Amazing in the dog days of summer. From speech police harassment to physical violence, it’s crazy out there

OPINIONS

Written by Ian Pattison

JUST A MIRACLE. That’s what we say when something strange happens that we can’t understand or comprehend. Strange things are happening more often these days and the dog days of summer seem like a good time to check out some of them.

Sovereignty is not far from Quebec politics 30 years after the great secession debate ended in favor of staying in Canada — but it was close.

The recent change in francophone insecurity has serious consequences for patient safety in Quebec hospitals. Language inspectors from the Office québécois de la langue française are expanding their inspection list beyond businesses, and are now targeting hospitals in the Montreal area, The Gazette reported last week.

Audits are ongoing to ensure that French is spoken in the operating rooms. In a life and death situation where the main anglophone doctor holds the scalpel, the danger becomes real when the nurse insists on being asked for the equipment in French.

A growing body of research has shown that language barriers can result in poor medical outcomes, and a 2015 study in the United States warns that “miscommunication in the health care sector can be life-threatening.”

A poll published in Le Devoir at the end of last year, found that 38 percent of Quebec voters would vote to stand for sovereignty if a referendum were to be held. Half of respondents (51 percent) are still opposed to sovereignty (and separation from Canada), while another 10 percent were unsure.

In Quebec, majority is not counted when language policy is made.

AFTER famine swept through war-torn Gaza in March, and Israel denied entry to food trucks, US President Joe Biden ordered the military to set up a temporary port for giving aid from the Mediterranean Sea.

It took two months and 230 million dollars to build the floating boat and since then the flow of aid has been very low as the rough seas have hit pieces of the ship. Once the ship was docked at the beach, it was idle for only 20 days. It has been dismantled.

World Central Kitchen had a better idea. An aid group used to making do with what it has in trouble spots around the world, it took just six days to build a jet boat from the rubble of buildings blown up by Israel. It was brought ashore one truck at a time as the last pieces were being dropped into place as a ship full of food came in to tie up.

Sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer.

BODY WORK makes for some crazy ideas as Victorian British Columbians can attest.

Apparently some people believe there is a stigma around menstruation, so the capital issued the following announcement in May:

“Today we join efforts to reduce stigma around menstruation and work for menstrual equality. City Hall will light up red (appropriately) and display a period flag on the mast. our community.”

Is there a flag?

Oh yeah, and a necklace, too.

“It’s hard to find a word that captures the feeling of seeing a man sporting a menstrual heel,” wrote Jamie Sarkonak in The National Post a while ago. “It’s not ‘scary’ but it’s here.”

That sentiment emerged when several Liberal MPs took it upon themselves to advocate for Menstrual Hygiene Day, “another celebration on the calendar that raises awareness that people generally don’t know about,” as Sarkonak put it. let down.

Contestants including Ahmed Hussen, Seamus O’Regan, Mary Ng, Mélanie Joly and Lisa Hepfner each presented a necklace with five red beads representing the five days on which women and month to month.

Sarkonak wrote: “The bracelets presented a ‘used package,’ inviting viewers to shiver or shiver (or both).”

Commenting on the likely sentiment of many Canadians, he added, “The Liberals always need to find something new to release, that’s why they’re running to be champions for that time.”

ON CRINGEY, an Ontario woman is facing accusations of “racism” after reporting her concerns about people openly defecating on the sands of her local beach.

Last month, TikToker @itsnattylxnn2.0 posted a video about the many adventures he witnessed at his home in Wasaga Beach, home to the longest freshwater beach in the world popular with locals and visitors alike.

He said he saw for the first time that several East Indian families came to have a barbecue outside his fence. He said they dug holes, pitched tents over them, and that after they left “there was dirt.” A still image from his video shows no such restriction by another person living on the beach in the open.

As he continued to post videos, opponents began to accuse him of spreading racism against Indians and saying that self-praise was a cultural difference that Canadians should follow.

Free bragging is such a problem in India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to build hundreds of millions of public toilets in order to end the practice. But it is still widespread, and the beaches are a very popular place.

The City of Wasaga Beach and Parks Ontario say they are not aware of this practice and will take action against it if it does. But @itsnattylxnn2.0 said a former local official confirmed what he saw and other responders said they saw people bragging on the sand at Sauble Beach, Crystal Beach and Grand Bend Beach.

In 2020, The Globe and Mail reported that tensions were beginning to rise in Ontario’s coastal communities as locals expressed anger at the rise in public behavior taking place on their shores.

There are 15 public bathrooms at Wasaga Beach.

FINALLY today on the Yuck Factor scale comes news from the world of fashion.

Did you know you can buy denim jeans with the dirt already attached? You don’t have to go out and sweat it out. Jeans are available in factory-used grass or mud stains.

Not to be missed, fashion brand Jordan Luca is selling the “ultimate piece of denim” – a spot that the internet world was quick to call “pee-stained jeans.”

Yessirie, for just $1,150 you can pretend you can’t make it to the bathroom after too many beers at the bar.

“Immodesty is now fashionable,” wrote Vinay Menon in The Toronto Star.

Fashion experts explain that the revolutionary look is here. “The essence of relaxation is not caring,” says Lorynn Divita, assistant professor of apparel design and marketing at Baylor University. “I can’t think of anything that screams ‘I don’t care’ more than proudly wearing jeans that make people think, at least at first glance, that you’re wearing your pants.”

I’m sorry but that’s weird. Actually, I’m not sorry, I’m just confused and worried.

Menon sums up the conclusion that many will reach on this and other issues in this midsummer classic: “Folks, I’m not sure what the world is going to be like in the next 20 years.”

Ian Pattison has retired as The Chronicle-Journal’s editorial page editor, but he’s still sharing his thoughts on current affairs. You can email him at iPatPoint29@gmail.com.