“In Afghanistan, a squirrel has more rights than a woman or a little girl, since the latter are no longer allowed to use public parks,” summarized Ms. Streep. In Kabul, a bird has more rights than a woman or a little girl, since the latter can no longer make their voices heard in public.
In New York, during an event organized on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Meryl Streep spoke of the “suffocation” of Afghan women. The word is not too strong. Most paid jobs are now prohibited to them. And they are no longer allowed to attend secondary schools and universities.
Do you remember the Taliban’s promises that they had changed? And that their government would be more “open”? Me neither.
Source: The Guardian
How do you translate “cocorico” in 10 languages?
— Allemand: kikeriki;
— Anglais: cock-a-doodle-do;
— Croate: corn;
— Spanish: quiquirikì;
— Finnish: kukko kekikulu;
— Indonesian: coconut;
— Icelandic: gaggalagó;
— Italian: chicchirichì;
— Dutch: kukeleku;
— Portugais: cocorocó.
Source: Wikipedia
Quick question
On average, in North America, how much water is needed to write a 100-word email with the ChatGPT chatbot?
a) 0,12 litre;
b) 0,52 litre;
c) 1,7 litre;
d) 10,2 litres;
e) 25,1 litres.
Answer: b) Water is used in particular to cool computer servers.
Source: The Washington Post
(AP, David Banks)
The comparison (1)
Record for most losses in a season in major North American men’s professional sports leagues:
— Major baseball (MLB): 121 defeats in 160 matchesWhite Sox de Chicago (2024);
— Basketball (NBA): 73 out of 82, Philadelphia 76ers (1972-1973);
— American football (NFL): 16 of 16Detroit Lions (2008) and Cleveland Browns (2017);
— Hockey (NHL): 71 of 84San Jose Sharks (1992-1993);
— Soccer (MLS): 25 of 32MetroStars de NewYork et du New Jersey (1999).
Sources: Wikipedia et The New York Times
The duration
57 days
Time during which the Earth will have a second moon, in 2024. From September 29 to November 25, an asteroid the size of a bus, 2024 PT5, will be briefly “trapped” by Earth’s gravitation. It will then continue its route through the solar system, before returning close to Earth in 2055.
Source: Research Notes of the Astronomical Society
True or false?
Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world, contains enough liquid to cover all of North and South America in 6 inches of water.
Answer: false. It could cover them with 30 centimeters of water.
Source: britannica.com
(Taken from Facebook)
The quote
“I broke up with the plane, but we are still friends.”
— Michele Köbke, a 36-year-old German woman who describes herself as an “objectophile,” that is, a person who feels an attraction to inanimate objects. For nine years, she claims to have had a romantic relationship with a Boeing 737 that she nicknamed Schátz [Trésor]. At first, Köbke had to contemplate his love from a distance, from the windows of Tegel-Berlin airport. Until he was finally allowed to approach it in a hangar, in 2019. Better, to touch it! At that moment, Madame no longer touched the ground. She didn’t feel herself growing wings, but almost! She even wanted to settle in the hangar, with the 40-ton plane!
The causes of the breakup are not very clear. Madame seems to have understood that it was an impossible love. And then she discovered a new passion: the Middle Ages. It’s more down to earth, but you don’t have to believe it. For its part, the plane would be inconsolable.
Source: The Mirror
The comparison (2)
— 75 %: Proportion of married American adults who believe in the concept of “true love”;
— 10 %: Proportion of American adults who believe they have met their “true love,” but who married someone else.
Source: Talker Researchcited by Harper’s
(AP Archives, Marco Ugarte)
Quick question
The study of axolotls, a species of salamander, reserves many surprises. We already knew that certain parts of their body can regenerate after being amputated. What other characteristic has just been discovered?
a) Axolotls stop aging after the first third of their lives;
b) They are irresistibly attracted to the color pink;
c) They die if they are on a checkered fabric for more than two hours;
d) They die if they are exposed to very rhythmic music for too long;
e) They feed exclusively on a type of wild asparagus.
Answer: a) They age for about four years out of a total of 12.
Source: New Scientistcited by Courrier international
The percentage
60 %
Minimum percentage of residents of the Gaza Strip who have lost at least one member of their family since the start of the merciless war waged on their territory by the Israeli army. More than 40,000 people are believed to have died since the fighting began a year ago.
Source: Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research
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