Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

Yesterday I turned 78.

by LEP Tue Dec 9th, 2014 at 06:48:03 PM EST

Just thought I'd pop in to say hello to all of my old friends of Eurotrib.

The old bod aint what it used to be and I don't get around as much on my feet in Paris as I used to; no more street demonstrations with camera for me. But the brain still seems OK; well enough to read Eurotrib and Daily Kos daily which makes it difficult to avoid depression. I really miss the annual meetups we used to have in Paris-one of the highlights of the year for me.

Many of you remember Raphael who came to the first Eurotrib meetup when he was 15 in 2006. He just started his Phd work in Physics at ENS in Lyon. Esther, who's 20 now, who also came to a meetup or two, finished two years of study as a sound technician and is now studying cinema at the Sorbonne.

I hope you are all doing well personally, especially AR Geezer who's having some health problems. If there is ever another Paris meetup count me in; even if I have to take a 40 euro taxi ride to get there.

Good holiday season to all!

Len


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Hi Len and Happy Birthday! Yes, a meet-up would be good, though there'd be no sense in it being "official", perhaps for the better. I certainly miss seeing you.

And thanks for the news of Raphael and Esther!

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 02:08:14 AM EST
Many happy reruns Lem... And definitely, meet-up in Paris, or elsewhere.

Hmm how about Nice? Anyone heard from Ted lately?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 07:27:29 AM EST
Thanks eurogreen. I do see Ted once in a while. He uses my room in Paris several times a year. Perhaps he will see this and invite us all down to Nice;)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 08:02:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
All the very best, Len. and very strong news on Raf and Esther. Congrats.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
by Crazy Horse on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 07:42:13 AM EST
Happy birthday, Len! Seeing one's children progress and prosper in our world is gratifying. I also am finding coming to terms with emerging physical limitations a bit of a problem. Chiefly, the dozen things I had planned to have done over the last few years that are hung up in one stage or another due to one new debility or another, while routine maintenance suffers due to focus on a priority. But, when I relax, it seems often that the same failing body has the grace to flood me with endorphins, so I feel good a lot of the time despite the madness all round. Never more than when communicating with friends. Be well and allow the contentment of the mind to compensate for the weaknesses of the flesh, at least occasionally. :-)

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 10:08:34 AM EST
ARGeezer:
Be well and allow the contentment of the mind to compensate for the weaknesses of the flesh, at least occasionally. :-)

It's a shame that the weakness of the flesh we speak of today is not the same weakness of the flesh we spoke of when we were 40. ;)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 10:30:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Amen to that!

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Dec 11th, 2014 at 12:15:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Hey, congratulations Len! Glad to hear you're still hanging in there, and that your kids are doing well.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 12:06:43 PM EST
Great to hear from you Len, happy birthday!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty
by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 02:53:36 PM EST
Happy Birthday Len- I only met you once, but we had a very pleasant meal in a cafe near you.  Great to hear your kids are doing well.

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Dec 10th, 2014 at 07:38:42 PM EST
Belated happy birthday Len! I'm really glad that your children are doing so well.  Does Esther still do any photography? She had quite an eye for it.

It's really nice to hear from you again and I hope you had a very enjoyable birthday, even if you can't quite party like it's 1985 (or any other year).

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Dec 11th, 2014 at 03:45:05 AM EST
Thanks In Wales. Esther picks up a camera once in a while but she's not too serious about it; photography has taken a back seat to her studies.
I hope things are going well for you.

Len

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Thu Dec 11th, 2014 at 04:36:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Happy birthday, Len! Hope we'll be able to have lunch or dinner some time, when spring is back.
by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Dec 11th, 2014 at 04:11:55 PM EST
Belated happy birthday!

It seems that most of the participants of this blog are from the generations that saw more respect to progressive policies - not just today's libertarian jungle craziness. Are our discussions too uncommon (or intimidating) to the younger generations? How many youthful followers do we have?

by das monde on Thu Dec 11th, 2014 at 11:29:18 PM EST
Happy birthday LEP!

I miss your photoblog posts you used to do. It was interesting and enlihtening (and it gave me ideas of photos I could take).

@das monde: I believe I'm in the generation in between... ;-)

by Xavier in Paris on Fri Dec 12th, 2014 at 06:38:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, I am a bit younger then LEP. So is Starvid and JakeS.

But if you want to know, do a diary with a poll.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Fri Dec 12th, 2014 at 08:36:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I have found the diversity of ages on ET so satisfying. We have a healthy age spectrum even amongst the active members. I was introduced to ET by my son while he was in grad school and I suspect that lots of members came from that cohort. The comment sections might often be dominated by an older group, but then some of us have more time than others.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2014 at 09:19:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Happy Birthday.  Good to hear you and yours are still keeping on.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre
by ATinNM on Fri Dec 12th, 2014 at 12:52:36 PM EST
Happy 78th birthday, Len,

I will come to Paris around mid-January for a few days. I hope to meet you there, even if it is a two-persons meet-up.

Cheers,

M.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Sun Dec 14th, 2014 at 01:56:49 PM EST
Great!

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sun Dec 14th, 2014 at 03:08:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll be around in January too..
by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Dec 14th, 2014 at 04:30:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll be in Madrid Jan 6-8, if anybody wants a change from Paris.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Dec 14th, 2014 at 04:54:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm taking a rare vacation away from Madrid at that time, unfortunately.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Dec 14th, 2014 at 04:56:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
When to Portland?

paul spencer
by paul spencer (paulgspencer@gmail.com) on Mon Dec 15th, 2014 at 12:54:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Hi, Paul!

I will probably come to Portland in 2015, but I don't know when, yet.

Cheers,

M

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Mon Dec 15th, 2014 at 01:26:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Happy birthday, Len. Mirta and I might be back next Autumn. If so, lunch for sure.

paul spencer
by paul spencer (paulgspencer@gmail.com) on Mon Dec 15th, 2014 at 12:55:05 AM EST


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