Laurel Zuckerman's Paris Weblog

French cultural icon Bernard Pivot debates impact of English in French universities w Peter Gumbel, Vincent Berger

2013-05-31T12:51:00+02:00

Will allowing French universities to teach some classes in English endanger the French language? Debate (in French) on Arte with Bernard Pivot, Peter Gumbel, Vincent Berger

Bac 2013 English orals - what grade for French politicians?

2013-05-31T08:04:20+02:00

In 2013 French high school students must pass an oral exam in English. Many are terrified. Judging from the performances of the highest ranking French policians, they shouldn't be. Video

Will Peugeot die?

2013-05-27T07:29:10+02:00

Peugeot: Five billion euros in losses in 2012, 11,000 layoffs in France planned by 2014, saddled with overcapacity in a European car market that continues to shrink , how long can asset sales and French government keep PSA - and the tens of thousands of suppliers that depend on it - afloat? What future for France's automaker?

Paris failing to protect tourists from pickpockets and other criminals

2013-05-24T08:11:04+02:00

Tourists in Paris are under constant attack from pickpockets and criminal gangs that use the same, time-tested techniques again and again. The thieves operate openly and with impunity, praying on jet-lagged visitors only too happy to be experiencing first hand the incomparable beauty of the capital. The criminals risk basically nothing, as they are regularly caught and freed and return to attacking their victims. A scandal, which those of us who write about Paris should no longer ignore.

What if your moment came- and you didn't know what to do? The conundrum of François Hollande

2013-05-23T14:30:00+02:00

François Hollande was elected to the French presidency on the flamby promise to close his eyes and plug his ears and yell ee eee ee eee eee eee eee until the Dragon of Reality got bored and went away. Now it's been a year, and the charmingly wishful ee eee ee eee eee eee eee policy is under strain. Instead of disappearing in a puff, the Dragon of Reality, contrary to expectations, has been devoring everything in site.

How to ensure that young people hate and fear poetry - lessons from a French middle school

2013-04-18T09:16:31+02:00

How to ensure kids loathe poetry and will never attempt to write another line? It's easy. A private French middle school shows us how in four easy steps.

An Angiogram that costs 2430 USD in the USA costs only 264 USD in France

2013-03-29T09:23:00+01:00

Health care costs three to ten times more in the USA than in France. Angiograms, routine office visits, angioplasty, bypass surgery - the list goes on and on. Ezra Klein summarizes health care cost differents in Twenty One Graphs.

Happy to be back in Paris!

2013-03-17T06:16:06+01:00

Paris may be cold and gray, but it seduces with terrific literary events, efficient mass transit, and chickens so fresh they're scary.

Internet humorists have fun with Findus' horsemeat mess.

2013-02-11T10:28:38+01:00

Horsemeat scandal - Facebook and twitter users mock agribusiness' pretentions to quality in these images.

Why France sent special forces to protect a private company in Niger (next to Mali)

2013-01-26T09:18:00+01:00

A first. French elite soldiers are to protect the holdings of a private company in Mail's neighbor, Niger. Why? Le Point's Jean Guisnel explains: Areva'ss uranium mines in Niger, which are slated to ramp up production to provide fuel for France's nuclear industry as well as foreign clients, are strategic national interests.