September 22, 2017

"France threatens to skip 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea over security concerns."

The L.A. Times reports.
Other countries — including the U.S., Japan and China — have insisted their teams are continuing to prepare for Pyeongchang.... Pyeongchang lies in mountainous terrain just south of the demilitarized zone. Olympic leaders have said only that they are monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula, giving no indications that the Olympics might be postponed or moved to another location.
A comment at the link: "I'm not visiting Paris because I have the same concerns."

32 comments:

Big Mike said...

"I'm not visiting Paris because I have the same concerns."

Ditto!

Quaestor said...

Groundskeeper Willie knows them well.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Would be good for TV ratings.

Rob said...

I'd be eager to compete in Poontang.

walter said...

Who are they threatening? What are the demands?

Shane said...

France threatening to quit something? Why is this news? Seriously? Would many notice? Other than the nattering classes who would make it a story? France basically did the same thing in Spring 1940. It'll just be left to the remaining democracies again.

Etienne said...

Terrorism only works if you are terrorized.

mockturtle said...

"I'm not visiting Paris because I have the same concerns."

Double-ditto! I'd feel safer in Pyeongchang than in Paris. Plus the people would be friendlier and would be happy to speak English.

walter said...

North Korea could host some 2018 Winter Olympic events, Seoul says

Quaestor said...

The Olympic Games began in the same century as Homer sang the Illiad before royal patrons under the light of olive oil lamps and continued for a millennium. Only Greeks could attend the Games; barbarians were turned away. Perhaps the Olympic Peace was unbroken for a thousand years for that reason. The Modern Olympics can only envy that record. Today barbarians not only attend, they sometimes dominate, witness 1936 in Berlin and 1972 in Munich. The Games without France may be an improvement.

walter said...

Rob said...I'd be eager to compete in Poontang.
--
Talk to Jeffrey Epstein about hopping a flight there. Pole vault team in need.

Bay Area Guy said...

This past week I had lunch with an old business colleague, who was just in France, tending to her sick father. Her general thoughts on France (she's a leftwing Bernie supporter).

1. They hate Trump.
2. Paris is nearly 50% Muslim (she exaggerated, but it might feel that way).
3. Unlike in San Francisco, where the different races and cultures mingle freely, in Paris, most French are scared and tense around Muslims.
4. There are parts of Paris, where you just don't go. Too scary, too violent.
5. As for the terrorist attacks, the French are in the process of "normalizing" them; meaning, well, it happens, you work around it, you're glad it didn't happen to you, you forget about it, it happens again (wash, rinse, repeat).


I listened without argument, but tried to explain to her, that the primary reason we elected Trump in the USA, is because we did not want what is happening in Paris, France to happen here. We don't want to "normalize" terror attacks. We don't want to 'normalize" waves of illegal immigration and how it changes the face of this country.

She wasn't quite able to connect the dots, but it was a worthwhile chat.

Vive La France!

Lance said...

How many secret trade deals does France have with North Korea? Or China?

Michael K said...

"There are parts of Paris, where you just don't go. Too scary, too violent. "

The train from DeGaulle Airport to the city goes through some of the worst and stops at several points. A good reason to take a van or taxi into the city.

We were in Brussels in 2015 between terrorist attacks. Lots of Muslims.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Etienne said...

The train from DeGaulle Airport to the city goes through some of the worst and stops at several points. A good reason to take a van or taxi into the city.

Ha. The Moslems are the taxi drivers...

Best bet, is to fly to London, take the tube to St Pancras Station, take the Eurostar to Paris. It's high speed rail, and takes less than 3 hours. It delivers you to Gare du Nord.

Michael K said...

take the Eurostar to Paris. It's high speed rail, and takes less than 3 hours. It delivers you to Gare du Nord.

We were planning to do that in 2015 but the "migrants" were crawling under the train to try to get to England where "the salaries are better" meaning, of course, the Dole.

I included some photos in a post on that.

walter said...

Blogger Etienne said...Who fucking cares how fast you can fucking ski, or fucking curl.
--
Hmm. Those 2 doubles events sound complicated.

Etienne said...

I think the French finally cleared out the migrants in Calais. At least I saw video of the camps being torn down.

Ray - SoCal said...

Express Train is non stop I believe.
>The train from DeGaulle Airport

Kassaar said...

“I'd feel safer in Pyeongchang than in Paris. Plus the people would be friendlier and would be happy to speak English.”

How about speaking French when in Paris?

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mockturtle said...

Kassaar asks: How about speaking French when in Paris?

That's a fair enough question, Kassaar, but what I was alluding to was the refusal of Parisians to speak English even when they are, in fact, fluent. And very few Americans speak French well enough to pass Parisian muster.

n.n said...

France threatens to skip its border over security concerns caused by diversity (i.e. racism), and CAIR (Catastrophic Anthropogenic Immigration Reform) forced by social justice adventurism and resource redistributive change schemes.

tcrosse said...

And very few Americans speak French well enough to pass Parisian muster.

Very few French-Canadians do, either.

Michael K said...

"the refusal of Parisians to speak English even when they are, in fact, fluent."

I think that is changing. The last time I was there the French were much more willing to speak English.

I was taking some kids to Versailles and the RER ticket clerk even had a sign in English explaining the prices and tickets.

I assumed it was due to a decline in American tourism, which I expect is worse now.

Ambrose said...

Reminds me of the time the French skipped WWII....

Bad Lieutenant said...

I have to talk the Frogs' lingo sometimes when on issue crosses the pond. People on operational levels appreciate it the most because lower level IT people at the mothership in France tend to speak English less, but any officers are bilingual and the default language of international meetings is English. My boss, or rather the CEO to whom I also report, is not tolerant of poor or slow French although it may be his humor. They will tolerate you according to the situation and by whim. If I want to learn something wordperfect I go to Sophie, the sweet lady receptionist, nearing retirement helas, with whom I carry on one of those chivalrous European platonic romances, and I get her to teach me the proper idiom and the proper pronunciation


Point is, when they have to do it they can understand you very well.

Original Mike said...

"How about speaking French when in Paris?"

Only if your intent is to really piss 'em off.

JAORE said...

Boy that is going to really skew the medal distribution....

Anonymous said...

In the commercial world (where I was buying) both the French and Germans were perfectly willing to speak English.

Skipper said...

Remember "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys"? Here we go again.