Behemoth: NEEEEEEIGH!

behemoth (n.) - 1. often capitalized : a mighty animal described in Job 40:15-24 as an example of the power of God. 2: Something of monstrous size, power, or appearance [a behemoth truck]

When we decided on "behemoth" for our word of the day, I immediately thought of how I could relate it to horses as well as to France. Double win! Please excuse me if I rattle on excessively about horses, and I hope I don't bore you with too many details. There's really no hope of me being concise when ponies are involved.

Being an equestrian and lifetime horse lover, I think that "horse" is synonymous with "power" (among countless other associations of course: freedom, joy, I could go on...). To me, the perfect image of "a mighty animal" or "power" is a horse; for this blog's purpose, not just any horse, but a draft horse.

In my book, the perfect example of what is a "behemoth": a draft horse (here, a Percheron).

A draft horse, most simply put, is a breed of horse that is very large and in charge, and bred for doing hard work. They're quite a bit heavier than lighter breeds of horses, and usually (though not always) quite a bit taller as well - some of them upwards of 19 hands high! One "hand" in horsey terms is 4 inches, so in a lot of draft breeds we're talking well over 6 feet at the withers (horsey shoulders). They're wider and more robust, often several hundred pounds heavier than your average riding horse. For the most part, they're the ones you see pulling carriages in big cities. Picture a huge farm horse pulling a plow; that's a draft horse. And of course the Budweiser Clydesdales are another familiar example.

There are several breeds of draft horse of French origin, including the Ardennais, Percheron and Poitevin, among others. Each breed comes from a different region of the country, as breeds of animals generally do, and these horses usually perform heavy labor tasks such as pulling plows.

I met some French draft horses! When I was studying at the CLA in Besançon in the summer of 2008, I went with my host mom to a birthday celebration for her brother and cousin. I went running around with her nieces and we came across this Comtois mare and her foal at a nearby farm. So obviously we had to stop and pet them. The Comtois horse is a lighter, shorter and stockier French draft breed, but you can still see how heavy they are in comparison with a riding horse. Even the colt, not yet a yearling here, is just massive. I'm always amazed by the bone mass and size of their joints, even as foals.

Draft horses aren't just for farm work, though. While their sheer size and strength conveniently lend them to doing heavy work and pulling carts, you'll find drafties who are also excellent riding horses. My friend Justin owns a Percheron mare (one of the French breeds I mentioned before). Isabel does Dressage, a bit of jumping, and keeps up with the Thoroughbreds galloping cross country at two local Foxhunting clubs.

Left to right: Katie and Huey, Verity and Truman, Justin and Isabel

Here's a photo of me with my friends Verity and Justin, before a cross country jumping day benefiting the Harvard Foxhounds kennel at Flint Creek. My horse Huey (who is actually part Belgian draft himself, though he didn't inherit the behemoth size of a full draft horse), and Verity's horse Truman are both pretty average size. Isabel, Justin's Percheron mare is a veritable behemoth in comparison, even when the perspective of the shot puts her at an angle behind us. For reference, Huey is almost 16 hands while Isabel is around 17 hands 3 inches, and as you can see she is about twice as wide as Huey.

While searching for more about French draft horses, I found a few different sources about French drafts being used for work in vineyards. Here's a wine taster's blog with a pretty lengthy discussion of draft horses in the vineyard. There are several pictures of one young mare Robine that show her pulling the plow between the rows. The work is easier for her than it would be for a smaller breed of horse.

I also found this video, actually posted by the owner of the aforementioned blog, wherein we're introduced to Phénomène, another draft horse who works in a vineyard. It's all in French (sorry, Germans!) but you can see the sheer size of the horse, especially his hooves. Look at those dinner plate sized hooves! Look at them! (Justin has to special order shoes for his mare Isabel!) Here's the gist of the video: Phénomène (Phenomenon) is an 8 year old Percheron, and I love how the man calls him "mon compagnon" (my companion, my friend). He talks about how well-muscled he is (which I think you can see even if you aren't horse savvy), which is necessary because he does physical labor, working in the vineyard. He then talks about the benefits of having a horse to work in the vineyard. He has a tractor, he says, but wants to use it as least often as possible. Doing the same work with the use of a horse is "très écolo," a lot better for the environment. His four hooves, large as they are, make less of an impact than tractor tires, which vibrate, and cause more damage to the soil. Horses can also, of course, be a lot easier to maneuver than a tractor when you're working in tight rows in the vinyeard.

Horses are integral to the history of so many nations and peoples, from chargers carrying their warriors on the medieval battlefield, to farm horses working to help sustain a person's livelihood. To me, draft horse breeds have been and are to this day so extremely versatile. They can pull plows in a vineyard like Phénomène or Robine, or they can compete in Dressage and go Foxhunting like Isabel. I'm very intrigued that in our industrial age, a draft horse can still play such a large part. I'd like to thank all the draft horses who work in the vineyards, because I sure do appreciate their work for a product of which I partake on a regular basis. Does anybody else find it nice and refreshing, and almost pastoral, that some farmers would still rather use a horse than a machine? I do.

The end! (Left to right: Huey, Belgian x Canadian Thoroughbred and Dixie, Percheron x Quarter Horse)

Ambidextrous

ambidextrous (adj.) - 1: using both hands with equal ease. 2: unusually skillful, versatile. 3: characterized by duplicity, double-dealing.

In my quest for inspiration for "ambidextrous" this week, I stumbled across the idea of "cohabitation" in government. In semi-presidential political systems (the country is governed by a President as well as a prime minister and parliament), cohabitation refers to when the President and majority of the parliament are from different political parties. The President selects the prime minister, who needs to be sort of "politically ambidextrous" in that the prime minister should ideally reach across party lines so that both the President and the parliament are happy with this selection.

Cohabitation caused a sort of political pendulum swing in France, and then some pretty significant overhauls in the system. Here is a pretty good explanation of cohabitation and some pretty big changes that it led to in the French political system. Essentially what has happened is that the presidential term was shortened to 5 years, and more importantly there was the general election that directly follows the presidential election. So this basically guarantees the President political majority with the parliament.

In theory, I can see advantages to both systems. In the instance of cohabitation, a "politcally ambidextrous" prime minister seems like a pretty great idea for getting two parties that may butt heads to coexist and govern accordingly. However, in such systems as in France, the "cohabitators" don't tend to really work together, with the prime minister having more domestic influence and the President having more power on foreign policy. And as we can clearly see from the example of American politics, it's pretty difficult for a President to get anything done if the legislative branch is so divided that no agreement can be reached. So having political majority basically guaranteed seems like a lot will get done during the Presidential term, but all depends on the Presidential elections and which party gains the most momentum. So it also seems to still lend itself to extreme shifts in policy. That's just my comments on the scenarios in theory. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Piggyback

piggyback (adv.) - 1: up on the back and shoulders; 2: on or as if on the back of another

First off, I now wish to travel only by piggyback.

French students: have you ever heard a translation for this? The only thing I can think of is "sur le dos de quelqu'un" (on somebody's back) but that's not as fun as piggyback. With extensive (1-minute) research on WordReference, I have found "le ferroutage," but that's specifically for trains. Boo!

German students: do the Germans have a word for this? They seem to have a word for everything...

Down to business: I decided to learn a bit about "le ferroutage," so thank you WordReference.

Here's a brief answer to "C'est quoi le ferroutage?" (What is piggybacking?)

And a French wiki on le ferroutage.

And in English: piggyback.

Le ferroutage is the French word for piggyback in the railroad flatcar sense of the word. It is a kind of combined transport where something is carried on the back of something else.

I found a dorky yet informative TV show (~26 minutes) called "C'est pas sorcier" ("It's not Magic"). They did an episode all about le ferroutage! Linked here for your viewing pleasure if you should wish to watch a fun French show with a PBS air about it. C'est pas sorcier - Le ferroutatge.

In the opener, Fred says: "Le camion sur un train?! Qu'est-ce que c'est que cette histoire?", which translates roughly to "A truck on a train?! What is this madness?" ("Histoire" meaning story really, and the actual translation is "What's all this about?" but I like mine better and you get the point.) In fact, this is le ferroutage.

The show goes on to explain the intricacies of this mode of transporting goods, and all its pros and cons. As we know, a lot of resources such as fruits and vegetables are imported and exported between countries. Products are also made from different parts of the whole that come from different countries. So long distance transport of such products throughout Europe is necessary and frequent. The main advantage of le ferroutage is it allows for easier travel across natural obstacles, such as through the Pyrenées and the Alps. It also helps to reduce pollution and cut down on traffic jams.

So one could say that manufacturers throughout Europe piggyback their resources on the train in order to piggyback them with other resources to reach the final product. I wonder how and if this kind of transportation of goods will continue to develop.

Pugilism: The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.

pugilism (n.) - boxing

This week's word stumped me. Upon my initial Google search, which I hoped would give me a multitude of ideas on how to relate "pugilism" to French culture in some interesting way, I found this, which while intriguing and a very literal interpretation of our fisticuffs-themed word of the day, did not particularly inspire me. Besides, one does not talk about savate club...at least for now.

So then I turned to my other search results: recent news about a French soldier who was killed in Mali. Corporal Cedric Chareton, a paratrooper, was killed Saturday during a military campaign that began in January to target a group of radical al Quaeda militants who were responsible for an attack on a gas plant in Algeria. Here is an article from early on in the conflict, which details the outbreak of fighting that really accelerated the process of France's involvement in Mali. The article also seems to predict the violence that is still ongoing.

An image from the Wall Street Journal from January showing the initial occupancy by Islamist rebels vs. the French and Malian forces. The French took action to prevent a possible takeover of the capital of Bamako.

Recently, there has been some discrepancy over whether two al Quaeda leaders were killed in the region where Cpl Chareton was killed. Reportedly, the Chadian army claimed it had killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar and Abdehamid Abou Zeid, but the French military has not yet confirmed their deaths. That led me to this article, which offers a strong critique of the French army's reservedness in publicizing details of the conflict. One quote in particular leaps off the page at me: "'The army is missing out on a chance to put itself forward at a time when it is doing something impressive all on its own, without our American allies,' said Michel Goya of the IRSEM defense research institute, who described the information blackout as 'counter-productive.'" While it's true that we don't often hear of France's military exploits, and that there is quite a bit of security as far as information coming out of this conflict in Mali, it seems a bit extreme to me to suggest that the French military should boast a bit more.

So here's my question: is the regulation of media justified? Should the French army take this opportunity to glorify itself, or is it right to be so reserved with this information?

Aegis...CHARRRRRGE!

I'm going old school with the meaning on this one, because it's just too much fun.

aegis (n.) - a shield or breastplate (emblematic of majesty that was associated with Zeus and Athena)

This week's word immediately made me think of medieval reenactment. My thought process: shield?...breastplate?...SWORDS AND WAR STEEDS! If you've ever been to a Renaissance festival (there are several within a few hours' drive, in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas for example), then you've probably experienced a medieval reenactment. (Yes, there's often some muddling of time periods, but it's all in good fun.) If you haven't yet been to one, you should try it sometime with a big group of friends. People dress in medieval period costumes, drink mead, bow to their kings and queens, and call you "Sir" or "Lady." There are also usually knights in shining armor (literally) who stage reenactments of jousting tournaments or battles. I used to belong to an all-woman jousting group and learned to handle a lance, sword and shield pretty well myself, and thinking about this week's word, I wondered if such a culture of "living history" existed in France. Lo and behold, it does!

Among others I am sure, there is actually an annual reenactment of the Battle of Azincourt, which took place in October 1415 during the Hundred Years' War, near Azincourt, France. (Spoiler alert: the French lose--boo!) People travel, apparently from distances, to both attend and participate in this yearly reenactment of the battle. It's organized by the Azincourt Alliance, which describes the event as a "living history" of the medieval world.

Here are a few videos of past events, if you're interested:

Longbows on the field of Azincourt - This shows a reenactment of the British archers, which were a key part in England's victory of this battle.

The 2010 reenactment of the battle - it's a good 9 minutes of video, but it's kind of fun to watch the two armies go at it!

The idea of medieval reenactment, to me, is a celebration of history. It's a hands-on way to discover a part of the past and bring it to the present. And though this particular reenactment depicts a French defeat, I find it fascinating that it seems to be a well-attended annual event for both the English as well as the French. Those who attend and participate are bringing a part of their history to life. I remember a (very general, of course) study of medieval history in elementary school, which culminated in a little medieval festival of sorts at our school. All the kids loved it! Wouldn't it be fun to incorporate ideas such as these into foreign language teaching? Okay, maybe we shouldn't arm our students with bows and arrows, but a little reenactment could be just the kind of escape into the subject matter to really bring it to life.

Nomothetic...no, man, that's pathetic!

Please excuse my extremely dorky play on the word of the day...I couldn't resist!

nomothetic (adj.) - relating to, involving, or dealing with abstract, general, or universal statements or laws

In reflecting on the word nomothetic and its relation to French culture, I considered that 1) such "abstract, general, or universal statements" are so often posited in regard to the French, and that 2) the definition itself is rather vague, which seems only fitting for this discussion.

Every culture is subject to broad generalizations, stereotypes, preconceived (and incorrect) notions, and so on and so forth. It seems to be an unfortunate tendency of human nature that we sometimes place a generic stamp of some definition on the unknown or unfamiliar to make ourselves feel better. Too often we like to categorize and label things, even if those categories and labels aren't necessary true. The thing is, there is not one culture, country, province, state, town, or even family that conforms to the same generalizations they're given (and yes, I realize I've just made a somewhat nomothetic statement - deal with it and roll with me here).

There is any number of nomothetic statements about the French, both positive and negative. They smoke. They're romantic. They don't shower. They're skinny and healthy. They drink a lot. I could go on. I've yet to meet a French person who embodies all these stereotypes. I'll pick one and discuss it: we've all probably heard that all French people are rude and snobby. I couldn't disagree more with this statement. Having spent some time studying abroad in France, I found the French (my teachers, host family, store employees, random people on the street) to be anything but rude and snobby. They were helpful and kind. This is not to say that rude and snobby French people don't exist. But I believe that this preconceived notion comes from the root of all inaccurate nomothetic statements: misunderstanding and a lack of cultural knowledge. Perhaps the people I met were nice and helpful to me because I was polite and spoke their language. Perhaps those who say all French people are rude and snobby are in fact rude and snobby themselves, and lack the cultural knowledge that is necessary to "speak" another culture. The bottom line is these overarching generalizations don't fit everyone.

As I mentioned before, the very definition of nomothetic is so fittingly vague to me. That's just it -- these generalized statements that attempt to encompass an entire society are similarly vague, and they don't work. One can't sum up the entire body of a culture with something as trivial and inaccurate as a generalized statement. Nomothetic statements and cultural awareness don't mix.