Why we should all watch the Eurovision contest

Eurovision is a song contest which has taken place once a year since 1956. It is a contest where about 40 European countries compete. Each country sends a candidate to this competition which happens on live TV and where he is judged by the audience and also by a professional jury.
This TV programme is very interesting because, first of all, the candidates sing songs that they have written by themselves and their performance is not only composed of singing but also dancing with costumes and entertainment.
Moreover, some candidates decide to sing in their own language which is very captivating; these candidates are my favorite beacause they share their own culture into this competition, bringing some originality which is very enriching!
Furthermore, there's a whole diversity in the styles of the songs; everyone can find at least one song that corresponds to his musical tastes. It can be RnB or classical music as well as pop music or even rock or death metal.
The best advantage of watching Eurovision is that you have a nice evening singing, dancing and judging the candidates. The best moment is when you learn that the winner is the candidate you thought would win. The advice that I can give you is to watch it with friends, because it is a lot more fun.
Thank you for reading my blogpost
I hope you'll watch Eurovision this year
 

Olessia

Why Eddy is a model for me

The title of my blog post can seem strange, even provocative. I know, we do not often hear such wild ideas. But I am going to demonstrate the very hidden value of Eddy.

            Firstly, Eddy is very witty, as you may know. His sense of humour is a mark a sharp intelligence. You might think Eddy's jokes are a bit too thick ; I would answer that he cleverly disturbs you to point out society's taboo subjects. Eddy is thus participating in the improvement of the society by making it more aware of its difficulties.

            Secondly, Eddy is capable of self-mockery. The fact that he is able to joke about himself shows an incredibly modest nature. Plus, the fact that he does not take himself too seriously is a good sign : he deeply understands the ephemerality of life, and thus the imperative to act without fear.

            Thirdly, Eddy follows philosophical principles. Having read Malbranche's ideas according to which "a friend should never approve the errors of his friends", Eddy always reports me whenever I am haughty. I am grateful of Eddy's courage to dare indicate to me such behaviour that is mine : thanks to him I am more aware of my attitude and I can try to change it.

            So, now you can see that Eddy has a combination of wit, humility, and philosophy that is rarely seen in one character. To conclude, it is clear that Eddy's personality is a divine gift that we should all be grateful for.

Colin Mauchamp, one of Eddy's numerous admirers

Basque country

Hey guys !

In today's blog post I'm going to talk in a very objective way about a wonderful region : the Pays Basque. Just kidding I'm basically going to describe aspects of this place in a probably biased way telling you why I love it and therefore why you should appreciate it as well. (And I will of course only talk about the bright side of Pays Basque - not that I know about any of its flaws).

To begin with, the culinary specialities are to die for and to backup this idea I think that only one example is sufficient : the jambon de Bayonne - no need to explain how tasty it is and how the way  it reveals itself to be even more palatable when you eat it really slowly is amazing. To continue with, the landscapes are so varied that it is impossible for someone not to be pleased with the surroundings : you have access to the Ocean, to the mountains, to forests full of mushrooms,... I mean everyone can find their own happiness here ! Moreover you can visit cool villages with typical architecture or pretty cities. To come back on the Ocean part I just want to specify that again there is a bit of a diversity : I personally prefer the beaches with big waves because I think it's way more fun but you can also find calm beaches with no turbulence at all like for example the Saint-Jean-de-Luz one. Regarding the sports you can of course go surfing, hiking or cycling but that’s not all ! There are some local games that are quite fun and easy to understand such as for example the pala or the chistera ( I'll let you look that up because my post is already too long). Moreover this region still has cultural festivities going on that can be fun to attend. You can for example go to the Force Basque or simply go watch local dances and if you are more in a party mood you can participate in the Fêtes de Bayonne. To finish with I'll add that the wildlife is not hard to observe and it's awesome ! There are for instance the flight of storks above my grandparents’ house during all summer, vultures in the heights and - the best for the end - pottoks ( those are kind of poneys/horses that you can really easily encounter during your walks ).

To conclude with, Pays Basque is a great vacation destination thanks to its amazing diversity. As you may know this region actually covers both Spain and France leading to even more different aspects to discover ! ( + certain goods are cheaper in Spain )

Thanks for reading, sorry for the length ( I just love it over there.. )

Joséphine

Treat Yourself

At home for the last weeks we have been trying to reduce our waste, and making things yourself is a great way to succeeed at it, although I also really enjoy it. You might not all have the same passion as me for cooking but you could try once. Making a meal for yourself or just something to go with your tea/coffee is a great way to take care of yourself and treat people around you. Cooking food is an easy manner to bring joy around you and to share a sympathetic moment with the people you love. If you make things yourself instead of just buying them in the shop you will enjoy them more. I agree sometimes you don’t have time to make everything yourself and you might think you are not good at cooking but it has a lot of benefits. It enables you to realize that you are actually able to make things yourself and to learn new recipes, and you will be proud of it. The fact you put effort in it, and make time for it enables you to enjoy it more and you can make exactly what you are craving and free your imagination. It is also better for your health because there are no additional flavors and food preservatives. And the additional benefit is that you won’t create any waste if you buy all your ingredients in bulk contrary to industrial meals or cakes that always have a lot of packaging. So if you are bored sometime or if you really are craving something, try to make it yourself once and you will see how much joy it will bring you. What's more, it will benefit your health and the planet.

Jilie

Being a volunteer

This summer I decided to make good use of my free time and go volunteering. I wasn’t initially planning on going abroad but after some research I discovered that opportunities are endless. International workcamps are a great way to travel at a small expense because you just have to pay for transportation. And then you only have to pick and choose where you want to go ! You could help elders in a small Japanese community or go build a well for a month in Africa. Those are the more extravagant projects. Of course there are many camps in Europe that are very appealing. The purpose of a volunteering camp is to do community work but also to meet new people and overall have fun. I chose to help in a longboard camp for a week in the countryside of Slovenia. It was amazing ! I met so many different people from all over the world that I would never have talked to otherwise. I discovered a new sport: longboarding and the community around it which is very welcoming. In conclusion, if you want to expand your horizons, volunteering is the way to go ! 

Marie-Lou

Nature, a friend ?

I have noticed that since the Industrial Age and its flourishing capitalist economy, our relations as human beings with the rest of our biological environment have changed. We now consider nature as a disturbing factor for agriculture, industry and the economy in general. As a matter of fact, it is true that nature doesn’t function as an independent entity but only as species that have survived so far because of their genetical characteristics. One could therefore assert that nature isn’t « our friend » but species working for their own survival. This would be a terrible mistake. The relationship between those species is rather complex, and humans tend to simplify them and often forget how they could use them to bring something new to the biological balance of the ecosystem instead of weakening it for bigger profits that are fundamentally shorter ones. To illustrate this ideas I’ll take a simple example :
- in agriculture there was a general belief that you obtain higher yields by putting chemicals in your fields. So today the farmers tend to poison the mice that live in their crops. It has been a complete disaster. The poison the lobby gave them does not kill mice immediately so birds of pray, particularly owls, buzzards and kites eat the poisoned animals and die. Moreover the fungi helping the crops grow die because of poison. As a result they have destroyed a complete generation of natural mice eaters that are currently helping them regulate mice, and have poisoned the ground for at least 2 years for the fungi to recover and helps their crops again. The only profits have been for the lobbies, a shame...

Beside this abysmal stupidity, the world is getting crowded with good-intentioned ecologists buying organic food in enormous industrial supermarkets and crying about pandas dying in the opposite corner of the world, but who have never considered for a minute they could move using bikes or their own feet, or care a little bit more about the remaining biodiversity they is destroyed everyday because of their ignorance. I feel other people like me starting to get tired of this pathetic hypocrisy... The more we think about it, the more we realise ecology is a philosophical matter. So let’s forget about our old habits and change them in order to reach effectiveness. And Harmony. By thinking.

CPL

Silence is key

I wanted to dedicate my blog post to people who share the same issue as me : speaking up.
Some people find this issue sad, others weird or even stupid, but for me it’s just a trait of
someone's personality. I never understood and I still don’t understand why stating a fact or
asking questions has to be done, in school especially ; in my case I prefer letting other
people answer or ask the questions and hope my problem will be solved, if not I just move
on. I guess letting things go is what others don’t understand, I mean school is meant for
learning so why would a child not want to speak up about his problems or state his
knowledge. Speaking up doesn't just apply at school in front of the whole class, it can also
affect you at home with your family or with a group of people you don’t know or just met. I
wish people would understand instead of putting pressure on someone who is uncomfortable and make them feel even worse about themselves.
I don't see my case as the worst; some people can actually become mute by being pressured
all the time.
Unless someone asks for help with his problem, I think people should be left alone and given
time as pressuring them will only make it worse.
Every time I think about speaking up, I remember all the bad remarks and comments that I’ve been told and how everyone says “you're not going to die if you speak up” ; but those people can’t understand since that don’t feel the same way towards the issue.
Still to this day I find it hard to speak up but to be honest it doesn't really bother me, just the
others who don’t understand.
Juliet