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Useful telephone numbers

Useful telephone numbers for France: English speaking, emergency and helpful services. Vocal Spam: Had enough? Make a complaint. Have you ever received an SMS from someone you don't know who invites you to call them back urgently at a number that is costly to call (it might start with 08 or it might be a 4 digit number) or to click a link or respond by SMS to a 5 digit number? You might be alerted that you have a package or that you won something, etc. It is likely to be spam and expensive if you respond. UNlike the spam on your email you can actually report a spam sms. First transfer the message to 33700, they will respond and ask you to then sms the phone number that sent you the sms. Voilà, easy as that to report and if there are enough complaint they spammers will have their phone number cut off! CPAM / Assurance Malade, or “Ameli” which is the French administrative body that manages healthcare has English-speaking service numbers: 36 46 or 08.11.36.3…

Baptiste W. Hamon, entre folk US et chanson française

Baptiste W. Hamon, entre folk US et chanson française Baptiste W. Hamon sort son premier ALBUM intitulé L’INSOUCIANCE, entre songwriting folk US et chanson réaliste française, comme une évidence pour ce passionné d’histoire et de cultures américaines autant que de belles lettres. « J'ai d’abord commencé à écrire des poèmes vers 17 ans, tout en écoutant des vieux disques de Townes Van Zandt et Leonard Cohen. A force d’émotions et de frissons procurés par leurs mots et leurs voix (avec quelques autres comme Bob Dylan, John Prine, ou Guy Clark), j’ai eu envie de m’y mettre aussi et d’essayer d’en faire autant avec mes mots à moi, dans ma langue à moi ». Après avoir commencé par écrire des chansons en anglais sous le nom de Texas in Paris - il a ainsi approché la scène folk scandinave quand il finissait ses études en ingénierie à Trondheim en Norvège - il se met à son retour à écrire dans sa langue maternelle. « C’est après avoir beaucoup écouté Barbara, Serge Reggiani et Ge…

Smoke detector countdown

We have had a smoke detector in our suburban Paris home for many years – it seems “normal” to me, but I realized how unusual its actually was when my housekeeper reported a mouse sound coming from the landing one day while we were on a trip. Thinking that we probably didn't have mice, but not wanting this sound to go without investigation I asked a neighbor to stop by. They couldn't figure it out. The next week my housekeeper saw nothing new and yet heard the peep again. I was quite perplexed, but since there were no other signs I did not pursue the matter. Upon arriving at home and going upstairs I immediately heard the beep of the the smoke detector reminding us to change an expiring battery. A few mintues later I burst out laughing as I realized that the smoke detector was the mouse. The incident made me realize that smoke detectors were not very common. In fact, in France only two percent of homes are fitted with detectors as opposed to 97 percent in Norway and…

Le Guide des USA à Paris

FUSAC a été mentionné dans Le Guide des USA à Paris, Editions Chêne, 2014

Exhibition Le Chat – Philippe Geluck

Le Chat is, as you may know, a comic strip by the Belgian cartoonist Philippe Geluck. It is one of the bestselling Franco-Belgian comics series. The title character, an adult, human-sized, anthropomorphic cat, first appeared in March 22, 1983 in a daily newspaper called "Le Soir". Le Chat is deeply embedded in Belgian (and French) culture.

The character often comes up with elaborate reasonings which lead to hilariously absurd conclusions e.g. by taking metaphors literally or by adding increasingly unlikely what-ifs to ordinary situations. "Can we laugh about everything?" was wondering the French humorist Pierre Desproges. According to Philippe Geluck, the answer is yes! Le chat can be very controversial and politically incorrect which is something the cartoonist wanted to voice through his famous character. In regard to people who are uncomfortable with this belief, Geluck insists that “people who don’t li…

Winged Victory

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the most well-known and prestigious pieces in the Louvre, is back in place at the head of the Daru staircase after having been restored. We are now able to see the subtle juxtaposition of the two different colors of marble that make up the statue and the ship prow base. The statue is in white marble from Paros and the complementary base in a grey marble from the Island of Rhodes. Before the restoration both marbles were covered with the poisse of time that gave a brownish tint. The Daru staircase has also been cleaned. But what is Winged Victory? How did she end up in Paris? This is a statue of a winged female figure – the messenger goddess Victory -and a base in the shape of the prow of a ship. The statue was a magnificent offering to the Great Gods of Samothrace following a naval victory and dates from the Hellenistic period. It is an unequalled masterpiece of Greek sculpture, by the striking virtuosity of its drapery as well as the…

French money: New Euro banknotes

French money: New 5 Euro notes 5 Euro notes have always been floppy and very worn, rather like dishrags. They are rather scarce too. Maybe that will all change with the introduction of a redsigned bill. This month the new € 5, the first of the new "Europa" series, was simultaneously released in all the countries that use the Euro. Have you seen it yet? It took us 3 weeks before we saw the first crisp new bill. Why make a new bill? To keep ahead of conterfeiters! The Euro notes are some of the most secure bills around, but after 10 years of circulation it was time for an update. Here's what's new. Security features have been improved and make notes more safe. The security features built into all new notes are easy to check with the method of "touch, look, tilt". Look for the new watermark and hologram showing a portrait of Europa, the character from Greek mythology who gave her name to the new series of banknotes. Tilt to see the large new number 5 change color from e…

Top 40 Children’s names USA UK France

Top 40 Children's names USA UK France There is plenty of overlap in names for babies these days. Here's a chart of the top 40 babies names to help you choose a name that will work in both languages so that your child will never be branded by their name. Then again you may want to add some creativity and attachment a name to a place. We know a boy born to an Australian Mom in Paris who is named Sidney, a little girl accidently born in Marseille to American parents is Sophie Marseille (read her story accidentally French baby), a girl to a French American couple is Miami who has a twin brother named Shane and a James born to French-British parents looking for something classic that works in both languages. Please add a comment if you know any children with lovely names. Children's names USA UK France. Article about Mother's Day in France Having a Baby in Paris: Baby Products Made in France

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