- Times are tough for everyone, even the
wine-and-cheese-loving denizens of France. Because of the country’s ongoing
financial crisis – one that even a 75-percent tax on millionaires can't fix –
the French government is considering some serious changes. Namely, it is
debating a major reduction in the number of traditional administrative regions that have
long been part of the identity of citizens of the diverse country. Regions such
as Normandy, Alsace, Burgundy and others have their own distinct identities and
those identities could be in jeopardy thanks to a recent proposal by France's
new prime minister to cut the number of regions in half by 2017. The mere
mention of the notion of merging regions has infuriated many and the divide is
clear based on a recent poll showing that 68 percent of the French believe the
measure to be a necessity — but 77 percent reject the disappearance of their
own region. In other words, “Yes, merge regions to save money, but just not
mine.” "This is where we will learn who the real reformers are and who are
the conservatives," French President Francois Hollande said in a
nationally televised address. Merging regions was an idea the previous
conservative government considered but never implemented, partly because of the
difficulty of agreeing on a new map. There are currently 22 regions, 100-plus
departments and no fewer than 36,000 communes and the arrangement is
good-naturedly referred to as a "mille-feuille," after the French
dessert made up of multiple layers of puff pastry and cream. In Alsace,
bordering Germany in the east, 61 percent of respondents wanted no part of
economically troubled neighboring region Lorraine, which is home to a
freefalling mining and metallurgy industry. Groups on both sides have taken to
social media and begun staging gatherings and town meetings to make their
voices heard on the issue. Every region has local treasures it wants to protect
and refuses to share with a potential partner province, suggesting that any
forced connection is going to be ugly and bitter for all involved……….
- Samsung is looking to the distance for its next big product
launch, specifically to Russia and India. That’s where the tech titan is
considering launching its Tizen open-source operating system with a smartphone based on
the unique OS. Tizen has endured a difficult run so far and its products were
scheduled to begin shipping by the end of 2013. That never happened because mobile
operators Orange and NTT DoCoMo backed off plans to sell the phones. Samsung
has dug into its deep pockets – with help from project partner Intel – and kept
the project going. It has continued to developed the operating system as a
viable future rival for Android-based phones. Now six months past its original
target release date, Samsung is finally inching closer to actually getting the
product it promised out. Should the plan play out as intended, the phone would
go on sale in Russia and India, two countries carefully studied and selected by
Samsung. Both are large markets with big potential for a viable new phone,
which it is not clear whether Tizen is or could become at any point in the near
future. Some have argued that launching in India and Russia is the path of
least resistance, as both are relatively open markets where mobile operators
have limited control over distribution channels. Other established markets in
Asia, Western Europe and North America will be more difficult to crack and
since India and Russia are the third- and eighth-largest smartphone markets
worldwide and often get overlooked for major new global product launches, maybe
they’ll be flattered that someone took the time to think about them. The Tizen
project has lurched forward in the past 32 months, the brainchild of the Linux
Foundation and the Limo Foundation as they merged their respective open-source
mobile operating systems, MeeGo and Limo. Where it goes from here will likely
be nowhere, but it might be somewhere far away…….
- No one wants to be on jury duty. After all, the reason one
should never choose a trial by a jury of their peers is that juries are
comprised of 12 people not smart enough to find a way out of jury duty. But
sometimes smart people who make a lot more money than the $40 a day they get
for serving on a jury end up on one anyhow and it’s a good thing they are
there. Take, for example, Dr. Jovan Laskovski M.D., of the Crystal Clinic Orthopedics Center in
Akron, Ohio. Laskovski was serving on a jury last week in the courtroom of Judge
Joy Malek Oldfield in Akron Municipal Court when a witness began to lose
consciousness while testifying on the stand. Thinking more like the doctor he
is and not the bored-out-of-his-mind juror he should have been, Laskovski leapt
into action – literally – when he juror jumped out of the jury box in an Akron
courtroom this week to come to the aid of the ailing witness. The incident
occurred within the first hour of the trial and as the witness was being
cross-examined, his head tilted back and he began to have seizures. Laskovski
levitated over the front of the jury box and ran to the witness stand, where he
performed safety measures to assist the witness and secure the witness from
sustaining bodily injury until paramedics arrived. "Yesterday, more than
ever, we saw just how important jury service is. In all seriousness, Dr.
Laskovski, like so many others, sacrificed his busy schedule to fulfill his
civic duty. We are so grateful he did,” Judge Oldfield said the next day in
court. Of course, that is the sort of heroic work you can expect from a man who
is the youngest member of the Crystal Clinic, earned his Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude from the
University of Akron at the age of 19 and graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical
University four years later...........
- Saul’s crew is shaping up nicely. “Better Call Saul,” the
spin-off from AMC’s über-popular drama “Breaking Bad” and the cast for the new
show has added three new members. Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn, and
Michael Mando are now part of the show and while all three have some solid
credits to their respective names, none of them have exactly played a leading
role in any major projects. Fabian’s credits include “The Last Exorcism” and “The
Newsroom,” while Mando has guest-starred on “Orphan Black” and “Pysch.” Seehorn
has the most limited resume of the three, having been a part of NBC’s
bomb-tastic comedy “Whitney” and “Franklin & Bash.” While Fabian, Seehorn
and Mando are confirmed additions to “Saul,” their roles are being kept under
wraps for now. Those roles may be a mystery, but the general outline for the
show is not. The series will actually be a prequel to “Breaking Bad” that follows
the adventures of dubious lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) back in the days
before he crossed paths with Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Given the rabid
following “Breaking Bad” built and the way fans refuse to let go of their
favorite shows, it’s fair to say that there will be a built-in audience…at
least for its first few episodes. If Fabian, Seehorn, Mando and co-stars Jonathan
Banks and Michael McKean can't deliver a show up on par with the one that
spawned it, then the ratings won't hang around for too long………
- Soccer, you’ve done it again. By it, of course, take that
to mean going hooligan in a way that only your absurd sport can and giving the
entire soccer world another black eye in the process. Cue the fans of Russian
club Zenit
St. Petersburg, which had its match against Dynamo Moscow on Sunday abandoned
after Zenit fans invaded the pitch and one of them attacked an opposition
player. Granted, Dynamo led 4-2 in St. Petersburg when the pitch invasion began
in the 87th minute and Zenit wasn’t exactly on the precipice of a major ra lly,
the result could still damage its hopes of winning the Russian Premier League
title if it stands. Footage of the bum-rushing of the field showed a fan
sprinting up to Dynamo defender Vladimir Granat and couregously punching him in
the head from behind. Granat reportedly sustained a head injury from the
attack, according to Dynamo sporting director Guram Adzhoev. The attack could
have wider repercussions, as Granat has four caps for Russia and is considered
a contender to play at the World Cup next month. Zenit quickly tried to put the
fire out by expressing "deep regret'' at the behavior of its fans and said
it was working with police to identify Granat's attacker. "The club
understands that fans have the right to be disappointed and displeased with the
team's play,'' Zenit said in a statement. "But hooliganism and disorder
are not acceptable in any case.' Not acceptable, but an ingrained part of the
sport around the globe. Russian Football Union officials believe the mini-riot
was planned by Zenit fans regardless of the game’s outcome. There has been no
official decision as to whether the score at the time the game was abandoned
will be considered the final result, but any soccer game in which six actual
goals were scored can't be ignored. Perhaps stadium security – which European
soccer leagues may or may not actually have – should have realized things were
turning south when they had to delay the game earlier in the evening when Zenit
fans let off flares and smoke bombs, severely reducing visibility at the
Petrovsky stadium. Well done, soccer………..
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