This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Home → Environment and other plants will cover the wooden facade of a 54-meter-tall tower Stefano Boeri Architetti, an architecture studio famous for designing so-called ‘vertical forests’ around the world, will bring the concept to Paris. The firm won the Marne Europe — Villiers sur Marne competition with a project called Forêt Blanche and Balcon sur Paris. The very first French vertical forest will involve an eclectic mix of buildings among them a 54-meter-tall tower mainly built of timber “Vertical Forest is a model for a sustainable residential building, a project for metropolitan reforestation contributing to the regeneration of the environment and urban biodiversity without the implication of expanding the city upon the territory,” a section on the Stefano Boeri Architetti explains.  and other plants will cover the wooden facade of the various residential That’s a surface area equivalent to a hectare of forest not only will Parisians enjoy a majestic view Besides the tall forest tower designed by Boeri the project will feature the works of Kengo Kuma & Associates (Sora Michael Green Architecture (Peuplier Blanc Prairie Blanche) and X-Tu (La Ressourcerie The first vertical forest was completed in the center of Milan in 2014 The Bosco Verticale towers add some 2.5 acres of lush vegetation (over 100 species) to the skyline of Milan a city which has long battled significant pollution Its sun exposed facade is covered in no fewer than 800 trees (each measuring 3 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants from a wide range of shrubs and floral plants Besides Paris, Stefano Boeri is raising vertical forests in Utrecht (Netherlands) and Nanjing (China) The Chinese site will actually be a ‘forest city’ comprised of 100 to 200 forest towers “We have been asked to design an entire city where you don’t only have one tall building but you have 100 or 200 buildings of different sizes all with trees and plants on the facades,” Boeri told the Guardian “We are working very seriously on designing all the different buildings I think they will start to build at the end of this year By 2020 we could imagine having the first forest city in China.” © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science © 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Home » Forêt Blanche Forêt Blanche (French for “white forest”) designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti is going to be the first Vertical Forest in France It will be built in the town of Villiers sur Marne Vertical Forests are a project of the Stefano Boeri Architetti firm with the aim of contributing to reforestation and urban biodiversity without adding to urban sprawl by building upwards The first incarnation of the project was two residential towers built in Milan measuring 110 and 76 m high with 800 trees 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 other plants arranged for the facade’s sun exposure Vertical Forests help create a microclimate that generates humidity and oxygen while absorbing dust particles and carbon dioxide There are Vertical Forest projects ongoing at the moment in China The Forêt Blanche will include 2,000 trees shrubs and plants for a green surface equivalent to a hectare of forest That’s ten times more than the lot on the ground where the building will sit The building itself will contain apartments on the upper floors and a mix of offices and shops on the lower floors with balconies and terraces on all sides The apartments will be naturally lit by sunlight coming in the east and west side and have a panoramic view of Paris James Corner Field Operations and Paul Arène are responsible for the design of the public green spaces for the project Forêt Blanche will contribute to rethinking urban buildings and green spaces specifically seeing plants as something more than just decoration but as an integral part of modern ecological architecture Your source of innovation in architecture & design The place isn't easy to find - it's visible from the traffic circle when you come by car but you have to go around it to park in the Bricorama parking lot to find it hidden behind Pizza Del Arte which has already won rave reviews in Paris's 14th arrondissement The Val-de-Marne is home to the largest Asian community in the Paris region who welcomes a number of associations to her restaurant in the 14th arrondissement needed a larger venue that could accommodate more people particularly to organize events and activities they decided to invest in this large 180-seat restaurant you'll discover a beautiful space divided into several sections It's worth noting that Didi Saïgon organizes lively evenings every weekend a gleaming open kitchen gives us a glimpse of the preparations a pretty bar serving superb exotic cocktails a zen atmosphere and tables of all sizes to accommodate both large groups of 30 people and romantic duos All this to say that if you're looking for the perfect place for a family celebration or a group of friends with 23 years' experience in the restaurant business After working in French restaurants and opening her own Vietnamese restaurant in Reims she moved back to Paris for her children's studies and to be reunited with her family She then opened her own restaurant in the 14th arrondissement of Paris She inherited her know-how and recipes from her mother There's nothing like the good cooking of a Vietnamese mama note that 20% of the menu is dedicated to it stir-fried rice and Tiger cry with ultra-melting beef fillet on a hot plate are all on the menu We loved the exceptionally melt-in-the-mouth banh cuons, the steamed or fried ravioli grilled pork and roll-your-own shrimp dumplings as well as the Green Curry served in real fresh coconut not forgetting the stir-fried rice served in fresh pineapple All the more so as the fork is quite affordable main course and dessert menu is available from Tuesday to Saturday lunchtime we accompany our dishes with a generous three-color dessert Fresh mango with glutinous rice and coconut as well as an exotic dessert coffee or gourmet tea are just some of the desserts on the à la carte menu In short, if you're looking for an authenticVietnamese restaurant with home-style cooking, in a spacious and lively setting at weekends, you'll have to go to Didi Saigon in Villiers-sur-Marne This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here 2020Save this storySaveSave this storySaveDespite just about everything the winner of this year’s €100,000 ANDAM Pierre Bergé Prize for a creative label a housing association in the 5th arrondissement It was a symbolic homecoming: having grown up in the projects breaking out in some gilded salon was never going to be Traoré’s move “Bringing Paris Fashion Week to a social housing association is exactly the message we want to get across,” he said And considering his many and varied artistic ambitions—take the Étoile de Lune photography project starring Marie-Agnès Gillot shot at the Taj Mahal and presented at the Louvre two years ago—performances by classical and street dancers cast at the eleventh hour were all part of the mix A concise show of 18 looks spoke volumes about where he wants to take his eponymous brand “There’s always a through line with fashion—it could be in performances or other artistic endeavors,” Traoré offered backstage before his show “We’re championing fashion that is not just Made in France referring to his atelier and artistic hub in the suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne He brought the Paris Opera there; he’s also working to widen casting networks bringing in new faces from places outside of Paris that fashion has traditionally ignored There’s no counting how many plates Traoré may have spinning all at once, because he also runs a private school of haute couture, Les Ateliers Alix— named after his idol Madame Grès — in the 11th arrondissement (Yohji Yamamoto and John Galliano are also in his personal pantheon) from any milieu are honing their haute couture skills Many are immigrants and disaffected teens whose newfound mastery of tailoring and flou will help them move on to a fashion school or jobs in the industry And then there’s his collaboration with Galeries Lafayette and La Redoute in a campaign shot at the Musée Bourdelle sculpture museum in Paris the short and sweet capsule includes just three essentials—a jacket and trousers — each priced at less than €100 Traoré notes that he doesn’t need to be a millionaire or the Designer of the Moment to be happy The goal is to make couture accessible to everyone and to help people “We grow up all eating from the same platter; the values of sharing and solidarity are part of our DNA You have to want for others what you want for yourself.” Bitter Winter A magazine on religious liberty and human rights 07/17/2021 A+ | A- Lire en français. in the times of the “Uncle Auguste.” It is still the main meeting point of La Famille From Facebook.“A cult in the very heart of Paris.” This and similar titles could be read in French media from January 2021 on each media outlet competing with the others for more sensational revelations Minister Delegate in charge of Citizenship and a politician who has decided to jump on the anti-cult bandwagon for her own reasons 2021) have published books in which they develop their earlier articles.  the “cult” that suddenly became newsworthy is not new “La Famille,” the most used name for a group without formal structures or organization has been in existence for more than two centuries To understand what “La Famille” is all about a theological movement born in the 17th century that imported into Catholicism some Protestant elements and the introduction of readings in French rather than in Latin within the Catholic liturgy It took its name from Dutch Bishop Cornelius Jansen (1585–1638) and was particularly successful in France where it seduced prominent intellectuals such as philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) and a sizable number of bishops and priests For political as well as religious reasons it was suppressed in the 18th century by both the Catholic Church and the French monarchy although its cultural influence continued into the 19th century and extended to other countries Jansenism was not a movement of intellectuals only A popular Jansenism developed around the cult (not authorized by the Catholic Church) of “saints” such as Jansenist Deacon François de Pâris (1690–1727) His grave in the Parisian cemetery of the Saint-Médard parish church witnessed the first phenomena of the “Convulsionaries,” who convulsed and claimed to have been healed from various illnesses the movement of the Convulsionaries spread from Paris to several cities and villages of France and added to the convulsions extreme practices called secours and even crucifixion to be delivered from their inner torments Early scholars of Jansenism regarded Convulsionaries as a deviance while later historians have emphasized continuities between the “cultivated” and the “popular” Jansenism It is also interesting to note the presence of earlier prophetic movements in the French context The Jansenist Convulsionaries appeared some five years after the end of the Protestant movement of the “little prophets,” which had developed especially in the Dauphiné and the Cévennes and who later played a role in the Protestant revolt of the Camisards were also sometimes called “Convulsionaries.” The “secours” in a 18th-century lithograph (credits).The Convulsionaries never became a unified movement and a devotee moving from one French city to another might be welcomed by other Convulsionaries the different small groups criticized and excommunicated each other particularly after some of the leaders advanced messianic claims for themselves One successful group of Convulsionaries developed around Father François Bonjour (1751–1846) later known as “Silas,” the parish priest of Fareins a village in the French region of the Dombes carried out with the cooperation of his elder brother belonged to the extreme wing of the Convulsionaries Father François Bonjour, “Silas” (credits).The crucifixion in 1787 of a female devotee while another female parishioner submitted to heavy secours died) They were released on the grounds of a procedural defect in the context of the confusion that reigned in the courts during the years of the French Revolution but Father François decided to leave Fareins and move to Paris claiming it had been commanded to do so by a divine revelation and Claudine Dauphan (sometimes spelled “Dauphin,” 1761–1834) the servant of a Convulsionaries leader in Lyon The parish church in Fareins (credits).Eventually Father François explained the events within the framework of a millenarian theology who will serve as the John the Baptist to the new divine incarnation Claudine’s son Israël-Elie Bonjour (1792–1866) a world without illnesses or death where the true believers will reign for 1,000 years Not all Convulsionaries in Paris accepted the strange “holy family” of Father François and the birth of Lili was celebrated with great enthusiasm joined the group and predicted the imminent advent of the Millennium in no less than 18,000 pages of revelations although she later broke with the Bonjours and established her own separate group Journalist Nicolas Jacquard believes that Sister Elisée later reappeared under the new identity of “Maman Yette” (Elisabeth Claude Pelletier although Jacquard doubts that Pelletier was her real name) an influential figure in the early years of La Famille: but he offers no evidence for this theory except for the gossip of some former members The Bonjours’ followers belonged to the faction of the Convulsionaries who welcomed the French Revolution as a deserved punishment for the Catholic Church and the monarchy that had persecuted them (while other Convulsionaries remained loyal to the King and opposed the Revolution) the Revolution did not welcome those who were now called “Bonjouristes,” particularly after Napoleon signed in 1801 his Concordat with the Catholic Church were arrested and exiled to Switzerland—or negotiated with the government a move to Switzerland as an alternative to being jailed the concierge of the building where the Bonjours lived emerged as the leader of the remaining “Bonjouristes.” He later claimed that Lili had passed his mantle (like Elijah to Eliseus) to Pierre’s son the then three-year-old Augustin Thibout (1802–1837) The years after the Revolution were somewhat confused The Bonjours were allowed to return to France in 1811 but they seemed to have lost interest in their new religion who had behaved as a temperamental messiah as a child as well as a colonel in the National Guard He did not play a significant role in the subsequent development of the Bonjouristes although some continued to correspond with him and received his blessing Jean-Pierre Thibout built a “Bonjourisme” without the Bonjours which continued to venerate Lili as a mystical presence independently of the real flesh-and-blood Lili who was busy elsewhere with his businesses The group has celebrated to this day its reorganization in 1819 While Thibout was discussing Lili’s mission in a café with his co-religionist François Joseph Havet (1759-1842) the husband of the already mentioned “Mamam Yette,” at the moment of paying the bill But in fact a group of families had kept the faith in Lili and will continue to meet and intermarry to these days Some of the men in this group were Freemasons which was quite common in France at the time among non-Catholics and which shows that their attitude was more “progressive” than is often believed This faith recognizes the validity of the convulsionary criticisms of the Catholic Church and the need to return to the primitive church as Jesus had envisioned it It also sees the return of the prophet Elijah as a mission willed and foretold by the prophet Malachi and Jesus himself and remains alert to the signs of this possible return But it is no longer “Bonjouriste,” because it now thinks that either its ancestors in the faith may have been mistaken in a special period of political and religious effervescence when they recognized Lili as the incarnation of the spirit of the prophet Elijah and attributed prophetic roles to Jean Bonjour and Augustin Thibout as well or else Lili voluntarily renounced his position in relation to Elijah which in this case is considered as having been real between his birth in 1792 and his departure for Switzerland in 1805 Those who still sought a visible incarnation of Elijah organized several schismatic groups separate from La Famille either in Paris or in the former province of Forez (where Fareins was located) including those who believed for a moment that they had found Elijah in one Jean-Baptiste Digonnet (1783-1852) and others who continued to link the prophet’s mission to the Bonjour family Jacquard insists that “Maman Yette” became close to Digonnet’s followers towards the end of her life but according to La Famille personal friendships should not be confused with ideological choices even though certain figures are considered important milestones in its history “Mon Oncle Auguste.” From Facebook.One of these characters is Paul Augustin Thibout (1863-1920) a direct descendant of Jean-Pierre Thibout who was nicknamed “Mon Oncle Auguste.” He is credited with a series of precepts that were to put into practice the convulsionary ideal of separating oneself from the corrupt Catholic milieu which at the time coincided with the majority of French society What exactly he prescribed is a subject of controversy between members and opponents Some of the information about the alleged excesses of “Mon Oncle Auguste” comes from a novel published in 1992 by one of his descendants in which the author expresses his hatred for La Famille It is certain that “Mon Oncle Auguste” expressed little sympathy for the public schools which however are successive to him as he died before paid holidays were introduced in France It is also rumored that he forbade the members of La Famille to own property which would explain why in Paris they are mostly tenants rather than owners of their homes But “Mon Oncle Auguste” was a landlord himself and there is a possible confusion here with anti-property statements attributed by historians to François Bonjour and made in the climate of the French Revolution against the colors white and red as “colors of the Devil” is undoubtedly false considering that they were the colors of the religious vestments of the Jansenist nuns of Port-Royal to which La Famille has always continued to refer he is also credited with suggesting that a white shirt be kept ready for the day of Elijah’s return which is not true but probably derives from a confusion with the fact that the deceased of La Famille are buried in a white shirt and sheets used as shrouds according to a custom that was once common in France Mon Oncle Auguste is also credited with a distrust of vaccines which in fact existed in French society at the time and the children of La Famille (with the exception of those from a minority of arch-conservative families who prefer to be home-schooled) attend public schools (often with very good results) and can achieve significant professional results in careers that “Mon Oncle Auguste” might not have approved of (only professions requiring swearing or bearing arms remain proscribed Today’s women do not necessarily wear long shirts or keep their hair long thus interpreting the precept of Deuteronomy 22:5 “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment.” Almost all members of La Famille have received the vaccinations prescribed or recommended by the French state is that La Famille does not proselyte and no longer accepts new members from outside This has led to a situation where all the members of La Famille are identified by the same eight last names “Mon Oncle Auguste” inaugurated the practice of celebrating the main feasts of the country and the movement in his property of Les Cosseux while the cause could also have been an accident at the meetings of La Famille—now suspended at Les Cosseux because of COVID (and not to avoid journalists after articles were published although in a sense COVID may have paradoxically happened at the right time)—wine is drunk in moderation while critical voices have claimed that excesses were common in other times—which Some 3,000 members—although precise statistics are difficult to establish—live mostly in the same areas of Paris (11th La Famille remained largely unknown to both media and scholars until in 1960 a member of the Thibout family decided to establish a kibbutz in Pardailhan and took with him some twenty families from La Famille was disavowed by the Paris community and led to a total separation from La Famille it attracted the attention of several media which also mentioned the Famille origins of the founders After the end of the Pardailhan experiment Vincent Thibout established two businesses ruled according to the kibbutz philosophy one of his successors was incriminated for physical violence against other devotees Critics use this incident to attack La Famille This seems unfair considering that members of Vincent’s group describe their religion as closer to Judaism and are highly critical of La Famille’s theology and lifestyle From Facebook.Another element that took La Famille out of its comfortable shadow was the prevalence of government-sponsored anti-cult campaigns in France These were noticed by ex-members of La Famille who contacted the governmental anti-cult mission MIVILUDES in the 2010 decade the MIVILUDES published a note that showed that it was difficult to apply its “cult” model to La Famille French anti-cultists believe that in each “cult” there is a “guru” exploiting gullible followers But opponents continue to look for “cultic deviances” (which MIVILUDES admitted in 2017 it had not found) a notion invented in France and used to find “cultic” problems in many groups denounced by ex-members and anti-cultists A tiny band of angry ex-members also noticed the development of anti-cult campaigns on social networks and one started operating a Facebook group He rendered a service appreciated by scholars by digitalizing and posting otherwise inaccessible hand-written material from La Famille but he also applied to his former movement the usual French stereotypes about “cults.” Reporters liberally used the material he supplied and articles on the “secret cult in Paris” started appearing journalist Suzanne Privat published La Famille Itinéraires d’un secret (Paris: Les Avrils) a book that she says she started researching after discovering that young members of a religious community she knew nothing about physically resembling each other and with a limited number of surnames were in the same schools in Paris with her two children as she admits that it was the contact with a rabid ex-member called Alexandre that gave her most of the material she exploited in her text Privat provides several pieces of information although not all of them are accurate (and she changed the last name “Havet” to “Brin,” perhaps to protect the privacy of the Havet family) where she acknowledged that several members reported positive experiences of La Famille on social media she accepted at face value the ideas about “les sectes” (the cults) of the MIVILUDES ignoring the criticism they had been subjected to by most international scholars of new religious movements Since she did not interview any current member of La Famille which made her book less balanced that she would probably have preferred it to be Cover of Suzanne Privat’s book.Nicolas Jacquard consulting several academic sources on the Convulsionaries and the “Bonjouristes” and and of a French journalist who also accepts at face value the ideas of MIVILUDES and anti-cult associations on “cultic deviances” and the credibility of hostile former members the ex-member who created the Facebook page and who also informed Privat whose interpretations prevail upon those coming from inside La Famille And this even though Jacquard is aware that Alexandre has personal motivations because of his divorce from a woman who remained in La Famille and disputes with her over the custody of their children It is he who laid siege to MIVILUDES until they made a note about La Famille and who continues to publicly ask the same MIVILUDES and Minister Schiappa to investigate.  are the “problems” of La Famille that Minister Schiappa is now promising to investigate Privat notes that children are socialized in a conservative environment (though she found teens using social networks and also familiar with contemporary music) their choices are largely controlled by their families and girls marry young and quickly give birth to many children As endogamy leads them to marry more or less distant cousins Privat and Jacquard claim that genetic diseases are frequent among children generated problems of alcoholism in the past (common in French society at the time rather than specific to La Famille; today wine is most often replaced by non-alcoholic beverages) and some ex-members also claim that some incidents of sexual abuse were not reported to the authorities (a problem which for its part absolutely denies that it advises victims not to file complaints) ex-members report that they are shunned by members The presence of hostile ex-members on Facebook also led some members to counter their claims and tell a different story of united families that find safety and happiness in a community perceived as more benevolent than the cold and materialist society “out there.” Interestingly one member also stated that he was aware of the problem of genetic diseases caused by consanguinity and although he found some of the reports of their prevalence in La Famille to be quite exaggerated (where in fact genetic diseases would affect only 1–2% of the group’s population) the issue and the solutions that could be adopted while preserving the principle of endogamy are under discussion within the community.  journalists who have written about La Famille have mentioned an anomalous presence of Bloom’s syndrome and miscarriages and a lower life expectancy compared to the general French population which they attribute either to endogamy or to an alleged mistrust of doctors and hospitals which have been circulated by hostile former members and denies any distrust of modern medicine noting that journalists may have generalized the accusations of a young former member of La Famille about the death of her grandmother Laws may prohibit marriage between cousins (although French law does not) but they cannot prevent them from sleeping together and having children marriages in La Famille are only stipulated with a religious blessing This tradition derives from an old reluctance towards a state that La Famille considered still too tied to the Catholic church The reluctance ended with the laws of separation of church and state in France in 1905 which does not prevent the persistence of some traditions The genetic problems of endogamy are common to other groups and can only be solved by the community itself Today’s La Famille celebrates the Convulsionaries as saintly ancestors just as Roman Catholics venerate saints who practiced extreme austerities but do not imitate them La Famille reads about Lili and commemorates August 18 as a day in which it reminds itself of its expectation of Elijah its theology expects the spirit of the prophet Elijah to return in some way to usher in the Millennium but its millennialism is not so different from that of countless other Christian groups and does not play a significant role in the daily lives of the faithful Schiappa and the anti-cultists about La Famille is its alleged “separatism.” They have survived for centuries by largely keeping to themselves Some (but not all) of them do not vote in elections (or vote with a blank ballot) and do not even participate in the French cult of the dead their dead being buried in plot allocated for ten years (but not now called “of the fraternity”) in the Parisian cemetery of Thiais The cover of Jacquard’s book.Jacquard also reports that placing the deceased in the coffin is done by the (male) relatives of the deceased and not by professionals (which is true that during the three-day wake the windows remain closed “to prevent the devil from entering,” and that at the end of the wake everyone kisses each other which may make it even easier to transmit diseases if the windows remain closed it is to avoid the acceleration of decomposition and for about fifteen years the members have not kissed each other during the funeral vigils critics and journalists often repeat information from ex-members who left La Famille decades ago and are not aware of the most recent developments Some also mention the non-presence of women at burials only women participated for financial reasons (the men would have lost a day or a morning’s work) and women pray or read religious books at the home of the deceased while men accompany the body to the cemetery members of La Famille work in a wide variety of occupations and for the most part send their children to public schools which does not fit the notion of “separatism” that was raised in 2020-21 during parliamentary debates about the so-called French law on separatism It is true that in La Famille there is a minority of about 100 people (out of 3,000) who advocate a closer separation from society The journalist Jacquard echoed the derisive term “Sapinus” used by some to describe these conservatives think that their concerns should be respected and provide a balance to the opposing criticisms of some “reformers.” Criticism sometimes takes the form of “revelations” written by members who claim to be “moved” by the Holy Spirit These texts are viewed by La Famille with great caution and often are read only by intimate friends La Famille is not surprised by what is happening to them as persecutions were predicted in their prophecies They are a good test showing how French anti-cultism and “anti-separatism” produce intolerance of lifestyles that would not be regarded as illegal in most democratic countries Children also live somewhat differently from their schoolmates but a large majority of them meet the legal schooling requirements Objecting that adults can choose their own lifestyles but not “impose” them on their children is hypocritical Without socialization of the new generations Does La Famille has a right to continue its century-old experiment including by passing its lifestyle to its children International principles of religious liberty and liberty of education would suggest that the answer is yes but French anti-cultism and anti-separatism may lead to a different answer この決定は、日本に「公共の福祉」に基づいて権利を制限しないよう求めた国連の３つの勧告を無視した。 Un convegno in una prestigiosa sede istituzionale ha visto il confronto fra accademici e personalità religiose The Tokyo District Court claimed its decision did not violate international and constitutional principles of religious liberty CESNURVia Confienza 1910121 TorinoItalyinfo@bitterwinter.org Copyright © 2025 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY the façades will be covered by 2,000 trees and plants all images courtesy of stefano boeri architetti following similar plans planned for the netherlands and china, stefano boeri’s ‘forêt blanche’ is a 54-meter high tower built entirely from wood the façades will be covered by 2,000 trees and plants — a green surface equivalent to a hectare of forest the tower will host residential apartments on the upper storeys and office and commercial space on the lower levels the design team incorporated numerous terraces and balconies throughout the design creating pleasant green spaces for tenants the development’s other architectural structures include works by kengo kuma and X-TU the east and west facing sides of the building will allow sunlight to enter the building providing natural illumination and ventilation to the apartments the building also provides panoramic views of central paris in addition to ‘forêt blanche’ stefano boeri architetti has designed the neighboring ‘la cour verte project’ the building is characterized by a courtyard and a hanging garden with a 600 square meters of planted grasses stefano boeri architetti has also designed the neighboring ‘la cour verte project’ numerous terraces and balconies have been placed throughout the building AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Sales are brisk at the Villiers-Sur-Marne Harley-Davidson dealership outside Paris where French bikers reckon they had better hurry if they want the American motorcycle of their dreams before trade war puts them out of reach "It's now or never," said 55-year-old carpenter Stephane Roger as he inspected the gleaming machines He had been thinking about buying a Harley anyway But when he heard the news of US President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs Motorcycles were on a list of American goods due to be hit by EU tariffs announced this week in response to Trump After Trump rowed back on some of his tariffs the EU suspended its levies but said they could still kick in if negotiations fail I think it's time to buy a Harley," said Theo Mottet it will no longer be possible for regular people to own one a 65-year-old retired musician in a leather blazer and a red necktie said Harleys conjured up images of Americana that had been swirling around in his head since childhood and so I think there are people who need to dream today." Spain welcomed a record 17 million foreign tourists in the first three months of 2025 as the buoyant sector drives an economy outshining European peers The 17.1 million foreign tourists arriving in Spain from January to March was a 5.7-percent increase on the same period in 2024 France and Germany supplied the most holidaymakers to the world's second most-visited country which last year hosted a record 94 million foreign tourists seeking its sun Spending by foreign tourists also climbed 7.2 percent to 23.5 billion euros ($26.7 billion) a welcome development for the government which wants visitors to splash more cash during their stay The tourist sector was one of the drivers of Spain's standout growth of 3.2 percent in 2024 But the bonanza has sparked a growing backlash among locals who complain that an unsustainable influx of foreign visitors is driving up rents saturating infrastructure and changing the fabric of neighborhoods make the sector less dependent on key seasons and "share out the benefits" across the country Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said in a statement You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Councillors discussed common problems: recycling and long-standing friendships forged over the odd glass of vin rouge and toasts to European brotherhood This September, however, the Tory-run town council took the dramatic step of "breaking off" diplomatic relations with the French and the Germans. By 13 votes to 3 the Conservatives decided to end more than 46 years of town-twinning Letters are this week on their way to the French and German mayors informing them of the decision None of us could see it coming," Mike Wood a kick in the teeth to the entente cordiale and Anglo-German friendship: "It's indicative of modern-day Conservatives Wood is the last surviving Lib Dem on the council following his party's trouncing in May's local elections together with one rebel Tory and an independent.) He said the Tory-run council was generally pragmatic and avoided "outlandish" acts it had suffered a moment of ideological lunacy "They [the Tories] are usually normal people But whenever you mention Europe or the European Union they turn into some kind of monster," Wood said You see it in this parliament," he said referring to last month's Tory backbench rebellion in which 81 MPs defied David Cameron to call for an EU referendum I am very distressed by it," she said Town-twinning began in the UK more than a century ago but it was after the second world war that the idea of municipal co-operation flourished as a way of promoting reconciliation and healing wartime divisions The logic was clear: bombed-out Coventry was twinned with Stalingrad and Dresden There are tens of thousands of agreements across Europe with more than 2,000 in the UK no Thatcherite ideas lab but a pleasant Hertfordshire commuter town It is close to Stansted airport and the M11 more of a glorified hill – as well as Cecil Rhodes's birthplace and the ancient medieval forest of Hatfield The royal hunting ground is popular with riders which specialises in teaching and French and German Bishop's Stortford twinning association had its own illustrious patron – the sculptor Henry Moore who lived and worked in the village of Much Hadham: "I am a staunch believer in European co-operation." said councillors dipped into their own pockets to pay for annual meetings and stayed free of cost with local families The argument that the internet and easier travel made twinning an anachronism was wrong "I've heard the argument [against twinning] that everybody goes to Europe anyway Labour hasn't had a seat on the town council for nine years said he was dismayed by the rise of anti-European sentiment across the country: "Municipal isolationism is the latest and saddest manifestation of Tory pathological obsession against Europe," he observed He argued: "Town-twinning is a low-cost way of linking schools local arts and sports clubs and learning about each other across frontiers The Conservatives really do want to shut Britain down from contact with the rest of the world." He claimed the council ended links with the continent because of "lack of interest" The twinning committee would continue but the council would no longer be involved He admitted he had missed out on trips to Friedberg and Villiers-sur-Marne when he was mayor but joked: "I'm not bitter and twisted." Asked whether Euroscepticism lurked behind the decision to dump the Europeans They are playing party politics," he said He added sarcastically: "It's nice to see that they [the Lib Dems] have their finger on the pulse People are losing their jobs in this town and all they care about is twinning." Wyllie said he and his Tory colleagues had reached the conclusion that twinning was no longer "relevant" in today's society He said that the town's thriving schools already had regular exchanges with other European cities And what of the letter sent to the French and the Germans telling them of the decision said he wasn't surprised by the council's decision "The partnership has been on its last legs for the past 10 years We got hints in 2005 they were keen to end it Not enough young people have been involved He added: "Twinning began for us in 1965 Those involved had personally experinced the catastrophe of the second world war Keller said he would now talk to the French to see what they thought "I suspect English Euroscepticism played a role also I would have preferred it if we'd ended twinning with a big party rather than just a letter." Home   News   Article The Marne Inn at Thorley Park is set for a new name as part of a makeover for the pub Star Pubs is looking for a new operator and is promising the successful applicant an internal and external refurbishment for the licensed premises has around 2,400 pubs and has provisionally dubbed the inn the Thorley Park Tavern The Marne name is a nod to Bishop’s Stortford’s French twin town The advertising blurb says: “The area is of high affluence and there are 3,300 adults living within a ten-minute walk of the pub.” it shut in September 2021 after a drugs raid the previous month Around 30 police officers in half a dozen vehicles executed a warrant at the pub at the Thorley Neighbourhood Centre No substances were found and no arrests were made but the premises closed The Marne later reopened under new management Star Pubs tells prospective tenants: “The right operator for the Thorley Park Tavern will have extensive experience in community-led hospitality businesses “They will have a clear vision for their traditional pub food and drinks menu sports offer and can create a memorable experience for their customers.” Expenses for any new investor include rent of £39,978 a year space for 188 diners inside and out and a beer garden the pub has living accommodation comprising three bedrooms Star Pubs is also advertising for a new operator for the Crown Inn in Elsenham where “the potential of this pub lies in developing a well thought through food and drinks offer” The rent is £32,939 and includes two bedrooms a living room and a bathroom as well as the business premises A new mobile telephone mast is proposed near the Marne Inn at Thorley Park to cope with increased demand for home-working connections because of the coronavirus pandemic The 65ft (20m) high monopole with nine antennae will come with four equipment cabinets A further cabinet will be relocated as part of plans to replace the existing 38ft (11.7m) mast which applied to East Herts Council for planning permission says: "The proposed replacement mast has been sited and designed in order to provide 5G coverage and to support the existing mobile network it is paramount that digital connectivity is supported and maintained throughout the country the current massive shift in user demand from city centre and places of work to residential areas and suburbs requires an improvement in coverage and capacity throughout the whole network." The new equipment will allow the network to handle more data and connect more devices simultaneously at faster speeds A utility company has been fined by highways chiefs after closing a key road on a Bishop’s Stortford estate without permission Affinity Water applied to put temporary traffic lights on Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue from Thursday to Monday to repair a burst water main A spokesperson for Network Management at Hertfordshire County Council told Cllr Graham McAndrew that as the work was considered safety critical Affinity did not require permission to begin work but must notify the council within two hours “Once we were alerted to the works an on-site inspection was carried out at which we identified the road had been closed as opposed to the originally requested and permitted traffic signals,” the spokesperson added “Affinity Water have been issued with appropriate fines for working in breach of their permit.” Cllr McAndrew had been alerted to the problem by residents who were angry that no apparent work was being carried out The Network Management spokesperson continued: “Affinity Water have requested an extension to July 6 [Thursday] however this has not yet been granted by Hertfordshire County Council while we await more information as to the need for the extension and closure “We note the customers’ comments regarding a lack of workforce on site and will address this with Affinity Water directly.” Resident Steve Beach said on Monday a manager from Affinity Water had returned his call and revealed a request to extend the permission until Thursday had been refused and the work would be completed on Tuesday Firefighters were called to deal with a car blaze in Bishop's Stortford on Saturday afternoon (April 4) A black BMW convertible parked in Goodwin Stile The flames set light to a wooden garden fence next to where the car was parked caught fire Residents came out of their homes to watch as flames They warned one another to keep a safe distance as the glass in the car windows started to shatter as a result of the intense heat One of them said: "The owner was a guy maybe in his 40s He doesn't know what happened – it just caught fire." said: "He was very shaken and has been nothing but apologetic." A crew from Bishop's Stortford fire station turned up to tackle the flames which were extinguished within a couple of minutes Stef added: "There were no injuries at all and the firemen were absolutely fantastic Links with Europe which have endured for more than half a century have been severed with the demise of Bishop's Stortford Town Twinning Association (BSTTA) The committee has reluctantly disbanded after 55 years following the revelation that its Continental siblings no longer regard Stortford as a partner The association was established in 1965 with the intention of linking with the German town of Friedberg in Hessen Stortford added the Portuguese town of Entroncamento commemorated in the naming of the two main roads on Thorley Park were picked because of their similarity to Stortford All three have their roots in Roman history with populations between 28,000 and 38,000 facing increasing pressure from urbanisation Villiers-sur-Marne had been twinned separately with Entroncamento since 1990 before all four signed a friendship agreement exchange visits for students were popular and there was a full calendar of civic events on both sides of the Channel involving a host of community groups with links becoming personal rather than official Bishop's Stortford was represented in 2018 when Villiers-sur-Marne commemorated 100 years since the end of the First World War former chairman Ian Burt told the Indie about the difficulties the association faced following the withdrawal of backing by Bishop's Stortford Town Council in November 2011 which left BSTTA without any civic or financial support but after the annual general meeting in November which sealed the association's fate he wrote: "We are now much older than hitherto we have not attracted new members for some considerable time and some of our members are no longer able to participate in the activities of the association." He is suffering from ill health and no one is willing to succeed him as chairman coupled with feedback from president Cllr Graham McAndrew an East Herts district and Herts county councillor Mr Burt explained: "A visit from our president to a joint business meeting.. revealed that we were no longer considered by our partner towns as full participating members We did not feature in the projected programme issued by the partner towns for the next four years." He told the Indie that he saw no hope of a revival town councillor Mike Wood told the Indie he wanted to reinvigorate town twinning with backing from the authority Fellow Lib Dem member Cllr Terence Beckett said he still wanted to pursue the alliance "Especially in the wake of weaker ties with Europe on a national level we should be determined to grow these local links since lost," he said Bishop's Stortford Town Council's Conservative leader said: "I'm not sure it's fair to say that the town council withdrawal from town twinning was a critical blow as the organisation survived a further six years One of the reasons the town council freed up town twinning was to allow them to do things to help promote the organisation free of any town council constraints they struggled to get people to fill officer jobs to run the organisation "I'm not sure what the town council could or can do to increase membership This is down to what any organisation offers and it's difficult to attract people as there are many other things going on and we all lead busy lives." his Conservative colleague and BSTTA's last president said: "The twinning association has tried to continue to function on our own and to some extent that has been possible but we cannot depend on the backing of our town when it comes to formal recognition sending delegates to our twinned towns "Many friendships have been forged over the years and we feel honoured that we will always be made welcome by our friends and colleagues from Villiers-sur-Marne and Friedberg at all future events over the coming years because they are the cornerstone of twinning and we also thank them for their understanding Also for putting up with the good British humour.” He said that the need for town twinning was as important as it had ever been and informal links would continue A clear-up operation was under way in Bishop's Stortford on Friday evening (Sept 27) after strong winds brought down several trees and large branches following torrential downpours in the afternoon A "massive" horse chestnut blocked Avenue Road on the Hockerill Park estate after its trunk was split near the base The well-established tree snapped a sapling as it fell two trees in the Ward Crescent area were brought down by the wind A silver birch in Edinburgh Crescent landed on two cars the strong winds brought down several large branches which partially blocked the main Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue Motorists and residents – including one with a chainsaw – teamed up to remove them and will return on Saturday morning to finish the job Most had got out of their cars and that included at least three kids: one from St Joseph’s and two from the boys' high It was fantastic to see everyone pulling together to remove them." added: "I’m wondering if we experienced a mini hurricane as the wind came from the north and our bins were blown over our cars." heard the horse chestnut come down as they were washing up after supper She said: "Thankfully no cars or buildings [were damaged] or people hurt." A highways crew was this evening sawing and chipping the fallen tree's branches to enable Avenue Road to be reopened to traffic stepfather Richard Bower and neighbour Simon Thorpe The tree was blocking the entrance to the driveway of the family's home Emmalena said: "We’re still waiting for our drive to be cleared Very helpful guys from Hertfordshire Highways maintenance who will most likely work through the night." maybe 'Hurricane Horror on the Hockerill Park Estate'?" * Do you have photos of any other wind damage in Bishop's Stortford from Friday please email them to photos@stortfordindie.co.uk A Bishop's Stortford man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for three attempted armed robberies last year learned his fate at St Albans Crown Court on Friday (May 3) He previously appeared at the court on March 25 when he pleaded guilty to three attempted armed robberies in one weekend in December as well as numerous other offences The court heard that at around 10pm on Saturday Day entered the Lee Garden takeaway in Elizabeth Road with an airgun and demanded money The victims refused and he left after firing a shot at a microwave oven Day entered the post office stores in High Street Day tried another robbery in Bishop's Stortford he got on a bus in Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue he got off and fired two shots towards the bus as it drove off police located Day in Villiers-sur-Marne Avenue he was also sentenced for an offence in Cambridgeshire on Friday when he was found to be in possession of a bladed article Day he has been charged and sentenced for three offences that were previously taken into consideration: the theft of a freezer van in Bishop's Stortford on December 15 and two counts of theft of fuel from Tesco stores in Stortford and Cambridge said: "Thankfully no one was physically injured in any of these incidents but Day put his victims through a terrifying mental ordeal "I hope that this sentence goes some way in allowing them to move on from the trauma they suffered They all showed great bravery and I would like to commend them for that." He added: "The judge told Day he could have jailed him for 12 years but he took into account his co-operation with police his full admissions and the fact that he had shown remorse He noted that Day's offending was motivated by a long-standing drug habit."