Last posts on france

Drôme is the leading département in France for organic production

2011-09-07T06:13:00+02:00

The Le Corbusier, Jean Prouvé house for sale in France

2010-05-20T01:34:25+02:00

Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé property for sale in Lorraine Rare opportunity at a very good price: habitable house built by the famous architects: Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé. The property has 200 sqm habitable space and is unique in the world: a rare project where the 2 men really collaborated.very nice living space, bright, large volumes, unbeatable views on the Lorrain Plateau, no neighbours, quiet, renovation work is needed.A second prefabricated house of 100 sqm needs refurbishment. These 2 properties are located on a 3000 sqm plot of land connected to town gaz.Located 25 minutes from Metz, 5 minutes from a town with all services, 7 minutes from the A4 motorway, 30 minutes from Luxembourg and Belgium, 30 minutes from the airport and TGV trainstation (1hour from paris), only 20 minutes from all entertainment : golf, casino, spa.... Possibility of landing by plane or there hélicoptére. Strong potential.Prix :370000 € phone: 0033 329 891 9580033 630 565 439mail: pgalantini@aol.com

unbalanced friday

2009-11-13T16:00:00+01:00

Hot sax at Plufur

2009-11-10T10:23:00+01:00

Its very quiet here now since the autumn half term the place is empty of visitors for the first time since the beginning of April so we can shout and scream and no one hears us except perhaps the neighbours.The weather has changed like a switch as soon as the last visitors left at the end of October , the last two months have incredibly dry and warm and now its the rainy windy season which is good for the ground and gardens.I had a quick visit to the UK to pick up a few goodies I had bought on ebay which I get delivered to my brother also to pick up of a chipper/mulcher attachment for my Countax mower from Exeter.I bought one of those electric ones years ago which you use once and then throw to the back of your workshop in disgust as its so slow and inefficient, but the Countax chipper is a good tool as it works direct off the 16 hp motor so plenty of power and can slice up to 6cms but I prefer to do half that thickness and chainsaw the rest in to fire starter pieces. I also bought a second hand chainsaw as my old one I cynically call it French as it works well for 10 minutes and then it needs a 2 hour rest.My brother has moved to Bude in Cornwall where I went to secondary school ( it was a grammar in those days ) and the most worrying thing was I knew 10 people in the street of his house, 4 were ex teachers, 2 were in the same class as me , the next door neighbour played in the town band with me its just too much .Tony the ex-class mate insisted on taking me out for a pub crawl which didn't do much for my head the next day.It was interesting that recession wasn't effecting Bude so much as its a tourist town and the "staycation " fashion helps it survive.

I returned from a walk with the dog at the weekend to find a springer spaniel chasing one of our white chickens around the garden last weekend, after a few subtle words of English it disappeared and the chicken jumped into my arms to be rescued and I was going to put it back into its run but noticed the other chick had disappeared so I dropped it in with the brown chick. There was just a pile of feathers so assumed the dog had carried it off. This was a good opportunity for Paulien to have an in-depth conversation with the hunters on dog control and respecting distances with local houses, as they just seem to shoot anything which moves especially while the maize crops are still standing.However the next day when we moved the 2 remaining chickens ( we move their run everyday so they have something fresh to scratch ) we heard a faint noise in the hedge and found the missing chick minus quite a few feathers wedged behind a water butt, a very lucky chick!

I did a gig a couple weeks ago in Plufur with Anthony ( an ex pro trumpet player ) we played the first set before the other group played, "Feeling" a jazz quartet with a very good singer. It was OKish and in the paper the "Tregor "last week we had our photo in and a write up, Anthony with his "bewitching" trumpet and Simon with his "hot sax " a bit ambiguous !

just askiiing!!!

2009-07-06T01:55:00+02:00

    The question to day is this, Does the Bi**** atcheuuu!!! feel shame?!!!
     Considering they Job nature, i don't think that she might even know what it mean what do we call the shame...becausing there is nothing shamefull then that---l55echyane m9a***...(two days ago) saturday, lately at night, iwnet with some one to his home we had to pick something from there...when we enter the house we found that he's bro is drunk and he's bed is full huh it did carry a heavy body plus just yaaaa salaaaaam :)...she was naked she covered her self after seing us and she went out of the room and she hided in another one, so this is why i am asking this today...
      May be am old style, and see things like my father did, may i be i should i think about evolution too, like all the animals did million years ago like what scientist say, and they are definitly wrong...Really shall i change?!!!

trash

2009-05-29T11:49:00+02:00

Frances en Greves

2009-01-30T13:20:00+01:00

Yesterday was "jeudi noir" as most of France was on strike and the boys didn't go to school. Even Lannion had a demonstration of 5000 in the afternoon, I was asking people in the bar why there were strikes and demonstrations and nobody had a sensible suggestion. So half the population doesn't like Sarkozy but the other half does and helping out the banking sector isn't popular but letting it collapse would be worse, but what do I know.A good or bad example of French industry was last week I had to order a small item for the pool, the pipework is by a British company called Certikin and I was told to get in touch with the Perpignan office as I lived in France.Over the next couple of days several telephone calls and emails produced zero response , they weren't interested so I asked for a English company to deal with,one telephone call and the product is in the post. OK its not a lot of money but its an attitude problem they need to learn to love their clients.The pounds continuing decline although making life more expensive if you are sterling dependant makes the UK much more attractive for shopping so I'll have to make a list a do a shop in the spring.My middle son bought a laptop from PC World about 150€ cheaper than he would have paid here and it also keeps him off my PC as well.Its our annual band dinner on Sunday I think its the 30€ menu + wine all paid for by the municipality of Lannion, not sure if they are getting good value.

Near death experience

2008-11-27T09:19:00+01:00

I was being driven my my friend Cogs the other week on the twisty road between Tremel and Plufur and we met a charging articulated lorry on a sharp bend and as the trailer followed the truck around the road became smaller and smaller so we ended up half way up the hedge and missed it my a coat of paint.We both looked at each other gob smacked as they say in shock.needless to say the lorry sped off in search of more victims to scare. The truck I was in fortunately is a 4x4 so easily went off road but the worrying thing for me as a passenger was that it was right hand drive and it would have been that would have been crunched if we had made contact. I was very impressed with Terry's reactions especially as he is 70!Its our first winter in France since we came 16 years ago that we don't have any major building projects ( just as well with the present economic climate ) so I decided to reoganise the garden making raised beds and having less chaos so we might get better production. A friend just nailed some railway sleepers together to form a rectangle and then filled them with earth which seems a good idea so will do something similar. I also made a greenhouse out recycled transparent plastic against my workshop and only had to buy an extra 4 sheets so it cost me around 40€. The construction was the easy part, but as it was built on the same concrete slab as the workshop I had to hack through 30cm of concrete and stone so there is a connection with the subsoil for the plants. I even topped up the fresh soil with compost and scattered some mustard seeds for a green manure effect.Last week the town band did its annual concert for the over 70s in Lannion. There was about 600 of them and they all get a meal , music and a dance band afterwards and its all free! The French certainly look after their ageing population well

To Strike or Not to Strike ...

2008-11-03T17:19:49+01:00

Yes, I have become totally French. I am now officially on strike!

Having found a part-time job teaching English to business people last November, things have now evolved to the point where my fellow teachers and I have decided to go on strike.

We aren't actually asking for a great deal - just a contract which conforms to French law.

It's definitely not the best paid profession in France, but.... when you have several major points against you.... i.e. you're a foreigner, you're a woman, you're a woman AND you're over 35, you have children, you're French is not parfait..... well, let's face it, you should take what you can get!

If you would like to follow this greve.... here is the link

Nous Sommes pas Content...

Falling leaves

2008-10-23T08:46:00+02:00

Its turned autumnal this last week with leaves falling its time for collecting chestnuts in the woods and roasting them on the wood burner in the evenings.Its also the shooting season we get a lot of hunters around us due to the maize crops which are home to pheasants. They all have to wear florescent red hats as they have a habit of shooting each other. On average about 50 hunters get shoot a year, I had friend who went hunting with some French hunters ,they drank an enormous amount of alcohol did various dangerous things and at the end of the afternoon they shot their dog ( not intentionally ) so had to take it to the vets ( it survived ). The moral is to wear something bright when you walk in the countrysideBas picked up his first speeding ticket at St Efflam, he hasn't even passed his test yet. You don't expect hidden radar traps Sunday afternoon at the sea front.I think its more of a revenue collecting exercise than genuine concern of road safety. Paulien took it on her licence and he paid the fine 90€........Its our last full week this week before Christmas, Plestin has been quite busy with Parisian on holiday at the weekend. I was thinking Plestin must be quite recession proof as there is no industry and 80% of the population are retired and on pensions so the main beneficiaries are the pharmacists, flower shops and the hairdressers although the funeral shop does a good trade.Xav has joined the homework club at school they have a supervised session after school so we pick him up at 6.15 and homework is done . No arguments but its a long day 8.00am - 6.15 pm

Kadhafi, fils de Preziosi?

2008-02-26T14:00:00+01:00

Par Adeline FLEURY, à Vezzani

C'est une histoire rocambolesque, une histoire de ressemblance et de descendance. Une histoire qui lie deux géographies méditerranéennes. Au nord, un village corse de 300 âmes à peine, niché à 800 mètres d'altitude; au sud, un vaste pays désertique de plus d'un million de km². Que peuvent bien avoir en commun Vezzani (Haute-Corse) et la Libye? Peut-être un étonnant lien du sang.

Depuis les années 1970 court en effet à Vezzani une assez ahurissante rumeur. Le capitaine Albert Preziosi, héros de la France Libre, fils d'un gendarme du village, pourrait être le père du Guide de la révolution libyenne, Muammar Kadhafi... Or cette rumeur, qui a refait surface cette semaine sur le site bakchich.info, s'est transformée en légende sur l'île de Beauté.

Le 17 juin 1940, Albert Preziosi rejoint Londres

"Ah, vous venez pour l'affaire Kadhafi? J'ai toujours entendu parler de cette histoire, comme beaucoup de mes administrés !" s'exclame Jean-Pierre Pagni, maire (UMP) de Vezzani. Il faut dire qu'ici, Albert Preziosi est le héros du village. Sur la façade de la maison communale, une plaque dorée célèbre la mémoire du soldat né à Vezzani le 25 juillet 1915 et tué en combat aérien à Karacha (Russie), le 28 juillet 1943. "Elle date de 2003, où nous avons organisé une commémoration à l'occasion du soixantième anniversaire de sa mort", explique l'édile.

Au-dessus du bureau du maire est aussi encadré un portrait de ce capitaine de l'armée de l'air coiffé de sa casquette d'aviateur. Annie Genasci, secrétaire de mairie, adore la photo de ce bel homme et se plaît à croire à l'incroyable histoire qui accompagne son destin. "Nous n'avons aucune preuve de cette filiation mais aucun élément ne la contredit non plus", constate Jean-Pierre Pagni en désignant l'ancienne gendarmerie, une haute maison de pierres où le petit Preziosi est né. "Et puis, il y a cette ressemblance..." note Annie.

Comment, en tout cas, expliquer que le destin de ce villageois corse ait pu croiser celui d'une Libyenne? Ou comment, en temps de guerre, l'histoire s'immisce dans les destinées humaines. Le "héros de Vezzani" quitte son village natal dans les années 1930. En 1935, il fait partie de la première promotion de l'Ecole de l'air de Salon-de-Provence. Le 17 juin 1940, il rejoint Londres avec deux autres officiers, où il suit une formation de pilote de chasse et s'engage dans les Forces aériennes françaises libres (FAFL). Le lieutenant est affecté au Moyen-Orient, dans le groupe de chasse numéro 1 "Alsace", puis dans le groupe de chasse numéro 3 "Normandie".

"Tu sais que j'ai eu un enfant en Libye"

Pendant l'été 1942, l'avion piloté par Albert Preziosi s'écrase dans le désert libyen. Selon d'anciens membres de son groupe, le soldat Preziosi aurait alors disparu pendant un mois, au cours duquel il aurait rencontré une jeune femme. Sur cette idylle orientale, les versions divergent. Selon Pierre Lorillon, l'un des derniers rescapés de l'escadrille Normandie-Niémen, "Albert aurait été recueilli par une tribu libyenne, puis soigné par une jeune femme noble avec laquelle il aurait eu un enfant". François Tulasne, fils du commandant Tulasne, l'un des deux fondateurs du Normandie-Niémen, évoque d'un ton amusé l'épisode de la "princesse libyenne": "Pour mon père, Preziosi était comme un fils. Ce dernier, qui pourtant avait un handicap au cou, était un bon soldat. Et apparemment un séducteur."

Cette histoire, les membres du Normandie-Niémen aimaient se la narrer au front, quitte à l'enjoliver. Princesse libyenne pour les uns, infirmière palestinienne juive pour les autres... tous se retrouvent sur un point : un enfant est né de cette escapade dans le désert. Philippe Beaudoin, retraité du deuxième bureau de l'armée de l'air, a eu vent d'une discussion entre le commandant Joseph Pouliquen, cofondateur du Normandie-Niémen, et Albert Preziosi. Ce dernier aurait fait la confidence suivante à son supérieur: "Tu sais que j'ai eu un enfant en Libye. S'il m'arrive quelque chose en manoeuvres, fais-lui parvenir cette lettre." Quelques semaines plus tard, l'aviateur Preziosi meurt en vol sur le front russe. "Par la suite, personne n'a eu cette lettre entre les mains", poursuit Philippe Beaudoin, pour qui la thèse de la paternité de Kadhafi est "plausible". En 1988, Joseph Pouliquen décède et emporte la missive dans sa tombe.

Les descendants d'Albert Preziosi, eux, prennent cette histoire avec des pincettes. "A chaque fois que l'on me dit : "Alors, tu es de la famille Khadafi", les bras m'en tombent", s'agace François Preziosi, fils d'un cousin d'Albert, qui travaille à l'entretien de la mémoire de son aïeul. Cet ancien d'Algérie reconnaît tout de même avoir mené sa petite enquête en contactant une "vieille connaissance" qui était, pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, en Libye pour "affaires indigènes". En vain. Dans l'armée, il n'est pas de bon ton de communiquer sur la vie privée. Le petit-cousin Preziosi préférerait d'ailleurs que l'on s'attache plus à l'héroïsme d'Albert qu'à cette bien embarrassante filiation. Il n'oublie pas de mentionner qu'à quelques kilomètres de Vezzani, la base aérienne de Solenzara porte le nom de Preziosi. Et n'ose imaginer qu'un jour, elle pourrait être rebaptisée "Kadhafi" !

LE PERE L'ENFANT

y'as t il pas une resemblance entre les Deux hommes, et en plus de ca personnes ne cnnait les oncles et tentes de KADHAFI

In defense of Sarkosy

2008-01-22T19:45:00+01:00

To give the man his due he isn't a hypocrite whereas previous presidents have had affairs and the strict privacy laws stops it going in the tabloids and Mitterrand even had a daughter by his mistress and it wasn't reported until he died. So he's not a hypocrite but whether its seemly for a president to date a singer/model with a very impressive CV of male celebs its very interesting. I have never heard the French mock their president as much as the present one.At last I have finished the roof it will be nice working with both feet at the same level another month and the make over for Les Etables will be completed. Max has his interview on Thursday for French nationality there are certain jobs which are restricted to French nationals such as fonctioners ( civil servants ) which probably accounts for half the jobs in France. Paulien visited the CAF (they are occupied with family allowance and family support ) to get yet another form for his visit to the Prefecture and was told that he is entitled to a student allowance of 150€ a month which would pay for half his flat rental.The system in France taxes the population more but then gives lots of benefits back very socialist and doesn't really encourage initiative and for people to work hard. Whereas the Anglo system ,less tax but more borrowings and less job security makes people work harder. I don't who's got it right

Green Cabbage

2008-01-16T15:10:00+01:00

Cabbage, one of the oldest of the brassica family is the ancestor of modern day broccoli and cauliflower. Many varieties of cabbage are found today, but here I will concentrate on the green cabbage varieties such as Savoy, Kale, Curly kale and the Drumhead.HISTORY:Cabbage has eaten in Europe for more than 4,000 years even before it became a domestic vegetable. The original cabbage, related to the mustard family, was a large open leafed plant, which has been bread since the Middle Ages by northern European farmers to produce the large dense headed vegetable we know today. It soon became a major crop in Europe being perfectly adapted to a northern European climate, produces high yields per hectare and stores well throughout the winter.The Latin word brassica is said to derive from the Celtic word for cabbage, bresic. The English name cabbage comes from the French slang caboche, meaning head, which refers to its round form.Common green cabbages have thick leaves, which are tightly wrapped to form a large dense head. The leaves of the Savoy cabbage are crinkled and thinner than common cabbage, and the Savoy has a les pronounced flavour. Cabbage, as with other brassicas, has a high sulphur content, which is released whilst cooking and is one possible reason for cabbage having such a bad name as a vegetable, we all remember the smell of over boiled cabbage from school. BUYING:As with all green vegetables, freshness is the key to success. Cabbage should always be eaten as fresh as possible, as it has the most to make up compared to others. Often wrapped in cellophane making it difficult to fully assess how fresh the vegetable really is. A cabbage should have large outer leaves left intact as it is these which wilt first thus showing the cabbage is not as fresh as it could be. These outer leaves, too bitter to be enjoyed, are removed and discarded, preferable composted. The inner cabbage head should be bright, firm and feel heavy in the hand. The leaves should squeak as they are removed-a sure sign of a fresh cabbage.STORING:Cabbages can be stored for a week or so in a cool well ventilated place, the bottom of the fridge is not ideal as the leaves soon become desiccated, losing nutrients and flavour. PREPARING:•Discard the large, dark outer leaves leaving just the tightly packed head. •Carefully remove the leaves one at a time and remove the central vein running up the middle of each leaf.•Place a manageable quantity of leaves stacked one on the other in a pile on a chopping board. •Using a large cooks knife cut across the pile of leaves, shredding them as finely as is possible. The finer they can be shredded, the quicker they will cook and the better they will taste.•If you wish the central stem can also be shredded, it can be bitter, and is not to everyone’s taste, so many prefer to discard it.COOKING:The trick to making cabbage not only edible but a joy is to cook it in plenty of lightly salted boiling water and to cook for only 3 or 4 minutes depending on taste. Once cooked, and it must have some bite left in it, drain swiftly and add to a pan containing melted butter, just foaming. Season with salt and pepper and serve. OTHER INFORMATION:Cabbage is one vegetable that does not benefit from long cooking or being ‘messed about with,’ quick simple cooking is preferred. The flavour of cabbage, which is strong and peppery, is well complemented by any of the following spices: black pepper, caraway seed, celery seed, dill weed, garlic, mustard seed, nutmeg, savoury, tarragon and thyme. Cabbage goes particularly well with other winter vegetables such as carrots, leeks, onions and potatoes.Cabbage is an ingredient in certain varieties of borscht, when combined with beetroot. In Central Europe it is made into a soup and is also extremely popular in India. Stuffed cabbage is an East European delicacy. The leaves, which are often used in place of vine leaves, which are filled with chopped meat and rice.Cabbage is the basis for the famous German sauerkraut and the lesser known Korean kimchi. RECIPES.Caldo verde (Portuguese green soup)Wilted cabbage salad with bacon and cashel blue cheese stir fried green cabbage assorted cabbage recipes spiced Indian cabbage

Pineapples on the beach

2007-12-27T08:16:44+01:00

A few weeks ago we had some bad storms and half a dozen containers were swept up on the Brittany coast including a shipment of pineapples destined for Tesco. However they arrived on the beaches between Plestin and Perros and recently there has been a glut of people making pineapple jam and tarts. Further west about half a ton of tobacco was washed up mostly Golden Virgina which even tempted Paulien to go for a walk on the beach the customs were soon on site declaring it was illegal to take it away.Christmas has been very quiet with a couple of families staying on site French/English + the dog and goat of Karen and Kas who have gone to Holland for the festive period so its a happy new year to my 2 regular readers Jonnie and Peter and any one else who stumbles across this blog. Bloavez matt as they say in Breton

Ronaldinho préfère jouer au Milan ac au Chelsea

2007-09-28T18:17:48+02:00

Ronaldinho préfère jouer à Milan plutôt qu'à Chelsea Selon La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Le joueur deux fois meilleur joueur au monde Fâché avec son coach Rijkaard est prêt à laisser les géants Espagnol-

La Gazzetta dello Sport déclare que seulement deux équipes en Europe ont une réel chance d'acheter le Brésilien,le Milan ac et Chelsea. On dit que Ronaldinho favorise un transfert vers l'Italie en raison du style de vie et les Brésiliens déjà present au club . Les Rossoneri ont actuellement sept joueurs brésiliens ; Dida, Cafu, Emerson, Serginho, Digao, Kaka et Ronaldo. Alexandre Pato a également signé pour les champions d'europe et sera apte pour jouer à partir de janvier. le Président Silvio Berlusconi est prêt a mettre £70m (110 m euro ) de côté afin de financier l'affaire. Ceci inclut le salaire de 11 M d'euro par an de Ronaldino. ce dérnier a été absent des deux dérniers matchs contre Séville et Zaragoza,

FC Barcelone: Ronaldinho devrait rejouer contre Stuttgart mardi

2007-09-28T18:16:38+02:00

MADRID (AFP) — Ronaldinho, que le FC Barcelone a soutenu mercredi par un communiqué inhabituel pour essayer de calmer le jeu autour de sa méforme et de sa vie privée, devrait rejouer mardi contre Stuttgart en Ligue des Champions (Groupe E).

L'attaquant brésilien du Barça continue à récupérer de la contracture qui lui a fait manquer deux matches et devrait être encore un peu juste pour être aligné samedi contre Levante pour la 6e journée de la Liga, selon les médias espagnols.

Face aux multiples informations sur sa méforme et ses supposées sorties nocturnes avant les matches, le Barça a publié mercredi un communiqué de "soutien" à Ronaldinho, soulignant que son absence était "strictement due à des critères médicaux".

The ”enterrement”

2007-09-15T12:00:00+02:00

The funeral went quite well a lovely sunny day well attended and the band played much better than the previous night we were half way through the piece before Monsieur Echo had got his instrument warmed up enough to get it squeak out of it so he didn't completely ruin it as usual. I quite enjoyed the service it being catholic and is more ritualistic than the C of E I was brought up on not that I am a regular visiter. Jean Kerbaol the deceased had arranged 5 years ago which music he wanted for the occasion. Since my time in the band we have done 4 funerals of ex members church and civic, I find the church ones more satisfying as its a formal ritual whereas the civic ones are too casual just turning up at the cemetery playing a tune then retiring to the bar for a drink afterwards. I calculated during the service there could be 2 or 3 more this year as we have a few ex members in terminal conditions. I asked a few of players in the bar afterwards if they had chosen their music for their departure but they said they weren't in a hurry. Anthony the Irish ex guards ,ex colonel's trumpeter ( so very good player ) said he definitely didn't want us playing as we weren't good enough, after the others had gone he insisted on another beer ( the Irish in him ) he was giving me lots of useful information ( ? ) on crematoriums as he visited a lot during his time in the forces such as differing burn times for differing bodies according to their condition , fat etc , how the ashes were collected, collection of metal fillings and joints and finally that the Germans made the best ovens. I had to change the subject after that.The latest hassle with bureaucracy is Max has to join his own mutual for health assurance its called SMEBA and its for students , fair enough but then they have asked for his birth certificate to be translated into French which is lunacy as most of the information is digits and translating 6th November to 6 Novembre is pretty dumb but if thats what they want will have to do it . Will now have to go back to my cupboard where I'm hiding for the duration of the WC after last nights shambles .

Looks as if I'll need a blue shirt

2007-08-29T09:00:00+02:00

It was a poor weekend for the Celtic fringes on site with most of them losing their matches and South Africa looking ominously good it looks as if I'll have to swap the rose for "le coq " as the French team are looking on form. I am almost worried that England might have difficulty beating Samoa in Nantes the match I have a ticket for in 3 weeks time. Paulien's friend Inika has visited again from Holland with her 2 daughters which was fun and different as we are very much a male dominated household with 3 boys. The funniest highlight last week was Inika's daughter Rose sparring with Eileen wearing boxing gloves and chasing her around the gites one evening.Our hot water heater packed up this week so have had to change it the plumber we use is a brilliant guy he actually rings back the same day and will visit promptly ( not sure if he's really French ) lets me do most of the grunt work then inspects. A unique French worker, the irony is I buy the heaters in the UK its a German make but the price is about £200 cheaper than in France and is actually cheaper than the plumber can buy it for. He can install for me but can't buy in the UK as it has a GB sticker in it and he can only buy and install heaters with a F sticker although the heaters are identical. Vive le Marche

It's important to secure bike racks well

2007-08-14T09:20:00+02:00

We had a client leave on Sunday in a bit of a rush the previous night I had been helping him attach his bike rack which had been damaged when he drove into a height restricted car park so we fixed it up (not very well ) the night before in the dark.So late Sunday afternoon he telephoned me to say the rack had fallen off en route to the ferry (actually he didn't make Plestin ) and he had abandoned the 4 bikes in a field outside Plestin so we have retrieved them and put them in store if he wants to collect them some time.Yann has been having a tough time as our local vet did a poor job of stitching him up ( or stapling on Monday ) and the Friday she put in a couple stitches but next day he was worse so we took him to another vet who did major surgery on his leg and redid all the stitching. The first vet not only missed one hole in the leg which was festering she hadn't cleaned out the wound properly so it had gone gangrenous and smelly which needed to be cut out. So now Yann looks like a patchwork of steaks stitched together but is much happier and after showing him to the neighbours whose dog caused the damage they agreed to pay using their insurance.

Yann's hard week

2007-08-10T18:45:00+02:00

Yann our ageing dog has had a bad week first he had a one sided altercation with the neighbour's dog ( he must had said something about her mother ) which resulted in a visit to the vet only 50€ for a quick rough shave and for the cuts she used a staple gun and then a few jabs not even a local anaesthetic, a hard woman.So he has been mopping around the visiters for sympathy and any spare sausages that are going then today I reversed into him ( better me than a client ) and although he's OK the staples loosened up so back to the vet for a couple stitches and another jab.A cheaper visit only 15€ this time.Our vet is from Belgium so we speak a mixture of French ,English and Dutch.Xav has opened an ice cream shop and is making a fortune every time I take one its a minimum of at least 1€ and when we mention rental,electricity,storage costs and protection money his eyes glaze over and he changes the subject.In August about 80% of the clients are repeaters so life is less stressful we have to organise the annual pool competition which is sponsored by the CMB (local Bank) and N Power and is contested fiercely.The winners (junior and seniors ) receive much coveted cups and various prizes

Xav back on crutches

2007-07-09T08:35:00+02:00

I think the polyclinic are beginning to recognise Xav with his regular visits. This time its a cracked toe or a metatarsal which he got by using a skimboard on the waves it a short board you jump on with a few inches of water under it and it skids on the water only he kicked it with his foot cracking the middle toe so its a few weeks on crutches. We told the staff we should have a loyalty card so his next visit is free.The French holiday season has started this weekend with the Sunday market in Plestin packed out and we could actually sit on the terrace outside the PMU bar for the first time in a month, everyone is moaning that business is down in June our strawberry friends reckon that they were 70% down on the previous year due to the rain.There has been no news on the kayak front the police just gave us a form and the insurance company said everything outside isn't insured but they might give us a goodwill jest. They might just lose our business as we pay them 3 and a half thousand € a year I sometimes wonder whether it would be better to insure just the minimum and put the rest into a contingency fund as I think we have only made about 2 minor claims in 15years It looks like Sarko is reneging on all his free market ideas and turning into a typical Gaullist politician,protectionist and managed markets it shows you should never believe a politician as you are always going to be disappointed.

Pan-American plays: Ronaldinho carried the flame

2007-07-05T01:59:42+02:00

The Brazilian footballer of the FC Barcelona Ronaldinho carried the flame of the plays Panaméricains (13 July 29 in Rio), Friday at the time of his passage by the town of Porto Alegre (southern).

Vêtu of white and permanently raising a smile, Ronaldinho traversed part of its birthplace with the torch before arriving at the stage of Beira Rio where it lit a basin.

“It is a great honor for me, especially because it is about my city, declared “Ronnie”. I am very moved, it is one very special moment for me.”

The flame of the Panaméricains plays was lit on June 11 by the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and must traverse 42 cities through the own territory representing the 42 countries of the continent which take part in the competition. (AFP)

Robinho, so much awaited blossoming

2007-07-05T01:55:58+02:00

Robinho, so much awaited blossoming
Announced a long time like the successor of Peeled, the Brazilian attacker Robinho is long in confirming. After two seasons in Real Madrid, the “Moleque” finally seems to have adapted to the requirements of European football. At the point to become one of the fundamental parts of the triumph merengue in Liga.

Frail physics (1m 72, 60 kg) and face of child, Robson de Souza is far from being representative of the modern footballer. And yet, it has greatest qualities of them. Acceleration, control of ball, creativity, dribble and completion, Robinho have the complete panoply of the decisive player. These characteristics it learned them in the rooms from Sao Vicente. Its technique moving and its capacity to eliminate its adversaries easily must enormously with the practice of the futsal. Like its elder Ronaldinho, the parquet floors will take it along to the top of the world hierarchy.

All starts with a formation in Santos FC. President Marcelo Teixeira, dazzled by the prowesses in room of the young man, all will implement to learn how to him to exert his talent on the lawns. In 2002, into just 18 years, it integrates the team first. At the sides of its Diego accomplice, today in Werder Bremen, Robinho and the title of champion of Brazil offers excels to Santos. Peeled, alive legend of the club, is him also under the charm of the kid. Its rough talent is not long in exceeding the borders. The European recruiters know that a star is about to be born. Despite everything, Robinho will remain in Santos until 2005 to perfect his formation. It will offer a new title of champion in 2004 and will be elected better player of Brasileirao in 2003. At the summer 2005 and after 81 goals in 190 meetings of championship carioca, Robinho thus seems fine loan to make the great jump.

It rejoins first once the Old continent to dispute there the Cut of the Confederations with Seleçao. With 2 goals in 5 appearances, Robinho will contribute largely to the final success of the men of Parreira. These services will definitively convince Real Madrid to break its moneybox to engage the phenomenon. Very waited, the international Brazilian one shines only intermittently. Strongly under pressure, it is not under the best conditions to express its genius. Its first season under the shirt of Real will be mitigated (8 goals in 37 meetings of Liga in 2005/2006). After a World cup 2006 in Germany missed for Brazil, Robinho takes again the way of Santiago Bernabeu under the orders of a new trainer, Fabio Capello. Put at the variation initially, it will return in small papers of the Italian coach at the best time. Launched in a race effreinée under champion of Spain, Real and suit him to be exceptional. It will register 6 decisive goals in 32 appearances thus helping Real to precede the FC Barcelona and to take down its 30e national title. An end of exercise which sounds like a catch for the native of Sao Vicente. Indeed, more convincing and more bleeding, it answers finally waitings placed in him. Its pretences and its pace enivrent the public of experts of Santiago Bernabeu.

Copa America makes it possible to him to confirm this blossoming on the most level. In the absence of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano and Ronaldo, Robinho act as natural leader within Seleçao concoctée by Dunga. At the time of the match of opening vis-a-vis Mexico last Tuesday, Brazil east demolishes (0-2) but Robinho is without question best the auriverde on the lawn. Sunday, it is almost with him all alone that it built the success of Brazilian on Chile (3-0). By registering a blow of the hat (including two very beautiful achievements), it settled at the head classification of the strikers of the competition and accepted responsibility for the destiny of its team. In race for the qualification for the quarterfinals, Brazil will count once more on its talent to eliminate Ecuador Thursday

Kaka & Ronaldinho : le mercato s'enflamme ...

2007-07-04T02:15:36+02:00

Comme l'avait souligné Libertus, Le Real de Madrid veut engager Kaka. Le joueur brésilien met la pression sur Sylvio Berlusconi. Lors d'une entrevue, il a tenu à souligner son envie de rejoindre le club madriléne.

Berlusconi est formel, Kaka est intransférable !! Pourtant il ne serait pas insensible aux 80 millions d'euros, proposés par Ramon Calderon ... Ronaldinho aurait été rencontré ...

La rumeur s'intensifie dans la botte. Le Milan AC va-t-il voir partir l'un de ses plus beaux fleurons ? Il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu ... Le Real va tout faire pour réaliser ce transfert. Le joueur brésilien est désireux de vivre une nouvelle aventure, relever un nouveau défi. Il ne manque que l'aval de l'emblématique président du Milan AC pour que l'opération se concrétise .

Kaka a tout gagné avec le club lombard. Un désir légitime de retrouver une nouvelle motivation le pousse vers le Real de Madrid. Le stade de la rumeur est dépassé, nous entrons dans la période du poker menteur.

Berlusconi avait affiché son intérêt envers Samuel Eto'o. Apparement, le président milanais avait d'autres intentions. Des indiscrétions relatent une entrevue avec ... Ronaldinho . De rumeur ... Non . Le rêve du président milanais ne date pas d'hier et aussi étrange que cela paraisse, le FC Barcelone ne serait pas hostile à cette transaction ...

Les excédents de poids de la star brésilienne, son goût prononcé pour les sorties nocturnes, commencent à irriter certains dirigeants du club catalan. L'intérêt que porte le FC Barcelone, pour Franck Lampard, le stratège de Chelsea, serait l'explication ...

Un double transfert qui pourrait atteindre des sommets. Kaka en digne successeur de Zidane, Ronaldinho pour faire oublier le talentueux joueur brésilien ... Les jours à venir nous révéleront la teneur des informations ...

source : http://www.come4news.com/kaka-ronaldinho-le-mercato-senflamme.html

I've just seen a blue sky

2007-06-25T08:30:00+02:00

The last weeks weather has been atrocious throughout France I don't think there will be any water restrictions this year even in the south. Paulien has taken the boys to England for 5 days to sea her mum and they have taken their boards to do some surfing at Bude. The ferry was quite a reasonable price for Brittany ferries £210 for 4 people in a minibus ( that's with the reduction we get using the magic ref number ) but the price would have been at least another £100 for the first week in July. We have our Irish friends staying and they gave me an Irish rugby shirt which I have to wear while they are here and even worse a dvd of the Coke park match!We had our last gig of the summer with the jazz fanfare it was the "fete de petite couchon " at Vieux Marche about 20 minutes from Plestin. It was fun the Saturday night it didn't rain so we played in the square after a local band played red neck american country music and then the inevitable breton music. The Sunday was all indoor as it tipped down with rain, there was a very interesting ensemble of bizarre folk instruments and then a total mad workshop/fanfare where some French guys have about 50 old brass band instruments and gives a quick initiation to the beginners and then they perform. It was hilarious I tried an old trombone which I have played before but then I wore short trousers so it was a long time ago.My optimism is unfounded as since I started writing the blue sky has disappeared and we have just had a quick shower but the forecast is to get better this week the pool cover has been brilliant this year hardly anyone would have used the pool without it whereas it keeps the water at a constant temperature and stops you getting wet from the rain when swimming!

Sarkozy!

2007-05-08T02:12:05+02:00

Sarzkosy, a man I praised back in 2005 (h/t to Martin Walker)....

"No one should expect any weakness from me. Mosques where extremist Islam is preached will be closed. Imams who give radical sermons will be expelled. And people coming to conferences who don't show proof of respect for republican rules will find themselves systematically denied visas to enter France."..Sarkozy has now produced a book, which translates as "The Republic, Religions and Hope", that seeks to address the issue of Muslims in France, which many voters put at the top of their concerns. It is a thin volume of 180 pages, mostly conversations with philosopher Philippe Verdin, but it is revolutionary by French standards in that it calls for an end to the 1905 law that established France as a secular republic, separating the state from religion. If the state can subsidize sports and culture clubs, Sarkozy asks, why not churches?

... will be the new President of France!

The French like Sarkozy

Catholicgauze has more. The Left has issued their reaction:

Well, most of them

Western Loire

2006-08-07T23:10:00+02:00

I spent Friday afternoon on the train to join Leo in Western Loire for the weekend. This is a lovely area of France full of history and monuments. Leo drove me around and I saw:A royal abbey (huge!)

A pig on an old tapestry

Weird mushrooms including this one

Posh people having a picnic with real tables, real cutlery, real glasses and even candlesticks (although it was very sunny...!)

A man in white (probably looking for his lady - last seen in London near Shaftesbury Avenue) who would later drag Don Giovanni (left) to hell...A trendy teddy bear

Merry the hobbit

Beautiful old houses like this one

And troglodytic houses, carved in the rock

A huge castle built in the 11th and 12th century

... and a very happy naked girl

A Perfect Ending!

2006-07-10T12:52:08+02:00

So as i thought, Italy beat France to become the World Champions! That was a perfect match, anyone could think for a World Cup Final!

First, France got the lead, with the help of Zidane, only in the seventh minute of the game! but the Italians were not behind, they levelled the score just ten minutes later. On seeing the score 1-1 tied just after 17 minutes of the game, i thought its gonna be a high scoring match, but the remaining time was filled with attacking, defending, tackling, falling, bruising, (Some HeadButting...) but no goal was scored even in the extra time and another match was stretched to the penalty shoot-outs!

Now, after seeing Zidane going out on using his head (as a missile, not for thinking!) it was almost a dreaded task for France to win, at that point of time, i was beginning to see Italy as the Champions then! And the same happened!
Italians kept their cool and beat the French men 5-3 in penalties.

Frankly I wasnt expecting that kind of behaviour by Zidane. This is your last match and you are doing that kinda things, one should expect from a rookie!

So another World Cup came to an end, will look forward to English Premier League now which is coming in august :)

REY!

The Grand Finale

2006-07-06T07:11:20+02:00

So France made it to the final, well they deserved it. Zidane played superbly, as usual, and thanks to Thierry Henry (and Referee) that he earned France a penalty kick and Zidane made no mistake!

Now, France vs Italy in the FIFA World Cup 2006 Final, will France win or Italy, once again, will surprise us? We will see!

Another interesting match will be playoff between Germany and Portugal, the clash for the third place, most people say that teams in the playoffs didnt play upto the mark as they are already knocked out, it will be interesting to see, if it holds true...

REY!

Surprise, Surprise....

2006-07-05T08:10:44+02:00

So, we see a lot of surprise results lately in the FIFA World Cup!

First, Brazil, the biggest of them all, lost to France, thanx to Zidane. That is acceptable, but Portugal beating England is completely surprising, i mean didnt they know how to kick the ball during penalty shoot-outs?? They missed 3 out of 5 penalty kicks, horrible!

And now Italy beat Germany in the extra time! But in that match, Germany was ill fated, they got many chances which can be turned into goals but they missed out somewhere! Ballack and Klose almost got their team lead, but they just missed out, the Italian defence was great.

Anyway, Lets see what happen in todays match - Portugal vs France.
I wont be surprised if Portugal beats the French men, but my bet will be on France!

REY!

Shrinking the Gap with Allies (Capitalism and Democracy)

2006-04-06T22:55:00+02:00

"The Wave Theory of Core and Gap," by David, The Glittering Eye, 28 March 2006, http://theglitteringeye.com/?p=1870 (from ZenPundit)."When the Chinese were our friends...," by Tom Barnett, Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog, 4 April 2006, http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003131.html."In Pictures: French Protests," BBC News, 4 April 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4876616.stm.In the Second World War, China was our ally:

In this global war on terrorism, she is again.

Nicholas Sarkozy 2007

2006-02-28T18:05:00+01:00

"Sarkozy 2007!," Catholicgauze, 19 February 2006, http://catholicgauze.blogspot.com/2006/02/sarkozy-2007.html.Any day that sees Playboy returning to UNL and tdaxp taking over a warship wouldn't be complete without French political news. From Catholicgauze:

Creoles, Arcadians, and Cajuns! Soon you may be able to once again embrace your French heritage with pride! Americans of all backgrounds may once again look to France as an ally. Soon it will be time for the Old Europe country of France to elect the pro-globalization, pro-American, anti-terrorist Nicolas Sarkozy as Président de la République française.Market-liberalism combined with social conservatism is marching across the developed world to victory after victory. The latest region to become a battle ground for the Neo-Right is Old Europe. Germany elected Angela Merkel as Chancellor over the center-left incumbent Gerhard Schroeder. The next up for elections is France.

Nicholas Sarkozy has been on tdaxp before.

Naughty Girls at Paris-Paris

2006-02-13T20:40:00+01:00

Heather with Charlie (from Ireland) and Rachel (from England) at Paris-Paris.Not every bar-club in Paris provides good hunting for ladies on the prowl, but Paris-Paris is definitely one of them. I met these young expats while waiting for the doors to open for the Who Made Who concert February 7. I heard them speaking English and asked if they came for the club or the band. They'd heard there was a good band playing, but had never heard them nor ever been to the club. Brave girls! But they didn't know they'd get in faster by asking to be put on "the list" in advance, so when it came time to go in I told the bouncer they were with me, et voila! We got ourselves some strong cocktails from the bar (€10 each for mostly liquor in you cocktail). Rachel flirted shamelessly with the barman and ended up getting a few more free ones later on. I knew I'd like these ladies! We danced up a storm during the concert, and by 3am I was getting sleepy (should've ordered an espresso martini) so I thought I'd get their take on the male "talent" in the crowd before I headed off. But lo and behold, Charlie and Rachel were already exchanging phone numbers with some fine looking Frenchmen. Bravo, Naughty Girls!

We Love Male Models

2006-02-13T19:30:00+01:00

Madame Gentry Lane on the left, checking out the merchandise, and Heather in the background, trying to maintain eye contact! We thought it apropo to begin our Naughty Paris blog with a bit of eye candy from last week’s Salon International de la Lingerie (it’s the lingerie “Prêt-à-Porter”, if you will). Carolyn and I were lucky enough to be able to spy on this industry-only event by posing as assistants/slaves for Gentry de Paris. For four days we behaved ourselves as the trail of lingerie models – male and female – paraded by. But on the last day we decided to do a little research (for the book, of course) and ask one of the male specimens if he ever had any, er, “proposals” from the women at the show. Carolyn chased down this sexy cowboy (you can’t see it here, but he’s wearing boots) and was halfway through her very tactful question in French when, quelle surprise, it turns out he’s a compatriot from good ol’ Canada! What we gathered from our research:Jordan is 23, models exclusively for Ginch Gonch (who are, BTW, always looking for new male models…check out their site), and is the only straight guy I’ve ever met who makes the appropriate effort to remove excess body hair. As for any indecent proposals at the show, according to Jordan: “Lots of women spoke to me, but I don’t understand French so I just smiled.” (Don’t worry, ladies, we’ll send him a copy of Naughty Paris so he can learn some of the important French phrases from our “Sexy Vocabulary” chapter!)

French-Style Protectionism Comes to America (and soon the world?)

2005-07-31T06:20:00+02:00

"A New Threat to America Inc.," by Jeffrey Garten, Business Week, 25 July 2005, pg 114, http://businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_30/b3944123.htm.France and the rest of "Old Europe" have rightly been criticized for trying to export burdens on the rising states of central Europe. From the old Iron Curtain to the borders of Russia herself, the central European states have lowered taxes, lightened regulations, and enjoyed strong growth. But this was not good news to the French and the Eurocrats, who saw a pro-growth economy as "unfair." France's solution has been to try to force New Europe to have higher taxes and more regulation. After all, if the French suffer because of bad French decisions, why shouldn't everyone?Former Clinton appointee and Yale Professor Jeff Garten believes America should act like the French

The rise of these new multinationals will force Corporate America to rethink strategies for Third World product development, marketing, and links with local companies. But growth of these new rivals should also compel Washington and other Western governments to revamp today's inadequate hodgepodge of global commerce rules. The reason: Western companies could be disadvantaged by having to adhere to more stringent economic and social standards than the competition [sic -- tdaxp], because of their tougher [he means "less competitive" -- tdaxp] home-country laws and expectations.There is a huge gap in the international framework for such standards. The World Trade Organization deals with governments but not with companies. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development has established a code of conduct for multinationals, but compliance is voluntary and pertains only to its members -- mostly from rich countries.For example, all companies should be held to international accounting standards, including financial disclosure and transparency [so much for competition! -- tdaxp]. There should be accepted corporate-governance rules, including protections for minority shareholders. The requirements for listing on major stock exchanges should be more rigorous and uniform. And all global companies -- including those from the West -- should disclose their labor conditions and the impact they have on the environment using a common, audited format. None of this has yet happened.As long as American multinationals ruled the global roost, Washington resisted most formal rules for international business on the grounds they would constrain U.S. outfits such as IBM (IBM ) and Coca-Cola Co. (KO ) But the challenge from emerging-market companies signals that the dominance of big U.S. and European corporations is no longer assured . Uncle Sam should take the lead in efforts to build a new global commercial order -- while the U.S. still has the clout.

In other words, Garten thinks America should export rules, not import freedom; government dictates, not peer-to-peer agreements.The French would be proud.

Why I Love Nicolas Sarkozy

2005-06-26T20:20:00+02:00

"French Without Tears," by Martin Walker, The National Interest, Spring 2005, ppg 136-138.This is why I want the Hungarian-French politician Nicolas Sarkozy to become President of France in 2007:

Nicolas Sarkozy

To fight terrorism:

There are sections of almost every French city that are intensely Arab, and one reason why Sarkozy became so popular as interior minister was his announcement that there would be no more "no-go areas" for the French police, and he set up the special squads of riot police, gendarmes and customs agents to invade and bring the ruling gang leaders, or caids, to book. In an interview with Le Figaro in September 2003, he announced a tough new policy for visiting Muslims seeking to radicalize their French brethren:
"No one should expect any weakness from me. Mosques where extremist Islam is preached will be closed. Imams who give radical sermons will be expelled. And people coming to conferences who don't show proof of respect for republican rules will find themselves systematically denied visas to enter France."

To his Bush-style inauguration as head of the center-right political party in France, the UMP:

Characteristically, Sarkozy staged a very American kind of political spectacular for his investiture as head of the ump, in a vast hangar at Le Bourget Airport decked out to resemble Bush's Republican convention arena in New York. Chirac chose not to attend (and made some waspish remarks about the reputed cost of $6 million), but 40,000 of the party faithful turned up to hear Sarkozy promise a new era for France and cheer him to the echo. As he told them,

To his faith-based efforts to strengthen horizontal bonds -- what we call "civil society":

Sarkozy has now produced a book, which translates as "The Republic, Religions and Hope", that seeks to address the issue of Muslims in France, which many voters put at the top of their concerns. It is a thin volume of 180 pages, mostly conversations with philosopher Philippe Verdin, but it is revolutionary by French standards in that it calls for an end to the 1905 law that established France as a secular republic, separating the state from religion. If the state can subsidize sports and culture clubs, Sarkozy asks, why not churches?Religion is a quality essential to civilization and morality, Sarkozy insists (an unusual stance to take in what is fast becoming post-Christian Europe). "The moral dimension is most solid, most deeply rooted, when it proceeds from a spiritual or religious engagement, rather than when it seeks its source in political discussion or republican morality." Only religion can define and assert the moral absolutes that a just and self-confident society requires, he argues, adding that it is a weakness of the French state that it lacks this moral dimension. In a France whose schoolchildren are still inculcated daily with "republican virtues", and where the American political process is mocked for the power of religious groups and the prevalence of religious rhetoric, this is bold stuff. But Sarkozy is clear: "the Republic does not recognize the distinction between good and evil. She defends rules, the law, without grounding these in a moral order."

Three cheers for Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007!

Grand Strategic Isolation Attack on France

2005-06-15T18:10:00+02:00

"Snow, Snow, Snow," by Collounsbury, Lounsbury on MENA, 15 June 2005, http://www.livejournal.com/users/collounsbury/343852.html.Collounsbury is confused as to why American Treasury Secretary Jack Snow's is provoking the French

While I am sympathetic to his attack on the modish new fad among the French in re attacking "ultraliberalism" (i.e. proper free market economics that may undermine the French elite), what the bloody fuck was the point of this? No US official preaching in Bruxelles is going to change minds. Quite the opposite really.This was.... really pointless and counterproductive. And dumb. Yes, sometimes telling the truth is dumb, but there it is.

Of course it will make the French more stubborn. That is the point.America and Britain are trying to detach Germany from France. Franco-German integration has been a goal of Paris for years, and until the EU Constitution collapsed it looked very achievable. France wants Europe to serve her interests. America and Britain are against this, because those "Anglo-Saxon" nations want to maximize their own influence, better integrate Europe into the global economy, and and integrate the Eastern European states into Europe. With Snow's words, Washington is counting on the French penchant for unilateralism to antagonize the Eastern European and Germans and so further Atlanticist goals. Britain is helping in her own ways...

Supine France

2005-06-15T02:00:00+02:00

Bill at Dawn's Early Light has an article on a coming British-German axis. The story was cross-posted at The Forth Rail.. Or maybe the axis is still Franco-German.If you haven't read it yet, American Future had a great series on Franco-Euro-Arabian relations in five parts: I, II, III, IV, and V.

No Doesn't Mean No in Europe

2005-05-26T04:40:00+02:00

"EU call to re-run treaty referendums," by John Thornhill, George Parker in Brussels, and Betrand Benoit, Financial Times, 25 May 2005, http://news.ft.com/cms/s/3dd561b6-cd4f-11d9-aa26-00000e2511c8.html.The EU's lack of respect for democracy isn't new news, but it's good to keep tabs on it. Hat-tip to Catholicgauze

France and the Netherlands should re-run their referendums to obtain the "right answer" if their voters reject Europe's constitutional treaty in imminent national ballots, Jean-Claude Juncker, the holder of the EU presidency, said on Wednesday.The Luxembourg prime minister said all 25 EU member countries should continue their attempts to ratify the treaty whatever the outcome of the French and Dutch votes.

But it's get better

"The countries which have said No will have to ask themselves the question again. And if we don't manage to find the right answer, the treaty will not enter into force," he said in an interview with the Belgian Le Soir newspaper.

To borrow the most annoying of the anti-Iraq-Liberation slogans,Love without consent is Rape

The French to Save Tony Blair?

2005-04-04T15:50:00+02:00

"French opposition to EU treaty intensifies," by John Lichfield, Independent, 4 April 2005, http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=626136 (From Democratic Underground).The European Union is not the European union that France wanted. It is not the Future France wanted to create. Given that, it is not too surprising that the French are now euroskeptics

Hostility to the European Union constitution is hardening in France, despite increasingly desperate attempts by government and opposition leaders to rescue the collapsing "yes" vote before the referendum next month.An opinion poll published yesterday showed that 55 per cent of French voters who had reached a decision were likely to reject the proposed new EU treaty in the vote on 29 May.Worryingly for the "yes" camp, the latest survey - the sixth in a row to predict a "no" vote - shows an erosion of support for the treaty on the centre-right and a hardening of attitudes on the left.

Even when bribes are thrown in...

Senior political figures admit privately it may be impossible to turn around the extraordinary momentum gained by the no vote over the past three weeks. Efforts by the centre-right government last week to bribe public sector workers with an inflation-linked pay rise have had no immediate impact. Neither have dire warnings from President Jacques Chirac and others that a no would plunge European and French domestic politics into deep crisis. He will make his first major contribution to the campaign in a live television debate on Thursday

The new treaty or Constitution is, basically, stupid. It frightens a lot of people by giving the transnational European Union a lot of vague powers (which worries Britain) and vague talk about free markets (which worries that French). In America we would sign the treaty and ignore it, but the Euros take things more seriously.The important news: French intrasigence may save Tony Blair's political career. Tony Blair has promised a vote on the new treaty, which is deepy unpopular in Britain. Losing a vote of that importance would seriously harm Blair's credibility. Further, if the other countries vote yes, Britain may be asked to leave the European Union.However, a French no vote gives everyone cover. Great news!

Carolingia or Latinite

2005-03-28T05:15:00+02:00

"The EU and the Arabs II -- Kojeve's Latin Empire," by Marc Schulman, American Future, 27 March 2005, http://americanfuture.typepad.com/american_future/2005/03/the_eu_and_the__1.html (from Zen Pundit).Eastertide moves all men to ponder post-War French foreign policy. At the same time I penned by thoughts on a Carolingian (Franco-German) Explanation for a French "No" Vote, AF ponders a Latinite (Italo-Franco-Spanish) bent to French actions

The fullest embodiment of the principles of the French Revolution were for Kojeve the countries of postwar Western Europe . . . For these were societies with no fundamental “contradictions” remaining: self-satisfied and self-sustaining, they had no further great political goals to struggle for and could preoccupy themselves with economic activity alone . . . The end of history, he believed, meant the end not only of large political struggles and conflicts, but the end of philosophy as well: the European Community was therefore an appropriate institutional embodiment of the end of history.
Kojeve’s franco- and euro-centrism, which would certainly have been appealing to de Gaulle, is already apparent: the French, not the American, Revolution ushered in modernity, and the countries of Western Europe, not the United States, were the primary manifestations of modernity.Does not the phrase “they had no further great political goals to struggle for and could preoccupy themselves with economic activity alone” apply to today’s Europe, which, in contrast to the United States, has no political goals other than stability and no faith other than materialism?

Latinité: France Looks South

More importantly, Schulman argues that the dream of Latinite propelled France's EU policy. Specifically,

The European countries in the Latin Empire have a common “mentality”: the differences of the national characters cannot mask the fundamental unity of the Latin “mentality” . . . this mentality is specifically characterized by that art of leisure which is the source of art in general, by the aptitude for creating this “sweetness of living” which has nothing to do with material comfort, by that “dolce far niente” itself which degenerates into pure laziness only if it does not follow a productive and fertile labor (to which the Latin Empire will give birth through the sole fact of its existence). This shared mentality is what differentiates the Latin Empire:
this mentality not only assures the Latin people of their real — that is to say political and economic — union. It also, in a way, justifies this union in the eyes of the world and of History. Of the world, for if the two other imperial Unions will probably always be superior to the Latin Union in the domain of economic work and of political struggles, one is entitled to suppose that they will never know how to devote themselves to the perfection of their leisure as could, under favorable circumstances, the unified Latin West; and of History, for by supposing that national and social conflicts will definitely be eliminated some day (which is perhaps less distant than is thought), it must be admitted that it is precisely to the organization and the “humanization” of its free time that future humanity will have to devote its efforts.
Leisure instead of work, harmony instead of conflict. Are these not building blocks of the European Union, and the sources of much of the European criticism of America?

Further, this Latinite is distinct from the Anglosphere or Sovietism

While the Latin Empire must be as politically united as the British Commonwealth or the USSR, it is not necessary to copy the social and economic organization of the two rival empires:
there is nothing to suggest that the “liberalism” of great unregulated cartels and massive unemployment dear to the Anglo-Saxon bloc, and the leveling and sometimes “barbaric” “statism” of the Soviet Union, exhaust all possibilities of rational economic and social organization. In particular, it is especially clear that a “Soviet” imperial structure has nothing to do with “communism,” and can be easily separated from it.

The Alternative: CarolingiaFrance Looks East

After a detour on French views of the Islamic "other," AF sums up

Needless to say, there is an obvious continuity between Kojeve’s advice of sixty years ago and today’s French foreign policy. Kojeve proposes nothing less than the formation of a European Union that would led by France, counter the power of the Anglo-Saxons and the Soviets (multipolarity instead of bipolarity), and keep others out of the Mediterranean area, which just happens to be where the Arab states are located. Independence from America (and Britain) was a theme in his advice to de Gaulle. The General took Kojeve’s advice; while in power, he vetoed UK membership in the European Community and withdrew France from a NATO that was dominated by the United States. In 2003, Chirac followed his advice by attempting to keep the United States (and Britain) out of what the French have long believed to be their sphere of influence. He could not stop it, but he made it more difficult.

Respectfully, I disagree. Post-War France showed no interest in reviving a Latin Empire. Among other reasons.

Before the Great War, a Latin Monetary Union actually existed. France did not seek to revive this, and Latin Europe only shares a common currency now because of the Euro.
While Rome and Paris signed the Treaty of Rome, Madrid did not. Spain did not even join the European Club until 1980. If a new Latin Empire was France's goal, it is doubtful the Republic would have let a little matter of dictatorship get in its way.
French Post-War policy cenetered on harmozing with Germany. It makes no sense to call an Italo-French-German Club "Latin."

The European Union: What France Actually GotFrance Drowned?

All of these problems are solved by viewing French Post-War policy as Carolignian. France's post-1945 goal was to harmonize all things with Germany, to create a Western European nation-state. Latinite is a valid theory to the extent it overlaps with this Carolingian perspective.

French Hawks

2005-03-26T16:45:00+01:00

"France Threatens Military Action Against Syria over Lebanon!," Naharnet, 26 March 2005, http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/Newsdesk.nsf/Story/CCA1B20FF465EB02C2256FD0003A070F?OpenDocument&PRINT (from Democratic Underground).Syria's stupid assassination of Lebanon's former Prime Minister just earned them threats from an unlikely source

France has reportedly warned the Assad regime against playing procrastination games to sabotage the process of change in Lebanon, saying "otherwise, all doors will be flung open for all eventualities against Syria," including military action.The London-based Asharq Al Awsat on Saturday quoted a French official as saying the report of the U.N. fact-finding mission on ex-Premier Hariri's assassination "is the message we wanted to address to Syria to refrain from preventing the change in Lebanon."The newspaper quoted the French official as saying in a harsh language that reflects a French ultimatum: "France has long resisted calls for directly attacking Syria. So do not push us into a situation where we have to change our stance.""If the Syrians fail to understand this or if they try to manipulate and procrastinate, they will lose their last chance" the French official said, according to the Saudi-owned newspaper.

France has long supported Wolfowitz Style Occupations -- little planning, lots of killing. The French Republic's opposition to the Iraq was built on interest, not principal -- France is willing and able to destroy small countries.Chirac may prefer having France invade Syria, and so make France and feared as America, than have France look weak and America look strong.This will be interesting.

The End of France's Future

2005-03-26T02:05:00+01:00

"Are they winning?," The Economist, 23 March 2005, http://economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3798465.The thrust of the article is the sudden "no" sentiment in France to the referendum on the European Constitution, but the economic news is even more depressing

Whether they represent a new trend or not, the new polls show that a French no is now a real possibility. How to explain such a surge of Euro-hostility? Partly, no doubt, it is a protest against an unpopular government, led by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the prime minister, which seems to have lost its way at a time when voters are most anxious about jobs and pay. Unemployment is over 10%. Growth is still sluggish. Rents are rising. Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets. Yet the government lacks any serious plan to revive the economy or increase jobs. Moreover, a whiff of sleaze hangs in the air, after the resignation of Hervé Gaymard as finance minister over a housing scandal, not to mention the opening this week of a corruption trial that fingers colleagues of Mr Chirac when he was mayor of Paris.

Malaise!As for the Constitution issue... that's more understandible. "Europe" was designed to end war in Europe forever by uniting France and Germany under one regime. Books such as Before France and Germany and Mohammed and Charlemagne persuasively argued that the "French" and "German" nations were illusions, and that a Carolingian or "European" nation truly occupied those lands. (This was one of the bases of my graduate research at USD).Unfortunately for France, America has successfully moved to "drown" Carolingia in a a large structuer -- first a free Western Europe and now the continent-stradling behemoth we see today.France's dream is dying. Their future worth creating is fading away. I feel sorry for them.Update: Bizblogger shares his take

After all of Chirac's discussion of a powerful Europe to counter-balance the weight of the U.S., what an interesting twist of irony it would be if France were the country that undermined his wish.

I wouldn't view this as ironic. France may have more to fear from a federal Europe than Britain. France's actions in the EU and her opposition to America are explained by Paris's desire for Carolingia. To "end war in Europe forever," France wants to merge with Germany. First to counter the Soviet threat and now to ensure American power in Europe, Washington wants France submerged in a wider Europe. A "No" vote may hurt America more than France.

American Multilaterialism, French Unilateralism

2005-02-17T12:20:00+01:00

"Leaders' statement on Iraq: Full text," BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2708877.stm, 30 January 2003."Chirac lashes out at 'new Europe'," CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/02/18/sprj.irq.chirac/, 18 February 2003.Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Posted: 10:06 AM EST (1506 GMT)Old news. But in the face of revisionism it's nice to look back at the run-up to the Iraq War.About the time eight European nations came together to endorse the Iraq War

The Iraqi regime and its weapons of mass destruction represent a clear threat to world security.This danger has been explicitly recognized by the United Nations.All of us are bound by Security Council Resolution 1441, which was adopted unanimously.We Europeans have since reiterated our backing for Resolution 1441, our wish to pursue the UN route and our support for the Security Council, at the Prague Nato Summit and the Copenhagen European Council.In doing so, we sent a clear, firm and unequivocal message that we would rid the world of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.We must remain united in insisting that his regime is disarmed.The solidarity, cohesion and determination of the international community are our best hope of achieving this peacefully. Our strength lies in unity.The combination of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism is a threat of incalculable consequences.

Jacque Chirac acted like a spoiled child, calling on the nations France did so little to liberate from tyranny to "shut up"

French President Jacques Chirac has attacked eastern European countries hoping to join the EU, saying they missed a great opportunity to "shut up" when they signed letters backing the U.S. position on Iraq.France has been a leading voice against Washington's press for war in Iraq to disarm President Saddam Hussein and is insisting weapons inspectors in the country be given more time.But 13 countries either set to join the EU or in membership talks have signed letters supporting the United States. ..."Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible. If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining Europe they could not have found a better way," Chirac said.

The French Republic.... of blighted unilateralism

Nazi Frogs

2005-01-12T23:50:00+01:00

"Le Pen irks French government with Nazi remarks," Netscape News with CNN, http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2005011213480002132325&dt=20050112134800&w=RTR&coview=, 12 January 2005.I must become better at recognizing French perfidy. I don't particularly trust that dying nation, and I realize that they were the most pro-Nazi or any "occupied" state, but I wish I saw this one coming.

PARIS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - France threatened on Wednesday to take legal action against far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen for saying the Nazi occupation of France during World War Two had not been "particularly inhumane."The government, anti-racism organisations and Jewish groups sharply condemned Le Pen's latest controversial comments, made in an interview with right-wing weekly magazine Rivarol."It's not only the European Union and globalisation we have to free our country of. It's also the lies about its history, lies that are protected by exceptional measures," Le Pen said in comments published in Rivarol's Jan. 7 edition."In France, at least, the German occupation was not particularly inhumane, although there were some blunders, inevitable in a country of 550,000 sq km."

*sigh*

Republic of Isolation

2004-12-15T06:05:00+01:00

"Paris is the City of Blight for culture-shocked Japanese: report," AGF, http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/francejapanhealth, 13 December 2004 (from Wordpark)The other day, an entry was how Germans are complaining that they can't integrate immigrants. The French have a similar problem.

PARIS (AFP) - A strange illness has descended on Japanese living in Paris, tipping many of them in a state of profound culture shock after realizing their ideals about the French capital were unrealistic, a study said.More than a 100 expatriates a year are sinking into a state called "the Paris syndrome" which is characterized by feelings of persecution or suicidal tendencies, according to the mental health facilities of city hospitals, according to a study in the Liberation newspaper said.

Most of the rest is prattle. Europe is xenophobic. Too staid to work, still too rich to want to work, too scared of foreigners to let others work, Europe continues to sink into its isolation. With Japanese immigrants, one can make fun of the problem. Highlighting the much more catastrohpic effects of isolating Muslim immigrants, such as the street violence and synagogue burnings, might be too close to actual news.I was going to end with a cheap shot accusing old Europeans of racism, then thought better of it. Then I read

Many of those feeling victimized by the experience are Japanese women."They are, in general, young ladies who have been spoiled and protected. Ill-prepared for Western freedom, they often go off the rails," the head of the French association Young Japan, Bernard Delage, said

Racist and sexist in one neat package. Way to go France!

Republic of Hate

2004-12-13T21:05:00+01:00

"As Holidays Approach, French Find New Ban on Religious Symbols Cuts Both Ways," William J. Kole, Associated Press, http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB720IZO2E.html, 13 December 2004.France continues her anti-Catholic, anti-Islam, anti-God bigotry.

PARIS (AP) - They arrived as they do every December: gaily wrapped gifts destined for children at a kindergarten in rural northern France.But this year, teachers unwrapped a few, took a look and sent all 1,300 packages back to City Hall. The presents were innocent, but strictly speaking, illegal: seasonal chocolates shaped like Christian crosses and St. Nicholas.As Christmas approaches, France is awakening to the realization that a new law banning conspicuous religious symbols at schools - a measure used mainly to keep Muslim girls from wearing traditional Islamic head scarves to class - can cut both ways."It's an unhealthy political affair. Absolutely regrettable," said Andre Delattre, mayor of the northern town of Coudekerque-Branche, which has shipped the traditional chocolates to local schools for 11 years."What's the point? It's the children who are being penalized for this difference of opinion," he said. "They've been deprived of a festive moment."The law, which took effect in September, bans overt symbols such as Islamic head scarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses at public schools.

In the United States, religious expression is encouraged. The U.S. Justice Department recently intervened to protect a Muslim schoolgirl's right to wear the head scarf. In France, they would make her a criminal.No wonder our ancestors fled that continent of death and decline.Hat tip Democratic Underground.