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English language press in France in an Exhibition

Exhibition: Language Matters

Why this exhibition ?

Did you know that the French National Library holds almost 6,000 English-language periodicals (including your beloved FUSAC) that have been published in France since the Revolution? Such a large figure may come as a surprise, since these are but too rarely dealt with in the history of the French press. The titles which are displayed in this exhibition come under the banner of a marginal category, that of the foreign, in this case, English language press. It is defined as periodicals or newspapers written in languages other than the national language(s) – whether de facto or de jure.

Exhibiting the wealth of the English language press in France Digitalisation operations that were launched in the 2000s in many libraries throughout the world have brought to light this global foreign-language press heritage. Its wealth is beyond imagination. Foreign-lan…

Water in Paris, Part 2: Drinking water

A series on Water in Paris Part 2: Drinking water The Seine furnishes half of the drinking water to Paris and the region. Other water comes from aquifers and aqueducts. One of the aqueducts, the aqueduct de l'Avre, brings water, using just the force of gravity, to Paris from the Avre river in Normandy 102 kilometers away. The chief engineer for the project was Fulgence Bienvenüe who was also the creator of the Paris metro. The aqueduct entered into service in 1893. The aqueduct flows mostly underground before crossing the Seine on a bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel between Saint Cloud and the Bois de Boulogne. The bridge is a footbridge and an interesting destination for an outing. See our article. There has been indoor running water in Paris since 1781, albiet there were only 125 houses connected at that point. The great strides in indoor water came under Baron Haussmann in the mid 19th century and by 1884 two-thirds of Paris was connected. There are multiple water tr…

The French keys to the kingdom

Bonjour, madame. Excusez-moi de vous déranger. Then I went on to ask the lady in the press kiosk if she knew how to get to the street I was looking for. Wow! Talk about a miserable human being! (Miserable, by the way, is a faux ami, usually used in French to mean only “destitute”, i.e., financially “miserable”; the French translation of the English “miserable” is simply [très] malheureux, triste.) The look on her face was a combination of horror (at being disturbed), heartache (What had happened to her?!) and hatred (of the world in general). And yet, I had used all three magic words/expressions. The ones you’re chided by cross-cultural coaches for not using, and thus not getting what you need and want in France. The ones you’re real proud of yourself for having learned, as witness your success in getting what you need and want in a capital city notorious for its commercial iciness. So, “Sorry, lady! I gave you all I have,” I said to myself, realizing that if these th…

484,000 Trees in Paris

There are no less than 484,000 trees in Paris! This makes Paris one of the most treed cities in Europe and here we’re only counting the «public» trees. trees lining public streets (96 500); trees in parks and gardens (36 500); trees in cemeteries (34 000); trees along the Péripherique (8000); trees in school yards and sports areas (9 000); trees in the bois de Boulogne et Vincennes (300 000) for a total of 160 species. Most trees in public spaces and lining streets live to just 60 to 80 years. Trees have a tough time dealing with pollution and other incidents of city life. But there are still 222 remarkable trees in Paris that have been classified by the city. The 222 are remarkable either for their beauty or fantastic shape, their history or their rarity. Here are a few of the trees deemed remarkable in our fair city. A list and map of 60 trees worth seeing is available on http://www.paris.fr Brochure: https://cdn.paris.fr/paris/2019/07/24/…

A tongue-in-cheek look at the French Education System

If you have children in France, there’s a good chance that you might possess at least the stirrings of the beginnings of a stab at understanding it. Then again, you might not. If you don’t have children in France, there’s a mega-chance that your quest for grasping it will prove even more futile than your search for a short line at La Poste. No, we refer not to The Meaning of Life. We refer to…..the French education-system. So, here is a very incomplete (in the interest of space), extremely simplified (in the battle against cerebral overload) exploration of pedagogy as known and--sometimes not--loved in France and beyond. Which brings us to our first point: the “beyond” part. The French system of elementary, middle and high schools not only graces Gallic soil but also extends throughout the world in what is recognized as a unique offering that accommodates the needs of French expats and follows the same curricula, administers the same tests and delivers the same degrees as …

Water in Paris, Part 1: La Seine

A series on Water in Paris Part 1: La Seine We all associate the Seine with Paris even though this river only runs 13 of its 776 kilometers in Paris. In fact La Seine starts not too far from Dijon on a plateau at a place called Source-Seine. Its origins are several springs of clear ground water that flow together on the surface forming a small stream. A spring has always been an important place throughout history and in this particular case the source of the Seine was known and revered back in the time of Gaul. This spring was the kingdom of the goddess or nymphe Séquanna and she gave her name to the river in about the 1st century. The Seine, in French, is called a fleuve. We don't have a specific word for this in English. A fleuve is different than a rivière. A fleuve flows into the ocean and a rivière flows into an inland body of water. France has 5 major fleuves and many, many rivières. Today the Seine's flow is controlled by a series of lakes and canals upstream tha…

Bring France Home

Now here's a great idea! A shop dedicated to products MADE IN FRANCE, that are easy to take home - where ever home may be. There's more than food, you'll find jewelry, decorative items, kid's stuff, clothes and it is all packable in a suitcase or shipable. Very easy. Authentic too! Who had this great idea? Bring France Home was created in 2017 by two good friends, Mathilde & Nathalie, who use to work together in a place that made external hard drives. Mathilde did innovation and marketing (ah ha!) and Nathalie did human resources (oh ho!). Together they had an entrepreneurial idea (cocorico!). Despite working on boring hard disks, Mathilde is a born entrepreneur. She founded UGAL to accompany small companies in numeric communication and is now using her own ideas. She loves to travel and meet new people, is a great cook and makes especially good jams which we hope to find soon in her shop. She also has a handsome cat named Jean-Luc who is learning English from the nei…

An elegant souvenir from the Paris Mint

An elegant souvenir of Paris from the Paris Mint

The Paris Mint has souvenirs made in France of precious metals. What a more elegant souvenir of Paris or France than a pendant or a coin to keep forever. Expanding the Treasures of Paris series and following on the heals of coins bearing the Palais Garnier and Institut de France in 2016, la Monnaie de Paris, as it is called in French, is adding two new coins to the Treasures of Paris series in 2017. This series is distinctive in the use of gold and silver together on the coins – a bit like a 2€ coin, but even prettier. What's more is the first new design for 2017 celebrates, once again, Franco-American friendship which is particularly appropriate for this year as we commemorate the beginning of the participation of American soldiers in France in WWI. The nearly pure silver coin shows the replica of Statue of Liberty which is in Paris at Grenelle. The statue was a gift from French expatriates in the United States …

Paris Haiku: Paris is poetry. Paris is a poem.

"Paris is poetry. Paris is a poem. I’m probably not the first person to write these sentiments. But, I might be the first to write: “Paris is a haiku!” Around every cobbled corner is an “Aha!” moment waiting to be captured. Open your “haiku eyes” (*) and come along with me on a journey through Paris and French culture, in haiku." Anna Eklund-Cheong is a haikuist and American expatriate living in Paris. Here is a selection of her haikus capturing fleeting moments of her (and your) favorite city.

from giant clock eyes

Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh

overlook the Seine

sewing together

the raw edges of the Seine

each stitch an arched bridge

squeeze into creaky rattan bistro chairs, and stay as long as you like …

Paris novels: « Je T’Aime, Maybe » by April Lily Heise. Interview and extract

April Lily Heise is a Paris-based Canadian writer of Paris novels and romance expert. When she is not getting into romantic mischief, she writes on Paris, dating, culture and travel. Her writing has been featured in The Huffington Post, CondéNastTraveler.com, Business Insider, Frommer’s, City Secrets, DK Eyewitness, among others. She is the author of two novelized memories on her romantic misadventures in Paris Je T'Aime, Me Neither and its sequel, Je T’Aime… Maybe? She also shares original things to do in Paris, dating tips and travel features on her blog www.jetaimemeneither.com. FUSAC asked her where she got her inspiration for her Paris novels. Are the novels based on your personal experience? I like to call my books novelized memoirs, the stories are all based on reality but are told in a lively storybook fashion, like modern-day fairy tales. Though like modern love... there are often complications and the road can be rocky towards a happy or not so happy ending. …

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