i’m not a politic anorak,as fred smiths likes to remind me,but every time i hear and sees sarkosy’s demeanor,i have the feeling he’s the right one for the job.
for a start,i have the firm conviction that he’s corruption/scandal proof,and that’s what france need right now,much more than anything else.
what he achieves will determine whether or not i would ever consider going back to france for business and family life.
in the present climate,no way jose…
any thoughts?
[quote=“dablindfrog”]i’m not a politic anorak,as fred smiths likes to remind me,but every time i hear and sees sarkosy’s demeanor,i have the feeling he’s the right one for the job.
for a start,i have the firm conviction that he’s corruption/scandal proof,and that’s what france need right now,much more than anything else.
what he achieves will determine whether or not i would ever consider going back to france for business and family life.
in the present climate,no way jose…
any thoughts?[/quote]
Sarkozy looks like Josef Goebbels. Sexy Seggy hasn’t responded to any of my emails asking for a shag. Isn’t Bayrou that bloke who made a big long tapestry? Le Pen…Le Penis.
Who cares about France? Except the hookers in N’djamena, Djibouti and Cayenne who really need the business the Legion Etranger pass their way.
BroonAmbivalent
I was thinking of starting a thread about who knew the difference between the participants, but then I didn’t care, so…I’m just here because I’m stalking broonale and taking pictures of his legs.
seriously though, what are the positions of these folks?
[quote=“jdsmith”]I’m just here because I’m stalking broonale and taking pictures of his legs.
[/quote]
If you want a thrill, you should go and look at the Dick (trouser bulge) Cheney shot in the political leanings thread.
:raspberry:
BroonAnklesock
No doubt, especially given your avatar I should think!
No one is corruption free not even George W. Bush…
I live in hope.
I sympathize. Things will change. They have to.
any thoughts?
I do. Ever since the fiasco over the UN vote, in many ways, France has become the US No. 1 ally, in close cooperation regarding intelligence on terrorists, over Lebanon, in Afghanistan and over the negotiations with Iran. It is a nation that could contribute far more if its house were in order. That is something that we should all encourage and wish for. A rejuvenated France is in EVERYONE’s interests. I hope to see it happen. It will be painful but necessary.
More than just frogs…toadies.
BroonAlliance
what do you hope?
that he achieves a positive change or that i’ll be moving back to the land of the pioneers of gastronomy? :s
“H” is for Health
“O” is for Opportunity
“P” is for Peace
“E” is for Enthusiasm
Yeah! Let’s HOPE today!
YES.
Land of Gastronomy would of course be correct but I would challenge the assertion “Pioneers” of Gastronomy. THIS I would give to the Italians. I would be willing to consider REFINERS of Gastronomy to a State of Unbelievable Bliss. Would this be acceptable as a compromise?
[quote=“fred smith”]
Land of Gastronomy would of course be correct but I would challenge the assertion “Pioneers” of Gastronomy. THIS I would give to the Italians. I would be willing to consider REFINERS of Gastronomy to a State of Unbelievable Bliss. Would this be acceptable as a compromise?[/quote]
at first look it sounds like a good deal,we indeed refined most of what’s served in respectable restaurants,we in fact spent so much energy refining it and navel gazing,that we are now behind other countries (notably UK) on the food scene.
before i be willing to concede to the compromise,i’ll have to do a bit of research on your claims,or maybe you be willing to enlighten us all…
Antonin Carême wasn’t italian,that i am sure of…
BroonAle must be happy at the absolutely appalling coverage the election results got in the Taipei Times.
Yesterday the paper had no results at all - because of its early Sunday evening deadline - and today all we get is a weak story about the man who’s not even in the final runoff, centrist Bayrou. The piece is obviously just one candidate profile out of an AFP package, but why didn’t the TT editors pick something more general?
There’s no mention of the candidates’ percentage share, which would be the basic element in any story after an election, and the whole thing makes it look like a TT endorsement for Bayrou.
I’m not French, but I feel the TT badly let down its European readers. The China Post - which I’m not in the habit of praising - at least had a general story about the results on page 1 and a Le Pen story on page 2.
End of rant.
Catherine de Medici was… You remember her, no?
Catherine de Medici was… You remember her, no?[/quote]
i won’t pretend being an aristocracy boffin,so i had to look it up…
you’re talking about a woman who spent her whole life in france,who had a french mother and french husband…how exactly did you want her to turn???
it’s as if you’d expect a taiwanese born abroad,of a foreign mum,to still chew binlang and recklessly going thru traffic with his 50cc on his way to walmart
freddy,stop cursing at peoples and reply in here
Now that it’s finally down to a 2nd round battle between Sarkozy and Royal, I think this is going to be a very exciting election. While most media outlets seems to be favoring Sarkozy, I find them both to be fascinating candidates. “Suave” Sarkozy on the right. “Regal” Royal on the left.
Sarkozy is compelling because he’s looking to implement radical economic and labor reforms, which France desperately needs. However, he’s also a controversial figure and particularly hated among the working class.
Royal, aka the French Hillary Clinton, obviously draws a lot of attention because she’s female. She’s a bold speaker and has some interesting ideas, but critics say that her economic and foreign policies lack substance.
Everyone’s predicting a close race on May 6th. Aren’t there any French Forumosans out there who have opinions on these two candidates?
certainly the very first that generated any interest in me.
[quote=“Erhu”] While most media outlets seems to be favoring Sarkozy, I find them both to be fascinating candidates. “Suave” Sarkozy on the right. “Regal” Royal on the left.
[/quote]
[b]sarkozy will win it.
if he doesn’t,it means france is well and truly populated with brainless morons,
why coming out from the govern of some corrupt and 2 faced “best of 2 evils” leader to then empower someone like royal…
i’ll just wait and see if the hexagon is hopeless
that’s news to me,he’s not popular in the suburbs…
no wait…
he’s not popular amongst the trouble makers in the suburbs,those very few fully integrated migrant families who wish to live in peace in those affordable housing estates WILL find themselves voting for him too.
as far as i can see,only “la racaille” isn’t keen on him.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6532951.stm
[quote]
Sarkozy puts wine country in ferment
By Caroline Wyatt
BBC correspondent, Avignon, France
Sarkozy is not perfect but still the best option, this winemaker says
The vines on the rolling hills around Chateauneuf-du-Pape are still bare as Baptiste Grangeon walks up the perfectly straight rows.
He inspects each one, tying some tidily with twine to ensure the vines grow straight and strong.
The 28-year-old is the third generation of his family to tend the valuable family vineyards, which produce up to 100,000 bottles a year.
But, he says with a sigh, [b]doing business in France is getting harder every year, amid a tangle of bureaucracy, red tape and high taxes.
Baptiste Grangeon believes the Socialists’ 35-hour working week has made the French lazy, as well as creating ever more complex rules for working out payments and social security for his labourers.
[/b]
Wine-making, he says, means long periods of patient waiting, interspersed with relentless hours of hard work during the annual harvest.
“Nicolas Sarkozy is the only man who can save France,” he says. “Many in France have forgotten what it means to work, and we need someone to remind us.”
[/b] 
:bravo: :bravo: :bravo:
Campaign bandwagon
So Mr Grangeon has come to join the crowds thronging to hear Mr Sarkozy on the stump in the picturesque village of Saint-Didier, a rural community in southern France which has traditionally voted for the right.
Its main street is neat and tidy, with bunting up for its important visitor, and the local town councillors proudly wearing their tricolour sash as they wait for Mr Sarkozy to arrive.
Presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy
The media glare on Sarkozy has been intense and prolonged
Mr Grangeon, too, is hoping to shake his hero’s hand. But getting close to the candidate is no easy task.
The diminutive Mr Sarkozy is constantly at the centre of a seething mass of humanity, surrounded by the cameras, his admiring fans and his anxious bodyguards.
He has been on the campaign trail for several weeks, and even his legendary energy is running a little low - though his temper is not.
When I finally get close enough, I ask Mr Sarkozy what he hopes to achieve for France if he is elected president.
“I’ve been talking about that all day, Madame,” he snaps, before going on to reply to the gaggle of journalists and cameras around him.
"For my past five years in government as a minister, I have fought for the French people. I am now totally at their disposal, a free man, no longer interior minister but simply a presidential candidate, free to speak to the French people directly.
“I am a man of action, and I will do everything I can for France.”
Warm reception
In his speech, to cheers from the crowd of winemakers, farmers and small businessmen, Mr Sarkozy emphasises the need for the French to stop counting on the state and rely on themselves instead. Baptiste Grangeon nods approvingly.
"He is a very popular man - I have never seen such crowds here. And he may not be perfect, but which politician is?
If he does not win, I shall leave France
Patrick Oumedjkane
“For me, he is the best president for France. He tells the truth and he will change things here.”
Others, like student Remy and housewife Anne-Marie are equally enthusiastic.
“It’s really hard to find a job if you’re young in France, so I really hope he makes it easier,” says Remy, 18. “I believe he will if he’s elected.”
“He will make us respect work again, and reunite the country,” hopes Anne-Marie.
‘Rebuilding France’
Later on, Mr Sarkozy and the media scrum move on to Avignon, where the candidate is rallying the party faithful in the ancient Pope’s Palace, the grand setting in which Jacques Chirac launched his own successful presidential campaign.
There, he speaks of the need for the nation to act and think as one. He assures his audience that the issue of national identity he has taken up as a campaign theme is not about excluding those French with immigrant roots, but including all in his project to rebuild France as a great economic success story, and restore France’s pride in itself.
Pope’s Palace, Avignon
Avignon provided a grand, theatrical setting for Sarkozy
Among his audience is Patrick Oumedjkane, a businessman with Algerian roots, who runs his own security business hiring out security guards and watch-dogs.
So why does he believe that Mr Sarkozy is France’s only hope for the future?
“In France today, the taxes are too high, our social charges are too high and the Socialist Segolene Royal’s ideas on raising the minimum wage are a nightmare. Mr Sarkozy understands business and business people,” says Mr Oumedjkane.
“If he does not win, I shall leave France.”
With the last rally of the day at the Pope’s Palace finally over, Mr Sarkozy clearly hopes that he will soon be moving into equally grand surroundings at the Elysee Palace.
He has certainly won the hearts and minds of France’s business-people, its artisans and much of its middle class. But is that enough?
The French electorate is notoriously fickle. And some, especially on the left, fear and dislike Mr Sarkozy for his tough stance on immigration - and worry that his policies would leave the weakest in society vulnerable, and divide this already fractured society still further.
With 50% of the electorate still undecided, Mr Sarkozy is well aware that Ms Royal could still catch up in the polls.
So the coming days will be crucial, as Mr Sarkozy travels the length and breadth of the country, fighting Ms Royal for every vote, every step of the way. [/quote]
is that really what she’s known as???
[quote=“Erhu”]
Royal obviously draws a lot of attention because she’s female. [/quote]
gender over competence… that wouldn’t surprise me if that get her a huge majority of her votes,when i read the comments of some of my compatriots who are anything between 18 and 25,those “myspace” emo tree hugging fucks with no backbones whatsoever,
same lame pricks who get 100euros from mummy and the keys of the benz from daddy and never had to do a 9-5 job…
a few days ago it came to me that the voting age should be raised to 25…even 30 year old,
i’m known to have been much more mature than my real age,but anytime before 25 i could not possibly grasp what was right or wrong in a candidate.
those in the aforementioned age bracket who have strong political views did get them from:
-mum and dad’s brainwash
-the relentless teenage willingness to anarchy
[quote=“Erhu”]
She’s a bold speaker [/quote]
she’s spewed many bullshit and dumb things during the campaign alone,let’s hope we never get to hear more of that.
that’s an understatement, she’s just not committed,france don’t need a leader that sits on the fence.
with the US’s rapid decline,and some of france’s neighboring countries going down too,there’s a great opportunity to return to our former glory.
[quote=“Erhu”]
Everyone’s predicting a close race on May 6th. [/quote]
not me,sarko will just waltz it 
[quote=“Erhu”]
Aren’t there any French Forumosans out there who have opinions on these two candidates?[/quote]
vee have ze powerrr to make you speek! 
No need to be a boffin of any kind. Besides that word sounds as if it would be much more fun used as a verb if you get my drift…
[quote]
you’re talking about a woman who spent her whole life in france,who had a french mother and french husband…how exactly did you want her to turn??? [/quote]
But my dear sir, the woman did bring all those Italian chefs and cooking skills with her, non? and thus French cuisine was born. Henri de Navarre I imagine was less influential in determining the course of the French culinary arts.
You are NO fun. NO fun. Do you hear? That is why I hate you. haha
[quote]gender over competence… that wouldn’t surprise me if that get her a huge majority of her votes,when i read the comments of some of my compatriots who are anything between 18 and 25,those “myspace” emo tree hugging fucks with no backbones whatsoever,
same lame pricks who get 100euros from mummy and the keys of the benz from daddy and never had to do a 9-5 job… [/quote]
I like you even more now. haha Bravo!
[quote]a few days ago it came to me that the voting age should be raised to 25…even 30 year old,
i’m known to have been much more mature than my real age,but anytime before 25 i could not possibly grasp what was right or wrong in a candidate.
those in the aforementioned age bracket who have strong political views did get them from:
-mum and dad’s brainwash
-the relentless teenage willingness to anarchy [/quote]
You simply must be from Bordeaux or the Southwest. I applaud your droll sarcastic sense of humor!
that word sounds as if it would be much more fun used as a verb if you get my drift…
[/quote]
no,pls elaborate
[quote=“fred smith”]
But my dear sir, the woman did bring all those Italian chefs and cooking skills with her, non? [/quote]
sources?
doing so would be like bringing mo mowlam to a thai brothel to have wild sex with her…it defies imagination
[quote=“fred smith”]
You are NO fun. NO fun. Do you hear? That is why I hate you. haha/i like you even more now.[/quote]
make your mind up,or i might start to hate you,and what would you do about THAT?deal.
[quote]When she moved to France, a crowd of friends, servants, and waiters accompanied her. The Florentine cooks who went with her brought the secrets of Italian cooking to France, including peas and beans, artichokes, duck in orange (canard a l’orange), and carabaccia (onion soup). But especially the pastry makers, as Jean Orieux (a biographer of Caterina) wrote, demonstrated their innovative genius with sorbets and ice creams, marmalades, fruits in syrup, pastry making, and pasta. A certain Sir Frangipani gave his name to the custard and the tart known in France as Frangipane.
Caterina also brought with her to the French table new protocol, such as the separation of salty and sweet dishes, at a time when all over Europe sweets were still consumed together with meat and fish in the style of the medieval times. Everyone in France was amazed by the Florentine elegance Caterina introduced: gracious table setting and dining, embroidery and handkerchiefs, light perfumes and fine lingerie, as well as luxurious silverware and glasses.
At that time, French cooking already was a rich, evolving discipline, and the presence of the new style profoundly influenced French cuisine for the next centuries. Jean Orieux wrote: “It was exactly a Florentine who reformed the antique French cooking of medieval tradition; and was reborn as the modern French cooking.” The French cooks improved and magnified the Florentine contribution, and while in Italy many dishes and techniques were being forgotten, the French made them into an international cuisine.
[/quote]