Belarus’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, condemned as Europe’s last dictator, last Thursday took his youngest son Kolya, whom he calls his “talisman,” for his first day at a shinily renovated school.
The first item on state television news showed Lukashenko and his seven-year-old son walking hand-in-hand into the school in a village outside the capital Minsk, close to one of the president’s country houses.
Lukashenko has called the fair-haired boy — born in an extra-marital relationship — his lucky charm. “He is my talisman, my cross,” Lukashenko once said of the boy.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
The identity of Nikolai’s mother is not officially reported. Lukashenko himself has said in an interview that she is a doctor. Lukashenko’s wife is rarely seen in public.
Nikolai, known by his nickname Kolya, often accompanies Lukashenko to official events, sometimes wearing a miniature military uniform. He appeared at his father’s inauguration ceremony and even at a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
Lukashenko said last year that his son “would go to the most ordinary school,” but the school he picked was recently renovated at a reported cost of US$3 million (NT$87.05 million) and equipped with a modern gym and a swimming pool.
Kolya, dressed in a gray suit, gave his new teacher a bunch of flowers and sat with his classmates in 1B, while his father dropped in, telling pupils to “study hard and be cheerful and healthy.”
Lukashenko also gave a speech to the whole school and parents, saying that “children are our greatest treasure.”
The first day of school on Sept. 1 is marked with elaborate ceremony in the former Soviet Union, with children dressed in formal clothes and bringing huge bouquets of flowers for teachers.
(AFP)
白俄羅斯強人亞歷山大‧盧卡申科上週四帶著他的小兒子柯亞,首日到一所被翻修而光亮奪目的學校就學。盧卡申科被譴責為歐洲最後一位獨裁者,他則稱其小兒子為他的護身符。
國家電視新聞頻道的第一則新聞,即是盧卡申科與其七歲兒子手牽手,步行前往首都明斯克近郊,一座靠近總統鄉間別墅村落的學校。
盧卡申科稱這位備受寵愛的男孩─其私生子─為其護身符。他說:「他是我的護身符,我的十字架。」
尼可拉親生母親的身份並未正式被報導。盧卡申科已在一次訪談中親口透露,她是一位醫師。盧卡申科的妻子,也鮮少公開露面。
小名為柯亞的尼可拉,經常伴隨盧卡申科出席正式場合,有時會穿迷你版的軍服。他曾出現在父親的就職典禮,甚至現身教宗本篤十六世的會面場合。
盧卡申科說,去年他兒子「原本要去再平凡不過的學校」,但是他選擇的該所學校,直到最近才完成翻修,據報導耗資達三百萬美元(新台幣八千七百零五萬元),且校內有一座現代體育館與一座游泳池。
身穿灰色西裝的柯亞,獻給他的新老師一大束花,並且與同班同學一同坐在1B的教室,而他父親也順道進入該教室,勉勵學生要「用功念書,並且保持愉快與健康」。
盧卡申科也對該校師生與家長發表演說,他說:「孩童是我們最大的財富。」
這個前蘇聯盟國的白俄羅斯,以排場浩大的儀式慶祝九月一日開學日。當天學童穿正式服裝,並且帶大束鮮花獻給老師。
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
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)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too