WE are at war, yes!

By CharlElie COUTURE December 11, 2020

WE are at war, yes!

WE, the non essentials, WE, the useless, WE, the nothing, WE, the lights diving in the shadows, WE, the People of the Spirit and Culture,

WE, the restaurant owners, those of mouth pleasures and very short pleasure,

Yes, WE are at war,

WE, the show staff and technicians, theaters and cinemas, WE, the Actors and comedians put to forced arrest, WE, the Musicians, ALL of us who you consider to be sloths but only dream of working,

And all those of the night, this world that lives at night, that dark night that you associate with evil, that medieval fear that accompanies the night when the devil returns, that evil that grows when the sun has set,-now after 20 h -, this viral evil whose definition changes according to your moods, this invisible threat first defined as lethal, but whose danger is now considered in terms of ‘ case s’ (hence the suggestion to resort to massive tests to get impressive large numbers), with the intention of submitting an increasingly sceptical public opinion to be vaccinated as a matter of urgency, despite the ongoing pressure from the media, themselves under surveillance.

WE, whom you deal with an outrageous detachment,

Yes, WE are at war with YOU!

Against the Janus who repeats that he ′′ assumes “, he thinks he’s gifted with absolute super power of seduction, which allows him to spell and foolish all those he meets like a camelot, he the Little Prince so condescending to Screw of the People and the Middle Class,

Yes, yes. We are at war You

Against this orphéon of opportunistic subfives who improvise a cacophonic choir day-to-day, this ribambelle of cynical technocrats feigning to coldly ignore the drama that those concerned with these unexpected decisions,

YOU, whose lenifying and versatile speeches combine both ignorance and absurd,

Against YOU, whose inconsistencies flood us like acid rain on our forest of dreams,

Against your fake promises and announcement effects as a permanent bluff, claiming things one day, and the opposite the next day with the same Trumpist,

Against your inept fanfaronnades and your unannounced decisions,

Against your laws passed in Catimini,

We are at war yes!

Against billionaire mafias and other giants of Big Pharma,

Against your actual denial of climate threats to capricious consumption and pollution of unnecessary items distributed by the giant Amazon,

At war with an economy of cavalry and racing forward that ′′ invents ′′ virtual billions, and takes us in the short term towards the delusion of an unreal economy, like a dive into a bottomless well.

France is not serene, drowned in a kind of chaos and disgusting caused among others by overprotection of a repressive police and intestine disputes between illuminated specialists as unhealthy as street brawls between bands of alcoholic supporters.

France is not at peace with itself, when the same ones who denounced the laws of the caliphate imposing silence and veil, yes, the same have been banning in the same way for months both theatre, music, the museums, popular meetings (sporting or artistic), and then restaurants, happy and friendly party gatherings, and now Christmas with family and Silvestre…

Aware that the children in schools are learning to go crazy, yes, we are at war, a secret war, an internal war, yet still implosion, but the consequences will be serious.

We guess the rumbling anger and desperate people are ready to explode, ready to blow themselves up, suicidal.

A power so powerful is only by the people’s acceptance or refusal to obey.

From now on WE are at war yes,

To defend our right to continue living with dignity,

To defend our legitimate freedom and our right to think otherwise!

CharlElie Couture

One of the Most Iconic Bookstores in the World Is in Trouble—but You Can Help

Shakespeare and Company has weathered many storms, but the pandemic has been the most devastating of them all.

For over a century the legendary bookstore Shakespeare and Company has beamed out from the Left Bank of Paris like a lighthouse of literature.

The former 16th-century monastery on Rue de la Bûcherie, and its previous site not far away at 12 Rue de l’Odéon, has been a home away from home for the Lost Generation in the 1920s and the Beatnik generation in the 1950s, a publisher and reading resource for the likes of James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway, and shelter for the estimated 30,000 “tumbleweeds”—young writers and enthusiasts allowed to stay for free—over the years.

But the economic disaster wrought by the coronavirus pandemic has hit independent bookstores in France, including this timeless Anglophone institution, hard. Deemed “non-essential” by the government even during the country’s second lockdown, they were forced to close to in-person customers, while commerce for online behemoths like Amazon has soared. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo herself warned city-goers: “Don’t buy on Amazon. Amazon is the death of our bookshops and our neighborhood life.”

Continue reading “One of the Most Iconic Bookstores in the World Is in Trouble—but You Can Help”

Why Oh Why Do I Love Paris?

When the pandemic lifts, all good Americans will want to go back to Paris.

As Cole Porter’s song says, “I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles. I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.” I suspect most people do. And with the prospect next year of being able to visit again this glorious city, which Ernest Hemingway famously called, “a moveable feast,” I am already thinking about all I want to see and all I want eat.

I’ve been visiting Paris since I was in college, though I never lived there for an extended period of time, so that I have been able to pull back from its charms and discover them anew whenever I go back. The obvious appeal of the best-known tourists sites—the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, Notre Dame—can be seen in mere days, but the city’s beauty, breadth and depth are what Thomas Jefferson said about the city: “A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.” Continue reading “Why Oh Why Do I Love Paris?”

Beaujolais nouveau: Covid-19 pandemic dampens celebration of new French wine

On the third Thursday of November, France marks the arrival of Beaujolais nouveau. It’s the country’s most famous “vin primeur” (young wine) and hails from the beautiful and highly protected Beaujola…

Source: Beaujolais nouveau: Covid-19 pandemic dampens celebration of new French wine – French connections

Montmartre: Can Paris’s art and cabaret district survive Covid-19?

The Paris area of Montmartre is known for its artists and cabarets, dating back to the days when it was a haven for the likes of Van Gogh and Picasso. It’s normally packed with tourists but since Cov…

Source: Montmartre: Can Paris’s art and cabaret district survive Covid-19? – Encore!

Iconic Paris bookshop asks for help amid virus losses

Shakespeare & Co., the iconic Paris bookstore that published James Joyce’s “Ulysses” in 1922, is appealing to readers for support after pandemic-linked losses and France’s spring coronavirus lockdown put the future of the Left Bank institution in doubt.

The English-language bookshop on the Seine River sent an email to customers last week to inform them that it was facing “hard times” and to encourage them to buy a book. Paris entered a fresh lockdown on Oct. 30 that saw all non-essential stores shuttered for the second time in seven months.

“We’ve been [down] 80% since the first confinement in March, so at this point we’ve used all our savings,” Sylvia Whitman, daughter of the late proprietor George Whitman, said.

Since sending the email appeal, Whitman says she has been “overwhelmed” by the offers of help Shakespeare & Co. has received. There have been a record 5,000 online orders in one week, compared with around 100 in a normal week — representing a 50-fold increase. Continue reading “Iconic Paris bookshop asks for help amid virus losses”