France fights AIDS with Sidaction 2008, public fund-raising effort for HIV/AIDS research
March 31, 2008
France HIV/AIDS research campaign Sidaction 2008 raised over 400,000 euros the first day of weekend public fundraiser.
AIDS awareness and funding in France got a big boost on the first day of Sidaction 2008, a three-day campaign to raise funds in France for HIV/AIDS prevention and research. (The name of the French effort comes from SIDA, the French equivalent of AIDS.)
Sidaction 2008, which runs through Sunday in France, is aimed to raise awareness in France as well as money. 11 French television stations and five radio stations are uniting behind a single message and effort. there will be special programming, with French and international stars performing together in a concerts and telethons.
Besides publicity on TV and radio, there will be public sporting and cultural events all over France where people will learn about AIDS research and prevention and have the opportunity to contribute.
Technology in France is being mobilized as well. Donors to Sidaction can contribute via internet, of course, at http://www.sidaction.org , but also at a three-digit toll-free telephone number (110) and by text message to 33000 until April 11, 2008.
In just the first day, by 9PM, 412,000 euros had already been pledged.
Sidaction has run its campaign in France since 1994. Since then more that 178 million euros has been raised, funding research and thousands of treatment centers in France, as well as hundred in developing countries.
AIDES, a global charitable organization, estimates that there are 33 million people worldwide with the disease, and that a new case is diagnosed ever ten seconds. In France alone, more than 130,000 people were estimated to be living with AIDS in 2005, and that number is feared to have grown.
France’s first couple Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni bring French charm and chic to London
March 28, 2008
President of France and Carla Bruni win over the British Queen, Parliament and people on UK visit, as Bruni’s dresses eclipse even Sarkozy’s speeches.
Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, and his wife the former model and singer Carla Bruni, raised the stature of France in the eyes of the English on their first trip to the UK together. While Sarkozy made an impassioned speech to the British Parliament, recalling its seminal role in inspiring the democratic governments of the world, it was Carla Bruni who inspired the famous British tabloid press to a delirious frenzy of coverage. Newspapers in Britain rhapsodized over Bruni’s clothes, beauty, charm and poise, some comparing her to Jackie Kennedy, and others procaliming the First Lady of France “The New Diana.”
Some photos of Carla Bruni that appeared in British tabloids before her arrival in the UK were less flattering. Nude photos she made in the 90’s, photos that have already made the rounds of the press in France and the UK, were re-run in anticipation of the interest her visit would arouse. Some snickered that the prim and proper suit Carla Bruni wore at her first public appearance in London was meant to offset her overexposure in the nude photos. But in a country where poise, protocol and grace under pressure matter, France’s First Lady Bruni won even the meanest pundits over with her discreet good humor. Hitting all the right notes with the Queen, the Prime minister and their spouses, Carla Bruni most certainly was a bright feather in Sarkozy’s cap on this State visit. Their London stay included official visits to Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle, where the First Couple of France spent the night.
In his speech to Parliament, and repeatedly in his talks with Prime minister Gordon Brown and Queen Elizabeth, Sarkozy stressed over and over the special relationship between France and the UK. Ignoring the centuries of enmity between the two neighboring countries, Sarkozy and Brown pledged mutual cooperation on human rights, nuclear energy, immigration and fighting terrorism in Britain and France. Sarkozy also said France would be sending more French troops to Afghanistan, though he didn’t specify a number. Nicolas Sarkozy’s declaration that France and Britain could not accept any return to power of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Kabul received thunderous applause in Parliament.
Outside the walls, however, most Londoners were more interested in what First Lady of France Carla Bruni would be wearing, (It was Dior and Chanel this visit.)
Doctor who infected children in France with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease apologizes
March 28, 2008
Jean-Claude Job, a French professor who administered growth hormone later found to cause Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, apologized to families of victims for his role in the tragedies.
The infections with Creutzfeldt-Jacob came from human growth hormone treatments that were developed by a process called hypophyse, using pituitary glands from brains of cadavers.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a very rare and incurable degenerative neurological disorder that is ultimately fatal. The first symptom of CJD is rapidly progressive dementia, leading to memory loss, personality changes and hallucinations. This is accompanied by physical problems such as speech impairment, jerky movements, balance and coordination dysfunction and seizures.
The families of French children who had suffered and died from the debilitating brain disease caused by their treatment testified at hearings in Paris about the growth hormone. Three weeks were devoted to the testimonies of the French families, who recounted horrific tales of watching helplessly as their loved ones succumbed to the long, torturous illness with little anyone could do to treat or comfort them.
Parents of children dead or still suffering from Creuztfeldt-Jacob disease, the human equivalent of Mad Cow disease, spoke of being advised at the time of their childrens’ treatments that the best minds in France had developed the treatments and that they should feel confident in the care their children were receiving. They were also told that the medicines were manufactured at the Institut Pasteur, the most prestigious medical body in France.
Later the French families spoke of being “totally abandoned” by the French medical establishment when their children fell ill, and of the costs of round-the-clock care by nurses and therapists.
Professor Job asked pardon from the families and said he had also asked forgiveness from God for the error. But he defended himself against charges of negligence, saying that no decision was taken lightly or unilaterally by him, but by a committee of his French colleagues.
In France, the Legion of Honor is awarded to as many women as men, including former First Lady of France, Bernadette Chirac
March 27, 2008
France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor, is awarded to Bernadette Chirac and 332 other women, as well as 330 men.
Current President of France Nicolas Sarkozy first made the request for gender parity in the awarding of Legion d’Honneur appointments. This was honored for the first time, delaying the January 1 announcements of the Legion of Honor appointees.
Among the honorees were Bernadette Chirac, France’s former First Lady, Francis Joyon, the French sailor who completed a solo voyage around the world last January, actor Christian Clavier and tenor Roberto Alagna, among others, in the fields of culture, sports, philosophy, service and other categories. Some honorees were appointed to the Legion for the first time, while others were promoted within the ranks. There are a number of grades in the Legion, and new achievements are required for promotion.
The Legion d’Honneur was created in France in 1802 by Napoleon to reward outstanding military and civil services to France. The individual must have a minimum of 20 years of public service or professional activity and have attained outstanding achievement.
The former First Lady of France was honored due her role as President of the Hospital Foundation of Paris. She was born Bernadette Chodron de Courcel on 18 May 1933 in Paris; she was married to Jacques Chirac on 16 March 1956.
The admission of women to the orders of chivalry is a relative innovation in France. Until the mid-19th century, no woman, not even a sovereign, could wear the official insignia of recognition in France. Modern progress in France is such that now as many women as men are being inducted, though there is still some grumbling that there remains a disparity at the higher ranks.
Foreign nationals from countries other than France have been accepted into the Legion of Honor since its inception. They are admitted but not inducted. American recipients of the French Legion of Honor this year include Lee Radziwill, sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for her work in world health, and editor of the International Herald Tribune, John Vinocur. Other Americans to receive the French award include Julia Child, for introducing the cuisine of France to America, actors Jerry Lewis and Gregory Peck, the wine critic Robert Parker, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
French voice of rugby and soccer, TV announcer Thierry Gilardi, dead at 49
March 26, 2008
Thierry Gilardi, the main soccer and rugby commentator at French television channel TF1, died after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 49.
France will hold a minute’s silence before Wednesday’s exhibition match against England as a mark of respect for the beloved French television commentator who died on Tuesday. Many in France consider Gilardi to be the best sports commentator of his generation. He was known for the energy and enthusiasm he brought to his work. In France, Thierry Gilardi’s voice is inseparable from the memories of important French soccer and rugby matches of the past, especially the World Cup match between France and Italy in 2006, where he eloquently lamented the infamous head butt by Zidane that probably cost France the championship. The incident, but also Gilardi’s commentary during it, lived on in the French consciousness for months. He also recently did the commentary for the Rguby World Cup in 2007 in France for French TV network TF1.
Gilardi’s colleagues in French broadcasting were unanimous in their shock at the news and also their opinion of the man, calling him “a real pro” and “just a really nice guy.” Raymond Domenech, trainer for the France rugby team, was so overcome with emotion he could not even comment. The French Football Federation (FFF) also said the France players would wear black armbands in their Euro 2008 warm-up match at the Stade de France in memory of Gilardi, who brought so much pleasure and excitement to spectators of their sport.
Gilardi was the presenter of the popular show Téléfoot every Sunday and he was a TF1 commentator for the matches of CL and France matches since 2005 and also Rugby for the World Cup in France. Before joining TF1, he presented and commentated the matches of Ligue 1 on Canal + and CL matches from 1986 to 2005. He was also the vice-president of the French Rugby Club Stade Français.
Gilardi was said to have been very excited about his role in announcing the upcoming August Olympic Games in Bejing for audiences in France. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
Food prices in France and around the globe could skyrocket due to biofuels, says Nestle chief.
March 25, 2008
The world must brace for a period of significant and lasting inflation in food prices because of demand from biofuels, according to head of global food giant Nestlé.
While many in France and the US applaud research into alternative fuels using corn or soybeans, called biofuels, for the contribution such fuels could make to energy independence and the environment, the head of food company Nestle sees disaster looming in the world food supply.
The chairman and chief executive of Nestle, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, says there’ll be nothing left to eat if 20 per cent of the world’s oil demand is fulfilled by biofuels, as predicted. The Nestlé chairman cited population growth, rising demand from “the phenomena of India and China” and the use of food products by biofuel producers as causes of pressure in international food markets.
He said, in a speech in Zurich, Switzerland, that it was morally unacceptable and irresponsible to grant enormous subsidies to bio-energy. He also called it wrong to divert crops that should be used to feed poeple into fuel to feed the world’s hunger for energy.
Mr Brabeck-Letmathe says water, and land for cultivation, are becoming rarer, while biofuel demand is driving up the price of corn, soybeans and wheat.
Corn prices have risen about 60 per cent and wheat about 50 per cent over the last 12 months.
Meanwhile a report by 11 civil society groups argues that the rush for biofuels is already causing serious damage.
The report finds that biofuels from agriculture –called agrofuels - threaten to greatly accelerate climate change through the destruction of ecosystems and carbon sinks on which we depend for a stable climate. The rush to biofuels encourages intensive, industrial agriculture at the expense of sustainable food production.
“Monoculture plantations have been doing serious damage around the world for decades, but agrofuels represent a further intensification of the process, endangering what remains of global forest cover and climate. They also threaten the food sovereignty, cultural, human and land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities”, says Helena Paul of Econexus, one of the authors.
Last year Jean Ziegler, UN independent expert on food, called for a five-year moratorium on all initiatives to develop biofuels in his speech to the UN General Assembly.
France has long taken the lead in Europe on the production of biofuels using not only wheat and soybeans but also sugar beets. In September 2005, then Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin declared biofuels a national priority and called for an additional 800,000 tons of biofuels to be produced by the end of 2007. “Today’s decision will maintain France’s leading position in biofuels over the next three years,” the French ministry declared at the time.
New concerns about the food supply may dampen enthusiasm for biofuels in France and around the world.
Explore the Luberon at the ideal hotel in Provence: Hotel le Manoir in Apt
March 24, 2008
An Apt hotel for a perfect vacation near charming Luberon villages, Hotel Le Manoir offers friendly, convenient accommodations in Provence.
The Luberon region of Provence is France at its finest: spectacular countryside dotted with vineyards and orchards; fascinating ancient villages perched on hilltops; outstanding natural produce in colorful, traditional outdoor farmers’ markets; the blazing ochre hills of Roussillon, fields of bright lavender and the famous light of van Gogh and Cezanne. All this and more is yours to explore from a well-situated hotel in Provence , but there is no reason to settle for some sterile chain hotel. You can find no more comfortable home base for your Luberon adventure than your accommodation in Provence at the cozy and charming Hotel le Manoir.
Olivier and Messaline welcome you to their golden stone house where the special light of Provence radiates throughout its 20 rooms and patios surrounding the swimming pool.
Hotel le Manoir is no cookie-cutter hotel, but a warm, traditional country house full of local charm and character. Located between Luberon and Ventoux, and only 10 minutes from the beautiful town center of Apt, Hotel le Manoir is the perfect Luberon hotel for your exploration of the many quaint Luberon villages and the picturesque countryside of this glorious area of Provence in France. The friendly owners provide insider tips to discovering the area.
One of the best things about the location of your accommodation in Provence is its proximity to the lesser-known town of Apt in Provence. Off the beaten path of most tourists, Apt, founded during the Roman Empire, is full of charm, history and things to see. Its cathedral, whose treasury is said to hold the veil of Sainte Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, is one of the oldest in Provence. The destination of many pilgrimages in ages past, it will draw you today with its fascinating architecture. Apt has also been famous for centuries for its faience china. The art lives on here thanks to the descendants of the master-craftsmen who have passed along the secrets, so shoppers can find many unique treasures in all styles. Sample also the candied fruits, an Apt delicacy for centuries. And if you’re spending the weekend at a hotel near Apt, you’re really in luck. Set off right after breakfast…each Saturday morning since the 12th century, Apt opens its gates for a grand Provençal market, considered one of the finest of 100 such markets in all of France for its ambiance and authenticity. This market sprawls through the entire town and provides an opportunity to chat and meet local people in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Hotel le Manoir’s location makes it easy to explore many other Luberon villages, too. Gordes, for example, was built out of the stone of the rock on which it sits and has been classified “most beautiful village of France”. Why not visit this Luberon village and see if you agree? Your Luberon hotel is also a great point of departure for a visit to Senanque’s abbey, founded in 1148, an amazing example of primitive Cistercian architecture. The six villages of Bonnieux, Silvergues, Buoux, Lacoste, Ménerbes and Oppède, each a typical Luberon village but each with its own charm, are all within easy distance of your hotel in Provence.
If your taste runs to more active pursuits, the Hotel le Manoir offers bike rentals, complete with helmets and maps, for you to explore the gorgeous Luberon area at your own pace. And if you’re up for a real challenge, the Hotel arranges weekend mountain bike immersion courses with Bruno, who will train you in bike skills and endurance while showing you around the Luberon villages and countryside, departing from your Luberon hotel. The Hotel le Manoir offers a different course each weekend, some appropriate for beginners and others for advanced level cyclists, so choose your weekend in Provence accordingly! There are also many other attractions on offer in Provence and your Apt hotel can point you to them.
After a day out exploring the charms and wonders of Apt and other Luberon villages, or cycling through the Provençal countryside, you’ll definitely enjoy coming “home” to your hotel in the Luberon and relaxing by the 40-foot swimming pool with its view of the Luberon mountains, or sipping a glass of Cotes de Provence in the bar or on your own private terrace. Little ones who still have some energy left can enjoy the children’s’ playground.
While the Hotel le Manoir offers all the character and hospitality of a traditional home in the Luberon, you give up no modern comforts at this accommodation in Provence. Each room has free wireless internet access, air conditioning and satellite TV. The 10 luxury rooms feature ensuite bathrooms and some even have private terraces, but the price is still amazingly reasonable for the area. There are even last minute promotions, making Hotel Le Manoir even more affordable.
And why not mix business with pleasure and consider holding your off-site meeting or seminar in the ideal hotel in Provence? Hotel le Manoir offers an attractive conference room filled with natural light, overlooking tranquil greenery. The conference room, for up to 20 participants, is equipped with broadband or wireless internet and overhead projector, and special B&B room rates are offered to meeting attendees with a relaxing breakfast buffet on the terrace to start your day on the right foot. Ample parking and snacks are available throughout the day. Close the deal over a bottle of local Provencal wine, and your meeting or seminar is sure to be hailed as a success.
If you like the idea of exploring the beautiful region of the Luberon and Vaucluse – and who wouldn’t?—start with the ideal hotel in Provence as your base of operations and you really can’t go wrong. The Hotel le Manoir provides an affordable, comfortable, light-filled accommodation in Provence in total harmony with the Luberon experience. Come and bask in the light of the Luberon at the Hotel le Manoir.
Services
- Hotel le Manoir in Apt
- Conference room in Provence
- Modern comforts in Provence
- Mountain biking in the Luberon
Quartier salignan D 201
84400 APT
Tel + 33 4 90 74 08 00
Fax + 33 4 90 74 19 72
Web : http://en.hotel-lemanoir84.com
Email : http://en.hotel-lemanoir84.com/contact.html
France train fares on track for increase; railway tolls in France could go up 80%
March 24, 2008
In France, TGV train fares for consumers could rise sharply due to planned increase of railway tolls.
The TGV, France’s super-fast train, may soon become super-expensive. That’s because the French rail network is looking to increase the tolls on the rail lines as much as 80% by 2015. Since railway tolls already account for around 30% of the cost of a train ticket in France, through the French rail company SNCF, the toll increase could see French train travellers railroaded into paying a lot higher fares as the costs are passed along by SNCF to their customers.
A decision by French government authorities on the toll increase for the year 2010 is expected this July. They have said that they will be “very vigilant” as to the impact on consumers in France when evaluating the toll hike, and a spokesperson said the matter was being studied carefully. However, he also said it was right to expect the SNCF to pull its own weight in paying for improvements and maintenance to the tracks for France’s TGV high-speed bullet trains.Since 1997, rail transport in France has been divided into two entities: RFF, which manages the rail infrastructures and SNCF, which handles the transport of travellers and freight. To use the tracks, the SNCF must now pay tolls like motorists do on a freeway. RFF is also trying to offset the SNCF’s huge debts of around 27 billion euros for rail maintenance that RFF inherited in the reorganization of rail service in France. And RFF justifies its repeated toll hikes, saying it must maintain tracks in France that are sometimes 100 years old.
In singling out TGV rails this time, the company that owns the tracks in France is looking to tap funds from the SNCF’s only profitable operation. SNCF loses money every year on regional transport in France using regular trains and on freight in France.
But besides the cost of maintaining the current TGV tracks, which are in poor repair, there are plans to add 1,243 miles of new TGV rail lines, to fulfil a promise made by President of France Nicolas Sarkozy at the green conference La Grenelle de l’environment held in France in October 2007.
SNCF worries that if it has to raise TGV fares too much to cover the costs of the toll increase, they will fare badly against their competitors, notably air travel. And a spokeswoman in charge of traveller’s affairs for the company lamented that a hike in fares would ruin France’s reputation as having the most affordable high-speed train fares in Europe and thus of making TGV travel accessible to all.
France gets cheap laptops: Intel launches ultra-low-priced notebook computers in France and rest of Europe
March 23, 2008
In France, Intel will introduce laptops costing only 225 euros or less by the end of this year.
The low-priced computers to launch this year in France, Europe and the US aren’t exactly new, being based on earlier models called Classmate designed for children in developing countries such as India and Indonesia.
Intel is keeping mum on what manufacturers will be involved in producing the new models for France and Europe, but said that the new generation would allow manufacturers to create different versions varying in elements such as screen size, their ability to support different peripherals and memory.
The original Classmate models were conceived for poor schoolchildren, but the versions launching in France and elsewhere at Christmas 2008 will not be toys. They are part of a worldwide trend that is seeing the cost of computer ownership plummet, making access to a personal computer more democratic. The recent introduction in France of a Taiwanese low cost PC (at around 299 dollars) caused a sensation, even though its popularity was hampered by its being based on the Linux operating system, unfamiliar to many consumer users in France.
The low-cost PC movement originated in the US with the One Laptop Per Child initiative and the XO computer, which costs around 200 dollars, but must sell millions to keep the price that low. With all the new competition around the world, that will not be so easy. Intel itself, now introducing its own low-cost model in France and Europe, was once a collaborator on the XO; now it is its competitor. And XO inventor Mary Lou Jepsen, resigned from One Laptop Per Child at the end of last year and started her own company, Pixel Qi, with the goal of building a $75 laptop by 2010. If the euro gets just a little weaker, that will mean in France it can sell for 100 euros or less.
President of France Sarkozy unveils new French nuclear submarine
March 22, 2008
France’s Sarkozy, in first defense speech, says new French nuclear submarine has role in France’s strategy of disarmament and nuclear deterrence.
President of France Nicolas Sarkozy was present Friday at the introduction in Cherbourg of Le Terrible, France’s newest nuclear submarine. It joins France’s current fleet of nuclear subs Le Triomphant (launched in 1997), Le Téméraire (1999) and Le Vigilant (2004). Le Terrible will be placed in active service in 2010.
Le Terrible, designed to be virtually silent and undetectable by radar, is 138 m (453 feet) long and can carry a crew of 111 at a rate of 25 knots (29 mph) underwater. The new French sub is armed with 16 M-51 sea-to-land nuclear missiles. The range of the missiles is an improvement over French missiles already in service. The new French missles can hit targets 9,000 km (5,592 miles) away, while the present ones only travel 6,000 km (3,728 miles).
While the advent of a new high-tech nuclear submarine in France would seem to be an escalation in the global arms race, President of France insisted in his speech that just the opposite was the case. He said “France has never participated in any arms race,” and pointed out that the nuclear subs were for proamrily for deterrence. He also explained that they would substitute for many more nuclear arms that would be taken out of service as part of a French policy of arms reduction. Sarkozy specified that France would maintain the smallest nuclear defense capability possible consistent with its national defense strategy. He also pledged that France would be “completely transparent” in disclosing the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal, and called on other countries around the world to follow France’s lead. He made the point that no other country was as forthright as France, saying that the country had 300 nuclear warheads.
Sarkozy singled out Iran as a potential threat against which France needed to maintain a strong nuclear defense. He warned that any attack on France would be met with a swift and devastating nuclear response that would be inacceptably costly for the attacker and “inconsistent with their objectives.”
The speech, Sarkozy’s first on the subject of defense since assuming the presidency of France, came on the heels of his meeting earlier the same day in Paris with US Republican presidential nominee John McCain, with whom he discussed France’s taking a more active role in NATO and a stronger European defense.