FEBRUARY 2010 Some of the months' highlights include:

INFORMATIONS CONSULAIRES

BOURSES SCOLAIRES Les dossiers de bourses pour l’année scolaire 2010-2011 doivent être déposés auprès du Consulat général de France à Chicago entre le 1er février 2010 et le 1er mars 2010, cachet de la poste faisant foi. Aucun dossier ne sera accepté après cette date pour les élèves relevant de la première campagne boursière. Pour en savoir plus.

PRISE EN CHARGE DES LYCEENS FRANCAIS Pour l’année scolaire 2010/2011, les dossiers doivent être déposés auprès du Lycée français de Chicago et transmis au Consulat général au plus tard le 1er mars 2010. Passé ce délai, aucun dossier ne sera instruit pour les familles qui résident dans la circonscription avant le 1er janvier 2010. Pour en savoir plus.

HORAIRES D'OUVERTURE DU CONSULAT ET JOURS FERIES 2010 A compter du 1er novembre 2009, le Consulat général de France étend ses horaires d’ouverture au public en ouvrant tous les vendredis dès huit heures. Ce nouveau dispositif vise à améliorer la qualité des services rendus aux usagers en permettant à certains d’entre eux de venir au consulat avant leur journée de travail. Pour en savoir plus.

INFORMATIONS SUR LA GRIPPE A/H1N1 Situation aux Etats-Unis - Modes de transmission - Symptômes de la grippe A/H1N1 - Que faire en cas de suspicion de grippe ? - Précautions à prendre - Traitement spécifique de la grippe A/H1N1 - Mise au point sur la vaccination contre la grippe A/H1N1. En savoir plus.

Plus d'informations en page Infos consulaires ou sur www.consulfrance-chicago.org

A SIGNALER EN FEVRIER Monsieur Marc BILLON, Conseiller à l’Assemblée des Français de l’Etranger, assurera une permanence le samedi 20 février 2010 de 14h à 16h30 dans les locaux de l’Alliance Française de Chicago où il se tiendra à la disposition des Français qui souhaiteraient le rencontrer. A noter que la permanence suivante de Marc BILLON se tiendra le samedi 27 mars 2010 de 14h à 17h à Cincinnati (lieu communiqué ultérieurement). Téléchargez la lettre d’information de votre Conseiller AFE sur http://marcbillon.com (rubrique téléchargements).

ACTUALITES / NEWS

AFGHANISTAN Conférence internationale de Londres sur l’Afghanistan/London International Conference on Afghanistan ● Entretien de Bernard Kouchner avec le quotidien "Le Figaro" : "Pourquoi nous restons en Afghanistan". Le 1er février 2010. ● Interview given by Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, to the “Le Figaro” newspaper on February 1, 2010. ● France’s global effort in Afghanistan (English only). ● French military presence in Afghanistan (English only).

ECONOMIE / ECONOMY ©Service photo Elysée P.Segrette. Tous droits réservés. ● Speech by M.Nicolas SARKOZY President of the French Republic at Davos Davos - Wednesday, January 27, 2010 ● 40ème Forum économique mondial - Discours du Président de la République - Davos - Mercredi 27 janvier 2010. ●Introduction de la Conférence sur le déficit - Palais de l’Élysée - Jeudi 28 janvier 2010 ● Conclusion de la première session de la Conférence sur le déficit - Palais de l’Élysée - Jeudi 28 janvier 2010.

DIPLOMATIE / DIPLOMACY DEPLACEMENT A PARIS DE LA SECRETAIRE D'ETAT AMERICAINE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. ● "À Paris, Hillary Clinton réaffirme l'intérêt américain pour la sécurité européenne" - En savoir plus sur France24. Photo : Entretien de M. le Président de la République avec Mme Hillary RODHAM CLINTON, Secrétaire d’Etat des États-Unis. ©Service photo Elysée - P.Segrette. Tous droits réservés. VISIT TO PARIS OF SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON ● Remarks With French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner;  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Paris, France - 01/29/10  ●  Remarks on the Future of European Security:  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; L'Ecole Militaire; Paris, France - 01/29/10 ●  The Secretary of State's Speech on European Security; Office of the Spokesman; Washington, DC - 01/29/10. ● Discours de Nicolas Sarkozy à l'occasion des vœux au Corps diplomatique étranger - Palais de l’Élysée - Vendredi 22 Janvier 2010. ● New Year’s Greetings to the Foreign Diplomatic Corps - Elysée Palace - January 22, 2010.

7EME JOURNEE FRANCO-ALLEMANDE LE 22 JANVIER 2010 Depuis 47 ans, la France et l’Allemagne entretiennent une relation unique en son genre. Les deux pays ont su transformer leurs affrontements passés en moteur de la paix sur le continent européen. Ils entretiennent des échanges d’ampleur inédite. Leur relation tranche par sa diversité et son ancrage dans la vie quotidienne des peuples. En savoir plus.

DEBAT SUR L'IDENTITE NATIONALE Le gouvernement a engagé, du 2 novembre dernier au 31 janvier 2010 un débat sur l'identité nationale. Le débat se clôturera le 4 février 2010 par un colloque sur l’identité nationale, au cours duquel le Ministre présentera la synthèse des travaux. www.debatidentitenationale.fr

DOSSIER / SPECIAL

SPECIAL HAITI DERNIERES NOUVELLES SUR L’AIDE FRANCAISE / LATESTS UPDATES ON FRENCH EFFORT Ambassador of France Pierre Vimont talks about France’s response to the earthquake in Haiti. He responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Watch the video - C-SPAN Washington Journal, Jan. 20, 2010. Déclarations, mesures d'urgence...cliquez ici / Statements, updates click here.

LA CROIX ROUGE DE CHICAGO RECHERCHE DES VOLONTAIRES PARLANT FRANCAIS Message de la croix Rouge : The Red Cross of Chicago is looking for volunteer translators to help Haitians arriving in Chicago. If you speak French and are interestred in helping out, follow these instructions. They are currently staffing translators for evening and daytime shifts beginning Wednesday, January 27th. They anticipate flights continuing through the next several weeks, and are staffing on a week to week basis. Click here for complete information.

RETROPSECTIVE

● Chicago, January 19: "Good Value Wines" - Trade Only, Roadshow Winetasting Rolls into Town ● Indianapolis, January 4: Legion of Honor Ceremony for Mr. Merrill HUNTZINGER in the presence of Mitch DANIELS, Governor of Indiana. Photo left to right.: Mr. de Boissière, Consul General of France in Chicago, and Mr. Merrill Huntzinger. En savoir plus /More : "RETROPSECTIVE"

EVENEMENTS/EVENTS

MISSOURI

FEBRUARY 14 & 15: THE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE KANSAS CITY WELCOMES JEAN-LOUIS BRUGUIERE, International Judge and High Representative of the European Union in the United States for the Fight against Financing of Terrorism as part of the Terrorism Finance Tracking Program/SWIFT. ● Sunday, February 14 at 4:00pm: Conférence en français : "La Coopération Transatlantique dans la Lutte contre le Terrorisme" . Information and additional related events. Jean-Louis Bruguière ● Monday, February 15: 7:00pm: Lecture in English: "Transatlantic Cooperation in the Fight Against Terrorism: The French Perspective" In Cooperation with International Relations Council of Kansas City and The Edward A. Smith/Bryan Cave Lecture Series of the School of Law at UMKC. Hors d'oeuvres reception immediately following the conference. Location for both events: Courtroom, the UMKC School of Law - 5100 Oak Street, Kansas City. Limited seating - Registration required: RSVP@afkc.org - Tél: 816-221-2049. Complete information. Mr. Bruguière's visit is made possible in part by the Délégation Générale de L'Alliance Française.

ST. LOUIS (MO) FEBRUARY 24 & 25: PIERRE VIMONT, AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES IN MISSOURI ON THE OCCASION OF THE SAINT LOUIS FRENCH FESTIVAL (FEB. 24-MARCH 1ST) French Ambassador to the U.S Pierre VIMONT will be the guest speaker to the following events: Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. Opening Event of the 2010 St. Louis French Festival : Lecture by His Excellency Pierre VIMONT "Franco-American Cooperation in the Middle East" (in English). Presented by Alliance Française de St. Louis and Center for International Studies, University of Missouri-St. Louis. Location: University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL, Millennium Student Center) - Lecture is Free - Open to the public - Reservation required: call 314-516-7299 or visit www.cfis-umsl.com and click Register. Complete information. Pierre VIMONT Calendar of Events Thursday, February 25, 12:00-Noon-1:30 p.m.: the Alliance Française de St. Louis invites you to a lunch with His Excellency Pierre VIMONT. Keynote address on "Perspective on France and the United States Today" (in English). The address will be emceed by Charlie Brennan, host of KMOX Radio's The Charlie Brennan Show. Limited seating reservation required. Location: Saint Louis Club - 7701 Forsyth Blvd - Clayton, MO 63105. Information and reservation. The Saint Louis French Festival is founded by Cathedral Concerts. Complete program.

Pour tous les événements visitez / More events on: ECONOMIE/BUSINESS & CULTUREL & EVENTS

CULTURE

ILLINOIS

SAMEDI 27 FEVRIER A 10H00 : GRANDE DICTEE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE Put some French and some fun in your life and participate in the Grande dictée de la Francophonie. The French spelling contest offered by the Department of French & Italian of Northwestern University and the American Association of Teachers of French. The French spelling contest offered by the Department of French & Italian of Northwestern University and the American Association of Teachers of French. 4 catégories: les jeunes jusqu’à 18 ans (High School: all levels) - les jeunes jusqu’à 21 ans (College level: birth date limit: 02-26-89) - les adultes amateurs (everyone beyond 21 years) - les professionnels: enseignants, linguistes, traducteurs. Kresge Centennial Hall 1-375 - 1880 Campus Drive, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Complete Information and Registration form.

WISCONSIN

Institute of Visual Arts (Inova) - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee SPATIAL CITY: THE ARCHITECTURE OF IDEALISM OPENING: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010, 6-9 pm FEBRUARY 5 - APRIL 18, 2010 Spatial City, the first exhibition in the United States of artwork drawn from France’s network of Regional Contemporary Art Funds (Frac), brings together an international, multi-generational array of contemporary artists whose work contends with utopian thinking and the idealism and cynicism it inspires. Spatial City will travel to: Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center (May 23-August 8, 2010) and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit - MOCAD (September 10-December 26, 2010). Supported in part by Culturesfrance-French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication (Délégation aux Arts Plastiques), the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, and the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Article PREVIEW: 'Spatial City' at Inova - By Mary Louise Schumacher, Art and architecture critic of the Journal Sentinel. February 3, 2010. “Spatial City,” a sweeping new exhibit that opens Friday at Inova, gives credence to what has been largely out of fashion in the modern and contemporary art world for about a generation: unabashed idealism. It is an ambitious and difficult show inspired by the utopian architecture of Yona Friedman, a younger, European counterpart to Buckminster Fuller. It also is the first U.S. show drawn from the collections of the Fonds Régionaux d'Art Contemporain, or the FRAC, a network of contemporary art centers in France...(Read)

FEBRUARY 5-14, 2010: 13TH ANNUAL University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee The thirteenth festival celebrates the diversity of French-language cinema, contemporary and classic, and France's multicultural society. Nine of the thirteen films are Milwaukee Premieres. The Festival opens with Dialogue avec mon jardinier (Conversations with my Gardener) a beautiful ode to nature and friendship never released commercially in the U.S. All films are in French and other languages w/English Subtitles. Talkbacks follow certain screenings. All films are free unless otherwise noted. This program is made possible in part with the generous support of French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Complete information and list of sponsors - Schedule.

For a listing of Cultural events in the MIDWEST click here For the CHICAGO AREA go to LIAISON, The Newsletter of the French Cultural Services in Chicago.

NOT TO BE MISSED IN MARCH / A NE PAS MANQUER EN MARS

ORCHESTRE PHILARMONIQUE DE RADIO FRANCE - FESTIVAL DE LA FRANCOPHONIE - EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL

ILLINOIS

MARCH 5 AT 8PM: ORCHESTRE PHILARMONIQUE DE RADIO FRANCE Très magnifique! The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, famous for its distinctive French sound, offers an all-Ravel program led by its gifted music director Myung-Whun Chung and featuring internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter singing Shéhérazade. She “brilliantly conveys the exotic allure of Ravel’s mesmerizing score.” —The Independent Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Friday, March 5th at 6 p.m. at the Alliance Française de Chicago Kicks off the FESTIVAL DE LA FRANCOPHONIE 2010 A month of cultural programming with music, food and fun, March 5-24. In celebration of the cultural and linguisitic diversity of the French speaking world which includes over 200 million people in over fifty countries. For a detailed schedule please visit www.af-chicago.org

MARCH 5 AT 6PM : FESTIVAL DE LA FRANCOPHONIE - SOIREE COMMUNE The Alliance Française of Chicago and our Francophone friends in Chicago invite you to an evening of music, food, fun and surprises. La Francophonie represents a carnaval of cultures spanning the continents from Marrakesh to Montréal and from Toulouse to Tahiti. Join us to sample food, dance to the music and try your luck at our raffle on Friday March 5, the kick off evening to our month long-celebration of la Francophonie. Bienvenue à tous, et que la fête commence! Complete information.

FESTIVAL DE LA FRANCOPHONIE : SOIREE FRANCAISE Don't miss the Soirée France with best-selling French author Delphine de Vigan! Monday, March 08, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alliance française - 54 W. Chicago Ave. Free admission. On the International Women’s Day, the Cultural Services of the French Consulate in Chicago invite you to come and spend an evening with Delphine de Vigan, short-listed for the 2009 prix Goncourt and best selling author of “No et moi”, an intense, brilliant novel about home and homelessness. Translated in 20 languages and winner of Le Prix des Libraires, “No et moi” is currently being made into a movie. The US Tour is organized by the Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française aux États-Unis and the Cultural services at the Consulate general of France in Chicago in collaboration with the Rotary Club Paris Academy and with the generous support of the Jean Bodfish Brown Fund. Sponsored in part by the Cultural Services of Consulate General of France in Chicago.

MARCH 5 - APRIL 1 : 13TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL The European Union Film Festival, was founded by the Gene Siskel Film Center in 1998. The annual festival program of more than 60 feature films, all Chicago premieres, ranges from work by established directors, including some of the most renowned names in world cinema, to the work of first-time and emerging directors and films from nations with developing film industries. Complete information.

RAPPEL / REMINDER

THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF FRANCE IN CHICAGO IS NOW ON FACEBOOK The Consulate General of France is pleased to announce the launch of our new Facebook page! Click here to view our page or simply go to www.facebook.com and type "Consulate General of France in Chicago" in the Search box. We encourage you to share your comments and content (photos, videos) with our fans and to become a fan yourself by clicking on the Become a Fan link on the top of the page. Our Facebook Page was launched on October 16, 2009 and since over 30 events have been published, 22 notes, and 5 photo albums. We have 200 fans as of January, 2010.

RFI IN THE UNITED STATES RFI has signed an agreement with AudioNow to broadcast its French programs on the telephone network, 24 hours a day, in several American cities. You can now listen to RFI in Chicago by calling the following phone number (only local charges will apply): 312.646.7684. Read the press release.