Though some time had passed since the nail-bitingly close sovereignty referendum of 1995, the linguistic and cultural divide between Anglo and French-speaking Canada remains. Many Quebecois don't feel strongly about their Canadian identity, fearing they are always at risk of cultural absorption. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210505-why-only-quebec-can-claim-poutine?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2F

The conflict between macro- and microcontext - EVENT IRONY: Just last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky donned a helmet and flak jacket to visit his soldiers in trenches at the front, showing defiance to the Russian military buildup. Praise and warm words of support flowed in from Ukraine’s Western allies. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/world/europe/antony-blinken-ukraine-trip.html Буквально в прошлом месяце президент Владимир Зеленский надел шлем и бронежилет и, презрев наращивание российской военной мощи, навестил своих солдат в окопах на передовой. От западных союзников Украины тут же посыпались похвалы и теплые слова поддержки. The variant correspondence “show defiance” – «презреть» is foregrounded as EVENT IRONY because the description is false: on the one hand, a helmet and flak jacket are put on when there is some danger (there is none), on the other hand, one must be courageous to “show defiance” and Zelensky does not really possess the quality.

Frogmouths are nocturnal birds, hence the very large eyes, which may have contributed to their popularity You don't often read the word "instagrammable" in a scientific paper. But a recently published study that asked "what makes a great bird photo?" has officially deemed the frogmouth the most instagrammable of avians. The result led the researchers to use another term that I have seldom read in an academic study: "poetic justice". The frogmouth was once designated "the world's most unfortunate-looking bird". It has now been redeemed by Instagram's millions of animal photography https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56946165

The White House has imposed a sanctions package on Russian officials and expelled several Russian diplomats; the Kremlin has responded with the expulsion of American diplomats and severely restricted whom the U.S. Embassy in Moscow can hire. Biden also recently agreed that Putin was a “killer”; Putin responded by ominously wishing Biden “good health.” https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/biden-putin-summit-location-485457

The Ukrainian journalist Olena Goncharova broke down the specifics of the etymological insult in a series in the Kyiv Post called “Honest History.” “Saying ‘the Ukraine’ is more than a grammatical mistake — it is inappropriate and disrespectful for Ukraine and Ukrainians,” she wrote. Attaching “the” in front of the name not only suggests that Ukraine is a “sub-part or region of a country,” like “the Fens in England, the Algarve in Portugal, and the Highlands in Scotland,” but it implies that Ukraine is a vassal state, a colonial territory, whereas “Ukraine is no longer a part of another country or empire,” she emphasized. “After many hard battles, it has become an independent, unitary state.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/05/ukraine-name-insult-war-russia-geography/

John Falstaff – antonomasia, a cultural symbol, a charismatic drunk of a hero There may be Shakespeare characters who are more celebrated, or whose tragedies are grander, but perhaps none is as easy to empathise with as John Falstaff, the portly knight of Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor. John Falstaff, that charismatic drunk, who lodges at the Boar's Head Tavern and keeps company with Prince Henry, aka Hal, soon to be Henry V; the chaotic old man who distracts the young prince from his more serious business of becoming king. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210421-the-shakespeare-tragedy-that-truly-speaks-to-us-now

FACE ATTACK in indirect accusation Face as a term in the theory of politeness means a reputational status of the recipient of the message. FACE ATTACK in the example below illustrates ignorance, arrogance and bad manners – something our officials are notorious for. Russian forces invaded our country more than seven years ago -- an illegal act that the international community has yet to succeed in reversing. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/21/opinions/ukraine-russia-op-ed/index.html

April 17, 2021 – Biden slammed sanctions on Russia for its bad behaviour, but…ф The US President did however call for unity, insisting that Washington is willing to work with Moscow. He said: "Now is the time to deescalate through thoughtful dialogue. "The United State is ready to move through that process. "Where there's an interest for the United States to work with Russia, we should and we will." https://www.thesun.ie/news/6855122/vladimir-putin-blocks-foreign-warships-ukraine/

De mortuis aut bene, aut nihil - О мёртвых либо хорошо, либо ничего. The proverb is double-edged: on the one hand it is a mere piece of politeness and the most acceptable form of hypocrisy, on the other, it is unfairly exonerating the sins of bad people through the mechanism of death. Though civilized people learn early to be respectful to death, there is no reason for whitewashing the wrong-doers. That’s why Count Odoyevsky’s variant of the proverb seems to carry more weight: "de mortuis seu veritas, seu nihil" - „О мёртвых либо правду, либо ничего“.

I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further, but I chose not to do so. I chose to be proportionate. The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia. We want a stable, predictable relationship. If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond.