The Monkees are an
American rock and pop band originally active between 1965 and 1971, with
subsequent reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed.
They were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by Bob Rafelson and
Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968.
The musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky
Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and British stage and television actor
and singer Davy Jones.
During the filming of the second season, the band became tired
of scripts which they deemed monotonous and stale. They had already succeeded
in eliminating the laugh track (a then-standard on American sitcoms), with the
bulk of Season 2 episodes airing minus the canned chuckles.
However, stereotyping was a good part of The Monkees' humour; berets for artists, fake moustaches and striped shirts for Frenchmen and the like...
An interesting article on craft beers and how to recognize quality (or the lack of it); the etiquette of when to send a beer back and how to word your dissatisfaction without being a snob.
Good stuff. I just fail to understand why the Beer-Snob wears a beret...
The Bruery is a microbrewery established in Placentia, California. The brewery was founded by Patrick Rue in 2008. Belgian tradition has been a big influence in the brewery’s brewing methods and the types of beers produced. The Bruery does not engage in beer filtration and pasteurization so beers always come out fresh and organic for people to enjoy. Many beers go through bottle conditioning for carbonation. The Bruery strives to use unconventional beer ingredients that create unique and distinctive flavors. The brewery has at least 15 types of beers that come in wide range of ingredients, characters and flavors.
Beret is as artistic as those who wear its namesake cap. Our brewers developed a silky, full-bodied wheat ale which we began fermenting with our house yeast strain. To finish the fermentation, we added our collection of barnyard bacteria, intended to slowly sour the ale, bringing out a slight funk and refreshing piquancy. Finally, a small dose of pureed raspberries were added for just a hint of fruity tannins, putting the berry in Beret.
A native of Southern France and fourth-generation liquoriste, Bernard Monna is the first
to produce black currant wines and Crème de Cassis in Québec.
He first arrived on Île d'Orléans in the early 1970s and
quickly settled into the area that was to become his home. The spot boasted the
ideal microclimate for growing black currant - damp and well-drained soil
protected from the spring frost due to its proximity to the river.
Cassis Monna & Filles currently cultivates 16 hectares
of land and produces over 40,000 bottles per year - numbers that are sure to
continue to grow. Heir to a long-standing family tradition, Bernard Monna is
proud to be passing down his knowledge to his two daughters, Catherine and
Anne, who will ensure that the tradition is carried on for years to come.
Guy Bel, born in Lyon (France), is a self-taught art-metal
worker impassioned by traditional techniques, with a background in studies at
the École des Beaux Arts in Lyon and training in sheet metal work. His
experience has served him well in his search for excellence.
His work may be found everywhere in Québec and elsewhere in
Canada, at the historic sites of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, Fort Chambly and
Fort Lennox in Saint Paul on Île aux Noix. In Québec, he completed art-metal
work at the Artillery Park and on Île d'Orléans at the Mauvide-Genest manor
house.
For Guy Bel, nothing is more motivating than taking on a job
that many deem impossible. Metal work offers so many possibilities that he
never gets bored. In his opinion, the prize he won in the "Coup de Cœur du
Public Visa Desjardins 2000", contest held during the Salon des Métiers
d'Art du Québec in Montréal is the best recognition that an artist can obtain.
His mastery of a traditional trade that is slowly dying out
makes him an ideal candidate for special events. From Arizona where he was
invited by the ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Association of North America) to New
York or Puilly in Switzerland, his participation is always appreciated by
connoisseurs.
In April 1999, Canada Post issued a series of eight stamps
honouring the trades and know-how of artisans across Canada. The two-cent stamp
represents a hammer held in a grip of steel hitting a piece of red-hot metal on
an anvil. The hand on the stamp is that of Guy Bel, master blacksmith, who has
been producing unique artwork for more than a quarter of a century in his
workshop on Île d'Orléans.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand (1946) is a French photographer,
journalist, reporter and environmentalist. He is especially well known for his
book Earth from Above (1999) and his film Home (2009).
In 1963 when he was 17, he became an assistant director,
then an actor in movies. He played alongside famous actors such as Michèle
Morgan in Dis-moi qui tuer (1965) by Etienne Perier and in OSS 117 prend des
vacances (1970) by Pierre Kalfon.
He gave up the movie industry in 1967 to run the Château de
Saint Augustin wildlife park in Château-sur-Allier (centre of France). He then
left the country with his wife Anne when he was 30 (1976) to live in Kenya in the
Masai Mara National Reserve. He lived amongst the Maasai tribe for 3 years to
study the behaviour of a lions' family and took daily pictures of them during
those years. He thus discovered a new passion for photography and the beauty of
landscapes when observed from above in hot air balloons and understood how to
communicate using these means.
He came back to France in 1981, published a photographs book
Lions in 1983, and became an international journalist, reporter and
photographer specialised in documentaries on sports, wildlife and aerial
photography for French magazines such as Paris Match and GEO. And, more interesting here, made portraits of a gaucho and his horse - with beret.
In 1994 Arthus-Bertrand started a thorough study on the
state of the Earth sponsored by UNESCO. As part of the study, he made a picture
inventory of the world's most beautiful landscapes, taken from helicopters and
hot-air balloons. The book from this project, Earth from Above sold over 3 million copies and was translated into 24 languages.
In 2000, his "Earth from Above" free exhibition
was set up on numerous big posters on the gates of the Jardins du Luxembourg in
Paris. It then traveled worldwide from Lyon to Montreal, to 110 cities and was
visited by 120 million people.
A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 British-American epic war film
based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan.
The name for the film comes from an unconfirmed comment
attributed to British Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning, deputy commander
of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery,
the operation's architect, before the operation: "I think we may be going
a bridge too far", in reference to the intention of seizing the Arnhem bridgehead
over the Rhine river.
The clip here pictures the absurdity of war and military bravery
and seems very appropriate for a post on The Beret Project.
While you read this, you may have a little way to go still, until 2018, but here in the far east of the South Pacific, we're well and truly in the New Year already!
I wish you all a fantastic year and much happiness, if not protection, from your beret(s)!
Isn't it fascinating to see how coffee was associated with fezzes and chechias during the first half of the last century? Coffee roasters from many different countries all incorporate (stereotypical) North Africans wearing chechias in their advertising.
Gorbea or Gorbeia is a mountain and massif, the highest in
Biscay and Alava (Basque Country, Spain), with a height of 1,481 m AMSL. The
massif covers a wide area between the two provinces.
The entire massif has been enclosed in a natural park of 200
km² created by the Basque Government in 1994 to preserve the local flora of
beech and oak and fauna of wild boar and deer. The main access points for the
mountain are Murgia from Alava and Areatza from Biscay.
Enrique Etxebarria is a shepherd who takes his flocks every
May to the higher pastures at Gorbeia for the summer months, the transhumance.
Ernst Sven Robert Palmqvist (1906 – 1984)] was a Swedish glass artist and
glass designer , known for his Fuga bowl
series.
Palmqvist studied at the Technical School (now Artfack) and
the Royal Academy in Stockholm, and spent a few years in Paris. During World
War II, Palmqvist moved to Orrefors in
Sweden and stayed there until his retirement in 1971.
While Santa Claus (a Coca Cola reinvention after the Dutch Saint Nicholas figure) is rapidly taking over the world as the symbol for Christmas, in the Basque Country they hold strong to their Father Christmas: Olentzero.
According to Basque traditions Olentzero comes to town late
at night on the 24th of December to drop off presents for children. In some
places he arrives later, for example in Ochagavía – Otsagabia on the 27th and
in Ermua on the 31st.
There are many variations to the Olentzero traditions and
stories connected to him, sometimes varying from village to village. The first
written account of Olentzero is from Lope de Isasti in the 17th century: A la
noche de Navidad (llamamos) onenzaro, la sazón de los buenos.
One common version has Olentzero being one of
the jentillak, a mythological race of Basque giants living in the Pyrenees.
Legend has it that they observed a glowing cloud in the sky one day. None of
them could look at this bright cloud except for a very old, nearly blind man.
When asked to examine it, he confirmed their fears and told them that it was a
sign that Jesus will be born soon.
According to some stories, the old man asked
the giants to throw him off a cliff to avoid having to live through
Christianisation. Having obliged him, the giants tripped on the way down and
died themselves except Olentzero.
Other versions have the jentillak simply leaving, with only
Olentzero remaining behind to embrace Christianity.
Parts of Olentzero legend are reminiscent of a prehistoric
cult rituals surrounding the winter solstice, such as the involvement of ritual
"last meals" and sacrifices of rebirth.
The Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) is a French form of in
work welfare benefit aimed at reducing the barrier to return to work. It was
implemented on 1 June 2009 by the French government.
Its goal is to provide a minimum income for unemployed and underemployed workers, with the aim of encouraging them to find work, and provide a complement for low-wage workers so that they do not suffer the perverse effects of earning less through employment than unemployment.
Alain Guézou, president of the association RSA 38 walked from Grenoble to Brussels to denounce the dysfunctions of the RSA and create dialogue.
He became a ‘celebrity’, in good portion thanks to his ever
present béret Alpin.
Daan Kolthoff is a writer, living between the hills of Wellington, New Zealand and, when not writing, meditating or walking the hills, he is usually researching, reading about or ordering berets from around the world.
