Bonne fête nationale!

[Douai]

http://ifr110.uhp-nancy.fr/images/logo_republique.gif
http://i.usatoday.net/news/_photos/2007/07/14/bastilledayx-large.jpg

Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes !


Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !

[Pierre-Henri]

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/


My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/0,,3492789,00-legionnaires-.html

BTW, this thread should be in the NSR forum.

[Douai]

My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :



Really? That's interesting. I heard the training for La Légion étrangère is very tough.

[Pierre-Henri]

In fact it has been watering down in the recent years. Military authorities are trying to regularize and balance the different arms. Since all personels are now professional, it makes less sense to have a specific core of special troops. Plus, the "army vs legion rivalry" appears to be counter-productive since, by tradition, they don't really train to work together. Finally, the training philosophy is changing even in the legion : less "me kill U" drill, replaced by a more professional and technical approach. Testosterone isn't enough to make a 21st century soldier.

Of course, it will take a lot of time, but the legion is slowly disappearing (or it will be tranformed into a really watered down version of what it once was).

I'm sure the USA have the same kind of problems with the Marines. They look mean, have a prestigious history, but are they that useful ?

[cmblfc]

The jets flying over Paris were pretty sweet.

[Pierre-Henri]

Still, my cousin did some pretty scary things. Missions in the desert or in the guyane jungle without equipment, for example. Or they give a shovel per guy and tell them : "in X minutes, a Leclerc battle tank will pass here". The grunts have to dig a hole and let the tank pass over their heads. It weights 56 tons. I'm glad I did my army period in a military academy.

[lefutur]

here in Brooklyn they have an annual petanque tournament on July 14th. They actually shut down a whole street and have sand dumped on to make the sand pits that they play on. Its one of the biggest petanque events in the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwkkNZW2HCw

[Pierre-Henri]

Un tournoi de pétanque à Brouqueline ? This thing is amazing !

[guignol]

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/


My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/0,,3492789,00-legionnaires-.html

BTW, this thread should be in the NSR forum.done.

funny, i was in france for the 4th and here in CA for the 14th, so missed ALL the fireworks!

[ASU55RR]

bumping this for 2009.

bonne fête for everyone in France and all who celebrate on 14 July.

Interestingly, I bumped this because I'm currently on vacation in New Orleans where I was suprised find a fairly large local celebration... I guess I shouldn't be suprised considering the French heritage of this area, but hearing people sing La Marseillaise in a city square, of an American city, is an interesting sight...

Fireworks, music, and street performances tonight apparantly.

Vive La France!
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

[AfrcnHrbMan]

Bonne Fête Nationale a tous!

[Nanbawan]

Ouais, ça sentait quand même la crise en province...:D

[YankBastard]

We have fireworks for 4th of July, French people have riots.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8149362.stm

Happy Bastille Day.

[guignol]

anyone who knows YB knows he likes a good riot as much as the next person, he's really just trying to show us off as the '68 poseurs we are...

some people REALLY know how to party!

4th of July weekend violence leaves 11 dead in Chicago

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-weekend-murdersjul07,0,4208579.story

[Nanbawan]

The US still second to none...

BTW, the BBC seems to have some bargain on the French burning cars headlines...

[guignol]

oh yes, this will be a standard summer filler for years and years to come.

poor dears, people have lost interest in swine flu and AF447 so they have to write something.

[YankBastard]

anyone who knows YB knows he likes a good riot as much as the next person, he's really just trying to show us off as the '68 poseurs we are...

some people REALLY know how to party!

4th of July weekend violence leaves 11 dead in Chicago

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-weekend-murdersjul07,0,4208579.story

Well...you got me on that one. :o Touché.

One thing, is there such thing as car insurance in France? Will they pay if some kid burns your car?

[ASU55RR]

This is actually not the "Bastille Day" in New Orleans I went to, in fact it was something on July 12 that was filmed as an advert... Still American's even have to try and be #1 at being French... or at least French stereotypes.:rolleyes:

YouTube - Bastille Day in New Orleans

The actual Bastile day was much more... not a parody. They had a reception by the statue of Jeanne d'Arc in the morning, then a big street party (NOT a special occasion in New Orleans), and fireworks.

[guignol]

One thing, is there such thing as car insurance in France? Will they pay if some kid burns your car?now you know the first part's a silly question YB, so i'll leave the sarcasm out.

when you buy a new car on credit you must have full coverage, fire, theft, hail, the whole 9 yards.

after it's paid off and rather depreciated many people (like myself) just go for assurance tiers... PL/PD.

for my 10 year old minivan PL/PD and windows is 166€/year, with fire & theft it would be 212€. whether i live in the 8th (medium safe by lyon standards) the 6th (chic) or les minguettes (putain ça craint cousin!), have a closed garage or park on the street prices don't change.

if i lived out in cab'n crik as opposed to civilization i'd save about 20€ no matter what policy.

out of curiosity i got estimates for a brand new 6 series beemer, and basically it's the same distribution (everything being roughly doubled).

but if i pretend i'm a 22 year old no good driver bonus everything skyrockets.

moral of the story? insurers real risk on "devil nights" is spit in the ocean compared to the very simple fact about motorcars: they're damned deadly dangerous things to have hurtling through space where people are trying to stay alive!