Larry Grafstein objects to my "boring headlines" post:
Ok Chait. You had to go and resuscitate the "Worthwhile Canadian Initiative" slander in the Boring Headline contest, and then declare Belgium to be "Canada in spirit". Belgium! At least Michael Kinsley was writing in the era of Anne Murray, before the advent of Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, and Shania Twain. What's your excuse? Since then, the American right has been clamoring for the Canadian legal system, the American left has been pushing for the Canadian medical system, and I think it's safe to say the entire political spectrum now pines for the Canadian banking system. True, Canada continues to be tedious in a few key categories--mediocre fried chicken, for example, and inferior leveraged buyout practitioners. But it was always a bit rich for the land that gave the world 500-lap stock car races, laughtrack-laden sitcoms, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine to start labeling others boring. Saturday Night Live, thankfully, continues to have a steady Canadian hand at the tiller. The Canadianization of America continues apace. As for Belgium, its politics resembles nothing so much as Wisconsin's these days.
Happy Presidents' Day.