Where the revolution got rid of feudalism, absolute monarchy and other ills of that time, it also sized down, considerably, the power and authority of the Roman Catholic Church in France. For centuries, the Church and its clergy enjoyed autonomous power throughout Europe, and even became the cause of quite a few conflicts in history (read: the Holy Crusades). In pre-revolution France, the Catholic Church effectively overruled the state, with the clergy’s authority often surpassing that of the ruling monarch. For instance, under the Ancien Regime, the Church owned about 10% of the entire land in the Kingdom, making it the largest land owner. Then, on its own part, the Church was exempt from paying taxes to the government, but levied a 10% tax on income of its own for general population. Such acts were highly despised by quite a few groups. Then, there was the issue of severe discrimination against Protestants, which caused their entire population to support the demise of Roman Catholic Church in France after the revolution.

It must be noted that the Church’s authority did not evaporate right away – it took a fair bit of time and effort to achieve this. General resentment towards the clergy already prevailed, and when the revolution started, Church’s power started going down the hill with the opening of Estates General in May 1789. The First Estate comprised 130,000 members of the clergy. However, in June 1789, the National Assembly was created, rendering Estates General effectively redundant. The newly-formed National Assembly began enacting socio-economic reforms, and stripped the Church off its ability to impose taxes, and then went on to declare, on Nov. 2, 1789, that the property of the Church was “at the disposal of the nation.” This way, the clergy became part of the state, with state taking ownership rather than being vice versa, as things were pre-revolution. Moving forth, in February 1790, all religious orders were also dissolved, making the Church even weaker in the new state.

The final event in this chain of happenings came in the form of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed July 12, 1790. This constitution made all remaining clergymen employees of the state, establishing an electoral system for priests, bishops etc, and setting a state-determined pay rate for them all. This Civil Constitution was met with an uproar from a huge number of Catholics, owing to the fact that it basically lessened the Pope’s authority over French Church. Despite that, in November 1790, National Assembly made it obligatory for clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the Civil Constitution, thus forcing them to openly declare their alliances. This new act, despite the condemnation of Pope Pius VI, saw a nationwide 24% positive response from total clergy at that time.

This idiot jumped out from the left side and showed his brains to the riders in 2010, stage 10 of the Tour de France. Blue weenie, yes, but still someone should have taken him out!
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One day before he is officially confirmed as the race winner of the 2011 Tour de France, Cadel Evans gave a press conference in Grenoble. He talked about the manner and significance of his victory, his rivals and the twisting, turning path which finally took him to Tour victor at 34 years of age.

David Mayer, an avid mountain and road cyclist, was forced to wastefully throw his sports bottle out one day, having noticed that mold and mildew had grown in yet another bottle due to residue from the sports drinks he used to stay hydrated on long training rides.

On his next ride, he came upon an epiphany – Why dont sports bottles have removable bottoms so that we can clean and dry them properly? Bing! A market-changing concept was born.

Mayer got to work on researching and testing bottles, retaining a designer to help create working prototypes of his idea. After three years of trial and error, he finally had a bottle to bring to the bicycle industry trade show held in Las Vegas.

Armed with a 10×10 booth and his first production of bottles, market reaction was positive, but not overwhelming. Coming into spring 2010, online sales grew, but dealers were reluctant to take a one-item brand into their stores.

David came up with an idea. Working with a mascot designer, they came up with a life-sized Bottle Boy suit that David could wear at events to build awareness of his sports bottle.

Then came the Master Plan. He would run alongside the leaders of bicycle races at the two biggest cycling events on American television – the Tour of California, and the Tour de France.

After successfully obtaining national guerilla exposure several times on Versus TV at the ToC, he contacted Versus to create a partnership for the Tour de France. Several banner ads for CleanBottle.com were put up throughout the month-long broadcast, and every time Dave was seen in the race running alongside the leaders, his revolutionary bottle design was mentioned.

“After the Television announcers plugged Clean Bottle live at the Tour of California, I decided to buy a few small banner ads during the Tour de France so that I’d be a strategic partner with Versus,” states Mayer. He then ran in his “Bottle Boy” outfit alongside the leaders of the race at the finish of the mountain climbs, to ensure that all viewers were glued to their TV screens at the most exciting part of the coverage.

“The marketing strategy worked beyond my wildest dreams,” continues Mayer. “My ‘Bottle Boy’ costume was featured during 9 stages, and aired 3 times day, garnering Clean Bottle 27 mentions in front of millions of viewers.” Versus even featured an interview with Dave and his Clean Bottle mascot – “Bottle Boy”.

Sales grew immediately from four thousand dollars a month, to over four thousand dollars a day! REI expanded their distribution of bottles from online-only to all of their stores across the country. Distributors from all over the world are calling to get bottles onto the shelves of their customers.

Look for more to come from Clean Bottle and Dave Mayer – truly an American Success Story!

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Four Seasons Resort Maui announces its Unforgettable Events program for 2012. Guests can book ahead to secure space in one of these must do programs ranging from athletic endeavors to culinary experiences. Last years series of unique programs intrigued and delighted active vacationers. The resort is now ready to jump-start 2012 with a new and growing line-up of exceptional programs. Here is a first preview of confirmed events and those in the planning stage. For details and to watch for additions to the event schedule, go to http://maui.fourseasons.com/edition/edition/unforgettable-events.����

����Yoga Retreat: The Body, Mind, Spirit Equation: (February 27-March 3, 2012) Cultivate your physical, mental and spiritual health at an unforgettable yoga retreat featuring Kathryn Budig. A young and widely recognized face in the yoga world, Budigs playful mixture of challenging classes, her infectious love for yoga, and her joyful personality become the stage for a truly inspiring retreat played out on the stunning Wailea Beach. The retreat package includes five nights in luxurious garden-view accommodations, breakfasts daily, sunrise and sunset yoga sessions, excursions to inspirational settings, a welcome reception, talk story sessions with Budig in the Yoga Suite, and a traditional outrigger canoe closing ceremony. http://youtu.be/9w7DbKmf2Ro

����Four Pinots, Four Seasons Wine Festival: (June 7-9, 2012) Take part in a series of special seminars, private dinners, and a sunset oceanfront gala featuring local farm to table cuisine and wines from over forty participating wineries including some of the best California Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Partnering with Four Seasons Resort Maui, top winemakers and sommeliers from Anthill Farm Wineries, Brewer-Clifton, Costa de Oro, and Patz & Hall will co-host the events. Dinners take place at the resorts award-winning restaurantsFerraros, Spago Maui and DUO, with a fourth dinner at Capische in Maui. A charity golf tournament at Wailea Golf Club is followed by lunch to round out the Maui experience.

����Ashtanga Yoga Retreat with David Swenson and Shelley Washington: (June 13 17, 2012) Join this internationally known husband and wife team for a yoga retreat that promises to deepen personal practice while enjoying Four Seasons Resort Maui’s natural beauty. These foremost instructors will teach many poses from the full Ashtanga system as it was originally taught by K. Pattabhi Jois. These masters infuse their teaching with compassion, joy, energy and a depth of understanding of movement demonstrating techniques that will challenge, inspire and improve your practice. This retreat takes place during the highly acclaimed Maui Film Festival. Resort guests can take advantage of a special package which includes the yoga retreat as well as tickets to the film festivals nightly Celestial Cinema and the Four Seasons A Taste of Chocolate.

����Fantasy Tennis Camp (November 14-18, 2012) at the award-winning Wailea Tennis Club. This fantasy Tennis Camp is for adult players ranging in skill from recreational to tournament level. Play with the Pros. Match Point.

����Cycling Camp Maui: (November 30 – December 8, 2012) Experience cycling in much the same way as those on the ProTour. Plan to join Tour de France veterans at this weeklong cycling camp. Geared to riders with modest to advanced fitness and experience, the camp offers instruction and training by several of the world’s most competitive riders.

Watch for the announcement of these and other Unforgettable Events in the planning:

����Golf with the Flyin Hawaiian Shane Victorino: (November 16 and 17, 2012) Spend time at the resort and on the links with the Philadephia Phillies Centerfielder and MLB All-Star, and play in his hometown Maui charity golf tournament. His foundation helps support underserved children in Hawaii and Philadephia. The event includes a VIP event including other participating major league players. Space is extremely limited.

����Wailea Wine and Food Festival Celebrates The World-Famous Red Violin: (December 6 9, 2012) Join a select group of guests to see and hear this incredible instrument played by the violin impresario who now owns it; take part in a series of wine tastings and dinners that celebrate and trace the violins worldwide travels over three centuries.
For details on prices and how to book, go to: http://maui.fourseasons.com/edition/unforgettable-events

About Four Seasons Resort Maui (http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/) Mauis first and only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star resort is nestled on 15 acres of the breathtaking Wailea coast. The 380-room oceanfront property is world-renowned for its comfortable opulence, impeccable service and luxurious amenities. The resort is also home to one of the nations top-rated spas and three of Hawaiis most acclaimed restaurants Ferraros Bar e Ristorante, Spago Maui and DUO, a premium steak and seafood restaurant.

contact:

Charlotte Novom

(323)882-8333

cnovom(at)novom(dot)com

Barbara Barrielle

bbarrielle(at)novom(dot)com

(707)291-5364

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