Monthly Archives: November 2007

From Popular Science, August 1937: Designed primarily for use in airplanes, a new hospital stretcher is equipped with straps so placed that a wounded occupant cannot accidentally fall out while a plane is banking, diving, or going through other maneuvers. … Continue reading →

Husband savers: Bernadette and Hillary The First Ladies’ Club: Bernadette Chirac backs Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has won a glowing endorsement from an unexpected source – Bernadette Chirac, the former first lady of France. The women, who have … Continue reading →

Another one cut off. Who’s next? There will be computers burning in France over this. New French rabble-rousing President Nicolas Sarkozy has revealed plans to ban those found guilty of sharing copyrighted files from using the internet. There will be … Continue reading →

House arrest for human rights advocate Sarkozy’s junior minister for human rights not welcome in China delegation: If Rama Yade wants to eat Chinese food this weekend she’ll have to microwave some Suzi Wan meal. Sarkozy doesn’t want a human … Continue reading →

Borjana Kristo, president of Bosnia, will remember her visit to Strasbourg. Last Monday, a 47-year old homeless man stole her handbag while she was having lunch in town. The damage was limited: the bag contained just Bosnian money, a mobile … Continue reading →

This happy camper doesn’t know how cold France is in December… While the police keeps removing the homeless and their tents from the streets, Paris may allow one tent to stay for a while: Libyan dictator leader Moamer Kadhafi is … Continue reading →

End of the tunnel: France and Spain readying for rail link. If all goes well, the Paris-Barcelona high-speed rail link will be operational by 2012. Building the link is a slow job; digging the last tunnel through the Pyrenees progresses … Continue reading →

Friday is video day on Frogsmoke. In this edition: a crowded house, amazing can throwers, a juicy orgy, a musical mashup, Jack the Ripper revisited, a man who hates France, a town without conflict, a plane without wings and Brokeback … Continue reading →

Maurice Béjart, one of the greatest choreographers of the twentieth century died today, aged eighty. Lots will be written about him in the next few days, but there’s no better way to remember and honor the man than by showing … Continue reading →

Fragment of “Jodie Foster Saving the Lambs“. Inset: Bouguereau’s original. Another day, another FreakingNews photoshop contest, another homage to French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. To mark Jodie Foster‘s 45th birthday, artists were invited to photoshop the actress in any way they … Continue reading →

It’s not just rail workers and civil servants that are angry: French Smokers March on Cigarette Ban Some 10,000 tobacconists, joined by members of cigar clubs and teahouse owners, marched through Paris yesterday to protest a smoking ban in French … Continue reading →

This won’t work if you’re wandering around in a plane. For the second time in a week, an Airbus gets in trouble during final tests. This time, an Airbus A330 suddenly lost cabin pressure, forcing the pilot to make a … Continue reading →

From the land of the pessimists: 47% of the French think they’ll be homeless one day According to a survey by the Emmaüs association, 47% of the French think it’s “possible” that one day they won’t have a roof over … Continue reading →

Back to the future… French towns worried about fuel prices, pollution and striking transport workers need look no further than the horse. The French National Stud Organisation offers consulting on a wide range of horse-powered vehicles that could also haul … Continue reading →

Gradually, Paris is re-thinking its “no skyscrapers in the city” policy. At this moment, no building is allowed to be taller than 25 meters (82 ft) in the center or 37 meters (120 ft) in the outskirts. City Hall asked … Continue reading →