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Amuse-Bouche No. 7 "I Love You, May I Call You Tu?"

Posted by Julia Frey on June 15, 2009 at 3:23pm

Note: My Policy for these posts: if somebody comments on a post, I'll post a new one. No comments, no new posts. Why bore people? But people commented on No. 6, so here's No. 7:Amuse-Bouche No. 7: "I Love You, May I Call You Tu?"by Julia FreyIn Survival French, you learn that tu (“you” singular, called the familiar) is used with intimates, and vous (also “you” singular) with people you don’t know well. But whether to tutoyer or vouvoyer is a subtle and subjective game, and for an English speaker, it can be downright dangerous. For example, in French polars (detective stories or movies, AKA romans policiers, or films noir), the flics (cops) call the filous (crooks) tu. However, you’d better say vous to Monsieur l’agent (a uniformed policeman). When a policier calls a suspect tu, it’s meant as flagrant disrespect.Until the 17th century, tu and vous were used almost interchangeably. But gradually all upper-class people vous-ed each other, and tu, considered grossier (vulgar), was used only for servants and peasants. During the French Revolution, le tutoiement symbolized l’égalité (equality), and in 1793 it became obligatoire for all citoyens (citizens), whatever their profession or social position. That lasted about as long as the revolutionary calendar.I used to think that if people didn’t call me tu they didn’t like me. “Not at all,” says Nathalie. “I was four when they wanted me to learn to vouvoyer, so my bossy big brother made me call him vous all the time, and it stuck. I still call him vous, although I call our older brother tu. It doesn’t mean anything. I love them both the same”.For the average kid, things start out easy. Everybody calls kids tu, and children in turn call most people tu: family members, other kids, —even animals and God. (Should you talk to yourself, you also use tu.) To adults you don’t know, you say vous. It’s also a sign of respect used with teachers, other authorities and the elderly.But complications arise. Your instit’ (instituteur or institutrice, grade school teacher) tells you to use her first name and call her tu. When you get to collège (junior high, not college), your prof starts calling you vous, and vice versa. If your parents know your teacher socially, they would call her tu at parties but vous on parents’ night. In college (université) it can go either way. You might call your professor tu in conversation and vous in the classroom.In your 20s, all contemporaries are tu, except in a client-salesperson relation, where it’s “au feeling”. Adults call neighbors vous unless they’re friends. Professional contexts vary widely. Married couples might even call each other vous at the office. Some couples from an earlier generation -- like Sartre and Beauvoir -- always use vous with one another.Sometimes an older collaborateur (more chic these days than the word collègue) will call a younger one tu, reasoning: “You’re young enough to be my daughter”. But that’s problematic. The younger employee, who continues to say vous, may feel that a certain professional distance has been unilaterally eliminated.When do you pass from vous to tu? Friends can’t tell me exactly how they decide. Traditionally it’s up to the older interlocutor to ask permission: “On peut se tutoyer?” If reluctant, the other continues using vous, acts embarrassed, or even says something like “Dites donc, on n’a pas élevé les cochons ensemble!” (Hey, we didn’t raise pigs together!).Sometimes you don’t know when the transition took place, you just find yourself saying tu. Regionally, les Provençaux say tu more easily than les Normands. And les vieilles familles (the social register) have murky rules: Bénédicte calls her parents vous, but they call her (and me) tu. They call each other vous, at least in public. Béné’s sister Roseline calls her mother vous and her father tu. Va savoir (Go figure).In the movies, when a couple disappears and comes back saying tu, it means they have become lovers. And in a major disagreement, passing from tu to vous can mark the point of no return.My advice? It’s better to over-vous than go too tu. Let your French friends decide when it’s time to get familiar—in the grammatical sense, of course.©Julia Frey 2009

The Vélib: a bike sharing program in Paris. An option for New York City?

Posted by Nathalie Charles on June 14, 2009 at 3:00pm

THE VÉLIB: A BIKE SHARING PROGRAM IN PARIS.
AN OPTION FOR NEW YORK CITY?
By Nathalie CHARLES

In several European cities, bike-sharing programs already exist: Amsterdam, Vienna, Oslo, Brussels, Barcelona, Stockholm, Helsinki, Rennes and Lyon support programs that promote bicycle usage as an alternative to motorized transportation. This blog post will take a special look at the bike-sharing program in Paris, named the Vélib’—a contraction of two French words, Vélo (Bicycle) and Liberté (Freedom)—boasts the largest program in the world. The second part of this paper will explore the adaptability of such a program for a city such as New York.
When Bertrand Delanoë took office as Mayor of Paris in 2001, he decided that the automobile traffic should be reduced and that the urban public space should be preserved for the pedestrians and bicyclists. Since then, his administration has worked on a mobility plan and on an urbanism plan to adapt the city of Paris for a better future. His plans worked so well that the administrations of most major cities in the world now use Paris as a model.
Few cities in North America are now interested in a new way of transportation like the bike. Whether as a complement to the existing transportation system or as completely alternative rethinking of the entire transportation system, cities in the United States are showing more and more interest in the bike-sharing system, especially New York . The question that will guide this paper will offer insight regarding alternative transportation practices: Is it possible to implement the bike sharing system, as launched in Paris, in New York, and if not, is there a way to adapt it so that New York may benefit from a bike-sharing initiative?

THE VÉLIB’

Paris’s New Mobility and Urbanism Plan
Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and his Deputy Mayor for Transportation, Denis Baupin, when in office, wanted to address traffic congestion, reduce air and sound pollution and revitalize public space in Paris. The grim reality stood as follows: in 2001, Paris had a daily circulation of 3 million cars, a statistic that they hoped to be cut by 20 percent. That meant using fewer cars and returning some of the urban space occupied by the automobiles to the public. Thus, the Delanoë administration focused on revitalizing local life and public spaces, by converting acres of roadways and parking spaces into pedestrian space, bike lanes, bus ways and tramways. The administration also created a program named “Espaces Civilisés” (or “civilized spaces”), which permitted the city to improve and widen sidewalks, to plant trees, and build bike ways. These plans allowed Parisians to retake the streets. The Vélib’, in addition to other actions - the “Nuit Blanche ,” the tramway, “Paris Plage ,” more bus lanes - is part of a “populist plan .” It was presented by the Delanoë administration as a fifteen-year Mobility Plan. Its objective for 2020 is to reduce traffic by 40 percent, reduce green house gas emissions by 60 percent, increase transit capacity by 30 percent and raise non-automobile transportation mode share from 78 to 83 percent.

Vélib’ was one component of this new mobility and urbanism plan. It was essential for the Delanoë administration to create a simple and useful system for every mode of transportation. Parisians and those commuting into the city from the Parisian suburbs are already used to using more than one mode of transportation in their daily commute: For example, they use the bus and the subway, or a bike and the subway, and sometimes, they even mix and match, biking in the morning and returning by subway in the evening.
Before implementing a bike sharing system in the city, the transportation administration studied the two programs already in place in France: Lyon and Rennes, where the experience of a bike sharing program wasn’t yet conclusive. From their successes or failures, the administration was able to adapt and improve a system for Paris.

Implementation
The implementation of Vélib’ in the city was the most important initial decision; choosing the locations of the stations and the numbers of bikes were the second essential decisions that the administration had to make. The Vélib’s planners performed a six-month survey that calculated the number of inhabitants per district and the numbers of bikes and stations needed in this area. They decided to begin the program with a minimum of 10,000 bikes: only “en masse” could the benefits of the program be immediately obvious. It was a significant thought because had there not been enough bikes or stations to begin with, people’s confidence in the system would have been compromised, and the program would have failed almost as soon as it had been launched. The quantity and immediacy of this quantity constituted a major reason for the success of the Vélib’ initiative. In addition, these large numbers of bicycles were applied on a limited scale, with application on the neighborhood scale and not the entire city. In other words, only certain subway stops were targeted, enabling all users of that subway stop to implement the program.
The budget of course is a quintessential component of the success of the program. The City of Paris wasn’t able to finance a system as huge as Vélib’ alone. So the city made a deal with the company JC. Decaux, an outdoor advertising and street furniture multinational . The public/private alliance assured the essential imposition of the initiative on the city.

Urban Planning
In the sixties and seventies in Paris, urbanism plans were made to please automobilists. Cities were designed for cars and not pedestrians or bicyclists. In 2007, Paris’s urban planning professionals decided to make the streets more accessible for everyone creating more bikes lanes and providing a separate bus lane. It gave more options for Parisian commuters to choose between cars and urban public transportation. The goal was to educate car users to become bus, subway or bicycle users. Delanoë administration took this initiative further: to offer more types of transportation to the city’s denizens. Thus 400 kilometers of bike lanes were added in Paris (bike pathways or lanes shared with buses) . If a street was not a major road, they lowered the speed to 30km/h from 50km/h so no specific construction was needed for bicyclists.
It wasn’t enough to provide just the modes of transportation, but it was also necessary to create the pathways through which the bikes could travel. The city had to create streets, bridges, and bike lanes to accommodate the new bike users. Creating new pathways was especially difficult in Paris, especially in the first years: automobilists – drivers, cab drivers or deliverers – complained because they lost off-street parking or room on the streets. It was especially frustrating for them for they did not see many cyclists at first; however, now with the growing number of bike users in the city, this problem no longer exists.

Vélib’: How It Works?
The new self-service bike scheme allows a person to pick up a bike at any station (automated and self-service) in the city and drop it off at any other. Prices are variable depending on one's needs: there is a one-year subscription or a short-term subscription for daily or weekly usage (1 euro for the day, 5 euros for 7 days and 29 euros for a year). For short-term users, in addition to paying the subscription fee, they have to pay a security deposit of 150 euros to help guarantee the return of the bikes. Thinking about the price and the utility of Vélib, Céline Lepaut, Vélib’ Project Manager at the Department of Roads and Transport decided that Vélib’ should be used for functional rides and not for a stroll or a pleasure ride . This explains the price and the free first 30 minutes – because it’s the average time that a Parisian needs to travel by bicycle from his place to his office; in short, it makes Vélib’ a functional means of transportation. As a result, in the first two months of operation, 92 percent of the trips lasted less than 30 minutes .
In our time when the price of gasoline increases, it’s obvious that the price to use a bike sharing program is cheap.
In addition to the “day trips,“ Vélib’ is also used for night trips. In Paris, the subway stops working at 1 a.m. and the bus system is not as efficient during the night, so the bike-sharing program is a great alternative for Parisians at night. 25% of the bicycle trips are made between 8pm and 3am in Paris.

Regulating the System
The city’s hills defined one of the first problems that the system encountered. In general, people bike down, but don’t use bike to go back up; therefore, in the early morning, there were not enough bikes at the stations at the top of the hills. It was literally an ‘up-hill battle’ that the Vélib’ managers had to think about. The regulation of the system is very important to assure the success of the program. A map system has been created to reflect the inventory of bikes in each station: empty, half empty, or full. The regulators are also able to anticipate the flu; of course it is not an exact science, especially when tourists start to use the bikes, but they are able to at least monitor the system so that it is useful to Parisians To regulate the stations, small trucks shift bikes from full to empty stations. They recently had the idea of giving 15 additional minutes free for each person who would take his bike back to an empty station – most of the time, on one of the hills. The regulation also implicates the maintenance of the system. Vélib’ bikes are designed so they can handle 10,000 kilometers in a year. Thus, these bikes are used a lot and even if they are built to last, they may be damaged. If a bike is defective, it remains automatically locked on its stand. A repair garage for Vélib was created on a barge on the Seine River. The employees of this barge repair an average of 30 bikes per day. The damaged bikes are brought on the Seine River docks and stocked in bike sheds.

Bicyclists in Paris
With the new bike sharing program, Paris’ Transportation department noticed a big increase by people using their own bikes. The Vélib’ and the creation or addition of new bike lanes in the city allows bicycle users to feel secure biking on the streets with the automobiles and pedestrians. In fact the numbers of private bicycle sales increased significantly in the city. The almost instantaneous doubling in the number of cyclists because of the launch of a bike sharing system has an impact on the other road users. Bicyclists become more visible and their safety obviously improves. In Paris, the car drivers had to change their behavior. They had to be more careful driving in the city with all the bicyclists and were obliged to learn how to interact with them. Moreover the number of accidents involving cyclists has remained stable between 1995 and 2005, despite a significant rise in the number of users .

A New Attitude
In the popular attitude, the image of bicycle was outdated and equivalent to social regression. It was in fact negative, and a synonym for the past. It was essential for the Delanoë administration to change this image. Vélib’ actually did it: after the first six months, users were happy to be part of a “community” and have the “Vélib card.” It even created human interaction. The Parisians are known not to be very friendly communicative but with the Vélib’, people really began to speak at each other at the stations. The stations are now real poles of cultural exchange. Vélib’ permitted the come-back of sociability in a big city and is now a new means of social interaction.
Furthermore, the Vélib provides users with the opportunity to think differently: they were able to see the city and the urban space differently. In addition, it was without any doubt the beginning of a new “eco-attitude”. Even if 10,000 bikes can’t reverse global warming, users inevitably have become more aware about environmental issues. Good! Vélib is an awareness-rising instrument. In general, a bike-sharing program helps the environment and improves social differences. Depending of one’s social rank, the ability to purchase a car is not a given, but with Vélib’, with a bike, more people are have access to a mode of transportation that is less expensive.
Finally, the incredible success of Vélib’ is visible in the numbers: in 2007, there were 20,700 bikes and 1,451 stations. Paris could have eventually 50,000 bikes (26 million bike rentals and nearly 200,000 subscribers per year). The urban and transportation improvements and traffic restraint measures led to a decrease in private vehicle traffic by 20 percent between 2001 and 2006. Over the same period, air quality had strongly improved in Paris. Thus it shows that this new bicycle-based mass transit system is now part of the city’s identity as well as the ambassador of a new vision, a vision of a sustainable city and a new attitude for the future.

WHAT ARE THE BIKE SHARING PROGRAM POSSIBILITIES IN A CITY LIKE NEW YORK?

During a panel discussion , Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City’s Transportation Commissioner, asserted the fact that that the Bloomberg administration was inspired by the different bike sharing programs launched in Europe, and most particularly by the Vélib’. To further corroborate this enthusiasm, Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Paris in September 2007 and discovered the Vélib’ system on his own. Mr. Bloomberg commented: “You try to see whether it fits, and some parts of it will, but it may very well give you an idea to do something totally different .” The interest of the administration for cities with bike sharing programs is part of a much larger vision, which is the “sustainable city”. The vision that cities don’t have to be designed for cars anymore and that we may rethink the urban space differently to improve quality of life is essential for the sustenance and vitality of any American city.
In this vein, last year, the Bloomberg administration launched PlaNYC, a long-term sustainability initiative. This strategic plan includes infrastructure revitalization, street safety , a more robust transit system, a redefinition of the purpose of the streets as public spaces, the reduction of the environmental footprint and carbon emissions by 30 percent for 2030. This new urban transportation policy will also improve mobility and will increase the choice of transportation . Since New York City is relatively flat with dense development, it makes the city ideal for cycling. The DOT wants to install safer and more well-connected facilities, as well as promote bicycle parking to increase bicycle usage. It will also double bicycle commuting by 2015 and triple it by 2020.

The results are already convincing: there was a 55 percent increase of the bicycle community in one year in New York ; however, cycling still accounts for less than 1 percent of all commuter trips in New York City. Right now the bike is just an alternative way of transportation, but the Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to make it part of the network. The DOT wants to accommodate more and more urban public space for buses, pedestrians and bikes and thus approach the streets as vital public spaces. Following the examples of Paris, the DOT launched in 2008 new programs to enjoy the city, “Summer Streets.” The “Summer Streets” initiative closed five miles of streets to motor vehicles for three consecutive Saturdays in August. Another initiative, “Bike the Falls” was organized in conjunction with NYC Waterfalls project. Also, new bike pathways have been created since 2007 and the DOT plans to complete installation of 200 bicycle lane miles by 2009. DOT also hopes to have a new infrastructure ready for a bike-sharing program: racks, bike shelters, bicycle lanes, protected on-street lanes. It must be noted that to date there exists no official documentation regarding the project of launching a bike-sharing program. That said, Janette Sadik-Khan didn’t hesitate to say that “this is not a matter of if but a matter of time”, explaining that it wouldn’t be exactly the Paris model, but it would be a more adaptable model like the one that will be launched in Montréal in April 2009 .New York’s Department of Transportation has sponsored some initiatives that have grown in the city to implement a bike sharing program at a much smaller scale and with success: the NY Bike-Sharing Program and the Governor Island Bike-Sharing Program.

The NYU Bike Sharing Program
Three NYU students received a $13,000 grant from NYU Sustainability to develop a small bike sharing program for NYU students. There are 30 bikes and 2 stations. People register online and at the station; they unlock a box with the key of the bike they reserved. They may use it for free for three hours per weekday and 6 hours per weekend. Already, 120 people have registered (without any advertising on the campus).

Governors Island Bike-Sharing Program
The island size is big enough so as to be too large to make it comfortable for commuters to walk from place to place. For this reason, Ellen Cavanagh of the Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation, visited Paris for 3 days to find a way of transportation adaptable on the island – as cars were banned from it. She loved the idea of a bike sharing program and after finally finding a sponsor; they were able to propose a 1 hour-free bike for each visitor (not an automatic system). Visitors really enjoy this new way of discovering and exploring the entire island. Ellen Cavanagh is already thinking about the creation of bike parks and the design of bike paths for the island.

CONCLUSION
In a time where oil prices are increasing, the bike appears as a veritable solution to transportation problems, especially in a city. It may be used alone or combined with other types of public transportation. It is less restrictive and often faster than a car. Nonetheless, it also means rethinking the use of the streets and the transit to ensure safety and mobility. Paris’ Vélib’ is a high performance service, which enables everyone to take advantage of a practical, inexpensive and ecological means of transport 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, providing a new approach to urban mobility. Paris has so definitely become a role model for sustainable transport. It’s even now a worldwide movement in which Paris has a strong leadership. Paris and New York have all strategy plans to implement changes in transportation habits. The strategy plans are different from one city to another. This worldwide movement enables a city’s administration to study the plan so as to adapt and improve them for their own city. Washington, DC is the first city in the United States to have launched the first bike-sharing program, but it’s still a very small one and a few other US cities are thinking of also implementing the program (Portland, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco). Small initiatives are experienced also in the United States on university campuses. A handful of universities are implementing a bike system, like the University of New England or Ripon College in Wisconsin are providing free bikes to new students who promise to use bikes instead of cars on campuses. Emory University provides bikes that may be rented for free on the campus. St. Xavier University in Chicago unveiled the first computer-driven bike sharing system on a college campus. The bike-sharing program is a work-in-progress on a world scale: cities launch their system, adapting it from an older one and improving it. Year after year, the system becomes increasingly adaptable for usage and a provides friendly cooperation between the cities that already have a bike-sharing with those that have an emerging one. In each case, the use of bikes in a mass-urban transit systems must be part of a larger plan regarding mobility and urbanism. These initiatives become essential components in the dialogue that addresses the inevitable struggle to assure that our cities become sustainable for the future. As Denis Baupin, Deputy Mayor of Transportation in Paris says: “I’m convinced that people are ready for a bike-sharing program, we just have to give them the tools.”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WORKS CITED

ARTICLES AND REPORTS
• Diane Cardwell. In Paris, Bloomberg Eyes Bike Program for Home. New York Times. September 30th, 2007.
• Luc Nadal. Vélib’: Bike Sharing Sweeps Paris Off Its Feet. Sustainable Transport Magazine number 19. Institute for Transportation & Development Policy. Fall 2007. pp. 8-13.
• Nicolas Johnson, Ines Bel Aiba, Paris Turns Highway into Summer Beach Party With Sand, Samba. Bloomberg. August 2nd, 2005.
• Katie Zezima, With Free Bikes, Challenging Car Culture on Campus. New York Times. October 19th, 2008.
• Elisabeth Rosenthal. European Support for Bicycles Promotes Sharing of the Wheels. New York Times. November 9th, 2008.
• Elissa Silverman. D.C. Bike Sharing Kicks into High Gear. Washington Post. August 13th, 2008.
• New York City Department of Transportation. Sustainable Streets 2008 and Beyond. Strategic Plan for the New York City Department of Transportation. 2008.

MOVIES AND WEBSITES
• Documentary Paris: Vélo-Liberté which is part of the PBS series “e²: the economies of being environmentally conscious” (www.pbs.org/ http://www.e2-series.com), produced by Kontentreal.
• Vélib’ Program in Paris: http://www.en.velib.paris.fr/
• Bixi Program in Montréal: http://bixi.ca/index.php?page_id=1&lang=en
• SmartDC Program in Washington, DC: https://www.smartbikedc.com/default.asp
• PlaNYC: http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml
• Summer Streets: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml

PANEL DISCUSSION
• Metropolitan Bike Sharing Programs with Denis Baupin, Deputy Mayor of Transportation in Paris; André Lavallée, Mayor of Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, Montréal and Janette Sadik-Khan, Transportation Commissioner of New York City. November 5th, 2008.
• Bike share: from Paris to New York? with Véronique Bernard, senior producer, Kontentreal; Rosemary Wakeman, historian of urbanism in France, Fordham University; Caroline Samponaro, director of Transportation Alternatives; Ellen Cavanagh, Urban Planner, Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation. November 12th, 2008.

Amuse-Bouche No. 6: Le Vélib’ -- trying out Paris’s bike rental system.

Posted by Julia Frey on June 14, 2009 at 10:39am

Amuse-Bouche No. 6: Pourquoi Faire Simple?by Julia FreyTaking the Vélib’ for a spin.Grève générale des métros! It’s the biggest Paris transit strike in 10 years. Perfect time to try out the Vélib’. I’ve never used it before, so I’d better démarrer sur les chapeaux de roue (“take off on the hubcaps,” i.e., at full speed). I go down early.7H02—There’s already a line. The (almost) free bike rental system inaugurated in major French cities in recent years is a victim of its own success. In the first 6 months after it opened in Paris in July, 2007, des Vélibiens (Vélibistes? Vélib’eurs?), rented bikes 6 million times and rode 7.5 million miles. Elegantly gris souris (mouse-gray), a Vélib’ (its name combining “vélo” [bike] and “liberté,” with an apostrophe replacing the last syllables) has a kickstand, headlight, basket and lock. Les bobos (bohémiens-bourgeois) are detaching from their cars, becoming “des drogués des déplacements doux” (addicted to soft—i.e., environmentally friendly—transportation). “Vous vélibez?” There’s a website vélibataire (Vélib’ + célibataire: single) for vélibats. Vélib’ for romance: It’s la vélorution! But a Vélib’ is not biplace (tandem), donc pas top pour la drague (not ideal for pickups).7H15—Finally, I’m at the head of the line. One bike left! Should I buy a pass for a day or a week? With a one-day pass (€1), I can make as many 30-minute trips as I want within 24 hours. The first half-hour of every jaunt you take that day is free. If your trip lasts longer, costs spiral geometrically: €1 for minutes 31–60, €2 for another 30 minutes and €4 for each subsequent half-hour. Careful. Twenty hours costs €151. Not to mention the €150 credit card deposit against theft or loss. People without bank cards are out of luck.7H20: So are les Amerloques! It won’t take my card. The man in line behind me asks “Your carte doesn’t have une puce?” Quoi? My card needs a flea? The puce, a computer chip embedded in European bank cards, triggers a release mechanism in the borne (kiosk). No puce, no Vélib’. Obviously le système has a few couacs (literally, “quacks,” i.e., glitches). Head back upstairs, come down with husband’s European credit card.7H35: “My” bike is long gone, but luckily two more bikes have been turned in at the rack. I wait in line again, buy pass with French card, type in number of a Vélib’ s parking slot on keypad at the rack’s computer terminal. Ouh là là! (Uh-oh!) Typo! There isn’t any Vélib’ in that slot. Nonetheless, la location est prise en compte (the rental is recorded) and now I have to return a bike that I don’t have. I feel like a locdus (boob).I decide to call la hotline on my portable (cell phone). After five tries, two unexplained hang-ups and 10 minutes of being on hold, I am told that 1) my borne doesn’t exist, and 2) my account can’t be traced because the server is down. Pourquoi faire simple quand on peut faire compliqué? (Why make it easy when you can make it complicated?) After 20 minutes they unblock my account number.8H20: One bike left. I have 60 seconds to push a button to free the bike. Before I can figure out how to get it out of the stand, my Vélib’ is bloqué. That means I can’t take out a bike again for five minutes. C’est lourd (frustrating). Wait. Try again. Merde! (mild obscenity). Flat tire.8H32 The borne informs me there’s a station with bikes a 20-minute walk away. I race over.8H52: Génial! (great). Two bikes are disponibles (available). I liberate the closest one…but it won’t move. Some person or persons unknown have chained it to be sure to have a Vélib’ when they want one. I consider rubbing my chewing gum into their lock’s keyhole.9H01 Enfin! (At last!) On bike, struggling up hill. Vélib’ is solide: 22 kilos. But traffic in Paris actually seems less dense since the bikes are available. I wonder if it’s true. As I head downhill, I’m getting into this, the wind in my hair, skirt flapping.9H25 Oups! Now I’m en retard (late). I grille un feu (“broil” [run] a red light). Getting caught would cost €200. Manage to park the bike in a borne and dash to my meeting. Ouf! (Whew!) They're starting late because of the transit strike.16H (4 pm.) Learn the strike’s been extended…indefinitely. Why didn’t I go for that one-week pass?© Julia Frey 2009

Amuse-Bouche No. 5: What’s Litotes? -- Understanding Understatement

Posted by Julia Frey on June 11, 2009 at 12:28pm

Amuse-Bouche No. 5: What’s Litotes?by Julia FreyWhen is an insult not an insult?Isabelle has invited les copains (pals) to dinner. She brings in the entrée (“appetizer,” not “entree”) hot from the oven, gives each of us a slice, watches to see if we like it. François-Noël swallows his first bite and announces,“Ça se laisse manger” (“It lets itself be eaten”—i.e., it’s edible). Quoi? He’s using une litote (lee TUT), understatement. His slangy expression means Isabelle’s quiche is delicious. But don’t say that to your boss’s wife. Context is important. Depending on your tone of voice, “elle n’est pas mal” (she’s not bad) can mean anything from she’s okay to she’s gorgeous. In a classic litote, you take the opposite of what you mean and put it in the negative: Il ne fait pas chaud (it’s not hot) means it’s freezing out. Isabelle might have answered François-Noël, “Ah bon, c’est pas trop dégueulasse?” (It doesn’t make you feel like throwing up?)My sister, ever the literature professor, uses the English pronunciation: “Lye TOE teez? That’s a figure of classical rhetoric; to show irony, you use the negative of its contrary. Put simply, you say the least to mean the most. I teach it to my students.” Sympathique! (Nice!) All the irony is in my voice, but it’s still une litote. I really mean c’est pas sympa’. I’m glad college English is far behind me. The French use litotes all the time. Oblique language, particularly understatement, shows your esprit (cleverness) and subtilité (sophistication). To be truly spirituel (“witty,” not “spiritual”), you have to master l’euphémisme, la nuance, le non-dit (the unsaid) and le sous-entendu (hidden meaning). They say “elle est sortable” (you can take her out), to mean “She’s a babe.” If you hear “On se téléphone” (Let’s stay in touch), it may or may not happen.Assez! (All right already!). I have enough trouble just being clear. In multicultural America you have to be explicit, because fewer and fewer people are native English speakers. We are taught to value “plain speaking” -- transparence -- not ambiguité. Poor, flat-footed Americans are simply trying to avoid misunderstandings. The French challenge you to think. Often they’ll say one thing to imply something else. Above all, they abhor banality. I remember the day Michel said he’d try to give me a ride to the airport, but he wasn’t sure. When I got home there was a note on my door: “Je suis passé te dire au revoir” (I came by to tell you goodbye). Unspoken was: “Sorry I can’t take you to the airport.”The word litote itself is an example of what I nickname “mots-mode” (fashionable words), like velléité (whim) or en l’occurrence (in this case). These sometimes obscure words and expressions become extremely popular as "in" or "out" identifiers among groups of people who love le mot juste (the perfect word), particularly if they think you don’t know what it means. Another common phrase is “Revenons à nos moutons” (“Let’s get back to our sheep,” i.e., the subject—a quote from a medieval farce). Paradoxically, such in-jokes have often become clichés. In fact, that one was a cliché by the end of the play.But revenons à nos moutons. The French, reluctant to dire ce qui est évident (state the obvious), love the ambiguity of la litote. Famous examples abound. Every high school kid knows the scene in Le Cid when Chimène says to Rodrigue: “Va, je ne te hais point” (Go, I don’t hate you at all). Serge Gainsbourg goes even further in his classic song “Je T’aime, Moi Non Plus”: “I love you,” sighs Jane Birkin. “Me neither,” Serge replies. Of course he originally wrote the song for Brigitte Bardot.© Julia Frey, 2009Julia Frey’s hobby is deconstructing the French.

Je ningue, tu ningues, il ningue...

Posted by New York in French on June 10, 2009 at 8:30pm

Le verbe ninguer (prononcer comme swinguer) n'existe pas encore dans le dictionnaire. Mais avec New York in French, le premier Ning de la communauté francophone de New York, ce mot devrait rentrer dans notre vocabulaire très rapidement. En 10 jours, déjà 950 membres se sont inscrits sur "New York in French", une sorte de blog gratuit, apolitique, non-commercial et communautaire, ouvert à toutes les personnes intéressées par la langue française et ceux qui la parlent, qu'ils habitent à New York où dans ses grands environs. Qu'est-ce qu'un Ning ? Un Ning est une plateforme qui permet aux utilisateurs de créer leur propre réseau social. Ning est semblable à Facebook ou MySpace mais laisse à l'utilisateur l'entière liberté de concevoir, modifier, modérer, innover, rassembler autour d'un thème précis. Un Ning offre de nombreux outils innovants, collaboratifs, sans spam et partageurs d'informations dans le but d'échanger, informer, contribuer et débattre au sujet de questions et centres d'intérêts divers. Le mot ning veut dire "paix" en chinois mais la plateforme est américaine. Elle a été créée en Californie par Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini. Ning est la troisième compagnie de Andreessen qui a déjà lancé Netscape et Opsware. Ning n'est pas encore connu dans les pays francophones mais l'exemple de New York in French, créé par Fabrice Jaumont, devrait faire des émules qui sauront rapidement exploiter les possibilités illimitées de ce type d'outils. Ning ne requiert aucune compétence informatique et toute personne peut créer son réseau social gratuitement. Un Ning permet au membre d'un réseau de tchater, de bloguer, d'échanger collectivement, de créer des groupes de discussions, d'afficher des photos, des vidéos, des fichiers sons, des documents, etc. "Un Ning comme New York in French permet avant tout de rassembler la communauté francophone autour d'enjeux comme l'ouverture de classes bilingues dans les écoles publiques ou l'enseignement du français aux Etats-Unis", déclare Jaumont. Le Ning de New York in French est, en effet, centré sur l'éducation, l'apprentissage du français, la Francophonie et la francophilie à New York et aux alentours. "C'est en ninguant, qu'on devient plus connecté, plus informé, plus collectif donc plus efficace, capable d'avoir un impact plus important sur le monde qui nous entoure et plus à même de réaliser les initiatives qui nous tiennent à coeur." précise Jaumont. Pour s'inscrire, il faut se rendre sur http://nycfrench.ning.com

Amuse-Bouche No. 4: Nissarts and Ch'tis -- Separated by Language

Posted by Julia Frey on June 8, 2009 at 9:51am

Amuse-Bouche No. 4: Nissarts and Ch'tis -- Separated by Language -by Julia FreyThe French tend to ridicule all regional accents but their own.We are exploring PACA (Provence–Alpes du Sud–Côte d’Azur), our new neighborhood, and I discover that les Provençaux speak French so you can understand them! They pronounce all the letters, including some that aren’t in the word. And they’re volubiles. In Vallauris (pronounced valorisse), it’s no use being in a hurry with Jean-Marc, the boulanger, who makes wonderful pain (pronounced pang). He just taps his head and says: “Mais vous n’êtes pas bieng?” (“Is there something wrong with you?” Translation into normal French: “Ça ne va pas, la tête?” Implicitly: “Are you nuts? What’s the rush?”) When they don't want a non-local to understand, Jean-Marc and his wife, both born in Nice, speak Nissart (the Nice dialect) to each other.As elsewhere, non-local accents can provoke negative reactions, even if studies show most French speakers can’t accurately recognize regional accents. The French really only distinguish between le Nord and le Midi (south). But they tend to dislike the other guy’s accent.When Brigitte noticed l’accent du Midi was replacing the parigot (Paris street slang) influence on my American accent, she fed me her stéréotypes about les gens du Midi: voleurs (thieving), menteurs (prone to exaggeration), paresseux (lazy). She quoted a so-called Provençal proverb: “Si tu as une envie de travail, assieds-toi et attends que ça passe!” (If you feel like getting a job, sit down until you get over it.) Wanda, une Niçoise transplanted to Paris, laughed. “Julia, at least you’re bien placée (in the right place) to know if we deserve our bad reputation”.In 1905, one of the first French B.D.s (bandes dessinées, i.e., comic strips) invented Bécassine (the word means “snipe,” as in the bird), a plouc (hick) who arrives in Paris wearing her coiffe bretonne (traditional Brittany lace cap). Comically highlighting the alienation between city and country, peasant and bourgeois, she became so popular that one of the definitions for bécassine in the Trésor de la Langue Française is “femme stupide ou ridicule”. Bretons were long offended by her image but now view Bécassine with nostalgia, as representing the unspoiled good-heartedness of France in times gone by. She was honored by a French stamp in 2005.Astérix (a series of 50 French B.D.s and films) constantly parodies regional stereotypes, ridiculing preconceptions like Normands who never give you a straight answer, Gascons who never keep their word, cheapskate Auvergnats and, of course, Southerners who are always taking la sieste! The caricatural hostility between Paris and province (Provence is a French province), and the regional pride (and cuisine) of Corsica, Normandy, Brittany, Gascony or Auvergne become pretexts to get children—and adults—to laugh at their own prejudices while teaching them geography. (For some reason the French often claim to be hopeless in geography. Given that they think France is shaped like a hexagon, I’d say they’re more hopeless in geometry.)The wildly successful comedy Bienvenue Chez les Ch’tis—pronounced sh-tee—(Welcome to the Sticks), has sold more tickets than any French-made film in history, including France’s most expensive film to date, Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques. At this writing, approximately 25 percent of France had been to see this gentil (charming) farce about a postal clerk from sunny Provence forcibly relocated to a small town in France’s far north. Shot in Bergues (pronounced “berk”—which means “yuck”—pop. 4,200), not far from Lille, it uses gags about torrential rains starting at the border and hard-drinking, unemployed rednecks who eat bread slathered in stinky cheese dipped in chicory-flavored coffee, while speaking an incomprehensible dialect called Ch’timi. Nicknamed “les Ch’tis”, they replace “s” with “ch” (you know that singer Chtevie Wonder?), call their buddies “biloute” (regularly confused with biroute, slang for the male sex organ) and end every sentence with hein? (huh? pronounced a little like a duck quacking). All this slapstick has an underlying message: le Nord can be a wonderful place. “People arrive in tears”, someone says, “and leave in tears”. Although the humor, given the accents and dialect, is untranslatable, director and star Dany Boon figured out how to use the “fish out of water” plot for a future U.S. remake— simply transfer a disgraced New York cadre (executive) to a small town in Texas.© 2009 Julia Frey

Amuse Bouche No. 2: What's in a name? (bis): Le Name Dropping

Posted by Julia Frey on June 6, 2009 at 8:00am

Amuse Bouche No. 2: What's in a name? (bis): Le Name Droppingby Julia FreyEven as they dump conventional first names (see Amuse-bouche No. 1), the French remain obsessed with le nom de familleCamille’s bobo (bourgeois-bohème) parents never got around to getting married. Déclarée (legally recognized) by her father, she bears his surname (not surnom -- which means nickname). But seventeen, and status-conscious, Camille wanted the ultimate snobisme, a two-part name. Her mother’s nom de famille includes the preposition de (known as the particule). World-wide, les snobs are impressed by la particule. French snobs even distinguish between noblesse d'Empire, whose titles merely were bestowed by Napoleon, and ancien Régime nobles from before the Révolution. So Camille combined both her parents’ last names (which I have changed to protect the guilty). She’s now dite (called) Camille Bidule de Machin-Chouette (Thingamajig of Whatsherface). Not everyone is impressed. Bobos and hoi polloi treat double names like clumsy furniture: un nom à tiroir (a name with a drawer in it), à rallonge (with a table extension), à charnière (with a hinge), or qui se devisse (which can be unscrewed). She can always unscrew -- It’s just a nom d’usage. Legally she’s still Camille Bidule.Although it’s considered vulgar to ask what you do for a living, in France people want to know your family tree before they decide if they like you. In some circles, being just plain folks (petites gens - mysteriously feminine in this context) or du peuple (proletarian) is a source of pride. It’s particularly chic to say you come from paysans (peasants) or ouvriers, (workers) if you’re really an intellectuel/le.Certain women will marry a man who is cruel, stupid, unethical and unemployed just for his aristocratic name. Rich American families like the Vanderbilts used to purchase titles for their daughters by marrying them to impoverished nobles. Less well-heeled social climbers, like Honoré de Balzac’s father, just slipped in la particule when they thought nobody was looking.These days, you can’t casually adopt a new nom de famille. Too bad if you’re stuck with a moniker like Marc Deposay (homonym: marque déposée -- trademark) , not to mention Poubelle (garbage can) or Guillotine, both named for their inventors. Luckily the death penalty has been abolished, and poubelles are no longer allowed in the streets for fear of terrorist bombs. All you find when you look for a place to park your gum is a lidded metal hoop with a green plastic bag attached.And don’t think marriage can save a French woman from an unfortunate name. Her identity papers bear her maiden name all her life, adding the name of her husband along with details of her marital status. Thus Aude Wessel (homonym: eau de vaisselle -- dishwater), when she marries, becomes Aude Wessel épouse (wife of) Fosse (drainage ditch). If the marriage dissolves, she is Aude Wessel divorcée Fosse, or if he kicks the bucket, she’s Aude Wessel veuve Fosse. If she remarries, she’s still Aude Wessel, now épouse Bidet.You may envy les people (pronounce: laypeePOLE) -- the folks you see in les médias, but a famous name is also a mixed blessing. Sara was once married to Pablo Picasso’s son Claude. “It was astonishing,” she said. “From the moment I became Sara Picasso, I ceased to exist. People only cared about my name.“ (Picasso himself complained people bought his paintings for the signature.) She was very young. The marriage didn’t last. Sara existed again. The name is still worth money. In 1998, Claude sold the signature to the French auto maker Citroën, and named their mid-sized model the “Xsara Picasso”. Sara assumes he named the car after her: ex-Sara Picasso!©Julia Frey 2009P.S. Julia Frey (pronounced: fry), an ex-French professor, was amused to discover her students called her “French Frey”.

Only in New York, Darling ! (livre disponible en anglais et en français sur lulu.com et amazon.com -$20)

Posted by Eymeraude CORDON on June 5, 2009 at 1:01pm

Auteure d'origine normande publiée chez Lulu, Virginie Sommet habite tout naturellement à Big Apple, où elle mène une vie semble-t-il trépidante, toujours accompagnée de sa bicyclette de type hollandais fabriquée en 1945. Son livre Only in New york, darling ! est le carnet de bord halluciné de Virginie dans les méandres du quotidien de New York City, un témoignage drôle, intimiste et touchant. Déterminée et positive quoi qu'il arrive, Virginie raconte ses aventures dans un style inimitable qui oscille entre titi parisien, artiste engagée et Barbarella sexy. Elle offre au lecteur un récit sincère, tendre, servi par un sens aigu de l'observation. La Normande observe sans répit l'univers impitoyable qui l'entoure, questionne sans relâche tous ceux qu'elle croise dans la grande et haute ville. Les lecteurs sont invités à suivre Virginie à New York pour, eux aussi, "devenir ce qu'ils sont".Only in New York, Darling ! raconte ses premiers pas, ses galères, petits boulots, rencontres improbables, en somme une vision du New York du milieu des années quatre-vingt dix, avant la monstrueuse vague sécuritaire qui suivit les attentats du 11 septembre 2001. « C’est suite justement aux attentats que j’ai décidé d’écrire ce livre, » raconte Virginie. « Je voulais urgemment faire partager mon amour pour New York, rappeler sa richesse, décrire la fascination qu’exercent sur moi ses habitants, ses quartiers, son énergie unique. J’ai rédigé le livre tous les matins pendant six mois, après une séance de zazen (méditation japonaise), puis une fois le premier jet effectué, les corrections et la composition furent longs, mobilisant proches et amis pour obtenir une œuvre qui soit la plus singulière et personnelle possible. »En huit ans de vie new-yorkaise, Virginie est devenue une artiste en vue, exposant ses œuvres dans plusieurs galeries, d’abord dans des groupes, puis indépendamment. Elle a fini par monter sa propre galerie sur Canal Street, au cœur de Chinatown/Soho, appelée Collective Gallery 173-171, où elle expose des œuvres. Only in New York Darling ! se présente comme un récit initiatique qui se dévore ou se picore selon l’appétit. De courts paragraphes sont entrecoupés par des poèmes, des illustrations, à la manière d’un collage artistique.

Amuse-Bouche: Explaining French to Americans -- What's in a Name? Naming your baby in France gets easier and riskier...

Posted by Julia Frey on June 4, 2009 at 12:00pm

I had to ask France Aimée where she got a patriotic name like Beloved France. (What if my parents had named me Beloved United States?) Not patriotism, she said. Her mother is Aimée; her grandmother was named France. Well, I observed, her grandmother was born in 1915. Another friend was named France during the German occupation in 1940. France Aimée’s name, she admitted, can provoke misunderstandings. Backpacking through Asia, she was paged at Jakarta airport: red carpet, flashing cameras, formal cocktail. It seems her Indonesian friend in Paris, to introduce her to someone local, had sent a telegram in English to a government official he knew, asking him to welcome “Miss France Aimée (...).” Very excited, the office had quickly set up a reception for...Miss France!
In 1964, when Gilbert Bécaud’s song “Nathalie” was a hit, some 32,000 babies were named Nathalie. This year, 40. In 1964, the most popular name for boys was Philippe. It ranks fifth overall for the past century. It lost favor just after World War II because the head of the Vichy régime was named Philippe Pétain, only to be salvaged in 1947, when Elizabeth II of England married Prince Philip. The truly class-conscious seek archaic names like Humbert or Isabeau. Or their Breton roots yield Baudouin or Guénaele. As in the United States, someone with a truly weird, unpronounceable name is usually from an old family—the kind that would do that to an innocent newborn.
A law passed on 11 germinal an XI (April Fool’s Day, 1803) said you had to choose a name from an official list which no one seems to be able to locate anymore. Legal names included all saints with birthdays in the calendrier grégorien (paradoxical since France was using the calendrier révolutionnaire at the time) plus certain historic figures, which ones I can only guess: Cleopatra? Nero? If you wanted to call your kid Friday, tough luck.
Desperate for individuation, people developed nicknames. As Boris Vian’s 1955 song “Je Suis Snob” explains, “Je m’appelle Patrick, mais on dit Bob.” Additionally, la bonne bourgeoisie hatched a flock of hyphenations: Jean-Paul, Jean-Pierre, Jean-Claude for boys; Marie-Paule, Marie-Pierre, Marie-Claude for girls. These even showed seasonal variations. Marie-Noëlle explains hers: “I was born in October, a bit too soon after my parent’s March wedding. My name hints at a Christmas birthday.” A 1966 law, bowing to these faits accomplis, also allowed mythological names (Medusa?) and regional names. Aude is poetic, but Aisne? Unfortunate homonyms for that French département (pronounced N) include aine (groin) and haine (hatred).
After a 1981 amnesty granting illegal immigrants citizenship, it wasn’t politiquement correct to force a saint’s name on a baby beur (French-born person of North African descent). Informally, parents could choose an alternative. Result: 1,784 boys named Mohamed.
But a name that might subject the child to ridicule risked a government veto. Results were inconsistent. Some bureaucrats rejected Marine: too nautical. For others, no problem. Since 1993, all rules are off. Last year Océane was really big.
Now you can name your kid anything you want. Unless some civil servant questions your taste in names. Then the “judge of family affairs” will choose a more appropriate one (Tuesday?). This creates new problems for psychologists. “What will happen to the child named Périphérique Nord, after the highway where his mother’s waters broke?” wonders François Bonifaix (Le Traumatisme du Prénom, 1995). Luckily, anyone over the age of 13 can legally change his or her name. Maybe I’ll change mine to Beloved United States.

Photo Credit: Jonas Cuénin

Amuse-Bouche No. 1: What’s in a Name? by Julia Frey
Naming your baby in France gets easier and riskier...

© Julia Frey 2012
p.s. This is the first of a series of "Amuse Bouche"-- humorous mouthfuls on the perplexities of French language and behavior by a former New Yorker now living in France.

Are we in Queens or what?

Posted by MRK Brazilian on June 3, 2009 at 11:00am

I know its going to sound redundant, but I am always amazed, how this town operates.This is the only place in the world, where you can hear Arabic, Korean, Russian, French, English sometime, or Yiddish at the same time, in the same street.Man, thats crazy but thats NY and I believe that why most of us never leave....Life would be too boring anywhere else....:).....MRK

Films on the Green 2009 - Outdoor French Film Festival

Posted by Nathalie Charles on June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm

Films on the Green is going… green! For its second year running, the popular free outdoor French film festival will feature movies about the environment and the beauty of the natural world. Following the remarkable success of last year’s inaugural “Films on the Green,” the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation have once again joined forces to present a selection of seven critically acclaimed French films that will be screened every Friday at sunset in city parks during the months of June and July.

The festival’s opening night will see the U.S. premiere of Home, a feature documentary and global call-to-action directed by famed aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Shot entirely from the air, over a two-year period and in 54 different countries, Home gives viewers a new perspective on the planet, and a new awareness of the importance of protecting it. The screening will take place at Cedar Hill (79th St & 5th Ave) in Central Park, on Friday, June 5, in association with the United Nations Environment Programme. In a world first, Home will be released simultaneously in movie theaters, outdoors during public screenings, on DVD, online and on television, all on World Environment Day (June 5) in over 100 countries. Co-produced by Europacorp (Luc Besson’s production company) and Elzévir Films, and with the support of PPR Group, the movie will be distributed for free in a concerted effort to reach the widest possible audience.

Three other feature films will complete this environmental series of Films on the Green. The Academy Award winning March of the Penguins, the epic story of penguins fighting to survive in the Antarctic that made nature documentaries cool again, will be screened on Friday June 12. Microcosmos, a spectacular look into the tiny world of insects, with such highlights as bees collecting nectar, spiders wrapping their catch and a mosquito hatching, will play on June 19. Last but not least, The Big Blue, Luc Besson’s timeless and fascinating movie unfolding in the enigmatic world of free-diving, will be shown on Friday June 26. All three movies will be screened in Washington Square Park (see below for more details, including film capsules).

English-language screenings will take place every Friday of June and July (except July 3 and 31) at sunset (around 8:30pm, seating begins at 8:15pm), and will be free of charge.

communiqué de presse : O Mcezo* Cie interdit aux Comores

Posted by Thomas C. Spear on May 31, 2009 at 11:36pm

From: washkonet@yahoo.frTo: washkonet@yahoo.frSent: 5/31/2009 9:04:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: O Mcezo* Cie - Communiqué de presseO Mcezo* CieCommuniqué de presseCensure culturelle et artistique. Interdiction de travail à l'Alliancefrançaise de Moroni pour une compagnie de théâtre à cause des positionspolitiques de son directeur artistique, Soeuf Elbadawi, sur l'intégritéterritoriale des Comores.La compagnie comorienne de théâtre O Mcezo* est interdite de travail àl'Alliance française de Moroni, suite à une performance artistique(gungu) réalisée le 13 mars dernier dans les rues de Moroni par SoeufElbadawi, son directeur. Une performance durant laquelle il s'estexprimé avec d'autres citoyens comoriens, des artistes et desjournalistes notamment, contre le viol de l'intégrité territoriale desComores, adoptant à cette occasion la même position que la vingtaine derésolutions de l'ONU condamnant la présence française à Mayotte.La décision de déprogrammer le travail de Soeuf Elbadawi et de sacompagnie à l'Alliance française de Moroni a été notifiée par uncourrier de son directeur, Jérôme gardon, en date du 28 mai 09. Ellefait suite au limogeage du plasticien comorien Seda de l'école française(Henri Matisse) pour avoir pris part à la même performance en marsdernier. La décision avait été prise, semble-t-il, au nom del'ambassadeur de France à Moroni. La décision de Jérôme Gardon engageainsi son institution, la seule qui soit équipée pour accueillir untravail de création et de diffusion dans le pays, dans un positionnementpolitique dont le but serait d'exclure de son lieu les artistescomoriens ayant une opinion contraire à l'autorité française. Ayantmanifesté son refus de la présence française à Mayotte, Soeuf Elbadawiest déprogrammé de l'affiche.Jérôme Gardon, directeur de l'Alliance française à Moroni, au nom de soncomité d'administration, accuse Soeuf Elbadawi d'avoir été «l'instigateur d'une manifestation politique violente ». En réalité, ilfait référence à cette performance artistique réalisée le 13 marsdernier, laquelle performance se trouvait être une forme renouvelée degungu, tradition populaire, à la fois politique et culturellecomorienne, assimilable au théâtre de rue. « On organise le gungutraditionnellement contre un acte mettant la communauté en péril. Nousavons revisité cette tradition sous forme de happening théâtral pourrappeler aux gens que le viol de l'intégrité territoriale des Comoresest un acte mettant à mal la communauté d'archipel. Mais que signifie legeste de Jérôme Gardon ? Que ceux qui ne sont pas d'accord avec laprésence française à Mayotte doivent se taire sous peine d'exclusion del'Alliance française de Moroni. Je peux comprendre sa décision. Mais delà à qualifier une performance durant laquelle personne n'a étéinquiétée de « manifestation violente », je pense qu'il déliretotalement, et j'essaie d'imaginer les personnes qui vont prendre cetteindication au pied de la lettre, en se demandant si je n'ai pas commisun acte terroriste. Quelle image veut-il donner de ma personne ? Ce quele directeur de l'Alliance française vient de faire est dangereux,diffamatoire, voire pervers » explique Soeuf Elbadawi.La nature des relations entre Soeuf Elbadawi et l'Alliance française deMoroni, institution au sein de la quelle il a beaucoup œuvré du milieudes années 80 au début des années 90, et avec laquelle il a continué àtravailler ces dix dernières années, a toujours été sans concessions, niambiguïtés. Soeuf Elbadawi n'a jamais omis de préciser ce qui fonde sontravail artistique aux Comores : « l'obsession de la citoyenneté ». Cequi n'a jamais dérangé la direction de l'Alliance par le passé. JérômeGardon s'était par ailleurs engagé depuis novembre 08 à prêter son lieuà la compagnie O Mcezo* pour trois étapes de travail, dont celle quivient d'être déprogrammé du 21 juin au 3 juillet 09, afin de créer Lafanfare des fous, un spectacle autour de la dépossession citoyenne.L'attitude de Jérôme Gardon, au-delà du fait qu'elle entérine une «relation tarifée » (le silence des artistes comoriens sur la réalitépolitique nationale contre le droit d'exister dans « son » lieu), obligeà réfléchir sur la qualification (« manifestation politique violente »)utilisée pour désigner l'expression citoyenne d'un artiste impliqué dansla réalité de son propre pays. Soeuf Elbadawi s'interroge : « Ce qui estterrible, c'est d'entendre le directeur de l'Alliance dire que lesComoriens membres de son comité d'administration m'interdisent l'accèsau plateau pour avoir dit que Mayotte est comorienne. Ceci revient àdire que Jérôme Gardon s'amuse à faire se dresser des Comoriens contred'autres Comoriens. Il serait intéressant de savoir ce qu'en pense leditcomité. Ce que je sais, c'est que Jérôme Gardon donne une image indignedes institutions culturelles françaises. Il engage son lieu contre unartiste pour délit d'expression. Ma performance parlait de dignité, derespect et de liberté. Ce qui explique la manière dont la population asalué l'événement en lui-même. Et que doit-on en conclure après cetteréaction du directeur de l'Alliance ? Que les chiens doivent se taire ?Peut-être qu'il faudrait lui expliquer à Jérôme Gardon que l'inimitié,on la fabrique dans une relation de tous les jours. Je ne voudrais pastomber dans la parano de ceux qui disent que la France coupe les ailes àtous les Comoriens venant lui rappeler qu'une autre relation auquotidien est possible. Mais lorsqu'on vire le plasticien Seda del'école française, et qu'on m'interdit de travailler sur le plateau del'Alliance, il y a de quoi s'interroger. Qu'est-ce que j'ai fait dedérangeant ? Dire mon attachement à mon pays ? Inscrire mon travailartistique dans une réalité complexe ? M'interroger sur une relationtronquée entre un pays plus fort et une entité insulaire plus faible ?Mais à quoi servirait un artiste dans cet archipel s'il ne faisait queparler du sel de la mer ? ».Suite à cette décision prise par la direction de l'Alliance française deMoroni, la compagnie O Mcezo* se retrouve sans lieu de répétitions poursa troisième étape de travail. Washko Ink., qui produit le travail de lacompagnie, regrette cette situation et s'apprête à en assumer lesconséquences. Les deux structures renouvèlent leur confiance à SoeufElbadawi, et l'encouragent à inscrire davantage son travail dansl'interrogation citoyenne. Washko ink. et la compagnie O Mcezo* sontpour l'implication des artistes, des auteurs et des intellectuels comoriens.ContactCie O Mcezo* || Washko Ink.B.P. 5357 Moroni - Union des Comores - Téléphone : 00 (269) 3203048E-mail : omcezo@yahoo.fr

MRK Brazilian

Posted by MRK Brazilian on May 31, 2009 at 10:19pm

Hi everyone,This website is just a fantastic idea, congratulation to Fabrice Jaumont.I hope to meet much more of the French community not only in NY but in the States and around the world.I also hope a lot of different people, from around the world, will come here and share their interest.All members of Electro Brazil are very impatient to share our music with all of you out there....A bientotbeijoMRK

Frenchy performs in Williamsburg (videoart/concert)

Posted by Isabelle Duverger on May 31, 2009 at 4:52pm

Until There: Laia Cabrera with For Feather and Isabelle DuvergerCatalan Video-Artist performs live with Brooklyn indie rock band For Feather and French Illustrator Isabelle Duverger“Until There” starts with images and movement as a visual storytelling, a sensual journey of the imaginary world of the filmmaker and visual artist, Laia Cabrera. Four screens with two video streams will surround you with a unique visual experience of timelessness and human landscape. She uses a variety of media: projected imagery merging cinematic arts, dance, photography, theater, visual arts, writing etc... As a part of the performance, Laia Cabrera will be working with visuals and drawing animation by Isabelle Duverger projected live in conjunction with indie pop/rock For Feather. The band has mastered the art of turning the mundane into the marvelous. Quirky melodies pull rather than push the listener, keeping things light with spacious harmonies evoking the early Beatles.Webpage of the event: http://www.monkeytownhq.com/6_8_09.html www.laiacabrera.com www.forfeather.com www.isabelleduverger.com

Ningueuses, ningueurs.

Posted by New York in French on May 30, 2009 at 2:42am

Ningueuses, ningueurs, c'est en ninguant, qu'on devient... plus connecté, plus informé, plus collectif donc plus efficace, capable d'avoir un impact plus important sur le monde qui nous entoure et plus à même de réaliser les initiatives qui nous tiennent à coeur. Ce Ning New York in French ouvrira ses portes officiellement le 1er juin. Il sera accessible sur internet par son adresse : nycfrench.ning.com Parlez-en

Amour, colère et folie / Love, Anger, Madness (Marie Chauvet) = summer reading.

Posted by Thomas C. Spear on May 29, 2009 at 9:00pm

If you've never read Amour, colère et folie in the original French, this is your summer. Time to read Marie Chauvet's classic before it comes out in August in first English language translation, Love, Anger, Madness (Random House, Modern Library; translation by Rose Réjouis & Val Vinokur). We hope to celebrate Chavet at the CUNY Graduate Center, this translation being an opportune time. Perhaps early October? Stay tuned. And for your French-challenged friends, this is a first opportunity, for late & great summer reading. Bonnes lectures!

Great idea!

Posted by Deborah on May 29, 2009 at 8:49pm

Fabrice, I think you are on to something!

Je ningue, tu ningues, il ningue...

Posted by New York in French on May 28, 2009 at 9:00am

Qu'est-ce qu'un Ning ? Un Ning est une plateforme qui permet aux utilisateurs de créer leur propre réseau social. Ning est semblable à Facebook ou MySpace mais laisse à l'utilisateur l'entière liberté de concevoir, modifier, modérer, innover, rassembler autour d'un thème précis. Le mot ning veut dire "paix" en chinois mais la plateforme est américaine. Elle a été créée en Californie par Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini. Ning est la troisième compagnie de Andreessen qui a déjà lancé Netscape et Opsware. Ning n'est pas encore connu dans les pays francophones mais quelques exemples comme New York in French, créé par Fabrice Jaumont en mai 2009 permettent d'envisager les possibilités illimitées de ce type d'outils. Un Ning permettrait avant tout de rassembler la communauté francophone autour d'enjeux ou questions divers. Le Ning de New York in French est, quant à lui, centré sur l'éducation, l'apprentissage du français, la Francophonie à New York et aux alentours. New York in French permet de tchater, de bloguer, d'échanger collectivement, de créer des groupes de discussions, d'afficher des photos, des vidéos, des fichiers sons, des documents, etc. Le verbe ninguer (prononcer comme swinguer) n'existe pas encore dans le dictionnaire. Je me permet de le proposer à tous. Ninguons ensemble mes frères et mes soeurs. Fabrice Jaumont

A French Revolution in New York City’s Public Schools

Posted by New York in French on May 23, 2009 at 10:30pm

============================================================================= - October 20 - 5pm to 8pm - Reception for Shimon Waronker (former Principal at CIS22 - Bronx), Giselle Gault (Principal at PS58 - Brooklyn), Robin Sundick (Principal at PS84 - Upper West Side) and Jean Mirville (Principal at PS73 - Bronx) - Location: Mars 2112 (1633 Broadway & 51st street. 800 school principals invited. Invitation only. If you are a parent seeking to open a French-English program in your school, this could be your chance. Send me an email asap to receive an invitation. ============================================================================== - October 24th - New York French American Charter School is pleased to invite you and your family to join us on Saturday, October 24 to celebrate the birth of NYFACS in Harlem, the First Public French-American School to open in September 2010 115 West 128th street (between 2-6pm) Further details on http://www.nyfacschool.org ========================================================================== Background ========================================================================== With globalization a fact, and cultural diversity an ever-increasing reality, New York’s public schools have opened themselves up to the learning of foreign languages but also to the teaching of traditional core content areas in a language other than English. According to the New York Department of Education, students who will speak a second language will be better prepared to succeed in a multicultural world and will be able to preserve their cultural heritage. Since 2005, new programs in the French language have emerged en force in the public schools. The impetus that created the rapid success of these programs is a result of the synergy between multiple partners—French, Francophone, and Francophile. These actors have offered an alternative to parents who seek not only to offer an economically feasible solution for a dual English-French education, but also a more diverse choice in their children’s education. The French Government, through its Embassy, American foundations such as FACE (French-American Cultural Exchange) and the Alfred & Jane Ross Foundation, Grand Marnier Foundation, as well as the parent association Education Française à New York (EFNY) and the Friends of New York French-American Bilingual and Multicultural Education are amongst those institutions that have grasped the importance of dual language education and have consolidated their efforts to work with the city’s public schools. The Cultural Services provides the text books and offers trainings and workshops for the professors; additionally, the Cultural Services contributes logistical and financial aid to the schools. The parent association EFNY serves as both the go-between between the schools, the parents and the Cultural Services and the spokesperson for the Francophone families in New York. EFNY’s numerous initiatives facilitated the relationship between the Department of Education and the Francophone families. The Alfred & Jane Ross Foundation has brought its financial support and expertise in the development of innovative programming and pedagogy. New partners are also joining us in this initiative: the Québec Government Office, the Association catholique des Sénégalais d’Amérique (ASA) and multiple active members of the Haitian community. Almost 700 students are enrolled in one of these programs in New York. Over 1,000 students are expected for the 2009-2010 school year. The curriculum and pedagogy of each program varies from school to school: dual-language classes, after-school classes, heritage classes and preparations for the GED exam. A – Twenty dual-language classes – The students are between 5 and 10 years old. In September 2009, six New York public schools opened their doors to bilingual classes (French- English). The schools are PS125 (Harlem), PS58 (Caroll Gardens - Brooklyn), PS73 (Bronx), CIS22 (Bronx), PS84 (Upper West Side)., and PS151 in Woodside (Queens). In the Fall of 2009, these schools opened a total of 20 classes, serving more than 500 students. In just two year’s time the programs increased enrolment nine- fold! These immersion classes in French and English are geared toward Francophones, Anglophones and bilingual students, as well as students who speak little or no English. Each individual school assures its own individual enrolment. These classes join more than 70 other dual language programs (Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Haitian Creole and Korean) financed by the city of New York. A new public school will offer a French program in September 2010: PS84 in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). For information and donations, visit http://www.newyorkinfrench.net/page/french-goes-public or join the Create a French Program group B – Eight after-school French programs – The students are between 5 and 13 years old. The parents of the students of EFNY (Education Française à New York) propose after-school and extra-curricular French programs in multiple public schools. Following the initiative of a small group of Francophone and Francophile parents dedicated to the French language and Francophone cultures, the EFNY became an official entity in 2005. EFNY’s goal is to share the French language with their children and to offer financially feasible options of educating their children in French. The after-school classes take place in the public schools under the supervision of volunteers taking part in the FLAM committee. These programs benefit from funding from the French government (FLAM, Français Langue Maternelle), which the EFNY obtained of its own accord. The public schools contribute the classroom spaces to EFNY. These factors (the organization of EFNY parents and volunteers, free classroom space, FLAM funds) allow the after-school program to keep their operational costs relatively low. There exist seven locations for the after-school programs: PS234 (Tribeca), PS41 (Greenwich Village), PS363 (East Village), PS58 (Carroll Gardens), PS10 (Park Slope), PS59 (Midtown East), PS 84 (Upper West Side) and PS 183 (Upper East Side). This program serves about 200 students, who are for the most part French. For information and donations, visit http:www.efny.net or join their group on this website. C - Six French Heritage Language Programs– The students are between 5 and 18 years old. The French Heritage Language Program (FHLP) is piloted by the French Embassy in partnership with the Alfred & Jane Ross Foundation. The generous support of several other foundations as well as individuals throughout New York also enables the FHLP to offer French classes to children of Francophone families, who are recently immigrated to the United States. FHLP was created to promote and enrich heritage language learning of French and to encourage the learning of French and Francophone cultures by students of Francophone origin in the New York public schools. The primary objective is to promote bilingualism by helping students maintain and develop solid competency in French in order to perpetuate the connections with their countries of origin, while improving their chances of success and integration into American culture and society. The goal is to develop and affirm the linguistic, professional and personal development of each student so as to affirm the student’s identity and encourage the confidence of the immigrant students as they transition into their new environment. In New York, 110 students currently participate in this program in six locations: Brooklyn International HS, Bronx International HS, International HS at Prospect Heights (Brooklyn), International HS at Lafayette (Brooklyn), International Community HS (Bronx) and PS125 (Harlem). An intensive summer camp, offered in July, is also associated with the program. Fun pedagogical activities enable the students to improve their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Field trips to art museums, Francophone institutions, guest speakers, films, dance and theater workshops, as well as a one-week trip to Québec, almost fully financed by philanthropists, also renders this program exceptional. The French Heritage Language Program also has as its objective to create pedagogical materials specially adapted to the teaching of French as a heritage language, implemented in the New York classrooms, and also available online for programs throughout the country to adapt to their own needs. For information and donations, visit http://facecouncil.org/fhlp D – A new charter school will open in September 2010: The New York French-American Charter School - NYFACS Open to everyone, Free, Charter School, Open to the world, Bilingual / biliterate, Teaching from multiple points of view, Focused on the individual, Small classes, Flexible learning environment, Designed for excellence, High academic standards. The Best of Two Educational Systems: NYFACS incorporates both the American and French approaches toward learning by taking the best from each and creating an educational system that is better than its parts. From the French system we take: Rigor, Structure, Inductive reasoning approach to teaching, A deeper approach to topics studied, In-depth study of grammar and analysis of language, Emphasis on method, organization, and neatness. From the American system we take: Flexibility, Constructivist approach to student-oriented learning, Broader approach to topics studied, Emphasis on individual thought and creativity, Attention to individual learning styles as well as learning disabilities, Large opportunity for participation in student affairs and activities. Teachers teach in their native language and thus teach their culture. History class becomes a true vehicle in teaching a world view. Students study the history of their countries with a native viewpoint, thus not only reinforcing their own identity but also inviting all students to analyze and compare points of view. NYFACS is not only a combination of these two systems, it is a living, breathing, multicultural environment in which students grow up free from the prejudices that often bind people who have been raised in an insular environment with only one world view and approach to education. Our students become well-educated, true citizens of the world. For information and donations, visit http://www.nyfacschool.org or join their group on this website. E - Two GED programs in French – The students are between 17 and 21 years old. The GED (General Educational Development) is an exam enabling students who do not have a high school diploma or a French Baccalauréat to validate their studies so as to earn an equivalency of these degrees. The preparation for this exam may be prepared at two centers: the Linden Learning Center in Brooklyn and the Jamaica Learning Center in Queens. Almost 250 students enroll in the GED French language preparation courses each year. E – An increased need for teachers of French. The need for French teachers has already increased and will continue to do so as new programs open up. In the case of Francophone teachers wanting to teach in these programs, the New York certification and a B.A. diploma of at least four years is often required. For teachers certified outside of the state of New York, it is possible to obtain an equivalency through a strict evaluation administered on a case by case basis by the Department of Education. For more information,visit the Certification group on this website and join the For Teachers group. F – French Goes Public, a Franco-American fundraising campaign to support these programs. Since 2007, at the initiative of Kareen Rispal, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy in New York, the campaign to raise funds for French Goes Public was launched to support the various French language teaching programs in New York. In France, the Senate, the Ministère de l’Education nationale and the Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes quickly contributed their support. The donations of foundations and individual are allowing us to match the contributions coming from France. The website Network for Good enables individuals to safely and efficiently make their donation online. These donations, contributed to the non-profit FACE, are tax-deductible. These donations are used to purchase textbooks and to fund teacher training and workshops. Book banks such as Adiflor and Biblionef, and Canadian book companies and libraries, as well as book donations from Francophile New York friends also assure that the classrooms meet their needs. Donate here Fabrice Jaumont Note sur les ecoles publiques de New York.pdf Notes sur les ecoles privees de New York.pdf

New York in French - Opinion (in French)

Posted by New York in French on May 17, 2009 at 8:30pm

New York in French par Fabrice Jaumont Depuis 2005, de nouveaux programmes en langue française se sont consolidés dans les écoles publiques sous l’impulsion de plusieurs partenaires français, francophones et francophiles, offrant aux familles francophones une alternative économe et un plus grand choix pour scolariser leurs enfants. Le gouvernement français, par le biais du Service culturel de l’Ambassade de France, les fondations américaines comme le French-American Cultural Exchange Council (FACE) et la Alfred & Jane Ross Foundation, ainsi que l’association de parents francophones Education Française à New York (EFNY) ont particulièrement compris ces enjeux et ciblé leurs actions sur les écoles publiques de la ville. Le Service culturel, notamment, fournit des livres scolaires et propose des formations aux professeurs, tout en offrant de l'assistance logistique et financière aux écoles. L’association de parents EFNY assure un rôle de ralliement et de porte parole pour les familles francophones. Ses nombreuses activités ont permis d’ouvrir des brèches importantes dans un système public parfois peu sensible aux besoins des familles francophones. La fondation Alfred & Jane Ross apporte son soutien financier et son expertise dans le développement de programmes innovants (comme le programme French Heritage). De nouveaux partenaires se joignent peu à peu à cette initiative : la Délégation générale du Québec, l’Association des Sénégalais d’Amérique (ASA) et plusieurs membres actifs de la communauté haïtienne. La langue française est une langue d’immersion privilégiée car elle a été choisie comme la langue cible du programme d'immersion de 38 comtés ou districts scolaires aux États-Unis. C’est près d’une centaine d’écoles publiques, 12 000 élèves, 600 enseignants et assistants qui sont ainsi concernés. Les programmes d’immersion en français forment les futurs effectifs des lycées français, des départements d’études françaises, des Alliances françaises, des Chambres de Commerce franco-américaines, etc. Le développement de ces programmes ne peut qu’être bénéfique à la présence du français dans ce pays. Le français est aussi langue d'enseignement dans près d'une quarantaine d'établissements privés, homologués par le Ministère français de l'éducation nationale. A l'échelle locale, on se rend compte de la formation de villages francophones autour de ces écoles. C'est saisissant. A Brooklyn, le quartier de Carroll Gardens connaît même une hausse des coûts de l'immobilier alors que nous sommes en pleine crise économique. Pour certaines écoles, surtout les plus défavorisées, l'objectif est de diversifier la population de l'école en attirant des familles francophones ou francophiles. On se rend compte aussi que des familles de classe moyenne reviennent vers les écoles publiques qui proposent un programme bilingue français-anglais après avoir boudé le système public pendant des années. C'est ce que j'appelle une révolution silencieuse. Les parents sont le moteur de cette révolution silencieuse, sous leur pression les directeurs d''école acceptent d'ouvrir des programmes. On les retrouve derrière l'ouverture de classes bilingues ou d'autres formes de programmes. Un comité de travail composé de parents et de spécialistes travaille activement à la création d’une école à charte (New York French American Charter School) dans laquelle un élève pourrait suivre toute sa scolarité en français. Des programmes extrascolaires, par exemple, sont proposés par des parents d’élèves de l’association EFNY (Education Française à New York) dans plusieurs écoles publiques. L’association a été officiellement constituée en 2005 à l'initiative d'un petit groupe de parents français attachés à la culture et à la langue françaises et désireux de partager cette langue avec leurs enfants et de leur offrir des options éducatives pratiques et abordables (face aux coûts exorbitants des lycées français privés). Sous la forme de cours du soir ou après l’école (after school), ces classes payantes prennent place dans des écoles publiques de la ville et sont entièrement gérés par des parents bénévoles sous la direction du comité FLAM. Ces programmes bénéficient d’une subvention du gouvernement français (FLAM, Français Langue Maternelle) obtenue par EFNY. Les écoles publiques mettent les classes à la disposition d’EFNY gracieusement. Ces facteurs (coordination bénévole par EFNY, gestion par parents bénévoles, locaux gratuits, subvention FLAM) permettent de garder les coûts au plus bas. Il y a aujourd’hui neuf sites : PS234 (Tribeca), PS70 (Astoria - Queens), PS41 (Greenwich Village), PS363 (East Village), PS58 (Carroll Gardens), PS10 (Park Slope), PS59 (Midtown East), PS 84 (Upper West Side) et PS183 (Upper East Side). Ce programme sert approximativement 150 élèves. Au niveau des gouvernements, la mise sur pied d'une stratégie de subventions à grande échelle en faveur des programmes d'immersion ou bilingue, du même type que celle établie pour certains départements de français dans les universités américaines, répondrait aux attentes de cette nouvelle catégorie de francophiles que sont les élèves des classes bilingues qui vouent un amour profond pour la langue française qu'ils maîtrisent depuis leur plus tendre enfance. L'impact de tels fonds, qu'ils ciblent la consolidation de programmes existants ou la création de nouveaux programmes peut faire pencher les décisions en faveur du français, surtout celles d'administrateurs locaux. Un tel effort pourrait renverser la tendance et avoir un effet catalyseur sur la propagation de la langue française dans les programmes d'immersion et au-delà. Ils répondraient aux attentes de très nombreux parents et professeurs de français. Aujourd'hui, je pense que nous devrions investir massivement dans ce secteur avec des incitations financières pour l'ouverture de programme français-anglais dans les écoles primaires. Bien plus que ce que les gouvernements francophones ou américain ont investi jusqu'à présent. C'est par là que, à mes yeux, le français gagnera du terrain aux Etats-Unis. C'est par là aussi que les Etats-Unis se doteront d'une vraie politique linguistique ouvrant un plus grand nombre de citoyens sur le monde. Dans la presse.doc

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Amuse-Bouche No. 7 "I Love You, May I Call You Tu?"

The Vélib: a bike sharing program in Paris. An option for New York City?

Amuse-Bouche No. 6: Le Vélib’ -- trying out Paris’s bike rental system.

Amuse-Bouche No. 5: What’s Litotes? -- Understanding Understatement

Je ningue, tu ningues, il ningue...

Amuse-Bouche No. 4: Nissarts and Ch'tis -- Separated by Language

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Only in New York, Darling ! (livre disponible en anglais et en français sur lulu.com et amazon.com -$20)

Amuse-Bouche: Explaining French to Americans -- What's in a Name? Naming your baby in France gets easier and riskier...

Are we in Queens or what?

Films on the Green 2009 - Outdoor French Film Festival

communiqué de presse : O Mcezo* Cie interdit aux Comores

MRK Brazilian

Frenchy performs in Williamsburg (videoart/concert)

Ningueuses, ningueurs.

Amour, colère et folie / Love, Anger, Madness (Marie Chauvet) = summer reading.

Great idea!

Je ningue, tu ningues, il ningue...

A French Revolution in New York City’s Public Schools

New York in French - Opinion (in French)

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