Bonne Annee

Here's hoping that 2015 brings you health, wealth and happiness.

Joyeux Noel

Merry Christmas

Book Review - The Cruiser

David Poyer has finally come up with the next chapter in the saga of Dan Lenson. Against all odds he's been promoted to Captain and given command of an aegis cruiser. Unfortunately, it is currently aground near Naples. He is to take command and then go to the eastern Med to provide ballistic missile defense. The ship has problems, both mechanical and human, and he has to sort them out during a combat patrol. The book is full of action and although it has references to earlier novels, the new reader will understand what is going on. This is a fast read and difficult to put down. I finished it on a trans Atlantic flight.

The book ended with an obvious lead in to a sequel with Dan in command of the same vessel. It also left some open story lines. For example, what caused the death of a healthy crewman and why does everyone have a cough? I hope Poyer writes the sequel soon because I waited too long for this one.

L'empire de la Mort

My wife was off taking a cooking class and, since I had time on my hands, I decided to visit the Catacombs. Usually the wait to get in is several hours but I was banking on there being short lines in December and I was right.

The catacombs were originally underground limestone mines. Paris is built from the stones mined in these quarries that started back in Roman times. The problems came in the late 1700s when urban expansion meant the city had been built over existing mines. A couple of street collapses drove the government to undertake a project in 1777 to inspect the quarries and built supports to prevent the city from collapsing.

In 1786, there was a health problem with the overcrowded cemeteries within the city limits. It was decided that the underground quarries would make an excellent resting place for the bones from the cemeteries and another project was undertaken to move some 6 million dead people to their new home.This continued until 1859. The transfers were all done at night and escorted by priests.

This engraving on the wall gives the support ID number, the initial of the builder and the date of it's construction.

You can also see the names of streets above engraved in some walls.

 

This carving was done to memorialize a builder who was killed in a cave in.

 

Stacking the bones. It looks as if a retaining wall was built with leg bones and skulls. Behind this wall there is a jumble of bones.

Each section has a plaque that tells where the bones came from. These came from the Ancient Cemetery of St Laurent. The bones were first deposited in the Ossuary of the West and then transferred here in 1859.

 

They got pretty good at bone stacking

 

And they had a lot of bones.



 

 

Sights of Paris No. 3

Saw this sign on the way to work. Evidently street urination is as much of a problem in Paris as it is in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I think the paper boat is a nice touch.

Maybe they need to bring back the old pissoirs.

Wait for Signs - Book Review

This is a compilation of 12 short stories by Craig Johnson based on his main character, Walt Longmire. While some may yearn for another full novel, this set of short stories, some humorous and some with a mystery theme, serve to fill in the gaps in Longmire's life history and explains his relationships to other characters. It is highly recommended.

Head Count

Well, Saudi Arabia beheaded a mix of murderers and drugees last month as well as a couple of rapists for a total of 12. If you add that even dozen to the sum of the previous months, they have a year to date total of 69 with two months to go.

More Street Iron in Paris

More cars from the streets of Paris........

 

This Ferrari was parked (probably illegally) on the corner.

 

 A couple of days later, this Lambo was parked on the same corner. It was across from a brasserie called "La Pallette" so named because of the art galleries in the area. Evidently, this brasserie has also been visited by Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford. I guess the art game is good.

Finally, this is a Cobra replica by DAX seen on Blvd St Germaine. The "Powered by Chevrolet" decal on the right side was a giveaway as the original had a 427.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Paris

We spent Thanksgiving in Paris this year. For me, it was a normal work day and since turkeys are difficult to find in France we took an evening cooking class followed by eating what we cooked.  About a dozen or so other American refugees were there as well.

The starter was Chestnut Soup and Meslcun with Fennel Salad. The main course was Cornish Game Hens with Potato Dauphinois and Pumpkin Puree. Dessert was a Walnut and Caramel Tart and Pears Poached in Red Wine. (What's that thing in the chestnut soup?  Why, Bacon, of course!) No cows were harmed during the preparation of this meal, but a large amount of cream was used. The chef reminded us often that cream wasn't 35% fat but 65% water!

While it may not have been the traditional Thanksgiving meal, we enjoyed the cooking education, meal preparation and the comraderie of our fellow displaced Americans.

 

 

 

Book Review - The Burning Room

This is the latest effort in the Bosch series. It has been 2 years since we last saw him in "The Black Box". In the meantime, Michael Connelly has been busy with an Amazon sponsored television series and it shows. This book seems to have been written to fulfill a contract. It does not have the usual Harry Bosch tension and attitude. Instead, he is cast in the role of a mentor to a young, female detective. We get to see the softer side of Harry but somehow it just doesn't seem like he's the same guy. He's counting the days until his DROP contract runs out and is more introspective than we have ever seen him as he approaches retirement.

Harry is still on the cold case group and he is investigating an old shooting case with a Mexican American female detective who was recently promoted. Unknown to Harry, she has an agenda to continue an unofficial investigation of an apartment fire and the two cases become joined by circumstances.

One of the things that was missing was that characters introduced in "The Black Box" do not appear in this book. It's as if his relationship with his girlfriend and the new detective in the internal investigation division did not exist. And remember, we never did learn the motivation of her reasons to follow him to Bakersfield in "The Black Box". I was hoping that story line would continue, or at least be explained.

All in all, not the best of the series.

Last Nights Excitement

Shortly before dinner time we heard a helicopter flying around central Paris. The rotor noise was also mixed with police sirens. We had never seen a helicopter in this airspace before so it caught our attention.....and it kept circling the Montparnesse Tower. Since there had been threats against Paris by ISIS and we have noted an increase in security patrols in the tourist areas, we thought there might have been some terrorist activity. Turns out it was just an every day jewelry store robber....Cartiers.....on the Champs.....by a couple of bumbling burglars.

The Champs is full of people going to the Christmas Market and traffic is bumper to bumper with looky loos at the lights and you think this might be a good time to rob the store????

Link to story is here.

French Humor....or Unfortunate Marketing?

Last week I saw some new ads in the Metro stations for water enhancers. My wife and I have been bringing Mios with us and everyone was asking about what we were putting in our water. Now there is a similar product, "OUIZ, the enchanter of water", being marketed in France. But I'm not sure if I want to "whiz" in my water!

Paris Shanty Town

We had our niece visiting us last week and my wife had a ball showing her around Paris. We escorted her to CDG on Sunday to make sure she didn't have any issues at check in and then my wife and I caught the train back into the city.

When we were passing through the area of Le Bourget (where the old airport was and now a large industrial area) I noticed a couple of areas where squatters had erected plywood shantys along the side of the railroad tracks. I didn't have time to get a picture but I was amused to see that several of these shantys had satellite dishes on them. I guess they can't do without their MTV.

Car Parts as Art

A gallery near my apartment had these items for sale. Done this way, your old junker is worth much more if you break it down for art.

Beaufolais Nouveau est Arrivee

The third Thursday of November is the traditional day for the release of the New Beaujolais. I tried to do my part by sampling the products of several wineries while I snacked on sausage cooked in the leftover skins of gamay grapes and homemade pate of wild boar. This manufactured holiday is the result of an ingenious marketing campaign that started in 1967 to sell wine early and give a boost to the cash flow of the wine industry. It is now an international event.

I spent the evening at a favorite restaurant where the owner/chef has close ties with several organic wine makers. We sampled several versions, including a white and competing wines made by father and son. Some of them had quirky names. My favorite was the white wine called "The 6 Weeks Rabbit" or "Le Lapin de 6 Semaines".

As we say in New Orleans, Laissee le Bon temps Roulee.

Long Distance

I'm back across the big pond in the "City of Lights" and watching the news with interest. It seems our dear Senator Mary may have to look for a new job soon as polls have her 16 points behind. I wonder if she will live in DC (which most of us think is her real home) or return to Mom and Dad's place in New Orleans where she claims residence. And I guess she'll have to fly commercial since she won't be able to travel on the taxpayers dime anymore. I got my absentee ballot ready to go.

I also see that the country is gearing up for some major race riots. I was in Boston when MLK was shot but this looks to be much worse. I wonder what the "Blessed One" will do if the country's urban centers start to burn. I suspect he will play like Nero except he will golf instead of playing the fiddle.

Be safe out there and stay on high alert.

How to Handle Phone Solicitors

My wife received a phone call the other day from a phone solicitor with an obvious Indian accent.

"Is Mrs. R there?", the caller asked.

"I'm sorry, she passed away yesterday.", my wife responded.

"Well, is Mr. R available?"

"What? You want to disturb a man who is grieving for his wife??!!"

(sound of hanging up)

I got one the other day from someone who wasn't trying to sell me something but wanted to confirm my location and salary as an obvious pre-qualification ploy.

"Do you still live in Louisiana?"

"You called me. Didn't you look at the area code?"

"Do you have a present worth of x dollars or an annual salary of y dollars?"

"Isn't it great that in this wonderful country a person can rise to....." (hang up)

And then there was the call from a political pollster who "only wanted to ask me a couple of questions". He then started into a long list of background questions about voter status, age, race, etc. So I stopped him and said, "Why don't you just ask your questions and stop wasting my time?" I guess he had a thin skin because he hung up.

Politics

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results", Albert Einstein

The Democrats are faced with choosing new leadership and it looks as if they are going to stick with the same folks that lost them the election - Reid, Pelosi and Wasserman-Shultz. I sometimes think that the Republican party can be stupid, but the idea of keeping this set of losers as the party leadership is truly Stuck on Stupid.

Head Count

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia separated the heads from 6 drug dealers and 1 murderer last month. Added to the 50 from the previous months, their year to date total stands at 57.

Happy Halloween

Lets go to the Beach

Every August Paris takes a section of expressway along the Seine and turns it into a beach. Sand is brought in, beach umbrellas are installed and food and drink vendors set up shop. Eventually, they hope that they will be able to swim in the river. At least this gives a way for people who can't afford it to go to the beach.

For the Aviators

A memorial plaque to a historical aviator in the Pantheon in Paris.

"Poet, novelist, aviator. Disappeared during an aerial reconaissance mission on 31 July, 1944."

Paris Street Iron

For the 4 and 2 wheel afficianados, here are some things seen in Paris. First a Citroen 2CV, also called 4 wheels and an umbrella, that will give you a tour of Paris.

 



Next, on the Place de la Concorde, a Ferrari and a Lambo that you can rent (I didn't ask the rate)

Seen on the street near Place Bastille, a Morgan

And that all purpose car of the Italian people, the Fiat 500 with a delivery Harley in the background

For the classic car buffs, an Hispano Suiza

A custom bike behind Notre Dame

And another in a Chinese wedding photo shoot on the side of Notre Dame

For the steam punkers, a steam trolley

And a steam tractor

Hope you enjoyed.

More Ebola

Cajun is speculating that health care professionals may decide to stay home if ebola patients are brought to their hospital and they may have to be coerced into treating patients. I'm not sure.

I once attended a presentation about a subsea wellhead that was enclosed in a pressure vessel. The idea was that the wellhead would stay at atmospheric pressure and workers would lock into it via a submarine. I asked who he thought he could get who was willing to do that. His response was that people would do anything if the money was right. I didn't believe him until I spent some time in Houston a few years ago and saw how many people were signing up to drive trucks in Iraq during the First Gulf War. Halliburton was holding indoctrination sessions in the same hotel I was in and there were hundreds of people going through the training. All you need to do is offer enough money to get them on the right side of the risk/reward equation. Sorta like hazard pay.

In other news, a NY, NJ and IL have imposed a quarantine on incoming people from ebola countries. It is giving Obama fits and NY is now waffling by saying they can stay at home. A nurse that was quarantined in NJ is complaining about the violation of her personal freedoms but she is doing it only days after a doctor came down with the disease after he walked around NYC for several days. I don't think she will get much sympathy, especially if she also gets sick. (And I predicted there would be legal issues over personal freedoms and the requirements of a health emergency)

I am gobsmacked that a medical professional, who knows the risks better than anyone else, would have the arrogance to walk around in public until he was positive he was free of the virus. All medical workers who return to this country after working with ebola patients should expect to undergo quarantine upon arrival.

American Muscle in Paris

We were walking back to the apartment after dinner lastnight when I heard a familiar sound, and I knew right away it wan't the rattle of a 4 cylinder engine but the sweet of rumble of an American V8 with glass packs. And here it is:

 

That has got to be an expensive machine to run and maintain in Paris.

 

Last month we were staying on Isle St Louis and I would routinely see this American icon parked at the end of the island. But why someone would want to use it for delivery, I have no idea.

 



USS Constitution

The USS Constitution, aka "Old Ironsides" is heading for dry dock for a 3 year refurbishment. I posted about her on my last visit to Boston. The link is here.

I happened to visit Boston on her last refurbishment. You get a very different perspective of the ship. First of all, they have to find guys who have skills no longer in fashion. Very few people are around that have the skills to repair a wooden sailing vessel. In the museum, they had a display of all the good luck coins that had been placed under her masts in previous refurbishments. Another interesting fact is how they get the wood to repair her. They get donations of Live Oak stumps that they then use to make her new timbers.

Even though she may not be available for boarding, it is still worth a visit if you happen to be in Boston.

HAZOP, Risk Ranking and Ebola

During the design of new oil and gas or chemical facilities it is required that something called a HAZOP be performed. A HAZOP is short for hazard and operability study. In it, a group of engineers brainstorm all the different ways that something could go wrong, no matter how remote. When all of these are captured to the satisfaction of everyone on the team, they then try to decide upon the possibility of that event occurring and the damage should it occur. Each potential failure is then given a risk ranking. These range from High Probability - Low Consequence to Low Probability - High Consequence. We all know that we have to protect ourselves  from the former but we also have to consider the latter.

I submit that the transmission of ebola should be considered a Low Probability - High Consequence event. It may be difficult to transmit but the consequences of catching it are very high. In engineering, we would take whatever means were necessary to guard against one of these events and ebola should be thought of in the same way. We cannot be casual in our approach to containing this disease.

And that means you have to assume that anyone treating an ebola patient could contract the disease. Therefore, all health care workers should be volunteers who agree to be under quarantine for three weeks to make sure that they do not come down with the disease. During this period they should not be allowed to travel or interact with the public. Understanding this does not require a medical degree, ony a degree in common sense which seems to be lacking in our current government.

More Ebola

A second health care worker who cared for Thomas Duncan has come down with a fever and is being tested for ebola. The nurses union is also complaining that the hospital did not take proper care of medical waste produced during his treatment allowing it to collect in the room.

You cannot treat this disease in your local hospital and it you do, you put countless others at risk.

Stay tuned.

Ebola Update

The fact that a nurse from Dallas has now contracted the disease proves to me that you cannot treat this disease in your local hospital isolation ward. The speculation is that she came in contact with the virus while she was taking off her PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). In any case, the CDC is blaming her the same way the FAA claims pilot error.

IMHO, Ebola should only be handled in a Level 4 biological facility. This facility would have several decontamination processes, complete space suits with an internal air supply and the personnel would be trained in their use. You can count the ones in the US on one hand. Your local hospital is not equipped nor is the staff trained.

In other news:

• The nurse in Australia was tested and found negative for ebola.
• Louisiana is refusing to allow medical waste (even if it has been incinerated) into the state. This could set up a states rights issue should the federal government mandate that the state accept the waste.
• There was a panic on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Boston when several people became sick. I suspect it was food poisoning.

Here are some things to ponder......

What do they have to do to decontaminate the apartment of an ebola patient? I suspect they have have to remove and destroy everything. They took 140 barrels of stuff out of Thomas Duncan apartment and burned it.

Do you think the owner will ever be able to rent that apartment, or any apartment in that complex?

Why have we not heard any news about the 48 people that the CDC is following in Dallas or the state of the ambulance staff?

Why do we not know how long the virus can exist on a hard surface? This is basic information that should be known.

Book Review - Deadline

This is the 8th in John Sandford's series featuring the Virgil Flowers. Virgil always seems to fall into interesting situations and this one is no different. A friend calls Virgil for help with a dog napping situation. Virgil, being in a slow period and looking for a good place to fish, agrees to help. Little does he know that in the same town, the local school board is conspiring on some public corruption and murder. They decide to whack the local new reporter and the case falls into Virgil's lap. And while he's looking into that situation, he finds a meth lab.

I had waited for this release for a long time and my intention was to read this slowly and savor it, but my curiosity kept me turning pages whenever I had a free moment. I couldn't wait to see how Virgil solved the missing dog mystery, made a raid on the meth lab and caught the murderers. And as usually happens with Flowers, he ends up in a humorous situation at the end of the story.

If you like Sandford and like to follow this character, you will enjoy this book.

Ebola Update

Here is some of the latest news.....

• Patient Zero has died
• A nurse in Australia is thought to have the disease. She worked in Liberia
• Dallas cop who was in the apartment has been cleared of having the disease
• CDC says they won't stop travel from the affected areas
• Have you heard any news about the status of the ambulance crew or the family of Patient Zero?

It's getting stupid crazy. All past epidemics have been stopped by isolating the area and letting the disease burn itself out. An accepted procedure to contain other epidemics is to isolate the area and innoculate everyone in the surrounding area. The idea is to prevent the disease from getting out. Yet our government is keen on doing the opposite. I can only think that they want to cause a crisis so that they can impose government restrictions on us.

Lets face it, ebola patients need to be treated in a level 4 biological safety environment, not the isolation ward of your local hospital.

Ebola - Never Let a Serious Crisis Go To Waste.

So, ebola has come to Dallas. You've seen the press conference where medical officials are telling you not to worry while they skim over the details of what they are doing to track down the contacts that Patient Zero had during the 6 days he roamed the city and was potentially infecting people. They tell us they will isolate and monitor people he had contact with for at least 21 days as if this is a friendly and benign process.

Think about what this means......The Federal Government, and the states, have laws for dealing with public health crisis. Legally, they could quarantine you for as long as they see fit and if you leave quarantine, they can arrest you without a warrant. These laws will be enforced by local law enforcement who may not be too happy about getting too close to a potential carrier. What means would they use to subdue you? And where would they take you? Will they take you to a central location or let you stay in your home? Where will they get the manpower to monitor all those people?

I think people should start to consider these questions and understand the implications of the laws concerning public health.

And this was one of my concerns in sending US troops to Africa to deal with ebola. What happens when our troops either have to forcibly quarantine people or protect a medical team from a mob?

Head Count

Saudi Arabia is busy playing catch up, or perhaps they are trying to relieve crowding in their jails. Murder and drugs lead to the public beheading of 14 folks in the Kingdom last month. This added about 50% to their year to date total which now stands at 50 heads.

Answer - Warning Science and History Geekery Below

In 1666, Louis the 14th authorized the building of the Paris Observatory with the Paris Meridian bisecting the building. In the early 19th century, astronomer Francois Arago calculated the meridian with greater accuracy. Paris lost out to Greenwich as the location for the Prime Meridian in the International Meridian Conference in 1884 when a standard meridian was chosen.

In 1995, the Arago Society of Paris wanted to do something commemorate him so they commissioned Dutch artist Jan Dibbets to come up with an idea. He decided to put down a series of medallions bearing his name on the line of the Paris Meridian in the city. This is one of them. Some geography geeks try to walk the entire line of medallions although some are missing or have been covered over.

You may also remember that the Paris Meridian was a key plot tool in the DaVinci Code as the line runs through St Sulpice Church.

For more Arago trivia...There was a statue of him near the Paris Observatory. All that stands there now is an empty granite stand. The Germans took the statue and melted it down during WW II for the war effort.

Travel Warning

If you have an allergy to penicillin, even if you haven't had an episode in 60 years, and you are in France.....DON'T EAT BLUE CHEESE!

But, darn, it tasted good! Now if I could just stop these hives from itching I'd go back for seconds.

Glenlivet Coopers Choice - 1998

Don't bother trying to find this on the store shelves. It has been discontinued. Glenlivet is a Speyside whiskey. The distillery was founded in 1824 and is now owned by the French company Pernod Ricard. This whiskey is aged in sherry casks so it has a deep amber color. It has a light, fresh nose with a round and pleasing taste and a warm finish. It was defintely a pleasure to sample a dram of this whiskey.

As I said before, this whiskey is no longer made so if you find a bottle somewhere, grab it quick.

Sights of Paris No. 2

Found this on Blvd. St Germain but there are one hundred or so more throughout the city. Do you know what it is? (I expect aviators, sailors and geography geeks to know this.)

The answer in a few days.......

Book Review - Blind Spot

I will file this under "What were they thinking"? This is the latest of the ghost written books in the Jesse Stone series by the estate of Robert Parker. I think people who love Parker love him for his writing style as much as his characters. The previous books that were written by Michael Brandman were true to Parker's writing style. This book by Reed Farrel Coleman is not.

Except for the name of the main character, everything about this book is different from the ones by  Parker and Brandman. Coleman has deviated from Parker's gritty, simple style. He has used the third person to get into Jesse's brain and spends paragraph after paragraph telling us what Jesse was thinking and feeling. He also spends a lot of ink telling us about Jesse's sex life. In addition, he turned Jesse into a heavy drinker. We all know he was a recovering alcoholic but we also know he limited his drinks. Coleman takes him way out of sobriety. And finally, he overuses baseball analogies and the fact that Jesse is an ex player.

As for the other characters, Suitcase Simpson is now a blundering idiot and Molly is an over sexed cougar who trades double entendres with Jesse. It was also disturbing to me that Coleman set up the ending for a sequel, almost as if he was looking for job security.

The story line is good and there is enough action to keep up your interest, but, other than the name of the characters, it bears little resemblance to the Jesse Stone novels Robert Parker fans know and love. Read it if you want, but don't look for anything resembling Robert Parker.

Classical Music

Saint Chapelle is a church that was built in the 13th century in Paris to house relics of Christ. It is somethimes used as a venue for classical concerts. My wife and I went there recently to listen to this violinist.

Book Review - Personal

This is the latest in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. I wanted to take my time reading this novel but it was not possible to do so.

Reacher finds a personal ad in the Army Times that leads him to contact some old Army intelligence acquaintances. They want him to hunt down a sniper that he had once jailed but who was not out and thought to have taken a shot at the president of France. This leads Reacher on an international man hunt to Paris and London. The shooter, however, has personal reasons to want to kill Reacher. There is plenty of tension as Reacher deals with some unsavory characters who are protecting the sniper while he avoids being a target himself.

This book will not be easy to put down and I think is one of the best of the series.

Lagavulin - 16 year old

Lagavulin is an Islay single malt. The distillery is another one that is now owned by Diageo(see earlier review of Oban) and is marketed as one of their "Classic Malts". The distillery has been around since 1816.

The whisky has an amber color and a strong peaty/iodine nose. It's taste, hosever, is round and smooth with a lingering finish. Some people may find it too strong. For example, Lisbeth Salander referred to it as something that could be used to tar a boat.

Aviation History

The Bleriot XI was the plane that Louis Bleriot used to fly across the English Channel in 1909. This model was then produced in several variations. Several survive today in museums around the world but this one is the one that he actually flew across the channel.

 

Customized Harley D

To me, this is sorta like hitching a race horse to a plow......

Steampunk Airplane

Meet the Avion III, a steam powered airplane built by Clement Ader between 1892 and 1897 for the French War Office. The plane never flew although Ader claims it did manage to get off the ground for 100 yards.

Clement's name is not well known as an aviation pioneer but he is considered to have predicted the use of aircraft in war and aircraft carriers.

Head Count

The Saudi head removal machine got into high gear last month and beheaded 23 murderers and rapists and they added 1 sorcerer for good measure. Yep, they still execute you for sorcery in the Kindom of Saud. There are no details available on the investigation methods or what evidence was presented. Yes, Islam is a modern, peaceful religion, kinda like the Puritans in 1692.

Last month added twice their current year to date number which now stands at 36!

More Vehicle Pron

Saw this on the street. It looks like the ideal city transport for the cool senior kidz. Called a Bike Board, it's electric. The two cylinders are the batteries. And it's only 4,000 Euros! ($5,500)

Car Pron

Saw this near Place Bastille the other day.

Me likey!