Thanks very much for your amplification!

Paris is a large city, and I tend not to favor large cities. But Paris has a charm all its own, and when I would go there I went without an agenda, so I could walk the streets and experience unhurried the architecture, the gardens, and the people who were still in town.

I generally spent at least one day in the Louvre, although on my later trips it was terribly crowded even in August. On a couple of occasions I would visit a friend at the Sorbonne, now called the University of Paris. A disappointing place to visit — not at all like what an old university should be.

And always, I would have a good lunch at a sidewalk cafe and just watch the people walking by. Many were wonderfully stylish, and this was in an era without cellphones so people would actually talk to each other. Overall, my memory from lo these many years is that iIt was like watching an old film, with fewer bicycles and motor scooters in more recent years than was the case during my earlier visits.

I always hoped I might be assigned there for a four-year tour. My friends who were, said it was very different from my unhurried visits when most of the residents were off for their summer vacation. They told me about disputes with French landlords, about crazy traffic, and about nasty weather. Those were not my recollections from my short stays.

Yes, I speak French, with what I’m told is an African accent. After spending more than a dozen years in the francophone part of that continent I suppose that is to be expected. I would have preferred a Parisian accent, or even one from Quebec, as that has a certain quaintness and explains your American wardrobe. Those were good years. Pleasant memories.

Furthermore, Matt’s seeking broader exposure for himself and Siegel — Taibbi has been itching for somebody to do a serious synthesis of the disinformation fascism we face — and he thinks THIS is it.

Therefore, Matt Taibbi has posted up his substack text piece on YouTube — replete with text scroll with the author himself reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avi9aXP1eE8&t=473s

ADD THIS to your bookmarks. Siegel wants to go book length. He dishes that he didn’t get anything out on the military side of intelligence, but wishes he can go there. He also hopes to go deeper in The Election Integrity Project which “fortified” (ie, ballot stuffed) the Democrat vote count.

Jacob Siegel could be the next Peter Baker, investigative journalist — or does that sell him too short?

“Meanwhile, more masculine, less ‘advanced,’ barbaric cultures gather on these culture’s peripheries, ready to overwhelm these decadent cultures. . .” Does she mean us deplorables?

Lovely story! How I envy your trips to Paris.

Do you speak French? What was it like to see Paris change all those years?

It looks like a 19th century Naval uniform. Adm Dewey would feel comfortable.

About 40 years ago I was transitting Paris on my way back to post and had a day to kill. I walked and walked, especially on left bank, where there are small shops with lots of African art (which I collect).

I walked out of one small street and found myself looking at île de la cité and Notre Dame. So I crossed the bridge, walked into the cathedral, and took a seat in a pew near the back. There was a handful of people there, each captured by their own thoughts. It was very quiet, as only a large building can be.

Then the organist began to practice. It was a magical moment — the large organ filling that giant building with sound even though the volume was very low. I didn’t recognize the music, but it filled the cathedral and filled my soul. I stayed until he finished practicing for the next service, then left quietly. Pure magic.

In 2020, climate blogger Paul Homewood tells us that The Lancet editor backs the wacko pseudo-scientific Extinction Rebellion.

On a brighter note, spend 10 minutes and enjoy this mic dropping Q&A exchange between “What is a woman?” Matt Walsh and a piqued Transgender EMT….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=HuOjm9n94ZQ

A APPLAUSE WORTHY CLIMAX he earns!