The riots that started in the north eastern suburbs of Paris twenty days ago are slowly dying down (although the dismal living conditions there haven't improved one bit). TV reported yesterday that the situation is back to normal - only about 100 cars had been burned that night. A hundred cars? Normal? Well, a look into the Economist reveals that in the first seven months of 2005, the staggering number of 21900 cars went up in flames. Divide that by the 212 days that made up these seven months, and you arrive at slightly more than 103 destroyed cars per night. This is normal in France. It doesn't sound normal to me, though.
Yesterday also marked the arrival of the 2005 Beaujolais noveau, a cheap wine that is expected to be consumed young and without any moderation or inhibition. I wasn't aware of that latter requirement, and didn't take my labmates seriously when they warned me of excessive parties and general chaos in town. In fact, by the time I left the movie theater around midnight I had forgotten that the Beaujolais was the night's star. Thus I was left wondering what all these drunk students were doing in the streets, certainly not a frequent sight in this quiet town. The party took place outside, the atmosphere was one of spring break in Cancùn, despite temperatures not much above freezing.
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