The world’s tango capital is dancing to a new beat at Latin America’s first museum devoted to the Beatles, displaying items from boots to wigs and even condoms stamped with John Lennon’s picture.
Although none of the 2,500 articles on display actually ever belonged to a member of the Fab Four, thousands of visitors have already poured through the doors of the Buenos Aires-based museum since it opened a few weeks ago.
“Many people think I’m obsessed, but collecting is a passion, a virus which is hard to overcome,” said Rodolfo Vazquez, 53, the master of the collection.
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
He has already entered the Guinness Book of Records for owning the biggest Beatles collection in the world — some 8,500 pieces.
Now a third of his collection is up for public viewing at the permanent exhibition, with the contents to be renewed every year “to keep the Beatles’ flame alive,” he said.
There are photographs and autographs, miniature Beatles figurines, and examples of some of their first records, including discs distributed in 1960s by the Vee-Jay Records company when the Beatles crossed the Atlantic and took the United States by storm.
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
There are also some historical pieces, such as one of the 5,000 bricks sold at auction when the Liverpool club “The Cavern,” where the Beatles first performed, was demolished in 1983.
There are also hundreds of pens, watches, brooches and chewing-gum packets dating from the days when Beatlemania was at its height and the marketing gurus had a field day.
Vazquez, who first caught the Beatles’ bug 10 years ago, acknowledges his collection is far from complete.
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
And his biggest dream? “The thing I would most like to do is to one day shake the hand of Paul (McCartney) or Ringo (Starr),” he said with a sigh.
(AFP)
世界探戈首府這回不跳探戈，而是玩新花樣，開設拉丁美洲第一個獻給披頭四的博物館，館內展示各式各樣物品，從靴子到假髮，甚至是印有約翰‧藍儂照片的保險套。
展出的兩千五百件物品中，雖沒有一件是披頭四任何一位成員親身擁有，不過上千民眾已湧入位於布宜諾斯艾利斯的這間幾週前才開幕的博物館。
Photo: AFP 照片：法新社
這次收藏展的靈魂人物是現年五十三歲的魯道夫‧巴斯克斯，他表示，「很多人認為我太著迷，不過收藏是一種熱情，就像個難以抵抗的病毒。」
他已因擁不下八千五百樣堪稱世界最多的披頭四收藏品，而名留金氏世界紀錄。
他說，有三分之一的收藏是屬於常設展供民眾參觀，展品每年更換一次，「保持披頭四熱潮繼續延燒」。
展品有照片、簽名、迷你披頭四公仔，與他們的一些首次錄音樣品，其中包含維傑唱片公司一九六零年代在披頭四跨越大西洋風靡美國時，所發行的唱片。
亦有一些具歷史意義的展品，像是位於利物浦的披頭四發跡酒吧「洞穴俱樂部」，當它一九八三年被拆除時，五千塊磚頭中的一塊，在拍賣會上賣出。
展場上也有數百隻筆、手錶、胸針與口香糖包裝，它們都是在披頭四狂熱如日中天且行銷專家欣喜萬分之際所留下的產品。
十年前首次染上披頭四病毒的巴斯克斯承認，他的收藏距離完整，其實還有一大段距離。
他最大的夢想是什麼呢？他語帶惋惜地說，「我最想做的事就是，有一天能與保羅（麥卡尼）或林哥（史達）握手。」
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been used in cooking for over a century to enhance flavor. It is often found in Chinese dishes and many other cuisines. Despite its common use, many people misunderstand the safety of MSG. The bad __1__ of MSG started in the late 1960s, when a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms like a racing heart, weakness, and numbness after the writer ate Northern Chinese food. While no specific cause was __2__, a series of questionable studies in 1968 began to point the finger at MSG. In one such study, neurologist Herbert Schaumburg and
A: The World Expo 2025 is set to open in Osaka, Japan, on Sunday, with 158 countries and regions and nine international organizations participating in the event. B: Wow, what’s the theme this time? A: The theme is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” B: Do you want to go? How long will it last? A: It’ll run for 184 days, until Oct. 13. Maybe we can go to Osaka during summer vacation. A: 2025年世界博覽會預計週日將在日本大阪開幕，158個國家或地區及9大國際組織將參與盛會！ B: 哇這次的主題是什麼？ A: 主題是：「創造閃耀生命光輝的未來社會」。 B: 你想要去嗎？展出多久啊？ A: 世博會共展出184天到10月13日，或許我們暑假時可以去大阪玩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: The World Expo 2025 is about to open in Osaka. Is Taiwan going to participate in the event too? B: Sure, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will launch a Taiwan pavilion named “Tech World.” A: That sounds cool, and it can showcase our national strength in technology. B: The theme is “Connecting the world to create better future lives together.” The pavilion aims to attract over one million visitors. A: I hope humans can really create better future lives through this year’s fair. A: 2025年世博會即將開幕，這次台灣也會參加嗎？ B: 當然啦，外貿協會的台灣館將以「Tech World」名義參展！ A: 聽起來蠻酷的，應該是想強調台灣的科技實力。 B: 策展主題則是：「連結世界，共創未來美好生活」，希望能吸引到100萬人次參訪。 A: 希望藉由這次世博會，人類真的能共創美好生活。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The study had several issues. Small sample sizes made it hard to draw __7__ conclusions. Additionally, taking a __8__ like pure MSG on an empty stomach is likely to make a person ill in any case. Choosing individuals who already had a history of the symptoms could have created a bias because they were likely to __9__ the reactions again. When real scientific research on the effects of MSG was eventually done, many of the myths surrounding it were proven __10__. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global organizations have found MSG safe to eat. Today, MSG
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