CPE / CNE ?

One thing that you won't be able to ignore when living in France, other than their big appetite for wheat, is their passion for strikes. These kind of strikes make life, let's say, a tid bit more miserable, especially when we don't have our black mercedes riding swiftly on Parisian cement taking us from point A to B. You must understand, the Parisian subway network (le metro) is more than mere transportation. For thousands of people like me, it's a way of life. So once you realise that about 80 people are standing and cursing at the station, I'd say you're better off taking the cab. And oops, after paying about 8 times what you normally would on a metro ride, you realise that the campus is closed. Strike again :)

Okay, so that may just be one of my sarcastic typing ability bragging online, because it never quite happened that way... yet. Anyhow, a strike is currently being held in public universities all around France, opposing the CPE / CNE. What are they? Please let me explain.

A flyer distributed in one of the campus writes:
Le Contrat Premiere Embauche (CPE) est un contrat pour tous les jeunes de moins de 26 ans, avec une "periode d'essai" de 2 ans, pendant laquelle on peut se faire virer sans que l'employeur ait a donner de motif. Le Contrat Nouvel Embauche (CNE) est la meme chose, pour tous les employes dans les entreprises de moins de 20 salaries. Pour un CDD, la periode d'essai est de 1 mois et pour un CDI, cette periode est generalement de 3 mois.

Loosely translated into:
The first employment contract (CPE in French) is a contract for everyone under 26 years old, with a "probation period" of 2 years, in which during the time one can be dismissed without the employer having to give any explanation. The new employment contract (CNE) is the same for companies employing less than 20 employees. For CDD (Contrat a Duree Determinee - limited period contract), the probation period is 1 month, when it is 3 months for CDI (Contrat a Duree Indetermine - undetermined period contract).

Basically, this new system aims to reduce unemployment amongst fresh graduates in France, by protecting us from the devil's cycle of being employed as stagiaire (intern) again and again. Companies are afraid of employing "real" employees here, and I can't blame them. Essentially, one has to go through a series of rules including precise numbers of verbal and written warnings before kicking a "real" employee out. Imagine that there's a total a*s in your company and even you don't have the legitimacy of sacking the bugger. They'd sue you, and their win is almost always sure.

On the other hand, internship programs here do not include social security, do not pay for food, let alone bills. Or worse, some don't even get paid, period. And yes, internships don't count as first professional experience either, but as "labour-related" experience. Best bet is, once that 3-6 months is gone, graduated, one would be all motivated to start his/her career. But all enterprises can offer is another damn internship paying 1/3 of the minimum wage rate. At least with the new system, companies feel more "at ease" employing new people, and one can fill their badly needed empty CV with their very first professional experience.

As for me, I'm just not quite there yet.

Let Not Happen What Must Not.

I've been bufooned. Not to sound politically involved or anything (hell count me out!) but before I came across this website, I was relaxing in the current of notorious media propaganda model that I was made vulnerable to a grave blind spot. Turns out that the controversial caricatures of the prophet Muhammad SAW (peace & blessings be upon him) has been published nearly 5 months ago (17th October 2005) in an Egyptian newspaper you see above.

Egypt. A predominantly Muslim population (94%), a state by which any new legislation must be in implicit accordance with the Islamic laws, surprisingly, did not record any hooligans rioting when the pictures were published during the holy month of Ramadhan late last year. Either the newspaper didn't reach enough "Islam fundamentalists" to ignite the fire, or that it was "OK" for Muslims to depict the prophet and it wasn't for the white Danish and other Europeans to do the same.

I'm disappointed at how low the Islamic world has gone to meet with the "Islam vs. The West" paradigm classified by Huntington (thank you Geopolitics class). Apparently more and more of the world's population have learnt to master the power of letting people hear what 1) they want to hear, and 2) what they most don't, and turn it into a whole political turmoil because behind the two there is massive amount of power.

And it just so happens that The Islamic Republic of Iran has closed all talks with EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) concerning their nuclear development program. Let not happen what must not.

Goodbye, T.

Dear T,

I don't know why I'm writing this, but it certainly will be one of the few things I'll ever have you hear from me again. You lied, and I know there should be reasons behind it... but I gave up trying to understand. If you ever considered me a friend, you wouldn't have had to tell me the cock & bull story. I never asked, T. You could've kept the truth, I don't mind... but you chose to lie. The consequence of that? Everything fell apart, T. Your lies... my pathos... your dignity... and whatever is left of our friendship.

A short moment after your 'creative' plot, I stumbled upon another version. Neither you nor her knew of the other's version spoken to me. Remember when you asked me why I was quiet and if I was sick? Well I was, T. I think they call it cognitive dissonance. I guess I wanted to believe you, but at the same time I can't ignore what I know. So what happened? Is it guilty conscious talking that's stopping you from giving me hi's and bisous? Until this second, a part of me still hopes that my cellphone screen identifies you, I pick up, you explain, and everything can end there. At least that way you'd still have respect for yourself.

Oh, and you know what, T? I saw truth in the other's version... something yours don't have. You're so caught up in your lies that it takes a great amount of effort to remember what to say and to who. Do you even realise that you've messed up a lot these past few weeks? The audacity of your lies strucks me hard when I realise that you can look straight in my eyes and tell me a complete and utter lie. And it doesn't stop there, does it, T? You backstabbed me. You start fabricating rumours about how I am as a person. Does it surprise you to know that they too can talk? Judge me for all I care. But for your own dignity's sake spit it all in front of me or forever screw yourself with it. But even that was too much to ask from you, hein?

I've been looking back these past few days, talked to some people to get some advice. I complained about my own way of trusting. You know what he said, T? Don't trust people but let people trust you. I guess I should thank you, because I would never have heard those words if I hadn't met you.

Perhaps you feel like you've had more than your share of issues in life, and I regret that, T. However, I don't see why you had to do those things. I was the least affected by you in the circle of friends you're about to lose. So why didn't you try to have me back you up? How is it that you can be so kind and caring when you can be so heartless behind our backs?

I want you to know that I don't hate you, because hate was gone the moment it turned to disappointment. More than that, what you've done to me is nothing compared to the things I was leading myself into if God hadn't lift my blindfold in time. Live your life, T. I do hope you learn in time and gain back whatever you've lost (that's if you even consider it a lost). I don't expect to cross lines with you again in the future, but if we do, rest assured that I would have put all this behind. I hope you do too, because there are really others out there who care.

Adieu,
Mia.

Congratulations.

You might want to take off the knife you stabbed my back with for future use, though.

No News such as Bad News

Setelah sekian lama saya tidak mengutak-atik benda berlayar lainnya diluar ponsel dan komputer ini, kemarin saya memberanikan diri untuk melihat keadaan dunia dari berita televisi. Berita pertama membahas tentang lolosnya "anggota Al-Qaeda" antara 23 terpidana dari sebuah penjara di Yemen. Berita kedua mencuplikan gambar "aksi protes" rakyat Muslim di Beirut akibat terbitnya kartun yang menggambarkan nabi Muhammad SAW dalam sebuah koran Denmark. Pikiran saya langsung terbang mengingat dampak berita kedua ini pada Indonesia, sebelum disibukkan dengan adanya berita seputar ledakan bom Israel di tanah Palestina dan tenggelamnya kapal Mesir di tengah Laut Merah.

Tidak banyak yang berubah, pikir saya. Terorisme, Kerusuhan, "Perang Agama". . . Wonder if there's really anything new nowadays? *sigh*. Anyhow, saat saya berganti-ganti dari satu saluran berita ke yang lain, saya melakukan sedikit "pengamatan." Berikut cuplikannya... =P

Judul berita-berita aktual yang terus berputar diatas dentingan "detik-ini", cuplikan berita lain yang diberi efek "ketikan langsung" keluar dari ujung kanan bawah layar, sambungan koresponden di daerah bersangkutan dengan latar dan pakaian tertentu, tangisan, piluh, dan amarah yang meruak dalam bahasa asing... Ini, dan sejumlah hal lainnya bagai tangan tak kasat mata yang mengarahkan emosi penonton dalam satu jalur. Tidak peduli di negara mana dan dalam bahasa apapun; CNN, BBC, EuroNews, France 3, CCTV, semua mengadopsi teknik ini.

Jadi ingat sebuah kata mutiara Inggris yang mengatakan, "There's no news such as bad news" (tiada berita seperti berita buruk) dan mungkin mereka benar. Seorang dosen saya pernah menjelaskan secara pragmatis bahwa hanya ada 2 cara kita bisa mempengaruhi orang; yang pertama melalui cinta, dan kedua melalui rasa takut. Cinta, dan kebanyakan hal positif lainnya di bumi, merupakan sesuatu yang abstrak dan subjektif. Coba ingat kembali, kapan terakhir kamu menanyakan, "is this real?" pada dirimu sendiri saat dihadapkan dengan cinta? Kemungkinan kamu menanyakannya setiap berhadapan dengan perasaan "supranatural" itu. Tapi dengan rasa takut, perasaan itu begitu nyata sehingga tiada lagi kebingungan.

Kini saya semakin terpengaruh dan paham dengan ajaran dosen saya. Seperti halnya berita televisi yang "sekilas-dan-berakhir," tulisan konkrit diatas kertas ataupun halaman internet lebih memberi kita kebebasan untuk berpikir. Kosa kata, struktur, dan cara penulisan memperlihatkan motif dan pagar pandangan sang penulis. Terlebih lagi, hampir tiada hal "eksternal" yang dapat membantu penilaian kita seperti yang saya bahas diatas, karena dengan jelas, bahkan sebelum membaca seluruh artikel, kita sudah tahu bahwa isinya merupakan leburan antara "berita" dan "opini." Selanjutnya, otak kita lah yang membentuk pendapat akhir.