Why do so many children cut ties? The answer is shocking 😱 😳👇See more

In 2023, in French classical and jazz music programs, only 6.4% of works were composed by women. To combat this glaring lack of parity, Les Inoubliables created the Festival of (Not) Forgotten Women. The third edition takes place from May 29 to June 1, between Paris and Courbevoie, “culminating in the world premiere of a work by [their] composer-in-residence, Céline Fankhauser, at the Cinémathèque française.” More than 40 female composers will be featured, and if you are available today, I would be delighted to participate in a free roundtable discussion alongside journalist Aliette de Laleu and mezzo-soprano Marielou Jacquard on the theme “Breaking the Codes: The Rise of Women in the Music Industry,” at 7 p.m. at La Cité Audacieuse (75006). Find all the practical information and the program here, and maybe see you tonight?

Simone’s post of the week

Simone

Once the separation occurs, there is a very significant social decline, and a much steeper one for mothers…

Journalist Selim Derkaoui deconstructs the clichés about single mothers, often from working-class backgrounds, who find themselves managing the education of their children alone while being stigmatized, monitored, and sometimes even criminalized by institutions.

Her investigation, Don’t Let Your Son Stray – How the State Criminalizes Single Mothers, is available from Les Liens qui Libèrent publishing house.

Word of the week

BALLS

Simone

Petanque, of course. The ones haunting your garage because you haven’t touched them since a post-drinks defeat in 2016 (and especially a nasty toe injury, even though we told you not to play in flip-flops). So even if you don’t plan on playing again, we suggest you don’t let them rust away at home. But without throwing them away, like 70% of sporting goods today, according to Ademe.

Because, you should know: these balls are fully recyclable. They can be sorted and melted down to create new raw materials. The eco-organization Ecologic invites you to drop them off at one of the 3,000 collection points available in France. And the good news is: you can wear flip-flops.