The ship's come in

This fall, Marine Atlantic will be adding a new ferry to their fleet. It will be the largest vessel ever to enter the harbour of Port aux Basques, which means more passengers, vehicles, and goods can be carried.

This ferry will carry in approximately 1000 people and provide them with modern and well-appointed passenger areas including restaurants, gift shop, snack bar, bar, seating lounges, and a spa.

Here are a few highlights:

The Vessel
The Superfast IX is a Ro-Pax ferry. It was constructed in Kiel Germany in 2002 and was acquired by Tallink in 2006 to operate between Estonia and Helsinki.

Size
The vessel is significantly larger than any other vessel ever operated by Marine Atlantic. The ferry is 203 metres in length and has four propulsion engines with a total output of 46 Megawatts and can travel at speeds up to 27 knots. In comparison, the MV Caribou is 179 metres long. It has four engines with a total output of 21 Megawatts and can travel at speeds of up to 20 knots.

Capacity
The new ferry has in excess of 50 percent more vehicle capacity than either the MV Caribou or the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood. It is capable of carrying approximately 531 cars or a mix of cars and commercial vehicles using the two main vehicle decks and the two lower decks. The lower decks are sized to accommodate only cars. In comparison, the MV Caribou has a capacity of carrying 350 cars or a mix of cars and commercial vehicles on its two vehicle decks.

Fuel Efficiency
On a per vehicle basis, the new vessel will be 34 percent more fuel efficient than either the MV Caribou or the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood.

Ice Class
The vessel has an equivalent I ....

Can you believe it? They brought back Smallwood's baby bonus, and are calling it the New Baby Bonus.

The Health Minister and Finance Minister provided information about the one thousand dollars government will pay for each child born or adopted as part of the Family Growth Benefit. The Parental Support Benefit provides an extra one hundred dollars a month for the first twelve months of a child's life, retroactive to the first of the year.

The program started as a promise in the provincial election. It’s controversial in that many people believe it will create social problems in the future.

Newfoundland and Labrador's population has been dropping since the fisheries collapse of the early 1990s, and last year the province became the first jurisdiction in Canada to record more deaths than live births.

"We can't be a dying race," Williams said, "We can't be in a situation where our population is shrinking, where we have more people dying than are being born."

What do YOU think about this?

Look at all dem cubes!

Reports out of Newfoundland this week tell of interesting icebergs, and they are plentifully this year. Icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland are a common sight in the spring, but residents have been treated to a rare spectacle this May, as icebergs have jammed the mouth of a harbour near the city.

An iceberg is stuck in Quidi Vidi and has become something of an attraction for both residents and tourists. Icebergs can also be seen off of St. John's and are grounded to the ocean floor. They can stay that way from anywhere from hours to weeks, before breaking up.

The icebergs off of Newfoundland are carved off the west coast of Greenland and take about two to three years to make the 3,300-kilometre trip. They can float down as far south as Bermuda.

It is estimated that the Greenland ice cap produces anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 icebergs annually but several hundred make it to Newfoundland. Most are diverted into straits or bays, or grounded along Baffin Island or Labrador's coast, before they are spotted.

Trade Mark?

From CBC News: Mary Brown's said it would pull posters out of its restaurants in Newfoundland and Labrador Monday after the Roman Catholic Church complained about their use of the phrase "Hail Mary."

The phrase was used on flyers and posters in the fast-food chicken company's latest advertising campaign. Bishop Douglas Crosby of the diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador said the phrase makes light of a fundamental element of the church's faith.

On Friday, Crosby described Hail Mary as a noble expression used by the angel Gabriel in an address to the Blessed Virgin.

"There underneath these very important words in our faith is a huge chicken burger," he said.

Crosby said parishioners are offended by the ads, and he wrote to the company outlining his concerns.

"I was surprised that they would be so thoughtless of the concerns, the faith concerns, of so many people. They're not cute words and they're not words to be taken lightly," he said.

In a statement, Mary Brown's Inc. president Nigel Beattie said the company took the concerns very seriously, and in no way whatsoever intended to offend the Roman Catholic religion or its prayers.

"Our honest intent was that the slogan would be a play on the "All Hail Caesar" salute that was used at the time of Julius Caesar," Beattie said in the statement.

He said the slogan was part of a Roman theme the company planned to use throughout 2008.

Calling it an unfortunate situation, Beattie said all posters with the slogan are currently being removed from Mary Brown's locations across the province.

The first Mary Brown's restaurant opened in Newfoundland in 1969, and the chain now has more than 70 outlets in four provinces, including Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia.

The famous Newfoundland’s world's greatest lover, the rooster that came from Kitchusis, indeed fathered a large and varied family. Now, one of his great-grand-chick’s is about to publish a book that chronicles his great grand-Rooster’s life and times.

“Great-Grand-Rooster was extremely well know in both Newfoundland, and in most parts of the world, as being a terrific lover. What wasn’t known was that he really wanted to settle down in Harbour Grace and raise a small family; maybe do a little fishing, and just enjoy life.”, Popeye told UpAlong via phone earlier this week.

“He never found the right – whatever – to settle down with. As time went on, and his reputation and fame grew, he began to realize that his dream would not likely happen. It was then that he began to really go at it. He hit the sauce pretty hard, and even chased after married women.”, Popeye said.

“That’s about the time things spiraled out of control for him. He couldn’t sleep; was up at the crack of dawn every day. He’d eat until he was stuffed, and then he’d go out and get salty and sauced.,,, he had a rough time of it.”

Popeye Chicken’s upcoming book will tell the complete story of Newfoundland’s ‘world’s best lover’. Look for it stores next month.