Problems with an authority in France

A site where someone can help you out:  http://www.mediateur-republique.fr/

Le Médiateur de la République est un homme de dialogue au service de l’État de droit. C’est donc par l’écoute et la persuasion, par la recherche de l’équité, qu’il s’efforce de convaincre l’administration mise en cause afin de rétablir des rapports harmonieux entre les deux parties.

Holiday jobs near Montpellier

A forum for holidays jobs for Summer 2010 in the Montpellier area this Friday 12th March.

Read More:  http://work-in-montpellier-and-languedoc.blogspot.com/2010/03/holiday-jobs-near-montpellier.html

English Bookshop Montpellier - Author visit 6th March

SATURDAY March 6^th meet

ISABEL LOSADA at 4.30 PM

Isabel Losada is a British actress, singer, dancer, television producer and author. Her three most recent full length books, combining humour with a serious look at their subject matters, are based on her own experiences.

In the “Battersea Park Road Guide to Enlightenment”, a bestseller in twelve countries, she tries out many of the courses in the UK that offer routes to inner peace and personal fulfillment.

She then followed up with “For Tibet, with Love:A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World”, in which she explores what one person can do to make a difference, in this case to the cultural imperialism of the Chinese Government in Tibet.

Her most recent book Men! Poses and then explores in depth the question, "Where are all the interesting and  available men?" “Men!” answers the question that women discuss every day: 'Where are the interesting and available men?' From learning to be a plumber and riding a Harley to interviewing psychologists, scientists and dating hosts, this book helps readers learn about men and about themselves.

Bertrams Books

'Losada plays at being a real life Bridget Jones on the hunt for 'real' men. Her search takes her from building sites to the City trading floors as she tries to understand the male psyche via info from psycholigists and dating experts. Think Michael Moore meets 'Men are from Mars' only a lot funnier.'

Glamour Magazine.

'Isabel Losada has achieved the perfect combination of humour, poignancy and intellectual rigour.'

The Statesmen.

'Searching and Honest.'

The Independent on Sunday.

LE BOOKSHOP SAMEDI 6 MARS à 16h30 VENEZ RENCONTRER ISABEL LOSADA

Le Bookshop

8 rue du Bras de Fer

34000 Montpellier

FRANCE

Tel./Fax: +33 (0)4 67 66 22 90

www.lebookshop.com

Freedom in Montpellier?

I didn’t realize how controlled my life was until I went to Amsterdam.

Looking past all the pretty architecture and winding canals, Amsterdam struck me as a city that is free. By this I don’t mean that naked girls walk the streets and high tourists stumble out of coffeeshops with bloodshot eyes (though to some degree it happens) in a city where anything goes. On the contrary. The people are just more free to make decisions about what they want to do with their lives and to their bodies. The police aren’t going to bust through the doors of a house because they suspect someone may be in possession of pot or because a lady wants to make a little money to support herself.

Likewise, it seems to be the same way in Montpellier (can’t speak for all of France)

...........

Read more: http://anamericaninmontpellier.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/the-land-of-the-free-to-do-what-we-say-is-okay/

Georges Frêche: The Le Pen of the left

Mr Frêche, president of Languedoc-Roussillon, has been called the "Le Pen of the left". He is a virulently pro-Israeli politician who makes seemingly anti-Semitic remarks. He is a pro-business ex-Maoist who attacks the "anti-market" tendencies of the French Socialist Party but wants to erect a statue of Lenin in his home city of Montpellier.

Read more: http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/6132994.html

New Library in Lunel

Had a trip to the new mediatheque in Lunel today - an absolutely fabulous kid's section, with a room for films to be shown and a room for story telling.

.... Special story telling sessions for 0-3 yrs or 4 yrs upwards.

Not that fabulous an adult's section of books in my opinion - they do have CDs and DVDs and lots of internet stations - but a great place for sitting on squashy sofas on a rainy afternoon and reading to your child...  very child friendly.

Free for those who live, work or go to school in Lunel. Euro15 a year for others.

Read more:  http://mediatheque.paysdelunel.fr/page/accueil

English hairdresser in Montpellier

Montpellier based English hairdresser - will travel to your home...

I trained originally in a city centre salon in Manchester. I taught at two Hairdressing Acadamies in the town centre, managed two salons  and then opened my own Hair & Beauty salon which I ran for 20 years.

Over here I have continued to look after the hair of a few private clients and keep up to date with styles and colouring techniques. My next course in fact is at the Schwarzkopf Training School in London in June.

Rose Howe
rose.howe@orange.fr
04 67 42 28 98
06 18 12 63 36

Tax advice of the week: Move to France

Has France become a tax haven? asks Nathaniel Litmann in The Schmidt Report. A November article in Tolley's Taxation suggests so. 

The rules, which are complex and appear to apply mostly to non-domiciled UK residents, arise because of a new measure called the 'bouclier fiscal'. This in effect limits all direct tax to no more than 50% of income.

So if you are able, legally, to shelter your income elsewhere (i.e. you're an entrepreneur or live off investment income), there is "huge potential" for tax savings.

Read more: http://www.moneyweek.com/personal-finance/tax-advice-of-the-week-move-to-france-47323.aspx

Maison pour Tous Merlina Mercouri Montpellier March Newsletter

 

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Le Bookshop Montpellier Newsletter

 

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Free legal advice on French issues

A FREE telephone advice line is running this week to help anyone with questions about family life, buying a property or inheritance in France.

The service is part of the annual Semaine d'Information sur les Droits des Familles - a week-long information campaign organised by the Employment Ministry, which has family affairs in its brief.

Lawyers will be on hand to answer questions about the legal and tax implications of marriage and the pacs, buying property together, life insurance and preparing a will.

Read more: http://www.connexionfrance.com/free-legal-advice-france-property-tax-inheritance-helpline-notaires-11419-view-article.html

Lovely Village House in the Heart of the Côtes Du Rhône

 

 

 

La Maison Rose, 19th C Village House in Provence

Location: Buisson, Provence, France, Europe (9 Kms from Vaison-La-Romaine, 45 Min North of Avignon)

Accommodations: Village House, 3 Bedrooms, 1.25 Baths (Sleeps 4-5) Hello and welcome to our home in Buisson, one of the most beautiful villages in the heart of the Côtes du Rhône wine-growing region of Provence.

This is a place to relax, cast aside the stresses of everyday life and enjoy a more luxurious pace. Relax in the sun with a good book, stroll down quiet country lanes or on paths cut through vineyards, and soak up the peace and tranquility of "la France profonde" at its most enchanting.

Read more: http://www.vrbo.com/199677

Property in France: the new hot spots

With prices falling, there has never been a better time to snap up a historic French property.

After a few years of flirting with "emerging" markets that have now retreated into obscurity, British buyers are tentatively dipping a toe into overseas property again. But this time we are sticking resolutely to what we know and there are few places more familiar and safe than France.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyinfrance/7258691/Property-in-France-the-new-hot-spots.html

Where do the British Live in France?

A recent official study shows that around 135,000 British nationals live in France, and the most popular region may surprise many.

According to figures published by INSEE, the French statistical office, the Brits are clustered around four regions – the Ile de France, Midi Pyrénées, Aquitaine and Poitou Charentes.

Despite the fact the Dordogne has acquired the familiar epiphet 'Dordogneshire', because of the number of Brits who are believed to have homes there, in fact the most popular administrative area is the Ile de France, where there are 20,500 British inhabitants.

Read more: http://www.french-property.com/news/french_life/british_living_in_france/

French Life for Real

Came across this site today:  http://frenchlife4real.com/ thought it was quite fun.

Living In France – Can I Have It Delivered?

One of the curiosities of living in France that we’ve found frustrating is the delivery of things like fridges and washing machines. Actually the same applies to building materials but that’s kind of different…

Read more:  http://frenchlife4real.com/