Twilight of Our Youth: It isnt just a tween phenomenon. Women in their 30s and beyond are addicted to Stephenie Meyers vampire saga, too, Sarah Hepola, Salon Nov 19, 2009
A Roman Catholic and an eclectic sexual adventurer in a puritanical Muslim country, Chahine grew up as an upper-class kid who spoke French and English better than Arabic ... "It has just started to snow. I can deny you nothing when it snows. It's so beautiful right now I can almost forget all the ways I will regret this later. I accept your invitation [to meet] but you must promise to never ever correct my French grammar again, especially irregular verbs. Especially when I am naked. Stick to... (Harper's Magazine)
Illegal Cheese, Eric Lemay, Gastronomica Nov 18, 2009
Cover: Hans Gissinger, Tartas project with pastry chef Christian Escriba, Barcelona, 2005. Winter 2009 Volume 9 Number 1. (Harper's Magazine)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' Nov 18, 2009
Three days of indulgence in French cuisine, art and culture at London's Earls Court. Sponsored Features. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
Putin Hangs With Russian Rappers Nov 18, 2009
Goddess of snakes honored in India; French president released from hospital. ONLY ON FOX. (Fox News)
Kids own cultural passports at UN International School Nov 18, 2009
Students can explore Latin America through special foods, visit Japan through friends' hometown memories, or read an epic French story in language classes -- where they have so many opportunities to appreciate different cultures from all over the world ... Coming to this school with a strong basis of English, Anouskha is also good at French ... Mom and dad often help her learn French so much that the language has become a "good friend" of her, she said. (Xinhuanet, China)
Malaysia and Indonesia try to mend ties Nov 18, 2009
French Scientology fraud conviction. FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Women banned from wearing trousers in Paris... Nov 18, 2009
A decree banning women from wearing trousers in Paris is still technically in force, it emerged on Monday, making the laissez-faire French capital theoretically stricter than hardline Sudan in the fashion stakes ... Judging by the way French MEN fight wars, the women should wear pants and the men should wear dresses ... The French law is excellent, as are the French women, on the whole. (The Drudge Report)
MSNBC apologizes for showing fake Palin photos Nov 17, 2009
1:40 pm November 16, 2009, by Jay. Even with an acknowledgement that the photos were false, they shouldn t have been broadcast. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Government to support cultural activities Nov 17, 2009
He said the Ministry in collaboration with the French Embassy and United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other stakeholders was planning a musical festival to be dubbed: "High Vibes Festival", which might be made an annual event to coincide with the cultural awareness month every November. Mr. Asum-Ahensa advised the participants to ensure that funds released by government were utilized in accordance with the financial administration law and also develop... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Immersed in Mandarin Nov 17, 2009
Launched in 1979 as a French-American school, International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) pioneered all-day Mandarin instruction in Palo Alto in 1996. From a kindergarten class of five children that year, ISTP has grown to a full K-8 Mandarin program with 175 students, mirroring its well-established sister program in French ... French is introduced as a third language to students on the Mandarin side at grade 3, and the French students get Mandarin for their third language. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
How Many Costume Changes Are There in Lady Gaga's New Video? Nov 17, 2009
In getting this point across, Gaga demonstrates both a command of basic French ("Je veux ton amour") and at least a rudimentary grasp of Hitchcock ("Want you in my rear window, baby, it's sick"). In the third verse, she belt outs a line about what she does not want: "I don't wanna be friends." How exactly is that. (Slate)
News slips through China's net Nov 17, 2009
According to French television Obama agreed with the Chinese authorities that his speech to students should have a 30 second time lapse before being broadcast on TV in case they wished to censor him ... According to French television Obama agreed with the Chinese authorities that his speech to students should have a 30 second time lapse before being broadcast on TV in case they wished to censor him. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
France, Iraq sign co-op pacts on defense, science Nov 17, 2009
PARIS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- French and Iraqi ministers signed two cooperation agreements on defense and culture and science in Paris on Monday, the first day of the visit by an Iraqi delegation headed by President Jalal Talabani. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Talabani had nearly one hour of talks in the Elysee Palace, where defense ministers and foreign ministers of both countries inked the above pacts respectively, local media reported ... According to French Ambassador to Iraq Boris... (Xinhuanet, China)
Top Employers for Global Business Undergrads Nov 17, 2009
German business undergrads picked Stuttgart-based Porsche, for instance, while French students chose luxury goods company LVMH, based in Paris, and Canadian students actually chose their government as their No. 1 employer. This is partially due to the rough economic climate of the last year, says Kalinowski of the "home-grown multinationals" these students tend to favor. (BusinessWeek)
Goodbye to goodwill for Pakistan president Nov 17, 2009
Last week, charges resurfaced from a 1994 case in which Pakistani naval officials allegedly took huge commissions in the sale of three French submarines. A French newspaper reported that Zardari was also paid more than $3 million and may have been complicit in the killings of 11 French maritime engineers in Karachi in 2002. (MSNBC -- International)
Cover Story: 3 Reasons Why Cable Should Cheer the Marriage Nov 16, 2009
The deal also gives Comcast a huge presence in sports programming, perhaps offering some leverage for operators against ESPN. NBC Sports has rights to such iconic events as the Olympic Games in 2010 and 2012, the U.S. Open Golf Championship, the Kentucky Derby, Wimbledon and The French Open, in addition to National Football League games and the Stanley Cup Finals all content that could lead to additional VOD opportunities for sports programming and the creation of special events channels.... (Multichannel News)
Paul Goldberger: Jean Nouvel and the art of the façade. Nov 16, 2009
When you catch your first glimpse of 100 Eleventh Avenue, a new apartment tower in Chelsea designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, its curving fa. ade, an abstract arrangement of windows slanting in multiple directions, looks like a gimmick. (New Yorker)
'Howler of note' - YCLSA Nov 16, 2009
" They demanded an apology from the French Rugby Federation and said the department of arts and culture and international relations should compile a list of people who could sing the anthem to avoid future embarrassment, especially ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They also called on the education department to make sure children learn the anthem and for mandatory singing at morning assemblies. "As for Ras [Dumisani], he must keep singing the anthem, but only in his shower. " Beeld reported... (iAfrica.com)
Glamorous rogues Nov 15, 2009
A prevailing view that laws are made to be broken means criminals are often very popular with the French public which, as Emma Jane Kirby reports, can make the police task all the more difficult. The French admire criminals and gangsters in films as well as real life ... The report ended by triumphantly informing the listener that French police did not have a clue as to where the fugitive was now. (BBC News -- Europe)
Bonjour India: The Gauls come to town Nov 15, 2009
What does it mean to be French. Its certainly not the most popular question on streets of Paris at the moment: ever since its launch by the French government, the open debate on national identity has boomeranged ... A joint effort by the French embassy in India and CulturesFrance, it marks the progression of the long-standing bilateral cooperation between France and India, strengthened this year with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being the chief guest at French National Day celebrations. (India Times)
Heres looking at you, kids Nov 14, 2009
The nine French-speaking teens were part of a contingent of 57 to arrive in the area late in October ... The day before our trip, the French embassy said we couldn't go, said Casablanca chaperone Karine Benabadji ... But they listen to all kinds of music, French, American, Arab, said Hamoumi. (Littleton Independent, MA)
Reading rights Nov 14, 2009
French publisher La Martiniere is one of many who have taken Google to court for using its books without asking first ... Patrick Bazin, director of the library in the French city of Lyon, explained that if libraries do not digitize their collections, they run the risk of disappearing from the cultural landscape. (BBC News -- Technology)
The future looks at the past Nov 14, 2009
In our small parish alone, there are people from French, Spanish, Italian, African and German descent, Schexnayder said. The lifestyle and food traditions that are so strong in our area have been influenced by all of these cultures, and with the help of these talented cooks and artists, we are showing these students what it means to be a part of the Cajun and Creole heritage. (L Observateur, LA)
Storm of protest after MP says prize-winning writer has duty of silence Nov 14, 2009
PARIS: France's literary elite was in uproar this week after an MP loyal to the President, Nicolas Sarkozy, told the winner of the ''French Booker prize'' that she had a duty not to criticise his policies. There was a chorus of approval last week when Marie NDiaye, 42, a Senegalese-French novelist, became the first black woman to win the Prix Goncourt for her best-selling work Trois Femmes Puissantes (Three Powerful Women) ... However, Sarkozy loyalists were less than amused when French media... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
'It's Orwellian': Everyone in UK could be given a personal 'carbon allowance'... Nov 14, 2009
Timothy J French a.k.a. BT on November 14, 2009 at 06:59 AM. A little misinformation in the hands of the public. (The Drudge Report)
Football blooms in desert nation as green and gold loses its lustre Nov 14, 2009
Amid all the hype, Oman's wily French coach, Claude Le Roy, is desperately trying to remind everyone - players, fans, officials and the media - that while the Brazil game is a watershed event, the Socceroos game is the one that counts. Last month's defeat in Melbourne stung, and his confrontation with Socceroos team manager Gary Moretti at half-time clearly hurt him even more. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Ambiguous Prophet Nov 14, 2009
And while a look at Burke s famous Reflections on the Revolution in France might give the impression that he took the institutions he wanted to preserve to be rooted in an inflexible natural order, in his Thoughts on French Affairs Burke appears to concede that all progress in society is a result of human adaptation and that the result may change the character of morality itself to the point of annulling what had once seemed permanent truths. Indeed, Burke wrote, they, who persist in opposing... (The American Conservative)
French President Confronts Radical Islam Head-On Nov 14, 2009
French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to start a dialogue with his countrymen about their national identity, a subject that would not have raised eyebrows 50 years ago but has engendered a fierce political debate today ... Recalling the worst moments of the Nazi occupation during World War II, Sarkozy said the French discovered that they had a national soul only when they were about to lose it ... The current French state, known as the Fifth Republic, was established when Gen. De Gaulle... (Newsmax)
New literary star Marie Ndiaye takes on France's old guard Nov 13, 2009
French author Marie Ndiaye (center) speaks to the media in front the Drouant restaurant in Paris November 2 after she received the literary Goncourt Prize for her novel "Trois femmes puissantes" ("Three Powerful Women") ... It is a story understood well in the French banlieue, and a subject of mixed remorse and indifference on the continent ... Ndayie is the first black woman she is of Senegalese-French heritage to win the award. (Christian Science Monitor)
George Kane, 104, investor inspired by Maine camp Nov 13, 2009
He taught himself French, for instance. And if we were taking piano lessons, then he learned. (Boston Globe)
Can video games spur interest in real history? Nov 13, 2009
When it comes to exploring history through games, World War II has been a popular setting for shooter games over the years but "The Saboteur," a new action game from Electronic Arts, serves up the French resistance to Nazi occupation as its setting and introduces a protagonist based on a real-life war hero. Players step into the boots of Sean Devlin, who was inspired by William Grover-Williams, a half-English/half-French grand prix champion driver for the French Bugatti racing team in the 1930s... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Facebook, Wikipedia brief Vatican on Web Nov 13, 2009
French Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri, president of the European Episcopal Conference's media committee, cited the Williamson affair in his remarks to the opening session, saying it exposed the institutional church's communications problems. He also cited the outcry over the pope's own controversial comments that condoms are not the answer to Africa's AIDS epidemic and could make it worse. (MSNBC -- Technology)
David Plouffe at Open Visions: How the Democratic team kept an eye on the prize Nov 13, 2009
While signing a copy for this reporter, we learned that Plouffe is a French name and that he is of French Canadian ancestry. The book is by David Plouffe. (Fairfield Minuteman, CT)
Kitchen Call: Something fishy this way comes Nov 13, 2009
This recipe is based on the French bouillabaisse, taking into account the family budget and locally available ingredients, such as white-fleshed fish. One pound of shrimp or lobster meat may be substituted for one pound of the white fish. (Georgetown Record, MA)
Peter Allen Hoffmann opens November 12, 6-8 pm Nov 13, 2009
As a collection, they draw attention to some of the most significant rifts in art history: Courbet and French Modernism and Duchamp in America. In gaining inspiration from such historically important works, Hoffmann implies not only homage, but also creates a new conversation about art and its place in time and culture. (AbsoluteArts.com)
Vancouver 2010 Official Souvenir Program now on sale across Canada Nov 13, 2009
" The Vancouver 2010 Official Souvenir Program is available at Olympic Stores in Vancouver, Whistler, at the Vancouver International Airport, and online at . They are also available, along with several other Games-related VANOC licensed publications, at the Olympic Superstore at the Bay Downtown Vancouver, as well as Hudson's Bay Company stores, and select retailers across Canada. The program was produced by Vancouver-based Glacier Media Inc. under exclusive license from VANOC. Among the major... (Canada Newswire)
Nu-Roc News: New traditions begin in October Nov 12, 2009
We learned much about the culture of France, and learned a few French words. Several of our residents had actually been to France and shared their interesting stories. (Forest Republican, WI)
The Dutch literary scene Nov 12, 2009
Early this year in Le Monde des Livres, Milan Kundera expressed his admiration for and fascination with the novel De donkere kamer van Damocles [The darkroom of Damocles] (1958), which, although published in French translation, had been overlooked up until that point ... Her work has been translated into many languages, including French, in which it is available in nearly its entirety ... " Fouad Laroui noted something similar in his essay "Vreemdeling: aangenaam" [Stranger: pleased to meet you,... (Harper's Magazine)
Thorpe moves to scuttle doping claims Nov 12, 2009
"The spokesman could not say how long the agency's examination would take.Thorpe, 24, retired from competitive swimming last November but was dismayed to learn his test results had been leaked to the French newspaper L'Equipe, which reported the swimmer's test produced abnormally high readings for testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), both products figuring on the list of banned substances.ASADA is alleged to have picked up the irregularity on the sample but, in another test, found the... (Yahoo News -- Swimming)
Bread winners Nov 12, 2009
"I think there is a real interest lately in do-it-yourself projects, and bread falls in that," said Karen Bornarth, head of the bread department at the French Culinary Institute in New York. "Supermarket breads or commercial breads, if you read the labels, they are filled with preservatives. There are not a lot of bakeries out there. Bakeries are dying. So if (people) want good bread, they have to make it themselves.". (Honolulu Advertiser)
No need to knead Nov 11, 2009
I think there is a real interest lately in do-it-yourself projects and bread falls in that, says Karen Bornarth, head of the bread department at The French Culinary Institute in New York. Supermarket breads or commercial breads, if you read the labels they are filled with preservatives. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Sydney00004000's coolest bars Nov 11, 2009
Tucked under the Westpac Tower in the banking belt, this discreet bar/restaurant has Vietnamese decor and a French accent. 275 Kent Street, city. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
HOG HEAVEN: In the land of cowboys, pig thrives Nov 11, 2009
Crispy pig ears, served up like French fries with a side of smoky ketchup. Check. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Fox News is a very poor example of journalism Nov 11, 2009
BG wrote on Nov 6, 2009 2:30 PM:" There's a difference between pundits and journalists. ED Schultz, Matthews, Olberman and Maddow tend to be pundits as do O'Rielly, Beck, Hannity et al. I don't expect pundits to give me anything but a slant and I generally take most of what they say with a grain of salt. That said.... since we're all being so clever here... "Wala"? Is that Norwegian for the French word 'Voila'? ". Informed Reader wrote on Nov 5, 2009 11:00 PM:" Mr. Smith,I think it is very hard... (Williston Daily Herald, ND)
Gomez adjusts to life in Canada Nov 11, 2009
NHL: Anchorage skater is learning French, how to deal with hockey-wild fans ... Now he is learning to say puck, stick and goal in French ... Since joining the Canadiens, he takes French lessons. (Anchorage Daily News)
* French envoy meets N Korean minister Nov 11, 2009
French envoy meets N Korean minister ... The French presidents special envoy on North Korea held talks yesterday with the countrys foreign minister during a visit to Pyongyang to explore the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties with the communist regime ... North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun greeted French envoy Jack Lang and his delegation with handshakes before they sat down for talks, footage aired by TV broadcaster APTN showed in Pyongyang. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
BI: 10% of U.S. Mosques Preach Jihad Nov 11, 2009
Its not the Irish, its not the French, its not the Catholics, its not the Protestants, its the Muslims. . (Newsmax)
Funeral in Berlin of freedom Nov 10, 2009
Marching with Merkel were Nicolas Sarkozy, whose government has adhered to the Lisbon Treaty after its repudiation by the French electorate; Gordon Brown, who refused to allow Britain any say at all; and Mikhail Gorbachev, creator of the comedy twins Glasnost and Perestroika, in a vain attempt as First Secretary of the freedom-loving Communist Party of the Soviet Union to shore up his collapsing empire now hailed as an icon of democracy. He is that, all right, since democracy has... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Moore taking advantage of his opportunities (3) Nov 10, 2009
While spending up to 30 hours a week on football, Moore must also juggle a challenging 17-hour course load that includes organic chemistry, microbiology and genetics, psychology, French Four and calculus-based physics ... The small nation of Senegal is very unique in that it was formerly a French colony but now is heavily influenced by Arab cultures and Islam ... Living there was a huge culture shock and, believe me, the challenge of teaching English to French-speaking African students was an... (Washington Daily News, NC)
Peter Sarsguaard in An Education Nov 10, 2009
It s the early 60s however and Jenny dreams, not of the rigid social structure of Oxford or England for that matter, but to move to Paris and be free: speaking French, seeing French films and especially listening to French music. Music is the quintessential social standard by which all taste and culture revolve and are judged in Horby s universe. (Suite101.com)
Gay marriage Nov 10, 2009
Maine is French Catholic, white, middle- and upper-class ... When marriage equality campaigners wanted to target their message to a precise demographic they found a French Catholic grandmother and her gay son and his longtime partner. (Salon)
Gorbachev Hailed for Fall of Berlin Wall Nov 10, 2009
" Like many others, she made her way across. By the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Germany's division and then of its reunification, which for nearly three decades stood just behind the wall in no man's land, Dieter Mohnka, 74, and his wife Helga, 71, shared a bowl of French fries on Monday afternoon and recalled the night the wall was opened. "We were shocked when we heard that announced, simply astounded," said Helga. "The next morning we went straight to visit my aunt in the West. " Dieter,... (CBS News -- World)
Holliston's French immersion program celebrates 30 years at concert Nov 10, 2009
The Holliston schools hold a concert Tuesday, Nov. 10, showcasing francophone music to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the French immersion program ... Students in the program, grades 1-12, will be invited to participate in singing the refrains to two of his most popular songs, and will be invited to share posters celebrating French language and culture. (Holliston Tab, MA)
After the Wall Tumbled Nov 10, 2009
"Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive/ But to be young was very heaven." When William Wordsworth wrote those words about the French Revolution, the post-revolutionary terror was a recent memory, the Napoleonic wars were still raging, and his poem was an ironic comment on the naivet of youth. But we are now as far from the events of 1989 as Wordsworth was from 1789, and here in Central Europe there is no need for irony at all. (Slate)
Writing through the rubble Nov 10, 2009
Obama would do well to ignore their revisionist reading list for a simple reason: Bluntly put, the U.S.-funded French military effort to defeat Vietnamese nationalism in the early 1950s failed dismally; then, a U.S.-funded effort to set up and arm a viable government in South Vietnam failed dismally; and finally, the U.S. military's full-scale, years-long effort to destroy the Vietnamese forces arrayed against it failed even more dismally -- and not in the cities and towns of the United States,... (Salon)
French Envoy Meets N. Korean Foreign Minister Nov 10, 2009
The French president's special envoy on North Korea held talks Tuesday with the country's foreign minister during a visit to Pyongyang to explore the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties with the communist regime. Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun greeted French envoy Jack Lang and his delegation with handshakes before they sat down for talks, according to footage aired by television broadcaster APTN in Pyongyang ... Lang, a former culture minister appointed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy... (Fox News)
Interview: Michael Keaton Nov 10, 2009
Speaking of foreshortened Eurohorror careers, French director Alexandre Aja made an international film-fest splash with this twisty, unusual take on the Yank psycho-killer genre ... Chaplin and Jacques Tati aren't dead after all -- they've been reincarnated in the unlikely but lithe bodies of Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon, the Anglo-French dancing-directing duo behind this ridiculously entertaining little movie, which has almost no dialogue but is jammed to the gills with absurd delight ...... (Salon)
Infotainment Nov 9, 2009
Computer giant Apple Inc will soon open its first French store beneath the Louvre museum just weeks after Microsoft opened a theme cafe to promote its Windows 7 software. Although Microsoft had a head start promoting its new Windows operating system in France, Apple has placed its first store in a prized. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
A home for aristocratic artists Nov 9, 2009
Between 1961 and 1977 he was the director of the French Academy in the Medici Villa in Rome. Balthus was nicknamed "king of the cats" because of his fascination with these animals. (SwissInfo.org, Switzerland)
The Wall Fell, and Freedom Sang Nov 9, 2009
French philosopher Jacques Derrida, who claimed he broke with Marxism but confessed to still being choked with emotion whenever he heard the Internationale, reminds us that the first noun in Marx s Communist Manifesto is specter: A specter is haunting Europe, the specter of Communism. According to Derrida, Marx began his Manifesto with that word, because a specter never dies. (Human Events Online)
Departures: Texas flatlander learns to ski Nov 8, 2009
Then you learn how to make a pizza slice (toes pointing inwards, the skis forming a wedge) and French fries (parallel and straight forward). You have to learn how to lean forward - contrary to my body's proclivity to blanch and pull away from the frightening scenario of a landscape rushing toward it. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Art.view: China syndrome Nov 8, 2009
The Swiss consignor had purchased it in the 1970s from a well-known French private collection. The carving of the two scaly dragons on the seal is regarded by some as not being of the finest quality. (The Economist)
[Rappel] EXPOSITION Contrainte/Restraint Nov 8, 2009
pdf ___________________ CONTRAINTE / RESTRAINT NEW PRACTICES IN MEDIA ART OF BRAZIL AND PERU EXHIBITION November 7 - December 12, 2009 Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2009 At OBORO PUBLIC TALK by curators Julie Blisle, Kiki Mazzucchelli and Miguel Zegarra Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 3 pm (Opening at 2 pm) at Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay 6052, Monk Blvd. (Monk metro station, bus # 26 Eastbound) COMMENTED VISIT with curator Julie Blisle Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 4 pm at OBORO (in French,... (AbsoluteArts.com)
I Like to Watch Nov 8, 2009
If you've never had a kid, jokes about breast pumps and Boppies and French baby nurses with the perfect swaddling technique all sound pedestrian, if not mildly chafing. "Who are these awful yuppies and why must we hear about their bourgeois troubles?" you might wonder, twisting your dexterous young fingers through your long, glossy hair. (Salon)
China according to the Chinese Nov 7, 2009
French leader Napoleon Bonaparte had an aphorism: "Let China sleep; when she wakes she will shake the world," said Napoleon (1769-1821). Nearly 180 years after his death, this famous aphorism (or cliche, for Sinologists/China experts) by the French military genius and dictator is both right AND wrong. (Asia Times Online)
