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Lifetime achievement award goes to Chinese label industry’s founding father
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Muriel Demarcus Jacques describes her feelings about the London Olympics.
Bio:
Muriel Demarcus Jacques is a French engineer and a lawyer by training. Born and bred in France, she discovered at 32 years that life outside of France was possible and -shock horror!- even enjoyable when her husband found a job in London and all the family joined him.
However, even after a few years, she struggles to understand the Brits: what do they really mean? How do you speak proper English? How do you know whether your children's school is good?
She decided to write about her journey to understand this whole new world on her blog: www.FrenchYummyMummy.com and on Twitter @FrenchYumMummy. Do not forget to like her page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/40blogSpot. She belongs to a group of bloggers called PBAU (Personal Bloggers Are Us), you can check out their blogs here: http://jahangiri.us/new/pbau-personal-bloggers-are-us/
In An Olympic Mood
muriel-jacquesWhere to begin? I am in an Olympic sort of mood. It all started with the Opening Ceremony. I didn’t know at all what to expect. Well, to cut a long story short, it blew my mind away…
The stadium represented the British countryside. There was some Morris dancing (traditional dance) involved.
And as for once it wasn't raining they even brought some clouds!
There was a huge bell too...
It all started with a blue piece of silk above our heads...I was a bit worried that we might have to keep it for the rest of the ceremony but my fears proved unfounded. Phew...
The ceremony was great, touching and mind-blowing at the same time. You could appreciate it at many different levels. Chimneys popped out of the stadium to represent the industrial revolution. There were also nurses and children dancing on beds, pop songs, Voldemort and Mary Poppins, and of course the suffragettes.
Then the athletes arrived and I found out about countries that I never knew could exist. Some delegations were massive; others only consisted of a few persons. Some athletes didn't have a country and had to compete under the Olympic flag (They were from the Dutch Antilles or from South Sudan). I was also surprised to see a delegation from Palestine. Eritrea followed Ethiopia -the joy of the alphabetical order, eh?
My seven-year old daughter didn’t sleep despite the fact that we came home at 2 am, exhausted.
Since then, we are glued to the BBC and are watching the games. We cheer for France when they win and for team GB when they have the advantage. I have never felt more European.
We are going to see the athletics, fencing and beach volleyball in a couple of days. I can't wait! My husband got the wrong tickets for beach volley and we are seeing the men. YAY! My daughters are obviously delighted...My husband, well... less so.
That said, don’t you think that the coverage of the London Olympic Games can be a bit condescending?
It started with Mitt Romney's visit to London. He criticised London's organisation of the events, saying that "it is hard to tell just how well it will turn out". He also questioned whether the British people would support the Games. It is fair to say that the comments stunned the Brits and earned Mitt Romney the nickname "Mitt The Twit". The French media were also fast to criticise the so-called " British materialism", writing that, in order to enter the Olympic Park, you had to walk through a commercial centre, which is simply inaccurate...Why am I not surprised?
But anyway, we are going to enjoy the games despite all the noise… I will never understand why some people always stay locked in their condescension bubble. Why do they feel the urge to score points and put others down? Why can't they accept that there is a lot to love in the Olympic spirit and even if things will never be perfect, there is nothing wrong with a little enthusiasm?
So please, be happy for all the athletes and pop the condescension bubble!
Muriel - A French Yummy Mummy In London
By Muriel Demarcus Jacques
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by Muriel Jacques
June is always a busy month in London. It is the time of summer parties. I seem to be having drinks with friends, former colleagues and parents from my children’s school every night. It feels like my long hibernation is finally over. It is really nice to catch up with everybody. After the best part of eight years in London, I pride myself in the fact that I have some British friends. Don't smile, it is not that easy, it took me a long time, and I just have a few!
muriel-jacques
London is an international city with plenty of different nationalities and initially my friends were everything but British. I don't really know why. The only reason that I can think of is that as we have no family here, we tend to befriend people in the same situation.
Anyway, along the road I managed to gain a few British friends. The funny thing is that I found them a bit distant initially. Every time I was trying to get to know them better it felt as if they were shutting down. Not nice. I remember asking a good friend of mine whether she has found a new boyfriend only to be told quite coldly that she wasn't discussing these things. I was slightly taken aback and later found out that she was going out with a work colleague. We eventually discussed the relationship some 5 years after its start (it became difficult to hide when they had a baby together)!
But who said that the Brits never open up? You never know when, you never know why, but, occasionally, they tell you slightly more than you expect. It happened with a friend of mine, who, after some glasses of wine, explained to me that she had bought new undies: bright red ones- and that "it might finally spice up her nights with her husband, as they haven't done anything for 2 weeks"! Right! A bit too much even according to French standards.
The Brits also have a convoluted way to talk about what matters to them. I remember a work colleague who had just had a baby. He told me once that he and his wife had not had any time at night to read a book "let alone do anything else".
That's it, I thought, I am now an agony aunt! I didn’t know what to say, so I just muttered "give it some time" and hoped that the matter would be closed. It was. Phew!
That being said, apart from these two instances (in 8 years), drinks with my British friends have always been very civilized and we haven't talked about anything that could hurt anyone. When things get too personal, we switch the conversation to the weather and it does the trick every time.
Catching up with my French friends is indeed very different. Nothing is off-limits for them and I often have to make my excuses and leave before the conversation takes a turn that I don’t like. Embarrassing anecdotes surface after a few drinks, especially extra-marital affairs and marital issues. I caught up with a long-lost friend recently and he told me that he would love to see my ex-flatmate (the one I was in university with) because they had a short-lived affair at the time. I would like to point out that he is happily married and a father-of-3 now. I was shocked.
As a result, I can't completely chill out with my British friends because I never know what is "too much" for them and I am sure that I tend to over-share. As for my French friends, I know that they will want to discuss personal matters and I feel very uncomfortable when such conversations start.
Where does this leave me? Well, I don’t know. Maybe I need to make more Aussie or Irish friends?
Bio:
Muriel Demarcus Jacques is a French engineer and a lawyer by training.
Born and bred in France, she discovered at 32 years that life outside of France was possible and -shock horror!- even enjoyable when her husband found a job in London and all the family joined him.
However, even after a few years, she struggles to understand the Brits: what do they really mean? How do you speak proper English? How do you know whether your children's school is good?
She decided to write about her journey to understand this whole new world on her blog:
Don’t forget to like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/40blogSpot
Twitter @FrenchYumMummy.
She belongs to a group of bloggers called PBAU (Personal Bloggers Are Us), you can check out their blogs here:
http://jahangiri.us/new/pbau-personal-bloggers-are-us/
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By Muriel Jacques
I am a French-born self-proclaimed “Yummy Mummy” now living in London. It is fair to say that until recently I was a pure French product: I had been to the right schools and universities and was pretty much expected to climb up the corporate ladder. Oh, and I could barely speak English let alone write it because German was my first foreign language (it is a French thing, it is supposed to put you in better classes- don’t ask…). Anyway, imagine my surprise when my husband found a job in London. Basically, I had two options: change husbands, or change jobs. I chose the latter, and it was the start of a new adventure abroad. I painfully brushed up my English skills only to discover that what I was saying was grammatically correct (most of the time…) but didn’t make the cut. One day, it dawned on me: I was using too few words, and as a result I was perceived to be far too blunt. To be taken seriously over here in London, I need to blabber on, and on, and on.
Muriel Jacques
For instance, I was answering “Yes, I do” to simple questions as I had been taught. Silly old me! I should have said “Well, I sort of said I would…” or “I will certainly consider it in due course”. Eventually I found out that saying “No” in most cases, is incredibly rude. You need to say “I don’t disagree” (don’t fool yourselves, this means that you disagree) or “It is an interesting thought, isn’t it?”, or to simply buy time “Some other time maybe?”
It is all about appearing to be making sense when you are, in fact, talking non-sense and making the whole thing look a lot more complicated than it needs to be. It is also about looking positive and upbeat even if there is nothing to be positive or upbeat about. For instance: you haven’t failed your exam and you are faced with a temporary hurdle. Never say “there is a problem”. Instead you need to remain calm and casually declare “OK, we have a bit of a blooper here”.
Muriel-Jacques-graphicAnother difficulty for me was to understand that the teachers will never tell you that “you are wrong”. Instead, they will say “This is an interesting mistake. Let’s try to understand why you made it in order for you not to do it again”. A French friend of mine tried to become a lecturer at a renowned London university only to be told a couple of years later that she was too blunt with her students. In short, she was sacked for…being too French!
As you may guess, it was, and still is, a steep learning curve for me. I am not sure that I will get there eventually but I can assure you that I am working hard at it. This is because my brain is wired in a different way. To make matters even worse a long time ago I decided to always be brutally honest with myself, even if it was tough. This meant that I had to deal with some not-so-nice home truths.
Over here I have to learn to think and speak in a different way. It is hard work. It is all about being positive and trying to connect with others. But guess what: an unexpected side effect is that I am happier. For some unknown reason, I have more fun.
And I love it!
Bio:
Muriel Demarcus Jacques is a French engineer and a lawyer by training.
Born and bred in France, she discovered at 32 years that life outside of France was possible and -shock horror!- even enjoyable when her husband found a job in London and all the family joined him.
However, even after a few years, she struggles to understand the Brits: what do they really mean? How do you speak proper English? How do you know whether your children's school is good?
She decided to write about her journey to understand this whole new world on her blog:
Twitter @FrenchYumMummy.
She belongs to a group of bloggers called PBAU (Personal Bloggers Are Us), you can check out their blogs here:
http://jahangiri.us/new/pbau-personal-bloggers-are-us/
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The Eco Leadership Forum on sustainability in today's printing industryHP has announced details of its forthcoming Eco Leadership Forum at drupa 2012 in Düsseldorf in May. The forum is an attempt by HP to focus on the key sustainability questions that concern today's printing industry.
In an effort to try and address these questions and the issues related to them, HP has assembled a panel of experts, each of whom are at the forefront of printing industry sustainability.
The term appears to be an easy one to understand. In short it’s been described as the practices and products we think are environmentally friendly. But what does ‘environmentally friendly’ really mean to manufacturers and printers alike. How far can each go on the Eco ladder from a commercial viewpoint? HP’s Eco Leadership Forum initiative should be an interesting meeting of minds, not least because our industry has been accused of not really addressing this issue seriously.
Visitors to drupa will have the opportunity to attend each hour-long panel discussion and participate in the debate, which will take place at the HP tent, located outside of hall 4.
The Eco Leadership Forum schedule will comprise of two sessions. Each one will examine how the printing industry can develop a common understanding of what sustainability means, as well as considering how environmental performance can be improved across the industry:
The first session on Saturday 5th May, at 15.45 is: Sharing knowledge across the supply chain.
The second on Tuesday 8th May, also at 15.45 is: Improving environmental performance
The sessions will be moderated by Stephen Goddard, Environmental Leadership Program Manager HP GSB (Graphics Solutions Business), and will welcome a cross-section of print service providers, consultancy and industry association panellists, including:
• Laurel Brunner, Verdigris
• Frazer Chesterman, EcoPrint
• Marci Kinter, SGIA and Sustainable Green Printing Partnership
• Matthias Hausmann, CEWE Color (5th May only)
• Richard Owers, Pureprint (8th May only)
"Sustainability is becoming increasingly critical to the future success of printing businesses around the world, and even to the future of the printing industry itself," said Goddard. "An important aspect of the Eco Leadership Forum events will be to look at how knowledge can be best shared across the supply chain to help align the industry behind common objectives."
The need to build a more sustainable future for the printing industry remains a significant challenge and print service providers are at the sharp end of this challenge. As such, we encourage anyone wishing to hear what the experts have to say - as well as have their own voice heard - to sign up for what we anticipate to be a thoroughly lively and informative event.
Those wishing to attend the Eco Leadership Forum and participate in the discussion are invited to register at: www.hp.com/go/ecoleadershipforum
MOD 
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dublin 1970A Date with Dublin 1970 - Part 6. Final chapter update
In 1970 I was 17 years old with one year left in school and no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Honestly, I never gave it a thought. It was all about “NOW”: long hair, music, girls, havin’ fun and ROCK & ROLL!!
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I started to write my own songs for the first time. Craftsmanship takes many years to develop but I needed my words to be heard! The band liked them so we played some at a few gigs. Oh! Booze suddenly came my way. Nothing crazy but a few beers became the norm. We all drank my mates and I.; it was just something everybody did. Then my hormones started to play there human part in my life. A hormone (from Greek ὁρμή "impetus") is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Oh boy! Do they ever play havoc with the emotions of teenagers both male and female? One minute you are friends, the next minute not talking and the next, you’re madly in love. No-one in truth had a clue what was going on or why!
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
In 1970’s Dublin I saw and felt the “real” world right in front of my eyes for the first time. We were used to hearing about world events on the radio or in our newspapers. But not in Dublin! Suddenly one big story was centre stage. The South African (Springboks) rugby tour of Britain and Ireland in 1969/70 caused huge protests and disturbances. I was vaguely aware of it but when the all-white Springboks came to Dublin in January 1970, they were met by huge demonstrations and protests. The game which was to be played in Landsdowne Road went ahead - a 9-9 draw. It was played in front of a tiny audience, enclosed behind barbed wire which had been erected to prevent protesters from disturbing the game.
The Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement organised thousands in protests throughout the South Africans' stay and the tour will be forever remembered not for the rugby but for the Irish opposition to the apartheid system of South Africa.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
I was now beginning to see the world outside, now right on my door step. It had a profound effect on me. Life would never be the same. Both Dublin and I drifted into the 1970’s no longer innocent and insular. Both the city and I were growing up and about to take our place in the big bad world”. There was optimism for the future yet a feeling that things would never be the same again.
This was born out on May 4th, 1970 with the news that four students on the campus of Kent State University, Ohio, USA had been killed by National Guardsman for exercising their constitutional right of peaceful protest. The Vietnam War had come home to Middle America. It had also come home to me and millions of young teenagers. The protest song was about to take one giant leap out of the coffee houses and into its rightful place in history.
I wonder who they are
The men who really run this land
And I wonder why they run it
With such a thoughtless hand
Dublin as a city continued to grow. The suburbs marched endlessly on through Greenfield sites. I started to socialise at night in town with my friends. This was something new and invigorating. I met new friends sharing music and wonderful ideas for the future with them.
We were full fledged hippies, the old ways were the past and we believed we could change the future. The jury is still out on that one. One thing is for certain though: the 60’s were over. For Dublin and the five O’Driscoll brothers, the 70’s would be different! Very different indeed! The city, and the O’Driscolls were entering the real world for the first time and that would have a lasting effect on all of us, even to this day.
Number One Songs 1970
Dave Edmunds | I Hear You Knockin |
Jimi Hendrix Experience | Voodoo Chile |
Matthews Southern Comfort | Woodstock |
Freda Payne | Band Of Gold |
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles | Tears Of A Clown |
Elvis Presley | The Wonder Of You |
Mungo Jerry | In The Summertime |
Christie | Yellow River |
England World Cup Squad | Back Home |
Norman Greenbaum | Spirit In The Sky |
Dana | All Kinds Of Everything |
Simon and Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water |
Lee Marvin | Wandrin Star |
Edison Lighthouse | Love Grows |
We five O’Driscoll brothers began to move in different directions, ultimately finding our own paths in life on the streets of Dublin. Each of us had our own treasured memories of the 1960’s to help us along. I hope you do as well.
It’s been a long road and a hellava good one! One day my story of the 1970’s might be told. You just never know.
Fast forward to March/April 2012! What’s on!
Dine in Dublin Restaurant Week
26th March 2012 – 1st April 2012
Website: www.dineindublin.ie
The Wee Adventure Film Festival
30th March 2012
Venue: Vicar Street
Website: www.vicarstreet.ie
Dublin One City One Book
1st April 2012 – 30th April 2012
Venue: Dublin
Website: www.dublinonecityonebook.ie
In Handel's Day
13th April 2012
Venue: Temple Bar - Dublin's Cultural Quarter
Website: templebar.ie
Spar Great Ireland Run
15th April 2012
Venue: Phoenix Park
Website: www.greatirelandrun.org
TALK TO ME! What’s happening in your world? Love to hear from you near and far. I welcome your comments and email’s. (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Slán go fóill,
MOD
Copyright © 2011, DPNLIVE – All Rights Reserved
As it's coming into summer and you have to put your clocks forward tomorrow night (24th March), I think this song is relevant.
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