science

To share the discussion with my brother.

[12/12 9:21 am] Philip Tang:

for 2000 years there have been interesting pursuits.  in the end, not talking about moral stuff, its science that prevails.  when i say science i mean the global scientific community, not a few scientists.

moral issues aside, i am glad that science has laid a solid foundation in human civilisation.

as i discussed things with portia and bryan, i always led them to science, logic, reality etc.  reality is also important, lest we will be armchair theorizing.

facts are important, i.e. reality.  what chains the facts together in meaningful ways is knowledge and theory.  theory can predict what comes next.  facts alone are bare facts.

there are all sorts of theories, scientific theory, conspiracy theory, yin and yang etc.

what you believe very much shapes your character, present and future.

一地兩檢

problem solving: 可先建一地兩檢的配套設施，暫時兩地兩檢，等有政治互信時才作一地兩檢。

二次創作

奇怪，保障二次創作，比保障原有創作更重要？

禁制令

只要境外已作報導而轉載便不違反禁令是奇怪的看法，正如於境外公開法庭已禁止公開強姦案女受害人的名字一樣，難道在港便可以公開嗎？我的看法是自法庭頒布臨時禁制令之後的報導皆屬違反禁制令。

A hymn

Man is lonely by birth.
Man is only a pilgrim on earth.
Born to be king, time is but a temporary thing,
only on loan while on earth.

Like the wind in the tree,
man has been rather reckless and free.
Thrown far and wide, we long to settle down beside
the stream flowing through eternity.

Like the grass on the lawn,
we will pass by the way and be gone.
A lesson to learn, we walk but once there's no return.
Time is always moving on.

Man is longing for One,
for a song and a place in the sun,
a home up above where ev'ry day is lived in love, for
rest when the journey is done.

强積金

强積金 : 問題不是不同年齡需要有不同的投資策略，平時我們可以這樣講。但对强積金而言，那是基本的退休保障，應該以保守的投資計算，因為輸不起。進取型的投資應該應用於閒資 (spare money)，而不是强積金。

强積金多年來的低回報是另一個問題，不能混為一談。因為即使採用進取型，亦不表示必然賺錢，反而風險增加了而可能得不償失，屆時便退休無望了。

小學生有情緒問題是否需要找社工？

小學生有情緒問題是否需要找社工？可能需要，但更加需要幫助的是他們的父母，需引導他們如何教導孩子，培養孩子堅強的性格。

司法覆核

香港很奇怪，有一個玩具是有錢人不敢玩，玩不起，因為可以輸身家，但窮人卻可以免費玩，那就是司法覆核，全是納稅人付鈔，不單是律師費，還有延後的數以億計的社會成本。本來通過法律援助進行司法覆核旨在公平地伸張正義，但平衡點似乎過了頭。不知海外的法援是否這樣的？

中美博弈

美國打軍事牌，僅此而矣，已露底牌。中國還有人民幣國際化牌、減持儲備牌、一帶一路牌、亞投行牌、中東歐洲英澳非洲南美牌，甚至俄國牌，當然還有最惡劣最不應該用的北韓牌。

中國用太極招數，以柔制剛，令美國"入唔倒位"，找不到敵人，不能令美國人轉移視線忘記國內問題。這邊廂中國繼續建設、發展經濟及外交。這樣做比打美國更令美國傷。這其實是"國際游擊戰"。

中國面臨的挑戰

中國正面臨一個嚴峻時刻，由低技術、低成本及低消費型邁向高技術、高成本及高消費型，最怕兩頭唔到岸卡在中間。

貨幣戰

現代戰爭不用流血。以本傷人的商業策略，與古時戰爭無異，近期貨幣戰亦然。幾年前美國實施量化寬鬆，溝淡所有持有美元貨幣的人(包括窮人)及其他國家的財富，以致美國獨大，繼續以不負責任的行為搶掠，以借貸維持其享樂，以量化寬鬆來減債，繼而以武力威嚇。如今中國實施人民幣貶值及減息，其殺傷力影響所及，美國可能需要延遲加息以致延遲其回歸經濟正常軌道，所種下的惡性投資可能越滾越大，不感想像。

社會主義市場經濟

社會主義市場經濟與資本主義市場經濟的分別？

在整體生死存亡之際，不容許個別人士或機構成王，而引致國家經濟崩潰，因此不可以有惡性沽空？

Greece

Tsipras is a genius politician.  First he won the election, then the referendum, and finally the votes of the opposition in parliament.  Now he has "united" the sentiments of the greek population.   And Europe happens to be still so romantic about people power.   Not only has Tsipras won Greece but also the leftist sentiment of Europe.  Having said that the latest proposal submitted by him is an indication of pragmatism after all.  By this weekend we will all know what is real politics or realpolitik, and Tsipras will make his mark in history one way or another.

希臘

一個先使未來錢又拖欠還錢的西方民主國家，其領導人將會帶領國家走向衰敗，以為可以爭取保持高福利政策最後或許變成弄巧反拙，主要原因就是甚麼都"去到盡"，幾十年來不顧後果(子孫)推行高福利政策，談判時又採取去到盡冇彎轉只談尊嚴不顧現實的策略，最終只會因為自私及/或自以為是而失販。

電子商貿平台

個人認為，中國發展電子商貿平台，很快人民幣便會變成電子貨幣，這將會帶領並改革未來的商貿生態環境，對香港以至世界都會帶來很大的影響，更會有助提升內需以及人民幣國際化。

普選

普選而來的行政長官及普選而來的立法會均會受到選民的強烈要求，而雙方不難聯手去改提名委員會的組成。屆時，提名委員會可由公司票改為個人票。因此何來袋住先，袋一世呢？

pension

i was thinking if some people don't like means test because of its stigma, in the case of old aged pension, can we simply dish out the pension for everyone aged 65 or above, and then for those who have to file a tax return, at their senior age, there will be a separate section where they have to put in the amount of pension received and if their net income, apart from the pension amount, has reached a certain level then in ascending scale the whole amount of the pension will become tax.  this will do away with the stigma issue, and somehow will minimise all hassles and administrative work.  if we go along that line, only two questions remain: (1) the pension amount, and (2) the level of net income in a tax return that serves as the ultimate means test.

energy revolution

The Western world has gone through industrial revolution (capitalisation), democratisation, information revolution (computerisation), but economic growth has been unsustainable in recent years.  Unless there is any success in the energy revolution (shale gas), the US economy will probably continue to suffer in the face of the rise of China and the economic growth in other countries associated with China.

從馬克思理論看，剝削的大本營東移了。

處理投訴

申訴專員公署根據其指引不會處理瑣碎無聊的投訴，而立法會主席今次亦不接納瑣碎無聊的修訂，這是一個啓示。

中巴鐵路建設

中巴新簽訂的鐵路建設，直達巴基斯坦的瓜達爾港口，將率先打破美日圍堵中國的計謀，同時亦增加與緬甸談判同類建設的籌碼。

資本主義

數年前仍處於國家資本主義，如今股市興旺，全民炒股，互通炒股，中國已在資本主義道路上，再踏出一大步。

中國的發展道路

中國的發展道路是這樣的 :

公路網、石油、天然氣
工廠、汽車
互聯網、服務行業
環保、再生能源、電動汽車
航天技術
加强鐵路網
研製大飛機、加建機場、開放空域
保衛航海路線

深化互聯網作商貿及創新協作平台 …

爭取民主，不進則退

以前爭取民主是指向港府、英國政府… 回歸後則指向特區政府及中央。若政改不獲通過，將會有一個很弔詭的情況，那就是，難道指向一半香港市民？民主路上不進則退，可悲。這個豪賭赢面甚低。若社會上出現大混亂，難道要中央介入？這不是特區政府將來的管治問題，而是與每一位香港市民息息相關的，包括經濟發展、民生等千萬個問題。看鄰近國家及地區已不停地抛離香港，何謂萬劫不復？這是一個唯心、理想的問題？還是一個唯物、實際的問題？不進則退，不知等待何時。

西方與新加坡

其實這與新加坡不許吃香口膠沒有分別。

2015-04-03 HKT 21:19
法國國會下議院通過，禁止骨瘦如柴的人士，擔任模特兒，聘請被稱為「骨模」的過瘦模特兒的經理人公司或品牌，可能目臨最高7萬5千歐元的罰款及監禁6個月。法國全國模特兒經理人公司聯會批評，新法例會影響法國模特兒業的競爭力。

法新新通過的法例訂明，身高體重指數低於某一標準的人，不能當模特兒行天橋。衞生部長認為，年輕模特兒應該好好照顧自己健康。

《中华人民共和国和乌克兰友好合作条约》

《中华人民共和国和乌克兰友好合作条约》

标签：军事

乌克兰目前已经陷入内忧外患的局面，外部俄罗斯军事政治打压内部经济遭遇寒冬，此时的乌克兰该走向何处？中国是可以施以援手的，比如调停乌克兰与俄罗斯之间的冲突关系，俄罗斯现在有求于中国，这个面子普京还是会给的。那么乌克兰拿什么利益与北京交换呢？毫无疑问，中国或许将全面接盘乌克兰的军事技术遗产。

乌克兰过去是配套苏联的国防工业体系的，现在乌克兰的很多军工技术就是俄罗斯也没有，普京已经眼馋很久了。

2月28日，新华社播发的一条消息，引起舆论场的注意。在日前召开的第十二届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十三次会议上，作出一项决定：批准2013年12月5日由中国领导人与时任乌克兰总统的亚努科维奇在北京签署的《中华人民共和国和乌克兰友好合作条约》。

虽然全国人大通过了这个条约，但舆论场有一种说法，亚努科维奇与中国签订这份“友好条约”回国三天后，就被反对派举行的“广场革命”推翻。

最近在乌东战场的冲突中，乌军方连连失守，况且乌克兰经济即将走向崩溃，乌克兰政府面临着前所未的困境，中国人大此时批准中乌“友好条约”，乌方是否承认并予以执行，还很难说得清楚。

但这个条约是中国和乌克兰的正式文件，根据维也纳公约法，这种正式的联合声明有条约的效力。这并不是一些人所说是中国和亚努科维奇签订的条约。

中国所保障的是乌克兰这个国家，而不是亚努科维奇这个政权。因此只要乌克兰国家还存在，这个条约就有效，双方就有义务遵守这个协议。

尽管如此，中国人大在现在这个节骨眼上批准这个条约，不免让人生疑。是形势的需要，还是有其它目的？

此前的中乌合作，出于欧美与俄罗斯的因素，可以说乌方是有所保留的。也就是说在某种程度上是中国有求于乌克兰。

而在危机的情况之下，为了缓解经济压力，恐怕乌克兰更大程度上的将有求于中国，如果想得到中国的支持与帮助，就必须加大与中国的合作力度。

更重要的是，乌克兰危机，有可能使俄罗斯与欧美的战略对抗升级，这必然的要缓解中国的战略压力。中国虽然会保持中立，但一定会给俄罗斯某种程度的支持。

因为有俄罗斯在，中国并不太担心欧洲的东扩计划，乌克兰危机在战略上对中国没有不利的影响，或者说不会给中国带来战略压力。

当然，中国能否在乌克兰危机中分得一杯羹，现在下结论还为时过早。但中国将对乌克兰采取的是务实主义态度，如果乌政府可以继续保持与中国的合作关系，确保中国在乌重要的经济和军事关系的利益份额，中国将会与乌方发展新的关系。

可以说，现在的乌克兰危机对中国有利。无论乌克兰最终成为欧盟、美国还是俄罗斯的友邦，都将致力于深化与中国的政经和军事合作。

观察人士为此作出的分析认为，中国实际上在为下一步介入解决乌克兰问题增加的筹码。如果乌方决定执行双方的“友好条约”，这可能意味着，中国将在未来的谈判中发挥积极作用。

客观的说，中国承担这类外交使命的经验不多，不过，在此问题上中国无疑比其他国家更有优势。首先，中国与俄罗斯 ... ...

西九

西九支出龐大，但收入 ...

沒有地產項目(當年被迫取消了) ...

所謂本土文化的收入又有幾多？ ...

所謂本土文化又如何長期吸引外來遊客或藝術發燒友來欣賞呢？ ...

香港人何時才清醒呢？

一地兩檢

一地兩檢是個複雜的問題，由於在香港特區境內進行，但換個角度，只要有關安檢地區被劃為非香港特區，問題便會消失。當然，這牽涉到政治互信這個問題了。

doctrine of necessity

Seriously, can the doctrine of necessity be applied in LegCo to resolve the impasse arising from filibustering?

"The Doctrine of Necessity is the basis on which extra-legal actions by state actors, which are designed to restore order, are found to be constitutional. The maxim on which the doctrine is based originated in the writings of the medieval jurist Henry de Bracton, and similar justifications for this kind of extra-legal action have been advanced by more recent legal authorities, including William Blackstone.

In modern times, the doctrine was first used in a controversial 1954 judgment in which Pakistani Chief Justice Muhammad Munir validated the extra-constitutional use of emergency powers by Governor General, Ghulam Mohammad.[1] In his judgment, the Chief Justice cited Bracton's maxim, 'that which is otherwise not lawful is made lawful by necessity', thereby providing the label that would come to be attached to the judgment and the doctrine that it was establishing.

The Doctrine of Necessity has since been applied in a number of Commonwealth countries, and in 2010 was invoked to justify extra-legal actions in Nigeria."

Discussion on Democracy

29 December 2014 : 答應了 Portia Nora 與 Bryan Tang 討論民主，今天晚上吃過飯後 bryan 負責寫 bullet points 及劃 flow charts, 而 portia 則用 laptop 繼續寫她的論述。 bryan 寫了5張A4 紙，很有意思。 we started from occupy central versus anti-protest, then moved on to a comparative study of the westminster system, supremacy of the parliament, house of commons, house of lords, to the US system including congress, senate and the electoral college, and onto the bicameral legislature and the 2012 election committee in HK, followed by the 2017 proposal regarding the nominating committee and the counter arguments including the proposal for civil nomination, and then we talked about the basic law, national security present and past, and the failures and success if any of the occupy central and in particular its strategies vis a vis the local backlash and lack of support from mainlanders, the views of the judiciary, the waning interest from the media and governments around the world at the later stage, etc. (also democracy vs. meritocracy, etc.)

Katie Melua - If You Were A Sailboat

civil strife

lines of decency crossed, no trust from both sides, posing threats to civil society and civilisation, credits and credibility, confidence and predictability.

hong kong

as asked, hong kong has already opened the pandora box.  everyone is talking and walking his or her own ways, while so called core (which means shared) values are no more shared.  families split, friendships torn, it takes years to heal and reestablish values, east meets west, collectivism vs individualism.

中英聯合聲明

其實事情很簡單，就着中國拒絕英國國會代表團(不是政府代表團)來香港這一事實(或許即使是政府代表團)，又違反了中英聯合聲明哪一條款呢？簡言之，哪一條款賦予英國國會代表團來香港高調地作出所謂調查的權力呢？

國與國之間，最理想是通過外交渠道解決問題或紛爭，最不希望當然是軍事行動。然而，美國便是最多使用軍事行動的國家。

還有，一直以來，英國是搞政治的能手。

democracy - twisted logic?

Well, everyone intelligent or otherwise has his or her own values and we must respect one another. In a pluralist world, I think you will agree that we can't have everyone with the same value. Some people are driven by idealism, some pragmatism. I am somewhat in between. I think even an idealist needs to observe and re-calibrate his or her thinking having regard to the observable reality. In short, I believe that one needs to have a strategy to achieve what you want to achieve; and it's sad that many idealists may not achieve what they want to achieve. In the end, usually pragmatists do. Indeed I am most wary of the story (history) about Athenians vs Spartans; and it's the latter who prevailed in the end. ... ... ...

as i see it, at the end of the day, it all depends on what you want to achieve. and the question arises, does the means matter? is this a moral question? and if so, why shouldn't we have democracy in the work place? oh, is it because liberal democracy is simply democracy on the surface, while deep down all the capitalists / bosses indeed rule the country?!

democracy doesn't guarantee that you will have a good leader. usually its choosing the lesser evil supposedly, and mostly it has been choosing the worse evil. the beauty of it is to let people have another choice 4 to 5 years later, so that they can choose the worst evil. after all, the average IQ in society is simply average.

back to the question on work place. if workers have a vote, they'll vote for a pay rise and the company will soon go bankrupt.

the voting power rests with share holders and board members.

time is on our side

甚麼是time is on our side？
每一代的年青人都想改變社會，
但每一代的年青人當他們長大了，
工作賺錢、成家立室、養兒育女  ...
看透了現實，懂得計算 ...
當代的熱血青年的人數自然減少而非增加，
剩下來的可能生活潦倒。
除非革命或科技突破，否則社會只會蛻變，
歷史不斷地重演。
至於革命的結果，不敢想像。
所以，甚麼是 time is on our side？
可能只是一句口號。

佔中

法庭頒布禁制令，在某程度來說，是預先昭告，即使是公民抗命(即自我犧牲)，亦不能以"犧牲他人"的途徑以達到目的。屆時學聯(泛民議員失去踪影)自首，然後到法庭抗辯時，未必能以純正公民抗命而答辯。唉！

國際游擊戰

" 克里強調，美國歡迎一個和平、繁榮與穩定的中國崛起，歡迎中國在亞洲以至整個世界範圍內承擔更多責任。"

似乎美國要兼顧太多火頭，暫時寄望中國"負責任"地共同看顧着亞洲。日本亦似乎收斂了，畢竟日本已達到其提升"集體自衛權"的目的。當然中國亦成功地擴大了防空識別區，包括了釣魚島。若此情況維持一段長時間，則亞洲會取得新的平衡，而中國亦已在某程度上衝出了亞洲，包括與印度及南美等國家建立更緊密關係，當中亦包括最近在英國及過去在歐洲及非洲各國的投資。一直以來，中國都不跟美國硬碰，而是打"國際游擊戰"。

drone

while helicopters cannot be used to rescue people in a fire zone given the wind it creates while hovering that fans the fire (my guess), what if we use 6 to 8 drones that can hover away from the fire zone with 6 or 8 ropes tied in the middle to rescue one person at a time.

such drones are easy  to manoeuvre while GPS provides the exact position of the fire zone and flying paths, with the distance among them remaining constant.

democracy

democracy is a funny thing, e.g. ~

why can't a child vote in the family?
why can't a worker vote in the factory?
why can't every human being vote in any world affairs?

you may have your answers ready ...

the child is too ignorant, the worker will vote for a huge pay rise and bankrupt the company, and China will have too many votes ...

so, how does democracy actually work in society?  food for thoughts, apart from any standard answers.

政改

人大常委會作出決定後，特區政府便可直話直說，不用怕司法覆核了。

contemplating the universe

while reading about the big bang singularity and the big crunch singularity, it is unthinkable that i, a conscious self, exist to marvel at the beauty of the universe while the universe simply exists without any consciousness of its own existence and beauty and yet it begets me, a conscious being, to think about it, to contemplate it, without true understanding.

that in my opinion proves that God must exist to render the whole thing a meaning.

my dialogue with david

資本主義本身就是建基於貧富懸殊。若每個人都一樣富有，搵鬼人做嘢。

事實上資本主義出現前，人民（農民，因為未有工業革命）一窮二白，貧富懸殊可能更嚴重，只不過無統計而已。

正是。在共產主義下，人失去動力。可能在未來世界，人類不用工作，交由機械人勞動。當然到時有另外的社會問題了。

機械人是資本，因此未來是資本大規模取代勞力的時代，只有少部分無法以機械人取代的工種才會存留。社會急須發展出新的工種以吸納勞動力，否則擁有資本（機械人）的人就會控制社會的財富。

即使有很多機械人，仍然需要人類通過不斷學習及創造才有發展及進步。在失去動力的時候，人類會懶於學習及創造，而交由機械人去代勞。擁有人工智慧的機械人不單做得更好，最終它們更取得了人性的尊嚴，反之人類逐漸感到機械人的優越性，那時人類的自尊會徹底消滅，人的存在價值沒有了，到時便是人類的滅亡。

政治

政治是交易，不能一面倒。問題是取了甚麽，更重要是可以給甚麼。政治能量多少取決於後者。

國際游擊戰

美國重返亞洲，中國不與美國正面交鋒，但採取"國際游擊戰"，不用實彈，而用銀彈，直闖歐洲。

普選的希望

"李源潮又提出「四點希望」，包括：1 支持行政長官 和特區政府依法施政；2 按照基本法和人大常委會 的有關決定，推動2017年實現特首普選；3 選出愛 國愛港的特首；4 推進香港繁榮穩定。"

從上述報導可以看出中央的優次！依法施政至為重要，有没有普選只是（第二）個希望，香港是否繁榮是最後考慮（即可能認為香港人那麽寸，便你死你事）。佔中有甚麽作用可想而知。

creation

my outsight if not insight is that God created the world and creation or creativity is a wonder or is wonderful.  it has limitless possibilities.  that wonder and of course God's love thru salvation sustains me despite sufferings and emptiness.  where God comes from  i wouldnt have a clue.  but that is the only question i set aside and wait till He tells me one day.  i am content.

... while death and destruction has or is only one possibility

基本法第18及23條

基本法第18條 : 全國人民代表大會常務委員會決定宣布戰爭狀態或因香港特別行政區內發生香港特別行政區政府不能控制的危及國家統一或安全的動亂而決定香港特別行政區進入緊急狀態，中央人民政府可發布命令將有關全國性法律在香港特別行政區實施。

那麼第23條便可能直接實施了。。。

Katie Melua - I Cried For You

孩子的名字

很久很久以前我想過，我的第一名孩子叫鄧登櫈，而第二名叫鄧澄橙，那麽 ... 鄧登櫈、 鄧澄橙、 鄧登櫈、 鄧澄橙、 鄧登櫈、 鄧澄橙 ... 多麽開心。其實我差點把我的女兒名為鄧樂也，因此她給了自己一個 middle name 叫 Nora。

東海防空識別區

下一步是中國飛機進入美、日的防空識別區而不作通報。

Tell Me Why

户藉制度

假如中央逐步放寬户藉制度，意味着人民享有的人身及經濟自由增大了，而中央規劃在某方面減少了，在某程度上貪腐的渠道也可能減少了。那麼，民主將向前邁進一步。

李家天下

李家業務都與進入房屋有關。當然首先是房屋，然後電力、蒸餾水、電話、電訊、電視、食品、药物等。此外，還有能源、貨運 。。。

United States

given its national debt and the political and economic situation the only thing that can save the US is its shale gas.

wall street, google and facebook

those who have access to the data in google and facebook (and even youtube) may be good at wall street too. among the three, wall street is most fair and open. after wall street came google and facebook all measuring human behaviour in a global sense.

globalisation

one theory goes: globalisation is a way by which the rich nations export all the dirty jobs.

馬拉拉

學民思潮推倒國民教育，而馬拉拉為爭取女性接受教育而遭受鎗擊，繼而被提名諾貝爾和平獎。在接受訪問時，她公開對鎗擊她的人說，我會為你的女兒爭取接受教育的機會，不同意便放馬過來吧。與奥巴馬會面時，她呼籲美國不要再用無人機轟炸她的祖國巴基斯坦。她只有16嵗。

內憂外患

香港人首先是內鬥，然後視周邊地區或國家為敵人，正所謂內憂外患。香港的優勢何在呢?

think out of the box

中国太空长臂怪战时秒杀美GPS 2013-10-09 07:27 来源：搜狐军事 资料图：“试验七号”卫星机械臂。 作者：彭庭华 据美联社报道：7月20日中国发射了三颗不 大星际卫星，中方对外宣称的是“试验七号”测试 卫星。但据五角大楼情报获悉，此次试验的竟 是太空抓捕实践。美一直密切跟踪这三颗卫星 的行踪，其中一颗装有“机械臂”的卫星在试验中 抓住了另外两颗卫星中的一颗。这一举动引起 了美国军方的恐慌。 虽然中国官方作出的解释：“试验七号”装有 机械臂是用来测试太空接轨中操作的一部分， 为打造2020年大型太空站做出的前期实验。但 是，“试验七号”轻而易举的将太空中高速飞行的 星际卫星捕捉到手，大有“九天揽月”的壮举对美 国来说真的不是一件好事。 近日，五角大楼宣称，中国在太空军事领 域迈出了惊人的一大步。美国防部国官员甚至 断言：中国在太空安置带有机械臂的卫星，显 示中国太空“星战”计划已进入实质性阶段，这将 严重威胁美国卫星。笔者以为，尽管美军将领 没有直言其危害有多重，但明白人一眼都偶偶 知道，“九天揽月”是何等概念？ 卫星应用于军事这是三岁女娃都知道的事 情，美军近年频频对外出兵，对小国实施不接 触式的空中打击都离不开卫星。空袭所用导弹 和炸弹基本都是GPS制导，可以说，没有GPS立 下汗马功劳，美国就不可能轻易搞定伊拉克和 阿富汗，就不能让利比亚一夜之间改姓“美”。说 美军离开的军事卫星就是一群散兵游勇一点不 过分，像B-2战略隐形轰炸机，再有就是赫赫有 名的“全球鹰”，离开了GPS导航定位就像个无头 苍蝇。因此，美军的军用卫星是决定美军战无 不胜的根本。 那么，我将你之这一“根本”给毁掉，后果会 是怎么样呢，用通俗的说法就是，美国若要再 度与中国发生战争碰撞，那么，美军只能面临 的是善打常规性的战争解放军，中美高科技战 争一开始就将被终止，中国能毁掉美国的太空 卫星，当然美国也能。 陆战队少校

港大校長

其實問題很簡單。港大校長人選是否合適不是問題所在。問題是有没有頂尖人物願意應徵 … 當港大學生趕走了現任校長 …

Strange Music - Portia Tang 9 December 2012

03. Après un rêve/Bill (Gabrielle Fauré/"Show Boat") - Portia Tang

poverty

我比较明白新加坡做乜、西方社會做乜，以及內地做乜。其實一切都係 economics 話嘅income redistribution。以前做政府比較簡單。好懷疑有幾多人包括學者明白現時做緊乜。 with income redistribution for working class directed towards their take-home pay, what's the good use of trade unions? there are many such socio-economic questions but seldom do we find any informed debate on these matters. the political spectrum is such that includes : the have-nots; the low-income; the middle- and high-income; and the rich ... ... and we are now dealing with the low-income group.

economics

when someone sells you a shirt for $100, it is a matter of supply and demand. when your financial advisor gives you advice on investment and charges you $1,000 for the information, a paradox exists. if the investment is so good why doesn't he go for it? or another observation: if he has declared interest, why believe him? if he declares no interest, again why doesn't he go for it?

上海

上海可以揾大錢，上網將會有自由，經濟有發展，但法治不健全。儘管香港有法治，但全無發展，且爭拗不絕，優勢何在？

Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward

fantasy

i was wondering ... if we cut certain percentage of tax but mandate that companies should donate say 1% of their profits to charitable organisations of their own choosing will it revolutionise and rejuvenate the whole sector and society?

Joanna Wang, 王若琳 - Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Joanna Wang, 王若琳 - Times of Your Life

diplomacy

與事實不符 does not fit the facts = not 100% true, but not far from that. 提出嚴正交涉 lodge solemn representations = let our diplomats handle this in our own way = we may have something else to trade.

真普選

香港市民有選舉权，而中央有任命权。可以咁，行政長官候選人须得若干票当選。若不夠票便須重選。那麼提名委員会便有責任提名中央及香港市民能夠接受的候選人了。因為偏頗任何一方只會引致重選或甚至宪制危机。

美國霸權

美國人有冇後悔當年冇用原子彈去威脅全世界，不准全世界擁有原子彈，或威逼全世界簽核不擴散條約，或甚至侵佔其他國家作它的附庸？

好過依家又話要重返亞洲、又話要做中東或世界警察，又話唔准其他國家擁有核武，除了以色列和印度。。。。咁其實又有乜分別呢?

Filibuster and the Doctrine of Necessity

Wonder if the doctrine of necessity may help to resolve the filibuster issue.

property price in Hong Kong

under the two new measures to cool the property market, people with one or more residential properties will have less incentive to buy yet another one. on the contrary they may wish to sell. supposing first time buyers are inclined to buy from them with or without any existing lease, the demand for new flats will drop!

my motto

start a new day in a new way.

grey power

An ageing population will become more conservative in the next 5 to 10 years now that the younger generation has wielded their power. With less revenue from land sale, higher demand for welfare and health care for the elderly in particular, the younger generation will pay higher tax and bear the brunt, while the grey power rules in election. What a spectacle!

援助

用公帑援助非洲国家，買中国貨，真好。国内一定有些公司受惠。。。

公务員

为何私营市场“容许”合法避税等行为（即鑽法律空子），而对公务員却来另一套？香港是否有兩套法律？

exist

I facebook, therefore I exist. I think, therefore I exist. I think you don't think, therefore I think you don't exist. I believe, therefore I exist, and I believe you also exist. Don't you think (so)?

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Trilogy (Lyrics)

雙非問題

林健鋒正草擬私人條例草案，要求特區政府就雙非問題修改本地法例，若特區政府不允，可否尋求司法覆核，由终審法院自行覆議以前的決定？

J Lin

America is such a great country with lots of great men and women. It just needs spiritual awakening thru humble souls like you JLin.

Fortune tellers and Fung Shui masters

Fortune tellers and Fung Shui masters tell us that their trade is based on thousands of years of statistics, but they never share the statistics with us. I suspect that much of it is self fulfilling prophecy. And while their statistics (if any) is a thousand years old, they never update it according to the latest demographics and facts (with control experiment too). In short, their statistics, if any, is outdated.

One story goes: 200 people die in a plane crash, ending up in the same destiny. Will fortune tellers dig out their history and birth details etc and arrive at the same conclusion, before or after the incident?

Chinese medicine

Compared to Western medicine, Chinese medicine is definitely a cheaper option for an aging population in Hong Kong. Conspiracy theory? I sometimes wonder how Chinese medicine can prove its efficacy in prolonging one's life. I even suspect that people who rely too much on Chinese medicine are taking in a lot of "poison". Likewise, Western medicine. Perhaps having better nutrients and regular sleep and exercise is the best option after all.

Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles

Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me (She's All That official music video)

William Wordsworth - Solitary Reaper

论政团体

政党若不跟从民意。最后只会沦为论政团体。

轉變

轉變需要勇氣，而變好或是變壞則視乎智慧與學識。

Dialogue with a good friend

I always take things with a grain of salt. Perhaps I am too "scientific". My favourite book is "What is this thing called Science?" (year 1 text book in philosophy back in Sydney Uni). Ever since I started googling things on the internet, I always played the devil by googling the "opposite views". For example, if one theory is supported by 1 million articles, and if one keeps googling, all the articles will repeat themselves. In fact, many are just quotes on quotes. And then if I search the "opposite views", most likely I will find another 1 million articles that say otherwise. In short, the truth is out there. Only logic prevails. Research is hard work. And ever since Socrates gave his first lectures on philosophy, the world almost never agreed on anything. That is how free societies progressed, riding on disagreements as well as agreements. That's how we now have modern medicine, fridges, TVs, telephones, computers, rockets etc, thanks to this thing called science. Of course, we also bear its side-effects as manifest in many ways.

The morning news is instructive : They found it traveled 60 nanoseconds faster than light. That's sixty billionth of a second, a time no human brain could register.

Einstein's theory of relativity may be toppled by this new finding (subject to more experiments). That is what I meant by "falsification". According to the above book I quoted, science opens new realms by way of falsification. If a statement can be falsified, then new knowledge emerges, and human progress. Until then, it remains on our school books as is. If something cannot be falsified, it falls outside the realm of science (according to that book). Of course, this is also debatable. For example, is Freudian stuff part of science? This can be an emotional question.

Not that your views are wrong. I remain open. What I mean is that the subject itself is a bit unconventional, and is subject to debate and further research in the academic world. The standing of a theory can "normally" be measured by the standing of the journals in which it is published. Sometimes personal experience counts too, but whether personal experience can be totally shared is another question, e.g. different health conditions and life habits.

港元會否人民幣化

「如果香港不負所望，成功落實李副總理的挺港措施，其投資收益，小則利港利民，大則興邦强國，甚至改變整個世界的金融秩序 ...」 (K.C. Au / I-Money 20.8.2011)

港元與人民幣掛勾指日可待？
還是港元會逐漸人民幣化？

博研

博研說最好是身長脚短 因為站起来高 坐下来也高

選民素質

在電視上看見暴徒不是幫助受傷的青年，而是從他的背囊拿東西 ... 西方的政治、社會及經濟同樣出了問題。

貨幣操控

美國實施政策市
操控貨幣
比其他國家更甚

選民的智慧

這是否選民的智慧？選了一個民主黨的總统、一個共和黨的眾議院（下議院），及一個民主黨的參議院（上議院），好一個「三權分立」，天下大亂。

無錢不行

無錢不行 当年李嘉誠日夜趕工 於97年71前起好特派員公署 但政府以Tender 起總部又怎会不遲?

巴士與港鐵

巴士與港鐵均受惠於某種利潤保證安排 又如何競爭呢?

A caring society

Injecting $5B (care) + $50B (medical insurance) in good years is an ingenious move: (a) to "circumvent" the principle of keeping the expenditure within the limits of revenues in bad years (BL107)?; and (b) to maintain a low tax policy by squeezing the local tycoons but not the foreign companies (BL108)? Is Hong Kong becoming a welfare state?

Health insurance

The age / risks banded premiums are highly commendable, similar to car insurance, which is rational and fair.

Insurance policies (e.g. life insurance), if bonded (mixed) with investment / savings and other types of unrelated policies, are usually difficult to understand, and once bonded, cannot be separated (e.g. even when the investment return is poor, the investment portion cannot be dropped, unless the entire policy is canceled).

Under the proposed legislation, please do not allow such bonding. And if bonding is unavoidable, please make it separable, and if not separable, please ensure that the contents should be decipherable (e.g. the annual investment return should be calculated against the investment portion (compound interest should also be accounted for), instead of muddling the figure against the entire policy amount including the life insurance portion).

As it now stands, the life insurance market is far from transparent. For portability, please allow carrying over the entire policy, including the top up portions. As I see it, the proposal is an ingenious way to partly privatize health service for the middle class to private insurers, in the hope that medical costs can be contained through private efforts while maintaining a public system for the poor and needy. This can only be achievable through genuine competition among a fair number of private insurers.

Many specialists have left the public system to enter private practice. This may imply higher costs for the middle class in the long run. Please consider adopting the Australian Medicare model by reasonably capping the amount a doctor may charge / claim under this voluntary insurance scheme. In so doing, consumers as a whole will have more bargaining power.

If a doctor / hospital chooses to charge more than the standard rate, some consumers may choose another doctor / hospital who charges the standard rate or less. In other words, service / equipment charges should not be standardized under the scheme, but competitive pricing be allowed. This will help control the price of medical care in the long run, which otherwise may be inadvertently fueled by similar medical insurance schemes in other countries.

Get well prepared for your retirement!

Picture this: supposing you have worked for 35 years, and by the time you retire (say more or less at 60) you wish to maintain the same living standard for the remaining 35 years (with better medical care and nutrition, the average lifespan will probably be 95 during your retirement), then it is logical that you should have saved at least 1/2 of your salaries from the 35 yrs while at work, for the 35 yrs w/o a job. The moral is that if you don't save 1/2 of your salaries and invest in order to catch up with inflation, you will not be able to maintain your living standard. Some people will thus end up on social security, and some may work till 75. If you save less than 1/2 of your salaries, you need to have good investment skills (if you wish to maintain the same living standard during retirement).