Hall's Stream of Consciousness

Mainer joining French-speaking mayors | The Portland Press Herald

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:59:00 +0000

En lisant cet article, je ne croyais pas qu'il n'y personne au New Hampshire qui qualifierait pour assister à cette réunion. Malgré le fait que le maire de notre ville la plus française, Frank Guinta de Manchester, ne parle pas français, je me demande des autres comme David Bertrand de Berlin, Donnalee Lozeau de Nashua ou Phillip Pregent de Keene.

C'est formidable pour le Maine qu'on pense souvent à Lewiston comme la ville française. Sans doute, c'est une bonne chose pour tout les yankois qu'on gagne n'importe attention pour notre espace francophone, mais est-qu'il n'y a pas de place plus évidente pour tout le monde à voir le New Hampshire français?

Mainer joining French-speaking mayors The Portland Press Herald

In reading this article, I couldn't believe that there is no one in New Hampshire who qualifies to attend this meeting. Despite the fact that the mayor of our most French city, Frank Guinta of Manchester, doesn't speak French, I wonder about others like David Bertrand of Berlin, Donnalee Lozeau of Nashua or Phillip Pregent of Keene.

It's great for Maine that we often think of Lewiston as the French city. Without a doubt, it's a good thing for all yankois that we gain whatever attention for our French-speaking milieu, but isn't there a more obvious place for the world to see the French of New Hampshire?

Mainer joining French-speaking mayors The Portland Press Herald

French Encyclopedia of New Hampshire

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Après avoir appris qu'on peut créer un livre des articles de Wikipedia, je l'ai trouvé si cool que j'ai commencé à chercher un excuse pour le faire. Parmi mes intérêts, la combinaison avec laquelle je serait le plus original, donc utile, est le New Hampshire et le français. Donc je me suis inscrit à Wikipedia pour créer mon propre compte avec lequel je serait capable d'enregistrer les sujets que je trouve comme obligatoire pour mon encyclopédie du New Hampshire!

Malheureusement, ce n'était pas une tâche où je pouvais chercher des articles, décider un ordre et me donner des félicitations pendant que j'envoyais le produit finale à l'imprimeur. Pas du tout.

Ça ne devrait pas causer un choc à découvrir que les pages du Wikipedia francophone sont meilleur quant aux la France, Napoléon et le vin, et pire quant aux sujets des états américains. Par exemple, la section de politique de New Hampshire s'occupe exclusivement des parties et des élections et il manque complètement le style de gouvernement (même l'organisme presque unique des États-Unis, le conseil exécutif). Alors pour créer un encyclopédie utile, il y a beaucoup de travail qu'il faut faire.

Pour commencer à contribuer plus qu'une correction brève au Wikipedia, comme je faisais jusqu'à maintenant, j'ai voulu éviter le conflit potentiel de modifiant l'ouvre des autres, donc j'ai choisi de créer une nouvelle page: Le français au New Hampshire. Celle serait cruciale pour expliquer la raison pour laquelle il y a un encyclopédie du New Hampshire en français, parce que ce n'est pas malheureusement bien connu qu'on parle français ici. C'était bon comme un bac à sable où je faisais des expériences avec les fonctions de Wikipedia différentes comme les citations, les catégories, les portails, etc. J'ai aussi reçu des corrections sur cette page des utilisateurs chevronnés, dont je pense comme des commentaires utiles.

Or, je m'écris une liste de tâche sur les articles les plus importants auxquelles je vais ajouter des détails, grâce aux traductions anglaises, jusqu'au point que les pages françaises ont l'air d'autorité comme celles anglaises. Sans doute, c'est un travail difficile qui existe sous le menace constant d'avoir besoin de rattraper la version anglaise.

Donc, si ce projet vous intéresse, s'il vous plaît, on peut travailler ensemble! Je m'occupe du New Hampshire, mais les autres états de la Nouvelle-Angleterre ont aussi besoin du travail.

Mais pour les gens qui m'aideraient avec le New Hampshire, je vous promets de vous donner du crédit dans mon livre ;-D

After having learned that you can create a book from Wikipedia articles, I thought is was so cool that I started to search for an excuse to do it. Among my interests, the combination where I would be the most original, and therefore useful, is New Hampshire and French. So I registered on Wikipedia to create my own account I could use to save the subjects that I think are obligatory in my encyclopedia of New Hampshire!

Unfortunately, it wasn't a task where I could search for articles, decide their order and congratulate myself while I sent the final product to the printers. Not at all.

It shouldn't be shocking to find out that the pages on the French Wikipedia are better regarding France, Napoleon and wine, and worse on the subject of American states. For example, the section on the political aspects of New Hampshire deals exclusively with parties and elections, and it completely misses the style of government (even the body that's almost unique in the U.S., the Executive Council). So to create a useful encyclopedia, there is a lot of work that must be done.

In order to start to contribute more than just a correction to Wikipedia, as I've done up to now, I wanted to avoid the potential conflict of modifying the work of others, so I chose to create a new page: Le français au New Hampshire (French in New Hampshire). This would be crucial to explain the reason for a French encyclopedia of New Hampshire, because it is unfortunately not well known that French is spoken here. It was good as a sandbox where I experimented with the different functions of Wikipedia, such as citations, categories, portals, etc. I also received corrections on this page from veteran users, which I took as positive feedback.

So I'm writing myself a list of tasks on the most important articles to which I will add details, thanks to the English translations, until the French pages have the appearance of authority of their English versions. Without a doubt, this is a difficult task that exists under the constant threat of needing to catch up with the English version.

So, if this project interests you, please, we can work together! I'm dealing with New Hampshire, but the other New England states need work too.

But for the people who help me with New Hampshire, I promise I will give you credit in my book ;-D

Voyant le QC du NH: les nouvelles 7/8 - 14/8

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:25:00 +0000

J'abonne aux plusieurs sources d'actualités pour garder au courant avec la façon le fréquence et les contextes dont l'état granitique et de La Belle Province se regardent. Voici les histoires dans lesquelles le New Hampshire lisait du Québec pendant cette semaine.

La Santé et L'Environment
En travaillant avec l'entreprise montréalais, La Société de vélo en libre-service, Boston a l'intention d'installer le plus grand système de vélos à loyer aux É-U avant l'été prochain.

Boston readies bike sharing
Nashua Telegraph
Officials are in talks with the Public Bike System Company in Montreal to install a network of 2500 bikes and 290 stations across the city by next summer, ...

La Course
À cause de l'inhalation du monoxyde de carbone de Reed Sorenson pendant la course à Pocono le 3 août, quelques uns croyaient que Jacques Villeneuve aurait piloté la voiture n° 41 à Watkins Glen.

Sorenson recovering from carbon monoxide
Concord Monitor
AP STATESVILLE, NC - NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson inhaled carbon monoxide during Monday's Sprint Cup race at Pocono, and his team has asked former Formula ...

Le Plein Air
Un homme raconte de son voyage avec sa blonde au beau lac partagé par le Vermont et le Québec: Lac Champlain.

Champlain paddle
Concord Monitor
My sweetheart Marilyn and I explored the islands of northern Lake Champlain in late June seeking a relaxing mid-week getaway. We found it. ...

Le Technologie
Grâce à la division de haute technologie de PennWell Publishing, qui se trouve à Nashua, on avait plusieurs opportunités de lire des nouvelles technologies québécoises.

Smart camera lineup includes high-resolution sensor
Vision Systems Design
AUGUST 11, 2009--A higher-resolution sensor has been added to the line of Matrox Iris GT smart cameras. The sensor on the Matrox Iris GT1900 is a 1600 x ...

Cascades Posts Significantly Improved Results in the Second Quarter
Solid State Technology
August 11, 2009 -- KINGSEY FALLS, QC, Aug. 11 /CNW Telbec/ - Cascades Inc. (CAS on the Toronto stock exchange), a leader in recovery and in green packaging ...

Binswanger Myre Pageau Brokers Major Sale in Saint Augustin ...
Industrial Laser Solutions
August 12, 2009 -- On behalf of its client, AGC Glass Company North America ("AGC"), Binswanger Myre Pageau is pleased to announce the sale of a 605000 sq. ...

MEGA Brands Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results
Solid State Technology
August 13, 2009 -- MONTREAL, Aug. 13 /CNW Telbec/ - MEGA Brands Inc. (TSX: MB) announced today its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, ...

Seeing NH from QC: News Roundup 8/6 - 8/13

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:33:00 +0000

To keep attuned to how the Granite State and La Belle Province look at each other, I follow many subscriptions to see when and in what contexts one appears on the other's radar. Here is a rundown of how Québec read about New Hampshire this week.

Summarized in English, since the linked articles are already in French.

Baseball
As the CanAm season rolls on, the expected comparisons in standings and upcoming games in the schedule keep New Hampshire, via The American Defenders, in Québec's sports' pages.

However in the last item in this section, we get a few more thoughts on the rumor of a potential move of the American Defenders to Trois-Rivières. In this article, the president that city's existing baseball team, Les Aigles of the Baseball Élite du Québec league, expresses his doubts that they would attract crowds like those in Québec City, which often surpass 3,500 spectators.

Tornadoes 10 / Capitales 7: Schutt dans le rôle du saboteur
Cyberpresse
Avis aux amateurs qui aimeraient assister au match que les Capitales livreront aux American Defenders du New Hampshire au stade Fernand-Bédard de ...

Cent fois sur le métier
Le Journal de Québec
... afin de permettre aux Québécois de se rendre à Trois-Rivières, le dimanche 23 août, pour le match contre les American Defenders du New Hampshire. ...

Gagné rentre en Arizona
Canoë
Les Capitales joueront un match régulier de la Ligue CanAm dans cette ville le dimanche 23 août face aux American Defenders du New Hampshire. ...

La Ligue Can-Am à Trois-Rivières: Réal Lajoie n'y croit pas
Le Journal de Québec
Même si les rumeurs envoient les American Defenders du New Hampshire à Trois-Rivières, la saison prochaine, Réal Lajoie, président des Aigles de la LBEQ, ...

Racing
During my stay in Québec, I was somewhat surprised to learn that racing is fairly popular among the Québécois. In fact, there is enough popularity to support an almost exclusively québécois series: The Série ACT-Castrol. Our local track at Loudon has organized an invitational race for the ACT-Castrol Series on September 19th, for which drivers have few more races to qualify.

ACT-CASTROL
Le Journal de Québec
Il est à la recherche d'une victoire qui lui permettrait de se qualifier pour la course invitation qui sera présentée à Loudon, dans le New Hampshire, ...

Série ACT-Castrol: vers une fin de saison corsée
Le Soleil
Et comme il n'a pas encore obtenu son laissez-passer pour l'Invitation ACT de Loudon, auNew Hampshire, il est certain qu'il fera l'impossible pour ...

Health Care Town Halls
The media narrative of health town halls as a battleground has reached our neighbor to the North. As this tone surrounding this issue becomes all the more chaotic here, it becomes all the more interesting to the outside world. So it is without surprise that President Obama's visit to Portsmouth got us some attention.

International Système de santé Obama plaide sa cause
Radio-Canada
... utilisant la même formule que celle souvent utilisée lors de sa campagne, soit celle d'un débat public dans une école de Portsmouth, au New Hampshire. ...

É.-U.: débat houleux sur la réforme du système de santé
LesAffaires.com
Mardi à Portsmouth, dans le New Hampshire (nord-est des Etats-Unis), Barack Obama s'était fait offensif pour soutenir son projet de réforme de la protection ...

États-Unis - « Touche pas à ma santé »
Le Devoir (Abonnement)
Mais c'est devant un public largement conquis dans le New Hampshire qu'il a vanté hier les bienfaits de sa réforme. Ce qui caractérise les opposants à la ...

Santé: Obama monte au créneau
Cyberpresse
... Barack Obama a tenu une réunion publique au New Hampshire, mardi après-midi, afin de défendre un des principaux chantiers de sa présidence et de ...

International Système de santé Obama plaide sa cause
Radio-Canada
... utilisant la même formule que celle souvent utilisée lors de sa campagne, soit celle d'un débat public dans une école de Portsmouth, au New Hampshire. ...

Les Fêtes Nationaux

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Les fêtes nationaux du Québec, du Canada et des États-Unis se trouvent tellement proche qu'ils exigent presque une mise en contraste.

D'abord, grâce à son date, la Fête nationale du Québec. Celle-là, on s'appelle toujours la fête de St-Jean le Baptiste chez nous, a perdu sa signification religieuse au Québec depuis longtemps et elle est à ces jours fabriqué d'un moitié de nationalisme et d'un moitié d'un « frat party » dans les rues.

À Québec, il y a un grand spectacle dans un parc énorme, les plaines d'Abraham, qui commence pendant l'avant soirée de la fête et qui continue jusqu'à 4h00 (du matin!). Tout le monde reçois un drapeau gratuit à l'entrée, beaucoup de monde apporte son propre drapeau (incluant des patriotes et des rebellions au passé) et ça fait ensemble une image très impressionnante que je suis capable de comprendre comment elle rend les québécois tellement fier ce soir-là.

Tout est organisé par un organisme qui est expressément souverainiste et nationaliste. Ça explique les drapeaux et le choix d'animateurs qui parlent de la souveraineté, de l'histoire glorieuse du Québec et de son statut comme le seul espace francophone des Amériques.

Dans la rue, la situation est très différente: rien n'est organisé, rien n'est glorieux! Les rues ne sont pas barrés, mais c'est impossible de passer par voiture à cause des centaines des personnes qu'y boivent! Parmi ces gens il y a ceux qui chantent, crient, allument des feux (petits, mais ...) et jouent des instruments en groupe. Il n'y a pas de paroles qui suffisent, c'est simplement tout à fait incroyable.

La Fête du Canada est, selon les publicités qui suivent la Fête Nationale du Québec, une « journée familiale. » Le grand événement, un autre spectacle des musiciens, se passe à Ottawa, mais à Québec il y avait aussi des événements locaux: un concert sous les étoiles par le bande attaché au régiment militaire de Québec, un concert avec Finger 11 dans un autre parc (plus petit que celui de la fête de St-Jean) et plusieurs autres. Quand même, la plupart de québécois à l'extérieur y était pour déménager comme presque de tout les bails termine pendant ce jour-là. C'est pour ça que la Fête du Canada est appelé « la Fête du déménagement » par beaucoup de monde au Québec.

Quant au 4 juillet, pour mes amis canadiens, je pense que ça vaut la peine de dire que, malgré les impressions chez vous, chez nous on ne fait pas « laisser tomber tout pour regarder le drapeau » comme on peut entendre dire à la radio au Canada comme description du 4 juillet. Chez nous, aux États-Unis, on regard un défilé dans le centre-ville, fait du BBQ avec la famille et assiste au spectacle de feu artifice pendant la soirée. Comme ça, selon moi, même s'il y a des drapeaux devant des maisons, notre fête nationale est vraiment plus simple que la compétition pour gagner les cœurs des canadiens, et des québécois en particuliers, qui existe au Canada.

Est-ce c'est une bonne chose? J'ai entendu dire que c'est dommage que la fête des É-U manque de l'esprit et de l'animation des fêtes canadiennes, mais en même temps je pense qu'on a déjà assez patriotisme aux É-U.

Moi, je préférais d'ajouter plus des fêtes des états comme expression de patriotisme plus près de chez soi. Au New Hampshire, on a les fêtes pour célébrer la Constitution du New Hampshire (qui a déclaré la première république aux Amériques) - 7 janvier, Général John Stark - le 4em lundi d'avril et Général Lafayette - le 20 mai. Il ne faut pas créer un mouvement séparatiste pour organiser un concert comme le Québec, mais un défilé et une journée congé me plairait.

The national holidays of Québec, Canada and the United States of America are so close to each other that they beg for a comparison.

First, because it is first, la fête nationale du Québec. This holiday, which we still call the feast of St. Jean the Baptist back home, lost its religious meaning a long time ago and today consists of one part nationalism and another part frat party.

In Québec City, there's a huge show in an enormous park, the plains of Abraham, that begins the night before the holiday and continue until 4am (yes, AM). Everyone receives a flag at the entrance, and still others bring their own (including the flags from past rebellions) and taken together this creates an impressive image that makes it easy to understand how the Québécois exude such pride on this night.

Everything is organized by an organization that is expressly sovereigntist and nationalistic. This explains the flags and the choice of MCs who talk about Québec sovereignty, the province's glorious past and its status as the home of the sole French-speaking people of the Americas.

In the street, the situation is very different: nothing is organized, nothing is glorious! The streets are blocked off, but it's impossible to get through by car, because of the hundreds of people that are out there drinking! Among these people are those singing, shouting, lighting fires (small ones, but ...) and playing instruments in groups. There are no adequate words, it is simply and totally unbelievable.

Canada Day is, according to the advertisements following la Fête Nationale du Québec, a « family day. » The big event, another concert, takes place in Ottawa, but in Québec City there also local events: a concert under the stars by the band attached to the military regiment of the city, a concert with Finger 11 in another park (than the one for la Fête de St-Jean) and several others. Nevertheless, the majority of Québécois outside were there to move, since most leases end on the first of July. It's for this reason that Canada Day is called "The Festival of Moving" by many in Québec.

As for the 4th of July, for my Canadian friends, I think it's worth it to mention that, despite the impressions in Canada, we do not "drop everything to look at the flag" as you can hear the 4th of July described on the radio here. In the U.S., we watch a parade through the downtown, BBQ with our families and go to a fireworks show in the evening. In my opinion, while there are some flags in front of some house, the U.S. national holiday is much simpler that the contest for the hearts of Canadians, and especially the Québécois, that exists in Canada.

Is that a good thing? It's been mentioned to me that it's a pity that U.S. doesn't have the same level of spirit and liveliness as Canada for its national holiday, but at the same time I think that there's already enough patriotism in the U.S.

Me, I'd rather add more state holidays as an expression of patriotism closer to home. In New Hampshire, we have holiday to celebrate the Constitution of New Hampshire (which declared the first republic in the Americas) - January 7th, General John Stark - the 4th Monday of April and General Lafayette - May 20th. It isn't necessary to create a separatist movement so we can organize a concert like Québec, but a parade and a day off would be nice.

La francophonie des Amériques

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:30:00 +0000

L'année passé, pour marquer le 400e anniversaire de la ville de Québec, le Québec a mis en fonction une idée existant depuis près d'une décennie: l'ouverture du Centre de la francophonie des Amériques à attirer les francophones et francophiles des quatre coins des Amériques pour « contribuer à la promotion et à la mise en valeur d’une francophonie porteuse d’avenir pour la langue française dans le contexte de la diversité culturelle en misant sur le renforcement et l’enrichissement des relations ainsi que sur la complémentarité d’action entre les francophones et les francophiles du Québec, du Canada et des Amériques. »

C'est-à-dire il veut créer l'entité à laquelle il fait référence dans son nom: une francophonie du continent, incluant les gens de la Caraïbe, de l'Amérique latine, les cadiens et, le groupe le plus important pour moi, les franco-américains/yankois ainsi que les peuples français du Canada et les territoires de France aux Amériques.

Il a déjà commencé par distribuer des prix d'argent pour soutenir des projets à la jeunesse, sponsoriser des événements à l'extérieur du Québec (comme des pièces du théâtre du Monde d’à côté, un groupe yankois) et la semaine prochaine il organisera un forum de 50 jeunes francophones comme des ambassadeurs et des ambassadrices.

Sans doute, il y a des raisons politique pour lesquelles le centre était créé. Je crois que le potentiel d'augmenter le statut du Québec d'une province manquant de la souveraineté avec 7 millions des francophones (mise en contraste avec les 65 millions de la France) à un axis des environs 66 millions francophones et francophiles était une raison principale.

Malgré ces raisons de l'intérieur du Québec, le centre reste un cadeau aux peuples francophones des Amérique. Par exemple, aux États-Unis les yankois et les cadiens pleurent déjà le mort de leurs cultures, parce qu'il n'existe pas un force unifiant pour la conserver. En Caraïbe, les gens-là sont trop souvent oublié. Leurs cultures ne sont aussi important que la stabilité politique et la fortune dont ils ont besoin, mais, selon moi, à la long leur inclusion dans les affaires du monde créera plus d'opportunités d'améliorer leur situation que l'aide étranger -- au moins, il ne peut pas les blesser.

Le Québec, ou le Canada en général, est le seul pays capable de ce projet, pour les raisons précédentes, mais il n'existe pas l'organisme capable de maintenir ou raviver le français partout aux Amériques. En fait, une invasion culturel comme ça n'est pas désirable; il faut participer chez soi utilisant le soutien que le centre offre.

Donc, je conseil que tous ceux qui aime le français du New Hampshire (et bien sûr, des Amériques en général) deviens un membre de la communauté virtuelle du centre et, quand ça deviendra possible, du centre lui-même. C'est un façon de montrer nos chiffres, connecter avec les autres francophones et francophiles de l'hémisphère et participer directement aux activités du centre.

Je suis très heureux d'écrire que j'ai gagné un poste de bénévole au centre offrant assistance informatique pendant mon séjour à Québec. Je le fait depuis une semaine et je trouve déjà que le travail du centre est très passionnant et sincère. J'assisterai aussi au forum des jeunes ambassadeurs pendant la semaine prochaine avec plusieurs autres yankois (incluant deux autres du New Hampshire). C'est cette participation individuelle qui transformera l'assistance du centre à une situation française amélioré chez nous.

Pourtant je crois que l'opportunité la plus efficace à travailler ensemble avec le centre est par la création de l'organisme culturel dont nous manquons comme partenaire du centre.

Comme le Québec ne peut pas obliger l'usage du français ou le respecte des divers cultures françaises à l'extérieur de sa province, il a besoin des partenaires étrangers et le centre les chercher activement. Comme les voisins proches faisant partie du partenaire de commerce le plus grand du Canada, les États-Unis, les états de New York, de Vermont, de New Hampshire et de Maine sont des endroits naturels pour un partenaire comme ça. Comme preuve de cette observation, le centre a déjà organisé plusieurs conférences pour apprendre la situation française parmi ces états.

Donc si le New Hampshire, c'est-à-dire une association privée ou le gouvernement, aurait un programme de maintenir ou agrandir l'usage du française de l'état -- par exemple une extension du programme « Destination North Country » -- il trouverait le Centre de la francophonie des Amériques serait un partenaire passionné!

Last year, to mark the 400th anniversary of Québec City, the province put into action an idea that had existing for nearly a decade: the opening of the Center of the Francophonie of the Americas to attract the French speakers and lovers from the four corners of the American continents in order to "contribute to the promotion and development of a future carrier for the French language in the context of cultural diversity by focusing on strengthening and enhancing relationships and on the complementarity of action between the Francophones and Francophiles from Quebec, Canada and the Americas."

In other words, they seek to create the very entity it references in its name, a francophonie of the Americas, to include the peoples of the Caribbean, Latin American, the Cajuns and, the group most important to me, the franco-americans/yankois, as well as the French populations of Canada and the American territories of France.

They've already begun by distributing monetary awards to support youth projects, supporting events outside of Québec (like the show by Monde d'à côté, a yankois theatre group) and next week they will host a forum of 50 French-speaking youth as ambassadors.

Without a doubt, there are political reasons that drove the creation of the Center. I believe that the potential to bolster the status of Québec from a non-sovereign province with 7 million French-speakers (compared to the 65 million of France) to the hub for nearly 66 million French-speakers and lovers was a major reason.

Despite these internal reasons, the Center remains a gift to the French-speaking peoples of the Americas. For example, in the United States the yankois and the cajuns are already mourning the deminse of their cultures, because no unifying force to preserve them exists. The people of the Caribbean are too often forgotten. Their cultures are not as important as the political stability and weath that they need, but, in my opinion, in the long run their inclusion in world affairs will create more opportunities to improve their situation that foreign aide -- at the least, it can't hurt them.

Québec, or Canada in general, is the only state that is capable of this project, for the above reasons, but there is no organization that can maintain or rescussitate French everywhere in the Americas. In fact, a cultural invasion of that sort isn't desirable; people should participate in their own communities using the support that the Center is offering.

Therefore, I believe that any French-loving Granite Stater (and of course, anyone from throughout the continent) should become a member of the Center of the Francophonie of the America's online social network and, when it becomes possible, the Center itself.

I am very happy to write that I have gained a volunteer position providing technical assistance at the Center during my stay in Québec. I have been at it for a week and I can already tell that the work there is passionate and sincere. I will also be attending the youth forum next week with several other yankois (including 2 from New Hampshire). It's this kind of individual participation that will transform the assistance of this center into an improved French environment at home.

However, I believe that the most effective opportunity to work together with the Center is through the creation of a cultural organization to act as its partner.

Since Québec can't force the use of French or the respect of the various French cultures outside its province, it needs foreign partners and the Center is actively searching for them. As close neighbors within the biggest trading partner of Canada, the United States, the states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine constitute natural places for such a partner. As proof of this observation, the Center has already held several conferences on the French situation in these very states.

Therefore if New Hampshire, by which I mean a private association or the government, were to have a program to maintain or grow the use of French within the state -- for example, as an extension of the "Destination North Country" program -- it would find the Center of the Francophonie of the Americans would be a passionate partner!

Gay Marriage Arrives in NH

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Aujourd'hui, quand le gouverneur du New Hampshire, John Lynch, a promulgué la loi qui autorise le mariage homosexuel, notre état a fait une connexion sans interruption de l'ouest du Canada à l'est et le long de l'océan Atlantique jusqu'au Connecticut.

Cependant, cette connexion est artificiel à cause des frontières. La vrai connexion existe entre des personnes gai et la promesse de la liberté.

Today, when the governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch, signed the bill permitting gay marriage, our state completed an unbroken connection from the West of Canada to the East, and along the Atlantic Ocean until Connecticut.

However, this connection is an accident of political boundaries. The true connection exists between gay people and the promise of liberty.

The stream's about to get harder to cross

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Depuis un mois, mon fil de Twitter avait un rappel de l'ambassade des États-Unis au Canada du changement dont nous sommes sur le point quant aux documentions à la frontière. Après le premier juin, la tradition d'échange libre des personnes entre les États-Unis et ses voisins va terminer quand il faudra présenter un document approuvé pour le programme du WHTI (anglais: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative). Il importe peu si on est américain, canadien ou mexicain, on doit avoir une passeport ou un autre document « amélioré. »

Ces autres documentions incluent, une carte parmi des programmes de voyageurs divers du Bureau de la protection des frontières et des douanes (comme FAST, NEXUS, ou SENTRI), ou un permis de conduire « améliorée » (EDL), ce qui est disponible seulement dans les états ou les provinces qui se sont accordé avec le gouvernement fédéral américain. Jusqu'aujourd'hui, aux États-Unis, le Washington, le New York, le Michigan et, dans la Nouvelle-Angleterre, le Vermont sont les états seuls qui ont fait cette entente.

Pendant un an et demi, le gouvernement du Québec annonçait qu'il aurait eu un EDL pour les conducteurs québécois. Le mars dernier il a réussi avec son permis de conduire Plus. C'est une nouvelle carte, qui est différente que celle traditionnelle et on doit suivre un processus séparé pour l'obtenir.

Quant au New Hampshire, grâce à notre rejet du REAL ID, nous n'aurons pas un EDL. Alors, nous aurons besoin d'un passeport ou une carte de passeport pour quitter notre pays pour n'importe raison. C'est possible que c'est une bonne chose, à part des préoccupations politques, parce que les gens du New Hampshire deviendraient plus internationaliste avec leur passeport -- et j'ai l'impression que le monde en ait besoin!

For a month, my Twitter feed has had a reminder of the U.S. embassy in Canada of the upcoming changes regarding documentation at the border. After the first of June, the tradition of the free exchange of people between the United States and its neighbors will end when it becomes necessary to present a document approved for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. It won't matter if it's an american, canadian or mexican, you must present a passport or another "enhanced" document.

These other documents include, a card from among the various frequent traveller programs of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (such as FAST, NEXUS, ou SENTRI), or an Enhanced Drivers License (EDL), which are available only in those states and provinces that have an agreement with the U.S. Federal Government. To date, in the U.S., Washington, New York, Michigan and, alone in New England, Vermont are the only states which have concluded such an agreement.

For a year and a half, the government of Québec has been announcing that it would have an EDL for its citizens. This past March, they came through with their permis de conduire Plus. It's a new card, different from past cards and you have to follow a seperate procedure in order to obtain it.

As for New Hampshire, thanks to our rejection of REAL ID, we will not have EDL. So we will need a passport or passport card in order to leave the country for whatever reason. However, maybe this is a good thing, aside from the political concerns, because Granite Staters may become more internationalist with their passports -- and I think the world needs that!

Bilingualism: A brief editorial note

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:03:00 +0000

As I see it, many blogs suffer their demise after they've begun to take themselves too seriously and begin discussing their methods and intents as if they were a major publication with a board of directors that will execute these bullet points as policy. That said ...

As I have been attempting to immerse myself in French as much as possible, I have passed on several opportunities to write about subjects recently because the primary audience would be readers from New Hampshire, and the U.S. in general, inducing me to write in English -- breaking my immersion, and prepetuating the "US = English-only" attitude that has sent me to Québec. Having written several times for Granite Staters in French, I realize there is the reality that, while I want to talk to the Yankois that are 25% of the state, I also want to include the 75% that are not.

So the way forward is clearly to write each post in each language.

Watch for it in the coming days.

Au revoir Sirop d'Érable: Son Départ à Cause du Crise Climatique

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Selon l'article, Goodbye Maple Syrup: Climate Change Pushing Sugar Maple Out of Northeast U.S. (via Treehugger), le New Hampshire pourra avoir besoin d'importer son sirop d'érable du Québec, parce que l'eau d'érable a commencé à cesser de couler à cause du crise climatique.

Ce sont mauvaises nouvelles pour mon espoir pour une cabane à sucre quand je deviens en retraite.

La Nouvelle-Angleterre rendre hommage à Québec en pierre

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Quelque chose claire que le New Hampshire et le Québec partagent: les peuples français des Ameriques.

L'année dernière, pour commémorer le 400eme annivisaire de Québec, les franco-américains de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, par leurs clubs et associations, ont donné un monument pour rendre hommage à notre "ville mère."

Pendant une promenade récent, j'ai découvert son parc par chance. En voici, mes photos à grace de ma femme:

Find more photos like this on Chez Yankois

Un lien suprisant: baseball de ligues mineures

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Manifestement, selon RDS, le Québec et le New Hampshire partagent que l'équipe du baseball d'Ottawa, Les Voyageurs, a choisi leurs joueurs.

J'ai hâte du jour de l'ouvrage de les Capitals, parce que je voudrais comprendre un sport pendant mon séjour à Québec. Aussi, c'est un peu à cause de mon désire d'encourager un équipe contre les "American Defenders" du New Hampshire quand ils arriveront en juillet. J'ai perdu mon fierté pour eux quand ils ont perdu leur "Pride" (et quand ils ont commencé à charger 9.11$ pour les billets).

Chez Yankois: A Site for New England's French

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:14:00 +0000

I am very proud to announce the rebirth of Chez Yankois.

Chez Yankois was my original project to serve the Franco-American community of New England with an online presence. In its original inception, it was the blog where I first introduced the term Yankois to an audience larger than a room and, most importantly, provided me an excuse to follow and learn of the events and stories of New England Francos.

That project suffered the blessed problem of having more information to write about than I could handle. That fact couple with an existing corps of bloggers that could manage to cover it (Rhea Cote Robbins, et al, Bill Cork, and Jacques L'Heureux come to mind, I mothballed it and began almost a year experimentation with other possible ways to connect the Yankois community online.

The culmination of that was released on January 1 at www.chezyankois.com and it goes miles beyond a blog to be a full social network. No longer is it a broadcast medium, with me at one end and readers on the other. It is now a forum for complete participation by its members.

People can find one another through common friends. Groups can form around Franco interests or any interest in French. People can publish their own blogs! Events can now be shared, not as I post a blog update once a week, but as the organizer or any interested member adds it personally. Photos, videos and music can now all be shared easily on one Franco-American-centric site, instead of a mish-mash of groups across many general sites, making full aspects of our culture finally come into view in one place online.

I have very high hopes for this project, and the company I created to manage it, and I hope that anyone reading this will see it for themselves and help spread the word.

Merci!

Taking to Québec's Roads #2

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Acting on what I had learned just before Christmas, I visited AAA today to pick up my international driving permit. I had expected a smooth process as I already had passport photos, the fee for two applications and had previewed the application online. So I was quite surprised by the quizzical stare the clerk gave me when I told her that our destination is Canada.

When she got to speaking again (she had clearly had a tough day) she said that AAA doesn't have any booklets specifically for Canada and that she was fairly certain that was because Americans don't need an IDP there. To make me feel better, she helpfully called to another office to verify that and suggested that I could check with the consulate if I want to be sure.

Taking that tip (and a fistful of free maps and tour books), I went home and found the U.S. embassy's page of advice for drivers in Canada which says that U.S. driver's licenses are valid in Canada. There was no qualification or anything I could find referring to the six month limit I found on the SAAQ website. In the interest of just moving on to my other preparations, I suppose I'm willing to chalk this one up to American exceptionalism.

Oh! And apparently we're also exceptional drivers compared to our northern neighbors, because that same page spills a great deal of pixels warning about Canadian drivers. I must admit that in my own travels I have noticed that the only driving worse than that over NH's southern border is over its northern one ;-).

The embassy warns drivers:

Rapid lane-changes without signaling, and tailgating are common
Motorists running red lights is a serious concern throughout Canada; hesitate before proceeding on green

Other sunny warnings to drivers include:

Leaving cars unlocked or leaving valuables in view in Montréal is a fine-able offense due to the high incidence of smash-and-grab thefts
Auto theft in Montréal, including theft of motor homes and recreational vehicles, may occur in patrolled and overtly secure parking lots and decks

And I still have to explain to people why I'm moving to Québec City instead of Montréal.

Taking to Québec's roads

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:18:00 +0000

With Québec's recent passage of Canada's first mandatory snow tire law, I suddenly realized that it would be smart for me to direct my attention away from the state where I'm already licensed and registered and to Québec and what they expect on leurs autoroutes.

The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, unsurprisingly an agency of the provincial government, handles licensing of drivers and cars in addition to being a public-sector accident insurer and I found it to be THE source of information on this topic.

So I started with the most basic thing I would need to learn from their site: whether I'm allowed to drive ANY vehicle while in Québec.

I estimate that I am like most people when I expect that driving from the U.S. into any Canadian province wouldn't suddenly require me to have any additional paperwork, and that is true. However, it turns out that staying longer than 6 months requires an International Driving Permit. This isn't unique to Québec and was established by a series of international conventions in 1926, 1949 and 1968 (thank you Wikipedia), but what I really needed to find out was that AAA can issue these for U.S. citizens from any office for $15 and two original passport-type photos. Done!

Returning to what got me started, the new law states that all taxis and passenger vehicles registered in Québec must be equipped with winter tires from December 15 to March 15 or else pay a fine from $200 to $300. So the big question for a temporary student/worker in Québec is, do I have to register my car?

Digging through SAAQ's website, they talk as little about who doesn't have to register as possible making it very difficult for me to know what my status will be. I'll keep looking, as it is important to be sure that I'm properly registered (plus Je Me Souviens is the only motto I'd be willing to trade down from Live Free or Die to). However in the end it's simply just a good idea to have snow tires on a car in New England, let alone in the Great White North.

Oh and Granite Staters, one last regulation for you to remember: while wearing a seat belt in New Hampshire is a good idea, in Québec it's the law!

Merci à nos amis canadiens

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:40:00 +0000

À cause de le tempête de glace le jeudi dernière, il n'y avait rien d'éléctricité chez nous jusqua cette heure. Je voudrais dire à tout des équipes de Québec et Nouveau-Brunswick qui nous ont aidé, merci mille fois de tout le monde de New Hampshire!

I also want to extend my most sincere gratitude to the crews I saw in Manchester from Maryland and others that are still working to bring power to my neighbors, friends and family. Thank you, keep warm and safe, and have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Québec Election Results

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:50:00 +0000

Well the results are in and, my reading of the polls was apparently not dire enough for the ADQ. Their plunge into single digits during this election, predictably bolstered both the Parti Libéral and Parti Québécois.

Party	Seats	Pop. Vote
	66	42.05%
	51	35.15%
	7	16.35%
	1	3.79%

The big surprise was that the socialist/sovereigntist, Québec Solidaire, running their first general election campaign, won a seat from a PQ incumbent in Montréal.

Québec goes to the polls amid federal crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:11:00 +0000

The current governing crisis in Canada becomes even more fascinating when wondering how it will affect the ongoing Québec elections that started almost a full month earlier and are set to be decided tomorrow.

Until this crisis, the curiosities in this race were few.

The Parti Libéral called the election, because they have that right as the government party and chose to exercise it because of a comfortable approval rating which seemed to guarantee a climb from ruling as a minority party to becoming a majority and not having to suffer the slings and arrows of the opposition.

The Action Démocratique du Québec, the Québécois idea of a conservative party, had been widely suspected of only rising from fringe status with its 4 seats to having the second most after the last election, because voters were convinced of the Libéral landslide predicted in the polls and took the opportunity to cast protest ballots to the minor ADQ. Should their number of seats wither, as polls showing their support reduced into the teens preview, that theory will be vindicated and the idea of a realignment within Québec politics with a serious conservative element will be discredited.

The Parti Québécois, after becoming smallest member of the Assemblée and losing the title of Official Opposition to the ADQ in the last election, went through some soul-searching in which they appointed a new leader and de-emphasized sovereignty, their raison d'être, to a public relations campaign without more than incremental steps toward achieving it for policy proposals. Muted on their central issue, the PQ have fought this election largely by nitpicking the administration of the governing Parti Libéral, with whom they share a remarkably similar agenda in most other aspects.

Given all this, it is entirely unsurprising that most early polls had shown a rise in popular support for the Libérals by almost 10% since the last election. These same polls showed the ADQ dropping 16%, leaving the PQ to gain the 6% difference and, enough for them to recapture opposition status.

Interupting this glide into easy power for the Libérals, came the drama unfolding in Ottawa where all three opposition parties designed to collaborate to bring down the still nascent Conservative government only elected in October. I would have guessed the effects of this on the Québec elections to be restrained to excacerbating voter fatigue, which would likely favor the status quo, but would be a fairly minimal factor. That is until Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper went on national television last Wednesday and said,

"They propose a new coalition which includes the party in Parliament whose avowed goal is to break up the country. Let me be very clear: Canada's Government cannot enter into a power-sharing coalition with a separatist party."

This statement, coupled by the fact that his later address in French lacked the same rhetorical edge, has caused a nationalist backlash within the province that has forced Libéral premier Jean Charest into the awkward position of defending the legitamacy of sovereignty as a political issue within Québec.

And sure enough it is having an effect: different polling agencies have registered rising support for the PQ since the day of that speech from 29% to 36% just two days later on Friday.

My suspicions are that cooler heads will prevail upon entering the polling booth tomorrow and that the end results will be consistent with polling before the speech: a Libéral majority, a weak PQ opposition and an ADQ shuffling back toward an eventual return to its single-digit population in the Assemblée.

But I'll still be paying attention, because I'm from New Hampshire and, if we know nothing else about elections, it's that the only poll that counts is the last one.

A Quebec-New Hampshire Business Partnership

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:04:00 +0000

The news of a partnership agreement between the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire and the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec serendipitously coincided with plans I had developing to build a business profile for myself on the basis of my own cross-border connections. This parallel seemed to me to demand that I look into it more deeply and was almost certainly the catalyst that eventually led me to decide this blog should exist.

This agreement, signed in Concord this past May, established an international partnership between these two non-governmental business groups with the somewhat vague goals to support cooperation in regards to trade, transportation, tourism, energy, the environment, technological innovation and cross-border relationships. In fact, the only concrete measures laid out in the agreement were to meet annually and to link to one another's websites.

While this may seem quaint at first, it's notable to consider that Canadian trade in general has been jilted by the United States at large by the long-standing softwood lumber dispute, the tariffs of which New Hampshire forestry has surely benefited, and that, in spite of this climate, this agreement was initiated on the part of Québec. So through this lens, it appears that this deal, however symbolic in its early stages, must be important enough to tolerate a little swallowing of pride on the North side of the border.

However I must temper this pride and humbly point out that New Hampshire is not the sole prize Québec seeks for its trade. This agreement is part of a larger project being shepherded by the very governmental Québec Delegation in Boston to open up all of New England as one of the province's major trade corridors. It began in 2006 when the FCCQ signed a remarkably similar agreement with the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and, while Massachusetts is clearly an agreement they covet for its large economy and population, France Dionne, the delegate general in Boston, says they intend to take it all the way to Connecticut.

That said, I think Granite State Yankois can take particular pride in the fact that the state's representative to this event, George Bald, the commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development, showcased one of our state's most compelling cases for Québec to do business with us by speaking at the ceremony in the unfaltering French of his upbringing. Hopefully that gesture left an impression that sticks with his Québécoise counterpart, as I suspect that the chances are fairly low that the highest trade officer in each of the remaining New England states, except perhaps Maine, will be able to show off like that.

Although perhaps we could have laid on the charm a little more: they stilled haven't added our link to their website!

Related Links:

Bienvenue and Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Theriault) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:00:00 +0000

I am currently in the process of departing from my lifetime home of New Hampshire for a year of French immersion in Québec City. As I pay attention to the news of my destination and my home I have begun to see many interesting things we share and those we don't and how we see each other.

This blog is where I intend to share these observations and I hope you enjoy reading it.