As part of my Franco-American profile, I am naturally drawn to reading about comparisons and competition between France and the US. I came across this May 2009 article, France Beats America, which describes France’s epicurean passion for “living it up” in terms of eating, sleeping and holidaying. On the eating front, as much as obesity [...]
During my visits to London, I tend systematically to buy cheese, English cheese that is, to bring back home to Paris… to my French wife and family. Coals to Newcastle you might think! But, no. We happen to believe that the Brits have some of the finest cheeses going, enough to hold their own any [...]
Starbucks France celebrated last week (July 1st) the opening of its 50th store in the country, with all the Starbucks high brass in attendance. Located in the Disney Village at Disneyland outside of Paris, this store is the first “eco-responsible” Starbucks outside of Seattle, where they have already opened two such eco-concept stores. The concept [...]
Changes? What Changes? The ongoing worldwide economic crisis has created many obvious changes in behaviour, mostly focused on the effects of reduced funds. Whether it is the fear that makes a salaried person “tighten” his or her budget or someone who actually has less money coming in (for example, an entrepreneur struggling to make ends [...]
If you think you are getting state-of-the-art in personalized service when Starbucks can offer you a selection with up to 19,000 different varieties, try this one out for size. Mike Keen, who runs a small barista (coffee shop), called Studio 6 Coffee House, in Denver, provides a personalized portrait of the coffee client on the [...]
Which tastes better: organic or conventional food? This Hammy the Hamster Goes Organic video (and especially the out-takes further below) is bound to produce a smile. And, if you are sensitive to the quality of the food you eat, then you could find the experiment of interest. Created by the authors of the The Cooks [...]
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP): Implementation that is a whisker too long? Microsoft has launched this ad campaign for its MDOP in France. I took a couple of blackberry photos (sorry for the quality) in the metro (tube) station at l’Etoile /Charles de Gaulle in Paris. The poster comes as a double header (so to [...]
A woman, named Lee Redmond, with longest nails in the world suffered a bad car accident over the weekend and lost all her nails. It is hard to imagine, but she had not cut her nails since 1979. The combined total length was nearly 9 metres, with the longest a thumb nail at 90cm. The [...]
Typing not Stereotyping – A True Way to Advance… I have often wondered how my life might have been different had I not learned to type quickly and accurately. I will never forget a lecture I attended by Lester Thurow, former professor of Economics and Dean at MIT, back while I was at Yale (around [...]
I would like to share with you with a little thought today. There used to be a time when I thought it desirable to live life in the fast lane. What does that mean? Well, by my understanding it means living with time whizzing by, memories blurring, names & faces forgotten and years merging into [...]
