Craig Bob in Paris

One more ...

2010-10-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

... before bed. Yet another balcony shot.

R-rated

2010-10-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

... for Rodin, at this link.

Berlin

2010-10-10T13:53:00.001-07:00

OK, just returned from a weekend in Berlin. And it's not an overwhelmingly beautiful European city like Paris or Prague or Florence. But it's very cool and compelling. Plus there are some sweet flea markets. And yours truly scored a funky 1926 German mandolin at the one near the Mauer-Park. It's a 12 string mando built to have 3-string clusters rather than the modern 2-string clusters. My finger tips may never forgive me.

A more thorough photo essay at this link.

Mon balcon: une étude

2010-10-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Le dimanche à Porte Maillot

2010-09-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

This week: Ascot to Paris

2010-09-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

2010-09-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

2010-09-19T00:44:00.001-07:00

Hoooooome ...

2010-09-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

2010-09-12T09:47:00.001-07:00

2010-09-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Feeling Like an Alien

2010-08-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

One time, many years ago, I bought an Atlanta Rhythm Section record solely for the song "Alien" in which the pinnacle line was "Feeling like an alien." As I recall, the rest of the record was underwhelming but that line has come back to me a number of times over the last few years living in France.

Now ... I like France, I like the French, and I like living in Paris. But sometimes, the alien-ness hits me. Usually it's a very basic situation like arriving at the Franprix checkout having forgotten to weigh my sweet potatoes and forgetting the French for, well, "I forgot to weigh these sweet potatoes." ["J'ai oublié peser ceux potates douces" for those of you scoring at home. And no, I don't know why the French use "potate" for sweet potatoes while using "pomme de terre" for normal potatoes.] Anywho, it's a pretty exposed, embarrassing situation. The checker just wants you to check the hell out!

So today: role reversal. I was in a San Francisco Tumi store checking out some brief cases where 2 French dudes were shopping too. They didn't speak any English and, so, they were having no luck interacting with the sales staff. I said "pardon" as I slipped past them and, based on that one French word, 10 minutes later they approached me and asked me to explain US pricing and sales tax. This, of course, is a bit puzzling to Europeans because, in Europe, the taxes are embedded in the advertised prices whereas, here in the US of A, we add taxes as a surprise at the register. That led to a 15 minute French conversation on various topics. Turns out they were from Nantes - and so SF was kind of a big city experience for them.

Well anyway, it was kind of a cool karma moment or a marker (or Ebeneezer for those of you scoring from church). Aliens. Yeah. Sometimes I am one. Other times I can minimize the sensation for someone else.

Checklist

2010-08-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Scott and Hilary's checklist for their last day in Paris yesterday. The important stuff got checked off.

L'Eglise Saint-Louis en l'Ile

2010-08-01T12:28:00.001-07:00

Scott had an outstanding idea to catch some live music today. So we took in a baroque organ/trumpet concert at L'Eglise Saint-Louis en l'Ile. It was a great concert inside an impossibly beautiful building. And I can't think of a better use for that setting than quality, live music.

Un pique-nique sur la Seine

2010-07-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

Speirs to Blithe

2010-07-28T14:20:00.001-07:00

Musée de l'Orangerie

2010-07-26T09:19:00.001-07:00

Soutine and Monet

Bourgogne

2010-07-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is a shot from the village of Mersault looking out at the surrounding vineyards - mostly Chardonnay here. Yes, I bought 2 bottles.

A night shot in Beaune - the unofficial capital of Burgundy. The large building on the right is L'Hotel Dieu.

Dinner in the cave at Le Conty in Beaune. Very nice and a bottle of Pommard to go.

A mosaic show in Chartres (admittedly not in Burgundy, but a lovely place nonetheless).

Hilary actually took this shot in Chartres.

More Chartres - on the steps of the cathedral.

Using the macro to amuse myself while Junior-sitting outside the Chartres cathedral.

A few shots inside the cathedral.

And outside.

How French chihuahuas stay so trim.

Un autre jeudi á Paris avec S & H

2010-07-22T15:06:00.001-07:00

Dimanche à Paris

2010-07-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

Bastille Day

2010-07-15T14:31:00.003-07:00

Well, most of my photos turned out blurry. But here's a decent one.

Tom Petty was right

2010-07-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

The waiting is the hardest part. But at least there's a pretty guitar nearby.

Yawn

2010-07-07T13:38:00.001-07:00

... one more balcony shot ...

July 4

2010-07-05T11:27:00.001-07:00

July 4th celebration in Paris this year included Saint-Sulpice and the Luxembourg Garden.

BP oil spill: churches demand compensation from BP after loss of income

2010-07-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Brocante find ...

2010-07-04T05:26:00.001-07:00

Pride

2010-06-27T01:03:00.001-07:00

Le samedi sur Boulevard du Montparnasse.

Friday night in the neighborhood

2010-06-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

There's a verge that runs straight on toward L'Hotel des Invalides in our neighborhood. I like to walk there because it's calm and pleasant. Most nights there are locals sitting on the grass with their friends and family drinking wine, kicking soccer balls, etc. Tonight there was also a violent dispute between lovers - no fun.

But here also are some photos along the way ...

Un Soir sur La Seine

2010-06-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Question of the day ....

2010-06-21T09:58:00.001-07:00

Does Firefox work anymore?

Forest Tucker and Butterfly McQueen ...

2010-06-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

... they were the celebrity cast members when Jay and I stage-handed the traveling version at the Ulster County Performing Arts Center.

Memories.

Saturday Night

2010-06-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Don't judge me ... it's true that I cleaned the coffee maker on a Saturday night in Paris. But you would be amazed at how much more interesting that is when Aerosmith, Elton John, and a 2004 Margaux are involved. Plus, there's this just out on the balcony ...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2010-06-13T13:10:00.001-07:00

... well actually, a beautiful day in Marie-Antoinette's neighborhood. And let's not quibble over who chopped whose head off ... le Domaine de Marie-Antoinette is a lovely little corner of the earth ...

Sunday: Luxembourg Garden

2010-06-06T11:14:00.001-07:00

Solidarité avec La Palestine

2010-06-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

This was about 30 minutes ago on Boulevard du Montparnasse. Don't need no French to get the point here ...

Role-play

2010-06-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

You: CraigBob, is that a French all-accordion orchestra?
Me: Why, yes ... yes I'm afraid it is. And it's playing all your pop fave-raves.
You: And the chick in the rabbit ears?
Me: A traditional European hen-party. It's best if you pursue the topic no further.
You: You are very wise CraigBob.
Me: Thank you dear friend.

More Memorial Day in Normandy

2010-05-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day in Normandy

2010-05-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Pentecôte

2010-05-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Paris Meetup group at Parc des Buttes Chaumont - it might seem a little weird to go on a picnic with, oh I don't know, 50 or more strangers. But that's exactly what we did today. And it was pretty cool actually. Met some new people, drank some French wine, ate some French cheese, spoke a few languages ... and as a bonus ... talked controversial but friendly politics with a French woman.

Her: Obama is a socialist who is eroding the American constitution.

Us: huh?

Oh and from last night ... Junior saying "mais non!" to the Burgundy Chardonnay. And a heavily LightRoomed Eiffel shot.

.

May 22

2010-05-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

A few shots from wandering around on Saturday evening. The Vélib stand at Pasteur. And when you see a crowd standing around with marching band instruments it can only mean one of two things: labour union activity or football.

Brocante

2010-05-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Which is the French name for a flea market ... not to be confused with Les Puces, the mother of all French flea markets where the only thing ruder than the prices are the vendors [rim shot]. No, the neighborhood Brocante is actually kind of cool. So since Amos and Laura were delayed for an additional day in Paris, we hit this one in South Pigalle.

Hooray!

2010-05-09T12:56:00.001-07:00

A lovely tapestry in a Marais storefront window. Um, I'm pretty sure it's an homage.

Another "lesser" museum

2010-04-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

OK well I've been using Blogger for quite awhile now and I still have no idea how it deals with photo uploads. It never seems to handle them how I intend or expect. So this time I'm just slamming them up there without worrying about it. Most of these are from the Maillol Museum with a few Luxembourg Garden shots tucked in at the end.

2010-03-13T12:31:00.001-08:00

Tap, tap, tap ... testing, testing, testing ... is this thing on? Hello?

Well, I figure 4 months is about the right interval between blog posts. And I'm a little burned out on Facebook ... not to mention a little creeped out lately.

So here are some photos from around Paris. Lol and I hit the Marais looking for falafel. But the resto had been closed for kosher violations. So we found a yiddish deli instead. Anywho ... this is l'Hôtel de Ville.

A carousel in front of l'Hôtel de Ville and BHV in the background. Note to self: never, ever, ever gof to BHV on a Saturday.

A Lolly sighting in Paris ...

Shakespeare and Co ...

If it's Thanksgiving, this Must be Belgium

2009-11-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

So these last two years, I've had a 2-day offsite leadership meeting on Thanksgiving and the day after. That means spending both days in a conference room with 20 or so colleagues from around Europe. And actually, it kind of works for me. Over the years Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday in the U.S. -- just low key hanging out with friends and family. And it lacks the pressure and hype of of Christmas. And so if I can't be home with y'all, then it's good to be busy and ... well ... nobody enjoys strategic planning more than me. It also helps that this year's session was in such a beautiful setting: a château in Jodoigne outside Brussels (to the right).

And then I had the bright idea of staying another night in the Brussels city center after the meeting broke up. This wasn't a great plan. La Grande Place is lovely and all but it was cold, rainy, and a little lonely - especially after the full days beforehand. Still, it's cool to see how different cities celebrate. In Brussels, they wire up L'Hôtel de Ville with high-tech lights, play Christmas music through a large P.A. system, and do a synchronized sort of a thingy. Sort of like laser-Floyd except with Enya-esque Christmas music. It was pretty cool and hundreds of people turned out - even in the bad weather.

And of course, on the Rumsfeldian map this is Old Europe. So that means politically incorrect Christmas displays are still in-bounds. Hence, the traditional nativity scene. Is it just me (and the aforementioned loneliness) or does Mary look a Victoria's Secret mannequin?

Book Recommendation

2009-11-08T13:57:00.001-08:00

OK yeah ... so I finished this book last week on a flight from Somewhere to Somewhere. Actually, I bought it twice because I lost the first copy on a flight from Somewhere Else to Somewhere Else. I recommend it.

True, Richard Dawkins has a real problem with creationists or "history deniers" as he calls them. And that animosity gets the best of him sometimes. But still, it's an excellent modern recap of the evolution model. I've been looking for a book like this for years: a consolidated, up-to-date, readable summary of the evidence for evolution. This pretty much fits the bill. I especially appreciated the chapter on intelligent design and why, in his opinion, it's an illusion.

So my view is that God exists and evolution, while not fully understood, is undeniable. And I don't have any problem simultaneously holding both ideas to be true. Good night.

That Guy

2009-10-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

OK, I try to keep the self-immolation to a minimum over on Facebook. And that means that you 1 or 2 people who RSS'ed the CBIP blog have to bear all of my whining. The thing is ... I like this European gig. I like the challenge. I like building something new. I like moving the needle on our business here in Europe - and that's showing results now after a year. I like being the odd American who makes the move to a non-Anglo country with some level of business and cultural success.

But there are days.

And today was one of them: an early morning Eurostar to London, a day full of meetings, and then a late evening Eurostar home to Paris while colleagues back in the US are calling me all along the way. It was a great day in London but the whole thing is exhausting sometimes.

Exhale ... Bordeaux ... Chèvre Chaud ... chocolate ... OK I feel better now.

The Redeye

2009-09-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

The redeye from JFK to Orly. I won't try to sell it as a terrible hardship. Afterall, it was on this weird airline called Openskies on which the entire aircraft is set up as business class. It's a strange experience ... makes one wonder: is the appeal of business class the enhanced service or the set-apart-ness? Or said another way, if everyone is special then is no one special? Or am I just a jerk because somehow I find a reason to whine about traveling in business class?

The good news is that my post-transatlantic travel transition period seems to be shrinking. The old rule of thumb (a day of transition per time zone crossed) used to apply but I seem to have down to a couple of days now. I

It's mid-September and the rentrée is complete: the tourists have thinned out and the Parisiens have returned. The weather is turning to Fall and you know what that means ... scarves everywhere!

WWII Geeks?

2009-09-01T12:10:00.001-07:00

Any other World War II geeks out there? This cartoon was reprinted in Le Monde yesterday. It was originally published in France in 1939 after Ribbentrop and Molotov signed the nonaggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union.

The caption says, "Combien de temps va durer leur lune de miel?" meaning: how long will their honeymoon last?

There's something deeply disturbing about Stalin in a wedding dress.

August in Paris

2009-08-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

August in Paris is a whole 'nother thing. It's true that the French take their vacations seriously and August is prime time. And since France supports the whole Mom & Pop business thing, many small businesses just shut on down ... la fermeture exceptionelle. Restaurants, pharmacies, shops, broquantes ... doesn't matter.

August is also the primo tourist month here which means: Anglos everywhere! Even here in Montparnasse which is not on most tourists' agendas. An Irish dude stopped me on the street today - not even an attempt at French - just started asking directions in English. I guess I look like I speak English.

But it's pretty sleepy around here this month. So I'm headed stateside for the next few weeks.

In the U.S.

2009-07-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... the blog has gone mostly silent for over a month. At this point nobody's paying much attention so it's a good time to post something rambling.

I left Paris a week ago today and flew first to New York, then on to Seattle, drove Portland for a few days, and then finally drove back to the Bay Area yesterday. That's a whole lot of America in a short period. A few things came into focus more this time than my previous trips back to the U.S.

Things I miss about the U.S.

NPR!! C'est vrai. I dunno, maybe it's all those years spent living in the Bay Area. Maybe it's the ridiculousness of private radio stations (KMTT and KFOG excepted). But damn I miss it -- all of it. And BTW Oregon, what's the deal with your radio stations? Nothing but "Christian" radio and country.
American grocery stores. Ahhhhh ... fresh bread, produce, and neosporin all in one store? That's three stops in Paris.
Space. Granted, our flat in Paris is in a pretty dense neighborhood. But yikes - driving from Portland to San Francisco is one long openspacegasm. And I didn't even get near the fly-over states!

On the flip side, as soon as I landed stateside this time I was struck by the girth. Americans are huuuge! I suggest that we all take a cue from our president and adopt a rigorous program of high stress, exercise, arugula, and smoking. That'll do the trick.

1-Year Report

2009-06-15T13:19:00.001-07:00

It's coming up on the 1-year anniversary of our move to France. We left SFO on July 1, 2008 and arrived in Paris on July 2. Like a lot of these things, it simultaneously seems like a long time and a short time.

When I think about California and the family I miss like Jordan, Savannah, Kevin, and Sydney ... it seems like a long time. But here on the ground it has gone by quickly.

A few things have gone mostly as I expected like the professional path ... the challenge of building something that didn't exist before, the heavy workload, the cross-border politics, the relationship building, etc. But other things have taken unexpected paths. For example, even though I've made progress - I didn't expect it to take as long to develop language comprehension skills ... mostly the listening portion. And of course, the biggest unexpected challenge has been the general assymetry of experience for Lolly and me. This has been the hardest part.

The Franco-American relationship has been a pleasant surprise - especially post-US-election. I now have a better understanding of our differences but I have also come to believe that there is a lot in common between the two countries. All the joking about 35-hour work weeks and labour strikes aside, the truth is that the French work really hard. It's true that they take their vacations seriously. But having now observed it up close and personal, I think the US could take a cue from the French in the area of work/life balance. Add healthcare management to the list of things the US could learn from the French. On the flipside, the French could learn a thing or two from the US on the topics of workforce fungibility and ventilation ... ooooooh yes, I love the American commitment to ventilation!

The experience has been challenging, energizing, growth-inducing, and life-changing. After routinely struggling with boredom and stagnation in those last few years stateside, I can honestly say that I haven't had a single day in that zone here in Europe. I guess it helps to have a previously undefined job and a large EMEA-wide sandbox to play in.

Death and Beauty

2009-06-06T10:01:00.001-07:00

Well, the Scandrettes are in town for a visit. Today was rainy in Paris so we went underground to Les Catacombes de Paris and inside La Musée d'Orsay.

Death and Beauty.

The catacombs are really interesting. Back in the second half of the 1700's they exhumed several cemeteries - something like 6 million people. All the bones were brought here to the old quarry.

It's unclear to me why ... but they arranged the skulls and femurs in stacks upon and stacks. It's creepy at first and then just strange.

And of course, La Musée d'Orsay is a wonderful place. Toulouse-Lautrec was especially cool today.

The Island and the Desert

2009-05-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

The Paris area is known as the "Ile-de-France" ... the island of France. Originally, it probably just referred to the literal island in the Seine currently known as Ile-de-Cité. But now the phrase serves to distinguish the Paris area from the rest of France - colloquially known as "the desert."

But anyone who has been to the French countryside knows that it's no desert. Parts of it are stunningly beautiful. We rented a car today and drove out to Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley. Here are a few shots of it.

You definitely need more French language skills out there than you do in Paris. But it's worth it. Paris is dense, urban, and fast-paced. It can seem rude and cold. But a place like Chambord is refreshingly slow and friendly. Balance.

A Moment of Pride

2009-05-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of me and my granddaughter, Sydney. It was taken in our hotel room in Venice last week. She is exceptionally beautiful.

Not pictured here are her mom, Savannah, and her Dad, Kevin. But you can chase those down on Facebook.

Savannah and Kevin have done a great job shifting into the parent role over the last 6-plus months. And Sydney hit that perfect storm last week: teething, diaper rash, and too hot. They powered through it - sleep deprivation and all.

Anyway, all this to say that I am really proud of Vanna and Kevin. And I love that little girl!

Sacré Coeur

2009-05-24T09:21:00.001-07:00

Today's adventure: Sacré Coeur. It was an adventure because it was 27˚ C (about 86˚ F) and there was a very large Hummer-like pram involved. But there was also a picnic lunch with some Vouvray involved. So it ended well. Here are 4 of the 5 weary travellers:

There's also a tradition at Sacré Coeur for musicians to set up on the steps, open the case, and perform for change. I've seen many of them - this guy had an exceptional voice. Because of the setting, these dudes always do covers. But I keep hoping I'll be surprised someday by some quality singer / songwriter stuff.

Southern Europe

2009-05-23T10:06:00.001-07:00

I've spent about half of the last week in Southern Europe. We would generally include Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Greece, etc in that category. In my case, it was Italy (for leisure) and Spain (for business).

From a business perspective, it's easy to have one's attention continually drawn toward the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Nordics, France, Belgium, and Germany. And, in fact, even though all of Europe is in my portfolio, I've spent most of my time with that handful of countries. But there is something highly compelling about Southern Europe.

Sometimes I wonder if it's like a time machine for Americans. Those countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece were all exceptional political, economic, and military powers at one time. They are lovely places today but, at this point in history, it would be a stretch to call them "powers" along any of those dimensions. They are past their days of world leadership. Still, they're fine. They have rich cultures and histories. The people are wonderful. Their economies aren't world beaters but, generally speaking, they do OK.

Are these countries instructive for what a post-exceptional USA looks like? And if so, is that a problem?

Spring in Dublin

2009-05-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

... so many varieties of grey to appreciate. The buildings, the sky ... all of it just screams out "Springtime!"

That photo is the view from my hotel room in downtown Dublin. And the truth is, Ireland is my favorite Anglo country in Europe. I generally really like visiting -- although I was a little low on motivation when it came time to board the flight this morning. But that's probably due to the flat-full of family I left behind: Lolly, Vanna, Kevin, and Sydney.

But then as soon as I get in an Irish taxi I remember how much I like it here. Irish cab drivers are a special breed. No matter how young or old, they possess depths of irony, sarcasm, and cynicism beyond even the hippest hipsters in the Mission. And they can carry on about, well, anything! That might sound tedious but I always enjoy those rides in from the airport.

Scott recently reminded me that, due to some heretofore undisclosed hanky-panky, we are actually Irish and not the British, Scottish mutts we'd always been told. Maybe that's where the connection comes from. Or maybe it's the Guinness - and it's true: it does taste better in Dublin.

In any event, visual variety notwhithstanding, I like Irleand!

Trocadéro, cloves, etc

2009-05-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning boys and girls. Here are a few shots from last night - Lolly and I took a brief métro ride to the Trocadéro neighboorhood for a glass of wine before heading back to Montparnasse to "our" café for another one (and a clove).

There's a statue of Marechal Foch in the center of la Place duTrocadéro and the light was kind of interesting soooo ... He wanted a much more strict arrangement with Germany after WWI and expressed his dissatisfaction with the actual result by saying, "this is not a peace. It is an armistice for 20 years." He was right - give or take a few years.

And this sculpture is across the street with the inscription: "A La Gloire de l'armeee francaise 1914-1918." (to the glory of the French army). It's a Paul Landowski work - we were both struck by its similarity to the big sculpture on Mao's Mausoleum in Tiananmen Square ... whatever that means.

It's True

2009-04-26T12:39:00.001-07:00

It's a cliché but, then, most clichés are clichés for a reason. Spring in Paris is a pretty cool thing. We get warm, sunny days - and then some showers - and a cool day here and there. But we also get that Parisian light. This photo is just one more shot from la balcone here at Chez Burnett. But the light was hitting the building across the street so I snapped a few digi's.

Most people who read this blog know that our expat experience has been a little asymmetrical. Generally speaking, it's been very positive for me while Lolly's experience has been a bit more mixed. Needless to say we are watching this closely and seeking out opportunities for expanding our circle of friends here. The other night we went to an author night at the American Library in Paris. The author was NY Times reported Sarah Lyall who recently wrote a book called "The Anglo Files" - kind of a humorous anthropological study of Brits from an American expat's POV. She was funny and interesting. The audience was, um, interesting - including at least a few people who just really wanted to be heard saying erudite things. Great fun.

A Spiritual Weekend

2009-04-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Way back in the day, during my worship-leading days, I used to consider Holy Week the spiritual high point of the year. I used to pour boucoup time and energy into it - and I enjoyed it. When Easter rolls around now, I still think about those of you out there who do that and I have a tinge of nostaligia.

But things have changed. My spiritual perspective is very different than it was during those years. It exists but it's very different. Even though it's Easter, I didn't plan on having an exceptionally spiritual weekend. But it turned out that way.

Yesterday, Ryan invited me along to a yoga class in the Marais. I've never done yoga before but I decided to tag along. I am really glad I did - the spiritual/physical experience was incredibly satisfying. I couldn't help thinking back years ago to all those warnings I received about "opening up" to dark spiritual practices: ouija boards, yoga, meditation, etc. Meh. I will definitely go back to La Centre de Yoga du Marais.

And then today (Easter), we all decided to skip the various Messes de la Résurrection and opted instead to hit Notre Dame in the afternoon for an organ concert. That's a picture of the organ nest above along with some of the pipes. The set list:

- “Prélude et fugue en sol majeur” BWV 541 de Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
- Choral “Vater unser im Himmelreich” BWV 682 de Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
- “Joie et clarté des corps glorieux” d’Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
- “Récit” de Thierry ESCAICH (1965)
- “Toccata” de Jean GUILLOU (1930)

This was also an incredible spiritual experience. The organist was excellent, the sonic energy was amazing, and ... what's that other thing? There's something spiritually powerful about Notre Dame. Over recent years I've thought quite a bit about the sacred vs the secular. Like with many spiritual questions, I am happy to leave this in tension rather than force it into certainty. My two current in-tension views are: either everything is sacred or nothing is sacred except the divine. But in either case, I haven't really wanted to allow for spaces or people or oganizations to be "sacred." I've seen too much abuse in those areas.

But there's something about Notre Dame. And other old spiritual spaces with beauty and art and reminders. A friend of mine recently told me that there are, in fact, sacred spaces: some churches, stonehenges, mountaintops come to mind. I'll be reconsidering my views on this.

Saturday Pics

2009-03-07T23:49:00.000-08:00

The Sharps are in town for a nice, long visit. Here are some shots from yesterday around the Champs de Mars:

Identity Shift

2009-02-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Right then, well ... this might offend some of you. Say, if you're at all defensive about the U.S. reputation abroad - or if you think the French still haven't thanked you enough for our grandparents' sacrifices ... but so be it. This is my little soapbox.

I've spent the last several years operating in global teams. Of course, I was based in the U.S. for most of those years. But now I'm based over here and my job is European Leader of blah blah blah. So I often find myself representing Europe in a team that includes, and is often led by, Americans. And I'll tell you what (read that in a Hank Hill voice) ... it's been eye-opening and educational.

There is definitely a "vibe" that comes from U.S. colleagues -- kind of a 1-sided sort of a thing. And this might very well have been true of me when I was the U.S. based team leader, but it's kind of an assumption that because a person is an American, he/she has the best knowledge and insight. And all non-Americans on the call have the burden of proof to show otherwise. And it often takes on a certain belligerence from the U.S. side. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a challenge or tough questions. But shutting down free 2-way communication is problematic.

I asked around a little among European colleagues and I think it's a generally understood phenomenon. Anywho, to quote my favorite moralists from Southpark: "I think I learned something today ..."

So Basic

2009-02-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

So basic ... make up 40 straightforward questions and send a bunch film crews around the world to tape ordinary people answering them. Brilliant.

That's basically the premise of the exposition I saw at Le Grande Palais this evening: 6 millliards d'Autres (6 billion others) by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. They set up dozens of flatscreens in the pavilion, segmented into themes like Fears, Childhood Memories, Love Stories, War, etc. and play back peoples' answers to the 40 questions. "What is your first memory?" "Do you believe in God?" "Do you have enemies? Why?"

It's stretching on so many levels. These are non-celebrities from all over: Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, New Guinea, Rwanda, UK, US, etc. They aren't crisp, polished, or brief. But they're honest and compelling.

I don't know if it's a travelling expo. But if it comes to your town ... go, watch, and listen. And be patient.

The Next Day

2009-02-04T11:33:00.001-08:00

I got to La Défense this morning just in time to watch the sun rise over the Arc de Triomphe (the French know a thing or two about urban lines of sight). It was an important pause in an otherwise busy day.

A pause was an important start to today because yesterday was hard. Most CBIP readers will know that our friend, David Kaplowitz, died yesterday. We knew it was coming. But it was hard news and it totally kicked my ass yesterday. To the point where I had to excuse myself from a conversation because I couldn't talk.

David and I hadn't spoken in over a year. And before that, we hadn't spoken in several years. But those two silences had completely different causes. He and I were close friends back in the late 80's and early 90's - coleading a worship band. We had a falling out over a church decision. I sided with the church over him. In fact, I took on the role of church spokesman to give him the bad news.

Over time I realized that I was wrong. I prioritized an institution over a friendship. Fortunately, David forgave me when we saw each other last year. But then there was distance and an international move and a grandbaby and ... we didn't speak again.

And so, I feel profound loss.

Goodbye David.

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?

2009-02-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that was quite a little quiet period, eh?

Well let's see ... there was a crazy "little" work thing that consumed all of my waking and many of my sleeping hours. But I delivered it last week in London and now all is well in the land. Travers and Jean were here for a few days and then another few days -- and that was cool.

So today was penciled in on the calendar as the day for returning to life as usual in Paris. Then, I stepped out the street door this morning and into 3 inches of snow. Totally unexpected. I snapped this shot when I came back upstairs for my umbrella:

Some of you have sat in that very chair and so you will recognize it as the best seat in the house here at Chez Burnett. When you sit there, you face West and look down Boulevard du Montparnasse directly at La Tour Eiffel. It doesn't suck. Anyway, here is a picture of it ... um, you know ... covered in snow.

Moving on ... I took this one yesterday before the snow started falling. It's one of the fountains at La Place de la Concorde. This spot sits in between Les Jardins des Tuileries and Avenue des Champs-Elysées ... very central. Just a few short days ago there were either 1M or 2.5M protestors here (depending on whose statistics you believe). But I just thought the light was cool there yesterday:

The Upside of Aging

2009-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

CBIP is on Fire! Three posts in two days -- gee.

So this past weekend, Carol paid one of her semi-annual visits to Paris ... this time on her way to Marseilles. I last saw her 24 years ago when her Dad married Lora and me. And even then, we weren't exactly close. At Glenerie Chapel, she was the college girl heading off to school and I was the snot-nosed, strung-out-on-Ritalin, youth group punk. Plus I was hanging out with Jay a lot at the time, so ....

Anyway, not exactly the same social circles. But the upside of aging is that the meaning of our age differential (which is actually pretty small) shrunk over time. So given our mutual affection for Paris and a shared, long-ago evangelical experience it was cool to hang out at Musée d'Orsay (the Lévy-Dhurmer pastels were other-worldly) and Le Galway reminiscing about Kingston, Saugerties, Glenerie Chapel, Ray Newton, Alan Rowe, and whatever the hell we called that Tennis Club church thingy that had the strongest, loudest flourescent lights known to man (Jill described our wedding there as resembling a Hoedown -- not that there's anything wrong with that). Come to think of it, that was the very location where my Dad first heard Lolly effortlessly drop an expletive into conversation. Good times.

So keep an eye on Carol's blog and maybe even convince her to turn on the comment feature so you can ask her how the writing is going (oops!) And thanks Carol for hanging out - it was really fun.

Winter Light

2009-01-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

It's been freezing here since I got back. The dusting of snow that fell a week ago is still hanging around. But I ventured out to try and capture some of that winter light. Most of these are in and around Les Invalides.

The man, the legend ... plus he even has a complex named after him. If I had a complex named after me it would apply to people burdened with the ability to see too many shades of gray.

Parisian snow

Le temps de Noël is over ...

... or is it?

Outside Le Bon Marché ...

A French roach-coach:

Culture Peace

2009-01-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

... as opposed to culture wars. Heh.

It's been over 6 months since we moved to France and I paid my first visit back to the U.S. over the Christmas holiday. I'm back in Paris as of a few days ago and, happy to report, my luggage appeared just 30 hours after I did. That stands as an unqualified success for United.

In the U.S. I spent time in Oakland, Napa Valley, and the Seattle burbs. (I won't count the few hours I was in San Francisco and Pleasanton). It was a chance to play the cultural comparison game between France and the U.S. and between the individual towns. The truth is: I like all of these places for their respective good qualities. Of course, they each have their weaknesses too.

The scene that unfolded in Oakland starting with the Fruitvale BART shooting and the subsequent violent protest is nearly identical to previous situations in the Paris suburbs. American and French cities are opposites in terms of socioeconomics in the urban and suburban zones, but we share the racial tensions.

French cities and towns seem to have two consistent qualities: 1) they're built on a human scale (generally 7-storey buildings); and 2) they go to lengths to preserve beauty in architecture, public art, open spaces, etc. It seems to me that American cities give top priority to commerce. In fact, I would say that this prioritization defines the primary difference between France and the U.S. - not just in city planning but in the two cultures generally. In the U.S. we accept costs in other components of our culture if there is a commercial benefit. That doesn't seem to be true in France. I wouldn't say that one of these approaches is better than the other. But it makes for pretty interesting lifestyle differences that are worth experiencing - even if it's just a brief visit.

The French and American wine regions seem pretty similar to me: idyllic façades on top of rural foundations and lots of pride in their products. You run into snobs in both places and you also meet perfectly lovely people. I, for one, will continue to "support" both of them.

I've spent most of my life in American suburbs - even our house within the city limits of Oakland is in a pretty calm spot (the biggest challenge is wildlife related - deer falling in the pool). I like the peace and the space you get in an American suburb but, good Lord, if I never see another strip mall it will be too soon. Oh and Walmart too.

And one final, random cultural note: French people don't dislike Americans. It's a narcissistic American myth. Now, it is true that some of my French associates dislike self-centered, arrogant people whose minds are closed to dissenting opinions. But anti-American? Mais non!

Holy Leverage?

2008-12-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

Is there such a thing as Holy Leverage? I don't think so.

Church debt increased along with other flavors of debt in the U.S. Being the free-marketeer that I am, I think churches should have the same access to capital markets as any other business. Hell, let 'em sell stock if they want. But let's drop the veil of holiness on these businesses, shall we? Like all businesses they should function in the world of bankruptcy, disclosure of executive compensation, hostile take-overs, independent boards, and ... taxes! Just their fair share of course.

Exports

2008-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Back in the U.S. for a few weeks, I've continued to watch the Madoff situation unfold. There's still a lot unknown here -- not just from that firm but from its feeder firms. I also won't be surprised if some unrelated but similar stories emerge from other hedge funds in the coming weeks.

I spent the first half of 2008 in the U.S. and the second half outside the country. Of course, the housing bubble popped and the credit crunch swept around the world followed by the various related stories like forclosures, bailouts, nationalizations, etc, etc, etc. The global participation was apparent from where I sat in Europe. And while much of the roots of those events were American, I didn't get the sense of widespread finger-pointing at the U.S. And that was appropriate. Sure, American firms were the primary manufacturers of sub-prime mortgages, their securitization, and distribution around the world. But, in my humble opinion, that was a buyer-beware situation. If you buy complex, high-risk securities then you should understand ... well ... the complexities and the risks. The bottom line is that the sellers were selling exactly what they said they were selling. And buyers bought 'em. Maybe it's the wild west of free markets, but personally I don't have a problem with that.

But the Madoff thing is different. This is a case of a seller flat-out lying about what he's selling and prohibiting buyers from assessing the complexities or risk levels. Buyers of shares in Madoff funds appear to have thought they were buying hard assets but, in reality, they bought monthly account statements with made-up numbers on them. And this went on for years and included SEC exams and warnings sounded by third party consultants. The scam succeeded because of lax hedge fund oversight in the U.S. And it is impacting buyers around the world.

This is a truly American export and a really bad one at that. In classic ambulance-in-the-valley-vs-fence-on-the-cliff fashion, the U.S. will implement new, reactive restrictions on hedge funds. This is appropriate but I expect an overreaction (see: Sarbanes-Oxley).

2008-12-24T11:41:00.001-08:00

More Christmas Eve photos around the 1-8-5. It's good to be home.

Not So Original

2008-12-21T16:11:00.001-08:00

OK - So I must have seen this somewhere (I'm not naming names or households!) - even down to the Ernest Borgnine reference. Guess it got lodged in my long-term memory and popped out as a blog post. BTW - it was on earlier today but no worries ... it will be rebroadcast at Noon on Christmas day.

Les Marchés de Noël

2008-12-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago these little temporary Christmas villages started popping up around Paris. I've personally seen four of them and my Pariscope magazine indicates that there are at least a few others scattered around the city. The first photo is the Marché de Noël at Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the second one is at Saint-Sulpice. This gives you some indication of how seriously this city takes its street markets: seasonal or otherwise. There is a huge workforce of city employees who set up the little houses, clean up afterwards, etc.

It's been a little strange to watch all the Christmas preparations. As I said to sis a few days ago, sometimes it feels like I'm living inside a Hallmark Channel movie called "A Grandpa for Christmas" (of which I am confident there are at least a half-dozen by that name in rotation on that channel as we speak). Grandpa lives alone in some far away place ... except in the made-for-TV production I will be played by an actor with more of an Ernest Borgnine quality ... wandering the streets of an ancient city - watching the locals set up Christmas trees, buy presents, etc. He long ago closed the doors of his departed wife's (well, she is!) sewing room. He makes dinner alone and consumes a demi-bouteille of Pinot Noir every night. Wait, check that. The Hallmark Channel would never go for the drinking alone part - but the sewing room thing is perfect.

And then through some mystical myrical loosely associated with the Baby Jesus - in our case it's the home leave clause written into my Letter of Assignment compensation package - Grandpa has an opportunity to be reunited with his long lost family and, importantly, the granddaughter he's never met. I mean, without that part it would hardly qualify as a Hallmark Channel vehicle.

But wait, there's a barrier for Grandpa to overcome before he sees his distant family in the new world. Every Hallmark Channel holiday movie has to include this part too. It needs to be some seemingly insurmountable problem imposed by villains wearing neckties who are completely lacking in Christmas spirit. Oh, and Grandpa has to be wearing a red or green sweater at this point (it's contractual). And it should be snowing. In my case, the role of the insurmountable barrier will be played by a transfer at O'Hare the week before Christmas (I'm actually kind of worried about that). But when we return from the final commercial break (Wilford Brimley selling insurance to seniors) a mysterious member of the airport maintenance staff - who may or may not be an angel in disguise - appears to provide sage advice and some type of moral lesson to Grandpa - possibly involving the Pinot. He just barely makes his connection to SFO.

Cut to the tearful reunion with Grandma (played by Morgan Fairchild), the loving daughter (played by Shannon Doherty), and the long-haired spandex-wearing rocker son (Kirk Cameron). Loving daughter places the grandbaby in Grandpa's arms, group hug, tears all around, cue the strings .... and, scene.

Or something like that.

Home Leave Next Week

2008-12-12T01:52:00.001-08:00

... and I'm looking forward to seeing these people (and some others too but I don't have pictures of them ...

Another Saturday Night in Paris ...

2008-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

... in which I willingly entered a church and emerged without anger, sadness, or snark. In fact I was inspired. I've come a long way.

L'eglise Notre-Dame-du-Travail was the church and I went to hear the Concert de Noël Franco-Allemand. The church was built back in the 18-whatevers and was dedicated to the dignity of the worker (hence the "du Travail" part of the title). That plus a little inspiration from Gustav Eiffel gets you kind of an interesting, stark look. At least it's stark for a Napoleon III era building:

The music was incredible - said to be traditional Christmas music popular in Germany (Allemagne) and France. Of the 90 minutes or so, I only knew one piece: "The Holly and the Ivy" which they performed in English.

Then one shot from the walk home. Many of the Parisian streets are decked out for Christmas. This one is a few minutes walk from Chez Burnett ...

Petersens in Paris

2008-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

With all the baby action unfolding thousands of miles away back in California, it was good to have the Petersens here in Paris this weekend. It was cold and windy around the city today but we went out and did some of the sights anyway.

Paris just does this to people ...

Justice as a mujahideen:

A quand un Obama ici?

2008-11-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

I didn't have my camera with me at the time to capture the visual evidence, so you'll just have to trust me when I say that I saw that grafitti scrawled in Les Halles metro station this evening. Basically, it means:

When will there be an Obama here?

A number of people have asked me what it's been like to observe the U.S. presidential election from Paris. That grafitti captures the experience: America has inspired Parisians. And my feelings have been pride and relief.

I am proud of the American electorate for taking a huge step in racial equality and moving from the "don't do what I do, do what I say" position to the "do what I do" position.

I am relieved because America resumed its role as an inspirational leader in the world. The fact is, we have not played that role in several years. Seeing it again now, I realize that I expect it of us. And when it went missing, there was a vacuum in global leadership.

A Long Week

2008-11-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

This was one of those Sunday-to-Friday travel weeks. I'm home now but too mentally fatigued to say anything cogent. So for now, here are some photos from the trip.

Dublin:

Cork

Birmingham:

Fall in the City: Part Trois

2008-11-08T07:41:00.001-08:00

All Saints Day

2008-11-02T06:04:00.001-08:00

Actually, these photos are from the day after All Saints Day. And there's nothing like a stroll through Montparnasse Cemetery for perspective. Or as that great philosopher David St. Hubbins said while standing at Elvis' grave, "Too much, there's too much [bleep]ing perspective now."

Parisiens take All Saints Day seriously - people go to the cemeteries and decorate graves, clean them up, pray, cry, grieve. It's a bit foreign to us Anglo-Saxons. A few days ago in our cultural training session, one of our instructors "insisted" [her word] that France is a Latin country. This was in response to my question that went something like, "Why do they call us Anglo-Saxons? Aren't we basically from the same genetic background?" And that led to a very interesting history lesson about Gauls and Romans and Francs and Norsemen and William the Conqueror and many others. Bottom line: no, the French are different. She insists.

Final Thoughts on the 2008 Election

2008-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Loyal pets, rich conversation, and comfortable shoes. Earl Grey tea and a nice, but affordable Médoc. Peets Coffee? Don't mind if I do. Reunions at Christmas, sleeping late, warm memories that may or may not have actually happened. A grandbaby.

Health, curry, and organic produce. Fresh bread - olive oil or butter? Tortellini with pesto.

Community, acceptance, forgiveness, and mutual respect. Relationships that survive time, distance, and disagreement. Visiting family / friends in Paris ... free lodging ... I SAID FREE LODGING IN PARIS!

Well ... acrylic or oil on canvas, sculpture, charcoal on paper. Rapidograph! Lots of Rodrigo, Rachmaninov and the odd Mozart symphony. Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, The Weepies, Augustana, Sufjan Stevens ... Andy Williams? Yes please. But in any event, art.

Requiem for a Canon SD200

2008-10-26T00:40:00.001-07:00

I don't think I owned a camera before 2004 - maybe there was a 110 back in the 70s. But when digital cameras started getting small, I went out and bought the smallest, cheapest shirt-pocket Canon I could find: the SD200. It's pretty much traveled with me since then wherever I took my briefcase. I'm not a real photographer so the simplicity of a frame and a button suits me. And it's been gratifying to test the creative limits of that simplicity and to capture little pieces of those various destinations.

But lately I've begun to notice that the little guy is beginning to show the wear and tear of travel. The switches are less reliable, I have to hold it a certain way in order to upload photos, it randomly shoots video without my prompting. I will be sad when it finally gives up the ghost. But as a celebration of its workmanlike performance under stressful conditions, I'll try and stay current in posting its final works here at the end of days. It would want it that way.

Friday morning at La Défense ...

Sunday morning in Montparnasse ...

Done and Done

2008-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

When the presidential campaign started lo these many years ago (I believe it was back in aught-1) my two favorite candidates were McCain and Richardson. They both had compelling resumes and seemed like honest fellows with good ideas. We lost Bill early in the process so my vote defaulted to McCain.

But over time that connection became diluted to the point where I began to seriously consider the other candidates. And in the end I took my ball-point pen and marked it as such:

I wish Senator Obama had more experience. But given the choice between him and Senator McCain, I think Obama is the better option at this point in history. Here are my reasons:

Global Relationships. I am convinced that Obama will be a more effective global leader than McCain. The next president needs to rebuild the U.S. reputation abroad, restore a spirit of cooperation among allies, and pursue rapprochement with in-betweeners like Russia. This is critical to economic and national security. As Nicholas Kristof recently said, "you can’t fire cruise missiles at the global financial crisis." For the next several years, the U.S. president will need to work in a complex network of global relationships. Obama seems more suited to that future than McCain.
Financial Crisis. Now that we have partially nationalized the financial services industry, we will need a president who believes in government leadership. It would be a mistake to appoint someone with a "government is the problem" perspective (would you appoint Ellen DeGeneres CEO of Focus on the Family?)
Healthcare. Obama's healthcare reform plan has some problems, but it is viable and implementable. McCain's plan isn't either of those things - in fact, I doubt that even he takes it seriously. It's too much of a radical paradigm shift to get through congress and it's the wrong tool for the job (applying a financial market solution to a social problem).
Advisors. Based on recent evidence, I expect Obama to assemble a better team of senior advisors. Although, I should note that this was also one of the primary reasons I voted for George W. Bush in 2000 so my track record is spotty at best. See: Rumsfeld, Donald H; Cheney, Richard B; Gonzales, Alberto R; Brown, Michael D; Ashcroft, John D; Wolfowitz, Paul D ... [I'm tired of typing]
VP. Governor Palin just isn't up to it. Granted, Senator Biden has a serious problem with his mouth but he can do the job.

If It's Thursday ...

2008-10-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

... there must be a protest in Paris. Actually, it would be more accurate to say, "If the earth is still spinning, then there must be a protest somewhere in Paris." This one inched its way oh-so-slowly through our neighborhood on Boulevard Montparnasse yesterday.

For an American, this is very novel behavior to observe because labor unions are so weak in the U.S. Here in France, labor unions are very powerful. They frequently stage demonstrations like this one including thousands of workers. And they aren't open-ended strikes. They just seem to be isolated and helpful reminders so that employers know that there remains a balance of power.

Market fundamentalists mock this arrangement while pointing and laughing at France for its lack of labor market fungibility. But democracy fans should applaud it for the "checks and balances" effect against unilateral power.

Patriotism

2008-10-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Often when I visit colleagues in other countries, there is a social event where local adult beverages are served and people forget about work and clients for a few hours. In some cases, these are painful experiences where one excuses oneself to head back to the hotel and catch up on email. But some of them are very enjoyable and the conversation flows freely. In these cases, I usually look for an opening to ask for the local view of the U.S. It's usually a very interesting exchange.

This week, I was in Spain (the local beverage was Cava) and it was one of the enjoyable type events. I asked my dinner companion about Spaniards' view of the U.S. He gave me several positives: the friendliness of New Yorkers [sic], the beauty of San Francisco, the inventiveness of Las Vegas, and several other items. And then, "but ...." I am now used to the "but" in these conversations. It usually leads to comments about the Iraq War or U.S. foreign policy in general or President Bush. But this time the "but" was followed by, "Americans are too patriotic."

Huh?

Now, I realize that I haven't lived in Goveror Palin's "Real America" for a long, long time. Maybe I've lived in places where it just seemed like Americans had developed a healthy self-criticism. But "too patriotic?"

Pressing back on my colleague, he clarified that in Europe they had experienced the extreme pain and suffering that can follow from being overly patriotic and nationalistic. And that experience teaches a certain humility and balance. Since the U.S. has not experienced those extremes, we sometimes lack humility and balance.

Fall in the City Part Deux

2008-10-19T07:56:00.001-07:00

More random Fall photos from around Paris. These are from last weekend, when Kate and Trinh visited us in Paris, and this weekend.

Lora, Junior, Kate, and Trinh on the Vélib. They call her Argyle on Wheels ...

Ah, the newlywed smile ...

Another day, another protest in Paris. This one was a HUGE march by various unions in the education sector. Evidently, they were protesting job cuts and other assorted government policies. The advance estimates were expecting around 80,000 protesters but having cycled through the thing, I estimate that turned out to be low: there were easily 100,000 protesters. Lolly and I wondered what would inspire that size protest in the U.S. -- we couldn't come up with anything.

Down by the river ...

Marching past the Sorbonne ...

Fall in the City

2008-10-04T11:50:00.001-07:00

Conventional wisdom says that Spring is the best time to go to Paris. But I think I'm partial to Fall. It seemed like the season turned overnight some time in September and all of a sudden it became Fall. We went to another Fauvist exhibition today - this time a Georges Rouault show at La Pinacothèque. For having never even heard of Fauvism before moving here, it's quickly become a favorite style.

Then some random Fall shots from around Paris in October ...

La Madeleine from Cafe Fauchon:

Shots from the Tuillierie Garden

On Markets

2008-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a little surreal to observe the turmoil in financial services from my new home here in Europe. There has certainly been some impact here too - HBOS, Daxia, Fortis, Irish full guarantees come to mind. But the real action is back home in the U.S.

I am a fan of free markets. And so I generally start with a bias of skepticism when governments intervene. But the magnitude of recent developments calls back to mind that markets have some important limitations.

Transparency. In order for a market to really be "efficient" in the technical sense of that word, they have to be transparent. In other words, all players in the market need to have access to the same information. That's the only way buyers and sellers can agree on true market prices. That works pretty well in some cases like, say, large cap stocks. But in the case of mortgage-related securities, the opacity level was way too high. Case in point: how many people reading this post could explain a credit default swap or a collateralized debt obligation? There were a subset of quants who could explain them, but that doesn't make for a truly efficient market.
The Right Tool for the Right Job. Financial markets are quite good at solving financial problems. Again, a good example is large cap stocks - if the problem is: how much should a share of stock in GE cost? Then the market is an excellent tool for answering that question. But financial markets are not very good tools for solving social problems. For example, one of the presidential candidates would like to shift the U.S. healthcare system onto a free market platform. This would likely not work very well because, while healthcare has a financial facet, it is fundamentally a social problem. And financial markets are not effective at solving social problems.

I'm sure there are other limitations too. That's just today's random post.

Denmark

2008-09-26T13:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy few days in Denmark. Lolly and I flew into Copenhagen on Thursday although, sadly, her luggage didn't. We rented a car, drove a few hours to Haderslev, and met up with Trinh and Kate for dinner. Then this morning ... they got married by a very pleasant Danish judge with spiky hair and a spray-on tan. Actually, everyone in Denmark seems to be friendly and fluent in English. That plus the general tidiness makes Denmark quite a contrast with Paris.

Downtown Haderslev ...

Egeskov Castle ...

Vélib

2008-09-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

You might think that two transplanted Californians who wake up one morning with no cars would be facing some serious withdrawal symptoms. But it hasn't really been a big deal for us. We've been without a car since we moved to Paris 11 weeks ago. The Métro is one reason for that ... lots of walking too. Another reason is Vélib. That's a public bike system in Paris. There are stations all around the city and you can rent a bike for a few euros a day. We took a major bike tour around Paris this afternoon and I have the photos to prove it ...

Failure to Commun'cate

2008-09-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

With another U.S. general election season in full swing, I'm struck again by how profoundly our communication channels can break down in this setting. You can look at elections along several dimensions; we each choose our preferred dimensions before we select candidates. By "dimensions" I mean scales on which we assess candidates like:

Democrat - Republican
Conservative - Liberal
Global - Local
Faith based - Secular
Ideological - Pragmatic
Honest - Dishonest
Detailed - Conceptual
Symbolic - Specific

I'm sure there are many others. I've seen otherwise friendly relationships turn tense because of a clash in dimensions. And that's even before declaring a candidate selection. For example, I don't value the "Democrat - Republican" or the "Conservative - Liberal" dimensions. So I tend to ignore them when I assess a candidate. Then if I express my assessments to someone who prioritizes those two dimensions, he or she tends to map those assessments onto his or her own dimensions. That, of course, leads him or her to defend in terms of those dimensions; I try to explain that that's not at all what I meant; tensions rise; etc etc etc.

I'm sure this whole clash of dimensions happens in others settings too. But it seems more raw in this setting.

France vs the French?

2008-09-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

As I've interacted with friends, family, and colleagues both before and after our move to France, there is a particular sentiment that I often hear. It goes something like this:

Oh, I love France! I just don't like the French.

The longer I'm here the more puzzling I find that view. On the surface, it's illogical - France is the French. Everything about this culture is just a manifestation of the French people. France isn't Epcot Center - if you love France you love the French!

But I think underneath that view you find the stereotypical biases against the French - rudeness, aloofness, etc. But I'm here to tell you, based on my 11 weeks of living here, that the stereotypical anglo view of the French is just a strawman. There is definitely a unique culture and deep pride and a strong value on independence. But the negative stereotypical traits are no more prevalent here than in any developed country.

Two Things That Are Making Craig Bob Nervous ...

2008-09-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

Apple. The new version of iTunes contains functionality called "genius." As far as I can tell, it does two things. First, it tries to sell you music based on tastes demonstrated in your existing iTunes library. That's cool - I respect a good capitalistic sales technique ... bully for Apple. The second one is the one that makes me nervous. It creates playlists from your existing library. Basically, you select a song you own, hit the genius button, and voila: it poops out a playlist of songs it thinks will go well with the selected song. It's scary good. Obviously, Apple has implanted that bug from the Wrath of Khan in my brain and knows my tastes better than I do. Time for a cat scan.
Before going any further on the second one, let me just clarify that I have zero allegiance to any political party. I just don't care about the republican, democrat, green, communist, etc etc etc brands. But the system is making me nervous because it creates sub-optimal choices. Both Obama and Palin are intelligent, energetic, appealing people - but neither one is qualified for the job they're standing for. McCain and Biden are qualified but McCain has had to become something less than he was and could be in order to win. Blah.

Burgundy

2008-09-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a first - Holly, Lolly, and I rented a car in Paris and drove down to Burgundy for some photog action and wine tasting. We stopped in Sens and Beaune. The various regions (pays) of France like Burgundy, Normandy, Brittany, etc used to be independent. There were various wars throughout the centuries and some were claimed by other countries. Austria, German, England, and France horse-traded them after their various wars. Burgundy was the Duchy of Burgundy way back in the day. These first photos are from Sens.

Along the Yonne River

The Cathedral of St. Étienne ...

In and around the Town Square

Driving out of Sens, we tried 4-wheeling in a Toyota Yaris to get some photos of this field of dead sunflowers. We also drove up to that grove of trees in the background.

These photos are in and around Beaune. A chateau whose name I forget ...

We did a wine tasting at the Marché aux Vins in Beaune. Very cool -- they set up about 15 wines in the cave ...

The only weird part was that, instead of a glass, you get this metal dish like situation for tasting ...

Birthday Surprise!

2008-09-10T05:42:00.001-07:00

Today is Lolly's first French birthday. Holly successfully pulled off a huge surprise by arriving this morning and celebrating it in-person on the balcony.

Pompidou!

2008-09-07T01:50:00.001-07:00

!!Understatement Warning!!

Classic beauty abounds in Paris.

There, I said it. The architecture, the art, the parks, the food, etc, etc, etc. So of course, there has to be an opposition or reaction ... a ying for that yang, no? I'm not talking about ugliness as a response to beauty. I'm talking about alternative beauty as a reaction to classic beauty. The leading voice in that chorus is the Centre Pompidou. We went yesterday with Aaron and Taraji who are staying with us ...

An architectural installation from Dominique Perrault ...

The evil nanny state sends another four poor souls to hell ...

Taraji entertains the locals with a Jerry Lewis homage ...

Aaron embeds himself in a mixed medium work ...

Alternative beauty ...

I really liked this one ...

Philippe Starck ...

Budda's entrails consumed by vultures?

Reminders Everywhere

2008-09-05T13:58:00.001-07:00

Last week we picked up our Residence Permits - they authorize us to live in France beyond the temporary 90-day period and to have jobs here. We went inside the Préfecture de la Police to pick them up. It's right next to Notre Dame. I snapped a few shots while we were inside. This one is a monument to the civil servants (fonctionnaires) who died for French liberation in the 40's.

Various subgroups of the police leave flowers on the monument. This one is from the gay and lesbian police association:

This is a separate monument dedicated to fonctionnaires who participated in the resistance.

There are a lot of reminders like this spread around Paris. The pain, suffering, and humiliation of WW2 is, as you would expect, very important to French culture. And the glory of the resistance is in a special category - maybe along with De Gaulle. I'm sure that's at least partially because the resistance and the Free French Army offset some of the shame of surrender. The WW2 French experience is a very solemn topic. I find myself being more aware of it than before - even with the many, many books I read about it over the years - but I talk about it less and less. From a distance in the U.S., it was easier to joke about the whole French / German thing and invasions and so forth. But now that seems like the equivalent of joking about 9/11.

There is a school of thought that says the French lost WW2 at the WW1 Battle of Verdun 30 years earlier. Everything you've heard about the hellishness of WW1 happened at Verdun. And French leadership was seen as callously throwing away thousands upon thousands of young French lives on pointless counterattacks and defense of valueless terrain. Leaders were accused of breaking the army through their flawed strategy. Its spirit (not to mention numbers and resources) still hadn't recovered when the next war rolled around. And Pétain refused to reenact anything like Verdun again in the 40's so he lead the capitulation.

Yeah - I know that was a pretty random post.

Budapest

2008-09-03T11:12:00.001-07:00

I paid my first visit to Hungary yesterday and today. I realize that it's only been a few months since we moved to Europe - but this stuff still fascinates me. To think about the very recent history of these very old places ... what happened to them during the two world wars, during communism, and today.

In Budapest, I stayed at the New York Palace hotel. It opened in 1894 and suffered various tragedies throughout the 20th century as broader European tragedies unfolded around it. It served as "the world's most beautiful warehouse" during the Nazi occupation. An Italian hotel company bought it and completely restored it during the 2000's - they did an amazing job as you can see below.

And on another historical note, during the last few weeks the Hungarian government apologized to the Czech Republic for their role in crushing the Prague Spring. Hungarian soldiers marched into Prague 40 years ago alongside Russian troops. An interesting juxtaposition with more recent events nearby.

The interior atrium with a Hungarian business group meeting over wine ...

Exterior shots ...

Fauns lining the exterior at street level ...

This morning in the atrium ...

Have I mentioned lately ...

2008-08-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

... that Junior is a LOSER!!!