Miss Kolka

More on this election because its all I hear about at the moment, and perhaps because Mr. Sarkozy hasn't done anything too scandalous recently (What's going on?) although that might change at any time. I have the feeling I will get some bad news, the French government adding new taxes here and there but mainly here and with my luck, Im sure its going to fall on my back. Perhaps a tax for people having a good salary, but on sick leave, that don't own anything and owe alot in student loans abroad and that will have a child in 2009. why not call it the "lets-ripoff-kolka -law" - that would be easier. 

Back to business, The republican convention's over.. it got alot of attention but I dont know whether its good or bad press. Listening to the "Maverick's" speech you can seriously question his crowd that shouted "USA, USA" again and again.. whatever he was saying, whether he was talking about his VP , his experience as a  prisoner of war (that he milked for at least 20 minutes) or that he was the change Washington needed. So now McCain that has been a senator for over 20 years represents change? I also found the buttons curious that were waved all over during Sarah Palin's speech saying "the hottest VP in America from the coolest state". Typical that people make a statement about her looks.. and they say its the press that is sexist! (questioning her qualifications and dubious use of power in Alaska). Palin compared herself to a pitbull with lipstick.. ok...  She also thinks the war in Iraq has been commanded by god.

I dont think there is any doubt what party I would vote for if I was American. Lets hope for the rest of the world that they can make the right choice.

OUff.. Im glad my pregnancy is not making the headlines all over the country. That I am reckless and "god-help-us" not married to Pan, the father of my baby. But then again My mother is not running for the vice presidency of the United states and I don't think she intends to, but I could be wrong.

I really don't know what to think about the media circus surrounding Sarah Palin and her family, actually Im not sure what my view on teen pregnancy is in general. But I think that this poor girl did not have a choice. She had to keep the baby and now she HAS to marry the father. There is no way that if she would have wanted to have an abortion that her Pro-life mother would have supported it and I can just imagine the pressure from the image consultans of the Republican party for conventional values to be upheld. Its easy for pundits and radio host to sit there and criticize and be scandalized over some poor girl who like so many others was probably not careful enough and now has to marry the father of her baby and "do the right thing". What were her parents thinking?" might be heard or "Did they not teach them anything about contraception?"

But I am not sure that much of the discussion is being tackled from the right angle. Of course this is a personal matter - And as Republicans are eager to repeat, it does not belong in the political debate. (How hypocritical that this comes from those who so viscously attacked President Clinton in his time or were grining when Edward's affair was revealed - the tides changes quickly). The fact that Palin has a pregnant teenage daughter makes her not more or less of a politician. What should be discussed here is
1. the fact that Republicans have been lecturing Americans on family values and how the American family "is supposed to be and bladibla" and many hard-core right wing politicians believe that abstinance is the way to go and that teenagers should not receive ANY sex education! So that's a great example... and also

2. Palin has worrying views on abortion, stem cell research, climate change, health care, evolution and gun-laws and she is in no way representing family values or values that seem to be, according to polls, close to women's hearts. The belief that she will get many of the Hillary Clinton supporters to back the Republican party is very optimistic at best. They are not so stupid to vote for a woman just because she is a woman. Let's believe it is still about the issues.

Another thing.. remind me how old McCain is again? What are the odds that Palin, mother of five, amongst which are a young baby with a down syndrome which needs alot of care and a very young mother, will have to assume the role of being the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES sometime in the 4 years to come? Ultimately it was her choice to accept the ticket of course.. but what does that tell you about HER family values and priorites?

I find it worrying. And I would like to point out that I also would if she was a man and father of five.
The republicans have to stop lecturing people about what they do in their home or with their life.. and then maybe,maybe what their politicians decide for themselves personally and their families would not be dominating the political debate.

See more on the Huffington Post

So yes - Hard to blog and try to keep a big secret. I have managed to stay off the personal zone for 5 months and now I think its time - since I will not be able to blog about the workplace for a little while, I need new inspiration. And there are some funny and less funny things that happen around me that I dont mind sharing.

So over 5 months pregnant - If all goes according to plan we (the boy that wouldn't grow up, let me call him Pan, and I) are having a boy or a girl in january- its a surprise actually (people tend to forget that some people do not want to know the sex) So dad still has his role to play in the announcement. I got, and still get all the attention with the pregnancy so its only fair that he gets his fair share. He could always say: "Its a baby" , that's a safe bet.

I have to say that I was contemplating just taking a good 9 months break from the blog  - And who knows.. If I have no sense of self-censorship it might well come to that. If all that baby-talk makes me (and you) sick there will also be plenty of interesting non-baby related events in the near future I can comment on  - My body may be in overtime but my brain is still working! Although I heard somewhere that future mothers were 50% less reliable during their pregnancy. I keep hearing so many nonsense things about pregnant women though. For example:

If you like salty food, its going to be a boy

If you like sugar, its going to be a girl.  

And if you like both and you eat all the time? Well, there is no mystery.. you look like the picture above.

Since I've had a little more time at home these last few days I have become a major internet buyer - buying books, DVDs, vacuum cleaners and what have you without even getting outside of my bed. Its so easy - even a little bit too easy.

In my search of the perfect item I rambled into a very familiar image.

An image that looks a little bit too much like the generic France 24 ad which can be seen everywhere - an Iceberg that is hiding "the truth" - what is BEYOND the news.. (like our coverage of Darfur ...ok I never really got that either or any of my collegues for that matter )

If you look a bit closer at the original- you might see the text "Hidden Depths"
Aha, ok, Im guessing those who came up with the slogan and the look for my channel found that all intriguing but one might ask oneself if a television station that wants to portray itself as giving the facts and a little more "beyond the news ", whatever that entails, really wants to be associated with an image that suggests Hidden meanings or even hidden agendas? Do you want people to question what you are telling them?

Stealing the overall idea and the colour from such a generic poster sold at $1.99 on the internet is a little problematic but we can still live with it. Perhaps it would have been worth thinking a little bit harder about the meaning though...

Another poster featuring the following text widely available on the net. "The depth of a soul is not measured by what appears on the surface but what lies in the heart" 

Since when does surface and appearance not matter in television? It is all about WHAT YOU APPEAR to be saying and how you say it - and rarely about what lies underneath...or the reasons why we are telling you these particular details.

just a little more hypocrisy from the Tv world

 

 

My blog vacation is over. I felt I needed some time on my own - without reflecting my private feelings openly on the web. 1 and a half month later Im ready to share my views with you once again (and to update my flickr pictures: mom's wedding, south of France, friends in Paris exc exc.) I was looking for the right subjectmatter however to re-enter the "internets" , and it took a while.

Last week I saw that the infamous french 35 hour work week will be lost forever, and I seemed to be one of the few outraged in my circle. Perhaps it is the way it was done, in the middle of summer,in july at the same time as other laws were forcefully past just before parliament went on vacation and therefore it went a little bit unnoticed. This law applied in 2000 by the left is also quite deceptive - since very few people work 35 hours per week and extra hours up until now have not been paid especially = overtime does not really exist in France.


It is a little complicated to enlist all the details for non-French readers (Dont forget the French devise: "why make things simple when they can be complicated") but I can try to make some sense out of it. The social group "cadres" for example can be translated in a number of ways and none of these words fully incorporates the true meaning : Executives, sale executives, merchand bankers or even thirty somethings - these terms do not even come close to the French meaning. Cadres can work in public office or in the administration-part of large companies, most often working "normal" office hours. Except that these office hours are different all over France and people often work 9, 10 or even 11 hours per day (in spite of the 35 hour work week - they even go well over the more common 40 hour work week in the rest of Europe) With of course 1 and half hour lunch break and only getting home to their families after 8 p.m. at night. So to compensate , up until now, cadres have been able to take off so called "RTT" days. 10 or up to 20 days off during the year - normally on the day of your choosing, depending on agreements made between the board and employee representatives.  These days can now be cancelled by the employer. Furthermore bank holidays do not have to be paid anymore if the company doesn't feel like it (bank holidays count around 11 days per year such as christmas day, 1st of january, 1st of may, National day 14 of july exc).

So you see - its all very technical - and unfortunately I dont see how these new measures by the Sarkozy-government will make workers in France more effective. I dont understand how you can ask people to spend more time at the office, which is already long - for the same pay. (they say the pay will rise around 10% but apparently what people want is more free time and time to spend with their families). The actual system is not that great either mind you - people arrive to the office between 9 and 10 a.m. and leave at 7 or 8 p.m. Do they use all that time as effective work time? I doubt it.

We might be heading towards an autumn with the wonderful smell of protest in the air...

• very classy | 05-09-2008
• Im not seventeen anymore | 02-09-2008
• The word is out | 01-09-2008
• What's beneath the Iceberg? | 30-07-2008
• Im back! | 29-07-2008
• Það er komin 17. júní | 17-06-2008
• In memoriam | 09-06-2008
• Noh Það er bara svona! | 22-05-2008
• Remember 5 fruits and vegetebles per day! | 21-05-2008
• How much is enough? | 09-05-2008
• Where is Iceland's money coming from? | 06-05-2008
• There's no way out | 19-04-2008
• Sendi it back to China | 07-04-2008
• Poisson d'avril | 01-04-2008
• Wish I was | 30-03-2008