Matthew Fraser
@matthewfraser.bsky.social
University professor in Paris. Ex journalist: columnist, critic, Editor-in-Chief, television presenter. Promeneur du Champ de Mars avec Hector et Djery. Agent: J.P. Marshall
An article that, inadvertently, makes a convincing case for inheritance tax.
Inside the ‘Trust Reveal,’ Where the Superrich Pass on Generational Wealth
Wealthy families and their cadre of advisers meticulously coordinate plans to make their money last for the next century and beyond.
www.wsj.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:20 PM
An article that, inadvertently, makes a convincing case for inheritance tax.
In Trump's America, a British woman goes to an interview for a US green card with her American husband and their four-month-old baby. Agents put handcuffs on her, arrest her, and send her to an immigration detention centre.
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:14 PM
In Trump's America, a British woman goes to an interview for a US green card with her American husband and their four-month-old baby. Agents put handcuffs on her, arrest her, and send her to an immigration detention centre.
Trump’s foreign policy doctrine: Make money, not war. Everything is a business opportunity — especially for Trump’s family and friends.
Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine
The Kremlin pitched the White House on peace through business. To Europe’s dismay, the president and his envoy are on board.
www.wsj.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Trump’s foreign policy doctrine: Make money, not war. Everything is a business opportunity — especially for Trump’s family and friends.
Interesting thing not mentioned in this story: the two-hour finale of #StrangerThings5 will be playing in movie theatres on December 31st.
‘Stranger Things’ and the death of streaming
The final season of Netflix’s biggest show draws more than just its own story to a close
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Interesting thing not mentioned in this story: the two-hour finale of #StrangerThings5 will be playing in movie theatres on December 31st.
Massacre of trees near the university where I teach. This is why birds are vanishing in Paris. No trees. No insects in trees for birds to feed on. No birds.
November 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Massacre of trees near the university where I teach. This is why birds are vanishing in Paris. No trees. No insects in trees for birds to feed on. No birds.
Reposted by Matthew Fraser
Would it kill somebody to say “Nancy is not stupid.” It pains me to see the WH press corps just accept the abuse. Sends the wrong image to Americans and the world IMHO.
“You’re a stupid person” — Trump lashes out at a reporter who presses him on the fact that the suspected DC shooter was actually thoroughly vetted before he was let in the US from Afghanistan
November 28, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Would it kill somebody to say “Nancy is not stupid.” It pains me to see the WH press corps just accept the abuse. Sends the wrong image to Americans and the world IMHO.
Reposted by Matthew Fraser
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Thieves take €90,000 of snails meant for Michelin-starred restaurants
French police are on the trail of ‘experienced’ criminals who stole a whole year’s worth of produce from Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne’s L’Escargot des Grands Crus
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Reposted by Matthew Fraser
Personally, I think it's a bad thing when people in the government post AI images without disclosing that they're AI.
Image on the left is something RFK Jr. posted today. Image on the right is a photo from 2024.
Image on the left is something RFK Jr. posted today. Image on the right is a photo from 2024.
November 27, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Personally, I think it's a bad thing when people in the government post AI images without disclosing that they're AI.
Image on the left is something RFK Jr. posted today. Image on the right is a photo from 2024.
Image on the left is something RFK Jr. posted today. Image on the right is a photo from 2024.
Reposted by Matthew Fraser
OPINION: While the BBC may argue it has no case to answer against Trump, we should remember that in the 1980s the media organization was excoriated for wasting license-payers’ money defending indefensible claims — and rightly so.
High-stakes fight with the right? The BBC has been here before
Long before Trump became a politician, an earlier edition of the BBC’s flagship current affairs program plunged the corporation into an existential crisis
politi.co
November 27, 2025 at 8:31 AM
OPINION: While the BBC may argue it has no case to answer against Trump, we should remember that in the 1980s the media organization was excoriated for wasting license-payers’ money defending indefensible claims — and rightly so.
Those cuddly animal-petting cafés in Asia are fuelling illegal wildlife trafficking.
Cuddling capybaras and ogling otters: the problem with animal cafes in Asia
A boom in places offering petting sessions is linked to a rise in the illegal movement of exotic and endangered species, say experts
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Those cuddly animal-petting cafés in Asia are fuelling illegal wildlife trafficking.
Incomprehensible. A French HR civil servant working in the culture ministry is under investigation, he allegedly drugged more than 200 female job applicants with medication that forced them to urinate urgently.
‘I didn’t even know this type of attack existed’: more than 200 women allege drugging by senior French civil servant
In a case echoing the Pelicot trial, dozens of women allege they were given hot drinks mixed with a diuretic to make them urinate. Three of them speak out here
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Incomprehensible. A French HR civil servant working in the culture ministry is under investigation, he allegedly drugged more than 200 female job applicants with medication that forced them to urinate urgently.
Nice piece on celebrity ghostwriters — it's more about how social media and "influencers" have transformed the book industry.
Ghostwriters Go Public: Why Celebrities Are Flaunting Their Literary Coauthors
The once-anonymous profession is coming out of the shadows, and into the spotlight.
www.elle.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Nice piece on celebrity ghostwriters — it's more about how social media and "influencers" have transformed the book industry.
Sleepy Don... Shorter days, signs of fatigue: Trump faces realities of aging in office.
Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Sleepy Don... Shorter days, signs of fatigue: Trump faces realities of aging in office.
The painting shows the Renoir family nanny Gabrielle Renard and Renoir's infant son Jean, who would become a famous filmmaker, director of classics 'La Grande Illusion' and 'La Règle du jeu'.
Previously unknown Renoir painting sells for 1.8m euros at Paris auction
The oil painting depicting the artists son Jean had never been exhibited or sold before.
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The painting shows the Renoir family nanny Gabrielle Renard and Renoir's infant son Jean, who would become a famous filmmaker, director of classics 'La Grande Illusion' and 'La Règle du jeu'.
Professors and AI in the classroom
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
I’m a Professor. A.I. Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse.
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Professors and AI in the classroom
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
How Europe's far right turned pro. Jordan Bardella, Nigel Farage and Alice Weidel have their eyes on power and are tightening up their acts — and their strategies — to get there.
How Europe’s far right turned pro
Jordan Bardella, Nigel Farage and Alice Weidel have their eyes on power and are tightening up their acts — and their strategies — to get there.
www.politico.eu
November 24, 2025 at 5:25 PM
How Europe's far right turned pro. Jordan Bardella, Nigel Farage and Alice Weidel have their eyes on power and are tightening up their acts — and their strategies — to get there.
How do you spell ‘Harvard’? With an endless supply of A’s. A new report looks at grade inflation, a problem that is proliferating far beyond the Ivy League.
Opinion | How Do You Spell ‘Harvard’? With an Endless Supply of A’s
A new report looks at grade inflation, a problem that is proliferating far beyond the Ivy League.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
How do you spell ‘Harvard’? With an endless supply of A’s. A new report looks at grade inflation, a problem that is proliferating far beyond the Ivy League.
Reposted by Matthew Fraser
As tech firms race to release new AI tools, users are left unsure how much of their personal data these systems may take
Are tech companies training their AI with private data?
As tech firms race to release new AI tools, users are left unsure how much of their personal data these systems may take
bit.ly
November 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
As tech firms race to release new AI tools, users are left unsure how much of their personal data these systems may take
Celebrities are making smoking cigarettes cool again. Cigarettes resurface in pop music and movies, raising fears that a decline in smoking rates could reverse.
Celebrities Are Making Smoking Cigarettes Cool Again
Cigarettes are resurfacing in pop music and movies, raising fears that a yearslong decline in smoking rates could reverse.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Celebrities are making smoking cigarettes cool again. Cigarettes resurface in pop music and movies, raising fears that a decline in smoking rates could reverse.
China conducted the first large-scale AI espionage attack on “major technology corporations and government agencies” in the US and allied nations.
Opinion | The First Large-Scale Cyberattack by AI
With basic tech and little human oversight, Chinese spies apparently exploited Anthropic’s Claude Code.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:41 AM
China conducted the first large-scale AI espionage attack on “major technology corporations and government agencies” in the US and allied nations.
Aftermath of World War I in northern France. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2olA...
WWI HD Color, Flying Over the Battlefields, France 1919 [60fps, Remastered] Sound Design
YouTube video by NASS
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Aftermath of World War I in northern France. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2olA...
