« The horizon is always discovered by the curious. »
—Jules Bercy
When I was a small child I always saw my Grandfather reading, out of curiosity I wanted to discover these desires which are in books. I fell in love with the book I never return and I would like to remain eternally in this inescapable love that gave me intellectual baggage. Every day I always wake up looking at all those that are happening all over the world but also in the universe. Subscribe to my blog below to share all these viral stories that are talking to everyone across all 4 corners of our planet.
Clairvius : presumed died and buried who reappears 18 years later in his community
In February 1980, a man walked into the village of L’Estere in central Haiti, approached a peasant woman named Angelina Narcisse and told her he was her brother Clairvius. The last time she had seen this brother, he was in a coffin, about to be buried, 18 years ago. Clairvius introduces himself using a childhood nickname that only the brothers know.
He also remembers things that no one outside the family can know. So after hearing his story, family members got used to the idea that a loved one had returned to the world of the living. The Narcissus case is just one of many reported cases in Haiti over the past century of people who were thought to be dead and buried and then reappeared, in some cases transformed, seemingly unwittingly, under the form of what popular culture calls « zombies ». The case sparked an extensive investigation in the early 1980s, involving anthropologists, biologists, and scientists from various fields of medicine in the United States. The focus was a mysterious potion used by voodoo sorcerers in Haiti to put people in a death-like state and then revive them. Scientists believed that analyzing this potion could provide new clues about the nervous system, the possibility of human hibernation, and treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The difference between Narcisse’s case and other reports of zombies in Haiti is that his death had been widely documented. He was admitted to the Albert Schweizer American Hospital in Deschapelles in April 1962, feeling unwell and coughing up blood. Doctors could not establish a diagnosis, but records say his condition worsened and he died three days later, aged 43. The death certificate, signed by an American doctor and a Haitian doctor, lists the cause as malignant hypertension and pulmonary edema. He was buried the next day. In an interview with the BBC, Narcisse recounted how he could hear doctors say he was dead and hear his sister and other family members cry at his own funeral.
And he was unable to move or speak. He said he remembers being placed in the coffin, being taken down and being covered with dirt.
He also felt a coffin nail pierce his cheek, he said, revealing a scar. At night, explains Narcisse, they took him out of the coffin, revived him with another potion and took him to the farm of a voodoo sorcerer (voodoo is a local religion, a syncretism of African religions and Catholicism similar to candomblé and Cuban santeria).
The wizard was the same man he claimed secretly administered the potion that put him in a state of death.
The « zombification » of Narcissus would have been a punishment, according to local voodoo traditions.
He had been punished for refusing to maintain the children he had had with certain women and for refusing to give land to a brother in need. Narcisse said he returned to work after being resuscitated, but was in a semi-catonic state.
In this state, he was forced to work for two years on the sorcerer’s plantations.
He noted that « more than a hundred ‘zombies’ like him » worked on these plantations.
Until one of the « zombies » killed the wizard.
The « zombies » were freed and Narcisse wandered the country for another 16 years before returning to his village.
Scientific research Narcisse’s story, published in the local press, caught the attention of Lamarque Doyon, director of the Mars-Kline Center for Psychology and Neurology in Port-au-Prince.
Doyon interviewed Narcisse and his family and became convinced that he was indeed who he claimed to be.
Mr. Doyon told a colleague from New York, the eminent award-winning scientist Nathan Kline, who is said to be « the father of psychopharmacology » for his pioneering discoveries in the treatment of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression.
Convinced of the potential of the potion used in Narcissus, Kline convinces other researchers in the United States and raises funds to fund research in Haiti. The man chosen for this research was a young Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist from the Harvard Botanical Museum, Wade Davis.
In 1982, he spent several months in Haiti interviewing voodoo sorcerers, collecting samples of the potion and its ingredients, then analyzing them at Harvard University.
“When I brought the mixture, the first step was to try to identify the different ingredients, between plant and animal components,” he explained to Newsnight.
« We analyzed plants at the Botanical Museum, animals at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. And the component that stood out the most was a fish from the tetraodontid family, » he continued.
« I consulted three experts to find out if this fish had any special characteristics and all three laughed because this fish has an extremely potent neurotoxin in its skin, ovaries, intestines and various internal organs called tetrodotoxin, an anesthetic 160 000 times more potent than cocaine, » says Davis. This fish has more than 200 species, including the puffer fish, so called because it inflates its body when it feels threatened.
It was one of the only common ingredients in the various potions Davis had collected in Haiti.
This fish has been well known in Japan for several centuries, where it is called fugu, an expensive but highly prized delicacy with deadly potential.
« Because the Japanese have been eating fish for so many years and because several soldiers were poisoned during World War II, there is a vast biomedical literature on the subject in the country, » Davies said.
« I was therefore able to list all the typical symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning. And I was struck by the number of different symptoms, more than 20, which corresponded to the symptoms reported not only by Narcissus, but also by the doctors who treated him and the other victims of the potion. »
« Later in this Japanese literature, we find descriptions of cases that were the same as « zombification » in Haiti. Individuals declared dead waking up in the morgue seven days later. goods on their way to cremation, » Davis added.
“They were all victims of fugu poisoning” ….. And there were even recent cases. Last summer there was a case of a man who woke up in the coffin and was fine. »
« They seemed to be dead »
The samples brought back from Haiti were transported to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, where they were tested for their clinical effects in rats and monkeys.
The drug was applied directly to the animals’ skin. Leon Roizin, professor of neuropathology at Columbia University and coordinator of these tests, told Newsnight that « after six to nine hours, the mice stopped responding to ocular, auditory or even pain stimuli. «
« Little by little, the animals stopped moving. From a distance, the rats looked like they were dead or in a coma. However, we could see that they were breathing and their hearts were beating, » he says.
« And they retracted their muscles when they were stimulated by electroshocks on the limbs… ». Some of these mice remained in this situation for up to 24 hours. But in fact, from afar, they appeared to be either comatose or dead. »
In monkeys, which are much more aggressive than rats, the drug completely changed the animals’ behavior in just half an hour.
They were in a kind of catatonic lethargy, conscious but oblivious to pain.
For Wade Davies, fish is not the only element that plays an important role in stories of « zombification » in Haiti.
Another is a plant from the datura family, traditionally used by several indigenous peoples of Central America.
The famous « devil’s grass », taken from the book of the same name by Carlos Castañeda, is a datura.
It has hallucinogenic properties, and intoxication with the plant can cause everything from delusions and hallucinations to disorientation, to submissive and apathetic behavior.
Davis reported on his discoveries and experiences in Haiti in the book « The Serpent and the Rainbow », a 1985 bestseller, adapted for film in Wes Craven’s 1988 film « The Serpent et l’Arc-en-ciel » (translated as « The Serpent and the Rainbow » or « Curse of the Living Dead »). At the same time, his theories on the potion’s composition and « zombification » were widely criticized and divided researchers.
American scientists examined the samples in 1986 and claimed to have found insignificant traces of tetrodotoxin and that there was « no evidence base » for the substance’s role in « zombification ».
In contrast, Swiss scientists have identified higher amounts in the same samples.
The anthropologist believes that the effect of the potion, like that of other drugs, depends on who takes it and how they take it.
Factors such as the expectation of the action of the drug and the set of beliefs, customs and social pressure in which the individual is immersed have a great weight in this regard.
Clairvius Narcisse, who has lived with his family since returning to the village, died in 1994 at the age of 72.
* This text is inspired by an episode of the podcast « What a story! » from BBC News Brazil.
Une comète aux teintes vertes devrait être la plus visible pour les astronomes mercredi alors qu’elle passe devant la Terre et le soleil pour la première fois depuis environ 50 000 ans .
la comète verte sera visible dans le ciel terrestre cette semaine pour la première fois en 50 000 ans
Découverte il y a moins d’un an, la boule de neige sale est passée pour la dernière fois près de la Terre à l’époque de Néandertal, selon la NASA.
Le visiteur cosmique passera devant notre planète à moins de 42 millions de kilomètres (26 millions de miles) mercredi avant de repartir à toute vitesse, et il est peu probable qu’il revienne avant des millions d’années.
Cette comète inoffensive est déjà visible dans un ciel nocturne nordique clair avec des jumelles et de petits télescopes, et peut-être à l’œil nu dans les coins les plus sombres de l’hémisphère nord.
On s’attend à ce qu’il s’éclaircisse à mesure qu’il se rapproche et s’élève plus haut à l’horizon jusqu’à la fin du mois de janvier, et il est préférable de le voir avant l’aube. Le 10 février, il sera près de Mars, un bon point de repère.(Al Jazeera)
Les astronomes de l’hémisphère sud devront attendre le mois prochain pour avoir un aperçu.
Trouver un endroit éloigné pour éviter la pollution lumineuse dans les zones peuplées est essentiel pour avoir une belle vue de la comète alors qu’elle passe devant notre planète en s’éloignant du soleil et en revenant vers les confins du système solaire.
Alors que de nombreuses comètes ont honoré le ciel au cours de l’année écoulée, « celle-ci semble probablement un peu plus grande et donc un peu plus brillante et elle se rapproche un peu plus de l’orbite terrestre », a déclaré l’expert en suivi des comètes et des astéroïdes de la NASA. , Paul Chodas.
Surnommées « boules de neige sales » par les astronomes, les comètes sont des boules de glace, de poussière et de roches et errent vers le système solaire interne lorsqu’elles sont délogées de diverses forces gravitationnelles, devenant plus visibles à mesure qu’elles s’approchent de la chaleur dégagée par le soleil.
Moins d’une douzaine de comètes sont découvertes chaque année par les observatoires du monde entier.
La comète verte a été découverte le 2 mars 2022 par des astronomes utilisant le Zwicky Transient Facility, une caméra grand champ à l’observatoire Palomar de Caltech à Palomar Mountain, en Californie, aux États-Unis. Cela explique son nom officiel et encombrant : la comète C/2022 E3 (ZTF) .
Cette comète a dépassé la Terre pour la dernière fois à une époque où les Néandertaliens habitaient encore l’Eurasie, l’espèce humaine étendait sa portée au-delà de l’Afrique, les grands mammifères de la période glaciaire, y compris les mammouths et les chats à dents de sabre, parcouraient le paysage, et l’Afrique du Nord était un endroit humide, fertile et pluvieux. .
La comète peut fournir des indices sur le système solaire primordial car elle s’est formée au cours des premiers stades du système solaire, selon Thomas Prince, professeur de physique au California Institute of Technology.
La NASA prévoit d’observer la comète avec son télescope spatial James Webb , qui pourrait fournir des indices sur la formation du système solaire.
La comète – une capsule temporelle du système solaire émergent il y a 4,5 milliards d’années – est venue de ce qu’on appelle le nuage d’Oort bien au-delà de Pluton. On pense que ce paradis de congélation pour les comètes s’étend sur plus d’un quart du chemin jusqu’à l’étoile suivante.
Alors que la comète ZTF est originaire de notre système solaire, nous ne pouvons pas être sûrs qu’elle y restera, a déclaré Chodas de la NASA. S’il est expulsé du système solaire, il ne reviendra jamais, a-t-il ajouté.
Mais ne vous inquiétez pas si vous le manquez.
« Dans le domaine des comètes, vous attendez simplement la prochaine car il y en a des dizaines », a déclaré Chodas. « Et le prochain pourrait être plus grand, pourrait être plus brillant, pourrait être plus proche. »
New York and Singapore are the most expensive cities in the world, according to a ranking established by « The Economist ».Prices rose by more than 8% on average over one year in 172 major cities.
The strength of the dollar elevates New York to first place among the most expensive cities in the world, tied with Singapore, according to the ranking compiled by The Economist.
« Prices soared by 8.1% on average over one year (in local currency) in 172 major cities around the world, the largest increase recorded for at least 20 years » , also notes the 2022 report on the cost of life, published Thursday, December 1 by the British magazine.
This price increase is a reflection of the war in Ukraine and the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic which are disrupting supply chains and in particular having consequences for the energy and food sectors.
Top US cities
Result, New York, for the first time, and Singapore, for the eighth time in ten years, settled at the top of the ranking of the most expensive cities, dethroning at the same time Tel Aviv in Israel, which had imposed itself the last year.
Many US cities have risen in the rankings, due to the strength of the dollar in recent months, the currency into which prices are converted to establish the ranking. The rise in the dollar therefore translates mechanically into lower prices applied outside the United States. The city of Los Angeles thus climbs to fourth place in the ranking, San Francisco to eighth.
Several Russian cities have also seen their prices soar due to Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine and a buoyant energy market that supports the rouble. Moscow thus gains 88 places compared to last year, and is placed in 37th position.
As for European cities, they are falling overall in the ranking, as the energy crisis and weakening economies have weighed on the euro and local currencies. Paris is positioned in 9th place in the ranking, four places less than last year.
The fastest price increases were for gasoline, electricity, food and basic household items. By contrast, prices for leisure remained subdued, « which may reflect weaker demand, as consumers focus spending on essential goods » , according to The Economist, which draws on a survey conducted between August 16 and September 16th.
According to Forbes magazine, Russia would have spent the equivalent of 82 billion dollars in the war in Ukraine.It represents a quarter of its annual budget.Follow the latest information.
According to Forbes magazine, Russia has spent $82 billion on the war against Ukraine since February 24, a quarter of its annual budget. Thus, Forbes calculated that Moscow used 10,000 to 50,000 shells per day during the war, with the average price of a Soviet-caliber shell being around $1,000. That brings Russian spending to over $5.5 billion on artillery supplies alone.
C’est la première fois de toute son histoire que la planète gagne 1 milliard d’habitant·es en si peu de temps. Il n’aura fallu que 11 ans pour que nous passions de 7 à 8 milliards. D’ici 2050, nous devrions être 9,7 milliards.
One day, the real warriors, we will fight for the well-being of humans and the earth, not that of the USA or Russia. It is on this day when the true international relations will reign or the world that cheguevara has dreamed will exist for centuries of centuries
Pentagon number three Colin Kahl said Monday that nearly 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured since the offensive began.
« The Russians lost probably 70,000 or 80,000 troops in less than six months, » Colin Kahl, deputy secretary of defense for political affairs at the Pentagon, told reporters, noting that figure includes dead and wounded. Russian forces also lost « 3,000 or 4,000 » armored vehicles, and may lack precision-guided missiles, including air-to-surface and sea-to-surface missiles, he added.
« It’s quite remarkable considering that the Russians failed to achieve any of Vladimir Putin’s goals at the start of the war, » the US official continued. « They’ve made some progress in the east, albeit very little in recent weeks, » he noted. « But this came at an extraordinary cost to the Russian army because of the quality of the Ukrainian army and the international aid it received. »
Very heavy toll for Ukraine too
Colin Kahl acknowledged that the Ukrainian forces had also suffered heavy losses, without quantifying them.
Kyiv reported at least 10,000 dead and 30,000 wounded in its troops. According to a military source who requested anonymity, the Ukrainian army, which was strong with 170,000 active soldiers and 100,000 reservists at the start of the war on February 24, has been reinforced to reach 300,000 to 350,000 soldiers. Prior to the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, some 150,000 to 200,000 Russian troops were deployed on Ukraine’s borders, according to Western estimates.
From this Thursday, July 28, our planet lives on credit. Humanity has indeed used all the natural resources that the Earth is capable of producing and offsetting in one year.
It would take 1.75 Earths to support the world’s population in a sustainable way, according to this indicator created by researchers in the early 1990s, and which continues to worsen. This date corresponds to when « humanity has consumed all that ecosystems can regenerate in one year », explain the two NGOs.
« During the remaining 156 days (until the end of the year), our consumption of renewable resources will consist of eating away at the natural capital of the planet, » said Laetitia Mailhes of Global Footprint Network during a conference in hurry.
This does not even take into account the needs of other species living on Earth. “You also have to leave spaces for the wild world,” she adds.
Earlier every year
« Overshoot » occurs when human pressure exceeds the regenerative capacities of natural ecosystems. According to the NGO Global Footprint Network, which monitors this measurement, it has continued to widen for 50 years: December 29 in 1970, November 4 in 1980, October 11 in 1990, September 23 in 2000, August 7 in 2010.
This ecological footprint is calculated from six different categories, « crops, pastures, forest areas necessary for forest products, fishing areas, built-up areas and forest areas necessary to absorb the carbon emitted by the combustion of ‘fossil fuels’ and is intimately linked to consumption patterns, particularly in rich countries.
No nation has so far announced the sending of troops to help the Ukrainian army, but several countries have made material resources available to Kiev.
War in Ukraine: which countries decided to send military aid to Kiev in the face of the Russian army?
« The Anti-War Coalition Works! » In a message posted on Twitter on Saturday morning, February 26, as the fighting reached Kiev , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed a telephone exchange with Emmanuel Macron. « Weapons and equipment sent by our partners are on their way to Ukraine » , still satisfied the head of state. If no nation has so far announced the sending of troops to help Ukraine against the Russian army, three days after the start of the invasion, several countries have made material resources available to Kiev.
The United States offers 350 million dollars of defensive equipment
The United States announced on Saturday the sending of new military aid to Ukraine in the amount of 350 million dollars (about 310.5 million euros). « This aid will include new defensive military assets that will enable Ukraine to combat the armored, airborne and other threats it faces today » , detailed the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken.
« This is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation, » the secretary of state added. Antony Blinken recalled that the United States had released 60 million dollars (53.2 million euros) in military assistance to Ukraine in the fall, then 200 million (177.4 million euros) in more in December, « as the [Russian] threat materialized » .
With the 350 million announced on Saturday, « this brings to more than a billion dollars the total security assistance that the United States has granted to Ukraine during the past year » .
Germany delivers anti-tank rocket launchers
Germany had so far promised « 5,000 helmets » to the Ukrainian military, according to Der Spiegel . The German government announced on Saturday that it had authorized the delivery to Kiev of 1,000 anti-tank rocket launchers, 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles and « several » howitzers, the government said.
This decision marks a political break. In Kiev, which criticized it for not delivering arms, Germany argued that it had been its line since the post-war period: not to send lethal equipment to conflict zones. This position was however less and less tenable since the outbreak of the invasion of the country by the Russian army. « Russian aggression against Ukraine marks a change of era, it threatens the order established since the post-war period, » Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement. « In this situation it is our duty to help Ukraine as much as we can to defend itself against the invading army of Vladimir Putin » .
Concretely, these deliveries of rocket launchers will be made by the Netherlands, and the howitzers by Estonia. These two countries had originally acquired this equipment from Germany and needed a green light from Berlin to be able to re-export it to Kiev.
Der Spiegel adds that « the shipment of 14 armored vehicles was approved on Saturday » , citing the Ministry of Economy. These vehicles can be used for the protection of personalities or for evacuations.
Czech Republic sends thousands of weapons
The Czech Republic has for its part announced that it will donate machine guns, automatic and precision rifles, pistols and ammunition to Ukraine, for a value of 7.6 million euros. « The government on Saturday approved additional aid to Ukraine which is facing a Russian attack , » Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said in a tweet on Saturday. « The Ministry of Defense will also take care of transportation to a place determined by the Ukrainian side. Our help is not over , » she added.
The minister then told reporters that these weapons would include 30,000 pistols, 7,000 assault rifles, 3,000 machine guns and several dozen sniper rifles as well as a million cartridges. This donation will be sent to Ukraine « within the next few hours » , she added. At the end of January, Prague had already approved a donation to Kiev of four thousand artillery shells worth 1.5 million euros which have yet to be delivered.
The Netherlands provides missiles and sniper rifles
« The Netherlands has very recently received additional requests for military equipment from Ukraine , » the Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed in a letter to the Dutch parliament on Saturday. The country « will supply 200 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible » . “The planned delivery of military goods was and is intended for Ukrainian self-defense against armed attack from Russia ,” the letter said.
« The Ministry of Defense shipped some of the already promised goods on Saturday , » including sniper rifles and helmets, the ministry said, adding that « other goods will be shipped as soon as possible, but the Netherlands, as other countries, face logistical challenges » .
Italy helps with mine clearance
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi spoke to Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. « Our priority today must be to strengthen the security of our continent and to exert the greatest pressure on Russia to withdraw its troops and return to the negotiating table » , detailed the Italian government in a press release. released following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.
He also announced aid of 110 million euros to Ukraine « for humanitarian purposes and macro-financial stabilization » , as well as aid in military equipment « in particular in the sector of mine clearance and the supply of ‘protective equipment’ .
Belgium donates fuel and weapons
The Belgian Prime Minister for his part announced that his country would supply fuel and 2,000 machine guns to Kiev. « A more in-depth analysis of the requests continues » , added Alexander De Croo.
France strengthens its involvement on NATO’s eastern front
If the message published Saturday morning by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter suggests that Emmanuel Macron raised the subject of material aid from France to Ukraine, Paris has not yet officially communicated to this topic.
In a text broadcast Friday evening, the President of the Republic however announced » military reinforcements » of France within NATO. France has thus chosen to « accelerate and reinforce the already planned deployment of fighter planes in the Baltic States » . To these ends, « from mid-March, 4 Mirage 2000-5 supported by a hundred airmen will be deployed in Estonia. »
Emmanuel Macron also announced « punctually reinforcing the French system in Estonia » with a sub-group of around 200 soldiers who will be deployed « alongside our Danish and British allies. » It was also decided to accelerate the « deployment of capabilities in Romania within the framework of NATO » , with the presence of a combined arms tactical group of around 500 soldiers. « These military devices are not intended for any escalation, but simply to participate in the defense of the member countries of NATO » , justified in a second time the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
The curious 