cultural aversion
My brain is made of mush, alongside all these brains stuff. I believe in sustainable living not out of environmental consciousness but more so in vue of a possible apocalypse and due to my ever growing disdain for human beings.
I like the song Big in Japan by Alphaville.
Born in the 70s. Montreal resident. Ex-Ex-Pat. Ex-Philadelphian, Ex-Las Vegan but ALL VEGAN.
Beagle gal pal and lover of the cervidae family.
Honorary graduate of Starfleet Academy.
I don’t really know how to put my thoughts into words. As a fully bilingual quebecer it angers me to think that tonight’s acts of terrorism against Quebec’s first female prime minister will only fuel more language wars. Quebec has been divided this year and I fear it will completely tear apart after tonight’s events.
Before any of you go on SPECULATING about the possible outcome with this MINORITY government and fear a language reform and another referendum: LEARN HOW A DEMOCRACY WORKS. It’s not because it’s one of the platforms of our elected government that IT WILL COME TO PASS. And I am not referring to one side or the other, I am aiming at both. Both sides need to chill and realize this fact. Not only is it a minority for the PQ but it will be a 3way in the house between PQ/PLQ/CAQ so… I sincerely doubt shit’s gonna be changing drastically. It’s going to be a lot of tugging from side to side and blocking this and that and a whole lot of stagnation with very little results for the next 4 years. And even if we’d all vote unanimously to separate from Canada that action alone cannot come from a citizen’s vote alone. No sir-ey.
If the anglos are voting liberal and the french for the PQ only based on language alone, we are completely off track with our democratic choice. There are far more important issues to be talked about and voted on then “french” or “english”. What is this? Your course pick for next semester? Fuuuuuck this.
Also no one in their right mind would call for a referendum at this moment… why? Because Charest made a devil’s deal to sell all of our natural resources to foreign countries and is outsourcing the long term revenues. Even the most separatist of leaders would find that to be a bad move at this time. We’re gonna be flat broke in 25.
SO CHILL
I am not Marois’ biggest supporter, never have, probably never will be (IMO, she’s a bit racist and doesn’t support the bilinguals and anglos). But I do not wish her dead… nor do I wish anyone’s death for that matter. The people who are rejoicing in this terrible fate are pure ignorant rednecks, no different than Romney supporters. Uneducated, sadistic sociopaths who think this god damn reality of ours is an HBO series.
I am so, so very sad. Ashamed, even.
*forgot to establish context! Tonight our province of Quebec held an election called on by the ongoing tuition protest/student conflict and our government is now lead by Pauline Marois, a woman, who leads the Parti Québécois (a mainly french driven and separatist party). All that aside, it’s a minority government that will see members of PQ, the liberal party and the Coalition Avenir Quebec with the most seats in provincial congress. In a vile act of terrorism, someone attempted to murder our prime minister within hours of her election all while she was giving her winning speech. 2 people were shot, with 1 dead and the other in critical care, and police apprehended the suspect in question, who was carrying an AK47, and yelled “The Anglos are waking up!” to the cameras on location. Police also found more weapons in his car. He had also started a fire behind Metropolis, the venus where the winning speech was taking place.
Quebec protesters enter 100th day of demonstrations against austerity
August 1, 2012As Quebec’s political ranks gear up for a late summer election campaign, student protesters and their supporters took to the streets with renewed fervour.
For the 100th night in a row, protesters marched through Montreal streets, with many banging on pots and pans, reminiscent of evening protests that spread across the city in the spring. The number of protesters who took to the streets Wednesday was higher than it has been in recent weeks.
Some carried large red banners with anti-Jean Charest slogans, and electoral messages like “our dreams are too big for your polls.”
The protest came as Premier Charest triggered an election, with voters heading to the polls on Sept. 4.
The vote call comes on the heels of Quebec’s raucous student crisis over tuition increases, that gripped the province last winter and spring.
Many of the hundreds of people who joined the street march donned masks to mock a controversial city bylaw forbidding face coverings at public protests.
Protesters started their march in the Villeray district, north of the Jean-Talon Market, and slowly made their way south via St-Denis Street.
Several media outlets reported one protester was injured after a car hit him at the corner of Saint-Denis Street and Laurier Avenue.
The Villeray protesters joined another group in the Émilie-Gamelin Park, near UQÀM.
Police supervised the crowd and declared the protest illegal just after 9 p.m., but told people they could continue to march if they kept the peace.
Wednesday night was the 100th night in a row that students and their supporters took to the streets.
Thousands of students started to boycott classes in February to protest tuition increases. The boycott evolved into daily protests by spring.
After months of negotiations, student leaders rejected the government’s final, watered-down tuition increase offer in May.
The student-fuelled protests escalated, prompting the Liberal government to pass Bill 78, a temporary law that restricts the size and location of some protests, if authorities aren’t alerted ahead of time.
The legislation also suspended the winter semester for college and university students, effectively allowing them to retake missed classes later this year rather than losing a term.
Protesters have been subject to the rules laid out in Bill 78 since its adoption, but it’s not clear whether any of its rules have been formally implemented by police.
The passage of the bill fuelled public anger towards the government.
What was initially a student-led protest movement spread to include civil rights groups, families, and seniors.
An adjunct casserole protest movement mushroomed in May, with average people taking to the streets every night to bang on pots and pans in cities across Quebec.
The protests petered out over the summer, just as Montreal’s festival circuit kicked into high gear.
The poster reads “Our dreams are too big for your polls.”
June 11, 2012
Original French Text: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/hpq5u1
This Sunday, June 10, 2012, I attempted to take part in a protest-action: over the course of a few hours, I would take the metro back and forth from Berri to Jean-Drapeau station to peacefully protest my disagreement with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which in my opinion promotes sexism.
Dressed in a flowered dress and with a bag full of dangerous objects such as an apple, a bottle of water and three books, I wanted to draw attention to the heightened police presence and the actions of the SPVM [Montreal police] who have themselves been like terrorists from the start of this conflict. I would read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel describing a society overtaken by a police state.
After having my bag searched upon my arrival at Berri-UQAM metro station, I took a seat in a subway car headed to Jean-Drapeau station, my book in hand. On my way back, I read facing a police officer and a woman was reading with me, over my shoulder. We had our picture taken and the police officer, seeing that we were two dangerous people, called for backup to meet us properly at Berri. With the other passengers in the car, we were placed against the wall and were subsequently taken outside, by the emergency exits, where we were told not to come back or we would be arrested. The police gave no answer when I asked what was wrong with reading in the metro.
I commited a terrible act of civil disobedience by going back down into the station and returning to read in a subway car. When the police officers saw me eating my apple, they shouted at me that they recognized my tattoos and came after me. I asked them what I had done wrong, other than peacefully reading, and they said that I had disobeyed police orders. I asked my question again, asking what was wrong with reading in the metro, and I got no answer. I was put under arrest and the two police officers did a high five to congratulate themselves on their good work. I was transported, as if I were a criminal, to the SPVM detention centre in downtown Montreal, where they took mug shots. After confiscating my personal belongings, the officers took me took cell 52, where there were already three other women. I spent the day behind bars, in a cell with a dirty toilet, sleeping on a bench, without knowing when I would be released. All this for reading in a subway car, and then repeating this revolutionary act. Around 3:30 PM, I was released with a citation telling me that all this circus was for a charge of refusing to circulate.
Police state? I’m ashamed of my Quebec.
Marilyne Veilleix, graduate student of Information Science at the University of Montréal
Translated from the original French by Translating the printemps érable.
*Translating the printemps érable is a volunteer collective attempting to balance the English media’s extremely poor coverage of the student conflict in Québec by translating media that has been published in French into English. These are amateur translations; we have done our best to translate these pieces fairly and coherently, but the final texts may still leave something to be desired. If you find any important errors in any of these texts, we would be very grateful if you would share them with us at translatingtheprintempsderable@gmail.com. Please read and distribute these texts in the spirit in which they were intended; that of solidarity and the sharing of information.
You can find the post HERE
I actually shed a few tears after reading this. It has come to this my friends.
I am ashamed of my country.
May 28th - Montreal
A very powerful image taken during tonight’s protest where dozens of law practitioners participated in the nightly manifestations.
That cop’s smirk. I can’t even come up with words to describe it because I am completely baffled by its meaning.
Is he laughing because he feels like he is above the law and that this demonstration of support seems ridiculous to him?
Or is he, like I prefer thinking, failing to hold back a smile because he is one of the few who’s behind the movement but cannot speak up by fear of losing his job and he’s just rejoicing at the thought of having his fellow co-workers being publicly judged and outed for their unspeakable and unnecessary actions?
It’s a mystery but almost assuredly not the second stated possibility.
photo: David Champagne
Tonight, not unlike every night in Montreal for the past months, people are walking the streets of our city together in protest.
Pictured above are prominent members of the Bar Association (lawyers, judges and other law practitioners) joining them on their mission towards abolishing Loi 78.
To them I say, Thank you.
Yesterday we saw retired police officers wearing their police vest or jacket walking amongst the students in protest of the on going police brutality that has been experienced nightly.
To them I say, THANK YOU.
Now go bang on some pots!!
Photo: André Pichette, La Presse
Another video someone posted off of Facebook about the events of Wednesday which took place in front of the bar I work at. Unfortunately we are on the corner of the famous Souricière/kettle/trap aka St-Denis & Sherbrooke and this kind of event has been going on almost nightly. It’s double hard to have to deal with this on top of angry and drunk patrons.
I hate mounted police. Poor horses. It’s a double UGH moment for me.
People with casseroles are currently walking down St-Denis, not just a bit of people… a LOT of people, protestors.
What’s different from any other night???
There’s a MASSIVE downpour right now, HUGE thunderstorm in process.
I am so impressed and SO moved by this.
Props to the courageous for braving this weather.
Fuck the system, FUCK THE WEATHER!
Montreal Pots And Pans Video Of Protest Against Bill 78 Goes Viral
(Source: translatingtheprintempserable, via moearora)
For my american friends who have never set foot in Montreal: this is Place Des Spectacles. Its HUGE and it’s FULL of protestors.
It’s only going to get bigger. I know many people who never took part of the 100 days of protest until today.
Today is a game changer.
#hope
Instagram @instagr.am
I bartend at a small bar on St-Denis and I am, also, a Plateau resident. During the past few weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound and sight of police cars/buses/trucks/bikes/horses. Having my neighboring streets be flooded with protesters has almost become an nightly expectation. Wether I am home or at work, I’ve witnessed them all. Never have I ever seen but a peaceful one. Until Sunday night.
I woke up in the middle of the night, in tears, because I cannot forget.
Doing my job behind the bar, door’s open, people on my terrace… The chansonier playing his tunes. Patrons enjoying a cold drink on a very warm night. That was my night.
Then came the flood.
This time, they weren’t peacefully walking, they were running and screaming.
STM busses filled with SQ cops arrived at the corner of Sherbrooke and St-Denis and squads literally poured out, ran out into the crowd without any regard to the safety and well-being of Montreal citizens. Cop cars arriving on the scene driving INTO pedestrians. People on bikes being brutally lead to the ground. Innocent passer-bys becoming victims of a cause they probably weren’t even there to support in the first place. Sunday the 20th was part of a long holiday weekend, many had off the following day so it allowed for a busy nightclub outing for most. Most parts of the Lower Plateau and the Main were packed with, not only protestors but clubgoers as well as others simply enjoying a walk on the beautiful streets of our town on a fantastic night. Hitting a girl in a fancy dress wearing high heels (just one example of what I’ve personally witnessed) seems to be a pretty strong indicative that the police is currently foregoing all reason and compassion when it comes to using force as way of crowd dissipation. There is no discrimination, everyone seems to have become “casseurs” in the eyes of our government and to the armed forces. In return, in the eyes of the protestors, all cops seem to have become violent instruments of a fascist law. It is absolutely impossible, at this point, to be rational about the situation. It has gone above and beyond the tuition hike stand. It became a social, political and human rights issue as soon as Law 78 was introduced and caused great general despair in Quebec. It is so inconceivable to us, children of democracy, to be treated as criminals for taking a stand that is to benefit the entire province and to an extent our country. In fact, it is so inconceivable for us to have to protect ourselves from those who are supposed to protect us that when we are pushed to the ground for peacefully making a point our rage just increases. It adds fuel to the fire.
Only a small percentage of the protestors were considered “casseurs” and they were expelled and rejected by the masses before the cops could even get to them. A small percentage that gave the rest of them a considerable disadvantage in the media and public perception of the situation on site. 78 was introduced unjustly because of the absolute exaggeration of “facts” propagated by the media. Isolated events took center stage. Now everyone walking the street on manif nights can be considered criminals just for trying to walk across the street to avoid the protest itself. Old, young, political or not, caught in a souricière.
Violence and discrimination is inciting violence and discrimination on both sides and I see no end.
As the red was engulfed by this violent tidal wave of black and blue we got caught caught in the quick sand of the situation. Customers on my terrace, who were but standing up and gazing at the scene in shock, were, at first, lead inside by us then forced indoors by the police. People were pushed, shoved, batons and pepper spray cans were in full view. Cops in full body armor, armed to the teeth, against peaceful protestors. Sure, antagonization was rampant, both parties took part of this game. You cannot even speak in front of an officer as he is in “RIGHT” to use pepper spray on you for opening your mouth. Is this was democracy is like? I’ve seen it in action and I think not. I’ve never been more scared in my life. The sound of their boots on the streets of my beloved city, the smell of smoke bombs, the tears and cries of strangers who need your help. It’s enough to make a passive supporter like me angry. Yes I am not ashamed to admit that to this point I was but a mere supporter in the shadows. Not anymore.
As I grabbed my keys ready to lock the doors behind refugees of what looked like a civil war right on St-Denis, some stood in awe looking out the windowed door… some sat and cried… most, like myself and fellow bartender Brigitte, stood and sang along with Jacques as he played “Quand Les Hommes Vivront D’Amour” for us to a background of violence that will forever be etched in my memory as the most shocking night of my life.
Tonight is the 22nd. I am working the bar. We will be ready. I will be providing red squares and tear gas solution at the bar. I will lock my doors in the face of violence and harbor those in need. I never thought I’d have to protect human beings from those who are supposed to be protecting US and that in doing so I could land a beating, I could be fined and dragged to jail without having my rights read, without an explanation, without decency and pride.
I do not wish to debate and discuss the politics of this grave situation, we all have an opinion on what has been going on. What we can all agree on is that this has gone too far. I have always been a law abiding, respectful citizen. And I will continue to do so. If that means protecting my customers from harm, so be it. Arrest me. I’ll be fucking waiting.
I hope you can sleep at night… because I can’t.
Valérie Tessier
That, the same week as the long gun registry being pulled… Watch out USA, you’ve got competition!!
Canada has pulled out of the Kyoto protocol on climate change, one day after an update was agreed on, saying the accord won’t work.
The Canadian environment minister, Peter Kent, said Canada was invoking its legal right to withdraw. Kyoto did not represent the way forward for Canada or the world, he said.
Canada, Japan and Russia said last year they would not accept new Kyoto commitments, but Canada is the only country to repudiate it altogether.
The protocol, initially adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, is aimed at fighting global warming. Canada’s previous Liberal government signed the accord but did little to implement it and current prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government never embraced it.
“The Kyoto protocol does not cover the world’s largest two emitters, the United States and China, and therefore cannot work,” Kent said. “It’s now clear that Kyoto is not the path forward to a global solution to climate change. If anything it’s an impediment.”[read more]
(Source: rorschachx)
To all of you that voted conservative….do you see what you have done?
YOU VOTED FOR NICKLEBACK!!
LMFAO WTF!!!
OK this just put a smile on my face after CRUSHING election results. Canada, how could you?
This is how you remind me… that i strongly dislike (aka hate HATE) Harper (almost as much as i dislike (hate HATE HAAAATE) this GD band.
Well well loookit what we got here! Canadian politics AND animal rights… AND IGGY POP!
Though i do not always support PETA’s marketing ways and sometimes ass-backwards policies and ploys, but they certainly know how to get famous and awesome people to vouch for them.
Dudes, I’m a huge Stooges fan and I love Iggy Pop so him speaking out against the disgusting seal hunt RULES. I love it when someone awesome does something awesome. It’s like making out with a rainbow!
If you want to help fight against the seal hunt, you can sign the Humane Society’s boycott here and donate here and you can donate to Peta’s campaign here.
It has recently come to my attention that my blog sucks. Who brought it up? Me. And i think Me is right!!
I once was able to post various food combination formulas on a weekly basis but this has become quite a difficult task since my return to Montreal, Canada. In case you’re wondering, my oven works once and then immediately needs repair hence my increased utilization of the convection/toaster oven thingie. This “oven” business has caused me to give up all hopes on making anything substantially big or anything at all for that matter as i have to bake in batches instead of all at once due to the small size of said toaster oven. BALLS! I also don’t have a lot of baking/cooking ware at the moment and have, for a while, had to cook something then immediately clean the pan to reuse it to cook something else for the same dish. BALLS!
So in light of these unfortunate events, vanity GPOY(first letter of whatever day i blast the internet with vanity shots), reblogs of cute animals and or ridiculous kitchy things i adore and must own in the near future, i have decided to add a more personal touch to this “blog”. Something i should have done from the very beginning but felt a bit odd about mumming events and situations due to certain followers following a certain someone. Well to Hell and Balls with that i say, i will code phrase without naming names if i shall!
I was in the States for a whole, humm, 7 years or so?… First moved to the Philadelphia area in 2005… Onto Nevada and back to YUL in late 2010. Having been an ex pat for most of the last decade i have missed out on, seemingly, a lot of radical political changes done in my own country of birth. Now let’s not be unrealistic and pretend like corruption is something all governments other than the “american” one are immune to. In the last decade our little Canadian bubble has been bursted with not one but 2 “overthrown” governments, and i say in the last decade but it’s more in the last 5 years. Sponsorship scandals interim PM and botched elections later we are now facing another impromptu election here in the next month due to Harper being such a republican ass. No we do not have republicans here in Canada… they are called something else and Harper is their leader.
If you would like to learn more about our wonderful Prime Minister (president, for you americanos) here’s his official website:
http://shitharperdid.ca.nyud.net/
It is really enlightening and it’s got a drawn picture of him holding a cat, quite compelling. Also his wonderful feats are featured on this instructive website.
I feel quite terrible about not having been present during this whole time, not just physically but mentally… i did not keep track of what was going on and who can blame me when “american” politics can be so insanely riveting!! I am now faced with having to learn all parties agendas and getting to know all the opposition leaders so to make an educated decision. Last election saw the lowest turn out in voters in all of Canada’s history and we ended up with this gem as our PM and we are now realizing this immense mistake and are ready to do something about it. And it’s obviously not just us, the “people”, considering the circumstances. I don’t want to be stuck having to vote for the closest in the race just so we can get rid of Harper but it is almost dire and necessary at this point. How unfortunate is that!?
I feel like i left the U.S, who had such high hopes with Obama but is now feeling like the change is coming to slow (huh, seriously? It’s going to take DECADES to fix this mess so hold on to your shit covered horses), and i’ve come back to… huh… well the U.S in 2007! Ridiculous. It’s a time machine!!
Wait a minute… maybe Harper’s onto something! Has he secretly figured out a nationwide time machine system and is just testing it on us and we just didn’t know about it?
Holy Zandig! Well WE KNOW NOW, HARPER! WE KNOW!!
That might change everything.
Ps: my awesome political jargon
PPs: i’m so cool and political and stuff
