MetaFilter posts tagged with Newfoundland

Running the Goat

salishsea — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:19:40 -0800

In 2002 the tiny Newfoundland fishing village of Harbour Deep shut down. It was never able to survive the 1992 closure of the in-shore cod fishery. But the 350 year old history and spirit of the village has survived in the form of a dance called Running the Goat. In a brilliant radio documentary (link is an .m3u), Chris Brooks captures the stories and the sentiments about the dance and what it means for traditional culture in Newfoundland. For more on Harbour Deep, check Chris Brooks' other bits of audio, called A Map of the Sea. (And to listen to more of this brilliance, Battery Radio has their top 10 documentaries online)

We got so much power now

Lemurrhea — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:43:33 -0800

Gros Morne National Park, tucked away on the west coast of Newfoundland, has long been a getaway for both naturalists and hiking buffs.[Warning: resizes browser] A panoramic view of select locations in or near the park. In 1987, Gros Morne was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "The Park is a classic locality for understanding of earth's evolutionary history in terms of evolution of an ocean basin and evolution of a continental margin."[warning:pdf of unesco's evaluation] In addition to the earth rising from its grave, a significant portion of Newfoundland's research on all things aquatic is done at the Bonne Bay Marine Station. There is more to Gros Morne than just nature. It is home to the Trails, tales and Tunes festival and the Gros Morne Theatre Festival, among others. Recently, premier Danny Williams (prev) has proposed that a set of hydro lines running from Labrador's Lower Churchill plant could run through Gros Morne on their way to the (comparatively) heavily-populated regions of Newfoundland. Opponents are up in arms, claiming that "the national park could lose its United Nations designation as a World Heritage Site.". Premier Williams claims that rerouting the lines could cost $100 million, and wants the federal goverment to pitch in. Disclaimer: through friends & family, I probably know people involved with every business or NL group linked here. That's just how it works in small communities, I'm not shilling.

GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador

goingonit — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:49:49 -0800

Over 2,500 songs from New fou nd land (and also from away) The layout is full of terrible frames but the content is staggering. Over 700 of the songs come with video (though many of the videos are cover versions); many others have chords or MIDI; some have historical details (don't miss the story of Virtue Kean). One of the most complete catalogues of Newfoundland's living and growing musical tradition on the Internet. Some highlights: Great Big Sea Wade Hemsworth, complete with National Film Board of Canada short Stan Rogers (previously) Tons of sea shanties And of course Buddy Wasisname and the other fellers

NAFTA vs the British North America Act

Pseudology — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:18:38 -0800

NAFTA treaty may face constitutional challenge in Canada. Premier Danny Williams Of Newfoundland and Labrador, already famous for his immensely successful ABC (Anything but Conservative) campaign during the 2008 federal election, is terminating the forestry tenure of AbitibiBowater and expropriating its assets. This move came as a response to AbitibiBowater's decision to close a newspaper mill. I have reposted the Globe and Mail Article to an empty blog because soon the link will require payment to access. Original link here This is about two things. First, it's about government actually enforcing resource contracts. Lumber mills and Aluminum smelters have been closing all over Canada not because they're no longer profitable but because it became much more profitable to close the mills and sell power from the hydro plants they were only allowed to build on an implied or contractual agreement that required them to run a mill or smelter. Even written contracts haven't been enforced. Newfoundland is finally doing something to put a stop to this trend that has made resource companies buckets of money and put thousands of Canadians out of work. Secondly this is about the abuse Federal Law when it comes to international agreements. Provinces are constitutionally guarunteed the right to manage their own resources. Constitutionally, this decision cannot be interfered with by the federal government. This has been tested in the courts. But the federal government has the sole right to make international agreements. The question is, can it bind provinces to these agreements without their consent? Hypothetically it can't. But this has never been tested in the courts before. Danny Williams has unanimous popular support. If he wins this one he could probably run for Prime Minister and win by a landslide.

Lanier Phillips, survivor

hurdy gurdy girl — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:53:57 -0800

It sounds like a bad Newfie joke: the Newfoundlanders who had never seen a black person before and tried to scrub the colour off his skin. But the story is real: in 1942, Lanier Phillips was the only black survivor of the wreck of the USS Truxton off the coast of Newfoundland. Like the white survivors, he was half-dead and covered in oil when he arrived on shore, and the women nursing the survivors were puzzled when they could not clean the black colour off his skin. What happened next affected Phillips' self-perception and prompted him to push for equal treatment in the US Navy. He went on to become the first African American US SONAR technician, and continues today, at the age of 84, to speak across the US about his experience with the people of St. Lawrence. [previously]

Crash in Gander

SassHat — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:54:28 -0800

Twenty-one years ago today a plane crashed in Gander, Newfoundland. The flight carried American soldiers heading home for the holidays, returning from a mission in the Sinai. Called the worst aviation disaster on Canadian soil, the crash killed the 248 soldiers and 8 crew members aboard. On December 16th, mere days after the crash, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, to comfort the victims' families. As time passed, however, some of the families demanded answers from the US Government regarding the circumstances of the crash. In 1989, Robin Tallon, member of congress from South Carolina, assisted the families' by bringing the matter before Congress - and also sending a letter to then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (scroll down page). In 1992, a Time Magazine article addressed forensic evidence which supported the idea of an on-board explosion prior to impact, as well as the flight's connections to Iran Contra and the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. This article also discusses the book written on the crash by Les Filotas, a dissenting member of the air safety board. The question was brought forth again in 1993, with a bill introduced requesting that a commission be formed to further investigate the circumstances of the crash. As with any disaster with unanswered questions, conspiracy theories abound. To this day, many of the questions surrounding Flight 1285 remain unanswered. While the crash may never be fully explained, one certainty remains - for the families whose loved ones never came home for Christmas, the twelfth day of the twelfth month will never be forgotten.

So what happened?

Zinger — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 19:21:19 -0800

Hydrogen fuel has been discussed many times on MeFi, but I wasn't able to find a previous link to this video clip (Google Video warning) showing Jack Nicholson, circa 1978, showing off his hydrogen powered car. The accents of the broadcasters, in case you're wondering, are east coast Canadian, possibly Newfoundland.

Friends & Foes of The International Northeast Economic Region

boost ventilator — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 14:26:17 -0800

Start or stop Atlantica. [via CBC]

It's cold and wet and it isn't a dog's nose.

OmieWise — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:38:59 -0800

Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga is a Smithsonian webpage (with a pretty cool Flash intro) about the Norse in North America. Along with highlights of the exhibit, there's also an interactive map of the Viking voyages. (Although L'Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only confirmed Viking colony in N.A.). The Saga of Eric the Red contains the story of the voyages and discovery, but there are other primary sources as well. The Viking Ship Museum has information on the famous longboats that made the voyages, which were as much a matter of luck as navigation. To mark the millenium, some crazy Icelanders sailed a longboat back to Norway (NPR story).

OH! Canada

edgeways — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 22:46:49 -0800

Canada, a 13+ link whistlestop glance at something from all the provinces and territories...Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, NWT, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, PEI, Quebec, Saskatewan, Yukon. Not to mention the talk about Turks and Caicos?

readymade — Mon, 31 Dec 2001 18:07:08 -0800

The town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada is a town of 10,000 where 6600 airline passengers were diverted after the attacks of September. While hearing a radio story about it on NPR, I was moved to flubbery tears by the outpouring of camaraderie and cooperation by the townspeople and passengers. Happy New Year, Canadians, and everyone else too, after quite a tumultuous year.

Geo — Wed, 12 Dec 2001 16:55:23 -0800

100 years ago today, Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal. It was reported in Nature on Dec 19, 1901. How's that for an old link?

The first repurcussion of this achievement: legal notice to remove his equipment from Newfoundland because ATC had 2 years left in their 50 year telegraphic monopoly. Plus ça change...

Listen to a real spark gap transmission at 0200 UTC Dec 13 on 3550 KHz to relive history.