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The Economist: The decline of the abstract noun. What a reduction in abstraction says about the new France:

“Of all the novelties of France under President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the more arresting is the decline of the abstract noun. In the past, no French leader would make a speech without liberal doses of destiny and history. In one speech Mr Sarkozy’s predecessor, Jacques Chirac, squeezed 13 abstract nouns—unity, liberty, humanity and more—into a single sentence. He was almost outdone by his prime minister (and part-time poet), Dominique de Villepin, who came up with the declaration: “Globalisation is not an ideal, it cannot be our destiny.”

The contrast with the wordcraft of Mr Sarkozy is instructive. In his first big foreign-policy speech, he managed in 18 pages to utter neither the word glory nor the word grandeur. Unlike his British counterparts, who favour verbless sentences, Mr Sarkozy is a verbaholic. According to a linguistic analysis of his campaign speeches by Damon Mayaffre, of the University of Nice, one of Mr Sarkozy’s most frequent words is I, usually followed by the verb want.”

Bibliothèque Nationale, L’Enfer de la Bibliothèque, Eros au secret (pdf):

Dans les années 1830, les ouvrages imprimés dits « contraires aux bonnes moeurs » publiés sous le manteau, poursuivis ou condamnés, sont séparés du reste des collections de la Bibliothèque royale et rassemblés afin de constituer une section distincte intitulée Enfer et conservée à la Réserve des livres rares. Quelques années plus tard, le cabinet des Estampes procède à l’identique.

Dès lors, l’Enfer devient un lieu mythique, objet de toutes les curiosités et de tous les fantasmes. Pour la première fois, la Bibliothèque nationale de France expose cette part obscure de ses collections et lève le voile sur l’Enfer.

Info: 04 décembre 2007 – 02 mars 2008. Site François-Mitterrand / Grande Galerie. Dossier de presse, een pdf met kleine plaatjes.

The Independent, Sex please! (we’re French): Paris’s dirty secret:

“The “Enfer” section of the Bibliothèque Nationale – books and prints and photographs purchased, confiscated or donated over almost two centuries – is believed to be one of the largest and richest collections of pornographic and erotic materials in the world. The Vatican’s secret stash is said to be even larger but that, presumably, will never be opened to the public.

How strong can this stuff be? Given what appears daily on the internet, on cable TV, or in the pages of the Daily Sport, is it possible to be shocked by exquisite, but explicit, 17th-century porn?

The answer is, yes. The exhibition is an eye-opener: a quietly and intelligently displayed but garish cornucopia of sadism, masochism, bestialism, scatology, bums, tits and staring genitalia. It is also a fascinating, and sometimes beautiful, expedition through the dark, winding corridors of the human psyche.”

“The French nuclear test codenamed Canopus, which was fired on 24th August 1968 in the Fangataufa Atoll.”

Canopus – a photoset on Flickr.

Times: More Rimbaud and less Rambo, critics tell sweaty jogger Sarkozy

“Is jogging right wing?” wondered Libération, the left-wing newspaper. Alain Finkelkraut, a celebrated philosopher, begged Mr Sarkozy on France 2, the main state television channel, to abandon his “undignified” pursuit. He should take up walking, like Socrates, Arthur Rimbaud, the poet, and other great men, said Mr Finkelkraut.

“Western civilisation, in its best sense, was born with the promenade. Walking is a sensitive, spiritual act. Jogging is management of the body. The jogger says I am in control. It has nothing to do with meditation.”

Boris Johnson: Bravo, Sarkozy – from one jogger to another (via)

Liminous Lint: “In 1954 Jean-Philippe Charbonnier documented French Psychiatric hospitals and this exhibition includes rarely seen photographs from the series.” (Via WMMNA.)

Santiago Calatrava, Lyon-Satolas TGV Station op Google Video (22 min.). (Via Smashing Telly.)

• Belles de Pub…Mon petit musée virtuel de publicités féminines des années 1940 à 1960
  “L’élégance et le charme sont mis en valeur par les plus grands illustrateurs de publicité et de mode : R.Gruau, P-L.Brenot, P.Simon, Bosc, C.Bérard, G.Demachy, Delfau, Vertès …et bien d’autres… “
  (tags: advertising france fashion)

• Friendster lost steam. Is MySpace just a fad?
  “”What went wrong with Friendster? Why is MySpace any different?”"
  (tags: socialnetworks myspace friendster)
• Wired: How France Is Saving Civilization
  “New legislation in France would force Apple Computer to open the iPod and iTunes to competitors — and that’s a good thing for consumers, in the long run.”
  (tags: apple itms france drm)
• Is that a ticking crocodile?
  “Apple, whose Macintosh design team once famously flew the pirate flag above its Silicon Valley hideout, immediately branded France’s move “state-sponsored piracy.”"
  (tags: apple itms drm stevejobs france)
• Second Life (The Show On 10)
  “Laura visits Linden Labs, the folks behind Second Life, and learns about this new virtual world.”
  (tags: LindenLabs secondlife)
• ongoing · Atom as a Case Study
  “(…) That leaves Why we built it, How we built it, and what Lessons you might want take away from the experience.”
  (tags: atom rss)
• Checklist nieuwe media
  “Waar moet een omroep die toekomstbestendig wil zijn rekening mee houden? De ontwikkelingen op rij. Afvinken maar! Klaar voor de strijd? “
  (tags: web media omroep vpro)
• Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application
  “Getting Real details the business, design, programming, and marketing principles of 37signals. The book is packed with keep-it-simple insights, contrarian points of view, and unconventional approaches to software design. “
  (tags: 37signals book pdf business design programming marketing)
• The real threat of blogging
  “They (blogs – hvi) are threatening because they unequivocally demonstrate that commercial publishing does not necessarily represent the best writing that is available.”
  (tags: weblogs media publishing)
• The Institute of Internet History – www.ioih.org
  “As many people know, today’s Internet has its roots in the huge silk and cotton mills which grew up in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution.”
  (tags: Internet history funny mockup)

• Het Parool – Subsidie voor WK-straatfeesten
  “Amsterdammers die tijdens het WK voetbal een straatfeest willen houden, kunnen daarvoor subsidie krijgen van de gemeente.” Imperialisme van de pret. (H.J.A. Hofland)
  (tags: amusementsterreur amsterdam verkwisting)
• Van Jole vs Engelfriet II – the Amazing Retecool -
  ” Francisco van Jole beschuldigt Engelfriet onverwacht, live op de Tros-radio, van strafbare sexuele handelingen met kinderen en concludeert dat dat de reden voor Engelfriet moet zijn om anoniem te willen zijn. ” Stevige analyse van weinig fraai interview.
  (tags: fvj engelfriet radioonline usenet retecool retorica)
• Right Wing Pork Soup: France Battling Bigot Broth for the Homeless – International – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News
  “Right wing groups in France have for weeks been handing out pork soup to the hungry. But dietary concerns mean that Muslims and Jews are excluded. Which is exactly the point.” Identity soup.
  (tags: racism food identity belgium france)
• Google Removes Its Help Entry on Censorship, More News
  google.cn follow up…
  (tags: google.cn google china freedom)
• Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | ‘I want to build something that grows’
  Interview Joshua Schachter.
  (tags: del.icio.us)
• BACKSTREET-MERCH.COM :: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT MERCHANDISE STORE
  THE ONE YOU LOVE – T-SHIRT (Front: The one you love. Back: Am I only the one you love?)
  (tags: shirt music)