Video: Talking Obama, Putin and Ukraine on Al Jazeera America

Ukraine: Why Putin is Fracking Furious; Why Yulia is No Angel; and commentary on France 24

The Daily Beast: Why Putin is Fracking Furious, 26 February 2014

Hint: It's not about the environment

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/26/why-putin-hates-fracking.html

The Daily Beast: Yulia Tymoshenko: She's No Angel, 23 February 2104

Her record is allegedly as shady as any politician's in Ukraine, and that's saying something. But still she brings her people hope.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/23/yulia-tymoshenko-she-s-no-angel.html

France 24: The World This Week, 21 February 2014

Talking about Ukraine with Celestine Bohlen of The New York Times; Sylvie Kauffmann of Le Monde; and Anthony Bellanger of Les Inrockuptibles

http://www.france24.com/en/20142102-world-this-week-part-one/

On BBC World Service Weekend This Morning ...

On BBC talkin empathy & Syria; anti-Europe Swiss; madness & poetry; gay Sochi http://t.co/1oTbHNyj4r @romankrznaric @AlOraibi @thedailybeast
— csdickey (@csdickey) February 9, 2014

Israel's Next War Zone ... and more

USGS outline of Levant Basin Province

Are These Gas Fields Israel’s Next Warzone?
Rumors of war could become the reality as Israel vies with the other nations of the Levant for control of the huge riches beneath the sea.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/06/are-these-gas-fields-israel-s-next-warzone.html

Also:

The Daily Beast's @csdickey on how American evangelists have contributed to homophobia in Russia: http://t.co/fD6Jl9IDlG
— PRI's The World (@pritheworld) February 6, 2014

For foreign correspondents, a great fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC

One of the most productive years of my career was spent as a Murrow Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. I would strongly encourage any American correspondent, or any foreign correspondent with a work visa in the United States, to apply before the March 1 deadline. (If I could, I'd do it again myself.)


CFR 2014–2015 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship


Application Deadline: March 1, 2014

Program

Launched in 1949 with support from the Carnegie Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship seeks to promote the quality of responsible and discerning journalism that exemplified the work of Edward R. Murrow. In 1965, the program was renamed in his honor and is supported by the CBS Foundation and Ford Foundation. One CFR resident fellowship is awarded each year to a distinguished foreign correspondent or editor.

The Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow spends nine months full-time in residence at CFR’s headquarters in New York. The program enables the fellow to engage in sustained analysis and writing, expand his or her intellectual and professional horizons, and extensively participate in CFR’s active program of meetings and events. The fellow will be part of the David Rockefeller Studies Program, CFR’s think tank, alongside the program’s full-time, adjunct, and visiting fellows, whose expertise extends across the broad range of significant foreign policy issues facing the United States and the international community.

Eligibility

The program is only open to applicants who have distinguished credentials in the field of journalism and who have covered international news as a working journalist for print, broadcast, or online media widely available in the United States. Applicants are limited to those individuals who are authorized to work in the United States and who will continue to be authorized for the duration of the fellowship. CFR does not sponsor for visas.

Fellowship Award

The duration of the fellowship is nine months, preferably beginning in September. The program awards a stipend of $65,000 as well as a modest travel grant. The fellow is considered an independent contractor rather than an employee of CFR, and is not eligible for employment benefits, including health insurance.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the program’s eligibility requirements can Apply Online between January 1 and March 1 on an annual basis.

Contact Us

For more information, please visit www.cfr.org/fellowships, or contact fellowships@cfr.org or 212.434.9740.

Controversial Social Issues: America's Anti-Gay Ambassadors of Hate; The Dutch Debate Their Death Wish

America’s Ambassadors of Hate
The global battle for LGBT rights will not start, or end, with rainbow flags in Sochi. American activists are spreading anti-gay fear and anger around the world.

By Christopher Dickey
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/04/america-s-ambassadors-of-hate.html

Photos: Manif Pour Tous (or is it contre tous?) in Paris on Sunday
http://christopherdickey.blogspot.fr/2014/02/manif-pour-tous-or-is-it-contre-tous-in.html

The Dutch Debate Their Death Wish
A controversial new clinic that helps the chronically depressed end their lives has The Netherlands wrestling with state-mandated euthanasia.

By Nadette De Visser, with a contribution by Christopher Dickey
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/03/the-dutch-debate-doctor-assisted-suicide-for-depression.html-- 

Twitter and Instagram @csdickey

Manif Pour Tous (or is it contre tous?) in Paris Today

Populist anger against government, globalization, and just about anything else you can think of is coalescing around anger at gays and a supposed pro-gay anti-family agenda. We have heard the same diatribes in the USA, but they may prove more dangerous in Africa, the Caribbean, Russia, and, yes, even in France.

Crowds pouring into the Esplanade des Invalides as the Manif pour tous begins

Don't know if these two were for demo, against, or just trying to get away, but liked their style

Such excitement listening to the speakers at Denfert Rochereau

The faces and the flags. (The one in black and white is the flag of Brittany, a bastion of conservative Catholicism.)

The last French flag heads home along the banks of the Seine, with the Sacré Coeur in the background

Davos Diary 2: Willful Inequality; Penny-Ante Syria; and the Long Ride Home

Income Inequality Was Forgotten Quickly at Davos

"It kind of disappeared," said one woman at the end of the World Economic Forum. But the markets remembered ....

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/26/income-inequality-was-quickly-forgotten-at-davos.html

The Penny-Ante Syria Talks
Slow and frustrating as they are, the Geneva negotiations may bring quick relief to some embattled civilians in Syria. Don't look for an end to the war though.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/27/the-penny-ante-syria-talks.html

The Shadowland Journal: Sometimes the best part of Davos is the leaving: Photos taken on the train today from Klosters to Zurich

http://christopherdickey.blogspot.fr/2014/01/sometimes-best-part-of-davos-is-leaving.html

Sometimes the best part of Davos is the leaving: Photos taken on the train today from Klosters to Zurich

Davos Diary 1: Setting the Scene, Pondering the Middle East

Setting the scene:

At Davos 2014, The Gods Of Mischief Rule

Even the high and mighty assembling at the Swiss resort recognize, now, that grotesque inequality is the greatest threat to world peace. Their answer: Party on!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/21/at-davos-2014-the-gods-of-mischief-rule.html

On the first full day, Wednesday, I moderated a panel on the Middle East "context." It was like dealing with people from a parallel universe -- officials from Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, who would talk about the problems of the region but wouldn't touch the subject of Iranian-Saudi competition. And of course the Egyptian insisted there was no coup. Moderators aren't supposed to debate with their panels. That was tough. 

That night, Tina Brown and Credit Suisse gave their big Davos party. Rubbed shoulders with stars from all over, including Matt Damon and Richard Branson. There's really no better mixer in town that first day. I also moderated a presentation by the amazing Khalida Brohi, who works to liberate women in traditional Pakistani villages from their lives of purdah, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Academy Award winning filmmaker who produced and directed the stunning documentary "Saving Face" about women horribly disfigured in acid attacks carried out by ... their relatives.

Then, Thursday began what has become a kind of marathon of Middle Eastern issues as the Iranians brought their charm offensive to the Alps, and the Israelis responded. 

Iran's Rouhani Does Davos
The Iranian president told the assembled leaders what they wanted to hear … almost.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/23/iran-s-rouhani-does-davos.html

Netanyahu: Israel's What's Right With the Middle East
Speaking at Davos, the Israeli Prime Minister tried to sell his country as "what's right with the Middle East."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/23/netanyahu-israel-s-what-s-right-with-the-middle-east.html

Taped a segment with Jim Clancy for CNN International's "The Brief," which aired twice on Friday and will air at 13:30 Central European Time on Saturday.

Virtual Syria in Davos
It's not that the elites in Davos find the war in Syria hard to imagine, it's that they just have no idea how to end it.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/24/virtual-syria-in-davos.html

More to come ...

Check out "America's Last POW"; "The Long Reach of Lebanon Terror"; and that "What First Lady?" press conference by French President Hollande

Proof of Life: America's last POW
Reports that the US military has obtained a recent video of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who went missing in Afghanistan, raise new hope and old questions.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/16/proof-of-life-america-s-last-pow.html


The Long Reach of Lebanese Terror
It's not just about the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Hague tribunal sheds light on three decades of Syrian and Iranian terror targeting the United States.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/16/the-long-reach-of-lebanese-terror.html


Chaos and Desire: French President Hollande Meets the Press
In a bumbling press conference, the French president refused to answer questions about his alleged affair and declined even to say whether Valérie Trierweiler remains First Lady.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/14/chaos-and-desire-french-president-hollande-meets-the-press.html

"Mon amour hélas, le temps passe": 2010 music video starring Julie Gayet, alleged lover of French President François Hollande

Alleged French presidential paramour Julie Gayet stars in this 2010 music video, emerging from the bath looking quite youthful at age 37, but the words of Biolay’s song are almost as cruel as the love triangle involving Gayet, President François Hollande, First Lady Valerie Trierweiler and, if we want to make it a quadrangle, ex-amante Ségolène Royal. The singer loves his “little princess, his promise, his little weakness,” his “plus belle histoire de fesses.” But then he gets tired of her, asks her what became of her youth, and reviles her as a slut he can’t bear to kiss. … "Mon amour hélas, le temps passe."

Chaos and Desire: The French President's [Alleged] Lover and Her Ironic Filmography

Julie Gayet with Michael Cohen in "Shall We Kiss?", photo from IMDB


According to IMDB the 41-year-old actress, Julie Gayet, whose alleged affair with French President François Hollande is the talk of Paris and, indeed, the world, has 90 film credits. In light of the stories about her and the secret love nest where she and Hollande are supposed to have met a block from the Elysée Palace, the titles of many of these films have a certain irony. (Translations are literal, not from such versions as were, rarely, released in English)

La petite apocalypse (1993)

L’histoire du garçon qui voulait qu’on l’embrasse (1994) [Story of a a boy who wanted to be kissed]

One Hundred and One Nights (1995)

La vie de Marianne (1995) [Marianne being the symbol of the French nation, but hers was a bit part)

Les menteurs (1996)

Sélect Hôtel (1996)

Marianne (1997) [Again]

Pleasure (And Its Little Inconveniences) [1998]

Ça ne se refuse pas (1998) [You don’t say no to that]

Sentimental Education (1998)

Play (1998)

Je ne veux pas être sage (1999) [I don’t want to be good]

Les gens qui s’aiment (1999) [People who love each other]

Vertiges de l’amour (2001) The dizziness of love

Ma caméra et moi (2002)

Chaos and Desire (2002) [!!!!!!]

Les rois maudits [2005] [The cursed kings]

Un secret derrière la porte (2006) [A secret behind the door]

Shall We Kiss? (2007)

Le petit homme bleu (2009) [The little blue man]

De plaisir (2009) [Of pleasure]

Clandestin (2010)

Famille décomposée (2010)[Broken family]

Sans laisser de traces (2010) [Without leaving a clue]

L’apprenti Père Noël (2010) [Santa’s Apprentice]

L’art de séduire (2011) [Yes, “the art of seduction”]

Amoureuse (2011)

And, more recently:

Odysseus, a TV series last year in which she played Helen of Troy

as well as 2012’s Portraits de maîtresses, which, yes, means “Portraits of Mistresses.”

Yes, we are watching the French presidential sex scandal closely -- and shaking our heads. Time for a beer...

French President's Love Life Enters the E.R. With His First Lady Hospitalized

By Christopher Dickey
Valerie Trierweiler is reportedly resting after learning of François Hollande's latest dalliance.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/12/french-president-s-love-life-enters-the-e-r-with-his-first-lady-in-the-hospital.html

French President François Hollande Slams Affair Allegations

By Tracy McNicoll 
French President François Hollande is threatening legal action over a tabloid photo-spread that allegedly showed the world leader dallying with a French actress. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/11/french-president-francois-hollande-slams-affair-allegations.html

On another subject: 

Why Everyone Should Copy Amsterdam's Beer-for-Work Scheme

By Nadette De Visser Why America should copy The Netherlands' latest social experiment.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/12/why-everyone-should-copy-amsterdam-s-beer-for-work-scheme.html

Egypt: The Spring of the Patriarch / France: The Seductive Mme Le Pen / French Boss-Nappers' Last Stand

This week's columns for The Daily Beast:

Egypt's Arab Spring Gives Way To Spring Of The Patriarch
With a new constitution to approve and a military strongman to elect as president, there's a terrible inevitability to the course of events in Egypt over the next few months.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/10/egypt-s-arab-spring-gives-way-to-spring-of-the-patriarch.html

The Seductive Madame Le Pen
She is the rising power in French and European politics, but what lies behind the smile?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/09/the-seductive-madame-le-pen.html
also see snapshots: http://christopherdickey.blogspot.fr/2014/01/the-anglo-american-press-association.html

The French Boss-Nappers' Last Stand
France's labor unions are weak and getting weaker. When they take executives hostage, as workers did at a Goodyear factory on Monday, it's an act of desperation.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/07/the-french-boss-nappers-last-stand.html

And for something a little lighter, don't miss my snapshots on http://instagram.com/thedailybeast

The Anglo-American Press Association of France Meets with the National Front's Marine Le Pen in Nanterre

Assassination as Communication and Instrument of Policy

The Middle East's Murder Messages
From Beirut's car bomb to the exploding safe that killed a Palestinian ambassador, last week was a reminder of the Mideast's dialogue of death.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/05/the-middle-east-s-secret-assassination-messages.html

The clouds are parting and the sky is full of promise on this last day of 2013...

Here's wishing everyone a brilliant New Year!

For more photographs form this morning: http://ruesdeparadis.blogspot.fr/2013/12/sunrise-at-eiffel-tower-last-day-of-2013.html

A voice of moderation martyred | News , Lebanon News | THE DAILY STAR

Useful detail based on CCTV footage of the bombers earlier in the day:

A voice of moderation martyred | News , Lebanon News | THE DAILY STAR

Joyeux Noël

With best wishes for a great Christmas day, today, and a brilliant new year.

Chris and Carol

http://ruesdeparadis.blogspot.fr/2013/12/joyeux-noel-christmas-eve-and-christmas.html