Comment du Jour

St. Patricks Day in New York!!!

The  251st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the celebration of Irish/American heritage,  marches down the Queen of Avenues under chilly grey skies.   

That's right, the Parade has been a New York tradition since 1762--that older than the USA Declaration of Independence in 1776,  but started just a few years after Guinness Beer was founded in Dublin in 1759!

The parade highlights always include the Fighting 69th Regiment and the New York City Fire Department among hundreds of other bands and Irish Societies.

A sea of 343 American Flags--one represneting each FDNY member killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, marches by carried by the Fire Department.

Many Overseas groups and bands joined in the festivities--here one from the Brittany region of France, Celtic after all...

                                             

Comment du Jour

Habemus Papam--we have a Pope!

Pope Francis from Argentina

An extraordinary series of events marked the Catholic Church this year with the unexpected retirement of Pope Benedict XVI of Germany and the subsequent election of a new Pope from Latin America.

Set amid the splendor of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel the Conclave of Cardinals elected a man of incredible simplicity

This selection in the opinion of many Vatican experts shifts the Church center of gravity from Europe to Latin America, the region with the largest number of Catholics worldwide.

Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina actually reprents anything but a break but a seamless continunity.  Though of Italian heritage,
the 76 year old Cardinal was born in Argntina, a country which culturally looks to Europe as much as to the rest of Latin America.

Though the Italians have played a powerful role in the Papacy for over 400 years, until the election of John Paul II of Poland and subsequently Benedict XVI of Germany, the new Pope is ethnically Italian and from a country which has long portrayed itself as a cultural bridge between Latin America and Europe.

With over one billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Francis faces an amazing spiritual,  social and managerial challenge. Interestingly Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio is a Jesuit, the first Pontiff in history to come from that order.

Comment du Jour

Swedish Lessons

It's long been one of those assumed truisms that Sweden is a classic social welfare state--democratic but burdened by the undertow of debt. As with much conventional wisdom, it is simply not quite the case--at least in recent times.

Stockholm's center-right coalition government has massively reduced public spending as proportion to the GDP from 67% in 1993 to 49 % today.  In fact since the days of plenty in the 1970's, Sweden has seen more of its wealth disappear in taxes and debt. The population became relatively poorer.  Since the 1990's things have turned around for the better for the nearly 10 million Swedes. Economic growth has averaged 2.2 %.

The welfare state model was simply not sustainable.  Look at the numbers; public debt fell from 70% of GDP in 1993 (just twenty years ago!!) to 37% in 2010. In 2012, gross government debt remains under 40%. 

As a point of comparison the USA gross debt has surpassed 100%!!!  and the European Union debt averages 85%.  Sweden is a EU member.

The World Economic Forum now ranks Sweden #1 globally for business in terms of competitivenes, innovation, and ease of commerce. Denmark and Finland are number two and three.  The USA has slipped to #8.

Is there a lesson here?

Comment du Jour

Facebook and French in the USA

Most Americans are aware of the vital and timely military assistance provided by the King of France to the American Revolution.  Even in our near historically illiterate age, students know of the role played by the Marquis de Lafayette to help General Washington. Not as well known perhaps is the significance of General Comte Jean de Rochambeau, Commander of the French Expeditionary forces who turned the tide against the British at the Battle at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781.  America would soon be an independent nation.

But despite the former French military assistance to the infant Republic and cultural influence in Louisiana, and large parts of what became the U.S., relatively few Americans speak the language of Moliere.

In an unscientific but interesting survey of Facebook users registered in the USA,
there are only 1.3 million who are using French on the social site. Most, I would assume are French nationals, or Citoyens de la Republique.

In a survey by the very worthwhile site www.Frenchdistrict.com   we find that
California has the largest segment of Francophone users, with New York coming in with 180,520,  and Florida with 123,000.  I presume the overwhelming number are French expats in America.  Businessmen, students, bonvivants, etc.

Wyoming has the fewest French speakers registered at 1,400 and even Hawaii has just under 10,000.

Washington DC has the largest percentage of Francophones with 2.5% of the  Facebook population in America's capital city--planned by a Frenchman, by the way.

General Rochambeau is watching over them!

 Statue of Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau in Lafayette Park, Washington. 
The statue, just  opposite the White House was unveiled by President Theodore Roosevelt  in 1902 to commemorate and honor French assistance during the War of Independence.