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Newsletter Apirl 2008

Monument aux Morts

The last Poilu

France recently lost it last World War I veteran, Lazare Ponticelli, who died at the age of 110. As his name suggests Mr. Ponticelli was not born in France. He came from Italy and joined the French Foreign Legion at the age of 16. Mr. Ponticelli lied about his age. After the war he became a French citizen, and lived the rest of his life in France.

In France the question is now how can present and future generations be told the story of World War I? Mr. Ponticelli death severed the last direct link to what the French call the Grande Guerre or La Guerre de 14-18. The day Mr. Ponticelli was buried, schools throughout France observed a Moment of Silence.

There is one constant I've noticed throughout France, every village no matter how small, has a church and a Monument aux Morts (War Monument or Monument to the Dead). Often starting with WWI, with names added on for WWII and possibly the French Indochina War. Some Monument aux Morts even honor the dead for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The Monument aux Morts in the above photo is located where I live, La Roche sur Foron. The Monument is in honor the town's 176 citizens that gave their lives for their country. You can see photos I've taken of other Monument aux Morts.

Municipal Elections

The vague rose (pink wave*) that was predicted took place during the recent Municipal Elections, resulting in the left controlling 7 out of 10 of the largest cities in France. The only bright spot for the right was Marseille. The city came very close from going right to left but stayed in the right camp. The left along with controlling the major cities in France also controls a majority of the Conseil Générals (department assemblies) and 20 out of 20 of the Conseil Régionals (regional councils) in France.

It remains to be seen if the left can use this success to build a national presidential and parliamentary majority in 2012, the next scheduled presidential and parliamentary election cycle.

In my opinion the problem with the left in France is that it has yet to find a successor to François Mitterrand. The presidential candidates in the last three elections were weak, causing the left to lose the elections.

The Socialist Party, the largest leftwing political party in France, beset by infighting over the last 5 years, has yet to settle on a leader. There should be a party congress in November where a new party leader could emerge… or not.

* Pink is the color of the biggest left wing party in France, the Socialist Party.

Municipal Elections II

In my town , La Roche sur Foron, the mayor - Michel Thabuis was reelected in the second round with a little over 48% of the vote in a three way race. You can see the election results.

The election campaign took a nasty turn near the end when someone hacked into Thabuis's web site and redirected visitors to a porn site, just after this Thabuis complained to the local Gendarmes. The Gendarmes then went to the work of an associate of rival candidate Alain Guichard and took that person to the Gendarmerie along with his son. This prompted Alain Guichard to post on his site "Michel THABUIS s'en prend maintenant à nos enfants!!" (Michel THABUIS is now blaming our children!!).

It turns out that the hacker's computer address was in a Geneva city government office. Perhaps the hacker is a government civil servant. There was even an article in the Tribune de Geneva speculating about the hacker.

The Tribune de Geneva is the largest daily paper in Geneva. It's now possible, thanks to a new law for civil servants in Geneva to live outside Switzerland. So it's possible that someone who doesn't like the mayor works in Switzerland but lives in la Roche.

Best place to live

According to International Living, France is the best place in the world to live. You can read the International Living article and see the full rankings.

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Resources for living or traveling in France:

Join me for a photo expedition/workshop in and around Chamonix France. Scroll down to 'Haute Savoie & the French Alps'.
Looking for the cheapest way to transfer money overseas at the best rate? I work with www.HiFX.com so that you can get the most out of your money when it comes to currency exchanges.
If you would like to improve your French, I suggest Fluent French, or Champs-Elysées. Other good resources are Bien-dire - France's most popular "Learn French" magazine. Art French Magazine, great for art lovers. If you need help with French numbers, French pronuncation or other essential skills? Then check out Bien-dire's "Essential Skills" series.
Looking to rent a car in France? Try car rental partner AutoEurope.
Need a hotel for your travels? Venere.com.
Looking to stay in a B&B or Château? Then please take a look at B & B's/Rental page.
How about sightseeing tours? Try - Sightseeing Tours France
Wine lover looking for a site to help you find great French wines? Then you should try WineDrive. Americans in France readers save 25% on a one year membership with WineDrive, just enter the word 'Americans' (without quotation marks) in the promotional code box.
Thinking of having a wedding or other event in France? Have a look at my Wedding in France page.
Looking to make new Friends? Then what about Americans in France Friends?
Would you like to find classified ads for France but in English? Then a good place to start is Franglo.
Do you need to find health insurance for France? Then I suggest either Global Insurance or Medibroker.
Searching for a book about living in France? One you might read is The Insider Paris Guide for Living in France.
Skiing in France with an English speaking ski instructor Ski Pros Megeve.
Looking for a property in France but aren't there yet? Have a look at my Property Finders France page.
The number one travel guide to central and historical Paris: Paris Marais.
If there is something I've missed or you would like more resources, please contact me.

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Jeff Steiner
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Americans in France
Resource for people that would like to live or travel in France.