best of cafebabel.com

INTERVIEW best of cafebabel.com : Sunday in Paris with Chopin and Steve Villa-Massone, street pianist

Sunday in Paris with Chopin and Steve Villa-Massone, street pianist

After trailing the streets of Europe with his piano - literally carrying it around - for ten years, the dedicated French pianist and composer from Nice is now bringing smiles to Parisian passers-by. We tag along with him in the streets of the French capital  - the more of us around to push this heavy instrument, the better

by Cristina Cartes @ // 08/02/12

best of cafebabel.com, paris, brunch, crise financière, poland, music, europe

VOX POP best of cafebabel.com : Birthday gift ideas for Maastricht treaty, 20 years today

Birthday gift ideas for Maastricht treaty, 20 years today

The Maastricht treaty, signed on 7 February 1992, came into force in November 1993, when most of cafebabel.com's editorial team were children. The treaty heralded both the creation of the European union, formerly the 'European economic community', and the euro as a single currency. Two decades on, it’s attracting the wrath of crisis-struck Europeans

by Alexandra Rojkov @ , Jacopo Franchi @ , Katha Kloss @ , Annie Rutherford @ , Agata Jaskot @ , Cristina Cartes @ // 07/02/12

best of cafebabel.com, european economic community, maastricht, lisbon treaty, anniversary, european union, politics

FOCUS best of cafebabel.com : Italian spritz aperol: the future’s orange

Italian spritz aperol: the future’s orange

The Italian-born spritz aperol has gained official international recognition, being classed as a ‘new drink’ by the international bartenders’ association. We took this as an excuse to try out the sparkling brew, which the Italians will tell us is anything but new

by Jacopo Franchi @ // 03/02/12

best of cafebabel.com, paris, wine, united states, society, aperitif, beverages

FEATURE best of cafebabel.com : Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes

Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes

With its roof looking like a waving Polish flag, the national stadium became the newest addition to the Polish capital's fantastic skyline on 29 January. It opened seven months later than planned on the historic banks of the Vistula river but still in time for the 2012 European football championships this summer

by Johanna Meyer-Gohde @ // 01/02/12

best of cafebabel.com, football, solidarnosc, poland, travel, society, city planning

Gallery

Image : Name the contemporary Chinese star (10 images)

Name the contemporary Chinese star (10 images)

Gallery

Image : Beheading buildings and burghers in Vilnius (15 images)

Beheading buildings and burghers in Vilnius (15 images)

INVESTIGATION best of cafebabel.com : Nightlife in Vilnius: ethnic minority benders

Nightlife in Vilnius: ethnic minority benders

6.7% Polish, 6.3% Russian, 1.2% Belarusian, 0.7% Ukrainian, 0.1% Yiddish, 0.09% Tartar…approximately 115 communities of ethnic minorities were listed in this vein in a 2001 census in Lithuania. How integrated are these groups in local society? One way of finding out is by hitting the tiles

by Cristina Cartes @ // 05/01/12

best of cafebabel.com, integration, union of soviet socialist republic, multikulti on the ground, discrimination, lithuania, vilnius

PRESS REVIEW best of cafebabel.com : Pesetas, liras, franks and drachmas: euro is living on borrowed time

Pesetas, liras, franks and drachmas: euro is living on borrowed time

Multiple defaults, a return to the lira, pesetas and francs, the break-up of the monetary union and Europe comes crashing down. Sounds like an endless chain of unreal events? Perhaps not: the end of the common currency is no longer a taboo for European press and economists

by Nicola Accardo @ // 04/01/12

best of cafebabel.com, italy, germany, euro, economy, economical crisis, euweek

OPINION best of cafebabel.com : University of Love questionnaire for EU

University of Love questionnaire for EU

The prevailing lovelessness on the old continent might cost the good old European Union dearly. That’s why the last days of the year seem like a good time to sign up for a seminar at a real-life university of love  

by Katharina Kloss @ // 21/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, love, europe, society

Gallery

Image : What’s your favourite children’s book? (10 images)

What’s your favourite children’s book? (10 images)

OPINION best of cafebabel.com : 2011: God Bless Relativised Europe

2011: God Bless Relativised Europe

'Happy' was our EU in 2011 – not ‘blissful’, in accordance with the Danish bible society's dumbed down translations of its revised new testament, released this year. The EU is still about ‘unity in diversity’, its guiding motto, but has also become about unity in losing faith

by Nabeelah Shabbir @ // 21/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, divorce, geert wilders, madrid, tony blair, egypt, catherine ashton

FEATURE best of cafebabel.com : My beautiful camp: Italy's Roma success stories

My beautiful camp: Italy's Roma success stories

Between a Roma camp claiming to be an example of social integration and a laundrette which is a supposed symbol of multiculturalism, profound problems linger at the heart of Rome’s gypsy communities

by Matthieu Amaré @ // 21/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, italy, racism, bosnia and herzegovina, association, multikulti on the ground, discrimination

PANORAMA best of cafebabel.com : Hope in 2011: Tahrir and Puerta del Sol utopias

Hope in 2011: Tahrir and Puerta del Sol utopias

This time it’s for real. Bad luck for Greece. Thomas has made up his mind: he’s leaving tonight. He climbs into the boat – and goodbye. Between Thomas More’s Utopia and Charles Fourier’s concept of the phalanstery, a literary look back at 2011

by Matthieu Amaré @ // 20/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, madrid, egypt, arab spring, jasmine revolution, 'indignant citizens' movement, egypt

INTERVIEW best of cafebabel.com : Voina: 'As a Russian activist, I'm not sure that I will live long'

Voina: 'As a Russian activist, I'm not sure that I will live long'

With organisers saying that almost 100, 000 people protested in Russia's biggest anti-governmental rally on 10 December - accusing the kremlin of 'fraud' in 4 December parliamentary elections - we hear from the Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' in part two of an exclusive interview, where they describe their role in this Russia

by Annie Rutherford @ // 12/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, protest, russian federation, media, ideology, elections, voina

PORTRAIT best of cafebabel.com : Hipster director, Quebecer, who cares? Welcome to Xavier Dolan's world

Hipster director, Quebecer, who cares? Welcome to Xavier Dolan's world

European cinema nourishes a certain ignorance towards the seventh art, cinema - particularly when this cinema comes from Canada. One director is in the process of taking all philistines of Canadian cinema down a peg at the age of 22

by Matthieu Amaré @ , Laure Magnier @ // 09/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, cinema, homosexuality, quebec, canada, culture, mélanie laurent

ANALYSIS best of cafebabel.com : Is Poland Europe’s El Dorado?

Is Poland Europe’s El Dorado?

In less than two decades the current holder of the EU council presidency has gone from being communist to the sixth biggest economic power in the EU. Poland was also the only country to not suffer from the recession. Experts say this is the country’s golden era; a Polish expat and student share their views

by Silvia Diez Ginestar @ // 09/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, economic growth, jobs, euro, poland, europe, economy

PANORAMA best of cafebabel.com : Sexist grammar: the French and German cases

Sexist grammar: the French and German cases

Poor adjectives need take their husband's name no more. Sort of. Whilst one French association has attacked a centuries-old 'oversight', the Germans (or at least their moderate feminists) have taken plural forms to task. In all, the debate succeeds in desexualising our common language

by Julia Korbik @ // 06/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, feminism, germany, men and women, languages, society, language

INTERVIEW best of cafebabel.com : Russian art collective Voina: 'Zhlobs are in power in today's Russia'

Russian art collective Voina: 'Zhlobs are in power in today's Russia'

The Moscow-based self-styled 'street art gang' formed in 2005. Its four main members consist of president Leonid Nikolaev - who was arrested at an 'election fraud protest rally' on 5 December - ideologist Oleg Vorotnikov, coordinator Natalia Sokol and her son and Voina's youngest activist, two-year-old Kasper Can't-Take-Our-Eyes-Off-Him Sokol. Part one of an exclusive interview marks their brief history

by Annie Rutherford @ // 05/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, university, moscow, protest, culture, russian federation, society

OPINION best of cafebabel.com : Reforms and Russians: mapping young people’s stalled futures

Reforms and Russians: mapping young people’s stalled futures

On 27 November Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin officially became a presidential candidate for 2012 elections in Russia. Whilst official surveys praise Papa Putin for what he has done for the country, where do the living conditions of young Russians count in the statistics?

by cafebabel.pl @ // 02/12/11

best of cafebabel.com, russian federation, vladimir putin, society, politics

DEBATE best of cafebabel.com : GPS: taking directions from a woman

GPS: taking directions from a woman

Most satellite navigation devices predominantly use female voices – and German BMW drivers can’t cope with them. Is this sexism or science fiction?

by Julia Korbik @ // 23/11/11

best of cafebabel.com, feminism, germany, gps, techno-media, men and women, consumers

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We are recruting for Orient Express!

Journalists! Photographers!  Recruiting 'Orient Express Reporters' for 8 Balkan capitals From cities and the crisis to the Balkans. After five successful years reporting monthly from Europe in the framework of our 'on the ground' all-expenses paid editorial project, cafebabel.com is happy to announce we will continue to send five ...

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Cafebabel.com 2009 Top ten articles

It's time to look back at the top ten of cafebabel.com articles published in 2009. 1. David Cerny: ‘president Klaus is a d**k’ by Natalia Sosin 2. Benedict XVI, stuck in the Middle Ages? by Mattia Bergamini 3. Take back your Portuguese worker: how racist is Europe ...

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Cafebabel.com 2008 Top ten articles

We are proud to publish the top ten of cafebabel.com articles published in 2008 1. The financial crisis 2008 explained by Dave Keating 2. ‘British and French tourists behave badly’ by Benjamin Lasry 3. At last, masturbation! by Aurélien Le Genissel 4. Buda-sex’ and the Hungarian porn industry by ...

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