世界在破晓的瞬间前埋葬于深渊的黑暗

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins talks about atheism, and why we atheists should all come out, in at TED.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Adam Curtis - The Rise and Fall of the Television Journalist

Haha, Adam Curtis presents another fine criticism to the phenomenon that the news organization are asking viewers to submit their own news, something I have talked about before in a previous post (here).


The Power of Prayer...

Why don't I like religion? This could be a clue....
I have never understood why people think that prayers can do wonders... where is the credit for human effort?

(The original news report is here)

Praying parents' other 3 kids removed

By ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer
Fri Mar 28, 7:52 PM ET

The three siblings of a girl who died of diabetes that went untreated as her parents prayed instead of taking her to a doctor have been removed from the home during an investigation, police said Friday.

The parents and social services experts agreed the move would be best for everyone, Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said. The children are staying with other relatives, though they were not in danger, he said.

"There is no physical evidence of abuse or neglect," he said.

Madeline Neumann, 11, died Sunday the Weston home of an undiagnosed but treatable form of diabetes as her parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, prayed for her to get better. Her mother said she never expected her daughter, whom she called Kara, to die.

The family believes in the Bible, which says healing comes from God, Leilani Neumann said.

The children removed from the home range in age from 13 to 16 and are expected to return to their parents once an investigation of the girl's death wraps up, Vergin said.

He would not specify where they are living, other than with another family member.

Vergin said his agency's final report will make no recommendations on possible charges against the parents, leaving that up to the district attorney.

"There is no intent. They didn't want their child to die. They thought what they were doing was the right thing," he said. "They believed up to the time she stopped breathing she was going to get better. They just thought it was a spiritual attack. They believed if they prayed enough she would get through it."




Saturday, March 29, 2008

This Is Why I Don't Like Libertarians

A lot of my friends are libertarians... and this is why I think their philosophy is wacky.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Ralph Nader On Consumer Rights

The Americans do not deserve Ralph Nader. How I wished there was someone like him in my country fighting for my rights. 



Adam Curtis - The Century of the Self

After watching this award-winning documentary The Century of The Self, I finally understand why I feel ambivalent about Adam Curtis' documentary. On the one hand, he is concerned with the same issues that I am concerned about: (1) the tyranny of the free-market capitalism; (2) big business and government sleeping together; (3) whether one can trust the masses to make an informed and rational decision on which political candidate to elect for one's government.

However, on the other hand, his portrayal of pseduoscience (e.g. Freudian theory, psycho-analysis etc) as though they were legitimate explanations for human behavior really bugs me. In this film, there are certain topics he touches on, like crowd behavior, human nature, etc, that he ascribes to the psycho-analytical theories.... There is an abundance of literature that is based on empirical evidence and not hocus-pocus psychoanalytical bullshit that Adam Curtis entirely missed. I do not know whether it is because Curtis did not know about these studies or that psychoanalytical theories is more "exciting" and "easier" to understand (although not based on any empirical evidence or rigid scientific research).

There is a part of this documentary that really drives home the point that I am making: as the documentary progress, we are told that one psychoanalytical movement after the other fails... and Curtis implicitly hinted it was because the previous theories were "wrong". How about this: the theories were wrong because the methodology is wrong, it is not a legitimate way of assessing human behavior, psychology and nature. The theories were wrong not because the psychoanalysts were coming up with wrong theories, but because the enterprise of psychoanalyst is just dead wrong and not helpful. Incidentally, a lot of the psychoanalytical "theories" and "findings" can be explained by other more austere and parsimonious psychological, behavioral and evolutionary theories without invoking ridiculous concepts such as "the unconscious self" or "the psych of the crowd".

If one takes out this aspect of the documentary, sure, it may become less "exciting". However, I would still recommend people to watch this documentary. Because there are aspects of this documentary that is informative: how government officials and the business community seek to manipulate and shape the public's behavior through what they thought were the "true" nature of human nature by psychoanalytical theories. If anything, I think the documentary reveals the true "intent" of big business and government, which is not always flattering. Also, after one watches this documentary, I think one should seriously question the
culture of consumerism, and if one looks at recent events (i.e. stock market crash, etc), you will be surprised to find that there were a lot of historical precedents.


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 1


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 2


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 3


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 4


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 5


The Century of The Self, Episode 1: Happiness Machines Part 6


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 1


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 2


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 3


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 4


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 5


The Century of The Self, Episode 2: The Engineering of Consent Part 6


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 1


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 2


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 3


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 4


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 5


The Century of The Self, Episode 3: There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed Part 6


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 1


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 2


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 3


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 4


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 5


The Century of The Self, Episode 4: Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering Part 6

Malcolm Gladwell

Another TED talk. The speaker is Malcolm Gladwell talking about spaghetti sauce (Well, the overall theme was happiness). 

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Dried Plants

The winter has sucked the essence out of thee.

The Christian Gene (Satire, Not Real)

Okay, disclaimer: this is NOT REAL. It is satire, from The Chaser (you know, the Aussie show that had a Osama Bin Laden impersonator near George Bush when he was down under...). However, I thought this was hilarious and funny.

On a slightly serious note, although no "Christian gene" or for that matter "religion gene" has ever been "found" (those with rudimentary knowledge of genetics will know why... if not, you should look it up... I mean, this is the 21st century), there are numerous studies in personality research that suggests that there are some personalities traits that are closely associated with religiousity... It seems that some people are more likely to embrace religions over others, while there are some that tend to reject religion over others.

I belong to the latter group, of course.



Lewis Black On Letterman

Another Lewis Black Interview On David Letterman

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Lewis Black On Larry King 3/24/2008

What can I say? I just love this guy and his biting, riling, furious, cathartic humor.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Adam Curtis - The Trap

First of all, a disclaimer. I really do not agree with everything that Adam Curtis presented in this documentary, The Trap, which is an indictment of free market capitalism. One of the sources of the problems of our times, according to him, is that we tend to treat people as numbers. As I am a psychology major (with a statistics minor), I do not totally agree with this criticism. Yes, it is true that once we quantify people, we lose several layers of resolution with regards to the complexity of the individual. However, there are other advantages gained from this as well, which I think Adam Curtis do not mention.

Also, I think that he has misunderstood/misquoted both Richard Dawkins and John Maynard Smith on the genetic views of humans. Dawkins himself said a lot of times in his books that just because our genes have certain characteristics does not equate to the fact that we as complex biological individuals inherently manifest these characteristics. And whether Adam Curtis likes it or not, there are numerous studies that support the genetic hypothesis, as opposed to his seemingly dismissal of it at the end of the documentary.

Third, I think Adam Curtis tried to stretch his logic a bit too far here. If you watch the documentary and write out the premise of his argument statement by statement, you will find that it is not as coherent as he would like, and that there seem to be ridden by a few fallacies (e.g. slippery slope, over-generalization, poisoning the well, to name but a few). 

Don't get me wrong. I like the around half to two-thirds of this documentary, where he criticizes the free market (and he brings out a powerful argument) and points out quite correctly that there are problems associated with quantifying individuals that one needs to address (incidentally, this has nothing to do with the quantification process, but rather the interpretation process, which any course in research methodology or even statistics will give one an insight to; as one of my statistics professor once said to me: Don't be so obsessed with the numbers! Be obsessed with how the numbers are obtained!). However, my view is that he does not need to bring out all those psycho-babble bullshit and will still be able to deliver a powerful statement against free market capitalism. Hell, it will make the documentary at least 1 hour shorter!


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 1


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 2


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 3


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 4


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 5


The Trap - Episode 1 F&#k You Buddy Part 6


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 1


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 2


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 3


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 4


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 5


The Trap - Episode 1 The Lonely Robot Part 6


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 1


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 2


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 3


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 4


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 5


The Trap - Episode 1 We Will Force You To Be Free Part 6





Fog - Plum Dumb

Okay, I have posted many songs lately. This is an abstract musical piece from Fog, an indie electronic musician. The video clips were taken during a snow storm in the first week of spring in Iowa. 

A Feather

... that has the original owner has flew away from.

Adam Curtis - The Power of Nightmare

This is a powerful documentary by Adam Curtis shown on BBC that charts the rise of the Al Qaeda movement (if you watched the documentary, you will realize that this is a oxymoron) and that of the neoconservatives in United States. The irony is that there are more similarities than differences between both groups, and isn't it surprising that they both spawn from the same ideological roots. 

Furthermore, the documentary explores the idea that governments make use of fear to drive the people into both submission and less-than-critical thinking. Given the events that have been happening in our country lately, it is difficult to watch this documentary and not draw a parallel. 

If you read between the lines while watching this documentary, you will realize that there is one element that really drives the activities and increased the political power of these two groups. I won't say what it is, but you can leave a comment here if you want to take a guess.

Power of Nightmares - Trailer


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 1


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 2


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 3


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 4


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 5


Power of Nightmares Episode 1 - Baby It's Cold Outside Part 6


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 1


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 2


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 3


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 4


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 5


Power of Nightmares Episode 2 - Phantom Victory Part 6


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 1


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 2


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 3


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 4


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 5


Power of Nightmares Episode 3 -The Shadows In The Cave Part 6



Saturday, March 22, 2008

陳昇 - 許多年以前

这是阿升很好听的一首情歌,不过却不是很多人知道,因为它并不在他的任何一张专辑里面,而是在一张合辑里面。

Epicurus's Famous Quotes


"If god is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to
Then he is not omnipotent.

If he is able, but not willing
Then he is malevolent.

If he is both able and willing
Then whence cometh evil?

If he is neither able nor willing
Then why call him god?"


--- Epicurus (341 - 271 B.C.)

"Why should I fear death?
If I am then death is not.
If death is I am not.
Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do?"


--- Epicurus (341 - 271 B.C.)

Mouse versus Mouse



Okay, so it is a hamster and a wireless computer mouse...

陳昇 - 黑光

Okay, so he isn't Keith Jarrett or Bill Evans... but this is still quite a nice piece of music. 

Friday, March 21, 2008

They Are Teaching Us How To ... LOVE???

You are fucking kidding me again right?
What is next? Telling us how many babies we should have???
Oh.... 

March 20, 2008
Love in theory

Polytechnics offer elective on dating and romance
By Jane Ng , Theresa Tan

POLYTECHNIC student Isabel Seet spends part of her time in class watching romantic movies, listening to sappy music and holding hands with boys.
But it's all okay. In fact, the sessions are even encouraged by her teacher.

The 18-year-old is enrolled in a new course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic designed to teach students the ins and outs of dating and love.

Titled 'Understanding Relationships: Love And Sexuality', the elective is one of two courses launched last year in a government bid to get young Singaporeans hitched. The other is offered by Singapore Polytechnic.

Through role-play, case studies and quizzes, students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic learn about matters of the heart. Some of the activities include online chatting and speed dating, which see students quickly chat before moving on to another partner. However, the course has not resulted in any classmates pairing up - yet.

Not all lessons are about romantic love, though. The 'Love Relations For Life - A Journey Of Romance, Love And Sexuality' course at Singapore Polytechnic also focuses on issues like the importance of family.

One student, Mr Kamal Prakash, 20, said his relationship with his parents has improved as a result of the course. He also earned two credits from the general elective module, which counted towards his graduation.

In fact, the module is so popular that Singapore Polytechnic is offering 600 places this year, up from 360 in the last academic year.

While both Mr Prakash and Miss Seet are not attached yet, they agreed the tips they have picked up will be useful for future relationships.

Mr Prakash added: 'I think most people who take the course would find it easier to get a girlfriend. But I'm not really looking for a girlfriend now as I want to concentrate on my studies.'

Besides these love electives, the Social Development Unit (SDU), the Government's match-maker, is also funding activities by varsity student bodies which offer opportunities for students to pair up.

So what do parents think of these efforts to fan the flames of love in school?

Miss Seet's mother wants her daughter to focus on her studies. Madam Sally Heng, a 51-year-old clerk, said: 'It's okay for Isabel to learn about these things since she will have relationships in future, but I hope she will concentrate on her studies first.'

The SDU has spent some $275,000 to promote love and marriage for over 90,000 students in the last few years, said Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon.

'We don't want to wait until people come to the SDU, so we reach out to students when they are still young.'

She was speaking to the media at the launch of We Are Married, an effort to celebrate healthy marriages organised by the National Family Council. The council surveyed 500 randomly selected married people last year and found that 99 per cent of respondents said they were 'very satisfied' with their marriages.

Calculating Your God Delusion Index

This is one of the few times I am glad I have a score that is close to zero...

Atheism - A History of Disbelief

This is Jonathan Miller's BBC documentary, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief. More information can be found here.

If I had my way, this will be compulsory material for all students in Singapore... However, this will unlikely be the case, since it seems that our government is bent on sucking up to religious institution...

Episode 1 part 1


Episode 1 part 2


Episode 1 part 3


Episode 1 part 4


Episode 1 part 5


Episode 1 part 6


Episode 2 part 1


Episode 2 part 2


Episode 2 part 3


Episode 2 part 4


Episode 2 part 5


Episode 2 part 6


Episode 2 part 7


Episode 3 part 1


Episode 3 part 2


Episode 3 part 3


Episode 3 part 4


Episode 3 part 5


Episode 3 part 6

Thursday, March 20, 2008

陈升访问 - 沈春华的Live Show.

又一个阿升的访问。

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Karen Armstrong on Religion

Not that I agree with everything she says, but I think she has a point when she said that it is a shame that a lot of religions do not follow their own golden rule. 

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

死城

(Guess which Asian democracy I am talking about? Clue: Not Singapore)

这座城
很久前就被宣判
死亡,以孤岛姿态流放
历史,自由像陀螺旋转
暴君,碾碎尸体的脑浆
红海,浮持岛民的绝望

这座城
结构于幽冥气体,弥漫
迷瞒。人民体质僵化
巨人体制讲话,把拳力集中
于红海两端的波涛,溅起
浪花坠落的权利,雨洒
死城的亡魂
复活和腐朽互咬尾巴

这座城
不弃权。精神阵亡,肉体
长存。自我祭奠的葬礼
虚构华丽。死马当活马医
生死于冥纸选票上,游行
是悼念生者的宣告。口号
节奏了行尸的心跳,劫走
黑白太极权的民主对调

这座城
无名氏墓碑遍野
横尸。在苍茫大地刻上
遗言。争执邪音政治不休
字体模棱颠覆体制。摧毁
这座浮城的尊严,遗忘
半世纪的轮回心酸

这座城
岛民寻找天堂。欲望
追求真理的涅槃
迷茫成为一种习惯
互相交换脸孔。在天体营
造成猥亵的交欢。政治家
承诺遗弃威胁,无重量
亡魂无法使岛下沉

尾巴


尾巴
长在脸上叫做胡须
长在头上叫做头发
长在身前叫做阳具
长在耳上叫做耳环
长在肚子叫做肚腩
长在眼前叫做眼镜
拿来SM叫做鞭子
拿来战争叫做枪杆
拿来写诗叫做铅笔
拿来美丽叫做长裙

尾巴
没有被进化吞噬
每天在马桶前
排泄物让人类
暂时回到原始

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

名字

那些闯入我梦境的死神
没有眼珠
任意在荒芜的草原上
种下一块快无名氏的墓碑

只有一位
披着风尘仆仆的似曾相识
紧紧捉着回忆
颤抖的手
在墓碑刻上
名字

Ruins Of Angkor Wat

Another photo from way back then...

Monday, March 17, 2008

陳珊妮 - 乘噴射機離去

这是我听过的第一张陈珊妮的专辑。我还记得这张专辑是在Queensway Shopping Centre的某间二手店买的,而当时我也不知道谁是陈珊妮,只觉得专辑封面和歌名都很酷的感觉,至少不会让我觉得这是好像类似郭富城一样的偶像歌手所发的烂专辑......

<乘噴射機離去>是我在这张专辑里最喜欢的歌。当时的我也不知道谁是夏宇(我当时中四,对文学完全没有兴趣。其实想想,现在也一样吧),不过却觉得歌词写得很棒。在很多年之后,我才意识道<乘噴射機離去>原来指的是John Denver的。其实真的有些不可思议,因为这首歌和John Denver的那首比起来,简直是天渊之别。




填詞:夏宇
作曲:陳珊妮

總會遇見這麼一個人的有一天 
隔鄰的桌子 陰暗的小酒館
陌生的語言當中 筆直的對角線 分別屬於
完全相反的象限 

有這麼 一個人 
放下行囊 耐心的 用餐巾折疊船隻
和女人 
非常之 精緻無聊的餐巾
這樣一個人 和我 沒有任何明顯的理由
在同一個屋子裡 傾斜的影子遠遠的
守著,在偶然的移動間 會合,落在一個
羅馬尼亞人的皮鞋上 

羅馬尼亞人的鬍疵像雪
革命後的第三場雪 如此不夠,遠處
遊行的行列走過 七支鼓錘興奮激昂的
斷裂,何人縫製的鼓 春天裡那樣強烈
可怖的貞潔 啊蜻蜓 蜻蜓 飛了出去,舞者走進來
無話可說的人繼續喝茶 黃昏裡一聲嘆息,沿著
溫暖的空氣傳遞 應該是無意的,但也不妨
一些瞭解一些 能量不減--遇見這個人
會的 總有一天 

可能 非常可能 在彼此憂患的眼睛裡
善意的略過 無法 多做什麼 四下突然安靜,唯剩一支
通俗明白的歌 (乘噴射機離去)

哼著哼著 想讓自己隨意的悲傷
在淺薄的歌詞裡 得到教訓 你知道有一張郵票
自從離開集郵冊 就再也不曾 回去,有一個蓋子
遺棄了它的鍋 我想把你的地址寫在沙灘上
把你留在我的睡袋裡 在睡前玩一遍 填字遊戲
藏匿你 在我的書包裡 連同一本新編好的詩集
連同我的登山鞋 望遠鏡和 潛水艇
我對世界 最初的期待 我秘密的愛

當所有的花都遺忘了你睡著的臉
星群在我等速飛行時驚呼墜落
最後的足跡被混淆消滅
風把書本吹開 第八頁第9行 (事情就是這樣決定了)
決定了 句點下面 

淺淺的西瓜漬,西瓜生長
在沙地裡,在最炎熱時 成熟爆裂,如同你曾經
之於我,如同水壺 在爐火中噗噗 燒開,

是的那麼一個人 
有一天忽然 
我完全明白,和他
我們在各自的 不同的象限裡 
孤單的 無限的 
擴大 衰老 死掉 
永遠永遠 不能有 交會

沮喪的中國女子散步回來 坐在窗前練習
法文會話:『這是一匹馬呢 或是這是一頂草帽?』
這是一枚砲彈 砲彈在黎巴嫩落下 激烈的改革者溫馴的
回家吃晚飯 等邊三角形切過 圓的時候 雞和兔子不明白
為什麼牠們會在同一個 籠子裡:

而且
[郵局在銀行的對面 在醫院的左邊
河水在橋下流過 人在橋上走]

我們是否可以放任自己 
在會話裡 在銀行的對面
在橋上走 
或者 
乘噴射機離去

回到開始 陰暗的小酒館 陌生的語言 羅馬尼亞人
遊行行列 會的 總有一天 完全可能 有人讀到這裡
有人會問我: 「你是鼓還是鼓錘?」
唉那是愚笨的問題 而且不是我的意思
我只想說我可能遇到的一個 一開始我是誠心誠意的
而且是悲傷的 但後來事情有了變化
事情總有一些變化 

有一點可能
非常可能
Voila

Friday, March 14, 2008

Flock of Geese

I was walking home from school when I heard a flock of birds calling out loudly. Puzzled, I looked at the trees around me but there was no birds in sight. It was until Kelly pointed up to the sky that I managed to catch a glimpse of a large flock of geese flying in a straight line... It seemed to me that the line that the geese flew in was more than a mile wide... Unfortunately, I do not have my SLR with me, but I did have my portable digital camera, and this was the best it could do, which unfortunately still could not fully justify the magnificence of the spectacle that I was witnessing....

My First Time As An ERP Subject!


I am taking a course on ERP (event related potential) methodology this semester (i.e. for those who are not sure what ERP is, it is basically measuring your brainwaves by planting electrodes on your scalp.... One part of this course is that we have to run ourselves as subjects in experiments programmed by our fellow colleagues (i.e. other graduate students).
Anyways, this is a photo my friend Moses took for me after the experiment... No, doing this experiment did not cause me to become a zombie, nor was anyone able to control me via the electrodes... However, I thought it would be funny to spoof the usual misperception that most people have of psychologists: we are always conducting some weird experiments that would cause some changes in our subjects' behavior....
I will try to upload an image of my own brain waves later this semester, when we get down to cleaning the data...

陈升 - 国界

“我在你我之间,依赖你对我说的话。”


My Hamster Grows Up....

Oh, look at him... isn't he cute???

Thursday, March 13, 2008

娃娃- 秋凉

是阿升写给娃娃的一首歌。

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Wow, this is ... stupid

This is a story from here... If you are dumb enough to believe this kind of crap, then you deserve to go blind and effectively rule yourself out of the gene pool...


50 people looking for solar image of Mary lose sight

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At least 50 people in Kottayam district have reportedly lost their vision after gazing at the sun looking for an image of Virgin Mary.

Though alarmed health authorities have installed a signboard to counter the rumour that a solar image of Virgin Mary appeared to the believers, curious onlookers, including foreign travellers, have been thronging the venue of the ‘miracle’.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Someone Is Wrong...


This funny cartoon is blatantly stolen from here.

Keith Jarrett - My Song

This is from "The Carnegie Hall Concert"... Somehow, I like this version much better than the original version.... I thought this piece sounded much nicer on just piano alone rather than piano and sax...

陈升 - 不安的年代

是阿升写于世纪末前的一首歌,非常让人有感触。尤其是以下这两句歌词:

“活着岂只是活着 一定还有生存的理由 ”
“活着岂只是活着 一定还有那些暂时不懂......生存的理由”



词曲:陈升

喔... 喔...
谎言不能解开的原因 是因为自己多少也有罪
活在荒谬的世界里 眼看着群魔在眼前狂舞
上了妆觉的很光鲜 灵魂却早就已腐朽
一天反省不到一分钟 留下的都交给欲望

喔... 喔...
许多人都在饿肚子 吃饱的人要做点事
夜夜在恶梦中惊醒 却从不怀疑自己是谁
世纪末已开始倒数计时 而新的指标在那里
隔壁巷弄里沉重的枪声 送走了西装革履的人

沉默并非故意 答案在那里
如果真理这样薄弱 又何必留到最后才叫人懂
喔...

京城里出生的少年郎 在西北大漠中渐老去
答应不眷恋权力的老人 抛弃最初的诺言
邪灵与欲望的斗争 吃光了萌芽的田野
母亲最疼爱的长子 胸膛又燃起了无名的火

沉默并非故意 答案在那里
如果真理那样薄弱 又何必留到最后才叫人懂
喔...

喔... 喔...
二十一世纪的孩子别担忧 愚蠢腐朽将不再留
青春在幻想中埋葬 这样做算不算是懦弱
除了贪婪你不要问 我们要留给明天是什么
张开嘴吧我想问清楚 却已忘了我的来时路

活着岂只是活着 一定还有生存的理由
活着岂只是活着 一定还有那些暂时不懂......生存的理由

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Bill Maher New Rules 7 Mar 2008

I love the last bit...


不征收产业税真的好吗?

(刊登于联合早报2008秒年 3月9日)


近几年来,社会贫富悬殊日渐扩大的问题一直都挂在许多人的嘴边,而在许多日常用品的物价上涨后更加突显。许多政治人物也对贫富悬殊的问题表示深切关注,并且承诺解决此问题。因此,当我得知有关当局宣布即将废除产业税时,其实感到些许惊讶和困惑,并且觉得这是个稍微矛盾的决定。

废除产业税在贫富悬殊日渐扩大的背景下显得有些奇怪。尽管我不是经济学家,不过我从高中课本记得有关当局之所以向老百姓征收税金是因为需要那笔钱来提供公共服务。减少了产业税所带来的收入后,有关当局就必须从其他地方取得这笔收入。在某种程度上,税金是可以重新分配贫富阶级之间的资产和减少社会上的贫富悬殊的工具之一。 这就是为何有关当局在抽取所得税时一般都向高收入者征收更多税,而不对某些低收入者征收税金。

如果仔细去思考此问题,就不难得到产业税所影响的是拥有产业和积蓄的中上阶级的家庭而非低收入家庭的结论。反观地, 在去年从5%调至7%的消费税在某种程度上是影响所有收入阶层的政策。这点就是让本人感到非常困惑和觉得有关当局的行为有些矛盾的地方。不是说好要尽力减少贫富悬殊吗?那么为何废除完全不影响低收入家庭的产业税,而却又不想办法尽量别调高会影响低收入家庭的消费税呢?

有关当局声称废除产业税是一个进步 (progressive) 的政策,因为能够把自己的产业留给后代似乎是件理所当然和合理的事。然而,换个角度来看,对于无须付出劳力就能仰赖庞大的遗产的富家子弟,或许遗产税只是意味着他们所继承的遗产稍微比较少,不过却可能还是比多数人一辈子所能赚的钱还更多。对于许多没有遗产可继承的人而言,这似乎听起来有些不妥吧。美国已故作家 Kurt Vonnegut 曾多次在他的作品里探讨此问题,其小说有许多人物都是仰赖庞大遗产和其遗产所赚进的利息而坐享其成,成为对社会无贡献的话题人物。仔细想想,类似 Paris Hilton 的人物似乎就完全体现了 Kurt Vonnegut 笔下所要讽刺的社会现象。

当然,另一种说法就是以上观点似乎是对有资产者不公平。或许,这些人在生前就已经比一般人缴更多税了,没必要在他们过世后依然如此。更何况,许多有钱人在生前也透过捐款的方式对社会做出巨大的贡献,有关当局也似乎没有权利通过遗产税来强迫有钱人做出贡献。如果有资产者不愿意将部分遗产与社会分享而只想留给子女,对他们而言也算是合理的想法。毕竟,我们不能够要求所有的人都拥有 Warren Buffet 伟大的情操,立遗嘱将多数遗产捐出而只留少许部分给子女,只因为他相信遗产的目的是为了让子女有资本地追求梦想,而非让子女认为他们这辈子无须工作了。有趣的是 Warren Buffet 本身也曾经指出 (在美国) 废除产业税只会对高收入者有利和扩大贫富悬殊。

从经济的角度而言,废除产业税可以在某种程度上吸引更多的资金。毕竟,产业拥有者也是高消费者和新企业的投资者,而这些资金的输入在某种程度上或许可以刺激经济。或许许多国外的富商也会因为我国没有产业税而选择移民到这里,间接为国家带来另一笔财富。然而,问题是这些新注入的资金到底有没有办法从社会的顶层回流到社会的底层。以上思考逻辑符合美国经济保守派近十年来的思维和政策:减少有资产者的税务,好让他们更愿意消费和投资,然后透过其消费和投资刺激经济。不过,近期有许多评论者相继批评此做法,因为他们认为这不仅导致收入差距的扩大,也让许多属于中产阶级的家庭承受前所未有的负担。说明白些,被刺激的经济只让原本有能力投资的资产拥有者受益,而一般人都无法分一杯羹。

综合以上理由,本人无法认同废除产业税是明智之举。就本人的卑微之见,有关当局若想让一般中产阶级的家庭受益和减少高和低收入者之间的收入差距,更合理的做法应当是提高征收产业税的底限,而非完全废除产业税吧。

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Alcatraz Prison


Apparently, this is "The Rock" (movie by Sean Connery, not the wrestling star).

Bill Maher New Rules 29 Feb 2008

"If you trust the person hawking the prescription, then you deserve the side effects"

He was talking about big medicine actively and aggressively promoting their products via advertisements.... funny, I thought it could as well have been applicable to any politician.



陈升 - 我爱美丽的宝岛

其实也不须多说。只要阅读歌词就知道了。




作词:陈升 / 作曲:陈升

OH 如果我不能怀疑皇后的贞操
那麽我要一个皇后的乐趣是什麽
电力层的空气已经慢慢地坏掉
上校在美丽的海湾里痛苦的哀嚎
哑吧在二月里惊醒疯狂的尖叫
候鸟站在臭水沟里痛苦地发烧

我爱美丽的宝岛 是我最爱唱的歌

你再说你小心被人背後放冷枪
奸商在垃圾堆盖房子取名小巴黎
砂石车在闹市里从我的肚子开过去
13 岁的姑娘在窑子馆里哭泣

我爱美丽的宝岛 是我最爱唱的歌

大陆同胞拿着肥皂欢迎飞到台湾
这里的高速公路是世界最大的停车场
香港来的女人露着奶在暗房里招摇
小朋友在娃娃车里伤心的哭闹
大爷在平坦的绿草地里快乐地挥杆
贱民在矮房子里快要咳死在干ㄍㄧㄠ

我爱美丽的宝岛 是我最爱唱的歌

南非洲的烂国家都嫌我的铜臭味太浓
转过头去就不想和我们做朋友
艺术家在这里早就被判了死刑
大官拿我的荷包里的新台币开玩笑

我爱美丽的宝岛 是我最爱唱的歌

立法院里我养的那些人用麦克风当武器
八大悬案的冤魂永远得不到申屈
熊猫先生在世纪末还不肯放弃武力
贵夫人对着凄美的八点档在暗泣
暗巷子里死了一堆人和我没有关系
父不父 子不子 报纸每天都有坏消息
关他妈妈嫁给谁 我住在美丽的宝岛

我爱美丽的宝岛 是我最爱唱的歌

Dirty Three - I Remembered A Time When Once You Loved Me

Have you ever been heart-broken? Has the rejection of love gnawed at your heart so painfully that you felt like breaking out of your skin? This is a song/music jam by Dirty Three, an Australian band, which I listened to everyday for a month when I was heart-broken in the past. Not so much for the weepy-self-blamers, but more for the why-the-fuck-is-this angry rejected loners.

Keith Jarrett - Radiance VIII

I think I have mentioned before that he is my favorite jazz pianist. This track is taken from his "Radiance" concert, and it is one of my all-time Keith Jarrett solo favorites.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

軟硬天師 - 中國製造

中国制造些什么呢?让软硬天师来告诉我们吧。

新寶島康樂隊 - 愛與死

这是阿升在新宝岛康乐队第三个专辑的最后一首歌。里头有国语、闽南和客家的歌词。里头最喜欢的一句:爱与死,我不怕,因为我有付出。

Saturday, March 01, 2008

齐豫 - 飞鸟与鱼

我非常喜欢这首歌。对于过去的沮丧,我总觉得这首歌可以表达我的情绪。飞鸟与鱼,到底要怎么相爱呢?



作詞:齊豫 作曲:齊豫 編曲:涂惠元

我是魚 你是飛鳥
要不是你一次失速流離 要不是我一次張望觀注
那來這一場不被看好的眷與戀

你勇敢 我宿命
你是一隻可以四處棲息的鳥 我是一尾早已沒了體溫的魚
藍的天 藍的海 難為了我和你

什麼天地啊 四季啊 晝夜啊
什麼海天一色 地獄天堂 暮鼓晨鐘
Always Together Forever Apart
Always Together Forever Apart

睡不著的夜 醒不來的早晨
春天的花如何得知秋天的果 今天的不堪如何原諒昨日的昏盲
飛鳥如何去愛 怎麼會愛上水裡的魚