Cartoon: French satirical magazine prints Muhammad cartoons

© Chappatte in "Le Temps" (Geneva)

This cartoon by Chappatte relates to the decision by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to publish a series of cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad. Many French newspapers have rushed to the defence of Charlie Hebdo. Others, however, accuse the paper of acting irresponsibly in the current context.The cartoons come in the wake of violence in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East, starting last week, in response to an anti-Islamic video produced in the state of California by a US citizen.

COMMENTARY
The cartoon shows French philosopher Voltaire in the offices of Charlie Hebdo. Voltaire quotes the phrase he is most associated with (usually written as 'I disapprove of what you say ...), but qualifies it by saying that he doesn't understand what the cartoonists are trying to say. The message seems to be that the right to freedom of speech is a fundamental value, but needs to be exercised responsibly.

NOTE
The most oft-cited Voltaire quotation is apocryphal. He is incorrectly credited with writing, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” These were not his words, but rather those of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, written under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre in her 1906 biographical book The Friends of Voltaire. Hall intended to summarize in her own words Voltaire's attitude towards the principle of freedom of speech. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reuters Video: Airbus's new way to travel

Passenger aircraft flying in formation like birds are likely to be a feature of aviation in the second half of this century, according to plans revealed by aviation giant Airbus.

TRANSCRIPT 
REPORTER: It's not a display by the Red Arrows. In fact, it's a realistic vision for the future of air travel, according to the world's largest manufacturer of passenger jets. Aircraft flying in formation, about 1 kilometre apart, could be a feature of aviation by 2050 on high-traffic routes under a plan produced by Airbus. The company's engineering chief Charles Champion says the idea - modelled on the way birds fly long distances - will reduce fuel consumption.
CHARLES CHAMPION: "When you're behind other aircraft you actually save ten to fifteen percent fuel. So it really works and in fact the birds put that forward in order to minimize the energy to fly long distances so it's all about actually bio-mimicary and taking the lessons learned from nature."
REPORTER: The company says that by the middle of the 21st century flights in Europe and the USA could on average be around 13 minutes shorter, cutting down on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. They also envisage aircraft climbing more steeply on take-off to minimise noise and allow for shorter runways. Aviation analyst Howard Wheeldon welcomes the ideas, but warns it'll take more than aircraft technology to implement.
HOWARD WHEELDON:  "It isn't just the aircraft, it isn't just the fantastic engine technology, it is also the operation of the airlines. It's governments, it's regulation, it's looking at themselves how they can do things better, and allow aircraft to get into airports, in airports and through airports a lot faster."
REPORTER: However unlikely this might look now, Airbus insists their blueprint will be helping passengers get from A to B more efficiently within decades. Edward Baran, Reuters.

Words in the News: On The Cards

The Independent says people with homes worth more than £1m face a rise in their council tax bills as the coalition Government considers new taxes on wealth. Full story >>

VOCABULARY
If you say that something is on the cards, you mean that it is very likely to happen. • Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's break up is almost a forgotten history now and marriage is on the cards.

Reuters Video: Peugeot reverses out of French index

Ailing automotive group PSA, maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, has dropped out of the French CAC 40 index raising new concerns about the company's future. Sonia Legg reports.

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: Peugeot was a founding member of France's CAC 40 stock market index . But on Monday - after 25 years - it was replaced by Belgian chemicals group Solvay. PSA Peugeot Citreon, as it is now known, has been hit by a Europe-wide sales slump. It's not alone but its arch rival Renault has weathered the financial storm better and many want to know why. Since January Renault's shares have risen 41 percent while Peugeot's have dropped 43 percent. Christophe Wakim is from Exane BNP Paribas.
CHRISTOPHE WAKIM: "There are concerns about Peugeot's future so this is why probably those investors sold Peugeot shares."
REPORTER: In July Peugeot posted a first half net loss of 819 million euros and said it was consuming 200 million euros a month in cash. Job cuts inevitably followed - 8,000 French posts on top of 3,500 already in the pipeline. A French plant will close and another will be scaled down. There'll also be cuts to capital expenditure and research and development. But restructuring takes time and the cash burn won't stop until 2015. This new blow won't help.
CHRISTOPHE WAKIM: "When a stock belongs to an index like the CAC-40, it automatically attracts funds, passive funds that are the index trackers who have to buy stocks from companies in the index to replicate its performance. Also, belonging to the CAC 40 is kind of symbolic."
REPORTER: Peugeot's fate has also become a political hot potato. Fighting unemployment was one of Francoise Hollande's election pledges. Last week, unions at the condemned plant outside Paris called on the President to honour his promise and save their jobs. That may now prove even harder to justify. Sonia Legg, Reuters.

Cartoon: Dying for the New iPhone

The launch of Apple's new iPhone 5 has inspired quite a few cartoons (see collectionhere). This one is by Jimmy Margulies is the editorial cartoonist for The Record, in the northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City.

The cartoon features two scenes. On the left, people are queueing (or waiting in line, if you're American) at an Apple store to buy the new iPhone. On the right, Chinese workers are entering a Foxconn manufacturing plant (where the iPhones are assembled).The title of the cartoon is 'Dying for the new iPhone'.

EXPLANATION
The cartoonist uses a play on words. If you are dying for something, you want it very much. • It's so hot. I'm dying for a beer. However, there have been a number of suicides at Foxconn plants, where the working conditions have come under intense scrutiny, so people are literally dying as well. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONShould we feel guilty about (or think twice before) buying products from companies (Apple is not the only 'culprit') who outsource production to suppliers with dubious labour practices in the developing world?

LATEST NEWS"On Sunday evening, a riot broke out at the company’s Taiyuan, China, plant on Sunday evening. More than 2,000 employees were involved, and it took more than 5,000 police several hours officers to bring the disturbance under control. Although many were injured, it was first thought that there were no deaths. Unfortunately the riot was much worse than initially reported, and ten workers have now been pronounced dead, according to reports." (source: Cult of Mac).  

The iPhone 5 (Parody) Ad: A Taller Change

The iPhone 5 (Parody) Ad: A Taller Change

One of the most talked about features of Apple's new iPhone 5 is the taller screen. This hilarious parody ad (or 'spoof') takes this idea to the extreme. You can see the 'official' iPhone 5 video (which itself verges on parody) here.

How I Met Myself - Themes & Moral Values

Salam Eid Mubarak and Happy National Day everybody!

I received some questions asking how to answer the literature-novel questions for How I Met Myself. You may download the notes and tips from here: Download. 

The file contains:

1. A short note on the main themes and the moral values of the novel.
2. The answer to "A character who shows determination." (Simple and advanced answers)
3. The answer to "A character who tries to solve his/her problems." (Simple and advanced answers)
4. The answer to "A theme in the novel."  (Simple and advanced answers)
5. The answer to "A lesson/value learnt in the novel."  (Simple and advanced answers)

You may choose simple or advanced answer depending on your level of English. You may also mix the simple and advanced answers together. If you can write the advanced answer in the exam (with no or less errors), there's a big chance for you to get full marks.

I hope that the notes help. Do not hesitate to ask me any questions.