Sustainable or just plain weird? Accor hotels sell their used furniture on eBay

by McLean Robbins on

This week French hotel brand Accor launched

reBorn, an online store through eBay that will sell the hotel giant’s used furniture.

What can you snag? Everything from Luis XVI bedside tables to bronze chandeliers to 1980s wing armchairs, minibar furniture and even safes. About 2,500 items are on the site in total, with prices listed in Euros.

“The reBorn project satisfies a current social trend that gives new value to second-hand items in good condition by creating new circular economy models. Just look at the success of garage sales, second-hand swaps and bargain websites,” Sophie Flak, Accor’s executive vice president for academies and sustainable development told Hotels Magazine.

What do you think? Would you buy used hotel furniture online?

McDonald’s France promo pairs “baguette” burgers with famous cheeses

by Laurel Miller on

In a move that’s either sheer genius or…a sign of the Apocalypse, McDonald’s France is giving their cheeseburgers a serious makeover. From February 15th through March 27th, customers will be able to get their burgers on a baguette, with a choice of four different French cheeses–three of which are prestigious Protected Designation of Origin (PDO; formerly known in France as Appellation d’origine contrôlée, or AOC) products. These cheeses are under strict production guidelines and can only be made within a specific area in their region of origin. Ooh la la!

According to culture: the word on cheese (full disclosure: I’m a contributing editor), the cheese selection consists of Cantal, a buttery alpine style; Fourme d’Ambert, a creamy, spicy blue; Saint-Nectaire, an earthy semi-soft number, and “generic” chèvre, aka fresh goat cheese.

The cheesemonger/writer in me is thrilled to see something other than processed orange crap on a hamburger, and in France, I think this concept will fly. I don’t think America is ready for le gourmet burger with cheese yet, but it will be a great day when fast food actually consists of real food.

Video of the Day: Splitscreen: A Love Story

by Jessica Marati on

Whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, there’s no escaping the amorous feelings in the air today. We might as well make a contribution with today’s Video of the Day. This short film, released last summer, celebrates transcontinental love: two sets of eyes, one in New York and one in Paris, passing days with similar experiences until the moment the eyes unite (reunite?) on London‘s Golden Jubilee Bridge. Cue single tear. The video will undoubtedly tug on the heartstrings of anyone who has ever attempted a long distance relationship… or at the very least make you want to visit the three cities.

Splitscreen earned the top spot in last year’s Nokia Shorts 2011 competition, which armed a select group of filmmakers with the Nokia N8 phone and a $5,000 budget. The film was shot entirely on the N8 by a team led by filmmaker James W. Griffiths, beating out seven competitors for the top prize. They do say that love conquers all.

Flying a dream: Urban Side

by Chris Owen on


In this flying video we see Jean-Baptiste Chandelier who has been a paraglidiing pilot since 2004 and wants to inspire us all.

“My goal is to share my paragliding universe with my videos, for make everyone dream of flying,” says Chandelier on his website.

Specializing in acro flight, Chandelier flys through Peru, France and Chile using a variety of aero-acrobatic maneuvers and stunt flying, taking advantage of thermal properties of air by bodies of water, beaches, mountains and urban city areas.

“I am happy to present you a video really important for me, the Urban Side. In this video i flight on some really interresting places, and i play with the people. I hope the people inside and out of the paragliding world will like it and share it.”

Urban Side from Jean-Baptiste Chandelier JB prod on Vimeo.

Infamous French prankster arrested for impersonating a traffic camera

by Jessica Festa on




While it’s probably safe to say that most people think traffic cameras are pretty annoying, infamous French prankster Rémi Gaillard has brought harassing drivers to a whole new level. In this video, he impersonates a traffic camera, literally flashing lights at commuters and then chasing them while dressed in a cardboard costume. While many people have found the joke to be out-of-line, calling Gaillard obscene words and saying he is “destroying the very fabric of society”, I have to say that from this side of the action the video does have a lot of humor to it, especially with the aggressive background music. The fun didn’t last too long, however, as the cops arrested him before the situation could get too out of hand.