#luxembourg apartments for rent

[latestnews69]

Pelosi has hip replacement surgery after fall in Luxembourg

Read more click here

[amirachanges]

Things I have achieved in 2024

Career / Learning

worked for 2 years on 5/12/2024

feeling more confident in my professional skills

amazing team where I feel included and respected

Finances / Investing

no savings

rent our apartment for 2 years

two incomes (nursing job and rental income)

my principal income increased to 2000 netto

bought new furniture for my new home +/- 5000

sold a few items on vinted and facebook market

booked flights to south korea and greece next year inshaAllah

Hobbies / Fun times / Happiness / Creativity

had a spa day with nallie

gave a few english lessons to my cousin

went to 5 countries (Spain, Malta, Italy, Luxembourg and France)

Islam

learned how to pray

have better hygiene

fasted 6 days in november and december

Way of life / Minimalism / Essentialism/Organisation

found my residence in Brussels (30’ from work)

deleted facebook

Health / Beauty

went to the medical pedicure

got an appointment w a hair transplant doctor

took better care of my skin

Mental health

went 5 times to a therapist

1 oct 2024

[newstfionline]

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Micro-apartments are back after nearly a century, as need for affordable housing soars (AP) Every part of Barbara Peraza-Garcia and her family’s single-room apartment in Seattle has a double or even triple purpose. The 180-square-foot (17-square-meter) room is filled with an air mattress where she, her partner and their children, ages 2 and 4, sleep. It’s also where they play or watch TV. At mealtimes, it becomes their dining room. It’s a tight squeeze for the family of asylum seekers from Venezuela. But at $900 a month—more than $550 less than the average studio in Seattle—the micro-apartment with a bare-bones bathroom and shared kitchen was just within their budget and gave them a quick exit from their previous arrangement sleeping on the floor of a church. Boarding houses that rented single rooms to low-income, blue-collar or temporary workers were prevalent across the U.S. in the early 1900s. Known as single room occupancy units, or SROs, they started to disappear in the postwar years amid urban renewal efforts and a focus on suburban single-family housing. Now the concept is reappearing—with the trendy name of “micro-apartment” and aimed at a much broader array of residents.

California Democratic lawmakers seek ways to combat retail theft while keeping progressive policy (AP) Facing mounting pressure to crack down on a retail theft crisis, California lawmakers are split on how best to tackle the problem that some say has caused major store closures and products like deodorants to be locked behind plexiglass. Top Democratic leaders have already ruled out reforming progressive policies like Proposition 47, a ballot measure approved by 60% of state voters in 2014 that reduced certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors to address overcrowding jails. But a growing number of law enforcement officials, along with Republican and moderate Democratic lawmakers, said California needs to consider all options, including rolling back the measure. While shoplifting has been a growing problem, large-scale thefts, in which groups of individuals brazenly rush into stores and take goods in plain sight, have become a crisis in California and elsewhere in recent years.

Ghost Army members given Congressional Gold Medal (AP) With inflatable tanks, radio trickery, costume uniforms and acting, the American military units that became known as the Ghost Army outwitted the enemy during World War II. Their mission was kept secret for decades, but on Thursday the group stepped out of the shadows as they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in Washington. Three of the seven known surviving members attended the ceremony. The Ghost Army included about 1,100 soldiers in the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, which carried out about 20 battlefield deceptions in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany, and around 200 soldiers in the 3133rd Signal Company Special, which carried out two deceptions in Italy. One of the biggest missions, called Operation Viersen, came in March 1945 when the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops’ deception drew German units away from the point on the Rhine River where the 9th Army was actually crossing. “They had hundreds of inflatables set up,” author Rick Beyer said in an interview before the ceremony. “They had their sound trucks operating for multiple nights. They had other units attached to them. They had set up multiple phony headquarters and staffed them with officers who were pretending to be colonels.” “This was an all-hands-on-deck affair and it was completely successful,” Beyer said. “It fooled the Germans. They moved their troops to the river opposite where the deception was.”

A Mexican Drug Cartel’s New Target? Seniors and Their Timeshares (NYT) First the cartel cut its teeth with drug trafficking. Then avocados, real estate and construction companies. Now, a Mexican criminal group known for its brutality is moving in on seniors and their timeshares. The operation is relatively simple. Cartel employees posing as sales representatives call up timeshare owners, offering to buy their investments back for generous sums. They then demand upfront fees for anything from listing advertisements to paying government fines. The representatives persuade their victims to wire large amounts of money to Mexico—sometimes as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars—and then they disappear. The scheme has netted the cartel, Jalisco New Generation, hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly, via dozens of call centers in Mexico that relentlessly target American and Canadian timeshare owners. With little more than a phone and a convincing script, cartel employees are victimizing people across multiple countries.

U.S. evacuating Americans from Haiti as humanitarian crisis worsens (Washington Post) The U.S. government on Thursday airlifted more than 30 stranded Americans out of the Haitian capital, as the gang violence racking this city showed no signs of abating and an already dire humanitarian crisis worsened. The government-organized helicopter flights out of Port-au-Prince began Wednesday, carrying more than 15 U.S. citizens, a State Department spokesperson said, and an estimated 30 Americans will be able to leave on the flights each day that they operate. They’re being taken to the neighboring Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Officials said those who are airlifted out will be responsible for organizing their onward travel from the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo to the United States. The U.S. government on Thursday also flew more than 60 U.S. citizens from Cap-Haïtien, a city on Haiti’s northern coast, to Miami International Airport.

Far Right’s Success Is a Measure of a Changing Portugal (NYT) The sun-soaked Algarve region on Portugal’s Southern coast is a place where guitar-strumming backpackers gather by fragrant orange trees and digital nomads hunt for laid-back vibes. It is not exactly what comes to mind when one envisions a stronghold of far-right political sentiment. But it is in the Algarve region where the anti-establishment Chega party finished first in national elections this month, both unsettling Portuguese politics and injecting new anxiety throughout the European establishment. Nationwide, Chega received 18 percent of the vote. Chega, which means “enough” in Portuguese, is the first hard-right party to gain ground in the political scene in Portugal since 1974 and the end of the nationalist dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar. Its formula for success mixed promises of greater law and order with tougher immigration measures and an appeal to economic resentments.

Europe explores using profits from Russian assets to arm Ukraine (Washington Post) Two years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion, Europe may have finally found a way to tap the more than $300 billion of Russian assets that allies froze—but only a bit of it. E.U. leaders are discussing a proposal to use profits generated by immobilized assets to help Kyiv—a plan that could offer about $3 billion a year over several years, mostly for weapons. Top E.U. diplomat Josep Borrell said $3 billion a year is “not extraordinary” but also “not negligible.”

Terrorist attack in Moscow (Foreign Policy) At least three people in combat fatigues fired shots at a concert venue in Moscow on Friday, Russian state media reported. Videos posted online show the building engulfed in flames. At least 93 people were killed in the attack, according to federal authorities, who are investigating the incident as a terrorist attack. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. Earlier, some members of Russia’s legislature were quick to accuse Ukraine and called for more strikes on that country. This is a “great tragedy,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Russia attacks Ukrainian electrical power facilities, including major hydroelectric plant (AP) Russia attacked electrical power facilities in much of Ukraine, including the country’s largest hydroelectric plant, causing blackouts for more than a million Ukrainians and killing at least three people, officials said Friday. Energy Minister German Galushchenko said the nighttime drone and rocket attacks were “the largest attack on the Ukrainian energy sector in recent times. The goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like last year, to cause a large-scale disruption of the country’s energy system.”

India arrests Delhi chief minister as crackdown on opposition spreads (Washington Post) Indian law enforcement officials on Thursday arrested Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and an up-and-coming opposition leader, in an alleged money-laundering case that his supporters say has been trumped up by the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, which rules the Indian capital and the state of Punjab, is the second opposition party chief to be arrested in recent weeks after Hemant Soren, the leader of Jharkhand state, was taken into custody in January over an alleged land scam. Since 2022, Kejriwal and his allies have been accused by the BJP of selling liquor licenses and receiving kickbacks from vendors in the capital. India’s Enforcement Directorate, which investigates money laundering, has alleged it has evidence that Kejriwal’s party received millions of dollars from a liquor group. Opposition parties in recent months have increasingly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP of unfairly using federal investigative agencies to systematically pressure political rivals—or jail them outright ahead of crucial national elections that begin April 19.

In Jerusalem and the West Bank, Ramadan is marred by violence and loss (Washington Post) The war in Gaza has cast a pall over the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and reflection, charity and community. For Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the occasion is always bittersweet—marked by moments of joy and constant reminders of the Israeli occupation that shapes their lives. Celebrations are circumscribed by Israeli restrictions. Families navigate checkpoints to gather for meals. Violence can interrupt prayer or play at any moment. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, restrictions have been tightened, Israeli military raids have intensified, and settler attacks have driven families from their homes. The combustible atmosphere sparked concerns that Ramadan—which began on March 10 this year—might bring unrest across Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Russia and China strike deal with Houthis to ensure ship safety (Bloomberg) Russia and China have reached an agreement with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Iran-backed militant group that has been attacking ships moving through the Red Sea since the conflict in Gaza broke out. The Houthis, who control the vast majority of Yemen’s population centers, have agreed to let Russian and Chinese ships pass through the area—in return, Moscow and Beijing have promised some “political support.” The deal is an interesting piece of diplomacy because it pits the two countries (and the Houthis) against much of the West. The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning the Houthis for their attacks in January (with Russia and China abstaining), and the U.S. and U.K. have orchestrated multiple strikes against the group in an attempt to re-establish their shipping routes.

[emaanderson]

Property Management Software Market Size, Demand Manufacturers, Segments and Forecast Report Till 2033

Research Nester published a report titled “Property Management Software Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2033” which delivers detailed overview of the global property management software market in terms of market segmentation by deployment model, application, end-user and by region.

Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth indicators, restraints, supply and demand risk, along with detailed discussion on current and future market trends that are associated with the growth of the market.

The global property management software market is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of ~6% during the forecast period, i.e., 2023-2033. The market is segmented by deployment model into on-premises, cloud. Out of these segments, the cloud segment is anticipated to garner the largest market share over the forecast period, owing to the growing expansion of cloud industry. In addition, increasing adoption of cloud in real estate industry is also expected to boost the growth of the segment in the coming years.

Get a PDF Sample For More Detailed Market Insights:https://www.researchnester.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-id-4404

The global property management software market is estimated to garner a moderate revenue by the end of 2033, backed by the growing population worldwide. Various features provided by property management software, including reservation management, operations management along with marketing support and payment processing are also projected to boost sales of these tools in the coming years. Moreover, rising tourism industry as well as increasing workforce migration is also projected to propel the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Geographically, the global property management software market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa region. Out of these, the market in North America is estimated to garner the largest market share over the forecast period, owing to the rising number of houses rented.

Apart from this, the market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register significant growth in the coming years.

The research is global in nature and covers detailed analysis on the market in North America (U.S., Canada), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg, NORDIC [Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark], Poland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Middle East and Africa (Israel, GCC [Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman], North Africa, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa).

In addition, analysis comprising market size, Y-O-Y growth & opportunity analysis, market players’ competitive study, investment opportunities, demand for future outlook etc. has also been covered and displayed in the research report.

For more information in the analysis of this report, visit:https://www.researchnester.com/reports/property-management-software-market/4404

Increasing Adoption of Big Data Technology to Drive the Market Growth

According to the data, around 35% of the companies worldwide were running their organization on SaaS in 2020.

The adoption of SaaS is expected to accelerate the market growth in the coming years, as SaaS provide option of an integrated Customer Relationship Management delivered through Software as a Service solution as well as handles the growing complexities of the market, which further improves performance of real estate industry. Moreover, the increasing technological advancements as well as the increasing growth of the tourism industry are also expected to drive the growth of the global property management software market during the forecast period.

However, possibility of adopting the wrong system for operation as well as concern of affordability for smaller businesses are expected to operate as key restraints to the growth of global property management software market over the forecast period.

This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the of global property management software market which includes company profiling of Yardi Systems, Inc., RealTimeRental, Oracle Corporation, IBM Corporation, Honeywell International Inc. AppFolio, Inc., Total Management, Buildium, LLC, Entrata, Inc., Trimble Inc. The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments.

On the whole, the report depicts detailed overview of the of global property management software market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.     

Request Report Sample@https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-4404

[allyourprettywords]

"New Travelogue," Lewis Warsh

I stumbled out of the bushes to see a deer drink from a pool. I climbed into the hills above Berkeley, one step at a time. I went to Prince Edward Island where Anne of Green Gables’ face is on the license plate. A hawk or a condor flew over our house.

I bought a carton of smokes at the duty free shop in Anchorage. Took a seconal in Frankfurt and woke up in New York. I bothered my friends with my troubles; I was never (not) alone. I postponed pleasure until it was almost gone.

I stared out over the North Sea, waiting for rain. I wandered through the red light district in Amsterdam in the middle of night. I rode on the back of a motorcycle over a mountain on Christmas Eve.

I floated on my back in the ocean at Maui. Stared out the window of my hotel room over the rooftops of Florence. Took LSD in Paris and sat on a bench in the Luxembourg Gardens. Rented a hotel room in Liverpool but couldn’t sleep.

I missed my flight from Madrid to Lisbon. Found an apartment on the Panhandle and drank tea in Golden Gate Park. I was caught stealing at Safeway—I could never return. A Chinese acupuncturist came to my house when I threw out my back

and couldn’t move. I woke up in an apartment on 5th Street and listened to the roosters crow on someone’s roof. I visited her in her house overlooking the ocean and she let me in. I put out my hand to touch you, but the bed was empty.

I wheeled a stroller down an icy New England street. Waited under a canopy in the rain, but she never came. I stood in front of a classroom with paint stains on my shoes. Called the suicide hotline, but no one answered.

I dropped everything I was doing and ran into the street. Drove a car with faulty transmission until a fire started under the hood. I ate Indian food on a balcony in Capetown. I sang karaoke in a bar in Tibet.

Something I meant to say comes back to haunt me in my sleep. I turn the key in the lock and call your name. Her face appears, out of nowhere, making a shadow on the page. There’s only one stone and it weighs a ton.

[askthetomatogang]

Portugal and Spain give us 2 examples of your brotherly fights!

Portugal - Well we've had a lot of fights...

Spain- you mean our non political physical fights, because that'll narrow it down a bit!

Portugal- I have a good one! So as you know me and Netherlands dated but Spain kept trying to drive us apart. Then the war for dutch independence started and Spain made me fight Netherlands in the war which was the last crack in our relationship so we broke up. Tensions were high between me and Spain so we kept arguing about random things. Eventually one of the arguments lead to me kissing Belgium because I knew Spain liked her. This pushed Spain over the edge and we started dueling. Belgium, Luxembourg and Romano came running but they couldn't stop us, Belgium held the kids back while I defeated Spain. Spain was bleeding so much, it was amusing to watch but unfortunately he's a nation and didn't die.

Spain- You just got a lucky stab in! I also have a good one to tell, and it's a lot more recent then Portugal's story! This was about 10 years ago when the whole gang decided to go on a boat trip, Luxembourg rented the boat. It was fun aside from Portugal making bad pirate jokes the whole time. He kept insisting I was a horrible pirate and he was better then me, it didn't bother me that much at first but after a week straight I had enough! I tackled Portugal and we both went overboard, we traded blows in the water and under it. Eventually I held Portugal under long enough for him to lose consciousness. I was going to leave him there too but after Belgium and Romano helped pull me up, Netherlands dived in and got Portugal out.

Portugal- you just got some lucky punches on me...

[wasalwaysagreatpickle]

Wednesday 27 May 1829

7 55/60

11 1/2

The coach maker come about the injury done to the rumble behind the carriage, on Monday – the iron work too light – not strong enough – broken and the seat let down on the off side – just put on my dressing gown and had the man in – could build a britzka even for 2000 francs but would not recommend such workmanship – the misfortune was, people would not pay for good workmanship – could make a britzka for 3000/. or 4000/. but would make a capital one, boxes and everything fit for travelling, and very handsome for town use, the best that could be made for 4500 francs in 5 months – asked him about a remise – recommended D’agart rue neuve des Mathurins – a remise at 18/. per day or 350/ per month and give the coachman 2/. but he ought to clean the carriage and best to pay him handsomely – 2/50 or 3/. would be very handsome – some people only gave 1/. but then they thought that like nothing and never minded to be careful of the carriage – they are paid by the master of the remise 3/. a day – asked about the keep of horses – everything now so dear a horse would cost 4/. a day – could get a good strong pair for travelling for from 1800 to 2000/. D’agart would sell me them, and though he would charge perhaps 100 francs more, yet he was a man of character, and would take them back again, if, after a fortnights trial, I did not like them – 

Then M. Séné sent to know if I could see him – no time to dress – received him as I was, and he sat about 1/2 hour – said a few civil things about having his apartment, and on what terms he would let us have that in the rue neuve Saint Augustin – he praised it much – at last I offered him 4000/. he paying all taxes, the porter and [every] etc. and letting us have all the furniture we have here, which would do very well, except for the drawing room – he seemed to hesitate – at last he said the entresol was let for 400/. a year – then said I the thing is over; for I hope to have a friend with me and the apartment would be too small – on which he said the lady had not a lease, and if the apartment would suit us, and I would pay the additional 400/. of rent, he would la congedier, and as he considered her much would give her another apartment! – I made no objection to this if the apartment suited us – he very civil – it was not to be let till his return – we might try it for any length of time we liked apparently at the same price for the time of trial that we have this apartment? 

Then reading from page 21 to 35 volume 1 Hallam and at 9 55/60 dressed – breakfast at 10 3/4 – at 11 1/4 took George to drive in 1/2 hour (per fiacre) to the jardin des plantes – saw M Royer – asked him about attending M Geoffroy - Saint-Hilairés lectures (which began at 12 on Monday) on the histoire naturelle des mammifères – took George into the room with me at the cabinet de l’histoire naturelle and there he sat all the while – just before the lecture began the livery servant in waiting shewed me to a seat near the table with 2 ladies – the lecture began at 12 and last just an hour – M Geoffroy Saint Hillarés a shortish fattish person – with an affected rhetorical manner of speaking? and provincial though I am not French enough to make out from what province – spoke rather low at 1st – could all those behind us hear him? has lost a tooth or 2 – rather indistinct or speaks rather thick at times – one must be accustomed to him – a stuffed specimen of a small duck and a hare on the table and a skeleton of a monkey – he argued on the apparent differences between the 2 first then proceeded to explain the analogies between them as being of the vertebral order of animals – je trouve les organes du même rang etc. etc. et une repetit[io]n des mêmes organes – semblables, non – analogues, oui – then produced the skull of a monkey – une tête – qu’est ce qua c’est un tête – une chose bien compliquée - ….. toutes les chambres …. chaque chambre propre à chaque sens – then he went to the poitrine separée dans les mammifères de l’abdomen par la diaphragme – formerly said birds had no diaphragme – but they have it en débris i.e. in partridge – a little bit being to be found on each side – in birds it does not confine the lungs – this a good character of birds – birds have a bag, besides the lungs, containing air, communicating with the lungs where the air can dilate and swell out the body – thus the air breathed by birds is more elaborated and they breathe an air more [concentrate] than that breathed by the mammifères – and their circulation is quicker and their blood warmer – mammifères have 7 vertebra at least (with one exception to be mentioned hereafter) and birds have 9 vertebra at least – Les organes sexuels des oiseaux agissent avec une rapidité extrême and with much more intensely than in the mammifères – just beginning to point out the analogy between feathers and hair, the former the result of a greater quantity and more accelerated circulation of the blood? 

When the hour was expended and the lecture closed – went again to M Royer to ask if there was any book published that could be any guide to me for M. Geoffroy Saint Hillarés’s lectures – no! none – he used to lecture according to an established rule, but now he was all for a philosophical system his head was a head for system – he had all his own way – there was no guide – he talked as if by inspiration, and said what ever came uppermost – I had observed that he had no notes – neither, in fact, has Laugier, but M. Desfontaines has – Mr Royer seems to regret that the Institution is not made as useful as it ought to be – gave me 12 billets to admit any of my friends at any time – Friday a public day – better not bring my friends on that day – Cuvier could not possibly attend any day but Sunday – Desfontaines the present Directeur général, and he therefore worth vant tous les professeurs – a director chosen from among the professors every 2 years – Cuvier will probably be chosen next – 

Got to Mrs Barlow’s in 56 minutes (walked leisurely) at 2 10/60 – sat talking to her and Jane – all went out at 3 3/4 to see an apartment au premier rue d’aguesseau corner of rue [Suresne], opposite the [embassy] – funished maybe had for 4000/. per annum though the woman (an English widow of a Frenchman) asks 500 francs a month with each house and stable – in bad condition – carriage could not turn in the court – did not seem to think much of it – said it was too dear though Mrs Barlow thought it cheap – declined seeing the widow herself – then saw a furnished apartment in the rue neuve de Luxembourg, then 2 or 3 in the rue Mont Thabor, not worth attention – 

Then went to take an outside peep at M. Sénés apartment rue neuve Saint Augustin – met him – said Mrs Barlow be on your guard – perhaps he has not let the entresol – only says so – you will have trouble with him – he will furnish to you en marchand – when you were away, I was only afraid of your frightening your aunt into taking the apartment where you are for another year by telling her that if she did not they must give her notice and quit etc. etc. – then looked at a very nice [court]-looking [into] premier at what used to be the hotel de Windsor rue neuve Saint Augustin nearly opposite Monsieur Sénés apartment – the 2nd let at 3500/. coach house and stable might perhaps get it for 4000/. per annum unfurnished –

Said to Mrs Barlow I might after all decide to stay where we were – I had been musing of this all the way from the lecture this morning – pleased with the lecture, and with my attendance altogether at the Jardin des plantes – this will occupy and amuse me – je renonce à la société pour le présent – je peux m’en bien dispenser jusqu’au [mom[en]t] d’avoir quelqu’une chez moi qui me plait et qui peut m’accompagner partout dans le monde – 

Home at 6 – dressed – the message from Esme Tridon 15, rue du Rocher, au bout de la rue Saint Lazare – un cabriolet 14/. per jour, et 1/. per jour au cocher = 15 francs per jour! ou 400 francs par mois! eh! bien, je disais à George, the man dreams – 

Found on my desk a note from Miss Hobart 2pp. of 1/2 sheet thanks for my ‘little note of inquiry and information’ – not the worse ‘except a little gruff in my throat – and maugré the vile weather, I am delighted to have seen Mortfontaine, and in your company’ – the whole party ‘going tomorrow juncketting to Versailles’ – so must put off going to the jardin du roi – goes chiefly for the children – would rather put it off to next week – ‘and she will like to have M. de Noé very much and M. Desfontaines with you, but more of this anon and I am desolée to put off Madame Galvani tomorrow, and pray tell her so with all mes complimens les plus distingués…..your affectionate V. Hobart’ dated ‘Wednesday’ – 

The most friendly note I have had from her – 

Dinner at 6 1/4 – came to my room at 8 1/4 – wrote out journal of Monday to bottom of page 53. Coffee at 9 1/4 came to my room at 10 – very fine day – M. Royer told me M. Andoin’s lectures on geology to begin 4 June – no book to help me on this subject – the subject quite new – geology quite new, only known within these 30 years – M. Royer n’est pas tout à fait au courant de tout -

[nomenculture]

i designed an idea for the financial system of the future. how do i get it noticed by the gov’t

The future of economic merchancy is having a sliding pay scale for everything...

 Firstly, paper money will be extinct (it currently represents only ~8% of money so we are almost there). Secondly, the price of all goods and services will be put into terms of percentages -- specifically, percentages of personal income. additionally, prices (which are percentages) will be categorized into weekly, monthly, and yearly percentages of personal income.

Practically, it will operate like this:

The price of a butternut-squash-ravioli entree will be 2W .. (an abbreviation for “2%Weekly.”) 

And a brand new bicycle will be priced at 6M .. (an abbreviation for “6%Monthly).  

Income deposits will be a dominant and determining figure of your financial profile (which is all electronic), and accumulated wealth will not be factored into income unless you are pointlessly unemployed. 

Incomes above a certain threshold will have to be illegal because it would not be fair from businesses’ perspective to have patrons with million-dollar yearly incomes frequent certain establishments and not others. Although the businesses would also buy raw products based on revenue percentage, a maximum income would have to be implemented to avoid funnelling, since the percentages are still based on real numbers. Therefore, there will be both a minimum and a maximum wage.

Money transactions between people will still exist as long as those people are willing to disclose their incomes. For example, I could sell my neighbor my used bike for 20W but she will have to understand that I could easily calculate her income from that week after the exchange. For the most part, I think transparency will be natural in this economic structure, but people could still choose to not buy things from others, or they could barter a bike for a hiking backpack and exclude money altogether. 

This is not a merchancy structure in which everything would be equal, but it would mitigate the gap between classes. Some people are still spenders and some people are still savers. Some people would be willing to spend 30M on an apartment and others would only budget 10M. Money will not be equal, but it will be fair. And businesses will still have incentives to create a diversity of products -- probably even moreso than they do now. 

The point of accumulated wealth (functionally, a savings account) would be that you could deliberately add money from your accumulated wealth into your income account (almost like paying yourself) if you wanted to buy more things that week/month/year. 

I have not been able to imagine how child-dependents will be accounted for. But I think it would work out similarly to how it does now, where their guardians buy them things until they are 18 and ready to work for themselves. 

If I could live to be 300yo, I would make sure this would happen. lololol

to try to clear up what's pb already a little confusing... lets say you make $1,000 per week; $4,000 per month; and $50,000 a year. let's say your taxes are 20M and your rent is 10M. so, simple math/fractions, after subtracting $200 per week for taxes and $100 per week for rent, you have $700 per week left to spend. however, your income per week was $1000 deposited. you buy groceries which come to be 7W. You also buy a new futon for 15W. 7% + 15% of your $1000 income is $220. For the week, after taxes 20M ($200), rent 10M ($100), and spendings 22W ($220), you still have $480 for your weekly income account.. If you do not spend this money this week it will be transferred into your monthly income account. And if it is not spent in this month, it will be transferred into your accumulated wealth account which is like a savings. 

Percentage prices are always based on deposited income figures and NOT on how much money is in the account or in the savings account. ....if that answers any questions…

[littleredinmotion]

live through this and you won’t look back by royalklaroline

(ff) (ao3)

Caroline left Rousseau’s determined to keep it together. Determined not to cry because if she did she’s afraid she’d never stop.

It wasn’t until the frantic drive down to New Orleans a few hours before that she realized that the reason Klaus dying affected her this much was because somewhere deep down she always knew that they’d end up together. Like fate.

But apparently, she was wrong.

Now it seems that fate is ripping them apart before they’d barely begun.

She’d lost a loved one before. Quite a few times actually. But this time was different. She thought losing Stefan, her newlywed husband, on their wedding day was as bad as it could get. But Stefan was human. Part of her knew that someday he would leave her, she just hadn’t expected it so soon.

Losing Klaus was different. She always imagined that once all her loved ones were gone, she’d always have Klaus. But now…

She felt like she’d lost her future. Her forever.

Klaus was the one who’d helped her embrace the joys of being immortal. Now the thought of a future without him felt empty and uncertain and scary.

In an attempt to keep from falling apart and to keep any last bit of him that she could, she turned and headed back to find the street painter they’d admired together earlier. She found him sitting in the exact spot with the now finished painting at his side while he started on a new one.

“I’ll pay you however much you want for that painting,” she inquired to the man.

“Sorry miss. It’s already been sold.”

“Please. I’ll pay double whatever they paid. I’m begging you,” she pleaded now on the verge of tears.

“I wish I could help you but the owner was very specific that it had to be this painting. I can paint you one like it, if you wish.”

Defeated, Caroline thanked the man but declined. She was once again reminded of how much she regretted shredding the drawing he once gave her.

She took her time making her way back to her car before leaving New Orleans with nothing but the fading sensation of the man that promised her the world on her lips.

Two weeks had passed since she had gotten back to Mystic Falls. Two weeks since Klaus had successfully sacrificed himself for his daughter. She had hoped that returning home to her girls would help her fall back into the same routine that she’d had for the past 7 years. She’d gone 16 years without seeing Klaus up until a few months ago, so she thought that going through life without him now would feel like normal.

She was wrong. Being back at the boarding school now made her feel like she was just going through the motions. A school filled with history of the Salvatore’s also meant a school filled with the history of the big bad Klaus Mikaelson.

Everywhere she turned, something reminded her of him. The snowflake painting hanging in the dining hall. A hummingbird outside the window. The British accent of one of the new werewolves she’d recruited to come the school.

With each day, she felt a rising panic that time was going by too fast. To her, it felt like only yesterday that he was chasing her all over town, but now she is the mother of two teenage girls. What happens when they grow up and she doesn’t? When Alaric, the girls, Elena, Bonnie, and all her other friends die?

Even after his death, she began to understand how loneliness had been his biggest enemy.

“Mom, there’s a package here for you!” Josie yelled from the front door downstairs, jolting Caroline out of her racing thoughts.

When she reached the door to find a large package, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. “This isn’t…” she whispered.

But it was.

She ripped the paper away to find the painting from New Orleans. The last memory she has of him. A piece of artwork to remind her of the man who introduced her to the beauty of it.

But that wasn’t all.

Stuck to the back was an envelope. Sealed with the all too familiar Mikaelson crest and penned with the handwriting she’d know anywhere that only said “Caroline”

Her breath caught. The little voice in the back of her head said “Maybe he’s still out there…” but she knew that couldn’t be the case.

With shaking hands, she opened the letter and read.

My Dearest Caroline,

         For almost eight centuries, whenever I defeated an enemy all I would take from them were their love letters. I guess somehow, I thought stealing the love from their letters would help me to find some of my own. It never worked. Yet after a thousand years on this earth, I find that the tables have turned. Now I am the one writing the letter with death waiting on my doorstep.

         When you came into my life, I was a shell. Fueled by greed and anger with no care for life other than my own. Until I met you. A mere eighteen years old and you spoke to me with more honesty and strength than I’d experienced in centuries. You never cowered in fear of my darkness because your light turned it to shadows.

         I know that I once told you that I intended to be your last love, alas fate had other plans for us. But know this. I always intended for you to be my last as well. I find comfort knowing that you were. And you being here for me today, just as you have been for the past few months, means more than you could ever know. Your presence somehow makes everything I do easier and harder in equal measure.

         My biggest regret is that I never got the chance to show you the world like I told you I would someday. Rome. Paris. Tokyo. But I keep my promises. Included in this envelope are four tickets to London Heathrow. For you, Josie, Lizzie, and, if I may add, Hope. Caroline, I beg that you be the one to bring her to these places. Though I know my family could very well take her, I’d like her to experience it with you. And don’t worry about hotels or any other requirements of the sort, it’s all been taken care of my love.

Also attached, I would like to include a list of a few tips for your travels abroad.

There’s a small pub in Blackfriars called Williamson’s Tavern where Elijah and I lost quite a bit of money once while gambling after a few pints. Still I’d do it all again. Though I hear they’ve cleaned up the place and it’s more family appropriate now.

Located on a far wall on the second floor of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg you’ll find a landscape I did of the view outside our home in southern Italy in 1475 titled “Landscape of Fallen Leaves”

In Berlin, look up a man named Alexander Schütze near the East Side Gallery. Tell him I sent you and I’m sure he will show you the best of the best. He owes me a favor.

San Miniato al Monte has one of the best views in Florence. Though I did sire one of the nuns for fun, so if you meet a woman named Silvia tell her that I finally got what I deserved.

The only way to explore Rome is on a Vespa.

The best flavor of gelato is pistachio. Trust me.

At the Louvre, the painting across from the Mona Lisa titled “The Wedding Feast at Cana” is an incredible piece by an old friend of mine Paolo Caliari. I visited him often as he was painting it.

Be sure to rent a bike to ride around Luxembourg Gardens.

When at Versailles, go as deep into the gardens that you can. Spend the whole day if you must. Get lost. That’s the fun part, love.

Lastly, once back in London visit the Tate Britain and go find the painting entitled “The Hummingbird.”  I think you may find it quite amusing.

There are a million more things I would have liked to show you but I don’t have enough time left to write them all down. So, I’ll leave the exploring to you in hopes that you find everything that I did and more.

         If you were anyone else, I’d end this by saying I wish to see you again someday, somewhere, somehow in whatever there is after all this. But alas, I won’t. More than anything I want you to live your life to the fullest. I hope you have a thousand more birthdays and that you get everything you ever wanted out of life. I pray that my daughter learns as much from you as she ever learned from me. Please look after her as you always did for me. May your lifespan far outnumber mine and that they tell great stories of the mythical Caroline Forbes who loved with her whole heart to everyone she encountered, even those who did not deserve it.  

         Forever yours,

                  Klaus Mikaelson

She spent that summer exploring all that Europe had to offer. She’d brought her girls and Hope with her just as Klaus had wanted. They had ticked off numbers 1 through 9 on Klaus’s list and added much more to it over the past few months. On their last day in back in London where they started their trip, they were set to finally visit the Tate and knock off the last sight on the list.

She wasn’t sure if she was ready to finish the list and head back home. Being in Europe had made her feel closer to him in a way that she didn’t know was possible and he wasn’t even here.

Over the past couple of months, she had become quite an art enthusiast. She thought he’d be proud. She finally understood how art had this ability to transport the viewer somewhere else and fill them with emotion with just a glance. Now she knew that’s why he loved art so much. It was his escape.

They’d been exploring for just over an hour, hoping to stumble upon “The Hummingbird” on their own. The looking was always the fun part.

“Oh my God. Mom. Over here,” she heard Lizzie say from around the corner.

She’d expected just some picture of a hummingbird. She should have known better.

Wide eyed, she gasped because there, in the middle of the Tate, was her.

Blonde hair. Blue dress. It was the night of the Mikaelson Ball. The portrait of her wasn’t looking at the viewer. She looked calm, collected, and confident. Surrounded by other party goers that blurred in the background. She was the only focus.

It was then that everything clicked into place for Caroline. She’d finally gotten the thing that she’d always wanted. 

She was finally the one.

The one for Klaus.

Now that Klaus was gone, she was surprised that she didn’t feel sad at this revelation. She felt thankful. Thankful to have known him and that he’d given her everything she’d ever wanted. Culture. Art. Beauty. The world. He’d given her the world. But most of all, she felt thankful that he was intelligent enough to know that she loved him too. Even if she never had the guts to say it to him aloud. He had to of known.

She walked over and read the description.

The Hummingbird (2011) by Niklaus Mikaelson

“This portrait is for a woman much like a hummingbird. Small and beautiful yet fierce.  She showed me how satisfying life can be every day with her. I’ll wait for her to fly back to me someday. However long it takes.”

[qtakesams]

September, Homestays, and Other Things

I’m really not sure what is stranger—that its already September, or that I have now been in Amsterdam for two weeks, going into the third. It should also definitely feel like summer vacation is ending because my semester begins tomorrow, but somehow it does not. Yesterday I had dinner with a group of my new girlfriends, and we started planning trips to Vienna, Budapest, Paris, and London. On top of that, I already know I will be going to Oktoberfest in a month, Prague, and Luxembourg. Really, I feel like my vacation just started. So, what exactly am I doing when I’m not at an event or planning a trip? Well, I live in a homestay.

           It’s very fun in the last two weeks to tell people I am living with a Dutch family. The study abroad program I am in, the CIEE, is only American exchange students and contains about a hundred students. When I signed up for this, they presented living options of two different student dormitories, both in Amsterdam West, and the option of a homestay. Only three people out of this group selected to live in a homestay. The student network I joined, the ISN, is not education-based but provides programs and events for exchange students living in a certain city. The basic idea is help foreign students meet students from other universities. None of the students in this program were given the option of a homestay, so they live in housing offered to them by their institution, also known as apartments.

           All of this means I am one of very few students currently living in Amsterdam, currently living with a Dutch family who is not my own by blood. A rather entertaining part of my abroad experience which develops into some fun conversations.

           Many of the fellow peers in my own exchange program are curious about what living in that circumstance is like. Many of them simply want to know how awkward or weird it is. Truthfully, after two weeks, its neither.

           For one, there are many perks of a homestay that I know my other classmates do not have. I am fed breakfast, some lunches, and most dinners for free. My family is only required to feed me once a week, but they eat every night at 6 so if I am home, I join them. They’ve also given me the privilege of using one of their old bikes, complete with a lock and lights. Although it would seem bikes are plentiful in the Netherlands (which they definitely are), they are still expensive. The ability to rent a bike for free saved me somewhere between 50-200 euros, which increases when you rent from a company because most require you also buy their insurance.

           I have three younger host brothers, which is interesting and fun. The older one is 13, and the younger two are 11-year-old twins. Although I’m really just about a decade older than both of them, it’s interesting to realize how much my world perspectives have already changed so much since I was that age. They ask questions about things I no longer consider. They tell me little fun facts about Amsterdam, and I tell them what the United States is like. Today, for example, we travelled somewhere in the car together and they taught me some basic Dutch words. In turn, they told me to teach them some difficult English words, so I taught them “annihilated”, “yacht”, and “colonel”. All three of them picked these words up quickly, which stunned me a little because those were some of the words I struggled with when I was learning my own vocabulary.

           It’s a very strange thing to go from begin the younger sibling, or even an only child of sorts, to having three younger siblings. While I am just coming into their preteen lives, and I’ll leave rather quickly, I already feel a need to look out for them. They make me laugh very hard, a lot, and given how much they already know about themselves and the world, I would say they are highly intelligent kids. I actually often find myself wondering if I was that observant when I was 11, or if I knew myself that well but lost it somewhere along the way. I also wonder if I was that lanky, but generally I don’t believe I was.

           My family lives two neighborhoods over from the Artis (zoo) in Amsterdam West, which puts me on the other side of the city from the two student dormitories where the rest of my academic program live. I don’t see them often, and it’s clear that they’ve naturally developed into their own groups. Well over half of them are from the same university, so the effort of trying to fit with them doubles anyway.

           It can be frustrating when I see them and they already know one another and have inside jokes I wouldn’t know about because I wasn’t there, but I usually just don’t mind. Afterall, most of them are friendly and they include me when I’m there. It took me years to find friends at home who would do that, so it feels good to find it here as well.

           Mostly, I don’t mind because it feels good to be immersed in this culture. There’s already many things I have experienced that I know I would have missed had I chosen to live with other American college students.

           Of course, it takes time to adjust to spontaneously moving into somebody else’s house, but now that I’m adjusted, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the city.

[monkeyjeff4]

German co-living company raises $300M for US expansion

German co-living company raises $300M for US expansion

Medici Living Group's subsidiary Quarters will be developing 1,500 units across the country

Medici Living Group CEO Gunther Schmidt and a Quarters living space

A German company is attempting to force its way into the ever-tightening co-living industry.

Medici Living Group raised $300 million as part of a joint venture with investment firm W5 Group to develop 1,500 units across the U.S. under its co-living brand, Quarters, the Berlin-based company said Tuesday.

The company is entering a crowded U.S. co-living industry, a concept developed about a decade ago to provide shared living spaces. Quarters, which currently has locations in New York, Chicago and Berlin, provides shared apartments, under terms similar to sublease agreements, that are maintained and offer amenities and services. Contracts can be as short as three months.

Co-living has been met with mixed reviews in different markets. Startup Common Living has a few locations in Brooklyn and announced it will open its first Manhattan location this year at an 11,000-square-foot space at 424 West 47th Street. The company, which has raised $63.4 million is partnering with YD Development for the Hell’s Kitchen development, dubbed Common Clinton.

Other co-living players include Ollie and British startup the Collective, which have raised $17 million and $450 million, respectively. The We Company, formerly WeWork, has also entered the space with the launch of its WeLive business in 2016. But the venture is struggling, and currently only two locations are open, one in New York, the other in Washington DC.

Despite this, Quarters has pitched itself as “the WeWork of co-living,” as it expands globally. Last month it announced that it had raised $1.14 billion for its co-living expansion in Europe. That investment was backed by Luxembourg-based CoreState Capital Group, which manages $28 billion in assets and is owned by Ralph Winter, the founder of W5 Group. W5 Group is also a shareholder in Medici Living Group.

Quarters currently has 1,300 rooms, but the company said the combined $1.4 billion in funding will enable it to open 9,000 rooms in the U.S. and Europe. This year it plans to enter Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, Austin, Seattle and Miami. The company said the locations will be a combination of retrofits and new construction in cities with over 1 million people.

At a Quarters co-living location that opened in Chicago last April, apartments accommodate as many as five people, with a kitchen, one or more bathrooms and bedrooms sized between 77 to 198 square feet. Rents at the Fulton Market location, which has space for 175 residents, reportedly ranged from $1,200 per month, before utilities, wireless internet and Netflix subscription.

Source: https://therealdeal.com/2019/01/15/german-co-living-company-raises-300m-for-us-expansion/

[politicalsci]

Tens of thousands of undergraduates are paying for accommodation at universities where developers are cashing in on the privatisation of student housing using offshore companies.

More than 20,000 students are paying for rooms owned by companies based in places such as Jersey, Guernsey, the British Virgin Islands and Luxembourg but that figure is likely to be an underestimate given the surge in building in university towns in recent years.

The holding structure means that overseas investors are able to sell on the rooms without paying tax on their gains and it allows buildings to change hands without any stamp duty bill. Complex company arrangements also give companies the opportunity to minimise the tax they pay while charging students up to £14,000 a year in fees for high-end housing.

One company collected £2.2m in rental income in 2016 but contributed just £10,000 in income tax after it paid £2.1m in charges, mostly to a Luxembourg based holding company.

The National Union of Students vice-president for welfare, Izzy Lenga, said UK students were seen as a cash cow by overseas investors, and often had no choice but to take rooms in “overpriced glass towers��.

Lenga said: “Overseas investors make billions of pounds building luxury apartments and charging sky-high rents for students. There is a cost of living crisis and finding good-quality affordable accommodation is a huge barrier for low- and middle-income students attending our world-leading institutions.”

[sellfurnitureonline]

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Investing on property is a long-term investment. Before buying, selling or renting property in Mumbai one should be aware about the current scenario of the real estate sector of the city. Most of us take an aid of newspaper for getting the property updates. Somewhat the newspaper will prove beneficial for such cases but any newspaper will not bring up to date information regarding properties in Mumbai. But don't worry due to the advent of internet now you can surf easily minute to minute information about properties in Mumbai.

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[zachthevagabond]

Standing Strong

It’s been half a week since I’ve written any updates.  I wish, with everything in me, that it was due to the fact that I was having way too much fun –but that would be the opposite of the truth.  I feel confident in saying that this past week was the worst week of my life.

There have been countless unforeseen disasters –ranging from actual physical disasters (like my apartment complex catching on fire), and administrative disasters with my banking and declaration of arrival to the country.  My recent post, entitled We didn’t Start the Fire, was a lighthearted update as to not alarm my loved ones at home.  After returning from Belgium on Wednesday night, we quickly learned that the fire was no laughing matter after all.

While no one was hurt, every student and staff member (one other teacher and a Fulbright researcher lived in the building with me) has been relocated while they clean and repair the building.  The two other Fulbrighters and myself have been moved to studio apartments right across the street from the campus.  Geographically, it’s much closer to the university, but further away from the high school that I’m teaching at.  It’s a small studio apartment, but the university is freezing our rent rate for the estimated three months that they imagine we will have to spend here.  

When I got back from Brussels on Wednesday night, I had the honor of cleaning out my perfectly settled apartment in pitch-black darkness (since the electricity had been cut), and found a wet mess.  Everything smelled of smoke, and all of my towels and linens that were not in my closet had to be thrown out.  It was probably one of the most pitiful sights I’ve ever seen. People were wandering around the wet and smelling building in the dark as they threw away wet clothes, shoes, and items that they had just bought the day before as they settled into their new apartments for the academic year. Is there a worst beginning to your college experience that you can imagine?  I felt so bad for the undergraduate students who had been dropped off by their parents just days before, and were freshly comfortable and settled into their new apartments.  

On a positive note, we received a 65 euro voucher from the city commune to replace any “essential needs” from a store called Cactus nearby. It’s a hipster kind of grocery and boutique store that I would equate to T.J. Maxx in the states (shout-out to my little sister Celia, the biggest T.J. Fashionista the world has ever seen).  The bottle of scotch that I tried to sneak in my voucher purchase was not deemed as an “essential need” to the cashier on lane three of the store, but I think my attempt was well-worth that linguistic exchange.  We shared a good laugh, as I told the cashier in French, “Do you know what this voucher is for?  I survived a fire.  I think that bottle of scotch is more of an essential need for me at this point than anything else in my cart!”

In more exciting news, I met with some of my colleagues at the university and high school where I will be teaching English classes starting on Monday. While my schedule isn’t yet finalized, it appears as though I’ll be teaching only four days a week, with a three-day weekend included at the end of every week. Gotta love Europe, baby!  I will be teaching three university courses at the university, and the Luxembourg-equivalent of junior and senior students at the high school. My direct cooperating teacher at the lycée, Liane, is an absolute gem of a teacher and mentor. I imagine she will soon become my “work mom.” 

Today was a pretty chill Saturday here. It’s definitely feeling like fall in Luxembourg, and the leaves are starting to turn before our eyes. I accomplished a lot of lesson planning today, and am really looking forward to developing my teaching schedule and routine this upcoming week. I am most exciting about a course I will be teaching at the university called American Studies I: American Ideas & Ideals.  

[synchronysymphony]

I’d like to hear about your thoughts on Marius sometime!

ohohoho do you really

okay

Baron Marius Pontmercy, major character from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, bafflingly remains one of literature’s most enduring characters despite a striking lack of most redeeming qualities, and a thoroughly flavorless, though unappealing personality. This fact is interesting from a sociological perspective, as it highlights the popularity of young, attractive, white male characters, seemingly against all common sense. On a more literature-oriented perspective, however, it demonstrates Hugo’s inventive work with archetypes. While many of the other characters in the novel represent an idea, or symbolize some greater theme beyond themselves, Marius represents nothing but Hugo’s own whimsy, undeniably human, but weak and ineffectual. We may see him as a representation of society at its most blandly tasteless, or as a nod to the common man, but in the end, we must accept Marius for who he is: a half-baked cad with a shocking lack of a moral compass, and few truly appealing features.

We first meet Marius as a privileged young law student, antisocial, awkward, and seething with bitterness against his estranged father. Hugo describes him favorably, but the audience is left with the uncomfortable sense of vague dislike. He does not have the human appeal that the other characters in the book are granted; not the quaint compassion of Bishop Myriel, nor the delicate charm of Fantine, or even the robust, boisterous humanity of Les Amis de l’ABC. He appears static, flat, and thoroughly uninspiring. As a child, he is described as “having passed from a prude to a pedant,” and in his adulthood, he becomes “royalist, fanatical, and austere” (Hugo, 352). The reader may infer that much of this is due to an unhappy childhood, especially given the canonical evidence of him disliking his grandfather, by whom he was raised. This explains, but does not excuse, his later actions.

Reckless pride is one of Marius’s most striking traits. He chooses to leave the luxury of his grandfather’s house because of the slight to his father, but he does not make any sort of plan, or prepare himself in any way for independent living. In fact, it is only because of the kindness of his new friends, Courfeyrac and Bossuet, that he is able to stay in school and find a job, and a place to live. However, he never thanks either of them for their compassion, and in fact, treats both of them (particularly Courfeyrac) rather rudely. Courfeyrac, generous soul that he is, never rebuffs Marius for his inconsiderate behavior, and in fact continues to unquestioningly lend him money until his death on the barricades. Marius, refusing to take help from his family, does manage to make something of a living for himself, which is admirable, and he pays rent for the Jondrette family next door, which is even more so. In this, we see that he is capable of compassion, though for the rest of the novel, he does not exercise it anymore.

Marius’s sexist and entitled tendencies can be clearly seen in his treatment of both Eponine and Cosette. He does not see Eponine as his equal; rather, he pities her, treats her like a child, and unashamedly capitalizes on her generousness to get him what he wants. Even after her death, which happens to save him, he merely puts her body on the ground, leaves it there, and goes about his business in trying to send word to Cosette. In short, he thinks of her as an object. In the musical, they’re friends; in the novel, they are not so much. This, though illuminating, is not nearly as egregious as his treatment of Cosette. When he first notices her in the Luxembourg gardens, his first thought is that she has eyes that are “always looking about with a disagreeable assurance” (Hugo, 397). He does not like the fact that Cosette is bold and self-assured, even as a child (which she is at this juncture), though as we see from his interactions with Les Amis, he does not mind those qualities in men, whom he considers his equals. From the very beginning, he thinks of Cosette as a possession, one whom he loves, to be sure, but one who is not, and can never be, his equal. This becomes quite apparent in the episode in which Cosette’s skirt blows up and shows her ankle. Marius is furious, because he thinks someone could have seen, which would be unacceptable, as to him, Cosette is his property. So he is angry with her for three days, which is quite an unreasonable amount of time, and at the end of that time, he chooses to “forgive” her for something that was not her fault to begin with. This demonstrates his disturbing possessiveness, and his tendency to be enraged when something doesn’t go his way.

As stated before, Marius possesses an unreasonable amount of entitlement, not just to Cosette, but to the world at large. When living next door to the Jondrettes, he thinks he is perfectly within his rights to spy on them, invading their privacy for the sake of satisfying his own curiosity. What then follows is an almost comical adventure involving Jean Valjean, Javert, and the Patron-Minette, one which Marius is privy to by virtue of his own dumb luck. He gets through it all with no problem, since, as with the rest of the novel, he is immune to all consequences, and once everything has blown over, makes Eponine’s acquaintance and uses his connection to her to find Cosette. Once he does so, he thoughtlessly invades her garden without permission, then continues to meet with her there, although if they were to be discovered, she would be the one in trouble, not him, thanks to stringent and sexist 1830s double standards. He does not care about this, though, as he feels that he can do whatever he wants with her.

Just before the barricades, Cosette tells Marius that she is moving to London, against her will. Marius takes this very badly, and treats her as if it is her fault. He asks her “coldly” if she will go, and when she says that she has to, he tells her that he will die, which is manipulative, and has a negative effect on her. He refuses to consider her solution, and instead leaves her to cry for two hours while he thinks about how hard this is on him, and him alone (Hugo, 592). Of course, Cosette has no choice in the matter, but Marius is angry all the same. This parallels their “first quarrel,” when Cosette’s skirt blew up to show her ankle. Marius didn’t get his way then, and he doesn’t now, and both times, he is unreasonably angry. He decides that since he can’t have Cosette, he may as well die, and he goes off to the barricades, which he promptly threatens to blow up. Enjolras appreciates this, and calls him the new leader, but to the audience, it appears audacious, even temeritous (okay that’s not a word but y’know what I mean). Marius feels entitled even to the revolution, which he has had no part in. In musical-Enjolras’s words, he seems to think this is a game.

This is all well and good, but Marius’s most appalling lack of humanity is shown towards the end of the novel, in his horrific treatment of Jean Valjean. Having decided that Valjean is beneath his contempt, he begins the process of cutting him out of Cosette’s life, without telling Cosette a thing about it. We must remember, at this moment in time, Cosette has two important people in her life, Valjean and Marius, and Marius is making her choose between them. He wants her to belong to him entirely, and he wants Valjean, whom he thinks is irredeemable, to live out the rest of his life in solitude. In this aim, Marius almost succeeds, until he happens to find out that Valjean is the one who saved his life. Then, he changes his tune with alacrity. All the morality he had been espousing earlier goes out the window; this man helped him, so he must be good. He still doesn’t tell Cosette anything, though, and brings her to her father’s deathbed with nothing but questions and grief.

As we can see, Marius’s morality is fluid and self-serving. He changes his mind about his father, and about Napoleon, and about the revolution once he sees that having a different opinion will fit his needs. He shapes his worldview depending not on what’s right, like Combeferre, or what’s ideal, like Enjolras, or even what’s practical, like Eponine, but on what suits him the best. He is eminently selfish, and has no strict code that would give him a strong character. He floats along through his life, getting lucky in every instance through no ingenuity of his own, and manages to succeed, not because he has a strong personality, or a good heart, but because he is, as stated before, immune to all consequence. This is one flaw in Hugo’s work; in a novel about the miserable people in society, in which everyone brushes elbows with tragedy, Marius escapes relatively unscathed. This sets him apart from the others, and makes him seem rather untouchable.

In short, Marius has few qualities which are to be admired. He is proud, but to the point of selfishness, brave, but to the point of recklessness, intelligent, but callous, determined, but self-serving. He shows little to no compassion throughout the course of the novel, and none of the redeeming love or hope that makes characters such as Cosette so appealing. One gets the sense that he is successful in his endeavors because the author wants him to be, not because of any merit of his own. He is a weak character, flawed and human to be sure, but not someone I would want in my life. To sum up, in five simple words: Marius Pontmercy is a fuckboy.

[ruegracieuse]

hello grace! i hope you are doing beautifully. i was just wondering, since you're currently living in paris, if you have any personal recommendations for things to do / places to visit there? i'll be headed to paris in a couple weeks & i am so !!! excited but also terribly clueless about a lot of things. i'd love to get some suggestions from someone much much more familiar with the city than i am. merci d'avance xx

Hi there! Sorry for the delay in answering this message - I needed some time to come up with a list of places (outside of the most famous attractions) that I think you absolutely must visit (plus, I had a midterm this week and wanted to give a fair amount of time to this response!). So here goes!

~ I’m don’t need to tell you to visit the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, but I’ll give you a few recommendations that I hope will make you enjoy your visit more. First of all, these museums both stay open late one night a week - on Thursdays the Musée d’Orsay is open until 9:45PM, and on both Wednesdays and Fridays the Louvre is open until 10PM. Also, don’t forget, Musée d’Orsay is closed on Mondays and the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays! I haven’t visited the Louvre at night, but I have spent an evening at the Musée d’Orsay and if you have the opportunity I would absolutely suggest visiting at these times. Not only are the museums (marginally, but also progressively) less crowded at night, there’s something kind of magical and more exciting about spending your evenings looking at beautiful art, and you get a lovely view of the Right Bank at night from the Musée d’Orsay. 

~ Also regarding the Louvre, you should definitely look at Napoleon’s apartments. You don’t need to buy a separate ticket or anything else, but they are tricky to find - this blog post explains how to get to them very well. They are stunning in their opulence (better than Versailles, in my opinion), and there’s an Angelina right by their entrance, so you can have a hot chocolate while you’re there/

~ The Luxembourg Gardens are of course a must (one of my favourite places in Paris), but if you get the chance you should also check out the Jardin des Plantes, which are a sort of botanical garden in the 5th Arrondissement/the grounds of the natural history museums. They’re very lovely, and I imagine they will be more so further into spring! One of the nicest things to do is grab a pastry and a coffee/tea/hot chocolate and breakfast at a seat in a garden on a sunny morning. There’s also a lovely park on the tip of the Ile de la Cité called the Square du Vert-Galant, which is right in the middle of the Seine, so very nice to sit at.

~ The Natural History Museum is this amazing, dark 19th Century monolith full of taxidermied animals and dark side galleries filled with draws and cabinets of insect specimens. You can almost see scientists of yore presenting whatever they’ve stolen from the colonies to committees. 

~ Right by the Jardin des Plantes is the Grand Mosquée, or the Paris mosque. They have a tea room which I would insist everyone going to Paris visits. You can have the most delicious, sweet mint tea for 2 euros a cup and take your pick from a truly incredible array of Arabic sweets while sitting in their leafy courtyard at mosaic tables. It’s wonderful! They also have restaurant with the best vegetable stew with couscous you can get.

~ if you go to the Sacré Cœur (which you should - it is very pretty from the outside (I’m not too fussed about inside) and the view from the top of the stairs is incredible), make sure you walk back down the hill of Montmartre the back/side way - the streets are much quieter and you can really see how the suburb felt like a little village in the middle of Paris. You’ll also see the Museum of Montmartre (in the building where I believe Renoir and some other artists once lived), La Maison Rose, a vineyard, and the house where Dalida used to live. 

~ The Shoah Memorial/Museum of Paris is generally seen as one of the best in the world. It’s full of information and offers a very detailed picture of the event in Europe and in France specifically.

~ The Rodin Museum is worth checking out, if you have time

~ Rue Montorgueil and Rue Mouffetard are wonderful - bustling streets full of bistros, fromageries, wine shops, patisseries, etc. Stohrer is a patisserie on Montorgeuil that sells the best éclairs I’ve ever had (the chocolate ones are particularly amazing).

~ I love all of Paris, but I think my favourite areas are Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter (I live in the Latin Quarter, though, so I may be biased). Boulevard Montparnasse is great to walk down - it’s full of amazing bistros and restaurants where the writers and intellectuals of the past used to drink. You can barely move in the Latin Quarter without seeing some plaque saying Descartes used to live in this building or Hemingway rented a room here or what have you. 

~ I’ve never actually eaten here so I can’t vouch for the food but if you’re looking for somewhere special to eat out Montparnasse 1900 has the most spectacularly stunning interior that I always stop and gawk at it whenever I walk past. Honestly, if you’re in the area, it’s worth swinging by just to look at it.

~ Eric Keyser, which has a few shops in Paris, do amazing chocolate-almond croissants and chaussons aux pommes 

~ Rue de Rennes, Rue de Sevres, the Boulevard St Germain and Rue Monge are some of my favourite streets to walk down/window shop in Paris.

~ the Marais is very ~funky~ - there are lots of cool thrift stores around there

~ the Pompidou Centre has a good collection of Modern Art and always has interesting exhibitions. Even if you don’t go in, it’s worth swinging by just to see the building - it’s utterly bizarre, especially in its context, surrounded on all sides as it is by classic Haussman architecture. And it also has a great view of the city from the upper floors!

I will leave you with this for now, but if I can think of anything more I will add to this list. Of course, all the standard touristy things (like the Notre Dame, Shakespeare and co., etc) are totally worth doing, as well (although, if you’re running low on time, you may want to give actually going to the Eiffel Tower a miss - I think it’s better when viewed from a distance!). I hope this helps a little bit! Let me know if you have any other questions - Paris is such a dream, you’ll love it! xx