Mexico/Guatemala [Travel writing reformatted for Instagram]
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I’ve taken some of my old travel essays and mashed them into an
Instgram-friendly ready-to-consume serving. In 2005 my
then-girlfriend-now-wife and I fle...
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Green the orang-utan
"Her name is Green, she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her. She is a female orang-utan, victim of deforestation and resource exploitation."
No words are necessary. And there are none in this video (full version here).
Take just 48 minutes out of your busy schedule. That's surely not to much to ask.
And follow the story of Green's final days.
No comment.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Rachida Brakni's banking dilemma
Do you think the French actress Rachida Brakni had any problems with the recent remarks made by her husband Eric Cantona?
Rachida Brakni (screenshot from LCL commercial)
You remember surely.
Cantona is the former French international footballer who called on people to withdraw all their money from their bank accounts.
The suggestion from the newly-discovered "political philosopher" (as one BBC report dubbed him) came during an informal interview with journalists in October.
His idea was that rather than taking to the streets to demonstrate, people could go to the local branch of their bank and withdraw all their money, "Causing the banking system to crumble".
A peaceful protest of sorts to send a message to the whole banking system and financial services which, as far as Cantona was concerned, were at the root of much of the current misery in the world; homelessness, poverty, injustice.
It was a message that quickly found its way on to the Net with a campaign beginning, a date fixed for the "revolution" and financial experts and politicians wading in to urge caution.
The day of protest (December 7) came and went.
The world survived.
But wait.
What about that initial question as to whether Brakni had a problem with her husband's remarks.
After all she must know the guy pretty well. They've been married for the past three years and the couple have a one-year-old son, Emir.
The question has to be asked though because...well what was that commercial the 33-year-old actress appeared in for a couple of weeks back in April this year?
Oh yes. That's right.
It was for one of France's biggest banks LCL (Le Crédit Lyonnais) encouraging people to apply for mortgages - of all things.
Ho hum.
Dinner time in the Cantona-Brakni household must have made for interesting conversation.
Rachida Brakni (screenshot from LCL commercial)You remember surely.
Cantona is the former French international footballer who called on people to withdraw all their money from their bank accounts.
The suggestion from the newly-discovered "political philosopher" (as one BBC report dubbed him) came during an informal interview with journalists in October.
His idea was that rather than taking to the streets to demonstrate, people could go to the local branch of their bank and withdraw all their money, "Causing the banking system to crumble".
A peaceful protest of sorts to send a message to the whole banking system and financial services which, as far as Cantona was concerned, were at the root of much of the current misery in the world; homelessness, poverty, injustice.
It was a message that quickly found its way on to the Net with a campaign beginning, a date fixed for the "revolution" and financial experts and politicians wading in to urge caution.
The day of protest (December 7) came and went.
The world survived.
But wait.
What about that initial question as to whether Brakni had a problem with her husband's remarks.
After all she must know the guy pretty well. They've been married for the past three years and the couple have a one-year-old son, Emir.
The question has to be asked though because...well what was that commercial the 33-year-old actress appeared in for a couple of weeks back in April this year?
Oh yes. That's right.
It was for one of France's biggest banks LCL (Le Crédit Lyonnais) encouraging people to apply for mortgages - of all things.
Ho hum.
Dinner time in the Cantona-Brakni household must have made for interesting conversation.
France's tale of two Misses
Côte d'Ivoire might have two presidents at the moment but France has double trouble of a different sort.
The country has two newly-elected national beauty queens.
All right so the comparison might be more than a little inappropriate, but you could be excused for thinking that the world had been turned on it head somewhat (in France) given the amount of radio and television airtime that have been devoted to last weekend's election of Miss France and the rival Miss Nationale.
Perhaps a sign that someone was listening and watching the wrong programmes.
On Saturday more than 6.8 million viewers tuned in to TF1 to watch 19-year-old Laury Thilleman, Miss Bretagne, crowned Miss France 2011.
Miss France 2011, Laury Thilleman (screenshot from BFM TV)
After a jury headed by actor Alain Delon had, with the help of the viewing public, whittled down the 33 regional candidates to just five finalists, it was left to those at home watching to cast their votes.
And Thilleman, a keen surfer and former volleyball player (yes you can learn a lot from listening to the seemingly endless round of interviews that followed her election) who in the future apparently wants to "pursue a career in the fields of communications or audio-visual" (in other words TV - don't they all?) was the public's choice with 35 per cent of the vote.
She'll now go on to represent France at the Miss World and Miss Universe competitions.
Meanwhile on Sunday it was the turn of another 19-year-old, Barbara Morel, Miss Provence, to be crowned Miss Nationale 2011, a rival contest launched this year by the former organiser of Miss France, Geneviève de Fontenay.
Miss Nationale 2011, Barbara Morel, being interviewed on Europe 1 national radio (screenshot from Marc-Olivier Fogiel's morning show)
No mass audience for Miss Nationale as it wasn't transmitted on any of the major channels.
And even though the public had been able to choose which of the 25 regional representatives would be selected to appear among the final seven by voting online ahead of Sunday evening's decision, the choice of the eventual winner was left to a jury of seven.
Although Morel's turn to face the microphones came the day after her election, the real interest was focussed unsurprisingly on the woman who accompanied her, Geneviève de Fontenay.
She had been the doyenne of French beauty pageants for several decades and until earlier this year had been at the heart of the competition's committee.
After a very public falling out with official organisers, the Dutch TV production company Endemol, the 78-year-old set up her own rival pageant.
"We've achieved a lot," she said during an interview with Europe 1 national radio.
"There were times during the run-up to the final when I had been a little worried."
But the 78-year-old would not be drawn on the future of the competition (or its real value come to that).
"I hope there'll be another one," said the 78-year-old
"If I started, it's obvious I want to continue but sometimes in the morning you don't know what's going to happen in the evening."
Geneviève de Fontenay : "On revient de loin"
envoyé par Europe1fr. - Regardez les dernières vidéos d'actu.
The country has two newly-elected national beauty queens.
All right so the comparison might be more than a little inappropriate, but you could be excused for thinking that the world had been turned on it head somewhat (in France) given the amount of radio and television airtime that have been devoted to last weekend's election of Miss France and the rival Miss Nationale.
Perhaps a sign that someone was listening and watching the wrong programmes.
On Saturday more than 6.8 million viewers tuned in to TF1 to watch 19-year-old Laury Thilleman, Miss Bretagne, crowned Miss France 2011.
Miss France 2011, Laury Thilleman (screenshot from BFM TV)After a jury headed by actor Alain Delon had, with the help of the viewing public, whittled down the 33 regional candidates to just five finalists, it was left to those at home watching to cast their votes.
And Thilleman, a keen surfer and former volleyball player (yes you can learn a lot from listening to the seemingly endless round of interviews that followed her election) who in the future apparently wants to "pursue a career in the fields of communications or audio-visual" (in other words TV - don't they all?) was the public's choice with 35 per cent of the vote.
She'll now go on to represent France at the Miss World and Miss Universe competitions.
Meanwhile on Sunday it was the turn of another 19-year-old, Barbara Morel, Miss Provence, to be crowned Miss Nationale 2011, a rival contest launched this year by the former organiser of Miss France, Geneviève de Fontenay.
Miss Nationale 2011, Barbara Morel, being interviewed on Europe 1 national radio (screenshot from Marc-Olivier Fogiel's morning show)No mass audience for Miss Nationale as it wasn't transmitted on any of the major channels.
And even though the public had been able to choose which of the 25 regional representatives would be selected to appear among the final seven by voting online ahead of Sunday evening's decision, the choice of the eventual winner was left to a jury of seven.
Although Morel's turn to face the microphones came the day after her election, the real interest was focussed unsurprisingly on the woman who accompanied her, Geneviève de Fontenay.
She had been the doyenne of French beauty pageants for several decades and until earlier this year had been at the heart of the competition's committee.
After a very public falling out with official organisers, the Dutch TV production company Endemol, the 78-year-old set up her own rival pageant.
"We've achieved a lot," she said during an interview with Europe 1 national radio.
"There were times during the run-up to the final when I had been a little worried."
But the 78-year-old would not be drawn on the future of the competition (or its real value come to that).
"I hope there'll be another one," said the 78-year-old
"If I started, it's obvious I want to continue but sometimes in the morning you don't know what's going to happen in the evening."
Geneviève de Fontenay : "On revient de loin"
envoyé par Europe1fr. - Regardez les dernières vidéos d'actu.
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