Dear Friends,I shall be off for a few days and will return next Friday, New Years Eve with a year-end "Dubious Distinctions of 2010" post, something you can read in bed while nursing the traditional hangover.Until then, feel free to comment on this piece or any other. I shall continue to read what you have to say.To all my friends and readers, please have a very Merry Christmas.To my Jewish friends, I know Christmas is particularly boring with just about everything closed. If you are young enough and are in a clubbing mood, you might want to Check out the Annual MatzoBall party being held tonight in Montreal (and other cities) at Club UN. For the older crowd, I guess you'll just have to order Chinese.....
Bilingual Quebec hospitals decline
In a blog piece last week I recounted how the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and its president Mario Beaulieu were agitating to stop the Institut de readaptation Gingras-Lindsay de Montreal, a Montreal rehab center, from achieving bilingual status. LINK
The factually-challenged Beaulieu charged that;
Team Quebec suffers a setback
Quebec nationalists have long dreamt of having a hockey team made up exclusively of Quebec players that would compete at the Olympics or the World Hockey Championship. That isn't likely to happen, but the Canadian Amateur hockey Association did give Hockey Québec permission to hold a tournament pitting 'Francophone' nations against each other. The Quebec team would play under the guise of Hockey Canada, but just the same it is a thrilling concept for many.The only problem is the competition, there isn't any except perhaps for Switzerland, the other teams from France and Italy are strictly third rate.
Now word has come from the Swiss that they won't participate, sending organizers into a tailspin.
It remains to be seen which NHLers will play a tournament in the middle of summer against what amounts to sub-AHL talent.
This whole thing could possibly melt down.
LINK
Olympics not French enough
"Canada’s Official Languages Commissioner blamed the Vancouver Olympic committee for mismanaging bilingualism at the 2010 Winter Olympics. “Most of the difficulties encountered were due to VANOC officials having insufficient knowledge or a misunderstanding of the official languages requirements, to which they were bound by the multiparty agreement," said Graham Fraser" LINK
Hotel becomes"francoresponsible" & patents term
A Quebec City hotel, the prestigious Château Laurier is going 'francoresponsable' a word the hotel made up (and patented) to reflect its commitment to the French language.
The hotel is committed to providing service in at least four other languages including English, but hopes to offer clients a francophone experience.
What does this mean?
From now on, elevator music will be 100% French.
LINK
Language police gets new 'tougher' boss
Insiders say the government had difficulty in finding a replacement as not many wanted the job. Louise Marchand, was finally appointed to the job and she comes with good credentials. She was the president of the Pay Equity Commission, another government boondoggle.
LINK fr
Government launches 'offensive' to francize small business
In an effort to get Chinese depanneurs and Tamil greengrocers to speak more French, the government has launched a new website to carrefourfrancisation.com. In addition to this helpful website the government Will send a team of canvassers into the field to 'help' small merchants understand the importance in francizing their businesses. Can't wait......
LINK
Quebec's biggest complainer rewarded with a prize
Quebec's biggest language complainer, Marie-Thérèse Rioux, is being feted by nationalists groups for making over 200 complaints to the OQLF in regards to 'illegal' use of other languages in public signage. She was awarded a set of books by the Mouvement Montréal français for her industrious defence of the French language.How did she find so many infractions? In a word.....Pettiness.
Even the OQLF wrote her back on several occasions that her complaints were too minor to be dealt with. LINK fr
French radio stations play too much English music
Accusing Quebec radio stations of fiddling the books in regard to the amount of English music being played on air, ADISQ (francophone artists association) has gone to the CRTC to get the stations to play more French music. The stations are accused of using all sorts of tricks to contravene rules dictating the minimum amount of French musical content allowed. Stations are accused of making English 'mixes,' nothing more than stringing a bunch of English songs together and calling it one song for accounting purposes. The radio stations complain that English stations and satellite services have an unfair advantage, being allowed to play as much English music as they want, something that francophone consumers want.A clear case of the heart wanting, what the heart wants.
French radio station fights back- plays English Christmas music
A Quebec city radio station has pushed back against an assault by francophone musical artists from Montreal who are demanding that the Quebec Summer Festival use more Francophone artists instead of highlighting English headliners. Radio morning man Sylvain 'Butch' Bouchard, of FM 93, launched 'Opération Merry Christmas' and has played only English Christmas songs on his radio show, much to the chagrin of language purists.Surprise! 'Plat-Oh' hates Mordechai Richler
While I wouldn't go so far as to believe that not one solitary person is so inclined, I do agree with the Projet Montreal hack that the separatists, granolas and
If Mr. Norris left bad-enough alone, his remarks would be acceptable as a fair representation of the local 'gogauche' mindset. However, he went on to say that naming streets after people was reminiscent of a “Soviet mindset…to be renaming streets after figures,” Huh? Link
Perhaps we should name streets after pets? What say you Mr. Councillor?
Norris then went on to blame 'outside influences' (read: Jewish supporters of Richler?) for causing the kerfuffle.
Meanwhile, his partner in social engineering, the insufferable Fernandez sent a letter to Loto-
Quebec, demanding in no uncertain terms that any plans to increase the amount of VLTs in the Republique du Plateau be cancelled, based on the unhealthy effect the machines have on the poor.
An enraged spokesperson for the Loto-Quebec accused the 'dear leader' of tilting at windmills, since there are no plans to add machines and in fact the agency has reduced the number of machines in the Republique by 38% since 2009!
What's the next thing to be banned in the Plat-oh?
Hamburgers? Poutine? Journal du Montreal? Coca-Cola? Hudson's Bay blankets, Smoked meat, Fur coats? Leather Gloves? The Montreal Gazette?
Perhaps local bookstores will be enjoined from selling Barney's Version or worse still, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
To the Barricades!
