Monday, May 19, 2008

Human Bar Code


Are you looking for a cool gimmick for your next demonstration? Well, leave it up to the French to provide you with ideas! Hence, this bar code used by one of the teachers that demonstrated yesterday (Sunday) near the Opera. I suppose the "hidden" message is "don't treat us like a product"! Precisely, the demonstrators were protesting cuts in the education budget which amounts to 80 billion € (that is 24% of the annual budget for France- 334 billion euros). If you're interested in the French education system, here is what Wikipedia has to say.

56 comments:

  1. Terrific picture, Eric. The French are better at demonstrating than anyone else. And why was the education budget cut?

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  2. Interesting approach to protesting. Teacher's unions are very powerful in America and strikes are frequent. Yesterday's post on Paris Photo Art shows what some Paris students decided to do before school one day. Please stop by for a look at a great student prank.

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  3. I AM interested, Eric, but i'll click that another time.

    Bar-code signs pret-a-porter huh? Does it come in pink?

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  4. Teacher's strikes are not pleasant, and education funding is a problem everywhere it seems. Still, this is a very clever sign/emblem!

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  5. I think I had it right the first time...Teachers' ?
    Sorry!

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  6. Congrats on GF, Alexa! You really wanted it this time, didn't you? ;)

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  7. That is a really cool photo. It is so sad about the budget cuts to France's teachers' paychecks. I watched a film last night "Mona Lisa Smile" about an art history teacher. It made me think how influential my college art history teacher was in my life. Then I watched a film "School of Life" about a teacher's revolutionary method in teaching the kids and (the faculty). It made me realize how teachers leaving a lasting impression on you for your life time.

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  8. Ahem, and shouldn't you be sleeping, Lynn? ;) I'm going to shortly; goodnight everyone.

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  9. What a coincidence, I watched Mona Lisa Smile only the other day! How did you like it, Lois? I thought it was very good. Makes us realize how priviliged women truly are today - we can do more than just marry for a career. I think people tend to take this for granted ... and still this was not so long ago.

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  10. Alexandra thanks he he that admonishment was so well-timed. I am feeling that i stayed too long online this time and was just telling myself to go back upstairs! Off i go. Good girl that i am. :)

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  11. Clever...now there is a mark of an intelligent demonstrator. Being in education, I always hate to read about funding cuts. Of course, it is not like we in the USA celebrate our "intellects" as much as we tend to intellectualize our celebraties.

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  12. Alexandra, I agree, it wasn't that long ago. My first job in the legal sector was working for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. Our big case in my department was the People vs. the film "I Am Curious (Yellow) (original Swedish title: Jag är nyfiken - gul)". There was not one female attorney in the office. I worked in the "Bull Pen". That was a large room with about 30 to 40 attorneys (all men). So naturally they wouldn't call it the Cow Pen;-) Women can do both. My father and mother were very supportive while I was a child, and I was groomed to have a career and more. Plus, many of my teachers were highly intelligent women.

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  13. David, I'm not sure I agree that teacher strikes occur 'frequently' in the U.S. Teachers are paid crap here, and parents expect the teachers to raise the children, not just educate them. I am amazed that anyone with intelligence and ability continues as a teacher. They must be very dedicated, I guess.

    Lois: people who know and can teach me about art history are still having an impact on my life, in many ways.

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  14. As a teacher unionist I find this very interesting. we have a rally on Thursday, which I will miss due to being on a plane winging my way to Rome.

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  15. This post is actually pretty disturbing. I went to the Sorbonne, and always felt that the French thought better of their teachers (at least than we do here in the U.S., where teachers' strikes should probably occur much more frequently than they do).

    Alexandra -- I wasn't really trying for GF, but -- yes -- I was pleased. Voila, I admit it. I also saw Mona Lisa Smile recently. It reminds me of my mother, who left college at age 20 to marry my father. She did go to work later (in her 40s), and is now 88 years old -- and still working!

    Lois -- seriously, I think you need to write that book. My older daughter studied Art History and Photography at NYU (@ Gallatin, which used to be called University Without Walls). She had the most amazing, inspiring teachers. BTW, if you hung out at Max's in the Sixties, I'll bet we had friends in common.

    Sorry if I'm running on a bit. Blame Eric, who is very good at opening a dialogue with his photos.

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  16. Very nice photo, Eric. It is a great message too.

    I was a teacher before I had children, and now I teach them at home--my full time job! I don't think I would want to go back into the classroom now that I have the freedom to teach just a few. Besides, the kids have changed so much in the last few years and discipline is a thing of the past.
    I read some magazine article that students should be allowed to question why they have to do things if they feel like it. I felt I had to respond--can you imagine 25 students asking why they have to do the lesson that we're doing now and trying to question the authority in the classroom constantly? Uggh.. teaching is hard enough when everyone is there and willing to work! I also love being with my kids!!

    Hope everyone has a nice day!

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  17. Alexa, Hi, we probably do know some of the same people. I just saw Iman (a model) on TV trying to sell handbags. I knew her in NYC. She came over to my studio a couple of times with her boyfriend. She told me that she wanted to be a famous model. She showed me some snap shots someone had taken of her. I told her to get a better photographer. This is the condensed story, of course. Don't want to bore the men. BTW, she's not that tall, nor is David Bowie. Mick Jagger is small/short too -- in my opinion. He is an impeccable dresser though.

    You are so sweet to say I should write a book. I am, one paragraph at a time. The PDP gang is my proofreaders and/or editors;-)

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  18. It is so funny that you posted this picture. My first book comes out this week and I have been planning a tile bracelet made out of my book's barcode! I enjoy your blog...Anne

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  19. Congratulations Anne Reeves. And what is the name of your book? Is it fiction or non-fiction or what? You can't just drop a line like that "My first book comes out this week..." And walk away;-)

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  20. Eric, you always make these demonstrations intriguing and worth the look. I'm sure I'll be saying the wrong thing here when I say that I've gone through the "acceptance" phase of these demonstrations and am now in the "angry" phase.

    I do believe that we should be paying teachers more than we do our sports heroes, but in general, when you see these demonstrations it's more like a party. Yesterday's was no different with people setting up picnics, others selling grilled food, bands playing, etc. I really wonder if people take it seriously.

    On the other hand, they held it on a Sunday so that they don't miss out on being paid. I really hate it when the teacher's use the students as a kind of "human shield" to get their point across. When the teachers are out, the students don't get taught and the parents get involved that way.

    Oh I could go on, but remember before you attack, I DO think teachers should get better conditions...just not a guaranteed job for life.

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  21. Sally, after all this time you've had your blog I didn't realise you were a teacher unionist. I'd be so interested to hear your input.

    Anne Reeves - I LOVE your blog!

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  22. That's a great photo, Eric. I don't think I would have understood what her point was without your interpretation.

    Teachers should definitely be paid more. I didn't realize this was also a problem in Paris.

    Glad to see you posting again, dear Duchess Lynn.

    Lois, you are tres interessante! I would certainly buy your memoirs! FYI, I work with several deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles on a daily basis, and there are now as many women as there are men, and in very high positions. Some progress, at least :)

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  23. If money was the only problem that teachers had it would nto be so bad.

    Unfortunately, there is so much more to just the lack of financial reward or any significant recognition by the government.

    I find that many people, including parents, not only use school as a baby-sitter but also expect teachers to do all the educating as well.

    Then there is the abuse and lack of response that they get from our "darlings" day after day.

    Adding to that, they are expected to produce result after result. When they don't many say "the schooling system is failing!

    Before you ask, I am not a teacher...I just feel strong about this issue.

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  24. The county where I live has cut its education budget and the school where my sister teaches has had to cut some teacher positions. Fortunately for me, the county where I teach actually just gave us a raise so now we're comparable to the other counties in the area.

    I'm a career switcher; I worked for about 10 years in the financial sector before becoming a teacher. Teaching is the hardest job I've ever had, but for me it is the most worthwhile. I've been lucky to work with a fantastic group of students over the last 3 years--and one of my former students who graduates this year has decided that she wants to be a French teacher because of me. It's truly humbling.

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  25. My life touches on a few comments today. I majored in art history and then became an art teacher. After five years of teaching,I joined the airlines, and at that time, made more money in my first year of flying than in my 5th year of teaching. A sad commentary on our system in America.

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  26. Lois: That was really interesing (as what you write always are). And funny! ("There was not one female attorney in the office. I worked in the "Bull Pen".) Hehe!
    And yes, I know the film. I haven't seen it; but I can understand if it raised controversy. Thanks to that film and others of the same kind, I've understood that Sweden apparently has come across as quite lax when it comes to moral. I find this quite ironic, because here, it is the other way round; thanks to what the American film industry puts out, we tend to think that the U.S. is morally deprived!

    And I agree with Alexa, you should write that book! I'd read it! :)

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  27. Lynn: I'm only glad to be able to do some good! ;)

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  28. I also see that I misquoted a bit; what I wanted to pick out was: "So naturally they wouldn't call it the Cow Pen ;-)". Oh well! No one's perfect! In any case, I got the joke. ;D

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  29. Ah, Micael, mon ami, you are only seeing half the picture. Parents and others use your argument that teachers "use the children as a shield". But, parents and politicians are doing the exact same thing: "if you strike, we will accuse you of hurting children, so we won't negotiate with you or treat you fairly." It works both ways. Such is politics in a democracy.

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  30. I too love the enterprise and have nothing but contempt for these prickly types who get in the way and slow things down with demonstrations and absurd demands. The people of France voted Sarko into office. Now step aside and let him do his thing! I have the odd feeling that teachers, intellectuals, especially artists, think they're better than the rest of us, especially when we're shopping. It makes me uncomfortable.

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  31. FYI, in France, after 2 years a teacher gets 1,562€ (net salary), then about 1,800€ after 10 years, about 2,350€ after 20 years and between 2,471 and 2,931€ after 30 years.

    I have no idea how this compares to the rest of the world!

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  32. I agree once again with their claim, lot of my parents' friends are teachers, my aunt and my godfather too, I always heard that the job was not easy to do. I agree with the fact that they are not well treated (by Government and by the pupils!) but honestly, it's NOT the worse job which exists!! The problem is probably the fact that they need more than a good salary to teach, they need help, means (financial and human), they need time...And the future will be worse apparently. Government wants to cut in the education budget, that means that there will be less teachers in the next coming years. Bad idea to me.
    Anyway, the picture is great, and the B&W is such a good idea. Well done Eric.

    I've been far from PDP lately, and it will continue this way unfortunately...I miss you all, you're my breath of fresh air (yes, libraries stink LOL).

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  33. "I have the odd feeling that teachers, intellectuals, especially artists, think they're better than the rest of us, especially when we're shopping." (Hermann g)

    "Shopping?" Maybe this is a figure of speech I'm not understanding?

    Bon chance, Reine Guille. Summer is coming.

    (However, it has been barely 55 F (12 C) here since I returned home from sunny Paris.)

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  34. I like this shot. Interesting that you cut out their faces, Eric, as though commenting on the woman's comment, as it were. I think I'll be a bar code for Halloween this year.

    Probably the most passionate discussion ever to occur on my blog, Pasadena Daily Photo
    continues from two days ago, regarding demonstrations here against proposed cuts to the education budget in California.

    Hee hee, Alexandra, it seems Europeans see Americans either as morally deprived or puritanical. Both are true!

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  35. Petrea, I think that our problem is that we get the two concepts confused. As we have learned, the "moral" people think a (left wing) president should be removed from office for philandering. However, they think it is acceptable for (right wing) senators to have sex in airport toilettes and for (right wing) governors to hire expensive courtesans.

    I guess 'puritanical' and 'morally depraved' have meanings for these people that can't be found in the dictionary. Well, all languages evolve...

    Beudeu geu deu.

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  36. "Hee hee, Alexandra, it seems Europeans see Americans either as morally deprived or puritanical. Both are true!"
    Yes, it'd certainly seem so. I'd guess that either part of the world has a bit of both - though in the U.S., some are a lot more 'religious' than here - I don't think you can find many that are so strictly Christian, Catholic whatever as there. We're quite secularized. Mmm, ok ... I'm rambling!

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  37. Jeff, I think it was you who posted about the NHL-hockey? Yes, indeed, I know that the best ice hockey in the world probably is played in NHL. The dilemma though, is that when the big championships come up, the best players are tied up by their NHL-teams ... I have nothing against the NHL recruting as such (even though it is hardly a national league any more! But then, which league is?), but I think it is sad that the importance or 'dignity', if you will, of the Olympic games and the World Championships is diminshed. The best players aren't participating! Which is why Stanley Cup is so very prestigious (sp?) ... I'd wish both of those should be so, in an ideal world.

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  38. Lois, I'll bet we do. Funny you should mention Mick Jagger. Used to hang out with him (and Keith and Brian) a bit back in the day -- they spent a lot of time in Paris/France, avoiding the taxman, if you know what I mean. Had to stop, though. Turns out you can't stay out all night with rockers AND go to school AND go to work (in a modeling agency, coincidentally enough).
    Did you know any (or all -- wouldn't surprise me) of the Factory folks?
    Eric -- is that net salary monthly, bi-weekly???

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  39. Yes, Jeff, languages evolve, even if people don't.

    Pffft.

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  40. Very clever sign/message. Hope the teachers win!

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  41. I have been away on a long weekend and I had no internet access, so I have really been missing PDP and all of you PDPers. I must be more addicted than I thought.
    I haven't got time to read all the comments, so I just skimmed through. But it's good to see you're back home in Paris, Eric.
    And Lynn, you're out of hospital ! I hope you're all well again ?
    And welcome to Marylène. Hope you'll comment more often (?)!
    Guille and Rose I love your new pictures.
    If I missed some interesting news during my skimming please let me know.

    Eric, todays photo is just great, I love the black and white.
    I think the Parisiens/French are so inventive when they demonstrate even for very serious matters. I really like this demonstrations culture.

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  42. I like that Paris demonstrates so much as well. Years ago when I used to demonstrate in New York City it seemed to me that everyone took it very seriously but there was also a lot of singing going on. New Yorkers also have a habit of eating on their way to work or wherever it is they are going so I do recall some mobile picknicking during the protest marches as well. I suppose if the streets weren't so dirty in New York City someone may have thought to lay out a little blanket and picnic properly. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to have a soft spot for activism.

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  43. Alexa, I knew some of the Factory folks -- I cannot remember their names except for Warhol. He wanted me to pose once for his Interview newspaper/magazine. So I said yes. He use to creep me out though. The way he use to look at me. [this is the condensed version]

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  44. I actually have a couple of friends with barcode tattoos.

    One friend's tattoo contains important numbers in his life - mom's bday, etc.

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  45. Jeff:

    It's the word after "ironworks" in Webster's Collegiate.

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  46. Alexa "Eric -- is that net salary monthly, bi-weekly???"

    No, it's a monthly salary, therefore it is... per month ;)

    In France we're not paid weekly but monthly.

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  47. Sorry, Lois! I was just loving the bar code and was inspired to share a comment. Didn't mean to tease! My book is called "Moments of Delight" and is available 23 May thru my blog www.anadesigns.blogspot.com and webpage www.subscribetodelight.com

    140 pages of color photography, sweet stories, recipes and travel tidbit to inspire and delight. Each a digestable moment.

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  48. Thanks for the blog-love, Michael! I am having a blast! Anne

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  49. So sorry Jeff I couldn't read your comment yesterday but I was just too tired after returning to work.

    Guille, I think you've come the closest to expressing what I meant. I in fact agree with what many of you have said (with the exception of Herman maybe), but my comment was more about the protest (manifestation) itself.

    Anne - you're welcome!

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  50. Eric,
    To make everything equal about "net salary", you could add that this is before income tax, which, as you know ;-) in France is not automatically deducted from our salaries.
    I know it's not the same in the UK. I don't know about the US...

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  51. Thats one way of getting to the point,never thought about doing that.

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  52. I like the way you've excluded their heads - it dehumanises them even more.

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  53. When bar codes were fairly new, I recall reading about a California artist who purchased a grave site. She then had a bar code sand blasted onto an upright grave marker that she had placed on the plot. I thought it was brilliant. A way of marking the passing of the industrialized age into that of the electronic age.

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