Khadirs' Sad Parental Legacy
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| Yalda Machouf- Khadir...never had a chance.. |
Yalda Machouf-Khadir quite literally had her fingerprints lifted at one crime scene as well as having her face caught on tape at another. She was in modern parlance, caught dead to rights and had little choice but to admit to her crimes.
Looking for leniency, she pleaded guilty, but prosecutors refused to agree to a slap on the wrist as they did with the majority of those charged along side her.
It seems that prosecutors definitely wanted her blood.
"Yalda Machouf-Khadir, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of mischief in relation to a protest at the CEGEP du Vieux Montréal on Feb. 16, 2012 during which she and two other people pushed over a soft drink machine to try to block an entrance with it. She also admitted to conspiring to commit mischief, wearing a disguise while committing a criminal act and break and entry when students forcibly occupied and damaged the main pavilion of the Université de Montréal on April 12 and the office of then-education minister Line Beauchamp on April 13.
“We feel these are serious crimes, and there was a certain continuity,” said Crown prosecutor Martin Chalifour. “A lot of students accused of crimes during the student protests had participated in only one event. Those were isolated actions. For Mr. Marotte and Mme. Khadir there were several events, so that has an impact on the sentencing arguments.” Link
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| Parents of the year...... |
Now this post is not meant to single out, castigate or dump on Yalda for her extreme activism, she is a product of her upbringing and for that I am sad for her, being brought up in the Khadir family, she never had a chance.
Here's what I wrote a while back in a post on Amir Khadir entitled: Amir Khadir Has a Lot to Hide
"Amir learned dissent early, his parents being radicals themselves. He first met his future wife Nima Machouf as a child at the various radical demonstrations that both their parents dragged them to, on a regular basis.
His father is an aging communist, who reminds me of the over the hill stoner comedian 'Cheech," living in a 1970's fantasy and regurgitating dogma, woefully out of date. Jafar Khadir is a sad character living in the past, who parrots ideas that have long since been discredited, even in Russia and China. He was a long-time member of the executive council of the Quebec Communist Party and still keeps actively involved.I'm one of those who cringe at parents who radicalize their children at an early age as did Amir Khadir and his wife Nina Machouf, shlepping their children to communist demonstrations at an early age and turning them against the very country that welcomed them with open arms and gave them safe haven from the madness of their homeland in Iran.
Jafar has militated on a variety of radical causes and back in 2002 was stopped at the US border, where he was held for eight hours and ultimately refused entry with the warning not to come back.
Amir himself is also the product of parental radicalization, his father a died in the wool communist named Jafar, a millionaire communist, who for many years helped finance the Communist Party of Quebec.
Read my previous posts'
Khadirs-Three Generations of Nutters
Communists Frolic at Khadir Chalet
Amir Khadir Has a Lot to Hide
And so
At any rate, her criminal record will follow her around pretty much the rest of her life, condemning her to a life in Quebec, where these things aren't held against you, as compared to the rest of the world.
Every time I see a demonstration that includes little children, whether it be Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, or pro or con anything whatever, I'm sad to think that parents believe that children are to be used as tools.
Canada's most famous radicalized child-soldier, Omar Khadar has spent most of his life in jail having been convicted by an American military court for murdering a US soldier at age fifteen. He was radicalized by his proud terrorist father.
"A 2008 biography written by al Qaeda praises the elder Khadr for "tossing his little child in the furnace of the battle" Wikipedia
It's hard to be sympathetic, but then again, its hard not to be sympathetic.
School Board Taxes...How soon we forget.
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| Liberal Education minister Yves Bolduc "You see, it's like this..." |
Last year, in a desperate attempt to cut expenses the PQ government cut the subsidy to the school boards by some $200 million, arrogantly telling the school boards to cut expenses, as if it were that easy.
Instead the school boards raised the tax rate on homeowners to make up the difference and lo and behold, some taxpayers saw their school tax bill rise by over 30%!
The then PQ education minister Marie Malavoy supported those tax increases, calling them within the bounds of the law, but when the public rose in a furious protest, the PQ government reacted by scolding the school boards for their greed and actually ordered them to pay back the money via rebates over the next few years. Malavoy was made the scapegoat and asked not to run again in the last election.
But the PQ was defeated and the school boards soon forgot about their obligation to return the money, it was never officially memorialized.
Enter the new Liberal government which announced that not only wouldn't the money be returned, but that school taxes would be going up again this year, but modestly to reflect inflation.
Hilariously, the PQ is hammering the Liberals for not forcing the school boards to return the $200 million to taxpayers, with the PQ leader Stéphane Bédard saying that because the Liberals are in a majority, they could force the school to refund the money, something the PQ couldn't do because it was in a minority government.
I wonder if these politicians listen to themselves talk?
And that readers, is how governments operate in Quebec. It isn't what is right, it isn't what is fair...it's what you can get away with.
And so taxpayers aren't beefing about the small increase that the Liberals imposed, because the whopping increase by the PQ is already digested.
I guess it's like the price of gas that jumps by 12 cents a litre one day, only to fall back by two or three cents in the coming days, giving us the sense of a bargain.
My my, what suckers we are!
Is Mulroney just a Péladeau beard?
The newspaper is reporting that PKP, contrary to his pledge, has been involved in the management of the company of which he is majority shareholder, but in which he holds no position.
This while he sits as a provincial MP with leadership aspirations.
His alleged behind the scene string-pulling at Quebecor is said to have irked Robert Dépatie, the ex-chairman of Quebecor who resigned last month.
"A source close to the company said Mr. Péladeau remained actively involved in the operations despite no longer holding an executive position. This “blurred the lines of authority” within Quebecor and contributed to Mr. Dépatie’s recent departure." LinkAnd so Brian lives up to his own famous dictum that reminds us that 'there's no whore, like an old whore' and suffers no ethical dilemma in serving and doing the bidding of his separatist master.
"Quebec's most influential separatist doesn't seem like a betrayal of Canada or federalism.No doubt Mulroney, who is 75, is but a figurehead, a beard, called forward to keep up appearances in order to convince Canadians, more importantly federal regulators that Quebecor is just a good ole' boy, not a separatist driven media conglomerate.
It’s unclear whether Pierre Karl Péladeau realized how big of an impact his move into sovereigntist politics would have on Quebecor’s future business prospects. But Brian Mulroney sure did. The former prime minister’s move into the chairman’s seat at the media conglomerate is implicitly aimed at repairing the damage Mr. Péladeau’s infamous fist pump did to the company’s brand. Link
I wonder how the rest of Canada is reacting to Mulroney's duplicitous pussyfooting with separatists.
Incredibly, new Liberal government backs wasteful wind and mini-electricity generation projects
It was Yogi Berra, the venerable manger of the new York Yankees who coined the memorable phrase "It's deja vu, all over again!"It was like listening to a recording of the old PQ government when the Liberals rose in defence of the wind and co-generation projects that produce un-needed electricity at three times the price of idled power plants.
"Premier Philippe Couillard agreed that these mini-centrales electricity purchases would have a "minimal impact of 0.2%" on Hydro-Québec's rates charged to consumers. "We will resume the mini-plant program. We will realize the benefit of communities, "promised Mr. Couillard.All this in response to CAQ questions in the National Assembly claiming that each of the jobs created by these programs actually costs the government $200,000. Link{fr}
For his part, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Pierre Arcand argued that wind power generates 5,000 jobs in Quebec. "We must make the choice to keep these jobs," said Arcand. As for the surplus energy that continues to accumulate in the Hydro-Québec reservoirs, Pierre Arcand argues that this is then a comparative advantage which may be of interest to investors to settle in Quebec."
Never mind Yogi Berra, the French have a saying all their own.
"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (The more it changes, the more it stays the same)
King of the depanneur blasts Quebec welfare
Bouchard is truly a self-made success, building a chain of convenience stores into a $3 billion company that includes over 9,000 convenience stores across North America and Europe.
He didn't mince words, talking about Quebecers he asked;
"Do you like being on Canadian welfare, it makes no godamn sense to accept that we Quebecers, who are so creative and able to build, tolerate being on welfare. I find it completely ridiculous.His words didn't go down well with the new Liberal finance minister Carlos Leitao and CAQ veteran Amir Khadir both of whom disparaged the comments, without offering any real rebuttal.
Montreal Transit Authority admits Drainville type of deception on legal opinion on English.
"The transit authority has long flip-flopped on whether it had a legal opinion and interpretation on the French language charter, which would require some employees to speak English.But days ahead of an access request hearing involving lawyers from The Gazette and the STM, the transit authority reportedly provided a signed affidavit that said “no legal opinion from internal or external lawyers could be identified related to Article 46 of the Charter of the French Language.”
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| Anglo community's very own Kapo, Marvin Rotrand |
The Metropolitan Transit Authority, the AMT, requires all employees who have contact with the public be able to speak both languages.
STM Vice President Marvin Rotrand has told CJAD News in past interviews it has a legal opinion. Link
I wrote about this over a year and a half ago;
" Montreal bus company spokesman, Marvin Rotrand, the token anglo fart-catcher, has once again defended the company from offering English services, claiming that the company's hands are tied by the law, a misrepresentation according to constitutional lawyer Julius Grey..
Rotrand said the corporation consulted with its legal department and agreed that the language laws apply directly to the transit authority.
"We have a huge volume of jurisprudence as to what our obligations are under Bill 101," he said.
Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey says Quebec's language laws do not prevent the STM from serving customers in English Read the post
Mr. Rotrand wins this weeks DRAINVILLE AWARD FOR MISREPRESENTATION
'Chuck E. Cheese' solution to child abduction threat.
The baby was safely returned hours later thanks to social media and a group of kids who recognized the woman and went to her home calling the police in the meantime.
All's well that ends well.
These things happen occasionally, that's what Amber Alerts are all about and there's always going to be a nutter around who wants a baby of her own and thinks it's a good idea to kidnap one from a hospital.
The day after the incident I heard Quebec's new Health Minister on the radio demanding that hospitals beef up security and he told the interviewer that he asked health authorities to think up a solution.
Really?
For a one in a million shot problem?
So let me offer the low-cost Chuck E. Cheese, anti-kidnapping solution.
For those who don't know, Chuck E. Cheese is an American chain that is a giant video game and play center for the under six crowd. Parents and (mostly single parents) bring their kids for some indoor fun and food in a highly safe and secure facility.
Secure I say, you betcha, pay attention Mr. Health Minister, they have a foolproof way of making sure nobody walks out with the wrong kid. It is a big concern in the world of parental abduction.
By the way readers, if you've never been to Chuck E.Cheese, you've missed nothing, trust me.
Picture of the Week
Here's a picture snapped by a surprised passerby of a Montreal police officer doing the nasty in a back alley in downtown Montreal. Link
It seems his partner was likewise engaged in the back seat.
An embarrassed department first claimed that the picture was Photoshopped but it turns out not only is it real, but his partner was in the back seat with another girl.
Now the department has said that the officers may find themselves with a stiff suspension of a couple of days, but I would rather see them outed as is the case with Johns.
At any rate, can you caption the picture?
Here's the best one I've heard so far.
"Put your hands up where I can feel them!"
Impératif français is at it again, complaining about this advertisement from a Quebec fast food chain.
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| "As good in French as it is in English" |
I know there's a running battle with language purists wanting the
Things are what things are, would you really want to call a 'POUTINE' by any other name?
Further reading
Newly-released old-thyme Montreal newsreel itemsGreat pictures of Cirque Éloize hamming it up in the Montreal Metro
40 Struggles Only A Montrealer Will Understand
20 Montreal Mind Blowing Facts You Never Knew About
I will add one struggle the people of every other Canadian city have - putting up with Montrealers who think their common struggles are unique.
ReplyDelete"At any rate, (Yalda Khadir's) criminal record will follow her around pretty much the rest of her life, condemning her to a life in Quebec, where these things aren't held against you, as compared to the rest of the world."
ReplyDeleteThat line made me laugh out loud. It's also true.
And I'm gratified to read your opinion on "radicalizing children." It appears I am not the only person who cringes when seeing a preschool kid waving a political placard or a stroller-bound infant carrying a picket sign. Parents who use their children to make political statements worry me.
"Bouchard is truly a self-made success, building a chain of convenience stores into a $3 billion company that includes over 9,000 convenience stores across North America and Europe."
ReplyDeleteMr Bouchard seems to forget that when his business was still small and when banks were not eager to lend him money, he got a little help. His business got the help of the régime d'épargne action. This fiscal policy helped developping, among others, Bombardier, Cascades and Couche-Tard. True, Couchae-Tard would not be Couche-Tard without Me Bouchard's managerial skills and leadership, but it would not be Couche-Tard either if he could not have access to needed capital. Through this Régime d'Épargne Action, quebecker helped him, I am glad that we did..
The finance minister was then Jacques Parizeau. His goals were to make investing in Québec more profitable for the wealthier and to give a taste of owing stocks to less wealthy.
Ironicaly, during his press conference, Mr Bouchard also said : "J'aimerais moins de (présence du) gouvernement, moins de réglementation et plus d'aide aux entrepreneurs." Isn't help to entrepreneurs governement presence? This part of these speach was has been much less reported.
The most reported quote is : "Ça n'a pas de maudite allure qu'on tolère ça, nous les Québécois, qui sommes si créatifs et capables de bâtir [...] qu'on accepte d'être sur le BS." I too think that, yes, we are creative and able to build and that our situation is intolerable.
Cou you provide a link that says Couche-Tard benefied from a Government bailout?
DeleteThe heavy government regulation is killing jobs in the province. All the heavy government intervention in the economy is creating boondoggles. Take a look at Gaspesia and the Cite Multimedia, millions wasted in failed business. Other jurisdiction like Ontario, Western Canada and the United States don't need such heavy government intervention in the business. Subsidies are lower in Ontario then Quebec, that says it all about the Quebec economy.
Entrepreneurs are going to jurisdiction where they can be successful, not with heavy government intervention. Entrepreneurs are also more likely to be bilingual, and are connected with clients from around the country and the world. They don't want to be stuck with language regulation.
Couche-Tard benefited from Régime Épargne Action : http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/200903/19/01-838371-le-regime-depargne-actions-ressuscite.php So did Bombardier and Cascades.
Delete"Other jurisdiction like Ontario, Western Canada and the United States don't need such heavy government intervention in the business." True, and the american government did not take control of banks during the 2008 crisis, they let GM and Chrylser take care of their problems by themselves, the military industry has no help from the state and The New Deal is the title of a novel. And if my memory is right, Ontario did not nationalize electricity a century ago.
"Entrepreneurs are also more likely to be bilingual, and are connected with clients from around the country and the world." Yes, we know this, this might explain why many of us speak english and why both our importations and exportations are more geographicaly diversified than Canada's (1) and why we export roughly half of our GDP.
(1) http://qe.cirano.qc.c/tab/commerce_exterieurprincipaux_pays_dexportation_et_dimportation_du_quebec_2010
A bit of a mixed message - on the one hand, the situation is intolerable but on the other it's working very well.
DeleteJay,
DeleteYou did not quite get what I meant. Liam suggested that if we spoke more english our economy would be more open on the world. I pointed at the fact that we already speak a good deal of english and that our economy is already open on the world. I did not mean that everything is working well, I meant that, unlike what Liam suggested, our economy is open on the world.
Michel, I don't want to speak for Liam, but I think his complaint was with too much government regulation, including regulation of language, not with insufficient bilingualism. Personally I have mixed feelings about government regulation, I see it (overly simplified) as referees in a hockey game - we know we need them but we aren't sure how closely they should call the game.
DeleteAlso, and of course this is just my personal opinion, I feel that there is a good trade-off between provincial independence and benefits from being in the larger federation. The balance changes over time, sometimes we feel it is more in some provinces favour than others, but overall I think there are more benefits than restrictions.
Of course, I understand that you disagree. And to be honest, years ago if Quebec separatism had seemed like it was for all people in Quebec and not just for Francophones (if English musicians had been welcomed at St. Jean Baptiste celebrations, for example, if the transit system had a little more English, if we simply weren't made to feel like the enemy) then I think I would have been drawn to it. Like most Montrealers, of every language, I certainly felt different - and superior - to the rest of Canada (well, certainly to Toronto ;)).
here's a bit from same bouchard speech that is revealing.
Delete"J’aimerais moins de gouvernement, moins de réglementation et plus d’aide aux entrepreneurs..."
right. way to go mate. let me do whatever i want and give me more money. the guy is obviously no philosopher, therefore his intervention is not to be taken seriously.
a bit from someone who actually put just a little thought into into it.
Deletehttp://tinyurl.com/ms6t3vr
"You did not quite get what I meant. Liam suggested that if we spoke more english our economy would be more open on the world. I pointed at the fact that we already speak a good deal of english and that our economy is already open on the world. I did not mean that everything is working well, I meant that, unlike what Liam suggested, our economy is open on the world."
DeleteAre you kidding? When will you stop spreading misinformation? i just came back from a trip where I had 'Captains of Industry' express how TURNED OFF they are with La Belle Province, and who wouldn't be? The red tape of Language Laws they'd get bogged down in, etc. Finally, over a drink, they told us what they really thought, ...they told us the truth, off the record. So who cares if according to the separatists we already speak too much English. The truth is, how this province is perceived, is what counts. It is not easy and seamless to invest here. We've made quite the (bad) name for ourselves and until we don't really open it up for Business, and exempt areas like Montreal from bill 101...Greece is in your Future.
You may speak "some" English, but your Economy is CLOSED to the world. Vous n'êtes plus capables de vous cacher, so stop pretending. "It's risky" they kept repeating. We did manage to convince them to come to Canada, just not to quebec.
If you would get off your asses sometime and got on a plane, you'd discover this first hand.
@montreal ville état
Deletei think your comment is a big lie.
It's the truth.
Delete"Suck it up buttercup" The Cat
@Student
Delete"a bit from someone who actually put just a little thought into into it.
http://tinyurl.com/ms6t3vr"
Yes, he makes some good points. There really isn't a business anywhere in Canada that can claim it was built without some kind of government help. It would be interesting to hear from some of his competitors who were around in 1980 to see if they received the same government assistance he did. Whatever happened to Perette stores?
That's one of the issues that was common in the arts in the 80s (when I still lived in Montreal and worked in that industry), that government assistance favoured some people and organizations over others. It's probably a common complaint in most industries but we don't hear very often from the "losers."
And there are too many variables to make the comparison between PEI and Quebec or any other province on a per person basis with the claim that "if" PEI had the same population it would receive more money. It doesn't have the same population, the same economy, the same resources, etc.. All we can say about transfer payments is that they happen and they aren't always the same; provinces sometimes receive them and sometimes pay them, that's what the federation is for. Ontario moved into the receiving position and Saskatchewan moved into paying and that could be reversed in the future. Like anything else, the system needs to be constantly refined and improved.
Jay,
DeleteOf course, I understand that you disagree. And to be honest, years ago if Quebec separatism had seemed like it was for all people in Quebec and not just for Francophones (if English musicians had been welcomed at St. Jean Baptiste celebrations, for example, if the transit system had a little more English, if we simply weren't made to feel like the enemy) then I think I would have been drawn to it. Like most Montrealers, of every language, I certainly felt different - and superior - to the rest of Canada (well, certainly to Toronto ;)).
Unfortunately, things did not go that way. And therefore, if Montrealers still feel superior, it is no more than chauvinism. Having lived in Toronto, I can see that Montreal and Montrealers really do not have any substance to that claim anymore. There is almost nothing Montreal have and do that Toronto does not, and in many times Toronto does them better. At least in my point of view.
The significant exception that I can make is public transport. In terms of systems, schedules and network, the STM is much better than the TTC. The areas that TTC is better are the newer rolling stocks and buses and the stop announcement on the bus.
Troy,
DeleteYes, it did not go that way. Too bad. On this board it appears some people still don't understand the significance of Parizeau "blaming" ethnics rather than saying that maybe his side didn't do enough to reach out to them and convince them.
He sounded like a coach blaming the refs, or the schedule makers, or the poor ice or anything but himself and his own tactics. There never seems to be much introspection in the separatist movement, just doubling-down. It doesn't seem to be working. No matter how positive they are that they're right they can't find a way to convince anyone else. Oh well. The Betamax to the federalists VHS, I guess.
And yes, the infrastructure in Toronto is a problem, but getting better. The thing is, Toronto never planned to become the biggest city in the country, the most international, 'world class' and so on. That was really Montreal's role until the late 70s. Then when so many head offices, so many businesses and their employees moved to Toronto there were, of course, growing pains. And since then as Toronto has become the number one choice of immigrants to Canada (maybe Vancouver is 1a) the infrastructure was under more strain.
Sometimes I think the old WASP Toronto residents don't get enough credit for the amount of adapting they've done to welcome the world to their city. It hasn't been easy but it is getting done.
"There never seems to be much introspection in the separatist movement, just doubling-down. It doesn't seem to be working. No matter how positive they are that they're right they can't find a way to convince anyone else."
DeleteNo need for introspection when you can blame, (and given permission to blame, thank you Ottawa), everyone else for your shortcomings. It's an entire generation of "pinstripes", ....petty, lazy and unambitious.
Montréal Ville État,
DeleteSo you were recently with captains of industry talking them into investing in Canada, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and take your word for granted. May I ask you under which circumtances you were involved in this? Do you work for the federal government? or for a private company?
Maybe we don't mean the same by closed economy or open economy.
In my mind, an open economy sells a large share of its production (about 50% in our case) and sells it to a diversity of countries : http://jflisee.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/corim-13.png
...and buys from a diversity of countries : http://jflisee.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/corim-14.png
Perhaps you could explain what you mean by closed economy?
"So you were recently with captains of industry talking them into investing in Canada, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and take your word for granted."
DeleteAh, there Michel Patrice goes again, casting aspertions on one of the more well-known contributors to this blog again.
"Perhaps you could explain what you mean by closed economy?"
One in which you have to get permission from the government to work in English. Is that simple enough for you?
Thank you Roger R.
Delete@Michel Patrice
In spite of your little fishing expedition, I am not at liberty to discuss what do.
Secondly,
"One in which you have to get permission from the government to work in English. Is that simple enough for you" says it best indeed, but I am sure if you scour your local bookstore you are sure to find "OPEN Economy for Dummies", since it seems THAT is the definition you need to learn more about. Once you read that, you can 'really' give me the benefit if the doubt.
Lastly, citing links from fake Tom Hagen? Really? The guy who helped Drainbrain engineer and promote an illegal charter? Oh yes, he should definitely be trusted on what he says about the economy, and especially the quebec economy.
Btw...perhaps you guys should lobby for more courses on "analytical thinking" in French schools rather than more courses on quebec history, ....since analytical thinking...mmm...pas fort chez vous...just sayin'.
DeleteMontréal Ville État,
DeleteHere are the sources of Lisée's pie charts :
http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/statistiques/economie/commerce-exterieur/imp_pays_2013.htm
http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/statistiques/economie/commerce-exterieur/exp_pays_2013.htm
The figures come from Stat Can, see bottom of both lists.
An open economy is an economy that trade with other economies. One measure of the openess of an economy is the exportaion - GDP ratio. Canada's ratio is 30%, Québec's is 45,7%.
Source : www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/pageSingleCFile/bibliotheques/etudes-analyses/analyses-et-indicateurs-sur-les-echanges-exterieurs/calepin-le-commerce-exterieur-du-quebec/?tx_igfileimagectypes_pi1%5Buid%5D=1242&tx_igfileimagectypes_pi1%5BdlImage%5D=1&tx_igfileimagectypes_pi1%5Bindex%5D=1&cHash=3bc1b84632534828c496279b50d057ea#titre12
You obviously have a problem with our attitude toward english, but this has nothing to do with whether our economy is open or closed.
Your call for more analytical thinking is amusing.
Editor,
ReplyDeleteBy the way readers, if you've never been to Chuckie Cheese, you've missed nothing, trust me.
First, it is Chuck E. Cheese's. Second, try telling that line to my 10-year old child and others like him. It is one of his favorite places to go, even though his parents do not share that sentiment. Too bad Chuck E. Cheese's is not available in Quebec. How can it be? All of its machines are only in English and I think it would be prohibitively expensive to make them at least bilingual.
Their is none in Ottawa nor Cornwall. Only Kingston in Eastern Ontario. I once drove two ten years old, myself and they quite like it. I myself found it quite boring but as long as the kids were happy, so was I.
DeleteLiam,
DeleteThere are maybe at least 5 Chuck E. Cheese's in the GTA.
I always end up at the C.E.C at the Atlantic Center in Brooklyn with my 4 year old grandson, who absolutely loves the place and demands that we take him there when we visit. In Canada C.E.C makes even more sense than in the US with our long cold winters. Say what you want it is a great place for kids, where parents and grandparents grin and bear it.
DeleteIt is also very reasonably priced. I don't know the price of tokens in Canada, but in NYC it is around 25 cents, compared to a Loony for a kiddie ride in your local mall.
Also the food is not expensive and the salad bar @ $6.99 a pretty good deal.
Hard to imagine that a such a crass commercial concept is actually a fair deal for kids and parents.
It's a place for a treat, not everyday.
C.E.C willl never come to Quebec because unlike the provincially run casinos, machines will not be given a waiver for English and the cost for changing these machines over to French prohibitive.
Too bad, Quebecers would love the place as much as the rest oF North America.
And pah-leese, language militants, don't tell me we are missing nothing, the standard excuse for sour grapes in Quebec.
Indeed, Quebecers would love Chuck E. Cheese. The two ten years old are originally from Montreal, and when my uncle came over to Ottawa, the two boys could only talk about the Chuck E. Cheese in Kingston. I myself didn't get the hassle on needing to drive to Kingston for a pizza store. Especially since I had just gotten a new job and had a lot of work to do. Now, when I got their, I was pleasantly surprised. The pizza wasn't bad and the atmosphere was great for the kids. Don't remember the price for the token, all I remember is that it was affordable.
DeleteI have to question how Cinemas are able to have arcade cabinets while an establishment like C.E.C wouldn't be able to, none of which are translated in the Cinemas.
DeleteThe reality is without the arcade many cinemas would close. Also, the presence of english movies in Quebec is a sore point for assholes like Imperatif Francais, where many depend on profit from english movies. Just like the Hull Casino where lots of shows are English. Makes the language extremist mad, but the tax revenues from the casino and cinema's pays for OQLF and Jean Paul Perrault salary. What a bunch of hypocrite!
Delete"His business got the help of the régime d'épargne action. This fiscal policy helped developping, among others, Bombardier, Cascades and Couche-Tard."
ReplyDeleteYes, these companies were helped by government policies. But on the whole, I am not sure that intervention (whether through laws, regulations, direct investment, tax credits, etc.) by the Quebec has been beneficial for the provinces. There are many examples of very bad decisions (Videotron, Gaspesia, windmills, all the shenanigans at the FTQ, all the collusion in construction - driven by political financing) that have cost a lot of money.
"I too think that, yes, we are creative and able to build and that our situation is intolerable."
Yes, and if we just became a sovereign country, all this pent-up creativity and talent would instantly be unleashed and make us world beaters overnight.
"I too think that, yes, we are creative and able to build and that our situation is intolerable."
DeleteThere is little doubt that Quebec's fiscal situation would be much stronger if it weren't for decades of economic uncertainty due to the specter of separation and the enormous loss of businesses, jobs, workers and tax income caused by overly harsh language laws.
I don't know what is wrong with the smoked meat sign. Looks ok to me. Ah, smoked meat sandwich. Wonderful stuff. If there is a heaven, I certainly hope they have it. I still remember Ben's down on Metcalfe and Maisonneuve. Long ago.
ReplyDeleteSorry the Habs didn't make it last night. They gave all they could. An excellent series.
The caption above the picture said:
DeleteTout le monde sait que le français a bien meilleur goût… sauf Valentine!
(Everybody knows that french is better... except Valentine)
Stupid joke, as I call Imperatif Francais A$$holes
PQ calls for release of report on light rail transit system for new Champlain Bridge
ReplyDeletehttp://www.montrealgazette.com/calls+release+report+light+rail+transit+system+Champlain+Bridge/9882360/story.html
Madame Marois and the Pequiste were making all sort of promise. The real question is: where is the money? Their is no money for their transit plan, Pauline took it all with her ferrari. Talk transit electrification!
There is no money left in Quebec, the Boomers spent it all. With that in mind, it should be noted that we have a mayor that is actively lobbying for a no toll Champlain bridge. He forgets that after it's built it needs funds to maintain it, who pays for that? Deep down though I suspect he's just posturing. He knows full well there will be tolls and once in place he'll have ,"no choice" but to levy tolls on the Mercier and Jacques Cartier and skim some of the cash for the city's coffers. Either way he wins.
DeleteLD,
DeleteThe Champlain Bridge and its successor is under the ownership of the Federal Bridge Corp. Ltd. Therefore, the city does not pay for its maintenance. The Federal Government, as the 100% owner of the Bridge Corporation, does. Therefore Mayor Coderre can ask for whatever idea that comes to his mind. The governments of Montreal Metropolitan Community do not pay for the bridge's construction and maintenance, nor would they gain benefits from any tolls levied on the bridge.
Reading the links, one of them says, "More than 25% of university degrees awarded in Canada are in Montreal. Montreal has the second highest rate of college students per capita in North America, behind Boston." Then there is also this piece of information that among the largest cities in Canada - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa-Gatineau, Quebec City, Winnipeg - Montreal only holds number 5 in the ratio of population with university education, after Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver.
ReplyDeleteSo what happens between "the city with the most university student population" and "the city that ranked 5th in university graduate population"? And I guess this refutes the argument that Montreal is somehow more cultured than Calgary. Because for me, how can one be cultured without education?
The figures are skewed because Quebec counts CEGEP as college students but in every other jurisdiction most of them are high school students.
DeleteStill, there is a gap between the number of degrees granted and the graduate population. So, a number of people get degrees in Quebec and then move out. Another issue may be immigration. Maybe more immigrants with degrees chose to live in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. Half the engineers in my wife's office got their degrees in other countries.
Education and culture are not linked.
DeleteSince the '80s the value of a BA has diminished.
At least half of the student body cares about nothing except getting a piece of paper saying they can work.
From what I have witnessed, education and table manners are not linked either!
DeleteThis is why a lot of stats divide degrees into STEM and non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
DeleteThe business people on CBC radio this morning were talking about Mulrony and Quebecor and how the company really wants to be the 4th player in the cellphone market in the rest of Canada. They were saying that Telus has now, after three attempts, given up on buying Mobilicity and that Quebecor might make a play for it and Wind Mobile.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reporters said, "Mulrony has an idea of how the game is played in Ottawa..."
There used to be editorial cartoon way back in the 70's showing a Montreal McGill university graduate just getting his degree while standing beside a Voyageur bus with Toronto on the sign.
ReplyDeleteWas your brother not a nutter and is that not offensive language?
ReplyDeleteAs for Yalda she is obviously desperate for daddy to love her. I spent 3 days in prison in Montreal, I was a classified nutter at the time, it was 3 days over Christmas, I shared my custodial space with a woman whose company I delighted in. Her mother was a prescription pill junkie and she had followed in her mothers footsteps, but replaced prescription with illegal drugs. She had spent most of her life since the age of 16 in prison. It is true it is amazing the strength of the parental influence and the power of desperation. In Quebec it is amazing/shocking how many people know about the criminal behaviour of the police and do nothing.
ReplyDeleteAn oldie but a goodie from the Rick Mercer Report: the Bloc Blocker
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/t_wOgbbXJTQ
Loved it. Thankfully, THAT nitwit is gone too.
DeleteOntario, Onterrible?
ReplyDeleteThe long, slow decline of the nation's industrial heartland. Globe & Mail May 30
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/after-the-gold-rush/article18923563/?service=mobile
Ayoye! Here’s an EU Parliament candidate from Finland trying to speak French. The comments section is sure to raise some people’s hackles here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a04_1400945275
http://youtu.be/L99ipwHPKlw
Oh look! Quebecers point to Belgium and say that the Flemish and the Walloons can’t get along… and yet, look at this recent “national debate”, which is held in much more respect than we can expect here these days… especially since the PQ’s Pauline Marois refused to debate either in English or in French in an English debate in the last election.
ReplyDeleteImagine if debates were held as in Belgium:
http://youtu.be/RNNmFYMm6oc
The French sub-titled is available here:
Deletehttp://www.rtl.be/videos/video/491643.aspx
I didn’t find a version with both languages sub-titled together, odd especially since both candidates appear to be perfectly fluent in both languages.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/editorials/Editorial+Providing+some+service+English+reasonable/9889028/story.html
ReplyDeleteI especially love this part:
"MONTREAL — For the past two years, the Société du transport de Montréal has been insisting to The Gazette that it has no administrative right to require certain employees to know English and speak it on demand — and that it had a formal legal opinion in support of this view. But faced with a hearing this week before the provincial access-to-information commission, where The Gazette was seeking to obtain a copy of this legal advice, the STM was forced to admit that it had no such document at all."
So basically these a$$holes have made it a habit to lie and cheat in order to twist the world to accommodate themselves with little regard for the Law. Bravo!
They have absolutely have no credibility to speak of, starting with Drainbrain of course who lied about having a Legal opinion (the Legal expert he said he consulted admitted he never gave a legal opinion), on the charter, and now we find out the STM lied as well concerning the requirement of their employees to speak English when situation calls for it, like assisting a Visitor or Locals to get around by communicating to them in English, if they don't speak French. (Oh yeah...say it with a straight face that your Economy is open to the world).
What a circus this province as become...The World According To ...a bunch of nitwits.
This is yet another dishonest attempt by "les Quebecois" to decimate and strange Montreal.
DeleteNo lie is too much for Francophones and separation/construction. They are absolutely shameless about it.
Mafia and Francophone contractors are getting in line to fleece Canada for the new Bridge.
Only "Liberals" think it will be different. The innovative design that "Montrealers demand" is really about making a bridge without comparable numbers.
It's just another way for fees to be increased and massive overages for scams to be included.
You see it daily for this nonsense about a bridge for rail. Nobody will use it. designed to create a lot of SNC and construction jobs. Long term saddles us with lots more union employee's that drive these things.
Think about the special up and down buses that Mirabel used to use. That is what is going on here. Massive boondoggle for local companies under the guise of being useful. IE the unquestionable "public transport policy".
This light rail trail crap is created by the quebec machine. Create the boondoggle to throw off the money.
IT will be the same nonsense. Just like they forgot to include the fact Montreal freezes and use salt in the "novel" Champlain design.
Same crap, different decade. Different quebec politician. Bigger numbers wasted.
Quebec isn;t capable of anything else. There is little to no honest business in the province.
Brain Mulroney is an awfully old whore at this point.
PKP is going to find out he's lost his company to Mulroney. He won;t figure it out until it's too late.
He'll have to be paid out for his shares of course, but the PKP soap opera can;t control Quebecor anymore for the vultures.
Mulroney has way more credibility(among people with short memory) then PKP.
Dead on - as pessimistic as you seem, you are quite right. What a place and these dead end separatists will keep on voting for the pie in the sky until they drown us in debt and every crooked francophone politician and mafia member is rich on our money. The problem is that they don't see what is going on right in front of them - they are totally brainwashed and stupid beyond belief. This province is finished until they lose their very soul - maybe then something will change. The lamented SR has probably passed away from grief over the lost cause of it all.
DeleteTime will tell that I was right all along.
Deletequekistan will become a third world country because of its bankrupty due to its lunatic, socialistic, "etat providence" tax and spend, threaten Canada for welfare, lies and steal, corrupt, BS ways.
"My my, what suckers we are!"
ReplyDeleteWell did the Liberal promised to cancel the School Board Taxes? I don't think so. Then Premier Marois said she would, but who could believe that women. She is the one who cut the provincial funding. Madame Marois was promising income tax reduction, corporate tax reduction, but in reality, no one could trust Pauline on actually balancing the budget.
The Premier was buying vote. She came to Pontiac and promised voter if they voted for her, they would get a "Pacte des Municipalité pauvres", essentially government cash too attract companies. If anyone believed the cash would attract jobs and tax revenue, they are deluded. No plan to increase private investment, remove red tape. Just like her LRT for the South Shore, no money but tons of promises. The reality is Pauline Marois= No plan.
From the Montreal Gazette:
ReplyDeleteBernard Landry to teach business in English in Shanghai
MONTREAL — Former Quebec premier Bernard Landry is set to leave Quebec to teach in Shanghai, China.
Landry will be training local business people, candidates for an executive MBA program. It’s an intense 10-day session, offered in English for young Chinese students who already work in businesses.
It’s not the first such job for the former premier, who has gone to China to teach four times before.
Landry is a professor at the École de gestion de l’Université du Québec à Montréal. He has a degrees in economics from the Université de Montréal, and the Institut d’études politiques de Paris.
---------------------
It's funny that all these pequiste language hardliners work in English in other jurisdictions.
Two faced hypocrite. He knows he won't get a contract to teach in french, won't happen there.
DeleteHe should apply common sense and figure by now that hardline french rules for all in quebekistan will turn that province into a dump.
"It's funny that all these pequiste language hardliners work in English in other jurisdictions."
DeleteAs my mom would say: "That's god for you."
They're all so fanatical here, behaving brash and arrogant, meanwhile they have to leave their little "nation" to earn a living.
Yes yes, it's not for the money...it's for the experience, blah blah, an experience they'd have to pass up.....WITHOUT ENGLISH.
I wonder if it just kills them...to have to speak English...a language they despise...day in and day out. LOL.
I don't give a shit what language he teaches in.
DeleteMy gripe is this: What is a fucking life-long politician going to teach anyone about business...
...with of course, the exception of teaching those students how to grease the right palms.
What's next?
Drainville teaching seminars on cultural tolerance?
Nicole Leger teaching the young how to eat right?
"I don't give a shit what language he teaches in."
DeleteThe only reason it matters to me is that pequiste language hardliners tell Quebecers that it is unnecessary to learn English (and oh no don't start at too early an age if you have to learn English, lest you become bilingual, oh horrors) and then they go to other jurisdictions and work in English.
If he thinks that Quebec should be French only, then China should be Chinese only and he should have respect for them and give his seminar in Chinese. Why is he promoting English is China? Has he no shame? Or if he thinks that the world should be French, he should teach the Chinese in French?
"My gripe is this: What is a fucking life-long politician going to teach anyone about business.."
Definitely agree with you there. Doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
"...with of course, the exception of teaching those students how to grease the right palms."
LMAO, I'm sure he knows how to do that. But I think Pauline Marois and Claude Blanchet are more accomplished with that sort of stuff.
"What's next?
Drainville teaching seminars on cultural tolerance?"
Probably. And I bet he'll want to teach that course to Muslims, imbecile that he is. LMAO!
Landry is nothing but another English language missionary trying to convert the native Chinese into English speakers. Shame on him! Bill 101 should apply to those that believe it every single day no matter where they are!
DeleteThe Habs turn a loss into a win... Youppi! honours their friendly wager with Jimmy Fallon regarding the New York Rangers win:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/hashtag/HabsFallonBet
http://live.montrealgazette.com/Event/Youppi_makes_good_on_Jimmy_Fallon_bet
http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/Photos+Youppi+Rangers+jersey/9897188/story.html
http://www.mtv.com/news/1836000/jimmy-fallons-youppi/
Jimmy said we’re good sports and that he will definitely be mentioning this to his North American audience on Monday night’s show.
https://twitter.com/jimmyfallon
Stanley Cup 2014 theme song should be Montrealer Patsy Gallant's 1976 disco hit “From New York To L.A.”:
Deletehttp://youtu.be/haZCnt_SVgM
I know some of you don't believe me when I say the PQ and the separatist movement is dead.
ReplyDeleteAnd I understand that, since you've been living with these goofballs for more than 40 years.
(And I know some readers here truly believe that if they are just better at arguing they will convince people to join their dream).
Well, here's another nail for the coffin not just for the separatist movement, but also for the PQ.
http://t.co/G12gIcAVn9
here's the interesting bit:
Delete"Seulement 4% d'entre eux ont été capables de classer en ordre chronologique six événements majeurs de l'histoire des 50 dernières années, soit la crise d'Octobre, le premier gouvernement du PQ, la proclamation de la Charte des droits et libertés du Canada, l'accord du lac Meech, le référendum de Charlottetown et le second référendum sur l'avenir du Québec."
this age group, 18-24 years old, is obviously quite ignorant of its own history. if they had the same level of knowledge as older age groups, they would support quebec's independance at least as much as them. the pq was on the right track when they decided to add another history class in cegep. now liberals will probably cancel that as keeping people in the drak seems to favor them.
@kevin
Deleteand the interesting bit here http://tinyurl.com/prnoyth is that the separatists in the age group 18-24 is the top sub group in terms of education and income. so the liberals did well in trying to make it tougher for kids to get to university by raising tuition by 85%. they already knew uneducated dudes are likely to support them.
With 30% of 18-24 year old Quebecers supporting Quebec independence, it's definitely on a downward trend as of right now. Truth be told, it is quite dépassé. It was the idea of a certain older generation but I think right now, we are on the right path toward confronting real problems in our society (the economy, our debt, and jobs). Let's all get on with it and forget about the franco-fachés. It's time. It's our time.
Delete@student
DeleteThe PQ's history class was about as partisan as the analysis of the student protests.
"Recent" history has never been taught well, much to the lament of people in their 40s and older.
When I was in high school I remember reading newspaper articles from people horrendously upset that 'kids today' couldn't put any events since WWII in order.
I don't think it's that worthwhile to discuss a breakdown of education and income among the 18-24 crowd and how it relates to sovereignty support.
It's too easy to say those with high-paying jobs are benefiting from nepotism or have been fast-tracked into Quebec's xenophobic civil servant class.
The sample size is too small, most are in school, and we don't know if those with lower incomes are living on their own or dependents.
There is another article concerning this analysis in Tuesday's La Presse.
DeleteThe key paragraph is the final one, and why I truly think the movement is dead.
Historically we've known that as people age, they generally become less sovereignist.
But once again, demographics are coming into play, and here we see the effect of Quebec's stunning birth rate shift.
<< Il faut aussi noter que, en 35 ans, le poids démographique des jeunes a fondu: en 1977, les personnes de 18 à 34 ans représentaient 47% de la population. Leur impact était énorme. Aujourd’hui, les jeunes ne forment plus que 27% de la population. >>
Maybe the separatists are so desperate to save their cause they may try to get some DNA from the corpse of Charles de gaulle, so that they can clone him. " Vive le Quebec libre ". He should be ripe and ready in about 40 years. Who's next, Rene Levesque? The separatist movement seems to be on life support. Quick, bring the defibrillator. You can get it down at Le Mart du Wal. Zap, zap. Sorry Captain, no signs of intelligence yet.
ReplyDeleteThe separatist movement is kind of like the movie " Carrie ". Just when you think it is tucked safely away in it's grave, the hand pops out and tries to drag you down into hell. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Boo!