Reading

I have a copy of The Well Educated Mind by Susan Bauer.  It’s another book of lists suggesting what books you should read to have a better knowledge of the so called western canon.  But the author goes  beyond just listing books and explains how to critically read literature, a skill that I was never taught anywhere in my education. Yet, when I got to university it was presumed I would know how to read Plato with no problem.  Um..no.  (ed. You bitter?)




A third edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die will be out in March 2010.  I’ve written about this book a number of times and I still think it’s great.  The blogger Arukiyomi has updated his spreadsheet for this book. The spreadsheet has a full list of the books so you can keep track of what you've read, plus links into Amazon for each book. You have to see this spreadsheet, its monumental, and evidently they put quite a lot of work into it. I still figure I would have to read about 5 of the listed books per month to get through the list.  Unlikely, given half my time is spent with a vicious online gambling addiction….
But you shouldn’t not try.

Sadly,  P.K. Page one of my favourite Canadian Poets passed away last week. Canadian post-war poetry was mostly dominated by men.  She competed well against the like of  Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, Al Purdy, and many others.  She had a very unique voice and style.  She was also a visual artist, under her married name P.K. Irwin. I have a great admiration for all those who wrestle with words and create something lasting.  We see through a glass darkly. Please recommend this post

Jacques Demers: Just Visiting

Can you imagine if Jacques Demers had been appointed to the Senate as a Liberal by a Liberal Prime Minister. I was just thinking of the creepy voice over of a creepy Conservative attack ad:

Jacques Demers hates Canada. Jacques Demers coached in the United States for almost two decades. He only came back for the Senate appointment... etc.

All the way from Montenegro...

I was a Habs fan growing up. I only became an Oilers fan when they came to Edmonton in 1977. (<-fact check) I became a Habs fan briefly again when they won the Stanley Cup under Demers in 1992-93. When Shayne Corson and Vincent Damphouse did their reluctant tour of duty as Edmonton Oilers I hoped they would bring some Demers magic with them. Hope is a funny emotion.

I admire Demers very much. I think he is a great communicator and motivator and obviously overcame the huge handicap of illiteracy in the Hockey world, where any kind of weakness is not easily accepted and maleness is distorted.

(Run on sentence. Check.)

Demers said in an interview today that running for election wasn't really him, or words to that effect. As a result I hope he doesn't say anything at all about Senate Reform. If he did it would be an obvious broken argument.

He probably will get an orientation and realize very quickly that he is just there to vote the party line. Not to think. Not to talk. It would be nice if he could talk to people about literacy, but big daddy doesn't like that kind of thing. Too bad, because he is an animated and lively speaker.

Jacques Demers is too good a person to be wasted on Stephen Harper. He's in the wrong party. Its a shame. Please recommend this post

Post Inauguration Soundtrack

The literacy and emotion of Barack Obama's Inauguration speech was astonishing to me. During the era of George Bush and Stephen Harper I forgot what a good communicator sounds like. The velocity of our dumbing down has at least been impeded somewhat. For better or worse, at least Barack Obama will speak in complete sentences. I think he will go over the head of many Americans, especially the fundamentalists and the National Post. Nuance, metaphor and poetic language are lost on many people. Expect Chuck Norris to be mad a lot.

(Aside: When Joe Biden swore to uphold the Constitution I could have sworn I heard the Chief Justice quip well that'll certainly be a change...)

After the Inauguration I put on some music.

1. America - Simon & Garfunkel
2. Aspice, Domine - Choir of Magdalen College Oxford
3. This Land is Your Land - Billy Bragg
4. Looking out My Back Door - John Fogerty
5. Le Démon Sort L'Enfer - La Bottine Souriante (A thrown bone to the religious right)
6. In A World Called Catastrophe - Matthew Good
7. Amazing Grace - Unknown female singer with a mournful beautiful voice.
8. Intuition - Feist
9. Let Em In - Paul McCartney and Wings
10. Best Things in Life - Michael Carey

Thank you Mr. Bush, the receptionist will validate your parking on the way out and give you some coupons. Please recommend this post