Category Archives: Pandemic

The Debt Ceiling Mythified: Sisyphus

06 Wednesday Oct 2021

Posted by in Economy, Pandemic, United States, US Debt Ceiling

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Persephone supervising Sisyphus in the Underworld, Attic black-figure amphora, c. 530 BCE, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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‟U.S. default this fall would cost 6 million jobs, wipe out $15 trillion in wealth, study says.”
(30 September 2021, The Washington Post)

After last Thursday’s vote, a refusal to raise the American debt limit, I wondered to what extent the Republicans could be considered a legitimate political party. In other words, I wondered how much the Republicans (=½) serving the government (=1) could differ from the Democrats when the goal is to pay a government’s debt? Members of a political party represent the people (=1) whose welfare it normally seeks. So, can they jeopardize the economy (=1) of the country (=1) they represent?

Voters do not give their representatives (=½) the right nor license to harm their government (=1). Representatives discuss an issue, such as their joint economy, which is an essential process in a healthy democracy. However, although the government of the United States is bi-cameral (=½ + ½), Republicans and Democrats, its two houses, are the two sides (=½ + ½) of the same medal (=1) and, by extension, the two sides (=½ + ½) of their nation’s economy (=1). There is only one medal, the government (=1), and one shared economy (=1).

Therefore, although the government is a forum, a place where a discussion occurs, it seems to me that it cannot be an arena. When all is said and done, representatives of the people usually reach a consensus or make a decision following a vote. The majority wins. The government may otherwise be rather lame or seem lame. Remember the myth of Sisyphus.

The Myth of Sisyphus

“He [Sisyphus] was punished for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity.” 
(See Sisyphus, Wikipedia.)

The figure of Sisyphus was used by Albert Camus in Le Mythe de Sisyphe to represent absurdism. I have mentioned Sisyphus in at least one previous post to portray futility. It is in this regard that the metaphor remains useful, but Sisyphus’ fate is also absurb. Given that the Republicans are one side of the same medal, they must agree to raise the debt ceiling or face an economic debacle. Another stopgap could lower the United States’ credit rating and inflation may follow. In other words, a second stopgap could lower the purchasing power of the poorer half of the middle-class and the poor in the United States (=1). Moreover, the credit rating of the United States may be lowered, unless flexibility can be attained otherwise. In 2011, as a result of turmoil, the United States losts its AAA credit rating.

United States federal government credit-rating downgrades – Wikipedia

Current US Inflation Rate August 2021 (thebalance.com)

Last week’s failure [on the part of the United States (+1)] to raise a debt ceiling it must raise was an exercise in futility. The boulder may stumble down to the bottom of the hill only to be pushed to the top once again. All years are not equal. So, the United States must give its economy a degree of flexibility, which raising the debt limit currently provides. The United States is grappling with a deadly and financially ruinous pandemic. More than 700,000 Americans have died and some have little if any income. Moreover, in the second half of August 2021, the United States’ government had to pull its troops and its supporters out of Afghanistan after the unexpected takeover of Afghanistan by the Talibans, a fundamentalist group. The war had lasted twenty years, a Sisyphian scenario.

Americans pay their taxes. It has been reported that avoidance of taxes is frequent among the very rich, but most middle-class Americans pay their taxes in full. So one wonders whether Republicans are honest representatives of the citizens of the United States. They threaten the economy of a nation.

I am not an economist, but it would be my opinion that the Republicans had nothing to gain by postponing raising the debt ceiling. They cannot laugh for very long. Responsible representatives of a nation are not expected to misuse a citizen’s tax dollar by threatening their constituents at the best of times. Republicans did so at the worst of times. Obstructionism has seldom been so flagrant and so wrong.

By and large, the victims of Covid-19, in both Canada and the United States, have not been not been vaccinated. This disaster must be addressed by the government (=1).

RELATED ARTICLES

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Love to everyone 💕

Sisyphus as a symbol for continuing a senseless war. Johan Vogel: Meditationes emblematicae de restaurata pace Germaniae, 1649. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sisyphus (1548–49) by Titian, Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

© Micheline Walker
6 October 2021
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Mostly Covid-19: the Sleep of Reason

25 Saturday Sep 2021

Posted by in COVID-19, Pandemic

≈ 8 Comments

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FRANCISCO GOYA, EL SUEÑO DE LA RAZÓN PRODUCE MONSTRUOS (THE SLEEP OF REASON PRODUCES MONSTERS), 1799, PRINT N°43 OF THE CAPRICHOS SERIES (MUSEO NACIONAL DEL PRADO, MADRID). (PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA)

I have used the above image several times. It is Goya’s 43rd print in his series of 80 prints entitled Los Caprichos. It is a fine illustration of cultism and extremism.

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The Debt Ceiling

I will be writing about Covid-19. Cases are numerous and given the number of individuals who are contracting Covid-19, we are looking at the harm anti-vaxxers are causing, including self-harm. Reason has fallen asleep. Let us first look at the need to raise the US debt ceiling.

Some of my readers may not have understood a reference to the debt ceiling. It applies to the economy of the United States. This subject is both difficult and easy to understand. Superficially, it goes as follows. If the United States does not raise its debt ceiling, it is proving that it hasn’t enough money to pay its debts. If it does not raise the debt ceiling, it can no longer borrow money and it loses the confidence of investors, the stock market. If investors do not invest, and the United States cannot borrow money, a recession, if not a “crash,” is unavoidable. The pandemic has been very costly, which means that the debt is high, and that the debt ceiling must be raised. A nation cannot put aside its economy. The following article contains a little drawing that may be helpful.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/22/debt-ceiling-explained/

At this point, the Republicans (Mr Trump’s party) are suggesting that they may not allow the Biden administration to raise the debt ceiling. It’s a nasty game. If the Republican party prevents the United States from raising its debt ceiling, everyone would be hurt, including the Republicans and our global economy. Therefore, in a comment, I used the expression “to cut your nose off to spite your face,” which means that Republicans would hurt themselves in an attempt to hurt the Democrats. Therefore, sanity and plain common sense dictate a rise in the debt ceiling. One must cultivate a conciliatory spirit.

Covid-19

© Fournis par La Presse Canadienne

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Loi 105

Manifestations antivaccins: Québec adopte à toute vapeur le projet de loi 105 (msn.com)

MSN Actualités | Actualité du Québec, actualité de Montréal, MSN Canada

Quebec rapidly passes ban on COVID-19-related protests near schools, hospitals (msn.com

Quebec records 795 new COVID-19 cases, five more deaths (msn.com)

Similarly, sanity dictates vaccination. People who are not vaccinated are at risk and these unvaccinated individuals are probably cultists. Tens of thousands will die and the dead will soon be anti-vaccination militants. We are no longer looking at unvaccinated individuals who were neglectful. If they have lost a dear-one in the Pandemic, these persons may be convinced to be vaccinated. Cultists will not. They do not believe in Covid-19 and think the vaccine will poison them. If one tries to persuade them that Covid kills and that the vaccine is “adequate” protection, cultists will dig in their heels. Cultists do not think. They do not use “reason.”

There is plentiful evidence that millions have died globally. Moreover, there is plentiful evidence that following sanitary rules and vaccination provide “adequate” protection. President Biden and Dr Fauci have not died. Nor have the people living in this building. They have followed the rules and most, if not all, have been vaccinated.

So, yesterday, Quebec passed a law prohibiting demonstrations by anti-vaxxers and by Covid related activists near schools or near institutions where persons have not been vaccinated. They must keep 50 meters away. Initially, children did not contract the coronavirus. They are, therefore, the last to be vaccinated, hence Bill 105. If one cannot reason with someone else, a law is passed. Governments protect their endangered population. A person who sues the government for violating his or her freedom will lose. Yet, anti-vaxxers may sue. Under Bill 105, protestors will pay a fine, but they are not facing imprisonment. Not yet.

Covid-19 and its Variants: an alarming number of cases

After hearing that we were required to obtain a vaccine passport and that healthcare workers who were not vaccinated before 15 October 2021 would be replaced, I could see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, but I now see darkness. Governments know how many have died of Covid-19, and they know that the vaccine is “adequate” protection. So, cultists are like Republicans contemplating not raising the debt ceiling. They may and will die to avoid death. Extremism is very dangerous.

Would that their defiance and plain arrogance did not boil down to anti-social behaviour. Cultists are not mere Doubting Thomases. As inferred above, doubting Thomases will be vaccinated if they lose a wife or a husband. I agree, some medications, including the vaccine, are potentially harmful. But the vaccine is all we have.

Once again, humans are proving that they are their own worst enemy. Not only are the unvaccinated cutting off their nose to spite their face, but they are causing others to contract the coronavirus, thereby making themselves agents of the virus, and worse… They themselves will suffer the death they wished to avoid: their own death.

Cultist | Definition of Cultist by Merriam-Webster

Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Wednesday, Sept. 22 | CBC NewsAlberta doctor under fire for spreading ‘completely false’ COVID-19 claims | CBC News

N.S. top doc says anti-vaxx video claiming girl’s heart stopped after vaccine is false | CBC News

Hospital protests pushing already exhausted staff to the brink, says Vancouver doctor | CBC Radio

Manque d’infirmières : Legault défend sa « petite révolution » (msn.com)

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Love to everyone 💕

Gnossienne N°1 Alexandre Tharaud (Erik Satie : Gnossiennes)
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas 
by Caravaggio, c. 1602

© Micheline Walker
24 September 2021
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The Day After …

22 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by in COVID-19, Election, Pandemic

≈ 2 Comments

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his wife, Sophie Grégoire, and their children in Montreal the day after the election Credit… Christinne Muschi/Reuters

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Justin Trudeau remains Canada’s Prime Minister, but the Liberals failed to attain the majority he wished for. According to many Canadians, this was an election we could have done without. It was a brief campaign, but all campaigns are expensive. Moreover, the campaign took place during a pandemic. When I went to cast my ballot, I had to disinfect my hands three times and I was given a new mask. Masks, clean hands, and keeping at a distance from others remain mandatory in Quebec and, I should think, everywhere else in Canada.

The Liberal Party

I have voted for the Liberal Party for a long time. Canada owes Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson its social programs, official bilingualism, the decriminalization of abortion and homosexuality, etc. I do not think this legislation would be repealed under a more conservative government, but I remember… He was charitable.

More attention could have been paid to the fate of our indigenous population, but Marie May Simon is Canada’s Governor General and it was a “snap” election. Other needs must be addressed.

For instance, this citizen has her little dreams. Under Quebec’s “parochial” system, each parish was a small neighborhood, a community. Sherbrooke had a downtown, but going downtown was not essential. My mother took a bus to go downtown. The four surviving children also took a bus to their various lessons: speech, drama, piano, organ… I would appreciate a rebirth of neighborhoods.

Needs …

Times have changed. Cars are a source of noise and pollution, but they have become a necessity. We therefore require inexpensive and efficient public transportation. I still have a driver’s license, so I am officially allowed to drive, but Myalgic Encephalomyelitis damaged my brain. It attacked my memory, which is a more serious problem as one ages. I also have nosebleeds that can turn into a hemorrhage, and my balance is poor. So, my doctor does not want me to drive. I miss my car. I’m always indoors.

Fortunately, the building where I live is located near a neighborhood shopping center, which made buying an apartment at this address a good choice. The apartment does not have many rooms, but it is very spacious and air-conditioned. The loss of one’s car and Covid-19 are more easily managed in a relatively spacious apartment with its own laundry-room. Still, I could not escape depression and will therefore be returning to my friend’s apartment. I will have two homes.

Climate changes: Comfort and Safety

However, given climate changes, fewer cars should be on the road. As well, heatwaves kill and may lead to domestic violence. We therefore require air conditioning. We also require solid walls. If apartments are inside concrete walls and floors and have fireproof doors, they can contain noise and fires. The door to this apartment is not sound- and fire-proof. So, the door will be replaced by a safer door.   

As an amateur “urbanist,” “architect” and “designer.” I also feel the time has come to put various wires underground. We have ice storms that can be paralyzing. Our cities would also look better if wires were buried. The poles could be replaced by trees.

Finally, housing is too expensive and living in a tiny place creates a series of problems. I see lovely little houses on wheels, but they are on wheels and one can look in every direction.

Covid-19: the Delta variant

Children and the vaccinated are contracting Covid’s Delta variant. Vaccinated people are less likely to die, but the Delta variant is deadly. Consequently, as of tomorrow, anti-vaccine demonstrations will be illegal in Quebec, near schools. Demonstrators will pay a fine and some may be jailed. On 20 September 2021, the day we voted, I congratulated leaders in both English and French, but too late to have an influence. Politicians need our support. They must oppose people who do not believe that Covid-19 is real and look upon vaccination as an infringement of their freedom. Children and the vaccinated are contracting Covid’s Delta variant. Vaccinated people are less likely to die, but the Delta variant is deadly. Consequently, as of tomorrow, anti-vaccine demonstrations will be illegal in Quebec, near schools. Demonstrators will pay a fine and some may be jailed. On 20 September 2021, the day we voted, I congratulated leaders in both English and French, but too late to have an influence. Politicians need our support. They must oppose people who do not believe that Covid-19 is real and look upon vaccination as an infringement of their freedom. The province of Alberta has just asked the Federal government for help.

The Debt Ceiling: will Republicans cause a Recession

  • Anti-vaxxers: a Cult
  • Impeach President Biden
  • and now a recession

I read various newspapers, so I know that in some areas of the United States and, I suspect, Canada, opposing vaccination has become a cult. Covid-19 is not a religion, nor is the vaccine. Moreover, there are Covid-19 victims who oppose the vaccine all the way to their grave. Well, they are dying, and it has been their choice. Yet, this is individualism carried to an extreme. No one is free to kill. Killing is a crime.

Covid-19 and other matters, such as the evacuation of Afghanistan, have also been politicized. If Republicans wish to impeach President Joe Biden, they should look at former President Donald Trump’s record. Donald Trump failed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He thought that Spring would chase it away. The former President also incited Americans to riot. They assaulted the Capitol and people died.

2021 United States Capitol attack – Wikipedia

We are nearing a recession and it appears that Republicans would be at fault. If the debt ceiling is not raised, a recession may follow. A political party is not a cult in search of martyrs. Republicans themselves would suffer. Such is also the fate of anti-vaxxers.

—ooo—

Love to everyone 💕

My post got lost. So I had to rewrite it. I had a copy, but it fell short of the published post.

Europa

© Micheline Walker
22 September 2021
WordPress

Covid-19: the battle is not over but …

20 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by in COVID-19, Pandemic, Passeport vaccinal

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Exposition virtuelle Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737-1813)
La vaccine ou L’inoculation à la mode

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Today, Canadians vote. So, this is an appropriate time to congratulate Canada’s Premiers and our Prime Minister. They were not afraid when the very worst occurred: a pandemic! They followed the advice of medical experts and quickly initiated public health policies aimed at protecting Canadians.

I am grateful to members of parliament who would not desist. Naysayers and timid Canadians slowed down efforts on the part of elected leaders. However, they and foremost authorities in epidemiology stood together from the very first outbreak.

Many Canadians have their vaccine passport. This tool is like magic.

The battle is not over, but we’re on the go …

Le masculin inclut le féminin.

Aujourd’hui, les Canadiens votent. Le moment est donc propice de féliciter les Premiers Ministres de toutes les provinces canadiennes et le Premier Ministre du Canada. Ils n’ont pas eu froid aux yeux quand le pire est survenu: une pandémie ! Ils ont suivi les conseils de médecins-chefs et ils ont vite mis en place des mesures visant à protéger les Canadiens.

Je voudrais donc exprimer ma reconnaissance aux élus qui ont tenu bon. Des récalcitrants et des timides ont parfois ralenti l’effort fourni par nos hommes politiques. Toutefois, ceux-ci ont fait front commun avec les grandes autorités en matière d’épidémiologie dès la première éclosion.

Plusieurs Canadiens détiennent un passeport vaccinal. Cet outil est une petite merveille.

La lutte n’est pas finie, mais c’est parti …

—ooo—

Love to everyone 💕

Rossini‘s William Tell Overture: Finale
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra 100th Anniversary Special Concert Myung-Whun Chung

Exposition virtuelle Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737-1813)
L’origine de la vaccine

© Micheline Walker
20 Septembre 2021
WordPress

Anti-Vaxxers: please provide proof that Covid-19 and its variants are not deadly …

14 Tuesday Sep 2021

Posted by in Covid-19, Pandemic

≈ 6 Comments

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George Washington by Charles Willson Peale, 1776.

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The American Revolutionary War: Smallpox and George Washington 

Anti-vaxxers are everywhere, but a large number live in the United States, southern states in particular. Protesting the vaccine has become a trend. People everywhere, including Canadians, are “shaking hands with the devil” (Roméo Dallaire). They defy experts, thereby spreading the Covid-19 virus, (SARS-CoV-2). The variants of Covid-19 are deadlier that the initial coronavirus. The recovery rate from infections from variants of Covid-19 is very low. In other words, there is abundant proof that Covid-19, the Delta variant especially, is highly transmissible. So, anti-vaxxers should provide proof positive and undeniable that Covid-19 and its variants are harmless.

George Washington

You will remember that Jeffery Amherst, the governor of New York, wished to infect indigenous people which led to Pontiac’s War. Pontiac’s War was so violent that George III of England issued his Royal Proclamation of 1763. During the French régime, Amerindians had lived mostly undisturbed West of the Thirteen Colonies. Jeffery Amherst attempted a genocide. Amerindians were given smallpox-contaminated blankets. They had no immunity to smallpox, so exposure was genocidal.

That story is not over. There was a smallpox epidemic during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The epidemic is remembered as the American Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-1782. A little earlier, smallpox also devastated Baja California. George Washington isolated victims and when the vaccine arrived in the United States, he ordered vaccination of endangered Americans. (Please read American Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-1782, Wikipedia.)

“Washington understood the destructive nature of smallpox and other diseases such as malaria, diphtheria, and scarlet fever. He was one of the first to introduce the idea of compulsory health initiatives such as widespread inoculation. Washington also had experience with disease outside the realm of combat and war. Having himself suffered from many illnesses and observing those of his family, George Washington was an integral part of the establishment of American public health programs.

Along with quarantine, another one of Washington’s methods for keeping his men healthy was with the use of inoculation.” 

(See North American Smallpox Epidemic, Wikipedia.)

The Anti-Vaxxers

At first, obnoxious, but increasingly anti-social groups, would not wear a mask (See Anti-social behaviour, Wikipedia). Many of these individuals are now resisting inoculation. They do so in the name of a freedom one does not have. We stop at the red light and do not grow tomatoes in our neighbour’s backyard. Freedom ends at the picket fence.

Ma petite idée…

To anti-vaxxers everywhere. If you wish to die promptly and painfully, in the name of some conspiracy, expose yourself to the virus, in a monitored manner. You mustn’t infect others. So, after exposure, you will be isolated. If you do not contract Covid-19, or one of its variants, governments will have proof that Covid-19, the Delta variant especially, are harmless, which I doubt will happen at this point…

Experts have ample proof that the virus is deadly. More than six hundred thousand Americans have died of Covid-19 (see World Health Organization). Please, do not protest unless you can substantiate your claim that Covid-19 does not kill.

Love to everyone 💕

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/watch/a-surge-of-covid-19-cases-in-the-usa-dampens-border

https://www.whitehouse.gov/covidplan/

© Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Covid-19 response and the vaccination program at the White House on August 23, 2021 in Washington,DC. – The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine, a move that triggered a new wave of vaccine mandates as the Delta variant batters the country. Around 52 percent of the American population is fully vaccinated, but health authorities have hit a wall of vaccine hesitant people, impeding the national campaign. (Photo by Jim WATSON/AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Roger Seheult, MD

© Micheline Walker
14 September 2021
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Absence

14 Wednesday Apr 2021

Posted by in absence, Pandemic

≈ 12 Comments

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Woman Reading by François de Troy

I apologize for a delay in posting. There have been many events. The worst, however, is difficulty logging in to Windows/Microsoft. I supply a password. It works, but suddenly it no longer works. I do not think the password is the problem but something else. I am also facing criminality on the Internet.

As for my posts, the next one is a song in which the Vent du Nord ensemble express an opinion on Confederation. At this point, statues of the main father of Confederation have been removed. A building or buildings named after him have been renamed.

I have been updating posts on La Fontaine. La Fontaine’s Official Site is no longer the same, so the link to the text of the fables must be changed. These posts are listed on a page and, to my knowledge, all have been updated. In the days of Covid-19, informative posts may benefit students.

Where the Pandemic is concerned, the rapid emergence of variants combined with civil disobedience are undermining the vaccination campaign. The number of victims has risen. It seems that Easter has been as deadly as Christmas and refusal to wear a mask or to be vaccinated are deadlier still. It would be my opinion that governments respond to protest by loosening sanitary measures prematurely.

My memory is playing tricks on me. It’s a neurological issue caused by the virus H1N1, which I caught in February 1976. Beware of “slow Covid.”

Given the passing of Prince Philip, I am playing my “royal” music, the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. It has long been a favourite.

Love to everyone 💕

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, 2nd Movement, Israël Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta
The Hunt by François de Troy (Courtesy Britannica)

© Micheline Walker
14 April 2021
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La Chanson du camionneur, Fred Pellerin

27 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by in Pandemic, Québec, Traditional Music

≈ 9 Comments

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Fred Pellerin interprète « La Chanson du camionneur »

Fred Pellerin is Nicolas Pellerin‘s brother (see below). Fred is a conteur, but he is also a singer and a musician.

In this song, Fred Pellerin is a truck driver, un camionneur, who talks to his wife who wants to remodel the kitchen of their home. She doesn’t like her kitchen’s melamine counter. I suppose she wants something real, which could be wood. Beautiful wood counters are available in Quebec.

We suspect that our camionneur, truck driver, does not have the means to refurbish his house. He sleeps in his truck. This could be an older Quebec, but truck drivers are everywhere.

Before la Révolution tranquille, the citizens of Quebec were poorer. However, Quebec has powerful syndicates. They rule. Under premier Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, the days of la grande noirceur, (the Great Darkness), workers were not allowed to strike. I believe I have already discussed the asbestos strike of 1949. It was a violent prelude to the Révolution Tranquille (The Quiet Revolution).

Everything changed after 1960. Maurice Duplessis died and Jean Lesage, a Liberal, became premier of Quebec. When I returned to Quebec in 2002, the province was no longer the same. Most changes reflected a wish to be maîtres chez soi (masters in our own house). Quebec did not sign the Constitution of 1982.

—ooo—

More and more Canadians are being vaccinated, but those who would not wear a mask do not want to be vaccinated. Some have been infected and variants have appeared. The police is protecting locations where the government is vaccinating people. The police is well trained. Persons living in my building wear a mask. Several are medical doctors.

I am still alone and I feel somewhat fragile. For instance, I cannot handle discussing the Royals. I have therefore edited my comments. One cannot tell what is going on. It’s too complicated. All I can say is that Prince Harry loved the military. He has suffered a loss.

RELATED ARTICLE

—ooo—

Love to everyone 💕

Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs interprètent « La Lurette en Colère »
André Derain, 1880 – 1954 (spaightwoodgallery.com)

© Micheline Walker
27 March 2021
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They make house calls…

Featured

Posted by in Pandemic, Sharing

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Flowers and Fruit, 1899 - Louis Valtat
Flowers and Fruit par Louis Valtat, 1899 (Wikiart.org)

I apologize for not posting more frequently. First, someone is reading my posts as I write them. He or she may have the best intentions. Still, I have always worked alone. Although I have read and continue to read books and articles on Molière and insert quotations in learned articles, I usually present a significantly personal analysis of Molière.

It seems, however, that I may henceforth publish shorter posts. Last Wednesday, I tried to do some online banking. However, the company has created a new and safer version of its online tools. I followed the instructions, and a message appeared confirming that all was well. However, I could not log in.

So I phoned the company and waited for a few minutes until someone was available, but I started to cry when a young man answered. Technologies are a genuine obstacle, and technical problems may trigger a vulnerability. At any rate, within a few minutes, two large policemen were inside my apartment. I put on my mask, and we spoke.

I mentioned that my cat had died on 29 November 2019 and that it would soon be a year since he died. Moreover, I had been inside my apartment since March, avoiding the coronavirus. As well, in the space of three years, I had failed to settle in my apartment. Finally, Sherbrooke is now a red zone. One cannot call a carpenter, until a degree of safety has been reached. Who would help during a pandemic?

One of the policemen suggested I adopt a cat, and one offered to remove a heavy box from the hallway. They were good persons. I thanked them because I felt much better. It had been an accident.

One returns to life as usual, a narrower life because of Covid-19, but life.

However, I reflected that in the days of the coronavirus, if a citizen of Sherbrooke, Quebec, feels distraught, his or her best help could be the police. They are available twenty-four hours a day and they make house calls.

Love to everyone 💕

Afficher l’image source
Anemones and Green Jug by Louis Valtat, ca. 1926 (courtesy Art Resource, NY)


© Micheline Walker
20 November 2020
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Chronicling Covid-19 (17): Agnus Dei

30 Saturday May 2020

Posted by in Canada, Covid-19, Pandemic

≈ 2 Comments

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Agnello di Dio, particolare della Crocefissione di Matthias Grünewald (it.wikipedia)

I have already reported that thousands of young people flouted the rules on Saturday 23 May, in Toronto. It has been suggested that the lockdown had flustered these young people. The lockdown has been difficult for all of us, but despite the gradual relaxation of confinement measures, the coronavirus remains and the young people had to obey regulations. Transmission of the novel coronavirus is rapid and, in too many cases, deadly. I hope the students will now join or cheer the people fighting Covid-19.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/canada-surpasses-7000-coronavirus-deaths/ar-BB14Okk6

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/05/30/montreal–letat-durgence-renouvele-jusquau-4-juin

See the source image

Montreal (mtl.blog)

https://www.mtlblog.com/things-to-do/canada/qc/montreal/covid-19-in-montreal-sparks-balcony-concert-this-friday

The pandemic in Canada is making more victims. Quebec still leads and Premier Legault has asked the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to deploy the military. It is not altogether normal for the Military to work in long-term care facilities. Their role had to be defined.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/troops-on-pandemic-duty-to-get-benefits-paid-to-soldiers-serving-abroad/ar-BB14MClK?ocid=msedgdhp

Quebec is currently recruiting a large number of orderlies who will receive a decent salary. Their training will be condensed, the need being enormous and urgent. The province is hiring a small army of health care workers.

As you know, their syndicate negotiated for medical doctors, fees up to 2,500$ (1,635.25 Euros) per day, which the government cannot afford. Day-care is also very inexpensive in Quebec, and tuition fees are the lowest in Canada. Combined, such programmes may not be sustainable.

There are Covid-19 cases in the education system. Schools were reopened outside Montreal, but no parent should allow his or her child to attend school. It means hiring help, but help may not be too expensive. There’s no point. One infection multiplies into several infections. Although lockdowns are a form of paralysis, they may be required if citizens do not see that precautions are the freedom they possess. We need certain services and, although the governments are generous, people want to return to work.

Our Prime Minister does not want to offend others, but Canada should not open its border to the United States. Both the United States and Canada need to protect their citizens. A New Brunswick doctor travelled to Quebec and returned to New Brunswick without respecting the 14-day quarantine. He or she had to be suspended. That doctor is a possible and probable source of infection. One does not travel to Quebec, especially Montreal. It’s not safe.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/2-new-coronavirus-cases-in-nb-doctor-connected-to-outbreak-in-campbellton-suspended/ar-BB14LHIj?ocid=msedgdhp

One cannot say that the pandemic has benefits, but Covid-19 has exposed flaws in the system and monsieur Legault spoke to the press in both French and English. Both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier called in the military. I don’t know how Ontario doctors responded, but, to my knowledge, Quebec could not recruit the medical doctors it needed. I realize that there were risks. Yet, circumstances were and remain dire.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/ford-says-hes-done-taking-bullets-for-union-members-who-wouldnt-id=msedgdhpocid=msedgdhpnspect-care-homes/ar-BB14Ipwr?ocid=msedgdhp

The world is being tested, but if we work together, all will be normal and, perhaps, better than it has been.

—ooo—

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 2:35 p.m. ET on May 30, 2020:

There are 90,161 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

  • Quebec: 50,651 confirmed (including 4,439 deaths, 16,070 resolved)
  • Ontario: 27,533 confirmed (including 2,247 deaths, 21,353 resolved)
  • Alberta: 6,979 confirmed (including 143 deaths, 6,218 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 2,562 confirmed (including 164 deaths, 2,170 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,056 confirmed (including 60 deaths, 978 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 641 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 570 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 283 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 278 resolved), 11 presumptive
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 255 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 128 confirmed (including 120 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 27 confirmed (including 27 resolved)
  • Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)
  • Yukon: 11 confirmed (including 11 resolved)
  • Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)
  • Nunavut: No confirmed cases
  • Total: 90,161 (11 presumptive, 90,150 confirmed including 7,073 deaths, 48,068 resolved)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2020.

The Canadian Press

Love to everyone💕

Mozart’s Coronation Mass
MOZART. KARAJAN. POPE JOHN PAUL ii. CORONATION MASS. AGNUS DEI. LIVE. KATHLEEN BATTLE: Soprano. WIENER PHILHARMONIKER. 06/29/1985.

Agnus Dei, c.1635 - c.1640 - Francisco de Zurbaran

Agnus Dei de Francisco de Zurbarán (wikiart.org)

© Micheline Walker
30 May 2020
WordPress

 

Chronicling Covid-19 (15): Quebec Issues

19 Tuesday May 2020

Posted by in Bilingualism, Covid-19, Pandemic, Quebec

≈ 4 Comments

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a man wearing a suit and tie smiling at the camera: Christopher Skeete, parliamentary assistant to Premier François Legault on relations with English-speaking Quebecers, said an agreement had been reached to send out 800,000 English versions of the government's COVID-19 self-care guide.

Christopher Skeete “The Quebec government’s point man on anglophone affairs does not see the purpose of dividing the province by language when it comes to gauging the population’s fear of contracting COVID-19.”

—ooo—

I am revisiting my last post: Chronicling Covid-19 (14): The Mask (15 May 2020). It is not entirely clear and it did not address a serious matter: anxiety among English-speaking Montrealers. The relevant video is at the foot of this post.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/faced-with-poll-showing-covid-19-fears-among-english-speakers-legault-blames-media-1.4938123

Premier Legault’s Statement

I will write first that I did not vote for monsieur Legault, the leader of Coalition Avenir Québec, EN CAQ FR, a party Premier Legault founded.

As we have seen, there are very real problems in Quebec. For instance, the pandemic has brought to the fore the lack of safety in long-term care facilities. This problem exists elsewhere. There has just been a flare-up in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Rosslyn Retirement Residence.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/rosslyn-retirement-residence-completely-emptied-after-covid-19-outbreak-infects-62/ar-BB14buZW?ocid=msedgdhp

In Quebec, however, 4 out of 5 victims of Covid-19 lived in long-term care facilities, CHSLDs, located in Montreal. The first two persons taken to the Montreal Jewish General Hospital were not diagnosed with Covid-19, but everything soon changed. Further arrivals to the Emergency Room (ER) were infected with Covid-19.

Other victims were the poor living in Montreal North (Montréal-Nord).

Frontline Workers

  • syndicates
  • sense of duty

Moreover, at the very beginning of his statement, monsieur Legault asked health-workers who were infected, but had recovered, to return to their duties. This I should have noted. The pandemic revealed considerable reluctance on the part of Quebec doctors to be frontline workers. Their syndicate, these are powerful in Quebec, negotiated fees that could total approximately $2,500.00 per day, which is a large amount of money. Too many lack empathy, a requirement in the case of health workers.

Monsieur Legault is taking the responsibility for his province’s lack of preparedness and will correct problems, such as unsafe long-term care facilities, to the extent that this problem can be corrected. Quebec quickly ran out personal protective equipment, as did other provinces. But there can be no doubt that he had difficulty recruiting health-care workers. Fortunately, as you know, monsieur Legault was able to call on the Canadian Armed Forces. Moreover, there were volunteers. A group of immigrants wanted to help in exchange for being granted citizenship. Would that I could find that video! This is question I must explore further. As well, there were volunteers who cooked free meals that were distributed to various houses and to the frontline workers. Charitable donations should cover the cost of these meals.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/society-failed-legault-visits-montreal-as-quebec-becomes-the-worlds-seventh-deadliest-covid-19-epicentre/ar-BB148pAK?ocid=msedgdhp

William_Blake_-_Sconfitta_-_Frontispiece_to_The_Song_of_Los

The demiurgic figure Urizen prays before the world he has forged by William Blake. (Wikipedia)

Rights and Freedoms

  • Bill 21
  • secularization versus protection
  • anxiety among anglophones
  • bilingualism

I should also comment on the worries concerning rights and freedoms, expressed by the lady, a journalist who asked a question, or questions, following Premier Legault’s statement. She may have been referring to Quebec’s unthinkable Bill 21 (MacLean’s).

There are other problems in Quebec, some of which the response to the pandemic have exposed. However, after he was elected Premier of Quebec, François Legault and members of his government passed Bill 21, which promotes absolute laïcité, secularization. Monsieur Legault’s predecessor, Dr Philippe Couillard, had attempted to forbid the wearing of clothes that impeded identification of a person. He wanted to protect Quebec citizens, but the matter of rights and freedoms was raised.

If one clicks on burqa, one can see that it is a garment that covers the face and which could also be used to conceal a weapon. Monsieur Couillard was the Premier of Quebec (Premier Ministre) at a time, not so distant, when terrorist attacks were frequent. Protection, not secularization, was Premier Couillard’s goal. However, monsieur Legault and his government introduced Bill 21, An Act respecting the laicity of the State, which was assented on 16 June 2019. Bill 21 affects Civil Servants and it could be considered as an infringement on “rights and freedoms” in Quebec. Muslim women wear veils. 

French vs English/English vs French 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/faced-with-poll-showing-covid-19-fears-among-english-speakers-legault-blames-media-1.4938123

Finally, in a survey conducted recently by Léger Marketing, it was determined that English-speaking Quebecers (68%) feared Covid-19 more than French-speaking citizens of Montreal and Quebec as a province (47%). At first, I could not understand the lady’s question. Canadians were lifting the lockdown when the coronavirus was still active. Consequently, Premier Legault urged the citizens of Quebec to wear a facemask as a protective measure. Who wants to breathe in the virus? In short, the facemask has nothing to do with Quebec’s secularization and Bill 22. But the notion came to the lady’s mind that monsieur Legault’s request could restrict personal rights and freedoms. It didn’t. As I noted, it was a safety measure. 

But Christopher Skeete, the parliamentary assistant on relations with English-speaking Quebecers, stated that an “agreement” had been reached and that 800,000 English versions of the government’s COVID-19 self-care guide were sent out. I have my copies. As quoted above, Christopher Skeete, Quebec government’s point man on anglophone affairs “does not see the purpose of dividing the province by language when it comes to gauging the population’s fear of contracting COVID-19.”

In the days of Covid-19, a Premier of Quebec addresses both the province’s French-speaking citizens and its English-speaking citizens. Monsieur Legault, Quebec’s top doctor, Horacio Arruda, and Danielle McCann, Quebec’s Minister of Health, addressed the press in both French and English, as did monsieur Legault.

So far politics has played no role in the pandemic, and there were no significant Anglo-French skirmishes. Monsieur Legault may have expressed impatience, but he has managed the pandemic very well, in both English and French and has followed the same guidelines as other Premiers. 

Conclusion

The pandemic in Quebec has made several issues surface, including bilingualism. It would be my opinion, however, that the worst issue monsieur Legault faced was his nearly futile call for frontline workers and helpers. The Quebec government was dealing with a humanitarian disaster. By the way, some schools have reopened. There is a school next to my building, I could hear the children during recreation.

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 5:34 p.m. on May 17, 2020:

There are 77,001 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

  • Quebec: 42,920 confirmed (including 3,562 deaths, 11,754 resolved)
  • Ontario: 22,653 confirmed (including 1,881 deaths, 17,360 resolved)
  • Alberta: 6,644 confirmed (including 127 deaths, 5,453 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 2,428 confirmed (including 141 deaths, 1,932 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,040 confirmed (including 55 deaths, 938 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 591 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 433 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 257 resolved), 11 presumptive
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 260 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 249 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 120 confirmed (including 120 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 27 confirmed (including 27 resolved)
  • Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)
  • Yukon: 11 confirmed (including 11 resolved)
  • Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)
  • Nunavut: No confirmed cases
  • Total: 77,001 (11 presumptive, 76,990 confirmed including 5,782 deaths, 38,552 resolved)
    (19 May 2002: 78,072 cases, 5,842 deaths, 39,228 resolved)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2020.

I think the time has come to delight English-speaking Quebecers and everyone else with Le Temps des cerises, (The Days of Cherries, Wikipedia). Our colleague Manuel Cerdá (A mi manera) wrote a post about it: Le Temps des cerises.

Yves Montand sings Le Temps des cerises. (I will post a short article, the lyrics, on this song.)

BB13LnZz

© Micheline Walker
18 May 2020
WordPress