Happy Bastille Day!

[Count Zero]

It's already well past midnight CET which means the French national holiday is officially on. So, to all French posters and posters living currently in France, I wish you an enjoyable and happy holiday. (Hopefully without rain.) Let's celebrate in the way we know best - with Legos:

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Happy Bastille Day to our French posters.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Meh, and I wanted to start the thread this year.

Anyway, happy Baguette day, dear neighbours!

 

[Roshi]

Remember, remember, the fifth of... Erm, wrong national day!

Happy 14 juillet! (whut, I've neeeeeever heard of anyone calling our FêtNat "Bastille Day"!)

*wink-wink, nudge-nudge!

 

[Count Zero]

Remember, remember, the fifth of... Erm, wrong national day!

Happy 14 juillet! (whut, I've neeeeeever heard of anyone calling our FêtNat "Bastille Day"!)

*wink-wink, nudge-nudge!

 

[Roshi]

 

[Locutus of Bored]

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Happy 14 July!

When I was a parole/probation agent here years ago, there was one very idiosyncratic criminal court judge who (among his other idiosyncrasies!) thought it was clever or ironic or something to have offenders' sentences end on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Every parolee or probationer of his whom I supervised had their sentence expire on 14 July. I doubt any of them understood why.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Vive la France! Happy Bastille Day!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

When I was a parole/probation agent here years ago, there was one very idiosyncratic criminal court judge who (among his other idiosyncrasies!) thought it was clever or ironic or something to have offenders' sentences end on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Every parolee or probationer of his whom I supervised had their sentence expire on 14 July. I doubt any of them understood why.

Wait, so he'd give people longer or shorter sentences than were required or expected just so he could end them on July 14th? Please tell me he was eventually removed from the bench.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

When I was a parole/probation agent here years ago, there was one very idiosyncratic criminal court judge who (among his other idiosyncrasies!) thought it was clever or ironic or something to have offenders' sentences end on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Every parolee or probationer of his whom I supervised had their sentence expire on 14 July. I doubt any of them understood why.

Wait, so he'd give people longer or shorter sentences than were required or expected just so he could end them on July 14th? Please tell me he was eventually removed from the bench.

Judges always have leeway in sentencing, sometimes a lot of leeway. So say he was thinking -- or sentencing guidelines specified -- that a guy should get somewhere between twelve and eighteen months. Any other judge would pick 12, or 18, or maybe 15. This one would pick whatever ended on 14 July. So the guy might end up sentenced to, say, 13 months and 9 days, or 16 months and 11 days.

Of course if someone deserved only six months, and it was now August, his sentence would not end on 14 July. But whenever possible, it was 14 July.

He served on the bench for a very long time and actually had a very good reputation, despite his quirks. That said, I have to admit he was the only judge I was nervous in front of, because he was as likely to say something scathing to an agent as to a defendant.

Years after I left that job, I forgot to renew my car registration and ended up in traffic court. I was very relaxed about it until I saw who was on the bench. Yup! ...

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Of course if someone deserved only six months, and it was now August, his sentence would not end on 14 July. But whenever possible, it was 14 July.

Oh, good. That's the thought I was bothered by.

 

[REDrake]

Happy Bastille Day!
I'm not French, but I'm getting married today and I'll have plenty of french songs at my wedding.

 

[Kestra]

Happy Bastille Day!
I'm not French, but I'm getting married today and I'll have plenty of french songs at my wedding.

Congrats!

Also Happy Bastille Day!

 

[M'Sharak]

Happy Accordion Day!

Happy 14 juillet! (whut, I've neeeeeever heard of anyone calling our FêtNat "Bastille Day"!)

*wink-wink, nudge-nudge!

*snerf*

 

[Roshi]

Happy Bastille Day!
I'm not French, but I'm getting married today and I'll have plenty of french songs at my wedding.

A whole country is lighting up fireworks just for your wedding, so congrats!

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Happy Bastille Day to our Auld Allies!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGBhQbmPwH8[/yt]

 

[Shaytan]

Thank you and happy Bastille Day ! I've adopted "Bastille Day" a long time ago when speaking English.

The weather is still not good, I'm staying home.

Bon 14 juillet.

 

[ancientone51]

Bon 14 Juillet, mon amies.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Vive la belle France. I just spent the last two weeks reading books on French cuisine, history, culture, and so on in celebration.