France News Daily: April 4-10

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France News Daily: April 4-10
April 4-10, 2011 BonjourParis France News Daily Newest entries are on the top for current week, Monday-Sunday. Sunday, April 10: Paris Marathon 2011 in Photos BonjourParis French News By Dali Wiederhoft Paris, April 10—Kenyan men and women dominate at scenic 2011 Paris Marathon finish. Kenyan runners took top places in the 2011 Paris Marathon in perfect weather conditions that drew thousands of cheering bystanders. The 35th annual Paris Marathon route was packed with fans who watched nearly 33,000 runners pass the world’s most recognizable landmarks, including le Tour Eiffel, Musée du Louvre, Place de la Bastille, Place de la Concorde and Champs-Élysées. As usual, the action was not limited to the sidelines; more than a few bottles of French vin rouge were enjoyed by the crowd and even a few runners. Benjamin Kiptoo of Kenya won with a men’s top score of 2:06; two male Kenyans followed for second and third places. Priscah Jeptoo, also Kenyan, won the women’s division. Hans Frei of Switzerland was first to arrive via wheelchair with a time of 1:29. Photos courtesy of: Chloe Lodge Photography     Belgian Johan van Summeren topples cycling titan, wins his first Paris-Roubaix in stunning upset BonjourParis French News By Dali Wiederhoft Paris, April 10—Belgian Johan Van Summeren upstaged cycling fan favorites to claim his biggest career in win at Paris-Roubaix today. Advance bluster and chatter forecast Swiss Fabian Cancellara as the repeat winner, but instead he, Allesandro Ballan of Italy and Norway’s Thor Hushovd were denied the win in the race subtitled “Hell of the North” for its rough cobblestone sections. Van Summeren of team Garmin-Cervélo cruised to victory with a 19 second winning margin over second-place finisher Cancellara. Teammate Thor Husholvd may have sacrificed his own chances for a win by clashing with old rival Cancellara. Viewers were treated to spectacular crashes that knocked out favorites like Tom Boonen, who wiped out shortly after recovering from a mechanical mishap. Van Summeren finished in 6 hours, 7 minutes, 28 seconds.     French Group Pernod Ricard pledges 525,000 euro to Japanese Red Cross Society after tsunami and related disasters BonjourParis French News By Dali Wiederhoft Paris, April 10—Group Pernod Ricard of France said three of its subsidiaries have pledged to donate 525,000 euro (¥60 million) to support the Japanese Red Cross Society in response to the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear leaks. The three companies, Pernod Ricard Japan, Pernod Ricard Holding and Pernod Ricard Asia, employ 160 people who work in seven Japan locations, including a plant in Sendai, one of the most devastated cities. Pernod Ricard Japan was established in 1990 and is today a leading distributor of premium spirits and wine, including top brands Chivas Regal and Perrier-Jouët. Pernod Ricard has a history of making donations after natural disasters.  In the past the company donated to relief programs after Hurricane Katrina (2005) and a 2004 tsunami in Thailand. In the 1960s the company was a leader in anti-pollution programs, first ending the formerly accepted practice of dumping production waste into the Mediterranean Sea. The company later started the Oceanographical Institute and related marine environment programs on the island of Les Embiez in 1966. In France, Pernod Ricard is known mostly for its Ricard pastis and for generous donations to arts entities like Pompidou Centre, Musée du Quai Branly and individual French artists of all ages and skill levels. Saturday, April 09: Reproduction of Charlotte Perriand’s UNESCO “Teahouse” now at le Bon Marché BonjourParis French News By Dali Wiederhoft Paris, April 9—A reproduction of modernist design innovator and architect Charlotte Perriand’s Japanese “Teahouse” is on display at Paris department store Le Bon Marché until June 11. Perriand’s original plans were used to construct a replica of the teahouse and bamboo gardens. The original Maison de Thé de Charlotte Perriand was built at the request of the Japanese delegate to UNESCO. Perriand (1903-1999) was greatly influenced by Japanese design style and she is revered in Japan. The teahouse was installed at UNESCO rooftop gardens in Paris in 1993, but has since been dismantled. Visitors pass through the meditation garden of bamboo trees and smooth stone trails surrounding the teahouse. Thirty of Perriand’s photographs, original “Teahouse” renderings, personal notes and other effects are displayed within the bamboo forest. At the edge a relaxing salon de thé serves a selection of teas and desserts. The Bon Marché exhibit is a spin-off of the major exhibition “Charlotte Perriand, from photography to design” at le Petit Palais Musee des Beaux-Arts from April 7 to September 18. The Teahouse of Charlotte Perriand exhibition and salon de thé close June 11 at le Bon Marché, 2nd floor, 24, rue de Sevres, Paris 7e.   Friday, April 08: Louvre Exhibition in Paris explores death, dying and the French funeral industry BonjourParis French News By Dali Wiederhoft Paris, April 8—Practical, psychological and philosophical matters about death can be explored in an exhibition now at the Louvre Museum in Paris. “Salon of Death” is all about death and dying, with a mock funeral parlor staged with coffins, cremation urns, resin death masks and information about organ donation and embalming techniques. Visitors can even climb into a coffin as a macabre rehearsal for the inevitable. “Salon de la Mort” is only open this weekend and 25,000 visitors are expected. With an annual death rate in France that tops 550,000, we expect visitors are dying to get in. Source: Louvre Élysée Palace in Paris will soon be…
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