tagged w/ France
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A photo collection of NATO backed "rebels" destroying Libya and prepping the nation for a wonderland of corporate looting of Libya's oil, water and gold.
As for the Libyan people who did not want to be bombed by Western-style democracy, they will now get to experience the same freedom that the Iraqis and Afghanis are now enjoying.A photo collection of NATO backed "rebels" destroying Libya and prepping the... more
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Not only was the war in Libya unconstitutional based on US law, it is also illegal under international law, argues former EU parlimentary member Giulietto Chiesa.Not only was the war in Libya unconstitutional based on US law, it is also illegal... more
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Sally Perrin designs a line of sumptuous handbags for the house of Perrin Paris, a family business launched in 1893 and known for their fine leather goods and accessories.Sally Perrin designs a line of sumptuous handbags for the house of Perrin Paris, a... more
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France's President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Wednesday that Iran's alleged attempts to build long-range missiles and nuclear weapons could lead unnamed countries to launch a pre-emptive attack.
"Its military nuclear and ballistic ambitions constitute a growing threat that may lead to a preventive attack against Iranian sites that would provoke a major crisis that France wants to avoid at all costs," he said.
Sarkozy did not say which country might launch such a strike, but it has been reported that Israel -- perhaps with US support -- has considered bombing Iranian nuclear sites if it believes Tehran is close to building a weapon.
The French leader placed the blame for the crisis on Iran, which insists it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, and is merely enriching nuclear fuel for medicial research and a domestic atomic energy programme.
"Iran refuses to negotiate seriously," he told an annual meeting of French diplomats. "Iran is carrying out new provocations in response to the challenge from the international community for it to provide a credible response."
Sarkozy said France would work with its allies to build support for tougher international sanctions against Tehran's Islamist regime, in a bid to force it to back down over its enrichment programme.
Tehran currently does its uranium enrichment, the most sensitive part of its programme, at the Natanz facility in central Iran, with plans to divert the 20-percent purification process to a new site near the holy city of Qom.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly ordered Tehran to halt all uranium enrichment until its agency the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is satisfied by of the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.
But, despite being targeted by four sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to suspend enrichment, Iran remains adamant that it will push ahead and denies Western claims that it seeks to build a nuclear bomb.
This week Iran upped the ante once again, announcing that it had abandoned talks with the international community to negotiate a nuclear fuel swap that would see it forego its own enrichment in return for civilian-level fuel.
Western powers fear that if Iran perfects enrichment technology it could rapidly convert uranium into weapons grade material and thus be considered a "threshold" nuclear power capable of rapidly constructing a bomb.
http://my.news.yahoo.com/iranian-nuclear-bid-could-provoke-attack-sarkozy-170748066.htmlFrance's President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Wednesday that Iran's alleged... more
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Traffic congestion is a major factor affecting the air quality in urban areas. With the average driver spending up to one year of their lifetime searching for a parking space, it is no surprise that vehicles in Paris emit 2 million tons of Co2 annually. Roughly 30% of all traffic in Paris is the result of cars looking for a parking spot.
How do you deal with traffic congestion?
Be sure to check out current.com/urbanmobility for more news, community discussions and upcoming videos about Urban Mobility.
Traffic congestion is a major factor affecting the air quality in urban areas. With... more
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In 1970, Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris, presented a selection of competition cars, “Bolides Design.” A special jury chose the models with the idea of the car as a design object, a work of art, showing that “art and technique, each at their own level, are the expression of man and his relationship with design.” The Ralph Lauren collection can be seen from the same perspective.
For its first presentation in Europe, the Ralph Lauren Car Collection was recently on exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs. Among the major car collections in the world, that of iconic American fashion designer Ralph Lauren stands out more than any other as synonymous with excellence. With this collection of the most prestigious sports cars from the 1930s to present day, Ralph Lauren shows that the automobile is a major art form created by the industry’s biggest names: Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and of course, Ferrari, the high point of this unique collection.
This piece includes a number of high-resolution photographs, a photo-gallery and two videos of the collection, “The Art of the Automobile: Speed, Style and Beauty.”
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/the-art-of-the-automobile-speed-style-and-beauty/In 1970, Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris, presented a selection of competition... more
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The Les Halles district of Paris holds many treasures, from the incredible shopping found at the Forum des Halles, to famed restaurants, entertainment and landmarks.The Les Halles district of Paris holds many treasures, from the incredible shopping... more
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The race for Libya's vast oil wealth is gathering momentum. States who worked together during the NATO airstrikes are now working against each other in the battle to secure lucrative energy contracts.
Meanwhile, fears are rising that a new regime in Libya could easily slide into corruption.
Half a billion dollars from Italy, and now a whopping $1.5 billion from the UN in unfrozen Libyan assets – on top of $300 million dollars from Turkey.
As discussions abound about the future of a post-Gaddafi Libya, it is the money that has been talking the loudest.
“Governments have a strong interest in opening up new channels for opening up business again and everybody is racing for this,” says Lucca Galassi, a journalist from PeaceReporter.net. “The French have Total and have other companies like Alcatel, Ariva and even train companies that are operating there.”
Italy’s foreign minister has denied that there is a race on with France to be the first on the ground to restart business in Libya, but the Italians have made clear their eagerness to maintain the extremely close trade ties they enjoyed under the Gaddafi regime.
But as the money begins to flow to help fund the National Transitional Council as it takes power, a big question mark remains over who exactly owns the vast funds.
“Now in Gaddafi's state, which is coming to an end, the borderline between the private wealth of the Gaddafi family and the private wealth of the state were not very clear, so its hard to say how much of this money was a direct emanation of Gaddafi's private wealth and how much of it could be categorized as Libyan assets in general,” says journalist Fabricio Moronta.
The Gaddafi family was often accused of using Libya's riches as their own personal pocket money. Now there are concerns that the unfreezing of Libyan assets without effective monitoring could open the floodgates to new corruption.
“Libya is now a land of opportunities and everybody is trying to, I would say, loot. It is a sort of looting. They are trying to exploit this war as best as they can,” Lucca Galassi.
But with lucrative oil, gas and infrastructure projects to follow as the war-torn country rebuilds, everyone, it seems, wants a slice of the action.The race for Libya's vast oil wealth is gathering momentum. States who worked... more
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It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words...
Ok, that's just wrong, but I had to!
So the charges were dropped against Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The general consensus appears to be that DSK was set up for some reason. Who really knows when you are talking high political stakes and international intrigue?
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Shock, revulsion and relief were among the responses to the dropping of the DSK rape case
Bernard-Henry Lévy, philosopher and friend of DSK (and also man who is the Libyan opposition intermediary, and the man who convinced President Sarkozy to bomb Libya): "The Strauss-Kahn I know, who has been my friend for 20 years and who will remain my friend, bears no resemblance to this monster, this caveman, this insatiable and malevolent beast now being described nearly everywhere. Charming, seductive, yes, certainly; a friend to womenand, first of all, to his own woman, naturally; but this brutal and violent individual, this wild animal, this primate, obviously no, it's absurd.The real symbolic rape was the rape of Mme Diallo by her lawyer on the steps of the law courts. There has been an abuse of law … a masquerade organised by a lawyer who has reached the summits of obscenity."
DSK's lawyer, Ben Brafman: "What happened in that room, so long as we have now confirmed that it wasn't criminal, is really not something that needs to be discussed publicly."
Manuel Valls, socialist MP and presidential hopeful: "The analysis and expertise of Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be necessary, helpful and welcome for the left in France."
Pierre Moscovici, socialist MP: "I have affectionate thoughts for him, his family, for Anne [Sinclair] in particular. Once an affair is finished, it is finished. You cannot continue to make accusations once the charges have been dropped. That counts for the young woman and also for the media. The charges were not half lifted, they were lifted. He should be left in peace."
Jack Lang, former socialist minister: "The happiness we feel at this moment should not make us forget the immense waste caused by the unjust and brutal arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the lynching, the violation of his presumption of innocence."
Generall Arius, United Africa Movement: "I don't give a rat's ass about what she did in the past – this should have been decided by a jury."It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words...
Ok, that's just wrong,... more
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Toward the end of 2010, a small book by a 93-year-old man unexpectedly reached the summit of the bestseller list in France. Indignez-vous! by Stéphane Hessel sold more than 600,000 copies between October and the end of December, propelling it above Prix Goncourt-winner Michel Houellebecq's novel La carte et le territoire by several hundred thousand copies. Hessel had written other books. His publishers, the independent Indigène Editions in Montpellier, far from Paris, had produced other volumes. But none had reached the public in such numbers. The book both reflected and anticipated the spirit of student demonstrations in France and Britain, as it did the wave of revolt now challenging dictatorships in the Middle East. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/section-table/42999-time-for-outrage-Toward the end of 2010, a small book by a 93-year-old man unexpectedly reached the... more
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worrg
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added this
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9 months ago
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Humanitarian crisis my ass. This "kinetic military action" is for the usual: power, control, natural resources, and GOLD.
****
Following a 6 month stalemate in which neither side had attained any advantage, it suddenly took just a few days for the Libyan rebel forces to steamroll unopposed into Tripoli. While we are confident that the political aftermath of this outcome will be very much comparable to what is happening in Egypt right now, many wonder why it is that the Libyan situation has progressed with such speed. Perhaps the answer can be found in the 143.8 tons of gold held by the Libyan Central Bank.
Granted it is nowhere near close the 366 tons of gold that Venezuela supposedly has per the WGC, most of it likely held offshore and not being repatriated, the question of where the global gold cartel may find some of the much needed physical to satisfy Chavez' demands has been now answered. Of course we assume that said gold has not already departed Libya in direction Caracas over the past 6 months. Which, in retrospect, we probably should, as it would explain why gold is now at $1875 and rapidly rising.Humanitarian crisis my ass. This "kinetic military action" is for the usual:... more
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More and more people are realizing that Paris offers endless opportunities for personal enrichment, with a vast number of companies offering art and photography classes for visitors.More and more people are realizing that Paris offers endless opportunities for... more
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Françoise Richard-Ryst, the managing director of Ryst-Dupeyron, the renowned fine wine and liquor specialist, enthusiastically describes the treasures of this family-owned business set up more than a century ago in the heart of the 7th arrondissement.Françoise Richard-Ryst, the managing director of Ryst-Dupeyron, the renowned... more
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For those traveling on their own or making an extended stay in Paris, there's no need to dine alone, with a new dining concept launched in the French capital: COlunching.For those traveling on their own or making an extended stay in Paris, there's no... more
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If you find yourself in Paris over the summer, you'll find the French capital transformed into one of the trendiest beach resorts in all of France, with the annual Paris Plages.If you find yourself in Paris over the summer, you'll find the French capital... more
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“Over Time” is a phenomenal animated short film by the directing team of Oury Atlan, Thibaut Berland and Damien Ferrie from the French animation school Supinfoco. The film is simply amazing; accomplished CG is used to animate, and a black-and-white palette with a powerful musical score lend its finest scenes a haunting, operatic grandeur.
The film tells the story of the Muppets who continue on after the death of their master, Jim Henson. It presents a heart-rending tale of the sad mystery of death. Common lore holds that the first stage of grief is always denial, but that’s the only possibility if you’re not even able to conceive of death (such as in the case of a young child). It’s as if you were a puppet, and your own creator died. You could just valiantly try to bring him back to life, the same way he once did with you.
And so it is in “Over Time,” where the small fabric puppets find their creator lying on his bench, dead. But our sad little creatures don’t understand that he died, for they had never been confronted with such a concept. Instead, they devote all of their subsequent efforts to incorporate Henson’s body into their own daily routine, as they very slowly come to terms with his death.
This piece includes a number of black-and-white photographs, as well as the amazing animated short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/over-time-a-sad-tale-of-the-mystery-of-death/“Over Time” is a phenomenal animated short film by the directing team... more
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Blogger/writer and author Amy Thomas of God I Love Paris and Sweet Freak shares her favorite restaurants, shops, hot spots, cuisine and sweets in the French capital.Blogger/writer and author Amy Thomas of God I Love Paris and Sweet Freak shares her... more
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“Jean-François” is a starkly beautiful and surprisingly moving five-minute animated short film directed by French animators Bruno Mangyoku and Tom Haugomat, which was awarded the “Jean Luc Xiberras de la Première Oeuvre Award” at Annecy 2010. The film is about a lonely championship swimmer who is trapped by haunting memories of his childhood experiences, and whose stellar present-day athletic achievements only serve to evoke painfully sad memories of childhood failure.
This piece includes colorful pictures, as well as the beautiful, bittersweet animated short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/jean-francois-the-loneliness-of-a-championship-swimmer/“Jean-François” is a starkly beautiful and surprisingly moving... more
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