Monthly Archives: December 2008

//December

A play for Christmas

By |2008-12-21T23:44:53+00:00December 21st, 2008|Strasbourg|

Family tradition. I write something theatrical and kind of amusing for the family to perform (script in hand) on Christmas day. Usually goes down well with a few glasses of wine. This year it's a pastiche of 'How the Grinch stole Christmas' by Dr Seuss - I hope he will forgive me. If you'd like to have a read or perform it yourself, you're more than welcome to (as long as you give me credit for writing it!). To download 'How the credit Grunch stole Christmas' - click here. Merry Christmas

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Let’s help John and Nancy

By |2017-01-06T11:16:46+00:00December 19th, 2008|Strasbourg|

I received this email today and thought it might best to respond via the blog. While I did consider composing a direct response - there are anglophones in Strasbourg better informed than I (and so hopefully they will chip in). I was so pleased to run across your blog. My family is going to be moving to Strasbourg in the summer and are desperately trying to sort out the school situation. Your information was helpful, but could you tell me more? I understand that there is a school just opened in September - an International school. Can you give me more information about that? I have children up to age 13, so the more information I have the better. I have seen that BISS closed, so I am trying to figure out what we can do without driving the kids to Karlsruhe every day. Thanks so much! Oh, and if you have any good ideas of where to rent a house that is good for a family of six, that would be very helpful too!! The first place to [...]

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Government infomercials

By |2008-12-02T10:14:12+00:00December 2nd, 2008|Strasbourg|

There are three infomercials (I think that's the word) playing ad-nauseum on television screens across France at the moment. While at first they appear to have the wider public good at heart, I can't help but think they're little more than state propaganda. The first points out that if you take antibiotics for a viral infection this will not automatically cure you, "Antibiotique est pas automatique" and in fact you may well be better off by not taking antibiotics at all. Er, thanks for the info, but why are they telling us this when it is usually the Doctors who prescribe the antibiotics in the first place? There are two possible explanations: 1. the government and health authorities are genuinely concerned about the number of antibiotic resistant viruses developing across the known world, or 2. the government and health authorities are genuinely concerned about the cost of the number of antibiotic prescriptions they have to pay for each year.... call me cynical - but I think point 2 is probably closest to the truth. Underlying message: we're broke! The [...]

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