27 December 2005

Best of 2005.... (1)

- best invention (adapted without permission from the Washington Post) -
Spanish designer Pep Torres developed the "your turn" washing machine, which helps frustrated couples where only one partner does all the clothes washing. Owners register their fingerprints and the machine will only function if the same set of prints are not used twice in a row.(BBC News, May 1). What happens when one partner is on vacation? Or if the couple gets a divorce?

21 December 2005

US "spy court" judge quits

Read the original story in the Washington Post if you are subscribed or a poorer version on CNN.

Why is it that everything Bush says is predictable, especially related to his administration's latest scandal? The issue is not about spying on Americans per se, it's about doing it without the checks and balances on the executive. See Daniel Benjamin's piece in Slate for a perspective on this issue.

yummy holiday food 1

Living in a country obsessed with Good food (as opposed to Any food), I am blessed with the ability to partake in the enjoyment of said foods. I am not a vegetarian, nor lactose intolerant, nor concerned about animal's rights in the food production industry. Well, to some extent. Foie gras poses the most difficult conundrum for me. I LOVE the stuff. Seriously, it is so good that I can not imagine a holiday season without it. But I do pity the geese and duck which live in horrendous conditions to provide this feast on my plate. I guess I'll just have to drink more champagne to absolve myself. I am not a cruel person, but foie gras is sooooooo delectable.

The treatment of the animals was the subject of a recent debate in the French Senate. The conclusion was that "Le foie gras fait partie du patrimoine culturel et gastronomique protégé en France." Another example of the exception culturelle en France.

16 December 2005

Christmas lights

- Les Galeries Lafayette et le Printemps boulveard Haussmann exposent leurs vitrines de noël depuis le 4 novembre. Malgré un nombre supérieur d'animations de la vie d'une princesse, les GL perdent le match cette année. Le Printemps, sur le thème anglais, animent ses vitrines avec des peluches très British.



- Aux US, les maisons individuelles dans les banlieues ou à la campagne ont l'habitude de décorer leurs maisons avec des gigantesques statues sur leur pelouse ou avec des lumières qui adornent leur toit, fenêtres, etc. The left hand column of this website has a great list of excessive displays.


- Voici un exemple inouï (de l'année dernière avec plus de 16000 ampoules) de la maison de la famille Carson à Mason, près de Cincinnati, Ohio. Ne ratez pas vidéo 1 et vidéo 2!


La famille Carson devant leurs illuminations de cette année

- L'hôtel de ville de Philadelphie décoré pour les fêtes

- Longwood Gardens dans la banlieue de Philadelphie

15 December 2005

stealing off other blogs for humour...

i am being lazy in not thinking of my own humourous topic (although that guy in the metro drooling while AWAKE could be the subject of one). so i will share this one. There's no sound, so don't be shy and wait till you get home to read it.

12 December 2005

Face implant story

In May, a 38-year old woman was attacked by her labrador-mix dog, while she was alseep or drugged out on tranquiliers (suicide undetermined) and stepped on the dog. After losing part of her nose, chin and mouth, she tried to lead a regular life but was frustrated with being teased and taunted despite the surgical mask that covered her scars. She followed the regular advisory path for transplant patients (ie psychological testing, information, future health concerns) before French doctors to perform the world's first partial face transplant in late November. The patient appears to be recovering well. Yet, critics, including the National Consultative Ethics Committee (Comité consultatif national d’éthique - CCNE) and doctors working on the technique, believe that the surgery was premature for both medical and psychological reasons and should not have been conducted. The ethics committee had rejected a full facial transplant but left open the option of a partial transplant.

Another media ball game is in play. Doctors tried to keep her identity unknown but the British and French press revealed photos from before, during and after the operation.

A few takes:
- NPR
- NYT "Ethical Concerns on Face Transplant Grow"
- Apparently reports that the donor (who had to have the face removed before she was taken off ventilators) was brain dead because she tried to hang herself might not be true.
- Dr. Dubernard - also a French member of parliament - defends his team's stance.

On a personal note: I find that the dog part of the story seems flaky. Labs are supposed to be the sweetest dogs - maybe it was mixed with a Belgian shepherd? Can people stop making fun of the fact that I am afraid of chihuahuas? The dog was put to sleep and, apparently, the woman bought a smaller dog.

For bébémoche

ID the NYT columist...

Fun little quiz here.

Found it while looking for a NYT password to read the op-eds. I can't seem to bother people directly for one. Feel free to send one along...

NO update

Death of an American City

I missed the 100 day post-Katrina mark by a few days.

Here's a non-times select op-ed contribution by a person I respect: 7 December 2005.

09 December 2005

cynicism

maybe this is how a good blog works (or at least gets read more often)...
i (along with many others) receive an email from a friend:

If you're receiving this e-mail it's because I miss you deeply. That or I need a favor, right?

Okay, you got me. My friend Dave and I just started a blog and we need lots of visitors and feedback. We'd love it if you visited: theapollocreed.blogspot.com

Let us know what you think of the site. Give us story ideas and tell us if you'd like to contribute. We're looking for more writers!!!

02 December 2005

Google video excludes France

So a friend of a friend blogger has this link which I will now obsessively want to see. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=hung+up cannot be viewed in France and they really appreciate my patience.

Attack of the kitchen sponge in mid-town

Fruitcake #1 present

Adding to Bebemoche's entry on fruitcakes, I declare that the fruitcake is the number 1 Christmas present this year offered by people from the South. My father, a former Texan, has been a faithful fruitcake purchaser for his siblings for 15 years running. The Collins DeLuxe (sic) Fruitcake from Corsicana, TX. is world-famous thanks to him - it has been shipped all over the world to follow my aunt's moving cycles.

Bangalore - brasserie capital of the world

Bangalore, India is a hip, happening city according to latest news reports. Religion, hard work and beer guzzling define the average Bangalore inhabitant. Women wear a veil, but also spend their weekend nights in libation overload. Hotel rooms are amongst the most expensive in the world and $80 will get you a mosquito-blood-stained wall cubicle.

29 November 2005

Pakistan update

Courtney asked me this morning if anyone was talking about the aftermath of the earthquake. Here is what I found:
- A week ago, the British government announced additional aid.
- Harsh winter weather responsible for increase in children with pneumonia. 8 inches of snow fell this past weekend.
- Funds are short for current emergencies, even though more than $6 billion in aid was pledged to Pakistan (most earmarked for reconstruction).
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (aka Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) visit Pakistan during Thanksgiving. The goodwill ambassador for UNHCR found the scale of devastation "huge".

Pakistan update

Courtney asked me this morning if anyone was talking about the aftermath in Pakistan. Here is what I found out:
- A week ago, the British government announced additional aid.
- Harsh winter weather responsible for increase in children with pneumonia. 8 inches of snow fell this past weekend.
- Funds are short for current emergencies, even though more than $6 billion in aid was pledged to Pakistan (most earmarked for reconstruction).
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (aka Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) visit Pakistan during Thanksgiving. The goodwill ambassador for UNHCR found the scale of devastation "huge".

Le jour de l'action de grâce...

Thanksgiving news (from Harper's weekly email):
President Bush issued pardons to two turkeys, which were then sent to Disneyland to serve as grand marshals at a parade. "The granting of the turkey pardon," said the President, "is not a responsibility that I take lightly." The turkeys, Marshmallow and Yam, earned their pardons when they beat out Democracy and Freedom in an online poll.

Apparently the names are given after the turkeys are pardoned. Final scores available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2005/

16 November 2005

Employment head considers multiple wives


Who says I can't have more than one wife?

French deputy minister Larcher and a few others think polygamy is at the root of youth violence in France. Who knew Utah was such a mess?

09 November 2005

U.S. Cites Top Violators of Religious Liberties

In addition to the usual suspects, Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam, a few other countries made the State Department's list. These other countries include France, Belgium, Germany and Pakistan and were accused of continuing "to use restrictive legislation and practices to brand minority religions as dangerous 'cults' or 'sects'" (quote from non-US paper). Who would have guessed? hmmpf...

obsession about flaming images

i keep hearing a lot of controversy about whether France should be showing images of the burning buildings, firefighters, etc on TV. i'm sick of it.

i don't pretend that i watch a lot of TV but i have been seeing more coverage of the 'live' footage on US and UK channels - meaning more flames. The French news (i don't have the pay 24h news channel, LCI) shows some burning images as well as extinguished/burned cars. The reporting also shows images and interviews of the youth, local community leaders, parents and politicians. What's wrong with that?

while CNN and Fox News are showing the same burning buildings over and over, French TV is airing live roundtable debates with various actors and interested folks.

in fact, news channels here are purposefully limiting raw images and counting numbers on TV because they think that was inciting gangs to compete against each other for the 'most' cars, etc...

The WSJ has it wrong. Here are excerpts since that link will soon die:
Only the French themselves aren't necessarily watching the same thing as the rest of the planet.... The country's largest private television network, TF1, refrains from airing footage of burning cars or buildings. ... The state-owned television channels, France 2 and France 3, have stopped reporting on the number of cars torched by rioting young immigrants every night. ... Explaining their restraint, TV execs say that they want to avoid inciting further violence. We've quibbled with al Jazeera's news judgment in airing any al Qaeda video that comes its way. But the riots in France have become a "national emergency," as President Jacques Chirac declared yesterday, playing out in the streets of the country's cities. Pretending otherwise won't help France understand or come to grips with the problems in the burning banlieues that have caught most of France -- certainly, consumers of its television news -- by surprise. They shouldn't have been.

this last bit is ridiculous. France is not pretending that there is no problem here. Read the written press - it is all people are writing about. Does no one read anymore? Blasting images does not make a problem real or more serious. What about showing images of community leaders protecting a building during a night vigil? Or interviews with parents who are at a loss? or community leaders who don't agree with the governments decisions? where are these images on the US and UK news?

08 November 2005

Good reads on France's youth problems

- the details of Villepin's proposal

- "What France and the US have in common is that they both want to be loved by the world but succeed only in being hated by everyone" from Sylvie Kauffmann

- to be updated later - am being called in to the kitchen to help the cook.

- dinner was served at 22h30 and it was very yummy. lightly battered calamari with veggies and dipping sauces.

- on the press response in the middle east.

- i heard a deputy from the Green Party state that these kids have no other way of being heard by the government.

- Some Muslims are very upset that the law used in wartime in Algeria was reinstated. Others are happy if the decree helps to reduce the violence.

- data from my former colleagues at the OECD

Paris is not burning!

It couldn't be calmer here these days. The government is moving around very little. They spend their days in meetings, thereby creating fewer traffic disruptions from usual trips around the city.

On a more serious note, I am really enjoying the difference between the Anglo press and the French media's depiction of these events. French media seems relatively calm about this (a little too much like the government).


Paris, mai 1968


Aulnay, novembre 2005

An interesting conversation with some folks this weekend:
- some were shocked that religious leaders wanted to be part of the mediation groups: religious leaders cannot be seen considered as a community member. the division between church and state here is extremely clear-cut, unlike in the US.
- sit and wait attitude was predominant. contain the violence and that's pretty much all you have to do.
- it's the fault of the juvenile justice system where kids under age 16 cannot be punished by law.
- the most extreme folks said that we need to halt ALL immigration to France because immigrants are causing all the trouble. (Actually many are of French nationality and of North African descent.)

(For those who don't know me, I disagree completely with all these views).

04 November 2005


la vraie racaille

La racaille

It's great to be able to read in multiple languages. Racaille - an accusation pointed by Sarkozy regarding people burning cars in the Parisian suburbs this past week - has been translated into English as: "thugs"; "scum"; "rabble". I don't know why writers or the wires decided against the more appropriate delinquents.

Racaille is almost a style here in France - sport on some ultra-baggy jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap with some writing on it and you are likely to be called racaille - especially if you look tough and are not white. It doesn't mean that you are trouble.

In French, racaille is derived from canaille. According to l'Académie française, which controls the official French language, canaille originates from Italian (canaglia - pack of dogs, itself derived from cane - dog - in Latin), is pejorative and refers to a dishonest, detestable group of people. Canaille in English means the same thing - riffraff. In France, canaille has had several historical references:

  • While in exile, Jean-Jacques Rousseau used canaille to describe a bunch of folks who were incited by the local clergyman to destroy his home in Môtiers.
  • Canaille also referred to a bunch of surrealist and bohemian artists on the Left bank in Paris who were the antithesis of the bourgeoisie. Here, canaille is not violent it's about marginality.
  • Leo Ferré wrote a popular song called Paris - Canaille, interprêtée par Catherine Sauvage en 1953.

27 October 2005

Shaping the future generation in Iran

Ben voilà. Finalement un super président. A natural born leader.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13005923.htm

The best quote: Ahmadinejad said: "There is no doubt that the new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world."

(If you don't know me, I find this is slightly upsetting.)

22 October 2005

Wilma's revenge

800 km. diameter - 46 km for the eye.

Photos from Mexico


Wilma Flintstone: I work hard all day, too, and what do I get? A lot of yak from you. You at least get out everyday, see things, talk to people. I never get out of this cave.

19 October 2005

Why smoking is good for you...

According to the Chinese government, smoking is beneficial to your health.

17 October 2005

Nuit blanche - 1er octobre 2005

Le prix de la nuit:
une installation dans la maison de l'architecture de l'Ile de France qui m'klenage l'architecture, la physique et la composition musicale dans une ambiance unique. des anneaux de vapeur surgissent des cubes en bois et sont associés avec des sons. Le tout était féerique.


Karst, Chomaz et Chanfrault - Infraespace


Isabelle Grosse et Mâa - Upstream


Isabelle Krieg + Nike


Amanda Cardell - transparence blanche

16 October 2005

Sleep overdose

Is it possible que j'ai trop dormi ce weekend? Il n'est que 23h30 dimanche soir et I am already tired. For someone who regularly goes to bed at 1am, ça me semble bizarre. Saturday morning I woke up at 11am and Sunday morning at 13h. Apparently Kosmo has no problems sleeping as much as he does.

G and I bought some furniture today at the Puces. A 1950s (?) chair and a Chinese cabinet. More stuff to make our apartment in Paris feel all the much larger.

I just found out that the NYT has made (most of) their op-eds available only at the low price of $7.95 per month or $49.95 per year for those who do not subscribe to the NYT or the IHT. The IHT is special though - you have to receive it at least 3 days per week! I wonder how they came up with that figure. I am lucky that my parents receive the IHT. What would I do every week without Paul, Maureen or David?

13 October 2005

Animals on crack threaten humans

a serious story put out by the Guardian

pink car

My parents got a new car today - une voiture familiale they call it. Une break. Which in English translates to a station wagon (circa 1970s 1980s) or simply a wagon (1990s). Not sure what people call those things nowadays. anyway, it's not baby pink like the last peugeot they bought in 1986. actually that one was not pink but i believed them until the moment i saw the car (very gullible indeed). this one my mom says is almond green - i'll probably see it as grey, given that I am colorblind. oh good blog subject - FINALLY, i was in a drought. so yes women can be colorblind (about 8% of men and 0.4% of women have some form of color blindness). and yes i am a woman. you can take the test here (all results on one pae can be found here).

09 October 2005

Wise friend

She says: "New Yorkers are obnoxious, arrogant, and have no style, whereas Philly people just have no style."

06 October 2005

Will plane seats become bigger?

If white Americans adults are likely to be overweight, will airlines go bankrupt even faster due to the need to increase seat sizes to accomodate a large number of passengers? Read more on how "mega-obsese" might be critical in helping to reduce that threat.

30 September 2005

l'automne ne se cache pas...

It's raining. il pleut depuis 4 heures maintenant. c'est déprimant. il fait gris. il fait hiver.

Next Great City: Philly, Really @ National Geographic Traveler

Viva Philly (for tourism or for living ??)...

Too bad that the article neglects to provide readers with the backdrop of the inefficient mayor and the limits of city politics. One example suffices: the article praises the South Philly Athenæum group which hosts 30 artists (mostly music). Its Juniper street location was raided by the ever-gracious L&I (City's official real estate monger) this past week.

Check out the enlarged behinds of the article's main photo - cars included... South Philly style.

Nora is over Bill

Nora Ephron on Bill in The New York Times (timed with the release of Bewitched in France, coincidentally): op-ed on 29 September 2005

29 September 2005

Conversations

During the last three days, I have discussions with friends on the following subjects:
- the benefits of Polar watches for swimming/training;
- the beauty of Athens, Greece;
- Mongolian food;
- the disutility of doctorate degrees;
- liverpool v. chelsea;
- Greek panties;
- the philosophy of boredom.

28 September 2005

George Bush doesn't care about black people!

The Legendary k.o. remixes a Kayne West song using his comments during an NBC telethon to raise money for Katrina victims. (See links at bottom of comment to download accompanying videos.) Excellent!

23 September 2005

Interesting links about Houston

So it's déjà vu: local blogs are popping up, all major newspaper headlines are showing evacuation photos, traffic jams, closed stores, poor people stuck in the coastal towns, some areas looking like ghost towns, etc.

Here are a few links to keep you busy and informed:

Local Houston bloggers - http://houston.metblogs.com/

Updates:

Traffic appears to be slowly clearing out this morning in Houston and north of the city - buses are evacuated those stuck in traffic without gas.

The news states that the hurricane is changing path, veering slightly east of Houston, so that the city might be spared. Are people going to let their guard down? Will people turn around and go home, given the traffic jams? High winds gusts and heavy rains are likely even all the way up to Polk County (Livingston), TX. And the levees might still be compromised at the Galveston coastline surf is rising quickly there). Let's hope this is no Alicia for the area (brief note on Alicia - retired name!).

22 September 2005

Ritita is not so small


Source: national hurricane centre.

I hope my family, friends and parents' friends located in TX will be safe during this storm. The worst case senario sounds horrendous.

19 September 2005

Smiling in the Parisian métro

Ça n'arrive pas souvent. It doesn't happen often. People are not happy to be underground, moving fasting than traffic and at a reasonable cost to get to where they are going. It's one of the reasons I'd rather bike around this city than take public transport. But this weekend, G., Tracey and I experienced people smiling for one hour non-stop during the journées du patrimoine européenes. Regular métro riders waiting on the quais and who were not expecting the 1930s train to pull into the station ressemblaient à des enfants en voyant leurs cadeaux de noël. C'est quand même dingue de voir tout le monde dans le métro en train de sourire. Si seulement c'était comme ça tous les jours...


CMP Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Métropolitain de Paris

Second class

station combat - pas terrible comme nom pour le siège du parti communiste...

wooden seats

RATP candy given out in first class (sièges en acajou, revêtus de cuir)

16 September 2005

Second best music trivia moment ever!

Happened last night. Everyone knows that G. will always know more than me about music. I don't even bother most of the time to remember the names of bands, albums, etc. It's pretty pathetic considering that in my yu-t (sic), I spent days making mixed tapes (started with my first stereo system way back in 1983 or 1984). Bref, G. is way too much competition.

But last night, I was listening to a sample song from the Safety Scissors' latest album on Other Music's new release updates and recognised the guest female vocals on L'Amour D'Cuisine as Françoise from Stereo Total. G. was there to verify this story. I was impressed - he said it was an anomaly.

My best moment of music trivia was about 10 years ago in a trivia bar night. In about 2 split seconds I was able to answer the question: "What 1980s European band had a name in Latin?" C'était assez gênant quand même.

Simple jobs become complex

I don't get it. I got a new wheel for my bike yesterday. I've waited patiently (as patient, as I am at least) 9 days to get it and have suffered from bike-withdrawal syndromes. I come home with the new shiny wheel, all excited and bam! There it is - something seemingly obvious becomes a stressful back-breaking multiday operation. The axle is about one centimetre too wide and while I can manage to put the wheel on, the gears are now so out of whack that I have lost two gears (the two extreme ones). The angle is all wrong, etc and I have no idea how to fix it (hints are appreciated!). So now I have to go back to the bike store, but their mechanic is not there right now (middle of the workday on Friday). So, 10 days after breaking the axle on my wheel, I still have no functioning bike. And no end in sight.

Yes, there are worse things in life. People are starving in the world. But why is a simple job so complicated to get right the first time round? Don't even get me started on my dishwasher.

12 September 2005

Bébé attacks: 1-0

See - this is why I should not have told anyone that I have a blog. I like my friend Bebemoche, but this is not fair. Actually, to make matters worse, I hadn't even realised that I had to do this until Graham mentioned it. I read Bebemoche's post, but was thinking that Tex was someone else. That'll warn you against using a pseudonym.

("This" by the way if you are too lazy to read the hyperlink is listing the last 10 things I listened to. )

So pathetically, I have to get Graham to help me out because I can't be bothered to do it myself. I don't usually put music on myself - he does it. Dunno why, but I am lazy. I am a big fan of the shuffle function on the I-pod.

1) Cambodian cassette archives (actually a cd) - over dinner - thankfully, we turned it off to watch the brilliant movie I had rented (All or Nothing by Mike Leigh)
2) The Decemberists (Picaresque) - great for running, not that I actually went running recently
3) The Shins
4) Sufjan Stevens - this guy trying to make 50 albums (one for each US state - no La. in the works)
5) TV on the radio
6) The double - Rob from catsup plate sent this to Graham.
7) The Cure - 2.5 hours live at la route du rock 2005 (not an album... sue me)
8) !!!
9) The National - also at la route du rock
10) Bloc Party

Ooof! Passing it right along to my former colleague david. (let's see if he is reading this...)

08 September 2005

People and pets

Pet saving is becoming a big subject in NO-related blogs and newspapers. Ok, yes, I believe that if people are being forced to leave NO, they should have the right to save their pets. I understand the potential danger and reduced efficiency of adding animals to the evacuation lot. So some people decided to stay. Yet, now the people of NO are now faced with a mandatory evacuation. This is a different story. Admittingly, the logistics of adding animals to the list while maintaining some sense of hygiene and limiting resources may prove difficult, but not impossible. Many animal rights organisations are already involved (see http://animaltheory.blogspot.com/ for summary).

Don't get me wrong. I am not a huge save the animals of the world type of person - I live in a city where I am constantly watching where I walk to avoid bringing dog shit home on my shoes; I wear leather shoes; I am not a vegetarian; I am afraid of dogs, any size, any shape. BUT, I would not want to make that choice between my life and Kosmo's - he's kind of like a kid - save the children first, you know? For those of us who have chosen to have pets and/or children, we should have the right to treat them equally.

To help the pets, you can sign the petition to have Mayor Nagin amend the city's emergency order to evacuate the city's residents and their pets (dated Sept. 6, 2005) and/or donate to the American Humane Association.

05 September 2005

Shocking Katrina - A vacuum of leadership

The world is upset or in shock at the impact of Katrina on New Orleans and the slow response system that has affected disproportionately the poor and minority communities of the devastated area.

I can't add much to the discussion. But I am not surprised of the horror unfolding since last Monday. (Last Wednesday, I estimated that the death toll could reach 20 000 when the press was still talking about a few thousand. I am afraid that it might come true.)

I was already telling friends on Friday that it is not acceptable for the US president only to fly over the scene and wait so many days before shaking hands and hugging Katrina survivors. The photo opps are symbolic, but representative of the country's united support. Even if you like the guy, it is difficult to deny that Bush's lack of leadership this week was unprecedented in his presidency.

A while ago, right after September 11, I worked on a consulting project examining the challenges of local governments in preparing for a bioterrorism emergency. One critical element we identified for a dynamic response was consequence management. "Perhaps sustained and successful attention to consequence management will provide a form of prevention, as the threat moves toward targets likely to yield more spectacular results." High-tech communication infrastructure, reliable resource and incident management systems and updated emergency response systems can reduce mortality and morbidity in emergency situations.

Of all the things I have read recently, I find these articles most interesting:

Excellent summary of the communication problems in today's Le Monde

How state governments have assisted displaced folks

Lines of authority (by Paul Krugman)

FEMA and budget shifting

International donors

Will donors face the same generosity ranking as for the tsunami response?

29 August 2005

New Orleans

Katrina has yet to hit, but I am quite worried about the 25000 people (lowest estimate) who are in the New Orleans Superdome (home of the Saints' football team). This stadium is claimed to be the sturdiest of the refuges in the city. Yet, once again, we see our society divided by those who have resources and those who don't. If the city imposes a mandatory evacuation, it should be providing those destitute citizens with the means to leave as well. The poor, the homeless and the frail (along with vounteers and the National Guard) are braving this storm because of inadequacy of federal and city emergency policies. I hope that they will be well protected. These satellite images are frightening (see also link for satellite imagery in left column).

28 August 2005

Les activités de la fin du mois d'août

Today is a beautiful day in Paris. It was warm and sunny - not a cloud visible between buildings or across the rooftops. Kosmo was active all day - meaning that he also enjoyed the weather by chasing flies, moving around generally and watching people from our deuxième étage appartement. I tried a neighborhood pool for the first time and truly enjoyed my swim there. I also have been busy with the highly addictive numbers game Su Doku, which I discovered in the Times about a month ago.

The constitution draft in Iraq was read to parliament early this morning and will be submitted to Iraqi voters for a referendum 15 October 2005.

I saw my last plein air movie of the summer at La Villette avec Graham, Sophie et Jean-Marc - In the Mood for Love de Wong Kar-Wai. Maggie Cheung wears the same cheong sam dress throughout the movie which gives her a giraffe-like neck, yet manages to underscore her elegance and physical restrictions. (Actually the dress is the same cut, but varied with an impressive array of fabrics such as a lime green geometric pattern or daffodils in full bloom).

26 August 2005

Yolanda, mi abuela


Hoy hubiera sido su cumpleaños. Mil besos a mi abuela querida.

Images that I enjoy remembering from our times together:
- Abuela hitting the pailas religiously every noon during Noreiga's reign in Panamá.
- Sitting in her rocking chair watching Jeopardy on the Armed Forces Network with the TV in a closet.
- Watering her plants at night with old ice cream containers.
- Burning ants off the leaves of her plants with cigarettes (before she quit).
- Las clases de cocina.
- Playing bridge with her friends all afternoon.

24 August 2005

satellite maps

Google never ceases to amaze me - I found my apartment on a google satellite map.

23 August 2005

chili tasting

Given that I have shown no evidence of why I am named Tex, I have to share this joke that was recently passed to me. Now, it could be one of those jokes that have gone round and round on email lists and that somehow skipped me; or it could be my memory is failing me (yet again); in either case, if you can't laugh at this joke, I am so sorry. For novelty purposes, this link is 'international' - it links you Babel fish for a translation. C'est en effet assez drôle de lire la blague traduit en français.

22 August 2005

Sunday

Yesterday was a good day. I saw a fabulous photo exhibit of Martin Parr's work at La Maison européene de la photographie. (I find it amazing how they regularly curate excellent exhibits.) It was too bad that the love cubes game was not working though - you can play it online here. While I really enjoyed most of his work on our increasingly materialistic culture (e.g., Sign of the Times) and his portrayal of the British middle class, I didn't appreciate as much his gloom-day approach to travel in Small World. In this series, he limits the notion of global travel to cynical commercialism - hordes of travellers to European capitals or rich white people in developing countries. See Parr's website for a glimpse of his work.
The other reason yesterday was a good day is that I found a great light blue wool coat at a thrift store (at a very reasonable price).
Other than that it was grey all day long.

20 August 2005

New trip plans



I do have a job.
I am going to a high school friend's wedding in NZ. Four of us are planning a 10-day road trip on the South Island. Then I plan on meeting up with friends who live in Sydney for Australia Day.

19 August 2005

Forgot this one...

I was here in January 2005. My mother is from Panamá and it is truly as beautiful as this picture (which admitingly I did not take).


San Blas, Panamá

London 21 July 2005

I was in London for work that day. It was a beautiful summery day. By the time word had spread that there had been a second attack on the London tube, the City seemed like a ghost town. Traffic came to a halt and buses were not going into central London. Yet, the weirdest experience must have been isolation. As I did not have access to the internet or a phone (cell line sget blocked very quickly) or a television or the radio, it was really difficult to know what was happening. People were confused, spreading rumours and I overheard a couple deciding to move outside of the city. It was only when I reached Oxford Circus (which was closed) near one of the suspected attacks that more information was available through the police officers.

Memory problems

Maybe I should take it as a clue that I am getting old when someone reminded me that I have a blog. It makes me feel guilty, like I had forgotten to feed a pet, water a plant, call family on birthdays. What is the appropriate number of postings per day? week? month? decade?

15 August 2005

this summer's beautiful places

Been travelling a bit this summer. These are my favorite photos of where I was:
Row 1 Koh Tao, Thailand
Row 2: Dirt road near Phrao, northern Thailand and view from pool near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Row 3: Les Gets, France (view of le Mont Blanc) and Siem Reap, Cambodia (Angkor Vat)

of course since i am useless with HTML i cannot guarantee that the photos come up in the correct order - i'm sure you can figure it out though...






A short long week-end en France


I went to Cancale for the weekend to see friends and the Route du Rock music festival (12-14 août).


camping with corn

Tex awards
most energetic performance: !!!
best bang-for-your-buck show (2+ hours): the cure
boring: mercury rev
cutest: the wedding present
can't remember but must have been good: yo la tengo
best latest closing act (2:30am): the nationals

I found too much dust in my nose after this weekend. I also am very confused at having lost my 3-day pass - it was last seen in my very tight jeans pocket in the Cancale house on day 2. Missed mostly only Sonic Youth on day 3 - that still sucked.

Libé came out with a story that only 65% of the French will go on summer holidays this year; those that do not leave cannot afford to: http://www.liberation.fr/page.php?Article=316069. Today (Monday) is a national holiday.

12 August 2005

Meet Kosmo



On August 1, my cat Komso turned 10. Within a week he proved that he was no old cat - he caught a sparrow off the 2ème étage ledge in Paris. He is so proud of his catch.

11 August 2005

Explaining something


The first blog posting is often asinine. Overexcitement of being 1 of 4 million+ bloggers can lead to silliness. I would rather share a photo - it explains more than 1000 words. I chose my neighbourhood (back side of Montmartre) in Paris. One of the 11 places I have lived in my few years. I love it here - the small streets, the lack of chain stores, the neighbourhood attitude and the mixité sociale make it a fabulous place to live. Not to mention the good bread, cheese and wine stores within walking distance.