From Paris With Love

Thursday, June 18, 2015

SUPPORT THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF PETS! :D

"Doctor, can you up your usual one X-ray to a 3 X-ray minimum..."

Can you imagine that?

Some pencil neck, bean counting, corporate waste bucket walking up to a doctor of Veterinary medicine and actually asking that she participate in an X-ray quota for her beloved little patients?

Well that is the story Dr. Gia tells.

She was shocked, revolted and enraged.

She immediately quit that establishment and is now applying for a grant to help bootstrap her own Veterinary Care Center "Green Paws" in La Grange, IL.

Help her get the grant with a Facebook vote here or click the photo above.

A vote for her and her colleagues is a vote against corporate conglomerates that participate in unethical treatment of our pets for profit.

This post is to help raise awareness for pet owners from Chicago to Paris and around the world but also I am writing because Dr. Gia isn't just any Veterinarian; she's my sister.

I know how she thinks and feels. I know intimately how stunned and completely infuriated she was when this request was made of her.

She thought it was unfathomable that a corporate board, much less any human being could even imagine they could direct a doctor to participate in an activity which could be deemed harmful to her patients for profit or any other reason.

So through her story I think we all need to understand that no matter where we are in the world, this type of mindset can exist.

Once again you can help Dr. Gia with a Facebook vote here.

DOWN WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT!!!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS AND ALL LOVERS OF ANIMALS!!! :)

Thanks again,

Dr. Gia's brother

Friday, June 12, 2015

Learn French On YouTube - FrenchPod101.com

As sweet as French pastry and as crisp as a morning tartine this French language series on YouTube is outstanding.

The lessons are slick yet comfortable, emersion oriented but best of all they are free.

It's very well put together. It challenges the viewer to just jump in which is great.

Because as an Anglophone, I have to be honest. I don't know what's worse; not knowing French at all or knowing just enough.

When you get to the point where you can recognise a few words and phrases, the French native speaker can sound like a burnt marshmallow machine gun going off.

Every word you actually understand is followed by a barrage of mushy vowels accented by shards of crusty consonants.

Then try to marry all that to the actual written word and you are in for a real challenge to 'vivre heureux pour toujours.'

So my recommendation with the following video is to play it without looking at the screen; sound only. Then play it again while looking at the screen.

Do that 3 times and if you've understood what you've heard by the third time, I 'd say 'Bravo'!!

That's 18 minutes well spent.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Brangelina Flies Coach With The Kids On Air France - Publicity Stunt Or Keeping It Real?

Why would two of the world's most famous people pass on a private jet, ditch first class, round up all six kids and then pack the whole family into economy class for the hour and a half plane ride from Paris to Nice?

I mean, isn't that the point of being rich and famous so you don't have to bother with this kind of thing?

Are they that light in the pocket book?

Do they really need the free publicity?

Is Angelina Jolie attempting to make former Pitt gal pal Jennifer Aniston completely lose her freaking mind? lol...

Or are they showing us that they, the great Silver Screen Stars that they are, can actually mingle amongst the commoners and the unwashed masses?

That would be nauseating.

No, I think the true motive can be found in the last paragraph of a People magazine article here.

The last paragraph reads,

"The actor, meanwhile, is also headed to ... Netflix!

Pitt is set to star in the lead role in the streaming platform's upcoming comedy War Machine, which premieres in 2016.

"We are so excited to be a part of the inspiring commitment by Netflix to produce cutting-edge content and to deliver it to a global audience," the actor said in a statement."

It's a fact. The Movie business is in downward spiral. It began with Cinemax and HBO. But the real paradigm shift came with Netflix, Hulu and now Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Any actor making the jump from Hollywoodland to Video on Demandland, where you can 'binge watch' in an orgy of episodic decadence to your hearts content, has to tread lightly.

Well done PR person...

I bet you flew First Class!

Related articles

Sunday, June 7, 2015

CHEAP SIGMA BRUSH MAT DUPES FOR UNDER $8!!! (Uh...what's a Sigma Brush Mat?)

Parc Monceau

I never in a million years would have thought that French Tonal Impressionism and Women's Makeup would ever intersect in any way, shape or form.

Impossible.

But I must humbly admit eyeshadow consultant Zabrena has proven me wrong, big time.

I am an accomplished French Tonal Impressionist painter. It's a passion of mine.

So much so I found it hard to sell my paintings at first. lol...

What's French Tonal Impressionism? That's a long subject for another blog.

The point is when it comes to my brushes, I'm a bit of a nut. I once spent 25 dollars on a single paint brush! :O

I love to go to an art store and handle all the different shapes and sizes and see how they move by pressing them against my palm.

And when it comes to cleaning I have no problem spending an hour working the brushes till they are spotless which is not so easy when you are using oil based paints. You need to use lots of hot water to get far into the bristles.

Then somehow I came across My Eyeshadow Consultant Zabrena. OMG! She's is as passionate about women's makeup as I am about painting and as accomplished as well.

In one of her vids she actually talks about using a complementary color to tone down another color that is too bright.

Zabrena! You're freaking me out!!!

And in this video she really blew my away! She is using all these great cheap ideas to clean make up brushes.

And the oven mit is exactly the solution I've been looking for to clean my brushes for all these years.

So for all the Makeup lovers or brush junky Artists like myself out there, this video is for you! :D

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Paul McCartney- Stade de France, Paris June 11, 2015

I grew up listening to Paul McCartney and Wings.

I still think 'Live and Let Die' is the best James Bond theme song of all time.

Paul has a knack for layering simple lyrics over a basic chord structure and then welding them together with an amazing bass line.

It was such a tragedy in 1998 when he lost his wife Linda only 56 years old to cancer.

Glad to see his still 'Out There' this many years later.

Below is a full length version of a Wings Rock Show from back in the day. So for any fans out there open the window, crank it up, then let the spring air and childhood memories fill the room.

Cause we know with Paul on tour it's a comforting sight, to see that Venus and Mars is alright tonight... :D

Paul McCartney – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards
Linda McCartney – vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano
Jimmy McCulloch – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Joe English – vocals, drums, percussion