April 15 -- I've had a few inquires about today's devastating fire in Paris, that killed a lot of adults and kids in a hotel. I was not at the scene this morning, but from other fires I can tell you that there's just a sense of hopelessness and grief and nobody can really say much. Meantime, I would not have heard about it unless I was online today. I'm in the 5th arrond. and the fire was in the 9th, across the river and to the north about three kilometers. I do feel compelled to go. I decided not to today, and instead worked on the photo essay from Wednesday's educational protests in the spirit of something more alive and uplifting. If I stop by the scene of the Paris-Opera hotel tonight or tomorrow I will let you know what I see and feel. Here is a link. This city has pretty hardcore emergency services and I am sure they did all they could, but I can tell you that smoke alarms are not required in apartment houses. Please check your smoke alarm batteries and unplug heaters you're not using. http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/15/france.fire/index.html