Paris Parfait

Risking your life to save it

Contemplating flight, Square des Batignolles, 17th arrondisement, Paris

For the Writers Island prompt "gamble," this poem was inspired by tough choices:

It's a gamble:
Risk a leap of faith
or stay safe,
secure in the nest
lined with bright bits
of cloth and paper
and glittery accents
that sparkle and shine
in the midday sun
and glow
in the moonlight.
A retreat of your own making:
beautiful as it is,
still a virtual prison,
making it impossible
to spread your wings,
fly free
and embrace destiny.

Another reason I love San Francisco

Most of you know I support Sen. Barack Obama for president. A central theme of his campaign is that by working together "Yes we can!" create positive change in America. So when my friend Tangobaby told me about this fence in the Sunset district in my favourite American city, I asked her to take a photo. I admire the bold statement this property owner is making. And I can hardly wait until May when I'll be briefly back "home" in San Francisco!

Best of the brocante

My Swedish friend G. Pettersson - who has an extraordinary eye for beautiful and unusual objects - at his booth at the brocante at Square des Batignolles, Paris. While Monsieur Pettersson lives in the Southwest of France, you can telephone him if you're interested in purchasing anything you see here: (011) 33.6.11.19.89.86. If your French is a bit shaky, not to worry - he speaks excellent English! And if you're in Paris in May, you can check out his wares at the antiquites brocante at Place de Bastille.

Meanwhile, the brocante at Square des Batignolles continues daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 6. Take the Metro Line 13 direction Asniers Gennevilliers to Brochant.

A handsome pair of English Chippendale chairs, recently upholstered in plaid.

Another view of the chairs, as well as a small cabinet, perfect for artist's supplies.

The Napoleon III globe, two petite confits de canard and blue pharmacy jar came home with me. Before I'd even paid for the items, two French women offered to buy the confits de canard from me. I declined, as the small ones are rare and will increase in value.

Monsieur Pettersson shows a hat rack to a customer.

A grouping of unusual frames and objets d'art.

An aqua crystal flower chandelier.

A vitrine filled with beautiful frames and precious decorative objects.

Out and about Paris

News kiosk, Paris, March 29, 2008.

Impromptu performance by an all-girl brass band, Square des Batignolles, 17th arrondissement.

Vintage bicycle hoisted over a wooden fence, alongside paintings and a mirror, antiquites brocante.

Wrought iron baby bed draped with purple tulle and flowers. Check back later for more photos. The brocante continues from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through April 6th at the Square des Batignolles, Metro line 13 direction Asnieres-Genevilliers to Brochant.

Feeding the ducklings, Square des Batignolles park.

A pigeon in the park.

Sign over a doll repair shop, 17th arrondissement.

Strong women and society's dictates

Perhaps this is some French guy's subversive sense of humour or even a political statement - a naked and battered female doll suspended by her shoulders from bungee cords at the recent brocante at Ile de Chatou, France. Whatever impression the seller was trying to make, the rather disturbing doll certainly attracted attention - most of it negative - from passers-by.

Here's Johann Hari's insightful article in The Independent lamenting the demise of strong women as portrayed by both Hollywood and the media. I agree with the premise that society's dictates, particularly in Hollywood (and in politics) often undermine women and their talents and strengths. What do you think?

Spring fever

Have just come home absolutely drenched from a walk in the rain - the pouring-soak-through-your-shoes kind of rain that leaves puddles of water everywhere - but I am smiling, because it's spring, with all its accompanying joy and possibility.

Flowers are blooming, new chapters are being written and leaps of faith taken. The heady delirium of spring fever can't be diminished by a few rainshowers. And listening to this makes me happy. What is making you smile today? Whatever you're doing, hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!

Chantepleure

Vintage French dress forms at the recent brocante at Chatou.

The French word chantepleure means to sing and weep simultaneously - something most women completely understand. What the article doesn't discuss is how French women often adopt an air of bravado to mask deep insecurities, including uncertain situations in their marriages. French inheritance laws provide for the children, not the wife. In the event of divorce, it usually proves difficult for the wife to assert her rights and achieve any sort of financial parity with her husband. So it would seem that French women can never get too "relaxed" when it comes to their assets, physical or otherwise. They typically have more at stake than their British or North American counterparts.

On a completely unrelated note, watch this very clever video!

And here's a scary video about a serious subject that directly or indirectly affects us all.

New York windows

Photos of spring floral window displays at Macy's, New York taken by my daughter Jordana. She was in New York last week buying fabric for her senior collection.

The bliss of unexpected finds

Last week when giving blogging friends a brief tour of Ile Saint Louis, we discovered a little antique shop on a side street. My lucky finds included this 1906 Art Nouveau silver-plated claret jug, made by the German company WMF and an 18th-century French beaded bag in near-mint condition. Above is an illustration of the claret jug from the book Art Nouveau Domestic Metalwork. I have a small collection of six WMF-produced Art Nouveau pieces, all but one found in France.

Presidential leadership qualities

In American politics, there's compassionate vision, trying to stop a gathering storm in its tracks nearly a year before the US government begins to address the problems. There's confronting complicated issues of race and class head on.

For those of you who didn't grow up in the South and have no idea what it's like dealing with racial prejudice on a daily basis, Mike Huckabee - yes a conservative Republican - sums it up pretty well:

"...And one other thing I think we’ve gotta remember. As easy as it is for those of us who are white, to look back and say “That’s a terrible statement!”…I grew up in a very segregated South. And I think that you have to cut some slack — and I’m gonna be probably the only conservative in America who’s gonna say something like this, but I’m just tellin’ you — we’ve gotta cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told “you have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus…” And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me."

Meanwhile the pastor at the church that Hillary Clinton once attended has expressed public support for Wright. He said it is a "grave injustice" to make a judgment on Wright based off of "two or three sound bites" and criticized those who would "use a few of [Wright's] quotes to polarize."

Last week, Dean Snyder, the senior minister at the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. -- which the Clintons attended while in the White House -- released a statement offering a sympathetic defense of the totality of Wright's work.

"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize."

Spinning out of control

There's failure to accept responsibility for your actions or your words, then when challenged, flippantly dismissing the impact of false claims made repeatedly. Hillary Clinton told the Philadelphia Daily News: "... you know, I think that, a minor blip, you know, if I said something that, you know, I say a lot of things -- millions of words a day -- so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement." See related videos here showing the "misstatement" was made on numerous occasions, including in prepared remarks. And then there's trying to get your rich supporters to pay for a re-vote in Michigan. Uh, hello - doesn't that smack of trying to buy an election?

And now Hillary's telling reporters that pledged delegates aren't really pledged - they can switch! Sounds eerily familiar - oh, yeah, remember when Bill Clinton said it depends upon what "is" means?

Grasping the basics

There's not knowing the difference between Sunni and Shite Muslims, yet claiming to be an expert on Iraq. On a taxpayer-funded trip to the Middle East, Sen. John McCain falsely claimed that the predominantly Sunni terrorist organization Al-Qaida was receiving training from the predominantly Shia Iran. He told reporters in Amman that he and two Senate colleagues traveling with him continue to be concerned about Iranian operatives "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back."

Pressed to elaborate, McCain said it was "common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that's well known. And it's unfortunate." Moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, standing just behind McCain whispered in the presidential candidate's ear. McCain then said: "I'm sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda."

McCain made the same false statement, confusing the Shite and Sunni sects on two other occasions, which prompted the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Communications Director Karen Finney to release a statement: "After eight years of the Bush Administration's incompetence in Iraq, McCain's comments don't give the American people a reason to believe that he can be trusted to offer a clear way forward. Not only is Senator McCain wrong on Iraq once again, but he showed he either doesn't understand the challenges facing Iraq and the region or is willing to ignore the facts on the ground."

Breaking the law

Meanwhile, McCain has violated campaign spending limits, breaking the law. And in London, a private fund-raiser was held for McCain, raising eyebrows about the legality of accepting foreign campaign donations.

As for the economy? He can't sort out his own campaign finances, much less the country's recession. McCain proved in a speech today that he's as clueless as his buddies George and Dick.

Bush's War

And then there's complete and utter stupidity, aka rushing headlong into war without a legitimate reason and without a plan. Watch the PBS Frontline series "Bush's War" online.

Which qualities do you want in your next president?

The inimitable city

Vitrines at Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

If you're missing the Paris sunrise, here's a lifeline...

A rare glimpse into Guantanamo proceedings

Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch, writes a compelling account of witnessing the Bush administration's "legal" proceedings at Guantanamo Bay:

(Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, March 12, 2008) - We sat for almost four hours under the tents erected outside the Military Commissions building at Guantanamo Bay, waiting to hear whether the arraignment of Mohammad Jawad, a young Afghan man, would take place. Jawad was 16 when he was picked up in Afghanistan in December 2002 for allegedly throwing a hand grenade at a US military vehicle in which two soldiers and an interpreter were injured. He faces no charges of terrorism, material support, or any connection to al-Qaeda or the Taliban. He was just a young man in Afghanistan when the US invaded his country. We had heard various rumors that the hearing might not happen, that there was an issue with his lawyers, and that the "detainee was not cooperating," but the military authorities weren't prepared to confirm anything.

Our long wait outside was not unusual. Nor was the fact that we needed a military escort to leave the shade of the tent to walk to the "port-a-potties" 100 feet away (the rationale for which is still a complete mystery to all involved). What was unusual was that when we finally entered the courtroom, having passed three sets of security checks, Jawad was already in the room. He was sitting at the defense table, in his orange jumpsuit so symbolic of Guantanamo, with his legs shackled together, clearly agitated, constantly rubbing his forehead and holding his head in his hands. This was striking, both because normally detainees are not brought into the courtroom first, but only after the parties, security, journalists and other observers are settled and also because detainees are not required to wear their prison uniform when they attend hearings and normally don't.

In Jawad's case, his orange (as opposed to white or blue) jumpsuit marked him out as "uncooperative." Indeed it was his alleged "lack of cooperation" that had delayed the proceedings for some hours. Jawad simply did not want to participate in a proceeding that he believed was illegal. He did not want to play along with this process. So he had indicated earlier in the day that he was refusing to attend. However, while Jawad could refuse to attend his trial and the rules allow the Military Commissions to move forward with his trial in his absence, the chief military judge, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, determined that Jawad was required to be present for his arraignment. So Jawad was forcibly removed from his cell and brought to court. We weren't told exactly how. And there he sat. Judge Kohlmann explained that restraints remained on the detainees ankles because he had been so uncooperative "in terms of his physical movement."

Spring vitrines

This ubiquitous little black dress is part of an exhibition currently underway at Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

Spring fashions at Galeries Lafayette.

Shades of the '60s! Shift mini-dresses from an ongoing exhibition at Galeries Lafayette.

Stars and stripes rule in these Chanel windows at rue Cambon, Paris.

A striped jacket over a starry night sky dress with scalloped hemline at Chanel.

An updated version of the Chanel suit.

If you're dressing in a hurry, this zippered dress at Chanel should speed things along - if one is tall and thin!

Deja vu

An Islamic fabric remnant has survived centuries virtually intact, L'Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris.

This "deja vu" poem for Writers Island is based on the idea of a reunion with a soulmate:

Deja vu - it's you!
That same face that won my heart
nearly a lifetime ago.
All these years later,
I remember the thrill
we felt from that first moment:
exactly the same reaction now,
with an added frisson of fear.
Time has taught us
that overwhelming joy
comes with a high price,
often difficult to bear.
Others don't understand
or care about the magic
that infuses every breath
in each other's presence
or the sense of wholeness
and completion
we feel when we are together.
Friends and family worry only
about convention and appearances
that fit into their pre-conceived notions
of appropriateness;
love simply doesn't enter into the equation.
Yet for us, love has never wavered,
despite too much space and distance
and bad timing and wrong decisions,
made in haste and defiance
when practical choices were limited.
So here we are again:
living proof that one doesn't choose love;
it chooses you.
From the moment our eyes first met,
a flame leapt to life in both our hearts.
And all the intervening years
and oceans of tears
have failed to extinguish that fire.
How can we say goodbye - again?

Easter blessings

Peach stone arches at York Minster Cathedral, York, England.

"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there." - Clarence W. Hall

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Easter, filled with much joy and renewed hope.

It's a weird world at Galeries Lafayette

"Oooooooh, the world is really weird these days" spelled out in bright orange letters on transparent plastic at Galeries Lafayette, Paris.

A monster-like figure in a mouton coat offers a tray of shoes.

A long mouton coat, reminiscent of the Russian Army, with the reflection of a passer-by.

A strange haystack-like coat made of fur and feathers.

Surreal shadows and reflections in this shot of a vitrine at Galeries Lafayette, Paris. For more department store windows, go here and check back again on Sunday.

Not exactly as claimed

The Washington Post's Fact Checker has a news flash about Hillary Clinton's claims about her Bosnia trip: she lied. Read the facts, see the photo and the video here.

Nor did Clinton help pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, as she has frequently asserted.

Despite her claims to the contrary, Hillary's First Lady records show she actually made a concerted effort to promote the passage of NAFTA. During the presidential campaign, she has repeatedly said, "I have been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning."

Seems there's a pattern emerging here, in which Mrs. Clinton's claims lack credibility. The facts simply don't support her rhetoric.

Also, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, controversial former pastor of the Chicago church of which Barack Obama is a member, was the Clintons' invited guest at the White House. He sat next to Hillary at a prayer breakfast and was photographed with the president. So whatever any of us may think about Wright's remarks made public in selected soundbites, he was considered a mainstream religious leader and invited to the Clinton White House, along with other prominent ministers.

Flights of fancy at Printemps

As I was shooting this photo of a spring vitrine at Printemps, Paris, a guy walked past at exactly the right moment for his face to appear inside the tutu.

These multicoloured tutus appear to be hovering over the heads of shoppers at Printemps.

Two basic tutus, one in white tulle edged with black; the other in fuschia and salmon.

A frothy cloud-like confection of tulle tutus, suspended from the ceiling in a Printemps window display.

A striped sailor-style ballet frock.

Matching Repetto flat shoes are tied to the satin ribbon edging the tulle skirt.

A leotard and tulle skirt decorated with black-and-white photo images.

The winged feet of Mercury and some snazzy flats, courtesy of the actresses Chiara Mastroianni and Vanessa Paradis, respectively.

March winds and blogging friends

Flowers at the park at Notre Dame, Paris.

It's not feeling much like spring here, with high winds whipping around corners and chilling us to the bone. Have been busy photographing Paris department store windows, then meeting a blogging friend Beth of The Salvage Studio and her husband Raoul for tea and a brief tour of Ile Saint Louis and environs. I took them to a little antique shop - one I'd never noticed before, on a side street on Ile Saint Louis. And who snapped up two remarkable treasures in five minutes flat? Not Beth. More about all that in an upcoming post.

Beth and her husband Raoul at Notre Dame.

And watching this makes me smile. Hope it brings some cheer to your day as well.

No more war!

Vintage military-issue pith helmets at the recent brocante at Chatou, France.

This post is part of the March 19 Blogswarm against the Iraq War - a group of bloggers opposing the war in Iraq and calling for a full withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Five years. Over one million dead. To date, over $522 billion spent, with another $70 billion allocated for 2008 and hidden costs set to skyrocket up to $3 trillion, according to Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes.

Perhaps the cruelest tragedy is that all this death, destruction and chaos is based on 935 deliberate lies. Here's my anti-war poem:

NO MORE WAR!

No more war
and senseless bloodshed
for the lies of a feckless government
and their greedy corporate friends.
No more horrific deaths
of soldiers and civilians alike,
innocents
caught up in relentless mayhem
of bombs and explosions.
No more journalists and aid workers
killed or kidnapped
while trying to help
heal the wounded beast:
a country whose complex history
suggests no easy solutions.
Insurgents seek to undermine
every opportunity for peace
while corrupt leaders
squabble like bickering children
and fail to govern,
relying on us.
No more children taught to hate
and trained to kill
to avenge their fathers
brothers and sisters.
No more vicious cycles
of violence and rage
fueled by extremists and fanatics,
who take advantage of the
rich man's thirst for oil
to suppress and stamp out
any semblance of peace and normalcy,
abusing power for their own ends.
No more war.
No more weeping into open graves
or risking life and limb to buy food.
No more no-bid contracts
awarded to Cheney's cronies
who grow fat and wealthy,
yet projects remain on hold
as the danger escalates.
No more tall tales
fed like pablum to the mainstream media,
then duly reported to a gullible public.
No more mothers' tears and fathers' sorrow
for children struck down
while walking home from school.
No more injured soldiers
flying home to no jobs
and post-traumatic stress,
then losing their homes
paying for urgent medical care.

No more lies
No more spin
Tell the truth
STOP THE WAR!

A message that embraces all Americans

An excerpt from Senator Barack Obama's powerful speech "A More Perfect Union" this afternoon at Constitution Center in Philadelphia:

"In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

"For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division and conflict and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

"We can do that. But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

"That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

"This time we want to talk about how the lines in the emergency room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

"This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

"This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should have been authorized and never should have been waged, and we want to talk about how we’ll show our patriotism by caring for them and their families and giving them the benefits they have earned.

"I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election."

Read the full text of Sen. Obama's speech and watch the video here.

L'air du printemps

The hotel de ville or city hall fronted by a profusion of pink blooms on trees.

Spring planting boxes are adorned with ferns, flowers, feathers and decorated Easter eggs at Les Passages.

A wall of moss, leaves, ferns, flowers, feathers and eggs lends a festive air to Les Passages.

This lovely mossy plant panel extending from the ground floor to the second level in Les Passages reminds me of a rock-climbing wall - sans the frou-frou, of course.

Spellbound

Don't you think this doll swinging on scales at the brocante at Chatou looks rather spellbound? And that's the prompt at Writers Island, where I am very late to the party:

On a wing and a prayer
a special delivery:
aimed at my heart,
at its most vulnerable
and deeply susceptible to joy.

Spellbound
by the look in your eyes,
that wry hint of a smile;
the measure of your words;
the tacit agreement.

Intoxicated
and enthralled
by the intrigue
that surrounds you:
what will happen next?

Unravelling
the mystery of your suspense
joining you on a quest
daring more
adventure, risk and magic.

Caught up in a web
of our own making:
a roller coaster ride
of thrills and spills,
recklessly upsetting the balance.

The myths carefully cultivated,
the mystique constructed
to keep emotion at arm's length,
so as not to shatter
illusions of status quo.

Now the truth
means defying convention,
throwing out all the rules.
Oceans apart,
yet a heartbeat away.

Charting a new course
as the winds of change blow,
creating endless possibilities
for those sailors
deeply susceptible to joy.

Antiques for an artist's dreams

Imagine the art supplies this early 20th-century printer's cabinet could hold! It was for sale at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. If there had been any possibility I could find space for this marvel, it would have come home with me. But I couldn't locate the owner to discuss the price or prospects.

This printer's document block is so heavy, I could barely lift it.

More storage for paints and arts and crafts supplies in these vintage La Poste mailboxes.

A sorter cabinet from an old French post office and a vintage cinematography light.

A large model of the famous Paris landmark, l'Arc de Triomphe!

Scenes from an evening

Not only do these desserts look like works of art, they taste good too! Or so my friends said. Desserts Friday night at Chez les Anges, Paris.

Main courses at Chez les Anges. In much of the United States and the United Kingdom, these dishes would be considered the size of an appetizer - which explains a lot about why the French don't struggle with weight problems.

Wrought-iron grilled entryway.

Midnight motorcycle and sidecar.

Last weekend to visit brocante at Chatou

A trio of 19th-century globes at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons, underway from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Sunday at Ile de Chatou. If you get a chance to go, don't miss it! Tickets are available at the gate.

Today at La Poste, was sending something to Georgia and the clerk next to me overheard and started singing "Georgia." Then these two postal clerks wanted to know who'd made the song famous, so we talked about Ray Charles - all of it in French. Small world, eh? I'd hoped to have the opportunity to post more brocante photos and catch up with other blogs today, but no such luck. Am busy racing around Paris, being tour guide and will be at the brocante again Saturday. Will catch up with all of you soon! Bon weekend, as the French say.

Guests galore and limited time

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, March 13, 2008.

Art Nouveau wrought iron grillwork, Paris.

Just a quick hello, as 'tis the season - the guests are arriving one after the other and I can hardly keep up! I hope to find time Friday to post many more brocante photos and catch up with all of you and your blogs. Two houseguests have arrived today and tomorrow night, I'll be having dinner with two talented artists: my good friend Laura of Laurelines and Casey of rue Manuel bis, whom I'll be meeting for the first time. Hope all is well in your world. A bientot!

P.S. I haven't had time to write about the outrageous racist remarks repeatedly made by Geraldine Ferraro. As a child of the South, I have seen firsthand how racism negatively impacts people's lives. Read Joe Conason's insightful article in Salon: Geradline Ferraro still needs to apologise.

Heaven is under our feet...

A carpet of early spring blooms in the Bois du Boulogne, Paris.

"Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads." - Henry David Thoreau, The pond in winter, Walden. I once lived in a little cottage near the beach in Pacific Grove, California. Thoreau's words were carved in a swirling stone pattern into the concrete sidewalk.

Here's a beautiful song about the bliss of sailing and love, Sails performed by the late great Chet Atkins and Steve Wariner.

As a journalist, I had the privilege of covering Steve and his band's Life's Highway concert tour in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Later I spoke by phone to Chet Atkins in Nashville, who had long been a mentor for Steve Wariner. What a charming gentleman he was, as well as an amazingly-talented musician. In 1994, I saw Atkins in concert with Suzy Bogguss at the Warwick in San Francisco. Hearing and watching him play the guitar was pure magic.

Manicured grounds adjacent to the windmill in the Bois du Boulogne.

Windmills and searching for signs of spring

Side view of an old stone windmill in the Bois du Boulogne, Paris.

A closer look at the windmill, built on a tiny island.

A plant-lined pathway leads to the windmill entrance.

A small moat surrounds the structure.

Trees and flowers planted along the moat.

Hints of spring, with a glimpse of Hippodrome de Longchamp bleachers in the background.

The caretaker's cottage, near the windmill.

A medley of fuschia and orange to brighten up the grey, gloomy Paris weather.

Obama dismisses "dream ticket" touted by Clintons

Sen. Hillary Clinton spent the last two weeks - in her own words - "throwing the kitchen sink" at Sen. Barack Obama, trying to cast doubt about his abilities to be commander-in-chief. In the last few days, both Hillary and Bill Clinton have switched tactics. While they haven't stopped criticising Obama and praising Sen. John McCain, they have started telling voters they may be able to have both Clinton and Obama on the Democratic ticket - with Obama as vice-president! Oh, the rich irony in their latest ploy for votes! Well, time for a reality check.

In a speech Monday, Sen. Obama responded:

“I do not believe Senator Clinton is about change, because in fact, this kind of gamesmanship — talking about me as vice president, but maybe he’s not ready for commander in chief—that’s exactly the kind of double-speak, double-talk that Washington is very good at.”

"With all due respect, I’ve won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I’ve won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton. So, I don’t know how somebody who’s in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who’s in first place.

"But there’s a second point. This is an interesting point -- I want you guys to follow me on this. You know President Bill Clinton, back in 1992, when he was being asked about his selection for vice president, he said, “The only criteria, the most important criteria for vice president, is that that person is ready, if I fell out in the first week, that he or she would be ready to be the commander-in-chief.” That was his criteria.

"Now, they have been spending the last two, three weeks -- you remember that advertisement with the phone call, telling everybody, getting all the generals to say well we’re not sure he’s ready, “I’m ready on day one, he may not be ready yet.”

"But I don’t understand. If I’m not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president? Do you understand that?

"See, I was trying to explain to someone the “okay-doke.” Y’all know the okay-doke? It’s when someone’s trying to bamboozle you, when they’re trying to hoodwink you. They are trying to hoodwink you. You can’t say that he’s not ready on day one, unless he’s willing to be your vice president and then he’s ready on day one.

"I’m running for president of the United States of America. I’m running to be commander-in-chief. And the reason I’m running to be commander-in-chief is because I believe that the most important thing when you answer that phone call at 3 in the morning is: What kind of judgment do you have?

"So I don’t want anybody here thinking that somehow, “Maybe I can get both.” Don’t think that way. You have to make a choice in this election. Are you going along with the past, or are you going towards the future? Are you going to do the same old thing, or are you going to try something new?"

On Monday, Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson told reporters on a conference call that Clinton would not pick a running mate who has not met the “national security threshold,” but that "it is possible Obama could meet that threshold by this summer's Democratic convention." And from Clinton strategist Mark Penn: "Independent and Republican support is diminishing as they find out he’s (Sen. Obama) the most liberal Democratic senator ... As they get more of a sense that he’s not ready to be Commander-in-Chief, a lot of Independents who were supporting him are disappearing." So politics as usual then...doublespeak at every turn.

Clinton's commander-in-chief readiness strongly disputed

Update Tuesday afternoon: Greg Craig, a former Clinton administration official and foreign policy advisor to Sen. Obama today released a detailed statement countering Clinton's claims to foreign policy experience and her readiness to be commander-in-chief. An excerpt:

"There is no reason to believe...that she was a key player in foreign policy at any time during the Clinton Administration. She did not sit in on National Security Council meetings. She did not have a security clearance. She did not attend meetings in the Situation Room. She did not manage any part of the national security bureaucracy, nor did she have her own national security staff. She did not do any heavy-lifting with foreign governments, whether they were friendly or not. She never managed a foreign policy crisis, and there is no evidence to suggest that she participated in the decision-making that occurred in connection with any such crisis...

"The Clinton campaign’s argument is nothing more than mere assertion, dramatized in a scary television commercial with a telephone ringing in the middle of the night. There is no support for or substance in the claim that Senator Clinton has passed “the Commander-in-Chief test.” That claim – as the TV ad – consists of nothing more than making the assertion, repeating it frequently to the voters and hoping that they will believe it."

Read the full report here, which disputes Clinton's claims about her roles in Northern Island, Bosnia, Kosovo, China and Rwanda.

In case you missed the New York Times story about the Clinton campaign, go here.

"Meanwhile, for voters in the great state of Mississippi it's primary day. I'm hoping they turn out in record numbers to make their voices count.

Spoiled for choice at Chatou

An early 19th-century marble statue representing La France is flanked by parts of zinc weathervanes and alphabet letters at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. These photos were taken last Friday, opening day. This morning my Canadian friend Meg and I braved gale force winds, heavy rain and three trains to visit the brocante - only to find it closed, due to gale force winds and heavy rain! Weather allowing, the brocante continues daily through Sunday, March 16th.

A handpainted puppet theatre, with handmade marionettes.

A large marble garden urn surrounded by 19th-century French furniture with modern reupholstery.

An ornate giltwood mirror is accented by handpainted gilt pillars. An 18th-century wooden Baby Jesus figure from a French church is placed on a pedestal on the marble table.

A cane sofa, lace cloth, oval giltwood frame and wooden kitchen utensils at the brocante at Chatou.

This early 19th-century cane sofa has seen better days, but could be easily repaired by a skilled artisan. Check back daily for more brocante photos.

Chatou collectibles

A marble bust, table and assorted beautiful objets d'art at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante, now underway at Ile de Chatou. On opening day on Friday, I shot nearly 200 photos. Check back every day this week for more brocante delights. No time to edit and post more today, as I'm going to a birthday party/early dinner.

My friend Kelly sent me this delightful Open Your Heart video, along with the message, "If Suzi Blu doesn't make you smile, than your smiler mechanism is on the fritz and you should really get that thing fixed!" Thank you, Kelly!

24 hours to love

A 24-hour French clock face from Une Chanson Douce, the lovely Geraldine Michaelis's rue Gaite stand at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons. Check back later for more brocante photos.

This poem was inspired by the word "shimmer" glimpsed amidst a jumble of words here. As it developed, the poem became about an unspoken promise unfolding. While written two days before the Writers Island prompt "Rising" was posted, it seems to fit the theme.

Shimmer
like the star that you are:
wrap yourself in the blush of candlelight,
dance through the moonbeams,
soar high above the horizon
in a blaze of shooting stars.

Light twinkles
in your shining eyes
that look at me expectantly
drawing me into the magic,
enveloping me in warmth,
writing a new chapter.

Glimmer
and shine
with dawn's sunrise surprise
as the sun's rays catch fire
while bouncing off the stardust
that still glitters in your hair.

Mystery as day deepens,
unfolding with hope:
tantalising fruits of possibility;
whispered promises
that echo long past starlight
and ripen with the sun.

Moonglow
as twilight falls.
Love breaks free
from our guarded hearts,
sealing our fate:
love grows.

Clinton's ambition at Democrats' expense

Gary Hart writes in today's Huffington Post that Hillary Clinton's ambition is harming the Democrats:

"It will come as a surprise to many people that there are rules in politics. Most of those rules are unwritten and are based on common understandings, acceptable practices and the best interest of the political party a candidate seeks to lead. One of those rules is this: Do not provide ammunition to the opposition party that can be used to destroy your party's nominee. This is a hyper-truth where the presidential contest is concerned.

"By saying that only she and John McCain are qualified to lead the country, particularly in times of crisis, Hillary Clinton has broken that rule, severely damaged the Democratic candidate who may well be the party's nominee and, perhaps most ominously, revealed the unlimited lengths to which she will go to achieve power. She has essentially said that the Democratic party deserves to lose unless it nominates her.

"As a veteran of red telephone ads and "where's the beef" cleverness, I am keenly aware that sharp elbows get thrown by those trailing in the fourth quarter (and sometimes even earlier). "Politics ain't beanbag," is the old slogan. But that does not mean that it must also be rule-or-ruin, me-first-and-only-me, my way or the highway. That is not politics. That is raw, unrestrained ambition for power that cannot accept the will of the voters.

"Senator Obama is right to say the issue is judgment, not years in Washington. If Mrs. Clinton loses the nomination, her failure will be traced to the date she voted to empower George W. Bush to invade Iraq. That is not the kind of judgment, or wisdom, required by the leader answering the phone in the night. For her now to claim that Senator Obama is not qualified to answer the crisis phone is the height of irony if not chutzpah and calls into question whether her primary loyalty is to the Democratic party and the nation or to her own ambition."

Gone treasure-hunting

A late 19th-century collapsible daybed, sans mattress. I bought it three years ago at Clignacourt; ever since it's been in the cave (wine cellar)!

Today I am treasure-hunting at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. Want to join me? Better get your skates on - this is opening day, when the best and most unusual items are on offer. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close promptly at 7 p.m. But don't despair - if you can't get there today, the brocante continues daily through March 16th. Tickets are available at the gate.

While you're there, be sure to check out Julie Isore's Agape stand at 1, rue de la Gaite. If you're mad about kitchen collectibles, see Blandine Bavoux at Jolietrouvaille, 10, rue de la Gaite.

To get to Chatou, take a taxi from Paris or the RER A1 train, direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Rueil-Malmaison or Chatou-Croissy. Then walk over the bridge to Ile de Chatou. But at the end of the day, don't expect to find a taxi willing to take you back to Paris - you'll need to take the train, no matter how much treasure you're carrying!

Check back this weekend for photos from the brocante.

Serendipity

Unexpected glimpse of new horizons, Paris.

An abstract window offers surprising views.

Just in case... a bike with an extra tire on Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clement.

And a British-owned restaurant at the Left Bank hotel where Oscar Wilde died has won a much-coveted Michelin star.

Can't stop change

A Paris apartment building glimpsed through branches of spring blossoms.

No matter how the Clinton campaign tries to spin the reality, in the concrete terms of delegate numbers, Obama emerged from Tuesday's primaries and caucus still very much the leader. The most likely outcome is that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates and Obama gained 183 - a difference of only four delegates! Obama's expected to chalk up wins in Wyoming and Mississippi this weekend, increasing his large delegate lead.

"This election will come down to delegates.... Again and again, this race has shown that it is voters and delegates who matter, not the pundits or perceived 'momentum.'" - Mark Penn, chief strategist for Hillary's campaign, Feb. 13, 2008.

"When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.

We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against. We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.

But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high. Americans need real change.

In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century. John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty. But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.

And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November." - Barack Obama

Update 11:15 p.m. Paris time:

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is giving new meaning to the term "blood sport" in politics. She's wasted no time today in stepping up the nasty, mean-spirited campaign tactics she's adopted within the past week: making false or misleading statements; absolutely outrageous race-baiting and trying to rip apart the Democratic party by siding with the Republicans. Apparently she cares only about winning the nomination, never mind that the math shows that's nearly impossible. Funny how she's so intent on "throwing the kitchen sink" at another Democrat, yet as senator, she hasn't expended even a fraction of that effort standing up to George Bush's threats to the Constitution or our civil liberties. She didn't even bother reading the intelligence reports, before voting to send our troops to war in Iraq.

And being First Lady while her husband was president does not mean she has "experience." On that basis, AmericaBlog makes the excellent point: would Laura Bush be qualified to be president?

It's also odd that Hillary spends so much time trying to distract attention from her own lack of transparency and accountability. She and John McCain are the only presidential candidates who have refused to release their tax records, nor has Clinton been truthful about the White House's release of the Clinton papers. According to the White House press secretary, the papers have been ready since Jan. 31 for a Clinton representative to pick them up. Maybe there's something in those records Hillary Clinton doesn't want voters to see.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times and Talking Points Memo report Clinton has received some questionable campaign donations.

Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild

These photos at Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild are part of a series taken in my neighbourhood. Click photos to enlarge and view detail. The park was once the Rothschild family's private estate. This red Japanese bridge graces one of three ponds. A children's playground, horse-riding rink and soccer field are also included in the landscaped grounds. Some parts of the park are left to nature's devices.

Children climb along the rocks and pond sediment up to the opposite bank. Check out the smallest boy's green wellies!

This small pond is frequented by ducks, birds, fish and turtles.

In the stones lining the embankment, flowers emerge.

My shadow (wearing a winter coat, with a huge shopping bag slung over my shoulder, while standing on the bridge taking the photo) is reflected in the water, along with the trees that line the embankments.

A sign explaining the "Life after life" philosophy for a famous Italian poplar tree that was struck by lightning, but still stands as a rather surreal "living" sculpture.

The hollowed-out bottom portion of the tree.

A flower leans inwards, as though in tribute to the once-mighty tree.

The sculptural tree in its soaring majesty.

The Rothschild family's once-grand chateau in ruins. I can't imagine why it's been allowed to deteriorate, rather than using the house in some fashion or else completely tearing it down. No doubt some obscure French law or bureaucratic issues or inheritance squabbles have resulted in the current situation. The family donated the park and the surrounding land - prime real estate due to its position directly opposite the Bois du Boulogne - to the city. Hopital Ambroise Pare and our apartment complex now occupy the former Rothschild property, adjacent to the ruined chateau.

A mossy stone stairway leads to the graffitti-covered mansion.

A glimpse of an arched portico, from which the family once gazed out on their private park.

A fence separating the house from the park is overgrown with vines.

A modern sculpture made of wood, wire, copper, steel and found objects near the park's entrance.

Memo to House Democrats: Don't you dare cave!

"It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep."* The phone rings, but don't worry about who's on the other end, because the government is listening. It seems Congress is about to cave in to Bush administration hysterics and fearmongering tactics about FISA - even though George Bush and the Republicans have refused an extension of the bill. If enough House Democrats relent to the Bush bullying, not only will the telecoms continue spying on Americans' phone call and emails, they won't be prosecuted for doing so!

Apparently, the government's priorities are not our civil liberties and the rule of law, as guaranteed in the Constitution. Nope, they're concerned about one thing and one thing only: protecting AT&T, Verizon and the other big telecoms from being sued for secretly spying on our phone calls and email. Oh and then there's that little matter about records being released that might implicate the Bush administration and leave them liable to prosecution - can't have that, now can we??!!

VOTE! Please VOTE in Tuesday's primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island for a president who will lead a strong government with backbone and principle; one who will truly protect our Constitution. We have had ENOUGH of a government that promises accountability, yet secretly circumvents the law at every turn. Meanwhile, our economy is sinking further into recession because of a costly war based on deliberate lies.

Time to get involved in the political process and help create change for the better. This is OUR country, not one just for the rich and their special interests. We have a say; we have a voice; we must speak! Let's raise our voices at caucuses and the ballot box on Tuesday and again in November. Speak out for change. Yes, we can!

*Opening line from a fear-mongering television ad put out by the Clinton campaign that is reminiscent of an ad used in Lyndon Johnson's presidential campaign.

Collateral damage: The senseless tragedy

Photo of children playing Viking games in the city center at York, England. Sadly, for Safa and other young victims like her, living in a volatile region denied them the safety and security that enables playing games in the street.

An excerpt from Rory McCarthy's piece in today's Guardian:

"First came an explosion in the street outside. Then the sound of a single rifle bullet slicing through the sky in a sharp crack and into the apartment directly above the home of Raed Abu Saif, the same apartment into which his young daughter Safa had just gone. It was Saturday afternoon, about 4 p.m.

"Abu Saif hurried upstairs and found, lying on the floor of the front room, Safa, aged 12. There was a hole in her chest where the bullet had entered and a hole in her back where it had exited. It took her three hours to die.

"Outside in the district of Zimmo Square, at the eastern edge of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip, there was by now a heavy Israeli military presence, with tanks and troops and the sound of fighting raging. It was too dangerous for ambulances to reach the apartment and too dangerous for Abu Saif to head out on foot with his daughter. Instead, he fetched bandages, closed the wounds as best he could and held her in his arms as she bled.

"She said she was in pain, that she couldn't breathe," he said. "A few minutes before she died she told me to stop squeezing the wound, she couldn't breathe. I was just touching her hair. Then I saw her eyes roll up. I felt her heart. It was not beating."

"From a piece of cloth the family fashioned a white flag, which Abu Saif's mother carried. His wife, Samar, went with them out into the street carrying Safa's corpse. An Israeli tank was parked a little way off and shone its lights at them. Twice the tank fired in the air over their heads, they said, until eventually they gave up and turned back for home to spend the night in the flat, the family and six other children and Safa.

"Only yesterday morning did Abu Saif finally manage to cross safely out of the fighting and to a hospital morgue, where his daughter's body was prepared for the funeral. But Safa's mother and siblings were still in the house, surrounded by fighting and unable to join the mourners. The roofs of nearby buildings were still dotted with Israeli soldiers. It was from there the bullet that killed Safa was fired, the family believe.

"By some estimates the Israeli military operations mounted over the past five days have left more than 100 Palestinians dead, among them many civilians. For Saturday alone the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights put the number of dead civilians at 49; Reuters news agency said Palestinian medical officials put it at about 60. Two Israeli soldiers and one civilian in the town of Sderot were killed. Even measured on Gaza's often brutal scale of violence, that is a gruesome toll."

This poem is dedicated to Safa and all the innocent victims:

Another child
felled by a stray bullet
intended for no one and everyone;
fired in anger,
fear and frustration
at the impasse
leaving too many innocents
dead or wounded.
In Gaza that's the same fate,
with few doctors
and limited medical care:
access difficult, if not impossible.
Their appeals for help
met by a hail of bullets.
If they're lucky,
weapons aimed over their heads,
as they duck and dodge,
bullets ricochet against tanks and walls.
Callous soldiers
who have lost their humanity
prevent even the dignity
of proper last rites
for a family united in grief.
Where is the outrage?

Sunday sampler

This morning I was struck by the fennel's sculptural symmetry, courtesy of Mother Nature.

The pottery bowl is from Italy, by way of London.

Visit my friend Maddie's Persisting Stars for an uplifting start to your day, "When the world opens up."

Here's one writer's take on why we love vintage. "Retro is about rediscovering an everyday beauty we may have missed first time round. Retro is a loving exhumation, a bringing back to the light, of the world we saw – or fancied we saw – around us, before the modern world kicked in and we had to grow up and take responsibility for something called The Future," John Walsh writes.

Read about the curse of the yummy mummy, that ridiculously unobtainable fiction.

Rarely have stark bare trees, blue sky and hawks looked more appealing than in Stephanie's photographs from Colorado here.

Check out this article about Barack Obama by one of his friends and fellow law professors. (With Super Tuesday Part II coming up, you didn't think I would forget about politics, did you?)

And consider Rumi's words from The Book of Love:

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture, still,
treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in

be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.