A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
2015 Phantom Regiment should look familiar, as I featured the corps in 'City of Light' for Bastille Day, although neither of the clips I embedded included "Clair de Lune," so this was new to this blog, just like last year's inclusion of An American in Paris. I probably now have the entire show scattered over ten years of this blog. Maybe one day I will find a video of the entire show.
As for who played it best, the commenters say 1994 Phantom Regiment, and I agree. G bugles still rule.
A key promise in Paris’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics was that its famous river, the Seine, would be cleaned up in time to host open water swimming events: the triathlon, para triathlon, and marathon swimming. But swimming has been banned in the Seine for a century because the Paris sewer system is designed to dump wastewater into the river during heavy rain, when the sewers get overwhelmed by stormwater.
When that happens, levels of E. coli, a bacteria associated with fecal matter, spike in the river, making it too contaminated to swim in. In order to make good on its promise to clean the river, Paris officials took on a $1.5 billion USD infrastructure project that includes a massive underground tank and tunnel system meant to hold excess sewage during heavy rain and prevent further contamination of the Seine.
Water quality testing will be done daily ahead of the Olympic games this summer, and Paris officials are hopeful their ambitious plan to host swimming in the famously polluted river will succeed.
I hope the answer was yes.
I'm about to lecture on sewage treatment Monday night, so I'm considering showing this video to my environmental science class as a timely example of why the topic is relevant. The only concern I have is the BetterHelp promotion in the middle. Nearly every comment on the video complained about it, so I'll have to skip past it. I had no idea how many people dislike BetterHelp!
I might return to Olympics-related posts while the Games take place, but probably not tomorrow; I have Emmy nominations penciled in. Stay tuned.
France's annual Bastille Day parade wrapped up Sunday with the arrival of the Olympic flame, escorted by riders on horseback, 25 torchbearers, and cadets forming the shapes of the Olympic rings. The main torchbearer is Col. Thibault Vallette, equestrian gold medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Lieutenant-colonel Lucile, Chief operating officer, Land force army command for Europe explains.
Thousands of soldiers, sailors, rescuers and medics are marching in Paris Sunday beneath roaring fighter jets to mark Bastille Day. The traditional military parade has however been moved from its traditional route on the Champs Elysees due to preparations to host the Olympic Games, and a smaller military contingent will instead march on the nearby Avenue Foch – one of the most prestigious streets in Paris and one of the most expensive addresses in the world. FRANCE 24’s Sophie Lamotte reports.
At least the parade retained the view of the Arc de Triomphe in the background, even though the participants are marching west by southwest instead of southeast.
France celebrated military victories of the past at its annual Bastille Day parade Sunday as Paris welcomed the Olympic flame to the city. FRANCE 24's Selina Sykes reports.
May the U.K. avoid falling down a rabbit hole because of the election results!
I might return with the results of the U.K. and French elections, where the French seem to have realized that they might fall down a rabbit hole as well and have caught onto the edge to prevent it.
Labour has officially won the 2024 general election after reaching the required 326 seats.
Speaking in central London, the next prime minister Keir Starmer says "change begins now".
"It feels good, I have to be honest," he tells a cheering crowd.
He adds that the task of a Labour government is "nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold our country together".
I liked P.M. Starmer's speech. I especially appreciated his slogan "Country first, party second." That's a sentiment I wish both major U.S. parties believed in. One of ours certainly doesn't.
While Labour was the clear winner in the United Kingdom, there was no clear winner in the French elections, just a clear loser, Marine Le Pen and her National Rally. As BBC News reported this morning, France faces hung parliament after election result.
France is facing political deadlock after parliamentary elections dealt a blow to the far-right National Rally - but leave no party with a majority.
A coalition of left wing parties - have won most seats in the high stakes snap election.
The left-wing New Popular Front has won 182 seats in total, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally have 143 MP’s, coming behind President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble Alliance, which has 168 seats.
RN leader Jordan Bardella blamed "unnatural political alliances" for stopping their rise to power.
France managed to avoid falling into the rabbit hole, but might still be teetering on the edge. Still, it's better than the alternative.
I hope to have more good news about France in time for Bastille Day. If not, no worries, as I already have the plan B I mentioned in A happy drum corps Canada Day 2024! In the meantime, may the U.K. and France serve as good examples for the U.S. in this election year.
Biden greeted surviving members one-by-one, thanking them for the service on that fateful day.
As an expatriate Californian, who loves entertainment nearly as much as my country and tells my students you can take me out of California but you can't take California out of me, I appreciated the name checks of The Longest Day and Band of Brothers. I'm only surprised he and his speechwriter(s) didn't manage to mention Saving Private Ryan as well. I guess one Tom Hanks show was enough.
I also appreciated how President Biden related D-Day to the present day, especially the domestic fight to protect democracy against authoritarianism at home and foreign aggression in Ukraine. May we be up to the task.
Follow over the jump for videos representing France, Canada, and the United Kingdom at the event.
"If we don't keep these stories continually in our minds, the history disappears," said Dr. Dora Ramirez, the director of Ethnic Studies at Boise State University.
Cinco de Mayo isn't a big celebration all over Mexico. Instead, it has its roots in the Mexican state of Puebla. A woman in Old Saybrook got the chance to celebrate Cinco de Mayo there and explains the history of this holiday.
Condado Tacos will be offering special dishes to recognize Star Wars Day and Cinco de Mayo this weekend.
I also couldn't resist the double celebration of Cinco de Mayo and StarWarsDay. My readers who are Star Wars fans can take another bite of that apple tomorrow for Revenge of the Sixth. Stay tuned.
France celebrates Bastille Day, which marks the fall of the Bastille prison in 1789, seen as igniting the French Revolution. 'Le chant des partisans' was part of the celebrations. '"Le chant des partisans" is the perfect symbol of resistance during WWII', French Army Major Antoine explains.
I learned something new from this segment and it's always a good day when I learn something new.
The Indian military contingent marched to the beats of ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ even as a compliment of Rafale fighters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in a flypast over the Champs-Elysees at the Bastille Day Parade. The Punjab Regiment led the march and was followed by the Indian Navy and then the Air Force as the left their mark at the annual parade to mark the historic fall of Bastille in 1789.
The Indian army, navy, and air force units formed the tricolor of the French flag as they marched down the parade route — nice touch!
India is the guest of honor at this year’s Bastille Day parade, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching in the VIP tribune alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. About 240 Indian troops led the march down the Champs-Elysees before thousands of French forces, and French-made Indian warplanes joined the traditional flyby above the event. France often showcases international partners on Bastille Day, and the choice of India comes as France looks to further strengthen cooperation on fighting climate change, military sales and the strategic Indo-Pacific region. But human rights were missing from the vast agenda, despite concerns raised by European lawmakers, rights groups and others. Joining FRANCE 24's William Hilderbrandt on Bastille Day is author, economist and commentator on geostrategic affairs Saurav Jha. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Delhi Defence Review.
Saurav Jha tried to downplay India as a counterweight to China, but he couldn't avoid the comparisons and contrasts. His point that consumption composes 60% of India's GDP to 30% of China's struck me. What that means is that India is a better market for exporters, which makes it attractive to other countries to not only invest in India to make things, but to sell them, too. That's a selling point.
Follow over the jump for videos about two other holidays that share today with Bastille Day.
On 8 June World Oceans Day will be celebrated worldwide, serving as a poignant reminder of the immense significance of the ocean in our daily lives. The importance of a healthy ocean cannot be overstated. They are home to 80 percent of the animal biomass, serving as a vital source of sustenance, nutrition and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide.
I was right when I wrote "I might have more on the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty as soon as Thursday," as France 24 English covered it right after talking about climatechange and biodiversity. There should be a draft treaty when the delegates meet again in Nairobi later this year.
Video Message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on World Oceans Day 2023.
Here are the initiatives Secretary-General Guterres listed after declaring that "the tides are changing."
Last year, we adopted an ambitious global target to conserve and manage 30 per cent of land and marine and coastal areas by 2030, as well as a landmark agreement on fisheries subsidies.
At the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, the world agreed to push for more positive ocean action.
A global, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution is under negotiation.
And in March, countries agreed to the historic High Seas Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Realizing the great promise of these initiatives requires collective commitment.
Sustainable Development Goal 14 — to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’s resources — hangs in the balance.
This World Oceans Day, let’s keep pushing for action.
Today and every day, let’s put the ocean first.
As a Crazy Eddie, I approve.
Follow over the jump for two videos I missed from last year's celebration that I found worth watching.
Stephen checks on our friends in Europe who are experiencing a record-setting heat wave, and announces that The Late Show will broadcast LIVE this Thursday after the next public hearing by the Jan. 6th Committee.
After starting his monologue with the European heat wave, Stephen moved on to the kind of political news he would normally make fun of, including the third take-home message from the most recent hearing after the 'Unhinged' meeting leading to the January 6th riot and the involvement of extremist groups, The Former Guy calling a future witness, apparently trying to tamper with the witness. We might hear more about that and the Secret Service text messages at tonight's hearing followed by Colbert's live monologue. I'm looking forward to both.
Stephen's writers stepped up the heat wave coverage the next night, beginning with Tuesday's cold open, Peppa Pig And The Very Hot Day.
It's good that Mummy and Daddy Pig are making the best out of a bad situation.
It's a good thing Peppa's fans were all in bed when that aired. It would have upset them.
Stephen celebrates his dog Benny's third birthday, peeks across the pond at the sweltering heat in Europe, and takes a look at what Steve Bannon may say about the former president when he testifies before the Jan. 6th Committee.
Stephen's dog is cute and made a good transition from the roasting of Peppa Pig, pun intended. As for the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit that Stephen fumbled hilariously, 40oC is 104oF. Yikes!
Sylvester Stallone is apparently ignoring California's new rules aimed at conserving water during the current drought, and "End Of Days" star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been credibly accused of passing gas into a fellow actor's face on the set of that film.
Having grown up in Southern California around show business people, I'm not surprised by either of the action stars' bad behavior. As for President Biden, he may not be doing enough about climate change, but he's at least doing what he can. It's something, which is better than nothing.
Stay tuned as I plan on returning tomorrow with Stephen's live monologue.
*So were Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Trevor Noah. Kimmel had guest hosts on, but Seth and Trevor had no new content during their breaks. I missed them, too.
France and the United States have been allies for centuries. Despite the mutual affection and fascination, they can also rub each other up the wrong way. How much of this is due to subtleties getting lost in translation and how much of it is because of fundamental cultural differences? In this episode of French Connections Plus, Florence Villeminot and Genie Godula delve into the love-hate relationship between France and America.
I found that fun and fascinating and I hope both my American and French readers did, too.* It makes me glad I watched it, as it's always a good day when I learn something new.
This very harmonious cocktail combines the tangy fruity flavours of cranberry with the roundness of Grand Marnier® liqueur. The oaked notes of the cognac add aromatic intensity to the cocktail, and give more length on the finish.
What you need:
1 shot Grand Marnier® liqueur (30ml)
1 shot vodka (30ml)
1,5 shots cranberry juice (45ml)
1/2 shot freshly squeezed lime juice (15ml)
1 dash angostura orange bitter (optional)
On the one hand, it was about time I included a video from the distiller. On the other, that makes this video corporate PR.
From Lake Elsinore, CA
Temescal Canyon High School Titan Thunder Regiment & Pageantry performing their march entitled French National Défilé by J.S. Seredy at the 64th Annual Arcadia Festival of Bands Band Review located in the city of Arcadia, California, on Saturday, November 18, 2017.
Results: Class A
91.95 - 2nd place Band
85.00 - 3rd place Auxiliary
86.00 - 6th place Open Class Military Drum Major
As a couple of commenters noted, the French name for the march is "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" or "Sambre et Meuse" for short.
France leaping from ninth to second with 138,445, a huge jump from last year's ~3,410, did come as a surprise. Wow! Unlike tweeting at Greta Thunberg prompting Swedes to read my blog last year, I'm not sure what I did to attract the attention of the French. Whatever I did, I'm glad. Welcome aboard!
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France rocketed from seventh to second with 185,778 total page views to replace Russia as the top international source of readers. Sweden leapfrogged several countries as it rose from fifth to third with 107,825. Congratulations and welcome to readers from both countries. Stick around.
They have, as France has provided 15,043 page views to this blog during the past 30 days, well ahead of the 11,627 from the U.S. during the same month. Thank you, and keep reading!
The quintessential piece for powerhouse brass lines, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," played by four corps over 27 years. Who did it best?
Out of this group, the commenters generally picked 1984 Phantom Regiment, although a few thought 2008 Crown played it better and 2011 Boston Crusaders had a better drill.* Sorry, 1992 Phantom Regiment. A few more noted that another Phantom Regiment year could have been included, so I'm sharing 1983 Phantom Regiment | 1812 Overture as an encore.
Phantom Regiment's 1983 closing tune was a full-blown five-and-a-half minute production of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." A large concert bass drum was employed to deliver the cannon shots in the finale, with the church bell ringing away and the entire color guard spinning rifles up front in a form sort of like a bell clapper. The horns, in the back, formed the dome of a massive bell and then unleashed every ounce of power still remaining on the final chords.
With this video, I've featured five different years of Phantom Regiment in three differentposts to celebrate Bastille Day. That makes them by far my favorite for this holiday.
In this Episode of Bibbidi Bobbidi Bartender, I am going to teach you how to make your very own Grand Marnier Slush from Disney's EPCOT - France pavilion. Watch and learn how to make fantastic Disney cocktails from the comfort of your own home! Ingredients will be listed below along with drink recipes so you can follow along!
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Grand Marnier Slush:
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 oz Simple Syrup
- 2 oz Sour Mix (Equal Parts Lemon Juice, Lime Juice and Simple Syrup)
- 2 Cups of Ice
Vive la France (Pavilion)! Liberté, Egaliteé, Fraternité!
Pedro Pierluisi, who has been governor of #PuertoRico since January 2021, is pushing for the Caribbean archipelago to become the 51st US state. This would put an end to its current status of unincorporated territory and give more rights to its inhabitants. But while the election of Joe #Biden seems to give hope to those who want US statehood, others would prefer Puerto Rico to become completely independent. Our regional correspondents Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin report.
As for Puerto Rico producing only 15% of its own food, that's definitely a colonial relationship with the mainland. However, statehood by itself may not improve the situation, as Hawaii also produced only 15% of its own food in 2016 despite being a major agricultural state. That's because most of its farms produced food for export to the mainland and elsewhere. Hawaii's Governor pledged to double local food production by 2020. As correspondent Laurence Cuvillier pointed out, a similar initiative for Puerto Rico shows potential for economic growth. Still, it could be worse; Alaska only produces 4% of its own food, a stat I should tell my students.
In the midst of economic, political and climate crises, Puerto Rico has lost nearly 12% of its population over the last decade, mostly to join the 6 million Puerto Rican diaspora now living in the 50 states. Tax incentives meant to lure investments have led some Puerto Ricans to fear that the island is turning into a fiscal paradise for wealthy outsiders, driving even more locals out. Many administrations have pushed for a more prosperous Puerto Rico, but they often blame the territorial status for falling short. Is statehood, independence, or something else the solution? And who gets to decide?
In addition to food, CBS News examined the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis and its effect on the economy. This looks a lot like Michigan's Emergency Financial Manager law and has the same effect on local government. I didn't like it here so I don't like it there.
CBS News has several videos expanding and promoting the documentary, but I'm wrapping up this section instead by repeating what I wrote yesterday: "I have a bad feeling that if the Republicans in Washington D.C. continue to block statehood, sentiment might switch over to free association or outright independence. That would be no be my preferred outcome, but if it's what Puerto Ricans want, then I'll support it, while still being upset at Republicans for making it happen."
And that was 12th place! Honestly, I think it was a more coherent and entertaining program than the 2018 show I used for St. Patrick's Day this year. That written, playing "Fire of Eternal Glory," while a Phantom Regiment corps song, seems a bit on the nose given how St. Joan became a martyr.
Speaking of which, indulge me a bit about the subject of the show. While Joan of Arc was a pre-revolutionary figure fighting on behalf of King Charles VII of France, her Wikipedia article describes how her star rose after the French Revolution, so she's not out of place in a Bastille Day celebration.
In the 16th century she became a symbol of the Catholic League, and in 1803 she was declared a national symbol of France by the decision of Napoleon Bonaparte...She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. Joan of Arc is one of the nine secondary patron saints of France, along with Saint Denis, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Louis, Saint Michael, Saint Rémi, Saint Petronilla, Saint Radegund and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
Vive Le France! Liberté, Egaliteé Fraternité!
Now that I'm done celebrating the third of three patriotic holidays I observe during July, follow over the jump for a celebration of National Grand Marnier Day.
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches in Normandy, France, with the goal of defeating Nazi Germany. Alex Kershaw is a historian and author of "The First Wave: The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II." He joined Major Garrett for a closer look at what the iconic day means.
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches in Normandy, France, with the goal of defeating Nazi Germany. This is one of a series of newsreel clips, which captured the iconic day live as it happened.
In retrospect, this comes off as much wartime propaganda as it does news, down to the appeal to buy war bonds, but at the time it just showed that the media were as committed to the war effort as everyone else.
World leaders gathered in France to honor the Allied forces who landed on Normandy beaches 75 years ago. At least 170 aging veterans who took part in the operation in 1944 returned to reflect on the turning point in World War II. "CBS This Morning" co-host Anthony Mason joined CBSN from Normandy with more on the historic ceremony.
Joined by President Emanuel Macron and Mrs. Macron, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump viewed a series of flyovers at the conclusion of events commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
That's it for this Throwback Thursday look back at two historic anniversaries. Stay tuned for a final retrospective of the eighth year of this blog about the back catalog.
While I'm done with drum corps and booze for the holiday, I'm not done with celebrating things French, as France plays Croatia in the World Cup. More soccer! Also, vive la France!
France has had the most native players and coaches in the last 4 World Cups… and their dominance has been on the rise. Players like Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba are the children of immigrants and the product of the French soccer academy system. French- born players have played for Togo, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Argentina, Portugal, and many more.
I'm lucky Vox produced this video. Not only does it work for today's championship match, it nearly makes up for my not posting the "more humorous, if equally informative, compilation of John Oliver videos on FIFA and the World Cup" I promised two weeks ago. I'll make up for not doing so by writing about the nine Emmy nominations "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" just earned. Stay tuned for that after following me over the jump for an observance of National Ice Cream Day.
Cadets 1989 - "Les Miserables" - I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables), At the End of the Day (from Les Miserables), Look Down (from Les Miserables), On My Own (from Les Miserables), Attack on Rue Plumet (from Les Miserables), Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables), One Day More (from Les Miserables), At the Barracades (from Les Miserables)
The final minute of the Cadets of Bergen County 1989 5th place show. This DCI finals performance took place on August 19, 1989 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
I have more videos of corps playing music from this musical, but I'm saving them for the future. As I have written multiple times, most recently in Tipsy Bartender recipes for National Mojito Day, "I'm an environmentalist; not only do I recycle, I conserve my resources." In the meantime, Vive La France!
French President Emmanuel Macron responds to US President Donald Trump's announcement today that the country was withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Now, a day after the Trump administration released a video laying out the case for president's decision on the climate change pact, Macron's government is following suit.
On Friday, France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs shared an edited version of the American video on Twitter that sought to highlight inaccuracies.
“We've seen the @WhiteHouse video about the #ParisAccord,” the tweet says. “We disagree — so we've changed it. #MakeThePlanetGreatAgain.”
The French government released its own version of the White House video on the Paris climate accord Friday, complete with what it views as corrections to the Trump administration’s stance on the deal.
Thousands of supporters waved French flags and cheered in front of the Louvre.
Note the Trump support for Le Pen before the election. Nonnie9999 mocked that in Le Pen and La Pencildick a couple of weeks ago.
"I'm with Stupid" -- where have I seen that before? Since I'm a good environmentalist, I recycled the idea in a comment.
“I’m with stupid”–I have a song for that. It’s even about the trans-Atlantic relationships between politicians.
“A moron” and “A billion dollar kid.” Perfect!
I surprised Nonnie9999 with the selection. She loved it, then saw me and raised me.
OMG! I never heard that song before. That was perfect!!!! Here’s another little song for Le Pen and Le Pencildick:
I know that song, having used it in I was in a foul mood until I watched this video after Scott Walker survived his recall. My opinion of it hasn't changed over the past five years, as I told Nonnie9999 "That’s the perfect song to tell off far-right politicians and media figures." She agreed. Now all she and I have to do is get Americans to sing this characteristically British song after every Republican town hall or public appearance. Wish us luck!
Between March 21, 2015, and March 20, 2016, I posted 435 entries, which earned 176,458 page views and 672 comments from my readers and me. These are out of totals of 2724 entries, 595,621 page views, and 1309 during the first five years of the blog. For comparison, I present the statistics from the previous four years.
During the fourth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, from March 21, 2014 to March 20, 2015, I posted 528 entries, the readers and I posted 229 comments, and the blog received 145,875 page views for a total of 2289 posts, 637 comments, and 419,163 page views over the entire first four years of the blog.* For comparison, the third year of this blog saw 785 entries, 304 comments, and 127,945 page views, the second year I posted 493 entries, readers and I posted 129 comments, and the blog received 97,535 page views, and the first full year I made 483 posts, readers and I posted 204 comments, and the blog received 47,808 page views. ... *I am recording these stats from Midnight EDT to Midnight EDT on March 21 of successive years. It would be easier to record using Midnight GMT, as that is the default time zone of the stats recorder, but I want to count full days here, not London.
Follow over the jump for my analysis of the fifth year's statistics compared to the fourth year's.
