Matthew Fraser
@matthewfraser.bsky.social
University professor in Paris. Ex journalist: columnist, critic, Editor-in-Chief, television presenter. Promeneur du Champ de Mars avec Hector et Djery. Agent: J.P. Marshall. Substack: https://substack.com/@frasermatthew
In exactly a week, the Inglorious Twelfth begins. It's the start of grouse-shooting season, when hundreds of thousands of red grouse are shot down for sport. Moorlands have been burned and predators killed to boost grouse numbers, all so a few can shoot them for kicks.
A Hollywood production is looking for Americans in France for minor speaking roles. The as-yet untitled Ocean’s 11 prequel – written, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper – is holding a one-day shoot in Paris on August 19th. Info: figurants.com www.thelocal.fr/20260805/fil...
Film casting call for Americans in Paris
A major Hollywood production is on the lookout for Americans in France for a possible minor speaking background role this month
thelocal.fr
Professor Sanjay Reddy had been bluntly critical for years about how his university, the New School in New York City, managed its finances. He had thought his status as a tenured professor of economics would protect him. It didn’t.
He Had Tenure. The New School Laid Him Off Anyway.
The professor, a longtime critic of the university, was among 19 educators who lost their positions as the institution navigated financial woes.
nytimes.com
In Paris, fans of "Emily in Paris" make pilgrimages to her fictional neighbourhood near the Pantheon. In London, fans of "Ted Lasso" are flocking to Richmond-upon-Thames. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/a...
A Bucolic London Suburb Feels the ‘Ted Lasso’ Effect
Fans of the warmhearted Apple TV show flock to Richmond-upon-Thames, which has long been a destination for visitors and film location scouts.
nytimes.com
The ‘Fraud Squad’ at Caltech will catch you if you lie on rour application. College investigators vet every admitted student’s application as schools nationwide battle AI-fueled cheating.
The ‘Fraud Squad’ at Caltech Will Catch You if You Lie on Your Application
Investigators at the college vet every admitted student’s application as schools nationwide battle AI-fueled cheating.
wsj.com
A man fascinated with vampires believed he would live for ever if he drank blood. Benjamin Lewis, 48, left bodies of stolen sheep and deer on church doorsteps in New Forest. In court he answered “Count Dracula” when asked to identify himself.
Vampire-obsessed man detained after dumping animal corpses outside churches in New Forest
Benjamin Lewis, who believed drinking blood would prolong life, will be kept in hospital for treatment
theguardian.com
More evidence that self-help and wellness "influencers" are the quacks and charlatans of our age. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/s...
Self-Help Influencer Nicole LePera Faces Litigation
Millions look to Nicole LePera for advice on how to achieve contentment and maintain healthy relationships. But her own story is complicated.
nytimes.com
My piece in The Spectator on the politics of closing radical mosques in France.
Inside France’s war against radical mosques
Another mosque in France has been shut down, this one in a bleak north Paris suburb that usually makes headlines for gangs and drug trafficking.
spectator.com
Can Marine Le Pen’s 30-year-old protégé win over France’s CEOs? The far-right leader has deployed Jordan Bardella to court a community that typically shuns her party.
Can Marine Le Pen’s 30-Year-Old Protégé Win Over France’s CEOs?
The far-right presidential hopeful has deployed Jordan Bardella to court a community that typically shuns her party.
wsj.com
The Health Food Influencer. Camilla Honeyleaf runs the ‘Sugar is Poison’ channel on YouTube. She won’t rest until friends and strangers alike discover the joys of a cupcake made entirely from avocado, burnt quinoa husks and a semi-organic sweetener. spectator.com/article/the-...
Looking forward to @matthewhamlyn.bsky.social's memoirs for juicy anecdotes... ‘MPs have had their stomachs pumped’: concerns over ‘alcohol-soaked’ culture in Westminster. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Beachfront houses in celebrity-packed Malibu are on the market at discounted prices — because of fire risks.
Iconic Beachfront Estates Are on Discount in Malibu’s Sluggish Post-Fire Recovery
One of the most desirable, celebrity-packed coastal stretches of California has a glut of luxury homes on the market.
wsj.com
A 14-year-old blind dog called Hermès escaped the wildfire flames in southwestern France and went missing — only to be found swimming in Arcachon Bay by an oyster farmer. Hermès was rescued by gendarmes and has returned safely home. www.rtl.fr/actu/debats-...
"J'avais les larmes" : en Gironde, la belle histoire d'Hermès, un chien aveugle et diabétique, retrouvé en mer 24 heures après sa disparition
Âgé de 14 ans et demi, Hermès avait disparu après son évacuation du Cap-Ferret, menacé par les flammes.
rtl.fr
Scientists are identifying biological clues that reveal how well dogs are aging and developing new ways to help them stay healthier longer. www.wsj.com/health/welln...
The MAGA media machine is fracturing. Once united in support of Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers.
How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms
Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.
nytimes.com
$58.5 million for an apartment in the Flatiron building in Manhattan.
New York City’s Flatiron building enters new era with $58.5m apartments
Manhattan’s triangular building will open this fall to wealthy residents, with 36 apartments exposing Flatiron’s ‘steel skeleton’
theguardian.com
Fox News thinks Morocco borders with "northern Spain". Look at a map FFS.
The godmother of punk Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV this morning.
Excellente décision. Les choses sérieuses commencent enfin. Merci à Laurent Nunez et à @rolandlescure.bsky.social. La deuxième étape qui devra suivre : les propagandistes français stipendiés par la russie... La loi du 25 juillet 2024 (art. 7) pourrait le permettre. www.franceinfo.fr/economie/med...
Le gouvernement gèle les avoirs de la chroniqueuse russe Xenia Fedorova pendant six mois
Cet arrêté, qui "complète la mesure d'expulsion" adoptée mercredi par le ministère de l'Intérieur, vise à prévenir la commission de "nouveaux actes d'ingérence", explique le ministère de l'Economie
franceinfo.fr
Stubborn greed. FIFA is a legalised form of organised crime.
AFP News Agency@en.afp.com · 6d agoBREAKING FIFA vows to press on with its proposed private investment plan despite fierce backlash from European football governing body UEFA and others
If you are taking a holiday in Mexico, you have been warned.
UK warned about 'explosive diarrhoea' cyclospora infection
The UK is seeing a sharp rise in cases - 67 since April - with many of them among travellers returning from Mexico.
bbc.com
American leaders are staying in office past their prime. Boomers are reluctant to relinquish control — from political offices to corner offices.
Opinion | Why Won’t America’s Aging Elite Retire?
How the elderly hoard the future.
nytimes.com
A documentary tells the unusual tale of Flaco, the escaped zoo owl that managed to bring New Yorkers together.
‘Kind of like a fairy tale’: documentary tells the unusual tale of Flaco the Owl
Wild Inside looks back on the incredible year when an escaped zoo owl managed to bring New Yorkers together
theguardian.com
This common word has more than enough uses.
Italian word of the day: 'Basta'
This common word has more than enough uses.
thelocal.it
