France Releases UFO Records

Not only are they declassified, they are available on an easy to use website!
Lifting the veil of secrecy is the easiest way to convince people that all the sightings have been hoaxes, hallucinations or comets (unless, of course, we really are covering up some crash-landed spacecraft).
The French site classifies the sightings into four groups; group [...]

Return of the Tocqueville Effect

Once again, the French are able to see to the heart of American politics in a way that Americans themselves cannot.
The French newspaper Le Monde has had the best coverage of the 2008 election that I have yet to find.
Check out this pretty, colorful map that even an English-speaker can understand.

National Embarrasments

We all know that Americans are largely, when it comes to geography, what is known in the technical jargon as “pirate-shaming dumbasses”
But the French can now claim the greater distinction of being Copernicus-denying, Galileo-frying dumbasses.

American Culture, Global Poor Taste

I’ve always heard that people all over the world love our culture, and hate us for our foreign policy; the implication when people say this is usually something like ‘the rest of the world is right; our foreign policy is terrible and our culture is great’.
I’ve always thought that American foreign policy, in spite of [...]

On the Supposed Rudeness of the French

The rude Frenchman is one of our most cherished stereotypes, but I’m afraid that it is only very loosely based on reality.
In fact, if you speak their language and you know how to treat them, they’re just about the politest people in the world; they always say hello and goodbye, please and thank you, and [...]

Carrefour- the nation of tiny shops builds a hypermart

Most people in the US have never heard of Carrefour; but it is after Wal-Mart the biggest retailer in the world, and it was started in France.
The one in Antibes stretched my imagination.
I’d been in France for two weeks or so; I’d seen innumerable small shops, bakeries, restaurants.  The biggest store I’d been to was [...]

Classes

Advanced French
This is the class we spend talking with our really cool teacher about what there is to do around here.
Tout en francais, bien sur.
Elementary Spanish
Because learning one language at a time would be too easy.
Really though, its fun to be a beginner in another romance language. Learning languages is kind of like putting [...]

On French Fashion

I’d heard that the French, and Europeans in general, dress to look ‘nice’ compared to most americans; this is certainly true, and as I look around here I can see everyone dressed impeccably compared to me in my old t-shirt.
I suppose it’s a good thing to look good; it’s a better thing though to spend [...]

On French Food

I had heard that food, along with most things, is more exprensive in France; and this is largely true.
But when a country really appreciates something, they get very good at making it.
Decent bottle of wine: under 3 Euro
Hunk of Brie twice the size of my hand: under 3 euro
6-pack of good German beer: under 3 [...]

On European Beaches

A couple revelations here.
I’d always wondered why guys would wear speedos and women’s bottoms to the beach when all it’s going to do is make people cringe.
And then I realized- it’s fun to make people cringe! Maybe I’ll try it sometime.
On a more serious note, I had heard from a lot of people that almost [...]