Week 12

Provincial Budget released Tuesday, Dunderdale Government agrees: no consultation needed

Leaf’s fans say “We’re really all about being passionate......about golf and financials”

Study shows: “ageing is key factor in average death”

Newfoundland and Labradors Federal NDP Party Wins by A landslides, Newfoundlanders agree will vote conservative in upcoming provincial election

Study shows: Woman agree, Men are the source of the world’s problems

Week 11

James Joyce’s Araby is similar to his Eveline in many way but yet each is unique it is own way. First, both stories begin with a person looking out the window into a Dublin Neighbourhood. Each story describes the neighbourhood, and both neighbourhoods have mostly brown houses. Each of the Characters talks about people who had died. The girl talks about her brother, mother and Tizzie Dunn who have died, and the boy talks about the priest, who was a tenant, who died in their back drawing room.  They also both describe scenes in which they played in the streets surrounding their house, and tried to avoid their guardians who would try to send them inside. Both characters, comment on their infatuation with a connotation that it was foolish.

Another similarity, is both character describe their work, the boy assists his aunt in running errands and carrying parcels for her, and, the girl,  describes her time working in a stores in a market for a lady called Mrs. Hill.  The boy and the girl both have struggles with money, and more specifically getting money from their uncle and father, respectively, on Saturday.

In the end, both the girl and the boy had both had doubts about what they had set out to do. The boy does not get the gift for Mangan sister, and the girl does not leave home for South America. i.e. they both have an epiphany which changes their frame of thinking. It is also worth noting that they both had their epiphany after they had taken train rides, but before they are about to do what they intended to do when they got to their definition.

An Island Description

Prose writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, often succeeds or fails on description.  The ability to accurately, evocatively, and memorably describe something is important to novelists, journalists, and office managers alike.  Your journal activity this week is to practice descriptive writing.  Choose a person, a place or a thing that you want to describe.  It can be anything.  If you're having trouble thinking of something to describe, describe the room you are in as you write.

1. Write a florid description.  In one paragraph, describe your subject in as much detail as you can.  Use every adjective or descriptive phrase you can think of.  Over-write.

Fair Island is a relatively small island in North Eastern Newfoundland located in a large bay. Fair island is longer from its southwestern tip to its north eastern tip than it is wide. It shaped like an upside down letter Y when looking at a map. Fair Island is about 2 km’s long from its south western point to its north eastern point, and is 750 meters wide. The western side of Fair Island is dotted from north to south with cabins 50 cabins in array of different colors from white to green to red to blue. Some of the cabins are well taken care of a have modern vinyl siding, but others are a reminiscence of 100-150 years old house and in bad state of repairs as of 2013. Across the channel or tickle about 400 meters to the west is another island half as small again, but runs parallel and symmetrical for a distance of 1 Km with Fair island and this island is called Paul’s island and has a lone remaining cabin on is south eastern side about 300 metres in the channel. To the west of Fair Island is a large north Atlantic bay scattered with Islands and well protected from the harshness of open waters. Fair Island is the most easterly Island in the bay before hitting open waters. The cabins on Fair islands situated on the western side are protected by a hill with a gradual slope of 1:10 ft ratio of rise to run which rises to a maximum height of approximately 250-300 feet above sea level. The hill protects the cabins from exposed harshness of the open North Atlantic on the eastern side of the island

2. Write a stark description.  In one paragraph, describe the same subject using as few adjective or descriptive phrases as you can while still getting across what the subject is and what it is like.  Under-write.

An island in Newfoundland with cabins on it. Some are cabins old and some new. The island is longer than it is wide but less than 2 km wide. There is a smaller island across the channel running parallel on one side and the other side is exposed to the open Atlantic.

3. In as many paragraphs as you like, describe the subject a third time, being as florid or as stark as you like.

Describing Fair Island in the summer, Fair Island is an island in North Eastern Newfoundland which is 2 km long , shaped like an upside down Y on a map and 750 metres wide. The west side of the island is lined from north to south with cabin in a wide assortment of colors ranging from white, blue, red, green and more. Some of the cabins are modernized as of 2013, but some are over a century old and in bad state of repairs. These older cabins were built in wooden instead of the popular modern vinyl, and a few old cabins and stage have old paint which is well weathered and worn from decades of the north Atlantic storms in some spots the bare wood can be seen. In other spots, the paint is just faded. Some of the cabins are well attended to with mowed and manicured laws, and others host grass taller than the average person. Accompanying the cabins, stages are like boathouses which line the western shore of this small island. The stages are like a shed for fishermen on the water, and coming out from the door of each stage is the owners wharf or dock where their boat is tied off.  From the western shore, the hill gradually climbs to approximate 300 over 750 metres of land to the summit of the Island where a large boulder sits on the horizon as if it fell out of the sky. The hill is grassy with small 10 ft cliffs jutting out in random places and small boulders scatter the hill side. In contrast, the eastern side  and southern sides of the island have sheer cliffs which drop 200 or more feet into the ocean. Across the channel on the western side is a smaller island that runs parallel with Fair Island. 200 metres up from the western shore runs a main road i.e. foot path which runs north and south along the island. In the middle of the main road lies the concrete foundation of what use to be a school one time before Newfoundland had joined confederation in 1949. South of the school is lies two hand dug wells where people use to get their water on is on the main road and another slightly more west downhill below the main road. 500 metres south down the main road there is a fork which goes east or continues south. The eastern fork remains fairly level and goes around the base of a cliff through boggy land to a cleared perfectly rectangle black bog patch with no grass. This was once used as a skating rink for hockey in the winter months on Fair Island. Continuing south on the path which eventually leads sharply up hill and slightly to the east to a relatively flat plateau on the southern part of the island which over looks the vast and open ocean as far as the eye can see. The next land mass from here is Ireland. After getting to the plateau, there lies a grave yard in the trees slightly protected. In the graveyard are headstones which date back to the early 1800s, and many are so faded the encryptions on them have long faded. The grass in the graveyard is over grown in the years since the people have left their island home.

4. Think about how many details and how many adjectives work best and why.  Your answer says something personal about the kind of writer you are, but also gives you some insight into what makes a good writer good and what makes a bad writer bad.  You don't have to write your reflections down, but feel free to if you wish to do so.

Outline for "Deadmen's Path" by Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe’s “Deadmen’s Path” is a story about why change should not be militant, but instead be change should be gradual in an attempt to keep the peace with others who hold opposing views.

1.        Michael Obi is a progressive and enthusiastic young headmaster who has no respect for the elder generation or “old ways”

a.       “He was out spoken in his condemnation of the narrow views of these older and often less-educated ones.” (269)

b.       Michael Obi’s believes the views of the older ones are narrow, but his unwillingness to accommodate them and co exist shows that Michael Obi’s views are narrow themselves.

2.        In the end, Michael militant and rigid values are counter-productive to making his dreams a reality.

a.        “The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right round the school, the flowers trampled to death and one of the school buildings pulled down....That day, the white supervisor came to inspect the school and wrote a nasty report on the state of the premises but more seriously about the “tribal –war situation developing between the school and the village , arising in part from the misguided zeal of the new headmaster” (271)

b.      Not only did Michaels progressive get destroy because of his militant attitude toward change, but he also lost support from the Government Education Officer, and the towns people.

3.        Michael had the opportunity to avoid the destruction of his progressive if he could compromise.

a.        “Let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch” (270)

b.        Mr Obi is blatantly rude to the village priest of Ani because the priest values are contrary to Mr Obi’s own. 

Outline for: Boys and Girls

“Boys and Girls”  by Alice Munro encourages rebellion against societal stereotype regardless of success or failure.

1  1.The female narrator works with her father in the fox pens despite her mother desiring her to be in the kitchen.

a.       “It seemed to me that work in the house was endless, dreary, and peculiarly depressing; work done out of doors, and in my father's service, was ritualistically important.  I wheeled the tank up to the barn, where it was kept, and I heard my mother saying. "Wait till Laird gets a little bigger, then you'll have a real help." “

b.      The female narrator is rebelling against traditional gender sterotypes for woman by taking stereotypically male roles

2.The two horses in the story Mack and Flora symbolic represent laird and the female narrator. The  horse named mack represents Laird and the horse named flora represents the female narrator herself.

a.       : “Mack was an old black workhorse, sooty and indifferent. Flora was a sorrel mare, a driver. We took them both out in the cutter. Mack was slow and easy to handle. Flora was given to fits of violent alarm, veering at cars and even at other horses”

b.      The horses represent her and laird. Laird is the male horse who is easy to handle and indifferent which means he is willing to accept the role others impose on him. However, the female narrator is Flora representative of the narrator who does not accept the role other decide for her, but instead feisty and tries to defy the role imposed on her in exchange for a role self determined.

3.  The narrator lets the horse get away through the gate even though she knows that the her father and Bailey will probably track down the horse and kill her anyways

a.       “Instead of shutting the gate, I opened it as wide as I could.”

b.      The narrator releases the horse because the horse represents rebellion against the role of death that masses i.e. her father, Bailey and laird have decided for the horse. Her father, Bailey and Laird are representative of society, and they represent society imposing stereotypical roles onto a minority group of individuals. 

Muskrat Falls (Lower Churchill): A Qualitative Analysis

The Muskrat Falls Hydro Electric project has much strength and possibly even more weaknesses. The major strengths of the project come from its ability to provide electricity independently to Newfoundland and Labrador into the future. This is important because the ability of the NL economy to grow is dependent upon its ability to provide electricity to NL. There are concerns of consumer protection, and rising electricity costs, but this is probably inevitable regardless of whether this project goes ahead. However, when we look at the big picture without looking at the numbers, not slowing economy growth should trump raising electricity bills because the tax revenue generated from the investment in heavily electricity consuming industry such as mining should outweigh the cost of the to the consumers through higher electricity bills. This is true because the same consumers which will pay more on their electricity will also be receiving benefits through the additional tax revenue (from companies which require this electricity) they will receive these benefits through government expenditure (health care, road work, pensions, and many other social services) of the tax money derived from companies who need this energy. Next, there is potential to sell energy to Nova Scotia through the submersed lines to Cape Breton, and Nova Scotia’s Emera has the potential to sell it to New England and other provinces. There is also strength in the jobs created directly and indirectly through spin off companies such as mining companies in Labrador. For example, I have read of at least two rare earth companies waiting to start production in Labrador but cannot get power they need. We should consider not only the direct jobs and project but the indirect jobs that depend upon this energy. So, 3000 jobs for the project is not as relevant, but the projects from growth in the economy could be. There is strength in not having to buy power from Hydro Quebec because they have proven to have little ethic or decency in doing business in the past, so having an alternative supplier independent of Quebec Hydro is a strength to this power.

The weaknesses of this project are numerous as well. First, Quebec is building a competing generation station according to the financial post “Hydro-Québec is constructing a comparable hydroelectric complex on the Romaine River, 350 kilometres closer to southern markets.” And this project is supposed to be cost less then the Muskrat falls. Next, there are legal concerns with the Muskrat falls project because of its location downriver from Upper Churchill Falls in which Hydro Quebec has a 34.2 % equity position. Because the water for Muskrat falls is dependent upon cooperation from the existing Churchill Falls generating station. Next, Nalcor PC government under Dunderdale have gone to great lengths to expedite the Muskrat Falls project by changing public access to information laws, and by refusing to allow an extended review from Newfoundland’s Public Utilities board which is suppose to protect consumers. There is also weakness in the fact that Muskrat falls line to Cape Breton and its export markets is not certain because it is conditional on approval from Nova Soctia’s Public utilitys board. In addition, there are no known/public contracted buyers for electricity in Labrador for electricity, and some analysts believe that there won’t be many buyers with the costs the project because Muskrat will have to charge too high of a rate. Also, as of now, Nalcor seems to be proceeding without a water contract with Upper Chuchill.

Newfoundland and Labrador residences should have concerns with this project. They should ask:

1.      Is there sufficient demand for the supply that Muskrat falls will create?

2.      Is NL’s economic growth dependent upon obtaining additional electricity sources?

3.      Looking beyond just the project, will this project produce more revenue to NL economy and government than it will cost?

4.      Why is the Dunderdales current PC Government deny access to information to the residences? Is this purely strategic and business move in the best interest of Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans? Or , is this a violation of our democracy and the government has gone to far?

5.      Are the benefits from the tax revenue the province and its residence receiving from the projects and future business venture dependent upon the electricity worth the increase in NL’s electricity bills?

6.      What are our alternatives? Keeping in mind the 500 million already invested.

I I believe that Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans should be asking these questions, but they need to keep the big picture in mind and realize that our economy is dependent upon supplying it with electricity to operate. We need to be reasonable and ask ourselves why we are doing this project? Does it make economic sense? Or, are we just trying to spite Hydro Quebec? And, if it doesn’t make economic sense we should support pulling the plug before we have invested to deeply. Also, we should look forward to the Gull Island Generating station, and if this is a bad business decision we can still stop this from going forward because it is going to generated over twice as much energy. Lastly, we should realize that there has to be a balance between our ability to do business and our democratic right to information, and consumer protection. We should ask ourselves: does Newfoundland and Labrador have too much public information and consumer protection which is slowing our business or is the government seriously violating our democratic right and not protecting NL residences.

Some additional resources:

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/n-l-to-proceed-with-7-5b-muskrat-falls-hydroelectric-project-1.1082010#ixzz2MJS2s514

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/12/18/muskrat-folly/

Gull Island :

http://www.nalcorenergy.com/images/Phase-2-Map.jpg

(We should seriously consider the viability of this project)