French Protesting the New Year
From time.com:
“In addition to their more admirable accomplishments, the French are generally considered the world champions of public protesting. Whether it’s transport workers striking against tightened pension regimes, fishermen outraged by high operating costs, students battling education reform or even lawyers picketing over court closures, it seems scarcely a week goes by without some section of France’s population taking to the streets. Given that, it should come as little surprise that one boisterous French group is planning a protest rally on the evening of Dec. 31 — and demanding that the world refuse to shed 2008 to make way for a troublesome-looking New Year.
“We’re saying no to the tyranny of time, no to the merciless onslaught of the calendar, and yes to staying put in 2008,” says a man who identifies himself as Marie-Gabriel, a militant member of the Fonacon group, which is organizing its fourth annual anti–New Year protest under the slogan “2009 Stays In Its Shell.” “Last year we warned a mocking world that 2008 would be horrible compared to 2007, and we were right. This time everyone acknowledges 2009 will be terrible, so now is the moment to unite together and refuse this new, rotten year!”
As seriously bleak as 2009 is expected to be, a call to mount barricades and bar the New Year’s arrival sounds like a gag even in strike-happy France. That’s because Fonacon’s protest is decidedly…” continue reading
tags: france, french, new year
Ice Skating on L’Etang de Frasne
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything related to reasons why one should come to France, so I thought I’d mention L’ Etang de Frasne (The Frasne Pond) located in the region of Franche Comté. It’s actually a large pond or little lake, if you will – and a very good reason to visit it right now is so you can go ice skating on it.
Right now in France, it’s cold. Wicked cold, in fact. Temperatures this low would inspire many of you to stay indoors, wrap yourself with a warm blankie, grab a hot chocolate and sit in front of a crackling fire, which is nice and cozy and all – but, you might want to take advantage of the wonderful winter weather and go out aller patiner (to go ice skating). L’Etang de Frasne / The Frasne pond is completely frozen right now and waiting for you and your ice skates. There are a couple of frozen ponds near each other but with the longest one, L’etang de Frasne measures two kilometers (1.2 miles!) long. That gives you a bit of space, much more than if you went to a teeny ice rink. Afterward, you can have your hot chocolate and cuddle with a loved one next to a warm fire…
tags: france, french, ice skating, l’etang de frasne
[photo from le blog d'olif]
Where on Earth? 
A game! Find the famous landmark on the map and click on it to get as close to is as possible for the maximum amount of points. Do you know where the Pompidou Center is (aka Le Beaubourg)?
Play now
tags: france, french, landmarks, where on earth
Bonnes Fêtes Wednesday December 24th 2008, 7:34 am
Filed under:
events
A Different Version of Petit Papa Noël 
Whenever I ask French people to name some French Christmas songs, the response is always, “Petit Papa Noël.”
“What else!???” I ask.
Silence.
There MUST be more than that, right?! Until I find out and let you know about them, here’s a silly version of Petit Papa Noël with ukeleles performed by the French group, The Unlimited Ukelele Orchestra. Fun.
Click on the image or here to watch it.
tags: france, french, Petit Papa Noël, french christmas songs, ukelele
Found in My In-Laws Frig
Some people choose Nutella
, others, like my in-laws, prefer to spread Buttella on their tartines / toast. Appetizing!
tags: france, french, nuttella, buttella
A German is Taking Over The Michelin Guide! The French Shrug From time.com:
“Francophobes who cast all French as neurotically hostile to anything foreign would be wise to upgrade their perceptions. Last week, the supposed champions of shrill nationalism responded with a Gallic shrug to the news that France’s legendary Michelin guide will be edited by a German. The clichéd image of France as a bastion of macho swagger took a beating as well: the bible’s new boss is a woman.
The few French press accounts that did appear stuck to Michelin’s own rather laconic communiqué announcing the appointment of German executive…” continue reading
Paris Apple Expo Cancelled 
Following the unexpected and disappointing news that beginning 2010 Apple will no longer exhibit at Macworld, which is THE premiere expo for all mac users who’ve been making a yearly pilgrimage to San Francisco since the 80s – show organizers for the Apple Expo Paris announced they’ve cancelled the 2009 event.
The latter news is less of a blow than the former but at least there are more and more Apple stores to get your fix for all things Apple. Of course, no more yearly rumors, gossip and speculation of new products and the end of anticipated keynotes from Steve Jobs, will forever change the lives of Mac geeks worldwide…
Related: Paris Apple Expo Good For Apples, Paris Apple Expo
tags: france, paris apple expo, apple, macworld, steve jobs
Carla Fans Might Want a Pardon 
Hey Carla fans, you might be happy to know that Pardon, a company (brand) from La Réunion, began giving away these bags with a purchase from their stores. The bags sport a nude Carla Bruni on them. The slogan, “Mon mec aurait dû m’acheter du Pardon” (My man should’ve bought me forgiveness or a pardon.)
Want one? Find Pardon in these cities: Marseille, Toulouse, Dunkerque et Besançon.
tags: france, french, carla bruni, pardon
Buy an Apartment, Get a Mercedes for Free! Unusual sales are taking place in Strasbourg. Read about it here. (in French)
Dialogue entre Nicolas Sarkozy et Le Dalai Lama 
Previous dialogues: 2 Air France Pilots, Barack Obama et Nicolas Sarkozy, Sarah Palin et Nicolas Sarkozy, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair, Francois Hollande and Maxime Bono, The Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni, Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos
tags: france, french, dalai lama, china, sarkozy
The French Maid is Back but She’s Not Wearing that Little Outfit You Were Hoping She’d Wear From timesonline.uk:
“Eliete Gomes Ricardo cooks, scrubs and irons. She will also shine your shoes, pop out for a bottle of champagne in an emergency and buy a bouquet of flowers for your wife if you have forgotten your wedding anniversary. She might also save the French economy.
“We are at the beck and call of our customers,” she told The Times. “We do whatever they want so they don’t have anything to worry about when they get home.”
Meet the modern French maid — a profession given a new lease of life by a government attempt to create a service economy. With France’s diminishing industrial base certain to shrink farther during the economic crisis, ministers said this weekend that they were banking on the €15 billion (£12.5 billion) domestic sector in the fight against unemployment.
Laurent Wauquiez, the Employment Minister, said that fiscal incentives would help 130,000 people to find work as cleaners, gardeners, nannies, home-helps and other services à la personne — a third of all jobs created this year. He was speaking at a trade fair in Paris where domestic services firms such as Axeo and O2 listed the domestic employees — from DIY experts to cooks — who have been made tax deductible. Among them is the maid, a role that had almost disappeared and which is staging a comeback.
Mrs Gomes Ricardo, for instance, is among ten or so gouvernantes employed by Axeo to help the well heeled with the travails of daily life. Like her 19th-century counterparts, she ensures that her customers are dressed, fed and spotless. Unlike them, she goes to work in….”
Continue reading
tags: france, french, economy, french maid wine
Le Mir:ror is Here 
Make your everyday objects interactive, smart and communicative with Le Mir:ror. Simply affix RFID Ztamps to them and show them to Mir:ror. Mir:ror is now available in Europe for 45.00 €. Get it here.
tags: france, french, mirror, nabaztag
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder: The Church in Audinghen 
While driving by this monument in the north of France not far from Fort Mahon and Ambleteuse, I let out a little gasp, “ew,” I added. My sweetie responded by saying, “that’s a classified historical monument you’re ewing…some kind of contemporary bit of architecture for a church.”
“THAT’S a church????”
It’s said that you’ll either be enthralled by this church or apalled by it. I seem to fit into the latter category though i want to like it. I’m used to seeing the beautiful cathedrals or village churches scattered throughout France, so once I saw this one near my brother-in-law’s home, I felt like I was no longer in France.
Despite that the Saint Pierre Church in Audinghen is not very old, there is, nevertheless, much history behind its creation. When you travel on the highway between Calais and Boulogne-sur-mer, you’ll notice there are at least five parish churches that look like they have been around for thousands of years…except this one. Why?
Actually, there was an old church in the very exact spot but it was bombed down in friendly fire by the bumbling Royal Air Force during the second world war. As a humane gesture and to make reparations, The Royal Air Force began building a new one in its place and finished it in 1960. I suppose the bell tower is meant to resemble an airplane wing…
tags: france, french, audinghen, ambleteuse, ugly church
Dans la tete: French Army Animation
Voila for your viewing enjoyment: An impressive and very well-made French animation called “Dans la tete” (in the head) that will grab your attention and hook you ’til the end. 6 minutes. In French with English subtitles.
Click on the image above or here to watch it.
[via]
tags: france, french, french army, animation, dans la tete
You’ll be happy to know the French have the longest zizis in the EU Thought you’d enjoy this bit of French zizi (penis) trivia:
From bild.de:
“Sacre bleu – it’s not only their baguettes that are the longest! French men have the lengthiest and thickest penises in the EU, according to a new study.
The research by the ‘Institut fuer Kondom-Beratung’ measured penises in their erect state belonging to 10,477 brave volunteers from all 25 countries in the EU.
It found that on average, a French manhood was 15.48 (6.1 inches) centimetres long with a girth of 13.63 centimetres (5.4 inches).
And their traditional British rivals across the English Channel will be spluttering into their tea to discover that their pride and joy comes in 23rd place at 13.32cm (5.2 inches) long and 11.32cm (4.5 inches) around – only ahead of Ireland and Greece!” [source]
Related: 205 ways to say penis in French
tags: france, french, longest penises, europe
Sorry, There’s No Cyber Lundi It’s Cyber Monday! Regrettably, France doesn’t have a Cyber Monday (POURQUOI!?) but just in case you didn’t know about it, it’s like Black Friday, but without the angst and panicked flooded crowds pushing-shoving-stampeding to get the best sale deals of the year. Cyber Monday is an online shopping day with many internet merchants offering free shipping with those hard-to-beat sales – a much calmer shopping experience.
From wikipedia:
The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick-and-mortar stores, “Cyber Monday” symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores. Although that idea has not survived the test of time, Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org division, in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions.
It’s one of the best ways and days to shop for holiday gifts without the hassle.
tags: cyber monday
