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.

What was life like for the poilus, the French soldiers of World War I? In sum, much, much harder than our lives. Subjected to bullets, bombs, death, and all the atrocities of war, these soldiers fought bitterly to protect their homeland, and one another.

In the wake of a deadly terrorist attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt on New Year’s Day, many Coptic Christians are worried about celebrating Christmas (observed on January 6) as openly as they would like. Here is how a gorgeous Coptic church in Marseille is handling the situation.

This musical adaptation of Marceline Desbordes-Valmore’s poem “La Sincère,” performed by Karin Clercq, is a touching and troubling song — themes the video captures well with its New York setting. You can hear tracks from her brand new album, La Vie Buissonnière, here.

Cyril Kamar, who later appeared on the music scene as K-Maro, was born in Lebanon. While still a child, he and his family fled to Paris, but finally settled in Quebec.

Joanna is proud to show us her neighborhood. Follow her around her new apartment, her favorite bar, the pretty little garden where children love to play, and learn some useful everyday vocabulary.

Jeronimo is the musical alias of Belgian singer-songwriter Jérôme Mardaga. “Les mains qui tremblent” is a solemn song about the sadness that comes from a break up.

Ever driven a car you like so much that after six hours on the road, all you wanted to do was keep on going? Jean-Marc was lucky enough to find that in his Audi A3.

Frenchman Jean-Marc takes a trip to the seaside and lets us know how the beaches of New York’s Long Island compare to those in France. (Though clearly he’s never been to Long Beach on a holiday weekend!)

It’s the perfect day for a stroll along the Atlantic. Jean-Marc shows off more of his hospitable surroundings. Check out the sun, sand, and cold, cold water.

JB shows us how to make a mirabelle plum tart, a delicious end-of-summer treat. Mirabelles are hard to find in the US, but you can substitute another type of plum.

JB shares his own ratatouille recipe. It's a great Mediterranean dish full of seasonal vegetables. Give it a try!

Learn to make polenta with JB. It's a simple Mediterranean dish that will only take a few minutes. Just remember to cook it twice!

Ina-Ich, singer, songwriter, composer, and instrumentalist: this rockin’ babe has it all! Her song “Âme armée” shows off her many talents, blending elements of screamo, metal, rock, electronica, and even classical music into a passionate, intense ballad about the battle scars of war.

He may not know it yet, but Amerigo Vespucci's life is about to change. Though he works as a successful banker, Amerigo feels restless and aspires to greater things. Luckily, Lorenzo de' Medici has offered him the opportunity of a lifetime: a trip to Spain to help Christopher Columbus prepare for an expedition to the Indies.