test blog #10

We've been without internet access or cell phone for several days - inconvenient, irritating, relaxing and refreshing at the same time. But we're online tonight, and I'm planning on getting my travel journal all caught up, plus posting a few resister-related videos. In a word: Newfoundland is amazing. More soon.

We did make it out last night. First we stopped in the Duke of Duckworth, which would pass muster in any village in Ireland or England. I adore pubs - New York doesn't really have them, and it's something I love about Toronto - and I can see Newfoundland will deliver on this score. We had a pint and hung out a bit, then headed for The Ship, which I heard was the best pub in town, and had music every night. Walking into The Ship, we were quite surprised to see a gentleman on the small stage, quite senior, sitting in a chair, singing an a capella ballad. I'd say it was an Irish ballad, but not quite: it was a Newfoundland song. There was a sizeable crowd - it's a small room, but it was full - and they were rapt, hanging on every word. We grabbed two bar stools and listened. The man spun off ballad after ballad, each one a little world unto itself. The songs followed the standard conventions (although I had never heard any of them), and on several the crowd chanted along ...

This morning we headed south on the Avalon Peninsula to the beautifully named Witless Bay Ecological Reserve , hoping to see icebergs, whales and birds. (Newfoundland is famous for its place names. The Avalon Peninsula alone sports towns called Dildo, Heart's Content and Tickle Cove, among many others.) Witless Bay is a group of four rocky islands just off the shore, about 25 kms south of St. John's. On our way down, as soon as we spotted the bay, we could see a few icebergs from the road. It's really a surprise the first time you spot them - shining white and bright blue in the middle of the bay. We had some trouble finding a boat tour operator, and now we realize that's because many of the smaller ones haven't opened for business yet. We're a little ahead of the tourist season. We followed a sign down to a dock, but it seemed deserted, although there was a boat in the water. We asked at a nearby coffee shop, and the owner said she'd ring them up. She made ...

We were up at 5:00 for our 7:30 flight, which was an uneventful not-quite three hours. In Pearson, I saw a newspaper over a man's shoulder, with a headline reading "send him back to pay his dues". I did a double-take, and realized it was the National Post (for non-Canadian readers: a right-wing rag), a dueling viewpoint they have already run online, Corey Glass vs. columnist Jonathan Kay. The man reading and his wife noticed we were talking about them, so I asked what paper it was and explained I was involved in the issue. As we were getting ready to board, the woman asked if I wanted the paper. As he was giving me the section, the man was eager to tell me that it gave "both sides of the story," in a way that told us where he stood. After all, he is reading the Post . But I called the Campaign - at least we have a hard copy of it now. Allan says we'll see them in Gros Morne; he's calling it now. The airport is not far from downtown, and we drove right i...

I can't travel without writing about it. I have a travel journal from every trip I've taken as an adult, beginning with my first trip to Europe, with my dear friend NN, in 1982. When Allan and I went to Peru in 2006, I blogged my travel journal for the first time, and I really enjoyed it. So I'm doing it again. If other people's travel diaries are not your thing, check back in early July. I'll be writing daily, but I may not have daily internet access. It's possible I'll have to post a few days' worth of journal all at once. As with Peru, this will be text only, no pictures. After we get back, I'll sort through the photos and choose a selection to post. We're bringing both film and digital cameras. This blog now uses comment moderation permanently; I'll put comments through once or twice daily. I'm really excited. If I'm going somewhere, I'm happy. And extra-special-happy news, I was just offered a big writing/editing job that wil...

If you click on wmtc through the War Resisters Support Campaign , and read mainly (or only) the war resisters updates, news will be thin for a while. I'll be out of town for 16 days, and will have limited access to Campaign news. I'll post any big updates I get, but chances are you'll hear those before I get to them. If you're interested in following my trip to Newfoundland, feel free! Go to the main page . I'll be thinking of the Campaign constantly. The safety of the war resisters is always in my thoughts. Peace.

I recently posted about the US building permanent bases in Iraq. Here's the story to read on that subject: The Greatest Story Never Told - Finally, the U.S. Mega-Bases in Iraq Make the News , by Tom Engelhardt. I'm working my way through it now. I ask you, does this sound like an empire ready to make an exit any time soon? Read.