No Smoking Paris?

Sooner than Never

Paris:– Monday, 4. October 2004:– Even with Le Parisien on strike I can see that the weather is pretty good for a day in October. There is blue in the sky, some sunshine, some clouds, hardly any wind and it feels warmer 'than average.'

Tonight's TV–weather news confirms the temperature estimate. It is supposed to have been 26 degrees here. How it can be 26 degrees without feeling like 26 degrees is a minor mystery. I would've sworn it wasn't a tad over 23.

Ah, but with Le Parisien on strike I have no up–to–date weather maps to scrawl notes on. Why I use Friday's paper instead is also mysterious. If I can't see better than this, what use me watching the TV–weather news?

First the Channel. There's going to be a wind blowing up it at about 60 kph. Meanwhile a great low from the Atlantic is going to drift in from the ocean, and gradually swirl counter–clockwise down from the northwest, to cross France over the next three days.

Today's temperature will drop seven degrees right here in the Montparnasse part of Paris, to 19. Then on Wednesday there'll be this same diagonal band of cruddy weather sweeping further down, and as it sweeps, down goes the temperature to 16 degrees. The same is predicted for Thursday.

The TV–weather maps didn't show totally gray days, but then they hardly ever do. La Isabelle Martinez said it would be 'variable.' It means it can be cloudy and the sun will peep out a bit and then it will be cloudy some more. With our glasses half–full, I have written half–sunny on Friday's weather maps. There's no telling.

Café Life

On Tuesday, 26. October, the city is rumored to be launching a new label, 'Etablissement sans tabac.' It was ten years ago that a law was introduced, mandating no smoking zones in restaurants and cafés.

Since then some restaurants that set aside small zones have found that no smoking is appreciated, and the small zones are now reserved for smokers. Joël Robuchon's latest restaurant has its kitchen in the centre of the dining room, so there is no question about smoking in it.

Some Parisians are getting tired of all the things that are becoming forbidden. Some think they may as well stay home, where they can do what they want. Some thought that cafés were their homes. Some are surprised that the century has changed – in only two years.

The syndicate of the hospitality industry has found that 70 percent are satisfied with the dual zones in cafés and restaurants. It is going to start a campaign to try and get the smokers to respect the rights of non– smokers.

Smoking was banned from many trains beginning last year and expanded this year. Last year a few faculties banned smoking, but was extended 14 out of 17 universities in the Paris area for this year.

Meanwhile, the retailers of tobacco products who are located near France's borders have been protesting against high taxes in France – taxes that are driving customers across borders to seek lower prices.

Last Friday's Le Parisien posed the question, "Mais à qui profite la croissance?" While the economy is supposed to perking along nicely, unemployment gained by half a percent in August, for a rise of 2.2 percent for the year.

The paper's explanation is that employers do not trust the better business climate and are holding off on hiring. But Peugeot is hiring a lot of people to make cars, tourism is supposed to be expanding, and services are doing well. At the end of August the official unemployment rate was 9.9 percent of the workforce, slightly higher than the rate in India.

You can find the latest "Who Had Tea?" club report online as the season slides into fall. Before the meeting Patrick didn't say there was 'beaucoup du monde' waiting in the club's area in the 'grande salle,' and they produced some bona fide miniature 'photos of the week' on the backs of their digital cameras, again.

The coming meeting of the Café Metropole Club will be on Thursday, 7. October. The Saint's Day of the Week will be Saint–Serge. This early christian was born in 304 and spent some time in Syria, before being martyred on the banks of the Euphrates. The location became a reputed destination of pilgrims.