France "telethon"
If you turn your television on, here in France, and tune into T2 (a nationalised chain) during the next 30 hours, you will only find something called "telethon" a sort of mix of the words "TELE" and mara"THON".
Many radios cover the event over the 30 hours, as well, making it an enormous event.
Essentially an appeal for funds for various charities, medical foundations, amongst other things, EVERY Village, Hamlet, Town, City, Metropole, basically stops this weekens, to allow all the various "happenings" to "happen". For example, outside my home, these two days are the ONLY two days in the year when basically SILENCE reigns, no cars, motor-bikes and the like pass by, none are parked (mainly illegaly and/or badly) because the Telethon is on the go!
I thank the Telethon for this wonderful silence, and apart from going to take a couple of pictures (which you can see tomorrow or Sunday on these pages) pay my "due" to one of the Charities (a sort of silence payment), I avoid all of the multiple events going on everywhere.
Although commendable in it's intentions, the Telethon has, unfortunately, become almost a blackmail, or "highway robbery, a la Robin Hood". If you move and/or approach these militant people (mainly females) you risk life and limb, unless you poke up a few euros for their collection boxes!
They don't actually agress you if you don't give, but they let you, and everybody in the surrounding kilometres, know their opinion about you! Doesn't matter if you've given elsewhere, or if you have difficulty giving for yourself, they let the world know!
Year for year, this event raises, in pledges and cash, hundred's of millions of Euros. Being French, they love to translate it all into the old currency, French Francs, because that makes it sound even more, but just last year, I beleive, the amount raised, nation-wide, was some 500 MILLION euros!!!
I am one of those whos stay, very quietly, in the background, and who would like to pose some questions as to where all this money goes every year, one of those who would like to see the legal accounts promised every year, but never seen. This year's Telethon will be the 19th!!
Personnally, I have never seen one published official account, although they are promised, year in and year out!
Value your life? Just don't say anything, or at least, not too loudly!
Last Wednesday, on market day, I had the pleasure to be approached by a lady with 1 and one half legs, in a wheelchair, and her male friend, and requested to buy a rose (which looked rather dead) for 1 euro, for the Telethon! I didn't, and they were not pleased.
On my tour of the local Supermarket an hour later, I had the pleasure to see them again (difficult to recognize, such people) busily buying their cheap wine.
I ask myself simply, what is the difference between them, and those who call themselves "involved in research" who cream off the vast amounts given, which seem to "disappear" every year.
I'm sure that, worldwide, there are many other examples of this form of "culture", and those who cream off in grand style, continue to live in Grand Villas, and drive Grand cars etc. The majority of them despise the beggars in the streets!!!! (See the article following about France-Telecom and others). What should one do with such people? Help them medically, because of their eviden delusions of grandeur? Or flog them in public?
I know, but I'm a sadist!!
Many radios cover the event over the 30 hours, as well, making it an enormous event.
Essentially an appeal for funds for various charities, medical foundations, amongst other things, EVERY Village, Hamlet, Town, City, Metropole, basically stops this weekens, to allow all the various "happenings" to "happen". For example, outside my home, these two days are the ONLY two days in the year when basically SILENCE reigns, no cars, motor-bikes and the like pass by, none are parked (mainly illegaly and/or badly) because the Telethon is on the go!
I thank the Telethon for this wonderful silence, and apart from going to take a couple of pictures (which you can see tomorrow or Sunday on these pages) pay my "due" to one of the Charities (a sort of silence payment), I avoid all of the multiple events going on everywhere.
Although commendable in it's intentions, the Telethon has, unfortunately, become almost a blackmail, or "highway robbery, a la Robin Hood". If you move and/or approach these militant people (mainly females) you risk life and limb, unless you poke up a few euros for their collection boxes!
They don't actually agress you if you don't give, but they let you, and everybody in the surrounding kilometres, know their opinion about you! Doesn't matter if you've given elsewhere, or if you have difficulty giving for yourself, they let the world know!
Year for year, this event raises, in pledges and cash, hundred's of millions of Euros. Being French, they love to translate it all into the old currency, French Francs, because that makes it sound even more, but just last year, I beleive, the amount raised, nation-wide, was some 500 MILLION euros!!!
I am one of those whos stay, very quietly, in the background, and who would like to pose some questions as to where all this money goes every year, one of those who would like to see the legal accounts promised every year, but never seen. This year's Telethon will be the 19th!!
Personnally, I have never seen one published official account, although they are promised, year in and year out!
Value your life? Just don't say anything, or at least, not too loudly!
Last Wednesday, on market day, I had the pleasure to be approached by a lady with 1 and one half legs, in a wheelchair, and her male friend, and requested to buy a rose (which looked rather dead) for 1 euro, for the Telethon! I didn't, and they were not pleased.
On my tour of the local Supermarket an hour later, I had the pleasure to see them again (difficult to recognize, such people) busily buying their cheap wine.
I ask myself simply, what is the difference between them, and those who call themselves "involved in research" who cream off the vast amounts given, which seem to "disappear" every year.
I'm sure that, worldwide, there are many other examples of this form of "culture", and those who cream off in grand style, continue to live in Grand Villas, and drive Grand cars etc. The majority of them despise the beggars in the streets!!!! (See the article following about France-Telecom and others). What should one do with such people? Help them medically, because of their eviden delusions of grandeur? Or flog them in public?
I know, but I'm a sadist!!
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