FLATULENCE EXPOSED

Flatulence is the topic of many a discussion, or debate, over the holiday season.

A study out of Australia has concluded that women have more sulphuric gas and were judged to have more potent odour. Yet women complain more about a partner's flatulence and are more apt to bring partners to a gastroenterologist.

A great story this morning on the CTV News Website looks at the science of flatus and unravels much of what is known about flatulence .

The fact of the matter is that we have artificial hearts, we can clone sheep, but there is very little that medical science knows about reducing levels of natural gas production in the human body.

THURN & TAXIS

A couple of bottles of red wine, good food, howling winds, drifting snow and a new board game. Just the way I like to spend a Friday night with good friends.

Lynette and Ken introduced us to Thurn and Taxis last night. They got the game as a Christmas present last year and only got around to learning how to play recently.

It is a 2-4 player game that takes about 45 minutes to finish. Players build post office routes across Bavaria and collect bonus points in a bunch of neat ways.

It is a bit like Ticket to Ride but lacks the player interaction which is not bad because there is nothing cutthroat about the game. There is no blocking routes and the board is open to everyone. It is really all about nerve and timing. When to trade in those sets. The end sort of just creeps up on yea.

It is a well designed game. The concept of postal routes may not sound glamorous and the cards could be a little larger. That said it is a great gateway game and is a lot of fun.

I have seen it at Downtown Comics on Duckworth Street, which I hear is offering 25% off games in January.

OPTIMISTIC YEAR END REPORT

Premier Danny Williams sounds and looks like a self-improvement guru in his year end interview with The Telegram.

He reflects on where we are at, our potential and his leadership. A few notable quotes:

"We’re really the centre of the universe, from my perspective,”

"We’ve got lots of great projects on the hopper,” Williams says. “Even if we get 50 per cent or 60 per cent of them, we’ll do well.”

“I see us positioned as an energy warehouse, which is something I said a couple of years ago, and I think that will happen because of our oil and our gas and our wind and hydro and our uranium.”

“If I get to the point where I’ve outlived my usefulness or my approach is no longer the right approach here, then I will move on,” he says. “I’ll stay here as long as I can be value-added.”

ON THE COVER OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND HERALD

I do not buy the Newfoundland Herald every week like I used to growing up outside the overpass. The Herald delivery person had a captive audience while I faced a hit or miss crowd delivering the Southern Gazette around the Harbour and into Jacques Fontaine. TV Topics was a featherweight.

It seems I forgot about all the good stuff that lies between the covers of this weekly magazine, great articles on Newfoundland entertainment, politics and history. It is well put together and offers good provincial coverage.

In this week's edition, Kevin Kelly interviews interim Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones and NDP Leader Lorraine Michaels. The article offers some insight into where the opposition parties are heading as they pick up the pieces following the disastrous campaigns of 2007.

ANY MUMMERS ALLOWED IN?

Christmas was a magical time growing up in the little outport of St. Bernard’s. Beyond midnight mass, music and presents there was the tradition of mummering which made the period from Boxing Day until old Christmas Day a heck of a lot of fun.

As a kid I enjoyed the chocolates and purity syrup that you would get served in most houses as they tried to figure who you be. As you got into your teenage years mummering presented the opportunity to score a few drinks of home brew, alcohol or a scattered drink of rum.

Dressing up and making the rounds from house to house was a grand bit of fun which I miss a great deal.

I noticed yesterday in the Western Star that the seminal song about mummering has just turned 25. A lot has changed in those 25 years since Bud Davidge and Sim Savory recorded what was to become a Newfoundland and Labrador classic. “Any Mummers Allowed In,” or as it is properly known, “The Mummers Song,” has spawned children's books, a Land and Sea Christmas classic, art and dozens of stories.

For me the song has a special place because it was depicts real scenes from my youth. This is how we folks in the outports in Fortune Bay celebrated our Christmas. They were genuine fun times. From the heat enough to drive you out of the kitchens, the scuff to earn a drink, to the mess you left behind. It was all real. It is more than enough to make you a little nostalgic for times gone by.

IS YOUR TV TOXIC WASTE?

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about the changes occurring in the television production industry and the impact competition was having on companies like Sony. This got me to thinking about the environmental impact of discarding all these old televisions. I had read a few articles about the impact of old computers and monitors on land fills. Televisions had a lot of lead in them to protect us poor viewers from the radiation they emitted. I guess mom and dad were right about the dangers of getting to close to the TV.

Yesterday's Globe & Mail answered my questions right on cue. An article in Report On Business examined the logistical and environmental challenges of dealing with all of those old tube base TVs that are now out the door to make room for LCDs and plasmas.

Believe it or not, your old television has the potential to become toxic waste because of the lead and mercury found inside it. Some are shipped to third world countries for scrapping, others are scrapped in Canada. One fact remains, televisions are being made 600 times faster than the old ones can be dismantled!

Check out this article

ANOTHER SHOWDOWN LOOMS

It has all the makings of a good episode of Westwood, but with the ratings of 24. An early election year showdown between Harper and Williams is in the making.

Now there does appear to be a nagging flashback to a drama in a Christmas past when the Canadian flag got hauled down and we had to wait for the New Year to see how the cliffhanger would end.

I would not be in any rush to fire the scriptwriter for lack of originality; let's face it, the viewers are tuning in and ratings are at an all time high.

This time high noon arrives on January 11th. That is the date of the next first ministers' meeting. It is also the deadline for Prime Minister Harper to provide the Premier with Ottawa's solution to the TEN BILLION shortfall that the province will see as a result of the broken Harper election promises and the new equalization program that was forced on us in last year's federal budget.

VOCM is quoting the premier as saying that if the province is not paid that money, his "Anybody But Conservative" campaign is back on.

It still remains to be seen just who will be strapping on side irons with the Premier's gang if the ABC campaign is a go.

SOME GOOD ADVICE. PR 101

In a letter to the editor in today's The Telegram Mark Grabowski, a communications professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey, offers some advice to the Premier and his communications staff on their handling of journalists in this province. The letter is in reaction to a post by Geoff Meeker on his Meeker on the Media weblog regarding an e-mail exchange between Elizabeth Matthews, the Premier's Director of Communication, and journalist Craig Westcott.

First of all it is good advice for anyone who is working with the media. Second, way to go Mr. Meeker - your reach is far and wide!

CHRISTMAS BOARD GAMES

Lots of new games in the Whittle household this Christmas.

Santa brought the Marvel edition of Heroscape for Dad and Aidan. Speaking of Marvel, I gave Aidan a Marvel chess set. Liam and Aidan have been battling it out on my new chess table. Hulk and Magneto make cool rooks while The Kingpin and Captain America go head to head as the kings. Chess was never this much fun when I was a kid. This is going to be a hit when my chess class reconvenes in the new year at Virginia Park Elementary.

Let's see. Santa brought me the latest Carcassonne expansion – Abbey and the Mayor; a Wizkids pocket model Pirate Board Game; some new cards from the Spanish Main and The Barbary Coast; and The Settlers Of Catan expansion Knights and Cities.

Kristine gave me a wicked new chess table and a very nice new chess set to use on it. A very thoughtful and much appreciated gift.

If you like gaming, touch base. I am always looking for a game.

LEGO, THE PIGMAN AND I

If there was a dominant toy in my household this Christmas it was Lego. I have been a fan of Lego since childhood. After a hiatus of a couple of decades, like Paul Zindel’s Pigman I am enjoying a toy renaissance with my 3 boys.

The best part of Lego is the hours and hours of time spent building, taking things apart, rebuilding and creating in an environment where the options are nearly endless and my kids' imaginations are expanded daily. It is always fun to see what new creation Liam has build with pride and excitement.

Lego offers a huge variety of sets from popular movies, sports and historical themes to plain everyday things. The boys - ages 8, 5 and 4 - are able, with some assistance, to construct most sets on their own. They come labeled with suggested ages. The large variety makes it simple to find something interesting and fun for all age levels.

Some of these sets can be huge, some smaller. Most are priced fairly moderately. Larger sets can be expensive and often require some help from mom and dad which is fun for me because it gives us a chance to work together.

We have begun to organize sets and store instruction manuals for future rebuilds. Losing small pieces can make it virtually impossible to replicate the projects according to the instructions.

Legos will be a big part of our toy room for many years to come. Not to mention the Lego Star Wars Adventure Wii game that Nanny Whittle gave the boys for Christmas. All nine movies recreated in Lego.

My family loves legos and I love anything that is fun, challenging and promotes creativity in my children.

INFORMAL CABIN COMMUNITIES PRESENT CHALLENGES TO MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE

We have heard a great deal about the future impact of Newfoundland and Labrador’s aging population on the delivery of essential services in rural areas. An issue which I have been watching closely is the development of retirement communities in what used to be cottage country across the province. As people retire, more and more are making their summer homes their permanent homes.

This has the potential to become quite a mess for government as livyers start demanding more services like snow clearing, garbage collection, water and sewer and fire fighting in non-incorporated areas.

As well there is the issue of tax grabs. Local municipalities and local service districts are making plays for larger development and control zones in an attempt to levy service fees on cabin owners.

It might also impact voter registration. Where is home, what district will people cast their votes in. Will those being taxed be allowed to vote in more than one municipality?

During the 2006 by-election in Placentia – St. Mary’s District the issue was pushed to the front burner when cabin owners fought plans to create a local service district, which would have formalized a fee structure for cabin owners in the area. Full-time residents, or near full time residents, were at odds with cabin owners over the provision of year long garbage collection, snow clearing and road maintenance. Cabin owners felt left out of the process because they did not have a vote yet they were expected to pay fees all year long.

In yesterday's Western Star, Cliff Wells reported on a situation developing on the West Coast in the informal community of Boom Siding. The Town of Pasadena has asked the provincial government to extend the town's boundaries. The new area would include Boom Siding. Cabin owners in the area are not pleased with the potential of being forced to pay municipal taxes for services they do not require.

This issue of shifting populations to unincorporated areas has some fairly thorny policy considerations for the future. I predict there will be many more Boom Sidings, Gull Ponds, Pinch Gut Lakes and Ocean Ponds in the not-too-distant future

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

Rear projection televisions are joining the 8-track, the VHS, the typewriter and the TRS-80 in the dust bin of technology. Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp announced yesterday that it is dropping its rear projection TV business worldwide.

LCDs, PDP and OLEDs are the way of the future and with competition heating up Sony wants to focus on where the market is heading. Japanese electronics makers are forging partnerships to compete globally. Sony has an alliance with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in LCDs.

Last week Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, Hitachi, and Canon announced a strategic partnership. Sharp Corp., another major Japanese LCD maker, formed a partnership with Toshiba Corp. last week. Under the deal, Toshiba will buy LCD panels from Sharp for its TVs.

Earlier this month, Sony began selling a small 11 inch TV that uses a new but expensive flat-panel technology called OLED. Sony's XEL-1 measures just 3 millimetres, or 0.12 inches, thick and delivers clear, vivid images.

Diving LCD prices are evident in this year's Boxing Day sales which feature rock bottom prices for big screen lCD and PDP units from all major television makers.

Just for the record. I remember paying over $1000 for my first VCR.

DANNY - NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR

CAUTION: Ed Hollett...do not read this post. It may cause pulling of your hair from its roots, high blood pressure and a shortened lifespan for your computer monitor......

Jim Meek of the Halifax Chronicle Herald has declared Premier Williams the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year. He says, "Sure, 'Danny' is two parts bully, three parts bombast, and all parts brilliant. And he’s hard to figure out from day to day. But he’s proved that he knows not only how to fight, but how to win."

Check out the entire article:

P.S. I don't write it, just comment on it!

N.L. braces for prosperous future - and consequences that come with it

Continuing with my earlier comments on the impact of the oil boom on Newfoundland and Labrador society is this article from the Canadian Press entitled "N.L. braces for prosperous future - and consequences that come with it".

Coinciding with this story is an article on VOCM News quoting interim Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones as saying that the provincial government "has to get the unemployment rates under control." I am looking at the Liberal Party website for details on their plan to combat this unemployment issue but it seems to be under construction.

WILL THERE BE A MULRONEY INQUIRY?

Is Prime Minister Harper about to flop on his promised public inquiry into the dealings of Mulroney and Schrieber ?

On November 13th, the Toronto Star said "in a stunning turnaround, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has agreed to a public inquiry into the business dealings of Brian Mulroney, and Canada's New Government appointed an independent advisor with the mandate of providing advice on the structure, terms and mandate of a public inquiry."

In the Christmas rush I missed an article this past weekend that indicates that the Prime Minister has changed his mind, as well as the mandate of the independent advisor. In a series of year-end interviews he says that advisor David Johnston can reject the inquiry route. This is new; as stated above, the parameters of a public inquiry was the original mandate. No ifs, perhaps or maybes.

All Canadians know for sure from the House of Commons Ethics Committee Hearings is that Mulroney accepted the first of three large cash installments — he says $75,000, Schreiber says $100,000 — a month after Mulroney stepped down as prime minister in June 1993. It took Mulroney six years to declare the income and even then, only after Schreiber was charged with influence peddling.

The original deadline for providing an options paper to the PM is January 11th.

BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The other side of the oil boom is starting to rear its head. In the wake of newfound prosperity, the gulf between have and have-not in our own province continues to grow.

There is an enlightening story in today’s Telegram that looks at the future demand for affordable housing in the City of St. John’s. A few years ago, I listened to a speaker from Dublin at a seminar put on by the Irish-Newfoundland Association discuss the impact of Ireland’s newfound prosperity on housing costs in that city. The cost of new home ownership was becoming unattainable for most people.

St. John’s City Councilor Shannie Duff is the chair of the Planning and Housing committee. In the Telegram, she talks about the results of the City’s affordable housing study and the challenges ahead.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation has made significant investments over the past few years in their subsidized housing, thanks to generous allocations in provincial budgets. As well, the city invested something like $6 million this year in its properties.

It is great to see progressive planning in preparation for these future challenges instead of band-aid solutions when the problems develop. A society is judged by how best it helps those in the greatest need.

WINTER STORM CEMENTS PLANS

It looks like another winter storm is on route. It is currently socking it to the Maritimes and is expected to hit the island portion of the province tonight.

Kris and I have been trying to work out the logistics of spending a few days of our Christmas holidays in St. Bernard’s with my parents. New Year's was looking like an option but the hassle of packing up the three boys and the hustle and bustle make a trip down home for a few days more of an aggravation than a holiday.

Mom and Dad surprised us yesterday afternoon. They made the trip in to St. John’s on Boxing Day. Liam, Aidan and Conor were delighted! My brother Mike and his wife Michelle came over and we had a real nice family evening. The Mormon missionaries that I recently befriended joined us as well. No, I am not converting.

The storm has brought my parents' visit to a quick conclusion. They are heading back down the Burin Peninsula tonight instead of Saturday to beat the bad weather. Since having kids, the long drive down the barren stretch of road from Goobies to St. Bernard’s is not something I look forward to when the winds kick up and whiteout conditions are prevalent

It was really Christmassy here last night and I am sorry to see them go. Their visit and the storm means we are staying put in St. John’s for the holidays. Let it snow! A blinding blizzard, a raging fire, lots of food and drink, a stack of new books and lots of new Lego. What more could one ask for!

THE BOXING DAY GROUNDHOG AND THE ECONOMY IN 2008

The Boxing Day sales are in full bloom in St. John's today. The malls, the big-box stores and the Canadian Tire parking lots are crammed with bargain hunters looking for that great buy of the year. I would like to think that people are spent out by now and that the only folks lining up to part with their money are using Christmas cash and gift cards.

We have a rule about Boxing Day sales. No credit cards. Cash and gift cards only. That said, I had hoped my wife was shopped out but like the little energizer shopping bunny she is out on the prowl.

There is a story in this morning's Globe and Mail about what Boxing Day sales mean to those that analyze the economy. It would seem that the groundhog and boxing day shoppers have something in common: they both predict the future. Lots of Boxing Day commerce means lots of consumer confidence and a robust economy. Slow sales, and people are worried and the economy could be slowing down.

The good news is, sales are up despite predications of a drop-off. Looks like the economic groundhog saw his shadow.

BENAZIR BHUTTO ASSASINATED

Disturbing news from Pakistan this morning. Media reports quote the husband of Benazir Bhutto as confirming that his wife has died from gunshot wounds received in a suicide attack at a political rally.

The suicide attack involved a bomber who detonated a bomb that killed at least 14 others. At this point it is unclear where the bullet that killed Bhutto came from. Her father, and the father of Pakistan People’s Party, Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto, was hanged at the gallows under a military regime, and her two brothers Shahnawaz and Murtaza Bhutto died in suspicious circumstances.

Just who is responsible will be subject of much debate. Part of the Pakistani Army is moderate and Western-looking in an old-fashioned way -- Musharraf seems to have put his money on that side for now. But another part has long sympathized with the neighbouring Taliban and other fundamentalist strains, including al Qaeda. The pro-Taliban militant leader, Baitullah Masood, said he would target Bhutto with suicide attacks.

All of this happens with only two weeks to go before the country's parliamentary elections.
With the most probable alternative to Mushariff no longer an option, the military's grip on Pakistan has been strengthened. I am not sure what this means for democracy in Pakistan, the war against terror or challenges to American foreign policy and national security.

Osama Bin Laden is reported to be hiding out in the lawless area that straddles the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban have sympathizers in Pakistan and Pakistan has nuclear weapons. A destabilized Pakistan could mean big trouble for India and might provide the best source of weapons of mass destruction for Al Qaeda. Let us not forget that the father of Pakistan's nuclear program shared this knowledge with Iran and North Korea.

2008 will start with a lot less stability with the loss of Bhutto.

IRAN ARMS DEALER TO THE TALIBAN

Peter MacKay has gone where no senior Canadian Government Official has gone before in publicly accusing the Iranians of supplying weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan. MacKay served Christmas dinner to the troops at an airfield in Kandahar on Christmas Day.

Afterwards he told reporters that he is concerned that weapons originating in Iran are being used to target Canadian troops. In particular, he said the improvised explosive devices which have been the cause of most of Canada's fatalities may be coming from Iran. He said that his concerns are known to the Iranian government.

Let's hope his source of information is not the same that American President George Bush has used to justify the war in Iraq. Canada may find it harder to round up support for tighter sanctions on Tehran because of past mistakes in exaggerating the threat of Iran.

Calls for renewed economic and diplomatic ties in exchange for a halt to uranium enrichment in Iran might just put more Iranian roadside bombs in the hands of the Taliban, at a time when the United States and our European Allies should be pushing for tighter sanctions.

HOLIDAY AFFLUENZA

I guess the only thing crazier than the malls on Christmas Eve are the malls during the Boxing Day sales. Last year I joined hundreds of people who lined up early at Future Shop to cash in on some great sales.

The line-up was slow moving but very social. People were holding places for each other as they took turns dashing to Tim's on hot chocolate runs. I will not be repeating the experience this year, despite pocketing some $600 for my efforts.

Krystalline Kraus argues that this is the season of rampant consumerism. "Holiday joy is expressed not in verbs and nouns but in dollars and cents. Never mind the flu epidemic, its the mindless consumerism thats making me wish I'd gotten a shot."

So while we are enjoying our new gifts, tasty meals and cozy homes Kraus reminds us not to over indulge.

A SEASON FOR SPECULATION

A lot of people are sharing their surprise and disappointment with the federal Conservative Government's choice for Liuetenant-Governor in Newfoundland and Labrador. I have taken the line that the Prime Minister missed an opportunity to make history and appoint a qualified woman. There is no doubt that there was an expectation in the province that the new occupant of Government House would wear heels! The fact that the Conservatives appointed Crosbie instead of one of a number of qualified women certainly shows that his people on the ground here here are either not in touch, have no influence, or were ignored.

I had argued that the Crosbie appointment was purely about annoying the Premier. Crosbie and Danny Williams have clashed a number of times in the past four years. The most recent clash was over the establishment of a new university out of Corner Brook.

However, perhaps there is a more partisan and political rationale. Can the Queen's representative be called upon to give testimony in the Shreiber affair? John Crosbie is well known as a loose cannon. He is as unpredictable as Newfoundland and Labrador weather. When he opens up his mouth one can never be sure what will follow. Right Sheila? What about the "I can't speak Chinese comment?"

The same Crosbie lost the federal PC leadership to Brian Mulroney, who had lots of financial and organizational support from guys like Schreiber. Crosbie was pretty influential in the post-1984 PC government. He may not have been handed the Finance Portfolio but he held some senior posts such as Minister of Transport during the Air Bus purchases by Air Canada.

Appointing Crosbie as LG is quite a muzzle. Harper has pretty much gagged him with a big piece of masking tape. Was Crosbie's appointment more about the opportunity to remove one significant player from the reaches of the public inquiry or from making public comments? It's a thought.

Intentional or not, The Honourable John Crosbie is the representative of Her Majesty the Queen in Newfoundland and Labrador and he might as well get used to the Royal Salute.

The constitution is very clear: Crosbie cannot enter into discussion with the premier about his policy directions. He gets to read the Throne Speech once a year which is written by the government, and which he will have absolutely nothing to do with. It should be pretty uncomfortable when the Provincial Government approves the legislation to create a separate autonomous university in Corner Brook and it goes to the former MUN Chancellor for Royal Assent. What's wrong your honour, the constitution got your tongue?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just a quick break from playing with the Wii and keeping the peace to wish you all a very merry christmas. In particular to my family and freinds that are working in camps in Northern Alberta and off on the Grand Banks.



Uncle Stevie the boys are looking forward to seeing you on Jan 02/08.



I doubt I will be updating the page much over the next few days.



Cheers



PS. Santa nailed my book list pretty well. Nice Christmas stack!