Word: french
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Still a Bazaar of the Arts I was very interested in your cover story on the supposed death of French culture [Dec. 3]. Do you believe that French people are megalomaniacs who crave the world's attention? French culture doesn't have to depend on others' desires. Certainly, France's contemporary literary geniuses don't get the recognition they deserve, but even our best movies don't enjoy the same amount of advertising that Hollywood movies do. France is no less a bazaar of arts, music and literature than is any other country. French culture isn't in decline. France...
...know it is the death of French culture? Because it doesn't sell in countries where culture is supposed to be bankable? Thank God! That's what makes it unique! You mention L'Auberge Espagnole as a symbol of the renewal of French cinema, but that was five years ago. The Taxi movies? Yes, they were blockbusters, but they were also the lousiest films made by Luc Besson. His artistic achievements were Nikita, Subway, Le Grand Bleu and Léon - and those were years ago. French culture is about intimacy. We French live in a cultural world that...
...those parents who enroll their preschoolers in tutoring programs [Dec. 3], I say, Let children be children! At my daughter's preschool, the students learn how to cook. They are encouraged at age 4 to write their own names. My daughter speaks English and French fluently and wants to learn Spanish. She loves being a kid, and we enjoy learning together. For now, I'm enjoying seeing her learn at her own pace and encouraging her. At such a young age, being with parents after school is better than sending them off to another classroom...
Zuma's political career has boomeranged from bigwig to pariah and back. Mbeki sacked him as Deputy President in 2005 when Zuma's financial adviser was convicted of soliciting a bribe for him in a French arms deal. Related charges were filed against Zuma on Dec. 14. And though he was acquitted in a rape trial in 2006, his testimony revealed shocking attitudes about sex and AIDS, including an admission that he had unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman but showered afterward to reduce the risk of infection...
Quebec Premier Jean Charest recently announced a $620 million aid package to help his French-speaking province's ailing manufacturers and has urged the federal government to follow his lead. In the meantime, Mayor Eddie Francis of Windsor, Ont., near Detroit, is trying to cope with an 8.6% unemployment rate in a town known as the automotive capital of Canada. "It's a challenge and we're going to have to get through it," he says. The strong loonie may be great for cross-border shopping excursions, but it's of little help to anyone without a paycheck...