英國作家的留美潮

英國作家的留美潮

GEOFFREY WHEATCROFT 報道 2012年09月25日

Tao Ruspoli

2009年亞歷山大·科克本在位於弗吉尼亞的科克本家族農場。

英格蘭，巴斯
繼去年12月前友人兼同事克里斯托夫·希欽斯(Christopher Hitchens)過世後，亞歷山大·科克本(Alexander Cockburn)也於兩周前去世，宣告了一個時代的結束。但英國作家離鄉背井、移居美國的故事還在繼續。這樣的案例非常多，多到足夠形成一種明顯的規律，同時也提出一個問題：問題不在於這種旅居異國的行為本身，而更多在於美國，他們在那裡找到了什麼祖國所缺乏的東西？

按圖放大

Mark Mahaney for The New York Times

2007年克里斯托夫·希欽斯在華盛頓家中。

接二連三有英國作家在大西洋對岸開創新事業，從我的老酒友（這個稱呼如果每次適用的時候都寫出來，在本文中出現的頻率可能會過高）亨利·費爾利 (Henry Fairlie)，到亨利的好友保羅·約翰遜(Paul Johnson)，都去了。約翰遜以前是個激進的左派，而今年過八旬卻成了美國保守派的祭司。接下來是科克本、希欽斯（一如我對他的一貫了解）和安德魯· 蘇利文(Andrew Sullivan)，更別提彼得·法羅(Peter Fallow)了，就是《虛榮的篝火》(The Bonfire of the Vanities)里那個汲汲營營的英國小文人，其原型可能是取自上述的一位或兩位。

對我們中的一些人而言，最近這些作家過世的消息，喚起對艦隊街遙遠的回憶。我的朋友艾倫·沃特金斯(Alan Watkins)以前是《新政治家》(New Statesman)等刊物的政治專欄作者，兩年多前也去世了，沒多久，安東尼·霍華德(Anthony Howard)和約翰·格羅斯(John Gross)也隨他而去。1970年代，霍華德擔任《新政治家》的主編，當時他手下那幾個小徒弟里就有希欽斯（關於他，沃特金斯知道幾則滑稽的趣事），而 格羅斯是那份雜誌的文學編輯，後來擔任《泰晤士報文學副刊》(The Times Literary Supplement)的編輯，科克本在他們倆手下都工作過。

眾所周知，希欽斯後來為伊拉克戰爭和布殊政府喝彩歡呼。結果，他與科克本以及同樣在最近剛離我們而去的戈爾·維達爾(Gore Vidal)成為勢不兩立的敵人。我必須說，希氏的變節一點不讓我意外。無論這種大轉變多麼教人驚訝，都無一例外表明了約翰·亨利·紐曼(John Henry Newman)那句深刻的話：信念改變，思維習慣不變。希氏風趣過人，執迷不悟的時候並不少，不管是我當初剛認識他時的那個托洛茨基分子，還是後來那個認 為自己可以給美索不達米亞帶去自由和公正的新保守主義鬥士。

但是，不管怎樣，令美國讀者仰止的不是他們左或右、對或錯的觀點，而是所謂的信手拈來的博學。這一點我又要強調了，無論多麼喜歡閱讀他們的作品，我 從來不覺得他們的學識有那麼嚇人。科克本能夠巧妙的在一句話里同時引用馬克思和P·G·伍德豪斯(P. G. Wodehouse)，可這不表示他就是個學者了，同樣，希欽斯是位了不起的文學批評家，但不是歷史學家。

如果這聽起來酸溜溜的，那麼請記得那句話，“同道中人，彼此彼此。”我發現上述列出的英國人全都上過牛津，就是我讀書的地方。牛津是如此，劍橋也一 樣，西蒙·格雷(Simon Gray)在那兒沉浸於輝煌的學術成就中，這位非常有趣的劇作家和日記作家日後這麼解釋他的成功：“我的所有論文都是用一種欺騙性的花言巧語寫的，只有那 些自己也受過相應的教育、尊崇花言巧語的騙子的人，才會吃這套。”每個經歷過這種求學過程的人，都會隱約體會到個中的含義。
澳大利亞人常自稱有一種“文化自鄙”(cultural cringe)，一種自認智識上遜色於宗主國的情結，我在美國人身上時常能感受到同樣的東西。奇怪的是，澳洲人應該已經擺脫了這種自鄙，倒是第一個從帝國 掌控中掙脫出來的人還在受其困擾。這一點也許可以在邁克爾·金斯利(Michael Kinsley)講過的一些話里找到蛛絲馬跡。

金斯利在《紐約時報》上盛讚希欽斯抨擊宗教的暢銷著作《上帝不偉大》(God Is Not Great)。可在1985年，金斯利先生已寫過美國的崇英現象，以戲謔的口吻闡釋了這種痼疾在他自己身上的嚴重體現：“英國諷刺和八卦雜誌《私家偵探》 (Private Eye)的尖酸刻薄，使彬彬有禮的美國新聞報道顯得綿軟無力；英國頭號政治和文學期刊《旁觀者》(Spectator)里洋溢着輕鬆活潑、自我調侃和詼諧 打趣的弦外之音，這些頹廢文明的產物，讓我覺得不可抗拒。”

這正說到了點子上。希欽斯和科克本無疑就是頹廢文化的產物。他們有錯誤，但本着那種譏諷的不敬，他們的作品首先是非常有可讀性的；太多美國記者和他 們的報道有優點無數，卻因千方百計要避免明確的立場，甚至個性的流露，以至於束手束腳，可敬而令人窒息。一種公認的看法把“英國佬”塑造成拘謹偏狹，反襯 閑散隨和的揚基佬。實際上——至少在新聞業這一行，至少目前——情況恰好反過來。

美式的雄辯哪兒去了？這片自由的國土也是孕育了H·L·門肯(H. L. Mencken)和德懷特·麥克唐納(Dwight Macdonald)的地方，他們絲毫不缺輕快、諷刺的機趣。這是門肯寫南方的一句話：“歐洲，一英畝地里住的一流人物，多過波托馬克河以南所有州的。” 或如麥克唐納形容時任國務卿科德爾·赫爾(Cordell Hull)：“一個心胸狹隘、猥瑣自負、土裡土氣的反動分子，從沒做過一次言之有物的演說。”

這些言論在今天幾乎不可能公開發表，至少在對準確和均衡頂禮膜拜的部分美國媒體上，它們對坦率的觀點都是誠惶誠恐的，害怕到即便是顯而易見的陳述也 必須經過消毒，加上諸如“分析者認為……”這種奇特古怪的迂迴說法。我毫不懷疑美國本土有過繼承門肯和麥克唐納傳統的新秀，但他們的機趣被所受的教育扼殺 了。因此，當美國需要一種帶有負罪快感的新聞報道時，只能偷偷摸摸跑到母國來的那些壞小伙那去。這大概是我們英國人為報當年約克鎮之戰的仇發起的最後一 擊。

本文最初發表於2012年8月4日。
翻譯：LILY

英多家大學廣招海外研究生

為賺錢 英多家大學廣招海外研究生

更新時間 2012年 9月 24日, 星期一 - 格林尼治標準時間09:55

海外研究生在很多英國大學中佔高比例。

調查稱，英國多家大學把超過一半的研究生就讀位置分配給歐盟以外的外國學生，因為這些學生交納的費會被用來「彌補」大學高等教育的預算。

該調查稱，英國七家大學招募的研究生中有半數以上是非歐盟留學生。

相關内容

• 全球大學排名 英國大學靠前
• 英國大學招收更多海外學生
• 留學問答：英國大學的招生條件

相關話題

• 教育概况

這份由英國移民觀察（MigrationWatchUK）所作的調查指出，其中一家大學 - 卡迪夫都會大學（Cardiff Metropolitan）把72%的研究生就讀位置分配給海外學生。
除了該大學之外，在伯明翰大學學院（University College Birmingham），貝德福特大學（University of Bedfordshire）、倫敦經濟學院（London School of Economics），倫敦商學院（London Business School），格林尼治大學（Greenwich University）和格林杜爾大學（Glyndwr University），非歐盟海外學生就讀研究生的比例也佔多數。
另外這項調查還指出，海外學生在大學本科學業中就讀的人數也佔有越來越大的比例。
海外學生通常要比英國本地學生以及歐盟學生交付更高昂的學費。
倫敦經濟學院有三分之一的本科生來自海外，而聖安德魯斯大學（St Andrews）、倫敦帝國學院（Imperial College London）以及倫敦大學學院（University College London）的非歐盟海外留學生比例高達25%左右。
就在此之前，華威大學（Warwick University）校長巴斯內特教授（Prof Susan Basssnet）聲稱，一些水平很差的外國學生成為一些大學的「搖錢樹」。
英國移民觀察表示，目前在英國大學就讀的非歐盟海外學生人數是十年前的三倍。
該組織的主席格林爵士（Sir Andrew Green）指出，學生人數的增長趨勢因為「研究生」項目允許那些能夠畢業後找到工作的學生留在英國而變得更加明顯。
他說，「非歐盟的學生被招到英國大學中是為了彌補那些知名度不高的大學的財政缺口。」

TENT London and Others

倫敦設計展台灣形象館／彈竹椅入選大會宣傳報

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來 自台灣的數十位設計師，二十日至二十三日在倫敦舉行了設計展，展出近百件充滿前衛活力的文創商品。執行「文化創意產業國際拓展計畫」的專案經理謝其韞表 示，台灣形象館「FRESH TAIWAN」主題鮮明，以台灣特有材質的作品及創意設計登上國際舞台，吸引相當多的歐洲民眾參觀。台灣共有十八家設計公司出隊，開幕當日就受到國際媒體 及買家的高度矚目。
獲選入大會宣傳報的台灣草地工作室「彈竹椅」，以環保概念選用台灣特有竹材，完整表現出彈竹椅細膩又高工藝的設計。設計師徐雲天表示，以力學結構展現竹的彈性，可以達到乘坐的舒適性。選用環保的層積竹材製成椅子，是想讓部分人工以機械加工取代，提高產品的量產性。
其中「蒐趣設計」的「每日吸」磁力鵝卵石，是以旅行紀念為概念出發，除了可以固定照片外，還能吸附迴紋針或是留言便條紙。展會現場就拿了一枚英鎊吸附在磁鐵上，讓參觀民眾大呼有趣。
「品研文創」運用台灣傳統童玩平衡鳥的趣味概念，加入台灣生態中的特種鳥類藍腹鷴／藍鵲／冠羽畫眉等，轉化為輕巧木質削筆器物，也饒富趣味。
FRESH TAIWAN今年共參與六個國際城市特展。倫敦「TENT London展」是繼七月東京國際禮品採購展、九月初巴黎家具家飾展之後的第三站。

倫敦都會大學禁招令獲「緩刑」 BBC中文網 高等法院准許倫敦都會大學就禁止其招收和教授歐盟以外留學生的禁令展開一項司法審議。 一名高法法官還裁決，擁有合法學生身份的現有海外學生可繼續目前在該校的學業。 上個月，英國邊境署（UK Border Agency）剝奪了都會大學為海外學生提供簽證擔保的資格， ... 閱讀所有與此主題相關的文章 »

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橡膠名媛爆紅時尚圈倫敦時裝周再搶鏡 鉅亨網 倫敦時裝周總是能給人無數的看點和新意，即使在時裝周的前排，你看到的也不是一般意義上從頭到腳打扮精緻的名媛、明星，連前排的紅人都是另類的、特立獨行的，她就是橡膠名媛Pandemonia，她被稱為塑膠版Lady Gaga，今年2013春夏倫敦時裝周，她又一次現身 ... 閱讀所有與此主題相關的文章 »

台灣優質文創設計英倫受好評 華視新聞 每年9月倫敦設計節在市內各展場熱鬧登場，場館位在東倫敦的Tent London展覽創辦人麥唐納（Jimmy MacDonald）告訴中央社記者，Tent London今年是第7年舉辦，剛開始以年輕及新創品牌為主，之後較知名的品牌及獨立設計師也來參展，世界各國的設計師都利用 ... 閱讀所有與此主題相關的文章 » TENT LONDON :: The Multi-faceted Design Event www.tentlondon.co.uk/ - Cached Tent London is one of the largest design trade shows taking place during the London Design Festival. Now in its sixth year at the Old Truman Brewery, Tent ...

Crystal in London

Sustainable Development

London's skyline gains green Crystal

London is home to iconic buildings like the cucumber shaped "Gherkin" and "the Shard" skyscraper, resembling a piece of broken glass. Now, Munich-based Siemens added the most modern of buildings to London's skyline.

Electronics giant Siemens officially unveiled the Crystal on Wednesday. It houses the company's Centre of Competence Cities. The futuristic, multi-angled glass structure is situated in Newham, east London, and cost 30 million pounds (37 million euros). It's one of the most energy-efficient and low-carbon buildings in the world.

The Crystal is a sustainable cities initiative

The Crystal produces green energy from solar and ground source heat pumps, recycles rainwater and will be connected to London's smart grid. Its 63-hundred square meter footprint includes a two thousand square meter interactive exhibition on the future of urbanization, the largest of its kind, Siemens says. More than half of all people live in urban areas these days, and by 2050, the World Health Organization says it will be seven out of 10 people. The exhibition's aim is to show how cities might change to sustain their populations.
Siemens Chief Executive Peter Loescher described the Crystal as a center where his company's global tech experts are working in a global context to help guide the smart cities agenda worldwide. The core team at the Crystal includes experts of 15 nationalities.
Project Manager Werner Kruckow said it's hoped that mayors from around the world, along with their urban planners and infrastructure specialists, will visit the Crystal for lively debates on solving problems like traffic, air quality, water, police, energy, access to healthcare, and burgeoning urban populations.

A vast exhibition space is dedicated to the future of urbanization

Creating smart cities
Richard Forster, editor of the publication Cities Today, said gearing the exhibition and its experts toward decision-makers in smart cities, and those that are still learning, reflects a new approach.
"That's the big development. City governments are getting much more influence. Siemens is targeting the city governments directly rather than the national governments."
The Crystal will provide jobs for only 50 people. But London Mayor Boris Johnson said it's breathed new life into this part of east London. It's a boost for ambitious plans to redevelop an area blighted by industrial decay, which in turn will bring jobs to the capital.
The locals might still need convincing, though. "They don't really see how it's connected to their lives," said Melissa York, a reporter with the Newham newspaper. "I don't know if it's beneficial to the people or beneficial to the general infrastructure of the area which are two very different things."

A team of experts are on hand at the Crystal to promote smart cities

Political will
Siemens thinks the Crystal will be beneficial to both in the long run. The company is quick to point out that it already provides more than 18 thousand jobs in the UK. And now it's hoping the 50 new employees, and those brought here from elsewhere in the company, can push cities and their residents to turn a corner on low-carbon, energy efficient living.
Gordon Wakeford heads up Siemens' Infrastructure and Cities sector in the UK and western Europe. "It isn't just about technology it's about political will, a cultural change," he said. "Technology can go a long way to support that. We're showing that next door, but it won't solve it all."
London's Crystal will open to the general public on September 29.

時裝周

圖輯：倫敦2013春夏時裝周集錦
BBC中文網
倫敦2013春夏時裝周為期5天，吸引了各界人士的關注。圖為David Koma的設計作品。（Xixi Zheng供圖供稿）. 倫敦2013春夏時裝周集錦. 秀場分佈在市中心多處，選址也非常用心。比如Matthew Williamson的T台背景是玻璃後面的城市，Erdem露天搭建的棚頂可以看見 ...

U.K. Faces an Autumn Storm, Complaints about doctors up 23% in year

U.K. Faces an Autumn Storm

The U.K. chancellor of the exchequer has staked the government's credibility on two fiscal rules designed to address the country's high deficit and burgeoning debt. Many economists believe he is likely to miss the second target.

• Agenda: Anglo-Saxon With a European Accent

 

 

 

 

Complaints about doctors up 23% in year

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

The rise in complaints by 23% continues a trend seen in recent years

Continue reading the main story

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The number of complaints made to the General Medical Council about doctors has risen 23% in the past year, the regulator says.

The GMC report showed there were 8,781 in 2011 compared to 7,153 in 2010.
The rise is similar to the one the year before and continues a trend which has seen complaints jump by 69% in three years.
But the regulator said there was no evidence to suggest care was getting worse.
Instead, it claimed the rise was down to greater expectations and willingness to complain.
The figures - the most detailed yet to be released by the GMC - showed that not all the complaints led to full-scale investigations.
Nearly 5,000 were closed after an initial assessment, while another 1,537 were deemed not to impair a doctor's ability to practise medicine.
'Better understanding' In total, 2,330 were investigated fully - a rise of 13% since 2010.
Only 158 of these have led to doctors being suspended or struck from the medical register with many more ending in warnings or advice being issued.
GPs, psychiatrists and surgeons attracted the highest rates of complaints, while men, and in particular older male doctors, were far more likely to be the subject of complaints than women.
The most complained about topic was the care and treatment given, followed by communication and respect for patients, which both saw large rises in the past year.

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“Start Quote

Of particular concern is the huge rise in complaints in relation to communication and lack of respect”

Katherine Murphy Patients Association

But the GMC said there was no evidence care was getting worse, pointing out other professions were seeing a rise in complaints too.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, added: "While we do need to develop a better understanding of why complaints to us are rising, we do not believe it reflects falling standards of medical practice.
"Every day there are millions of interactions between doctors and patients and all the evidence suggests that public trust and confidence in the UK's doctors remains extremely high."
He also said the GMC was introducing a number of measures in response to the rise in complaints.
These include a confidential helpline for doctors to report their own concerns, a national induction programme for new doctors and a 15-strong team of employer liaison advisers to develop a closer relationship between the GMC and senior officers responsible for dealing with complaints locally.
Particular concern Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said it was right that the GMC took steps to better understand what was behind the rise in complaints, but agreed it did not necessarily mean medical standards were falling.
His sentiments were echoed by British Medical Association chairman Dr Mark Porter.
He said: "It is a good thing that patients feel more empowered to raise their concerns."
But Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said she felt the figures did raise questions about quality of care: "Of particular concern is the huge rise in complaints in relation to communication and lack of respect. Patients have the right to be well informed, treated with dignity and part of shared decisions about their treatment.
"However, evidence from our helpline supports this report in making clear that for too many patients this is simply not happening. Patients often tell our helpline they are not receiving the compassion, dignity and respect which they deserve and are entitled to under the NHS constitution."

 

Thames Estuary airport: Pictures of space-age designs unveiled

（英國‧倫敦14日訊）知名建築公司Gensler提出他們的倫敦新機場設計藍圖，外形充滿太空色彩。

英國擬在泰晤士河口打造一個“鮑里斯島＂機場，在Gensler設計的藍圖，包括4條拴在海床的浮動跑道，外形充滿太空色彩，看似一艘外星人的母艦。據報導，有關藍圖及建造新機場的計劃已讓倫敦市長約翰遜過目，他的一名發言人表示：“這將與其他重大提案一起，成為未來的重要討論課題。＂

Thames Estuary airport: Pictures of space-age designs unveiled

3:17pm Friday 14th September 2012 in News By Jim Palmer

Gensler's dramatic designs for London Britannia Airport

• 
• 

MARTIANS have not landed near Gravesend – these space age images are an artist’s impression of a design firm’s new concept for an airport in the Thames Estuary.
Designer Gensler has revealed its vision for London Britannia Airport which it would be “the world’s most innovative infrastructure development this century” while reducing the environmental impact, cost and disruption to London.
The company said it could build the airport cheaply and quickly, giving the UK its first 24/7 airport within a decade.
Gensler’s managing principal and creative director for the airport, Chris Johnson, said: “This is a once in a century project that will build on a new symbol of national pride.”
He said that it is a “fantastic opportunity” to “provide a genuine 21st century airport that creates a new standard for the world, minimising nuisance and maximising environmental benefits”.
Being based at sea, Gensler believes noise disruption will be limited and no homes will need to be demolished to build the airport and its four, five kilometre, floating runways which would be tethered to the sea bed.
Gensler said the airport would avoid the negative impacts of reclaiming land and its location could be optimised to avoid key feeding and migration areas for wildlife.

Underwater rail tunnels would connect the airport to central London and high speed lines.
Up to six runways could be accommodated eventually because they could be floated in.
Marine turbines would create much of the power, while access from vehicles could come from terminals either side of the estuary and from one between Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park.
Gensler also suggested transforming Heathrow into an eco village with housing for 300,000 people and 200,000 jobs.
Last week, the Government announced that it will make no firm decisions on UK airport expansion before the next general election.
The coalition government was initially opposed to a third runway at Heathrow - an expansion which was supported by the last Labour administration.
But leading Tories have, of late, called for a third runway, while London Mayor Boris Johnson and architect Lord Foster have proposed new estuary airports.

a prank sign

《中英對照讀新聞》Commuters left fearing vicious ’Farringdon mice’ after prank sign warned them to tuck their trousers in 惡搞公告警告民眾把褲子塞好 兇殘的「法靈頓之鼠」讓通勤族膽寒

◎陳維真
A gang of rampaging mice appear to be striking fear into the hearts of London commuters, after being reported to be nibbling their toes.
據報有一群狂暴的老鼠囓食人類腳趾後，似乎讓倫敦通勤族嚇破膽。
Just this weekend, the residents of Essex feared for their lives after a lion was reported to be on the loose in a field. Now, passengers at Farringdon station were left puzzled after an official-looking sign warned the mice had been "attacking" customers.
本週末艾塞克斯才傳出有一隻獅子在郊野中遊走，讓居民十分擔心自己的性命安全。現在，一個看起來像是官方發布的公告警告民眾小心「攻擊」顧客的老鼠，讓法靈頓車站的乘客感到很疑惑。
The handwritten notice advised："Please place the bottom of your trousers into your socks to avoid being a victim of the Farringdon mice". The sign, which was immediately photographed by baffled passengers and placed on social networking site Twitter, has now been viewed by thousands of people.
這份手寫的公告建議：「請將你的褲腳塞入襪子裡，避免成為法靈頓老鼠的受害者。」這張公告馬上被困惑的乘客拍下來，傳到社群網站推特上，現在已有上千人點閱。
Despite the excitement, the sign was quickly revealed to be little more than a harmless prank, with TfL denying all knowledge of a mouse problem. A spokeswoman confirmed："The writing on the whiteboard at the station is not an official TfL message and has since been removed. We do not believe it was written by a member of station staff and we’re not aware of any problems with mice."
儘管引發騷動，但告示很快就被揭穿只是個無傷大雅的惡作劇，倫敦交通局否認知道老鼠問題。發言人證實：「車站白板上寫的倫敦交通局的官方訊息，已撤除公告了。我們認為這不是車站人員所寫，而且也不知道有老鼠的問題。」

Farringdon

 Farringdon shown within Greater London

The Dandy 1937-2012, Desperate Dan

总部位于阿伯丁的DC Thomson几周前宣布，英国连载时间最长的漫画《The Dandy》将于今年12月发行75周年纪念刊，那将是这份漫画最后一次发行印刷版。消息让喜爱《The Dandy》的人感到难过——这份漫画曾为许多人的童年带去许多无拘无束的快活时光。

西蒙•赫弗(Simon Heffer)在英国《每日邮报》(Daily Mail)上撰文写道：“75年前，Desperate Dan第一次出现在《The Dandy》漫画上，吃了第一个牛角馅饼（cow pie，该漫画人物最喜爱的食物——译者注）。如今，现代世界令人不快地掺和了进来。”与此同时，#SaveTheDandy（拯救《The Dandy》漫画）开始成为Twitter上的热门话题。
20世纪50年代，《The Dandy》的发行量达到每周200万份的巅峰，现在则降至每周不到7500份——而与其同时期的美国漫画英雄如今仍主宰着全球电影票房。

 

The Dandy
Front page of first issue
Publication information
Publisher	D. C. Thomson & Co.
Schedule	Weekly* (some issues are out longer than a week)
Format	Children's
Publication date	4 December 1937 –

The Dandy is a long-running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. The first issue was printed in December 1937, making it the world's third-longest running comic, after Detective Comics (cover dated March 1937) and Il Giornalino (cover dated 1 October 1924). From August 2007 until October 2010, it was rebranded as Dandy Xtreme.
The publishers have announced that the final printed edition will be issued on 4 December 2012, the comic's 75th anniversary, after sales slumped to 8,000 a week from a high of 2 million a week in the 1950s, but The Dandy will continue to be available online.^[1]

History

The first issue, under the name The Dandy Comic, was published on 4 December 1937. The most notable difference between this and other comics of the day was the use of speech balloons instead of captions under the frame. It was published weekly until 6 September 1941, when wartime paper shortages forced it to change to fortnightly, alternating with The Beano. It returned to weekly publication on 30 July 1949. From 17 July 1950 the magazine changed its name to The Dandy.
In 1938, less than a year after the comic's debut, the first Dandy Annual was released. Originally called The Dandy Monster comic, this was an annual bumper edition of the comic and has been released annually since then. In 1954 the first Desperate Dan Book was released, mostly consisting of reprints. Another was released in 1978, and it was released yearly between 1990 and 1992. Bananaman and Black Bob also had their own annuals.
Although later issues were all comic strips, early issues had many text strips, with some illustrations. In 1940, this meant 12 pages of comic strips and 8 pages of text stories. Text stories at two pages each were "Jimmy's Pocket Grandpa", "British Boys and Girls Go West", "There's a Curse on the King" and "Swallowed by a Whale!"
In 1963 the first Dandy summer special was published, a joint Dandy-Beano summer special; the first exclusively Dandy Summer Special was released the following year.
In 1982 the Dandy comic libraries were released, which later became known as the Fun Size Dandy. These were small-format comics usually featuring one or two long stories starring characters from The Dandy and occasionally other DC Thomson comics.
In September 1985, the ailing Nutty was merged with The Dandy, bringing with it the Bananaman strip, currently the third-longest-running strip still in the comic. Just over a year later, the short-lived Hoot was also merged with The Dandy, most notably incorporating the character Cuddles into the pre-existing comic strip Dimples to form Cuddles and Dimples, another of The Dandy's longest running comic strips.
After issue 3282 (dated 16 October 2004) The Dandy underwent a radical format overhaul.^[2] The comic changed format and content, reflecting a more television-oriented style, now printed on glossy magazine paper instead of newsprint. The price was raised from 70p to £1.20 (99p for the first two weeks), a new comic strip called "Office Hours" (a comic strip about the adventures of the writers of The Dandy) appeared, and two supposedly new ones also started, though they were actually revivals from a few years earlier ("Jak" and "Dreadlock Holmes").
In August 2007 (issue 3426), The Dandy had another update, becoming the fortnightly comic-magazine hybrid Dandy Xtreme, priced at £2.50. Unlike previous incarnations, Dandy characters did not necessarily grace the cover every issue; instead, celebrities and other cartoon characters were featured; the first Dandy Xtreme had Bart Simpson on the cover. The Dandy Xtreme had a theme for each issue, usually a movie or TV show.

Dandy stamp issued by Royal Mail

From 27 October 2010 (issue 3508) The Dandy returned as a weekly comic and dropped "Xtreme" from its title. The contents received a major overhaul, and all the comic strips from the Xtreme era except for Desperate Dan, Bananaman and The Bogies were dropped. Bananaman was also taken over by a new artist, Wayne Thompson, and Korky the Cat, who appeared in the comic's first issue in 1937, made a return drawn by Phil Corbett. Korky's strip was changed from 1–2 pages to 3 panels, to make way for new comics. Many new celebrity spoofs such as Cheryl's Mole became a feature, but other new strips included Pre-Skool Prime Minister and George vs Dragon, drawn by Jamie Smart and Andy Fanton. The 76-page Christmas special featured a pantomime, a 12-page Harry Hill strip, free gifts, and the return of some characters. More recent new strips are "Punslinger", "Dad's Turn To Cook", "My Freaky Family", "Animals Eat The Funniest Things", "Star T.Rex" and "Brian Damage". Song parodies and fake recipes also appeared in The Dandy.
On 19 March 2012 the Royal Mail launched a special stamp collection to celebrate Britain's rich comic book history, which included The Dandy among many others.^[3]
A follow-up to Waverly Book's The History of The Beano: The Story So Far, called The Art and History of The Dandy, was released in August 2012, the Dandy's 75th anniversary year. A Waverly book about The Dandy was originally to be released in 2007 for the comic's 70th birthday, but was cancelled with no explanation.

The statue of Desperate Dan in Dundee City Centre alongside a statue of Beano character, Minnie the Minx.

 

 Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He made his appearance in the first issue which was dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. The pillow of his (reinforced) bed is filled with building rubble and his beard is so tough he shaves with a blowtorch.

 

 

 Cow dung, also known as cow scat, is the waste product of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle ("cows"), bison ("buffalo"), yak and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of plant matter which has passed through the animal's gut. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals. Colour ranges from greenish to blackish, often darkening soon after exposure to air. It is also known in the American southeast and west as "cow pies".

The Routledge Atlas of British History 英國歷史地圖

The Routledge Atlas of British History  ，Gilbert, Martin ， Routledge ，出版日期：2002-
英國歷史地圖

• 作者：（英）馬丁‧吉爾伯特
• 譯者：王玉菡
• 出版社：中國青年出版社
• 出版日期：2009年/2012

本書通過一幅幅引人入勝的地圖全面反映了不列顛群島的歷史變遷︰英格蘭、愛爾蘭、蘇格蘭和威爾士的風雲變幻，以及大英帝國的海外擴張與解體。新版地圖包括︰

政治——從薩克遜王國和不列顛的法蘭西帝國的崩潰，到詹姆斯黨人叛亂、議會改革、英聯邦和歐洲；

戰爭和沖突——從維京人的進攻和諾曼入侵，到無敵艦隊、世界大戰和殖民地的反抗；

貿易和工業——從諾曼時期以後的經濟和都鐸王朝的貿易，到工業動亂和國際貿易路線的開闢；

宗教——從薩克遜時期的宗教，到宗教改革；

社會和經濟——從羅馬統治時期的民生，到工業和農業革命、大罷工和大學的發展。

詳細資料

• 規格：平裝 / 156頁 / 17cmX24cm / 普級 / 單色 / 3版
• 出版地：中國

目錄

截至公元前50年不列顛島的凱爾特人
公元前54—公元100年的羅馬征服時期
公元100—400年羅馬的軍事統治
羅馬統治時期的民生
羅馬人在英格蘭南部的分布情況
公元367—517年羅馬統治的不列顛的衰落
500—626年早期薩克遜人的拓殖
630—829年薩克遜王國和盎格魯—薩克遜盟主的宗主權
700—850年基督教教會情況
700—941年維京人在歐洲的擴張
793—876年挪威人和丹麥人的入侵
876—920年英格蘭的復興
920—973年英格蘭的復興
1000—1034年的丹麥帝國
1000—1066年的主教轄區和修道院
1066年哈羅德二世戰敗圖
1066—1072年的諾曼征服
1066—1100年諾曼人統治下的英格蘭
1066—1087年的諾曼統治
1068—1200年諾曼人對威爾士的征服
1150年的愛爾蘭
1189年的英法兩國
1100—1300年的教會情況
斯蒂芬和瑪蒂爾達1135—1148
1200—1300年的英格蘭
1200—1300年的經濟狀況
1200—1400年的倫敦
1295—1402年的蘇格蘭
百年戰爭1259—1368
1277—1295年對威爾士的征服
1300—1400年的英格蘭
1333—1369年的黑死病
1381年的農民起義
1400—1500年的英格蘭
1400—1405年歐文‧格倫道爾起義
1405—1412年歐文‧格倫道爾戰敗圖
1429—1453年英格蘭在法國統治的瓦解
玫瑰戰爭︰1450年的領土劃分
玫瑰戰爭︰1450—1485年的城堡和戰斗
1467—1696年的英國貿易公司
1500—1535年的威爾士
1500—1558年的愛爾蘭
1500—1530年修道院的分布
1531—1571年英國的宗教改革
1500—1603年的蘇格蘭
1500—1600年的英格蘭
1577—1585年德雷克和西班牙
1585—1587年萊斯特對尼德蘭革命的干涉
1588年的無敵艦隊
1553—1603年的愛爾蘭
1603—1625年的愛爾蘭
1562—1717年的加勒比海
1607—1700年弗吉尼亞的英國移民溯源
1620—1700年新英格蘭的英國移民溯源
1642—1713年的新世界
1642—1643年的內戰
1644—1646年的內戰
1649—1660年克倫威爾時期的戰爭和外交
1660年的大西洋
1660年的印度洋
三次英荷戰爭
1685年蒙默思的叛亂
1688年光榮革命
1649—1651年的愛爾蘭
1689—1691年的愛爾蘭
1715年詹姆斯黨人叛亂
1745年詹姆斯黨人叛亂
1702—1713年西班牙王位繼承戰爭
1713年烏得勒支的和平
1758—1760年英國對加拿大的征服
1763年的大英帝國
1510—1775年歐洲國家在印度的殖民情況
1774—1783年北美殖民地的反抗
1700—1800年英國的農業
1715—1815年的英國工業
1760—1830年的交通
1775—1858年英國在印度勢力的擴張
1793—1802年的對法戰爭
1805—1812年對拿破侖的戰爭
1808—1814年的半島戰爭
1812—1815年拿破侖戰敗
1812—1815年對美國的戰爭
1820年的大英帝國
1832年以前的議會代表分布情況
1832年的議會改革
1789—1861年的愛爾蘭
1880—1882年的愛爾蘭
1819—1910年的工人運動
1866—1919年印度的饑荒和瘟疫
1825—1914年的鐵路
1788—1914年英國在遠東的情況
1840—1945年的英國和中國
1876—1904年英國和法國在非洲
1899—1902年的布爾戰爭
1901年的印度帝國
1870—1907年英國和俄國在中亞
1910—1912年的罷工和暴動
1914—1922年的愛爾蘭
1904—1914年的英國外交
1914—1918年第一次世界大戰
1914—1918年的西線
1920—1939年的工業動亂
1920年的大英帝國
1919—1967年的英國和中東
1919—1947年印度的暴力活動
1935年的英國和阿比西尼亞
1938年的英國和捷克斯洛伐克
1939年的英國外交
1939—1941年德國對英國的威脅
1942—1945年德國戰敗
1941—1945年交戰中的英國和日本
1945—1965年的英國和歐洲
1947—1968年英國在非洲
1264—1967年的大學創辦情況
1945—1966年的英國
1967年的英聯邦國家
1967年殖民地和基地
1945年以來的西太平洋
1952—1992年的天災人禍
女王和英聯邦1953—1992
舊敵人，新友邦︰1955—1992年的女王出訪情況
1957—1993年的英國和歐洲
1969—1993年的北愛爾蘭
1972—1992年英國本土的恐怖主義活動
1973—1992年倫敦的恐怖主義活動
1967年以來北海的石油天然氣資源
1968—1980年的英國和太平洋
1985—1992年的庇護難民情況
1991年的少數民族狀況
1982年的福克蘭群島戰爭
1990—1993年的英國、海灣戰爭及其後果
1977—1993年的無家可歸者
1992—1993年為無家可歸者提供的住房
1992年的私人慈善活動和公共福利
1992—1993年新創辦的大學
1989年英國的主要貿易伙伴
1993年英國的海外屬地
1992年的皇家海軍
1992—1993年英國在海外的駐軍
1992年10—12月向單一歐洲市場轉變
1990—1993年首相的出訪情況
1993年的長期失業狀況
1993年的穆斯林、錫克教教徒、印度教教徒、猶太教徒和佛教徒
1993—1994年的公共開支
1999—2000年的政府開支
二十一世紀
2000年英國人境外（歐洲）旅行情況
2000年英國人境外（歐洲以外）旅行情況
2000年境外（歐洲）游客到英國旅行的情況
2000年境外（歐洲以外）游客到英國旅行的情況
2002年英國的海外領地
2002年英國在海外的軍事力量
1997—2000年世界範圍內獲得在英國居留權的公民
2000年歐洲的非歐盟國家公民獲得在英國居留權的情況
2000—2001年英國的海外人道主義援助
2001年英國向有內部沖突的國家出口武器的情況
2002年英國的穆斯林

Fifty-five new free schools to open, government reveals

Free schools are one of the education secretary's flagship policies

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Q&A: Free schools
• Questions over axed free schools
• Free schools to open half-empty

Fifty-five new free schools are opening this month, tripling the number in place across England, ministers say.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said he hoped the schools would be as successful as the 24 existing ones.
Free schools - a flagship government policy - are state-funded but not under local authority control and have more control over teaching and budgets.
Labour has criticised the amount of public money spent on projects that have faced delays or been abandoned.
Free schools can be set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, businesses, universities, trusts, religious or voluntary groups.
The first ones opened last September and, in announcing the opening of 55 more this month, the Department for Education said a further 114 had been approved to open from next year.

Continue reading the main story

Free schools - key facts

• Free schools are set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, businesses, universities, trusts, religious or voluntary groups
• They are funded directly by central government and are not in local authority control
• Heads have more control over the curriculum, teachers' pay and conditions, term dates and the school day
• Free schools were much talked about in the run-up to the general election in 2010 and are the flagship policy of Michael Gove
• They must operate an inclusive, fair and transparent admissions policy and cannot be academically selective

Mr Gove said: "Every child should have the choice to go to an excellent local school. These new schools have been set up by idealistic people who are determined to give parents the kind of choice that only the rich can currently afford.

"The first 24 free schools are enormously popular and I expect this second wave to be equally successful."
Mr Gove argues such schools offer choice for parents but the policy has faced problems.
In one example, more than £200,000 had been invested in setting up a free school in Bradford, but just days before the start of term funding was withdrawn because the school had failed to attract enough pupils.
The charity behind the project, One in a Million, said it hoped the school would open next September instead.
Last week, shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg wrote to Mr Gove asking how many of the 79 free schools that had been due to open in September would do so.
Mr Twigg said at least £2.3m had been spent on three projects alone, two of which were abandoned and one of which is half empty.
He suggested the true figure spent on such schemes could be much higher because of what he called a "lack of transparency" over the way they are being funded.
Primary places Speaking on the Sky News Murnaghan programme on Sunday, Mr Twigg said he supported the idea of free schools, but only where they were appropriate for the area in which they were placed.
"The problem we have got is the government puts all of its eggs in the basket of free schools, so when they fail it is a waste of public money," he said.
"The programme is not being tailored to those parts of the country that most need additional school places."
Meanwhile, Labour has released figures that suggest more than 3,000 additional children in England failed to get any of their choices of primary school this year compared with 2010.
The party produced the numbers from responses to Freedom of Information requests from 18 local authorities - 12% of the total.
Labour said if the figures were replicated across the country the number of children affected would have increased to 22,787 from 19,535 in 2010