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Apr

A Paris Cultural Experience: Auctions by Candle

by Meredith Mullins on April 4, 2013

Lighting of the candle at the Chambres des Notaires auction by the candle, a Paris cultural experience that mixes old with new.

Paris auction “by the candle”
© Meredith Mullins

A Melange of Centuries

Many of us have a soft spot for nostalgia. We may admire the work of artisans who make quality long-lasting products with loving hands, or we may marvel at how early cultures invented what was needed to survive and sometimes made their tools so beautiful in design that they became, for us, works of art.

We can appreciate the elements of the past that make us slow down and focus on the simpler things in life. Read more...

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Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France (Paris)

Feb

Life Changing Moments: One Billion Rising in Paris

by Meredith Mullins on February 21, 2013

One Billion Rising in Paris
© Meredith Mullins

Stop Violence Against Women

A convergence of forces.

Start with . . .

An ongoing annual event on Valentine’s Day to stop violence against women and girls (organized since 1998 by Eve Ensler, women’s rights activist and creator of “The Vagina Monologues”).

Fuel it with . . .

Recent brutalities, including the gang rape of Jyoti Singh in India, the shooting of Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, and the alledged gang rape of a young woman in Steubenville, Ohio, by members of the high school football team. Read more...

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France (Paris)/Making a Difference

Dec

Creative Inspiration in a Paris Bookstore

by Meredith Mullins on December 6, 2012

Creative inspiration from Shakespeare and Company, a Paris bookstore

Paying Tribute to Shakespeare and Company and George Whitman

“Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.”

As you climb the sunken wooden stairs to the second floor of Shakespeare and Company bookstore, close enough to feel the vibrations of the Notre Dame belltower just across the Seine, you are confronted with a carefully lettered moment of philosophy . . . and a reminder of how owner George Whitman lived his life. Read more...