Daily Scribble

New York Times special edition

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New York Times Special Edition

You may have already read from the news, someone made a 14 pages New York Times special edition and distribute on major US cities. The newspaper is dated July 4th, 2009, next year’s independence day. Instead of printing the news so what have happened, it prints the news they hope to print. The news articles are pretty interesting, from the end of Iraq war, to UN pass a ban on all weapons, to free university education for all. They even make a fake New York Times website mimic the real New York Times website. You can check out all articles at the website or download the PDF file for the full paper version. Even the advertisement in the paper is fake and yet very funny, especially the McDonald one.

The news in the fake New York Times is too good to be true, some of them are just simply unrealistic. The US, Russian and North Korean give up their all weapons, from guns to nuclear bomb, is a nice idea, should they also hug each other or fight with fists? Harvard business school closing its door and all students study social work is good one, but what do we with all those extra social workers? Free university education, health insurance for everyone is surely nice, if the government figure out where the money comes from. The nationalize all the corporates, cut the pay check of the fat executives and jail all the bankers sounds good, only if the government bureaucracy can be more efficient the market. Banning cars and air travel for the environment is too naive, what about those of us who want the convenience. Well, it’s a fake news paper poking fun of the current mess on this Earth. Just that I don’t think I hope those news comes true. The ideas in the news won’t work even in the most idealistic world.

動漫

Freedom 自由

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Freedom 動畫大師大友克洋不是一個多產的導演﹐差不多每隔兩三年才有新作品。他最新的動畫《自由》﹐七集OVA前後差不多用了兩年時間才完成。這套動畫最特別的地方﹐其實是日清杯麵三十五週年的廣告企劃。在每集動畫中必定有主角們食杯麵的鏡頭﹐不論是在月球基地還是地球的癈墟﹐他們總可以找到合味道杯麵開餐。撇除吃杯麵的明目張膽廣告外﹐《自由》走硬派科幻動畫路線﹐承接大友克洋成名作《阿基拉》的風格。不論是主角的造型設計﹐還是第一集的電單車比賽﹐都充滿《阿基拉》的影子。

故事發生在地球生態災難後一百六十年﹐地球環境變得不適合人類居住﹐月球基地伊甸是人類最後的避難所。主角是十五歲的少年﹐他與朋友整天無所事事﹐因為非法賽車被政府判罰服務令。主角在月球表面基地保養工作時﹐偶然拾到一張從地球發射上來的照片﹐並愛上照片中的女孩子。於是他開始逃離月球基地的計劃﹐並要證明政府隱暪地球現況的真相﹐地球環境其實已回復可以適合人類居住﹐人類不必要再局限在月球基地上生活﹐可以追求呼吸大地空氣的自由。

動畫的主線發展很大路﹐其他科幻動畫也曾出現過類似的故事。主角是典型的熱血少年﹐為實現理想不停向前﹐當實現一個理想後﹐再追求下一個理想。最初他只是看見照片上的少女﹐便異想天開想到地球找夢中情人的念頭。他偷走癈棄逃生艙並加以修復降落地球﹐橫跨大半個美國找到佛羅理達舊太空中心向心儀的少女表白。當他看見地球並不是如政府所說不能居住﹐而地球上的人則組合留下來火箭零件﹐向月球基地報發射信件報平安﹐他便決定要返回月球解放月球上的人﹐月球基地更擁有可以令全面修覆地球的技術。少女的父親也曾夢想到月球﹐可惜火箭升空時發生意外身亡。主角說服大家嘗試再征月計劃﹐重組當年美國登月留下來的阿波羅火箭﹐前住月球帶回來可以令地球重生的科學技術。

故事雖然頗公式化些﹐但人物成長的描述十分出色﹐動畫中亦不乏感人的場面。除了主角外的經歷外﹐他兩個朋友也因為他有很大改變。原本打算和他一定來地球的那個朋友﹐因為偷走計劃被發現﹐逃生艙緊急發射不得矣留下來。卻想不到因為意外知道地球的真相﹐被政府招覽成為管治者﹐繼續把月球市民暪在鼓裏。另一個朋友不願離開熟悉的月球生活﹐只是答應修理逃生艙﹐在緊急發射時隨主角到了地球。在月球時他只是個改電單車的不良少年﹐到地球後他發現自己的使命﹐用他的技術幫助村民改善生活﹐從無所事事找到人生意義。他亦是把登月火箭修理好﹐把主角和少女送回月球的功臣。

劇中的月球政府並非殘暴的極權統治﹐甚至可以說得上是仁慈的家長式政權﹐沒有處決犯法的主角﹐不過是判服務令接受再教育。政府把地球的情況隱暪﹐是不想人類再重滔覆轍﹐玩弄科技﹐讓人類再次陷入滅絕的危機。月球政府認為在月球基地和平安穩的人活﹐才是乎合對人類的長遠利益。這種但求無錯的消極心態﹐讓月球生活變得枯橾無味像一譚死水﹐人類只是為了生存而生存﹐喪失了追求生命價值的意義。主角與月球政府守舊的價值恰巧相反﹐認為人類應該擁有開創未來的自由。盡管人類可能再犯錯陷入危機﹐但他對人類的未來有信心﹐認為人類必定可以克服困難再闖高峰。近年不論是環保問題還是金融海嘯﹐總有些聲音主張加強政監管﹐像月球政府認定放任人類就出錯一樣。可是過份的監管是消極主義﹐只會令人類失去追求未來的自由﹐或許我們應該學劇中的主角一樣﹐對人類多點信心對抱樂觀態度﹐才可以看到自由的可貴。

Daily Scribble

Volkswagen

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In the current worldwide financial meltdown, almost every stock market is crashing. However Volkswagen defied gravity, went up 500% in a week become the world’s latest company in market capital. Last week, the stock price of Volkswagen shot up to 1000 euros from 200 euros. This rare stock phenomena seems common sense, what is so great about a struggling German car manufacturer. Then I read this week’s Economists and get the picture behind the scene. The jump in stock price is due to short selling hedge fund manager get caught in a short squeeze. They have to buy the shares to cover their short selling at whatever market price and suddenly push up the demand of Volkswagen’s shares.

Porsche wanted to take over Volkswagen and slowly and secretly accumulating the shares. The hedge funds managers are betting against Porsche and short selling the shares. Last weekly suddenly Porsche reveal that it owns almost 3/4 of Volkswagen’s shares which is pretty much all the liquidity on the market. The rest of Volkswagen shares are owned by the government and institutions. The fund managers borrowed shares to short and they hope to buy back the shares at lower price to repay the borrowed shares. When the liquidity dries up, the supply is low while the demand is high, the price goes up. When the price goes up the fund manager has to and buy shares to cover the short position and push up the price even higher. It becomes a infinite squeeze that the hedge fund lost billions of dollars. It is a classic example of how the hedge funds punished by the market.

Daily Scribble

California Proposition 2

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In the US election, the voters not only vote for the president. They also vote for many other things. In some states, they vote for senators, in other states, they have referendum on new legislation. In California, proposition 8 snatch many headlines. Over half of the voters made the right decision to ban gay marriage. Homosexual is usually one of my favorite topics, but this time I am more interesting in proposition 2, banning inhumane treatment of farm animals.

Proposition 2 make it a legal requirement to give farm animal more space. Over 60% of California voters agree with the proposition. I always know California is a left leaning country, but I am quite surprise many people actually vote yes on this proposition. The obvious impact of this law would be price hike on meat and egg products. Modern farms operates on lean efficiency of lowering the cost of producing meat, increase space given to animals translate to higher cost. The cost will pass along to the consumers. The current economy is on the blink of recession, any increase on food price will affect the living standard of many people. The voters are unreasonable to vote against their wallet. On the worse case scenario, this law would kill half of the California farming industry as the increase cost make them less competitive against out of states producers. It seems the voters became the victims of brain washing propaganda of the animal rights interest groups. They gotta ask themselves a fundamental question, why is it wrong to have inhumane treatment of the animals? By definition, animals are not human, so they deserve inHUMANe treatments. Animals are our food, we should care how much they cost, are they healthy to us and most important of all, how do they taste. How they are produce should be none of our concern.

電影

Get Smart 特務S嘜

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Get Smart 近幾年荷里活興炒冷飯﹐重拍以往經典電視片集的電影版﹐《特務S嘜》就是翻炒六十年代的經典特務喜劇。印象中我也看過原裝的電視片集﹐詳細的內容已經沒有印象﹐依希記得開場時要跟紅線行﹐通過很多重門才到總部﹐能低法寶電話鞋和扮樹的無聊特務﹐新電影版當然也一一重視這些經典場面。這類的特務喜劇﹐大慨不乏惡搞《占士邦》來開玩笑。相對Austin Power的笑料低俗不文﹐《特務S嘜》的笑料則老少咸宜。不過劇中有不少笑話太過生硬造作﹐不是所有笑位也達到遇期的喜劇效果。

劇本結構大至上跟隨原裝電視劇﹐美國政府設立特務機關CONTROL﹐用來對付邪惡組織KAOS。故事是非常公式化的特務片﹐KAOS偷了核子彈要暗殺總統。主角Max Smart原本在機關來做文書工作﹐不過因為事出突然所有特務被暗殺掉﹐只好臨危受命當上特務86號去拯救世界。86號笨手笨腳兼食古不化﹐搭擋99號卻是打得又睇得的美女。不過86號雖然撞板多過食飯﹐ 但他有出乎意料的狗屎運﹐每次總能逢凶化吉﹐還有機會上演英雄救美。這套電影明玩特務片的喜劇﹐情節極其跨張搞笑﹐所以不用過問是否合理。故事本身沒有什麼值得一提之處﹐但有幾場戲倒令人捧腹大笑。86號抱起三百磅肥婆同奸角鬥跳舞很有趣。面對追殺他們的大隻佬壞人﹐竟然從打架變成心理輔導﹐壞人投訴工作環境差沒有時間陪家人。最抵死是86號與雙面特務扭鬥﹐原本86號處於下風快要給敵人勒死﹐他竟然用親嘴讓敵人失神的招數反敗為勝。其他的笑料一般﹐覺感是在抄襲以前電視版的笑位。

男主角Steve Carell是SNL出身﹐屬於冷面笑像的類型﹐呆呆笨笨的很適合飾演86號。女主角99號由Anne Hathaway飾演﹐早幾年她還是在演《公主日記》的少女﹐現在看她演性感特女務有點不習慣。不過其實也不算是真正性感形象﹐不過是惡搞特務片公式的性感女郎。每次她有性感鏡頭出場﹐接下來總是變成搞笑場面。這套電影是爆谷片﹐看完笑過便可以忘記﹐我也想不到可以寫什麼更深入的評論了。