Britain's Royal Mail released a first-ever series of stamps featuring The Beatles earlier this month, and immediately forecast they would break global records for sales of a single issue.
Demand for the stamps, particularly from Japan, the US and Canada, has already put the six-stamp issue on target to become Royal Mail's biggest seller apart from collections related to occasions like royal weddings.
"Judging by the unprecedented response we have already received from collectors and the public, The Beatles is on course to be the best selling issue internationally," said the Royal Mail's Julietta Edgar.
PHOTO: EPA
"We chose to celebrate a band as exceptional as The Beatles because of their contribution to the world — and that popularity has been demonstrated by the interest this stamp issue has received across the globe," she added.
The new stamps — which have already smashed a record set by Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday issue last year — feature iconic Beatles album covers including Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road and Revolver.
In Canada, for example, demand is so strong that Canada Post is offering the stamps for sale through its own branches — the first time another country's postal service has done this with a Royal Mail issue. (AFP)
英國皇家郵政本月初首次發行披頭四系列郵票，預計打破全球首刷銷售紀錄。
特別來自日本、美國和加拿大對郵票的需求量，讓這一套六張的郵票可望成為皇家郵政在皇室婚禮系列外，銷售量最高的郵票。
任職於皇家郵政的茱麗葉塔．愛德格表示︰「從我們收到來自收藏家和社會大眾的空前迴響看來，披頭四將成為全球銷售量最佳的紀念郵票。」
她補充︰「我們選擇紀念披頭四如此卓越的樂團，是因為他們對世界的貢獻，以及從全球郵迷詢問這組郵票所展現的歡迎度。」
這組新郵票已打破去年女王伊莉莎白二世八十歲生日紀念郵票所創下的紀錄，上頭的圖案是樂團界的代表—披頭四的專輯封面，包括「比伯軍曹寂寞芳心俱樂部」、「艾比路」和「左輪手槍」。
以加拿大為例，需求量大到加國郵政局得透過代辦處販售郵票，皇家郵政發行的郵票首次讓他國郵政體系有如此破天荒之舉。（法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures. Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25 degrees Celsius. Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops, so much so that South Korea might not be able to grow napa cabbage one day due to the intensifying heat. “We
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是，提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊？ A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理！ B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊，其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Finally, cultural influence also plays a role in which hand people prefer. Historically, items that require physical manipulation have been designed for right-handed use. For example, tools like scissors and musical instruments are often constructed with right-handers in mind, making it difficult for left-handers to use them. __4__ While these factors offer some explanation, they remain speculative. The precise reasons for the global prevalence of right-handed people continue to be debated. Nevertheless, left-handedness will remain a phenomenon of great curiosity among scientists and researchers for many years to come. 最後，文化影響也在人們偏好哪一隻手上扮演一角。歷史上，需要用到肢體操作的物品都被設計來供右手使用。舉例來說，像是剪刀、樂器等工具常常就是考慮到右撇子而打造的，造成左撇子難以使用這些工具。因此，許多天生就是左撇子的人可能就必須透過學習使用右手來適應。 雖然這些因素都提供了一些解釋，但它們仍是推測而已。全球右撇子如此普及，確切的原因仍持續被爭論著。不過，在未來的許多年裡，左撇子依然會是科學家和研究人員相當好奇的一個現象。 What Did You Learn? (A) Specifically, different areas of
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