Canada’s Debate

I came into today debating whether to post about this latest “nation” bruhahaha or the anthropormorphization of our pets (seriously.) Last night I was leaning towards the latter, then I came across this particular news article and the decision was basically made for me.

Now for the uninformed I should provide some background information. Earlier this week, Stephen Harper cracked open those pencil-thin lips of his and said that he would introduce a Motion into the House of Commons declaring Quebec a “nation within Canada.” This is absurd for any number of reasons, and just about everyone who actually remembers Meech Lake (and Charlottetown), and the damage done there knows it. However, Mr. Harper must have become aware of the fact that his environmental, law and order and military policies are obliterating just about all of his support in Quebec and dashing his hopes of a majority when an election is forced in February. So he played the “nationhood” card. (Continue reading…)

As is so often the case, I came across a good idea from someone else’s blog and I’m borrowing it. I’ve been in a literary mood these last couple of weeks (more on that later) so when I came across Cyan’s post on the top 50 modern sci-fi novels it spoke to me. Below is that same list, annotated for anyone who cares which ones I’ve read. Before I get to that I just want to talk a bit about the book I’ve just finished.

It is called The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Written during the latter half of the 18th century in ten volumes, this book offers a unique insight into the human condition (I know it’s a cliche. I don’t give a shit, it’s my blog.) Now, the book never sets out to offer any genuine insight, despite the heavy patronage the author pays to everyone from Socrates to Locke; nor is this insight intentional. What one can glean from the book is the utter timelessness of the human condition. Despite being 250 years old the text shows us an author concerned with the exact same things as an author of today: sex, social mores, politics, family, love etc. The book is at its strongest (for the non-academic reader) when it documents the minutiae of the Shandy clan because the absurdity of their life translates so profoundly into the comings-and-goings of our own lives. Sure, most people who read the book don’t live on an estate or have a loyal servant following them from their own military days; but we do have obsessions, irrational habits, flaws and charms, and lives which transcend time and space.

I just never thought I’d get that sort of insight from a beefy 250 year old satire which ends before its own beginning. (Continue reading…)