Sorry it has been so long between updates. Last week and this one are crunch time for getting work done. One class totally down; it's final paper written and sent in. Finish up another Wednesday when we have our final Council of Ministers roleplay; the write-ups are already sent in. Thursday takes care of French (final exam) and EU Econ (turn in paper). That paper is the big focus of this week: a comparative analysis of French and Danish welfare/social protection systems, and whether these explain variable growth rates. And then a final in policy issues next Tuesday. It's crazy how quickly this is all wrapping up.

I spent the weekend down in Toulouse, visiting my friend Lindsay, and had a great time. I'll update more about that when I've got more time and get my pictures uploaded.

For the moment, just a quick thought about the French language. Something I've noticed and brought up with my French teacher last week: French is less subtle than English, in so far as one word will more often have several meanings, where in English they are each given their own word. Not to dig too much into Barthes, but I think I can be more clear if I French often uses the same signifier for many signifieds, while English gives each signified its own signifier. English makes a distinction between sirens (generally more malicious and ancient Greek) and mermaids (more recent and often friendlier), whereas both are siren in French. I had another, better example, but I can't come up with it at the moment. I would guess, with nothing to back me up, that this is a product of having the language so strictly regulated by the Acadamie Francaise, and English being open to more free development and borrowing.