It is harvest time now: Saffron is widely used in Indian, Persian, European, Arab, and Turkish cuisines. Saffron also has a long medicinal history as part of traditional healing; several modern research studies have hinted that the spice has possible cancer-suppressing, mutation-preventing, immunomodulating, and antioxidant-like properties. The spice contains more than 150 volatile and aroma-yielding compounds. The red stems are then graded via laboratory measurement of colour, taste, and safranal content.  I don't know if the doubtful sanctions also include saffron, but Iran accounts for approximately 90% of the world production of saffron. Maybe this is why in the South of France more people now grow their own saffron. The plants fare poorly in shady conditions, they grow best in full sunlight so the region is perfect. 

The case of the deportation of a 15-year-old girl caught the minds of the French. The good thing about moral outrage is the ambivalence of morality per se. When making politics more brain then heart is necessary to achieve humane solutions. Typical for the current French socialist government - on the one hand says the law about illegal immigration was respected giving his support to Emmanuel Vals, Home Secretary, but on the other hand is also saying that the Roma teenager Leonardo Dibrani can come back to France but only her not her family. Knowing she is 15 and legally not entitled to make such decision without the consent of her parents. 

Her situation is based on these facts: She belongs to the ethnic group of the Ashkali. Ashkali are Albanian-speaking Roma from Kosovo. The girl was born of refugee parents in Italy. Her parents fled to Italy from the fall-out of NATO-led "humanitarian" war against Serbia. Intimately after NATO's warriors had accomplished their work their proteges, the Kosovo-Albanians, which were liberated from Serbian oppression, begun their own version of ethnic cleansing: over 140,000 members of Roma and Ashkali and 100.000 Serbs were kicked out of Kosovo, their houses systematically turned into rubble to make sure a return is not possible.  UNHCR and NATO, at best kept both eyes closed. Therefore, the family fled 15 years ago to Italy. They had paid a fortune to cross the Adria in a speedboat. From then they moved to France, as the father of the young girl said in a interview with AP: "France has a 'better' social system". However in Kosovo they haven't had anything to loose anymore. They fled because their very lives had been under thread by fascist gangs like KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) and their supporters. It was simply the same pattern as it is today happen with Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and actual in Syria. Don't worry these two million syrian refugees will show up in Europa because they don't want to live in the country of their war sponsor from Riyadh and UNHCR will appeal  with emotions, not with plans.

The current government in Paris may not be truly informed about the causes and backgrounds so that it believe in the statements of their predecessors. In reality Kosovo today is definitely a semi-fascist state, recognized only by those few countries that see their bombing spray over Serbia as just. But they have called upon the ghosts of the past.  That was already with the hostage-taking of Itzetbegovic the case as Mr. Mitterrand "negotiated" free passage for the Yugoslav People's Army out of Sarajevo. This "negotiation" lead to the siege of Sarajevo as the JNA comfortably settled in the surrounding mountains for its nearly 5 -year siege of the city. At least since this time it should have dawned on us that interference in the internal affairs of other countries creates responsibilities. If we do not want to over these responsibilities, it leads our strange notion of " responsibility to protect" only to a worsening situation in these countries. What then remains is the knowledge that all these " interventions" in reality have economic reasons. Because if our armies would not use their tanks and helicopters, after the fall of the Warsaw Pact , quickly questions would be asked why and for what this war equipment was ever bought. UNMIK was also quite a fiasco 

This deportation policy is liked by French people.  Sending illegal Roma immigrants back home is a kind of political culture and has included the dismantling of Roma camps across France. Opinion polls show that 93% of French people agree that the Roma do not integrate in France and 77% so the population is supportive of the government's deportation policies. There should be no surprise when during the next elections more extreme parties will gain even more votes. Still it is absolutely clear that these deportations  are completely legal, not only according to French legislative but also to international law.  However, all this deportation will only have an effect if they include accompanying measures, such as assistance to create a existence, to grantee education in the home country and other start-up aid.

Then, but only then, the French people could be sure that most Roma and Ashkali just travel voluntarily and illegally across the borders back to their home countries as they had been coming to France. It is cheaper to pay for a while the "Revenu minimum d'insertion" (RMI) directly to people in Kosovo then in Paris. So, if they could pick up at the French consulate in Pristina there with a kick-start payment, this would spread through the mobile networks like a firestorm. People need their houses back, which were currently occupied by Albanians or destroyed, only their land is left. Their children need free access to the schools of Kosovo. Otherwise there is no hope, and without hope the people will return back to France on the same day on which they landed in Pristina after their deportation . It just does not help when a French mobile phone operator in Kosovo achieved annual sales in the billions , but the company is registered in Monaco and even the calling code of Monaco is to Kosovo. This company is not paying any tax in France, so at least use these cream raisers...
The Germans and Dutch are evicting these people even more ruthless, kicking in doors to apartment at 3 in the night, bringing migrants straight to the airport. And this is why the French-bashing by European Union and Human Rights hippies will not lead to any solution, the only solution is a united European Foreign policy, so these EU member-states , like Romania, Bulgaria,  Czech , Slovakia and Hungry know what they risk if they support evictions of minorities by their radical right wing gangs roaming in Roma Ghettos. The "Old Europe" should remember the problems that are coming out of nationalist narrow minded politics. 

Autumn hast started today the pumpkin and soon the saffron  .

I usually do not post links to reports on other sites, but it is an issue that is of high importance. Knowing the people working in this organisation, "Kokopelli", I have to post their message. I was writing about Kokopelli here in my blog 2 years ago ("who owns nature") You can be sure that this topic will not be mentioned by the mainstream media. They are too cozy with those who are responsible for irresponsible decisions in Brussels. Nevertheless, the development of seeds that are protected by copyright-law is one of the main issues and concerns all of us. 

First of all, let's not forget, Seed is in itself is a good of humanity. It is also a kind of "open source", a gift by nature so to speak. After 15 years of war & conflict reporting I thought nothing can really surprise me anymore. But every now and then, when some bureaucrats are waffling nonsense because they must be compliant to the relevant lobbyists some of their short sighted views are really going too far... If this law, the politically "responsible" European policy makers are proposing we all will be soon in the hands of Bayer-Bio-Tech, Monsanto and this bunch of problem-makers.

The reason why mainstream media will not pick up on this issue is, because they do not want to be boring for their readers and viewers. Secondly, the public is in deed not very much interested. Its a similar public reaction as to the Wikileaks and NSA / Snowdon affairs and the naive statement "I don't have anything to hide". Well, continue to be ignorant to future changes in politics, don't look back into history, and even forget that the cyberspace never forgets anything, even better don't think anything, let your iPhone think for you. But if you are used to use your own mind and brain you will realize that those who own the "intellectual property rights" are also the owner of the seed. 

What does "copyright protected" seeds really mean is this: the crop needs a specific fertilizer. Its GM or a hybrid. You only can by it once. And then next year again, and again, and again. Too bad if you don't have the financial resources to pay for this "copyright protected" seeds. Not only that some poorer farmer in poorer countries will be left out, worse if they don't have the money, they don't get the seed. So they can starve to death once they have had to sell their land. Actually a nice way to cut the budgets for defense spending monsters of our war ministries, we will not need to fight wars anymore, we just starve the people till they surrender. 

That seeds are a common good of humanity, a kind of "open source" gift by nature seems never have crossed the mind of this bureaucrats in Brussels. Otherwise it is simply not understandable how they can sell our very natural property. I'm not talking about mafiosi structures in the bio-tech research business, but copy-right protection of a natural good of humanity is not just absurd it is a step into a unnecessary dependency. And to make matters worse: here in France farmers, by law, are not allowed to keep and store their on seeds, they have to deliver to a seed bank where it will be marked off to be identifiable to the agriculture inspector. How is violating this law will be penalized.  So here the beginning of the Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
on the production and making available on the market of plant reproductive material
(plant reproductive material law)

Article 1
Scope
This Regulation lays down rules on:
the production, with a view to making available on the market, of plant reproductive material protected by intellectual property rights ; and
the making available on the market of such plant reproductive material.

Article 2
Exclusions
This Regulation shall not apply to plant reproductive material:
belonging to the public domain;
intended solely for testing or scientific purposes;
intended solely for breeding purposes;
intended solely for, and maintained by, gene banks, organisations and networks of conservation of genetic resources, or persons belonging to those organisations or networks;
exchanged in kind between persons other than professional operators.

Article 3
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
‘public domain’ means plant reproductive material not protected by any kind of intellectual property rights

to read more (en français)
http://kokopelli-semences.fr/campagne_reforme_ue

French see their economic descent with remarkable composure for so long until it comes to the crunch ... 2 years ago the majority majority made their last vote in protest against the antics of Sarkozy and got M. Hollande as their President Now, during the municipal elections in 2014 another change will most likely take place again, this time 180 degree back. 

The Front National (FN) is at best right-extreme! But No Radical-Right! Radical-right is when violence is applied to archive political demands, such as it is happened with this NSU in Germany, - a terrorist-group, which was killing a larger number of foreigners.  Their dealing was even obscenely veiled by the German version of "Homeland-Security"... The EDL in England, with its anti-Semitic paroles can be described as radical-right, but at least they do not kill.



Everybody who begins a recherché about European Right Wing Parties will immediately realize that in recent years a rapid rise of European right-wing parties has become the norm. Some have won elections or even took over full political responsibility (Hungry). And, where they have not (yet) won electorally, far-right parties continue to force mainstream politicians to echo their xenophobic and Euroskeptic rhetoric. If there would be a referendum today about the agreement to the European Constitution, more voters would opt out of the European Union. The signs for future developments are not giving much hope.  And in the case of Germany, the Neo-Nazis are hosting their racist rubbish in Brega, California. There is no change of shutting down their website because these websites are under US jurisdiction and can't be shut because of "freedom of speech"..., despite the fact that some of the people offering hosting are convicted for racial crimes in Hamburg...

The recent success of the "Front National" (FN) in the South of France during a by-election is a result of consistent image building. The FN won 54% in Brignoles, Cote 'azur, Var. Pretending to be the representative of the "vox pupoli faction" with a party leader who acts like a kind "blond angel of revenge for the small people". Since its adoption as Party-leader from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, his daughter Marine Le Pen is still using Islamophobia, economic crisis and a obvious disinterest  by a wide range of French population with traditional parties like UMP and PS.

The FN does not have by any means a better concept in place. Still, this seems not to matter. Yet. Once they a involed in the parliament and policy making, they will begin with the usual patch-working. And everybody who remembers that the current French president was only elected because out of a profound opposition to his hyper-active predecessor can imagine that this blond Lady is attempting to run for the Presidency. The voter will not care that they will make the goat a gardener. In France this can be a very, very dangerous development! Strangely, for me, living in France as a foreigner and European, I find that the French people in general are the least nationalistic population in Europe!! Even their patriotism is rather naive. My neighbors in the countryside are from all kind of nationalities, like US, Iran, Ireland, UK, Netherlands, you name it, but none of the French people I know have a problem with it! 

So how comes that Le Pen has such success? During the last 3 years Marine Le Pen, the FN as a Party has released itself from ideological ballast. Unlike the UK's UNKIP, the FN is not asking for the "role in the world" the "Grande Nation" has to play. So, nostalgic fashion of a colonial power is not on FN's agenda. Moreover, the former uncritical belief in the "self-healing powers" of so called "Free markets" is off the shelves. And, above all this: Anti-Antisemitism rhetoric, her father blocked himself politically, is a taboo today... 

Thus, the FN does not differ from any other of the European Right-Wing Parties, such as the "True Finns", the "Swiss People's Party", the "Danish People's Party, DF", Austria's "Freedom Party (FPÖ),", Norway's "Progress Party" and Sweden's "Sweden Democrats "- just to mention thus parties which are actively involved in governments.Their program may differ, but not their concepts which are born out of the fear of global cowboy markets. Like everywhere in Europe, except in London, that attacks on the Euro are not forgotten and will not be forgotten till austerity is remaining as the parole of the day. 

The dilemma of the U.S. currency with its debt mountain of 17 trillion, and its money printing machine is simply frightening for many French people who see themselves as being hostage to clueless "Tea-Party" Rebells in their Obama-Bashing. China's economy is not out of the woods and still on shaky grounds: one larger unrest in China can easily paralyze the countries economy once the human-rights-hippies and pundits of Washington's Thank-Tank battalions are complaining about China's way to deal with internal unrests...  It is simply the fact: French people don't like to be bossed around under the mask of a an foggy globalist agenda that only benefits global enterprises. French people don't have anything out of it and want their daily 2 hour lunch break. Anyway, with their former colonies, now called "overseas departments", which are fully integrated into all state affairs, French people can supply themselves without help of S&P, Finch and other "cleverlies". In a way they are much more generous them crude capitalism of profit vultures in the temples of Wallstreet.. 

It is not radical-right to reject the constant threats of ever more humanitarian wars, and the Laurent Fabuis did not made himself a favor to promote publicly that the national air-force should become a air-force for alQaida in Syria. Why should someone be happy about products in supermarket chains, which in turn only pay a small amount of tax in the countries they operate, while they are driving the local producers into bankruptcy. France has its own efficient agriculture, it does not need GM apples and potatoes from remote countries who's quality is at best not verifiable. What concerns many French people is the extinction of socially important professions such as Butchers, bakers, carpenters, and craftsmen, brought to the bring by taxing them to an extent which led many of them to close down their businesses. In France these were over 70.000 per year that went under. But its the small and mid-size business that is by far providing the majority of employment opportunities, not the global player!Before writing about a  "Radical-Right" success and then only to get into personal descriptions  a more relaxed approach would be helpful to understand that like UMP and now PS also the FN will and can not touch the real root France's problems: the unwillingness to kill the "golden calf",  retirement policies and the structures of a "nanny-state". When a opera ballerina goes into retirement in the young age of 40, while a brick-layer must toil hard till he is 63, something is wrong. The minimum wage did not prevent undeclared work but favored it, - and led to an incredibly high youth unemployment. Not even the FN will change this! 

Hollande's PS justice minister, Christiane Taubira is only helping FN to gain more and more ground. There are really problems to be solved, like youth-unemployment, cutting down drastically the state functionary privileges, improving research in technology, especially in terms of renewable forms of energy because the nuclear spoiled population has to get used to raising energy prices, transportation etc, etc. As  Mme Taubira began her campaign for gay marriages first the people did not wanted to hear about it, and as the tohowabou in the medias was getting on their nerves the discussion only unified all Conservative elements, showing UMP walking hand in hand with FN demonstrating against the new laws.  Then the war in Mali, then the thread of war in Syria, while while much more important problems in their own country are burning under the fingernails.

The decapitators of the French Revolution had also with all their gruesome work completely forgotten to draft a new constitution. After 2 years, the nightmare was over then and the Revolution got hijacked by the rest of the European Queens & King & Emperors. So, there is a kind of unconscious solidarity among the population. The recent election results only indicate the impression as if many French people simply did not have overcome (and probably never will) their rebellious youth and simply vote naive.