Paris: Bottled history for sale Oct 27, 2009
Auction includes cognac dating back to 1788, before the French Revolution ... The collection includes a cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, and a bottle of champagne from the first shipment to break through the British blockade of the American states in 1815. (CNN -- International)
Booker win boosts 'Wolf Hall' Oct 25, 2009
Her novels range widely in subject, from "Eight Months on Gazzah Street," set in Saudi Arabia, to the French Revolution saga "A Place of Greater Safety.". Jack Macrea, Mantel's editor at publisher Henry Holt in New York, said her strength as a writer was "the ability to imagine the situation in such a profound manner, which not only gives the reader a feeling for being there, but being a participant in the whole situation.". (Athens Banner-Herald)
Camille Paglia Oct 23, 2009
What you have described is the Orc-Urizen cycle, a pattern identified by the great Romantic poet and visionary artist William Blake after the French revolution. Blake saw every radical impulse toward freedom eventually ossifying and turning back on itself in a new oppression and tyranny. (Salon)
American Idea Oct 21, 2009
If conflict comes, it will take the form of the French Revolution. Will there be "peasants" begging for jobs at the gates of the WH while the pollutants eat Wagyu beef. (Townhall.com)
Meghan Mccain's Big Bust Oct 19, 2009
This is a woman who, while appearing on Bill Maher's show, explained that she knew nothing about Ronald Reagan because "I wasn't born yet." (Paul Begala, no intellectual titan himself, quickly responded that though he hadn't been around during the French Revolution, he knew something about it. She thinks she's being deep when she states, "I am a woman who despises labels and boxes and stereotypes." We in the real world call that a cop-out. (Townhall.com)
Wis. priest auctions family silver for homeless Oct 18, 2009
The restaurant is selling mostly wine but also some very old spirits, like three bottles of a Clos du Griffier cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, as well as the ancient Armagnac, valued at euro400-500 ($595-$743) a bottle. The fuzzy fungus is nothing to worry about - it thrives on the fumes of such spirits and is easily wiped away. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
'Exceptional' wine cellar auction Oct 18, 2009
La Tour d'Argent has bottles dating back to the French Revolution and prices are expected to reach over $4000 for certain vintages. Wendy Urquhart reports. (BBC News)
An interview with Hilary Mantel, author of ‘Wolf Hall’ Oct 18, 2009
A. Back in my 20s, when I wrote A Place of Greater Safety, the French Revolution novel, I thought, I ll always have to write historical novels because I can t do plots. But in the six years of writing that novel I actually learned to write, to invent things. (Boston Globe)
Walk this way Oct 17, 2009
On the French Revolution Walk in Paris you may stop in front of Le Procope, the caf where Voltaire, Robespierre, Marat, Ben Franklin and others often met, and be treated to rich, anecdotal history. More from ForbesTraveler. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Paris Auction Offers 1788 Cognac, 1875 Wine Oct 17, 2009
The restaurant is selling mostly wine but also some very old spirits, like three bottles of a Clos du Griffier Cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, as well as the ancient Armagnac, valued at euro400-500 ($595-$743) a bottle. The fuzzy fungus is nothing to worry about _ it thrives on the fumes of such spirits and often grows on long-aged bottles. (Newsmax)
Charlemagne: Where there's a will there's a row Oct 16, 2009
Barbara Willenbacher, a German academic, notes that such zealots as Robespierre and Saint-Just made state control of successions a keystone of the French revolution. In his desire to smash feudalism, Louis de Saint-Just urged that nobody should be allowed to disinherit, or to make a will. (The Economist)
Should Students Be Paid to Do Well in School? Oct 13, 2009
Few things in France can provoke heated debate faster than moves to tinker with the country's vaunted public-education system, which embodies republican values that date back to the French Revolution. It's especially true when the changes involve an idea as capitalistic and nonegalitarian as paying certain students the ones most apt to fail and drop out to attend classes and get good grades. (Time.com)
Joan Acocella on Hilary Mantel Oct 12, 2009
In her 1992 novel A Place of Greater Safety, about the French Revolution, she performed the amazing feat of making Robespierre a sympathetic man. Her interest is in the question of good and evil as it applies to people who wield great power. (New Yorker)
Founder of the Little Sisters canonized Oct 11, 2009
St. Jeanne was born on the Breton coast in 1792, when the French Revolution had closed churches. Nevertheless, her family's faith was strong. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Was this the first terrorist of the modern age? Oct 8, 2009
Indeed, one theory has it that "terrorism" began with the state, during the radical phase of the French Revolution. Henry had been deeply affected by the state's increased repression of all dissidents. (BBC News -- UK)
Military Occupations that Worked an... Oct 8, 2009
Originally viewed as a liberator and identified with the popular ideals of the French Revolution, Napoleon s appeal quickly cooled as he imposed his Continental System, ruining European trade. His policies were soon unmasked as focusing on France first and resistance built, often resulting in outright revolt such as in Spain. (Suite101.com)
* ART JOURNAL: The good, the bad and the baffling Oct 7, 2009
Honore de Balzacs multivolume The Human Comedy vividly dissects the manners, customs and people of the tumultuous age in which he lived X from the French Revolution to the Bourbon Restoration. Taking the French writers corpus as inspiration, the National Taipei University of the Arts has put together a group exhibit titled Comedies, part of its Kuandu Arts Festival, which purports to follow Balzacs project by presenting portraits of contemporary society. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Sophie Germain, Mathematician Oct 7, 2009
The French Revolution occurred only thirteen years later in Germain s homeland. To protect their youngest daughter from the ravages of war, her parents forbade her to leave the house. (Suite101.com)
Comment: Beyond Borders Oct 7, 2009
Leaders of the French Revolution, for instance, owed a debt to exiles who had brought back British notions of political freedom to the Ancien Regime, ideas that underwent a process of native germination. The course of India's freedom struggle might have been different had Gandhi not undergone a profound moral and intellectual awakening in South Africa. (India Times, India)
Mythili Bhusnurmath: French link Oct 4, 2009
So it was with Libert, galit, fraternit, the clarion call of the French Revolution back in the late 18th century that the rest of the world took for its own, enshrining the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity in many of their own constitutions. And so it is now with gross domestic happiness (GDH), a concept pioneered by Bhutan under former king Jigme Singye Wangchuk, but the rest of the world took little notice of. (India Times)
The night Zhou was drunk under the table Oct 2, 2009
In fact, Zhou Enlai, the first premier, from 1949 until his death in 1976, repeated to us his dictum that it was too early to tell whether or not the French Revolution had been a success, let alone China's. Forty years. (Asia Times Online)
Regional Roundup (668) Sep 30, 2009
The theme is The French Revolution, featuring literature, art and music from this year's Academic Decathlon. All-day tickets are 12, and half-day tickets are 6. (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
Bars on books jar Harvard students Sep 30, 2009
In 2001, university librarians discovered that 46 books, journals, and pamphlets printed about the time of the French Revolution and valued at an estimated $10,000 had been stolen from Widener Library, the university s main library. The year before, librarians revealed that 41 rare Chinese books worth more than $1 million were stolen from a secure area of the Harvard-Yenching Library, the largest collection of East Asian books outside Asia. (Boston Globe)
The Museum, from the Louvre to the ... Sep 26, 2009
The Louvre was the first public museum, established in 1793 to display collections of art and antiquities which had been confiscated during the French Revolution from collections built by the French Royal Family, the aristocracy and individual collectors. The museum offered the opportunity for all members of the general public in France, irrespective of wealth or status, to view the fantastic treasures amassed by the wealthy aristocrats over centuries of collecting. (Suite101.com)
Hope Diamond displayed sans setting Sep 24, 2009
Formed more that a billion years ago, the diamond was mined in India and is believed to have been part of the French crown jewels, having been stolen during the French Revolution. It later came into the possession of Henry Philip Hope, whose name it carries. (Boston Globe)
Press Censorship in American Histor... Sep 22, 2009
France had undergone nearly a decade of internal strife that began with the 1789 French Revolution and ended with the Reign of Terror under Robespierre. Federalists, identifying more with Britain than France, feared that these events might affect the political and social processes in the United States. (Suite101.com)
Uprising in Haiti Sep 22, 2009
Among the precipitating issues were the wars between the European powers, a newly found sense of national identity and want for recognition, the ongoing brutal treatment of slaves, an overall frustration with racism especially on behalf of the affranchis and the French Revolution ... Among the most significant aspects of the French Revolution in relation to the Slave Revolt was the D;claration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen (Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen). (Suite101.com)
"We need new banks" Sep 18, 2009
Or take the French Revolution. This was at least indirectly a consequence of the financial straits the monarchy had got into because of "Sun King" Louis XIV's military campaigns. (Salon)
America's got to end its deadly devotion to democracy Sep 16, 2009
The voter with a stable job and a secure place to live is a signatory to the social contract understood by Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose political philosophy underlay the French Revolution. The possibility that "democracy kills" should not come as a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to events in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Zimbabwe. (Christian Science Monitor)
Psalm 2: The Invincible Kingdom Sep 13, 2009
In the days of the French Revolution, a political revolutionary stormed the Bastille in Paris, seeking to remove every vestige of law and order from the eyes of his countrymen. He scaled the Cathedral of Notre Dame and tore down the cross from atop its spire. (Wasilla Frontiersman, AK)
The Bold Belloc Sep 11, 2009
An even graver sin, curiously slighted by Belloc s most recent biographers, A.N. Wilson (Hilaire Belloc, 1984) and Joseph Pearce (the shorter, more reverential Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc, 2002), occurs repeatedly in Belloc s analyses of the French Revolution. Notwithstanding the fervor with which pope after pope especially, in Belloc s youth, St. Pius X had declared support for Jacobins and indeed Girondins to be incompatible with the most basic Christian decency, Belloc remained as... (The American Conservative)
How to Use Articles in English Gram... Sep 10, 2009
7 miles, or The French Revolution shook all of Europe. Though the rules of article use in English grammar may seem arbitrary or nonexistent, close examination reveals a definite method to them. (Suite101.com)
Why Don't We All Drive on the Same Side of the Road? Sep 5, 2009
Some say that before the French Revolution, aristocrats drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasantry to the right. Amid the upheaval, fearful aristocrats sought to blend in with the proletariat by traveling on the right as well. (Time.com)
No Requiem for a Twitching Corpse Sep 4, 2009
Trilling as literary critic asks the ever-relevant question: "What might lie behind our good impulses?" Like Tanenhaus, he looks to Edmund Burke, who understood how "light and reason" and the noblest ideas behind the French Revolution ran into a dead end of barbarism. Public morality couldn't accommodate the complexity of human differences. (Townhall.com)
Surfing the Net with kids Sep 4, 2009
The French Revolution (1789-99) was a period of political and social upheaval when the people of France brought down the monarchy and strengthened the middle class ... Fact Monster: French Revolution ... Fact Monster offers a hyperlinked history of the French Revolution, reprinted from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (Boston Globe)
The Unsexy Secret of Louis XIV's Mistress Aug 31, 2009
During the French Revolution, it was the radical Jacobins who praised the virtues of family life and condemned the alleged perversions of the aristocracy with a severity that would do extreme present-day American "social conservatives" proud. (That is not the only thing these two groups of zealots have in common. (Slate)
Democrats Push 'Cap-and-Trade' as Climate Cure Aug 29, 2009
There have been, he said, times when violence has accompanied climate improvements such as during the French Revolution, which followed several good growing years. Conversely, there have been times such as in the 17th century during a period of poor climate when positive stabilizing changes occurred. (Newsmax)
Music educator influenced hundreds including Jessye Norman Aug 27, 2009
" Mrs. Creque also took Miss Norman to vocal talent competitions in Savannah in April of 1960 and Fort Valley, Ga., in May of that year. And when Miss Norman advanced to Lucy Laney High School, Mrs. Creque continued to work with her. But even more importantly, Mrs. Creque took Miss Norman to meet Mark Fax, chairman of the music department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Mr. Fax, who had taught at Paine College and personally instructed the Sanders family children, offered Miss Norman a... (The Augusta Chronicle)
Dwight Was Right Aug 26, 2009
The GOP of that age by no means resembled the English Tory Party or any of the incipient rightist parties in Europe, and one of our problems is that American politics really don t correspond to European terminology or concepts; even that dangerous metaphor of Left and Right, inherited from the French Revolution, which can be misleading enough in the European context, often doesn t fit America at all. 2009 The National Interest. (The American Conservative)
Over-exposed Aug 22, 2009
Of course, if you had to read A Tale of Two Cities in high school where all you learned was that it opens with the immortal line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", or if you have ever seen a movie on TV about the French Revolution, you know it ends Very, Very Badly (VVB). The blog admits that "the parallels with today are not exact", which is true in that we seem to dress a lot worse in the ruffled-shirt and hat-with-feathery-plumes department, a grim sartorial fact which is... (Asia Times Online)
Mortgage delinquency Aug 21, 2009
The last time the scale of the average worker versus the high paid execs was during the french revolution ( and you know what happened then) and this is a quote I remember reading in the New York Times in 2000. I think the scale for european execs is 22 to 1 and I believe for US execs it s like 122 to 1 and rising. (The Palm Beach Post)
Historic salt has big role in body Aug 19, 2009
The single most influential foodstuff in history, salt funded the construction of China's Great Wall, dictated trade routes, gave rise to Europe's great cities, ignited wars, fueled centuries of political discourse, helped spark the French Revolution, and was a focal point in the struggle for Indian independence. The words "sauce," "salad" and "sausage" are derived from the root word for "salt." In Rome, it served as currency; hence "salary" and "not worth his salt.". (The Augusta Chronicle)
Learning to merge arts with academics (1) Aug 19, 2009
The same piece was known to be a foreshadowing of the French Revolution, Reed said. You want them to make connections between music and the subject matter and pose thoughtful questions, he said. (Sebastopol Sonoma West Publishing, CA)
Hope Diamond to get new setting for anniversary Aug 19, 2009
Formed more that a billion years ago, the diamond was mined in India and later is believed to have been part of the French crown jewels, having been stolen during the French Revolution. It later came into the possession of Henry Philip Hope, whose name it carries. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Overview of the George Washington P... Aug 18, 2009
European Entanglements: A general war in Europe, brought about by the French Revolution, threatened to drag America in. Washington had to fend off those who would side with France or with England, and find a place of neutrality that did not ruin American commerce. (Suite101.com)
This day in history Aug 10, 2009
In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed the following January. (Boston Globe)
Zucchini Pancakes with Double-Cream... Aug 9, 2009
The earliest evidence of Brie cheese was recorded by the Emperor Charlemagne who tasted the cheese around the year 774 BC. One legend from the French Revolution is that, facing the guillotine, Louis XVI s dying wish was to have one final taste of Brie. During the 1814 Congress of Vienna when Europe's leaders met to divide up the deposed Napoleon s empire, the Frenchman Talleyrand, perhaps to lighten the tension, proposed a friendly competition to see which country had the world's best cheese. (Suite101.com)
Obesity Is Target of Stimulus Money Aug 6, 2009
See the French Revolution and the dozens of other examples in history of where this has occured. Do the Math. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Tweets from the beyond: John Quincy Adams Twittering Aug 6, 2009
Author Matt Stewart is in the process of publishing his novel, The French Revolution. It appears to be the first full-length novel to be released one tweet at a time. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
* A tall tale of two ideological camps Aug 5, 2009
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times K This is the opening line of Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities, describing the turmoil of the French Revolution. The same words could describe the views of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the state and direction of relations across the Taiwan Strait. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
* Good capitalism turning to the dark side Aug 5, 2009
By the time of the French Revolution, the standard of living had hardly doubled since the Roman Empire. Today, it is 150 times higher. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
United Colors of Democracy Jul 30, 2009
Even some followers of Thomas Jefferson fawned over the French Revolution, mistaking it for an ideological cousin of America s own campaign for liberty. It was not until the onset of the Terror and its overtime use of the guillotine that admirers in the United States belatedly recoiled in horror. (The American Conservative)
Today in History Jul 27, 2009
On July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside ... In 1794, French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre was overthrown and placed under arrest; he was executed the following day. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Global Protests Demand End of Iran Abuses Jul 26, 2009
LONDON, July 25, 2009. Demonstrations Around the World Call for Release of Hundreds Detained During Post-Election Unrest. (CBS News)
Who gets the flute? The fairplay riddle Jul 26, 2009
About two and a half months before the storming of the Bastille in Paris, which was effectively the beginning of the French Revolution, the political philosopher and orator, Edmund Burke, said i 00004000 n Parliament in London: 'An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak, and impossible to be silent. This was on 5 May 1789. (India Times, India)
Useless knowledge: Are you well read? Jul 17, 2009
Which novel by Charles Dickens is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. 11. (Montana Standard, MT)
Meghan McCain on Joe the Plumber: Dumbass Jul 17, 2009
Megan McCain tried to be funny and said, "I don't know about that, I wasn't born, yet." In classic form, Paul Begala said, "I wasn't born during the French Revolution but I know about it." That was hilarious. Then Megan McCain topped it off by saying, "You know everything, I am just a blonde." Ugh. (Harper's Magazine)
Author releases novel -- 140 characters at a time on Twitter Jul 16, 2009
Author is in the process of publishing his novel, The French Revolution, on Twitter ... "My agent submitted The French Revolution to all the major publishing houses. Many of them loved it, but none were willing to buy what they viewed as a "risky" novel -- vivid language, elements of fantasy and farce, raunchy humor. What better place to take risks than Twitter?" ... Author Matt Stewart is in the process of publishing his novel, The French Revolution, on Twitter. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
In pictures: Bastille Day parade Jul 16, 2009
Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789, the event regarded as the start of the French Revolution. Indian PM Manmohan Singh was one of the guests of honour of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, here with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. (BBC News -- Europe)
American novelist publishing novel on Twitter Jul 16, 2009
Matt Stewart, a San Francisco-based novelist, began 'tweeting' his first book, "The French Revolution," on the micro-blogging service Tuesday on France's Bastille Day. "As far as I can tell, Im the first person to release a complete novel--140 characters at a time-- on Twitter," Stewart wrote on his website. (Xinhuanet, China)
Infotainment Jul 16, 2009
Matt Stewart, a San Francisco-based novelist, began tweeting his first book, The French Revolution, on the micro-blogging service on Tuesday - appropriately Bastille Day. As. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
More Puritan than Parisian Jul 16, 2009
And given that so many of those who sparked the French Revolution by storming the Bastille in Paris in 1789 were inspired by American revolutionaries, including many Bostonians, you would think it would be even a bigger deal ... They have tried to create a Bastille Day tradition befitting Boston s history in inspiring the French Revolution and its modern status as a home for a sizeable expatriate community. (Boston Globe)
France unrest before Bastille Day Jul 15, 2009
Riots have become a regular occurrence at the start of Bastille Day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789, the event regarded as the start of the French Revolution. Commenting on Monday night's events, the opposition Socialist Party said: "There was sadly no surprise there, but it was the result of a policy which has been ineffective for the last seven years despite the increase in legislation on security.". (BBC News -- Europe)
On Bastille Day, French president calls for high-tech military spending Jul 15, 2009
The annual holiday parade marks the July 14, 1789, storming of the Bastille prison in eastern Paris that helped spark the French Revolution. French companies have been seeking new markets for their military and nuclear technology, and Sarkozy pledged yesterday that despite the economic crisis he would not seek to cut French military spending on high-tech weapons or intelligence gathering. (Boston Globe)
England Is the Faith Jul 14, 2009
Surprisingly for the Catholic he was well on his way toward becoming, Chesterton also remained an apologist for the French Revolution. It was the great shining example of a patriotic spirit that could throw off the shackles of money and privilege, delivering common people from their bondage, granting them a social and political liberty theretofore unknown. (The American Conservative)
