Monday, September 07, 2009

Fried van


There are scenes I wish I could not photograph. Hence this burned van that I shot in the 2nd arrondissement (rue de Cléry, more precisely) in a normally very quiet area. I don't know if this van was intentionally set on fire, but I have serious suspicions... Several thousands of cars are burned in France each year (more than 36 700 in 2008 - more than 500 only to "celebrate" last Bastille day!). They are not all burned by rioters, some are also burned by their owners to get the insurance money...
On a different note, I'm launching a new blog (a professionnal one this time) this Monday. You probably won't be interested (it's in French and does not deal with Paris nor photos!) but I thought I'd tell you anyway ;-)

21 comments:

  1. People actually get away with that? I'm surprised. Still, I'd rather think this was done on purpose and no one got hurt. I'll definitely check out your new blog!

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  2. Oh, and there's that famous Tenin perspective again!

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  3. Funny you mention the Tenin perspective Alexa as... When I was taking the photo, I really was in the middle of the street as low as possible and some car came by.

    The driver was a bit mad at me for blocking the way and he mocked me saying: "hey, that's a Pulitzer one"!
    It made me laugh.

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  4. Actually, I ran across a vehicle like this once, and it turned out to be part of a movie being filmed on location. I'm just sayin'...

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  5. How long will it sit there before someone has to cart it off? Sad that someone felt a need to do this.
    I checked out your new blog- looks like I will be studying my French!
    By the way, Eric, I'm trying a CDP for my small town and I have a deeper appreciation for all of your hard work.

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  6. Eric -- fortunately, that driver wasn't so annoyed that
    he didn't a) run you over and also b) recognized what the rest of us already know!

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  7. So you ARE a journalist. I thought so, based on the events you get to attend, but I was never entirely sure. Of course, that's assuming I read the French correctly and am not making a huge error.

    Friday was my last day of work as a reporter in California before I move to Paris. It is a very interesting job and can be very enjoyable.

    It would be interesting to hear some of the differences between journalism in America and in France.

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  8. This photo captures what I often feel like at the end of a work week.

    This three-day weekend came just in time. I was a burnt out wreck.

    Best of luck with your new blog. I guess you had soooo much extra time you needed another hobby!

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  9. In this case, I think I'd rather hear that it was done deliberately than that it was an accident — it looks tough for anyone to have left the van safely!

    For someone who lives in a country where vehicles can be used 20 years or more because of the cost, deliberate burning sounds like such an awful waste.

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  10. I'm glad to hear you didn't end up as road kill, Eric! Be careful out there please.

    This wreck wouldn't last five minutes in San Jose. The fire crew would arrange to have it carted off before they even left the scene. The bill would be sent to the owner of record, of course.

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  11. That is one scary looking mess! Glad to hear no one was hurt in the making of this photo. ;-)

    Good luck with the new blog.

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  12. Hi everyone,
    This photo does not inspire me anything good except sadness... For ages, I've been afraid of fire... Nothing is left after a fire, terrible...
    Anyway, what I specially want to do now, is to say congratulations to you Eric : your new blog is very interesting, full of tips and useful. You are going to become the Expert that everyone (maybe specially the youngest - the best ;)) wants to have with him/her, etc.
    Even if times are pretty tough for journalists nowadays, when a journalist is a good one, he/she is more likely to keep durably faithful followers with him.
    Personally, I am much more attached to a few journalists (included you, of course!) that I love to read papers than to the newspaper in which they write. I am sure that I am not alone in this way now.
    I have to say that I am totally stunned by the amount of work you are able to do! And to answer to Jeff, I think that Eric doesn't need to sleep a lot! That is usually the secret card some talentuous people have in their hands... But still, congratulations : you always know how to do things in a clever way. And guess what : we (at least those among us that are able to read French) are going to know you even more :)) Good!!! Have a nice day.

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  13. I visited your new blog during lunchtime, Eric, and I really enjoyed my visit!
    Welldone!

    But I agree with Jeff : when do you stop working?
    ;-)

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  14. Looks like Mad Max Meets Paris. Likewise, I'm glad you made it out of there safely, Eric.

    And congratulations on your new blog ~ that should nicely fill the vacant slot in your schedule, between 2 and 3 am. :)

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  15. How exciting! Journalist blog. Looks like a newspaper in itself too! Love it. Je vais preparer des questions pour toi, je pense.... :)

    This burnt out van looks awful and I'm surprised so many occur. In our cities in UK of course, some occasionally, but I wouldn't say it's common. Great shot though, Pulitzer for sure! ;)

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  16. Though the subject is a sad one, the shot is amazing.

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  17. This is a great photo, too, Eric. You've been unstoppable lately (as the guy who recognized your talents knows)! Another view of real life that is so informative. (Paris isn't alone: in LA people shoot guns to "celebrate" holidays and every year someone's hurt or killed.) I bet it was shocking to come across this.

    Now, its off to check your new blog, which sounds pretty cool.

    Brandon, bon voyage et bon chance.

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  18. It's sad to see this since to many of us, Paris is a magical place. As previously discussed though, it is a real city not a theme park. My only suprise is to see how completely the fire was able to burn since it was in the 2nd and I would have though the fire dept would be on it fast....

    We are off today in the US for Labor Day and hopefully not getting worked up over anything...so trucks are safe for the day!!


    Sean

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  19. LOL Shell - truly, I don't know how he did it before the new blog but I guess you're right, I forgot about that downtime! : )

    Great blog idea, Eric. Everything you do has a component of public service to it. Its incredibly admirable - and inspiring. Kudos to you.

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  20. Best of luck to you with your new blog, Eric.

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  21. Vu où ce van est placé, je doute que ce soit fait exprès... Ca sent l'arrêt d'urgence (et dans doute le cramé aussi) !

    Beaucoup de succès à ton nouveau blog...

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