The latest anti-smoking campaign from Droits des Non-Fumeurs (Association for Non-Smoker’s Rights), showing teenagers in questionable poses, has caused outrage across Paris and beyond for the message it portrays. The adverts were presented to the media earlier in the week, but now there’s even talk of them being banned before we get to see if they do the trick.

The ads were intended to target teenagers to show a different anti-smoking message to the norm, focusing on the issue of dependence and submission rather than health. They show a man pushing down on the head of a girl with a cigarette in her mouth, in a pose depicting oral sex. A similar advert with a teenage boy is also used, with the slogan reading “Smoking means being a slave to tobacco”. The ads were intended to shock as more genial messages regarding health seem to be largely disregarded by teenagers, but some people worry that it’s gone too far.

Critics of the campaign argue that sexual abuse shouldn’t be trivialised in this way, even stating that they’re in the realm of pornography, with France’s Family Minister (Nadine Morano) calling for the ads to be banned. She believes that there are better way to explain to teenagers that smoking can be addictive, but the head of Droits des Non-Fumeurs disagrees.

Remi Parola argues that traditional messages that try to get teenagers’ attention simply don’t work, and that provocative ad campaigns are the only way to get through to them. They see cigarettes as a means of freedom and don’t listen to issues of health and illness, but when it comes to dependence and submission they’ll take notice.

The irony is that we may not even get to see if this latest campaign works, at least if Nadine Morano gets her way. But, that may not even be an issue, as all the controversy surrounding it has at least bought the issue to the attention of the public. That itself could be all that’s needed to make teenagers listen, and with teenage smoking being such a widespread problem anything that can get their attention is worth trying.

So, if you want to see if the ads make it to the newspapers and bars of Paris, why not go over there yourself? Rent apartments in Paris to experience this beautiful city, and see if the furore over this controversial campaign has really had an effect.

Poetry is the most complex literary art… But maybe that mysterious dimension is precisely what fascinates us and makes us dream. Writing, reading or listening to poems reminds us of our childhood at school, but the poetry is not only in the classroom, but also in the steets and now it is all around Paris … The Printemps des Poètes (the Spring of the Poets) began in the Women’s Day on March 8, 2010 and will end during the global day of poetry, on March 21st. The land of Ronsard, Hugo, Rimbaud, Verlaine, and many others is awaits you.

The diffusion of poetry

Over the past eleven editions, the event has been enriched in shows, recitals, plays and meetings that allows the spread of poetry in different ways. For example, there exists an inventory of original initiatives to share the love for the poetry: as “poetic fine” that consists in leaving a poem in a car, poetry reading in the dark under an umbrella, hanging lines in giant panels around the city, to start the class by reading a poem or to practice the bookcrossing (to read a book and once you finish it put it in a public place where someone else can discover it and leave it again when he/she finishes it). There are so many fun ways to appreciate poetry and to make it alive!

The 2010 edition will have as guests the Turkish poets Azad Ziya Eren and Lale Muldur, along with some Russians poets, in honour of the France and Russia Year and the Turkish Station. You can also participate, if you like poetry, if you write it or if you want to learn more about it and enjoy the event. You’ll find great figures or poetry lovers like you with whom you can share your personal and literary experiences, inspire you, participate in the contests or attending to readings and literary workshops. The whole city becomes a giant poem.

Topic: women

What would poetry be without love and women? Muses, lovers, confidants, comforting and writers, women will be the main theme of the Printemps des Poets. A special tribute should be given to the French poet born in Egypt, Andree Chedid, whose work focuses on a reflection on the human condition. Another interesting detail is the exhibition of some 30 poems about hope, the body and nature, illustrated by artists and designers. Then, women affected by HIV virus in Swaziland, a country where one in four people are sick and do not make it pass 30, will embroider the poems.

The French capital seduces everybody and especially during the season of love… Organize a romantic trip and discover its cultural richness. If you rent Apartments in Paris, you will ensure a quiet and cheap accommodation.

Who said that appearance does not matter? Of course it matters! Especially when we talk about the Pentawards, the only contest in the world that recognizes the design of packaging of all types: from a soda can, to a bottle of conditioner, even a packet of tissues. Here the originality, the aesthetics, the quality and so on are awarded. This is a unique opportunity to gain worldwide recognition in the field of packaging creation and marketing.

Pentawards 2010 will take place in Paris until March 27th. The French capital offers a splendid exhibition of selected works in the contest, coming from all over the world. An international jury will be responsible for picking the winners based on the creative quality of the product. This way, three different trophies will be given: Golden Pentawards, Platinum Pentawards and Diamond Pentawards. In addition, all the winners will receive a certificate with their name, the commercial container and the category.

There are five categories that will be contested, divided in different subcategories: beverages like water, soft drinks, juices, beers, wines, spirits, limited series, etc.; foods such as cereals, coffee, fish, meat, sweets, soups, dietary products, etc.; body, such as clothing, health care, beauty and so on; other markets such as household cleaning, decoration, electronics, pet products, etc.; and luxury goods such as perfume, makeup, jewellery, food and culinary goods. A final category includes all the products that are not included in the previous five.

But the Pentawards are not only an award festival, they rather extend the promotion of packaging design to the press, the political and the economic authorities, the companies and the general public.

Discover the more artistic side of packaging … After all, who does not remember a famous packaging like Campbell’s soup? Or the beautiful designs from brands like Coca-Cola… The city of lights will surprise you with the best of the packaging market. Buy your tickets and rent apartments in Paris to make sure you get the best accommodation at an affordable price.

The vast nave of the Grand Palais in Paris will return filled with modern art enthusiasm. Soon (from March 19th to the 23rd) in the ArtParis, will be held an international reference event where more than twenty countries will exhibit their best works. This fair will take place in a prestigious cultural space, the Grand Palais, located in the dynamic heart of the French capital.

The art market is not dead

Art continues to be a sector of great interest, although Paris is no longer the European centre for avant-garde as it was throughout the twentieth century. There are still many exhibitions and artistic events organized, like the ArtParis or FIAC – the International Contemporary Art Fair, attended by a growing audience. This is where you find out the latest emerging artistic trends: in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, as well as video, installations, performances, etc.

In 2008 Up to 41,000 people visited it to take a look at the best creations of the XX and XXI centuries; especially the professionals and the collectors, but also the curious fans looking for a merger of entertainment and culture. This is a highly prestigious event where you have to go at least once in your life.

Art Paris + Guests

This year, the big novelty is the creation of a platform for meetings between professional: designers, writers, filmmakers, architects, musicians and important French people who are invited. This is the perfect opportunity to make meetings in an historic place with an amazing 72,000 square meter architecture: it is a Hall with an iron and glass roof, the largest in Europe. The Grand Palais was built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition, after several years of renovation, this is one of the most dynamic art centres and attractions, as it is located on the Champs Elysees and near the Seine River.

French summer days await you with innovation, modernity and fantasies… Book as soon as possible the affordable and comfortable Apartments in Paris, you will love it!

A kiss is one of the most potent symbols of intimacy. It is used to convey everything from parental affection to passionate love (and occasionally hate – remember the Judas Kiss). Kissing is a fundamental human action that has been with us since the beginning of our species.

Or has it?

Kissing is actually a Western phenomenon and there are plenty of cultures that simply don’t kiss. The open-mouthed, or tactile kiss, that we see in movies (and in the street) is a new thing, and has only been around for a few hundred years. Traditionally, the Japanese don’t use kissing to signal affection. Nor do almost any of the indigenous African races. None of the Celtic languages even have a word for ‘kiss’ and neither do the Native American languages or Malay.

So why do we kiss?

American scientists are pretty sure that kissing came from the (kind of gross) habit of a mother chewing food for her baby and transferring it into the Little One’s mouth. That theory is fine to account for parental affection, but it doesn’t really explain the Lover’s Kiss, the Kiss of Greeting, or the Kiss of Death.

A better idea is that kissing is really about smell, not taste. While very few cultures have a tradition of kissing, almost all have something involving nuzzling, nose-pressing, or some other way to get a good whiff of someone else’s skin. This type of kiss is almost universal, which makes sense when you know that the mouth can only process four basic flavours – every other subtlety of taste happens through the sense of smell.

What happens in our bodies when we kiss?

There are two basic kinds of kissing: Platonic and passionate. The best example of a Platonic kiss is between a mother and baby, and here a kiss is part of a powerful biological bonding. Called ‘Claiming Behaviour,’ all mammals (including humans) nuzzle, touch and occasionally lick their newborns. Without this, there’s a strong chance they’ll never really bond. There is also a health reason: By pressing her mouth to a new baby’s skin, a mother ingests the germs and other pathogens that the baby is about to swallow. Her immune system builds antibodies against these pathogens that are then transferred to Bubs via breast-milk. Kissing, plus breast-feeding is equal to life-saving.

Get to the good stuff: The Passionate Kiss

Again, this is all about smell. You know the way that some people simply smell sexier to you? These are usually the ones you have amazing chemistry with. You can call it magic, but it just means their immune system is a good match for you – for breeding. Mother Nature doesn’t really care if you are emotionally fulfilled, or have a lot in common… She just wants you to get down to the business of making healthy babies. So she invented this cool trick: Within the first two seconds of an open-mouthed kiss between a man and a woman, there are enzymes in a woman’s mouth that analyses a man’s DNA and decides if he is a good physical specimen to breed with.

Maybe this is why almost 70% of women will refuse to go out with a man again after a bad first kiss.

All good kisses need a little privacy, and the best place is in the City of Love: Renting apartments in Paris is easy, and will give you plenty of time to develop your technique.

Paris is almost ready for one of its greatest weeks: the Paris Fashion Week that will take place in several venues of French capital until March 10th. The most glamorous places for the coolest and most chic fashion ever: the Palais Royal, The Louvre Carrousel or Le Jardin des Tuileries, among others. So, are you ready to admire the best fall-winter 2010/2011 collections?

McQueen’s posthumous collection

With no doubt, this edition will have a very sad and much talked about absence: British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who hung himself in his wardrobe just over two weeks ago. However, an official statement was released this week from London: the Women’s Autumn-Winter 2010/2011 collection will be presented in Paris on Tuesday, March 9th and Wednesday, March 10th, as a private “salon” presentation to be attended by invitation only. This decision has been taken in agreement with the Gucci Group, which owns 51% of McQueen’s firm. The deceased designer, considered by many as the haute couture’s ‘enfant terrible’, always showed his collections in Paris, in spite of being British and studying in the prestigious St. Martins of London, with Stella McCartney and John Galliano, the British trio that renewed the biggest Haute Couture maisons.

Well, one thing is certain: McQueen’s designs will continue to fly off the racks this year. Sources said orders for the posthumous fall collection have skyrocketed, and spring clothing and accessories are sold out.

The bigwigs will be present

The Fashion gurus will show their designs on the Parisian catwalk. Masters like Balenciaga, Balmain, Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Lagerfeld and Givenchy, for instance, will delight us with their exquisite works.

So, you’ve been warned. If you are lucky enough to be visiting the city during the first days of March, tell your friends you’ve gone to the Paris Fashion Week. They will be green with envy! And don’t worry about accommodation: book Apartments in Paris, more freedom and good prices. What else can you ask for?

The French capital organizes for the seventh consecutive year a special plastic creations student’s festival from 4th to 18th March. Thus, 50 shows, performances, exhibitions, concerts and screenings will be presented throughout more than thirty cultural stages. Admission is free! This is a funny opportunity to discover Paris and realize how much imagination and initiative has the youth.

The artists of the 2009 edition

Benjamin Hélion and Anne Beaugée amused themselves with the French idiomatic expressions that took form in 40 photographies. The spectators do not have the title of the works in order that they guess which is the illustrated expression: this is an interactive game. Like, “have a cat in the throat” whose English equivalent would be something like « have a lump in the throat ». What a great idea ! The photo study also has a student touch, since they worked at home with their flatmates: they divided the room in two, one part for a “study” and the other in a dinning room ; they invited some friends to pose and to create a colloquial atmosphere.

Feist Camille’s short film is also one of the outstanding works. It tells the story of Naomi, a girl made of modeling clay that is pregnant but she does not know who the father is. She also took the resources at her disposal: the voice of her friends, she composed the music and more… The students thet were selected last year and were selected by the jury received a € 1,000 prize and a statue in the categories of music, visual arts, spectacle and short movies. Since its inception in 2004, the festival have presented nearly 500 creations that have been seen by 80,000 spectators.

Come to discover the projects of “Ici et Demain” – here and tomorrow – and rent Apartments in Paris, you will have a cheap and enjoyable stay.

The human body is always in the process of constant biological adaptation to the changes that his impact causes to the environment around him. A small portion of the wealthy population refuses to accept these changes as innate, the so-called “biological creatures”. These beings, which also happen to be human, can easily be recognized by their outfits and the constant zigzags across the supermarket aisles devoted to reading labels (where the small print is).

This generation was born out of the concern for diseases that have now invaded our world: cancer, degenerative diseases, etc … They thought they could return us to a previous state, a state in which the livelihoods, food and other products were not protected, preserved, or partially created with chemicals. It never ceases to be a utopian idea, as generation after generation have been fed in a very particular way, and have been exposed to a specific environment, that could not cease to genetically modify their organisms, therefore these diseases do not require an external cause to develop.

This small group of beings coexists with what would become, most of them anyhow, human beings who only read blogs, newspapers, magazines, etc … This makes for some more habitual readings, in more common places than a supermarket. These consumers are driven by the inertia of their own species, they eat what they want to eat when they please, and afterwards, they go to the bathroom. Their existence is pure and simple. It might seem that such people live a happier life, maybe they do, but less conscious.

Although the barrier that divides them seems unassailable, it really is not. That often happens that when there is disease, no matter if it is more or less serious. One of the less severe would be Candidiasis. This is a disease that occurs in the stomach and has several symptoms, but the only solution is to follow a strict and gruelling diet that would be aimed at purifying the organism.

It is strange to think that since the human body is constantly in flux, there are biological beings that refuse to evolve. And because of that they will soon be the ones who suffer more illnesses than the “gifted” bodies of those who are unconsciously adapted as they have developed resistance through consuming transgenic foods. In this way their bodies will not react adversely to these chemicals, but they will be incorporated as a part of their own genetic constitution, becoming then, transgenic beings.

Whether you are transgenic or not, come to Paris and enjoy the food whether you eat in fine restaurants, you are a fast food lover or you opt for a more conscious option in supermarkets, organic shops or restaurants. Do not think about it and rent Apartments in Paris to enjoy the food that you like.

Tavi who? She is the new muse of the Rodarte fashion label. She appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue, wrote a column for Pop Magazine, and got front row seats for the New York Fashion week. Even Japan goes crazy for her, as she was the guest of honour at the last Comme des Garçons party. She is the star of the fashion industry: her name is Tavi Gevinson, and she is 13 years old.

Tavi started her fashion blog, style rookie, when she was only 11 years old. Now, two years later, she has more then 1 million hits a month. Fashion journalists envy her: at the Dior Show in Paris last month, Tavi (who appeared with a big pink bow) was seated on the first row while the director of Grazia UK had to sit behind her and twittered ‘At Dior. Not best pleased to be watching couture through 13 year old Tavi’s pesky hat”. Now that’s a clear statement. Anyone can write about fashion. Anyone can predict trends for the coming season. So what is so special about this kid?

Fashion is art. But not all art is fashion. Tavi has a unique sense of style, adores the nineties and buys most of her clothes at the Salvation Army. She is more self-confident then you and I together. She doesn’t pretend to know it all, but just observes and tells us her likes and dislikes in a sassy, witty way. Her blog reads like a diary, she posts photos of herself wearing extraordinary outfits and speaks her mind. Yet some people think she is just strange and weird. But that doesn’t bother her at all. She says: “This refusal of others to try and understand why somebody dresses a certain way just makes me want to dress more obnoxiously.” She has been nominated for the Ultimate Style Game Changer Award 2010.

Ever since the Dior show, there has been a wave of criticism pouring over Tavi. She has been accused of accepting free gifts from stores, designers and company’s and in return writing about it on her blog (which is free advertising for them of course). Elle magazine doesn’t believe Tavi writes the blog herself, calling it a little ‘gimmicky’. However, Tavi is smart enough to know that is it impossible to please everyone: what matters to her is to keep her own opinion valued and pure, regardless of what other people say or think.

Man is a herd animal. We go with the flow, are afraid of standing out and being rejected by others. Be like Tavi, don’t be afraid to create your own style and dare to be different! Stroll around the vintage shops in Paris, visit the flea markets and be inspired. Rent apartments in Paris and dress like a real Parisienne.

A mere €74,3 million ($104,3 million) is the value of the L’homme qui marche 1, an emblematic sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, converted since February, in the most expensive artwork ever auctioned. In 2004, a painting by Pablo Picasso, The Boy with a Pipe (The Young Apprentice), set a world record, with a price of $ 104.2 million.

In just over eight minutes, ten people tried to buy the piece of bronze of 183cm, which was finally acquired by an anonymous bidder. He was not present in the auction room, but was represented by an art expert. Some say he must be a billionaire from the Middle East or a Russian oligarch.

L’homme qui marche 1 (The man walking) was created in 1961 by the famous Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), a sculptor of great importance in the history of modern art. A famous photograph of the Frenchman Henri Cartier-Bresson shows Giacometti in his studio walking beside this work in the same curved position.

Some of the most expensive artwork in the world are Green Car Crash by Andy Warhol ($ 71, 7 million), The Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Van Gogh ($ 82, 5 million) or The Massacre of the Innocents by Paul Rubens ($ 76.7 million).

If you want to look at fantastic pieces of art, a trip to Paris is the best alternative, as you will find incredible museums such as the Orsay, Le Louvre, the Pompidou, the Rodin… With little money, find the perfect accommodation and rent Apartments in Paris.