处处田畴尽有秋...

The 7 foods experts won't eat

2009-12-10T15:04:00.000+08:00

The 7 foods experts won't eat

by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION

How healthy (or not) certain foods are—for us, for the environment—is a hotly debated topic among experts and consumers alike, and there are no easy answers. But when Prevention talked to the people at the forefront of food safety and asked them one simple question—“What foods do you avoid?”—we got some pretty interesting answers. Although these foods don’t necessarily make up a "banned” list, as you head into the holidays—and all the grocery shopping that comes with it—their answers are, well, food for thought:

20 ways to feed your family for $100 a week.

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.

14 worst health mistakes even smart women make.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.

25 ridiculously healthy foods you should be eating now.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group,

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.

Your nutritional guide to grocery shopping.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

14 ways to make veggies less boring.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.

The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

Delicious and easy fish recipes

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society

The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

Don’t be fooled by these 11 health food imposters.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods

The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.

The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.

只有你自己才能決定別人看你的眼光

2009-12-02T12:03:00.002+08:00

美國科研人員進行過一項有趣的心理學實驗，名曰「傷痕實驗」。他們向參與其中的志願者宣稱，該實驗旨在觀察人們對身體有缺陷的陌生人作何反應，尤其是面部有傷痕的人。每位志願者都被安排在沒有鏡子的小房間裡，由好萊塢的專業化妝師在其左臉做出一道血肉模糊、觸目驚心的傷痕。

志願者被允許用一面小鏡子照照化妝的效果後，鏡子就被拿走了。關鍵的是最後一步，化妝師表示需要在傷痕表面再塗一層粉末，以防止它被不小心擦掉。實際上，化妝師用紙巾偷偷抹掉了化妝的痕跡。對此毫不知情的志願者，被派往各醫院的候診室，他們的任務就是觀察人們對其面部傷痕的反應。

規定的時間到了，返回的志願者竟無一例外地敘述了相同的感受--人們對他們比以往粗魯無理、不友好，而且總是盯著他們的臉看！可實際上，他們的臉上與往常並無二致，什麼也沒有不同；他們之所以得出那樣的結論，看來是錯誤的自我認知影響了他們的判斷。

這真是一個發人深省的實驗。原來，一個人內心怎樣看待自己，在外界就能感受到怎樣的眼光。同時，這個實驗也從一個側面驗證了一句西方格言：「別人是以你看待自己的方式看待你。」不是嗎？一個從容的人，感受到的多是平和的眼光；一個自卑的人，感受到的多是歧視的眼光；一個和善的人，感受到的多是友好的眼光；一個叛逆的人，感受到的多是挑惕的眼光......。

可以說，有什麼樣的內心世界，就有什麼樣的外界眼光。如此看來，一個人若是長期抱怨自己的處境冷漠、不公、缺少陽光，那就說明，真正出問題的，正是他自己的內心世界，是他對自我的認知出了偏差。這個時候，需要改變的，正是自己的內心；而內心的世界一旦改善，身外的處境必然隨之好轉。

畢竟，在這個世界上，只有你自己，才能決定別人看你的眼光。

出自: 新店行道會 http://topchurch.smartweb.tw/index.php?module=faq&mn=2&f=content&tid=6792

First Photo of the Human Soul

2009-09-30T10:40:00.001+08:00

The World Weekly News
Early 1990's ...

A surgical operation with complications, a dead patient, and a mysterious photo which offers a surprising take on what happened in the operating room.

An extraordinary event has revolutionized the medical and scientific world, once again raising the possibility of life after death.

It all began with a surgery at a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. The patient died on the operating table, but a most unusual thing happened a couple of days later when one of the photos taken during the operation revealed the existence of the woman’s spirit. All this has caught investigators and skeptics by surprise, since the photo is real and many have had a chance to see it.

A Risk-Free Operation

When Karin Fischer, a 32 year old German housewife, was admitted to the hospital in Frankfurt for her operation, the commotion and the consequences of her trip to the operating room were the furthest things from her mind. In fact, she had no idea that these were the final moments of her life. The scheduled operation, while not a simple one, was not a high risk surgery; they were going to repair some defective heart valves. But something went wrong, and a series of complications caused her heart to stop beating only forty five minutes into the operation. Her death was signaled by the straight line running across the screen of the heart monitor. Not one of the twelve people on the operating room team saw what the photograph later revealed.

The Surprising Photo

At the moment of her death, Karin was surrounded by twelve people, all of them members of the cardiology operating team: all attempts by the doctors, technicians, and nurses to revive her were ineffective. Professor Peter Valentín, director of the Department of Teaching and Publication, was in the operating room at the time, taking photographs of the procedure. Surgeons are often filmed during operations; these photographs are used not only by scientific publications and medical archives, but also by medical faculty in their university courses. It was Professor Valentín who could not contain his surprise a few days later when he picked up the roll of film from the lab and saw the copies. One of the pictures clearly showed a diffuse and transparent human shape rising toward the ceiling with its arms open. It was a photo of a spirit leaving the body of the dead woman! Pope John Paul II has a copy of the photograph, and it is being analyzed by investigators from the Vatican. Professor Valentín thought at first that someone, presumably the people at the photo lab, had created this startling image as a joke, so he took the copy to another lab to see if one of their experts could determine whether it was some kind of trick.

Peter Valentín’s amazement grew as he listened to the words of the expert. The photo was authentic! A more rigorous and detailed study reached the same conclusion: The image had not been manipulated, and no trickery was involved.

In fact the monitor screen indicating the moment of the patient’s death could be clearly seen in the image, corresponding with the instant in which the spirit was leaving the body. No one there saw anything; the soul is invisible to human eyes. Professor Valentín decided to consult with the clergyman at the hospital, a fairly lucid priest, and not one to waste time on trivialities.

He immediately exclaimed, “Holy Heaven, it’s a human soul!”

The priest insisted on revealing the news: for the first time, someone had managed to photograph a soul. Copies of the photo were sent to many religious centers throughout Europe, as well as to the greatest experts in the field.

The response from the Church was immediate: Pope John Paul II asked for a copy of the photo, so that it could be studied at the Vatican laboratories. There is no official response yet from the Holy See, but they have received the photo and Roman experts are investigating. Their first impression is a positive one, as all signs indicate that this is not a trick, and that the photo is genuine: a human spirit leaving a body which has just passed away.

Science Passes Judgment

One expert on these matters who received the photograph is Dr. Frank Muller, a German scientist who dedicated himself to an exhaustive investigation of this most unusual picture. It’s the first time that an image of the human soul has been obtained. His conclusion is clear: this is the missing proof, the thing many people have been searching for since the beginning. According to Dr. Muller, people’s souls live eternally after leaving the physical body. As he sees it this is a confirmation of what it says in the Bible. This cannot be a trick, given that the best specialists have studied this photo for weeks with the greatest of interest, using the most sophisticated equipment.

Dr. Muller knows that there will always be skeptical people who refuse to believe the evidence. But the skeptics don’t have a convincing alternate explanation, which accounts for the presence of the image on the paper. It’s an extreme case where, once again, the inexplicable plays an important role. There’s no room for any more studies; science has demonstrated that the photograph is authentic, without tricks of any kind. All that’s left is to stop thinking these things over, and to accept things as they are.

In the meantime, many have suggested that this could be the most important photograph ever obtained: another proof of the immortality of the soul.

藏大量病菌‧開花灑即噴面增肺病風

2009-09-16T10:36:00.000+08:00

星洲日報／國際‧2009.09.15

（美國‧華盛頓）許多人在淋浴時，一扭開花灑便朝著臉部噴灑，殊不知可能已被噴得滿臉都是細菌，患上肺病的機率大增！

美國科羅拉多大學微生物學家佩斯的研究團隊，分析了來自全美9個城市公共設施、民房及公寓的50多個花灑頭，結果發現當中30%藏有大量的非典型結核分支桿菌。

這種細菌是導致肺部疾病的病源之一，孕婦、年長者和已經患有其它疾病的患者，由於他們的免疫系統不強，更是患上這類肺病的高風險群。

佩斯說：“當你扭開花灑把水噴灑在臉上時，這意味著你接觸到大量的禽結核分枝桿菌，可能對你的健康不利。”

雖然城市地區的自來水中普遍存有這類病菌，但研究發現，附著在花灑上那層粘膜的禽結核分枝桿菌，比自來水裡的病菌數量高出100倍。

還有，塑料製成的花灑暗藏的病菌數量比鐵製的花灑來得多，建議改用金屬花灑頭以減低風險。

研發結果並不代表民眾不能淋浴，定期更換花灑頭便可以減少病原體滋生的機會。

Potong Saga-15Malaysia (Most Funniest Video)

2009-09-16T10:31:00.000+08:00

Synopsis

A laugh-out-loud film about a Chinese boy’s misguided attempts at opening an Islamic bank account.

Meter-15Malaysia

2009-09-10T13:07:00.001+08:00

Synopsis

The controversial head of UMNO Youth plays a taxi driver who is asked his views on some current Malaysian talking points. He ends up offering a keris to a Chinese boy as a gift.

Preparing for the second wave: lessons from current outbreaks

2009-09-10T10:46:00.006+08:00

28 AUGUST 2009 GENEVA -- Monitoring of outbreaks from different parts of the world provides sufficient information to make some tentative conclusions about how the influenza pandemic might evolve in the coming months.

WHO is advising countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases.

Countries in temperate parts of the southern hemisphere should remain vigilant. As experience has shown, localized “hot spots” of increasing transmission can continue to occur even when the pandemic has peaked at the national level.

H1N1 now the dominant virus strain

Evidence from multiple outbreak sites demonstrates that the H1N1 pandemic virus has rapidly established itself and is now the dominant influenza strain in most parts of the world. The pandemic will persist in the coming months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations.

Close monitoring of viruses by a WHO network of laboratories shows that viruses from all outbreaks remain virtually identical. Studies have detected no signs that the virus has mutated to a more virulent or lethal form.

Likewise, the clinical picture of pandemic influenza is largely consistent across all countries. The overwhelming majority of patients continue to experience mild illness. Although the virus can cause very severe and fatal illness, also in young and healthy people, the number of such cases remains small.

Large populations susceptible to infection

While these trends are encouraging, large numbers of people in all countries remain susceptible to infection. Even if the current pattern of usually mild illness continues, the impact of the pandemic during the second wave could worsen as larger numbers of people become infected.

Larger numbers of severely ill patients requiring intensive care are likely to be the most urgent burden on health services, creating pressures that could overwhelm intensive care units and possibly disrupt the provision of care for other diseases.

Monitoring for drug resistance

At present, only a handful of pandemic viruses resistant to oseltamivir have been detected worldwide, despite the administration of many millions of treatment courses of antiviral drugs. All of these cases have been extensively investigated, and no instances of onward transmission of drug-resistant virus have been documented to date. Intense monitoring continues, also through the WHO network of laboratories.

Not the same as seasonal influenza

Current evidence points to some important differences between patterns of illness reported during the pandemic and those seen during seasonal epidemics of influenza.

The age groups affected by the pandemic are generally younger. This is true for those most frequently infected, and especially so for those experiencing severe or fatal illness.

To date, most severe cases and deaths have occurred in adults under the age of 50 years, with deaths in the elderly comparatively rare. This age distribution is in stark contrast with seasonal influenza, where around 90% of severe and fatal cases occur in people 65 years of age or older.

Severe respiratory failure

Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections. In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays.

During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health services. Some cities in these countries report that nearly 15 percent of hospitalized cases have required intensive care.

Preparedness measures need to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases.

Vulnerable groups

An increased risk during pregnancy is now consistently well-documented across countries. This risk takes on added significance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger people.

Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunosuppression.

When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people.

Obesity, which is frequently present in severe and fatal cases, is now a global epidemic. WHO estimates that, worldwide, more than 230 million people suffer from asthma, and more than 220 million people have diabetes.

Moreover, conditions such as asthma and diabetes are not usually considered killer diseases, especially in children and young adults. Young deaths from such conditions, precipitated by infection with the H1N1 virus, can be another dimension of the pandemic’s impact.

Higher risk of hospitalization and death

Several early studies show a higher risk of hospitalization and death among certain subgroups, including minority groups and indigenous populations. In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population.

Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension.

Implications for the developing world

Such findings are likely to have growing relevance as the pandemic gains ground in the developing world, where many millions of people live under deprived conditions and have multiple health problems, with little access to basic health care.

As much current data about the pandemic come from wealthy and middle-income countries, the situation in developing countries will need to be very closely watched. The same virus that causes manageable disruption in affluent countries could have a devastating impact in many parts of the developing world.

Co-infection with HIV

The 2009 influenza pandemic is the first to occur since the emergence of HIV/AIDS. Early data from two countries suggest that people co-infected with H1N1 and HIV are not at increased risk of severe or fatal illness, provided these patients are receiving antiretroviral therapy. In most of these patients, illness caused by H1N1 has been mild, with full recovery.

If these preliminary findings are confirmed, this will be reassuring news for countries where infection with HIV is prevalent and treatment coverage with antiretroviral drugs is good.

On current estimates, around 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Of these, WHO estimates that around 4 million were receiving antiretroviral therapy at the end of 2008.

From: WHO Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 9

心中一座廟

2009-09-08T13:08:00.004+08:00

作者：鄭丁賢

150年歷史的沙亞南Sri Maha Mariamman興都廟，找不到一個落腳處；還落得一個牛頭對待。

Sri Maha Mariamman廟的存在，比沙亞南這個城市的出現，早了很多；沙亞南是一個發育期的孩童，這間廟宇，已經是歷盡滄桑的長者。

當印裔人民來到雪州，進入森林墾荒，開發橡膠園的時期，建立了這間廟。它走過百年園丘歷史，見證了印裔社會的變遷；從英國殖民地時代，來到今日。

它本身就是歷史，套用流行話，屬於“文化遺產”。而沙亞南，是近30年來才出現的城市，房屋取代膠園，人口從四面八方進來。房屋和居民，都是新面孔。

人們看到Sri Maha Mariamman廟，認為它格格不入，不應該是沙亞南的一部份，必須將之遷移，最好在視線之外。而Sri Maha Mariamman這座古廟，又怎麼看待這些居民？它會不會感嘆，真是“趕廟公”！

這座興都廟的爭議，其實不應該是“回教徒社區適不適合有興都廟？”，而是人們的心態和心胸，是否容得下一間古廟。

印尼最著名的古蹟，是中爪哇日惹的婆羅浮屠，也是興都教在東南亞保留最完整的遺蹟之一。在回教徒佔絕大多數的中爪哇，婆羅浮屠不因為它是興都教的象徵，而被勒令搬遷。它是印尼歷史和文化的一部份。

今日，印尼政府努力保護它，當地人民以它為榮。國內外佛教和興都教信徒，以及觀光客湧到婆羅浮屠，當地人民沒有埋怨造成交通阻塞，引起生活不便，反而從中找到不少生計。

怎麼對待一座廟宇，廟宇就怎麼對待你。沙亞南第19區的居民要Sri Maha Mariamman廟搬遷，因為這裡90%的居民是回教徒；23區居民不要這座廟，因為這裡以回教徒居多。

以族群比例來決定搬遷或興建宗教場所，不是好辦法；不管選擇甚麼地方，都會有居民反對。大馬的社區結構是網狀型態，在都市更是如此；要以族群和宗教進行切割，根本不可能，一廂情願的蠻搞，只會造成社會更加分化，也會引發更多矛盾。

關鍵在於，人們的心中，是否容得下一座廟而已。

Zoom

2009-09-02T15:30:00.001+08:00

The Begin...

The End...

一位喜歡梁靜茹的馬來司機

2009-09-02T11:05:00.012+08:00

by 凌國文

深夜從機場出來，登上德士，司機是一位馬來同胞。

司機很健談，一上車便打開話匣子，聊個不停。我其實蠻喜歡和德士司機閒聊。他們每天接觸社會不同種族、階層、地區的搭客，國內外各種不同的聲音，在小小的車廂內匯聚與碰撞。德士司機本身就是一個資訊的交流站，更是局勢的晴雨表。當德士司機告訴你某位政治人物不受歡迎時，不用懷疑，這個人已經到了他的政治終站。

“我喜歡聽Fish Leong的歌，她的歌聲很甜美。”今晚這位司機大哥不談政治人物，談起了歌星。輕描淡寫的一句，沒有刻意掛在嘴邊的一個馬來西亞的矯情，也沒有電視熒幕上一年一度各族文化大交流的造作。

我問他，聽得懂梁靜茹在唱甚麼嗎？他說聽不懂，“歌聲好聽就行，語言不重要。”是的，很多事物，是可以不分種族、語言、宗教的。只要你懂得欣賞。

“邦，你平時看甚麼報紙？”我問了一道最近時常向馬來友人發問的問題。我簡略向他述說了某報最近幾篇引起華社關注的作品，並大略分享了華社的普遍觀感。

“你有覺得自己的權利被挑戰嗎？”他聽了我的問題大笑一輪。“很多人都爭著自稱代表馬來人，可是有多少個真正瞭解我們的想法？他們說捍衛我們的權利，可是他們說得越多，我就越迷糊。我不清楚甚麼是馬來主權，我是一個德士司機，我只知道日子要過得好，就要努力工作，不管你是華人、馬來人、印度人。”

望著車窗外街燈柱上懸掛著的“一個馬來西亞”國慶海報。高喊這句口號的人有沒有想過，是誰在不斷將馬來西亞切割成超過一個以上的？所謂種族之間的敏感課題，是誰讓它變得敏感？各族之間的隔閡，是與生俱來的，抑或有人後天製造的？

真正的種族融洽，不一定要消除種族的特徵（包括在表格上），更不需要刻意假裝忘記你是馬來人，我是華人，他是印度人。我稱他為“馬來司機”又怎樣？真正的種族交融，是我明知道你是異族，但我仍然把你看作“自己人”。

這種感覺、這種關係，我們不是沒有，只是時常會因為某些與時代反方向的政策和唯恐天下不亂的言論而受影響，無法深耕。如果管理這個國家的人，可以和老百姓一樣成熟，獨立52年後的今日，我們早就不需要再高喊那個新口號了。

臨下車前，我好奇地問他在哪一區投票。“在怡保東區。本來打算轉過來蕉賴，現在改變主意了，下屆一定要回去霹靂投。”這次輪到我哈哈大笑。我和這位馬來司機所共同認可的，何止是一個梁靜茹而已？

*凌國文
-市場銷售經理

為甚麼有人不能接受體罰？

2009-09-02T09:51:00.005+08:00

By 法立諾

瑞賈禮（Darius Rejali）在他的著作：《虐待與現代化：現代伊朗的個人、社會與國家》中，討論了伊朗虐待和懲罰程序一世紀以來的轉變，即從扎爾王朝一直到沙政權和回教主義革命政府時期。他作了一個有趣且重要的觀察，這對於那些關注今天有實施肉刑的現代國家的人仍意義重大：肉刑可以追溯至中世紀，當時對於罪罰的普遍認知是，群眾圍觀應該對個人的身體起作用，而不是受罰者的意識觀念。

在這方面，前現代伊朗所使用的虐待和處罰的方式和中國、印度、非洲或者歐洲的方式並沒有不同。在前現代時期全世界有關處罰的普遍理解是那是一種公開羞辱的形式，通過公開暴力的執行方式，目的在於通過暴力和威逼，強迫犯罪者悔改和改變行為。

瑞賈禮在他有關伊朗虐待和處罰轉變的研究中，發現這些中世紀的處罰模式如何逐步地發展成為更精緻的關注和監督模式。那包含公開虐待的國家主導暴力的粗暴展示讓位給監禁，以及輔導關懷和自我改革文化。為甚麼？簡單來說，轉變的背後原因乃越來越多人意識到，中世紀的處罰方式是野蠻、不開化和沒有意義的。尤其在伊朗革命初期，伊朗立法者意識到法律執行的目的不只是向人民實施合法的國家暴力，而是要幫助人民發揮理性潛能和成為有責任感的人。中世紀的暴力處罰方式並無法做到這一點，因為通過虐待和傷害罪犯身體，只是專注於身體，而非個人的意識。

有關論點可以這樣闡釋：前現代的處罰方式假設如果一個人犯下一項刑事罪或者對不起社會，他犯罪的身體器官或者身體部份必須付出代價。因此在許多落後社會，我們可以看到針對必須被“譴責”的身體器官或身體部份的體罰和虐待形式。說謊或者毀謗的人會被割下舌頭；偷窺者眼睛被挖；偷竊者手被砍；強姦犯被閹割等等。

然而，類似的體罰形式被視為越來越不奏效，更無法解決罪案問題，因為處罰並沒有強加於真正犯錯人身上，即罪犯者本身。因為並非舌頭說謊，而是人本身；不是用手偷竊，而是人去偷；不是靠陽具強姦，而是人。這種情況只會使暴力常態化，使暴力變得越來越普遍和被接納，而不是提昇社會道德，它反之使社會品格進一步降低和殘暴。

這把我們帶到目前大馬有關鞭打的辯論，不管鞭打處罰是民事世俗法或者回教法的判決。大馬有一個婦女即將因為喝酒而被回教法庭判打鞭。而同時在大馬也有非法外勞因為逾期逗留被鞭打。反對笞刑和其化形式的國家制定體罰暴力的人權份子，乃基於他們相信類似的暴力處罰並無法有效解決那些接二連三發生，且必須以更具智慧方式解決的既有問題和事件。鞭打一名非法外勞並不能改造那個人，只是傷害和虐待了他／她的身體。同樣的鞭打一個觸犯宗教法下的道德罪行的人，也無法改造那人的想法，反之只是虐待了他的身體。為甚麼？即使伊朗的阿亞圖拉政權都能意識到體罰不能，也永遠無法成功使一個人變好，反之只能帶來負面效果，並導致一個社會變得越來越暴力和傾向暴力。因此他們採用公眾教育和輔導方式。

大馬現在面對同樣的問題，我們必須自問，是否是時候讓我們這個社會去瞭解和接受事實，即暴力不能和永遠不會是解決當下社會問題的方法―不管是刑事、貪污、濫權或者社會契約的破裂。現代人意識到一個人不能被迫去變得正直或者變好，而一個良好社會不能從暴力強迫中建立。

*法立諾
-時事評論人

如何跟學生講灰姑娘故事

2009-08-31T14:48:00.005+08:00

上課鈴響了，孩子們跑進教室，這節課老師要講的是«灰姑娘»的故事。
老師先請一個孩子上臺給同學講一講這個故事。
孩子很快講完了，老師對他表示了感謝，然後開始向全班提問。

老師：你們喜歡故事中的哪一個？不喜歡哪一個？為什麼？

學生：喜歡辛黛瑞拉（灰姑娘），還有王子，不喜歡她的後媽和後媽帶來的姐姐。辛黛瑞拉善良、可愛、漂亮；後媽和姐姐對辛黛瑞拉不好。

老師：如果在午夜12點的時候，辛黛瑞拉沒有來得及跳上她的南瓜馬車，你們想一想，可能會出現什麼情況？

學生：辛黛瑞拉會變成原來髒髒的樣子，穿著破舊的衣服。哎呀，那就慘啦。

老師：所以，你們一定要做一個守時的人，不然就可能給自己帶來麻煩。另外，你們看，你們每個人平時都打扮的漂漂亮亮的，千萬不要突然邋遢的出現在別人面前，不然你們的朋友要嚇著了。女孩子們，你們更要注意，將來你們長大和男孩子約會，要是你不注意，被你的男朋友看到你很難看的樣子，他們可能就嚇昏了（老師做昏倒狀，全班大笑）。好，下一個問題：如果你是辛黛瑞拉的後媽，你會不會阻止辛黛瑞拉去參加王子的舞會？你們一定要誠實喲！

學生：（過了一會兒，有孩子舉手回答）是的，如果我辛黛瑞拉的後媽，我也會阻止她去參加王子的舞會。

老師：為什麼？

學生：因為，因為我愛自己的女兒，我希望自己的女兒當上王后。

老師：是的，所以，我們看到的後媽好像都是不好的人，她們只是對別人不夠好，可是她們對自己的孩子卻很好，你們明白了嗎？她們不是壞人，只是她們還不能夠像愛自己的孩子一樣去愛其他的孩子。孩子們，下一個問題：辛黛瑞拉的後媽不讓她去參加王子的舞會，甚至把門鎖起來，她為什麼能夠去，而且成為舞會上最美麗的姑娘呢？

學生：因為有仙女幫助她，給她漂亮的衣服，還把南瓜變成馬車，把狗和老鼠變成僕人。

老師：對，你們說得很好！想一想，如果辛黛瑞拉沒有得到仙女的幫助，她是不可能去參加舞會的，是不是？

學生：是的！

老師：如果狗、老鼠都不願意幫助她，她可能在最後的時刻成功地跑回家嗎？

學生：不會，那樣她就可以成功地嚇到王子了。（全班再次大笑）

老師：雖然辛黛瑞拉有仙女幫助她，但是，光有仙女的幫助還不夠。所以，孩子們，無論走到哪裡我們都是需要朋友的。我們的朋友不一定是仙女，但是，我們需要他們，我也希望你們有很多很多的朋友。下面，請你們想一想，如果辛黛瑞拉因為後媽不願意她參加舞會就放棄了機會，她可能成為王子的新娘嗎？

學生：不會！那樣的話，她就不會到舞會上，不會被王子遇到，認識和愛上她了。

老師：對極了！如果辛黛瑞拉不想參加舞會，就是她的後媽沒有阻止，甚至支持她去，也是沒有用的，是誰決定她要去參加王子的舞會？

學生：她自己。

老師：所以，孩子們，就是辛黛瑞拉沒有媽媽愛她，她的後媽不愛她，這也不能夠讓她不愛自己。就是因為她愛自己，她才可能去尋找自己希望得到的東西。如果你們當中有人覺得沒有人愛，或者像辛黛瑞拉一樣有一個不愛她的後媽，你們要怎麼樣？

學生：要愛自己！

老師：對，沒有一個人可以阻止你愛自己，如果你覺得別人不夠愛你，你要加倍地愛自己；如果別人沒有給你機會，你應該加倍地給自己機會；如果你們真的愛自己，就會為自己找到自己需要的東西，沒有人可以阻止辛黛瑞拉參加王子的舞會，沒有人可以阻止辛黛瑞拉當上王后，除了她自己。對不對？

學生：是的！

老師：最後一個問題，這個故事有什麼不合理的地方？

學生：（過了好一會）午夜12點以後所有的東西都要變回原樣，可是，辛黛瑞拉的水晶鞋沒有變回去。

老師：天哪，你們太棒了！你們看，就是偉大的作家也有出錯的時候，所以，出錯不是什麼可怕的事情。我擔保，如果你們當中誰將來要當作家，一定比這個作家更棒！你們相信嗎？

孩子們歡呼雀躍。

我對辯論的十句話

2009-08-31T13:09:00.000+08:00

by 滿座衣冠似雪

一、沒有無敵的論點，只有無敵的辯士。

二、價值才有爭議，事實不會有爭議，所謂「有爭議的事實」，其實都只是資訊不足。

三、事物的優點，其實是用它在其他領域的缺點換來的，反之亦然。

四、你永遠不能「真正的」證明任何事，你的證明，只能建立在對方無法負起舉證責任之上。

五、不要證明你的對手是錯的，而是要利用你的對手來證明你是對的。

六、凡是有意義的話，都有可能錯，而不可能錯的話，都沒有意義。

七、講話要像地上走，思考要如天上飛。

八、那些「只有在辯論台上才能用」的辯論技巧，不要學！

九、需要瞄準十秒鐘的投籃，再準也沒有意義；無法在時限內講清楚的論點，再對也沒有意義。

十、如果不太討厭輸，你就不大可能贏。

滿座衣冠似雪
-本人非常钦佩的一位辩手
-世新大學口語傳播學系碩士班

鞭还是不鞭？

2009-08-31T11:37:00.007+08:00

作者／黄洁媚

回教女模喝酒被鞭刑的事宣告天下，非回教徒尽管可以暗喜和嘲笑回教法的无知，却不能忽略此案件将会是让世界惊心动魄的一章！

32岁的卡蒂卡（Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno）表示，如果宗教法庭要以此事提醒回教徒，那她的刑罚应公开执行。身为非回教徒，我当然没有资格非议此判决的不是，却不难发现，回教徒已不知不觉地被纳入僵化的回教法律制度之中，成了僵死的木乃伊。是不是违法了回教教义，所以她的“内疚感”的攀比打败了她身为女性的平等意识？

在传统回教刑法里，酗酒罪，即凡饮用含有酒精的烈性饮料将构成此罪，处以80鞭刑。回教刑事罪允许鞭笞女性，但属于民事法律的《刑事程序法典》第289条款却不允许这么做。大家必须了解的一点是，宪法阐明回教事务乃州统治者权限，故《1965年回教法庭权限法令》赋权各州立法，通过其管辖的回教法庭向女性罪犯施加鞭刑。

因此，卡蒂卡（左图）案件反映回教徒女性遭歧视，违背了联邦宪法第8（2）条款：反对宗教与性别歧视的精神。另外，各州回教刑事法的刑罚並不一致。只有彭亨、吉打和吉兰丹立法鞭刑女人。就立法方式而论，这已然成为一种可怕和无耻的戕害。

在这起案件里，却恰恰出现一个技术问题。按正规的法律程序，只能对监禁者施以鞭刑，且只能在监狱期间执。另外，较早前回教法庭对卡蒂卡的判决，只是罚款和鞭刑，没有监禁，故将对她施鞭刑不合乎常规。易言之，所谓要让回教徒提高警惕的判决，并不合法，它丧失了最初的教育功效。

另外，国际特赦组织（Amnesty International）呼吁马来西亚政府废除鞭刑，并表示近年已有数万名移民受到这种不人道且羞辱的刑罚，特别是我国已在1995 年7 月5 日签署《消除对妇女一切形式歧视公约》（CEDAW），但是对多项条款却提出保留（reservation），其中一项是回教法（Syariah Law）部分（willing to comply with CEDAW as long as provisions do not conflict with the Syariah）。

再者，马来西亚的双轨法律体系导致法律歧视妇女，特别是婚姻和家庭关系的歧视，彻彻底底损害了回教徒妇女的权利。政府没履行诺言，完成他们的选举承诺及履行《消除对妇女一切形式歧视公约》的职责。相关单位应放下标榜“遵守回教教条”的架子，重要举措之一是要如何确保马来西亚的妇女享有平等的法律保障，而非以宗教切割身为国家子民应享有的权利。

2005年，邻国印尼亚齐省四名女回教徒因赌博而被回教法庭公开执行判处六至七下鞭刑，这是印尼首度对女性施加公开鞭刑的案件，而其中一名女性遭鞭刑后，当场昏倒。撇开卡蒂卡自愿受鞭刑的决心，在不统一的法律制度里，这个刑罚究竟对社会引起什么反思？不见得。这只会把国教的形象搞得一塌糊涂。这种奉行僵硬、单一的“野蛮宗教”的法律却只影响部分州属，对普通百姓而言，它只是一种政治势力的表现。实为可悲。

其实，个人行为正是依赖于道德伦理、宗教戒律和法律体系而形成规范，某些道德准则确实随着社会发展而发生变化和更替，但偏偏饮酒和鞭刑是两码事，世界上所有主流宗教都教导其信徒远离酒，但以鞭刑杜绝饮酒的行为却是牛马不相及。特别是在这个畅谈人权的时代，利用鞭刑“承担宗教的使命”更是显现野蛮和不人道的做法。

在苏丹，在联合国苏丹派遣团媒体部门工作的魯布娜胡笙（Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein）因穿裤子，遭遇被鞭刑40下的噩运。这位女性，为了争取改变苏丹这项严苛的法律，不惜放弃联合国工作人员享有的豁免保护，扬言将接受任何宣判挑战宪法，掀起一股“裤子革命”！当地执法者以莫须有罪名――“不当穿着、有伤风化”指责她违法苏丹宪法第152条款：“违法公众道德、身穿不当服饰的人，应被处以40鞭刑或罚款。”

当然，这两件事或许无法相提并论，但这两名女性对鞭刑的态度也不一样。魯布娜胡笙或许也赞同回教法制订的鞭刑，她坚持的议题围绕在女性穿裤的权利。两人处在的国情不同，而虽都信奉回教，但回教法的态度也不一样。笼统而言，我们不得不承认本地回教女性对回教法和回教议题，普遍上都冷淡和被动，或许她们认为咨询及挑战回教问题，都是“叛教”的信徒，因此不敢造次。

我们无法揣测卡蒂卡甘于接受鞭刑的用心，但以这种隐蔽且不人道的鞭刑惩治另一种显性的“违法”，是对法治的讽刺。法律和刑罚，如违背了法的理性，就使刑法的结果与初衷相悖。对于刑罚，预防犯罪是最直接的目的，因惩罚已然罪，只有是为防止未然罪时刑法才会有社会意义。也只有这种防止未然罪作为惩罚已然罪的目的，才是保证刑法的合理性。

另一种说法是，在回教刑事法的鞭刑属于轻微刑法，非严厉刑法，这乃是因为它是以藤條鞭笞，因此一些回教法官员认为“鞭打”一词并不准确，毕竟回教法有特定的鞭打条规和施鞭态度。换了那血淋淋和“屁股开花”的画面，反对鞭刑的人还会坚持己见吗？我还是认为应全面废除，毕竟回教法已对教徒的心理和精神造成一种扼杀和扭曲，或者是落得一种无可奈何的情况。回教的形象就是给这些人弄得模棱两可，甚至付之一炬。回教比国家法律“还要厉害”的错误观念，已被非回教徒广泛接受。

这不只是为回教徒妇女仗义执言，也是为了证明关当局贯彻回教法的意图。只是，这即不是统一的刑罚，也不是全民遵守的法律，违反宪法的平等精神，这根本就是烂法嘛！政府对回教法议题可否当机立断？何必让世界把我们的法律看成这么愚昧！
说开了，回教法和回教徒特权的问题，才是造成我们分裂的致命伤。

*黄洁媚
-法学系在籍学生

Does Legalizing Prostitution Work?

2009-08-31T11:02:00.003+08:00

by Heleen Mees

AMSTERDAM – Prostitution is virtually the only part of the personal services industry in the Netherlands that works. One can’t get a manicure in Amsterdam without booking an appointment two weeks in advance, but men can buy sex anytime – and at an attractive price.

The legalization of prostitution in October 2000 merely codified a long-standing Dutch tradition of tolerance towards buying and selling sex. But is legalization the right approach?

Even in the Netherlands, women and girls who sell their bodies are routinely threatened, beaten, raped, and terrorized by pimps and customers. In a recent criminal trial, two German-Turkish brothers stood accused of forcing more than 100 women to work in Amsterdam’s red-light district ( De Wallen ). According to the attorney who represented one of the victims, most of these women come from families marred by incest, alcohol abuse, and parental suicide. Or they come from countries in Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and have fallen victim to human trafficking, lured by decent job offers or simply sold by their parents.

These women are Amsterdam’s leading tourist attraction (followed by the coffee shops that sell marijuana). But an estimated 50-90% of them are actually sex slaves, raped on a daily basis with police idly standing by. It is incomprehensible that their clients are not prosecuted for rape, but Dutch politicians argue that it cannot be established whether or not a prostitute works voluntarily. Appalled by their daily routine, police officers from the Amsterdam vice squad have asked to be transferred to other departments. Only this year, the city administration has started to close down some brothels because of their ties to criminal organizations.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology , the average age of death of prostitutes is 34. In the United States, the rate at which prostitutes are killed in the workplace is 51 times that of the next most dangerous occupation for women, working in a liquor store. Other studies show that nine out of ten prostitutes urgently want to escape the job. Almost half have attempted suicide at least once.

In 1999, the Swedish government decriminalized the sale of sex, but made it an offense to pimp or to buy sex. Under Sweden’s so-called “Sex Purchase Law,” paying for sex is punishable by fines or up to six months in prison, plus the humiliation of public exposure. According to the Swedish authorities, the number of prostitutes in Sweden has dropped 40% as a result. Human trafficking rings tend to avoid Sweden, because business has gone sour.

Norway, a country that has a reputation to lose when it comes to women’s rights, carefully compared the Swedish and Dutch models and concluded that Sweden’s was the one to follow. It has now changed its legislation accordingly.

The success of the Swedish approach is not so surprising. According to a study in California, most men who bought sex would be deterred by the risk of public exposure. For example, 79% said that they would be deterred if there was a chance that their families would be notified. And a whopping 87% said that they would be deterred by the threat that the police might publish their photographs or names in the local newspaper.

Most of these men showed pathological behavior towards women. One in five admitted to having raped a woman, while four out of five said that going to prostitutes was an addiction.

Prostitution is often dubbed “the oldest profession.” But this is merely a way of justifying the exploitation of mostly vulnerable women (there is also a much smaller number of male prostitutes in the Netherlands, but they are not pimped out like female prostitutes). It takes leadership and a vision of true gender equality to put an end to prostitution.

The Swedish practice of naming and shaming is quite un-Dutch. But, for some men, part of the pleasure of buying sex may be the humiliation conferred on the woman involved. For others, like former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, the promise of discretion and anonymity may be the most appealing aspect of buying sex. In any case, pillorying the clients is both a just punishment and an effective deterrent.

*Heleen Mees

-Dutch economist and lawyer

-most recent book Weg met het deeltijdfeminisme

-examines third generation feminism

-author of a book on European Union law and founder of the women's action committee Women on Top

全球暖化

2009-08-31T10:52:00.002+08:00

作者／戴景正

全球暖化”（global warming）、“全球气候异常”、“碳排放量”这几个词，是近几年来因媒体推波助澜而逐渐流行的行话。人类自有正式记录的气象史，其实也只不过170几年而已，如果真要与地球气候的长期变化（这个尺度可能要用10万年一次的冰期或百万年推算）比较，其实是会捉襟见肘的。就如股票市场那样，底部的确认是要等到我们脱离了底部一阵子才可以判断，现在我们又怎么知道我们所身处的地球是属于间冰期的哪个阶段呢？是人为的力量造成全球升温，还是本来这个阶段地球就处于升温的过程？用100年来的数据推算，这个感觉就好比拿一把短尺去量0.03mm的长度那样困难。

地球存在的客观环境，本来就不像现在维持这么长一段时间的气候宜人。如果不是大气层保护隔热（当然也有保温功能），地球均温不会是现在的摄氏15度，而是零下18度，这种低温环境不会适合植物、农作物生长，更加不用提及多元化的生物种类了。

据目前科学家的研究指出：宇宙大约是137亿岁，银河系100亿岁，地球则相对年轻多了，46亿岁。恐龙灭绝的年代距今二亿五千年，人类首次出现也推估是在680万年前，新石器时代距今万年，再到历经几千年文化的四大古文明中心，几本历史课本都无法一语道尽，这个我们一直认为的“全球暖化”好像也没有怎样。170年，说真的也不够看，充其量也只有这些数值的尾数而已。

更多时候，媒体习惯用耸动的标题传达资讯，比如“百年来地球增温的速度是前所未见的！”、“2007、2008年是地球史上最热的一年”等标题，吸引读者关注。如果要给这几个词下个比较专业的、科学的定义，恐怕没有几个人说得出来。深入点的，比如说这个增温的单位，过去一千年来空气中的含氧量多寡，或是在过去百万年尺度的空气中二氧化碳的浓度变化率或者温度提高个几摄氏度，对全球海平面的影响等等，恐怕就是只知其一，不知其二了。

这些相关资料，还有赖媒体做更加深入全面的报道，以满足民众的需要。对一般人而言，我们需要的是帮助我们决策的资讯，而不是像观看国家地理频道或discovery频道时，很详细的分析蜜蜂的口器有多么特别，每分钟翅膀震动几次，可以传播多少花粉量；对于全球农作物产量的贡献度等难以亲近的数字，还是留给相关领域的专家伤脑筋吧。

随着这几年的天灾灾情越来越严重，加上科学家不断警告，这些词早已深入平常百姓家了。它不仅仅是个过去进行式—现在进行—当然，也会是未来进式了。它也不是个在教科书里面死板板的生字，需要作名词解释，给学生去背诵去记忆去了解，考试时会考的题目而已。事实上，它已经影响了日常生活，改变地球全貌，更加重要的是，这个效应正在剧烈改变！

美国前副总统戈尔在上届大选竞选失利，后转战环保工作，其团队曾经制作一部记录片，名为《不愿面对的真相》（An inconvenient truth）；这部记录片几年前推出时，曾经引起一阵风潮，到了现在仍然可以听到他们到世界各地办说明会，也会用多种几棵树弥补自己搭飞机排放的碳量及办活动耗费的地球资源。由此就可以得知，这不是口号而已，而是在很多人的一种身体力行。

曾几何时，各国领导人讨论的都是政治、经济、贸易关税利益分配、恐怖袭击等问题，现在限定碳排放量为首的《京都议定书》、“全球暖化”也应大势所趋，纳入各主要峰会讨论议程之一了。虽然各国达成协议的进度非常缓慢，且搭上环保列车的时间表也有分歧，但总好过什么都没做。否则，按照我们现在“破坏环境”的速度推估，可以想像大洋州几内亚的诺鲁、吐瓦鲁，印度洋上的美丽海岛――马尔代夫即将在这个世纪结束前成为人类史上首个非战争因素消失的国家呢！

现在正值八、九月份，按照正常状况，在大洋州的澳洲正值冬天，但是今年他们经历了历年来最热的冬天；在印尼，霾害还是准时报到了，影响马泰新等周遭国家人民的健康。在日本，青森县、北海道等多个县市皆有地震频传，所幸这只是正常的能量释放，没有造成严重灾情。

在台湾，两个星期前才经历最干旱的季节，五、六月份的梅雨季刚刚创下了百年来最低雨量，然后莫拉克台风带来了50年来最大的水灾，家毁人亡，农业经济损失惨重，考验马英九总统的政治魄力和救灾及灾后重建能力。

在中国南部，持续的干旱还会维持多一段时间，但已影响了好几百万农民的生计，失业问题向来是中国政府很严肃很重大的事情，因此可以看出为何经济增长要一直维持保八的努力。在印度，迟来的季风及干旱天气影响甘蔗收成，印度今年的糖产量从2800万公吨减少46%到1500万公吨，全世界供需短缺870万吨，促成美国ICE期货交易所的粗糖期货价格价创下1981年以来的28年新高价位，达到每磅23美分（平常都在-10-15美分波动）。

在欧洲地中海地区，希腊正在经历的无情的山林大火，估计烧掉了至少1.2万公顷森林，除了财务损失，也包括一座2500年历史古迹—宙斯神殿；在大西洋另一岸，飓风比尔才刚刚掠过美国东北部和加拿大东部，所幸灾情不严重；在南部巴西，厄尔尼诺现象则给巴西带来过多雨量，造成甘蔗歉收，但却意外造成大豆产量增加10%至6100万公吨。

拜互联网发达所赐，比起上个世纪，我们可以轻松掌握全球各地资讯，但也考验我们资料整合，验证真伪的能力。一口气列举这么多事件，不在于说明“全球暖化”有多严重，或是地球就快要毁灭这类危言耸听的话，而是希望大家关注周遭的事情，多参加本着推动保护环境，拯救地球为目标的民间环保团体。这样的目标太崇高了吗？太遥远了吗？那就从随手关掉家里没用的电灯、少开车多走几步路、关闭闲置的电脑开始吧？千里之行，始于足下，每一步都得从脚下迈开出去。

*戴景正

-台湾大学财务金融学系

-目前投入于教育工作，关心国内外政经局势的发展。

Ah Long, 你为何让我赤脚？

2008-04-07T10:33:00.001+08:00

四月四日，星期五的晚上，我跟女友去看《老师嫁老大》，发生了一件我觉得是我生平遇到最搞笑的丑事。。。

看完戏要走出cinema hall的时候，突然她右脚的鞋子的系带断了，不能再穿了。怎么办？人很多，我扶着她慢慢走出来，看着前面还有很长的路要走，她那样拖着断了的鞋子，恐怕所有的人走完了，我们还没走到停车位。。。

很想背着她走的，可是这样好像太浪漫了，怕别人嫉妒我们的亲密，所以我把我的鞋让给她穿。然后，就装作若无其事地走出去。赤着脚走在冷冰冰的地板，犹如走在冰块上。。。

上楼梯是很艰辛的，因为后面的人可能看到，然后会心想：“前面那个家伙怎么不穿鞋？”

终于来到停车场，我们俩非常有默契地--一起牵着手，往前跑！

哈哈，虽然脸皮和脚皮都不薄，但这个遭遇让我这么尴尬，想起来又是那么好笑，还真是头一遭！敢于露出自己的短处，豪不在意别人的眼光，这是大方。

这个遭遇，必定成为我们最珍贵的回忆！

Ah Long，我没跟你借钱，为何让我赤脚？