In today’s edition of Le Figaro’s selection from the New York Times (which unfortunately is not published on www.lefigaro.fr) one will find one of Stephen’s article originally published for the Herald Tribune on 8 October 2010!

I’m fascinated that an article written in Brussels going to the Herald Tribune in Paris and concomittantly to New York, gets back to Paris via Le Figaro. Sad it takes weeks,but hey!

Stephen, your article’s been translated rather well 😉

Pour ceux qui souhaiteraient lire Stephen Castle en français, profitez-en 🙂

Un faux modeste au sommet de l’Europe
Steven Erlanger & Stephen Castle
Sélection hebdomadaire du New York Times par Le Figaro, 19 novembre 2010
Originally published as
At Europe’s Helm, a Steady Hand with Little Pomp
The New York Times – International Herald Tribune, 8 October 2010

Homework for E.U.’s Top Diplomat This Summer
Stephen Castle
IHT, 30 July 2010

Alors que la France pousse ces messieurs dames (surtout Mme Ashton) à apprivoiser notre chère langue française, Pierre Lellouche arrondit les angles… (le français n’est-il pas la langue de la diplomatie?!) et annonce que lui, s’attelle à l’allemand.
Quelques brèves semaines estivales en Avignon seront-elles suffisantes? Le Château Correnson serait-il enchanté? Les coteaux sablonneux, entre garrigue, mistral et soleil du midi font surtout du bon vin. Là est peut-être le secret.

Incredible yet true. Fifty years down the road, the nature of communication’s gone through a revolution – yet perhaps not the one we’d expect. Today, one would be sent to jail for less than that…don’t you think?

Watch your words!
Also available here.

Watch UK Prime Minister Cameron apologise for the killings in Derry on Bloody Sunday.
and better watch Derry’s people reaction live

To all my Northern Irish friends

Migration de crabes pour le 9 mai
Yeah! Who thought it’d happen?! Ok, it is for a French audience – French speaking ok too if you’ve been introduced to French humour! – but even if you don’t get a word of the Frenchies’ jargon, do take a look at this video! No Rep logo, but humour, average puns and references to old ‘chanson francaise’, a ‘forbidden under 18’ section, everything is there to create surprise. France strongly celabrates 8 May each year, although I bet an increasing number of younger citizens forgets the reference to 1945; and yet very few across the EU, including dear France, know about 9 May.  Were it to be turned into a day-off, I’m not even certain it would help. This year anyway, the argument doesn’t hold since both 8 & 9 May are weekend days!

If you don’t know about 9 May, it’s the day to celebrate the Schuman Declaration, which paved the way to the EU. Not sure you wish to celebrate then?! oops
This year marks the 60th anniversary of this famous speech by France’s foreign minister Robert Schuman.

Watch 9 May celebrations advertising video by French Commission Rep:
Migration de crabes pour le 9 mai

And of course, they got their FB page 😉

More about 9 May in France at www.fetedeleurope.fr