Il y a longtemps que notre pays est beau mais rude.
--Newspaper editor Olivier Séguret, 25 January 2012
The USA are entirely the creation of the accursed race, the French.
--Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), writing to Nancy Mitford, 22 May 1957
(crazy; crazy about something) Etymology: possibly from the sound of a bell ringing.
L’appel à la prière a lieu cinq fois par jour et la première semaine, ça vous rend dingue ! Puis soudain, ça pénètre votre esprit et c’est la plus belle des belles choses.
--Liam Neeson quoted in an article about how he learned to love the muezzin's call to prayer in Istanbul
Strike and demonstration by Alcatel-Lucent employees on Friday 10 February
Air France workers, striking against a new proposed law that requires them to give 48 hours advance notice of their absence in case of strike. They want the passengers to be miserable at last-minute cancellations of their long-planned-and-paid-for travel, because that is how these public employees get what they want.
Nationwide strike of labor inspectors angry over a suicide
« Flying the Concorde | Main | French cèpes vs Ukrainian cèpes »
"My Latin teacher turns out to be a witch too," said A. "They pick on you if it's your birthday." She put on a cruel voice and said:
'It's your birthday? Then stand up and recite. [Girl makes a mistake.] Very bad. 5 out of 20. All right, you! Stand up and recite. [Next girl recites perfectly.] 16 out of 20; you hesitated. '"
"My math teacher," said L, "would come into the classroom, throw our exam papers hard onto the desk, and say, 'Vous êtes tous des nuls!'"
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They are taking faith and crushing it. Why? Why? When you marginalize faith in America, when you remove the pillar of God given rights then what’s left? The French Revolution. What’s left is a government that gives you rights. What’s left are no unalienable rights. What’s left is a government that will tell you who you are, what you’ll do and when you’ll do it. What’s left in France became the guillotine.
--Rick Santorum, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination who just won three primaries, on Wednesday
Huge strikes underway in Greece as protestors complain about government austerity measures, which are required immediately in order for the Greek government to be able to borrow money from other countries to pay its bills and not go bankrupt in weeks.
Keith Eckstein also has a new book review site, Books About France
The school cultures in France and in the U.S. are indeed radically different:
- In France, the pupils' desks are lined in neat rows, and you're not supposed to interact in class. The "Maître d'école" is the übermensch and may sometimes stand on a podium. Pupils must listen in silence.
- In the U.S., it's more interactive, with the teacher among the pupils, and multidirectional participation.
This is a caricature of course, but it bears some truth. Raymonde Caroll wrote a fascinating chapter on the subject (of school and children education in general) in her book "Cultural Misunderstandings".
Posted by: LA Frog | 08 September 2006 at 19:06
I wish there was some kind of middle ground between the extreme strictness in France and the ridiculous coddling that sometimes happens in the States. I guess I'm just a dreamer.... I guess the strictness wouldn't be so bad if there were some encouragement thrown in from time to time. I wish I could see my husband (who is a teacher) in action; I'd love to see how Prof V. matches up to the man I know at home!
Posted by: Vivi | 09 September 2006 at 11:00