Monthly Archives: January 2008

Times blogger Charles Bremner discusses a “delicious” book, published this week, which recounts life at the court of the Emperor Nicolas I as if it were the Versailles of Louis XIV. In Chronique du règne de Nicolas Ier, Patrick Rambaud, … Continue reading →

Meet Jérôme Kerviel, the man who singlehandedly lost France’s second largest bank 4.9 billion euros — the largest bank fraud in history. OK, he shouldn’t have done what he did, but at least he didn’t profit from it. As far … Continue reading →

It is quick, chic and has a double-bubble roof that has been likened to everything from a coffee bean to parts of the human anatomy. It is Peugeot’s 308 RC Z concept car and it looks almost certain to go … Continue reading →

Le Ravissement de Heath Ledger (fragment) Today’s Bouguereau rip-off comes from Worth1000. This [tag]photoshop[/tag]ped version (view full size) is based on William [tag]Bouguereau[/tag]’s original 1895 work Le Ravissement de Psyche (The Rapture of Psyche, view original). It was one of … Continue reading →

A French blogger operating under the name Agence Eureka has collected an incredible set of old French papercraft images that you can print on heavy paper and give to a kid you love. You can find 150 of them on … Continue reading →

An original way to welcome your guests in your nice smelling home. Made from recycled rubber, 24 inches diameter, just $24.99. But hurry — there are only six four three left. For the unrecycled, non-rubber originals, look here.

It’s funny how terminology can change without apparent reason. If images like this one were today’s photography they would be called pornography. But since they are 100-year old drawings they’re called “erotic art”. The one shown above is by French … Continue reading →

Just in case you’re dreaming of joining the French Foreign Legion, try these four fitness tests before you ask for an application form. At last count they had 7699 legionnaires, so you could help them make it a nice round … Continue reading →

Arielle Dombasle is a coquettish actor. Bernard-Henri Lévy is a controversial philosopher. And their sexually charged marriage has fascinated France for more than a decade. She talks to the Guardian about how there is no love without suffering, the Sarkozy-Bruni … Continue reading →

Colourlovers is a site for, er, colour lovers. Based on anything colourful that meets the eye, the site’s authors suggest palettes and patterns that you can use as a source of inspiration for anything that requires balanced colours, such as … Continue reading →

Nominees for the Best Actress Oscar: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age Julie Christie, Away from Her Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose Laura Linney, The Savages Ellen Page, Juno Watch the trailer: [youtube]uzEJ7NV_g98[/youtube] Nominees for the Best animated feature … Continue reading →

Sad news after years of preparation: polar airship crashes before taking off. You may remember my earlier post about French explorer Jean-Louis Etienne’s plan to fly over the Arctic in an airship to measure the ice cap amid concern at … Continue reading →

Today’s Facts, Lies & Gossip about France’s Royal Family: Everybody was wrong: Carla Bruni tells Libération that she is “not yet” married to Nicolas Sarkozy, putting an end to speculation they had tied the knot in secret. Carla also doesn’t … Continue reading →

Left: a room in the Paris Ritz, right: the Beauvais Cathedral in need of repair. France is considering a new tax on luxury hotels to fund vital restoration work for hundreds of aging French monuments French Culture Minister Christine Albanel … Continue reading →

The European Court of Human Rights has condemned France for refusing a female gay teacher the right to adopt a child. The 45-year old woman in question has been rewarded 10,000 euros in “moral damages”. France had rejected the adoption … Continue reading →