Western's plans for AIDS research facility revealed

Western University unveiled plans Monday for a 378 square metre (4,200 square foot) state-of-the art facility to research AIDS and HIV.

It brings together cutting edge technology and scientists to investigate new methods of diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Michael Strong, Schulich School of Medicine dean, says it will put Western in the lead of research into HIV and other infectious disease.

Western University unveils plans for a facility for AIDS and HIV research on Monday, December 1, 2014 in London, Ont.
“This is the single largest investment of this nature that we’ve made in a very long period so this puts us at the forefront of Canadian and international research,” he says.

“This means that Canada and London become a centre for the study of HIV – something that we’ve not had before. Having this kind of facility means people will be coming here to do their research.”

Protective suits will be worn at the facility, which will be also be researching other infectious disease.

Dr. Eric Arts, the chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at Western, and his team will take a multi-faceted approach to research.

“From making the viruses that we want to test, to using small animal models to advance imaging, so that we can look and track these viruses through the body using MR or MRI or PET scanning,” Arts said.

The research will also shed light on other diseases.

“Things like West Nile virus and tuberculosis and the interaction of tuberculosis with HIV, which is a real problem in the developing world,” says Arts.

Brazil, Seoul top Skyscanner's list of top destinations 2015!!!

A city described as one of Southeast Asia’s most underrated and a country that pioneered volcano surfing are among some of the destinations predicted to become popular among intrepid travelers in 2015.

In the latest travel trendspotting report, experts at online booking site Skyscanner have released their picks of the top destinations in 2015.

Here are their top five picks:

1. Brazil: Still high off staging the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the country is now prepping itself for its next big role on the international stage: The 2016 Summer Olympic Games. “From new airport terminals to new roads and an improved rail system, exploring the country has never been easier,” say Skyscanner experts.

2. Nicaragua: The Central American country boasts bragging rights to having pioneered the latest in thrill sports: volcano surfing. Performed on the rocky, ash slopes of Cerro Negro, adventure-seekers strap on a thin wooden or metal plank to their feet and try to ‘surf’ (or rather negotiate) the descent down the country’s youngest -- and still active -- volcano. Skyscanner experts also note a spate of new five-star, ultra luxurious hotel openings recently including the Mukul Resort.

3. Seoul, South Korea: Fans of the K-pop phenomenon and Korean TV dramas have helped the pulsing capital become a major tourist destination within Asia, particularly for its Chinese fans. Look out for shopping tours inspired by PSY’s infamous "Gangnam Style" YouTube hit.

4. Taipei, Taiwan: Skyscanner experts describe Taipei as the Southeast destination that offers breathtaking landscapes and mouthwatering cuisine without the backpacker crowds and honeymooning couples. Highlights: night markets and infamous soup dumplings from Din Tai Fung dumpling house.

5. Mykonos, Greece: The Greek island has become a favorite among celebrities like LeBron James, Jean Paul Gaultier and Jennifer Lopez for its bright, cheerful whitewashed houses, colorful doors, bougainvillea trees and azure waters. Its pulsing nightlife also rivals that of Ibiza.

Travel guides Lonely Planet and National Geographic Traveler have also released their picks for destinations of 2015.

Man’s ashes spread in more than 100 countries with the help of social media

This Dec. 17, 2013, photo shows an urn containing the ashes of C.J. Twomey on a shelf at his parent's home in Auburn, Maine. C.J.'s mother, Hallie Twomey, is asking people to help scatter his ashes throughout the world so he can become part of the world he never got to see.

TORONTO –  CJ Twomey, a former member of the US Air Force, has been to more than 100 countries and even made a trip to space over the last year thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Hallie Twomey, a resident of Auburn, Me. had been dealing with the death of her son CJ, who took his own life in 2010, when last year she decided to create a Facebook page to help spread his ashes in “some of the world he never got to see.”

In an interview with BBC, Hallie said she decided last November to send her son on the journey.

“It dawned on me that his ashes would be sitting in that urn forever,” Hallie told the BBC. “He didn’t get to see the world and I wanted to give CJ something he didn’t get a chance to have.”

She and her husband, John, began the social media campaign expecting only a few hundred responses, but soon received more than 9,000 requests and more than 18,000 likes on the Facebook page “Scattering CJ“.

People who express interest in the project are sent a picture of CJ, wearing a Red Sox jersey, along with a small amount of his ashes.

Those who scatter the ashes are asked to take a picture of their chosen location, along with a few words about why they made the choice.

Not that funny: Doctor's bomb joke costs him $90,000

Manuel Alvarado, 60, will pay out $89,172 for his "momentary lapse of reason in making these statements," which prompted costly evacuations and delays for airlines. (File Photo)

MIAMI: A doctor thought it might be funny to crack a joke about a bomb in his luggage. Instead, he partly forced the evacuation of Miami International airport, and earned an almost $90,000 fine. 
Manuel Alvarado, 60, will pay out $89,172 for his "momentary lapse of reason in making these statements," which prompted costly evacuations and delays for airlines, and brought out a police bomb squad, said his lawyer Brian Bieber. 

Just before boarding an Avianca flight to Bogota on October 22, a security officer asked Alvarado routine questions; the Venezuelan doctor responded that he was carrying C-4 explosives. 

Though he corrected himself and said he was just joking, it was too late for airport authorities' taste. 

"He is extremely remorseful. He had no intent to place anyone in fear. He made what turned out to be the worst mistake of his life," Bieber said. 

Alvaro will pay the fine in a deal that saw prosecutors agree to drop charges of making a false bomb threat and criminal mischief. Once he has paid, the surgeon can return home, the attorney added. 

Since the September 11, 2001 strikes on US targets, penalties for making bomb threats have become increasingly severe.

Australia & New Zealand Cruise Guide

Landscape of Sydney Opera House, Sydney CBD, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Harbour (Photo: Hamilton Lund)

The fastest grow­ing cruise mar­ket in the world — dubbed the "new Mediter­ranean" — Aus­tralia and New Zealand are in­creas­ing­ly pop­ular with lo­cal and vis­it­ing cruise va­ca­tion­ers.

• Aus­tralia cruis­es call at such des­ti­na­tions as Cairns (gate­way to the Great Bar­ri­er Reef), Bris­bane, and Mel­bourne; itineraries may al­so include visits to islands such as in New Cale­do­nia.
• Cruis­es to and from New Zealand hit both the North and South is­lands and in­clude vis­its to Fjord­land Na­tion­al Park and Mil­ford Sound, the spec­tac­ular glacial fjord Rud­yard Kipling called "the eighth won­der of the world". Shore ex­cur­sions take pas­sen­gers to The Hob­bit and Lord of the Ringsmovie lo­ca­tion­s, bird re­serves, and Maori cul­tur­al at­trac­tions.
• Cruis­es be­tween Syd­ney and Auck­land — some one-way, so you can ex­plore both cities — al­so of­ten vis­it Tas­ma­nia, Aus­tralia's off­shore state.

The sail­ings range from a few nights to more than two weeks, and some are one-way. Land tours make it easy for over­seas vis­itors to eas­ily com­bine a cruise with a vis­it to such at­trac­tions as New Zealand's Mil­ford Track and Aus­tralia's Ulu­ru (Ay­er's Rock). The longer cruis­es at­tract adults from the U.S. and else­where. Short­er cruis­es at­tract a lot of lo­cals, in­clud­ing fam­ilies.

Cruise to Aus­tralia/New Zealand if you...

Want to see Mil­ford Sound. Love wildlife, es­pe­cial­ly birds.

Don't go if you...

Don't want to spend sev­er­al days at sea. Are more in­ter­est­ed in the coun­tries' in­land at­trac­tions.

--Fran Golden is the Experience Cruise expert blogger and a contributing editor of Porthole Magazine. She is the co-author of Frommer's Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call.