text:
Epic Meal Time tries to explain itself. In English. On a French TV show
April 21, 2011 7:43 PM Subscribe
Bacon-wrapped cupcakes: What could possibly go wrong? Well, try explaining your Internet-famous project (Epic Meal Time) in English on Quebec's most popular French-language talk show. Bonus difficulty points: You already are from Quebec, but you don't speak French well enough to swagger through an interview. Anglo journo Fagstein analyzes the "controversy." (The interview in question, from Tout le monde en parle , on YouTube; alternate.)
posted by joeclark (96 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
I'm trying to imagine a similar controversy if an English-language show accommodated a unilingual francophone who'd grown up in a, say, New Brunswick. I don't think there would be any. (Mind you, I don't think know how many uniligual Acadians there are.) These guys aren't running for elected office; leave them alone.
The author linked to makes a really good point - this is, at least in part, the result of language policies that force anglophones to isolate themselves in English-only schools if they want to learn English. Quebec's language politics are just so spiteful, petty and ridiculous that it's no surprise at all to see people act like this is a gross insult. I will say that it is pretty surprising to see people who grew up in Montreal be that incapable of speaking French, but still, people need to get some perspective.
posted by Dasein at 8:00 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
I can't argue against bacon, but I'm really fucking sick of the whole fucking cupcake thing.
posted by jonmc at 8:14 PM on April 21, 2011 [24 favorites]
I don't think you can really do a parallel with French speakers on an English show, because English is not a minority language in Canada, and is therefore in no need of protection.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 8:16 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
Aaand from down the 401 in Toronto, the inevitable parody: Vegan Meal Time. Tons of verve. And soy sauce.
posted by joeclark at 8:20 PM on April 21, 2011
I can't argue against cupcakes, but I'm really fucking sick of the whole fucking bacon thing.
posted by Partario at 8:20 PM on April 21, 2011 [23 favorites]
I'm trying to imagine a similar controversy if an English-language show accommodated a unilingual francophone who'd grown up in a, say, New Brunswick. I don't think there would be any.
I would imagine that if an English-language show in, say Arizona, had on guests who had lived in Arizona their entire lives but who spoke only Spanish, there would be plenty of right-wing idiots who would complain about it.
posted by The World Famous at 8:26 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
What does that have to do with whether people should take a crap on them for speaking the language they were raised in? This has nothing to do with protecting French. These guys weren't asking anyone else to speak English; the host wasn't even speaking English. They just accommodate the fact that they did not speak the same language. Only in Quebec would that arouse righteous anger.
I'd also point out that under the guise of "protecting" French, Quebec has tried to ban the use of English in commerce.
At one time, French needed protecting in Quebec. Now anglophones do.
Wow. Who knew that the most US-like Canadians were Québécois?
posted by 1adam12 at 8:30 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
I'm too fucking baked to argue with cupcakes.
posted by mannequito at 8:30 PM on April 21, 2011 [6 favorites]
Most anglophones in Quebec aren't immigrants; their families have been there for generations. They have no responsibility to assimilate, any more than a francophone in eastern Ontario or New Brunswick has a responsibility to learn English. Bilingualism is recognized in the Charter. Of course, people would be well-advised to learn the majority language anywhere they live, but that's a different argument.
I think the insult comes from them the way they swagger in, announce they're from the West Isalnd and go on to offer no apologies about being unwilling to even speak a little French on a French-language TV show. It's not like the discussion was all that difficult; this didn't demand complicated language or vocabulary, or joual. Even if they'd appeared to try I think would have helped, but they probably figured that wouldn't look cool.
I can certainly understand how they've pissed people off.
posted by Flashman at 8:37 PM on April 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
I've lived on the west coast my whole life, and I only encounter french like once a month. Still, I've been berated by Quebecois people, here in BC, for not speaking or understanding much french.
There's just a certain, IDK, patriotic? refrain in some parts of Quebec that makes people really upset about languages. I really can't relate, but at least I can understand where they may be coming from.
I dunno, I'd like to preach tolerance and understanding to them, but to them I'm on the other side of the fence on the issue, so I figure it'd be nigh impossible. C'est la vie I guess.
posted by inedible at 8:37 PM on April 21, 2011
Quebec's language politics are just so spiteful, petty and ridiculous
I'd admit there's a knee-jerk ant-Anglo element in Quebec to the same extent there's an anti-Quebec element in the rest of Canada, but there are reasons why Quebec protects the French language at the expense of English. The white paper you linked to didn't ever materialize, Dasein, and that was 6 years ago. English speakers in Quebec don't need protection, they need to learn a second language.
posted by Hoopo at 8:39 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
"Fagstein's" underlying asssumptions seem so strange to me. Maybe that's evidence that Quebec really is a distinct culture, even for the anglos. I don't get why he thinks they were under some social obligation to attempt French, or why it would reflect badly on them for not doing so. And this little bon mot was like a cold splash of water in the face:
"...in quite possibly the most atrocious French anyone has ever heard this side of an Alberta public school..."
I don't even know where that comes from.
posted by Kevin Street at 8:42 PM on April 21, 2011
Hoopo: ...to the same extent there's an anti-Quebec element in the rest of Canada
I don't find that to be the case, but as I understand it Ontario thinks they are the rest of Canada.
posted by inedible at 8:42 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
"Still, I've been berated by Quebecois people, here in BC, for not speaking or understanding much french. "
That doesn't match my experience as an French-learner here in francophone Alberta, or in rural Quebec. I've found people to be almost uniformly friendly and helpful. (My wife is quebecoise.)
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language? English.
posted by sneebler at 8:43 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've met and know a lot of people in Southern California who are not immigrants who speak only Spanish. They also have no responsibility to "assimilate" as you put it, any more than an anglophone in Puerto Rico has a responsibility to learn Spanish.
posted by The World Famous at 8:47 PM on April 21, 2011
An outsider perspective, but it seems like Canada is bending over backwards to defend, protect, and promote the French language. As I understand it, everything official is pretty much bilingual throughout the country, except in Quebec, where it only has to be in French. To me, that doesn't suggest that French is any real danger either.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:47 PM on April 21, 2011
sneebler: I've found people to be almost uniformly friendly and helpful.
Oh yeah, me too. Not trying to make sweeping generalizations or anything. Most Quebecois people I know are great people. I'm just saying I've encountered that element of the culture a couple times before, and it does exist.
I'm from Ontario and lived in Quebec and I've heard Quebec complaints from people here out West as much as I ever did back home. Living in Quebec as an Anglo simply isn't that hard. I'm not a fan of the signage laws either, but learning the language of the place where you live is NOT another argument, it's this one.
posted by Hoopo at 8:50 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
But why is it insulting to the majority culture (in this case, francophone) when a minority doesn't speak their language? There's an emotional component to this that I don't understand, which is even evident in the title of the FPP.
My French has deteriorated so much from living in Toronto since the seventies that I'm probably going back to night school this summer to save myself from a terminal case of shame. Going through the conversational placement test a week ago was excruciating as fragments of French I USED TO KNOW danced just beyond my reach as I stammered and gesticulated and said "ouias" and "loin" a lot, because at least my accent is still pretty good. But I understood everything that was said to me just fine.
When I was still in grade 9 in Montreal, everyone at my anglo school spoke in horrified whispers of what faced us in grade 11, our final year of high school before CEGEP. To pass grade 11 French, we would have to hold a 5 minute conversation with a teacher. FIVE WHOLE MINUTES. As much as I hated leaving for Toronto halfway through the year, the realization that no one in Toronto would ever put me through that, and that anyone who approached me on the street and asked for the time would be happy with an answer in English, was a great relief.
So there really is a great sense of self-consciousness about trotting out inferior French, to be put on the spot while you speak, and to FAIL, especially in public. The guests wore earpieces with instantaneous translation, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't understand any French, just that the extra strain of being on tv would probably make comprehension a lot more difficult. And I think that the producers were a lot more comfortable with that arrangement, too. If the goal of the show was to shame some anglos, so be it, but what they really wanted to do was talk about the web site and their stunts.
If these guys had even my half-assed French and had tried to speak it all the way through, that show would have been truly epic in length. Still, they could have opened with some weak French, been suitable chastened, and things would have proceeded. And the audience seemed to understand them well enough.
But I loved the first tweet collected: "Epic Meal Time à #TLMEP : Une autre preuve que notre merveilleuse langue se meurt. Québécois, 0 connaissance du français. FAIL." I guess capitalizing English takes away the stench of death.
posted by maudlin at 8:54 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
There was a good reedit thread about this. Apparently you have to try pretty hard to not be bilingual in Montreal, even if you're from the Anglo end of town. Plus this is some supermegahit show, with a humongous French audience, so it's pretty bullshit to even go on if you can't speak the tongue.
Anyhow, the impression I have is that while we-all on the outside wonder why the upset, for those in that culture it's pretty obvious why everyone's more or less right to be PO'd.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:54 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think the insult comes from them the way they swagger in, announce they're from the West Isalnd and go on to offer no apologies about being unwilling to even speak a little French on a French-language TV show.
If this was any country in Europe - even France - there would be nothing strange at all about this.
posted by three blind mice at 9:02 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
But why is it insulting to the majority culture (in this case, francophone) when a minority doesn't speak their language? There's an emotional component to this that I don't understand
Long story--Quebec is majority French, but Canada is not; Canada is large and sparsely populated with signifcant regional and cultural divides that makes it difficult enough to maintain a national identity and the idea that we have 2 nations in one is not easy to begin with. For my part, I'm 3 beers in and have just watched the Habs lose and now the Nucks are getting killed.
And my italics lost tonight too
I'm Canadian too, Hoopo. But some things don't seem to (pardon the pun), translate so well outside of Quebec. Like three blind mice said, if English speaking people were invited onto a TV show in France or Italy or Japan, they'd be translated into the local language and that would be that, no one would be offended that the foreigners didn't speak like them. But since they come from Quebec there seems to be an obligation for the guests to at least make a token attempt at assimilation.
But since they come from Quebec there seems to be an obligation for the guests to at least make a token attempt at assimilation.
posted by Hoopo at 9:13 PM on April 21, 2011
For my part, I'm 3 beers in and have just watched the Habs lose and now the Nucks are getting killed.
In the words of Alex Burrows (francophone Vancouver player), "we just have to win da turd!"
In a way, what these guys did is to remind everyone, even those who live in parts of Quebec where the overwhelming majority speaks French, that the West Island exists. We tend to sort of forget about that majority-English part of the province.
Old wounds (look up my username) and casual dickishness do the rest.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 9:16 PM on April 21, 2011
e.g.: that girl who said "fucking French guys" when I refused to give her change last night.
MetaFilter: I stammered and gesticulated and said ..."loin" a lot
posted by hippybear at 9:35 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Eh. Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time is by far the best.
"Sometimes when you cook swedishly, the food is destroyed. This is natural."
posted by kafziel at 9:36 PM on April 21, 2011 [13 favorites]
I want some horse meat.
posted by peeedro at 9:48 PM on April 21, 2011
Let's not forget that it's not just the English they've got a problem with; anything non-French is out. Allophones (read: foreigners) are at least equally maligned.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:56 PM on April 21, 2011
five fresh fish: " Apparently you have to try pretty hard to not be bilingual in Montreal, even if you're from the Anglo end of town."
My first trip to Montreal was for Valentine's Day in 2004 or 2005. I don't speak French, but decided I would try my best to fit in at every opportunity. During Le Festival Montréal en Lumière, I walked into a McDonalds, frozen to the core, and in hideously broken French asked if they had a hot chocolate because I was very cold.
The young woman behind the counter glared at me and said, "You know we speak English up here, right?" And then she told me I was butchering a beautiful language and shouldn't ever speak it. Ever again. Ever.
The next morning, the local paper had a large story about stores being vandalized because their signs were only written in English, not French, or a combination of the two.
Lovely city, Montreal. But I came away from that trip believing they were serious about the French language.
posted by zarq at 9:56 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
And then she told me I was butchering a beautiful language and shouldn't ever speak it. Ever again. Ever.
The funny thing is, that's exactly what real French people think about Quebecois.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:06 PM on April 21, 2011 [18 favorites]
I had a great time in Montréal and can't wait to go back, but I had a far, far, far easier time speaking French in France than in Montréal. In Paris, I could buy tickets, navigate the metro, ask the museum guides questions, puchase goods, and chat with cabbies from Algeria. In Montréal, I just felt shut down every time I tried talking in French.
posted by ntartifex at 10:09 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
They're so serious about giving Francophones a fair shake out here that they held the Prime Ministerial debate once in English, then again the a few days later in French . Why was it a few days later? They had to accommodate a hockey game.
Extra hilarity points: only one of the candidates could actually speak French without embarrassing himself (I'm told by a francophone friend) and he readily admits to not really being a realistic choice for Canada's PM position. Mainly because he, and his party , would like to amicably secede.
posted by Slackermagee at 10:21 PM on April 21, 2011
Slackermagee, the debate you linked had two native French speakers, Dion and Duceppe, because it was from 2008. But while this year's debate only had Duceppe as a native speaker, Layton's French is serviceable, I think, and he is from Montreal originally. (The link goes to his literal 15 minutes on Tout le monde en parle where he takes questions live.) And here's a three minute segment of Iggy on the same show: umm. Well, he tried.
Apropos of at least one comment so far: Canadian French is real French, just as Belgian French and Haitian French are real French, and Australian English and Canadian English are real English. I presume most people here speak and write what some snobs could call a quaint American dialect with one of several vulgar accents, but not me. It's real English, too.
posted by maudlin at 10:43 PM on April 21, 2011 [6 favorites]
I defend Bilingualism and the need to protect the French language in Canada to my friends all the time, but reactions like these make it difficult for me to believe that the Francophones are dealing in good faith.
posted by Phire at 10:45 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think the insult comes from them the way they swagger in, announce they're from the West Isalnd and go on to offer no apologies... Even if they'd appeared to try I think would have helped, but they probably figured that wouldn't look cool.
Part of it may be a certain detatched hipsterish attitude on their part, which can be read as swagger. But part of it is that they've been lead to believe that their appearance speaking English would be okay (the producers accommodated them with translation), so it's not entirely unreasonable for them to not be totally apologetic about it. I don't know the show, but it certainly seems like a fast-paced talk show, where stumbling through a few bonsoirs and mes apologies would slow the thing down; they're polite in a store with a clerk where you're bumbling through the language, but they'd bring the show to a halt. It's entirely possible they were asked to not do this by the producers.
Another thing not mentioned is that they were having simultaneous translation done. In my university days, I participated in an extemporaneous debate competition in Ottawa; it was bilingual, with simultaneous translation provided through earpieces. Holy shit, what a distracting experience. You have the actual conversation, and then a few seconds later, someone says the same thing in your ear, while the next sentence is being said to your face. If you know anything of the language, you're picking up on one conversation's bits and pieces, while trying to concentrate on the earpiece.
That's what it looked like to me; these guys are thrust into a large studio audience, the machinery of a television production, a host talking to them in rapid-fire French, and a translator speaking equally rapidly in their ears, while they know that they are being watched by millions. And these guys make YouTube videos, so it's not like they're even the usual celebrities/politicians who are accustomed to appearing in front of crowds. The crowd, of course, is unresponsive -- not their fault, as the translation was done via subtitles -- so it's even more of a trainwreck.
I learned my French (now rusty as hell) in the «atrocious» Alberta public school system, and I'd be totally willing to try to bust it out in a well defined situation like a restaurant, or a conversation with a cabbie where there's room for forgiveness. But there's no way in hell that I'd appear on the equivalent of the Tonight Show (Johnny Carson era) speaking my Tarzan version of Québécois.
Apparently you have to try pretty hard to not be bilingual in Montreal, even if you're from the Anglo end of town.
To begin with, learning another language is hard, unless you're immersed in it at a young age (Fagstein speculates these guys are Montréal natives, so they would have had French lessons, but that's speculation from what I can tell). I started in grade 3, and that was too late for it to be really ingrained.
Further, Montréal has (at least it did for me on the occasions I've visited) this weird thing where it's part-English (and the Francophones are very bilingual) so you're never sure which language somebody speaks natively, so you default to English to avoid the terrible-French-to-someone-who-also-speaks-terrible-French embarrassment. I spoke a lot more French in Lyon where it's clear that's what you do than in Montréal.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:45 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
English speakers in Quebec don't need protection, they need to learn a second language.
That's fantastic. I was born here. My mother was born here. Her mother was born here. I have taken french classes since pre-school, including two years in university. I speak french only in the present tense with limited vocabulary.
They lost my papers for English education three times and If I choose to stay here, I will not be able to get a job anywhere but a call centre. When my mother decided to move, it was after someone shot out all the windows on the street she worked on that had English signs. Think of my position when I call you up to sell you insurance.
On the plus side, here in Montreal most of the job ads say bilingual, so in the event language intensive courses fix the gap in my ability to communicate I'm a leg up on all the 100% francophones.
But this shit is not as easy as you seem to think it is. And for good or for ill, I think I have as much right to Quebec as anyone else, and the right to feel twitchy when the PQ sends me political pamphlets telling me how good they are at stamping out English language rights. Or when two well meaning you tube stars get raked through the coals for not having a skill that wasn't intrinsic to what they were demonstrating.
posted by Phalene at 10:54 PM on April 21, 2011 [28 favorites]
On a humorous note- my bloody minded desire to speak what french I can has caused that look of language terror in the face of numerous anglophones as I rattle off whatever french question I needed to ask. You wouldn't believe the relief when I switch to English with a cheerful "Me neither!"
posted by Phalene at 10:59 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
I came here to try and forget about the Canucks game. Thanks a lot, Hoopo and mannequito.
posted by Pseudonumb at 11:02 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
jonmc: "I can't argue against bacon, but I'm really fucking sick of the whole fucking cupcake thing."
Just wait - the bacon-wrapped cupcake made of legos and endorsed by Jon Stewart. It's coming, I just know it.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:14 PM on April 21, 2011
English speaking people were invited onto a TV show in France or Italy or Japan, they'd be translated into the local language and that would be that
Not the same thing. The English community is a speck in a sea of French.
It's maybe a little more like growing up in Japan but never learning to speak it. When you show up on tv as a cocky gaijin, claiming to be a citizen, yet don't even deign to speak the language…
posted by five fresh fish at 11:17 PM on April 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
Hi, Brussels here! Let me just categorically state that if you were a guest on a Dutch-speaking TV show, announced that you were Brussels born and bred, and spoke only French, unapologetically, and laid into Flemish culture a bit in your interview, the reaction would be more than just a few angry tweets.
The reaction is not because they don't speak French - it's because they don't speak French, they grew up in a bilingual city, they come across as arrogant and they slag off French-speaking culture in the interview. What reaction do you expect?
posted by creeky at 11:21 PM on April 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
Do you have any fucking clue how much you sound like an Arizona sherrif right now?
posted by rodgerd at 11:47 PM on April 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
It's maybe a little more like growing up in Japan but never learning to speak it. When you show up on tv as a cocky gaijin, claiming to be a citizen,
But is this cocky gaijin actually a citizen? If so, I'm pretty uncomfortable with the idea that citizenship gets downgraded or even impugned on the basis of speaking a different language than the local majority for the same reason I'm uncomfortable with the notion that white, Protestant Midwesterners are real Americans. Setting up central cases of citizenship on the basis of language assigns everyone who doesn't share that particular language as a second-class citizen. (Speaking of which, how are non-English linguistic minorities treated in Quebec?)
posted by Marty Marx at 11:57 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
I have seen old Quebecois men so touched by the mere fact of non-Quebecois Canadians speaking French, it seems heartless not to try.
And, while I understand that some people aren't cut out for learning languages, I think that anywhere in the world, inability to speak the language renders you either a tourist, or else arrogant, or "dumb" — and you're going to get treated as a second-class citizen. I don't see how you can expect otherwise.
posted by esprit de l'escalier at 12:04 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Whatever, rogerd. I'm sorry my attempt to draw an analogy doesn't work for you. Feel free to do better.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:11 AM on April 22, 2011
I learned my French (now rusty as hell) in the «atrocious» Alberta public school system
It may be atrocious, but it's the least atrocious in Canada. Just sayin'.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:12 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Oh, Canada. Pardon the noise, people; we're rethinking the country right now. Happens once every six or seven years, perfectly natural, though always a little unnerving. We should have the basics together in a couple of weeks, and we'll go from there. Go about your business and don't mind us. Here, have some bacon!
posted by bicyclefish at 12:18 AM on April 22, 2011
poutine-eating surrender monkeys
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:27 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
It seems Belgium and Canada have a number of things in common. Your politics look like more fun than ours, though.
posted by Kevin Street at 12:32 AM on April 22, 2011
Shut up, Flanders.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:41 AM on April 22, 2011 [13 favorites]
"It's maybe a little more like growing up in Japan but never learning to speak it. When you show up on tv as a cocky gaijin, claiming to be a citizen, yet don't even deign to speak the language..."
You'd be seen as a quaint and quirky character, and invited onto lots more talk shows, but people on the Internet would gossip that really you were fluent, and you were just pretending not to speak Japanese as a gimmick to make you stand out and get more work. But the number of people who would be offended and angry would be vanishingly small.
posted by Bugbread at 12:53 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, there was a Mefi post about that guy! Is he in the Softbank commercials?
posted by Kevin Street at 1:09 AM on April 22, 2011
It seems Belgium and Canada have a number of things in common.
Yup. Both in Belgium and Canada, the debate is driven by an unholy mixture of historic resentment and political opportunism. What's ironic, though, is that in Belgium, it's the Dutch-speakers who are incredibly defensive about encroachment by the French language. In particular, the nominally Dutch-monolingual towns around Brussels strictly enforce a ban on "foreign" language signs very similar to that in Quebec.
The Dutch-speakers do not even have the excuse of "defending the minority language", since they are actually the majority, even if Flemish/Dutch didn't get equal status to French until the mid twentieth century.
posted by Skeptic at 1:38 AM on April 22, 2011
That's fantastic. I was born here...I have taken french classes since pre-school...I speak french only in the present tense with limited vocabulary...I will not be able to get a job anywhere but a call centre.
I feel like I've offended you, but I'm not sure why it should be surprising that as a linguistic minority you'll need to learn enough French in Quebec to be able to function in a French-majority French-official-language context. It sucks that you have difficulty with French, I'm not denying that it would make life difficult. But these barriers do not strike me as any different than those faced by a francophone trying to get a job in BC who's only able to communicate in English with a limited vocabulary in the present tense. The onus is not on everyone else to learn English (or French, as the case may be).
When my mother decided to move, it was after someone shot out all the windows on the street she worked on that had English signs
I didn't hear about this, that sucks and it's inexcusable.
And for good or for ill, I think I have as much right to Quebec as anyone else,
Absolutely, but being able to communicate with the people around you is on you. I don't have to tell you that learning French in Quebec is important. I did immersion even though I lived in Ontario in an English-speaking town--my French sucks now because I haven't used it in 15 years, and still I understood the interviewer's questions. I think it's fair to ask questions about why these guys required translations despite being born and raised in Quebec.
and the right to feel twitchy when the PQ sends me political pamphlets telling me how good they are at stamping out English language rights. Or when two well meaning you tube stars get raked through the coals for not having a skill that wasn't intrinsic to what they were demonstrating.
Never said you didn't. And it's possible I'm missing a lot of context all the way out here, all I have to go on is what's in this post, but this seems like a tempest in a teapot to me.
posted by Hoopo at 2:08 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Seriously, the situation in Montreal is not as bad as all that. In stores that were speaking French I was able to get along fine by pulling out my bad French I learned from West African emigrants mixed with Haitian Creole, and it was always accepted far more graciously than it would ever have been in Paris or Belgium. It helped that people recognized that I was not Canadian, though.
Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous présente les pays des Balkans! In East Europe you can see a much different situation in which each county has linguistic/national minorities and education in the national language is necessary to function, while your local/parental language can be either a blessing or a curse. If you were born in the old Yugoslavia you were essentially able to communicate with everybody using Serbo-Croatian. Today the differences are played up into separate languages (Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian) and still everybody can understand each other. Canadians are not alone in having to deal with this issue.
A few years ago Slovakia proposed a law limiting and fining the use of Hungarian (Slovakia's main minority) in public official situations (applying for a permit, police reports) which raised big diplomatic dust and was eventually tossed by Slovakia's sane new Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Slovaks complain that their children can no longer read or speak Czech.
Language differences have often erupted into wars, but tweets about bacon wrapped liver cupcakes do not a language conflict make.
posted by zaelic at 2:27 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Quebec is one of the largest whine-producing communities on earth.
posted by unSane at 4:18 AM on April 22, 2011 [6 favorites]
It's disturbing that someone can go through schooling in Quebec and not end up with even a few words of French, enough to try to placate the crowd a bit. (It would probably have worked if they had.) It's unbelievable that someone can live here and not realise exactly what response speaking on TLMEP in English only would provoke.
I have my own objections to the language laws, but it's not about "protecting" French, it's about actually protecting French in Quebec. (Something which has been fairly successful.)
No, certain rights need protecting. Anglos are doing fine.
As I understand it, everything official is pretty much bilingual throughout the country, except in Quebec, where it only has to be in French.
The federal government is officially bilingual. Of the provinces, Quebec is officially French, New Brunswick officially bilingual, and the other provinces officially English.
It's more complicated, I think, than that, and I wouldn't say that speaking French is assimilating unless they entirely gave up speaking English and dropped their own cultures for traditional cultures.
"Epic Meal Time à #TLMEP : Une autre preuve que notre merveilleuse langue se meurt. Québécois, 0 connaissance du français. FAIL."
I am impressed that anyone, anywhere, called anglos Quebecois. My heart just grew seven sizes.
posted by jeather at 5:08 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think you're wrong on this. Quebecois is much more changed from Parisian French than Canadian English is to English English. Or Australian English.
posted by Evstar at 5:13 AM on April 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
In RI, we have significant parts of the population that only speak Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese or French, and can only get by in English with difficulty, if at all. It drove Lovecraft completely bonkers.
This is the price to pay for a modern multi-ethnic culture - people aren't going to speak the local lingo as well as the mainstream culture would like. Tough. The benefits it brings far outweigh the inconveniences. Portuguese sweet rolls, for instance. Mmm. You can keep your filthy hipster cupcakes, I'm having folar.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:16 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
With an added touch of irony.
posted by tommasz at 5:44 AM on April 22, 2011
I don't really have much to add to the conversation except this comment, which pretty much applies equally here.
posted by Shepherd at 5:52 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Having spent a year north of Montreal, where there are many non-English speakers, I think it's just common courtesy to learn one French sentence, whereby one apologizes for not speaking French. It's not all that hard to do.
posted by StickyCarpet at 5:59 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Evstar, it's not Quebecois French that changed--it's the Parisian French. When Quebec was first settled, there were many different French dialects spoken among the settlers, and they had to agree upon a common version so that they could understand each other. They chose what was at the time the "King's French," and what is spoken in Quebec today is still closer to that than what is spoken in France today.
posted by catwoman429 at 6:10 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'd like the Nth the fact that, as an anglo with rusty high school French, if you try to speak French to a Francophone in Montreal you tend to get a response which varies from a blank look and a reply in English, to a lip curl, to a verbal beatdown. I think it's a Montreal thing though... in the further flung bits of Quebec that I've been too where people are not really bilingual to anything like the same extent, the response is much more gracious.
posted by unSane at 6:16 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
The differences between Quebec French and Parisian French (or that of Marseilles or Lyons) are mostly related to phonetics (pronouncing "oi" as [we] instead of [wa], "di" and "du" as [dzi] and [dzu]) and vocabulary (char for voiture, the whole petit déjeuner déjeuner dîner souper thing, etc.); it might take a while for someone from France to be really at ease listening, but they'll understand the written word 100% (unless it's written in a very informal manner) and they'll eventually get everything.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 6:53 AM on April 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Changed in what way, Evstar? First of all, what is "Parisian" French? The French spoken by professors in Parisian schools? The French spoken on local news broadcasts? The French spoken by North African immigrants in a selection of arrondissements? The grammar used in Paris, Marseilles, North Africa, Belgium, New Brunswick and Québec is, for all practical purposes, identical. There are some differences in standard vocabulary, as well as additional differences in slang and idiom related to class, age, ethnicity, and the urban/rural split within these areas. ALL of these areas. And, of course, you can hear some real variations in accents. The host of Tout le monde en parle has a very pronounced regional accent, but the news reader on a couple of hours after him almost certainly had a more bland accent.
People are too quick to label strong accents and some differences in vocabulary as proof that non-European French is just too different to be "real" French. Strangely enough, the same thing doesn't seem to apply to the language most people at MetaFilter share. The first time I saw Billy Bragg play live, I had a terrible time understanding great chunks of his between song banter. Oddly enough, I didn't blame it on him being forced to speak the obscure Essex dialect at school instead of "real" English (I'm envisioning Anglican nuns in white pumps rapping his knuckles every time he said "thing" instead of "fing"), nor did I blame myself for being a rude colonial with no hope of understanding the One True Speech from the land that gave birth to English. With a little practice listening to him (and going to venues with better sound systems), I got to understand him pretty well.
posted by maudlin at 7:07 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
In some very rural parts of Quebec, French linguistic scholars from France are sent there because they can still hear what French sounded like 400 years ago.
I'm an American living in Quebec, I've taken French, I'm still working at it (I don't get to live in Montreal where I might have an easier time of it) and still cannot get over my shyness to try and use the language I'm learning. I feel deeply embarrassed 90% of the time and end up either mimicking with hand gestures, red-faced, or stammer French that's completely irrelevant to the situation at hand and thus feel like a fool in my everyday life. I am not crying every day about living here and feeling isolated (though I do feel very fucking isolated from what my old life used to be like) anymore but dammit, it's hard to be Anglophone in Quebec society. I don't have the advantage Anglos growing up here had--the chance to learn French--but I am trying. Dammit, I am trying.
Frankly, I don't even find Epic Meal Time that amusing (the Jackass of food YouTube shows).
posted by Kitteh at 7:13 AM on April 22, 2011
I feel deeply embarrassed 90% of the time
I go through the same thing when I visit places that speak French. I usually will only ask people if they can speak English and apologize, even though I could get through a conversation with them in French.
When somebody that doesn't speak English comes here (to New York) and they speak bad English with an accent, it is "cute" and perhaps "sexy and exotic." But I always get the feeling that speaking at my level of French translates to "imbecile."
posted by Threeway Handshake at 7:32 AM on April 22, 2011
I'm just glad this doesn't involve a certain Canadian bank because I already get plenty of tweets meant for them.
posted by desjardins at 7:35 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
The French spoken in Quebec has changed over the last 400 years. In different ways than the French spoken in various other parts of the francophonie, but it's no more a perfect copy than the English spoken in the Appalachians is exactly the way Shakespeare spoke.
I've had the odd asshole who comments on my (quite fluent) French, because as it turns out there are assholes of every language, but mostly people will speak to me in French even though it is clear I am not a francophone; when I was less fluent, a lot of francophones would switch over to English in order to make me more comfortable (often in English less fluent than my French). I, of course, would continue to talk in French to make them more comfortable, and occasionally we would figure out later on that we're both anglophones. (Most memorably this happened with an anaesthesiologist. My medical French is non-existant.) In social situations, generally everyone speaks a sort of franglais that is heavily their first language, but not exclusively. But this "people sniff at imperfect French" thing is not anything I've seen in over a decade.
posted by jeather at 7:51 AM on April 22, 2011
The fact that I was educated in an English public school also contributed. One of the unintended consequences of Quebec's French language charter (Bill 101) is that it separates English and French-speaking children socially by having them go to different schools. Children whose parents were educated in French and not English were prohibited by law from going to school with me.
This sounds like a bad system and one that should maybe be looked into.
posted by misha at 7:54 AM on April 22, 2011
There are a few nuances that I think go a long way to explain the Twitter furor to outsiders (and Gazette readers):
Tout le monde en parle is not just any talk show. It's THE show everybody watches every week, it's where debates like this one get hashed out. It's even been called a "cultural mass" (as in religious service). It has a major agenda-setting role in Quebec culture, and I can't think of the American or Anglocan equivalent.
English-only speakers go on the show all the time. American stars, anglo authors, they trot out the translators every other week. Yet, that never causes an uproar. So maybe there's more to it than English hatred?
What rubbed people the wrong way is not just that they are Montrealers who can't speak French. The problem is that they bank pretty heavily on their Quebec/French-Canadian cred in their videos (see "The Angry French-Canadian"), but appear to have zero knowledge/respect for the actual culture. They did not know the significance of the show, and their ironically detached attitude, all monosyllabic and shit, came across as contempt.
I always laugh when I hear anglos whine about how hard it is to live in Montreal. I'm a Francophone in the West Island and I can go days without having to speak a word of French. I suspect the sense of isolation they feel comes from being surrounded in a vibrant provincial culture that they refuse to engage with. They act like expats in their own damn neighbourhood. It's easy, living as a pure Anglo here, but it isn't much fun. Appropriate the culture! Learn a couple words, watch a couple shows, go see Quebec movies, and see if you still feel so persecuted.
posted by Freyja at 8:29 AM on April 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
But this "people sniff at imperfect French" thing is not anything I've seen in over a decade.
This, so very much this. I am an anglo based in a bilingual office in Ottawa (for most of the last decade) and dealing with people in site visits from sea to shining sea. I had eight years of French in school -- junior high to university -- followed by seven years of letting it lie fallow, followed by a few months of working on a farm where French and Arabic were the languages of choice, followed by another half-decade of inactivity.
My French is so far from perfect it would cost three bucks a minute for it to call Perfect. Not only do I not get sniffed at but I actually have to push my francophone colleagues to correct me. If I go into someone's office and ask her if this sentence or that sentence is correct for an e-mail I am composing, I usually get the answer that both are fine. If there is a change to be made, it comes without a weight of judgment.
I am in Montreal and Quebec City (as well as smaller centres) at least half a dozen times a year and in any of the hundreds of conversations I have had there in French during the last few years, no one has ever given me grief. The idea of francophones smugly insulting anglophones is a straw man in my experience.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:40 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I suspect the sense of isolation they feel comes from being surrounded in a vibrant provincial culture that they refuse to engage with. They act like expats in their own damn neighbourhood. It's easy, living as a pure Anglo here, but it isn't much fun. Appropriate the culture! Learn a couple words, watch a couple shows, go see Quebec movies, and see if you still feel so persecuted.
I do attempt to engage in this culture. I attend every weekend festival I can get to in my part of the province because a:) I find it fascinating and interesting, and b:) as a foodie (though I loathe that term), I am stunned by the crazy access to the locavore culture. Fresh fruit, cheese, local butchers, wine? Oh my god, who wouldn't love that? The only newspaper we subscribe to is La Tribune and if there's a Quebec film out in theaters we want to see, we do. Maybe it's just my area, but the best chance for friendly conversation you get around here is if you talk to people 40 & under. The older generation is the one I find unfriendliest.
I have to say that I've enjoyed learning French as an adult as much as anything I've done. Because my wife is from Quebec and we wanted our kids to be fluent French-speakers even if they grew up in Calgary, it's very important to me. It's been very rewarding, both because I've got to meet a boatload of relatives in Quebec who seem to be a vibrant cross-section of that culture, and because I've met lots of interesting francophones here in Alberta. We haven't decided to move to Quebec yet...
To those folks who are learning and trying to overcome shyness and "engage" with the culture: keep trying! Everybody had to go through this obstacle, and it does get easier after the first 20 times. Learning another language is hard work. I firmly expect to be struggling with it for the rest of my life.
posted by sneebler at 9:09 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've never really understood the stories of language-snobbery from Québec. But then again I've only ever done the tourist thing, and even in the rural areas people were pretty accommodating of my Alberta public school french.
posted by selenized at 9:18 AM on April 22, 2011
The difficulty is not experiencing the "culture", it's that there's no easy transition and that french language education is not adequate. In general, people in Quebec are awesome and the problem is that they switch to English. I just passed the point of non-transference, where my french is apparently no longer halting enough that I get sympathy translations, but when you say "appropriate the culture", you forget I am as much the culture as a uni-lingual francophone. This whole tempest in a teapot was not over the fact that the guests didn't go to french language shows and can't order a St-Viateur bagels, it's that for the purpose of being on television, non-bilingualism was enough to get them called lazy and arrogant and a matter of provincial shame.
I feel persecuted when I realize there's a good chance I'll never pass for bi-ling and when speaking English causes a large number of people to go into convulsions.
posted by Phalene at 9:20 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
OMG BACON NINJA MONKEY PIRATE ROBOT ZOMBIE CUPCAKES!
posted by acb at 9:31 AM on April 22, 2011
You put cupcakes, or bacon, or bacon cupcakes in front of me, and I will gratefully eat them. Fashion, smashion.
posted by everichon at 9:35 AM on April 22, 2011
A friend of mine is fond of talking about "the war of the sexes" even if his whole life is evidence to the contrary: his relationships with his mother, his sisters, his wife, his daughters, his bosses, his employees, his friends show how much his experience is about cooperation and collaboration with women, not about war. But he loves nevertheless the intellectual framework of the war of the sexes.
I have often the same impression when it comes to the language "war" in Quebec. I live in Montreal. I would say that 99.99% of everyday life is not only about peaceful coexistence of both languages but about the fun of the friction and the interaction of two languages. Most people who have a basic mastery of the "other" language are in a way proud of it. And they like to show it off.
In my experience, people who wrote above that French speaking people discouraged them to speak French and responded to them in English are misinterpreting the situation: as much as the effort of learning a few words is appreciated, it's generally considered polite to use the language that both speakers are more comfortable with. And if you want to practice your French, just say so: it happens all the time, in both directions.
There is a very Montrealer type of conversation between Anglos and Francos when each one is using the other language: I would speak English with an Anglo speaking French. When using your own language, one may have a tendency to speak too fast or to use too broad a vocabulary. So it's very polite (and little showoffy) to be on a level playing field (each one using one's second language).
All in all, it's mostly enjoyable to live in a multilingual environment, not only in Montreal. Most countries I have visited use several languages. Only "Empire" countries have become monolingual during the past two centuries. I understand that many people can speak only one language and the best stance I know about it is the commerce one: I am glad to have you in my store and I will do anything I can for you to have a good shopping experience.
In everyday life, the language "war" is just a framework of frustration. Steve Faguy (Fagstein) is a great journalist and is not afraid of stirring the pot. He covers pillow fights too. He has a little fun in his article in opposing outrageous tweets with his own very reasonable attitude. There always will be outrageous tweets (or Fark comments) but I think Steve's own story tells more about Montreal than the tweets he has chosen to play with.
Wow, catwoman429, I am impressed, not many people know this.
posted by bru at 9:38 AM on April 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Meh. No ukulele topping? Yuck.
posted by The World Famous at 9:54 AM on April 22, 2011
Serge Denoncourt comes off as more of a prick than the interviewees, but that's nothing new I suppose.
posted by pahalial at 10:00 AM on April 22, 2011
In my experience the public school French courses in Alberta lag behind Ontario's. However the school system overall (in Calgary at least) is not "atrocious". Homeboy Trouble, why did you describe it as such?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 11:52 AM on April 22, 2011
To the people saying you need to speak the local language: Montreal is not Tokyo. It's a bilingual city. It's possible to grow up there not speaking French. There are neighborhoods where everyone speaks English first, and that 40 years ago had English signs and different street names.
What happens if you're in this situation, possibly with anglophone family in the area going back generations, and you just don't have the aptitude to pick up French because you never really have to use it? Are you still a quebecker? (or a québécois)? Of course.
I agree that these guys shouldn't be calling themselves "French Canadians", unless they mean ethnically, which is entirely possible.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 12:14 PM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
What happens if you're in this situation, possibly with anglophone family in the area going back generations, and you just don't have the aptitude to pick up French because you never really have to use it?
But you WILL have to use it sometimes if you ever want to leave your neighborhood or work with 80% of the population, so it seems like the prudent thing to do so not to limit your options unnecessarily.
non-bilingualism was enough to get them called lazy and arrogant and a matter of provincial shame.
Yeah, for me it was the translation thing-- as someone who hasn't been to Quebec in a LONG time, it surprised me that a couple of Montreallers needed more help than me. The arrogant bit was just their demeanor, for me thta was unrelated to the language thing but in Quebec I guess it's seen as the same thing in this case
Yes, absolutely, you do need to be bilingual or francophone for most jobs in Montreal. But I think you can get by day-to-day just fine with crappy French in much of the city. People will just speak English to you, as mentioned upthread, even if you start the conversation in broken French.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:34 PM on April 22, 2011
However the school system overall (in Calgary at least) is not "atrocious". Homeboy Trouble, why did you describe it as such?
I was using the Fagstein article's phrase: "quite possibly the most atrocious French anyone has ever heard this side of an Alberta public school, the fans appreciated it." I was going for scare-quotes, but used the French ones because I was trying to be too clever by half.
As far as I'm concerned, the Calgary Public School Board did alright by me. As did the U of C and MRU, for that matter.
Anyways, it just occurred to me that the Epic Meal Time guys should have heeded the (Radio Free) Vestibules' classic tips for a monolingual Anglophone Looking For A Job In Quebec.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:18 PM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Ignatieff was just on Tout le monde en parle just now: I take back my snark and pronounce his French at least as serviceable as Layton's. He even managed an impromptu joke about grooming his eyebrows with a lawn mower and also responded well to some extended Mme Paillé (aka Josephine the Plumber 2011) references. He's not fluent and no one would mistake him for a native speaker, but he's not as bad as the video I linked above would suggest.
posted by maudlin at 6:01 PM on April 24, 2011
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text:
Q: Which Sci-Fi work first showed romance between a human and an android? Here, by android, I mean "an AI robot which looks and acts like a human." It shouldn't just be "Sex Robot". Emotions between both parties need to be involved.
At this time, there are two examples in my mind:

*

*Relationship between Vision and Wanda in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

*Relationship between Data and Tasha in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Once a Starfleet officer was acting against Data's rights saying "it" was a property of Starfleet, but Riker successfully countered this in court by showing Tasha's photo in Data's belongings and thus proving that there were some unknown variables in Data's positronic brain.
Which Sci-Fi work first showed a romantic relationship between a human and an android?

A: 1938: "Helen O'Loy", a short story by Lester del Rey, first published in Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1938, available at the Internet Archive.
Wikipedia plot summary:

Two young men, a mechanic, Dave, and a medical student, Phil, collaborate on modifying a household robot, originally meant only to cook and clean. They are more successful than they intended; despite the robot's household programming, it develops emotions. The robot, named "Helen O'Loy", falls in love with Dave. Dave initially avoids her and rejects her advances, but after some time he marries her and they live together on his farm.
Over the years Phil assists her in artificially aging her features to match the changes that occur in her human husband. When Dave inevitably dies, she sends a letter to Phil asking him to dissolve her metallic structure and bury her remains with her husband. She begs him not to let anyone discover their secret. In the final line it is revealed that Phil, who had been narrating the story, had secretly been in love with her the whole time.

A: I list this because it strongly hints at the potential of human/android love, even if it never gets there. The movie would be Metropolis (1927).
The movie largely turns on a robot that is made to look like a woman. We see these two points

Rotwang had been in love with a woman named Hel, who left him to marry Fredersen and later died giving birth to Freder. Rotwang shows Fredersen a robot he has built to "resurrect" Hel.

and

Freder believes that he could fill the role and declares his love for Maria. Fredersen orders Rotwang to give Maria's likeness to the robot so that it can ruin her reputation among the workers to prevent any rebellion.

It doesn't entirely fit because the romance avenue is never fully explored as part of the story (we never see the robot reciprocate love). However, we see that the robot is made to look and act identical to an actual woman (including emotions). There's every indication that Rotwang, the robot's creator, intended to carry on a relationship with the robot (at one point Rotwang even confuses the woman, whose likeness he had given the robot, for his dead wife and kidnaps her). Given that the robot fools multiple people into thinking she is a real woman, there's no reason to believe a relationship would not be possible.

A: If we're going to exclude written works, I believe The Twilight Zone's The Lonely beats Star Trek by ten years, airing November 13, 1959:
Wikipedia:

Upon opening the special container, Corry discovers that Allenby has left him with a feminine robot named Alicia to keep him company. Alicia is capable of emotions, memory and has a lifespan comparable to a human.
[...]
Over the next 11 months, Corry begins to fall in love with her. Alicia develops a personality that mirrors Corry's, and the days become bearable.

Wikipedia doesn't explicitly say Alicia loved Corry, but I've seen the episode, and it is clear she cares for him as well:

The robot breaks down, malfunctioning, its face a mass of wire and broken circuitry which repeats the word "Corry".

A: Since the OP ask for which work first "showed romance between a human and an android," I assume that he meant a TV show or movie.
Star Trek (The Original Series): Requiem for Methuselah (Valentine's Day, 1969)
Kirk fell in love with a woman who didn't realize that she was an android.
From Wikipedia:

Rayna comes to say goodbye to Kirk, who has fallen in love with her
  and begs her to accompany him. McCoy tells them that the ryetalyn is
  missing, and Spock follows tricorder readings to a laboratory chamber
  containing android bodies, all labeled "Rayna".
Flint finally reveals the truth... Rayna is to be his mate, now that
  Kirk has taught her how to love... A fight then breaks out between the
  two men for the possession of Rayna. Rayna stops them, claiming her
  right to choose her own future, and then, overwhelmed by her newfound
  emotions, dies.

Kirk also showed the hots for a couple of Harvey Mudd's android women but I don't think that was love.

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Baystate Mary Lane Hospital is among a select group of hospitals and transplant centers nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for reaching gold level of achievement by conducting activities that promoted enrollment in state organ donor registries. The hospitals are part of the national Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Campaign, sponsored by HHS's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Baystate Mary Lane's awareness and registry campaigns educated staff, patients, visitors, and community members on the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donors and thereby increased the number of potential donors on the state's donor registry. The hospital earned points for each activity implemented during Phase IV of the campaign, between August 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015, and was awarded GOLD recognition by HRSA.
This campaign is a special effort of HRSA's Workplace Partnership for Life to mobilize the nation's hospitals to increase the number of people in the country who are registered organ, eye, and tissue donors. The campaign unites donation advocates at hospitals with representatives from their organ procurement organizations, Donate Life America state teams, and state hospital associations. Working together, the teams leverage their communications resources and outreach efforts to most effectively spread word of the critical need for donors.
Baystate Mary Lane Hospital received an A for the Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score, and consistently rank among the top hospitals in the region by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) in patients' assessment of and satisfaction with the overall quality of their care. A recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award our hospital offers 24-hour emergency care with a pledge that all patients will see a provider within 30 minutes of arrival; inpatient and outpatient surgical care, orthopedics; and cancer services through the Baystate Regional Cancer Program.


text:
Nintendo DS/3DS
New Smash Bros. Trailer Introduces Wii Fit Trainer to the Fight
The internet gave a collective "Woooo" in their best Ric Flair voice yesterday as Nintendo finally lifted the lid on the Namco Bandai co-developed Smash Bros. title set to release next year. They further cheered at the inclusion of the Blue Bomber himself, Mega Man, as the latest third-party character to be introduced into the frantic fray. But Nintendo hasn't finished playing their hand yet, and while the reveal trailer announced both Mega Man and Animal Crossing's "Villager" to the fun, yet another character has also made her E3 Smash Bros. debut: The Wii Fit Trainer. Yeah, you heard that right. Take a look:
I've gotta admit, as silly as I assumed this would turn out when I first heard about it, the Wii Fit Trainer fits in surprisingly well amongst roster veterans. Her fighting style looks both balanced and an absolute spectacle to watch. That suped-up finishing move of hers where she launches out duplicates of herself in various Yoga poses looks pretty devastating as well. Whether or not the Final Smash from Brawl is being included remains to be seen; but characters seem to have powerful screen-wiping abilities like the one I just mentioned.
This brings the confirmed roster count up to 11 so far: Combining franchise staples Mario, Zelda, Pikachu, Samus, Bowser, Kirby and Star Fox, with recent newcomer Pit joining alongside the above-mentioned newcomers Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, and Animal Crossing Villager. Hopefully, we'll get at least a few more third-party characters to surprise and liven up the experience alongside first-time introductions of dormant Nintendo classics. It's almost guaranteed the likes of Donkey Kong, Peach, and Yoshi will be joining the roster soon, but I'm hoping we get a few left-field choices as well. I mean, it's high time Birdo faced off against Yoshi, isn't it? What about Waluigi? But most importantly, after Link, Young Link, and Toon Link, when are we finally going to get everyone's favorite Link? No, not Dark Link, I'm talking CD-i Link, baby. Make it happen, Nintendo!
The currently untitled Super Smash Bros. is scheduled for a 2014 release, likely next holiday season, and is coming to both the Wii U and the 3DS; with a unique hand-drawn/cel-shaded sort of aesthetic for the portable version. No word on the cross-play functionality that was hinted at either, but stay tuned for more details as they develop.
How pumped are you folks to get your hands on the latest Super Smash Bros.? Which characters, first-party or otherwise, are you absolutely wishing find their way onto the complete roster? Conversely, which character from Brawl's bloated roster would you like seen taken off in favor of someone new? I'm genuinely curious to read what you guys come up with, so keep things interesting in the comments section. If you'd like to keep up with all our E3 coverage, make sure you like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us the 'ol +1 on Google+. If you can't get enough of my shenanigans, (who could blame you?) you can check me out @GamingsNirvana, or add +VinnyParisi to your circles.
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Vincent Parisi
I guess I'm the typical, modern day nerd. I was raised right on Batman: TAS and old-school TMNT. I've been a core gamer since I was 2 years old (I was beating Mario before I could finish sentences) and haven't thought twice about it since. My favorite game genre is RPG for sure. I love the advent of channels like Nerdist and Geek and Sundry, and will never turn down an invitation to a Con. (Though I don't cosplay... yet.) I hate not owning the latest and greatest gadgets and aspire to find my place in the world of game journalism. Favorite Games: The Mass Effect trilogy, Super Mario World, the BioShock series, the Ratchet and Clank series, anything featuring Nolan North. Favorite shows: FireFly (Browncoats, unite!), Bones, Castle, Spectacular Spider-Man (RIP), Transformers Prime. Anything featuring the voice talents of Steve Blum, Gina Torres, Ashley Johnson, or Yuri Lowenthal. Favorite Comics: Amazing Spider-Man (Thanks for the memories), most things featuring Batman, any one where Green Arrow makes an appearance.
I'd love to see Oni Link (AKA fierce deity Link) make an appearance.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
(-) Finance, Fiscal and Monetary Policy
Paul A. Volcker '49, Former Federal Reserve Chairman, Dies at 92
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Politics & Polls #108: How Money Restricts Access to Political Office
Working-class citizens have been historically underrepresented in American politics.In this episode, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss the…
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Robert Mueller's recent indictment of 13 Russians and their "troll farm" has given us a clearer view of what an adversary can do with disinformation…
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Ansty and Staplefield is een civil parish in het bestuurlijke gebied Mid Sussex, in het Engelse graafschap West Sussex met 1756 inwoners.

Civil parish in West Sussex

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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2021 Honda Accord Review | What's new, fuel economy, prices, pictures
2021 Honda Accord Review | What's new, fuel economy, prices, pictures
2022 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class gets updated styling
Tire Rack Deals | Get up to $150 back on a set of Goodyear Tires
2004-2006 Pontiac GTO | Used vehicle spotlight
This 1971 Land Rover Dormobile is overland camping, retro-style
GM to start making electric Silverado late next year, according to source
Watch the Autoblog livestream right here
Lancia 037 prototype number one up for auction
Production Chevrolet Silverado EV coming to GM's Factory Zero
Cyberlandr is a pickup camper for the Tesla Cybertruck
Honda takes the idea of a "mid-cycle refresh" of its cars rather literally, and sure enough, three years into what is likely to be a six-year lifespan, the current generation Accord sees a comprehensive round of updates. Yet, true to the company's norm, don't expect massive changes for the 2021 Honda Accord. The styling is updated, but even we're having a hard time telling the difference. The interior sees more infotainment features on more trims, while the various driver assistance systems have been updated and increased in number. There have also supposedly been some improvements made to throttle and brake response, though we honestly didn't notice them. They were fine before and continue to be.
All of this should be welcome news, but these updates are just a bunch of icing on what was an already delicious, well-iced cake. Despite some impressive new competitors in recent years, the '21 Accord continues to shine as our top family sedan choice. It does virtually everything well. It has a huge interior, yet is responsive to drive. It's fuel efficient, yet all its powertrains, including that of the Accord Hybrid, provide punchy acceleration for the segment. It's also well-equipped, and should provide the long-term value that's become synonymous with the name Honda Accord. In other words, the best just got better.
Outside, the 2021 Accord gets a wider, restyled grille and a new LED headlight design. Inside, the base LX now comes standard with the same 8-inch touchscreen as the rest of the Accord lineup. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard as well, though they get upgraded to wireless capability on the EX-L and Touring trims (plus all Hybrids but the base model). The standard adaptive cruise control system has apparently been improved with smoother, more natural braking, while its lane-centering steering capability has also been upgraded to ping-pong less between lanes. The ACC system also gets steering wheel controls more in keeping with other makes. This is all good news.
Mechanically, the Hybrid's engine is apparently more likely to rev in concert with the driver's throttle input (this may sound weird, but we'll explain in detail below). Throttle and brake pedal response have also been tweaked on gas-only models. Sadly, the manual transmission option has been discontinued. Finally, a new Sport SE trim replaces the old EX 1.5T.
What's the Accord interior and in-car technology like?
The Accord's cabin offers excellent fit and finish, plus materials that are among the best in the segment. The climate control knobs even click like an Audi's. The design won't wow you, but it's tidy and, in upper trim levels, sufficiently elevated in appearance. More important, the interior is arguably the most functional of any midsize family sedan. The under-armrest storage bin is gigantic, and the large square-ish cupholders can fit vessels of all shapes and sizes (good news for boxed water enthusiasts), while the bin forward of the shifter features two USB ports, the wireless charger (upper trims) and is large enough to fit any number of phone sizes. We're not a fan of Honda's silly button transmission shifter included with 2.0-liter and hybrid powertrains as it takes up just as much space as the 1.5-liter's traditional shifter. It's different for different's sake.
Standard on every Accord is an 8-inch touchscreen with crisp graphics, a sensible menu structure and physical menu buttons alongside it (including volume and tuning knobs). The latter make it much easier to use than the otherwise similar systems found in Honda's Pilot, Passport and CR-V. We also like that it's mounted quite high on the dash, making it easy to see at a glance. Every trim level comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the EX-L and Touring (plus all Hybrids but the base trim) update them to wireless functionality along with a wireless charging pad. All but the LX and base Hybrid also include two rear USB ports.
This only touches the surface of the cabin, though. For a deeper dive, check out our Accord interior review, which takes a comprehensive look at car seat fitment, storage and technology.
How big is the Accord?
The Accord is gigantic. Even though it competes with a variety of midsize sedans that are spacious in their own right (Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Subaru Legacy), the Accord still outdoes them all for passenger and cargo room. There's so much space between seating rows, even with tall drivers up front, that few cars (or SUVs) provide as much room to install a rear-facing child seat. Headroom is sufficiently average for the segment, but the Accord's exceptional all-around visibility makes it more pleasant to ride in the back.
And as we discovered in both our midsize sedan comparison test and our Accord luggage test, the 16.9-cubic-foot trunk can stuff in more luggage than its competitors. Well, luggage as well as a 38-quart cooler. It's actually not much smaller than the Honda CR-V, and it's in fact more voluminous than many other compact SUVs.
What are the performance and fuel economy?
The Accord is available with three powertrain choices, including the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid. Unlike the Toyota Camry and Subaru legacy, the Accord is not available with all-wheel drive.
The standard engine on every gas-only Accord is a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. This makes it one of the most powerful base engines in the segment. A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is standard. EPA fuel economy estimates were not available at the time of this writing, but we expect them to be the same for 2021. Last year, a CVT-equipped 1.5-liter Accord got an excellent 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined in most trims (the Sport got 31 mpg combined likely due to bigger wheels).
Standard on the Touring, and optional on the Sport and EX-L, is a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four that produces 252 hp and 273 pound-feet of torque. Its acceleration is mind-blowing for a family sedan, with many publications finding it'll hit 60 mph in the mid-5-second range. It now only comes standard with a 10-speed automatic (the six-speed manual was discontinued, tear). Last year's fuel economy estimates were 23 mpg city, 34 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined in the EX-L. The Sport and Touring were reduced to 26 combined.
The Hybrid powertrain consists of the same distinctive setup utilized in the Honda Insight, albeit with a more powerful engine. During most driving situations, power comes from the electric motor while the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder mostly serves as a generator to feed the battery pack. This is why the engine can rev more than your throttle inputs would indicate, which can be weird, but Honda has reduced this for 2021. Steady highway cruising is the most frequent instance when the engine is connected directly to the wheels. Total system output is 212 horsepower. Honda says fuel economy will be the same excellent 48 mpg in the city, 47 highway and 48 combined cycles as it was last year.
What's the Accord like to drive?
The '21 Accord gets revised throttle and brake pedal response, but we didn't really consider those to be problem areas last year, and furthermore didn't notice any difference. We did, however, notice that the Hybrid's gas engine does indeed work more closely in concert with the driver's throttle applications (see powertrain section above). Otherwise, the Accord driving experience remains just as excellent as it was before. It may be the biggest Accord yet, but it has re-acquired some of the driving verve it lost in the previous two generations. It feels quite light on its feet should you decide to hustle it along a winding road, and although the steering effort is a tad too light, we're guessing most people won't view that as a bad thing. If you do, we recommend the Mazda6.
Ride quality is excellent on trim levels that come with 17-inch wheels, but those with the 19-inch wheels (pictured above) may be susceptible to impact harshness over big bumps. That can even be the case when paired with the Touring trim level's adaptive suspension, which constantly adjusts its damping in reaction to road conditions.
Every Hybrid but the Touring includes 17-inch wheels, which is good for the ride, but handling is excellent as well. In fact, it can be better than the gas-only version since the battery's placement low in the chassis between the axles (it's under the back seat) results in better balance. We also like the Hybrid's powertrain, which uses the electric motor to directly power the wheels in most circumstances and therefore provides an almost EV-like power delivery of buttery smooth, right-now torque.
As for the gas-only powertrains, you can't go wrong with either. You certainly don't need the bigger turbo, but besides providing a bigger punch, we prefer its 10-speed automatic to the base engine's CVT. As far as CVTs go, it's not terrible and avoids excessive droning, but we prefer the more typical shifting performance of the 10-speed.
What more can I read about the Honda Accord?
2021 Honda Accord First Drive Review
This review highlights the changes made for the 2021 Accord, going more in-depth about what was done, why it was done and how those changes work.
2021 Honda Accord Interior Review
Our comprehensive deep dive into the Accord's interior. We fill its cupholders and bins, review its infotainment system, try to avoid eye contact with the very-fake wood trim and see how an infant child seat fits.
Honda Accord Luggage Test | How much fits in the trunk?
The Accord's specs says it has more trunk volume than its competitors. We put that to the real-world test.
Comparison Test: Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry vs Mazda 6
See how the Accord stacks up to two close rivals. All have received updates since then, but our conclusions remain broadly the same.
2019 Honda Accord Touring 2.0T Review
We review the highest trim level possible: the Touring with the optional 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Again, this is the pre-refresh version but our observations remain broadly the same.
Our test of the Hybrid Touring, where we argued it's actually the most appealing Accord available. Again, this is the pre-refresh version but our observations remain broadly the same.
What features are available and what's the price?
Pricing starts at $25,725, including the $955 destination charge, for the base Accord LX. As usual for Hondas, equipment is added exclusively through trim levels — there are no options or packages.
Standard equipment is ample and includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, proximity entry, dual-zone climate control, the full Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance tech (see Safety section below), cloth upholstery, a manual height-adjustable driver seat, an 8-inch touchscreen, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a four-speaker sound system. While we used to recommend upgrading to the Accord EX due to its handful of must-have extras, most of those are now included on the base car. As such, there's less of a need to pay more for the EX's effective replacement, the Sport, which may still add a power driver seat and twice as many speakers, but comes saddled with the ride-compromising 19-inch wheels.
You can find a full breakdown of each trim level's features, specs and local pricing here on Autoblog for the gas-only Accords and here for the Accord Hybrid.
LX: $25,725
Sport: $28,185
Sport SE: $29.675
EX-L: $32,045
Sport 2.0T: $32,865
Touring 2.0T: $37,655
Hybrid Base: $27,325
Hybrid EX: $31,275
Hybrid EX-L: $33,645
Hybrid Touring: $37,195
What are its safety equipment and crash ratings?
Every 2021 Accord comes standard with the Honda Sensing suite of accident avoidance tech: forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with lane-centering capability. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning are added starting with the EX-L trim. Agreeably, these various systems are not only more advanced than what you'll get in the Civic, Pilot and Passport, but have been upgraded for 2021 with more natural reactions from the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering systems.
The Accord receives a perfect five stars in every government crash category. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the 2021 Accord a Top Safety Pick+ for its top scores in all pertinent categories. Its new headlights for 2021 were given "Acceptable" and "Good" scores, which is necessary to achieve the + version of the Top Safety Pick.


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Q: How to set an element's height same as its width and keep the size ratio on window resize? I am trying to set the height of an element same as its width. It should be auto-scaling/ keep size ratio according to web browser resolution changes. Is there a way to do that with only html template? Something like:
<div class="tile" #square [ngStyle]="{'height.px': square.width}">

A: The trick is to use the element's offsetWidth, but we also need to silent the window resizing to keep the ratio
HTML:
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DEMO

A: You need to use square.offsetWidth:
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Link to working demo.


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Die Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (BVV) ist die Volksvertretung auf Ebene der Berliner Bezirke. Die Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen der zwölf Bezirke sind nach der Verfassung von Berlin Teil der Bezirksverwaltung. Da Berlin als Stadtstaat sowohl Bundesland als auch kreisfreie Stadt ist, wird die Rolle von Gemeinderäten teilweise vom Abgeordnetenhaus und teilweise von den BVVs ausgefüllt. Aufgaben der BVVs sind die Kontrolle des Bezirksamts sowie die Anregung von Verwaltungshandeln. Hierzu kann die BVV Ersuchen und Empfehlungen an das Bezirksamt richten. Je Bezirk werden 55 Verordnete im Verhältniswahlrecht mit 3%-Sperrklausel gewählt.

Bezirksverwaltungen
Die Bezirksverwaltungen bilden den unteren Teil der zweistufigen öffentlichen Verwaltung der deutschen Bundeshauptstadt Berlin und stehen für die Selbstverwaltung der zwölf Berliner Bezirke. Organe der Bezirksverwaltung sind die Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen und die Bezirksämter (BA). Die Bezirksverwaltungen sind vorrangig für Angelegenheiten vor Ort in den Bezirken zuständig, etwa die Kultur, die Grünflächen oder die Schulen betreffend.

Die bezirkliche Selbstverwaltung hat Verfassungsrang (Artikel 68–77 der Verfassung von Berlin). Sie ist in zwei Verwaltungsorgane gegliedert, die Bezirksverordnetenversammlung und das Bezirksamt. Die BVV ist als direkt von den Einwohnern des Bezirks gewählte Vertretung (Volksvertretung) der "parlamentarische" Teil, das Bezirksamt führt die Verwaltung. Jedes Bezirksamt besteht aus dem Bezirksbürgermeister (hauptamtlich, besoldet nach B6 Bundesbesoldungsordnung) und fünf Bezirksstadträten (besoldet nach B4 Bundesbesoldungsordnung).

Die letzte große Veränderung erfolgte mit dem Gebietsreformgesetz, durch das 2001 aus den bis dahin 23 historisch gewachsenen Bezirken durch Fusionen zwölf Bezirke mit ähnlich großer Einwohnerzahl geschaffen wurden.

Mit dem 8. Gesetz zur Änderung des Bezirksverwaltungsgesetzes vom 22. Oktober 2008, das allerdings erst mit Beginn der 17. Wahlperiode in Kraft trat, sollte eine einheitliche Gliederung aller Bezirksämter in gleiche Strukturen der Fachämter erfolgen. Dabei wurden diverse bisherige Fachämter zu größeren Organisationseinheiten zusammengefasst; es sollte dann nur noch zehn Fachämter je Bezirksverwaltung geben.

Bezirksamt

Wahl des Bezirksamts
Das Bezirksamt wird zu Beginn einer Wahlperiode von der Bezirksverordnetenversammlung gewählt. Das Vorschlagsrecht für die Wahl des Bezirksbürgermeisters steht grundsätzlich der stärksten Fraktion zu, kann jedoch an eine sogenannte Zählgemeinschaft aus zwei oder mehr Fraktionen übergehen, die über mehr Mandate als die stärkste Fraktion verfügen muss. Das Bezirksamt setzt sich proportional zum bezirklichen Wahlergebnis aus von den verschiedenen Fraktionen vorgeschlagenen und der BVV gewählten Kandidaten zusammen. Ein Bezirksstadtrat kann vor Beendigung der Wahlperiode mit zwei Dritteln der Stimmen der BVV abgewählt werden. Das Vorschlagsrecht für diesen Stadtratsposten verbleibt aber auch dann bei der entsendenden Fraktion, solange sich die Mehrheitsverhältnisse nicht durch Fraktionswechsel geändert haben.

Eine Änderung des Wahlmodus und die Einführung des sogenannten politischen Bezirksamtes war lange in Art. 99 a. F. der Verfassung zum 1. Januar 2010 vorgesehen. Sie trat schließlich doch nicht in Kraft.

Ressortaufteilung

Nach der Wahl des Bezirksamts entscheidet dieses über den Zuschnitt und die Verteilung der einzelnen Ressorts unter den Bezirksstadträten. In der Regel wird diese Ressortaufteilung vor der Wahl des Bezirksamts zwischen den Fraktionen abgesprochen; hieran ist das Bezirksamt jedoch nicht gebunden. Die Stadträte leiten ihre Ressorts in eigener Verantwortung. Die Stellung des Bezirksbürgermeisters, der zugleich Bezirksstadtrat ist, ist als primus inter pares zu bezeichnen. Bei Meinungsverschiedenheiten entscheidet das Bezirksamt mit Mehrheit; bei Stimmengleichheit zählt die Stimme des Bezirksbürgermeisters doppelt. Die Arbeit des Bezirksamts wird von der BVV kontrolliert.

Das Bezirksamt, das von der BVV zu wählen ist, besteht aus fünf Mitgliedern: dem Bezirksbürgermeister und vier Bezirksstadträten. Die Vorschlagsrechte für die Bezirksamtsposten werden proportional zum bezirklichen Wahlergebnis nach dem d'Hondt'schen Höchstzahlverfahren auf die Fraktionen der Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen verteilt. Die Bezirksamtsmitglieder werden durch die BVV – zumindest juristisch – unabhängig von späteren Aufgabenbereichen gewählt. Welches Bezirksamtsmitglied später für welche Ressorts zuständig ist, bestimmt das Bezirksamt in eigener Verantwortung per Mehrheitsbeschluss.

Wahl und Struktur der BVV
Die Bezirksverordnetenversammlung besteht aus maximal 55 Bezirksverordneten. An der Spitze der BVV steht der aus den eigenen Reihen gewählte Vorstand, bestehend aus dem Bezirksverordnetenvorsteher, einem Stellvertreter und weiteren Beisitzern. Zu Beginn einer Wahlperiode gibt sich die BVV eine Geschäftsordnung und wählt das Bezirksamt. Bezirksverordnete werden fälschlicherweise oft als 'Abgeordnete' bezeichnet.

Die BVV-Wahl ist eine reine Listenwahl. Im Unterschied zu den Wahlen zum Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin und zum Bundestag haben die Wahlberechtigten nur eine Stimme, mit der sie eine Wählervereinigung oder Partei wählen können. Einzelkandidaturen von Personen sind nicht möglich. Um zum Bezirksverordneten gewählt werden zu können, muss man das passive Wahlrecht besitzen, in Berlin seinen Wohnsitz haben, über eine EU-Staatsbürgerschaft verfügen und auf eine Wahlliste gestellt worden sein.

Zu den Wahlen der BVV treten die in Berlin etablierten Parteien (SPD, CDU, Die Linke, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, AfD, Piratenpartei, FDP) oder auch lokale Wählergemeinschaften an und machen dabei sogenannte 'Wahlvorschläge' in Form von Kandidaten-Wahllisten. Direktmandate gibt es nicht, damit auch keine Überhang- oder Ausgleichsmandate. In einigen BVVs sind auch kleinere Parteien vertreten, seit den Wahlen 2006 sind oder waren dies Die Grauen in acht der zwölf Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen, die WASG in sieben, die NPD in vier und die Republikaner in einer.

Die gewählten Kandidaten einer zur BVV-Wahl aufgestellten Liste bilden eine Fraktion in der BVV. Mindestens drei (ansonsten fraktionslose) Bezirksverordnete, die derselben Partei angehören, können eine Fraktion bilden, zwei Fraktionslose eine sogenannte Gruppe (diese Möglichkeit besteht allerdings nicht in allen Bezirken). Mitglieder verschiedener Parteien können nur gemeinsam einer Fraktion angehören, wenn sie auf derselben Liste gewählt worden sind.

Bezirksverordnete sind ehrenamtlich tätig und erhalten eine Aufwandsentschädigung in Höhe von 15 % der Diät eines Abgeordneten im Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus. Der Betrag wird abgerundet, bis er voll durch fünf teilbar ist. Bei einer monatlichen Diät von 6657 Euro (Stand: 2023) beträgt die Grundentschädigung eines Bezirksverordneten monatlich 995 Euro. Hinzu kommen Sitzungsgelder (20 Euro pro Fraktions- oder Ausschusssitzung sowie Sitzungen der Ältestenräte, 31 Euro für eine Plenarsitzung) und eine Fahrgeldentschädigung in Höhe von 41 Euro pro Monat. Für ihre herausgehobene Funktion und den damit verbundenen zeitlichen Mehraufwand erhalten der Vorsteher der BVV die dreifache, die Fraktionsvorsitzenden die doppelte und die Stellvertreter des Bezirksverordnetenvorstehers die -fache Grundentschädigung.

Das Mandat von Bezirksverordneten endet mit Ablauf der Wahlperiode, ansonsten durch Niederlegung, Aberkennung oder mit dem Tode. Zudem erlischt das Mandat automatisch, wenn ein Bezirksverordneter zum Bezirksbürgermeister oder zum Bezirksstadtrat gewählt wird, ins Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin einzieht oder aus Berlin wegzieht.

Die BVV ist nach der Berliner Verfassung (Artikel 69–73) "Organ der bezirklichen Selbstverwaltung". Sie wählt das Bezirksamt. Ihre Aufgabe ist die Kontrolle der bezirklichen Verwaltung. Zudem beschließt sie den bezirklichen Haushalt, der jedoch der Zustimmung des Abgeordnetenhauses bedarf. Die BVV kann darüber hinaus kaum Beschlüsse fassen, die die Verwaltung dann umsetzen müsste (ob und wie sie das tut, ist Sache der Verwaltung). Sie kann das Bezirksamt befragen (beispielsweise Kleine Anfrage, Große Anfrage, Mündliche Anfrage) und über Ersuchen sowie Empfehlungen an das Bezirksamt Verwaltungshandeln anregen; ein Weisungsrecht hat sie nicht.

Die BVV setzt für ihre Arbeit Ausschüsse ein, denen neben Bezirksverordneten auch Bürgerdeputierte angehören können, die auf fraktionellen Vorschlag von der BVV gewählt werden.

Wahl
Die Wahlperiode der BVV ist gekoppelt an die Legislaturperiode des Abgeordnetenhauses. Sie beträgt also fünf Jahre, endet aber bei einer vorzeitigen Auflösung des Abgeordnetenhauses (wie im Jahr 2001) automatisch vorzeitig. Eine Ausnahme davon war die Wahl 1990, bei der im Zuge der Wiedervereinigung der Stadt nur das Abgeordnetenhaus neu gewählt wurde. 1992 fanden dann nur Wahlen zu den BVVs statt.

Bei den Wahlen zur BVV sind außer deutschen Staatsbürgern auch Angehörige anderer EU-Mitgliedstaaten mit gemeldetem Wohnsitz in Berlin wahlberechtigt. Das Mindestwahlalter beträgt seit Oktober 2005 16 Jahre. Während bei der Abgeordnetenhauswahl eine Sperrklausel von fünf Prozent besteht, wurde diese für die Wahlen zur BVV durch ein Urteil des Berliner Landesverfassungsgerichtshofs für verfassungswidrig erklärt. Daraufhin wurde eine 3-Prozent-Hürde eingeführt.

Sitzverteilung
Die Grafiken visualisieren jeweils die Anzahl der Sitze nach der Wahl 2023, aber nicht zwingend, wie die Bezirksverordneten tatsächlich sitzen.

Sitzverteilung in der Wahlperiode 2016–2021

Siehe auch
 Verwaltungsgliederung Berlins
 Verwaltungsgeschichte Berlins

Weblinks
 Bezirksverwaltungsgesetz (BzVwG) gesetze.berlin.de, komplett auf Einzelseite.
 Wissenswertes über die Bezirksverordnetenversammlung berlin.de/ba-steglitz-zehlendorf, abgerufen am 15. Oktober 2011

Einzelnachweise

Politik (Berlin)
Kommunalpolitik (Deutschland)


Solidarity is a Must !
We are just about to reach the starting line! The union conference has come and gone, while the recommendations formulated there are still current. The president of the Federation's tour is ongoing in all the regions in Quebec and he will be presenting the major orientations that we would like to enshrine with you in the québécois health care system. The negotiations are set to begin in the spring of 2010, which is just around the corner!