Eclectic Affinities: The moral imperative to accept refugees

by Michael Chmielewski | Dec 3, 2015 | Op-eds, Opinions

Canada has a moral imperative to accept refugees. It’s actually incredible that this article has to be written. Notice that it’s times like these that the politically ignorant and the formerly uninterested suddenly have things to say with regards to the political...

Eclectic Affinities: New book breaks down the Ukrainian tug of war

by Michael Chmielewski | Nov 19, 2015 | Opinions

There was a Polish meme making the rounds during the Crimean status referendum in 2014 that captioned a glum-looking politician, proclaiming, “If Russia gets Crimea because of the large Russian population, when does Poland annex Chicago?” It does seem comedic, the...

Eclectic Affinities: In defence of longer campaigns

by Michael Chmielewski | Nov 5, 2015 | Op-eds, Opinions

A constant point of throat-clearing from pundits and politicians this past election was its sheer length. The tone was mostly negative; the 42nd general election, weighing in at 78 days, was the longest since the 1872 victory of John A. Macdonald in the second ever...

Eclectic Affinities: A journey to Special Collections

by Michael Chmielewski | Oct 22, 2015 | Opinions

Sometimes I wish that I could go to university without taking any classes. Although this ultimately defeats the purpose, it seems that my dedication to my coursework takes me away from the endless amount of other things I could be doing at this very institution. One...

The ultimate trade: Thirty years of Blood Meridian

by Michael Chmielewski | Sep 24, 2015 | Culture, Literature

One way to judge the merits of a novel is by its shelf life. For example, Herman Melville’s seminal Moby Dick was a commercial and critical flop during the author’s life. He never saw it become as large as its titular namesake. Entering its third decade, Cormac...