The Government's April Fools Plan

This is one April Fools Day joke that will have nobody laughing. Apparently, the French government has decided to go on a diet and bring in some much needed cash. There is nothing odd about this except for the fact that the projected 140€ million in savings will be paid by the country's poorest. The government plans to freeze the benefits alloted to families. While this includes the monetary gift alloted at each birth, it also includes the complementary payment for working parents who take a leave of absence (and a pay cut) to raise their children, as well as the money alloted to poorer families for buying basic things like school supplies. The freeze, which was initially proposed to run through January, is now set to last until April . . . . 1st.

PhotoQuai

Today, I was able to visit PHOTOQUAI, a photography exhibit taking place in and across from the Quai Branly museum in Paris. The photos were very nice, each photographer capturing his/her own culture. It wasn't a fluff exposition, though. The Japanese exhibit portrayed the pain of its youth battling with self-mutilation. The Colombian exhibit showed the training of its extreme right militia, who are known for recruiting children.


The exhibit, which presents the work of 46 photographers from 29 countries, runs through November 11.