French schools once prized the nutritional value of wine and it was commonly served to children until in 1956 the government banned wine in school canteens—and even then, only for the under-14s.
In 2022 roughly 10% of French people drank wine every day, down from half in 1980. Back in 1960 the French drank an average of 116 litres of everyday wine per person. Between 2000 and 2018 that shrank from 28 litres to just 17.
What is going on? It is not simply price. A bottle of Bordeaux can still be found in a French supermarket for under €3 ($3.25). Some village co-operatives sell local produce for €1.90 a litre—less than fresh orange juice. A better explanation is that a beer-drinking trend is challenging Mediterranean habits. The French now tell polls that they prefer beer to wine. Beer accounts for more than half of all alcohol bought in French supermarkets. Even in southern France, some cafés serve imported Belgian or German beer on tap.
Most important, a health-conscious younger generation is drinking less. A quarter of French 18- to 34-year-olds say they never drink alcohol. Fully 39% of under-35s say that they do not drink wine, next to only 27% of the over-50s.
Additionally, no- and low-alcohol drinks are spreading.
Less booze may improve health, but not necessarily the mood or landscapes of rural France. ■
A recent
study by a market intelligence firm Caliber found that fewer people in the
United States are considering buying a Tesla car.
One
reason for this is the behavior of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who some people
find controversial.
The
study showed that people’s interest in buying a Tesla car decreased from
November 2021 to February 2024. At the same time, people’s interest in buying
cars from traditional companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Audi slightly
increased.
The
study also found that most Americans connect Tesla’s reputationwith Elon Musk.
Marketing
experts say that Musk’s political beliefs and public statements are
affecting Tesla’s brand and demand. Additionally, economic worries and
competition from other companies like BYD from China are also putting pressure
on Tesla.
Tesla sales fell sharply during the first quarter. The company
delivered 386,810 vehicles from January through March, nearly 9% below the
423,000 it sold in the same quarter of last year.
On
Sunday, close to midnight, Elon Musk sent Tesla employees a memo
saying there was a duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas.
Workers who were impacted by the layoffs received an email to their personal
accounts, informing them their roles had been eliminated.
On Monday Tesla publicly announced that it is planning to lay off about
a tenth of its workforce as it tries to cut costs. The layoffs will
affect about 14,000 of the 140,473 workers employed by the Austin, Texas,
company.
Also Monday, two key Tesla executives announced on the social media
platform X that they will leave the company.
Rohan Patel, senior global director of public policy and business
development, wrote on X that he was leaving Tesla, after eight years.
Andrew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and energy
engineering, made the decision to leave after 18 years with the company.
Baglino, who held several top engineering jobs at the company and was
chief technology officer, wrote that the decision to leave was difficult. “I
loved tackling nearly every problem we solved as a team and feel gratified to
have contributed to the mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable
energy,” he wrote.
Shares of Tesla fell 4.8% Monday afternoon, hours after news of the
layoffs and departures broke.
This is the full memo Elon Musk sent Tesla employees:
Over the years, we have grown rapidly with multiple factories scaling around the globe. With this rapid growth there has been duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas. As we prepare the company for our next phase of growth, it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity.
As part of this effort, we have done a thorough review of the organization and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10% globally. There is nothing I hate more, but it must be done. This will enable us to be lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle.
I would like to thank everyone who is departing Tesla for their hard work over the years. I'm deeply grateful for your many contributions to our mission and we wish you well in your future opportunities. It is very difficult to say goodbye.
For those remaining, I would like to thank you in advance for the difficult job that remains ahead. We are developing some of the most revolutionary technologies in auto, energy and artificial intelligence. As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, your resolve will make a huge difference in getting us there.
Rebuilding Baltimore's collapsed
Francis Scott Key Bridge could take from 18 months to several years and the
cost could be at least $400 million — or more than twice that.
It all depends on many factors– from the
design of the new bridge to how quickly government officials will approve permits and award contracts.
Realistically, the project could take
five to seven years, according to Ben
Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Other experts are more optimistic about the
potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an
engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could
take as little as 18 months to two years.
The disaster is in some ways similar
to the deadly collapse of Florida's Sunshine Skyway Bridge (photo) ,
which was struck by a freighter in Tampa Bay in 1980. The new bridge took five
years to build, was 19 months late and ran $20 million over budget when it
opened in 1987.
But experts say it's better to look
to more recent bridge disasters for a sense of how quickly reconstruction will
happen.
Jim Tymon, executive director of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, cited the
case of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota, which collapsed into the
Mississippi River in 2007. The new bridge was up in less than 14 months.
One worrying issue is the source of
funding. President Joe Biden said the federal government will pay for the new
bridge, but that remains to be seen.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
helped to obtain funding quickly to rebuild the I-35W bridge in her state. But
she said “Replacing the Baltimore bridge could be more complicated. The I-35W
bridge was a very busy federal interstate highway with about 140,000 vehicle crossings a day, compared with about 31,000 for the Baltimore bridge. But, on
the other hand, Baltimore is a major port”.
Sameh Badie, of George Washington University, said “The cost
could be between $500 million and $1 billion. In my opinion, the largest
variable will be the design. Steel is expensive these days. Besides, the limited
number of construction companies that can tackle such a project are already
busy with other jobs. A project like this must be expedited, so everything will
cost a lot more".
Hota GangaRao, a West Virginia University engineering professor,
said “The project could cost as little as $400 million. But that's only if the
old bridge's pier foundations are used. Designers may want to locate the new
supports farther away from the shipping channels to avoid another collision. That
will be more steel, more complicated construction and more checks and balances".
Norma Jean Mattei, an emeritus engineering professor at the University
of New Orleans, said replacing the Key Bridge likely will take several years.
Even if it's a priority, the process of designing the bridge, getting permits and
hiring contractors will take a lot of
time. Then you must build it. It's a long process to get a bridge of this type
into operation".
You can also watch the video by clicking on the Play Button
Despite
efforts to decarbonize the global economy, oil is still one of the world’s most
important resources. It is also produced by a limited group of countries.
This graphic illustrates global crude oil
production in 2023, measured in million barrels per day, sourced from the U.S.
Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Three Countries Account for 40% of Global Oil
Production
In
2023, the United States, Russia, and Saudi Arabia collectively contributed 32.8
million barrels per day to global oil production.
These three nations have consistently dominated oil production since
1971.
In
contrast, the combined production of the next three largest producers—Canada,
Iraq, and China—reached 13.1 million barrels per day in 2023, surpassing
the production of the United States alone.
In 2024, according to analysts, the U.S.
will maintain its position as the top oil
producer. In fact, according to Macquarie
Group, U.S. oil production will achieve a
record of about 14 million barrels per day by the end of the year.
Finnair, Finland's flagship airline, is asking passengers at Helsinki Airport to voluntarily and anonymously
weigh themselves with their carry-on luggage. This will help Finnair better estimate
the weight of the airplane for safe takeoff and potentially save on fuel costs.
There are more than 600
volunteers. Finnair will thank them for their
efforts with a small gift.
The weigh-in policy will continue until May. The
Finnish transport and communications agency, Traficom, will receive the results
and use them for loading calculations from next year until 2030.
Some people think this is a great safety and efficiency improvement and
should be used by all airlines.
According to
Statista, in 2021, commercial airlines worldwide used about 60 billion gallons
of fuel annually. With fuel prices soaring in the last few years, due to the
energy crisis following the Russia-Ukraine war, several airlines are now trying
to be more cost and fuel-efficient.
If this study
is successful, Finnair will probably implement this policy long-term, because
it could potentially save the airline a considerable amount of money at a time
when most European airlines are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic
levels in terms of profits.
Finnair is
facing increasing union strikes and, as a consequence, more than 500 flights cancellations.
It will be interesting to knowthe impact these events will have on the
airline’s profit margins this quarter.
On the other
hand, several passengers were outraged at this new policy, taking to social
media platform X to voice concerns about the airline using passengers’ weight
data to discriminate against those who suffer from eating disorders or other
medical conditions.
Many passengers
are facing discriminatory airline seat policies on flights. Some must buy two seats,
instead of one and some airplanes do not have appropriate seat belt extenders
available for those who need them.
The Summer Olympic Games this year are in Paris, France.
Paris does not have an ocean. So, how do organizers
plan to present competition in the sport of surfing?
They are taking that Olympic event to the South
Pacific country of French Polynesia. The athletes will compete on the island of
Tahiti, in a small coastal village called Teahupo’o. The area is rural. It did
not even have a road until the 1970s.
Hundreds of people are expected to visit Teahupo’o
to watch the sport, from July 27 to August 4.
The place has a special energy, a feeling known as
“mana” in the local language. And the people who live there want that special
quality protected. There are concerns that a week of Olympic competition in
Teahupo’o could destroy the “mana” and harm the environment that surrounds it.
Proposed preparations for the event included
building temporary housing, roads, and even a large structure out on the water.
Opposition to the plans quickly grew. Environmentalists, locals and surfers joined forces
to protect Teahupo’o’s culture, its corals and other sea life.
The group told the Olympic organizers they did not
want new buildings or roads. And organizers are adjusting their plans as a
result. For example, they will not be building any Olympic
housing. Instead, athletes will stay on a nearby boat.
In Decembera boat working on some Olympic construction hit a
piece of the reef and broke it. Since the incident the relationship between the
organizers and locals has improved. The Olympic group is moving slowly and
asking for more input from the local groups.
You can also watch the video by clicking on the Play Button
For the first time in more than twenty years, Mexico took China’s place
as the leading source of goods imported by the United States.
This change, which took place over the last year, brings attention to
the growing tensions between the U.S. and China.
It also highlights American efforts to import from countries that are
friendlier and closer to home.
Figures released recently by the U.S. Commerce Department show that the
value of goods imported by the U.S. from Mexico rose nearly 5 percent from 2022
to 2023, to more than $475 billion. At the same time, the value of Chinese
imports dropped 20 percent to $427 billion.
The last time that Mexican goods imported by the United States were
greater than the value of China’s imports was in 2002.
Economic relations between the United States and China have declined in
recent years.
The Trump administration began putting tariffs on Chinese imports in
2018. The administration argued that China’s trade policies broke international
trade rules. President Joe Biden kept those taxes on imports after taking
office in 2021.
Some Chinese manufacturers have established factories in Mexico to get
the benefits of the 3-year-old U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. The
agreement permits duty-free trade in North America for many products.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said last week that the
trade deal gives Mexico new power.
Derek Scissors, a China specialist at the American Enterprise Institute,
noted that the biggest drops in Chinese imports were in computers and
electronics and chemicals and pharmaceuticals — all politically difficult
areas.
AeroMexico Flight
AM762 to Guatemala was scheduled to take off at 8:45 a.m. from Mexico International Airport in Mexico City on Thursday when a
maintenance alert went off.
Officials
delayed the flight and asked the plane's captain to return to the gate.
Passengers
did not leave the plane and waited for four hours without ventilation or water
during the flight delay.
During the
never-ending delay, a furious passenger opened an emergency door, stood on a wing, and
then re-entered the cabin without affecting the aircraft or anyone else.
In line with
international security regulations, the person who opened the emergency door
turned himself over to the authorities.
At least 77
passengers signed a handwritten statement defending the man, claiming that he
opened the emergency exit to protect everyone.
The delay and
lack of air created conditions that endangered the passengers' health,
according to the statement. The passengers claimed that the man who opened the
emergency exit saved their lives.
The incident
required the plane to be changed.
Eventually, AeroMexico
Flight AM762 left the airport at 2:18 p.m.
Argentine President Javier Milei left for Davos, Switzerland, on Monday afternoon, where he will address the 54th
World Economic Forum gathering.
He will hold his first face-to-face meeting
with International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Kristalina Georgieva. Milei and Georgieva will meet on Wednesday
at 5:30 p.m. CET, according to the president’s agenda. This will be Milei and
Georgieva’s first in-person meeting.
The president will deliver a half-hour
special address on Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. Argentine time on “Achieving
security and cooperation in a fractured world”.
There will be no bilateral meetings or
press interviews during Milei’s three-day trip, although he will appear with
French President Emmanuel Macron for a photo on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken,
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sánchez, and French President Emmanuel Macron will also give special addresses
on Wednesday.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will speak on
Tuesday.
In his first trip as president, Milei will
travel to Davos with Chief of Staff Nicolás Posse, Economy Minister Luis
Caputo, Secretary General of the Presidency Karina Milei (who is his sister)
and Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.
Posse, Caputo, and Mondino will also speak
at the forum. They will return to Buenos Aires on Friday at 7:55 a.m. local
time.
A 10-year-old Mississippi boy was arrested after he ______?_______
He was taken in a patrol car to the police station for referral to a juvenile court. He was held in a cell for an hour while the paperwork in the case was processed.
The mother of a
10-year-old Mississippi boy who was arrested will not sign a probation
agreement because, in her opinion, the terms are very severe for a child and
are typically reserved for adults, Carlos Moore, the family’s lawyer, said
Thursday.
The 90-day
probation agreement stipulates that the boy
1)Must go through random drug tests
2)Must not leave his house after 8 p.m.
3)Must meet with a probation officer once a month
4)Must write a two-page report on Kobe Bryant, the famous American professional basketball
player who died in 2020.
FACTS
The legal battle started
on Aug. 10 in Senatobia, Mississipi.
The boy was waiting
for his mother in her car, which she had parked outside an office while she was
in a meeting inside
The boy saw no
public restrooms nearby and he could not wait. So he got out of his mom’s car,
opened the door, turned his back to the road and discreetly urinated behind the
car.
A police officer
saw the boy, and went inside the office to get his mother. When she came
outside, she told her son “You must not do this! It’s wrong. We’ll talk about
this at home"
The situation, she
thought, was over.
Then four more
police officers, including a lieutenant, arrived.
The lieutenant
ordered the police officers to take the boy to the police station in the patrol
car. At one point, the boy was alone in a jail for an hour while the paperwork
in the case was processed.
POLICE CHIEF
Days after the
arrest, the Senatobia police chief, Richard Chandler, said:
“It was an error in
judgment for us to transport the child to the police station in the police car,
because the mother was present and had her car.That was a reasonable alternative,” the chief said.
Chandler
admitted that the officers didn't follow their training on how to handle kids.
He said one of the officers was "no longer employed," and other officers
will be disciplined.
LEGAL SITUATION
Mr. Moore, their
lawyer, said that it was a wrongful arrest.
The boy’s family is
planning to sue the city and the police department in both federal and state
court.
RELEVANT OR NOT?
The lawyer thinks this happened because the officers were white and the
boy is black. He believes it was unfair treatment because of racism.
Photo Credit...The Tate Record/The Tate Record, via Associated Press