Happy Independence Day to our American cousins. Much is made of the differences between Americans and Canadians; one of the most significant is that Americans do patriotism right. Here in Canada we came late to the patriotism game, and it always feels more like subscribing to some government-controlled happiness program than something truly reflective of a deep abiding spirit. American patriotism suffers from no such problem: it’s real, it’s deep, and it cuts across social and economic lines.



July 4th is also the birthday of John Pierce, group publisher of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. John and his family will be visiting the Island next week for the first time; give them a wave when you pass them on the highway (they’ll be the ones in the Volve with the “Live Free or Die” license plates).