Paris: Dine Where You Like

A mob of 7,500 deep, clad in classy white evening wear, descended onto one of Paris’ busiest roads yesterday for a common cause: to dine.

Via SeriousEats: the yearly event is known as “flashmob in white,” and the location is kept secret until the last possible moment. This year? Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees – by the time the police got there, everyone was too busy sipping wine and eating their three-course meal to notice. More at France 24.

Photo courtesy of Eric @ ParisDailyPhoto

Update on Seoul Libel Suit

A while back, I wrote about the plight of fellow blogger ZenKimchi, who found himself facing a libel suit filed by his former employer after he blogged about his horrendous experiences with her – which apparently included not receiving due pay, and verbal and physical abuse.

While he reports that not much has happened with the case, the (hopefully) good news is that local media have picked up on it – ZK says the Korea Herald did on article on him a while back, and a piece detailing his harrying experience came out in the JoongAng Daily this week:

In the expatriate community, tales of foreign teachers not being paid by their hagwon, or private language institutes, are all too familiar. Some teachers even end up filing cases with regional labor offices to get their money, in what can be a long, drawn-out process.

What’s less common is for teachers to be sued for libel when they go public trying to help others avoid their fate.

But it does happen, and the teacher may suddenly find himself at risk of deportation, which can happen if a fine of more than 2 million won ($2,156) is imposed by the court. In this situation, getting the unpaid salary is hardly the priority it once was.

[Read Full Article]

The Crafty Traveler

Ah, the lost arts of postcard-sending and writing by hand…

I’ve always loved finding great postcards to send to far-off friends. But the trick is really in deciding which friends are actually going to appreciate the aesthetics of receiving something *real* as opposed to the typical email.

I picked up the above items (among other things) today at a local crafts fair; the top is a postcard, the other is a matchbook-style notebook. Both were made by Rar Rar Press out of Chicago. I was really drawn to the quote on the card, which the lady who makes these said comes from a song by the band ‘This Bike is a Pipe Bomb.’ It captures a kind of gritty traveler spirit, almost Kerouac-esque. The old-school compass printed on the notebook also grabbed me, as I’ve always been in love with the pirate-wanderer mystique exuded by more ancient maps – however inaccurate they may be.

I’ve got supplies to keep in touch, now all I need is a journey.