hevangel
4th Feb 2010 - 12:39am
Daily ScribbleThe Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic games is only 8 days away. I don’t feel particularly exciting about the Olympic although I am living in the hosting city. Here are my top ten reasons why I don’t like Vancouver hosting the Olympic.
- None of the Winter Olympic events is interesting, except Ice Hockey
- I could not get any Olympic tickets, so it makes no difference to me whether or not it is in Vancouver. I am watching it on TV anways
- Millions of tourists comes to town disturb my normal life. It is a lot harder to make restaurant reservations and everything cost more during the Olympic
- The road closure in the city makes rush hour traffic across the city a nightmare.
- The Canadian team uniform really ugly. Roots definitely have better designers than The Bay.
- The Olympic will blow a black hole in the city’s budget. Prepare for tax raise after the Games
- Most of the Olympic events are held during the day when I am at work. My productivity would greatly suffer during that two weeks
- The Olympic mascots does not make sense and there are four of them. Why don’t they simply use a beaver or a Canadian moose
- The Sea to Sky Highway only got a half-ass upgrade. It should have 4 lanes all the way from Vancouver to Whistler and bypass all the traffic lights in Squamish
and most important of all,
- The Sea to Sky Highway is closed during the Games and no one can drive to Whistler. Olympic interrupts my ski season!
hevangel
31st Jan 2010 - 12:16am
兩週一聚前言﹕這是一個叫「兩周一聚」的活動。是網友米雪兒發起。每月十五日﹑三十日﹐一班住在世界不同角落的香港人都會一起寫同一個題目。今天是第三十一次相聚，由浪子Ｍ出題﹐主題定為「鬼」。
從很小時候有記憶開始﹐印像中我從來不怕鬼。可能是我很細個的時候﹐家父常常對我說﹐我實在太頑皮﹐頑皮到連鬼也怕了我。於是潛移默化下﹐我下意識認為我為什麼要怕鬼﹐應該鬼要怕我才對。一直到長大我也沒有見識過鬼﹐也不知道鬼有什麼可怕。
我有段時間很喜歡看鬼故鬼戲﹐余過倪匡的鬼故﹐八九十年代港產鬼片﹐荷里活典經恐怖片﹐我差不多全看過。我對鬼的認識全來自那些故事﹐但我看時從不感到害怕﹐我只是不明白如果靈界存在的話﹐靈界的運行法則是怎樣。為什麼總有些害人的鬼跑出來﹐而鬼故中的人總又是那麼軟弱無助﹐幻想著如果我代入其中角色﹐我可以如何扭轉故事的結局﹐人定勝鬼讓鬼見我也怕。我曾經想過寫鬼故事﹐可是一個成功的鬼故事﹐先決條件是要嚇到讀者。問題是我不怕鬼﹐完全想像不到恐怖的橋段﹐次次想故事最後總是變了搞笑鬧劇。
根據一般鬼故的說法﹐鬼通常是人死後變成﹐那人為什麼要驚鬼呢。人始終會死﹐死了以後就會變鬼﹐那有自己驚自己的理道﹖若果有鬼走出來要害我﹐最糟榚的情況也是給害命﹐那我最多也只是變鬼﹐與害我的鬼打成平手。恐懼源於無知﹐人類不知道靈界如何﹐才會對鬼感到害怕。可是如果靜心下來﹐用理性分析靈界的各種可能性﹐用箍選法刪去一不合邏輯﹐不乎合人界與靈界平衡的情況。那些能力超強超屈機的鬼不可能存在﹐不然人類世界早就被鬼統治了。那剩下有關鬼的形像其實不怎麼可怕﹐只要找出其弱點人類便有辨法對付。
我最喜歡與鬼有關的故事是「捉鬼敢死隊」和「幽遊白書」﹐前者用科技的力量去收拾鬼怪﹐後者則是很熱血的人鬼大戰。當年貞子熱潮嚇倒了不少人﹐我看電影時見貞子從電視爬出來﹐我腦中第一個念頭不是驚嚇﹐而是想如果用五吋手提電視播那盒鬼錄影帶﹐會不會有個迷你貞子爬出來﹐我可不可以一腳踏死她。
其實人比鬼更加可怕﹐鬼害人多還是人害人多﹐鬼殺人多還是人殺人多﹖從機會率來看﹐繁忙時間過馬路比遇見鬼還危險呢。
其它鬼事: 浪子Ｍ; The Man Who Loves Everton; 南杏; 老子; RandomCoil; Just Little Something; 火羽; Maple; 加燦; mememomo; Bakingmaniac‧烘焙狂熱份子
若果想參加兩周一聚的朋友﹐可以參看這個網頁。
hevangel
29th Jan 2010 - 12:38am
Daily ScribbleI wish wood working is like writing software, there is a undo button to undo my mistakes. I make a very silly mistake today in my wood working class. I cut two pieces of wood one inch too short. Here is how it happened. The end of the tape measure, the metal piece, is not accurate, so we are told to make the measure starting from the 1″ mark. The problem is that I forgot to add an extra inch when I am reading the number. After I made the cut, I wonder how come my wood seems short, but it’s already too late. If I didn’t cut enough, it is very easy to trim off a little bit more. However if I cut too much, I have to throw away the wood and start from scratch. Luckily I bought some extra wood, so I can make a spare. I just have to work faster next class to catch up.
The instructor already told us the rule of thumb in wood working in the first class, “measure twice, cut once.” I didn’t read the measure again after I mark the cut line, and I had learned my lesson. I think I can turn this lesson into a chicken soup story if I spicy it up a little bit. Working with wood is like life, there is no undo button to fix a mistake. The moral of the story is always “measure twice, cut once” or “think twice, act once”.
hevangel
24th Jan 2010 - 09:16pm
華洋書塾
在買「經濟殺手的告白」前﹐早已在網絡上看這本書的評論。全部也極力推介此書﹐說此書讓我們認識清楚美國的黑暗。書評亦不忘加兩插句反資本主義﹐反西方以發展為名剝削第三世界的感想。經濟殺手為跨國企業工作收受豐厚酬勞﹐運用各種正當或不正當的政治和經濟手段﹐在背後操控影響第三世界的獨裁者﹐讓他們淪為美國的經濟附庸國。經濟殺手和顧用他們的跨國企業﹐暗地裏為美國政府處理不方便正式出面辨的事情。美國政府和跨國企業關係千絲萬縷﹐合組成一個龐大的經濟利益複合體﹐在全球各地推動美國的經濟帝國主義。
此書的作者早年曾經濟殺手﹐退休後自己開設能源公司﹐亦受惠於跨國企業的關係網。晚年良心發現決心要寫這本書﹐揭發﹐美國政府與跨國企業的陰謀。我滿懷期望地閱讀這本書﹐想看看當年有什麼驚人內幕﹐經濟殺手如何呼風喚雨﹐左右一國之命運。豈料這本書只是一本自憐式的自傳﹐並附加充滿偏見的歷史課。作者一心要漂白自己的過去﹐不斷說自己一面當經濟殺手享受榮華富貴﹐一面看見落後國家人民生活貧困良心受責。不知是作者天真還是有意誤導讀者﹐他除了把自己包裝成經濟殺手污流中的清源﹐還把曾與他打交道的第三世國獨裁者﹐寫成一心一意要為國為民的大好人﹐美國政府和跨國企業則是貪婪自私的壞人﹐書中的世界黑白分明得讓我以為在看童話故事。
我原本以為經濟殺手的工係充滿刺激﹐是現實世界中的經濟占士邦。作者曾經做過的所謂壞事﹐不過是把經濟預測跨大﹐向落後國家的獨裁者行賄兼色誘﹐讓所屬的工程公司贏取發展合同。那年代貪污橫行﹐不作這些臺底交易﹐根本不可能做成生意。發達國家與落後國家做生意的人﹐豈不是每個都是經濟殺手。作者批評美國向落後國提供援助和借貸﹐而些金錢最終又流回美國的工程公司口袋中﹐當地的窮人沒有分到任何得益﹐國家卻背上了龐大債務﹐從此要用天然資源的收益去還債。虧作者還自稱是首席經濟顧問﹐他連經濟學的根本也搞錯﹐錢只是不過交易媒介﹐難道要向貧民派錢才算是援助。美國工程公司在當地興建的基建和發展﹐做完後又沒有帶走運回美國﹐那不就是美國政府的援助和借貸的結果。不過也很難責怪他不懂經濟學﹐因為他根本不是讀經濟出身﹐他的寫經濟報告也只是按上頭意思做假作數字。
若果他只是做數騙獨裁者也算了﹐想不到他亂作數據的習性不改﹐竟然在書中也做數騙讀者﹐好增加他美國陰謀論的說服力。第三十四章說厄瓜多爾淪為美國經濟傀儡後﹐貧窮人口大幅從50%上升至70%﹐失業率更高達嚇人的70%。我上Google核對資料﹐厄瓜多爾最近十年的失業率徘徊在10%﹐貧窮人口則下跌至36%。作者說厄瓜多爾外債增加倒是事實﹐不過恐怕相對於同期美國外債的增幅﹐厄瓜多爾的外債只是小意思。作者還批評世界貧富懸殊日益加劇﹐美國的經濟市國主義要負上全部責任。可是他忘記了計算過去三十年﹐發達國家人口平穩﹐落後國家的人口則大幅增長。落後國家沒有好好控制人口﹐不負責任地生育分薄人均資源﹐難道又是發達國家的錯。
作者不只經濟數據有問題﹐他的政治理念也很有問題。不知道是否他運氣不好﹐他曾到印尼﹐巴拿馬﹐沙地阿拉伯和厄瓜多爾當經濟殺手﹐那些國家到今天是第三世界的落後國家。反觀當年同樣是美國經濟附庸國的亞洲國家﹐日本﹐台灣﹐南韓﹐星加坡﹐今天已階身發達國家的行例﹐經濟實力之強足以和美國一較高下。到底是美國剝削第三世界讓他們走不出貧窮的困局﹐還是那些國家自己沒有好好把握美國提供的發展機會。作者中左派思想的毒太深﹐彷徘認定有錢便是原罪﹐發達國有義務無條件幫助窮國。發達國幫助窮國的義務﹐僅只於向他們提攜教育﹐讓窮國學習發達國進步之道。並不是窮國人什麼也不需要做﹐便要給他們餵飽飯食。作者甚至有點精神分裂﹐一邊控訴美國在落後國發展破壞當地的原始文化﹐另一邊又想落後國脫貧踏上小康之路。為什麼他不想想當地的原始文化﹐正正是落後國貧窮的原因嗎﹖看看亞洲國家與美國經濟接軌﹐三十年間便從一窮二白擠身經濟強國之例﹐甚至吸收了美國的文化後﹐加以改良反出口回美國去。
作者寫這本書﹐大慨認為讀者看完﹐會認定美國剝削窮國不公義。可是我卻看到另外的一種不公義﹐窮國不事生產持窮為惡﹐反過來剝削發達國家的不公義。書中提及巴拿馬和沙特阿拉伯﹐正好是不公義最明顯的例子。巴拿馬運河當年是美國出資興建﹐運河每年為巴拿馬人民帶來龐大經濟收益﹐可是巴拿馬政府還不知足﹐竟想把運河收歸國有侵佔全部收益﹐美國為保障自己的投資利益﹐派兵把諾列加趕下台也無可厚非。沙特阿拉伯坐擁大半中東石油﹐國家抬高石油價格坑發達國家錢﹐國庫的錢多到水浸。沙特國民從出生便不用工作﹐國家會養他們一生一世。書中說沙特人的文化很懶﹐過份到連順手把街上的垃圾捨起丟進垃圾筒﹐也認為是有失身沙特人份的事情。沙特人自己不事生產﹐卻霸佔著世界經濟命脈的石油﹐正如大地主的二世祖﹐自己不工作卻搾取辛勤工作農民的租金。發達國家賺回沙特的石油收益﹐不過是取回原本屬於他們的金錢。中國近年經濟起飛慢慢趕上發達國家﹐也許中國也要開始學習經濟殺手之道﹐保障天然資源的供應發展所需﹐不要被那些不事生產的落後國家﹐憑著手上天然資源開天殺價﹐剝削中國的努力成果。
hevangel
22nd Jan 2010 - 01:20am
Daily ScribbleToday is the second class of my wood working class. I bought three pieces of birch wood last Sunday to make a small table. I learn how to cut the a rough wood into the required shape in today’s class. The cutting steps are pretty simple.
1. Use a miter saw cut 2-3″ from the edge to get rid of cracks or defects.
2. Cut the wood into rough length (the real length plus 1″)
3. Take the wood to the jointer and trim one edge straight. It is easier to trim the edge curving outward.
4. Take the wood to table saw and cut it into rough width. (real width plus 1/4″)
5. Take the wood back to the jointer and trim one face flat. Now the wood has a right angle edge.
6. Take the wood to planner and plane it to the final width and thickness.
I am kinda slow today, so I didn’t get to step 6 today. Now I have all the pieces of my small table cut in rough size. After cutting 20 over pieces, I am quite good at using the jointer. The key is to apply pressure on the front, not on the back when the wood pass through the blade. I can feel when the blade is trimming a layer off the wood. I made many cuts using the table saw too, but it is still quite scary. It is the only piece of tool in the workshop have an uncovered rotating blade. Keep your fingers away from moving blades and always use a push stick.
We spent the first hour listening to instruction and watching demonstration. That left me two hours to work on my own. The clock seems running much faster when I concentrate in cutting the wood. The class is over sooner before I finish cutting all my pieces. At the end of the class, I have saw dust all over my clothes. I guess I have to wash my clothes after each class. Too bad that I forgot to bring my camera. However, it seems kinda silly taking pictures in the workshop. No one is taking any pictures.
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