Should you paddle about Masion de la France, the official Tourist Office Web site for France, you will learn that France is officially gay friendly, that she is "the gay-friendly destination par excellence." [Emphasis in original.] And to show her gay-friendliness, the government has retooled those Republican chestnuts "liberté, égalité, fraternité" to read: liberté, égalité, diversité.

All this will be big news in the Sarcelles.

But wait! France is also gay-unfriendly. So if you are gay, you may or may not want to visit France.

France is also officially, naked friendly. France invites uptight Americans to contemplate the soft doughy silhouettes of naked French people in nature:

Without their clothes, people no longer look at one another critically and social barriers are no longer relevant!

The government here suggests a buck naked France will remedy the sociopathies coincident with French attire. However, we remain unconvinced this will much advance France's war on anti-Semitism.

Elsewhere Virginie Dedieu and Laure Thibaud showed French physical culture to good advantage in the duet event this week in Olympic synchronized swimming. Unfortunately a vertical error and a strong field put them out of medal contention. The ladies glittery swimsuits of red, white, and blue (reading top to bottom) -- instead of the usual Republican order of blue, white, and red -- no doubt paid a tribute that is in all French hearts to American generosity and sacrifice in the life of their nation.

Or perhaps the ladies put their suits on upside down.

Finally, only the French can displace the seat of the intellect with the seat of the pants, transforming an evening of theater into a test of physical endurance:

With a performance time of 11 hours, about as long as a London-Tokyo flight, ["Le Soulier de Satin" (The Satin Slipper)] by Paul Claudel is the Mount Everest of French theatre. Few directors have the courage to attempt it, and it is staged once in a generation.

Written in the 1920s, Claudel's epic poem was first staged in Paris in a shortened version in 1943 by the legendary Jean-Louis Barrault, but had to wait until 1987 to be staged in full by Antoine Vitez at the Avignon Festival.

Now the young director Olivier Py has staked his claim to a place in stage history by bringing his complete version of the play to the Edinburgh International Festival for its first outing before a non-Francophone audience.

Py is a man with a self-proclaimed taste for creating theatrical monsters. He made his reputation by staging his own play "La Servante" (The Servant) over 24 hours at the Avignon Festival 10 years ago.

For the first of two all-day performances at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, less than half the 1,350 seats were filled, and most of the audience slipped away before the end.

Applause was muted, and despite the use of English subtitles many of the audience who staggered out punch-drunk at the end said they were baffled.

With a performance time of 11 hours, about as long as a London-Tokyo flight, ["Le Soulier de Satin" (The Satin Slipper)] by Paul Claudel is the Mount Everest of French theatre.

Is French theatre part of the penal system?

Saddam Hussein, also known as the butcher of Baghdad, you are sentenced to spend the rest of your natural days watching French Theatre.

May Allah have mercy on your soul.

ROFL! Oh, God... he'll be begging the French to let us execute him...

France's war on anti-Semitism (link).

Two big stories - two hoaxes. Next time better luck, Damian.

M. Zoomerx,

Is there some special reason you cannot competently post a link?

Whereas you are happy to suggest hoaxes disprove anti-Semiticism in France (they do not), even cooking the numbers, big Frenchie admits the problem of French anti-Semiticism.

Better luck next time.

DGB

Zoomer

Have you read the current Belmontclub?

Their analysis suggests that the French government is seeking to pay a ransom for French journalists recently captured by Iraqi terrorists.

Does this not trouble you? To my mind it makes any French national an instant target for cash strapped jihadists. Just grab a diplomat or a business guy and demand a couple million.
What's even more rich, in the event a frenchman is kidnapped, ransomed, and returned with their head attached, the government will bill them for the trouble.
It is one of the Democratic parties talking points that they will restore our country, and as a consequence our countrymen abroad, to a position of respect in the international community by adoption of the French model of international diplomacy.

If we give the Democrats the chance, how do you think it will work out?

Is there some special reason you cannot competently post a link?

Is there a reason you can't retract your own false reports? It's the least you could do.

Whereas you are happy to suggest hoaxes disprove anti-Semiticism in France (they do not)

Did I ever suggest that? Read my posts, I have never underestimated the problem.

Does this not trouble you?

Of course it does although I have not heard about the mention of a ransom. It would trouble me even more if the ban on headscarf was to be lifted, but I don't think it's going to happen. Yeah, Irak's so much safer now...

M. Zoomerx,

What false report? Where has an exposed hoax been posted as true? Pave has never knowingly posted a hoax as true.

You indicate a link [(link)], but provide none.

Go back and read your own post. The wording of your previous post precisely suggests that hoaxes disprove anti-Semitism.

You are making no sense in this thread.

DGB

Yeah, Irak's so much safer now...

So the attacks on the Jews where hoaxes.

Yeah, France is so much safer now for Jews...