The marketing team behind this poster has quite a sense of humour.

The mairie is currently encouraging its residents and visitors to appreciate the green spaces and tropical woods surrounding the city. They are not wrong you know. There are a lot of beautiful green spots in Paris that one could explore, and I don’t mean just Luxembourg or Tuilleries Gardens. In particular, the focus is on Parc de Bagatelle, Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes.

Anyway, I digressed. So while the mairie is trying to forge a culture close to nature, are we all supposed to turn into a curious Little Red Riding Hood? There is a wolf lurking somewhere out there, with a sly grin in his face. Hmmm… Still, the poster brings a smile to my face every time I see it. While a photograph of a poster is not terribly exciting, I still feel it should be shared :D

Sunday in general is not a great day for shopping in Paris. Most shops are closed (as it should – Sunday is family day) unless you head out to the Marais or Champs Elysées. Alternatively, there are some lovely markets around and I certainly took the opportunity to stock up on some fresh groceries and produce.

As I left the campus for the market this morning, I spotted this poster of the cover of Time magazine, showing the gagging of Julien Assange by American government. I can only suppose this is a poster of protestation of some sort? Or could this be a form of street art instead? Sure, the message is political and touches on one’s right to free speech, but arts and politics today are not mutually exclusive either.

So, what say you? Is this spreading the words or sharing the arts? Or both?

There are election posters everywhere. Faces which some evoke a sense of trustworthiness, others a sense of trepidation. In between them, there are a good few creative non-election posters put up by UpStart, a non-profit arts collective. This poster can be spotted on Kildare Street. They are not just all photographs. I have also seen a number of posters featuring word extracts (from poems? quotations? I don’t know), doodles and paintings around the city, and I’m assuming they’re not exclusive to Dublin but also displayed nationwide.

In about 2 weeks time, the Irish general election would be held. However, unless you’re a citizen living in the country, you’re not eligible to vote. Postal vote is not available. There are some 70-80 million Irish worldwide and only about 5 million living on the island. Many of the Irish are descendants who claimed citizenship but have never step foot into the country. It’s hardly feasible to allow the “outsiders” to decide the politics that affect the residents. However, if you still would like to have a say, you can do so unofficially online at BallotBox.ie until 25 February.