The price of dying is going up in Rome, if a city auction of prime cemetery lots is anything to go by.
The most expensive burial ground in the city’s prized Verano cemetery is on offer for 312,629 euros — the price of a modest apartment — before tax.
Like living real estate, the plot is described as being of “classical style, in brick and slate-roofed, with decorative elements in (white) travertine rock and Cararre marble,” according to the write-up in brochures.
The tombs, one of which can hold up to 28 coffins, can be viewed via Google Earth with pictures placed on the Web site www.amaroma.it
Future inhabitants will become neighbors of such luminaries as actor Marcello Mastroianni, writer Alberto Moravia or other cinematic figures in Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti.
Rome mayor Gianni Alamanno hopes to raise 2.5 million euros from the sell-off of tombs whose owners are no longer known, are empty or are threatened with collapse, and offers a 75-year lease.
The auction is due to end on July 24.(AFP)
羅馬市正在標售頂級墓園,若依拍賣標準來看,死後想安息將付出更高的代價。
這座位在羅馬市最重要的維拉諾公墓內的頂級墓園起標價三十一萬兩千六百二十九歐元,相當於一戶小公寓未稅前的價格。
就如同活人的房地產一般,拍賣型錄中形容這座墓園「屬經典風格,磚砌主體配上板岩材質屋頂,還飾有(白色)石灰岩和卡拉瑞大理石」。
其中一個墓區可容納多達二十八具棺木。透過「Google地球」可觀看張貼在www.amaroma.it網站上的各墓區照片。
未來的遷入者將可與影星馬塞羅•馬斯托依安尼、作家艾伯托•莫拉維亞,及電影界聞人羅伯特•羅塞里尼、盧契諾•維斯康提等名人為鄰。
羅馬市長賈尼•阿萊曼諾希望藉由低價出售這些無主、空置或瀕臨倒塌的墓穴,籌募兩百五十萬歐元;租賃期限為七十五年。
拍賣活動至七月二十四日截止。
(法新社�翻譯:林倩如)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110