Almost every country in the world has a national day, and France is no different. Bastille Day is held on July 14, and commemorates the storming of Bastille by the French people in 1789.

The Bastille was a prison traditionally reserved for political prisoners, and by capturing this symbolic place of power, the people signalled that King Louis VXI’s power was no longer absolute.

The storming of Bastille also symbolised the start of the French Revolution, and so remains a significant day in French history.

In France, the celebrations begin with the traditional Military Parade down the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

Infantry, cavalry and motorised troops form a procession watched by thousands, while the Patrouille de France aircraft perform aerobatics in the sky above the parade.

As the day continues, the celebrations become more dynamic, with fire stations across the country hosting lively dance parties for all to attend. The Eiffel Tower is lit up with spectacular fireworks displays, and the celebrations continue well into the night.

Around the world, the Bastille Day festivities also reach grand heights. In America, the national day is celebrated in a variety of French-inspired ways.

In Boston, the French Cultural Centre celebrates with a massive al fresco party that attracts around 2000 people. There is live music, French cuisine, and dancing in the street.

In Philadelphia, the storming of Bastille is re-enacted outside the walls of Eastern State Penitentiary, with thousands of cakes thrown from the walls in accordance with Marie Antoinette’s saying, ‘Let them eat cake’.

And strangely enough, one of the largest Bastille Day celebrations can be found in Milwaukee, complete with its own replica Eiffel Tower.

Spanning over four days, and consequently known as ‘Bastille Days’, the event attracts as many as 250,000 people, who flock to the city for beer and cheese tastings, French lessons and cancan performances.

French Polynesia pays tribute to its heritage, with its Heiva I Tahiti festival. On Bastille Day, traditional French celebrations are combined with Polynesian customs, recognising the cultural liberties afforded by the French when they annexed the region from English missionaries in 1881.

The locals celebrate with native canoe races, fire walking and fruit carrying, as well Polynesian dancing, live music and singing.

Pondicherry, on the south east coast of India, was under French dominance for 300 years, and celebrates Bastille Day with a unique blend of east and western culture.

On the eve of the national day, retired soldiers engage in a parade and celebrate with Indian and French national anthems. On the actual day, uniformed war soldiers march through the streets, French flags adorn buildings, and a fusion of Indian and French music is played

London is another major city that revels in the historical French festivities.

Locals embrace French food, culture, music and practices at the Borough Markets, ranging from silk-weaving demonstrations, a waiter’s race, wine tasting and games of pétanque. Theatrical performances and live Parisian music keep the merriments alive well into the evening.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelweekly.com.au/travel-blogs/in-celebration-of-bastille-day"]Source:www.travelweekly.com.au[/readon1]

Langkawi Sky-Bridge

The Jewel of Kedah
You'll need to take a cable car to the top of Gunung Mat Chinchang on Pulau Langakawi, an island in the Malaysian state of Kedah, to walk along this curved pedestrian bridge, which meanders around the clouds of the mountain peak. (Jim Boud/flickr.com)

Langkawi Sky Bridge is a 410 feet curved pedestrian cable-stayed bridge in Malaysia at the top of the 500-million-year-old Mount Mat Cincang. The bridge, which was opened to tourists in 2005, provides 360 degree views of the Langkawi islands and the Andaman Sea.

Where: The top of Mount Mat Cincang, Langkawi, Malaysia.

Stats: 2,000 feet above sea level; less than six feet wide.

Puente de Ojuela

The suspension bridge, Puente de Ojuela, is the only surviving and functional structure in Ojuela, which became a ghost town after the ore resources in the town were exhausted at the beginning of the 20th century. The original bridge was designed by the famous Roebling brothers, who also designed the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was restored as a tourist attraction in 1991.

Where: In the ghost town of Ojuela in northern Mexico.

Stats: 984 feet long suspension bridge.

Sidu River Bridge

The Sidu River Bridge crosses the mountains of the Sichuan Basin spanning the deep valley of the Sidu River. The bridge has superseded the Royal Gorge Bridge and the Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge as the highest bridge in the world.

Where: Near Yeasanguan town, Hubei, China.

Stats: 4,009 feet long suspension bridge; about 1,640 feet from the bottom of the gorge.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Torchbearer Denis Broderick holds the Olympic Flame on the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge which links the mainland near the village of Ballintoy to the island of Carrickarede in County Antrim on day 17 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay on June 4, 2012, near Belfast, Northern Ireland. (LOCOG/Getty Images)

The Carrick-a-Rede bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in Northern Ireland that has become mostly a tourist attraction. The bridge links the island of Carrickarede to the mainland. No one has fallen off the bridge, but some visitors, too scared to cross the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat.

Where: Near Ballintoy, Northern Ireland.

Stats: 66 feet long; 98 feet high.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

The Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that crosses the Capilano River draws over 800,000 visitors a year. The bridge was originally built in 1889 and made of hemp ropes and cedar plants. It was replaced with a wire cable bridge in 1903 and completely rebuilt in 1956. There have been several incidents of tourists falling on or near the bridge.

Where: North Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Stats: 460 feet long; 230 feet above the river.

U Bein Bridge

The U Bein Bridge, which spans across the Taugthaman Lake in Amarapura, Myanmar, is the longest teak bridge in the world. It was built by the city's mayor, U Bein, who salvaged the unwanted teak columns from the old palace during the move to Mandalay.

Where: Amarapura, Myanmar.

Stats: 3,937 feet long.

Trift Bridge

The Trift Bridge is the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in the Alps. The bridge spans the lake Triftsee, near Gadmen, Switzerland. The bridge receives 20,000 visitors per year to see the Trift Glacier.

Where: Near Gadmen, Switzerland.

Stats: 560 feet in length; 330 feet heigh

Bosphorus Bridge

Where East Meets West
Completed in 1973, the Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, that connect Europe with Asia over the Bosphorus Strait. The bridges stretches between the village of Ortakoy on the western (European) side and Beylerbeyi on the eastern (Asian) side. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images)

The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges that spans the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, connecting Europe and Asia. When it was built in 1973 it was the fourth longest suspension span in the world. Now, the bridge is the 21st longest suspension bridge.

Where: Istanbul, Turkey.

Stats: 5,118 feet long; 210 feet high from sea level.

Millau Viaduct

The World's Tallest Bridge
When it opened in 2004 in the Tarn River valley of southern France, the 1,125-ft.-high Millau Viaduct Bridge shot to the top of the list of the world's tallest bridges. Its construction cost more than half a billion dollars and took just over three years to complete. (OliBac/flickr.com)

The Millau Viaduct Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. The bridge is apart of a highway that connects Paris to Montpellier. In 2006 International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering Outstanding Structure Award.

Where: Near Millau, France.

Stats: 1,125 feet long; 890 feet between the road deck and the ground.

Royal Gorge Bridge

Panoramic Views, Millions of Years in the Making
The highest bridge in the world for more than 70 years, Colorado's Royal Gorge Bridge was built in just six months in 1929. It spans more than 1,200 feet across the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colo., within a 360-acre theme park with 21 rides. (joevare/flickr.com)

The Royal Gorge Bridge spans the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado, in the US. The bridge deck is 955 ft. above the river below and held the record for highest bridge in the world from 1929 to 2001. In 2003, a wingsuiter was killed attempting to fly over the bridge.

Where: Colorado, US

Stats: 1,260 feet long; 955 feet high; 18 feet wide.

[readon1 url="http://uk.weather.com/story/travel/worlds-most-terrifying-bridges-20140429?pageno=10"]Source:uk.weather.com[/readon1]

(MEXICO CITY) — U.S. Marine reservist Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi is back in a Mexican jail Thursday morning, ordered by a judge to remain in custody on gun charges near Tijuana, where he’s been locked up for 102 days.

A closed evidentiary hearing that lasted more than eight hours on Wednesday was Tahmooressi’s first chance to plead his case in court.

The California native, 25, was arrested on March 31, after he says he got lost and crossed the Mexican border with three firearms in his pickup truck.

Though cameras weren’t allowed in court, Tahmooressi’s mother Jill says she was able to spend 20 minutes with her son after the hearing.

“He’s very strong. He’s very strong and positive. And he’s confident,” she said.

The State Department is actively engaged in the case. Consular officers have visited Tahmooressi 13 times, and 71 members of Congress have signed a bi-partisan letter asking the judge for leniency.

Unlike American law, in Mexico one is guilty until proven innocent and the decision rests solely in the judge’s hands.

But Fernando Benetiz, Tahmooressi’s newly-hired attorney, is hopeful.

“We feel the hearing was a success, and we feel we are finally on the right track,” Benetiz said.

[readon1 url="http://www.classichitsandoldies.com/v2/2014/07/10/us-marine-reservist-held-in-mexico-back-in-jail-after-hearing/"]Source:www.classichitsandoldies.com[/readon1]

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Antonio Jaramillio spent a great deal of his childhood living in an orphanage. At 14-years-old, Jaramillo took a leap of faith and moved to San Diego, where he worked and went to school. It was there that Jaramillo realized he was interested in performing arts.

Fast forward several years later, Jaramillo is no longer that lonely and scared little boy, but a family man and talented actor who has shared the screen with Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, and Demián Bichir, to name a few.

We caught up with the Mexican star to talk about his roles on Dallas and Gang Related, what it was like growing up in an orphanage, raising a child with autism, and more.

Check it all out in our exclusive interview below:

Where do we find Luis in the second part of Dallas this season?

We find Luis getting closer and closer to the Ewings, and making life difficult for the family as he continues to gain more control while making millions in the process.

Tell us about your character in Gang Related.

I play Beto a childhood friend of one of the main characters on the show, Ryan Lopez. Beto is the type of guy who is willing to risk everything even his life for his friend and the only family he's ever known.

Which character would you say is more complex and probably more difficult to play?

I think Luis is a more complex and challenging role to bring to life because of the nature of his world and his business dealings, but both roles are fun to play with.

Throughout your career, you've worked alongside some pretty big Hollywood names, did you ever get nervous or feel intimidated?

I don't particularly get nervous or intimidated on set because from day one I show up to work as the role I've been hired to play, and I look at everyone around me the same way as the role they are playing and what their relationship to my character is. So unless my character is supposed to be intimidated or nervous I am not! But carrying a conversation while sharing lunch or off set, now that can be a bit nerve wracking!

Is there one person in Hollywood that you would absolutely love to work with?

I would love to get the opportunity to work with Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu! I love his movies and his point of view. When he's telling a story there is never a false note or move. Everything he does is there to serve the story. I think almost every actor in all his movies should be nominated because they seem to do their best work when being directed by Mr. Inarritu!

We hear you're a talented musician, what made you decide to pursue acting? Do you think you'll ever make a move into the music industry?

I'm not sure I would consider myself a talented musician, but I'm somewhat musical and do love music a lot. Maybe later in life I will give it another go. As to how I ended up in the dramatic arts? I don't know. I suppose it was a natural progression that grew from my need to express and communicate.

Switching gears a bit, let's talk a little bit about your personal life. Tell us a bit about what it was like growing up in an orphanage.

I think this is a rather lengthy conversation topic and perhaps I should save it for my Oprah special or maybe Dr. Phil? But if I had to describe it in one word...it was lonely!

If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self during those times, what would you say?

What a great question! Not sure what I would say to my younger self then but for sure I would give him a huge, huge hug, and I would somehow try to make him smile!

You have a child with autism, what's your involvement with organizations benefiting autism been like?

I'm not directly involved with any autism organizations but I personally like and support Autism Speaks for all the good they do for the kids and the parents of children with autism.

Any words of advice for parents who have children with autism or are just finding out their child has this?

I'm not an expert on the subject, and the needs for every parent and their child with autism are quite different and based on their own individual situation. But if I could offer any words of encouragement it would be to hug and kiss them a lot! All kids get that.

Any final words you'd like to share with our readers?

I just want to say thanks for their support and interest! Oh, and I love boxing! I should've been a boxer.

[readon1 url="http://www.latina.com/entertainment/celebrity/antonio-jaramillo-dallas-gang-related-interview?page=1"]Source:www.latina.com[/readon1]

Technological advancement has completely revolutionized the concept of travelling round the globe. With the increasing number of travel technology providers, tourism in different exotic destinations gets a boost.

Hassle-free and instant in its function, travel apps are the latest trend among global tourists. Digital marketing is the most sought-after modish trend to promote tourism. Offering promotional deals is a simple way to invite potential customers to travel while segmenting your market to find interests for touring. Social media marketing has immensely contributed to increase tourist influx in unconventional destinations along with boosting tourism in picturesque locales.

Among the 25 major international markets surveyed, Asia ranks top in online travel bookings, mobile searches and mobile bookings. Asian travellers lead the field when it comes to mobile travel bookings and searches performed, at 33% and 59% respectively, compared to the global average of 25% and 46% respectively.

Travellers continue to use the internet for both information and booking. Travel advertisers need to take full take advantage of the opportunities online advertising offer, as the key component in their marketing strategy.

If you are a travel advertiser, then Adform has a range of new and exciting Rich Media formats that will perfectly fit your campaign objectives. For instance, what should you do when you want to entice travellers to visit a specific island? How can you recreate that beach sensation for them? Check out their Sandstorm format and the revolutionizing Snowball format for a brighter tourism prospect.

[readon1 url="http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/digital-marketing-trends-redefining-tourism-prospects/"]Source:www.travelandtourworld.com[/readon1]

Yong Va Yang put four children through college thanks to hard work at his Turlock strawberry patch.

He and his wife, Blia, who both fled war-ravaged Laos in the 1970s, started farming the 6 acres along Monte Vista Avenue about 20 years ago.

Today, they are part of a notable trend: 85 percent of the state’s strawberry farmers are of Asian or Mexican descent, according to a report this week from an industry group. That’s not the case with any of the other major sectors in California agriculture, where the vast majority of farmers have European roots.

The report, from the California Strawberry Commission in Watsonville, offered a few reasons for the success of these groups: The fruit produces high yields from small plots. The land typically is rented rather than purchased, which reduces upfront costs. And consumers can’t seem to get enough of the product, which has health benefits to go along with the flavor.

The Yang farm, on land leased from a housing developer, relies on family labor in preparing the beds, weeding, watering and harvesting. It’s hard work – there’s still no machine for picking the delicate fruit – but it has been worthwhile for these immigrants.

“They don’t take anything for granted,” Bee Yang, the youngest of the couple’s four children, said Thursday. “They see how hard it was before.”

Yong Va Yang was a police officer in Laos but had to flee when a new regime took power. The family made their way to Thailand, where Bee Yang was born, to await their journey to the United States. The Yangs lived in Memphis before moving to California.

The farm, now managed by Bee Yang, produces berries mainly for freezing by Dole Packaged Foods in Atwater. It also sells them fresh, along with other produce, at a farm stand.

The patch is surrounded by homes, businesses and California State University, Stanislaus. That has forced the family to no longer fumigate the soil for diseases. The Yangs also are concerned that this year’s drought could stress the well that irrigates the plants through drip lines.

The Northern San Joaquin Valley accounts for less than 1 percent of the state’s nearly 40,000 acres of strawberries. The season here used to run from April to July, but heat-tolerant varieties have stretched it into October. Merced County is the region’s top producer.

Almost all of the California crop grows in the coastal belt between Santa Cruz and San Diego counties. It ranked sixth in gross income among the state’s farm products in 2012, bringing an estimated $1.94 billion to growers.

The report is titled “Growing the American Dream: California Strawberry Farming’s Rich History of Immigrants & Opportunity.”

It said 65 percent of the farmers are Latinos, a quarter of them former field workers. The 20 percent who are Asian include Japanese American farmers, who have been part of the industry for about a century, and people with roots in Laos.

Alfredo Ramirez, an immigrant from Mexico, went to work in 1973 for Lassen Canyon Nursery, a strawberry plant producer based in Redding. Today, he manages the Manteca-area branch of the company, which produces about 500 million plants a year for farmers and gardeners around the world.

“I don’t have any worries,” Ramirez said Thursday. “I make enough money to live.”

The same sentiment came from Laotian immigrant Brian Saetern, who lived in Merced before taking on a 4-acre strawberry patch near Manteca.

“I like strawberries,” he said in the report. “They give me enough for my family to survive.”

[readon1 url="http://www.modbee.com/2014/07/04/3424515/asian-latino-farmers-lead-strawberry.html"]Source:www.modbee.com[/readon1]

MEXICO CITY — Three miners were rescued Friday after spending more than two days trapped following a collapse at a small, wildcat gold mine in southern Honduras. Eight others remain missing.

Moises Alvarado, the head of the country’s emergency commission, said the rescued miners are in “relatively good health, though they are exhausted and showing signs of severe dehydration.” One of the three suffered severe contusions.

Alvarado identified the rescued miners as Byron Maradiaga, Bryan Escalante, 20, and Nehemias Mendez, 28.

A crowd of about 300 residents, volunteers and fellow miners cheered as the rescue workers brought the three miners out one by one in a rescue basket from the mouth of the mine.

Emergency personnel and fellow miners had spent hours supplying water and food to the three miners after hearing their shouts and tunneling small holes into the area where they were trapped.

Marco Tulio Artica, the head of the local fire department, said work to find the remaining miners is slow and hard. Workers have to use picks, shovels, and small pneumatic drills instead of heavy machinery because of the risk of further collapses.

“We still don’t know anything about the other eight miners who are in other tunnels,” Artica said.

More than 100 police, firefighters, rescue workers and miners were working during the third day of rescue efforts following Wednesday’s cave-in.

The miners were trapped about 90 yards into the mine. It collapsed shortly after 22 miners entered, but half were able to get out on their own.

[readon1 url="http://www.modbee.com/2014/07/04/3424594/3-honduran-miners-rescued-8-still.html"]Source:www.modbee.com[/readon1]

MCALLEN, TEXAS (Governor's Office) – Gov. Rick Perry told Members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security today that urgent federal action is required to stem the humanitarian and national security crises unfolding along the Texas-Mexico border.

The governor’s testimony highlighted the inability of the federal government to secure the border, and touched on efforts that the state is undertaking to help alleviate the crises, including the $1.3 million per week Texas Department of Public Safety surge announced June 18.

Below is Gov. Perry’s testimony to the committee, as prepared for delivery:

"Good afternoon. I’d like to open my remarks by thanking and commending the members of this committee who made the trip down here. Chairman McCaul is demonstrating true leadership in elevating the visibility of what’s happening along the border.

I would also like to recognize Chairwoman Granger, who is leading the Speaker’s Working Group on the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southern Border, and other members of Congress who are here today in response to these ongoing crises.

And make no mistake, there is more than one crisis happening along the U.S. border.

The first is a humanitarian crisis, suffered by a growing number of individuals crossing our border illegally … many of them just children.

Last week, I witnessed the difficult conditions these children are being housed in while they await action by Washington, whether it’s the right decision to immediately deport them, or the shortsighted and tragic decision to essentially turn them loose in the United States.

Some might think allowing them to stay is a more humane option, I assure you, it is not.

Nobody is doing any of these children the slightest favor by delaying a rapid return to their countries of origin, which in many cases is not Mexico.

Allowing them to remain here will only encourage the next group of individuals to undertake the same life-threatening journey.

Those who have come must be sent back to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, that risking their lives to cross Mexico and enter our country simply isn’t worth it.

Even those who have survived the treacherous journey are still at risk.

We’ve already had one confirmed case of H1N1 in Texas, and have been informed by our federal partners of two additional cases of Type A influenza that are likely to be H1N1, in addition to reports of other illnesses at other detention facilities.

The second crisis is a crisis of national security.

The rapid influx of illegal immigrants has strained border resources that were already insufficient to the task at hand. Officials who should be guarding the border are dealing with the overflow instead of fulfilling their primary tasks.

As a result, the border between the U.S. and Mexico is less secure today than at any time in the recent past, which is why we ordered the new surge.

We know that drug cartels and transnational gangs are already seeking to take advantage of the situation, attempting to circumvent security and spread pain and suffering on both sides of the border through their criminal activities.

We’re also in danger at the hands of those who might be slipping through from countries with known terrorist ties. With a range of potential threats facing us from abroad, this is not the time to turn our attention elsewhere.

That’s why Texas has taken steps to supplement its law enforcement operations along the border.

Currently, we’re directing $1.3 million in additional funding per week to increase our law-enforcement efforts through at least the end of the calendar year. This is in addition to the more than $500 million we’ve committed to border security since 2005.

Our current operations include increased DPS aircraft patrols, maritime operations, and the utilization of Ranger Recon teams, who are able to quickly respond to remote areas where suspected activity is taking place.

I welcome the funding President Obama has publically announced, but also ask the federal government for the following:

First, increase the Texas National Guard units involved in border security operations…That includes keeping the fleet of UH-72 Lakota aircraft in
Texas to continue its vital missions.

Second, if the U.S. Border Patrol is going to release illegal immigrants into our communities to await a court date, every one should be medically screened to ensure their health and the health of our citizens.

Third, Texas should be reimbursed for the $500 million we’ve spent securing the border over the past decade. We’ve been fulfilling a federal responsibility, and the hardworking people of Texas shouldn’t have to shoulder that cost on their own.

And finally, secure this border once and for all. Invest sufficient resources to put an adequate number of Border Patrol agents on the ground permanently, and utilize existing technology, including drones, to help plug the gaps in security operations currently being filled by Texans."

[readon1 url="http://www.kgns.tv/home/headlines/Gov-Perry-appears-before-US-House-committee-on-homeland-security-265743101.html"]Source:www.kgns.tv[/readon1]

How about all those fireworks and parades and barbecues this week? Isn't Canada Day great?

Don't pretend you didn't know it was Canada Day, because nearly everyone who knows I came here from the land of loonies, twonies and Mounties wished me a happy Canada Day on July 1.

Then a few of them proceeded, like they do every year, to ask me what that's all about and snicker when I tell them what it's all about after consulting Wikipedia to refresh my memory.

The conversation is an annual tradition that carries right through the Fourth and goes something like this:

"It's kind of like Independence Day," I say.

"Canada's independent?" Insert patronizing tone bordering on jingoism here.

"Of course it is."

"But the queen's on all your coins." Insert patronizing tone bordering on jingoism here, too.

"Yeah, but on the quarter, she's on the flip side of a moose head, which makes her a moose's you-know-what," I reply light-heartedly.

"Aren't your dollars called something weird?" Insert ... well, you get the drill.

"No, they're called dollars."

"No they're not," they say, building to their big punchline. "They're called loonies!"

They can barely contain themselves at this point.

"The currency is the dollar," I correct them. "They're just nicknamed loonies because they have a picture of a loon on them. The two-dollar coin is nicknamed the twonie."

"Why?" they ask seriously, as if the answer weren't obvious and we hadn't run through this "Who's on First?" routine the last five Canada Days.

"Because it rhymes with loonie."

That usually gets them snorting and reaching for something clever to say before shaking their heads and falling back on, "Canada Day. That's hilarious."

This is where I get serious.

"Why's it hilarious?" I ask.

"It just is."

"You know, it used to be called Dominion Day," I say, preparing for my own punchline.

Sometimes even the setup on this one elicits a condescending chortle. "What happened?"

"Dominion was a grocery store chain, so it was kind of like calling the Fourth of July Wegmans Day."

That's a joke from comedian Rick Moranis, a Canadian who was too funny to stay in Canada and whose dim-witted, beer-swilling Bob McKenzie character is for many Americans the zenith of all their knowledge of Canada and its people.

But it's actually true. There was a national supermarket chain called Dominion, and July 1 was Dominion Day. It celebrated the unification of three British colonies on July 1, 1867, into a single country within the British Empire. That would be Canada.

The holiday was renamed Canada Day in 1982 when the British finally gave Canadians permission to change their own laws all by themselves. It was like Canada grew up and got the car keys.

As a kid, I watched all the drama of the bill signing unfold on a TV in the school gym. Queen Elizabeth II was there in her blue pillbox hat right next to the swashbuckling Canadian prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, whose wife partied at Studio 54 and had affairs with Ted Kennedy and Mick Jagger.

It wasn't Lexington and Concord or anything, but by Canadian standards, it was thrilling.

"That's it?" they usually ask, followed by a guffaw.

"That's it," I tell them. "Not every country was born of revolution, you know."

"I know," they say, as if they really did know. Then they add another, "Canada Day. That's hilarious," and get back to whatever they were doing before Google told them it was Canada Day.

Independence came slowly to Canada. So slowly, in fact, I'm not even sure it's actually arrived. Like you, I don't get why that old bird Liz is still on the other side of the loonie.

The history of it all is dull as dirt, I know, and it's one of the reasons I love America and am so proud to live here. There's something sexy about earning freedom though sweat and blood and standing up to bullies. Every country secretly wants that.

The whole American Revolution storyline is very impressive, and I can tell you as one with an outsider's perspective that much of the rest of the world is impressed by it, too.

But I can also tell you this as one with an outsider's perspective: There are few things less impressive than patronizing another's heritage. It's very un-American.

[readon1 url="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/07/03/andreatta-loony-independence-day-tradition/12159179/"]Source:www.democratandchronicle.com[/readon1]

Part of a passenger bus and a car were crushed as a bridge fails in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte

An unfinished overpass collapsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte on Thursday, leaving at least one person dead and casting a shadow over a tournament that has suffered repeated construction accidents and delays.

The bridge, located about two miles from the Mineirao Stadium where World Cup games are being played, collapsed as vehicles were passing on a busy road underneath.

Part of a passenger bus was crushed and another car was still trapped in the wreckage hours later.

The collapsed bridge ran over one of the major thoroughfares connecting the stadium area with the international airport. It was part of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that officials had promised would be ready for the World Cup.

Groups of people gathered around the scene of the accident, some shouting furiously

"This is the incompetence of our authorities and our businesses," said Leandro Brito, 23, a bank worker. "Because of the World Cup they sped everything up to finish faster. That's why this tragedy has happened. They are not making things properly. Everyone is very angry."

Heavy government spending on the World Cup and long delays in infrastructure projects spurred violent street protests across Brazil over the past year, although they have died down in recent weeks and the tournament has gone more smoothly than many fans and government officials expected.

Still, several projects were plagued by fatal construction accidents. Eight workers died building stadiums in the 12 cities that have hosted games.

There were conflicting reports over the casualties of the accident in Belo Horizonte, which has already hosted five World Cup games and has the semi-final match on Tuesday.

The city's fire department confirmed one death and 19 injuries, Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Estevo said. A health department spokesman earlier said two people died, but later said one of the deaths had not yet been confirmed.

Work on the network of bus corridors, financed with more than 1 billion reais ($450 million) in federal funds, began in 2010 and was supposed to finish in May.

Downtown portions of the BRT network are running during the World Cup, but long stretches are still under construction.

The cause of the accident, the worst since the month-long tournament began on June 12, was unclear and no workers were known to be on the overpass when it fell.

Rescuers had still not been able to reach one of the cars trapped underneath. "We cannot reach the vehicle; we don't know how many victims there are and there could still be someone alive," Estevo said.

"We were traveling normally and then there was a terrible noise," Renata Soares, who said she was on the bus at the moment of the accident, told GloboNews. "I am sure that more people in other cars were underneath the debris."

Last month a worker died after a 90-tonne beam fell during the construction of a monorail train project in São Paulo.

[readon1 url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/10945283/Brazil-bridge-collapse-at-least-one-killed-two-miles-from-World-Cup-venue.html"]Source:www.telegraph.co.uk[/readon1]

Spanish authorities are trying to cut down on sexual assaults at the Pamplona festival and have asked women to refrain from removing their tops

Women will be banned from baring their breasts during celebrations at this year’s Running of the Bulls fiesta in Pamplona after complaints that it encourages sexual assaults.
Authorities will this year attempt to stop the “bacchanal display” of women lifting their tops as they are held up in the crowds to be groped by men and squirted with red wine when the festival starts on Sunday.

During the Chupinazo, the ceremony which marks the start of the eight-day festival made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his book The Sun Also Rises, thousands of revelers crowd into the square in front of the town hall for the start of the San Fermines fiesta.

Images of women going topless during the celebration, which takes place at noon on July 6, have enraged anti-gender violence groups and led to a backlash against the festivities.
"Accepting these images as a merry bacchanal legitimizes male domination and sexual assault," wrote Emilia Laura Arias, a journalist specializing in gender equality, after the ceremony last year.

The mayor of Pamplona has announced that for the first time in the festival’s history police officers will be on patrol this year specifically to focus on preventing sexist attacks on women, even if the displays are “voluntary”.

“We are concerned about these sexual assaults and want to prevent practices, especially during the Chupinazo, which present a negative image of the city,” said Enrique Maya, the mayor.
Although he admitted that policing the event where thousands are squeezed into a tiny area would be difficult he said that officers would watch from balconies within the square in a bid to prevent sexist aggression and identify perpetrators.

Those found in breach of the new bylaws, which include those regulating behaviour during the bull runs, face fines of up to €3000 (£2,378).

Posters will be placed around the city warning revelers to respect women. “Someone exposing their body does not legitimise assaulting them,” reads one of the warnings.

[readon1 url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/10946586/No-bare-breasts-at-this-years-Running-of-the-Bulls-festival.html"]Source:www.telegraph.co.uk[/readon1]

Showcased at World Pride 2014
Puerto Vallarta Puts Mexican Folklore
in the Middle of Church Street to Promote its Pride
 
New York, July 1, 2014- The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board brought a touch of Mexican folklore to the World Pride 2014 celebrations taking place across Toronto. On June 29, Puerto Vallarta's Noche Feliz took place in the offices of leading LGBT Tour Operator Rainbow High Vacations with an hour-long concert by local Mariachi group Viva Mexico Mariachi, go-go dancers and Mexican dishes by Santo Pecado Catering which created Puerto Vallarta inspired dishes for the event. Pairings and tastings were also done with El Jimador Tequila cocktails.
 
Those in attendance were able to register to win trips to Puerto Vallarta's top gay-friendly hotels, including Casa Cupula, Costa Sur, Grand Miramar resort & Spa, Marriott CasaMagna, Villa Mercedes or Velas Vallarta, a tour for two with Gay Vallarta Bar Hopping Tours with an Outdoor Adventure o Hidden Mexico activity with Vallarta Adventure and a dolphin experience with Dolphin Discovery.

On Saturday, June 28, Puerto Vallarta was also featured in World Pride's International Travel Showcase where the tourism board distributed information on the diverse offerings the destination has to offer guests.
 
Puerto Vallarta made its debut as a tourism destination in the 1960s when celebrity visits by Elizabeth Taylor and Tennessee Williams launched the destination into the eye of international media, and has since developed into the country’s leading LGBT destination.
 
One of the few locations in Latin America that can claim to have a gay village,Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica, is home to almost a 100 LGBT-owned or cater to the LGBT traveler, including beaches, tours, activities and restaurants bars and clubs to choose from. LGBT travelers have the option of choosing from gay friendly resorts, hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts and guest houses.
 
A member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, Puerto Vallarta has been a preferred LGBT friendly destination in the Americas for over 60 years and has an infrastructure that is frequently included on leading media as gay friendly destination lists. Puerto Vallarta also actively supports GLAAD, HMI and the GMHC.
 
Additional information on Puerto Vallarta is available at www.visitpuertovallarta.com.