A long over due achievement and a most deserved honour

Warren Moon goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio this weekend. It’s an event anticipated by many for more than just its significance about his remarkable record as a quarterback in professional football.

It’s highlighted as proof that one of the last barriers is finally tumbling down in American society, a black man, is finally to get his due recognition as a member of that All American of sporting icons, the quarterback.

Moon becomes the first black quarterback to be so enshrined in that hall of recognition in Canton. More indicative of a mind set in the USA through the sixties, seventies and eighties (and maybe even the nineties) than in any lack of capable young men who may have possibly been there before him. Surely there were many more talented young black quarterbacks who were more than up to the challenge of an NFL offence, but gave up on their dream or got sidetracked along the way. Many chose a different path, that of the league above the 49th, going on to star and change our game over the last forty to fifty years.

Moon’s journey to Canton took him from the streets of Los Angeles, to a rather uncomfortable but necessary stay at the University of Washington. Through the CFL and some spectacular successes with Edmonton and then onto the big game itself, the NFL with many stops in Houston, Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City.

He began his travels down the quarterback trail at the U of W, a school that many had warned him, that indicative of the times, might be a tad redneck and one that should be avoided.

However, it was the only school that was willing to let him play at the position he wanted to, quarterback, so Moon became a Huskie and started that long trek to Canton. His days at the University of Washington culminated in 1978 and a Rose Bowl appearance and victory. The championship capped by his being named MVP. A pretty spectacular ending to the University game and one that should have made the scouts sit up and take notice. Turns out they didn’t.

After his University days came to a close, that age old problem came back to haunt yet another talented quarterback, the NFL apparently not quite ready to accept change, tried to change Moon from a quarterback to a positional player. That wasn’t his dream, nor his plan so other arrangements would just have to be made.

Instead, he headed north to Edmonton, the third stringer on a team featuring the amazing Tom Wilkinson and the equally competitive Bruce Lemmerman. He sat at times, he watched, he learned and he waited. For his first two years he shared the duties with the dominant Eskie QB’s, learning the intricacies of the Canadian game. His chance to run his own show would come in 1980, seizing the reins of an Eskimo squad and making the position his for the next three years.

His name became that of legend in the CFL as his Eskimos became one of the leagues enduring dynasties during his time in the Alberta capital. By the time he moved on to the NFL in 1984, Moon had five consecutive Grey Cup rings (1978-82) to his name and was able to write his own ticket into that exclusive club of NFL QB’s.

Moon joined the troubled Houston Oilers and their new head coach Hugh Campbell (his former head coach in Edmonton) and immediately began to change that team’s football fortunes, his ten years in Oiler Blue brought post season games to Houston fans in all but three.

He continued his magic in Minnesota for three seasons, moving on back to the scene of college days with a two year tour with the Seahawks. He ended his career in Kansas City, where it seems a year away from the game in 1999, seemed to take its toll on his body, as he finished off his time in the NFL in 2000.

Moon was denied that one jewel of the NFL that all aspire to, that of a Super Bowl Championship (and accompanying ring), many talk of 1993 and the remarkable comeback of the Bills to deny the Oilers their shot at NFL glory. Perhaps it could be his biggest disappointment, but if so, he’s never wallowed in it, never used it as an excuse. Much like you never heard him complain about the talent he was surrounded with in some of his stops. Some of those Oilier, Viking and Seahawk teams weren’t very good, not very protective of a quarterback, nor sure of hand or fleet of foot.

Still Moon’s talent can’t be denied, check the CFL history pages or leaf through the pages of the NFL bible and you’ll find Warren Moon listed often and prominently.

Two numbers out of all of his remarkable statistics loom large for any aspiring Quarterback, they are 70,553 and 435. His combined yards from both the CFL and NFL total that 70,553, his touchdown passes from both leagues 435. They are numbers which will forever mark the true test of his talents and stand as a testimony to his impact on both leagues.

Saturday he joins Bud Grant as one of only two enshrined in the Canton Hall, that have had a similar honour bestowed upon them in Canada at our Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Moon joined the Canadian ranks in 2001, it’s nice to see the Americans catch up!

Canadians long ago realized what a competitor Moon was, how he could change a game with one pass, lead a team to victory by sheer will. Canton is lucky to have him join their hallowed halls this Saturday, much like Canada was lucky to have him prowl our fields in those amazing days of Eskimo football.

Moon by the numbers

Carrying the label of the first black QB to go to the Hall

The trail blazer

Reflections on a career

Moon looks back at his Canadian start

CFL recollections

The Class of 2006

The above post first appeared on my Twelve Men n the Field blog, for more items about the CFL check it out!

A Room or two with a view!

We tip our hat to those intrepid young investigators who browse the web pages at hackingthemainframe, their eagle eyes and fast clicking fingers have solved at least one conversation topic for Prince Rumour.

A good natured debate over an apparent development off of Prudhomme Lake has been going on for a few days now. With some folks claiming that the idea of a project there is pie in the sky stuff, while others suggest that it’s more developed than just yet another Podunk rumour.

Today, posted on the website portal, is the actual developer’s website for the new development called Prudhomme Lake Estates, just outside of both Prince Rupert and Port Edward.

There' a bit more fire than smoke now we guess, so join those of us looking for a quiet little get away from all that ails the world.

Just one click can let you explore the views, learn of our cities and international airport (guess we had best get an international flight in here soon one of these days eh!), be part of the excitement of our retail and recreational amenities currently under construction.

Prudhomme Lake Estates where you can fish for five different species of salmon (providing the Great Northern Fishing Classic doesn’t scoop them all up before you take title).

Don’t be left out of the chance to get in on the ground floor of the latest in waterfront estates.

Get Clicking!

Point/Counter Point: The Daily Goes to War

Thursday’s edition of the Daily News featured two front page stories about the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. The first a Big Bold Headline feature stating that Canada was urged to continue its Israel support. The front page story featured an in depth article with the consul general of Israel, Ya’acov Brosh.

As every good reporter knows, there are always two and some times many more sides to every story , but with a seeming lack of Hezbollah representatives in the Northwest, the paper called up the MP for the riding Nathan Cullen to provide the counter point, we guess, to the days war reports.

Below, join us as the Daily pulls on its foreign correspondent trench coat and provides both articles from Thursday’s paper, for your comparative study.

CANADA URGED TO CONTINUE ITS ISRAEL SUPPORT
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Pages One and Three

Canada’s support of Israel in that country’s war against the Lebanon-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah coincides with Canadian values, says Ya’acov Brosh, Israel’s consul general.

“We are very much encouraged by the position of Canada… I honestly believe what they do is protect Canadian values and Canadian ideologies,” Brosh told the Daily News.

“Regrettably, and we aren’t mentioning names of states, some countries that have the same values and carry the same liberal ideologies – they speak about freedom and believe in human rights and fighting terrorists and dictatorships – those countries – sometimes forget their ideologies and criticize Israel.

“We are very grateful for the strong position of Canada for human rights, for democracy and for fighting terrorism and violence.”

Opposition members are currently trying to force the government to recall parliament and demand a ceasefire in the war, claiming that Canada has taken sides in the conflict and undermined the country’s capacity to act as a peace broker.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen has said the country should not support either side because “both sides usually have blood on their hands.”

“To speak in slogans is easy, I don’t understand what he means about blood on the Israeli hands,” said Brosh in response. ”I can ask him if supporting or saying a terrorist organization that believes in the total destruction of the other side … is really a Canadian value.

“But this is maybe something for the Canadian people and voters to answer to the NDP members. I don’t think that the Canadian people believe this is Canadian values.”

Even in the most tragic example of Qana, where 54 people including many women and children were killed, the blood was not on the hands of Israel, he said.

“The citizens were warned two days before the attack that Israel was going to retaliate because 150 rockets were launched in the last week from Qana against Israeli civilians,” said Brosh.

“After two days of spreading flyers and sending messages, Israel had to retaliate because we had to stop the launching of rockets from these villages against our neighbourhoods.

“But the Hezbollah deliberately attack civilians and hid themselves behind the skirts of women and the diapers of babies … this is a terrible tragedy, but the blood is on the hands and on the conscience of Hezbollah, if they have any conscience.”

Much of the opposition criticism directed toward the government position is centered on the idea that Canada should remain neutral, however the consul general stresses that Canada is neutral. The criticism also flies in the face of history as Canada spoke against Britain, France and Israel for moving against Egypt in the 1956 Suez crisis. Canada not only brokered the peace after that but foreign affairs minister Lester Pearson won the Nobel peace prize for it.

“In all due respect, Canada is neutral, Canada is on this side of the ocean and their soldiers are not involved in fighting,” said Brosh. “Canada is neutral, and they are expressing its opinions... according to Canadian values. I think Israeli values are very similar to Canadian values – respect for democracy, the value of human rights and human lives, rights of women … multiculturalism and respect for civil rights.

This is a direct contrast to the values of Hezbollah who commit the murder of civilians, advocate the creation of an absolutist Islamic state and pose not only a threat to Israel but to the entire Western World, he said.

“I think you just have to open your eyes and ears and listen to what the leaders of Hezbollah say,” he said.

“We don’t have to analyze here, just listen. The leaders of Hezbollah speak clearly and openly about the destruction of Israel to ashes. They speak openly and clearly about the fact that Israel has no right to exist.”

“I think most reasonable people understand what’s going on.”

And while Hezbollah is being financed – to the tune of $150 million a year – and trained by Syria and Iraq, they ultimately are operating in Lebanon. In fact, targets in Lebanon were chosen because it is through places like the Beirut airport and seaside ports that the terrorist group is picking up the weapons they use to kill Israeli civilians, said the consul general.

“The government of Lebanon for six years refused repeated demands from the UN security council, from many countries in the world, to dismantle Hezbollah,” said Brosh. “Some people claimed they were too weak, but there is a solution for a government that is too weak and has a terrorist organization operating in their land.

“They could have approached the international community ... but they didn’t do it, they just refused.”

After repeated attacks by militants and numerous kidnappings of Israeli citizens since the country withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000, the offensive is a result of the July 12 Hezbollah attack that the consul general calls “the straw breaking the camel’s back.”

“We don’t want to live anymore, for our citizens to live, under the threat of Hezbollah terrorist missiles and rockets,’ he said. “We didn’t attack them, we don’t attack them, we don’t want to attack we don’t want to have a situation where we must defend ourselves. We want it stopped.

“We wish that this war will be over as soon as possible and that this will be over as soon as possible and that this will be the last one. That is genuinely what every Israeli will tell you.”


CULLEN AND NDP CALL FOR CEASEFIRE
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Page One

Prime Minister Stephen Harper must call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East or recall Parliament for an emergency debate on the issue, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen said.

“Harper can’t continue to follow the Bush administration and ignore how the majority of Canadians want their government to act,” he said.

A poll earlier this week by the Strategic Counsel showed nearly 50 per cent of all Canadians disagree with Harper’s support of Israel and close to 80 per cent said Canada should be neutral in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Harper came in and changed a long-standing position of Canadian neutrality in the Middle East and has now switched over to a pro-Israeli side to the point of insensitivity,” said Cullen.

“When a Canadian working at a United Nations (UN) observer station was killed, our Prime Minister criticized the UN for even being there at all, and said it was their fault for having been blown up bay an Israeli bomb.”

Cullen said the NDP wants to see a multi-national UN force step in and create a buffer between the two sides. How Canada could participate remains to be seen, he said, given that all the country’s military forces are tied up in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan until 2009.

“It seems like we have put all of our eggs into the basket in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, stretching our resources to such a point where many of our military officials are saying you don’t have the resources to go anywhere else,” he said. “It’s disabled Canada’s chance of responding to situations anywhere else in the world.”

And bringing about an end to the conflict is going to require the backing of the U. S., he said.

“One call from the White House is what causes a ceasefire to happen,” he said.

“Israel could not do what it’s doing without the permission of and support of the Bush administration.”

If Israel isn’t attack, Cullen said Hezbollah loses all of its public support for attacking back.

A United Nations force could then cut off Hezbollah’s supply for years,” he said.

“We know countries like Syria have been supplying Hezbollah for years,” he said.

He added that routing out Hezbollah cannot be done through bombing campaigns.

“Part of the problem is that Lebanon is not a normal country by country definitions. It is not all run by its federal government. Hezbollah runs the social and health and a lot of different things in the south. That has to be taken out toot and branch,” he said. “You can’t just drop a bomb on a house and take out Hezbollah. It has to be a much more complete action.

While the NDP have asked for the Conservatives to recall Parliament in order to debate the situation. Cullen said it’s unlikely to happen, given that the Conservatives ignored calls by the Liberals, Bloc and NDP for a recall over the softwood lumber agreement.

He said the Liberals have yet to take a firm position on the current conflict as they are too wrapped up in their leadership race.

Making the zebras, look more like, uh, zebras!

It's not an CFL story, but considering the sympatico between the two leagues at times, no doubt it may one day become a CFL issue.

At any rate, the NFL's referees are getting a fashion make over, the leagues officiating staff will be wearing new duds this NFL season, a style and design that certainly makes them look more like zebras than they already do.

Apparently stripes can change your visual image, so one wonders how many NFL referees will go home after the game and ask "do I look fat to you"?

The Globe and Mail had the AP story in today's edition.

The above story first appeared on my football blog Twelve Men on the Field, check it out for more items about the CFL.

Think you spend too much time on the net?

The survey a few days ago suggested that many Canadians, spend too much time tethered to their computers, avoiding relatives and friends in pursuit of their computerized passion. Household chores can go undone, relationships (if there was one) can suffer and we could have a tendency to wonder what the bright object in the sky every day might be.

But you know, most of us have a long way to go before we reach the passion for typing away at our computers that Simon Pulsifer has.

Below is a profile from the Globe and Mail (net version here) on Canada’s King of Wikipedia contributors.

Prolific Canadian is king of Wikipedia
With more than 80,000 articles under his belt, Ottawa man is the on-line resource's busiest contributor
ALEXANDRA SHIMO
From Friday's Globe and Mail

Simon Pulsifer has never really blended in with the crowd. In kindergarten, he began building elaborate, fantastical buildings out of Lego, already bored by the construction plans on the back of the box.

In Grade 8, he, attired as Stalin, and other friends re-enacted the Yalta conference on the balcony of a friend's house. In university, he became the Trivial Pursuit champion at his college, and even won when the whole residence took him on.

Today Mr. Pulsifer, 24, is known internationally as the world's most prolific author on the on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia, with 78,000 entries edited and 2,000 to 3,000 new articles to his name. He can't remember the exact number.

"I'm always doing something for Wikipedia, even when I'm not writing entries," he said from his home in Ottawa. "I'm always planning and thinking about how I can make the site better."
Simon Pulsifer, Wikipedia’s top author, displays in Ottawa this week an article he wrote on the 1968 Liberal leadership convention. (Bill Grimshaw/The Globe and Mail)

Mr. Pulsifer, who is considered a walking encyclopedia among friends and family, graduated with honours with a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Toronto in 2004. While studying for his degree, he found the time to devote up to six hours a day researching and writing Wikipedia articles.

Upon graduation, the Ottawa resident took a year off to devote eight to 10 hours a day adding new entries to the site.

Mr. Pulsifer has always been a very curious person and a voracious reader, said his mother, Diana Pepall, a librarian.

The self-professed nerd does not enjoy playing sports or have any other hobbies, he told The Globe with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm not paid for the work I do for Wikipedia. It doesn't matter to me that I do it on a voluntary basis. I enjoy it. It's important that people around the world have access to free, accurate and unbiased information. Wikipedia tries to do that, and it's a very honourable and admirable goal."

Since February, he has been working full-time managing the computer systems for Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Munter, but still spends three to four hours a day updating the site.
"It's an addiction," said Mr. Pulsifer, who describes himself as anything but self-indulgent in other aspects of his life. He lives at home and doesn't have a girlfriend.

"You write an article and you think you've made it as good as it can be and then you put it out there for everyone to see and edit. And within just a few minutes, you have started a dialogue over how best to represent a subject. It's very exciting because my reputation is on the line."
Among the Wikipedia community, who call themselves Wikipedians, Mr. Pulsifer is held up as the gold standard -- the international benchmark against which they measure themselves, said Wayne Saewyc, spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation.

"Whenever someone starts bragging about what they have done on the site, someone will go, well, how do you compare to Simon? We tend to organize by languages, rather than by location, and the Wikipedia community stretches right across the English-speaking world.
"People know about Simon worldwide."

Mr. Pulsifer's thousands of articles cover a broad variety of topics, including Canadian and U.S. history, international and Canadian politics, economics and current affairs. He has written featured articles, those profiled on Wikipedia's opening page, on the military history of Canada, the Italian Renaissance, the Marshall Plan, the economy of Africa, the history of Central Asia, among others.

At present, he has devoted himself to widening the scope of the site to include more entries on Africa, a continent that is underrepresented on the site, he said.

His most prized article was on the African kingdom Makuria -- which existed in the Middle Ages in what is now Sudan -- that was extremely difficult to research because so few people know anything about the place. He did not write the entries on Wikipediholism and editcountitis, although he acknowledges he might be afflicted with both.

For their labours, Wikipedians do not receive much credit from the outside world.
Articles are not signed, although users can easily access the history of the entry and see who made which edits.

Some Wikipedians prefer to keep their identities hidden and do not use their real names on the site. Mr. Pulsifer, for example, goes by SimonP. This username is to protect his identity from the abuse that can come from editing the site.

"There are a number of crazy people who edit Wikipedia and become very angry if any entry disagrees with their point of view. There are horror stories about people getting death threats, and although I have been insulted, it has never happened to me. Some people call us Wikigeeks. But I wouldn't consider it an insult anyway, more of an apt description."

Revenge is a dish best served cold

So how long do you think Hillary Clinton has been waiting to launch a Spanish Inquisition like session on one of George Bush’s neo-con Republicans?

Hillary vs Rummy, live on MSNBC

While she probably wasn’t thinking of hubby Bill while she put Donald Rumsfeld on the spit, he probably appreciated his wife’s efforts in reminding the Republicans of their past interrogations of his administration.

Will Rummy squirm, Will Rummy sweat? (see complete video above) In the end it didn’t seem like it was a safe bet.

Madam Clinton called for Rumsfeld to quit, he politely declined that option in his strange folksy little way. And everyone returned to their neutral corners.

It's an election year for the Senator and the war is quick becoming the main issue of the House and Senate campaigns. More than one career seems to be in trouble over the happenings in Iraq and Afghanistan, so one has to take all the outrage and calls for resignations with that bit of theatre in mind.

Regardless, it was interesting to see live on TV, the give and take between some big guns in the American political orbit.

Coal is King again for Ridley

Ridley Terminals is looking forward to a pretty busy and prosperous couple of years with the Wolverine Mine project now coming on line.

Coal from that North East BC mine will be arriving in Rupert in September for shipment, beginning a relationship that should bode well for the increasingly in demand terminal.

The Daily News had full details on the project and its impact for Prince Rupert in its Wednesday edition.

RIDLEY LOOKS SET FOR ITS BEST YEAR EVER
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Page One

Western Canada Coal has started up its Wolverine Mine and signed a long-term contract with Ridley Terminals that will increase the amount of coal moving through the facility by 20 per cent in the coming year.

“Start-up is proceeding well and the plant is processing hard coking coal,” said John Hogg chief operating officer of Western.

“Our operations staff and contractors have done a great job bringing the project into production on time, on budget, and with an excellent safety record.”

More than 300 people are currently active on the site at the Wolverine Mine. The mine is expected to produce 1.35 million of tonnes of hard coking coal in the company’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, and in excess of 2.5 million tones in the next fiscal year. Western will be loading the first train of Wolverine hard coking coal next month, followed by the first shipment from Ridley Terminals in September of 2006.

The port services agreement with Ridley Terminals is for an initial term of 10 years, expiring in March 2015. The agreement provides Western with the option to extend the contract for two additional five year terms.

The new agreement puts Ridley Terminals well on its way to exceeding its best historical year ever in terms of tonnage – seven million tonnes.

Western Canadian’s production alone is anticipated in the future to use up to 11 million tones of the terminals 24 million-tonne capacity.

“This is the second mine Western has brought into production on time and on budget in 20 months, said Gary Livingstone, president and CEO. “It is a credit to the outstanding performance of our management team and dedicated employees.”

Coal coming from the northeastern part of the province and moving offshore through Ridley Terminals is on the rebound following a downturn three years ago, when the Bullmoose coal mine closed, ending to decades of coal mining in the region. Two years before, the larger Quintette Coal Mine closed.

The result was the end of coal shipments through Ridley Terminals for about a year, while the company tried to expand into other areas.

Western Canadian Coal was the first company to start shipping PCI coal through the terminal again at the beginning of 2005, following the opening of its Dillon mine.

Livingstone said coking coal prices can range from about $102 to $116 per tonne, depending on the quality.

He added that longer-term forecasts predict prices will remain higher than $100 per tonne, “and at those prices, producers like us will do very well.”

Livingstone said Western Canadian rushed to get the Wolverine Mine, its core asset, into production to take advantage of solid prices and its employees did a good job of getting it on line on time and on budget.

He added that estimates are that world steel production will increase by six to seven per cent during the next couple of years, which should continue to support the demand for coal.

With files from CanWest News service.

So he was out of prison because????

I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but one would think that with the shopping list of convictions that Peter Whitmore has accumulated in his 35 years on our planet, that somewhere along the line somebody might have said that perhaps he’s not a subject for rehabilitation.

The latest abductions by Whitmore captivated the nation this past week, as police and citizens searched through the Western provinces in search of his van and the two abducted children that he had taken with him.

The outrage over his latest activity grew louder and louder this week as we learned just how many times before that Whitmore had subjected young people to his brand of misery. What seems amazing to all is the fact that he seems to have been able to travel across the nation at will. Released time and time again, with no sense of wrong doing on his part, left to do what he wished without a warning to the innocents of our land.

In a bizarre somewhat sick display of celebrity, he even infamously appeared on Canada AM once in 2000, declaring he wasn't a threat at all. As events have played out since then he was obviously more than just a liar.

Now that he’s been captured once again and faces justice one more time, one hopes that the system has finally seen the light.

This is a guy that should never be in a position to endanger children again. Never again should Canadians pick up a newspaper, hear a radio report or see a television story featuring the latest grotesque crime of Peter Whitmore, or others of his bent.

If the justice system doesn’t realize this by now, then perhaps its time that Canadians began to question our system a bit more forcefully. The likes of Peter Whitmore need not be released to Canadian streets, it's a simple observation that even the most learned judge surely must realize.

Pulp prices set to rise, as are profits for pulp companies.

While not much has happened on the local front at the Skeena Cel site of late, the rest of the provinces pulp producers are looking for better days ahead as pulp prices rise and BC companies prepare to take advantage of the fibre situation in BC.

It will be interesting to see if this newfound bit of optimism in the pulp and paper sector speeds up plans by the folks at Sun Wave (nee the China Paper Group) to bring the Skeena mill back on line.

Two reports below outline the sudden cause for optimism in the pulp sector for this year and next.

Pulp prices, profits expected to rise
Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, August 03, 2006

B.C.'s pulp producers have a chance to increase their profits this year on a combination of high international pulp prices and low chip costs caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
North American pulp prices are at $747 US a tonne and a further increase of $20 to $30 per tonne has been announced for Sept. 1.

Fibre prices in the Interior are half the level Eastern Canadian producers are paying, setting the stage for continued earnings improvements.

However, maintenance issues have prevented two of the province's main pulp companies from taking full advantage of the opportunity. Both Canfor and West Fraser Timber reported extended downtime at their pulp mills during the second quarter, affecting production.
But with further price increases on the horizon, pulp is looking good for the remainder of 2006, the CEOs of both companies have told investors.

"Strong worldwide demand and a reduction in capacity in the first half of the year has resulted in a substantial decline in worldwide inventories," West Fraser president Hank Ketcham said in his company's quarterly conference call with analysts. "This has led to a rapid improvement in U.S. dollar pulp prices.

"Our outlook for the remainder of the year is quite positive, although we have some concerns as we look to 2007 given the increase in southern hemisphere capacity."

Canfor president Jim Shepherd said in his conference call that he is "very excited" about the future of pulp. Canfor launched a pulp income trust July 1. Shepherd called it good timing.
"With strong pulp markets, the maintenance behind the mills and a strong operating performance going forward, we believe this fund will be very beneficial to shareholders of Canfor and unitholders of the trust."

The trust is owned 80 per cent by Canfor with the remaining 20 per cent being held by trust unitholders.

Catalyst Paper president Russell Horner said in his conference call Wednesday that higher pulp prices helped boost Catalyst's results. Catalyst is mainly a papermaker, although it sells some pulp.

Horner said Catalyst is not able to benefit significantly from lower chip prices in the Interior because transportation costs to the company's coastal mills eat up much of the saving.
Industry analyst Paul Quinn said in a research paper that pulp supply is tight at a time when demand is growing.

"Currently, global pulp markets are experiencing very strong pricing momentum due to growing pulp demand and a number of capacity curtailments," he said.

He said the tight supply is reflected in extremely low inventories. Inventories are currently at 24 days, he said, a level last seen in 2000.

He said demand is particularly high for northern bleached softwood kraft, the type of pulp made in the B.C. Interior.

ghamilton@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2006



Higher product prices lift Catalyst's second-quarter net profits
1, 2006 - 3:09 pm

VANCOUVER (CP) - Higher prices for pulp and paper products, improved efficiency and big currency and income tax gains helped Catalyst Paper Corp. earn solid profits in the second quarter, reversing a loss last year.

The Vancouver paper producer (TSX:CTL) said late Tuesday it earned $42.4 million or 20 cents a share for the quarter ended June 30, reversing a loss of $23.6 million or 11 cents a share for the same 2005 period.

Sales rose to $469.6 million from $439 million in the first quarter last year.

The strong Canadian dollar squeezed the company's earnings as the currency reached a 28-year high against the U.S. dollar. While this cut operating profits, it also led to a $26.2 million after-tax foreign exchange gain on the translation of U.S.-dollar-denominated debt, a gain that helped boost the bottom line.

Net profits were also bolstered by a $22.9 million drop in future income taxes that followed the federal government's decision to cut corporate income tax rates.

"There were a lot of positives for us in the second quarter," president and CEO Russell Horner said after stock markets closed Tuesday. "Operations ran well in all our mills and this was supported by strong cost control and solid sales. Pulp prices approached a six-year high, but once again the Canadian dollar worked against us to erase the gains made.

"That disappointment aside, we're well-positioned to take advantage of a strong economy as we continue to capture new operational efficiencies and market opportunities."

In another development Tuesday, Catalyst said it has formed special committee to review an unsolicited bid by New York investment company Third Avenue Management to buy more than 18 per cent of the company, or about 39 million shares.

If successful, the bid would increase Third Avenue Management would own nearly 38 per cent of Catalyst.

In its financial report, Catalyst said the company's efficiency drive delivered $19 million toward this year's $70 million goal in the second quarter, Catalyst said, primarily through product optimization, productivity improvements and cost savings for fibre, energy, chemicals and freight.

In breaking down operations, Catalyst said markets for the company's pulp products were strong in the second quarter, with European benchmark pulp prices approaching a six-year high.

Specialty paper markets were mixed, with coated paper prices weakening. Meanwhile, newsprint consumption continued to decline, though industry conditions supported higher prices in the quarter.

Catalyst is a leading producer of mechanical printing papers and market pulp, with five mills and a workforce of 3,800 people on the south coast of British Columbia.

News 1130 website

Pictures of Podunk: Service Park

Just on the edge of the downtown core and just one block south of City Hall, Service Park rises vertically to a grassy plain above the city. A great view of the city can be found at the top, though the park is best enjoyed in the daytime, night time brings the usual band of local rowdies who use the park to lob cans and bottles at the back of the college across the street.

The lines are out and the fish are being brought ashore

The Great Northern Salmon Classic Derby is officially underway, today is day three of the six week event and for the most part those out on the fishing grounds are having a good time of it all.

While the Derby itself finds itself under a bit of attack from folks inland and from some sectors of the commercial industry and the local populace , the idea of luring tourists to the North Coast seems to be working so far, with modest success.

The Daily News had an update on the first day of the derby in its Wednesday edition.

SPORT FISHING FANS HOOKED ON FISH DERBY
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Pages One and Two

Ed Beakhouse knows it’s always his wife who had better luck behind the reel.

And yesterday was no different when the couple arrived at the weigh-in station at Atlin Terminal for the Great Northern Salmon Classic derby.

“She always catches the big ones,” said Beakhouse as his wife Lynn hoisted a heavy catch for a photo before heading to the weigh in station.

“Now, I’m off to go get my minnows.”

The couple, from Morinville, Ontario, caught their limit on their first fishing trip in Prince Rupert.

“We’ve done a lot of salmon fishing but this is the first time we’ve gone fishing in Prince Rupert,” he said. Groups from Prince George and Quebec joined the Beakhouses on the dock as they cleaned their fish for the first weigh ins of the derby yesterday afternoon.

And, despite the common belief that fishing is a man’s sport, there were nearly as many women on the dock as the men.

Bruce Wishart, executive director of Tourism Prince Rupert, said getting the whole family out on the water during the derby was part of the plan.

“One of the goals of Tourism Prince Rupert, when we are working with the local recreational fishery, is to promote fishing as a family activity,” he said. “We have specific prizes for female anglers and anglers under 18.”

According to statistics from Tourism British Columbia, 60 per cent of sport fishermen are male. But Wishart said they didn’t want it to be that way for the Great Northern Salmon Classic.

“We wanted to have something special for each member of the family.”

The derby, which runs from Aug. 1 to Sept 15, includes a prize of $10,000 for the largest coho caught by a female angler, $5,000 largest eligible coho salmon caught by an angler under 18 years of age and $500 weekly for the largest eligible pink salmon caught by an angler under 18 years of age.

The top prizes are $100,000 for the largest eligible coho salmon, a 2006 Dodge Dakota for the largest eligible coho salmon caught by Aug. 19, and $40,000 for the second largest eligible coho salmon.

“There are also daily mystery weights that will be drawn after the close each weigh-in and the prizes, each valued at about $100, include jewelry, power tools, camping gear and fishing gear among other items.

Four out of five fish judges were down on the docks yesterday for the first day of the event, as were a lot of spectators who crowded along the rail above.

Wishart explained there will always be a member of the judging committee on hand during the weigh-ins to ensure none of the catches are hiding any extra weight.

“These are respected members of the community. Their role is to determine the rules and regulations are being followed,” he said.

But whether or not fishermen walked away with a prize, those out on the water yesterday said they had a good time.

“It was fantastic,” said Tiny Keehn of Prince George, whose fishing foursome caught 14 coho, one spring and seven halibut.

“It was all for the fun of it. Now we are hoping to go drink beer.”

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s plan for peace!

Well the idea that France had to involve Iran in the peace process in the Middle East certainly took a bit of a hit today. France which up until today was insisting that any solution to peace in those ancient battle grounds, had to involve the government of Iran, must be thinking ooops, wrong horse there, as the hardline leader of that country spoke out once again with his unusual visions of the Middle East.

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outlined his simple plan to solve all that ails that troubled part of the world. And well bridge building simply isn’t in the cards judging by his words.

Ahmadinejad: Destruction of Israel is solution

Eliminating Zionist regime cure for conflict: Ahmadinejad

Ahmadinejad: Destroy Israel, End Crisis

Ahmadinejad calls for isolation of Israel, its supporters


After reading the reports and dispatches of the Presidents proclamations, France (a country that for some reason seems to think they’re a world player) in rather understated terms offered up this bit of constructive criticism on the thoughts of Prez Mah.

The key line of which is; “France's foreign minister condemned Ahmadinehjad's comments Thursday, saying Iran is ruining its chances to play a positive and stabilizing role in the Middle East.”

Duh, really?

Caught in the cookie jar!

Good thing that the slogan for the Girl Scouts isn't "Do Your Best", cause one Girl Scout Leader isn't living up to the credo.

A Girl Scout (they apparently don't call then Guides in the USA) leader in Delaware, Ohio has been relieved of her duties and faces charges of theft after being charged with theft over 5,000 dollars. By the time she was caught, she had left her troop with a balance of only 8 dollars in their bank account.

The Scout Leader apparently took the large sum of money out of fundraising efforts through cookie sales and other activities to pay for cell phone bills and other personal expenses. It's going to take a lot of cookie sales to bring back 5,000 dollars any time soon.

Not sure if the Girl Scouts work on badges like the Cubs and Scouts do, but if so, a larceny badge would be a cinch for troop 225!

The Last stand of the Neo Cons?

There’s an interesting take on the current conflagration between Israel and Hezbollah in the latest dispatch from the Salon website.

Sidney Blumenthal writes that instead of working towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict that seems to wiping southern Lebanon off the face of the earth, that some White House insiders are actually providing information destined to not only extend the current fighting, but to dramatically escalate things, bringing more combatants out onto the field in the form of Syria and Iran.

While it seems a bit fanciful (if not steeped in hues of conspiracy) that this might be the ultimate plan, it’s never a black and white world when it comes to the players of the Middle East and American influence in the region.

The theory being put forward by Blumenthal is that it’s yet one more grasp of the neo-cons in the Bush Administration to regain control of the agenda in the final stages of the Bush presidency.

Blumenthal paints a rather bleak picture for the prospect of peace in that region anytime soon and seems to have the career of Condi Rice destined for history’s trash can as well. Rice in Blumenthal’s opinion is merely a pawn who is being used and tossed aside as the neo cons march again to the Presidential table.

It’s worth a read, but don’t be looking for a positive ending by the time you finish digesting this theory. For those that hate Bush its confirmation of more of their fears, for those that think he’s the greatest it’s just one more symbol of the leftist and liberal agenda in America run amok

For the rest of us, it’s just another indication that it’s time to hide our heads under the covers again for awhile.

Podunk Below the Masthead for August

A daily look at the BIG TYPE headline of the Podunkian Daily News. We'll list that day's BIG STORY, the one the Daily puts out in the big type just below it's masthead, for all Podunkians to ponder. There will be a link to this feature on the right hand side of the blog. Unfortunately there will be no link to the stories, as . Now you just end up at a dead end, asking you to go purchase your paper for (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of the story.

August 31--LOCAL MAN HONOURED WITH NATIONAL AWARD--A member of the Canadian Coast Guard based in Prince Rupert, long time resident Les Palmer, is set to receive the Cross of Valour in October. (see story here)

August 30--BUREAUCRATS BLAMED AS FISH GO UNCAUGHT--Waiting for an answer from DFO and the Provincial Environment department on another sockeye opening is making folks rather anxious around the city (see story here)

August 29--COHO DERBY IS 'ON TARGET' SAYS WISHART--Just past the halfway mark for the Great Northern Salmon Classic and organizers claim it's doing just about what they expected for the community. (see story here)

August 28--CHURCH GROUPS PUTTING FAITH IN ABILITY TO UNITE--Plans for a conference on World Religions in Prince Rupert near completion, as the September 15th conference gets closer. (see story here)

August 25--SONIA DEAL STILL AFLOAT BUT DELAYED SAYS FERRIES--The lengthy process to replace the sunken Queen of the North takes a little bit longer, with a delay in the purchase of a replacement vessel.(see story here)

August 24--URBAN FIRST NATIONS QUESTION NEW FUND--The Provincial Government creates a $100 million dollar New Relationship fund for rural and reserve areas, leaving Urban First Nations to question their place in the arrangements. (see story here)

August 23--CHOPPY WATER AHEAD AFTER CRUISE DECISION--Alaskans vote to tax cruise ship passengers and cruise lines, causing some concern for the BC industry.. (see story here)

August 22--COAST BANDS IN COURT TODAY OVER PORT PLANS--The Coast Tsmishian get their first of two days at the Supreme Court today, the first case to decide if the First Nations were given proper consultation over the project (see story here)

August 21--FERRY PLANS TO CAUSE FUTURE GROWING PAINS--The replacment vessels for BC Ferries Northern Fleet don't leave much in the way for future expansion of the service (see story here)

Augsut 18--ACTIVISTS STIR THE POT OVER CRAB FEAST--Animal rights activists target the SPCA's proposed Crab Boil fundraiser for action, effectively cancelling the plans. (see the story here)


August 17--NATIVE FISHERMEN SAY DERBY TALKS MISSING--First Nations representatives join those criticizing the organizational plans of the Great Northern Salmon Classic (see story here)

August 16--POOR FISHING SEASON HAS MANY STRUGGLING--A poor salmon season stands to send many Rupertites onto the welfare rolls this winter (see story)

August 15--PLAIN SAILING SO FAR AS PORT SHAPES UP--Construction continues on time and on budget at the Fairview Container Port, the Daily news takes us on a tour of the latest developments (see story here)

August 14--TERRY FOX SENSATION IS HITTING THE ROAD--Jim Terrion makes plans to move away from Prince Rupert, but still intends to return each year for the Rupert Terry Fox Run (see story here)

August 11-CRUISE SECTOR'S NEW WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY--The cruise season reaches the half way mark and new challenges arise for locals hoping to make their money off the big ships in the harbour (see story here)

August 10-LONG WAIT FOR JUSTICE MAY FINALLY BE OVER--Welcome news for a Prince Rupert family as Vancouver Island police release details in the arrest of a suspect in the murder of a former Prince Rupert resident. (see story here)

August 9-PORT EDWARD COUNCILORS ATTACK FISHING DERBY--The controversy over the Great Northern Salmon Classic continues, as Port Edward registers its objections. (see story here)

August 8-SHUTDOWN MAY HURT MILL CLOSER TO HOME--The shutdown of the Terrace Lumber Company may have repercussions with the start up plans of the Sun Wave Pulp Company. The Daily had the details in a front page story (see story here)

August 4--SPECULATION RIFE AS MALL PROJECT GROWS--The Daily provides an update of sorts on the not yet started shopping mall of Highway 16. (see story here)

August 3--CANADA URGED TO CONTINUE ITS ISRAELI SUPPORT--The Daily News pulls on its foreign correspondent trench coat and brings us news of a war in the Middle East. (see story here)

August 2--SPORT FISHING FANS HOOKED ON FISH DERBY--Day one of the Great Northern Salmon Classic Derby is in the books and the Daily news has all the details (see story here)

August 1--GOLFERS DRIVE WOLF PACK OFF THE FAIRWAY--The wolves have returned to Prince Rupert bolder and more numerous than in the past, causing all sorts of concern among the populace. The Daily News had details of the latest meeting of the tennants of Kaien Island. (see story here)

Not everybody is going fishing!

The organziers of The Great Northern Salmon Classic are finding that not everyobdy thinks their six week fishing extravaganza is a great thing.

Despite the inclusion of that shiny yellow truck parked in front of the Atlin Terminal, it seems that not everybody is taking the bait!

From the Terrace Standard is this critique of the project and a call for it to be closed down. That's an unlikely thing at this late date, but none the less the fishing expedition is becoming a rather controversial bit of tourist enhancement for the entire northwest.

Derby daze
By ROB BROWN
Terrace Standard
Aug 02 2006

Rin: Just heard today that Prince Rupert is having a coho derby starting August 1 until Sept. 15. Largest coho gets $100,000. Second place is $42,000. This should draw some interest.

Fly20: Wow! That’s huge!!!!!!! Where is the money coming from?

Rin: From BC tourism. With no coast ferry service, people want to get things happening up north again.

Fly20: Far better shot than the 6/49. What a great trip this would be!

Sam Salmon: Is it for a fish caught in Salt or Fresh or both? Much more interesting in the former, less so in the latter. The Kasiks has lots of large Coho – my biggest was 16# head off. (yes I gaffed it) :P.

Steelheadfreak: ROAD TRIP!!!!!! :D Got the boat set up with new riggers! Electrics with duel rod holders plus a third rail mount rod holder. TRIPLE STACKERS BABY!...........lets go, I’m feeling lucky! ;)

And so goes the feverish chatter on one of the many sport fishing weblogs after the announcement of the “Great Northern Salmon Classic.”

Great Northern Salmon Classic – that’s a hoot. When used as noun, a classic is creation of artistic excellence. Even by the most generous reckoning, this event isn’t. It’s a blood-soaked fish bonking derby fully equipped with all the hoopla, bull wool, bad ethics and braggadocio such events inspire.

The derby will be the largest of its kind to be held on the North Coast and, as its promoters are at pains to assert, it’s non invitational, which means anyone and everyone can participate.
Soon after the Queen of the North sank, Prince Rupert businessmen convened a series of so-called stakeholder sessions to discuss how to make up for the lost revenues attending a drop in ferry traffic. The derby idea grew from the ferment created in those meetings.

The arithmetic was simple. There are about 80 full-time charter operators, each capable of taking four fishers onboard, which means over the six long weeks the derby will run, there will be 15,000 anglers bobbing atop the waves.

Factor in the sports fishers from Prince Rupert to Prince George and the considerable contingent that is sure to be lured out of Alberta by the promise of all those big cash prizes and you’ll have in excess of 30,000 souls, according to the best guesstimate of Prince Rupert’s tourism director.

The derby promoters cleverly designed their fishing contest to ensure participation from the whole family. Hence there is five grand for the largest coho caught by an underage angler and a weekly $500 payout for the largest pink caught by a kid. The female angler who boats the largest coho is in for ten large.

With a $500 prize for the largest specimen each week, Chinook don’t escape the chop either. And to further encourage participation, the derby hosts have mystery weight prizes of $100 a day as well as getaway packages for the largest coho killed weekly.

What an extravaganza! Thirty thousand people, consuming food and goods and caving in coho skulls in hopes of winning a Dodge Dakota or one of the many other prizes, all paid for with 160,000 taxpayer dollars taken from the $450,000 provided to the Northern Tourism Region by the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts.

Coho had no voice at those stakeholder meetings, apparently. If they had, the derby promoters would know that the latest DFO projections show that this year’s return is the second poorest on record.

The stakeholders have poor memories. Only a few years ago commercial and sport fisheries were subjected to widespread closures to conserve the collapsing coho stocks. Commercial fishers are using holding tanks and taking special pains to conserve coho to this day.
The operative word for DFO managers when it comes to coho is rebuilding. In short, the coho stocks are anything but robust.

At four fish per day per person, the limits on coho in salt water are far too generous to begin with. To increase the pressure on those same stocks by luring fishers with prizes, then encouraging them to increase their odds of winning some cash by killing their limits is irresponsible.

What Tourism Prince Rupert and the downtown businessmen of that town are doing is using funds provided by our PR-oriented bread and circuses government to place a bounty on salmon generally and coho specifically for short term economic gain that will cause long term environmental pain.

The DFO should do right by the fish and close Chatham Sound to coho fishing for the month of August.

The moving hazards of Hole Number 6

The wolf pack prowling the golf course these days has quickly become the talk of the town, and as seen previously even become a national story see here and here.

So for the benefit of those from away and not near a Daily News paper proprietor, here is the Daily’s coverage of the prowling wolf packs of Podunk. There is also a story below on the plans of the Conservation department regarding the ongoing wolf situation in Prince Rupert.

GOLFERS DRIVE WOLF PACK OFF THE FAIRWAY
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Pages One and Five

A lone wolf encounter is not an unusual thing for Rupert residents out walking near the golf course. A pack of eight, however, is another situation altogether.

“I had just finished having a conversation about wolves thinking ‘oh my god wouldn’t it be freaky‘ and it was so weird… we saw all their ears poking up,” said Sherry Hilborn of the pack of wolves that descended on her and three companions while out walking their dogs on Friday evening.

“They were spread out about six or seven feet wide up the whole stretch of the hillside.

“They had been stalking us, I was quite clear. They knew where to come in so our dogs did not get their scent – they were above us.”

Hillborn along with Shane Foreman, Dan and Crystal Lorette, were with three dogs walking on the cart path near Hole 6 of the golf course. The pack of hunting wolves came from another hole on a ridge above them.

“All at the same time, the ears moved forward and we saw their heads. They stopped again and watched us and we were trying to figure out our strategy,” she said. “Then all in sync, they moved forward further so we could see their entire bodies standing on the hill – all eight of them the same just like the military coming over the hill for attack.”

Hilborn and Crystal Lorette began screaming for help after hearing some golfers playing the hole behind them. The golfers, a group of four local teens, at first told the group that wolves were often seen in the area and not to worry about it while they continued to play on.

“Us two girls took two of the dogs on leashes and turned that corner to Number 5 still screaming for help,” said Hilborn. “Shane and Dan stayed where they were and were spreading out, trying to make themselves look big. The wolves still came towards them and they’re now yelling at us ‘hurry up, hurry up bring some clubs or something.”

“(The golfers) each grabbed a couple of clubs and the six of us came running back. Once we were eight adults and three dogs, the wolves took off.”

If not for the aid of the four young men, Hilborn said they have no doubt their dogs – an adult Labrador retriever named Lucy and two six month old Husky pups named Bandit and Sophie would have been attacked.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” she said. “They had stalked us, they had made their move, spread out and they were circling us.”

Later that evening, a local lawyer and his golfing partner were also chased off the course by the wolves.
”The way he described it was quite neat, he said he looked behind him and there was five wolves lined up across the fairway and then one wolf out in front, like in the song The Leader of the Pack, said the Pro Shop’s Moe Hays. “And the wolves just kept coming – they kept walking and the wolves kept coming. They decided to drop their golf clubs and run, but the wolves picked up the pace.

Hays, who has been at the golf course since 1972, says that while the golf course has always been frequented by a couple of wolves this is the first time they’ve seen a pack.

“As far as I understand from talking to people, the wolves that are around .. what they’ve done is packed up,” he said.

“The lone wolf is not of any significance or anything to fear but when they’re in a pack that’s when they’re serious.”

According to Hilborn a number of people have called Conservation to report the incident but have received a luke warm response from the understaffed Terrace based agency that patrols a vast swath of land in the North.

“They’ve said there’s not much they can do,” she said. “Does somebody have to get attacked and ripped apart?”

CONSERVATION OFFICERS DRAWING UP A WOLF PLAN
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Monday, August 1, 2006
Page Five

A pack of wolves prowling the area of the golf course has raised concerns among wildlife officials across the region.

“That was the first we heard of a pack approaching people,” said Conservation Officer Chris Price about a series of incidents involving a large group of wolves from last Friday night.

“We certainly are aware there’s a pack of wolves on Kaien Island between the dump and the golf course, but not that they’ve approached people as a group.

“We need to see if this is a one-time occurrence or if there‘s a pattern of conditioning.”

The issue is a complicated one for Conservation to deal with because many options available to them when animals are in the wild are not available.

“Shooting them is one option, leg hold traps and snare are options, but those are all limited in urban areas because of the proximity of pets, people and children,” said Price.

“That makes it very difficult to employ those measures. If we were considering employing those measures, we’d have to do so very safely.

“We’re going to look at some of our options in terms of dealing with the situation as well as trying to get more information about the frequency of the wolves being seen and their behaviour when they are being seen. Once we’ve got a plan, we’ll address it in the best way that we can to ensure the safety of the public.”

Until a solution is found, Price recommends people keep their pets - a major attraction to a wolf – on a leash, consider carrying a walking stick with them and think about where they’re going to take a dog for a walk.

“The public does need to keep in mind they could encounter a wolf or more than one wolf it they are near the golf course, or along the trail at Butze Rapids or out by the landfill, “ he said.

“We’ve had situations in Prince Rupert where dogs have been attacked when walking with their owners, so the best way to keep a dog safe is to keep them .. under control at all times so the owner can remove the doge from the area if wolves are spotted.

“People should also consider.. walking in areas that are more open, so they can see they wolves and they can’t really approach.”

If people are approached by a wolf or a pack of wolves, Price said their approach to safety should be the same.

“You want to … back away from the area, don’t turn and run but certainly try to leave the area as expeditiously as possible.

“Watch the wolves to see what they’re doing while trying get somewhere safe,” he said.

“Try to make yourself look as big and intimidating as possible yelling and waving your arms will intimidate a wolf.”

He adds that wolves are extremely timid creatures and there is only one suspected fatality as a result of a wolf attack in North America’s history.

What makes them less timid is people feeding them – a criminal offence – or not running them off when they see them in urban areas, allowing them to become habituated.

“Some of the wolves we’re seeing around PR are certainly conditioned to people, they’ve lost their timid ness and they do approach people closely… but it doesn’t mean that they’re going to necessarily attack somebody,” said Price.

If people are approached by a wolf or wolves they should report it to 1-877-952-7277.

Hold Onto your wallets, ICBC rates may be rising!

The net income for ICBC is down over the fist six months of the year, sending an alarm bell that BC drivers may be paying a little more next time they renew their policies. While it’s a little early to say that a definite rise in rates is on the way, the seeds of a rate increase have been planted by ICBC officials.

The opinion 250 website has the details on the latest financial dealings with the province’s insurance industry and how it all may affect us.

ICBC Premiums May Increase if Trend Continues
By Anne Blanchard
Tuesday, August 01, 2006 03:25 PM

ICBC has reported net income of $110 million for the first half of 2006, down $50 million from the same period in 2005. The net cost of claims rose by about 10% in that same time period. ICBC says the average payout to customers with claims is increasing. As well, costs associated with prior year claims have continued to increase, resulting in a need for higher reserves.

It’s too early to say if premium costs will go up, but if things continue this way there will be a need for a 4-5% increase in basic premiums, to come into effect sometime next year, says Doug McClelland, Senior Manager of Media Relations for ICBC, though any decision on rate increases is still several months away. “The bottom line is if costs go up, there’s only one place to turn,” says McClelland. “Premium revenue must cover claims costs.”

The cost increases in the first six months of 2006 have been partly offset by increased revenues from premiums. A 6.5% increase for basic coverage came into effect on March 15, 2006, and there has been an increase in the number of basic policies sold in the first six months of 2006, as well as higher sales of optional coverage .

ICBC has a commitment to keeping rates low and stable, says McClelland, but costs have risen across the board, including payments for injuries and lost wages, for medical costs, and for general damage awards.

The biggest thing drivers can do to influence premium rates is to drive safely, says McClelland. The longer the safe driving record, the bigger the discount on premiums for customers.

Posted on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 03:25 PM in News by Anne Blanchard

Petro Canada discovers the Power of You Tube

Petro Can employee explains just why they charge so much for gas!

You Tube, the instrument of big Oil?

Well could this be the end of the YouTube fascination, once the domain of the Oliver Stone wanna be generation, the ever popular internet website has now been discovered by the corporate world.

Petro Canada is using the video option (see add above and look for others here) to explain just why they charge you so much for your litre of gas (mind you they don’t explain why they’re always quick to be the ones to raise their prices first eh!).

Petro Can has posted all of their projects on their own corporate website, but perhaps they may have missed the boat on the You Tube generation and their placement there. If I have read the service correctly, You Tube is supposed to be uh, funny. Gas prices compared to cups of coffee, it's um shall we say, unfunny to say the least.

They do however, wish to hear from all of us voyeurs of the net, so fire off your very own critique!

The Globe and Mail had the following blurb on the sudden fascination of YouTube by Big Oil Canadian style and what it may mean for the little diversion we all enjoy lurking around.


Petrocan breaks ground with YouTube gas price ad
KEITH MCARTHUR
MARKETING REPORTER

TORONTO — Petro-Canada is going grassroots -- using the popular YouTube website to broadcast amateur-style videos of employees talking about gas prices.

YouTube was founded last year with a mission of giving amateur filmmakers a voice -- allowing them to broadcast videos shot on digital cameras or mobile phones. Now, large corporations, which have always had the means to get their messages out, are looking at YouTube as an alternative way to reach young consumers.

The site already broadcasts hundreds of commercials. Where Petrocan is breaking new ground is by using YouTube to broadcast videos that are more educational than entertaining, said Max Valiquette, president of Toronto marketing consulting firm Youthography.

"This is a press release in the form of a video, and I think we're going to see a lot more of that in the coming years," Mr. Valiquette said.

"Corporations say they should be doing more to engage consumers -- to talk to them on their terms -- and, execution aside, this is actually a really interesting example of Petro-Canada doing that."

In a series of videos, Petrocan spokeswoman Allyson Zarowny stands in front of a gas station and explains that gas prices rise and fall, just like coffee prices. But margins in the gas business are much slimmer than they are in the coffee business, she says. Separate video messages were recorded in French.

The videos can be viewed on Petrocan's website or at YouTube.com. Late yesterday afternoon, a week after being submitted to YouTube, one of the videos had been viewed more than 2,000 times.

Jon Hamilton, director of communications for Petrocan's retail operations, said the intent was to have Ms. Zarowny explain gas prices the way any employee would when grilled by a friend or family member at a barbecue or wedding. Petrocan already had information on its site explaining gas pricing, but it was overly technical, dry and not user-friendly, he said.

"We thought, they don't go to barbecues with power point presentations. They just answer the question straight up. And we said, maybe there's something we could learn from that."
Mr. Hamilton said Petrocan spent little on the campaign -- largely by design -- to give it an unpolished feel. It cost about $20,000, considerably less than a traditional advertising campaign, he said.

Petrocan isn't the only marketer to broadcast over YouTube. Coca-Cola's new advertising agency -- Wieden & Kennedy -- is releasing a series of Internet-only ads over YouTube in conjunction with its newest TV campaign.

And Mark Tutssel, worldwide creative director for Leo Burnett, recently called YouTube the advertising model of the future.

The videos that get watched most often on YouTube tend to be the most entertaining -- usually silly, sexy or outrageous.

Mr. Valiquette, whose firm did consulting work for Petrocan about four years ago, said the company's effort won't be one of the most popular videos on YouTube, but will get enough views to cover its meagre costs.

"People will watch anything," he said. "If it's up there, somebody's going to watch it. Somebody's going to be looking for 'gas' or 'pump' or 'Canada' and they're going to look at it."

But Steve Williams, creative director at Calgary-based ad agency Venture Communications, questioned whether Petrocan's effort will be worthwhile.

"It's the least funny thing I've ever seen on YouTube," he said.

Mr. Williams said that for a medium like YouTube, Petrocan would have been better off creating a funny video -- perhaps with a self-deprecating tone -- which would have been more likely to "go viral" and get passed around from user to user.

"I look at stuff like this and I just think 'Why do it?' I understand that people gripe about gas prices, but it's sort of like griping about the weather. You really know you can't do anything about it, but it's just good sport for griping."

Wolves cause for concern at Golf Course

Prince Rupert's Wolf problem is becoming national news, in addition to a couple of stories in yesterday's Daily (haven't bought it yet so I can't quote details) I found this story from the pages of the Hamilton Spectator, outlining the troubles faced by golfers and hikers alike along the Centennial Golf Course byways.

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C.

Northwestern B.C. conservation officers are expressing concern after Prince Rupert walkers found themselves being stalked by a pack of wolves last week.

Sherry Hilborn and several friends were walking their dogs on the coastal island city's golf course on Friday when they spotted eight wolves.

When they screamed for help, other golfers arrived with clubs and the wolves fled.
Later that evening, a local lawyer and his golfing partner were chased off the course by the wolves.

Conservation Officer Chris Price said it was the first time he had heard of groups of people being approached by a pack.

"We certainly are aware there's a pack of wolves on Kaien Island between the dump and the golf course, but not that they've approached people as a group," he said. "We need to see if this is a one-time occurrence or if there's a pattern of conditioning."

Moe Hays has been the golf pro at the course since 1972. The occasional wolf is nothing new, he said.

"The lone wolf is not of any significance or anything to fear but when they're in a pack, that's when they're serious," he said.

Pictures of Podunk: Now loading cattle at pen number one!

Oh for the golden days of jet travel!

Visitors to Podunk these days find themselves taking part in some kind of warped version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Once you navigate the wonderfully strange methods of bus, boat and road transportation to the airport its time to board your plane.

This is the De Havilland Dash 8 Series 300, the mode of transport provided from the folks at Air Canada Jazz. Once upon a time there were spacious?? jets plying the routes of Terrace, Prince Rupert and Sandspit but those days are long gone. Now it's herd the cattle onto the tarmac and into the cattle truck er, cabin.

Perhaps one day progress may once again come to Podunk, if nothing else perhaps Jazz could put one of these on the Rupert run just for a bit of modern day travel. The cattle in the back would gladly moo their thanks.

Creative Writing 101

Well as I get back into the swing of the blogging thing I have perused the month long festival of google alerts clogging up my mailbox.

Found this little gem from the folks at VIA Rail who are busy trying to drum up business on the Skeena line, and while we can appreciate their efforts on our behalf to lure the monied train travelers to our various northern outposts, one must take some of their gushing with a grain of salt. To wit we quote this little blurb about the self anointed Northern Capital of Prince George....

"Prince George, where the Skeena stops overnight on its journey between Jasper and Prince Rupert, is a beautiful city located in some of Canada's densest forests. Not surprisingly, the city is one with nature, as over 100 parks can be found within city limits!

Prince George also offers several fascinating museums, such as the Fraser Fort George Regional Museum, a hands-on natural history and science center featuring "Adventure Theatre", an in-depth history of the region's human culture, and various other activities."

Now I have no bone to pick with the land of Mr. PG, hell I even lived there for two and a half years of my life. But it's a stretch to call the town that sits in a bowl, with its hot haze of pulp effluent hanging over it in the hot and occasionally stinking summer as "Beautiful", it takes a lot of rose in your coloured glasses to call it beautiful, even scenic would be a bit of a challenge as the cut banks aren't exactly the thing of the Rockies. Even Ben Meisner, a rather well known ruminator of all things PG would probably admit that it might be a stretch, his own writing for opinion 250 comes a little closer to the tone and feel of the city today.

In fact when you get off the train in PG your kind of stuck in a no mans land of industrial use, rail yards and warehouses, car lots and questionable characters wandering the streets. Not to mention that you're more than a few blocks away from a decent hotel, which you probably don't really want to hike to. Perhaps a phone number for PG Taxis might have been useful in the piece, that and the address for the Casino!

Now all that being said it's still a sizeable community along the way and has its own particular charms to explore, the museum mentioned is a nice little thing but not quite the Science Centre in Vancouver, the University site is quite nice up above the pulp haze and overlooking the bowl area and yes there are many parks to explore once you get off that monstrosity of a fast lane called the by-pass, but sheesh beautiful?.

Somebody got a bonus point in creative writing to pull those adjectives out for this PR piece...

The Googles of August

We continue our mission to monitor the Google news ticker and report on those breaking items of interest to Podunk. Below those news worthy items for the month of August.

August 31 Economy getting hotter, forecasts new report
August 31 Rupert man awarded cross of valour
August 29 B. C. Ferries buys vessel Sonia for northern routes
August 28 Free trade takes a hit from an unlikely corner
August 28 Unemployment rate to rise in Prince Rupert
August 28 Fishing derby unpopular with Regional District
August 27 UNBC to offer Bachelor of Ed classes in Terrace
August 25 Local golfer tees it up in New Mexico
August 23 Thieves on the docks
August 23 Ferries need to get this right
August 23 Kitimat still confident in their fishing derby
August 23 Regional parks get more maintenance this year
August 23 Activists want SPCA to stop serving meat
August 22 BC Ferries to revamp Northern fleet
August 22 UNBC road trip a success
August 21 Liberal candidate says Conservatives lack support for PR gateway
August 18 Catching the 100,000 fish close to reality
August 18 BC Ferries selects German firm to build new vessel for North Coast
August 18 Prince Rupert SPCA to cancel crab boil due to opposition
August 16 Rupert fish derby draws fire for impact on area tourism
August 16 Genetic testing to help out North coast fishery
August 16 Prince George continues to beneift from Rupert Port
August 15 Fairview Container port spurring development in PG
August 14 Alcan to build "world class" smelter in Kitimat
August 13 We're but a tiny fishing village
August 12 Remembering Clyde Westman
August 11 Ferry head count was faulty
August 11 Rupert Chamber official visists the Charlottes
August 10 Smithers officials wonder about CN Rail loads
August 10 Squamish oil spill has many wondering about North Coast LNG
August 9 Kitimat LNG Project gets Env. Canada approval
August 9 Terrace ponders traffic trouble from Rupert port
August 9 Sierra Club lauds management of Nass fishery
August 8 Rupert selected as site to build historic Tsmshian canoes
August 8 Fairview Container Port makes the Wall St. Journal
August 7 Raid the North extreme re-scheduled
August 5 Gitanyow sign forestry deal with province
August 4 Pot Luck crackdown causing anger in Northwest
August 4 Health Connections bus to be used for Highway of Tears?
August 4 Former Rupert resident to skate with Duck and Mouse
August 3 Remembering and learning from the Big One of 1946
August 2 Coho Derby making a negative splash with some inland
August 2 Prince Rupert Port will help Alberta and BC economies
August 2 Wolf problems at the Golf Course
August 1 Coal Mine opens with Ridley as its transportation gateway

Slowly back to the blog.

Jeez I'm still wandering in some kind of hazy post vacation ether, one than seems to render the simple tasks of blogging to being rather a chore. Shall endeavor to get back on track shortly, seems like a few things happened in ole Podunk in my absence.

The most historic of which being the passing of the legendary Peter Lester, hope to hit the library for past issues of the Daily Podunk to catch up and shall provide a suitable posting for the passing of Mr. Lester in the days to come. (How come all the big news happens when you get away, suppose like the big news organizations I should have had a batch file of obits waiting to be posted.)

Be slow blogging for the moment though, still not quite ready to dedicate blocks and blocks of time to a blog, though if the crappy weather continues I can see blogging being ones salvation once again shortly.

As they say watch this space.....