I was hoping for a pull-out of Africa, but it is more political than anything else:
"French president opens vacation home to public" by Sylvie Corbet | Associated Press July 13, 2014
PARIS — It’s an old fortress on a tiny island, surrounded by pine trees and the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea: The Fort de Bregancon has been the very private holiday retreat of French leaders for decades. And now it’s open to the public.
Socialist President Francois Hollande has decided to break with tradition and to show it to the masses for the first time instead of vacationing there, as a symbol of a toned-down presidential lifestyle in tough economic times.
Yeah, that will win over a population that despises him for austerity.
The stylish villa is on one of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of the French Riviera.
Visitors can walk in the salons, the dining room, and the president’s office, but they shouldn’t expect the marble, gilding, and elegant parquet floors you find in many French palaces. Instead, white walls and simple tiles on the floor, in the local Mediterranean style, make it look like a family house.
Something about tile works rang a bell with me.
‘‘It is also the charm of the place: The president can live like ordinary people do, in a simple environment,’’ said Bernard Le Magoarou, administrator of the fort.
Built in the Middle Ages, it became state property during the French Revolution. General Charles de Gaulle made it the official residence of the Republic in 1964.
Since then, every French president has come to take some time off from the Elysee Palace in Paris and to enjoy the private beach and the spectacular view from the patio.
--more--"
Look, if I were one of the elite in Bo$ton and New England for whom the Sunday Boston Globe is written of and for, that's a fantastic article.
Related:
"Air France-KLM, after more than two years of painful cost-cutting and staff reductions, has been making steady progress toward a goal of paring debt and reducing costs with an eye to returning to profitability by the end of 2015. The airline reported a net loss in 2013 but recorded its first annual operating profit in three years. The airline, Europe’s third-largest by number of passengers, forecast an operating profit of no more than $3.1 billion, this year, less than an earlier target.
The effort, which involves the elimination of almost 8,000 jobs, comes as the airline is also upgrading its premium-class cabins to better compete with ever-more lavish amenities being offered on the trans-Atlantic services of such competitors as Emirates of Dubai, Etihad of Abu Dhabi, and Qatar Airways."
What did you expect, a reward for losing to Germany?
It's a rich man's world and a rich man's paper.
