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查尔斯王子建了个“乌托邦”
由英国王子查尔斯的王子信托基金在印度投资兴建的一个村庄已经逐渐成形。这个村庄对生态无害，已经吸引了数千印度穷人入住。这个村庄耗资数百万英镑，将会成为查尔斯海外慈善事业的样本，有人称之为查尔斯王子的“乌托邦”。
　　十多年前，查尔斯王子用他的王子信托基金做了这项示范工程，现在已有数千居民，而查尔斯的计划是让村庄容纳15000名居民，3000户人家。他想通过建筑、道路、公共空间的合理设计，创造出一种和谐温馨的理想社区。这个村庄由10个小社区组成，每个人在半小时内可以步行到工作地点、医院、邮局等地方，马路并不是笔直的，房子不高过5层，穷人和富人住在一起，孩子们要有安全的嬉戏场所，最好在各家的视线之内，等等。而且，他用的都是最环保、可循环的建筑材料。
　　查尔斯当初提出那些东西被人认为脑子不正常，一般媒体都叫他Treetalker，和树谈话的人，觉得他为人孤僻、不可思议。其实他相当有远见，他在十几年前提出的问题，现在都被证明是非常对的。
　　他说我们现在的社会已经发展到这样一个地步：每个人都像一座城，每个人都把自己围在里面，没有和外界交流。现代城市化生活让人们缺乏沟通，没有联系，人可以不出去，吃饭也是叫比萨，在门口拿一下，什么都可以不用跟人接触。
　　令人震惊的是这个村庄的低犯罪率，查尔斯王子说，如果这个社会有钱人在这边，没钱人在那边，那肯定会人为地造成犯罪。所以在那个村子，有很豪华的大房子，也有小房子，而且这些小房子跟村庄有合同，只能入住那些买不起房子的人，这样阶级的差别就模糊了。
　　这不是一个乌托邦，现在做得相当成功。村庄周围也吸引了工厂，当然是无污染的工厂，也形成了商业，大概就像60年前的上海。
　　快报记者 潘文军 编译

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2011-01-13/192221812504.shtml

The Prince of Wales makes a donation to the flood relief efforts in Queensland
14th January 2011
The Prince of Wales said the floods in Australia were "almost impossible to imagine" as he made a donation to the relief efforts.
He also paid tribute to the work of the Emergency Services and the Armed Forces in Brisbane.
The private donation is to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.
Speaking at his Scottish residence, Birkhall, The Prince told the BBC: "So many of us here in this country wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this appalling tragedy. We’ve all been watching with mounting dismay and concern the appalling nature of these floods.
"I realise only too well that so much is dependant on the actions of the state, the emergency services, the armed forces, the Queensland Police, who in so many ways I know have made a fantastic difference to people's lives in these sort of disasters.
"I realise only too well - we all do - that the aftermath, the clean-up, the reconstruction, all this effort is going to be vast and I'm so glad to hear that the Queensland fund has been set up to which I'm only too happy and proud to contribute something."
The donation follows one by the Queen yesterday.


The Duchess of Cornwall shows support for the Cornish Air Ambulance Trust
14th January 2011
The Duchess of Cornwall has become the first official Patron of the Cornish Air Ambulance Trust.
Her Royal Highness will use the role to lend her support to the charity’s fundraising activities.
CAAT Chief Executive Paula Martin, said: “Everyone at Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust is very proud that The Duchess of Cornwall has become our Patron.”
During a visit to this year’s Royal Cornwall Show in June, The Duchess stopped at the Cornwall Air Ambulance stand.
Her Royal Highness spent a great deal of time meeting and talking to the volunteers, charity team, fundraisers, patients and the paramedics. She also met with one of the specially trained dispatchers who sends the air ambulance on its emergency missions.
Based at Newquay Cornwall Airport, the Trust attends around 1,000 incidents each year and is now in its 24th year.


The Duchess of Cornwall is President of the children's charity Barnardo’s. With 415 projects across the UK, Barnardo’s is a charity that supports children who have been affected by all kinds of issues, from drug misuse to disability, youth crime to mental health, sexual abuse to domestic violence and poverty to homelessness.
Animal welfare
The Duchess’s personal interest in animals and their welfare is reflected in her patronages. With an enduring affection for horses and ponies, Her Royal Highness is Patron of the Moorland Mousie Trust which promotes and conserves the Exmoor Pony, Patron of The British Equestrian Foundation and is President of the Brooke Hospital for Animals.
The Duchess is also Patron of the Animal Care Trust (under the umbrella of The Royal Veterinary College) and the Langford Trust for Animal Health and Welfare, which is a charity that supports the University of Bristol Veterinary School to promote the practice, advancement and teaching of veterinary science.
Cornwall-based charities
As The Duchess of Cornwall, Her Royal Highness is Patron of charities specific to the South West, such as the Cornwall Community Foundation and the Public Catalogue Foundation's Cornish Catalogue.
In August 2007 The Duchess of Cornwall became President of ShelterBox, a registered UK charity based in Cornwall that provides emergency aid for victims of natural and other disasters anywhere in the world.
Her Royal Highness first met workers for the charity during a visit to the earthquake-hit villages of Pakistan in November 2006 and was so impressed by the charity’s innovative disaster relief work that she has supported it ever since.
Heritage and the Arts
Like The Prince of Wales, The Duchess takes a keen interest in heritage and is Patron of the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, Ditchling Museum, the Fan Museum and Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum.
The Duchess is a great supporter of the arts and regularly attends concerts and theatre shows with The Prince of Wales. These are often fundraising events for charities with which Their Royal Highnesses are affiliated.
The Duchess is Patron of the London Chamber Orchestra, St Johns, Smith Square, the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra, and the Theatre Royal Bath.


Royalty and accountancy are in the Peat blood. Sir Michael's father was a Privy Purse auditor, as was his great-grandfather William Barclay Peat, founding partner of accountancy firm Peat Marwick, which later became the global accountancy company KPMG.
The product of a traditional education at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford, Sir Michael spent two decades in the family business from 1972 to 1993, becoming a partner with KPMG, before joining the Royal Household.

He was director of Finance and Property Services, HM Household until 1996 then became the Queen's treasurer or Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1996-2002.
During his time with the monarch he performed what many saw as a vital modernising role in slashing royal expenditure before becoming Charles's private secretary in 2002.
In 2005 he became the prince's principal private secretary.
A Clarence House spokeswoman said Sir Michael would continue to undertake investment and financial projects for the prince and provide advice on a part-time basis.
She added: 'The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall fully understand Sir Michael's wish to return to the private sector, are hugely grateful to him for all he has done and wish him every success in the future.'

During his time with the prince, Sir Michael helped organise the heir to the throne's wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit The 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment

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