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Newsletter November 2009 From Americans in France.

Yesterday...

... & Today

Undated postcard of Place de la Grenette in La Roche sur Foron with a photo taken on October 27, 2009 of the same view.
You can see more photos.

2018 Winter Olympics

It is official - Annecy in the French Alps is one of the three cities biding to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. If Annecy does host the Olympics it will be the fourth French city to do so following Chamonix (1924), Grenoble (1968) and Albertville (1992).
The other two bidders are Pyeongchang, South Korea (considered the favorite) and Munich, Germany (who would be the first city to host both a summer and winter Olympics).

Angolagate & Clearstream

It’s been a busy month for political trials in France. Not only was there the Clearstream trial that came to an end on October 23rd, we won’t know who does or doesn’t get convicted of what until late January, 2010 …
… In the mean time there is the verdict of the so called ‘Angolagate’ trial. As with Clearstream, Angolagate is complicated. The gist is there were illegal arms sales to the Angola Government during Angola’s civil war. Interestingly enough no arms ever went through France but allegedly the deal to sell arms was signed in Paris and known by the French Government.
Charles Pasqua, former two time Interior Minister, and longtime right wing politician was convicted of influence peddling, given a three year sentence, with two years suspended, and fined €100,000. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of former president François Mitterrand, was convicted of receiving embezzled funds, given a suspended sentence and fined €375,000.
Just after the verdict Pasqua argued that the French government, including then Presidents Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac knew of the arms sales and yet didn’t stop them. Pasqua has stated he will appeal his conviction and requested that President Sarkozy declassify all documents related to Angolagate so that the truth can be known.

Sarkozy’s Month

President Sarkozy has had a difficult month. First the Frédéric Mitterrand scandal, followed by the Jean Sarkozy scandal. Mitterrand is the nephew of former President Mitterrand and cousin of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand; I guess it hasn’t been a good month for Mitterrands either!
Frédéric Mitterrand is now the French Minister of Culture. Frédéric Mitterrand wrote an autobiographical novel a few years ago ‘The Bad Life’ where among other things he talks about paying for sex during a vacation with ‘boys’. At the time it really didn’t cause much of a stir; the book did sell well however. That changed in early October after Frédéric Mitterrand strongly defended Roman Polanski. Then Marine Le Pen of the far right National Front Party attacked Mitterrand for his "sex tourism". This started an avalanche of criticism towards Mitterrand and indirectly Sarkozy, as Sarkozy choose Mitterrand.
Following on this was the Jean Sarkozy scandal, Sarkozy’s son. Jean was due to be the president of the EPAD (l'Etablissement Public d'Aménagement de La Défense), the organization that runs La Défense business center, the largest business center in Europe. One small problem was that Jean is 23 years old and still in college. Over the last few years Jean has been moving up the ranks of power in the Sarkozy stronghold, Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of the wealthiest towns in France.
Jean is an elected town and departmental councilor representing Neuilly-sur-Seine. Since parties pick candidates, no primaries in France, Jean was a sure winner.
When word came that Jean was in line to become the next EPAD president, the criticism was fast, furious and thanks to the Internet became a nonstop news story. The word most used was nepotism. Technically Jean would be elected president by the EPAD board. But because Sarkozy loyalists dominate the board, the election was a done deal.
This scandal lasted for two weeks, with Jean stating he wouldn’t withdraw. Then Jean announced on the nightly news that he was withdrawing his candidacy but would still join the EPAD board.
This about face and the storm of controversy the past month didn’t help Sarkozy. But as the opposition is in disarray and there doesn’t seem to be much of an alternative for now, Sarkozy isn’t doing all that bad. A recent poll stated that about 30% wanted him to be president. That sounds low but it’s about the percentage Sarkozy received in the first round of the 2007 presidential election. Meaning he’s where he was in 2007 and that secured Sarkozy the presidency.

The Last Flight of a B-26

As I have done over the last few years I would like to share with you the story of an American B-26 that crashed in November 1944 near Plottes in Burgundy, killing all nine crewmembers. The morning of November 13, 1944 was foggy, rainy and cold, not flying weather, especially not for a B-26 bomber, known as a 'widow maker'. Under certain conditions, such as icing, the plane could vibrate violently and become unstable. Bad weather was not unexpected by the crew, but it may have meant something else to the B-26's US Army pilot, Richard Hisey; A native West Virginian. Hisey was used to winter weather back home. But the Burgundy weather he was flying in, was heavy fog and zero visibility, common in late fall or early winter. Hisey keep flying his plane, despite being advised to stop in Marseille, to secure a weather update. Continue reading.

Resources for living or traveling in France:

My observations about what’s up in France can be found by following me on Twitter.
English Speaking Real Estate Agent in the French Alps. Can also help find property in other parts of France.
Citizen services at the American embassy in Paris.
Need an accountant for your taxes? I have a list of accountants that specialize in helping expats.
Looking for the cheapest way to transfer money overseas at the best rate? I work with Currency Online 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. Other good resources are Bien-dire - France's most popular "Learn French" magazine. 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.
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? Have a look at my Property pages.
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.