Blog Masonry
American Marching Band in Paris
Bon Jour — I am taking a 150-piece high school marching band to Paris for a New Year’s Day parade — what kind of music do you think the Parisians would want to hear? We will play a few US tunes, but perhaps we could add something French? Would they want to hear French music by an Amercian Band, and if so any suggestions? Are there any French Holiday pieces — New Year’s or Christmas — that would sound good played by a marching band?
Merci! Brian
Opinion: What's Wrong with Europe?
Mayor Claude Dilain sits on the edge of his chair in his community’s wedding banquet hall. His hands are folded on the table in front of him, and his face is a tortured reflection of the doubts and fears inside him.
For the past 10 years, Claude Dilain, 57, has been the mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb in northeastern Paris with 28,100 inhabitants, mostly immigrants. Dilain calls it “a powder keg.” He slightly resembles the French author Michel Houellebecq, but today he is paler than even the author normally is. The strain of the last few nights is no doubt part of it. But so too is a growing suspicion — that the modern welfare state may be fully incapable of addressing some of his community’s most pressing problems.
French Government Tourist Office: Everything is being done to ensure that tourists coming to discover our country have a safe an
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Everything is being done to ensure that tourists coming to discover our country have a safe and enjoyable stay.
The French Government Tourist Office would like to point out that no tourist areas were affected by the incidents and that tourists can visit France without concern.
French Government measures to re-establish order and calm in affected suburbs.
Several immediate measures have been announced on November 7, 2005 by the Prime Minister of France in response to recent events:
Chirac calls emergency meeting of top ministers
Late last night rioters shot and injured 10 police officers, two seriously, when security forces confronted 200 stone-throwers. One officer was treated in hospital for shotgun wounds to the throat, and another for leg wounds. The gunmen were among crowds attacking police in Grigny, south of Paris.
 Rioting was once again widespread. Youths seized a bus in Saint-Etienne, in southern France, ordered passengers off, and torched the vehicle; its driver and one passenger were hurt, officials said. In Rouen, in the north, rioters pushed a burning car against a police building; nobody was hurt, police said. Cars were also burned in Nantes, Rennes and Orleans.
A tale of two cities
It takes only six stops on a sub urban train to travel from the
romantic heart of Paris and emerge in something more akin to the fall
of ancient Rome. By daylight Aulnay-sous-Bois, a northeastern suburb of
the great city, presents an orderly face to the world. The Hotel de
Ville, the town hall, is aglow with yellow dandelion displays and
trimmed borders of wild cabbage.
What is happening in France
I have been hearing on the news,here in America, that massive rioting is occuring in France. What is going on?
Provence tour builds appetite for fine French food
No one else in our little gaggle seems worried as we trudge up toward the Cafe de Sade. My mind spins with menu possibilities in a bistro named for the marquis and tucked in the shade of his ruined chateau.
But lunch is nothing more sinister than the Provencal specialty le soupe au pistou, vegetable soup made spicier and more garlicky with each spoonful of pesto we add.The is ringed by stuffed skunks and wild boar, with nary a torture device on view.
We’re in Lacoste, France, pausing at the midway mark in a Wayfarers walking tour of Provence. We’ve already tromped up the hillside to see the marquis’s castle, his 1770s base for kidnapping locals.
Paris to Montpellier Question
My wife and I will be visiting France this March to visit our daughter who will be in school abroad – specifically in Montpellier. This will be our first time on the Continent and I can specifically say two phrases in French fluently – "I cannot speak French. Do you speak English?" (Didn’t say I could write it…)
We’ve secured our flight from the US to Paris already, but we’re trying to decide how to get from Paris to Montpellier. What are the pros and cons of flying vs TGV between the two.
Also any general ideas of things to do around Montpellier would be appreciated. We’ve got the travel books and such and have done some research on the web for hotels/apts.
The Complete Guide To: Tahiti
SOUNDS EXOTIC
Yes – and the reality does not disappoint. Tahiti is synonymous with
images straight out of the brochures: glistening blue seas,
palm-fringed beaches and tropical tiare, or gardenia. You will
be met from the plane by groups of smiling Polynesians, wearing
garlands of flowers and singing songs of welcome – a far cry from the
usual European experience. And yet, despite being nearly 11,000 miles
away, Tahiti is an autonomous region of France, which explains the
Parisian-style cafés and supplies of French newspapers.