The gallery of images inspired by French pointillist Georges-Pierre Seurat on this blog has been visited by thousands of Frogsmokers after links on many other blogs.
I’m pleased to announce that several new works of art (and kitsch) have been added to the exhibition, including the relief version and the bizarre prehistoric tableau shown above.
Visit the [...]

The best of the web and the international press, collected for you by Frogsmoke. Enjoy!
Books or boutiques: a battle for the Left Bank's soul
The struggle is to keep the Left Bank, once the cultural powerhouse of the French capital, from becoming an enclave of designer boutiques and clothes shops. Now, La Resistance de la Rive [...]

Concorde Mach meter. Estimated at 3,000 euros, sold for 26,000 euros.
This weekend, spare parts from the scrapped Concorde fleet were auctioned in Toulouse, France, and fetched prices nobody had anticipated.
One of the items true fanatics went after was the machmètre (mach meter), the iconic instrument which tells the airplane’s speed relative to the speed [...]

Hotpants were the craze of the seventies. According to Wikipedia:
Hotpants: Commonly known as "short shorts," primarily worn by women. These are short, tight shorts, usually made of cotton, nylon, or some other common material. They are meant to emphasize the buttocks and the legs. Hot pants are sometimes worn with dark tights and knee-length boots [...]

This map was created by French graphic artist Benjamin Becue.
You have to see it in close-up to discover the – often cynical – details. Shown left is the part that represents France. It depicts the country as a place where cars are set alight and nuclear power stations are hard at work. There's [...]

The Martine adventures have gripped French kids for half a century. They are sugar-coated stories of a girl who can't do anything wrong. Or can she?
The images above show Martine in a different light: as a drug user, shoplifter and Jehova's witness. More spoofs here.
Via Nounours

I found this picture on Libération. Why would anyone park his or her Vélib bike here?
The original article suggests that this was maybe a cyclist who simply couldn't find a place in one of the designated Vélib stands, but after reading Charles Bremner's blog, there may be another reason:
Since its launch on July 15, the [...]

Friday is video day on Frogsmoke. In this edition: a faux Sarko, female rugby underwear, a fight for kisses, a soulful singer in Paris, a serial building climber, boring fruits, a biker with guts, a guitar player without guitar, and musical therapy. Enjoy!

Faux Sarko and The Human Bomb

One of the highlights on French TV this [...]

The Fondation Nicolas Hulot for Nature and Mankind has given itself the mission of training the public to be environmentally friendly.
Its founder, Nicolas Hulot, is one of France's most loved personalities.
The photo shown above is one in a series of three, promoting biodiversity. The stunning photos were created by Jean-Marie Vives, who featured earlier [...]

Toast to the real French: Peasants sorting Champagne grapes near Rheims
This sounds like a wonderful book: The Discovery of France by Graham Robb. From a review in the Daily Mail:
Graham Robb set out to explore the regions of France by bicycle, and this original historical guide 'is the result of 14,000 miles in the saddle [...]

Just added to the Little Big Man gallery: Nicolas Sarkozy (5′5″ – 1.65m) meets former South-African president Nelson Mandela (6′4″ – 193 cm), Bavarian PM Edmund Stoiber (height unknown), and Irish PM Bertie Ahern (5′11″ – 180 cm)
Visit the Gallery

Using an anorexic model for commercial purposes – good or bad?
A controversial ad campaign featuring a 31 kg (68-pound) anorexic woman has been launched in Italy to coincide with Milan Fashion Week. The photos feature Isabelle Caro, a 27-year-old French actress and model. The images, which have been placed in newspapers and on billboards, are [...]

"Hey, you un-French reporter. Get out of here!"
Sarkozy doesn't want foreigners in his own country, but banning foreign journalist from a press conference goes a bit far…
French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday gave a speech in which he praised the UN as "the only place in the world where all people can speak to one [...]

Just wondering: are these two recent articles related?
French-speaking Rwanda turns to English
Since an Anglophone rebel movement swept into the country a decade ago, English has quickly gained currency as the language of education and opportunity. [...]
Rwanda 'most improved' in Africa
Rwanda is the most improved sub-Saharan nation according to a survey looking at performances over the [...]

The times they are a-changing: Anne-Sophie Pic crowned "Chef of the year"
Earlier this year she became the first female chef in half a century to earn three Michelin stars, now she is also voted "Chef de l'année 2007" in a poll held among eight thousand (mostly male) chefs.
Anne-Sophie Pic, 37, who runs the kitchen in [...]