Struck

We haven't felt to much effect from the big story in France today. Of course, why should President Sarkozy separating from his wife affect us?

The president's office ... clarified that the pair had divorced. That makes Nicolas Sarkozy not only the first divorcé to serve as president of France, but also the first to separate from his spouse while in office. Immediately after the news was broadcast on radio and television stations, striking protesters in the port city of Le Havre shouted, "Cécilia, we are like you! We are fed up with Nicolas!"

Of course, the strike has a more direct effect on the public, but it really hasn't hit us. Betsy's bike commute was largely unaffected, and I even managed to find a Velib' to get back from my tutoring session at lunchtime. Apparently not everyone could - 130,000 Parisians have memberships in the new short-term bike rental network, for only 10-15,000 bikes right now - but between more pedestrians, skateboarders, rollerbladers, and cyclists on the streets, and seemingly fewer cars, it wasn't bad at all. Carter and Calvin report only a couple of absences at school, although one teacher took a reported five (5!) hours to get across town to school.

Really, this has an even bigger effect on all of us!

The 13-nation euro jumped to a new record on Thursday against the U.S. dollar, breaking through the US$1.43 mark after Washington reported a spike in jobless claims — the latest in a spate of bad economic news from the United States.