Welcome to my blog!!!
Just a little advance warning: as a proud and patriotic Canadian, I imagine my posts will inevitably be littered with cultural, social, historical, political and other kinds of references that will be Canada-specific. Or perhaps more broadly North America-specific every so often (I'm also something of a student of American society, history and politics). If this will confuse or confound you (i.e. if I manage to get some U.S. and/or international readers), please let me apologize up front for that. Unconscious habit, I'm sure! I'll try to minimize it as much as possible without sacrificing quality or meaning. However, I'm sure my Canuck upbringing and its idiosyncracies will seep through and manifest themselves now and again regardless. If you ever need some clarification or any background explanation, please don't hesitate to ask! There's absolutely no shame in it! After all, the gaining of knowledge (and hopefully wisdom) is my central objective here. Doesn't matter how big or small that piece of knowledge is - as long as we find some kind of value in it. Or, if you'd rather, I'd encourage you to look it up yourself. Hooray for Google! I sometimes think that particular search engine is a divine gift and blessing... So great for research! You never know, you might even find something even more interesting in the process! It's all good, eh! :-)
There are some ground rules I'd like to establish first, though:
- I don't mind if you swear or curse occasionally in your replies, as long as its sensible and non-derogatory. Hell, I'll slip in a few choice words often enough ;-) I will not tolerate frequent and/or gratuitous profanity, though. If you're one of those people who uses the word "fuck" to punctuate your sentences, you're not welcome here. I do have standards. Using the occasional colourful metaphor to emphasize a point is okay by me; casual swearing merely to offend or to shock is NOT acceptable. Remember, I reserve the right to remove any inappropriate or offensive posts...
- No personal attacks against me or any contributors to this blog will be permitted. I'm big on mutual respect and dignity. If you disagree with something that was said, present your counter-arguments and/or rebuttals in a calm, reasonable and professional manner. An open dialogue is a good thing - I'll be happy to start a debate or two, as long as it remains civil. No Jerry Springer-type crap here. Namecalling belongs in the schoolyard.
- Any and all topics are fair game here. My posts will generally be of a historical or political bent a lot of the time, but not exclusively. I'll most likely include personal updates and anecdotes at times. If I feel like posting something on psychology, music, TV, new gadgets, how drunk I got on the weekend or whatever, I will. It's my blog, after all. The same goes for all of you. Don't be shy. I'm a pretty opinionated guy - I'll always put my two cents in if I can! No subject is off-limits. Just try not to give me a daily report on the state of Britney's marriage, Paris Hilton's exercise regimen, Lindsay Lohan's party schedule, etc.
- Basically, all I ask is that you use a measure of common sense (which may not be so common anymore...) and courtesy when you're posting replies. No one here is better or smarter or more right than anyone else, least of all me! I respect everybody's opinions, even if I happen to disagree with them. Just keep in mind we all have feelings which can be hurt. It's all about the R-E-S-P-E-C-T, to quote the great Aretha Franklin.
One last thing: in case you're wondering, I got the title for my blog from a quote by Sir Winston Churchill (one of my heroes/idols): "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." It's from a speech he gave at Harvard University on September 6, 1943. Truth be told, there was no particular reason for the choice, no great and insightful underlying metaphor in mind - I just like the way it sounds! Besides, I'm always fond of quoting good old Winston! Feel free to draw from it whatever meaning or symbolism you wish...
12 Comments:
At 12:31 a.m. , ~ said...
Hell, damn, ass kings! Welcome to blogger Blake! FYI, Britney Spears is set to give birth on TV, Lindsay Lohan loves the coke and Paris Hilton is just a little left of skanky.
Now that we've broken all your rules, blog away! Can't wait to read, we've already linked to you.
xoxo
E-Mail & Lisa
At 12:38 p.m. , Blake said...
Damn you all! There's treachery afoot! My sacred rules have been broken! A pox on both your houses! :-)
Oh well...let the free-for-all commence! Thanks for posting, guys! I look forward to many more!
Database
At 12:43 p.m. , Anonymous said...
Do you know what a cat-nip filled duck is? I asked Leslie and Noel but they ignored me!
Here is a deep philosophical thought: I noted that you listed quite a few post-apocalyptic texts as some of your favourite reads, and I am wondering what, if any, you think the role of clothing plays in this genre of texts.
Sincerely,
anonymous
At 2:04 p.m. , Blake said...
Thanks for posting, Anon! To answer your question, the whole catnip-filled duck thing is something of an in-joke. He's a little plaything of Langley's (their cat). A tiny little duck-shaped plush toy that laced with the aforementioned feline psychotropic herb. Langley often attacks little Hubert with great gusto, and then proceeds to get very frisky with him. It's quite cute, actually. Hope that clarifies the matter for you!
To address your other philosophical question, first off I hope you don't think I'm some dark and depressed eternal pessimist. I'm really not! Jane Austen just makes me wanna gag sometimes...:-) But anyway, you make an interesting point. In general, I think clothing could symbolize the link to the past, characters' lives before the apocalyptic event. A conscious echo of the past, if you will - reminding the readers of a certain degree of historical continuity, that some things don't always change. Social mores and cultural inhibitions still exist to a certain extent. A candle of constancy in the midst of chaos. A link to the author's and reader's present, I suppose. But that's just one idea or interpretation. For example, in "Animal Farm", the opposite is true. Clothing is a profoundly negative thing. A symbol of human oppression and, ultimately, the corruption or degradation of the ideals of Animalism by Napoleon and the other pigs into the same old tyranny. Indeed, at the end of the book, the proverbial nail in the coffin is when the other animals witness the pigs standing and walking upright, and wearing clothes - just like their old, deposed human master Farmer Jones. So, I suppose clothing plays a dual role in the genre, the ends of which are perhaps contradictory. A sign of the past, whether it be utopian or dystopian. Something to ponder, at least. If you have any other thoughts on this or anything else, I'd love to hear them!
At 2:17 p.m. , Anonymous said...
Hmmm, your thoughts are indeed thought-provoking. I asked the question because a friend of mine is writing his English thesis on clothing and its function in post-apocalyptic novels. What I find interesting is how this feature then translates to film-see "Metropolis" for example or even star trek or star wars, clothing is clearly an outer indication of an inner classification of characteristic. I am also thinking of doing some work on children's texts that focus on a post or pre-apocalyptic society....
Things to ponder whilst sitting inside on a rainy Sunday afternoon, thanking the Gods above that I have air conditioning.
At 2:27 p.m. , Blake said...
Amen to that, brother! AC is a divine gift, I gotta say...
If I can be of any further intellectual assistance, please don't hesitate to ask!
At 2:30 p.m. , Anonymous said...
Thanks for the offer of intellectual assistance, but I am not a brother...I guess that makes me a sister?
At 2:39 p.m. , Blake said...
I guess so, unless you're a hermaphrodite...:-) Rock on, sister!
Official disclaimer: The management of "Empires of the Mind" assures the general public that no sexism or chauvinism was intended when drafting the previous post. We endeavour towards the fostering of an open, tolerant, inclusive, non-judgemental atmosphere in this blog. Except when jestfully quoting Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, et al. ;-)
At 5:53 p.m. , Anonymous said...
Good start to your new BLOG Congrats
What does BLOG mean anyway?
At 6:36 p.m. , ~ said...
Blake meet Leslie Symons, Leslie Symons, meet Blake.
"Blog" is short for Web-log. They are essentially glorified personal websites which act as soap-box sounding boards.
For reference, Robin's LiveJournal is a blog. Some of the more 'famous' blogs are Matt Drudge (who broke the Monica Lewinsky story back in the day) and Ariana Huffington (US talking head.)
At 10:53 a.m. , Anonymous said...
Hey! I never left that message about asking what a blog is...Robin has already explained that whole thing to me! ;) I did ask about the cat-nip duck, as I am currently cat-sitting two cats who seem bored. Maybe all they need is a duck too? Or a play date with Langley and Bear the Pug?
And you blew my 'anonymous' cover; oh well-it was bound to happen sooner or later.
sincerely,
formerly anonymous
At 9:42 p.m. , Blake said...
Well, now that the cat's out of the bag (so to speak), nice to meet you, "other" Leslie :-)
Did we previously meet in person at some point? Perhaps at a gathering at Patty's Pub? I'm almost certain we have...
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