Joan of Arc (Jehanne Darc) was born in the village of Domrémy-de-Greux (now called Domrémy-la-Pucelle) during the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night (January 6th), probably in the year 1412. (see for details : http://members.aol.com/hywwebsite/private/joanofarc_domremy.html or http://www.stjoan-center.com/military/stephenr.html). She lived a maid until she was raped in her jail by English soldiers. She is supposed to be a symbol of French national feeling and a symbol of French resistance to English invaders. But the Hundred Years war, was both a feudal and civil war in France. Question her holiness is still a taboo (rumour reports teachers being sacked)… Nevertheless, two of her mates are famous : Lahire (French Jack of Heart) who was an "écorcheurs" (assassins) gang's chief and Gilles de Rais, hanged and burned for murdering (and raping) of many children.

I don't know if "Lottery of Saint-Just" is a true Danton's quotation. He 's known to have told the headsman on the scaffold : "Show my head to the people, it is worth seeing!".

As French, I'm an anglophile (Argh!! do I need to be put away?). You told about rude shopgirls… Yes it's true, even for French people. But I met a rude shopboy in London's tower too. Fortunately, I also met a lot of charming people in England, welcoming the bloody foreigner I am.
I fear we all have a bunch of bad tempered people throughout the world! A relation who worked in London in the sixties (or seventies) told me that n Eastside pubs, there was a note "Forbidden to dogs and French". I think it's time to bury the hatchet.

Steve Parkes, sorry for the double b… Ikh bin eyn Schlemiel! (I hope it is correct Yiddish. I'm a goy. Nobody is perfect!)