You see, a bear isn't a mountain animal...
One of the 5 Slovenian bears, imported to the French Pyrenees earlier this year, has died. Authories suppose the animal fell of a cliff. They state it broke lots of bones in several parts of its body.
Opponents of the reintroduction of the bear are claim the accident proves that they're right: ,,You see, a bear isn't a mountain animal.'' They feel aggrieved: ,,If one of us would have killed the animal, everybody would be searching for the killer.''
Posted by Peter at 07:19 AM [What do you think?]
A fence around the top Mont-Blanc
The phenomena is well known. Climbing the Mont-Blanc is like being in a traffic jam. 25,000 people try to every year.
It's enough now, says the mair of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in L'Express. Most of the climbers do not show any respect for the environment. They think it's normal to leave their garbage in nature. And with new tourist floodsfrom Russia, China and India coming up, it's going to get worse.
So, he wants to limit the the numbers by a reservation system. Further more, every climber must be accompanied by a certified guide: If such a system is possible in the Himalaya and the United States, why not in France?.''
Posted by Peter at 07:12 AM [5 reactions]
A gripping book, better than De Sade
You were looking for a gripping book? You found the Marquis de Sade interesting? Then there's a newly found old book for you.
While De Sade was writing 120 Days of Sodom in the Bastille prison in Paris, a few cells away the Marquis de Pelleport was writing Les Bohémiens. The first got famous, the second was forgotten.
Now, that's just not fair, says the Dutch Royal Libray. De Pelleport was, apart from being a bandit, a gossip journalist, who loved to talk dirty about Louis XV and his court.
The book of the forgotten marquis is about a travelling group of filosophers. Between their philosophical debates they fuck around with women anyway they like. Or: they have philosophical debates when there are no women available.
So, it seems to be a lot like De Sade. According to the Royal Library however, De Pelleport is by far a better writer. So enjoy... You may if you can read Dutch. A Les BohémiensDutch version is to be presented on Thursday. Strange enough, I couldn't find an English or a French version. If you speak English and you happen to be in The Hague, you may attend the presentation of the Dutch version in the Royal Library. It will be in English, because the man who found the book finally, was an American professor.
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM [2 reactions]
Sailing without waves
You like to sail on the wind, but you hate the waves? You're one of those they invented sandyachting for. For about 22 euro you can have a 2 hour stage in Le Touquet, Dunkerque, Berck or Marck, enough to learn to drive yourself.
But hey, you want to see how much fun sandyachting can be first. You're most welcome in Le Touquet, where the world championships sandyachting 2006 will be held from september 23 till september 27.
Posted by Peter at 07:11 AM [What do you think?]
The French are getting very old
The French still have a trauma from a hot summer some years ago, when lots of elder people died from lack of care. Both staff in homes for the elderly and family were on holidays. Now, the health department makes a 'plan anti-canicule' every year to make sure this will not happen again.
But even after the disastrous summer, the French tend to get very old. According to Le Figaro, over 20,000 people are over 100 years now. Just to compare: Holland, having a populations only four times smalles then France, just has 1,100 men and women that are already living for a century.
Posted by Peter at 07:15 AM [1 reaction]
Another special bridge, in Rouen this time
They're doing it again, the Eiffel people who got their name from the man that build the famous tower.After the Millau Bridge they're now building another special bridge. A new bridge over the Seine in Rouen will be Europes largest elevator bridge, as Le Moniteur reports. France 3 shows how the part that will be lifted is placed (1300 tons) width millimeter accuracy.
The new bridge is meant to be used by log-distance traffic on north-south trajects. It will be opened in 2008.
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM [What do you think?]
'You don't put Flipper in a delphinarium'
The safari park Planète Sauvage near Nantes will be extended with Europes largest delphinarium. At least, that's what the park wants. Lots of groups fight the plans, claiming the mammals should not live in captivity. They're supported by a remarkable man, as Libération reports: Ric o'Barry, the man who trained dolphins for the famous Flipper tv-series. ,,The dolphins will suffer. No concrete box is big enough to house them,'' he states.
Fact is, the sea is the natural environment of dolphins. Now you may spot them there. Cote d'Azur based companies like Peche au gros and ActiLoisirs offer dolphin sapharis. If you're willing to spend a day and a few hundred euro, you may even swim between Flipper and his mates.
If you find them, that is. From the stats on the Actiloisirs website, we deduce lots of excursions were carried out without finding dolphins. Sometimes potfish or finfish pass by. Again, you must be lucky. But hey, this is nature, not a delphinarium.
Posted by Peter at 07:10 AM [1 reaction]
Corsican nationalists killed in job accident
On the wonderful island of Corsica they're used to nationalist bomb attacks. Mostly, they are not much of a problem. They're aimed at gouvernment buildings or houses owned by French from the mainland, but always explode when there's nobody around.
Now, two people have been killed by a nationalist bomb. The victims were nationalists, who were transporting the bomb. Obviously, they were too close to the bomb when something went wrong. L'Express reports a third nationalist was wounded and is arrested.
Posted by Peter at 07:13 AM [What do you think?]
Sailing on canals only allowed in groups
For the time being, sailing on French canals is only allowed in groups. That is, you may sail without the company of other ships, but at the many locks you will have to wait till others arrive. The French channel-authority VNF has decided only groups of boats will be locked through.
TV-station France 3 reports this is necessary because of the continuing dryness. The water level in most canals is very, very low. The French have special lakes to supply the channels with water, but these lakes are nearly empty.
In many canals the draught is restricted. The canal-harbour of Epinal can not be reached at all.
Posted by Peter at 07:15 AM [What do you think?]
Burglary at presidential candidate: a French Watergate?
Does France has its own watergate scnadal? Fact is there has been a burglary in the house of presidential candidate Ségolène Royal. To start with, she is angry this news has reached Le Figaro. She blames the French home department for it. The department denies.
Strange fact: Le Figaro reported jewels has been stolen. According to Royal, nothing has been stolen, but her house is a complete mess. Everything has been turned upside down. She does not yet blame the home department for the burglary. But she did state she checked the security of her telephone lines...
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM [What do you think?]
Eurodisney isn't (always) a fairy-tale
Eurodisney isn't always a fairy-tale. For instance, since sunday the parks 45 photographers are on strike for better wages. The CDTF Union says their wages are just at the social minimum, sometimes even lower, reports Nouvel Observateur. According to Le Figaro, social conflicts are mounting up at Eurodisney.
Meanwhile, the union has another problem with Eurodisney. The Molly Brown, something like an old Missisippi boat that used to sail Lake Frontierland, suffered from a fire last year. According to the CDTF, the boat is rotting at the Quay of Being Forgotten ever since. Rapair is more important then the boat alone, the union claims: ,,Exploitation of the entire park is the only guarantee for a goof future.''
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM [3 reactions]
Dryness and a complete flood
The summer is extreme in France. In the south, extreme dryness causes more and more problem. A few little showers were far too less to get back to normal. Some rivers have no water at all. In others, like the Vézère, the water level is on an alarming level. In the Dordogne area alone, seven inspectors try to track illegal irrigation, according to Le Monde.
On the other hand, way up in the North they do know again what harm water can do. On sunday, in the province of Pas-de-Calais about 270 houses were surrounded by a meter of water on the streets according to France 2.
Posted by Peter at 07:11 AM [What do you think?]
Crisis: lavender is dying in the Provence
The Provence area is famous for its fields filled with lavender. At least, it still is. The well scenting plant is disappearing fast, if we may believe lavender farmers. They're crying out loud about the health of the lavender. The past dry years weren't good at all to the bushes. The severe last winter was bad for the lavender, as was the following dryness in spring in summer. Above all that, a disease kills lots of plants, taking profit of the weak condition of the lavender. It is said half of all lavender bushes has died already.
Now of course farmers may plant new bushes, but it takes three years before they've grown enough to give a good harvest. Meanwhile, the farmers ask for support from Paris and Brussels.
Posted by Peter at 07:16 AM [1 reaction]
Controlled wandering, using your TomTom
This message has nothing to do with France, except for being very usefull while wandering around with your car.
You know it's fun to just drive around on the smallest roads on the French countryside. There's only one problem: in these areas there's not really a good system of road signs.
Car navigation like TomTom or Garmin doesn't help because it doesn't understand wandering. It wants to take you fast from A to B, nothing else. Until now.
Take Google Earth and place as many flags as you like on points you know wou want to see.
Now for TomTom you download and install Google-TomTom. Garmin-owners visit this site. Bottom line: you end up with a small file, that may be loaded into your car navigator.
Never get lost again...
Posted by Peter at 07:18 AM [3 reactions]
Bombayses de Lille
So you've had a great party? The one problem with great parties is you want more of them.
So, the city of Lille really enjoyed being the European Cultutural Capital in 2004. Sad enough, in 2005 the city found the party was over.
Now, they're planning to organize a huge festival every two years, at least until the year 3000.
This series of events starts this year, october 14th, being dedicated to India. First, there will be a long, carnavalesque party parade, followed by three months loaded with exhibitions, theatre, musi, refurbishing of the streets and new surprising activities in empty indrustial buildings.
By the way, in Lille they are already planning the 2008 festival. It will be dedicated to Eastern Europe.
Posted by Peter at 07:20 AM [What do you think?]
The Notre Dame in Paris to find at Square John-Paul II
The famous Notre Dame in Paris is to find at Square John-Paul II from september third. The mair of Paris will rename the square in front of the church, watched by catholic dignataries.
However, according to Le Figaro the church will not speed up the process of beatification of the popular Polish pope, who died last year.
Lots of catholics feel this should be done inmediately. Among them, some nuns in the Paris Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The pope visited this place at Rue du Bac, where Mary should have occurred in 1830, when he was just elected in 1980.
Posted by Peter at 07:13 AM [What do you think?]
