latest.jpg Find out what's new!

What makes France such an endearing and infuriating country at the same time?

Why are the French a people that you love one day and hate the next?

Come here every day and you may find out...

• Front Page
• FAQ
• 
• RSS Feed
• Subscribe
• Add to Technorati Favs
• 
• 

Live search:

Archive for April, 2008

Upranked

Not that it matters to you, but I'm pleased to see that, as of today, this blog has a Google Page Rank of 5 — after 12 months of being stuck at 4. It's a 10-point scale, so there's still some way to go…
This is how Page Ranks are calculated (I think):

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under General

Bids are open for the Penmobile (Not anymore)

Far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen (inset) is selling his company car on EBay. It's a level-2 bulletproof '92 Peugeot 605, with airco, central locking, leather upholstery and tinted windows. It doesn't have a gas chamber, but that's merely a detail.
Update: the sale has been suspended after jokers went wild and bids had reached 10 […]

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under Politics, Oops

Your signature has the power

Two powerful Amnesty International ads from a series of four, by advertising agency TBWA Paris, France. The lips of these dictators are stitched together with signatures.

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under Created in France

Role Models

Carla Sarkozy wearing a garment that's illegal in French schools and public offices. In the pic she's visiting a mosque in Tunisia, together wit a local ex-model.
In the meantime, hubby Nicolas studied Tunisian ceiling architecture and got wildly excited by the latest local hip hop charts.

Photos: 20 Minutes

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under Sarkozy & Co

Life sucks in France

The French keep beating their national depression record:
For the tenth successive month the French are feeling more depressed than the previous month. In May they've beaten the historic record of 37%. The seasonally adjusted figure illustrates that the French are deeply worried about the economy. Seven in ten are pessimistic about the evolution of their […]

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under Society

Another Wednesday in France

Links for Wednesday 30 April 2008:
In France, Americans continue to storm the Normandy beaches, now on deluxe private D-Day tours (Web in France)
French court says it cannot ban Mosley orgy video (Reuters)
Desperation Gathers and Makes a Nightly Dash for Britain (New York Times)
Was Yasmina Reza's portrait of Sarkozy prescient? (International Herald Tribune)
French incest victim says […]

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under General

The wrong reasons to learn French

Click for bigger picture.
German language school Sprachcaffe wants you to learn French, and displays a French flag built from girl's names to give you the right reasons. But Carnation, Jacquenetta, Vignette, Charlisa, Cheyenne, Comforte and a few hundred more are not French names at all.
With a little homework they could have done it right. […]

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under Language, Oops

Plane Catapult Saves 18 Hours Time

Another French idea that didn't quite take off:
PASSENGERS aboard the Ile de France, luxurious new passenger steamer plying between New York and Cherbourg, can now speed up their ocean journey by hopping off the ship in an airplane when a few hundred miles off the French coast, the plane carrying them directly to Paris. […]

Posted: Wed 30-Apr-08 under History, Created in France

Smoking Gun

French comics designer Joann Sfar (The Rabbi's Cat) is working on his first movie, about the life of French artist Serge Gainsbourg. The character will be played by actor Eric Elmosnino. It must be huge challenge to get that part right, but these first smoking pictures look promising.
More in the Figaro.

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under People, Art & Heritage

Engrish-Flench / Francais-Angrais Dictionary

Wonderful Photoshopped entry in the "Engrish" contest on Worth1000: show us images from a world run by Engrish product translators.
Source | More about Engrish (wiki)

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under Language

No-Spank Day

If you want to beat up exercise corporal correction on your kids you should do it today or wait two days, because tomorrow (Wednesday 30 April) is the national "Journée de la non-violence éducative" in France.
Parents are kindly requested to take it easy on their children, and use words rather than hands to correct […]

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under Society, Events

Another Tuesday in France

Links for Tuesday 29 April 2008:
Sarkozy signs deals, eludes human rights (France 24)
French police stop video-watching man driving at 200 km an hour (AFP)
Films that take you to Paris (slideshow, LA Times)
EU eyes early warning on French finances (Yahoo! News)
Like lettuce or ice-cream, fine wines tackle how to keep cool (TTC)
France says 'take on older […]

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under General

Wanna Buy 125 French Tanks?

The French have decided that war isn't a game they're good at, so they're selling 125 of their 350 Leclerc tanks. The bad news is they don't offer them to private buyers, but only to friendly governments. The good news is that all tanks will be fitted with new engines and airco — by a […]

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under History, Created in France

Liquidated Logos

French street artist Zevs got his start by tagging billboards in Paris. Today, his work is displayed in art galleries.
Via bad banana blog | More here

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under Art & Heritage, Created in France

Comments, please!

Let's see how interactive this blog can be. Use the Comments section below to share your thoughts, or give a reply to this Chinese taxi driver. No need to be diplomatic!
Via Neatorama

Posted: Tue 29-Apr-08 under Oops

« Older