Friday, December 24, 2004

Ghost of Christmas Past


- NOTE DE SERVICE -

De : Sophie BONNET - Direction des Ressources Humaines
A : Tous les salariés
Date : 01 / 12
Sujet : Fête de Noël

Chers Tous,

Je suis heureuse de vous informer que la
Fête de Noël du CRC aura lieu le 23
Décembre, à partir de midi, dans les
salons privés de notre Espace.

Il y aura un bar payant avec tout un
choix de boissons !

Nous aurons aussi un petit groupe
musical amateur qui chantera des
cantiques, alors n'hésitez pas à chanter
avec lui. Et ne soyez pas surpris de
voir arriver notre PDG déguisé en Père
Noël !

Le sapin sera illuminé à partir de
13H00. Les échanges de cadeaux entre les
membres du personnel pourront se faire à
partir de ce moment-là.

Cependant, pour ne gêner personne
financièrement, aucun présent ne devra
dépasser une valeur de 10 Euros.

Joyeux Noël à vous tous et à vos
familles.

Cordialement,

Sophie


- NOTE DE SERVICE -

De : Sophie BONNET- Direction des Ressources Humaines
A : Tous les salariés
Date : 02 / 12
Sujet : Fête de Fin d'Année

Chers Tous,

La note d'hier n'avait bien sûr pas pour
but d'exclure nos employés de confession
juive. Nous savons que Hannoukah est une
fête importante qui coïncide souvent
avec Noël, même si cela n'est pas le cas
cette année.

La même optique s'applique à tous ceux
de nos employés qui ne sont ni chrétiens
ni juifs. Pour calmer les esprits et ne
vexer personne, toutes nos Fêtes de Noël
s'appelleront désormais Fêtes de Fin
d'Année.

Nous n'aurons par conséquent ni sapin ni
cantiques, mais d'autres musiques pour
votre plus grand plaisir.

Tous contents, maintenant ?

Cordialement,

Sophie


- NOTE DE SERVICE -

De : Sophie BONNET - Direction des Ressources Humaines
A : Tous les salariés
Date : 03 / 12
Sujet : Fête de Fin d'Année

Je m'adresse à la personne membre des
Alcooliques Anonymes qui souhaitait
qu'il y ait une table pour les non
buveurs et qui n'a pas donné son nom. Je
suis heureuse de pouvoir répondre
favorablement à sa demande, mais si je
mets sur la table une pancarte « Réservé
aux Alcooliques Anonymes », vous n'aurez
plus du tout d'anonymat ! Comment puis-
je résoudre le problème ? Une idée,
quelqu'un ?

De plus, sachez qu'on laisse tomber les
échanges de cadeaux : Aucune remise de
présents ne sera autorisée, suite aux
préavis de grève déposé par la CGT et FO
qui estiment que 10 Euros pour un cadeau
c'est trop cher, et suite à la pétition
signée par tous les cadres qui estiment
que 10 Euros pour un cadeau c'est
minable et mesquin.

On va y arriver,

Sophie.


- NOTE DE SERVICE -

De : Sophie BONNET - Direction des Ressources Humaines
A : Tous les salariés
Date : 04 / 12
Sujet : Fin d'Année

Quelle diversité de cultures dans notre
CRC !

Je ne savais pas qu'exceptionnellement
cette année le Saint Mois du Ramadan
commençait le 20 Décembre, avec son
interdiction formelle de consommer toute
boisson ou nourriture de toute la
journée.

Nous pouvons bien sûr comprendre qu'une
réception festive à cette époque de
l'année ne cadre pas avec les croyances
et les pratiques de nos amis salariés
musulmans.

Devant la Fatwah prononcée à son
encontre par l'Imam de notre ville à
leur demande, notre PDG propose que les
repas destinés à nos salariés musulmans
soient congelés jusqu'à la fin du
Ramadan ou gardés au chaud pour qu'ils
puissent les emporter chez eux le soir.
Notre PDG certifie en outre qu'ils ne
contiendront pas de porc, même si
l'entreprise dirigée par son frère
s'appelle « Tout est bon dans le cochon ».

Par ailleurs, je me suis arrangée pour
que les femmes enceintes aient une table
au plus proche des WC et les abonnés aux
Weight Watchers le plus loin du buffet
des desserts. Je confirme aussi que les
gays et les lesbiennes pourront se
regrouper et que chaque groupe aura sa
table pour ne pas avoir à se mélanger.
En revanche, non, aucun travestissement
en Drag Queen ne sera toléré, avec ou
sans play back de Dalida. Oui, les
diabétiques auront des sièges surélevés
et des fruits frais en dessert, sachant
que lces restaurant ne pourra
confectionner de dessert sans sucre.

Ai-je encore oublié quelque chose ?

Sophie


- NOTE DE SERVICE -
De : Sophie BONNET - Martyr des Ressources Humaines
A : A vous tous, salariés de MERDE !!!!!
Date : 10 / 12
Sujet : SALOPERIE de Fin d'Année

Les végétariens, maintenant !! Il ne
manquait plus que ça !!!! J'en ai plus
que marre, nous maintenons cette
réception au CRC, que cela vous plaise
ou non. Vous n'aurez qu'à vous asseoir
le plus loin possible du grill à viande
pour brouter vos salades à la con et
têter vos putains de tomates Bio.

Vous avez pensé à la douleur des salades
et des tomates quand on les coupe ? hein
?? Elles ont des sentiments et sont
vivantes, elles aussi. Elles sont comme
moi, elles HUUURLENT !!

Maintenant le premier qui me demande du
pinard sans alcool je le transforme en
pompe à merde et je vous souhaite une
fête archi pourrie, bande d'abrutis
congénitaux !!!!

Allez vous faire foutre,

Sophie


- NOTE DE SERVICE -

De : Catherine TAVENIER - Directrice intérimaire des
Ressources Humaines
A : A tous les employés
Date : 14 / 12

Sujet : Sophie BONNET et les Fêtes de Fin d'Année

Je pense pouvoir parler au nom de tout
le monde pour souhaiter un prompt
rétablissement à Sophie BONNET, à qui je
continuerai de transmettre vos cartes.

En attendant son retour, je la remplace
et vous annonce que notre PDG a décidé
d'annuler notre Fête de Fin d'Année et
d'offrir à tous la journée du 23
Décembre sans perte de salaire.

Annie Tatin


Merci à Lafayette.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

And Proud They Are of It Too…

We Are All Anti-Americans!

anti-americain-primaire.gif

Non, non, it is not the Americans we are opposed to per se. It is only Bush and their leaders, you see…

(Mercy buckets to R-vé & E-nough's K-rine)




This makes me want to go back to Paris Voilà qui donne envie de rentrer à Paris
Dream ride. French Space Mountain. Thanks to Pierre.
Un instant de rêve. Mais vraiment, juste un instant. Merci à Pierre.


Is America Alone?

Is Uncle Sam unilateralist?

Does America suffer alone?

These are the men, Monsieur Chirac, who would have done better to have kept quiet…



Witamy w Domu, heroes…

(And if you are thinking of a vacation…)

(Gindobreh to Valerie (via RV))

Listen to the Lady Bird Sing…

Today is the birthday of Lady Bird Johnson, the first lady (1912- ) who said
Any committee is only as good as the most knowledgeable, determined and vigorous person on it. There must be somebody who provides the flame.

Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.

Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.

It's odd that you can get so anesthetized by your own pain or your own problem that you don't quite fully share the hell of someone close to you.

The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom.

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Does That Include Tibet and Corsica?…

…asks GS as the Associated Press's William J Kole reports that the entire world feels bullied by Washington.
Oh, and by the way, just in case you were wondering: it is not anti-Americanism, it is only about Bush, it is not about "our American friends", for whom we have nothing but the highest respect and the friendliest of relations…
Icy Franco-American relations have spawned a new underground newspaper in Paris, L'Anti-Americain, filled with venom, toilet humor and general disrespect for the United States. "We are all anti-American!" its masthead taunts.


Collabos





Leftist humanist poets? Des poètes humanistes de gôche?
A Stalinist leftist humanist says that Kerry and his gang should be 'lined up and shot'.
Un Staliniste gôchiste humaniste déclare que Kerry et consorts devraient être 'alignés debout et fusillés'.



Grand Funk Railroad: On Time





Leftist humanist poets? Des poètes humanistes de gôche?
Leftist scum 5th column is thriving in Fwance.
La 5ème colonne des crevés gôchistes fwançais est florissante.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

It Turns Out that America Was Wrong to Have Invaded Iraq

Iraqis have been told they should be cautious of the general elections set for January 30.

France and Germany have been praised for their attitude.

Spain has been commended for pulling its troops out of Iraq.

Why doesn't Dubya listen to that wise leader?!

(Merci à RV)

An irrational hate, based on flagrant double standards, arrogance, and misperception…

Criticism of America often turns into an irrational hate, based on flagrant double standards, arrogance and misperception
writes Cathy Young as she recounts a scene that happened to her in Europe in the Boston Globe.
SCENE: An elevator in a hotel in a small town in Germany, about a week ago.

Dramatis personae: Your humble columnist, your humble columnist's mother, a German gentleman in his 60s.

My mother and I exchanged a few words in our native Russian, whereupon the German gentleman inquired amicably, "Russisch?" I explained that we did, in fact, come from Russia originally, but had lived in the United States for nearly 25 years and were now American.

The man's demeanor changed visibly. After a glum silence, he remarked sourly as we were leaving the elevator, "America is always starting wars everywhere in the world. It's not good for people."

I was so shocked that the most obvious comeback did not occur to me until a couple of minutes later, when he was out of sight: "You mean, like World War II?"

I'd heard the stories before — tourists in Europe being subjected to anti-American verbal outbursts. But there's nothing like running into it personally.

…People have every right to be critical of US policies. The problem is that criticism of America often turns into an irrational hate, based on flagrant double standards, arrogance and misperception.

Take my German encounter. First: Sorry to bring up an unpleasant past, but it takes some nerve for Germans to lecture anyone on starting wars. (I don't believe in collective guilt — but if American tourists can be harangued about US policies, it's only fair to remind their accusers of their own country's recent history.)

No less remarkable is the fact that the gentleman was quite friendly when he thought my mother and I were from Russia — a country which doesn't have a stellar record with regard to military aggression. (Hungary, anyone? Czechoslovakia? Afghanistan? Chechnya?) Germans have every reason to love the Russians, I suppose; the Russians built them such a nice wall across Berlin, and free of charge too.

Such double standards abound. For instance: An indignant European chorus that includes France has excoriated the United States for denying judicial protections to suspected terrorists held prisoner in Guantanamo Bay. Yet France's own antiterrorism policies dating back to the late 1980s give police and prosecutors broad powers of preemptive detention and drastically limit the rights of suspects.

To some extent, European-American tensions are nothing new. Many commentators now say that during the Cold War, a common enemy — communism — brought the United States and Europe together in a way that the terrorist threat has not. But they may be overstating the old unity. In the 1980s, the deployment of US missiles in Europe sparked furious opposition. America, led by the "cowboy" Ronald Reagan, was often seen as a greater threat to peace than the Soviet Union. …

Journalists Are Freed, French Anti-American Mindset Is Not

As the two French hostages have been freed on the 124th day of their captivity, the spin is already starting…

(What am I saying? The spin never stopped in the first place…)

Towards the end of its article, the AFP states:

Their liberation "brings an enormous relief to the collaborators of Radio France Internationale", indicated Antoine Schwarz, president of RFI, in a statement. He thanked "the political, the religious, and the diplomatic authorities" who contributed to the liberation.
How about the military authorities, Antoine? Well, that would mean thanking les Américains, and we couldn't have that, could we now? It would seem that by "authorities", the RFI head means everybody but the Americans…

Now, noone can deny the possibility that the Americans, military or other, may not have had much, if anything, to do with the release of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot per se. But surely, we can thank the American soldiers for freeing the journalists' Syrian driver? Non; that part of history is already being rewritten, so that the GIs' feat is being obliviated. Not only is the AFP rewriting the circumstances of the Syrian's release (so they read like the kidnappers simply, of their own free will — and out of the kindness of their hearts? — let him go), they manage to throw a punch at the men who risked life and limb to put an end to the Faluja uprising:

As for their Syrian guide, Mohamed Al-Joundi, he had already been released [not freed]. Discovered by the American army on November 12 in Falujah, West of Baghdad, he has complained of the bad treatment by the American soldiers.
Meanwhile, the newspaper of reference had little choice but to quote the words of Iraq's ambassador to France, when he blasted the vocabulary of choice of France's media and government officials, i.e.,
that pseudo-resistance which uses the same barbaric methods as Saddam Hussein, which kills more innocent Iraqis than foreign soldiers, and which, in reality, is doing all in its power to ensure that the so-called 'occupation' remains as long as possible
Mouaffak Aboud adds that he deplores a debate "which is no longer topical", explaining that French officials have "remained prisoners" of their prewar position as they continue to try to "prove that they were right to oppose" the American invasion of Iraq. Those final five words are the Le Monde writer's. We will not know what expression the ambassador really used for the American intervention in Iraq, because Patrice Claude cut the quotation off, in order to insert his own expression — "American invasion".

Disraeli on the Peace Camp

Regarding the "peace camp", their criticizing from the sidelines, their claiming that America's undertaking in the Middle East has brought nothing but further tears and gnashing of teeth, and the numerous books (and weblogs) which support their (lack of) position, let us remember that today is the birthday of Benjamin Disraeli, the British statesman and author (1804-1881) who said:
How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.

Books are fatal: they are the curse of the human race. Nine-tenths of existing books are nonsense, and the clever books are the refutation of that nonsense. The greatest misfortune that ever befell man was the invention of printing.

As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.




Le Monde Al-Jazeera on the Seine: the voice of the incontinent Old Continent Le Monde Al-Jaira sur Seine: la voix du Vieux Continent incontinent




Monday, December 20, 2004

The 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Le Monde

As I recently wrote, Le Monde has been celebrating its 60th anniversary. In that context, it has printed 60 articles, one per day (and one for each year) for the past two months. (Each of those 60th anniversary pages also included a photo from the respective year, as well as a vintage editorial taken verbatim from one particular day during the 12-month period.)

Recently I wrote about the very first of these commemorative articles, which focused on the newspaper itself (i.e, on its birth). Here is a list of the rest, with comments on a dozen and a half of them.

Needless to say, a strong anti-American flavor is present throughout the series…

The 60th Anniversary Celebration of Le Monde

Before we start, allow me to point out that the main headline of its very first issue (dated December 19, 1944), reads France and the USSR Have Signed a Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance… It is true that offhand, this means nothing more than simply reflecting the news of that particular day. Still, some might find it fitting…

Read the entire post

The Blueprint for Avoiding War and Strengthening Peace

War being always the worst solution, the blueprint for peace is as follows:

Show respect for one another, increase "good relations", engage in dialog, set up bilateral and/or international conferences, present "the broad outlines of [one's] positions in a frank and friendly way", and get rid of weapons (as this 1929 example demonstrates)…

To Boldly Express the Diversity to Which France Is So Deeply Attached

More on France's CII satellite TV station (International Information Channel), aka the CNN à la française, from the International Herald Tribune's Doreen Carvajal:
… The notion of a new international channel is already creating uneasiness. Some critics contend that the project's costs have been underestimated, and labor organizations express a variety of concerns. The union for RFI, France's international radio station, is worried that the government will reduce RFI's budget to support the creation of the channel. And the union for journalists at the publicly owned France Télévisions has urged reporters to refuse to cooperate in the project, calling it a "parody of a news channel."

"What will be the credibility of an international channel that is led by a multinational with benefits that are dependent on good relations with the government?" the union said.

… French television has already been available for years on satellite through TV5, a consortium of French-language channels from France, Switzerland and Belgium that beams the French nightly news to cable viewers. But the difference is that this new channel will offer a more distinctive French voice, according to Brochand.

… Since 2002, Chirac has pushed for the creation of a French global channel to raise the country's diplomatic profile.

Sounds similar to the 1944 creation of Le Monde, non?
Last year he pressed again, arguing that France needed to raise its own voice in the "battle of footage" led by CNN and the BBC.
It is sad, indeed, to realize to what extent members of the "peace camp" have been tarnished by CNN and the BBC, while the Bush administration and its allies have been lauded by same…
This month, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced … that a new channel would offer the "diversity to which our country is so deeply attached."

He Wouldn't Stand a Chance in France

Today is the birthday of Branch Rickey, the American baseball executive (1881-1965) who said
I don't like the subtle infiltration of 'something for nothing' philosophies into the very hearthstone of the American family. I believe that 'Thou shalt earn the bread by the sweat of thy face' was a benediction and not a penalty. Work is the zest of life; there is joy in its pursuit.

I don't care if I was a ditch-digger at a dollar a day, I'd want to do my job better than the fellow next to me. I'd want to be the best at whatever I do.

I did not mind the public criticism. That sort of thing has not changed any program I thought was good.


NYC: reading Abellio over a few Nathan's Franks
J'attends le moment où les Russo-Américains, enfin unis, essaieront de défendre leur civilisation de robots mécaniques contre une autre civilisation, celle des robots religieux, déferlant des plateaux mongols, des rizières chinoises ou des déserts d'Arabie et poussant devant eux leurs esclaves fanatisés d'Afrique. Le communisme asiatique proposera au monde la civilisation de masse la plus rude, la plus perfectionnée, la plus scientifique, la plus exaltante, la plus étouffante qu'on ait jamais connue. Mais la nouvelle Rome, cette fois, sera sous les décombres de Paris, dans des caves ou des catacombes, comme l'ancienne, et persécutée comme elle. Je me sens déjà vivre dans ce Paris enseveli, réduit enfin à l'état pur ! Les hommes comme moi y seront beaucoup plus à l'aise que dans celui des couturiers pédérastes et des abrutis milliardaires, fit-il d'un ton uni. Et j'imagine assez bien les Champs-Elyssées troués par les bombes et envahis par des fourrés obscurs où les nouveaux hommes d'ici voisineront avec des bêtes sauvages et nobles qui leur rendront le goût de la liberté ...

Raymond Abellio, La Fosse de Babel, 1962




Horrid Pictures from the British Troops in Iraq

Shocking

(Cheers to RV, ol' chap…)

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Want to Support the Troops in Iraq?

Here are some suggestions to help our troops.

And while you are visiting Blackfive, don't forget to read the story of a Marine convoy rolling through the dusty streets of Baghdad, where it found the heart of…

(Danke für Franz Hoffmann)

In related matters, we join David und Ray in honoring, and thanking, the American veterans of the Battle of the Bulge on the 60th anniversary of the battle…

Finally, read or listen to Merry Christmas, My Friend

Using Bush as an Acceptable Cover to Bash America

Read Manfred Gerstenfeld's hard-hitting interview with Jeffrey Gedmin, the director of Berlin's Aspen Institute, which Davids Medienkritik correctly terms "the interview of the year". Here is an excerpt from the excerpt:
"Dependency on America during the Cold War has bred terrible European resentment. Americans have underestimated how deep that runs. …

"Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that Germans were tired of being a satellite of the United States. All this before we had made any decision about what to do in Iraq."

"I remember passing the American embassy on Unter den Linden and seeing a sign hanging out there for weeks from protesters, which read: 'Mr. Bush, remember Nüremberg. Death by hanging.' It leaves me to believe that part of this debate about Iraq — and maybe much of it — had to do more with containing the United States than with whether Saddam Hussein should be removed."

"Why has it become so acceptable that — at elegant dinner parties — very distinguished people openly say, 'I'm not anti-American, but Bush disgusts me and makes me physically sick? He is a war criminal and a real threat to world peace.' I can only interpret such statements as being partly about Bush and partly about using him as an acceptable cover to bash America.

Brezhnev on Free Elections

Today is the birthday of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906-1982), the Soviet leader who said
The trouble with free elections is, you never know who is going to win.