Now that Ivory Coast is enjoying its first marine protected area, the seabed and sea creatures like turtles and stingrays have a chance to recover from human onslaught. And what better custodians of the sea than former poachers turned antipoaching rangers?

Are you afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Then you better avoid the rue de la Brèche aux Loups (“Wolves’ Breach Street”) in Paris’ 12th arrondissement. Well, maybe not. But if you’re interested in how oddly named streets got their names, this video is sure to please!

Nicola Sirkis, head of Indochine, the new wave French rock band that’s been popular since the 1980s, has a few things to say about some of his fellow artists. (Could he mean megastar Johnny Hallyday?) Nicola’s strong voice (in many senses) is clearly one of the reasons Indochine has so much staying power.

You might already know that the euro looks slightly different from country to country. But France has also released a series of limited edition euro coins for each of its twenty-six regions. Remember when collecting state quarters was all the rage? Now you can move on to regional French euros!

Enjoy Oldelaf's quirky humor, as displayed in his introduction to his two backup musicians who come from wildly different backgrounds, to say the least. Then listen to his satirical song "Vendredi" (Friday), where he describes a typical weekend for the average bored (and boring?) French guy.

French-Canadian singer-songwriter Pascale—who prefers to introduce herself in verse rather than give the usual “hello my name is”—tells us of the importance of maintaining optimism and lightness in the face of hardship.

We hear a bit more from the lovely Pascale: on her beginnings in the musical world (she started early), her new album, and her music’s special combination of rhythm and soul.

Patrice Zana is a poet-artist inspired by the Dada movement and the concept of détournement (literally, "diversion," "hijacking"). He invented the term bris colisme to describe his practice, which employs fragmentation, collage, and wordplay in a variety of media.

Patrice Zana's Dada-inspired artwork relies heavily on wordplay. In this video he discusses his pieces Caisse à dire ("Talking Box," a pun on qu'est-ce à dire [what does it mean]), Boîte à choses sûres ("Box of Sure Things," a pun on boîte à chaussures [shoe box]), and more.

Montpellier-based heavy metal group Peach FTL has been going strong since 1997. “L’Empreinte” comes from their first album, Addiction, released in 2005. They followed up Addiction with Supernova in 2007.

Singer-songwriter Phil Cambron talks about the “chanson vivante” scene in Montreal, his musical tastes and his ambitions.

A chef deserves the best equipment in the kitchen, and so does the home cook! Chef Philippe Etchebest will help you choose the right pan for the right purpose.

Let's talk small essential kitchen utensils with chef Philippe Etchebest. In the process you will enrich your French vocabulary. Can you guess what kind of utensil une araignée is?

We continue our overview of small cooking utensils, from basic to specialized ones, including some with colorful names. Can you guess what un cul de poule (literally, "a chicken bottom") is used for?

Professor Joseph Melone explains to us how countries got their name. He shares some very interesting insights on the origin of the name "France," coming from the word franc.