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南都訊 記者嚴亮 通訊員余映意、梁立媛 當《中國好聲音》音樂節目進行得如火如荼時，迷你倉沙田僑鄉開平也響起了“好歌聲”。7月27日下午，由萬象傳媒、天�傳媒聯合主辦的五邑“好歌聲”開平賽區海選賽在旅遊購物街二樓舉行，來自江門五邑地區的200多名“草根”音樂愛好者齊聚一堂，一展歌喉，為音樂夢想吶喊助威。據瞭解，五邑“好歌聲”開平賽區活動歷時兩個月，共舉行4場比賽。海選以清唱方式選出40強進入20強初賽，並採用評委、觀�和網上投票的方式評出12強進入複賽，最終在決賽中選出冠、亞、季軍，最具颱風獎、最佳演繹獎、最佳原創獎、網絡最佳人氣獎等獎項，其中冠軍得主將獲得10000元現金。

去年11月，迷你倉新蒲崗原“成都東區音樂公園”正式升級更名為“東郊記憶”，這標誌著“東郊記憶”從以音樂為主題的“音樂產業聚集園和音樂文化體驗園”，邁向“集合音樂、美術、戲劇、攝影等文化形態的多元文化園區”。無論是昨日落幕的成都國際友城青年音樂周，還是順利成為國家4A級旅遊景區，都預示著“東郊記憶”在此次提檔升級過程中取得了著實成效。11個特色場館帶來豐富文化活動音樂會、劇目演出、中小型演唱會、明星見面會、藝術品展示交易、品牌發佈等特色會展活動，已逐漸成為市民來到東郊記憶的重要因素。今年1至5月期間，近90場各類展覽、演藝活動在東郊記憶舉行，這也為實現園區從活動內容引入到活動內容擁有的轉變開了好頭。成都傳媒文化產業園區運營管理有限公司相關負責人介紹，東郊記憶與四川人民藝術劇院合作投資創作的大型駐場歌舞劇《青春記憶》年內將�動。“該劇暫定在1200個座位的東郊記憶演藝中心長期演出，歌舞劇將運用多元的舞台元素和群�耳熟能詳的老歌貫穿始終，喚起不同年齡階段觀�對青春的回憶。”據悉，7月初，東郊記憶已開始利用園區2100㎡演播中心、成都小劇場基地八點空間、成都舞台等11個主題場館優勢，開始與四川人民藝術劇院、成都藝術劇院、四川交響樂團以及國內優秀劇團合作，推出持續四個月的“東郊記憶戲劇展演季”；還計劃推出集展演、評獎、交易、交流為一體的成都（國際）戲劇博覽會。8月登場的“東郊記憶歡樂兩周年玩轉百變空間”系列活動，則將充分展現11個場館的主題功能性，推出“奇幻穿越季”恐龍文化節、省人藝“劇場展演季”《SOMEBODY某君》等活動。東郊記憶成為國家4A級旅遊景區今年6月，成都東郊記憶旅遊景區接受了全國旅遊景區質量等級評定委員會的檢查驗收評定，最終以“工業遺存保護和文迷你倉出租創意產業相結合的新型旅遊景區”形式，順利通過國家4A級旅遊景區的驗收，成為成都的又一張名片。為了再現銘刻在老成都人心中的歷史記憶、展現成都老工業基地的縮影，東郊記憶園區還將新增建築規模11萬平方米。據悉，今年9月，以世博會中國館表達手法呈現老東郊風貌的“東郊記憶館”將實現運營。1200平方米的展館將分為固定展館和多功能展館，700平方米的固定展館將以“東郊攬勝”沙盤為核心，借助實物成列、舊物藝術改造、科技互動等方式，還原東郊輝煌。除了已在園區展出的殲-6飛機發動機、殲教5型飛機、B43雷達等東郊工業時代產品，包括刃具廠的幸福門、420廠的瞭望塔、藍光廠的碉樓等老東郊特色景觀都將以不同形式重現于東郊記憶。打造中國最大規模音樂產業基地去年年底，國家新聞出版總署（現國家新聞出版廣電總局）正式批准同意四川省建成成都國家音樂產業基地。最終，該產業基地落戶東郊記憶。這也是繼北京、上海、廣州後，中國第四個音樂產業基地，並且是已呈現的中國最大規模的國家音樂產業基地。據介紹，將來，包括國家音樂版權認證交易中心、中國原創音樂發展基金、中國數字音樂科技創新孵化園等項目，都將在成都國家音樂產業基地中實現。中國移動無線音樂基地還將在東郊記憶建成國內最大的數字音樂企業集聚園區和全球第一個音樂領域的平台開放商。東郊記憶還�動了傳媒文化產業並行的“產業雙核聚集區”建設。據悉，包括“網絡文化創意基地”“網絡視頻產業基地”“東郊記憶攝影創意產業基地”等在內的多門類文化創意產業已入駐東郊記憶。上述負責人介紹，“之後還將引入全國知名廣告、出版、期刊等文化創意產業企業入駐，企業可通過園區的物業平台和人氣，實現業務內容的運營，達到產業、商業互動的效果。”成都晚報記者 滕楊 攝影 王紅強儲存倉

學生以DSE成績申請入讀海外大學，迷你倉庫基本上要有平均三至四級或以上的成績才算穩健，一些名氣較大的大學甚至需要平均五級以上的成績。現時需要考慮到海外升學的，大多是聯招入大學邊線三至四級，至四至五級上下成績的學生，粗略估計有一萬五千名，倘其中有兩成打算到海外升學就是三千人。　　難怪連奧地利這個歐洲小國也開始吸納香港學生，去年奧地利商務專員曾在港辦「奧地利教育諮詢日」，主動提供專上學院學位予香港學生申請，最低門檻大約是三級的平均，而且英語要求不高，IELTS有五點五分已行。雖云奧地利官方語言為德語，但不少院校也以英語授課，香港學生應不難適應。奧地利高等教育的強項是科技、工程、酒店、旅遊等科；當然，文化、音樂、藝術則是強中之強，有意修讀這些學科，大可考慮奧國。　　奧地利原來的大學是五至六年制，承襲德國，修畢後獲碩士文憑，但近年歐盟效應下，學制已分成學士、碩士及博士，一般學士修讀三至四年，完成中學可直接入讀。現時奧地利大學共分三類，分別是公立、私立和應用科學專科大學，合共三十五間大學；其中全國最佳的大學為Universitat Wien（見圖），在QS全球大學排名榜排一百六十位，其餘亦有共四所大學全球排五百名之內。　　奧地利的面積不及美國的緬因州（Maine），位於歐洲正中心，是東、西歐的橋樑國家，擁有獨特儲存音樂藝術及建築文化，首都維也納是世界音樂之都，在此間做學問，絕對是人傑地靈，近水樓台。現時奧地利海外生佔了一成五，比幾年前增加了兩成。　　學費方面，奧地利政府為吸引海外生來奧升學，投放不少資源以降低學費水平，公立大學一學年學費連住宿也只不過是十萬港元；學生更可在課餘兼職賺取外快補貼生活；比起英、美、澳、加等地升學的支出大幅調低；據悉，現時奧地利每年吸納二百名港生入讀不同類型院校。　　私立大學方面，以維也納MODUL大學為例，他們以英語授課的商管課程主修酒店及旅遊，每年學費約為九千餘歐羅，約十萬港元，修讀三年，不過是三十萬港元，連三年生活費膳宿應不超過五十萬港元，每年支出只約十六萬至十七萬港元。　　奧地利的大學也有提供大學預備班課程是VWU - University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities，網址為www.vwu.at，有德語、英語、數學、各項理科及文科等等，以補學生的不足。有關奧地利升學詳細資料，可向香港的奧地利商務專員公署查詢。歡迎讀友電郵或在facebook專頁留言發表升學意見及提出問題。電郵：mbcheung123@yahoo.com.hk facebook專頁：www.facebook.com/mbcheung123新蒲崗迷你倉

決定要考領隊導遊，自存倉李秉吾開始收集情報，在研究考試制度後，發現是採「平均分及格制」，由於英文很有把握，如果英文可以考高分，就可以把其他3科的平均分數拉上來，及格機會較高，於是報考英語領隊導遊。在參考書的選擇上，由於領隊導遊的考試，沒有範圍，李秉吾就用退輔會的輔導專班提供的書本，做為主要的參考書。李秉吾說，大約是在春節過後，開始全心全意準備考試，大約花了整整3周的時間來讀書。他讀第一遍書本時，很詳細地把全書讀過，不懂的地方，問老師或是查資料都可以，務必要全部弄清楚，並且把重點畫出來。讀第二遍時則是要精讀加記憶，做筆記加深印象。李迷你倉新蒲崗吾說，他的筆記都用圖及表來幫助記憶，他在筆記本上自己畫台灣地圖，一次就完全記得了。歷史部分，李秉吾用編年的方式來精讀，也是因為年分有助於記憶的方式，台灣史中讀到的年分發生的事情，在讀外國史時，同年發生的事，再印證到台灣史，來來回回，就不會忘記。法條部分，他也製作成圖表，來加深印象。第三遍閱讀，就是上考選部的網站做考古題，但是不要做超過3年的考古題，李秉吾說，法規會改，做太舊的考古題，可能會錯。至於英語口試部分，李秉吾特別去觀光局，拿了許多介紹台灣觀光的英文摺頁詳讀，不過，英語口試的重點是在了解考生的對話能力，這就是平日的功力了。迷你倉出租

【記者夏秀珠/台北報導】為回饋全台廣大消費者對Windows8的熱烈支持，存倉台灣微軟祭出繽紛夏樂購，盛夏購機優惠方案。凡於活動期間內(2013/8/1~20 13/9/30)購買Windows8升級版彩盒、Windows8網路升級版、Windows8隨機版、或搭載Windows8之品牌電腦與平板電腦，就有機會抽中MINICooper7段速時尚小折、限量幾米11吋防震包、MicrosoftSculpt行動滑鼠等精緻好禮，前1,000名完成購買資料登錄的消費者還可以獲得「Windows8迎夏APP精選包」。自存倉此之外，在一年一度的台北電腦應用展期間(2013/8/1~2013/8/31)還有CanonPowerShotG15類單眼數位相機週週送和100個幾米電腦包加碼送等精彩好禮。台北電腦應用展活動現場將展示多款最新Windows8機款，無論是開機更快速、電池續航力更長效的平板電腦；專為盡情工作與玩樂所設計，可隨時變身為筆記型電腦的平板電腦；或是具備絢麗畫質和強大效能的筆記型電腦；再搭配豐富多元的WindowsApp，讓消費者隨時隨地都可享受超快、超順、超好玩的Windows8，工作、學習、玩樂都好用！(見圖)迷你倉新蒲崗

Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteJuly 27--Paris, France, population 2.文件倉2 million, has the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe.Franklin, Pa., population 6,500, has the Venango County Courthouse and Dan Hardesty's Wild West Museum.More than a oui bit of difference there, but the two cities have one thing in common -- they are connected by airline service. In an effort to publicize that, a tourism agency issued an email blast extolling the virtues of traveling to Paris from Franklin's Venango Regional Airport rather than from Pittsburgh."So ... if you are considering a flight to Paris, consider this -- drive to Franklin rather than Pittsburgh and park for free rather than paying $13/day in the long-term lot. You also avoid the need to arrive four hours early and stand in line," says the email, issued this week by the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism.It also draws seemingly unfavorable comparisons to Pittsburgh-Paris airfare, the wait to clear customs and the size of the aircraft that carry travelers to France and back. But the author said he's not trying to lure Pittsburghers to drive the 70-plus miles to Franklin on their way to Gay Paree.PG map: Venango Regional Airport(Click image for larger version)"I'm just trying to let [local] people know that you can fly from Franklin to Paris or London. We don't expect people to drive up from Pittsburgh," airport manager O.C. Bell said in a phone interview Thursday. "We're simply trying to retain as many of our travelers as we can."As a resident of Pittsburgh, I appreciate the heck out of that nonstop service [from Pittsburgh International Airport to Paris]," he said. "I hope we're able to keep it."The email starts by comparing airfare: $65 cheaper from Franklin for travel in mid-August. (A check by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday found a price differential of $111 per round trip.) It mentions the connection cities for travelers from Franklin and observes that those air存倉orts have large customs staffs."Pittsburgh has one international flight per day seasonally -- the one operated by Delta and customs and immigration takes as long or longer than the busier airports," it says.The email then offers sample itineraries to and from Franklin, which require two connections. The nonstop Pittsburgh-to-Paris flight, aboard a Boeing 757-200, is "a long flight on a narrow body aircraft," it observes, with the word "long" underlined."There's nothing wrong with the 757. It's a good airplane," said Mr. Bell, who said he has flown to Paris from Pittsburgh but not from Franklin.And that reference to arriving four hours early and standing in line?"Pittsburgh's very convenient," he said. He said he meant people traveling from the Franklin area would have to leave home four hours in advance of their flight if departing from Pittsburgh.There are some possible drawbacks to traveling to Paris from Franklin, not spelled out in the email. The first leg, to Cleveland, is aboard a 19-seat Beechcraft. Because no airlines offer nonstop flights from Cleveland to Paris, another layover awaits. The travel time is 41/2 to 6 hours longer than Delta's Pittsburgh-Paris nonstop flight.Pittsburgh International doesn't feel threatened by its neighbor to the north."I see what he's interested in doing. It's important for the local community to use the local airport," said JoAnn Jenny, spokeswoman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which oversees Pittsburgh International."If you're a business traveler, or a leisure traveler, I don't think you want to make two stops," she said. "It's really hard to compete with a nonstop flight."Jon Schmitz: jschmitz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1868. Visit the PG's transportation blog, The Roundabout, at www.post-gazette.com/Roundabout. Twitter: @pgtraffic.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉

　【本報記者黃緒勳台南報導】台南市政府觀光旅遊局與法雅客公司共同舉辦「2013法雅客第12屆城市24小時馬拉松數位攝影比賽」昨日登場，mini storage台南市觀光旅遊局局長陳俊安、法雅客周昌濬副總與全台各地600名參賽者齊步開跑。　台南市政府觀光旅遊局局長陳俊安表示，台南是座友善的旅行城市，有著古樸高雅的古蹟建築、豐富的自然景觀、好吃的美食、親切的古都熱情，如此良好的條件足以提供參賽者盡情展現熱情、發揮活力與創意，參賽者可以透過攝影展現對台南獨特的觀察視野，享受台南24小時與眾不同self storage新風貌。　陳俊安表示，本活動為創意型式的攝影競賽活動，宗旨為鼓勵民眾拿起相機記錄生活週遭美好事物，以持續24小時不停歇馬拉松攝影記錄台南，將台南的晨昏風貌完整地記錄與呈現出來。　這次活動參與者是從20到54歲常青夫妻檔、情侶、好友及家人組合隊伍，一同加入熱血24小時馬拉松攝影比賽。第一道創作主題是「曖昧」，參賽者需於規定時間內創作，並於下午三點前至下一個比賽站點，繳回作品並領取下一道題目。比賽優等第一名獎金十萬元，另外市府增各10個特別獎項，可獲2000元商品禮券。迷你倉

【本報消息】率團來澳參與“第二屆澳門客家文化節”的福建省長汀縣政府代表團，迷你倉庫昨在文化節展銷會場舉行推介會，介紹長汀縣歷史文化內涵與旅遊資源。該縣負責人表示，未來將透過不同形式的推介會，向澳門居民更好地推廣大美汀洲，促進兩地旅遊資源優勢互補，全面展現客家首府魅力。 推介會昨日下午三時假漁人碼頭會展中心文化節現場舉行，澳門旅遊局代表劉宇慶，長汀縣人大常委會主任陳日源、副縣長陳阿卿、旅遊局長彭承丹，以及客家文化節組委會主任何清標等出席。陳阿卿介紹，長汀縣為閩第五大縣，具有悠久的歷史文化、厚重的客家文化和豐富的紅色文化，還有獨特生態文化，是國家歷史文化名城、世界客家首府、著名的革命老區、原中央儲存區縣、紅軍長徵出發地之一，也是著名的“中國客家菜之鄉”與“福建省美食名城”。 近年來，長汀縣委、縣政府高度重視旅遊業，把旅遊業列入五大主導產業，重點圍繞歷史文化、客家文化、紅色文化、生態文化“四位一體”的文化旅遊特色，以打造全國知名旅遊目的地和創建優秀旅遊縣為目標，大力推動旅遊產業發展。願與澳門旅遊局加強合作，優勢互補。 劉宇慶指出，閩旅客穩佔旅澳遊客第二位，今年上半年止，已有三十多萬福建旅客來澳觀光旅遊，促進澳門經濟持續發展。過去，閩澳旅遊業合作非常密切，兩地旅遊局近年更互訂旅遊合作備忘錄，非常支持福建省各項旅遊活動。澳門旅遊局每年組團參加廈門舉辦的旅遊博覽會，旨為兩地有更密切的合作。 新蒲崗迷你倉

【記者何弘斌/高雄報導】由交通部觀光局結合全台廿二縣市舉辦「台灣十大幸福好玩遊程」評選活動，新蒲崗迷你倉評選結果於廿六日正式出爐，高雄市推出「訪河遊港·幸福有感一日遊」分別榮獲一日遊及好好行~多元運具獎，高雄市政府感謝大家熱烈支持，讓高雄市能榮獲「台灣十大幸福好玩遊程」兩種獎項殊榮！高市府觀光局在交通部觀光局日前所舉辦「台灣十大幸福好玩遊程」決選記者會上，除了持續推廣「訪河遊港·幸福有感一日遊」、「包山包海·賞玩暢快二日遊」遊程，並在現場由壽山動物園吉祥物「熊」麻吉進行互動，吸引許多民眾參與；高雄市政府觀光局副局長劉顯惠於頒獎記者會中大力邀請全台民眾到高雄搭乘多元公共運具享受「訪河遊港·幸福有感一日遊」、「包山包海·賞玩暢快二日遊」低碳樂活遊程。高市府觀光局指出，繼去年美濃拿下「台灣十大mini storage光小城」的殊榮後，高雄市推出「訪河遊港·幸福有感一日遊」、「包山包海·賞玩暢快二日遊」遊程，其中「訪河遊港·幸福有感一日遊」分別榮獲一日遊及好好行~多元運具獎，高雄市成為眾多角逐縣市中唯二得到兩項獎項之縣市，便利的多元運具讓旅客到高雄享受低碳樂活遊。高市府觀光局局長許傳盛表示，高雄市擁有美麗的山海河港，透過該次活動，除了使民眾了解高雄幸福好玩遊程，未來也會陸續推出更多食、宿、購物等好康活動，讓大家在體驗遊程外，也能享受各種不同的優惠！許傳盛進一步指出，暑假高市府觀光局推出一系列夏日活動，帶領民眾「上天下海•遊山玩水」，澄清湖體驗熱氣球享受高空樂趣，旗津沙灘活動包括沙灘排球、海洋音樂節，壽山星光動物園、旗美九區山城遊，蓮池潭滑水夏令營及興達港情人碼頭海洋博覽會等，歡迎體驗高雄之美。self storage

在日本這個高度發展的國家，mini storage很多小島卻一步步邁向沉寂，傳統的漁農業再不能挽留壯志成城的年輕人。本來，日本瀨戶內海的諸島一樣面臨凋零的局面，但近年來卻突圍而出，成為小島復活的典範。能夠令小島起死回生的原來是，藝術。瀨戶內海藝術祭自2010年開始，將大小十幾個島嶼變成藝術家的展覽地點，發展成一個龐大而分散的藝術盛事。然而，如果沒有每個小島各自根深柢固的文化傳統，想必再亮麗的藝術品也無能為力。生氣與沉寂的對比，正是小島給我的一份人生感悟。嗚~~~船準備啟航。在還沒搞清楚這條船去哪�，就一下子跳了上去。放心！在瀨戶內海完全沒問題。好了，不如先找個位子坐下來，讓我慢慢介紹。瀨戶內海位於日本的本州與四國之間，橫跨九州與大阪。這片海洋內有大小各異的島嶼，這次前往的，是比較有名的女木島、男木島、直島、豐島及小豆島，最小的男木島比長洲還小，最大的小豆島和大嶼山差不多。由於島上的住宿配套並不完善，最好以四國香川縣的高松市為落腳點，高松的港口每天有十幾班船前往五大島，非常方便！五個島的距離非常近，航程最多也不過四十分鐘，而且島與島之間也有航線，這個島不喜歡，大不了跳上另一艘船，pass──下一個。走上甲板吹吹海風，這個海域的海面非常平靜。我喜歡坐船，因為海水在身邊急速後退的感覺，同時島又一步一步拉近，由一點變成一堆，然後風景就像放大照片一樣愈來愈清楚。如果少了這段遠觀的距離，遊小島就少了一節美麗的序幕。那麼這五個島嶼究竟有何特色？簡要地說，女木島與男木島都屬小島，島民稀少，房屋都是依山而建，所以遠觀非常有層次感，島上的道路陡峭而狹窄，只能靠雙腳遊覽。直島與豐島則較大，是踩單車的最佳地點，環島也不過三四小時而已。直島有很多以廢置舊屋做成的藝術場地，豐島則一向以食材豐富聞名，特別是南瓜。小豆島很大，要駕車遊，那�盛產醬油，素有「醬鄉」之稱。嗚~~~船準備靠岸。要下船了！來吧，我們一邊走，一邊說。 走上岸之後，小島一片寧靜，甚至可說是死氣沉沉。不見年輕人，只有兩三個老人家在小巷�互相寒暄。一個在問：「今天的粟米長得可好？」另一個回答：「很好，謝謝關心。今天的花澆了水沒有？」這種問答每天早上都在重複。一路上，我們一邊看�周遭情景，一邊聽�他們說話，似乎在為小島的沉寂解畫： 慢慢走的老人：「我們在島上生活了一生，習慣了這種清靜的生活，每隔幾天就坐船出去市內買些生活用品，魚與菜我們島上都有，你瞧，每家後園都有田，夠我們兩口子吃的了，魚蝦就去港口的漁產店�買。離開？我們在大城市�走得不夠快，會阻礙其他人的，呵呵。」 面相寬容祥和的太太：「你跟我說話嗎？我在這�已經二十幾年了，身邊的鄰居跟我都差不多，每天都是一樣的生活，早起務農或捕魚，一日三餐如常，有時候他們會不在家幾天，應該是去城�看子女們了。」 一群瘦貓「不用數了，嚇~~~好睏啊。我們起碼有五十隻，這�貓比人多。我們愛生多少就生多少，根本沒人理我們。有沒有魚？這個季節，漁夫抓回來的全是蟹，我們不愛吃！沒有魚的日子我們只能繼續睡噢。」 島上長大的女孩：「我在島上出生，在島上長大，但上中學時就去了市區，畢業後就很少回來了，沒辦法，你總不能要我像爸爸、爺爺他們那樣做農夫吧。我結婚那天回來了一次，但第二天就走了，我將結婚時穿的婚紗留在老家，我媽媽就將它放在客廳�，她掛念我的時候，會看�流眼淚，我不說下去了……」 焦急的手推車：「Sumimasen，我有急事想問一下，你看見我主人嗎？她已經很久沒有用我了，自從半年前，把我放在門口之後，我就沒動過，好難受，你能不能推我兩下，幫我活絡活絡筋骨。最重要的是，幫我問一下主人的下落，她大約八十幾歲，每天早上都會走這條路下山。arigatou gozaimasu！」新藝術之魂發發發發……標誌�小島生命力的螺旋槳又重新啟動。沉寂多年後，瀨戶內海諸島最近又回復了生命力。自從3年前開始舉行藝術祭，小島的藝術展品愈來愈多；當眼處盡是標奇立異的建築物，各自各精彩，各有各意義。每次船還未到岸，出人意表的景觀就已經映入眼簾。波點南瓜。像外星人飛船的博物館。插於海中央的彩色巨柱。這些建築物或藝術裝置，已成小島的「新地標」，不單止給人欣賞，更兼負社區功能，令島民與外來人有了一個接觸的公共空間。就像注入的新靈魂，令小島的脈搏再一次跳動起來。 男木島ソ魂地點•男木島港口藝術家•Jaume Plensa開放時間•9am-4:30pm入場費•免費巨大的雕花屋頂，以不同字體設計而成，陽光將字體的影子照在地上，能看出多國語言，日文、中文、英文、俄文等。建築物是「男木港案內所」，建在碼頭邊，給剛上岸的遊客帶來一陣驚喜。旅客可在這�休息，索取旅遊資訊。島民有喜事，亦會在此設宴。 豐島美術館地點•豐島唐櫃�以西建築師•藝術家：西沢立�、內藤�開放時間•10am-5pm入場費•$120流線型的表面覆蓋在地面上，像個停留在草坪上的UFO。美術館外壁上有一個非常大的洞口，吸取陽光，最有趣的是《母型》藝術裝置：地上有許多小孔，不停湧出水來，水流經之處還有精心設計的障礙物將水分成兩半，水流就像有生命一樣在「奔跑」。因空間的設計及用上隔熱物料，外面暴曬，�面卻非常清涼，因此有很多人進內欣賞藝術裝置之餘，更會靜坐，甚至午睡片刻。 步方舟地點•男木島大井海邊藝術家•山口啟介走到海邊，像有幾座生了腳的小山丘在前面奔跑。其實是藝術家山口啟介的作品，意念來自挪亞方舟，「方舟」塗上藍白色，將天空和海水的顏色融為一體。下半身的五對腳，一起「抬」�方舟正準備衝進海�，非常有動感，而且寓意深刻。這架方舟，特地設計成小山丘的形態，就像會自動行走的島嶼，意味�小島富有生命力，能夠在海洋中自由穿梭，亦表達小島與島外世界親近之意，是藝術家代表小島，送給遊客的見面禮。木屋下，凝聚一個社區有位太太提�一大籃南瓜急步走進一間設 計新穎的 木屋…… 來到豐島，參觀另一個「藝術品」——島之食堂。食堂內是開放式廚房及吧�，屋外是幾個有簷篷的休憩台。它由東京的建築師安部良於2010年設計，意念非凡——他有感平靜的小島如果缺乏公共空間，島民「各自為政」，那實在不是一件好事。於是，他設計出這樣的一個地方，用來「聚集人氣」。島民、遊客可在這�休息、吃喝聊天，還可以開辦不同的活動，功能就像島上的廣場一樣。食堂有個大嬸團隊，每天專門負責搜羅島上的食材，她們會從自己的田中摘取，也會向鄰居收購，務求將島上新鮮的食材，化成餐廳的美食。洋�、青椒、南瓜、魚、蝦，每天的菜單都不同，要視乎大嬸們當天獲得了甚麼。剛剛一位大嬸從十幾分鐘車程外的家中摘了幾個熟透的南瓜，所以今天餐單中便有一樣是南瓜，還有其他大嬸帶來的胡蘿蔔、香瓜、自家製的麵豉。剛上岸的魚特別新鮮，剛摘下的蔬果也特別亮麗，而且都是自然成熟的，不撒農藥、不噴催化劑，剛摘下來十分鐘，就送上餐桌，真正的farm-to-table。 大廚是由東京丸之內酒店專程過來下廚的，餐單只寫了幾個簡單的字，最詳細的餐單其實在大廚的腦子�，不過也不用多問，任由他做一餐鄉土料理，準會不錯，這樣才能領略到島上的自然風味。在這�吃飯特別開心，因為聚集了人氣，幾位大嬸有說有笑，說說丈夫早上去捉蟹的趣事，又會用似是而非的英語來逗旅客開心，如果你想去參觀她們家�的小田，她們也會樂意開小貨車載你一程。瀨戶內海藝術祭的介紹上說，「島之食堂」是藝術品之一，你可能會問：「餐廳也能算是藝術品嗎？」藝術品本身就沒有定義，能夠聚集島上的豐富農產品，又難得地匯聚了島上的人氣，讓外來人吃到島上特產之餘，又能讓他們感受島上的生活氣氛，這也算是一種「社區藝術」吧？ 島之食堂地址：豐島唐櫃1061電話：+81 87 968 3771營業時間：星期二 至日10:30am-4:30pm人均消費：$90前往方法：家浦港坐巴士「清水前」站下車，走3分鐘左右。島自然美由熱鬧變成平靜，小島一直在變。不變的，大抵是自然風光。當天然環境遇上藝術展品，原來可以很有趣。島上的竹林、海岸、藍天、水流都是常見的自然景致，當然美麗，但始終過於宏大，欣賞的時候不知應該將視點放在哪�。然而，當藝術家在林間水邊佈置了一些「機關」之後，小島大自然的美態從此有了焦點，與人拉近了距離。 不知名藝術品地點•豐島家浦港以北藝術家•不詳在豐島踩單車途中，發現路邊有一個大竹林，當中放置了許多大大小小以竹枝編織而成的球體。因為島上盛產竹子，島民的基本生活用具曾經都以竹枝編織而成，同時也以筍為食材，並且，竹子對島民來講，象徵清靜、和平，而且有靈性，因此他們對竹子有種特別的崇敬之情。他們將竹子編織成球體，具有和平、生生不息的含意。簡簡單單的一個裝置作品就能讓人對大自然之美有所領略。 花壽波島ソ秘密地點•小豆島蒲野三都體育館藝術家•吉田夏奈開放時間•9:30am-5pm入場費•$25花壽波島其實是一個無人居住的小島，但那�的海域被其他小島三百六十度包圍，所以藝術家用倒立圓錐的形式創作了這間藝術裝置，人能走到中間探個頭出來，全方位欣賞畫出來的環島美景，猶如置身海洋之中。由於地形關係，小豆島較多奇形怪石，崖壁地勢都有險峻之處，也因此在海洋之中，才能有如此獨特的景觀。 ЬуЮи－э地點•豐島唐櫃岡與唐櫃�之間藝術家•森万里子 仿似一個建在池塘中央的墓碑。下面一片綠色，其實是浮在池塘上的水草。這件藝術裝置就這樣看可能沒甚特別，但內有乾坤。墓碑內裝有會發光的儀器，它與神岡宇宙素粒子研究所設的電腦連接，每當宇宙中有一顆超新星爆炸，墓碑就會發出光亮，以紀念一顆星星的死亡。它象徵生命的誕生與死亡，同時紀念島上來了又走了的一切生命。墓碑放在一大片樹林的前方，頗有千年一瞬的意境。 空ソ粒子地點•豐島唐櫃岡藝術家•青木野枝以生鏽的鐵枝做成圈，大小各異，排列的方式有層次感，從底部向上看，每個圈都有自己的一片天地，頗有天各一方之感。陽光照下來時，會產生一個個光圈，對島民來說，這是一種具有祝福意味的神聖之光，表示小島上的一切都有自然神靈的庇佑。在鐵圈下抬頭望�藍天，又會是另一種美感。鐵圈之所以用生鏽的鐵枝來做，是想表達島上的空氣與水分，其實都美滿豐盛。 咖啡店中傳來撞倒椅子的聲音，咖啡灑了一地，客人不斷道歉，服務員卻習慣似的面帶笑容，正在清理現場。錯亂幻影咖啡店島上的人文風光，永遠是藝術家的養分。這間位於豐島的咖啡店，由德國視覺藝術家Tobias Rehberger設計，像個錯亂的異次元空間，牆壁、天花板、地下全是眼花撩亂的幾何圖案。圖案靈感，正正來自小島上梯田的線條，有些則模仿老房子頂部磚瓦的層次。身在其中，更是疑雲陣陣。桌子、椅子、地下的圖紋可以重疊在一起，令人產生錯覺，粗看之下，難分彼此。很多客人來到這�，一不留神就會跌跌撞撞，算是藝術家跟大家開的一個玩笑吧。然而，卻因為這些線條，令狹窄的傳統老房子，頓時變得遼闊了。咖啡店還有室外部分，有一個天井讓人抖抖氣。坐在天井處，更能感受到對比！咖啡店�是一條條前�的「斑馬紋」，抬頭的屋頂卻是層次分明的瓦屋。從樓上望下去，根本就像兩個年代的空間交匯在一起。我更開始細心留意島上瓦頂的紋理，原來島上好些磚瓦是黑白相間，有些是以格子形式層層疊疊，有些則用較小的瓦片疊出細密的線條……因為這個藝術裝置，本來被忽視的東西，重新被人發現。其實這�不單止是個視覺遊戲，還能喝到島上即日出品的新鮮牛奶與檸檬蛋糕，都是可遇不可求的土產味道。最後，給你一個溫馨提示：進去咖啡店之後，最好先小心翼翼確定一下桌椅牆壁的方位，以免撞牆出醜。 Il Vento地址：豐島家浦2309電話：+81 87 968 3117營業時間：10am-5pm，逢星期二休息人均消費：$70推推推 小島幕後推手村上ワ又子82歲，推�架手推車，向我打招呼，這已經是她今天 第 四次落山，自從有了這輛「好幫手」，她的生活開始不同。 村上ワ又子在男木島的村口有間開了40年的雜貨店，店�最出名的是self storage餅，以島上的椰菜，新鮮捕獲的八爪魚來做，非常美味可口，還有免費的麥茶喝。最讓我好奇的是村上婆婆的手推車，上面畫了海洋與一隻八爪魚，似乎與她的燒餅有點關係。我見畫工很精細，於是問她由來。這才知道小島上每人都有一架自定主題的手推車，而造車的「車房」位於山腰，名為Onba Factory，主人叫做大島プツノ先生，四年來為島民做了超過一百架獨特的手推車。 Onba Factory簡直像間童話屋，各種各樣趣致的手推車齊備。大島先生解釋：「男木島沒有大路，全部都是曲折的羊腸小道，汽車、摩托車都用不上，以前島民都要揹個擔架來運送物品，非常辛苦。三十多年前，他們開始用這種小型手推車。」大島先生是日本知名的畫家、裝置藝術家，2009年因為籌辦藝術祭而來島上生活，他的「手推車計劃」就在那時候開始。他希望突出每人的個性，便幫每個島民度身訂做了專屬的手推車。有位漁夫的手推車被設計成一架漁船的模樣；又為一位農夫特別設計了一架大轆的手推車，上面加了個籮筐，方便上山收割；有位大叔是島上出名的賽車迷，就幫他弄了一架F1手推車；總之，款式應有盡有，而且每架車都有特徵，見車如見人。自有了這些色彩繽紛且個性十足的手推車，島民更有身份象徵，工作亦方便了，想不到，連人與人之間的關係也更加密切，大島先生笑說：「他們多了很多話題，經常會互相比較，誰的更漂亮，有時候還會向我投訴，為甚麼他的沒有別人的好。哈哈。」之前提過島上只剩下了老人家，所以大島先生特地製造了小一號的幼兒手推車。例如可以坐進去的甲蟲車；一邊推一邊會自己爬行的毛蟲車；還有飛機模樣的手推車。他造這些款式，是希望當天離開了的小孩子們，有天能夠重回島上，和老人家們一起推�小車在路上並肩而行。雖然我在島上沒有見到小孩子們，但大島先生的這份心意�實感動了許多島民、藝術家和遊客，想必總有一天，這些幼兒版手推車會找到它們的主人。 Onba Factory 地址：男木島郵便局對面 開放時間：星期四至日11am-4:30pm 入場費：$25 一個島逐漸老去，步向死亡，是因為生命的延續無以為繼。回來吧！同學們在男木島，路上遇到的全是一步一拐的老人家。但在半個世紀之前，只有幾百人的小島竟然建起了自己的小學，可料想得到，當時的小島必定生氣勃勃，山上路邊整天都有跑來跑去的小孩子。今天，這間小學依然屹立在山邊，但已經倒閉了三年，不再見到小學生的身影。走進男木小學，鐘、桌子、樓梯、走廊、書本都一塵不染，還播�小學生唱校歌的歌聲。實驗室、空置的課室�佈置了很多奇特的裝置藝術品。一間科學實驗室中，佈滿彩色線條，活像一個封閉的世界，地球儀、量度儀器、標本依然維持�上課時的樣子。另外有一間黑漆漆的課室，我一走進去，觸發了感應器，音樂突然響起，還有個光球不停閃爍�彩光，像在開party，我退後一步，又回復像黑房一樣的狀態，熱鬧與死寂只一步之隔。原來，這�已經成為了藝術祭的展覽場地之一。但與別不同的是，我在這�看得特別傷感。我走上二樓校長室，只有一張梳化放在房間的中央位置，不存在的校長在說：「當你來到這�的時候，我已經離開三年了。那年整間學校只有三個小學生在上課，後來他們也離開了，去了市�上學。學校結束的最後一刻，全部職員都走了，我就一個人坐在這間校長室�，與學校走過最後一刻。」人去樓空的淒涼感，瀰漫�整間學校。 在離開之前，我看到一張書�倒立在天花板上，上面刻�"START AGEIN FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL"，" AGAIN"寫錯了，但就是因為錯了，才更能感受到小學生們刻上去之時的那份真摯，他們離開的時候，真的希望總有一天能再回來。這些裝置藝術品像接通了學校當年的時空，讓人體會到命運無可逆轉的殘酷。但也因為有了這些藝術品的進駐，空置的學校才能虛擬出曾經擁有過的生命力。 男木小學校地點：男木漁港後山腰藝術家：�田誠、小沢剛、有馬純壽等開放時間：10am-5pm 入場費：$40 想不到一走進小豆島，空氣中就瀰漫�一股醬油香味。更想不到，當我走得滿身大汗時，等待我的竟是一杯醬油雪糕。醬香飄飄處處聞小豆島是名副其實的「醬鄉」，醬油坊多不勝數，每百步就有一間。然而，「小豆」之名與製造醬油的黃豆一點關係也沒有。「小豆」指的其實是橄欖，曾經這�滿是橄欖樹，盛產橄欖油，但這個行業早已凋零，反而島上另一個標誌性行業——醬油業卻三百年來屹立不倒。小豆島近大阪，方便出口外國及輸出至日本各地，同時又鄰近盛產小麥的四國及大豆的九州，再加上瀨戶內海的優質鹽水，製造醬油的三樣原料皆左右逢源。還有就是氣候的助陣，瀨戶內海四面被陸地包圍，不像一般海岸那樣潮濕，夏天既熱又乾，最適合大豆發酵。「醬鄉」歷史悠久，藝術家也花盡心思來突顯這個島上特色。 游走各間醬油坊，欣賞各式藝術展品，自會對該行業有更深的認識與體會。其中一個展覽場地是一間以醬油坊改建的陳列室，一走進去就見到一塊光暗有序的「光牆」，原來是由340個島民以8萬個裝有醬油的小瓶堆砌而成，以釀造醬油10個階段的不同顏色依次排列，想不到醬油瓶也能做出這樣有現代感的藝術品。另一邊廂，一間廢置的醬油坊中，也正在舉行畫展，畫家以島上風土民情為主題作畫，醬油倉庫感覺很陳舊，建築本身是19世紀時期的產物，但放了幾幅畫作後，即時注入了生命力。一邊看畫，一邊還能聞到淡淡的醬油味，是很特別的經驗。連路邊的公廁也是藝術品之一，以釀製醬油的木桶來設計，屋頂依照醬油坊的傳統形式作藍本，男女廁的入口都沒有門，只是利用桶形的曲線來遮擋視線。當然，這�聞不到醬油味了。最後，我還到了Йс①ヱ醬油坊參觀，第五代目山本康夫帶我參觀了這種日本最傳統的醬油坊，�面擺滿了幾十個巨大的木桶，桶內全是正在發酵的大豆。這�出產的醬油全是人手製造，而且過程時間特別長。就像Йс①ヱ醬油的招牌產品「鶴」字醬油，要發酵四年，才能製成醬油，所以味道醇厚，香味非常濃郁，與市面一般只發酵三個月的醬油高下立見。雖然這�沒太多藝術展品，但單是認識古老醬油行業，已滿有趣。離開時，山本先生遞過一杯加了兩粒黑豆的雪糕，他說要倒點醬油才是當地的吃法。味道？新奇是新奇，但又鹹又甜，不是一般人吃得慣。 Йс①ヱ醬油坊地址：小豆島町安田甲1607電話：＋81 8 7 982 0666營業時間：每天9am-5pm前往方法：土庄港乘「�手線」巴士，「安日上」站下車，走10分鐘，如自駕，約半小時車程。 夜晚八點半，小豆島中山的千枚田下方，有一頂發光的「帽子」，一暗一光，像在呼吸。山林間，光在呼喚入夜後的小豆島很黑很靜，惟有一個藝術品，在閃閃發亮。這個狀似拖�條尾巴的帽子其實是間棚屋，還有個很漂亮的名字——「小豆島之光」，是台灣藝術家王文志特別為小豆島設計的建築作品。他用了5,000根島上的竹子建成，還在每根竹子上鑲了LED燈，每晚八點之後就會開啟。要進入「小豆島之光」，先要經過一條用竹搭成的「時光隧道」，整條隧道佈滿了會漸變顏色的燈，很有神秘感。到了�面，就像來到「聖殿」，高高的圓頂，LED燈發出彩光，由綠轉紫，由紫轉黃，循環不息。藝術家將它設計成「會呼吸的光」，就旨在表達小島上萬物的生命力，生生不息。中央位置還有一個凹下去的座台，大家就這樣圍坐在一起，抬頭仰望，若有所思。自從山間多了這座棚屋之後，農夫在田�工作完之後，就會來這�稍作休息，炎炎夏日，�面卻出奇的涼爽，還有陣陣山間微風吹來時發出的「呼呼」聲，催人入睡。夜晚一家人吃完飯，也會散步至此，小朋友特別開心，在�面跑來跑去，霎時間笑聲縈迴於山間。瀨戶內海藝術祭最讓我佩服的是，他們為藝術品設定了主旨──島上各個角落的藝術裝置都與當地的風土民情有所聯繫。就像「小豆島之光」，為甚麼不將它放在博物館中讓人欣賞呢？因為太大？不，是因為當你來到小豆島的中山千枚田，欣賞這個藝術裝置之餘，最重要的是讓你觀賞和了解這�的自然風景與民情。藝術品只是幫你帶路的一條紅線而已。今晚，「小豆島之光」其實還有一個特別任務，它要負責招待從各地趕回來參加祭典的人…… 小豆島之光地點：小豆島中山千枚田下藝術家：王文志 火光照在各人的臉上，見證了世代相傳的精神，作為一個外來人，我心�突然感動起來。田野中，火在傳承中山千枚田正舉行�一次持續了三百年的祭典儀式。傍晚6點半，眼見在山頂的寺廟中傳出一點火光，然後廟口的火爐突然竄起大火，每個人都已準備就緒，手上拿�一支竹竿，一字排開，將竹竿的一端伸進火爐，然後走下山坡，後面一個接�一個，點火，下山，點火，下山……這時候，白天飄散在山林間的霧氣已經消散，換成火光紅紅，照得山間一片通紅。他們沿途拿�火把在農作物上掃過，寓意驅除害蟲，希望年年豐收。有些拖�小朋友，兩雙手一起握�火把，一步一拐慢慢走下山坡，彷彿希望這個傳統，能夠世代相傳。這就是每年7月6日在小豆島上舉行的「蟲送祭」。這種傳統祭典，本來流行於日本各地，只是今天大都已經式微或中斷，反而在一座小島得以保存。前幾天，我在島上看到的是一片沉寂，只剩下老人與貓，年輕人都離開了，學校也倒閉了，但今晚，我卻見到很多島民特地從高松、岡山各城市趕回來，為的就是一齊舉起火把，為家鄉的田送上祝福。他們雖然人已離開小島，長期在外，但其實內心還是對自己的老家念念不忘。火光照在各人的臉上，是我這幾天見過最溫馨最有感情的一幕。「小豆島之光」在山下發光，「蟲送祭」的火把在山上閃爍，都是期盼島民回家的一種呼喚。祭禮完畢，島民將火把熄滅，然後下山走進「小豆島之光」，享受一年一度的團聚。藝術。節慶。文化和習俗。生活與倫理。萬千光彩閃耀在山頭，今夜，星光特別燦爛。 中山蟲送祭時間：每年7月6日6.30pm-8.30pm地點：中山農村歌舞伎舞台前集合前往方法：在土庄港坐「中山線」巴士，到「春日神社前」站下車。建議自駕，約半小時車程。實用資料簽證：持特區護照者免簽證入境日本旅遊90天。航班：香港有多間航空公司提供直飛大阪的航班，暑假期間，機票價錢會稍貴，來回大阪機票約需五至六千港元。查詢：http://www.zuji.com.hk住宿：宜在高松市落腳，每天由港口前往各島，可即日來回。建議入住較近港口的酒店，方便乘船。可選擇：高松市一區酒店址址：香川縣高松市西ソ丸町2-23電話：+81 87 823 2801網址：http://www.hotel-areaone.com/takamatsu/雙人房費用：每晚約$800高松終端酒店址址：香川縣高松市西ソ丸10-17電話：+81 87 822 3731網址：http://www.webterminal.co.jp 雙人房費用：每晚約$900小豆島較大，宜在島上住宿，可選擇：水明溫泉旅館址址：小豆郡土庄町甲1171－6電話：+81 87 962 1177網址：http://sgh-suimei.com和式雙人房費用：每晚約$1,100交通：乘坐渡船來回各島，班次約半小時一班，費用每次約四十港元。詳細時間表可以參考setouchi-artfest.jp/en/access/islands，小型島如女木島、男木島、大島、犬島等只能靠步行；中型島如直島、豐島可考慮租借單車，五小時需一百港元左右；大型島如小豆島，需要租借汽車，需七百港元一日(已包含油費)。天氣：7至8月份天氣炎熱，介乎22oC-30oC，小島氣候不穩定，一時暴曬，一時大雨，要做足防曬準備及帶備雨傘。時差：快香港1小時。貨幣：日元，宜在香港換取，小島上的商店多不設信用卡付費。電壓：100V，雙平腳插座。相關網址：瀨戶內海藝術祭http://setouchi-artfest.jp香川[!98C4]旅遊指南http://www.my-kagawa.jp瀨戶內海藝術祭資料：在上島之前，可先前往高松市港口旁邊的高松港旅客大樓索取小冊子及地圖，另，可購買藝術祭Pass，四千日元一張，通用於各島之藝術場地。高松港旅客大樓地址：香川縣高松市Д⑦р－Ь１番１�迷你倉

Source: Tampa Tribune, Fla.新蒲崗迷你倉July 26--When Queen Elizabeth II showed up in Tampa a number of years ago, the town went bonkers with people trying to get invited to meet the woman at a reception at the University of Tampa. We ran stories on how to curtsy and bow and what to say if spoken to first.She was only here a few hours, and my only impression was watching her walk from the royal yacht with then Mayor Sandy Freedman and noticing the mayor was actually taller than the queen. I wondered at the time if they had a royal box for her to stand on when she spoke, just as the city had a box for the mayor to stand on in front of microphones.But I had to admit this week, whatever was wrong in England or any of her colonies was shoved aside for the baby watch. Even American TV networks all but abandoned the Zimmerman affair to give breathless reports from outside the hospital and speculate on the name of the future king.It made me wonder if this whole royal business might be a good idea after all. I mean, if we had a royal family around to get us through otherwise dreary summers, think how much better our lives would be.Of course the rub would be deciding who gets to be the American royal family.I Googled "most popular Americans" and the answer, based largely on Internet hits, was rap singer Eminem and Lady Gaga.On second thought, maybe we should just stick to watching the British version from over here.v vThe Cuban sandwich festival continues this weekend in Ybor withmini storagean attempt to set the record for the world's biggest Cuban sandwich. The plan is for several of Tampa's sandwich makers to begin building a 45-foot-long sandwich around 11 a.m., beating out last year's 36-foot sandwich created at the same spot on the Hillsborough Community College campus. The sandwich will be donated to the homeless.v vFinally, from the "I thought all eggs came from Publix" department, is a sampling of about 20,000 of you who wanted to make sure one reader who commented on the city's ruling allowing chickens inside the city limits knew about the chickens and the bees."Your reader must have been ill-informed about the birds and bees or has led a very sheltered life. During World War II many people in urban areas kept hens to provide fresh eggs. We did not need any roosters. Roosters are necessary only for fertilization of eggs, if you want to make more hens... Your devoted reader, Harry.""Inform you reader it is not necessary to have a rooster to get eggs. We have had 5-6 hens for years and get ample eggs without a noisy rooster. Kathy Flemister, Plant City.""You did your reader a tremendous favor by withholding her name. I asked my chickens how it is that they could keep laying eggs without a male around. 'HELLOOO, we don't need no stinkin' rooster to lay eggs.'... Michael Wrobel."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Fla.) Visit the Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Fla.) at www.tampatrib.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage

新京報訊 （記者杜丁）前日，存倉互聯網協會新聞評議專業委員會2013年第14次會議在百度公司召開，百度相關負責人表示，用戶在百度上搜索商業推廣信息並進行線上線下交易後，如果發現上當受騙，都可向百度提供證據申請權益保障，百度將對遭遇欺詐的用戶進行最高5000元的賠付。百度表示，通過技術統計，發現三類高危欺詐形式，一是線上充值類網站，往往用戶購買充值卡後，密碼無效，核查認定為有明顯欺自存倉嫌疑；二是參加團購並支付款項後，未收到來自于團購網站的購買憑證，與商家失去聯繫；三是在第三方電商網站購買日常用品，銀行付賬後，未收到商品，也無法聯繫上賣家。百度相關負責人提醒網民，需登錄百度賬號後再進行搜索，以登錄狀態使用百度才可以記載查詢情況、保存交易、聊天記錄。在不熟悉的網購網站，要保留好購買頁面、支付或轉賬等截圖證據。如果上當受騙，應及時提交保障申請，以便第一時間挽回損失。迷你倉新蒲崗

Party spots and eateries are turning art patrons, inviting local artists to dress up their spacesCleopatra's head has been split down the middle.文件倉 Elvis' face has been segmented, giving him a huge Frankenstein-esque head. Plastic forks and spoons dangle from the ceiling from a light fixture while empty snack packaging suspend in a colourful light ball in a corner.Staring at these spacey sights at the hip, week-old nightspot Art Bar in One Fullerton, partygoers might wonder if they have had one drink too many. No, they are just the resident artworks.Nightclubs, bars and restaurants here have long crossed over into museum and gallery territory, by tricking their spaces out with artworks. But these days, more owners are commissioning Singapore artists to come up with edgy new works for their establishments.The idea is not new. Joints such as Kinki at Customs House and the now- defunct Majestic Bar in Bukit Pasoh Road have commissioned local artists to dress up their spaces. But it seems to be catching on, with at least seven establishments turning into art patrons.At Art Bar, which replaces Fash at The Butter Factory club, partygoers are embracing the works by local artists. At the launch last Friday night, they dressed up in similarly surreal outfits made from paper plates and wore accessories made of broken doll heads - in line with the night's "trash fashion" theme.Cleopatra and Elvis are paintings titled The Queen and The King by home-grown illustrator Kristal Melson, while the light sculptures on the dance floor, called The Ring Of Things, were done by the nightspot's creative director Bobby Luo and in-house visual display artist Aaron Han.Mr Luo, 42, also the club's co-founder, says of the underground street vibe: "It was a progression, where we wanted to take it to the next level of bar concepts, and mix mediums and styles."Four local artists were asked to create works for the bar, including visual artist Speak Cryptic and illustrators Sharul Amir and ClogTwo. The revamp took about a year, returning the club back to its early roots of being an Art Bar, when it was first at Robertson Quay.The club's in-house team - graphic designer Chad Lesch, creative manager and illustrator Eric Foenander, music director Fai Rizal as well as Han - also upcycled scraps such as spoilt headphones to accessorise the lights.Mr Luo declines to reveal the cost, but says the renovation was "economical" as the art came from items they already had.On working with local artists, Mr Foenander, 30, says: "We know these artists as we run in the same circles and they are pretty established in what they do. We didn't need to handhold anyone."At four-month-old Club Kyo in Cecil Street, manga-esque characters dominate backdrops of waterfalls and phoenixes.Using lights and other visual aids, the eyes of the characters and waterfalls give the illusion of movement when the club lights go down as the party gets started.Club owners Godwin Pereira, 39, and Ross Glasscoe, 33, of Limited Edition Concepts, brought in local graffiti artist Ceno2 to come up with five works.Ceno2, 27, whose real name is Mohammad Azlan Ramlan, stayed in the club for two months as it was being built. After the construction workers left for the day, he worked through the night, spray- painting the works free hand."We wanted something which wasn't too chi-chi, but not too street that you don't get it," says Mr Pereira, who first met the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts- trained artist at a regular art event at another club he owns, The Vault, in South Bridge Road.An admirer of Ceno2's work, he let him work on walls at The Vault and that led to the Club Kyo commission.Ceno2, who was paid a five-figure sum for his pieces at Kyo, says: "This is one of the biggest projects I have done. And for them to let me create whatever I wanted, that's the best payment ever."Besides marvelling at art while partying, you can also check out pieces while chomping on a steak.At Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse and Restaurant in Mohamed Sultan Road, Scott Woodward's Beauty And The Beasts series of pictures featuring models posing with wild animals is on display.The Canadian photographer, who has lived here for 15 years存倉 styled and shot models in the restaurant in a day. He then worked with a digital-imaging studio and illustrator for about eight weeks after to juxtapose the leggy beauties with hairy beasts such as a boar and ram.Woodward, 38, says: "Restaurants aren't my usual clients, so... I will jump at something that pushes me to try something new. It's a bonus when diners get excited seeing it."Bistecca's managing director Megan Williamson says that buying a ready- made painting was not an option. "We wanted to introduce an avant-garde style, while keeping it warm and approachable."We went for a contemporary set of portraits that symbolises the relationship between contemporary man and animals... Something that is very poignant when customers are enjoying a fine cut of steak."And it is not just about keeping it local. Owners are working with artists who can translate the feel of the place into visuals, such as three-month-old Revolution Coffee in one-North, which commissioned artist Samantha Lo, better known as the "Sticker Lady", to put her stamp on the cafe.Lo, who was arrested last year for her illegal street art and has to perform 240 hours of community service, created a wallpaper for the cafe - a monochromatic design with surveillance cameras and the cafe's logo.Revolution owner Ajie Permana met Lo through one of his staff who is friends with her. "I would be lying if we said the decision was independent of her court case as it obviously drew visibility to her work," he says, declining to reveal the cost. "But I did feel that the nature of her work would complement the cafe and is in line with its theme."While heat, smoke and grease from open kitchens are art collectors and conservators' worst nightmares, causing damage such as fungal growth, some restaurants are skirting that problem by commissioning digitally printed murals.The owners of Izy Dining and Bar, the week-old izakaya bar-restaurant in Club Street, got 31-year-old illustrator Ben Qwek to produce an 11m-long mural on the wall that faces the open kitchen.Sharp eyes will spot familiar characters such as Uma Thurman as Black Mamba in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill (2003) and the iconic helmet of French electronic music duo Daft Punk.Qwek, who took several months to complete the work, drew the mural on a computer and then printed it on canvas.Mr Pierre Prunier, one of the four owners and spokesman for the restaurant, declines to reveal the cost of the work. But the 33-year-old Frenchman says: "A lot of the feelings and icons within the mural were images that I grew up with."My business partners and I knew that we would share a lot of the same memories with those who recognise the characters. It's about creating that connection, which was why we wanted to have a say in what would go into the artwork."As the popularity of commissioning local art continues, club and eatery owners are looking beyond art galleries to find local talent.Moosehead Kitchen-Bar's head chef Manuel Valero found his via Facebook.Visual art collective SuperSegak - comprising Lasalle graduates Iefa Shamsir, 28, and her partner who goes by the name Lully Crooelly, 25 - took three days to create two silk-screen prints of mooseheads for the Mediterranean restaurant in Telok Ayer Street.Titled Moose In The Head and Smooth Moose, the two 1.5m-tall prints are on sale for $2,300 each.The Spanish chef, 27, who studied art and design in his hometown of Barcelona, says the works add colour to the restaurant and help local artists who may find it difficult to display and sell their work. "For such street artists, Singapore is not an easy place for them to sell their art. So we're giving some support to them."Mr Alistair Christie, an industry veteran and creative director at Molotov Creative Consultants, says commissioning art is a good way to stand out in the crowded food and beverage market.The 43-year-old has conceptualised more than 100 eateries here and in the region, including the Queen & Mangosteen in VivoCity and Tigerlily in Dempsey. "Furniture and interior decor concepts are available online to mirror. But with art, you can personalise it and it will never look the same as another."natashaz@sph.com.sg自存倉

AnhuiExtreme heat thwarts apparent suicide attemptThe extreme heat foiled a woman’s apparent attempt to commit suicide by leaping off a construction crane in Dangshan county, the Xinan Evening News reports.儲存倉 The woman passed out from heat stroke after sitting on the 30-metre crane for six hours as the temperature approached 39 degrees Celsius on Thursday. She was pulled to safety and is in a stable condition.Drunk official dies after passing out in hot carIn other heat stroke news, a Yingshang county official has died after passing out drunk in a colleague’s sweltering car, the Xinan Evening News reports. The official from the land and resources bureau was left in the car after returning from an alcohol-fuelled lunch with five colleagues earlier this month. The workers have been suspended and ordered to share the compensation payout of 600,000 yuan (HK$753,000) for their dead colleague’s family.Beijing32b yuan of public money wasted or stolenAuditors have determined that 31.7 billion yuan – or 11 per cent – of Beijing’s of 285 billion yuan public spending last year was unnecessary, The Beijing News reports. Unreported surpluses, fraudulent budget applications and projects that were never started were among the problems cited. The individuals and agencies involved were not named, as authorities said they wanted to prioritise finding solutions over public exposure.Girl, 2, dies after being thrown to groundThe two-year-old girl thrown to the ground in an argument over a parking space in Beijing’s Daxing district has died, the Beijing Morning Post reports. A man lifted the girl from her stroller and threw her down on Wednesday because the stroller was preventing him and a friend from parking his car. Police said the man who threw the child had recently finished a prison term for theft. He has been detained.FujianCompany backs down after crew-cut backlashAn employee backlash has forced a Fuzhou information technology company to withdraw a policy requiring all male staff members to get crew cuts, the Strait City Daily reports. The company boss said the policy was meant to improve workplace efficiency and make the company appear “full of youthful spirit”.Truck driver held for killing pregnant womanA Fuding truck driver has been detained after striking a motorcycle and killing its seven-months pregnant passenger, the Ningde Evening News reports. The motorcycle driver was only slightly injured, but the passenger, his wife, was crushed and her unborn baby died. The truck kept going until its driver was waved to stop by a passing vehicle.GuangdongCorruption trial of official gets under wayThe corruption trial of a Guangzhou district official accused of building a 40 million yuan property empire began yesterday, the Nanfang Daily reports. Former Panyu district urban management chief Cai Bin , 56, was exposed last year after acquiring 21 properties despite receiving a monthly wage of only 10,000 yuan. The case has fuelled outrage.Politician arrested for molesting teenage girlsA 50-year-old Jiangmen legislator has been arrested for repeatedly molesting two teenage girls, the Southern Metropolis Daily reports. Police say local People’s Congress deputy Huang Baolin lured the girls, aged 15 and 13, to hotels in Taishan and Zhuhai , where he molested them. Huang h迷你倉沙田s been removed from his official posts.Henan2 killed in subway construction collapseTwo workers died and two were injured during an equipment collapse at a construction site for Zhengzhou’s subway line No 1, the Zhengzhou Evening News reports. Four workers were buried, but only two were pulled from the wreckage alive. One veteran worker said recent rainfall and a build-up of construction materials above the equipment may have contributed to the fatal collapse.Family chain up mentally disabled man for 13 yearsA Xinye family says severe poverty forced them to chain a mentally disabled family member to a utility pole for more than a decade, the Dahe Daily reports. The disabled man, 31, started attacking family members in 2000, but his parents gave up treatment after spending 50,000 yuan on medical bills. They first chained him to a tree, but moved him to a utility pole after the tree died from his frequent shaking.HubeiEx-doctor jailed for botched abortionA former Wuhan doctor was sentenced to 10 years in jail yesterday for performing a botched abortion that left the patient dead in November, cnhubei.com reports. The ex-doctor had been operating an underground abortion clinic for extra income in addition to working full-time at a local hospital.Man stole from victims he had hit with his carA Wuhan man has been accused of carrying out a series of audacious robberies in which he caused traffic “accidents” and then robbed his victims, the Wuhan Evening News reports. Police said the 51-year-old former convict, who had drug and gambling problems, stole 1,800 yuan from a pedestrian he struck with his car earlier this month. The victim was in a coma for more than three weeks.LiaoningTibetan mastiffs disfigure owner after attackA Shenyang kennel owner has been left disfigured after he was attacked by three Tibetan mastiffs he raised, the Liaoshen Evening News reports. The dogs suddenly attacked the man while he was patrolling the kennel this week, biting his face, arms and legs. The dogs only released the man after his colleagues beat them with shovels.Girl, 12, dies after mother forces her into riverA 12-year-old Dalian girl has died after her mother grabbed her and leapt into a local river amid a family dispute, nen.com.cn reports. The pair were pulled from the water unconscious on Thursday after being discovered by a local resident. The girl died on the way to hospital, but the mother was revived after three hours of treatment.ShanghaiCake company ordered to stop drone deliveriesA Shanghai company called Incake has been ordered to stop delivering its wedding cakes by drone aircraft due to public safety concerns, Eastday.com reports. The company’s unmanned aerial vehicles have become a hot topic on social networking platforms since they conducted a 45-minute demonstration on July 15. The company argues that the drones are economically and energy efficient.Father forced daughter to kneel in sun for hoursA Pudong district father has received a reprimand from police for punishing his eight-year-old daughter by forcing her to kneel in the scorching summer heat and do her homework, the Shanghai Morning Post reports. Neighbours said the girl sweated for more than three and half hours in temperatures that peaked at 39 degrees Celsius before policemen intervened.迷你倉價錢

Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.迷你倉價錢July 26--Veterans themselves, entertainers helped San Dimas residents raise $6,000 to help finish the San Dimas HEROES Veterans Monument.The show sought additional funds to complete the final two marble name panels, inscribed bricks for a winding walkway, more landscaping and other amenities so veterans, military families and local residents can enjoy the Helping Establish a Remembrance Of Every Serviceperson monument in Freedom Park at the northwest corner of San Dimas Avenue and Cataract Street. The names of local military veterans, dating from the Civil War, are inscribed on the monument panels.Former Navy submariner Steve Mazan brought comedy relief to the benefit show held July 13 in the Plummer Community Building.Actor, stuntman and magician Jeff Bornstein, an Army veteran, and his naturally intuitive wife Kimberly kept 250 people spellbound with her amazing ability to read minds and see unseen objects and numbers. Army National Guard and Korean War veteran Clyde Towles directed 1940s' swinging notes played by 17 musicians and three singers, including San Dimas crooner Jim Johnson, in the Gem City JazzCats.Bill Harford, president/chief executive officer of the Inland Valley Humane Society and an Air Force veteran, served as master of ceremonies for the evening of comedy, magic, music and dancing co-presented by the San Dimas HEROESProject, city of San Dimas and local businesses. He accented his role with improvised comedy as well as serious explanations about the importance of honoring honorable men and women.Jeff admitted serving in military intelligence didn't help his ability to predict things. But he used body language, facial expressions, vocal inflections and unique twitches to "read" what spectators were holding and thinking. However, Kimberly had a 100 percent accuracy rate even when blindfolded. She told strangers their birthday month and day, amount of money in their hands, items from wallets and purses, words from single pages in a book, cellphone numbers of friends and numbers on addresses, credit cards and driver's licenses.The Gem City JazzCats, featuring lead trumpeter Ron Towles and friends from his days in the Monrovia High School jazz band, fittingly迷你倉庫started their set with Glenn Miller's "In The Mood." Miller, the big band leader who was declared missing during World War II and never found, lived in Monrovia.As soon as the music began, Claude St. Amant of San Dimas held out his hand to Janet, his wife of 26 years, and led her to the dance floor to jump and jive to the classic jazz number. Claude and Janet said they came to the benefit because their fathers, Claude St. Amant Sr. and Albert Keyger, were World War II veterans.More dancers eased from their seats as Wendy Hinkle sang "You Made Me Love You," Johnson belted an up-tempo "All Of Me," vocalist Kimberly Federoff kept rapid pace with her drumming mom Karen, and trombonist Michael Beltran, baritone saxophonist Charles Johnson and tenor saxophonist Jennifer Anderson wailed on solo riffs.Mazan has appeared on David Letterman, Byron Allen's "Comics Unleashed" and Craig Ferguson and in comedy clubs all over America. Like Jeff Bornstein, he has done several tours for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and also entertained on military bases around the United States.Mazan called laughter "a re-set button for the soul. You can let everything negative go and come back with a new perspective. Laughter lets you realize things will either be OK or get better."He put people into gales of laughter as he wondered why road signs warn about falling rocks, crossing bears and deer, and even low-flying aircraft."I'm no engineer, but if I have to watch for bear, deer, rocks and aircraft, maybe this is not the best place to put a road," Mazan quipped.He later got "sort of a standing ovation" after joking that such applause may be more peer pressure than artistic appreciation.Mazan was inspired to be a comedian after, at age 12, he snuck and saw a Richard Pryor cable special while his unsuspecting parents slept. After service as a Navy diesel mechanic aboard the USS Scranton during Desert Storm, he began his comedy career.Whether one's a soldier or citizen coping with stress, "laughter lets us see the lighter side of things," he said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) Visit the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) at www.dailybulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存

Source: The Santa Fe New MexicanJuly 26--New York composer and reed man Rob Mosher has found inspiration in the tiny Montana town of Polebridge (population 88), or more specifically at the upright piano in the tourist stop's mercantile.自存倉 What he's made of it is a bit of Americana that transcends period and style. This is a wonderfully simple collection of chamber-jazz pieces, beautifully orchestrated with few instruments, that come together like the sections of a quilt. Trumpeter Micah Killion's bright play holds it all together with plain-and-simple lyricism and, at times, muted effects. The disc opens innocently enough with Ken Burns documentary-style fiddle music before it suddenly twists off into atonal contrast. The following piece, "Rango Tango," is a stately affair that includes Mosher's clarinet dancing with a t迷你倉新蒲崗umpet that wants to lead. This kind of contrast continues throughout the disc, with klezmer-inspired jazz mixing with honky-tonk piano tunes and involved waltzes. "North by Northwest" opens on a beautiful blend of piano and arco bass until strings and clarinet ?add a creamy richness. Hammond B3 organ and bassoon give "Didn't Ask (Breathe Now)" a sonic depth appropriate to its thoughtfulness. "The Klesmanaughts" is a lively comedic romp that features playful clarinet and trumpet exchanges ending with a staggering unison suggestive of a drunk exiting a bar. Polebridge is a fun town, but it is serious, too -- and well worth the visit.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.) Visit The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.) at www.santafenewmexican.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉出租

今個暑假可以無愁無慮似天使，迷你倉天天帶�笑！事關卡通片《IQ博士》中的小雲小吉會一同殺入酒店，化身成為場景兼佈置主題套房，二十四小時陪伴你左右，更有主廚設計特色美食，讓你全方位迎接一眾天神村好朋友！是次酒店推出的住宿計劃，主打小雲同小吉無處不在的《IQ博士》主題套房。首先甫進大廳，便會發現鏡上貼有《IQ博士》全家福作裝飾，望向大窗，亦有小雲及牛奶仔的透明貼紙，與藍天白雲海景的自然美景形成一幅超靚Poster！而卡通內經常出現的外星人與米田共，就化成了咕?及公仔，襯埋�上的小雲�單及被鋪，使人猶如置身天神村之內。 除了房間經過悉心佈置，酒店大堂也放置了高達三米的超巨型小雲吹氣公仔，讓各位粉絲可以拍照留念。特製超人主題美食《IQ博士》中的超人不乏粉絲，於是酒店二樓的帝景軒就以超人為主題，將其Figure及變身時所到的專用電話亭搬到餐廳門外！食物方面，大廚也特意利用超人喜愛的酸梅作為素材，炮製了紅梅乾芝士蛋糕、紅梅乾燴羊膝及酸梅果凍等美食，讓文件倉位可以共享超人最愛。　　參加了住宿計劃的小朋友，還可挑選「智FUN暑期學堂」課程，當中包括自製環保袋課堂、至激小型賽車練習，以及在酒店廚師指導下親手炮製趣味甜餅或盛夏特飲，趣味滿分。另外，一眾媽咪更可尊享半價修甲優惠，實行一家大細歎世界！\\ 則卷小雲識飲識食住宿計劃地點：荃灣汀九青山公路353號帝景酒店查詢：3716 2888 收費：$1,688（星期一至四）　　　$1,888（星期五至日）費用包入住豪華客房一晚、連自助早餐及晚餐 （2位成人及1位小童）、智FUN暑期學堂一堂等。升級至IQ博士主題客房需另加$350。353 Bar活力下午茶大激賞1　　現送出「353 Bar活力下午茶」共15份（每份二人用），只須將個人姓名、聯絡電話及地址電郵至feature@hkheadline.com，並註明「我要353 Bar活力下午茶」，便有機會免費獲得一份，名額15個。．得獎者將會有專人通知，不作另行公佈。．截郵時間為7月27日（今）下午一時存倉

【邱俊智╱台北報導】邁入第6屆的台北購物節將於8/1開跑，自存倉至9/15舉行為期1個半月的購物優惠季，今年共串聯北市3大量販店、9大百貨業者，39個商圈，2800家特約商店，推出各種優惠活動。 滿500元 換優惠券 民眾可至台北各旅遊服務中心等指定地點索取「台北購物卡」，至貼有識別貼紙的特約商店消費滿500元，即可換取「貴賓優惠券」1本，內容包含200間7折以下的店家優惠。例如西門町上海老天祿的桃酥、永康街一品山西刀削麵之家的番茄牛肉麵等都打7折，而老店明星咖啡迷你倉新蒲崗推出單品咖啡買1送1，北投水美溫泉會館也有大眾湯買1送1、水美日月湯屋5折，加贈30分鐘的超低折扣(平假日適用)。 台北購物卡預計發行實體卡片2萬張、卡貼3萬張，活動期間，凡於台北市單筆消費滿500元，憑發票還可上網登錄參加抽獎，可抽價值89.9萬元的NISSAN休旅車、巴黎雙人來回機票等。台北購物卡、貴賓優惠券索取據點請參考2013台北購物節活動官網。 【相關資訊】 2013台北購物節 8/1~9/15 www.shoppingintaipei.com迷你倉出租

【本報消息】機場專營公司與地勤、商用航空中心、石油燃料等機場服務供應商分專營合約陸續到期。崔光表示，迷你倉價錢機場各項服務供應商將陸續開放招標，各領域至少有兩家服務供應商，供機場使用者選擇。無論新舊服務供應商均要達到新要求才能簽訂新約。開放服務選擇後，將有利機場各方面業務發展。崔光表示，地面服務、飛機維修及貨郵代理服務的分專營合約，將於十二月到期，商務航空中心（MBAC）及南光石油航空供油業務的分專營合約分別於今年十一月及明年三月到期，已開展一系列工作，逐漸開放市場，創造良性競爭。考慮到機場廿四小時運作、服務不能中斷，會以“1+1”模式過渡，逐漸開放市場。現有服務供應商必需達到新要求才可簽訂新合約。如地勤服務，按既定方針先行推動明捷現行合約平穩過渡到新合約，當中要求安全穩定營運，並會更新服務標準。畢竟舊合約已訂立十八年，當中條款未必適合現迷你倉庫發展要求。最終各領域加入多少服務供應商，需考慮市場實際需要及機場資源，但至少有兩家服務供應商供使用者選擇。開放服務良性競爭他坦言澳門市場不大，部分服務領域對外吸引力不強，如航空食品服務供應於○八年到期，但無新競爭者加入，故繼續與舊供應商簽訂新合約。公務機領域較受歡迎，現已收到十家固定基地營運商（FBO）表達有興趣，計劃新引入的飛機維修營運商（MRO）則有三家企業表達參與意願。地勤服務方面，除現有的明捷，也收到三家地勤供應商的參與意願。上述領域市場反應較正面，相信可選擇到品牌較好的服務供應商。過去包括航空公司、旅客、貨主等機場使用者經常抱怨機場服務供應商祇此一家，沒有選擇價格的權利。這種抱怨沿於過去制度缺乏競爭性、缺乏完善服務的壓力及動力。開放各項服務後，機場使用者有選擇權，可創造良性競爭，相信有助航空公司、客貨運服務及公務機發展。儲存

Source: Times Union, Albany, N.存倉Y.July 26--Across the centuries, denizens of Saratoga Springs displayed a taste for the carbonated life and the edgier aspects of gambling.The Spa was built upon this beguiling contradiction of healthiness and naughtiness.In its first iteration, tourists chased the therapeutic claims of its mineral waters in the early 19th century and flocked to large downtown hotels. In more recent times, magnums of champagne have been uncorked at polo matches and ballet galas or by the swells and horsey set at soirees along North Broadway's mansions in a version of Palm Beach transported north.Through cycles of boom and bust, with the waxing and waning of public opinion on the ills versus the pleasures of gambling, Saratoga has embraced the money quote from journalist Nellie Bly in the New York World on Aug. 19, 1894: "Saratoga is the wickedest spot in the United States. Crime is holding a convention there and vice is enjoying a festival such as it never dared approach before."Since the storied thoroughbred track, which celebrates its 150th year this season, opened along Union Avenue on Aug. 3, 1863 -- a humble oval known as "Horse Haven" across the street from what became an iconic gabled, Victorian-era grandstand -- the city has given in to an addiction for the two-minute, pulse-pounding adrenaline rush of horse racing.It is like a roll of the dice writ large, where a heavily favored horse can be an also-ran in front of 50,000 fans or a longshot can claim the $1 million Travers Stakes, the Midsummer Derby known as "the graveyard of champions."Meanwhile, across town in the 1870s, after betting all afternoon on the horse races, the high rollers came out after dark and gathered around the gaming tables upstairs in the Canfield Casino in Congress Park. Even for a nouveau riche 19th-century tycoon, there was nothing more thrilling than to let a bet of $125,000 (about $2 million in today's dollars) ride on a single turn of a card.Between the horses and the casino, Saratoga was a place where gambling could be mainlined around the clock.It's what drew the likes of John "Bet-a-Million" Gates to the Spa. A Gilded Age industrialist who made a fortune in the oil industry and marketing barbed wire, Gates was a compulsive gambler who bet heavily in all-night poker games.In one marathon gambling session at Canfield Casino, according to lore, he was down about $500,000 (roughly $9 million today) but he rallied after many hours at the table and returned to his Broadway hotel as the sun was rising with a mere $125,000 lost."People love the action of Saratoga. Horse racing is exciting and there's no denying that betting on the races is exciting," said Jim Melia, an associate historian at the National Museum of Racing who relocated from Manchester, N.H., to Saratoga Springs with his wife, Faith, after retiring in 2006 from a career in banking.He has loved horse racing since he was a teenager and has visited more than 100 tracks around the country."There is no place else like Saratoga," Melia said. "It's simply the best."Prior to its wicked streak, the city was put on the map by a slim scientific treatise published by Dr. John Steel in 1817, "An Analysis of the Mineral Waters of Saratoga and Ballston," which supported medicinal claims. Doctors began recommending a month's stay, with a cup of mineral water from a particular spring in the morning, a second spring in the afternoon and a third in the evening.There were more than 200 springs tapped around the city at its peak in the Victorian era, compared to 21 springs in operation today. It was an accident of geology. The remnants of shallow tropical seas from 500 million years ago were trapped in ancient bedrock below layers of sandstone and limestone sediment. When faults formed 10,000 years ago, the sulfurous mineral water reached the surface and could be collected at free springs and public pavilions -- each with a different mineral composition and a unique taste."The mineral waters were the vitamin supplements of their day," said James Parillo, executive director of the Saratoga Springs History Museum and curator of a Saratoga 150 exhibit at Canfield Casino titled "The People Behind the Track.""Some of the therapeutic claims were legitimate and some were quackery," Parillo said. "It was a tourist destination for the waters long before the track opened. The springs were free and working-class and regular people could rub shoulders with the likes of J.P. Morgan in Saratoga."Ethnically, the city was built upon the backs of Irish and Italian immigrant labor on the railroad and in its hotels, spa baths, bottling plants, textile mills and breweries. In the 1830s and 1840s, the city's west side around Beekman Street became an Irish enclave and was dubbed "Dublin." A second wave of immigration came in the 1880s and 1890s, when Italians came in large numbers and settled on the west side.The naughty side to the city's personality was kept on the down-low, indulged but not discussed. What happened in Saratoga, it seemed, stayed in Saratoga."There are very few records of what really went on here at the casino," Parillo said.The official visitor's guide to Saratoga Springs in 1887 offered this purple prose PG version: "Its mineral waters flow in exhaustless abundance from year to year. While the waters flow, Saratoga will flourish in all the glory of its splendid places."The gushing reputation of the springs grew. Bottling plants sprouted and the market for Saratoga water spread across the U.S. and to Europe. But the commercial water boom was too much of a good thing. Over-pumping depleted the springs in the early 1900s and in 1909 the state passed laws that placed limits on water extraction that rationed and protected the resource.Eventually, the novelty wore off, mineral water sales went flat and the arrival of the automobile and expansion of the railroad network opened up long-distance travel. Saratoga the tourist destination began a period of decline in the early 1900s. It needed to diversify.Saratoga's narrative is sprinkled with outsized entrepreneurs and colorful characters whose time upon the stage of America's summer place was at turns triumphant and tragic.Consider the poor sot Caleb Mitchell, a Troy native who started as a newsboy, made a fortune running illegal gambling operations and migrated north where he became village president of Saratoga Springs in the late 1800s. Wealthy and eccentric, Cale, as he was known, was a partner in the racetrack and owned a gambling hall near the track as well as saloons and bookmaking operations in Albany and Troy.Mitchell's "conduct led his acquaintances to believe that he was not in full possession of his mental faculties," according to an obituary in The New York Times on Jan. 29, 1901. Mitchell shot himself to death outside the door of the downtown office of state Sen. Edgar Brackett. Mitchell had feuded publicly with Brackett over a bill that the senator sponsored that gave Richard Canfield a virtual monopoly on gambling in the city. Mitchell purchased a revolver earlier that day and said he needed it to shoot cats. Authorities thought he intended to shoot Brackett, but since he was not in his office he walked out, became agitated and turned the gun on himself. "He fell dead on the door mat," the Times said.Others who made headlines were outsiders who left their mark with shows of conspicuous consumption and a celebrity forged 1自存倉0 years before TMZ. Some of their flashy accoutrements remain, such as the circa-1900 purple velour camisole and lacy pink lace-up corset worn by starlet Lillian Russell.There are roulette and faro tables in the high-stakes gamblers' room frequented by the likes of Diamond Jim Brady, a bejeweled dandy and raconteur who made millions as a financier in New York City. He was known for his extravagant jewelry collection and an enormous appetite -- he could consume dozens of raw oysters and a 16-ounce, 2-inch-thick prime rib in a sitting. A confirmed bachelor, Brady horsed around Saratoga with paramour Russell on his arm and tongues wagged over their larger-than-life relationship."We only found evidence that they were good friends," Parillo said.At the center of the track's sesquicentennial history looms John Morrissey, a Troy-born force of nature with broad shoulders, bearish build, bushy beard and booming voice. He grew up poor, dropped out of school and became a champion bare-knuckle boxer feared for "sledgehammer fists." The marathon slugfests in that era only ended when one pugilist beat the other senseless; one bare-knuckle epic lasted 89 rounds. Outside the ring, Morrissey was a street thug and gang member indicted as a teenager on charges of burglary, battery and assault with intent to kill.His checkered past was not an impediment to a career in New York state politics. Morrissey became a Tammany-backed U.S. congressman who later testified against Boss Tweed and was elected as a state senator on an anti-Tammany ticket.In Saratoga, Morrissey opened a gambling den in 1861 known as the Club House Casino, a precursor to the Canfield Casino, which drew the wealthy and famous, including John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant. It was a palace of decadence, with menus that included caviar, quail, vintage wines and expensive cigars. The married Morrissey had capacious appetite and he conducted public affairs with young ingenues Kate Ridgely and Lolita Fernandez.Of course, women were rarely allowed in Morrissey's testosterone-soaked boys' club. The Canfield Casino had a women's gallery on the main floor dubbed "the library," where ladies in hoop skirts, bustles, silk, brocade and lace convened for tea and pastries and to gossip, read the local newspapers and exchange tips about fashion. The museum has a remarkable collection of 1,500 period dresses, hats and shoes that will be displayed this summer.Men and women existed in parallel universes in Saratoga. Even at the track in the early eras, women were relegated to a separate area for spectating and betting. The key was to provide enough diversions for both genders to keep them returning summer after summer."Morrissey realized he needed something to keep his gamblers and their wives busy during the day because they could soak in the spa waters for only so long without getting bored," said Allan Carter, historian at the National Museum of Racing and co-author with Mike Kane of a new book, "150 Years of Racing in Saratoga."Morrissey advertised thoroughbred racing at a trotting oval known as "Horse Haven" he leased on the north side of Union Avenue near today's Oklahoma training track. The first race on Aug. 3, 1863, just one month after the bloody Battle of Gettsyburg, proved a popular diversion from the the gruesome reports of the Civil War. More than 15,000 spectators arrived on foot and by horse-drawn carriage and paid $1 for an admission card. The four-day meet featured best-of-three heat races with 27 horses from 14 racing stables that competed for a $2,700 purse.The first race was won by Lizzie W., trained by Bill Bird, an African-American trainer, and ridden by Abe Sewell, a one-eyed black jockey.The wagering initially was informal, with person-to-person betting. This later morphed to a ring of dozens of bookies from New York City. Folks liked the action and socialites were hooked on the grace and speed of thoroughbreds, but they lodged several complaints after the first meet. There were not enough places to sit; trees and hillocks obscured the backstretch from patrons; the turns were too tight; the track was too narrow and it was 297 yards short of the advertised 1 mile.At the end of the inaugural August meet, Morrissey formed the Saratoga Racing Association and they paid $20,600 for 94 acres across Union Avenue, the present site. They built a grandstand that offered plenty of seating and opened the second meet at the new facility in August 1864."Morrissey couldn't put his name on the track because he was a thug," Carter said. "A brilliant thug, but a thug."He tapped his rich patrician pals Cornelius Vanderbilt, William B. Travers and Leonard Jerome to give the new Saratoga track legitimacy and cachet. It flourished and helped Saratoga rival Newport among the country's blue bloods. Morrissey died of complications from pneumonia in his suite at the Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga in 1878 at age 47. By then, the seeds of horse racing he planted had flourished.There were other intriguing footnotes in the vibrant annals of the city, underscoring its resourcefulness. After anti-gambling crusaders shut down Canfield Casino in 1906, the gambling simply shifted across town to the rural outskirts and lakehouses around Saratoga Lake and Lake Lonely that were transformed into casinos, including Riley's, Newman's, The Brook, Arrowhead, Piping Rock and the Chicago Club. During Prohibition, they were centers of rum-running operations and the booze never stopped flowing. A series of investigations led by the state Legislature ended the last vestige of vice when Riley's Lakehouse shut down in 1953.The gilded age of Saratoga continues to echo down history's long byways to this very day. Marylou Whitney, the doyenne of Spa society, is the wife of the late Cornelius Vanderbilt "Sonny" Whitney, who died in 1992 at 93. The founder of Pan American Airways, philanthropist and patron of horse racing and the arts was a grandson of William Collins Whitney. The family's patriarch was a railway tycoon and financier who established the Whitney family as one of the golden names in American thoroughbred racing with its stable colors of Eton blue and brown.After the nefarious Gottfried Waldbaum ran the track into the ground with crooked ways that sullied Saratoga's reputation, William Collins Whitney rescued thoroughbred racing in Saratoga. In 1901, he bought out Walbaum for $365,000 along with a group of his wealthy friends, who enlarged the grandstand, improved the track and and restored respectability to the race course. A century later, Marylou Whitney bears that mantle as Saratoga's biggest booster and proudest standard-bearer.Another connection to the track's storied past can be found in the family tree of George R. Hearst III, publisher and CEO of the Times Union. His great-great grandfather, George Hearst, a rancher, mining tycoon and U.S. senator from California, was part of a syndicate that bought the track in 1890 after it had fallen into disfavor behind a crusade against gambling led by Wall Street titan Spencer Trask.Hearst had a racing stable and was named president of the Saratoga Racing Association in 1890.Sen. George Hearst died on Feb. 28, 1891, six months after he became a part-owner of the track.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉新蒲崗