Denmark's image has taken a beating after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed last year that angered Muslims around the world. The results of a survey of 35 countries showed that Denmark was the only country to have its image hurt during the past six months.
The cartoons affected Denmark's image mainly in Muslim countries, but the survey also showed an image drop in other parts of the world, including eastern and central Europe, and South Africa. Denmark's image as "open, generous, tolerant, democratic, strongly oriented on human rights and fairness" has suffered, said one of the people who did the study.
The online survey is done every three months. It questions 25,000 people of different ages, incomes and education levels. The respondents come from 35 countries, including the largely Muslim nations of Egypt, Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia. Egyptians had the worst opinion of Denmark, and Denmark's image has also dropped in Turkey.
PHOTO: AFP
People who took the survey were asked what they thought about the cultures, politics and economies of different countries. For example, one of the questions asked what they thought about exports from a certain country, and if they "actively seek out or avoid" products from that country.
Political questions asked them to rank countries according to how competent and fair they thought their governments were.
Respondents were also asked which adjectives best described the government of each country. In Egypt, less than one-fifth believed the adjectives "trustworthy" or "honest" described Denmark. (DPA)
丹麥的形象自去年一家丹麥報紙刊載先知穆罕默德的漫畫,激怒全球穆斯林後便大受打擊,而一項涵括三十五國的問卷調查結果顯示,過去六個月來,丹麥是唯一形象受損的國家。
漫畫對丹麥形象的影響主要在穆斯林國家,不過調查顯示,在世界其他地區也有下滑的情形,包括東歐、中歐和南非,一名參與研究者表示,丹麥「開放、慷慨、寬容、民主、強烈人權及公平導向」的形象已遭到破壞。
這項網路問卷每三個月調查一次,訪問來自三十五國的兩萬五千名不同年紀、收入和教育程度的受訪者,包括主要穆斯林國家,如埃及、馬來西亞、土耳其和印尼的受訪民眾。埃及民眾對丹麥的評論最差,而丹麥在土耳其的形象亦受創。
受訪者在問卷中被問及對於不同國家間文化、政治和經濟差異的想法,例如,其中一題就問到他們對於來自特定國家的舶來品有何看法,和是否「積極尋找或避用」該國產品。
政治題則要求受訪者依照各國政府能力及公平程度將國家排名。
受訪者也被問到每個國家最適用哪個形容詞。埃及不到五分之一的受訪者認為「值得信賴」或「正直」能用來形容丹麥。 (德通社/翻譯:鄭湘儀)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but