French Election Cage Match: Sarkozy vs. Royal

It's a landmark election today for the Fifth Republic (though this is only the runoff); for the first time France appears ready to elect a President born after World War 2, and whichever of the front-runners succeeds it promises to be a first.

Will it be Segolene Royal, a Socialist and a female, or will it be Nicolas Sarkozy, a centre-right child of Hungarian immigrants?

Either way, voter registration is reported as being high, and voter turnout may yet surpass the all-time high (just shy of 85%) from the 1965 contest, in which the incumbent Charles deGaulle defeated Francois Mitterand (who was eventually elected in 1981 and served the longest presidential term yet - 14 years - as a Socialist). Just FYI.

Now Showing - David Campbell's "Earth Song"

In keeping with the theme, here is another video from my friend David Campbell.

Happy Earth Day

Really, though, don't you think every day should be Earth Day? Huh? Well don't you?

Actually there are two, and this is where it gets confusing.

The first ever Earth Day was proclaimed by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21st, 1970.

Earth Day, by UN decree, was first observed on that day in 1971.

The second, by an act of Congress sponsored by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, was first celebrated April 22nd 1970. It's a start, I guess. Two down, only 363 to go. So for now it's duelling Earth Days, y'all!

As UN Secretary-General U Thant said in 1971: "May there only be peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life."

Amen.