Jim Scales Issues of Interest Blog http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/09/09/can_washington_tame_france_new_tart_tongued_ambassador_gerard_araud
This article is about the newly named French Ambassador to America Gérard Araud and his infamous reputation for being incredibly outspoken. Araud has drawn both praise and criticism for his never back down attitude and for not having any reservations about his opinions being voiced, most recently over Twitter. Araud is known for getting into Twitter spats with people who openly criticize him, including Americans. He is more than qualified for this position having served as Frances envoy to the UN, where his brash attitude earned begrudging respect from others. Britain's U.N. ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant said this quote about Araud and his new position "I hope Washington will not tame him." The idea of how Washington will accept Araud was discussed in the article and that quote seems to sum up everyone’s feelings towards the outspoken French diplomat, "I hope Washington will not tame him." The article is relevant to the class discussions as we have talked on multiple occasions about the uniqueness of French politics from American politics. As was mentioned in class the French lean more towards a liberal ideology and Gérard Araud is a prime example of this more liberal leaning and the very intense and outspoken French style of politics. The French people love their politics as we discussed in class it is often even a dinner time discussion which is considered a feaux pas in America, and Araud is the personification of this French idea political views being viewed as important because they are different, the idea of “Espirit Critique.”
This article talks about the American children and what they eat compared to how children eat in France. There are many examples and it shows how different each nationality’s eating habits are. It explains that American children are way more over weight than the France children. The article say that all meals are sent in to a nutritionist two months before the meals are even served so that the meals get approved for the children to consume. The nutritionist can also make adjustments to the meals if they think that more fruit or vegetables should be added to the menu. Another thing about the food is that they are not frozen meals first they are all cooked the day that they are served for the children this is healthier. Children in France also have three recess periods. Two of the recesses are fifteen minutes long and there is one recess that is sixty minutes long. In America they are clearly served junk food and they serve it after it has been frozen for a long time. I saw this article online and it instantly brought me to what we have been talking about n class. It is clear that the Americans as a whole are way more over weight than the French. It is relevant because we have talked about this throughout class already how France is healthier and they don’t shop for food for a full week they actually go many times a week to get food. It is also relevant because we have talked about the weigh issue between the two cultures and how the French are a lot healthier. Overall I though this article had great incite on the two different eating cultures and really explained why the French weigh less than us Americans.
http://jessifish.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/france-vs-the-us-the-clothing-and-appearance-edition/ This article is about French style and clothing versus American style and clothing. It is written by an American student studying business in France, and she writes about her experiences with French fashion and how it differs from fashion in America. This article is relevant to our course because we learned about these differences in our book Au Contraire! Figuring out the French. On page 16, there is a passage in Au Contraire! about France’s ‘aesthetic sense’ and about how American’s are surprised with how good the French look all the time. Towards the end of the article, the author makes a statement about what she thinks is the biggest difference between French and American Fashion. She states, “We, Americans, prioritize convenience over all else. The French prioritize aesthetics.” This statement sums up exactly what we learned about in class.
This article, from The Huffington Post Online, was published in July of 2014. It covers the European Court of Human Rights recent decision to uphold a law passed in 2010 prohibiting the wearing of burqas and veils in public spaces. This relates to discussions in class that we have had about the treatment of muslims in France and the United States. Also explained is the legal action being taken against the law by muslim women and the Court's ruling that it doesn't interfere with freedom of religion or unfairly target muslim women. The Court argued that social cohesion would be damaged if the law was repealed. Despite admitting that the law disproportionally impacted muslim women, the Court argued that it had no connection to religion. This law could never pass in the United States because of our anti discriminatory laws and First Amendment right of freedom of religious expression. The argument used by the Court in France, that it conflicts with their secular traditions, would be immediately dismissed in the U.S. because of our firm belief in religious and individual freedom. Other racial and religious issues occurring in France are mentioned in the article, such as segregated public housing areas and how those residents are labeled with negative stereotypes and are subject to harassment. France's immigration debate is briefly mentioned with examples of violence against French muslims and other immigrants. This, too, demonstrates a cultural difference between France and the U.S. regarding attitudes towards immigration. In France, race and ethnicity are major parts of the immigration debate and it is generally opposed as a threat against French values. In the U.S. immigration is discussed more in terms of humanitarianism and economic effects.
In this article we read the story of an American woman who moved to France and had a child. While raising her daughter in France she discovered many differences between American children and French children. She discovered that French parents have a different mentality towards their children, specifically with food. Americans tend to sort of “dumb down” children and assume they want the most simplistic option. Where as in France, children have a 4 course meal every day. She also noticed that being a mom does not take up majority of a woman’s life as it does in America. French parents hover less and raise their children to be more independent compared to Americans. This relates to the issues discussed in class because the class itself is structured on comparing the two countries. Many conversations in class are comparing different aspects of the two cultures. This is just another topic that we have yet to discuss, but is very interesting to learn.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/09/the-face-of-isis-terror-to-come.html This article talks about Jihadi Mehdi and his’ extreme terrorist threats along with ISIS. While reading this article, it portrays that Mehdi is a French man and the author despises this. He constantly calls him unintelligent, sadistic, and egotistical. Mehdi has killed many; some of the people were American and French. The author even stated that ISIS itself wants to be rid of Mehdi. This article mainly talked about ISIS on the North American and European scale and how we are all combined together when it comes to understanding this group.
http://rt.com/news/185616-eu-pen-crisis-ukraine/ This article was posted September 6th 2014. In the article, leader of the far right national front party, Marine Le Pen, blames the EU for the crisis rising in Ukraine. She blames them for using American policies and that the problem start when sides are forced to be chosen. This relates to our class in seeing how some French do not like the way American policies have spread to others way of thinking and polices. The EU wants Ukraine to either side with them or with Russia. Which pretty much saying “you’re with us or against us”. A saying since the U.S. went to war in the Middle East. To use this policy would put more tension on countries who have a divided population, such as Ukraine. Marine Le Pen believes in a better compromise can be made if negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would continue.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140616-french-rail-strike-sncf-monday/ This article from June 2014 talks about how rail workers’ strike put students in jeopardy of not being able to take their baccalauréat exams. The strike was a result to an ongoing debate about the reform of the SNCF, the French state rail operator, due to their 40 billion euro dept. The bac is something we discussed in class because it is so vital in France’s culture and essentially determines one’s ability to succeed in society after high school. The article describes how priority exam passes were given out to over 100,000 students and special trains were running to try to help ensure that students could get to their exams. The exam board was even allowing students to be an hour late due to the likely delays and struggle many would be having while trying to get to their test. All of this is very different from the United States. Although we have the ACT and the SAT which are very important, it is not nearly as crucial as the bac is in France where their entire public education system is so much more rigorous than ours and this exam not only has an impact on one’s higher education, but also one’s future career, and even their entire life. Public transportation playing such a big role in society is also different from the majority of America, where expect for major cities, use of public transportation is not very common. I think this article was a great example of how some things in France and the United States can be somewhat similar, but at the same time drastically different.
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/eating-habits-france In this article it talks about how the United States and the french eating habits are so different from one another. For example, the portion sizes are so much bigger in the United States then they are in France. They also talk about how everything is bigger in the US, for example, cars, people, food portions, even the country is bigger. In France the biggest meal is lunch but in the United States the biggest meal would be dinner. Also, in France they don't not approve of snacks but in the United States people sometimes eat snacks in-between meals. Another big difference is the amount of time that the French spend on eating compared to Americans. In France lunch is normally two hours long, and in the United States its about an hour long. In france they tend not to eat to much breakfast but in the United States we want to eat a good breakfast to start off our day. This shows me how the two countries are so different when it comes to food portions.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140910-france-hollande-hits-back-former-partner-lies-toothless-poor/ In this article the current president François Hollande is bashed by his former ex-girlfriend Valérie Trierweiler. She describes Hollande as being a “cold” and “cruel” person. She goes on to talk about how Hollande went as far as to mock the poor and belittle them and call them toothless. Hollande told the media that what Trierweiler was saying was a pack of vengeful lies, and that Hollande would never go as far as to say that when he himself came from a background where he had a grandfather who was a simple tailor and one who was a school teacher who lived on a farm. In my opinion this article is just going to hurt Hollande whether it’s true or not. People already don’t like Hollande to begin with, so hearing something bad about Hollande is just something that people are going to believe. Hearing this would just be old news to people. I’m curious to see if his rating will just drop even more after this whole supposable exploit on personal taste.
This article titled “Foodies beware, the FDA is coming for your French cheese” is about the FDA banning cheese containing the non- lethal bacteria E-Coli. This could be a problem for the French due to the fact they sell their cheeses to the United States. The FDA is being very strict when it comes to this due to the fact E-coli is lethal. This ban can affect the sales of French cheese in America because Americans may feel that if they eat the cheese that is not FDA approved that they can contract the deadly E-coli bacteria. This article is relevant to the material and discussions in class due to the fact it greatly affects French cheese companies trying to expand their business to America.
This article talks about the French welfare system versus the American Welfare system. This woman is an American who moved to France. She then was expecting a baby. When she went to the doctor the doctor told her that she should be expecting this to be a bit costly. The woman, use to living in America with American medical costs had asked how much the bill would be, expecting it to be about 1,000 euros. The midwife told her that it would be about 150 euros, which is about 200 US dollars. In France, 200 US dollars for a medical bill is considered expensive. Yet to us as Americans it doesn’t seem so bad. The French welfare system is often called the ‘Best in the world.’ The French healthcare system works like this. Everyone is covered for the most part by the government, but a lot of people also have private insurance that is either offered through their employer that they work for or bought on a private market. A top of the line private health care plan in France costs about 50 euros a month, while in America it costs about 350 dollars a month. It is surprising how much a difference there is between the French and American medical costs. The writer of this peice said how she was so surprised to know the exact cost of all of her health care services before actually buying them. In the US there is often hidden fees and taxes. In France, they tell you straight up what you owe. In France, the price of medical care is a legal requirement. So the Government sets a price that they believe to be fair, and then reimburses everyone at 70%. This relates to what we are learning in class because I remember talking about how in France the government pays for a lot of the expenses of the citizens. The medical bills are a great example of this.
In this short article, the main focus is how different the French fashion is compared to the American fashion. In class, discussion in the last couple weeks have been mainly the similarities and differences between our country and France. From the outside looking in, we see the French way different as to maybe a neighbor of France. They know what's going on there on a day to day basis unlike us. All we can do here in America is do research and make assumptions about how a day to day French person lives. In the short article I read, the main emphasis is the differences our fashion is to the French and the history around it. The article starts off saying how masculine, bold an angular the American fashion is. As compared to the French, the style is almost completely opposite. For women, instead of purchasing expensive jeans or shirts, they will purchase a few well-made designer pieces and turn them into some accessories, eschewing the inexpensive, chain-store clothing that happens in America.
Jim Scales
ReplyDeleteIssues of Interest Blog
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/09/09/can_washington_tame_france_new_tart_tongued_ambassador_gerard_araud
This article is about the newly named French Ambassador to America Gérard Araud and his infamous reputation for being incredibly outspoken. Araud has drawn both praise and criticism for his never back down attitude and for not having any reservations about his opinions being voiced, most recently over Twitter. Araud is known for getting into Twitter spats with people who openly criticize him, including Americans. He is more than qualified for this position having served as Frances envoy to the UN, where his brash attitude earned begrudging respect from others. Britain's U.N. ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant said this quote about Araud and his new position "I hope Washington will not tame him." The idea of how Washington will accept Araud was discussed in the article and that quote seems to sum up everyone’s feelings towards the outspoken French diplomat, "I hope Washington will not tame him."
The article is relevant to the class discussions as we have talked on multiple occasions about the uniqueness of French politics from American politics. As was mentioned in class the French lean more towards a liberal ideology and Gérard Araud is a prime example of this more liberal leaning and the very intense and outspoken French style of politics. The French people love their politics as we discussed in class it is often even a dinner time discussion which is considered a feaux pas in America, and Araud is the personification of this French idea political views being viewed as important because they are different, the idea of “Espirit Critique.”
Erik Hark
ReplyDeleteIssues of Interest Blog
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/09/if_only_american_kids_could_eat_school_lunches_like_they_do_in_france_partner/
This article talks about the American children and what they eat compared to how children eat in France. There are many examples and it shows how different each nationality’s eating habits are. It explains that American children are way more over weight than the France children. The article say that all meals are sent in to a nutritionist two months before the meals are even served so that the meals get approved for the children to consume. The nutritionist can also make adjustments to the meals if they think that more fruit or vegetables should be added to the menu. Another thing about the food is that they are not frozen meals first they are all cooked the day that they are served for the children this is healthier. Children in France also have three recess periods. Two of the recesses are fifteen minutes long and there is one recess that is sixty minutes long. In America they are clearly served junk food and they serve it after it has been frozen for a long time.
I saw this article online and it instantly brought me to what we have been talking about n class. It is clear that the Americans as a whole are way more over weight than the French. It is relevant because we have talked about this throughout class already how France is healthier and they don’t shop for food for a full week they actually go many times a week to get food. It is also relevant because we have talked about the weigh issue between the two cultures and how the French are a lot healthier. Overall I though this article had great incite on the two different eating cultures and really explained why the French weigh less than us Americans.
http://jessifish.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/france-vs-the-us-the-clothing-and-appearance-edition/
ReplyDeleteThis article is about French style and clothing versus American style and clothing. It is written by an American student studying business in France, and she writes about her experiences with French fashion and how it differs from fashion in America. This article is relevant to our course because we learned about these differences in our book Au Contraire! Figuring out the French. On page 16, there is a passage in Au Contraire! about France’s ‘aesthetic sense’ and about how American’s are surprised with how good the French look all the time. Towards the end of the article, the author makes a statement about what she thinks is the biggest difference between French and American Fashion. She states, “We, Americans, prioritize convenience over all else. The French prioritize aesthetics.” This statement sums up exactly what we learned about in class.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leland-ware/burqa-ban-france_b_5555732.html
ReplyDeleteThis article, from The Huffington Post Online, was published in July of 2014. It covers the European Court of Human Rights recent decision to uphold a law passed in 2010 prohibiting the wearing of burqas and veils in public spaces. This relates to discussions in class that we have had about the treatment of muslims in France and the United States. Also explained is the legal action being taken against the law by muslim women and the Court's ruling that it doesn't interfere with freedom of religion or unfairly target muslim women. The Court argued that social cohesion would be damaged if the law was repealed. Despite admitting that the law disproportionally impacted muslim women, the Court argued that it had no connection to religion. This law could never pass in the United States because of our anti discriminatory laws and First Amendment right of freedom of religious expression. The argument used by the Court in France, that it conflicts with their secular traditions, would be immediately dismissed in the U.S. because of our firm belief in religious and individual freedom. Other racial and religious issues occurring in France are mentioned in the article, such as segregated public housing areas and how those residents are labeled with negative stereotypes and are subject to harassment. France's immigration debate is briefly mentioned with examples of violence against French muslims and other immigrants. This, too, demonstrates a cultural difference between France and the U.S. regarding attitudes towards immigration. In France, race and ethnicity are major parts of the immigration debate and it is generally opposed as a threat against French values. In the U.S. immigration is discussed more in terms of humanitarianism and economic effects.
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146769135/move-over-tiger-mother-french-parents-may-be-better-too
ReplyDeleteIn this article we read the story of an American woman who moved to France and had a child. While raising her daughter in France she discovered many differences between American children and French children. She discovered that French parents have a different mentality towards their children, specifically with food. Americans tend to sort of “dumb down” children and assume they want the most simplistic option. Where as in France, children have a 4 course meal every day. She also noticed that being a mom does not take up majority of a woman’s life as it does in America. French parents hover less and raise their children to be more independent compared to Americans.
This relates to the issues discussed in class because the class itself is structured on comparing the two countries. Many conversations in class are comparing different aspects of the two cultures. This is just another topic that we have yet to discuss, but is very interesting to learn.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/09/the-face-of-isis-terror-to-come.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about Jihadi Mehdi and his’ extreme terrorist threats along with ISIS. While reading this article, it portrays that Mehdi is a French man and the author despises this. He constantly calls him unintelligent, sadistic, and egotistical. Mehdi has killed many; some of the people were American and French. The author even stated that ISIS itself wants to be rid of Mehdi. This article mainly talked about ISIS on the North American and European scale and how we are all combined together when it comes to understanding this group.
http://rt.com/news/185616-eu-pen-crisis-ukraine/
ReplyDeleteThis article was posted September 6th 2014. In the article, leader of the far right national front party, Marine Le Pen, blames the EU for the crisis rising in Ukraine. She blames them for using American policies and that the problem start when sides are forced to be chosen. This relates to our class in seeing how some French do not like the way American policies have spread to others way of thinking and polices. The EU wants Ukraine to either side with them or with Russia. Which pretty much saying “you’re with us or against us”. A saying since the U.S. went to war in the Middle East. To use this policy would put more tension on countries who have a divided population, such as Ukraine. Marine Le Pen believes in a better compromise can be made if negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would continue.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140616-french-rail-strike-sncf-monday/
ReplyDeleteThis article from June 2014 talks about how rail workers’ strike put students in jeopardy of not being able to take their baccalauréat exams. The strike was a result to an ongoing debate about the reform of the SNCF, the French state rail operator, due to their 40 billion euro dept. The bac is something we discussed in class because it is so vital in France’s culture and essentially determines one’s ability to succeed in society after high school. The article describes how priority exam passes were given out to over 100,000 students and special trains were running to try to help ensure that students could get to their exams. The exam board was even allowing students to be an hour late due to the likely delays and struggle many would be having while trying to get to their test. All of this is very different from the United States. Although we have the ACT and the SAT which are very important, it is not nearly as crucial as the bac is in France where their entire public education system is so much more rigorous than ours and this exam not only has an impact on one’s higher education, but also one’s future career, and even their entire life. Public transportation playing such a big role in society is also different from the majority of America, where expect for major cities, use of public transportation is not very common. I think this article was a great example of how some things in France and the United States can be somewhat similar, but at the same time drastically different.
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/eating-habits-france
ReplyDeleteIn this article it talks about how the United States and the french eating habits are so different from one another. For example, the portion sizes are so much bigger in the United States then they are in France. They also talk about how everything is bigger in the US, for example, cars, people, food portions, even the country is bigger. In France the biggest meal is lunch but in the United States the biggest meal would be dinner. Also, in France they don't not approve of snacks but in the United States people sometimes eat snacks in-between meals. Another big difference is the amount of time that the French spend on eating compared to Americans. In France lunch is normally two hours long, and in the United States its about an hour long. In france they tend not to eat to much breakfast but in the United States we want to eat a good breakfast to start off our day. This shows me how the two countries are so different when it comes to food portions.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140910-france-hollande-hits-back-former-partner-lies-toothless-poor/
ReplyDeleteIn this article the current president François Hollande is bashed by his former ex-girlfriend Valérie Trierweiler. She describes Hollande as being a “cold” and “cruel” person. She goes on to talk about how Hollande went as far as to mock the poor and belittle them and call them toothless. Hollande told the media that what Trierweiler was saying was a pack of vengeful lies, and that Hollande would never go as far as to say that when he himself came from a background where he had a grandfather who was a simple tailor and one who was a school teacher who lived on a farm. In my opinion this article is just going to hurt Hollande whether it’s true or not. People already don’t like Hollande to begin with, so hearing something bad about Hollande is just something that people are going to believe. Hearing this would just be old news to people. I’m curious to see if his rating will just drop even more after this whole supposable exploit on personal taste.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/politics/fda-cheese-rules
ReplyDeleteThis article titled “Foodies beware, the FDA is coming for your French cheese” is about the FDA banning cheese containing the non- lethal bacteria E-Coli. This could be a problem for the French due to the fact they sell their cheeses to the United States. The FDA is being very strict when it comes to this due to the fact E-coli is lethal. This ban can affect the sales of French cheese in America because Americans may feel that if they eat the cheese that is not FDA approved that they can contract the deadly E-coli bacteria. This article is relevant to the material and discussions in class due to the fact it greatly affects French cheese companies trying to expand their business to America.
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/dispatches_from_the_welfare_state/2014/01/french_socialized_medicine_vs_u_s_health_care_having_a_baby_in_paris_is.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about the French welfare system versus the American Welfare system. This woman is an American who moved to France. She then was expecting a baby. When she went to the doctor the doctor told her that she should be expecting this to be a bit costly. The woman, use to living in America with American medical costs had asked how much the bill would be, expecting it to be about 1,000 euros. The midwife told her that it would be about 150 euros, which is about 200 US dollars. In France, 200 US dollars for a medical bill is considered expensive. Yet to us as Americans it doesn’t seem so bad. The French welfare system is often called the ‘Best in the world.’ The French healthcare system works like this. Everyone is covered for the most part by the government, but a lot of people also have private insurance that is either offered through their employer that they work for or bought on a private market. A top of the line private health care plan in France costs about 50 euros a month, while in America it costs about 350 dollars a month. It is surprising how much a difference there is between the French and American medical costs. The writer of this peice said how she was so surprised to know the exact cost of all of her health care services before actually buying them. In the US there is often hidden fees and taxes. In France, they tell you straight up what you owe. In France, the price of medical care is a legal requirement. So the Government sets a price that they believe to be fair, and then reimburses everyone at 70%. This relates to what we are learning in class because I remember talking about how in France the government pays for a lot of the expenses of the citizens. The medical bills are a great example of this.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6568627_american-fashion-vs_-french-fashion.html
ReplyDeleteIn this short article, the main focus is how different the French fashion is compared to the American fashion. In class, discussion in the last couple weeks have been mainly the similarities and differences between our country and France. From the outside looking in, we see the French way different as to maybe a neighbor of France. They know what's going on there on a day to day basis unlike us. All we can do here in America is do research and make assumptions about how a day to day French person lives. In the short article I read, the main emphasis is the differences our fashion is to the French and the history around it. The article starts off saying how masculine, bold an angular the American fashion is. As compared to the French, the style is almost completely opposite. For women, instead of purchasing expensive jeans or shirts, they will purchase a few well-made designer pieces and turn them into some accessories, eschewing the inexpensive, chain-store clothing that happens in America.