Is France "stingy"?

What do you mean by abosolutely PERMEATE the web?
Google for France sucks

Corporations donating millions--guess they're not ALL bad.

Joe--

For someone who quibbles over "t"'s and "e"'s, you weren't as concerned about tense. I said "will", Joe. That's future tense. However, I will be glad to let you know how many 'are' demoralized when Walter lets me know how many furriners have been 'cleaned from this site' by my France jokes.

Yeah, re "lost/lose"-- I saw the typo/error when I was linking--but it had still come up, so why bother. I did imagine it would have been higher had I quoted you verbatim, though.

And?

Although I got quite reasonable results in my "English as foreign language tests", I admit that I often write as I think ... in German.

So, the result might be confusing.

When writing: "I think, you are doing really a good job in cleaning this site from foreigners.", I probably misused the verb "to think".

To make it clear: it is my very personal opinion that such might 'clean' this site from foreigners.

I'm sorry, Lash, that it read like as if I had numbers about it.

Check out the interesting Data on this "unscientific but accurate Poll"

Governments. Its about countries, after all. Private donations, seems to me, would be impossible to track down by country exactly like that.

But Walter is right, something with the numbers got f***ed up, probably in the Excel -> Word -> A2K conversion. Look at the population of Denmark there. Something clearly went wrong. ****, and I didnt save the excel file. <sigh>

re re wind
lets take it back from the start
get it state of the art
this time we got them reuters numbers right
so y' all get it now, a'ight?

Australia and the Dutch looking a little better this time ... and the Danes, like, five times better ...
and France a lot worse.

OK, so you win. The French government is being stingy. In fact, it's the only one in the list, apart from the Chinese, who're even stingier than yours ;-) *

Hail to the Swedes and Danes for, as always, giving all of us the right example.

Aid/GBP numbers from Reuters graph, "Who is giving what?", figures as of Jan 1:


* apart from Craven's explanations about how it's not just money that counts, but material and logistical support and all that - I hear the French just sent a small fleet of navy ships to help out, and all ... and the same goes for the 'Mericans of course, they sent massive logistic support out there now.

... France has a military?

Again on nasty jokes, Tico?

I just read a horrific/uplifting article about the help that we're able to provide now.

It had many instances of people saved, the massive amounts of aid (medicine, clothes, medical supplies, doctors, etc) we are airlifting over there. I didn't want to 'politicize it', so I didn't bring it--but re nimh's recent post--it is clearly times like this (among others, but most unarguably times like this) when a well financed military comes in incredibly handy. There were quotes from that Norwegian asshole, and Indonesian officials, who said the American military is saving people, who would have perished otherwise. It is so hard to reach many of these people. I'm so thankful they dropped their protests about militaries helping.

Private donations (corporate and individual) are skyrocketing. I saw where Canada is sending alot, too. Corps are sending millions. That's why I asked about your figures, nimh. They are keeping up with private and corporate donations. Wanted to see the amounts--not so much to compare--but to tally.

I wish they could prepare a report on the land masses affected--the infrastructure destroyed...the industry... I still can't grasp what we are looking at. I mean, Somalia? It went to Somalia? What kind of damage there? Any other African cities affected?

If anyone has happened upon an article that addresses this, please let me knopw where I can find it.

Thanks.

Oh, and here's our very own Dutch right-wingers' definition of charity ...

Just last month parliament finally, after much wrangling, accorded a rather sizable sum to help the starving people of Darfur, right. Long overdue, I'd say, since the disaster cries from there have been resounding for a while now already, what - half a year, a year? Dunno by heart how much they budgetted for it exactly, but it was quite a lot - something like 40 or 50 or 70 million Euro.

So now, post-tsunami, the VVD (the ever pro-market, anti-development aid right-wing liberals) saw the trouble coming as an outcry among the public erupted that we should help, now - and quickly devised its own kind of solution. We should just give that Darfur money to the tsunami countries instead!

Reminds me why I vote left ...

Newspaper today said several hundred dead in Somalia ... flood went miles inland, there, especially in the NE part of the country. No infrastructure there at all, of course, so the country was very vulnerable. From other African countries all I heard was a handful of dead in Kenya. Friend of a friend of mine is in Madagascar now, said that there they did get a huge, eye-catching wave in at the time, but nothing life-threatening.

There are a couple of sites with reports about this.

I like the one by the BBC, which is updated regularily and provides some more links:

At-a-glance: Countries hit

Francis--

Dear. You must understand the French history we have learned in American schools. Then, you will understand why we are askance at claims that France has a military. <laughs--I said 'France has a military'.>

Here is an excerpt from my French History Book:

A Short Summary of France's Military History

Gallic Wars - Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.

Hundred Years War - Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare: "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman."

Italian Wars - Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians. Wars of Religion - France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots.

Thirty Years War - France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.

War of Devolution - Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.

The Dutch War - Tied

War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

War of the Spanish Succession - Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlboro, which they have loved ever since.

American Revolution - In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare: "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."

French Revolution - Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.

The Napoleonic Wars - Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

The Franco-Prussian War - Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.

World War I - Tied and pissing their pants on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

World War II - Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

War in Indochina - Lost. French forces plead sickness, take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu.

Algerian Rebellion - Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare: "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimos.

War on Terrorism - France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Germans and Muslims just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.

Time to just ignore them, Francis??? - especially now that they have decided to defend the nastiness by just saying it is all a joke???? - it is only a tiny percentage of this board that does this stuff - (have a look at who it is that turns up for these threads time and time again) as I hope it is a tiny percentage of Americans - but I do admire you for sticking in here.

A student of same friend (dance teacher) was on holidays in Thailand at the time ... still hasn't been heard back from ...

Francis knows it's not personal. I'm just wondering why you haven't similarly soothed the Americans, who's country is besmirched, maligned and accused of all manner of hideous things...

This is the definition of bias.
------------
Walter and nimh--

Many thanks for the links and responses. Walter's link was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Can't imagine those waves. It seems impossible--how far they travelled. ...miles inland...

Over a thousand Ozzians missing - but I gather that Northern Europeans may be amongst foreigners most affected - because they go th Asia to avoid your winter?

They are no longer bothering to identify and count local bodies in many areas - because of the awful facts of body composition and the spread of disease - in poor Aceh - long wracked by internal conflict - and the Indonesian military's behaviour - people kjust gave up before that , apparently.

Oz military has also, thank god - been let in - and we are focussing on our nearest neighbour, Indonesia, with stuff like water purification, mobile hospitals and such.

The injuries are horriffic.

Lash :

You'll not take me in that debate.
Everything excessive is derisory.
You know what rethoric is. Any of your points can be contradicted.
You learn it in your school books. So, for you, it's truth.
I would like to be sufficiently skilled in english to make the point with you for the fun's sake.

But we stay in touch...

God, I love that little puppy, Francis.

Lash, that was a hilarious compilation.

Relax Deb, Francis has shown a far better sense of humor than the PC Police and even provided a link to the Froggy Files herself... which I believe is the page Lash's new signature line came from.