Latest news with #Hollande
Economic Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Love me Tinder, the long and short of it
Tinder has introduced a 'height filter' for its two highest subscription tiers in 'limited' parts of the world including India. The feature will allow women to filter out men below their preferred height. This has led to much debate about 'superficiality' on social media, arguably the most superficial medium. If you're the type who wants to have it all, there's Tinder Platinum, where 'preferences show you people who match your vibe but won't limit who you see - you'll still be able to match with people outside of your selection.'Critics have pointed out the slippery slope: why not then add a weight preference? Or a preference to do with bust size, or other body measurements? To be fair, we have built-in filters. There's a reflexive and instinctive element to who catches one's eye in the dating jungle. Tinder will claim it's only trying to fine-tune a pre-existing list of real-world filters is never-ending: race, money, authority, power, physique, ambition/lack of ambition, hair/lack of hair, brains/lack of brains, EQ, style, charm, swag, cars, bikes, bicycles, bum, nerd, jock, smoker/non-smoker, drinker/non-drinker, LDL, LFT, hobbies, tastes in cinema, music, sports, literature, politics, dietary preference... In India, one can throw in the state you belong to, caste, language, skin happened to the phrase 'sex appeal'? It was a subjective catch-all term, which seems to have gone out of works in mysterious ways. Someone who falls for tall men will fall for them, regardless of Tinder's policy. When it comes to sex, there's a live-and-let-live principle at work - if you're not causing harm to anyone and the dealings are consensual and above board. The June issue of Baffler magazine, for instance, features a story on female wrestlers and schmoes - men who are turned on by them. The relationship is mutually beneficial.I knew someone who didn't like women who had long nails. He made his then-girlfriend chop off her nails. He married someone who keeps her nails short. After stick-on nails became popular, he had to go into reverse this height apartheid. How about shorter men dating taller women? It's considered a little odd. Unless you are French. Better still - a French president, like Sarkozy or Hollande. I had a relationship with a girl much taller than me, and it was one of the best. People stared, for sure. Their problem, right? It's also somewhat true that tall women don't have an issue with men shorter than they are. It's more like men get intimidated and don't approach them. That's half the battle men come in different varieties. 'Tall and skinny' is different from 'tall and buff'. I don't know about the bedroom, but in real/reel life, tall buff men are relegated to being the security detail, or banished to being action heroes. They'll never get to play Bob Dylan in a other day, I went to catch a gig at a venue called 21 Bodyguard. The place was crawling with burly men in uniform, who were hired by the management to stand around and stick out in the crowd. They looked sad and bored.I would be of average Indian height. When standing in a crowd at the theka, I'm slightly taller than the rest. Height is such a relative thing. It's easier to be taller than average in India, the land of short men, but not so in I noticed about my tall ex-girlfriend was that she was at ease walking into fast-moving traffic and crossing the road. I'd be left standing on the other side for a good 20 minutes. It holds true for tall men. They can cross the road at a time and place of their choosing - a valuable skill to have in Indian traffic. Here's hoping it helps them at the busy Tinder crossroads, too.
Local France
25-03-2025
- General
- Local France
French grammar tips: Look out for the accent
It can seem unfair, when in a French class, that you spell a word perfectly but still get marked down because you have missed off the accent - after all, are these random dashes or doodles really so important? But accents aren't just a source of grammar and spelling pedantry - they are also giving you helpful guidance on how to pronounce a word that you see written down. They are, in short, your friend. Meaning In some cases, accents even change the meaning of a word - pate is pasta, while paté is meat paste, an important distinction if you are vegetarian, gluten intolerant or simply detest spaghetti. Advertisement Likewise a means have ( il a une pomme de terre - he has a potato) while à means to ( Il va à Paris - he's going to Paris). An accent can also give you a vital clue as to the grammatical tense (along with the auxiliary verb) - Il donne du sang , Il a donné du sang ; he gives blood or he gave blood. Pronunciation But mostly, accents are there to give you a clue about how a word is pronounced, which is vital if you haven't yet come across this word in spoken French. Going back to our previous example - pate is pronounced roughly as 'pat', while paté is 'pat-ay'. Accents é - the accent aigu or acute accent. If the accent is on the final é of the word, it is telling you to pronounce that letter. Therefore comte (pronounced com-tuh) is a count or nobleman, while comté (pronounced com-tay) is a delicious cheese. In the middle of the word, it slightly changes the sound of the vowel to 'ay'. For example, un défi is pronounced uhn day-fee, rather than uhn deh-fee. Advertisement If the é is at the start of the word, it doesn't make a major difference to the pronunciation - but does offer a little clue about what the word might mean, since it denotes that the old French or Latin equivalent began with an 'es' or 's'. Helpfully, that's often the same for the English word - so établir = establish, étables = stables etc. è, à or ù - the accent grave can be placed over either an e, an a or a u. The ù is the least common. When used on an è it's a pronunciation marker, it indicates that the letter is pronounced as 'eh' rather than 'ee', for example espèce (space) or pièce (room). When used for à or ù it indicates the meaning of the word - eg a versus à , or la (the) versus là (there). The pronunciation does not change with the accent. It is used only once with a ù, which might be why even French people forget it, to distinguish between ou (or) and où (where). As with à, the pronunciation does not change. ç - the cedilla is probably the most straightforward, but also impactful, accent as it changes 'c' from being pronounced as a hard 'kuh' sound into a soft 'suh' sound. Therefore the ex president pronounces his name fran-swah Hollande, rather than fran-cwah, while salad niçoise is a nee-swoise, not a nee-cwoise. Probably it's most ubiquitous use is in "ça va" - which is pronounced sah-vah. ë, ï, ü - this accent is known in French as a tréma and is another pronunciation accent - specifically it is used when two vowels are next to each other and should be pronounced separately, not rolled into each other as is more common in French. This often produces a slightly comical 'eeee' sound that can be hard for foreigners at first. For example maïs (sweetcorn/corn) is pronounced my-eees, while your French friend Loïc pronounces him name low-eek. France's state secularism can be a hard concept for foreigners to grasp - but pronouncing it isn't much easier - laïcité is pronounced lie-ee-sit-ay. â, ê, î, ô, û - the circonflex - aka 'little hat' - accent is in fact an endangered species. There have been several proposals to stop using it, but each time French people have campaigned to save their beloved accent and it remains in use. Advertisement In most cases it doesn't change the pronunciation, and is another 'historical marker' accent, indicating that the word at one point had an 's' which has now disappeared - for example hôpital (formerly hospital, as in English) or forêt (forest). It sometimes slightly changes the pronunciation, if an a, e or o is involved and can - like an à - also change the meaning of a word. For example the difference between sur (on) and sûr (sure) or tache (stain or mark) and taĉhe (task). In both cases, those words are pronounced the same. Grammar There are also some grammar aspects to accents, as verbs sometimes lose or change their accents depending on whether and how they are conjugated. It doesn't make a difference to how you say things, so we'll let your French teacher explain that. And as with all things related to French grammar, there are also some exceptions to the basic rules outlined above. Grammar tips series From agreeing adjectives to the subjunctive, French grammar can be fiendishly - some claim deliberately - complicated and almost all French learners have at one point despaired over ever getting it right. People learn languages in different ways - some people prefer to just throw themselves into chatting, others like to have a textbook and some exercises. But the formal and structured nature of the French language means that if you want to become fluent - and if you need written French - then you are going to have to learn some grammar. That's the purpose of our weekly series of French grammar tips and tricks - and you can also sign up to receive them as a newsletter. The following tips are not intended as a substitute for formal classes or sweating over those verb tables (sadly, those are necessary for most people), but may be of some help to language learners. They come from our own experiences of living and working in France, and as with our popular French word of the Day feature , we've tried to focus on examples that will be useful in everyday life. French grammar tips: Guessing the gender of nouns French grammar tips: Understanding place names French grammar tips: Cheat's guide to the subjunctive
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former leader of NATO nation slams President Trump in blunt interview: 'No longer an ally'
Former French President François Hollande said in a recent interview that President Donald Trump and his administration are "no longer" allies. When asked to analyze Trump's first few weeks back in the Oval Office, Hollande did not hold back on criticisms. In a blunt interview with French news outlet Le Monde, Hollande, who left office in 2017, said that "Even if the American people remain our friends, the Trump administration itself is no longer our ally." The former French leader also accused Trump of "making pacts with our adversaries." French President Macron Asks If Europeans Are 'Ready To Defend' Their Interests In Wake Of Trump Election Hollande asserts that Trump sees the U.S., Russia and China as the "only three powers that count," and that for the U.S. president, "Europe no longer exists." The former French leader also argued that Trump's "real target" is Europe, not China, leading Hollande to believe that a U.S.-European "divorce" is on the horizon. The former French leader cites Trump's decision to call Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator," combined with his willingness to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. vote against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia as reasons for this potential "divorce." Read On The Fox News App When it comes to NATO, Hollande says it's time for the alliance to prepare for the possibility of Trump not complying with Article 5, which states that an attack on any NATO nation is an attack on all. This obligates all NATO nations to come to the aid of the one that suffers an armed attack. Trump Welcomed By World Leaders At Notre Dame Reopening Ceremony In 'Presidential' Fashion While the Trump administration has made a push for European nations to step up their defense and take more action on their own continent, there is no indication that the U.S. is planning to remove itself from the alliance. Hollande has long been a critic of Trump. In 2016, while he was still in office, Hollande urged the American people to back Hillary Clinton and said Trump would be "dangerous" and "complicate relations between Europe and the U.S." Trump Meets France's Macron At White House, Says 'Lot Of Progress' Made Toward Ending War In Ukraine On Monday, Trump met with Hollande's successor, French President Emmanuel Macron. After the two participated in a call with Group of Seven (G7) leaders, Trump said that "a lot of progress has been made" toward ending the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Trump said Macron is a "special man," and the U.S. wants to keep its "very special" relationship with France "going for a long period of time." Macron described himself and Trump as "personal friends." "And, I'm here as well, after discussions with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more in defense and security for this continent, and as well to be a reliable partner and to be engaged in trade, economy, investment," Macron said. Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this article source: Former leader of NATO nation slams President Trump in blunt interview: 'No longer an ally'
Fox News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Former leader of NATO nation slams President Trump in blunt interview: 'No longer an ally'
Former French President François Hollande said in a recent interview that President Donald Trump and his administration are "no longer" allies. When asked to analyze Trump's first few weeks back in the Oval Office, Hollande did not hold back on criticisms. In a blunt interview with French news outlet Le Monde, Hollande, who left office in 2017, said that "Even if the American people remain our friends, the Trump administration itself is no longer our ally." The former French leader also accused Trump of "making pacts with our adversaries." Hollande asserts that Trump sees the U.S., Russia and China as the "only three powers that count," and that for the U.S. president, "Europe no longer exists." The former French leader also argued that Trump's "real target" is Europe, not China, leading Hollande to believe that a U.S.-European "divorce" is on the horizon. The former French leader cites Trump's decision to call Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator," combined with his willingness to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. vote against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia as reasons for this potential "divorce." When it comes to NATO, Hollande says it's time for the alliance to prepare for the possibility of Trump not complying with Article 5, which states that an attack on any NATO nation is an attack on all. This obligates all NATO nations to come to the aid of the one that suffers an armed attack. While the Trump administration has made a push for European nations to step up their defense and take more action on their own continent, there is no indication that the U.S. is planning to remove itself from the alliance. Hollande has long been a critic of Trump. In 2016, while he was still in office, Hollande urged the American people to back Hillary Clinton and said Trump would be "dangerous" and "complicate relations between Europe and the U.S." On Monday, Trump met with Hollande's successor, French President Emmanuel Macron. After the two participated in a call with Group of Seven (G7) leaders, Trump said that "a lot of progress has been made" toward ending the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Trump said Macron is a "special man," and the U.S. wants to keep its "very special" relationship with France "going for a long period of time." Macron described himself and Trump as "personal friends." "And, I'm here as well, after discussions with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more in defense and security for this continent, and as well to be a reliable partner and to be engaged in trade, economy, investment," Macron said.
