Fast food takes over in France
It appears that freedom fries have liberated the French from their historically good taste. The French, who have long held high culinary standards, aren’t afraid to flaunt their commitment to quality. But even the world’s first foodies have their limits, if a new study is to be believed. That’s because new data says the French have surrendered to fast food, which has supplanted restaurants to become the nation’s top dining choice.
NPR reports that fast-food chains are now responsible for 54 per cent of all restaurant sales in France. And the number of fast-food sales has increased by 14 per cent just in the past year. “In previous years, we could see fast food was gaining ground, but this is the first time it has overtaken restaurants where you are served at the table,” Julien Janneau of food consultancy firm Gira Conseil, whose company provided the data, said. In addition, Conseil found that the number of French cafes, where more sophisticated and slower-paced dining prevails, has dwindled from over 200,000 in the 1940s to around 32,000 today.
Global fast-food leaders like McDonald’s have all found a strong footing in France. McDonald’s has over 1,200 restaurants in the country, and Burger King, which had shuttered all of its French outlets in 1997, made a triumphant return in 2012. (Yahoo News)
Tribe plans to dub Star Wars in Navajo
The largest Native American tribe in the United States is seeking to dub the classic 1977 movie Star Wars in Navajo as a way to help preserve its traditional language. Fluent Navajo speakers have been invited for a casting call in Window Rock in northern Arizona to dub the roles of luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess leia and others, tribal officials said.
Manuelito Wheeler, the director of the Navajo Nation Museum, said he first came up with the idea 13 years ago as a way to preserve the consonant-rich Navajo language, believed to be spoken by about 170,000 people, according to government figures.
“We thought this would be a provocative and effective way to help try to preserve the language and at the same time preserve the culture,” Wheeler told journalists. “What better movie to do this than Star WarsIJ” Wheeler said he believes the popular science fiction movie will resonate with the Navajo people with its universal theme of good versus evil. (Reuters)
Predator fish that can live out of water
Environmental officials are set to conduct a survey of a Central Park lake for the northern snakehead, an invasive predator fish that can live out of water for days. According to NBCNewYork.com, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is asking that anglers fishing the man-made Harlem Meer secure the razor-toothed fish in a container and alert park staffers, or call 311.
The snakehead species, native to Asia and Russia, has no natural predators and is illegal in most US states. But federal agents have uncovered illegal snakehead selling operations in several states, including New York, Texas, Florida and Missouri. And the so-called “Frankenfish” was recently spotted in the Central Park lake, leading environmental officials to order the survey. (Yahoo News)
Police called after woman sees kittens having sex in her yard
Sure, cats aren’t for everyone. But we can’t remember the last time someone called the police to complain about a pair of kittens. But that’s exactly what happened in Wisconsin when a woman called police after she reportedly witnessed two kittens “having sex” in her front yard.
It’s not the only recent time someone has called 911 to report on a cat. Back in February, a Washington State man called 911 to report on a stray cat that had wandered into his back yard. But, at least in that case, the man was calling out of concern for the cat’s welfare (it was cold outside), rather than to complain about its mere presence.
There’s still no word on how the department responded to the woman’s call. (Yahoo News)
9-year-old boy helps nab robbers
Two armed robbers were no match for a kid. According to a story from ClickonDetroit, the two men had knocked on the door of a Hazel Park, Michigan, home recently. Posing as friends of a family member, they forced their way into the house, had the adults lie down on the floor with blankets over their heads, and demanded cash.
Meanwhile, quick-thinking Jaden Kanka, age 9, had hidden in a closet. When he heard his mom, her boyfriend, Jerome Brown, and the home invaders talking in the living room, he climbed out of the first-storey bedroom window and ran to the neighbours’, who called the police. Officers arrived while the armed men were still in the house. They were quickly arrested. (Yahoo News)