Many retired Navy ships have been turned into museums, but community groups here are hoping for what military officials say is a first: turning a decommissioned vessel into a floating homeless shelter.
The 195m destroyer tender Acadia was built in 1981 and sailed around the world several times with a crew of 1,500 before it was decommissioned in 1994. In January, Navy officials decided to dispose of, sell off or give away the vessel, which is docked at Pearl Harbor. Most ships are used for scrap or training after they are retired.
"Land is a high commodity. We live on a rock," the Rev. Gary Shields, director of the Victory Ohana Prison Fellowship, told The Honolulu Advertiser. "Hawaii has to do something different and out of the box. And this is out of the box."
A coalition called the Acadia Acquisition Committee is negotiating with the state for a place to put the ship. Its proposal calls for Acadia to start housing people as early as May 2009.
Organizers are trying to determine how much the program would cost but are expecting to spend US$2 million (NT$66.3 million) just to get the ship ready for basic accommodations such as air conditioning, revamped bunks and bedrooms.
Homelessness is a growing problem in Hawaii, as low-income families face some of the highest living costs in the nation. The number of unsheltered homeless counted at seven areas on Oahu in January was 3,750, up 28 percent from a year ago. (AP)
許多除役的海軍船艦常被改裝成博物館，但這個地方的社區團體希望創下如軍方所說的創舉︰將一艘退役船艦改裝成海上遊民收容所。
長一百九十五公尺的驅逐艦「阿卡迪亞號」建造於一九八一年，它曾載著一千五百名船員環遊世界數周，最後於一九九四年退役。海軍官員在一月份決定將停在珍珠港的這艘船棄置、出售或送出。大部分的退役船艦都會被當成廢料，或用於訓練工作。
「這裡土地很珍貴，因為我們住在一塊大礁石上，」Victory Ohana監獄更生團契的領導人蓋瑞:孝茲牧師對《檀香山廣告商報》說。「夏威夷得做點與眾不同的事，跳脫既有的框架。而這就是打破傳統的計畫。」
一個叫「阿卡迪亞號取得委員會」的聯盟正在和該州協商泊船的地方。它提出的計劃書希望該船最快從後年五月開始收容民眾。
規劃者正在評估該計劃要花多少錢，但預計光是基本的住宿設施，例如冷氣、翻新多層床舖、臥室等就要兩百萬美元（約新台幣六千六百三十萬元。）
無家可歸的情形在夏威夷越來越嚴重，因為當地低收入戶面臨全國最高的生活消費。歐胡島上的七個區域，一月份的遊民人數達三千七百五十人，比前一年高了28%。
（美聯社／翻譯：張愛弟）
Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11. “I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass. Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP. Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public. The
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
A: Actually, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is particularly good for small people like you. B: Really? How so? A: According to Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, the BJJ’s purpose is to help smaller, weaker people defend themselves by using various techniques, such as leverage. B: That sounds interesting. What time does Dr Wang’s BJJ seminar begin tonight? A: The event is scheduled for 7:30pm at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. A: 其實你的個子比較小，很適合練巴西柔術呢。 B: 真的嗎？為什麼？ A: 據美國理療醫師王幼瑞博士說，巴西柔術的概念是讓弱小的人，也能利用槓桿作用等技巧防身。 B: 真有趣，王醫師的巴柔研討會幾點開始？ A: 今晚7點半在「台北巴柔運動館」，免費入場自由樂捐唷！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18
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