Morning Commute

This is what I see when I walk to the train in the morning.

Pens, Pens, Pens

I have added another website to the right hand side. It's called "The Pen Enthusiast". It's all about fountain pens, the ink they use, and the paper they write on. If you like writing implements from the old school, give it a look.

Aug 6 Flashback

Here's an Aug 6 post from a few years ago.....

http://peripateticengineer.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/my-nuclear-troika.html

The Sights of Paris

Saw this last night down in Montparnesse. It was outside of the now closed Prison de la Sante (ironically, the Prison of Good Health). It's the last one of its kind. Can you guess what it is?

Patrol in the Train Station

Today the patrol I saw in Paris' busiest train station were paratroopers wearing the distinctive red beret. If I remember their shoulder patches, they were from the 17th Regiment of the 11th Paratrooper Brigade. All three carrying their FAMAS assault rifles at low port arms. Each of them can send thirty 5.56 mm rounds downrange in a matter of seconds. They patrolled in a triangular formation with good separation and clearly were not a group to be messed with. They were not there to answer stupid tourist questions or to engage in idle chit chat. But if someone starts yelling "Allah Akbar" I imagine they would respond most effectively.

It's sorta like having your neighborhood patrolled by the 101st. There must be some sort of alert that nobody has told the public about.

Security in the Train Stations

I have notice that in the last week or so that security in the RER stations has been stepped up. I commute through the largest station in Paris (Les Halles, which also includes an underground shopping mall) and I have been seeing fire teams of 3 soldiers armed with FAMAS assault rifles casually patrolling in both common areas and track side. These guys are lean and fit. They walk with their rifles slung diagonally across their chest with the barrel pointed down, their right hand is on the grip with trigger finger ready for action. Sometimes I see them deployed in a triangle formation to cover more area but still support each other. When they stop someone for questioning, usually two of them will question the person of interest while the third stands back and provides over watch. They seem to be mostly in transportation zones as I don't see them in the tourist areas, including the Metro stations.

Strangely, I do not feel threatened by this show of professionalism and firepower.

Head Count

Ramadan just ended so there were n executions last month. The total for Saudi Arabia is still at 12.