DAILY AND WEEKLY STATISTICS HERE

▫️ INCIDENCE RATE

The good news is that in the Aude departement, the incidence rate has gone under 100 and is standing at 98,74

▫️ VACCINATIONS

Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir a point (Jean de La Fontaine)

There is no point in running, you have to start on time

2nd TARGET REACHED

20.117.206 1st dose by May 15th

Next target is 30.000.000 1st vaccinations by June 15th

All this despite supply shortages, defiance from the public towards Astra Zeneca. The plan and the organisation worked well. Let us hope enough stock will be made available for the next targets.

▫️ INFORMATION Someone asked me about this a few days ago

Car / Motorcycle Insurance

Attestation and certificate of insurance. What is the difference?

What should be done with it?

What are the risks of non-presentation?

Can we present a photocopy?

▫️ CARCASSONNE NEWS

The pedestrianisation of the two strategic sectors of Carcassonne has been brought forward by one month to May 19th, to “accompany the recovery of commercial activities”.

▫️ TRAVEL (🔸 = NEW)

🔸 16/05: Algeria: borders to be reopened under conditions. A PCR test less than 36 hours old and another one on the spot will be required to enter Algeria.
🔸 16/05: Italy has ended its quarantine for European tourists.
🔸 16/05: From Monday 17 May, people coming from France will no longer have to undergo quarantine when arriving in Portugal.

14/05: Compulsory quarantine to enter France extended to Colombia, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Bahrain

14/05: Vaccinated people no longer need a PCR test to enter Greece.
14/05: People who have been vaccinated or have had covid no longer need a PCR test to enter Germany.
14/05: France’s border reopening strategy has been published:

“Within the European Union, travel facilitated by the health pass To travel within the European Union, it is currently not necessary to justify the reason for travel, but prior testing obligations (-72h) are required.

The government is working with the other Member States on a “green pass” to support the resumption of tourism and facilitate border crossings through common standards.

While the test is already an element of proof used, this “green pass” will enable travellers to show that they have been fully vaccinated at border controls.

For travellers entering France from outside the European Union, tourist flows will be reopened from 9 June depending on the health situation in these countries. France will have a policy of controlling entry to its territory that is proportionate to the health situation in each third country, in accordance with a vision shared with the other Member States of the European Union.

• For countries in which the virus is not actively circulating, and in which no variants of concern have been identified (“green countries”), flows may be resumed under much more flexible arrangements.
• For countries where the virus is actively circulating but in controlled proportions, and without the spread of variants of concern (“orange countries”), the conditions for entry into France will be more restrictive, particularly for unvaccinated travellers.
• Finally, a European emergency mechanism will aim to establish a list of “red countries” for which drastic measures will be implemented, in view of the epidemic circulation in these countries, as well as the presence of variants of concern: strict limitation of people authorised to travel, tests on boarding and arrival, strictly controlled isolation and quarantine measures.

Pending European harmonisation of the criteria for classifying “red countries”, and in order to protect the French without delay, France has already put in place these drastic measures for incoming flows from the following countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (list as of 10 May 2021).

For EU citizens wishing to travel outside the European Union, it is necessary to find out in advance about the entry restrictions and health situation in the destination country.

• Travel conditions will depend on the entry restrictions applied by each country.
• It is still not advisable to travel to “orange countries” and it is strongly recommended not to travel to “red countries”.

12/05: Reopening of borders: France expects reciprocity from the United States.
12/05 : The suspension of international flights to and from Nepal is extended at least until 31 May.
12/05: Self-tests are now accepted to enter the United States. However, you still need to have spent at least 14 days outside the Schengen area to enter the country.
11/05: Thailand may fully reopen its borders by 1 January 2022.

10/05: Fully vaccinated persons are now exempt from PCR testing to enter Cyprus.
10/05: Morocco has extended the state of health emergency until 10 June.
10/05: Travellers from 12 countries will be able to travel to England without quarantine from 17 May, but France is not one of them.
10/05: French Polynesia will not open to travellers from mainland France without compelling reasons until July.
10/05: Tunisia has put in place a new general lockdown from 9 to 16 May.
07/05: The quarantine requirement for entry into France has been extended to seven additional countries: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar. For these countries, a PCR test of 36 hours (instead of 72 hours) or a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours accompanied by a negative antigen test of less than 24 hours is now required.
07/05: Australia‘s borders may not fully reopen until mid to late 2022.

▫️ NEW MUSIC

For a change a new French artist I discovered only yesterday

Here is a song from his new album

🎶 / 🎶 / 🎶

▫️ FOOD & DRINKS

La vache qui rit

The Laughing Cow is 100 years old: five things you don’t know about this legendary cheese

The Laughing Cow is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The company is releasing a few secrets for the occasion and invites you to laugh… for a good cause!

It has been a joy for children at the end of meals or during snacks for a hundred years now. The Laughing Cow is an institution.

Every French person has at least once had a box of this mythical portioned cheese in their fridge. But do you know the whole story? On the occasion of the centenary of Bel’s flagship product, here are five anecdotes about it. 

A strategic location for production

The history of The Laughing Cow began at the end of the First World War when Léon Bel, who owned a cheese factory, discovered a new product: processed cheese imported by the Swiss into his native Jura, in Lons-le-Saunier.

The location of this town, near the railway line and the salt works, was not insignificant, as it allowed the family business to develop its cheese production. This was the beginning of the industrial adventure of the Laughing Cow.

The pioneering cheesemaker registered his brand in 1921 and transformed his home-made product into a cheese made with the first cast iron kneading machines and factory portioning machines. By 1924, 12,000 boxes were sold every day.

But why is she laughing?

During the war, Léon Bel was assigned to transport for the army, and in particular to supplying soldiers with fresh meat. The emblem of the foodstuff was a hilarious ox drawn by Benjamin Rabier (the father of the comic strip Les aventures de Gédéon) and named “wachkyrie” to thumb his nose at the German Valkyries.

The joke will go down in history as it was chosen by Léon Bel to illustrate its processed cheese presented in individual triangular portions.

Marketing audacity

Little blotters to collect at school, puppet shows, the Tour de France caravan… Léon Bel has been working on its brand image from the outset. 

Unexpected recipes from The Laughing Cow

Today, The Laughing Cow offers recipes according to the regions of the world and even adapts to the nutritional deficiencies of certain countries with the addition of vitamin A for Africa or a protein recipe for the United States. Europe focuses more on natural ingredients with simplified recipes that are still rich in calcium.

In terms of taste, a chilli range is offered in Morocco, and sweet recipes with strawberry, blueberry and banana chocolate in Asia. A large snack-like nomad cup with pretzel sticks for adults was also launched in the US this year.

The pop culture icon

Revisited by contemporary artists to make art accessible to all, such as Daniel Buren in 2019, the brand is spreading its laughter for the first time on TikTok and offers a new experience: an event filter in the colours of the brand’s 100th anniversary where a special gauge fills up according to the level of laughter of each user.

▫️ SATIRE

▫️ NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND 🇺🇸

▫️ FUN FACTS

🔸 7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

🔸 Approximately 10-20% of US power outages are caused by squirrels.

▫️ WEATHER

▫️ ADDITIONAL READS FOR THE DAY

🔸 SpaceX Starship SN15: slo-mo video captures jaw-dropping flight 

🔸 NASA’s Voyager 1 detects faint, monotone hum beyond our solar system