Some time ago I wrote of an internet scam whereby £500 was taken out of my bank account by fraudsters unknown. Some, including me, may well have thought that in future you'd avoid buying things via the internet and only write cheques in future. Well, now it seems that even that payment method is open to abuse, especially here in France.
A British fraudster called Warren Templeton recently stole millions of euros from expats. He posed as a financial advisor, asking his victims to make out cheques to a well-known French bank Societe Generale. He told them that he would invest their money into one of the bank's high interest funds. Instead, the conman was able to pay the money directly into his own personal accounts - and fund his own lavish lifestyle of luxury cars and a chateau in the Dordogne.
What is particularly worrying is that it is apparently standard practice in France for a customer to be able to deposit a cheque into their own account, despite it being made out in the bank's name. All you need to do is sign the back of the cheque! This practice has been outlawed in many countries, including the UK, for many years - but not in France!
So, expats in France, be warned. If you need to make out a cheque to an organisation, make sure you also include a specific account no. on the payee line. If you don't know these details, put something on the back of the cheque like 'the destination of this cheque is ...... and is intended only for the benefit of......(your own name)/it should not be countersigned'.
20th September 2009
I'm back! Somehow I'm still in one piece, but I don't know how. On Friday, me and 'him indoors' returned to France from a great trip to the USA, but the return journey was a complete disaster. Don't get me wrong - the planes landed safely, but everything else that could go wrong, did. The American end of the flight ran smoothly enough. The trouble started at the changeover at Heathrow. We were very tired at the London customs point and almost didn't notice the beep as we walked through the customs xray door. But now I understand why Diana Ross made all that fuss several years ago. For some reason we were both roughly body-searched. Yes - us - an ordinary couple in our 60s. Then, whilst struggling to put on our shoes and other outerwear, a rude second official said, and I quote, 'if you don't hurry up and move your bags from the belt, I won't be responsible for my actions!' When we finally boarded the European flight, we - along with the rest of the passengers - sat for some time listening to a horrendous 'sawing' noise coming from one of the engines. Eventually, the pilot said there was a fault and that we'd all have to get off the plane and wait for another one to be made ready. But, shouldn't the engineers have checked everything before we all boarded?? And, had the second plane been checked? Didn't fill nervous fliers like me with much confidence. Two very weary passengers arrived at Blagnac, Toulouse after 10 hours travelling without any sleep, only to find our checked baggage missing - the only ones from the whole flight! Had they gone astray in the US, at Heathrow or here? As usual, no officials in sight as we frantically tried to locate them. Eventually I spotted a BA stewardess and she explained to me. The monitors that showed that our flight's baggage had gone to belt 2 did not refer to those, like us, who had made a connecting flight from somewhere else! Oh - I should have realised that??? Our bags were sitting all on their own on a completely different belt, but as I struggled to put them at last on our trolley, a customs official appeared from nowhere and asked me what was in my cardboard box. I told him it was a new pool cover bought in the US. Where is the receipt? I didn't know or care. But, when I told him the price in dollars, he shrugged and said O.K. waving us on and out of the airport. You think that was the end of it? No. When we went to the carpark payment machine, we discovered a horrendous charge because, whilst we were away, our usual P2 park had changed from long-stay to a daily rate.
Sometimes I wonder why we go on holiday at all! Oh well, c'est la vie!
Sometimes I wonder why we go on holiday at all! Oh well, c'est la vie!
2nd September 2009
A while ago I wrote about Vera Lynn, the 'forces' sweetheart'. As tomorrow will be the 70th anniversary of the start of WW2, I was amazed to see that Vera is the oldest person ever to appear in the music charts - her new album is currently no. 20! Not bad for someone in their 90s.
It seems that I'm not the only one to love the nostalgia of the old days. The old Victorine Studios in Nice, that produced such memorable films in the '50s as 'To Catch a Thief' by Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, has now been reborn by popular demand as Studios Riviera. Another film from the same studios starred that French bombshell Brigitte Bardot in the never-to-be-forgotten 'Et Dieu..Crea la Femme' (And God Created Woman) in 1956.
When BB first burst onto the film scene, France was in post-war austerity and her vivaceous looks and wanton displays on film made her box-office dynamite. Unfortunately time never stands still, and BB is 75 this month. Famously she has eschewed cosmetic surgery as she now concentrates on animal welfare and her love of St. Tropez.
To mark BB's 75th, the first ever exhibition of her life opens on the 29th of this month in Boulogne-Billancourt where she filmed 6 of her films. If you're in the region, don't miss it. Called The Carefree Years, it includes extracts from her films, details of her lovers, posters and, of course, images of the young BB with heavy eyeliner and a riot of tumbling blond hair. The exhibition runs until next January, entrance 11 euros.
And me? I'm feeling a little old too so will take some time out to recharge my batteries. Don't worry....I'll be back reinvigorated on the 20th.
It seems that I'm not the only one to love the nostalgia of the old days. The old Victorine Studios in Nice, that produced such memorable films in the '50s as 'To Catch a Thief' by Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, has now been reborn by popular demand as Studios Riviera. Another film from the same studios starred that French bombshell Brigitte Bardot in the never-to-be-forgotten 'Et Dieu..Crea la Femme' (And God Created Woman) in 1956.
When BB first burst onto the film scene, France was in post-war austerity and her vivaceous looks and wanton displays on film made her box-office dynamite. Unfortunately time never stands still, and BB is 75 this month. Famously she has eschewed cosmetic surgery as she now concentrates on animal welfare and her love of St. Tropez.
To mark BB's 75th, the first ever exhibition of her life opens on the 29th of this month in Boulogne-Billancourt where she filmed 6 of her films. If you're in the region, don't miss it. Called The Carefree Years, it includes extracts from her films, details of her lovers, posters and, of course, images of the young BB with heavy eyeliner and a riot of tumbling blond hair. The exhibition runs until next January, entrance 11 euros.
And me? I'm feeling a little old too so will take some time out to recharge my batteries. Don't worry....I'll be back reinvigorated on the 20th.
30th August 2009
I've always hated guns. I just don't understand why anyone would want to take someone's or something's life away. And to those who belong to 'responsible' shooting clubs and ask why they should be denied such enjoyment, I would ask if people should be allowed to use atomic bombs for bowling practice - after all, they're responsible people and they enjoy it, so why not?? And, for protection? If there were no guns, then no-one would need protecting from one. Man is a temperamental beast and inevitably, when he is angered, he may well reach for the nearest weapon. It's a vicious circle. Be like a woman: no-one ever got killed from a rolling-pin!
So, I dread the start of the hunting season in France, which runs from Sep - Mar each year. The hunters make up their own rules, especially when the land borders two departements with different rules. No self-respecting dog-owner can even think of walking in the woods at this time for fear of being shot! The hunters themselves are required to wear fluorescent jackets, but what about everyone else? I was pleased to see that wildlife preservation group Aspas has called for more controls to be put on the sport and has described the lack of a single nationwide set of rules as 'scandalous'.
But, if you're unfortunate enough to own property within 150m of 'hunting' land, beware! It's no good saying 'I told you so' after you've been well and truly shot. Whether it's an accident or not, you're still dead!
So, I dread the start of the hunting season in France, which runs from Sep - Mar each year. The hunters make up their own rules, especially when the land borders two departements with different rules. No self-respecting dog-owner can even think of walking in the woods at this time for fear of being shot! The hunters themselves are required to wear fluorescent jackets, but what about everyone else? I was pleased to see that wildlife preservation group Aspas has called for more controls to be put on the sport and has described the lack of a single nationwide set of rules as 'scandalous'.
But, if you're unfortunate enough to own property within 150m of 'hunting' land, beware! It's no good saying 'I told you so' after you've been well and truly shot. Whether it's an accident or not, you're still dead!
23 August 2009
I see the English A-level results are out. They make disappointing reading. Today no-one fails. After a lifetime spent working in university admissions, never have I seen a time when practically every applicant offers straight As or Bs. Years ago, this was rare - such students inevitably going to high-flying medical schools. Universities are now reduced to offering their own more rigorous entrance exams, making a nonesense of the A-level exam in general.
So, what does France do? At 15, continuing education is decided by exam, students with the greatest aptitude going to a lycee (high school) until 18 to study for the baccalaureat exam. In the second form, students can choose to follow the vocational system in law, science, medicine, dentistry, fine arts etc. or the more rigorous selection system. A much better system.
In today's Guardian, the UK government-appointed science tsar, John Holman, says that science exams are 'not fit for purpose'. I would go further and say that the whole English education system is not fit for purpose. Many years ago I wrote to the then Education Minister, Sir Keith Joseph, and said that what was needed was to retain the excellent grammar school system but to upgrade the old English secondary-moderns to new, improved technical schools offering apprenticeship schemes allied to industry. But, what did they do? Abolish the grammar schools, and send everyone to dummed-down Comprehensives! If only they had listened to me!
So, what does France do? At 15, continuing education is decided by exam, students with the greatest aptitude going to a lycee (high school) until 18 to study for the baccalaureat exam. In the second form, students can choose to follow the vocational system in law, science, medicine, dentistry, fine arts etc. or the more rigorous selection system. A much better system.
In today's Guardian, the UK government-appointed science tsar, John Holman, says that science exams are 'not fit for purpose'. I would go further and say that the whole English education system is not fit for purpose. Many years ago I wrote to the then Education Minister, Sir Keith Joseph, and said that what was needed was to retain the excellent grammar school system but to upgrade the old English secondary-moderns to new, improved technical schools offering apprenticeship schemes allied to industry. But, what did they do? Abolish the grammar schools, and send everyone to dummed-down Comprehensives! If only they had listened to me!
16 August 2009
Full summer in the Tarn et Garonne. Temperature: 37 degrees and rising. Pool: like chicken soup. Tourists everywhere: mainly Brits and Dutch. You can tell the Dutch: taller, thinner versions of the Brits, but they don't spend any money, they arrive in caravans, and even though they're entering the land of le bien manger, they bring their drink and sandwiches with them.
For those who are gite owners, there's the usual confusion over taxes. French bureaucracy rules O.K. 2 main types of tax: auto-entrepreneur and the micro system. Difference? Under the former, you have to pay mandatory 'social charges' (as do all French employees; it's like English N.I.) based on turnover, while for the latter tax is paid on profit after expenses. Apparently the crucial difference is if you are providing extra services (!), then it's deemed a business and you pay 21.3% social charges rate.
As someone who never understood tax laws even in the UK, don't ask me. Why do the authorities have to make things so difficult? Well, I'll tell you. It's the same on the roads. They love to instal as few kph road signs as possible, for long, long stretches of road, so that strangers never know the max speed limit. Then, as with the 'deliberate' tax obfuscation - someone in authority can enjoy schadenfreude and bonus points at catching as many 'criminals' as possible.Oh no, I fear the job's worth song 's here yet again:
Job's worth, job's worth
It's more than my job's worth
I don't care, rain or snow,
whatever you want, the answer's no
I can keep you waiting for ever in the queue
And if you don't like it, you know what you can do....
For those who are gite owners, there's the usual confusion over taxes. French bureaucracy rules O.K. 2 main types of tax: auto-entrepreneur and the micro system. Difference? Under the former, you have to pay mandatory 'social charges' (as do all French employees; it's like English N.I.) based on turnover, while for the latter tax is paid on profit after expenses. Apparently the crucial difference is if you are providing extra services (!), then it's deemed a business and you pay 21.3% social charges rate.
As someone who never understood tax laws even in the UK, don't ask me. Why do the authorities have to make things so difficult? Well, I'll tell you. It's the same on the roads. They love to instal as few kph road signs as possible, for long, long stretches of road, so that strangers never know the max speed limit. Then, as with the 'deliberate' tax obfuscation - someone in authority can enjoy schadenfreude and bonus points at catching as many 'criminals' as possible.Oh no, I fear the job's worth song 's here yet again:
Job's worth, job's worth
It's more than my job's worth
I don't care, rain or snow,
whatever you want, the answer's no
I can keep you waiting for ever in the queue
And if you don't like it, you know what you can do....
9 August 2009
Ever since the days of Enoch Powell there's been discrimination against immigrants, all over the world. In those far off days when first I read his 'rivers of blood' speech, I never thought we ourselves would one day be immigrants in a foreign land. But, here we are. And what has all this taught me? That there are many things we can learn from others - especially how they look after and care for their families.
Here in France there is a law that says 'children owe maintenance to their father and mother or other ascendants who are in need'. For this law to kick in, the father or mother (or both) must be in need; that is to say he or she cannot sustain themselves as their estate and revenues are too little. In this case children are personally obliged to contribute, in proportion to their respective wealth. However, the obligation of a spouse to maintain his/her spouse comes first, so the children can refuse to comply if the other parent is still alive and in a position to provide.
When parents and children do not live in the same country, the Hague Convention applies (signatories include the US and the EU). In practice this means that if a parent lives in the UK but the children live in France, the parent could apply to a French law to enforce the maintenance responsibilities. Elsewhere, it's possible but costly to enforce a ruling abroad.
But what a thing, when you need to go to court for something that should come naturally. Wasn't it the 4th commandment (or was it the 5th?): honour thy mother and father?
So, those arriving families from the 3rd world - with grandmothers in tow - can still teach us a thing or two.
Here in France there is a law that says 'children owe maintenance to their father and mother or other ascendants who are in need'. For this law to kick in, the father or mother (or both) must be in need; that is to say he or she cannot sustain themselves as their estate and revenues are too little. In this case children are personally obliged to contribute, in proportion to their respective wealth. However, the obligation of a spouse to maintain his/her spouse comes first, so the children can refuse to comply if the other parent is still alive and in a position to provide.
When parents and children do not live in the same country, the Hague Convention applies (signatories include the US and the EU). In practice this means that if a parent lives in the UK but the children live in France, the parent could apply to a French law to enforce the maintenance responsibilities. Elsewhere, it's possible but costly to enforce a ruling abroad.
But what a thing, when you need to go to court for something that should come naturally. Wasn't it the 4th commandment (or was it the 5th?): honour thy mother and father?
So, those arriving families from the 3rd world - with grandmothers in tow - can still teach us a thing or two.
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