The mayor of a town near Malta’s main airport called Monday for the removal of a sculpture resembling a phallus near the road leading to the capital Valletta ahead of a weekend visit by the pope.
The sculpture, which Mayor John Schembri described as “obscene” and “embarrassing,” should be removed “as a sign of respect” for Pope Benedict XVI.
“Colonna Mediterranea” (Mediterranean Column) is the work of ceramic artist and sculptor Paul Vella Critien and was installed on a roundabout at the entrance to the village of Luqa in January 2006.
The sculpture, which Critien describes as a modern three-dimensional representation of a symbol dating from ancient Egypt has rubbed many residents of predominantly Catholic Malta up the wrong way.
Similar works by Critien have been erected in Germany, Italy and Australia.
The pope is to visit on Saturday and Sunday after recent revelations that a paedophilia “response team” set up by the Maltese Catholic Church in 1999 had received allegations against 45 priests.
Nearly half of the cases have been ruled groundless, the Church said Monday, adding however: “For the Church, every case is one too many.”
The Roman Catholic Church has battled a wave of paedophile priest scandals in the US and Europe since last November.(AFP)
馬爾他主要機場附近某村鎮的鎮長週一呼籲，趁教宗週末來訪前，將通往首都法勒他公路旁一個狀似陽具的雕塑拆除。
村長約翰•仙卜立表示，那個雕塑不但「淫穢」，還「令人尷尬」，「為了尊敬」教宗本篤十六世，應該加以拆除。
這件名為「地中海之柱」的作品，出自陶藝家保羅•維拉•克利先之手，二００六年一月置於路迦村口的圓環上。
馬爾他民眾大都信奉天主教，這座克利先稱為某古埃及象徵現代3D版的雕塑，惹惱了多數民眾。
德國、義大利與澳洲也出現克利先類似的作品。
教宗本週六、日將訪問馬爾他，此行是為了造訪當他天主教會於一九九九年所成立的戀童癖應變小組。該小組最近接獲多達四十五件牧師戀童申訴。
教會當局週一表示，近半數的指控被認定是毫無根據，但他們也說：「對教會而言，即使一件也算太多。」
羅馬天主教會去年十一月以來，在美國與歐洲爆發多起神父戀童癖醜聞，爭議至今仍未有具體結果。（法新社╱翻譯：吳岱璟）
A: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, known as “BJJ,” has become more and more popular. Even Hollywood stars like Halle Berry and Tom Hardy are obsessed with it. B: Some Asian stars, such as Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng and South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi, have also practiced this martial art. A: BJJ is not just a martial art, but also a combat sport. B: I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’m worried about getting injured. A: Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, is holding a BJJ seminar at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei Friday night. Let’s go check out how we
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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