Paris at a Certain Age

Smurf = Schtroumpf

 Did you know that the Smurfs are Belgian and actually named Schtroumpfs? Yes, like Tintin, the Smurfs were created by a Belgian. Georges Rémi created the Tintin empire, but it was Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, pen name Peyo, who gave birth to the Smurfs/Schtroumpfs. Smurf is the Dutch translation of Schtroumpf.

Legend has it that Peyo wanted a friend to pass him the salt, but the word momentarily escaped him, so he called it "schtroumpf" (passe-moi le schtroumpf). The two friends spent the weekend goofing around with the word, creating a whole schtroumpf language. The schtroumpfs first appeared in a magazine in 1958. 

The smurf cap is based on the Phrygian Cap, adopted as the symbol of French liberty during the French Revolution.

  

I prefer the name Schtroumpf to Smurf. It sounds almost Yiddish: schmuck, schlemiel, etc. Too bad Hannah-Barbera didn't use it when they began producing the cartoons in 1981

 

Ban the Burqa or ban the .......

A draft bill to ban the wearing of veils that cover the face in public places passed  335 to 1 in the National Assembly of France. The French Senate has to approve the bill in September before it becomes law. As a feminist, I believe women should have the freedom to dress comfortably in the garments of their choice. As someone who grew up in Amish country, I'm used to women dressing in the clothing of another century. Yet I ask you, should we really focus on banning the burqa?

Here in the USA, I would rather ban baggy pants that droop below underwear,the wearing of pj's in public, short-shorts that reveal butt cheeks,  ugly tattoos,  stupid  T-shirts,  and pretty much everything that shows up on the website  People of Walmart. 

What would you ban?

Tour de France Pénitentiaire

Did you read the AP news article about the Tour de France Pénitentiaire? French prison officials selected 200 prisoners to participate in a two week, 1,370 mile event that has 15 stages averaging 90 miles each. Prison guards cycle with them and each start and finish is close to a penitentiary where prisoners stay between stages. They have a financial sponsor, Francaise des Jeux, a lottery group that sponsors a team in the real Tour de France. Professional coaches and cyclists have visited the prisons to offer advice in advance of the prisoners' Tour.

While I'm sure that French prisons are no walk in the park, can you imagine this happening in the US? We invest money in building prisons, not in rehabilitation. California's politicians are held hostage by the prison guards' union. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona is famous for housing inmates in tent cities in the desert (with extreme daytime temps inside the tents, especially in the top bunks), instituting chain gangs for females and juveniles and for introducing pink underwear for prisoners.

France has a director of athletic programs for their prisons; the US has one in one hundred Americans imprisoned. Now that the California budget is imploding and will be forced into prison early release programs, don't you think we'd be better off if the prisoners had been prepared with reentry programs to help them reintegrate successfully?

Back in the Us-s-s-s-sA

Readjusting to life in the USA. One of the hardest things to get used to again is hearing George Bush on the news. And facing the Iraq War responsibility without being able to stop it.

It's not that France is perfect. As Ted said, "France has its problems, but when I'm in Paris I just don't care."