Salut,

It is summer in the city, which means French families are packing their bags and going ailleurs with their glorious month of summer vacation. I'm doing the same. I hope that you're able to enjoy the warmth in your own fashion.

With the election of a new French president, I couldn't resist writing about politics. Visit the forum to leave your opinion about the finance minister's statement to retire intellectualism in honor of becoming a society that works harder to earn more.

Here are the latest articles:
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Soldes : When Parisian Stores Entice Shoppers
France's biannual sales motivate shoppers into a consumer frenzy, not on account of groundbreaking prices, though they do relieve some of the sticker shock I experience in regarding price tags. No stranger to the Parisian boutiques, I usually greet the storm on the first day of the soldes.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art40598.asp

Nouveau Réalisme – An Introduction to and Exhibition of
France’s emerging avant-garde artists of 1960 sought to renew artistic forms. Choosing abstraction as a vehicle they focused on the human body and everyday objects. Under the roof of the Grand Palais, remnants of New Realism have been amassed as evidence to the artistry behind their production.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art9660.asp

Tout est Possible - A New President for France
As Nicholas Sarkozy, president of the French republic, addressed his countrymen, he described what was lying behind his promise “everything is possible." Though many are unwilling to sacrifice personal interests for upward mobility, I feel that Sarkozy’s policies will be advantageous for France

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17876.asp
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Thanks for reading,

Melissa Demiguel, French Culture Editor
http://frenchculture.bellaonline.com