More Paris Pics

I absolutely loved Paris.....here a few of my favorite pictures in the city:



The south fountain in La Place de La Concorde


My personal view from a table at Cafe Francais next to Pont d' le Alma


Slightly angled shot of a side garden at Versailles

From Paris To London

So I haven't posted anything in a week since those pictures in Paris. The City of Lights was incredible to say the least. It is always nice to see stereotypes busted first hand. The only exception for the French (in my experience) is the B.O. Some, but not at all, do not shower enough, including three-quarters of the taxicab drivers there. Other than that, people are friendly and have manners (a concept Americans still need to learn), the food is unbelievable....there is nothing better than French food....no matter what it is. Oh and Bill O'Reilly can shove it. Stop attacking the French, they are far beyond you Billy boy.

Well now I am in London until Saturday and after Labor Day I'll begin to post like I did before I got to Europe. Honestly I have been reading more news about Paris and France than my own NYC locale. I must say the writers for the Guardian and the Independent far surpass the "journalists" in America. They write with wit and dare I say, snarkiness. The articles are hard hitting and make you (or at least me) laugh at the ridiculousness of politicians both here in London and back home.

Since I am coming home in less than two days, I've been thinking about the differences between the States (and especially in NYC where I live) and here. Europe is......amazing in so many regards. The mass transit systems in Paris and London and in between are better than anything in America. Traveling on the Eurostar was something I can only dream the U.S. can have. Moving at 200 mph makes Amtrak look extremely pathetic. People are also more knowledgeable about current events....and climate change is a serious issue that everyone agrees on as something to be dealt with, if only going about it different ways. In America, its the "debate" is between the realists and those that suffer from delusions or plain ignorance.

The Liberal Democrats want to make England carbon neutral by 2050 and the Tories want to curb airline use and move commuters to high speed trains....the U.S. could only hope to stem the increase in carbon emissions by then with simple-minded programs. The only bright spots are in progressive cities like New York, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and the like.

I know there are problems here, like unemployment and the high cost of living. Yet when it comes to weighing pros and cons, Europe (or at least Paris and London) are far ahead of us. It is time that we start catching up.

Bonjour du Paris!

I must say it is very interesting to see "Blogger" turn the language around to French, even though I did not request any such change. Oh well, its good I practice un petit francais while I'm here....or at least use some of what one of my friends calls "Fra-anglaise". One example would be "merci-buckets." Anyways, I must say this city is incredible, here's a few pics from today's outings into the city.


Art is even on the trees here, forget the Louvre or the Musee d'Orsay.


A pillar of the Eiffel Tower, complete with overpriced souvenir shop.



Can you guess where I'm standing?

Romney Will Say Anything For A Vote

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney already has the stigma of being known as a flip-flopper. Of course, that didn't stop him playing to his audience at Regent University and tell lies to please the conservative crowd. He lied about and bashed the French, 'liberal' culture and used the tragedy at Virginia Tech to show off his holiness. It amazes me that this guy is considered a front-runner for anything, let alone the Republican nomination next year.

From The Washington Post:

VIRGINIA BEACH, May 5 -- Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) did not discuss his Mormon faith as he continued his outreach Saturday to conservative Christians in a graduation speech at Regent University, the school founded by televangelist Pat Robertson.

Instead, Romney, who is intensely courting this key segment of the Republican base in hopes of winning the party's 2008 presidential nomination, expounded on conservative themes such as the importance of child-rearing and marriage and the presence of evil in the world.

(snip)

"There is no work more important to America's future than the work that is done within the four walls of the American home," Romney said. He also criticized people who choose not to get married because they enjoy the single life.

"It seems that Europe leads Americans in this way of thinking," Romney told the crowd of more than 5,000. "In France, for instance, I'm told that marriage is now frequently contracted in seven-year terms where either party may move on when their term is up. How shallow and how different from the Europe of the past."

Wow, those are some pretty harsh statements against the French. Ah Mitt, if only they were true words. Crooks and Liars looked up your odd statement and found that it was based on a French comedy, not what really goes on outside the brilliant mind of Mitt Romney.

Now that the French have elected a new President they want to follow through with actual morality that benefits society and the world, specifically concerning climate change. Sarkozy wants to work with the U.S. to fight climate change...but what is the chance that a President Mitt Romney would care about little things like that? Probably slim to none.