Paris: Then & Now

Kristin Scott Thomas in Sarah's Key. Photograph: Julien Bonet

As Police in England tried their best to restore order, police in Paris in 1942 were doing something quite different!!!

The Guardian: Vél d'Hiv, Paris 1942: 'These black hours will stain our history forever'

In June 1942, 12,000 Jewish adults and children were removed from their homes in Paris and sent to Nazi death camps. It was the largest mass arrest in wartime France. The film Sarah's Key follows one woman's fight against French society's post-war attitude of silence and denial over its role in the roundup.

The roundup was prepared in great secrecy and involved a massive force of 9,000 police and auxiliaries. But given the scale of the operation it was almost inevitable that news of the impending action leaked to the French resistance and various Jewish organizations. As a result, some were able to escape. But most tamely accepted the police's orders to gather up a few possessions before being bused to the Vélodrome d'Hiver.

The film: Sarah's Key

Right now the Parisians have other things on their mind!!!

The Guardian: French bank shares slump as rumours swirl around Société Générale

Wednesday 10 August 2011

French banks collectively hold more than €40bn of Greek debt, which is almost four times more than any other country. Last week SocGen revealed that its profit for the second quarter fell to €747m, down 31% from a year ago, after a €395m writedown on its Greek debt holdings. SocGen has about €2.65bn worth of Greek sovereign bonds and warned that its 2012 profit target would be "difficult to achieve".

Its shares have lost more than half their value since February and Wednesday's plunge dragged down the shares of other French banks, including BNP Paribas, which fell 9.5%, and Crédit Agricole, which dropped 11.8%.

泥菩薩過江自身難保

A clay Buddha crossing a river----- hardly able to save itself

Berlin Wall, Appassionata & The Lives Of Others