A video word from The Times in Paris

This is one of the big weekend for leaving town, so I'm joining the southward exodus. July14 is past and Paris Plage is opening along the Seine at the start of the week. The Tour de France is winding into its final week, blighted by the traditional doping scandal but still loved nevertheless (my story in today's paper). President Sarkozy is working for a few days more. He's off on Monday to twist the arms of the Irish over the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. On that subject, I just had a fascinating hour with Bernard Kouchner, Sarko's flamboyant foreign minister. I'll post on him in a day or two.

I've said the rest in this short video (click here if it's not working). It was done with my pocket camera, an extraordinarily simple thing called a Flip. That explains the grainy image. I'll upgrade the technology soon. Posting will be intermittent over the next couple of weeks, especially since we still do not have broadband internet in the Cévennes hills -- or mobile phone cover. That's a help and a hindrance. It means that you cut off more from the outside world since it takes about a minute to load every web page via the phone modem. But it's a drag when you do want to search for something or read mail. But I shall be putting through comments a couple of times a day, so please keep them coming.

Comments

[dot king]

Right, well, that settles that - Charles can't be taking orders from anyone, because no overlord born would let him go off on holiday in this shameless way with recalcitrant Irish, doped-to-the-gills cyclists, and a sidelined Siné on the topical loose! ;D

BTW, I've noticed it before, but not mentioned it, Charles you're a dead-ringer for Jean Durry (or he for you) the sport historian, as seen on "C dans l'Air" yesterday evening, discussing Le Tour de France and dopey cyclists.

Don't investigate the jellyfish too closely, we don't want "expenses" to have to cover medical bills - from what I can gather we've noshed all their natural predators and now they're out to get us. Slippery, viscous little creatures.

Have a restful holiday - your devotion to blog duty is commendable, appreciated, and proof that you're nearly as addicted as the rest of us! What a relief! :)

[Thanks Dot. I'm still bashing away at the keyboard for the newspaper today, but off tomorrow. Don't know about Jean Durry, though. CB]

[Fabienne]

Bonnes vacances Charles et faites gaffe aux méduses!

[Gill]

Happy holiday, Charles. Hope you have a very relaxing break.

Dot, could you help me out here please? Who or what is Siné? This is the second reference I have read on the blog this week but I am afraid I am totally ignorant about him/her/it.

[Thanks, Gill. This will explain about Sine. My colleague from The Independent did the story today.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/satire-and-antisemitism-like-sarko-like-son-871827.html

CB]

[Joan Arles]

Glad you put yourself in the picture this time, Charles. Good to see you, the elegant gent from The Times. It'll be good when they get you a better camera!

[dot king]

Don't know about Jean Durry, though. CB]

I think he's rather dishy (in an older-man sort of way), you know, tall, distinguished, authoritative on his subject. If this helps you make up your mind - one way or the other :)

GILL, Siné, long-time journalist, caricaturist at Charlie Hebdo, just been fired by Philippe Val, the boss of the paper, for so-called anti-semitism.
He had written a text about Jean Sarkozy in which he says that the young man will be converting to Judaisme in order to marry his bride, daughter of the Darty Family business. Here's the text in question:

«Jean Sarkozy, digne fils de son paternel et déjà conseiller général de l'UMP, est sorti presque sous les applaudissements de son procès en correctionnelle pour délit de fuite en scooter. Le Parquet a même demandé sa relaxe ! Il faut dire que le plaignant est arabe ! Ce n'est pas tout : il vient de déclarer vouloir se convertir au judaïsme avant d'épouser sa fiancée, juive, et héritière des fondateurs de Darty. Il fera du chemin dans la vie, ce petit !»

Val considers that the text is anti-semitic because it "suggests" (sous-entend) that in order to get on in life you're better off being a Jew. (IMO, and that of many others, the text is ironic and the sous-entendre is there if you put it there. Substitute (say) Christianism for Judaism and see if the same condemnation applies.)

It seems that Siné and Val do not get on, to put it mildly, and there is rumour afoot (nay, accusation) that Val is using this as an opportunity to get rid of Siné (in fact has done so).
There's a very good open letter by Gisèle Halimi, former colleague at Charlie Hebdo and a lawyer specialising in journalism on the net:

http://www.rue89.com/2008/07/18/gisele-halimi-le-proces-en- sorcellerie-fait-a-sine-par-val

I hope this is correct link.
There's also a response from Guy Bedos the humorist.

I've never cared for Ph Val, I've always suspected him of hypocrisy, now this would seem to confirm what I thought.

[dot king]

"There is Brutus in him. Or Caligula. He has his father's mannerisms and his father's voice but he is taller, better-built and he looks like an angel."
(from The Independent article)

Charles your colleague forgot to mention the angel's zits!

[dot king]

Sorry Gill, the link I gave hasn't gone entirely blue, so it doesn't work. but you should still be able to find it by just googling Gisèle Halimi. I came across it quite accidentally, and Guy Bedos.

[Francois D]

Thank you Charles B, enjoy well deserved holidays.
Dn't too much think Carla nor Sarko (it seems they are in Marrakech this WE, having traveled on a Royal Air Maroc commercial flight).
Thank you for this wonderful blog, which has the only wrong for us to become addict.
Vos paroles à l'intention de vos lecteurs français sont, par ailleurs, d'une grande délicatesse.

[Maggie]

Hi Charles,

I've heard reports that the pompiers have treated over 500 people for medusa stings on the beaches of Cannes, Antibes, Villeneuve Loubet and Cagnes-sur-Mer, but I've been swimming every morning for over a month now and haven't seen a trace of medusa yet. We keep wondering when they're going to show up.

In the meantime, the sea is wonderful -- warm and clean and clear, and usually calm if you get there early in the morning. I do the crawl, so I like those early mornings without waves.

Might see you around when you come down to check out the medusa!

[Doremi ( still not Dot)]

Dear Charles,

Bonne vacances dans les Cévennes.

Mind les méduses, and les notes de bar des cafés de la Côte d'Azur that also sting.

[John Gregory Flinn]

We've the genuine 'Paris Plage' here at Le Touquet. You can spend a very civilized Saturday, through to Sunday, there. And the weather is often better than that further in land.
Talking of dialup internet connections, I've just played your video and it took me an hour to download just over 4 minutes of it. Then it was cut off - 'no longer available'. So, Charles, you can perhaps expect that in the Cévennes hills.

Anyway your 'behind the scenes' tour was interesting, maybe a bit more about your predecessor 'Henri-somebody' might be worth a paragraph or two.
I note that the TV media go in for 'behind the scenes' explanations and comments. Sometimes they seem to be merely a schedule filler, but no doubt have human interest.
Although for me they do not always work because, for example, I prefer to keep the unpretentious image of Martin Clunes as 'Doc Martin' than find out that he is actually kind to dogs, polite to other people etc....!

I hear the Irish would vote a bigger NO if they have to vote again.....!
I wonder what the sage of Eire, Frank S., has to say?

[RG, Taos, NM]

CB,

Have a great vacation. You've earned it. Best wishes

RG

[Azo]

Have a nice holiday Charles!

[Daniel Strohl]

"especially since we still do not have broadband internet in the Cévennes hills -- or mobile phone cover" (Charles)

Charles, there are now broadband internet solutions through satellite communication (download and upload) at an affordable price for private persons.

The latter was not the case may be 5 years ago when I looked at the matter - we lived at the time in SE France in the "outback", i.e close to a (sympathetic) small village called Allemagne en Provence... Mais maintenant, ils sont branchés eux aussi :))

Let me know if you are interested - if yes, I will e-mail you more detailed information.

PS : it was a nice idea to show your professional environment in Paris. The Café de la Paix and the close-to Maison du Café remind me of (good) memories dating almost 50 years back ...

[Romain]

Have a nice holyday in the 7's, Charles.
I asked my Kerry blue terrier what he thought of Sarkozy's visit to Ireland : he answered Whouf !

[dot king]

http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/photos/060910sport04.jpg

Jean Durry, curator of National Sports Museum and Charles' close lookalike.

[Elizabeth J22]

Dot King, CB is about 20 years younger than Jean Durry... well at least 15 years. More like André Dussollier to me, though Dussollier is a few years older too.

http://www.premiere.fr/premiere/cinema/films-et-seances/fiches-personnalite/andre-dussollier

[Juliette]

Vous rêvez ! Charles ne ressemble aucunement à Jean Durry. Je connais bien Charles Bremner pour l'avoir vu régulièrement sur Canal plus animer l'émission de Pascale Clark "Un café, l'addition". Il a beaucoup plus de panache, plus d'élégance et a 10 ans de moins .......

[dot king]

Je savais que la photo de Jean Durry causerait un petit débat houleux!

I think he and Charles mustn't be too far from around the same age - Mr Durry is still working as the curator of a national museum and is a regular on "C dans l'Air" - the first time I saw him there a few months ago, I thought it was Charles Bremner and had to listen for a trace of accent until his name appeared. I too have seen CB on Pascale Clark's programme.
Don't be so agist anyway!

It was the only photo I could find of JD (discretion being the better etc) and it probably doesn't show at best what I noticed, but it doesn't matter.
I find they are both "of a similar physical type" - nothing offensive to either - quite the opposite - they shoud be grateful I've even noticed!! ;)
PS JD is an ancien coureur cycliste, so not decrepit or anything.
And it makes a change from Nico and Carla . . .

[ferdinand]

hi charles

good idea to put a video from yourself there, you should do that more often, in my opinion. it's good to see you in person (brit style, chic et décontracté, tout en élégance) and to hear you speaking in french (too little words however...). i enjoy reading you blog, since it's always interesting and fruitful to receive a vision of your country seen by an foreigner.

bonnes vacances!

ferdinand

[jorg andersen]

As an Austrian who works a lot of his time in France, I'm grateful to Charles for opening French actualité to a wider audience. Everybody brings a point of view. Only American journalism schools believe there is such a thing as the objective view.

[Françoise12]

Merci Charles for your blog. You have a very wide following even before we see you in person. Et alors, when we see you, it's even better.

[Ellenwest]

This blog is a great way of keeping up with France for people like us who feel a kindred spirit. A bit of British humor with an understanding of the Gallic soul. reading from here on the west coast, Charles B has a way of making us feel we are there.

[Judith]

Charles
I loved your video blog which was doubly enjoyable because, when in Paris recently, I stayed close by.

I wish to applaud your coverage of Nicolas, Carla and, even, Jean. I think they are endlessly fascinating. It was my impression from family and friends in France that they also find Nicolas, particularly, enormously interesting, although they are a bit worried by this, because of their concerns about the rise of a celebrity culture in France.
BTW 'meduse' is a wonderful name for a jellyfish.
Bonnes vacances.

[christopher muir]

Charles demonstrates a very interesting trend in e-journalism. We are certainly moving into a new era of reporting. Hard to imagine back in the early nineties that newspaper correspondents would bolster copy with their own video footage. Now the material is sent instantly and universally to home computer screens. I like the new mix, but hope that over time the written word isn’t superseded totally by pocket-cam images. Reading between the lines is half the fun.

[Deborah]

Very enjoyable to see you speaking and to see the rather soulless office (but the view from the window must be wonderful).

My favourite posts are when you write about flying so hope you give us an update when you get back.

Have a good holiday!
[Thank you Deborah... It's not really soulless. There is not much on the walls, so it gives that impression. I love writing about flying but I notice that it's not everyone's cup of tea. Those posts don't get read as much as the more general ones about France. BTW, I'm sitting at the roadside in the Massif Central. Wonders of technology. CB]

[Gill]

Dot,
Many thanks for the info on Siné and pointing the way on Google. I had previously googled Siné and found myself led into the world of trigonometry!

[Gill]

Charles, I have just read your article in yesterday's paper on the Tour de France.
It would be sad to write it off just because of a few cheats. Cycling is not alone in having this problem and as with other sports has to concentrate on catching the culprits.

I enjoy watching the Tour on television but mostly because I like the glimpses of French villages and countryside. It's a good PR exercise for French tourism.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

The French have managed to cook and eat practically everything that grows, grazes, flies and swims on the planet, (stuffed coxcomb, stuffed doormice, bears' paws, fried courgette petals etc) so why not a Medusa meuniere avec pommes frites? Go for it, Charles. If French scientists, as I commented recently, can cook and eat a frozen dinosaur, ("It tasted of eternity" one of them said) a fresh jellyfish and chips could be wowing them on the Cote this summer.

[Daniel Strohl]

Judith,

"I think they are endlessly fascinating"

I am afraid this is not the opinion of a few fellow bloggers :))

"because of their concerns about the rise of a celebrity culture in France" (Judith)

No danger whatsoever; at least 70 % of the French media are against Sarkozy - of course, most of their readers or watchers as well ...

[Gilles]

Bonnes vacances Charles !
Hope to see you soon on the blog... Même si vous n'êtes pas toujours gentil avec les Français (mais cela fait du bien : un autre regard...)
Cordialement.

[terry]

Nice video blog. I was expecting a scottish australian accent for some reason. It was decidedly british.

I was rather appalled by the lack of decoration in your office. How about some paintings on the wall? Perhaps, some pictures of the family, the pooch or your airplane? Maybe something green that doesnt require much care. Ive got spider plants that I somehow have managed not to kill yet.

On the Tour de France, it has seemed to be less popular in the states this year. I think the lack of an American challenger has more to do with it than drugs. Baseball has become tainted with doping but fans havent really lost the passion for it yet.

We do need an update on the Cevennes vacation home. Werent you having trouble with the neighbors last ete?

Bonne vacances, mon ami!
[Thank you Terry. You're right about the walls. I'm lazy. I have three or four pictures that have been sitting propped against the wall waiting to be hung. I'll do it and show them on another video. There are some plants you didn't see, but they are always wilting. CB]

[Joan]

It was lovely "meeting" you virtually, anyway! Are you in the samebuilding as the Chambre de Commerce Franco Britannique ? I got a job there once (ages ago) but never went, preferring to stay in Italy....
Bonnes vacances!
Joan (Milan)
[Thanks Joan. No the Chamber of Commerce is up the street, but quite close, as everything is in Paris. No-one would blame you for staying in Italy. It's the rival in l'art de vivre. CB]

[colin grayson]

daniel , I don't know what you regard as an affordable price for satellite broadband [ up and down ]at a maison secondaire

am sure that even a times correspondent would be shocked at the cost and length of contract required , as would his employers when they saw it on his expense account

[azloon]

CB

you are quite good in front of the camera (who was you camera person?).

your gentle wit, and subtle sarcasm work well in a visual medium. i suspect television will clamor for your services after the last daily newspaper has been shuttered (which hopefully won't happen in your lifetime).

you obviously don't have the over-sized ego of most television journalists (or their toupes/hairpieces either). and this is good thing. (in the u.s., you probably would come across as a sort of alistair cooke minus the hot air and the haughty chin).

but, you may want to practice bracketing your reports with something like "en paris, je suis Charles Bremmer' in a basso profundo which establishes your presence and authority. :)

i think you've picked a good cahier de vacances, a translated review of which, from amazon.fr, is below:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.amazon.fr/review/R21HM6740P4Y4E&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dle%2Bcahier%2Bde%2Bjeux%2Bd%2527esprit%2Bpour%2Bles%2Bnulls%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DX

the covers of these books look a little like the english-language manuals called "(Enter the subject) for Dummies."

btw, feel free to take time off to act as 'secret agent' for anyone you wish (sarko? murdoch?), and don't let the blog get in your way.

you are 'right on' about sarko and carlita. do you ever pinch yourself and ask how could be so lucky to have been in france for the sarko era?

i am sure you won't forget to give us an up-close report on sarko's likely fawning reception for barack obama, the next u.s. president.

does sarko play basketball?
[Thanks Azloon... so many questions. Sarko doesn't play basketball. He's far too short. You're right, I'm grateful to him -- as we all are -- for giving us so much material.
The "pour les nuls" is just the French version of the Dummies series. Same franchise. The camera was done by a friend who made the effort to meet me at 8am when the traffic noise wasn't too great. We'll get a better camera soon, I hope. CB]

[Mads]

Charles, how interesting to be able to put a voice and a persona to your name. Is that a trace of a Devonian accent or just the mangling of the grainy video?

The Tour de France came through the Auvergne the other day and some friends rushed to see it. They thoroughly enjoyed the carnival atmosphere and street entertainment that preceded the riders. However, after about 20 minutes it was drowned out by the sound of approaching helicopters and police before the riders appeared. The noise, the confusion, the nearness of the cars and media to the riders was incredible. My friends commented that they could quite understand how you would need to be drugged up in order to keep going and keep concentrated with all that chaos going on around you!

Have a great holiday. I hope that you have some of this great sunshine that we are having in the Auvergne.

[Gill]

Terry, I was also a bit surprised by Charles' accent - I had expected it to be more middle class* southern English but he seems to me to have a touch of a mild well-educated Scottish accent. Very pleasing and distinguished.

I don't mean to use class in a snobbish way but merely to differentiate between the many types of English spoken.

[Daniel Strohl]

Colin,

It depends what you want to do with your "high speed" connection. If the main purpose is to read media at a reasonable speed (i.e much faster than a 56 k modem), and if you are not interested in downloading films, which really requires a very fast connection (this is true of course also for Internet TV), then you should be able to choose between several satellite Internet offers ranging from 50 € per month to 20 € per month plus a starting fee (including the antenna and the decoder) of 600 to 350 €.

There is an interesting article in the magazine MICRO ACTUEL (edition Eté 2008 N°1 H) on the matter - I picked up the above figures in this article.

The magazine itself is at an affordable price (2.99 € :)) - if you are not able to find it in a shop, let me know - I can e-mail you a copy of the relevant page. But this would mean a file of at least 300 kB, which takes some time with a 56 k modem. And most of the time, 56 kB is a theoretical value which may in practive go down to 30 kB if you are far away from the exchange.

PS : of course, if the investment is intented for a "maison secondaire" used only for a few weeks a year, then it is still very expensive.

However, if your home is covered by GSM / 3G, this technology would be an alternative - it works with an USB key. This possibility is also discussed in the article.

[dot king]

Daniel, I see you've now mastered Serbo-Croat - I'm very impressed : )

[Daisy]

Bonnes Vacances, CB! Be sure to catch the new Batman flick when it opens. It's brilliant.

For those of you in North America who haven't seen it yet, get thee to a cineplex! It's superb and worth every dime of the $155 million it earned at the box office this weekend. Guys, it's a great guy movie and ladies, I just have two words for you: Christian Bale. When the almighty made Mr. Bale, he more than redeemed himself for creating the lesser, um, varieties (sarko, anyone?).

[colin grayson]

thanks for that daniel , unlike charles I sort of have adsl ...at 512 on a good day , being at 7Km ; no thanks to france telecom , the monopoly supplier here ,who couldn't make it work

fortunately , having an interest in such matters , I was able to install some equipment in such a way as it works ....costs me as much as a triple play elsewhere ; however , it does have the advantage of a monthly contract.... which suits my life style ; being a FON member internet whilst travelling is pretty easy now

no hope for charles though , but he now keeps his beady eye on us by using the usb/3G system you mention ;expensive but better speed than dial up !

[Carole]

Dear Mr. Bremner,

I hope you have a fantastic holiday! I'm reading your blog from my cramped office in eastern Canada, and I sincerly appreciate your wit, humour, and insight. The spoken blog post was a treat!

Sincerely,

Carole MacLeod

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

"do you ever pinch yourself and ask how could be so lucky to have been in france for the sarko era?"

Fortunately for Charles and for us, we are not in the Ségolène era. To say it gently, the lady is not overburdened with humour !

Even Sarkozy's contradictors should admit that Sarko has some form of humour - for instance, he is quoted to have said : "Je suis enfin riche - depuis que j'ai épousé Carla !".

Hollande also has much humour - but unlike some diseases (MST in French :)), humour is not readily transmissible within a couple ...

Colin,

Sorry, Colin, I was not aware that you are familiar with the matter - it is one of my specialities to break in open doors ("enfoncer les portes ouvertes") !

FON was up to now Serbo-Croat for me, as Dot would say. But Google helped me in this occurence. BTW, I will probably buy a Netbook (Aspire One ?) which of course is fitted with WiFi. My France Telecom Triple Play works perfectly - there is provision to include a Wi Fi set in the network.

DOT,

I am no good at Serbo-Croat (apart from drinking occasionally a shot of slivo :))

However, notre PPDA national holds "une licence de serbo-croate", as far as I know. May be could get a new job in Belgrad or Zagreb ...

[Mary Fernandez]

"Sarko doesn't play basketball. He's far too short."

But he's the perfect size for Bull Riding. Just a thought... :-)

Have a great vacation, Charles. (And, do write about what I predict will be a Sarko/Obama lovefest even more over-done than the Sarko/Ingrid encounters. I just pray Carla doesn't break out into a Motown medley while Nico claims credit for ending slavery.)

[dot king]

But he's the perfect size for Bull Riding. Just a thought... :-)
Mary Fernandez

and a very kind thought it is - greatly appreciated! ;D

[dot king]

"I just pray Carla doesn't break out into a Motown medley while Nico claims credit for ending slavery."

No chance, she couldn't even make it as a boop-de-doop-backing-girl - here's some real Motown elegance for you.
Against this kind of class, Nico's nowhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7eTOnNBwYU

[mary]

Bonnes vacances Charles! Over the past few months your blog has given me great clarification on French news items that I've been attempting to understand in the media here.
Many thanks!

[dot king]

OMG!! prepare for MELTDOWN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDZcqBgCS74

ooooooooooohh . . .

[azloon]

Daniel --

you, drinking slivovitz? i'm shocked!

many years ago, a friend of mine, who is now in prison after receiving his third drunk driving conviction, drank a full bottle of slivo (a round, cut glass sort of container as i recall) and collapsed in my serbian-american wife's and my bed. when later i tried to go to bed, my friend had the appearance of a corpse, with scant evidence of breath. we managed to drag his limp body out to the floor of our living room so we could sleep. it had been his first exposure to slivo, and he has mentioned it only once of twice since, asking me, 'what was that stuff again?'

so the operative words in your admission is 'occasional' and 'a shot.'

re sarko's sense of humor

i suppose the comment about finally being rich is an attempt at humor. but the possibility exists that he is being entirely honest. with that sneaky smile of his, it's hard to know what he is really thinking. :)

his facial expressions certainly are amusing, almost as funny as dubya's.

[dot king]

perhaps someone could let Carlita know that this is how it's done - this singing and songwriting business - the lyrics make sense, the voice is perfect, not a squeak or a missed note anywhere
and it's live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6jnvu1gLwA

(I just get carried away finding these old clips sometimes :))

[Terry]

Gill:

"but he seems to me to have a touch of a mild well-educated Scottish accent. Very pleasing and distinguished."

You're hearing is better tuned to differentiate between different dialects of english. I can tell the difference between liverpool, cockney, london and Glasgow. But that's as far as it goes. Charles didnt sound Scottish to me.

In the US, we have southern accents, boston accents, brooklyn accents (these accents actually originated in england).

Is there such a thing in France?

[Bill from New York City]

I very much enjoy your blog. Its a welcome break in the day. Your initiative today to you-tube part of your message provokes me to tell you so.

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

I have never attempted (or succeeded :)) to drink a full bottle of slivovits or any similar alcohol - the Alsatian equivalent is called "quetsch". Alcohol distilled out of fruit has more terrific effects afterwards than for instance good quality vodka (i.e not made out of rotten potatoes :))

Re sense of humour of Sarkozy : I think the quote was simply humour. Most of his opponents (and a good part of the media) have grossly underestimated his intelligence and his very fast mind, simply due to the fact that he does not hold the required Grandes Ecoles diplomas, which are a prerequisite to be considered to be intelligent and "fréquentable". Furthermore, his "immigrant" background is not quite "orthodox".

He takes also risks, including physical ones, a domain in which he does not have too much competition...

Therefore, he is disliked by many. Of course, all this does not mean that he does not have sometimes conspicuous shortcomings. But Azloon, apart you and me, do you know other persons who do not have plenty of shortcomings ? :))

[Gill]

Dot, thanks for the memories of Janis Ian "At Seventeen" and The Old Grey Whistle Test. At the time this was such great programme - showing my age here!

[Mary Fernandez]

I'd actually like to see Carlita sing, "At Seventeen"! It'd actually show a mocking sense of humor. :D

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

CB -- return base soonest. Suspect strung-out Ibiza DJ filing Comment in the name of www.King, resulting in tear-filled p.c. keyboards seizing up. See 22 July latest thread where last of the castrati sings to blind sculptress.

[Roger Goodacre]

Charles, your brief reference to one of your 19thC predecessors whose picture graces your office wall would be worth expanding upon. Amongst Times correspondents past, there must be a few characters who propped up the bar at the Crillon and plenty of anecdotes worth the telling. A little potted history would be interesting, maybe up to the time of the other eminent Charles, Hargrove.

I sense that this blog you've created may be turning into a monster you can't shake off your back, even during your holidays. Perhaps you could mix l'utile with l'agréable by bringing us up to date with the state of gastronomy in regional France. Menus look very similar all over France. Is it true that regional differences are disappearing, and everything is pre-prepared in some giant cuisine under the volcanos of the Auvergne? Can you still find auberges where they do local potées, daubes or estouffades? I reckon a little investigation funded by the Times would be doing mankind a service.

[Gill]

Terry, there are many regional accents in France but I am not sufficiently proficient in the language to distinguish them. I have to put all my concentration into understanding what has been said and how to respond and miss the nuances of accent. I just know that I can understand some people (? from northern France) better than others where pronunciation of vowels seems to change.

Perhaps some of the French residents or French nationals on the blog can enlighten us.

[Daniel Strohl]

Terry,

"Is there such a thing in France?"

Yes, of course. There are plenty of accents - almost as many accents as regions. There is also a difference in the elocution speed : people in Southern France speak usually faster and sometimes much faster than Northerners. May be Northerners speak slowly in order to let sufficient time to their (slower ?) brains to accommodate things :))

[dot king]

GILL, glad you liked it - that's one of my favourite songs. Ms Bruni comes off badly in comparison on all levels, n'est-ce pas? I'm sure, like me, you were in nappies in the days of The Old Grey Whistle Test
; )

TERRY, I found that CB's accent is quite neutral except for a very slight Scottish intonation at the and of some words, notably ending in an "r" sound.
Yes, France does have regional accents, you get a lot of non-French speakers who take lessons before arriving only to find themselves completely defeated by the local accent. (I took about a month to tune in properly and take on board some expressions and Occitan usages).
Eg: you're always taught not to pronounce the "t'" or "s" at the end of French words - well, in the south-west, forget that, pronounce everything. We say Gers (Jerss), people from other parts of France often say Ger (Jerr). I once set my friend from Bourges into howls of laughter when I said "Pentecôte" in the way it's said here - Pen as in pen, te as in tuh, and côte as in cot (3 syllables), whereas she says it in two, pronounced (roughly) Pahntcote.
(I need to add that Pentecôte (Pentecost in English) is a quite important religious holiday here, you might remember the much-discussed "lundi de Pentecôte" to be given up and worked to stop old people from dying of overheating :).
It's a word I'd never have used in English, at least not since junior school, and so I just pronounced it the way I hear it here.
Ah-ha, no longer: Pahntcote it is these days.

CHARLES B, you have no excuse for "chômage" what with man-eating jellyfish, madness-inducing chikungunya mosquitoes, and a leaky nuclear power plant - all handy in your holiday area. You might just have got away in time - there's a report of a suspected chikungunya flu in Île de France. but like the rest: "pas de panique, aucun danger pour le publique". C'est les vacances! Alors!

[Zitomersky]

" French cultural snobbery and antipathy over Iraq, the monkeys have not merely surrendered but are prostrating themselves at the Golden Arch."

Charles, as a self-proclaimed francophile, what do you think about those comments published here
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article4380820.ece?Submitted=true
today July 23 in the online edition of the Times (the neswpaper you're currently writing for) ?

Doesn't that bother you to work for a publication who constantly publish incredibly francophobic material ?

Some would even talk about racism if they were referred to as monkeys ?
I'll leave the surrender part, which is highly offensive as well, out of the discussion as a curtesy.

[Yes it is a bit offensive. But he is quoting the American term that was used during Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war. They are not his words. It would have been better to put the word in quotes. Or better not to have used it at all. CB]

[dot king]

here's a delightful video for those with 15 mins to spare

First saw it in the Times Lifestyle pages a few weeks ago under the title "we told you she was good", reporting how she'd been spotted on internet and in the times pages and her career was taking off.

It's a young woman who likes to create "looks" - this one she calls "totally tropical", - and a nice opportunity to listen to one of the UK's pleasantest accents - Jordie - as she explains what she's doing.

The transformation is startling;
sorry to those who find this futile, (you can click off of course), but at least it's not Carla :)
I liked it anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brNQaVYSjQs

GILL, shall we admit to those nappies being terry towelling? Perhaps we were on our potty watching Janis Ian? ;D

[John Gregory Flinn]

All these references to Serbo-Croat by Dot, Daniel, Azloon etc., seem uncannily prescient in view of the developments about Karadic.
Which might generate a better thread than all the chat about our host's accent - it is 'standard english' by the way.

The nearest I've got to slivovits is home-made sloe gin which I cannot recommend!

[Francois D]

Peter Kinsley:
"The French have managed to cook and eat practically everything that grows, grazes, flies and swims on the planet, (stuffed coxcomb, stuffed doormice, bears' paws, fried zucchini petals etc.) so why not a Medusa milling with French fries?"

You seem to have forgotten, dear friend, that French are beaten, in this culinary competition, by Chinese: we stopped this challenge with frogs and rabbits, unable to continue with swallow nests and dogs.

I am "médusé" that you may do such a proposal.

Sorry for the word "médusé ": I did not find translation in English. I suppose you dn't say "jellyfished". These animals represent for us the horror and "médusé" comes from Antic Greece with "gordonnes".

These dirty animals do not seem to terrify you for having given them a so pretty name, very near from culinar terms. I must precize, british culinar.

In reality, as shown here:

http://www.cuisine-classique.com/canglaise.htm

from a worthy cookbook, it seems that just putting a little jelly on a meal may then allows "English appelation"(or "à la mode anglaise"). Whynot with jellyfish?

Maybe it would be better to frires these jellyfish as Americans do with oysters, but that, for us, is an also an horror.

Actually, we tend to become vegetarian with sea algae that are very fashionable, particularly agar agar, which replaces gelatins.

(At Le Touquet, I recommand the "salicorne" (glasswort: the sea green bean) which may be collected between the airport and the sea, but may also be bought in glasses (chez Pérard).

http://www.supertoinette.com/fiches_recettes/fiche_salicorne.htm

[yazzle]

Loved the vlog - well done. Yours is the only newspaper blog in the world I *regularly* read, and I am a Net addict, so that's saying something... (but also a Paris-o-phile!) Bonnes vacances!

[Maggie]

Hi Mr Bremner,

When are we going to get your medusa report?

Was that you I saw going by in that blue fishing boat, staring intenting into the sea? Or should I be watching for something a little fancier, with Times Medusa Survey painted on the side?

It's very quiet on the blog, so here's a dog story. Last night I was talking to a lady who lives in Villefranche. She has a beautiful, huge Labrador who LOVES swimming in the sea, and adores playing with her mask. She took him swimming and threw him a ball. He brought the ball to her, then dropped it and took her mask instead. So she picked up the ball. He immediately dropped the mask and came back to get the ball. So there's an expensive mask at the bottom of the sea in Villefranche if you happen to have diving equipment with you on your survey boat.

She said he also manages to swim with a stick AND a ball, by holding the ball in his mouth, and using it to push the stick.

On our own dog beach in front of the hippodrome we watched a girl last week trying to get her dog into the water. She had a brand new man's running shoe which he would fetch joyfully when she tossed it on the beach. But every time she tossed it into the water he would whimper and run anxiously back and forth, and when she went in herself and called him, he would become even more agitated, and turn around and round in circles but not go in. This morning I saw him race happily into the water and swim right past the shoe into the deep water where the girl was calling. So he must have been a young dog, because you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Still no medusa so far. The water was incredibley clear this morning, and without a ripple.

[Gill]

Dot, you're right - definitely terry towelling with big safety pins. Although now that I think about it it may gave been my grandmother who told me about The Old Grey Whistle Test :)

[dot king]

GILL if you get much younger, you'll soon disappear! : )

JOHN GREGORY FLINN
"All these references to Serbo-Croat by Dot, Daniel, Azloon etc., seem uncannily prescient in view of the developments about Karadic."

It would be great to be able say I had super-powers and the ability to predict the bringing to justice of war-criminals, but not so.
I just remember a tutor at uni talking about some philosopher or other's ideas as "might as well be written in Serbo-Croat for all the clarity in them" or words to that effect. Not to diminish the language of course, but to recognise its inaccessibility to us and thus the inaccessibility of the ideas (or at least how they were expressed).
I'd never heard of it at the time and was fascinated by the mere sound of its name, so I trot it out when I don't understand - as in Daniel's profound knowledge of all things cyber-technical.
No super divining powers here, sorry.

I've made sloe gin too, took it to a French Christmas dinner and went down well - especially the guessing game as to what was in it. I haven't bothered lately, it was an OK thing to do as a one-off, it did taste good though. I have a friend who makes it and hardly puts any sugar in it - BLEURGH - horrible.

It's amazing though isn't it, about Karadzic? All those years, la medécine douce, openly living in Belgrade. It's worrying that he still has support cells here and there. A judgement might bring about reprisals, but he has to be judged.
He must really have been thinking he'd got away with it. Talk about returning to (or never leaving maybe) the scene of the crime - the last place anyone expected him to be, and practising and writing press articles too. Quel culot.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

The very best English is said to be spoken by habitues of Dundee, Scotland, so perhaps CB's forbears had that accent, because he does not have an Australian one. Oz, as it is now affectionately known in the UK, can scarcely be detected when Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe are onscreen, but it is a language rich in slang. French graduates in English language and literature, hearing it spoken there, could be excused for contemplating hanging themselves. So here is the latest to help them if they are holidaying Down Under?
"Chewy on your shoe" - go! get lost! (as in London, chewing gum litters the streets)
rort - a dodgy scheme or racket
artichoke - daggy old Sheila
air'n'exercise - short spell in prison
kaffir-kicker - Afrikaaner
camel jockey - Arab, Muslim
urger - a bore
fang-farrier - dentist
greasy fang-tucker - Irish food
nitrolep - Irishman (lep=leprechaun)
flytrap monk - Muslim
dongerstrop - masturbate
ocker - loud-mouthed ignorant Oz
duck-plucker - Pom (Eng.) cricketer
fart-oil - Pom beer
curry'n'spag - Pom cooking
clobbies - breasts
drabbie - Pom comedian
cruel the rort - inform on a mate
xylo (phone) - prattler
dill - idiot
dilldoddy - silly old woman
The Dilldoddy - H.M. the Queen
werris (creek) - Greek
Werris Phil - the Duke of Edinburgh
Cannnonfodder Fats - Winston Churchill (after Gallipolli)

[dot king]

FRANCOIS D
Not entirely fair, your English recipes!! Putting it mildly!! Grrrr!
They are (so it seems to me) an approximately translated version of something akin to Mrs Beeton (if not the good lady's very works) and come from a time when that kind of cooking was for wealthy families in grand houses who had a cook working full-time and probably several long-suffering maids for her to order about as well.
And it isn't true that we don't eat the pastry of mince pies - we dust them with icing sugar and scoff the lot.

You compare the latest minimalist French (?) cuisine with old traditional complex recipes - UNJUST!! Hear us cry!

BTW I don't feel tempted by your seaweed morsels - judging by what goes into and comes out of the sea these days - and having tried Japanese "sweets" garnished with seaweed, Ugh.

PS I often thought that to achieve most of Madhur Jaffrey's Indian dishes you had to be structured like one of those goddesses with several pairs of arms - a sort of kitchen-bound windmill.

[Terry]

Daniel, Gill, Dot-thanks for your comments on the accents.

Daniel, in most countries usually the southerners are thought to be the "slower thinkers", not the northerners. The US, Italy, Japan and, I thought, France all abused this stereotype. Ive heard the opposite is true in Greece (the "goat herders" live in the north). You are Alacian, oiu?

MAGGIE:

Be careful with those dogs, we dont want another incident like last year. By incident, I mean you writing another pornographic description of that event. I'm still snacking on that one.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

I suspect that Marseille and Paris have different underworld slang: Paris, i.e. flingue -- a gun, and planque -- hideout, and am interested to know more. There is an enormous amount of London criminal slang, some of it also used in Oz: a Septic -- (septic tank) - Yank.

[colin grayson]

after having a home here in france for some 20 years , I am just starting to get the hang of how to speak french

there is french as spoken where I live ..unfortunately if I speak that elsewhere in france people presume that this is how french is taught in england ....very badly ; so I have tried to learn also french as she is spoken :) , to be better understood elsewhere ..place names are a particular problem , for some reason a lot of french people don't seem to pronounce the consonant at the end of nouns , something of which my neighbours could never be accused!

a year or so ago I was most impressed when visiting a museum here in france ; I encountered the director who proceeded to tell me not only where I rested my head in france but , having switched the conversation to his excellent english , where I came from in england !

good job I don't live in Millau ...I would never be able to explain to french people where I lived

as it is I just tell them I live in the land of demaing mataing ...everyone seems to understand that

[Dominique]

Terry,

I am not sure it is helpfull for nonfrench speakers, but it may give you an idea of severla french accents :

South (provence) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=AiOsedftzIY

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfjAQ0hlZw&feature=related

Paris of the 50’s :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=urX8n2sA97Q&feature=related

Orme (close to Normandie) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=McW1wOWeg6g

North (chtis) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPqUF-CqYc&feature=related

Auvergne (center)
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=A9IVJl8o43Q

Toulouse :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=jU8Tg1cRZhY

Belgian accent :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=U0hAr3MO6HY

Today’s banlieues :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ-y-kTlIrg&feature=related

And for our american friends :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=kPenHx5o4p4&feature=related

[Dominique]

Terry,

I am not sure it is helpfull for nonfrench speakers, but it may give you an idea of severla french accents :

South (provence) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfjAQ0hlZw&feature=related

Paris of the 50’s :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=urX8n2sA97Q&feature=related

Orme (close to Normandie) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=McW1wOWeg6g

North (chtis) :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=IIPqUF-CqYc&feature=related

Auvergne (center)
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=A9IVJl8o43Q

And for our american friends :
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=kPenHx5o4p4&feature=related

[dot king]

Colin G you obviously have plenty of paing sur la plancha!

We must be fairly near neighbours.
Voisings en fait!

[Daniel Strohl]

Maggie,

"because you can't teach an old dog new tricks"

Very true ! This reminds me of a saying : "Ce n'est pas à un vieux singe que l'on peut apprendre à faire des grimaces" (No need to teach an old monkey to make faces). This at least is an intelligent use of the word "monkey" :))

Terry,

Of course, you are right with the N/S stereotype. As an Alsatian, I was just trying to tease (gently) my southern compatriots.

Peter,

We still have a few anti-Septiks in France - but mostly not to say solely on the far left. It is the species who would have preferred Soviet tanks to American tanks in France in 1944.

PS : some time ago, a politician called the communists "une espèce protégée" (i.e en voie de disparition) ...

[dot king]

Colin G again, your museum director anecdote reminded me - just down the road in the next village, there's a brocanteur whose shop everyone likes, a real Cave d'Ali Baba. (Called "un coin du passé" - petite pub en passant.)
One day I went there with an American friend who'd come to stay and didn't speak a word of French, so I was translating everything for her, when suddenly he broke into perfect accent-free English.
I just gaped at him - I'd been going there for years, knew him well, but had no idea he even spoke English, let alone such good English. No wonder he does such a roaring trade with anglo-settlers and second home-owners!

[Gill]

We do have salicorne in the UK where it is known as samphire. I understand its English name is a derivation from an old French word, sampère, which is a corruption of St Pierre the patron saint of sailors.

It became a trendy chef ingredient a few years ago but is not widely eaten. It is often sold by fishmongers. I used to think it was on the counter purely for decorative purposes. I have not tried it myself but my (vegetarian) sister-in-law, who lives near the Suffolk coast where it grows in abundance, told me that is quite tasty but salty.

On the subject of mince pies, whilst these are now a sweet pie containing currants, raisins sugar and suet in the nineteenth century they were actually made from minced beef. Suet is the only meat ingredient nowadays

[christopher muir]

Peter Kinsley -

No doubt that Australian slang is colourful, but I am afraid that your examples are generally not all used nowadays. In fact, it's possible to hear little slang during a day's outing, but certainly you'll overhear plenty of swearing wherever you go. Young people talk in a rext-messaging sort of way with American influence dominating. Still, it's a compliment if a friend says to you, "Mate. you're as mad as a meat axe!" And you reply. "And you're a bloody dill!" This exchange is punctuated by broad smiles. Srange place Oz.

[Francois D]

Parisian slang is still spoken mainly in the districts of the eastern district of Paris or by taxymen (when they are parisians).

For more information:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argot_parisien

Some expressions will be recognized by many:

-- For money: oseille "sorrel, in english?" .

Be sure to have success, if being British, you say "oseille" instead of money. But never say that in a bank: they will immediatly imagine that it is an hold up.

The bible of slang (argot parisien ou "titi parisien") is represented by the San Antonio'series written by Frédéric Dard.

Among the singers: Maurice Chevalier, Piaf (and Coluche) but also Renaud, and Pierre Perret, the most typical:

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/pierre 2Bperret%% 2Bchansons/video/xhemw_pierre-perret-cuisse-de-mouche

Pleasure comes from difficulty to understand sentences. I suppose impossible if not french born. But that may be a good test for language immersion. I suppose that our friend CB understand a great lot, almost if he regularly drinks some coffee (p'tit noir) at the nearest "bistrot".

Text is here:

http://fr.lyrics-copy.com/pierre-perret/cuisse-de-mouche.htm

and may help to follow.

One feature of Parisian speaking slang is impertinence, a recognized ability to transform words into images (often vulgar or with sexual connotation) and a certain world view: them in the center, the rest starting beyond "périphérique" (motorway ring).

But even more typical seems "Mimile" with his characteristic bad boy maneers.

These images seem registred at Le Limonaire, a coffee shop/cabaret near Montmartre (not included in touristic tours, also thank not to disseminate this information).

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/argot/video/x3t70o_mimile-largot_music

[Francois D]

To Peter Kinsley

Sorry for bad adress about Pierre Perret 'argot song"; "Cuisse de mouche"

That is better, I hope:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhemw_pierre-perret-cuisse-de-mouche

Text is here:

http://fr.lyrics-copy.com/pierre-perret/cuisse-de-mouche.htm

I have heard this song several times since I discovered it on dailymotion. I find it a little zolof like effect (I will not say viagra-like even if argot is based on a metaphoric proceed)

Dictionnary about argot and popular french (Larousse)

http://livre.fnac.com/a1856200/Jean-Paul-Colin-Grand-dictionnaire-d-argot-et-francais-populaire

but Pierre Perret has also writen an another one ("le petit perret illustré", 1985)

And also that (for students):

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argot

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

British and French slang sometimes has parallels: A dandelion is known as a "piss-a-bed" I have had dents de lion in a salade sauvage, and one of the best light salads I ever tried was in the town of Claret, composed of freshly picked young feuilles de coqueliquot in a light cream sauce, but in Paris at the time of the troubles, General de Gaulle, in a speech referred to a "pis-en-lit" which threw the British correspondents into a panic. How to translate this into English for "family newspapers"?

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Thanks Francois D for good info. re slang etc. Cockney rhyming slang is changing frequently often based on names (actors, musicians, celebrities) in the news. Also v. obscure, so that the police or other listeners would not understand: i.e.: the 'addock -- (haddock) which is haddock and bloater (the fish) = motor. But it can be taken to ridiculous lengths of obscurity. A beautiful girl wiggles by in the pub:
"She's got a nice April."
April in Paris = 'Arris
Aristotle = bottle
Bottle and Glass = arse.

[Francois D]

Slang or cokney can be very funny because they are imaged.
Exact for DeGaulle. He used the term "chienlit" when there was student disorders in "quartier latin" (I was student there during this period).

I imagine difficulty to translate "chie en lit" but this term comes from near middle age (Rabelais).

"Le Monde" 21 may 1968:

http://www.lemonde.fr/le-monde-2/article/2008/05/22/la-chienlit-de-rabelais-a-de-gaulle_1048076_1004868.html

Le Monde, a newspaper fiercely opposed to De Gaulle, which supported students but also playing teacher, always with a condescension which makes the brand

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chienlit

It seems that "chienlit" may be translateed in "havoc" (mascarade in correct language?)

Chirac will remain famous for the resurrection of "abracadabantesque", which is not slang but is probably one of the hardest words to pronounce in french.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abracadabrantesque

At your disposal for any help.
Sincerely yours.

[Susana B]

Hi Charles,
How lovely to finally see you! Loved the video! I've been an avid fan of your blog for quite a long time now and try to read every single post all the way from Caracas-Venezuela.
Hopefully I'll be moving to Paris soon to study there for a couple of years and your blog has definitely been a great help to become familiarized with Parisian life, apart from being incredibly smart and entertaining.
Hope you're having a great holiday and please do post videos like this one more often!!
Saludos!

[Jorg Andersen]

Hello Charles.
I see your tree and the dog (your last post) were picked up on Le Monde's site. http://gklein.blog.lemonde.fr/

Do another video while you're there. Good trick those "low production values" (=home video)

[dot king]

"Sorry for the word "médusé ": I did not find translation in English. I suppose you dn't say "jellyfished"."

FRANCOIS D

Anyone who looked direcly upon the Medusa, with her snake hair, was immediately turned to stone. (Perseus killed her by looking at her reflection through his mirrored shield - isn't that it?)
So for "médusé" we'd say "petrified".
I suppose it's the tentacles that give our jellyfish the more romantic French name "méduse". Also, I understand that a sting from the most venomous méduses produces rapid paralysis - means to same end.
In fact it was said on TV news (back when this WAS news, a couple of weeks ago) that the pain from a sting of the variety at present colonising the Med was so acute that it was bad enough to provoke cardiac arrest.
Jellyfish sound almost friendly by comparison. . .

[Sensi]

Is Charles Bremner sympathetic in the real life? I am shocked! ;)

[Blendi Progri]

Great video Charles, I liked the tour too, it’s nice to see where you work. Will the next one come in HD? Lol

The photo of De Blowitz was interesting too, first time I see him in a picture, a very colourful character.

I remember reading in The Times 4-5 years ago maybe, about him and was fascinated by this person.

The Times described how influential he was at the time and how sharp and driven he was to get the best story first and before everyone else. He was the first to write about a plan the Germans had to attack France,

What was intriguing – as I remember it- was how he drove Bismarck mad, while the treaty was being signed (during Berlin Congress) The Times was reporting daily what was happening and publishing everything.

A furious Bismarck knew that De Blowitz was behind the reports and once in middle of the meeting looked under the table believing him to be there, as the anecdote goes.
It will be nice if you touch again in more detail – in this blog sometime- the subject about your predecessors in The Times/Paris, perhaps the most distinguished ones have few good stories worth mentioning, the above is all I knew and your present one now.
Hols are gone, but I can wish you a good September.

At the risk of losing you to TV career I am adding what most said, you look good on video, Cool too ;)

Blendi

p.s the cameraman isn't bad, just dont encourage him to go for full length movies yet, lol.