(Not) Very Important People: Millennial Fantasies of Mobility in the Age of Excess

In her fascinating but frustrating new book, <em>Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit</em>, American sociologist, Ashley Mears (2020) offers both academic and mainstream readers a titillating, cross-over tour around the “cool” nightclub and party scene of the “global elite.” It is perhaps not so much global, however, as American, in the sense of the heteropatriarchal, middle-aged, male, working rich of America (or more precisely of its financial capital New York), jetting into their traditional party hotspots of Miami, Saint-Tropez, or the French Riviera, to party with young women who are (indirectly) paid (in-kind) to pose with them. Whether intentional or unintentional, along the way Mears also offers a dark mirror to the fears and fantasies of a rather lost millennial generation, raised in a new media, image age, which has coupled fast and furious performative excess to old fashioned sexual objectification, in the guise of fun and empowerment for the beautiful people.

COVID-19 patients age, comorbidity profiles and clinical presentation related to the SARS-CoV-2 UK-variant spread in the Southeast of France

The variant 20I/501Y.V1, associated to a higher risk of transmissibility, emerged in Nice city (Southeast of France, French Riviera) during January 2021. The pandemic has resumed late December 2020 in this area. A high incidence rate together with a fast turn-over of the main circulating variants, provided us the opportunity to analyze modifications in clinical profile and outcome traits. We performed an observational study in the University hospital of Nice from December 2020 to February 2021. We analyzed data of sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from the sewage collector and PCR screening from all positive samples at the hospital. Then, we described the characteristics of all COVID-19 patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) (n = 1247) and those hospitalized in the infectious diseases ward or ICU (n = 232). The UK-variant was absent in this area in December, then increasingly spread in January representing 59% of the PCR screening performed mid-February. The rate of patients over 65 years admitted to the ED decreased from 63 to 50% (p = 0.001). The mean age of hospitalized patients in the infectious diseases ward decreased from 70.7 to 59.2 (p < 0.001) while the proportion of patients without comorbidity increased from 16 to 42% (p = 0.007). Spread of the UK-variant in the Southeast of France affects younger and healthier patients.

Forecast of oil slick drift from Ulysse/ CSL Virginia and Grande America accidents

number 1141410 Two recent accidents with a significant oil spill occurred near the French coast. One in the Mediterranean Sea and the other in the Bay of Biscay. On October 7, 2018, the Tunisian ro-ro vessel Ulysses collided with the Cypriot container ship CSL Virginia at anchor off northern Corsica. The spilled bunker oil could not be fully recovered by the French and Italian anti-pollution vessels due to unfavourable weather conditions. Pellets and highly viscous patties arrived on the beaches of the French Riviera on October 16, 2018. The beaching dates and locations of the main slicks were perfectly predicted using the MOTHY drift model combined with the currents of the CMEMS MED-Currents system. On March 12, 2019, the merchant ship Grande America sank at a depth of 4600 m, 350 km off the French coast, in the Bay of Biscay. It caused a spill of bunker oil and loss of containers. The MOTHY drift model is used daily during the aerial surveillance and recovery at sea period. It provides drift forecasts for oil slicks and containers up to 3 days in deterministic mode and up to 10 days in probabilistic mode. Long-term modelling of residual diffused pollution is also carried out, in particular to manage continuous leakage from the wreck. A technical committee of experts meets daily to evaluate drift observations and forecasts. It focuses on the best choices of available ocean models. Drift forecasts did not indicate any oil arrival to the coast. This allowed the authorities to organise the response at sea without mobilising resources ashore. Indeed, no pollution was observed on the coasts.

Spread of the SARS-CoV-2 UK-variant in the South East of France: impact on COVID-19 patients age, comorbidity profiles and clinical presentation

Objectives: The variant 20I/501Y.V1, associated to a higher risk of transmissibility, emerged in Nice city (South East of France, French Riviera) during January 2021. The pandemic has resumed late December 2020 in this aera. A high incidence rate together with a fast turn-over of the main circulating variants, provided us the opportunity to analyze modifications in clinical profile and outcome traits. Methods: Observational study in the University hospital of Nice from December 2020 to February 2021. We analyzed data of sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from the sewage collector and PCR screening from all positive samples at the hospital. Then, we described the characteristics of all COVID-19 patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) (n=1247) and those hospitalized in the infectious diseases ward or ICU (n=232). Results: the UK-variant was absent in this area in December, then increasingly spread in January representing 59% of the PCR screening performed mid-February. The rate of patients over 65 years admitted to the ED decreased from 63% to 50% (p=0.001). The mean age of hospitalized patients in the infectious diseases ward decreased from 70.7 to 59.2 (p<0.001) while the proportion of patients without comorbidity increased from 16% to 42% (p=0.007). Conclusion: Spread of the UK-variant in the South East of France affects younger and healthier patients.

THE TYPOLOGY OF FEMALE IN THE REAR IMAGES IN “BEANPOLE” FILM BY KANTEMIR BALAGOV

In May 2019, the premiere of the film “Beanpole” by Russian director Kantemir Balagov, took place at the Cannes Film Festival and it became a notable event both on the French Riviera and in Russia. The drama tells the story of two young female front-line soldiers who defend their right to a decent peaceful life in post-blockade Leningrad. This movie also reveals the fate of the women in the rear who found themselves in a conflict with the returning female front-line soldiers. With the use of the descriptive-functional and comparative research methods, the authors of the article make the first attempt of scientific classification of the “women in the rear” images in “Beanpole” film from anthropological and psychological perspectives – a peasant woman Tatyana Belova and a highly-placed party worker Lyubov Petrovna. An analysis of secondary characters images helps to determine the severity of the consequences of the war, the parallel with the main heroines and adoption of the “military rules” in the post-war months, according to which, Soviet women were in the fiercest competition for men and family happiness.

Paleontology vs. Archaeology in the French Riviera volcanism : crystallized Permian animals and dinosaur skeletons in andesitic rocks, and human remains from the medieval times

This letter details principles of fossilization that matter for the study of fossils in general, but with a preference for sites next to volcanic areas.

Analysis of the Local Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policies on the French Riviera

Policy is a lever for initiating the structural and environmental changes that foster health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) promotion. However, little is known about the evidence in support of local governments regarding their HEPA-promoting policies. The aim of this study was to collect comprehensive information on municipal HEPA policies on the French Riviera (Alpes-Maritimes and Var counties) to provide an overview of the development of these policies in this territory. Mid-sized cities from the two counties constituting the French Riviera were targeted (n = 17). In each city, a local tool for HEPA policy analysis, CAPLA-Santé, was used to gain information from key informants heading the departments of sports, health services, and social services. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Ten mid-sized cities volunteered to participate. Key informants from the sports (n = 10), health services (n = 5), and social services (n = 6) departments were interviewed. Written HEPA policy documents were formalized in six cities. These documents (n = 14) were mainly from the sports (n = 8) and health services (n = 4) sectors. The key informants reported that support from national policy, the commitment of elected officials, and large local stakeholder networks facilitated HEPA promotion, whereas the lack of intersectoral collaboration and limited resources were limitations. The results provide insight into the development of municipal HEPA policies, highlighting some of the barriers, facilitators, and perspectives. These findings could be valuable to scale up HEPA promotion at the local level.

Analysis of the Local Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policies on the French Riviera

Policy is a lever for initiating the structural and environmental changes that foster health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) promotion. However, little is known about the evidence in support of local governments regarding their HEPA-promoting policies. This study collected comprehensive information on municipal HEPA policies on the French Riviera to gain an overview of HEPA policy development in this territory. Mid-sized cities from the two counties constituting the French Riviera were targeted (n = 17). In each city, a local tool for HEPA policy analysis, CAPLA-Sant&eacute;, was used to gain information from key informants heading the departments of sports, health services and social services. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Ten mid-sized cities volunteered to participate. Key informants from the sports (n = 10), health services (n = 5) and social services (n = 6) departments were interviewed. Written HEPA policy documents were formalized in six cities. These documents (n = 14) were mainly from the sports (n = 8) and health services (n = 4) sectors. The key informants reported that support from that national policy, the commitment of elected officials, and large local stakeholder networks facilitated HEPA promotion, whereas the lack of intersectoral collaboration and limited resources were limitations. The results provide insight into the development of municipal HEPA policies, highlighting some of the barriers, facilitators and perspectives. These findings could be valuable to scale up HEPA promotion at the local level.