All eyes are on the COP21 United Nations conference on climate change taking place in Paris from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12. The “Conference of Parties” or COP, have been held every year since COP 1 in Berlin, in 1995. In the middle of nowhere, in an industrial and non-descript vacant lot – a preview of what our world will become if the conference does not bring concrete results – … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: COP 21 Tackles Climate Change in Challenging Times
Letter from Paris
Letter from Paris: ‘Francofonia’ Explores German Attitude to Louvre Art During Occupation, But Gives Broader Message
Like irritating mosquitoes on a hot summer afternoon, three fighter planes of the German Luftwaffe fly over a majestic and impregnable Louvre museum. This is the opening image of Francofonia, a documentary reflecting on art and the courage of men fighting to protect it against forces of destruction. A most appropriate and needed interlude at this particularly tense time for the … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: ‘Francofonia’ Explores German Attitude to Louvre Art During Occupation, But Gives Broader Message
Letter From Paris: Thoughts on the Aftermath of Friday the 13th
The Nov. 13 attack was not the end of it. The Parisians lived through a first somber weekend listening to the non-stop sirens of police cars. On Nov. 18, RAID (Recherche-Assistance-Intervention-Dissuasion), assisted by hundreds of special police forces launched a massive assault in St Denis, barely one kilometer from the Stade de France and next to the 12th century … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Thoughts on the Aftermath of Friday the 13th
Letter from Paris: Je Suis en Terrasse — Reflections on Life in Paris After the Terrorist Attacks
For the second time in 2015, Paris was the target of the terrorists. But, in contrast to the "Charlie Hebdo" massacre, the attacks were not made in the name of an idea, like freedom of expression -- especially of the press, or to single out the Jewish community, but aimed at French society as a whole. The blind rampage was intended to butcher the greatest number of normal … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Je Suis en Terrasse — Reflections on Life in Paris After the Terrorist Attacks
Letter From Paris: Legislative Elections Move Poland to Right
Bringing bad news for Brussels, the block of Euro skeptics stretches now from Warsaw to Budapest. For the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a conservative right wing party has won the elections in Poland. On Oct. 25, the Right and Justice party (or PiS) obtained 232 seats out of 460 and wiped out the Left with the liberal Civic Platform party (or … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Legislative Elections Move Poland to Right
Letter from Paris: Fabulous FIAC Celebrates Contemporary Art Throughout Paris
She's back! We've probably been asked more often about what has happened to Nicole Prévost Logan than any other of our wonderful writers. You see, Nicole takes a break from writing for us in the summer when she is living in Essex, Conn. But now she has returned to her house in Paris and (metaphorically) picked up her pen again ... and we're delighted ... along with many of … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Fabulous FIAC Celebrates Contemporary Art Throughout Paris
Letter from Paris: The Rise of Islam in Europe; Reactions and Results
As we were driving toward Baden Baden in Germany, our tour director pointed to the brand new mosque rising above the red-roofed houses. “This mosque was not there last year,” he commented. On a recent river cruise through five European countries -- Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland – it was impossible not to notice the increasing presence of Islam -- or … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: The Rise of Islam in Europe; Reactions and Results
A Letter From Paris: Munich Museum Celebrates Tragically Truncated Careers of Two German Artists
The promise of two young men to become among the most important German artists of the 20th century was cut short when Franz Marc (1880-1916) and August Macke (1887-1914) were both killed on the front at the outset of World War I. The Lenbachhaus museum of Munich, built at the turn of the (20th) century when Munich was the capital of German art, will hold an exhibit in … [Read more...] about A Letter From Paris: Munich Museum Celebrates Tragically Truncated Careers of Two German Artists
A Letter From Paris: A Look at Little (But Oh, So Powerful) Luxembourg
Although Luxembourg is a minuscule country, with only 476,000 inhabitants, it is one of the world banking powerhouses occupying second place with 2.4 trillion euros under its management. It is one of the founding members of the European Union (EU) and has been an active participant at every step of its construction. How did this happen? The capital occupies a spectacular … [Read more...] about A Letter From Paris: A Look at Little (But Oh, So Powerful) Luxembourg
Letter From Paris: Greece Given Four Month Debt Deal Extension … But Then What?
During the last week of February 2015, intense negotiations took place between the Greek government and the three members of the “Troika” - the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Central European Bank (CEB) and the Eurozone. On Feb. 27, the Bundestag, by a massive majority, approved the four month extension of aid to Greece. It looked very much like a “déjà vu”scenario: … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Greece Given Four Month Debt Deal Extension … But Then What?
Letter from Paris: ‘Loi Macron’ Indicates a Sea Change in French Politics
In January 2015, in a forceful declaration, French president François Hollande officially announced a break with the Socialist program, which had been the basis of his 2012 presidential campaign. It was a sharp turn toward a more liberal, market-oriented policy. The Loi Macron, named after the young (33-year-old) Minister of Economy Emmanuel Macron, was to embody the new … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: ‘Loi Macron’ Indicates a Sea Change in French Politics
Letter from Paris: Minsk 2 – Another Truce for Ukraine … Maybe
After a 16-hour long marathon of negotiations on Feb. 11, and a great deal of suspense, Angela Merkel and François Hollande wrenched out a hard-won agreement for a cease-fire in Ukraine from Petro Porosnhenko and Vladimir Putin starting on Saturday, Feb. 14 at midnight. All parties to the agreement were extremely cautious and hoped that “Minsk 2” would last longer than “Minsk … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Minsk 2 – Another Truce for Ukraine … Maybe
Letter from Paris: Patrick Modiano receives 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature
...”all those wasted years during which one did not pay enough attention to trees, to flowers”...) says the main character in Modiano's latest novel 'Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier' (which translates roughly as, "To avoid getting yourself lost in the neighborhood") France had the distinctive honor of receiving two Nobel prizes in 2014: Jean Tirole was the … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Patrick Modiano receives 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature
Letter From Paris: Marcel Duchamp at the Pompidou Center
Marcel Duchamp i(1887-1965) is well known in America. Most people have heard of his readymades like the famous (or infamous) Fontaine, which is, in fact, a public urinal. Stiglitz immortilized the original in a 1917 photograph before it disappeared for ever. The bicycle wheel set on a kitchen stool is a familiar sight for MOMA vistors. Since his first trip to the US in … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Marcel Duchamp at the Pompidou Center
Letter from Paris: Ten Days Later
Ten days after the assassination at the Charlie Hebdo office including the magazine's editor and leading cartoonists, France is on high alert. Threats against persons and acts of vandalism are multiplying. The Jewish community is scared, the Muslims feel stigmatized, the Catholics are worried. It would be exaggerated however to describe - the way a Fox News journalist claimed - … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Ten Days Later