Author: Martin D'Anjou

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Ski resorts open in French Alps

Since early December, Val d’Isere, Val Thorens and Isola 2000 were the only resorts in the French Alps with enough snow to welcome skiers; the others had to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate.

After last week’s heavy snowfall of 20 to 23 inches (50 to 60 cm), 20 more French ski resorts have opened their doors this past weekend. Among them: La Plagne, Les Arcs, Flaine, Peisey-Vallandry, Chamonix, Les Contamines, La Clusaz, Alpe d’Huez, Chamrousse, and six of the seven resorts in Les Trois Vallées.

Last weekend, Courchevel gave away free passes for their opening weekend. Of all the Alpine resorts, Val d’Isere has already had some of the best early skiing of the season, while Val Thorens managed to open only a week later than expected. Verbier opened Lac de Vaux to skiers at the end of November.

This coming Saturday (December 17) the list of open resorts will also include Les Arcs, Avoriaz, Chamonix Grands Montets, Chatel, Flaine, Les Menuires, Meribel, Orelle, Peisey-Vallandry, La Plagne, La Tania, Alpe d’Huez and Valloire.

According to Météo France, most of the resorts above 1,500 meters will receive snow over the coming days, and these accumulations should be enough for the rest of the season.

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Three Canadian hotels named to Gold List

Luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller unveiled their annual ranking of the best hotels in the world – the Gold List 2012. Two hotels in Western Canada and one in downtown Toronto managed to make the prestigious list.

Modeled on a baronial Scottish castle, the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta, was noted for both its architecture and spectacular natural setting overlooking the Rocky Mountains. One judge noted that “the setting is wild and wonderful,” but warned guests to keep an eye out for bears on the golf course.

The Wickaninnish Inn, perched on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino, also made the list. Known for its collection of Canadian art and sculpture, the inn’s location overlooking the Pacific Ocean makes it an ideal location for storm-watching.

Finally, the third and final Canadian institution added to the Gold List 2012 is an urban hotel, the Thompson Toronto. The boutique hotel’s sleek modern design and overall ambience pleased the judges. They also noted the rooftop infinity pool offers spectacular views of the downtown skyline.

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Musique

Lady Gaga planning Born This Way tour

Pop star Lady Gaga is rumored to be planning the biggest tour in history, with 450 worldwide shows over a two-year period, reports NME.com.

"As is always the case with Gaga, the plans came to her in her sleep,” said a source close to the singer. “She has a target of 450 dates. It has never been done before, but she’s doesn’t think that’s a reason not to try.”

Recently Gaga was nominated for three Grammys: album of the year and best pop vocal album for Born This Way, and best pop solo performance for You and I.

She’s been busy with the release of her new remix album, as well as the unveiling of her pop-up fundraiser store Gaga’s Workshop at Barney’s in New York.

Gaga attended a Vanity Fair cover shoot with Annie Liebowitz for the January 2012 cover, and premiered her latest music video Marry the Night last week.

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Uncategorized

Men more likely to get skin cancer?

Men are three times more likely than women to develop a common form of skin cancer but medical science doesn’t know why. Now, a promising new U.S. study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology offers some clues.

Ohio State University researchers conducted a study using a strain of hairless mice with squamous cell carcinoma of the skin – the second most common skin cancer in humans. They found that male mice had lower levels of an important skin antioxidant than female mice, and higher levels of certain cancer-linked inflammatory cells.

The antioxidant, a protein called catalase, inhibits skin cancer by cleaning up damaging compounds that form during exposure to ultraviolet B light (UVB), a common source of sunburn and cancer-causing skin damage. Previous studies had linked low catalase activity to skin cancer progression. The findings suggest that women may have more natural antioxidant protection in the skin than men.

“To our knowledge, we’ve shown for the first time that UVB exposure causes a migration of systemic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and it suggests that these cells might be a novel source of UVB-induced immune suppression," said lead author Nicholas Sullivan.

This might mean that these UVB-induced inflammatory cells contribute to the genesis of skin tumors and perhaps other tumors, rather than simply facilitating cancer progression, as generally thought, Sullivan noted.

"This is the first report to our knowledge of a sex discrepancy in this group of inflammatory cells in tumor-bearing mice, and it suggests that our findings might translate to other types of cancer," said co-author Tatiana Oberyszyn.

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Uncategorized

Parents rewarded for their patience

This story may inspire hope for many couples who want to have children.

A 41-year-old Israeli woman gave birth to a healthy baby, 18 years after the fertilized egg had been frozen, according to the daily Yediot Achronot.

The woman had several frozen embryos in 1993 as part of an infertility treatment. Surprisingly, she became pregnant naturally in the following weeks, abandoned the treatment, and went on to give birth to two daughters, now 16 and 14.

Last year, the woman still wanted more children, and the couple tried unsuccessfully to conceive. From a sample she had frozen 18 long years ago, the woman decided to make one more try, and at the age of 40 she became pregnant.

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Quebec City Christmas parade this weekend

Although Santa Claus has already made an appearance at most shopping centers to the delight of children, there’s still nothing like a parade to bring out the holiday spirit. On Saturday, November 19, Quebec City will hold its annual Parade de jouets (Toy Parade) from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Now in its 10th year, the parade kicks off at the corner of Simon-Napoléon Parent and Chênevert traveling along Carillon, St. Vallier, St. Joseph and St-Dominique, ending at Prince Edouard.

Attracting more than 80,000 people, the Parade de jouets is a treat for young and old alike, featuring floats, marching bands, mascots, dancers, and of course, Santa Claus. The parade is interactive with children receiving gifts like candy, balloons and small gadgets provided by the event sponsors.

Quebec City’s Parade de jouets is also an opportunity for the public bring used toys. Each year, thousands of toys are donated, then refurbished and delivered to needy children in the region.

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Musique

Kelly Clarkson announces North American tour dates

On January 13, American pop singer Kelly Clarkson will kick off her Stronger Tour 2012, named for the title of her fifth and latest studio album.

The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200. All five of the American Idol winner’s albums have debuted in the top 3.

The first single, Mr. Know It All has reached number 4 on the iTunes Singles Chart and marks her ninth top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Clarkson also recently won a Country Music Association award for musical event of the year with Jason Aldean, for their hit single Don’t You Wanna Stay.

The first leg of her world tour kicks off with a North American 40-plus city trek beginning in Mashantucket, CT on January 13th, with special guest Matt Nathanson, and wraps up on April 10 in San Diego.

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Musique

Hanson announces Canadian tour

Currently on the South American leg of their Shout It Out world tour, pop-rock trio Hanson announced an extensive string of Canadian concerts starting January 23rd in Vancouver BC and ending February 11th in Montreal QC.

The brothers, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac are best known for their 1997 hit song MMMBop.

“This tour will be the most extensive Canadian tour we’ve done to date,” said singer and drummer, Zac Hanson. “We’re excited to visit many parts of the country for the first time, and make Canada a part of our world tour.”

Hanson’s fifth studio album Shout It Out, debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard Independent charts, with soul-inspired single Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’ and the hit follow-up Give a Little.

Hanson has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, sold over 16 million albums and has had eight top 40 singles in the U.K. and six top 40 singles in the U.S.

Tickets for most shows go on sale today (November 18).

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Pixar Cars roll into Los Angeles museum

Car buffs and fans of the Cars movies will want to make a trip to see the newest exhibit at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Disney, Pixar and Mattel have teamed up to present the exhibition Cars, which will run until April. Since the launch of the first Cars film in June 2006, Mattel has produced more than 200 million die-cast vehicles featuring more than 500 unique designs that represent the many characters from the films.

Exhibit highlights include diorama of Cars movie scenes with hundreds of die-cast vehicles representing the many characters from Cars and Cars 2 – from the popular Lightning McQueen and Mater to the big-wheeled Haulers and their corresponding racers.

The highlight could well be the Lightning McQueen Alive Showcase, which displays the innovative technology used to authentically bring the big personality of Lightning McQueen from the film screen into the playroom in miniature 1:55 scale. Product design highlights the cutting-edge micro-technology developed to create the life-like mouth, eye and shoulder movements of this little electronic vehicle.

Since 2003, the museum has also featured an ongoing Mattel exhibit Hot Wheels Hall of Fame. Visitors can view more than 1,000 different 1:64 scale Hot Wheels vehicles representing more than 40 years of the brand’s history.

The May Family Discovery Center on the third floor is designed to spark interest in science by way of the automobile. The 6,500 square-foot, interactive ‘hands-on’ learning center teaches children basic scientific principles by explaining the fundamental functions of a car.

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Nouvelles quotidiennes

Galapagos Islands to limit number of tourists

As of February 1, 2012, Ecuadorian officials will implement new rules that will limit the number of cruise ship passengers allowed to access the popular Galapagos Islands, reports Travel Weekly.

Beginning next year, South American tour operators will be forced to comply with the new regulations, which will allow visitors to stay for a maximum of five days and four nights. Only four ships will be allowed to land at the islands within any 14-day period.

For the past 14 years, the majority of travelers have visited the Isabela, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal islands. As part of the new arrangement, ports on Santa Fe and Tagus Cove will be open for cruise ship docking and the islands of Española, Genovesa and Fernandina will welcome smaller craft.

"The visitor redistribution that will be achieved by the opening up other islands, and altering route frequencies, will also reduce fuel consumption and the overall amount of pollution emitted by the yachts, boats and ships working the islands," explained the country’s tourism ministry.

In addition, visitors to the newly-opened islands will be given the opportunity to see rare species – such as the red-footed booby, the flightless cormorant and the albatross – in their natural habitat.