Archive for June, 2011
From Panamá To “Paname”: L’Histoire d’un Amour (A Love Story) Posted by Hichem on Jun 28, 2011
It’s just l’histoire d’un amour (a love story), banal yet eternal, that was first born in Panamá, then traveled the world through an Egyptian-born French Diva of Italian origins, to finally become a widely known French song From Panamá to “Paname” (as Paris is still nicknamed to this day, after the famous “Panama hat” in…
Attention Tourists! “Voler” in French Can Mean “To Fly”—Or “To Steal”! Posted by Hichem on Jun 28, 2011
Already in October 2008, there was mention of a baggage theft ring that “was caught at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport with approximately 450,000 euros worth of stolen goods. The baggage handlers’ finds included computers, iPods, iPhones, cell phones, jewelry, perfume, luxury shoes and travelers checks. Many items were later sold on eBay. In 2007, there were 621…
French Books to Read in the Summer Posted by Hichem on Jun 24, 2011
C’est l’été, enfin! (It’s the Summer, finally!) Many friends of mine have been telling me as of late how they’re excited to seize the opportunity of the sudden extra free time in their hands to catch up with la lecture de loisir (leisure reading)—As opposed to the force-fed textbook “reading assignments” of the school year- and they especially asked…
Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flowers of Evil) Posted by Hichem on Jun 23, 2011
Unbeknownst to many French people, Charles Baudelaire has for long cultivated “un jardin secret” (“a secret garden.”) But make no mistake about it, ladies and gentlemen: That was by no means an ordinary garden… The “flowers” he grew in there were in fact so evil that they did not require the services of un jardinier (a…
Champs-Élysées Posted by Hichem on Jun 22, 2011
Here’s a classic hit by Joe Dassin called “Les Champs-Élysées.“ Et maintenat avec les paroles traduites en anglais (and now with the lyrics translated in English): “AUX CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES“, par JOE DASSIN: Je me baladais sur l’Avenue, le cœur ouvert à l’inconnuJ’avais envie de dire bonjour à n’importe quiN’importe qui et ce fut toi, je t’ai dit…
Celebrating 30 Years of La Fête de la musique Posted by Hichem on Jun 21, 2011
Bon solstice d’été à tous ! (Happy summer solstice to all!) “Even as I write this, on fait la fête à Paris (they’re partying in Paris). Aujourd’hui, le 21 juin, c’est la Fête de la musique! (It’s the Festival of Music!)” Thus spoke Jennie, exactly a year ago, evoking her own experience of la la Fête de la musique…
Why The French Must Dump Bastille Day Posted by Hichem on Jun 20, 2011
If you are the sort of person who does not blindly celebrate dates just because others do, here’s for you a résumé of Bastille Day’s “inside story”: Contrary to the prevailing popular belief, “Bastille Day” marked a disastrous hijacking of the French Revolution, operated at the behest of an often unsuspected hostile foreign power: Great Britain, whom the…