New king of corks? Nov 5, 2009
"Don Sebastiani : Gorgeously shot short films on winemakers and -making. "Hawkes Winery": Peek behind the scenes of a small Alexander Valley winery. "Pardon That Vine": Chris Riccobonno young, enthusiastic and from Joisey is like a less zany Gary Vaynerchuk. "Wine Library": Vaynerchuks pioneering blog remains high-energy and highly entertaining. "Wine Rendez-Vous": Remember that snooty French sommelier? Gallic charmer Olivier Magny aint that guy. "Wine Tasting Association": In... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
In search of French bread Nov 5, 2009
My object now was to experience the essence of Paris in its traditional bread, the baguette, made by French hands. Even cranked out on a large scale, the loaves are an artistic creation, from the exacting demands of milling French wheat to the management of the oven, first the injection of steam for moistness, then exhaust fans to dry the crust ... My initial guide for this contentious world was one by professor Steven Laurence Kaplan, a Brooklyn native who has appointed himself the supreme... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Great (Overlooked) Books -- A Symposium Nov 5, 2009
Eric the Red, Ponce de Leon, the French missionary Sebastian Rasles, the Indian princess Jacataqua they are real Americans by Williams s count, as are Poe, Lincoln, and Aaron Burr, whose antinomianism infuses our historical experiment with its greatness, peril, and often self-defeating arrogance ... Andr; Maurois, member of the French Academy, wrote, This is a novel one cannot put down. (The American Conservative)
UNESCO head impressed by Li Lanqing's seal-cutting Nov 5, 2009
Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin visited Li's exhibition on Monday. Editor: Deng Shasha. (Xinhuanet, China)
Strasbourg Gives Bad Marks to Crucifixes in Italian Schools Nov 5, 2009
And of course, beyond the halls of its European institutions, the city of Strasbourg is also in the heart of the ever-more secularized French Republic, where students are forbidden from wearing headscarves or any other religious symbol in the public schools. To U.S. and U.K. sensibilities, this ban continues to seem as strange as crucifixes on the walls. (Time.com)
The Chalkboard Nov 5, 2009
Middle/High: Build-a-burger bar, french fries, veggie sticks or BLT wrap ... Elementary: Hot dog on a bun or egg and bacon bagel sandwich, veggie dip, veggie sticks, french fries, sliced fruit. (Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, MA)
Intellectual explored the primitive mind Nov 5, 2009
the French social anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss and his wife, Monique in 2005 Photo: AFP. Claude Levi-Strauss, the social anthropologist, was one of the dominating postwar influences in French intellectual life and the leading exponent of Structuralism in the social sciences ... The English anthropologist Sir Edmund Leach in particular drew attention to the Frenchman's propensity for discovering exactly what he was searching for. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Blowing jobs to China Nov 4, 2009
By 1720, a French trading firm, the Company of the Indies, was exporting ginseng to China. (Let us pause for one second here to ponder the linkages now exposed between Qing Dynasty emperors, Jesuit missionaries, Iroquois Indians, colonial exploitation, global trade, and natural medicine. (Salon)
Secret Jerusalem Nov 4, 2009
Page last updated at 09:58 GMT, Tuesday, 3 November 2009. Jerusalem artists go underground. (BBC News -- Africa)
There's little need to knead these breads Nov 4, 2009
"I think there is a real interest lately in do-it-yourself projects, and bread falls in that," says Karen Bornarth, the head of the bread department at The French Culinary Institute in New York. "Supermarket breads or commercial breads ... are filled with preservatives. "There are not a lot of bakeries out there. (The Augusta Chronicle)
French thinker Levi-Strauss dead at 100 Nov 4, 2009
French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, seen here in 2005, has died at the age of 100 ... PARIS (AFP) - French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, who helped shape Western thinking about human civilisation, has died at the age of 100, his publisher and colleagues said Tuesday ... The French leader described him as a "very great scholar, always open to the world, who created modern anthropology and raised the reputation of French human and social sciences to its highest level.". (Yahoo! Asia News)
African heritage Nov 4, 2009
The life and times of a French intellectual giant. . (BBC News -- Americas)
Anesthesia: Could Early Use Affect the Brain Later? Nov 4, 2009
According to the medical historian Paul Strathern, for example, the greatest French surgeon of the early 19th century, Guillaume Dupuytren, once reported that the best method he had discovered for anesthetizing his female patients was to make a "brutal remark" and hope they fell into a faint. Several large population studies into anesthetics are now under way among both young children and elderly patients. (Time.com)
Indelible Jewish heritage in Harbin Nov 4, 2009
The Modern Hotel was built by a Jewish entrepreneur in 1906 and incorporates architecture typical of the French Renaissance period. It was not only the most romantic and luxurious multifunctional hotel in the early 20th century, but also witnessed many historical events in China. (Xinhuanet, China)
romantic exoticism Nov 4, 2009
Beginning in Germany and England in the 1770s, by the 1820s it had swept through Europe, conquering at last even its most stubborn foe, the French ... French Romantic painting is full of themes relating to the tumultuous political events of the period and later Romantic music often draws its inspiration from national folk musics ... French classical theater had been the preeminent model for drama in much of Europe; but when the German Romantics began to explore and translate his works, they were... (Harper's Magazine)
What Liberals Still Don't Get Nov 4, 2009
Every conspiracy theory, French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut once remarked, ends with the Elders of Zion; and indeed, the main purpose of Ackerman's missive appears to be whipping his liberal readers into a state of seething frustration and hatred toward Israel, while giving due deference to popular leftwing fantasies about Israeli omnipotence. This is probably why he approvingly links to Gideon Levy, something that points both to Ackerman's own sentiments toward Israel and his total ignorance... (CBS News)
Claude Levi-Strauss; his ideas altered anthropology Nov 4, 2009
NEW YORK - Claude Levi-Strauss, the French anthropologist who transformed Western understanding of what was once called primitive man and who towered over the French intellectual scene in the 1960s and 70s, has died at age 100 at his home in Paris ... A descendant of a distinguished artistic family, Dr. Levi-Strauss was a quintessential French intellectual, as comfortable in the public sphere as in the academy ... He taught at universities in Paris, New York, and Sao Paulo and also worked for... (Boston Globe)
Scientology tested by court fights, high-profile defections Nov 4, 2009
Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker ' resignation from the church over a litany of concerns was aired publicly ... The organization's French branch likened it to a modern-day Inquisition and said it would appeal ... Davis questioned the attention paid to the French verdict, saying that little notice was given when the church won court victories in Italy and Russia that cemented the church's presence in those countries. (USA Today -- News)
Click to read: Reflections on 1979 Nov 3, 2009
She joked, "I remember thinking that I knew how to speak French because I could say, 'Le freak, c'est chic. Freak out.' It was great.". "Early Show" weather anchor and features reporter Dave Price added The Bee Gees were also big that year. (CBS News -- Early Show)
Arabian nights and adventures in Gelman Nov 3, 2009
Many of the volumes are English translations of sacred or classical texts, while others are written in their original languages such as French, German, Turkish, Arabic and Farsi. Most of the collection consists of geography books or travelogues, and covers topics on architecture, religion, politics, literature, history and culture. (GW Hatchet, Washington DC)
US goofs the Afghan election Nov 3, 2009
Thus, the world community mutely watched when Kerry, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen all chanted in unison that there should be a runoff and that Karzai's shortfall of 0. 3% of the votes in the first round made him "illegitimate" in the eyes of the Afghan people. (Asia Times Online)
All-new issue of Lens Culture! Nov 3, 2009
In addition to our archive of over with contemporary photographers, we ve just completed our first with French photographer Klavdij Sluban, who has conducted photography workshops for more than 15 years with teenage prisoners in juvenile jails in the ex-USSR, France, Ireland, Guatemala and Salvador. His story is passionate and powerful, as are his own photos from inside these prison walls. (AbsoluteArts.com)
Public-service careers: A tough search for talent Nov 3, 2009
As the French see it, joining the civil service is not generally considered a track like any other, but a decision to devote one s life to the public interest, purrs an official report. Some 70% of French respondents told Ipsos, a pollster, that the civil service had a good image, and they would like their children to join ... There is also stiff competition for positions in the European Union bureaucracy, whose culture is heavily French. (The Economist)
Bill to aid in-state immigrant students Nov 3, 2009
5 [grade point average], I was president of the National French Honors Society, I was in the steering committee for the National Honor Society, I was president of the Latino Culture Club, I did HiTOPS, essentially a program that teaches sex-ed through workshops as a senior to the underclassmen, and I worked full-time senior year also, she said. Conde-Hernandez graduated from Middlesex Community College with honors in 2007, transferred into the University in spring 2008 and now lives in New... (The Daily Targum, NJ)
Forest Clearances Doomed Ancient Nasca People Nov 3, 2009
Studies of pollen samples taken by co-researcher Alex Chepstow-Lusty, of the French Institute of Andean Studies in Lima, showed that the huarango tree, which once covered what is now a desert area, was gradually replaced by crops such as cotton and maize. As the paper explains, however, the huarango was more than just a tree -- it was a crucial part of the desert's fragile ecosystem, which enhanced soil fertility and moisture and helped to hold the Nasca's narrow, vulnerable irrigation channels... (Science Daily)
Peter Schjeldahl: “Watteau to Degas: French Drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection,” at the Frick. Nov 2, 2009
Pluck a magnifying glass from a rack at the Frick and sift great from good in Watteau to Degas: French Drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection. The prodigious Dutch connoisseur Lugt (1884-1970), a collector by the age of eight, acquired thousands of Old Master drawings, with a special fondness for the French eighteenth century. (New Yorker)
Pork still thriving despite swine flu scare Nov 2, 2009
Crispy pig ears, served up like French fries with a side of smoky ketchup. Check. (MSNBC -- Business)
Movies - '(Untitled)' jabs those who feel entitled Nov 2, 2009
Irish, German, French, and we believe a bit of Mexican, and on the other side, Russian-Polish. I'm a real American, a self-contained melting pot. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Defections, court fights test Scientology Nov 2, 2009
Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis' resignation from the church over a litany of concerns was aired publicly. On one hand, it was just another bad press week for the embattled institution founded in 1953 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. (MSNBC -- News)
If we leave Iraq, do we lose for good? Nov 1, 2009
There is only one marshmallow, and its prophets are the French thinkers ... What you have described is the Orc-Urizen cycle, a pattern identified by the great Romantic poet and visionary artist William Blake after the French revolution ... As in the case of Jean Genet, whom the French government released from prison simply for being a genius, Polanski should, for the greater good, be allowed to continue his work. (Salon)
Montana soldiers welcomed home Nov 1, 2009
Translate to another language (Spanish, French, or German). News. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
Girls' costumes: a nightmare on Modesty Street Nov 1, 2009
Escobar-Eck said all the costumes her daughter was begging for were essentially variations on the adult version of a French maid costume with short frilly skirts, including a Tin Man outfit. I was like, Really, does the Tin Man have lace coming out of his skirt. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Travel to Moroccan North African Ci... Nov 1, 2009
The Andalusian gardens, which were actually planted by the French, are also worth visiting. The ancient burial place called Chellah or Sala Colonia located on the outskirts of Rabat. (Suite101.com)
Hebrew, Hindi, other scripts get Web address nod Nov 1, 2009
5 billion people online use languages such as Chinese, Thai, Arabic and Japanese, which have writing systems entirely different from English, French, German, Indonesian, Swahili and others that use Latin characters. "This is absolutely delightful news," said Edward Yu, CEO of Analysys International, an Internet research and consulting firm in Beijing. (Yahoo News)
ASK THE BIRD FOLKS: Whats so scary about owls? Nov 1, 2009
The French couldn't decide whether to be afraid of owls or not because they liked some owls, but not all of them ... That would explain why many French never liked van Gogh. (Cape Codder, MA)
Ask the pilot Nov 1, 2009
This after a French court convicted six Libyans in absentia for the UTA murders, including Gadhafi's brother-in-law. As for Lockerbie, one of the most intensive criminal investigations in history found Megrahi and Fhimah on trial at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands. (Salon)
ASK THE BIRD FOLKS: Whats so scary about owls? Nov 1, 2009
The French couldn't decide whether to be afraid of owls or not because they liked some owls, but not all of them ... That would explain why many French never liked van Gogh. (Upper Cape Codder, MA)
Caldwell addresses postwar Europe’s new challenges Oct 31, 2009
For a European, a decade is a shorter time than for an American, and so perhaps, just as Zhou Enlai famously said of the French Revolution, it is still too soon to know the outcome of this latest revolution in Europe. Eric Weinberger has reviewed books for the Globe since 2000. (Boston Globe)
In Vino Pompousness Oct 31, 2009
Is it ultimately more important for a wine to taste good or to taste true to its originsto exhibit got de terroir, as the French say ... The ghouls are those who produce or champion the lush, homogenous wines that he abhors (Michel Rolland, Robert Parker) or who sell them for what he considers extortionate prices (the acclaimed French chef Jol Robuchon) ... His book, , is about the rise, fall, and future of French cuisine. (Slate)
Executives Are Wrong to Devalue Values Oct 31, 2009
At French bank , the study said, "an imbalance ; emerged between the front office, focused on expanding its activities, and the control functions which were unable to develop the critical scrutiny necessary for their role.". In other words, like many others, Soci;t; G;n;rale () became so intent on ringing up "value," it forgot about its values. (BusinessWeek)
Meredith O'Brien: Scary, violent movie previews horrify kids, parent Oct 31, 2009
Why should I have to worry about seeing a preview for this kind of a movie during a matinee of a cerebral film about two women learning how to cook French food ... The theaters aren t making wise choices about the appropriateness of the previews they show if they think that a pre-teen movie about a boy wizard has the same audience as a film about the end of the world, dead families and mass suicides, or that a film about women finding their life s calling through French cooking suits the same... (Wakefield Daily Item, MA)
When Sports-Lefties Go Political Oct 30, 2009
New York Times sports writer George Vecsey wrote about how the French handled the allegation that cyclist Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs. Vecsey wrote, "Personally, I think the French have linked Armstrong with George W. Bush, surely a disservice to the cyclist." Nice. (Human Events Online)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' Oct 30, 2009
Three days of indulgence in French cuisine, art and culture at London's Earls Court. As the days get shorter, the possibilities multiply for a superb short break to Wales. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
Hip-hop pioneer and more Oct 30, 2009
They make this crazy graham cracker French toast thing with rum sauce that's utterly ridiculous. Q: Must-read blogs. (San Francisco Chronicle)
China expands language institutes at US colleges Oct 30, 2009
Most students still choose to study Spanish, French or German, but the report found that their dominance has been slowly decreasing. "Our programs were maxed out," said Randy Kluver, director of the Confucius Institute at Texas Aersity. (Anchorage Daily News)
* World News Quick Take Oct 29, 2009
Emmanuel Schwartzenberg, a former media editor of Le Figaro who has written a book about the problems of the French press, said he was skeptical about the project. This just reinforces the belief that newspapers should be free, which is a very bad idea, Schwartzenberg said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
All Men are Liars: Oct 29, 2009
Aside from cheese, wine, protectionism and hairy armpits on women, the other thing the French do incredibly well is deranged street theatre, and the big daddy in that country has to be Royal de Luxe. You might have seen of the company in action on this website last week and it reminded me of one of the more ephemeral qualities we lack in this country - an institutionalised desire to freak out our citizenry. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
November events Oct 29, 2009
5 - Tell me a story: Toddler Thursday Story Time, 10:30 a.m., Experience Children's Museum, 420 French St. Includes a story and craft with a different theme each week ... Craft corner: Hands-on crafts, activities and art projects related to the season, 10 a.m. to noon, hosted by Experience Children's Museum, 420 French St.; included in museum admission of $5; free to members ... All about birds: Program on Birds of Prey, 1-4 p.m., Experience Children's Museum, 420 French St., explores link... (Erie Times-News, PA)
Casting a net into the future Oct 29, 2009
French turn out for Jackson film. BBC News Channel. (BBC News -- Science)
The Chalkboard Oct 29, 2009
Middle/High: Build-a-burger bar, French fries, veggie sticks or turkey BLT wrap ... Elementary: Pancakes with fruit toppings and sausage links or Italian sub, veggie dip, veggie sticks, french fries, sliced fruit. (Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, MA)
COLUMN: 'Good without God' seems to turn nothing into a bit of something to brag about Oct 29, 2009
" State-sanctioned killing isn't murder, a cop shooting someone isn't murder (usually), and so on. Jesus further expounded on this by saying, if you gossip or talk badly or tear someone down, that's the same thing as murder. (Yikes!)Christianity has never "sanctioned slavery" or war or whatever, although CHRISTIANS have. Christianity is a movement... not an entity that issues position statements. Slavery exists in society from time to time. War happens. Christians make good and bad decisions,... (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Trips that suck Oct 29, 2009
One of the most popular locations is a house in the French Quarter where two brothers were murdered and drained of their blood in the 1930s and whose ghosts, Smith says, have been seen wandering around the area more than 30 documented times. . (MSNBC -- Travel)
The Warfare Culture of the Iroquois Oct 29, 2009
In the two centuries before the American Revolution, the French, Dutch, and English viewed the Six Nations of the Iroquois as the fiercest warriors in the Northeast ... ties with the two colonial powers [French and English] to build a lasting framework for peace in the West ... The War of Spanish Succession ultimately displaced the Iroquois trust in proceeding agreements and ties between both English and French forces, but strategically, the Iroquois were competitively aligned with keeping in... (Suite101.com)
Cultural enlightenment needs more than internet Oct 28, 2009
By tradition, French theatre performances begin with the sound of a stick striking the stage three times. It's a great way to quieten a restless audience. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Famous Rodin sculptures bring "piece of France" to Brazil Oct 28, 2009
BRASILIA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition featuring a number of original works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, among them "The Thinker," began on Monday at the Palace of Arts in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador. As part of the Year of France in Brazil, a celebration of French culture, the exhibition "Auguste Rodin, Man and Genius" displayed 62 of Rodin's works, with a total value of roughly 15 billion U.S. dollars. (Xinhuanet, China)
What would Borat say? Kazakh orchestra to visit MIT Oct 28, 2009
Under the direction of two rising conductors, French conductor Christophe Mangou and Kazakh conductor Kanat Omarov, the program will begin with the Symphony Orchestra performing Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky s Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy, followed by Sergei Rachmaninoff s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Kazakh pianist Jania Aubakirova ... In recent years the orchestra has been actively collaborating with French conductors Christophe Mangou and Nicolas Kruger as part of its International Program... (Cambridge Chronicle, MA)
Angolagate players jailed Oct 28, 2009
A French court slapped jail terms on Tuesday on the main players in a network that smuggled arms to war-torn Angola and included an ex-minister and the son of the late president Francois Mitterrand ... French businessman Pierre Falcone (55) was also sentenced to six years in jail for his role in the illegal trade and was immediately taken into custody by police at the courtroom, despite his plans to appeal ... Now a French senator, he was not in court but his lawyers said he intends to appeal. (iAfrica.com)
Legal trio benefits by leaving big law to form partnership Oct 28, 2009
Vicki Thompson ;I wanted more control of my destiny,; said Brian Heffernan, left, who was joined by his former colleagues Dan Seubert, center, and Tom French after leaving megafirm DLA Piper ... This year, the duo became a trio when another annual rate increase at DLA caused 67-year-old corporate partner Tom French to leave the firm ... French, over a longer career, had been similarly disillusioned. (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
Coles backs down over 'racist ' biscuit Oct 27, 2009
October 27, 2009 - 10:21AM. The name of Coles' Creole Creams has come under fire from University of Queensland academic Sam Watson (inset). (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Hampton pastry chef brings a traditional French pastry home Oct 27, 2009
Chef brings traditional French pastries to the Seacoast ... HAMPTON Toot Sweet Pastry Shoppe, a new patisserie has opened in town, offering traditional French macaron pastry and more ... The shop opened Oct. 8 in a small converted train signal station in Depot Square in the heart of Hampton, the name a play on the French phrase toute suite, meaning "in a hurry." The new patisserie is a venture from chef Ron Boucher, owner of the Chez Boucher Culinary Arts and Training Center in the square. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
French Minister: Muslim Burqa 'Contrary' to French Values Oct 27, 2009
Wearing the burqa the traditional female covering for Muslim women is contrary to French values, Immigration Minister Eric Besson said in an interview Sunday. The remarks come just under a week after three Afghans were deported from France back to Kabul, and Besson has once again sparked the outrage of French opposition members with his claims that French culture is being lost on immigrants ... Besson asserts that immigrants should have a certain understanding of the French language, the... (Fox News)
Manoel Felciano back home in ACT's 'November' Oct 26, 2009
" He got the part and was immediately drawn to the company. Doing the Stoppard and Albee plays gave him a chance to work with Augesen and fellow core company actors Anthony Fusco and Jack Willis. That fueled his desire to become part of the resident ensemble. "Those are some of the best actors I've ever worked with," says Felciano, sitting at a table in an eight-floor ACT rehearsal room, looking west across the city on a brilliant blue October morning. He's an energized man in his 30s with dark... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
In praise of the veil (part the second) Oct 26, 2009
The French are patting themselves on the back for their embryonic success in banishing the veil from their schools. For the past year, the L'affaire du foulard has abated. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
France approves broadside to digital pirates Oct 26, 2009
The Constitutional Court passed the law on Thursday to the joy of President Nicolas Sarkozy and anger of Internet libertarians in France and other countries which are considering copying the French example ... But in a reference to complaints about the restrictions, the French president added that all sides had to work to make sure "there is a civilised Internet.". (Yahoo News -- Technology)
China Dominates Culture, Commerce, News Oct 26, 2009
Escoffier, Brillat-Savarin and, yes, Julia Child would turn over in their graves at the state of French food. Mark Scheffler - - October 15, 2009 18:05 ET. (Newsmax)
