Courtney asked me this morning if anyone was talking about the aftermath of the earthquake. Here is what I found:
- A week ago, the British government announced additional aid.
- Harsh winter weather responsible for increase in children with pneumonia. 8 inches of snow fell this past weekend.
- Funds are short for current emergencies, even though more than $6 billion in aid was pledged to Pakistan (most earmarked for reconstruction).
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (aka Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) visit Pakistan during Thanksgiving. The goodwill ambassador for UNHCR found the scale of devastation "huge".
29 November 2005
Pakistan update
Courtney asked me this morning if anyone was talking about the aftermath in Pakistan. Here is what I found out:
- A week ago, the British government announced additional aid.
- Harsh winter weather responsible for increase in children with pneumonia. 8 inches of snow fell this past weekend.
- Funds are short for current emergencies, even though more than $6 billion in aid was pledged to Pakistan (most earmarked for reconstruction).
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (aka Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) visit Pakistan during Thanksgiving. The goodwill ambassador for UNHCR found the scale of devastation "huge".
- A week ago, the British government announced additional aid.
- Harsh winter weather responsible for increase in children with pneumonia. 8 inches of snow fell this past weekend.
- Funds are short for current emergencies, even though more than $6 billion in aid was pledged to Pakistan (most earmarked for reconstruction).
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (aka Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) visit Pakistan during Thanksgiving. The goodwill ambassador for UNHCR found the scale of devastation "huge".
Le jour de l'action de grâce...
Thanksgiving news (from Harper's weekly email):
President Bush issued pardons to two turkeys, which were then sent to Disneyland to serve as grand marshals at a parade. "The granting of the turkey pardon," said the President, "is not a responsibility that I take lightly." The turkeys, Marshmallow and Yam, earned their pardons when they beat out Democracy and Freedom in an online poll.
Apparently the names are given after the turkeys are pardoned. Final scores available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2005/
President Bush issued pardons to two turkeys, which were then sent to Disneyland to serve as grand marshals at a parade. "The granting of the turkey pardon," said the President, "is not a responsibility that I take lightly." The turkeys, Marshmallow and Yam, earned their pardons when they beat out Democracy and Freedom in an online poll.
Apparently the names are given after the turkeys are pardoned. Final scores available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2005/
16 November 2005
Employment head considers multiple wives
Who says I can't have more than one wife?
French deputy minister Larcher and a few others think polygamy is at the root of youth violence in France. Who knew Utah was such a mess?
09 November 2005
U.S. Cites Top Violators of Religious Liberties
In addition to the usual suspects, Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam, a few other countries made the State Department's list. These other countries include France, Belgium, Germany and Pakistan and were accused of continuing "to use restrictive legislation and practices to brand minority religions as dangerous 'cults' or 'sects'" (quote from non-US paper). Who would have guessed? hmmpf...
obsession about flaming images
i keep hearing a lot of controversy about whether France should be showing images of the burning buildings, firefighters, etc on TV. i'm sick of it.
i don't pretend that i watch a lot of TV but i have been seeing more coverage of the 'live' footage on US and UK channels - meaning more flames. The French news (i don't have the pay 24h news channel, LCI) shows some burning images as well as extinguished/burned cars. The reporting also shows images and interviews of the youth, local community leaders, parents and politicians. What's wrong with that?
while CNN and Fox News are showing the same burning buildings over and over, French TV is airing live roundtable debates with various actors and interested folks.
in fact, news channels here are purposefully limiting raw images and counting numbers on TV because they think that was inciting gangs to compete against each other for the 'most' cars, etc...
The WSJ has it wrong. Here are excerpts since that link will soon die:
Only the French themselves aren't necessarily watching the same thing as the rest of the planet.... The country's largest private television network, TF1, refrains from airing footage of burning cars or buildings. ... The state-owned television channels, France 2 and France 3, have stopped reporting on the number of cars torched by rioting young immigrants every night. ... Explaining their restraint, TV execs say that they want to avoid inciting further violence. We've quibbled with al Jazeera's news judgment in airing any al Qaeda video that comes its way. But the riots in France have become a "national emergency," as President Jacques Chirac declared yesterday, playing out in the streets of the country's cities. Pretending otherwise won't help France understand or come to grips with the problems in the burning banlieues that have caught most of France -- certainly, consumers of its television news -- by surprise. They shouldn't have been.
this last bit is ridiculous. France is not pretending that there is no problem here. Read the written press - it is all people are writing about. Does no one read anymore? Blasting images does not make a problem real or more serious. What about showing images of community leaders protecting a building during a night vigil? Or interviews with parents who are at a loss? or community leaders who don't agree with the governments decisions? where are these images on the US and UK news?
i don't pretend that i watch a lot of TV but i have been seeing more coverage of the 'live' footage on US and UK channels - meaning more flames. The French news (i don't have the pay 24h news channel, LCI) shows some burning images as well as extinguished/burned cars. The reporting also shows images and interviews of the youth, local community leaders, parents and politicians. What's wrong with that?
while CNN and Fox News are showing the same burning buildings over and over, French TV is airing live roundtable debates with various actors and interested folks.
in fact, news channels here are purposefully limiting raw images and counting numbers on TV because they think that was inciting gangs to compete against each other for the 'most' cars, etc...
The WSJ has it wrong. Here are excerpts since that link will soon die:
Only the French themselves aren't necessarily watching the same thing as the rest of the planet.... The country's largest private television network, TF1, refrains from airing footage of burning cars or buildings. ... The state-owned television channels, France 2 and France 3, have stopped reporting on the number of cars torched by rioting young immigrants every night. ... Explaining their restraint, TV execs say that they want to avoid inciting further violence. We've quibbled with al Jazeera's news judgment in airing any al Qaeda video that comes its way. But the riots in France have become a "national emergency," as President Jacques Chirac declared yesterday, playing out in the streets of the country's cities. Pretending otherwise won't help France understand or come to grips with the problems in the burning banlieues that have caught most of France -- certainly, consumers of its television news -- by surprise. They shouldn't have been.
this last bit is ridiculous. France is not pretending that there is no problem here. Read the written press - it is all people are writing about. Does no one read anymore? Blasting images does not make a problem real or more serious. What about showing images of community leaders protecting a building during a night vigil? Or interviews with parents who are at a loss? or community leaders who don't agree with the governments decisions? where are these images on the US and UK news?
08 November 2005
Good reads on France's youth problems
- the details of Villepin's proposal
- "What France and the US have in common is that they both want to be loved by the world but succeed only in being hated by everyone" from Sylvie Kauffmann
- to be updated later - am being called in to the kitchen to help the cook.
- dinner was served at 22h30 and it was very yummy. lightly battered calamari with veggies and dipping sauces.
- on the press response in the middle east.
- i heard a deputy from the Green Party state that these kids have no other way of being heard by the government.
- Some Muslims are very upset that the law used in wartime in Algeria was reinstated. Others are happy if the decree helps to reduce the violence.
- data from my former colleagues at the OECD
- "What France and the US have in common is that they both want to be loved by the world but succeed only in being hated by everyone" from Sylvie Kauffmann
- to be updated later - am being called in to the kitchen to help the cook.
- dinner was served at 22h30 and it was very yummy. lightly battered calamari with veggies and dipping sauces.
- on the press response in the middle east.
- i heard a deputy from the Green Party state that these kids have no other way of being heard by the government.
- Some Muslims are very upset that the law used in wartime in Algeria was reinstated. Others are happy if the decree helps to reduce the violence.
- data from my former colleagues at the OECD
Paris is not burning!
It couldn't be calmer here these days. The government is moving around very little. They spend their days in meetings, thereby creating fewer traffic disruptions from usual trips around the city.
On a more serious note, I am really enjoying the difference between the Anglo press and the French media's depiction of these events. French media seems relatively calm about this (a little too much like the government).
Paris, mai 1968
Aulnay, novembre 2005
An interesting conversation with some folks this weekend:
- some were shocked that religious leaders wanted to be part of the mediation groups: religious leaders cannot be seen considered as a community member. the division between church and state here is extremely clear-cut, unlike in the US.
- sit and wait attitude was predominant. contain the violence and that's pretty much all you have to do.
- it's the fault of the juvenile justice system where kids under age 16 cannot be punished by law.
- the most extreme folks said that we need to halt ALL immigration to France because immigrants are causing all the trouble. (Actually many are of French nationality and of North African descent.)
(For those who don't know me, I disagree completely with all these views).
On a more serious note, I am really enjoying the difference between the Anglo press and the French media's depiction of these events. French media seems relatively calm about this (a little too much like the government).
Paris, mai 1968
Aulnay, novembre 2005
An interesting conversation with some folks this weekend:
- some were shocked that religious leaders wanted to be part of the mediation groups: religious leaders cannot be seen considered as a community member. the division between church and state here is extremely clear-cut, unlike in the US.
- sit and wait attitude was predominant. contain the violence and that's pretty much all you have to do.
- it's the fault of the juvenile justice system where kids under age 16 cannot be punished by law.
- the most extreme folks said that we need to halt ALL immigration to France because immigrants are causing all the trouble. (Actually many are of French nationality and of North African descent.)
(For those who don't know me, I disagree completely with all these views).
04 November 2005
La racaille
It's great to be able to read in multiple languages. Racaille - an accusation pointed by Sarkozy regarding people burning cars in the Parisian suburbs this past week - has been translated into English as: "thugs"; "scum"; "rabble". I don't know why writers or the wires decided against the more appropriate delinquents.
Racaille is almost a style here in France - sport on some ultra-baggy jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap with some writing on it and you are likely to be called racaille - especially if you look tough and are not white. It doesn't mean that you are trouble.
In French, racaille is derived from canaille. According to l'Académie française, which controls the official French language, canaille originates from Italian (canaglia - pack of dogs, itself derived from cane - dog - in Latin), is pejorative and refers to a dishonest, detestable group of people. Canaille in English means the same thing - riffraff. In France, canaille has had several historical references:
Racaille is almost a style here in France - sport on some ultra-baggy jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap with some writing on it and you are likely to be called racaille - especially if you look tough and are not white. It doesn't mean that you are trouble.
In French, racaille is derived from canaille. According to l'Académie française, which controls the official French language, canaille originates from Italian (canaglia - pack of dogs, itself derived from cane - dog - in Latin), is pejorative and refers to a dishonest, detestable group of people. Canaille in English means the same thing - riffraff. In France, canaille has had several historical references:
- While in exile, Jean-Jacques Rousseau used canaille to describe a bunch of folks who were incited by the local clergyman to destroy his home in Môtiers.
- Canaille also referred to a bunch of surrealist and bohemian artists on the Left bank in Paris who were the antithesis of the bourgeoisie. Here, canaille is not violent it's about marginality.
- Leo Ferré wrote a popular song called Paris - Canaille, interprêtée par Catherine Sauvage en 1953.
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