2016年5月31日 星期二

Why London took so long to become a 24-hour city

The Economist
Why London took so long to become a 24-hour cityLondon Underground's long-awaited new Night Tube will be launched in August, it was announced last week. After years of criticism, London is beginning to evolve into a 24-hour city. What took it so long?
人口漸多,年輕人、外國人比率大增

Regional dialects are dying out

According to the first set of results from an app mapping changes in English dialects launched in January by the University of Cambridge, regional accents are dying out. So in tribute to the dying art of talking like your ancestors, here is a guide to a few words from around the UK that we don’t want to go south.

Britons are increasingly speaking like southern Englanders, according to an…
THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 CHITRA RAMASWAMY 上傳

2016年5月28日 星期六

To wash its hands of Europe would be a betrayal of Britain’s past, and future“公投疲勞”,蘇格蘭:英國若脫歐,我們就脫英?

Europe today has been shaped much more by its island neighbour than it might admit

If Brexiteers love Europe so much, they should try to make it better
ECON.ST



蘇格蘭:英國若脫歐,我們就脫英

蘇格蘭人對歐盟有著非同尋常的好感。據估計,大部分蘇格蘭人願意留在歐盟,只有少數人打算脫離歐盟。如果大部分英國人決定脫離歐盟,就有悖於蘇格蘭人的意願,也許會引發新一波蘇格蘭獨立運動。

記者採訪的第一個對像是彼得森(Toby Paterson),他是一名居住在格拉斯堡的藝術家。他的工作室是一個紅磚建築的舊倉庫,緊靠著克萊德河。這個從前被用以晾乾進口煙草的地方,被這位格拉斯堡的畫家建成了自己的工作室。他從藝術的角度深入研究現代建築,也因此經常來往於各大洲之間。
“巴黎,柏林,阿姆斯特丹,海牙,布魯塞爾,安登惠普,巴塞羅那,馬德里”,他工作室的的門上寫滿地名。“通往工作室的門有些卡,有些推不動——就像歐洲的許多事情一樣,進展不順”,這位42歲的藝術家說。但是他認為,作為一個機構,歐盟是不可或缺的,不僅因為歐盟推動創意交流活動。
“像歐盟這樣的機構是非常重要的。它確保了戰後歐洲的和平。”這位兩個孩子的父親,沒聽說在他的藝術家同行和朋友中,有贊成脫歐的人士。這位土生土長的格拉斯堡人說:
“最近十年以來,我越來越認同自己的蘇格蘭人身份,同時也是歐洲人身份”。這名畫家在兩年前積極擁護蘇格蘭獨立,如今他對此依然渴望。
這位格拉斯堡人在2014年公投時,支持蘇格蘭獨立,不再作為大不列顛的一部分。沒有取得勝利帶來的巨大失望,今天依然存在,尤其對於那些年輕的,充滿激情的獨立支持者。
18歲的迪恩(Dean)提著沉重的購物袋走在街上。他的希望是:“蘇格蘭獨立,但是不脫離歐盟——這對我們而言是最好的結果”。
這對於執政的蘇格蘭民族黨來說,並非易事。鄧肯·羅斯(Duncan Ross)是該黨擴大執行委員會主席。當我們在大學附近的一家咖啡廳見面時,他向我解釋了該黨對於新一輪獨立公投的路線。
他說:“沒有路線,除非我們知道我們會取勝,或者情況有所變化,比如通過歐盟公決。”
也就是說,如果出現“脫歐公投”時只有蘇格蘭決定留在歐盟,但是整個大不列顛決定退出歐盟的情況。
50多歲的喬治(George)說:“如果真的大多數英國人決定脫離歐盟,就必須進行第二次獨立公投,以使蘇格蘭能夠留在歐盟”。
兩位領取養老金的女士,艾琳和撒拉(Eireen und Sarah),則完全不贊成他的觀點,並且抱怨:
“才不是!可笑!只有蘇格蘭民族黨的人才這樣想,我們才不是呢。”
關於在歐盟的去留問題,蘇格蘭人早就不像在獨立問題上討論那麼感性,那麼積極。一定程度上,“公投疲勞”已然產生。

2016年5月27日 星期五

Rural poverty is on the rise in England



英國農村真的這樣慘?

Total income from farming is estimated to have fallen in 2014-15 by 29% in real terms



Why are Britain’s rural areas struggling?
Rural poverty is on the rise in England
ECON.ST






2016年5月17日 星期二

Labour condemns plan to give private providers degree-awarding powers

Labour has accused the government of putting the reputation of UK universities in jeopardy with plans to open up the sector and give instant degree-awarding powers to new private providers with no track record in education.

Government accused of jeopardising reputation of UK universities with…
THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 SALLY WEALE 上傳

British Masters - In Search of England; The BBC just announced everything it's closing

今天從此節目學到許多

British Masters - In Search of England (Episode 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HLZ7IBRxdA



To save millions
...Mr Harding said the changes would allow the BBC to stop duplicating work in areas such as food and scale back services in areas like travel where there are "bigger, better-resourced services in the market".
He said: "The review sets out what we want to be famous for online: trusted news; the place where children come to learn and play; high quality entertainment; live sports coverage and sports news; arts and culture, history and science; and historic moments, national events.
The announcement follows the publication of the White Paper on the future of the BBC, which sets out a plan for the corporation, including maintaining the license fee.

2016年5月13日 星期五

Charter renewal: BBC must focus on 'distinctive content'; The Tories’ BBC haters have been halted

"Be very clear about the BBC white paper. In almost any other country in the world this would not be happening at all. Beyond Britain it is universally revered. It stands for excellence and independence. Anywhere else, its future would simply not be an issue."
With today’s BBC white paper one national disaster has been narrowly averted. But David Cameron’s weak leadership on the EU could yet unleash another
THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 MARTIN KETTLE 上傳







Charter renewal: BBC must focus on 'distinctive content'
BBC News - 7 hours ago
The White Paper states that the trust governing the BBC is being abolished and a board will ...
White Paper to require BBC to 'serve Scotland better'
BBC News - 6 hours ago



Q&A: White Paper on the BBC's future - BBC News - BBC.com

www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36269295

10 hours ago - What is the White Paper on the renewal of the BBC Charter and how will it affect the corporation and its audience?

BBC White Paper: Scrap long-running shows, Government says

www.telegraph.co.uk/.../bbc-charter-renewal-government-to-lay-out-major-overhaul-...

5 hours ago - white paper on the BBC's future, published on Thursday, calls on the corporation to cut its reliance on daytime “property and collectables” ...





‪#‎BBC政府白皮書到底是什麼‬?英國政府發佈的白皮書將表明,目前維持BBC運營、向英國民眾徵收的電視執照費模式仍將繼續至少11年,在英國74歲以下的成年觀眾觀看BBC節目,即使使用電腦或者回看已經播放過節目的BBCiPlayer等,也必須繳納電視執照費。
白皮書還將向大眾公布一些年薪超過15萬英鎊的經理人員和年薪超過45萬英鎊的高收入BBC電視節目明星具體的工資數額。
BBC目前運作的依據
‪#‎皇家特許狀‬(Royal Charter)規定了該公司的基本規則和宗旨。但目前的BBC皇家特許狀將於今年12月份到期,去年曾就新的BBC未來如何發展的問題進行過公眾諮詢。
BBC白皮書
英國文化大臣惠廷戴爾在白皮書中公布英國政府就BBC未來發展提出的建議。白皮書包括以下重要內容:
確認將繼續在今後11年裏採用電視執照費運營模式,徵收標準從2017年到2022年將根據官方通貨膨脹幅度調整。目前標準包括每台彩電每年145.50英鎊(74歲以上觀眾免費);
建立一個「新的、更有凝聚力的董事會」來管理BBC運作,其成員部分將由政府任命,但至少一半的成員由BBC自己決定;
確認今後將由英國監管媒體的機構通訊管理局來裁決公眾就BBC的中立和準確性的質疑。目前這項工作由BBC信託會負責。
將皇家特許狀的更新期限延長到11年,以避免和英國議會選舉時間衝突。
「維護」皇家特許狀中發展多元化的措施,確保公司反映出社會發展狀況。
消除目前BBC節目回放軟件iPlayer所謂的漏洞。目前,很多沒有在電視上觀看直播節目的觀眾通過電腦觀看BBC節目回放而拒不交費。今後,在英國,不論用什麼樣的平台觀看BBC節目的觀眾都必須交費。
將向大眾公布一些年薪超過15萬英鎊的經理人員和年薪超過45萬英鎊的高收入BBC電視節目明星具體的工資數額。
BBC白皮書內容今年秋季將在議會由議員們辯論,之後將起草新的皇家特許狀草案,並在正式簽署後有11年的有效期

Looking to history for answers to the Brexit question


David Cameron has cited the battles of Blenheim, Trafalgar and Waterloo and even the Spanish Armada as evidence that Britain can never afford to turn its back on Europe. Michael Gove, the pro-Brexit justice secretary, prefers to rely on "Our Island Story", a children's history book from 1905 that plays up the British Empire

For and against Britain leaving Europe
ECON.ST

play up

British
1informal (Of a child) misbehave:I hadn’t had much sleep - the kids had been playing up
1.1Fail to function properly:his phone line was constantly playing up
2Put all one’s energy into a game:the captain told his team to play up

2016年5月11日 星期三

“Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco”

2008
某人提前議用箴言行形容英國特色 “Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco” (Asbo stands for “anti-social behavior order,” a law-enforcement tool, while Tesco is a ubiquitous supermarket chain 舉國都可見特異屋大超商);


Wikipedia article "Anti-Social Behaviour Order". 反社會行為逮捕令

bingo 舉國好賭
Game of chance played with cards having a grid of numbered squares corresponding to numbered balls drawn at random. When a number on the card is drawn, the players cover that number (should they have it); the game is won by covering a certain number of squares in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally). Cards are purchased and proceeds are placed into a common "pot"; winning cards are awarded a portion of the pot. Wildly popular in the mid 20th century, bingo has in recent decades suffered a decline in America but has increased in popularity in other parts of the world. The earliest name for bingo — lotto — was recorded in Britain in 1776; the game is sometimes called keno in the U.S.
舉國嗜飲

dipso

(dĭp'pronunciation

n. Slang.pl. -sos.
A person who has a compulsion to drink alcohol; a dipsomaniac.
舉國肥胖

fatso

(făt'pronunciation


n. Offensive Slang.pl. -soes.
A fat person.

2016年5月8日 星期日

英國聯邦制漸成形2011/2015???.....

2015.5.9
英國聯邦制漸成形.....
In Britain's 2011 Census, about a quarter of a million people ticked the “Other religion” write-in box. Among them the most common was Jedi Knight, by 176,632 Star Wars fans
The latest British census shows the country's increasingly secular tilt BRITAIN continues its descent into godlessness, according to the latest 2011 Census...
ECON.ST

British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray


倫敦東區黑社會的地下教父。
British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray were arrested on May 8th 1968 on suspicion of murder, fraud and assault. In the film "Legend", Tom Hardy portrayed both twins as brutal and believable, human and horrible
The Kray twins were held on suspicion of murder on this day in 1968
ECON.ST

2016年5月7日 星期六

The English country house casts a long, rose-tinted shadow

Looking back on the years before war broke out, Vita Sackville-West remembered an upper-class world of "warmth and security, leisure and continuity". For many of her aristocratic contemporaries in the 1920s and 1930s, the Edwardian country house was the heart of that world

2016年5月6日 星期五

London voters elect first Muslim mayor of major Western capital

The Guardian
Sadiq Khan has been elected mayor of London, reclaiming the post for Labour after eight years of Conservative rule and becoming the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital.
Tooting MP becomes first Muslim mayor of an EU capital after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith
THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 ROBERT BOOTH 上傳



Washington Post
At a time when Islam is seen by many in the West as politically toxic, Khan embraced it to winning effect.

The victory of Sadiq Khan is likely to resonate far beyond city hall.
WASHINGTONPOST.COM

2016年5月4日 星期三

Kids Across the UK Kept out of School in Strike Against Tests

Children across the UK kept out of school in strike against standardized tests. "Children’s mental health is at risk because of the increased pressure they face."

2016年5月3日 星期二

The finances of Britain's National Health Service are in serious trouble

Junior doctors and general practitioners are fed up
Between 2011-12 and 2014-15 spending on Britain's temporary health staff…
ECON.ST

2016年5月2日 星期一

Leicester City win Premier League


BBC News
Dreams. Do. Come. True.
Leicester City Football Club are Premier League champions for the first time in their 132-year history.


BBC World Service
Leicester City have won the English Premier League! An incredible story - They started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders, to become champions for the first time in the club's history. The title was theirs after second-placed Tottenham drew their match against Chelsea. Are they worthy winners ?
Leicester City - 5,000-1 outsiders in August - are Premier League…
BBC.IN