Crown corporation Nalcor

The development of Muskrat Falls, the smaller of the Lower Churchill falls hydro development vision, has been raising hopes among people of NL, and particularly Nova Scotia as well. A Terms paper was signed on Nov. 18 between Premiers Williams, and Dexter of NS. Since then, there's been mixed reactions to the project proposals feasibility - how it will get financed, and how much of a power rate increase people in NL will be burdened. Now, an international analyst, Toby Couture, with E3 Analytics in London, England,
condemns the project saying that the markets are not there in New England.

The investment case for selling that power to New England is actually not looking very good, partly because they have more than enough natural gas — cheap natural gas — to meet their own electricity needs for the next decade, at least,"

He adds that it is also difficult to raise the $6.2 billion to build this.

On the other hand, Nalcor's CEO, Ed Martin, is saying a much more rosy vision.

We are paying only a very small amount to flow over the lines of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, meaning that were getting to that market at a very, very low cost.

Hmm, so who to believe. We want projects to make environment, economic and practical sense, but we have to be realistic. First Nations peoples have their own issues about this development, and other outstanding concerns, and have yet to give theire blessing. There is much more to learn about this project proposal, and it is far from a done deal.

Good Luck Danny Williams!

Wow! What a magnificent farewell speech by Danny Williams! That was pure passion! Interesting, engaging and powerful.

In the last hour, Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announced his resignation. As a news item, this is a shock to many people, and he will definitely be missed.

He's been Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador since 2003, and with his words, and especially emotion, has staunchly defended the province and it's resources. Williams governed at a time when NL prospered from oil and mineral resource income, and became a "have" province. His strong stance as a promoter of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, as a fighter of provincial rights, has consistently endeared him to roughly 80% of voters. Unlike his predecessors, he has also had a consistent online opposition, who magnify his unfinished business as Premier.

Politics is a rough line of work. It has great financial rewards, hmm, I guess.. one can take that in different ways... and/or it offers personal rewards of accomplishment. Certainly, it is difficult on a human level to be in the public eye daily for many years, and to be scrutinized under the microscope constantly, and while most applaud, the soundings of fewer cut deep. Williams is certainly emotional about the state, history and future of Newfoundland & Labrador, and it always showed. However, the energy expended with the thrust of emotion can take its toll on personal health and happiness, and when it becomes an unrewarding or uncertain investment, then it becomes a prison.

The doctors' salary dispute alone is very stressful, and would ironically cause a premier to seek a doctor's help. Is is not a surprise to hear of Williams' resignation. It's a very stressful job, and despite popular support, the pressure and criticism that accompanies it, is a major challenge to face in life. My advice is to take a rest Mr. Williams, protect your health, and enjoy the rest of your life. You have certainly contributed much of your energy and emotion to the goal of improving the province and its future, now it's time for someone else to bear the responsibilities of the huge challenges. Congratulations Danny on your success and your representation of the province.

Best wishes Premier Williams.

St. John's and rock stars

Fall colors?
Rock stars?
giving peace a chance

The predictable technical future and reactions to it

Well into the information and gadgetry age, tens of millions in the world are regularly Google-y eyed at the amazing, surprising, magical, and "brilliant" new, never before seen marvels of progressive real programming wizardry. If I were a marketing rep for a company I would love to learn the trends of how and what makes people buy things, get excited about them, and be tempted to figure out the formula and keep it going consistently. No doubt analysts have been figuring this out, and are sticking with the formulas that work. Let's take camera software for example. There's an abundance of programs now that enhance your photos, even to make them "artistic" looking. However, there are graphical nuances that are hard to perfect, or at least that is, until a new version of some software program arrives at the stores, then that particular quirk is fixed.

Stretching out the ultimate technical secrets to appear as new and revolutionary is part of a formula that keeps people looking to the next evolutionary phase of advancement to tweak an artistic output. It seems some programs can do much, to for example, convert a single photo shot into an enhanced, alive, epiphanous capture. However, it seems that not every program can do everything, so other programs are called in to fill the artistic voids, and even these have their limitations. There are so many elements to photo editing that one may be awaiting the latest to fix the current imperfection, and the others, and so it goes.

Our need to achieve "perfection" is both a compelling force that drives us to fill the voids repressing perfection, and part of a selling formula that is released ever so gingerly and timely to maximize corporate profits... Well, don't be too surprised at how well a software company has fixed a photo contrast or ghosting issue.. it may have been figured out many months ago, and simply held back in the last release version, because that would hinder the selling of the "new and improved" version.

Ahh, what a tried and tested phrase.. new and improved.. that formula has been gold. Who doesn't want new and improved! In the meantime, just be creative yourself... there is no one but you, and your thought processes and interpretations... and that is what is really unique, and potentially new.. Software graphical enhancements are technical, mathematical tweaks that are somewhere in the ballpark to make an image look interesting, and are part of a marketing timing to maximize company profits, based on what many consumers await to be their creative output... just a thought on current marketing.

Fall leaves... us loving nature

Autumn @ Bowring Park