The Jack Ford Story: Newfoundland's POW in Nagasaki

This book is an account of my Great Uncle Jack's time spent as a POW in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb known as "fat boy" was dropped. It was written by Jack Fitzgerald and the interviews took place over the last couple of years and Uncle Jack is still around today.

It covers his enlistment in the Royal Air Force where he joined with the British (Newfoundland was a colony still) and was eventually stationed in Singapore. The Japanese military captured him and many others when they took over Asia and he was ultimately transferred to a prisoner of war camp in Nagasaki.

The account of his time in the camp , during the nuclear blast and his ultimate freedom is quite heart wrenching.

A must read for anyone interested in World War II history.

The Book is published by Creative Book Publishing, ISBN 1-897174-23-3. Recommend this Post

New Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland

The Newfoundland and Labrador government moved today to protect 4 species. Two of which are endangered, 1 is threatened and the other vulnerable.

The Sandy Cove Provisional Ecological Reserve has been established under the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act and the Botanical Ecological Reserve Regulations.

It will protect 4 species unique not only to the province but it is endemic only to the limestone barrens.

Species being protected:

Fernald's Braya
Braya fernaldii

Threatened


Long's Braya
Braya longii

Endangered


Barren's Willow
Salix jejuna

Endangered


Fernald's Milk vetch
Astragalus robbinsii var. fernaldii

Vulnerable

So, if you are out walking around Sandy Cove, please don't step on these plants! Not only are they endangered but now its a crime to destroy them.

It's about time. Recommend this Post

Mary Walsh's Take on a CPC Majority

As was seen and heard at the East Coast Music Awards, Mary Walsh is not fan of Harper and Co., though she does support the Progressive Conservatives from time to time.

I came across these latest comments by Ms. Walsh regarding a Harper majority.

Comments were made during an interview about her new film "Young Triffie" from the play "Young Triffie's Been Made Away With".

Walsh says she fears what might happen if Harper wins a majority government in the next federal election.

"I am not saying that it's going to be a disaster, but it's not going to be like Brian Mulroney," she says. "People are saying we've had Conservatives before, and yes, it's true, but we've never had Reform before, we've never had right-wing evangelical Christian people. We've never had real ideologues; we've had PCs, guys who were the president of the Bank of Nova Scotia."

And Harper is doing what he can to keep those caucus members quiet while he has a minority government, Walsh says.

"He's beginning to look like 33 pounds of condemned veal, isn't he?" Walsh says as Ewanuick bursts into laughter beside her. "I think that his arse getting that big is good so that he can sit on all his members so they're not allowed to speak."

That last paragraph is why I love Ms. Walsh! Plus, she nailed exactly the problem with the CPC.

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If you missed the East Coast Music Awards, here you go!



Trailer for her latest film, "Young Triffie"



www.youngtriffie.ca Recommend this Post

Taxpayers are paying for the Harper-Williams Duel

Yes you read correctly!

Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans are paying for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's battle with Ottawa! Its not the PC party of NL fighting, its the government.

Don't laugh mainlanders, you guys and gals (including me) are paying for Harpers return punch! He's fighting back as the Government of Canada not as the CPC. People from NL are paying to fight themselves! Who said the Conservatives couldn't be fun!

And who said Harper never had cash to spend on Newfoundland and Labrador? He's making the ad firms in the province richer! Where have we heard that before? Too bad yet again the taxpayers don't get a break.

Oh, and also, our Conservative Government has increased the size of our Government by 14% ! Are there even any real tories in the Conservative Party anymore? Harper's not only behaving like a Liberal but also like the NDP would if they could ever form a federal government.

Yeah. Right. Recommend this Post

Is This What Canada Stands For Now?

Text from Ad (click image to view larger)

Over three years ago, The Honourable Stephen Harper, then leader of the Opposition, made a promise to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

He promised: "We will remove non-renewable natural resource revenues from the equalization formula".

He also sent the people of Newfoundland and Labrador a pamphlet in the mail.

He said, "There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept." he said, "No small print. No excuses, No caps."

He said it as boldly as you see it here. That's what he said. That was his promise.

On the 19th of March 2007, in his second budget, The Right Honourable Stephen harper, Prime Minister, broke that promise.

It was a promise that he made in the pamphlet. He stood on two election platforms and said it to our faces. He wrote it in letters over and over again. It was a simple, unequivocal promise.

And he broke it.

"There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept"
-Gaelic Proverb

Which leaves us with a simple, unequivocal question.

Where does that leave us? Not just us, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, but us - we - the people of Canada?

Because if we can't accept at face value the promise of our prime Minister, then who can?

Can the people of the Atlantic provinces? Or Saskatchewan? Or, yes, even the peoples of British Columbia and Alberta? Because all of you have had promises made to you of one sort or another and all of you should now be asking what those promises are worth.

A promise made should be a promise kept. And as Mr. Harper pointed out, there is no greater fraud than a promise not kept.

And when our Prime Minister won't keep a promise as simple as the one he made to us, it's not just the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that lose.

We all Lose.

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Thought it would be interesting if everyone saw this who does not buy newspapers. Recommend this Post