Do you remember when I encountered the photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand for the promotion of his project called 6 billion others? I told you that on top of the web site there would also be an exhibition at Le Grand Palais in January. Well, last evening I went to see it. The whole place is covered in screens with testimonies from people from all over the world. It's not only impressive, but can also be very moving. See the guy in the photo holding his head? He ended up crying in front of the camera after he'd been asked to talk about the topic "family". The audience was like petrified.
That's so beautiful! At first I thought it was more Obama imagery, but this speaks to the same spirit.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteBy petrified, do you mean the audience sort of froze up watching him cry or that they were scared by his reaction to the topic?
(English words almost always have more than one meaning. Gets frustrating sometimes.)
USElaine, you sure do have a lot of people standing on your crown today!
All the faces remind me of Incognito's tune...
ReplyDelete"Everybody that you meet
People on the street going places
Music in the air, people everywhere
Smiling faces."
It's a rainbow world Eric! Hope the song keeps getting better. Good weekend!
USElaine...I too thought Obama at first! :-)
I think the word I'd use is "riveted", which means to have one's attention so completely focused that it's like an immobile physical connection (rivets being solid attachment devices on blue jeans or machinery). I got that meaning from petrified I think.
ReplyDeleteYes! LCD paneled crown today!
This looks like it couldn't help but be a moving exhibit & overwhelming at times. I would love to see it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I too thought "Obama." But then, around here we have Obama on the brain!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a VERY moving exhibit, Eric. Your photo nicely conveys the size and scope of it. Sure would love to see it!
Congrats, Elaine—you won't be lonely with today's crown, will you?
Ditto for me re Obama. (And I'm Australian! But we are in an uplifting sea of Obama here, too.)
ReplyDeleteYou've chosen one of my fave groups, Coltrane. Incognito = very cool. I'm generally pretty hopeless with lyrics - my ear gravitates to the music - but I recognise those lines now that you say them. Nicely chosen!
Congrats on GF, USelaine ~ a 'We Are the World' crown.
A moving photo, even at this distance. "Like petrified?" I love how you do our slang, Eric. You're beginning to sound like a mall rat. I mean in a good way.
ReplyDeleteYeah, like, it was, like, really cool. lol this is a very new way of speaking English, Eric. Quite slang. I'm not sure it's a good way, Petrea! Though I take my hat off to Eric for being so 'up to speed' lol.
ReplyDeleteI too am interested in your use of petrified. Maybe they were indeed scared by what the man might say or do next? Can you describe more what you mean?
It looks a great exhibition and I recall being really interested in your previous post.
Another advertisement for the Golden Finger yearly award contest.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you are ready on the 25th for Eric's posting on the 26th of January.
Remember, it is being played world wide!!!!!!!
Check out Jan.26, 2008 to remember last yrs. winner's reaction.
I would love to have been there to see that Eric. I too thought it was our new President!
ReplyDeleteV
I want to move to Paris and get a job like yours, Eric! You get to go to so many incredible places!
ReplyDeletepetrea & lynn -- I too am smiling at Eric's use of our slang. On the other hand, I hate the overuse of 'like' (and wince hearing someone say "you know" 47 times in one conversation). But I'm a persnickety copy editor, so what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteUKLynn, maybe because I grew up in California, this style of speech seems "old" to me. I was in college when Frank Zappa's daughter had a pop hit called "Valley Girl", a lampoon of the style. I read, back in those days, somewhere that the origins of many of those expressions came from surf culture, which in turn came from a pastiche of Hawaiian terms and expressions around surfing. It's been too many years now, can't remember specifics, the brain fog of age...
ReplyDeleteParfait, mon ami.
ReplyDeleteFor the language discussion: like, awesome.
Petrified, riveted, stunned...
A rose is a rose is a rose.
Solid.
Very cool photo, Eric. I would have loved to see how the whole thing came together. Hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteDitto on the "Big O" comments. But why do we think that? Is it because he looks worried? Is he saying, "What HAVE I gotten myself into?"
ReplyDeleteAlexa me too. I'm a fussy journalist and English teacher and I loathe the like business. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, UsElaine thanks.
Michael I too thought it was him. I'd have thought he's just thinking how fabulous it is that he's finally got a black man to the White House (should we now call it the Black House?) and how rightfully proud he is feeling. I take it to be a smile.
Ooops I'm kinda like embarrassed... LOL
ReplyDeleteBTW, how about a little English spelling test? I won't tell you how much I had, cause I did very poorly...
Yes Lynn, I totally agree with your positive comment and am hoping as you that he's just thinking 'how rightfully proud he is feeling'.
ReplyDeleteI too take it to be a smile.
'When two ways are offering to you, always choose the most difficult one'...
I too thought it was Obama.
ReplyDeleteAn exhibition not to miss, I really want to see this phenomenon, sounds great. And moving... It looks like a mosaic.
By petrified you meant kinda moved, right? ;)
I did the test, I'm not really proud because I thought my spelling was better! Well, not trying to find an excuse but I often had the French spelling in my mind... ;)
"Your score is: 18 points out of a possible 27
That is 67 % -- Fair"
Bon Weekend!
(Pont Girl, to answer your question: fishnets > bas résille)
ReplyDeleteHey, Eric -- I think your English skills are awesome, btw. In fact, you're the bomb!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the spelling test (I aced it!).
That was fun Eric! I got 74 % and, before you all guffaw, lol, it is not really accurate. Some spellings there are two which are acceptable in British English. Some American English I don't know the preference actually. Also, for example, dependant (noun) in English means a child or someone in the family for whom you are financially repsonsible. To be dependent is that person - i.e. to rely upon (verb). he he I enjoyed it though! I love tests, exams, competitions; I'm awful like that, I'm a bit of a Monica in FRIENDS. lol. I agree, Eric, your English is fantastic, Guille's too. All here are and are better than my French is these days!
ReplyDeleteresponsible lol! typo. So both those dependents/ants would be correct, I meant to say.
ReplyDeletegreat shot as always. I love the interesting shots you share on your website.
ReplyDeleteAre everyone's nails sharpened for tomorrow evening? :)
ReplyDeleteSpelling test: 21 out of 27, 78%. They certainly picked my eternal mistake words. I'm one of those weirdos who has dictionaries around the house.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if I'll get into the catfight tomorrow evening. (Rather than my claws, acuity is found in my tongue.)
Eric, you are really on-the-go (slang). You are at a different venue every night. Party!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the spelling Quiz, many of the words in the quiz are used in law. And, the English spelling is the one of choice since English is the universal chosen language for the arts and sciences, technology and inventions. Thank goodness for "spell check" ;^)
I think I must now move to England since I thought the correct spellings were the British spellings...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Guille! I think I will wear my bas resille tonight! :)
(Je crois que je vais porter mes bas resilles ce soir? How was that?) :)
Alexa!!!!!!!!!!!! You won't belive this but in the Paris Metro right now, there is an ad of an older hip looking woman, saying "C'est la Bomb." (ok, I can't remember if it was la or le) I thought it was so funny how that expression ,of all things, made it over to France. I went back to take a pix of it, but my camera was dead. ERIC helppppppppppppp!
ReplyDeleteNow back to filing my nails for tomorrow night.
PHX, I know this ad! It's for a 100% latex mattress (see how ads work...), a couple in their 70s, something like "c'est d'la bombe darling" (ça déchire/it rocks) Couldn't find it on the web...that's too bad because the ad is really funny.
ReplyDeletePont Girl, PERFECT. And daring. LOL
Merci Guille for further explanation, and trying to find the ad on the web. I wanted to know more after PHX's intriguing comment.
ReplyDeleteLois you're looking very pretty. Did you go to a wedding? Or, is it your wedding?
ReplyDeleteLynn, No, Those hats came out last Spring in Paris. The weather in San Francisco has been like Spring these past three weeks. It's raining now though. That photo was taken Monday by fellow PDP person Katie. She always makes me look so beautiful. She's the best!
ReplyDeleteLois...you look marvelous gal. Stunning actually. Katie rocks with the camera,non?
ReplyDelete