in response to a request...

from my mom, an avid reader of my blog (perhaps the only one), here are some scenes of me studying. See, Mary Lou thinks that there are entirely too many pictures of me having fun, drinking, LAUGHING, and carrying on like I was happy or something crazy like that. So, just to show that life isn't all fun and games, here are a couple shots of me unhappily studying. We'll start with an early one.




Ok, this is not a good example. It was early in the semester and I had no internet access at school because I had no student ID card because registration didn't take place until a month into school because...oh yeah, I already wrote this post about two months ago.

Anyway, the only place I could go and: 1) use the internet for free; and 2) use electricity for free was the Peace and Love Youth Hostel, the scene of this video. I had a citecheck due for which I needed the internet so it seemed like a good choice. Plus, there was happy hour from 7-10.


In reality, school here is hard and not just because it's in French and there aren't any textbooks. I spend a ton of time studying and getting ready for class, especially Private International Law and Droit Interieur du Marche. Those are by far my two most challenging and interesting classes. Just trying to negotiate all of the different treaties, country laws and customs is enough to confuse anyone. Add to that the civil law aspect of their approach and I am frequently lost. Private international law is like what I think conflicts would be, although I have never taken that class. You usually have some litigation between citizens of two different countries and you have to figure out if the judge is competent to rule on the matter. There are myriad rules dictating who is and who is not competent to rule on matters and a lot of it has to do with what category the legal problem falls into. This I still don't understand completely but I am getting there. Then there's the situations where the judge doesn't agree with a decision because of "ordre public" which really means it goes against the morals and values of France.


In any case, here are some pathetic photos of me studying:


These first two are from today. Mariah and I went to the Louvre. She entered the museum and saw what there was to see. I read some Droit Processuel de Jean-Luc Sauron.

These last two are pictures of me studying in my apartment, yes in my pajamas. I figured that as I was studying away on Saturday morning in Paris, I should take advantage of the self-portrait to see just how lame it looked.

Love you Mom.

Election Night

As I really wanted to watch election night on American TV, some of my friends and I foolishly tried to go here, Breakfast in America, for the coverage. As you can see, there was a pretty big line so we gave up.

Fortunately, however, there was a bar about 150 meters away that had CNN so we just went there.

Suzanna and Razika, two students from the Masters, taking in the joy that is CNN election coverage at around 1:30 U.S. time.

Gregor, Colin and the ubiquitous "I am getting my picture taken" hand gesture.

David and Zsuzi enjoy Democracy, American style: Wolf Blitzer, Candy Crowley, and the seemingly endless, meaningless coverage preceding the closing of the first polls.

All these people were enjoying it too.

Here's most of us together that night.

Here I am with my friend Jean, a very cool American writing her dissertation here in France. At first we were happy with our American coverage and then...

we were disappointed with CNN's new technological advancement: the reporter's in-studio appearance via hologram! Translation: "Wow, there really isn't anything going on yet but they have gone to the big guns and we have a lot of time to kill."

Most of my european friends left the bar around midnight but Jean and I stayed until closing time and then headed to an Obama Victory party at the Palais des Congres. Since we were "on the list" we didn't have to wait in line with the suckas; we just went on in. Greeting us was a huge crowd of mostly French people very fired up about Obama and America.

The place was seriously packed.

This guy was everywhere.

We were briefly in a VIP room but left because apparently in French VIP means a small place with no access to booze or TV coverage. As we were leaving I took a picture of this clown, who then told me I couldn't take a picture of him and asked me if I did. Proving he was pathetic, he simply accepted my response that I didn't take his picture.

Obama wins Ohio.

Jean is fired up.


We found a secret passage through the kitchen to another sort of VIP area where we were able to get some Obamagels---I know, not very presidential.

Obama wins Pennsylvania. Is it that easy? Doesn't it mean that it's over?

Jean's convinced after Pennsylvania.

I am not quite sure, even after Pennsylvania. I guess after the last two elections I am used to not having the results until 4 AM american time. Also, won't FixNews soon be announcing that McCain actually won Pennsylvania or that 500,000 new votes turned up in Ohio for McCain? I just can't quite accept it yet. I want it to be true but it seems unbelievable.

Obama wins! Wait, what's wrong with Rolan Martin? Does he know something we don't? Is it those mysterious extra Ohio votes?

Nope, Obama is the winner. Maybe Rolan is moved; we don't have audio here.

Finally, I am convinced.
Waiting for my new president.

All these people are waiting too.

Everybody is happy Obama is President.

All these people are French.

My new president!!!!

So, overall the party was great. Here, however, is an indication that they just don't quite get it.


Going home after everything is over. Here's Jean with her Obama painting in front of a classy "Four Roses" ad with four roses in the mouths of the Mount Rushmore presidents.

Obama!

Since this is the best I have felt about being an American in a long time, I am having a two week moratorium on thinking about what's wrong with our country and I am just going to be happy about the election and what it means. Honestly, I've been a mess for the last few days. Every time I see news coverage of the election I start crying again, it doesn't help that I stayed up all night to see all the coverage but I am now recovered sleep wise and still feel the same way.

Quickly and not comprehensively enough summing it up: 1) 40 years ago it wouldn't have been legal for me to have gotten married and now we have a mixed president; 2) putting aside all of his policies, W's man of the people anti-elitist cowboy act made us look bad (which concrete political effects) and Obama's thoughtful, professorial approach is going to make us look good again.

The best way I have seen it described is cathartic. I am so tired of seeing Bush up there with his "I'm a C student who is getting over for the moment" look on his face every time he gave a speech. It was truly a moment of catharsis for me to see Obama up there giving that amazingly smart and obviously multilayered speech.

The impact here in France has been amazing. Newspapers continue to run stories about the election and wonder whether it could happen here. The ideals of the French Republicanism are being questioned. People think the policy of officially ignoring race (there are no statistics kept about race here because everyone is French) seems to have failed. Affirmative action is being considered. They can't figure out how they went from being a country that was ahead of American in race relations to one that seems to be so far behind it.

French people are coming up to me and saying things like: "you Americans have taught us a lesson again; it's been a long time but you are really leading the way"; "I want to move to America"; "something like this could never happen in France"; "I wish I could move to America and start having kids because it is a place of hope"; and "It will be at least 50 years before any minority gets elected here." I am sure it is clear but there was no such talk before November 5th, at least not that I heard.

Jacques Bonsergent

Jacques Bonsergent is the name of one of two metro stops that I use frequently, the other being Colonel Fabien. The other day I noticed this explanatory plaque in the metro. It was called Lancry(it is located on Rue Lancry) until 1946. It is named after M. Bonsergent because he was the first Frenchmen executed for his acts in the Resistance and lived near this metro stop.

Anyway, I think this sign is a great example of French writing and history. I will try to (loosely) translate it: "Jacques Bonsergent, engineer of arts and trades, first Frenchmen, victim of his courage and his brotherly feelings, executed on December 23rd 1940."

I am not sure about what sentiments fraternels means here. It could mean his feelings about his country or countrymen and at first I thought it didn't dmatter that much. I just like they way it is written, victim of his brotherly feelings. But then I thought, given that it was during the French Resistance, it might refer to his lack of anti-semitic feelings also. I dont' think that's it and I really hope that isn't it but I suppose it isn't outside the realm of possibility. That would change it for me.

Seeing a movie in Paris

I usually take seeing a movie pretty seriously and am generally protective of my movie going experience overall. Frequently in St. Louis people are talking and carrying on before and during the movie to the extent that I will either confront them, wait for Sheridan to do it for me, or just leave and ask for a refund. Although it is usually old people who are the biggest offenders, it can really be anyone. Often it depends on the type of movie it is. Pretty much any time you try to see a movie at Frontenac, there's some older couple loudly discussing what just happened.

Anyway, I was nervous about this because I was meeting Christin, her sister and a friend at Les Halles to see Quantum of Solace. Two important things: 1) I loved Casino Royale and couldn't wait to see the new Daniel Craig Bond film (Bond is a serious badass again); and 2) Les Halles is basically a giant mall where a ton of kids hang out (think the Galleria on steroids, HGH or whatever you prefer to get huge). Needless to say the stakes were high. Christin showed up on time, she had already bought the tix and we just waited in a long but fairly orderly line until it was time to be seated. At that time, we split up because there were just too many people for us to find four seats together.

The place was packed and everyone was loud and talking before it started. This is normal of course but I was scared because I was seeing a movie in Paris, the land where students don't respect silence in the classroom while the professor is professing or, more importantly, silence in the library while I am studying!

I am happy to say that the experience was great. Silence was totally respected, there were no irritating ads loudly playing before the show started, there were people coming around selling drinks to people in the seats, and there were actual ushers helping people find seats! These last two things were especially amazing to me. Selling food and drink in the seats like I was at the baseball game made me wonder why we don't do this at home. I for one was much more inclined to buy something because of this service. It was still more expensive but I found myself buying something anyway. And the ushers. Who even knew that this still existed? It certainly doesn't seem to in St. Louis.

Not to mention that the theater was clean, modern, had a great sound system and it wasn't freezing cold in there. Great experience.

litigious or just underinsured

I came across this intersection a while ago when I was walking home.

Obviously, the city was doing some construction, resurfacing the street and generally improving the quality of the intersection. Great, except there didn't see to be anyway to get from one side to the other until I saw this.


That's right, you are supposed to walk across these rickety boards to get to the other side. I immediately thought, "Wow, that's a lawsuit waiting to happen," apparently revealing my American predisposition to litigation. I then saw a woman of a certain age try to cross these boards with few sacks of groceries in her hands. Predictably she fell. This got me to thinking: what is the nature of liability law in France?

A couple of days later I told some of my fellow students about this scene and asked about liability law. They responded that I was so American and that French people wouldn't think of suing for an injury resulting from something like this. Obviously dissatisfied with this response, I asked more and more French people about this. They all responded that they just never would think about suing because of an injury resulting from this negligence. Instead, they would just go to the hospital and get it take care of. The only time they would sue would be if someone died as a result of the negligence.

Then it hit me. My solution to tort reform in America and the cure for the "judicial hellhole" that is Madison County: universal healthcare.

Seriously, is it that crazy? Think about all of the time and money spent on litigation in America trying to recover the cost of medical care. Isn't that what these French people were telling me? What's the point of suing the government or anyone else for medical costs that the government is already going to cover?

If you didn't have to worry about my medical bills, losing money from not being able to work or losing my job(because of course your employer here has to keep paying you 100% of your wages until you return, depending on how long it takes you to return), you would have no great incentive to sue anyone. Honestly I wonder how many tort based lawsuits would never even be brought if no one worried about paying their medical bills or lost wages.

Living in a culturally catholic country

I got a late start today and ending up leaving the house at around 12:0 or so to go to Dauphine. Since I don't have internet, Dauphine is where I go to not only to study but also to use the internet to read the news, send e-mails, write blogposts, etc. It takes me about a half an hour by metro so I got there a bit before 1:00. I was looking forward to 6 or 7 hours of alternately studying french and international law, checking out what's going on in the US, making a few skype calls and generally connecting with home.

Much to my chagrin, however, the school was closed. Not just closed but locked, padlocked. WTF? It has been open every other Saturday I have gone there. In fact, even though the library closes at 1:00 on Saturday, the building itself is open at least until 8:00 or so.


So, anyway, I was pretty pissed because I just traveled by metro for 35 minutes to get to the one place I thought I could really study only to find out it was close. Plus, this was lining up to be yet another example of how things are uncertain here. Why was it closed today and not any other Saturday?

Regardless, I was determined to stay and use the internet so I found a place around back where I could sit out of the rain and make a few skype calls. Yeah, I almost forgot, it was raining too, just to make matters worse.

Here's me trying to protect my computer from the bit of rain that is still falling on me. Of course, I am not studying, I am catching up on what the mighty Lakers have been doing.
Here's the view from outside the coat, or at least in an attempt at it.
Here's a bad picture of me. I am no longer mad here, just concentrating; sometimes they look the same.

See, here's a crooked smile that indicates I am happy about being here. Let's not forget, I am in Paris right now, not St. Louis, so it is not all bad.

And, there I sat for two hours making a few phone calls, commiserating with other people sitting out in the rain and cold (mostly homeless people looking to take my dry and not terribly cold place to sit).

Finally, a security guard came around and asked me what I was doing out there. I told him that I usually come up to the school on Saturday to do some work and was surprised to find out that it was closed today. He replied that today was a holiday and that was why it was closed. Yes, the school is closed because of Halloween, or more accurately, All Saints Day.

I have to admit that this is another example where my American framework threw me off. First, Halloween is not a day off from school in America so I didn't even think about it. Second, there was nothing posted about this that I saw at the university. Third, although I now know that All Saints Day is a fairly big deal of a religions holiday here and elsewhere throughout the world, part of what throws me off is that, in my understanding of Halloween in America, religious people don't even let their kids participate because it is all about devils and witches and what not. Finally, and perhaps most important, I thought this was a secular country. I guess I don't know why there is a national holiday to celebrate left over saints who didn't get their own day but muslim women can't wear the head scarf at school based, least ostensibly, on the idea that religious symbolism is not allowed.

Just so I am clear on this, having a national holiday and a two week vacation from school for a bunch of saints is not at all religious symbolism and thus is fine; wearing a head scarf most definitely is religious and is not to be tolerated.

Fine, I guess I will just add this to the exponentially expanding list of things I have learned about how things happen in France.