Category Archives: Uncategorized

“CECI N’EST PAS UNE RUE”.

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Philip

“CECI N’EST PAS UNE RUE”. This article by Jennifer Rankin in the Guardian (August 22, 2018) describes a project to give new names to streets in a new development in Brussels. One of them will be called “Ceci n’est pas … Continue reading →

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“ANDOUILLE”.

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Philip

“ANDOUILLE”. Seeing the derivation of the naughty word “cacaboody” from “boudin” brought back a memory from over fifty years ago. An American friend who had spent rather a long time in France said that he had wondered about French swear … Continue reading →

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WHEN IT IS OK TO SAY “COCKABOODY”.

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Philip

WHEN IT IS OK TO SAY “COCKABOODY”. Pamela Druckerman asked some French adults about “cockaboody” and found out that it is a swear word that’s just for little kids. Druckerman concludes: “A curse word just for kids. How quaint! How … Continue reading →

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COCKABOODY.

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Philip

COCKABOODY. COCKABOODY is a magical animated short by John and Faith Hubley with the voices of their preschool daughters. We saw it for the first time in a movie theater and were thrilled when we found it on television and … Continue reading →

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FRENCH BABIES LEARN TO EAT WELL.

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Philip

FRENCH BABIES LEARN TO EAT WELL. Mary Jane has also read me an excerpt about how French children in preschool eat four-course meals prepared by professional chefs. And an excerpt about how the author’s daughter went back to visit her … Continue reading →

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JOLABOKAFLOD—-BRINGING UP BÉBÉ.

Posted on January 12, 2019 by Philip

JOLABOKAFLOD—-BRINGING UP BÉBÉ. Mary Jane’s first Christmas book is BRINGING UP BÉBÉ by Pamela Druckerman. The book is about how French children are raised differently from American children. The cover blurb says: The “French children sleep through the night at … Continue reading →

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JOLABOKAFLOD—THE ONLY RULE IS IT HAS TO WORK.

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Philip

JOLABOKAFLOD—THE ONLY RULE IS IT HAS TO WORK. I posted here about Iceland’s “jolabokaflod”. The word can be translated as “Christmas book flood”. Books are exchanged on December 24 and, by tradition, everyone reads the books they have been given … Continue reading →

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NONPARISIAN ACCENTS.

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Philip

NONPARISIAN ACCIDENTS. Although everybody commits gaffes, I doubt that an American politician would make fun of somebody’s accent. What makes it more remarkable is that the politician represents Marseillle, which has its own important accent (Occitan). I suppose that the … Continue reading →

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THE BEAUTIFUL FLATNESS OF ILLINOIS.

Posted on December 29, 2018 by Philip

THE BEAUTIFUL FLATNESS OF ILLINOIS. Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution links to a post by Kent Hendricks on 52 things he learned in 2018. One of the things is that Kansas is not the flattest state. Florida is the flattest … Continue reading →

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DIE HARD—-A CHRISTMAS MOVIE.

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Philip

DIE HARD—A CHRISTMAS MOVIE. I have been saying for a long time that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Now, as Kory Grow says here in Rolling Stone, a new trailer has been released to make it clearer that Die … Continue reading →

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