Monthly Archives: February 2007

Thanks to its current baby boom, France could have the biggest economy in Europe by 2035 and the biggest population 10 years after that, a recent study says. France, with a population of around 63 million, has the highest fertility … Continue reading →

[youtube]K-xR1HErmH8[/youtube] The annual Tour de France is so overdosed with illegal drugs that next time it might be an idea to make the slowest rider the winner. It looks like a safe bet to conclude that the guy who arrives … Continue reading →

Anne-Sophie Pic, in the kitchen of her restaurant la Maison Pic in Valence. The 2007 edition of the famous Michelin Guide is out today. Among the five chefs who receive their first three stars is Anne-Sophie Pic, 37, in Valence. … Continue reading →

(Updated) What went on in the head of Jean-Luc Delarue, a popular French TV presenter and producer onboard a Paris-Johannesburg flight? Stone drunk, he behaved agressively towards fellow passengers, tried to get access to the cockpit twice, and bit one … Continue reading →

The man who once described the Nazi concentration camps as a mere “detail” in history, speaks again: In a recent interview, presidential right-wing candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen states that the 3,000 Twin Tower deaths of 9/11 is “what we have … Continue reading →

Paris in the tropics. You can’t be too well-dressed for the apocalypse. Italian jeans maker Diesel offers a fresh take on the spectre of a globally warmed planet. For their current spring/summer collection, they depict landscapes that have been transformed … Continue reading →

Tu play le damba tous les jours? Teachers in the former French colony Cameroon are concerned that the new language frananglais – a mixture of French, English and Creole – is affecting the way students speak and write the country’s … Continue reading →

Asterix in Alsatian, Chinese and Welsh Asterix around the World is a website dedicated to the 33 comic albums made by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, and the 100+ languages and dialects these albums are translated into. Who’s Asterix? Asterix … Continue reading →

Valery Ponomarev, not likely to come back for French gigs… For four decades, wherever jazz trumpeter Valery Ponomarev flew, his rare 1961 Constellation trumpet flew with him … as carry-on luggage. “This is the prized possession of Valery Pomonarev,” says … Continue reading →

Photo: Joe Ray for the Boston Globe Breaking the mold: Some patisseries move the classics to a back burner A few creative Parisian patissiers are fed up with the classic mille-feuilles and lemon tarts – and are reaping the benefits. … Continue reading →

Hard Rock is not the sort of music you’d associate with France. Les Supremes Dindes prove that solid rock is alive and kicking in the country. The band consists of three girls and three boys. If you like the above … Continue reading →

Napoleon riding Lucky Luke’s horse Jolly Jumper. Right: the original Worth1000.com is a site dedicated to Photoshop users. The regular challenges bring out the best in creative minds. The current contest invites Photoshoppers to marry art and cartoons. I’m showing … Continue reading →

Alexandra Rosenfeld: your smile may disappear when you find out… Another scandal in the miss biz: French Miss Europe doesn’t deserve her title. Ever since media giant Endemol (Big Brother) took over the Miss France and Miss Europe elections, scandals … Continue reading →

On Flickr: a wonderful photo set of Renault 4′s participating in a humanitarian rally to Morocco. On February 15 two thousand students left France in tiny Renault 4’s, heading for Morocco. 2007 is the 10th anniversary of the 4L Trophy … Continue reading →

[youtube]SeUMDY01uUA[/youtube] Check out the video and listen to what Scerri calls the Ferrari “music.” Mad or genius? Frenchman Pierre Scerri spent 20,000 hours building a perfect, working replica of the Ferrari 312PB. His design drawing, based on photographs of the … Continue reading →