Bill Maher New Rules - September 26th 2008

The last part about racism was hilarious... 

如何认识一座城市

(刊登于联合早报2008年9月25日)

要认识一座城市就如同了解一个人的过程一样，需要时间，交流和互动。如果你只想通过参加旅行社主办的X日游的旅游配套来用最短的时间认识一座城市的话，那么你对此城市的认识恐怕只能停留在很肤浅的阶段，就如同那种速成交友的联谊活动一样。

如果要很深入地了解一座城市，首先就必须排除那种为了观看名胜地而观看名胜地的心态。所谓名胜地不仅人多，也很容易被售卖纪念品的小贩搞得很俗气。不仅如此，它们也无法真正表现出该城市的风俗民情，就如你大概不会到狄斯尼游玩后就认为那是美国社会的缩影吧？当然，也不是说就完全避开所有的名胜地。如果你认为该名胜地有观看的价值，再多的人你也应该去排队。只要你能搞清楚参观的理由，而不是因为所有人都告诉你此地是应该去的你才盲目地随从就可以了。

除了别用名胜地断定一座城市的身份外，我们还可以透过什么方式认识城市呢？根据本人有限的经验和见解，最有效的方法就是记好你所住的旅馆的地址、带着一张该城市的简单地图、一张地铁或者巴士车资卡，以及在心中默记几个自己想参观的景点，然后就凭自己的能力寻找景点的所在地。当然，依靠此方式未必能够让你以最快最有效的方法抵达目的地，有时候甚至会因为迷路和语言不通而未能达到目的地，让你无缘参观某个景点。然而，你或许会发现在失去某些东西的当而也同时获得某些东西。或许你会意外地发现某间旅游手册没有介绍的餐厅的食物非常棒，或者是误闯民宅区而有机会观察当地人的日常生活习惯，或者是在某个路边摊意外地找到一件价廉物美的装饰品。

以上方式是适合本人于某个地方短暂逗留时所采用的旅游方法。如果各位有足够的时间，不妨考虑效仿我的好友凹凸的做法。凹凸是个自由撰稿人和摄影师，经常因为工作需要而长期居住在不同的城市里。他通常都会在当地租下一间廉价的房间，然后就试图过着和当地人一样的生活。当地人吃什么，他就吃什么。当地人到哪里消费，他就到哪里消费。当地人用什么公共交通，他就用什么公共交通。当地人说什么语言，他就尝试学习该语言。因此，他不仅熟悉那些旅游手册没有介绍的当地餐馆，能够在东南亚许多不同的城市用当地的语言与当地人交谈，能够如同当地人一样穿过小巷抵达目的地。

当然，我好友凹凸的方式在某种程度上是因为职业关系才有办法运用。除非各位有几个月的空余时间可以消磨，要不然此方法应该是不合适吧。至于本人的方法，在某种程度上也在时间上需要一些缓冲的空间。如果各位没有办法腾出多余的时间，那其实也无所谓。认识城市就如同交朋友的原则一样，朋友不需要很多，只要有几个好的知己就已经足够了，尤其是那些一直陪在我们身边最重要的朋友。就算你到过许多不同的城市，如果对自己长期居住的城市一概不了解，那么不是很说不过去吗？

换句话说，要学习如何认识一座城市，其实最简单的方法就是从自己所居住的城市开始吧。

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's Interview on CNN

Even at the ripe old age of 85, his mind is still sharp.

Part 1

Part 2

所谓历史性突破

（刊登于联合早报2008年9月21日）


2008年的美国总统大选被许多政治评论者誉为是历史性的大选。从美国民主党的初选进入后期开始，就确定这将会是美国历史上第一位女性或者是黑人的总统候选人。不仅如此，当美国共和党总统候选人麦凯恩宣布阿拉斯加州长帕琳成为他的副总统候选人时，就确定这次的美国总统大选将会诞生美国第一位黑人总统或者是第一位女性副总统。

当然，麦凯恩选择帕琳做为自己的竞选搭档，其政治考量是为了吸引无缘问鼎总统一职的希拉莉的支持者的选票。此政治策略在短期内显然奏效，因为大众对于麦凯恩的支持度在此宣布后有明显的提高，而许多共和党的支持者都表示帕琳的提名使得一度陷入低潮的共和党总统竞选运动振兴起来。不仅如此，有些原本是希拉莉的支持者也表示认真考虑把票投给麦凯恩和帕琳这对搭档。

尽管我对帕琳的提名振兴共和党的支持者这点并不感到希奇，不过却对于希拉莉的支持者因为帕琳的性别而考虑投票给共和党的举动感到非常纳罕。如果仔细研究帕琳和希拉莉，就不难发现两者的看法和政治理念南辕北辙。例如，帕琳因为宗教信仰而想要使堕胎非法，而希拉莉一向都支持妇女拥有堕胎的权力。或者说，帕琳不支持枪械管制，而希拉莉却提倡枪械管制。最重要的是帕琳对于全民保健的政策嗤之以鼻，而希拉莉却把在美国实行全民保健做为她一生的政治目标，早在克林顿总统在位时就极力想推行此政策，只可惜当时并未成功。

在某种程度上，麦凯恩的政治考量和这些考虑投票给帕琳的希拉莉支持者突显了美国此届总统大选的矛盾之处。虽然说这届大选是历史性的突破，不过所谓的突破竟然是停留在如此肤浅的层面。人们留意到的并不是候选人的政治理念，或者是所提倡的政策，而是肤色和性别这些表面的特征。换句话说，一般大众对于政治的理解似乎停留在表面的层次上。

其实，此看法早在美国民主党进行总统初选时就有许多进步主义的人士就指出了。这些进步主义人士认为美国中低收入阶级这几年来所承受的经济压力来自于美国政府被大企业的影响而无法推行有利于中低收入阶级的政策，而且这间接和美国的游说文化有关。当时美国民主党总统初选所剩下的两位候选人希拉莉和奥巴马都多少与游说集团，以及大企业扯上了一些关系，唯独当时落选的爱德华和库西尼奇一直强调美国政治必须远离游说文化和被大企业影响的事实。当然，讽刺的是拥有独特见解和进步想法的竟然是 “传统” 的白人男性候选人，反而是 “突破历史” 的黑人和女性候选人继续持有保守的政治操作模式。

从另一个角度来看待此问题吧。在奥巴马被提名为民主党的总统候选人后，有许多媒体工作者都认为这在某种程度上圆了已故民权运动领袖马丁⋅路德⋅金恩 “我有一个梦想” 演说里的愿望。然而，我却认为这些媒体工作者完全曲解了金恩的想法。毕竟，金恩在演讲里提到他希望有一天人们将不再因为肤色而被评判，而是因为他们灵魂的价值而被评价。如果大家都因为选出了一位黑人总统，或者一位女性的副总统就认为这是某种进步，而完全忽略此人的人格和想法，那么岂不是和 金恩的梦想背道而驰吗？

由于时代的进步，因此世界许多国家都纷纷选出非传统的政治领导人，就连男性主义强烈的日本在近期内也可能选出第一位女性总理。新加坡有朝一日或许也会选出少数宗族或者是女性的总理。然而，到时如果真的发生此事时，我希望大家呼之为历史性突破时，指的是领导人的才能、人格，以及改变政治模式的做法，而并非是领导人的性别或者是种族。

Craig Ferguson: If You Don't Vote, You're A Moron

This is a passionate rant by Craig Ferguson, who I like very much... He was talking about elections in USA and how it is the moral duty of everyone to vote...

A Classic Bill Maher New Rules Clip...

My favorite line: Yeah, leaving the earth to two naked teenagers... That's a real intelligent design. 

Bill Maher New Rules - September 12th 2008

Bill Maher is on form...

Irwin Redlener: How to survive a nuclear attack

Can we survive a nuclear attack? The face of nuclear terror has changed since the Cold War, but disaster-medicine expert Irwin Redlener reminds us the threat is still real. He looks at some of history's farcical countermeasures and offers practical advice on how to survive an attack.

Performers At Ueno Park

They seem to be having a good time... Unfortunately, I wasn't really that into their music as I was amused by their appearance... 

Bill Maher New Rules - September 5th 2008

He is mostly attacking the Republicans in this edition of New Rules... not surprising, isn't it?

鸡屁股

我非常喜欢的一个小吃......

Jonathan Drori: Why we don't understand as much as we think

Starting with four basic questions (that you may be surprised to find you can't answer), Jonathan Drori looks at the gaps in our knowledge -- and specifically, what we don't about science that we might think we do.

I certainly was stumped by all four questions... especially the one on: when a seed becomes a tree, where does most of the matter for the tree comes from? If like me you said the ground, then that means you got it wrong as well....

Medical Myths

Wow, I know about the "10% of our brain" myth is not true, but I didn't know the coarser and darker hair myth is untrue as well.

By the way, these are taken from the website here.

=====================================================

7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

By Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor
posted: 20 December 2007 07:00 pm ET

Popular culture is loaded with myths and half-truths. Most are harmless. But when doctors start believing medical myths, perhaps it's time to worry.

In the British Medical Journal this week, researchers looked into several common misconceptions, from the belief that a person should drink eight glasses of water per day to the notion that reading in low light ruins your eyesight.

"We got fired up about this because we knew that physicians accepted these beliefs and were passing this information along to their patients," said Dr. Aaron Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "And these beliefs are frequently cited in the popular media."

And so here they are, so that you can inform your doctor:

Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains.

Fact: Physicians and comedians alike, including Jerry Seinfeld, love to cite this one. It's sometimes erroneously credited to Albert Einstein. But MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas, the new paper points out. Metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas. The myth probably originated with self-improvement hucksters in the early 1900s who wanted to convince people that they had yet not reached their full potential, Carroll figures. It also doesn't jibe with the fact that our other organs run at full tilt.

Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Fact: "There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the university and co-author of the journal article. Vreeman thinks this myth can be traced back to a 1945 recommendation from the Nutrition Council that a person consume the equivalent of 8 glasses (64 ounces) of fluid a day. Over the years, "fluid" turned to water. But fruits and vegetables, plus coffee and other liquids, count.

Myth: Fingernails and hair grow after death.

Fact: Most physicians queried on this one initially thought it was true. Upon further reflection, they realized it's impossible. Here's what happens: "As the body’s skin is drying out, soft tissue, especially skin, is retracting," Vreeman said. "The nails appear much more prominent as the skin dries out. The same is true, but less obvious, with hair. As the skin is shrinking back, the hair looks more prominent or sticks up a bit."

Myth: Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker.

Fact: A 1928 clinical trial compared hair growth in shaved patches to growth in non-shaved patches. The hair which replaced the shaved hair was no darker or thicker, and did not grow in faster. More recent studies have confirmed that one. Here's the deal: When hair first comes in after being shaved, it grows with a blunt edge on top, Carroll and Vreeman explain. Over time, the blunt edge gets worn so it may seem thicker than it actually is. Hair that's just emerging can be darker too, because it hasn't been bleached by the sun.

Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.

Fact: The researchers found no evidence that reading in dim light causes permanent eye damage. It can cause eye strain and temporarily decreased acuity, which subsides after rest.

Myth: Eating turkey makes you drowsy.

Fact: Even Carroll and Vreeman believed this one until they researched it. The thing is, a chemical in turkey called tryptophan is known to cause drowsiness. But turkey doesn't contain any more of it than does chicken or beef. This myth is fueled by the fact that turkey is often eaten with a colossal holiday meal, often accompanied by alcohol — both things that will make you sleepy.

Myth: Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals.

Fact: There are no known cases of death related to this one. Cases of less-serious interference with hospital devices seem to be largely anecdotal, the researchers found. In one real study, mobile phones were found to interfere with 4 percent of devices, but only when the phone was within 3 feet of the device. A more recent study, this year, found no interference in 300 tests in 75 treatment rooms. To the contrary, when doctors use mobile phones, the improved communication means they make fewer mistakes.

"Whenever we talk about this work, doctors at first express disbelief that these things are not true," said Vreeman said. "But after we carefully lay out medical evidence, they are very willing to accept that these beliefs are actually false."

被分割的天空

被分割的天空

如同被的人生

只有无视地面的云

才能够超然漂浮

Chipmunk Raiding My House...

Apparently, I found out that this chipmunk (or squirrel?) has been entering my house illegally via the broken wire mesh of the window, and he (she?) has apparently been stealing my hamster's food....