Beth Arnold

Hillary's Best Incarnation Yet (Hail to the Community Organizer-in-Chief!)

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

by Beth Arnold

I watched Obama's press conference announcing his National Security team yesterday, and I was struck by our president-elect's team-building skills. Hillary Clinton was warmly and honorably named to one of the most prestigious appointments in his cabinet, but she wasn't singled out with the genuflecting the Clintons had come to expect--and she didn't project that arrogance. On yesterday's stage, Hillary had become part of Obama's inclusive and what-seemed-like-already-jelled team. Plus, in a moment of what I hope proves to be an inspired choice for Secretary of State, he gave the Clintons a lesson in generosity and class. I was caught up in the vibe that the good of our country was supremely being served; more than that, the good of the world was being fashioned right in front of our very eyes.

Casting Tool for English-Speaking Actors in Paris

For all you English-speaking actors out there, check out this letter from my friend and former acting teacher, Sei Shiomi, who happens to be a very cool guy as well:

Hi Beth,
 
A friend of mine Stephanie Campion who runs a play-reading group in Paris called Moving Parts has created an interesting casting tool for English-speaking actors based in Paris. And I thought you might be interested.
 
It is a new centralized free-of-charge casting database that will almost certainly provide you with offers of unpaid "opportunities to appear in public" (public readings, short films, etc.) and might even lead to paid work occasionally.

A Moveable Feast

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

by Beth Arnold

The fat turkey sizzled in the oven, and the smell of hot roasting bird wafted up the stairs to tease my two brothers, Blair and Brent, and me awake. By this time, the Pumpkin and Karo Nut Pies had usually been baked, and Mother was in holiday work mode. She had gotten up at 5 A.M. to be sure our feast would be done by noon or so, when our family sat down together. We usually had a good crowd, with cousins, uncles, and aunts who had driven from somewhere, near or far, to spend this holiday together with us, and our two grandmothers and one grandfather who had survived to know us -- to hug us up, tickle us, and tell us we were brilliant stars sparkling in the human universe, where our family was exceptional, smart, and proud.

We are a family who likes to eat, and I happen to come from a long line of good cooks, especially my mother, who wanted us to have a fresh, perfectly cooked, and piping-hot meal. She didn't do much actual cooking ahead of Thanksgiving Day for that reason. Oh, on the Wednesday before, she stirred up her Bing Cherry Jello Salad -- this my brother Brent loved and made for his own holiday feasts, for which he was well known when he moved away, finally living in New York City. Even when his Northern friends thought Jello salads strange he didn't care. Brent was secure with its Southern provenance, texture, and taste.

Who's The Turkey?

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

by Beth Arnold

As I was watching Sarah Palin's most recent and perhaps most "special" news appearance yet, I reflected on her still disturbing national political presence, the reptilian Republican mind, and the energetic backwards motion that parts of my American South have shown in this momentous election. How on earth have we gotten to this bizarre state of affairs?

The video I'm referring to is, of course, the one with the perpetually running (for beauty-pageant queen more than political candidate, it seems to me) Governor Palin doing her usual smiley-face, rah-rah-America, Alaska-is-the-land-of-opportunity, wink-wink, Miss-Congeniality routine at a turkey farm as some poor schmuck whose job it is to kill the doomed turkeys we're all going to eat on Thanksgiving was tending to said business behind her. She had gone there to perform a hackneyed political stunt--giving a pre-Turkey Day governor's pardon--and, as usual, Miss Congeniality's actual stream-of-consciousness upbeat patriotic blather meant less than zero, except to animal activists and vegetarians. To that constituency, she accidentally made a strong case.

Pay Attention: Americans Who Live Abroad Are Still Americans

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

by Beth Arnold

Our American election of Barack Obama has presented a profound moment of world unity. We have all seen the celebratory images on the Internet and television, which spread across the globe like an explosive wildfire. This worldwide Obama jamboree has burned up the airwaves and cable lines. We Americans have been humbled by our own emotion -- the immensity of our joy and relief -- and we have been moved by the passion of our old and new friends, wherever they may live. No matter the continent on which they are rooted to their bits of earth and love their children and dream their dreams. We have felt the connection.

Before this movement for change that Barack Obama built, who among us thought this solidarity -- this harmony -- was possible after the last eight devastating years? This particular euphoria we feel may not last forever, but let us wallow in it now as the Obama transition moves forward.

Want An American Thanksgiving Dinner in Paris?

Hi Beth,
 
I thought I would let you know about our Thanksgiving Dinner Event.
 
I have been in Paris since 2000 working in various Biotech Marketing & Sales positions & absolutely love living here in Paris. One thing I did miss however was Thanksgiving, so back some years ago I started hosting an annual dinner.  Last year when my partner & I opened a café, we decided to host a Thanksgiving event & this year we will continue the tradition.
 
I have attached a short annoucement & if you know any groups or you are interested yourself in having a dinner with friends, please think of us.
 
Regards, Mary Donlan
Le Saint-Martin
25 rue Louis Blanc
75010 Paris
www.bistrotsaint-martin.com

Check out the website.  The Thanksgiving menu looks totally appetizing with Savory Carrot Soup, Roasted Turkey, Old-Fashioned Stuffing/Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Green Beans/Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Bread, Homemade Pumpkin and Apple Pies.

Umm Umm, it sounds delicious.

Obama's Big Bang in France

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

By Beth Arnold

Dateline: Paris

No, make that Dateline: Obama Soiree. The fetes for Barack Obama spilled out of American restaurants and onto cobblestone rues, the town hall of the 3rd Arrondissement (where they were showing American movies all night), and the enormous Palais de Congres! O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! And this was early in the evening before we knew for sure that Democrat Obama won the presidency, though the vibe had steadily been coming and growing. The Obama vibe had been laying a solid foundation in the months leading up to our man's big electoral bang.

Eiffel Tower Sparkles for Obama

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

By Beth Arnold

In partnership with the French Committee of Support for Barack Obama, French and European citizens came together last night with Americans and other nationalities on the Esplanade of Trocadéro to release a red, white, and blue barrage of balloons in support of the election of Barack Obama.

The Eiffel Tower sparkled in the background as a special show for Obama. The French capital is abuzz with this American election.

Video by Beth Arnold

The Bookstore Guide: Paris Report

From Sonja and Ivan about their Bookstore Guide blog:

Hi,

we stumbled upon your amazing blog while doing our pre-departure research on Paris. Your blog has been a great source of information and inspiration to us, so we just wanted to thank you for that.

Our blog - Bookstore Guide - aims to map all the independent European bookstores selling books in English. We try to visit most of them personally, but we also rely on the recommendations of our readers. Anyway, a few days ago we have published a Report from our trip to Paris, which describes our impressions of the local anglophone bookstore scene. We thought that you may find the article interesting for your readers as well. If you like it, you're more than welcome to add a link and use any parts of the article in your blog.

Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild: The Female Joe Lieberman

This column first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.  Comments not included here.

By Beth Arnold

Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild must be one of the worst sports that has stepped onto the political stage in a very long time. When Hillary Clinton lost her bid to the Democratic nomination, her Ladyship packed up her toys and jumped into the Republican sandbox with John McCain, and his platform of anti-choice, anti-gay rights, and all the other obstructions to progress the Republicans feel bound to impose.