un vélo = a bicycle

Community service at its best:

Vélib’ a self serve ‘bicycle’ (=‘vélo’ but also = ‘bicyclette’)

A good thing to try next time you visit Paris.

http://www.velib.paris.fr/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9lib‘

http://www.scribd.com/doc/361657/The-Velib-in-Paris33-questions

un livre = a book

I have been reading that the much expected Kindle 2 was unveiled a few weeks ago but remains in the realms of niche electronics:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25122653-36418,00.html

So I will stick to the old fashion paper ‘book’ = ‘livre’ over the weekend to indulge with ‘The Origin of Wealth’ by Eric D. Beinhocker.

http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Wealth-Evolution-Complexity-Economics/dp/157851777X

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=eUoolrxSFy0C&dq=beinhocker&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=Sj0iNw13S7&sig=zGPFaphqGQe-ZD4i-LD2kePbB84&hl=en&ei=mJqrScSoIYKUsQPw8onlDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPR13,M1

A must read. The reviews on the web tell it all:

"A brilliant, thought-provoking and wide-ranging book… For me, it was more than the business book of 2006; it was the book of 2006."
- Martin Wolf, Financial Times

"Every once in a while, a book comes along that is able to pull together all the divergent threads of economic thinking into something approaching a coherent, understandable whole. The Origin of Wealth is such a book… it is a brilliant piece of intellectual history that deserves a prominent place on any shelf of economic literature."
- Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post

l'addition = the bill

If you are going to the restaurant or café this weekend here is a good one:
Ask for "l'addition" = "the bill" when paying.
You can even try a "Garcon! L'addition s'il vous plait!" or "Mademoiselle! L'addition s'il vous plait!" = "Waiter! the bill please!"

When the bill is really higher than expected, you can say it is "salty" = "salée" (as opposed to "sweet" I suppose...) = "L'addition est salée".

la plage = the beach

Sunny saturday = 'a la plage!' = 'let's go to the beach'

The Beach is also a movie directed by Danny Boyle, who just did Slumdog Millionaire, which I really enjoyed last night....
--> http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s2426044.htm

une bière = a beer

It's Friday... A few people will start the week-end sharing a beer (une bière) or two at the pub. A quintessential Aussie tradition.

As a responsible blog afrenchwordaday obviously recommends to 'Enjoy in Moderation' = 'Apprecier (=appreciate) avec moderation'.

On the news front re- 'Beer', a few articles about "Ginger beers caught in alcopops net":
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/govt-seeks-higher-tax-on-altered-beer-20090225-8h4e.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25112596-2702,00.html

la bourse = the stock-exchange

"Wall Street shares tumble to 1997 levels"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25098678-5017999,00.html
The New-York stock exchange (la bourse de New-York) is back to 1997 levels.

1997... Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his 2nd term, Tony Blair was elected, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa of Calcutta passed away, Steve Jobs returned to Apple...
In tennis Pete Sampras won Wimbledon and the Australian Open, Pat Rafter won the US open and Kuerten from Brazil won Roland-Garros. Australie won the ashes in England. The Spice girls were at the top, Radiohead released 'OK Computer' (now a classic).
And my $27 weekly Sydney CityRail train ticket probably cost $15 in 1997... (happy to be confirmed on this one).