|
|
|
|
|
Performances at Périgueux's International Contemporary Mime Festival (MIMOS) range from free shows in the Renaissance streets to elaborate productions at larger venues like Le Theatre, Le Palace and La Cour de la Visitation. There are plenty of workshops for enthusiasts.
Thanks to Karen from Stuttgart, (tech-writer, music-lover, bookworm, art-appreciator, DVD-watcher, comp-addict, stumbler, European Citizen), I stumbled across this illuminating little piece when I looked for info on Gerhard Richter's work to further a discussion I was having with someone yesterday about the modern windows in the Cologne Cathedral - whilst standing in the church in Beaumont -- and admiring their modest stained glass windows. A little out of the ordinary posts in this blog? Except nothing is quite out of the ordinary when you live in this fascinating part of the world and amongst a population as diverse and cosmopolitan as we have here. As many different individuals, as many different experiences, views, opinions and interests. Most certainly never a dull moment!...So -- back to Gerhard Richter and his controversial window in the Cologne Cathedral : Blood-spurting martyrs, biblical parables, ascendant doves -- most church windows feature the same preachy images that have awed parishioners for centuries. But a new stained-glass window in Germany's Cologne Cathedral, completed only two years ago, evokes technology and science, not religion and the divine.
It is always such an exciting time when the two major French Dictionaries, Le Petit Robert and Larousse publish their annual new editions and announce which are the new words accepted into the dictionaries, and thus into the French language.
The Battle of Castillon : The End of the Hundred Years' War
"The fate of Guienne was at this moment in the balance. In 1451 Charles VII had turned his victorious arms from Normandy to the south. The Bastard of Orleans had captured one after another the outlying bulwarks of Bordeaux; Bourg and Blaye had fallen in May, Fronsac and Libourne early in June. No succours arrived from England, where the parliamentary struggle of 1451 was then at its height, and on June 30 the inhabitants of Bordeaux, with manifest reluctance, surrendered their city. On August 20 Bayonne, the last fortress where the English banner flew, had opened its gates, and the subjection of Guienne seemed complete.
"But provincial independence was dear to the Guiennois; they were loyal in their hearts to Henry VI, and they chafed bitterly against the new taxes and the abrogation of old customs which the French conquest brought about. Within six months of the fall of Bayonne Gascon nobles and burghers were visiting London in secret, to pledge their faith that the whole province would rise in arms the moment that an English army showed itself on the Gironde. When the appeal was made to him not to wreck this fair chance of resuming the struggle with France, York [Richard, Duke of York], as the advocate of a vigorous war policy, could hardly refuse his aid. He consented, and a great effort was made to raise an army for the invasion of Guienne. In July, 1452, the veteran Talbot, who had been created Earl of Shrewsbury some years before, was commissioned to raise 3,000 men for that enterprise.
"The struggle of York and Somerset was suspended for a year and more, while both parties gave their aid for this attempt to rescue the last remnant of the English dominion in France. Talbot landed on October 17 in the Médoc; on the 21st the Bordelais threw open their gates to him. Within a few weeks most of the places around the great city were once more English. Then came winter, and nearly six months of respite before the slow-moving Charles of France launched his armies against Guienne. By this time Talbot had received reinforcements from England under his son Lord Lisle; with their aid he won back Fronsac, which all through the reign of Henry VI had been the frontier fortress of the English territory in Guienne. It was only in July, 1453, that the French appeared, in overwhelming force, and laid siege to Castillon on the Dordogne.
Talbot marched out to its relief, with every man, Gascon and English, that he could collect. On the 17th he fell furiously upon the besiegers, who were stockaded in a great entrenched camp. So well were they covered that the old earl did not see how he could turn his archery, the real strength of his army, to any account. Forming his whole force into a dense column, with the men-at-arms at the head, he marched straight at the trenches. Though torn to pieces by the French artillery, the assailants crossed the ditch, and strove time after time to force their way into the lines. They were repelled, and presently outlying contingents from other parts of the circumvallation came up, and began to take the English in flank and rear. At this moment Talbot was struck down by a cannon ball, which broke his leg. His sons and his body-squires fought fiercely in his defence, but were slain one after another. The French sallied out of their trenches, the English column broke up, and all was lost. Talbot and Lisle were found dead side by side, and all the flower of their host had perished.
Nothing can show better the loyalty of the Guiennois to the English cause than the fact that many of the smaller towns held out for two months after the disaster at Castillon, and that Bordeaux itself, though hopeless of succour, did not surrender till October 19, after it had stood a siege of eighty days. But this was the end; the French king took good care that his new subjects should not have another chance to rebel, and England for twenty years was in no condition to think of sending an army overseas. Yet the remembrance of their old connexion with the island realm long remained deep in the breasts of the men of Bordeaux; not only in the days of Edward IV, but so late as those of Henry VIII, secret messages were sent to England from the Gironde, and a vigorous attempt to recover Guienne might yet have found aid from within. Fortunately for both parties the attempt was never made.
has joined the swans and is clearly showing that it has an identity crisis. 
Mark Cavendish was clearly the fastest of the sprinters but he has missed out on taking a fourth stage win in 2010. The top 10 for stage 13 is: 1. Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) AST 2. Mark Cavendish (GBR) THR at 13" 3. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) LAM at 13" 4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) SKY at 13" 5. Jose Joaquim Rojas (ESP) GCE at 13" 6. Julian Dean (NZL) GRM at 13" 7. Anthony Geslin (FRA) FDJ at 13" 8. Thor Hushovd (NOR) CTT at 13" 9. Grega Bole (SLO) LAM at 13" 10. Lloyd Mondory (FRA) ALM at 13""Still, I had to keep myself out of trouble and out of the wind. It was windy and the guys stayed up front with me and, at the end near the climb, it was fast but I told the team, ‘Thank you, take it easy now. I’ll be alright…’ so only Matti [Breschel] stayed with me and the rest of the team should take it easy because they’ve got a lot of work coming up. So do I, in the next few days.
“Tomorrow will be hard, of course but I’ve trained for it and I’m looking forward to riding up these mountains.
“I never said that I’d have liked two easy days before the mountains but we could call today ‘easy’ because the breakaway went quickly. It was clear that the riders were totally burned from yesterday. You could see it; when there were attacks at the beginning – the attack went 50 meters after the start and already there were guys near the front sitting down with legs full of lactic acid. I think it’s fun to see; we are all human. Some of the riders at the front of the peloton went up the road thinking they could make it to the lead group but the sprinters teams got organized behind and Vinokourov went ahead to put on a good show and hats off for that.
“I’m not sure if I’ll attack tomorrow… if I’m good, yes.
“Yesterday was a day for Alberto and today Vinokourov attacked and he actually made it to the finish… tomorrow it’s not up to him, it’s up to Alberto and me and others. Alexandre Vinokourov realized he is not going for the overall here but now he has a stage victory he’ll be going 100 per cent for Alberto.”
Revel on the Tour is also the victory in 1969, in a time-trial circuit around the town, of the legendary racing phenomenon of the epoch, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian rider won his second individual time-trial of that year’s Tour there and went on to win his first Tour de France. The following day, the route followed a shortcut in comparison with the 2010 edition, arriving in Luchon, with Raymond Delisle in the lead.
