Sarko vs Sego or the French presidentials part 1
by joon
So I spent my whole Saturday (7:30 am to 9:30 pm) volunteering for my country! I was named assessor and basically checked people IDs and tell them what to do to vote for the first tour of the French Presidentials. When I was not doing that I was working on some small projects for my work because this whole thing was taking place at the school I work for so I was able to get some stuff done too which was pretty good.
Because I am telling you, we were not too busy!
This is the first time in history that french "expat" don't have to go to San Francisco to vote which they were not doing because who wants to fly twice in a month to go standing in line just to vote!
So they send a "consul deputy" in Portland, in Seattle and in others places in US to open a "bureau de vote" for local French immigrants! Thank you very much.
People were happy to come to vote, it was like being home. Going to a school to vote is very very traditional. Sunday is normally the day to vote in France but for the first time also, they decided to make us vote before which is pretty smart because last time people abroad knew what were the results when voting (difference of time) and so you don't vote the same that way!
Some numbers of people with French nationality in Oregon?
550 people (with French nationality) from Oregon and Idaho are registered to vote on the list of the Embassy in San Francisco (3 from Idaho)
1000 people (about) in Oregon are registered with the Embassy, according to the Honorary Consul present in Portland (Most of them can choose to vote "par procuration" in France. You basically choose someone (that you know and trust... obviously) to vote in your name in the city you are registered. This person must be registered on the same list)
2000 people would be present in Oregon without being registered to the Embassy, according to the same person. There is no way to verify this information obviously.
That would bring the numbers of people at 3000!?
550 people (with French nationality) from Oregon and Idaho are registered to vote on the list of the Embassy in San Francisco (3 from Idaho)
149 people came to vote yesterday. From whom, no Idaho voters, but some people came from as far as LaGrande and Bend!
57 votes for Sarkozy (Right)
42 votes for Royal (Socialist)
About 20 for Bayrou (right)
6 votes for Voynet (green party)
1 for Besancenot and 1 for Laguiller (communism party)
1 for Jose Bove
1 for someone that I don't remember
0 for Nihous, Shivardi, Buffet and (thank God) for LePen
2 votes were "nuls" People put two names in there!
The second tour is on May, 6th 2007. I won't be there and I will be flying from France to USA. And I will get the good or bad news when landing or maybe during my flight.
In June we will vote for the "legislative" and I will be asking someone to vote for me in France as it won't be happening here.
some people did say yesterday that it was like being in a small village and this is actually true. Having all those French people coming from all around did bring a nice feeling of community and when I think about it, if 550 people (149) do seem like a small village of "irreductibles gaulois" in Oregon.
It was really interesting to participate in this, even if it was quite difficult at the end (the four last 5 hours until we counted the votes and everything were pretty long) but we got to eat some "pains au chocolat" and "baguette sandwiches et pattisseries" delivered from one of my favourite bakery-pattisserie in Portland (St Honore). The "boulanger" (baker) delivering himself twice while coming voting is pretty cool and one of the assessor, known Wine Business man around got us some good beverage...
Feels good to be part of this community!
Posted on April 22, 2007 | Comments (1)
French elections in Portland
by joon
A "bureau de vote" will be open in Portland for inhabitants from Idaho and Oregon. What is convenient for me and my coworkers is that only this is taking place in Portland, but this is taking place at my school on SW Corbett avenue. I will be volunteer there half day on Saturday, April 21rd
French living abroad will be voting one day before than in France.
In France, you vote on Sundays and schools are where everything happens. For the "presidentielles", you vote twice. The first Sunday is called : Premier tour, and you by voting for one candidate, it narrows the choice for the "deuxieme tour" to two candidates.
"Le deuxieme tour" always takes place two weeks later, the first Sunday of May.
When going there you show you ID, and your "carte d'electeur" (voter's card), you take one envelop and one or several paper with the name of the candidates and you go hide yourself in a "cabin" where you can choose to put your favourite guy's name in the envelop and throw the rest away.
Then you get out and go to the table where you are going to put your envelops in the box while someone says : "a vote"
Unfortunately, this year I won't be able to vote at the "deuxieme tour" and that sucks because that is the important one. Ironically, I will be in France at the time, or more precisely on a plane to here.
I was not able to ask someone to vote for me as I registered here and they don't do that or anyway I don't remember but that was a complicated story with administration stuffs and if I start, we will be still here after the "deuxieme tour"
Well, Francais, Francaise, let's do that right! Some pretty wicked candidate are out there to take "freedomland" over. oh, oh, I heard that somewhere.... Let me start over, let's get someone not too bad to keep France from becoming worse and a place that we won't be proud of!
As we say in France : "C'est pas gagne!"
Posted on April 13, 2007 | Comments (2)
Cinema de Banlieue!
by joon
On July 9th, the Roberts house in California was invaded by frenchies. Crazy frenchies yelling during the soccer world cup finale.
Well, I don't love soccer but I can spend a finale yelling if I am with people. I like the crowd more than the match in itself and what I like the most is my dad yelling during a match.
He can wake up a deaf! When I was 16, well I always was ending up downstairs watching my dad and brother watching a match instead of doing my homework or just trying to chill out in my bedroom. Because you can't do anything else than being with them. They are loud and crazy and that was fun to see that again!
that was especially fun to hear old french expressions as :
- Oh, la vache ! (oh, the cow) Don't teach it to children.
- Cinema de banlieue (Suburb cinema/theater) When we say of a child that "il fait son cinema", it makes his cinema, it means that he acts something like being sad or hurt to obtain something.
"banlieue" means "suburb" but suburbs in french are closer to harlem than nice and wealthy suburb here. Suburbs are where we put poor, non educated and of course immigrants.
"cinema de banlieue" yelled during a match when a opposant soccer player is on the ground means "mother F...", you act being hurt and it is not even that good. We don't believe you! Bad cinema quality!
God, we laughed so much with this expression, because it doesn't really mean anything, this is old but at the same time, this means so much!
I have others my dad said that day but I have to remember them.
Posted on July 14, 2006 | Comments (0)
Plus de photos...French protests
by joon
I miss French protests...
The violence coming from the protest are very important this time, but don't make confusions between the riots few months ago and protests. There are protest all year long, every two months sometimes but it has been a while, there was a huge like that! Violence are not always a part of them.
Posted on March 19, 2006 | Comments (1)
Protest in France / Manifestations en France
by joon
"Villepin (our prime minister), t'es foutu, les enfants sont dans la rue"
"Villepin, you are done, children are in the streets"
Et c'est reparti! En France, les manifestations s'accroissent et c'est tant mieux! En revanche, la violence qui a l'air de resulter apres les manifestations, je n'en sais pas assez dessus. J'imagine qu'il y a un peu de tout et n'importe quoi la dedans !
70% of the people are against this project.
If the government are not taking out this project, everyone is called at strike and it will be protests every tuesdays and thursdays.
And here we go! One year before the presidential, French are again in the street and it's good! Apparently, protest are everywhere and successful. Unfortunately, violence are also a part of some of the protest. I don't really know what is going on. It is possible that again, some come to just be violent. Well always the same problem.
But it is good for those protest to happen!
Pour lire un article du monde-If you want some news from the french newspaper "Le Monde"
Why are they protesting, because once more, our dear government is trying to pass a project ( CPE= Contrat premiere embauche) which is gonna " help" reducing unemployment, but once again, it is gonna be the people with nothing and students with no experience who are going to be victims! Once again, they will be used and will be working for nothing until their contract will be done and after we will tell them thank you good bye, sorry we can't keep you!
WEll, back to zero! Again. I have the impression, they just changing few words and they just proposing the same thing again and again!
Check some news and pictures here
Posted on March 19, 2006 | Comments (1)
Vive Armstrong!
by joon
Because during this last stage, he didn't have to worry anymore. He had a little glass of champagne!
Posted on July 25, 2005 | Comments (0)
Buddies or top model? / Mode ou potes?
by joon
No comment except I am wondering if it's a picture for Gap. Kind of "This is our new next fall collection for men"!
Aucun commentaire! Sauf que je me demande si c'est pas une photo pour la nouvelle collection des trois suisses. Genre catalogue automne, ligne pour hommes!
Posted on July 16, 2005 | Comments (0)
Tour de France
by joon
Apparently Lance Amstrong for his last "Tour" is already well.When Adam first came in France to visit me two years ago, we went to my grand parents' house. I could tell that my grand father was trying to find something to say to Adam. It was in July right in the middle of the "Tour de France" and so every newspaper was showing Lance Amstrong's pictures. My grand parents also watch the Tour de France everyday. It's their way to travel they say. So finally my grand father found the common point between Adam and himself. It last two minutes. Lance Amstrong is american. He is good. Yeah.
Apparemment Lance Amstrong est deja bien place pour son dernier tour.
Posted on July 4, 2005 | Comments (0)
Oh, Champs Elysees
by joon
In one or two months, the site for the 2012 Olympics will be chosen. And Paris have tried to be it for years... For this reason they transformed the Champs Elysees. Seems incredible.
Dans un ou deux mois, le comite des JO choisira la ville pour 2012. Paris s'est transforme pour cette occasion. Ca a l'air dingue...
Posted on June 6, 2005 | Comments (3)
Result(at) du referendum
by joon
This is not the final results but here we go....We showed everyone again how proud we are. Which can be good sometimes to be stubborn and proud like this animal who represents us.
What it bothers me in this all thing is that :
1 - Yes or no to the constitution, things are going to continue anyway.They just asked us what do we think, they gonna change some words to make it seem better and here we go, on the road man. Constitution is ok now. The thing is now our european neighbors are going to mistrust us and blablabla... Now France is once again the one who slows down things. If it was for right reasons.
2 - Once again the reasons that we say "no" are just not the right, important problems. More things too hard to understand and well hidden are in this constitution. People reacted with fear again and not thinking really about future consequences. Once again, people cover their butt.
Personnally I can't say if I agree or disagree. There are too many things that I don't know.
The only thing is that "could we complain about right things for once"?
And no, I didn't vote...because I didn't know when I left France that we will have to participate to a referendum. I need to get my electoral card stuff stuff...
Posted on May 29, 2005 | Comments (0)