Posts
Thursday, August 30, 2007
【烈血暴潮/裂血大風暴】: 為弟弟雪冤之『天網恢恢,疏而不漏』 / "Mississippi Burning": Justice for a murdered brother - the sentencing
The criminal trial of the cold case that I had mentioned back on January 26, 2007 finally came to a close. James Seale, once a KKK member who had been accused of murdering two young blacks in Mississippi in 1964, was found guilty and given three life sentences. While his co-accused, now a born-again Christian, actually apologized to the families of the victims, Seale denies his guilt and remains defiant till the end. Given his advanced age and poor health, Seale's supporters think the sentence is too harsh. However, to the older brother of one of the murdered victims, Seale deserves the punishment, having already enjoyed 43 years of freedom after mercilessly taking away the lives of two innocent young men. There is no winner in a situation like this. As to the CBC reporter David Ridgen, he never would have thought that his investigative journalism would end up being key to solving this cold case when he started his journey across the Canada-US border.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Amy Winehouse - Teach me tonight
Amy Winehouse at age around 19, before the tattoo and body piercing, and Rehab.
艾美懷豪絲 (二): 心靈的紋身 / Amy Winehouse (2): Tattooed in the heart
我在YouTube取錄了艾美懷豪絲,19歲左右初成名時的音樂,和現在23歲少婦期的歌曲作一比較。在這短短四年之間,她的天賦歌喉沒大多變,天才仍在,但主題卻轉變了很多。這是我最近買了的磁碟(黑色會)所載的歌CD / Here are the selected songs of Amy Winehouse's CD 【Back To Black】:
1.Rehab(戒了吧)
2.You Know I'm No Good(你知道我不好)
3.Me & Mr Jones(我與瓊斯先生)
4.Back To Black(黑色會)
5.Just Friends(只是朋友)
6.Love Is A Losing Game(愛是失敗遊戲)
6.Love Is A Losing Game(愛是失敗遊戲)
7.Tears Dry On Their Own(淚已乾)
8.Wake Up Alone(孤獨醒來)
9.He Can Only Hold Her(只想抓住她)
10.Wake Up Alone(骯髒戰役)
Will Amy Winehouse perish like Janis Joplin?
軀体的紋身可隨時日冲淡消失,但心靈的紋身又会不会是永久不滅?
Will Amy Winehouse perish like Janis Joplin?
軀体的紋身可隨時日冲淡消失,但心靈的紋身又会不会是永久不滅?
艾美懷豪絲 (一): 命運開的玩笑? / Amy Winehouse (1): Hook, line and sinker - life's cruel joke?
1. Hook
在北美社会,上了毒癖或酒癮而不能自拔的人實在不少, 他們多是在年青時,禁不住好奇心,想扮cool「有型」,或家庭環境有問題,脫離了正常成長的軌道,或是生命有挫折,開始飲酒、吸大麻、或服食葯物。到了成年之時,有自制能力的還可以自拔,最多是逢場作興,偶一為之 (social drinkers, "recreational" drug users),但那些身和心抵抗力低的人就變了癮君子(addicts),生命完全受「物品」控制 (substance addiction)。
2. Line
就以23歲英國女歌手Amy Winehouse艾美懷豪絲為例,她天賦音樂天才,唱歌很有獨特的風格,前途實在不差,但問題就是她不能自控,毒癖和酒癮已開始毀壞她的聲譽,上月她以「身体欠佳」理由(at least that's her agent's line),取消了歐洲演出行期,跟着八月來北美的計劃又告吹,報載她可能因毒物O.D.(over dosed)問題而入治療院rehab。
3. Sinker
中國古語有云:『天將大任于斯人也,必先苦其心志,勞其筋骨,餓其體膚,行弗亂其所為,然後動心忍性,增益其所不能。』但如果在藝壇有了名氣,在公共場所的攝光燈、水銀燈照射之下,卻因私人理由,再不願擔負這個「大任」,想下台又容不容易呢?近代中、歐、美的明星歌手,在藝海浮沈,而始終逃不出自溺命運的實在不少,例如: 比莉哈樂黛Billie Holiday、瑪麗蓮夢露Marilyn Monroe、珍妮絲賈普林Janis Joplin、林黛、莫愁、陳百強等,他/她們都像墜落的彗星,在臨終前為覌眾發出了最大的光茫,在我們腦海中留下了一個不滅的印象。但他∕她們的短暫的生命,就是不是為了大眾娛樂而犧牲?是可惜,還是可嘆?
在北美社会,上了毒癖或酒癮而不能自拔的人實在不少, 他們多是在年青時,禁不住好奇心,想扮cool「有型」,或家庭環境有問題,脫離了正常成長的軌道,或是生命有挫折,開始飲酒、吸大麻、或服食葯物。到了成年之時,有自制能力的還可以自拔,最多是逢場作興,偶一為之 (social drinkers, "recreational" drug users),但那些身和心抵抗力低的人就變了癮君子(addicts),生命完全受「物品」控制 (substance addiction)。
2. Line
就以23歲英國女歌手Amy Winehouse艾美懷豪絲為例,她天賦音樂天才,唱歌很有獨特的風格,前途實在不差,但問題就是她不能自控,毒癖和酒癮已開始毀壞她的聲譽,上月她以「身体欠佳」理由(at least that's her agent's line),取消了歐洲演出行期,跟着八月來北美的計劃又告吹,報載她可能因毒物O.D.(over dosed)問題而入治療院rehab。
3. Sinker
中國古語有云:『天將大任于斯人也,必先苦其心志,勞其筋骨,餓其體膚,行弗亂其所為,然後動心忍性,增益其所不能。』但如果在藝壇有了名氣,在公共場所的攝光燈、水銀燈照射之下,卻因私人理由,再不願擔負這個「大任」,想下台又容不容易呢?近代中、歐、美的明星歌手,在藝海浮沈,而始終逃不出自溺命運的實在不少,例如: 比莉哈樂黛Billie Holiday、瑪麗蓮夢露Marilyn Monroe、珍妮絲賈普林Janis Joplin、林黛、莫愁、陳百強等,他/她們都像墜落的彗星,在臨終前為覌眾發出了最大的光茫,在我們腦海中留下了一個不滅的印象。但他∕她們的短暫的生命,就是不是為了大眾娛樂而犧牲?是可惜,還是可嘆?
Saturday, August 25, 2007
水獺屋 / Beaver Lodge
I want to show you pictures of the beaver lodge (house) that was built right in the middle 0f the lotus pond behind the island where I spent the last long weekend. For those of you who do not know what a beaver is, please consult wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver#Lodges .
Beavers are found in lakes and rivers all over North America, where there are trees to chew on and fresh water to swim in. They belong to the rodent family, which means their teeth keep on growing and they must gnaw on tree trunks and branches to keep their teeth in shape. You can actually see their tooth marks on trees that are half chewed or completely felled.
Beavers are industrious critters - that's why the expression "as busy as a beaver" (像水獺/河狸一樣忙碌). They would chew up a tree and use the branches along with some mud to build a beaver lodge. The entrance is always dug under water so land-based predators cannot enter their house. Once coming out of the water inside the lodge, the beavers dry themselves in one den and live in another. While beavers spend a lot of time swimming and diving, they cannot breathe under water. In fact, that's how trappers hunt the animal, by setting up an underwater trap, drown the poor thing, and then skin it for their pelt. I was skiing once up north and came upon a frozen skinned beaver. It was one of the most unsightly wilderness scenes I have ever witnessed.
Beavers also use branches and mud to build beaver dams so they can have their private swimming pools upstream. The problem arrives when their habitat is too close to human beings and the latter always use dynamites to blow up their dams so water can flow again. Nevertheless, beavers continue to thrive along side with human. So the next time you walk along the river bank and hear a big k-plunk, it's the sound of a big flat beaver tail hitting the water, which is how beavers warn each other of the arrival of a bi-pied predator called man.
Beavers are found in lakes and rivers all over North America, where there are trees to chew on and fresh water to swim in. They belong to the rodent family, which means their teeth keep on growing and they must gnaw on tree trunks and branches to keep their teeth in shape. You can actually see their tooth marks on trees that are half chewed or completely felled.
Beavers are industrious critters - that's why the expression "as busy as a beaver" (像水獺/河狸一樣忙碌). They would chew up a tree and use the branches along with some mud to build a beaver lodge. The entrance is always dug under water so land-based predators cannot enter their house. Once coming out of the water inside the lodge, the beavers dry themselves in one den and live in another. While beavers spend a lot of time swimming and diving, they cannot breathe under water. In fact, that's how trappers hunt the animal, by setting up an underwater trap, drown the poor thing, and then skin it for their pelt. I was skiing once up north and came upon a frozen skinned beaver. It was one of the most unsightly wilderness scenes I have ever witnessed.
Beavers also use branches and mud to build beaver dams so they can have their private swimming pools upstream. The problem arrives when their habitat is too close to human beings and the latter always use dynamites to blow up their dams so water can flow again. Nevertheless, beavers continue to thrive along side with human. So the next time you walk along the river bank and hear a big k-plunk, it's the sound of a big flat beaver tail hitting the water, which is how beavers warn each other of the arrival of a bi-pied predator called man.
凖時交貨 (二) / Signed, Sealed and Delivered !!!
With the help of my project officer, the team was able to put the finishing touch to the product this afternoon and made good on our promise to meet the August 24 deadline. It has been an intensive 3 months of hard work. In the beginning, it took a while to wrap our heads around the problem and figure out how best to develop and implement the project plan across the country.
Sure, with email, video conferencing and other IM/IT technologies, we could consult with and informed our regional reps what were expected of them. But, without face-to-face meetings, there was always that lingering fear that somewhere along the line, somebody had misunderstood an instruction, or interpreted a message out of context, and then there would be a big blow-up and a major set-back. Luckily, our plan unfolded as it should and our regional colleagues fulfilled their ends of the bargain.
Once again, I am appreciative of all the collaborations and good will of my co-workers and how important it is that we respect each other's authorities, strengths and contributions. No man is an island and no individual can claim credit for the contributions of many.
Sure, with email, video conferencing and other IM/IT technologies, we could consult with and informed our regional reps what were expected of them. But, without face-to-face meetings, there was always that lingering fear that somewhere along the line, somebody had misunderstood an instruction, or interpreted a message out of context, and then there would be a big blow-up and a major set-back. Luckily, our plan unfolded as it should and our regional colleagues fulfilled their ends of the bargain.
Once again, I am appreciative of all the collaborations and good will of my co-workers and how important it is that we respect each other's authorities, strengths and contributions. No man is an island and no individual can claim credit for the contributions of many.
Friday, August 24, 2007
交貨日 / Deadline for deliverables
As I mentioned previously, August 24th is the deadline for delivering the goods and fulfilling my commitments to my Executive Director. Tomorrow, I will go to a spa to relax (and I kid you not) !!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
【愛蓮說】 / Lotus Prose
Monday, August 13, 2007
凖時交貨 (一) / Delivering the deliverables
做我這一份工,上司不会告訢我怎樣去做,反之,我的職責是報告進展情况,有沒有問題,可不可以凖時交貨。就算是有職責以外之問題,我亦要加以分析,衡量利害關係,提出解决建議,然後自己和組員去執行。其實,我自己請人或訓練新員工,也何償不是用同樣的理論,就是給職員多些自由决定,但交貨卻是合同鉄定,除非有特別理由,否則大家都是一言為定,向著目的地前進。
在此節錄最近人事管理政策的想法: If I give you the ball (橄欖球), I expect you to run with it. 看過北美欖球賽的人,都知道,接了隊長quarterback空投過來的球之後,敵隊衝殺過來,人事、環境、陰險、競爭等等問題在眼前出現,真是障礙重重,保護那球是個人責任,隊友只可以替您開路,但球在您手的時候,真是壓力重大,一定不能失球fumble,只可以帶球直到底線touchdown !!!
說到這裏,看看日曆,如無意外,八月廿四凖時交貨,就可以在九月鬆一口氣,放自己一星期假,Yeah !!!
在此節錄最近人事管理政策的想法: If I give you the ball (橄欖球), I expect you to run with it. 看過北美欖球賽的人,都知道,接了隊長quarterback空投過來的球之後,敵隊衝殺過來,人事、環境、陰險、競爭等等問題在眼前出現,真是障礙重重,保護那球是個人責任,隊友只可以替您開路,但球在您手的時候,真是壓力重大,一定不能失球fumble,只可以帶球直到底線touchdown !!!
說到這裏,看看日曆,如無意外,八月廿四凖時交貨,就可以在九月鬆一口氣,放自己一星期假,Yeah !!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
