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by Montoneri Bernard
"What have you to do with warlike weapons, saucy boy?¡¨
Apollo to Eros
Apollo, certainly the most gifted son of Zeus, was the god of prophecy, truth and light. He was said to have given mankind the art of healing. He was also a master archer and a lyre player who enchanted the gods on Mount Olympus with his musical performances. But like all the Greek gods, he could be cruel and ruthless. Apollo was handsome and became a notorious womanizer, like his father. One day, he mocked the son of Venus, Eros, who was also an archer. Furious, Eros sent an arrow that made him madly in love with a nymph called Daphne. At the same time, he sent another arrow that made Daphne insensible to Apollo¡¦s love. He pursued her everywhere she went. It was a very scary experience. She tried to escape by hiding in the mountains, but Apollo followed her. Daphne was the daughter of Peneus, the river god. Desperate, she asked her father for help. When the son of Zeus tried to embrace her, Peneus transformed Daphne into a laurel tree. Her harms became branches and her legs became roots. Apollo eventually realized his mistake and decided to make the laurel tree his sacred tree. In Greek mythology, the laurel tree, the lyre and arrows are Apollo¡¦s attributes. In ancient Greece, the laurel wreath was put on someone¡¦s head as an emblem of victory. As Apollo was famous throughout Greece for having killed a terrible monster called Python, the Greeks honored him by instituting the Pythian Games. Music was played during the games and the victor was crowned with a laurel wreath. When Julius Caesar won a great victory in 45 B.C., the Roman Senate gave him the right to wear a laurel wreath. Nowadays, Olympic champions receive a medals imprinted with a sprig of laurel.
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Bob Dylan, a long and successful career
by Montoneri Bernard
Robert Allen Zimmerman, an American of Jewish-Russian descent, was born in 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota. As a teenager, Robert began to learn piano and guitar and formed his own bands. When he moved to Minneapolis, he adopted his stage name, Bob Dylan, as he played in nightclubs and cafes. In 1960, he went to New York to be part of the Greenwich Village's folk-music scene. He signed a contract with Columbia Records and made his first album, Bob Dylan, released in 1962. His relationship with the folk diva Joan Baez proved to be fruitful and made Dylan more famous. While his career was rising, with hits such as Mr. Tambourine Man (1965), his relation with Baez started to collapse. He became close to Sara Lowndes and asked her to marry him. After a terrible motorcycle accident in 1966, Dylan went with Sara to his home in Woodstock. Despite the commercial success of John Wesley Harding in 1967, Dylan reached a turning point in his career. Fans became highly critical of his next albums and of the fact that he was no longer performing on stage. Amazingly, Dylan made many comebacks, notably with Oh Mercy (1989) and Time Out of Mind (1997). Hospitalized in May 1997, Dylan recovered quickly and continued his impressive artistic career. During the golden age of his artistic career in the 1960s, he was considered as a political songwriter. In fact, he was an outsider, a moralist, and overall a pioneer. Ironically, he didn¡¦t seem so happy about being always associated with the Sixties and said in 1997: ¡§I don't care one bit about the '60s.¡¨ But people did care about him and he was declared the greatest lyricist of all time by BBC News Online users in 2001 (for his 60th birthday). The same year, he won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award in the category best original song with Things Have Changed for Wonder Boys. Bob Dylan has written some 450 poetic songs, fusing and influencing blues, country, folk, and rock music. He has revolutionized popular music by writing some of the most memorable poetic compositions of the second half of the 20th century.
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From the Julian to the Gregorian calendar
by Montoneri Bernard
The ancient Roman calendar, with only ten months and 304 days, was everything but precise. People were confused and many abuses took place until Julius Caesar, in 45 bc, introduced a new calendar: the Julian calendar. A normal year had 365 days, but every fourth year (called leap year) an extra day was added in order to synchronize the calendar with the seasons. The months and the days of the week in Rome were named after the gods, officials, celestial bodies and numbers. In the ancient calendar, January was named after Janus, the god of doorways; February was the month of purification or Februa; Mars was of course related to the god of war; April came from the Latin word aperire (to open); Maia, the goddess of spring, gave her name to the month of May and June was dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage. During his kingship, Numa Pompilius (715-673 BC) introduced two more months between December and March: February and January (in that order). February was moved to its current position in the middle of the fifth century BC. As the old Roman calendar had only 10 months, and as March was the first month of the year, July was previously called Quintilis (the fifth month) and August Sextilis (the sixth). Thus, September was the seventh month of the old calendar (septem in Latin meaning seven); October was the eighth month (octo meaning eight); November was the minth month (nove meaning nine) and December the tenth month (decem meaning ten). In 44 bc Caesar, to honor himself, replaced Quintilis by Julius (July). Later, Sextilis received the name of the first Roman emperor Augustus (August). The Romans believed that the seven celestial bodies were turning around the Earth; the days of the week were therefore named after them. Sunday was the first day of the week. Constantine the Great decreed in A.D. 321 that people should rest the day of the sun. He divided the week in seven days, just like in Ancient Mesopotamia. The sun has been worshipped as a god for thousands of years. Constantine was a pagan solar worshiper. After his victory over his rival Maxentius in 312, he believed the Christian god was his protector and became the first Christian Roman emperor. Christianity was about to be the most favored religion in the empire; the day of the sun was considered by the Christians to be the day of the Lord (domenica in Italian). In England during the Middle Ages the Germanic tribes and the Scandinavians operated a substitution: they kept Saturday as the day of Saturn, the father of Zeus; Sunday as the day of the sun and Monday as the day of the moon. But Mars was replaced by Tiw, the god of war (Tuesday); Mercury by Woden, the god of wisdom (Wednesday); Jupiter by Thor, the god of thunder (Thursday) and Venus by Frigg, the goddess of love (Friday). Bede (673-735), an English scholar and historian was the first to date events from the birth of Christ. During the Middle Ages, people began to use the concepts of BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini," Latin for year of the Lord). The Julian year still in use was more than 11 minutes longer than the solar year. Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585) decided in 1582 to institute what became known as the Gregorian calendar. It was supposed to give a close approximation to the tropical year and to be more precise than the Julian calendar. The pope decreed that the day after October 4, 1582 would be October 15, 1582. Catholic countries like France and Italy complied. Great Britain adopted the calendar later in 1752 and January 1 became the first day of the New Year (it used to be March 25). The Gregorian calendar is nowadays used by most of the countries of the word.
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by Montoneri Bernard
English and French are both Indo-European languages, but while English belongs to the Germanic branch, French is part of the Romance languages. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, when Rome was no longer the centre of a great empire, three tribes made what is now England their home: the Angles (England comes from Angles + land), the Jutes and the Saxons. The place where these Germanic tribes settled became known as the land of the Anglo-Saxons and the language they used was named English (-ish meaning belonging to). The Germanic base of the English language has known many influences since 450 A.D. (especially Latin, Celtic and Scandinavian). Until the 11th century, there were just a few French words borrowed by the English language. On October 14, 1066, William, duke of Normandy, defeated the English at the battle of Hastings. He was crowned king of England on the 25th of December, 1066. By the end of the 11th century, French became the language of the administration, of the court and of culture. France influenced England for 400 years and the English language borrowed tens of thousands of French words (such as noble, royal, government). English grammar, however, was not affected by French. Over the years, most of the French words have been absorbed and it is difficult for people now to realize how huge the French influence is on English. There are two groups of French words in the English language: the words which have been completely assimilated, and the words which have kept their French flavor. For an English speaker or for a student who is learning English as a second language, being aware of the historical relation between English and French languages makes things much easier when he or she wants to learn French. In the first group, there are what we call shortcuts to study French. Several thousands of words have the same spelling and meaning in English and in French. For example, almost all the words finishing by ¡Vtion are identical in the two languages (composition, nation, simulation¡K). In French, all nouns have a gender (masculine or feminine). All the words finishing in ¡Vtion are feminine in French (the feminine singular form of the is la; example: the composition in English is translated by la composition in French). Even if the pronunciation is different, it is of great help while reading and writing French. Here are a few helpful shortcuts: -eur in French (docteur) is often ¡Vor in English (doctor); -amme (programme) is often ¡Vamme or am (programme in English; program in American English); -ble is the same in French and in English (visible; invisible), just like ¡Vable (capable, table) and ¡Vent (excellent, accident); -isme in French (cubisme) is most of the time ¡Vism in English (cubism); -logie (biologie) is often ¡Vlogy (biology) and ¡Vté (qualité) is the equivalent of ¡Vty (quality). Still in the first group, thousands of words are slightly different in spelling but have the same meaning: riche in French is rich in English; objet is object; poste is post; famille is family; inviter is to invite¡KThis proximity between the two languages can become a problem if one doesn¡¦t study carefully and precisely to avoid confusing English with French. The second group of words with a French origin in English is a series of words with a ¡¥French flavor¡¦ like vis-à-vis (face to face), touché (touched or you¡¦ve got me), savoir-faire (knowing how to do), coup d¡¦état (state blow), à la carte (on the menu), déjà vu (already seen), protégé (protected), café (coffee or coffee shop) or joie de vivre (joy of life). Moreover, there are still some areas where French vocabulary is widely used in English: fashion, cooking, ballet, wines or painting. Many paintings are entitled in French even if the painter, such as Picasso or Van Gogh, is not a Frenchman. Note that there is also a close relation between English and Italian.
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by Montoneri Bernard
¡§Helen of Troy, destroyer of ships, destroyer of men, destroyer of cities¡¨
Aeschylus, Greek playwright
The story of the Trojan War has been told by two great Greek writers: Homer (8th Century B.C.?) and Aeschylus (525?-456 bc). Everything started when Eris, the goddess of Discord, got upset because she had not been invited to the wedding of King Peleus and Thetis. Aphrodite (the goddess of love), Hera (the queen of the gods), and Athena (the daughter of Zeus), began to argue after Eris threw to the guests a golden apple marked For the Fairest. Zeus refused to choose the most beautiful among the three goddesses and asked Paris to make a wise choice. Paris, the son of Priam, king of Troy, decided to give the apple to Aphrodite, who had secretly promised him the love of Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman. Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, under the influence of the goddess of love, followed Paris to the city of Troy. To avenge the injury and force Paris to restore Helen to him, Menelaus gathered an impressive Greek army commanded by his brother Agamemnon. As a result of Paris¡¦ judgment, the gods divided in two camps: Aphrodite, judged the fairest by Paris, became the champion of the Trojan side, along with Ares, Apollo and Artemis. Hera and Athena, jealous of Aphrodite, protected vigorously Menelaus and the Greeks with the help of Hermes and Poseidon. The king of the gods, Zeus, remained impartial. Achilles, the son of Peleus and Thetis, was the greatest among the Greeks. After he killed Hector, Paris shot an arrow guided by Apollo and hit Achilles¡¦ foot, in the famous Achilles tendon. It was his only weakness and he died. But the Greeks eventually took Troy by surprise after Odysseus tricked the Trojans with his wooden horse. Menelaus reclaimed Helen after the fall of Troy. The city was sacked and burned and few survived. Modern archeological excavations proved that Troy was not only born out of the imagination of Greek writers: the site of the ancient city has been discovered in modern Turkey. It seems that Troy has been devastated by fire between 1230 and 1180 BC¡K
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by Montoneri Bernard
Imagine that Lady Liberty is not a statue anymore. A joker magician has decided to give life to her. There are only two problems: first, she looks just like the famous statue; second, she is alone and unemployed. Lucky for her, she has a bright idea and decides to go to Hollywood. After all, she is young; she is pretty (even if she looks wired with a torch in one hand and a book in the other) and she is smart. Don¡¦t forget she was born in 1884. She has indeed a lot of experience. After a few unsuccessful phone calls, a famous Hollywood producer accepts to receive her in his office. And guess what, we heard every word of their conversation.
- Lady: Good morning, Sir, it is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for receiving me on a so short notice.
- The producer: You look familiar¡K Tell me, Miss, where do you come from?
- You can call me ¡§Lady¡¨. Well, it¡¦s a long story. I was born in Paris a long time ago. My mother has left this world when I was very young and I have been raised by two great men. I am sure you have heard of them: Gustave Eiffel and Auguste Bartholdi.
- The producer: Oh, yes, I knew a girl called Eiffel, she was brilliant in a movie I¡¦ve seen a couple of years ago. Is she your sister?
- Lady: Half-sister to be precise. She lives in Paris with my younger sister. It¡¦s amazing, we look the same, but she is smaller and likes to travel. She was in Japan not so long ago. She spent a few months in Tokyo to take part in Japan's yearlong festival of French culture.
- The producer: so, you want to be a star. I suppose you have some experience as an actress.
- Lady: I have played a few minor roles when I was in New York. I am sure you have heard of Giuseppe Tornatore and his masterpiece: the Legend of 1900.
- The producer: a wonderful movie, indeed. The music was absolutely breathtaking.
- Lady: To be honest with you, I didn¡¦t say a line in the movie, but I can say without pretension that I was charismatic. Each time the ocean liner, the Virginian, arrived in New York, people were crying tears of joy while looking at me. There were full of hope and admiration for the country of their dream, and I was the symbol of it.
- The producer: Congratulations, Lady, you¡¦ve convinced me. Tomorrow morning, I will call my contacts; I will make sure they offer you the role you deserve.
- Lady: Thank you so much, Sir, I can assure you I will make you proud.
- The producer: One last thing¡K When you leave my office, please, be careful and make sure not to burn the building with your torch.
by Montoneri Bernard
At the beginning of the 16th century, during his second Florentine period, the great master of the High Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) painted what is unanimously considered to be the most famous painting in the word: the portrait of Mona Lisa (1503-1506; Oil on wood, 77 x 53 cm; Louvre, Paris). According to Leonardo¡¦s biographer Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), the subject was Lady Lisa del Giocondo (Mona in Italian being a contraction of Madonna; Lady in English), the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is also known as La Gioconda. In Italian, Gioconda is the feminine of the family name Giocondo; as an adjective, it means cheerful woman. Leonardo loved the painting so much he decided to keep it with him wherever he went. When the great artist accepted the offer of the French king Francis I to settle in the beautiful Loire Valley, he carried the portrait of Mona with him. The king bought it for his castle in the city of Amboise. Louis XIV made the painting part of his private collection in the magnificent palace of Versailles. Later, Napoleon kept Mona Lisa hung up in his bedroom until he was defeated and went into exile. Since the 19th century, the world¡¦s most renowned piece of art is housed in the Louvre. One morning of August 1911, employees of the museum noticed that the portrait was not hanging in its original placing anymore. But they didn¡¦t worry and assumed that the painting was in the photographer's studio. One day later, on Tuesday 22, the employees decided to notify the officials: the portrait was nowhere to be found! The police began the daunting task of looking for a tiny work of art in the word¡¦s biggest museum (forty-nine acres!). When the news went public, all kinds of rumors began to spread out around the word. The police questioned meticulously the employees and people living in the neighborhood. In fact, at that time, everyone was suspected, the workers, the security guards and the administrators. Even the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was interrogated because of his ties to a thief called Pieret. But the case remained unsolved for more than two years when Mona Lisa was finally recovered in Italy. A former employee of the Louvre named Vincenzo Perugia was caught when he tried to sell the portrait in Florence. Perugia claimed it was an act of patriotism: he wanted the Mona Lisa to be back in its country of origin. He was probably not aware that Leonardo himself carried the masterpiece in France and that it was acquired by the French king. When the thief was questioned by the police, he explained how he stole the portrait on Monday 21, 1911. The biggest heist in the history of art sounded like an easy task: Perugia spent the night of Sunday 20 hiding in the museum. Monday morning was the day of maintenance and the museum was closed to the public. He went to the Salon Carré where the portrait was kept, took it and cut it from its frame, and then left the museum. While in France all the borders were sealed, the painting was hidden by Perugia in his apartment not far from the Louvre. On December 10th, 1913, the thief went to Florence and tried to sell the portrait to Alfredo Geri, an antique dealer. Geri and Giovanne Poggi, director of the Uffizi Gallery, went to Perugia¡¦s hotel room. They took the Mona Lisa intact and well-preserved to the Uffizi in order to confirm its authenticity. Then Perugia was arrested by the police in his room. On January 4, 1914, after a triumphal tour through Italy, La Gioconda was ceremoniously restored to her place in the Louvre. Having occupied the front pages of all the newspapers and gazettes around the world for more than two years, Mona Lisa became more famous than ever.
