Frenchy!!!!'s topics - tribe.net

New arrivals 2008 french 7" / 45T selection, with sounds!!

manofleisure — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:58:08 GMT

Hello, another fine french 7" / 45T selection, with sounds!! Thanks for checking it and enjoy the music!!

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZrecreation-musicQQhtZ-1

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Looking for a room to rent, Sebastopol, May 14th to 18th

Djeynee — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:52:23 GMT

I'll visit USA for the first time next May. I'll go to a festival in Sebastopol, but hotels are full and so expensive.
I'm looking for a B&B or a room in pension for that period. Do you know anything which could suit my needs ?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Djeynee

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

"A guide to understanding rude Parisians "

merryheart — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:47:59 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070104/od_nm/france_tourism1_dc

Thu Jan 4, 11:35 AM ET

PARIS (Reuters) - You don't need to speak French to understand the Parisians. You just need to know how to gesture.

Or so claims a new guide issued by French tourism officials to help foreign tourists understand Parisians with a list of commonly used gestures with meanings like "shut up."

"Blend in by using them the next time you're in Paris. People will start mistaking you for a native in no time," says the online guide issued by the Ile-de-France regional committee of tourism at www.cestsoparis.com.

The city's famously rude inhabitants have long been a headache for tourism authorities who have made repeated attempts to persuade Parisians to be more friendly to foreign visitors.

The latest campaign appears to cede to the notion that if you can't beat them, join them.

Its part English-language website promises to show people "How to Cop the Parisian Attitude" with games to help them learn commonly employed gestures.

These range from the quintessential "Bof," a non-committal shrug used to deny knowledge or agreement, to "Camembert," when the thumb and forefinger are brought together into a circle to tell someone to shut up.

"You don't need to speak French to understand Parisians or to blend into the crowd," the website says.

"Stick out your lower lip. Raise your eyebrows and shoulders simultaneously."

The guide is linked to an advertising campaign in London that hopes "to show that Paris isn't a stuffy museum city."

And just in case it is taken too literally, it also includes a cautionary note suggesting that visitors may see some even ruder Parisian expressions if they use the gestures too freely.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 26 replies

Need Female Native French Speaker in SF for Soundtrack

delachaux — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:12:11 GMT

Currently composing/arranging soundtrack for 60s french riveria soft porn spoof and I need a female french speaker (singer a huge plus) with a stuffy parisian accent for recorded samples/voice-overs. $$$ - contact me through tribe. ciao ~

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

bicyclette

fossilosopher — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:15:18 GMT

in rural canadian french we say bicycle [bee-sick] rather than "velo" or "bicyclette" and this i found out recently is not really an anglicism. before the 1880's the word was used in france for the high wheeler bike without a chain drive.

when the safety bike with the diamond shaped frame and the chain drive showed up, it was called "bicyclette" because it was smaller and women could ride it. the old name persisted in north american french.

velocipede is a way older word originally given to wooden boneshakers with or without pedals. i dont know where the slang word "becane" came from.

sorry this computer cant type accents in a web browser so neveurmaigne caps either.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Massage newletter+Paris numero 2

jody — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:21:24 GMT

Om Namo-Vina santi!
Newsletter -2- octobre- 2007
Photo- Chetawan-Wat Po, Chiangmai

Jody Levy-Swift
AMS
Advanced Massage Systems
Diplômes reconnus par les gouvernements
thai et indien
01 43 64 32 92 jodyswift@yahoo.com
06 03 07 46 08

Bon Automne à tous! Voici une petite newsletter pleine d’ astuces pour passer octobre en pleine forme, pour un bien-être physique et mental. Om Namo !

Le chemin des huiles essentielles-
La lavande et le géranium sont mes huiles préférées. Quand vous viendrez chez moi vous sentirez ce doux mélange…. avec la lavandre en diffusion (???je ne comprends pas « avec la lavande… ».
En aromathérapie, les deux sont généralement utilisées : le géranium rosat (pelargonium graveolens) et le géranium odorant (pelargonium odorantissimum). Cette huile essentielle, au parfum proche de la rose (le pelargonium graveolens surtout), sensuel et apaisant, possède de multiples propriétés thérapeutiques très puissantes. L'huile essentielle de géranium est très efficace pour traiter certains problèmes de peau. Tonique astringente cutané , elle équilibre merveilleusement la sécrétion de sébum, substance qui préserve l'élasticité de la peau. Elle convient en outre à tout type d'épiderme : sec, gras et/ou ridé. L'huile essentielle de géranium est également utilisée pour surmonter différents problèmes hormonaux chez la femme (particulièrement efficace en diffusion atmosphérique), très efficace aussi pour éloigner les insectes volants
2-4 gouttes dans une petite cuillère d’ huile pour une peau sèche
2 gouttes de géranium et 2 gouttes de lavande dans une petite cuillère d’ huile- masser sur le plexus solaire avant de se coucher.
Quelle huile de base utiliser ? L’huile Amande, macademia, rose musquée sont un peu chères. L'huile de pépin est efficace et abordable.
La pensee positive.
J’ai fêté le 80eme anniversaire de Louise Hay que je suis depuis 1985.
A Paris c’est difficile parfois de penser positif ! Mais Louise Hay partage ses exercices, nous conseille à travers les expériences de sa vie afin de nous aider C’est très simple et claire dans la pratique ! Je suis bien dans ma peau !
Pensez- Nouvelle annee !
Nouvelle an en thailande ! méditation dans des temples bouddhistes de Chiangmai, apprendre à cuisiner thai, sauna d’ herbes et de fleurs-
traduction en français pour une semaine de cours de massage- le 28 dec- le 5 jan.

Ma mission est d’ offrir des massages et des soins à des prix abordables.

Première séance avec consultation-
permet une prise de contact, une clarification des objectifs, évaluer le dosha et le massage qui correspond á votre besoin et comfort

1½ heures 60 euros

Massage Ayurvedique- aux huiles correspondant á votre dosha (constitution) évalué á la première séance.

1 heure 55 euros

Classique style Thai du sud du temple
Wat Po
Nuad Bo'Rarn
Beaucoup de points de pressions pour des douleurs spécifiques et de bien être

1 heure 50 euros

Thai Yoga -style du nord de mes maîtres Pichet Boomthume et Asokananda
« Le Massage Traditionnel Thaï allie l’accupression et les étirements en vue d'une meilleure circulation de l'énergie vitale (prana). Il est parfois décrit comme une forme de yoga appliqué au receveur »

1 ½-2 heures 60 euros

Thai Réflexologie des pieds.
Un massage par stimulation des points de pression des pieds pour revitaliser le corps de l'intérieur 1 heure 45 euros

Massage Clinique- pour ceux qui ne n’ont pas beaucoup de moyens
1 er Samedi de chaque mois
11h-14h

Telephonez- la semaine avant
01 43 64 32 92 06 03 07 46 08

Sur donation

Et tous les mois je vais offrir des promotions sur les techniques que je dois maintenir ou qui correspond aux douleurs spécifiques
( asthme, dos, nuque, système digestif etc.)

Bonne santé á tous ! Om shanti-paix

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Breaking the spell

jmparker — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:06:35 GMT

The French translation of this wouldn't by any chance be:

brisser le sortilege ?

That would be too simple, wouldn't it?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

I have sailboat in San Francisco

costin — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:21:02 GMT

I look for somebody that speak French to sail with

I need to refresh my French

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

BASTiLLE DAY in SF!

delachaux — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:46:42 GMT

2nd Annual Bastille Day Bacchanal!
UNDERGROUND FRANCO-SONIC DANCE SOIREE et
BELLE EPOQUE CABARET FEATURING:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAxPMJujsjI

Les Dames: Charlotte La Belle Araignée, The Flying Fox, The Scenic Sisters, Margot Montmartre, et Le Maître des Cérémonies: Professor Violet!

Dansez Dansez avec Les Maestros Super: Monsieur Laird, Monsieur Delachaux, et Monsieur Kizmiaz!

La Vie en Verte avec Unkle Paul and the Green Fairy Bar!

Dress as your favorite LOVERS & LIBERTINES from the GUILLOTINE to GODARD! French Maids, Mimes, Mods & Montmartrians, Legionnaires, Impressionists, Existentialistas, Bardot, Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril, Jerry Lewis, Jacques Cousteau, Jean Cocteau, Camus, De Sade, Deneuve, De Gaulle, Louis XVI, Anais Nin, Amelie, Marie Antoinette, Napolean, Piaf, and Pepé Le Pew!

ANON SALON
285 9th Street (@ Folsom)
SAN FRANCISCO
$10 Presale/ $15 Door
Presale tickets at:
www.fetelaboum.com

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 3 replies

Bastille Day Waltz Ball July 14 Saturday Oakland Veterans Hall

scott — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:43:45 GMT

Returning again for the fourth time. Our very popular Bastille Day Waltz Ball. Many French waltzes, polkas, La Java, Valse Musette. French 'bistro music', great fun. Usually about 250 attend. Bring your beret and French accent. French costume highly appreciated.

"Crepes Musette" a new local French bistro band will play many inspiring French valse musettes and French Tangos. Band members are Erin Shrader on violin, Sylvia Herold on guitar and vocals, Chuck Ervin on acoustic bass, and Charlie Hancock on accordion. All are superb musicians with many Bay Area bands. They have been members of Wake the Dead, Euphonia, Fear of Commitment, the Silvertones, Cats and Jammers, the Hot Club, and Contrabandits. We will also have a French mixer, a Bouree, for a line dance

We welcome back again the "Alameda Vintage Dance Troupe" for a special French dance performance. Denise Brady, artistic director.

Raspberry cheesecake, Lemon Merengue pie, triple layer double chocolate cake, apple pie, veggie and shrimp plates, and a tasty collection of strawberries, blackberries, and watermelon.

We will have 2 Classes running at the same time: introductory waltz class from 7 to 9 in the Dance Lounge and an intermediate French waltz class from 7 to 9 also in the Main ballroom.

Crepes Musette, a wonderful French Bistro band, will play waltz and polk music from 9 to 12. All ages, Comfortable attire. No partner necessary. We rotate rapidly in class.

$20 for classes and dance at the door, no advance tickets, sorry no separate pricing for dance only due to live band.

Oakland Veterans Hall, 200 Grand Avenue Oakland CA X Harrison.This year at the Oakland Veterans Hall, beautiful dance hall, with 3,500 square foot hardwood floor, extra room for socializing and meeting new people, easy access, great parking.

more information ScottFNW@pway.com
website www.FridayNightWaltz.com

===============================================================================

Friday Night Waltz is a high energy dance that features mainly waltzes in the dances and classes, along with other dances like polka, one step, swing, cha cha, Lindy, schottische, mazurka, merengue, samba, and tango. People are friendly, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Attendance is between 130 and 190. Average age is about 30. People from San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Oakland.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

French elections....

lizzyrose — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:03:56 GMT

So what do you think about it????

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

French Pop Invades US TV!

Pink — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:48:15 GMT

This morning I heard the familiar strings of Serge Gainsbourg's "Bonnie et Clyde" in a Cadilac commercial during NBC's Today show.

It wasn't the original and was probably the Luna/Laeitia of Stereolab version but not sure yet.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 5 replies

5 Minutes of Electrical Rest for the Planet

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:49:45 GMT

Please pass this around. It's a French initiative that is just arriving in North America:

The 1st of February 2007:

Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!

The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet.

People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm in New York, 18.55 for the UK, and 19.55 for Spain, France, Italy, etc. 1.55pm in Ottawa, 10.55am on the Pacific Coast of North America.

This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.

Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that global warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in political debate.

Why February the 1st? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate change will come out in Paris.

This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.

Please circulate this call to your utmost ability to your network.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

Help!

jmparker — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:00:50 GMT

Can anyone help me translate the following phrases?
I think I mostly know what they actually mean, but finding a way to say them in English is proving tough.

nouer une nouvelle tresse

conduite tactique

coup de theatre

voyage d'etude

désinence

face d'ombre

les traits bavent

toujours plus chargées de sortileges que ce qui s'en entend

Thanks....

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 11 replies

Do you like when-ah ze people-ah imitate yore accent?

joannapage — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:02:12 GMT

Hi, I wish you could hear me saying, not typing that subject heading. I am REALLY good at imitating French People, and I enjoy it.

I'm wondering if this kind of thing happens much to Frenchies living outside France, and what do you think about it?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 19 replies

Bad bad French

ENIAD — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:56:01 GMT

Why is French in Québec so frowned upon?

We are North-Americans. Americans speak their own brand of English that is not British without being snobbed because it is not the Queen's English.
SInce the French aristocracy lost their heads a long time ago and given that we do not have role models anymore, do I have to pick up argot?

Politics, once more?
Languages are very sensitive to the issue.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 21 replies

What did Marco Materazzi say????

joannapage — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 02:26:50 GMT

I am not a follower of socker/foorball/whatever, but I am saddened by the game today. Even with uneducated eyes I could see that France was dominating and Italy was tiring... When the game entered overtime I thought it likley that France would score before the overtime clock ran out.

It was so surprising and uncomfortable to see Zinedine Zidane losing his temper and headbutting Marco Matterazzi... As soon as he left the field France lost their edge. If he had remained in the game I bet France would have won. It's a sad second place. Why did he lose his temper when he should have known better? What on earth did Matterazzi say that provoked Zidane into making such a stupid and costly mistake? I keep reading articles and I can't find any answers.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 43 replies

Seen any good movies lately?

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:19:46 GMT

Of course the French know a thing or two about moving pictures, and la télé hertienne has been dishing out some decent ones lately. Last week I watched Pédale Douce (Fanny Ardent, Richard Berry, Patrick Timsit), an oldie but goodie. The other night TF1 showed L'Art Délicat de la Séduction (Cécile de France, plus the same male actors actually), which was new to me. Really not bad, unique, funny, the whole shebang.

Et vous?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 7 replies

Sego.

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:53:51 GMT

Seems like for a moment there, all we heard about was Ségolène Royal. Le Monde 2 even published the New York Times piece on her, and named it "Ségolène vu par les Américains." But it's been pretty quiet lately...

And then I saw this on SFGate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=15

A great intro to Royal...

A+

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Flying in the french sky

thibaud — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 13:21:15 GMT

Hi

I'm a private pilot and can offer you to fly near Paris /Normandy coast... for an hour or less

Keep me posted via a private message !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/france_from_the_sky/

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Zidane's Take

joannapage — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:33:56 GMT

www.youtube.com/watch

Okay, my french is rusty... Did Zidane say what I think he said? / In my translation:

• I'm sorry the kids had to see the headbutt, as far as the kids are concerned it was inexcusable.

• I don't regret my headbutt, because not reacting to Marcos would have meant his insults were right.

• MM was the real culprit because without provocation there is no reaction.

Okay, I love France and Zidanne seems like a noble person and an awesome player and leader plus he is drop-dead gorgeous... But his view is so different from mine, it was really odd to take in the video (Being attracted physically and emotionally but at odds intellectually) If I'm right in my translation... then what does he want? New rules of play that give fouls to the foul-mouthed? How would that be enforced? Also, why would NOT headbutting Marcos mean his insults were valid? I usually observe in life situations that the good old Silent Treatment does a great job to invalidate a troublemaker's words, and it frustrates them as well. As I said, I'm down with the Bleus, but personal-philosophy is interesting to me and I want to know what you think.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 10 replies

Italian politician gloats over beating multi-ethnic French team

merryheart — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 06:10:24 GMT

I found this other video of an interview with Zidane [http://www.eurosport.fr/football/coupedumonde/2006/sport_sto924766.shtml], and he mentioned what he called a shocking statement from an Italian politician. I looked it up, and this is what I found. Shocking indeed. Especially that I had to look so hard, and that it's on Yahoo! Asia, but not Yahoo! News or Yahoo! Sports in the US.
-----

http://asia.worldcup.yahoo.com/worldcup/article/060711/3/2n0h0.html

France angered by Italy senator's racist football slur
Tue, Jul 11, 8:36 PM

ROME (Reuters) - France has complained to World Cup winner Italy about a right-wing senator's racist comments that the defeated French team was made up of "blacks, Muslims and communists", the Italian media reported on Tuesday.
Racism has already threatened to cloud Italy's victory, with reports that Italian defender Marco Materazzi provoked French star Zinedine Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, by calling him a "terrorist". Materazzi denies making such comments.

There was no such denial from Roberto Calderoli of the Northern League, who lost a ministerial post in a centre-right government earlier this year for wearing a T-shirt with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad offensive to Muslims.

As the victorious Azzurri returned to a heroes' welcome in Rome on Monday, Calderoli celebrated it as a "political victory" over a mixed-race French team.

Italy had "beat a team which, in the quest for results, sacrificed its own identity by selecting blacks, Muslims and communists", the senator said, in comments that were rejected by members of Italy's new centre-left coalition government.

Italian newspapers La Stampa and Corriere della Sera quoted a letter of protest from French ambassador Yves Aubin de La Messuziere to the Italian Senate, saying: "Such unacceptable and despicable comments can only foment hatred."

"France is proud of a team whose members are all its sons, whatever their origins or religion," he wrote, adding that some of the French players insulted by Calderoli played in Italian teams "where they are very popular".
--------

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19764399-23215,00.html

Racist pollie scalds France stars
From correspondents in Rome
July 12, 2006

THE far-right vice-president of the Italian Senate stoked anti-French feeling in the country overnight, branding Italy's World Cup final opponents "blacks, Islamists and communists".

Roberto Calderoli, head of the right-wing popular Northern League party, refused to retract earlier comments in which he hailed Italy's defeat of France in Monday's World Cup final as "a victory for Italian identity".

"When I say that France's team is composed of blacks, Islamists and communists, I am saying an objective and evident thing," Calderoli was quoted as saying today by the ANSA news agency.

His comment, in response to a complaint to the Senate by France's ambassador to Italy, reiterated remarks made on Monday in the aftermath of Italy's World Cup victory.

Italy's all-white team, from a largely devout Catholic populace, had won against "a France team which sacrificed its own identity by lining up blacks, Islamists and communists to get results", Calderoli said on the day of the final.

Members of the France team, composed largely of non-white players, returned to a heroes' welcome yesterday despite their 5-3 penalty shootout defeat to Italy in Berlin.

France captain Zinedine Zidane gave an unexpected twist to the match when he was sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi, after the Italy defender allegedly made racist insults.

But Zidane, born to Algerian parents, was backed by his country's politicians.

"France admires you and loves you," President Jacques Chirac told him on his team's return from the tournament.

France's ambassador to Italy, Yves Aubin de Messuziere, denounced Calderoli's earlier comments as "an unacceptable and contemptible declaration, meant to foment hatred".

But Calderoli refused to apologise.

"France is a multiethnic nation, given its colonial past, of which I would not be proud," he said.

"It's not my fault if certain people were puzzled to see a team which lined up seven blacks out of 11 players . . . (or) if certain players prefer Mecca to Bethlehem."

Calderoli, a former institutional reform minister in the government of ex-president Silvio Berlusconi, has made a reputation for inflammatory comments and gestures.

He resigned as minister in February after he was criticised for wearing a T-shirt lampooning the Prophet Mohammed, sparking deadly anti-Italian riots in Libya.
---------

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 3 replies

World Cup party on Sunday in LA?

joannapage — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 15:12:38 GMT

Someone should have a gathering of Los Angeles Frenchy-Tribe people to watch the game on Sunday! We can all come and bring French food and drink.

I'd host but I don't get TV. Anyone down?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

Allez les Bleus (et nique neuf telecom) !

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 10:29:43 GMT

Allez les Bleus:

Just a little note to say
We'll beat those cheating Italians any day.
And if anything,
I'll, uh, at least get really drunk.

Fully enjoying the football mania here in the Hexagone. Even my little town came alive with honking and street parties after Wednesday's Portugese victory. So here's to the best for tonight!

Nique neuf telecom:

A public service announcement for anyone looking for an ISP/long distance provider, or who knows anyone looking for an ISP (in France). Do NOT NOT NOT sign up with neuf telecom. I made this fatal mistake after two and a half very happy, uneventful years with Cegetel (now the two companies are merged, but still...) and am paying heavily now. neuf telecom is unreasonably evil (as I realize you've got to accept some level of evilness in this game). You'll have to take my word for it (as well as that of a few of my friends), because the story is too long and frustrating to explain in detail here. (Also, have heard nothing but negative things from users of Alice and free.)

Ciao.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

Zidane, the god then the hero

8a — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:54:01 GMT

a view of Zidane through Camus hero "L'etranger" by NYtimes journalist Roger Cohen:

http://select.nytimes.com/iht/2006/07/12/sports/IHT-12globalist.html

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

Bonjour à tous!

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:09:31 GMT

Salut tout le monde! Je m`appelle Deloris, et je veux d`être bilangue. Je sais que j`ai une bonne difie devant de moi, et je besoin d`aide. Je ne suis pas à l`école, et j`habite dans les montanges au nord de la ville de Québec.

Si vous êtes interestantes, je veux parler, ou écrire seulment en francais. Je m`excuse mon francais ici, je sais cela n`est pas très bien maintenant. Je parle en peu miex que j`écrit!

Merci beaucoup, et bonne journée!

Deloris

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 15 replies

Bon St. Jean!

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 03:12:00 GMT

Aujourd hui c est la journee de St. Jean la baptiste, alors, Bon St. Jean a tout le monde!!!
A bientot!!
Deloris

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

tomorrow wed-28th Summer/Paris

abha — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 19:46:31 GMT

Reminder:
Book reading from new novel That Summer in Paris.
7pm on June 28th at the Chelsea Barnes & Noble (675 Sixth Avenue at 22nd Street).
Free

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

hommage a Raymond Devos

8a — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 16:47:09 GMT

*L'humoriste Raymond Devos est mort*, Jongleur de mots, l'humoriste belge Raymond Devos est décédé jeudi (15 juin 2006) à son domicile de Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse, près de Paris, à l'âge de 83 ans. ;-(

*Les fines phrases de Raymond Devos*

Jeux de mots et calembours, parfois proches du non-sens, caractérisent
l'oeuvre de l'humoriste Raymond Devos, qui aimait tourner en dérision
les absurdités du monde. Voici un florilège extrait de ses plus célèbres sketches, dont "Ma
femme", "Je roule pour vous", "Où courent-ils?", "Les antipodes", "Le sens du ridicule", "A tort ou à raison", "Un ange passe", "Parler pour ne rien dire" ou "Prêter l'oreille".

- "Quand on s'est connu, ma femme et moi, on était tellement timides tous les deux qu’on n'osait pas se regarder. Maintenant, on ne peut plus se voir."
- "Si ma femme doit être veuve un jour, j'aimerais mieux que ce soit de mon vivant."
- "J'adore être pris en flagrant délire."
- "Qui prête à rire n'est jamais sûr d’être remboursé."
- "Le rire est une chose sérieuse avec laquelle il ne faut pas plaisanter."
- "Du moment qu'on rit des choses, elles ne sont plus dangereuses."
- "La raison du plus fou est toujours la meilleure."
- "Quand j'ai tort, j’ai mes raisons, que je ne donne pas. Ce serait reconnaître mes torts."
- "On a toujours tort d'essayer d'avoir raison devant des gens qui ont toutes les bonnes raisons de croire qu’ils n'ont pas tort."
- "Etre raisonnable en toutes circonstances. Il faudrait être fou..."
- "Une fois rien, c'est rien; deux fois rien, c'est pas beaucoup, mais pour trois fois rien, on peut déjà acheter quelque chose, et pour pas cher."
- "Je n'aime pas être chez moi. A tel point que lorsque je vais chez quelqu'un et qu'il me dit: Vous êtes ici chez vous, je rentre chez moi!"
- "Mais pourquoi courent-ils si vite? Pour gagner du temps! Comme le temps, c'est de l'argent... plus ils courent vite, plus ils en gagnent."
- "Dès que le silence se fait, les gens le meublent."
- "Il paraît que quand on prête l'oreille, on entend mieux. C'est faux! Il m'est arrivé de prêter l'oreille à un sourd. Il n'entendait pas mieux."
- "La plupart des gens préfèrent glisser leur peau sous les draps plutôt que de la risquer sous les drapeaux."
- "C'est pour satisfaire les sens qu'on fait l'amour; et c'est pour l'essence qu'on fait la guerre."
- "Même avec Dieu, il ne faut pas tenter le Diable."
- "Un croyant, c'est un antiseptique."
- "La grippe, ça dure huit jours si on la soigne et une semaine si on ne fait rien."
- "Se coucher tard nuit."

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

Gore takes Global Warming to Cannes's festival

vero — Mon, 22 May 2006 19:40:55 GMT

Al Gore Takes Global Warming to Cannes By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 1 minute ago

Michael Moore has been the American on a mission at the Cannes Film Festival the last few years. This time it's Al Gore, with the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

The former U.S. vice president climbed Cannes' famous red carpet in black tie over the weekend for a screening of the film about his efforts to educate people about global warming. Gore usually takes his message to more modest locales, such as school auditoriums and hotel conference rooms.

"As for my personal reactions to all the cameras, the red carpet and all that, I'm old enough now to put this in a different perspective," Gore told The Associated Press on Monday. "I am able to enjoy it without allowing it to get out of proportion."

Directed by Davis Guggenheim, "An Inconvenient Truth" chronicles Gore's main preoccupation since losing the 2000 presidential election: touring the world to give factual, funny, and very disturbing slide show lectures about climate change.

"It's something that feels like a mission," Gore said in an interview on a hotel rooftop overlooking the Mediterranean.

Gore says he enjoyed Moore's films, including "Fahrenheit 9/11," the documentary critical of President Bush that won Cannes' top prize two years ago — although he can "fully understand why they drive others to distraction if they have different political views."

But unlike "Fahrenheit 9/11," "An Inconvenient Truth" has no political agenda, says Gore, who reconfirmed he has no plans to run for president in 2008. He believes global warming is a moral, nonpartisan issue, and he says many Republicans have embraced the film, which debuts in U.S. theaters on Wednesday.

"Underlying it all is a mission to move the United States and the world past a tipping point, and to change the minds of enough people so that they demand that politicians in all political parties take action to stop this crisis," said Gore, who has studied the problem since he was a college student in the 1960s.

The Bush administration, which has rejected the Kyoto Protocol on control of greenhouse gas emissions, prefers letting industry take voluntary steps. The United States accounts for a quarter of the world's greenhouse gases.

The movie seems a tough sell, with its stream of facts, photos of melting glaciers and graphs linking the rise and fall of atmospheric carbon dioxide to temperatures.

Though there are a few amusing animated segments — Gore rescues a cartoon frog from a pot of boiling water at one point — most of it takes place in conference rooms.

In reviewing the film, the AP's David Germain wrote: "To be sure, Gore is preaching a sermon, and he does take the occasional jab at business interests, the Bush administration and naysayers who remain noncommittal about whether global warming is real or simply a result of natural cycles. So he's not entirely an apolitical saint doing what's right by humanity. Yet even skeptics who go in scornfully figuring Gore is serving his own self-interests may come away wondering: What's in it for him? "

Guggenheim says he was skeptical when the project was presented to him.

"I was like, you can't make a movie about a slide show, and I'm not so sure having a politician telling us is the best way to hear about it," Guggenheim said. "Then they brought me to the slide show and it just blew my mind. ... I just wanted to give people that experience, give them a front row seat."

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 9 replies

William Pfaff on France

Mon, 08 May 2006 20:16:51 GMT

Il vaut le coup d'etre lu...

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18978

A+

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 14 replies

une pete de cerveau

Twystinme — Fri, 19 May 2006 21:26:22 GMT

To my fellow francophones and francophiles:

For those of you that speak English as your native language and are fluent in French, do you ever have moments where you can't remember a word in English, but it comes to you naturally in French? This has happened to me quite a bit, actually, and at the most random times. I was talking with someone the other day and I couldn't remember how to say "only child" in english, but it came to me in French right away.

I think it is a good sign that the brain is still keeping the language fresh and accessible, and it is an interesting coversation starter too. Any thoughts on this?

Adam

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 19 replies

Parisian apartment buildings - vocabulary question

jmparker — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:21:33 GMT

Ok, so you know how in most older buildings you punch in the code, then you shove open this huge door, which is actually a relatively small door in an even huger door than can be opened for cars?
And then you walk into a kind of open hall with a concierge's apartment on one side and the staırs on the other, before you get into the courtyard?

Well, what is that space called, the covered area between the courtyard and the door?
Is it a porte-cochere?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 18 replies

the myth of American meritocracy

ddddddddddddd — Mon, 29 May 2006 18:48:52 GMT

http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2004/11/FANTASIA/11696

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Best way to learn French?

therose — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:11:58 GMT

I know very VERY little French and would really love to learn the language. Because of my schedule I am unable to take a community college class. Besides living in France (I wont be able to even visit for a long time) which is the best way outside of the classroom? CD's, tutor?

For those of you who are not native speakers, how did you learn (besides moving to France)?

Thanks!

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 25 replies

Words of late.

Mon, 29 May 2006 15:22:45 GMT

Adam's talk about "to pickle" got me thinking about how many lovely words there are in French. And I keep learning them left and right, does it ever stop!?

So in the quest for an easy way to expand my vocabulary (and yours!), I'd love to hear the latest Froggy words you've picked up. Or, if you are a student with lists and lists to memorize, what's the most interesting one?

I just added to my lexical artillery <<amorce>> which means something like a catalyst, a spark, the bait, etc., although like the truly lazy student I am, I forgot to look up if its gender. And today's Le Monde revealed <<contrecarrer>>, a word I've often heard but finally decided to demystify. The English sounds just as cool, it's "to thwart".

A+

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Caretaker

jmparker — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:24:32 GMT

Ok, I'm being lazy here, but what do you call someone (or a couple) who takes care of a chateau?
Not a chatelaine.
Not a butler.
Just the people who keep the place running while the owner is gone.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

fear and tremblng

Meow — Sat, 13 May 2006 01:11:45 GMT

http://www.cinemaguild.com/fearandtrembling/

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

Tex's French Grammar

merryheart — Sun, 07 May 2006 22:09:33 GMT

Great (and fun) French grammar site - check it out

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

mon dieu! quelle arrogance

kalsang — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 04:07:26 GMT

Ay ay ay, I need solidarity here.

I'm selling my house in France and the notaire--who's working for ME--is just FULL OF IT! He is SO ARROGANT! It's like a scene from a film about the Court of Louis 15 every time I hear from him. You KNOW what I mean!

So now he writes that the plusvalue will be impose a 30%, et qu'il faut que je sois la personellement to pay this, or that I nominate someone else to pay it for me, even though it will be stopped out of escrow automatically (I dunno, it was all so damned complex I don't know why someone is required to be there, but they are).

He says I must nominate a representant fiscal francais. So I reply, "une personne francaise ou une personne domiciliee en france?". So he comes back with this:

- Le représentant fiscal pour la déclaration de plus-value immobilière doit être une personne résidente française;
De plus, j'attire votre attention sur le fait que l'agrément de ce représentant est à la discrétion des services fiscaux français. Par conséquent, l'acréditation peut vous être refusée pour quelque motif que ce soit.

What? Like, the administration can be totally capricious, reject my friend out of hand, with no reason and no justification, and refuse to allow her to pay my tax for me, forcing me to pay some organisation in Paris for no reason?

This is the kind of thing that made me leave France! Agh....I imagine I am not alone in missing the French lifestyle, le chic francais, meme l'intellectualisme de la culture de Barthes et de BHL, but in simply not being able to stand the corruption, the bureacracy, the arrogance of public servants, the complete lack of service. Mon dieu! D'un cote j'ai la nostalgie comme c'est pas permis, mais de l'autre je pense que je ne retournerai jamais.

Merci de m'avoir lu...

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 10 replies

Looking for suggestions/advice--thinking seriously to relocate to france

vero — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 01:03:28 GMT

hey every one
sorry to bug you all but, i am seriously thinkng of moving to france and i was wondering if any one had suggestion on where to look for jobs, rentals etc...
thank you
Vero :)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 15 replies

Assez amusant, et surtout vite et facile a lire...

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:37:57 GMT

http://actu.wanadoo.fr/Inc/index_med.html?iCata_newsItemId=mmd--francais--journal_internet--med&iArti_newsItemId=060425155736.m2iv7kba&$QUERY_STRING

En esperant que ce lien fonctionne....

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Echange anglais/francais - French-English Language Swap

rubenfaer — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 01:33:07 GMT

Je recherche des persones de langue maternelle francaise qui voudraient apprendre l'anglais et vice-versa pour se rencontrer et parler ensemble a San Francisco. Repondez-moi par email si vous etes interesse et dites-moi quels soirs vous conviennent le plus et je vous
repondrais avec plus de details. Merci bien, en attendant de faire votre connaissance.

I'm looking for native French speakers wanting to learn english and vice-versa, to meet and speak together in san francisco. please send me a message if you are interested, along with nites that you are free, and i will contact you with more info. look forward to meeting you!

steve

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 5 replies

Plume Latraverse

luminous_ferret — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:31:45 GMT

Anyone know what has become of this musician/signer/songwriter?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

Charles Aznavour Live in September!

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:15:28 GMT

http://bgp.com/event_detail.html?eventID=218120

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

French in Action

merryheart — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 06:27:09 GMT

Hello! We watched this video series in school as a supplement to class. Anyone else remember les aventures de Mireille et Robert?

Cheesy? (fromageaux??) Mais, bien sur. But great for listening comprehension. There's a website called www.learner.org where you can watch the episodes online for free.

I'm new to this tribe, so I'd love to know what else people here do to keep up their French. A bientot!

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 53 replies

Eh ben dis donc...

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 22:45:52 GMT

On ne pourrait pas me payer assez pour être l'attachée de presse de Villepin en ce moment...

http://permanent.nouvelobs.com/social/20060329.OBS2167.html

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

Jean-Loup

jmparker — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 05:41:11 GMT

What is up with this name?
Does anyone know anyone named this?
Anyone here named this?
What kind of parents name their kid "wolf?!"
Who came up with the idea in the first place?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 3 replies

Looking for a Song!

thespisis — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 00:37:37 GMT

There's a song I want, and if anyone can help me find it to download, I'd be grateful. I've searched Real Player and had a friend search Itunes, and I've also search MSN. It wasn't at any of them. It's from the "L'Empire des Loups" soundtrack. It's "Passage Brady (Movie Version)." I was watching the movie this weekend, and I really like that song. Help!

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

what's a good french word for...

jmparker — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 13:00:36 GMT

"slut?"

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 42 replies

Any French speakers in San Francisco???

vero — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 03:21:32 GMT

Would like to meet other Francophones :)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 9 replies

Any Frenchies in San Diego?

Leslie — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 18:27:37 GMT

We have a very large, active, and fun group meeting at Milano Cafe in San Diego (Mission Valley) on March 15th at 8. All levels are welcome.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

Avez-vous des timbres?

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:09:05 GMT

A stab in the dark (and also a long story), but if you are currently in the United States and possess 6 timbres Marianne autocollants or any other sticky 53-centime French stamps, I want to talk to you urgently! Message me directly pretty please.

Mercy buckets.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Most embarrassing language error

merryheart — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:40:32 GMT

Hello. Thought this would make for a thread interressant.

Here's mine: I was studying abroad in France and staying with a family. I was telling the family some story and needed to use the word "truck." Of course, I did not know the word for truck. Of course I knew that in Spanish, which I studied first, it was "camion." But I didn't want to sound like a moron and use the Spanish word, so I had to describe a truck. I believe that this is what I said:

"C'est une... grande voiture... carre' ".

It is a big square car. I am a college student and I just described a truck as a big square car. And this was in an attempt to NOT sound like a moron. Ugh.

The daughter of the family, God bless her, tried really hard not to giggle (tried, but did not succeed) as she said, "tu veux dire 'camion.'"

Oh, of course, camion. Never would have thought of that.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 22 replies

c'est quoi le trou duc?

ddddddddddddd — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 22:34:13 GMT

c'est quelque chose de la révolution peut-être? où ils ont enterré des membres de la noblesse...je pose cette question à tout le monde mais personne a la gentillesse de me répondre.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 10 replies

Another word question...

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 23:12:02 GMT

I've been trying to find out the English equivalent for this animal ever since one scared me in a local creek:

<<rat gondin>>

Not 100% sure of the spelling, but my dictionary didn't reveal anything useful. I've heard terms like "nutria" and "muskrat" but am still unsure. If you have better dictionary access or any info about this freaky rat-like creature, break it down!

This is decidedly less scandalous for a r n o. :-)

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 5 replies

Bernard-Henri Lévy

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:07:58 GMT

No matter how you feel about this French philosophe, Steve Scher of Seattle's 94.9 KUOW (NPR affliliate) does a pretty interesting interview with him on that station's program Weekday, from last week.

http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=10217

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

Amazing!

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 21:22:38 GMT

It is well known that it is always the bad words that one emembers first when learning a new language. But since everybody around here seems to have pretty good command of the French language, I am surprised that the only translating questions that come up are for "trou du cul", "tapette" or "ca m'fait chier!".

Anyway, for future references, here are a couple of slang dictionaries:

The Alternative French Dictionary
http://www.notam02.no/%7Ehcholm/altlang/ht/French.html

French Slang Dictionary
http://www.coolslang.com/in/french/index.php

Dictionnaire Argot francais
http://argot.abaabaa.com/

Enjoy!

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

tapette

jmparker — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 14:46:16 GMT

What exactly is a tapette?
What images does the word bring to mind?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 10 replies

Le bleu blanc rouge

merryheart — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 03:42:08 GMT

A Frenchman just won the Olympic downhill skiing event. Out came the French flags, from everywhere!

I always love to see fan spirit and support of the athletes because that is half of the fun of international events. I was just reflecting on how fun that is to watch when the camera focused on three fans with bleu-blanc-rouge wigs on. HILARIOUS. I laughed out loud - I mean, who knew a benefit to having a national flag with such a simple, bold design would be easy translation to wigs? That doesn't work so well when you have, oh, fifty or so stars to work in. It's just not the same. I wonder if the Italians have taken similar advantage :)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 11 replies

let's go to Bora Bora

costin — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 08:30:27 GMT

http://www.clubmed.us/cm/Satellite?c=Page&pagename=ClubMedDev%2FVillage-VirtualTour&cid=90000159505

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Lecture ou Livres - Tous qui est assez simple

fancy_daniel — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 19:09:46 GMT

Apres plusieurs annees de ne pas avoir lu en francais, je fait l'effort de recommencer avec des livres qui sont plus simple au lieu des livres qui se trouve dans ma petite bibliotheque. Est-ce qu'on peut faire des recommendations dans ce tribus?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 8 replies

what is

jmparker — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 22:45:50 GMT

"ca me fait chiller"?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 19 replies

Peace Corps and Africa?

itsoktoplay — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:07:08 GMT

Anybody in this tribe who served in Francophone West Africa? Development and humanitarian workers as well. A new tribe for those who may be traveling to Africa or looking to serve there or have done either. You are welcome to join us at the RPCV tribe in the community and culture nest. thanks and great feedback here always a pleasure visting the frenchy!!! tribe. - Patrick Le Normand

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Good place to meet crunchy/hippie Frenchies in NYC?

BlossomingLotus — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 22:19:14 GMT

Hey there tribees,
Know of any hidden, out of the way spots in NYC where one can meet laid-back, green-goddess loving, dreaded Frenchies? w/whom to chill a la BRC?

peace,
J

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Where's a good place to speak French in SF?

rubenfaer — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 02:26:20 GMT

i've been taking lessons for a little bit, and wondered if anyone hangs out in real life, or just virtually

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

NYC Transit Strike expressions

Flying-Wedges — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:39:01 GMT

How does one say "I am so screwed"!!

My 3 remaining finals are next week, and these yahoos might decide to strike.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 13 replies

Just how many french canadians {Québécois ou d'autres provinces}in this here tribe

Beotuque-Or-QaYaata — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:44:08 GMT

Hi being relativeLy new on this "TRIBE tm" congregation here , I find it rather challenging to figure out how many feLLow french canadian let alone québécois -es out of Montréal metropolis....
Perhaps it ¸should necessitate a new specific "tribe" but î wonder if there is yet a substantial ratio. I am for one inclined to believe both linguistic , historical and cultural issues tend legitimate this option but i could not necessarily assume the undertaking of said project, for severe lack of time and typing skills (i being WaáÂàaÿ too sLoóOòow with the keyboard....§iriou§Lÿ!)

Des opinions/suggestions/précisions ?

jÂn pâQèt,
¸ Québec, QC, QaNaDa...

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Good Books?

thespisis — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:36:50 GMT

My French is not very good right now, and I'd like to increase my comprehension of it. I *love* to read, and I thought it might help to get some good books to read in French. I will pretty much read any type of fiction from kids books to horror and romance (my two favorites). Any suggestions?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 21 replies

new here

viscountess_sheshire_kitten — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:15:14 GMT

hi, i'm christine, i'm new on this tribe. i'm french, living in france, in a town call albertville (remember olympic games in 1992)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 12 replies

New Year's Eve: HABANA COPACABANA (San Francisco)

AbFabGab — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 13:37:21 GMT

Ladies- time to bust out your "inner showgirl" and guys-your Rico Suave, because you won't want to miss HABANA COPACABANA!

We'll be ringing in 2006 at Habana Restaurant, 2080 Van Ness Ave. at Pacific in Pac. Heights. You'll definitely want to join us for a “fiesta fantastica” on New Year's Eve because we were able to negotiate a FANTASTIC deal that you won't believe:

$25 for two drinks of your choice, appetizers, dessert buffet and a glass of champagne @ midnight. Muy fabuloso!!!

Party begins at 10:00pm and goes until ~1:30am.

Pre-payment of $25 by PayPal required via the following link: www.evite.com/respond/payGuestSplash

Guest list strictly enforced! This event will likely sell out, so register today.

The fiesta fantastica is also a fun-raiser fundraiser. A portion of all ticket proceeds will go to benefit Kashmir Earthquake Relief (KER), a USA-based volunteer collective effort to help the victims of the October 8, 2005 earthquake in Kashmir rapidly rebuild their lives and communities. To learn more, please click on www.kashmirrelief.org/

Music and passion will be THE fashion at Habana Copacabana, so costumes or colorful cocktail attire--festive with a flair!

We look forward to saying "Bienvenido a Habana" & celebrating a FELIZ AÑO NUEVO 2006 with you.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Conversation French / English

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:19:20 GMT

Hey, I'm a 20 year old student =) and I wanna perfect my english speaking, so I propose a one-to-one free conversation exchange (like 30min speaking in french, 30 in english) to american students or visitors who are coming in France and want to improve their French.

here is my mail: julien88@hotmail.com

see you soon! =)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

attn hotmail users

merryheart — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 22:03:16 GMT

In case you didn't know about this feature, you can change the language in which you view hotmail. Your e-mails, of course, are not affected, but everything else is.

For example, my inbox is my "boite de reception," and when I download a file I 'telecharge un fichier". It's a fun way to see a little French every day, so I figured this is the place to find people who might appreciate something like that. :)

If you click on "Options" on the top right of your screen, click on "Personal" on the left and you will see "language" as the fourth option on the list. There are many to choose from, so go crazy!

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 5 replies

Water of life

Sun, 20 Nov 2005 12:30:57 GMT

A friend of mine in Brest sent me a bottle of "Chouchenn", aka Hydromel. I believe it is the wine made from honey, about 13% alcohol by volume. (Is this what I have heard referred to as "mead"?) Anyway, it's damn good- a smokey, not-too-sweet honey whisper in a glass.

I've long been a fan of armagnac (despite it being out of fashoin for women) and am always willing to try out any eau de vie (mirabelle, yum!) offered to me. But the Chouchenn was new to me, and I realized there must be lots and lots of artisinally produced, or even regionally industrial alcohol/liqueurs/eaux de vie, etc. out there in the Hexagone!

Does anyone have any experience with an alcohol that they have enjoyed (or not enjoyed!), beside the usual suspect of good old fermented grape juice? I'm looking for new things to try out and to learn about, but also just a glimmer of the richness of France's regional culinary tradition- booze in this case.

Mercy buckets!

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 16 replies

Online French TV

Flying-Wedges — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 22:37:52 GMT

Any links to online French tv or newscasts, or anything in French,preferably with subtitles?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 11 replies

Riots & Strikes

kip-Cherone — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 19:53:12 GMT

I'm not the great world traveler that some of you are, so my vacations are pretty special and i get pretty excited.

So I have to say, on the eve of my next trip to europe, that First, they try to burn down paris, THEN they are having a train strike.

GRRRRR....... It's cause i'm an ugly american, right? ;-)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

Canadian French

Flying-Wedges — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 23:43:44 GMT

Is the French spoken in Canada essentially the same as spoken in France? I imagine Quebecian French uses idioms and slang different than those used in France, just like the difference between the US and England when it comes to English. And the vocabulary is different, but a native speaker would completely understand the context of the other country's lingo.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 31 replies

Que tragique! Woman is burned in riots.

missadventure — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 02:17:15 GMT

Does anyone here know anyone who lives there? How do they feel about what is going on? When will it end?

http://www.lefigaro.fr/societe/20051105.FIG0004.html

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 54 replies

Cooking shows

Flying-Wedges — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:12:33 GMT

How does one say "Iron Chef" in French, as in the cooking show? According to one website, the literal Japanes translation is "Ryori no Tetsujin" (Cooking Iron Man). Homme de Fer Qui Cuisinant? Or simply Cuisinier de Fer?

Merci

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 18 replies

This/that was the best thing that could have happened.

Flying-Wedges — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:16:03 GMT

Salut:
I am not quite sure how one says this sentence in French. My version is:
C'etait la meillure chose que avoir pu se passer. I found lots of different phrases in the dictionary using happened, but not 'that could have happened'

Merci

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

le parallele de mysogine pour une femme

8a — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 18:46:08 GMT

Desole pour ceux qui ont deja vu ce post, il a peut-etre plus de monde ici...

Quel serait le terme correspondant pour une femme qui n'aime pas les hommes?

Serait-ce "mysoandre", mais le problème c'est que c'est pas du français?

Any idea???

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 9 replies

Evenements dans l'area de la baie de SF

Martinote — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 07:16:17 GMT

Bay Area Francophile List

http://www.sonoma.edu/users/t/toczyski/BAFLHomepage.shtml

revise tous les semaines

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Burning cars

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:18:11 GMT

Short bit on the current preferred method of expression in certain parts of France:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/13/MNG0JFNGV21.DTL

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Arret sur Images on France 5

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 17:22:08 GMT

Salut,

This week's Arrêt sur Images (http://www.france5.fr/asi/) was particularly interesting.

The subject was the foreign (and also French) coverage of the émeutes, and with the foreign journalists on the show and lots of clips from all over, the discussion on how current events are being presented was very rich.

It's not the show to watch in order to understand the issues, but if you are interested in the media and how they work, differ and affect, I recommend it.

You can watch the whole thing or different segments here:
http://www.france5.fr/asi/007548/11/129999.cfm

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Le Racisme - Sain et Sauf en France

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:52:08 GMT

Entendu cet après-midi:

"Tu as entendu parler de toute cette violence dans les banlieues?"

"Ah oui, tous ces jeunes."

"Et les mariages mixtes."

"Il ne faut pas oublier les Marocains."

-deux vielles dames dans le rayon pâtes d'un hypermarché Leclerc en Aquitaine.

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Other thoughts on current events

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:27:16 GMT

I enjoy these Web sites for their content as well as the style of the authors. And there are timely comments on current events this time around:

French Word-A-Day (you can subscribe!)
http://french-word-a-day.typepad.com/motdujour/2005/11/meute.html

French Wine-A-Day (you can subscribe!)
http://a-la-recherche-du-vin.typepad.com/french_wine_a_day/2005/11/07/index.html#a0007349791

For those who are interested in lots of details about semantics in today's politics (specifically, Sarkozy's "racaille" talk):
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/3619/

Peace.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Verlan explique

Martinote — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 04:46:20 GMT

Le verlan est une forme d'argot, qui consiste à inverser les syllabes à l'intérieur d'un mot, accompagné parfois d'une élision.

Récupérée de « http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verlan »

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 4 replies

What's your favourit french poem?

lizzyrose — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:15:05 GMT

Une Charogne

Rappelez-vous l'objet que nous vîmes, mon âme,
Ce beau matin d'été si doux :
Au détour d'un sentier une charogne infâme
Sur un lit semé de cailloux,

Les jambes en l'air, comme une femme lubrique,
Brûlante et suant les poisons,
Ouvrait d'une façon nonchalante et cynique
Son ventre plein d'exhalaisons.

Le soleil rayonnait sur cette pourriture,
Comme afin de la cuire à point,
Et de rendre au centuple à la grande nature
Tout ce qu'ensemble elle avait joint ;

Et le ciel regardait la carcasse superbe
Comme une fleur s'épanouir.
La puanteur était si forte, que sur l'herbe
Vous crûtes vous évanouir.

Les mouches bourdonnaient sur ce ventre putride,
D'où sortaient de noirs bataillons
De larves, qui coulaient comme un épais liquide
Le long de ces vivants haillons.

Tout cela descendait, montait comme une vague,
Ou s'élançait en pétillant ;
On eût dit que le corps, enflé d'un souffle vague,
Vivait en se multipliant.

Et ce monde rendait une étrange musique,
Comme l'eau courante et le vent,
Ou le grain qu'un vanneur d'un mouvement rythmique
Agite et tourne dans son van.

Les formes s'effaçaient et n'étaient plus qu'un rêve,
Une ébauche lente à venir,
Sur la toile oubliée, et que l'artiste achève
Seulement par le souvenir.

Derrière les rochers une chienne inquiète
Nous regardait d'un oeil fâché,
Épiant le moment de reprendre au squelette
Le morceau qu'elle avait lâché.

Et pourtant vous serez semblable à cette ordure,
A cette horrible infection,
Étoile de mes yeux, soleil de ma nature,
Vous, mon ange et ma passion !

Oui ! telle vous serez, ô reine des grâces,
Après les derniers sacrements,
Quand vous irez, sous l'herbe et les floraisons grasses.
Moisir parmi les ossements.

Alors, ô ma beauté ! dites à la vermine
Qui vous mangera de baisers,
Que j'ai gardé la forme et l'essence divine
De mes amours décomposés !

Translation:
A Carcass

My love, do you recall the object which we saw,
That fair, sweet, summer morn!
At a turn in the path a foul carcass
On a gravel strewn bed,

Its legs raised in the air, like a lustful woman,
Burning and dripping with poisons,
Displayed in a shameless, nonchalant way
Its belly, swollen with gases.

The sun shone down upon that putrescence,
As if to roast it to a turn,
And to give back a hundredfold to great Nature
The elements she had combined;

And the sky was watching that superb cadaver
Blossom like a flower.
So frightful was the stench that you believed
You'd faint away upon the grass.

The blow-flies were buzzing round that putrid belly,
From which came forth black battalions
Of maggots, which oozed out like a heavy liquid
All along those living tatters.

All this was descending and rising like a wave,
Or poured out with a crackling sound;
One would have said the body, swollen with a vague breath,
Lived by multiplication.

And this world gave forth singular music,
Like running water or the wind,
Or the grain that winnowers with a rhythmic motion
Shake in their winnowing baskets.

The forms disappeared and were no more than a dream,
A sketch that slowly falls
Upon the forgotten canvas, that the artist
Completes from memory alone.

Crouched behind the boulders, an anxious dog
Watched us with angry eye,
Waiting for the moment to take back from the carcass
The morsel he had left.

— And yet you will be like this corruption,
Like this horrible infection,
Star of my eyes, sunlight of my being,
You, my angel and my passion!

Yes! thus will you be, queen of the Graces,
After the last sacraments,
When you go beneath grass and luxuriant flowers,
To molder among the bones of the dead.

Then, O my beauty! say to the worms who will
Devour you with kisses,
That I have kept the form and the divine essence
Of my decomposed love!

Charles Baudelaire

how about you?????

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 32 replies

ny avignon french film fest

abha — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 01:04:08 GMT

http://www.abhadawesar.com/blog.html

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Carte Noire Coffee

Aileron — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 04:05:19 GMT

Anyone know the difference between regular Carte Noire coffee and Carte Noire Voluptuoso?

Is one stronger than the other?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 11 replies

verlang

jmparker — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:55:56 GMT

I have a kitten I want to name.
I'd like to name it 'chat', but in verlang.
So, if the 't' is silent at the end of 'chat', is it still silent at the beginning of 'tahc'?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 19 replies

c'est quoi, un aventurier?

jmparker — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 19:56:36 GMT

Si quelqu'un t'appelle un aventurier, c'est un compliment ou... le contraire?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 15 replies

Herisson

minorswing — Wed, 20 Oct 2004 04:14:44 GMT

Je veux voir un herisson.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 39 replies

Cependant and pourtant" Quelle est la difference?

Flying-Wedges — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 20:06:18 GMT

Somone asked what the difference was between cependant and pourtant was, and my professor didn't know. The next day she found out their was an extremely minor difference, that cependant was a little less strong and more literary than pourtant.

Any Francophones here know the difference?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 3 replies

Pamplemousse

minorswing — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 14:59:27 GMT

presse! et avec vodka! :)

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 1 reply

I need a recommendation for a new dictionary

Flying-Wedges — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:25:01 GMT

I need a good French-English English French dictionary. Not the size of the Oxford English dictionary. My vocabulary is horrible. Especially helpful is help to translate common expressions that someone would use in English, but is a pain to translate because I end up trying to translate every single word, instead of the general expression, such as " Whenever that occurs" or "That reminds me of.." etc.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 2 replies

French for Reading

Flying-Wedges — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 12:41:52 GMT

by Karl Sandberg. Anyone here find this useful for learning French grammar as claimed by about a testimonials on amazon? It's pretty pricey and I would probably have to order this.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 0 replies

Amis de la Poesie bonjour ! ...

Oneagain — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 17:19:41 GMT

What's your favorite French swear words ?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 20 replies

Se rendre compte

Flying-Wedges — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:06:55 GMT

Is the reflexive pronoun in this verb/expression an indirect or a direct object? I assume it is an indirect object because a noun follows the verb, as do reflexive verbs such as se laver les mains and se brosser les dents.

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 8 replies

Zero c'est pas OK

raouf — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 22:19:32 GMT

Le sign de joindre le pouce à l'indexe et étendre les autres doigts veut dire zero ou nullité en "français".
En "anglais" ça veut dire OK

Quelles autres signes de main deuvent être traduites?

posted in Frenchy!!!! - 3 replies