PERSONAL:

HALLOWEEN AT THE MOLLY HOUSE:

Halloween here at Molly's Haunted House of Horrors was a great success, better than last year. Over 150 kids dropped by. As usual I went whole pig on the yard decorations, and both kids and adults got a great kick out of it. I say adults because almost all kids were accompanied by one or two adults. This seems to be a trend that increases year by year. As usual there were the carloads of kids who were driven around town looking for houses with decorations. This was even more prominent this time around because many people from the North End simply didn't feel safe having their kids do trick or treating in their own neighbourhood because of the recent night of three shootings ( 2 separate deaths and one where the gunman opened up on a group of kids for no perceptible reason, almost fatally injuring one girl). Word is that not own my own East Kildonan but also St. Boniface and Hippy Town (Wolseley) had a great increase in kids this year. I guess that people didn't want to drive too far (no reports of such increases out in the suburbs) , but they still wanted to avoid the shooting gallery. Talking to people in the North End, and they said that in their case all kids were accompanied by at least two adults, unlike in past years. The Indian and Métis Friendship Centre held an alternative Halloween party in the North End for people who were too nervous to let their kids out onto the streets at all. Reality can be scarier than fantasy.

Too bad such a night of fun has to be spoiled by such anxiety. For me at least it was great fun even if I didn't have time to put everything up. New decorations this year, people taking pictures of the yard, the usual for what I consider the best holiday of the year. Nothing to do from now until the New Year except accounting and slouching my way towards Christmas.

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 7:

Politighouls maybe ?

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 6:

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 5:

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 4:

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 3:

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 2:

HUMOUR:

HALLOWEEN FUNNY CANDY PART 1:

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:
HALLOWEEN PARTY AT THE DRAG:


I guess this might be called the 'MONDster Mash' party. This Saturday, October 30, down at the Mondragon, Winnipeg's infoshop, 91 Albert St. Here's the promo.
MHPMHPMHPMHP


HALLOWEEN PARTY!
Time
Saturday at 8:00pm - Sunday at 1:00am

---------------------------
Location
Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House
91 Albert St.
Winnipeg, MB
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Created By Viva Mondragon

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More Info
LIVE BANDS AND DJ's! ONLY $5 COVER AT THE DOOR!!!

-Prophet

-Mad Young Darlings

-JCFM

-The Unkindness

-Mixtechs Deejays

PERSONAL:

MOLLY IS BACK IN HER FOXHOLE:

Well, in case my fans and enemies haven't gathered Corporal Molly is back in her foxhole at the front. Almost a week to be exact. It takes little time for a paranoid mind to get used to a city where cars don't stop for pedestrians, unlike out in Victoria. To be honest I could never get used to the idea that some son-of-a-bitch wasn't ready to gun it and run me down, just like here in my home territory. Here you look both ways before crossing the street, run like hell to the middle, catch your breath and repeat the process providing there is no traffic either way. I will also have to get used to the less than benign presence of "street demons" here, but that is easy as my pissed off button is very near the surface. Quite frankly I have always (I've been in Victoria before) had a hard time adjusting to the idea that threat is not the best way of dealing with street demons. In Victoria they have better manners than the average Winnipeger, non-demon Winnipeger that is.

Let's say slightly that I and what one wag has called "Mrs Molly" enjoyed our stay our there immensely. It's a great place, even though a bit "crowded" for my taste. We liked the bars. Hell. I even found 'Murphy's Stout' on tap, something you could never find here at the ends of the Earth. Winnipeg actually has a few "pubs", rather than sleazy bars, and we may even have our own (one) micro-brewery now. This puts us on the same level as Regina which should be a great matter of shame.

Molly drove up to Nanaimo to visit Comrade Larry and was properly impressed by the scenery along the way. Many photos were taken. I was even more impressed by the hospitality that I received from Larry and Rosie. I also found out that Nanaimo was a neat little city with a very vibrant anarchist community. Many thanks to L and R.

So here we arrived back in Winnipeg. Open the door. Cling, cling. cling comes loud from the basement. Appreciate that Molly's house was built in 1929, and the water heat furnace is from the original. Oh Fucking Jesus. At least the place hasn't burnt down. The problem is a water pump that is attached to the furnace, and a spring connector on it. Click, click,click. Check, check check. It's a few days later that I call Winnipeg Supply and have the pump fixed. This is because, to my utter amazement, despite the fact that the pump is fucked we still have heat and hot water. It gets shoved down the priority list.

Meanwhile the wife tries to start her car. Dead as a doornail. Now...I've always been happy to screw around with cars. Furnaces I won't touch with a ten foot pole., I pull up the hood on the wife's car. Jesus H. Christ !!! I have never seen such an accumulation of copper sulfate on a battery in my life. Now Molly is from from Saskatchewan, and I swear that there was enough bluestone to sterilize about 3 dugouts. Screwdriver and baking soda go to work. I get the mess cleaned up and boost the wife's battery. Vroom, vroom.

Piss and Jesus. MY car goes dead. Click, click,click. Fuck,fuck,fuck.. We do a back boost and the machine is working fine. With great circling the wife drives off to get her battery charged by driving. I take off elsewhere. Stop at the pharmacy to pick up my nicotine lozenges. Come out. Click, click, click. God knows what my blood pressure was then.

Up goes the hood. Bang, bang,bang, Twist,twist, twist. Vroom, vroom. vroom. I never knew before that you could screw up your battery connections just by giving somebody a boost. Live and learn. Oh God do I hate machinery.

Welcome back to Winnipeg. Actually I don't mind it as much as it may seem. It is far better than Saskatchewan, espcially Regina where I "served" 14 years. Back to decorating the yard for Halloween. Such is my more or less boring personal life. Mechanical disasters are great events. I gues it's better than noting bites from Rottweillers.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR HUMAN RIGHTS:

ENDING CHILD LABOUR IN THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY:

Molly's favourite holiday Halloween is just around the corner, and I've begun the long process of yard decoration. There is unfortunately a really scary part of this holiday that out spooks any graveyard gremlin. I'm talking about the vampires in the international chocolate industry who prey on the blood of child workers. This Halloween the International Labor Rights Forum is presenting a selection of ways that you can help drive a stake into the heart of these blood suckers. Here's the story. >>>

CLCLCLCLCL
Three Ways to Stop Child Labor in the Chocolate Industry!‏

Take Action to End Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry!
It has been almost a decade since major chocolate companies committed to ending abusive child labor, forced labor and trafficking in their cocoa supply chains, but these abuses continue today. It is time to finally put an end to these egregious labor rights violations and ensure decent work for cocoa farmers. Together we CAN make a difference in the chocolate industry! Check out these new and exciting ways to take action.

1)Check out ILRF's new report on Hershey;
2)Host a Dark Side of Chocolate screening;
3)Sign up for Reverse Trick-or-Treating.
New Report on Hershey

This week, Hershey released it's first ever corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. In response, ILRF joined with Global Exchange, Green America and Oasis USA in publishing a new analysis of Hershey's CSR activities (particularly its cocoa purchasing), Time to Raise the Bar: The Real Corporate Social Responsibility Report for the Hershey Company. The report finds that Hershey lags behind its competitors in ensuring that its cocoa is produced without child labor and other abuses. You can check out the report here. After you read the report, take action by going to Hershey's CSR survey and telling Hershey that you will not be satisfied with the company's performance and transparency until it begins to source Fair Trade Certified cocoa and implement the recommendations of the "Time to Raise the Bar" report.

Host a Dark Side of Chocolate Screening

The Dark Side of Chocolate is a new documentary by U. Roberto Romano and Miki Mistrati that exposes the ongoing use of child, forced and trafficked labor in the cocoa industry in the Ivory Coast. It is a powerful film that should be seen by all chocolate consumers. Join ILRF and our campaign partners in hosting a local screening of the film. We are encouraging people across the country to show the film to their family, friends and communities throughout October 2010, especially during a national week of action starting on October 25th and culminating on Halloween.

Click here to order your copy of the Dark Side of Chocolate.

Sign up for Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Once again, ILRF is joining a broad range of organizations across the US and Canada to support Reverse Trick-or-Treating. As part of this fun action, young people go door to door in their communities handing out Fair Trade Certified chocolate and spreading awareness about labor abuses in the cocoa industry as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Sign up at www.ReverseTrickOrTreating.org NOW to participate! Make sure to indicate in your order form that you heard about Reverse Trick-or-Treating from the International Labor Rights Forum.
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This message was brought to you by the International Labor Rights Forum.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-VICTORIA:

ANTI-TORCH RELAY FESTIVAL:

Just before Halloween, how appropriate, the Olympic Torch Relay will start in Victoria BC. Opponents of the 2010 Winter Olympics will be holding their own events to protest the whole circus. Here's the lowdown from the No2010Victoria website.

@@@@@@@@

Five Ring Circus: anti-Torch Relay festival!

Victoria, Fri Oct 30:‏
Re-posted by request from Janine Bandcroft: Victoria Streetnewz

Five Ring Circus: anti-Torch Relay festival!

Victoria, Fri Oct 30

Get ready - here comes the Olympic Torch!

The whole world will be watching the launch of the Torch Relay, the first official event of the 2010 Olympics here in Victoria on Friday, October 30. Over a thousand journalists from around the world will be here, and huge sections of the Capital Region will be shut down by security police as the relay passes through. The Olympic Committee wants to make the city a no-protest area to protect the "Olympic brand." No way! Over half million dollars is being spent on a "Spirit" party, corporate advertising for the world's worst polluters and heavy-handed policing for the rest of us. Victoria is a free speech zone! Join our Five Ring Circus for Poverty Games, comedy, live music and much more!

Help mock this corporate circus and defend our Charter rights and civil liberties:

- Giant puppets and masks are being created for street theatre, Saturdays from 12 to 3 pm at Camas Books (2590 Quadra, Vic)

- Join the No2010 meetings every Thursday at 6pm, Camas Books

- Attend a Legal Observer training with the BC Civil Liberties Association (dates to be announced)

- Be part of the Pop Ed team visiting local classes and student groups with info about the Torch Relay and Charter rights

- Expose the "Snakes in the Grass" with the Council of Canadians and sing songs with the Raging Grannies

- Join the circus, walk on the zombie march, play an instrument in the marching band, or just bear witness on October 30.

www.no2010victoria.net

Please re-post!

No2010 VICTORIA INVITES YOU TO:

***** THE FIVE RING CIRCUS: AN ANTI-OLYMPIC FESTIVAL *****

Convergence at the launch of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay :

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Date:

Friday, October 30, 2009

Time:

Festival begins at 2 pm, March departs at 4:30 pm

Place:

Centennial Square (Pandora & Douglas)Victoria, B.C., Lekwungen and WSANEC territories

NEXT ORGANIZING MEETING:

Thursday October 8 at 6 pm

Camas Books and Infoshop - 2590 Quadra (@ Kings).

Everyone welcome! http://no2010victoria.net

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

No Olympics on stolen native land!

Whose streets?

Our streets!

Public space for people, not for corporate profits!

Take it back!

Homes and healthcare before games!

No more cuts to social services and arts!

Stand up for justice, dignity and free speech! :

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Canada-wide Olympic Torch Relay officially begins in Victoria, Lekwungen and WSANEC Territories, on October 30th and the Anti-Olympic Festival will be there to greet it. Join us in the spirit of creative resistance to environmental destruction, indigenous rights violations, the privatization of public space, the quashing of free speech, cut-backs in social services, and the corporate spectacle.

COME TO THE VICTORIA ANTI-OLYMPIC FESTIVAL FOR THE TORCH RELAY CONVERGENCE!!

** Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the media spotlight with the world's biggest circus of misspent public resources!

** Stand up for justice and dignity!

** Exercise our right to free speech under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms!

Gordon Campbell and mayor Dean Fortin want to showcase Victoria to the world when the Torch hits. With the bill for the 2010 colossal circus rising almost as quickly as poverty rates, No2010 Victoria is determined to take the occasion to showcase our dissent.

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AND HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED! **********************

THE TORCH RELAY CONVERGENCE:

A DAY OF ANTI-OLYMPIC EVENTS

No2010 Victoria is holding two events to mark the beginning of the Torch Relay spectacle. Zombies, pirates, ninjas, and superheroes welcome!

(1) The Anti-Olympic Festival of Dissent 2 pm, Centennial Square, on Pandora between Government and Blanshard

Join us for a festival of resistance featuring the Poverty Games, street hockey, wrestling, food, speakers, music and more family-friendly anti-Olympic fun!

Hear from local groups working on issues such as indigenous rights, environmental protection, homelessness and drug users' rights.

(2) The Zombie March:

In Memoriam 4:30 pm,

Centennial Square, on Pandora between Government and Blanshard

As the Torch Relay evening festivities begin in Victoria, the Zombie March will haunt the city streets. On the eve before Halloween, the dead will rise and demand justice.

- Missing and murdered women in BC

- Homeless people and drug users who died on the streets from neglect- Child victims and survivors of residential schools

- Robert Dziekanski and others killed at the hands of police

- People tortured, massacred and disappeared during past Olympic Games.

GET INVOLVED WITH THE ANTI-OLYMPIC FESTIVAL!

Does your group want to get a message to the world on October 30th?

Over a thousand media people can't be wrong.

Get in on the fun!

Organize a friendly competition, step up to the soapbox, take over a ring of the Five Ring Circus! Music, art and theatre especially welcome.

Join us, don't sit this one out!

* Write to us at no2010victoria@gmail.com and visit our website at http://no2010victoria.net

* Send us your ideas for art, street theatre, fun 'sport-spoof'' Olympic activities and other creative pieces of the Anti-Olympic pie

* Come to our meetings:

No2010 Victoria meets every Thursday at 6 pm

at Camas Books & Infoshop (2590 Quadra @ Kings)

* Donate to our activities and/or legal fund

Thank you!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

--Zoe Blunt

250-813-3569

Skype: zoe.bluntforestaction@gmail.com

www.forestaction.ca

-- "Dare to be wrong and to dream." Friedrich von Schiller

born September 10, 1759 (German poet, dramatist, philosopher and historian. 1759-1805) http://janinebandcroft.blogspot.com

http://cubajourney.blogspot.com

http://relativenewz.ca

ANARCHIST THEORY:

THE DESTRUCTION OF CHILDHOOD:

I am reprinting the following essay from Larry Gambone's Porkupine Blog as it expands what are often my own feelings, especially around a time of year like Halloween. Both Larry and I are old enough (and we both grew up in "the boondocks") to remember a time when children were allowed to be children, when their lives weren't regimented from sunup to sundown, when they weren't under the constant supervision of so-called adults.

My own childhood was hardly "injury free". From skull fractures, to a railway spike through the foot (hence my present Christ complex) to cutting my thumb to the bone on the neighbour's wood lathe to many other things, I hurt myself enough. Neither was it danger free, from plunging through the ice on a slough, to staying out in thunderstorms, to climbing up on a fence post and petting the meanest bull in the RM, to, once more, many other things, I seemed to be determined to make my parents pay for a funeral. But what I can say is that I actually lived a happy childhood. The operative term is "lived". I wasn't driven from school to home to dance classes to hockey practice to home again. I wasn't controlled and glared at (excuse me- "supervised") for every second of my waking life. My time was my own. I read, played, explored, imagined and fought the eternal countryside war against insects, crows and gophers either alone or in the company of other children whom i had freely chosen as my friends.

It's been decades since the majority, or even a significant minority, of children in North America have had such freedom. We adults may think we are doing the right thing by our obsession with control of our children, but are we really ? The "family values" of my childhood were hardly the sickly sentimental idea that you have to fill every second of your child's life that is so popular today, in both left and right wing versions. To speak as an old fart, back in dem days, you simply did what was right to protect and educate the kids. You had enough faith in them to leave the majority of their time to themselves.

But there again this is the voice of what Paul Goodman called a "neo-lithic conservative", someone who actually lived the small town life that the cultural right makes up fantasies about. It sure as hell wasn't the religiously governed totalitarian state that they imagine and want. Neither was it the opposite dystopia of the social working left and their school of indoctrination. It was what it was, not total freedom but a closer approach to it than any thing planned by present day ideologues.

Anyways, here's Gambone's essay. Read it, Enjoy. Try to imagine how we might once more let children be free people ie children rather than little robots enslaved to our illusions.

...........................

The Day After Halloween:
Far fewer kids seem out on Halloween trick or treating these past few years. One more example of the decline of community. Halloween has been replaced by phony parties in the malls. Commercialism reigns triumphant once again. One aspect of this decline has been the fear generated by the media about what might happen to those kiddies roaming around in the dark in your neighborhood. Add to this the urban legends that always appear about this time – poisoned candy, needles in apples or oranges. The latter was current when I was a kid 50 years ago!

Halloween was part of communal culture. You went around in home made costume to your neighbors and got gifts from them. Back in my day and beyond, Halloween also served another function – a kind of safety valve in the community. Living in a very authoritarian and repressive society, the young were given this one day of the year to cause mischief and torment their tormentors. While aimed at adult authority in general, the holiday also served as pay back time to individual members of the community who were unpleasant to children, such as the nasty teacher or the hateful old man down the street. They would get their windows soaped or the air let out of their tires. And the kids would snicker about this for months after.

Today, for the most part, the brute authoritarianism is gone. Children now face a more sublimated kind of tyranny. Every aspect of their lives is monitored and organized. It is of course, like the floggings and denigrating tirades of the past, "done for their own good." For "out there" lurks an army of kidnappers, child-buggerers, and gang members just waiting to pounce on Little Jason and Amanda.

Somehow I doubt it is all that much worse than when I was a kid. The difference is the lack of community. With real towns and real neighborhoods, we kids knew who all the "pervs" were and avoided them. Today "the public"is too aware, but then, overt knowledge of such things as pedophilia and incest was suppressed. We kids understood and expressed our awareness through warnings about not bending over to get the soap in a public shower and jokes about scoutmasters, priests and choirboys.(Molly Note-Larry is a little bit older than me, but my father was born in 1895, so my old man had a few years on his. Old Tom used to tell us that the stories of priests and boys were current in his!!! day as a kid. Oh wow, I wonder how many centuries back this reaches) In real communities, as the late Jane Jacobs pointed out, there are thousands of eyes seeing what goes on. The sick can't get away with much.

The anonymity and alienation of suburban life has given a much freer rein to the emotionally sick amongst us. This creates fear, and fear in turn, further destroys community. The suburb is a vicious circle that eternally grinds down everything that makes us human.The only way Halloween and all other forms of communal, non-alienated activity will revive is through rejecting the American-style suburb and a return to living in real neighborhoods.

HOLIDAYS:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN:

FROM MOLLYMEW

Sorry, no punctual, penetrating, purulating, punctilious, perfect, practical, poetic political programs today, but rest assured we'll return to our regular channel in the morrow.

Until then have a Happy Halloween, Molly's favourite holiday. Sad to say we only got about 50 or 60 kids at the door, a big drop from last year. This was despite the fact that I spent about 3 weeks decorating the yard. Fewer people seem to have done the yard decoration thing this year, but there were still parents driving the kids around to stop at houses with decorations. Such a difference from the Halloweens of my childhood. No biffies to tip here in the city for one thing.

Ah well, back to the old grind tomorrow.

CONSUMER AFFAIRS:

HALLOWEEN CANDY ALERT:


It seems that the melamine/milk scandal isn't quite over. The following product has been flagged by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on October 8 as being possibly contaminated by melamine:
SHERWOOD BRAND PIRATES GOLD MILK CHOCOLATE COINS




These treats have been sold across Canada at Costco stores and may also have been on the shelves at various dollar and bulk stores. If you have purchased such items prior to Halloween or if you are a parent with children who may be trick or treating be advised to discard any of this product.




Sort of sad actually. The fake gold coins were always one of Molly's favourite junk foods. Even more amazing to find out that they are made with product imported from China. You don't have to go very far to find the nearest cow around here in Winnipeg. One wonders how the Chinese product could be competitive with all the transport costs included. Maybe sweatshop wages have something to do with it.



Here are two more products that the CFIA has flagged for melamine content in the month of October:
*Mengniu Strawberry Flavour Sour Milk (Oct 15)
*OK OK Kaiser Pretzels (Oct 1)



Looks bad ? It's nothing compared to the ongoing listeriosis saga. The new Conservative government may proceed with its plans to privatize food inspection, plans that led to the present listeria contamination problem. Here's another list, this time for products flagged in the month of October-so far- for containing listeria. think about this, and the deaths that have resulted so far from listeria when you hear about how much more "efficient" industry self-regulation is.
*Dunn's Famous brand smoked meat (Oct 7)
*Plaisirs Gastronomiques brand sandwiches (Oct 20)
*Roast beef sold at certain deli counters in Ontario (Oct 21)
*SAVCOM brand sandwiches (Oct 22)
*Roast beef sold at certain deli counters in Ontario (Oct 22)
*Oickles Tasty Bite sandwiches (Oct 23)
*Deli roast beef sold at certain stores in Atlantic Canada (Oct 24)
*William Davis roast beef sandwiches (Oct 24)

Molly has a little bone to pick on this matter personally as she has a standing promise to reply to a comment on this blog made by either a manager or owner of Beef Northwest in the USA, where they claim that they are oh-so-good because they conform to the "standards", as they are, of an industry set up regulatory body down America way. But more on this later.

MONTREAL

HALLOWEEN IN MONTREAL:

This last time around I had the opportunity to visit Montreal at an unusual time. The fall is not the height of the tourist season, to say the least. Streets in Vieux Montreal are far less crowded than they are in the summer, and even if the only outdoor patios that are open have to be heated the experience is enjoyable in its own way. The city seems to be very big on pumpkins, much more so than out here. The ornamental gardens (divided up into vegetable, flower and tree sections actually) behind the Chateau Ramezay was devoted to an exhibition of all things pumpkin, squash, gourd and their near relatives. It was a very interesting fall display at at time when the leaves are falling, the vegetables are harvested and the flowers have gone to seed. It's the sort of thing that other cities should imitate.

But one of the heights of our visit was La Grande Masquerade. This is an annual Halloween street party put on by Loto-Quebec. For three nights this year, on Friday, Sept. 26, Saturday the 27th and Halloween night itself, Wednesday the 31st the streets of Vieux Montreal are crowded with tens of thousands of party-goers, a large proportion of them in costume. Public demonstrations of all things eerie are set up on the Quais- such things as booths for fortune telling, tarot reading, magic, literature,etc.. The event is host to numerous theatrical productions, music concerts and fireworks. If you don't have a costume there are street vendors selling inexpensive flashing. devil horns headset. There is even a Halloween parade featuring some of the best costumed attendees- and not a little parade either. There was also apparently a children's parade as well that Molly didn't get to see. Through the packed crowd one could see the groups hosted by Montreal's Ghost Hunt as they went from place to place seeking the legends of the spirits that haunt the old city. They were met by the ghosts themselves who would tell their stories of woe to the crowd.The buskers that had abandoned the streets at the end of the tourist season were out once more in force on Place St. Jacques. There were indoor events, put on by the beer company Unibroue, that Molly didn't attend.

Vieux Montreal is not a small area, and the entire district was filled with this street party. The weather was unusually clement, even by Montreal standards which are much milder than here in Winnipeg. A good time for all. It's too bad that Lotto Manitoba doesn't see fit to spend some of its ill-gotten gains in a similar way here in Manitoba. Yeah, I know they do a little sponsorship, but nothing on the grand scale that I saw down there. It's also too bad that Halloween, the most fun of all the holidays isn't celebrated with at least an attempt at such a party elsewhere in Canada. Maybe the party wouldn't be as big or have such an appropriate setting as Vieux Montreal, but it would still be a wonderful thing.