Julia Engelmann (Poem) with English Subtitles (and good ham!)
I was going to continue writing about existentialism today- but in an effort not to depress anyone before the Reveillon, I’ll give you something rather beautiful instead. You might already … Continue reading
Stufen
I remember being 10 and sitting in the back seat of the car (a town car), my parents were up front, and I asked them why they thought they should … Continue reading
Why we are willing to pay for mega expensive things
by Paul Harrison Director, Centre for Employee and Consumer Wellbeing; Senior lecturer, Deakin Business School- The Conversation Australia “It may not seem logical or good value for money, but there are … Continue reading
Dear Eagle’s Talons
This just arrived. I got it online. It says: Dear Eagle’s Talons, We await your arrival with impatience. Are you enjoying yourself? Goodbye my dear Eagle’s Talons. Hug Jeanne for … Continue reading
Stupid and sometimes not
I’ve been jumping rope for two weeks now to lose weight. It’s ridiculous- but somehow less ridiculous than jogging or doing any other sort of public exercise. My waist is … Continue reading
Light-hearted things
In the first half of the 20th century there were squads called Einsatzgruppen- HA! Just kidding. No depressing history or politics today. I promised a picture of the Louis Philippe … Continue reading
George Michael, pop superstar, dies at 53 | Music | The Guardian
Star who made his name as half of pop group Wham! has died peacefully at home, according to his publicist Source: George Michael, pop superstar, dies at 53 | Music … Continue reading
Twas the night before Christmas (eve- all’s about eve)
Alagna was at Versailles last week. Magnificent. I don’t go to things like that anymore because- because I don’t like leaving the house unnecessarily, or travelling, or pretending I’m interested … Continue reading
It’s not cold
14 degrees celsius today. We had a couple of colder and rainy days earlier in the week but the predictions are that this winter in the Tarn will be mild. … Continue reading
Democrats, demagogues and despots via the FT
“The more powerful the passions and the more uncontained the ambitions, the more likely the democratic system will collapse into despotism. Demagogues are the Achilles heel of democracy. There is … Continue reading
Ich bin ein Berliner
Right now we don’t know what the reasons were- and frankly I imagine the motivation doesn’t play much of a role in the feeling of loss of those who have lost … Continue reading
When The New York Times Defended Putting a Black Man in the Bronx Zoo – TDB
Just as the late Stephen Jay Gould updated Charles Darwin by arguing that humans evolved through fits and starts—“punctuated equilibrium”—social progress also is less steady than we would like. Even … Continue reading
The end of an era?
That’s the cover of this month’s municipal magazine. The major item is the motorway. It’s reminding us we’re in the final stage before the concession. It’s also reminding us this … Continue reading
The Evil Agendist
You know those Christmas cards they make you buy every year from the people who paint with the paintbrush in their mouth or feet or wherever because they’re missing limbs? … Continue reading
Books, Food & 10 Year Plans
We left Spain 2 years ago today. What you see above is my last bloody mary at the marina. I loved the marina in winter, barely a tourist in sight. … Continue reading
Welcome to the age of anger
The seismic events of 2016 have revealed a world in chaos – and one that old ideas of liberal rationalism can no longer explain by Pankaj Mishra “Writing in the … Continue reading
Racist troll guilty of harassing Labour MP with antisemitic posts | The Guardian
A racist internet troll has been found guilty of harassing a Labour MP with a series of anti-Jewish rants sent after the jailing of a fellow far-right extremist. Joshua Bonehill-Paine, … Continue reading
Autumnal in G Minor
Time insists on passing. I looked at the calendar today and realized that this time two years ago, we were packing up Villa l’Africaine. Yesterday I received a lovely card … Continue reading
What Gamergate should have taught us about the ‘alt-right’ + Let’s talk about language.
“It’s understandable that the world didn’t much care about Gamergate. The 2014 hashtag campaign, ostensibly founded to protest about perceived ethical failures in games journalism, clearly thrived on hate – … Continue reading
My Mazamet 
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