July 14, 1789 - Storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris, France: the beginning of the French Revolution and the birthday of the modern French nation celebrated by fireworks and the oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe.
"Besides holding a large cache of ammunition and gunpowder, the Bastille had been known for holding political prisoners whose writings had displeased the royal government".
For instance, the Marquis de Sade. He then managed to write "The 120 Days of Sodom" IN the Bastille - but missed the storming, having been transferred to Charenton in early July 1789.
"As it happened, at the time of the siege in July 1789 there were only seven inmates, none of great political significance." LINK According to Antonia Fraser's book "Marie Antoinette - The Journey", the list included two madmen, four forgers and one nobly born criminal. (page 283).
Estonian Hostages Freed
On the same day over two hundred years later seven other prisoners (hostages), this time Estonians, were released with the help of the French government from the tiny Eastern Bekaa village of Arsal, an area known as the Wild West of the Middle East:
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The Estonian hostages on the balcony
of the French Embassy in Beirut. Photo: Jessica Sarhan
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"The desert heat spills over the mountains from Syria, the streets are dusty, and elderly people sit silently by empty storefronts all day. But those aren’t the only resemblances.
If you’re a farmer, you carry a gun, locals say. The lands of most people in Arsal lie at the hudud, the border with Syria, which has never been properly demarcated. And because no Lebanese authority guards the border, the Syrian farmers have been encroaching on and stealing Lebanese land, villagers contend".
Read the article from Lebanon Now HERE.
According to the
BBC, "a previously unknown group called Haraket Al-Nahda Wal-Islah, or Movement for Renewal and Reform, claimed to have carried out the kidnap, and demanded a ransom". Estonia relied on France and other NATO allies for their release as it has very few diplomatic staff in the region. Read the story from
Sky News., here is the Estonian new source:
delfi.ee link. It is interesting that Estonia has an embassy and six consulates in France - the same as in the United States!
Question: Which country is home to the largest number of Estonian citizens living abroad?
- Russia
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Finland
Answer: Finland (28,489), followed by Russia (12,686), Sweden (3155) and Canada (2693).
The United States has 2514 Estonian citizens, the United Kingdom 2289, while France has 319.
And the country listed with the fewest?
Bulgaria - 22.
Source: Eesti Ekspress, 20. jaanuar 2011
Bastille Day Military Parade 2011 - View the amazing photo gallery here:
LINK This year's parade highlighted France's overseas territories, such as Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia and Polynesia but was overshadowed by the worst French losses in Afghanistan since 2008.
"Another French soldier was killed on Thursday, meaning that seven have died over the past week. On Wednesday five French soldiers and an Afghan civilian were killed, and four other troops injured, in a suicide bomb attack on a meeting of local village leaders in Joybar, in the Kapisa province north east of Kabul.
’We are now faced with more terrorist-type actions, not just military action’, Mr Sarkozy told reporters after meeting wounded soldiers in Afghanistan at the Percy military hospital. ’It is a new situation and to deal with this new situation requires new safety measures’ ” LINK.
Bastille Day USA - Washington, DC
Do you happen to be in Washington and love to party? Then you are probably near (or in!)....
... the French Maid's race! Party starts at 4 pm and the race at 8 pm! Got a broom - gotta go!
Where: L'Enfant Cafe and Bar Block Party - 2000 18th Street NW
