A. Birch Steen is on leave for the month. In his absence, we have invited Stranger intern Julien Massillon, a student on leave from his university in France, to be our public editor. We are including the photo he sent with his internship application as proof that he is French. —Eds.

I am Julien (but since you can't pronounce it correctly, you may call me Julian). I'm 22 and I'm a journalism student in Paris. Two years ago, I went to the U.S. Some girl in Chicago told me about the Savage Love column, and when I came to Seattle, I discovered that there was a whole newspaper with it. A newspaper I fell in love with. Back in France, I said to myself that it would be great to do an internship here. Dreams come true, so here I am, a bit exhausted with the jet lag, but, so far, charmed.

Here is what I thought about the different articles I was given to read in The Stranger this week:

"Tax the Filthy Rich," by Eli Sanders: The figures are impressive, just like some Michael Moore movie, you know. You cannot declare your state is progressive and welcoming for poor families after that. But it's a pity the article never says how much of these filthy riches the state is hiding. And all those figures... Take it slow.

"Hyphenate This," by Jesse Vernon: At school, I was told that English is so easy that there is no grammar. But I was also told that grammar is essential to proper thinking process. So I believed that English-speaking people were stupid, brainless, and dumb. The existence of this Chicago Manual of Style is reassuring. Thanks God, you're not all uncivilized barbarians.

"The Pickle Can Stay," by Jen Graves: Along with some friends of mine, I discovered that funny stuff is no fun at all. So, we picked "No humour allowed" as our motto. We have banished jokes and tricks from our existences. We laugh only when it's not appropriate. And I had an interior smile when I saw the two pictures illustrating the article.

"Sandwich Greatness and Soup Salvation," by Bethany Jean Clement: Don't read this article if you are fasting for Ramadan (or a diet). The evocation of French bread is enough to make you break your vows. If you believed that American food was just fat and repulsive, well, you might have been wrong.

"Organically Cooking the Dance Floor," by Dave Segal: Usually, I don't read the music pages: I don't like being told what I should listen to. But apparently, Jon McMillion's music doesn't look like others. It lasts. He could be an artist, who knows?

Movie Review Revue: Dilemma: Lebanon or A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop? The former makes you claustrophobic and traumatizes you. The latter deals with the absurdness of life. But you already know everything about it considering your everyday life. Pick the former.