Almost half of Japanese married couples do not have sex

According to The Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) survey, 48 percent of married couples had not had sex in the previous month, marking a new record in a country already facing a crisis due to falling birth rates.

Almost half of married Japanese couples are not having sex, going to a 'cry of distress' from men who are rejected by their wives. Among the most important reasons cited is that sexual intimacy with one's spouse is "a hassle."

The survey of 16- to 49-year-olds has been carried out eight times in the last 20 years and each time has revealed an increase in sexless marriages - defined as couples who have not had sex for for a month. In 2004, when it was first carried out, the proportion was only 32%.

"From the point of view of a society with fewer children, this is a serious trend," said Kunio Kitamura, president of the JFPA. "I think that trend will continue."

When giving reasons for abstinence, nearly a quarter of men said their partner was not interested. Kitamura added, "This is a remarkable figure and could be seen as a cry of distress from men."

Among the explanations for the lack of interest in sex are the poor quality of sex education and the decline of traditional dating agencies, which used to arrange unions between young people of marriageable age. Others attribute it to the habit of young Japanese people to socialize in groups, making it harder for men and women to break up into couples, and to the rise of hikikomori, or social recluses, who live at home and never go out.

Some couples don't expect to maintain a regular sex life after children arrive, and small, thin-walled apartments offer few opportunities for privacy. Poor communication is also cited as a factor, particularly among older people, who are constrained from discussing sex even with their spouses.

The "devil's comet" is seen again

The "devil's comet" is seen once every 70 years and now is the time. Write down your day! 

Scientifically called 2P/Pons-Brooks, but more commonly known as the "Devil's Comet," it was last seen in 1954. As it completes its orbit every 71.3 years, it follows a period when astronomers, including amateurs, will keep your eyes on the sky. The next date will be observed only in 2095.

The point of maximum visibility will be April 21, but the comet with a diameter of 39 kilometers has been visible from Earth since this week, writes The Independent.

Green in color, the "Devil's Comet" gets its nickname from two "horns" in its tail, which are nothing more than gas and ice eruptions that form from fissures that appear inside the nucleus.

One such eruption occurred last year, making it shine a hundred times brighter than usual.

Unfortunately, however, as Live Science writes, the comet, similar to a horseshoe, is beginning to lose its "horns", which will soon disappear completely.

Over time, since its discovery in 1812, the comet, more than 3 times bigger than Everest, has been baptized in many ways, including the "Millennium Falcon".

The comet has already been spotted in the night sky in Spain, and experts believe it should get brighter in the coming weeks as it gets closer to the sun.

At the age of 109, she was summoned to be a jury member.

Originally from Quimper (Finistère), Marie-Louise Jaouen, née Le Foll, will soon celebrate her 109th birthday, making her one of the oldest of Brittany. 

Unusually, she has just been called, in a written summons, to sit on the Finistère assize jury. Between astonishment and amusement, the family's reactions were numerous.

When she went to get her mail from the mailbox, Marie-Louise Jaouen, née Le Foll, certainly did not expect that: a summons to the assizes for the 2024 session. Problem, this resident of Quimper (Finistère), born September 17, 1914 in Kerfeunteun(1), will be 109 years old in two months, making her one of the oldest people in Brittany.

 “I have the honor to inform you that your name has been drawn for the year 2024.” Marie-Louise Jaouen, 109 years old, did not expect to receive this letter in her retirement home located in Quimper. She had been pre-selected to be part of a popular jury at the assizes, which judges crimes such as murder and rape.

 At the time, this made the whole family laugh: “It shows the efficiency of our administration. »

Crazy ideas from the world of wine (II)

 Bottles submerged 60 meters deep under the sea

Back to Earth and even below, 60 meters deep under the seas. It is here, off the coast of Finistère, that 6,500 bottles are stored. They rest there quietly, waiting to grow old. But why underwater, you ask us? The Amphoris company, which offers all winegrowers the option of immersing their bottles, explains that all the conditions are met for optimal aging of the best wines. Indeed, the choice of location is essential: water at a stable temperature of 13° all year round, total darkness, perfect hygrometry, the bottles are also individually fixed horizontally on the sand. 

Few shocks, no manipulation by humans, the place is also little exposed to passing boats. See you in a year for comparative laboratory tests: we will be able to see if aging was better than on Earth.

A tactile and intelligent bottle that keeps wine for a month

Technology is arriving strongly in the world of wine and nothing seems to be stopping the ideas of startups embarking on the wine adventure. The latest crazy idea comes from Boston and is called Kuvée. The principle: an empty bottle equipped with a smart screen and a valve that prevents air from entering the bottle, which allows the wine to be stored for a month. 

The screen shows you the number of glasses that can still be served, but also information on the origin of the wine! You can rate the wine, which will allow the tool to offer you ideas for other bottles that you could taste. We can't wait to try it!

Crazy ideas from the world of wine (I)

Who said that the world of wine was austere and without any innovation? Make no mistake, this universe is overflowing with creativity and many companies are proposing ideas as crazy as each other, with the aim of improving the tasting experience. 

We showed it to you in our article dedicated to gifts to give to winelovers, these wine lovers. Whether in space, in the era of artificial intelligence or even 60 meters deep under the sea, companies make bottles of wine, their source of creativity.

A round bottle for drinking wine in space!

How to drink wine in space? This is what the designer Octave De Gaulle, grandson of Charles De Gaulle, asked himself; he even made it his end-of-studies project. Weightless in space, liquids no longer flow and form spheres to minimize their contact with air. Cosmonauts therefore have to drink through straws: practical for water, but the antithesis of wine tasting criteria. 

The toric, ring-shaped bottle invented by Octave De Gaulle ensures that the wine always goes towards the cork. In addition, it is easily transportable around the arm and can be filled by placing it flat on the ground. Practical in itself, to facilitate tasting wherever you want, even light years from Earth!

(to be continued)

A crazy idea: reinventing school!

 Education has been abandoned to ideologues who, in addition to allowing the level to collapse, have allowed identity lobbies to prosper. The explosion of violence and the outbreak of terrorism complete the disaster.

“A Crazy Idea” is a French documentary about teaching. A film to watch with children or between parents to find out more about school.

Filmed in nine schools - public and private, from kindergarten to middle school, across the four corners of France - Une Idée Folle raises the question of the role of school in the 21st century, through the testimony of teachers and children , parents as well as education expert

What challenges will tomorrow's citizens have to face and how can we prepare them? By cultivating empathy, creativity, cooperation, taking initiative or even self-confidence and critical thinking in students, alongside fundamental knowledge, the teachers of these schools have a crazy dream: that of train a future generation of fulfilled and responsible citizens who will be keen to positively transform the society around them.

Okay, there is a bit of voluntarism in our optimism. Because this is the real last chance to save the School. Assuming it's not already screwed. In other words, if it’s not already a quarter past midnight, it’s five minutes to now, Doctor Attal. Alain Finkielkraut, who has long been the overwhelmed chronicler of the disaster, does not know if the Minister of National Education will succeed, but he does not doubt the sincerity of his commitment (see our six-page interview). We neither.

Japan introduces robots that go to school instead of students / "We hope to reduce the anxiety of children"

The board of education in Kumamoto, a city in southwestern Japan, will launch an effort to combat school absenteeism through robotic classroom avatars that allow students to remotely engage with classes and school life, the publication writes. Japanese The Mainichi.

The robots are equipped with microphones, speakers and cameras to enable two-way communication. According to the Kumamoto Municipal Board of Education, this type of initiative is rare nationwide. The goal is to reduce the anxiety of absent children and students who are planning to return to class.

An education board official said: “Apart from allowing them to view classes, the robots allow students to move freely in space and communicate with others at will. Hopefully this can help lower the mental hurdles for chiulangi students.”