Frogsmoke

Paris isn't very lucky with its plans to name streets and squares after famous people. But that's maybe their own fault. Last month, the newly created square named after pope John Paul II provoked angry protests from AIDS-awareness groups, claiming that the late pope's negative stance on the use of condoms was largely responsible for [...]

For the twelfth time, Handicap International organises a nation-wide protest against the use of landmines and clusterbombs. In 39 French towns, people are invited to create "pyramids" of shoes, as an expression of solidarity with the thousands of victims who have lost limbs because of these "weapons of cowards". Cluster bombs consist of a container [...]

It was 38 years ago this weekend that the Boeing 747, the "jumbo jet", first rolled out of a factory in Everett, Washington State. For many people, the jumbo ruled the skies, but time is now up for the early 747s. The life span of most commercial aeroplanes is said to be around 30 years; [...]

Victor Hugo, the author and hero of French Republican values, was obsessed with money, according to recently published secret police reports. The revelation, which strikes at the heart of Hugo’s cult status in France, is contained in a book published by a civil servant who spent two years studying police files compiled between 1871 and [...]

Bored out of your tree, or insatiable sudokist? Here's the Eiffel Tower Sudoku, courtesy of Becky's T-Blog. Enjoy!

France is one of those countries where overhead telephone cables are still common in rural areas. This may be the first time that someone dies as a result of this anachronism: Two hundred residents of a French village had their phones cut off after thieves stole 270 metres of copper cabling in the latest such [...]

The legendary Solex moped is coming back in November as the e-Solex. Gone is the 45cc petrol engine, and gone is also the unique frontwheel drive. The e-Solex is electric, its lithium-ion battery lives inside the frame, and the "false engine" on the frontwheel is now a storage box. The new design is the work [...]

Elaine Sciolino, chief of the Paris bureau of The New York Times, describes the "visual seduction" of Paris la Nuit. Late-night Paris belongs to the stroller, the idle walker with no purpose except to roam. There is always beauty to be discovered, and perhaps even adventure and love. “The night suggests, it does not show,” [...]

Sales of Norlevo are exploding in France. According to a recent study, one in three girls between 15 and 24 years needed this "emergency contraceptive" in 2004. Sales in morning-after-pills have grown sixfold in the last six years. Since 1999, they're easy to obtain from a school nurse, and since 2002 under-age girls can get [...]

Just in case you didn't know – Ségolène Royal is still the hottest socialist candidate for the French presidential elections. Hundreds of supporting websites are already operational, and now she even has a song dedicated to her. It's a rip-off of a 30 year old tune, and the lyrics are hardly to blog home about, [...]

In case you're wondering about the name of this blog: French public spaces among world's smokiest. Cigarette smoke in restaurants, bars and even hospitals makes France's public spaces among the unhealthiest in the world. In 42 percent of French public spaces, the air quality ranks as "dangerous" due to high smoke concentrations, claims a recent [...]

(Photo: der Spiegel) In a dig at Caours, near Abbeville, France, archeologists found evidence of a Neanderthal "butcher's shop" to which animals as large as rhinoceros, elephant and aurochs, the forerunner of the cow, were dragged and butchered about 125,000 years ago. Scientists said the animal bones showed signs of having been sawn, crushed or [...]

While Frogsmoke is en vacances, I’ll send you a daily poscard from space, with a little help from Google Sightseeing. Click on the image to view the original sight. Louvre Museum. The Louvre Museum is housed in a former Royal Palace and is home to many priceless works of art including the Mona Lisa, Venus [...]

While Frogsmoke is en vacances, I’ll send you a daily poscard from space, with a little help from Google Sightseeing. Click on the image to view the original sight. Belleau Cemetery. 1918, the height of the first world war and German forces have pushed far into France, coming dangerously close to the French capital. The [...]

While Frogsmoke is en vacances, I’ll send you a daily poscard from space, with a little help from Google Sightseeing. Click on the image to view the original sight. Saint-Exupéry TGV Terminal. This image shows the Saint-Exupéry International Airport in Lyon and more specifically the TGV terminal. The airport was built in 1975 but the [...]