Candid Comment - Titanic Claims 5 More Lives

Hours after the submersible Titan descended to explore the wreck of the Titanic, the ship lost contact with the surface, and a frantic search began. Yesterday the search effort came to a stretching halt at a debris site, and it became clear that the Titan had a structural failure that instantly killed its five passengers. First, condolences are to be extended to the families of the deceased crew. This is a tragic end to what should have been an event of a lifetime for the men who ventured to the site of the Titanic wreck. Instead, it will be remembered as a mission that ended with deadly speed in what appears to be a sudden failure of the hull.

Reports suggest that this was more than just a lets go down and look at the Titanic trip. The crew went down to the site to run experiments and explore the wreck, as has been done in the past. However, in this case, something went very wrong. The team never actually got to the wreck of the Titanic.

So what happens now? An investigation of the accident would be in order here. There have been suggestions of design flaws and other instances of lost communication with the surface. James Cameron, a filmmaker and deep sea diver himself, has commented on the tragedy. In his summation, he points out that since the 60s, there has not been an accident like this and that the design of the Titan may be to blame. Actor William Shatner flew to space. He knew the risks and also had an expectation of what it would be like in space. It was not what he expected.

When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold . . . all I saw was death.

I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing. I turned back toward the light of home. I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her.

Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong. - William Shatner.

Diving into the depths has the same effect. It's dark, cold, and dangerous. Just like rockets, the ships that go beneath the waters need to be durable, and the materials used to build them need to be tested for safety not just at one time but regularly to ensure that there are no hidden faults. Aircraft, for example, are routinely inspected for structural integrity, and maintenance is a regular occurrence. There is a gold certification standard in the submersible community, and when followed, the procedures are used to ensure safe and sound work. Accidents can happen even with tests and certifications, but, in this case, the testing may have been less than robust, and the Titan may not have been certified to dive as deep as it did.  

There is an old expression. Curiosity killed the cat. But resurrection brought it back. It means that being curious can be dangerous, and taking a risk unnecessarily is not good. A good result is enough satisfaction to take the risk or repeated risks. 

Exploring a graveyard, which is what the Titanic is, is risky. While there may be some value in the venture, going to the wreck of the Titanic should be rare, for scientific research only and done using state-of-the-art equipment. In general, the resting place of some 1500 people should be left alone untouched and visited, as noted above, very rarely and only by a select few and family of those who died aboard her. Nature
, in this case, water has sent a message. That message is, leave us alone. That is what we should do with the Titanic.

 

Candid Comment - Bill 96 Not The Way To Encourage French Usage

Most politicians are bright people. And generally, they are well intended. This said, there are a lot of really foolish men and women in office who do and say very dumb things while in office.

Francois Legault, the premier of Quebec, thinks it is a good idea to halt the decline of French in Quebec by using the levers of power to dictate what language people can communicate in with government agencies at all levels. Bill 96 is supposed to support and strengthen Bill 101. The laws are intended to ensure the French language remains strong and is used over all other languages in Quebec.  

The body that is tasked with this is the OQLF, sometimes referred to as the language police. They are generally not welcomed by businesses. In fact, the inspectors are widely seen as rude and unprofessional.  Though to be fair, it is probably not the case with all of them.  The agency gets thousands of complaints yearly from people, mostly about how they are served or not served in French.  The critical question is this.  Is French on the decline in Canada and Quebec? The answer is actually YES.  Recent reports in the media, like Global News, point to a recent report by Census Canada that showed a drop in the use of French to 19.2%, down from 20% in 2018.  Many factors are contributing to the decline, including immigration.  To see the full report, visit Census Canada. Ok, sow French is on the decline, and so is English in Canada.  It can be said that English should and most likely will not die in Canada, whereas French could.  That is why Quebec has adopted the charter of the French Language, which came into force in 1977 and is now being bolstered with Bill 96, An Act Respecting French as the Official and Common Language of Quebec.  The problem is what it allows public servants and municipal employees to do: flat-out deny service in English.  Except in health care and public safety, but even in these areas, it is possible to be refused service.  And it is already happening.  The Montreal Gazette reports even those allowed service have been denied service. 

There are Four Groups allowed to receive service in English in Quebec.

• People who only corresponded with the municipal administration in English prior to May 13, 2021.
• People who have been declared eligible for English language schooling.
• Indigenous communities and Inuit.
• Immigrants for the first six months after they arrive and people who live outside Quebec.

What a ridiculous thing to do.  Essentially allowing people paid by taxpayer dollars to deny service based on language.  It's offensive, racist, and unsafe.  In 2007 Robert Dziekański was tasered to death by members of the RCMP, part of the issue was that he did not know English, and no one thought or did such a lousy job trying to find someone who spoke Polish to avoid the incident.  There were other factors, but the core reason was communication or the lack of it.  This kind of thing could happen in Quebec.  Other errors could become pronounced in hospitals and nursing homes because of language barriers.  A person from another part of the world or Canada could get lost or taken advantage of due to not knowing the language.  English is a universal language. Even in countries like France, it is spoken.  This said, learning French or at least having an app like Google Translate or Reverso may help. The best way to learn is to learn the language through a course. The Government of Quebec has a site that you can use to find a good course.  It would also be a good idea for the servants of the people in Quebec to speak English.  

There is a right and wrong way to encourage the use of a language; Quebec's approach needs to be revised. Even the Parti Quebecois, an ardent proponent of Quebec sovereignty and advocate for protecting the French language, think it a bad bill. Pascal Bérubé, with the Parti Québécois, whose MNAs voted against Bill 96, was quoted saying, "The measures are not essential because they don't make any difference. It doesn't create the desire to live in or even learn French." "It doesn't promote French." "It gives the impression of doing something, but we are not in favor of this."

Promoting and protecting the French language is one thing. Denying citizens who pay taxes service in another language when you can is another.  And it needs to be said Quebec is a province, and Canada is a bilingual country.  That said, provinces like Ontario and Manitoba may want to consider doing what New Brunswick has done by making it official. They are the only true bilingual province in Canada.

Mr. Bérubé has it right; no one favors this except the CAQ.  And in a culture that is supposed to be guided by respect and solidarity, this nonsense only damages the reputation of Quebec's francophones.  I learned that the French pride themselves on being respectful. Allowing officials to be rude and deny service based on language is repugnant, no matter what language they speak or are supposed to officially speak.