A schizoid personality

I am in New-York for the week, for pleasure. So my curiosity brings me face to Liberty Island, and of course, ticket in hand I go for the ferry.

Before boarding goes the whole security measures thing that are now everywhere in NY it seems. I understand how two planes crashing in two of your biggest towers can bring a certain feeling of insecurity, and even if I don’t particularly appreciate those measures, I am civilized enough to comply. Of course “no weapons allowed” makes me smile when I am in the country by excellence where firearms are legal and can be purchased in drugstores… When it does not make me smile anymore is when my multifunction pocket knife is now tagged as “a weapon”, I personally can hardly consider that small pliers and retractable tools thing a “weapon”, the knife part is hardly as wide as my hand and can barely cut a slice of bread… Honestly you should check my hands; they are by far a more efficient “weapon”…

Anyway, I can check my pocket knife and get it back on my way back (like I did for the empire state building yesterday) right? Well guess again! Not here, no sir, not for the ferry to Liberty Island you can’t… I had the nice lady striping me down get an officer who told me (looking at my knife like it was a war machine) “Sir, you cannot board with this, and if I take it you won’t get it back…” (why is that, it falls into a dark portal beyond the twilight zone?)

Amazing, this occurred right in front of the statue of liberty. Does they know “liberty” (liberté) means freedom in French?

Well one thing I know for sure, stupidity (stupidité) means the same both in English and French…

Note on terrorism: USA was one of the last occidental countries to be hit. I was in France in the years of “TERROR!!” (well of course French people never used such a dramatic word) 10 to 15 years ago, when bombs were exploding in the subway on a monthly basis, or were found in front of schools, department stores and such… I lived thru that, probably did not hit CNN as much as 11/09, but overall the toll in human life was close to the WTC tragedy. So I understand “security”, but I still can’t excuse stupidity…

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This week-end, well there was the nightmare of all the visits, but that’s not the point… My daughter was reading a comic to me. In one picture there is a kid entering his school at morning. You can see kids playing ball in the background, some other playing marble on the left side, and, a little girl seated against a wall and reading a book. My daughter stops and says “whoa, she’s lucky; she can read in her school…” I am like “well of course you can read in school“. My daughter looks at me and tell me “No, it’s forbidden to read outside the classroom in my school“…

I am like, no way, I misheard that, so I make her repeat, and explain what she means. Turns out the kids are not allowed books outside the classroom (even their own personal ones!!!) That’s not all; while discussing what they were doing outside, it was clear they are very pushed towards physical and group activities (ok she needs to get social, but if she does not want to, I’d like her to have a choice…)  And when it’s to cold outside?… Brace yourself… They… watch TV!!?!!!  

So in her school I can easily have her a lunch without pork under religious pretexts (parents, move your ass and do it yourself, or put the little worshipers in a private school!), but I cannot have my daughter read a book or be intellectual as she sees fit. Nice “public” education system indeed…

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French have the nasty habit of copying the US. Usually a few years down the road, and sadly, usually not copying the better sides of it… They got trash TV, fast food, credit cards, people magazines… But It still takes 3 years to create a company, any invention finishes in a drawer or is ultimately exploited by others (microchip, HDTV [yes 20 years ago D2MAC transmitted thru national satellites!!!], so many medical researches that I lost count, etc…), and of course you progress in work thru age instead of efficiency (very annoying because honestly elder does not necessarily mean better…)

Paradoxically, every generation (around 25 years) The French reject a big part of that flawed legacy. For example hamburger fast food are not trend anymore, they adapted the concept, something like, fast-fine cuisine. And very recently new laws came out to protect cultural programs on national TV.

It’s due to the fact that France is the native birth of the critic philosophical movement. And over there, you criticize only what you know… So they have to copy / use the stuff for a while, then have the critic process, then discard it. Of course it is now a very long process in our era of Internet and fast communication, and it leaves some serious tracks in the economy some times.

Which is why I stand today, asking, begging my follow French citizens: DO NOT WAIT 25 YEARS, WE GOTTA MOVE FASTER NOW. Example:

“Le nouvel observateur” (French information press magazine) is turning American (trash people magazine) with its “sarkomania”, even going up to intercept and publish text messages from the president and his ex-wife. WE DON’T FREAKING GIVE A RAT’S ASS what the president personal life is, never did, never should. We had presidents with “out of wedding locks” kids, we had divorced presidents, gay mayors, never mattered! They are here to make the country work not to give us life lessons…

An American president has some fun with a cigar, it makes the world news for a year, fine, it’s the States… But jeez, not in France!! Not in the country of libertinage!

So please, don’t wait 25 years, we already know it’s absurd so act now: Cancel your subscription, send them resumes for journalist jobs (obviously they are missing a lot of good ones), ask for their subventions to be downgraded to a non-informational magazine (like porn and commercial magazines). You want to be Americans? Well prove you have what it takes; move your ass and ACT NOW!

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No it’s not Amityville, it’s my home… I was not prepared… Four to five visits yesterday and the same the day before…

Now I can deal with the occasional repair guy checking the furnace or the meters, as I am aware long in advance of his coming, and he is usually in one place of the house when I am in another for the duration of his work. But 15 minutes notice to get perfect strangers roaming in the entire premises for half an hour was a shock!
I could not block, I could not think straight, I could not focus, I even think I just panicked at a point (reading emails that I had already read previously)… I am not used to fake or use all my artillery in my own house, I am telling you it felt like I was 20 years back thru time, when I had poor control and was easily overwhelmed by people!
Hart beat up the roof, sweating, hands slightly shaking, cold along the spine… All long forgot symptoms that came rushing back at me for some insane reasons.

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Oh, I never told you, but I work for a CATHOLIC school board, see how open minded I can be? Plus I can use the occasional fun of it like today:

We are pretty much a full DELL Computers shop here (servers and workstations, over 2500 PCs). But during the last tender, voices have raised that Dell manufactures in the US, and we should look at local economy, like HP (they built Canadian computers in Canada). Personally I can’t care less I know perfectly Chinese children  are building both brands, HP just put them in their box in Canada, and Dell “assemble” the Chinese peaces in Texas, whatever… Today the following email arrives in my mailbox, reminder of the HP / Dell war in our ranks:

“Subject: DELL does not support the Canadian economy…

Very bad news from Dell

The Dell multinational corporation deceived a lot of people last week while canceling a hiring project of 1 200 to 1 300 workers at Kanata, near Ottawa.

The PC manufacturer decided it will not occupy the space added to its capital’s centre, a project announced during autumn 2006.

Dell also announced the suppression of jobs in its actual staff, on top of closing its Edmonton’s call center in Alberta, which will lead to a total of 900 jobs lost. Last year, Dell was announcing its intention to reduce its total work force by 10%.”

Never mind all this is tie to global reducing (the 10% are worldwide, and 900 jobs is just the Canadian’s part of it). I could not resist by answering:

“Sure, but they help develop India and Sri-Lanka’s economy by moving their call centers there. Isn’t it the values of the Board to push towards equity? Canada is a very rich country compared to those two, sharing your wealth with the poor, isn’t it what you are all about? Don’t you want to help those poor people?”

Got an answer:

“Not sure I’d like to see my 4 years old daughter building Dell computers though.”

Which I answered back:

“It’s better than dying from hunger… But the PCs are assembled in Texas anyway, it’s more the call centers that are moved in India and Sri-Lanka. The parts though are manufactured in China where 8 years olds can legally work. Does not stop us from organizing the JO there to satisfy our occidental sports ego…”

Can’t just pick your values guys, I’ve read your book, does not state anywhere “One shall focus on own economy and wealth, and discard the rest of the world in the process”.
Me I don’t care, we are overpopulated, and I prefer the South side to die rather than the side I live in, but at least I am not ashamed or hiding behind false values, I can assume mine openly…

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 Well the North America adventure was great but we decided it was time to go back. We’ve been talking about it since last summer. And we finally decided that for our daughter it is best to do it during summer break, for evident schooling reasons.So next summer we’ll be back in France. We already put the house for sale with an occupancy date of June, 30^th.

I got nothing against going back per say. What I feel very uncomfortable with are the administrative tasks ahead, and the awful lot of social thing to take care of… Selling the furniture (Craigslist is my best friend, minimum interaction with people), the car, the house… Closing accounts, dealing with pension and education plans… And then of course the finding of a new home, new job, and… Be closer to family members… I have already been pretty clear that there will not be any “family weekends” on a permanent 7 days rotation schedule! Otherwise I’ll move to Australia next time, and quick! Read the rest of this entry »