On Writing

I have always thought that I would be a good speech writer.  I can quickly learn about a subject that I know almost nothing about, I can take ideas and explain them in simple terms, and I think that can write in an emotive way that stirs people to action.  But there is still so much to learn.

I was just reading Hon. Dalton McGuinty’s closing remarks to the legistrature, and was really impressed by the quality of writing.  The little things that make it come alive: 

“First, we are truly privileged to live in this, the finest province in the greatest country in the world. Our Canada has combined the wisdom of aboriginal peoples with what the British called peace, order and good government and what the French describe as liberty, equality and fraternity. We then mixed these values with the best the rest of the world has to offer: the Confucian philosophy of harmony from China, a doctrine of non-violence from India and a love of freedom and tolerance from those who knew war and even bigotry in Europe, to name just a few. In this way, we have together built something here that is uniquely, beautifully, even magically Canadian. We have every reason to celebrate, whatever its flaws, its magnificence.”

He (or the writer) has done such a fantastic job of identifying with each constituent audience and then enabling them to be proud of all of the good stuff from the others. He is connecting with the people by including them.  (Although I’m sure that few outside of the legislature will every see these words.)

He also does a masterful job of awknowledging his opponents on the other side of the legislature, reminding everyone that the parlimentary democracy, although adversarial, is productive and enables Ontarians to enjoy the high standard of living that we have.

So as much as I fancy my self a good writer, there are so many tricks and connections that I need to make. 

A United Opposition: Good for Canada?

I didn’t get to see the english debate on Friday, but I certainly got my fill of analysis over the weekend and I just wanted to make a quick comment on the united front that Martin is now facing.

With the Conservatives, NDP, and the Bloc pulling together (at least for the debates anyway) to try and yank some votes away from the Liberals, I wonder if this is a good thing for Canada.  Forming political alliances to get through procedural motion in the house is one thing, but forming an alliance in the middle of a campaign is a little scary.

In the last few months of Parliment, we saw the Liberals and the NDP forming a tempory alliance to keep things together.  This is not that surprising a partnership as the policy almost lines up, but to think that a Conservative government is going to be able to work with either the NDP or the Bloc in a working scenario is absolutely ludicrus. 

So what if they succeed?  What if they do manage to take enough votes away from the liberals to make an opening for the conservatives?  Badness, that’s what happens.  A conservative minority government would be such a tremendous waste of time.  Social conservative policy aside, there is no way that they will get anything done in Parliment.  The liberals and the NDP will again align there votes and will almost be able to veto any motion that comes up.  (Which is a bit of comfort…)

I think that Canada needs a strong majority government to get anything done.  From my totally unskilled analysis, there is no hope of a conservative majority and the other opposition parties simply aren’t playing the game.  So if the Liberals can continue to build a following, than there is hope yet.  However, with the campaign going negative so early though, anything could happen.

Too bad we couldn’t just talk about policy issues.  Now we get into the rotten vegitables and bad pictures of leaders stage of the campaign. 

A Shot Across the Bow

I was listening to the remarks of the US Ambassador to Canada last night, and was totally blown away by the not too subtle message to the PM.  The media is speculating that this is a “direct message” from The White House, but I’m reserving judgement. 

The conspiracy theorists in da house, seem to think that this is a blatent endorsment of Harper by the White House.  I shudder to think of the implications of Bubba Bush getting involved in our political games.  This totally smells like Carl Rove’s doing…

I don’t think that the PM has been overtly hostile toward the US, but rather holding his ground on issues related to Canada’s well being.  Softwood lumber, the Iraq war, and other international aid efforts have a direct effect on Canadians and the governments resources.  Personally, I am conforted by the fact that we have a PM that will stand up to the United States, and respond to issues case by case, keeping Canada’s obligations and limitations in perspective. 

God forbid we get a Conservative patsy, who will go running to the US’s side just to maintain diplomatic relationships.  To be fair Stephen Harper has said that we will not be sending troops to Iraq, but I suspect this is simply playing to public opinion polls.

The ambassador was certainly polite and succint in his messages.  But, as Mary-Lou Findlay said last night on the CBC As It Happens show:

“Are Neighbours and friends the same thing?”

Young Men in Middle-Aged Bodies

This past weekend I had a chance to meet up with some old friends from the Boiler Room.  Dave, Ali, Jim and myself have been hanging out for a long time, and it doesn’t take much of an excuse for us to get together and party.

 
We met back at the Boiler Room when we were all in our late teens and early twenties.   We were climbing really hard and were in fantastic physical shape.  All of us were ambitious and working crazy hours to get where to where ever we were going.  We could also party like no one else I know.  A night out seemed a bit like a season of 24.  Raving at clubs, writing music until five in the morning and generally drinking up all the goodness of life.

 
Now we all have respectable jobs.  Jim and Dave run a successful foreign aid program with employees and staff all over the world.  Ali is working in Montreal as a musician and composer and making a pretty good living.  I have my respectable job at MTO.

 
We met for dinner before we went out to the bar to see Ali play.  (He comes down to Kingston every Friday to play a gig a at Tango.)  I had left a couple of messages at home, but poor Alison had no idea that I was out for the night. Dave had a “full pass” leaving his wife and baby girl at home, so dad could go and burn off some steam.

 
The conversation at dinner was the usual: how business is going, what projects we’re working on and the like.  It is always like this, smart people trying to get ahead in whatever business we are working in.  We also chat about our wives, houses and kids. After dinner we head over to Tango to meet up with the DJ and get a good table.  We get there around 9:30-10:00. 

 
By 11:00 the bar is starting to fill up and we are already into our second or third Red Bull and tequila.  At this point, I should have realized that it was going to be one of those nights.  At one point I leaned over and shouted into Jim’s ear, “This stuff makes my heart hurt…”.  We look at each other, shrug, and down the rest of our drinks and look for the waitress.

 
Around 11:30 the fire alarm goes off.  I look around expecting the staff to launch into some well-orchestrated fire procedure.  Instead our waitress, who is standing close to our table looks over and says, “what the hell is that?”.  She disappears and quickly comes back (obviously after consulting the manager) and asks one of us for a credit card to cover the bill.  No mention of leaving the building.

 
I head outside and walk around to the side of the building to see smoke billowing out of a restaurant on the corner.  Damn, it’s the real thing.  Walking back to the front door of the bar I see that everyone is out the door and standing on the sidewalk, no one is in a rush.

 
I start politely suggesting to folks that maybe it would be a good idea to stand on the far side of the street.  They gawk at me for a minute, and then I point at the smoke.  They start to move across the street.

 
Once the young men in middle age bodies have regrouped on the other side of the street, we decide to head for greener pastures.  Elixer it is decided on, and we pile into a cab.

 
At the new bar, we find that we are probably the oldest people there.  (Mostly 17-year Queen’s students armed with fake ID and more bravado than brains.)  The DJ is spinning hardcore gansta rap crap, and an emcee is shouting something into the mike. Whatever, after this much alcohol, we should be able to enjoy pretty much any music. 

 
We’re getting looks from the staggering little people.  Dave is up on the packed stage dancing away, the rest of us are standing around a table with one last RB&T to make sure we have enough energy to get home.  After another hour, I’ve had enough. 

 
When I get home there is a polite note from Alison, saying that I should sleep in the guest room.  (AKA the dawg house, as she calls it.)

 
The next morning, I wake up at the usual obscenely early time, 7:00 on the weekends is our usual. 

 
Ingest coffee, look at the to do list. 

 
Crap.  Gotta get started on the house work.

Beer and Popcorn

Well it finally happen, the first totally inappropriate remark from the campaign trail.  The “Beer and Popcorn” remark came from Scott Reid, a senior communicaitons advisor, who was talking about the conservative’s plan to give $1500 to parents as opposed to the Liberal’s plan to put the money into childcare infrastrucsture. 

As an aside, doesn’t it seem absolutely ridiculous for government to collect money, only to turn around and write a check to the people who gave them the money in the first place?  I must be mistaken in thinking that governments provide services to tax payers not hand out cash.  But I digress.

 The liberal’s have apologized for the remark, which I can totally understand being made in a backroom conversation.  (It is actually kind of witty).  But damn, not for the general public people!  We’ll see how it plays out, as usual the analysts are all doom and gloom about the Liberal’s after the comment, calling this a turning point.

From a man without letters

So what’s up with the title of this blog you ask?

This is a quote from Leonardo DaVinci who actulally said “omo sanze lettere”.  DaVinci surprisingly had no eduation and “made it” in the academic circles during a time when education and thought was so central to success.  It serves as a reminder that one can succeed even when you are pushing against the flow of accepted norms.

I like people who teach themselves stuff.  It means that they actually care about the topic.  It demomstrates that the pursuit of education is not simply a way to get a job, but rather a way to engage with subject matter.  Don’t get me wrong: to finish a degree in anything takes a commitment and dedication to the subject area, but people who engage with subjects simply because they are interested or want to know more have a different outlook on education and the ways that they use that knowledge.

This type of learning also lends itself to making connections between seeming unrelated subject matter.  Linking topics across boundaries is a talent that self taught people seem to be good at.  Seeing larger systems in small related details.

As an totally ADD person, I was completely unable able to do well at school.  It was infuriating then, as I seemed to be the only one in the class that was interested in subjects, yet consistently failed tests.  For instance, during high school I took a course on philosophy that was a very general overview of thinkers from Socrates to Rouseau.  I loved this class.  As we walked through the history of philosophy, I would would be going to the library at night to get some more books on people who interested me.  Loche, Hume, De Beauvoir all had such relevant thoughts and ideas, I just couldn’t get enough.

Sadly, when it came time to take the test, I just couldn’t remember what year a particular thinker published, or the neat and tidy five bullet point list that our teachers would have us memorize and regurgitate.  Ask me who’s work influenced who, where was a particular line of thought is used today, or what effect this had on particular historical events and I was right on point, hand high in the air.

Now that I’m older and working for a living, I still see people asking for those neat bullet points.  But very few ask for systemic understanding.  Guess I just need to find my way into the right crowd…  Still working on that.

So to conclude, I strive throughout all aspects of my life, to demonstrate the value of understanding instead of regurgitation.  To encourage people to think about things instead of knowing just what they need to know. 

Blog v 3.0

I was listening to Forimmideaterelease this morning on the way to work and Neville, recommended that WordPress was a far superior blog service to the blogger (which I have been using for a while) so I thought that I would give it a spin. 

 They even had my name available for a url which a nice change.  (It always amazes me how “nathanbaron” is taken in so many places.  Who new there were others…)

I try posting here for a bit, maybe duplicating some posts, and see how it integrates with things.  I haven’t had a chance to set up my Treo blogging app to use this service yet, but if that integrates well, then I might just make this a permanent switch.

 Until next time…