If Ann Pale is a community, why does everyone keep indoors?

[Guysanto]

How do you like the new organization of the Ann Pale forum?

Do many of you still find it too complicated??? (Leonel, this question was not for you. I already know that you find EVERYTHING too complicated, with exceptions made for the intricacies of soccer and commercial real estate.)

Do you have suggestions to make the forum more attractive or more active?

What happened to the majority of the members of Ann Pale I? Is it too much of a pain to re-register?

I may be speaking too soon: I see that Martha and Marilyn have re-registered in the last couple of days. All we have to do now is wait a few more months for some others to register and before you know it, we'll be chatting away before the decade is over.

In any case, there is a tremendous amount of work that went behind the reorganization (which was made necessary by some hosting requirements). For archival purposes, it turned out to be a good (if time-consuming) exercise. For current activity though, I could have gotten used to watch the grass grow (except that it's been wintertime). By the way, Mr. Winter came back with a vengeance didn't it? Global warming or not, I liked the idea of its skipping New Jersey this year. Nooooo, that was wishful thinking on my part.

If these are going to be our last years on Planet Earth, let them be warm and toasty!

Who went to the March on Washington this past Saturday? You may have noticed that Michel Nau was offering free lunch, just as he was offering free T-shirts for the World Cup. A generous fellow, that Michel Nau! The trouble is... he is... he is... he is... No! Know! Nau! I don't want to say it. Don't worry, Michel, you nau that I nau what everybody else wants to nau but is afraid to ask. Anyway, I had to skip it due to a family situation. So I had to catch up on the news through my windows. Of course, the "liberal media" said that tens of thousands of people converged on Washington, whereas the "ultra-liberal" media mentioned hundreds of thousands. Whom to believe? The only thing I know for sure is that tens of millions of people around the world want the U.S. to get the hell out of Iraq and mind its own business.

Of course, George Bush would tell them that he is indeed minding his own business, the oil business!

Who watched the State of the Union address last week? Did you notice how much longer Bush's nose was by the end of his speech? And boy, was he wincing, winking, and twitching! Must have been the uncomfortable feeling of a Pelosi behind his back.

And yes, Madam Speaker! I like the sound of that. A natural role for a lady, if you ask me. But this is small change. The next big thing is Mrs. President. [I wonder if Monica will find her way back to the White House. On second thought, it's more likely that she will be banished to Siberia.]

On a recent day, Pelosi [Nancy], Rice [Condi], Clinton [Hillary], and Royal [Ségolène] were having lunch and discussing privately how to make use of their attributes to grab the seat of ultimate power.

Rice wore her game face (or is it war mask) as usual but despaired that she was losing quickly what seemed for a while to be the next sure thing in her storied career. "Oh my," she said, "I think that darn Colin is dragging me down with him. All those lies about Iraq, I thought they were little white lies. Now they want me to own up to them?"

"Of course, Condi!," said Hillary, "did you think that your little white boy would take care of your little white lies? Now, if only Bill keeps his pecker in check during this long and perilous presidential campaign. He's been doing pretty good so far (for Bill, that is) but I SWEAR, at the next sign of misbehavior, I will SNIP SNIP and have two nice oysters for breakfast."

"Easy," said Ségolène, "he is just showing signs of his impeccable French pedigree and his Oxford education. I think Bill is sooo fine! I would have him run as President of a separated and independent Québec. Then, he can be mine, all mine."

"Ouch! Ouch!! Ségolène," said Nancy, "I am sitting next to you, so watch what you do with your high heels when you get all heated up. For my part, remember, I am a devoted grandmother, so all these man problems are behind me. In fact, all I need now is to go to two state funerals, and all of my work is done for you, women of America. As for you, Ségolène, you can kiss my pelousee... pardon my French."

"Pelouse, you must mean, and what hostility, Madame Speaker! I will have Chirac do the kissing for me. Ask Condi if she didn't love the Royal treatment, and Laura as well... But where is Laura? Oh, I forget, she must be reading Curious George to Georgie Boy. Well, we would not have invited her anyway if it weren't for you Hillary, starting this tradition of First Ladies running for their own slice of the pie.

"Hey, Miss Frenchy, don't forget that you are speaking to the Senator of The State of New York. I have built my own base, thank you. No Barbie/Laurie doll here."

"Ladies," said Nancy and Condi in unison, "calm down!"

"We're in this together, remember. We, women, must take over the world. "

"Been there, done that!," said two non-invited ladies at the table nearby, as they got up in disgust.

"Get your act together," said Ertha.

"Women seating at the table of power should behave like Elizabeth," said Michaëlle, as she adjusted her tiara, "where have you learned your manners?"

"In the U.S.," said Hillary, Nancy, and Condi.

"En France, mais pourquoi?," said Ségolène.

"Go to Haiti," said both Ertha and Michaelle, as they left the group thoroughly puzzled.


OK...OK...OK! Forget what I wrote above. Se yon lwa ki sot monte nan tèt mwen. Souple, pa voye li ni bay Nancy, ni bay Hillary, ni bay Condi, ni bay Ségolène, ni bay Ertha, no bay Michaëlle. Well, Condi if you like. She and I, we are just tight.

But all I really wanted to know: How do you like the new organization of the Ann Pale forum and why do I feel so unloved?

Thank God I have Condi to keep me warm. Brrrrrrrrrr...!

[Marilyn]

Guy,

I won't attempt to answer all of the above questions, but I'll tackle a couple. Perhaps other members will take on some of the others.

1) I can only speak for myself with regard to keeping indoors and missing out on a good deal of Ann Pale community activity in the past year or so. It had nothing to do with what Ann Pale was. It had to do with my own personal/family circumstances. I monitored Ann Pale and tried my best to remain aware of discussion threads and news but was not able to take that extra bit of time and energy to engage. I was exhausted from trying to keep my daughter's family in one piece and preventing her from dropping out of her Master's degree program just 2 courses short of graduation. Things are doing a bit better on that front, so I'm trying bit by bit to re-engage with the Ann Pale community.

2) The organization of Ann Pale II is very intuitive and well-planned-out. I am thrilled to see how much of the old archives are readily available for research purposes and just plain catching up.

3) I viewed the President's State of the Union speech but had the sound turned off. I just cannot stand to listen to any more of his distortions. What I did this time was study the body language. His. The audience. It was very revealing. When Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) jumped up with that broad grin on his face, I knew the President had just said something good about corn (sure enough, I found out later that he had promised increases in ethanol requirements). Other than that, it would appear that hardly anyone -- Republican or Democrat -- was very impressed with the speech. I guess I didn't miss much having the sound turned off!

Marilyn

[Tidodo]

But all I really wanted to know: How do you like the new organization of the Ann Pale forum and why do I feel so unloved?

Guy,

I learned not to get too attached to any specific organization of the Ann Pale forum. For, pretty soon, and it will happen, it will change again! All I do is try to find my way around.

The thing with any change is that we (human beings) have to re-wire our brains again to the new structure. As we all know, our brain does not like re-wiring, since we have to lose some brain cells in the process. There is always a resistance to change.

But, since you are forcing me into it, by asking the question, I will answer it. The concept of keeping all the forums in to two sub-groups is not a bad idea. I was happy to go into one of the sub-groups and find all the sub-sub-groups. If you keep it that way and does not change it again, I might even like it. Like I said before, our brain can get accustomed to most changes, as long as it does not keep changing all the times. Of course, minor changes are necessary from time to time. But, "le Grand Chambardement" every now and then can be overwhelming to us poor mentally-mortals. I can sympathize with Leonel on that one.

As far as the ladies' meeting and conversation are concerned, it was about time it took place! I had a great laugh. Okay, Condi is the villain here! But, as an outsider to the group, the only black without an accent, that's the price to pay to be in. I assume that Chargolene is Chirac's wife - did not have time to go finding out. In any case, I had a great laugh. But, what I found surprising, it's your choice of Condi to help you deal with the cold there. The most annoying thing when it is cold, and you are trying to keep warm, is to have to fight for the best warm place near the chimney. Not that I am accustomed to it in Florida. But, my choice would have been some like-minded soul who will not be pulling the whole blanket over herself and let me freeze to death uncovered! Besides, her war mask, when defending the un-defensible, gives me nightmares.

[Guysanto]

Jean-Marie, let me google an article out of thousands, to introduce you to Ségolène Royal. Obviously, French politics do not interest you as much as Mountain Dew suits at the Australian Open. But we can overcome that handicap together. No, Ségolène is not Chirac's wife. "Chargolene," as you put it, may be however. I really do not know, as Mrs. Chirac probably impacts world news probably as often as say, Laura Bush. Ségolène, on the other hand, should be on your horizon, even if she does not wear Mountain Dew suits. Her high heels have been the subject of intense French media scrutiny when visiting the slums of Chile. Imagine what they will say about her mini-skirt, if one day she decides to visit Cité Soleil... though I am sure that Haitian media is, on that score, vastly more mature than their French counterpart. Anyway, without further ado, or dew for that matter...

Monday, January 29, 2007

French Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal’s first interview in the Turkish media, as printed in Hürriyet on Sunday

Segolene Royal took a step toward becoming France's first woman president when she swept onto the scene after her definitive Socialist nomination last year.

The U.K. had Margaret Thatcher, Germany has Angela Merkel as chancellor and both Chile and Finland have elected female presidents in the last 12 months. So could 2007 be the year that France votes in its first Madame la Presidente? Socialist politician and mother-of-four Segolene Royal, now her party's official presidential candidate, has been riding high in the opinion polls for months.

The 52-year-old regional premier of Poitou-Charentes answered questions from Turkish daily Hürriyet's Defne Barak in an interview published on Sunday.

Royal stated it wasn't she but the people of France who had decided her candidacy, adding that not being a candidate “was not an option” for a woman of her political background given her “historical responsibility.”

Yet, as if to prove the difficulties for any woman going for the top job in French politics, the French media has occasionally focused on such burning questions as whether or not she should have worn high heels on this or that foreign trip.

So is there a way to be female in French politics without being stigmatized?

“I think every woman engaging in politics gets the same treatment," Royal told Hürriyet. "They are judged by their physical appearance. Before anything else there is consistent doubt on her credibility and personality. This is why we have to do more than others. We don't stand a chance of making a mistake.”

“They would judge me by my mini-skirt,” Royal commented. Pointing at Hürriyet's Defne Barak's short skirt, “See you could wear this when interviewing world leaders and nobody would say anything. Nobody would judge you by how you dress. But the situation is different for me.”
…

No massage from Bush:

Royal, a staunch opponent of U.S. policies in Iraq, believes the damage caused there has been dramatic. The terms for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq should be negotiated with the Iraqis. According to Royal any policy concerning the future of Iraq should have a strong aspect promoting economic and social development.

The war in Iraq has also cooled off relations between France and the United States, where they now call French fries, “freedom fries.”

According to Royal, the current U.S. administration and the American people are two distinct identities. “I would most certainly want to improve cooperation [between France and the United States], particularly in research and culture.”

Perhaps a brief squeeze on the shoulder from President George W. Bush, like when he massaged a surprised German-Chancellor Merkel, could bring the two countries closer, Barak suggested, to which Royal replied, “Oh no, no.”


© 2005 Dogan Daily News Inc. www.turkishdailynews.com.tr

About "my choice of Condi": Please understand sarcasm. The lady gives me the chills even when it's 98 degrees out there in Washington DC.

About change: Jean-Marie, I fully understand your concerns about "change". I will address some other time why it has been so very difficult for me to bottle up "change", as the reasons for that are often not as obvious to casual users as they may be for stand-alone developers and should perhaps have been explained better. You are also absolutely right when you say that "it will change again!" [The alternative however may be akin to walking down an "up escalator" just to stay at mid-level (have you ever tried that?)]

About vanishing brain cells: We start losing them from infancy, whether we face change or not. In fact, adapting to change may retard rather than accelerate the loss. The only activity known to mankind that may regenerate brain cells is drinking lots of mountain dew.

[Gelin]

I have nothing to complain about the new structure of the forum. I have been silent because of some changes I have experienced recently. Guy, don't feel unloved, man...because you are not and you know it.

Kenbe la,

gelin

[Guysanto]

Gelin, that was just an expression on my part. What it really meant was disappointment about the fact that practically everyone got a good reason not to participate actively in the forum AT THE SAME TIME. I know that you must have a good reason, because you were an eager participant in the majority of our discussions and then you dropped out for a prolonged period. Well, there is nothing strange with that at all, because you have got your priorities, and that's just the way life is. Period. I already know how much you appreciate this forum (even though we have not engaged in discussions about Creation in a while). I feel secure in that knowledge. I can say the same about Marilyn, Serge, and Nekita (all of whom have endured very serious burdens - physically and/or emotionally). Yet, I do know how much each of them cares about Ann Pale.

l am sure too that Anacaona, Shelony, Liline, Tayi, Pitit Ginen, Morisseau, Jonas and so many others have had good reason to stay off screen for a while.

But what worries me (that's the "unloved" part) is this: Why is it that nearly ALL of active Ann Pale foot soldiers (exceptions made of Jafrikayiti, Bouli, JGPalmis, Tidodo, Frantz, Leonel, Michel...) have found it impractical to continue posting at or near their past level of contribution? Is it a coincidence or has someone jinxed the forum for whatever reason?

Don't worry. I don't really belive in curses. But still what is the likelihood???

Tidodo feels fatalistic about my changes... and to prove him right, I am already thinking about a new forum, where any visitor to Windows on Haiti can contribute without registration. My web stats still show a very high level of visits to the site and to the forum as well. But apparently, the registration is keeping people at bay. So, I am thinking: create a new forum where people can have their say on anything, spontaneously without having to register or login. Such a forum will need a team of moderators with basically one function: DELETE any seriously offensive contribution. Each moderator would act on his/her own, independently, and anonymously. The moderators would likely be selected from veteran members of the Ann Pale community forum and volunteer their occasional service with love (right?)

Am I on the right track for wider participation and a more useful dialogue? Tell me what you think!

Guy

[Shelony]

Guy, Even though I do not post, I visit the forum almost every other day. It's just that I find it more difficult to stay long enough to say something. I like when I am talking about something I really talk about it. I love Ann Pale and I even tell other haitians I know about the existence of the site and the forum so that they can at least visit and may be, participate.

Before I post anything, I like to read as much as I can so that I am not too redundant or out of context. But most of the time, by the time I am done reading, it's time to start doing something else.

Sometimes I even feel like starting new threads but if I am not sure that I will be able to commit enough time to elaborate on the subject, I just stay silent. Examples of subjects that have been bothering me lately include the history behind Feb as black history month. I would like to know why Feb, who chose it, by what process, what it really means to us, what and whose purpose it serves, among others. I would like to know whether we are becoming stronger or weaker as an ethnic group in the US and in the world, how is diversity measured in US institutions, what is the chance of success of a black female vs a white person and a black male vs a black female, why we are over represented in some fields and under represented in others.

I am a "black", living in America; I can only speculate about a few of these but know nothing about most. Hearing other people from the community would really help, but I think it's not fair to others to propose a subject if I can't fully engage in the discussion. And I must say that these are just examples of things I have been thinking about lately, on the train, at home, in school and particularly while caring for my little "black male" baby.

[Gelin]

...I am thinking: create a new forum where people can have their say on anything, spontaneously without having to register or login...

I don't know if that would be a great idea, considering the quality and depth of debates we've had here. In life, we need a little bit of patience every once in a while. We'll come around again...before long, I hope.

" Ak pasyans na wè lonbrit foumi..."

gelin