My Diaries

The presidential elections in United States are followed very closely in the whole world, and foster more interest abroad than any presidential elections in another country would. Why is that? Maybe because indeed, the US being the first economical and political power in the world, the choice of their new leader will have consequences on a lot more than just on the US people. The humanity is holding its breath… and a lot wish they could participate to this vote, too! Well, this is now possible thanks to the website If the world could vote? which allows you to vote for Obama or for MacCain. The results are counted globally and by country. I don’t know if the website’s address has been sent only to democrat people or what, but the results are edifying : this morning 87.3% people in the world had voted for Obama!! So cast your vote too and spread the information : www.iftheworldcouldvote.com !

Vendredi 13 juin, 19h. Nous sommes dans le train en direction de Saint-Malo. A ma droite, un nouveau-né hurle de tous ses poumons malgré les efforts de la maman qui ne sait plus que faire pour le calmer. Elle le berce, l’embrasse, mais rien n’y fait. Devant nous, le regard vide, une autre maman observe son enfant de 1 an hurler spasmodiquement, sans doute encouragé par les cris de son voisin de derrière… Les gens autour ne disent rien, mais sont clairement excédés. Pete a mis ses écouteurs-boules Quiès et ferme les yeux en essayant de tout oublier. Même moi j’ai du mettre de la musique, pour couvrir ces cris insupportables. Malgré tout cela, derrière nous, deux petites filles jouent calmement sur leur Nintendo DS, imperturbables. (more…)

Here is the Taboulé recipe such as Pete and I made it for Ellen and John last week :

Ingredients :
- 2 cups of Couscous grain
- 5 tomatoes
- 2 cucumber (US cucumber are shorter than French ones; at home I use only 1)
- 1 red pepper
- 1/4 red onion, minced
- fresh mint, minced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- the juice of 3 lemons
- 9 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt

Place the couscous grain in a big boal. Mix the lemon juice, the olive oil and the salt, and pour it on the grain. Stir to make the mix homogeneous.

Cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and the red pepper into small cubes. Add this plus the minced onion to the couscous grain mix. Stir everything. Let it sit for at least 1h in the fridge (it was good after 1h, but much better the day after). Just before serving, add the mint and the raisins. Enjoy!

On Saturday 12th of July, Pete’s younger brother’s married his charming fiancee Kelly in Medford, Oregon. Now I have a new step-sister, and the best of it, is that she is a strong environmentalist, preparing a PhD in Environmental Sociology!

Ellen has uploaded great pictures of the wedding on her Picasa galery. You can check them online at picasaweb.google.fr/ellen.john.or.

You can check the first photos from this year’s trip to Oregon on my Picasa galery. Here below is the slideshow of yesterday’s evening at Brian and Rhiana’s in Corvallis :