Author Archives: Susan

Update on Paris’ Bike Experiment

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Susan

A surprising civic failure…. “The cautionary tale of Paris, which has had more than 80 percent of its 20,000 bikes damaged or stolen in two years, shouldn’t stop other cities from pushing forward with similar bike-sharing programs, as Boston hopes … Continue reading →

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Any Elegant English Words in French ?

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Susan

Are any of our more literary, elegant words used by the French? An observant student, Harrison, asked me that very good question today. The French use words like ‘sweatshirt,’ ‘prime time,’ ‘dealer,’  ‘people,’ and ‘glamour.’ Why not some of our … Continue reading →

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The Hygienic Dangers of Paris !

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Susan

A hysterical WSJ article about the dangers of Paris. Seems that the situation is worse in NY, but Eric, the student who sent it to me, is wondering about his upcoming trip to the city. I told him that it’s … Continue reading →

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‘juilletistes’ et ‘aoutiens’ = d’autres réflections

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Susan

A propos de mon commentaire sur les termes ‘juilletistes’ et ‘aoutiens,’ Brigid (Brigitte) nous envoie cette référence: See this: http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/chassecroise.htm?nl=1

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Le Sens du mot ‘libéral’ en français

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Susan

From Etienne: To distinguish between the “faux amis” – ‘liberal’ and “libéral” – Stephen (‘Etienne’) Roop nous écrit: “A mon avis, les mots “libéral” et “antilibérale” sont des euphémismes communs parmi les intellectuels français. Ils ne veulent pas dire la … Continue reading →

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Paris’ Google Street Map – being filmed now !

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Susan

If you want to get filmed on the streets of Paris so you can appear on Google’s detailed street map of the city, you have until August 20! If you want to see how the pix get taken, check out: … Continue reading →

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Bike Worries Realized in Paris Rental System

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Susan

A French friend wrote me recently about the success and dangers of the previously-promising Paris rental bike system. (cf., fall ’07 post) Ten days later, the dangers had hit home: a woman she knew was killed on one of those … Continue reading →

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French words that don’t exist in English

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Susan

Wow, I just learned 2 new words on the French news. They could have been around for years, but I’d never heard them before. The anchor talked about this weekend (July 31-Aug. 2) being “le weekend le plus chargé de … Continue reading →

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Paris Bikes’ Down Side

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Susan

The French bike rental system discussed here over a year ago is still an overall success but has caused some deaths. At the beginning, my friend, Michèle, found the program ecological, economical, healthy, and well organized. A few months later, … Continue reading →

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L’Anglais est atomique – le Français est moléculaire

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Susan

My French friend, Eric, sent me a passionately irritated message about the evolution of the French language. He’s particularly upset by the young immigrants who don’t use the French we have all learned and who make up their own words. … Continue reading →

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