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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
Deemed inhospitable, inaccessible, and well beyond the fringes of our everyday lives, Grenoble brings the visceral and fragile beauty of the poles into the public arena through a series of exhibitions, films, talks and visits throughout 2008.
The event sits within the framework of the fourth International Polar Year (March 2007 to March 2009), a global event uniting thousands of scientists and meteorologists from 60 countries to work on more than 200 polar-based projects. Given that the Arctic and Antarctic are viewed as key witnesses to climate change and pollution, it is hoped that the international effort may elucidate ever-pressing global warming and pollution issues.
“The aim of the event is to launch an effort into international research on global warming and into polar research, as well as providing numerous opportunities for the public to talk to the experts who work in these fields,” stated Cécile Mériguet, the event’s PR officer.
One such scientist, special guest Claude Lorius, has clocked up 22 expeditions to Greenland and the Antarctic. The pioneer of the carotte or ice core, a cylindrical block of ice taken from a 4km depth in a polar glacier, has enabled scientists to reconstitute 800,000 years of climatic history and, unintentionally, to find conclusive evidence for environmental changes caused by pollution and greenhouse gases. Lorius began his 40-year career by watching air bubbles escaping from an ice cube in a glass of whisky and wondering what secrets could be revealed by air trapped in ancient glaciers.
‘L’Année Polaire en Isère’ provides visitors with the opportunity to visit the farthest-flung parts of our planet, to see into the future through the ancient depths of polar glaciers, and to rub shoulders with the country’s foremost scientists and adventurers of the ice. SG
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
Entente Cordiale opens a real English-language library
Finally, the library gets to open its doors this month after an inauguration party on March 1 when more than 100 guests flooded the library’s portals for the official launch of the latest project from the dynamic Creuse integration association,
Entente Cordiale.
“This is more than a place to come to read. It’s where you can meet new people, make friends and integrate,” explains Gyn Freeman, Entente Cordiale’s lending library coordinator. “For those who crave a book or two in English and can’t get hold of a good read, this new venture is much to be supported. Thousands of books have been donated – modern novels, non-fiction and books for children, as well as a good selection of videos and DVDs. There’s also a research section ideal for students. And, what’s more, there’s no rule of silence,” Gyn adds.
“Quite the opposite – conversation is encouraged,” chips in David Johnson, Entente’s president. “It’s also the place to be to help you improve your language skills.” As the only such library in the Limousin and one of only a handful in the country, this surely makes for essential reading.
Note that Entente is also organising a garden visit, with a plant exchange and lunch on April 5 at Bourg d’Hem. The club also holds a Café Club Franglais on the first Tuesday of the month, from 10am to midday.
Library every Thursday 10am-4pm non-stop. From 01/04 also Sat 9.30am-1pm. ?5 a year members of EC; ?8 non-members. Contact David Johnson (president) 05 55 89 14 61 or 05 55 89 16 54 www.ententecordiale/creuse.fr
The Library, Parc Benjamin Bord, Dun-le-Palestel (23). From Dun church, take the D951, direction Saint-Sulpice-le-Dunois. Turn right at the Renault garage and on the right is the car park for the centre. Tel Gyn Freeman on 05 55 63 15 88 for more information.
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
La Rochelle-Île de Ré airport is a quiet success story. By handling 220,000 passengers in 2007, it has maintained a growth of almost 20% annually in the last five years – good news for residents in the Charente-Maritime and Poitou-Charentes because those passengers have spent E33 million in the area, according to a Rennes economic study group, TMO. That’s a lot of prosperity in a year.
At the moment, the airport offers flights to/from Stansted and Dublin (Ryanair), Gatwick and Bristol (Easyjet), Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester (Flybe) and a daily Airlinair hop to Lyons. But from May, flights will be available to/from Edinburgh and Leeds (Jet 2), Glasgow (Flybe) and Cork (Aer Arann).
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
Five years ago, Ali Wallace, from Christchurch in Australia, was a high-flying PR person (clients have included Disney and the Australian government), with a hectic lifestyle and big financial commitments. Now, she lives in one of her favourite holiday destinations, the Loire valley, with her husband and children, enjoying a chilled-out lifestyle, working from home.
What inspired her to launch a free, one-stop holiday portal where the visitor can plan a complete holiday online including an itinerary of places to visit during their stay? “I was frustrated by the lack of information when planning our own vacations,” says Wallace, “so I decided to set up a website for tourists who want to design their own holidays right from the nitty-gritty first steps of booking flights to the car rental that is waiting at the airport to the hotel reservations. Often people come on holiday with limited time, but are not at all sure which are the best places for them to visit.”
The site has an ‘Agenda’ so that holidaymakers can plan from day one the places to visit, from theatres to restaurants, museums, spas and shops. “The raison d’être of this venture is to take the strain out of holidays so that the minute you step off the plane or ferry, you can concentrate on enjoying yourself.”
Currently, the site promotes the Loire valley in particular, plus a few cities like Paris, London and Edinburgh. “The long-term objective, as the site evolves, is to expand the portfolio of destinations.” Ali visits all the places that she references, and if she cannot get to them then she goes by personal positive testimonials and recommendations via friends and associates. “As well as the tips about excellent spas and shops to visit, there are also sections dedicated to what to do with the kids and information about places of historical interest that will appeal to all sorts of people.”
The site offers free registration and a regular free news e-letter. Contact Ali at www.myweekin.net, 06 18 14 06 15
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Monday, 14 April 2008 |
On March 11, seven women met at the home of Jane Dent in Les Nuillers, to knit squares for Oxfam, have tea and cake and a good old gossip! Oxfam is running this campaign until September to highlight the poor healthcare offered to women during pregnancy and childbirth in developing countries so that hundreds of babies are needlessly orphaned. The squares will be sewn into a blanket, each square representing an orphan and handed in to UK PM Gordon Brown in Downing Street.
In Chez Guerin, a good time was had by the one French and six English participants, eating magnificent cakes made from free-range hen and duck eggs, trading stories and laughing a lot. A number of squares were produced with more to be finished in individual homes and provided by ladies who could not join in that day.
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