A derby defeat for the Rouge et Noir in the U17s
William Stanger's U19 side won their third game in a row without conceding a goal
thanks to a 73rd-minute goal from Melvin Jambry at St-Renan
Matchday 8 - ChampionshipEA St Renan / Stade Rennais F.C
the U17s saw their run of form come to an end against Nantes at La Piverdière on Saturday
Trailing 3-0 at the start of the second half
the Rouge et Noir never managed to get back on level terms
despite Antoine Vauléon's late consolation goal
the new group leader on 18 points.Matchday 8 - ChampionshipStade Rennais F.C
Goals : Antoine Vauléon (55e) pour le SRFC || Kevy Essam (2e)
Next game : EB Saint-Cyr Loire / Stade Rennais F.C.
U16 R1 - championshipCPB Bréquigny / Stade Rennais F.C
: 3-1U15 R1 - championshipStade Rennais F.C
: 0-2Espérance de Chartres / Stade Rennais F.C
: 0-1U11 US Illet Forêt / Stade Rennais F.C
: 0-5ES Thorigné Fouillard / Stade Rennais F.C
Francis: one by the protean English critic and one by an equally protean Greek
especially since the books are unalike in length and fervency
<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/St-Francis-Assisi-G-K-Chesterton/dp/B08H6TJWHK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Francis of Assisi</a> by G
<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Saint-Francis-Nikos-Kazantzakis-ebook/dp/B0092PU7AW" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saint Francis </a>by Nikos Kazantzakis
<a href="https://i0.wp.com/theimaginativeconservative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/bright_Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_St_Francis_of_Assisi_Receiving_the_Stigmata_-_WGA20261.jpg?ssl=1"></a>I. “Brother Moon and Sister Sun”:<a href="#_edn1" name="_ednref1">[i]</a> A Personal Note
I remember from my undergraduate years time in Christ Chapel
It was either 1967 or 1968 when the college choir
and what was called a “Festival of Remembrance,” gave a chant-like version of “Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace”:
One might call it a “common prayer,” but that day in chapel in memory for a classmate dead in Vietnam
the chanting reverberated and those of us who needed to be consoled were consoled uncommonly
It’s the “Prayer of St. Francis” but not unusual for a Lutheran College where St. Francis is venerated.<a href="#_edn2" name="_ednref2">[ii]</a>
Francis began at that time and deepened when I learned there was an Order of Lutheran Franciscans devoted to living the spirit of St
It’s all about Franciscanism and there’s a smallish Franciscan Lutheran Monastery near where I live and I met a Lutheran Franciscan Friar on one of my Appalachian Trail hikes and a joyful beggar
the story is likely untrue; her life in the convent was cloistered for over four decades
Francis whose love for God was unquenchable according to some or someone more true to the modern spirit which would make St
Francis a kindred veterinary spirit with James Herriot
When I prowled my college library as an undergraduate
Francis biographies including a copy by Brother Thomas Celano
the first to write a biography three years after St
that same Thomas Celano who wrote as a trustworthy witness since he was one of the saint’s early followers
It’s seraphically interesting; the point is largely hagiographic
Francis with earlier martyrs and saints of memory
Francis’ holiness is rooted in that tradition
Bonaventure records the meeting with the leper as the appearance of Christ which led to St
Bonaventure’s biography is that at the moment of his death
his Franciscan brethren saw his blessed soul “ascend” and carried into heaven on a cloud radiant with dazzling whiteness
appropriate for a saint often called “the mirror of Christ.”
By the fourteenth century anecdotes were gathered into The Little Flowers of St
which includes a chapter in which the Virgin Mary
Francis appear in a vision to Friar Peter; St
Francis’ grief over the crucified Christ was greater than that of the Virgin Mary’s or St
Francis is clothed in more noble garments of beatific glory
Francis as the Mirror of Christ and a Savior of God
The issue is complicated as would any issue that presents such a figure as St
Francis as the “mirror of Christ.” If we read “blurbs,” G
Francis of Assisi opines that after Mary of Nazareth the greatest saint in the Christian calendar
and one of the most influential men in human history
The “blurb” also claims that Chesterton’s “life” is by acclaim the “best appreciation of St
Francis life—the one that gets to the heart of the matter.”
It’s possible: Chesterton’s biographical purpose—combined with his commentary—is to illuminate what Ernst Renan and Matthew Arnold “left dark.”<a href="#_edn6" name="_ednref6">[vi]</a> He’s concerned with previous biographies that make St
even if the book’s cover is drawn from a Caravaggio painting of St
Francis in meditation and akin to Elijah in his cave
a man who owned a high-strung emotional nature while waiting in that cave to hear the small voice of God
best to begin with Chesterton’s belief that the Franciscan spirit is missing in our age
replaced by science and a secular world which has led to the presumed death of Christianity caused by an enlightened age suffering no marvels
Chesterton comments that the pagan world which had begun to “melt” during the long Medieval period “was colored by dangerous and rapidly deteriorating unnatural passions&#8230; [and] something dangerous and disproportionate [had taken] its place in human nature” and that which is dangerous and disproportionate was becoming rooted in our own age (20
“goeth out but by prayer and fasting.” To Chesterton
Francis” is the larger moral movement he caused during the transition from the twelfth to the thirteenth century
He comments and narrates the life of a young man from the nouveau riche
the son of a cloth merchant and a member of the rising mercantile class
His education was sufficient for a young man who needed only a few skills to become a cloth merchant
Depending on the testimony of his biographers
it’s clear that Francis spent nights with rowdies and became debauched
Francis as found in collections of pretty stories
Chesterton early uses the vignette of the war that had broken out between Assisi and Perugia which he notes is akin to recent European history
a war of modern industrial empires haunting the fancy of Chesterton’s own youth and which he infers “paralyzed civilization” and turned out any number of paralytics (31)
the son of that same cloth merchant who with a company of lancers went out
this is a landmark appearing in the fellowship St
acting out of a peace-making largesse “within himself,” even when sickness made him more serious
After which Francis discovered that he had lost his desire for debauchery
Outside Assisi was an abandoned church where Francis began staying
We are told that such living was preparation for his conversion
Chesterton remarks that in his testament St
Francis writes that such began his repentance with bitter experiences among the poor with whom he performed acts of charity (104 )
There are other landmarks Chesterton discusses after his first chapter
Francis anticipating all that is “most liberal and sympathetic in the modern mood; the love of nature
the sense of the spiritual dangers of prosperity and even of property” (98)
the bright morning star of the Renaissance which misses the point when Chesterton asks his reader to consider the whole of the Franciscan inspiration one might “feel” best in the “painting of Giotto” (7,8)
Chesterton follows by suggesting that most studies of St
Francis seem unintelligible to anyone who does not share his religion since to be truthful to the saint requires a saint to write about the life of a saint
The problem has a peculiarity when the biography is charged with reconciling gaiety with austerity and that mystical “stigma” received in a cloud of mystery and isolation and inflicted by no human hand
the unheralded everlasting wound that heals the world which Chesterton describes as St
spread-out like a cross” piercing the soul with a sword of grief and pity.” Amid all of that
“relaxation and quiet” and “in which time can drift by with the sense of something ended and complete; and as [St
he saw the marks of nails in his own hands” (66)
So to go about commenting and narrating and tasking the modern world to read the story of a man”presented as the mirror of Christ” which by analogy means understanding something of a mystical creed and a different order of ideas apart from more modernized Christian morals
Chesterton makes the argument in Chapter I that for St
Francis after a long period of sterile experience came in time an emancipation from rationalistic routine
has been for many a mystical creed of nature worship
Francis in his time has been happening in our times: a “whole world colored by dangerous ideologies and rapidly deteriorating passions let alone the presence of bad psychology with which the world has grown weary or should grow weary” (65 )
It was no metaphor to say that the modern age needed a new heaven and a new earth
The transition from the twelfth to the thirteenth centuries might by analogy bring reform if only a twilit figure could appear silently and suddenly as on a little hill and stand with hands lifted as in so many statues and about him a burst of birds singing and behind him would be the break of day
Francis is a model of traditional Christian morals for a world that has become defiled
But how could one learn anything from a saint who over time had become a “kind old person pottering under a yew hedge in sight of a village spire” (83)
Chesterton notes that the simplicity of St
was alive with a religious revolution and although writing at a distance Chesterton notes the consequence in St
Francis’ own life was a spiritual earthquake which for our own time should not be decreased but increased
Francis—which is likely our own problem in a similar guise—was the human horror of leprosy
Francis had sworn that he would never refuse to help a poor man
Never was any man so little afraid of his own promises
His life was not one of rash vows [but] rash vows that turned out right (28)
Chesterton comments that for dramatic effect the episode should not be decreased for effect in our own day but increased if we are to understand St
Francis scampers after the vanishing leper- beggar
Still “in his sins,” but quick to recognize his moral laziness—and to dramatize his conversion—the saint detached himself from his former life and embracing the leper embraced a life of spiritual consolation
It was not an isolated instance; when he remounted his horse and looked around he could not see the leper anywhere but it dawned on Francis “Whom” he had just kissed
Francis which has led to that single event about which modern scholars voice skepticism
Chesterton draws from Celano’s record but also notes with little sensationalism for his contemporaries that such was not the banner and spears of Perugia but for once St
Francis’ soul must have stood still at what must have been a vulgar danger
When he rushed on the leper such began a long vocation of ministry among lepers for this “mirror or Christ.”
It’s from Chesterton’s book on George Bernard Shaw
and a dramatist Chesterton believed owned a dull consistency in his faulty thinking
especially his mockery of marriage in Man and Superman and his embrace of Nietzsche
The suggestion is the likelihood that what Chesterton came to know of Nietzsche is from Shaw’s preface to Man and Superman where Shaw introduced his audience to writers with attitudes similar to his own including Goethe and his Faust and Nietzsche whose term “Ubermensch” from both Thus Spake Zarathustra and The Gay Science has been traditionally translated as Superman or more accurately “Beyond Man.” Shaw
was also a bit vague on Nietzsche’s “usefulness” and the dark pessimism that animated his numerous aphorisms
More to the point would be the arrival of an evolutionary “Beyond Man” whose instinct would be to give birth to new tables of values which would
The Ubermensch is not the “mirror of Christ.”
What was afoot was a new superstition: “The great difficulty of [Shaw’s] fine intelligence [was] a failure to grasp and enjoy the things commonly called convention and tradition; which are foods upon which all human creatures must feed frequently if they are to live.”
This is Chesterton encouraging a revival of philosophy; unless a man has a philosophy
He will be practical; he will be progressive; he will cultivate efficiency; he will trust in evolution 
[and in time] will stagger on to a miserable death with no comfort but a series of catchwords.”
Philosophy “had become that which had [already] been thought
exploded legends or unverified rumors” (21)
In Chapter Two of his Saint Francis of Assisi
Chesterton offers something of an outline of history which is unlike that of Mr
Wells who understands the outline as a kind of picturesque Christianity albeit largely cruel
Francis which arrives in history near the close of the Medieval Period was not merely a Renaissance awakening as a larger movement of reform or what came
This was done with the highest of motives and with the sweeping reforms of Pope Gregory the Seventh and a “reconciliation” a century or so later when a figure “appeared silently and suddenly on a little hill above the city
For it was the end of a long and stern night
It’s again into such a context that Chesterton places his St
Francis found which by analogy owns an “unfathomable perversity” if not a parallel with our own
Such is the Franciscan spirit Chesterton believes is missing in our own modern age having been replaced by the development of science and the emergence of a secular world which has led to the presumed death of God
A philosophical person who with a certain amount of gruffness cleans up the impracticable muddle even such a conservative as Chesterton himself
it’s easier to explain Chesterton’s enthusiasm for Saint Francis and a proper way to discuss existence without becoming existential: “St
Francis is not a proper person to be patronized with merely ‘pretty’ stories
There are often any number of them; but they are too often used so as to be a sort of sentimental sediment of the medieval world
So we have this figure in a brown habit. Ian Ker in his superb biography of Chesterton notes his early enthusiasm for the saint by “imagining a tea party consisting of about six people, including Jesus Christ, Walt Whitman—and St. Francis.” <a href="#_edn11" name="_ednref11">[xi]</a>
Chesterton took the saint’s name as his confirmation name
but it was not his asceticism as it was his gratitude for his very existence
Chesterton explains the paradox (a favorite word) by applying the life of the saint against what he finds again in Nietzsche
describes his hero, he does not dare to say, ‘the pure man,’ or ‘the happier man,’ or ‘the sadder man,’ for all these are ideas and ideas are alarming”:<a href="#_edn12" name="_ednref12">[xii]</a> [T]he whole philosophy of St
Francis revolved round the idea of a new supernatural light on natural things
which means the ultimate recovery not the ultimate refusal of natural things”(29)
Chesterton’s faith in the saint would be to effect a spiritual earthquake
one in which the very stones upon which we walk would cry out with joy
He was again in disagreement with Ernst Renan and Matthew Arnold who believed that religion had become mere philosophy
his revival was to make such a “thing” personal
and for us to learn that to gaze into the mirror each morning is to see our own faces limned with the face of Christ which is not something foreign or temporary
How else do we go about fulfilling the law of our “being”
God’s Struggler: This Is The Way The Soul Awakens…
About that same time the college choir was chanting “The Prayer of St
Francis,” I was switching majors from pre-med to literature
The oddity concerned a class I was taking in The Contemporary Continental Novel among which was one with the title Zorba the Greek and the story of an English writer traveling to Greece who meets an exuberant Greek
referred to Zorba as one of the great literary creations of all time and in a class with Falstaff and Sancho Panza which I thought was going some but then what did I know
that professor from Great Britain and a very proper woman who suffered my office visits
quietly aristocratic but harboring a soft kind of sadness
She used a term one day in class when we were reading that novel: metaphysics
The context was her reference to the novel as one of the greatest life-affirming novels of our time which left me a bit fuddled
which she called her “rooms,” when I was explaining my fuddlement
she asked me a question which she said was “metaphysical”: Is it possible to convert matter into spirit
I knew that matter in one form could be converted into another form
She suggested I think about it and return tomorrow
I did and she thought my biblical example a good one
We then began talking about what this might mean
She asked if I recalled which book the narrator was reading at the novel’s beginning
She said I might wish to think of our novel as similar to Dante’s poem
the narrator as Dante and Zorba as Virgil his guide
And the subject similar inasmuch as Zorba’s longish soliloquies set the tone for the book: how to convert the matter of our lives into spirit
and life a purgatorial struggling ordeal judged in the end
the soul hallowed by suffering and to dance which is like speaking without words and doing so to liberate one’s spontaneity and emotional passions
is a reflection of Nietzsche’s ideas but an “Above Man” who does not kill God—as Nietzsche would seem to argue according to many— but rather wishes to save Him by converting matter into spirit which suggests the whole story is a fable about releasing the ecstatic
spontaneous will to live or hobble along with a time-bound smidgeon of life and never once dancing in tune with a bubbling laugh from the deep
and fiction which embellishes history embellished in turn by Kazantzakis’ personal philosophy
this Kazantzaksi educated early by Franciscans and then in Paris
where he studied philosophy with Henri Bergson
when approaching Kazantzakis for whom Nietzsche sang like a caged bird at least for his modern mind
Francis is much more visceral if not more Albert Camus-like existential
blazing with passion and to read the whole requires an investment of time and a desire for a scholarly synthesis of many different ideas not only from Nietzsche but Bergson especially to whom Kazantzakis owned an immense debt
Ideas that permeate his Saint Francis can be found in Bergson’s Creative Evolution and his philosophical notion of the élan vital
the creative force that drives men toward their own evolution and perhaps unlike Chesterton a strong emphasis on intuition over reason
that Greek notion of the confrontation between the Dionysian and Apollonian versions of life found in the Birth of Tragedy
The leper had emerged from a clump of trees
In his hand he held a staff covered with bells that
As soon as he saw Francis running toward him with outspread arms
Half of his putrescent nose had fallen away; his hands were without fingers—just stumps; and his lips were an oozing wound
then lowered his head and kissed him upon the lips (135)
The scene is again one of the seven key moments in the life of St
Francis narrated here by Brother Leo who remarks that these moments had about them the odor of sainthood (13)
and and likely one to be wondered at by modern readers
As Francis remounts and begins to ride away
he looks back and the leper has disappeared
But in the whole of his life we know that because he was “still in his sin,” he began doing penance
taking what seems bitter and transmuting it into sweetness which is the way the soul awakens and the process by which matter is converted into spirit
also narrates the scene by noting that Francis “saw his fear coming up the road&#8230; white and horrible in the sunlight
For once in the long rush of his life his soul must have stood still” (35)
Imaginatively we are not looking at clouds and sparrows
It begs the question to argue that such is “a sacramental experience” but those may be the exact words
The issues in Chesterton’s biography and Kazantzakis’ novel are thus treated with synonymity and moments about which moral philosopher Iris Murdoch (again a favorite of mine) might offer such comment as “Faced with difficult problems or terrible decisions, we may feel the need, not so much of a sudden straining of unpracticed will power, but of a calm vision, a relaxed understanding, something that comes from a deep level” <a href="#_edn17" name="_ednref17">[xvii]</a>
is when “something happened to him that must remain greatly dark to most of us 
who are ordinary and selfish men whom God has not broken to make anew” (36)
It’s the talking crucifix moment and the ruins of the Church of St
Francis set about collecting stones even begging people to give him stones
What Chesterton refers to in the fourth chapter
“Francis the Builder,”as “something” that “must remain greatly dark” is narrated in considerable emotional if not spiritual fervency by Brother Leo
suffering an extraordinary dark night of the soul believes himself doomed
“plummeting downward” (65) unless he could find a way to grow wings
pale-green Christ hanging on it.” Brother Leo adds more sublime detail: “There was something strangely sweet about this Christ
dying like a human being.” Brother Leo and St
Francis on the same day as the feast of San Damiano
between Chesterton and Kazantzakis is that Christ speaks to St
Francis in a dream suggesting that the whole church
The little chapel is the case in point and not only does Christ in the dream grasp St
Francis’ shoulder he gives him a strong push with the command
the twenty-fourth day of September in the year 1206 after the birth of our Lord when St
Francis himself was reborn and when he and Brother Leo begin to gather stones and to buy oil for the lamp to illuminate “Him.”
Francis sang a troubadour song about the virtue of the beloved lady and talked passionately about stones and that to “chink a crumbling wall is,” as Brother Leo narrates
“the same as reinforcing the entire earth to keep it from falling
the same as reinforcing [the] soul to keep that too from falling” (86)
is more blasé than Kazantzakis: Chesterton opting to suggest that it was “meant for a crown and for a seal” (75)
bejewels the story in a manner that recalls the story mentioned earlier by Bonaventure
Here’s Kazantzakis on the stigmata which bears a remarkable resemblance to Peter Paul Rubens&#8217; painting:
The night was collecting its stars and darkness
A seraph with six wings of fire was descending
The winged figure of the Crucified rushed down upon Francis with a hiss and touched him for the space of a lightning flash
Francis uttered a heartrending cry as though nails were being driven into him
Then I heard the six-winged seraph utter several words
And the voice of Christ replied from amid the seraph’s wings
and paradise are identical.” Francis lay “stretched on the ground now
I bolted out from behind my rock and ran to him
His hands and feet were bleeding profusely
I saw that blood was also flowing from a deep open wound in his side
a wound that seemed to have been made by a lance” (498-499)
Here’s Chesterton imaginatively on the death of Saint Francis who in later life had become a pageant of sickness
or almost like a pageant of mortality and in that one mighty moment blessed us all:
.[H]e was lifted at his own request off his own rude bed and laid on the bare ground; as some say clad only in a hair-shirt
as he had first gone forth into the wintry woods from the presence of his father
It was the final assertion of his great fixed idea&#8230;
As he lay there we may be certain that his seared and blinded eyes saw nothing but their object and their origin
We may be sure that the soul in its last inconceivable isolation was face to face with nothing less than God Incarnate and Christ Crucified&#8230;
[T]he hours passed and the shadows lengthened
A man might fancy that the birds must have known when it happened; and made some motion in the evening sky&#8230;  [T]here was a sudden stillness
where all the brown figures stood like bronze statues; for the stopping of the great heart that had not broken till it held the world (97-98)
Francis gave the world is beyond quarrel and for St
Francis beyond the great primal thing save for the Creation and the Story of Eden
the fist Christmas and the first Easter without which the world had no history
Francis is the story of a man who walked the world “like the Pardon of God” (101) which suggests that his appearance on earth
marks a mean in which even modern men could be reconciled not only to God but to nature and most difficult even in their sins to themselves
The saint was sane but with an elfish eccentricity
His life was like the birth of a child as in a dark house and lifts its doom and triumphs over it by his innocence
And here’s Kazantakis on the death Saint Francis whose final words were engraved on his followers’ hearts lest they be lost:
opening his arms as though he wished to embrace us
In compassion there are two: the one who suffers and the one who feels compassion
In kindness there are two: the one who gives and the one who receives
But in love there is only one; the two join
The ‘I’ and the ‘you’ vanish; to love means to lose one’s self in the beloved.”
The end then came near with the friars arriving from all directions including Captain Wolf who descended from the mountain and on tiptoe brought Francis a gift of grapes.<a href="#_edn23" name="_ednref23">[xxiii]</a>
The brothers undressed him and laid him naked on the ground sensing the presence of the archangel above his body
flocks on sheep were all coming toward the hut lamenting and then the wild animals emerged from the forrest and began to lament and then “thousands of winged creatures” began to sound a dirge
Suddenly the heavens were filled with flashes of blue
Thousands and thousands of angels came and placed themselves round the dying man
then folded their wings and waited with smiling faces
His lips moved; he seemed to have some final words to say to us
Matter Converted Into Spirit: Can a Man Become a Donkey
what came into being ex nihilo was spirit coming into matter
It’s not inappropriate to say that such is a form of incarnation
As Brother Leo inscribed the final words a tiny sparrow came to the window and began to tap on the pane
“Its wings were drenched; I got up to let it in
it was you dressed as a tiny sparrow” (598)
I confess to an equal amount of fondness for both Chesterton’s St
Francis of Assisi and Kazantzaksi Saint Francis
And I confess a tremendous fondness and debt to my mentor Dame Sarah Keith
I came to know her well in the numerous times we spent in her “rooms” and with tea
her birth parents lost in the London World War II bombings
But adopted and wonderfully raised by a minor aristocratic family
She once showed me their photograph and another of a young man in uniform
gone missing in the Korean Conflict and the source of her sorrow
Because of Dame Sarah Keith I went to graduate school
And about the time of my doctoral defense came a phone call and I learned of her death and in her final testament her request for me to eulogize her in that same chapel where years ago the choir chanted “Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace.”
I agreed but asked that the old lectern I would daily heft from her “rooms” to her next door class room be placed up front in the chapel
I spoke for her in that chapel with my notes on that old lectern
inadequate as I felt to the task but recalled from memory a time in which we were talking about Heraclitus and Parmenides and flux and how in Parmenides’ poem the goddess says that
there is “flux” but something must give motion to that flux and that something is “un-generated
whole and uniform and still and perfect” and which she said was an important stretch of metaphysical reasoning which at that young time in my life was one more example of befuddlement
She asked if I agreed that because of flux all things in time change
She asked if a man could make himself into donkey
I said yes but Dame Sarah fluffed for a moment and suggested I was confusing the word donkey with the word ass
This essay was first published here in March 2022
<a href="#_ednref1" name="_edn1">[i]</a> In 1972 Franco Zeffirelli directed Brother Sun
Interspersed are lyrics from the Scottish singer/songwriter Donovan which became the sound tack for the movie which suggests St
Francis was an early version of someone mellow yellow
<a href="#_ednref2" name="_edn2">[ii]</a> To be clear
Francis but an anonymous French writer early in the Twentieth Century
<a href="#_ednref3" name="_edn3">[iii]</a> Sabatier is an interesting figure who’s at the forefront of more modern methods of textual research which is
The consequence for Sabatier is that his “story” of the Franciscan order was in contradiction to the church’s Doctrine of the Faith and thus deemed heretical
the book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books
the aim of which was to protect church members from reading “disruptive books.”
<a href="#_ednref4" name="_edn4">[iv]</a> Spoto is something of a prodigy with numerous biographies to his credit including one on Marilyn Monroe and one on Joan of Arc
Francis intends to strip away all that has been obscure by years of pious iconography and hovers between disapproval by zealots on one hand and atheists on the other
 The consequence is a book more befuddling than not
<a href="#_ednref5" name="_edn5">[v]</a> Once again
following a stand alone biographical narrative
examines the reams of historical sources about St
Thompson was recently appointed President of the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies
<a href="#_ednref6" name="_edn6">[vi]</a> G
all subsequent citations are from this edition and cited by page number
Writing on the origins of early Christianity
Jesus is depicted as a man but not God which then argues that the life of Jesus is no different than the life of any historical person
Arnold is sometimes compared to Newman as a conservative Catholic but later abandoned Christianity in favor of agnosticism
most of the metaphysical apparatus of traditional Christian theology .had become literally meaningless which suggests his relation to Newman became in time more subversive than not
<a href="#_ednref7" name="_edn7">[vii]</a> Nikos Kazantsakis
<a href="#_ednref8" name="_edn8">[viii]</a> See G
Chesterton skewers Shaw gracefully with such phrases as this “eloquent sophist” and that Nietzsche was “a frail
[with] a remarkable ability of saying things that master the reason for a moment by their gigantic unreasonableness:” p
<a href="#_ednref9" name="_edn9">[ix]</a> Shaw
<a href="#_ednref10" name="_edn10">[x]</a> Care must be attended when rendering an interpretation because of the “uses” made over the years following Nietzsche’s death
It’s clear that he understood the historical narrative of the Enlightenment&#8217;s doctrines as the source for the diminution of classical values
The paradigm shift suggested that the sole source of values that resulted would arise from empiricism which meant that the concept of God as the ultimate expression of values which included other-worldly fulfillment would in effect die
and of which Nietzsche was profoundly aware
was that the ultimate expression of these new values vectored into nihilism
Nietzsche projected such but also argued that the “BeyondMan,” as an object of serious aspiration
was no Nazi bogeyman but an actual historical person like other historical persons in time who represented a sort of eschatological redemption
but suggests that the “Beyond-Man” who has creatively evolved would represent an eschatological redemption and defeat nihilism
The problem has always been to think of the “Beyond-Man” as the Lex Lothor of Superman comic fame which is a bit like tearing out a single sentence—such as God is dead— from the whole of a philosophical
<a href="#_ednref11" name="_edn11">[xi]</a> Ian Ker
<a href="#_ednref12" name="_edn12">[xii]</a> Shaw
<a href="#_ednref13" name="_edn13">[xiii]</a> Nikos Kazantzkis
all subsequent citations are from this edition by page number
<a href="#_ednref14" name="_edn14">[xiv]</a> “Wretched man that I am,” Paul cries; “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Roman’s 7:24
<a href="#_ednref15" name="_edn15">[xv]</a> Martin Scorsese
directed a film version of Kazantzakis The Last Temptation of Christ
 Catholic and Protestant views were much alike in their condemnation of the film as morally offensive to what Christians believe
<a href="#_ednref16" name="_edn16">[xvi]</a> G
<a href="#_ednref17" name="_edn17">[xvii]</a> Dame Iris Murdoch
“The idea of negation (void) or surrender of selfish will is to be understood with the idea of purified desire as purified” cognition
<a href="#_ednref18" name="_edn18">[xviii]</a> Kazantzakis
is a struggle to discover and restore the spirit
Thus by analogy life itself is a crusade in the service of God
we are set out as crusaders to free—not the Holy Sepulcher—but that God is buried in matter and in our souls.” See also his Saint Francis where Brother Leo writes early
then kneaded it with your blood and after a terrible struggle that lasted many years
<a href="#_ednref19" name="_edn19">[xix]</a> It should be mentioned that Bergson’s élan vital has little scientific application or as an explanation of phenomena as most scientific concepts do
as the élan vital as vital spirit the world of experience is distinct from the physical world
Bergson argued for the independence of the former from the latter; the élan vital is the self-procreating energies transforming matter into spirit
<a href="#_ednref20" name="_edn20">[xx]</a> The difficulty
is the suggestion on the part of some Bergson admirers that the élan vital
is capable of surmounting all obstacles which could include death
Lewis rejected Bergson’s concept by arguing that nothing can reverse the second law of thermodynamics
<a href="#_ednref21" name="_edn21">[xxi]</a> Murdoch
<a href="#_ednref22" name="_edn22">[xxii]</a> Murdoch
<a href="#_ednref23" name="_edn23">[xxiii]</a> Captain Wolf is understood to be the wolf of Gubbio who submitted to St
Francis and placed one of his forepaws on St
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WEST Somerset Brass Band recently returned from a much-anticipated visit to Brittany
as part of the ongoing cultural exchange organised by the Watchet and Saint Renan Twinning Societies
marked the band&#x27;s return to France after a six-year hiatus due to the pandemic
accompanied by members of the Twinning Society
enjoyed a packed itinerary that included visits to Brest
the Saint Renan Waterpark and an afternoon at the beach
as well as performances at venues such as the La Forge brewery in Plouarzel and the Mairie of Saint Renan
A highlight of the visit was the presentation to the Mayor of two artworks by the late Watchet artist Alex Hollweg
gifted by his widow Geraldine and children Rebecca and Lucas
as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two communities
a piece arranged by Alex specifically for these twinning visits
has become a cherished part of the band&#x27;s repertoire and a reminder of the deep cultural ties between Watchet and Saint Renan
The band also played a moving rendition of The Old Rugged Cross in memory of former bandmate Pete Wilson
The performance was especially poignant with the attendance of Jean Wilson and Marilyn Binding
whose late husbands Pete and Dickie were much-loved leading figures in both the band and the Twinning Society
the trip offered plenty of fun opportunities for cultural exchange and camaraderie
which has been fostering these international bonds since 1979
plays a vital role in strengthening community ties through such visits
to ensure the continued success of these exchanges
the society is eager to welcome new members
who can bring fresh perspectives and energy to their activities
emphasised the importance of engaging a broader demographic to keep the tradition alive
She said: &quot;Joining the Twinning Society is a wonderful opportunity to experience family life in another country and to be part of something that truly strengthens our community ties,&quot; she said
For those interested in joining the Twinning Society and becoming part of this enriching cultural exchange, please email <a rel="nofollow" href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f5829481969d908181829c9b9b9c9b92b59298949c99db969a98">[email&#160;protected]</a>. 
Watchet Twinning states on its website that it was originally founded in 1976.  Originally the organisation that arranged possible twinnings had suggested a Normandy location, however, there were concerns of distance and travel times.  At the same time the Brittany town of Saint Renan was looking for a suitable partner in the West Country. Delegations from the two towns met informally here in Watchet and the subsequent official twinning was formed.  
Whether you&#x27;re a music lover, a Francophile, or simply someone who enjoys fostering international friendships, the Society would love to welcome new members into its fold.
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Correa was locked in a tight battle for the podium with eventual medallists Jose Gonzalez of the Dominican Republic and Saint Kitts&#x27; Nadale Buntin. The trio was neck-and-neck across the opening 100m.
But with the finish line nearing, Correa made his move, pushing to the front and the gold medal.
The final standings were Correa (20.37), Gonzalez (20.56) and Buntin (20.79).
Correa&#x27;s title is the first for Brazil at the Pan Ams since 1999 when Claudinei Quirino was the champion. Gonzalez adds the silver medal to his 100m title from earlier in Santiago, while Buntin&#x27;s medal is just the fourth overall in men&#x27;s athletes at the Games.
Athletics continues Friday evening (3 November) with eight gold medal finals scheduled.
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Attending suicide callouts is taking a toll on paramedics' mental health
causing nightmares and flashbacks and harming their personal relationships
Psychologist Dr Renan Lopes de Lyra interviewed nine paramedics in New Zealand as part of his PhD research at the University of Otago
Lyra said his interviewees talked in detail about the trauma of attending suicide callouts and the impact it was having on their mental health and relationships
their mental distress arose from a single traumatic encounter they could recall in detail
while for others the emotional toll came from the cumulative effect of numerous traumatic encounters with suicide
"Several described the tension they experienced between having a public front as a health professional skilled in an emergency response and the private reality of being a vulnerable human like anyone else
'If you're a human being and you've got feelings
Lyra said two of the nine paramedics he interviewed had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders
while others described symptoms consistent with PTSD and anxiety
such as flashbacks and nightmares and said they avoided places where suicide deaths had occurred
The cumulative emotional distress could lead to feelings of isolation
and emotional disconnection from family and friends
with some paramedics withdrawing from social interactions in order to avoid 'spreading trauma'
Lyra said the participants in the study would have liked more training in dealing with mental health crises and felt unprepared to deal with suicide callouts
Most developed the skills they needed through 'trial and error' experience while on duty due to the absence of suicide-related protocols for managing patients
"Paramedics found they needed different skill sets for mental health callouts than those they had learned in their emergency health training
the focus of paramedics is generally to stabilise vital signs and keep the patient alive using protocol-based approaches
whereas mental health situations require intuitive skills on how best to approach and de-escalate the situation."
Lyra said those interviewed felt they were being required to 'fill in the gaps' for a health system that was failing to adequately support those experiencing mental health crises
"They were often surprised to find the people they transported to hospital were discharged without any apparent treatment plan in place
This left them feeling frustrated and helpless
particularly when they were called out to attend the same patient in subsequent shifts."
Lyra said the study highlighted the risks that on-the-job exposure to suicide could pose to people's mental health
"Organisations that employ first responders really do need to be thinking about the impact of suicide callouts on their staff."
Lyra's <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27536386241283986">research findings</a> have been published in the international journal Paramedicine
New Zealand police are starting to <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/532666/health-workers-worried-about-violence-as-police-pull-back-on-mental-health-callouts">pull back from attending non-emergency mental health callouts</a> - saying they have no choice but to pull back as the callouts are cutting into their crime-fighting duties
Health NZ is scrambling to bring in new ways to cope with people in mental health distress from Monday
The ambulance union wants stab-proof vests for all workers
The plan will be rolled out in phases from November until it is fully implemented by September 2025
<a class="btn btn-social btn-rss" href="/rss/national.xml">New Zealand RSS</a>
<a class="btn btn-social btn-twitter" href="https://twitter.com/rnz_news">Follow RNZ News</a>
Denis Le Saint is not usually one to get carried away
he has built his reputation — in business and in football — upon quiet competence rather than showmanship
“It’s exceptional, extraordinary,” <a href="https://x.com/SB29/status/1829426022049030530" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">he said on French television</a>
Le Saint was speaking in late August, just before this season’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/champions-league-scores-live-updates-results-bracket/ubw7kFXUNO12/">Champions League</a> draw in Monaco
He had never attended such an event before
It is safe to assume the idea had never figured in his wildest dreams when he became president of Stade Brestois 29 in May 2016
Last season’s third-placed finish in Ligue 1 took them into European competition for the first time in their history
Le Saint has every reason to feel proud of that achievement
Beat reigning European champions Madrid at home tonight and there is a chance Brest will finish in the top eight and progress directly to the round of 16
Look only at the Le Saint era and you might be tempted to assume Brest were sleeping giants
Brest only played top-flight football for the first time in 1979
brought to its knees by financial mismanagement and liquidated to pay creditors
they operated outside France’s professional leagues
when they dropped into regional amateur competition
Real Madrid won two Champions Leagues during those years
Fecamp — essentially village teams — and Caen’s reserves
To go from there to where they are now is not just a fairytale
it is entirely logical that Brest would not look much like a Champions League club in 2024-25
as Madrid arrive in their home region of Brittany
it is worth reiterating just how big the divide between them is — and the extent to which Brest are punching above their weight
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6080474/2025/01/22/real-madrid-out-earned-manchester-city-by-nearly-180m-last-season-as-stadium-income-becomes-key/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madrid have just been named the richest football club in the world</a>
Brest’s annual budget is believed to be around €50m — the fourth smallest in 18-team Ligue 1
Madrid have just renovated their 78,000-seat Bernabeu stadium, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5367568/2024/03/25/bernabeu-real-madrid-renovation-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at a cost of €1.17billion before interest</a>
Brest have been planning a new ground for years but still reside at the 15,000-seater Stade Francis-Le Ble — “a stadium at the end of its life,” in the words of the city’s mayor
As the ground does not meet UEFA regulations
Brest’s Champions League home games are being played in Guingamp
Transfermarkt puts the total value of the Brest squad at €120million
The same website estimates Madrid’s is worth over 10 times that
Madrid’s main shirt sponsor is a Middle Eastern airline
On paper, tonight should be a walkover. Brest, though, have bloodied the noses of bigger clubs — drawing with German champions <a class="ath_autolink" data-id="741" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/football/team/leverkusen/">Bayer Leverkusen</a>
beating Dutch title holders PSV — in this competition
They will not simply roll over for their illustrious visitors
“The team carries the image of the indomitable Breton, the little guy who beats the big guy, like in (comic book) Asterix,” says Adrian Prigent, who covers the club for local newspaper Le Telegramme. “The whole of <a class="ath_autolink" data-id="779" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/football/team/france/">France</a> has taken a shine to them
They have shown you can still win without money.”
It is not hard to understand why Le Saint — who runs a successful vegetable distribution business with his brother — is a beloved figure
Brest’s wilderness years were in the rear-view mirror by the time he took over
but they were still yo-yoing between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2
many football club owners try to establish a foothold by investing heavily in players
“His main desire wasn’t to bring in big stars, but to improve the day-to-day life and comfort of the players here,” Bruno Grougi, who played for Brest between 2009 and 2018, <a href="https://www.sofoot.com/articles/bruno-grougi-sans-le-stade-brestois-je-ne-serais-rien" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">recently told So Foot magazine</a>
Brest always used to train on a muddy pitch near the stadium; Le Saint found them a new facility in Guipavas
where they now have top-quality hybrid pitches
The same surface was installed at the Francis-Le Ble
There may still be a homespun charm to the operation — fans are allowed to watch training and press conferences take place in a prefabricated building — but things are more professional where it matters
“Le Saint and his brother know how to run a business on a budget,” says Prigent
“They also know how to surround themselves with competent people
The Le Saints were born in the port city of Brest
Those from outside the region tend to be won over
a nuggety little Celtic enclave whose culture has more in common with that of Cornwall than places such as Carcassonne and Cannes elsewhere in France
“The club definitely has a unique identity,” Steeve Elana
who made 246 appearances for Brest between 2005 and 2012
“It’s partly a geographical thing: when you’re in Brest
when you start to look more carefully at the history of the city
you realise it was completely destroyed during the war and has gone through this process of reconstruction
Many of those who played a part in that recovery remain emotionally invested
“A lot of my former Brest team-mates are still there
“That’s another big plus: the people making decisions have history at the club.”
He told So Foot that he sees the club’s small-town outlook — passed down through the generations — as its greatest strength
We make sure we defend the badge with pride
“We do all the things you can’t do at big clubs
All of those factors set the scene for what has happened in the past 18 months
But if there was one single moment of ignition
it was the appointment of Eric Roy as manager in January 2023
To call Roy a left-field pick would be to undersell it
His coaching CV included just one previous job in senior management: an 18-month spell at hometown club Nice, which ended in 2011. Roy, a former journeyman midfielder, then worked as a television pundit for 12 years, pausing only for brief stints as sporting director at Lens and English club <a class="ath_autolink" data-id="683" href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/football/team/watford/">Watford</a>
When the call came from Brest, teetering above the Ligue 1 relegation zone and increasingly desperate for a saviour, Roy could barely credit it. “The adventure with Brest happened at a moment when I did not believe it could happen any more,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jan/20/vive-king-eric-roy-as-brests-song-for-europe-grows-ever-louder" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">he recently told UK newspaper The Guardian</a>
They are eighth this season — not much of a drop-off considering they are juggling domestic duties with European fixtures
Roy has won plaudits for the tweaks he made to Brest’s system
high-pressing game scares the life out of even the best teams in France
and his reinvention of rangy midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou as a deep-lying playmaker last season was a masterstroke
This has not really been a tactical revolution
Far more critical has been Roy’s ability to connect with players and fans
he made the players understand that we will only succeed as a collective,” said Grougi
says Roy has brought “a bit of soul” to the club
In the first instance, Roy is an advocate for hard graft and intensity. He wants his players to compete, to snap into every tackle. “We’re a bit of a mob out on the pitch, a bit crazy,” veteran midfielder Jonas Martin <a href="https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Article/-on-a-un-groupe-de-fous-jonas-martin-decrypte-la-reussite-de-brest-avant-le-match-a-barcelone/1522528" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">told French newspaper L’Equipe in November</a>
“You should see us in training; there’s a lot of grumbling and moaning because we’re all so competitive and hate to lose
The coach often calls us pirates and we live up to that name on the pitch.”
Roy may be a Southerner but the fans believe he understands what it means to be Brestois
“I share the same values as them,” he told The Guardian
Having to decamp to Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou — itself a fairly modest venue holding just under 20,000 — for every Champions League home match has been a logistical challenge and a wrench for supporters
feelings threatened to bubble over this month when it was mooted that Paris (more than 300 miles/350km away) could play host to Brest in the knockout phase — a solution that would have filled the club’s coffers but completely contradicted its values
dropping to 13th following an uncharacteristically meek 2-0 away defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk last week
“The fans have been living a daydream,” says Prigent
“I never could have imagined this,” he says
“It has been an extraordinary season and playing against Real Madrid is a kind of consecration
They deserve to still be in the competition and deserve to enjoy this match
“I’m also happy for the fans who have stuck with the club through the difficult years
happy that they get to experience a match like this
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/jack-lang/" aria-label="Jack Lang's Author Page">Jack Lang</a>  is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering football. Follow Jack on Twitter <a target="_blank" aria-label="Follow Jack on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/jacklang" rel="noopener noreferrer">@jacklang</a>
Renan Ferreira takes on former UFC fighter Maurice Greene for a place in this year&#x27;s heavyweight tournament final
Greene was brought in as a replacement after Marcelo Nunes was forced to withdraw due to injury
2022 PFL lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco faces Olena Kolesnyk for a place in the women&#x27;s featherweight final
Here&#x27;s everything you need to know ahead of Ferreira vs
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights
The card will stream live on DAZN in the below countries:
United Kingdom (including all territories)
<a href="https://www.dazn.com/en-GB/competition/Competition:2dcucl1o0mjba2urgbrk2g7et" class="Link_link__O35ni">You can sign up for a subscription here</a>
Chile and Colombia you must download the DAZN app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store and then sign up from there
DAZN is available on web browsers at <a href="http://www.dazn.com/welcome" class="Link_link__O35ni"> DAZN.com</a> (except Argentina
Chile and Colombia) and also has apps available for all of the following TV and streaming devices:
The fight will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York
the bumbling British imperialist who had earned his fame in China
He had gone on a campaign to rescue British assets in the Sudan from a militant Islamic leader he called the Mahdi
By the beginning of the year he was under siege in the city
awaiting a rescue army that never came and smuggling pathetic messages out to be printed in the Times in London
It swings from biblical quotations and eccentric piety to racism and descriptions of his hopeless state of affairs—and back
he described his agony over killing a scorpion in the bathtub (“It stung me upon the finger”)
That day he also recorded a rumor that a Frenchman wandering through the desert had been arrested by the Mahdi: “It might be Renan,” he wrote
“the author of the ‘Life of Jesus’ &#8230; He was a Roman Catholic priest originally
and evidently a very unhappy and restless man.” He went on: “I met him once in the rooms of the Royal Geographical Society one afternoon.” “If it is Renan he will not approve of the pepper system.” And finally
rendering a pithy verdict only an English Victorian could give: “If he comes to the lines
whatever one may think of his unbelief in our Lord
and he has not changed his creed to save his life.” 
this episode suggests that he ought to be condemned to historical oblivion
Most clubbers at the Royal Geographic Society of the nineteenth century have not remained our heroes
Charles Gordon himself was effectively killed as a subject for historical study in 1918 by Lytton Strachey’s sarcastic portrait in Eminent Victorians
Renan has survived in the imagination of the French public
His mother and his older sister were his closest companions as long as they lived; Renan never learned
nor has the scrupulous horde of subsequent biographers discovered
Jean Balcou—the author of an authoritative new biography which won the prestigious Prix de la Biographie of the Académie Franc̨aise in 2016 and which was reissued in paperback earlier last year—suggests that the many months Renan spent at sea
a prize-winning student from a pious family
should have been ushered into the priesthood
But if his mother imagined her son a simple priest in Tréguier
to begin his theological studies at the age of fifteen in Paris
Immediately Renan felt the shock of discovery and the whirl of intellectual excitement
“that were as new to me as if I had suddenly been transported to France from Tahiti or from Timbuktu.” The next seven years he devoted to study at three historic Parisian institutions: first
where Renan regarded the famous abbot Dupanloup as a father figure; next
at that time a rural and charming park on the Seine outside the city; and lastly
Renan began to study and ponder with new zeal
His teachers were either amused or furious
His mathematics professor predicted that he would never take care of the “poor souls” entrusted to him: “He’ll always be studying &#8230; he’ll simply say to those who come searching for him: oh
leave me alone.” Another teacher at Issy put it in simpler terms by thundering
If there was any hope of restoring Renan to his old piety
and separating him from his beloved secular philosophy books
the game was over by the time the young scholar entered Saint Sulpice in 1844 to complete his course in theology
the destination of many sojourners to the Latin Quarter then and now
was in the 1840s noticeably infected by the twin epidemics of philology and liberalism
Renan fell under the spell of the abbot Arthur-Marie Le Hir
who taught Hebrew: suddenly the whole apparatus of medieval theology fell away
and Renan sharpened his tools for the study of the ancient sources themselves
Later he described comprehending under Le Hir
By the next year he had thrown himself even further into the study of the German writers of the last century: Goethe
By 1845 the twenty-two year old seems to have sketched out with more or less accuracy the road his life would take
“Who will found among us the rational and critical sort of Christianity?” he wrote in a letter
“Perhaps I myself could have a hand in this great project.” That year he left Saint Sulpice and became a modern thing
Balcou is impressively thorough on this most important period of Renan’s life
He had help: in 1883 the aging Renan published his Souvenirs d’enfance et de jeunesse
which gave the authorized and synoptic account of his enlightenment and departure from the Church
He cited as much from his own letters and diaries as from his memory
(A good sign of Renan’s arrogance and philological competence is that he referred to this period of his life as Nephtali
from the Hebrew for “wrestle”—surely meant to describe his inner struggle
but also to put himself on par with Israel.) An autobiography is the biographer’s nemesis: Balcou confesses that these were among the hardest pages to research and write
and he does well to find unreported letters
and obscured means of entry into the material
But nevertheless Balcou could have done something more to contextualize these years of European intellectual life
in order to show why studying Hebrew and German in 1840 was likely to electrify a French student in a way unthinkable
For the first time in Germany scholars were applying the fully matured principles of the study of classical antiquity
to the texts of ancient Judaism and Christianity
This development was long in the making; it began in 1777
when Friedrich August Wolf signed himself into his university as F
But now his disciples began reading religious antiquity with a new rigor
was the guiding spirit of this movement; David Friedrich Strauss
whom Balcou describes only later in the book
a biography of Jesus in imitation of first attempts by Hegel and Schleiermacher
shocked most of its readers and inspired some
translated it into English (“the most pestilential book ever vomited out of the jaws of Hell,” as one reviewer put it)
This was the context in which Renan left seminary to become the most important historian and philologist of nineteenth-century France
Already in 1848 he won a prize with his first pamphlet
Histoire de l’étude de la langue grecque dans l’Occident de l’Europe depuis la fin du Ve siècle jusqu’à celle du XIVe (“a history of the study of the Greek language in western Europe from the 5th to the 14th century”)
a methodical show of erudition about the obscure world of Greek studies in the Middle Ages; by rooting around libraries in Italy he shed new light on the great Islamic polymath Averroes
In 1847—not two years into his new life as a stud
philol.—Renan submitted his Essai historique et théorique sur les langues sémitiques en général et sur la langue hébraïque en particulier and won the prestigious Prix Volney from the Institut de France
He later called this the Histoire générale et système comparé des langues sémitiques
and in that form it went through several editions in Renan’s lifetime
If this work is known at all to English readers in the twenty-first century it is known through the piercing analysis it received in Edward Said’s Orientalism of 1979
Said’s analysis did more than pick out the racist and essentialist statements that litter the Histoire générale
the leader of what Said called the second generation of professional French Orientalists
succeeded in constructing a “philological laboratory” through which the Semitic Near East would be brought to life and given meaning
“Semitic was Renan’s first creation,” Said wrote
“a fiction invented by him in the philological laboratory to satisfy his sense of public place and mission.” To prove that Renan liked what he called Semitic language and culture
Readers can decide whether Balcou’s brief defense of his hero stands up to Said
At the very least the question of Renan the Orientalist’s Semitism is capable of attracting interlocutors on both sides today
Those words cost Renan his chair of Hebrew in the College de France
started a near riot in a lecture hall in Paris
and made him one of the outstanding literary celebrities in an age of literary celebrities
They are what he called Jesus in his Vie de Jésus of 1863
The work had occurred to Renan in the years 1860-1862
while he toured the holy sites of what he called Phoenicia and began to collect the inscriptions that would form the basis of the massive scholarly project he founded late in life
By all accounts the rotund and large-headed Frenchman cut a comic figure in the Judean desert
His wife Cornélie and his older sister Henriette flanked him
“He had a certain tendency to obesity,” wrote an observer
and he only rarely paid attention to what was going on around him
but he did not consider them except during meals and in the evening
He had no time to enter into their small rivalry and I don’t think he noticed who tied his tie in the morning.” But in the meantime Renan stumbled around Palestine like Gibbon around Rome: he was plotting his great historical masterpiece
the Histoire des origines du Christianisme of which the Life of Jesus was only volume one of eight
died in a small coastal town north of Beirut added elegiac notes of personal loss to a scholarly work
Renan applied the refined tools of nineteenth-century historical positivism onto whatever documents had something to say about the life of Jesus
The same critical eye that regarded the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus and the Talmud also regarded the canonical gospels and New Testament epistles—and occasionally found the former more reliable than the latter
Among Renan’s most lucid and most controversial ideas was that a miracle does not count as a historical event; people believing in a miracle does
Renan’s Jesus is a man of simple piety and almost unimaginable charisma whose main historical significance was his legion of followers
Renan’s Jesus was enough like a nineteenth-century Parisian intellectual to make some readers suspect autobiography
In conjuring Jesus’ humble piety in the scenic background of the Judean hills Renan recalled his own secular and scholarly pilgrimage in his footsteps
Something similar can be said for the third volume of the Histoire des Origines
published in 1869 after another tour of the Mediterranean and Middle East
But in Paul’s frenetic proselytizing around the Mediterranean
in Paul’s torturous encounter with Athenian classical beauty at the Acropolis—in all of these things Renan saw glimmers of himself and indeed glimmers
Balcou’s section Paul entre Jésus et Renan is an essay in itself
a meditative reflection on the agonistic trio
and one of the interpretive highlights of his book
And Balcou is no doubt correct when he reads the seventh volume of the Histoire des Origines
the Marc-Aurèle et la fin du monde antique of 1882
as another round in Renan’s prolonged struggle with himself
and another frame in the hectic kaleidoscope of his self-examination
was himself the author of an autobiography; and when Renan was writing this volume
he was also writing his Souvenirs d’enfance et de jeunesse
his popular and mythologizing autobiography
It would take Sigmund Freud—or a biographer as skilled as Balcou—to sort all of this out
There are places where in reading Renan’s vast corpus Balcou missed a literary reference
or a connection with the contemporary intellectual environment
In February 1886 Renan wrote a comedy in one act
to celebrate the birthday of his friend Victor Hugo
whose death the previous May had occasioned perhaps the largest ritual of national mourning in the history of France
Renan’s short scene put France’s best dead writers—Racine
Voltaire—together for a brisk conversation in Elysium
in the underworld; they passed around books
It is clear (and Balcou does not say it) that Renan took the idea from Lucian
the Syrian Greek writer of the second century CE whose Dialogues of the Dead—uproarious dialogues among philosophers
politicians and mythological characters in a timeless underworld—was a fundamental text in Greek classrooms between the Renaissance and the nineteenth century
When Lucian wrote his Dialogues of the Dead in the second century he regarded the classical past as a closed chapter
By stringing up a Lucianic comedy in 1886 Renan was also arguing for a Lucianic view of French history
The classical age was over; it ended with Hugo
Among the many wise things Balcou has to say about Renan
one in particular helps immensely to explain Renan’s surprising durability in the French cosmos
Balcou suggests that part of the appeal of the Vie de Jésus is the way in which Renan invited the reader to participate in historical inquiry
Renan did this especially in his long and enthralling preface: the sources are few
and the truth is perhaps nowhere more alloyed with myth than in the days of early Christianity; but these are the sources we have
and we will try to see what they tell us about the homme incomparable
he is also the mascot of the amateur historian—the writer who approaches some documents and tries to make sense of them
the key to one of the most popular and enigmatic French books of the past several years
published in 2014 and translated into English last year as The Kingdom
It is hardly the case that Carrère is unknown in the English world—he was being reviewed by John Updike in The New Yorker in the ’80s—but his fame in America is a shadow of his reputation in France
I am next to Michel Houellebecq,” he said recently in an interview.) His mother is an eminent historian of Soviet Russia and holds a chair in the same Académie Franc̨aise where Renan so desperately coveted
Carrère’s reputation is as a genre-bending writer in the postmodernist mode
He has famously stopped writing novels in favor of books that
are nevertheless unsettling for readers accustomed to a strict separation of fact from fiction
was an account of the life of Russian writer
who is still alive—written in the first person
Can an account of a life be called a biography if it its subject is still alive
if it is based on no amount of interviews or research
Perhaps the best way to describe The Kingdom is as a Souvenirs d’enfance et de jeunesse and a Histoire des origines du Christianisme all mixed into one
The first chapter describes Carrère’s own crisis of faith
His crisis was not that he suddenly doubted the Christian religion: his crisis was that he suddenly believed in the Christian religion
He believed in the resurrection of Christ and the forgiveness of sins
He is so fascinated by his years of belief that he conducts
He narrates taking down old boxes of letters and diaries from the closet in his office
This feels like more genre-defying experimentation—trying to get inside the foreign mind of a past self
by reading his mail—but one should remember that Renan wrote in this exact genre in 1883
gave his readers glimpses into his old documents
and tried to excavate the mind of the young seminarian he no longer was
It turns out that this historical exercise was a warm-up
Carrère’s eye for the fascinating historical detail buried within the New Testament is often exhilarating
for instance the detail which set Carrère off on his historical mission in the first place
he noticed something strange in chapter 16: 
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision
we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia
being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them
What the theologian might notice in this passage is the strangeness of the dream
and the ability of Paul to direct himself as if by prophecy
But what the historian should notice is the sudden change from the pronoun they to the pronoun we
He must have been in Troas; he must have been persuaded by Paul’s mission
Carrère is of course not the first person to notice this
which invites one to investigate the past:
I realized that I was going to follow Luke
that what I was going to write would be largely a biography of Luke
and that these few lines in the Acts of the Apostles were the door I’d been looking for to enter the New Testament
I tried to zoom in—the way you do with Google Maps—on the exact point in space and time when this person who says “we” in the Acts appears
does not just narrate history: he narrates how one stumbles into history
Carrère is explicit about his debt to Renan
He has read the Histoire des origines du Christianisme very closely and refers to it often
he interrupts his story of Paul to give a short biography
There is even good evidence that Carrère thinks of himself as a kind of Renan redux
“that to write the history of a religion it is best to have believed in it
and not to believe in it anymore.” Carrère knows he has this in common with his hero
He is willing to admit that the Vie de Jésus feels old fashioned—himself a master prose stylist
Carrère calls Renan’s style “very Third Republic,” and not in a good way
But he is attuned to Renan’s revelatory transparency as a writer of history
He identifies “that way Renan has of explaining to the reader how exactly he made his historical stew: which sources he used
in another of France’s most popular books of the past two years
compiled by dozens of young scholars and containing essayistic snapshots of events between 35,000 BCE and 2015
struck a nerve during the tense 2016 presidential elections
along with very few other great figures of French history
and a people that constantly assents to belong to a nation based on a consciousness of the past
has never been out of print in Paris since he gave it
Balcou goes further: he compares it with “I Have a Dream.”
I do not ultimately know what Renan’s politics are worth to us
or what his liberal nationalism can tell us
But thanks to Balcou and Carrère we have before us another more durable strand of his legacy
by showing in vivid terms what he himself did
Will Theiss studied history at Yale and Cambridge
2024Jason Momoa said he’s ready to rock out with the people of Tampa Bay
that’s a nice thing,” Momoa said on a phone call from Boston
So getting up onstage and playing with my friends is a really fun thing.”
Momoa and his business partner, Blaine Halvorson, are headed to Tampa Bay this weekend to promote their new venture, Meili Vodka. The party starts Saturday morning with a bottle signing at a Tampa liquor store and picks up later in St. Petersburg, when Momoa’s band headlines <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/real-estate/2023/05/01/jannus-live-concerts-hotel-detroit-condos-st-petersburg-history/" target="_blank">Jannus Live</a>. In his three-piece group, ÖOF TATATÁ, Momoa slaps the bass.
Halvorson has been having a ball watching his friend evolve onstage.
“Some people might run from that,” Halvorson said. “But it’s a really beautiful, raw thing to feel that sensation again.”
 View this post on Instagram            </a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_PmXxGS3OI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kenny Dale Borill (@kennydaleborill)</a>
Momoa’s musical renaissance and his new business go hand in hand. A decade ago, neither Halvorson or Momoa would describe themselves as vodka lovers. But the longtime collaborators wanted to team up on something special.
Both live on the same street in Montana, where their kids attend school together. In between parenting and other projects, they’ve spent the past nine years on a quest to make a “sippable vodka.”
The pair traveled the globe together in search of the right water source, trying samples from Greenland to Antarctica. In the end, they found their “unicorn source” in Halvorson’s home state of Montana, working off a tip from his 80-year-old dad.
Every party needs a killer soundtrack. Luckily, Momoa plays a range of instruments, including guitar, mandolin, ukulele, bass guitar and drums. ÖOF TATATÁ — or “Oof, Almost” in Māori — is made up of his musical mentors.
Momoa featured guitarist and vocalist Mike Hayes in “On the Roam,” his travel docuseries for Max.
“He’s such a wonderful blues player that I just wanted the world to hear it,” Momoa said. “He taught me and then he taught my kids. I learned to play bottleneck slide, kind of like Delta blues style. At the same time, I really love slapping the bass, like (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine.”
Drummer Kenny Dale rounds out the lineup. He also gave the Momoa clan instrument lessons.
“I’ve always watched them as a kid growing up in Hollywood. Now we all have families and have two or three different kids,” Momoa said. “And while we’re out here meeting all these beautiful people and traveling the country, I’ve been like, ‘What is it like hanging out with people?’”
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Dale and Hayes were keen to get back to playing music and earning money
He invited the two to join him in New Zealand
where they spent a month learning songs to perform at a crew wrap party with his “Minecraft” co-star Jack Black
ÖOF TATATÁ decided to keep the momentum going by playing on the Mailel promotional tour
Their concert at Jannus Live will last about an hour and a half
“I think it’s really fun to get to play songs you don’t get to hear that much,” Momoa said
Hayes loves playing Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Dale is a sucker for Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin
“I don’t have much time to learn … It takes time
‘That note was off,’ but it’s always me,” Momoa laughed
Momoa is happy to sign 1,800 of bottles of vodka for fans
as he did in Boston the morning of our interview
He hopes the concert offers an intimate way to spend time with fans
“I can’t think of anything else that would give my full heart to a crowd of people coming to meet me,” he said
But it’s so quick and you don’t get to spend time
really giving it with people that I love and I think it’s a cool experience.”
Actor Jason Momoa signs bottles of Meili Vodka
a new venture with longtime collaborator Blaine Halvorson
[&nbsp;MAINEI KINIMAKA  |  Courtesy of Expedition Studios&nbsp;]See Jason Momoa and Blaine Halvorson in Tampa and St
PeteMomoa and Halvorson will sign bottles at Luekens Liquors from 10:30 a.m
the pair will work behind the bar at Tequila Daisy from 4 to 4:30 p.m
Finally, listen to Momoa’s band <a href="https://www.instagram.com/oof_tatata/?hl=en">ÖOF TATATÁ</a> rock out at Jannus Live at 7 p.m. Saturday. 200 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg. Tickets are on sale at <a href="https://www.jannuslive.com/" target="_blank">jannuslive.com</a> for $30.
</a>Gabrielle Calise is a culture reporter who covers music, nostalgia and offbeat Florida trends. Reach her at gcalise@tampabay.com. 
 View this post on Instagram            </a><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_PmXxGS3OI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Kenny Dale Borill (@kennydaleborill)</a>
2016Treasure Coast NewspapersUpdate:&nbsp;The charge against Jerome Antine was dropped by the state attorney's office on Dec
Fort Pierce; driving while license suspended
no street address/city; warrant for child abuse by intentional infliction of mental or physical injury &mdash; act of domestic violence in the presence of a child under 16 on Oct
Lucie; warrant for driving while license suspended
Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine with intent to sell
Lucie; possession of cocaine; smuggling contraband &mdash; introduce into a detention facility
Lucie; warrant for battery on an elderly person on Nov
no street address/city; warrant for failure of a sex offender to comply with registration law between Nov
Lucie; cruelty to child &mdash; aggravated child abuse; battery &mdash; commit felony battery
Fort Pierce; warrant for battery by strangulation on June 2; warrant for grand theft on June 5; warrants for grand theft &mdash; motor vehicle
resisting officer without violence on Sept
Fort Pierce; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill; fleeing & eluding police &mdash; failure to obey officer's order to stop
5500 block of Northwest North Lundy Circle
Lucie; warrant for leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury on Oct
no street address/city; sexual assault &mdash; sexual battery on victim
Loxahatchee; driving while license suspended
Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation
Lucie; sale and delivery of a controlled substance (hydromorphone) within 1,000 feet of a convenience store
‘Rush’ defeated his arch-nemesis via unanimous decision
<a href="https://bloodyelbow.com/tag/georges-st-pierre/">Georges St-Pierre</a> has undeniably cemented his status as possibly the greatest competitor to have ever graced the sport of mixed martial arts
With sublime grappling and a formidable fighting IQ
the legend dismantled his opponents en route to becoming one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen
While most fighters need to trash talk to sell themselves
GSP never went out of his way to bad-mouth his opposition
Therefore, he was left dumbfounded when <a href="https://bloodyelbow.com/tag/nick-diaz/">Nick Diaz</a> hurled insults at him in the middle of their welterweight title collision
Sheesh: <a href="https://bloodyelbow.com/2024/10/23/cristiano-ronaldo-celebrates-wildly-with-new-footage-showcasing-his-reaction-to-francis-ngannou-defeating-renan-ferreira/">Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates wildly after Francis Ngannou finishes Renan Ferreira</a>
with the icon admitting that his rival’s constant trash talk left him in a state of disarray
In an interview on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eLVcmGuddMI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Pound4Pound with Kamaru and Henry</a>
he said: “I remember when I was fighting Nick Diaz
“You feel like you’re panicking until you don’t have any gas because you empty your gas tank for survival
he wants you in deep waters—I was prepared for that
He’s going to make you believe it hasn’t hurt him’.” 
Having won UFC titles in two weight divisions
while many fighters revel in the opportunity to walk to the cage to unleash violence on their opponents
he’s gone as far as saying he found the whole ordeal nothing short of ‘unbearable’
However, that didn’t stop him from getting the job done, recently <a href="https://bloodyelbow.com/2024/08/13/georges-st-pierre-gives-a-fascinating-insight-into-why-he-fought-in-the-ufc-despite-finding-it-unbearable/">explaining why he fought in the octagon despite hating the experience</a>
Watch out Jake Paul: <a href="https://bloodyelbow.com/2024/10/23/mike-tyson-sends-sparring-partner-through-the-ropes-with-explosive-left-hook-as-he-gears-up-for-boxing-match-with-jake-paul/">Mike Tyson sends sparring partner through the ropes with explosive left hook</a>
The Los &Aacute;ngeles de San Rafael stage is underway as our team completed the first session on Monday morning
Jo&atilde;o F&eacute;lix and Renan Lodi trained under Simeone for the first time
whereas Lemar and Oblak also completed their first session following the summer holidays
Our players exercised in the gym at 8.45 am and they then went to the 18 Hoyos golf course
where they completed the second session of the day
They will train for the third time at 6.30 pm at the Ciudad Deportiva Wanda - Los &Aacute;ngeles de San Rafael.&nbsp;
Get tickets to cheer on Atlético de Madrid Femenino in Alcalá
Looking for three more points at the Mendizorroza
<a href="https://www.hammers.news/tag/hammers/">Hammers</a> boss <a href="https://www.hammers.news/tag/david-moyes/">David Moyes</a> has made a habit of signing Brazilians recently
with Luizao and Lucas Paqueta arriving at the club over the past couple of years
And now another talented South American could be set to arrive at the London Stadium this winter
as is so often the case in the world of football transfer rumours
Renan’s agent has opened up on his client’s future when speaking to reporters out in Russia…
The Zenit central defender looks set to stay in Russia
rather than move to the Premier League this winter
The 20-year-old’s agent Luiz Fernando Garcia responded when asked whether his client is set to join West Ham in a £21 million deal next month, as quoted by <a href="https://www.sport-express.ru/football/rfpl/news/agent-renana-oproverg-informaciyu-o-vozmozhnom-perehode-zaschitnika-v-vest-hem-2156845/" rel="nofollow">Sport Express</a>:
It was an exciting rumour while it lasted – Renan is a very impressive young defender
He’s only played four league games for Zenit this season, but during those appearances he has averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 2.3 clearances per match (<a href="https://www.whoscored.com/Players/440058/Show/Robert-Renan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Who Scored</a>)
The Brazilian has made 68.8 passes per game and has recorded a completion rate of 89.8% (<a href="https://www.whoscored.com/Players/440058/Show/Robert-Renan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Who Scored</a>)
Robert Renan is a very good central defender
and he would have been an exciting addition for West Ham
Moyes needs to bring a top quality young centre-back to the London Stadium as well
with 35-year-old Angelo Ogbonna set to be out of contract at the end of the season
Renan would have been the ideal long-term Oggy replacement
It seems as though he won’t be heading to the London Stadium though
Maybe we’ll explore a move to sign him again at some point in the future
<a href="https://www.hammers.news/news/kurt-zouma-disagrees-with-david-moyes-after-fulham-thrashing/">Kurt Zouma disagrees with David Moyes after Fulham thrashing</a>
<a href="https://www.hammers.news/premier-league/west-ham-players-are-knackered-tony-gale-says-only-one-man-to-blame-after-fulham-batter-us-in-premier-league-thrashing/">West Ham players are knackered, Tony Gale says only one man is to blame</a>
<a href="https://www.hammers.news/news/the-fact-that-53k-a-week-west-ham-man-started-against-fulham-is-an-absolute-joke/">The fact that £53k-a-week West Ham man started against Fulham is an absolute joke</a>
In the co-main event of the evening, 2023 <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay challenged undefeated Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen
The back and forth affair went the three round distance with Eblen taking the victory via narrow split decision and a Super Belt
In the fourth fight of the PPV main card, two-time <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> Welterweight Champion Ray Cooper III challenged current Bellator Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson in a catchweight bout
Jackson defeated Cooper III via second round TKO to claim the Super Belt while improving his career record to 18-4
2021 <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> Heavyweight Champion Bruno Cappelozza and former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov went toe-to-toe in a Heavyweight bout
Nemkov caught Cappelozza in an arm-triangle submission
putting Cappelozza to sleep in the second round claiming the first Super Belt in the process
The main card continued with Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero facing off in a Light Heavyweight matchup
Romero used leg kicks to nullify the reach of Santos
and earned the nod on all three of the judges’ scorecards for a unanimous decision victory
The main <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> Champions vs. Bellator Champions action began with a Lightweight affair featuring <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> Lightweight Runner-Up
and former Bellator Featherweight Champion
who owns the longest winning streak in Bellator history
used his skill to force the always-tough Collard to tap out after one minute of action
Henry Corrales and Aaron Pico went toe-to-toe in a Lightweight rematch which closed out the early card
Corrales was no match for the offensive onslaught of Pico
who came out with a flurry of elbow strikes
Pico won his third consecutive bout with an opening-round TKO
In Lightweight Action, Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/planet-boxing/" title="boxing">boxing</a> legend Muhammad Ali, stepped into the <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> SmartCage for the first time as a professional against Argentina’s Emmanuel Palacio
Ali Walsh dominated with his grappling and walked away with a unanimous decision win
Further action on the early card featured the return of two-time Olympic gold medalist
who weathered the early submission attempts from the powerful Kelsey De Santis
Shields regrouped to win a closely contested split decision
Abdullah Al-Qahtani, the first fighter to represent Saudi Arabia in the <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a>, stepped back into the <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> SmartCage to face Edukondal Rao in a Featherweight contest
Al-Qahtani stopped Rao by TKO in the third round of a fight that featured exciting standup exchanges
Saudi Arabia’s Malik Basahel defeated Brazil’s Vinicius Pereira via unanimous decision in an amateur Flyweight showcase bout
Basahel’s victory improves his amateur record to 18-2-1
COMPLETE <a data-ail="82249" target="_blank"  href="https://mmauk.net/category/pfl/" title="PFL">PFL</a> CHAMPIONS VS
Impa Kasanganay (15-4) via split decision (29-28
Ray Cooper III (25-10-1) via 2nd round TKO (:23)
Bruno Cappelozza (15-7) via 2nd round submission (2:13)
Thiago Santos (22-11) via unanimous decision (30-27
Clay Collard (24-12) via 1st round submission (1:10)
Henry Corrales (21-8) via 1st round TKO (4:53)
Emmanuel Palacio (1-1) via unanimous decision (30-27
Kelsey De Santis (1-3) via split decision (29-28
Edukondal Rao (4-2) via 3rd round TKO (0:23)
Vinicius Pereira (5-1 AM.) via unanimous decision (30-27
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When Dutch artist Ary Scheffer built this small villa in 1830
Novelist George Sand was a guest at Scheffer's soir&eacute;es
along with great names such as Chopin and Liszt
plus Scheffer&rsquo;s paintings and other mementoes of the Romantic era
the museum&rsquo;s tree-lined courtyard caf&eacute; and greenhouse are the perfect summer secret garden
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Rio de Janeiro, June 13 (IANS): Uncapped Zenit Saint-Petersburg center-back Robert Renan has been drafted into Brazil&#39;s squad for friendlies against Guinea and Senegal, the South American country&#39;s football confederation said.
The 19-year-old replaces Fluminense defender Nino, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury, a Xinhua report said.
Renan impressed Brazil&#39;s interim manager Ramon Menezes with his performances in the Russian Premier League and this year&#39;s under-20 World Cup in Argentina.
The five-time world champions will meet Guinea in Barcelona on June 17 and Senegal in Lisbon three days later.
The fixtures will be Brazil&#39;s final outings before South America&#39;s 2026 World Cup qualifiers begin in September.
  Do you think social media platforms are strengthening or weakening journalism in Nagaland? Why?  
The Morung Express is a people-oriented alternative newspaper based in Nagaland that was conceived from the Naga people’s historical realities and is guided by their voices and experiences. It emerged from the well-recognized concept that the core of a free press is based on “qualitative and investigative” journalism. Ensuring this is essential for contributing to an informed Naga public that makes sound decisions on issues that affect all spheres of life.
there’s a trio of islands dubbed “les îles d’Or,” or “the Golden Isles,” that are frequented more by sailors than the party-centric crowd you’d find in nearby Saint-Tropez
a couple of the islands are also completely car-free
For all those people who'd rather not learn the rules of the road for another country but still want to go beyond metro-serviced
Each of the islands is more rugged than the next
Porquerolles’s powdery beaches require hikes through pine forests—and there’s (blissfully) not a beach bar in sight
was ransacked by pirates up until the 20th century and is now a hiker’s paradise
with nothing but marked trails crisscrossing preserved forests
electricity-free Le Levant (90% of which belongs to the French army) is open to the public—and it’s mostly a naturist resort
Port-Cros is a dream for hiking and diving.<a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/harbor-port-cros-218922847" data-vars-href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/harbor-port-cros-218922847" data-vars-ga-action="click"> | Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock</a>The ideal way of hopping around these coasts is by boat—either on your own or with the help of a captain who can navigate the waters
If you’re chartering a boat for a few days
and options are limited on the biggest island of Porquerolles (which boasts a whopping population of 200)
That’s why most people post up on the shore of mainland France in the town of Hyères
the “original French Riviera,” one of the lesser-visited destinations on the coast between Nice and Marseille
The majority of the tourists here are French (if that tells you anything)
and it was the winter retreat of choice for the likes of Tolstoy and Queen Victoria
If you take a drive along the Giens peninsula—once an island itself that’s now sewed to the mainland by a double strip of sand dunes on either side of the salt marshes—you’ll reach one of Hyères’s traditional fishing harbors, Tour Fondue, which is where the ferry takes off for the Golden Isles. Sure, you can visit all three, but you’ll want to make the car-free island of Porquerolles, just a <a href="https://www.tlv-tvm.com/en/">15-minute ride off the coast</a>
The croissant-shaped island stretches four miles long and two miles wide
and it’s divided into two parts: the steep cliffs on the southern side
where hikers can trek down to hard-to-spot creeks
Take your pick of coastal loop trails that start at the port and branch out to the beaches lining the northeastern shore
like the popular Plage Notre Dame (named one of Europe’s most beautiful)
a former country-home-turned-hotel that once belonged to the island’s owners
is everything you picture when you think of Provence—namely
French country-style antique furnishings and a pool encased by eucalyptus and pine trees
You’ll find lounge chairs and umbrellas on the sand below (the closest to a beach club on the island)
it’s opened up as a contemporary art museum—which you stroll through sans shoes—with galleries illuminated by a ceiling of water and permanent works by artists from Andy Warhol to masters like Botticelli
you’ll find 15 sculptures by the likes of Jeppe Hein and Olaf Breuning placed in the surrounding gardens
where an open-air cinema is held in the summer months
If you happen to be visiting on a full moon
you can take a guided tour of the sculptures led by the (recorded) voices of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Patti Smith
“Hyères in particular has a strong presence on the modern and contemporary art front, due in large part to the famed <a href="https://villanoailles.com/">Villa Noailles</a>, which hosts exhibitions, festivals, and contemporary art and design ateliers all year long,” says Alexandra Weinress, founder of Paris-based <a href="https://www.theseenparis.com/">The Seen</a>
which offers bespoke private art tours around France
“The Villa Carmignac is a beautiful continuation of the region's cultural heritage
since it features a wide range of artists who are propelling new ideas forward.”
Pick up a few bottles of rosé and pedal back to town for a DIY apéro in the main square
where locals play pétanque (or boules) until the sun sets
The island clears out when the last ferry leaves, so most places wind down early. End the evening with a cocktail on the terrace of <a href="https://www.lescale-porquerolles.com/en/">L’escale</a>, which looks out at the harbor, before heading back to your boat for a nightcap on deck—which you’ll quickly realize everyone else in port is doing.
Michael Bisping isn&#8217;t one for mincing words
So it&#8217;s not really surprising that he had something to say about the pictures of George St-Pierre&#8217;s new middleweight physique
St-Pierre was involved in a photoshoot ahead of his return to mixed martial arts
and plenty of fans noted the size of the former welterweight champion
who will be fighting at 185-pounds for the first time of his career
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going on, to be quite frank,&#8221; Bisping said on his podcast <a href="http://mmapodcast.com/bisping/">Believe You Me</a>
&#8220;But he looks like he&#8217;s been impregnated by a an alien
He&#8217;s in his typical GSP little spandex tiny shorts
He&#8217;s got his shinpads and his MMA gloves on&#8230; and a gigantic belly sticking out
&#8220;His bellies sticking out and it looks a little weird
so I think he&#8217;s trying to have fun or lead me up the garden path
I think he&#8217;s pushing his belly out.&#8221;
“I’m the biggest I’ve ever been right now in my life,&#8221; St-Pierre said <a href="https://34.245.11.223/sports/mma/georges-st-pierre-new-physique-havent-big-life/">during the shoot</a>
&#8220;Bisping will still be bigger than me
we want to have bigger muscles and want to be big
.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By <a class="byline__authorLink" href="https://www.mlive.com/staff/ewoodyar/posts.html" title="Eric Woodyard at ewoodyar@mlive.com">Eric Woodyard | ewoodyar@mlive.com</a><a class="full-size-popup" href="http://media.mlive.com/sportsnow_impact/photo/02-dirrell-img-0020jpg-12853ecf224efd29.jpg" target="_blank">View full size</a>Tom Casino / SHOWTIMEUnbeaten
top-ranked super middleweight Anthony Dirrell tipped the scales at 167 pounds and fellow world-ranked southpaw Renan St-Juste measured 166 ½ pounds during an intense weigh in for their 12-round bout on Friday
in the main event on ShoBox: The New Generation LIVE on SHOWTIME.FLINT
to win Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic this past weekend
to retain his WBA title and to win Froch’s WBC super middleweight belt
21 KO’s) is now the mandatory challenger for Ward’s boxing crown
in a WBC eliminator bout earlier this month
He stopped St-Juste in round four after he separated his left shoulder and failed to continue at the 2:54 mark
Although it seems like Dirrell will be Ward’s next opponent
he didn’t rule out a potential match with current IBF titleholder Lucian Bute or a rematch with ex-champion Mikkel Kessler
13 KOs) hasn’t lost a fight since 1996 when he was 12-years-old
He won the gold medal for the United States in the 2004 Olympics in Athens
was Ward’s teammate on the USA’s boxing team
Andre took home a broze medal in the middleweight division in 2004 as well
Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward are good friends and were slated to face each other in 2010 as a part of Showtime’s Super Six tournament
the fight would never happen as Andre Dirrell withdrew from the competition due to neurological problems
Anthony Dirrell has fought four fights in 2011 and has stopped his last nine targets
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Public broadcaster the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation (KNR) reported that 79-year-old Sofie Hegelund became the first Greenlander to receive the initial dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Activity and Care Center Ippiarsuk in Nuuk
KNR reports that elderly Greenlanders and their caregivers are at the top of the list for priority inoculation
Greenland received about 1,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from Denmark for inoculation in Nuuk and Illulissat
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two shots 21 days apart to achieve maximum effectiveness
Danish health officials said Monday the country would space out the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by up to six weeks
allowing more people to receive a first injection
It’s not clear yet whether Greenlandic health authorities plan to follow the same strategy
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures of -70 C
presenting a big hurdle for distribution outside major urban centres
Health authorities in Canada have opted for the Moderna vaccine for inoculation campaigns in remote communities of Nunavut
The Moderna vaccine needs to be stored at &#8211; 20 C
making it easier to distribute the shots in remote areas that do not have ultra-low temperature freezers
the European Union has yet to approve the Moderna vaccine
Greenland has had 28 cases of COVID-19 infections and no fatalities related to the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic
Canada:<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/12/23/canada-approves-moderna-covid-19-vaccine/"> Canada approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccine</a>
Denmark:<a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/11/19/faroe-islands-institutes-new-covid-19-recommendations-until-the-end-of-2020/"> Faroe Islands institutes new COVID-19 recommendations until the end of 2020</a>
Iceland:  <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/12/01/iceland-to-review-covid-19-border-measures-by-january-15/">Iceland to review COVID-19 border measures by January 15</a>
Russia: <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/12/24/russias-northern-fleet-begins-2nd-stage-of-covid-19-vaccination/">Russia’s Northern Fleet begins 2nd stage of COVID-19 vaccination</a>
Sweden: <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/11/11/swedens-northernmost-county-among-regions-to-introduce-stricter-covid-19-recommendations/">Sweden’s northernmost county among regions to introduce stricter COVID-19 recommendations</a>
United States: <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2020/10/14/after-early-containment-success-theres-now-rapid-covid-19-spread-in-rural-alaska-including-the-arctic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">After early containment success, there’s now rapid COVID-19 spread in rural Alaska, including the Arctic</a>
Levon started his journalistic career in 1990
covering wars and civil strife in the Caucasus and Central Asia
after the government in Armenia shut down the TV program he was working for
He learned English and eventually went back to journalism
working first in print and then in broadcasting
Levon’s journalistic assignments have taken him from the High Arctic to Sahara and the killing fields of Darfur
from the streets of Montreal to the snow-capped mountaintops of Hindu Kush in Afghanistan
I’ve been privileged to tell the stories of hundreds of people who’ve generously opened up their homes
Uncapped Zenit Saint-Petersburg center-back Robert Renan has been drafted into Brazil&#39;s squad for friendlies against Guinea and Senegal
the South American country&#39;s football confederation said
The 19-year-old replaces Fluminense defender
The 19-year-old replaces Fluminense defender Nino
Renan impressed Brazil&#39;s interim manager Ramon Menezes with his performances in the Russian Premier League and this year&#39;s under-20 World Cup in Argentina
The five-time world champions will meet Guinea in Barcelona on June 17 and Senegal in Lisbon three days later
Also Read:  <a href="https://www.cricketnmore.com/live-cricket-score">Live <a href="https://www.cricketnmore.com/live-cricket-score" target = "_blank">Scorecard</a></a>
The fixtures will be Brazil&#39;s final outings before South America&#39;s 2026 World Cup qualifiers begin in September
 © 2025 <a href="https://www.cricketnmore.com/" style="color: #fff;">Cricket </a>
ROME (Reuters) &#8211; The European Union is in talks with Pfizer and BioNTech over ordering up to 100 million more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine
three sources close to the matter said on Tuesday
as European governments battle to speed up immunisations
has already ordered 200 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and has taken up an option to buy another 100 million under a contract signed with the two companies in November
Each recipient needs two doses of the vaccine
The sources said the EU is seeking to buy 50 or 100 million additional doses from the companies
The new doses could be delivered as soon as in the third quarter
But one of the sources added that deliveries could also be made in the fourth quarter and would be at the same price per dose as agreed in the existing contract
The EU agreed to pay 15.5 euros per dose in that contract
according to an EU document seen by Reuters
An European Commission spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday on numbers of possible orders
But on Monday he told a news conference the EU was trying to secure more doses from Pfizer and BioNTech in addition to the 300 million shots already booked
A Pfizer spokesman said he could not comment as discussions with governments are confidential
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UNLOCKSport Athlétique Mérignacais Under 19 Stats
10th in <a href='/france/championnat-national-u19'>Championnat National U19 Table</a>
*SA Mérignac U19's stats from Championnat National U19 2024/25
Prediction Risk - <a href='/premium/' >UNLOCK</a>
This season in <a href='/france/championnat-national-u19'>Championnat National U19</a>, SA Mérignac U19's form is Very Poor overall with 4 wins, 6 draws, and 13 losses. This performance currently places SA Mérignac U19 at 0 out of 56 teams in the <a href='/france/championnat-national-u19'>Championnat National U19 Table</a>
SA Mérignac U19's home form is very poor with the following results : 0 wins
And their away form is considered very poor
SA Mérignac U19 has scored a total of 23 goals this season in Championnat National U19
More Over / Under / BTTS / Goals data are under the Goals tab
More SA Mérignac U19 corner stats are available under the Corners tab
* Average Goals Scored Per Match for SA Mérignac U19 in Championnat National U19 2024/25
&bull; SA Mérignac U19 scores a goal every 0 minutes in Championnat National U19
&bull; SA Mérignac U19 scores an average of 0 goals every game
* Average Goals Conceded Per Match for SA Mérignac U19 in Championnat National U19 2024/25
&bull; SA Mérignac U19 has conceded a total of 49 goals this season in Championnat National U19
&bull; SA Mérignac U19 concedes a goal every 0 min
&bull; SA Mérignac U19 concedes an average of 0 goals every game
SA Mérignac U19 has a ratio of 43% Over 2.5 goals during the Championnat National U19 2024/2025 (10 / 23 fixtures)
Over / Under Goals are calculated from total match goals for fixtures that SA Mérignac U19 has participated in
SA Mérignac U19's ratio of Under 2.5 goals is 57% in the Championnat National U19 2024/2025 season (13 / 23 matches)
Over / Under 1H/2H Goals are calculated from both team's goals in that half
<a class='link-blue' target='_blank' href='/premium/'> UNLOCK</a>Corners / Match
* Average Corner Kicks per match between SA Mérignac U19 and their opponents in a single match
Match corners is the total corners between SA Mérignac U19 and their opponent in the match
Corners Earned = SA Mérignac U19's corner kicks
<a class='link-blue' target='_blank' href='/premium/'> UNLOCK</a>Cards / Match
* Average Total Match Cards per match between SA Mérignac U19 and their opponents in a single match
Match cards is the total cards between SA Mérignac U19 and their opponent in the match
* Not all matches have goal timings recorded for SA Mérignac U19
Cards and Corners in these tables are total between both teams
* Not all matches have goal/corner/card timings recorded for SA Mérignac U19
* Average Shots Per Match for SA Mérignac U19 in Championnat National U19 2024/25
Championnat National U19 team SA Mérignac U19 took a total of 120 shots during the 2024/2025 season
averaging 7.5 shots per match with 4.19 of them on target and 3.31 being off target
xG For - SA Mérignac U19's xG for the Championnat National U19 2024/2025 season is 1.06
xG Against - SA Mérignac U19's xGA (Expected Goals Against) is 1.49 per match in the Championnat National U19
Most frequent scorelines for SA Mérignac U19
* Stats from 2024/25 season of Championnat National U19
Most frequent total goals for SA Mérignac U19
*Sport Athlétique Mérignacais Under 19 player data are not yet recorded
Average AttendanceNot recorded yet or may be affected by COVID-19
Website<a target='_blank' rel='noopener' href='https://www.sport-athletique-merignacais.fr/?fbclid=IwAR13eK8fw7uu2sN5Smul55KltE17I2WPJOaQJ-k621IBHDFtip5CpkPFztI'>Sport Athlétique Mérignacais Under 19 Official website</a>
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<a href="https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com">Home</a> &raquo; <a href="https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/people">People</a> &raquo; Renan Astolpho takes up hotel manager role at Four Seasons Hotel DIFC
A graduate of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Astolpho stepped into hospitality as a manager at The Hoxton Grill London in 2007. He quickly rose the ranks in the UK capital, progressing to wine steward and then head barman before moving to St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in 2011 as assistant F&amp;B manager.
In 2015, Astolpho moved to Bvlgari Resort in Bali, Indonesia as director of food and beverage, and spent two years refining his passion, before relocating again in May 2017 to Japan, as director of food and beverage of Ritz Carlton in Osaka where he spent a year and a half leading the largest food and beverage operation in the Ritz Carlton portfolio. During his time at the helm, he was responsible for a significant increase in revenue, profitability and for refining the overall guest experience.
Just two years ago he moved to Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach as director of F&amp;B. Now in 2020, he has moved to hotel manager in DIFC.
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began publishing a bilingual newspaper in December of 2005
 The couple hopes the newspaper bridges a gap between the state&#x27;s Spanish and English speaking populations.MPR Photo/Tim PostShoshana and Renan Cruz are sitting at a table in the downtown St
 A man in a cowboy hat is eavesdropping as they talk about their new publishing venture
 After a few minutes he approaches the two
 In Spanish he tells the couple the newspaper sounds like &quot;a good idea&quot; and gives them a thumbs-up
 Shoshana and Renan say that&#x27;s all the proof they need to know their effort will be successful
On the front page of a recent issue of El Vecino
stories are printed in both Spanish and English
side by side.MPR Photo/Tim PostThe two began publishing a monthly newspaper called El Vecino -- or The Neighbor -- in December
 The idea came about a year ago when Renan Cruz began work as an interpreter in St
 When the native of Guatemala worked at local hospitals
the area&#x27;s Spanish speaking population
&quot;We have seen a huge amount of people out there who don&#x27;t have any way to find information or give information
 There was no publication for them until now,&quot; Cruz said
But instead of starting a Spanish newspaper
the two decided to make their publication bilingual
who spent most of her life in Duluth before moving to St
has a background in the newspaper business
 The stories are then printed side by side in El Vecino
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding
Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all
&quot;We thought this would be a perfect bridge in order for the two groups to be able to communicate with each other
 Here&#x27;s what&#x27;s going on in the Hispanic community and sharing that information
 It&#x27;s also a venue for the English speaking community to put their information in there too,&quot; Cruz said
&quot;We&#x27;ve seen a huge amount of people out there who don&#x27;t have any way to find information or give information
 There was no publication for them until now,&quot;
the national debate over immigration has gotten a lot of attention
smaller Minnesota cities with significant Hispanic populations
 The Cruz&#x27;s hope to build a solid base of Spanish speakers hungry for news in their own language
says there&#x27;s room for more Latino publications like this one in Minnesota
 Fish says staying connected to the world is hard for people who don&#x27;t see media in their own language
&quot;Being able to get news and information in your own language is particularly important for people who may not yet be fluent in English or who may not wish to be fluent in English who may want to as much as possible retain their own language and culture,&quot; Fish said
Fish thinks bilingual newspapers are a good tool for people learning a new language
 Whether that&#x27;s Spanish speakers learning English or vice versa
 Fish says the state&#x27;s growing Hispanic population
a Census Bureau estimate puts it at nearly 200,000 people
will mean El Vecino should have plenty of advertisers willing to pay to reach that growing demographic
One business owner who&#x27;s advertising in El Vecino is Mark Gripp
the owner of tattoo and piercing shops in St
 Gripp and hopes to reach out to more Spanish speaking clients with his advertisements
&quot;We don&#x27;t get a lot of Hispanic business
  And I know that no other tattoo shops in the area weren&#x27;t advertising in such a way so I thought I&#x27;d give it a shot,&quot; Gripp said
El Vecino has been able to tout itself as the state&#x27;s only bilingual newspaper
 The Minneapolis-based Spanish language weekly La Prensa has started including English summaries of each of the stories it prints in Spanish
SaveLog in, <a href="https://theage.myfairfax.com.au/channel/4vLxp6nBuWVKEPLaQuUKwA/members/signups/new?callback_uri=%2Fgoodfood%2Fmelbourne-eating-out%2Ficon-review-claypots-st-kilda-20191023-h1j2us.html" class="sc-5253e565-11 sc-71b1ff11-5 iczfBg fylEta">register</a> or <a href="https://subscribe.theage.com.au/?promote_channel=HI_HL_GNL" class="sc-5253e565-11 sc-71b1ff11-5 iczfBg fylEta">subscribe</a> to save recipes for later.You have reached your maximum number of saved items
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ShareThis is part of the &quot;Melbourne icon reviews&quot; collection <a class="sc-cba76dee-0 oQxeF sc-6defa7bd-2 fMNoOE" href="/goodfood/eating-out/melbourne-icon-reviews-20180612-h119o6.html">See all stories.</a>The eponymous claypots cover a world of styles such as Singapore stew mussels in coriander and ginger sauce.Simon SchluterSeafood$$$$
&quot;We have fish, and water.&quot; The original pitch for St Kilda&apos;s grungy, eccentric and excellent seafood establishment when owner Renan Goksin​ opened in 1998 was perhaps modest, but it was true. Long before Melbourne became obsessed with katsu sando shops, pasta bars and other singularly-focused operations, Claypots was pioneering an extremely minimalist seafood vision on Barkly Street in St Kilda.
The process was this. In the morning, Goskin went to the market and gathered fish to fill a cabinet. In the evening, St Kilda&apos;s gig hags and backpackers came to stack the bare bones tables in the tiny front room, with their own bottles of plonk in tow. There were no toilets, no bookings and no cards. You waited for tables at the Village Belle. If you forgot cash, you had a week&apos;s grace to pay. 
The whole operation – according to manager Vivienne Guy, who still co-captains the good ship St Kilda in her cowboy boots – was &quot;loose&quot;.
Claypots is a perfectly preserved slice of St Kilda in its prime.Simon SchluterChances are, it still would be but for steadying heads and hands like those of now-owner Neelam Sami. Sami, Fijian-Indian by birth, was hired in 1998 as a daytime cook when her Australian husband claimed, with misplaced confidence, that he could make thalis for day trade. Failing, he brought Sami in to show him what to do. Goskin saw, gave Sami a job, sacked her husband, and eventually conquered the night trade.
&quot;No one showed up for the night shift and I just prayed no one ordered the calamari – the one grilled dish I didn&apos;t know how to do,&quot; says Sami. It was the first order. &quot;When I had made that, I decided. I will own this place now.&quot; In 2016, Goskin gave her full control.
At 21 this year, Claypots – which had a branch on Gertrude Street in the early noughties and still stars at South Melbourne Market plus two nipped-and-tucked branches under the name of Claypots Barbarossa in the CBD – isn&apos;t as old as some Melbourne icons. But it is the most faithfully preserved slice of what St Kilda once stood for in its grungy heyday.
The menu? There&apos;s the cabinet of daily catch. Or the blackboards. These list the eponymous claypot creations (Creole gumbos, Moroccan stews stuffed with mussels, or diamond clams and prawns French-style with red wine rouille and fried bread) and a list of fish that (might) have rolled in – and what you could have done to them. 
But it&apos;s more a mood board: serving suggestions that regulars ignore. One group of eight that has been coming every Friday for 19 years refuses to converse with a waitress and goes straight for the kitchen with orders &quot;their way&quot;.
Garlic king prawns.Simon SchluterFor visiting mortals it&apos;s flatheads and flounders, snappers and stingrays: grilled, fried or braised – but always whole, arriving on big shared platters for sticky-fingered dismemberment with cheeks of lemon, batch-baked potatoes (or sticky rice for the big 3kg fish) and steamed bok choy licked with a little chilli jam. It&apos;s been this way for almost the whole of Claypots&apos; existence and nothing is going to change.
Why should it? There will always be more restaurants in Melbourne. Where else can you smash a crab in a sunny courtyard, bathed in the spirit of St Kilda past? Only Claypots. Still a big fish of the seafood scene.
Signature dishes Chilli crab, sambal stingray, cajun flathead, garlic king prawns.
Famous diners Sydney Swans players, Kristian Nairn (who plays Game of Thrones&apos; Hodor), Dannii Minogue. Two Underbelly actors worked here but were ousted for pulling in fans, not punters.
</a><a class="sc-cba76dee-0 oQxeF" href="/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/icon-review-afghan-gallery-20190916-h1i34m.html?collection=h119o6&amp;gb=1">Icon review: Afghan Gallery</a>Brunswick Street's boho carpeted Afghan Gallery has been a lifeline for refugees for 36 years.
</a><a class="sc-cba76dee-0 oQxeF" href="/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/icon-review-bacash-20191126-h1jxf7.html?collection=h119o6&amp;gb=1">Icon review: Bacash</a>Michael and Fiona Bacash know how to source great seafood and cook it with respect.
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Kevaun Atkinson registered the first hat-trick of the Premier League as St Andrews overcame Mosta 3-1.
BOV Player of the Match: Kevaun Atkinson (St Andrews)
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