It’s magnifical!

Further proof, if proof were needed, of two self-evident facts from the world of translation, namely:

i. translators are a waste of money because anyone can translate;

ii. every French man or woman that the Good Lord has so graciously bequeathed to us speaks perfect English.

Or maybe not...

Why head for the Med when you can spend August in Paris?

Paris' last remaining vineyard, Montmartre

Contrary to popular belief, not all of Paris closes down during the month of August. What does happen, though, is that as soon as July nears its end thousands and thousands of Parisians flee the city for their second homes in the country or on the coast.  And, let’s be honest, what could be more pleasurable than Paris without Parisians?

The city's residents, both young and old, are noticeably friendlier, more “cool” and “zen” as the French themselves put it, during August. Sure, some of the cafés and restaurants (and seemingly all of the boulangeries) pull down their shutters for the month, but just as many stay open. And though the main tourist sites – the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré Coeur, Paris Plage – still teem with foreign visitors, the morning streets are deserted. 

Ebrahim Hamidi is 18 years old and is going to be hanged

This article first appeared in Le Monde; it was translated from the French by Culturissima's managing director, Dr David Winter, on behalf of an American client.

After Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, recently condemned to death by stoning for committing adultery, Iran is refusing to backtrack with the sentencing to hang of a young man suspected of being homosexual.  

Ebrahim Hamidi is eighteen and is going to die. Ebrahim’s country, Iran, has found him guilty of an abominable crime: he is alleged to be homosexual. And so he must die. Because Tehran's judges are eager to hand over to the executioner a man suspected of sleeping in the same bed as his fellow man. 

This prospect alone, so contrary to the very notion of humanity, would be enough to horrify us, and we can only imagine the terror in which Iranian homosexuals live, obliged to be silent, to lie and to deny their identity.  

The charges are said to have been fabricated following a trivial quarrel; the accusations made up by fellow detainees in return for promises about being released; and Ebrahim's confession extracted under torture.

During Ebrahim's trial, the defendant did not have the right to any form of legal representation. And the verdict itself was delivered by a magistrate who based his decision on a special procedure known as “judge’s knowledge”, which allows for subjective judicial rulings when no formal proof exists.    

In a spectacular new development in July, Ebrahim Hamidi’s alleged victim admitted that he had made a false accusation under pressure from his parents. You might have thought that such a retraction would have led to the sentence being quashed. Far from it. Ebrahim Hamidi is still guilty of a "crime" that he has not committed. Is he homosexual or not? It makes no difference. He has to die.  

Ebrahim Hamidi a 18 ans et il va être pendu

Après Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, condamnée à la lapidation pour adultère, l'Iran persiste et signe en condamnant à la pendaison un jeune homme soupçonné d'homosexualité.

Ebrahim Hamidi a 18 ans et il va mourir. Dans son pays, l'Iran, il a été reconnu coupable d'un crime abominé: Ebrahim Hamidi serait homosexuel. Donc il doit mourir. Car les juges de Téhéran n'hésitent pas à livrer au bourreau l'homme soupçonné de dormir dans le même lit que son semblable.

Cette seule perspective suffirait à nous horrifier, tant elle est contraire à la notion même d'humanité et nous laisse imaginer la terreur dans laquelle vivent les homosexuels iraniens, obligés de se taire, de mentir, de nier leur identité.

L'accusation aurait été montée de toutes pièces à la suite d'une rixe banale, les dénonciations faites par des emprisonnés l'auraient été au prix de promesses de remise en liberté, les aveux d'Ebrahim extorqués sous la torture.

Au cours de son procès, l'accusé n'a pas eu droit à la moindre représentation légale. Quant au verdict, il a été prononcé par un magistrat qui s'en est remis à son propre jugement, procédure utilisée lorsqu'il n'existe pas de preuve formelle.

Au mois de juillet, en un rebondissement spectaculaire, la "victime" présumée d'Ebrahim Hamidi a reconnu avoir porté contre lui de fausses accusations sous la pression de ses parents. On pourrait croire que cette rétractation aurait entraîné l'annulation de la sentence. Pas du tout. Ebrahim Hamidi est toujours coupable, d'un "crime" qu'il n'a pas commis. Est-il homosexuel ou non ? Qu'importe. Il doit mourir.

What did the Romans ever do for Tunisia? Bulla Regia, that's what!

Detail of an underground mosaic, Bulla Regia

If you’ve just climbed to the top of the Roman amphitheatre at El Djem or are fresh from wandering across the seemingly endless ruins of Dougga, then your first feeling on arriving at Bulla Regia is likely to be one of disappointment.

It’s true, the theatre at Bulla Regia is impressive and the Memmian baths are immense. But, but... well, the Roman remains elsewhere in Tunisia are so outstanding that dusty old Bulla doesn’t quite seem to match up. So, why not push on back to the coast for a quick dip in the Med?

Because, if you do, then you’ll miss one of the most unique ancient sites anywhere in the world. If I had to make a choice between visiting, say, the Colosseum in Rome, England’s Stonehenge or Tunisia’s Bulla Regia, then it’s Bulla that’s going to win hands down every time. 

Britain’s most daring engineer

Culturissima has just finished a short - very short! - biography of Britain’s most daring engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), for a Cambridge-based travel specialist. Here is a sneak preview of the highlights of the long-weekend tour that we have put together:

Brunel is often thought of as a Bristol man, but many overlook the fact that he spent virtually his entire life in London. We will admire Brunel’s achievements in these two great cities, travelling from east to west on the great man’s own railway.

Brunel’s first project, aged just 19, was the Thames Tunnel, where he worked with his father on what was first dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World” and later – with no little wit and equal cruelty – “the Great Bore”. We will enjoy a privileged visit to the Brunel Museum, lodged in the tunnel’s engine-house, and descend into the underground entrance hall, a grand amphitheatre over half the size of the dome of St Paul’s. A few hundred yards along the Thames lies the launch site of the Great Eastern, where Brunel’s meteoric career came to an end at the untimely age of 53.

In 1828 Brunel was dragged, more dead than alive, from the chamber of the Thames Tunnel and sent to Clifton to convalesce. Here he won a competition to design a bridge across the Avon Gorge which, together with Bristol docks and Temple Meads railway station, still bears unmistakable witness to Brunel’s creativity and ingenuity. We will also climb aboard the Great Britain, Brunel’s famous iron ship, and visit the Brunel Institute to view the collection of papers and memorabilia bequeathed by Brunel’s grand-daughter.