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02 Mar 2011 15:29

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World: Disgraced fashion designer John Galliano will stand trial

  • It was a social crime … In a highly-publicized incident, fashion designer John Galliano was captured on film saying “I love Hitler,” an anti-Jewish sentiment that cost him his job with Christian Dior and drew the public ire of none less than their Oscar-winning spokeswoman Natalie Portman. Galliano has apologized for the incident, but the damage has already been done.
  • … but is it a legal crime? Galliano will be forced to stand trial in Paris over his remarks. French law designates that incitement of racial hatred is a crime, and Galliano could face six months in prison. Obviously racism is abhorrent and deleterious to society, but the idea of going to prison for what Galliano did seems like a pretty good illustration of the First Amendment’s beauty. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2011 13:24

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World: Same as the old boss: Marine Le Pen succeeds her father

  • 67% the party vote for Marine Le Pen, who will lead France’s far-right National Front party
  • 38 years that her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has led the party, which he founded in 1972
  • 18% polling support for the NF, a likely headache for President Sarkozy come election time source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2011 21:05

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World: Here’s another awful tragedy to fill out your rough weekend

  • Look, there has been a lot of sadness in the news this weekend. The whole uplifting thing with golden-voiced Ted Williams seems like a long-ago memory, which is unfortunate. And now, more sadness. In Niger, two French men – a groom and a best man – were kidnapped before a wedding could take place. Antoine de Léocour, a 25-year-old aid worker, had planned to marry a local woman, but the two men were instead kidnapped by people reportedly part of al-Qaeda’s North African operation. A day later, they were found killed in the desert. French president Nicolas Sarkozy called the situation a “cowardly and barbaric act.” Like we haven’t had many of those this weekend. Sigh. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Nov 2010 00:05

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Culture, World: Tons of new Picasso artwork found in some guy’s trunk

  • 271 previously unknown Picasso works unearthed in France source
  • » Picasso’s electrician just tore the art world a new one. Pierre Le Guennec used to install burglar alarms for Pablo Picasso. Last September, he approached the Picasso estate with an astonishing revelation: for the past several decades, he’d had been keeping 271 previously unreleased Picasso originals in a trunk in his house. He wanted Picasso’s relatives to authenticate the work; instead, the filed suit against him for illegal possession. Le Guennec claims they were a gift from the late artist; Picasso’s family thinks he stole them. No matter who prevails in court, art lovers are the real winners here. This is a huge find.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Nov 2010 10:53

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World: Britain is screwed: They entered a security agreement WITH FRANCE.

  • Today we open a new chapter in a long history of co-operation on defence and security between Britain and France. The result will make our citizens safer, more secure and better protected in the global age of uncertainty in which we now live.
  • British Prime Minister David Cameron • Announcing a new security deal between his country and France. The deal includes cooperation on certain military resources, including aircraft carriers, submarines, nuclear technology and ground forces. You may think this is a good idea now, David, but you’ll be eating your hat the second that France surrenders. Just you wait, Davey boy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Oct 2010 11:04

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World: Nearly two weeks in, French strikes proving very costly

  • €200+
    million     the amount that the French strikes are costing the country per day, at minimum (as high as €400 million)
  • €2.4
    billion     the minimum amount this could be hurting their economy; it could be as high as €4.8 billion source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Oct 2010 14:56

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World: French Senate ignores protesters’ cries, passes pension law anyway

  • anger For that last few days, protesters have been making life in France pretty rough, partly over an age increase for pensions, from 60 to 62. It’s not that bad, guys!
  • indifferenceDespite days of rage and problems with fuel distribution caused by the protests, the French Senate passed it anyway. Now it’s headed to President Sarkozy to sign. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Oct 2010 10:31

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World: French people don’t like it when you mess with their pensions

No, these guys aren’t going to a Daft Punk show (OK, they might be later) … they’re steel workers protesting France’s possible new austerity measures. And they’re angry. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Sep 2010 13:23

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World: ETA: Basque separatists in Spain claim they’re done fighting

  • These guys really wanted to break off from Spain and build their own country. They did it using violent means, and over the past 40 years, over 850 people died at their hands. But today, Basque separatists ETA have claimed to lay down their arms, weakened by a tough year full of arrests. We’ll see if this holds up, or if these pirate ghost-looking dudes are just bluffing. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jul 2010 10:55

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World: French woman reportedly chose murder over contraceptives

  • what A French woman, Dominique Cottrez, admitted to hiding eight pregnancies over a 17-year period and killing the babies after they were born.
  • why She reportedly didn’t want to have more children, but didn’t want to use contraceptives. Her weight allowed her to hide the pregnancies. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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