Things have been a little bit rough between France and the U.S.A. for a while now, but I think it's important that we recognize that France has indeed made some real contributions to the world. Some examples:
Dark roasted coffee and fine chocolates
Charlolais and Limousin beef cattle
Say and Bastiat in political economy
Hundreds of different cheeses
Baguette
Multi-shipped "Gothic" churches (e.g. Notre Dame with seven "ships," or areas between support columns, or Chartres)
And no, not French Fries. They're actually Belgian. That said, however, when I look at some very real cultural accomplishments from Gaul, I must call my self a cheese eating surrender blogger today.
And one final contribution? The trebuchet, and in honor of that, I'm using that font today. What it has to do with the medieval siege engine is beyond me, but I got caught up in the spirit.
Podcast #1047: The Roman Caesars’ Guide to Ruling
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The Roman caesars were the rulers of the Roman Empire, beginning in 27 BC
with Julius Caesar’s heir Augustus, from whom subsequent caesars took their
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9 hours ago
2 comments:
I hate to spoil the party, but Bastille Day is also the day thr French commemorate the French Revolution, one of the most secular takeovers ever. Christians were literally ran out of the nation, many were murdered. It was truly a sad time.
Yet, I still appreciate a good Burgundy from time to time.
Too right--to this day, you can see bullet marks in Notre Dame from where the revolutionaries de-consecrated her to be a temple of reason. I would simply hope that, by mentioning France's glories, we might reduce the impact of her faults.
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