Quite the ‘Spectre’ as James Bond cars parade through Paris [Video]

In a spectacular display to promote the latest 007 movie Spectre, a veritable cavalcade of James Bond cars paraded down the Champs Elysée and past the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday.

 

There were almost 20 cars in the parade from the Sunbeam Alpine that starred in the 1962 Dr No film, to the Aston Martin DB10 (pictured above) driven by 007 in the James Bond movie Goldfinger right through to the newer edition to be driven by James Bond in Spectre.

After standing on display at the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of the French capital, they slowly and elegantly made their way down the Champs Elysée, passing the Eiffel Tower on Sunday.

One car that was missing from the parade was the famous submarine car from the 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

The wonderfully iconic James Bond cars made a spectacular sight in Paris, as can be seen from the video at the end of  this article.

The newest addition to the 007 movies, Spectre, will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US on November 6, with Daniel Craig in his last starring role as the iconic "Bond... James Bond."



Source: The Local
Photo: 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Saloon courtesy Michael Schäfer CC by SA 3.0

Italian artist looking for needle in a haystack ... literally

We've probably all heard the term "like looking for a needle in a haystack," particularly in the case of something that is impossible to find.  Well, an artist in Italy has decided that he is going to do just that, find a needle in haystack as part of a performance art installation.

27-year-old Sven Sachsalber will be doing this during a performance at Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art gallery in Paris, France, on Thursday and Friday this week.  Whether he will find the needle in those two days remains to be seen.

The museum head, Jean de Loisy, will be placing the needle in the haystack, and then Sachsalber will do his best to find it.

Sachsalber is apparently an adept of extreme performances.  In the past he has spent 24 hours in his room in the company of a cow.  On another occasion, he ate a poisonous mushroom, and yet another he cut all the branches from a tree on which he was perched at the time.

Photo: Courtesy Palais de Tokyo

Beached whale in southern France 'could explode' (Video)

There is a lot of head-scratching going on in France right now, as officials rack their brains, trying to decide how best to deal with a dead whale, washed up on a south coast beach.  

Officials say the dead whale is virtually a ticking time bomb, as the rapidly decaying carcass could possibly explode.

In early November, the whale washed up on the beach at Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, near Montpellier on the Mediterranean coast.  It now seems experts have left it there a tad to long, and it is now urgent that they move the carcass before the gases build up so much that it explodes.

Anaïs Cheiron, project manager of the national reserve of Camargue, told the French media, “Because of the heat, gases form inside the cadaver – hence, the bulging appearance of the whale – and accumulate until they explode.”

According to a local whale expert,  Jean-Baptiste Sénégas, beached whales normally die after a collision with a ship.  Sénégas took samples of the whale's skin, muscles and fat for analysis, but stresses the carcass must be moved soon.  The dead whale can be seen in all its glory on this video from FranceTV.

Experts have been thinking of different ways to remove the carcass, either by sea or land, but they tend to favor whichever approach is the “more practical and less risky.” Cheiron did say the whale could be dragged out into the water and detonated with dynamite, but he says because of the presence of sand banks, boats are unable to get close enough to the shore to drag the whale out.

Apparently another option would be to cut the 15 tonne whale into pieces, loading the remains on to a van using a crane, for later disposal.  However, viewing the video below, that seems like it could be a pretty bad idea.  The incident in the video happened in the Faroe Islands back in 2013 and shows just how dangerous it is to cut into a dead whale carcass.   

Warning: the video has scenes which might be upsetting to those with a sensitive stomach.




Photo: Screengrab from this video

French sources:
The Local
FranceTV

‘A very unfortunate decision’: French President gets UNESCO peace prize

As French president Francois Hollande is set to receive UNESCO’s peace prize for ‘peace and stability’ in Africa, Abayomi Azikiwe, editor for Pan-African News Wire says it is an ill choice in the light of French involvement in conflict-torn Mali.

“Having assessed the dangers and the repercussions of the situation on Africa, and on Mali in particular, the jury appreciated the solidarity shown by France to the peoples of Africa,” the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize said in a statement on Thursday.

 France started a military operation in Mali on January 11, 2013, with the aim of the mission being the prevention of extremists from taking control of the northern part of the African country.

However, Abayomi Azikiwe believes the mission is not humanitarian, but fueled by economic and political interests of France, as well as other NATO member states.

RT: Some critics are saying that Hollande is a strange choice for peace award, as he is currently engaged in a military conflict. Do you think he deserves the award?

Abayomi Azikiwe: I think it’s a very unfortunate decision on the part of UNESCO to award this Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to Francois Hollande. The fact that he hasn’t been in office long, his political career since being in office as president of France has been marred by this intervention in Mali. Something that was done unilaterally; was totally unjustified. There have been reports of gross human rights violations that have taken place since the French intervention in Mali.

They’ve admitted, the Defense Ministry in Paris, that they’ve killed hundreds of people, and the operation overall is not turning out the way that France had initially planned. There’s been intense fighting in the city of Gao over the last two weeks. There were reports of one of the groups that has been targeted in northern Mali, the movement of Oneness and Jihad in West Africa has broken through the defense lines that were set up outside the city, and was inside the city, engaging both Malian and French military forces. There’s also been bombing in the mountainous areas in the north-east of Mali. These developments don’t bode well for someone who has been offered such a prestigious award for peace.

RT: But don’t those developments bode well then for the necessity of troops to be there in the first place?

AA: Not at all. We’ve found out that many of the allegations that were made in the regard to the developments in Mali turned out to be not accurate. For example, there were reports that the Ahmed Baba institute which exists in Timbuktu, and houses tens of thousands of ancient historical documents going back to the 13th century in Mali, had been burnt down by the Islamists, which turned out to be totally inaccurate. It was not burnt to the ground, the manuscripts were not destroyed - many of them were moved to another location. Also, reports that the Islamists would have overrun the country if France hadn’t intervened, that still is unsubstantiated.

The problem with intervention by France is that it is not the intervention that is going to gain the support of people inside of Mali and also people throughout the entire region, of West Africa as well as North Africa.

RT: Why then do we hear these voices in Mali, “Yes, we are happy that France is here”, “Yes, we want them here”, “Yes, they are bringing stability”?
 
AA: It depends on who you’re speaking with. There are many people there who have given interviews to the international media despite the news blackout that’s been imposed by France in the Malian government. Many people there are saying that there are violations to fundamental human and civil rights that are taking place inside the country that is actually are being fostered by the military and the government in Paris.

And of course, this is being fueled by the economic crisis that exists in France. They have the highest unemployment rate that they’ve had for many years that almost 11 per cent; they have a huge deficit which they’re trying to deal with. Hollande went to Greece just two days ago on a state visit, and he was met by a general strike. People in Greece are off the job because of the austerity that’s being imposed and throughout the entire southern and western European regions. So this intervention is not a humanitarian one, it’s based upon the economic and political interests of France, as well as other countries in NATO, and also including the US as well because the US is actually transporting troops to Mali.

To the source: http://www.rt.com/op-edge/hollande-unesco-peace-prize-267/

Frenchman offers himself on 'Amazon' with a creative CV

These days it can be hard to find a job, so a Parisian decided to come up with a brand new idea for offering his services. A mock Amazon.com web page offering himself for bids, which is now going viral online. 

Philippe Dubost is looking for a job, based on his skills as a web product manager. Its a difficult market these days, with so much unemployment. However, what better way for a web product manager to find a position than to offer himself as a, well, web product? 

Potential employers are urged to visit his "Amazon-like" web page and bid for his services. He originally put a price of $999,999, but has now struck it out, urging potential employers to make their own offers, and also urging "buyers" to "order soon", as there is "only one left in stock".

The page is very well laid out, and includes his photo, and full details of skills and experience and even personal information about languages spoken, height etc. He even added his best marathon time, and as a fun "frequently bought together" option he added running shoes (which are sold on Amazon) and also airline tickets.

Adding Dubost to your "cart" will give you a form to contact him, and to show his willingness to travel, he mentions under "shipping" that “This item is available for shipping anywhere in the world!”

Dubost told The Independent, "I wanted to do something fun. Résumés are not fun. They're not fun to write, not fun to read."

"I thought it would be fun to build a small web product that would feel a little bit like a game you could interact with, like those baby toys where every button you push makes a different noise."

It seems his efforts were worthwhile, as after the online CV went viral, he received offers of various job opportunities from around 100 employers.

"So many awesome companies, projects, entrepreneurs, I'm starting to feel like a spoilt kid with too many toys," he added. "And yes, among those there are indeed a few opportunities that match what I'm looking for and that I'm going to pursue."

Unemployment continues to rise in France where the number of jobless has increased for the 19th consecutive month, affecting at least 3 million people in the country.

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/342242

French fries: Where did they originate — France or Belgium?

A popular snack or meal accompaniment worldwide, French fries have always been considered to be, well, French. However, it seems Belgium might have come up with the idea first.

According to French historian Madeleine Ferriere, ­"Fries, they are the orphan of street cooking, of low birth. That is why it's hard to establish where they really come from." 

 

And in France, indeed, they are considered to be a staple part of the diet. However, they are also recognized as a national dish in Belgium. 

 

Experts are up in arms, trying to decide which country was first to create this salty, crispy treat, which tends to put more weight on than red meat. 

 

 A popular theory says that the first appearance of "pommes de terre frites" occurred in Paris. Shortly before the French Revolution, in the late 18th Century, street hawkers started selling fries on the city's oldest bridge, Pont Neuf.

 

However, experts in Belgium say that French-fried potatoes were invented in Namur in the late 1600's. They further believe that when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and tasted the Belgian fries, they labeled them "French" simply because at that time it was the official language of the Belgian Army. 

 

Chef and co-author of the book "Simply Fries", Albert Verdeyen says that "We Belgians, we have made fries a noble food, much more than just a vegetable." In Belgium it is possible to get a true taste of Belgian fries at various small "Fritkot" snack stands in cities all over the country. 

 

The owner of one of the stalls in Brussels, Philipppe Ratzel, told AFP, "To go to a Fritkot, that is the very essence of being a Belgian."

 

"Here, you can meet anyone – the old lady who is taking her dog out for a walk, students or even the government minister who lives nearby," he added. 

 

Whichever country came first in inventing the tasty treats, they will remain a popular item on most people's menus (and on their hips!). 

Roel Jacobs, a history specialist in Brussels said, "At the end of the day, we do not care where fries came from. What counts, is what has been done with them."

 

 "The French and the Belgians took different tracks. For the French, fries normally go with meat, usually a steak while the Belgians eat them on their own or with a sauce," he added.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340084

Millions joined the largest European strike ever on November 14

There were literally millions of people out demonstrating on the streets of Europe yesterday in the largest European general strike ever held. One thing they all agreed on, "We have no future!" Includes videos.

In total, workers in 23 countries across Europe participated in the European Day of Action and Solidarity. As reported by Digital Journal on Wednesday, some actions were small and others were full-blown strikes. 

 

The Europe-wide strike action was coordinated by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and promoted on Twitter under the hashtag “#14N".. read more and watch videos.

Pierre Frolla swims with the sharks in Paris

He used to be afraid of them, but on Sunday, Pierre Frolla, world-champion free diver, swam with the sharks at France's largest aquarium, the Aquarium of Paris. 

Frolla hails from Monaco, and is a multiple record holder for diving without the use of breathing apparatus. 

He says that he has always been afraid of sharks in the past, but by swimming regularly with them, he has been able to overcome his fear.

Pierre Frolla

According to Frolla, sharks are not dangerous, as long as certain rules are followed when approaching them. 

"We should be calm when diving into the sea, we should be relaxed; there is also a rule of harmony: we should perform calmly, harmoniously, relaxed. We should present ourselves to the animal, and it will decide if it will come or not," he says.  

The diving event on Sunday was aimed at drawing attention to the dwindling populations of the threatened and near-endangered species of sharks. 

More videos of his diving activities can be viewed here.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336651#ixzz2BxKAFFSQ

Pilgrims evacuated from the shrine of Lourdes after flooding

Hundreds of Roman Catholic pilgrims, some sick and disabled, were evacuated from the shrine of Lourdes in France, as the Gave de Pau River overflowed from days of rain. 

Lourdes is a famous shrine in France, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, in a grotto in 1858. The Catholic church recognizes 67 miracles linked to the shrine. 

Last year more than six million visitors traveled to Lourdes, with many disabled or sick people praying for a cure. 

Excessive rain in the area caused the Gave de Pau river to flood its banks and officials had to close most of the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes on Saturday. At least 500 pilgrims were in need of evacuation by the Red Cross and regional authorities provided food and shelter. 

On Saturday a local official said, “We are evacuating all the hotels in the lower town. We’ve already brought out 270 and another 236 remain.” Buses were laid on to ferry pilgrims from the hotels to a sports complex and conference center in the town. Two campsites also had to be evacuated and several roads have been closed in the center of Lourdes. 

In front of the grotto, the water was around one meter deep, and in Avenue du Paradis, where most of the pilgrim hotels are located, water reached around 80 centimeters. Officials are saying that this is the worst flooding in 25 years.  

The river itself was three meters above its normal level on Saturday morning, as forecasts stated that the rain, which has been falling non-stop since Thursday, would continue until Sunday. Only the basilica, which is built on higher ground, was still accessible. 

In the area, 8,000 homes were without electricity after strong winds brought down power lines on Thursday and Friday. 

Hotel owner Pierre Barrere said, “I’ve seen nothing like it in 40 years.” Visits to Lourdes have been temporarily suspended.

Read more and view video: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335213