Bonne Année...

a Paris c'est 2009.





elle est sept heures avant nous a Chicago.

j'ai visité Paris pour la fête en 1975 avec mon amie, April. nous avon eu une bonne temps. a diner dans un restaurante locale et une excursion de la Ville des Lumières.

superbe! je manque Paris. il y a trois année depuis j'ai visité ma favori espace des vacances...

eh, bien, peut-être l'année prochaine.

silly laws...

There are a lots of silly laws on the books all over the country. I'm sure that you can name a few in your own town.

Two years ago, Chicago banned the sale of foie gras, a delicacy of duck and goose livers elevated to near cult status by the French, on restaurant menus. Consequently, there have been duckeasy's in the city either selling it on the qt or giving it away since the law only bans selling it. Even Mayor Daley thinks it is one of the stupidest laws passed in recent history.

Well, today, the Chicago City Council lifted the ban and are setting the ducks free. Well, letting us eat their livers, at least.

Didier Durand, chef/owner of Cyrano's Bistro on the near Northside, is leading the cheers. "Break out the champagne!" he cried.

Opponents to the delicacy, as well as to any animal-based food, were quick to cry out:

"To reverse a compassionate and admirable decision under pressure from political bullies and special interests shows a cowardly brand of cynicism unlike any we have seen in our efforts to give voice to the most vulnerable beings in our society - animals raised for food," said Julie Janovsky, director of campaigns for animal rights group Farm Sanctuary.

Pot calling the kettle burnt, you ask? PETA and Farm Sanctuary are political bullies and special interests, aren't they? I don't know of any other groups who physically attack their own species to make a point.

The nature of homo sapiens has been as hunter/gatherers for millenia. Much has been written of our current modern diet of grains and cereals and the problems they cause digestively. We are meat eaters.

I, for one, love foie gras and always have. I have had it many different ways, but the best is lightly seasoned and sautéed in butter, served with a good Sauterne.

I might be convinced that the method of force feeding the birds to produce larger, more veiny livers is harsh and, if someone could show me that a natural method of feeding produces the same flavors, I would go along with it.

but... i will stay my gross self, as some would label me, and continue to eat, not very often I might add, one of my favorite delicacies...



i'm almost drooling...

the Pope and me...

While I thought that I had nothing more in common with Benedict XVI than being male and having grown up in the Catholic church, I discovered via Michael Sneed's column in today's Chicago Sun-Times that we have, ummm, a similar taste. And it's not bad, trust me.

Pew news . . .

Gulp! Word is Pope Benedict XVI's favorite libation is not wine: it's orange Fanta soda pop.

Yeah, I know it's really not a big deal, but Orange Fanta in Europe is totally different than in the U.S. It's made with real orange juice and not all the artificial crap with which they make it here. It has a totally different taste that is incredible.





The first photo is a can from a French website. The second is from a US website. In the second one, you can clearly see the words Artificially flavored Orange Soda. Not in the first one.

When I'm in France it's about the only thing I drink, non-alcoholic, besides Vittel water.


It's near impossible to buy Vittel in the Chicagoland area. I've even gone to the trouble of contacting Vittel directly to find out where I can buy it. They told me what companies hold the franchise to sell it, but none of them carry it in their stores and no one else can sell it.

jeebus cribes, i love the stuff...

miles to go...

problem is, all i ever want to do is be in Paris...

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Carl Sandburg

what's going on here (part XVI)...

can someone explain:

Pentagon, CIA check U.S. suspects' bank records

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon and to a lesser extent the CIA have been using a little-known power to look at the banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage within the United States, according to a published report....
The so-called national security letters permit the executive branch to seek records about people in terror and spy investigations without a judge's approval or grand jury subpoena. Government lawyers maintain the legal authority for such tactics is years old and was strengthened by the Patriot Act.

Privacy rights do not exist; excessive "search and seizures" are acceptable; the homeland is secure. There is no end to the attack of the fundamental reasons on which this country was founded. Actually, there is NO outrage. The complacency of the people is based on the majority of us not having anything real in jeopardy. Three-thousand dead service men and women is a small number compared to Vietnam, but Vietnam was at 3,000 dead one day and then it became more... and more... and more... and more...

i wonder if the draft was reinstated, as in vietnam, if it would make a difference? would the outrage start to swell? would young people having to go against thier wishes...? you finish the question...

Bush challenges skeptics over Iraq plan

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Saturday challenged lawmakers skeptical of his new Iraq plan to propose their own strategy for stopping the violence in Baghdad.
"To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible," Bush said.

Did I miss something? Wasn't there a proposal made back in November? get out! i wouldn't call that nothing...


Surge: US troops prepare for George Bush's Last Stand

Until now the focus of US action in Iraq has been the Sunni insurgency. The new strategy is to take on the Shia militias which, often in official uniforms, have operated death squads and carried out sectarian attacks on Sunnis and, at times, Christians. The main target of the Americans is said to be Muqtada al-Sadr, whose heavily armed Mehdi army is blamed for much of the communal strife. Any action against his fighters in Baghdad may lead to retaliation against British troops in the Shia south. There is also anxiety about the reaction of Iran, which backs the Shia militias.

the above from the British press; their view of the Iraqi situation in a nutshell.

Shia, Sunni, Irani, Syrian - the natives are amassing along fanatical sectarian lines.

sec·tar·i·an (sĕk-târ'ē-ən);
def: narrowly confined or limited in interest, purpose, scope, sect etc.
syn: bigoted, clannish, cliquish, dissident, doctrinaire, dogmatic, factional, fanatic, fanatical, heretical, heterodox, hidebound, insular, limited, local, narrow-minded, nonconforming, nonconformist, parochial, partisan, provincial, rigid, schismatic, skeptical, small-town*, splinter, unorthodox.

And to what will all this lead? Custer's Bluster: Custer's defeat shook the nation. "It's 1876, the 100th anniversary of the battle for independence. It's hugely symbolic and a major shock," says Richard White, a professor of history at Stanford University. "It's impossible for Americans to imagine a warrior culture defeating a modern army." Mysteries of History

what about Vietnam? just asking...


France Polishes Its Politesse

Despite a centuries-old obsession with behaving well, the French are constantly relearning how to do it, and the last few years have witnessed both the degradation of civility and manners and a revival of interest in them.

On one level disrespect for authority is on the rise. Cars are burned and garbage is thrown out of windows in the troubled gritty suburbs. Verbal and physical attacks against teachers in schools are more widespread than they were a few years ago. Commuters are hit, seats are slashed, graffiti is written on Paris Métro cars....

The Ministry of Education has made good citizenship part of the national curriculum in high schools. The Ministry of Transportation designates an annual “day of steering wheel courtesy” to encourage polite behavior on the road.

I tell friends who ask me for advice on getting on while visiting Paris that the French are one of the most polite people on the face of the earth. If you show them polity and respect, and try to speak a little French, they will become your best friend. Sadly, the French have been succombing to American ways in every day society. We are generally not a very polite society. Civility is hard to come by with a mock-war and a mock-president in power who loves to bully. Not very good role modelling. So the French could be onto something here. Maybe, besides training our kids in polity, we need a big refresher course, or Politeness 101, for the adults as well. whatta ya think?

thank you for your time and attention. Au revoir...

Sources: cnn.com, news.yahoo.com, Independent Online, thesauras.reference.com, U.S. News Online, New York Times

if Mr. Bush is so worried...

...about his legacy and how history will review his presidency, he needs to take a bold step and follow the lead of Richard Nixon.

As derided and disliked Mr. Nixon was, he opened a dialogue with Communist China. That is Nixon's real legacy. The U.S. has gone from shunning and fighting China (read Korea & Viet Nam) to owing it billions of dollars for the money that Mr. Bush has borrowed from China to run his war.

The editorial in Le Monde today said it best: Bushe reste Bush - "Bush Remains Bush."

Instead of listening to the American people, his generals, his diplomats, and the Baker-Hamilton report on Iraq, he chooses to send more American service members into a situation that even the ground troops are comparing to the Viet Nam fiasco.

Can Mr. Bush be so blind to the obvious?

He could have a resounding effect if he sat down, or even had Condi Rice sit down, with Iran, Syria, Muqtada al-Sadr, Hezbollah, Hamas... and said, "Look, y'all. If we put our minds and resources to it, we could put the Middle East in a space that would economically, politically and socially put it on a par with the rest of the world. You can have your religious differences; you can puff your chests and fluff your plumes; and you can disagree all you want on who succeeded the Prophet. Don't y'all think it's time to start doing something for your people. And, while were at it, let's bring in the French, the Italians, the Chinese, the Japanese and the Russians together with us and see what we all can do together to help ya'll."

If he is that concerned about his legacy, he could make the biggest change in the world ever.

I want to pose: is it too much to ask? or could anything be more simple? or why can't he see the obvious?

but I think already I know the answers.

so, why should i even bother to ask?

just asking...

the greatest "pop" in the world...

The night they invented Champagne,
It's plain as it can be,
They thought of you and me.
The night they invented Champagne,
They absolutely knew,
That all we'd want to do
Is fly to the sky on Champagne,
And shout to everyone in sight:
That since the world began,
No woman or man
Has ever been as happy as we are tonight!
Gigi, Lerner & Lowe

The French drink an average of 3 bottles per year per person. An article in today's LeMonde states it succintly: Les Français aiment le champagne. "The French love champagne."

and so do I...

With New Years around the corner, this is the time of year that champagne sales go through the roof. Champagne is the #1 necessity for any and all celebrations. No one should need a celebration to drink champagne. Just think, it is actually very holy and sanctioned by the church. Dom Perignon was a Benedictine monk who is credited with inventing champagne. If it is good enough for a monk, it's good enough for me.

who needs a better reason?

just asking...



[My favorite champagne is Pieper-Heidseck Extra Dry. Most people prefer a brut. Extra Dry is a little fruitier than brut. If I can't find one, then my second choice would be Krug. The one problem is that Pieper-Heidseck is around $30/bottle. Krug runs $110-$200/bottle! For the best methode-champenoise from the U.S., try Iron Horse. The Wedding Cuvee is outta sight!]

I can't wait for New Years...

not your mother's Julia Child...

warning: gratuitous video

cooking lesson: les pates

Kitchendales les nouilles

Now that's some pasta. I think I like the first one with chevre better. The mint in the second recipe doesn't do anything for me.

as far as your mother's Julia Child, would she approve?

just asking...

what's going on here (part IV)...

U.S. Jobs Shape Condoms’ Role in Foreign Aid

Alabama firms were given an almost exclusive contract to produce condoms for foreign aid. The purpose was to keep jobs in the US rather than using cheaper more cost-effective condoms from Asia. They can't keep up with the number of condoms required. The federal government begins buying the cheaper condoms. In effect, it out-sources just like many American companies. American lay-offs are to begin soon. Sen. Jeffers (R-Ala) wants a law to use only US made condoms. He'll probably get it. What's the price of millions of people in Africa and Asia dying of AIDS when we can save a couple of hundred Alabaman's jobs? just asking...



GOP at a loss? Karl Rove has an 11th-hour plan to win

be afraid... be very, very afraid. Not of the terrorists but of the promised October Surprise. [There are still three more days in October!] Rather than focusing on issues, this man focuses on power, getting it, keeping it, and abusing it. No tactic is above consideration. He consistently uses tactics that scare not only little babies but full-grown adults. Anybody counting down the number of day? Can he spill over into November if he doesn't have enough time? just asking...



Relief for Nasa as Discovery makes a textbook landing

Did anyone know that Discovery had even launched, let alone returned safely? This makes the news in the UK and you can't find it in the NYT, LA Times, Chicago Sun-Times...? Have we become so inured by space travel in the US that it is now routine? Or are we being led to only read certain things in the news? just asking...



Tearing Down The Walls

al-Jazeera in English? The station may have an idea here. Many people in the US don't have an inkling on the thinking going on in the heads of people who actually live in the Middle East. Democracy is based on free speech & dialogue. Yet, we seldom hear a word, let alone have any kind of dialogue, from the people of the Middle East. Is this part of Homeland Security? just asking...



Gay Cruises Are on the Seas and in the Mainstream

They're everywhere! They're everywhere! I hadn't gone on any cruise, let alone a gay one, until this past January. My friends kept telling me I would like it. I didn't want to believe them. I had no idea that a cruise could be so relaxing and enjoyable. I venture onto a gay cruise this coming March 10-17. [shhhh, it's a secret.] Anyone else going to be there? just asking...



Une jeune femme grièvement brûlée dans l'incendie d'un bus à Marseille

On the first anniversary, the rioting returns in France with a bus being burned, damage to property, injuries to rioters, and the death of one young lady. What have the French learned in one year? Appeasement? Ignorance? Stay the course? just asking...



Sources: New York Times, Telegraph.co.uk, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine - Europe Edition, Le Monde

gratuitous video...

enjoy...


Les Garçons dans les Vestiaires chanteuse: Clarika

merci, Seb & Fred

[as I tell the kids, "you can't be good all the time!"]