Water Shortage Worsens Daily in Basra
Lorraine Verona
Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
------------------------------------
Washingtonpost.com
Water Shortage Worsens Daily in Basra
War and Vandalism Compound Problems Posed by an Aging Supply System
By David Finkel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 11, 2003; Page A32
BASRA, Iraq April 10 -- Now that the fighting, cheering, looting and burning
are mostly over in Iraq's second-largest city, residents here moved on today
to the next phase of their liberation: the search for water.
Throughout the city, from sunup to sundown, the most common sight was
someone with an empty water container, looking for a place to fill it.
British troops trucked water from Kuwait and distributed it under tight
security to long lines of people at various points around the city.
But what people tolerated today could quickly become intolerable, anofficial
of the International Committee for the Red Cross said, unless repairs are
made to an aging water system that has been hobbled in recent days by war
and vandalism.
"Most of them are without water," said Adel Attar, an engineer with the Red
Cross, referring not only to the 1.3 million residents of Basra but to the 6
million residents of southern Iraq.
One problem is that residents have begun stealing water by punching holes
into pipelines. "Kalashnikovs," Attar said of the preferred method for doing
that. Another is that one of the main water supply pipes is cracked and will
take at least a week to fix. But the biggest problem is lack of electricity,
which has meant the system is running on generators that can get water to
only a few sections of the city. More problems snowball from there.
The city's water director has fled. The city is too big to be supplied by
tanker trucks. The drivers are afraid to venture through the city without
security. Generators were heavily vandalized Tuesday and Wednesday. Looters
made off with parts, batteries, water pumps and circuit breakers.
"And it's not only guarding the plants, it's the 50 people who work in the
plants," said Andres Kruesi, who oversees Red Cross operations in southern
Iraq. "They need security because if they go to work, their cars will be
stolen."
Local engineers and the British military met today to see if more security
could be provided before the crisis worsens. As theirdiscussions continued,
people throughout the city went out loaded down with water cans, cooking oil
containers, plastic pails, garbage cans, industrial drums and whatever else
they could carry by hand, push in carts or load into taxis and cars and
bring to water distribution points.
One of those points was at the city's General Hospital, where a resident
named M.H. Aljazafri stood in line for one of the tankers for 15 minutes
before getting close enough to see the color of the water that was being
pumped into other people's containers.
"Oh, no. Very dirty," he said.
"This is drinking water," a soldier corrected him.
"Dirty water," he corrected the soldier. "Not for drinking" -- and he went
to the back of a second, much longer line for a tanker with clearer water.
Down a side road, meanwhile, in a house where 15 people have been without
water for three days, a woman named Amal said, "The situation is very bad."
"The water isn't clean," she said of the container of water they had managed
to get before the tanker that came to their neighborhood ran dry. "Before
the war, they cleaned it, and they put chlorine in it. Now it's very dirty.
It tastes like salt. And it's a green color because it comes from the river
and the river is dirty."
"We're angry about the war," said her sister Latifa. "We're angry about the
situation we're in now."
"Our life. What has happened to us," Amal said.
"Everyone is looking for water," Latifa said. "Every house has 20 people
living in it. Ours has 15. And that's what everyone did today. Looked for
water."
Š 2003 The Washington Post Company
Baba.Mung
"Lorraine Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:AWzla.9289$N94.8...@news20.bellglobal.com...
The spin in so much reporting of this war is that at least by implication
the victims have themselves to blame. We bomb their cities and when the
water supplies fail note that the system was ageing and that there is a lot
of vandalism going on. Ageing or not, the bombing did the damage that
stopped the water and, if there is vandalism, well there are also
requirements under international law that occupying forces take measureds to
prevent that sort of thing...
Baba
Lorraine Verona
news:CMIla.505$3g2...@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's poor
innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who will
all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the country
they have invaded and placed in ruins.
DAE
> > >
> >
> >
> > The spin in so much reporting of this war is that at least by
implication
> > the victims have themselves to blame. We bomb their cities and when the
> > water supplies fail note that the system was ageing and that there is a
> lot
> > of vandalism going on. Ageing or not, the bombing did the damage that
> > stopped the water and, if there is vandalism, well there are also
> > requirements under international law that occupying forces take
measureds
> to
> > prevent that sort of thing...
> >
> > Baba
> Yep and they (the USA) planned this war for months but never planned for
> peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's poor
> innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who will
> all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the
country
> they have invaded and placed in ruins.
>
> Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Lorraine,
I take objection to your remarks about the United States and what it is
doing in the Middle East. Your being of French ancestry I wonder if Canada
is a Commonwealth of England as it seems to have a French Government in
residence, and one that I think most Canadians wish were not in power.
Saddam was warned about his weapons and his ties with the various terrorists
groups in Iraq. The Russians even sent their Foreign Minister to talk, or
try to talk sense into Saddam that we weren't making idle threats, yet he
chose the path he was going to follow. Bush gave him 48 hours and 7 minutes
to concede. He didn't and the war began.
Terrorist camps have been found in several areas of Iraq. He has knowingly
sheltered terrorist, most notably Abu Nidal who at one time was the number
one most wanted terrorist in the World, until Bin Laden made his move on
9/11.
They have found nuclear material, chemical suits, anti-dotes for gas
poisoning, weapons caches that could outfit thousands more people than he
had in his Army, and munitions to match. He used hospitals and schools for
weapons storage and war planning rooms, a violation of the Geneva
Convention, and as a matter of fact violated every part of the convention he
possibly could.
He tortured and killed nearly a million or more people in the most ghastly
ways possible, fought two wars with his neighbors, Iran and Kuwait, and then
challenged the U.N. for 12 years.
I think Bush and his team did the right thing and the right way. It isn't
over yet, and won't be, but those poor souls will have no midnight knock on
the door and be dragged off to their execution or torture for praying
outside of a Mosque.
Don
Tex Simmons
I heard a report several hours ago thay water in Basra has been restored. The
Brits are doing a great job in Basra.
--
Regards,
Clark, in Round Rock Texas USA
Dialup Internet Service Throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Web Based Computer Training
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God Bless America and her Allies!
"Lorraine Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:8TJla.11498$id.6...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Yep and they (the USA) planned this war for months but never planned for
> peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's poor
> innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who will
> all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the country
> they have invaded and placed in ruins.
>
> Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
>
>
>
>
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.471 / Virus Database: 269 - Release Date: 4/10/2003
Tex Simmons
--
Regards,
Clark, in Round Rock Texas USA
Dialup Internet Service Throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Web Based Computer Training
http://xld.com/public/xldata/net.htm
God Bless America and her Allies!
"DAE" <d.e...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:eOKla.447582$S_4.503696@rwcrnsc53...
> > > > ) 2003 The Washington Post Company
Jim C
chance to settle down. Instead of re-publishing all this crap about how
bad thing are, why don't you go over there and offer to help. It would
be a lot more useful.
JimC
> > > © 2003 The Washington Post Company
Lorraine Verona
> > Yep and they (the USA) planned this war for months but never planned for
> > peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's poor
> > innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who
will
> > all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the
> country
> > they have invaded and placed in ruins.
> >
> > Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
>
>
> Lorraine,
>
> I take objection to your remarks about the United States and what it is
> doing in the Middle East.
Don,
So what is your views on what they are doing in the Middle East?
>Your being of French ancestry I wonder if Canada
> is a Commonwealth of England as it seems to have a French Government in
> residence, and one that I think most Canadians wish were not in power.
Maybe your should research the subject before commenting.
Canada is part of the Commonwealth.
Canada is one country with 12 provinces.
Canada has got two governments, one in Ottawa (Federal) and one in Quebec
(Provincial)Canada is a bilingual country.
Every PM is or was bilingual even if learning the second language was a bit
of a difficulty for some.
The official party for the government of Quebec is called "Le Parti
Quebecois" (but may no longer be within the next 2 hours- it's election day
in Quebec). And it is not define as a French Government even if all the
members called themselves Quebecois not Canadians.
It's not Canadians who wished Le Parti Quebecois was not in power, it's the
Quebecers (different amount of population). Even in Quebec, where the
official language is French, more than 60% of the population is bilingual.
>
> Saddam was warned about his weapons and his ties with the various
terrorists
> groups in Iraq. The Russians even sent their Foreign Minister to talk, or
> try to talk sense into Saddam that we weren't making idle threats, yet he
> chose the path he was going to follow. Bush gave him 48 hours and 7
minutes
> to concede. He didn't and the war began.
Sure did, without the UN approval...but then what does America care about
other than itself? Where was the terrorist threats by Iraq against America?
You have more to worry about with the threats by North Korea who do have a
nuclear missile which can reach your shores (as well as ours) and cause
massive destruction. How could Iraq do that?
>
> Terrorist camps have been found in several areas of Iraq. He has
knowingly
> sheltered terrorist, most notably Abu Nidal who at one time was the number
> one most wanted terrorist in the World, until Bin Laden made his move on
> 9/11.
The United Kingdom has a record of harbouring terrorists. It still does.
Where is Bush's demand to Blair that "you are either with us or against us"
since the terrorists are still there!
And what about the policy of the USA to fund terrorism itself in other
countries? Of course, to Americans that's not terrorism. It's something
else!
>
> They have found nuclear material, chemical suits, anti-dotes for gas
> poisoning, weapons caches that could outfit thousands more people than he
> had in his Army, and munitions to match.
Strange that they found no chemical weapons. Perhaps these chemical suits,
anti-dotes etc were to be used as a defence against an American threat of
using chemical weapons against them. Has that thought ever passed your
mind?
>He used hospitals and schools for
> weapons storage and war planning rooms, a violation of the Geneva
> Convention, and as a matter of fact violated every part of the convention
he
> possibly could.
And you used Guantanamo Bay to violate the Geneva Convention, but, of
course, you can use it as an excuse that you are not holding POW. It
doesn't matter, your crime is the same as his.
>
> He tortured and killed nearly a million or more people in the most ghastly
> ways possible, fought two wars with his neighbors, Iran and Kuwait, and
then
> challenged the U.N. for 12 years.
I doubt if you will find any person on this NG who supports or supported
Iraq and Saddam Hussein in the way the country was run. You know perfectly
well that my main objection was the killing of innocent civilians, something
I don't read too much about from your side. However CNN is ramming down my
throat, 24 hours a day, the rescue of 7 POW but isn't inclined to show you
what other TV stations across the world show their viewers- children with
blown off arms and legs - the results of your precision bombing.
The USA killed God knows how many people in Vietnam by using napalm. What a
ghastly death that must have been with bodies burning to a frizzle. America
did it but that's ok!
> I think Bush and his team did the right thing and the right way. It isn't
> over yet, and won't be, but those poor souls will have no midnight knock
on
> the door and be dragged off to their execution or torture for praying
> outside of a Mosque.
> Don
I would agree if the USA did it for this reason. You can fool some of the
people all of the time. You can fool all the people some of the time, but
you cannot fool all the people all of the time. In due time you will
realise this, probably 20 years after the rest of the world.
Lorraine
DAE
Lorraine,
How long did you think of this before you responded? Then you respond in
your usual way, engaging your fingers before you engage your brain. Calm
down. Your Government isn't very well liked by the rest of the Canadians as
I understand it. Alberta, that belongs to Canada doesn't it, is now talking
about seceding from Canada because of the lack of recognition from your
Government. I think the U.S. would welcome them if they did leave. Your
Government also, by changing the fishing and hunting laws cost the Canadian
people approximately $4 Billion dollars in revenue, mainly from American
Sportsman, who have decided not to go to Canada because these laws are too
restricted.
So, clean up your own act before you critique ours.
Don
Lorraine Verona
>
> "Lorraine Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> news:YZJma.2140$uY.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> >
> > "DAE" <d.e...@attbi.com> wrote in message
> > news:eOKla.447582$S_4.503696@rwcrnsc53...
> >
> >
> > > > Yep and they (the USA) planned this war for months but never planned
> for
> > > > peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's
poor
> > > > innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who
> > will
> > > > all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the
> > > country
> > > > they have invaded and placed in ruins.
> > > >
> > > > Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
> > >
> > >
> > > Lorraine,
> > >
> > > I take objection to your remarks about the United States and what it
is
> > > doing in the Middle East.
> >
> > Don,
> >
> > So what is your views on what they are doing in the Middle East?
ATTENTION: I did not get your response on this question :-)
See this is what you cannot accept...my brain is always engaged before my
fingers. I guess yours must has been unable to cope with your fingers as
you were off the group for a long period of time <BG>
Calm
> down.
I am always calm.....
Your Government isn't very well liked by the rest of the Canadians as
> I understand it.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been there since November 1993 and many
elections were available to get him out of office if Canadians did not like
him and his team. I guess that if his party was reelected 3 times it means
that the population has got confidence into him and his people don't you
think? Why is it though that an American president can only be elected
twice? I think that Clinton would have done you all a service if he could
have been reelected for a third term. The problem with American thinking is
that they put the man's sexual proclivities before his politics. He was a
man who had good relations with most countries and what's more he knew
where they were!
>Alberta, that belongs to Canada doesn't it, is now talking
> about seceding from Canada because of the lack of recognition from your
> Government.
Ralph Klein has been commenting on a possibility....nothing as yet been
confirmed.
From what I have heard it's not because of the lack of recognition from HIS
government, remember, Alberta is a province which belongs to the Ottawa
Government, not Quebec...
Quebec (while under Le Parti Quebecois) also wanted to get out of Canada and
after a long debate and referendum and very high costs, the population said
NO. So I don't think Alberta is close to seceding from Canada.
<I think the U.S. would welcome them if they did leave.
Of course you would, with the second largest oil reserve in the world you
would welcome them ten times over LOL...but keep wishing :-)
Your
> Government also, by changing the fishing and hunting laws cost the
Canadian
> people approximately $4 Billion dollars in revenue, mainly from American
> Sportsman, who have decided not to go to Canada because these laws are too
> restricted.
Canadians prefer to catch fish with rods....it appears Americans prefer to
shoot them in the water...they had to make restrictions to prevent the swans
dying from eating lead pellets :-) Seriously speaking, there must be a very
good reason why the Canadian Government is prepared to turn away from $4
billion in revenue by keeping American holidaymakers out of this
country....I must write to my PM and ask him...and I will get an answer, of
that I am sure! Do you get responses from your president when you write to
the White House?
> So, clean up your own act before you critique ours.
But again, we have no major problems in our country. In fact we have so
much water that we provide north America with half of their supply. Could
be that is another province you could go after :-)
Canada minds it's own business. Canada looks after it's own people before
running to invade other countries. The heads of our governments are not
warmongers. From what we have been listening to this morning, your
warmonger is ready to go after Syria...and then perhaps Iran...so with all
your money he is spending on wars you guys will never get a piece of the
cake, only increase taxation while Bush's buddies are making money.
Now I have replied to each and everyone of your points...how about you doing
the same?
You have avoided responding to my last post.
Lorraine
>
> Don
>
>
Jane
Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> says...
>
> "DAE" <d.e...@attbi.com> wrote in message
> news:eOKla.447582$S_4.503696@rwcrnsc53...
>
>
> > > Yep and they (the USA) planned this war for months but never planned for
> > > peace or to take responsibilities for their actions. Again, it's poor
> > > innocent people who are the victims, not the Bush administration who
> will
> > > all be millionnaires once they get all the contracts to rebuilt the
> > country
> > > they have invaded and placed in ruins.
> > >
> > > Lorraine - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
> >
> >
> > Lorraine,
> >
> > I take objection to your remarks about the United States and what it is
> > doing in the Middle East.
>
> Don,
>
> So what is your views on what they are doing in the Middle East?
>
> >Your being of French ancestry I wonder if Canada
> > is a Commonwealth of England as it seems to have a French Government in
> > residence, and one that I think most Canadians wish were not in power.
>
> Maybe your should research the subject before commenting.
> Canada is part of the Commonwealth.
> Canada is one country with 12 provinces.
> Canada has got two governments, one in Ottawa (Federal) and one in Quebec
> (Provincial)Canada is a bilingual country.
I think you left out a few governments, Lorraine. :-)
We, in Ontario, also have a provincial government, and I think the other
eight provinces and three territories have their own, too!
Not to mention all those pesky municipal governments. We have one in
Toronto, and I'll bet you have a local government in Mont Tremblant, too.
<g>
> Every PM is or was bilingual even if learning the second language was a bit
> of a difficulty for some.
> The official party for the government of Quebec is called "Le Parti
> Quebecois" (but may no longer be within the next 2 hours- it's election day
> in Quebec).
It's way more than two hours later, and you were right, the Liberals are
now in power in Quebec.
>And it is not define as a French Government even if all the
> members called themselves Quebecois not Canadians.
> It's not Canadians who wished Le Parti Quebecois was not in power, it's the
> Quebecers (different amount of population).
Probably both, if the truth were told, but the people of Quebec are the
ones who were able to vote on it, and they have spoken.
> Even in Quebec, where the
> official language is French, more than 60% of the population is bilingual.
>
Yes, I wish we had as good a bilingualism record in Ontario, Lorraine.
Maybe by the time your grandchildren are grown, we will have done better.
Jane
Lorraine Verona
news:MPG.1906b47d...@nntp.ym.phub.net.cable.rogers.com...
> In article <YZJma.2140$uY.2...@news20.bellglobal.com>, "Lorraine
> Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> says...
> > (snipperoni here...)
> > Don,
> >
> > So what is your views on what they are doing in the Middle East?
> >
> > >Your being of French ancestry I wonder if Canada
> > > is a Commonwealth of England as it seems to have a French Government
in
> > > residence, and one that I think most Canadians wish were not in power.
> >
> > Maybe your should research the subject before commenting.
> > Canada is part of the Commonwealth.
> > Canada is one country with 12 provinces.
> > Canada has got two governments, one in Ottawa (Federal) and one in
Quebec
> > (Provincial)Canada is a bilingual country.
>
> I think you left out a few governments, Lorraine. :-)
Yes Jane your are right LOL...I was answering having in mind
Canada/Quebec....Each provinces has got their own provincial governement.
> We, in Ontario, also have a provincial government, and I think the other
> eight provinces and three territories have their own, too!
Yes you are right, they are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nothwest Territories, Nova Scotai,
Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon
> Not to mention all those pesky municipal governments. We have one in
> Toronto, and I'll bet you have a local government in Mont Tremblant, too.
We call them municipal government here :-)...and maybe I should have taken
more time to explain it properly...sorry :-(
> <g>
>
> > Every PM is or was bilingual even if learning the second language was a
bit
> > of a difficulty for some.
> > The official party for the government of Quebec is called "Le Parti
> > Quebecois" (but may no longer be within the next 2 hours- it's election
day
> > in Quebec).
>
> It's way more than two hours later, and you were right, the Liberals are
> now in power in Quebec.
>
> >And it is not define as a French Government even if all the
> > members called themselves Quebecois not Canadians.
> > It's not Canadians who wished Le Parti Quebecois was not in power, it's
the
> > Quebecers (different amount of population).
>
> Probably both, if the truth were told, but the people of Quebec are the
> ones who were able to vote on it, and they have spoken.
Mind you Jane I am not a member of Le Parti Québécois but I think they have
done some good while they were in power. They are leaving with a zero
deficit and lots of good things were done for Quebec families (i.e. $5. a
day for day nursery for family with low income) They haven't raised taxes
for a few years. Low income single person gets an allowance to help pay
their rent. As I said, I never voted for them but I must admit that they
have done some good things. Now, even if I am a Liberal, we will have to
wait a few months before we can comment on this new government.
I don't think it was a surprise though...very rare in Quebec that a party is
reelected a third time and this would have been Le Parti Québécois 3rd term.
>
> > Even in Quebec, where the
> > official language is French, more than 60% of the population is
bilingual.
> >
>
> Yes, I wish we had as good a bilingualism record in Ontario, Lorraine.
Well Jane I have many friends who live in Ontario and friends that were
raised in Ontario and they manage the French language pretty well. I would
not see the necessity of speaking French when you live in an English
speaking province unless you wish to add a second language to your
knowledge. But my friends in Ontario do say that they loose it easily for
lack of practice.
> Maybe by the time your grandchildren are grown, we will have done better.
I only have one granchild...sure she will be the only one :-) We are sending
her to private English lessons this summer...I hope she won't be as stubborn
as her mother :-)...my daughter does not speak English, she understands a
bit but won't make any effort to learn the language.
Lorraine
>
> Jane
Jane
Verona" <laverona@(Unwanted)sympatico.ca> says...
> Your Government isn't very well liked by the rest of the Canadians as
> > I understand it.
>
> Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been there since November 1993 and many
> elections were available to get him out of office if Canadians did not like
> him and his team. I guess that if his party was reelected 3 times it means
> that the population has got confidence into him and his people don't you
> think?
Personally, I voted for him because the only other leader who had any
chance (in Ontario) of taking many seats was Stockwell Day, and I really
couldn't vote for him and his band of bigots. I do, like my MP just fine
(and he is part of the team you mention), even if Mr. Chretien is not a
favourite of mine.
> Why is it though that an American president can only be elected
> twice? I think that Clinton would have done you all a service if he could
> have been reelected for a third term. The problem with American thinking is
> that they put the man's sexual proclivities before his politics. He was a
> man who had good relations with most countries and what's more he knew
> where they were!
>
> >Alberta, that belongs to Canada doesn't it, is now talking
> > about seceding from Canada because of the lack of recognition from your
> > Government.
>
> Ralph Klein has been commenting on a possibility....nothing as yet been
> confirmed.
> From what I have heard it's not because of the lack of recognition from HIS
> government, remember, Alberta is a province which belongs to the Ottawa
> Government, not Quebec...
> Quebec (while under Le Parti Quebecois) also wanted to get out of Canada and
> after a long debate and referendum and very high costs, the population said
> NO. So I don't think Alberta is close to seceding from Canada.
>
> <I think the U.S. would welcome them if they did leave.
>
> Of course you would, with the second largest oil reserve in the world you
> would welcome them ten times over LOL...but keep wishing :-)
>
I doubt very much, even if Alberta did leave, if they would join the
U.S., since their main complaint (like all the provinces) is that the
federal government tells them what to do. Joining the U.S. would just be
exchanging one master for another.
> Your
> > Government also, by changing the fishing and hunting laws cost the
> Canadian
> > people approximately $4 Billion dollars in revenue, mainly from American
> > Sportsman, who have decided not to go to Canada because these laws are too
> > restricted.
>
> Canadians prefer to catch fish with rods....it appears Americans prefer to
> shoot them in the water...they had to make restrictions to prevent the swans
> dying from eating lead pellets :-) Seriously speaking, there must be a very
> good reason why the Canadian Government is prepared to turn away from $4
> billion in revenue by keeping American holidaymakers out of this
> country....I must write to my PM and ask him...and I will get an answer, of
> that I am sure! Do you get responses from your president when you write to
> the White House?
I find this statistic amazing.
I had no idea hunting and fishing were such big tourism draws. Our entire
non-domestic tourism revenues are only in the 16-17 billion dollar range,
and I find it hard to understand how one quarter of these revenues can be
from people who come here to hunt and fish. Even at the lake where I have
my cottage (still trying to find the digital pictures, Don), most of the
tourists don't fish. They swim, they water ski, they take day trips to
Ottawa, but many of them don't fish. And I would have thought that most
tourists would have gone to the cities (like Toronto, Montreal, Quebec
and Vancouver) or the scenic areas (Canadian Rockies, Cabot Trail,
Niagara Falls, Mont Tremblant).
You live and learn, I guess.
Jane
Jane
such a bad thing to have a change periodically. Goodness knows, Mr.
Chretien seems to be causing more trouble than he is worth lately. As
you know, I approved of his decision that we not participate in the war
in Iraq, but he should have stopped his people from running off at the
mouth about it. It's really tactless and inappropriate in cabinet
ministers and members of parliament to be saying derogatory things about
the people and leaders of another country, especially such a close
neighbour. Did their mothers teach them nothing about manners?
But what about his not allowing a free vote on the budget allocation for
the ^&*&^(* gun registry? And his on again off again behaviour with the
various candidates for the new leader? It's OK to campaign, it's not OK,
it's OK again. I tell you, he's getting a little strange, and it's about
time they replaced him.
> > > Even in Quebec, where the
> > > official language is French, more than 60% of the population is
> bilingual.
> > >
> >
> > Yes, I wish we had as good a bilingualism record in Ontario, Lorraine.
>
> Well Jane I have many friends who live in Ontario and friends that were
> raised in Ontario and they manage the French language pretty well. I would
> not see the necessity of speaking French when you live in an English
> speaking province unless you wish to add a second language to your
> knowledge. But my friends in Ontario do say that they loose it easily for
> lack of practice.
When I was still only a few years out of high school, I managed OK. I had
a friend who came from Quebec City. Many of her father's relatives spoke
no English, and I managed to talk to them at parties, with some effort,
and a lot of good will on both sides. The people I got on best with were
her uncle and cousin, two (litigation) lawyers who enunciated extremely
clearly, and spoke more slowly than everyone else.
But I doubt if I would understand much all these years later. I don't
even read it at all well any more.
And while it's true that it's seldom needed here, I still wish I spoke it
adequately. Perhaps if we all made more effort to speak French, the
people of Quebec would not feel their culture was so threatened that they
would consider separating from the rest of Canada.
>
> > Maybe by the time your grandchildren are grown, we will have done better.
>
> I only have one granchild...sure she will be the only one :-) We are sending
> her to private English lessons this summer...I hope she won't be as stubborn
> as her mother :-)...my daughter does not speak English, she understands a
> bit but won't make any effort to learn the language.
>
My nephew is a student in his last year at McGill, and works part time at
a Subway. He's the only one in that franchise who speaks English, but he
is bilingual now. Besides taking as many courses in French at university
as he can, he did an exchange program in high school where he lived with
a French family for two weeks, and last summer spent six weeks in a
French immersion course. I don't know if he will stay in Quebec when he
finally starts working, but if not, he'll probably teach French and keep
it up that way.
There's no question that bilingualism is a great advantage in the job
market, so I hope your granddaughter takes advantage of the opportunity.
Jane