It commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789.
The Bastille was a prison for people that were challenging the Luis XIV King of France.
At the time of the Revolution it was only occupied by a few prisoners.
Its struggle and symbol remained strong in ancient France.
When the French people risen and sparked the French Revolution their action quickly become violent and desperate.
It was instituted the guillotine as a way of killing people using an assembly line.
The guillotine was a gruesome tool to chop the head off the people that were condemned to death.
At the time it was widely used to purge France of the Noble class. A little later during the time called The Terror it got expanded to everybody that was considered an enemy of the state worth eliminating.
It had become a way of purging the country.
At the time France was a layered society.
At the top the king and its family.
Then the noble class.
Finally it was the turn for the common people.
Basically the king was an absolute monarch that was caring most of all about replicating the system that had been keeping him in power.
The story goes that when his wife -Marie Antoinette- heard about the uprising, she asked why the people were behaving like this.
Somebody told her that the people were hungry because they had nothing to heat.
At this point it is alleged she replied " S'ils n'ont pas de pain qu'ils mangent des croissants"
This translates " If they do not have any bread let them eat cake"
You see this shows the disconnect of the ruling class in France at the time.
I am sure there is a lot of distortion on certain minor details of what was said by whom.
There are many versions of what was said by whom.
The key is that finally the people had risen again an absolute monarch.
The first Republic in France was born.
Why it is important for the US?
You see the very same principle were enshrined in this motto "Fraternite', Egalite', Liberte'" which means " Fraternity, Equality and Freedom"
A few years later one of the funding Father of the United State - Benjamin Franklin came to France to familiarize himself with the French Republic principles.
He got acquainted with the system and learnt a great deal. When he came back to the United States he brought with him these very same ideals.
The morning is warm.
My very healthy breakfast
the usual flowers for the morning
The park is very nice in the morning.
There are always homeless people sleeping or living at the park.
At time they are sleeping on the asphalt, other they are charging their phone at the public outlet.
They are innocuous to me.
I do my lap say hi to them and check back at the apartment.
My therapy of the day is to get in the daily parade of the Swain Center... to watch each other in the face and to make sure we all accept each other for what we are.
Oh yes because we are all brain injury and we all have good and bad days.
Here is the mission statement that is hanged at the office reception
Anyway let's move on.
Yesterday evening I had my peaceful meal for the evening
Trofie pasta with grated ricotta cheese.
A good bowl of summer veggie.
I then was ready to go to the gym.
I signed out at 5:45 walked to the gym and arrived on time for Bodycombact with Scott.
This is a set of exercise that Scott has layed down on a chart in front of him .
He follows this routine that helps him along the way.
It is mostly cardio and results in kicking and lifting one's legs.
It is hard to me but I am doing it nevertheless.
At the end I had Zumba with Suzy.
This is a funny cardio routine at the sound of music.
There was an Italian song first - most likely I was the only one following the meaning of it.
There were many people of the community.
At last Damian's girlfriend Trish had offered to give me a lift back to the apartment.
However when it was time for me to leave Taylor from CNS came to pick me up.
She looked at me in a way that had nothing to leave to my imagination.
She calls me a problem child and she mentioned that I am too trustworthy with the people of the community.
She could not believe that I was ready to jump in the car with Trish and to go back to the apartment with her.
She told me to imagine what would happens to me if she decided to kidnap me and to keep me locked somewhere without any possibility of escape.
She is right.
However since we are at the imagine stage of the day... I guess she is right.
The key is that she came to rescue me and this is good for me.
I had my lunch here at my working desk.
A trofie pasta and a grapefruit.
Enough for my day.
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