Hey, still blogging.
Listening to Radiohead, drinking tea, and scanning the news as always.
Trying not to live in the past, but events and anniversaries of this week -mostly from the 20th Century - always lead to reflection on where we have been and where we are going. Canada, the West, the Middle East. Walls and anniversaries. It's been 20 years since East Berliners tasted some sort of freedom and the wall came crumbling down. The Iron Curtain was lifted; Poles, Hungarians, Romanians..many more, also tasting democracy.
A day of remembrance. The First and Second World wars on the mind. Afghanistan too. 71 years since Kristallnacht. Wow. Have we really come a long way? Is this really a new generation? Africa on the mind, North Korea, China, Cuba. Walls and war, Communism and oppression.
A winter chill again in the air; gloomy and dark memories of the past, events which lead us to the light.
A gripping fear of pandemic will perhaps leave me inside today. Maybe not. Ha.
a - What is a Canadian? Really, what is Canada? Not just hockey, snow, Tim Horton`s and flag-waving you see. Canada has a distinct past; a distinct people. Hmm. Well, now we will finally know what it means to be Canadian. Apparently. The government is going to tell us what that means you see.
When I served immigration minister Jason Kenney dinner the other night, I had a good idea this was to come, as he left his notes on the table upon leaving.
A nice enough guy, but stressed, and glued to his blackberry like most politicians. His handler tried to lighten the mood with a few jokes. Awkward. Good choices, however, by Mr. Kenney on the Pouilly-Fuissé and duck meatballs. Good tip, even with tax-payer loonies.
b - Subscriptions to save the newspaper industry online you say? Try a rejuvenated advertising market, and pushing the boundaries of journalism and reporting.
Also, Murdoch vs. the Internet.
c - Why not sell your house and travel forever; investments and the ultimate in frugal travel. The nomadic family.
d - In remembrance, and for the history geeks. An interactive time-line of the events leading up to, and the major events of, the Second World War.
e - Can ethics be taught? Not in university, or anywhere else it seems.
"This year, I'm teaching 500 students about justice," writes Clifford Orwin, U of T professor, "And I'm not making a single one of them a better person... I believe strongly in what I do – I just don't think that what I do is to improve the moral character of my students."
f- "War lives in myth, memory and imagination. On Remembrance Day... there's still a delicate tension between those who know what it was like and those who do not."
g - Victorian fashion; today's high streets. How to dress like the 1890s man.
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3 comments:
Good finds, as usual. Every once in a while it’s good to live in the past for a spell, it reminds us, inspires us and helps us learn how to shape the future.
My favorite is Sarah Hampson’s comment on Remembrance Day. “War lives in myth, memory and imagination… and it’s best that way…”
That made me wonder: is it? I would never want war to live in all of our realities, but its existence solely in myth makes it so easy for us to forget the other 364 days of the year that are not marked for official Remembrance. If we all knew war intimately, would we do something about it? Would we be able to?
She’s right – there will always be war. There has been war since time immemorial; it’s a hallmark of our species. So the best we can do is fight for peace. But, as I look toward the Middle East of today, remembering abuse of detainees, peacekeepers committing atrocities, and civilian collateral damage, I am reminded that we also have to be very careful about what “fighting for peace” means, lest we get it wrong.
What a week, steeped in history indeed. Overwhelming at times. Maybe I’ll liquidate my assets and become a modern nomad, “like summer vacation forever”. Liked that one too.
Thanks for sharing and keep them coming. Cheers.
Speaking of war, a couple more interesting things:
Laws of war - do they or do they not apply in Afghanistan? H1N1 shots, yes or no: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/11/10/h1n1-taliban.html
Navajo Code Talkers in WWII: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/10/us/AP-US-Navajo-Code-Talkers.html?scp=1&sq=codetalkers&st=cse
As much as I'm opposed to the government giving information on what it means to be Canadian, it seems totally relevant and necessary at this point. Helps that is a bipartisan objective as well, at least on the surface (Globe and Mail does support the Tories).
Immigration to a country such as Canada shouldn't be treated as a free pass, it's an honor. It comes with Rights AND Responsibilities which unfortunately, many people (and new immigrants) forget the latter.
It's true. We don't put enough influence on what our military did for us and we don't know enough about our ties to the Monarch, our form of democracy and our membership in the commonwealth.
Not sure about the inclusion of Mark Tewksbury though...ranks up there with the 'Tim Horton's' crowd on level of 'cheesy Canadian stereotypes'...
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