Sydney Opera House designer Joern Utzon dies at 90 Nov 30, 2008
French finance minister discusses the recession with Katrin Bennhold The IHT's managing editor, Alison Smale, discusses the week in world news ... French producers face a dilemma: whether to embrace globalization, or to fight to preserve heritage. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Design: Limited-edition furniture is feeling the crunch Nov 30, 2008
Although Phillips, the smallest and feistiest of the three, is still championing contemporary design, and trying to revive interest in forgotten figures, like the space-obsessed septuagenarian French designer Fran. ois Dallegret. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
GARY WALKER: Alternatives to newspapers less appealing Nov 29, 2008
In 1908, the U.S. authorized a payment of $40 million to buy off the French investors who had started building the Panama Canal, but had failed. Pulitzer asked, "Who Got the Money?" He asserted that this money was paid to a few Americans who had already acquired the French interests for $3 million, specifically to C. P. Taft, brother of President William H. Taft, and a Mr. Robinson, brother-in-law of former President Theodore Roosevelt. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Artists win some, lose some in Quarter Nov 29, 2008
Two months after the commission rejected the Arts Council of New Orleans' proposal to install two original public art projects on French Quarter sidewalks, it has agreed to allow another organization to install four individually decorated but basically identical sculptures on other walkways. One of the artworks rejected in September would have commemorated Hurricane Katrina. (Nola.com -- Sports)
Water backflip to hurt French firm Nov 29, 2008
PAYMENTS of hundreds of millions of dollars to French infrastructure giant Veolia are set to be slashed following the Bligh Government's backdown on recycled water ... The French company will be operating its three treatment plants. (The Australian)
Lévi-Strauss, a French icon, turns 100 Nov 29, 2008
vi-Strauss, a French icon, turns 100 - International Herald Tribune ... vi-Strauss, a French icon, turns 100 ... vi-Strauss is one of France's icons, another reminder of cultural significance in the year a Frenchman, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Cl. (International Herald Tribune)
Art: Korean artists grapple with tradition and transcendence Nov 29, 2008
Between 1957 and 1965, Park was one of the leading forces behind the Korean Informel movement, the first major abstract movement in Korea to challenge the established Japanese-mediated, French Impressionism style (Korea was under Japanese rule between 1910-1940). Informel works often used rough brushwork and mixed media on a large-scale canvas with strong color in an abstract style. (International Herald Tribune)
Susan Pinkard's 'A Revolution In Taste' Nov 29, 2008
A Revolution In Taste The Rise of French Cuisine, 1650-1800 ... In the 1660s, discussing the culinary innovations that had recently taken root in Louis XIV's France, an English chef named Robert May bemoaned his French counterparts' newfound focus on "Sauce rather than Diet." To calorie counters who recoil in horror at the butter and cream that abound in French haute cuisine to this day, May's lament will strike a familiar chord ... He was referring instead to a distinct change in the way the... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
France Gives Painting Seized by Nazis to Charity Nov 28, 2008
"It is a moment of justice, a moment of memory," French Culture Minister Christine Albanel said ... After the war, French Gendarmes found the painting in 1948 near the home of Nazi officer Kurt Gerstein, who was responsible for delivering poison gas to the Auschwitz death camp. (Fox News)
Want a good French meal? Don't go to France Nov 28, 2008
Want a good French meal ... Want a good French meal ... Mid-range restaurants are suffering from a bad case of what the French call "J'm'en foutisme" (I don't care-ism), which leads to indifference and finally d. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
Using Music in the Social Studies C... Nov 28, 2008
While using La Marseillaise when teaching the French Revolution enlivens the experience, the brief scene in the film Casablanca illustrating the power of this national anthem adds another dimension to the on-going impact of the French experience in 1789. Classical music helps students to feel the time period. (Suite101.com)
* [EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT] Nov 28, 2008
Sino-French War and Tamsui 1884 X 1885 (T MkLO JSi) aims to take visitors back in time to the Sino-French War, known as Hsitzefan (J) to Taiwanese of the period, during which France fought to wrest control of northern Vietnam from Qing Dynasty suzerainty. Tamsui Historic Sites (x_Hj]), 1, Ln 28, Zhongzheng Rd, Tamsui Township, Taipei County (x_H281). (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Royal Academy hails Russian hit Nov 28, 2008
From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings opened at the Royal Academy of Arts in January after a diplomatic row between the UK and Russia. Russia's culture agency had blocked the export of the paintings to the venue until a law guaranteeing their safety was implemented. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Thorpe moves to scuttle doping claims Nov 28, 2008
November 22, 2008 11:00pm AEDT. IAN Thorpe has provided the country's drug testing agency with medical evidence in an attempt to clear his name of doping. (Yahoo News -- Swimming)
Not staring, but leering Nov 28, 2008
Last Updated: 09:02am 28 Nov 2008. 16 28 SPONSORED LINKS. (iAfrica.com)
Chronicle's picks for Thanksgiving weekend Nov 28, 2008
Relive the soundtrack to your favorite Molly Ringwald movie with French new-wave throwbacks M83. $21. (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Matisse to be returned to UK charity supporting medical rescue in Israel Nov 26, 2008
This photo provided on Monday by the French culture ministry shows the 1898 oil canvas Le Mur Rose, or The Pink Wall, by French painter Henri Matisse ... He will take delivery of the artwork at the French culture ministry in Paris ... Gerstein surrendered to French authorities in April 1945, as the Nazi regime was crumbling and was held at Paris Cherche-Midi prison, the museum says. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Looted Matisse goes to UK charity Nov 26, 2008
"It's a remarkable and in some ways slightly creepy story," said Stuart Glyn, chairman of the charity, who will take delivery of the artwork at the French Culture Ministry in Paris ... Gerstein surrendered to French authorities in April 1945, and later hanged himself ... French police recovered the painting three years later from a cache near Gerstein's home in Tuebingen, Germany. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Hallyday to work with Hong Kong director To Nov 26, 2008
French rock legend Johnny Hallyday will star in a Hong Kong director's new thriller about a father who tries to avenge the death of his daughter's family ... French actress Sylvie Testud, who appeared alongside Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en rose," will play the daughter in a cast that also includes Hong Kong actors Simon Yam and Anthony Wong, the statement said. (International Herald Tribune)
Premier League's Peter Scudamore sets up another away victory ... Nov 26, 2008
Premier League's Peter Scudamore sets up another away victory against French: Football - Telegraph ... Premier League's Peter Scudamore sets up another away victory against French ... When European sports ministers meet amid the off-season elegance of Biarritz on Wednesday they are likely to derail plans, put forward by the French presidency of the EU, that, if implemented, would grant the power to regulate domestic sporting clubs and competition to European sporting "super regulators". (Telegraph.co.uk)
The Case Against Stuffing Nov 26, 2008
Wikipedia then goes on to note that in the Middle Ages, stuffing was "known as farce (from the French); the root of the word 'forcemeat.'". Maybe that explains it. (Slate)
"Milk" Nov 26, 2008
Two years before he won the best-director Oscar for his genre-shaping cop thriller "The French Connection," William Friedkin made an entirely different film, one that was in its own way every bit as revolutionary ... In a loopy, hit-and-miss, postmodernist affair from the young French director Mabrouk El Mechri, Van Damme plays himself, or at least a halfway plausible version of himself -- a fading movie star with money problems, the meta-Muscles from meta-Brussels -- who gets mixed up in a... (Salon)
Justice for a Matisse Nov 25, 2008
Described as blunt and polarizing, yet also pragmatic, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ignited life at the Elysee Palace ... "It's a remarkable and in some ways slightly creepy story," said Stuart Glyn, chairman of the British charity Magen David Adom UK. He will take delivery of the artwork at the French Culture Ministry in Paris ... Gerstein surrendered to French authorities in April 1945, as the Nazi regime was crumbling, and was held at Paris' Cherche-Midi prison, the museum says. (MSNBC -- International)
CACS starts Spanish program for elementary students Nov 25, 2008
High school students can then choose to stay in Spanish, take French or discontinue language courses ... Students will still have the opportunity to take French in high school, which Britt still expects to be a popular program ... A number of our students take both French and Spanish. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
* Cloud Gates Lin chosen for Movimentos award Nov 25, 2008
The late French choreographer and artistic director Maurice Bejart was given the first lifetime achievement award during the festivals inaugural event in 2004. The Movimentos jury, composed of artistic directors of major arts festivals in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden, is honoring Lin for his achievements in deriving the essence of traditional Chinese culture to create masterpieces with a strong sense of modernity that have helped open cultural horizons in Taiwan. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Think Thanksgiving is tough? Cook for 4,400 mouths Nov 25, 2008
Need a ton of French fries. The academy's pair of 30-foot deep fryers can blast those out in an hour. (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Guard fatally shoots man with sword at Scientology church Nov 24, 2008
Originally a luxury hotel, the eight-story building was built in the style of a 17th century French castle with a striking white facade and turrets that loom over the nearby Hollywood Freeway. The church remade the building into a facility aimed at celebrities 39 years ago. (Los Angeles Times)
What the Heck? Hula film has a French twist Nov 24, 2008
Hula film has a French twist - News - Starbulletin ... Hula film has a French twist ... She got so homesick in the French capital that she "created Hawaiians," as she puts it. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
New study abroad option excites students Nov 24, 2008
Politics, Religion and Art in Antiquity: Representations in Paris, the second class, will be taught in the Louvre and other French museums by Anthropology and Archaeology Professor David Freidel ... While this is the first year that PPRI has been expanded to offer programming for undergraduates, the University offers an exchange program between graduates from the French University ;cole Pratique des Hautes ;tudes (EPHE) and University graduate students. (Washington University Student Life, MO)
Revisiting Ron Arad and his spirited showmanship Nov 24, 2008
" Ouch. The scandalized critic was Richard Dorment, who was writing in the (very conservative) British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph. The object of his fury was a retrospective in 2000 of the work of the furniture designer, Ron Arad, at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Some of the V&A's crustier visitors agreed that such newfangled nonsense simply didn't belong there. Times change. It is impossible to imagine anyone raising similar objections to the new Arad exhibition that opened... (International Herald Tribune)
Qatar teams up with De Niro to host film festival Nov 24, 2008
French finance minister discusses the recession with Katrin Bennhold Amid bankruptcies and layoffs, the public is anxious to know if government rescue efforts are working. The IHT's managing editor, Alison Smale, discusses the week in world news. (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
Drinks, dancing, dinner, self-loathing Nov 24, 2008
Two years before he won the best-director Oscar for his genre-shaping cop thriller "The French Connection," William Friedkin made an entirely different film, one that was in its own way every bit as revolutionary ... Friedkin was still a year away from making "The French Connection" and three years away from "The Exorcist" when he made "The Boys in the Band," but viewed in the context of his entire career it's easy to see what drew him to Crowley's play ... In a loopy, hit-and-miss,... (Salon)
'Tis a blessing she's the Whore Nov 23, 2008
Angelica was the (fictional) aristocratic child whose mother had abandoned her for a French nunnery at an impressionable age. Admittedly there is not an unimpressionable age for maternal abandonment, but the cusp of puberty would certainly be the moment when a little girl, clutching her mother's Bible, might feasibly, if melodramatically, hurl herself into the spume, declaring: 'If there be a God that steals mothers, then strike me down. (guardian.co.uk)
Cafes are hit hard by growing economic misery in France Nov 23, 2008
Not only are the French spending less, and drinking less, cutting down on the intensity of the debates, but on Jan. 1, France extended its smoking ban to bars, cafes, and restaurants. Guerin is trying to sell her cafe, but has had only one nibble in this lovely town of some 3,000 people, much visited by tourists, where the renowned hotel-restaurant Relais Bernard Loiseau is just down the street. (Boston Globe)
Holiday Books Nov 23, 2008
50) Between 1909 and 1930, French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn bankrolled a team of photographers to use autochrome, the new technology for taking true color pictures, to record images of human life around the world. His "Archives of the Planet" included 72,000 images from 50 countries before the stock market crash of 1929 forced him to pull the plug on the project. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Africans to stick together in climate change talks Nov 23, 2008
French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the Algiers Declaration would pave the way for Africa and Europe to negotiate on a common position for the Copenhagen agreement. A deal might be reached by the Poznan talks, Borloo said. (guardian.co.uk)
Socialism, consumerism rub shoulders in Tripoli Nov 23, 2008
French perfume and Italian designer clothing stores have appeared to cater for a new class of wealthy, sophisticated Libyan with money to burn. Business is booming and next year promises to be even bigger, said Mustapha, a Tunisian working for Italian furniture group Doimo. (Globe and Mail -- Business)
Welcome to Harvard: Go hard, then hit the road Nov 23, 2008
Before the game, try their Crunchy French Toast or Sweet Potato Pancakes or later in the day, soak up all that drank with their Cajun Bleu Cheeseburger or Greek-style Moussaka (Eggplant Cassorole). Before you begin to lament the fact that few New Haven restaurants can match the breadth of their eight-page menu, look around the joint and notice the tacky, faux-50s dcor and remind yourself that Copper Kitchen has that real O.G. (thats original gangsta, for you hood neophytes) charm. (Yale Herald, CT)
Europe's Online Culture Library Crashes On First Day Nov 22, 2008
It will be available in 23 languages, including English, French, German and Spanish. Share. (Fox News)
Cholera-hit Indians 'face hunger' Nov 22, 2008
Royal demands French vote re-run. Somali Islamists 'hunt pirates. (Yahoo News -- India)
Wimbledon confirm move to prize money equality Nov 22, 2008
The US and Australian Opens have treated both sexes equally for several years now, while the French Open paid both singles champions the same sum for the first time last year, but the All England Club has previously refused to back down on the issue. Chief among their arguments has been the fact men play best-of-five-set contests, while women only play best-of-three, but outgoing chairman Tim Phillips has also cited club polls indicating that men's tennis gave better value for money. (Yahoo News -- Women's Issues)
What outback? Nov 22, 2008
au), a tiny French restaurant with one of the best wine lists in town. Shop Insiders head to inner-city Paddington for an eclectic mix of couture, quirk and antiques. (Globe and Mail)
Cheech and Chong: Comics return, minus Dave Nov 22, 2008
Jerry Lewis has nothing on these guys; the French know they, too, are filmic geniuses. Cheech: There was a theater in Paris, Boite d'Homage, that played "Up in Smoke" every Saturday for, like, 10 years. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Piers Brendon's 'The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire 1781-1997' Nov 22, 2008
At the same time white settlements were growing, of fascinatingly different character, from Canada with its fractious French, to Australia and its origins as a huge prison camp, to the model colony of New Zealand with its sturdy free farmers. In each case, the creation of what would one day be prosperous liberal democracies involved the expropriation and sometimes the extirpation of the indigenous inhabitants, a process openly welcomed by some intelligent and supposedly enlightened Englishmen in... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Simone Veil, 50 cent, Britney Spears Nov 22, 2008
Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor, a feminist, and the health minister in charge when France legalized abortion in 1975, has been elected to the prestigious body that acts as guardian of the French language ... More recently, it has attracted controversy with defiant attacks on the excessive use of English words in modern French. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Why Russians Don\'t Like Wal-Mart Nov 22, 2008
And neither is the market empty: French retailer Auchan has by hacking through some of Russia's notoriously thick red tape and figuring out how to navigate such a coded place, so Wal-Mart doesn't have to start from scratch. For all the talk of nouveau Russians bathing in gold, there were only 33 billionaires before the crash. (Slate)
European history, culture and art goes digital Nov 21, 2008
Subjects are as varied as the recipe for a French ham and cheese "croque monsieur" to Homer's epics and the life of Mozart ... She called up nearly 1,000 items related to Mozart in a sample search on the Web site, which is available in 23 languages including English, French, German and Spanish. (MSNBC -- International)
Uniform dress policy expands to all Clayton schools Nov 21, 2008
Cecile Blanco says her clothing style is contemporary with a French twist. Here are 10 gifts under $10, including edible candy cane cups. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
'Barbarians At The Gate' Authors Reflect On Wall ... Nov 21, 2008
If you've taken French, you might recognize the word, it means "slice" or "portion." Each slice of that CDO you invest in is a little different and carries different amounts of risk. You could invest in the lowest risk tranche of the CDO, which would provide you lower risk. (Fox News)
Cartooning and World Peace Nov 21, 2008
French cartoonist Jean Plantureux (professional name "Plantu") describes the cartoons and drawings that appear in the world's media as "a means of instant expression and direct communication" that allows public messages of tolerance and peace to spread across different cultures. Plantu and eleven other cartoonists are the prime movers behind the Foundation, which since 2006 has held exhibitions and public meetings in locations such as New York, Geneva, Paris, Atlanta and Rome. (Suite101.com)
PQ strategy could backfire in Quebec campaign, party hard-liners say Nov 21, 2008
He doesn't care at all about culture," she said. She then accused Mr. Charest of doing nothing to stop the decline of the French language in Montreal. Not to be outdone by the nationalist rhetoric, Mr. Charest also took a swipe at the Throne Speech, reiterating that Quebec will never accept the creation of a national securities commission or support Senate reform without being consulted first. "Our one and only concern is to firmly defend Quebec's interests," Mr. Charest said yesterday,... (Globe and Mail)
Court Says Shell Can't Drill Near Alaska Nov 21, 2008
Cecile Blanco says her clothing style is contemporary with a French twist. No need to drop big bucks. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
Book review: 'The World Is What It Is' Nov 21, 2008
The World Is What It Is The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul By Patrick French Illustrated ... Approached around the time of Naipaul's Nobel Prize in 2001, the writer Patrick French insisted on complete access to the Naipaul archives at the University of Tulsa, which include his correspondence, his journals and the diaries of his wife, Pat (who died in 1996), never read by Naipaul ... French also wanted his subject to sit many hours over many years for unrestricted interviews. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
One Night in Kuala Lumpur Nov 21, 2008
New York City's historic hinterland, the journey out to a remote lodge in New Zealand, Phnom Penh's new generation of French restaurants and Photographer Chien-Chi Chang's arresting images will make you look twice ... Thailand offers child-friendly retreats in the form of eclectic villas, The Macau Grand Prix comes of age and French cuisine provides an oasis for Kabul's foreign community. (Time.com)
Revealed: UK set for first face transplants Nov 20, 2008
French surgeons perform the world's first partial face transplant on a 38-year-old woman in Amiens ... The world's first face transplant took place last November when a French factory worker, 38-year-old Isabelle Dinoire, underwent surgery after being mauled by her labrador ... Professor Jean Michel Dubernard led the French team who carried out the first facial transplant. (Yahoo News -- Cosmetic Treatments and Surgery)
Spain says arrested man is head of Basque group Nov 20, 2008
Police arrested Aspiazu on Monday in the French town of Cauterets, near the border with Spain, along with Leire Lopez, a woman who is also a suspected ETA member. They were asleep in an apartment when Spanish and French police burst in ... Spanish and French officials say Aspiazu is a top suspect in the shooting of two Spanish civil guards in December in the French resort town of Capbreton. (Boston Globe)
The First Americans Nov 20, 2008
Greenland is only 1500 miles from the French coastline. Sailing in a curve north and north-westward, Ice-Age Europeans could have entered the Americas following arctic coastlines. (Suite101.com)
Q&A: Titian paintings Nov 20, 2008
It was formed by Francis Egerton, the third and last Duke of Bridgewater, and most of the paintings were acquired following the dispersal of the Orleans Collection after the French Revolution in 1792. The Titians were purchased in 1798. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
France takes lead in digital library Nov 20, 2008
"France has half the content - the collapse of the Berlin Wall is illustrated with a French TV documentary." ... Already, the images online include the Magna Carta from Britain, the French Declaration des Droits de l'Homme of 1789, the Vermeer painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" from the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, a copy of Dante's Divine Comedy and the Carte Plana de Parte da Costa do Brazil, a map of Portuguese colonies dating from 1784 ... "We don't expect, in the long run, the... (International Herald Tribune)
Cinema in paradise Nov 20, 2008
ma, a French company that specializes in creating festivals ... Thirty-five years ago, French PR specialist Lionel Chouchan was asked by the city to help drum up some business. (Globe and Mail)
France Dominates Europe's Digital Library Nov 20, 2008
So comprehensive is France s cultural dominance over this cyberspace outpost that other countries are having their own history written for them in French, of course ... France has half the content the collapse of the Berlin Wall is illustrated with a French TV documentary ... Cecile Blanco says her clothing style is contemporary with a French twist. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
Post-quake Peru runs out of tents Nov 20, 2008
French agency Medecins San Frontieres said it was as if the earthquake had struck just a day before ... A spokesman for the French agency Medecins San Frontieres said hospitals in the town of Guadalupe were still overwhelmed and as a result medical care was sub-standard. (Yahoo News -- Peru)
Harrison Ford Says Fifth 'Indiana Jones' Is In 'Primary Stages,' Though 'Crystal Skull' Wore Him Out Nov 20, 2008
We all went into the French premiere knowing that our hosts were French and that they could have gone French on us. Laughs. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Business.view: Start-ups and slow-downs Nov 19, 2008
One of the great, and probably apocryphal, George W. Bushisms is that the problem with the French is they don t have a word for entrepreneur. The president s grasp of language may have been characteristically weak, but his underlying sense that France is one of many countries which could do with a more entrepreneurial business culture is widely shared by his fellow Americans. (The Economist)
Veteran essays: Eighth-graders uncover stories of service Nov 19, 2008
Bacon, eggs, omelets, French toast, pancakes, fruit, you name it they had it. He was very happy with his decision to join the Navy because he had some good experiences as well as it helping to shape who he is today. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
