FRANCE: Medal Mania

According to one sardonic French saying, half the riders in the Paris Metro wear the Legion of Honor while the other half have applied for the medal. More than most people, the French love to get awards, and last week, at annual awards ceremonies, medal mania was in full swing. The country's most prestigious decoration, the Legion of Honor, was given to 1,500 men and women, including venerable (77) Film Director Rene Clair and Feminist Writer Louise Weiss, as well as a pop singer, a swimming champion, a truck driver and a physical-education teacher in Brazzaville, capital of the...

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