Saturday, April 01, 2006

Will the streets talk?


Will the student protesters dig up these cobblestones to throw at Police after last night's speech by President Chirac? Except for some concessions, he stated his decision to maintain the law ("first employment contract" or C.P.E. in French) that students have been fighting against for weeks. It's hard to tell, but one thing is sure, these little 6" x 6" x 3" pieces of granite have often proved to be handy projectiles to throw at the police in times of protest.

26 comments:

  1. Lucky them, this stones have rounded corners, imagine if they were new.

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  2. Hmmm. Well, maybe time to park the car somewhere else.

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  3. Good one, luggi! ;-)

    C'est joli comme tout, cette photo! C'est pris dans quel quartier? On dirait qu'elle a été prise le matin de bonne heure quand la ville dors encore.

    (Au fait, pour la porn, non merci, ça ira.)

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  4. Great photo. I love b&w. We get spring flooding here also some years worse than others.

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  5. You know what I love about this photo best of all? The little rainbow orbs in the upper left corner from where the sun was bouncing off the lense. I don't know why, they're just so pretty.

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  6. Love black and white. Nice angle, very moody and evocative....

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  7. it is in TV news this very moment: the riots in Paris, the floodings in Europe...

    Nice shot as usual, Eric, and it shows the beauty of the streets of Paris.

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  8. Very nice picture and well connected with the situation in Paris. We have these cobbelstones too and call them "kinderkopjes" meaning literally "little childrens heads". There a pest to bike over ;)

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  9. Very nice shot Eric, and very poignant – I hope after Mr Chirac’s speech last night that there will not be another May 68 about to happen.

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  10. I also meant to say that I to thought it was a B&W, but it is a colour shot. Interesting!

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  11. You never cease to amaze me. I love the photo and the commentary. Great!!!

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  12. Difficile de dire en effet si c'est le découragement ou la mobilisation qui va l'emporter

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  13. Haha! The story is v. interesting!
    I noticed there're many Peugeots... another feature of France, right?

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  14. Let's hope not! Interesting perspective!

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  15. And they were used to build the baracade in Les Miserable ... very appropriate use of b&w once again, thank you.

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  16. I thought it was b&w too until I noticed the yellow of the street sign, the slight blue tint around the tree, and of course the little reflections fo light in the corner that are rainbow colored. It makes me a bit sad that you can take a picture in probably any large city down a random street and have it turn out looking b&w because of how everything is made with such boring industrial colors. Especially when it's not quite spring yet and there's no green to be seen on many trees.

    the other day my son was thrilled to no end when he saw a couple of bright yellow daffodils growing near our apartment. I don't blame him, he hasn't seen much color ouside since October! (sorry for my rambling. My mother's wedding is today and I'm SOOOO exited!)

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  17. Les derniers événements en France sont vraiment une peine. Je pense que c'est très bon de chercher une solution au chômage en France, mais pas avec une loi qui elimine la stabilité de travail.

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  18. Mon commentaire apparait comme "anonymous"... Et j'ai mis mon nom...

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  19. Nice shot and great post. Maybe the Head of the Cobble Department at the Council was a revolutionary.

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  20. Les derniers événements en France sont vraiment une peine. Je pense que c'est très bon de chercher une solution au chômage en France, mais pas avec une loi qui elimine la stabilité de travail.

    do you have a better idea? Unfortunately, it seems to go together, doesn't it.

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  21. Cool photo!
    I think Chirac is on the right track backpeddling, lol.
    I think Villepin should have consulted the labor unions first though, and not shoved that law through.
    Someone played an April Fool's trick on my husband - told him Villepin had been kidnapped and he believed it until the noonday news, lol.

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  22. A permanent job in a global economy is too much to ask nowadays. When workers are employees "at will", the job market is way more fluid, and the risk of being out of job before 25-30 and after 45-50 is much lower. Villepin should stick to his gun, he is heading in the right direction.

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  23. Personne ne demande un "job permanent". De là au licenciement "à volonté", il y a une marge...

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  24. This is interesting en lien with Nicola's 31 March photo of "Stolpersteine" in Wiesbaden (though the idea started in Köln, if I recall from the site she linked to) - cobblestones commemorating the victims of Nazism.

    Eric, est-ce que vous avez mesuré les pavés?

    Another interesting shot would be a completely different kind of "pavé" - the ones you eat.

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  25. So Eric,
    We know you've stood on chairs in cafes to get shots. . .did you lie down in the street to get this one?! ;^)
    -Kim

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  26. C'est pas pour dire, mais le nostalgique de 68 qu'on sent derrière tes propos-pavés, c'est un peu ringard! Les jeunes de 2006 son t moins cons que ceux d'il y a presque 40 ans!

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