First there was Carla the supermodel, then the singer, then the first lady. Now, coming soon Carla Bruni-Sarkozy the statue.
Following in the immortalized footsteps of Joan of Arc and Marianne — the full-figured, flowing-haired female symbol of the French republic who graces Gallic public buildings – the president’s wife is being cast as a 183cm (6ft) bronze statue.
The idea of putting Bruni-Sarkozy on a pedestal comes courtesy of Jacques JP Martin, the mayor of Nogent-sur-Marne and a member of Nicolas Sarkozy’s ruling right-of-centre UMP party.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
Martin says he came up with the idea of Bruni-Sarkozy symbolizing a “plumassiere” — a female worker from one of the area’s former feather factories – to pay tribute to the local Italian community. Bruni-Sarkozy was born in Italy.
William Geib, of the opposition Socialist party, said the statue was inappropriate. “It’s sad for the women who were employed in this job. Carla Bruni must have seen more ostrich features on the catwalks than in a factory.”
However, the statue may be out of date even before it is installed. It is due to be unveiled in May around the time of the presidential second-round runoff in which, polls suggest, Nicolas Sarkozy is heading for defeat.
(Liberty Times)
一開始是超級名模卡拉，接著是歌手，然後是第一夫人。現在，即將出現：卡拉．布妮 ─薩科茲雕像。
追隨聖女貞德與瑪麗安的不朽腳步，這些身材豐腴、秀髮飄逸的法蘭西共和國女性象徵，曾替許多法國的公共建築物增添光彩，總統夫人現在也將化身為一座一百八十三公分（六英尺）高的銅像。
把布妮─薩科茲製成雕像的想法，來自馬恩河畔諾讓市長馬當，他也是薩科茲所領導的中間偏右執政黨「人民運動聯盟」黨員。
馬當說，他提出由布妮─薩科茲來作為當地過去的羽毛工廠女工象徵，目的是要向當地的義大利社群致敬。布妮─薩科茲出生在義大利。
反對黨社會黨市議員蓋伯則認為這座雕像並不適當。「這對於曾經從事這項行業的女性而言實在很悲哀，卡拉．布妮在伸展台上所見過的鴕鳥羽毛遠比在工廠裡多得多。」
但這座雕像很可能在正式設置前就已經過時。雕像預訂在五月時揭幕，剛好碰上總統大選第二回合決選投票，而民調卻顯示薩科茲很可能敗選。
（自由時報／翻譯：俞智敏）
“Beep—beep—beep.” Your phone roars in the dead of night and wakes you up. Adrenaline surges as a low rumble shakes the pictures on the nightstand. Panic threatens, but you remember the earthquake drill you practiced. You drop to the ground, take cover under your desk, and hold on tight. Though the shaking intensifies, relief washes over you because you knew it was coming thanks to the warning. How do we get these precious seconds before an earthquake hits? Enter earthquake early warning systems, life-saving tools that provide a crucial head start for taking cover or evacuating. Operating through a network of
A: Apart from singers Cher, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne and Peter Frampton, who else was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? B: The other inductees were Kool and the Gang, Dave Matthews, Foreigner and A Tribe Called Quest. A: All four of those bands are awesome. B: Also, Dionne Warwick received an award for musical excellence. A: Wow! Isn’t she the late pop diva Whitney Houston’s cousin? They both have the greatest voices. A: 除了雪兒、瑪麗J.、奧茲奧斯朋、彼得佛萊姆頓，還有誰入選「搖滾名人堂」？ B: 還有庫爾夥伴合唱團、大衛馬修樂團、外國人合唱團、探索一族。 A: 這4個樂團都很棒耶。 B: 狄昂華維克則榮獲「音樂卓越獎」！ A: 哇，她不是已故天后惠妮休斯頓的表姊嗎？兩姊妹都是美聲天后。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
At 3:19am on a cold December morning in 1941, a father was jolted awake by violent shaking, loud crashes and the sound of breaking pottery and tiles. And then, a woman’s terrified scream. He instinctively reached for his wife beside him. She was not there. She must have gone to check on their youngest child in the east wing. He tried to stand but was thrown back down. The room shook even harder. Walls cracked open and ceiling beams groaned as pieces of the roof began to fall. Cold December air rushed in the room and fanned the fire
Billy Lezra stood on the edge of a train platform, with her heart pounding and her mind clouded by despair. At 23, she faced her mother’s suicide attempt and spiraled into depression and alcohol addiction. She saw no way out, and just as she was about to take the final step, a stranger __1__ her with an unexpected request: “Excuse me, but would you mind taking my picture?” This simple, unforeseen meeting was enough to pull Billy back from the brink. __2__ that fateful day, Billy has been on a journey of recovery and discovery, determined to understand what drives people
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