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‘It is my right to work beyond retirement age - but France says no’
Age discrimination in the workplace is real but hidden, says (soon to be forcibly retired) English teacher Nick Inman
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‘Ponds in rural France are beautifully maintained but no longer used’
Columnist Peter Wyeth laments that these large, impressive sites, once the fresh-aired setting for family picnics, barbecues and fun, now fail to attract people
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‘New French speeding rule encourages aggressive drivers’
The change has enabled reckless motorists to drive even more wildly without fear of losing points, argues columnist Samantha David
Faded signs are today's loss
Fading signs on village and town walls remind us private businesses do not have to sacrifice beauty and harmony to make sales
The visual environment belongs to us all and yet we live in an era in which every eyesore is justified by functionality and economic interest. Everywhere there are over-large, garish adverts designed to stand out in the most offensively discordant way. It takes a few brave obsessives to point out to us how advertising used to be and could still be: part of the local environment rather than apart from it.
Fading signs on village and town walls remind us private businesses do not have to sacrifice beauty and harmony to make sales. Old adverts were made to fit neatly with the architecture and their virtues need to be re-nurtured by a throwaway society that regards the hideous as an inevitable sign of economic prosperity.
