French-British "Brotherhood"

International Relations | 26.03.2008

French-British "Brotherhood" Could Marginalize Germany

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Sarkozy said the Paris-Berlin axis was no longer enough to keep the EU running

As Great Britain bestows special honors upon French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his visit to London, some in Berlin wonder if Germany is being pushed to the European fringe.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared a new era of cooperation between their countries on Wednesday, March 26, as Sarkozy began a two-day state visit.

Addressing both houses of the British parliament, Sarkozy said the two nations should strive jointly to give their considerable influence maximum impact on world affairs, in a way similar to French and German friendship remaining a European Union "locomotive."

Sarkozy also called for closer cooperation between Britain and France in the nuclear technology and military fields, including Afghanistan, where France intended to increase its support.

French pledge added military support to Afghanistan

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: French pledges to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan could put pressure Germany

Declaring that "we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan, that the Taliban and al Qaeda return to Kabul," Sarkozy said France would announce at the forthcoming NATO summit in Bucharest its intention to increase its troop strength.

"France has proposed to its allies in the Atlantic alliance a coherent and comprehensive strategy to allow the Afghan people and their legitimate government to build peace," Sarkozy said. "If these proposals are accepted, France will propose at the Bucharest summit strengthening its military presence."

Although he gave no figure, diplomatic sources said the French troop contingent in Afghanistan was expected to be increased by more than 1,000 from the 1,600 currently stationed there.

The French move would come as NATO members with troops in southern Afghanistan call on Berlin to increase the number of soldiers deployed to the country and remove restrictions that keep the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan's relatively safer northern region.

Paris-Berlin axis not sufficient for EU

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The EU needs more than Merkel and Sarkozy's partnership can offer

Some political analysts have said the French president is reaching out to Brown because he does not get on well with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Berlin and Paris traditionally dominate the European Union.

In an interview with the BBC before the trip, Sarkozy, who is scheduled to take over the European Council presidency in three months, said France's European policies would no longer be "reduced to friendship with Germany." He added that "the Paris-Berlin axis is fundamental but not sufficient."

Brown for his part told parliament that Paris and London were pursuing a "joint agenda for the future." His talks with Sarkozy scheduled for Thursday would include increased cooperation in the energy, security, environmental protection and economic sectors.

Replying to questions from the lower house, Brown also stressed that while France a key ally, the United States remained "Britain's closest ally" and "most important partner."

Knightly honors for Sarkozy

Prince Charles and wife Camilla welcomed Sarkozy and his wife, Carla, at London's Heathrow Airport before a banquet with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Sarkozy's wife, Carla, was praised for her elegance and taste by the British press

Sarkozy was made an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, the highest rank of one of the oldest orders of British chivalry whose previous recipients include world leaders, including his predecessor Francois Mitterand.

The French leader -- on what is the first by a French head of state in 12 years -- had already called for Britain and France to work "hand in glove" on issues like illegal immigration and terrorism, and to forge "a new Franco-British brotherhood."

Ahead of the visit, Sarkozy called for closer Franco-British ties, telling British broadcaster BBC that both countries should perhaps "move from being cordial to being friendly."

French-British ties under Sarkozy and Brown's predecessors, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair, were fraught as a result of the Iraq war.

"It has been long enough now that we have not been at war, that we are not wrangling," Sarkozy said.

Old acquaintances

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Sarkozy and Brown began working as their countries' finance ministers

Sarkozy said the friendship between Britain and France "shouldn't simply be a matter of principle," but one that is "fleshed out by concrete projects on the economy, immigration, security, defense."

Brown said in an interview published Wednesday in the French daily Le Monde that Britain and France will work "hand in hand" to reform international institutions such as the United Nations.

Brown said that he and Sarkozy had worked together for years, when they were both finance ministers, "and we have the same vision of a globalized world."

"France and Britain can therefore work hand in hand with common interests and shared values," Brown said. "This is the case, and you will see it in the coming weeks, of the reform of international institutions created in 1945: the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund."

These organizations, Brown said, "no longer correspond to the challenges of 2008."

real ale, lager,

real ale　〔英〕 純正エール ((伝統的な製法で作り貯蔵したビール)).
lager Show phonetics
noun [C or U]
a type of beer which is pale in colour and usually contains a lot of bubbles:
Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please.

ale was found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary at the entries listed below.

• ale

━━ n. エール ((苦味の強いビール)); 〔英〕 ＝beer.
ale・house　ビヤホール, 居酒屋 （pub）.
ale・wife　ニシンの一種; alehouseの女主人.

• ginger ale
• pale ale

最后更新时间: 2008年3月27日 格林尼治标准时间19:03更新 喝与吃的学问

逛酒吧系列（四） BBC中国网 孙晨 传统英国酒吧倒酒的方式是逛酒吧的一道风景。 对于如英国般为酒狂的国家，任何人都能算是酒的行家，至少英国男人如此。为了能更长时间地留住客人和多赚些银子，现在很多英国酒吧是吃喝俱全。 我自己对英国生活的了解就是从到酒吧点酒开始的——到现在我还记得第一次被问到喝什么酒时不知所云的窘相！虽说是几年前的旧事，但是这次要好好聊聊英国酒吧里面的酒，我请到的专家是一位伦敦的配音演员Andrew，他自然对喝酒很有一套。 苦啤酒、清啤酒、黑啤和苹果酒 英 国酒吧的一道风景其实就是看酒吧服务生用手柄压酒的过程。要留意的是要直接说出酒的牌子和多大杯。到现在英国酒吧使用的杯子大小还是英制的品脱 (pint)。虽然是我找Andrew帮忙，但是他还是很如常地主动买第一轮酒：一品脱Landlord牌的苦啤酒和半品脱吉尼斯牌(Guinness) 的黑啤酒。 在英国酒吧点酒要直接说出牌子，拿不准的话服务生可以让你逐个品尝。光说喝“啤酒”可就露怯了！ Andrew 与 绝大多数中年以上的英国男人相仿，Andrew也喜欢英国特产的苦啤酒(加入麦芽的Real Ale即浓啤酒，俗称Bitter)。我感觉英国男人喜欢苦啤酒除了弘扬英国传统以外的另一个理由是：英国大半年的低温天气，常温保存的苦啤酒是冰镇后清 啤酒在寒冷日子里不能企及的！ Andrew说苦啤酒的名字来源是酒的苦味道造成的，也是英国特产的浓啤酒(Real Ale)的一种。Andrew觉得各种品牌的清啤酒的味道都差不多，但是不同的苦啤酒不仅有各自独特的味道、而且酒劲也不同，很有选择空间！ 英国酒吧的酒和美食酒吧的菜 相 比之下，对于清啤酒我可不陌生：中国的青岛、燕京等等都是清啤酒。已经年近中年的Andrew也承认，现在大多数的英国年轻人都喜欢从欧洲大陆传来的清啤 酒(Lager)：口味清淡、时髦！Andrew对清啤酒不是很感兴趣，他认为冰镇清啤酒气儿太足、太清淡，但是我估计这可能也恰恰是为什么很多英国女孩 子喜欢的原因。 我们在酒吧边喝边聊的这个酒的话题，也吸引了周围喝酒的人们。有一位自告奋勇的半醉的中年男子说起了苹果酒(Cider)。他正好是来自盛产苹果的英格兰东南。他跟我们说其实苹果酒不应该和啤酒归为一类，不仅苹果酒取自发泡的苹果，而且酒精度数也比啤酒要高！ 我有钱宁愿买酒喝，也不去买衣服。 Andrew 这位老兄还煞有介事地告诉我，要是到英格兰东南部的苹果农场里尝尝自酿度数更高的苹果酒，那才叫地道！ 当然，现在用其他水果制成的发泡酒，也都叫Cider 了！ 在英国生活的几年中，我最喜欢的就得是来自爱尔兰的黑啤酒(Stout)。这其中吉尼斯(Guinness)是其中的一种，但是由于名声太大，现在都快成黑啤酒的代名词了！ 原产爱尔兰的黑啤酒中最有代表性的就是吉尼斯。 有一个有趣的传闻说英国这里的医生有时建议孕妇每日服用半杯黑啤酒，据说是有助于身体健康！而我衷情黑啤酒的原因不仅是这种富有气体的酒倒满一杯要花不少的时间，而且一满杯黑啤酒的感觉更像是一件艺术品。 美食酒吧 最早英国酒吧提供点菜是与对于英国家庭重要的“周日午餐”(Sunday Lunch)分不开的。烤牛肉、约克郡布丁、烤土豆、煮熟的蔬菜浇汁组成的周日午餐构成了酒吧吃饭的渊源。 虽说英国酒吧的酒在全欧洲都算是贵的，但是酒吧老板们要从酒里赚到足够的钱也绝非易事。近年来英国酒吧大兴“美食”之风：便宜、好吃成了杀手锏。 伏霞(Fusia Dunlop)是一位深谙中国烹调的英国美食作家。我跟她就约在了伦敦第一家美食酒吧：老鹰酒吧(The Eagle)。 众多美食酒吧的出现让去酒吧吃饭成为一种时尚。 我们俩在拥挤的吧台边边聊边点。简单古旧的酒吧摆设丝毫没有阻挡人们对这里美食的欲望。没有菜单，我们和旁边的人挤在一起看着墙上的小黑板和明档的厨师点菜。 伏霞说，人们愿意到酒吧来吃饭的原因图的就是一个好气氛，而且美食酒吧的菜既好吃、又便宜。 这位会说中国话的英国美食作家告诉我，正是因为老鹰酒吧开英国酒吧的美食先河，现在在英国以美食著称的酒吧不胜枚举。 伏霞说她小的时候，英国酒吧主要就是男人们喝啤酒的地方，所以酒吧的菜“非常简单”，最多是用面包、奶酪、酸菜和沙拉组成的“农民午餐”或薯条等等用来填肚子。但是她兴奋地告诉我，现在不同了，很多英国人去酒吧就是为了专门吃饭！ 伏霞还透露说，与普通酒吧不同，绝大多数英国美食酒吧里面还提供很多种葡萄酒用来配美食。 我们在这家酒吧的午

Chaos continues at Heathrow Airport's new terminal

這"行李處理系統"
是機場幾組人員協作方面的問題

udn"

希斯洛機場每年處理的旅客量是6800萬人，是全球第三忙碌的機場，僅次於亞特蘭大Hartsfield-Jackson機場的8900萬人與芝加哥O’Hare機場的7600萬人。

希斯洛機場的第四航站1986年啟用以來，每年使用該機場的人數已增加一倍有餘，目前的使用率已達幾乎滿載的99%。據歐洲航空公司協會的數據，希斯洛機場是全歐洲班機最會誤點的機場，去年有高達39%的班次延誤起降。

英國航空公司 (BA)美侖美奐的第五航站27日在倫敦希斯洛機場啟用以來，至少已有1萬5000 件行李「迷航」，英航被迫取消將近250個航班，而且混亂局面還會延續一陣子。

英航29日表示，他們正努力讓1萬5000件的行李和他們的主人「重逢」，但英國廣播公司 (BBC)引述匿名的消息人士的話說，真實的數字可能多達2萬件，而且需要好幾周的時間才能料理清楚。

英航表示，31日從第五航站出發的約13%短程與歐洲航班將遭取消，4月1日取消的航班也差不多是這個數字。

亂！近250個航班取消

英航29日取消66個航班，30日還有37個班次將停飛，總計自27日啟用以來，因為電腦當機導致行李處理作業大亂而取消的班機，已將近250個航班。

希斯洛機場因為運量龐大，設施又嫌不足，長期來一直承受嚴苛的批評，英航原本期待斥資86億美元興建的新航站能紓解壅塞的情況，不料竟演變成一場公關災難，並可能帶來重大的財務麻煩。

亂！禁電視拍攝防尷尬

國際媒體三天來都爭相刊出航站堆積如山的迷航行李照片，很多旅客上了飛機後，行李並未跟著登機；有的則是下了飛機後，找不到行李，並在久候不至後，氣得先行離去。英航最後索性禁止BBC與其他電視台攝影，以免製造更多尷尬局面。"

Chaos continues at Heathrow Airport's new terminal

Thousands of travellers using Heathrow airport's brand new Terminal
5 faced a second day of chaos on Friday, with further delays,
cancellations and lost luggage. British Airways, the only airline to
use the ultra-modern terminal, said it planned to operate 80 per
cent of flights despite experiencing massive problems with its
baggage-handling system. Of the 20 per cent of flights that were
cancelled Friday morning, all of them were domestic or short-haul
European flights. On Thursday, the new terminal's inauguration was
marked with 34 cancelled flights and hour-long delays. Terminal 5 is
the first addition to Heathrow in 20 years and cost 5.6 billion
euros.

bbc 法國總統薩爾科齊訪英，成為了英國各大小報章的頭條新聞，中國的奧運與西藏問題除了出現在《金融時報》的頭版之外，都被其他報章收進了內頁。

充斥著今天各報章頭版的都是薩爾科齊的意大利超級模特妻子布魯尼的圖片。要不是凸現布魯尼的服裝，就是她的服飾配襯，還有把她與英國女王作比較。

《獨立報》以足球作比喻，頭版圖片配題說："法國勝英國1比0（不光是足球）"。副題說："布魯尼昨天在法國總統的國事訪問中展示了俏麗的鞋子"。

《獨立報》稱薩爾科齊為"花俏的總統"，又觀察到他的身材短矮。

《太陽報》刊登了薩爾科齊和妻子一起時候的腿部特寫，說明薩爾科齊穿了一雙高跟鞋，而身材高挑的布魯尼則穿上平底鞋，以免顯得比丈夫高很多。

布魯尼（中）吸引了英國人的目光

《泰晤士報》評論布魯尼的服飾時說："部分像傑奎琳﹒奧納西斯﹔部分像醫院護士"。

《衛報》則說布魯尼是"兩份傑奎琳﹒奧納西斯﹔一份中學女生"。該報形容布魯尼的服飾格外低調、保守，正是受到裸照困擾的 布魯尼的最適合裝扮。《衛報》說，布魯尼的服飾唯一一點問題是她選了一個經典的黑色手提包，與東道主英國女王的皮包式樣相近。該報說，英國女王遠為時髦。

《衛報》又評論薩爾科齊的高跟鞋，說鞋跟的高度幾可與英國女王的高跟鞋匹敵，肯定打破了男性鞋跟不高於三厘米的界限。

《每日電訊報》的標題是："薩爾科齊試圖吸引我們，但是人人都愛布魯尼"。

Sarkozy Visits, and Britain Falls for His Wife

By ALAN COWELL 8:47 PM ET

In the British press, Carla Bruni, the model-turned-singer and first lady of France, upstaged efforts by her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, to woo their hosts in London.

French First Lady More Than Tames British Press

By ALAN COWELL

Published: March 28, 2008

LONDON — Was she the new Kennedy-Onassis or a reborn Diana? With her flat Dior pumps and calf-length gray overcoat, was she a high school student on vacation, or, as one columnist asked, “Jackie O dressed as a nun”?

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Max Nash/Associated Press

President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, in London on Thursday.

Kieran Doherty/Reuters

Carla Bruni, left, and Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle during Ms. Bruni's visit to England on Wednesday.

After appearances with members of the British royal family, in Parliament and at a state dinner — with different Christian Dior outfits for each — Carla Bruni, the 40-year-old model-turned-singer and first lady of France emerged Thursday as the star of the visit, supplanting affairs of state with an affaire d’amour among British newspaper reporters wistfully competing for the fondest paean of praise.

If her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, had come here to woo his British hosts with a flattering speech to Parliament — compared by one writer to a “torrent of crème Chantilly sprayed from a high-pressure hose” — then his wife’s slender frame and twinkling eyes upstaged his effort to achieve gravitas.

“Nicolas Sarkozy’s seduction of the British started yesterday at 11:26 a.m. when his plane landed at Heathrow,” Andrew Gimson wrote for Thursday’s Daily Telegraph. “He brought with him his latest conquest, Carla Bruni, and many of us decided at once that if we were going to be seduced by anyone, we would rather be seduced by her.”

The overnight visit — with a stay under one of Queen Elizabeth’s many roofs at Windsor Castle — was intended in part to draw France and Britain much closer after centuries of seesawing relationships.

Indeed, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, said Thursday that he wanted to update the 104-year-old “Entente Cordiale” between the countries with an “Entente Formidable.”

But if anyone was going to manage that, it seemed to be Ms. Bruni, who spent Thursday visiting with the prime minister’s wife, Sarah, at a charity lunch, while their spouses visited the Emirates soccer stadium in north London, home to the Arsenal club, whose manager and some of whose top players are French.

The new romance began to bud within seconds of her arrival.

As she stepped from the plane on Wednesday, a gallant Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, took her gloved hand and raised it to his lips. “Enchanté,” the tabloid The Sun had him saying in a photo doctored with cartoon bubbles of imagined conversation that showed Charles’s wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, murmuring, “Easy, tiger.”

Then Ms. Bruni was photographed beaming with Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, as Mr. Sarkozy looked on uneasily.

Among columnists, royal-watchers and exponents of hyperbole, it was a race for the most cloying of verbal cotton candy. Amanda Platell of The Daily Mail struck a more skeptical note, describing Ms. Bruni’s curtsey to the queen as the most calculated act of homage to a British monarch since Anne Boleyn bowed to Henry VIII.

The fuss over Ms. Bruni could not cloak fissures in what was choreographed as a bonding between the nations, with the sharpest distinction in their responses to China’s crackdown on unrest among Tibetans. Mr. Brown insisted that Britain would not boycott the opening ceremonies of this summer’s Beijing Olympics. But Mr. Sarkozy said he would “reserve the right to say whether I will attend.”

Anglo-Saxon attitudes Britain and America

Britain and America

Anglo-Saxon attitudes

Mar 27th 2008
From Economist.com

A poll that we commissioned suggests that Britain and America may have less in common than is widely assumed

Illustration by David Simonds

TO TURN over the supposed Anglo-American common ground carefully, The Economist commissioned pollsters at YouGov in Britain and Polimetrix in America—supported by additional funds from the Hoover Institution, a California think-tank—to find out what people in both places thought about a number of social, political and economic matters. A thousand people in each country were consulted between March 7th and 11th. Broadly, the differences between the two countries look more striking than the similarities.

Like most west Europeans, Britons tend to have more left-wing views than Americans, but the first chart shows that this is often by a surprising margin. (“Left” and “right” are harder to locate than they were: here “left” implies a big-state, secular, socially liberal, internationalist and green outlook; right, the reverse.) The data are derived by subtracting left-wing answers from right-wing ones, for each country and for each main political grouping within each country. A net minus rating suggests predominantly left-wing views and a positive rating suggests a preponderance of right-wing views.

The gap between Britain and America is widest on religion: even British Conservatives are a great deal more secular than American Democrats are. The two are a bit closer on social values (abortion, homosexuality and so forth), and they overlap on ideology (mainly, how active the state should be), with Britain’s Tories to the right of America’s Democrats.

They overlap again on how free their countries should be to intervene militarily (both the Tories and Labour are more hawkish than the Democrats). Britons are more international than the Americans, keener on free trade and globalisation. Views coincide most nearly on climate change—ironically, the area where the two governments have been least in step.

On five of the six groups of issues selected, American opinion is far more polarised than British (only nationalism seems to unite America’s left and right). Gone are the days when it was British politics that embraced political extremes and Americans looked on bemused. The gap between Republicans and Democrats is almost always far greater than that between Tories and (usually) Liberal Democrats. Lib Dem supporters are to the left of Labour on every broad category except the role of the state.

Such nuggets abound. Americans have a wider anti-big-business streak. Britons are cooler on multiculturalism. Britons are more willing than Americans to curb civil liberties in pursuit of security. Americans are less keen not only on the United Nations but also on NATO—and more enthusiastic about the “special relationship” with Britain. If the British could choose their leader from a host of recent Anglo-American greats, they would pick Bill Clinton before Tony Blair. So would Americans, even if they may turn down his wife. Of the current presidential candidates, British Tories would vote for Barack Obama; Labour supporters prefer Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin.

People in both places are worried about the economic future but still bullish on chances for bright kids from poor families. They feel much the same about the death penalty: they are broadly against it. Neither group is conspicuously thrilled by the idea of a Muslim president or prime minister.

Do the differences we found matter? They might, for the world order is changing and its components are up for review. Few agree on the nature, let alone the future, of the special relationship between Britain and America. For much of the past half-century Britain and America have mostly presented a common front on security and foreign affairs and more besides.

No British premier bet more heavily on the special relationship than Mr Blair. He paid a heavy price for committing British troops to Iraq alongside Mr Bush’s, losing popularity at home and influence in Europe.

Walter Russell Mead, an American observer of foreign affairs, maintains that America and Britain act together so often not because they set out deliberately to do so but because they frequently reach similar conclusions on their own. “The family resemblance is so strong that even our most casual acquaintances can see that we are related,” he writes in “God and Gold”, a good recent book.

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Some sort of Anglo-Saxon particularity appears to exist; and complacent, even triumphant, America and Britain have urged on the rest of the world their own prescriptions: lightly-regulated capitalism red in tooth and claw at home, and military intervention where needed to promote democracy around the world. Both seem rather less than winning strategies these days.

What next for the Anglo-Saxon alliance? In their fundamental attitudes—regarding religion, society, the role of the state—Britons are more similar to their western European neighbours (and Canadians) than they are to the United States. In foreign affairs and security matters, however, they usually stand somewhere between the two. Even though use of the term is said to be discouraged at the British Embassy in Washington, it is certainly too soon to write off the special relationship.

Two research outfits in Washington, DC, the Pew Research Centre and the German Marshall Fund, conduct regular surveys on global attitudes. Andrew Kohut, the president of the Pew Research Centre, points out that, although enthusiasm for America has slipped since 2000, a majority of people in Britain, unlike those in the rest of the big countries in his survey, still give America a favourable rating overall: 51%, compared with 39% of French people and 30% of Germans. Americans are far warmer towards Britons (and Canadians) than towards their other allies.

In polling for its 2007 Transatlantic Trends report, the German Marshall Fund found that whereas 74% of Americans believed that war is sometimes necessary to obtain justice, around 66% of Europeans thought the opposite. Britain echoed America: 59% agreed that military action may be justified in such circumstances.

But John K. Glenn, who heads the project, believes that America and Europe are nonetheless converging on some issues, principally on the threats that face them. Europeans are more alarmed than they were about Islamist fundamentalism, for example, and America is waking up to global warming.

Bluebells

2008 Bluebell survey launches

Bluebells have been voted Britain's favourite flower, but the native species may be under threat. Join our survey and help scientists learn more about the distribution of the three types of bluebell that grow in the UK.


n. - 藍鐘花, 風鈴草

蓝铃花早开与气候变暖
林间盛开的蓝铃花是英国春天的象征之一 在 英国，蓝铃花（Bluebells）盛开一般都在寒冬已经完全过去，明媚的春日已经到来。到郊外赏蓝铃花是不少爱花的英国人春天不可缺少的户外活动。可 是，蓝铃花现在比通常提早近两个月在寒冬仍未过去时开放。专家说，这再次提醒人们，气候变暖带来的变化体现在身边的一草一木。 蓝铃花遍布英国各地郊野。通常从4月初到5月底，林间的草地上，成千上万的蓝铃花连成一片，像是给森林铺上了蓝色的地毯。蓝铃花成了英国春天的象征和标志之一。 然而，今年2月底，在英格兰的多塞特郡（Dorset）、萨里郡（Surrey）还有威尔士的部分地区，蓝铃花都已经迎风怒放。 专家说，连续的暖冬和有纪录以来阳光最充足的2月促使蓝铃花提早开放。 英 国自然历史博物馆（Natural History Museum）的英国植物专家马克•斯潘塞（Mark Spencer）说，：“2月份是我们所知道的蓝铃花开放最早的。我们不知道英国蓝铃花的未来会怎样；气候变化可能会给蓝铃花带来严重的威胁。要了解自然 界的变化，我们需要每一个人的帮助。” 蓝铃花的未来 西班牙蓝铃花反客为主 植物保护组织已经号召志愿者参与蓝铃花分布情况的调查，记录在居住地区见到的不同的蓝铃花。 目前，英国的植物专家除了担忧气候变化对蓝铃花的生长周期构成影响之外也同时关注担忧英国土生的蓝铃花的未来。 专家说，英国土生的蓝铃花正在被西班牙蓝铃花取而代之。 西班牙蓝铃花是200多年前由花匠引种到英国的。之后，西班牙蓝铃花迅速在英国的林地田间蔓延。 英国蓝铃花花梗弯曲，花色更蓝，显得更精致。西班牙蓝铃花则显得壮硕，花梗直挺挺的。 可是，西班牙蓝铃花的繁殖力强，而且容易与其它类似品种杂交，因此，专家担忧英国蓝铃花将好像英国的红松鼠一样面临逐渐被淘汰的命运；红松鼠受到来自美国的灰松鼠的威胁，现在在英国已经成为比较稀有的品种，其生活范围也日渐缩小。 一些学者已经发起活动，鼓励人们协助保护现存的英国蓝铃花，并减少在自己的花园中种植西班牙蓝铃花。

Dame Black's review on the Working for Health

• Read Dame Black's review on the Working for Health website (opens new window)

• 英國政府最新報告統計，英國經濟每年因國民的健康問題損失超過1000億英鎊。

  這一數據是由英國政府勞動健康部門負責人布萊克提出的。

  據統計，英國每年因國民健康問題損失1030億英鎊，其中630億英鎊是給因病無法工作的人發放的福利補貼和因他們無法工作政府少收入的稅款。

  另外的40億英鎊則是家人以及朋友因照顧病人而誤工或者無法工作而造成的經濟損失等。

  布萊克領導的專家小組提出報告，就如何保持英國勞動人口的健康以及如何幫助因病無法工作的人重返工作崗位提出建議。

  提議包括希望英國家庭醫生不是給病人開"病假單"而是"健康單"，在雇員因病無法繼續其日常工作的情況下向雇主建議其健康狀況可以允許其進行的其他工作。

  英國衛生大臣約翰遜在上星期已經就此作出介紹。

  病假單意味著病人可以不必工作，而在一定時期內雇主無權因此解雇員工。

  但英國政府擔心英國部分人群因此陷入誤區，從此放棄工作，終生依賴政府福利生活。

  布萊克指出英國已經出現部分家庭連續幾代人都依賴政府福利生活的現象。

  英國兩大主要政黨工黨和保守黨都希望減少英國申領病殘福利的人數，但醫療界則反對成為當局達成此目的的工具。

  
  

"Nota Bene"

Nota Bene is a Latin phrase meaning "Note Well," coming from notâre—to note. It is in the singular imperative mood, instructing one individual to note well the matter at hand. (The pluralis form is notate bene.)

In present day English, it is used to draw the attention of the reader to a certain (side) aspect or detail of the subject on hand, translating it as "pay attention" or "take notice". It is often written in the abbreviated form: N.B.

no holds barred

EuroVox | 17.03.2008 | 05:30

For Elite Travelers, Even the Best Isn’t Always Up to Par

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The bible for luxurious travel

Most people buy a travel guide at a local bookstore before going on a trip. But what do discerning and exclusive travelers, for whom five star hotels are the norm, do?

Many turn to "Nota Bene" for advice -- a members-only destination review service from Great Britain. A 12-month, 10-issue subscription can cost upwards of 650 euros.

But what they get for their money is a no-holds-barred critique of the creme de la creme of the travel world: which hotel rooms have mismatched carpeting, which the best view and whom to trust on staff to mend a perfect hem.

EuroVox speaks with "Nota Bene" founder Anthony Lassman.

Amazing Rare Things:The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery

Amazing Rare Things:The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace 2008

"Bloomsbury Group".

我再看到千頁的傳記"Lytton Strachey", Michael Holroyd，眼睛一亮，一直猶疑買它會不會讀……）。後來陸續十位。他接到晚上十來位預訂，很高興。

180元的套餐當然乏味可陳。不過配菜是"Lytton Strachey", 很可觀：我讀些他老年的故事和書，以及他們夫婦如何「死去」（夫人數周後舉槍自盡）。

我沒想到該公司做簡報presentation的十年元老--是我二十幾年前電子所的"部屬" 楊先生的女兒。數周前吳董說他已仙逝多年（如果猶在，現在八十幾。當年他被某spin-off單位放單，我負責利用他到”退休；我待他很客氣，還派他出差日本，他高興極了…..）......

Irene 來電郵更正：

「"Lytton Strachey", .....以及他們夫婦如何「死去」（夫人數周後舉槍自盡）。

>> Strachey並沒有結婚～他是和British artist Dora Carrington同居很長一段時間（直到Strachey辭世），但他們卻也各自與別人發展出一段段的戀情。Carrington後來和Ralph Partridge結婚，但大多時間仍是和Strachey在一起，多年來深受Strachey同性戀傾向的折磨。Strachey在1932年死於胃癌，Carrington因受不了這打擊而舉槍自盡。

我看過"Carrington" (1995，此地翻成「玻璃情人」) 這部電影，對於Emma Thompson所飾演的Carrington印象深刻。」

Bloomsbury, Elysian Fields

They remained, as the saying goes, friends. In fact, Strachey dedicated "Queen Victoria" to Virginia Woolf in 1921, nearly a decade after she had married Leonard Woolf. And their sporadic correspondence, now published as "Virginia Woolf and Lytton Strachey Letters," has been edited by - you guessed it? - Leonard Woolf and James Strachey.

Let us hope a copy of this book reaches Mrs. Woolf and Mr. Strachey in the Elysian Fields. They'll have as much fun reading it as we do, and they'll probably laugh over it more uproariously than will surviving Bloomsburians or earnest members of the cult, the Bloomsberries, on pious pilgrimage through its pages.

December 29, 1956 Books of the Times By CHARLES POORE

著名的英國文藝圈 參考
Wikipedia article "Bloomsbury Group".
因交遊以位於 倫敦區 :Bloomsbury (blūmz'bĕr'ē, -bə-rē, -brē) 得名:A residential district of north-central London, England, made famous by its association with an influential group of writers, artists, and intellectuals, including Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and John Maynard Keynes, in the early 20th century.


James Beaumont Strachey (1887 – 1967) 為 Lytton Strachey弟弟 Wikipedia article "James Strachey".

LONDON CONFIRMED AS GLOBAL CULTURAL LEADER

It has long been a boast of pundits and politicians but now it has been backed up by hard evidence – London has emerged as the world's most culturally vibrant city.

A report comparing London's cultural attractions with those of New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo shows that the British capital is ahead of the rest in virtually all categories.

It has more national museums, more musical performances and venues, more public art galleries and more major theatres than all its competitors, the report by the London Development Agency has found.

Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, said it was London's cultural pre-eminence that made it a great world city. “Nobody comes to London to visit its bankers. Cities are not remembered for their economies, but for what they achieve culturally,” he said at the report's launch yesterday.

Mr Livingstone also announced a new £1.4m fund for organisations to develop new cultural projects in the build-up to the 2012 Olympic Games. 底下中文翻譯"一只"怪異 build-up翻譯"面向"錯誤

2008年3月12日 星期三

评论人士和政客们吹嘘伦敦的人文景观已有多年，现在他们得到了“铁证”支持：伦敦是世界上最具文化活力的城市。 一份报告显示，与纽约、巴黎、上海和东京的文化魅力相比，英国首都伦敦几乎在所有领域都处于领先地位。 伦敦发展署(London Development Agency)报告发现，与其它所有对手相比，伦敦拥有更多的国立博物馆、更多的音乐演出和音乐场所、更多的公共美术馆以及更多的大型剧场。

伦敦市长肯·利文斯通(Ken Livingstone)表示，正是伦敦的文化优势，才使其成为一个了不起的世界都市。“没有人到伦敦来访问这里的银行家。城市让人怀念之处，不在于它们的经济，而在于它们的文化成就，”他在该报告昨日发布之际表示。

利文斯通还宣布一只140万英镑的新基金，用于资助各机构面向2012年奥运会开发新的文化项目。

译者/何黎

Coming of age ? When?

Coming of age

You'll be a man, my son

Mar 6th 2008
From The Economist print edition

But it's not clear precisely when

AT WHAT age does adulthood begin? In Britain, as in most countries, it comes in dribs and drabs: school becomes optional at the age of 16; driving lessons can begin at 17, and at 18 people are freed to drink, gamble and vote (in roughly that order of priority).

The long march to maturity is being pushed back. In October cigarettes were plucked from the hands of 16-year-olds, who must now wait another two years for their first legal puff. The following month ministers unveiled plans to keep teenagers in school or part-time training until they are 18. And on March 4th, as part of a package of curbs on binge-drinking, the government launched a crusade against under-age drunkenness. Shops and bars caught serving under-18s will get one warning before losing their licence, rather than two, and minors caught furtively boozing will be sent with their parents to meet a social worker. Some suspect that next week's budget will ramp up tax on child-friendly tipples such as cider.

It is not surprising that the current government, which has made child poverty a focus for many years, should be keen to protect youngsters from the evils of tobacco, alcohol and employment. There is also widespread worry among voters about the national loss of (possibly mythical) childhood innocence. Serious violence committed by, and against, teenagers appears to be rising; last year a UN report labelled Britain the worst place in the rich world to be a child, based on exposure to drugs, violence and other nastiness. Growing up more slowly might be the answer.

But there are other areas where Britain is determined that its children grow up quickly. The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is ten, trailing most of Europe, where usually only those aged 14 or 16 can be prosecuted. Britain's jails have a higher proportion of prisoners under 21 than any in Europe apart from Ireland's. And their numbers are rising, thanks to harsher treatment of petty anti-social behaviour and teenage enterprises such as phone theft.

That is depressing. But there is a more optimistic approach to treating children like adults: giving them the vote. Julie Morgan, a Labour MP who has put forward a private bill enfranchising 16-year-olds, argues that it is a good way to engage disenchanted teenagers who, in any case, pay reasonable sums of tax to the exchequer. The low turnout among 18-year-olds is actually an argument in favour of extending the franchise, she says: children will pick up the voting habit while they are still at school, having their compulsory citizenship lessons. The government has begun a review of the subject, which insiders say will go nowhere. But the enthusiasm of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments (who are in favour, but unable to act without London's consent) will add some pressure.

With children being pulled towards both early adulthood and prolonged childhood, there might be room for more variation. On drinking, for example, some European countries allow younger teenagers beer and wine, keeping them off the strong stuff until they are older. The Tories recently floated the idea of postponing the right to drive for teenagers who misbehave. Or perhaps the opposite is true: teenagers might better understand the rights and responsibilities of adulthood if they were granted them all on one solemn date. A secular bar mitzvah such as this would at least clear up some inconsistencies in the current system. What sort of country allows you to have a child before you can have a tattoo?

"NEWS" BBC

《泰晤士報》引述一名警察稱，如今英國的中產階級已經開始接受吸食可卡因的行為，就像上一代人接受大麻一樣。這名警察承認他們在打擊毒品問題上正節節敗退。

BBC 主办的伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会已经有100多年的历史了，成为英国文化生活重要的组成部分，也是世界上最令人瞩目的古典音乐节之一。100多年前，亨利•
伍德爵士（Sir Henry Wood）创办这个古典音乐节的宗旨，就是以一流的演出和低廉的票价，向大众普及古典音乐。

伦敦逍遥音乐会面向世界

随 着大众传媒的发展，伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会通过电视、电台和互联网传向世界各地。我作为BBC中文部音乐节目主持人，自2004年以来，已经连续四年，每年夏 天都到皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅（Royal Albert Hall）现场实况转播几场音乐会，把伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会带给中国，以及世界各地的华人听众。

伦敦的夏天本来就很宜人，由于逍遥音乐会，对我以及很多乐迷来说，就更加迷人了。

夏 季逍遥音乐会持续两个月之久，而最后一场音乐会充满了英国人，或者更准确地说 – 英格兰人的爱国激情。在这场音乐会上，传统上一定要演奏充满英格兰人爱国热情的乐曲，必演的是英国作曲家爱德华•艾尔加爵士（Sir Edward Elgar）的《希望和荣耀的土地》（Land of Hope and Glory）和《威仪堂堂进行曲》（Pomp and Circumstance）等。

的确，如果你是外国人，甚至是苏格兰人，或威尔士人，出席最后一场夏季逍遥音乐会都会感到有点不自在。

文化次官一番话

	文化次官霍治批评夏季逍遥音乐会观众面太窄

离夏天还有好几个月呢，怎么现在提起夏季逍遥音乐会的话题了呢？ 原因是英国文化部次官玛格利特•霍治（Margaret Hodge）刚发表一番讲话，谈到英国的文化活动应当有更加广泛的代表性，帮助英国多元社会发展一种共同的文化价值观。

霍治表扬了一些体现多元文化的艺术作品和机构，例如巨型雕塑《北方天使》（the Angel of the North）、大英博物馆（the British Museum），还有电视连续剧《摄政王街》（Coronation Street）等。

但在这番讲话中，霍治批评了伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会，说这个音乐节观众面太狭窄。她说：“特别是伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会，距离反映更广泛和多元文化背景的音乐还差得很远。令很多人感到不舒服。”

她说，有些文化活动可以使一些人感到骄傲，但却可能使另外一些人感到孤立，甚至感到受到冒犯。

“逍遥音乐会是伦敦夏天最美好的一部分”

也许文化次官的这番话不无道理。但是，她去年夏天说了另一番话，同样是谈及伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会。她在公开发表的一篇日记里这样说：

	去年伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会观众人数破纪录

“星 期一，我去皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅听丹尼尔•巴伦波伊姆指挥的维也纳交响乐团演奏舒伯特的第五交响曲和布鲁克纳的第四交响曲。这是一场美妙绝伦的音乐会。再一 次显示了伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会是一个多么出类拔萃的音乐节。人们对每年最后一场逍遥音乐会提出各种批评，但是对我来说，整个夏季逍遥音乐会才是最重要的。它 是伦敦夏天最美好的一部分。”

自相矛盾，不是吗？

文化次官有关夏季逍遥音乐会的批评在英国媒体间引发了争论。英国首相府也已经表态。

首相发言人表示，他们其实是支持夏季逍遥音乐会的。发言人同时声称，这些音乐会是民主的，而且足以反映英国文化本质。

无论如何，去年的伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会吸引的观众人数创下纪录，门票出售量增加了5%。今年，我们将迎来第114届伦敦夏季逍遥音乐会。我希望到时候，能再次前往皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅，为世界各地的华人听友现场实况转播几场精彩的音乐会。

57岁的麦克尼科尔本来在一家废料回收作坊工作。在2005年11月的一次爆炸意外中，液态铝溅泼到他的双眼，令他丧失视力。

爱尔兰的医院的医生说，他们对此无能为力。麦克尼科尔说，他担心他将会失明终生。不过，他后来得知有一种“骨齿人工角膜手术”（Osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis，OOKP）可能可以帮助他恢复视力。

英国东萨塞克斯郡（East Sussex）的萨塞克斯眼科医院（Sussex Eye Hospital）是可以进行这种手术的医院之一。

osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis

os·te·o-o·don·to-ker·a·to·pros·the·sis [ òstee ō ə dòntō kèrrətō pros thssiss ] (plural os·te·o-odon·to-ker·a·to·pros·the·ses [ òstee ō ə dòntō kèrrətō pros th sz ]) noun Definition: implanted corneal lens: a plastic lens cemented into a section of decalcified tooth that is then stitched into an opening cut in a totally opaque cornea to restore vision. The lens may be implanted after normal corneal grafting has failed.

Design London Peter Doig

• Design London
• Peter Doig