Satire - France seen by foreigners and the French

Perhaps you recall a recent post here, "Europe according to bigots".

It featured satirical maps by Bulgarian-born graphic designer Yanko Tsvetkov and illustrated how the continent was viewed by others around the world by relying on clichés and stereotypes.

There's a similar set of maps doing the rounds concentrating specifically on La Belle France - as it's seen not only from abroad but also by the French.

Of course they're not to be taken seriously, but hidden behind the caricature isn't there just a slight element of truth?

For the Japanese, the country is portrayed as just one big tourist destination while the Chinese are only interested in Paris and its suburbs because both give them the chance to get their hands on businesses at a knock-down rate.

From the French point of view, there's one showing environmentalist and anti-globalisation campaigner José Bové's view of a country covered in McDonald's outlets for example.

And another emphasises Parisians' blinkered view that the City of Lights is the centre of the Universe and anything else is...well provincial.

Here are a few screengrabs showing UK and US views as well as those of some French.

Click on the images to enlarge

(screengrab from wikistrike.com)

(screengrab from wikistrike.com)

For the rest you can go here.

Hervé Morin's historic error - a trip back in time

Fancy a spot of time travel? Then French presidential candidate Hervé Morin seems more than willing to oblige.

Hervé Morin (screenshot from announcement of candidature video)

Morin isn't making life easy for himself.

His campaign launch squeaked into gear last November much to the annoyance of the ruling centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) which has been urging the leader of the smaller centre-right Nouveau Centre (NC) to put aside any stately ambitions he might have and throw his weight his behind the current president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Morin, who served as Sarkozy's - sorry that should of course read prime minister François Fillon as he's supposed to be the head of the government - defence minister from May 2007 until November 2010, was having none of it though and has so far doggedly stuck to his proverbial guns (ooh a bit of a pun there).

Not that it seems to be doing him much good as his poll ratings rarely climb above one (that really need to be spellt out) percent, as impersonator Nicolas Canteloup is of so fond of reminding listeners to his radio slot in the mornings on Europe 1 and viewers to his TV sketch in the evenings.

Then there's the case of François Bayrou - who used to be a buddy of Morin when both were members of the (not quite, but to all intents and purposes now defunct or at least on paper) centre-right Union pour la Démocratie Française (UDF).

Are you following? This is French politics where allegiances are built on the shiftiest of sands.

Morin supported Bayrou when the latter became the so-called Third Man in the 2007 presidential race, but the two men fell out shortly afterwards with Morin joining the government and Bayrou setting up a new centre party Mouvement démocrate or MoDem.

In stark contrast to Morin, Bayrou's announcement of his candidature in December was judged by most political pundits as a success in terms of pushing him up the polls and into double figures. Bayrou was on a roll and for some still is, faring better than he did at the same stage last time around.

Not content with being an also also-ran (will he last the course and is anyone really bothered?) Morin has now made a complete fool of himself and provided everyone with a classic bit of political nonsense.

It happened at a meeting last weekend in the southern French city of Nice with Morin coming over all emotional as he recalled the Allied landings on the Normandy coast in 1944.

Only during his speech the 50-year-old (important bit of information that) managed an HG Wells kind of moment as he literally travelled back in time to give the impression that he had been present when the Allies landed.

"You, some among you, with grey hair, witnessed the storming of the Provence beach," he said.

"I saw the landing of allied troops in Normandy," he continued without hesitating at the absurdity of his statement.

Morin was born in 1961.



Journalists, humorists and of course Internauts were quick to pick up on the mistake and Twitter was abuzz with moments from the past at which Morin could claim to have been impossibly present.

Cruel.

But at least Morin had the guts to face up to his mistake (did he have any other choice?) by Tweeting his own "Congratulations on your humour" and saying that "The French were full of creativity."

British hairdresser brings the "Hair bus" to a part of rural France

You're probably familiar with the idea of mobile libraries, bakers or even butchers in France; serving mainly (although not exclusively) remote rural areas and a definite Godsend to many.

But how about a mobile hairdresser?

Mark Collett (screenshot from TF1 news)

Yes they exist too - at least one does in the département of Haute-Vienne in the southwestern region of Limousin and it's run by an enterprising British hairdresser, Mark Collett, and his French wife, Isabelle.

"Hair bus", le salon de coiffure itinérant

Collett and his wife Isabelle are both hairdressers and since last September (according to the regional daily la Montagne ) have been running a mobile service for those living within 30 kilometre radius of their base, the village of Saint-Bonnet-Briance.

They are both are both hairdressers and since last September (according to another report in the regional daily la Montagne ) have been running a mobile service for those living within 30 kilometre radius of their base, the village of Saint-Bonnet-Briance

They invested in an old (British) minibus previously used for transporting the disabled and adapted it to suit their needs.

"We chose that type of vehicle because we wanted to make it easier for people who had reduced mobility to take up our service,' Collett told the paper.

It took the couple almost 18 months to remodel the minibus and file the necessary official paperwork, but TF1 news reported on Monday, it certainly seems to be successful.

"We're very happy although sometimes it's pretty unpredictable who'll turn up in certain villages," admits Isabelle.

"But we manage - cutting hair for men, women and of course children."

At €9,50 for men and €13,50 for women their prices are a snip (sorry - inevitable) and customers, judging from the TF1 report, seem to be happy.

And there's no need to make an appointment.

Now that's an enterprising spirit!

The "Hair bus" screenshot from TF1 news)