Computers have made manufacturing exponentially more productive — except when computer numeric control systems (CNC) break down or need spare or replacement parts. Then a  company can lose precious time and money to downtime,  get behind schedule with their customers and set off a chain of delays and lost revenue. Finding the right CNC spare parts for systems and operations that may consist of components from many different CNC manufacturers can prove daunting.

A solution can be found online at www.CNC-shopping.co.uk , an online supermarket where manufacturers using CNC technology can find a wide array of CNC spare parts from a huge range of equipment makers, such as Amada, Ares seiki, Charmilles, Chiron, Cincinnati Milacron,   Daewoo, Deckel Maho, Doosan, Ecoca, Fagor, Fidia, General Electric,   Gildemeister, Hankook, Heller, Hitachi and many more.

One of the brands represented is the popular Fanuc, so companies can shop for all the Fanuc spare parts they need, from transistors to Fanuc monitors such as the A61L-0001-0093.  Cnc-Shopping offers many ways to purchase Fanuc spare parts; either brand new, used or refurbished.  And because you never know when you will need them, the site offers the ability 24/7 to check the status and price of over 3000 Fanuc parts in stock.

The site has many features that make it the most current supplier of Computer Numeric Control spare parts. There is a “news” tab that shows all the newest parts in stock. Each order is given personal attention, which explains why many customers have remained faithful for years. Approximately 120 countries are served, making 24/7 access a necessity. But no matter where in the world a company is, CNC-shopping makes it a point to offer express shipping to get their customers up and running again fast.

Everything about the service is designed for speed and ease-of-use. Clients can pay in a number of ways; by credit card obviously, but also by bank transfer and even Paypal.  And after purchase, the service and support offered to customers is unparalleled.

Don’t let the failure to find tiny spare parts cause big delays and losses.  www.CNC-shopping.co.uk gives you one-stop shopping for virtually any CNC part you need to keep you operation running smoothly.

www.CNC-shopping.co.uk is a subsidiary of CNC Shopping which has been serving its customers since 2005 with a large supply of machine tool spare parts from a wide range of manufacturers.

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• Fanuc monitors
• Fanuc spare parts
• CNC Spare parts

CNC-Shopping.com
19 avenue Albert thomas
93320 LES PAVILLONS SOUS BOIS
FRANCE
Email : Contact form
Web : http://www.cnc-shopping.co.uk

Tourists looking for the best travel deals is nothing new. But in today’s economy, people who still want to take vacations in France also want more than ever to make their dollars and euros go further. Many online booking sites offer great last-minute deals, but how do you plan your trip or even book a flight if you don’t know whether you can find an affordable hotel in France until right before you go? Talk about stress,  definitely not what you want on vacation! Well, now there is good news for travelers to France who like to plan ahead and still save money.

One site rewards travellers handsomely for early booking at French hotels. In business since 1967, Inter Hotel is a network of 300 independent two- and three-star hotels all over France. Now they are offering what are perhaps the best hotel offers in France. Already reasonably priced and a great value for money, many hotels in the Inter-Hotel network offer a discount of 15% to guests who book their rooms more than 45 days in advance.

With such incentives for early booking at hotels in France, tourists may be tempted to book an entire itinerary in France ahead of time, staying in a charming hotel in Brittany for a few days before traveling on to a rustic hotel in Normandy, for example, exclusively through Inter-Hotel and all at a discount. This is a great strategy, because hotels in the Inter-Hotel network are all independently owned and operated, so you can stay all over France at different hotels in the network and enjoy a distinct and quality experience with every stay. You never feel you are staying in a chain hotel. or But the advantage is that all hotels in the Inter-Hotel network adhere to rigorous standards of service, upkeep and regional authenticity, so while each is different, travelers who take advantage of the Inter-Hotel discount for early booking at hotels in France can be confident about the quality of their accomodations.

The Inter-Hotel website categorizes their hotels by a number of criteria, so it’s easy to search for exactly what you want, such as hotels in France that cater to those whose passions are sports, fine dining or getting in touch with nature. Besides the incentives for early booking at French hotels, Inter-Hotel runs a wide range of special offers in French hotels, from gastronomic weekends to spa getaways. So travellers can design a custom-tailored trip and still get a great deal. The website makes it easy to shop and search for the best hotel offers in France from among the network’s hundreds of member hotels.

A vacation in France can be a part of your budget this year, if you plan ahead. With Inter-Hotel, the early bird grabs the best hotel bargains in France.

Inter-Hotel, founded in1967, is a network of 300 independently operated hotels all over France that pride themselves on regional authenticity and warm hospitality — a home away from home.

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• special offers in French hotels
• best hotel offers in France
• early booking at hotels in France

Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the last major town before heading south into Spain, is one of the prettiest cities in the Basque Country, and sure to be a high point of your Atlantic coast holidays. From its attractive beach to its adorable downtown, Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a mainstay of Basque Country tourism. Tourists love the Basque Country’s amalgam of French and Spanish influences, with a language and an atmosphere all its own. Basque  Country jewel Saint-Jean-de-Luz is beautifully picturesque and has delightful squares, quaint pedestrian shopping area with a covered market and a picture-postcard port lined with colorful sailing and fishing boats.

For the adventurous athlete in the family, St-Jean-de-Luz is also a Basque Country tourism destination for year-round surfing. There are several surf shops offering surfboard rentals surfing classes for tourists. And, for the more sybaritic vacationer, there are wonderful thalassotherapy spas in St-Jean-de-Luz where stressed holiday-makers can experience sea based spa therapy, and indulge in thermal spa waters used for everything from underwater hydromassage to aquagym classes. It’s the perfect indulgence for your Basque Country holiday. After enjoying your day, tuck into a Basque seafood dinner of traditional fresh squid or line-caught hake, fresh off of one of those cute wooden boats.

For those seeking accommodations in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination of the perfect Atlantic coast holidays. A recent visit to a very comprehensive and informative website  turned up quaint guest houses, as well as campsites, from two to four stars, for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors. We also found a range of furnished rentals of various luxury levels for those who like to make themselves at home on holiday. Various accommodations in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, some just steps from the beach and offering thalassotherapy on-site, are described in detail, with useful information about amenities such as wifi and pet policies. You can reserve some properties online, or choose to click the link to each hotel’s own website. There’s also generous background and historical information on Basque Country tourism, as well as current events calendars to help you make the most of your Atlantic coast holidays, whenever you choose to visit.

For a holiday that has it all: gorgeous ocean and mountain views, charming architecture, wonderful food and crafts, relaxing spas and beaches — and even surfing schools, Saint-Jean-de-Luz is worth as long a vacation as you can get! And for accommodations in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, from rustic to romantic to ritzy, your first stop should be www.terreetcotebasquestourism.co.uk.

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• accommodations in Saint-Jean-de-Luz
• Atlantic coast holidays
• Basque Country tourism

France may have magnificent cities and charming villages, all unique. But the beaches and coastal ares of France offer just as much beauty, history and variety for travellers. There are the storied beaches of Normandy, with their cliffs and echoes of World War II heroism. The glamorous beaches of St. Tropez. The rugged, rocky shores of Brittany. Tourists who want a different sort of European vacation should consider a relaxing holiday in France, staying along the coast and enjoying an invigorating, secluded or star-studded seaside holiday in France.

One site gives travellers a wealth of choices for that lazy weekend in France at the beach you’ve been yearning for.  Inter Hotel, in business since 1967, is a network of 271 independent two- and three-star hotels all over France.

Already reasonably priced, Inter-Hotels offer additional discounts for early booking and various hotels in the network offer special promotions which can be searched on the site. You can plan several different vacations from a weekend in a French hotel by the sea to much longer stays, perhaps using several hotels in the network, all along the coastline of France. Why not stay in a charming hotel in Brittany for a few days and then head to hotel in Normandy, for example? You can be assured of great hospitality and consistent quality everywhere you stay, because while hotels in the Inter-Hotel network are all independently owned and operated, allowing you to enjoy a distinct and quality experience every time,  you never feel you are staying in a cookie-cutter chain hotel. All hotels in the Inter-Hotel network adhere to rigorous standards of service, upkeep and regional authenticity. And all are easily searchable and booked through the consistent and user-friendly website.

Inter-hotels offers a range of hotels along the French coast as varied as the coastline itself.  The Inter-Hotel des Orangers in the tony city of Cannes offers guests warm-as-sunshine  hospitality, a sparkling pool and a gourmet restaurant service the specialties of Provence. Or try Inter-Hotel du Louvre in St. Malo, in the heart of town near casino, shops and nightlife as well as a beautful shoreline. Inter-Hotel has a hotel for every style of seaside holiday in France.

The Inter-Hotel website categorizes their hotels by a number of criteria, so it’s easy to search for exactly what you want, such as hotels in France that cater to gastronomes, athletic types, or people simply looking for a time-out such as a relaxing holiday in France near the seashore.

So why not treat yourself to a lazy weekend in France exploring the beautiful coastline? With Inter-Hotel, you are sure to find the perfect seaside hotel for you.

Inter-Hotel, founded in1967, is a network of 272 independently operated hotels all over France that pride themselves on regional authenticity and warm hospitality — a home away from home.

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• relaxing holiday in France
• seaside holiday in France
• weekend in a French hotel by the sea
• lazy weekend in France

Many tourists visiting France love to cover as much ground as possible. They are easily spotted, guide book in one hand and camera in the other. And who could blame them , with all that there is to see and experience in France? But for other travelers, a relaxing holiday in France is all about rest, renewal, recharging. For them, France is best experienced after a relaxing sea algae treatment and massage, gazing out to sea from their lounge chair, sipping mineral water from a nearby spring, with absolutely nothing on the itinerary for the rest of the day at their French hotel with pool and sauna except an excellent dinner.

As a matter of fact, France is the ideal destination for a spa vacation. While a relatively new trend in the US, spa hotels in France are a long-established tradition, especially with so many world-famous famous natural spa sites. Whole towns and tourist destinations have sprung up around these sources, one of which is simply the ocean. Thalassotherapy (treatments based on sea water) is just one popular French beauty and stress-reduction “secret” that people in France have known about and enjoyed for years as part of trips to their beautiful coast.

One French hotel website gives spa and fitness addicts the inside track on spa hotels in France. Inter Hotel is a network of 271 independent two- and three-star hotels all over France, all different, distinct and authentic to their regions, yet all upholding quality standards that membership demands. The hotels cater to different styles and interests, from gastronomy to watersports, to those geared more toward families. For those who want a truly relaxing holiday in France or for more active types whose ideal getaway is a fitness weekend in France, Inter-Hotel’s website is a great place to begin your search for nirvana, your perfect French spa hotel.

For example, Inter-Hotel Lou Paradou in Provence is located in the heart of a small spa village, only steps away from natural hot springs, with such rejuvinating onsite amenities as a beautiful heated swimming pool. The owners suggest many packages for both spa and sports enthusiasts If you do feel up to venturing out for a bit of leisurely sightseeing, Aix-en-Provence and other local sights are only a short drive.

Or try Inter-Hotel de La Place in the heart of world-famous Vichy, where you can choose from an assortment of spa treatments a la carte or enjoy nearby golf or a lazy day by the lake.

Within the Inter-Hotel network, travelers can stay all over France  and be assured of consisent quality everywhere they stay, yet without the boring cookie-cutter sameness or coldness of a chain hotel.

Wherever you choose to spend your holiday in France, all hotels in the Inter-Hotel network adhere to rigorous standards of  service, cleanliness, AND regional authenticity. So your French hotel with pool and sauna also comes with other sources of relaxation and warmth: the hospitality of your hosts and the comfort and tranquility of your surroundings.

A spa vacation sounds luxurious. But it doesn’t have to be expensive. The website makes it easy to shop and search for the best hotel offers in France from among the network’s hundreds of member hotels. And to give you even more reason to look forward to your well-deserved vacation, whether it is a fitness weekend in France or a more relaxing holiday in France, many hotels in the Inter-Hotel network offer a discount of 15% to guests who book their rooms more than 45 days in advance. So you can even reduce stress around your travel budget!

Your next vacation in France doesn’t have to be a whirlwind tour that leaves you more exhausted than you were before you left. With Inter-Hotel, you can find the perfect French hideaway to get pampered, renew your spirit and watch the world go  by. Inter-Hotel gives you the tools that allow you to relax as soon as you start planning your trip.

Inter-Hotel, founded in1967, is a network of 271 independently operated hotels all over France that share the values of hospitality, regional authenticity and rigorous quality standards.

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• spa hotels in France
• relaxing holiday in France
• French hotel with pool and sauna

In these days of tele-commuting, webinars and electronic meetings to save travel expenses and time, there are still occasions where in-person corporate meetings and events must be planned. But now there is a sense that they have to be really special to be worth the trip. So meeting planners must get creative and look for a unique yet practical venue for their company’s next seminar, off-site retreat or convention. It should have adequate space to accomodate their group and the latest technical facilities, but not look like a cold, boring auditorium. Ideally, it should have good hotel accomodations on site to promote team building and avoid time wasted in getting to the venue. And if it’s really perfect, it should be in a location that attendees will actually feel motivated to go to. Well, relax, you’ve found it: a convention centre and Four star hotel in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower’s Convention Centre offers perhaps the perfect meeting space in one of the world’s most perfect locations.

Unlike some hotels that add meeting spaces and seminar rooms almost as an afterthought, the Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower has thought in advance of everything to make virtually any size meeting or seminar or large coroporate event a brilliant and flawless success. If you are looking for a convention centre or a meeting room in Paris, for a small or large group, you are sure to find what you need here.

The convention centre features 2200 square meters of modular space spanning two floors, all of it equipped with the latest multimedia capabilities sure to aid in convention planning and to wow the most jaded conventioneers. And since the space can be kept 100% private, meeting organizers can be sure to have total control over this amazing environment.

The Eiffel Room is the crowning glory of this convention planning Mecca. Its 1200 square metres has a 600-seat ampitheatre, 17 adjunct meeting rooms, an office for the meeting organizers, a club and private living rooms for more intimate discussions among participants. The Seine room boasts 670 square metres of fully modulars space perfect for seminars and catered receptions. All in all the hotel offers 29 separate meeting rooms in Paris in various configurations, able to accomodate small groups all the way up to 600 people. Most of these have natural light, so attendees don’t feel fatigued or ”stuck in a meeting”.

There is also a vertiable army of convention planning staff at the disposal of those organizing events that the hotel. They arrange for decor, sound and light, IT services, flowers, security, catering and everything that a meeting organizer could possibly want. This comprehensive support provided by the convention centre leaves companies free to focus on the goals of their meetings, rather than petty logistics and details.

Of course, your participants have to eat. And this is another area where the Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower shines. It is a true Paris hotel-restaurant. So your attendees will be served none of the conventional mass-prepared “chicken or beef” you find at most corporate events — the hotel and convention centre has a magnificent kitchen run by a renowned French chef, and meals and snacks prepared for your attendees rival what they would find at the best restaurants in Paris. A fitting reward for a hard day’s work of listening to lectures or networking with colleagues.

Speaking of restaurants, the hotel boasts two wonderful ones that your meeting participants can enjoy in their spare time. The French restaurant, L’Envie, is top-notch, as is Benkay, a Japanese treasure beloved of food critics that mixes traditional Japanese preparation with modern twists anda Zen atmosphere that will make you forget you are in one of the world’s busiest cities. Both restaurants have amazing ambience and views. And the classy Seine bar is a favorite hangout and deal-making scene for business people. This is one Paris hotel-restaurant that offers business travellers both a lot of choice and high quality.

Lest a reader believe that the Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower is all business and no pleasure, think again. This is a true Four star hotel in Paris, with recently redesigned rooms and suites at the cutting edge of innovation in hotel accomodation. Discreet, 24/7 service brings guests everything they could desire, while a pool with a view plus a fitness center offers rejuvenation and relaxation far above the streets of Paris. A full-service spa is in the works.

The hotel enjoys a prime and convenient location in one of the world’s premier destinations. It is only 18 km from Orly airport and 30 km from Roissy Charles de Gaulle. Getting around Paris once you arrive is simple, with a taxi station right in front of the hotel and two Paris metro lines nearby: line 10 metro station Charles Michel, line 6 metro station Bir Hakeim – RER C station Javel. Of course, participants don’t have to take any kind of transportation to enjoy one of the world’s most famous tourist sights right at their doorstep: The Eiffel Tower and the Champs de Mars. Originally built for another great gathering, the Universal Expo of 1889, the Tower is a fitting neighbor for the Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower Convention Centre, a site of today’s most spectacular meetings.

Novotel Paris Eiffel Tower Convention Centre is a Four star hotel in Paris with advanced meeting facilities and  Convention planning services able to accomodate groups up to 600 people. The hotel is part of the Novotel global network of hotels, resorts and convention centres around the world.

Services

• Convention centre
• Four star hotel in Paris
• Convention planning
• Paris hotel-restaurant
• Meeting room in Paris

France symbolizes many things in the world, most of all its elegant cuisine and its fine art. So it’s no wonder that more than a few Parisians are fed up about plans to open a McDonald’s restaurant and McCafé in the Louvre museum in November.

The world’s most-visited museum will soon see France’s 1,142nd McDonald’s restaurant sharing real estate with the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. The fast food chain, considered by many in France as a symbol of both American culinary crassness and cultural imperialism, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in France this year.

To make matters even worse for lovers of French food and long lunches, traditional brasseries and bistros are in freefall from lack of business, while fast food giant McDonald’s opened 30 new stores last year in France and fed 450 million customers – an 11 percent rise from the previous year.

Museum staff, many already miffed about the Louvre’s plans to lend its name and artwork to a multi-million dollar museum project in Abu Dhabi, are reported to be experiencing indigestion already from the prospect of the golden arches in France’s temple of fine art. Some have been quoted, anonymously, in the press complaining bitterly about the commercialism — and the smells — that the new “McDo” will bring to one of the world’s greatest art meccas.

To be fair, the McDonald’s will not be in the museum itself, but positioned in the underground approach to the Louvre, known as the Carrousel du Louvre. This area is already lined with shops and eateries, though most are admittedly more upscale than McDonald’s. The stone-lined gallery, which is owned and operated separately from the museum, opened in 1993, five years after the famous Louvre pyramid, which also caused a great deal of controversy at first. The Carrousel’s contract with the Louvre Museum states that “commercial activities will be regulated and restricted to cultural or tourist activities”. The Louvre has the right to protest against commercial establishements that it thinks fall short of this standard. However, the museum has agreed to a “quality” McDonald’s that will open by the end of the year, with a look that will be “in line with the museum’s image”. The Louvre envisions the McDonald’s as part of the American section of a new food court in the Carrousel that would feature foods from countries around the world, to be welcoming to visitors of all nationalities. Museum spokespeople also insist that the franchise owner has pledged to make this particular McDonald’s a work of art, with decor and atmosphere worthy of its elegant new home.

Louvre Pour Tous, (Louvre for All) a website whose mission is to “inform and defend” visitors to the Louvre, complained: “Henri Loyrette, president of the Louvre museum, had only to say one word to stop the aroma of French fries from wafting past the Mona Lisa’s nose. He chose otherwise.” The McDonald’s brouhaha follows a similar outcry last year when Starbucks opened a location near the museum’s entrance. At the time, Louvre employees and art lovers sent museum management a petition to try to stop Starbucks from opening there. It opened anyway; in an act of conciliation, Starbucks agreed to provide a cultural corner in the store of brochures and art catalogues as an acknowledgment of its lofty surroundings. But for many, this was not enough to offset the insult of supersized coffee in cardboard cups in close proximity with the gods of fine art.

And now, the ultimate symbol of American dominance and culinary heresy has dealt the French culture police an even crueler blow. “Starbucks was bad enough but McDonald’s is worse,” said an unnamed Louvre art historian. Ten years ago, French hatred of McDonald’s and all it represents made a hero of José Bové, who bulldozed a McDonald’s in 1999 in protest against US imperialism and bad food.

But it seems he bulldozed in vain. Even a last-minute reprieve at the Louvre would not turn the tide in the battle of Le Big Mac. According to the fast-food chain, France has become McDonald’s biggest market in the world outside of the US, and it’s not going anywhere…except to the world’s most famous museum of art.

First the enemy was Hollywood, with the French decrying  the “Disneyfication” of Europe and the world (not that this prevented them from opening Euro Disney anyway). Then it was radio and TV stations in France, which were forced to provide a proportional amount of home-grown programming to outweigh the popoular US imports, whether French viewers and listeners wanted it or not. Even advertisers in France were — and are — forced to put French subtitles and translations on commericals and prints ads that use even one English-language word, despite the growing globalization of media and the ubiquity of English as the de facto international language.  Some feel the resistance is necessary to preserve French langague and culture from assimilation, while others see it as a futile attempt to deny the inevitability of change, and more evidence of French resentment of the US in general. Even those who agree with the principle of these attempts are dubious about their success.

But now the French are looking to take on the giants of the internet world. At the Frankfurt Book Fair in mid-October, French publisher Editis announced the development of a digital book distribution system, aimed at selling e-books and other digital information products. And France Télécom said it was introducing Web news site that it had been testing for several months with French broadcasters, newspapers and other partners.

The timing was no accident. Google has recently detailed plans for its own online bookstore, scheduled to open next year, and Amazon recently announced it would start selling its Kindle e-book reader outside the US.  But French bibliophiles who want to read French language books on the popular electronic device are still out of luck; Kindle readers sold outside the United States will offer only English-language books. That’s because French and other European publishers have so far turned a steadfast cold shoulder to any digital book deals with Amazon.

In the meantime, Google is negotiating in the US with publishers and authors for the right to sell millions of digital books. True to form, publishers in France are crying foul, saying their copyrights and culture are again at risk. By creating their own digital bookstore, French publishers are hoping to fend off the juggernauts of Google and Amazon. But as usual, the French have an enemy in this process: themselves.

The Editis project is at least the third such platform under development in France. Hachette, the biggest French publisher, has already created a separate digital book distribution system; Gallimard, Flammarion and La Martinière are working on their own initiative. Unable to resist competing among themselves, French publishers are scattering the force they would need to combat the marketing muscle and internet reach of the two titans of the online content world.

While French print publishers battle amonst themselves for their slice of the digital gateau, France Télécom’s Orange division has made more progress with its new news aggregator website, called 24/24 Actu — the French nickname for “actualités,” or news. Most leading French newspapers and broadcasters are on board, with the television company TF1 among the only real holdouts.

France Télécom has focused on providing quality content and usability, so it may have a shot in the news competition, even though it is still dwarfed by the wildly popular Google News and Yahoo. 24/24 Actu goes a step further than Google News, gathering audio, video and text-based news reports in one place. A user who clicks on a photo from a story brings up a whole range of coverage on the topic from TV, radio and print outlets, making it a truly useful service that goes deep where Google News goes wide.

24/24 Actu has also taken the step of securing rights agreements from all its news partners, rather than displaying blurbs without copyright permission, as Google News often does. This allows the site to run full-length versions of videos and articles without the fear or infringement or the attending lawsuits, making the site a rich source of information for users. In a true reversal of the usual routine, France Télécom even plans to add English-language news to the service soon, and also hopes to expand it into Spain and the UK.

French publishers looking to compete with Google and Amazon on the book front would do well to follow France Télécom’s model and focus on creating a service valuable enough to French consumer to compete, rather than simply barring US products and services from a public that wants them. In this era of globalization, the ability to lock the gate against the “cultural invader” is diminishing, even if the the stubborn impulse to remain purely French is not.

Not being able to read French is no longer an obstacle to poring over the entire collection of the Louvre. English-speaking visitors to Louvre.fr will now be able to do more than just check on current exhibitions.  The museum has made an English-language version of its online database, cataloguing the entire collection of Louvre, available on its Web site, louvre.fr. The enormous undertaking was the passion project of the group American Friends of the Louvre, which provided a $380,000 grant for the Anglophone database. The database, called Atlas, will provide information on 22,000 works of art from the Louvre by the end of 2009, as well as high-resolution images and the locations of works and galleries within the museum. These include over 3300 paintings, 4000 Greek and Roman antiquities, 5500 works of decorative art, and much more. The collection of works on the English version representsabout 80 percent of the works available onthe French-language version of Atlas, which catalogs 26,000 of the 35,000 works on permanent display at the Louvre. New images are currently being added to the database, which is constantly updated.

American Friends of the Louvre (AFL),a non-profit, was founded in December 2002 to strengthen ties between the Louvre and its American public. Its primary goals are to support the Louvre in its efforts to improve educational tools and visiting conditions, particularly for American and other English-speaking visitors, which include the translation of labels and Atlas, the online database.  AFL also promotes collaborations between the Louvre and American institutions through the development of cultural activities in the U.S., such as exhibitions, educational programs and professional and scholarly exchanges. Lastly, AFL participates in the financing of Louvre projects, such as renovations of galleries, restorations of antiquities, fellowships, and educational programs both in France and the U.S.

After Egypt went so far as to break off ties with France in a battle over the legal ownership of Egyptian relics, the relationship was later restored after France agreed to return the pieces that have been part of the Louvre’s collection for almost 20 years. The breach was significant, as the Louvre’s refusal to return fragments of frescoes from a 3,200-year-old tomb near the ancient temple city of Luxor placed the Paris museum’s future excavations in Egypt. In addition, Christiane Ziegler, the former curator of the Louvre’s Egyptology department, was barred from giving a scheduled lecture in Egypt.she is the person who oversaw the museum’s acquisition of the fragments.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s vocal chief archaeologist, has been running an aggressive crusade against leading museums around the world thought to be holding contraband artifacts that are part of Egypt’s cultural and archeological heritage and rightly belong there. Thousands of antiquities were spirited out of Egypt during its colonial period and later, by archaeologists, adventurers and thieves. Hawass’ bureau posited that antiquity grave-robbers chipped the disputed fresco fragments from the walls of the tomb near the Valley of the Kings in the 1980s. Based on these assertions, the office cancelled Ms. Ziegler’s trip to Egypt and also suspended the Louvre’s excavation in the massive necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo.

In a story worthy of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the artifacts were allegedly stolen from Egypt, smuggled out of the country and sold to the Louvre. The French government had said the Louvre acted in good faith when it purchased the treasures from an unnamed source in 2000 and 2003. For years after Egypt cried foul, the dispute raged on, with France insisting that the relics had been legally and legitimately acquired. However, in November 2008, archaeologists rediscovered a 3,200-year-old tomb near the ancient temple city of Luxor that the relics appear to have come from. The question of whether they had been legally removed from Egypt was re-opened. After reviewing the archaeologists’ findings, an independent commission made up of specialists from France’s museum world and other experts that oversees museums in France voted unanimously to return them. Mr. Hawass is not finished with the Louvre yet. He has presented a list of other items he wants back, including the painted ceiling of the Dendera temple showing the Zodiac.

The Louvre is not the only museum that Hawass has a beef with. The Rosetta Stone, a basalt slab with an inscription that was the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics, and is a worldwide symbol of the key to all language, is in the British Museum in London, and a bust of Queen Nefertiti, also in dispute, is held by a museum in Germany. Hawass’ track record is impressive; so far he has recovered 5,000 artifacts for Egypt since becoming antiquities czar in 2002, including hair stolen from the tomb of King Ramses II. He wields a powerful incentive for museums like the Louvre to come clean and return artifacts from Egypt’s past, by withholding access in the future, such as permission for digs and cultural and scholarly exchange.