In the administrative division of France, the department (French: département, pronounced: [depaʁtəmɑ̃]) is one of the three levels of government below the national level, between the region and the commune. Departments are further subdivided into 342 arrondissements, themselves divided into cantons; the latter two have no autonomy and are used for the organisation of public services or elections.
Departments are administered by elected General Councils (conseil général) and their Presidents, whose main areas of responsibility include the management of a number of social and welfare allowances, of junior high school (collège) buildings and technical staff, of local roads and school and rural buses, and a contribution to municipal infrastructures. Local services of the State administration are traditionally organised at departmental level, where the Prefect represents the Government; however, regions have gained importance in this regard since the 2000s, with some department-level services merged into region-level services.
France (English i/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
General council may refer to:
In education:
In medicine:
In politics and government:
In trade:
In other fields:
Angela Dorothea Merkel, German: [aŋˈɡeːla doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛʁkl̩] ( listen); née Kasner (born 17 July 1954) is the Chancellor of Germany and Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany.
A physical chemist by professional background, Merkel entered politics in the wake of the Revolutions of 1989 and briefly served as the deputy spokesperson for Lothar de Maizière's democratically elected East German government prior to the German reunification. Following reunification in 1990, she was elected to the Bundestag, where she has represented the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since. She served as Federal Minister for Women and Youth 1991–1994 and as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety 1994–1998 in Helmut Kohl's fourth and fifth cabinets. She was Secretary General of the CDU 1998–2000, and was elected chairperson in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was also chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary coalition.
After her election as Chancellor following the 2005 federal election, she led a grand coalition consisting of her own CDU party, its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), until 2009. In the 2009 federal election, the CDU obtained the largest share of the votes, and formed a coalition government with the CSU and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced [ni.kɔ.la saʁ.kɔ.zi] ( listen), born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa; 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as the 23rd President of the French Republic from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012.
Before his presidency, he was leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Under Jacques Chirac's presidency he served as Minister of the Interior in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's (UMP) first two governments (from May 2002 to March 2004), then was appointed Minister of Finances in Raffarin's last government (March 2004 to May 2005) and again Minister of the Interior in Dominique de Villepin's government (2005–2007).
Sarkozy was also president of the General council of the Hauts-de-Seine department from 2004 to 2007 and mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of the wealthiest communes of France from 1983 to 2002. He was Minister of the Budget in the government of Édouard Balladur (RPR, predecessor of the UMP) during François Mitterrand's last term.
In foreign affairs, he promised a strengthening of the entente cordiale with the United Kingdom and closer cooperation with the United States. During his term, he faced the late-2000s financial crisis (followed by the recession and the debt crisis caused by it) and the Arab Spring (especially in Tunisia, Libya, and Syria). He also married Italian-French singer-songwriter Carla Bruni on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Way down in the south of France
All the ladies love to dance
Kick their heels up in the air
Snap their fingers for romance
While the gentlemen compare
Blonde or black or auburn hair
Check the motion and the style
Oh, you know they take their while
Hey to make the motion more complete
Yeah, to make it more a treat
Club Du jour is where to go
Come on down and see the show
When the rhythm's really right
You can burn it down tonight
When the singing's really fine
Sweet as Spanish Sherry Wine
When the club can't contain the beat
It just rolls out in the street
Spills on down the avenue
Bringing dancers to their feet
When it's good as it can be
It gets better, wait and see
Oh, these folks don't never sleep
'Til their passed out in the street, Ha!
Way down in the south of France
All the ladies love to dance
Clap their hands and walk on air
Yeah the feeling's really there
Won't you take a little taste
Raise it to your charming face?
When the rhythm's really right, you can burn it down tonight
When the singing's really fine, sweet as Spanish Sherry Wine
Go on take a chance
Early in the morning
I was in my bed
My baby turned and kissed
On the top of my head
Made me breakfast
Sent me on my way
Kissed me on the lips
And said ‘Have a nice day’
She had me right where she wanted
I was in a trance
Ain’t nothing wrong with Texas
But I’d really love to go to France
I would do most anything
But I’m still making payments
On her wedding ring
I went to my employer
Mr. Hayes
I’ve been working like a mother
How ‘bout a doggone raise
Money is tight
You know there ain’t no chance
Won’t you reconsider
My baby wants to go to France
I see us walking
Along the Champs Elysees
Exchanging kisses
In a small French café
Wake up momma
Don’t you fret
I found two cheap tickets
On the internet
We leave on Monday
For two whole weeks
All we have to do is just
Eat and sleep
I had her right where I wanted
She was in a trance
Ain’t nothing wrong with Texas
I said, "David, put that seven-inch on
about loving bad boys and then dance with me."
He said, "Silly ass bitch, that's my favorite song."
He put it on and we danced around like monkeys.
And when we couldn't move,
we played monkey ball two,
it's a good thing to do when you're done touring.
There's MeeMee and GonGon
and platforms to land on,
And in the next room we heard Andre snoring.
So we took the dog for a walk in the park,
and we walked,
and we didn't say anything.
At least that I can repeat,
cause all we did was talk shit
about people that we think are boring.
The phone rang,
it was Nen,
and he was at the Pop,
And he said
"Hurry up! Hang out with me!"
And we did cause I like the Pop
And open mic,
And Nen, and David is the the MC.
And we sang songs all night long,
and we danced.
We sang songs all night long
and we danced,
in France.
I like France, Alita and Clementine,
don't go to shows but they're hip to the scene.
Jailbait, late for school again.
La Bolduc and El Boidi,
duking it out for a piece of the pie,
and I finally got mine.
The lemon-meringue kind.
Me and my friend Lisa B,
Girls bein' girls at the monoprix again,
shoppin', trippin' bourlaren
shoppin' tripping' bourlaren.
Well, they were lost in the mist
and they didn't have time
to see what I could see
and it hurt me.
And they were driving around with the stereo on,
and there was nothing on the air to relieve me.
We were sitting in the back,
and in the mirror I could see
that you were pointing you guns towards me.
And I knew from the start
that your heart was mine,
but you were too sick a person to marry me.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
Sheer wonder, baby.
The ideal girl,
In London from France
Came Over and left me,
She left me entranced.
Now I have to get by,
Once again on my own,
Nothing but... memories.
See i remember your eyes,
In their dark shade of brown,
While these blue eyes of mine,
They stay closed.
I kissed you goodby on the M-109
I choked as I watched the bus go, oh-oh
Choking and smoking to your angelic soul,
Choking and smoking myself into a hole,
where the only way out is to sleep and to dream,
The ideal girl,
In London from France
Came Over and left me,
She left me entranced.
Now I have to get by,
Once again on my own,
Nothing but... memories.
See i remember your eyes,
In their dark shade of brown,
While these blue eyes of mine,
They stay closed.
I kissed you goodby on the M-109
I choked as I watched the bus go, oh-oh
[Instrumental chorus]
Choking and smoking to your angelic soul,
Choking and smoking myself into a hole,
where the only way out is to sleep and to dream,
and to cry... out your na-a-ame
Allons, enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrive,
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L'etendard sanglant est leve,
L'etendard sanglant est leve.
Entendez-vous, dans le campagnes,
Mugir ces feroces soldats?
Ils viennent jusque dans no bras,
Egorger nos fils, nos compagnes.
Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Marchons! Marchons!
Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons!
i dont care its three a.m., put on your coate!
we neede braide, hot-heads and a box of dr. coke.
i slap you if youe laughh to thinnkh these is a joke, (NO!)
so grab your piggy boat and let outt the ghoat.
what do you vant? i bait they haive it,
talkinge boiys of plaistck, tricks of magick,
double-authomatick wipes for the crapshaith,
kites for a bahd kid, the total is addhed,
i shith my paints! under fhourteen!
i like this becaws im affording
soape for rechording aind magnaitic flooring,
weave got to gait goinge, oh yais, one more thinge!
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groovey (Move it!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-shaith
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Watch me jump in a box of candy
And leaving some crownchies and pepperment sandies
In the front they have poo(?) for grannies
Then I get (???)
I like the machines they are having in the back
Put in 25 cent and get out a poo-stank
What's that? Two dollar eight for a two pack
Put it in your pants and run out in your loot bag
Oh, everything's on sale
If they don't have it, they put it in the mail
But we take it for free
(Ahem!)
What the hell?
(Put on your coat, you're going to jail)
Oh, shaith!
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groovey (Move it!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-shaith
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Oh shaith, shiggity-shaith
Don't piss us off, even a little bit
Oh shaith, shiggity-shaith
Don't pee your pants like a (toot-toot) kaid
Oh shaith, shiggity-shaith
Don't piss us off, even a little bit
Oh shaith, shiggity-shaith
And you pee your pants like a (toot-toot) kaid
Put on your coat, we go to the store
With a two-for-one deal at 1:44
Get there be quick or be kicked to the floor
By Hashmeer, (REX!), (and mister Blade Razorr)
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-es
Sheven-Eleven Groovey (Move it!)
Put on my baseball cap and my shoe-shaith
Sheven-Eleven Groove (Move!)
Paris isn't that romantic
If you don't have any money
Those cafés aren't so cute to walk by
When you're hungry
Our campground on the outskirts of town
Was all we could afford to do
We were so sick of bein' in the big cities
This one seemed so rude, rude, rude
We mailed home all our huge rolls of film
And all the change that we couldn't use
We bumped into some girls that we knew from Texas
Saw the Mona Lisa, her smile seemed so cruel
And we used our last ticket to take the train
To a boat on the coast that would take us away
To a place that we hoped
Would be the end of our sorrows
When we got there we were way too late
There was no way we could leave that day
We'd have to find a place to stay
And try again tomorrow
We found a secret place to crash
In a bush by the docks
That was filled with trash
We cleared a spot and we called it a day
And I wished that I brought my guitar
As I looked through the bush
Up at the stars
Fell asleep and got woke up by the rain
We waited on the porch for the doors to open
And we asked the guy if there was any reason hopin'
He said, "Don't give up,
Cross your fingers, wish for luck"
So I cast my spells and I made my curses
Wishin' that a truck would get stuck
And then we could take their place,