Obama, Clinton, and the CBC: Fishes and Wishes

Two important headlines this morning:

Clinton and Obama Agree to Draw Straws: Campaign against McCain Begins in Earnest

and

CBC to Showcase Good Music: Classical Component Gets Boost

Of course, it is April Fool’s Day, and I don’t expect either headline to be realized, more's the pity.

As for the picture of the fossil fish’s rear half: that’s in honour of what the French call April Fool’s Day, Poisson d’avril. There are various explanations for this. The sun is entering the fish sign Pisces for one. Another goes back to the 16th century when in 1564 French king Charles IX decided to switch the start of the new year from April 1 to January 1. The tradition was to exchange presents at the new year, then, and despite the change, many continued to do so on April 1. In time the little presents became jokes, including fish cut out of paper and stuck on the back of some unsuspecting soul. My children thought it was hysterical to sneak up on me the morning of April Fool’s and tape a construction paper fish to my back. They then yelled Poisson d’avril! when I discovered it.

This fish is a gift from my daughter for a Mother’s Day when she was an adolescent. Her class went to some science jamboree, where a club of amateur geologist had a kiosk selling fossils. Her friends thought she was nuts to buy it for me. I think it’s great though.

But then I still hold out hope that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination will be decided before what passes for the progressive half the US tears itself apart in the nomination fight, and that the CBC brass will come to their senses and remember what their mandate is.