Her real name is Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old from Bristol, with pleasant appearance, easily imagining her drinking a cup of tea in her home, near to chimney, planting petunias in her garden or knitting a cardigan for her grandson.

But, fortunately, appearances can be deceptive, and this old lady has become an international DJ sensation, in demand in clubs throughout Europe, especially in France. Certainly, Laurent Garnier, Jeff Mills or Carl Cox must be shaking right now. These prestigious DJ’s have to compete now with a tough rival: Mamy Rock, Miss Flower’s alter-ego. With spiky silver hair and scarlet lipstick, gold bomber jacket, baggy tracksuit bottoms, bling jewellery, and trademark giant black sunglasses, Flowers plays down the new-found fame of her twilight years.

From church choir to DJ deck
Obviously, Ruth Flowers is not an average DJ. Coming up to her 70th birthday, she is a professional singer, but her musical tastes –until now- were more the type of church songs, German melodies and classical pop.
It all began in her grandson’s birthday party. She enjoyed so much with dance music that she decided right there to turn into DJ. Her grandson put her in touch with a French producer, who helped her develop her sound, image and her own style, packed with songs of ABBA, The Rolling Stones and Queen, her favourite band.

“I like to mix the old and the new, so I might put electro alongside an old favourite like the Rolling Stones,” she said, before donning her diamond-encrusted headphones and starting her set. Wherever she plays, the crowd below goes mad and hurl themselves around to the throbbing bass, intermittently yelling their approval.

By now, Ruth has not intention of retiring, so I advise you to look up musical events in Parisian clubs, in order to find Mamy Rock behind the decks, playing her set and making you to dance all night long. And when you say stop and you can only think about your warm bed, I hope you choose one of many you can find on Apartments in Paris, the best way to stay in the city.

Unbelievable but true! The French first lady is not only a model and a singer, but now wants to be the focus of the camera of our beloved filmmaker Woody Allen. Sarkozy is going to be so happy to be the partner of a multidisciplinary artist’s career! This news may cause many French people to faint because they don’t like to boast too much of their presidential couple. So we have two obvious questions: ‘What do the French think?’ and ‘What led the talented Woody Allen to choose Carla Bruni as his new muse when there are plenty of good actresses available?

The talents of Carla

Carla is not an actress! Her talents – which everybody evaluates with their own scale of values, are: hunting the man, playing the guitar and singing, posing naked and parading on the fashion catwalks. Well, she also has a tremendous capacity of greeting the Queen of England.

In fact, Carla admits that she does not have talent as an actress, but she does not care. She states that she can not miss such a great occasion. She accepted a role, but she does not know which. The truth is that until now she continues playing her role as “Carla”… Some say that she would be a great heroine of a femme fatale, but wildly glamorous and inaccessible. Woody says she can play any role thanks to her charisma and her facility to expose herself to the public. Surprise!

Is Woody blind or very clever?

In the press you can read that the filmmaker is interested in Carla for purely economical and administrative reasons: by approaching the presidential couple Woody might be looking to avoid the enormous taxes that the American filmmakers have to pay when they shoot in France. Filming will begin in the French capital this summer 2010…

The French must be more than disappointed, especially those who appreciate the director’s filmography (“Match Point”, “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”, “Whatever Works”…), which usually features radiant blonde stars like Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton or Scarlett Johansson. Woody and Carla may surprise us!

Well, Woody is right when he says that Paris is a very inspiring and magical city, full of beautiful women! You can also discover the immortal charms of the French capital and the best bet is to rent Apartments in Paris: they are cheap and comfortable, all you’ll need after a long day of tourism.

Every day our friends the hormones reveal us astonishing discoveries. Women release three chemicals substances called dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressin both when falling in love, as when taking a dose of cocaine. Feelings and drugs have the same euphoric and relaxing effect and, above all, they promote physical and emotional stimulation. Pleasure has many origins and forms!

When you say that you need love, or that you miss your partner, it seems that you are expressing the same desire as you would if you needed drugs. Both want an immediate dose of satisfaction caused by the hormones that are activated under the influence of cocaine or by loving someone. While you look at your partner’s eyes, you hug him/her or you have sex with him/her, the oxytocin is spinning in all your blood.

The chemistry of love

Following a study by psychologist Arthur Aron from the New York University, we know that by just looking at your partner’s photo, your blood fills up with dopamine: the same hormone that is produced when we eat chocolate, have sex or take drugs. It is also said that the real infatuation is recognized when we release phenylethylamine (an organic compound from the same family as amphetamines) in the brain.

Will love then be reduced to a simple chemical process? The hormones seem to have the answer to everything! And when the flame of passion turns off, is it because there are no hormones? No, but because your body gets used to the substances, as can become accustomed to a certain dose of drug, which over time is not enough to overcome its lack. This is when the relationship becomes more quiet, which means that both partners have to work harder in the relationship…

Paris will offer the most concentrated dose of pleasure that you’ve ever met. The scientists noted: sharing good things conducts to the happiness, enhances the immunity and makes relationships last longer. A stay with your partner in the French capital may be the healthy and surprisingly economical choice, especially if you rent Apartments in Paris.

Some people think that AIDS is a practically extinct disease that only concerns the Third World countries. Unfortunately, this is a reality that lives much closer to us than we think, maybe just around the corner. In fact, the worldwide AIDS registered cases are just the tip of the iceberg, but is estimated that about 33.4 million people are infected with HIV (according to WHO data). But there is something even more disheartening: one in three infected people with the virus in the Western countries do not know they suffer it and cause more than 60% of new infections.

With these precedents, any precaution measure, policy or campaign is more than necessary, especially to raise awareness among the young people. HIV is transmitted through certain body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. Therefore it is very important that the youth be aware of the importance of condom use.

For this reason Aids, the first French association fighting against AIDS, has launched a new advertisement called Protégez-vous to prevent young people from having sexual relations without precaution. The explicit and funny ad, where an animated penis tries to have sex with multiple vaginas that don’t allow it to do anything without protection, has revolutionized the Internet. The spot has already accumulated nearly 4 million views on Youtube.

But this is not the only video that the Aids association has launched. In fact, it has created an exhibition where a number of designers have done some animated shorts with the same purpose. Many of them are loaded with a strong erotic content, but all seek the same goal: to combat this terrible disease. Behind many of these campaigns a great polemic has arisen on the part of the church because it does not agree with the use of the preservative. Many NGOs and other organizations have put the outcry against the church’s position (against the use of condoms), incredible!

Discover the new campaign against AIDS in the French capital. There, besides the best art and culture, you will learn a great lesson of solidarity and awareness to prevent the disease from spreading. Take a look at the Protégez-vous project while you enjoy the best of the city of lights. And to find the best accommodation, rent apartments in Paris. With the saved money you can make a generous donation for the fight against AIDS

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?