Word: franc
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Gradually fresh bills in New Franc denominations replaced the old bills, but the French government still kept tinkering. After only two years in circulation, the old 100 New Franc bill, showing Napoleon, was replaced by a new 100-franc bill showing the bewigged head of the 17th century poet-playwright Pierre Corneille. The Banque de France has lately displayed a preference for literary men over generals and politicians-Voltaire last year replaced Richelieu on the 10-franc note, and Racine replaced Henri IV on the 50. But Frenchmen are now complaining that the new 100-franc Corneille note is confusingly...
Easy Mistake. There was trouble about coins too. The New Franc coins issued in 1963 were the same size as those they replaced, except for the 50-centime piece, which was considered too cumbersome. It was trimmed down to within 1½ millimeters of the diameter of the new 20-centime piece and to within a few grams of its weight. Frenchmen often mistook the 50-for the 20-centime piece, and they soon discovered that the 20-centime piece worked perfectly well in 50-centime vending machines, while the 50-centime worked in 1-franc machines...
...that the U.S. would then inevitably have to devalue the dollar to remain competitive on world markets-the French action seemed to be an attempt to bother both currencies. De Gaulle clearly felt that by throwing his weight into world money markets, he could increase the franc's value against dollars and sterling, dramatize the shortcomings of the international monetary system, which France has long criticized, and show the U.S. that it will have to cut farther into its gold supply to finance the continuing takeovers of French firms by U.S. companies...
Saint Stripper. Most Gauls guffawed last March when France's state-owned TV network spoofed two of the country's solemn passions, Bonaparte and bicycle racing. But so outraged at the "indecent parody" was retired Toulouse Lawyer Francois Bousgarbiès, 79, that the peppery little patriot haled the network into court for what the French press gleefully called "the new Battle of Waterloo." Demanded Plaintiff Bousgarbiès: the network must apologize to the nation, destroy the film and pay him 1 franc (20?) in symbolic damages...
With French frugality, the judges will take several weeks to decide whether Bousgarbiès' injury is worth 1 franc. Appeals may drag on for a year. Despite the general levity, though, Bousgarbiès has received hundreds of letters from French patriots who seem just as mad as Americans would be at a TV bike race between Abe Lincoln and Jeff Davis...