Paris and I ~ 'Bouffons Du Riche'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Bouffons Du Riche ~

Bouffons Du Riche, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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i'm afraid the passing shadow is hiding the precious timepiece this woman is supposedly going all misty-eyed over. You'll just have to use your imaginations, ok?

'Bouffons du Riche', which someone has scrawled on the model's hand, means something like 'Rich Idiots' or 'Stupidities of the Rich'.

i'm not sure if the main target is luxury goods the scrawling one can't afford, or the ever-invasive advertising itself which certain factions enjoy defacing or sending up.

Personally? Well personally i'm not too fond of these idealised and totally over the top evocations of conspicuous consumption worship. And isn't it a teeny bit demeaning to suggest, as the expression surely does, that this woman's life us now complete just because she has some stupid watch on her wrist like all the rest of us?

What? Oh, it's not just any watch? Right. And the mistiness actually comes from thinking of the person who gave it to her? Well if you like, but i usually treat adverts like this as mini exercises in working out what emotion or weakness or insecurity the advertisers are trying to exploit this time. Do you have the time?

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'Fishing In The Rain'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Fishing In The Rain ~

Fishing In The Rain, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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Fishing In The Rain

It was cold when i took this, and raining, not snowing, despite recent prevailing conditions.

Back in France, i'm on the A6a heading into Paris in fairly significant snow, or at least it looks that way according to our headlights.

But it was raining in the city's allegedly narrowest street, although i know there are a couple of pretenders to the throne. Raining in Fishing Cat Street on a soggily saturated Sunday.

Nemo knows the perils of a slippy sidewalk, sensitively offering the comfort of a ruby red umbrella to passers-by. Thank you Nemo.

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'Gorra Lorra Light'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Gorra Lorra Light ~

Gorra Lorra Light, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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There's no denying it, even in these frugal times of low-energy doom and gloom, Paris still manages to come up with (at least a few of) the goods.

This shot's pretty cheesy, i readily admit, but i'm not going to inject even a hint of irony or snidiness to this pleasant image; yes, your wryly ruminating reporter enjoys seeing the city lit up as much as the next guy!

Oops, bit of third-person slippage there - gotta watch that. i'll start thinking i'm the bloody queen next. Happy thingummywhatsit anyway, whenever it turns up. We've got a week to go i believe, so i'll have to see how many times i succumb to a seasonal theme before then. i'm thinking maybe another two or three but we'll see. It's as much of a surprise what falls out of my fingertips each day as it is to you, believe me.

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'See You In Rue Agar?'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ See You In Rue Agar ~

See You In Rue Agar?, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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i'd seen this sign from time to time in guide books and gloomy places but i was never sure if it was for real or just someone's mushroom-enhanced reality of Paris taking over.

But here it is, nevertheless, the way it hit me, mushroom-enhanced or not...

At least i know i'm not alone in my obsession with all things weird and wonderful hiding in the French capital. Indeed, i get confirmation from my fellow freaks nearly every day.

Each has their own special way of manifesting their love or fascination with this place and each is as valid as the next.

i'll leave you with rue Agar, feel free to track it down, but don't, of course, expect to see what i saw, because you're not me, so how could you. And vice versa. And once again i'm itching to know: what do you see in all this?

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'No Time Like The Present'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ No Time Like The Present ~

No Time Like The Present, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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i was reading about the future though soon i'll be thinking about the past, and you may ask:

if i was me yesterday, and i'll still be me tomorrow, may i postulate a question? How long will i be now? Do you live for the present? Yes, but which present, pray tell!

Perhaps you live in the past, spending your present moments reliving warm memories and regretting missed opportunities. Or perhaps you pass your time planning for the future, your next holiday, a possible promotion, which may, in truth, not actually occur.

Now, here's a thing. i bet i can guess whether you would prefer a painful operation or a tough exam to be in the past or the future. And whether you would prefer a long anticipated romantic evening or fantastic holiday to be over, or just about to begin. In the past and in the future, respectively, right?

And yet, what should it matter, if we are exactly the same person from day to day, throughout our lives? All our at-some-point presents (but not right now) should carry equal weight and importance for us, as 'us' (whether past or future) if we are actually the same person throughout our lives.

Whether the pleasant or unpleasant event is coming or gone we are not experiencing its pleasantness or unpleasantness now, so why worry about it?

Having said that, what is 'the present', by the way? When did your current (present?) present start, and when will it finish and the future take over? Well if yesterday was the past and tomorrow will most certainly be the future, then that would make today the present, right? Mmm, if you like, but personally i'm glad this morning's packing is over, but i hope i'll be able to find a hotel without too much bother this evening (i'm writing this under the channel tunnel).

It seems to me that my stressful packing was in the past (thank goodness) but that my worrying hunt for a hotel is still to come (oh dear), and all of this happening in what i call 'today'. Today, yes, but 'the present' i'm not so sure.

If you perform a fancy Latin thing i can't spell, but which means reduce and reduce the length of time down we consider to be 'the present', or, seen from another point of view, extend what we consider to be 'the past' and 'the future' so much that we squeeze the present from both ends as it were, at what point would we stop?

Maybe, just maybe the past and the future would meet and we'd suddenly realise that there's no such thing as 'the present'. In which case where does that leave us right now?!

With brainache.

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'Pyramids Of My Mind'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Pyramids Of My Mind ~

Pyramids Of My Mind, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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Now some of you may think you know Paris preeettttyyy well. Prreeeetttyyy well, right?

Wrong, smart asses. You might think you would know the answer if I asked you where there was an upsidedown pyramid in Paris, non? Well what if i told you there wasn't one. Not even two. But hundreds of the things all over the left and right banks. Would you believe me? Well the proof is in this photo guys.

See it and weep, suckers, one of the secret yet numerous spooky upsidedown pyramids of Paris, if only you know where to look...

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris and I ~ 'Messiahs Need Not Apply'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Messiahs Need Not Apply ~

Messiahs Need Not Apply, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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A new campaign was rolled out in Paris yesterday which a government spokesman said was 'Aimed at curbing the increased religification of French society'. France, a famously secular country, feels itself coming under increased pressure from religious organisations with highly political agendas seeking to sway opinions on some highly controvertial laws such as the recent ban on the wearing of the burqua in public by Muslim women.

Another thinly veiled stab at the Muslim community, some were claiming before they actually saw some of the new posters and stickers, many of which clearly target the Christian faith as well.

The campaign has chosen a vivid and unambiguous image - the familiar red circle with a line through it, and features the slogan 'No Miracles' and variations thereof.

In the picture above we see the 'No Walking On Water' prohibition sticker next to the Louvre Pyramid in the 1st arrondissement, while others depict the themes 'No Feeding The 5000', 'No Burning Bushes' and 'No Salt Pillars'.

In defending the initiative, a spokesperson for mayor Bertrand Delanoë stated: "Most of these are actually practical matters and fall under the health and safety regulations so I don't see what people are making a fuss about, personally." He continued: "Obviously burning bushes are a serious fire hazard for both pedestrians and motorists, while no feeding of wildlife in the streets, starting with pigeons, has been our policy for several years now and is accompanied by a fine for offenders due to the hygiene risk incurred."

As for the potential creation of pillars of salt he stated "We feel this would be surplus to requirements as the Colonnes de Buren at the Palais Royal have just recently been restored (and God knows we had enough difficulty getting those approved in the first place) and the Mairie de Paris has no plans to install further artworks of this type for the time being." He stopped short of repeating the plagiarism claim which erupted the first time this was attempted within the city walls, although he did add "There is also, of course, the womens' rights issue to consider here, and the thorny issue of whether the women have been properly consulted before the salt pillar conversion takes place, but I really don't have time to go into that right now."

Whether these measures will actually have an effect on the incidence of miracles performed in Paris remains to be seen but signs are not looking good; i was in the city yesterday bursting for a leak and lo and behold! in two minutes i'd found one of those peepod things in the street which actually worked for once, which was a minor miracle in itself.

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© 2010 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.