The association of donkeys, mules, and hinnies with negative traits, such as stubbornness and low intelligence, has deep historical roots, spanning over two millennia and not limited to the Portuguese language. Expressions like 'stubborn as a mule' in English and 'más terco que una mula' in Spanish reflect this tradition.
However, this label is considered unfair, given that equids—which include horses, hinnies, donkeys, and mules—are intelligent animals. Scientific research has proven that they possess the capacity for long-term memory storage, establish complex social relationships, and can be trained to perform specific tasks.
It is important to distinguish the species: horses (Equus caballus) and hinnies (Equus asinus) are distinct. Hinnies are also known by names such as asses, geldings, or jerries, and these terms can be used pejoratively. Donkeys and mules are classified as hybrids resulting from the crossbreeding of a mare and a male hinnie. A hybrid formed by crossing a male horse with a hinnie is called a bardot, which is less common due to difficulties in gestation and lower aptitude for work, although its name has not become an insult.
Some specialists suggest that the stigma may be linked to the differences in managing these animals. Chiara Albano, a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), explains that 'taming hinnies and donkeys is more challenging than taming horses, because their natural behaviors are different.' She exemplifies that, when faced with a predator or danger, while horses tend to flee and observe from a distance, the hinnie tends to stop and analyze the situation, freezing if it perceives danger or distrust to ensure its safety.
This prejudice is extremely old. In Aesop's Fables, dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries BC, donkeys were already used to personify individuals who were naive, stubborn, and vain. An even older reference comes from a second-century book, where the Roman author Lucius Apuleius, in 'The Golden Ass,' narrates the story of a man who transforms into an ass. In this context, the Latin expression *asinina cogitatio*, which literally means 'donkey thought,' was used to designate foolishness.
A safari video from Maasai Mara is gaining popularity after a pride of lions approached a black rhino. This clip was published on Tuesday by the Tropical Africa account.
According to the description, the encounter took place in Rongai, Maasai Mara, Kenya, and involved the Rongai Pride. The video caption stated that the pride 'was trying to take down the black rhino,' and rangers had to intervene to save the animal.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, adult rhinos, both black and white, are usually not prey for lions because they have no natural predators in the wild other than humans. This means that top predators typically avoid hunting rhinos. Therefore, this was not an attack on a distracted antelope, but rather a group of lions testing their strength against a large animal.
The international organization Save the Rhino International reports that adult male black rhinos can weigh up to 1350 kg, and females up to 900 kg. They reach a height of about 1.6 meters at the shoulder, possess two keratin horns, and have a characteristic hooked lip curve that distinguishes black rhinos from their relatives—white rhinos with square lips.
Maasai Mara is Kenya's most famous safari area and is part of the wider Serengeti ecosystem. The location is known for its large cats, open savanna, and annual Great Migration, so dramatic footage of predators is quite common there.
If you have ever traveled by plane, you may have noticed a small detail: flight attendants sometimes leave the plastic wrapping material from a bottle of water or juice tied with a knot. This raises questions for many passengers: is this an airline rule, or is there a specific reason? In fact, it is not related to safety, but rather represents a clever trick to simplify, speed up, and organize work.
When flight attendants remove the plastic packaging (seal) from a bottle of water or juice and tie a knot on it, there can be several practical explanations. It is important to note that this is not a universally accepted standard in aviation; different airlines and crews may have their own motives.
Firstly, this method helps easily identify the bottle. When serving many passengers, flight attendants need to quickly determine whether the bottle has already been opened or used. The knot on the wrapper allows them to instantly know that it is not a new bottle, which reduces the chance of errors and speeds up the work.
Secondly, it provides a better grip. Sometimes after removing the plastic film, it is left on the bottle with a knot tied. This small knot provides slightly better fixation when holding the bottle. When the crew has to quickly serve drinks to many passengers, this reduces the risk of the bottle slipping out of their hands.
Thirdly, it prevents plastic waste from scattering. The cabin constantly operates an air conditioning system and airflow. If the plastic wrapper were left untied, it could fly up and scatter throughout the cabin. Therefore, many flight attendants secure the wrapper with a knot on the bottle itself so that the trash stays in one place and can be easily thrown away later.
Furthermore, it maintains service organization. During the flight, flight attendants have very little time to serve each passenger. Such small tricks make their job easier. By seeing the knot on the wrapper, they immediately understand which bottle is ready to be served, eliminating the need to constantly check every bottle and allowing service to be completed faster and more orderly.
There is no universal or global standard in aviation that requires tying knots on bottle wrappers. This is likely an individual habit of crew members, a characteristic of the team's working style, or an internal practice of a specific airline. Thus, if you notice such a knot on your next flight, you should understand that it is more of a small trick to maintain speed, cleanliness, and order in the work, rather than a mandatory safety rule.
China began a two-day period of military exercises that included the use of live fire in the Taiwan Strait. The warnings delineate two areas near the Chinese island of Dongshan, which is the second largest in Fujian.
The operations took place daily between 06:00 and 18:00 local time, extending until Friday during the same period. During these days, the passage of any vessel was prohibited. Chinese forces have already conducted various maneuvers on Dongshan island and in adjacent waters, including amphibious landing simulations.
In December of the previous year, Beijing conducted large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, named 'Operation Justice-2025', mobilizing units from the army, navy, air force, and missile force. On the second day of these maneuvers, China fired 27 projectiles towards the waters north and south of Taiwan. Ten of these projectiles hit the so-called 'contiguous zone' of the island, which extends up to 24 nautical miles (approximately 44.5 kilometers) from the coast.
At the time, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Zhang Xiaogang, characterized the exercises as 'fully legitimate and necessary.' He assured that Beijing would confront 'firmly' any attempt at 'external interference' in Taiwan, implicitly alluding to the United States and Japan. Although China has not announced major exercises since then, it has intensified the presence of the coast guard and other official vessels in waters near Taiwan, especially along the eastern coast, where it conducted a 'maritime traffic control operation' last month.
Beijing maintains the position that Taiwan constitutes an 'inalienable part' of Chinese territory and has never ruled out the possibility of using force to take control of the island. This stance is contested by the authorities in Taipei, who argue that only the 23 million residents of Taiwan have the right to determine their own future.
