Filed under: Fun stuff | Tags: Christine Lagarde, Clichés about France, Crisis in France, French Finance Minister, Jon Stewart
Filed under: Culture Shock, Environment, Technology | Tags: Acela, France TGV, high-speed train, Obama, Pittsburgh
the French high-speed train
I’m living in Pittsburgh for 3 years now, wondering why modern America is still favoring long, painful and unpredictable air transit over high-speed trains for medium distances. France has built a high-speed train network for decades, and I’m still not used to the hassle of air transportation to travel from Pittsburgh to cities as close as Philadelphia or Boston. Even though the two cities are “only” 560 miles distant, spending over 4 hours to fly from Pittsburgh to Boston via Detroit looks like a common thing to do, against geography (traveling almost twice the distance) and common sense (standing in hallways half of the time). Not to mention the risk of bad weather conditions, the two poor crackers you’ll get for lunch, and the overweight person overflowing your seat while staring at the half cracker you are sparing for dinner. A long journey indeed.
I understand that private investors alone cannot afford the cost of high-speed network infrastructure and long-term return on investment . And those who can might well be discouraged to do so by Boeing lobbyists. But when you think of the total hours of work lost daily due to deficient air transportation, the productivity loss for the country as a whole is huge! Despite that and an overwhelming 40% unsatisfied airline passengers, America did not invest in efficient ground infrastructure for decades.
Things might change in the close future as Obama unveiled a high-speed rail plan for America today. It might also be a great chance for the French technology to cross the Atlantic. But to succeed, high-speed trains will have to convince the American public that trains can actually move much faster than the existing Acela “high-speed” connection between Boston and Washington (over 6 hours for 440 miles!). As for the French technology to succeed in America, I’m afraid it would cost too much effort to convince the American public that France and Technology are actually compatible … Even though the TGV remains the fastest train in the world today, “world-class technology” (beside US technology of course) is a trademark by Japan and Germany!
Filed under: Culture Shock, Fun stuff, Global culture, Politics | Tags: conservatives, De Gaulle, France, protests, Sarkozy, tea party
I might be wrong but I believe that only De Gaulle in France had managed to get conservatives protesting in the streets (to support his policy against the socialist party in the 60’s). I was not even born at that time. Since then, the conservatives have returned to work, leaving the streets of France to the left-wing protesters.

Protest against Sarkozy’s rigorous economic policy in France – January 28, 2009
So imagine how unusual it is for a French to witness an actual right-wing protest such as the “Tea Parties” that took place today across the United States! These protests against federal deficits and the prospect of new taxes did not gather a lot of people, but it was worth reporting a few shots for my French fellows. Conservatives in the street! It doesn’t happen a lot in Europe!


Here we go. This blog is officially entering the depression. No posts for weeks. Not that we lack some important news, but two or three letters are generally enough to report them: AIG, GM, G20, 3M and no need for additional comment. It’s depressing enough. So today, I jump on the rare occasion of some fun stuff that I received in my mailbox to hook up a nine-letter IV to this blog: Southwest.
This short sequence will delight those who like me are desperate to see video screens gradually replace the live choreography of the flight attendants before takeoff. As long as there is humor, there is hope!
Filed under: Fun stuff, Just kidding | Tags: child -selling, Mississippi, USA

There are bargains you don’t want to miss. To restore peace and serenity in your home, while making some extra money in these difficult times: sell your children! It’s easy and it is legal in Mississippi!
But you must hurry. Mississippi’s preparing to enter the 19th century and will prohibit child selling very soon (another burden for the cost of labor in small businesses). So schedule your family trip in Mississippi right now! It won’t cost you more than a one way ticket for the children, and return on investment is guaranteed!
[Thanks to the Colbert Report for bringing these incredible facts to our attention]
Filed under: Paradox | Tags: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, health care reform, heart transplant, Laith Dougherty

Here’s a story that will delight both admirers of American generosity and critics of unleashed US capitalism. It’s also another example of the (many) paradoxes of the American society.
Laith Dougherty is a two month old baby born in Portland, Oregon, with a severe cardiac dysfunction. Estimated at $ 1.5 million, the cost of the surgery critical to his survival was far more than the family’s insurance coverage could provide, and no qualified hospital from Oregon to California would take care of the baby unless the cost was paid upfront.
On March 2, with a little help of outraged bloggers, Laith was finally admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who volunteered to save his life despite the lack of coverage. Not only by generosity, but also because the hospital has a 90% success rate for this type of surgery and is one of the few in the country capable of implementing a heart pump adapted to the small size of the patient while awaiting a transplant.
The paradox is that Laith could benefit from full coverage by Medicaid … if only his parents were poor enough. Strange system where – if not a millionaire – it’s better to be born without shelter to ensure good health.
Barack Obama hosted today at the White House a summit on health care reform. Perhaps the end of a paradox.
I wish a long life to Laith, who really touched … my heart !
Filed under: Everyday Life | Tags: Florida Keys, Key West, Pittsburgh, vacation

There’s nothing you can do. It’s a physical law. Take an average happy guy who just spent a week in the Florida Keys, dip him in turquoise water at 75 degrees, let him brown a few hours on the hot sand in the morning sun, then throw him in a plane at lunch with no service on board, and take him back in the evening on the snowbound parking lot of the Pittsburgh airport during a snow storm: inevitably, the guy turns in a bad mood. And it’s even worse when, having prepared well in advance, the guy takes care of wearing only a light jacket so he can send his wife – much better equiped – find his car lost under the snow: the mood of the wife also turns ugly … and two individuals spend a very bad evening.
Aside from the trip back, Florida is beautiful in February! Too bad all the bridges between two keys are not cut. You’d love to be stuck there.
Next time: remember to take the dynamite.
Filed under: Fun stuff, Politics | Tags: C-SPAN, Gary Ackerman, LCP-AN, Madoff, SEC
C-SPAN is to the U.S. Congress what LCP-AN is to the French National Assembly: a boring TV channel with few viewers. But as LCP-AN remains constantly boring, C-SPAN can become somewhat exciting when the Congress investigates some of the most shocking scandals (which never happens in France. Well, not the scandals of course, but the investigation). Then, you get the excitment of the good and innocent kid watching the teacher (the congressman) lecturing the dunce (the federal agency that has not done its job) caught in the act of indiscipline.
When the scandal is about Bernard Madoff and his $ 50 billion financial fraud, and the teacher who conducts the investigation has the eloquence of Gary Ackermann, and when the dunce is nothing less that the formerly-very-honorable SEC, it gives us some good expiatory moments like this one.
Probably not enough to make the golden boys who are watching C-SPAN from a Caribbean beach feel guilty, but quite enjoyable for the average-joe-who-is-tired-to-be-considered-a-dummy.
In context, Gary Ackermann is here referring to the SEC representatives who ignored (knowingly?) a detailed report on Madoff’s fraudulent activities that landed on their desk 8 years ago!


With respect to media coverage as well, all things considered, the “hyper-President” Sarkozy can be easily compared to the “Obama icon”. The American president made the headlines of