29 december 2007.
24 February 2006.
For the first time in PDP's history (I guess!) let me repost 3 photos; the ones I posted on various occasions to remind my visitors of Ingrid Betancourt, the Franco Colombian lady who was abducted by the Farc more than 6 years ago. Tonight we heard she was freed yesterday. I'm so happy, I could cry.
Nice nice very nice idea Eric. It's such an important day...
ReplyDeleteI really feel happy. It's just amazing...
Hourra INGRID!!
How did you do this? Aren't you in Brussels?
ReplyDeleteGreat news. Everyone celebrate.
Damn, Guille you are fast. And in English.
ReplyDeleteEric,this is indeed a WONDERFUL post! [standing and applauding]
ReplyDeleteGuille...issss tooooo fassssstttt!
Eric,this is indeed a WONDERFUL post! [standing and applauding]
ReplyDeleteGuille...issss tooooo fassssstttt!
I had to be first for our fellow countrywoman Ingrid. I can't realize that it's true, I mean, nobody had any more hope about her situation. J'ai la gorge serrée. As you said Eric, I could cry too...
ReplyDeleteShe's so fast that she made my keyboard type and send twice. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteA long wait is over for her. A new chapter begins.
ReplyDeleteYes Cali, I am in Brussels, but I have an Internet access. I'm currently watching Ingrid speak on TV live from the airport in Colombia. Extremely moving. She looks tired of course but happy and extremely brave.
ReplyDeleteColtrane, yes I'm fast. One often says it to me. LOL
ReplyDeleteI am watching that also, Eric. She looks pretty good considering. She is one strong woman.
ReplyDeleteEric, moi aussi je regarde en direct, mais je n'aime pas ce côté "spectacle", on passe la scène plusieurs fois, au ralenti etc. Elle aspire très probablement à être seule avec sa famille, non? Mais d'un autre côté il est évident qu'elle ne pouvait pas passer à côté de tout ça...
ReplyDeleteNon Guille, impossible de passer à côté je pense. Et on n'a pas fini de voir ces images ;) Mais bon, c'est à la hauteur de l'événement.
ReplyDeleteAller, je vais me coucher. Il tonne à Bruxelles !
Let's all cry with joy! Eric, this is a perfect tribute to a very brave woman.
ReplyDeleteQuelle femme, quelle force... That is extremely intense. She is so beautiful after more than 6 years of captivity... Incredible.
ReplyDeleteMagnifique post Eric. Magnifique !!!
Bonne nuit Eric! Ici, il fait juste nuit. :)
ReplyDeleteI should add:
ReplyDeleteINGRID IS FREE!
INGRID IS FREE!!
INGRID IS FREE!!!
LOL Suzy, well done, I thought about it but didn't dare.
ReplyDeleteA day to remember...
ReplyDeleteEric, when I saw this on a news site I knew you would have a special post about it. Cheers to Ingrid and the others that were released and to their liberators as well. :)
ReplyDeleteYes ! Before I read your daily post, I have just posted mine on http://brohardphotography.blogspot.com... Glad to see we are pretty much aligned on what was important today in the news ! Loic
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wiki link too - it describes such a lengthy covert plan to finally create the rescue opportunity! And so many others freed with her! Wonderful! 8^)
ReplyDeleteIts really exciting and moving to me to read how much you are all moved by this. Its like being included in a genuine national "moment" - one of those days that each person, years later says: "Oh, yes, I remember where I was when I heard Ingrid Betancourt was released." I tried to imagine how people would feel here in the US if this had happened to one of our politicians. I'm sure it would be the same. Its as tho you know the person. I hope she can recover from this terrible ordeal. I really thought that she would never get out; couldn't believe it when I read it. Now I have to look for that live coverage....
ReplyDeleteEric, I saw her on the news this evening along with three Americans who were rescued with her. What a wonderful day for them and their families.
ReplyDeleteReally?!!! Oh, that's good news! Pfeww.
ReplyDeleteThis is such WONDERFUL news and so long-awaited a day! Congrats and kudos to all who did not forget her and the others' plight and kept the spotlight burning until this happy, happy resolution. I appreciate your making us all aware of Ms. Betancourt's situation over these months, Eric!
ReplyDelete-Kim
Seattle Daily Photo
A great start to a long weekend in japan!
ReplyDeleteI started reading about this right after I joined the air force. It is still hard to believe it is true. And amazingly no one was hurt in the operation. Wonderful!
Fantastic news! Thank you for letting us know, Eric!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's wonderful. Thanks, Eric for the news (I heard it here first!)
ReplyDeleteThree cheers to Ingrid's bravery!! I'm off to see if I can catch it on TV or on the 'Net.
FABULOUS news -- and I knew you'd feature it today, Eric!
ReplyDeleteThree Americans were also freed, but when I heard the news, the first thing I thought about was Ingrid Betancourt (mainly because of your touching posts about her). As Rahul would say: Waah-ji-waah!!
Great news! Has it been 6 years!?! I can't imagine...
ReplyDeleteAn historic day indeed for both her freedom and Eric's unusual post.
ReplyDeleteFirst, congratulations to those who rescued her and to the French people who have so diligently followed her plight for all of these years.
Secondly, 3 photos at once...unheard of at PDP (formerly "Paris, One Photo A Day")! You must really be moved Eric.
Eric, I was so happy when I heard the news I could cry too.
ReplyDeleteThree photos, very well deserved.
I'm so relieved she is free, I feared she wouldn't be able to take it much longer.
I think it's important to say that the rescue operation of the Colombian Army was amazing, "perfecta", like Ingrid herself said so.
What wonderful news!
ReplyDeleteAnd a tribute to the Columbian Army for a successful rescue operation.
Wow - I saw her on the video feeds and she is one strong woman. She's very inspiring and I wonder what she'll do next. When she spoke about her dad dying and about how she had just accepted that her captivity was what she had been given to live I was incredibly inspired. My life has no challenges compared to hers, but I can respond to my little challenges with the same attitudes she has. I see how she survived and could be in such form as to be able to give a long press conference minutes after her release. And, I can hardly wait to read more about this amazing rescue. I also read that they were cheering in the streets in Bogota. What a day!
ReplyDeleteSuch a thrilling victory, a joyous day for all the freed hostages and their loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of your posts about this, Eric. You've kept us informed and interested.
Even if I hadn't known this was important I would have guessed, because it brought Michael back!
What joyous news for the freed hostages, their families, their countries, and the world! It is fitting and touching that you posted these three photos today, Eric. You have a knack for the poignant, and your sensitivity gives reason for hope in humanity.
ReplyDeleteThree pictures well deserved i say. I saw the news last night and thought of you Eric; i know how you have covered this story with passion. It is wonderful that this lady is free after 6 years. I saw her hugging her mother at the steps of the airplane. Can you imagine, that free hug with her Mummy after all that time? That alone moves me to tears. A good news day, huh Eric.
ReplyDeleteMichael! Hey hey! How i've missed you... :) Pop over and see me sometime (my rendition of Mae West crept in there a little).
Hang on a minute though - i just heard that 13 other hostages were also released at the same time. I didn't know. Some had been kept for TEN years. How come we don't hear of those? Although i am thrilled at her release, I don't think she is any more important than the others, to have received this coverage and euphoria ? Surely the reporting should have been more complete. It's the first time i've heard the others mentioned. Perhaps her political status helped in the release somehow? I don't know the details yet...
ReplyDeletei came straight to your site when i heard the news- your site is where i first learned of ingrid's plight. i felt exactly the same, so happy could cry!
ReplyDeleteThey're playing this story right now on our national news service. Bravo. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteCry if you like Eric - this is marvellous.
My stepbrother is married to a Colombian anthropologist. I wonder how she is feeling tonight.
Yes Lynn, you are right but the most important is to be freed, isn't it? ... Neither the lights nor journalists'cameras are important... except Eric's one, of course! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd Eric did mention the others in his 2008/02/24 post. He wrote in his caption 'This year they emphasized the fact that not only Ingrid is being kept prisoner, but also many other hostages like these guys in the photo...'.
Eric, you can be happy and proud that everyone thought of you at the minute he/she heard the new about Ingrid's release. Exactly like I did too... and felt the same.
Ah yes i was excepting Eric in my criticism, Corinne, i should have said. Still think those others were worth more of a mention worldwide, poor souls.
ReplyDeleteI just read an article about this on Yahoo and knew I had to pop over here. How wonderful that she and the other hostages have finally been freed! I shed a few tears myself.
ReplyDeletelynn, the article I read on Yahoo about it just a few minutes ago was actually focused on one of the other prisoners and only mentioned Ingrid in passing. Apparently one of the hostages was a US Marine or something like that who's plane had gone down very near the camp. They captured him and 2 others that day (after having shot and killed 2 others from the crash). This guy proposed to his girlfriend via a released hostage recently and will be seeing her for the first time in years and will be meeting his 5 year old twin sons for the first time ever when he gets home! Awwwww. That made me cry too.
ReplyDeleteSorry for going post happy, but I just read another article that focused on the rescue in general and pretty much all the hostages who were rescued. So even though Ingrid is getting a lot of press, the others have certainly not been forgotten!
ReplyDeleteWhile I didn't hear the news here first, I did think of this site when I heard it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how she and the other hostages withstood all those years in captivity, but I am so glad they are finally free.
Lynn, soosha_q, buzzgirl - apparently there are still about 700 people being held captive by FARC. The military let some of the rebels escape without being shot as a gesture of good-will, hoping they will finally release everyone they are holding. And yes, when a presidential candidate is taken hostage, especially while actively campaigning, it is far more newsworthy than when it happens to regular people. She wields huge influence over the lives of millions through her political courage, and could yet gain office. That justifies the expanded press coverage. Diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to free captives everywhere still continue. Check out Amnesty International on the web - there are still thousands of political prisoners around the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant to say is that valid news-worthiness does not mean one person's soul is worth more to the heavens than any other, it's just that public figures affect more lives than their friends and family, hence their symbolism and personas are of wider interest.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll shut up now. Cheers.
These news were great, they deserved the three pictures you uploaded- the one of the Assemblée with I. B. face brings tears to the eyes...
ReplyDeleteWow. I just watched a video of her departing the plane and hanging onto her daughter and son. Hey, there are tears in my eyes way over here a day later.
ReplyDeleteI agree with dodo...the photo at the Assemblée is especially moving.
ReplyDeleteIt was on CNN last night at work, all night! The three American contractors rescued with her were virtually forgotten by the American public until now. What a relief for their families.
I love how she told her mother.."you don't have to cry anymore". What a strong woman. Bless her!
I could cry too, this story is so moving on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteThis amazing rescue gives me so much hope and inspiration as are all of todays comments on this site.
Merci Eric
Hey everyone...
ReplyDeleteI dropped by to make everybody jealous!!!
Guess who I am meeting in London soon???
Lynn and Lynn!
I am so excited!
Rose, Lynn & Lynn--fantastic! I wish I could be there with you.
ReplyDeleteI commend the bravery and dedication of the rescuers. What a thrilling plot, a fantastic story. Hearts must have been pounding at every second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all hostages could be freed? Prayers for those who remain.
We will be less jealous if you share the details with us, Rose.
ReplyDeleteYou three stay out of trouble!
lol Rose you are funny. As if that would be exciting, what li'l ole me?....ahh shucks....:) Sad truth is that i'm not quite well enough for the trip to London at present, but i am sure that the meeting WILL happen, just not quite yet. Can't wait!!! :) xx In the meantime i can't wait to hear the details of the Lynn & Rose meeting!
ReplyDeleteMavrellous news, but I also echo Lynn's thought that it is wonderful news for all hostgaes, not just high profile ones.
ReplyDelete