New look Pezenas

The town of Pezenas is going to look very different to visitors returning this summer.

The town has invested in a renovation of Anatole France - which will be a mainly pedestrian street when the work is finished.

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The town is also replacing all of the fountain supplies in the town - in future the water will be re-cycled - rather than letting the good water all run to waste.

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Although the town has a grant allowing the fountains to be fed by an ancient source the council felt it was not environmentally valid any more.

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The building at the top of the main street had been moldering for years - but it is

now completely renovated and flats are now available.

But the greatest transformation has been in the old distillery where Garrigae have worked their magic again.

Once an eyesore - this new development will add an air of class and style to the town and will be a great place to stay if you enjoy modern and luxury in the middle of the town.

This view from one of the "penthouse" appartment not only gives a fine view of the town but once the spa baths are fitted - it will be the best place in town to enjoy a glass of Rose whilst relaxing in the spa.

The development is due to open towards the end of April

Details at

http://www.garrigae-resorts.com/Distillerie-de-Pezenas

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Not forgetting the long awaited re-opening of the theatre - many years of work on this charming Italianate theatre to put it back into a proper state after nearly 60 years of neglect

Something to enjoy in the cold

COLD WEATHER ALERT FOR BRITAIN

Cold Weather Alert service 

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31 January 2012 -

This week's cold weather has seen the Met Office issue its first England-wide Level 3 Cold Weather Alert of the winter.

The alert was issued because of the expected frosty nights and low daytime temperatures.

We have already seen temperatures as low as -6.2°C in Pershore, Worcestershire, -6.1°C in South Farnborough, Hampshire and -5.7°C in Hurn, Dorset this week and the Level 3 Alert is expected to remain in force until the weekend.

French get tough of tax evasion

"The Loi de Finances Rectificative for 2011 published on 28th December 2011 contains a number of anti-tax evasion changes which can be summarised as follows:

•         An increase of the income and corporation tax "enquiry window" from three to ten years which is more in line with the wealth tax back-assessment period.  This ten year enquiry period concerns all non-French accounts or life insurance policies or bonds including those held in EU or double tax treaty territories.  By exception, this does not concern unreported accounts, the aggregate funds of which do not exceed €50,000.  For instance, the tax year 2009 which would have been closed as at 31st December 2012 will now remain open for enquiries up to 31st December 2019.

•         This new measure also applies to the trustees’ disclosure obligations in respect of trusts with French assets or which have French resident settlors or beneficiaries.

•         Article 58 introduces a new accelerated enquiry procedure which French authorities intend to use as a way to test the goodwill of territories which have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement or an Assistance Agreement with France within the last three years.

For any queries on the above, please e-mail french.tax@pkfci.com. "

For any queries on the above, please e-mail french.tax@pkfci.com. "

PKF (Channel Islands) Limited

PO Box 296 Sarnia House, Le Truchot, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 4NA

Company Registration Number 31397

Tel: +44 (0) 1481  727927  Fax: +44 (0) 1481 710511

www.pkfci.com

Home Office plan to trim budget

Sent to WoW by John

To help save the economy, the UK Government will announce next month that the Home Office will start deporting seniors (instead of illegal’s) in order to lower pension costs.
 
Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home.
I started to cry when I thought of you.
 
Then it dawned on me .. ..
I'll see you on the bus!

Green Eco-stamps – the slow but green option

From Stephen

The lady in the Fontès post office tore the green stamp off my letter. She then gave me a leaflet introducing le timbre vert.

"le timbre vert plus economique  0.57 € plus ecologique ne prend pas l'avion

(sauf courriers à destinationde la corse et des DOM)"

Not mentioned in the Press Release - see below

La Poste launches the eco-book For the Planet , a new kinder to the environment book of 12 stamps

Raymond Redding, Director General of post has announced the introduction of a new book of 12 stamps which is kinder to the environment and is available from Monday 15th January in 17,000 La Poste outlets. This book of stamps is a world first. It contains €0.54 stamps (urgent tariff) with Priority Letter labels which show the La Poste commitment to deliver the majority of letters next day.

"We are very proud to provide the French with a book of eco-friendly stamps making a day to day activity into a more environmentally responsible activity", declared Raymond Redding, Post General Manager.

500,000 books of stamps sold every day

Every day in France almost 500,000 books of self-adhesive stamps are sold. Concerned about reducing the environmental impact of this popular consumer product, La Poste decided to launch the "For the Planet" Eco-book on the 15th January 2007. La Poste is the first postal service in the world to offer an eco-friendly book of stamps which also has an almost identical surface to standard books and uses paper from certified forests.

192 trees saved each year

By putting 12 stamps instead of 10 in an almost identical sized book has resulted in a 13% reduction in paper used which is the equivalent to 12 tonnes of paper each year, or 192 trees spared! The paper used is from sustainable managed forests: the frontal paper (stamp face) is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved and the outer book paper is PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and non-bleached. Furthermore, the adhesive used is water-based and does not contain solvents and the red ink on the stamp does not contain substances from the list of dangerous substances*.

The "For the Planet" product range

The "For the Planet" range is identified by its specific logo and was launched by La Poste in 2006. It comes under one of the group’s 12 sustainable development commitments by offering its customers a range of more environmentally friendly products. Currently, the "For the Planet" Eco-book is the first postal product on this scale available to the general public. Internally, postal staff already have access to a range of eco-friendly stationary for their daily use (notebooks, calendars, diaries, etc.).
In spring 2007 other eco-friendly products will be introduced such as the NF Environment Ready-to-Post envelope, another flagship product in the Postal range.

* The dangerous substances are defined according to environmental norms, European regulations, the International Centre for Cancer Research (CIRC) and the work of the European Council of the Paint, Printing Inks and Artists’ Colours Industry (CEPE).

French Tax Changes

With another year over and a new one just begun, it would not be January without tax changes in France! In fact, during the period between Christmas and New Year, the Constitutional Council was very busy, approving both the Finance Act 2012 and yet another amendment to last year’s Finance Act. After publication of both texts in the Journal Official de la République Française, each of the bills was enacted into law on 30th December 2011.

 Some of the main changes are highlighted below and further information can be found on our website at http://www.spectrum-ifa.com/france.shtml.

• There will be a freeze on the income tax bands and so the existing 2011 barème scale will continue to apply for 2012 and 2013.
• Wealth tax bands and inheritance/gift tax allowances will also be frozen until the public deficit is below 3% of GDP, which is anticipated to be by the end of 2013.
• The rate of the Prélèvement Forfaitaire Libératoire (PFL) is increased from 19% to 24% for bank interest and 21% for dividends. For many people, therefore, depending upon your marginal rate of income tax, it could be better to switch so that the bank does not automatically deduct the PFL from your bank interest. Even better is the idea of sheltering investment capital in a tax-efficient investment to avoid the increased PFL altogether.
• There are a couple of new cases of exemption from capital gains tax relating to property sales and full details can be found on our website.
• The existing lower rate of VAT has been increased from 5.5% to 7% for the majority of cases where it applied. However, for certain goods and services (for example, food, school meals, goods and services for the disabled), the 5.5% rate is maintained.
• Fiscal niches are again reduced by 10% and the Scellier Scheme will be abolished altogether at the end of this year. More information on both of these changes can be found on our website.

So as can be seen from the above, “austerity” is still the name of the game. What is also coming across strongly is the government’s belief that these measures, in isolation, will bring the public deficit under control.

Unfortunately, fiscal measures are only one side of the equation and whether or not the government’s objective can be achieved will, in part, depend upon what happens with monetary policy, which is controlled by the ECB. However, the ECB wants to see signs of fiscal union – at least in the Eurozone, if not in the broader EU – before it changes its policies. The idea of ‘catch 22’ and ‘tail wagging dog’ comes to mind!

Furthermore, 2012 is a presidential election year and who knows whether or not the latest round of changes will still be in place post-election or if we will be faced with more proposals for change. After having had a total of five budgets during 2011, it would seem rather odd to only have one in 2012, particularly since in the current round, there is no proposal to increase social charges beyond the current rate of 13.5%, although discussions have already commenced on the idea of merging income tax and social charges and maybe this is why. Should this take place, this would be beneficial for those people living mainly on investment capital, but would be detrimental for those living mainly on pension income, since pension income is not liable to social contributions providing the recipient is a holder of a Certificate S1 (formerly E121).

On a final note, however, if you are fed up with austerity, it may make you feel better to know that the President and the politicians are also on a pay freeze until the country’s deficit is within 3% of GDP!

 If you would like more information about how these changes may affect you or about investing on a tax-efficient basis for France (whether for investing an amount of capital and/or saving on a regular basis), or any other aspect of retirement and inheritance planning, please contact me for more information either by telephone on 04 68 20 30 17 or by e-mail at daphne.foulkes@spectrum-ifa.com.

The Spectrum IFA Group advisers do not charge any fees for their time or for advice given, as can be seen from our Client Charter at:

http://www.spectrum-ifa.com/IndependentFinancialAdviceinEurope-Charter.html

Daphne Foulkes

New penalty fees for auto-entrepreneurs in 2012

From 1st January 2012, auto-entrepreneurs and micro entreprises having opted for the micro-social regime will be liable to a new penalty fee, if they forget to complete their turnover declaration.

Turnover declarations were already compulsory in 2011, with auto-entrepreneurs having to declare 0€ if no sales were made for the month or quarter.

The compulsory turnover declaration has however been strengthened with the 2011 Social Security Budget Act (loi de financement de la sécurité sociale). An implementation decree published on 28th December 2011 in the Journal Officiel confirms that penalties fees will apply to auto-entrepreneurs forgetting to declare or making their declaration past the deadlines. 

Read the complete article

From an excellent site http://www.startbusinessinfrance.com/

Review of the year from the Languedoc Pages

The Languedoc Page newsletter, Winter 2011 / 2012

 An excellent review by Peter Hornby of the Languedoc Page - http://the-languedoc-page.com 

Wine :

A warm spring and summer with adequate rainfall resulted in an early start to 

picking. Picking of the Rivesaltes muscat grapes began during the first week of 

August and many other vendanges were similarly early. Nationally, the 2011 crop 

is looking promising, with a 6% higher yield than 2010. Production in Languedoc 

Roussillon is forecast to be around 13.1m hectolitres (1m hectolitres more than 

2010).

There has been further consolidation of the main producers and Boisset acquired 

the Skalli Languedoc business in November. Boisset - 

http://www.boissetfamilyestates.com - is a major player in France and also  produces wine in California, Canada and Italy.

Languedoc Roussillon had 201,500 hectares of vines in 2010, a reduction of 21.3% since 2000. Across France there are now 85,200 producers, a reduction of 25% in the same period. Increased production in 2011 reflects the weather and the use of more effective techniques. The Cave Co-operatives are under increasing pressure as the smaller producers abandon production of grapes. There has been significant consolidation of Cave Co-operatives over the last few years. 

Marketing effort continues to focus on the export of higher value and better 

quality wines. There are many independent producers of high quality wines that 

have seen increasing returns on investment through pursuing quality rather than 

quantity.

Weather :

Winter 2010/2011 was milder than past years. Spring was warm and the Summer was consistently warm without being oppressive. Autumn was warm and enabled many to keep their pools open until end October. However localised storms arrived in the Cevennes in March and again in August. The end of October brought more orange alerts and the threat of flooding. Early November brought a red alert for Gard, Herault, Lozere, Tarn and Aveyron with an expected 600mm of rain at Mt Aigoual (London has an average rainfall around 585mm per year). Some areas received 700mm over a couple of days and Florac, Anduze, Lunel, Mauguio, Beaucaire, Tarascon, and Quissac were amongst the flooded areas. Sommieres escaped, but it is not clear if this reflects the pattern of the rainfall or the construction of floodable areas following the 2002 floods. In late November another storm system caused flooding in the unfortunately named Happy Valley, Sorede.

Xmas and New Year had very mild weather. Temperatures were around 17C over Xmas and Nimes had a recorded 20C on 1-1-2012. 

Current river levels are available here : www.vigicrues.ecologie.gouv.fr 

Road Traffic news is here : www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr .

Montpellier Tram :

Much work is in progress for the construction of Tramline 3 & 4 (expected opening April 6 2012). Some roads are still closed resulting in traffic problems in central Montpellier. Map of tram lines 1,2,3 & 4 at 6 April 2012 :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Montpellier_-_Tramway_network_map_2010.png/1168px-Montpellier_-_Tramway_network_map_2010.png 

An announcement was made on 22 December of future tramway plans subject to funding being available. Including the launch of lines 3 & 4 the plan is : 

Completion line 3 Juvignac to Perols via centre

Completion line 4 creating a city centre "circle" line

Extension of line 1 east to Grammont, A9 and future TGV station

Extension of line 2 north to Le Cres, Vendargues and Castries

Extension of line 2 south to Saussan, Fabregues, Cournenterral, Cournonsec, Montbazin, Gigean, Poussan

Extension of line 3 north to Fontcaude

Extension of line 3 south to Maguelone, Palavas, Carnon, Grande Motte

Line 5 : A new north - south line from Pradez le Lez to Laverune via Montferrier, Clapiers, city centre, Ovalie, Bagatelle with a 2013 scheduled start date.

Line 6 : A new direct line from the city centre to Sablassou linking to the line 2 Jacou spur remains unconfirmed.

Subject to funding and final approval, these routes are intended to be completed by 2017.

Map : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Montpellier_-_Map_of_the_future_tramway_network.png/1280px-Montpellier_-_Map_of_the_future_tramway_network.png

 

Rail :

With the opening of the Perpignan – Figueres TGV link, Paris to Barcelona now takes 7hr 30m. Ultimately, a fast Paris to Barcelona rail service will be launched taking just 4hr 30m. Likely start date has now been brought forward to 2020.

The revised schedule is now :

2012 (was 2009) Nimes - Montpellier TGV line bypass work starts

2012 Perpignan - Figueres - Girona TGV line in service

2013 Girona – Barcelona TGV line opened

2016 Toulouse - Bordeaux TGV line opened

2017 Tours - Bordeaux TGV line opened

2017 Nimes - Montpellier TGV line rail bypass opens. More : http://www.rff.fr/reseau/projets/nouvelles-lignes/nimes-montpellier 

2020 Montpellier - Perpignan dedicated TGV line in service. More : http://www.ligne-montpellier-perpignan.com 

2020+ Paris – Toulouse

2030+ Toulouse - Narbonne

Services from Perpignan to Barcelona via a temporary station on the high speed line at Figueres and then following the existing line started end December 2010. 

To link up the different gauges, there will be 3 stations in Figueres over the next few years. The new line passes to the west of the town, and a new station is being built at Vilafant. It is planned to divert the existing line, so that local trains can call at this station, and close the existing railway station in the centre of the town, although at first a temporary station will be built on the high speed line. There will be a shuttle service between the temporary LGV station and the town station. 

SNCF announced that they were considering the closure of the Nimes - Clermont Ferrand rail line for passenger traffic. Following review, it will remain open. Essential maintenance and further development will take place to improve tourist traffic numbers. 

More : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Cevenol

Montpellier road upgrades :

It is now proposed to make the existing autoroute an urban road and add a new stretch of A9 through Montpellier by 2017. Route map : http://www.midilibre.fr/complements/2011/09/30/nouvelle-a9-la-carte-qui-explique-tout_314867.pdf 

Improvements to the Northern Castries - A75 route continue. The forecast route map is here : http://www.herault.fr/files/avigne/lien.pdf . The Assas to St Gely section was opened during 2010. The forecast completion date to the A750 is 2015. More details (in French) : 

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_intercantonale_d'évitement_nord .

Note that ongoing decentralisation has made many RN (Routes Nationales) the responsibility of individual departments. Not only has much of the road numbering changed, but many of the now departmental roads have new speed ramps and changed traffic rules in places. 

Autoroutes :

The final links from the A75-A9 near Beziers to Clermont Ferrand were finally opened in December 2010.

The A750 link is now complete from NW Montpellier to the A75.

There is a plan to widen the A9 between Perpignan et le Perthus before 2015.

Canal :

The Canal du Rhône à Sète (which is part of the Canal du Midi Bordeaux to Rhone route) has been carrying much increased freight traffic in recent years. As part of an effort to reduce road freight traffic, there is a plan to improve the capacity of the canal. Essentially the improvements will allow bigger boats and faster transit time through locks by 2013. 

Road :

More fixed radar traps have been installed in the area. There is a map here : www.radarsfixes.com .

Air transport :

The poor economy has resulted in some low cost airlines mothballing aircraft in winter. Some routes and destinations have been cancelled, particularly over the winter. 

News of summer 2012 timetables continues to be released, and confirmed routes will be updated at www.the-languedoc-page.com/tourism/languedoc-tourism-air.htm when available. 

Day by day news is summarised here : http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=6148 . 

The current known position is : 

*Perpignan, Nimes and Carcassonne airports have all been taken over by Veolia from the local CCI.

*Only low cost carriers are expanding passenger numbers during the downturn.

*The poor UK economy and weak GBP is reducing the attractiveness of the Euro area to Brits and many local airports have reduced passenger numbers. 

*Ryanair are increasingly using major airports including Barcelona, Gatwick, Madrid, etc 

*Girona have made proposals to regularise their relationship with Ryanair by committing to a substantial marketing budget in line with the original contract. 

*As the Girona disagreement has escalated Ryanair have continued to favour Barcelona

*Ryanair have flights from European airports to Cyprus. Cyprus would make an ideal base to launch flights to Red Sea resorts and the Gulf states which are currently outside the range of 737's from UK. 

*There are rumours of plans to build a new airport in Carcassonne.

*Air France have announced the launch of a new low fixed price service to compete with Easyjet and Ryanair. They will have bases at Marseille, Toulouse and Nice. Flights begin in April. More : http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6148&hilit=marseille&start=70#p26412 & http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6148&hilit=marseille&start=60#p26338

*Easyjet will respond with expanded services at Toulouse and Nice. 

*BMI has been sold to BA. BMIbaby will be sold and some BMI loss making routes will be abandoned. 

*Ryanair have chosen not to compete directly with Easyjet from Montpellier. The only UK destination is now Leeds - Bradford 

*Beziers has expanded and Ryanair now have 7 destinations including Luton, Manchester and Bristol. FlyBe offer a Beziers-Southampton summer service with through booking to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Jersey, Guernsey.

*Perpignan now appears to have only 11 non AF flights per week during the summer months. 

*Norwegian are a major Scandinavian low cost airline with direct flights to Barcelona from various other European cities. More : http://www.norwegian.com .

Ferries :

Norfolk Lines has now been acquired by DFDS seaways who still generally offer the best short route rates with their Dover - Dunkerque service. Best rates on the longer routes are normally with LD lines. Both may be undercut on certain crossings or with special offers so it is worth checking before booking. Forum users - http://the-languedoc-page.com/forum - prefer the P&O breakfast, though. 

Property :

2010 has again been a relatively quiet year for property sales in Languedoc. Desirable, realistically priced houses continue to sell. Languedoc prices remain attractive compared with those in Provence and Cote d'Azur.

Exchange rates :

The pound is languishing at around 1.20, slightly up on recent Euro worries, but well behind historical levels. Information and current rates are here : http://the-languedoc-page.com/property/currency.htm 

Blogs :

The number of South France residents blogging in English has steadily increased. We maintain links to the more disciplined (and interesting) bloggers here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/articles/languedoc-articles01d.htm

Airport parking :

Montpellier Airport has a car park pass at 18 euros for a period of between 7 to 15 days inclusive : www.montpellier.aeroport.fr/layer_en.asp?nav=6_1_5

Marseille airport has www.chequeparking.com/accueil.do , which is much cheaper than daily rates and less than 5 minutes walk from the terminal.

Beziers airport :

Beziers airport continues to have above average passenger numbers. There is a shuttle bus waiting at the airport to take passengers to Beziers bus station (Fare €3). A free shuttle runs from there to the train station.

Supermarkets :

Note that much change is taking place in the grocery market :

• Lidl and Netto are expanding rapidly

• Lidl is moving steadily upmarket

• Many supermarket chains are offering internet based home delivery and/or a picking service for later collection

• .Intermarche is opening larger outlets (Intermarche Hyper) at the same time as developing smaller in town outlets (Intermarche contact and express)

• Champion seems to have been completely rebranded as Carrefour Market

Mail order :

Marks and Spencer have a mail order service to France - http://www.awin1.com . They are also reopening stores in France.

Littlewoods now have a similar service - http://clotheseu.at

Car hire excess insurance :

The standard car hire agreement leaves the hirer with an excess liability of 

around €1000 depending on car. Hire companies offer a daily rate insurance at a 

price of around €15 per day. It is worth noting that these people - 

http://www.insurance4carhire.com - offer annual European cover for £49 . If you need more than a few days cover it is a better deal than the Hire Car Co rates.

Tour de France 2012 :

The final detail route is not normally announced until around April, so allowing plenty of time for rumours and guesstimates ! 

The stage info is :

Stage 13, July 14 — Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 215 km (road stage) 

Stage 14, July 15 — Limoux > Foix 192 km (road stage) 

More : http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/10/news/2012-tour-de-france-route-leaked_194964 

Latest route information is collated here : http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=6313

Local history :

Herault Department have put a huge number of scanned historical archives on the web here : http://archives.herault.fr . 

The museum at Ambrussum is now open and visits are currently free. They have added good information panels and opened some new areas to visitors.

Useful information :

Links to useful information are maintained on the forum here : http://the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=28 . These links will not be pruned but will be edited to keep them up to date.

Google Street View :

This is where a car with a 360° camera on the roof takes videos of streets (hence the name). Faces, car registration numbers, even whole bodies in Cap d’Agde, are blurred to protect privacy. The procedure isn’t foolproof and individuals can ask for images to be blurred. Coverage continues to be improved. E.g. http://g.co/maps/aq77f

The Languedoc Pages and The Connexion newspaper :

During 2011 The Connexion newspaper launched The Languedoc Pages as a paper regional supplement to their newspaper. There was considerable confusion because The Languedoc Page has a long established wide reputation resulting in internet searches inevitably favouring it. We received many contacts varying from congratulations on our new venture to queries from advertisers who were uncertain of where they had agreed to advertise. The current position is that both The Languedoc Page and The Languedoc Pages have carried banners explaining the situation. There may be scope for working together in some areas in the future. 

The Languedoc Forum :

www.the-languedoc-page.com/forum

We upgraded to new software during 2011. This was needed as the old software had security weaknesses and support had ceased. Upgrading to a later version of php by the host was another reason. The change went reasonably well and a few "tweaks" relmain to be finalised.

The spammers continue to attempt to register both manually and automatically. About 1 registration in 20 is genuine and accepted. If you have registered and heard nothing from us, please email us directly. 

Around 5000 topics are being read per day (these stats are excluded from The Languedoc Page stats below) and 1.7m topics were read in the 12 months to 31 December 2011. There is an active free classifieds section. Only a small minority of readers contribute by posting. During 2011Q4, the total views of forum topics passed the 10m mark. 

The Languedoc Page : 

www.the-languedoc-page.com

Google reports over 2,000 pages of information, with 29,000 inward links and 126,000 references including the forum. 381,000 unique visitors viewed 1.9m website pages in the 12 months to December 2011 (over 5000 pages viewed per day). The Languedoc Page remains a community driven website. Contributions from users have greatly enhanced the photo section and articles. Together with the forum, this visitor participation has driven the expansion of The Languedoc Page. The Languedoc Page has been listed on the first page for the keyword “languedoc” on google.com and google.co.uk since November 2005. At 3-1-2012 The Languedoc Page was 5th out of 88.8m references for the word Languedoc with Yahoo also showing position 5 out of 43.5m references.

The advertising that was started a few years ago has steadily progressed. The rates are remarkably reasonable given the visitor numbers – small banner ads cost from Euro 1 per 1000 views. More information about advertising and statistics : www.the-languedoc-page.com/languedoc-advertising.htm . There will continue to be no pop-ups, porno or gambling ads ! 

We hope that you have found The Languedoc Page useful. If you haven’t visited it for a while, it is worth a look to see how it has developed. And I’m still happy to receive article, photo and restaurant review contributions !

Brit - famous in France - but not UK

Charlie Winston

"If I never make it big in England it doesn't matter," says Winston, who has become an overnight sensation in France, where he has topped the single and album charts.

Winston has outsold Coldplay and U2 in France

The singer-songwriter and former busker recently played to 55,000 people at France's biggest music festival, with the crowd singing along to every word.

His profile in France means he has to travel with a security team, but he could walk down any street in the UK quite freely, especially if he took off his trademark battered trilby.

He spent 10 years playing to tiny audiences in British pubs and clubs, but became fed up with the London music scene. Rarely could a move abroad - to Paris at the end of 2008 - been better judged. But music pundits think the days when Winston could walk the streets of London unnoticed are numbered. A buzz about the 30-year-old Cornishman is now starting to build on this side of the Channel.

Debit cards in the UK - don't always work

A WoW readers' tips. 

Using your UK debit card in the UK.

I live here (France)and I have a debit card from Lloyds which I had not used it for 9 months.

I had to go to England this week and I tried to use it.

It allowed me to withdraw money from an ATM but when I tried to pay in a restaurant it was refused.

Lloyds have told me that if a card is not used regularly it is "blocked for shopping".

I was told I should go to a Lloyds ATM and choose PIN SERVICES and UNBLOCK PIN SHOPPING. Not knowing this, I was lucky to have a French card with me which paid the bill.

 Stephen

For interest WoW found this list of the "Debit Cards from Hell"

Halifax Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1.50. Load fee: 2.75%. Cash withdrawal fee: £1.50

Lloyds Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1. Load fee: 2.99%. Cash withdrawal: 1.5% min £2 max £4.50

IF Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1.50 Load fee: 2.25%. Cash withdrawal fee: £1.50 or 1.5%

RBS Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1.25. Load fee: 2.75%. Cash withdrawal: 2% min £2 max £5

NatWest Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1.25. Load fee: 2.75%. Cash withdrawal: 2% min £2 max £5

Santander Debit Card
Spending penalty: £1.25. Load fee: 2.75%. Cash withdrawal: 1.5% min £1.99

Full list of charges for major UK credit and debit cards.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

Odd stories from Midi Libre in 2011

Great stories

- and Erwan Michael saved the life of Laurence

- Car fire and wheelchair stuck on the tracks, two epic rescue

Stories that suppress appetite

- A tooth in a burger

- A piece of wood in the paella

 

Tall radar Stories tall 

- Cyclists flashed at 70 km / h by a fixed camera

- A young motorist flashed 8 times in 23 minutes

- Flash by radar ... Ski in the Paris region ! 


Stories that you have rebelled

- Protesters gassed for no reason by a gendarme 

- Fatima wheelchair stolen  while she was taking an exam

- A living dog thrown in the trash

Birth like no other ...

- Melanie and her ​​sister to give birth in a corridor

- The future dad rushes to birth on jet-ski  

- Two sisters give birth on January 1 in Alencon

... For our animal friends as

The surprise birth of a baby puma in a zoo of Morbihan

Super-senior

- A 90-year-old Michele makes a world record swim! 

- At 85, Henry resolves disputes between neighbors

 

There were those who had a narrow escape

- The bullet missed the boar and through the car

- Asleep at the wheel and drives into a garage

... those who have been lucky

- she blew two jackpots in 3 hours

- 162 milion win the lottery

- A retired Vannes won a record gain of € 9,420,902 in the casino

A smile from L A art

Thanks, as ever, to Kevin

 www.lheraultart.com 

French Public Holidays 2012

New Year's Day (Jour de l'An)
Sunday 1 Janaury

Easter Sunday (Pâques)
Monday 9 April

May Day (Fête du Travail)
Tuesday 1 May

Victory in Europe Day (Fête de la Victoire)
Tuesday 8 May

Ascension
Thursday 17 May

Pentecost (Lundi de Pentecôte)
Monday 28 May

Bastille Day (Fête nationale)
Saturday 14 July

Assumption (l'Assomption)
Wednesday 15 August

All Saints' Day (Toussaint)
Thursday 1 November

Armistice Day (Jour de l'Armistice de 1918)
Sunday 11 November

Christmas Day (Jour de Noël)
Tuesday 25 December

Tourist or art student - the puzzle sorted

 Ah - thanks Kevin - we knew we were doing something wrong!  WoW chief photographer is now in training - keeps falling over but we think he might make it.

Try http://www.lheraultart.com/ for more visual fun AND MUCH MORE!

Supreme Court rules no Nativity scene in DC

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene inthe United States' Capitol this Christmas.

This isn't for any religious reason

They simply have not been able to find Three Wise Men in the Nation's Capitol.

A search for a Virgin continues.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

Revenge - no I don't think so.

At a recent Press Conference in Montpellier WoW was amazed to be addressed in perfect English - not a trace of the US similar but a bit different brand - by Air Arabia's  Chief Operating Officer Mr Rohit Ramachandran.

Unable to contain the WoW enthusiasm at the end of the conference - WoW heard himself saying - What amazing English you have - so lovely to hear it.

"Ah" he said "we were ruled by the Brits for 300 years - we speak English badly as a form of revenge" he said with a chuckle.

That is not bad English Sir - it is much better than most of the natives speak.

As for being ruled by England - well up to a point Lord Copper - English Tangier was a colony of the Kingdom of England and a military and naval base in Tangier, held by the English from 1661 to 6 February 1684, when it returned to being part of Morocco.

Ah well - the sentiment was fun and got WoW a googling.

Just because it made WoW laugh!

Thanks to Roland for sending this in

From a book called 'Disorder in the American Courts' these are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying straight-faced while these exchanges were actually taking place. 

_____________________________________ 

1)  ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory? 
WITNESS: I forget. 
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot? 
_____________________________________ 

2)ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning? 
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? 
____________________________________ 

3)ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he? 
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ

4)ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken? 
WITNESS: Are you shitting me? 
_____________________________________

5)ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time? 
WITNESS: Getting laid 
_____________________________________ 

6) ATTORNEY: She had three children, right? 
WITNESS: Yes. 
ATTORNEY: How many were boys? 
WITNESS: None. 
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? 
WITNESS : Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney? 
_____________________________________ 

7) ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated? 
WITNESS: By death. 
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated? 
WITNESS: Take a guess
_____________________________________ 

8) ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual? 
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard. 
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female? 
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male
_____________________________________ 

9)ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney? 
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work. 
_____________________________________ 

10) ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people? 
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight. 
_____________________________________ 

11)ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to? 
WITNESS: Oral.
_____________________________________
 

12)ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? 
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished
_____________________________________ 

13)ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample? 
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question? 
_____________________________________ 

And the best for last:

14)ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? 
WITNESS: No 
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? 
WITNESS: No. 
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor? 
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. 
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless? 
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
  
THINK ABOUT IT!  MOST MEMBERS OF THE US CONGRESS ARE LAWYERS

Car Theft - a reminder of a new technique

A WoW reader sent this in - it may have been on WoW before but it is a warning worth repeating

Warning! Last week, I parked in the car park of Auchan Gramont.  As I was leaving I noticed a paper on the rear window.

When I removed (once back at home), I saw it was a gas receipt. Fortunately one of my friends told me not to stop because someone might  steal my car ....

This applies to men and women and this technique comes across France. Beware of paper pasted on the back window of your car.

You walk in the parking lot, open your car. You start the engine and when you look out your back window, you notice a piece of paper stuck in the middle.

If you stop and get out of your car to remove the paper  the car thief appears out of nowhere.  He gets into the car with the engine running and - guess what? I bet your wallet, your purse is still in the car. So, the car thief has your car, your address, your money, your keys. Your home and your identity are undermined.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to the back of your car, lock your car doors, start, drive away and remove the paper later. 

Mobile Phones - cheaper options

For some time been  ******** off about the cost of mobile calls in France I have done a fair bit of research, the results of which may be of interest:

  If you are a light user mobile phone calls only or a reasonably light user with internet and e mail needs as well, the following operators, which I had never heard of, are worthy of a look:

* light user.  Prixtel  (chrono mobile tarif)  1.5 euros per month   0.12 euros per min. No contract  so 1 hour per month will cost around 8.70 euros!.

They are SRF in another guise

* with internet.  Sosh.   They have a 2 hour monthly with unlimited SMS plus 500 Mo internet, no engagement, 19.90 euros per month

          Happy shopping!  Colin