France Tales

Les Soldes begin in France, Sales start this week

Owen — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:56:31 +0000

There are 2 sales seasons in France per year by law. One in the winter and one in the summer. Sales in France are regulated so you may get a few special promo prices throughout the year, but you will not see deep discounts except at this time of the year. You can save 50% on the first markdown and 50% more on each following markdown. Check this link below to see the dates of this years sales and the future year’s sales as well.

This summer the sales in France begin June 24th, in Toulouse most stores will open at 8AM to begin the sales, and there will be lines. Happy shopping at les soldes en France..

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Kimberley Vlaeminck’s funny story about her 56 tattoos

Owen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:51:39 +0000

This Belgian teenager, Kimberley Vlaeminck, claims she went to a tattoo parlor to get 3 stars tattooed on on her face. She claims she fell asleep and when she woke up, she had 56 stars tattooed on her face. I have 2 tattoos and find it hard to believe you could sleep through the tattooing of 56 stars on your face. Doubt has been cast on this Belgian teenagers story. See the video for yourself.

Less similar but interesting anyway . . .

Record Stores in Toulouse, yes records!

Owen — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:53:04 +0000

There are many record stores in Toulouse, yes records. I have been living here 1.5 years and have just started to notice this. I am a music junkie. I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before. Today I was walking around the center of Toulouse and stopped counting at 8 record stores. Stores that actually carry records in Toulouse.

I guess since I am not working much and don’t have a lot of money to spare, I haven’t gone into many of the stores. Therefore, I also avert my eyes when I pass their windows. Most of the record stores in Toulouse had a “High Fidelity” look to them. I’m not sure if at age 38, that is a good thing or a bad thing. But I have spent thousands of hours in record stores so I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

My next project on this blog is to go to all the record stores in Toulouse and write a short review. It will be nice to connect with people again over music. Very few, maybe only one, of my friends here really knows and understands that my musical taste really spans Slayer, Verdi, Johnny Cash, Gary Numan, Macy Gray, Jacques Brel, X, Janis Jopin, the Clash, etc. I don’t understand people who like such a limited variety of music, it’s not a judgement, but a true mystery.

Do you know of any good record stores in Toulouse? Where should I start?

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10 Words and phrases you must know to move to France

Owen — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:51:57 +0000

I’m sure you already know how to ask where the wine store is, where the toilets are, and tell the baker how many croissants you want. These 10 words and phrases are little known words and phrases you must know because you will utilize them regularly but you won’t find them in a guidebook. no explanations given, maybe a few, if you live in France, you’ve already used them, if not try them out in different situations until you find the right situation. If you say them with a cute accent, no matter how offensive they are, the French will laugh, hopefully.

10 Words and phrases you must know to move to France

Trou du cul, great for practicing the various “U” sounds
Mais non madame, ce n’est pas possible que mon vélo ait cassé l’ascenseur, peut-être pourriez-vous perdre un peu de poids
Oui, c’est une carte à piste, oui ça marche! Est-ce que vous voulez que je vous montre? Si vous insistez à passer la carte si lentement, la carte va expirer avant que vous n’ayez fini! Mais non madame, carte à piste veut dire que vous ne pouvez pas insérer la carte comme les cartes à puce. Putain . . . . . . . .
Non, je ne suis pas Anglo-Saxon, je ne suis pas un Viking, je n’ai pas de lance ou de casque magique. Oui je parle anglais mais c’est tout! Oui, je sais, mais vous vous êtes trompé!
J’ai besoin d’un justificatif de domicile pour louer l’appartement? Expliquez-moi, comment est-ce possible? Non, pas en France, en général. Si je cherche un appartement ça veut dire que . . . d’accord, quand j’aurai un domicile je pourrai essayer de louer l’appartement, je comprends, c’est logique.
Allo, oui, je voudrais annuler mon forfait. Oui, je pars à l’étranger. Pouvez-vous m’envoyer la résiliation à l’étranger? Parce que pendant deux semaines je vais être là-bas et pas ici. Non je n’ai pas de justificatif de domicile là, j’habite ici, JE VAIS DÉMENAGER là. Si je ne peux pas le faire par téléphone ET qu’il faut que j’attende jusqu’au moment que d’être là-bas, je ne pourrais pas le faire parce que je serais déjà là-bas. Est-ce que vous m’écoutez?
Oui vous pouvez, oui, essayez-le, il faut que vous fassiez un peu d’effort, you will use this one over and over again don’t forget it
Qu’est-ce que c’est, la banette? Mais, monsieur, c’est la banette! D’accord, c’est logique.
Personne ne regarde quand il traverse la rue, la prochaine fois je vais vous écraser, oui en vélo, oui, il faut regarder, parce que c’est logique.
Votre dossier est beau et épais, vous devez être fier!

I may have made a few spelling and grammar errors but I did this post in a rush out of frustration. Nothing particular today but in general. These phrases are more useful than those of a guidebook.

***PS- This just in, a reader Nathalie just corrected my sentences. Not too many errors but enough to warrant a correction and a thank you. Visit her site and say thank you for me. http://nathaliehamidi.com/

The next list:
10 ways to insult your elderly neighbor, while they are trying to steal your groceries, that you left in the lobby next to the elevator, while you stepped around the corner for one minute, to check your mail.

What are your favorite French phrases?

Less similar but interesting anyway . . .

Five Free or Low Cost Ways to Amuse Yourself in Toulouse in June

Owen — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:29:24 +0000

Toulouse is a big city in the south of France that always has a lot to offer. BUT in this economy every centime counts. Let the bean counters count, we’re going to have fun, for little or no money, this is how we do it:

Five Free or Low Cost Ways to Amuse Yourself in Toulouse in June

Sunday, June 7th, all national museums are free in Toulouse. The first Sunday of every month means free admission to all state run museums. Some museums to visit: Georges Labit, Paul Dupuy, Les Abbattoirs, and St Raymond. Don’t try to see them all.
Wednesday, June 10th, Minimal Orchestra performs at Le Cri de la Mouette. Electro Pop performed by an old French teacher of mine. Minimal performs with Goodnight Monsters and Twee Pop for 5€. Le Cri de la Mouette is an old barge on the Canal de Midi that has been transformed into an intimate concert hall. Scream if you like.
June 17th – June 21, The Rio Loco Festival is located on the banks of the Garonne River at the Prairie des Filtres. This year’s Rio Loco theme is the Maghreb so it will feature the music, art, design, culture, and food of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Highlights: Opening night concert with Khaled, closing night with Rachid Taha. Don’t forget your noseplugs, last year with Balkan Beat Box the stench was a bit overpowering.
Saturday, June 20th, Gay Pride Parade in Toulouse. Gay or straight, all are welcome to come and celebrate. Dance, drink, papoter, browse, cruise, wear Italian moviestar sunglasses, march, laugh, cry as the parade winds itself around the narrow cobblestoned streets of centre ville ending at La Place de la Daurade. With or without your high heels.
June 21th, Sunday, La Fête de la Musique. All over France La Fête de la Musique means all day and all night non-stop music. Music from early morning to late in the evening on every street corner in every city. A huge mixture of music and styles and it is FREE. Sleep is for people who are tired and programs are for people who need direction.

What else do you have on your June agenda to add?

Less similar but interesting anyway . . .

Build a better blog in 31 days

Owen — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:48:56 +0000

I have had successes and failures with this blog France Tales. I enjoy writing. I enjoy connecting with the various people I have met and communicated with. I have enjoyed sharing advice on moving to and living in France. When I am motivated to write on France Tales I think I can write in a funny engaging way. For all these reasons I am going to try to revive my motivation to write on France Tales.

Problogger has a challenge called 31 Days to Build Better Blog. There is no big scheme to it. Each day you will do a task which may take an hour or 2. By the end of the challenge, you will have a better blog but also have motivation and direction again.

http://www.problogger.net/31-days-to-build-a-better-blog-join-9100-other-bloggers-today/

Another component to it is to find others to do it with. Of course he wants more people to join but it is free and you can stop whenever you want if it doesn’t meet your needs. When I did weight watchers years ago I did it with my partner and we lost together because we supported each other and looked out for each other. It is not necessary in this contest, but I would love to do this with someone else. Anyone game?

You start with something called a SWOT analysis. If you have a blog for just personal reasons it might be too business like but I think it is going to be good for me. S is for strengths, W is for Weaknesses, and these are both more internal, what are your strengths and weaknesses. O is for opportunities and T is for threats, and they are more external to you. I guess SWOT is an old marketing and business term but is a novel idea to apply to blogs. It is the first step in the challenge before you even start.

SWOT Analysis on Problogger

SWOT wiki, a great tool for wiki templates

Maybe we can keep in touch on Twitter too.

Do you lack creativity, inspiration, and motivation for your blog? Join me, Please.

Tags: blogs,

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CA overturns Gay Marriage again, prop 8

Owen — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:18:03 +0000

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gay-marriage27-2009may27,0,7752874.story

From the Los Angeles Times

California high court upholds Prop. 8

The justices uphold the same-sex marriage ban but also rule that the 18,000 gay couples who wed before November will stay married. The decision is sure to spark another ballot box fight.

By Maura Dolan

May 27, 2009

Reporting from San Francisco — The California Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to uphold Proposition 8 and existing same-sex marriages left in place all rights for California’s gays and lesbians except access to the label “marriage,” but it provided little protection from future ballot measures that could cost gays and other minorities more rights, lawyers and scholars said Tuesday.

In a 6-1 ruling, the court said the November ballot measure that restored a ban on same-sex marriage was a limited constitutional amendment, not a wholesale revision that would have required a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to be placed before voters.

The court was unanimous in deciding that an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who married before the November election would continue to have their marriages recognized by the state.

Proposition 8 merely “carves out a narrow and limited exception” to the state constitutional protection gays and lesbians now receive, Chief Justice Ronald M. George wrote for the majority.

The court majority said same-sex couples would continue to have the right to choose life partners and enter into “committed, officially recognized and protected family relationships” that enjoy all the benefits of marriage under the state’s domestic partnership law.

“Like opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples enjoy this protection not as a matter of legislative grace, but of constitutional right,” George wrote.

UC Berkeley constitutional law professor Goodwin Liu said the ruling shows “the court continues to be very deferential to the processes of direct democracy in California.”

In a separate, concurring opinion, Associate Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar noted some rights married couples have that domestic partners do not, and suggested that the state now has the duty “to eliminate the remaining important differences.”

She agreed with the majority that Proposition 8 was not an illegal constitutional revision, but said the ruling’s definition of revision was too inflexible.

Describing Proposition 8’s “limited effect,” the majority said that simply reserving the term “marriage” for opposite-sex couples “does not have a substantial, or, indeed, even a minimal effect on the governmental plan or framework of California that existed prior to the amendment.”

In deciding that gay couples who married in California before the November election will remain married, the court said it would be unfair and might even invite chaos to nullify marriages those couples entered into lawfully.

Ending those marriages would be akin to “throwing property rights into disarray, destroying the legal interests and expectations of thousands of couples and their families, and potentially undermining the ability of citizens to plan their lives according to the law as it has been determined by the state’s highest court,” George wrote.

Portions of the majority ruling read as a lament over the ease with which the California Constitution can be amended.

The 136-page majority decision contained a lengthy history of the state Constitution and the ballot amendment process and distinguished California’s amendment process from those of other states and the federal Constitution.

“If the process for amending the constitution is to be restricted,” George wrote, “this is an effort that the people themselves may undertake.”

It is neither impossible nor improper to limit how voters may change the Constitution, George wrote.

“We have no doubt that an express restriction could be fashioned that would limit the use of the initiative power in the manner proposed by petitioners — but the California Constitution presently contains no limits of this nature,” he said.

By stressing that only the term “marriage” was affected by the November election, the court seemed to signal that a broader ballot measure might not be upheld.

But the court’s definition of what would be an impermissible constitutional revision was also narrow and left gay rights activists nervous and several legal scholars skeptical.

“It leaves us to the kindness of strangers,” said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal, a gay rights organization. “They could take away anything.”

UC Davis law professor Vikram Amar agreed, saying the court defined an illegal revision as a measure that changes the structure of government, not one that takes away individual rights.

“It is hard to see how any repeal of any person’s liberty or property would affect the structure of government” and be deemed an improper revision, Amar said.

Jesse Choper, a professor of constitutional law at UC Berkeley, said the court’s ruling means that voters may take away individual rights “in a limited fashion” and that the scope of the measure will determine whether it is permissible.

“The court wasn’t happy about this. Proposition 8 changed their opinion” last year that gave gays and lesbians marriage rights, he said. “The justices stood up and said, ‘OK, people have the right to do so, and it is not a revision because it is limited in scope.’ ”

Justice Carlos R. Moreno dissented, calling the ruling “not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.

“The rule the majority crafts today not only allows same-sex couples to be stripped of the right to marry,” Moreno wrote, “it places at risk the state constitutional rights of all disfavored minorities.”

Gay rights advocates and several legal scholars said they were surprised that the court did not attempt to rein in constitutional amendments.

“For the court to see only structural changes as those requiring a greater majority is perhaps the worst feature of the opinion today,” said Pepperdine University law professor Douglas W. Kmiec, who voted for Proposition 8 on religious grounds. “It makes it much too casual for individual rights to be withdrawn.”

Andrew Pugno, a lawyer for the Proposition 8 campaign, said the court simply embraced what had been the law.

“Under this ruling, voters — no matter what the hypothetical — the voters can do anything they want with the state Constitution,” Pugno said. If interracial marriage were not protected by the federal Constitution, voters could repeal it, he said.

During oral arguments in March, the court appeared to struggle over how to ensure that minority rights would not be trampled while still upholding Proposition 8.

But instead of curbing the amendment process, the court gave “a blank check to the voters without any limiting principle enunciated,” said Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Shannon Price Minter, who helped argue the challenge for Kendell’s group, said he doubted the ruling would have much influence outside California.

“It is such an internally contradictory ruling that I doubt it will be followed anywhere else,” he said.

Ted Olson and David Boies, two prominent lawyers who had been on opposite sides in the Bush vs. Gore case, said they are coming together to challenge Proposition 8 in federal court. Gay rights lawyers have urged supporters to stay out of federal court, fearful of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could set the same-sex marriage movement back decades.

In addition to rejecting the gay rights groups’ argument that Proposition 8 was an illegal revision, the court flatly discarded Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown’s contention that the measure should be overturned because it took away an inalienable right.

“No authority supports the attorney general’s claim,” the court said.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Tags: prop8, gaymarriage, california

Less similar but interesting anyway . . .

Pink Socks in Toulouse

Owen — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:58:18 +0000

Is there a new French law requiring pink socks in gyms? Just last week I was shocked to see a really macho looking guy, and not gay, strutting around the gym in tiny tight shorts with pink wool socks pulled up to his ears, or at least his knees. I don’t really care but it was amusing. Yesterday there was another guy at the gym with long shorts and he had pink socks pulled up high. You couldn’t see how high because they were pulled under his long shorts. Long green shorts. Pink socks, green shorts, watermelon of a man. Sarkozy, you and your bizarre laws. Maybe it was Oxygen though. They have started a new campaign of “we will not let you into the gym without your ID card” maybe they added “and pink socks” at the end.

Tags: goingtothegym, pinksocks

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Airbus Going Green?

Owen — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:31:18 +0000

Airbus is based in Toulouse.

Published on GreenBizSite (http://www.greenbiz.com)

Airplanes with ‘Waggling’ Wings Could be 20% More Efficient

By GreenBiz Staff

May 22, 2009

Playing with a model airplane wing in a wind tunnel led researchers at the University of Warwick to a surprising discovery: by waggling a wing, airplanes could be up to 20 percent more fuel efficient, saving huge costs and significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from air travel.

Granted, the wings of the planes themselves won’t waggle, but by employing tiny jets to redirect air over the wing in a way that emulates the motion of waggling, the researchers believe they can achieve major reductions in mid-flight air drag on wings, allowing planes to fly with lower resistence and using less fuel.

“This has come as a bit of a surprise to all of us in the aerodynamics community,” said Dr. Duncan Lockerby of the University of Warwick, who is leading the project. “The truth is we’re not exactly sure why this technology reduces drag, but with the pressure of climate change we can’t afford to wait around to find out.”

Airbus S.A.S. 2005 — H.Gousse

The concept is based on the tiny ridges found on sharks’ bodies, which can reduce skin-friction drag by about 5 percent. But Lockerby’s team thinks the micro-jet system could end up reducing skin friction drag by as much as 40 percent.

The research, which has been undertaken by scientists at four universities around the U.K, is still in a concept stage, but researchers believe they could have the wings ready for testing by 2012. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Airbus are funding the research.

The aviation industry has long been working on solutions to climate change. The global aviation industry has a huge environmental impact, and earlier this year, four airlines pushed to include the airline industry in future climate treaties, notably the Copenhagen talks scheduled for later this year. The United Kingdom’s air industry has set a goal of reducing its emissions per passenger by 50 percent in 2020; at the end of last year Sustainable Aviation released a report projecting a leveling-off of climate intensity for the British airline industry.

Tags: airbus, greenflying, airplanes

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Using a gas grill from the US in France

Owen — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:39:54 +0000

When I moved to France I brought my gas grill. It was large and nice looking but I wasn’t sure if I should bring it. We didn’t know where we were going to live and even if we would have outdoor space at first. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought it. I couldn’t bring the canister of gas in the container because it was not allowed. I worried about finding the right canister and if it could be adapted at all.

We brought it but it has been almost 2 years since I used it, never in France. The gas canisters are different. If you go to a store they will tell you it is against French laws to change the coupling because it is not safe etc. So I never really forced the issue. I am preparing for a party next Friday on my terrace and I’d love to use the BBQ.

Today we went to a store in the center of Toulouse called Midica. I find it generally more expensive than other stores but since it is in the center where I live you don’t have to drive and it is easy to get to, i went there. We ran into the same problem again. Messieurs it is against the law, blah, blah, blah. I said basically that I am relatively handy so I would have no problem making a connection with a new hose so the gas would work. The employee must have repeated 10 times that it was against French law etc.

Finally I said, here’s my address, why don’t you call the police if it will make you feel better, but will you show me where the hoses are? He acted so offended but in the end he showed me where everything was that I needed and even told me he would throw in the regulator for free if I bought the canister of gas.

It all goes to support my theory that the French love to argue. If you go somewhere to buy something or ask a question, you will get no respect until to provoke an with them. Win or lose, it is “having” the argument that counts. In the US I generally try not to provoke the people I am asking for help but in France I think it is a law that you must do that.

Midica has everything and is a great store, but a little on the expensive side, but you can find it here.

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