2011年4月29日 星期五

Rising tuition fees boost private universities in the UK

Rising tuition fees boost private universities in the UK

With tuition fees set to treble at most British universities from 2012,
suddenly a private degree could be a cheaper option. And with more contact
hours, you could possibly get a better education.

----


Education | 27.04.2011

Rising tuition fees boost private universities in the UK

With tuition fees set to treble at most British universities from 2012, suddenly a private degree could be a cheaper option. And with more contact hours, you could possibly get a better education.

With the UK government tightening its purse strings to tame a yawning budget deficit, hundreds of thousands of British students are set to begin amassing as much 27,000 pounds (30,000 euros, $44,000) in debt due to higher tuition fees of up to 11,000 pounds. From next year, they are likely to graduate owing three times as much as current students.

Some students are therefore opting to go to a private university, which could now very well be a cheaper option.

It is still an up-and-coming sector in Britain. Unlike in Germany, where almost a quarter of universities are privately run, the UK has just two institutions that don't rely on public funding for their survival.

The two-year degree

The University of Buckingham, which opened in 1976, offers a three-year undergraduate degree in just 24 months, which could work out much less expensive. By reducing the number of holidays to 12 weeks, the institution fits in an extra study term every year.

"Our view is that the long summer, Christmas and Easter holidays are actually disruptive. I think that most students would benefit from our system, where you don't have a summer holiday," Vice Chancellor Terence Kealey told Deutsche Welle.

BPP CollegeBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: BPP College is one of two private universities in the UK

He insists a two-year degree is not a gimmick. "Basically, you're here to work for two years. We think it's a better educational experience."

When students stay at their campus - 100 kilometers (60 miles) north-west of London for just two years - they reduce their living costs by a year. They could also get an extra 12 months' salary from starting work early, making private universities like Buckingham a lot more attractive than they used to be.

The university claims that students don't study any less and the curriculum is not rushed. "We have between eight and nine contact hours a week. Everyone knows that even the best universities in Britain are only giving three to four contact hours a week," Kealey said.

"Practically no university today has one on one, two on one or three on one tutorials. We have a very, very active tutorial program at Buckingham where students are taught in small groups," he explained.

As a private college that is run like a charity, Buckingham misses out on much of the public funding awarded to traditional British universities. However, in a recent university league table published by The Times newspaper, it came 27th out of 115 UK institutions. Its law and business degrees are regularly ranked higher still.

A national University?

Recently, Buckingham was joined by a second private institution, which has now been given permission to grant undergraduate degrees. BPP began as an accountancy training ground in the 1970s but has since moved into law and business programs. BPP, unlike Buckingham, is a profit-making business with a practical approach.

Buckingham Mill, UKBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Buckingham Mill has been converted into student facilities

"We are mainly professionals teaching other professionals. So I've been a practicing lawyer and I teach my practicing area," BPP's chief executive Carl Lygo explained.

"Often in the publicly maintained universities, you get research-focused academics who are teaching but who have never practiced. And there is a bit of a disconnect."

With centers all over Britain, BPP is offering law and business degrees for less than 4,000 euros ($5,800) a year. They claim their degrees charge some of the lowest fees of any university in the UK.

No more protection from market forces

Private universities warn that the publicly funded institutions are in for a real shock once the increase in tuition fees begins next year.

"The rest of the sector is going to be exposed to the kind of issues that BPP has always been exposed to. If you are not delivering high enough quality, your customers don't come back," Lygo said, adding that he expects that other private companies will start investing in higher education.

"I suspect that the private sector will move in and offer an alternative that is career-focused and of high quality but is not investing in the leafy campuses, the swimming pools and the sports facilities."

Buckingham Church, UKBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Buckingham Church now belongs to the university

But vice chancellors at many publicly funded universities argue that it is private institutions that will be able to "cherry pick" the most lucrative degrees.

Some say that an increase in private sector education in the US led to a reduction in standards.

The business impact

The real test of private universities' success will surely be with students and employers.

BPP says that major law firms and the big four accountancy companies regularly choose them to train their employees.

Meanwhile, a recent university league table published by The Guardian daily shows that graduates from the University of Buckingham have higher job prospects than students from Oxford and Cambridge.

Similarly Buckingham comes out high in student satisfaction reports.

BPP say there's room for more private sector universities to train young people in programs that can help their careers. "A third of students leaving university in the UK wished they'd studied something that was more career-focused. And that is a shocking indictment of our education system," according to Carl Lygo.

"The UK is below the OECD average in terms of the numbers of graduates that it is producing. So we're clearly not doing as well as other countries in the developed world."

Author: Nik Martin
Editor: Nicole Goebel

2011年4月28日 星期四

Knights of the Garter/Millennium Dome/Auld Lang Syne

Order of the Garter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



英國王室的一名發言人說,不邀請前首相布萊爾和布朗參加周五英國威廉王子婚禮僅是出於「禮儀」的原因。 該名發言人說,布萊爾和布朗沒有得到英國最高的勛位——嘉德勛位。 前保守黨領袖和前首相撒切爾夫人和梅傑都受到邀請,二人都被授予嘉德勛位。
----
英國威廉王子與凱的婚禮,定本周五(29日)舉行。但工黨的兩名前首相布萊爾與布朗都未獲邀。保守黨前首相梅傑與柴契爾夫人卻收到了請帖,引發厚此薄彼的爭議。

柴契爾夫人以健康狀况為由婉拒邀請。梅傑已答應出席。王室發言人表示,布萊爾與布朗並未獲得嘉德騎士(Knights of the Garter)勛銜,因此未獲邀,但工黨議員認為兩人未獲邀參加這一「偉大英國盛事」,是讓人意外且異乎尋常的。

1981年查理王子與黛妃結婚時,當時所有在世的前首相都有獲邀出席婚禮。

《每日電訊報》指出,布萊爾擔任首相的10年間,與王室的關係緊張。部分原因是他跟黛妃關係密切,讓女王身邊的人不悅。布萊爾初見黛安娜時,即覺得個性相投,他在回憶錄說:「正當我們(工黨)改變英國形象時,她(黛妃)也正在顛覆固有的帝國(形象)」。

布萊爾與王室關係跌入谷底是在2002年。當時首相府被指試圖強硬介入安排王太后葬禮事宜,以突顯時任首相布萊爾的角色。布萊爾對此事一直否認,但在回憶錄中承認這件事留下「苦澀」的回憶。

另外,布萊爾夫人雪莉亦曾拒絕向王室成員行屈膝禮。布茶爾密友相信,王室覺得布萊爾目中無人,曾試圖透過傳媒挫挫他的威風。

布萊爾在回憶錄中也透露了他一次對女王「不敬」的經歷,那是千禧年時兩人一同出席千禧宮(Millennium Dome)*活動同唱「友誼萬歲」(Auld Lang Syne)**時,自己曾為是否要跟女王「牽手」而煩惱(王室對觸碰女王有嚴格限制),其後他決定伸橫雙手,讓女王決定是否牽手,最後女王伸出一隻手回應。

布朗夫婦與王室的關係雖然緩和許多,但也變得更官式化,沒有太多私交。


*千禧巨蛋Millennium Dome、有時簡稱為The Dome)位於英國倫敦,是為了慶祝進入第3個千禧年而建造的,於2000年開幕,是由英國建築師理察·羅傑斯所設計的。

**

友誼萬歲》(低地蘇格蘭語Auld Lang Syne)是一首非常出名的詩歌,原文用蘇格蘭語寫作,意思是逝去已久的日子。Auld Lang Syne是18世紀蘇格蘭詩人羅伯特·伯恩斯(Robert Burns)據當地父老口傳錄下的。這首詩後來被譜了樂曲,除了原蘇格蘭文外,這首歌亦被多國譜上當地語言,在中國各地普遍稱為「友誼萬歲」、「友誼天長地久」或「驪歌」。中文歌詞有多個版本,許多人通常可以哼出歌曲的旋律。

目錄

[隐藏]

[編輯] 低地蘇格蘭語歌詞

完整歌詞
Burn 的蘇格蘭英語原文[1] 現代低地蘇格蘭語歌詞

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne ?

合唱:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

合唱

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot,
Sin auld lang syne.

合唱

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.

合唱

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
And gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

合唱

Shoud auld acquentance be forgot,
An niver brocht tae mind ?
Shoud auld acquentance be forgot,
An auld lang syne ?

合唱:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

An shuirly ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
An shuirly A’ll be mine !
An we’ll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

合唱

We twa hae rin aboot the braes,
An poud the gowans fine ;
But we’v wandert mony a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

合唱

We twa hae paidelt in the burn,
Frae mornin sun till dine ;
But seas atween us braid hae raired
Sin auld lang syne.

合唱

An thare’s a haund, ma trusty fere !
An gie's a haund o thine !
An we’ll tak a richt guidwilly waucht,
For auld lang syne.

合唱

royal wedding/英國人出走

Overheard: Royal Reality
Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton is the biggest royal occasion since his parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana, wed 30 years ago. Economically speaking, British people should hope it is at least 30 years till the next one. Just as in 1981, the U.K. faces an unemployment problem, high inflation and low consumer confidence. Moreover, household incomes, adjusted for inflation, have fallen over the past year for the first time since, you guessed it, 1981, according to Distinction Asset Management.


At least, soon-to-be Princess Catherine will be shielded many of the realities of contemporary Britain. Not least, according to the OECD, if she were an average British wife, she would spend 83 minutes a day cooking and cleaning, four times as long as William's 21 minutes. Thank goodness for domestic help, eh?




Beware the guillotine as anti-monarchists prepare for the royal wedding

As Britain makes last-minute preparations for Friday's royal wedding,
anti-monarchists from across Europe plan to use the occasion to call for
the abolition of Europe's royal families.

The DW-WORLD.DE Article
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=ewa0w5I44va89pI2



週五﹐當英國人聚集一堂觀看皇家婚禮時﹐觀眾席中將會有一些空位。事實上﹐空位可能會達上百萬個。

Associated Press
週五在倫敦的一個街頭攤位﹐人們在瀏覽皇家婚禮的紀念品。
許多英國人準備利用這個接連四天的週末假期出國度假﹐同時很多外國遊客湧入倫敦準備觀看威廉王子和凱特•米德爾頓(Kate Middleton)的婚禮。旅遊專家說﹐一年中這個時候有這麼多人離開英國還是前所未有的。

據英國旅行社協會(ABTA-The Travel Association)估計﹐大約有350萬人準備出國﹐這大約佔英國總人口的5%。一家名為Thomas Cook的旅行社又另外增加了10萬個度假套餐名額以滿足需求。

英國人既沒有厭棄英國王室﹐也沒有轉向尋求結束英國君主制的共和主義。英國旅行社協會的發言人蒂普頓(Sean Tipton)說﹐這些英國人只是想抓住機會。

去年11月英國政府將今年的4月29日定為全國性假日。由於這個時間距離剛剛過去的復活節剛好一週﹐又在傳統的五一勞動節假期之前﹐許多英國人意識到只要在這周請三天的假就可以湊成長達11天的假期。

民調公司YouGov展開的一項調查發現﹐23%的受訪者正打算這麼做。受旅遊零售商lastminute.com委托而進行的此項調查發現﹐近2,300萬英國人為了利用這新多出來的全國性假日將不會參加王室慶典﹐他們幾乎佔到英國成年人口的一半。

就在英國人紛紛出國的同時﹐大批外國人正湧入英國。在線旅遊公司Expedia說﹐預定在皇室婚禮這段時間到倫敦旅遊的人數﹐是去年同期的三倍多。英國航空公司(British Airways)則表示﹐本週相關慶祝活動開始前將運送超過25萬人到倫敦。

這其中大部分遊客來自美國:Expedia說﹐在倫敦預定酒店觀看婚禮的美國人比英國人多出了三倍。

但湧入的外國遊客並沒有此前估計的那麼多。雖然離皇室婚禮開始只有幾天時間了﹐但旅行社說各類酒店不同價位的房間都非常充裕﹐甚至倫敦市中心的酒店也是如此。

英國酒店業協會(British Hospitality Association)發言人奎斯特(Miles Quest)說﹐生意雖然繁忙﹐但肯定沒有客滿。



英王室婚 流程大綱
2011/04/28 21:06:16

(中央社倫敦28日綜合外電報導)英國威廉王子與愛情長跑多年的新娘凱特‧密道頓明天即將步入禮堂,兩人今天一同表示,訂下婚約以來,受到大家的關愛,他們深為感動。

威廉王子(Prince William)和凱特(KateMiddleton)在婚禮前一天公布流程表,並向各界致上謝意。

婚禮流程表開頭的訊息寫道:「我們很高興你們能夠參與我們,一同慶祝,我們希望這將是我們一生中最快樂的日子。訂婚期間,我們深深地感受到大家的關愛,這讓我們極為感動。」

威廉和凱特婚禮流程、出席賓客、維安、菜單及服飾的相關重點節錄如下:

●婚禮流程

結婚典禮明天上午11時在倫敦市中心的西敏寺(Westminster Abbey)展開。

首批賓客將在早上8點15分後陸續抵達會場,威廉王子將在10時15分現身,女王伊麗莎白二世(QueenElizabeth II)則於10時45分入場。

新娘凱特婚前夜先在白金漢宮(BuckinghamPalace)附近的戈林飯店(Goring)下榻,結婚當天上午10時51分將和父親搭禮車出發前去會場。

婚禮將在中午12時15分結束。新婚的威廉和凱特將乘坐馬車前去白金漢宮。長達15分鐘的遊行路線將先經過國會大廈(Houses of Parliament)和唐寧街(Downing Street),接著沿著墨爾大道(The Mall)來到白金漢宮。當天將有5輛馬車載著王室家族和密道頓家族遊行。

威廉和凱特將在下午1時25分在白金漢宮陽台上露面,可能會在群眾面前擁吻。

約650名賓客獲邀至白金漢宮享用午餐,午宴將持續到下午。

約300名賓客當晚將留下來享用正式晚宴,現場將播放迪斯可音樂。

●賓客

婚禮一共邀請1900名賓客,約40名外國王室成員獲邀,足球金童貝克漢(David Beckham)和歌手艾爾頓強(Elton John)也受邀。就連凱特家鄉巴克伯理(Bucklebury)的酒吧老闆、肉販和郵差也都在賓客名單中。

●維安

倫敦都會區警察局表示,將部署超過5000名員警。雖然警方表示,「沒有任何有關安全威脅的具體情報」,英國恐怖威脅的等級維持在「嚴重」已有1年以上,這意味著,「非常有可能發生」攻擊。

●菜單

婚禮當天的膳食飲品中肯定會有2款蛋糕,其中一個是向知名蛋糕師傅凱恩茲(Fiona Cairns)訂購的水果蛋糕,這款婚禮蛋糕將以16種不同的花卉和葉片做裝飾,其中玫瑰象徵幸福;橡樹和橡實象徵決心和毅力;百合花象徵溫和;長春藤的葉子則象徵婚姻等等。

婚禮蛋糕之後是威廉王子喜愛,也比較樸素的巧克力蛋糕,材料是麥維他糕點公司(McVitie's)著名的茶點餅乾。

●禮服

英國王室婚姻的結婚禮服不僅是國家機密,還是眾人爭相猜測的議題。媒體點名亞歷山大.麥昆時裝公司(Alexander McQueen fashion house)創意總監莎拉‧伯頓(Sarah Burton),說她是被選中的設計師,但該公司否認。

美國「哈芬登郵報」(Huffingtonpost.com)猜測禮服設計師是Libelula旗下英國設計師克蘭斯頓(Sophie Cranston)。「每日郵報」(Daily Mail)則報導,凱特親手設計自己的婚紗。(譯者:中央社林亭儀)1000428






http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=royal%20wedding


白金漢宮相吻 王室婚禮重現
【4/10 21:35】

〔中央社〕1981年黛安娜王妃與查爾斯王子在白金漢宮陽台上的深情相吻,成為王室婚禮經典畫面,29日威廉王子與未婚妻凱特.密道頓結婚後,也將經典重現。

王室婚禮預定29日上午11時在倫敦西敏寺舉行,教堂內約有來自世界各地的2000名賓客,教堂外禮車與馬車行進路線沿約有數十萬民眾圍觀,婚禮儀式約進 行1小時15分鐘,12時15分威廉王子與凱特.密道頓(Kate Middleton)搭乘馬車離開,前往白金漢宮。

下午1點25分,伊麗莎白二世女王伉儷與其他王室成員,將和威廉王子與凱特在陽台上向民眾揮手致意。

一名王室助理向媒體表示,1981年黛安娜與查爾斯王子創先在陽台的深情一吻,令民眾興奮歡呼,1986年安德魯王子與莎拉結婚時,也援例相吻,威廉王子和凱特看過這些照片也了解情況,不會讓期待的圍觀民眾失望。

威廉王子與凱特深情相吻,將是婚禮當天的高潮,之後多架軍機將飛越白金漢宮,表達普天同慶。

媒體報導,威廉王子傳聞中的4位前女友,及凱特的2位前男友,都受邀參加婚禮。

下午1點35分女王將在白金漢宮舉行婚宴,約有700名賓客參加,宮內19個豪華的國宴廳全部開放;晚上7點由查爾斯王子在白金漢宮舉行另一場以家人和友人為主的晚宴。

王室人員表示,參加婚禮的賓客可以攜帶手機進場,但為防止賓客拍照上傳,將要求他們關機,一切必須遵守王室婚禮傳統。

威廉王子與凱特目前同居在北威爾斯安格爾西市(Anglesey),主要因為威廉王子服務的直升機搜救隊單位在這裡,婚後2人大部份時間仍將住在這裡,除了王室必要的公開活動,他們希望能過低調的家庭生活。

他們在倫敦的住處目前仍未決定,可能在白金漢宮(Buckingham Palace)或肯辛頓宮(KensingtonPalace)。

婚禮當天,文化部與倫敦市政府將在倫敦特拉法加廣場(Trafalgar Square)及海德公園,架設大型電視螢幕,讓民眾掌握這場世紀婚禮的實況。(本文附有照片)




***



2011年4月27日 星期三

公誼會;貴格會;教友派

"…….我常說,我要是信徒,不入天主教,便入貴格會。天主教是非常嚴格的,具備各種宗教的儀式貴格會和天主教完全不同,沒有神父,沒有任何儀式。他的教堂都是很簡單甚至破舊的房子,裏面只有木板凳,不像基督教堂那麼講究,有沙發。貴格會會員到後,便低著頭,閉起眼睛默坐,坐一個鐘頭都不說話。有時有些會員偶然站起來說幾句話,說自己得了靈感。…….."

--胡適之先生晚年談話錄 (258-59 1961/12/6)

對貴格的推崇 可參考: 《哲學書簡》伏爾泰




Friends, Society of :公誼會;貴格會;教友派:為基督教派之一支,十七世紀中葉由福克斯( George Fox )成立於英國,反對形式上的宗教,注重所謂「內心之光」。

2011年4月26日 星期二

英國留學自炊式宿舍

我看這一方式 似乎與30年前我在 Essex 大學的類似


英國留學遊學在Sheffield University - 英國雪菲爾大學自炊式宿舍



caption
Student room in Victoria Hall.

研究生自炊式宿舍

歡迎研究生申請本網頁任何宿舍。

但我們建議您特別注意租約期限,有些宿舍為42週,有些為50週。

簡介

雪菲爾大學擁有各種自炊式宿舍,大部份為現代化公寓,少部份為維多利亞時期建築改建而成。

簽下租約後需繳一筆定金,若抵達日在租約開始日後,還必須付第一期的租金以保留房位,否則房位將安排給其他學生。

本校亦與私人擁有的房舍簽約,提供更多的套房及附廚房的套房,房內裝潢類似大學擁有的自炊式房舍,但有一些額外的設備,包括電視、客廳、穿衣鏡等。私人宿 舍通常都提供刀叉餐具、碗盤、熱水壺、炊具等。您需先付款-通常為一筆定金及第一期的租金-以保留房位。

有些宿舍收取網路費-各個宿舍狀況不同(可查看新宿舍的消息)。

最大的好處是彈性,您可以選擇任何時間及地點吃任何想吃的食物。2008年起所有的自炊式宿舍學生可購買餐點卡,不想自己下廚的時候,拿餐點卡即可到The Edge或其他宿舍餐廳用餐。

許多自炊式宿舍離宿舍大樓或學生中心很近,因此學生不會錯過豐富的社交活動。

一般設備

第一年的學生通常被分配到包括5-12個房間的公寓,共用:

  • 廚房/餐廳
  • 衛浴/淋浴

廚房提供爐灶及冰箱等設備,並有熨斗、燙衣板及吸塵器。

宿舍學生支援小組提供大學生活資訊,並協助維持秩序,創造和諧的氣氛,有些組員即住在宿舍內。
房間為單人房,包括:

  • 櫥櫃
  • 書桌
  • 椅子

大部份的宿舍房間內有洗手台。

學生要自備:

  • 棉被
  • 枕頭
  • 床單
  • 餐具
  • 炊具

海外學生可在領取鑰匙處購買特價棉被、枕頭及床單。

租約與租金


大部份的租約為期42週,Broad Lane公寓則提供給研究生50週的租約。

您有機會可延長租期,但我們不能保證仍安排在同一間房間。

2011年4月25日 星期一

誰在乎你倆成婚Brits 'Couldn't Care Less' About the Royal Wedding

'Couldn't Care Less', get a grip, booming Scottish brogue

Brits 'Couldn't Care Less' About the Royal Wedding

Jean Stewart, a 62-year-old retired restaurateur in Arbroath, a town of 20,000 on Scotland's rugged northeast coast, recently dispatched invitations for a ladies' tea party to watch the television coverage of the wedding of Prince William of Wales to Catherine Middleton on April 29. Cakes will be served, a prize for best "fancy hat" awarded and "gossiping will be mandatory." Alex Smith, 56, a gruff, lifelong fisherman and acquaintance of Stewart's, has no such activities in mind. "There's na a thing in the world I'd like to do less than watch that rubbish," he says in a booming Scottish brogue. "This country needs to get a grip."


Royal-wedding souvenirs line a street stall in London, the city where Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry on Friday

Sang Tan / AP

Jean Stewart, a 62-year-old retired restaurateur in Arbroath, a town of 20,000 on Scotland's rugged northeast coast, recently dispatched invitations for a ladies' tea party to watch the television coverage of the wedding of Prince William of Wales to Catherine Middleton on April 29. Cakes will be served, a prize for best "fancy hat" awarded and "gossiping will be mandatory." Alex Smith, 56, a gruff, lifelong fisherman and acquaintance of Stewart's, has no such activities in mind. "There's na a thing in the world I'd like to do less than watch that rubbish," he says in a booming Scottish brogue. "This country needs to get a grip."

Stewart and Smith may have widely divergent views of the entertainment value of the royal wedding, but they share the same attitude toward the monarchy itself. Stewart planned her outfit for the tea party weeks in advance and follows the romance of Wills and Kate in the tabloid press, but she isn't a royalist and has no strong feelings on the importance of the monarchy. Smith may think the ceremony to be ridiculous, but he harbors no desire to oust the royal household from power and is untroubled by the continuation of Queen Elizabeth II as the country's de jure head of state. (See 10 ways Kate and William break the wedding mold.)

Smith and Stewart's views are typical in the U.K., where the royal wedding seems to be widely viewed as entertainment, or a nuisance, but rarely as a serious political event. In a recent poll of 2,000 British adults, 35% said they planned to watch the wedding on television; the same proportion intends to ignore proceedings, and the rest had no specific plans. A separate poll found that 79% of Brits — including those who will watch the event — were either "largely indifferent" or "couldn't care less" about the royal wedding. And although women were twice as likely as men to have made arrangements to watch the wedding, Stewart says many see it as nothing more than an excuse to throw a party.

"It's just a bit of frivolity and fun," Stewart explains. "I don't think anyone takes it seriously."

Well, some do. Republic, a 12,000-strong lobby group that advocates replacing the Queen with an elected head of state, has been pushing its agenda hard in the run-up to the wedding. The group wishes to see the Queen stripped of her remaining "prerogative powers," such as the need for parliamentary bills to have her formal assent before they become law, and her ability to disband the British Parliament and the legislatures of several Commonwealth countries, which her acting Governor General in Australia did in 1975. (See the best royal-wedding souvenirs.)

"It's the best time for us because the wedding draws attention to the monarchy, and the truth is that people in Britain aren't in love with the monarchy. A majority don't hold strong feelings either way, and they can be convinced," says Graham Smith, the campaign manager for Republic.

Maybe, but Brits have a habit of hiding their passion behind a facade of indifference; in the buildup to the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002, which marked 50 years of her reign, commentators speculated that the monarchy had lost touch with Brits following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, but then 1 million people showed up for the celebration. And whatever the polls say, London officials anticipate that hundreds of thousands will line the royal-wedding route in the capital; thousands of street parties have also been planned around the country.


(2 of 2)

So far, the only audible grumbling about the royal wedding outside the republican community has come not from constitutional scholars and politicians but from British businesses. Annual public support for the royal household — which amounts to $66 million each year in subsidies, and as much as $300 million if unpaid taxes and security costs are taken into account — is a long-running source of controversy in the U.K. Royalists say the palace recoups this money by drawing tourists to the country. Republicans counter that no firm data supports that assertion. Indeed, of the top 20 tourist attractions in the U.K., only one royal residence makes the list: Windsor Castle at No. 17, which is beaten comfortably by the nearby Legoland Windsor, which is ranked seventh.

The wedding will not be a cheap affair. The service will be paid for privately by the families of the groom and bride, but the cost of policing the event — which has been estimated between $8 million and $33 million — will come from public coffers. That's a relatively small figure — equivalent to the salary of some top soccer players — but it's nonetheless come under criticism in some of the British media. More significantly, the wedding day itself has been designated a national holiday. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has complained that shutting down the British economy for the day will result in around $10 billion in lost productivity. As the wedding falls close to Easter, consultancy firm RSM Tenon places the entire cost of the country's April holidays at $50 billion, or roughly one-third of the budget for the nation's National Health Service, a significant figure at a time when the country is struggling to recover from financial and economic crises. "This is a fragile time for the economy and we are concerned about the effect this lost productivity will have on our recovery," CBI spokeswoman Sarah Lee says. (See an album of royal weddings past.)

This isn't the first royal wedding in Britain to take place during a period of recovery, however, and some commentators say the ceremony will provide a much needed boost to social capital and national solidarity. When Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten two years after the end of World War II, Winston Churchill called the wedding a "flash of color on the hard road we have to travel." That sentiment has been reflected in Britain's mass-market tabloids, whose daily coverage has fawned over every detail of William and Kate's prenuptial movements and plans. Few stories ever sold more papers in Britain than the life and death of William's mother, Princess Diana, and Britain's press is loath to miss a similar bonanza around William. The BBC plans to assign 200 to 300 journalists to the story, U.S. networks will run prime-time specials, and a variety of foreign broadcast-news channels will carry the event live. "Huge news stories come in many forms," says Helen Boaden, the BBC's director of news. "You have earthquakes, financial crashes and the like, but you also have moments when a nation comes together, and this is one of those moments."

Steven Barnett, a professor of communications at the University of Westminster, isn't so sure. He says the British media are giving the wedding greater attention than it deserves. "It is quite an inexpensive story to cover: it's picture-heavy and can be reported from the office without travel. So it's been an easy story to play big, especially for the papers," he says. But that's not to say that the relentless coverage in the lead-up to the event won't manufacture interest among Brits, and manage to bind the nation to a common — and appealing — narrative. Weddings are ceremonies at once common and momentous in everyday life, and so are occasions when royalty and laity might naturally converge. That Britain's royal family has a history of messy divorces only makes the fairy tale of the handsome prince and his doting bride more compelling to the public, Boaden says. "A lot of weddings start as a fairy tale and end badly. It's a moment in anyone's life when hopes are highest. Almost everyone can relate to that, even if they know it doesn't always work out," she says.

2011年4月22日 星期五

倫敦清理/珍珠奶茶

〔中央社〕距離英國王室婚禮只剩下1週,首都倫敦要為威廉和凱特呈現最好的一面,市區的噴水池潔淨如新,草坪也經過修剪,英國國旗則隨風飄揚。

威廉王子(Prince William)及交往多年的女友凱特•密道頓(Kate Middleton)將於29日成親,預期屆時將有數十萬人前來祝賀,此外,王室更是邀請數以百計貴賓前來西敏寺(Westminster Abbey)參加婚禮。

為了要讓倫敦市容和新娘凱特一樣明媚動人,承包商徹底清理一番,也搭起大型媒體看台,確保來訪的大批記者能取得最佳視野。

白金漢宮(Buckingham Palace)對面,懸掛數十面英國國旗,預期林蔭路(The Mall)沿途將掛起更多國旗。威廉和凱特這對新婚夫婦將在舉行過婚禮後,乘馬車沿著林蔭路前往白金漢宮。

栗子樹上裝設喇叭,要對群眾播放婚禮現場情況,鄰近聖詹姆斯公園(St James's Park)的草坪也已修剪,花圃中開滿芬芳花朵。

白廳(Whitehall)的陣亡將士紀念碑也以高壓水柱沖洗過,此處也是威廉及凱特遊行經過的地方。

雖然威廉和凱特不會經過特拉法加廣場(Trafalgar Square)附近的噴水池,當局還這趁著這個機會,清洗這些19世紀的噴水池。

這些噴水池本周被抽乾,瓷磚和青銅燈具被擦亮,這花了工作人員將近3天時間。擦拭燈具的承包商表示:「我認為這些燈具已20年沒有擦拭。」

而多年來,長駐國會廣場(Parliament Square)的反戰示威者終於也被法院下令驅離,廣場的草坪也已重新植上草皮。

****
  • 2011-04-22
  • 中國時報
  • 【江靜玲/倫敦廿一日電】
 台灣珍珠奶茶魅力難抵。一名嗜珍珠奶茶成癮的銀行家,特別來台取經,在倫敦創立了第一家台灣珍珠奶茶店。

 倫敦蘇荷區的「Bubbleology」販售的珍珠奶茶從原料到製作過程,都從台灣進口,百分之百的「台灣原味」。創始人阿薩德.漢恩(Assad Khan)原是銀行家,在紐約的摩根大通銀行服務七年間,迷上珍奶,一周至少有五天要來一杯。

 一年半前,阿薩德返回倫敦,想喝珍珠奶茶,結果「只能找到喝了令人做嘔的珍奶」。於是開一家道地的珍奶店,成為他的心願。

 來台灣學做珍奶八周,阿薩德還愛上台灣風土人情,「那裡有我遇過最和善的人民。」阿薩德特別在店裡擺放介紹台灣的書報雜誌,服務生的制服上還別了一枚中華民國國旗徽章。

 Bubbleology未開幕便吸引英媒矚目,我國駐英代表張小月特別親自主持開幕儀式。張小月表示,期望藉純正的珍奶,傳遞台灣文化。

2011年4月17日 星期日

政客子女背負成長十字架【江靜玲】

倫敦傳真-政客子女們 背負成長十字架

  • 2011-04-17
  • 中國時報
  • 【江靜玲】

 英國副首相克萊格(Nick Clegg)最近接受專訪時,談及自己因支持英國大學學費上漲,成為攻擊目標,連他九歲兒子都忍不住問道:「爸爸,為什麼那麼多人恨你?」

 克萊格是英國第三大政黨自民黨黨魁,與他西班牙籍律師妻子,育有三子。長子安東尼奧的一句問話,令他驚覺到自己的孩子已進入對周邊人情世故感受與觀察的另一階段,並再次警覺到自己選擇政治這條路,對家人和子女的影響。

 克萊格領導的自民黨在英國二○一○年大選時,保證執 政後不會調漲英國高等教育學費。克萊格個人也因為在英國大選首次舉行的歷史性電視辯論中,表現出色,人氣高漲,媒體甚至將其與英國名相邱吉爾相比擬。但與 卡麥隆領導的保守黨組成聯合政府後,克萊格轉向支持調升大學學費,引發英倫罕見學潮大示威。克萊格縱有千百理由,原先挺他的選民,多無法原諒他出爾反爾, 憤怒的年輕學子誓言,「連下輩子都不會再把票投給克萊格!」

 從民意支持頂點滑落到谷底,格萊克坦承,自己不是一個提供練拳的沙包,「我也有感覺!」兒子一句問話,讓他重新思考,自己是否真的準備繼續投入政壇?

 英國保守黨政府前副首相海瑟泰的女兒安娜貝爾,今年雖已四十七歲,但身為知名政客子女必須面對和克服的挑戰與感受,依然記憶猶新。她上小學時,父親已是閣員,在校園裡,最難接受的是其他小朋友批評公眾人物的父親,為了捍衛自己和父親,她動輒出手打人:「我不管報紙電視怎麼說他,他就是那個在家時熱中園藝,會幫我清理天竺鼠巢的爸爸。」

 因為太常跟同學打架,安娜貝爾的父母考慮更換學校。但校方和父母,包括她自己都同意,只要父親留在政壇一天,她永遠會面對同樣情況。海瑟泰最後告訴女兒:「再聽到有人批評我,妳就承認,他們可能是對的。然後心平氣和的離開。」

 隨著父親在政壇快速竄昇,安娜貝爾十一歲時海瑟泰出任影子工業大臣,除了批評,她也聽到讚美父親的聲音。然而,十一歲的孩子其實分不清什麼是讚美,什麼是奉承。她記得廿二歲時,父親請辭國防部長,重返國會後排議員座位後,原本訪賓門庭若市的家,突然變得門可羅雀。安娜貝爾此刻已非孩子,也已懂得人情世故,但仍忍不住為此感到悲涼、沮喪。

 一九九○年,海瑟泰領導挑戰「鐵娘子」柴契爾夫人保守黨黨魁地位,成功迫使柴契爾夫人提前下台,離開首相府。此舉造成日後保守黨黨內近廿 年分裂,海瑟泰功過尚待歷史論斷。身為子女,安娜貝爾說,政爭顛峰期,她把頭壓得低低的,「無論到那裡,都祈禱自己千萬不要被認出來」。直到父親淡出政壇 後,目前擔任雜誌主編的她才覺得可以真正做自己。

 政客的子女因為父母的職務身分,往往予人權貴階級印象。通常,他們也的確比一般人有更暢通的管道和更多的機會。此一情況,中外皆然,例子 更不勝枚舉。安娜貝爾便坦承,自己剛踏出校門時的每一份工作都是因為她是海瑟泰女兒的原故,「並非我能力差,而是幾乎不可能跳過我的家庭背景!」

 有的政客則因此對子女要求比一般家庭更為嚴謹。英國前外長和前司法大臣史卓曾親自把嘗試吸毒的兒子送到警局,他的兒子以幾乎每個同學朋友 都試驗過為由,覺得父親不合常情;但史卓堅持,因為自己的身分,他的子女必須更有禮守紀。如此看來,儘管是在政治家庭中成長,每個家庭仍有一套治家標準。 上樑正了下樑不一定正,但上樑若歪了,下樑一定不正。

 (clchiangr@yahoo.com)

2011年4月16日 星期六

the world's thirst for whisky

the world's thirst for whisky

Inside Europe | 16.04.2011 | 07:05

Rural Scotland is profiting from the world's thirst for whisky

While wine-growing may transcend borders, the opposite is true for Scotch whisky. In fact, in order for the spirit to be called Scotch whisky, it must be made in Scotland. And when consumers think of whisky, they are clearly associating it with Scotland more and more as the country's whisky industry is in the middle of a boom.

While sales in traditional markets are still strong, emerging markets in Asia and Latin America are providing sustainable growth and encouraging tremendous investment by industry players. Laura Schweiger travelled to Scotland to find out why, when it comes to Scotch whisky, the world is thirsting for more.

Rural Scotland is profiting from the world's thirst for whisky

2011年4月3日 星期日

Belligerent and Boozy, mixological firmament,

Critic’s Notebook
Belligerent and Boozy, and That’s Just the Audience

In Detroit for the first stop of his tour, “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option,” Charlie Sheen did not feel the love.




it’s reassuring to see that these drinker’s oases are not only surviving, but thriving. New York remains the shining star in America’s mixological firmament, but the clouds are clearing and the glittering expanse of the country’s boozy Milky Way is once more coming into view.



booze
(būz) pronunciation Slang.
n.
    1. Hard liquor.
    2. An alcoholic beverage.
  1. A drinking spree.
intr.v., boozed, booz·ing, booz·es.
To drink alcoholic beverages excessively or chronically.

[Alteration of obsolete bouse, from Middle English bousen, to drink to excess, from Middle Dutch būsen.]

boozer booz'er n.
boozily booz'i·ly adv.
boozy booz'y adj.


mixology n. The study or skill of preparing mixed drinks.


firmament,
(fûr'mə-mənt) pronunciation
n.
The vault or expanse of the heavens; the sky.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin firmāmentum, from Latin, support, from firmāre, to strengthen. See firm2.]

firmamental fir'ma·ment'al (-mĕn'tl) adj.


英國首相卡梅倫深受英國人的愛戴?

英德法的領導人的人氣



法國總統薩科齊和德國總理默克爾一樣難逃人氣下滑的命運。在上週末的地區選舉中,這位法國總統領導的政黨遭遇慘敗。法國人沒有要求他們不受歡迎的總統結束核能,但是要求他解決國內持續的經濟危機。在法國的地方選舉中,尤其是社會黨獲得勝利。

但是英國保守黨首相卡梅倫的情況則完全不同。就在幾個星期前,卡梅倫還算不上英國的政策寵兒。但是後來發生了奇蹟般的轉變。與其前任布萊爾所不同的是,卡梅倫本打算撤離所有戰爭地區的英國部隊,但是他突然間改變了態度,開始堅決支持對利比亞和卡扎菲的軍事打擊行動。聯合國安理會通過設立禁飛區的決議,主要是他努力的結果。自從美國總統奧巴馬也宣布轟炸了卡扎菲的大本營之後,卡梅隆在倫敦頓時成了明星。


英國首相卡梅倫深受英國人的愛戴


就在不久前,卡梅倫為整頓英國財政而實行的強硬的緊縮措施還相當不受歡迎。但是,他推出的"大社會"計劃突然獲得成功。卡梅倫的聰明之舉是:在進行決策時,他也讓那些需要大幅度削減經費的城市和地區共同參與其中。

這使英國人有了自己的命運掌握在自己手中的感覺- 儘管卡梅倫只是在幫助他們落實一個殘酷的,新自由主義項目。人們本來抱怨國家削減經費不顧貧困公民死活。但是現在英國人突然改變看法,認為"轟炸利比亞",建立"大社會"要比"國家緊縮政策"和"轟炸伊拉克"中聽得多。

2011年4月1日 星期五

"Lodon Bowl"

"Lodon Bowl",the 2012 Olympic stadium have finished the construction
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According to French media reports, the London 2012 Olympic stadium has been completed in the March 29 Mayor of London, the London 2012 Olympics will be referred to as “wonderful milestone.”

When the London Organising Committee Chairman Sebastian Coe and the International Olympic Committee, Namibian sprinter Frankie Fredericks will be the last piece of turf with the shop into the stadium, London Olympic Stadium was officially completed.

Stratford in East London “London bowl” from the 5250 cost 486 million pounds more than 3 years when the construction workers to complete, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators, the stadium field covers an area of ​​9,000 square meters, will serve as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic The main stadium will be used, in addition to a race, but also the opening and closing ceremonies of the host.

Sebastian Coe said, “Olympic Stadium is the Olympic Park in the heart of the London Olympics. While we completed on time and within budget, but there is still a lot of preparatory work to be done to ensure that the Olympic Games in July 2012 held brilliant.”

“Now we only need to do further decoration of the venue, including internal runway, the external walls and other parts of it in 2012 we presented a splendid atmosphere of the Olympic Games.”

Fredericks said, “to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games will be hard, it will certainly enjoy the best venues in the conditions here, I believe that athletes will not be disappointed.”

Allegedly, after the end of 2012 London Olympic Games, the venue of the facilities will be removed and the Premier League West Ham United as the main venue used.


1.“倫敦碗”竣工期創奧運之最 2012年倫敦奧運會主場館“倫敦碗”當地時間3月29日竣工。這項工程創造了世界紀錄,讓倫敦奧運會成為奧運歷史上在開幕式前最早完成主場館建造的一屆,而且實際耗資還比預算少了1000萬英鎊。