France – Leeds's Singing Organ-Grinder

I am the way, but which way?

“To the old rugged cross I will ever be true; / Its shame and reproach gladly bear; / Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, / Where His glory forever I’ll share.” Yes, but wouldn’t it be helpful if more wayside crosses, like this one, somewhere near Le Malzieu, indicated the…

Three classic Francophone tubes I’d never heard of

Boby Lapointe in Ta Katie t’as quitté, Petit Yodé and l’Enfant Siro in Premier jour à Paris, and Zao’s take on Ancien combattant.

Wordsworth’s take on the French revolution cast in doubt by a French corpus n-gram

Wordsworth on the revolution “as it appeared to enthusiasts at its commencement”: Oh! pleasant exercise of hope and joy! For mighty were the auxiliars which then stood Upon our side, we who were strong in love! Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven! But, taking into…

French and Russian cavalry rode backwards in retreat?!

This claim helped defeat Valentine Shortis’ insanity plea at his murder trial in 1895-6, but was it true?

En avant marche: General Hulin's horse flees his troops as the allies approach, 1814/03/30. Source: <a href='http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=1336768&partid=1&searchText=horse+backwards&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&titleSubject=on&physicalAttribute=on&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=1'>British Museum</a>.

More Guardian crap about Spain

The Guardian content mill has been pointed at Spain this week, Julian Glover was pointed at immigration in Olot, and he (or perhaps an El País bod on the ground) found that “Olot’s striking diversity is a mark of Spain’s tolerence [sic] of migrants“, and that Olot is, like, better than Vic and Perpignan. Massive…

Berlusconi and the wiseness of Mubarak

“The wisest of men” line isn’t the former’s, but ben trovato it certainly is.

<a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/cagiflickr/5389372179/'>Tutta colpa di mia nipote Ruby</a>, CC by <a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/cagiflickr/'>cagiflickr</a>

Origins of cock and bull

I’m going to try and pin it on John of Bridlington’s rapidly disproven prophecy of a cock and bull and Anglo-French relations.

Coals to Newcastle, or the great Spanish electricity export swindle

If Spain is selling electricity to France, how come Spanish consumer prices are 50% higher than north of the border?

Three Russian rooster animations

“Big cock” and “The old man and the cock are versions of “Medio pollico” / “Demi-coq”, and “Why the cock wears shorts” is something else.

Daily Mail confuses Rudyard Kipling with George MacDonald Fraser

Here (thanks JD): Rudyard Kipling, renowned for his brilliant books celebrating marital glory at the height of the British Empire, was also left a broken man when John â€“ a chronically short sighted teenager â€“ was cut down in the mud and rain of northern France. So perhaps not really. I suppose Kipling might now…