John Howard
@jbhoward.bsky.social
American/Irish musician, musicologist, librarian, informatics scientist. Retired, living in France and enjoying being alive.
Substack: https://bit.ly/SeekingTranquillity
Substack: https://bit.ly/SeekingTranquillity
The French National Assembly has approved a new annual fee for access to the French universal healthcare system (PUMa) by foreigners residing in France with a visa "visa long séjour « visiteurs. »" In effect from 2026, details on costs etc TBD.
More details here:
www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...
More details here:
www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...
November 12, 2025 at 5:33 PM
The French National Assembly has approved a new annual fee for access to the French universal healthcare system (PUMa) by foreigners residing in France with a visa "visa long séjour « visiteurs. »" In effect from 2026, details on costs etc TBD.
More details here:
www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...
More details here:
www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...
Can anyone please explain to me why celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence with a "rage in the cage" match is a good idea?
July 7, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Can anyone please explain to me why celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence with a "rage in the cage" match is a good idea?
It's true that there are some things you can find in a French supermarket that just aren't available anyplace else.
June 9, 2025 at 10:12 AM
It's true that there are some things you can find in a French supermarket that just aren't available anyplace else.
The value of the US dollar sinks every time Komrade Tarifkov opens his orange gob
May 26, 2025 at 7:20 AM
The value of the US dollar sinks every time Komrade Tarifkov opens his orange gob
According to the news, this app is gaining traction in France among food shoppers who wish to avoid purchasing goods whose producers are owned by US companies.
May 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
According to the news, this app is gaining traction in France among food shoppers who wish to avoid purchasing goods whose producers are owned by US companies.
It appears that the US government's goal is to make all the blue states orange.
May 5, 2025 at 8:36 AM
It appears that the US government's goal is to make all the blue states orange.
Huge plunge in the value of the dollar reflecting international loss of confidence in what has been much of the world's reserve currency. And it only add to the impact on U.S. consumers of the tariffs.
April 11, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Huge plunge in the value of the dollar reflecting international loss of confidence in what has been much of the world's reserve currency. And it only add to the impact on U.S. consumers of the tariffs.
Reflections on self-awareness. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/the-day-my...
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/the-day-my...
April 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reflections on self-awareness. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/the-day-my...
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/the-day-my...
April 4, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Just like the value of the US dollar
April 3, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Just like the value of the US dollar
Part 1 of the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Nice: Dedication of a plaque remembering Irish poet John Montague at 31 rue d'Angleterre, his residence from 2004 through 2016. Speeches inter alia from Irish Ambassador to France and Monaco, Niall Burgess, and from Elizabeth Wassell, Montague's widow.
March 17, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Part 1 of the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Nice: Dedication of a plaque remembering Irish poet John Montague at 31 rue d'Angleterre, his residence from 2004 through 2016. Speeches inter alia from Irish Ambassador to France and Monaco, Niall Burgess, and from Elizabeth Wassell, Montague's widow.
Jack Howard (1875-1971), was known for his woodland and wildlife photography, but the family and domestic photos are closest to my heart. Here my uncles Brooks and Frank flank an unidentified girl on the porch of the Howard cottage on Trouants Island (Marshfield, MA, US), enjoying a snack (ca. 1912)
February 24, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Jack Howard (1875-1971), was known for his woodland and wildlife photography, but the family and domestic photos are closest to my heart. Here my uncles Brooks and Frank flank an unidentified girl on the porch of the Howard cottage on Trouants Island (Marshfield, MA, US), enjoying a snack (ca. 1912)
Something light-hearted: this year’s Carnaval de Nice celebrates “Le Roi des Océans.” Here are the queen and king holding court; even the delivery fellow has caught the spirit…
February 22, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Something light-hearted: this year’s Carnaval de Nice celebrates “Le Roi des Océans.” Here are the queen and king holding court; even the delivery fellow has caught the spirit…
It might be a good time to be reminded that humans are also capable of great things, as we were in Barcelona for St Valentine's Day. A visit to Basílica de la Sagrada Família & a recital by pianist Daniil Trifonov in the extraordinary Palau de la Música Catalana.
February 17, 2025 at 6:54 AM
It might be a good time to be reminded that humans are also capable of great things, as we were in Barcelona for St Valentine's Day. A visit to Basílica de la Sagrada Família & a recital by pianist Daniil Trifonov in the extraordinary Palau de la Música Catalana.
The school holiday in France brings the first wave of the tourist season in Nice, the Prom was very busy on Sunday
February 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
The school holiday in France brings the first wave of the tourist season in Nice, the Prom was very busy on Sunday
Just for a bit of inspiration ... a pause inside la Maison Auer Chocolaterie & Confiserie, Nice (France)
January 19, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Just for a bit of inspiration ... a pause inside la Maison Auer Chocolaterie & Confiserie, Nice (France)
Some views within the Parc Alsace-Lorraine, Nice. It’s somehow comforting in winter to see a park tree or two along with the memorials and sculptures
January 14, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Some views within the Parc Alsace-Lorraine, Nice. It’s somehow comforting in winter to see a park tree or two along with the memorials and sculptures
Galette des rois .... pistache! Boulangerie Carabacel, Nice
January 9, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Galette des rois .... pistache! Boulangerie Carabacel, Nice
After working my way to Germany on a Norwegian freighter in 1975 I made an arbitrary tour through West Germany, travelling mostly by hitchhiking. This is what I remember of it.
open.substack.com/pub/leavinga...
open.substack.com/pub/leavinga...
December 11, 2024 at 2:20 PM
After working my way to Germany on a Norwegian freighter in 1975 I made an arbitrary tour through West Germany, travelling mostly by hitchhiking. This is what I remember of it.
open.substack.com/pub/leavinga...
open.substack.com/pub/leavinga...
In 1975 I fulfilled an adolescent dream of working my way to Europe on board a commercial ship. It was undeniably an adventure, but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Here's how I remember it.
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/herman-mel...
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/herman-mel...
December 4, 2024 at 8:59 AM
In 1975 I fulfilled an adolescent dream of working my way to Europe on board a commercial ship. It was undeniably an adventure, but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Here's how I remember it.
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/herman-mel...
leavingamerica.substack.com/p/herman-mel...
Visiting the Comptoir Irlandais in Nice brings a smile to my face, seeing the Irish people hovering over Barry's tea and the display of Christmas puddings. But the large selection of Irish whiskies is what brings a tear to my eye (or maybe, it's the prices for them that make me weep such hot tears)
November 30, 2024 at 12:08 PM
Visiting the Comptoir Irlandais in Nice brings a smile to my face, seeing the Irish people hovering over Barry's tea and the display of Christmas puddings. But the large selection of Irish whiskies is what brings a tear to my eye (or maybe, it's the prices for them that make me weep such hot tears)
Les véritables signes annonciateurs de Noël et du Nouvel An : les bugnes et les oreillettes sont partout à Nice !
November 20, 2024 at 11:04 AM
Les véritables signes annonciateurs de Noël et du Nouvel An : les bugnes et les oreillettes sont partout à Nice !
Americans cope with a complex and chaotic framework for health insurance and healthcare delivery that often prioritises the interests of corporate providers over individuals' well being. But IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY ... See my essay leavingamerica.substack.com/p/it-doesnt-...
November 20, 2024 at 7:32 AM
Americans cope with a complex and chaotic framework for health insurance and healthcare delivery that often prioritises the interests of corporate providers over individuals' well being. But IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY ... See my essay leavingamerica.substack.com/p/it-doesnt-...
Wonderful chamber music concert at the Musée Chagall, Nice, on the occasion of the 95th birthday of Niçoise composer Pierrette Mari (18 Nov 2024)
November 19, 2024 at 5:29 AM
Wonderful chamber music concert at the Musée Chagall, Nice, on the occasion of the 95th birthday of Niçoise composer Pierrette Mari (18 Nov 2024)
Learning languages at different stages of life, in different social circumstances, reveals how much language and culture are intertwined. This essay is about learning French in childhood, German as a young adult, then returning to French in retirement. bit.ly/German_then_...
November 18, 2024 at 7:45 AM
Learning languages at different stages of life, in different social circumstances, reveals how much language and culture are intertwined. This essay is about learning French in childhood, German as a young adult, then returning to French in retirement. bit.ly/German_then_...