Americans France

Twenty-five years ago, Tony Clarke hopped a plane bound for Paris with a one-way ticket, $40 in his pocket and romantic visions of a colorblind French society. Like many African-Americans, he had come to seek his fortune in this European mecca that "Native Son" author Richard Wright had ecstatically described as "a place where your color is the least important thing about you."

It was only a matter of time after the arrest in New York of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges before the America-bashing would begin in France. On day one, the scandal involving the International Monetary Fund chief and a hotel maid brought shock and stupefaction. Day two, shame and self-pity. By day three, France was looking for a messenger to shoot, someone to blame for the likely political loss of the Socialist Party leader many believed would be the next president.

When the blockbuster European television soap opera "Riviera" debuted last week in France, it had a decidedly American feel to it. The setting was on the French Riviera in the lavish digs of a French perfume dynasty. One of the studio sets was a full-size reproduction of a typical cafe in Provence, complete with espresso machines and zinc bar. But the plot, pacing and dialogue could have been lifted directly from an episode of "Dallas" or "Santa Barbara," the two long-running U.S.

French government dignitaries on Monday will honor 103-year-old Ralph Latson of Stanton, one of 40 remaining veterans in the state who served in World War I. Latson will receive the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor France grants to national and foreign citizens.

French government dignitaries on Monday will honor 103-year-old Ralph Latson of Stanton, one of 40 remaining veterans in the state who served in World War I. Latson will receive the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor France grants to national and foreign citizens.

A French court agreed Thursday to extradite an American to California, where he is to stand trial on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend and abandoning their toddler on a deserted street. James Nivette's lawyer, Dominique Bergmann, said he would appeal the decision of the court in Colmar in eastern France, where Nivette fled late last year.

Two World War I veterans will receive France's highest honor, the Legion of Honor, Wednesday at the French consul general's home in Beverly Hills. The two recipients are Albert Willard, 101, of Sherman Oaks and Fred Roberts, 102, of Temple City, said Yo-Jung Chen, vice consul at the French Consulate in Westwood. The men are being recognized for their service in France during World War I and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of that war.

Flag-waving NBC Sports just doesn't get it. Its jingoistic coverage of the French Open--one of four Grand Slam events on the professional tennis circuit--is for the America-first crowd. It's also for people who don't like tennis. Yes, the French love their Yannick Noah, the Germans their Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. And Andres Gomez is probably idolized in Ecuador.

One sign of the improving mood in Franco-American relations came recently when American Robert J. Fitzpatrick, president of the new Euro Disneyland under construction outside Paris, went to the Elysee Palace office of a senior French official to arrange a meeting with President Francois Mitterrand. Fitzpatrick, former president of the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, was not sure how the meeting would go.

Two World War I veterans will receive France's highest honor, the Legion of Honor, Wednesday at the French consul general's home in Beverly Hills. The two recipients are Albert Willard, 101, of Sherman Oaks and Fred Roberts, 102, of Temple City, said Yo-Jung Chen, vice consul at the French Consulate in Westwood. The men are being recognized for their service in France during World War I and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of that war.

A French court agreed Thursday to extradite an American to California, where he is to stand trial on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend and abandoning their toddler on a deserted street. James Nivette's lawyer, Dominique Bergmann, said he would appeal the decision of the court in Colmar in eastern France, where Nivette fled late last year.

Since 1993, the British writer with the salt-and-pepper goatee had lived in a converted windmill in a village of southern France with his strawberry-blond Swedish wife. On a June day before sunrise, heavily armed police moved in and arrested him as he lay naked in bed. He claimed that it was a case of mistaken identity.

The first time they met, Rudolph Augarten came floating down from the sky onto Robert Souty's orchards in Normandy, France, in 1944. The meeting wasn't by choice. The Germans had shot down Augarten's P-47 Thunderbolt fighter. Even though the Nazis occupied their village, Souty's family hid the American pilot for three weeks. Then Augarten walked the 14 miles back to the Allied lines, but not before he was captured by the Germans and escaped.

It has been almost 80 years since the soldiers of America's celebrated Rainbow Division departed Neuviller les Badonviller, leaving behind a tiny, war-scarred village where grateful residents still recount their heroics on the battlefields of northern France. Now, the legends have come to life, in the form of U.S. Army Lt.--retired--Paul Jarrett.

Twenty-five years ago, Tony Clarke hopped a plane bound for Paris with a one-way ticket, $40 in his pocket and romantic visions of a colorblind French society. Like many African-Americans, he had come to seek his fortune in this European mecca that "Native Son" author Richard Wright had ecstatically described as "a place where your color is the least important thing about you."

A famous old hotel and restaurant in northwestern Burgundy, built around a 1707-vintage stagecoach stop. A three-star rating from the Guide Michelin, and many years of glory in the firmament of French gastronomy. Then a proprietor growing old and losing interest. A daughter taking over, making mistakes, firing chefs. A long, slow, sad slide into mediocrity, with two stars lost along the way.

It has been almost 80 years since the soldiers of America's celebrated Rainbow Division departed Neuviller les Badonviller, leaving behind a tiny, war-scarred village where grateful residents still recount their heroics on the battlefields of northern France. Now, the legends have come to life, in the form of U.S. Army Lt.--retired--Paul Jarrett.

His team had not only fallen behind, it had fallen into a pit of self-pity. Of the two, the emotional sleepwalk was by far the more worrisome for U.S. Olympic hockey Coach Dave Peterson Tuesday. So when he addressed his team after the first period of its quarterfinal playoff game against France, he made it clear he would not accept the flat effort his players had expended in the first 20 minutes at the Olympic Arena. They were trailing, 1-0, at the time. They ended up winning, 4-1.

When the blockbuster European television soap opera "Riviera" debuted last week in France, it had a decidedly American feel to it. The setting was on the French Riviera in the lavish digs of a French perfume dynasty. One of the studio sets was a full-size reproduction of a typical cafe in Provence, complete with espresso machines and zinc bar. But the plot, pacing and dialogue could have been lifted directly from an episode of "Dallas" or "Santa Barbara," the two long-running U.S.