Author Archives: maristed
The Winds of Reason: Bulletin on the French Departementale Election Results
‘In a system divided between three powers, it’s imperative to be one of the two.’ — Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This morning’s weather forecast is for high winds and rising temperatures throughout la Hexagone. Evidently a continuation of yesterday’s mood, both physical and political–because yesterday, to the surprise of doomsayers, a wind of collective reason […]
Antisemitism in France: Yes, No, and Maybe
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo/ policewoman/ kosher market killings here in Paris that took 17 lives last January, people have asked when they might expect to see a ‘point de vue’ on two subjects: whether daily life has changed, and whether antisemitism is on the rise in France. The two are terribly intertwined, […]
France’s 9/11? France’s War against Terrorism
Prepositions can be powerful. On September 20th, 2001, President George W. Bush declared the USA’s ‘war on terror’ (soon to be aka ‘the Global War on Terrorism.’) On January 9th, 2015, Manuel Valls, France’s de facto President, stated that ‘We are in a war against terrorism.’ Valls wasn’t speaking metaphorically. During the past few days […]
Patrick Modiano? Zut alors!
No award, with the exception of the Nobel for Peace, excites as much a priori lobbying and speculation, and post-hoc controversy, as the Nobel Prize for Literature. Some decisions, like last year’s honoring of Alice Munro, have been embraced. But certain past selections have spurred political fulmination ( e.g., Knut Hamsun, Mo Yan) and others, […]
Vive la Rentree 2014!
The French have long since formally embraced September as the start of a New Year. Of course children go back to school, but the real collective upheaval of ‘Re-entry’ is the wholesale shift of population from its (at least) two-month long summer diaspora back into the cities. Politicians wake up, unions strike, boutique windows unveil […]
The Big Slap
‘La Gifle!’ That headline, adding insult to injury, echoed through the French press on Monday, often accompanied by a file photo of the President looking as though his eyes were watering. ‘The Slap in the Face’ for Hollande and his Socialist Party (PS), its waffling policies and mutinous allies (Greens, Communists) was administered by Sunday’s […]
A Stay Against Corruption
Today’s verb: Se ressourcer. Rediscover one’s roots, find new energy. (definition Larousse) Look. These are not the best of times here on the east side of the Channel. On top of France’s chronic woes of the past few years, most notably – economic hemophilia (essentially zero growth, ratcheting public expenditures) […]
POINT de VUE: PARIS 
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