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Ideas Society

The Uniquely French Art Of Blocking Reform, Myth Or Reality?

France is virtually shut down now by national strikes over pension reform. But from Denmark to UK to Germany, social change and the popular movements resisting have their own histories.

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Geopolitics Society

France: Strikes And The Social Fractures Of Retirement Reform

Reforming the retirement system is necessary, but must be be done in a way and at a pace that won’t tear an already divided French society further apart.

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Economy Geopolitics

Why The World’s Central Banks Are Turning To Twitter

It’s about the money … (and other stuff)

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Society

J’Accuse, Me Too: France And The Polanski Morality Play

New sexual assault accusations surfaced in France before the release of Roman Polanski’s new film (titled ‘J’Accuse’ in French) about the Dreyfus affair of a false accusation against a French-Jewish army officer. Who is accusing who here?

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Economy Eyes on the U.S. Ideas

A French Defense Of Trump’s New Tariffs On European Products

The U.S. president has a history of strong-arming trading partners. But the move to tax things like French wine and Spanish olives is actually justified.

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Economy Geopolitics

The Case For Creating A CO2 Central Bank

It’s time for the European Union to curb emissions the way it does inflation.

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Future Society

What The Data From France’s Top Dating Site Tells Us About Love

A pioneering Swedish researcher has come up with new insights about love and romance after analyzing the databases of the dating site Meetic.

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Food / Travel Society

Climate Apocalypse Or Economic Meltdown, Wine Will Survive

Grapes grow almost anywhere, and they’re easy to ferment. So don’t worry, even if the world as we know it crashes and burns, we’ll have wine to ease our souls.

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Ideas Society

Madness And Wisdom: How Dickens Might See Our Fraught Times

The world faces a set of challenges not unlike the tumultuous​ times depicted in the classic British novel A Tale of Two Cities.

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In The News

Draghi To Lagarde: The Meaning Of A Momentous ECB Handover

Europe’s Central Bank chief acted in past years to absorb EU bank debts and keep money flowing amid a major recession. Stable growth now depends on responsible policies by EU member states.

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In The News

Lining Up For Leonardo: Is Mona Lisa A Burden On The Louvre?

As a new Leonardo da Vinci exhibit opens an eternal Parisian question returns of whether his (and the world’s) most famous painting is a blessing or a curse for the world’s most visited museum.

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In The News

In The Netflix Era, French Television Must Be Reinvented

Young people especially are turning their backs on France’s broadcast networks in favor of American streaming services.

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Future Society

Syllable Counting And The Secret To The ‘Speed’ Of Languages

Recent studies from a French laboratory of linguistics reveal surprising aspects of human language that make it even more mysterious than it sounds.

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In The News

CO2, Fall 2019! Fashion Weeks’ Steep Environmental Cost

Climate change activists have condemned the outsized environmental impact of the razzle dazzle events, with Stockholm going so far as to cancel its Fashion Week.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Jacques Chirac: A Mirror Of France’s Many Faces

Throughout an exceptionally long political career, Jacques Chirac, who died Thursday at 86, personified the paradoxes of a country passing from one century to another.

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Ideas Society

Is Handwriting Doomed In Our Digital World?

Schools still make a point of teaching students to write the old-fashioned way. And in France, kids still have to learn cursive. But are teachers fighting a lost cause?

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Economy

Could Milton Friedman’s ‘Helicopter Money’ Formula Finally Fly?

Conceived of last century by the American economist as a direct means for stimulating consumption, ‘dropping’ money on all households may be what Europe needs now.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Le Monde To Macron: Grant Snowden Asylum In France

Leading French daily says that France (and the West) must live up to claims as protectors of freedom as represented by the exiled American whistleblower.

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Future Society

Don’t Fight The Robots: The False Choice Of Worker V. Machine

Mechanization is bound to destroy jobs, which not surprisingly provokes fear. But trying to delay the inevitable only makes matters worse and prepares neither society nor laborer for the future.

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Ideas Society

How Instagram Is Reviving Fashion-House History

Amateur fashion aficionados are using new technology to celebrate the pre-internet past, and forcing labels to reconsider their archives.

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Green Or Gone Ideas Society

Ecofascism: When Far-Right Ideology Fuses With Ecology

Some of the recent racist mass killers were also worried about the degradation of the environment. It’s part of a old twisted ideology that mixes love of nature and xenophobia.

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Economy Society

Out Of Office: The Stress And Serenity Of Teleworking

Working from home is more and more common in French companies as the perks need no longer to be listed. Still, some workers constantly worry about accounting for their days away from the office.

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Economy Ideas

Digitalization Won’t Kill The Banker!

Digitalization does not spare the banking sector. In the era of artificial intelligence and algorithms, the bank must know how to reinvent itself and put digital technology at the service of humans.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Bolsonaro To Boris: When Demagogues Take Over

Boris Johnson’s decision to temporarily suspend Parliament marks his choice to play the people against the elected representatives. Italy, the U.S., Brazil and elsewhere, have seen similar ploys.

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Ideas Society

Between The Lines: On The Enduring Power Of Oral Communication

Email, instant messaging and social networks have multiplied and accelerated written exchanges both inside and outside of work. But there are certain functions that only oral communication can achieve.

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OneShot Society

Watch: OneShot — 75 Years Ago, The Joy Of Liberated Paris

On Aug. 24, 1944, the first French and U.S. armored tanks entered Paris, after a week of intense fighting with German soldiers — effectively freeing the capital from Nazi occupation. The next day, General Charles de Gaulle, who had been heading the French government-in-exile from London, made his impassioned “Paris Libéré !” speech from the Hôtel de Ville, roared on by a large crowd. It would take another nine months for Allied Forces to finally defeat Germany and put an end to World War II. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jn01pnyW3CY expand=1] The Joy of Liberated Paris (© Richard Boyer) OneShot is a new […]

Categories
Future Ideas

It’s Time For Europe And The U.S. To Bury The GAFA Hatchet

Economist Bruno Alomar pleads for an appeasement of tensions on both sides of the Atlantic regarding the Internet and tech giants.

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In The News

Paris, Florence, Jerusalem: When Traveler Syndrome Strikes

There are millions of people who travel every year. But for some, exotic cultural exploration can lead to psychological trouble.

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In The News

Northern Space To Grow: A Possible Upside To Global Warming?

Global warming, melting ice, depletion of resources… the Earth seems doomed. Yet this futurist says the current thaw could offer new perspectives — by freeing up 20 million kilometers of virgin land.

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Future Ideas Society

End Times And Ecology: Finding Meaning With Our Planet In Peril

Can the possibility of the end of the world give meaning to life? A French philosopher (and mother of young children) fears the worst but tries to live the best she can.

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Ideas Society

Canada v. France: Rethinking Role Of Nurses To Meet Healthcare Needs

To meet its current healthcare needs, France looks to the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec which are giving more autonomy to nurses rather than boost the number of doctors.

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Society

Let’s Not Let Political Correctness Ruin Art

Too often works of art are being judged not by their aesthetic or intellectual merit, but on how closely they toe a certain ideological line.

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In The News

A French Look At Male Consent And Male Libido In The #MeToo Era

The accepted notion that men ‘are always ready’ for sex is false, and can lead to relationship troubles, and much worse.

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Future Society

Can State-Run Startups Help Modernize French Bureaucracy?

In putting into use fast-moving ways of startups, the state looks to improve quality of public services. A hundred or so state-sponsored startups have already been launched with the hope of contributing to the modernization of the administration.

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Economy Ideas

A New Industrial Policy For The 21st Century

In a world that is closing up, industrial policy is coming back in force. But to succeed, it will have to be reinvented

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Future Ideas Society

Making Space In The Classroom For Artificial Intelligence

-OpEd- PARIS — We live in a society that changes rapidly, and we wish for schools that reassure us. Schools that are forward-looking, perhaps. Even our schools in the Third Republic that we refer to so often were anything but retrograde. On the contrary! The school believed in the ability of its Black Hussars — […]

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Ideas Society

100% Vegan: A Tempting But Misguided Recipe To Save The Planet

It is necessary to drastically reduce our beef consumption for both sanitary reasons and to fight against climate change, yet livestock will remain indispensable for their contributions to the environment.

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Ideas Society

Safeguarding Satire: A French Take On New York Times Cartoon Ban

In the land of Charlie Hebdo and Plantu, the decision of the American newspaper to eliminate cartoons in its international edition is not welcome news at all.

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Economy Future Ideas Society

Why The Digital Revolution Hasn’t Boosted Productivity

Information technology was supposed to make everything move faster. We need to rethink the way we use our digital tools to serve our real needs.

Categories
Future Ideas Society

Growth Or Bust: A Brief Plea In Favor Of Progress

The trend of what the French dubbed décroissance (degrowth) overlooks how progress and technology are bound to improve our lives.

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