Pounds and Ounces, Stones and Gallons

Pounds and Ounces, Stones and Gallons: Exploring Their Origins Pondering Pounds Have you ever wondered why the abbreviation for pound, both as a unit of weight and as currency, is “lb” or represented as £ (an L with a line through it)? The answer lies in the Latin word “libra.” In astrology, Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac, is symbolized by scales due to its association with balance, weights, and measurements. In ancient Rome, the standard unit of weight was "libra pondo," which meant "a pound by weight" in Latin. The English word "pound" is derived from the "pondo" part of this phrase, while the abbreviation “lb.” comes from "libra." Similarly, the symbol for the British pound (£) also traces its origins to "libra pondo," as the value of the pound was once equivalent to the price of a pound of silver. Interestingly, other currencies, such as the former Italian lira and the current Turkish lira, also have their roots in "libra." Then there is the pound symbol (#), al…
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  • 29 décembre 2025
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Our favorite 8 Museums just outside Paris

Whether you are a tourist or a Parisian, you have most definitely visited museums such as Le Louvre or Le Musée d'Orsay. Yes, they are absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth a visit but we are lucky enough to also have some hidden treasures Museums just outside Paris ! Not only you can discover some amazing things while getting some freqh air out of town but also a lot of them are free or inexpensive and you don't have to queue for hours to get in! In fact for some you need to reserve in advance so check the websites.  These are all accessible by train or car. Here are our 8 favorite museums just outside Paris, many of which have the "Maison des illustres" label which signals their importance in French culture. The * distinguishes them. Musée Rodin * This beautiful estate in Meudon includes an extraordinary park overlooking Paris. It has the "Maison des illustres" label as you might expect. The visit begins with the Villa des Brillants, Rodin’s home for the last 20 year…
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  • 22 décembre 2025
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The Saints on the map of Paris

Whether you walk across Paris or look at the metro or street map, you often see places named after a Saint. Such familiar names as St Genevieve, St Denis, St Vincent de Paul etc... Have you ever wondered who were these saints on the map of Paris and what their history was? We did! Here is a bit of history on the Saints on the map of Paris.

Sainte Geneviève

Logically the patron saint of Paris, St. Geneviève, is the one you come across most often. Her statue by Paul Landowski graces the Pont de La Tournelle in the 4th district. There is also one in Jardin du Luxembourg. She is on the front of Notre Dame as well. The Catholic church is celebrating the 1600th anniversary of Genevieve this year. A relic, her index finger, and her sarcophagus is in a chapel dedicated to her in the church of St Etienne du Mont a church in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte Geneviève where she lived and prayed.

She was born in Nanterre in about the …
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  • 15 décembre 2025
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English speaking Musicians in France

Here's a set of English speaking musicians in France that we think you'll want to discover. Three of our selection of rising musicians in France are female Americans. They offer distinctly different styles all inspiring and uplifting.  Our fourth selection is a British expat who has just wrote his first song in French.

Emma Doucet Having grown up with a father as a musician, Emma has been singing and listening to music since she was born. During her years of traveling the world, she developed a capacity to sing divinatory songs. People, places and intentions create these songs. Sometimes you recognize the name of an ancestor, the spirits of a culture, trees or other familiar words. Sometimes words are not understandable and only vibrations and syllables can be felt.  Emma performs spontaneous melodies or classics in her sweet airy voice. She's a multi-talent musician with a special love for the guitar, the Celtic harp, the voice and percussion. She performs…
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  • 1 décembre 2025
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Speak Easy – Etre marteau

Time to do a Speak Easy puzzle! The Speak Easy Puzzle was a popular feature in the FUSAC magazine for more than 25 years. Readers liked them so much they would cut them out and save the whole collection. It is widely used by teachers of English and French as well. Because they were so popular we combined them into a lively book illustrated with watercolors. This Crazy Speak Easy Puzzle is one of 150 puzzles in a 3 volume collection which is available exclusively at Bill & Rosa's Book Room or by email : BRBookRoom@gmail.com There are more sample Speak Easy Puzzles on our website.
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  • 24 novembre 2025
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Bicycle visibility

Darkness is here: Visibility for biking and pedestrians

" ' Dans les jours qui suivent le changement d’heure, le nombre de morts parmi les piétons augmente de 42 %, entre 17 heures et 19 heures ', ajoute la Sécurité routière. " Quote from Le Parisien 26 October 2024

The months of "darkness", October through January, are the deadliest for pedestrians and bicylcists as busy traffic during commuting times takes place after sunset. In particular there is a 42% increase in fatalities right after daylight savings time ends. When daylight savings time ends and you have daylight from only 8 am to 4 pm there's a lot of bike riding and walking that is done in the dark. How can you put the odds of being seen on your side? Wear light colored and reflective clothing. According to highway security if you wear black you are visible at a distance of 20 meters, with reflective clothing you can be visible at a distance of 150m. That makes a huge difference…
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  • 17 novembre 2025
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The Prix Goncourt, France’s prestigious literary prize

The Prix Goncourt, France's prestigious literary prize The Prix Goncourt is a French literary prize given each year to an outstanding work in prose. Usually, novels are preferred. It is the most prestigious literary award in France and in literary circles it is considered the French equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize and it was awarded on November 4th this year.  The prize is named after the Goncourt brothers, Edmond and Jules, known as art critics and writers of novels and diaries in the 19th century. Their relationship was quite unique, they not only never spent a day apart in their life, called themselves Juldemond and claimed to be twins (although they were born eight years apart) but they also wrote together all of their novels and non-fiction and even their journal, which they wrote using the « dual dictation » technique, where one brother dictated to the other. Their style of writing was so similar that it was impossible to tell which brother wrote a particular passage. T…
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  • 11 novembre 2025
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Remembrance Day in Paris

Royal British Legion Paris Branch Remembrance Day Ceremony in Paris, 11th November, 14h30 The Royal British Legion Paris Branch will be holding the annual 11th November Remembrance Day Ceremony at Les Invalides (Eglise Saint Louis) in Paris at 15h00, for the English speaking community.  All are welcome. Everyone must be seated by 14h30. For security reasons, visitors need to register by the 3rd November via the following email address: janetwarby@yahoo.com This Remembrance Day Ceremony has been held in Paris by the Royal British Legion every year since 1924, (apart from the War years).  The tradition was started by the unveiling of the British Commonwealth Memorial Plaque in Notre Dame Cathedral by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1924.  This Ceremony was conducted in the presence of the President of France, Monsieur Gaston Doumergues and Marshall Foch. For those wishing to obtain a Poppy for Remembrance Day, RBL Poppy boxes have been distributed in different locations arou…
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  • 6 novembre 2025
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A Visit to Paris’s Place des Etats-Unis

Visit the Place des Etats-Unis or "United States Square", a public space in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, about 500 m south of the Place de l'Étoile and the Arc de Triomphe. It is a tree-lined, landscaped square, approximately 140 meters long and 30 meters wide which forms a pleasant and shady pocket park. The park in the center is officially named Square Thomas Jefferson, but buildings on three sides have Place-des-États-Unis addresses. Place des Etats-Unis contains several monuments to American participation in WWI and the American Revolution. The Place des États-Unis was originally called Place de Bitche to honor a town in the Moselle department in northeastern France that valiantly resisted Prussian invasion in 1870. Levi P. Morton, the American ambassador to France, established at number 3 Place de Bitche, his residence and the United States embassy in 1881. The square's name was changed after the similarity between the name of the Moselle city and the En…
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  • 30 octobre 2025
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