Special - view from the Eiffel Tower, and "European Socialism"

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Where there is a humane society, it seems there must be fair amount of social sharing.  Governments are formed to provide protection, shared services, and aid innovation.  Since "European Socialism" is being politically tossed around, here's one city (Paris) in a country (France) that has a wide range of social benefits for its population. Some of you may enjoy the view from the Paris photo link below.

  Paris 360 degrees.

Photograph aerial view of the city from the Eiffel Tower, 360 degrees. Note:  the introductory song quits in about 20 seconds. Use the arrows to manipulate the view. Otherwise the movement of the view travels slowly.  Paris is an old civilized city.
  Reference - Quick history of Paris, from About.com (New York Times). "Paris has been a thriving metropolis and a center of intellectual and artistic achievement for centuries. The city's roots reach to the 3rd century B.C., and influences as diverse as Celtic, Roman, Scandinavian, and English are woven into the city's rich heritage."  Link to key dates in Paris history and more.

Reference - What is European Socialism?   Able2know.org. "Politicians and bloggers have been throwing around that term quite a bit lately. I've searched briefly for examples and definitions of what exactly is "European-style Socialism" and only find people using the term, not anything that defines the term and points to specific countries and practices in Europe."  Wikipedia definition of socialism, "Socialism  is an economic system characteriised by social ownership of  the means of production and cooperative management of the economy,^[1] and a political philosophy advocating such a system."

Related articles - George Mason University's History News Network/Philip Nord, 7/11/10. "European Socialism isn't as socialist as you might think."  "It would be wrong, moreover, to think of post-World War II Western Europe as socialist-run."  Includes a "Look inside" of Philips Nord's  book:  Frances' New Deal (from the 30's to the postwar area."   Nord is a Rosengarten professor of modern and contemporary history at Princeton University.  New York Times/Steven Erlanger, 9/28/09. "Europe's Socialists suffering even in downturn." "Even in the midst of one of the greatest challenges to capitalism in 75 years, involving a breakdown of the financial system due to “irrational exuberance,” greed and the weakness of regulatory systems, European Socialist parties and their left-wing cousins have not found a compelling response, let alone taken advantage of the right’s failures. ...Voters also punished left-leaning candidates in the summer’s European Parliament elections and trounced French Socialists in 2007. Where the left holds power, as in Spain and Britain, it is under attack. Where it is out, as in France, Italy and now Germany, it is divided and listless."

Posted by Kathy Meeh