THE LATEST has been very blessed to attract 18 student interns from France in recent years, including 13 programmers.  We've had something like 70 student interns in total. 

The students come and go with some regularity, which makes this a slightly challenging situation to manage.  But they are quickly able to pick up where the last team left off and continue making progress.

The programmers came from CPE Lyon, where the students were working on their masters degrees in computer science.  Some have graduated; some are still in school. 

In addition to the programmers, we've had a French graphic artist, two finance majors and two social media gurus. 

These are very diligent individuals whose contributions to our website development can't properly be stated.  All I can say is we couldn't have done it without them. 

These are terrific young people with an excellent work ethic and high standards of professionalism.  They are friendly and collaborative.  We started calling them the "French Fries" when a few showed up a few years ago; the label stuck and they seem fine with it.

Last summer much progress was made and every day we called for "plus de magie" -- more magic.  Just about every day we were presented with yet another pleasant surprise. 

We wish only the best for the French Fries and pray the French authorities will somehow be able to quickly come to terms with this. 

Obviously this is not just a French problem; the entire civilized world is threatened by radical Islamic terrorism.  This is Jack Bauer's ("24") doomsday scenario unfolding before our very eyes.

It's hard not to imagine that sympathy for all the newly arriving refugees from Syria is about to plummet.  Survival is clearly at stake.  Border controls will escalate mightily. 

It's not clear there's any other way.  We can't pretend, out of political correctness, that the threat isn't real.  France's fight is all our fight. 

France got through World War II.  France is America's oldest ally; France was there for us in our War of Independence against Great Britain.  If France asks for our help, we should give it immediately.  Vive la France!