French News

Most countries are trying to use modern digital technology to tap renewable energy sources. But there are some who are trying to devise systems that make use of old schemes to save energy and at the same time, keep the air clean from pollutants and shit. One such country is France, and a company named JCDecaux is starting a biking revolution in Lyon. This is nothing new, but I think you'd find their rent-a-modern-bike system more than interesting than it is actually modern!

The JCDecaux company has started this rent-a-modern-bike scheme in beautiful Lyon, France. It makes use of modern digital technology, not to mention a secure system to stop bike theft and other damn filthy human activities. No, it doesn't make use of modern machine-run bikes, for this would evidently defeat the purpose of keeping the air clean and all, you know. The company has released a thousand or so bikes for rental at the Lyon park. With this, thousands of French commuters are renting these modern bikes for their traveling ventures and other stuff. Now that's my idea of keeping the environment clean while saving up on gas!

The system used by the JCDecaux company to prevent bike theft makes use of advanced digital technology. There are infrared sensors and other electronic stuff integrated on certain bike parts. These sensors send information to the actual rent-a-modern-bike outlets in beautiful Lyon, France. With this, theft and other illegal activities are not only minimized, but stopped altogether. Plus, users need to give their actual credit card numbers and other information, as well as pay up a registration fee, so as to be able to rent out the modern bikes. If a user takes a much longer time in handling a rented bike, the deposit or the registration fee is then cashed out by the company.

In these modern times, we are all aware of the risks involved in smoking and drinking excessively. It may probably be due to faster and more affordable information access points, which we all use to provide us with the information we need. But most countries have made revisions on laws and regulations regarding smoking and drinking. One such country is France, and its government has even gone great lengths just to make a point! See their National Library if you want.

Yes, the French government has made a point on their anti-smoking campaign. Well, what this country has isn't exactly an anti-smoking campaign. It's more of a law, and it actually is an anti-smoking law. With this, National Library officials of France have removed the cigar Jean Paul Sartre was holding in one of the portraits of the National Library. They airbrushed it out, and stated that they're doing this to avoid getting either jail time, or a penalty.

Jean Paul Sartre is France's most famous existentialist philosopher. This man lived in the late 1900s, but I just don't know what made this guy so damn sad. Anyway, that's my idea of existentialism, you know. In one of the portraits on the walls of the National Library of France, Jean Paul Sartre can be seen holding and about to puff on a fat cigar. But the new laws France has on smoking pushed the National Library's officials to take the cigar out of the portrait. They did so by airbrushing it out of view.

With terrorism being more of a problem than the formulation of actual cancer treatments, various governments are taking desperate measures to prevent their countries from being a damn target for those stupid-assed terrorists. With certain security measures which resemble a paranoid delusional trip of a heroin addict being implemented here and there, I think such measures pose more of a threat to humanity than those damn terrorists themselves! For instance, there are certain governments of the world which have threatened to nuke a state, or country, that would launch a damn terrorist attack, more or less, on them!

The French government is one of those countries that have said to make functional use of their nuclear warfare capabilities once threatened with a severely violent terrorist attack from any state or country. Jacques Chirac has told the world this decision of their government while in a damn nuclear submarine station somewhere in the northwestern part of France. He also told reporters that France has been working on their nuclear capabilities for such a move, and that their country would make actual use of such capabilities in case a country or state launches a damn terrorist attack, more or less, on them. Taliban fuckheads, I think you just ran out of damn options to live! This is because with such an announcement, even your government would try its best to kick your sorry asses to death!

The digital information platform, known as the internet, has been with us for about three decades now, and we still can't think of ways and means in which to regulate the contents some internet sites post on their pages! Even the laws and provisions set forth by the governments of the world can't do anything to even closely monitor the contents each internet site has. This is what the French government is asking the Yahoo! people to do. That's right, to ban a damn racist internet site access to their country!

I think you'd be very much pissed off if you see your kid holding a Nazi knife while sporting a Nazi uniform, don't you think? This is exactly what the French government, backed up by a few local groups, wants out of their country. Racial inclinations are being tapped as a profitable market by some of those sick racists, and they are using the internet as a means in which to gain access to the most number of people all over the world. The French government doesn't care if our government allows the selling and the proliferation of racist stuff and ideas, as long as these things stay away from French grounds as far as possible! I think the French government, just like the rest of humanity, wouldn't want another Hitler to emerge from such activities!

France is among the countries which have made fast and affordable internet connections available to its citizenry. It is a country wherein digital information technology is continuously developed to suit the needs of its people. Thus, France has a booming information industry, thanks to the support of its own people for certain technological advances, as well as the investments pouring in from other countries. But with this magnitude of technological development, many opportunity seekers are trying ways and means in which to disrupt France's information system, if not gain themselves large profits out of cyber terrorism.

Recently, a Turkish group of hackers have found a way in which to gain access to the Microsoft French server internet site. Microsoft publicly stated that the hacker attack was caused by a series of blunders regarding the server site's configuration settings. The hackers were said to have exploited a minor flaw in the internet site server's soon to be actually patched server configurations, Microsoft also told reporters. Fortunately, Microsoft was ahead of this hacker group, and deflected any actual crimes to be committed on their French internet site server. This just goes to show how smarter and smarter people are becoming because of the need for either infamy, money, or both!

Restaurants in France are known to serve the best and complete gourmet courses, but just days ago, news spread that some chefs are using artificial flavorings. Although there is nothing wrong about using additives, purists think that this technique is an act of cheating the customers. According to the news, these flavorings are seldom included in the menu that is why customers are completely unaware that what the restaurants serve them are half-fake cuisines.

The flavorings come in various forms - powder and liquid. They maybe injected in meat or added in the sauce. They maybe sprinkled on top of the dish or mixed in the appetizer. These secret ingredients are used to improve the flavors of the dishes, thus making them more sumptuous. Aside from that, the flavorings also aid in giving the dish more flavor even if it is prepared under a short period of time.

According to Charial, a restaurant owner, cheater-chefs put drops of these flavorings in order to save money and time. Truly, this is a scandal. Other restaurant owners have already expressed their grievances over this matter and they asserted that although such news have already reached public knowledge, their customers are assured of gourmet dishes with natural ingredients. Chemicals, no doubt, enhance flavor, but they also harm our health.

After all these years, the government of France finally decided to take back Clemenceau. The 1955 ship was discovered to have been containing asbestos. The said chemical reserve in the ship prompted the Indian courts to prohibit the people assigned to the ship to attend to the cleaning of Clemenceau. The ship was initially sold to a firm in Spain. But, after the discovery of the asbestos, the ship was then brought to Turkey, to Germany, and finally to the city of Gujarat in India. There, in an attempt to scrap the ship, the asbestos were found to pose threat to the health of the people of Europe, so India asked France to make arrangements.

If not for the asbestos in the ship, the whole thing must have already been chopped. Just imagine how many tons of solid steel could be made out of that ship. If I am not mistaken, Clemenceau was used in war. If that is sturdy and cannot be penetrated by bullets, then asbestos must have liked to stick to it.

Right now, the ship is sailing towards Brest. I wonder how the issue could be solved when there is no other way to clear the ship of asbestos but to clean it up using water. With the massive weight of the ship, scrapping it is impossible without leaking the asbestos. I just hope France resolves this for the sake of Europe.

Apparently, Apple is not giving away any information on whether it will continue its plans in establishing a store in France. A friend of mine lamented over this news, since he sadly told me that all this time he had to go to London to buy a laptop. Just recently, he had his new Apple eMac. He was compelled to travel to London to buy one, when schools in Paris are getting their Apple computers.

Apple company and France have long been friends. It was this camaraderie that made France a favorite of Apple. The Apple headquarters in Europe is established in France, and it is in this place that Apple fans and computer enthusiasts come for a visit to buy a computer or to attend computer expos. This proves that France is the 'favorite', so to speak, of Apple. In fact, if not for the interference of Britain, France may still have been hailed as the strongest and largest market in Europe.

A few months ago, Parisian customers were eagerly inquiring for the current standing of Apple company in the French market. Actually, Apple has already established a great reputation in France. It started with the marketing of the most coveted laptops and personal computers in the world. Next, Apple has greatly influenced the Information Technology projects in France mainly because Apple computers were used to demonstrate such innovations. But, although there is an already strong bond between the company and the European country, there were no clear evidence that Apple is establishing a store in France.

There are various issues involving migration and immigration laws around the globe. I still cannot comprehend the affairs between countries who are closing their doors to other nations who seeking for work opportunities if not permanent residence. It is comprehensible that countries who are promoting strict policies are concerned mainly with their security.

Recently, France is trying to realize on immigration laws. The man responsible for this new bill is Nicholas Sarkozy. According to his proposal, a more rigid law will be iput into effect concerning the bringing in of immigrants of relatives. Incorporated in the proposition is a rule that says that foreigners will be compelled to learn lessons on civics. Plus, their privilege to stay in France for longer than ten years will be gravely affected.

As was expected, protesters crowded the streets. The militants complained on the discrimination the government has been inflicting upon the poor people of France. Until now, the French people are waiting for the consequences of the argumantations which shall determine the probability of the proposal. Altogether, the proposal is a not-so-good news. True, France must put limit on the workers it will employ. But, because there are opportunities for workers, there will certainly be strong objection to the proposal.

The mass youth protest that took place in France almost a month ago has captured the attention of news papers all over the world. I happen to watch the actual footages one night on a documentary shown on television. The scenes were horrible. The youth are persistent and are fighting against all odds. I am already past my youth days, but I can still feel the effect of such labor law to them. There is something in their insistence that calls for an urgent action by the government.

I was relieved, though not entirely, when I heard about the news on the replacement of the law by President Chirac. Actually, it will not be absolutely replaced, but a section of it. If I am not mistaken, the law deals with the age bracket of employees to be hired. Unfortunately, the bracket did not include the youth, and immediately they are subject to be fired from their jobs two years after the lifting of the law. The reason behind these is that the government, initially, would want the single parents and unemployed older people to have the opportunity to work and earn money for their families. I think this is a good notion, but the government failed to realize that a larger portion of the workforce consists of youth.

The replacement of the said section dealt with equal opportunity. It merely stated that employers will be subsidized in order for them to be able to hire young workers. But, take note, these people are aged 18 to 25. Add to that the qualification that they must be unemployed or out-of-school youth. This replacement did not, of course, appeal to the youth sector. I am sure they will once again fill the streets for another employment law protest.

Bird flu is no laughing matter. It has killed many people in Asia, and now the avian virus sees itself proliferating in Africa, notably in Kenya and Nigeria. In Paris, where food and health security is so well-guarded, it has been reported that 15 swans had died of bird flu. If these incidences are not curtailed, it is likely that the virus will spread further and cause more deaths in many parts of the world.

Veterinarians have met in Paris in order to discuss about the incidence of the bird flu spreading in Europe and Africa. There is much concern about the spread of the virus in the African region because people cannot provide enough funds for fowl vaccination. The French government, along with other European medical leaders, is doing the best they can to cut the incidence of bird flu deaths by selected slaughter, fowl isolation and domestication.

There is one thing to fear about the spread of H5N1 virus. If birds don't migrate to Europe and America, there would be no incidence of the spread of the virus. However, because only in Australia and New Zealand were spared from bird migration, it is unlikely that Europe and Africa will be free from the epidemic.

A renowned surgeon in the Paris, France has given a woman a second chance in life. The 38-year old woman, who was mauled in the face by her pet Labrador last year, were having difficulty eating and talking. This prompted Dr. Bernard Devauchelle and his team to perform a surgery on her.

He transplanted a new nose, mouth and chin to the unnamed woman. Divorced, and has two sons, she is now able to live normally and is currently practicing to move her face again for expressions.

France is considering legalizing P2P downloading. Despite the loud opposition by major record companies, French legislators are studying the drafted bill to declare Peer-to-Peer sharing legal. Individuals who use this service will be asked to pay a "consideration fee" that would be between 5 to 7 euros as a monthly subscription charge. This would mean that P2P sites are going to be legal and pay taxes. There is a bleak future for this bill; chances are it won't become a law because of the strong media disagreement with this drafted bill. A vote of 30-28 last December 21, 2005 showed that there is less support for this -- seeing that few members were present during the conference.

If this bill is unexpectedly signed as a law, France will be the first nation to legalize P2P sharing.

France, in its recent statement, has joined Britain and Germany in condemning Iran for its efforts to sustain its nuclear build up. Iran expressed its disappointment over the ruling of the United Nations banning the operations of the nuclear plant supposedly for energy purposes.

According to the French authorities, the world is unconvinced that Iran is sincere in its claim. In addition, France fears that the alleged nuclear plant can be used as an avenue for the creation of mass destruction weapons. France insists that the decision of the United Nations must uphold or Iran will face major political and economic sanctions.