棋盤及數學

《棋王》(阿城)描述人在文革時期所處的困境中如何在棋盤上找到精神上的完全自由及自主世界，而數學則讓人一瞥一個完美的精神世界。

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。