and general enjoyment, but Squires proceeded with the day, despite the grey skies. As a rower with a racing goal time in mind, I wouldn’t have cared less if it hailed, as long as the winds stayed low.
Tom Power
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
NOT A ONE COWBOY TOWN One sport, one boathouse — two techniques. There has been a rivalry between the slide-seat and fixed-seat sides of the boathouse forever. Squires’ term in office has led to vast improvements in this counterproductive relationship. According to slide-seat rower Adam Power, “Gary has ushered in a new era at Quidi Vidi Lake. As slide-seat becomes an increasingly important part of the rowing atmosphere, he has provided a welcoming and supportive presence to allow the sport of slideseat rowing to expand.” ON SQUIRES … “He doesn’t take any BS and everyone listens to him,” says Ron Brennan, Committee member and coxswain. “Gary has helped us achieve the best slide-seat/fixed-seat relationship there’s ever been,” adds Paul Power, provincial slide seat rowing coach. As IKM Testing’s Chris Abbott says Squires “puts things on different sides of the oar when they need to be.” Next week, a look at the St. Francis Foundation’s entries to this year’s event.
Gary Squires
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
ness of the burden has increased as more people depend on the Regatta’s financial success. The weather presents a Farmer in the Dell challenge: in St. John’s, the sun brings out the people, and the peo-
ple bring the money — but the sun usually also brings the wind. Rowers can’t row in the wind. Many thought the 2006 Regatta should have been postponed until a better day in an attempt to increase concession rev-
Amanda Hancock has been involved with fixed seat and slide seat rowing since 1995. She has won multiple regatta championships with OZFM Ladies Crew and was a member of the 2003 course record setting team. This year she will be representing O’Dea, Earle Law Offices on their Senior Women’s Team. amanda_hancock16@yahoo.ca
The Southern Shore highway challenge From page 27 cyclists. He’s gearing up for the national championships, which are scheduled for this weekend in Quebec. When asked about his chances Garland replies: “Out of five stars I’ll give myself four stars,” with a laugh. Garland first picked up a road bike in 2002 to supplement his mountain bike training, but after an Atlantic training camp and racing in a six-day, 650-kilometre Junior World Cup event at age 17 he was hooked. Since then, he has been named to the national team, competed in Italy and Switzerland, and moved to Belgium by himself for a spring just to race with the world’s best. “Belgium is like the world capital of cycling, it’s similar to hockey in Canada, all the old women know the cyclists and what’s going on,” says Garland.
Serena Williams
Reuters
Serena doesn’t leave quietly LONDON Damien Cox Sports Reporter
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here will be no more Serena Williams at Wimbledon this year, but the echos of her performances are still being heard. First came her drama queen performance after injuring her calf against Daniela Hantuchova on Monday. Then yesterday, after losing to No. 1 seeded Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, she cited her calf injury and a hand problem as reasons for withdrawing from the women’s doubles competition in which she was entered with her sister, Venus. She departed the All-England Club with some sharp comments: — On giving credit to her opponent: “Considering my circumstances, my leg, and most of all having no backhand and no shot, I think I did pretty well. I think it’s just — if I’d been healthy, I think I would have won, 100 per cent.” — On being criticized by former men’s champ Michael Stich for being “overdramatic” against Hantuchova: “My career was actually more stellar than Michael Stich’s, so he can say whatever he wants … I have never been overdramatic in my whole career.” — On whether Henin should be the favorite to win, or her sister: “The eventual Wimbledon champion I saw playing in the fourth round today (Venus), definitely.”
Currently he’s debating whether or not to turn professional. Last year he received some small offers to join teams with the incentive of free gear and travel, but he turned them down to focus on school. “This year I’m a little bit better … I’ve got offers to get a salary and take a year off school, I’m still leaning toward the school thing but that could change in a month,” says Garland. AMAZING RACE He’s positive he’ll be home to race the Tour De Shore. “It’s absolutely amazing,” he says. Garland was hoping to race against Roland Greene, a former world champion cyclist who recently moved from B.C. to Bay Bulls. However, when contacted by The Independent Greene — whose poster hangs on Garland’s wall — said he’s not racing this year, but is hoping to help out with the event. The inaugural Tour received great reviews from the 80 cyclists who competed, was
voted race of the year in Atlantic Pedaler magazine and named host of this year’s Atlantic cycling championships. The two-day, three-stage race runs from Riverhead, Harbour Grace to Ferryland; Cape Broyle to Goulds; and has a time trial on Doyle’s Road as its final event. Tour organizer Shannon Sullivan expects 200 riders this year and says the event will also give amateur riders a chance to challenge themselves on the slopes of the southern shore highway. The Celtic Business Development Corporation founded the race with the goals of promoting business in the Irish Loop area and encouraging people to make the healthy decision to ride their bikes more. Sullivan says there has already been a “significant economic spinoff” from the event as a B.C.-based cyclist is now bringing groups to the province to cycle around the Avalon Peninsula. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
30 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
JULY 6, 2007
Canada hoping Ricketts will add punch to attack By Morgan Campbell Torstar wire service
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osaint Ricketts wasn’t sure anyone even knew who he was when he first joined Canada’s under-20 team this winter. While many of his new teammates had known each other from youth soccer leagues in Ontario, Ricketts grew up in Edmonton. And while several members of the team had played for Canada before — either with the men’s team or the under-17 squad, Ricketts had just finished his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and was brand new to the national team program. Canada’s coaching staff knew enough to invite him to the squad, but the 20-year-old arrived at the team’s Florida training camp unproven and virtually unknown. Six months and five goals in six games later, Ricketts’ name and reputation are getting around. “It’s always fun making a name for yourself,” says Ricketts, who scored three goals in a June exhibition against the U.S. “People didn’t know who I was, but in the six months I’ve been here, I’ve shown I belong.” Ricketts, a 6-foot, 170-pound striker, played the final 45 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Chile, but practised with the first unit on Tuesday. Head coach Dale Mitchell hasn’t settled his lineup yet, but Ricketts may start Canada’s match against Austria tonight.
Canada currently sits last in Group A and needs at least a win and a tie in its next two matches to reach round two of the FIFA under-20 World Cup in Toronto, Ont. Chile leads the group, while Austria and Congo, who tied their match 1-1 on Monday, remain tied for second. The situation makes the stakes even higher for Ricketts, in what could be his first international match in his hometown. His teammates like that idea. “He’s frightening to defend,” says defender David Edgar, who plays with England’s Newcastle and knows a bit about frightening strikers. In his first home game at Newcastle he was given the job of shutting down Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. “I don’t like defending against (Ricketts),” he says. “So I think he’ll cause the Austrians a few problems.” But playing in Edmonton presents a dilemma for Ricketts and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, a fellow Edmontonian. Each player receives four complimentary tickets to the game, but Ricketts says at least 40 friends and relatives plan to show up. Begovic lost count of the ticket requests months ago. “You just have to tell them you can’t do anything about it, and hopefully they still come to the game,” Begovic says. Begovic went to high school with Ricketts, and played youth soccer against him, so he was among the few people in camp who knew what to expect when
Ricketts arrived in Florida in February. Other teammates soon learned what Begovic and the coaches already knew — that Ricketts’ unusual combination of size and speed make him tough to defend. Ricketts models his game after French star Thierry Henry, but his roommate, Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora-Gyan, makes him sound like a mixture of TFC forwards Danny Dichio and Jeff Cunningham. “He brings something to the game a lot of strikers don’t bring,” Attakora-Gyan says. “You can play the ball over defenders and with his speed he’ll get to the ball. He’s strong, so he can hold it up at the same time, and he’s a good finisher.” Though he stood out against NCAA competition, Ricketts didn’t know how he measured up against Canada’s best until he scrimmaged with them. Day by day, he says, his perception of his own skills shifted, and so did his priorities. By the end of the camp soccer had gone from a means to a free education to a viable career choice. Ricketts says returning to UWGB in August is now plan B, something to do just in case he can’t parlay strong play at this tournament into a pro contract overseas. “If the opportunity comes I pretty much have to take it,” he says. “(Individual goals) don’t make me change as a player. Everyone’s got to play their own roles and the team will click.”
Top: Canada's under-20 soccer team in a training session at the FIFA U-20 World Soccer Championship in Edmonton, July 3. Bottom: Zambia's Stophira Sunzu heads the ball as Spain's Jose Crespo looks on during their under-20 match in Burnaby, B.C. July 4. Reuters
Young tennis stars poised to dazzle LONDON Damien Cox Torstar wire service
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t was only a few months ago that the tennis world was wondering desperately what on earth the men’s tennis tour would do after the retirement of iconic champion Andre Agassi. Well, as it turns out, all that worry may have been for naught. Indeed, the men’s tour may be on the verge of welcoming a stunning wave of talent that could signal a new golden age for the sport. It will never be the same, surely, as when Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors were locking horns. The North American baby boomers turned to slacks, carts and the more leisurely sport of golf en masse a long time ago,
leaving tennis struggling for attention. But if talent and quality have anything to do with it, tennis may yet have better days ahead. At the top you have the superb and stylish Roger Federer. He’s not a Kobe Bryant-like lightning rod for controversy and attention, but he is Rostropovich with a racquet and is on the cover of men’s Vogue this month. He’s in the early stages of a compelling rivalry with 21-year-old Rafael Nadal of Spain, who survived an unfriendly, five-day battle with Robin Soderling of Sweden to stay alive July 4 at Wimbledon. Nadal accused Soderling of, basically, being a jerk afterwards, and the game could use a little more animosity between opponents now and then. American star Andy Roddick is still
only 24, and still the third-best player on the planet. He may have flaws in his game, but he’s coached by Connors and cuts a flamboyant swath as the hardest server in the sport. But we’ve had Federer, Nadal and Roddick, all of whom offer very different styles of play, for a little while now, right? PRIME TIME CROWD True, and tennis has enjoyed a trio of stars in years past from time to time. But the really good news now is that there are others pushing hard to join the prime-time crowd. For evidence, look no further than Serbia’s hard-charging Novak Djokovic, who like Nadal yesterday survived a match delayed over several days to defeat Nicholas Kiefer of Germany.
Djokovic, only 20 but ranked No.5 in the world, has all it takes to join the other three at the top of the sport, and soon. He leads a Serbian tennis brigade — that includes tattooed Janko Tipsarevic and female stars Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic — speaks beautiful, articulate English with a touch of humour, and carries himself like an expectant star. This week, he was asked whether, like others, he’s intimidated by Federer. “Why should I be frightened?” he responded. “If you go out there with the white flag on the court, what are you doing out there? “Federer is surely the No. 1 player in the world … but from my point of view, I really want to get to that place. That’s my goal; to be the No. 1 player
in the world. I’m really going step by step, and I’m sure my time will come.” Djokovic, who played veteran Lleyton Hewitt July 5, is a huge talent, and there’s also 21-year-old Richard Gasquet of France, 21-year-old Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, 20year-old Andy Murray of Great Britain, even enigmatic Gael Monfils, another Frenchman. All young. All hurtling towards their prime, while Federer, at 25, may yet reach his. Federer, Nadal, Roddick, Djokovic, Gasquet and Berdych were all scheduled to play this week — a great showcase for the sport. They may not all turn out to be stars or intriguing personalities. But if half do, men’s tennis is sure going to be worth watching for the next decade.
JULY 6, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 31
Blue Jays mail bag By Richard Griffin Torstar wire service
sacrifice fly. At least that makes a little bit of sense.
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have a question about the sacrifice fly and the run-scoring groundout. Why is it that with the former you are considered to be sacrificing yourself and so it is treated like a walk or a HBP (no official at bat) whereas if you ground out and get the run home you are 0 for 1? Trevor MacKay, Halifax A: Great question. That is, indeed, one of those nonsensical scoring rules. There is nothing more aggravating than a team down by five or six runs in the ninth and a guy drives a medium depth can of corn that scores a run and he is awarded a sacrifice fly, as if he was honestly giving himself up to score that run. How ridiculous that rule is can be seen in the fact that if you have a hitting streak going and you draw three walks and a sac-fly, your streak is over because the thinking is that you were swinging for a hit when you got the
Q: After watching (Alex) Rios gun down (Torii) Hunter last (week), where does he rank in the Jays best outfield arms of all time? Martin Haurilak, Toronto A: Rios does indeed have a strong throwing arm from right field, but with his three-quarters arm slot, his biggest problem, one that separates him from the best in Jays’ history, is accuracy. He throws with a consistent fade. Often you will see throws to second arrive ahead of a runner but pull the infielder away from the bag. The same with throws to the plate and on throws to cutoff men. The best two right field arms in Jays’ history may have been Jesse Barfield and Raul Mondesi, both of whom threw more over the top and were more accurate. Dave Parker, in his prime, would have ranked with the Jays’ best, but he was pretty much done when he got to Toronto. Reed Johnson
Adding Canadian spin By Chris Zelkovich Torstar wire service
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or the first time in three years, the Toronto Grand Prix broadcast will have Canadian content. The race broadcast hasn’t been produced by Canadians since 2004 and it probably won’t be in the foreseeable future. But thanks to James Hinchcliffe, there will be some Canadian flavour on the tube July 8. The Toronto native is in his second season as an analyst for Champ Car’s international feed and even he admits it’s more than a little unusual. First off, the Oakville resident has never driven a Champ Car. And did we mention he’s only 20 years old? “Am I surprised by the fact that I’m so young, have almost no experience and am still driving?” jokes Hinchcliffe, who competes in Champ Car’s developmental Atlantic series. “I guess so. I think it’s a first.” Hinchcliffe wasn’t even aware that he will be seen and heard in Canada for the first time. He and partner Jeremy Shaw normally handle the broadcast that goes to countries outside North America. The race will be seen on Global, which in recent years has picked up the CBS feed to save production costs and take advantage of simulcasting ad dollars. Since this year’s race is on ESPN, Global is taking the world feed. Hinchcliffe’s entry into television came three years ago when, at the tender age of 17, he won the Formula BMW race in Denver. One of the prizes was 10 minutes in the broadcast booth with Shaw, which led to an invitation to return for last year’s Champ Car race. Shaw says he was impressed with the young man’s maturity, knowledge and sense of humour. But Hinchcliffe admits it was no drive through the park. “The thought of doing live TV with absolutely no training scared the life out of me, but I figured I like things
has arm strength, a devastatingly quick release and accuracy and may even rank ahead of Rios, right now, given a return to good health. Q: I was wondering if you would explain to me what has happened to the Jays defence. It seems, of late, that the Jays are throwing the ball away and just not playing great defence. With guys like (John) McDonald and (Aaron) Hill and the outfield as it is (Adam Lind is not the best outfielder but he has made a few nice grabs of late), I don’t understand where the mental breakdown is coming from. Shawn Stirling, Burlington A: Although it does not seem that way, quality defence in baseball is so much a matter of communication. When you have spare parts playing every day, instead of injured regulars, there are subtleties on the field that lead to errors on the scorecard. It might be an outfielder making a throw to the wrong base, or infielders that aren’t
H e l p
apparently that scare the life out of me, so I agreed,” he says. He did well enough to be invited back, though Hinchcliffe admits it was at least as nerve-wracking as guiding a car around the track at high speeds. “The fact that it’s live is what makes it tough,” he says. “There’s a producer in one ear screaming at you while you’re trying to carry on a thought that you started and then somebody tells you there’s a commercial in three seconds so you had better wrap it up. It’s really frantic and busy, but it’s so much fun.” Hinchcliffe says the fact he’s never raced Champ Car is a disadvantage, but he does bring something to the booth because of his Formula Atlantic involvement. “I’ve usually been on that track that morning so I know what it’s like out there and where the trouble spots are,” he says. Hinchcliffe has no desire at this point to stay in the booth, though. In fact, he sees his broadcasting experience as a benefit to his on-track career. “I’m learning so much doing this,” he says. “I’ve seen how to win races and that information will be incredibly vital to me when I move up. “I believe it will help me a lot. I’m just not telling anybody.” The fact an inexperienced driver barely out of his teens is in such a position is a testament to Hinchcliffe’s abilities. But it also underlines the fact that Champ Car broadcasts are trying anything to lure viewers. Ratings for the series have fallen drastically in recent years as more and more drivers head to other disciplines. The series must pay to get on U.S. network television. In Canada, Champ Car races have also hit bottom, falling well behind NASCAR and Formula One. Even the Toronto race has suffered, with Global’s ratings off 25 per cent in the past five years.
f o r
sure who should take a throw. It might be a first baseman that isn’t as good at scooping throws in the dirt, or doesn’t make the feed to pitchers covering as well as does the regular. McDonald is a great shortstop as a backup infielder, but an average shortstop when asked to play every day. Just look at last season when he made 14 errors in 90 games at shortstop, with a mediocre .960 fielding percentage. The catching has never been a Jays strength, defensively. Matt Stairs is doing his best at first base, but is no Lyle Overbay and they miss Reed Johnson tremendously in left. The mental breakdowns come from the fact that it is an everyday game and some of these guys aren’t everyday players. Q: Do you believe the Jays still have a chance at a post-season berth? It’s a big hill to climb but if they could go on a 9-1 or 10-2 run they could be right back into it. Joey Ray, London A: The Jays are tantalizingly close to
t o d a y .
H o p e
f o r
being a decent team, but unfortunately, there are 27 outs to be recorded in every game and the mental breakdowns by the young pitchers, the shaky defence and the inconsistent bats don’t allow for a consistency that might suggest a 9-1 or 10-2 run, at this point. This Jays team unfortunately reflects the personality of flaky A.J. Burnett more than that of Roy Halladay. What other team celebrates victories that get them back to a game under .500 with a pie in the face of the game star or a Gatorade shower? What other player on the disabled list for the ninth time in seven years joins not one, but two on-field races against a trio of chili peppers then throws his arms in the air (one of them attached to an injured shoulder). The attitude in this clubhouse is to be happy with any win and to bemoan the injuries as the reason for failure. Hey, if not for the injuries, the Jays would never have discovered and utilized the talents of Shaun Marcum, Jeremy Accardo, Matt Stairs and Dustin McGowan.
t o m o r r o w . . .
Heads Up for Healthier Brains Here are 4 simple things that you can do at any age to improve your brain health and that may help reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease: 1. Challenge your Brain – give it a daily workout 2. Be Socially Active – connecting socially helps you stay connected mentally 3. Choose a Healthy Lifestyle – be active, eat well and watch your health numbers (cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure) 4. Protect your Head – use a seatbelt and wear a helmet for sports Take action for a healthier brain today. Find out more at: www.alzheimer.ca or your local Alzheimer Society
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