Jérôme Kerviel, world hero

The lawyers for Jérôme Kerviel, France's super-trader, say that he is stunned by his unwanted celebrity. If he takes a look at the internet he may be relieved to find that, mockery aside, he has become a world hero.

Over the past few days fan clubs and tribute sites have sprouted across the net: They include Facebook, dedicated sites such as Jeromekerviel.com,   and Wikipedia, Youtube and Dailymotion.

After half a million Google searches yesterday, JK's admirers are singing his praises as "The Che Guevara of Finance", the "James Bond of the Soc Gen". The real JK may have lost his Facebook friends on the day of his arrest, but 11 new Jérôme Kerviels are on Facebook at the moment, with 30 groups in French and English. On one he has over 900 fans, many of whom proclaim their love for  the clean-cut Breton whose pals called him Tom Cruise.

The T-shirt above, for sale at 17.99 dollars, features on the "Jérôme Kerviel Should Win the Nobel Prize for Economics" entry.

JK's new stardom comes in two flavours. There is mockery, much of it anti-French, apparently from professionals in the Anglo-American financial world. Within hours of the scandal breaking last Thursday, this lot was circulating the spoof news story about Kerviel being stressed out with his 30-hour working week.

Then there are the real admirers, who are voicing the widespread glee in France at the idea of a young provincial making fools of the capitalist establishment.

"Jérôme, je t'aime..." says a common line from women. For this group, JK is a scapegoat and a Robin Hood figure, the man who made clowns of the Paris money elite.

One female admirer on Facebook writes: "We are many who do not believe for a second the version of the boss of Société Generale. Everyone can blow a fuse some time and everyone has the right to a new start. Whatever happens, you're not alone!.

"Notre Jérôme" has become a hero for the professional comedians too. Nicolas Canteloup, the morning radio impersonator, today made him the star of a new television show: "Who wants to lose billions?". This is a play on Qui Veut Gagner des Millions?, the French version of the British "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". Canteloup's contestants had to decide to whom they would lend a million to be sure of losing it. Kerviel was one of the choices, along with Patrick Bruel, the poker-playing popular singer.

Canteloup's brilliant imitation of Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday had the President deciding to appoint Jérôme Finance Minister instead of Christine Lagarde. "He only lost five billion euros, but she has run up a deficit of 50 billion," said Sarko-Canteloup.   

One of many JK videos. This is his CV (resumé to Americans)

CV de jerome kerviel...

Comments

[Jack]

So let me get this straight. This tool takes billions of euros that aren't his, defrauds his workplace to cover an epic gambling addiction, blows these people's hard-earned cash on stupid bets...and the people love him for it?

Wow. Just...wow.

[Informed]

You have to remember, this is France. It is run by Socialist that want to steal from the rich to give to the poor. Of course they would love someone that stole from a bank. Forget all the people that had stock in the bank. Hell they must be rich too, they own stock.

[Christian]

Agreed Jack. I know where it comes from, but I will never understand French Anti-capitalism. Perhaps the left leaning public sector mediocrity wont be laughing when a trader bankrupts their pension plans and they cant retire at 50.

[Richard]

I always thought that an individual had to make a lot of money before others would look up to him. Not in France though. Young French rogue investment banker, Jerome Kerviel, lost over $7 Billion Dollars of his bank’s money and he’s being worshipped as a super hero.

[wargammer2005]

how many people are hurt by this?

or does this matter anymore?

do the fools that think this guy is some sort of hero ever stop to think where the tools of a modern society come from?

they have zero understanding of where the food they eat comes from, let alone anything else.

[R.G. Frano, A.C.L.S.]

For once, 'Jack' DOES KNOW S--T! While I wouldn't be surprised to learn this rogue trader's
employer is just as crooked as he (apparently) is, as an American, with the 'baggage' of 'ENRON', (the
late Kenneth Lay, friend of 'Usurper
Bush') the usury-powered mortgage fraud, ("No Job? No Income? No Problemo!"), John McCain running for president, (alumnus of the Charles Keating, 'S&L' econo-scandal), Iraq war profiteering, (another econo-scandal), last night's 'state of the union' speeach, (a 'verbal' fraud, as well as an 'embarrassement'!), and of course, very long term unemployment, (while a 'born & bred'
U.S. citizen, I'm not (apparently) entitled to employment because of the huge number of forign econo-slaves available in the U.S.!), it seems like people are stealing like 'felony grande theft' was going to become 'illegal', &/or, like it was 'goin' out of style'!!
There is NOTHING cute about a multibillion fraud! The world pulled itself out of the 1930's Depression with 'W.W.-2'.
'W.W.-3' will go thermonuclear, like, immediatly, (or 'thermo-nuklr', as 'Usurper Bush' is wont to say!), so I guess we'll be 'econo
-trading' with the rocks & twigs that Einstein said we'd fight 'W.W.-4' with...

[Michael Bloomberg for President]

Wonder what Mike Bloomberg would have to say about Jérôme Kerviel?

[rob]

To the previous posters. Kerviel was a low-level trader at Soc Gen. The types of transactions that he is said to have made are usually reviewed by a number of people before being approved. This can mean only one of two things: (1) gross incompetence on multiple levels (which I find highly unlikely, even for the French) or (2) Kerviel was acting on direct orders and is being used as a scapegoat.

[Rob]

JACK, INFORMED, CHRISTIAN,
What planet are you on?!?
OK. Maybe this guy was out of his depth but he only screwed the bank in the same way they screw the public on a daily basis (don't for ONE second kid me there is anything LIKE a free market in the banking sector!!!).
And, from personal experience, I can tell you that the Societe General seems to take extreme pleasure in squeezing every last cent out of you the second you have a problem making a repayment.
The banks are the biggest parasites around at the moment. Look at their huge profits of billions (divided-up between a few thousand people at most). Look at their short-termism and the accompanying loss of an industrial base in Britain (something that has not happened in Germany anywahere near to the same extent which is still the world's largest exporter). Look at the greedy 20-somethings they employ who don't even know how to read a balance sheet and yet gamble with the lives of thousands of people every day to see if they can make a quick buck.
I'm pro-free market with sensible government regulation. That does mean I have to be blindly a pro-"laissez-faire" capitalist.
WAKE UP!!

[starlifter]

I think it's great. Just shows you all the "smart people" running things don't really know much more then me or you. They just act like they do. (Perception) What would have happen if his bets where correct? I’m sure someone at the bank would have taken credit for being so smart.

[dot king]

Informed -
France is run by socialists?
Has anyone informed the Elysée?
I think they should be told, it's only right . . .

[Lily]

As a tribute to Sarko and Kerviel, we've had two bikinis, one T-Shirt and one sleeveless top. Summer must be close... (or the longing for it.) -

Does anyone have any Velib winter news?

[Valentin]

"Does anyone have any Velib winter news"

Used them last weekend. They seemed in much better shape now that there's no more strike pressure. If they don't seriously expand the bike lanes though, it will remain a weekend thing tho'..

[Joe]

ROB said- "OK. Maybe this guy was out of his depth but he only screwed the bank in the same way they screw the public on a daily basis (don't for ONE second kid me there is anything LIKE a free market in the banking sector!!!)."
***********************************
What kind of wacko are you? This guy defrauded the bank and it's shareholders out of BILLIONS of Euros. What about them? What about the people who have part of their retirement funds in this banks stock?

My goodness, just how ignorant are you left wing morons anyway? Do you EVER think about anyone but yourselves and your useless ideology?

[Jack W]

Jerome Kerviel is a patsy. The real evil in this scandal is paper money. Same problem in the US. Fiat money, yet another infringement on our American rights by the gov't. Add it to the ever-growing list of violations:
They violate the 1st Amendment by opening mail, caging demonstrators and banning books like "America Deceived" from Amazon.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns during Katrina.
They violate the 4th Amendment by conducting warrant-less wiretaps.
They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment by suspending habeas corpus.
They violate the 8th Amendment by torturing.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on behalf of a foriegn gov't.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save the World.
Last link (unless Google Books caves to the gov't and drops the title): http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

[alan morgan]

There are some really weird comments on this subject. Makes you wonder what planet some people are on.

[Now now, Alan. They are coming from the USA where this post has had the good fortune of being quoted on the Drudge Report this afternoon. 47,000 page views in a couple of hours. CB]

[Valentin]

lol Alan, here's another one:

It is quite clear what should be done to stop this kind of situations from happening. A simple action plan:

- forbid any staff move between backoffice and frontoffice inside the same financial company

- strictly separate investment bank activities from other kind of banking;

- forbid any financing of the unregulated sector (hedge funds/derivatives) by capital from the regulated one (subject to Basel rules, for example)

- forbid stock options

- block all capital movement to and from offshore locations

And for the glorious finish:

- return to the Gold Standard !

[Jason B]

So this putz is a "National Hero" to many in France? Drugs are bad. Mmmmmkay?

[Rev. Jynxx Midnite]

Someone's covering their ass folks, it's not impossible for a lower level employee to screw up like this, but highly unlikely.

Oversight, safeguards and supervision seem to be amazingly absent from these reports. The general populance isn't completely stupid (Getting there mind you), they know this and are making a bit of fun with it. What can you honestly do? You think you as an average citizen can go and make that difference? It would take you getting off your ass staring at this screen to do anything. Hell, according to these reports one man just helped to nearly bankrupt a major world bank and possibly a country, we normally have to "elect" a batch of senior Republicans and have their incompetent friends appointed to do that here in the states...

[Nick]

It’s interesting to see my fellow Anglo-Saxons getting excited about the Jérôme Kerviel story. I might be wrong, but I detect a feeling of moral & financial superiority over the lazy incompetent French.

It might be worth remembering though that incompetence & greed are universal. Northern Rock was hardly a good advert for British financial probity, and Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley have all had to sell sizeable stakes in their businesses to sovereign wealth funds to repair the ravages to their balance sheets caused by sub-prime lending.

What’s that proverb about people in glass houses?

[VINCE B]

Leave it to the French to celebrate a criminal. The guy is a common thief who stole for himself, not in the name of any cause. Yet, the French call him a hero. Given the fact that the French are some of the most self centered people on the planet, I guess it sort of makes sense. The "30 hour work week" comment was great. The French are the laziest people on the planet.

[EYGH]

Just a few info here for our extra-terrestrial friends from the US :

Société Générale despite the 7 billion loss is not bankrupted unlike a certain number of other banks in the US, UK, Spain or elsewhere.

Neither is France close to being bankrupted.

By the way isn't an American administrator involved in the Soc Gen scandal ?

[Pierre Bernardi]

Valentin, banning stock options is a non-starter (makes me think of Alex Ferguson's reaction to Michel Platini's suggestion that tackling in association football be banned) but before the crisis began, I naively thought that CDO-type activities were covered by Basle. So that's what off-balance sheet means then: 1) banks do what they like. 2) in any other circumstance, refer to rule one. However, a large number of off-balance sheet tricks have been returned to the balance sheets, which suggests that they should never have been of them in the first place. Which suggests that a very high percentage of the senior management of American banking establishment is guilty of fraud, in Azloon's sense (not to mention Mr Donnez-moi des Bouton).

[Capitalist]

Do you far left leaning loons really believe this dribble? How is it that you have come to believe that capitalism is the enemy. Every one has the same opportunity, just because some are too lazy to fulfill their potential doesn't make the rest of us evil because we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

And yet you cheer when people who have worked for their money lose all of it. And why some may ask? Because you are bitter...plain and simple.

[Alex Winter]

France needs another revolution to cull the idiots.

[Johan]

The socialists are as stupid as ever. They think the lost 50 billion belongs to some evil capitalist sitting in a dark mansion atop some black mountain. Rather, that money belonged to average people saving for retirement and investors looking to create new jobs, both of which are now screwed.

That suits socialists just fine. They don't want anyone to make it. They want everyone to wallow in EQUAL misery.

[Blendi Progri]

Clicking on the link - about `the 30 hour week` - by CB...one goes into the Main page...then on the left, click:
The button- Le Story

Then one can see...

E-mail Jerome:jerome@jeromekerviel.com
Are you traing under pressure? Jerome understands Send your story now. Merci.
--------------------------------

Wonderful. I love it.
E-mail Jerome, he understands.
------------------.
Someone, somwhere in this blog said this happens: when banks leave huge funds to to ignorant 30 year olds that can`t even read a simple balance sheet and dont care about peoples lives ( more or less) .

Eh Jerome, Jerome... I have a feeling that even now Jerome doesnt really understand the implactions of his actions.

If left unchecked, massive funds like this became `virtual` and it feels like playing a video game where as long as one has credit, he can play forever.

he could be baffled too- is justifiable, in a way.

After this cools down, Jerome, can ask for his Computer back (with some credit too- not 4 billion of course, less) to resume his Play, after all his Human Rights (the only thing real to him) have been violated.

Count me in, I`m a Jero fan by now.
Give him back his computer, his old post and a pay-raise too.

Jerome Undestands!
brilliant.

[Blendi Progri]

http://www.drudgereport.com/

Rogue Trader becomes national hero in France...

right hand side link.

I just saw it now, well done Charles!

It is interesting to note that the Link doesn`t point to any singular article in the blog, but to all the blog page, where every title can be seen.

At the risk of being sentimental, a congrats is in order to my fellow blogers too, for their contributory contribution.

Next...well of course is Zhongguo Xinwenshe ;)
---------------------.
As an after though ,
I thought we were all alone in here...eccooo...now that Drudge `discovered` what we say, I promise to be more cautious and kind. Promise!

[Valentin]

I put that on purpose, stock options were ok in the beginning;
in today's globalized, hyper speculative finance stock options are not so much an incentive to good economic results, but more like a compulsion to stock performance, and even worse, to getting positive statements from all kind of "experts".
These modern kind of stock options led to the Enron disaster, to delocalizations, and in general to an "atrocisation" of finance capitalism. I know that's a popular leftwing line, still it does carry some truth, IMO.

[christopher muir]

What if Kerviel's bets had made the bank billions in profits? Anyhow, the future is probably predictable: many enquiries, resignations, a big trial, appeals, a prison term, fines, books and finally a movie deal (starring the dealer himself who may share Bernard Tapie's acting skills). That's how it goes nowadays.

[One_American]

If the socialists think that the capitalists are so bad, they should try living WITHOUT money.

But then, the socialists are only half-serious about their beliefs anyway.

[Sam Young]

I'm a hardcore socialist-hating, freedom-loving right winger, but i still share the delight of others in seeing the Soc Gen lose billions. It's because, like so many others, i hate banks for their outrageous fees charged for outrageous reasons, whilst giving such useless service and not appreciating years of previous custom. Let them suffer.
Daniel Bouton (the Soc Gen Manager) is on the way out, and with a bit of luck, a Chinese or Saudi Arabian Sovereign Fund is on the way in. After all, Soc Gen is now 50% less expensive to take over than it would have been this time last year. And it has some excellent know-how, notwithstanding this recent joyous event.

[Sam Young]

To reply to some of the comments about who loses out in this affair, i would like to suggest the following list of losers in this affair:

1) The Soc Gen bank. The bank will still make a profit of between 600 to 800 million, so it will survive, unless it is attacked by a market predator (which pushed the share price up 10.42% on Tuesday).

2) Soc Gen employees: At 7.5%, SG employees are the biggest single block of stakeholders.

3) Other owners of Soc Gen stock.

Regarding 2) and 3), there is no call for pity. Let us not be naive: stocks can be risky. Everyone knows this.

4) The State who instead of collecting 40% of 5 billion ( in company tax) will now have to make do with much less.

This event has no impact on Account holders nor on owners of Sicav (Mutual Funds); it was Soc Gen investing Soc Gen cash to make money for Soc Gen... and they got it so wrong.

To conclude, Jérôme Kerviel would cease to be a hero if the State had to bail out Soc Gen.

[azloon]

What a GREAT STRING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE !!!!!

i think our 'party' has been 'crashed' (hardly a recognizable name among the posters).

CB, many of these 47,000 americans dropping in, thanx to the mention of you in the drudge report, are potential future bloggers. this place could become a real "free-for-all." all i can say is 'bring it on.'

i am also quite happy to notice loads of 'redneck,' anti-french vitriol in these posts.

Terry, Rocket and I, may, in the future, be viewed as veritable diplomats by comparison, n'est-ce pas? OK, maybe not Rocket. :)

--------

re Kerviel as hero

yes, the french have an anti-capitalist streak, and that fact may account for some of this '15 minutes of fame' stuff that's going kerviel's way (none of these faux admirers will ever write or visit him in the bastille, i can assure you -- or even remember his name).

but, really i think most of it is just plain fun. most 18-year-olds don't have a clue about what any of this is all about. and i must say, the modern world of business, being the very hostile and competitive place that it is, doesn't look very hospitable to many young americans, and, i suspect, many young french as well.

i want a photo t-shirt of jkerviel that says, "what, me worry?"* (if we can find one of him smiling which so far i haven't).

* older americans, maybe brits too, may remember alfred e. newman of 'mad magazine' fame.

[YDrake]

It's a sad world where they throw you out of your home when you cannot meet the payments that some banker tricked you into. But you rip off the bank for seven billion dollars and they make you a hero. Young Jerome will presumably by on trial in about 2010 and be given a year or two suspended and a few thousand fine.

[David Thomspon]

Jerome is a hero , if by this event, we eventually find out more about the sleaze behind the smokescreen.
On the Friday night 12 days ago- he supposedly had 120,000 contracts - the question should be, as it is an exchnage these contracts were on - who was on the other side?
Why did they( those that were short such crazy numbers ) not cover ahead of a weekend and already a 5 per cent decline that week for indicies!
Is it one two a handful of counterparties, who walked away with upwards 4 Billionplus ! as we are told this is a zero sum game ?
Please investigate properly Soc Gen , unless of course this operation on a smaller scale had been going on for a long time prior- but even then - we should know more about why senior management let him punt the market in a very uneducated fashion? Yes Money did not drive him , but the power of trading and Trading volume!! - Well obviously his superiors failed , in not spotting his unsuitability for such work !This is not about anti French or pro French but if Banks are going to operate as Casinos , then we should know more ?

[Seb]

Thanks Azloon.
I was seriously starting getting worried I should search another blog for French news seen from the british viewpoint. I am interested in outside critiscisms, not "redneck vitriol" as you justly put it.
JK a hero for French. Hopefully not too many. I am curious to know how many t-shirts will be sold.
Well, at least we French do not believe that Elvis is still alive.

[Frank Upton]

I wonder whether some other bank bribed him to lose a billion euros to them.

[Dominique]

The only good thing about Kerviel's 15 minutes of fame is that they are encroaching Sarko's.

[john o'doe]

Defeated presidential candidate Ségolène Royal ENA demonstrated a novel approach Friday by calling for Soc Gen to pay back the 7 billion euros to the families the bank has plunged into debt by its excessive overdraft charges!

[Richard Huxley]

There are some nice kneejerk, typically melodramatic reactions here. I think the truth will come out, eventually. As Christopher Muir says..will probably end in a 'for tv' film. Although this could have happened anywhere and still might.

France is almost half socialist in thinking, whatever that is nowadays. I don't think this is all bad. In fact France is now suffering (to the glee of a few other nations) because it was in fact quite good to its population. I'm capitalist (i attempt to run a business) but enjoy the civility here.

I think the socialists are just grabbing their chance to make fun. They've had a tought time of it lately! I don't think any of it can be taken seriously.

[Tato Dulanci]

Wasn`t the money insured as it was in the film "The ladykllers"?
I wonder.

[azloon]

SEB

i and others have made french-tweaking jokes about JK's deteriorated mental state resulting from his thirty-hour work week. [too hard to resist :) ]

but, seriously, what's important about JK, and sarko for that matter, is that they are visable signs of the changing face of france. and it's a face that not all french find endearing.

france is joining the world, more often than not kicking and screaming, but joining they are. the french presidency, post-sarko, won't be the same.

neither will be the world of french finance post-JK.

[dot king]

The only comment I can make with any ceratinty is that I used to read "Mad" magazine and I remember Alfred E Neuman, but I can't decipher the connection . . .

[Valentin]

JOHN O'DOE:
"...by calling for Soc Gen to pay back the 7 billion euros to the families the bank has plunged into debt by its excessive overdraft charges"

Yup. That was a shameful day for France, and a sad for mankind.
(and a stern contradiction of Lily's claim that intelligence would have progressed at all)

[thinknoworpaylater]

SAM YOUNG - under the heading - other owners of stocks will be people who have invested in pension funds ( not directly under their control). They could lose a lot and they deserve some sympathy. AZLOON - my old friend- I dont think you will qualify for a diplomatic pass. But further you obviously enjoy confrontation (*bring it on*) - maybe its ann american characteristic its less obvious in the european comments (think Daniel Strohl). Anyway its clearly your metier. But you are just the same loons (you, Rocket and Terry) that you always were. It just brought out the best in you (?) This abrasive style is obviously fun for you but doesnt get down to the complexity of social/economic relations. You simplify and your solutions are always the same. Capitalism is wonderful and can do no wrong. The current problem is obviously systemic (maybe the the system is ahead of the controls) You love phrases like - *joining the world* as if the world (whatever that is) was simply your world. Consequently your view is always *over-determined* or just rigid if you like. Control and regulation are crucial in the banking system and we wil see it in the future- join the world!. I thought that RICHARD HUXLEYS commennts were balanced and sensible. The importance of an individual will fade - but after the current crisis I expect to see changes in the regulation system itself or we are all in for trouble.

[Lily]

"a stern contradiction of Lily's claim that intelligence would have progressed at all"

Lily doesn't claim it has. New Zealand researcher James Flynn has provided the evidence which is why the phenomenon has been dubbed 'Flynn effect' (I don't know whether France was included in the study, though).

[Josephine]

Actual money was made from these fraudulent deals, yes? Then where is the money? I've heard several reports claiming that Kerviel didn't benefit personally--can that be true? Am I missing something?

[azloon]

THINKNOW

you haven't mischaracterized me.

but i am afraid you mistake my 'metier' for ignorance of subject, perhaps failure to appreciate the complexity of problems.

as a former stock trader, i am certain i'm more willing than most to tolerate periods of financial chaos as preferable to bureaucratic attempts to regulate markets.

Kerviel's trading losses are a drop in the bucket compared to sums traded daily in the markets he was involved in. despite Valentin's "shame," JK is really is NO BIG DEAL (why in the world would Valentin feel 'shame' about kerviel's trading losses? are they cousins?).

i have never said that capitalism is "wonderful and can do no harm." in fact, its the worst economic system in the world, except for all the others.

tread very carefully in the area of regulation. self-policing is often preferable to state regulation. i will say tho, that by retaining it's CEO, socgen is showing it doesn't know how to hold it's executives accountable. this will just increase calls for regulation that may injure the entire system.

free flow of capital is what makes the world go 'round -- by allocating money to it's most efficient and profitable uses. state regulation impedes this process. i beleive it's best kept to a minimum.

btw, i also believe in the free flow of ideas. the louder and more impassioned the arguments on either side, the more likely a desireable compromise. polite disagreement doesn't interest me, as you may have guessed. :)

[Valentin]

"Lily doesn't claim it has. New Zealand researcher James Flynn has provided the evidence"

OWWWW I JUST NOTICED I forgot the wide grin smiley at the end of my previous post. Sorrrrry ! :P

[Valentin]

AZLOON:
"why in the world would Valentin feel 'shame' about kerviel's trading losses"

I felt ashamed for Ségolène Royal's comment about the losses. Still do.

[Peter Lloyd]

Soc. Gen. is up to its ass in dodgy mortgage losses - Kerviel is a deus ex machina to distract attention from the bank's far greater losses from buying sub-prime debt - i.e., maladministration.

Kerviel for Chancellor of the Exchequer. Couldn't do worse than ten years of New Labour.

The childish, kneejerk, anti-French criticisms here from the USA don't stand up, either - how can a Republican, supposedly financially sophisticated, government turn Clinton's 'in the black' national books into the biggest sea of red the world has ever seen? In so short a time? Can the USA's finances ever be put back into the respectable state in which Clinton left them?

Those who can, do. Those who can't, complain.

[Valentin]

"the phenomenon has been dubbed 'Flynn effect' (I don't know whether France was included in the study, though)"

There was a saying about an american moving from Ohio to California and getting the average IQ drop in both states.
Flynn's study including France is hardly likely to change anything, given the number of anglosaxons moving to France :D

[qwerty]

Self-policing is often preferable to state regulation. i will say tho, that by retaining it's CEO, socgen is showing it doesn't know how to hold it's executives accountable. this will just increase calls for regulation that may injure the entire system (Azloon).

Voilà, just what I said on some previous post. It's the anglo-saxon position vs. French and EC.

[azloon]

[AZLOON:
"why in the world would Valentin feel 'shame' about kerviel's trading losses"

I felt ashamed for Ségolène Royal's comment about the losses. Still do.] Valentin

i suggest you reserve your shame for something awful YOU'VE done. and talk to your therapist about it.

p.s. if i were inclined to be ashamed of american politicians, i would be in a continuous 'funk.'

[Lily]

Re: Shame

Azloon, Valentin,

you use one word with different meanings -

Azloon: "a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety; the susceptibility to such emotion,..."

Valentin: "to bring shame to : DISGRACE"

(Webster's..)

Azloon, you're using the notion as used for oneself.

Valentin, you're using the notion, expressing that you disagree with SR, consider her words disgraceful.

(?? Could this be another misunderstanding? based on language. Dot, are you there?)

[Pierre]

I'm astonished by the amount of French bashing in the reactions.
And by the fact that my previous comment get censored.
Not that I expected much anyway.

[azloon]

Lily --

if i read my american heritage dictionary correctly, the concept of shame rightly atttaches to a person who behaves in a shameful way, not others who feel embarrassed by their behavior.

so Valentin may mean that Sego has behaved 'shamefully,' or that he is 'ashamed of her,' or that she ought to be 'ashamed of herself.' but not that he feels shame, which rightly belongs to her.

UNLESS, he so identifies with france and french political life, that he ACTUALLY feels shame when sego acts shamefully, as he might if a family member had misbehaved and he then feels embarrassed for his family, and shame that he is closely associated with that family member.

i can imagine that some french are embarrassed by some of sarko's shameless antics, but to actually feel shame because of him seems a bit much. i guess if he can't muster any shame for himself, there isn't going to be any. :)

Valentin, if you meant "embarrassed,' then i understand.

[Valentin]

Lily's right.
My original post said that it was a shameful day for France, that such top politician, almost elected president, is capable of such populist inepties.

But we can be ashamed as citizens too: look how americans are seen overseas because of W's truth bending on Iraq and the war that followed: his actions reflected upon the whole nation. You cannot say you have no connection with W: your fellow americans chose him to represent America, he represents you too.

[Lily]

Azloon,

thank you for your linguistic input.

Valentin, Azloon,

I think you now understand (at least) in what way you disagree over the ISSUE (and the use of shame/embarrassment has been clarified.)

BTW: I think that it is a concept that is more common in Europe than the US - to see people ashamed for others (which testifies of a less individualistic society - by tradition).

[azloon]

thx Lily --

i am nominating you for the TimesBlog Peace Prize, which will be awarded in Oslo later this month. or maybe it's next month. :)

Valentine, yeah, 'its a shame' what we, collectively, have allowed to happen to our international reputation. but rather than 'take on' that shame personally, i plan to vote for someone who may repair our standing.

i do think Lily is onto somethng when she notes that americans are individualistic even to the extent of not 'taking on' others' shame.

[Pierre Bernardi]

Are all the women on this blog going to spend their time patching up disagreements? Can't we just have some honest machismo?

PG Wodehouse has a word for it: soupy. You don't get soupy women in France. The worst you get is Simone de Beauvoir (see "Les Mandarins" for her views on American society). Ségolène is many things but certainly not soupy. You didn't see her crying her eyes out to gain mass appeal. (and to think it worked for Hillary).

[Lily]

"Can't we just have some honest machismo?"

LOL. Pierre, just go ahead!

[Valentin]

"Can't we just have some honest machismo?"

Hear hear ! Qu'est-ce que c'est que toutes ces niaiseries :)

"didn't see her crying her eyes out to gain mass appeal"

No, of course, Ségolène was cunning: she dressed all in white, raised her illuminated eyes onto the crow, extended her arms and proclaimed: "Aimez vous les uns les autres !"

There are even reports of people seeing a milky hallow around her body ! (or were the tech guys just activating the white smoke pump :P)

[john o'doe]

Pierre
Ségo's love hurt performance on Drucker was downright soupy.
Her rabble rousing remarks about Soc Gen paying back the lost billions to brave families floundering in debt were plain stupid.

[john o'doe]

1)French power giant EDF has announced it is planning to takeover German power giant RWE. So that's OK then.
2) The French government has announced that it will not allow any foreign takeover of Soc Gen. For France, EU competition rules do not apply to banks so any European suitor can stick their bid up their assets.
3) France presides the European Union for the second half of 2008.

[dot king]

"Dot, are you there?)" (Lily)

Yes, for my sins, I'm here (belatedly) and I'm possibly foolishly offering an opinion before reading the rest of the posts!

In French it's usual to say "Quelle honte!" which is much stronger in meaning than "What a shame!"
French often uses words in a more original (in the sense of d'origine) and literal way than English. We tend to say "what a shame" or "what a pity" as alternative expressions to mean the same thing, for some relatively small mishap or misfortune.
"Quelle honte!" expresses shamefulness as well as shame - and yes, disgrace. I think Valentin was expressing that Ségolène was indeed a "disgrace" for France, not that he felt personally ashamed for what she said, but ashamed FOR what she said. in French "j'ai honte pour elle" - I'm ashamed for her.
But I expect this is the conclusion you've all come to without me, I'll go back and look . . . :)

However I don't see why her view was shameful (especialy for Valentin whose views are the opposite and we all know it), but that's another question. She was simply emphasising the breech between the people who might not be able to make ends meet and the bank that can make so great a loss without really losing anything. FWIW, I think she has a point.

[dot king]

"raised her illuminated eyes onto the crow, extended her arms and proclaimed: "Aimez vous les uns les autres !"

There are even reports of people seeing a milky hallow around her body ! " (Valentin)

Ye Gods, Valentin, do you invent these - you can't be copying them from anywhere as quotes, or Ségo would have a "milky halo", and where does "illuminated eyes onto the crow" come from?
ah, the labyrinth of your inventive mind . . . :)

[thinknoworpaylater]

I bow to your real knowledge as a former stock trader. Marx was always interested in the real workings of capital markets only he has been dead for a long time. There of course contemporary critiques from a neo-marxist position. My point was that perhaps the system (instant electronic exchange) has the potential to go beyond controls as they presently exist. Yes - free flow of ideas (and facts) is fine and I see that you are good at it. However since we both start from different premises itsdifficult to see how we could agree (a man conviced against his will is of the same opinion still as my old dad usedto say ) Additionally impassioned argument doesnt always mean rational or based on facts. Of course we disagree about Capitalism because while it promises greater wealth for all the evidence suggests that the gap between rich and poor has grown rapidly in every developed country never mind the others. Increases in real income in the middle classes are almost static especially in America but also elsewhere Still I appreciated your measured (and usually witty) response. This IS FOR AZLOON - in my haste I forgot to put that in at the start.

[Doremi]

When the Nick Leeson debacle happened a UK trader explained the money thing for me. Posh boys, with a good education, diction, connections and contacts get to work in investment banking ( money come to them), 'barrow boys', smart, lean and hungry get to be trader, they go after money (vulgar).
There is a smacking of snobbery about Jérôme Kerviel, from a working class family, average student, coming from the back room (where he should have stayed obviously, how dare he think above his station) and losing SocGen so much money( if he has lost the whole lot.
In France, you can love money but you can't really come out with it, you have to be discreet, nouveau riche is so bad, but old rich is ok. If there is a socialist side, there is also a terribly reactionary one that loves titled people who at still pissed off at the revolution. I can understand why the t-shirts have appeared but not the fat the CEO is still there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8h3qwTfPmk&feature=relate

"Self-policing is often preferable to state regulation", well maybe if you believe in the "invisible hand " and the tooth fairy, it worked so well for Enron.

[Pierre Bernardi]

John O'Doe, I came up with the names of several soupy French women I know immediately after writing my remark. But sometimes you just post too soon (see my 'Britney Spears' comment highlighted by Charles, Azloon and Roquet on "Obama Wants to see Sarkozy")

[Daniel Strohl]

Two days ago, I heard on radio that if France is (momentarily ?) number one with JK, number 2 is a Canadian who lost in 2006 "only" about one billion dollars less than JK (Hey, Maggie G - are you listening ? - LOL!).

Leeson, the most known of these stakhanovist traders, comes only as number 9 on this list ! As far as I have got it (and if the source is reliable), all "listed" traders up to Leeson - with the exception of JK - are Anglo-Saxons in the broader sense defined by Valentin.

Professionnalisme, tu parles ! (I refrain from using Zazie's well known expression ...).

[John Styx]

Doremi, I'm not sure what you mean exactly, but the nouveau riche/old money antagonism is hardly a French trait. Plus there isn't much old money in France compared to other countries.

And who are supposed to be the "titled people who at still pissed off at the revolution"? I can see the Orléans family; I'm not sure they still have lots of fans.

[azloon]

[a man conviced against his will is of the same opinion still] THINKNOW

wonderful expression. i am trying to get my feeble memory around it for future use.

yeah, the way capitalism is done -- e.g., taxes on individuals, corporations, upward mobility for the disadvantaged (state/privately funded scholarships, internships), fair and equitable lending practices -- can make it a better or worse economic system.

i think we have been in one of the more rapacious phases of western capitalism over the past 15 years. and i suspect that phase is coming to an end, ignominiously as one would expect (it takes wretched excess to cause humans to finally demand change).

but even in it's better forms and phases, there is an ephemeral aspect to capitalism and it's promises. just the prospect of being able to succeed with sufficient effort is enought to keep the majority relatively happy. a person can keep going a long time if even the distant prospect of achievement exists. and everyone has to have enough to eat and go to the moview once in a while. BUT, the playing field has to be 'tipped' fairly to permit this belief. and this isn't always the case.

so capitalist systems need to take very seriously the business of the perception of fairness -- not wealth equality -- but the possibility of eventually succeeding in a substantial way.

about regulation: the less the better for me. i see the current crisis being a failure of supervision, not insufficient regulation. we have supervisory bodies that dropped the ball in the sub-prime mortgage mess.

cheers

[Valentin]

"Ye Gods, Valentin, do you invent these"

Dorothy dear, that's called a parody. You take a real situation and you emphasize certain features to make a point. A bit like caricature.
That was, grosso-modo, the style of Mme. Royal's campaign: appear as a kind of saviour, a modern Jeanne d'Arc, always dressed elegantly, usually in white, a lone woman fighting male political pros, with an angelic face expression, preaching to the crowDs (not crows, as you seem to have understood - quick reading, no doubt).
You can look on the internet for presidential campaigns of south-american women, you'll see the same Saint Mother of the People approach. Obviously that was Ségo's source of inspiration.

[Maggie G]

"with an angelic face expression, preaching to the crowDs (not crows, as you seem to have understood - quick reading, no doubt)

No Valentin, NOT "quick reading no doubt" -- try "quick typing". I noticed that too, and was trying to figure it out.

Here it is, cut and pasted from your very own message: No, of course, Ségolène was cunning: she dressed all in white, raised her illuminated eyes onto the crow, extended her arms and proclaimed: "Aimez vous les uns les autres !"

[Peter Lloyd]

The kneejerk France-bashing on this thread - particularly from the USA - is green-eyed, small-minded jealousy.

Here is a country that foresaw the oil crisis and built nearly sixty nuclear power stations that have proven to run safely, reliably, cheaply and supply 90% of France's electricity - with some left over for export. The acquired expertise is now being sold internationally for profit.

Here is a country that has built a fast, reliable, cheap rail system between its principle cities that runs on - guess what - its own nuclear-sourced electricity.

Here is a country that has built up one of the two major world-class manufacturers of big commercial passenger jets against the toughest competition you can imagine.

Here is one of the only two European countries to have retained not only one, but two major, world-class car manufacturers - note, not just assemblers, which sell well internationally.

Here is a country with one of the most admired and efficient National Health schemes in the world, available to all.

Here is a country with a homegrown movie industry with products admired all over the world, even in countries where French is not spoken.

France has shown itself to be a can-do country, not just a bureaucratic talking-shop.

Those who can, do. Those who cannot, criticise.

[Valentin]

Maggie,
I've just re-read my phrase again, and upon reaching the incriminated word, my brain read "eyes onto the crowD" - apparently he (the brain in question) added D automatically, since a perfect match (and the only one making any sense at all).

But my brain can be weird. I apologize for confusing you and Dorothy (and possibly other readers). Thank you for your kindness.

[dot king]

"raised her illuminated eyes onto the crow, extended her arms and proclaimed: "Aimez vous les uns les autres !"

NOT at all a "quick reading" Valentin - a direct cut and paste from your post. "crow" was what you put.
I know what a parody is, Valentin, but that isn't one, it's pompous nonsense - as is much of your posting.

[Doremi]

John Styx

Sorry, I come from the outskirts of an incredibly bourgeois town, from an immigrant/working class family and I was send to a posh school full of BCBG and that has scarred me for life. When I come back home I am chocked by the fact that at the centre the poor have disappeared and the Vuitton brigade & Carré Hermes who have lived there forever and can still afford it, act and talk like life is really hard for them and they are under threat from the barbarians at the gate. "Life was so easier when people knew their place", "all we need is more baton, and when we have enough brown faces to do the jobs the locals don't want to do we have to send the surplus back where they come from".

It's lost on them that les Resto du Coeur are doing really good business with people they would not have served 10 years ago and l'ascenceur social est en panne. Meanwhile la gauche caviar who once would have taken up social causes are partying with fils/fille de and are wearing beige. I don't think that appearing on Pop Idol ( a PC gladiatorial game) should be described as an opportunity for people who have no hope of finding a job prospect for their class.

Oh dear, maybe I am channelling my mother after all.

France hasn't had a property boom so they don't feel as rich as Briton's, but as least their personal debt does not exceeds their country's GDP unlike Briton's. Ok, France has plenty of other problems. By the way Nadine de Rothschild does courses on how to behave, French manners are a minefield.

[John Styx]

Doremi, it appears we have different views on the meaning "old money". If I read you correctly, you refer to the NAP population (editor's note: Neuilly-Auteuil-Passy). In my opinion, those people belong to the upper middle class, whereas both parvenus and and old money belong to the upper class. And Nappys are not always members of the "bonne société". In other words, Who's Who and Bottin Mondain are two different books. (True snobs don't wear Vuitton, btw. Vuittons is a malletier, Hermès and Gucci are sadllers. That's all the difference ;D)

Concerning manners, I don't totally agree with you. Social etiquette is tricky in any country: what's the point if anyone can do it? All in all it's rather easy to survive with a few generic principles; it's even easier when you're a woman. Concerning Nadine, her books are very enjoyable if you've got a twisted sense of humour. On a more serious note, I'll recommend "Histoire de la politesse de la révolution à nos jours" by Frédéric Rouvillois.

[Valentin]

Why, thank YOU, Dorothy, how nice of you, such a civil expression of your disagreement; very elegantly put either.
You mean my posting in general I suppose. That sounds as good as any other reason. Like, why discuss at all, just call everybody disagreeing with your leftwing views stupid.
Should I send you back to your honking business, maybe?

Well if anybody is interested, they can always go on YouTube and look for videos from Royal's campaign: it was all a parody of the Saint Mother of the Nation, constant posing as a victim of misogynism and, just under the surface, small-minded calculation and ruthlessness.
The fact that she's still prefered as presidential candidate only shows the utter disarray of the French Socialist Party.

[Doremi]

John Styx

Funny. I don't know about NAP. I thought my situation was bad, but I fear it's even worse, I am from la province, du cote France profonde et crotté, and I suffer from inverted snobbery. I did not know there were cows hoping to get worked on by a sadler rather than a malletier, hoping to hang on the arms of a better quality of people. But I know why I love London, you come out from the house looking like you have been dragged through an edge backwards and nobody gives you the evil eye. I told you I was scarred, mentally.

[John Gregory Flinn]

Jerome is an anti-hero.
He has stuck his finger in the eye of the 'aristos', and given the complacent Bankers a kick up the proverbial, ref SAM YOUNG.
Its nothing to do with socialism, or French anti-capitalism (not true actually, ref PETER LLOYD).
It's fashionable to do the sort of things he has done, and always has been.

[John Styx]

Doremi, it seems I offended you. I'm truly sorry if that's the case. It was not my intent. My family is from the Puy-de-Dôme and I was born in Clermont-Ferrand, so I'm not well-placed to cast any stones about people being crottés and so on. Well, I remember making disparaging remarks about someone being a "bouseux" when I was a child; my mother gave me a slap and a lecture I won't forget in a hurry.

I believed you were talking about Neuilly, as I don't know many towns which would qualify as "incredibly bourgeois"... some towns in Yvelines such as Le Vésinet, and seaside resorts.

[Daniel Strohl]

Peter Lloyd,

It is refreshing to read a post like yours. It recalls some undisputable facts, which almost get buried under an avalanche of critics - the latter, of course, are often deserved. But their repetitive mode is sometimes boring. If humour is often present - in that case, I will be the first to laugh or smile - sometimes it is gleeful irony. This is not funny.

"Those who can, do. Those who cannot, criticise".

We have too many indigenous "cannots" and not enough "doers" (sorry for the barbarisms). Of course, the "doers" make errors, but the "cannots" spend their time gleefully watching for the errors.
This is not very constructive and does not prepare for taking responsibilities in the future.

[dot king]

"Why, thank YOU, Dorothy, how nice of you, such a civil expression of your disagreement"

don't mention it VALENTIN - and it wasn't disagreement it was a correction of your misquoting yourself -
you don't inspire civility

[Valentin]

lol ok Dot, I would have rather thought you were like pissed off at my attacking chère Ségo :P
I'm glad it was all about misquoting. I'll pay more attention from now on :)

As to inspiring, it might not be so much my fault.. as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
A sunny, inspiring weekend to you :)

[Doremi]

John Styx

You did not offend me. My sense of humour does not post-well. And I might have been a bit flippant too..

It was wrong of me to equate the Vuittons & Hermes brigade with groupies of the Duc D'orleans .
It was an image to my youth, back dans la ville Rose.Time to get rid of it. With your family composed of reacs/droite/gauche/anarchist-anti-church/communist/ and immigrants with untreated PTSD and neurosis due to xenophobia, life can be hard for a girl at a posh school.
My fault, but I am quite happy to be from " bouseux " stock. Your feet are firmly on the ground where ever you are.

Nowadays anybody can buy Vuitton, Prada and Gucci, my friend, "nouveau riche and proud of it", has bought a Prada bag, another " I have to have it" expensive bag. Funnily enough, the West African woman who takes the bus at 6.am for the City with me, and cleans offices ( before her second gig at a cool/hip hotel in Central London for around £3 an hour) has a Gucci one, bought in Shoreditch, not even last season, but better than the cheap Vuitton knock off.

I was talking about the people who came with " le rôle positif de la présence française outre-mer, notamment en Afrique du Nord ", (ask Didier Awadi for his take on it), or the notion Mai 68 was terrible ( I was in diapers but my parents tell me it got some things moving in society despite the petrol shortage) or the appropriated stuff from the NF spoken without death inducing shame, or this idea France needs another homme fort or maybe another monarch to kick the lazy French's behind.
Maybe I should not have said titled, just the backward set, the one who is afraid of the changing world and fall for old and tried ideas instead going for bold, courageous and enlightened ones.
Maybe I insulted you when I titled ones. Voltaire had a title right?

[dot king]

"lol ok Dot, I would have rather thought you were like pissed off at my attacking chère Ségo :P "

Ever since i've been on this blog, you have been saying that I'm a Ségo supporter and yet I have never said i supported her - you made that up - I openly say I don't like Sarkozy, but that doesn't make me by definition a Ségo-fan; In fact you call me a "lefty" from your own need to label others, but I've never stated my politics here. You impute them to me.
Stop speaking for others, you have enough trouble making any sense about yourself.

[Sandrine]

"as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

I always thought it was in the "beer holder" !

[Maggie G]

Hey Sandrine! Nice to see your name here again!

"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder". You may have just started a new expression.

It goes well with that beer advert, "XXX Beer -- helping ugly people to have sex for over a century" (or something like that).

[azloon]

Sandrine --

funny....

welcome back

a dog at 10pm, a fox at 2am

(women substitute appropriate animals e.g. chimpanzee/stud horse)

[dot king]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder". You may have just started a new expression (Maggie)

a dog at 10pm, a fox at 2am (Azloon)

Not sure what Azloon means by his expression (?), but if we put it all together we coud meet in the Dog and Fox at 10pm to celebrate Sandrine's return, then we can cross the 2am bridge when we come to it . . .

[azloon]

please, someone tell Dot about dogs and foxes.

[dot king]

Azloon, why don't YOU tell me? On tenterhooks . . .

[Peter Lloyd]

Entre chien et loup?

One of those delightful expressions which made learning to speak French a pleasure.

No English term exactly matches - crepuscular? A bit pretentious;
half-light? Neither accurate nor as emotive;

I vote we adopt 'between dog and wolf'!

[dot king]

Nope, still not got it - "entre chien et loup" I take means at nightfall when you can't tell the difference between the two, but Azloon says women can substitute other animals, it's not the same with "chimpanzee/stud horse" easy to see the difference even in crepuscular light (I like crepuscular - "crépuscule" is one of my favourite French words, very expressive) - there's no comparison.
And what would any of it have to do with Sandrine's coming back to the blog after a l o n g absence?
I'm missing something, probably very simple, please, can't someone just TELL me?

[Doremi]

John Styx

http://www.courrierinternational.com/article.asp?obj_id=82125

http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/a-sociological-analysis-of-the-rogue-trader/

[azloon]

DOT

'dog' in u.s. male parlance is a less-than-beautiful woman (also called 'coyote ugly,' a reference to a coyote's habit of chewing off it's own limb to escape a trap -- as a man might chew off his own arm the 'morning after' when he looks at the woman in his arms whom he brought home from the bar/saloon the previous evening.

a 'fox' is an extremely attractive woman.

hence, a dog at 10pm, a fox at 2am (with benefit of large quatities of alcohol, and increasing sense of desperation).

i really don't know the femal equivalent of this 'joke' so i invented some animals which might characterize the female sexual imagination.

a 'wolf' is a human male sexual predator. wolves in most cases would not be pursuing dogs, rather going after cousin fox though all bets are off after midnite.

[dot king]

Azloon, ah, all clear then . . . (?)
In England a woman who is unattractive might also be called a "dog" but I hadn't thought this would be what you meant, wot wiv you bein' a gent' an' all that :)
Interestingly, also in English (ie English English not American English), not "fox" but "vixen" is used to describe an artful, cunning woman, one you should beware of, can't trust; Hmm, OK, fine . . .
So what's it all got to do with Sandrine? Or maybe it's a joke from before my blogging days that would lose in the explanantion.
Just when I was about to set Brassens' "Gorille" on you all! ;)

[dot king]

"i invented some animals which might characterize the female sexual imagination." (Azloon)

i've only just noticed this - you must have known some very strange (or interesting) women in your time . . .
;0

[Maggie G]

So what's it all got to do with Sandrine? (Dot)

Dot, Someone somewhere up above said, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", and then Sandrine (who is French) came on after a long absence and said, "I always thought that was "Beauty is in the eyes of the BEERholder" ".

I remarked that this made sense, and compared it to a beer advert that says, "XXX Beer- helping ugly people to have sex since 1879" And then Azloon gave the example of the sober man (or beerholder)who finds the girl not too good looking (dog-like) but who after a few drinks finds she's quite good-looking after all (foxy even).

Hence, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beerholder".

What it has to do with Sandrine is that she "invented" ( or "coined") it.

[Valentin]

I'm sure the poster who started this will disagree with you all: beer alone has never been enough, it still takes a certain leaning of the heart to see the said beauty, be it real or not :]

[Pierre Bernardi]

Ah, I see Valentin's gradually making up for his recent bout of "mufflerie" against Maggie, Dorothy and Lily. Probably worried about the post on his forthcoming saint's day.

[dot king]

"XXX Beer- helping ugly people to have sex since 1879" (Maggie)

Ah, never seen this ad, possibly out since I left the UK, thanks, no more info needed, got it at last . . .

[Valentin]

Ce sont mes trois Muses, Pierre :)

Why is it always that only my own muffleries count as such. Discrimination ! Misandry ! :)

(I'll also note Maggie always fires all guns at me whenever she thinks she got the occasion, and when she's proven wrong, instead of a simple sorry, what do I hear? "Well for this time you're forgiven. But pay attention, you!" As someone uses to say, Ye Gods! :) )

Oh and Pierre, are you quite sure you understood my previous post? :)

[madame ruth]

To whom it may concern:

perfidy will always feel quite at home on this blog

[Valentin]

Naah, we're just teasing each other, Ma'm :) After a heated exchange here, we always meet up for a drink outside. Dorothy is such timid, sensitive girl in real life, she wouldn't hurt a fly.. Lily tells the funniest jokes (which Pierre always laughs laughs his head off to), Maggie G shows her latest poetry (which Terry always makes fun of in a low voice), Rocket brings the finest petits fours (which Luffy, Eygh and myself fill our bellies with sans le moindre scrupule)... A genuine maison des Atrides, quoi :P

[Sylvia]

And what's hapening now ?
Jerôme Kerviel is in jail
And the president of the Société Générale is still the same
What is going to be the end of the story ?
Sylvia

http://www.blog-jerome-kerviel.easy-2-love.com