If you remember your Physics class from way back when, you'll surely remember the Second Law of Thermodynamics, right? In a nutshell, it says that entropy (or 'heat', 'useless energy', 'chaos') always increases in a closed system. If you blow cigarette smoke in the perfectly still air of an enclosed room, the smoke will dissipate - the molecules spread out to increase chaos as much as possible. In other words:

In an isolated system, a process can occur only if it increases the total entropy [chaos] of the system.

The French, ever the curious minds, subscribe to that one hundred percent, especially when they're walking on the sidewalk.

In New York's Soho neigborhood, sidewalks are narrow and full of people. And yet, somehow, order emerges from the chaos. People spontaneously walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk, they cross each other like they would on the road, and they don't stop in the middle of "traffic" to light a cigarette, answer the phone, or look at a store's window. In Paris, all these rules fly out the window. If you walk towards someone on the sidewalk in Paris and you're both at the center of the sidewalk, there's an equal chance the person will step to the right or to the left. And a good chance they'll blow a puff of cigarette smoke exactly at the moment you do cross them. When exiting a building here, it is customary to just spring out - and not worry if you're going to step into someone's path.

People often say the French are rude, but I don't think that's accurate. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. A Parisian will step on your toes, block your passage, blow smoke in your face, or bump into you, not because he hates you but because he just can't be bothered to care about you - too much work! A Parisian walking down the street is simply unaware of any other person on that street. Maybe they're missing a "civilization" gene - the one that makes you realize there are indeed people around you. So really, they're more aloof than rude. Not the most satisfying of excuses, to be sure...

Labels: france

Well, looks like the unions aren't satisfied with their last displays of force, so they've all announced new strikes for this month:

• 9^th: cops
  
• 13^th: national railways
  
• 14^th: national electricity and natural gas companies
  
• 20^th: various public servants, postal service, teachers
  
• 29^th: justice system
  

It's gonna be an awesome month! Of course, it is very likely Sarkozy will say a nice Fuck You to all of them - the most entertaining part then being how he says it and the union leaders' fuming reactions (a la Sarkozy vs. Leslie Stahl episode¹).

¹: By the way, totally behind S. on that one. Stahl had been repeatedly asked not to ask any questions about his private life and she still tried to get a scoop. If you play with fire, don't bitch that you got burned.

Labels: france

On the same day the Elysée Palace announced he was divorcing his wife, massive strikes crippled the country's transportation network.

First, a word on the wife. Surely, Sarko can't be that easy to live with, but really, did former First Lady Cecilia really have to snub every single official event this summer? On one occasion, the Sarkozy family vacationing in New Hampshire was invited to Kennebunkport to lunch with Bush Jr and Sr (despise them or not, they're still current and former US presidents, it's not just your regular bbq). She pretended to have strep throat so she wouldn't have to go. When she was seen in shorts and a T-shirt running around town the next day, one can only imagine what the Quai d'Orsay had to do to avoid a full-fledged diplomatic incident.

The funnier part of this of course is the reporting of it in the press. Most outlets made it a point not to talk about anything until an absolutely, honest-to-goodness official announcement was made, and now that one has been made, most politicians are going out of their way to say "it's a private matter, I don't care". The French and their obsession on privacy...

As far as the strikes go, they're pretty much the same as usual. For those who haven't been following, there are about 4.2 public servants in France (vs. 18M private sector employees), working in various fields, such as the state-run railroad, education system, transit agencies, mines. Public servants have historically enjoyed better pension benefits, such as the right to retire after 37.5 years instead of 40 years, because their jobs were considered, for lack of a better word in English, burdensome.

I can imagine that to be true for a train conductor at the turn of the Century, what with loading coal into a huge furnace and all, but it's clearly not the case anymore. So every single government over the past 20 years (including Socialists) has tried to fix the situation but has always backed down in the face of strikes. So transit workers go on strike, paralyze the economy, and get what they asked for.

It's rather entertaining to hear their arguments, too. For example, "our jobs are really tough; imagine, we have to work flexible hours and night shifts and weekends!". Well, yeah, Lazy McSlacker, tell that to the restaurant workers, hot line operators, farmers, etc... But anyway, this time around, things appear like they may be different. The government has already unequivocally announced it will not back down (which is exactly what Sarkozy campaigned on), and only the more hardcore unions are proposing prolonging the strike.

Who knows, maybe France isn't doomed after all..

Labels: france

The French make the right choice - for once. Maybe France isn't doomed after all...

Labels: france

All hope is not lost...

Labels: france, politics

Great article in the latest New Yorker about the upcoming presidential elections in France. First round is this Sunday. Can't wait!

The article has a great quote from one of the smarter journalists back home, Christine Ockrent:

[Sarkozy is] part of the world we live in at its frenetic pace. That world—the risk, the obscene money—that’s Sarko. But do the French want to be exposed to that? If that’s what they want, he’ll win. But I’m not sure that they want to join the real world. Most of the old political crowd—they know nothing about globalization, about the economy. Not even the businessmen do. They are political, but they are not tied to politics. If they want the illusion of their nice French shelter, Sarkozy will lose.

Pretty much sums it up.

Meanwhile, turns out Segolene Royal's son is really quite the looker:

Labels: france

The official list of candidates for France's presidential elections next month was announced today. A grand total of 12 people are running, with really only 4 being considered serious contenders. There are a few dull ones nobody cares about (including one defending "Hunting and Traditions" - whaaaa?). There are also some fun ones, like the ones on the Far Left. Yes, in 2007, in an industrialized country, a third of the candidates for the presidential elections represents various flavors of old-school Communism.

Chosen bits from the economic programs of the illustrious morons pictured above, from left to right:

• José Bové (Anti Globalization movement): all part-time work to be progressively changed into full-time, employee representatives given veto power over layoffs, 32-hour work week with no decrease in compensation
• Olivier Besancenot (Revolutionary Communist League*): also all part-time work to be progressively changed into full-time, 30-hour work week with no decrease in compensation, layoffs to be outlawed, unemployment benefits to be equal to last salary
• Marie-Georges Buffet (Communist Party**): 32-hour work week, using public funds to increase local government stakes in public companies
• Arlette Laguiller (Worker's Party): overall increase (€300) of all salaries, all companies to be forbidden from laying off workers as long as they make profits, hike corporate tax rate to 50% (in US: 35%)
  

Now, at least, all four of them together only get 8% of votes in various polls, but still, pretty scary stuff. Well, not as much scary as pathetic and comical. They couldn't even run one candidate for the four of them (their programs are pretty much all the same).

The humanity!

*: I shit you not.
**: Yes, the Communist Party

Labels: france

The ever so helpful Paris City Hall has put together a guide for foreigners to be able to fake being Parisian when visiting the city ("You don't need to speak French to understand Parisians or to blend into the crowd") by imitating the facial codes people use.

My favorite? La Moue. The instructions are awesome:

1. Start by looking bored
2. Pucker your lips
3. Shake your head slowly for more impact

Labels: france, funny

On the plane back from home today I started a list of things I learned (or re-learned) this holiday break:

• Parisian boys are fucking skinny bitches (and all look gay to my now-Americanized eye). Comparatively, I am a whale. Which leads to my NY's resolution: work out and eat celery sticks for the rest of my days.
  
• Paris with not a single ray of sunshine for 5 days straight is about as depressing as Buffalo, NY.
• French cars really are tiny, but not as tiny as French parking garages.
• Everyone in Paris still smokes and seems to think second-hand smoking is some sort of Californian fad with no merit whatsoever.
• The country's future is bleaker that ever, as it tries to find its niche, its "third way" between capitalism and communism. Good luck with that. My Dad told me of a survey in which a third of respondents said they believed in free market economy. Meaning two thirds did not.
• The amount of time it takes me to miss the US when I am away is now down to two days.
• It really is a small world as evidenced by a meeting with my friend Cedric yesterday. He was telling me he was going to Beirut for a wedding, and I cited the name of an acquaintance (who's family friends with my best girl friend, a French-Lebanese) whom I know is getting hitched there this weekend. Turns out they went to business school together.
• Paris really is gorgeous.
• I barely saw any dogs, and this is probably due to the mayor's crackdown on people leaving their pooch's refuse material behind. Unsurprisingly, Parisians would rather have no dog at all than be seen picking up their shits.
• Shopping in Paris is retarded, since the Euro is so incredibly high. As an example, a Lacoste shirt (a French brand, obv.) is 72 bucks in the US, 72 Euros in France. Or 30% more expensive. Dumb ECB.
• My niece and nephew are the most achingly beautiful things in the world.
• American Airlines female flight attendents don't seem to believe in hair, makeup, courtesy, or basic customer service skills.

Labels: france, travel

France never ceases to amaze me in the ways it curtails Freedom of Speech. In this third installment (1, 2), we see an elected official beng sentenced (the case is currently being appealed) to a €3,000 fine for "derogatory comments against homosexuals".

Here's what he said:

I didn't say homosexuality is dangerous. I said it was inferior to heterosexuality. If it was generalized, it would be dangerous for Humanity.

OK, not the brightest thing to say, but in France, it's actually illegal to say it.

Source: Le Monde.

Labels: france

So, speaking of basic freedoms in my home country, there was a good story a week ago. The second-highest ranking member of the Front National, the far right party, said "controversial" things about the Holocaust. The AG asked for a €10,000 fine. How horribly controversial were his statements? Losely translated, here's what he said:

I do not deny the existence of gas chambers. But I am not a specialist in the matter and I think we should let historians discuss it. And this discussion should be free.

Yes, saying that in France is illegal.

Source: Le Monde.

Labels: france

The elections in France aren't for another six months, but the show has already started with the Socialist primaries. See, for the first time ever, they're holding primary elections within the party to figure out who they're going to send as their candidate. In the past, if they had several people, they would send them all, with the glorious results we know. So this time, they decided to play it safe and only send one person, even though some have made it known that they don't much favor this kind of "democracy, American style" (you mean the kind that works*?)

So tonight was the first debate between the three candidates. All have been in politics for decades and have never held a private-sector job. Although they couldn't actually speak to one another (too "American"), the show was quite entertaining. Between Segolene Royal, the favorite, droning on and on about some nice fuzzy idea of "participative democracy", and Laurent Fabius (pictured, right), trying with all his might to sound more to the Left than the others, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (pictured, left), the least retarded of them, held on to some ideas of social-democracy before reverting back to a "raise minimum wage!" discourse.

The pearl of wisdom came when Fabius said that France needed to be protected from "a financial ultracapitalism", where "we're all competitors and whoever has the lowest prices wins". That protection would of course be coming from - where else - Europe, at least as long as Europe doesn't become "some sort of free-trade zone" (wasn't that the whole point of Europe?)

At least they're entertaining, I'll give them that.

*: Lest an bunch of people leave indignant comments about Bush, I am referring here to the US Constitution, and I am especially comparing it to France's hugely flawed one, which dates back to 1958.

Labels: france

France always prides itself on being, somehow, the Birthplace of Freedom and Human Rights^TM. And yet, there's been a law in place since 1990 forbiding anyone from contesting the Holocaust. And now, in an apparent bid to piss off Turkey and the EU as a whole, they want to do the same thing on the Armenian Genocide.

Take that, Freedom of Speech. There's actually been instances of people being fined and given suspended prison sentences for having said that concentration camps never existed. That this is the most moronic thing one could say is not the debate here; one should be able to say whatever one wants. Isn't that the most basic freedom?

Labels: france

For once, France has an opportunity to really restore its setting in international diplomacy and re-assert its influence in the Middle East. But as usual, the occasion is being squandered, and the blame promptly directed toward everyone and their uncles.

Since the beginning of the war in Lebanon, as the US quickly got the word out they didn't have the resources to militarily step in (nor did they want to take the bait from Iran and Syria), France has been engaged as a truce negotiator with Israel, Lebanon, and the US. Throughout talks, France managed to find the correct balance between giving Israel the right to retaliate and Lebanon the right not to be a playground for war mongers. This was especially delicate considering France's history as a friend of Lebanon and a defender of Palestine. But the final resolution was a success. France was to lead the UN forces as they deployed in the region to enforce the cease-fire. The problem? That poodle's got no balls.

French troops on the ground number in the hundreds. The UN is asking for at least 5000. So far, no word from Paris about when they'll send more units. Paris is actually now voicing some hesitation at leading the force. The official reason is that we got burnt in Bosnia because there was no clear mandate, so now we're playing chicken. The main difference here of course, is that there is a clear mandate, supported by the US, Israel and Lebanon. It's about as close to a Carte Blanche as one can get in UN circles. And yet, somehow, France will again waste this opportunity to show that its still capable of great things.

What a shame.

More on this:
Le Monde
Wash. Post

Labels: france

The sound of cicadas, on the island of Porquerolles, off the Mediterranean coast of France. Doesn't get much better than this...

porquerolles.mp3

Labels: france, travel

So yeah, we lost. Dang it. But then again, that was well deserved. The attackers kept kicking goals, even if they were way too far, the play was disorganized; they seemed to be tired and disorganized.



And then of course, Zidane shamefully hit an Italian, seemingly unprovoked, in the sternum, earning him a red flag and kicking himself out of the game. Playing without the star player, down to 10 people, in overtime is not good news. The greatest thing was, there were some Zidane fans next to us in the cafe, and they applauded his gesture, saying "yeah, don't let this faggot Italian touch you!" I wanted to say "dude, he just kicked himself out of the game, moron; nothing to be happy about!". But then again, they looked like the kind of fan that was going to burn a car or two afterwards, so I decided it best to shut the hell up.

Labels: france

To understand how big a deal it is that France is playing the finals this weekend against Italy, imagine playing the Super Bowl and the World Series, except they'd only happen every 4 years, would involve 32 countries on 6 continents, and that the team's composition would not be based on money and trades, but only nationality.

In 1998, when we last played in the finals, the atmosphere in Paris was electric, even before we scored the first point. That's the magic of the World Cup. For one moment, everyone in the country is no longer white, black, Socialist, or Gaullist, but French. In a country where patriotism is seen as quaint and naive, those 90 minutes do more to unify that hours of debate in Parliament ever will. After what would qualify as an annus horribilis, between the riots, the rejection of the European Constitution and a Executive falling apart, France could use a bit of good news.

On Sunday, as incredible luck would have it, I will be in Paris. Like in 1998, it will be amazing. Imagine an entire city, of 12 million, cheering the same game. You can feel it, and you can actually hear it in the air, a distant roar.

Hopefully it will end up in cheers.

Labels: france

Finding a bar showing the France-Brazil game on a day of cross-town baseball game between the White Socks and the Cubs: yeah, nice try. We tried three places, including all the ones recommended by "the Consulate". One was completely full by the time we got there, one had a small TV, no sound, by the bar, and one was actually closed.



We ended up at our favorite place ever, Cafe Iberico, which was showing the game on big TV's, even though the crowd was clearly cheering more for Brazil than us. We ordered a few pitchers of sangria, and watched the Most Amazing Game of this World Cup. And yes, we won !; take that, Brazil! Next up, semi-finals on Tuesday. This is so fucking awesome, I can't stand it.

Labels: chicago, france

My interest in football is ordinarily rather low. The teams are not that interesting, the best players get bought out by foreign clubs, it's just not that fun anymore.

The World Cup is different. The French team comprises the country's best players, and some of the matches are really intense (yesterday's GER-ARG was awesome!). Today's game against Brazil promises to be a fantastic show. In a classic "let's ask the Consulate" kind of moment, I learned there's gonna be lotsa Frenchies at Fado's pub to watch the game. Some blue and red makeup on my face, and off i go cheer the Bleus.

Hopefully the big dopes won't lose.

Labels: france

I love this photo of Sarkozy next to Chirac. The angle makes the President look like a dwarf, even though he's well over 6 feet tall compared to Sarkozy's 5'6", and Sarko has this nice look of contempt in his eyes... Looking forward to 2007, for sure.

Source: Le Figaro

Labels: france

I almost feel bad for the dude. Barely a month after the new labor contract debacle, Villepin is now implicated in a sordid affair of politcal manipulation, in which he may, or may not, have insisted, as Secretary of State, that the Secret Service should particularly focus a corruption investigation on a Nicolas Sarkozy.

Of course nowadays, as the Presidential Elections loom, their rivalry is common knowledge, but both have hated each other for years; Villepin never forgave Sarkozy for supporting Chirac's rival in 1995, while the latter never forgave the Prime Minister his most massive fuck-up (advising Chirac to dissolve the Parliament in 1997).

[+/-] Read More

Labels: france

Without much surprise, the government caved in. Again. Probably the biggest missed opportunity of the last 20 years in French politics.

The government had tried a novel approach against an endemic problem in France, unemployment. After twenty years of government-subsidized programs, it decided to let the youth labor market somewhat regulate itself. The CPE wasn't a free-for-all capitalistic endeavor, mind you, but rather laid out the framework for at-will employment that would have afforded French companies flexibility and, mostly, given them a way to hedge their risk when hiring people with no experience.


As usual when acquis sociaux, or social entitlements, are put into question, the leftist labor and student unions were quick to protest. A novel fact, they were remarkably united, and managed to organize massive demonstrations. University students and civil servants with full job security descended on the streets at once to clamor for an end to this foolish idea of change.

[+/-] Read More

Labels: france

My favorite French-speaking blog, by a writer at Le Monde, pointed to this fascinating article on France's protest.



In it, we learn the pretty devastating news that, to the question "The free enterprise system and free market economy is the best system on which to base the future of the world.", a majority of French said no, and only one third said yes, placing France behind Russia, China, Germany, or really any country polled.

Frightening, no?

Labels: france

Hilarious article in the New York Times, about the "situation" in France. The best part is how they describe one of the favorites for next year's Presidential elections, Nicolas Sarkozy:

Paradoxically, Mr. Sarkozy is also the most un-French of politicians, a firm believer in globalization, hard work, raw ambition, the man-on the-street and the American dream. When he speaks about France's future, he does not look to France's grand past, but across the ocean to the United States.

"There is only one way to reduce unemployment in France," he said. "You have to explain to the French people that they have to work harder."

The sad part is that they're right: this sort of speech is very uncharacteristic of French politicians.

Labels: france

As promos for Basic Instinct 2 are off to a discreet start in the States, as opposed to the media machine unleashed in France, I was reminded of how easy the French media gets aroused and shocked. They only remember Sharon Stone's infamous leg uncrossing in Basic Instinct, or Madonna's Erotica period.

In an interview a few months ago, the interviewer asked the following question, point blank:

Does Madonna have talent, without provocation?

The look on Madge's face, as she understood the translation, turned to (presumably) her publicist to see if this was a joke, and then summoned all of her strength not to tell the dude to go fuck himself, was priceless. Video here.

Labels: france

According to a recent study by the University of Ulster, the UK ranks behind Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Italy, Austria and Switzerland in terms of average IQ. Now, if you care about that kind of stuff, it's not necessarily cause for the Brits to rejoice. But here goes: they beat the French, who lag behind just about every country, except for Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Mind you, the differences between all these countries are pretty minute, but, for some, it's all about the ranking, not the score.

Hence the very serious London Times using this headline:

Germans are brainiest (but at least we're smarter than the French)

Like a teenage girl would say on AIM: ROFLMO!

As one would imagine, the various forums on news web sites in France are teeming with fuming Frenchmen, claiming IQ means nothing anyway, blah, blah.

Labels: france

It's a wonder France is in such a rut with such an enlightened leader. His latest? Walking out of a European meeting because the speaker, former head of the French employer's union, dared speak in English rather than French.

Says the speaker: "I'm going to speak in English because that is the language of business;" says Chirac: "You cannot build the world of the future on just one language and, hence, one culture."

Wow, dude. First off, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Australia, the US, and Britain have little in common except for a shared language. Second, don't you have more pressing matters to take care of?

Labels: france

In order to illustrate the debate currently going on in France, here’s what the new law lays out for companies over 20 employees for employees under 26 years old:

• Employment shall be at will for a period of 2 years
• Notice of layoff shall be 2 weeks if employment was between 2 and 5 months, one month if employment was over 5 months
• Severance shall be 8% of gross pay for the employment period

That is what some of France’s youth is bitching about. Hardly unbridled and ferocious capitalism, don't you think?

Labels: france

Craig Smith for the New York Times best summarized what is going on in France right now:

Many people have compared the current protest to the famous French student movement of 1968. But that movement sought to change the world, the current one is trying to stop the world from changing.

Labels: france

Things are so peachy back home... The same hooligans that rioted in the suburbs, are now joining the protests against the new labor law, attacking, sometimes violently, the students to steal their wallets, attacking the police, and, you guessed it, burning cars. The riot police can't even step in because the protests are already so tense it could make matters worse.

Labor Unions have accepted to meet with the Prime Minister but have already communicated that they won't budge on their demand to see the law annuled, and a massive general strike is possible for next Tuesday.

Where can you possibly go from there? If the government holds fast, and the new law does not show results quickly enough, the Socialists will win the Presidential Election next year, further throwing the country into economic irrelevance. And if the government caves in (surprise, surprise), it will just prolong a status quo that is quickly relegating France to a third rate economy.

Wait and see, as they say, but the prognosis is bleak.

Labels: france

So the CPE law was indeed passed. Consequently, without much surprise, civil unrest ensued. Long story short, it appears that, as usual, a very vocal minority is trying to block the entire country. It started with student unions (heavily Socialist), then labor unions (including our favorite Communist organization - their words - the CGT), and now the Socialist Party, all too happy to make this an issue one year before the Presidential elections.

Now comes the interesting part. Villepin, the Prime Minister is steadfast in his will to apply the new law. Leaves the ball in the President's court. Considering his personality and patholigical need for popularity, it is not that far-fetched to imagine he would try to side with the opposition on this one. Some Socialists have demanded Villepin's head, and Chirac is crazy enough to be able to consider it.

Supposedly, His Highness will descend from his throne and speak on the matter by the end of the week. Can't hardly wait.

Labels: france

Big strikes today in France (no kidding!), this time against the government's new tool against youth unemployment, the CPE (New Job Contract).

In France, labor, like most things, is heavily regulated. You can't do much once you have hired someone to get rid of them easily. The employment contract, laid using one of the most complex and arcane pieces of French law, frames everything from laying off someone with or without cause (the latter being near-impossible), to the number of days’ notice the employee needs to give the employer when quitting or to the number of vacation days the employee will get. Other than compensation, very little is left to the employer to decide and even then, it is usually done in branch or industry-specific negotiations.

[+/-] Read More

Labels: france

French "intellectuals", as they like to call themselves, are often (though not always, thankfully) insufferably pompous assholes who only love their own reflection more than the sound of their voice.

So it's especially enjoyable when their last book, which they published in the US before publishing it to France gets ripped to shreds by the critics.



As one could have expected, Bernard Henri Levy's latest book, in which he fancies himself a modern-day Tocqueville and travels through America, dutifully casts a judgemental and superior eye on those silly and trashy Americans. He, like most French people, and especially the elites, only sees the America of the extremes, the one you see on Cops or really any Fox program.

Granted, Americans have similarly preposterous stereotypes about the French, but at least the cultural elites here do know better.

[+/-] Read More

Labels: france

I was asked by a faithful reader to comment on a very excellent article in the NY Times about the anniversary of the death of France's previous president, François Mitterrand. As it so happens, I had already seen the piece, and had found it to be surprinsingly on the money.



[+/-] Read More

Labels: france

Things are improving in terms of security and personal safety in France. Oh wait, no they're not. Last week a train on the Riviera was "attacked" by a group of two dozen "youths"; the same kind that burns cars for fun and that, per the Socialists, we're not allowed to call hooligans or scum but rather "disenchanted youth". They terrorized the passengers, stealing their personal effects and even molesting a teenage girl. Partly because the Police suck and because few people actually dared press charges, only three were arrested.

Today another attack was reported on a suburban train, attack in which again a group of about 20 scum disenchanted youth terrorized people and stole their personal effects. Only two were arrested.

Oh, and the three guys that were arrested after the Riviera train incident? All released, no charges have been filed.

Good times on French railroads!

Labels: france

Last night we finally got around to watching the season finale of Sex and the City. At the beginning of the Paris episodes, watching her car drive her up to her hotel, the gleaming building all around just exuding Parisianity, I actually got somewhat choked up. This year was the second time I am not in Paris for Christmas, and I miss it.

I relished in seeing Carrie's first-hand experiences in the city, from yummy pastry shops to cozy cafés, tree-lined streets to Mercedes taxis. But then, as Carrie comes to hate the city because she's all alone there, it came back, all the things that have enabled me to actually leave the city; the bitchy people, the incessant winter rain, the ubiquitous dogs and their shits, the attitude.

I now feel the same way about Paris as I do about New York: love it to death, but could not live there.

Labels: france, tv

It amazes me to see the level of organization the city of NY has put into contingency plans, public notices, web sites, in anticipation for the transit strike. When large-scale transit strikes occur in Paris, you're pretty much SOL and there ain't a damn thing the city is going to do, especially in advance to the strike.

Labels: france

Strike cripples French Railways

Labels: france

Among the most pervasive hypocrisies of the République Française is the notion that, no matter what, if you're French, you're French, no matter your origin. Your name is Saïd Ben Sedir but you were born in France? No matter, the République says, you're French. End of story.

Except that this is not followed through by the population. Of course there will be racism, it's an intrisic part of human nature. Negating it doesn't make it go away, it only deprives you of ways to recognize and fight it.

Hence, in part, the current unrest in France. For more on this, read this excellent article in the New York Times: What Makes Someone French?

Labels: france

Pissed that she was snubbed from the Hermes store, Oprah decided to get back at France by organizing massive riots, in which people's cars would be burned to the ground and widespread unrest would be unleashed on unsuspecting French housewives.

Because she's not that mean, she's planning on promptly doing a massive, live, show at the foot of the Eiffel tower, hand everyone in the audience a little package, and start jumping up and down, screaming "Everybody gets a new car!!!".

Labels: france, funny