Frogsmoke

You won't find anything scarier than a Hallyday Halloween mask…
Halloween isn't as big in France as in the rest of the world, but the market in scary masks is booming nevertheless. This year, the Johnny Hallyday Mask (shown above) is very popular. Surprised?
Profile: Johnny Hallyday (BBC)

Dying in Paris is nearly as expensive as living — at least if you compare the prices per square meter for apartments and graves.
Especially a "perpetual" grave is costly — nearly 5.500 euros per square meter. That's why more and more people go for cheaper 10-year graves, which can be extended if required.
Like [...]

Thank you for the music:
A wine grower in the Alsace has started playing music in his vineyards, and claims that Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart make his grapes more aromatic. His Gewürtztraminer grapes are forced to endure burst of two to three minutes of classical music.
Thanks to the music, the vine leaves fall later than [...]

When the French adopted American wrestling they decided to give it a really French name, and called it Catch.
The sport (if you may call it like that) is still in its infancy in France, but that may change. In a town near Paris, aspiring wrestlers can now go to the local Catch Academy.
Some [...]

The French are among the most gloomy, distrustful and pessimistic people in Europe, according to an official study. They foresee catastrophe at every turn.
When asked to evaluate their standard of living, only 16 per cent of the French said that they were very satisfied – the lowest of any Western European country. The figure in [...]

Another French invention that didn't quite take off: Stoplight Flashes Automobile Turn Signal on Pavement
At last an automobile stoplight has been invented that will project its signals on the street behind in letters large enough to be easily read.
The French invention fulfills in all respects the “Needed Invention” in this field described in the September, [...]

A Bosnian gossip magazine says it, so it must be true (or not?): Sarkozy fancies Tinka Milinovic.
French newspaper Metro quotes a Bosnian newspaper, which published a photo showing Nicolas Sarkozy together with a blond bombshell named Tinka Milinovic.
The two apparently met in Lybia last summer, when Sarko liberated some nurses, and Tinka did a [...]

The French are paying over the top at the tap:
France's largest consumer organisation, UFC-Que Choisir, claims that water suppliers in 15 out of 19 investigated towns are making "staggering" profits.
Consumers pay up to 2.2 times the cost price. While a normal margin should be around 15%, three cities are crossing the 50% mark, with [...]

Don't get vertigo when you visit Arounder. Shown above is La Défense. There are many more Paris views, but — unfortunately — nothing of the rest of France.
Arounder Paris

Chad's ‘rescued’ children claim they were lured with biscuits:
The children who French charity workers claimed were orphans from Darfur said they had been bribed to leave their homes with sweets and biscuits. They were facing death in the Darfur region of Sudan, according to the charity, Zoe’s Ark, which had lined up foster families in [...]

Crumbling French churches spark unholy row:
Half a century ago, one in three French went regularly to mass, today it's barely one in twelve.
Churches are at risk of everything — rural depopulation, a decline in faith, the number of Christians and priests. Villages are facing a dilemma: spending millions on repairing churches where nobody goes, [...]

Nothing beats authentic Super French Soap:
Share Friend Perfume Soap adopts the senior perfume from France. It is mild for your skin, and the fragrance is pure & elegant.
It can give skin moist & nutrient, so that make you full of vigor.
Nearly as good: Animal Transparent Soap and Tourist Beauty Soap.
Made in China

Each box contains 100 pcs salon art nail tips in 10 different sizes. Caveat: you have to order at least 3,000 boxes:
We are professional supplier on Art Nail products, including professional salon tip, designed art nail, luxury art nail, 3D art nail, acrylic art nail system, gel art nail system, nail art decoration, nail art [...]

Bob Truby is passionate about pencils:
As both an art teacher and a pencil collector, I desire this site to be a visual encounter with the incredibly diverse world of brand name pencils. I hope you will be amazed at the sheer number of pencil brands once produced in the USA and abroad. Sadly those days [...]

Last week, the Airbus A380 took off for its first commercial flight.
FreakingNews.com invited photoshop artists to celebrate the news with their own visions of the Super Jumbo. Two are shown above. Click the link below to view all entries.
Airbus A380 Photoshop contest
See also: Airbus A380 – the complete guide (Times)