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A
Dog's Life...
In a search for cleaner sidewalks an expat looks at pampered
Parisian pooches
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understanding those
serious issues |
cool stuff to do |
music, art, food, etc. |
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Want to know more
about Paris Tempo?
Read this message from the Paris
Tempo Team
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Defending
Retirement
On February 1st, over 150,000 people took to
the streets all over France to protest the government’s planned
reform of the pension system. The demonstrations were evidence of
the broad public support for keeping the system in tact, with members
of all major unions and labor federations marching side by side
to defend the right to retire at 60.
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Now
you can listen to ParisTempo's new musical selections
online right here...
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The conservative Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
wants to reform the system in preparation for the not-so-distant
future when it is expected that the percentage of elderly will be
far greater than today. Because retirees’ pensions are paid
directly from the contributions of current workers, an aging population
means there will be a large increase in benficiaries and fewer employees
to contribute. Some analysts say that pressure from a graying population
could cause the whole system to collapse by 2020 if nothing is done.
Back in 1995, similar attempts to reform the pension system led
to a series of demonstrations and strikes which effectively shut
the country down, leading to the ouster of then Prime Minister Alain
Juppe.
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Getting Tough on Terrorism...
French anti-terrorist forces launched a series
of raids in and around Paris, resulting in the arrest of 23 suspected
Islamic militants from during November and December of 2002. The
police also seized weapons, significant sums of money, documents
possibly connected to al-Qaeda, and about 50 fake identity papers.
Though they took place
over the same period, the arrests were not all connected. Eight
of the suspects, two North Africans and six Pakistanis, are thought
to have provided assistance to Richard Reid, the would-be "shoe
bomber." Reid, a British citizen, is an avowed member of the
al-Qaeda network and has pled guilty to charges that he attempted
to blow up his explosive-laden sneakers on an American airliner
flying from Paris to Miami in December 2001. Seven of his suspected
co-conspirators, including an imam, were arrested in Paris at the
Ali mosque and at the Intercultural Association for Pakistanis in
France.
Ten other suspects were arrested in connection
with a foiled bomb plot against Strasbourg’s Christmas market
in December 2000. One of these six, a French-Algerian named Slimane
Khalfaoui, had been eluding the police since 1996. Described as
one of al-Qaeda’s top recruiters in Europe, he is undoubtedly
the sweep’s most important catch.-- News
From France
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...And Tough on Traffic
As if driving isn’t
tough enough in Paris, the national goverment hopes to make it even
tougher for those who don’t properly follow traffic ettiquete.
They would like to enact
a spate of new traffic laws, and rachet up the penalties for violations
of existing legislation.
According to Le Monde, there is already
a plan underway to put more traffic cops on the streets, and the
latest proposal includes probationary licenses for new drivers,
the use of unmanned radar to detect speeding, and a lowering of
the blood alcohol level used for the legal determination of "drunk
driving."
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French McDonald's New
P.R. Twist?
Could the archetype of "fast-food"
be telling us to slow down? Well, not exactly, -- but, in a surprising
move, they did suggest their French consumers eat fewer "Big
Macs".
Apparently, the French division of McDonald's has run a series of
ads telling parents not to let their kids eat at McDonald's more
than once a week.
The advertising agency that developed the campaign, Euro RSCG Worldwide,
told Assocated Press that the advertisements were intended to show
mom’s how "McDonald's meals are part of a balanced weekly
diet." However, amid the quotes from specialists addressing
obesity and proper diets for children, the ads included a quote
from a nutritionist who said, ``there's no reason to abuse fast
food, or visit McDonald's more than once a week.''
The AP reported that the parent company, US-based McDonald's Corp.,
"strongly disagreed'' with the French nutritionist.
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Political Asylum Policy
Reform
The French government has proposed
revamping its asylum policies, making them more efficient and effective.
A recent increase in the number of applications received has resulted
in the processing period taking up to two years. New policies it
is hoped will not only shorten this process, but also make the entire
process easier.
In 2001 alone, the number of asylum requests tripled, to 80,000,
incapacitating the government’s ability to process them in
a timely fashion. The policy changes would initially cut the waiting
period to two months and then eventually to one month, the time
asylum requests take in neighboring Germany, the Netherlands, and
Britain.
The plan will create one single office in charge of protecting refugees
and asylum seekers called OFPRA (Office Français de Protection
des Réfugiés et Apatrides), which has traditionally
been divided into two offices according on the nature of the asylum
request. Under the new policies protection will be increased for
all asylums, increasing their safety and overall well being.
Additionally, OFPRA offices will be opened in regions with high
concentrations of refugees, including Marseille and Lyon. Country
specific programs will also be developed for the French overseas
departments and territories.
The government hopes to have a finalized plan by 2003, and French
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin wants to have
these changes implemented by January 1, 2004. Policy makers believe
that the changes will make the asylum process better organized and
fairer for all applicants as well as more manageable for French
officials. -- News
From France
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Fines For Lax Parents
The French government is taking harsh measures
against parents who let their children skip school.
Absenteeism is a phenomenon which affects 30 percent of French schools,
and although relatively infrequent (0.8 percent of students in middle
and high schools, and 3 percent in professional schools), in certain
difficult areas the percentage is significantly higher (10 percent),
according to a 1999 official survey. To sanction these occurrences,
the government has implemented a strict policy: a fine on the first
warning and a larger fine on the second warning, in some cases accompanied
by a prison sentence ranging from ten days to two months. -- News
From France
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And Smoking in
School?
Everyone knows that when it comes to "vices"
like smoking, the French are much more tolerant than Americans.
It's no surprise to find that most of the anti-smoking regulations
on the books are not enforced, and some are downright ignored. But
one might be amazed to learn that this "tolerance" extends
to teen-agers.
In Paris some high schools actually permit students to take "smoke
breaks." These "smoker-friendly" high schools allow
smoking in outdoor areas of the school property for students 15
and older. Advocates of the policy say the kids smoke anyway, so
it is pointless to make it against the rules.
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