Iceberg1
Originally uploaded by cyclopaedic.

A friend of ours was just in Newfoundland for a project about John Guy's Colony in Cupids. It's so typical that such an important site would generally be overlooked by most of Canada and even taken for granted by Newfoundlanders. It seems strange to me that I'd forgotten about ol' John Guy. As a kid, it's the sort of Newfoundland history that was drilled into you (and seemingly every May or June there was an inevitable field trip). I laugh a little to think how we learned more about the politics, history, successes and failures of the Newfoundland Railway than we did about the story of the Canadian Railroad. Blinded by pride? Perhaps. Shortsighted by a grand sense of self importance? Maybe. Then again, I guess that's what makes Newfoundlanders who they are. It's still funny to think we studied the history of the cod fishery for years in high school, and probably spent a week learning about the Ottoman Empire. In an era of globalization, Newfoundland remains one of a kind. The tourist ads claim, "Disneyworld it isn't". Thank God. We love thee smiling land.