新聞回顧

Athens Survived Fire, Can Its Government?

希臘大火被控制 執政黨或受沖擊

The efforts of thousands of Greek firefighters and soldiers combined with firefighting planes dispatched by Italy and France made progress against the worst wildfires around Athens in two years, creating optimism in Greece that the Athens suburbs are safe. But the electoral chances of Greece's conservative government, expected to face a new election next March, could suffer. In an election shortly after Greece's 2007 fires, the conservatives' majority in parliament was eroded, in part because of public anger at the handling of that crisis.

經過數千名希臘消防員和士兵的努力,加上有意法兩國派出滅火飛機助陣,雅典附近兩年來最嚴重的大火得到了控制,希臘人對雅典郊區的安全表示樂觀。但希臘保守黨政府獲得選舉勝利的機會可能因此受到影響,新的一場選舉將于明年三月舉行。2007年希臘也曾經發生火災,在稍后的選舉中,占多數的保守黨失去了在議會中的部分席位,而原因之一就是公眾對政府處理危機不力感到不滿。

In the two years since, Greece has not added to its fleet of 21 fire-fighting planes. As the fires gathered steam, some mayors were reduced to calling TV stations and appealing for firefighting help, exposing a slow, poorly coordinated firefighting response from the government that echoed 2007. In August of 2007, a series of fires claimed 64 lives, burned 500,000 acres and caused about $1.6 billion in damage. Then, as now, there was speculation of dark intent and that the fires could cause the conservative government to fall. Polling at the time found that while Greeks were unhappy with the government's handling of the fires, they didn't believe the opposition would have done a better job.

希臘有21架滅火飛機,在2007年大火發生后的兩年間,這一數量并沒有增加。大火愈演愈烈,一些市長只能打電話給電視臺,并請求支援,暴露了政府滅火行動緩慢,組織不力的問題,與2007年如出一轍。2007年8月,幾場大火先后奪走64條生命,燒毀50萬英畝土地,造成約16億美元的損失。跟如今一樣,當時人們懷疑有人蓄意縱火,大火還可能導致保守黨政府倒臺。那時的民調顯示,希臘人不滿政府應對火災的措施,但也不相信反對黨能做的更好。

Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said the fires were part of an 'asymmetric threat' and that the country's intelligence and antiterrorism agencies were investigating. At least six people have been charged, and dozens more arrested, on suspicion of starting fires. Ordinary Greeks largely agree that a conspiracy is at work, but aren't sure who to blame. A poll conducted on behalf of a local television station and newspaper found that 67 percent of respondents believed the fires were part of an organized plan by arsonists. Of those, 31 percent blamed foreign forces and 26 percent thought land developers were responsible.

公共秩序部長拜倫?波利多拉斯表示,火災屬于“不對稱威脅”,對此國家情報部門和反恐部門正在展開調查。由于涉嫌縱火,至少六人已被指控,數十人被捕。大多數希臘百姓都認為這是一場陰謀,但不知道應歸咎于誰。一家地方電視臺和報紙所做的民調顯示,67%的受訪者相信這是一次有組織的蓄意縱火。其中31%的人認為有國外力量作祟,26%的人認為房地產開發商有責任。

《基督教科學箴言報》

Project to Power Europe with Sahara Sun Gains Momentum

撒哈拉陽光普照歐洲?

A 400 billion plan to power Europe with sunlight from the Sahara is gaining momentum, despite warnings about starting a large corporate project using new technologies in countries of northern Africa where the rule of law is weak. Desertec, as the initiative is called, would be the world's most ambitious solar power project. Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

盡管有人對用新技術在缺乏法治的北非興建大型工程的做法提出告誡,但一項造價高達4000億歐元的計劃正蓄勢待發,將用撒哈拉的陽光給歐洲帶去電力。此項計劃名為“沙漠科技”,將是全球最具雄心的太陽能發電站項目。沙漠中成片的太陽能面板將采集日光,然后燒水,驅動渦輪機,建立一個連通歐洲、中東和北非的無碳電網。

Its supporters - a dozen finance and industrial firms mostly from Germany - say that it would keep Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change and help North African and European economies to grow within greenhouse gas emission limits. But critics warn of numerous pitfalls, including the politics of the Maghreb region, Saharan sandstorms and the risk to desert populations if their water is diverted to clean dust off solar mirrors. The detractors say that the concentrated solar power technology behind Desertec involves greater costs and risks than the fast-growing patchwork of smaller-scale photovoltaic cell installations that generate most of Europe's solar energy today.

計劃的支持者是數十個金融與實業公司,大多來自德國。他們表示,此項計劃將使歐洲站在應對氣候變化斗爭的最前線,同時幫助北非和歐洲在溫室氣體排放限制之下實現發展。但批評者警告說這個計劃會遭遇諸多陷阱,如馬格里布地區的政治、撒哈拉的沙塵暴,還有如果沙漠地區居民的用水被用來清洗太陽能板,他們就會構成威脅。還有人貶低說,“沙漠科技”所使用的集成太陽能技術比迅速發展的小型光伏電池成本更高,風險更大,而如今歐洲所使用的太陽能電大多為后者所發。

Desertec's founders are lured by the fact that more energy falls on the world's deserts in six hours than the world consumes in a year. 'The Sahara offers every advantage you want: proximity to Europe, virtually no population and more intense sunlight,' said George Joffe, a research fellow at Cambridge University. Desertec says the Sahara could one day deliver 15 percent of the electricity used by Europe, but company officials expect the plan to advance in small stages with completion around 2050. Still, supporters of more established solar energy technology, like photovoltaic cells, argue that decentralized generation will prove more popular. Falling prices for those cells would make the heavy infrastructure needed for Desertec's concentrated solar power unviable.

全世界的沙漠在六小時之內所吸收的能量比全世界一年所消耗的還多,“沙漠科技”的創始人就是為此所吸引?！叭龉膬瀯莶粍倜杜e:靠近歐洲、人煙稀少、日照充足,”劍橋大學研究員喬治?喬弗說。根據此項計劃,有朝一日,撒哈拉能提供歐洲15%的用電。但負責該計劃的公司表示,他們將穩扎穩打,預計在2050年左右完工。盡管如此,支持光伏發電池等現成技術的人堅稱,分散發電將更加受歡迎。隨著光伏電池逐漸降價,“沙漠科技”所需要的大型集成發電設施將無用武之地。

路透社

Shanghai to Purge Itself of 'Chinglish'

上海同“中式英語”開戰

Shanghai wants to wipe out mistranslations and mistakes in English, so-called 'Chinglish', before millions of visitors arrive for the World Expo next year. Teams of student volunteers have been assembled to scour the city for Chinglish and a website will shortly be launched to collect complaints, according to the city's Language Work Committee.

明年,將有數百萬人參加上海世博會,在此之前上海想要消除錯誤的英語翻譯和用法錯誤,也就說所謂的“中式英語”。上海語言文字工作委員會表示,已組織大量學生志愿者在城市到處尋找中式英語,不久后還將開通一家網站,搜集諫言。

At the Pearl Tower, one of Shanghai's most famous attractions, a sign forbids 'ragamuffin, drunken people and psychotic' from entering. Further instructions include: 'Prohibit carrying animals and the articles which disturb common sanitation' and a ban on 'dangerous germs, pests and other baleful biology'. Meanwhile, on the city's subway system, signs such as: 'If you take the phone on your waistband, as if to send money to the thief' or 'If you are stolen, call the police at once' are likely to vanish forever. Although public signs can be easily altered, there remains some doubt over whether officials can contain the spread of Chinglish among private businesses. Some stores boast that they are 'Cellular telephone is monopolied' while a problem using a computer translation tool led one restaurant to proclaim its name as 'Translate server error'.

在上海最著名的景點——東方明珠塔上,一個標識禁止“衣衫襤褸者、醉酒者和精神病人”入內。還有“禁止攜帶動物和影響公共衛生的物品”,禁止“危險細菌、害蟲和其它有害生物”這樣的標志。 “如果你在腰間攜帶手機,就好像扔錢給小偷”、“如果你被偷了,請立刻報警” 等上海地鐵上的標志可能永遠消失。雖然公共標識很容易就可以更改,但中式英語在私營單位內的傳播是否能夠得到控制卻令人質疑。有些商店自我吹噓是“手機壟斷店”,而由于機器翻譯工具出現故障,一家餐館將其名字翻譯成“翻譯服務器錯誤”。

Zhang Ripei, an official on the Language Work Committee, said Chinglish signs were 'degrading' to the image of businesses in the city. However, he said the new rules would not be mandatory and there would be no punishment for firms that refused to correct their signage. One of the organisers of a student team, who named himself as Mr Yang, said: 'I think it's necessary to follow the standard norms, especially on public signs so that there is no confusion for first time visitors. The Chinglish signs are sometimes quite endearing to Shanghai people, but for visitors, especially foreign guests, they can be quite misleading.'

上海語言文字工作委員會官員張日培表示,中式英語“有礙”上海的商業形象。不過他表示,新規定并不具有強制性,對于拒絕改名的單位也沒有懲罰。學生糾錯小組中一名自稱姓楊的組織者說:“我認為應該遵循標準規范,尤其是在公共標識上,以免給第一次來的游客造成困惑。有時上海人挺喜歡中式英語,但對于游客,尤其是外國游客,可能會造成誤導?！?/p>

上海語言文字工作委員會官員張日培表示,中式英語“有礙”上海的商業形象。不過他表示,新規定并不具有強制性,對于拒絕改名的單位也沒有懲罰。學生糾錯小組中一名自稱姓楊的組織者說:“我認為應該遵循標準規范,尤其是在公共標識上,以免給第一次來(上海)的游客造成困惑。有時上海人挺喜歡中式英語,但對于游客,尤其是外國游客,可能會造成誤導?！?/p>

《每日電訊報》

Apple-shaped Women More Prone to Asthma Risk

蘋果型身材女性更易患哮喘

Being overweight is well known to raise the risk of asthma. But the latest study suggests that the amount of weight women carry around the abdomen might be particularly important. The study, by the Northern California Cancer Centre, appears in the journal Thorax. The researchers analysed data on 88,304 female teachers and school administrators. The results showed that overweight women were 40% more likely to have asthma than women of a normal weight. But perhaps more surprisingly, the researchers also found that women of normal body weight, but with a waist circumference of more than 88cm were also at increased risk - around a third higher than those with a smaller waist.

眾所周知,肥胖會增加哮喘的風險。但最新的研究表明,女性腹部重量對哮喘的影響可能更大。加州大學癌癥研究中心的這項研究刊登在了英國《胸腔》雜志。研究人員分析了88,304名女性教師和學校管理人員的數據。結果顯示,肥胖的女性患哮喘的可能性比體重標準的女性高40%。但可能更令人吃驚的是,研究人員還發現,腰圍超過88厘米的女性,即使體重標準,患病的可能性也更高——大約比腰圍小的女性高1/3。

Body mass index has been widely used as a standard measure of obesity. But some researchers argue that waist circumference may be a more useful measure because it more closely reflects levels of visceral fat deposits found around the body's organs. Visceral fat is metabolically different from other types of fat found in the body, and may have different - and more profound - effects on health. Researcher Julie said: "Visceral fat is metabolically more active - it can produce compounds that may cause inflammation. Inflammation may then be related to asthma."

人們普遍用體重指數衡量肥胖。但有些研究人員稱,腰圍或許能更好地衡量肥胖,因為它能更準確地反映身體器官附近所堆積的內脂肪有多少。內脂肪的新陳代謝與體內的其他脂肪不同,對健康的影響也不同,而且可能影響更大。研究員朱莉說:“內脂肪的新陳代謝更加活躍——它產生的化合物可能引發炎癥。之后炎癥可能會誘發哮喘?！?/p>

Leanne Metcalf, director of research at the Asthma UK, said the researchers had not taken into account other factors which might have influenced the development of asthma, such as a family history of the condition. However, she said: 'As this study involves such a large number of women, the results are likely to have some significance.' 'It is important that people with asthma eat a healthy, balanced diet, which is low in fat and sugar, and take regular exercise.' Dr Noemi Eiser, of the British Lung Foundation, agreed that the study reinforced the need for women to lead a healthy lifestyle and for them to be more aware of the health risks of having a large waist size.

英國哮喘研究協會研究主任琳妮?梅特卡夫表示,研究人員沒有考慮可能影響哮喘發展的其他因素,如家庭病史。但她說:“由于此項研究涉及如此多的女性,結果可能有重要意義?！薄跋颊叩娘嬍骋】?、均衡、低脂肪、低糖,還要經常鍛煉,這些都很重要?！?..英國肺臟基金會的諾誒米?伊瑟醫生也認為,該研究再次強調了女性應該養成健康的生活方式,更加留意腰圍粗大給健康帶來的危險。

BBC