I put some shelves up over the weekend. Years ago, I discovered the best way to do this is to not bother measuring anything. Just put a couple of marks on a spirit level and drill holes according to those. Everything is always the same distance apart, as well as level. There has to be limits to how far this method goes, but it is so easy, there’s nothing to go wrong.
Canadians have developed a similarly idiot-proof way to boycott USA goods in shops. One conscientious person checks a product for the country of origin. If it is the USA, they put it back on the shelf, but upside down. Everybody who comes along afterwards can see the upside down product and not buy it. They all know the code.
It is all getting a good response across the country. The backsliding and stupidity south of the border is bad enough, but somehow expected. The threats of annexation are worse. All of this is pushing Canadians together. A massive 85% of the population now describes itself as being “proud” to be Canadian. That’s even higher in Quebec, of all places.
This wave of nationalism is notably different from that south of the border. Maga is driven by imagined resentments and a sense of exceptionalism. Canadians are under no illusions about their own power, but want to engage with like-minded others, in order to assert their independence.
Meanwhile, the USA loses power and influence.