Sniffing machine leads to record cocaine seizure in France

Posted on May 30, 2009 in: Current Affairs|Post Comment

French customs officers seized 684 kilos of cocaine last Wednesday, following a routine stop on a motorway near Montpellier.The cocaine was carried aboard a truck (lorry) reportedly coming from Spain and bound for the UK. The seizure reportedly is the largest ever made on land in France.

Official French reports underscore that the truck was British, whereas the British media report on the arrest of two Britons in France. (I found no reports about what the Spanish thought of the whole affair.)

But what grabbed my attention was the reported use of a special sniffing machine to detect cocaine (and other contraband). As described by French media, the scanner sounds less like a robot dog than a giant dental x-ray machine. In a mere 30 minutes, agents can set up a 120-meter safety perimeter to avoid risk of radiation contamination; the actual examination of a truck's contents can take as little as 5 minutes.

I'm sufficiently cynical to question the scanner story. Official reports of the scanner date from 2006 and announced an entry into service in 2007. What took so long to actually apprehend contraband? If the stop really was routine, then the scanner coincidentally was at a random point nearby, not at a locale where contraband might be expected, such as a port or airport. And what a coincidence that the seizure would set a record!

I'm also reminded of a French scandal, dating from the late 70s and early 80s, that involved an airplane-mounted "oil-sniffing" machine (whose operation was a fiction or fraud), implicated people as high up as then-president Giscard d'Estaing, and cost taxpayers a fortune.

In this case, customs agents had suspicions or doubts after the sniffing or scanning, and inspected
the truck's contents meticulously. (Reports diverge, but suggest that the truck was a
refrigerated vehicle  carrying topsoil; were I a customs officer, this alone seems sufficiently bizarre to justify a thorough inspection, without recourse to a fancy x-ray device.) The cocaine was hidden in what seems like the most thorough packaging job ever: multiple layers of plastic or rubber wrap; voluminous coffee grounds to throw drug-sniffing dogs off the trail; paint, seemingly also to confuse dogs (at this point, I'm prepared to support a strike on behalf of customs dogs, to obtain better working conditions for them); and entombment in tons of packaged topsoil.

I suspect that French customs officers (especially higher-ups) are defending their budget, and turf. The drug bust echoes news reports that reliably appear every year, before Christmas, where customs agents demonstrate toys that have been seized and that present shocking dangers (electrocution risk, obvious choking risk, use of materials too gruesome to mention as stuffing or artificial fur.).

I also suspect a finger-in-the-dike syndrome, where the record-setting seizure masks a huge problem: staggering volumes of cocaine travel to or through France every day.

And if the seizure was the result of old-fashioned police work, I hope that informants and any undercover operatives are rewarded and kept safe from retaliation by traffickers.

Sarkozy’s planes

Posted on May 29, 2009 in: Current Affairs|Post Comment

sarkozyplane

The French media is buzzing with stories about President’s Sarkozy’s new plane. An Airbus A330-200, formerly leased to Air Caraïbes by International Lease Finance Corporation, reportedly now sits in a hanger in Mérignac (near Bordeaux), where it will be refitted by Sabena Technics. The estimated cost of the work to be done reportedly is €28.5 million, for delivery in 2011.

The French media hasn’t been shy when describing the future presidential jet. Top on everyone’s list: a bedroom. What else to expect from the French press? There will also be a bathroom, conference room, and medical center; however, I’ve read nothing about a kitchen, dining room, or wine cellar; this discretion by the French media surprised me. With an 11,000 km (5,939 nautical mile) range, do the French really expect their president to shuttle among the bedroom, bathroom, and medical center, without having a bite to eat before touching down in a distant land? Will the President even be able to disembark on his own? My thoughts turn to Mike Myers’ character, Austin Powers.

Otherwise, there will be Cordovan leather upholstery and space in the back for about 60 in economy-class configuration. Antimissile gadgetry will help ensure a smooth flight.

The French president also awaits delivery of a Dassault Falcon 7X, a high-end business jet described by its maker as “in a class by itself”.

Youth in France

Posted on May 28, 2009 in: Current Affairs|Post Comment

I've long thought that French society generally offers surprisingly few opportunities to people in their twenties.

Now I find that I'm not alone in having these thoughts. No, I won't mention yet another opinion poll. (With their affinity for opinion polls, you'd think young people in France would have a chance to revolutionize opinion research.)

A French bank, CIC, has for several years run an ad campaign showing how a nameless, neighboring bank doesn't get it, "it" being customers' needs or wants.

The campaign spot that is now aired on French television shows a middle-aged banker talking to his middle-aged colleague/friend in a dreaey, quiet bank office. The banker has a son. The banker narrates to his colleague a recent discussion with his son, where dad seems to have wanted to help out.

Dad understands that his son needs to get out and party; dad's bank can help out. Maybe the son wants to go on vacation? Dad's open to talking about this with the son.

The colleague asks the banker: so what did your son answer?

The father replies, dismissively, that his son wanted to talk about his future. The colleague asks: about his future? Why?

At the end of the spot, we see a smartly dressed, energetically walking young man go to a CIC branch.

The spot is in French, but there's plenty of nonverbal content that speaks to those who don't understand French. I was pleased to have found it online–unfortunately not in a form that I could embed here– but puzzled that CIC hadn't posted the spot on its site.

Names as brands

Posted on May 24, 2009 in: Business, France, Intellectual Property|Post Comment

pierremartinet

The recent passing of Daniel Carosso, who built the Danone brand worldwide (it’s known as Dannon in the USA) answered a question I’d long asked myself: was there a Mr. Danone behind the yogurt? The answer is yes: Danon is a Catalan dimuntive for Daniel, akin to Danny in English. So the yogurt really does carry Carosso’s nickname.

There are similar examples In France: there really was a Paul Ricard behind the popular Picard brand of pastis (an aniseed liqueur celebrated in the south of France).
French supermarket chains favor names for showcased or store brands. At the Intermarché supermarket that I’m partial to, beef products bear the name of Jean Rozé (and the tagline “parlons vrai“, in English “speak the truth” or, more colloquially, “let’s be honest” or “let’s be real”). But I couldn’t find out from the Jean Rozé site whether there is or was a person by that name.
I had even less success with Monique Ramou, whose name graces packaged deli meats at Intermarché. Poor Monique doesn’t even have a web site, as far as I could tell.
One aisle over, among the prepared salads, I confess partiality towards shredded carrot salad marked with the Pierre Martinet brand. There’s a lot of presentation: Pierre is shown in a well-tailored dress suit and a tie. And he has a tagline: “le traiteur intraitable” (“the uncompromising caterer”). Pierre’s my kind of guy; he has my full confidence.
I was surprised to learn that Pierre Martinet is an actual person, and an admirable person at that. I learned from the business press that Martinet, described as “the salad king”, started out at age 14 working in a butcher’s shop, then acquired a butcher’s shop of his own and branched out into catered salads. He even stars in his own TV ads.
In the USA, there are plenty of name-as-brand products: Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, Mr. Clean, Mr. Bubble. The one that fascinates me is Uncle Ben’s rice, because it crossed the Atlantic and thrives in Europe. But the transatlantic crossing has altered Uncle Ben in ways that most Americans wouldn’t imagine.
In Germany, Uncle Ben’s rice is lauded because it’s not sticky or messy. Uncle Ben is a quality, not a person. I can’t tell whether the TV ad is promoting rice or poking fun of German proclivities for neatness.
In France, Uncle Ben stars in a lavish production set on a plantation, probably in Louisiana, possibly in the Antebellum south. The plantation, clearly a prosperous operation, is 100% African-American. There are no slaves (and, there being no slaves, no masters either), just a happy and prosperous family that eats lots of rice.
The TV ad is memorable, and I looked for it, without success. Litigation might have something to do with this. The ad’s tagline is “Uncle Ben’s, c’est toujours un succès” (“Uncle Ben’s, it’s always a success”, or “Uncle Ben’s, it always succeeds”); “success” transcends rice-making to encompass familial bliss. In France, the tagline was read by Randall Garret. A dispute arose about royalties, and Garret brought suit. The Versailles Court of Appeals finally awarded him 45,000 euros.
In place of this ad, I include another. It’s older and not as polished. But there is an actor who plays Uncle Ben. He’s made out to be a real person. This is a little confusing because the setting seems to be wedding, and I can’t figure out whether Uncle Ben is also father of the bride. But there’s no doubt that the setting is ethnic, creole. The actors speak with accents. We’re somewhere in France: maybe Martinique, maybe Reunion Island.

Le chômage est plus important en Californie qu’en France

Posted on May 23, 2009 in: Current Affairs, Français|Post Comment

Un récent  article paru dans le New York Times prévoyait que le taux de chômage aux Etats-Unis risquait de dépasser celui constaté en Europe (de l'Ouest, charmant archaïsme datant de la guerre froide mais qui a toujours cours aux Etats-Unis).

Pour moi, il s'agit d'une donnée économique majeure et d'une nouvelle donne dans les comparaison EU-UE. Il existe certes des différences entre la définition même de "chômage" ou de "chômeur", et un taux de chômage élevé peut occulter une économie sur le rebond. Ainsi, une certaine harmonisation statistique est probablement prudente voire nécessaire.

Néanmoins, les chiffres bruts me font blêmir :
  • Aux Etats-Unis, le taux de chômage était de 8,5 % en mars 2009, et de 8,9 % en avril 2009.
  • Ainsi, les Etats-Unis comptent 13,7 millions de chômeurs, un chiffre en hausse de 6 millions en un an.
  • Derrière ces chiffres nationaux, il existe d'importantes différences régionales. Ainsi, le taux de chômage dans l'état de Texas s'établit, tant en mars qu'en avril 2009, à 6,7 %. Mais dans l'état de l'Illinois, le taux de chômage est passé de 9 % en mars 2009 à 9,4 % en avril 2009.
  • Un état dynamique tel la Caroline du Nord connaît un taux de chômage élevé : 10,8 %, un chiffre inchangé de février jusqu'en avril 2009.
  • Dans l'état de Californie (le plus peuplé de l'Union), le taux de chômage est passé de 11,2 % en mars 2009 à 11,0 % en avril 2009. Cet effet de plateau est largement perçu comme une nouvelle plutôt encourageante.

J'ai eu du mal à trouver des chiffres comparables pour l'Union européenne et pour le mois d'avril 2009.

  • Selon Eurostat, le taux de chômage constaté dans les seize pays composant la zone euro est passé de 8,7 % en février 2009 à 8,9 % en mars 2009.
  • Tout comme les Etats-Unis, il existe des différences régionales (c'est-à-dire, nationales) importantes aux sein de la zone euro (précisées sur ce tableau). 
  • Certains Etats membres ont connu en mars 2009 un taux de chômage relativement bas : les Pays-Bas à 2,8 % ; ou l'Autriche à 4,5 %.
  • Le taux de chômage s'est élevé en mars 2009 à 7,6 % en Allemagne, et à 8,8 % en France.
  • Certains Etats-membres ont connu en mars 2009 un taux de chômage particulièrement inquiétant : l'Irlande à 10,6 % ; et l'Espagne à 17,4 %. 

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