On 25 and 27 March, Radio-Canada (the French-language division of the CBC) reported, in outraged tones, that "more and more" [they never actually quantify this notion] students from France are coming over here to study at Quebec's English-language universities, thanks to a 1978 agreement between the governments of France and Quebec that allows French and Québécois students to attend university on the opposite side of the Atlantic as if they were locals. The facts indignantly enumerated in the article include:
It wasn't long before one of our usual suspects weighed in on the affair. Jean Dorion, head of the ultra-nationalist Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, declared the situation to be "scandalous", especially while "our" university students continue to see their tuition fees increase [oy, boyo! Petit un, they're still the cheapest in North America and, petit deux, that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this debate!].
Thankfully, in the 2 April 2008 edition of Le Devoir, François Alabrune, the Consul general of France in Quebec City, was given the opportunity to respond to the polémique. Il a relativisé as follows:
The only useful point made in the Radio-Canada articles is that the 1978 co-operation agreement was meant to "strengthen the French fact in Quebec", and that French students coming over to study in English-language universities in Quebec goes against the spirit of that agreement. Michelle Courchesne, the provincial Minister of Education, has said that she'll look into "renegotiating the terms of the co-operation agreement", and that's fine by me.
All the rest of it, getting worked up into a tizzy and the like, was just another opportunity for the Québécois to go after what appear to me, after having lived here for 20 months, to be their two favourite scapegoats: the local anglophone population (and its institutions), and France and the French.
02 April 2008
La manipulation de l'information par Radio-Canada
01 April 2008
Damn You, Cineplex Entertainment (An ONEX Corporation)
So, according to Le Devoir, Cineplex Entertainment is blackmailing art house film distributors into helping kill off the network of independent salles parallèles cinemas in rural Quebec. Basically, because K-Films Amérique, a local distributor of foreign and domestic art house fare, has decided to show the forthcoming French film Un baiser s'il vous plaît (which, by the way, is supposed to be quite good) in salles parallèles in Rimouski, Victoriaville and Sept-Îles, in addition to Cineplex locations in Montreal and Quebec City, Cineplex has decided to pull the film. Never mind the fact that they were never going to show this film in those towns anyway (art house films weren't even being shown in towns like that at all until the salles parallèles came about), they just for whatever reason feel they should have exclusive, Quebec-wide rights to any film that they screen in Montreal, even when they themselves do not have any intention of presenting them across Quebec. In the past few months they've also pulled 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (last year's Palme d'or at Cannes), as well Up the Yangtze.
Cineplex, and the other mainstream commerical cinemas represented by the Association des propriétaires de salles de cinéma du Québec, claim that the salles parallèles represent unfair competition, because they are partially subsidised by the SODEC. But these are the same mainstream commercial cinemas that refuse to show art house films outside of the major metropolitan areas, and whose refusal to do so led to the creation of the salles parallèles in the first place! When it comes right down to it, the salles parallèles do $600,000 of business a year, versus $450,000,000 for commercial cinemas in Quebec. This competition argument hasn't got a leg to stand on. They just want to kill off all cinéma d'auteur so that the only option remaining for people is to go and see the same Hollywood rubbish they've been forcing down our throats since long before I was born. When I was just on the cusp of my twenties, I graduated from this to this, and there's no way I'm going back now!
What is wrong with this company, anyway? Notice how they renamed the Paramount Cinema in downtown Montreal the Scotia Bank Cinema? What has Scotia Bank got to do with cinema? No doubt this has more to do with Gerry being on the board of both Scotia Bank and Cineplex (via ONEX) than anything else. He may be a fellow Winnipegger and University of Manitioba old boy, but I'm afraid he's trying to do to the culture of cinema in this country what his wife is doing the culture of books.
Let's just boycott the whole thing, shall we? Independent cinemas like the Cinémathèque, the Globe Cinema and the Park Theatre in Winnipeg, as well as Ex-Centris, Cinéma du Parc, Cinéma Beaubien and the Cinémathèque Québécoise in Montreal are definitely the way to go. Stay away from Chapters/Indigo while you're at it too.
By the way, ridiculous commercial practices such as this give rise to the following comments that find their way into Le Devoir«Cela veut-il dire que c'est à Toronto qu'on décidera si le cinéma d'auteur pourra être vu en région au Québec?», dénonce M. Dussault.
«C'est Toronto qui applique sa loi, et c'est le public francophone qui écope», a tonné Michel Gagnon.
«Il faut que Québec s'en mêle pour remettre un peu d'ordre dans tout ça. Ce n'est pas Toronto qui doit décider de ce qui va se diffuser au Québec», ajoute M. Gagnon.
which in turn continues to give the rest of Canada (as represented by Toronto) a bad name in Quebec. Thanks a lot Gerry. Well done!
24 March 2008
Melody Day by Caribou
I've been so out of touch with the scene lately that I didn't even realise that the sublime intro music to Louise Bourgoin's weather report on Canal+ is actually a Canadian indie song. La preuve en images:
This impossibly lush song is in fact Melody Day by Vancouver's Caribou. Before this Dick threatened him with legal action, Caribou used to be called Manitoba, which is where I come from, and last night he played Montreal, which is where I live. Et voilà, la boucle est bouclée.
23 March 2008
Long Blondes Promo Videos For 'Couples'
Couples, the new LP from The Long Blondes, is coming out over here on 8 April, as announced by these somewhat cryptic promo videos:
Video n° 1
Video n° 2
A perfect representation of what I like to call une certaine idée de l'Angleterre, that is to say, that appealing quality of Englishness.
And then there's this one, which just rocks my socks:
You can hear the first single from the aforementioned new record here:
The Long Blondes will be in Montreal on 20 May 2008 at the Cabaret du Musée, 2111 St-Laurent. Not to be missed!
Common People
If you're like me and grew up with Archie comics, and thought that the answer to Blur v Oasis was Pulp, then this is for you.
This synchronisation to music is based on the original work of comic strip détournement published by Chris at his Invincible Super-Blog.
Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ
Chocolate bunnies are all well and good, but in my old age I've reached the point where I would rather sit back and have a listen to Bach's Easter Cantatas. Below, I've compiled pour vous an mp3 sample of Easter cantatas from Deutsche Grammophon catalogue no. 463 580-2. This recording was part of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, during which Sir John Eliot Gardiner, together with the musicians of the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, performed all the surviving church cantatas by Bach, on the liturgical days for which they were composed, in different churches around Europe.
In terms of the Bach Werke Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue), tracks 1 to 6 are taken from BWV 6 (Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden), and 7 to 12 from BWV 66 (Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen).
Click on the first track to commence playback, and enjoy!
PS - What is it with Easter, anyway? Seriously, can anyone explain to me why it's never on the same date?
22 March 2008
The Best Indie Record Store in Canada
CBC Radio 3 has initiated a contest to indentify Canada's Best Indie Record Store. My submission to the nomination committee went as follows:Located at River & Osborne, the hipster equivalent of Portage & Main, Music Trader has got to be the best record store in Winnipeg. They have EVERYTHING (new & used, tons of indie), they host live, in-store performances of local and touring bands all the time, and they're open until midnight!
They've got knowledgeable staff, a kooky mascot and, of course, the famous wall of customer polaroids. Plus, their long 'bar' of listening stations in front of windows facing out onto Osbrone Street is perhaps the best spot in the city for people watching.
For a kid from the suburbs, the plan was simple. Listen to RadioSonic (the predecessor of Radio3 for you kids out there) on CBC Radio 2, then go to Music Trader and buy the records. What could be easier? My taste in music is due in large part to the existence of this store.
I've been in Montreal for about year and a half now, I haven't really found anything that compares, so I'll be curious to check out the recommendations posted here.
Music Trader
97 Osborne Street
Winnipeg
On that note, I await your recommendations for a good indie record store in Montreal, preferably one with a fun atmosphere and all the week's new releases.
By the way, we also have an annual contest to designate the best independent English-language bookstore in this country. But no one cares.
Germans and the French language
Here's an amusing passage, pertaining to the prestige enjoyed by the French language in foreign lands:"Une jolie petite française", the conductor's wife said, evidently overjoyed at having an occasion to recite a few French words she knew by heart. This is always the case in Germanic lands, people love to be able to show that they understand French.
Robert Walser, »Der Gehülfe« (The Assistant), 1907, translation Susan Bernofsky (2007)
"Frau Tobler," Joseph thought, "knows no French at all, the poor thing!"« Une jolie petite française », dit en français la femme du contrôleur, manifestement ravie d'avoir l'occasion de débiter de mémoire quelques mots en français. C'est toujours ainsi dans les pays de langue allemande : les gens sont contents de pouvoir montrer qu'ils comprennent le français.
Robert Walser, »Der Gehülfe« (Le commis), 1907, traduction Bernard Lortholary (1985)
« Ma patronne, pensa Joseph, ne comprend pas un mot de français. La pauvre! »
... and we're back
After a brief hiatus of nine months — brought about by the new version of Blogger that not only linked my Blogger account to the wrong Google account and then wouldn't allow me to de-link it, but also completely messed up my template and sidebar — I'm finally back. Let's see if I can keep it up for more than a couple of months this time, shall we?
09 June 2007
A Book Design Blog
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I've started a blog about book design.
After reading a piece in Publishers Weekly about book design bloggers, featuring Christopher Papasadero and Joseph Sullivan, and then reading a post about French book design written by the latter, I decided to launch my own book design blog, putting my own knowledge of French books to particular use.
Première de couverture, or the fascinating world of book cover design, can be found at http://bookdesign.wordpress.com.
08 June 2007
Dictionnaire du monde germanique
Here it is, folks. The book that's had germanists and germanophiles all over the world salivating with anticipation for the past several years finally has a confirmed release date. After years of delays and one cancellation, I am pleased to report that the momumental Dictionnaire du monde germanique -- a 1000 page encyclopaedia covering historical, cultural, artistic, economic, political, sociological, religious and scientific aspects of the German-speaking civilisation -- will be published by Éditions Bayard on 27 September 2007.
Under the general editorship of Jacques Le Rider (EPHE Sorbonne), Michel Espagne (Normal Sup) and Élisabeth Décultot (CNRS), the book will feature articles written by leading germanists from around the world. Originally scheduled to be published by the Presses universitaires de France in 1999, the book was delayed until 2001, then 2002, and finally cancelled. Eventually there was talk that Bayard would publish it in 2005. 2005 came and still no book. Finally, in June 2005, I had confirmation from Jacques Le Rider himself that Bayard had agreed to publish the book, although the release date remained unconfirmed. In January 2007 Bayard indicated that it would most likely be released some time in Fall 2007, and then on 6 June 2007, the Google Alert that I configured alerted me (it does what it says on the tin!) to the publication date. Priced at 129 Euros, I don't even want to think about what the Canadian retail price will end up being. I had better start saving up...
Fiche technique
Title: Dictionnaire du monde germanique
Sous la direction de Michel Espagne, Elisabeth Décultot et Jacques Le Rider
Publisher: Éditions Bayard
ISBN-10: 2227476524
ISBN-13: 9782227476523
Publication Date: 27 September 2007
Format: Broché, 24 x 17 cm, 1100 pages
Features: Illustrations en noir et blanc, cartes
Retail Price (France): 129 Euros
Retail Price (Canada): To be confirmed
What follows is a preliminary partial list of contributors and article titles, pieced together from information found here and there on the web. I have no idea if all of these will make it into the final product.
François Delpla
Jacques Ehrenfreund
Stéphanie Buchenau
Guillaume Garner
Lutz Winckler
Moussa Sarga
Thomas Serrier
Carlos Herrera
Daniel Baric
Marielle Silhouette
Roland Krebs
Frank Muller
Cécile Schenck
Pierre Monnet (sub-editor of the Mediaeval section of the dictionary)
As time permits, I'll be adding more information to this preview.
27 May 2007
I think my g/f is cheating on me.
"I think my g/f is cheating on me". Thus begins this strangely compelling tale of raw human drama that turns out to be nothing more than the backdrop to a most benign of technical inquiries at the MiniDisc Community Forums.
I'm not sure if this is real or not, but I couldn't control my laughter after reading the technical question that is posed in the final sentence of the narrative, with no transition whatsoever. Comedy, intentional or not, is all about timing.
24 May 2007
Varsity Blues
France's universities could be first test for Sarkozy. From Marco Chown Oved of the Associated Press, via the International Herald Tribune:
The Sorbonne, France's most renowned university, has no cafeteria, no student newspaper [and] no varsity sports. [....] It also costs next-to-nothing to attend, and admission is open to everyone who has finished high school. [....] The Sorbonne also has no alumni associations.
Well, jeez Louise! No varsity sports. Golly!
Who remembers that epiosde of The Simpsons when the owner of a Thai Restaurant hires Bart to distribute menus so that he can do more business, thereby preventing his daughter from having to attend one of those American universities where there are 'baseball caps everywhere' and 'serious students [are] powerless against drunken jock-ocracy'?
Seriously, why are North Americans so shocked to find out that, very often, the rest of the world does things differently? I mean, the Sorbonne was founded in 1257, centuries before European North America came into being. If I were to embark on a study of French universities I would have been more surprised to find that they had taken up the American model. After all, having grown up in the Canadian Midwest, just 100km north of the American border, and now living in the world's second-largest French speaking city (with a huge French expat community), a mere 70km from the American border, I can tell you that even though the article states that 'only 14.2% of adults have a university education in France, compared with 29,4% in the United States', you'd never know it. For all of their supposed education, your average American cannot come close to your average French (or indeed European) person when it comes to possessing a culture générale, the kind of UNIversal, all-round general knowledge in the areas of arts, science and culture (to say nothing of basic world geography) to which any civilised person can reasonably aspire and that a UNIversity education is supposed to provide. In North Dakota, a border state, they actually ask you with a straight face in what American state Canada is located in.
It should also be noted that the baccalauréat, the French secondary school leaving exam, is much more difficult and comprehensive than anything an average North American public school is likely to challenge you with, and could easily be placed on a par with first or second year exams in most of North America's universities. Indeed, the most prestigious high school programme in which one can be enrolled in North America and in much of the world is called the International Baccalaureate and is directly modelled upon the French baccalauréat.
I will however conceed that there should at least be some tuition fee for attending French universities and that way too many resources are allocated to the network of Grandes Écoles (the Ivy League of France if you will) while the universities are left to cope with too many students and not enough funding. At the same time, if you possess the intelligence to succeed at university but can't afford the tuition, then that's a problem too.
What I'm basically saying is that the French aren't as fat as Americans, so they don't need varsity sports. They have their own traditions and, to a certain extent, they should just continue to go their own way.
20 May 2007
Trois minutes, douche comprise
Le Tout Chirac: A life at the top: From John Lichfield in yesterday's Independent, a brilliantly succinct A-to-Z summary of Chirac's political career. Truly an essential read.
Choice excerpts:
In the 1980s, M. Laumond says, the procession of women into M. Chirac's office was so constant that women staffers would joke: "Chirac? Three minutes. Shower included."
[....]
In 1979 he campaigned as a virulent Eurosceptic in the European Parliament elections. France, he said, faced "economic servitude to Bonn ... national annihilation by Brussels". In the presidential campaign of 1988, he transformed himself into European visionary, with forests of blue and yellow European flags at all his rallies.
[....]
In their last eight years in the official apartments of the Mayor [of Paris], Jacques and Bernadette spent €2m on food and drink (not including official functions). This worked out at €684 a day (including €60 a day on "herbal tea").
[....]
Vast quantities of cash passed through M. Chirac's hands. It was moved around Paris in briefcases, even suitcases. Chirac is said to have kept the cash in a safe in his private lavatory at the town hall, using the flush to cover the sound of the "clicks" when he turned the dial.
[....]
[In the early 1950s] he also sold ice cream in a Howard Johnson's restaurant in Boston. One of his most treasured possessions is a certificate, signed by Howard Johnson himself, which declares that: "Mr Jack Chirac is a first-class soda jerk."
[....]
In July 1979, Anh Dao Traxel, a 21-year-old Vietnamese " boat person", arrived friendless at Charles de Gaulle airport. She was approached by a tall man who told her: "Don't cry any more, my dear. From now on, you will live with us." And so Anh became the Chiracs' " secret" foster daughter, living in the Paris town hall.
[....]
His favourite food is "Tête de Veau", which is not for the squeamish. One recipe, in English, on the internet begins with: "Rip the face off a baby cow ..."
[....]
In 2005 an open microphone recorded M. Chirac's distaste for British cuisine. He said: "The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease. You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine. It is the country with the worst food after Finland."
[....]
Jacques Chirac is a great fan of Japanese Sumo wrestling. He sits up late at night drinking Corona beer and watching Sumo tapes, sent from Japan.
[....]
Why did M. Chirac spend part of his 2004 summer holiday in the small, rainy village of North Hatley in Quebec? The satirical television puppet show, Les Guignols de l'Info, suggested M. Chirac sneaked away to have a face-lift, something for which Canada is celebrated.
As a flag-waving patriot, I was unware of that particular source of Canadian national pride.
At the end of the piece is a list of famous Chirac quotes. To summarise the career I would choose "Promises are binding only for those who receive them" and to summarise the man it's got to be "You know, at the end of the day, I like only two things: cavalry trumpets and detective novels". Brilliant!
For more amusement from the political career of Jacques Chirac, see Karl Zéro's scathingly hirlarious documentary film Dans la peau de Jacques Chirac (2006). I don't think it's been released here, but it was shown at the 2006 Montreal World Film Festival.
Old People and Old Dutch
Winnipeg mayor launches seniors council: "Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz announced plans Friday to appoint seniors to an advisory council to offer recommendations about how the city can better serve its aging population."
*yawn* How about a plan to keep educated young people (who continue to flee in record numbers) in Winnipeg? Just a thought... While the NDP builds Waverly West, the mayor cancels funding for rapid transit and the police brutally represses pro-cyclist events like Critical Mass, I'll continue to enjoy the metro system, countless bike lanes and all-round vibrant urban living here in Montreal.
Winnipeg's one big advantage over Montreal, namely the availability of Old Dutch potato chips (which was not even an advantage over Calgary, where most young people seem to move), is no longer. Commericals on local Montreal television this spring tipped me off, and I can now happily confirm that Dutch Crunch kettle chips are now being sold at Métro supermarkets and Jean Coutu pharmacies. They're being marketed out here (and perhaps elsewhere in Eastern Canada?) as a premium snack food.
Meanwhile, an ageing Winnipeg becomes one big seniors' council.
