Unsolicited calls....

Too good to be true

As we drift from 2014 into 2015 , it would be a wonder if most of us managed to avoid the ubiquitous salesman. They catch is by phone, by email, spam or simply cold calling.

A number of years ago , it was possible to put your name down on an official "Do not contact"list and be assured that your days would be carefree without having to make excuses as to why you couldn't buy the newest roof tiles for a mere $30000.00 or the latest computer driven investment program that would guarantee $10000.00 per moth..no worries.With the latter, of course, it begs the question that if this magic program were so good , why is the person trying to sell it? This list however, seems to have dropped off into cybersphere.

Charities are of course the hardest as they make you feel mean, curmudgeonly and thoroughly miserable in not wanting to fork out another load of shekels. If you do happen to agree and subscribe to one of the million raffles going around in the name of charity, the word seems to get round and for months afterwards you are plagued with dinner time phone calls asking for your help in solving the world's problems.

The sales people listed above are really just trying to do their job and earn a few bucks commission so they in turn can feed their fledgling families. No?

The most sneaky callers are those that tend to came from overseas. You can tell who they are, as there is a pause while they rush from veranda where they have been having a quick cheroot to get to the phone.Once answered there is the unmistakable sound of a murder of crows cawing and carrying on as they hang onto ancient telegraph wires in the 115 degree heat (Fahrenheit of course).
With names like Johnny, Debra or Bill they will endeavour to gain control of your computer under the guise of Microsoft or Telstra technicians.  Do not engage with these people , even as they try to curry favour with you! I don't even bother.At the telltale sign of the initial pause, I hang up. Some are more aggressive than others, one even calling me back demanding to know why I had hung up.

Anyway. Happy New Year and as they say, if it sounds too good to be true...it usually is a lie.

"......and add it to your feet!"

Fun together

Narendra Modi's wishes come true or

the joy of doing things together

America the "unchangeable principal enemy" of North Korea

Wrong 'un Kim

North Korea experienced sweeping and progressively worse Internet outages extending into Monday, with one computer expert saying the country's online access is "totally down." 
Newsmax Friday 26th December 2014


Extract from North Korean General Ding Dong's diary smuggled out of the country  before his mysterious disappearance two days ago

"Our supreme leader in response to America's act if war by backing the Sony film has heroically taken matters into his powerful hands and attempted to uncover the evil hackers himself. 

The effort was worthwhile. All communications between North Korea and the world have been effectively cut. Our supreme leader has again saved us from the ravages of American rumour mongers. "

Apeus Corpus

In an unprecedented decision, an Argentine court has ruled that the Sumatran orangutan 'Sandra', who has spent 20 years at the zoo in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, should be recognized as a person with a right to freedom.

The ruling, signed by the judges unanimously, would see Sandra freed from captivity and transferred to a nature sanctuary in Brazil after a court recognized the primate as a "non-human person" which has some basic human rights. 

Of guns .....

....and roses

"What happened in that cafe  (Lindt hostage incident, Sydney) would have been most unlikely to have occurred in Florida, Texas, or Vermont, or Alaska in America.., " so declared Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm  promoting the need for guns in "self defence" .

A number of things are also most unlikely to occur in the U.S. such as social welfare for the under-privileged, job security, tolerance for the less fortunate and so on. The Senator was advocating the right of Australian citizens to bear arms after the siege incident earlier in the week, More likely to occur are shootings and rampages that have seen innocents and students gunned down by some delusional maniac.

Thankfully his remarks were dismissed by most sane people including the former PM John Howard who oversaw the surrender of a vast number of illegal arms after the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996.

The ensuing floral tribute in Martin Place says much more than the Senator's mutterings.

The powers that be thought processes ....Impenetrable as tissue paper

Back in the beginning of this blog, it was mooted that the question of GST would not be long in coming.

Now the word is out and it'll crescendo r from a whisper into a roar.

Meet the new Loony Tunes Australian brothers....

The miserable science's Christmas

Sometimes  the right thing is done but for no reason it backfires dramatically. It's also a question that pricks the conscience of religious disciples; whether they have done the right thing for the wrong reason. It's a guaranteed method of self torture.People pray for many reasons and try to butter up the authority on high by including all the poor and oppressed in their orisons so as to give the impression that their own requests are pure and sincere. 

Strict observers of the self-help school become vexed when seeing money being given to those in need. They consider a trade agreement with inner Mongolia a better option ; that way the one-armed, deformed beggar would benefit in the longer term more so than money which would be spent on food or some such temporary need.

One thing is for certain.The government is cutting back on foreign aid, education and welfare in general because , economically, 'tis the right thing to do. No guilty consciences there.

The right thing....

....backfiring.

THE ONCE A YEAR EVENT

Merry Christmas to all

There have been few entries over the past few days due to seasonal demands.

Anyway , I'll be resuming shortly but in the mean time best wishes to all

What do you know....?

Pigs really can fly......

A U.S. Airways passenger boarded a flight before Thanksgiving. Nothing unusual in that! 

However bewildered passengers discovered that the large item she had draped over her shoulder was a 70 to 80 lb pig.

The passenger apparently was allowed to bring the animal on board..now get this.. as an emotional support animal, a U.S. Airways agent said.

The passenger and pig were kicked off the flight for being "disruptive". 

The big brown pig stank up the cabin and defecated in the aisle. When the passenger tied the pig to an armrest and tried to tidy up the pig began to howl. The pig's owner became agitated,  talking to the pig as if it were a person calling it a "big jerk"for misbehaving.

Eventually the passenger and porcine companion disembarked.

In 2003 the Dept of Transport updated its regulations animals that assist passengers with their disabilities by providing emotional support qualify as service animals.

Wonder what her disability was? Or maybe it was the pig?

Photo by passenger

spectators

Winter Saturdays

Medicinal drugs

Sorry. Have withdrawn this page..not in good taste.My apologies

Anybody listening?

Better a cat than nobody

According to a leading Australian cartoon editor, the political cartoon is waning in influence and popularity. Big noses and big bums don't cut it anymore, according to him.

In the Murdoch press, big bosoms and big bums however continue to gain in popularity.

One really writes a blog for oneself. I do anyway. Given that the market for cartoonists is huge and the talent out there horrendously enormous , it gives me a buzz that I can endeavour to meet a need that in other days and times could not be foreseen. That's the marvel of today's computers,good for some but for many others a death knell.

Writing a blog like this is a bit similar to the theoretical question of the tree falling in the forest. If nobody hears it, has it happened and has it really fallen?

It's akin to silence in response to the blog. Hello! Anybody out there?

The design below is a sketch reproduction of an original photo which has done in paint form

a number of times. As far as I am aware it's the first time it's been reproduced in sketch form and suits the content of the blog to a "T".

Government a la Pinocchio or is it "au"Pinocchio

Serious cuts for public broadcasters

Despite pre-election promises the Government has slashed funding to the two public broadcasters ABC and SBS, with some 400 to 500 jobs to go as a result. 

Abbott apparently "fessed"up to the porkie claiming that he had no idea of the budget problems he would inherit. Therefor he had to cut the respective budgets. It seems odd that this should be the case;.perhaps due diligence is something confined to the big end of town which the coalition supports.

I

It comes but once a year

The good, the bad and the ugly....

'Tis the season to be jolly etc etc. For children say to the age of ten (before the cynicism of adulthood makes them doubt Santa's existence ) it is good. 

For the adults it's a good and bad time of the year; bad on the bank account and the stress of facing a whole, long day with relatives . Uncle Bill or his counterpart will be there to discuss at length the shortest way from this point to that while Aunt Milly reels off a list of those who have been stricken with some awful disease. A stiff noggin helps to bear the agony. For many its good as they will be be leaving on holiday.

For not so few, unfortunately, it's not a nice time of the year at all , either because they have painful memories of loved ones no longer there or they are simply too disadvantaged to enjoy a single moment of it. For them it is really quite ugly.

Whatever. It's Christmas time and in case you forget this , the commercial media stations will not give you a moment's peace until Boxing day when thankfully the jingles stop and they spin into New Year's mode.

Anyway, have a good one. There's still a bit of time to go...

Home,sweet home

Bank on it?

Real estate agents have a strange sense of the value of money but to be fair many people suffer the same conception of those printed bis of paper or digital numbers . For agents phrases like "It's only $30,000,00 more"  or "for $100,000.00 you can build a nice little extension ( as one views a scene not unlike a bombed garbage site) and you'll be set for life" . Set back, more like it.
Then there are the sellers and buyers who will refuse the budge over an issue of $500,00 and  both losing out on a sale. Now there, word "only" has some merit.

House prices in Australia, particularly in the metro areas are somewhere up there in orbit with communication satellites. The bogey man or woman is currently "investors" a faceless army of well heeled individuals whose sole intent in life is to spread misery and wonderment through their own wish to own a slice of the action..Home ownership in  Terra Australis is still a right, a prerequisite for many more than . say, in Europe where renting is par for the course. So there might well be four driving forces that put pressure on home costs. The third of course would be a general shortage of land and properties while the fourth is the fact that interest rates are currently at record lows. .

Midsomer county village conditions, as they exist in the U.K. and elsewhere on the Continent are not an option for Oz unless you are at ease with the sight of Utes transporting three legged blind dogs called "Lucky" stumbling in the tray. There both sexes are named Bruce.

Country life in Oz has its merits but folk have be calm and adaptable in the face of drought, bush fires and rogue kangaroos;salt of the earth stuff.

Quiet... at all costs

Mon Chapeau......ou est il?

Hats Off

On November 17, The Australian reported the sale at auction of Napoleon's bicorne hat for $2.7 million (Australian) to a South Korean collector .This was highlighted in the Executive Living section. Wonder what he's going to do with it. Probably wear it of an evening while as he sips his vintage whisky and dreams vengeful thoughts of the Beloved Leader north of the border..

And talking of all things French, it's interesting to note that, according to historians, the French have defeated the English more often in battle. That's a good croissant to serve up in English classrooms.

Be that as it may, there's no doubt that both sides have an affinity for each other forged over the years of military encounters and political intrigue. It's a clash of temperaments. The Brits are suckers for French wine,cheese and poodles while the French idea of a sort of eclectic charm is their idea of Le Gentleman Anglais.

Unfortunately for both sides they have found themselves at odds within the E.U. There are dark mutterings traversing the Channel about the duplicity of Les Anglais with the Brits shrugging off the inexplicable and complicated as being very French.

In the end what does it matter? We're all human, non? Shakespeare said oinks ago,

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" 

Wise old Bill, innit?

Look on the bight side....

Optimism is many things to many people. For Americans more and more to Australians it is the hope that there's a buck in it, For the Brits it is that they only have to shake hands with strangers and none of this kissing nonsense that goes on. For the Italians and Greeks it is that the taxman never visits them and for the Chinese it is that every day is a twenty four hour working day. The French are optimistic that they'll find a cute little mistress and the Germans hope that each day runs like clockwork.

Of course without optimism one cannot succeed; never heard of a pessimistic tycoon. Miserable, yes but not without hope.

Optimism relates to a state of mind that one will be satisfied with one's  lot in life. So there you go, be happy, be optimistic and you'll rarely be disappointed.

No?

Spotlight on Australia

Tales of the unexpected?

The G20  meeting in Brisbane  was followed by informal visits to Sydney. Rock star status was accorded to Indian PM Modi ( more popular than Gandhi apparently but that's easy as India's population has grown a zillion times after the Raj downed his G & T , tearfully sailing out of Bombay some 67 years ago) and last but not least,  photo opportunities with cuddly Koalas. Tony and Boris must have made up as they fondled their marsupials together for the Press. No clean shirtfronts there.

Tony Abbott's opening speech, according to some weightier members of the Press, was a doozy, leaving the audience to pick their teeth and glance furtively at their watches as the wonders of the coalition's policies were splashed cross the broad canvas of everything and anything that moved. 

Obama had Brisbane students swooning in their Nikes while,for afters , China and the U.S,  vowed to put the dampeners on pollution. Xi Jinping and Boris were obliquely slapped on the wrist by David
Cameron; the criticism sunk like a pair of soggy socks in the wash. Ebola was in there somewhere. From an appeal point of view the Koalas blitzed ém. 

Now it's all over with Everybody lurvs Orstrayleeyah ,there's a cluster of trade agreements , maybe free Yoga classes in India,  (spare Boeing parts from Russia?) from which benefits will accrue ......when? China managed to put a bit of a lever under Canberra to loosen U,S. Australian ties.They don't give up. 

Talk about the unexpected? Not really.

What's around the corner

Expect the unexpected.

The dragon depicted below doesn't have any wings, As a little dragon he backed into a deli slicer and lost both flaps. Hence for him the immediate danger is what he can't see and that is namely, the unexpected.

This really applied to negative events like being faced with a sudden bill or a twist of fate which knocks you off your feet.

Talking of unexpected,  thirty years ago, or more, a highly intelligent and close relative marveled at the advent of the computer but wondered what one could do with it. T

he internet has been an extraordinary development but it has also revealed the weirdos out there.

Today I received an email  from someone purporting to be a U.S.$50 million lottery winner who wished to share his good fortune with me having picked my email at random. He proposed to gift US$1 million to my account out of the goodness of his heart provided I forwarded details etc etc. Yeah, right. Now that was unexpected .

Weather or not.......

...we change for the inevitable?

A bit of a bombshell for Mr. Abbott at the APEC meeting this week ; an agreement in principle between the U.S. and China to work seriously towards realistic target emissions. It may not work but it brings into focus the issue that has been confronting scientists for some years, namely global warming and the changes that it foreshadows in our environment. 

Where to now? Will Australia concede there is a problem? (Vladimir is also very quiet..he's been preoccupied with sending covert submarine missions as well as naval shenanigans near Australian territorial waters. )

Dream on....

A local politician (not someone I admire) recently stated that if at first you don't succeed , just forget about it. 

Personally I find that rather sad. Without dreams where would we be? In many cases possibly a great deal wealthier.

This is something that Americans are very good at. Martin Luther King had a dream which eventuated to some extent but only some time after his death. They are great believers in following the dream in striving to achieve the impossible. Does it work.? Probably not in the majority of cases.

Indian Prime Minister Modi has a dream that Yoga resume its place in Indian culture and society and he has appointed a minister in his newly formed cabinet to be I/C Yoga. He's got something like 66 new ministers. 66 Lotus positions at a Governmental meeting would be something to behold.

Few of us are lucky enough to get to the goals we set ourselves because life, like voters , is  fickle. However, everything is relative, especially in India where everybody is related to everybody and a farewell at Heathrow resembles a miniature New Delhi without the rickshaws. Funny lot. On the one hand so spiritual and mystical and on the other really very materialistic. Anybody seen young middle class Indian ladies shopping? It's scary.

A person one may consider to be a drone may be extremely content in his or her humdrum existence.Yet another who avoids stress and worry could well be at peace with the world and live to a ripe old age. It doesn't mean they have not had dreams but they've faded with age; sometimes dreams turn into nightmares.

Waffle,waffle.....there's so much more but you'd be bored to tears.

And when he was halfway in he was....

neither in nor out...

It's been a while coming but it seems as if the Brits are not happy with the EU. Of course, there was always the deep rooted suspicion of "foreigners" eg those who live across the Channel. It is hard for them to accept the concept of a system that operates fairly smoothly without class. Unfortunately for Mother England, class still exists, maybe not as pronounced as previously but still prevalent.

Now the British have developed a taste for French wine, French cheese, German cars and spaghetti but that's enough of a good thing. The pretty little houses en Provence and in Espana are also all part of the deal but again, enough's enough. The wealthy ones are sitting pretty. Now is the time to get serious.

Unfortunately for the "Continentals" the British also also fairly rigid in their concept of rules and how things ought to be done. Hence the finger pointing at the "PIGS" ( Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) whose system of book-keeping is somewhat akin to gambling. The Germans and Dutch are pretty rigid but somehow manage to function without treating blue or white collar workers as troublemakers. There's a gap as wide as grandma's bloomers between the divisive Anglo Saxon philosophy and the more inclusive European system.

Having narrowly survived the eventuality of Scotland leaving the Union, the UK is now paying the price of many wealthy nations with refugees ,both economic and political,  flooding their shores. It's compounded by the old colonial outposts now wanting a piece of the action and repayment for wealth extracted. 

When voting regarding EU membership comes along who knows what will happen?. In the meantime the UK is taking a much harder line with refugees , much to the chagrin of the EU.

More than cricket

Stability in the sub-continent ; anyone for Yoga?

""I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation. However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment". So said Indian Prime Minister Modi in his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since independence in 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Then there is the problem of Muslim unrest on the world stage.

His comments on Pakistan came a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif criticised India for cancelling bilateral talks last month.

India's economy is well on its way to becoming an industrial powerhouse as well as rivaling China in terms of population.Will Pakistan get dragged along by India's coat tails or will it fall behind causing more instability?

P.M. Modi's speech was well received by hundreds of delegates.  Mr Modi also proposed creating an International Yoga Day. Hallmark must be working on this already.

 Don't know if yoga can solve this one. Should we be concerned, hopeful or apprehensive?

.

Believe it or not

A bizarre load of crap

Sorry. Got to be direct. Maybe you missed it but it was reported on the news that people are tuning into YouTube to watch complete strangers whispering as they quietly fold towels or brush their hair; it supposedly creates what is known as ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Enthusiasts describe it as a kind of bliss; seven million people have viewed  a 16-minute clip of Maria, Gentle Whispering, as she's known, brushing her hair.There's more; much,much more and it does get worse than that. What about watching someone fold a towel? Got ten minutes? Come on! 

PS: I've asked my wife to have me sectioned if ever she catches me doing this!

Horses for courses

Melbourne Cup of course!

A bit of nonsense, really

Fear of flying................

" Lone " wolf of Wall St.

Investor husband pushed me into sex for business deal: Estranged wife

So read the headline from one of the online news services dd Oct 30th 2014.

It continues " CHRISTINA Kelly says her investment-banker husband made her go the extra mile to help him land a client — pushing her into a partner-swap with the business honcho and his wild girlfriend.

The mum of two revealed details of the kinky alleged hook-up — and every drug binge, extramarital pool fling and sex encounter in between — in salacious Manhattan court papers targeting her husband, Jefferies & Co. wunderkind Sage Kelly.

A high degree of sophistication needed

And now, she and her reputed real-life "Wolf of Wall Street' hubby are "the talk of the town," a Wall Street source said.

  (News.com.au)

No closed doors for them, then, A sophisticated settlement coming up..and expensive.

Rooster one day

Feather duster the next.....(?)

President Obama  largely has avoided appearing in public with Democratic candidates. Many of them have not wanted to be seen with him because of his poor standing in the polls. Obama is also unpopular in a handful of states where competitive Senate races will help determine party control of Congress' upper chamber for the two years Obama has left in office. Democrats have the majority, but could lose it if Republicans gain six seats.

Instead, Obama has been aggressively raising money for Democratic candidates. Before the rally, he was attending a Democratic National Committee fundraiser with about 25 supporters who gave $16,200 and up to attend the round-table event at the Cape Elizabeth home of Michaud supporters Bob Monks and Bonnie Porta.

( U.S.News 30/October/2014)

Halloween

Happy Halloween 

                                                            (if Google does it so do I!)

I think we got most of it!

What did she say?

Hilar(ious)y Clinton:-

"OMG !!"

The likely 2016 presidential candidate. Hilary Clinton , said at a campaign event last Friday for Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate:
"Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs,” former Secretary of State Clinton said in Boston. “You  know that old theory, trickledown economics. . That has been tried,  that has failed. It has failed rather spectacularly."    
Conservatives are spinning with disbelief while Democrats are trying to spin their way out of it. Perhaps there's a wee bit of truth in what she said? Who knows?                                                                 
                                         

                                                  

.

Refugees' Halloween

Halloween's a coming up...

Sent back and slapped with the stigma of Ebola....Governments are a necessary evil?

..and talking of lone wolves

Tax tax and more....

There's talk of a mature debate on tax reform ( read tax increases) in Australia..the least painful of which , according to the gurus, is.....

.

Keeping up with technology

Simples........

On the crest of a wave

Tony's climbing the polls

Inspired by other talented artists.With grateful thanks

"Darling, I do think the PM's doing a sterling job! I mean, imagine, those queue jumpers complaining about being sent to Cambodia! Harry and I were there last year and we absolutely adored it! Wonderful people, absolutely gorgeous country.If the government offered to send me there all expenses paid, I'd be off like a shot! And he's handling other people's terrorist events wonderfully! And as for this Ebola thing..I mean troops to Syria is one thing but sending civilians to darkest Africa is quite another..don't you agree?"

Life (Dutch) on Mars

Stop the world I wanna get off....

With sincere apologies to Vermeer

History has it in spades that the Dutch were or are, great explorers. They are also direct and efficient which is why in many multinational corporations you will often find  Dutchies in positions of responsibility. . Now they have taken to the last frontier, promoting a competition (which will be televised) for intrepid souls to strut their stuff with a view to emigrating to Mars in 2022. Anyone can apply (the fee is approx $38 U,S.) The company is appropriately named  Mars One. Applicants need not expect to return ; this is a one way venture. Big time. Mars One wants to build a colony that will be able to grow with an ever-expanding crew. The group means to launch a supply mission that will land on Mars as soon as October 2016. A "settlement rover" will land in 2018. Mars One has already received thousands of prospective applicants.

 Candidates must be resilient, adaptable, resourceful and must work well within a team. The whole project will   be broadcast  from the reality TV style selection process, to landing and beyond..

Tellingly at a news conference, Mars One's co-founder Bas Lansdorp said he'd like to go to Mars himself, but  he isn't   because his girlfriend won't come along.

 Sweet!

Japan's food dilemma

Slowing down fast foods

It seems that Japan has a bit of a crisis on its hands. Its cuisine is being bypassed by schoolkids who prefer the faster but more fat laden Western fast food. Purchases of rice and miso , a seasoned soup, are down from the levels of 25 years ago.

Japanese cuisine is world renowned and Tokyo has more Michelin star restaurants than London and Paris combined. Japanese chef Murata who runs three such eating houses is known for his elaborate and simple 12 course meals but has  diverted some of his passion  to making simple traditional food with school children in mind.

"Japanese people are the longest living in the world and we want to keep it that way," he says.

Low in fat content Japan's cuisine is judged to be responsible for less obesity in its  population compared to the West.

The chefs say that it will take at least a generation to halt the shift from traditional food to the Western style diet.

Their aim is to save the health and traditions of Japan.

The new i phone 6

The boomerang effect


There's been a fair amount of criticism of the new iphone 6...it's too big and it bends. Not to worry, Apple, it could be used as a boomerang in the outback.

Continuing trouble in little China

Hong Kong

Hundreds of police using sledgehammers knocked down and cleared barricades set up by protesting students in Hong Kong.

The students however retaliated by making  a surprise move to occupy the tunnel on Lung Wo Road, an important east-west artery near the offices of the Hong Kong 

In the meantime roads through the Central business district and a main city tram line have reopened.

The Hong Kong and Beijing governments have called the protests illegal. Some of the city's most powerful players and businessmen had earlier warned that occupying the heart of the city to press for democracy could undermine stability.

Mr Leunhe city's pro-Beijing leader said this week there was a fat chance that China's leaders would give in to protesters' demands and change an August decision limiting democracy. The protesters want Mr Leung to step down.

The show goes on...

On y va

Let's Go....

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recently re-launched his political career with a rally near the city of Lille. 

Opinion polls now suggest President Hollande has become the most unpopular French president in modern times.

Mr Sarkozy's leadership bid for the UMP is considered by many as a first step towards a presidential bid in 2017. 

The prospect of Nicolas Sarkozy returning as candidate for the French presidency in 2017 has split opinion between former President Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette.

Mr Chirac, who makes no secret of his distaste for Mr Sarkozy, has endorsed a different man for the ticket, choosing former Prime Minister Alain Juppe.

Mrs Chirac was also quoted by French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaine as saying that Nicolas Sarkozy was urging her to help him effect a reconciliation with Jacques.Chirac.

His political comeback is said by friends to be strongly opposed by his own wife Carla Bruni, who has 'begged him' not to stand because people were 'mean to him' as president. Carla has in the meantime, rrelaunched her singing career , which might help Nicholas.