Daniel BALAVOINE / The Philosopher’s SONG / 19L / A 241*

He burst on the scene with a role in the rock opera Starmania in 1978. The French singer and songwriter Daniel Balovine was a shooting star who lit the firmament for a few years in the 80’s. He died tragically in a helicopter crash in 1986 and, a la James Dean, is long remembered. For sure he was a humanitarian, politically militant, and a youth advocate, but he was little known outside France and his body of work limited. Potential and promise with a high pitched voice – and dead at 34.

René DESCARTES / The PHILOSOPHER’S Song / 19B / A 241*

I thought, therefore he is. For some totally inexplicable reason he did not make the original list. Forget the French, he should make it very high on the list of The Greatest People Ever, maybe even Top 10. At least logically. This world class philosopher and mathematician taught us how to think. René Descartes, with his ‘Discourse on Method’, formulated the basis of modern geometry and calculus; founded rationalism and skepticism; illustrated the occasional unreliability of perception and taught us deduction.

For more relevant information see A 241 or a Two for One

Original appearance Oct 23, 2005, © 2005 / Daniel BALAVOINE / 1952-1986 / musician, singer / good*best* / C-/A / 19L / 319A / 12 / René DESCARTES / 1596-1650 / philosopher, mathematician / best / A+/C / 19B / CIP 319, OO 12, RD 23, YP 30/5-23,

Nicolas HULOT / The Thinker’s NATURALIST / 60L / A 241*

He’s the founder and president of Fondation Nicolas Hulot. Originally it was called Ushuaïa Foundation which is both the name of the capital of Tierra del Fuego and a television series he starred in. He is a presenter, producer, photographer and promoter in all media. His foundation is dedicated to nature and man. With the death of Jacques Cousteau, he is now probably France’s leading environmentalist.

Auguste RODIN / THE THINKER’S Naturalist / 60B / A 241*

Yes Michelangelo might give him a tussle, and perhaps one or two others, but a pretty good case could be made for calling him the world’s greatest sculptor ever. When you view ‘The Thinker’ or ‘The Kiss’ or ‘The Age of Bronze’ you wonder what could the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts have been thinking when they rejected him three times as a student. Certainly they didn’t think as deeply as his masterpiece.

For more relevant information see A 241 or a Two for One

Original appearance Oct 23, 2005, © 2005 / Nicolas HULOT / 1955- / journalist, naturalist, animal rights / good / C+/D / 60L / 360A / 12 / Auguste RODIN / 1840-1917 / sculptor, ‘the thinker’ / best / A/D / 60B / CIP 360, OO 12, RD 23, YP 30/5-23

On virtually everyone’s Top Ten lists, perhaps just a tad below the Eiffel Tower, one would find Les Invalides. Often referred to as the Soldiers Church and/or the Dôme Church, the whole complex was originally built by Louis XIV as housing and hospital for old and wounded soldiers. Fronted by a now dry moat and a statue of Maréchal Galliénie, it is when you get beyond these that it truly becomes spectacular. Jules Hardouin and Libéral Bruand are the architectural names to remember but I promise you that you will never forget the Dôme. Tons of gold shining in the sun. From the inside, paintings and light supreme. Majestic and exalted, perhaps because it was created for the Sun King.

Original appearance Apr 25, 2005, © 2005 / INVALIDES / ST-LOUIS-DES-INVALIDES, (MONUMENT) / 129 RUE DE GRENELLE, 75007 / 01 44 42 37 65 / CIP 101, OO 10, RD 22, YP 30/5-22

Paris is the mother of them all, but there are others. Lyons and Marseille are the biggies but let’s take Amiens in the north and Avignon in the south. Amiens has a cathedral that rivals Notre Dame (taller actually) and was the capital long before Paris – back when Paris was still called Lutetia. Avignon, fortress city of the Popes and sometimes capital of Christianity during the Middle Ages, still with the walls intact. You begin to see the scope of the saga writ large on the parchment that is France. The cities – all the cities – have elements of history, culture, charm and a captivating essence that make a wander a wonder.

Original appearance Apr 25, 2005, © 2005 / CIP 006, OO 10, RD 22, YP 30/5-22

Care and consideration for human life is evident in almost everything the French do. From household products to high rise buildings there is an obvious concern for health manifestations. Round is favored over square, sturdy over flimsy, safety above efficiency. Product design, be it an automobile or a baby bottle, is intrinsically concerned with security. First and foremost – above cost, way above productivity and even over esthetics, though here we are a little closer – comes protection. The broken finger, the lost limb and the silly slip are all to be avoided. It’s kind of kind.

Original appearance Apr 25, 2005, © 2005 / CIP 030, OO 10, RD 22, YP 30/5-22

Succulent, fresh, aromatic and just downright delicious. It is impossible to exaggerate the fine, exquisite and noble culinary delights that await you in France. The presentation, the taste and the ambiance combine to produce excellence. And I am not talking three stars here. This I have found in the homes and most restaurants that I have tried. Someday, when I have a few hundred extra dollars, I will try one of those three star places. It starts with the markets: mountains of freshness, and it only gets better. I still love my beef stew but, for now, I’m raving about bouillabaisse.

Original appearance Apr 25, 2005, © 2005 / CIP 010, OO 10, RD 22, YP 30/5-22

Politics is almost all perception and point of view. If you are a liberal American you will be quite comfortable in Paris. If you are a very liberal American you are virtually French – almost all American expatriates here fit in that category. From a moderate American perspective the French are left and further left. I am slightly to the right of center American style (and I do mean only slightly) so I do not exist in France. About 80% of Americans should never discuss politics in France. If you follow that advice you can love France (as I do).

Original appearance Apr 25, 2005, © 2005 / CIP 008, OO 10, RD 22, YP 30/5-22

The area is electric with the proximity of the Café de Floré and Les Deux Magots. Literature, style and intellect meld. The remains of René Descartes are here so let us linger. King Childebert originally built the oldest church in Paris in 542 to shelter some relics. The exact nature of the relics appears to be in some doubt as I have read three quite different accounts, but for sure it’s been awhile. And of course it wasn’t actually in Paris back then, but no matter, St-Germain-des-Prés grew to be a powerful Benedictine abbey and monastery. A little part of the original church remains but most of it was rebuilt in the 11th century, and there was a major restoration in the 19th. The stormy history of the church and the revolution is writ large on these premises. Now it quietly and beautifully lets some of that history settle. That too will take awhile.

Original appearance Jan 20, 2006, © 2006 / ST-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS / (CHURCH) / 3 PL ST-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS, 75006 / 01 43 25 41 71 / KEYS : OLDEST CHURCH IN PARIS, 542, RENÉ DESCARTES, RESTORATION, / CIP 186, OO 11, RD 20, YP 30/4-20

OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Trans Atlantic Race) 1964, ‘Transat en Solitaire’, and instant fame. He did it again in 1976 in a most spectacular way. In 1967 he won 4 major races. In his time he won the Morgan Cup, LA-Tahiti, Goatland Round, Channel Race and the Fasnet. Eric Tabarly was the French yachtsman of the century. All in his boats Pen Duick I, II, III, IV, V, & VI. Of course, being English, I cannot fail to mention Sir Francis Chichester and the Gypsy Moth as a possible comparison. Ironically Eric Tabarly was aboard the original Pen Duick, en route to it’s 100 Year Anniversary Celebration in 1998, when he fell overboard and drowned. He had been trying to drop the mainsail and hoist a storm tri-sail a little off the Welsh coast. Jacques Chirac and 5 other French Ministers attended the services for this great Breton skipper (Great Britain would have been proud to have claimed him too).
(Painting by Christian Pauliac)

Original appearance Oct 20, 2005, © 2005 / Eric TABARLY / 1931- / navel officer, solo sailor / good / C+ / 49 / CIP 349, OO 11, RD 20, YP 30/4-20

Unless of course you think Judo is soft. Then you might have a beef with David Douillet, and you might change your mind. He was the Judo World Heavyweight Champion 1993, 1995, & 1997. He won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 & 2000. He won some Bronze and Silver too. He is not the sort of guy you would want to mess with, even if his last name does means soft in French. Of course I hear, off the mat, he is a pussycat, a real nice guy. Though I am not sure I am brave enough to chance saying the former, there is proof of the latter formulation in that he carried the French flag in the opening ceremony. He is very popular in France, in fact he was voted France’s Most Popular Sportsman in 2000, and this over Zidane, which is impossible. Not quite as popular in Japan though. They feel very strongly that their man Shinohara won the last Gold Medal in 2000, but they did not protest fast enough. Shades of Paul Hamm four years later.

Original appearance Oct 20, 2005, © 2005 / David DOUILLET / 1969- / sports, Olympics, judo / better / B+ / 51 / CIP 351, OO 11, RD 20, YP 30/4-20