Understood?

"Newfoundland and Labrador retains the right to proofread and approve all social media, general media and fiction output from visitors. Thank you for bringing your money, but please leave your opinions at the door and double check your pronunciation of Newfoundland (Think: Understand)."

Is this the disclaimer we need at the bottom of Marine Atlantic's booking sites, or incoming Air Canada flights?

Last fall, Robin Short was crucified on the altar of salt meat and potatoes when the poor man said he was tired of our image outside the province. It's a wonder he wasn't deported for attacking our proud heritage of singing and dancing in the middle of Toronto Pearson Airport. Fast-forward to last week, when Anthony Bourdain's documentary was announced to be airing. "Great" we said, "but don't call us Newfie". Oh, and then media coverage focused on Bourdain's pronunciation of Newfoundland (I know it was more cheeky than anything, but... really?). Clearly he didn't see Mindy Kaling's tweet.

So, we @ him. We tweet CNN. We're the friendliest people in Canada, but my son don't look at us sideways. Follow our rules while you visit, please.  This lucky American got to meet his girlfriend on Corner Brook on Monday, and lord help him if he tweets something off-colour afterwards. It's a wonder we don't have volunteer tourism advisers following his every move. Holy moly. Are we really so serious?

I don't think Anthony Bourdain will be revisiting any time soon. If he ever did think to recommend us, I'd say that goodwill is gone b'y. This week, he had to defend the Quebecois chefs who suggested he come to the island. The same province outraged about being called 'Newfies' were ticked off with the 'frenchies' and 'frogs' who were so prominently featured. And who the hell is St. Pierre, anyways!?

Um, okay.

We're dying for cash right now. Tourism might very well be the answer, honestly. People coming in from outside the province and spending their money with us. But we're not exactly screaming "come visit!" when offside of the tourism ads, we're berating personalities for not toeing our line. Sure, Anthony has probably had negative feedback before and it won't be the last time. He visits myriad cultures and can't get it all right. But c'mon, he ate some fish and had a good time. Is this how we want to be remembered?

In the conversation about immigration, it's well documented that when people enter Canada through Newfoundland and Labrador, they move on. If they stay, they struggle to feel welcome and settle. Meanwhile, we need them. With a quickly aging population from generations who would have an average of four to five or more children -- "and THEN they came out with the pill" my Nan used to say -- we're looking at a lot of some awfully wise people leaving the workforce without anyone to replace them. But, don't take away our jobs you CFAs.

Thank you so much for the free advertisement, Come From Away on Broadway; an award-winning musical about the charitable spirits of Newfoundland and Labradorians, who invited stranded people from around the world into their homes. Never mind that Claude Elliott is allegedly unsupportive of LGBTQ people, please come visit us CFA fans! Heck, film the movie here as well -- we could use the dollars. Before you arrive, consult this informative pamphlet about the exact words you should use while you're here. Please don't stay more than two months. And finally, please visit George Street. Don't mind what happened to that guy from Aquaman.

I'm Making Your Insurance Rates Skyrocket

As a collision victim, a headline caught my eye: "Payouts For Pain And Suffering Keep Premiums Soaring, Says Insurance Bureau". This past week, a report was release saying essentially the same thing.

Nothing like some good old fashioned victim blaming to drive the narrative.

I was hit in July while riding my bicycle. While no bones were broken, I sustained some big hits to my legs and lower back. Miraculously, my neck and head were saved from immediate damage. Wear your helmet, kids.

The issue was soft tissue damage, and I suffer to this day. I have been regularly attending physiotherapy since the fall -- the delay brought on by a confusing-to-navigate compensation system, with mounds of paperwork and emails circulated before I got my first appointment. Alongside these sessions, I have had to buy tools for at-home therapy, also at the expense of their insurance company. So, yup. I'm one of the people apparently raising the premiums. Most of this is paid for by my own insurance through work, and the rest is covered by their insurance -- that's how the system works. When my insurance runs out, theirs will take over. I don't see stopping any time soon, because I notice the difference when I take a "break". It hurts.

Naturally, the victims are being blamed. People are trying to cap the benefits I take advantage of to keep moving like I did before the accident.

If I could take it back, you bet I would. I wish I didn't have to check in with a physiotherapist every other week, making sure my body is healing properly over half a year after the collision.

It would be naive to think people aren't taking advantage of the system through any variation of insurance fraud. Auto repair fraud is well documented in Canada , and likely happening in NL. Every cent affects the system like a pebble in a pond. People are also likely fraudulently claiming soft-tissue damage, as well. So, yes -- this is likely driving up premiums.

Right now, taxi drivers are also having a hard time. There is seemingly no mercy for them. "Drive safer", people are telling them. But, nobody seems to be accounting for their own driving habits.

A few weekends ago, St. John's saw ten collisions in one weekend. One was fatal. There were a few drunk drivers on the roads, of course. It was an anomalous weekend, but tallies of at least three and up are not uncommon. This is excluding the multiple vehicular accidents across the province.

We blame government for not fixing the roads, or demand better signage. We say bike riders shouldn't be on the black top, or pedestrians need to wear brighter clothing. We say there needs to be more police on our highways enforcing speed limits. These are all valid observations, but missing from the conversation each and every time is personal accountability. St. John's dealerships are selling more jeeps and trucks than ever before. More people are driving in more powerful vehicles than ever before, with more potential distractions. Getting a license is laughably easy, with no check-ins after the fact until you are a senior -- and that's assuming people are licensed while they drive.

You know what would keep our rates down? Fewer cars on the road. Better driving. Slower driving. Common sense in bad weather. Paying attention to the signage currently in place. Yielding right-of-ways. Watching out for pedestrians -- not slowing down to let them jaywalk, but to follow the rules of the road and not run them down.

Basically, before we cap pain and suffering insurance for people who need it, let's collectively agree to stop hitting other road users with our massive transportation machines.

A Local Perspective On Guns, and your Water Bottle

In the wake of another horrific school shooting two weeks ago, some news broke in the outdoor industry a little over a week afterwards. The connection between guns to bike brands such as Camelback, Giro, Blackburn and Bell has been discovered. Vista Outdoor is the company that owns each of these quality labels. Vista Outdoor also makes a significant amount of its money from "shooting sports", and a brand called Savage Arms. So, guns. Ammo. Other hunting accessories, which does include semi-automatic rifles, similar to the infamous AR-15.

Many good friends have shared this fact with me and asked my opinion, which is this: I will continue to shop local and buy quality brands I trust. To think my money doesn't trickle upwards in a cascading reverse waterfall that will eventually mix with the currency spent on guns and ammo is naive, absolutely. However, at the end of the day I am more focused on supporting my local businesses rather than the labels.

In between writing articles about this latest controversy, industry journalists are likely looking at every brand in their mud room and digging into the background of each one. I would theorize that many of the outdoor brands you hold dear are distantly connected to guns. Look at Rapha; One of the most boutique and respected cycling apparel brands in the world was recently sold to Wal-Mart heirs for 200 GBP. Wal-Mart also dabbles heavily in gun sales.

Obviously, folks are calling for a boycott of any brands related to Vista Outdoor. This is alongside massive conglomerates distancing themselves from the NRA and gun companies, so the prevailing thought seems to be: do the same on a local level. Your money speaks louder than words. Now is the time for action. Show them what you think. Pull these brands off shelves, don't give them your business. All valid.

But, don't be so quick to pull your dollars away from, or judge, local businesses. In fact, let's not be quick to villify the brands themselves. If you want that Camelbak bottle, then buy it. If you just bought the cool Giro helmet, don't ask for a refund or throw it in your closet. Giro research and development into the Vanquish helmet didn't make its way into some sort of aerodynamic gun. They just happen to be owned by the same parent company.

These brands are not shell companies or gun-money laundering fronts. They are bike brands. Giro sponsors the massively popular Grinduro event, while Blackburn empowers the adventures of riders around the world through the Ranger Program. You will often see prize donations from these labels at your local events. Bell is a helmet company that, alongside Giro, is leading the way for industry helmet safety standards. These initiatives are more reflective of where your money really goes.

The people who represent and work for these brands are definitely feeling the pressure right now, and conflating the work they believe in with death and destruction is an unfair accusation. They just want to get people on bike trails, or keep people safe and hydrated. This article, shared by a good friend, says it quite well: "We've got these brands people have loved — and they are very, very good brands; they just happened to have been acquired by this company," Chandler said. "Unfortunately, it is their employees, who are our close associates and friends, who would suffer more than the wealthy, socially irresponsible parent company." It continues, "Small retail businesses are fighting as it is to stay afloat because of the threats of internet sales," he said. "Something like this — while not the nail in the coffin — doesn't help."

On the front lines it is unreasonable to expect your local shops to bear the brunt of this issue and pull everything off the wall. In many shops, these will result in bare walls... and then, what? The stock you see at your local level does not belong to the company any more. If your local store doesn't sell it, then Savage Arms (the gun company at issue here) are not the ones on the line financially. They won't even feel it. Your local shop will. When this blows over ('cause it will), and your local retailer puts the old stock back up, it will be harder to sell. The cool new thing will be out, and you'll want to buy that instead.

Of course, I applaud any business who may take such a stand. It's their choice to make. What I am saying is, any attempt to hold your money hostage until local shops meet your ethical demands is in itself an unethical course of action.

Okay, sure. The notion that tight financial returns will send a louder message to these companies isn't wrong. I would argue, however, that emailing, phone calls and social media callouts to the parent company are ultimately more effective in this day and age. Again, orders have already been made and the money has already changed hands. What you see in store has been paid for.

In light of this, it's disappointing to see Mountain Equipment Co-Op waffling on the issue. Why the double standard towards them? Well, they're worth several hundred thousand more to these companies, and Vista Outdoor. They are not pulling the associated brands from shelves, but selling them through and suspending upcoming orders. So, they're still going to make money, then turn around and spend less. It may send a loud message, but the brands and their employees will now take a stronger hit for the transgressions of their distant cousin.

This is especially interesting in light of the fact that Mountain Equipment Co-Op continues to carry Black Diamond. The Black Diamond brand is owned by Clarus (formerly Black Diamond Inc.), which acquired Sierra Bullets in August of 2017. I only address this because, let's be honest, your vitriol with Vista Outdoor's brands is based on the issue-du-jour. Such quick actions will only affect the neighbors who run your local shops. Savage Arms won't fold because you didn't buy a hydration pack.

Raise your voice where you feel it is needed, but be wary of who your bandwagon hopping will directly affect. It very well may result in some irreversible collateral damage.