May Day marches were held around the world, and (ahead of Sunday’s French presidential elections) things got violent in Paris where a march attended by thousands “was disrupted as scores of hooded youths threw gasoline bombs at riot police in full gear, who responded with tear gas and truncheons.”

+ The May Day melee was a reminder that in France (and elsewhere), jobs are considered a president’s job one. Here’s the NYT on a French town that was once the lace capital; until globalization. “It has been a painful retreat for an industry whose delicate creations symbolized ‘Made in France’ know-how, an economic pattern repeated across the country and one of the most divisive issues in the presidential election.” (Sound familiar?)

+ The Atlantic: Escaping poverty requires almost 20 years with nearly nothing going wrong. (On some days, 20 minutes seems like a stretch.)