This is one of those things that seems unworkable and maybe a bit crazy … right until you step in a pile of poo left behind by someone’s dog. The mayor of Beziers, the biggest city in this part of the Languedoc, wants to collect DNA samples from the city’s dogs. Why?

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Rugby is the most significant global sport I had never seen in person. That void on the resume has been addressed. Tonight, our French friend, a rugby aficionado, took us to see an international match at the nearby “big” city, Beziers. The U.S. women’s national rugby team, versus France’s women, at the Stade de la […]

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Is this a “thing” in the U.S., too? The 24 craft beers advent calendar, yours for 60 British pounds, or about $75.

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Hunting season in France seems to last forever. Which I would not have a particular problem with … if hunters were not beating the bushes for animals only a few hundred yards from villages, here in the Languedoc. When we first arrived in the south of France, early this year, I noticed that many people […]

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It was the last official act of the American-owned newspaper that had been published in Paris since 1887. A party. A month ago, the Paris newsroom was all-but shuttered and most of the remaining staff was laid off at what had been known, going back 129 years, as the Paris Herald, the Paris Herald Tribune, […]

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In Europe, the belief that soccer is more interesting to watch than American football is widespread. Approaching unanimous. If that preference is questioned, what often comes up is this: “American football has too many breaks in play. Soccer is continuous action.” The NFL RedZone package, however, turns that complaint on its head. It is the […]

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It was on November 11, 1918, that World War I came to an end. For several nations, and especially France, the first world war was far more deadly than World War II, and that may explain why Armistice Day — known as Veterans Day in the U.S. — remains closely observed, particularly in rural France. […]

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A few months back, I confessed to a fascination with elections, and nothing is bigger than a U.S. presidential election, the Super Bowl of elections. The big prize, of course … leader of the free world. Other items of interest include one-third of the 100-member Senate decided and all 435 members of the House of […]

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At a time when U.S. vineyards routinely charge $15 per person to sample their wines, French vintners often are happy to let you taste their creations at no charge. And if you cannot summon the energy to go the few miles to the nearest caveau, here in the south of France … they very likely […]

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For nearly a month, I burned the midnight oil. Or, actually, more like the 3-5 a.m. oil. That is what comes from watching (live), from the other side of the Atlantic, the latter stages of the 2016 baseball playoffs and World Series. All but a handful of games I watched had 8:08 p.m (EDT) starts. […]

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