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Category Archives: Culture
Worth the nod?
The Golden Globes will start later this evening, and the balloting phase for the Academy Awards has been over for two days. That gives me a limited window to speculate on who I think will at least get Oscar nods … Continue reading
Posted in Academy Awards, Culture
Tagged fantasy, movies, nominees, oscars, predictions, star wars
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Why do bridges in Star Wars never have railings?
THE FOLLOWING THINK-PIECE IS FULL OF SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE GONE TO SEE IT BY NOW. READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL. OR, BETTER YET, JUST TRY WALKING ACROSS A BRIDGE TOWARDS A MAN … Continue reading
Posted in childhood, Culture, Musings, The Empire Strikes Back
Tagged character death, christmas, fantasy, force awakens, Han Solo, harrison ford, heroism, indiana jones, kylo ren, movies, Princess Leia, rant, Rhett Butler, spoilers, star wars
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Spine-tinglers: A Truly Creepy Childhood Hallowe’en
It’s October 31st and beautifully sunny. That means I can actually write this brief post without looking over my shoulder half a dozen times or panicking as soon as I hear an unfamiliar creek in the apartment. Hallowe’en as an … Continue reading
Posted in childhood, Culture, Musings
Tagged animation, childhood, dark crystal, disney, fantasia, hallowe'en, jim henson, legends, night on bald mountain, skeksis, sleepy hollow, terror, washington irving
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“There’s No Getting Away From It If You’re Irish”: Gender, The Irish Diaspora, and Gone With The Wind
It might be the most famous rejection in literary history. Aware too late that she has made a horrible mistake for the past dozen years, Scarlett O’Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler runs through the mist to tell Rhett that she loves … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Gender, Gone With The Wind, Irish Diaspora, Land, masculinities, The Empire Strikes Back
Tagged American Civil War, crisis of masculinity, ethnicity, feminism, frankly my dear, Gerald O'Hara, Gone With The Wind, Han Solo, Irish Catholicism, irish diaspora, literature, manliness, Margaret Mitchell, masculinities, Princess Leia, Reconstruction, Rhett Butler, Scarlett O'Hara, star wars, Tara, The Empire Strikes Back
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The “Cultural Compatibility” of “Old-Stock Canadians”
Two men walk into a bar. Both are cynical, though one is certainly more flamboyant than the other. They order single malt whisky and begin to break down the problems of the world; in particular, they discuss the merits (or … Continue reading
Posted in Canada, Culture
Tagged Canada, eugene o'neill, famine, Ireland, jason kenney, migration, politics, race, refugees, stephen harper, stereotypes, west wing
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As Good As It Gets… for academics
One of my favourite historians is S. E. Duff, who writes about South Africa, empire, food, feminism, and a plethora of other things. Recently, she discussed her superstitions when it came to the writing process. The following quickly caught my … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Musings
Tagged academia, Appetite for Destruction, Axl Rose, books, British Library, conferences, eccentricities, Guns N' Roses, historians, history, insanity, Jurassic Park, libraries, Michelangelo, obsessive compulsive disorder, procrastination, quirks, S. E. Duff, writing, Yoda
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#darcyforthewin
Mr Darcy is 200 years old today. That’s a lot of candles on the cake. If Bridget Jones is capable of drinking something real tonight, I’m sure she’d pick something celebratory… maybe a Moet or a Veuve Clicquot. Or a … Continue reading
Gipper-less
The wound is still fresh. I am waiting for the happy day when memory fails. For those of you living under a rock (or in major areas of Canada), Notre Dame was defeated by Alabama in the BCS Championship Game … Continue reading
Posted in Culture
Tagged Alabama, alma mater, Brian Kelly, Canada, College football, Coronation Street, fans, Fighting Irish, hockey, Knute Rockne, loss, Lou Holtz, movies, Notre Dame, Rudy, sports, suffering, The Gipper, Toronto Maple Leafs
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