FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

No doubt a potential pandemic would be a serious and alarming threat, and it is fortunate that this particular strain of flu virus appears to be far less a threat than first thought. Nonetheless the US news media, i.e., television (broadcast and cable) are populated by complete idiots prone to hyperbole and hysteria and loathe to actually do real investigative reporting. Hence the barrage of misinformation and fear-mongering. It appears the Mexican government acted quite responsibly, less so certain US school district authorities. That said, it did take our minds of the financial mess for a brief respite.

May I use this space for an additional comment? I find I adore French-word-a-day more and more: my fascination and pleasure continues to grow. It is a marvelous confection, arriving every day. Thank you.

What a splendid piggy!

The leaflet is a total waste of money (how much did it cost?) and I wonder how many germ laden hands it went through - what a marvellous way to spread the disease to every household in the land!

As devalued as any coin is, in these economically challenging times, the weight of each coin gets heavier and thus harder to flip in order to see the other side. The media can really suck you in and make it seem as if doom can only prevail. Hopefully we've practiced and trained our psyches throughout our long lives to fend off the doom-sayers because once we've flipped that coin we're ready for anything.

I'm sure Jules had a bit of hard time flipping it as she prepared herself for her return home - much of the weight being due to being apart from you all - but she will be strong and positive (as challenging as that may seem at times) and she will prevail as always.

I will miss her postings and I hope that there is a way for her to continue from the states.

Best of luck & Joyeux "fête des mères" (is that how you say it?).

I am an avid reader of FWAD and a retired college professor of biology. I taught microbiology to nursing students and have an uncle who lies buried in an American military cemetery northeast of Paris who died from the great flu epidemic of 1918. This strain of flu initially appeared to be very similar in type to the strain that killed approximately 50 million people world wide in 1918. With modern medical science and advanced knowledge and planning to avert another catastrophe as occurred in 1918, medical, scientific and governmental authorities did the responsible thing to inform the public of the possible threat of an epidemic of unknown proportions and severity and in advising the proper precautions be taken to prevent it. The worst thing a responsible government can do is not to tell it's citizens the truth and to withhold vital information. Here in the U.S. there was never any governmental statement which was an overreaction or over statement of the facts. The media of course picked it up and some may have sensationalized it and thereby caused fear. Every such potential epidemic has to be taken seriously because given the capability of the flu virus to mutate and change frequently, it is inevitable that there the potential will always exist that another deadly strain of flu virus will emerge from animals as happened in 1918 for which we have no resistance. The same people today who are quick to criticize the governments for taking precautions would be the same people who would condemn the governments for not warning them adequately if they had done little or nothing and it proved to be a deadly flu strain.

The swine flu thing has been overblown and overhyped by the media. The very entertaining Andy Borowitz says it best: http://www.borowitzreport.com/

If you visit the site listed above note that the initial outbreak was very mild (spring of 1918), but that it exploded when it resurfaced in the fall.

Roger, I agree with you whole-heartedly. Well said. And having said that, and acknowledging that we have perhaps dodged another globally catastrophic bullet, I would like to remind all of us that even as we dodge the bullet, others, on a much smaller, more personal scale, at this very moment, have not. And I speak of a young family in Monticello, Florida, whose house burned down the other day, causing the death of the pregnant mother, her unborn son, and the two youngest siblings, while the father and the eldest son miraculously escaped -- they dodged the bullet -- both the swine flu and immolation. And I had to ask myself this morning, after seeing their precious family portrait in the newspaper, "How can we make sense of the unspeakable sorrow and savagery surrounding us without resorting to trite sentimentalism and vain religiosity? I think the answer may lie somewhere in the apparent indefatigable spirit of human nature to survive, whatever the cost and for whatever reason, and in the always surprising resurgence during any tragedy of infinite kindess of human nature. Kindness is what must fill the void.

Kristin, I'm really getting a kick out of the videos you add at the end of each post. :) And thank you to your wonderful family for their continued help with the audio files! Merci!

Hi Jennie, I would love to meet you for coffee at the Paris Cafe - just keep me posted when your trip draws near. Here's my email - julesinprovence@gmail - why don't you drop me a note now and we can begin our friendship today...XOXO - JULES

I just had to post a comment on the "swine flu" epidemic. I have a novel way to avoid getting it and my employer helped me, I lost my job! Less exposure that way.
b bientot!
Jacqui

You really can't have too much information, and we still don't know what will happen. Perhaps the 'hype' has helped curtail what might have become worse. I'd rather have some hype than no hype. My first cousin was in Mexico when this started, and she eventually made her way back to Canada by bus and then by American Airlines, not the original plan. Prays for you and your friends (and family) Jules. Watch things get back to normal quickly as this passes.

Every year we have a flu season, and every year I think the last figure I heard was something like 31,000 people a year die from the flu. I think that this Swine Flu (and it isn't the Pigs fault either) is media hype - or the CDC is going for funding and need something to help that along. Nothing like a good pandemic to take care of that. I heard today that they are down grading this as a normal variation of the flu that we get every year. Passante said it the best!! Jules have a safe flight home. I cannot wait to hear more of your adventures........I love the Gypsy spirit you have, don't ever change that. You have encouraged us all to express the inner Gypsy we all have.

I don't often post a comment because I agree with so many of the above and I hate to be "de trop". My husband and I spent 7 winters in Baha and learned to love the Mexicans. My heart goes out to them. Good luck, Jules!

Kristin, gardening is SO satisfying when things go aglay. Just go out and chop off a few heads - something always needs dead heading! I miss it so, in my zero balance vieillesse. Merci pour ta reponse si vite. Cheque is enroute.

Hola everyone!
I’m Mexican and I live in Austin, TX. I just spent the last week of april in Monterrey, Mexico where all my family lives (in the state of Nuevo Leon, about 2 hours driving from Laredo, TX), so I was able to experience first hand the closing of the schools and some work places and how people is reacting.

I got to say that at the beginning you have the feeling that maybe all this precautions seem too much but I was impressed with how well people reacted and took serious measurements to prevent this virus to spread even more.

I guess the Mexican government could have handle the information in a more “clever” way but I feel they did the right thing by informing people about the virus as soon they were more aware that it was a new thing, accepted that they didn’t have enough information about it at that time and tell people what to do and where to go if they thought they were sick and all the preventive instructions.

The media? I don’t even want to talk about it! It seems we all agree they don’t do a good job anymore.

But what Jules said is also what worries me... imagine this... your children are not going to school, and usually both parents have to work in order to get a better house income... daycares closed... who is going to watch your kids while you go to work? NO ONE! So I saw all this moms very worry about loosing their jobs... on the other hand, specially in Mexico City and the larger cities, with all the closing of restaurants and work places, the cancellation of some flights to Mexico from some countries (no tourism), the discrimination on Mexicans going into other countries and being put in quarantine even when they were not sick at all, the cancellation of orders all over the world to import Mexican products (not only pork), etc... while we are still in the middle of one of the worst crisis that have affected Mexico deeply... ay, ay, ay... not good at all... and we are still in it and unfortunately is going to take a while to recuperate from this “extra” economical punch.

I could go on and on, but what really moved me to comment is to tell you that I appreciate all your kind words and prayers for my Mexican fellows and I guess Jules should tell the story of the farmer in Mexico so they can shake out the negative thinking and leave space for something else... I would say: SOMETHING BETTER :)

Querida Jules, recibe un fuerte beso y abrazo de mi parte y gracias por preocuparte por nuestros amigos mexicanos quienes veo te han adoptado y tratado con afecto en el hermoso Puerto Vallarta.

Con cariño,
Andrea

"Traveling mercies, Jules; it has been good to hear your stories and read your comments and see your pictures.

Thoughts and prayers for all who suffer from the ignorence that abounds in this world, today, especially, our friends in Mexico who are suffering. For the last eight years our government, propped up by a silly, puffed-up media, brought great agony and pain by the bomb/bullet-full into the homes of our friends across the globe.

Prayers for sanity. Prayers for the safety of all leaders everywhere who would serve so that the world can be a safer, healthier more peaceful place. Big Prayers.

Kristin, mille mercis again, for FWAD...love the pig pic.

What spreads quicker than swine flu? Paranoia.

The government here in New Zealand has had a field day. Yet what concerns me is that more people die of other influenza every year. And the numbers originally depicted of deaths in mexico was incorrect. I feel that it has been blown out of proportion.

Which in turn will probably affect the tourism industry for this country.

I think as long as people are vigilant if they do start feeling sick, theres no reason to assume that swine flu is going to knock them for six.

peace.

Jules, have a safe and wonderful trip home. I am sure all your friends can't wait to see you. You bring such life to all.

Kristin, we can never get rid of our thoughts, there are none then they are there, we just have to try and not let them rule us. That is when we create havoc for ourselves, when we believe our thoughts.

Mona,
Deux choses:
D'abord: Mona, for "sassy" on pourrait dire "impertinent", which would apply to the sanglier. Or, for its "full of spirit" sense, "plain d'entrain".
Ensuite: I thought Roger's take on the situation very wise.

Kristin, about your mom's pig story. I immediately thought of this Bible passage in which an unclean spirit leaves a man, but because the place is left unoccupied (and not replaced with the Spirit of God), the spirit comes back with seven other even more evil spirits and the situation ends up much, much worse than it started.

Here's the Bible passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation. Matthew 12:43-45

My comment didn't get posted correctly- a pig says 'groink, groink' but what animal says 'coco codet'? And the goose say ??? thanks again

Newforest: These are fun! Thanks for sharing with us what the animals say. This would make a great post. Does anyone else agree? :-) Allez Newforest, more "What The (French) Animals Say". Speaking of which... that "sanglier intrépide" that you mentioned: the photo was taken in our old neighborhood in Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Every once in a while, there would be a sanglier crossing... but, more often, it was the sheep that shared the "route goudronée" (or "colorful tarmac" as you noted) with the locals.

Merci Newforest and Kristin for correcting me on the animal sounds AND taking the time to read all the comments. It's been awhile since I was in France myself, and sometimes the teaching material I get is incorrect, so I try to really research things. This is what I have:
la grenouille- crr!crr!
le coq- coco-rico
le cochon- groink!groink! (yours is groin!groin!
le chat- mia'ou
le corbeau- croa croa
le dindon- glou glou
l'oiseau- cui cui
la sauterelle- cri cri
le cheval- henni henni
l'ane- hi-han
(sorry, mon ordinateur is being difficult and won't let me put in accents, etc)

Mona: that's exactly the way I feel after reading everyone's comments -- more educated! Thanks for finding the right words.

great pic!

Yikes, Ken, that was awfully harsh. What you're describing is the difference between a tourist, i.e. you and a traveler, the rest of us.
Please be kind. Mexico is a wonderful place filled with hard-working people. I never tire of visiting there. To appreciate its beauty and its culture, look with eyes wide open and a heart open even wider.
Luci

Hello everyone.
Mexico is doing a great job looking after themselfs and making sure this does'nt spread anymore. Have you seen the way they are scrubbing EVERYTHING??
The media has gone to far in giving Mexico a bad name and not taking in consideration all the things they've been doing to stop this crazy thing. It makes me sad to see the discrimination from other contries against Mexico. Specialy when Mexico compared to the other places that had been infected took action right away. Mexico started to take "action" with "very low numbers".Other places in the world have more cases now than Mexico and their citizents are not taking the precautions that mexicans have taken. To be honest I would feel more secure traveling to Mexico where I can see people being more careful and are desinfecting and cleaning everything, that other places in the world that prefer to keep things quiet so it doesn't affect it's economy.
Mexico for being honest got a big punch on the face.Goverments arround the world do not want to see that happening to their contries so they prefer to hide things and point the finger to Mexico. They should point the finger to show how "hard" they are trying to keep things under control compared to other countries in the world. Really; I would feel a lot safer tarveling to Mexico right now than any other place. At least I know "right now" it's the cleanest place in the world.