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A place where I can lament the changing times; for eccentric comments on current affairs and for unfashionable views, expressed I hope, in cogent style; also occasional cris de coeur largely concerned, I regret to say, with myself.



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Tuesday 26 October 2010

Paul is Dead

It was with sadness that I read today of the death of Paul the Octopus (Paul le Poulpe in French) who became famous this summer with his amazing football forecasts during the World Cup.
The BBC article includes two videos, although one has to put up with an appallingly irritating advertisement for an insurance company.

Rather better - for my French friends and readers is Le Monde's contribution, which, certainly in the case of the statement from the aquarium where Paul died peacefully on Monday night, I found really rather moving:

"Son corps est à présent au congélateur en attendant que la direction décide de la façon de marquer son décès", poursuit le communiqué de l'aquarium. "Nous déciderons peut-être de lui accorder une petite tombe dans l'enceinte de nos jardins, et lui dédierons peut-être un modeste monument permanent", selon la direction. "Ceci peut sembler une curieuse façon de faire pour un animal marin, mais Paul était devenu tellement célèbre pendant sa courte vie qu'il semble que ce soit la bonne solution", a-t-elle ajouté.

("His body is at present in the freezer whilst the management decides how to mark his death" [...] "We will perhaps decide to give him a little tomb in our gardens." [sorry cannot translate "enceinte" in this connexion - it means 'pregnant!]* and perhaps erect a little permanent monument to him." [...] "This may seem a curious thing to do for a sea-creature but Paul became such a celebrity during his short life that it seems to be a good solution.")

I can't help it, but I have a lump in my throat reading the last sentence.

Requiescat in pace, Paul

Until the next time.

*Edit: A friend, fluent in French has kindly solved the mystery for me: "dans l'enceinte de nos jardins" = "within our gardens" - as simple as that!

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