english conversation

I take an English conversation group once a week. We are all members of an umbrella group consisting of relative newcomers to Paris, who take part in various activities e.g. walks, museum trips, cultural visits etc. and I take the English language group.
We meet in a different member's flat each time and usually I print off an english newspaper article which has a French interest, for us to translate and chat about. These articles are all, without exception, negative towards France - its job market, its politicians, its strikes. I had to apologise for this today and think I'll have to change tack.
My french friends, as they all are now, enjoy the texts and although they find some things hard to hear, they say it's good to experience a different perspective now and again.

But massive cultural differences appear sometimes as we read.......

One article was describing the extra marital affair of Nicolas Sarkozy with a journalist. Not only did the article name the journalist - shocking news to my friends - but "the flight of Mme Sarkozy, 48, to New York on March 3rd" was universally misunderstood as "Mme Sarkozy took flight 48 to New York" !! They could not believe a) that a newspaper would be so ungallant as to print a woman's age and b) that she was so old, anyway. Satisfied sighs all round.