Day: 7 November 2016

The Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco (FPA2) is offering free tickets to the Thursday, November 10, screening of “Before the Flood”, a 2016 documentary about climate change directed by Fisher Stevens (with Executive Producer Martin Scorsese).
Filmed over three years, the movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who travels across the planet to see first-hand the impact of climate change.
“Try to have a conversation with anyone about climate change and people just tune out,” said DiCaprio in Before the Flood, which debuted on the National Geographic Channel October 30. “We wanted to create a film that gave people a sense of urgency, that made them understand what particular things are going to solve this problem. We bring up the issue of a carbon tax, for example, which I haven’t seen in a lot of documentaries. Basically, sway a capitalist economy to try to invest in renewables, to bring less money and subsidies out of oil companies.”
Mr Stevens commented, “I’m hoping this will energise a whole new generation. We want to get people inspired to start thinking about this in a different way. With Leo it’s taking it to the next level.”
Thursday’s viewing starts at 5:15 pm at the Cinema Beaux Arts. Pick up your free tickets, limited seating, from FPA2, 16 blvd de Suisse, 9:30-12:30 & 2:30-6:30.

Next Thursday November 17, at 7:30 pm, Her Excellency Mrs Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to the Principality of Monaco and Honorary Trustee of the Princess Grace Irish Library, will give a talk on Ireland: The Global Island.
Ambassador Nason, born in Drogheda, County Louth, took up duty as Ambassador of Ireland to France in 2014. She is a career diplomat who has served as Ambassador in Ireland’s Permanent Representation to the EU, has been an international civil servant and Director for Governance at OECD Paris in the nineties, and headed up Ireland’s National Forum on Europe.
She will talk about Ireland’s unprecedented economic collapse in 2008, and how the crisis brought home very powerfully the country’s vulnerabilities as a small open economy but also its strengths – as a longstanding and fully engaged member of the European Union.
Ireland’s security, prosperity and the wellbeing of the people today are connected to the wider world as never before and the nation now faces the challenges brought about by the decision of the British people to leave the European Union. Ireland’s foreign policy is arguably more important now than at any time in its history.
Ireland, the Global Island, looks to promote a progressive and forward-looking vision of our place in the world in 2016, and beyond.
Seating is limited, reservations (€10/person payable at the door) are required by contacting +377 93 50 12 25 or pglib@monaco.mc
“Anthony Burgess: The Years in Monaco”, a talk by Professor Andrew Biswell, Director International Anthony Burgess Foundation, has been announced for Monday, February 20, 2017 at 7:30 pm.

There was a demonstration Monday outside the Fairmont Hotel, after the sacking of an employee last month who got caught with a disposable toothbrush during a routine employee security check.
Noureddine, 56, who’s worked as kitchen staff since 2005, finished his shift on October 6. He picked up a disposable 72-cent toothbrush reserved for customers and put it in his bag, along with some pastries, which are reportedly offered by employees. Five days later, on October 11, he received a letter of dismissal by post.
Some fifty employees, joined by the union for hotels, cafés and restaurants, and the pastry chefs union, mobilised yesterday. “He did not intend to steal anything,” Jean-Pierre Messy, secretary general of the pastry chefs union, told Nice-Matin. He and his colleagues are calling for the “rehiring” of Noureddine.
In regards to the story, the Fairmont hotel management has issued an official statement: Further to the article appeared in Monaco Hebdo of November 3rd, 2016 containing the declaration made by the Labor Union of Cooks and Pastry Cooks of Monaco, the Management of the hotel Fairmont Monte Carlo wishes to bring some additional information which is not mentioned in the publication.

”
On October 6th, 2016, within the framework of unannounced controls and as the internal rules of the establishment require it, a security guard of the hotel asked an employee at the end of service who was leaving the hotel, to open both bags that he carried. This is a simple routine check, known and accepted by all the employees. 

In the bags of the employee, the agent found articles stolen within the hotel, tidied up well, what denotes the intention in the gesture. It is false to say that these articles are put at the disposal of the employees of the hotel because they are reserved for the clientele. 

Having listened to the explanations of the employee, these deceitful actions were considered as a grave fault by the Management. The dismissal was notified to him. Indeed, the employer cannot tolerate such thefts among his 530 employees.”
Article first published November 6, 2016