Dimanche Dialogue Entre Florent Pagny, Xavier Darcos et Zidane
Known for his raspy voice and chart topping pop songs, Florent Pagny (left) sung his tax woes in the song, “Ma Liberté de Penser
” (My freedom to think), and even though this happened long ago, France is rather merciless and never lets neither him nor anyone else forget about any of their past predicaments particularly if they involve stepping over legal lines.
Note: Xavier Darcos is France’s Education Minister (though it would’ve been more ironic if he’d been the Finance Minister…)
tags: france florent pagny zidane xavier darcos taxes
Eiffel Tower Hours
This is a quick fyi to alert you to today and tomorrow’s different hours at the Eiffel Tower, just in case you feel like being smushed between thousands upon thousands of sweaty people.
Today, July 13th, there will be no show and the last access to the Tower is 9pm. The Tower will close at 10pm. Tomorrow, Bastille Day, the 14th: Last access is at 6pm and the Tower closes at 8pm. The fireworks show will take place at 10:45pm from Trocadero. Times are subject to change.
Otherwise, normal hours of the Tower: Open every day, 9am to 12:45am. Last access is 11:45pm.
tags: france travel eiffel tower bastille day
BHL’s Take on Obama
Excerpt by Bernard-Henri Lévy from tnr:
America has changed. It was the conservative Samuel Huntington who said it in his latest book, “Who Are We?”: America is no longer a Protestant, Anglo-Saxon country, European by tradition and white by vocation, that cannot seriously imagine a black man running for the presidency. George W. Bush’s two terms? The swing to the far right the country took after 9/11? The campaigns by those opposing abortion, or the partisans of anti-Darwin creationism? Sure, one could see a marked tendency, a fundamental movement. Or one could also, as in my case, see the shock and desperate mobilization of an America that knows it is dying but is trying nonetheless to delay the moment when it realizes it must surrender.
Obama is not a typical African-American. Unlike, say, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton or Condoleezza Rice, he does not carry with him the heritage of slavery or the memory of segregation because he was born of a Kenyan father. The difference is enormous, because the mirror he holds up to America is no longer one that reflects those dark times, no longer one of unbearable ancestral culpability. Barack Obama can win because he is the first African-American to take, by the grace of his birth, a step away from the two sides of a deep divide–and the first who may now play the card–not of condemnation or damnation–but of seduction, and–as he says over and over–of reconciliation.
He is good. What I mean is that he is not only the most charismatic but also the most gifted politician produced by the Democratic machine in a long time.
Look to Denver, in a swing state par excellence, where Obama will probably oversell the fact that his party chose Colorado as the venue for his official nomination. In Florida, another swing state, he is already campaigning against the prospect of offshore oil drilling, which has been imprudently supported by his rival. Listen to him in Nevada, finding the words to touch the core of Hispanics who are first- and second-generation Americans. Not to mention the setting up of a special committee (partly presided over, if you please, by Caroline Kennedy!) to help choose Obama’s future vice president. Will it be the former governor of New Mexico? Governor Strickland, in a nod to blue-collar voters? Bill Ritter, for the Catholics? There is, in the very idea of this awkward political dance, the cleverest, most cunning and, in the end, most profitable of tributes being paid to the inescapable weirdness of America’s electoral system.
Four years ago I was one of the first to acknowledge, after having heard, then met, Obama, the emergence of a meteor. I hope that today I will not be wrong in announcing that he will very soon be the face of the United States. In any case, I am marking my calendar.
Read the full article
Sarkozy Insults The Japanese at G8 Summit From nowpublic:
“French President Nicolas Sarkozy has risked causing a minor diplomatic incident with Japan by not holding a bilateral meeting with the country’s prime minister during the Group of Eight summit, Japanese media reported on Tuesday.
Concern was spreading among Japanese diplomats that Sarkozy was showing little interest in the host nation and that he was giving premier Yasuo Fukuda the cold shoulder.
France’s president is the only G8 leader not to have held face-to-face talks with Fukuda so far.
And while Japan had penciled in such a meeting for Tuesday morning, France had not even considered the possibility, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun daily reported.
Japanese diplomats have been particularly surprised by the contrast between the current president and his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who was known for his love for Japan, and for its national sport Sumo in particular.
Chirac visited Japan more than 10 times during his presidency.
Speculation was arising that Sarkozy was trying to avoid being compared to the former French leader. But Asahi Shimbun quoted sources close to French diplomats as admitting that Sarkozy lacked any interest in Japan.
In a further blow to French-Japanese relations, First Lady Carla Bruni, a singer and former model, canceled her scheduled attendance at the G8 to promote her new record instead.
Sarkozy had meant to make an official visit to Japan before this week’s summit, but has since postponed it until next year. If he decides to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in August, it will be his second visit to China since his election as president last year, the paper noted.” [source]
tags: france sarkozy japan france relations cultural retard
Carla Bruni – Comme si de rien n’etait 
Will this be some sort of historic World Record for “First Lady’s CD Sales”? I think so.
Carla Bruni, France’s 1st Lady, will officially launch Comme si de rien n’etait
/ As if Nothing Happened, her third CD tomorrow here in France. I think you’ll find it to be pretty good if you like hearing about revealing, personal memoirs. There isn’t much about life after being married to Sarkozy (tant mieux / all the better.) Everything is original except a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Belong to Me“ and an Italian song. I actually liked her first CD (Quelqu’un m’a dit /Someone Told Me) so I think this one might have some promise. All royalities will go the Foundation of France, which funds charities.
If you’re in the U.S. check out: Carla Bruni – Comme Si de Rien N’Etait - fyi: you can pre-order it now.
Links
Carla Bruni – Comme si de rien n’etait (France)
Carla Bruni – Comme Si de Rien N’Etait (release date July 22 in the U.S.) (U.S.)
tags: france music carla bruni Comme si de rien n’etait
Nuclear Leak in France From AP:
“Tests show that uranium levels are diminishing but have not vanished from rivers in southern France after a leak from a nuclear site, regional authorities said Wednesday.
Anti-nuclear groups, meanwhile, questioned the handling of the incident at the Tricastin nuclear site near Avignon, noting inconsistent official statements about when it occurred and about how much unenriched uranium was leaked.
France’s nuclear safety agency said liquid containing traces of unenriched uranium leaked from a factory at the site, and that uranium concentrations in the Gaffiere river were initially about 1,000 times the normal levels. The agency said the uranium is only slightly radioactive although toxic.
Initially the agency said the accident occurred Tuesday morning, but later said it occurred Monday night. On Wednesday, Tricastin authorities revised downward the amount of liquid that leaked.
Authorities in the Vaucluse region maintained a ban Wednesday on the consumption of well water in three nearby towns and the watering of crops from the Gaffiere and Lauzon rivers. Swimming, water sports and fishing also remain banned.
A series of tests Tuesday showed that “uranium levels (in surface water) remained well above normal but strongly diminished through dilution throughout the day,” the regional administration said in a statement. The tests found no uranium in groundwater.
Tricastin authorities changed the amount that had leaked from 7,900 gallons (30,000 liters) to 4,760 gallons (18,000 liters), according to another statement from the Vaucluse regional administration. It said the liquid contained 493 pounds (224 kilograms) of natural unenriched uranium, instead of 794 pounds (360 kilograms) announced earlier.
The factory handles materials and liquids contaminated by uranium, the fuel for nuclear power plants. The liquid spilled from a reservoir that overflowed during the washing of a tank.
The Commission for Independent Radioactivity Research and Information said the leak led to the release of radioactive material 100 times that which the site is allowed to release in a year. Greenpeace said the leaked waste was more than 130 times the permitted level.”
Vending Machine for French Bread…in France!
When I see stuff like this, a vending machine for bread…in France, seen in Arles by the blogger at pasta and vinegar (Thanks, Nicolas!), it nevers ceases to amaze me that the world can make no sense sometimes. That seems backwardly strange. A bread vending machine in France? Please. Are there NOT enough bakeries around??! This one is obviously non-functional and someone wanted it to be erased from the neighborhood without actually having to lift and move it.
I wonder what the bread was like. Was it sliced? Whole loaves? Was is good? Why did the machines exist? Do they still have bread vending machines in France? In the nearly six years we’ve been in France, I haven’t seen any (I might have not noticed them) but I think they are still around somewhere. Where? Inquiring minds want to know.
tags: france french bread vending machine arles
Eye Catching Book Titles 
Nature et Decouverte, a French equivalent of The Nature Company, sure knows how to get your attention. While we were waiting at the cash register, we laughed at this book, displayed right at the entrance of the store. The book is called, Comment chier dans les bois, which means, “How to Shit in the Woods.” Yeah, we were tempted to get it but realized we already know how to do so.
Actually, it’s a book pour une approche environnementale d’un art perdu. that takes an environmental approach to a lost art.
Makes me wonder about how many are sold based on shock value.
tags: france books comment chier dans les bois green
French Cuisine as UNESCO Heritage: FAIL I guess it’s too fattening.
From breitbart:
“France’s bid, backed by famous chefs, to have its cuisine added to UNESCO’s list of world cultural treasures is likely to flop, a representative from the UN body said Saturday.
“There is no category at UNESCO for gastronomy,” said Cherif Khaznadar, president of the UNESCO assembly of states that have signed the convention to safeguard intangible cultural heritage.
Khaznadar said only the elements specifically identified in the convention can make the list of intangible heritage — and gastronomy is not among them.
“I am afraid that the presentation of a dossier on gastronomy will not get far,” said Khaznadar during a round table discussion at the first “Gastronomy by the Seine” festival held this weekend on Paris yachts.
UNESCO started its list of “intangible” cultural treasures such as dance, carnival or other rituals in 2003.
In 2005, a UNESCO jury including several French members turned down a request by Mexico to have its culinary tradition recognised.
However, the head of the group campaigning to gain cultural heritage status for French food said it should fit UNESCO criteria because it is “a major element of French culture.”
President Nicolas Sarkozy said in February that France would lobby for its cuisine to be added to UNESCO’s list of cultural treasures, calling it “the best gastronomy in the world.”
The French bid will be presented to the UN educational, scientific and cultural body next year, with a verdict due in in 2010.
For Michelin-starred chef Gerard Cagna, UNESCO’s recognition would “allow us to keep alive a fundamental part of our culture.”
Many in French food circles are still stinging from a blow delivered in 2003, when the New York Times ruled that Spain had overtaken its Gallic neighbour as the epicentre of the gourmet world.”
[source]
Who are the Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French, according to an international survey.
From time:
“Remember the tightwad tourist whose baggy shorts, frequent complaining and shouted questions about why none of the locals spoke any English made the ugly American the world’s Visitor From Hell? Well, it’s time for Archie Bunker to move over and make way for Petulant Pierre. According to a recent international survey, the French are now considered the most obnoxious tourists from European nations, and behind only Indians and the last-place Chinese as the worst among all countries worldwide. And it’s not only the rest of the world that have a gripe with the Gallic attitude: the French also finished second to last among nations ranking the popularity of their own tourists who vacation at home….” Read the rest
Get Those Abs in Paris Without Working Out Saturday July 05th 2008, 4:53 am
Filed under:
chocolate,
daily life,
food and drinks,
funny,
MOF Meilleur Ouvrier de France,
news,
paris,
pastries,
people,
travel and places,
travel tip,
weird
I’ll be in Paris next week for a chocolate fix and other things so I was trying to find the exact address of Jean-Paul Hévin’s place. I serendipitously stumbled upon these new chocolate abs on his website.
It turns out, since May of this year, you can get Les Tablettes de chocolat (abs of steel, 6 pack abs) without having to work out! Isn’t that excellent news?
In France, the equivalent of the phrase, “abs of steel” is, “les tablettes de chocolat” (chocolate bars). So, chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, an MOF in Paris, has taken the concept one step further and has re-invented the les tablettes de chocolat, called “Abdominal bars,” which actually sounds more dietetic, if you think about it. What a sneaky trick. Far, Far, and light years away from being dietetic, these Jean-Paul Hévin chocolate bars seem like the best alternative to going to the gym for some abs. Of course, they aren’t THOSE abs we’re really thinking about.
There are three different kinds of abdominal bars: Pecs, Muscle and Fitness Bars.
Pecs Bars
75% cocoa
Origin : Venezuela
Bean type : Criollo, Trinitario
Nose : powerful, manly
Taste : spicy touches of coffee and dry fruit, floral touches, slight acidity due to the bean fermentation.
Distinctive feature : intense aroma and surprisingly long taste, cocoa finesse.
2,20 € per 40 g bar
Muscle Bars
75% cocoa
Origin : Madagascar
Bean type : Criollo, Forastero
Nose : powerful, intense
Taste : acidity typical of Madagascar, touches of red and yellow berries.
Distinctive feature : intense freshness due to cocoa acidity.
2,20 € per 40 g bar
Fitness Bars
65% cocoa
Origin : Blend of central America and Africa
Bean type : Trinitario, Forastero
Nose : black chocolate, spicy
Taste : spicy, marked chocolate taste
Distinctive feature : sugar-free, suitable for diabetes patients
2,20 € per 40 g bar
Jean-Paul Hévin Chocolatier
23 bis, avenue de la Motte-Picquet
75007 Paris – FRANCE
Website
tags: france travel jean paul hevin chocolate in paris les tablettes de chocolate MOF abdominal bars
Friday France Photos: Appetizers 
From Le Grand Cafe Brasserie, 8-10, rue Saint-Jean, 62520 Le Touquet Paris-Plage, Telephone +33 (0) 3 21 05 52 71, Open 7 days, all year.
Le Touquet, Hamburger XXL and Happy July 4th! 
We spent a gorgeous day with our niece, meandering around the village of Le Touquet Paris-Plage, a small beachtown in northern France. It didn’t occur to me until after we saw this restaurant with extra EXTRA large hamburgers, that today is the 4th of July. Happy 4th of July! We would’ve commemorated my birth country’s independence here at Jean’s Cafe, which is a restaurant à la americaine (and à l’anglaise) but we had just finished eating some tasty tapas just up the street. Incidentally, I don’t think I’d want the Hamburger XXL, especially one that costs 17 euros, just a little more than $26. (I might be tempted by the ribs, however.) I don’t think I’d want anything XXL unless it was a French pastry or artisanal chocolate or Italian gelato or a pizza pie from Giordano’s.
We couldn’t resist but ask Jean’s Cafe how XXL the Hamburger XXL was exactly because we all knew that if we had an XXL burger in the U.S., it’d be like a 5 pounder of ground beef, with an extra cheese-like substance, a head of iceberg lettuce, 8 sliced pickles (amusement park-size), a whole sliced onion, waterfalls of ketchup and mustard – all inside a bun the size of seat cushion. You know? Anyway, the XXL is 250 grams of hamburger meat, roughly a half-pound of meat. That’s a LOT for French people but maybe a measly morsel for Americans. Ok, it’s huge, I realize, but I keep thinking about that Simpson’s episode where Homer eats 4.5 pounds of steak… so a half a pound is…you know how the French say… Les doigts dans le nez. (literally, fingers in the nose, which is suppose to mean, “piece of cake”).
tags: france travel le touquet extra extra large hamburgers in france 4th of july
Karl Lagerfeld and the Ugly Yellow Vest 
In sync with the new road safety laws in France regarding a vest and triangle to be kept in cars at all times, this amusing ad campaign was launched and features famous designer fashionista, Karl Lagerfeld. Via LA Frog (merci!)
C’est jaune, c’est moche, et ça ne va avec rien, mais ça peut vous sauvez la vie.
Translation:
It’s yellow, it’s ugly, it doesn’t go with anything (else), but it can save your life.
tags: france karl lagerfeld road safety ads
New Nonstop Flights Between Lyon and JFK! Starting July 17, 2008, Air France offers nonstop flights between New York – JFK and Lyon, France. Delta will operate this new service, following a very convenient schedule on a comfortable Boeing 757-ER aircraft.
JFK to Lyon
Flight AF8987/DL174, departs 4:30PM and arrives 7:05AM (next day)
No flights on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Lyon to JFK
Flight AF8992/DL175, departs 9:30AM and arrives 12:15PM (same day)
No flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
*Remember to visit Les Halles de Lyon, perfect for the foodie traveler.
Air France
tags: france travel flights to lyon flights to jfk air france
July 1 – Mandatory Yellow Vest and Triangle in Cars 
Beginning today, cars in France must carry a gilet de sécurité / bright, yellow vest with 2 reflective stripes and a triangle de pré-signalisation / a reflective red warning triangle. These are to be used if you have an accident or must pull off the road for break downs and other emergencies. Note: The vest must be in the cab portion of the car, that is, where the drivers and passengers are, and not in the trunk.
The police will be performing random checks to verify that you have these obligatory items. If you’re caught without them after October, 1, you risk a fine of 90 to 135 euros.
You can sometimes get free kits with vests and triangle at a gas station if you have your oil changed or have your tires checked. Otherwise, they are available to purchase at gas stations for about 15 – 20 euros.
tags: france travel gilet de sécurité triangle de pré-signalisation road+laws+france mandatory+vest+triangle
