To smoke, or not to smoke

　　意大利公共场所实行禁烟 舞台表演也不例外

　　A STUNNED Italian actor had to stub out the cigarette he had lit up on stage on November 13, after a spectator complained, forcing the theatre to change the script of an Arthur Miller play to make it smoke-free.

　　The actor, Sebastiano Lo Monawas smoking, in line with the script, while playing the main character in Miller's "A View from the Bridge" at a theatre in the northeastern city of Mestre. A woman from the audience shouted "Put out that cigarette." After a 15-minute suspension, the performance resumed with a modified script and a non-smoking protagonist.

　　"This had never happened to me in more than 300 performances," Lo Monaco was quoted as saying by the website of Italian daily Corriere della Sera. According the newspaper, Italy banned lighting up in all enclosed public places in January this year.

　　本月13日，美国著名剧作家亚瑟米勒的戏剧《桥上的风景》在意大利东北部城市梅斯特雷的一家剧院上演。演员塞巴斯蒂亚诺洛莫纳科担任主角，根据剧情需要，他在剧中吸烟。然而就在洛莫纳科点燃香烟的刹那，一位女观众忽然大喊：“不准抽烟！”观众的抗议令洛莫纳科大为震惊，他迅即碾灭了香烟。同时，剧组也不得不立即着手改编剧本。15分钟过后，演出继续进行。不过，此时剧情里吞云吐雾的情节已被迫删除，剧中的主人公也摇身一变，成了一个不吸烟的人。

　　据意大利《晚邮报》报道，自今年1月起，意大利开始实施在室内公共场所禁烟的规定。这家报纸的网站援引洛莫纳科的话说，“我已演出了300多场戏，被人制止在舞台剧中吸烟这还是头一次。”

　　Cat show plans dog's memorial service

　　300只猫咪共同悼念救命犬

　　THIS will probably be the first time a dog's memorial service is attended by 300 cats. A schnauzer-Siberian husky mix named Ginny was eulogized November 19 at the Westchester Cat Show, where she was named Cat of the Year in 1998 for her uncanny skill and bravery in finding and rescuing endangered tabbies.

　　"It'll be right during the show, with the judging going on and all the cats out there on the floor," said a spokeswoman for the Westchester Feline Club, which sponsors the show. "We'll call for quiet, and then a few people will get up on stage and talk about Ginny. Her owner will be there and talk, if he's able to, and some people from her fan club. "Ginny died in August at age 17, after a long career as a one-dog rescue party for cats on Long Island's South Shore. The club says she saved hundreds of cats who were abandoned, injured or in harm's way.

　　基尼是一只雪纳瑞犬和西伯利亚哈士奇犬的混种狗。她能力超凡，能发现并勇敢地拯救身处险境的斑猫，1998年基尼因此被誉为威彻斯特郡年度“最佳猫咪”。长年以来，基尼都在长岛南岸的单犬救援协会从事营救斑猫的工作，在漫长的职业生涯里，她共拯救过好几百只遭遗弃、受虐待或受伤的斑猫。

　　今年8月，基尼不幸去世，享年17岁。本月19日，为悼念这只神奇的救援犬，威彻斯特郡猫咪俱乐部特在本市举办猫展，其间共有300只猫咪出席。300只猫集体参加一只狗的悼念会，这种奇事恐怕有史以来也是第一次。

　　俱乐部一位女发言人说，追悼会将在安静肃穆的气氛中进行，会上将有几位嘉宾和基尼的粉丝们上台追忆基尼的往事。基尼的主人目前仍处于极度悲痛中，但如果可能，他也将到场并发言。

　　Woman raises multi-tasking to new level

　　女劫匪一面抢银行 一面“褒电话粥”

　　A YOUNG woman robbed four banks in Washington's suburbs without ever interrupting conversations over her cell phone.

　　In the most recent heist, the woman, with sunglasses casually pushed up on her dark hair and a mobile phone at her ear, walked up to a bank teller in Ashburn, Virginia on November 4. She opened her purse to show a handgun and a note demanding cash, said Loudoun County sheriff's spokesman .

　　Washington's police are working together to track the suspect, and circulating surveillance video to local media. Troxell said it was unclear what role the cell phone may have played in the case.

　　美国一名年轻妇女近日在华盛顿郊区抢劫了４家银行，作案过程中她竟然还一直在用手机跟人聊天。

　　劳顿县治安官发言人说，最近的一次抢劫发生在本月４日。当时，这名妇女随意地用太阳镜卡住黑发，一边打着手机一边走到弗吉尼亚州阿什本银行的出纳员跟前，打开钱包掏出手枪，示意要抢劫现钞。美国警方目前已经对她进行通缉，并通过媒体播出了被抢银行的监控录像片断。特罗克塞尔说，警方现在还不清楚手机到底在抢劫过程中起何作用。