So I am in France getting ready to give a business presentation at a ritzy allegedly Leading Hotel of the World and I have spent four hours trying to get any of their internet connections to work: weefee — aka wi-fi — is broken at the phone company with absolutely no customer service for a service that charges 30 euros per day; the hotel network does not work; I cannot use DSL because I do not have a French account; I finally said I was going to turn into the Ugly American and have a fit to get someone on the hotel staff to just figure it out. Still nothing. I would go into amusing, theatrical detail but the only means I have of getting onto the internet to whine to you has a French keyboard where qwerty becomes azerty, just to be different, and the period key requires using shift — confirming my long-held suspicion that, indeed, the French never do come to a period in their nonstop sentences. And I am about to go berserk on jetlag and frustration. So insert your own joke about why the French are a third-world country here: _____________________
: LATER: Someone woke up at the French telcom and access is working. Our next challenge was to find a projector in a hotel and land still dominated by — I swear — overhead projectors. Welcome to 1972.
But were they angry at you when you checked in?
That’s what I love about the French. Whether it’s a large hotel or a small country inn, Paris or the sticks, whether you’re early or you’re late, as soon as you arrive you are informed that you have done something wrong.
they know their architecture though.
and their bread n cheese. mmmmmmmm (no period needed) mmmmmm
Jeff,
You need to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail again. The French Knight is hilarious!
Oh, that is, if the TV and CD player work…
you’re just visiting. imagine having to LIVE HERE!
Chill dude!
You are in France at a decent hotel.
Life could be worse.
Any country that can look on any creature as food, no matter how revolting (and here I am thinking of snails which, as any of us have had the misfortune of tasting can confess, are chewy, flavorless and slimey all at the same time, and in order to be edible have to smothered in garlic sauce so that you can pretend you’re not really eating snails at all but something Italian) is most definitely third world.
Now in America, a far more advanced society, we arrange things in a much more efficient and orderly fashion, i.e. we raise cows, innoculate them, stuff ‘em full of hormones and antibiotics so they grow twice as fast and live half as long, then send them to the machine which turns them into steak and sausages. We don’t randomly pluck creatures off the walls, salt ‘em and boil ‘em just because they happen to be there. I mean who knows where they’ve been? Are they clean snails or what? Have they showered recently? Had their shots? I don’t think so.
I’d be real careful if I were you, Jeff. We don’t want you coming home with snail flu.
Ahhhh, France. The arrongance of Terrello Owens with the follow-through of Freddie Mitchell.
Good luck. To me the worst part of it all is that they will ALWAYS find a way to turn it around to where it’s somehow YOUR fault. There are many wonderful French people (gotta be), but as a culture I cannot understand their need to be so pompous, arrogant, unfriendly and (fill-in-the-blank). I saw a poll recently where the Brits, by a huge majority, agreed the French “reputation” is well-deserved. The several times I have been there confirms this every single time. I don’t get it.
It definitely shows you are compulsive that you have to have weefee, just amusez vous quelque fois. Studying Deutsch, peut etre. If you were in some countries, they’d be waiting for a bribe.
Now in America, a far more advanced society, we arrange things in a much more efficient and orderly fashion, i.e. we raise cows, innoculate them, stuff ‘em full of hormones and antibiotics so they grow twice as fast and live half as long, then send them to the machine which turns them into steak and sausages.
Please tell me that this was sarcasm, because if you honestly think that the American beef industry is an exemplar of first-world agribusiness, you must have your head up a Holstein’s keister!
(And you must never have eaten steak frites or cote du boeuf!)
I am waiting for Israel to advise the French to act with restraint – once the French government has the testicles to authorize arming its policemen with more than tear gas and riot batons.
You asked for it Jeff:
Subject: Marines on Stand-By to deploy to France
> news flash
> Chirac Vows to Restore Order as Riots Grow Across
> France
> By Sebastian Rotella
>
> PARIS-As rioters spread fire and violence across
> France, shooting and wounding police officers,
> President Jacques Chirac vowed to restore calm and
> punish those responsible for 11 days of disturbances.
>
> President Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to
> begin drawing up a battle plan to pull France’s ass
> out of the fire again. Facing an apparent overwhelming
> force of up to 400 pissed off teenagers Mr. Bush doubts France’s ability
> to hold off the little pissants. “Hell, if the last two world wars are
> any indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now”, said
> Bush.
>
> Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President
> that it might be necessary to send up to 5 Marines to get things under
> control. The general admitted that 5 Marines may be overkill but he
> wanted to get this thing under control within 24 hours of arriving on
> scene. He stated he was having a hard time finding even one Marine to
> help those ungrateful bastards out for a third time but thought that he
> could persuade a few women Marines to do the job before they went on
> pregnancy leave.
>
> President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our Marines out
> of there as soon as possible after order was restored.
>
> He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure the Marines
> did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. The
> less they stand out the better.
So you could get wifi on a German airline, but not one at a French hotel in a fixed location. Only shows why I hold out more hope the Germans will eventually get their act and economy together.
Yep, that was sarcasm. I come from Ireland where our cows live an idyllic life in the countryside before being slaughtered.
It’s also where everything gets boiled and nothing gets salted – cows included – and people call you eccentric if you reach for the mustard. Since the French can even manage to add flavor to snails, it’s possible I’m suffering from F.E. (flavor-envy). You would be too if you’d grown up with the monotonous, flavorless fare that I did!
Welcome in Europe…
Our only chance to undo what happen is to build the next big it (a french skype).
I’m working on it.
Sorry for what happen…. but i love my country with or without web access.
Our only chance to undo what happen is to build the next big hit (a french skype).
Sorry for what happen…. but i love my country with or without web access.
If your cows lead an idyllic life in the pasture, were they munching on baby sheep when they contacted mad cow??? Doesn’t Ireland presently have a human form of the disease? Cattle don’t get mad cow munching on grass.
I see now why France has a falling population, the women don’t have periods.
Wow scary time to be in france!
Bathroom Review
Rocketry
My super left wing buddy just emailed me from France with similar keyboard and efficiency issues…
> i am writing from the land of socialism… i have to say that
> the longer i am here the more i remember our
> conversations and i have to say i am starting to
> agree with you, to a certain exten. i mean the other
> day the cafe was closed for a lunch break. well this
> is just a short email because of the french
> keyboard.
Is the hotel Wi-Fi service provided by Swisscom Eurospot? Cory Doctorow has written about them several times – lousy service.
A little problem. The 5 marines were put in jail this week in the Philippines for rape and are awaiting trial. France will have to wait it’s turn.
I’ve never had any Wifi problem in any french hotel (perharps because knowing the poor quality service in my country I choose hotels with good providers..;-).
If you’re looking for an efficient service, a customer-focused country and nice people do like me: I’m spending all my vacations in the US…
What do you mean, “I was going to turn into the Ugly American”? Sounds like you’re already there.
What a waste of words! Please, Jeff, I enjoy reading your blog, I also like the idea of you meeting German bloggers, as I am one myself. But I do, diplomatically spoken, really dislike the fact that you try to distinct yourself and the US from France and its lousy Wi-Fi service. Just have a look at the lousy infrastructure in the Midwest of the US and you’ll learn to appreciate your Parisian conditions again. (And the US still considers itself the most advanced country in the world…)
Sometimes things don’t work out as they are supposed to. But crying out loud about them like a baby, whose pacifier was taken away by his/her parents, is in fact no better than the not-working-out-things themselves.
Kat, like all Irish, I blame everything on the English. You may not know this, but the Brits invented mad cow disease in a laboratory in Bristol and were going to use it in their evil plot against the French (some say they succeeded) before a variant strain got out in an escaped laboratory cow named Molly who was later caught in Hyde Park munching on baby sheep, some of which managed to escape her terrible rampage.
Most people don’t realize this, but mad cow disease is spread through saliva, like rabies. In order to catch it, the mad cow does in fact have to bite you on the bottom. You in turn develop this irresistible compulsion to bite a sheep on its bottom which in turn nibbles on the ankles on a full grown cow, and so the vicious cycle continues.
How the disease made its way to Ireland is the subject of a long and fascinating book published by Blarney University Press titled: “Pastures and Commons: How England Caused the Mad Cow Migration. Volume 1.” Riveting, absolutely riveting, especially page 942, but don’t let me spoil it for you.
@Dominik: Comparing Paris with rural “flyover country” in the US? I think you just made Jeff’s case.
You picked the wrong hotel ! Next time ping me before you get there, who knows we may even organize a bloggers party ?
I did not read this one carefully “insert your own joke about why the French are a third-world country here: _____________________”
Honestly Jeff, I have a sense of humor and I have a full category on my blog making fun of French things too even though I am French, but I still think you go too far, do you really think the USA is superior in so many ways ? I love the US and I am with a US company, still, there are many aspects I don’t really like either.
Treating ourselves as a third world country is the typical US way of thinking, why the hell our keyboard should be the same as yours and should we eat the same shitty MacDonalds and Coca-Cola ?
You don’t travel enough, Jeff. If you did, you would see that almost all countries have a different keyboard than yours you consider as a reference, as you do consider apparently everything US as reference.
Count the homeless in the streets in your city for example and tell me how this is successful. I am not saying we’re better on that, but considering yourself as superior as you do makes anti-americanism spread and grow in the World. This is bad.
Totally agree with Loïc !
Why increase the “anti” trend… ?
Loic, being of a European nation, we know how much we love to hate each other. It gives us something to live for, yet here you would deny the Americans the same pleasure. Why? The French love to hate the Americans. And the English. The English, embarassed about their cooking and poor skin condition, love to hate the French and vice versa. Being Irish of course, we love everyone in the world, even the French (sometimes). Where would the joy be, the color, the excitement, if we all just got along?
Come on Loic, Jeff was just making a joke (not really a good one, I have to admit) but the funiest part is seing all the trolls jumping in ^_^
Guys, if you find french keyboards (azerty is also available in Belgium) disturbing, try the german one’s (qwertz layout with lot of ü ä or ß)
Last time I had a wifi problem it was in Miami and nobody at the hotel cared since there were 2 girls near the pool with really big breasts… Damn, I should have written a post about all the pervs you can find in Florida
To answer you question about “why the French are a third-world country” I would say: because they have not yet been invaded by the US. Come on guys, bring us some hope… and a coke (diet please).
French are a third world country because they really thought – and still do – that there were no WMD in Irak. That tells it all.
France is 3rd world country, indeed.
Just check the news, Loïc.
And I don’t mean LCI or TF1, but BBC or CNN.
See our old & sick president on TV tonight.
Remembered me of a a trip in Tunisia in the early 80′S where a broken Bourguiba was shaking all over the TV screen.
Never trust CNN again…or trust in instant teleportation of french cities…
http://www.loiclemeur.com/france/2005/11/pour_cnn_cest_o.html
Ah, what a satisfaction to be considered as a fool by stupid people… A french author
If you’re in windows just go to keyboard options and install the US keyboard. You can then select a keyboard layout for each app you’re running.
I don’t know if you are an artist Jeff ? but I didn’t found your book about blogs at Amazon !
Just wait for WIFI 802.11z and you can connect directly from Paris to your New-York access point. :->
Ahh America…
Ah, zut, c’es terribleeee ! I’m in CA and suddenly, no electricity, blackouts. Can I still use my computer ?
Charles, I can think of more satisfying things. How about being considered intelligent by people who think themselves intelligent whether or not they are intelligent?
Noel, sorry definitly not the same…
” Nous sommes meilleurs que les autres et patiti et patata…”
–> C’est tellement beau quand c’est inutile…
cool stuff with a third world country is that people can’t eat so much industrial food to get fat….
Does Jeff read his comments sometimes or he just uses is blog to send messages like traditional media ?
Sorry to see so many chauvanistic comments from the author of this blog and many of the commenters. No wonder the planet is in danger; What an incredible series of stereotypes in this post and its comments.
As an American in France for over 30 years, I’m sad to see so many people making so many judgement calls on things they know very little about. And I’m talking here about both sides of the ocean!
Loic:
I was in the air to Munich (where the internet access worked wonderfully at half the price).
The keyboard line was a joke. Obviously, it gained something in the translation. Sorry about that.
Americans put up with McDonald’s and Starbucks being bombed as symbols of worldwide domination and evil. And I can’t make a joke about what was, in fact, my inability to deal with a keyboard?
speaking of third world: a pretty good job you guys did there in new orleans. those pictures were pretty thirld world to me.
Charles, you’re right. It’s not the same thing. It’s better.
Agree Felix, its funny how the Americans are so quick to laugh at the situation in Paris (yes I know Americans who actually think its funny) when they had such a nightmare situation in New Orleans recently. Perhaps they just want the world to turn away from that embarrassment and that’s why they blow the situation in Paris out of all proportion.
Hasn’t worse been going on in Northern Ireland for years? But I don’t remember such doomsday headlines as we now see in the American press in relation to the French situation. Sad really how much the American will spite you if you ever disagree with their war-mongering attitude. France had the testicles to stand up to America and it looks like it will never be forgotten.
Thanks Jane. I fully agree. The comments of this post are just unsain.
Gunther,
I’d sooner deal with a butt ugly Yank than a ramrod buggered Frog.
Olivier,
We get more use out of you as an independent country than we would if we annexed you. Though we might change our minds if you’d stop boiling everything into a tasteless paste.
The USA: A fat man without child driving a huge car consuming 25 liters of petrol per 100 kms. This man is overstressed, speaks loudly and his main interests in life are money, money and money. He will not live more than 60 years (hopefully !).
France: A family with 2 children crossing the country in the fastest electrical train at the speed of 320 kilometers per hour. This family is quiet and understand the true values of life.
I know why I am a french and why I love my country so much.
If you want Jeff, I can go on with so many stupid views of each country…
You post is stupide. Sorry to let you know that…
Hey Jeff, are you sure you’re not in Italy or in Austria ?
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4162/image11082025tv38dz.jpg
When you guys start to improve in geography, I’ll take you seriously.
No really, Jeff, your comments are great – keep on the good job, you might reach the IQ of a tree some time…
Just goes to show another reason why we off the continent love the French … they get so mad about such small things.
Certainly no country is perfect, but who can honestly say they do not love France (ignoring for the minute the bureaucracy, the snails and the smelly cheese)? Personally, I love France and her ideals. I love French women who do not hesitate to smack you in the face if they are unhappy with you. I love French cooking (with the exception of snails and smelly cheese), but most of all I love the drama of the French people. It’s so refreshing to be told in no uncertain terms EXACTLY what someone thinks of you without having it end a relationship. Now in Ireland, when someone tells you EXACTLY what they think of you (and your mother), it usually ends up in a fist fight and starts feuds and is probably the main reason most people in Ireland don’t tell each other what they’re really thinking unless they’re in the humor of a fist fight/feud.
Loic, Charles, Pierre, LaPomme, Leafar, Yazerty, Jane, Olivier, Felix, et al, please don’t take this teasing to heart. We love France. Really. (Except for the bureaucracy, the snails and the smelly cheese).
Felix wrote: “speaking of third world: a pretty good job you guys did there in new orleans. those pictures were pretty thirld world to me. “
EXACTLY…and what might the common denominator of France and New Orleans be?
A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT
Whose policies serve not to lift average citizens up; but instead push successful ones down.
I recommend the book “Millionaire Republican” by Wayne Root, for those who somehow can’t or won’t see the proof right in front of them. Anti-capitalistic liberal policies claim otherwise but serve only the elite and ultimately can only damage a country, state or town that implements them.
Yes, in US, hundreds died in New Orleans. In France 10 thousand died in a heatwave.
And speking of testicles, the French didn’t even have the balls to stand up to Saddam so they became his paid whores–paid in oil for food funds while ordinary Iraqis starved. Oh, those cowardly French.
kat > clearly you seem to know what you’re talking about. Ha, ha, ha. Now switch channel mate, Fox news does no good to you
and btw, Noel > I love Irish humour (and I clearly mean it, your comments where probably the most funny and sensible ones)
kat> why were ordinary Iraqis starving? Because of a *#@&! embargo decided by us while we were so afraid they could build some WMD with a coke can and some smelly french cheese.
Yes, some french businessmen are facing charges because it seems that they tried to breach this embargo in exchange of some oil. But, in case you forgot, some americans are facing the same charges.
About the heatwave in 2003, 40 thousand people died in Europe… 20k in Italy and 15k in France. Even in the UK people died while the temperature was “only” around 100°F (38°C ) there (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_heat_wave_of_2003)
Could we please stop this bashing and discuss about something else or I’m sure we will soon discuss about Yorktown – 1781 ^_^
The good point is that now Jeff knows what to write to have comments on his blog…
Franck–it’s because people like you had their heads up Saddam’s ass. You were willing to swallow the sanctions lies and swallow the shit he doled out. You and the French. You killed those people by helping Saddam spread his lies. You and the French.
By Leela Jacinto
— Saddam Hussein may be buying stockpiles of alcohol and
cigarettes with the proceeds of food and medicine delivered under
international aid programs.
    A confidential British Foreign Office report, the details of which
were released to the press, says the Iraqi president is importing
large quantities of Scotch whisky and cigarettes in exchange for food
and medicine destined for the Iraqi people.
    The report, the details of which were confirmed by the Foreign
Office to ABCNEWS.com, claims Saddam’s government has been
buying an average of 10,000 bottles of alcohol — much of it Scotch
— and 50 million cigarettes — mostly U.S. brands — each week for
the dictator’s military and political elite circle.
    The imports, the document said, were arriving as international
humanitarian supplies delivered under the U.N. sponsored oil-for-food
program, were being sold abroad.
    The Kuwaiti coast guard, according to the report, had
intercepted ships loaded with food leaving Iraq, while emergency
drugs meant for Iraqis had been discovered in pharmacies in Lebanon.
    A Foreign Office spokesman told ABCNEWS.com that the
information, which came from sources in the region, had been
common knowledge within the department for some time.
    “This confirms our belief that the interests of the Iraqi regime
lies in feathering its own nests and it casts doubts on its
commitment to providing humanitarian relief to the people,†he said.
“It undermines the efforts of governments such as Britain to provide
relief for the Iraqi people under the oil-for-food program.â€
    The oil-for-food program was initiated by the United Nations in
1996 to help provide food and medicines for the Iraqi population,
which has suffered under the sanctions imposed after the 1991 Gulf
War.
Same Old Story?
Activists and human rights organizations have expressed outrage,
but not astonishment.
    “This story is as old as the sanctions, as old as the oil-for-food
program,†said Rend Rahim Francke, executive director of the Iraq
Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit, non-governmental
organization working for human rights in Iraq. “We have documentary
evidence of Saddam Hussein selling medicines to Lebanon. Glaxo
Wellcome [a British pharmaceutical firm] recently stated that
15,000 units of asthma medicine, targeted mainly at children, had
been re-exported to Lebanon.â€
    Saddam has also been accused of illegally smuggling some
150,000 barrels of oil through the northern border to Turkey. A
further 50,000 to 100,000 barrels are smuggled daily through the
Persian Gulf from its southern border, the document claims.
    Yet another 100,000 barrels of Iraqi oil are sold to neighboring
Jordan, although these sales are not viewed as illegal. The United
Nations has not authorized this trade, but neither has it criticized it.
    Iraqi smugglers have been known to take the oil from Iraqi
ports, into the territorial waters of Iraq’s neighbor and former
enemy Iran, and thus, beyond the reach of the international
interdiction force.
Cigarettes for Rich, Hunger for Poor
The Foreign Office report also details incidents such as Saddam’s
recent birthday celebrations. The descriptions of a nearly
10-foot-high cake, while tens of thousands of Iraqi children are
starving, is a striking contrast between the luxury enjoyed by
Saddam and his inner circle and the poverty elsewhere in the country.
    Iraq’s child mortality rate, once comparable to the figures in
the industrial world, has now reached alarming rates. According to
UNICEF, 8,000 Iraqi children die monthly, joining more than a million
that have died since the sanctions were first imposed.
    “If Saddam Hussein feels free to sell precious medicine for
Iraqi children to acquire luxuries for his inner circle, he is a hypocrite
and a murderer,†said Francke. “He is not buying alcohol and
cigarettes for the ordinary man on the streets. The ordinary Iraqi is
starving. These goods are targeted for the elite, they have all the
food they want.â€
    Francke also said that the fact that the government has been
importing alcohol and cigarettes, gives the lie to the belief, in many
parts of the Muslim world, that Saddam is a champion of Islam.
“Unfortunately many Muslims, not just from the Arab world, believe
Saddam is the one who can save Islam from the Western devil. I
personally, am more concerned with the fact that he’s diverting
money for the elite, but this view of Saddam as a saviour of Islam
has gained a lot of currency in the world.â€
Impatience With Sanctions
The disclosure comes as international impatience with the
U.N.-imposed sanctions seems to be growing. As the price of oil
soars internationally, Britain and the United States have found
themselves isolated in the international community in trying to keep
the sanctions in place.
    This week, a rash of flights from France, Russia, Morocco,
Yemen and Jordan have landed in Baghdad’s newly opened Saddam
Hussein Airport in what is seen as a protest against the ban on
flights imposed on Iraq. While most countries had their flights
approved — albeit grudgingly — by the United Nations, Russia and
France challenged the sanctions procedure by not waiting for
authorization from the U.N. committee.
    The Foreign Office admitted the information had been released
to the press in an attempt to counteract the growing public opinion
opposing the sanctions. “This information doesn’t change our picture
of the regime, but it might change the picture for the media,†said a
spokesman. “Over the last few months, Iraqi propaganda has been
gaining currency in the media, so we have provided the information to
the media to change this view.â€
    There have been reports, in the international media, that many
Western countries, especially France and Russia, are eager to
resume diplomatic relations with Iraq. In August, Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Tariq Aziz became the first Arab official to be received by
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
    The growing impatience with the sanctions have come even as
the U.S. State Department recently announced it had concluded a
cooperative agreement with the Iraqi National Congress providing $4
million to advance the Iraqi National Congress’ ongoing operations and
establish new ones. The Iraqi National Congress is one of the Iraqi
groups funded by the United States, that opposes Saddam.
    However, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen recently
conceded that Iraq had been successful in its battle to win
international public opinion for lifting its sanctions.
    â€It’s been very clear to me that he has been successful in
waging a propaganda campaign certainly within — among the Arab
population, to say, ‘Look at the harm that these sanctions have
inflicted upon the Iraqi people,’†said Cohen at a news briefing in
Washington on Monday. “And the answer is, there’s been one person
who’s inflicted the harm upon the Iraqi people, that’s Saddam
Hussein.â€
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
I was wrong about the French. I just read instapundit and it seems France was willing to send troops. Apologies.
http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2005111504023.asp
Oh ok Jeff, I should open up my sense of humor a bit then…
I am surprised that noone from this very tech-oriented community pointed out the fact that you can easily change the settings on your computer so that it can recognize that you type in French or in English, no matter which keyboard you use.
I am a French national, living in London (and before that in NY) and I’ve had no problem adapting to the US keyboard that way (or any other keyboard for that matter) ! Mind you, that requires that you don’t look at your fingers while typing. So maybe the best travel tip is to learn to type like in the good old times ? !
Stephanie > good point
I also live in London, and have an english keybd at the office and a french one at home, and i never had a problem with that – it’s really not that hard to cope with it !
As for the wifi access, we must admit that Jeff was right in saying that it is not acceptable to be in such a situation when you pay for that kind of hotel. But after all, I think Jeff should have incriminated the hotel, not the French in general ! It was probably a simple joke at the begining (i’m not sure though) – but what’s annoying is the very first comments from his US readers…
One last thing: kat > you can copy/paste whatever crap quotes you find on the internet, it’s not gonna make you look any clever ! But if you wish so, then ok, you guys saved Irak and your intervention was conducted in a brilliant way, no really i mean it. Thanks for saving us all ! Fortunately I have many US friends who don’t think like you and express themselves like you, otherwise I would be very much concerned for the future of your country (which is great btw, i can’t deny that !)
I’d be more concerned about the future of yours–I hear there are calls for making it a sharia shitpot in order to appease the hooligans and make them feel more ‘at home’.
Anyways, I don’t hate the French–I just hate their leaders. I know the French have a jealousy thing going on. I don’t pay much heed to their “whine and cheese”.
Well, Jeff is not the first and will certainly not be the last yankee to make fun of us and our country. Where he is however right is that we have too much “laisser faire”, pretty much in any field. This has often great charm, but it is poison when you look at the past (or still ongoing) riots. These cost allready more than 100 000 000 $ in taxpayer money. Sometimes I think that just 5% of George W. kickass attitude would do our Jacques and his ministers some good…
About your article, it s very funny, i think if you go in a Grand Hotel in france, and not a poor hotel for poor tourists, you have connection wifi, may be you was in thge country do u think in american country evry hotel have internet connection, aaaa, it s very funny… here evry where in the towns and not village, you have wifi connection, in restaurant hitel fast food train, subway you have wifi point, you forget something all the
IT that you use is develloped by french people who come in your country because 70% of american people believe that the mouse is an animal, poor guy, keep your word, there are more impotant than wifi connection, you dont think? go in a poor country to know what is a third-world country, poor guy… you are sarcastic like the majority of american people, do you believe there is always mass destruction weapons in Irak, you know what are you? a goat.
you speak about french keyboard, what is the difference the letters are not in the same place, o my god it s horrible it s too difficult for you to find the good letters, may be return at school guy….
somebody speak about the monthy comics troup… ooo it s very recent also, your culture is current, lol, you are funny here people really it s very pleasant to read your sentence
“kat Says:
November 15th, 2005 at 11:20 am
Yes, in US, hundreds died in New Orleans. In France 10 thousand died in a heatwave.”
i think you want to say hundreds white people died. about the heatwave it was in all the france, there is more 70 000 000 persons who lives in france, there is 70 000 000 persons in Nouvelle orleans? in percent in france during the heatwave there was 0.17% died the same for nouvelle orleans, speak about what you know or about what you understand little girl
during the riot period in france, KAT, there was just one died, in USA how many people died by weapon? each day hundreds persons died in your country… what is the worst a short riot or daily murders?
I dont like also my leaders and i m french i didnt vote for chirac but i prefer him than your G.W.BUSH who have business with laden family, i prefer my under advanced country than a country who trains terrorists and enrich them, like ben laden who was trained by CIA and after is russian mission usa governement give him billions of dollars, i prefer my cheese which feels than your fast food who make you look fatter and bad health, i prefer to find a wifi connection during 4 hours than to run to avoid a ball of gun i prefer to do the peace than the war with forgery pretexte, i prefer to eat snail than eat ogm and syunthetics food…. poor girl
New Orleans is presently a third world country and I recently gave a two hour presentation using the a new overhead projector at a hotel just of 5th Avenue, NY. Can you really call France a 3rd World Country. Look at the state of the U.S.
…and I can’t believe there are so many people who agree with you. And we wonder why Americans are hated everywhere in the world. Come on, grow up people.
Hi all,
Me (a french guy), I hate french school, french “phylosophie”, french attitude, french politicians, french leaders and so on…
Why ? because they want me to believe and to do what they want ! This fuc*ing “élite” is really ridiculous.
Of course we’ve got so many drawbacks, but with a negative part comes a positive one ! I agree, it’s not obvious to discover it because it is well hidden…
Hi all
Me (another french guy), I won’t like I hate my country, this would be wrong. Like JC (Jean Christophe) said, I hate the politicians and the leaders too. Like in most republican countries, they want people to have a standardized way of thinking, isn’t it like this in the USA ?
I think France is only different by the culture and the size, but the leadership are the same…
The problem is because leaders are in opposition, people should be in opposition… You guys from USA have bad thinkings about french people because of french leadership, and the opposite is true. There are very low people in France who agree with GW Bush’s ideas, but if I went to the US, I would make high number of friends because US people are very cool for the most.
I mean the people do not thinks like his leader. Us, the frenchies didn’t vote for Chirac in 2002 because we wanted him as a president for his qualities, but because we didn’t want Jean-Marie Le Pen as the president, wich wants to create a racist politic. Chirac has been used as an “anti-Le Pen” shield. Chirac as been president between 1995 and 2002 ans french people saw how bad he was, but we didn’t have another choice. So chirac is not representative of french thoughs.
Don’t let our leaders make us silly battling, all peoples in the world can be friends, and have much more to learn from each other. If you, US guys can come to France, don’t forget to taste the bread, the croissants, and the snails (some people like, some other don’t, this is relative to each people). And France have speciallities from each region…
Bye all
Aren’t you tired of french bashing?
I just tried, as a game, to replace french in most of your posts by jewish or by black… it really did not sound nice. You might try to learn from France what we call tolerance and respect. It’s not so difficult. Trust me!
Hi guys,
Lived in Paris for 10 years, back to London, now. Agrre with the frenchies here: This French bashing thing is Moronic. Yes, they do have a bad attitude, and a lot of drawbacks. And yes it’s not the most dynaminc of the biggest economies in the world. But we all have our own chips on our choulders, dude. A) try to get a wifi connection in Arkansas
b) Check out your facts about the IT world from France, dude. French IT guys are imported from all over the world because of their skills that we don;t have in our countries (US / UK) in high end engineering. All France is on 8 to 12 megs DSL not 512 silly k like us. French almost invented the net by having a thing called “Minitel” at home before your mother was born.
c) the issue with them has nothing to do with being third world, which trust me they are much less than the US (ever visited south LA, Campton, ot Queens, NY??? or Chicago’s outskirts??? Feels like dominican republic! ). The issue is that, like YOU, they think they are the best. And they’re not letting you think you are the best, and you hate that. Result: A moronic petty battle. Learn to live together my friends, come to london, where this is happening. And share your respective experiences.
Geeze! How uncool arre you guys! My French friends and my american Friends are wya cooler than you! Which shows it has nothing to do with nationality, has it?
PS: I have never encountered someone as stupid and ignorant as this person called KAT, in my ENTIRE life. Surely she’s just using a form of sphisticated humor that is far beyond me (yeah, right) because if what you see is what you get she would not be able to type or use a computer…
Pa-the-tic. You’re not helping your country, here, dear… just shut up and let the intelligent Americans with a sense of humor tlak with the grown-ups, ok? Your understanding of the war has obviously been gathered from the wrost web sites maintained by fucked up pro lifers or something!
Some people in all the countries are not representative. Frenchies have a bad image (smob, guai, robers…). Not all are like that. But a lot are norrow minded…i admit that. Like use to say Victor Hugo (a french famous writtor…American doesn’t have any culture if we stay in the cliché…) we see perfectly the default of the others, but we are blind when we look at us. I could say 1000 bad things about chineses, or india, or americans or german or…but first i look at the french and then i shut my mouth…
Please stop with the French bashing. Its idiotic and immature. Young people should try instead to enrich themselves in (even just a a little!)appreciation, education and research to understand that France is, and has always been, a great friend of democracy and freedom who knows a thing or two about what it means to honor the sacrifice that has been paid for those little benefits that we so often take for granted. We young Americans have a lot to learn too.