Bio

 

Readers might wish to use the link to the articles, which are selected from mainstream American or foreign papers, to obtain further information. Most papers  provide a large amount of very useful additional information along with their articles. Comments posted with the original article can also provide useful information.

Links to the sources used for a post are given at the bottom of the post.  The url normally indicates the name of the author and of the paper.  In many cases, I mention the author’s name after the article.

Links to photos can also be used to access additional articles and, if a photo is part of a photo gallery, other relevant photos.

Many papers update their original stories, with a different title at times, under the original url. The link provided with the post would access the updated article.

Some articles remain readily or freely available on some newspaper sites for a relatively short period of time.

Some articles written in a language other than English might be posted. An English translation of the title is provided, directly or through a reference to an English article on the same topic.

Editorials and opinions are difficult to deal with. On policy matters, I try to put both sides as fairly as I can from the sources available.

It is normal for the Administration to have their views widely discussed in a favourable way by papers and editorialists. The United States is not unique in that regard.

As a general rule, the New York Times and the Washington Post have a strong tendency to support the current administration’s views and policies, contrary to the Wall Street Journal. Editorials and columns, to say nothing of news items, should be read accordingly.

As to the press in general, one might read:

While we’re talking about media bias… (from Foreign Policy)

http://abluteau.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/while-were-talking-about-media-bias/

Obama infatuation (from The Washington Post)

http://abluteau.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/the-obama-infatuation/

Most political speeches are readily available on the New York Times.

The articles are selected in cooperation with an American friend, which cooperation is greatly appreciated.

I was called to the Quebec Bar in 1970 and to the Ontario Bar in 1989.  My main areas of expertise are constitutional law, international law and civil and criminal litigation.

André Bluteau

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See also:

Dear Readers (in fact the first post, in its updated version)

Newsstand, Paris, France

January 19, 2009

Dear Readers:

Here is the menu:

First, with your morning coffee, tea, chocolate or hot milk, a poem, sometimes two. 

Second, a few articles on various topics.

Third, answers to any questions of general interest submitted by readers. Some answers might be complex and require some time for research.

André Bluteau

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Photo: http://photos.linternaute.com/photo/1290152/1332090422/1429/le-kiosque-a-journaux/

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See also:

Yesterday’s News

IN 2006, the photographer Rachel Barrett began documenting Manhattan’s newsstands, the makeshift sidewalk stores that sell candy, soda and lottery tickets, as well as newspapers and magazines. To date, she has photographed all 236 that she could find.

Ms. Barrett was drawn to the newsstands because they are ubiquitous and largely taken for granted, and because they forcefully demonstrate that New York, unlike cities whose streets have lost their vitality to car culture, still teems with on-the-run pedestrians.

For the photographer, these grass-roots businesses present variations on a theme. Each reflects the personality and business acumen of its owner as well as the needs and tastes of its neighborhood.

A newsstand on Water Street and Whitehall in the financial district attracts attention with a bright red paint job and prominent displays of upscale magazines and Vitamin Water. A Harlem newsstand on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 135th Street sports a well-worn office chair where its owner sits and chats with passers-by.

When Ms. Barrett started her project, she did not realize she was photographing the end of an era. Until recently, newsstand operators owned their stands and paid the city $1,000 for two-year licenses. In 2003, the city enacted Local Law 64, which required owners to give up their stands but allowed them to operate city-owned structures at no cost. In 2006, the city signed a contract with the Spanish conglomerate Cemusa to build 3,300 bus shelters, 300 newsstands and 20 public toilets.

The new newsstands began to appear last year. The old stand on West 57th Street west of Fifth Avenue, for example, which was photographed by Ms. Barrett, is gone. Like mom-and-pop storefronts, this New York tradition is quickly fading from view.

Manhattan’s newsstands present variations on a theme. Each reflects the personality and business acumen of its owner as well as the needs and tastes of its neighborhood. This newsstand on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and 135th Street in Harlem sports a well-worn office chair where its owner sits and chats with passers-by.

New York, unlike cities whose streets have lost their vitality to car culture, still teems with on-the-run pedestrians. This newsstand is on Broadway and 86th Street.

But like mom-and-pop storefronts, independently owned newsstands are quickly fading. Plastic walls help protect this stand on Amsterdam Avenue and 79th Street from wind and rain.

Until recently, newsstand operators owned their stands and paid the city $1,000 for two-year licenses. This stand is located on First Avenue and 79th Street.

In 2003, the city passed Local Law 64, which required owners to give up their stands but allowed them to operate a city-owned structure at no cost. In 2006, the city signed a contract with the Spanish conglomerate Cemusa to design, build and maintain 300 newsstands. As the new stands are built, passers-by will no longer see hand-painted signs like the one on this stand at Second Avenue and 67th Street.

Lottery tickets get prime advertising space at this newsstand on Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street.

This old stand on 57th Street west of Fifth Avenue, shown here last summer, is now gone.

Some stands, like this one at Seventh Avenue and 49th Street, fit refrigerators into their tight spaces.

Like many New York businesses, this stand at Wall and Broad Streets features a security gate.

A newsstand on Water and Whitehall Streets in the Financial District attracts attention with a bright red paint job and prominent displays of upscale magazines and Vitamin Water.

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Full article and photos: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/nyregion/thecity/06news.html

http://abluteau.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/dearreaders/