by Ric Erickson

Number 1.38:- Metropole Paris - Monday, 11. November 1996:- In case anybody has forgotten, this is the Day of Remembrance. If the memory of all the wars in all the world in this century does not concern you, then you must be on another planet and if so, I do not know how you can be reading this.

As far as wars go, the 20th century has been an absolute catastrophe in numbers of soldiers and civilians killed. We have collectively managed in one short century to break the record for barbarism, set in the 19 centuries since the year One. Is this what 'living in modern times' is supposed to mean?

Think about it. Remember. Decide whether you want it to continue. If you don't, do something about it - right away. We are supposed to be intelligent; I don't know of any reason why this cannot be proven.

Two-and-a-half-Bells Alarm Strike Warning

There is a strike alert for air traffic in the Paris region for next Thursday, 14. November. General unrest on the labor front has been hinted at for the entire week of 12 - 19. November; but specifically in public transports for next Friday, 15. November. The truck drivers may be back in Paris with their 'snail races' a week from now, on Monday, 18. November - but they may also be -immobile- in the Rhône-Alps region this coming Friday.

A lot of various unions are associated with these warnings, but since these are 'official' warnings, one can never predict exactly what will happen. Last week the truckers in Paris decided not to 'perturb' Parisians too much and it is not unusual to have these warning directed more at the various managements than at the public, with hardly any inconvenience at all.

The SNCF train service, for example, is suffering from 'unofficial' local actions around the country, and you can not prepare for these in advance.

Metropole will keep an eye on the situation, and if it seems necessary - will put 'Flash News' online as fast as possible.

Exposition: Automobile

The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie has introduced a new permanent exposition, with the automobile as its subject. About 1000 square metres on two levels will be devoted to this expo, starting with the history, which begins on the first floor and descends on a gentle slope to the ground floor, where you are confronted with the 'under the hood' part.

The history, divided into seven periods, begins in 1769 and extends into the future, to 2010. There are scale model cars and two original-scale cars: the 2CV and a Dauphine. There is also a changing set of two 'collection' cars with one future 'prototype' car - quite possibly from the collections of Peugeot-Citroën and Renault.

The 'under the hood' section features an actual modern assembly unit, which demonstrates one of the key operations on a assembly line. Other themes treated in the expo include the environment and how the automobile affects it; and the issues concerning security - with actual 'crash-dummies' that show the limits of tolerable shock.

This automobile exposition is supposed to last seven years. Various elements of it will be renewed at regular intervals, so it should be worth repeat visits.

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie 30. Avenue Corentin Cariou, Paris 19 Tel.: 01 40 05 81 47 Métro: line 7, station: Porte de la Villette Bus: line 75, from Pont-Neuf or PC.

Antiques and Second-hand Sale at Bastille

It seems to me that every other week there is an 'annual' antiques and second-hand 'salon' at the Bastille, and the current one, which runs until Sunday, 17. November, seems to have no particular name, although it has been held every November for 30 years.

All the same, there appears to be 350 dealers waiting there for you. Sixty of them are antiques dealers and the remainder deal in used goods.

It is supposed to be quite a sight this year - this edition - because textile manufacturers have lent their fabrics to decorate the stands. This is supposed to reinforce the idea of 'deco,' for which this 'salon' is supposed to be well-known.

Daily, from 11:00 to 19:00; evening of the 13th, until 22:00. Entry charge: 35 francs, free for under 12. On Tuesday, 12. November, all persons named Christian or Christiane are entitled to free entry, on account of it being Saint-Christian's Day.