[Leica] A Brief History of NFLD for John

[locke at straylight.ca (Greg Locke)]

John Black asked "What is NFLD"

...OK, you asked for it :^)
Close you eyes, Tim!


Abbreviation for the island of Newfoundland. Currently the island portion of
the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador.

The big island off the east coast of Canada in the North Atlantic.
Claimed for England in 1497 by John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto an Italian) and
become a "fishing station" which made the merchants and lords of Bristol,
Poole and Dorset very wealthy. 

A rather brutally ruled colony of England (are they not all?) it eventually
got various degrees of self rule through the 18th century, becoming and
independent nation in the 19th century and becoming once again ruled by
Great Britain in the early part of the last century after falling into
bankruptcy after WWI, The Depression and WWII ...much based on the economic
and trade policies of Canada and Great Britain and war debt. Newfoundland
fielded its own regiments in both wars as well as contributed to other
countries. (My Grand Father was in the US Army and his son in the RAF).
Ironically, the USA was a major trading partner to the independent
Newfoundland until pressured by Canadian and UK trade interests.

In Newfoundland's "Golden Years" its was the cross roads of trans-Atlantic
shipping and commerce with a very lucrative cod and seal fishery (even
greater than New England states). It was a trading nation with strong ties
to the USA (or the "Boston States" as they were called here), Spain,
Portugal, Morocco and the Caribbean.

In 1948, the third referendum was held to determine Newfoundland's national
fate. It was a bitter and divisive vote, bordering on civil war, as before,
but his time, Newfoundlanders voted their country out of existence and opted
accept the invitation of Canada to join as a province of the Dominion of
Canada.

...but there are those who say that vote was counted by the ancestors of the
vote counters in Florida and too this day I still have relatives in Winter
Park and Port Canaveral, FLA! :^) 

...and you were expecting a simple answer? :^) 

Better yet, go read The Shipping News.

...check out the blog.

Greg Locke
St. John's, Newfoundland
http://blog.greglocke.com
-----------------------------
Independent journalism from
Newfoundland & Labrador
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+locke=straylight.ca@leica-users.org 
> [mailto:lug-bounces+locke=straylight.ca@leica-users.org] On 
> Behalf Of John Black
> Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 6:23 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Geesh - and we though camera people had it tough
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > ...don't get me started on the Brits!!!  :^)
> > 
> > FREE NFLD!!!!
> > 
> 
> Errrr...... what's an NFLD?
> 
> JB
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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>