Friday, September 14, 2012

French versus English Volume 61

SPEAK FRENCH!

Here's another story of a stranger interceding to demand that Anglophones speak French in public, this time, believe it or not, at the officially bilingual Jewish General Hospital in Montreal!
I'm sure you've heard this story already, but just in case; 
Montreal man recovering after tomato sandwich attack

MONTREAL – Police are investigating an assault at a Montreal hospital involving a tomato sandwich. 
Forty-eight-year-old Alex Montreuil was at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal for a CT scan, the day after the Quebec election-night shooting, when he alleges he was attacked with a tuna and tomato sandwich.

Montreuil suffers violent allergic reactions to salicylates – a substance found naturally in several common foods. 

He had his first nearly fatal reaction to tomatoes a few years ago and was rushed to hospital.

"Tomatoes have a form of aspirin in them, which is deadly to me," he told Global News. "I was literally purple." 


He is very careful when eating. So, it's no surprise that when he placed his order at the Café de l'Atrium in the Jewish General Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Montreuil took precautions. 
He asked the person working behind the sandwich counter, in English, to change the gloves she was wearing, in case they had come in contact with tomatoes.
After reluctantly agreeing to change her gloves, Montreuil was served and went to sit in the café with a friend.
As they were chatting and eating their bagels and cream cheese, an angry woman approached their table.

"Suddenly, out of the blue, this person comes up to us and starts screaming in French," Montreuil described.
She said, "Here in Quebec, we speak French, not English."
Montreuil says he replied, "In my city, in my country, I can speak the language of my choice."
After defending his right to speak English in the hospital, their conversation escalated. The woman then furiously stormed off – only to return minutes later. Read the rest of the story: Global Montreal; Montreal man recovering after tomato sandwich attack
By the way, the video I posted last week showing another language altercation where passerbys were chastised for speaking English has gone viral, approaching 300,000 views on YouTube
 The video is making headlines around the world, even piquing interest as far away as Lebanon, a society well-known for racial and religious tolerance and harmony! Link{Fr}

Students want bail conditions changed

From Clique du Plateau Original story in French
 
"Arrested when they were caught disrupting classes at the University of Montreal last week, a dozen students showed up at the courthouse this morning, hoping to drop the bail conditions that prohibits them from going near the University of Montreal.  
They complained that this condition prevents them from attending classes.




Montreal Style Deli conquers New York

Read a Globe & Mail article on a couple of Montrealers who have opened a Montreal style deli in Brooklyn and a sandwich shop in lower Manhattan, to some pretty good revues.
Gotta love the name, "Mile End Delicatessen."
"Is there a difference between Montreal deli and New York’s version?
I was longing for a certain experience of going to the deli that doesn’t exist in New York. I grew up going to Schwartz’s. I grew up knowing that feeling of walking in and it just being this shrine to this one product. It’s this one little room and everyone is seated together really tight and the place reeks of smoked meat. New York doesn’t have that community." Read the whole story
 "Mile End is a Montreal inspired Jewish Deli in New York City that specializes in traditional Jewish comfort food made from scratch.  Founded on the time tested methods of curing, smoking, pickling and baking the Mile End menus include beloved sandwiches like smoked meat on house-baked rye bread.  The New York Times dubbed it “a loving tribute to the deli tradition” and Zagat and New York Magazine voted it best deli in New York." Mile End Website

The menu is a tribute to Montreal's finest and most traditional delis, with menu items named after Beauty's, Wilensky's, etc.
Everything is Montreal, except the prices, a poutine goes for a whopping $10!

Montreal, ticket capital of Canada!

"The City of Montreal issues more fines than any other city in Canada, according to a report released Thursday. Last year, fines brought $186 million in revenue to the city, representing an average of $111 for every Montrealer.
Results in Laval show an average of $43 per person, whereas Quebec City stands at $32 for every citizen.
The average price per ticket is also higher in Montreal. Parking tickets, for example, cost $52 in Montreal, compared to $39 in Quebec City and $30 in Toronto." Read the rest of the story


Media giants square off at CRTC

Control of French TV before Bell/Astral merger
Watching Bell Media square off against Pierre Karl Péladeau's Quebecor and company reminds me a bit of the Iran/Iraq war that pitted Saddam Hussein against the Ayatollah Khomeini, a case where I just wanted both sides to lose.
I have no love loss for BELL, which raised my cable bill last year to over $150 a month, until I put a halt to the excess and cancelled half the channels.
The same thing goes for Internet when one day they sent me an additional bill for 'overuse' which promoted me to go to a much cheaper and faster small provider.
Last year they tried to squeeze out these little providers and luckily for us, the CRTC after a public outcry said no.

I certainly don't think that letting Bell acquire Astral is a good idea, but the sanctimonious objections by PKP reminds me of the pot calling the kettle black.
Mr. Péladeau believes that monopolies are bad, unless it is him owning the monopoly. Excellent Quebec logic!

Mr. Péladeau has been running a full-blown and expensive media campaign to convince the CRTC not to approve the sale of Astral to Bell and in the latest attack, he enlisted the helped of 50 of Quebec 'zartistes' who wrote an open letter opposing the Bell takeover.
Oh, spare me!
If Bell wins its fight, I hope they blackball all these sanctimonious idiots.

Ex-MNA's exit renumeration questioned

You know, I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon and complain about exit payments made to those defeated members of the National assembly or those who chose not to run.

As it is, I think they are woefully underpaid and politics being a brutal game, defeat is always staring these politicians in the face, there isn't much job security in the National Assembly.

For many, the transition out of politics is painful and sometimes followed by a period of incertitude and unemployment.
That's just my opinion, I'm sure many will disagree.

Here's a graphic prepared by the Journal de Montreal showing what each will pocket as a transition payment.
The first illustration describes those who were defeated in the last election., the second,  politicians who chose not to run in the last election.
Everything is in French but all you need to understand is the $$$ amount, plus "années de service' = years of service, the amount of time spent in the National Assembly. Read the original story in Le Journal de Montreal 

Transition payments to those members of the National Assembly who were defeated;


Transition payments to those members of the National Assembly who chose not to run again;

Canadian Universities crack Top 20

Congratulations to McGill University and the University of Toronto for their extraordinary showing, placing 18th and 19th in ranking as the best universities in the world.
It is quite an accomplishment for both schools, two great Anglo institutions. Read the story

French on the rise in west Quebec?

"Quebec's premier-designate Pauline Marois says one of her priorities is to halt a perceived decline of French in the Outaouais, but the most recent numbers from west Quebec suggest more people in the region — not fewer — are speaking French.....
The language numbers for 2011 will not be known until October. But records from the Institut de la Statistique of the Quebec government, which include statistics up to the last census in 2006, show French has actually become more prevalent in the region between 1986 to 2006.
In 1986, 76 per cent of Outaouais residents said they spoke only French at home. By the mid-2000s, that number was up to 83 per cent.Read the rest of the story

More persecution of Blacks by Montreal police

Montreal police vs. Blacks
I've written before about Canada's most racist police force and here is just the latest sad assault by the Montreal police on the Black community.
It is hard to believe that it remains Montreal police policy to roust (4) a whole community in 2012.
The real reason the police are so out of tune with modern North American societal values is because of  the Quebec public's lack of concern for the treatment of minorities. It is sad to  say, but it is true.
From yesterday's Montreal Gazette;

Jaywalking while Black is apparently a serious offence

By Elizabeth Stronach, Special to The Gazette
On Sunday, about 9:05 p.m., I exited my house on the east side of Rosedale Ave. in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and walked across the street to where my car was parked. This was just 10 seconds after three black men in their 20s had crossed the street in the same area, which was not near an intersection.
I moved my car into my driveway and walked back up to my front door, by which time a police cruiser had pulled up opposite my house. Two officers exited the vehicle and detained the three men “for jaywalking” and demanded identification.
The three men began to loudly question the officers’ motives for detaining them.
Very soon, three additional police vehicles appeared, one of which was a supervisor’s van.
A total of eight officers questioned the three men, who were joined shortly afterward by two friends of theirs who had been attracted by the commotion. Read the rest of the story
Listen to a radio interview with the author and Tommy Schnurmacher, of Montreal's CJAD.  Link
 
Read two previous posts I wrote about the racist and incompetent Montreal police.
Montreal Police Harass Entire Black Community
Montreal Police Go Beyond Racial Profiling

 

Blowhards complain about signage

I have to say that Gilles Proulx has become one of my favourite French language blowhards, sputtering and raging over English signage with the passion and conviction of a televangelist.

When he goes into one of his sanctimonious and sarcastic rants on TV, it cracks me up!

Here he is with none other than Quebec's most notorious language whiner, Mario Beaulieu, complaining about English non-French signs (notice the sign on the video behind the desk featuring a dastardly insulting sign "IL VICINO")
Link{Fr} 

Crowing that militants had prepared a 1,000 language complaints for the OQLF, the lobby group Mouvement Montérégie Français, intimated that a crisis was upon the region and that the sky was in imminent danger of falling in on the French language.
Unsaid in all this, is that in finding these 1,000 so-called infractions, the group must have reviewed HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SIGNS!!!!!
It's like saying that a doctor found a 1,000 cold germs in a body.
How about some context, please....

Now for an interesting tidbit that I found in only one newspaper story about  these 1,000 complaints.
Almost all the complaints were about the name on the door, we know what that is all about. Canadian Tire, Best Buy etc.etc.,
But here is something new. Complaints were made over every English Church in the surveyed area because the notice boards in front of the Church had English on them!!!!!
"However, in the case of religious organizations, they have always been exempted, as is the case,  for example, signs identifying the location of a "United Church" or any other denomination of a church frequented by English parishioners.

Mr. Beaulieu  continued on this slippery slope. "I do not see why the churches fail to comply with Bill 101. There may be English on the sign, but there must also be French, "he said.
Link{FR}
CHURCHES, for God's sake!!!!!! (pardon, the pun)

Maybe they expect our clergy in English language churches, temples and mosques to give the weekly sermons in French.
In English Catholic churches,  I imagine that these kooks will demand that Confession between an English priest and an Anglo be in French as well.

To Hell heck with Greek or Russian in Orthodox churches and let us eliminate Hebrew in synagogues and Arabic in Mosques.
Let us tell the Korean Church to pray in French and the same for the Buddhists and the Sikhs.

Here's an idea for MQF, if they want to find  more violations; Visit all the English  and ethnic cemeteries and write out a complaint for every tombstone that doesn't have French on it.
I'm sure they could come up with hundreds of thousands of complaints that the OQLF could investigate until the end of time.

Readers this type of language extremism is not typical of Francophone society in Quebec, it is just the opinion of a few crazed militants in the MQF who get all together too much media exposure.

But more on all this in a future post..

At any rate, back to Mr. Proulx who over the years, has pissed and moaned against his nemesis, "BT AUTO REPAIR LTD." in Greenfield Park. He's ranted about the company name on so many occasions, I truly lost count.
After making numerous complaints to the OQLF over the name on the masthead, Mr. Proulx can finally claim sweet victory as the offending portion of the name has finally been covered up.
Congratulations and hooray! Quebec is saved and victory is sweet!

By the way, can anybody tell me what the heck is "VO/OLKSWAGEN"



Anglo arrested for hate

It finally happened, the SQ reacting to a spate of tips from an inflamed public and arrested a man for making a threat.

You can read the story here, but the man, Steve Karmazenuk got in trouble for making a direct threat;
 “Marois has stated her intent to destroy my country and gut my language rights. 

My intent is to see her government destroyed and Marois gutted.”
That second line readers is a direct threat, something I talked about in my last post .
You can hope someone comes to harm, but you cannot threaten to harm someone.

Someone created this Photoshopped insult of Pauline Marois, depicted as a Nazi. Link{Fr}

Again not hate, but pretty demeaning.

Before militants get their panties in a bunch, demanding arrests, Premier Charest was subject to the same rough treatment throughout his premiership.
Here is one from this past election which did not make the newspapers. Why is that?

Now if you really want to talk about hate, nothing beats this story of a plan to re-publish some of the worst antisemitic writing by French author Louis-Ferdinand Céline, by a small Quebec publisher.
The works are so virulently hateful, they remain banned in France to this day. Read the story

By the way, yesterday in the comments section, SQ  pointed to a video on YouTube that so clearly passes into the realm of threat that even I was shocked.
I do not understand how the video is up on YouTube for five months.
The author of the video sings a little ditty while brandishing a sword, describing how he is going to kill Jean Charest.
 

Hello, SQ? (the police, not the commenter.)  Are you going to take action here, or is it only hate against Francophones that concerns you?

Language tensions are clearly going up since the last election and it will be subject of Monday's post.


Let's end on the lighter side of the language dispute over store names.

A Montreal sushi restaurant was ordered by court to cover up its sign within 24 hours.




Why?
This is the original name to which the landlord objected too;




Please have a good weekend.

81 comments:

  1. Last week's francosupremacist video went so viral that it has now been taken down by YouTube...

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    1. That's really too bad. It should have stayed up, to show tourists what a bunch of jackasses they could face when they come to Quebec. That ugly bitch in charge of the OQLF stated that even when tourists ask questions in English, they should be responded to in French. Didn't we go through this B.S. in the 80s. It badly besmirched Quebec's reputation way back then.

      I specifically remember actor Jimmie Walker, who played J.J. Evans in the black sitcom Good Times starring the late Esther Rolle back in the 70s. He said something unimpressive about Montreal on a talk show, and this is where I was learning about the unsavory reputation Quebec was developing no thanks to this stupidity.

      A few years ago, I felt there was finally a détante developing between the two sides, but this recent election is quickly dissolving the niceties both sides were starting to share up to a few years ago. We're quickly reverting to the early days of the new language legislation of the 1970s and I think there is going to be less tolerance on both sides this time.

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    2. Re the tomato sandwich attack: I hope the gentleman who was attacked by that bitch sues her for every cent she has and the judge throws the book at her for hen.er criminal behaviour. The latter is unlikely, esp. if it's a pro separatist judge.

      Beyond that, the hospital, one that serves the English community should make a point of hiring Anglophones who know sufficient French so incidents like this rarely happen.

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    3. I was at a restaurant for lunch yesterday and commented to my friend that everyone at every tables around us were speaking french and we were speaking english. I was wondering what we would say or do should someone tell us to speak french (more sensitive about this lately with all these incidences taking place). I have decided I will call 911 and charge the person(s) with harassment and take them to court and sue them. I would publish this everywhere I could and call every newspaper in the area to let them know what is happening. This kind of thing has to come to an end quickly or we are bound to have some more serious incidents taking place and soon. These separatists have to be taught that they can't control every aspect of every ones' life and it is none of their business what language anyone else speaks! The whole idea freaks me out.

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    4. The speak french rant is hidden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCK04SzPvUs

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    5. Yay! It got reposted! And I totally agree with the comment that got posted:

      "Being Asian and living in Quebec for the past several years, I can see things like this going on all the time. It's perfectly normal for Quebecers to have a sense of pride of their heritage but they just disrespected their own culture by acting like classless hooligans and harassing other minorities. There are lots of French and Europeans in Hong Kong and we don't force them to speak in Cantonese." Vote up!

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    6. I can't tell whether to "like" or "dislike" this embarrassing video however... the drunk French guy with the nice hat is so ridiculous, I can't tell whether this has anything to do with preserving his language and culture or not...

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    7. Designer Galiano's Drunk rant on Jews in Paris He lost everything as a result.

      http://www.youtube.com/watchv=GngFQLo8rIY&feature=fvwrel


      What has happened to the Man in the "Speak french" video?

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  2. I admire the work the owners of The Mile End have done in bringing our style of smoked meat to New York City, but the Montreal experience won't be complete until they hire a woman to storm up to diners' tables and yell at them for speaking French instead of English.

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    1. Yes, Cecil, that would certainly make the scene, but New Yorkers are very good at getting in your face if you get in theirs. I think if it was young New Yorkers who were attacked by that drunken idiot the way the Japanese fellows were, the end result would probably have been much different.

      Nevertheless, congrats to the founders of the Mile End Deli. I hope they whoop NY's asses off deliwise.

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  3. I think the Jean Charest photo didn't make the newspapers because they made him look like Charlie Chaplin.

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    1. To Cecile Haverford & True Montrealer

      HaHa! Who will beat those two comments!!!

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  4. Even diehard seppies eventually see the light!
    http://www.lapresse.ca/la-tribune/opinions/201209/12/01-4573337-notre-prison-linguistique.php

    Our linguistic prison

    For a Quebecer, the English language must not only be a second language, it must be an essential language that we must know and master if we wish to participate in the economic activity of our continent. For we must never forget that we are but a minority in North America and that we will always remain so.

    I was, in my youth, a péquiste nationalist, proud of my language, my culture and my history. In 1985, when I was 18, I was a riding delegate for the Parti Québécois at the Montreal Convention Centre, where I twice saw 495 delegates (the “orthodox”, as we dubbed them) leave the room, saddened, some crying over their ideal that had been dethroned by René Lévesque’s beautiful risk (“beau risque”). I saw it and the image has remained frozen in my memory.

    That same year, I expatriated myself for a year to Victoria, British Columbia, to try to learn the English language that I mastered not at all, although I had easily passed the Ministry of Education’s exams. Upon my return, I still spoke English badly and this has been one of the biggest handicaps of my life.

    However, when we had our two daughters, I swore they would not be confined to our linguistic prison. Never!

    We paid for their pre-kindergarten as well as their kindergarten in English, we sent every year to summer camp in New Hampshire, because we wanted them to be free! If we had not had the money that was needed, our children would never have had the wings that will one day let them rise above our language barrier.

    My youthful naivete played tricks on me, because I know now that we can hate the English who defeated us on the Plains of Abraham, but we cannot hate the English that allows us to communicate. Today, English is the language one needs to know if one wants to go a little bit outside our borders.

    Denis Brière
    Sherbrooke

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    1. Thank you for that Denis - that's what we keep trying to explain to these separatists but they live in their own world. My two sons are bilingual and this has helped them tremendously in their daily lives and I, for one, encourage the children to learn as much as they can about everything and if that includes learning more than one language, and they are able to do it, all the better. I hope some of the separatists read and understand your outlook on life and take it to heart. There are so many other things we have to worry about in this province instead of re-hashing this old debate over and over.

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    2. Ce texte est peu convaincant car il ne nous dit pas ce que M.Brière et ses filles ont réalisés de si impressionnant grâce à leur "maîtrise" de la langue anglaise.Si ils demeurent toujours à Sherbrooke,l'anglais ne sert pratiquement à rien car les cantons de l'Est sont pratiquement totalement francophones et les anglos qui y demeurent toujours ont acquis le pouvoir de communiquer en français.

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    3. S.R, M. Brière parlait surtout quand il sort du Québec. A moins qu'on veut rester dans notre petit coin francophone toute notre vie par peur d'entendre autre chose que le français, il y a un petit problème...

      Je trouve ça vraiment bizarre comment que certains gens peuvent nier que parler l'anglais est un avantage énorme.

      Je trouve aussi que il y a un standard double au Québec. Étant touriste au Québec, il faut absolument parler le français sinon vous ''offusquez la culture québecoise''. Tandis que, un Québecois francophone unilingue s'en va en vacances ailleurs et il n'est pas sous l'obligation de parler une autre langue que le français ? Hein ?

      Les anglos ne veulent pas remplacer le français avec l'anglais. Ça serait juste mieux pour tout le monde si les Québecois pourraient avoir facilement une connaissance de base de l'anglais, non seulement car c'est utile, mais aussi car une personne bilingue a beaucoup plus de chance a être tolérant.

      Il me semble que ce n'est pas trop difficile comme sujet à aborder, mais évidemment je me trompe. :/

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    4. Le problème est qu'il n'est pas nécessaire de sortir de "notre petit coin" francophone pour être envahi par l'anglais.Naviguer sur le net,ouvrir la télé ou simplement syntoniser la radio et vous expérimentez déjà l'immersion anglophone.Pas besoin de formation en littérature anglaise pour commandez un repas dans restaurant du Maine ou faire le plein au New-Hampshire. Ceci est valable pour les américains qui viennent au Québec.

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    5. Good story, Denis. I know of a few others who left Quebec to learn English and there is another way of life out there. I've always called anyone who does this courageous for it takes courage to leave one's comfort zone, and you didn't travel just a stone's throw from the Quebec border as many do.

      Your English at one point may have been poor, but judging from the prose of your writing, you have developed as an effective communicator. Congratulations! If more people in Quebec had your logic, there would be a lot less tension than there is now. Hopefully this will be the case as time goes by.

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    6. Sorry, Saugie, but the link points to the original French letter that was published in the local Sherbrooke newspaper. The translation was my own. Still, I hope people will realize that there is a wide variety of opinion among francophones (and that most of them don't share their opinions on this blog, apart from the most ardent seppies).

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    7. Foremost,

      "Je trouve aussi que il y a un standard double au Québec. Étant touriste au Québec, il faut absolument parler le français sinon vous ''offusquez la culture québecoise" ".

      I live in Québec City. Whenever I walk the streets of the Vieux Québec among the numerous tourists, I hear a lot of english, a lot of chinese and japanese, a lot of spanish and portuguese, I recently noted more german than usual. I hear french too, french with numerous exotic accents. And I hear languages that I cannot identify. And no one is offended.

      You are not telling about a double standard, you are telling about a myth.

      "Ça serait juste mieux pour tout le monde si les Québecois pourraient avoir facilement une connaissance de base de l'anglais"

      N'est-ce pas déjà le cas?

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    8. You know what’s a myth? The fat English lady at Eaton’s who couldn’t serve you in French.

      People throwing tomato sandwiches in the face of an allergic person, people sitting down and interrupting your conversation to inform that you need to speak French when in Quebec, ladies who condescendingly tell staff in Montreal that it’s wrong to say “Bonjour/Hi”, now these are not myths…

      Delete
    9. "People throwing tomato sandwiches in the face of an allergic person..."

      Combien de fois par année de tels incidents se produisent-ils au Québec?Aucun incidents raciaux dans le RoC?

      Pouvez-vous me certifier qu'aucun francophone dans le canada anglais n'a déjà été victime de tel stupidité basée sur la langue?

      Je crois qu'un blogue consacré uniquement à ce type d'anecdotes serait très populaire.Non?

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    10. @ S.R.
      "Combien de fois par année de tels incidents se produisent-ils au Québec?Aucun incidents raciaux dans le RoC?"
      Translation: "How many times a year do these incidents occur in Quebec? Are there no racist incidents in the RoC.

      I have an open mind, do an internet search and tell me how many "Speak White" incidents occurred this week in the RoC.
      Please don't go back to the grandmothers at Eaton's, it's a long time ago, if indeed it ever really happened.
      That being said, I do not believe this is typical of francophone Quebecers, just a few who are boosted by the MQF, but if the shoe fits.......

      As for a blog detailing excesses by anglophones in the ROC, I invite you to start that blog, it is not that hard to do.
      Go to 'Blogger.com' and you can be up and running in no time!!!!

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    11. Un autre petit raciste:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRZuyB_wPA

      Agressif avec ça...

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    12. Ici aussi SR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCK04SzPvUs

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    13. Oh boy, MP has just reminded me of a whole bunch of other stuff!

      Regarding the “damned, fat English lady” at Eaton’s (excuse me, “la grosse maudite anglaise”), the “Lord of the Universe” wrote a story about this apocryphal story:
      http://lotu2.blogspot.ca/2007/03/fat-english-lady.html

      My favourite point he makes is referring to this psychotic audio clip… you’ve GOT to listen to it!!! http://www.thepsychotichour.com/The_Psychotic_Hour-Fat_English_Lady_08.mp3

      Another goodie is from this writer in Quebec City about apostrophe politics: http://www.tomifobia.com/eaton.html

      Thankfully, vigile.net has safeguarded an old article by the NP about how Eaton’s “big damned, fat English lady” has been replaced by the Montreal Canadiens! http://www.vigile.net/PQ-sees-plot-in-every-puck

      Saugie, especially, will probably enjoy being reminded of these articles in the Chicago press about Eaton's and Mordecai (note: no H) Richler:
      http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-06-07/entertainment/9202200472_1_mordecai-richler-french-canada-quebec-government
      http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19920611&id=RwUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=63UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1398,2350925

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    14. Si ils demeurent toujours à Sherbrooke, l'anglais ne sert pratiquement à rien car les cantons de l'Est sont pratiquement totalement francophones et les anglos qui y demeurent toujours ont acquis le pouvoir de communiquer en français.

      This is precisely the argument that Yannick has been making for years now! (only in reverse)

      We have two languages… why do you insist on trying to stomp over the minority language??

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    15. "People throwing tomato sandwiches in the face of an allergic person..."
      Combien de fois par année de tels incidents se produisent-ils au Québec?


      To think that such an incident should even occur one single time is so outrageous for normal people that is so ridiculous… but then for someone to suggest we should consider the occurrence of it on an annual basis is so beyond the pale!

      Delete
    16. Just in case... on the outside chance...
      http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beyond-the-pale.html

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    17. "Je ne crois pas jamais avoir vu quelqu'un se faire dire de parler Anglais dans le R.O.C"

      Normal,si tu leur parles en anglais...Tu vis dans quelle langue au canada Yannick?Essaie de passer une seule journée à calagary sans utiliser l'anglais...Bonne chance!

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    18. Le canada et le Québec sont deux réalités fort différentes,de plus moi non plus je n'ai jamais vu de "vieux débris" attaquer un anglo.Par contre,j'ai déjà vu un américain insulter deux mexicains qui causaient tranquillement dans leur langue en Californie.

      Delete
  5. Re: Gilles Proulx;
    After I put this blog piece to bed yesterday, I turned on my TV to skim through some French language news shows and there on Mario Dumont's new lunchtime news show was Gilles Proulx in all his splendour, railing once again over the evil immigrants.
    It didn't take him five mintutes before he went into a familiar rant...you guessed it.
    B.T. Auto Repair!

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    1. The most disgusting thing about that TV "show" (and boy, do I use the term loosely) is there's actually an audience for this krapola. What disgusts me about as much is Proulx, the loose cannon that he is, can spew his diatribes on the SRC and Don Cherry says one little thing about "Frenchmen" who wear eye visers attached to their helmets and he's almost dismissed.

      I'm sick to my stomach and tired to a state of comatose over how the Francophones can say what they want in the media and get away with everything and we can get away with nothing! To be sure, with another overtly racist PQ government at the helm, the intolerance is only going to get worse, but hopefully it will be, as it always is, more to Quebec's detriment than anyone else's.

      Delete
  6. Can someone post the video to the Charest threat? Let us all bombard the SQ with emails asking why nobody has looked into this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the link:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk1Qot2B19E

      The guy - Maxime Brown - was already arrested in April, and then released. I do think the SQ reaction was over-blown.

      Delete
    2. The video was pretty funny. More then threatening it was self ridicule rap. I wonder if the SQ would be able to arrest everyone on social media for anything they see as threatening. This over reaction might just be to show the population they are doing something after the fact.

      Delete
    3. In the end, I agree that the video was stupid and harmless, just like the so-called threat to Marois which was hyperbole.
      The reality is that both authors should have been advised to remove the offensive material, which would have been the end of the story.
      Our police are just too dumb to make realistic assessments.

      Delete
  7. RE: Montreal man recovering after tomato sandwich attack

    Once had an old man at the Hochelaga market sit at my table uninvited and then have the nerve to interrupt the conversation I was having with my friend to tell us to speak white—French (his hair was white). And that’s the only reason I didn’t kick his ass – because he was in his seventies. Just a little younger and the outcome would have been quite different.

    RE: Students want bail conditions changed
    Cause & Effect kiddies.

    RE: Montreal, ticket capital of Canada!
    What else do you expect from a city that belongs to a province with such uninspired money management? This is the only way they know how to stay somewhat close to the black.

    RE: Media giants square off at CRTC
    Péladeau is a spoiled reprobate and pathetically manipulative. He never built his company, he only inherited riches. If he were a self-made man, he could draw some sympathy. Only a spoiled silver-spoon brat continually goes running for the government teet everytime a market condition doesn’t go in their favor. If Astral had come to Videotron first, Péladeau would be singing a far different tune.


    RE: Blowhards complain about signage
    I have this theory that Mario Beaulieu’s parents are related in ways other than by marriage…that physiognomy of his is strongly indicative of __________ .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter and her husband were over to our house last night for dinner and my son-in-law mentioned that when he is in public he now talks loudly in English, hoping someone will tell him to speak French.
      He's a strapping guy and said, "Man or women, old or young, I'm just going to pop them in the face!"
      Yikes! Is this where we are?

      Delete
    2. Once had an old man at the Hochelaga market sit at my table uninvited and then have the nerve to interrupt the conversation I was having with my friend to tell us to speak white—French

      Correct response: "Mêle-toi donc de tes oignons, toi!"

      Any others?

      Delete
    3. Evil: In all fairness, at least PKP hasn't run Quebecor into the ground, at least not yet. About half the time when a family business passes to the second generation, it goes bust, and 90% by the third generation. Pascal's, the hardware empire and former supermarket giant Steinberg's are two family businesses that went kaput in the hands of the third generation. The most successful family business I can think of is Southam, a newspaper and communication business that went six generations before there was no longer an heir apparent, and Conrad Black bought them out.

      That being said, PKP is taking a huge chance with building a hockey arena in Quebec hoping if it's built, the NHL will come and the Nordiques will be playing in Quebec City again. Ask Jim Balsillie about working the NHL that way. Maybe they'll come, maybe not...then what?

      Delete
    4. Editor,

      " [...] he is in public he now talks loudly in English, hoping someone will tell him to speak French."

      And is he disappointed that so far, it seems, no one told him to speak french?

      Delete
    5. I think another good reply would be to laugh and say:

      Oh, you must be from the country where everyone speaks French. Don`t you know that Montreal is bilingual?

      Delete
    6. Telling him just that wasn't enough, he was quite to ornery old man.

      All the same, some of these hardcore "doctator seps" have to be very careful, they're so quick
      to pull that shit only to realize a little too late that they pulled rank with the wrong person.

      Delete
    7. @ Michel Patrice

      "And is he disappointed that so far, it seems, no one told him to speak french?"

      Its only been one day, but to be honest , YES, he wants a confrontation.
      That is the point of the story.
      It seems that many young Anglos are itching for a fight. I don't condone it and it will the subject of a post next week.
      But I will not be surprised that soon we will have an violent reaction.

      That 1st guy who harangued the Asians was obviously drunk. Walking the streets @ 5am with a beer in your hand sort of confirms it.

      But you can understand that there is a legitimate rage building about being told not to speak English by a sanctimonious and annoying butinsky


      Delete
  8. I work at a hospital on the island, a bilingual hospital. I clearly have my ID tag (identifying me as a hospital employee) clipped to my shorts at all times, and yet I have been accosted on two separate occasions by francophones bitching me out in the cafeteria while speaking to another anglophone (in English).

    What's great is that I get to tell them to sit down and shut up or I'll call security and have them put in psych. Don't want to risk an insane person running loose, so I'm well within my rights.

    I have also been in line behind an elderly francophone woman who very condescendingly told the woman behind the counter, "Non, non, non ma petite, içi on est au Québec, il faut parler le français." just because the woman said "bonjour/hi"...

    I think the unilingual fear and hatred of English and other languages that aren't French is mainly due to their complete inability to understand them. If you're brought up as a paranoid xenophobe, and you hear people laughing and conversing in a language you don't understand, you automatically assume they're making fun of you, your culture, or your language.

    At least, if you're a unilingual francophone. I imagine it's the same for Americans.

    So many people decide to take the imagined moral high ground and ask you why in God's name your speaking in English. Man, I freaking hate that stupid condescending attitude some people get when they "politely" inform you to shut the hell up unless you're going to speak in French.

    I am not a violent person, but it makes me positively furious when someone dares speak to me that way. I am an adult, odds are I have a much better education that you, and I'm busy, how dare you speak to me as if I'm some sort of retarded child?

    Is it really that hard to mind your own goddamn business? Seriously.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would just completely ignore it if I were you. If they try and scold you for speaking English, pretend as if you don't understand French. That will really get them mad!

      Delete
  9. Curious to know if anyone contacted that lady from the CBC for her radio show. Did anyone respond?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I listened to the interview. (You can download it from the CBC website, It was on "Daybreak" Sept 13.) Truthfully there was not much new ground covered.
      The guy interviewed was an Anglo from downtown Montreal and gave no indication how he was contacted.

      Delete
  10. Taxes up again in Montreal - 16% over the past 4 years and now a new environment tax. When is this going to stop? We are taxed to death in this province.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cutie, I play the stock market and if there's one thing I absolutely hate, it's coming up snake eyes on a bad play.

      But here's the thing...life's all about re-assessing your investments and knowing when it's time to cut your loses.

      If you own property, maybe it's time you take a lower return than your initial investment and move out now before doing the same incurs a loss.

      That goes for all Quebeckers, not just anglos...if you worked hard for what you have, you'll never get your full worth in Quebec. Look at what's going on in France...it'll happen to you too.

      Delete
  11. I don't approve the treatment of these black folks but where I live jaywalking is a real issue. Some people have no respect for traffic laws, especially the Jews from Outremont/NDG and the Blacks from Cote-du-Neige.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The only reason I published this comment is so that I can say publicly that DAVE SANTI has offered the most racist comment made in a couple of months.

      I hope you are proud of yourself.

      Delete
    2. Why is that racism? It's a fact. Is it racism if I say that quebecoise like poutine, that Italians have more ties to the Mafia or that there is more Black people in criminal gangs?

      Hopefully these people will start to follow our Canadian laws, it's for their own safety.

      Also, I talk about what I know. You can tell me I'm wrong all you want, but you clearly haven't drive too often on Coute-du-Neige or de Vimy.

      Delete
    3. Dave, Dave, Dave!
      I shall let readers pass judgment and I hope to God that isn't your real name....

      Delete
    4. Not gonna touch it... especially since he can't spell... sorry!

      Delete
    5. Dave Santi,

      In a province where they have signs telling people to wait for green signal to go through the intersection or for many years not having right turn on red lights (now only on montreal island) it doesn't take genius to not blame the minorities for being the worst violators of traffic laws. Don't forget the genius engineers and transport Quebec that redesigned the Acadie circle.

      Delete
    6. Jaywalking is a dangerous behavior. Can't we at least agree on this?

      Delete
    7. No we can't! It's not a traffic violation anywhere in the world outside North America, and there are plenty of countries where road accidents are less frequent and pedestrians have less of a chance of being run over. Great Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world, in spite of a much higher population density than most anywhere in North America, and jay-walking is not an offense: you'd even have to explain to most people what it means. It's just one stupid law that might once have been devised to protect people, but that now seems to be enforced "just because": there is a difference between darting in the middle of rush-hour traffic and just crossing the road when there are no cars coming, regardless of the existence or not of zebra-crossings. It just requires some sense, something that your legislators actively discourage people from using.

      Delete
    8. @TQP : There are some people who stop traffic to cross the street on Cote-de-Neige. It's very dangerous! Why can't they just walk to closest intersection? It takes a minute! They are putting themselves and the drivers in a dangerous situation!

      Delete
  12. Thanks Resident - You're right and I know it but there are extenuating circumstances, as I'm sure there are for a lot of us, so it makes it very difficult for me to leave right now. We were doing so well here for so long on our real estate values, everything was quiet and life was moving along in the right direction for all of us in this area, and now it's turned to rat shit because of Marois and her punks. Development was huge here (not that I liked losing all our green spaces) but things were booming until mouth started making trouble again with her Bill 101 upgrade and knocking the anglophones and allophones and telling us AGAIN TOO MUCH ENGLISH. When will she learn that people will not move here when they hear that kind of talk and no people, empty brand new homes and a much smaller tax base for her welfare bums. GOD WILL YOU PEOPLE NEVER LEARN - IDIOTS!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heheh... the Fukyu Japanese sushi restaurant story was just broadcast a minute ago across Canada and the U.S. on CBC Radio’s celebrated “As It Happens” show… it will surely be available online shortly. Life in Quebec!

    ReplyDelete
  14. FROM ED BROWN
    After a few years of living from here to there my teenage Grandson came to live with me. At nineteen he announced he would like to finish his education. He returned to high school at John Abbott in St.Anne However letting someone sleep on the sofa is not the same as helping someone get an education. This entails books, transport and clothing to name a few. The expenses mounted so much that my old age pension of twelve hundred per month could not handle it so I suggested that he try to get welfare. Try is the key word here. The Verdun welfare office was well known for it's separatism. From October 2009 to May 2011 there were forms going back and forth as much as three times each claiming they did not receive them.. They lost his birth certificate twice. Three times we trooped downtown to get another one. The climax came in May 2011 when I spoke to a woman on the phone who said the problem was that they did not get the parental support form. I said “excuse me I have it in my hand with your stamp on it. You've had it twice.” Her answer floored me.. She said, “In that case you'd better just reapply.” I was stunned. After two years start over.
    I turned for help to The Honorable Henri Gautrin the Liberal member here in Verdun. My Grandson and I went to his office. When we explained the problem he said he would take care of it. Three months later we were on Wellington street where we ran into him and his aide just going home at six o.clock. His man recgnized us and asked how we made out. I told him there was nothing yet. The member heard this and said to his aide “Quesque i'l dit” He was furious. He said we're going back up to the office, I'll take care of this now.” Three days later David received a cheque for three months welfare and an apology. I also noticed that the names on the letters were different from the ones we had been dealing with. He collected welfare for eight months until Christmas, at which time they cut him off because he was now in college and should be getting bursaries. This was the first we ever heard about bursaries and had no idea what to do. The woman who handles student finance at John Abbott, Annie Proulx was very nice and helped Dave get on the right track applying for bursaries. She asked why we had kept sending in the welfare slips each month and we explained we didn't know there was any change. The slips asked for any change in school or work. There was no change in school, it was the same school. How could we know it meant change in grade. He applied for bursaries in March after we managed (we thought) to get the welfare issue settled. Dave has not yet received any bursary money but all the forms are there and we are just waiting for an answer from Quebec city The upshot of the case is that although David has no income the welfare is sueing him to pay $2900.00 that they say he collected fraudently. I've tried to explain to the welfare collection agency in Quebec that if he had been getting bursaries for that time he would have been getting more so the government saved money but they say there is only one answer, pay. I cannot pay this my pension just covers housing and food with enough for David's travel and other needs. I am in debt three thousand dollars having borrowed money to see us through.
    I have spoken to a very well known lawyer here in Montreal who specializes in human rights cases. He suggested we sue the welfare office cojointly (since it was mostly my money that had replaced what he should have had. He told us take it to the court of the Quebec Human Rights Commission under article 45 which states that the government makes monies available for people's needs and it is the duty of those who control these to help people obtain them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. It's a sad situation when a popular youtube video of someone getting a sword and saying he himself is planning on killing the premier of Quebec is left unnoticed, but a threat to Pauline Marois is immediately penalised. I sort of understand in the sense that Pauline Marois was recently the target of an attempted assassination, however, that should not change the actual penalty making such a threat would have.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Je n'avais jamais vu cette vidéo,j,espère qu'ils ont remplacé les panneaux indicateurs par des nouveaux unilingues Français...Pour des considérations esthétiques.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFMwCVqvM38&feature=youtu.be

    ReplyDelete
  17. @SR

    thats an old video. The mayor has even died since. They put the bilingual street designations back up after public outcry. They should have told the OQLF a big FUKYU and not touch the signs in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Note to readers
    Vigile.net founder Bernard Frappier is on the verge of death and has handed off the site to LeHir & others.
    If you wish to comment, you can discuss his politics, but please no nasty remarks.

    http://www.vigile.net/Les-adieux-de-Bernard-Frappier

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hope you'll pardon a comment from a Franco-American New Yorker who loves Canada- in all its wonderful variety. Seeing the terrible news from north Africa and the Middle East, and then hearing about the strife that your comments illustrate, I can only hope (as a well-wishing outsider) that you can reconcile your communities and respect one another as a pluralistic society.

    Hearing about the increasingly denigrating treatment of those who speak English- to the point of wanting to outlaw it- is cause for concern to tourists who will wonder whether they are welcome if they cannot speak French. Tourism does represent a major portion of both our economies. It's business and employment, too.
    Once again, I hope you'll pardon an outsider's words, but grinding your axes for 300 years must be getting old and tired.

    ReplyDelete
  20. @artisan: Thank you - you're right, tourism is very important to Quebec but when you try to tell these people who want to break up our country, they really don't care. French is all they care about. Thank goodness most Francophones really don't feel the way that the separatists who comment on this Blog feel or we would be in deep trouble quickly. We Anglophones that live in this province are very sick of this and the separatist government that has just been elected to a minority government, want to restrict the use of English even further than they already have. That's why you see so much anger on the Blog - it is old and tired. Hopefully some of these idiots will read comments from you (and people like you) and turn on their TV and see the strife all over the world and realize that we are better off as one country and not two split into little pieces, but we shall see in the not too distant future, I imagine. From an Anglo in Quebec

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you - We have tried to reconcile with the separatists in this province but to no avail. They are not interested in getting along with each other in a bilingual country - they want to split up the country, feel they are entitled to all the land in Quebec (which is a major problem with both federalist areas and the native Indians)and are deliberately trying to drive out the Anglophones and Allophones so that they can capture more votes to leave Canada. Meanwhile, the new minority separatist government is going to try to remove more rights from the English speaking Canadians residing in this Province but we are trying to tell them that this time we will not sit back and let them do this. And you're positively right - what tourist is going to want to visit a place that refuses to let you communicate in English? We have tried to tell them this but they do not want to listen = they just don't care. So wish us luck and please visit other areas of Canada which are very beautiful and you will be warmly welcomed by all, just not in certain areas of Quebec. If you want to visit Quebec, stick to Montreal or the Pontiac and you should not have any problems.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Editor,

    Where did you find the picture of Heer uniform? Simply put, Pauline Marois does not deserve to be depicted wearing those decorations. The decorations are for serious soldiering, something that she would not achieve in 5 lifetimes.

    I see the Iron Cross, War Merit Cross and Cross of Honor, plus an interwar medal that I can not identify. Showing Marois wearing them is not an insult, it is a flattery. While one may not like or agree with the Nazi government, the Wehrmacht was a proud and formidable force.

    The mustache, however, a different story...

    ReplyDelete
  23. FROM ED BROWN
    I posted a story about the problems my Grandson had trying to deal with a quebec government agency. I was not looking for any help. I don't need it but I thought someone might be interested in the problems that anglos can have dealing with the sepppies in government agencies. This goes a hundred times farther
    than just speaking english. This is cutting off a man's bread and butter because he is english. You're opinions would be welcomed. I sometimes think maybe it's me that's wrong. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is one sad and frustrating story.

      Do you think it's because of the English or the incompetency of those involved? Maybe both?

      How much would suing cost you? Perhaps you can make your voice heard also on the papers? I would do an attempt to contact one of the public figures, if no help then I would contact the gazette for a story to publish and see if this stirs up some action.

      Delete
    2. Unfortunately Ed, even if you're right (and you probably are - there are many separatists that work for the provincial and federal government)I don't know how you could prove it's because your last name is English or just that there are poor at their jobs. I think silent reader is right - go the Newspaper and see if they would be interested in publishing an article concerning this type of thing and maybe talk to the Quebec Office of the English Language and see if they can help you in any way and/or your current MP. If this sort of thing happens to us, we have to speak up and not sit back silently any longer. It will get much worse if we let these people get away with treating us as second class citizens. I wish you luck.

      Delete
  24. Looking at MQF's complaints against churches, it is obvious that the separatist groups do not actually care about the laws of the land. Their objective is to forward their cause, regardless what the rules and the laws are, regardless that Bill 101 was implemented by a PQ government. Chapter VII, section 59 of Bill 101 clearly states:

    Section 58 does not apply to advertising carried in news media that publish in a language other than French, or to messages of a religious, political, ideological or humanitarian nature if not for a profit motive.

    The other example that makes me want to laugh and weep at the same time I found several days ago at Imperatif-francais. They are talking about local staff - instead of home staff - in Hong Kong and India, for God's sake! What good does French do in those places? And at the published salary, no less. Really, those people are detached from the reality of the world. There is a whole wide world beyond the Quebec borders.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sorry - didn't think my first post was published - sort of repetitive but no way to delete one. Editor - what happened to the option to delete?

    ReplyDelete
  26. FROM ED BROWN
    Some of you have posted comments about getting the attention of the American press and TV. I was hoping that others might add their problems in writing which we could compile and use for same.
    Actually proving my case is easy. The records show that he waited 22 months for help. I have all the papers showing demands for forms which had by their stamp been already received. The MP's aide says he would give me an affidavit that would attest to the necessity of their intravention. It would not say anything about separatism, just that he had to intervene.
    As far as the present is concerned, Dave is now accepted for bursaries so I will be able to hellp him for his last college year. He gets top marks in his subjects and deserves to go on.
    I am not doing this out of vengeance, I simply feel that we should not have to pay the welfare $2900.
    Ed

    ReplyDelete
  27. FROM ED BROWN
    Answer to Silent Reader. Thanks for your input. Actually my income allows me to use an illegal aid lawyer. The top Montreal lawyer I spoke to said, "You can't afford me. Get a legal aid lawyer. Before the Human Rights Court a monkey could win your case." Does this imply that a monkey is smarter than the
    francophones. It could be, they voted in Marois. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would not say that a monkey is smarter than the francophones, as I do not want to put them all in one bag. What I know is that bureaucracy is...well, sinful. Unfortunately I can easily imagine some crooks hiding behind it and making life miserable to those outside the system just because they can, whether it is language racism or whatever other motive.
      Therefore, go to your local MP, if no word within a couple of days, go to the papers. Be persistent, they want you to give up. If I remember correctly your grandson wanted to become a baptist minister, and if you are not familiar with the story, I;m sure he can tell you about the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18.
      Do let us know how it goes.

      Delete
  28. Editor, thank you for making this great blog. It's a great place to read about the news of language issues in Quebec and I appreciate how unbiased your posts have been. You don't get any kind of payment doing this blog, but you still work hard at writing it because clearly these issues are very important to you, and I respect that a lot. Again, thank you for your years of hard work on this blog, I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love your blog,helpful, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete