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Patio Heaters Ban?
Take me to your leader
The European Commission is likely to look into a ban on patio and terrace heating following a series of proposals drawing attention to their impact on the environment.
An EU ban on patio heating would catch Europe's smokers in a pincer movement: National bans on smoking indoors forcing smokers onto the streets, where they are subject to European laws preventing bar owners from heating their terraces.
War? What War?
As an Afghan student is sentenced to death for downloading information on women's rights, we have to ask: Didn't we go into Afghanistan to boot these barbarians out of power? Have we lost the war?
This comes as news that "half-trained troops" are being "rushed" to Afghanistan battlefields to take on the Taliban (and doubtless clear up the opium crop, too).
A little more transparency here, please.
Madrassas In Milton Keynes
There have been widespread worries about Muslim schools failing to prepare children for life in Britain. Rather than bring activities in the schools under closer scrutiny, it has been revealed that the government's standards watchdog is going to allow private faith schools to appoint their own inspectors "more sensitive" to Islamic education.
"Religious leaders defended the move, saying the curriculum and religious traditions in faith schools demand specialist knowledge", the Telegraph reports.
Hazy Moral Maze
Britain's Archbishop of Canterbury, symbolic head of the Anglican Communion's 77 million worshippers, is not usually given to the business of day-to-day moral guidance. Dr Rowan Williams prefers to focus on broader issues - war in the middle east, relations with the Roman Catholic Church, and trying to separate the church's factions warring over homosexuality.
However, marking the fifth anniversary of his enthronement, he has spoken out against Britain's 24-hour drinking laws, arguing that the legislation has made Britain "less safe and civil."
Department Of No Surprises
More from the health workers' committee for stating the obvious: football fans are three times more likely to have heart attacks on match days.
A German study showed that heart problems peaked during the 2006 World Cup Finals, when Germany beat Argentina in a penalty shoot-out. The next game, when the Germans were knocked out by eventual champions Italy in extra time, also player merry mischief with German tickers. EURSOC could have told the researchers this for free: He has suffered countless cold sweats and blown gaskets while cheering (or more likely swearing at) his team.
Naked Germans Take To Air
Germans are renowned throughout Europe for their relaxed attitude to nudity. Tourists are often surprised to find naked Germans sunbathing in city parks, while numerous beaches, particularly those popular with east Germans, sport naturist zones for those keen to let it all hang out.
German tourists who can't wait until they arrive at their destination to disrobe are being catered for in a new service from travel agent Ossiurlaub.de: an all-nude chartered flight between the town of Erfurt and the Baltic Sea island resort of Usedom.
Rocket Man
President Nicolas Sarkozy's latest scheme to speed up deportations of illegal immigrants from the Paris banlieue of St Denis.
(In reality, it's an advertisement celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Stade de France... any readers able to come up with a better caption?)
No More Predictions
As John McCain emerges victorious from the Florida primary, EURSOC's US correspondent Chris Timmers despairs of the crystal ball game.
Dear Readers,
Remember last summer how I predicted that the presidential campaign of John McCain was out of gas, and money, and that he was going nowhere? Remember how I said Barak Obama of the Democrats wasn't to be taken seriously?
Mitterand Privatisation Completed
Another bling-bling President
The macabre sell-off of late President François Mitterand's relics seems to have been a success, with the auction raising a total of €150,000 (£111,300 / $221,560) - nearly three times what was expected.
Some items fetched well beyond their estimate. One of Mitterand's prized fedora hats was sold for €7800, reportedly to the President's Parti Socialiste.
Down The Drain
Just when you thought Britain couldn't get any worse:
Five boys aged 13-15 arrested for forcing a sex act on an 11 year old girl - and filming it.
Teachers told to avoid saying "mum and dad" to kids for fear of upsetting those with gay parents.
Reports of disabled people being beaten to death by young thugs.
Where can I catch the first boat out of here?
In The Navy
Thousands of Germans have been enjoying this video of a little naval accident while on manoeuvres in the Mediterranean.
Quite a bump. And you thought Germans were reliable?
Britain's Stasi State
British papers are leading with the news that every day, the security services and other agencies request permission to carry out 1,000 bugging and phone tap operations. 653 state bodies, including 474 local councils, have the power to intercept private communications.
Closing Down Debate On Europe
As the EU Referendum Blog reports, the British government has won a vote to curtail debate on the EU Constitution.
The debate will now run for 12 days, rather than the 18 opposition MPs had hoped for (the BBC opts for "MPs back Lisbon treaty timetable." William Hague pointed out that the government's timetable allows for just 45 seconds to debate each line in the constitution.
A Pint For The Pope
EURSOC's favourite cleric, Archbishop of York John Sentamu gave our second favourite cleric, Pope Benedict XVI a bottle of Yorkshire's Holy Grail Ale when he visited him in Rome. Knowing that the Bavarian pontiff likes a beer more than the usual Roman wine, Sentamu brought along a bottle of the Masham brewery's Monty Python themed beer after hearing that Benedict enjoyed a Black Sheep Ale brewed by the same company.
He also had a chance to deliver one of those great lines he's become famous for:
"The joy is we (Anglicans) talk about everything. I'm amazed people call Britain a secular country when 70% of people identify themselves as Christian and 90% believe in God."
Another Blair Job
Not in the red for long
Tony Blair's retirement won't be spent in penury (unlike that of other British pensioners). He's just taken a six-figure-salary job with Zurich Insurance as a "climate change adviser".
La Concierge Crisis
A Paris concierge in happier days
Yet another venerable French tradition is close to extinction. For as many years as anyone can count the institution of the 'concierge' has been embedded in the Gallic psyche.
Ryanair Flies Into Sarko Turbulence
From the Times
The Elysée Palace is considering legal action against no-frills airline Ryanair after it used an image of President Nicolas Sarkozy and his girlfriend Carla Bruni in a newspaper advertisement.
Mitterand: Everything Must Go
From Castro with love
Fans of late French President François Mitterand will soon be able to own part of his heritage, as a collection of his relics goes on sale in a Paris auction house.
The President's widow, Danielle, is auctioning hundreds of items of clothing, gifts and other personal belongings to raise money for her human rights charity. Price estimates range from €20 to €4000 for a coffee table.
Beating The Smoking Ban In France & Germany
When France introduced a nationwide ban on smoking in public places on 2 January most people took it in their stride.
Less that a month later the mood is different in Paris and other French cities. Displeasure is a polite term for the current attitude.
Sex & Columbus
Even before the time of Henry VIII, syphilis has been a curse for mankind. The first recorded outbreak was in 1495, after the return of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) from the Americas. (Syphilis is with us still today with its companions HIV and AIDS).
Crash & Burn
This is the front page of France's left-wing newspaper, Libération, after Monday's mighty stock market slump. Since then, both Britain's FTSE Index and France's CAC40 have returned to levels close to those they enjoyed before "lundi noir", though it is clear we are not out of the woods yet.
How Many Frenchmen Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?
Your correspondent counted eight subway workers observing and repairing a single failed strip light in the Paris Metro this morning. Eight.
Quote Of The Day
"My generation was the one, largely state-educated and reasonably literate, that fought in a war against acknowledged tyrannies to preserve basic and long-cherished freedoms. Since then what world have we been gradually forced to accept? A new religion of political correctness daily reaches fresh heights of idiocy, ignoring the fact that a society that willingly retreats from common sense is ultimately doomed. Privacy for the ordinary citizen is now dead. The latest tally is that we are being watched by a staggering three million closed-circuit television cameras, yet no camera has yet been invented that can photograph inside a terrorist’s brain. Government, police and security services possess greater legal powers to pry into our lives than they do in communist China."
Turbulent Priests
It sounds like a scene from Father Ted. A football tournament in Rome, which has been supported by the Vatican, is coming under fire because of bad-tempered on-pitch behaviour and rowdy fans in the terraces.
The 18 teams are made up of young seminarians, priests and several lay members working in religious charities. While over 50 nationalities are represented in the tournament, teams and supporters have clustered around national groups. Supporters of a team of North American seminarians have taken to singing doo-wop anthems, while the fans of a team made up of African players have been playing Reggae numbers.
New Independent
The Independent's web edition has had a long-overdue makeover. It looks good. I hope they can promise fewer non-loading pages - that website was a byword for clunky, malfunctioning new media efforts, much as the Guardian used to be mocked for its appalling proof-reading back in the days of print.
Carla Bares All (Again)
Some of the British papers are getting hot under the collar thanks to the appearance of saucy photographs of Carla Bruni, including one where she appears to be wearing a wedding ring.
EURSOC is not usually impressed by American web gurus who make a buck by publishing blogs about how old media "doesn't get it" and how publishers who haven't replaced their entire workforce with bloggers are "dinosaurs".
How Brussels Buys Support
Following on from yesterday's post on how the European Commission pays NGOs to tell it what it wants to hear, The Devil's Kitchen reports on how various British charities are singing for their supper in Brussels too.
The Paymasters Of Brussels
"Is there anyone out there who just happens independently to come to the view that the Lisbon Treaty is a Good Thing? Without being paid to say that, I mean?", asks Daniel Hannan in the Telegraph blogs.
The wise and venerable Archbishop Cranmer reports that Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been claiming, to general mirth, that the Commission of Bishops has "come out" in support of the Constitution.
Well, they would say that, wouldn't they? Not least because this "Roman Catholic-led ecumenical body (...) is financed by the European Union to produce reports singing the praises of said union with all glory, laud and honour."
Sarkozy Closes "English Channel"
French president Nicolas Sarkozy doesn't speak a lot of English but he certainly understands it.
Perhaps this is why he has ordered a Paris-based television channel, France 24, to cease broadcasting in English.
The Happiness Patrol
There is an important institution in Rotterdam in the Netherlands which is almost unknown but contented. It is the World Database of Happiness (WDH).
That Treaty Again
EU Referendum Blog links to the pdf version of the EU's Constitution, sorry, Lisbon Treaty. All 330 pages of it, as it consolidates a number of previous treaties.
What's the EU for, you might ask yourself. Page 11 of the treaty provides some helpful pointers:
"The Union shall set itself the following objectives:
"to promote economic and social progress and a high level of employment and to achieve
balanced and sustainable development, in particular through the creation of an area without internal frontiers, through the strengthening of economic and social cohesion and through the establishment of economic and monetary union, ultimately including a single currency in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty".
Social progress... sustainable development... economic and social cohesion... Sounds more like the annual report of some crappy Hackney NGO than the governing treaty of a 27 nation union.
"There's more", as a certain Irish comedian would threaten.
Charles Appears As Hologram
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope
His illustrious ancestors have appeared in marble, in paint and in photographs but yesterday Prince Charles became the first British royal to be recreated in Hologram form.
The Telegraph reports that the Prince delivered a six-minute speech as a 3D hologram, rather than generate 20 tons of carbon waste by flying to the Dubai conference on the environment he addressed. The newspaper's site has a video of his "appearance."
Moscow's Retro Cheek
Vladimir Putin to parade his big guns in May
That Cold War chill just got chillier: The Kremlin has announced plans to revive the Communist-era practice of military parades.
Something Rotten In The State Of Campania
Naples is a nice place to visit if you don't have to smell it. There is a lot of old (and new) rubbish in the southern Italian state of Campania of which Naples is the capital.
Brave New Labour
Britain's government isn't content with controlling its citizens' lives while they're walking the earth: Recent reports suggest it is extending its authority into the womb and after death.
The Catholic Church famously argues that life begins at the moment of conception and kindly makes provision to welcome the faithful on their arrival in the afterlife. In mimicry of this successful model, New Labour has laid out recommendations and requirements for families expecting children, and has revealed plans to take possession of bodies after death.
President Blair?
Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign to crown Tony Blair Europe's first "President" continues apace, despite grumbles from senior French political figures.
Sarkozy has pushed "this most European of Britons" as the semi-permanent President demanded of the revised EU Constitution almost since he came to power in May. EURSOC initially believed that Sarko was using Blair as a bargaining tool, and would throw his weight behind whichever Belgian nonentity the anti-Blair camp supported in exchange for concessions in other areas. There definitely appeared to be some support for this theory in the French papers last week. However, we're beginning to think that Sarkozy is serious about the Presidency, and serious about Blair.
Feminist Jokes: No Laughing Matter
Q: How many feminists does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: One and IT'S NOT FUNNY
Unintentionally (we think) funniest article of the week goes to this collection of "random acts of feminism" in today's Guardian.
Coming Out For Carla
It's a cigarette, honest
There's a nice coincidence. Two days after EURSOC set out its stall as the world's first supporter of Carla Bruni as France's first lady, the Guardian publishes a profile of the former supermodel which is a great deal more sympathetic than anything else we've read to date.
We expected more of a feminist angle from a dissenting newspaper like the Guardian, though. Bruni has been criticised in the French and international press as a "man-eater" and your correspondent was horrified to read her described in one French newspaper as a "praying mantis." This is distasteful, as well as grotesquely sexist: Pity the Guardian didn't pick up on this.
Sealed With A Kiss
Why is "radical farmer" José Bové, the scourge of globalisation, kissing France's hot young Deputy Minister of Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet like she's an old mate? Shouldn't he be dumping a burning sheep on the steps of her ministry, or smashing up her office with his soap-dodging cronies?
The notorious protest leader recently escaped yet another prison sentence, while the government has made clear that it's coming round to his way of thinking on genetically-modified crops. For a man who has spent the past two decades posing as the radical conscience of France's peasants - and who ran for President on a fiercely anti-establishment platform - this is a remarkable rehabilitation.
John Rosenthal has the full story.
Sniffing Out A Partner
Over a decade ago, Claus Wedekind, a researcher at the University of Bern in Switzerland, conducted an interesting experiment.
Donut Tax
So speed cameras and radar traps to catch unwary drivers do have a purpose. Thanks to William P. for sending the photo. Anyone know where it came from?
Flavio Corner
EURSOC loves Flavio Briatore, the Italian co-owner of Queen's Park Rangers Football Club. So welcome to the first installment in what is likely to be a short-lived feature on EURSOC, Flavio Corner.
Here he is on the terraces at Loftus Road. We assure you that the colour settings on this photograph have not been tampered with in any way. And you thought Orangemen were only found in Northern Ireland.
Crazy Season
EURSOC's US correspondent Chris Timmers reports from a topsy-turvy Primary session in the US elections.
Well, this is another fine mess I've gotten myself into. Just when I thought I had a handle on the Republican and Democratic primaries, the voters go and make me look like the rank amateur that I am.
Uncorked
The California Istitute of Technology has a sound reputation for teaching applied science. And now, wine tasting sessions may be considered a new speciality at this university.
The Next Jackie O?
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy is reportedly set to wed his girlfriend Carla Bruni: According to some reports in the French press, they married at a "secret ceremony" in the Elysée Palace a week ago.
Much of the press, both in France and overseas, has criticised the President for his very public affair, while commentators have scorned Mme Bruni's colourful past and the President's apparent haste to marry her.
Here at EURSOC, however, we're going to stick our necks out and say that perhaps Sarko has made a wise choice: Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Carla Bruni, the World's Leading First Lady.
Sarkozy And His Slappers
Few of you will have missed the latest reports from France's compelling Sarko Show. At the weekend, the President's former wife Cécilia was in the spotlight again, as she fought to block the publication of a book written by a "friend" which she said invaded her privacy.
The French and British press published the juiciest extracts from the book with delight: Sarkozy, according to his ex-wife, was a serial shagger, a miser with behavior problems and a ridiculous streak. His UMP party colleagues were all "queers and machos" and as for the women, they're all "boring wallflowers." "Why aren't there any smart birds (nanas) in the UMP - like my friend Ségolène?" bemoaned Cécilia (allegedly).
It's Sarkozy's life after Cécilia moved out which has drawn the most attention. According to her former friend, the ex-first lady claims that Sarkozy was surrounded by puffed-up young men who think they're the Princes of Paris: He spent his nights hosting karaoke parties and enjoying the attentions of "slappers."
The British press in particular has been delighted to report on Sarkozy's slappers.
The Fight For Freedom
We sceptics at EURSOC don't use words like "heroic" often. In the case of Ezra Levant, we'll make an exception. A couple of years ago, Levant published the famous Danish illustrations of Mohammed (which sparked the cartoon jihad) in his Canadian newspaper the Western Standard.
A Saudi-trained iman, who has called for sharia law to be introduced in Canada, complained to a "human rights officer". Levant was called in for interrogation. After negotiating that the session be filmed - and republishing the cartoons, this time on his weblog - Levant attended the hearing last Friday. He was clearly determined to use his interrogation to address some broader issues. Don't miss his response to the accusation that Muslims feel particular under attack since 9/11 - the only house of religion to be torched since then was Levant's own synagogue, attacked by a Jordanian fanatic!
We recommend you watch the entire series, broadcast on Levant's blog. Here's his introduction:
France Braces For Al-Qaeda
France has stepped up its Vigipirate anti-terror surveillance and alert plan following a series of threats and reports relating to attacks on French citizens and territory.
Ten days ago, a Salafist website Al-Ekhlass called for attacks on French interests. A report gathered from a terrorist "chat room" claims that up to ten targets in France - including the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland Paris - could be targeted by al-Qaeda sympathisers. According to reports in the British Press, the two major airports of Paris and the Champs-Elysees are also on the hitlist. On Thursday, Portuguese air traffic controllers picked up a short wave radio which spoke of an imminent attack on the Eiffel Tower. This year's Paris-Dakar rally was cancelled because of concerns about al-Qaeda activity in North Africa.
Real threats, or just another fantasy hit list, dreamed up by terrorist wannabes who are simply scribbling the first French attractions which enter their tiny minds?
Well, one threat that was tragically real was the December murder of four French tourists in Mauritania. Originally reported as an armed robbery, some in the French press are now saying that two of the accused are "suspected of being close to al-Qaeda in North Africa."
Extremism On Trial
From the Guardian:
"A group of women whose relatives were killed in the Beslan school siege are to go on trial in Russia today after they accused President Vladimir Putin of complicity in the deaths.
Behave!
It is an old axiom that the French eat well at the table and that the best the English can manage are good table manners.
But in another indication that standards are slipping in England, a public school (private school) is introducing a course on "etiquette" to teach its 700 pupils how to behave in "formal situations".
Call That Justice?
Here's an interesting claim from the Guardian, a newspaper not known for its "kill them all, let God sort out the guilty from the innocent" line:
The Facebook Conspiracy
Tom Hodgkinson's background piece on Facebook makes for fascinating reading, particularly on the philosophy of some of the nutters inhabiting the world of SF venture capitalism.
Like most other theories, the article begins to disappear up its own conspiracy theory when - as ever - the CIA is involved: "After 9/11, the US intelligence community became so excited by the possibilities of new technology and the innovations being made in the private sector, that in 1999 they set up their own venture capital fund, In-Q-Tel, which "identifies and partners with companies developing cutting-edge technologies to help deliver these solutions to the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader US Intelligence Community (IC) to further their missions"."
Spot the deliberate mistake? I know the CIA is often credited with pulling the strings behind events, but setting up a VC fund in response to an event (which of course they planned) which occurred two years later shows a prescience beyond the reach of even the most visionary spook.
Sarkozy Gets Gallic Shrug-Off
The French have given their verdict on Nicolas Sarkozy's festive antics with supermodel-turned-chanteuse Carla Bruni. An opinion poll carried out for popular tabloid Le Parisien suggests that while they are quickly falling out of love with their "bling-bling" President, there is widespread and in places overwhelming support for his program.
Sarkozy bof... ses projets oui runs the front page. 50 percent of voters say they don't have confidence in the President, the newspaper says, with 39 percent finding him convincing. While George Bush and Gordon Brown might look enviously at such a high approval ratings, it's the lowest Sarko has scored since he came to power and reflects wide unease over the very public nature of his romance with Carla Bruni.
School For Smiles
Today's lesson is how to learn to smile. I know it's not easy but we must try.
We are in Beijing in January for early homework for hosting the Olympic games in August. The teacher is Ms Liu Wenjing, vice-principal of the new 'smiling school'.
Terrorists Rewriting History?
An official body charged with coming up with schemes to reconcile Ulster with the legacy of its recent past has proposed that the three-decade terrorist conflict be retrospectively declared a war.
History Of The iPhone
As the tech world gears up for another messianic keynote speech by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Wired magazine has an inside look at the secret development of the company's iconic iPhone - and discusses how iPhone changed the game in the mobile communications business.
Macworld takes place next Tuesday (15 Jan) in San Francisco.
Smoke Signals
Anyone found in possession of cannabis in the greater part of Britain may soon face a possible term of five years in jail and an unlimited fine.
A Nice Little Earner
Remember when Tony Blair and his wife bought that pad on Connaught Square? How could someone on a modest Prime Minister's salary afford to live among the world's wealthiest Arabs in this swish part of central London, observers wondered. After all, there are only so many "human rights" cases lawyer wife Cherie can get involved in, plus she missed out on the Bloody Sunday free-for-all farce enquiry.
Taxing Times
"After you Mr President"
Sarkozy plans big shake-up of French media (and Tony Blair)
While the British media concentrated on the few minutes or so when Nicolas Sarkozy hinted he may marry Carla Bruni, it's worth remembering that the President spoke about a few other things during his two-hour press conference yesterday.
Of particular interest are his plans for France's media. He proposed that France's main state-run broadcasters should become ad-free zones, with their funds for programming raised via taxation on other media sources. The internet is reportedly one of the areas the government is considering taxing.
The Challenge Of Islam
"How does a civilised person respond to the rise of Islam in Britain?" asks Peter Hitchens in The Daily Mail. In a long article, covering the failure of Islam to take root in western Europe and the different strands of Islamic thought and culture vying for supremacy, he examines claims made by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali about how extreme Islamism was claiming territory in some British cities.
Medical Fact Or Fiction?
Do not believe everything your doctor tells you. A fresh report in the respected 'British Medical Journal' (BMJ) gives evidence that we may have problems in the surgery. (Respected or not the BMJ is a reference bible for many general practitioners in Britain).
For example, there is the idea that mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals. Most hospitals in the United Kingdom and in other countries in Western Europe and in North America still ban the use of cell-phones in the belief that they can affect medical instruments and the the safety of patients at risk. This is not true.
Hub Of Hope And Glory
Great men throughout history have shared their vision of Britain. There was Shakespeare's sceptred isle, Churchill's promise of "blood, sweat and tears." Even Tony Blair claimed that "The British are special. The world knows it. In our innermost thoughts, we know it. This is the greatest nation on earth."
So what has the new government, under PM Gordon Brown, got in store for the nation? One might look to this article in the Sunday Times by Foreign Secretary David Miliband for evidence of the New-New Labour "vision of Britain."
Two Of A Kind
Check out this photo of Nicolas Sarkozy with his girlfriend Carla Bruni on holiday in Egypt. Doesn't Carla look just like Sarko's ex-wife, Cécila? Nice to see the President is consistent in his choice of woman.
Love's Cooking In The Kitchen
Shock, horror. According to a recent IsoPublic survey and a report from Mintel, a British market-research company, men in the United Kingdom are spending much more time in the kitchen than we thought possible.
DJ Sarko In The House
Rock da Elysée
President Sarkozy's son Pierre is making a living as a producer of hip-hop and rap records, it was revealed today. Here's his MySpace page where the 22 year old bigs himself up as a "young Parisian producer" hanging with his "crew", "Da Crime Chantilly."
Beating The Smoking Ban
English singer-songwriter Joe Jackson is best known for his musical prowess, but did you know that he was also a fierce opponent of the ban on smoking?
The Britney President
Can France's President Nicolas Sarkozy really be preparing to announce his engagement to former supermodel Carla Bruni?
We've been treated to the sight of singer Britney Spears going off the rails in 2007: Is Sarkozy risking the same fate?
Our Man In Washington
Who said this:
"My family and I go to a little home-town July 4th celebration and it always strikes me as the opposite of that kind of Soviet military-style parade with all the military hardware, which in fact showed you how brittle the state was. In small-town America what's important is the volunteer fire-truck coming down the main street with crowds throwing sweets and waving flags. It's terribly easy to laugh at it all, but actually it has an incredible bonding effect and it creates a feeling of happiness and solidity in where you come from and what you believe in. From my British perspective, I can see real advantages to the American way."
Defence Ministry "Glamorises War"
A charitable trust dedicated to "seeking the creation of a peaceful world, political equality and social justice" has complained that recruitment advertising for Britain's Armed Forces "glamorise war" and "fails to point out the risks and responsibilities associated with a forces career."
France's BSD
Quote of the day:
"I couldn't give a damn about people's commentaries.
"For 12 years they were used to having granny and grandpa [Jacques Chirac and his wife] at the Elysée.
"I have a new style. Everyone is going to have to adapt. Now the French have a real man at the Elysée who has balls and uses them."
First They Came For The Smokers
It's no-smoking time in Europe. However, many German pubs and restaurants have resisted strongly the new ban on smoking which came into effect, technically, on 1 January.
A Job For Life?
Pity Kenichi Uchino of Nagoya, Japan. He is now dead. Age of demise; 30. Cause of death: too much work.
Playing With Fire
This video, produced by Holland's consumer safety council, caused a stir before Christmas. For those of you who missed it, it's very funny and worth revisiting. Muslim groups in the Netherlands protested that the spoof firework safety videos showed a "negative stereotype" of Islam.
More videos from the same source after the break...
The Shorter Version
Thanks to Daniel Hannan for picking up on this story about how advocates of the EU's Lisbon Treaty have been caught telling porkies on the length of the new Constitution Treaty.
The Internet Iron Curtain
2008 is likely to be a worrying year for advocates of internet freedom. The new Australian government has announced plans for a "Great Barrier" on the net, designed to filter access to disagreeable sites. Web freedom activists complain that the Labor government has equated criticism about the impact on freedom of speech with child pornography; others argue that the filter is unlikely to work effectively.
You Are Being Watched
What better way to start the year than news that both Britain and the USA have been named endemic surveillance societies by rights watchdog Privacy International.
