2012年11月22日 星期四

Chinglish by Michael Chugani

2012-11-22

I do not know Food and Health Secretary Ko Wing-man but I hope he is reading this. I want him to know that lately(recently)I have been having many sleepless nights(not able to sleep). Dr Ko's picture was in many newspapers recently when he visited bar areas to see the dangers and noise upstairs bars cause to residents. I hope he was not just putting on a show. If Dr Ko really cares about residents he should go to Wyndham Street near the LKF Hotel late at night during a weekend. I live near there and I am sure he will be shocked by what he sees. All the bars have loudspeakers that produce ear-splitting(extremely loud)music.

        T he road and the pavement are blocked by so many people shouting and drinking alcohol that neither residents nor traffic can get past. One bar even has little tables on the traffic railings. I want to ask Dr Ko if bars are allowed to serve food and alcohol to people standing in the streets. I want to know if bars are allowed to attach tables to the pavement railings to serve food and alcohol.

        I was so fed up with the loud music that two weeks ago I called the police twice within three days. I complained about the loud music from Wyndham Street and from a live band at a bar below the LKF Hotel. The police were very helpful but admitted their hands were tied. When your hands are tied it means you don't have the power to do much. The policeman said telling the bar owners to stop the music was only a short-term solution because the music would return later the same night. He suggested I inform the district council. The Environmental Protection Department said its hands were also tied because the bars were collectively making noise. To take action it must identify which bar was bothering me! The Liquor Licensing Board told me to call the police! So you see, Dr Ko, the noise law is a big, fat joke because no one in the government wants to take responsibility.

        * * *

        我不認識食物及衞生局局長高永文,但希望他讀這篇文章。我想讓他知道,近日(lately)我夜夜難眠(sleepless nights)。最近有多份報紙報道高醫生造訪酒吧區,了解樓上酒吧對居民構成的危險與噪音。我願他不是在做騷。如果高醫生真的關心居民,他好應找個周末的深宵,到訪蘭桂坊酒店附近的雲咸街,我就住在那兒,敢肯定他必會被眼前情景嚇倒——所有酒吧都備有擴音器,播放震耳欲聾(ear-splitting)的音樂。

        所有的道路和行人通道都被那些吵鬧又醉酒的人堵塞着,沒有任何車或人可以經過。有一間酒吧甚至在路旁的欄杆上放小桌子。我想問問高醫生,酒吧給站在街上的人奉上食物與酒精飲品,是容許的嗎?我想知道,酒吧是否已獲得批准,可以在行人通道的欄杆上安裝餐桌,供應食物和酒精飲品?

        我已經受夠了那些嘈吵的音樂,兩星期前,我三天內報了兩次警,投訴雲咸街和蘭桂坊酒店地下一間酒吧的現場樂隊演奏所製造的嘈吵音樂。警察很熱心幫忙,但坦承他們愛莫能助(their hands were tied)。When your hands are tied即是說你無能為力。警察說,要求酒吧東主停止音樂只是治標不治本,因為同一晚那些音樂又會「死灰復燃」。他建議我通知區議會。環保署則說他們也是愛莫能助(hands were also tied),因為酒吧在集體製造噪音,只有先辨別是哪一間酒吧在滋擾我,才能作出行動!酒牌局則着我報警!所以,高醫生,甚麼噪音管制也只是個天大的笑話,因為政府裏人人都想置身事外呢。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

從籍貫看中共新貴 / 論盡中港台 by 岑逸飛

22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

  中共第18次全國代表大會已選出新一屆最高領導層,七名政治局常委分別是習近平、李克強、張德江、張高麗、俞正聲、王歧山及劉雲山。眾所周知,中國地大物博,文化淵源豐富,各地風土人情紛紜複雜,籍貫與民風之間,或多或少存在著某種關係,而中國的「籍貫政治」色彩,舉世最為濃厚,這也許與悠久的農耕文明所孕育的宗族意識、鄉土情結、血緣網路及其相應的裙帶文化,息息相關。是故看看中共新貴的籍貫,對今後領導風格的特色,不無參考價值。

 

  七名新貴,習近平是陝西富平人,李克強是安徽定遠人,張德江是遼寧台安人,張高麗是福建晉江人,俞正聲是浙江紹興人,王歧山是山西天鎮人,劉雲山是山西忻州人。七名新貴,分屬六個省份:陝西、安徽、遼寧、福建、浙江和山西。

 

  陝西人的歷史底蘊深厚,名人有白居易、孫思邈、司馬遷等。漢人祖先軒轅黃帝正是下葬於陝西的黃陵,更不要說古稱長安的西安是十三朝古都。陝西人大多身體健壯,秦軍號稱「虎狼之師」,「國」字型臉的人很普遍,樸訥溫厚而又爽直,但如今已比較安於現狀和保守,對人厚道也有原則,且看習近平是否有此特點。

 

  至於安徽人,據說靈柔不如南方仔,剛猛不如北方佬。有著南人與北人之間的過渡性格,剛柔相濟、平凡而恬淡,他們都很實事求是,刻苦耐勞,而徽商稱雄商界300年,對中國近代政治和文化有著深刻影響,可是今天的安徽經濟已今非昔比,且看身為經濟學博士的李克強,做了總理後能否一振頽風。

 

  如今所說的東北人包括黑龍江、吉林和遼寧三省,淵源於古代的北蠻夷,略帶鮮卑血統,其天性豪放,激情而張揚,內質剛毅,外表強悍,欠溫柔氣息。東北人熱情火爆,喜歡路見不平,拔刀相助,他們大多善良,富有同情心,但也有些人處事狠快俐落。如今身為遼寧人的張德江,因做過廣東省委書記,也許已沾染了南方氣質而有所不同。

 

  張高麗是福建人,這地方淵源於河姆度族類的旁支,春秋戰國曾屬吳越管轄。古時福建人已沒田可種,只好經商,流行漂洋過海謀生,勤奮、吃苦、愛冒險、適應能力強、但一般都不輕易相信別人。他們的聰明非同一般,可說是足智多謀,且慳儉者多。

 

  說到浙江紹興人,一向被稱為「師爺」,似乎先天有「刀筆吏」的素質。清代曾流行過這樣的話:「無紹不成衙,無徽不成當」,指當時衙門的幕僚多由紹興人擔任。紹興人天生聰明又擅文辭,很少進入官場做大官,但是許多人憑其辯才做了幕僚。俞正聲任職上海市委書記期間,褒貶不一,他又是否一個「刀筆吏」的人才﹖

 

  最後,王歧山和劉雲山都是山西人。「正方臉,棱角分明,鼻短而大」,是典型的山西人形象。他們多是老實,守本分,忠誠可靠,喜歡按部就班。古代的晉商「滙通天下」,但有俗語稱山西人爲九毛九,指其精打細算是超乎尋常。總之他們複雜多變,有的怕事,拘謹﹔有的又勇敢,放縱,其性格較難捉摸。

 

點解蘋果會贏? / 維基解碼 by 王維基

22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

  不知大家有沒有發現,在眾多智能手機中,只有iPhone是得一個型號,其他手機韓國或台灣的智能手機品牌,都會有四、五款不同價錢、不同功能的型號在市場推出,針對不同的消費對象。聽起來這個做法十分合理,不需要複雜功能的消費者,可以選擇價錢較平的型號;願意付出較多的消費者,就可以選擇較多功能、價錢較貴的型號。

 

  但是,為甚麼蘋果的做法如此獨特,消費者只能選擇買或不買呢?

 

  蘋果的iPhone除了記憶容量的級別外,基本上其餘功能都一樣,甚至不讓你換電,更加不讓你拆開手機。大家都知道,iPhone的電池消耗速度很快,而我亦深信蘋果是知道的,但他們就是不肯改變不讓用家換電的做法。更進一步的是,iPhone只有一個按鈕,它不像其他智能手機在機身不同位置會有兩、三個按鈕,供用戶選擇不同功能。這就是蘋果的設計哲學;將最簡單、最好的給大家。結果,蘋果成功地風靡萬千擁躉。

 

  據我所知,這種設計「法規」,是由已去世的喬布斯留下來的。

 

  最近,蘋果竟然願意和其他廠家達成和解協議。這顯示出現時的管理層已經離棄喬布斯的原則,和不會放過對手的精神背道而馳。如果蘋果繼續離棄喬布斯的營商哲學,慢慢地放棄他們特色,將會與其他競爭對手愈來愈相似。

 

  蘋果贏,是因為無論你喜歡與否,它總是我行我素。

 

轉載自晴報