Just to post a quick update on one of my favourite topics, I heard today that Paris has entered the race to host the 2024 olympics. I know that won’t matter too much to anyone reading this blog, but forgive a cripple his little obsessions. It just seems to me that one can read a plethora of international rivalries and attitudes into this process: countries compete for national prestige like nowhere else, as hosting the olympics is a huge international status symbol. Given that the french now seem quite desperate to win this time after their beloved capital was rejected three times, I think this contest has higher stakes than ever. They will throw everything into this bidding process, as will, I suspect, the other bidders, giving rise to what promises to be a fascinating competition.