A copy of a knotted gun sculpture that has become an emblem for peace was unveiled on Tuesday, the International Day of Non-Violence, in Lebanon’s capital Beirut near a tower block whose shattered facade evokes the civil war that once ripped the city apart. The International Day of Non-Violence falls on Oct. 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who employed nonviolent civil disobedience and led India to independence.
Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward made the original sculpture, a revolver with its barrel tied in a knot, as a tribute to John Lennon after he was shot in New York in 1980. It stands outside the UN building in Manhattan, and the Non-Violence Project Foundation, created by Reutersward, has placed copies in other cities around the world.
The version in Beirut stands on the seafront, just around the corner from the old Holiday Inn building, a concrete tower block deeply scarred by shell and bullet holes from the 1975-1990 civil war. The conflict was fought largely between Christians and Muslims and also drew in Palestinians, Syria, Israel and other foreign powers.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
For much of the war, Beirut was divided along its “green line” separating mostly Muslim west Beirut from the mostly Christian east. Twenty-eight years after the war ended, the damage is still visible in many parts of the city.
While Lebanon is now at peace, conflict has mired many other parts of the region and the seven-year war in neighboring Syria has sent a million refugees to seek refuge in its borders.
(Reuters)
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
今已成為和平象徵的一座槍管打結雕塑作品,在週二「國際非暴力日」揭幕於黎巴嫩首都貝魯特。雕塑座落於一棟高樓附近,建築正面碎裂的外牆喚起曾一度撕裂這個城市的內戰記憶。國際非暴力日落在每年的十月二日,以紀念印度聖雄甘地的生日,因他採取非暴力的公民不服從手段,帶領印度走向獨立。
這座雕塑的原件來自於瑞典藝術家卡爾‧弗雷德里克‧陸特斯瓦的創作,他將這件槍管被打成一個結的左輪手槍雕塑,獻給一九八○年在紐約遭到槍擊過世的歌手約翰‧藍儂。雕塑原件現今矗立於曼哈頓的聯合國大廈外,而陸特斯瓦創立的非暴力計畫基金會,今日已在世界各城市豎立多座這件雕塑的複製品。
貝魯特的這件雕塑樹立在城市面海的那一側,就在舊假日酒店建築旁邊的街角。一九七五年到一九九○年期間爆發的內戰帶來砲火與子彈,在這座高聳的水泥大樓牆面留下深刻的傷疤。這場內戰主要源起於基督教徒與穆斯林教徒之間的衝突,同時也將巴勒斯坦、敘利亞、以色列,以及其他外國勢力捲進戰爭中。
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
在內戰的大部份時期,貝魯特被一條俗稱的「綠線」分成兩半,一邊是主要人口組成為穆斯林的西貝魯特,另一邊則是大多是基督教徒的東貝魯特。內戰結束後二十八年的今天,這座城市仍然有許多地方可以看到戰亂留下的斷垣殘壁。
儘管黎巴嫩目前處於和平狀態,武裝衝突仍然讓這個地區許多地方深陷困境,鄰國敘利亞的七年內戰已經讓數量多達百萬的難民湧向邊界尋求庇護。
(台北時報章厚明譯)
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