We are happy to report that the busses in Montreal are now permitted in hockey season to urge on the Canadiens with “Go! Habs! Go!” signs. (1)
Quebec’s mercurial and controversial language police have decided that using the word “go” is a legitimate way to cheer on sports teams in the province, paving the way for excited fans – and Montreal’s transit agency - to celebrate without fear of recrimination. (2)
If that was one step forward in the cause of multilingualism, there was one step back across the Atlantic.
A complaint against a Belgian ticket inspector who gave passengers a bilingual greeting in Dutch-speaking Flanders has been upheld, shedding light on the country’s strict language laws.
The conductor, Ilyass Alba, said Belgium’s Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control had upheld a complaint made by a commuter in 2024. The passenger had objected to Alba’s use of the French word “bonjour” while the train was in Dutch-speaking Flanders.
Alba said he had greeted the carriage with “Goeiedag, bonjour” (good day in Dutch and French), as the train approached Vilvoorde (Vilvorde), near the outskirts of Brussels, which is officially bilingual.
The commission upheld the passenger’s complaint that Alba should not have used French in the Dutch-speaking part of the country, unless approached by a passenger speaking French. (3)
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Marriage Misery—Then and Now
The New Yorker 1942:
Circuitously, we have learned of a wistful note received by one of the local draft boards. "I just heard that you have classified John K— in 3-A, because he is living with his wife," the note said. "I believe he should be reclassified and put into 1-A, because he isn't living with his wife. He is living with my wife.”
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yahoo.com 2025:
My husband moved his mistress into our house. Can our marriage be saved?
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On the Commercial Front
True North frozen Patagonian sea scallops
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Do you like babka?
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Are you smart enough to play a musical instrument?
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When having too much money goes to your head:
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Summer's Lease Hath All Too Short a Date:
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Implement of Destruction
There was also the Trump, a hollow tube packed with explosives and fixed to a lance. ‘When you light the Trump, it continues a long time snorting and belching vivid, furious flames ... several yards long.’ (4)
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And if it’s sport you’re after:
World Axe Throwing League
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Arboreal Cupid
And finally, to make you all feel better, Jim at Slate reported that Trump’s pick for Surgeon General (who no longer holds a medical license), Casey Means, “has a newsletter in which she discusses topics such as how she used to go on solo hikes and ask the trees to help her find a romantic partner.”
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- We reported on the dispute here: https://drnormalvision.blogspot.com/2025/04/no-go.html
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/04/quebec-canada-english-language
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/16/complaint-upheld-against-belgian-ticket-inspector-who-said-bonjour-in-flanders
- https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n06/ferdinand-mount/this-is-the-day
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