Threatened with layoffs, French factory workers threaten explosion
July 20, 2009
Auto parts workers in France say they will blow up factory unless paid by French carmakers Renault and Peugeot
The economic crisis has caused explosive anger in many quarters all over the world — at everyone from bankers to governments. Now factory workers in a small town in France are threatening to blow up their 62-year-old factory unless they are paid off for their lost jobs to the tune of $42,000 (30,000 euros) each by carmakers Renault and Peugeot, which account for almost all of the factory’s business.
The auto parts maker, New Fabris, recently went into bankruptcy and is forced to lay off its workers, some of whom have been there more than 20 years. But even the newer workers are protesting. In France, a country where cradle-to-grave employment is considered virtually a right, and firing workers once hired is next to impossible, the economic crisis is creating an existential one, as well as a wave of outrage and disbelief. Suddenly finding out that they are losing what they were sure was a secure and well-paid job is driving some workers to extreme measures. “Bossnappings” have been reported across France as managers are held hostage by dsigruntled employees whose jobs are threatened.
The 366 New Fabris workers who are protesting have barricaded themselves in ide the factory, and say that they have gas cannisters that they will blow up if their compensation demands in exchange for their lost wages are not met. Police think that the workers are bluffing and that the canisters are empty, but the workers and their union spokesperson insist that they are dead serious. Emergency services in the small northeastern town of Chatellerault are taking the threat seriously and are on high alert. The factory is full of expensive equipment worth millions of dollars, some of it owned by Renault, which the workers are holding inside, refusing to let any of it be removed. The workers have set a deadline of July 31 for their demands to be met.
The reason for the closure of the factory goes back to the worldwide economic crisis. French car manufacturers Peugeot and Renault were supplied by the New Fabris plant for decades. and at the time of the bankruptcy accounted for 90% of the factory’s orders. But now, with car purchases down in France as they are around the world, and carmakers going bankrupt or being bought out by healthier companies with their own supply chain, demand for parts has plummeted. The two French carmakers expressed sympathy for the plight of the workers, and have already given financial support to the company, but said it was not their responsibility to compensate them for their lost jobs. The workers counter that Renault and Peugeot have already set a precedent by previously paying off 200 workers at an aluminum plant in France. The New Fabris workers want a similar deal. Their own employer has offered to pay them only about half what they are demanding, and that only for workers with more than 20 years on the job.
Free and low-cost events in Paris this summer
July 19, 2009
Paris offers summer visitors a range of free and cheap entertainment options
Recession? Quel recession? For Parisians and tourists alike, this summer in Paris is chock-full of free and low-cost entertainment. With the euro still on the high side, and travellers’ budgets just the opposite, this comes as welcome news. Paris, long considered an expensive place to visit, has made summer a bargain, with lots of things to do, some cultural and some just plain fun, that leaves you with your euros to spend on that blowout dinner.
Some of these events, like Paris Plage, the “beach” along the Seine, started as experiments and have become beloved summertime traditions. Paris Plage actually began as a way for those beleaguered Parisians who could NOT take the month of August off to be able to experience something like a “stay-cation” in the city. The result has been to make Paris a much more interesting and lively place to visit in summer than the ghost town it used to become.
The original urban beach, Paris Plage, is back for its eighth season until August 20, with sites along the Seine and the Bassin de la Villette. The first year, many scoffed at the city carting in tons of sand to line the Seine, but no one’s laughing anymore. You’ll find palm trees, sand, lounge chairs, activities for kids, and plenty to eat and drink. There are also impromtu concerts that break out. Look for the sand — and the sunbathers — along the voie George Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement (near Notre Dame) and the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement.
Free concerts are keeping Paris parks humming this summer. One concert series is Festival Fnac Indétendances which runs from July 25 to August 15 and the first three weekends of August. Outdoor shows run Friday through Sunday. The festival is put on by the French music megastore Fnac and favors rock and roll. To see who will be playing, click here.
For jazz lovers, the Paris Jazz Festival runs through July 26. This annual Jazz Festival takes place in the verdant Parc Floral, part of the huge Bois de Vincennes in Paris’ 12th arrondissement. Free concerts are held on the grand scène (big stage) every Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 and 4:30 p.m. You can buy food and drinks in the park, but most people bring their own picnics, liberally lubricated with wine. Admission to the Parc Floral is €2.50, but the concerts are all free. And classical music takes over from jazz in August with the Classique au Vert concert series (August 1–September 20) featuring the works of Ravel, Dubussy and Mahler. As with the jazz festival, the classical music series is great chance for lazy picnics before and during the concerts, which play at 4:00 p.m.
Paris abounds in free and low-cost film festivals in summer, many of them outdoors under the stars, making them perfect for a twilight picnic of crusty baguette, a bottle of wine and those cheeses you picked up in the market..a nice change from popcorn.
The biggest and best-known of these is the Festival Cinéma en Plein Air (July 15–August 16) an outdoor film series that is, thankfully,once again free in 2009. Screenings begin at nightfall (usually between 9:30–10:00 p.m.) and picnics are encouraged. Chairs and blankets can be rented for a small fee. Tis year’s program includes recent English language titles like Brokeback Mountain and Little Miss Sunshine. August 5–23 you can take in the Clair de Lune Festival (in French only) which projects classic films like Godard’s Pierrot le Fou in fun, offbeat locations all over Paris every Thursday–Sunday in mid-August.
From August 29 to September 6, off the beaten track in the 19th arrondissement in Paris’ northeastern corner, Festival Silhouette makes short films the focus in the beautiful restored Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Screenings take place every night after dark on the lawn in front of a charming lake.
As it does all year, the Louvre opens its doors for free the first weekend of every month. But there are other museum and cultural freebies happening this summer. Through August 31, visitors can see Magicien de Fer (Magician of Iron), a free, fun and worthwhile exhibit about the career and personal life of Gustave Eiffel. The exhibit is part of the celebration of the Eiffel Tower’s 120th birthday. But don’t go to the Eiffel Tower to see it! The show is located at another Paris landmark: Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in the 4th arrondissement…one of Paris’ prime locations for its perennial and best free activity: people-watching.
Underground restaurants in Paris make patrons at home
July 18, 2009
Some Americans in Paris are running unofficial restaurants out of their residences.
Talk about catering to your clientele! Imagine arriving at someone’s Paris apartment only to find it packed with strangers enjoying a meal in an impromptu restaurant. It has been happening more and more in Paris lately. People have been running secret underground temporary restaurants in cities all over the world. However, Paris, acknowledged by foodies as one of the world’s capitals of cuisine, was left out for a long time. The near-religious zeal surrounding cuisine and restaurants, plus the sheer number of eateries in Paris (more per per resident and in terms of geography than any other city) made the informal, fly-by-night –and illegal– restaurants seem superfluous.
However, opening up a more “normal” restaurant in Paris is fraught with that uniquely French brand of red tape that seem both longer and stickier than in other countries. This, plus the risk associated with the restaurant business in general (most new restaurants fail their first year in business) make an underground restaurant a way for a frustrated chef in Paris to hedge his or her bets. Americans in Paris have an especially uphill battle to open a “normal” eating establishment there. So, these “occasional” places to get a meal in someone’s home have been popping up in Paris lately. And while the emphasis is still on — literally — home cooking, Paris’ underground restaurants are trending rather upscale food-wise, as American chefs let their creativity run wild with local ingredients and wines. “Le Chien Lunatique”, open weekly to up to 12 hungry and savvy gourmet customers, is located in the the Latin Quarter apartment of the chef of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA (he spends half the year in Paris). Another popular home-based restaurant is the aptly-named “The Hidden Kitchen”, run by Seattle chef Braden Perkins. Both projects are publicized via websites, blogs and word of mouth, and have patrons lining up to pay 70 euros and up for whatever the chef feels like cooking tonight. Unlike a traditional restaurant, patrons at underground restaurants generally eat what is put in front of them; there is no menu of options, just what’s on order for that evening. Of course, dinner is not the only meal one can find in Paris is one wants to go underground. “Lunch in the Loft” is the brainchild of artist Claude Cabri, an amateur chef who only asks a suggested 45 euro donation for her meals and often barely breaks even. Her love of cooking and good conversation are all the compensation she really needs.
While eating in an underground restaurant in Paris has its drawbacks (lack of choice, few seats, never knowing where and when it will be the next time you come) there are decided advantages. The relaxing atmosphere of eating in someone’s home, and the presence of the chef at the table are unique, as is the ability to stay as long as you like; there is no turning over of tables. Patrons get to know each other well over a meal and often engage in the the quintessentially Parisian custom of lively debate over a good meal and a glass — or a bottle — of wine, often migrating from the dining room to their host or hostess’ living room sofa.
Of course , a few stalwarts in Paris have been feeding strangers in their homes for money for a long time. An American artist in the Montparnasse area, Jim Haynes, has been running an ersatz bistro out of his art studio for over 30 years. It began when he took in a boarder who offered to cook for his friends in exchange for her rent, and then became a regular event, with a different guest chef every time and up to 70 customers. His proceeds go to charity.
France Etiquette 101: How to eat like a French person
July 17, 2009
Meals in France have many rituals and levels of meaning.
Food is seen as an art in France, and the country has a long and immensely proud history surrounding meals, their preparation and consumption. The first French cookbook was produced in the middle Ages not long after the advent of the printing press, and the oldest restaurant in France, Le Tour D’Argent in Paris, claims to have invented the fork. It is not surprising that “cuisine” and “gourmet” are French words. Food, restaurants and wine are a popular topic of discussion among the French, by no means limited to chefs or cooking enthusiasts. Lively disputes are common over the merits of one restaurant over another, or the proper preparation of a certain meal.
A typical French breakfast usually consists of a croissant, pain au chocolat (croissant-type pastry with chocolate inside) or bread, with coffee or hot chocolate, sometimes drunk from a large bowl. Lunch was once the traditional main meal of the day, but these days many people—especially in cities—have their main meal at dinner. In Paris, lunchtime is usually around 1 pm and dinner at 9 pm or even later. People tend to eat earlier in rural areas.
Many French people still buy fresh meat and produce at the market daily. Fresh bread, usually the long, thin baguette, is a staple of the French diet, and it is common to see business men and women on their way home from work carrying a loaf under their arms.
The ritual of leisurely meals is important in France. Formal lunches and dinners, both in restaurants and at people’s homes, consist of many courses and may last several hours.
The entrée, meaning “entry”, corresponds with what Americans would call the appetizer. A typical entrée might be a liver pate served with bread, a bowl of soup, a plate of mixed charcuterie (smoked or dried meats and sausages) or escargot – snails cooked in butter and garlic. The main course is usually meat or fish, served with vegetables. A simple green salad comes after the main course. Cheese is served after the meal. France is home to hundreds of different cheese varieties, and at fine restaurants, an elaborate and odiferous cheese cart is often wheeled out after dinner. Hosts serving dinner in their homes will usually offer their guests between three and five cheeses. Dessert such as cake or fruit will follow, with coffee served after, rather than with, dessert.
A common way of getting to know someone is to have a drink together. But the French are not into bar binges, and an aperitif is usually sipped and stops at two. Wine accompanies dinner, and a glass is filled to three-quarters, never to the brim.
Dinner guests are expected to bring a gift, however modest, and this is usually a bottle of wine, flowers, or a pre-agreed dessert or cheese dish. The French keep their arms above the table, not in their lap.
Meals in France can take a long time to eat, and the French like it that way. The table is a meeting place to linger over good food and lively conversation with friends and family. A recent study showed that the French spend more time eating than any other nationality. Even business lunches are considered a time to build the relationship, rather than to simply conduct business.
Fast food, however, has made inroads in France in recent years, and, with the advent of globalization, some of the old traditions surrounding food have begun to fade somewhat. For example, long lunches and leisurely trips to open markets are becoming less common as people adopt time-saving measures in a faster-paced world.
Sarkozy pledges leadership on climate change
July 16, 2009
The President of France promises to do his part toward a global agreement on greenhouse emissions.
A week before sweeping climate change legislation that will change the way America does business passed in the US House of Representatives, the President of France was demonstrating that he is on the same page. Nicolas Sarkozy, who will be attending the Climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark this December, addressed communication to the head of the UN panel of experts saying that the “challenge of a world agreement on climate change must be met.”
Sarkozy’s messages have become increasingly green in recent months, especially when his turn at the presidency of the EU laid bare the many conflicts among member countries on the issue, especially how to divide the responsibility and the costs for any changes. Back in 2007, Sarkozy called for a national “carbon tax” on global-warming pollutants and a European tariff on imports from countries outside the Kyoto Protocol.While no specific countries were cited, it was generally understood that the proposal was targeted at imports from the United States and Australia, the only advanced economies outside the Kyoto agreement, the UN’s landmark pact on greenhouse-gas emissions.
France has been one of the world leaders in environmental issues. Always a staunch supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, France gets 84% of its energy from its nuclear power plants, which, despite its reputation for dangerous meltdowns, is the cleanest form of energy generally available today. France also has an extensive rail system including the high-speed electric TGV trains, that cut down on fossil fuel emissions from automobiles. In a further effort to reduce this pollution, France was among the first countries to offer drivers incentives to buy greener cars as well, and Paris recently installed a system of rental bicycles to give the public another greener alternative for getting around the city. Sarkozy wishes to continue France’s climate change leadership, especially in the light of the dire predictions of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) which state that without intervention climate change threatens to lead to cataclysmic drought, floods and epidemics before the end of this century. The head of the panel visited France last week to meet with Sarkozy, and was gratified by the French head of state’s response and pledges of cooperation and leadership on global climate change measures.
Sarkozy has even called on President Obama in recent months to follow the leadership of the EU in the climate change arena, and reverse the environmental isolationism of his predecessor. Sarkozy will probably score some political points at home for the climate change legislation that just passed in the US Congress, which calls for utility companies to get 15% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. In any case, the legislation, provided it passes in the Senate, will give a big boost to the December Copenhagen conference. Then the ball will be in the rest of the world’s court. The U.S. measure aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Europe has pledged to cut its own emissions by at least 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and 30 percent if other advanced economies agree to do the same.
However, Sarkozy’s critics say he has not been quite consistent in his support for climate change reforms. The President of France recently expressed his preference for Claude Allegre to head his cabinet’s super-ministry of science, industry and innovation. Allegre, a former climate change champion who has recently reversed his opinion and no longer believes that human activity is responsible for any modifications in the earth’s atmosphere, is seen as an enemy to scientists who preach that global warming can be controlled by changes in peoples’ behavior and energy consumption.