5 February 2007
In Europe, it's not uncommon to see people tabling for non-violent regime change in Iran.
This table is in The Plein, The Hague
5 February 2007
Protesters in The Plein, The Hague, ask for a free Turkistan and for the Netherlands to impose sanctions (?) against China
5 February 2007
Protesters in The Plein, The Hague, ask for a free Turkistan and for the Netherlands to impose sanctions (?) against China.
6 February 2007
What better way to spend class time than futzing with my camera?
6 February 2007
Sonology has always been very high tech. That there is a PDP 15. In The Varesezaal at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands
6 February 2007
Stephanie in class
6 February 2007
Xena in my messy living room
9 January 2007
A Christmas tree, just put outside in Paris.
One thing I like about Paris is that there's no rush for Christamas to be over.
9 Fenruary 2007
Blvd Magenta in Paris 10eme. I used to live right off this block.
9 Fenruary 2007
A tea house on rue Lancry in Paris 10. I like this place a lot. It's very narrow.
9 February 2007
These crazy Paris mannequins are even creepier than normal, because the one on the left has a big hole in her head.
9 Fenruary 2007
A small protest at the Porte de St. Dennis, at the border of the 10eme in Paris. The sign on the right explains that it's the Collectif des Sans Papiers of the Paris 18eme. In english, this means that it's the union of undocumented workers from the 18th arrondissement.
Groups like this regularly demonstrate in Paris.
I love that they have strong unions, but a Frenchman came up to me and spoke to me (in English, after I failed to understand his French) about how they want to take over and want immigrants (and black folks) in and French people out.
Um, yeah, dude, you know I'm an immigrant and that black woman enxt to me is my girlfriend who has a valid French residency permit . . .
I did not tell him to fuck off, but he could tell that I disagreed with him, despite my silence. Right wing assholes are the same verywhere in the world, but the French oens are a tiny bit more sensitive. He non-apologized and walked off.
9 Fenruary 2007
The corner of St Martin Des Champs in Paris.
9 February 2007
The Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers à Paris
9 February 2007
The Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers à Paris
9 Fenruary 2007
This statue of St John the Baptist is an amputee. By the door of the Church of St. Nicholas des Champs
9 February 2007
A statue of a female saint by the door of the church of St Nicholas des Champs in Paris.
9 February 2007
You could write down your prayers for intersession for this saint, put the wish in the basket and then say the prayer written on the framed informational sheet. The saint would then (possibly) be moved to argue your case with god. It's like she's a divine lawyer and you pay her by saying that prayer.
In the St Nicholas des Champs church in Paris.
9 February 2007
The altar of St. Nicholas des Champs in Paris.
The gold thing on the alter is called a monstrance. Within it, there is a consecrated host. Catholics beleive that consecrated hosts actually become the flesh of Jesus, so the display of the monstrance is equivalent to the display of relics of dead saints, except in this case, it's a relic of God, so much more holy, even if much more easy to come by.
There is speculation that the sun-like shape of the monstance is evidence that many church rituals come from a sun-worshpping cult.
9 February 2007
Fittingly enough, there was a side altar dedicated to St. Nicholas within the St. Nicholas des Champs church in Paris.
The the left is a painting of St. Nicholas. To the right, under the window, is what appears to be a reliquary. Recall that reliquaries hold relics: that is to say, pieces of dead saints.
The likelyhood is that there are pieces of St. Nicholas in the reliquary. Which is to say, there are pieces of Santa Claus. Or peices of Sinterklaas. I saw no sign of bits of Zwarte Piet, though.
9 Fenruary 2007
The reliquary that may have bits of St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus, aka Sinterklaas).
Perhaps there is no mention of Zwarte Piet because he used to be a demon figure.
9 February 2007
Because St John the Baptist (right) is missing his staff, he appears to be shaking his fist at the praying old lady.
9 February 2007
A side altar in St. Nicholas Des Champs in Paris
9 February 2007
St Nicholas des Champs in Paris.
The gold thing on the altar is a monstrance. Adoration of the blessed scrament was going on when I took this picture. I feel a little guilty about it.
9 February 2007
Tile graffiti in Paris now includes Q-Bert
9 February 2007
Nicole in front of the former home of Nicholas Flammel, the inventor of the Philosopher's stone. It is the oldest house in Paris.
9 February 2007
Soléne at 7 Lézards in the Marais
9 February 2007
The ceiling of the basement of 7 Lézards in the Marais
9 February 2007
Hot Chills plays at the 7 Lézards in the Marais
9 February 2007
Nicole B drew during the Hot Chills show
