Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Hipsters all over the world are surely mourning the loss of their favorite instant-nostalgia art medium: the Polaroid. With the recent closing of the last two remaining Polaroid factories in the U.S., it looks like that familiar and much-loved “ch-click-whrrr” sound will soon become a thing of the past. Polaroid has plans to soon launch products suited to the digital era. But can anything ever compare to the one and only original? Only time will tell.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Tuberculosis remains a deadly disease—affecting 10.6 million people annually and killing one person every twenty seconds. The recent development of multidrug-resistant strains of the bacteria has made TB even more threatening. Especially affected are areas without the proper means of fighting the illness. Eight countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total: India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the WHO, 13 billion dollars would be required to effectively combat the disease.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The Yacyretá dam in Argentina is controversial for several reasons. Accused by some to be the result of a bribe to displace the local population, the dam has now gotten famed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand into hot water. Arthus-Bertrand, who was filming a documentary there, is alleged to have walked out on a twenty-eight-thousand-euro bill he owed to a local travel agency.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Being born premature is risky, but thanks to modern medical techniques, six out of ten babies who are born greatly premature will grow up to be perfectly healthy children.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Those of us who live in the United States are used to being able to buy some medications right off the shelves. But in France, until very recently, you weren’t able to purchase painkillers without first speaking to a pharmacist. Now certain painkillers are available on a self-serve basis, but are pharmacists ready for this change?
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Brr! It’s hard to believe that anything could survive in waters as cold as minus two degrees. But recent research expeditions in the Antarctic Ocean have found life forms, like the icefish, that manage to thrive despite the chilly temperatures.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Just how bad can stress from work get? Though the effects of stress may not always be visible or immediately apparent, some employees have been driven to insomnia, depression, even suicide because of difficulties at work. Some companies have implemented new anti-stress measures, but will that be enough?
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
It’s common to see photos of celebrities aged forty and up happily pregnant or pushing a pram. But according to most doctors, a woman’s chances of conceiving drop dramatically after age thirty-eight or so. Of course there are exceptions. Modern medical fertility treatments allowed a sixty-six-year-old Romanian woman to give birth to twins in 2005. But unless we’re willing and able to procure such treatments, which can be financially, emotionally, and physically draining, those who want to wait until their forties to have kids will have to take their chances.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Chantal Sébire, whose face was disfigured by a large and incurable tumor that caused her excruciating pain and made her blind, had one request: to end her own life. But the French government refused to allow her to obtain a prescription from her doctor for a lethal amount of drugs. One week after this report, Ms. Sébire was found dead in her home.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Danièle Gerkens, a journalist working for Elle magazine, decided to eliminate sugar from her diet for a year. She related her experience in her book Zéro Sucre, explaining that sugar is indeed an addiction, similar to a drug addiction. Are you ready to give up your sweet tooth?
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Danièle Gerkens, who decided to give up sugar for a year, discovered some unexpected benefits on her health. She claims that she looks younger, feels healthier, and is free of cravings, but she cautions that everyone reacts differently. You can read another interview with her here.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
The Association Initiatives et Éducation de la Jeunesse à l’Environnement (AIEJE) uses the French Riviera as a training ground for the cultivation of young “eco-citizens.” What better place to learn more about the environment than in one of France’s most gorgeous spots?
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Step inside the world of the Orion Conspiracy, a fictionalized (or is it?) documentary produced and directed by Seb Janiak. Part One will leave you asking questions, and eagerly anticipating the next installment.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In a nature park in the Haute-Savoie department of France, one of the largest birds of prey in Europe is presented to the public: meet Léman, the famous lammergeyer (or bearded vulture), in all his beauty and glory!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this nursing home in France's Pays de la Loire, musical therapy is used to stimulate the minds of residents suffering from Alzheimer's and other mental disorders. The directors of the program and the home explain the benefits of this still underdeveloped technique.
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