Our French correspondent Nicole Prévost Logan was in Paris last Wednesday when the horrific shootings at the Charlie Hebdo office occurred and for the subsequent days of terror in the environs of Paris. This column reflects her thoughts on the tragedy. She writes: They were a talented, irreverent, friendly and humorous bunch of cartoonists and journalists. They were … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Nous Sommes Tous Charlie
Letter from Paris
Letter from Paris: The Magic of Merkel
She has been the German chancellor for 13 years, longer than any of her predecessors since the creation of the country in 1949. Forbes magazine puts her #1 on the world's list of powerful women. The key to understanding Angela Merkel and the successful way she runs her government lies in her upbringing. She was born in 1954 in Hamburg. When she was three, her father - a … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: The Magic of Merkel
Letter from Paris: Chinese Make Increasing Inroads into France
Chinese president Xi Jiping , wearing oversize headphones, appeared on the cover of the French weekly Nouvel Obs on Dec. 4. "Are they spying on us?" asked the magazine. The same week, huge parabolic antennae showed up on the roof of an inconspicuous building four miles from Paris. Some people found the picture rather amusing and did not take this disclosure too … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Chinese Make Increasing Inroads into France
Letter from Paris: The UK and Europe: Divided, We Stand Together … for the Moment
France and the rest of Europe look at the United Kingdom with some envy: the UK is currently enjoying a three percent growth in its economy, unemployment as low as six percent, a paired down number of civil servants and the dynamism of the City as a world financial center. No wonder young entrepreneurs and students are flocking to Britain from the continent. This week the … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: The UK and Europe: Divided, We Stand Together … for the Moment
Letter from Paris: Gambling on Impressionism
One could describe the exhibit as intimate. Only 80 paintings hang in the small rooms of the Musée du Luxembourg, some of them never seen before. The style is familiar. the colors are soft, the scenes are peaceful -- we are in the Impressionists' world to meet old friends: Monet, Manet, Degas, Sisley, Pissarro, Eugene Boudin, Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt. The title … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Gambling on Impressionism
Letter from Paris: New European Union Commission Leadership Faces Rocky Road
On Nov. 1, following the mandate of Manual Barroso (2009-2014) from Portugal, the 12th Commission of the European Union (EU) moved into its headquarters at the Berlaymont in Brussels. The selection process of the Commission - the key institution of the EU and a formidable machine employing 25,000 persons - has greatly changed since its beginnings in 1951. The mandate was … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: New European Union Commission Leadership Faces Rocky Road
Letter From Paris: The Dangers of Drones
Something strange happened lately in the skies of France: drones were spotted over several nuclear plants, including one dangerously close to Paris in Nogent sur Seine. A few days later more drones flew over nuclear complexes. A wave of anxiety gripped the public opinion. Who was manipulating those machines? Was the country under threat? Greenpeace was immediately … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: The Dangers of Drones
Tunisian Election Outcome Offers Remarkable Example to Countries Dealing With Terrorism, Violence
Tunisia did it again! This small country in North Africa was the one to start the Arab Spring in December 2010. On Oct. 26 of this year, the parliamentary elections marked the return to some degree of normalcy after a difficult period of assassinations and violence. The latest elections revealed a "collective intelligence," to use the words of a French political scientist … [Read more...] about Tunisian Election Outcome Offers Remarkable Example to Countries Dealing With Terrorism, Violence
Letter from Paris: Picasso in Paris – A New Museum Opens
After five years of over-budget restoration, the Picasso museum in Paris reopened on Oct. 25. It was worth the wait -- the new museum is spectacular. I decided - like the rest of Paris, it seemed - to go to the opening. The logistics to handle the thousands of visitors passing through the magnificent courtyard of the XVII century Hotel Salé (thus nicknamed because the … [Read more...] about Letter from Paris: Picasso in Paris – A New Museum Opens
Letter From Paris: Tragic Death of Christophe de Margerie, CEO of Total, Stuns France
On the night of Monday, Oct. 20 , the visibility was poor at the Vnukovo airport. The control tower had given clearance to the Falcon private jet to take off. A few seconds after leaving the ground, the pilot saw a snowplow on the runway but was unable to avoid it. The landing gear caught the roof of the vehicle, flipped over and crashed a few yards away. There was just … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Tragic Death of Christophe de Margerie, CEO of Total, Stuns France
“A Letter From Paris” is Back! Amidst Economic Depression, Two Nobel Prizes for France Lift the Communal Spirit
We are delighted to welcome back Nicole Logan, who has returned to Paris for the winter from her summer home in Essex. She writes our weekly, "Letter from Paris," which gives a unique insight into France and the French. Today she writes about the depressing state of the French economy and contrasts it to the tremendous excitement that winning two Nobel Prizes has brought to … [Read more...] about “A Letter From Paris” is Back! Amidst Economic Depression, Two Nobel Prizes for France Lift the Communal Spirit
Letter From Paris: Van Gogh at the Orsay Museum
During the last four years of his life, Vincent Van Gogh produced a phenomenal number of works. But it was also the time when he suffered episodes of madness, which were to lead him to suicide in 1890 at the age of 37. The Orsay museum chose this period of intense creation and of psychological despair to present the current exhibit entitled, "Van Gogh/Artaud. The … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Van Gogh at the Orsay Museum
Letter From Paris: Two Local Elections — Two Remarkably Different Outcomes
Local elections have just taken place in Turkey and in France. The outcomes of the elections speak a great deal about these two countries . Primeminister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, already in power for 12 years, is showing no intention of stepping down. His aura at the polls was barely affected by the scandals and accusations of wrong-doing. Particularly the violent … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Two Local Elections — Two Remarkably Different Outcomes
Letter From Paris: Following a New Silk Road
The presidents of the United States and of China were in Europe this week. It was the first visit of a Chinese president to the European Union's (EU) headquarters since 1975. He will meet with the presidents of the Council, Herman Van Rompuy, of the Commission, Manuel Barroso and of the Parliament, Martin Schuls, showing a nascent interest in Europe as a political … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Following a New Silk Road
Letter From Paris: Mr. Putin, You Have Much To Lose
At the foot of Mount Mithridates, in eastern Crimea, stood the ancient city of Pantikapeion founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists. It is where King Mithridates killed himself in 63 BC by the sword since his body was immune to poison. In 1992, I joined the archaeological expedition from the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts led by Dr. V. Tolstikov, head of the … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Mr. Putin, You Have Much To Lose