News From France 11.09 by News From France

News From France

Vol. 11.09 November 30, 2011

A free monthly review of French news & trends

France Leads the Way at G20 Cannes Summit

Embassy Hosts Panel of Global Experts in G20 Forum

President Sarkozy welcomed world leaders to Cannes Nov. 3-4. France currently chairs the Group of 20, formed in 2008 to stem global financial crisis. Story, page

On Tuesday, November 29, Ambassador of France to the United States, François Delattre, hosted a conference with leading figures in global policymaking at the French Embassy. Called “The G20 and the New Global Order,” the seminar focused on the Group of 20’s role as an international body of the world’s leading economies and their capacity to implement a coordinated response to the post-2008 financial crisis and other world issues. The event featured a panel discussion with former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence Summers, and Diplomatic Advisor to President Sarkozy, Jean-David Levitte, as well as Kemal Dervish, former Minister of Economic Affairs and the Treasury of Turkey, and AnneMarie Slaughter, former Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State. Stressing the importance of the G20’s portfolio of issues, Mr. Summers termed the current moment “the most serious juncture in global finance since World War II.” Mr. Levitte lauded the organization’s activities despite its short history. “Three years ago, the G20 didn’t exist,” Levitte said. The former French ambassador to the U.S. also emphasized the accomplishments of the European Union integration process, despite setbacks. Thanks to the EU, Europe has enjoyed the longest period of peace in the Continent’s history, Levitte said. Amb. Delattre provided opening remarks alongside Romuald Sciora, Founder and Director of the French-American Global Forum, which organized the event. The discussion was moderated by James Traub, columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and Contributing Writer to the New York Times Magazine.

Presidents Honor Transatlantic Relationship

As part of the 2011 G20 Summit in Cannes from remain an “unwavering ally” of the United States. President Obama similarly invoked the two November 3-4, President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama participated in a joint ceremony com- nations’ “shared sacrifices” and vowed continued memorating the end of NATO military intervention in cooperation. Libya. Speaking before a World War One monument— a symbolic backdrop and another period in which French and American forces fought side-by-side— the two leaders also took the opportunity to celebrate the history of Franco-American friendship and to reaffirm each leader’s commitment to a continued partnership amid the uncertainty of global economic, political and military affairs. Speaking near the Cannes city hall, the two leaders offered their gratitude to the military men and women serving under U.S., French and NATO flags. They emphasized the success of French and American forces working together to support the Libyan uprising. The presidents were flanked by military personnel representing U.S. and French armed service branches. Evoking the mutual struggles and lives lost, from the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 to the D-Day invasion of the Normandy coast in 1944, as well as the subsequent and lesser-known landing on the coast Presidents Sarkozy and Obama respectively of Provence, Mr. Sarkozy stated that the “friendship descibed French-American ties as “built on shared between the United States and France was built on bloodshed” and “shared sacrifices.” shared bloodshed,” and declared that France will

inside Current Events

France & America

In Depth

Business & Tech

Society

Culture

France in America

Teaching with Twitter

A Parisienne Blogs D.C. French Slang Today

Lighting Design Goes Green More Room to Promenade in Paris Couture in Cowboy Country Beaujolais at the Embassy

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The French primary school classroom may not exactly be synonymous with the social network Twitter, but the two are coming together to harness the powers of the Internet as a teaching tool. As reported recently by Time Magazine, no fewer than 50 classes throughout France are trying the site, in particular the “Twittclass” feature available on Twitter’s partner site Ponderous.com, that allows students and teachers to interact online. For the sake of learning, many educators have imposed some additional guidelines, such as requiring students to write the sentence out, then have it approved by a teacher before finally posting their message. Instructors’ oversight ensures that all messages are “polite and nice,” according to Time. Advocates of the cutting-edge application insist that writing on Twitter— which inherently means writing to an audience of one or several real people—provides a practical application for what some students feel is an arbitrary exercise. “Just writing a line makes no real sense, but writing it for someone does,” explained Stéphanie de Vanssay, a teacher and learning-disabilities specialist who recommends Twitter as an effective tool in alternative learning.

Chicago Scholars Reveal Philosopher’s Lost Work When celebrated French-Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida died in 2004, he left a vast body of unpublished work in the form of transcripts of lectures delivered throughout his career. This fall, the University of Chicago Press is publishing these works for the first time, and offering them in translation for an anglophone audience. The first two volumes of Derrida’s Seminars—La Bête et le Souverain (The Beast and the Sovereign), volumes I and II—were released. From November 3-5, the cultural service of the French consulate in Chicago fêted the occasion with a series of events, presented in partnership with the Alliance Française of Chicago, DePaul University, the University of Chicago and the France Chicago Center. Entitled “French Theory in Translation: The Question of the Archive,” the conference featured a screening of 1999 biopic D’Ailleurs Derrida (Derrida’s Elsewhere), a portrait of Derrida’s personal life from French filmmaker Safaa Fathy, as well as roundtable discussions of the recently-released works and the forthcoming volume, La Peine de Mort (“The Death Penalty”).

France Hosts G20 Summit in Cannes (From page one) As chair of the G20 this year, France hosted the group’s annual summit from November 3-4. Ministers from member governments gathered in Cannes to discuss the most pressing of international questions, with a focus on improving global stability through means such as market regulation and international dialogue. According to the Cannes Declaration, a communiqué summarizing the key points of the meetings, the G20 made combating widespread unemployment one of its top priorities. Attendees worked to formulate an Action Plan for Growth and Jobs. “We are committed to renewing efforts to combat unemployment and promote decent jobs, especially for youth and others who have been most affected by the financial crisis,” the declaration stated. The group also called for greater cooperation between international organizations such as the World Bank and the

©MAEE/Frédéric de la Mure

Schoolkids Take to Twitter as Learning Tool

current events

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“New World, New Ideas” is the motto of the summit.

International Monetary Fund. The declaration also asserted the necessity of an ongoing social dialogue with labor unions and other groups to accompany economic reforms (see p. 6).

interview with the expert Cameron Griffith Congressional Liaison, French Embassy in the U.S. © Romain Parlier

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When the French Embassy seeks dialogue with the United States Congress, it turns to Cameron Griffith. The former Capitol Hill staffer and dyedin-the-wool D.C. politico sat with News From France for an exclusive look into his work and role within Washington’s communities of American politics and international diplomacy.

In a few words, what is your role at the French Embassy? My job is partly public relations—providing Members of Congress and congressional staff with information regarding issues of mutual interest to the United States and France—and partly showing my embassy colleagues and French visitors to Washington what the U.S. Congress is and how it works. My responsibilities include organizing meetings on Capitol Hill for the Ambassador, French government officials, and other French delegations, as well as escorting visiting delegations to meetings on the Hill. You split your time between the Embassy and Congress. What is a typical day like for you? Although I enjoy spending time in my office at the embassy, the most exciting part of the job is being up on the Hill, whether it is with the Ambassador, embassy colleagues, or a visiting French delegation. That’s also where I feel most valuable, introducing colleagues to people I know, or making new contacts based upon their interest in a particular topic. Another fun part of my job is helping to organize events with Members and staff at the Ambassador’s residence in Washington. What are some of the most interesting things you’ve done in your position? A highlight of my work at the embassy was collaborating with the staff of the House Speaker and bipartisan House and Senate Leadership to organize French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s address to a Joint Meeting of Congress in November 2007. In addition, it was a true honor to assist the French government in ceremonies in Paris and Normandy to commemorate the 60th and 65th anniversaries

of D-Day in 2004 and 2009, when over 100 U.S. World War II veterans were awarded the French Legion of Honor. You’ve been instrumental in developing the Congressional French Caucus, a group of U.S. Senators and Representatives who seek to deepen ties and cooperation with France. What kind of results has the CFC been successful in producing? Created in 2003, the Congressional French Caucus was the brainchild of French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte and Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY), whose father was the U.S. Ambassador to France during the Eisenhower administration. At a time when misunderstandings led to “freedom fries” and a strain in the strong alliance between our two countries, the French Caucus was a reminder of the shared values and friendship between two great democracies. In 2011, the French Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral congressional member organization with over 100 members in the House and Senate. Although it has no formal mission statement or budget, the caucus regularly promotes partnership and cooperation between the U.S. and France by facilitating opportunities for French delegations to meet with Members and staff, as well as visits to France to meet with French officials. What advice would you give for those looking to do the kind of work you do? Consider a job or internship on Capitol Hill. I was an intern during my last semester of graduate school, which eventually led to a full-time position in the House of Representatives. Although I studied French in college, and spent part of my junior year in Paris, I would never have guessed that one day I would be working for the French Embassy.

france & america

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French Expat Charms D.C. Blogosphere

D.C. Cinema Explores “the Other Mozart” © Laetitia Laure

There are myriad films, travelogues and articles chronicling the adventures of American expatriates in Paris. But, thought Laetitia Laure, what about Parisians who found themselves in the United States? Laure, who first came to Washington, D.C. as a college student, knew she was not the only French expat in the city. Moreover, she had encountered many Americans who were intrigued by French culture but didn’t know where to find it in D.C. So she started scouting out the best of French events, food and art in the area and writing about them on her blog, FrenchTwistDC. Her motto is “You can take me out of Paris, but you can never take Paris out of me.” After attending a recent function at the Embassy of France in Washington, Ms. Laure, champagne flute in hand, sat down with News From France to discuss her adventures in the transatlantic blogosphere. Arriving in Memphis as an exchange student at age 14, Ms. Laure got her first taste of real American culture. It was not what she was expecting. “I thought it was going to be like 90210,” she laughed. “I kept asking, ‘Who is this Elvis?’” She noted that since no one spoke French, she was forced to quickly adapt and learn. After going on to study at McGill and GWU, Ms. Laure settled down in D.C., and began blogging and tweeting. Among her favorite

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Washington blogger Laetitia Laure says, “You can take me out of Paris but you can never take Paris out of me.”

discoveries are the mussels and fries at Brasserie Beck, a Belgian eatery. Ms. Laure said one of the best things about French Twist is that it has helped her meet locals with similar interests as well as make some more far-flung friends, including an active following in Dubai, which takes particular interest in her coverage of French sweets. “Macaroons have a kind of cult following in Dubai,” she said.

A French speculative drama of music, rivalry and family expectations has captivated D.C. This November, Washington’s E Street Cinema offered film buffs a series of screenings of Nannerl, la Sœur de Mozart (Nannerl, Mozart’s Sister), which reveals the littleknown fact that Wolfgang was not the only musical prodigy in the family. Featuring lavish costumes and an exquisite classical soundtrack, the film was directed by René Féret, edited by his wife Fabienne, and stars their daughters, Lisa and Marie. The fictionalized account traces the life of Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart, a skilled harpsichordist, violinist and composer whose enormous talent was hampered by an over-protective father and gender-related societal constraints in the years before the French Revolution. The film brings Nannerl’s struggles, talents and aspirations back to vivid life.

U.S. World War II veterans were honored this Veteran’s Day with the Legion of Honor and recited essays on war.

This November 11, better known as Veterans Day, marked the 93rd anniversary of the end of World War One. To commemorate the holiday, the Embassy of France convened a ceremony at the Lycée Français in New York to honor 42 World War Two veterans for their military service. These former U.S. soldiers were given France’s Legion of Honor, one of the country’s most prestigious medals. There to present the Legion of Honor insignia to the veterans was the French Ambassador to the United States, François Delattre. To conclude the ceremony, four students from the Lycée Français read a personal essay describing their thoughts on war: how they imagined it to be and how war has affected the world in the present day. Each expressed his or her gratitude to the veterans who served in the war.

Miami Fêtes French Connections in Week of Culture Miami is going French. This November, the city known for its beaches, vibrant mix of cultures and love of disco, is embracing its Gallic connections as well. From November 18-23, the 47-story Miami Tower was illuminated with “bleu blanc rouge” floodlighting to represent France’s national flag, and the city celebrated their ties to Europe with a series of special events ranging from film screenings to seminars. Attendees included the Ambassador of France to the United States, François Delattre, and participants enjoyed cocktail parties, Beaujolais tasting at the Miami Alliance Française and a seminar on translation at the University of Miami. The week also included a film festival entitled “Sleepless Nights.” On November 11, French Consul General in Miami Gaël de Maisonneuve presided over a special Veterans Day a presentation of medals to veterans. The city also hosted a French Week Golf Cup, organized by French professional golfer and Florida

resident Patricia MeunierLebouc. The event aimed to “allow the French golf lovers in Florida to meet for a day that will hopefully be the first of many golf traditions in FrancoAmerican South Florida,” according to the event’s website. Meunier-Lebouc noted that the “day of friendly competition on the theme of pleasure and conviviality” helped foster the overall goals of Miami French week: community, cultural awareness and fun.

The Miami Tower during French Week.

Forty-Two American Veterans Awarded Legion of Honor

Marie Féret stars as Nannerl Mozart in a film directed by her father.

San Francisco Film Society Presents France Cinema Now November saw the San Francisco Film Society put on its fourth annual festival in celebration of contemporary French cinema. Entitled France Cinema Now, the week-long festival aims to bring “the most significant new work from international francophone cinema to discerning Bay Area audiences.” With a wide spectrum of film subject and matter this year, the Film Society presented 11 films that ranged from dark dramas to romantic comedies. A treat for all Francophiles, all tastes were met by the mélange of Israeli, Finnish and French directors offering a remarkably diverse collection of comedies, dramas and much more.

in depth

“Je kiffe le week-end”: French Slang Today

hould you stroll down an ordinary Parisian street and eavesdrop on a few conversations between the locals, you might hear a few words that never appeared on the vocabulary lists and conjugation charts you studied in school—“Bof”? “Mec”? “Nana”? The French language is a dynamic and ever-developing collage of multicultural influences, which surface in the slang, or argot, practiced by native speakers. The roots of French slang stem from a wide variety of sources. Arabic words especially have added a vibrant international tone to French common speech, thanks to a significant number of Arabic speakers who live in France, with roots in places such as Morocco and Algeria. Take the example of the verb kiffer, which means to like or adore. Initially the jargon of in-theknow Franco-Arab teenagers, it has since become a familiar alternative of aimer—to like. Today, it can be found in many French dictionaries.

Different from argot, there is verlan. In fact, it’s a code unto itself. Verlan derives from “l’envers,” French for “the other way around.” It’s the habit of reversing the order of syllables in common words—so a phrase as mundane as merci becomes the word “cimer,” and a more hip way to thank someone. English-language influences have also added their unique flavor to argot, and Americans might be surprised to hear their French friends refer to le parking, le jogging and le week-end. The French-English phenomenon is referred to as franglais and owes its existence to English-dominated cultural areas like film, television and popular music. Thanks to the creativity of its speakers, French slang—from Arabic to verlan to franglais—keeps the language evolving constantly. The chart below provides a few more examples of French slang in practice today.

Noun, colloquial A guy Colloquial [trucs à faire] “Stuff to do”

T.A.F.

Verb, Arabic To like very much Adjectif, colloquial So-so, mediocre Noun, colloquial A young woman

Adjective, verlan [lourd] “Heavy,” difficult Noun, verlan [merci] Thank you

Relou

Mec

Kiffer

Cimer

Chelou

Bof...

Nana

Adjective, verlan [louche] Suspect, creepy

Ouf

Adjective, verlan [fou] Crazy Adjective, verlan [énervé] Angry, upset

Vénère

This infographic is designed according to the number of results found for each term when entered as a search item in Google.fr. The circles are therefore proportional to their usage on the Internet and their presence in everyday French. News From France wishes to thank “les jeunes de l’Ambassade” for their contributions to this project.

business & technology

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Young Entrepreneurs Meet in Nice Ahead of G20

B20 Provides Platform for Business Owners

An international group of young entrepreneurs convened in the southern coastal city of Nice from October 31 through November 2, during the lead-up to the G20 Summit in Cannes later the same week. With 20 delegations from each of the countries that make up the world’s most dynamic economic bracket, a total of 400 entrepreneurs met to engage with global policymakers, network and brainstorm ways to grow. Their motto clearly stated their purpose: “Entrepreneurship = Recovery = Jobs,” and by all appearances, the group meant business. Organized by the Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs of the G20 (YEA), the event sought to promote entrepreneurship as an engine of global economic growth. Convinced that the start-up business model will define commerce in our time, the association feels that the twenty-first will emerge as “the Century of the Entrepreneur.” Following the three days of meetings, the YEA issued a set of objectives and strategies which pledged to formalize a global network of PME, or petites et moyennes entreprises (small- and medium-sized businesses), a specific tax standing in French law. Representatives from larger companies agreed to support the YEA network, and the entrepreneurs agreed to advance their cause as start-up champions and continue in best-practice dialogue with strategic partners. In a nod of support prior to the entrepreneurs’ event, President Sarkozy provided an official lettre de soutien (letter of support) in affirmation of their efforts to create more robust start-up activity not only in their respective countries, but worldwide.

Thousands of business leaders and heads of states gathered in Cannes on November 2-3 for the Cannes Business Summit, or the B20. The Movement of French Businesses (MEDEF), France’s largest union of employers which represents 800,000 companies, organized the summit in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

E.U. Launches Navigation Satellites

B20 President Laurence Parisot presided over the summit, which summoned major world businesses.

Two goals structured the event: first, to gather recommendations from business owners to help tackle current business issues. The second was to extract commitments from these leaders to ensure their partnership in stimulating the economy and addressing issues such as unemployment and sustainable development. The French companies Accenture and BNP Paribas were among the more than 140 leading businesses at the conference. Attendees participated in working groups and shared their ideas with the G20 heads of state and decision-makers, with the aim to have the ideas incorporated into post-G20 global action.

Green Design Illuminates the Way to Style website shows a stylish living room, softly illuminated by golden LEDs. Mr. Neau hopes to continue developing his technology in the future, to allow more people around the world to “balance sustainable development and energy conservation with a touch of design.”

Style and sustainability for all! A new line of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting from Franco-American design firm Artkalia offers consumers eco-friendly chic for the home. Started in Miami by Ghislain Neau, a graduate of Bordeaux Business School who spent over a decade working as an international buyer before founding his own business, Mr. Neau recently signed deals with major suppliers Home Depot and Costco to distribute his lights throughout North America. Mr. Neau described his interest in LED, a technology that he called “revolutionary,” and which saves 80 to 90 percent of the energy consumed by ordinary lights, but doesn’t use hazardous materials such as mercury. He says that for such technology to be competitive in the dynamic market it needs to have a long life—and the Akalia lights will last an average of 30,000 hours. The Artkalia Design LED Ambiance Colors kit works outside or inside, and the ten LED spotlights change color from blue to bright pink, from soft grays to lively greens. A remote controller selects the speed with which the colors change, or adjusts a specific color. The company

The Miami-based Artkalia company marries cuttingedge design with responsible energy use.

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Inspired by American satellite navigation systems, the European Space Agency (E.S.A.) has launched two solar battery-powered satellites as the latest step in the Galileo program, which aims to create a powerful and highly accurate civilian satellite system for the European Union. French scientists have played a leading role in the Galileo project since its inception in 2005. The project has been headquartered at the French space agency center in Toulouse since that time, though it will move to the Galileo Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany for the remaining year of experiments. The E.S.A. hopes that with their astronaut’s-eye-view of land, air and sea, the 30 satellites in the system will be useful for a myriad of applications, including transportation, search-and-rescue missions and agricultural planning. Though designed to operate independently, the system will be compatible with the two other satellite-based geo-location systems now in existence: the American-run Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russianoperated Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).

Serious Games What if a corporate executive, when faced with a risky decision, could experiment with the potential effects of different choices using virtual reality? The French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industry has made this possible with a new computer application entitled Jeux Sérieux (“Serious Game”). Jeux Sérieux consists of strategy software that lets companies model the consequences of different decisions, from hiring new workers to implementing environmental sustainability plans. On November 4, the Ministry held a colloquium on the program’s uses in the public sector. Launched two years ago for corporate use, the program has already been successful in helping French companies shape their employee hiring and training, among other applications. Currently, 166 groups around the country use the technology, which the government hopes will boost the economy by increasing business revenue and hiring. Jeux Sérieux has also been useful in helping corporations better understand the interaction between economics and environmentalism. For example, there is a game designed to show businesses how much they could cut greenhouse gas emissions without loss in profit.

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society

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Since the 19th century, the Montmartre neighborhood, the area around the Basilique de Sacre Coeur in Paris, has been attracting artists of all kinds. Prominent figures such as Salvador Dali, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso have spent time on the butte, or hill. Every third weekend in November, the association Anvers Aux Abbesses (“Anvers to Abbesses”) hosts an open house that flings open the studio doors of over 120 different artists in each of these two Montmartre districts. From November 18-20, art lovers, collectors, sightseers and admirers took in the creative spaces for contemporary art to visit the over 70 sites that housed the works of upcoming artists. Spectators were welcomed by painters, sculptors, engravers and other types of artists to talk, ask questions and even purchase works for sale.

Beginning next year there will be even more space to sightsee, stroll or saunter through Paris, thanks to a new congestion-reduction and pedestrian initiative. Starting in July 2012, the city will work to revamp road infrastructure for one of most densely trafficked spots in the city. The area between the Pont Royal and Pont de L’Alma, located in the monument-heavy seventh arrondissement, will expand its lanes to provide quicker access to the Eiffel Tower and Champs de Mars, accommodating up to 2,400 vehicles per hour. The plan, which has already been formulated by the Commissioner of Police several times, was originally proposed to reduce congestion in front of the Musée d’Orsay and the National Assembly, two particularly crowded areas. The proposal, which calls for the enlargement of the Quai Anatole-France, will create an additional lane to absorb traffic, slightly shrinking the accompanying bus lane. Subsequently, an old expressway along the Seine that interrupted the traffic flow will be transformed into a haven for pedestrians as a scenic promenade facing the Tuileries Gardens. To further accommodate foot traffic, the crosswalk that traverses the quai will also be expanded, giving pedestrians easier access to Paris’s famous views along the Seine.

Convening in Cannes, Labor Group Focuses on Jobs Meeting alongside the G20 Summit this month in Cannes was the L20—a group focused on labor issues in the international community. After joining the other G20 leaders in asserting his commitment to economic recovery and job creation, President Sarkozy had a working lunch with L20 representatives to discuss the most pressing issues affecting labor today. Foremost among these is unemployment, a fact which was underscored during Ban Ki-Moon’s address to the L20 Summit later that day, in which the U.N. Secretary General termed the current moment as a ”critical time” in economic history. He stressed the importance of helping the most vulnerable groups— particularly youth—find “the dignity and respect that comes with decent work.” “We need a job-rich recovery. Policymakers must make employment a priority, not an afterthought,” Mr. Ban told the assembly, adding that economic recovery will require a “revolution in thinking.”

A new project aims to improve the experiences of both pedestrians and drivers in downtown Paris.

The bells of Notre Dame will be getting a makeover, the leadership of the iconic cathedral announced in November, sparking conversations throughout France and around the world about who should perform the renovations and how the new bells should sound, amply illustrating the power the giant brass cloches continue to hold as symbols of Paris in the international imagination. The current set of bells has rung every 15 minutes since their installation in 1856, a gift from Napoleon III to honor his son’s baptism. They have been given names of French saints like Angélique-Françoise and Hyacinthe-Jeanne, and have tolled to commemorate such momentous events as the armistice after World War I and the liberation of Paris from German occupation in 1944. But the set has fallen out of tune, and will soon be melted down and transformed.

Part of a larger renovation project ahead of Notre Dame’s 850-year anniversary in 2012, the new bells will be the same weight and size as the current ones, but will also be original, unique works of art. Officials have reached out to the four bell makers in France for consultations on the project, as well as to American sponsors, according to Rev. Patrick Jacquin, rector of the cathedral. French government funds are also supporting Father Jacquin’s efforts.

Legendary Bells Transformed at Notre Dame

Many of Notre Dame’s bells are 155 years old.

For Green Travel, France is Your Ticket

Visitors got to peer into Montmartre artists’ ateliers November 18-20.

Paris to Expand Promenades and Reduce Traffic

Montmartre Unlocks Ateliers

France enjoys a rich array of green travel spots, including this canal in the Great Marsh of Poitevin.

Summer may seem distant, but winter weather has been known to inspire travel plans to greener locales.And for the green-minded traveler, there’s no better destination than France. Eco-friendly tourism there is among the world’s best, allowing plenty of wandering around with minimal ecological impact. France is also the country in

which much of the TGV, or train de grande vitesse, technology was pioneered, and one can see nearly 150 destinations seated and comfortable while whizzing through the countryside at speeds up to 200 miles per hour! Beyond “getting around green,” the traveler in France should look for two initiatives begun by the European Union to encourage sustainable consumption. The European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) represent the Continent’s best in terms of social, cultural and environmental sustainability. In 2010 EDEN promoted aquatic tourism and featured the Great Marsh of Poitevin near France’s Atlantic coast. This year focuses on regenerating physical sites, meaning that locations such as ports, old factories and other industrial areas get a green makeover--which also give a boost to local development. The second initiative is the EU Ecolabel, a certification scheme that assures ecological integrity of products such as soaps and light bulbs, and of tourism-related sites like hotels and campgrounds. Thanks to a rigorous vetting process, entities that receive the label can be trusted as positive contributors to green development in France and in the EU.

cultural highlights

coup d’oeil

Hollywood Heroes Team Up for “Tintin” in 3D

Huffington Post Goes French

Steven Spielberg has been developing his portrayal of the globetrotting reporter since 1983.

Sniffing Out a Culinary Classic

Will bustiers, mohawks and towering black heels soon replace cowboy hats and boots as the fashion trademarks of Dallas? Probably not, but this winter Texas is nonetheless embracing the reigning bad boy of French fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, with a haute couture exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art. Entitled “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” the show explores the inspiration and impact of the designer, who is a native of Val de Marne, a département south of Paris. The exhibit traces six themed periods of Gaultier’s designs: “The Odyssey of Jean Paul Gaultier,” “The Boudoir,” “Skin Deep,” “Punk Cancan,” “Urban Jungle” and “Metropolis.” Over 130 runway and ready-to-wear designs from 1976 to 2010 will be on display alongside sketches, video clips and musical excerpts to convey how the designer challenged convention with wit, humor and superior style. Talking mannequins will guide visitors through the collections, which include costumes Gaultier designed for Madonna, Kylie Minogue and the films of Pedro Almodóvar. Sponsored by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition opened on November 13 and will continue through February 12.

Lumpy, dark and caked with dirt, the tubers dug up from French forest floors each autumn don’t look like a delicacy. But the French black truffle–used to make pâté de foie gras–is in fact among the most prized and most expensive treats in the culinary world. The bulk of each year’s truffle harvest comes from the Périgord region in southwestern France, and the mushrooms sell for prices as high as $450 a pound. The process of finding and harvesting truffles requires great skill and delicacy. Historically, European truffle hunters have enlisted the help of pigs or dogs, which sniff out the truffles’ unique scent. The truffles grow underground, often among the roots of oak trees. Once a growth site is located, a trufficulteur must carefully extract the fragile mushroom without damaging it. If successful, he can return each year to harvest this “black gold.” Farmers jealously guard their harvest, and with good reason. They may be hard to find, easy to spoil and patently unattractive, but those who reap and eat eat them know the full value of what has been termed the “diamond of the kitchen.”

French Fashion Struts into Texas

Over 130 provocative Gaultier designs will be on display in Dallas, which include his trademark mariner stripes (L and R).

This month, news site the Huffington Post has announced it will be setting up shop in Paris with a French-language branch. The site’s founder, president and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, has teamed up with prominent French daily Le Monde as well as the media group Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendentes (LNEI), which publishes the magazine Les Inrockuptibles, a French equivalent of Rolling Stone. Together, the organizations hope to create a fresh alternative to traditional news. The site will focus mostly on French news and culture and will be managed by local journalists. In an editor’s note on her site, Ms. Huffington wrote that the new venture “will of course be in French [and] will be up and running by the end of the year.” She added that the Huffington Post’s format would not change and that it would keep its signature combination of news, blogging, community and social engagement. In the spirit of the Huffington Post’s leadership in cutting-edge online news coverage, its chief also pledged to continue adapting the Huffington Post ethos to Arianna the French news Huffington sphere.

Filmmaking giant Steven Spielberg and the Lord of The Rings’ Peter Jackson have made magic again with a 3D version of “The Adventures of Tintin,” which debuted last month in theaters across France. The brainchild of illustrator Hergé, Tintin has been a star in his own right since 1929, when he first appeared in a Belgian comic strip as a young reporter traveling the world. Since then, titles such as Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in America and Tintin in the Congo have sold over 200 million copies in numerous languages. Spielberg, who describes Tintin as “Indiana Jones for kids,” has been polishing ideas for the film since 1983 when he acquired its rights. With state-of-the-art animation, Spielberg has finally perfected Tintin in a style known as photorealism, which bases its images on highdefinition photographs so detailed they are capable of showing tiny elements like fibers of cloth, pores and individual strands of hair. The animated characters have been described by co-producer Jackson as looking “exactly like real people – but real Hergé people!” The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is slated for U.S. release in December.

NFF

Franco-American Singer Celebrates Heritage, Family A New York City audience welcomed singer Michèle Choinière on November 11 for a musical celebration of binational heritage and culture. Choinière, who specializes in French, American and Québécois folk songs, performed at Columbia University’s Maison Française. Growing up in a FrenchAmerican family in northern Vermont, Choinière was exposed to traditional music at a very young age, and soon began performing with her father, a harmonica player. She later started composing her own songs, and was soon performing all over North America, delighting audiences with original and traditional songs from the repertoires of greats like Edith Piaf. Her first album, Coeur Fragile, was released in 2003 to enthusiastic acclaim. Even with success, Choinière has not forgotten her musical forbears: She recently recorded an album of collaborations with her father, in honor of his early inspiration.

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With high spirits and raised glasses, the FrenchAmerican Chamber of Commerce and La Maison Française came together on November 17 to honor a popular annual French tradition called the Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration. The third Thursday of each November, the year’s Beaujolais appears on shelves throughout France, and crowds of wine lovers flock to the nearest bar or restaurant to enjoy the fruit of the annual harvest. Despite being far from Europe, local expatriates, francophiles and wine enthusiasts joined in the festivities hosted by the French Embassy’s cultural branch. More than 500 partygoers gathered at La Maison Française to share in the tradition. Serenaded by elegant classical piano music, guests sampled not only Beaujolais Nouveau, but also a selecRevelers came to La Maison Française for champagne, tion of wines from many other regions in France such as as well as cupcakes, a Washington specialty. Alsace, Bordeaux and Languedoc. In addition to the fine wines, attendees savored a gourmet buffet and particiThe Embassy sparkled with glittering gowns, pated in games, dancing and a raffle. bubbly drinks and candlelight on November 5 as La Maison Française held its twelfth annual Champagne Gala. Upon arriving, the participants were greeted with a luminaria display on the Embassy lawn before a luxurious red carpet led them inside for a glamorous evening. With flutes in hand, guests sampled champagnes from some of France’s finest and best-known champagne houses, including Moët & Chandon, Pommery and G.H. Mumm. Local restaurants also came to share their gourmet creations with the partygoers. While some dining establishments like Bistro La Bonne paid homage to classic French cuisine, others such as Georgetown Cupcake and Moorenko’s Ice Cream catered to a universal sweet tooth. After dinner, the crowd gradually moved onto the dance floor to show off their moves and enjoy the music of the Bob Hardwick Orchestra, which is praised as the “orchestra of princes and presidents.” The night concluded with a silent auction to support the French-American Each fall brings the annual Beaujolais festivities, Cultural Foundation and La Maison Française in their and the Embassy celebrated November 17. mission to promote French-American cultural exchange. © Daniel Swartz

EDITOR Dana Purcarescu

At the Embassy, Beaujolais & Beyond

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Luis Vassy

Champagne Gala: A Night of Luxury