New Zealander brings bagels to France

by Laura Krantz

23 June 2010

Blast Magazine

RENNES, France — Finding a croissant in France isn’t difficult, but good luck if you want a bagel.

Until a few months ago, a craving for a sesame seed with cream cheese was nearly impossible to satisfy, but thanks to a New Zealander on a mission, the city of Rennes has been enlightened.

“We want to show French people we do fantastic products of the highest quality,” said Shaynal Patel, owner of Le Tiki café.

But unfortunately, says the 35-year-old entrepreneur from Auckland, the French haven’t seemed to notice.

keep reading…

Young French reflect on Dominique Strauss-Kahn

by Laura Krantz

22 May 2011

Blast Magazine

RENNES, France — Many French people say the political career of Dominique Strauss-Kahn is history, yet talk about the New York-based sex scandal of the former International Monetary Fund director and top candidate in the 2012 French presidential elections continues to bubble in his home country.

Strauss-Kahn’s situation has raised questions in France about the pertinence of public figures’ personal choices, and while the country relishes its historical disconnect between public and private life, many young French voters say this episode has changed their thoughts about the private lives of public figures.

“In general I vote for the political ideas of the man, not for his private life,” said Gaëlle Simonin, 23, a student in Rennes.

“[But] there are things that you can’t ignore.”

keep reading… 

Literary vestiges, inviting outdoors in Yorkshire’s Haworth

 

by Laura Krantz

17 May 2011

Blast Magazine

HAWORTH, England — For anyone wanting to immerse him or herself in emerald beauty of the English countryside, the quaint Yorkshire town of Haworth is a perfect destination, but for literary fans of authors Emily and Charlotte Brontë, it is a must.

The hometown of the literary sisters most well known for Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, is nestled between undulating green pastures and wild moorlands.

The town, which according to the Visitor Information Centre received 160,000 visitors in 2010, retains it’s 19th century charm thanks to a cobbled main street dotted with shops, tea rooms and pubs. A stroll through the center lends stunning views of the surrounding countryside, known for its many hiking and cycling trails and a steam railroad.

keep reading…

The Embassy Cables: French support for Brazil high

by Laura Krantz

14 December 2010

Blast Magazine

PARIS — A 2009 memo from the US Embassy in Paris to the Secretary of State’s office released in the latest batch of Wikileaks documents, details French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s efforts to cultivate the rapport between Brazil and France by providing political, diplomatic, economic and military support to South America’s largest country.

Wikileaks cable 09Paris1526, created November 17, 2009, refers to the relationship between Sarkozy and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, as a “love affair” between two countries both eager to improve their international prowess.

The cable details the various gestures of support Sarkozy extended to Brazil over the past three years, including the sale of French fighter jets and the construction of a vast military complex.

keep reading…

The Embassy Cables: The relationship between France and Africa

by Laura Krantz

14 December 2010

Blast Magazine

PARIS — A 2008 cable sent from the American Embassy in Paris to the Secretary of State and other U.S. embassies around the world outlines the history of the diplomatic relationship between France and Africa, as President Nicholas Sarkozy has tried to reshape.

The memo, recently released by Wikileaks, outlines Sarkozy’s efforts to reform the relationship between France and Africa.

The policy of Sarkozy’s predecessors, termed the France-Afrique, or Françafrique model, had become “a complex web of economic, military, political, social and cultural ties that linked France with its former colonies and to a lesser extent non-francophone Africa,” the memo said.

This included the governmental, educational, legal, military, bureaucratic and administrative systems of many African countries, which were modeled on French systems. These countries, some of which have French as the lingua franca and can only be reached by airplanes connecting through Paris, have long depended on France’s aid to stay afloat.

keep reading…

Laval in lights

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The city of Laval is crowded once a year, on the night when the city is illuminated with the Christmas decorations. Workers started in the beginning of January and spent a month putting up thousands of illuminations all over the city.

Opening night included a fireworks display and moving light displays on downtown buildings. The decorations are lit up every evening now through January.

Everyone drank mulled wine and watched the fireworks, and I was utterly surprised to see the roads of Laval crowded with people.

Honey health benefits touted as bees face extinction

Laura Krantz - 10 December 2010 - Global Post

LAVAL, France — Sweet, healthy, vital for the planet, and perhaps even a good model for society. This is how beekeepers at a Honey Fair in Laval this fall described bees and the products made within their hives.

“Without the bee, the human race would die within five years,” said Daniel Mareau, vice president of Abeilles Mayennaise, the beekeeping association of the Mayenne region of France.

keep reading…