Monthly Archives: August 2008

The Daily Mail is asking the question no French journalist dares to ask: Is there a petit Sarkozy on the way for Carla Bruni? “French president Nicolas Sarkozy tenderly pats his stunning wife Carla Bruni’s stomach – fuelling speculation that … Continue reading →

Nobody knows why, but the Françaises haven’t done a great job at the Beijing Olympics. Out of the 39 medals only 7 ended up around female necks, including just one gold medal. It’s a French phenomenon: among the top-10 medal … Continue reading →

Links for Sunday 24 August 2008: Cutting cost: Champagne maker puts lighter bottles on trial Tackling obesity: Credit crisis forces French to abandon fat tax Under attack: Army deaths put Nicolas Sarkozy in line of fire Gesture to public concern: … Continue reading →

Teddy Bear makers Steiff are apparently planning to release a Karl Lagerfeld Bear. It looks like the thing on the left: The toy is the spitting image of the real deal (right), except that they forgot Lagerfeld’s trademark boxing gloves. … Continue reading →

The Corsican Minstrel Click for source. (What is this about?)

In the past 24 hours this blog recorded its one millionth visit. Sounds impressive? It isn’t. After nearly two years, Frogsmoke gets about 2,000 visits a day. That’s not the same as unique visitors, which is probably about half that … Continue reading →

Morbid Anatomy is a blog dedicated to, er, morbid anatomy. These photos of some lovely diseases and malformations were taken in the Musée Dupuytren, Paris: The Musée Dupuytren is a medical museum in Paris, France. It was established in 1835 … Continue reading →

Rémi Gaillard is gradually becoming a cult hero in France. His slapstick videos are (sometimes) hilarious. In this one he does the Olympic decathlon: More of the same on his website

French Flickr member Olivier Bardeau created a 300′s martians photoset, showing the red planet’s ocean. Except that the planet isn’t Mars, but Earth. He claims that his pictures of the French Riviera are optically filtered and not Photoshopped. Discover many … Continue reading →

Links for Saturday 23 August 2008: Not again! Minor uranium leak detected in French uranium conversion plant Learning without getting wet: English lessons at home for French students Reviving dead lines: The age of the train returns to French provinces … Continue reading →

Nicolas Bonaparte Click for source. (What is this about?)

French Fun Park Bans the Electric Chair An electric chair performing mock executions for fun park visitors has proven too much for one French town. The “chaise électrique’ has been removed — but the chair’s owner plans to take his … Continue reading →

Decadence starts with a B: German-owned, Italian-sounding, but French-manufactured, Bugatti calls the Grand Sport a roadster with a removable roof. Bugatti has incorporated “innovative structural solutions”, to compensate for a lack of structural integrity normally provided by a roof, however, … Continue reading →

This is what keeps France buzzing in times of hardship: is Justice Minister Rachida Dati pregnant? Her spokesperson refuses to comment, but gossip site PurePeople claims to know the expected date of birth: January 2009. Unlike Carla Bruni, Rachida Dati … Continue reading →

Whatever you want to think about the Dalai Lama you have to admit that he has a taste for colorful outfits. The girl on the right used to dress like that in her wilder years (see below) but is a … Continue reading →