Liberation of Paris

I'm a little late with this video that shows the underground bunker that was the HQ for the FFI in the final days of the German occupation.

Notre Dame Update

We finally walked by Notre Dame yesterday. The entire block is circled with an 8 foot high fence of corrugated metal topped with razor wire. They are serious about security! The playground/park behind the cathedral is now home to stacks of containers used as construction offices. The pretty garden along the river side is now storage for scaffolding. Most of the center of the building is covered in scaffolding. (The scaffolding contractor will make a fortune from this job) The flying buttresses are all supported with framing made from heavy timber. There is temporary roof over the center of the building. (If the tarp was blue it would remind me of New Orleans after Katrina.)  Word is that this will be going on for 5 years.

Climate Change in Europe

Recently a 16 year old Swede got international attention for her rants on climate change. It's understandable if you are aware of how climate change is part of everyday life in Europe.

In almost everything you do in daily life in Europe, you are reminded of you carbon footprint. If you use Google Maps to find direction somewhere, you will be told how many grams of carbon you will be emitting depending upon your transportation option - car, public transportation, or walking. If you buy a train ticket, the amount of your share of carbon will be printed on the ticket. If you want to buy an apartment, it will have an energy rating which is shown on the advertising. If you want to drive a car within the periferique in Paris, you will need a special air emission sticker making it difficult for drivers from other countries to come into the city. In the news, climate change is treated like a scientific fact with no comments about the validity of the data. The term is used casually to explain every weather anomaly.

Is it any wonder that this amount of propaganda produces teenage angst?

Myself, I read that there recently 5 earthquakes within one hour in Missouri. That is much more of a concern to me.

A Little Excitement

My wife and I were walking back from the Bastille market towards the Isle of St Louis and our apartment when I hear a helicopter circling low over the area. They never fly helicopters over the city unless there is a problem. (The last time I saw it was when the police was tracking an armed bank robber on a motorcycle.) Then I see the pilot setting up to land on the very bridge that we had to walk across to get to the island - Pont Marie. Rotary wing guys hate to land anywhere that is not a certified landing pad because of the obstructions that they can run into, like light poles, but this guy did it anyway.

The gathering crowd was puzzled and curious and we found someone who spoke English and was able to see the news on his phone. Someone had attacked police officers at the Prefecture (HQ across from Notre Dame) and this operation was obviously part of the response. You will probably learn more about it on the news.

It just goes to show that you never know what you will find in Paris.

Here's a link to the story with a picture of the helicopter on the bridge.

Paris News

Over here I've been watching the France24 English channel and BBC. Fox News is usually not available. Obviously, you get a different twist to the news.

For example, we get Brexit news all the time, even down to a real time live feed about the UK Supreme Court deciding on the suspension of Parliament.

Another thing is, all reporters talk about global warming like it is proven fact with no attempt to provide a second opinion. Greta has been in the news almost continuously. BBC reported the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy as proof of sea level rise and they have stories about a small island off Bangladesh that is disappearing with no scientific explanation about alternatives like coastal erosion or subsidence.

We get a lot of news about Africa.  Did you know that there is ongoing strife between French speaking and English Speaking Cameroon? And I was really glad to see Mugabe finally put in the ground as we heard about his funeral every day.

And if you are interested in rugby, Japan beat Russia in the first game of the World Cup. Who da thought?

We get very little about Trump or the Democrats and I'm almost glad about that.

Interestingly, there was almost no coverage of the violence that erupted in Paris during the global warming march yesterday although 7000 French riot police shot tear gas and there were 100 arrests.

Paris News

Today, Friday the 13th, was a transportation worker strike. Most Metro and Bus lines were shut down. The workers were striking over Pres Macron's plan to consolidate the some 42 retirement plans to save money. The workers were not happy but in true French style, the one day strike was on a Friday so some people could plan a three day weekend.

In sports, the US team lost in the quarter finals of the basketball world cup. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!!!! An American Team lost in America's sport????? Worse, they lost to France. Mon Dieu! And what the heck is the world cup????? Turns out there is an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) A quick look showed me that several of the players on the French team were American. I guess it's a way for young NBA players to keep in shape in the off season. I bet that didn't make the local sports for you!

And three women have come forward with claims against Jeff Epstein in France. Seems he had a swanky apartment on Ave Foch (the street where the Gestapo had their HQ) and is therefore subject to French law.

News from Across the Pond

We are usually tuned into BBC and France 24 English channel. The news is all about Brexit and Boris Johnson. The Parliament is pushing back on the "no deal" Brexit but a deadline of Oct 31 is fast approaching.

In French news, I see that the family of a man who died during sex with a strange while on a business trip is entitled to death benefits. The court ruled that his death was a workplace accident. This sets a precedent that a person is covered by company insurance even during his personal time if he's travelling on business. You might think this is a rare event, but I can assure that it happened on a project when I was working in Seoul, South Korea. Just one of the things they don't teach you in college.

Crossing the Pond

My wife and I are getting ready for an extended trip to Paris and Lyon this month. We watched Dorian closely and at one point I had a Plan B in place when we thought it might get into the Gulf. I had a rental car and a hotel reservation and we were going to drive to Atlanta. That looks like it won't be necessary now but the Boy Scout in me said "Be Prepared".

So, posts for the next month or so will have a European focus and we'll check on the status of the Yellow Vests. I'll also check in on the new Musee de la Liberation - a new museum about the liberation of the city in 1945. I may also go see the largest collection of Citroen automobiles. It will be good to visit old friends and enjoy the City of Light.

Thank you, Dietrich von Choltitz, for disobeying the order to destroy the city.

Memories of Notre Dame

I was truly shocked and saddened to watch Notre Dame burn. Those who follow me know that I spend several weeks a year in Paris having fallen in love with the city after working there for about 1 year. In one trip there I stayed on Isle St Louis and my daily walk to and from the train station took me past Notre Dame. I would marvel that my daily commute took me past such history.

 In another trip, my sons family stayed with us for a couple of weeks. On the first night they spent in Paris we walked back along the Seine after dinner. My oldest grandson (then 17) was looking at stuff within the near field when I told him to look up and to the right. He looked up and saw the front of Notre Dame shining in spotlights and his jaw fell open in awe. He says that that was his "I'm really in Paris" moment.

On our last trip to Paris we again stayed on the island and the view out of our front window was the back of Notre Dame and its spire.

France rebuilt the cathedral at Reims after WW 1 and I am sure they will rebuild "Our Lady".

Yellow Vests - Week 20

Taking a look at Paris traffic on Google Maps today it looks like the lower Champs, from Grand Palais to the Tuileries is closed. The riverside expressway on the right bank from the Trocadero to Tuileries is closed and the area around the Trocadero and across the bridge to the Eiffel is closed. In other words, if you were a tourist today, you could not go to most of the popular tourist sites.

My wife tracks apartments for sale and rent in Paris and she has seen a marked drop in price since January. Now heading into its 6th month, this protest over the French president's new green deal has to be hurting tourism in Paris.

And as we head into an election season, keep the lesson of the Yellow Vests in mind.

Yellow Vests- Week 19

President Macron has essentially declared martial law and deployed the army to protect the streets of major French cities. While it is common to see soldiers at tourist and transportation sites, they have been deployed to protect government building under the French anti terrorism statutes.

If you look at the traffic function on Google maps, you will see that major streets are closed for their entire length. Basically, draw an "X" through Paris and it is closed. The entire length of the Champs is closed. The streets that circle the Tuilleries are closed as well as the river side expressway on the right bank. The N/S street that passes the Catacombs, goes by Luxumborg and the St Michael Fountain, crosses Isle de la Cite and on up to Gare du Nord and the 10th Arr. is closed.

This is not going to end well.

Yellow Vests - Week 17

17 weeks and still at it although the numbers are down. The press tends to focus on Paris but there are demonstrations all over the country and plans to go to CDG. My wife tracks cavaton apartment rental rates and they are down through August, which is when Europe goes on vacation. The UN has called for an investigation of police violence and their use of crowd dispersing rubber ball grenades. If you want to gauge the extent of the protests, on Saturday morning pull up Paris on Google maps and activate the traffic function. You will be able to see the road closures due to the marches.

Yellow Vests - Week 13

Another Saturday of escalating violence. Looks like marchers headed down the Champs to the Assembly National building. Police reacted with tear gas and rubber bullet grenades. A protester lost a finger when he picked one up and it detonated in his had. These grenades are made for crowd control using flash bang effect and rubber projectiles. They shoot rubber balls out to a maximum effective radius of 50 feet. Some also contain CS for a triple kick. They have a 1.5 second fuse that separates the metallic fuse and safety pin portion and then it detonates 0.5 seconds later. There is no time to pick it up and throw it back.

The Dems who are supporting AOC and her stupid new Green Deal need to watch some international news. These protests started over France's New Green Deal when President Macron increased the tax on diesel fuel on a populace that was already fed up with high taxes. Venezuela is in near revolt because of years of socialist policies. California's high speed rail project is mired in cost overruns and is probably 15 years away  from completion, if ever.

Yellow Vests - Week 12

The Yellow Vests had their 12 week of continuous protests on Saturday. The focus of the protest was against police violence. The police - a dedicated team that specializes in riot control - uses non-lethal projectiles called "flash-balls". Last week, a protest leader lost an eye to one of these weapons.

Flash-Ball is the brand name of a non lethal system manufactured by the French company Verney Carron. The produce a range of projectiles and launchers. Their full scope of supply can be seen on on their website - follow this link to see it.

The French courts uphold the use of flash-balls although they have been banned in several other European countries.

Yellow Vests - Week 8

The yellow vest protest continued after Christmas. While the violence in Paris gets all the attention, there are non-violent protests all over France. The latest move by the yellow vests is to cause a run on the banks by having their members withdraw their money from their bank accounts. It will be interesting to see how this works out.
Dior has changed the date of their mens fashion show from a Saturday, when most of the protests take place, to a Friday.
And in other news, a street artist has painted a mural depicting Liberty leading the yellow vest modeled after the famous Delacroix painting.

I don't think this movement is going to go away anytime soon and President Macron seems to have no idea how to deal with them. And our new congress critter talk about 70% tax rates.

Yellow Vest Update

There was a protest last Saturday although it wasn't as large as the past ones. And now the Yellow Vests can add the police to their numbers. The police union called for a work slow down last Wednesday to protest the number of unpaid overtime hours resulting from the protests and a cut in the police budget. The police were urges to stay in the office and only respond to emergency calls.

Yellow Vests - Week 4

The movement shows no signs of going away as violent clashes again hit Paris. But it's not just in Paris. Other cities also experienced protests. The movement is also gaining other groups and is morphing into a general protest against President Macon. Students are protesting Macon's school reforms which include a tuition increase, require choosing a specialization and mandatory 4 month military service. Videos of high school students on their knees with their hands tied have incensed the populace. And the trade unions are getting into the act as they protest for higher wages and pension increases.

But it's not just the rich politicians and designer stores who are feeling the protests. Many tourist sites were shut down on Saturday. Soccer games were cancelled. I personally know that the owners of one our favorite restaurants have shut down for the past 3 Saturdays as they could not get into the city. This is a family run restaurant operated by a husband and wife team and 3 employees. It is not an operation that can afford to lose 1/6 of their revenue.

President Macron has been missing most of the past week as protesters call for his resignation. He has gone from winning the election with 66 per cent of the vote to an approval rating of 18 per cent.

What happens in Europe can be a predecessor to events in the US. These protests are a direct result of progressive ideology. The average Frenchman is making a statement that their personal well being is more important than climate change.

Miniature Cities in Paris

I thought this museum would be a bunch of musty maps but I will be going there the next time I'm in Paris.

Yellow Vest Protests Continue

I left Paris Friday afternoon and therefore missed the next installment of the yellow vest protest. But Saturday, they were back at it and the Champs Elysee, Arc de Triumph and Tuileries Gardens were filled with tear gas, smoke and water canons. Numbers vary but the news claims that 300 people have been arrested and about 100 injured. There was also a lot of window smashing and mayhem against the flag ship shops along the Champs. Commerce was shut down and the economic impact is starting to get large. My impression is that the CRS (French riot police) didn't hold back and went in hard from the beginning.

President Macron was out of town at the G20. His approval rating is in the low 20s. Keep your eye on these events.

Here is a link to the riots at France 24.

Yellow Vest Follow Up

The French tax on diesel fuel is a blatant use of taxation to force social change. Emmanuel Macron is all in behind the Paris Climate Change Agreement and is determined to set the pace for Europe. In a speech today where he was expected to address the concerns of the Yellow Vests, he doubled down on his environmental plan to move france to renewable energy. His only concession was to offer 3  months of "talks" with the movement. It was obvious that he does not care about the financial concerns of the people in this movement.

As far as the Yellow Vests are concerned, they are starting to get better organized. they now have a small group of members that will provide leadership, as a focal point for discussions and to keep outside sources from hijacking the movement. It looks like this is going to become the French TEA party.

But you won't hear anything about it on that side of the pond.