Paris Parfait

A brighter day

Flowers at a monastery in the Himalayas, Nepal.

 

Hoping for a brighter day for Egypt.

On Wednesday in Tahrir Square, Cairo, days of peaceful anti-government protests were disrupted by weapon-wielding thugs and plainclothes police, riding into the crowd on horseback and camels. As darkness fell, they threw burning furniture and molotov cocktails from rooftops.

These agent provocateurs were paid by Hosni Mubarak's government in a cynical ploy to wreak havoc and undermine anti-government protesters.  By the end of the day, 3 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries were reported, victims of state-sponsored terrorism. Such cold-blooded brutality demonstrates it's well past time for Mubarak and his corrupt regime to go.

The Egyptian people deserve better than a stubborn old egotist who cares more about clinging to power than the safety and well-being of ordinary citizens.

Update: Overnight, several people were shot and killed by Mubarak's police, who were disguised as civilians. At least 17 police ids were confiscated from those arrested.

Live updates here and here and a comprehensive update from Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey, after he was arrested and later released.

Solidarity with the Egyptian people

Egyptian antiques, Chatou, France.

 

Whether or not you're intrigued by Egyptian politics, I think you will be touched by this heart-felt video interview with Waseem Wagdi filmed during protests at the Egyptian Embassy in London.

Peaceful protesters were chanting anti-Mubarak slogans today at the Egyptian Embassy in Paris. And in the Paris Metro, someone pasted a white piece of paper with the words "Egyptian Revolution!" over a Cairo travel poster.

Changing times

A man reads a newspaper while waiting for market customers, Bhaktapur, Nepal.

 

Right before our eyes, some very big changes are taking place around the world. In Nepal, they're still struggling to form a government, after years of corruption has weakened the country's infrastructure.  Numerous talks among the three main political parties have repeatedly failed to reach agreement.

But the real sea change is taking place in the Arab World. This week anti-government protests in Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria and Libya follow on the heels of Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed El-Baradei has returned from his home in Vienna to join the protests in Cairo. No doubt the deeply-unpopular Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is wondering whether he can maintain his 30-year grip over an impoverished nation of 80 million people. Mubarak's recent attempts to quell dissent by silencing the press and limiting internet access have inflamed discontented Egyptians, who long for freedom and democracy. 

Egyptian police have used deadly force against some protesters, while secret police wearing civilian clothes have been filmed arresting and beating protesters in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Sinai. At least three protesters were shot dead.

Further anti-government demonstrations are planned after Friday morning prayers, with the opposition Moslem Brotherhood expected to participate.

Updates at noon (Paris time) Friday:

The day that Egypt unplugged the internet

El Baradei says Egyptian government on its last legs

Live updates: Protests in Egypt

Cutting internet, mobile phones, landlines and assaulting and/or arresting protesters will not stop Egyptians intent on change. The genie is out of the bottle.

Games

Laughing children playing the universally-popular Tug-of-War in Bungamati, Nepal.

When my daughter was about three years old, we were on a plane from New York to Amsterdam. She and a little Japanese girl spent at least an hour giggling and playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" together, even though neither spoke the other's language.

These girls reminded me that a smile transcends language.

The boys laughed in the background as this young beauty posed, but were shy about having their own photos taken.

Meanwhile, political games continue as Nepal remains without a government. When I was In Kathmandu in November, government corruption was often the topic of conversation.

Glimmers of hope

Prayer candles, Swayambhunath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal.

 

Offering prayers for the victims of ignorance and hate.

"One can overcome the forces of negative emotions - like anger and hatred - by cultivating their counterforces: love and compassion." - The Dalai Lama.

Compromise or capitulation? The rich get richer.

Watching the world go by, Delft, Holland.

 

I could not believe my eyes when I read President Barack Obama has caved to the Party of No's demands to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. This from the president who has long opposed tax cuts that favour the rich, repeatedly insisting such a cynical measure was his "line in the sand."

The President now claims that "compromise" is necessary to further extend benefits for the unemployed and provide more tax cuts for middle class Americans. In return for protecting their deep pockets, the Republicans agreed to pass legislation granting such concessions to benefit ordinary Americans.

"...And no one was angry enough to speak out." - Inscription found on one of the Pyramids, Giza, Egypt.

But did John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and their GOP colleagues care about the unemployed and middle class? No. The GOP signed a letter actually refusing to legislate an unemployment benefit extension unless their demands continuing tax cuts for one percent of wealthiest Americans were met. 

Why do any of these obstructionists still have a job??!! Seems the Republicans of 2010 would prefer the United States be run like a Russian oligarchy, rewarding their rich cronies and caring little about solving serious problems or righting imbalances for the rest of us.

As The New York Times wrote in an editorial, "President Obama's deal with the Republicans to extend all the Bush-era income tax cuts is a win for the Republicans and their strategy of obstructionism and a disappointing retreat by the White House."

Read this and weep: The party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

Party time for Bush and Cheney

First look at Obama's tax cut deal

Wanted: A Democratic tax cut backbone

Did Obama make tax cuts for the rich permanent?

Bernie Sanders says he will to try to block tax deal

GOP senator to vote against extending tax cuts for wealthy

Steny Hoyer: Tax cuts for wealthy are ransom

Obama's tax cut plan upsets many major donors

Minus the sun

Sign on shop door, Delft, Holland, loosely translated to "But where is the sun?" That's certainly the question in Paris today, which is dark, rainy and cold.

17th-century buildings and trees reflected in a canal, Delft.

Swans seeking sustenance.

The same canal, a bridge and bikes.

Bikes lined up along another canal in Delft.

No matter the weather in your part of the world, hope your Sunday is lovely!

P.S. If you're a fan of photography and film, you might like The new golden age of documentary. And if you're American - or just interested in the nation's trajectory - this is a sobering read.

The party's over

The party's over, houseboat, Prisenngracht, Amsterdam. Now the real work begins!

Voting in mid-term elections: a right and responsibility

The Amsterdam canal house residence of John Adams, former US president, ambassador and co-author of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Have you voted yet? If not, why?  

It's true the American mid-term election has been the nastiest in recent memory, fueled largely by hateful, hysterical rhetoric from a couple of windbag talk show hosts and a "news" channel that gives journalism a bad name.  Citizens United also has a lot to answer for, as the court ruling enabled vast amounts of nefarious - and often corporate - money to be funneled into campaigns, under the cloak of secrecy.

In the lead-up to this election, the supposedly independent US Chamber of Commerce was revealed actively to be funding right-wing GOP candidates. Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox "News," the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post donated at least $2 million to the Republican party, a clear bias and conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, the Republicans continued their curious lurch to the radical right, propping up unqualified "Tea Party" candidates with checkered histories and challenged intellects. (I'm looking at you, Christine "I am not a Witch" O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Joe Miller and Tom Tancredo, among others).

Many of their campaigns have been run in a furtive manner, trying to stem information about their pasts and soften their most extreme views. Angle and Miller both have attempted to block the media from investigating their past actions. Alaska reporters had to go to court to get Joe Miller's previous employment records released. The delusional Angle - who is so extreme, even Republican leaders in Nevada have said they support Democrat veteran Senator Harry Reid for re-election -  arrogantly said she won't talk to the press "until she's elected." Early in her campaign (before her GOP handlers tried to silence her) Angle said she's in favour of abolishing the Department of Education and Social Security, among other alarming ideas involving armed insurgency against the government.

In California, Meg Whitman has spent more than $160 million of her corporate wealth trying to buy the governor's race. She also wants the woman who worked as her maid for nine years deported.  And Carly Fiorina, who was fired after running Hewlett-Packard into the ground and later dropped as a corporate spokeswoman for John McCain - after making too many racist gaffes - has run a heavily-negative campaign for Senate. (You won't be surprised to know as a California voter living abroad, I voted absentee for Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer).

The divisive tone in the elections turned to violence in Kentucky, when a Rand Paul supporter went beyond name-calling and stomped on a woman's head (he has been arrested for assault) and later demanded she apologise to him!

Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Saturday in Washington, D.C. encouraged cooler heads to prevail amidst the media onslaught and election mania. Reassuringly, about 250,000 peaceful people turned out to show that the majority of American citizens remain civil and (mostly) sane.

Four questions for Republicans

If you're a Republican, I'd like to know what's happened to your party? Why has it morphed beyond civil discourse and conservative ideas to the belligerent Party of No??!! Don't tell me you haven't noticed.

And here are excellent questions for you, from Jed Lewison at Daily Kos:

1. What was the average monthly private sector job growth in 2008, the final year of the Bush presidency, and what has it been so far in 2010?
2. What was the Federal deficit for the last fiscal year of the Bush presidency, and what was it for the first full fiscal year of the Obama presidency?
3. What was the stock market at on the last day of the Bush presidency? What is it at today?
4. Which party's candidate for speaker campaigned this past weekend with a Nazi reenactor who dressed up in a SS uniform?

Answers (in case you didn't know):

1. In 2008, we lost an average of 317,250 private sector jobs per month. In 2010, we have gained an average of 95,888 private sector jobs per month. (Source) That's a difference of nearly five million jobs between Bush's last year in office and President Obama's second year.
2. In FY2009, which began on September 1, 2008 and represents the Bush Administration's final budget, the budget deficit was $1.416 trillion. In FY2010, the first budget of the Obama Administration, the budget deficit was $1.291 trillion, a decline of $125 billion. (Source) Yes, that means President Obama has cut the deficit -- there's a long way to go, but we're in better shape now than we were under Bush and the GOP.
3. On Bush's final day in office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 closed at 7,949, 1,440, and 805, respectively. Today, as of 10:15AM Pacific, they are at 11,108, 2,512, and 1,183. That means since President Obama took office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 have increased 40%, 74%, and 47%, respectively.
4. The Republican Party, whose candidate for speaker, John Boehner, campaigned with Nazi re-enactor Rich Iott. If you need an explanation why this is offensive, you are a lost cause.

"The moral of the story is this: if you vote Republican, I hope you enjoy Election Day -- because you're not going to like what comes next."

On your bike: please vote! It's important. And those who don't participate in democracy have no right to complain about it.

Fickle fall

Bunches of lavender at a florist in Delft, Holland.

A fall bouquet and a pot of lavender.

Purple thistle and pots of cacti.

It's been a day so disheartening that I listened twice to Earth Wind and Fire's That's the Way of the World. These images of water lilies remind me that from the depths of mess and muck - and even chaos - something remarkable can emerge.

Many, many waterlilies are about to bloom in this canal in Delft: surely a metaphor for challenges we can meet and rise above...

The wind of change

Reeds blowing in the wind, Kinderdijk, the Netherlands.

 

"The wind of change is blowing through this continent..." - former British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan.

More national strikes are planned beginning Thursday, as French citizens begin to absorb the harsh reality of pension reform. Read more about the rolling strikes that have gripped the nation here, here and here.

More strikes ahead as Senate approves pension reform

The vote to raise the French retirement age - and the changes necessary - are a shock to the French psyche. Read more about the French strikes and proposed pension reform here, here and here.

French unions have called for further national strikes on October 28th and November 6th. Meanwhile, petrol shortages remain, as some fuel depots and oil refineries are blockaded. Paris airports are reporting delays and cancellations, while some European trains are running limited service. Check with your airline for updates.

Young and old join together in strikes opposing pension reform.

The "shocking" sign (top) is in Utrecht, Holland.

Let cooler heads prevail

Wrought-iron patio entrance with Islamic symbols, Alcazar de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.

The tragedy of September 11th haunts many of us, as evidenced in various memorial ceremonies and reams of copy in publications around the world. But watching media reports of hysterical - and ill-informed - anti-mosque protests in New York; Newt Gingrich's release of a shockingly paranoid, fear-mongering and fact-challenged film and Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck's cynical money-making appearance at a "patriot" meeting Saturday, I was reminded of the poet Khalil Gibran's philosophy:

"The true wealth of a nation lies not in its gold or silver but in its learning, wisdom and in the uprightness of its sons."

Either our coffers are running low or the crazy fringe elements of our society are too noisily promoting intolerance, trying to drown out voices of reason. These increasingly unhinged people do not speak for us. In the United States, our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and justice for all, not just for special interest groups trying to line their pockets by manipulating emotions and inciting violence and hate.

It is my hope and prayer that we make a sincere effort to listen and learn from one another, no matter our faith, creed or country of origin. For all our sakes, cooler heads must prevail.

United we stand

Superman and heart-shaped balloons at Printemps, Paris.

 

 

It's my birthday and beautiful messages and phone calls have been pouring in all day...more thoughtful gestures than for every year I've been alive (and that's saying something)! Thank you; you've made me feel like a Superhero! Thank you for helping make my birthday so special.

And of course tomorrow is a big day that we remember for reasons far too painful. We mourn the great loss of those who tragically died at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They were from different countries and different faiths, all victims of a madman's hate.

While clearing out files and bookcases this week, I came across the Southern Poverty Law Center's Community Response Guide "Ten Ways to Fight Hate." As there are a lot of misguided and uninformed people out there - including certain media figures - trying to muddy the waters, I thought we might all benefit from these ideas:

Act. Do something. In the face of hatred, apathy will be interpreted as acceptance - by the perpetrators, the public and worse, the victims. Decent people must take action. If we don't, hate persists.

Unite. Call a friend or a co-worker. Organize allies from churches, schools, clubs and other civic groups. Create a diverse coalition, including children, police and the media. Gather ideas from everyone and get everyone involved.

Support the victims. Hate-crime victims are especially vulnerable, fearful and alone. If you're a victim, report every incident - in detail - and ask for help. If you learn about a hate-crime victim in your community, show support. Let victims know you care. Surround them with comfort and protection.

Do your homework. An informed campaign improves its effectiveness. Determine if a hate group is involved and research its symbols and agenda. Understand the difference between a hate crime and a bias incident.

Create an alternative. Find an outlet for anger and frustration and for people's desire to do something. Hold a unity rally or parade to draw media attention away from hate.

Speak up. Hate must be exposed and denounced. Help news organizations achieve balance and depth. Do not debate hate-group members in conflict-driven forums. Instead, speak up in ways that draw attention away from hate, toward unity.

Lobby leaders. Elected officials and other community leaders can be important allies in the fight against hate. But some must overcome reluctance - and others, their own prejudices - before they're able to take a stand.

Look long-range. Promote tolerance and address bias before another hate crime can occur. Expand your community's comfort zones, so you can learn and live together.

Teach tolerance. Bias is learned early, usually at home. Schools can offer lessons of tolerance and acceptance. Sponsor an "I have a dream" contest in which students envision an ideal community. Reach out to young people who may be susceptible to hate-group propaganda and prejudice.

Dig deeper. Look inside yourself for prejudices and stereotypes. Build your own cultural competency, then keep working to expose discrimination wherever it happens: in housing, employment, education and more.

If not us, then who?

Love and light

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Dr. Martin Luther King

Let's shine the light and show the love to combat hatred, ignorance and fear:

US church defiant despite condemnation of Koran burning

"This is not America." Concern voiced over religious intolerance

Muslims protest over US church's plans to burn Koran

Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders denounce the "misinformation and outright bigotry" against Muslims

"...Wicked, broken fringes of society..."

And finally, a song "Out of this" by Autamata from the film Tara Road:

"...Out of this noise, here comes the stillness...

out of this chaos, here comes the order,

out of this language, out of this language,

out of these words..."

Off we go

Overhead electrical rails, Centraal Station, Amsterdam.

"He who would travel happily must travel light".- Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 

Between a family concern and the Google-Verizon attempt to undermine Net Neutrality, it feels like I'm traveling with the weight of the world on my shoulders. The companies' proposals would maintain both a "public" and "private"  Internet, effectively giving telecoms more control over speed and access.

In 1999, I worked with a group of academics, engineers and tax specialists in San Francisco and Berkeley to determine how the Internet could remain a level playing field for all. What Google and Verizon propose would make Internet access - in many cases - subject to payment, similar to cable television. Such a plan clearly is aimed at lining the pockets of the corporations involved, not any altruism to keep the Internet free for all. President Obama needs to honor his pre-election promise to support Net Neutrality.

Please write President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission and your senators and representatives to urge they stand firm and stop big corporations from dictating Internet traffic.

Reactions to Google-Verizon pact

“The agreement between Verizon and Google about how to manage Internet traffic is nothing more than a private agreement between two corporate behemoths and should not be a template or basis for either Congressional or FCC action,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge. ”It is unenforceable and does almost nothing to preserve an open internet. Most critically, it sacrifices the future of the mobile wireless internet as this platform becomes more central to the lives of all Americans.”

Progressive Change Committee co-founder Adam Green: "Google, a company that I've long admired and currently hold thousands of dollars of stock in, just "went evil."" ... "There is no reason in the world for Google, which has made smart investments in the future, to find common ground with Verizon on the issue of Internet openness. None. Zero. Zilch. Today's deal was unneeded, uncalled for and incompatible with Google's "don't be evil" mantra. Google's decision to cut a deal with Verizon wreaks of either impatience or fear."

Google-Verizon plan: Why you should worry

Web plan from Google and Verizon is criticized

Verizon and Google propose web traffic rules

Google-Verizon Pact: It Gets Worse

Senate Democrats Press FCC to protect Internet from corporate takeover

If you missed this article about our collapsing empire, I urge you to read it. As we pour money into wars, schools are closing, streetlights are turned off and our infrastructure crumbling.  Some cold, hard facts simply can't be avoided.

________________

So much angst: visit my friend Christina at Soul Aperture to be instantly cheered by her lovely photos and tales from her day.

Off to the Netherlands by train. See you later this month.

Free the Hikers weekend of solidarity

Julie and Naor, organisers of a Free the Hikers manifestation/protest today in solidarity with three American hikers - Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal - who have been detained illegally in Iran for one year. The Paris event at Place d' Iena was one of dozens around the world this weekend marking the one-year anniversary of the hikers' arrest and imprisonment.

Robert Chahid, a journalist for the Voice of America's Persian Service, interviews Dr. Ali M.S. Fatemi of the Institut Europeen des Hautes Etudes Internationale.

Chahid holds up a t-shirt bearing the "Free the Hikers" slogan.

Lucie Kroening, a reporter for France 24, talks about the hikers' plight.

The three American hikers - all graduates of the University of California at Berkeley, are confined in Evin Prison in Tehran. Sarah Stroud is in solitary confinement, able to meet for only two brief periods per day with Shane and Josh, who share a cell.

The three have been allowed to telephone their families only once, on March 9th. They've been denied access to lawyers and no charges against them have been filed or presented in court. On May 20th, their mothers traveled to Iran to visit them, but were allowed to stay only two days.

To learn more about the hikers, sign the petition for their freedom or donate your time or funds, please go here and/or here.

Democracy Village

Democracy Village, Parliament Square, London.

Democracy Village was established early in May by "a group of concerned citizens" to promote peace and protest the war in Afghanistan. "We want to let our government and the rest of the world know that we are deeply troubled by the way our country is being run and the way our tax money and resources are wasted on illegal and inhuman wars," the group's handout explains.

But London Mayor Boris Johnson is taking Democracy Village campers to court, trying to shut down their "peace strike" and anti-war protests on public land. A high court hearing last Thursday was continued until Monday, after other citizens asked permission to join the suit as defendants.

 

Tents backed up against a patch of lavender.

 

 

One of the group's placard quotes Martin Luther King: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

The Democracy Village is located directly across the street from Big Ben. Much of the building is hidden under scaffolding, while undergoing renovations.

 

Tents in the shadow of Parliament.                      

Oh, no! Say it ain't so.

 

White-faced street performer with little boy with painted face, South Bank, London.

Just back from a week in London and came across this article. At first, I thought it was a sick joke. Sadly, it's real. Read it and weep.

Update June 5th: Proof that there is some justice in this world: Steve Blair - the bigoted radio talk show host and city councilman who promoted this racist action -  has been fired from KYCA Radio. Read more here.

Overheard conversations

Mirrored stances at the stunning World Press Photo 2010 exhibition, Oudekerk Church, Amsterdam.

This weekend I had such fun at the brocante at Vanves, followed by a lovely brasserie lunch with Claudia and Claudia II from New York. I spent Sunday afternoon with Alexandra, a wonderful writer and witty blogging friend from Portland. We had lunch on Ile Saint-Louis, shopped for gifts for her family and friends, then had dessert - tarts and tea - at the charming la Charlotte de l'isle. It is a tiny place, but big on homemade taste!

Overheard conversation in a Paris restaurant: An American woman making no attempt to speak a single word of French, when addressing the waiter: "What do you guys have that's like pretzels or nuts or chips?" The bemused waiter: "We guys don't have pretzels or those things. How about frites or a croque monsieur, ham and cheese?" The woman agreed, as long as it would go with her requested "large glass" of Sancerre.

The three teenagers accompanying her looked mortified. In French, they asked the waiter for a menu. The woman looked at them incredulously. "You know French?" "Duh, Mom, we studied it last year," one boy responded.

Returning from Amsterdam, I overheard an American man on the train, talking loudly on the phone to his bank. "Can you let my wife have $1,200? No, I don't want her to have her own access to the account, because she'd spend too much. I want to control the money." (And her!) "No, I don't want to make it easier for her," he continued. "But I don't want a big panic when I get home on Tuesday. So better give her some money now."

Then the guy phoned a car repair shop and demanded an explanation for the crack in his wife's car's oil filter. He insisted they call him back within two hours to provide details.

Next, he phoned his assistant, who was on a holiday cruise with her mother. He patronisingly told her she's "such a sweetheart" to take time to talk while she's on holiday, then spent nearly 45 minutes asking her questions about work. Such a control freak! Bet his wife is glad he's away.

A sudden reversal backwards in time

During the Cuban Missle Crisis in the 1960s, American children were warned from certain pulpits that the Russians might invade and burn all the books and Bibles. No one suspected the enemy within: conservatives intent on revising history in the pages of school textbooks, slanting the truth with their own narrow-minded prejudices. A sad day for America and especially for Texas schoolchildren.

Of course, many school text publishers are based in Texas. Does this mean the Texas board's paranoid version of history will spread throughout the States?

In other news, why does this man still have a job?

I wonder how long it will take Henson Associates to issue a "cease-and-desist" order against the Arizona governor, for using a puppet that strongly resembles a Sesame Street Muppet?

London

Am off to the Tate Modern and other sites in London with my friend Lee. Back soon with more notes and photos from Amsterdam.

Photo of spiral staircase and chandelier, Oudekerk, Amsterdam.

Butterfly

Bonjour les tous! You may have noticed a lack of regular blogging lately at Paris Parfait. That's because May is a popular month for visitors to Paris. I've been a mad social butterfly, flitting from one rendezvous to another with blogging friends. Within the last ten days, have hosted three small dinner parties and been all over town for lunches, walks, brocantes, shopping and tea(s). What a treat it has been!

I've been spending lots of time with my dear friends Lee Renninger, Susan Gardner Creamer and Di Overton (all have been to Paris several times). I also had the good fortune to meet the fabulous Claudia Strasser - and her lovely friend, also named Claudia - for the first time.

In 1997, I was living in San Francisco, when I picked up a copy of Claudia's book The Paris Apartment at a bookstore in Monterey. Never did I dream I'd someday live in my own Paris apartment - and meet Claudia in Paris! On Tuesday, Di and I had a couple of hours of non-stop conversation with the two Claudias at Merci's cozy book-lined cafe. Such fun!

Claudia now lives in sunny Miami, writes the eye-candy-packed blog The Paris Apartment and often brings clients to Paris to shop for their apartments, whether a holiday home in Paris or elsewhere. Her friend Claudia Tessler is up to all sorts of philanthropic and green projects in New York. Both women are formidable (in the best, French sense).

Earlier that morning, Di and I had tea at Merci, before heading to the Antiquites Brocante at Place de la Bastille. It was rainy and cold and I was wearing a thin top and lightweight coat, which wasn't helped by a partially-collapsed umbrella. We didn't last long at the outdoor venue, before heading to lunch. I did manage to find a rare and beautiful Tibetan book of prayers at Bastille, but the grey miserable weather dampened the urge to browse (probably a good thing).

After meeting the Claudias, Di and I went shopping for dinner ingredients. Later we were joined by Di's partner Harvey and their daughter Charlotte for lemon chicken, whipped up by the resident chef. Before and after dinner, we were riveted to BBC coverage of events related to the UK election: Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigning and David Cameron taking office, after agreeing to a full coalition with Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. It's the first time the UK has had a coalition government since World War II! Interesting times, indeed.

These weeks of socialising have come at a price: I have numerous projects piled up, vying for attention. Am working on those now, as this weekend we head to Amsterdam to see friends and explore areas in which to live. Consequently, blogging again will be sporadic for a few days. But I expect to have lots of news and photos to share upon my return late next week. And two more blogging buddies will arrive!

Meanwhile, the brocante at Bastille continues from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Sunday. Stalls are lined up on both sides of the Canal St. Martin. If you're lucky enough to be in Paris, don't miss the chance for incredible antiques and vintage collectibles! Tickets are available at the door.

Photos at Merci, Paris, 2009.

P.S. El Secreto de sus Ojos - The Secret in their Eyes - is a must-see! After reading reviews for the award-winning film (including a 2010 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), I discovered it hadn't yet been released in Europe. So I ordered the DVD from Argentina, in Spanish (with English subtitles). It's brilliant - interweaving a dark mystery and a poignant story of love too long delayed.

Murky waters: The UK's muddled election results

Photo of fish kissing, aquarium in South Kensington, London.

Plenty of fish in the sea: must the Lib Dems kiss up to the Tories, Nick Clegg?  It would appear a Lib Dem-Labour coalition government is more reasonable, considering your similar political ideologies.

Or will Conservative leader David Cameron try to go it alone, without support from the Lib Dems or any other coalition? Without a clear mandate, forming a government could seem like swimming upstream against the current.

 

Read more here, here and here.

Let's look in the mirror, America

Graffiti on a building in a village near Kerak, Jordan.

The United States has witnessed some truly amazing change this week. First, there was reason to celebrate with the passage of a landmark health care reform bill. But the hard-fought victory for Americans was marred by near-hysterical reactions from those with little or no knowledge of the benefits the legislation provides. Polls indicated the majority of those complaining the loudest had failed to read anything about the reform bill. Instead, they reacted angrily to false information and slanted talking points they'd heard repeated by right-wing talk show hosts.

A few unhinged "teabaggers" resorted to violence and despicable language and behavior not seen since the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. And weakened GOP party leaders appeared complicit by failing to strongly denounce their fellow Republicans' acts of extremism. Such inaction suggests the Party of No has well and truly lost not only its direction, but its moral compass.

The new dumb

An absence of class

Rage on the right

"The black commie Nazi did it"

Ok, my blog; my opinion. If you'd like to express your opinion here about health care reform or the teabaggers' actions, you're welcome. All I ask is that you stick to the facts; don't repeat supposition you've heard on Fox "News." I won't waste time and energy debating the erroneous, outlandish pseudo-information put forth by right-wing talk show hosts such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (shouldn't he be in Costa Rica by now?).

Update Sunday, March 28: Frank Rich writes in The New York Times:  The rage is not about health care.

Finally, health care reform.

Historic medical college stained glass window, Oxford University, Oxford, England.

Hooray for the 219 Democrats who voted Sunday night to extend health care coverage to 32 million more Americans! While the plan is far from perfect, it offers a lifeline to many, including those with pre-existing medical conditions and the under-or-uninsured. Basically, the bill - which President Obama will sign - provides quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Plus, health care reform is projected to reduce the deficit by more than a trillion dollars over the next 20 years.

As for 34 Democrats and ALL Republicans who voted no (as per usual with this deliberately-obstructive Congress), shame on them with their excellent government-paid health care and hefty insurance-industry contributions. Obviously, they care more about their own selfish gains than their constituents, their health care and their rights. As an editorial in the Los Angeles Times pointed out, "Rarely has such a good thing for Americans been perceived by so many as a threat to their livelihood and liberty."

Read about ten immediate benefits of HRC and more about the health care reform bill's passage here, here and here.

The River Jordan baptismal site of Jesus Christ

The River Jordan near the site where Jesus Christ was baptised. 

The muddy waters of the River Jordan.

 

 

A portion of dry and cracked riverbed.

 

The bank of the River Jordan.

Mosaic at the site where Jesus Christ was baptised. Because the land near the Dead Sea historically has been the site of much conflict - including the 1967 War or Six Day War - landmines are still being discovered and detonated by specialists. One was detonated while we were standing at this location, resulting in a loud explosion. It helped bring home what it's like to live with conflict virtually on one's doorstep. Since the 1994 Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel, the site is no longer considered a military border zone. However, visitors to this area - including Pope Benedict - are led by licensed guides and restricted to specific paths.

Jesus Christ walked down these steps to be baptised by John the Baptist. According to the Bible, Matthew 3: 16-17, "As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.'"

In A.D. 570, Antoninus of Piacenza noted, "By the site of the Jordan...where the Lord was baptised, at the place where the water returned to its bed...marble steps descend into the water."

Read more about other spiritual events believed to have occurred here.

 

View of a Coptic church from the bank of the River Jordan. Four other churches and a mosque are also under construction in the area.

 

 

The church bells, crosses and the Jordanian flag on an adjacent wing with arched windows.

 

Hand-carved seats and stained glass featuring crosses inside the church.

 

Ceiling mural of Jesus Christ and a brass chandelier.

Murals depicting scenes described in the Holy Bible.

 

 

 

High murals and domed ceiling.

See other photos of Jordan here, here and here, with many more to follow.

As the world turns

As the world turns, Selfridges, London.

Ten years ago today, David and I met in New York. A few months later, my daughter Jordana and I moved to London. A year after that, we moved to Paris, for David's job with an international organisation. Jordana attended high school at the American School of Paris and I resurrected my college French and struggled to adjust to French logic. It was my first experience not working for a salary since age 16; initially I didn't appreciate the loss of steady income and control. To lift my spirits, I began frequenting brocantes, flea markets and antiques shops. Soon our apartment was filled with an eclectic collection of art and antiques.

After discovering the endless bureaucracy required to get married in Paris, Jordana, David and I flew to Santa Fe, N.M. Our wedding ironically was at (French) Archibishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy's private chapel. Jordana's friend Vince played acoustic guitar, while she sang Bruce Springsteen's "If I Should Fall Behind."  A dozen friends witnessed the happy occasion and later joined us for dinner at the Inn of the Anasazi.

We traveled to many, many places in Europe and the US.  At home in Paris, David honed his cooking skills as we hosted hundreds (!) of guests. I became a fan of rugby and horse-racing at Longchamp (although I never bet on horses; just admire and photograph them).  My daughter went off to college in the US.

I started this blog and picked up a camera for the first time in many years. I took Eurostar to London at least once a month. I worked on my novel. I wrote poetry. I campaigned for Barack Obama and worked on human rights initiatives. I had a few health woes, but was lucky to have quality medical care in both Paris and London. I studied Spanish in Seville, Spain and photography in London.

I have lived in Paris longer than any city in my adult life (followed by San Francisco and New York). Ten years ago, when David was a guest speaker at an e-commerce conference (at the World Trade Center) and I a writer, covering the conference, I wouldn't have imagined this life. It's had its ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been rich with blessings. While Paris has never felt like home to me, I know we are fortunate.  Having traveled as a journalist for much of my adult life, I've learned, as John Cage said, that "we carry our homes within us, which enables us to fly."

Balancing act, Selfridges, London.

P.S. Don't miss your chance to win a copy of Leonard Pitt's new book Paris Postcards! Go here to enter.

Tear down ALL the walls

Remnants of ancient stone wall, Arundel, England.

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope.” - Maya Angelou

"We will prove to the world that we believe in peacefully 'tearing down the walls' instead of arbitrarily building them." - John F. Kennedy

On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it's time to tear down ALL the walls that divide and isolate.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Palestinians break down Israeli wall

Health care, party bias and the mainstream media

This person dressed like a banana and standing on a plinth is part of an art installation last month at London's Trafalgar Square. But the photo reminds me of the latest over-the-top activities of so-called "teabaggers" on Washington's Capitol Hill.

John Cole's article about the health care debate, the Republicans' just-released "alternative" bill and the clueless mainstream media coverage is priceless:

"Why is this not a bigger story:

"Late last night, the Congressional Budget Office released its initial analysis of the health-care reform plan that Republican Minority Leader John Boehner offered as a substitute to the Democratic legislation. CBO begins with the baseline estimate that 17 percent of legal, non-elderly residents won’t have health-care insurance in 2010. In 2019, after 10 years of the Republican plan, CBO estimates that …17 percent of legal, non-elderly residents won’t have health-care insurance. The Republican alternative will have helped 3 million people secure coverage, which is barely keeping up with population growth. Compare that to the Democratic bill, which covers 36 million more people and cuts the uninsured population to 4 percent.

"But maybe, you say, the Republican bill does a really good job cutting costs. According to CBO, the GOP’s alternative will shave $68 billion off the deficit in the next 10 years. The Democrats, CBO says, will slice $104 billion off the deficit.

"The Democratic bill, in other words, covers 12 times as many people and saves $36 billion more than the Republican plan. And amazingly, the Democratic bill has already been through three committees and a merger process. It’s already been shown to interest groups and advocacy organizations and industry stakeholders. It’s already made its compromises with reality. It’s already been through the legislative sausage grinder. And yet it saves more money and covers more people than the blank-slate alternative proposed by John Boehner and the House Republicans. The Democrats, constrained by reality, produced a far better plan than Boehner, who was constrained solely by his political imagination and legislative skill.

"I seriously do not get this country. The subservience to the Republicans by the media at least made sense when they were in the majority and held the Presidency in 2001. But this is 2009, the Republicans have been routed electorally for the past few years, everything the Republican party believed in failed miserably the last eight years and they have been exposed as total frauds. They released a budget with no numbers on April Fools Day; they have been whipping up teabaggers and gun nuts into a froth for months and screaming about death panels because they have no ideas or solutions and when they finally do release their health care “plan,” it totally and completely sucks. It is nothing but fail, fail, fail, from the GOP: they just lost two more seats in the house; they are going through a horrible (yet delicious) civil war; yet according to the media, everything is bad news for Democrats.

"You know what is bad news for Republicans? They used to be able to get elected and be incapable of governing and as the House elections on Tuesday and the CBO score today show, now they are incapable of getting elected and governing.

"And yet somewhere, Chuck Todd or one of the other Beltway drooling class is typing up their next thought piece explaining how all of this is bad news for Democrats and David Gregory’s staff is probably getting touch with McCain and Boehner’s chiefs of staff to see if they are available for Meet the Press on Sunday.

"I can’t tell what is a bigger joke- the Republicans or our failed media experiment. Three decades of screaming liberal media bias is about the only smart long-term thing Republicans have done in my lifetime."

Blog Action Day 2009

Race-goers relaxing at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Longchamp, Paris.  Photo by David Holmes.

Idyllic weather and relaxing afternoons like the one pictured won't be around for long, if we don't address the critical issues of climate change. Recently my friend Julie in Denmark asked if it might take a major European country such as the Netherlands to be under water before people pay attention.

The effects of climate change are widespread, touching virtually every corner of the earth. From glaciers melting in Greenland to waters flooding islands in the Pacific to temperatures rising around the world, climate change is underway. And as more and more people are driven from their homes by rising waters or worse, poverty and conflict will worsen, as the world's refugee population increases. The burden to care for these people will be for us to assume.

World leaders are meeting December 8-18 at a United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Lowering carbon emissions levels, carbon trading and reducing air and water pollution are among the topics to be explored.

In conjunction with the summit, an outdoor photographic exhibit currently underway in Copenhagen shows 100 places to remember before they disappear.

While environmental problems may seem overwhelming, there are small and simple steps we can take every day for a cleaner, healthier more sustainable environment. In conjunction with the photographic exhibit, Co+Life has provided 100 examples of how we - individually and collectively - can solve or counter the effects of climate change.

Besides recycling our paper, plastic, aluminum and glass, we can take public transportation; plan smarter travel; eat healthier foods. American green-living guru Danny Seo writes a blog providing simple, everyday tips, from changing lightbulbs to more energy-efficient models, to revamping or repurposing old furniture.

In the United Kingdom, John Lewis has published a "modern reworking" of a 1943 government booklet about making the most of minimal resources: Make Do and Mend. Follow  Make Do and Mend on Twitter for useful daily household tips

Even our old computers, mobile phones and other electronic products can be recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency provides information about regional and national programs available.

My pet peeve is excess packaging. I'm contacting the manufacturers of products I purchase regularly to ask them to reduce unnecessary and cumbersome packaging. Recently I bought a portable phone charger in London. It took a good 15 minutes, using all my strength to pry open the heavy plastic surround.

What's your favourite energy-saving or recycling measure? Are there specific habits you follow to help preserve the environment?

Join me and more than 5000 bloggers participating in Blog Action Day, focusing on climate change.

No pain, no glory?

Painful shoes at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Longchamp, Paris.

Time to leave the glamour of Longchamp and come back down to earth. Tyler Perry's personal story brought tears to my eyes. I'm looking forward to seeing Precious, although I expect it will be difficult to watch the abuse. But perhaps this movie - based on Sapphire's book Push - will make people pay attention to nearly-invisible or overlooked people in society, who all too often suffer in silence.

War photography and ethics

I've been reading The Bang-Bang Club written by the acclaimed conflict photographers Greg Marinovich and Jaoa Silva. The book talks about their harrowing experiences, as well as those of their friends and colleagues Ken Oosterbroek, killed by a stay bullet while working and Kevin Carter, who committed suicide weeks after winning a Putlizer Prize for his powerful photograph of a starving child in the Sudan.

"...The picture had caused a sensation. It was being used in posters for raising funds for aid organizations. Papers and magazines around the world had published it and the immediate public reaction was to send money to any humanitarian organization that had an operation in Sudan. The heart-wrenching image of a starving, helpless infant being scrutinized by a vulture had inevitably raised the question, "What happened to the little girl?" and, followed close on that, "What did the photographer do to help her?"

"The barrage of questions had begun to get to Kevin. He could not answer that he had simply left the child there; that the child was not in any direct danger from the vulture, since it is a fact that vultures will never attack anything still showing signs of life. Nor was the child likely to die of starvation, as the feeding-centre, with its ability to administer emergency nutrition, was barely 100 metres away. Kevin at first had told people that he had chased the vulture away and that he had then gone and sat under a tree to cry. He did not know what happened to the child. But the questions kept coming..."

Parts of the book's raw honesty are painful to read. But it's absolutely fascinating to learn more about the dilemmas photojournalists (and print journalists) often face: to engage and try to help in a dire situation or to take the photo, get the story and walk away?

At a photography class in London last month, we discussed this predicament. All of us agreed we'd find it nearly impossible to walk away during a situation in which someone was suffering, without doing what we could to help. Of course there are times when one's own life is in danger and a choice may not be possible.

Recently I was at the French hairdresser, anxious about the way one can never quite pass muster in the intense scrutiny of certain impossibly thin, chic French women. Reading The Bang-Bang Club put it all in perspective, as the women around me chattered and gossiped about trivial things.

Open Shutters: Iraq

Seems silly to be concerned about the opinion of strangers, when far more important things are going on all around us. Open Shutters: Iraq is a new documentary by filmmaker Maysoon Pachachi. It traces the stories of 12 Iraqi women who meet in Damascus to learn photography. They then take their newfound skills and return to Iraq, telling stories with their photographs. Later, they return to Syria to edit their photos and write their stories.

One child even participated in the project, taking photos of her friends. Learn more here and here. The film begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at the Opera Plaza Cinema in San Francisco.

A book featuring the Open Shutters: Iraq photographs will be released soon.

Poverty and human rights

A new book stresses the link between economic rights and human rights. The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human Rights is written by Irene Khan, the outgoing secretary-general of Amnesty International.  In a profile in The Independent, Khan talks about her disillusion with Amnesty's current role in human rights work.

News day

Fall bouquet, Merci, Paris.

We interrupt the series of Longchamp photos to focus on unexpected news today:

Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples."

"The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons. Obama has as president created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.

"The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations.Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

"For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman.The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Let's hope Obama can live up to his promise, with jealous naysayers (with no ideas or solutions of their own) determined to obstruct his every move.

So refreshing: Alan Grayson dares to speak the truth. 

Am glad that this outrageous law is being challenged in court. What an invasion of privacy!

And a very Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

Update: The Democratic National Committee responds to Republican criticism of the Nobel Peace Prize announcement:

"The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists — the Taliban and Hamas this morning — in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize. Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize — an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride — unless of course you are the Republican Party. The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It’s no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore – it’s an embarrassing label to claim."

Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency:

"There is nobody today in my view who is more deserving of that peace prize than Barack Obama. In less than a year he brought a radical change in the way we look at ourselves, in the way we look at our world. He is restoring the basic core values that every one of us should live by - dialogue, respect, democracy, due process, human rights, a security system that does not depend on nuclear weapons. His dedication to these values rekindles hope that, finally, we could have a world at peace with itself."

Read more reactions to the news here.

An excerpt of President Obama's speech:

"Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

"But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century."

Look out any window

Rain-spattered window, Oxford Street, London. If you and I look out this window, chances are we won't see the same things.

A tsunami in Tonga and the Somoan Islands; an  earthquake in Indonesia. Refugees driven from their homes by the conflict in Yemen. Children going to bed hungry; others dying of malnutrition or curable diseases. These are real people grappling with serious issues; huge problems that cross socio-economic divides and traverse geographic borders.

The world has trouble enough. We don't need manufactured hatred and fear-mongering spread by right-wing talk show hosts and conspiracy theorists, polluting the atmosphere. We don't need personal prejudices of two former drug-addicted radio and television hosts foisted on a gullible and too-often ignorant public. The irresponsibility of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and their ilk (including the RNC and its ill-advised collaboration with "News"max) and the cynicism of their reckless and inflammatory behaviour beggars belief.

Of course those who shout the loudest don't worry about dangerous consequences of their actions, as long as they're raking in big bucks. Money is power in America; just ask Rupert Murdoch and other corporate media moguls and companies who encourage and sponsor ever-increasing vitriol in the name of ratings. Just ask Hollywood moguls (and French politicians) eager to overlook Roman Polanski's crimes, simply because he's an artist and a celebrity (and his films take in big box-office receipts).

Peace begins at home and we need to dial the hysteria register down a notch or two. We need to THINK FOR OURSELVES; read and be informed about the facts, not speculation or conjecture. Searching for common ground - rather than constantly focusing on our differences - would be a good start.

As Jalaladdin Rumi said, "Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there."

And an excerpt of Mary Oliver's poem Mysteries, Yes:

"...Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers."

"...Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment
and bow their heads."

"Look out any window" is a reference to Bruce Hornsby's song of the same name.

Freaks and follies

Undoubtedly there's historical relevance to this plaque on a building in Amsterdam. But when I saw the gold and silver coins, it seemed an apt analogy for the greed and unethical behaviour too often seen in both government and business.

Mark Morford: How many hypocritical Republicans can dance on the head of a sex scandal?

Joe Wilson: Still lying, loudly.

The not-so-secret racism in France.

Another reason career diplomats - not political donors - should be ambassadors abroad.

Glenn Beck is a deeply-troubled man. Despite at least 62 advertisers abandoning his television program for Beck's outrageous false claims about President Obama, cynical Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch continues to support Beck. Now Beck is on a witch hunt for communists. And he claims the New Orleans levees were allowed to fail to cover up local corruption - or something like that. Hard to understand the logic behind his ridiculous ramblings.

Let's be clear: Beck's increasingly-paranoid and delusional rantings do not remotely resemble journalism. He sounds like an unbalanced, hysterical snake-oil salesman on the verge of a melt-down. Guess to Murdoch, the more theatrical the better, in terms of television ratings. (People can't seem to look away from trainwrecks).  But at what costs, both to Beck and his viewers? 

Beck and the misguided "teabaggers"

Update Sept. 12: From Time's James Poniewozik: The stated goal of a rally today in Washington, according to Beck, is to "bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States, or political parties. We were united as Americans..."

UPoniewozik doesn't think Beck's living up to that:

"...What he purportedly wants is to bring back our feeling of "unity." I remember that feeling. After 9/11, I remember hardcore liberal New Yorkers rallying behind Rudy Giuliani, saying nice things about President Bush when he spoke at the WTC ruins. I remember thousands of American flags being flown out of apartment and brownstone windows, not as political statements or in the you-better-prove-your-patriotism spirit of flag pins and Freedom Fries, but simply because we felt we Americans were all in this together.

"So since March, what has Glenn Beck been doing to re-establish that sense of nonpartisan national brotherhood? Calling President Obama a racist, declaring that the government was bringing fascism upon us, asking his fans to dig up dirt on political figures he doesn't like, and predicting civil-war-like uprisings. Because that's how you bring people together ....

"You want to bring back the feeling of national unity and civility, Glenn Beck? You could start by not using this tragedy as your personal political platform."

Hear, hear!

Send in the clowns

Early 20th-century French children's game pins.

Remember the Stephen Sondheim song Send in the Clowns from the Broadway musical "A Little Night Music?"  I've never liked clowns and the song is a bit melancholy, about the rich irony of timing and choices in love and life.  Today is my birthday. And I've been thinking a lot lately about timing and choices and goals I'd planned to accomplish by now. On Wednesday - the all-important 09/09/09 - I was not heartened by the "magic" of a once-in-this-century day. In fact, I spent much of the day lamenting that time is flying at an alarming rate and I still have much to do.  We Virgos can be quite hard on ourselves.

Today I woke up realising that yes, while there is much to do, I am on the threshold of achieving one particular dream I've been chasing since childhood. And exciting new opportunities are unfurling, defying all expectations. Travel and adventure remain staples of my life.

My daughter is happy and healthy and following her own dreams. I'm married to a good man, who loves me.  I'm fortunate to have many friends scattered all over the world.  I live in Europe, where women are valued more for their talent, intellect and contributions to society than for any Hollywood faux ideals of youth. As long as I take care of my health, the only limit is my imagination (and suppressing that annoying perfectionist tendency; a curse of being born a Virgo).

I'm joining with other September babies in making a birthday contribution to Charity Water, which helps provide clean drinking water around the globe. What better way to affirm that what matters isn't one's age, but how you expend your time and energy?

P.S. Stayed up until after 3 a.m. Paris time watching President Obama's address about health care reform. Brilliant speech; now let's see ideas transformed into actions. Shame about the distractions of GOP moron(s) rudely interrupting the speech either by shouting, waving pieces of paper or texting. As President Obama said, "When we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter, we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves."

Searching for truth

Sculptural medallion partially obscured by ivy at a private residence, Loire Valley, France.

"Beauty is truth, truth, beauty..." - John Keats.

Seems it's getting harder and harder to find the truth. We really have to search for it, amidst all the politics, lies, spin and stupidity. Thankfully, even amidst bad news and chaos, beauty remains. Here's hoping truth and beauty prevail on this auspicious day (09/09/09).

A reporter survived, but Marines died

NYT journalist freed; Afghan journalist, UK soldier killed in rescue effort

More stupidity from a "teabagger"

A school trip in Kentucky includes surprise baptisms!

It's time to get help

Politics and publicity

Bridge over the River Seine to St. Cloud, Paris.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's sensitivity about his height draws unwelcome publicity.

So much for the peace process. Israel announces plans to build new settlements in the Occupied Territories, in direct violation of international law - not to mention a rebuff to President Barack Obama.  Why are we still giving billions of dollars in aid and weapons to a state that deliberately defies the law and denies basic human rights to the Palestinians?

And here's the full text of President Obama's speech to encourage American schoolchildren to care for their future. Why are right-wing talk show hosts and conservative Republican politicians up in arms about a speech that encourages children to learn, work hard and accept personal responsibility for their actions? Education trumps over stupidity every single time (notwithstanding a certain former Alaska governor).

Bent and twisted

Rusting fence with bent iron finials near Parc Edmond de Rothschild, Paris.

How did we get so far off the path?

Update Sept. 4: Right-wing hysteria and racism

Steyn delusional; proof we need better education

More evidence education essential

Dumb and dumber

Pfizer fined for fraud (another reason we need health care reform).

Health care, not politics

Gone, but not forgotten

The novelist Laila Lalami reminded me that 40 years ago today, Muammar al-Qaddafi overthrew the Libyan ruler King Idris I.

At the time, my friend Muna was living in Libya. Years later in Amman, she told me the story;  how they awoke at dawn, horrified to find tanks trained on the palace.

Muna's mother worked for the Queen; her Palestinian father for an American oil company. The family fled with just the clothes on their backs. They spent some time in Malta, before working their way to Jordan, where they ultimately obtained Jordanian passports. To this day, they live in Amman.

Laila Lalami wrote: "It seems to me that coverage of Gaddafi is broadly limited to two topics: his social antics (e.g. the tent he set up in the garden of the Hotel Marigny, his all-female bodyguard corps, his ridiculous outfits and so on) and the Lockerbie bombing. One rarely hears about all the political prisoners who have been rotting in his jails for several decades.

"A couple of years ago, the novelist Hisham Matar wrote a very moving piece about his father, Jaballa Matar, who was allegedly kidnapped by Egyptian security forces in March 1990 and then rendered to Libya. He has not been seen in nineteen years and has not been heard from in ten.

How does one remain free from becoming a symbol or a victim? How do we remain whole and free from hate, yet truthful to our memory?

Life attempts to teach us about loss: that one can still find peace in the finality of death. And yet, my loss gives no peace. My father is not incarcerated, yet he is not free; he is not dead, yet he is not alive either. My loss is self-renewing, insistent and incomplete.

I was always told to expect to lose my father. Many Libyan political dissidents have been assassinated or kidnapped. But now I know that I had no comprehension of the danger he was in. If I had, I would have held on to him with all I could, or tried harder to persuade him not to engage in political dissent, perhaps. Regret is the cruellest companion for those of us who are left behind.

I did try to persuade him to leave his political work, because I loved my father more than I loved my country; or, to put it another way, I had learned by then to live without my country, but not without my father.

When Father was taken, the world did feel empty. For the first couple of years, our ship was lost, then we recovered our bearings and learnt that the speed by which one resumes living is no indication of the depth of one’s grief."

I knew Jaballa Mater personally. When I was a UN correspondent, I was introduced to Jaballa by a mutual friend at the US-Arab Chamber of Commerce in New York. The friend asked me to take Jaballa shopping for presents for his family. I remember him purchasing a wallet and other gifts at the Cartier counter at Macy's. A group of friends accompanied him to dinner at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center and the waiter snapped our picture. Jaballa with his shock of grey hair and mustache was laughing, wearing a suit with his signature white silk fringed scarf draped around his neck. There were other dinners, always an eclectic group, whose livelihood or lives were rooted in the Middle East.

Jaballa was living in Switzerland at the time and didn't like to discuss Middle East politics; certainly not the minefield of Libyan politics, which had caused such grief for him and his family. Years later, I was dismayed to learn Jaballa had been kidnapped, while living in Egypt. Widespread speculation was that Egyptian security forces had turned him over to Libya, another victim of Qaddafi's thugs. Until reading Laila's piece today, I hadn't known Jaballa had been heard from at all during the last 19 years. It's possible he is still alive, although who knows in what condition, along with Qaddafi's numerous other political prisoners. Human rights seem to have been forgotten in the West's renewed quest for lucrative oil and business partnerships in Libya.

Another friend, Mansour Rashid Kikhia, the former Libyan Ambassador to the UN, was kidnapped from his hotel in Cairo in December, 1993. Kikhia had resigned his job at the UN and was head of the International Arab Jurists Association. Despite the intervention of the US government and the United Nations, no information about his fate has been forthcoming.

Many political prisoners died in a massacre June 29, 1996 at Abu Salim prison in Benghazi.

In December 2006, I wrote a poem, "Dead or disappeared" about these two men and other activists - and one special friend - I came to know.

Bright young thing
in New York watching
history unfold amidst chaos
key players crossed my path
some became friends
admired for their selfless courage


The last time I saw him
he took off his shoes
and put his feet on the table
at a UN press conference
so we could see the pattern of scars
calling card of the Shah's SAVAK*

He got our attention.
Two weeks later he was murdered.


The last time I saw him
he seemed a little drunk and flirtatious,
escorted by aides and guards
in an Amman hotel lobby
talking about an upcoming meeting
promising an interview

A sobering phone call followed:
felled on his front porch in a hail of assassin's bullets.


The last time I saw him
he was impassioned about
his human rights work
looking forward to an international conference
to expand the jurists' scope and focus
helping secure rights for all

Newspaper headlines reported his disappearance in Egypt;
UN and governmental inquiries produced no answers.


The last time I saw him
I took him shopping
for family gifts at Cartier
they snapped our picture at the Rainbow Room
and we went to a dinner party with friends
then he went home to Geneva

Vanished without a trace in Cairo;
more UN inquiries; no answers.


The last time I saw him
he told me he loved me
and kissed me goodbye
then boarded a plane to Amman
to do his father's bidding
and work in the family business

Less than five months later he was dead,
shot three times in the head.


For those still here
an obligation to tell their stories
remember what they held dear
the struggles and small victories
undying commitment to causes
greater than themselves


*Secret police during the reign of the Shah of Iran

Note that Qaddafi is spelled in a number of ways. At the UN, we spelled his name Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Photo of bas relief sculptures over a doorway in Amsterdam.

Bidding farewell

19th-century stained glass windows in the 15th-century St. Saulve Abbey, Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.

Iron gates at St. Saulve Abbey.

Farewell, Sen. Ted Kennedy. Thank you for your courage and immeasurable achievements on our behalf.

P.S. Ballots, bullets and bombs: Extraordinary photos from Afghanistan in the Boston Globe.

In memoriam: Sen. Ted Kennedy 1932 - 2009

Candles, St. Saulve Abbey, Montreuil-sur-Mer, France.

Remembering Sen. Ted Kennedy, who rose above family tragedy to work tirelessly for the greater good. He was a bright spirit, whose important work made a real difference in American lives. A man of privilege, Sen. Kennedy championed those less fortunate. He worked hard for human rights and equality and encouraged social responsibility. For 40 years, he was a vigilant crusader for universal health care. It is up to us to fulfill that challenge. Sen. Kennedy will be missed.