Eleanor Beardsley

An Ancient Religious Pilgrimage That Now Draws The Secular

Eleanor Beardsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

A 1,200-year old European pilgrimage route is experiencing a revival. Last year alone, some 200,000 followed in the footsteps of their medieval forebears on the Way of St. James, making their way some 750 miles from Paris across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of the eponymous apostle.

But now, what was once a strictly religious affair has become a cultural and social phenomenon that attracts the nonreligious as well.

France Proposes Technology Tax To Pay For Culture Content

Eleanor Beardsley — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:49:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

If you live in France, you might be paying more, soon, for smartphones and tablets, like the iPad. If the government moves ahead with a new tax proposal, the move could worsen an already tense climate between the Socialist government in France and some technology giants.

Here's NPR's Eleanor Beardsley.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: The French government has already tangled with Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft.

In France, A Renewed Push To Return Art Looted By Nazis

Eleanor Beardsley — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:37:00 +0000

During World War II, the Nazis plundered tens of thousands of works of art from the private collections of European Jews, many living in France. About 75 percent of the artwork that came back to France from Germany at the end of the war has been returned to their rightful owners.

But there are still approximately 2,000 art objects that remain unclaimed.

Bombing Suspects' Chechen Roots Weigh Heavy On Nation' Refugees

Eleanor Beardsley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:48:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The Tsarnaev brothers are among tens of thousands of Chechens whose families have sought asylum abroad after two brutal wars with Russia. About 10 percent of the entire Chechen population now lives in Europe. France has one of the largest communities. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley spoke with Chechens in Paris to see how they're reaction to the attack in Boston.

AICHAT: (Foreign language spoken)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: I meet the two young Chechen refugees at a cafe near the Gare de Lyon.

Routine On U.S. Racetracks, Horse Doping Is Banned In Europe

Eleanor Beardsley — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:04:00 +0000

At the famous Hippodrome de Longchamp just outside of Paris this month, crowds came to cheer and bet on the sleek thoroughbreds that opened horse racing season by galloping down the verdant turf course.

Horse racing in Europe is different from the sport in the U.S., from the shape and surface of the track to race distances and the season itself. Another big difference is doping.

Drugs are not allowed in European horse races. But in America, they aren't just legal, they're widely used — particularly furosemide, better known as Lasix.

Louvre Employees Walk Off Job After Rash Of Pickpocketing

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Pickpockets closed Paris' famed Louvre museum. Staff went on strike seeking greater protection from pickpockets, including children, who have been targeting staff and tourists alike.

Versailles Gets Spiffed-Up On Its Day Off

Eleanor Beardsley — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:04:00 +0000

With nearly 7 million visitors a year, the Chateau of Versailles in France is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. But one day a week, it's closed.

So what happens at Versailles on its day off? A spa day, of sorts — involving cleaning and conservation work.

Catherine Pegard, president of Versailles, says the palace is always caught between history and modernity.

"There's always an equilibrium to be struck between preserving the history of the palace and operating in the 21st century, a constant pull between conservation and creation," she says.

As Global Chains Move In, The Champs Elysees Gets A New Look

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:43:00 +0000

Once known as the most beautiful avenue in the world, the Champs Elysees is changing. Some Parisians fear it's starting to look like any American shopping mall as high rents and global chains steadily alter its appearance.

"We just try to keep a sort of diversity on the Champs Elysees, with the cinemas, with restaurants, with cafes and shops," says Deputy Mayor Lynn Cohen-Solal. "We don't think the laws of the natural market, the free market, make for a good Champs Elysees."

Cohen-Solal says the Champs Elysees is being transformed by those skyrocketing rents.

U.S. Boss Offers Blunt Critique; French Workers Give Fiery Response

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:19:00 +0000

The battle between an American capitalist and a French socialist official has prompted chuckles — and heated debate — on both sides of the Atlantic. The exchange highlights some humorous stereotypes and reveals real differences between the economic cultures of France and the United States.

A leaked letter from Maurice Taylor, CEO of the Illinois-based Titan tire company, ignited the controversy.

In Algeria, Sahara Attack Revives A Fear Of Renewed Terrorism

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:47:00 +0000

When Muslim extremists overran an oil and gas facility in Algeria's Sahara desert last month, Algerians saw the drama through the lens of their own painful history.

The news that terrorists had seized the In Amenas oil and gas plant stunned people in Algiers, the Algerian capital, who thought they'd seen the last of such attacks.

For most of the 1990s, a brutal civil war between Islamists and the military engulfed the country. More than 150,000 Algerians — mostly civilians — lost their lives in the violence.

Airport Diamond Thieves May Have Had Inside Help

Eleanor Beardsley — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

Authorities in Belgium have an expensive mystery to solve. Last night, on the Brussels airport tarmac, masked gunmen attacked an armored vehicle as it was loading diamonds onto a plane.

A Murder Deepens Tunisia's Political Crisis

Eleanor Beardsley — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:40:00 +0000

The political crisis in Tunisia is deepening after last week's murder of a prominent secular politician. Tunisians are increasingly divided over their country's government and future, just two years after collectively overthrowing the dictator in a popular revolution.

The murder of outspoken politician Chokri Belaid shocked Tunisians to their core. Tens of thousands of people turned out to bury him Friday in the main cemetery in Tunis, the capital.

Political Crisis Deepens In Tunisia

Eleanor Beardsley — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:26:00 +0000

The crisis in Tunisia deepened over the weekend when a secular political party withdrew from the Islamist-led coalition government. The crisis erupted last week when a secular politician and human rights advocate was gunned down outside his home in Tunis.

Thousands Of Tunisians Turn Out For Funeral Of Assassinated Opposition Leader

Eleanor Beardsley — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:06:00 +0000

Tens of thousands of Tunisians gathered for the funeral of Chokri Belaid on Friday. The secular political leader was murdered by unknown assailants on Wednesday. His killing set off riots and clashes between protesters and the police in several parts of the country.

Chaos Follows Funeral For Slain Leader In Tunisia

Eleanor Beardsley — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

We want to go live now to the nation of Tunisia, where tens of thousands of people turned out today for the funeral of an assassinated opposition leader. Political tensions turned violent as young men clashed with police. The scene was a reminder of the precariousness of the situation in Tunisia - two years after the Arab Spring revolution began there. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley was at the funeral and joins me on the line. And Eleanor, what was the scene at this funeral?

French Catholic Priest Plans To Marry Same-Sex Couples In New Job As Mayor

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

In a tiny village in Brittany, France, the mayor is also the local Catholic priest. As a mayor, Elie Geffray will soon be officiating over same-sex unions even though the Catholic Church opposes gay marriage and adoption. He notes that France is a secular democracy and that allows Muslims, Catholics, Protestants and atheists to live together. And says he believes the Catholic Church made a mistake by getting involved in the gay marriage debate.

Not Just A Fashion Hot Spot: Paris Is Also The Capital Of Dog Mess

Eleanor Beardsley — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 12:43:00 +0000

This essay by NPR correspondent Eleanor Beardsley was borne out of the personal exasperation of living in a beautiful city with one thing she found very, very wrong.

When you walk down the grand boulevards of the City of Light, you have to be careful where you step.

Every day, my senses are assaulted by the piles I have to dodge in the Parisian streets. There are the fresh ones that leave me feeling angry, and the ones from the previous days that have begun to smear down the street on the bottoms of people's shoes.

About a year ago, I began to get really worked up about it.

Paris' 'Little Bamako' Keeps Keen Eye On Fighting In Mali

Eleanor Beardsley — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:12:00 +0000

One Paris neighborhood is known as "Little Bamako," named after the capital of Mali. It's a place where Malian immigrants welcome and closely follow the French military campaign against Islamist extremists in their home country. Some express disappointment that President Obama did not send U.S. troops alongside the French soldiers. They reject the harsh Sharia law of the extremists, saying Mali is in fact a very tolerant nation.

French Twitter Lawsuit Pits Free Speech Against Hate Speech

Eleanor Beardsley — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

A French judge will decide this week if Twitter must hand over the identities of users sending anti-Semitic tweets. The case, brought against Twitter by a Jewish student organization, pits America's free speech guarantees against Europe's laws banning hate speech.

The controversy began in October, when the French Union of Jewish Students threatened to sue Twitter to get the names of people posting anti-Semitic tweets with the hashtag #unbonjuif, or "a good Jew."

"If I type 'un bon Juif' ...

Repercussions Of Crisis In Algeria Could Be Far-Reaching

Eleanor Beardsley — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Algerian security forces stormed a natural gas complex in the Sahara desert Saturday, bringing to an end a four-day siege by Islamist militants who took dozens of foreigners hostage.