Woody And Columbine Bowl Over The French
Woody spoke in French in front of a packed house at the Théâtre de
Champs-Elysées last week between sets of his New Orleans Jazz Band
performances.
It was a bit surrealistic, his "Woody" voice with its Manhattan
accent spouting a simple, and almost perfect French to an audience
that adores him. He plays a "mean" clarinet and the band is at the
top of its league, so it’s no wonder that they were compelled to give
two encore performances. They just wouldn’t let him go.
The French make appreciative audiences, so attending concerts, films,
theater, and dance are usually very pleasant experiences, not just
for the performances, but for the company one keeps. This past summer
at a Chopin concert in the Orangery at the Jardin de Bagatelle in the
Bois de Boulogne, you could have heard a pin drop as not a soul dared
utter a word to disturb the perfect acoustics. When I found it
necessary to find the ladies’ room, the ushers silently directed me
on a distant path outside the building so as not to inject even the
sound of a heel landing on the sidewalk. I was impressed.
At the cinema Saturday night, Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling for
Columbine brought tears to the eyes of the French woman next to me
who "shushed" me once for speaking to my friend during the movie.
When the credits came up, the audience didn’t run out of their seats.
They sat in silence to absorb the profundity of the message of the
film–they were probably in shock, much as I was. I wondered what
effect this film would have on the opinion of the French about the
U.S., but more so, how it has affected U.S. audiences. The statistics
Moore points out are shocking–he questions why the U.S. has a murder
rate of over 11,000 per year when in other countries the numbers are
in the hundreds or less per year.
It came to mind again yesterday while doing some shopping at the
Carousel du Louvre (the underground shopping center adjacent to the
Louvre) watching the throngs of people exiting at the final hour of
the 8th Annual Salon du Chocolat carrying their giant-size bars of
Toblerone and looking a bit pale from over-indulgence. The long
triangular-shaped box was being carried much like a rifle might be
and I couldn’t help but be amused that I might have to defend myself
from a chocolate attack.
A la prochaine fois,
Adrian
P.S. Next week I’ll be writing you from my home town known as the Big
Easy (New Orleans) for the International Living Live Overseas
Conference 2002, November 13-17. Scroll down to read more–it’s not
too late to join me.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Parler Paris
/parlerparis/
Written and Edited by Adrian Leeds
Published by International Living
http://www.internationalliving.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Issue Number 63, November 4, 2002
In this issue:
*** The Big Easy is for Living Easily Overseas
*** Why should you pay 700 Euro for an Interpreter?
*** Three Americans in Paris Paint the Town
*** Paris as a Microcosm is a Matter of Speaking
*** Insider Info Just Got Better
*** Living the Dream? We’re Looking for You
*** Jackie-O Comes to Paris
*** No Price for Paris Poetry
*** Need a Doc in the Middle of the Night?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*** NOW, SHOULD YOU GO TO…THAT CONFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANS
International Living
Live Overseas Conference 2002
November 13-17, New Orleans, Louisiana
We’ve invited 21 top-level speakers from around the planet, including
IL’s contributing editors and overseas directors (that’s me) as well
as a panel of the world’s leading privacy experts, legal advisors,
money managers, and tax specialists to share with you their secrets
to uncovering oppor
tunity…profit…and better living overseas…
If you can make it, t
here’s still some spaces. Here’s the scoop:
http://www.ildiscoverytours.com/noconf/index.cfm
We’re also cookin’ up some good eats with a special dinner at my
favorite French Quarter spot, Tujague’s
(http://www.ildiscoverytours.com/noconf/n_orleans.cfm), so expect me
to be writin’ about it in an upcoming newsletter!
*** IS EVERY FOREIGNER IS REQUIRED TO HAVE AN INTERPRETER?
by Jean Taquet,
/parlerparis/practicalanswers.html
QUESTION We recently bought an apartment. The final bill from the
Notaire included a 700 euro charge for an interpreter. The Notaire
DID NOT inform us about any such charge at the moment of sale or
before. He offered us "their interpreter" even though we had a friend
to translate. At the closing, he explained that the increase in our
costs was due to a change in the tax rates since the "Promesse de
Vente" was signed (this was April; the Promesse de Vente signing was
in January). Now he says every foreigner is required to have an
interpreter chosen by the Notaire from an authorized organization. Do
you know anything about this requirement?
ANSWER: Let me break down the situation so that we can identify what
is legitimate and what is not. Under French law, all agreements must
be signed by someone who has fully understood all provisions of the
contract. If one of the parties is a foreigner, it is preferable to
have an interpreter help in order to reduce the possibility of a
lawsuit stemming from any misunderstanding regarding the application
of the contract. Considering the price of real estate, the Notaire
did the right thing by requiring a qualified interpreter to be
present at the closing. Why run the risk of a lawsuit when the cost
of interpreting is so small in proportion to the price of the
purchase? Having a certified interpreter, rather than just anyone who
speaks both languages, protects all parties involved, including the
Notaire, from a liability suit should the translation prove
defective, since professional interpreters have insurance to cover
such risks. I have occasionally acted as an interpreter for my
clients with the approval of the Notaire. He must have considered my
ability to explain and translate into English to be good enough to
minimize the risk of a lawsuit sufficiently. From a strictly legal
point of view, however, I agree with the Notaire’s request to hire a
professional instead of using your friend (which of course is no
reflection on your friend’s ability to perform the service).
What I find unacceptable is the fact that you were given no
explanation and no choice in the matter. The Notaire should have
informed you of this requirement and have given an estimate of the
related cost.
To avoid such a situation, choose a Notaire who has a reputation for
understanding the need to render good service, and it would be good
to seek a bilingual French-English firm. Since all Notaires’ fees are
the same for a closing, you may as well get the best service for the
price. You might get charged for extra services relating to the fact
that you are purchasing real estate as a foreigner, but this is not
certain.
I am sorry you had such a bad experience, but please do not have any
regrets about your choice. You were not "taken for a ride." A good
interpreter can be expensive, but these legal translations are a lot
of work. Yes, it is possible that you were cheated a bit in the
course of this transaction–I have no way of knowing with the
information given. But the Notaire was legally right to request the
translator, if wrong to impose it on you the way he did.
EDITOR’S NOTES:
Jean Taquet is a French jurist and associate member of the Delaware
Bar Association. He frequently gives courses about practical matters
that deals with French law and culture, as he did recently at the
Working and Living in France Conference here in Paris. He helps many
in their personal and business legal issues with individual
consultation, has been well-known in Paris for his past eight years
of informative Q and A columns and is the author of The Insider Guide
to Practical Answers for Living in France
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/answers
Every month, Jean addresses your real-life questions in his e-mail
advice column, Practical Answers. The above excerpt is from the
November column, which you can read in its entirety here:
/parlerparis/practicalanswers.html
To subscribe to Jean Taquet’s monthly column or to contact Jean
Taquet, e-mail mailto:[email protected]
*** THREE AMERICAN ARTISTS IN PARIS
* GIVE AN ORIGINAL GREETING THIS CHRISTMAS
Have a Merry Paris Christmas by sending an original watercolor
greeting by Lisa Rothstein, printed on Arches watercolor paper with
matching envelopes.
All you do is email Lisa your photo and in just three weeks you have
your painting, plus the number of greeting cards you specify,
complete with envelopes.
If you order by November 10th, Lisa will mat your watercolor so that
it’s ready for framing.
Lisa Rothstein is a Paris-based American artist. She has exhibited in
Paris at the Leopard Cafe, The American Cathedral and the U.S.O. of
Paris. In addition to watercolors, Lisa also does cartoons for
greeting cards, websites brochures and newsletters. For more
information, visit: /parlerparis/art/watercolors.html
or e-mail mailto:[email protected]?subject=Watercolors
* MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT KATHY BURKE LIVE PAINTING SHOW
Kathy Burke is currently working on the project of her lifetime. "I
want to paint 100 full-size standing portraits of artists living and
traveling through Paris–it is the portrait of the creative
experience." She adds: "A young man leaves all he knows to come to
Paris and become an artist. He is as lost in the streets as the
troubadours before him. He stays. Creates. Refines his vision until
it is laser clear–until he is inside his dream. He is Paris. I paint
these artists where they are in their path–from where I am in
mine."
SEE KATHY BURKE PAINT A PORTRAIT LIVE!
Thursday December 12th at 7 p.m.
55 rue Meslay
75003 Paris
Interphone A27+ "appel"
Information +33 (0) 1. 42.71.11.75
To see more about Kathy Burke and her work, visit:
/parlerparis/art/burke.html or
http://www.parisportraits.com
* THE HEALING POWER OF COLOR WORKSHOP
Bring the healing power of color with the latest decorative paint
technique called LAZURE (Glacis Muraux).
FREE LECTURE OPEN TO EVERYONE: The workshop begins with a color talk
and demonstration called Color Theory for the Home on Friday evening,
November 15th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. open to anyone who wants to come.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, November 16th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
Sunday, November 17th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., taught by internationally
known Master Lazurist, Charles Andrade from San Francisco, USA.
During the Saturday and Sunday workshop, work as a team color glazing
the interior of a new art center in Paris. The LAZURE technique uses
several layers of translucent color washes on white creating walls
filled with luminous atmospheric color. Lazuring is mildly aerobic
and fun–participants should wear loose comfortable painting
clothes.
For more information on LAZURE, visit: http://www.lazure.com
Workshop/Color talk address:
17 rue Gassendi
75014 Paris
Métro: Denfert-Rochereau
Workshop Weekend: 100 euro
For information or reservations, e-mail:
mailto:[email protected]?subject=ParlerParisLazureWorkshop or
call Karyn MARCUS: 01.42.78.75.29
*** THERE’S A GLOBAL MICROCOSM IN PARIS
There is a global microcosm in Paris called Parler Parlor. That might
not seem like such a strange idea since "Paris en Chiffres," a
booklet published by the Mairie de Paris, reports that 15.8% of
Paris’s population are immigrants from other countries. However, it
certainly wasn’t the expectation for a conversation group originally
designed for the French to practice English and the English-speaking
community to practice French.
Parler Parlor meets 4 times a week in two locations:
Tuesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays 6:30 to 8 p.m.
AT COPROM LANGUES
14 rue Lafayette, 4th Floor
9th arrondissement, Métro Chaussée d’Antin, Opéra, RER A Auber
Wednesdays 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AT EUROCENTRES
13 passage Dauphine (entrance between rue Dauphine and rue Mazarine),
6th arrondissement, Métro Odéon, Saint-Michel
It’s free the first time you come!
The 51 Nations Represented at Parler Parlor are:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cape
Verde, China, Columbia, Congo Brazzaville, England, Finland, France,
French Guyana, Germany, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon,
Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Caledonia, New Zealand,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, St.
Lucia, West Indies, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan/Republic of
China, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam
For more information, visit: http://www.parlerparlor.com/
*** INSIDER PARIS GUIDES GET AN UPDATE
Anyone who has ever published anything knows that getting information
in print and then distributed takes months, so that by the time the
pages land on the shelves, the information is sadly out of date. This
is one of the big advantages to electronic publishing–information
can be updated within minutes.
Insider Paris Guides are updated by their authors at least every
three months so that when you download the guide, it’s as current as
the author can make it. This doesn’t mean it’s like a magazine
subscription–you don’t get a new updated version three months after
you purchased it, but the one you purchase now is likely at least one
year more current than any guide book you bought at Barnes and Noble
or on Amazon.com.
Plus, our authors live here. They weren’t sent here by their
publisher to research the market and report on it, so you get insider
information you can trust.
Three updates hit the electronic book shelf this week:
Insider Guide to Good Value Paris Hotels
by Rose Marie Burke
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/hotels/index.html
The Insider Guide to Black Paris
by Melinda Herron
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/black/index.html
The Insider Guide to Gay Paris
by Schuyler Hoffman
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/gay/index.html
*** LIVING THE DREAM IS SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU
ARE YOU PLANNING TO LIVE YOUR DREAM? A well respected and innovative
Canadian television production company is developing a documentary
style program called "Living The Dream." They are searching the globe
for six young families who are preparing to start a new life in the
location of their dreams. Specifically, they are in search of a
couple (aged 25-50) with or without children who are building or
renovating their dream house in their chosen paradise. If you are
selected for participation, your progress will be charted at pivotal
moments for one year.
Interested candidates should send an e-mail to:
mailto:[email protected]?subject=ParlerParisDreamCandidate
*** JACKIE KENNEDY COMES BACK TO LIFE IN PARIS
Seventy outfits and accessories worn by Jacqueline Kennedy from 1959
to 1963 will be on show at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile
November 20th to March 16th, 2003. Over 200 archive documents, films
and photographs from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and loans
from Caroline Kennedy will illustrate this period to which the first
lady of the United States contributed. The exhibition is thus the
opportunity to present emblematic pieces, which testify to a new
American elegance. The exhibition also pays tribute to the years of
cultural activity that Jacqueline Kennedy led while at the White
House.
Musée de la Mode et du Textile
107, rue de Rivoli
Paris 1st
01.44.55.57.50
*** FREE POETRY IN PARIS
* November 6, 6 p.m., Free
Pulitzer-prize nominee, winner of the LA Times Book and the Griffin
awards, author of 25 collections of poetry, ALICE NOTLEY, who will be
reading with visiting California poet ALBERT FLYNN DESILVER,
publisher of Owl Press (publishing innovative poetry and poetic
collaboration) and who has in the last five years published over 80
poems in literary journals all over America.
The Red Wheelbarrow
13 rue Charles V
75004 Paris
* November 8, 6:30-8:15 p.m., Free Paris Poetry Circle, now in its
8th year, invites you to stop in to share poems, discuss, etc. "A
good way to spend a Friday evening."
Dr. Nagpal is looking for people interested in sharing their poems or
poems by writers they like, chatting with each other and finding a
nice community. You can come just to listen, too.
Chez Nagpal in a pretty courtyard, ground floor
65 rue Pascal
75013 Paris
Métros: Gobelins or Glaciere
For more information, email: mailto:[email protected]
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are a budding poet, or a poet of note, be sure
to sign up to read your works at the WORLD POETRY day, MARCH 21,
2003.
We will be celebrating World Poetry day, March 21, 2003 with special
poetry workshops, speakers, discussions and readings the days before
and the days after, led by published poet, Cecilia Woloch.
To learn more about the upcoming event or to be put on a special
mailing list for the PARIS POETRY WORKSHOP, send an e-mail to
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Poetry
*** HOW DO YOU FIND A DOCTOR IN PARIS AT 1 A.M.?
How does one go about finding a doctor at 1 a.m.? Its difficult
enough in the UK although every doctor does have a night service, but
how do you actually make it happen in France?
I think this might be of interest to others and I’ll look out for a
reply in he next newsletter.
Many Thanks, Richard M.
Richard,
Easy. Call SOS or Garde Médicale de Paris for a house call day or
night and a doctor will be at your door within 30 minutes!
S.O.S. 01 47 23 80 80 or 01 47 07 77 77
Garde Médicale de Paris 01 42 72 88 88
Other emergency numbers:
Samu Emergency Medical
15 (free call)
Hours: 24 hours/24, 7 days/7
SOS Optique
01-48-07-22-00
Hours: 24 hours/24, 7 days/7
RESO (Réseau d’accès aux soins pour personnes en situation de
précarité)
0-800-232-600
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9h to 20h
SOS Psychiatrie
01-47-07-24-24
Hours: 7 days/7 between 8h and Midnight
For more emergency numbers, visit:
http://www.parisobs.com/articles/p92/a27546.htm
To read more, click the links below.