A little background

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement on my new blog.
Thanks to Ed Hollett in particular for giving me a little plug on Bondpapers the other day. He is truly one of the originals, having blogged on (mostly) provincial and federal politics for the past 11 years. He's received a couple of notable nods for his work, as well.
His name, of course, also stirs up less generous thoughts among some local politicos. When he weighs in on any given topic, he takes no prisoners. I've ended up in his crosshairs several times, though we tend to see eye to eye more often these days. I still pity those on the receiving end of his pointy sticks, though. He has depth and he has facts, so watch yourselves.
I also have to thank Ed for the title of this blog. He occasionally refers to "townie elites" in criticizing the way the St. John's crowd view their fellow Newfoundlanders. In this recent post, he talks about prevailing prejudices against Labrador's interests in particular. (By the way, I will occasionally resort to "Newfoundland" as shorthand for the province's full name. Scream if you must).
I will always be a townie elite to some, but I do try to remain open-minded. I've caught myself poking fun at regional accents, for example, but not as a means to belittle anyone. One of my sisters is a linguist, and is quite fascinated by accents she encounters. For her, it's an academic pursuit.
My parents talk about a Texas couple they met once on their winter escapes to Mexico. At one point they were all chatting with another tourist,  a Londoner with a cockney accent. When the Londoner was out of earshot, the Texan fellow leaned over and remarked, "She shore do tawk foony."
I guess we all tawk foony to those with unaccustomed ears.
Something to keep in mind.

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