A Cannes Film Festival turned virtual, the Roland Garros tennis tournament and Tour de France bicycle race both postponed until September? France will definitely not be the same this summer! Tourism and culture are two of the main sectors of French economy and the pandemic has inflicted a direct blow on both of them. Hundreds of festivals, sport events, art … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Back to Normal in France? Not Quite …
Letter from Paris
Letter From Paris: Thoughts on Life Under Lockdown in Fontainebleau, How France Has Coped With COVID-19
There have been many deadly pandemics in the history of the planet but this is the first time ever that one has affected so many people. COVID-19 forced half the world population - or more than three billion - into confinement. I guess this is the price one has to pay for living in a globalized world. Each country handled the coronavirus crisis in a different way. How did … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Thoughts on Life Under Lockdown in Fontainebleau, How France Has Coped With COVID-19
Letter From Paris: France is Embroiled in a Pension Reform Crisis, But Seems to be Doing Fine … or is it?
Reform of the retirement system was at the core of French President Emmanuel Macron's 2016 campaign. He wanted to simplify the system and make it universal. The reform is so highly sensitive - one might even say explosive - that several prime ministers have fallen in similar attempts (1986, 1995, 2008.) Although close to 60 percent of public opinion is favorable to the reforms, … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: France is Embroiled in a Pension Reform Crisis, But Seems to be Doing Fine … or is it?
Letter From Paris: Brexit Has Happened – An Historic Day Which Sparked Joy, Tears, and Innumerable Challenges
Editor's Note: The United Kingdom finally left the European Union (EU) at 11 p.m. on Jan 31, 2020, after being a member of the EU for 47 years. Despite a referendum passing in 2016 by a very slim margin that requested the extraction of the UK from the EU, it has been a long three years of butter argument to reach this point. Even now, it is estimated that roughly half of the … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Brexit Has Happened – An Historic Day Which Sparked Joy, Tears, and Innumerable Challenges
Letter From Paris: Seeing “Red” at the Grand Palais
The year 1917 in Russia marked a unique moment of history when art and revolution fused together into a mutual source of inspiration. The creativity and energy fed on each other for a short few years, to eventually vanish under the brutal repression and purges of Stalin to become an official and bland art form called "Socialist Realism." The exhibit "Red - Art and Utopia in … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Seeing “Red” at the Grand Palais
Letter From Paris: As Notre Dame Burns, the World Mourns
On April 15, the world watched in shocked awe as the 850-year-old Notre Dame cathedral went up in flames. The emotion was immediate, intense and spread around the globe. Crowds of stunned people, who gathered on the banks of the Seine, many in tears, some singing religious hymns, gasped when the flèche (spire), consumed by the blaze, finally collapsed. The French president … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: As Notre Dame Burns, the World Mourns
Letter From Paris: Exhibition of Macke & Marc’s Art Unintentionally Makes Powerful Statement on European Current Affairs
The exhibition titled Franz Marc / August Macke. The Adventure of the Blue Rider (der Blaue Reiter) at the Musée de l'Orangerie is the exhibit to see this spring when in Paris. It is a festival of colors by two German artists, Macke (1887-1914) and Marc (1880-1916), who both died prematurely on the front during World War I more than a century ago. Long overdue, and … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Exhibition of Macke & Marc’s Art Unintentionally Makes Powerful Statement on European Current Affairs
Letter From Paris: And So It Goes On … Brexit, That Is
"Order, Order!" barked John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons before announcing the results of the third-time-around vote on Theresa May's Brexit "deal" . "The ayes to the right 286, the noes to the left 344, the left have it." It was that fateful day, March 29 - chosen by the Prime Minister as the deadline to decide on the "divorce" of the United Kingdom (UK) from … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: And So It Goes On … Brexit, That Is
Letter From Paris: Present Pace of European Politics is Dizzying
The unity of Europe is being put to the test now more than ever: the deadline of the Brexit pushed back from March 29 to April 12 is heightening the uncertainty to an almost unbearable level, the visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping to Italy, Monaco and France is preoccupying several members of the European Union (EU), and the populist votes in recent European elections are … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Present Pace of European Politics is Dizzying
Letter From Paris: Will Europe Fight Back in Face of World, Local Challenges?
The European Union (EU) is under attack from all sides. Will the EU strike back? The most serious threat against Europe is the dislocation of the world system of security and defense, which Europe relies on as a protection. During the past two years, an avalanche of steps taken by the US is unraveling the Atlantic-dominated frameworkwith a possible US pull-back from NATO; … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Will Europe Fight Back in Face of World, Local Challenges?
Letter From Paris: Current Crisis Continues Long History of Franco-Italian Love-Hate Relationship
A diplomatic crisis is going on between France and Italy. Salvoes of insults proffered by deputy prime ministers Matteo Salvini (extreme right) and Luigi Di Maio (anti-establishment) are flying across the Alps. A red line was crossed when Di Maio went to France and met with the most radical gilets jaunes who openly demand the resignation of the French president and the … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Current Crisis Continues Long History of Franco-Italian Love-Hate Relationship
Letter From Paris: Life in the ‘City of Light’ is a War Zone … with Wheels!
Paris is waging a war on wheels. In order to survive crossing the street, pedestrians have to defy car drivers while on the sidewalks, the war is between the people who walk and those on wheels in a multitude of forms. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a socialist, has made it her mission to reduce pollution in the French capital by shrinking the space open to vehicles. It is a laudable … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Life in the ‘City of Light’ is a War Zone … with Wheels!
Letter From Paris: It’s Been a Rocky Ride, But Will Macron Still Make It?
France always seems to stand out by doing the best or the worst through social and political upheavals. The movement of the gilets jaunes has been like an earthquake shaking the system to its foundations. It has created the most serious political crisis the Fifth Republic has known since its creation by General de Gaulle in 1958. It is a pivotal moment for France and … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: It’s Been a Rocky Ride, But Will Macron Still Make It?
Letter from Paris: Picasso’s Early Years on View in Blue … and Pink
In October 1900, Picasso - at age 19 - arrived at the Gare d'Orsay in Paris from Barcelona. So, it is appropriate that the Orsay Museum would host an exhibition about the young Spanish artist.The blockbuster, which opened in the autumn of 2018, was called "Picasso. Bleu, Rose" and refers to the 1900-1906 years. It is a long overdue theme, never before treated in … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Picasso’s Early Years on View in Blue … and Pink
With Approach of Brexit Deadline, a New Conundrum Emerges: UK Grows More Divided, EU More United
It was a close call for Theresa May and probably the most difficult time of the 900-odd days of the Brexit negotiations. On Monday, Dec. 10, her proposed "deal" faced opposition from all sides. Several of her ministers had already resigned: Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and David Davis, successive Secretaries of State for Brexit. Even her own Tory party was … [Read more...] about With Approach of Brexit Deadline, a New Conundrum Emerges: UK Grows More Divided, EU More United