教導孩子理財之道

有本書名為May Moon and the Secrets of the CPAs是關於如何教導孩子理財的態度，雖然此書是專為孩子而寫，但我覺得有些內容對於今天過份強調物質生活的年青人有很大的啟示。

書中提到我們對金錢的態度要認真，從不輕率、不浪費。但有錢不等如有快樂，金錢也不能買快樂；快樂並不是建基於物質之上，不應過分著眼物質上的追求。只要數算一下自己擁有的，跟世界上不少還生活在貧困環境裏的小孩相比，便知道自己已很幸福。此外，又應養成將自己的財富和別人分享的習慣，例如每月把定額的零用錢捐給自願機稱，能跟別人分享是一種福氣。書裏又以一些生活上的例子，給孩子介紹了幾個和理財有關的重要概念。例如︰

(一)以資本的角度去看金錢，從而培養出讓它增長的想法；
(二)經常性收入比一次性收入重要，應盡量把收入來源穩定化；
(三)支出有「費用」(即花掉了)和「投資」(有回報)的分別；
(四)紀錄收支並加以檢討非常重要；
(五)編製收支預算，並以此工具幫助我們在收入、支出、儲蓄、投資和分享方面取得平衡；
(六)利息和複利的威力，從而明白儲蓄的意義，養成儲蓄的習慣，並訂立中、短期的儲蓄目標；
(七)需要與慾望的區分，不應為了滿足慾望或虛榮心而亂花錢；
(八)明白借貸和信用卡這種先使未來錢的消費方式的風險，從而避免舉債購買非必須品；
(九)跟賭博和投機等高風險行為不同，投資前需進行資料的收集和研究，需理性、有根據和嚴守紀律；
(十)做生意和投資趨勢等概念。

何必殺生呢？

報章就野豬一家五（四？）口誤闖葵涌醫院（實只在醫院後山徘徊）一事，多描述為「野豬大鬧葵涌醫院」，並圖文並茂，這類題目正適合作為兒童版新聞報導。新聞報導後的互動思考活動如下：

父：你覺得野豬們的行為怎樣？
清：牠們不應該這麼做。
父：那麼是否應該射殺牠們呢？
清：不應該的，應該跟牠們說：「請你們立即離開。」才對！

杜拉克的名言

彼得杜拉克(Peter F. Drucker 1909-2005)是當代世界最著名的企業管理顧問，由於他在管理學上的偉大成就，被尊為“現代管理學”之父。他的名言不但被企管人視為金句，對同學和在職的年青人都有很大的啟發。

以下是節錄自杜拉克管理自白書的名言：

“一生只做兩種事：做正確的事和正確地做事。”

“時間是一種獨特的資源，根本無法儲存，一旦過去，永不復返。”

“在現代經濟中，知識正成為真正的資本與首要的財富。”

“知識己經成為關鍵的經濟資源，而且是競爭優勢的主導性來源，甚至可能是唯一的來源。”

“知識型員工指的是掌握和運用符號和概念，利用知識或信息工作的人。”

“有偉大成就的人，向來善於自我管理。”

“未來的勞動人口中，有愈來愈多人必須自我管理，大多數的知識工作者尤其必須這麼做。”

“下一個社會是知識經濟的時代。知識經濟時代中，公司最重要的資產不再是土地、資本或設 備，而是員工腦袋里的知識、智能和本領。”

“擁有信息就擁有權力!”

“我們若無法阻擋變革，就只能走在變革之前。”

烏蠅極需人類援手!

以下是節錄自清清媽媽的Webblog

上月到星光行商務印書館一遊後，便到「麵藏」午膳，當我快將吃光碟上的炒烏冬時，小清清跟我與她父親的談話，異乎尋常，值得記錄下來，「立此存照」：

清：媽咪，妳可否不吃光所有食物？
母：為甚麼？
清：因為我想妳和我一同跟烏蠅分享食物。
母：牠們有本領在食物棄置的地方找到食糧。
清：但是我真是極之渴望與烏蠅分享吃剩下來食物啊！
父：那是絕對不可以的，牠們的腳非常骯髒，妳這樣做極不衛生的！
清：但牠們無法吃得到這些食物，實在十分浪費。
父：沒有這回事！
清：爸爸啊！姨姨會收拾吃剩的食物和碗碟，那麼牠們又怎能趕及到這裡飽腹呢？
母：別擔心，姨姨不懂飛，蒼蠅兒卻懂，對不？

BBC 中文網

早前曾經和同學討論如何利用BBC 新聞網學英語，詳情可參考我在9月20日和12月4日的日誌。除了對學習英語有用之外，BBC 中文網更加可以幫助同學改善普通話水平，同學只要登入網上點播就可以收聽普通話節目，內容是關於國際大事和今日中國，除了可以學好普通話外，更可加深對國家和時事的了解，所以不容錯過。此外，網站還有一個名為Learning English 的超連結，同學可以學到一些日常使用的英語、商業英語、基本的文法和發音，一些互動的生字遊戲更加可以增加同學學習英語的興趣。如果同學每天都花一小時用這些資源學習語文，你的英語和普通話必有長足的進步。

BBC 中文網的URL 是

http://news8.thdo.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/default.stm

山 水 傳 奇

山 水 傳 奇

2006-02-05
捕 蛇 者 說
2006-01-29
水 中 花
2006-01-22
我 為 蘭 狂
2006-01-15
飛 舞 的 色 彩 － 蝴 蝶
2006-01-08
我 樹 之 間
2006-01-01
昆 蟲 記
2005-12-25
香 港 蛙 蛙 叫
2005-12-18
蝙 蝠 之 迷

In search of Sargassm (半葉馬尾藻)

Last month, my family spent a day in Clearwater Way Bay. It was a warm, sunny day with gentle breezes. My daughter enjoyed building sand castles and chasing waves. As she kicked the waves, her feet got entangled by something brown and slimy in appearance. She was so curious about this brown stuff and asked me whether it was living or not. I took a look at it and recognized that it was Sargassm, a seaweed commonly found in local water in Winter and Spring. Unlike its close relative Fucus, Sargassm is a free drifter throughout its life and has no holdfast to make a firm grip on the rock surface. I also showed my daughter how Sargassm adapts to this mode of life by equipping its leaf blade with air bladders, which provides buoyancy to keep the plant body at full exposure to sunlight and thus maximizes the photosynthetic efficiency.

My daughter seemed to be bored by my explanation. She was only interested in collecting seaweeds from the beach and throwing them back to the sea. So I stopped explaining and just played with my daughter.

It was a lovely and enjoyable family day.

運動的重要

以下是節錄今期壹週刊的專訪：

"從事教育工作多年，她說，今日的年輕人最缺乏的，是運動。

「我的成長期，是靠運動訓練意志 ，之前形勢不好，也要繼續前行，不能放棄。

「讀書，半年才一次考試，但體育，天天是比拼，每日有輸贏，教了我面對失敗，跌倒後又重新上路。」"

香港大學化學系系主任——任詠華 ，剛剛拿了國家自然科學獎二等獎。

因為愛

《心靈雞湯》有一個故事蠻好的：一個社會學教授帶學生去貧民區，訪問二百個青年，評估他們的前途。「沒希望！」每一個個案學生都這評。
　　二十五年後，另一個教授跟進這個研究。調查後發現當日大部分貧苦青年竟變成了律師、醫生、商家。
　　教授很奇怪，追問之下，他們異口同聲答：都因為一位老師。找到那位老師之後，問她怎樣使這些青年成功，她只微笑答：「我愛他們。」
　　德蘭修女說：「將愛傳揚，在家裏，對子女、對伴侶、對鄰居……要讓任何人離開你時都更好更快樂。你代表主的愛—面上有愛、眼中有愛、笑中有愛，你的熱情的問好中有愛。」

教改和教師壓力之我見

近日鬧得沸騰騰的教師壓力問題及因高官失言而引爆過萬老師上街遊行，使我覺得有需要在此從前線教育工作者的立場發表意見。高官失言時有發生，但為何今次會特別觸動教育界的神經，引發大規模的抗爭？我相信官員的言論只是導火線，它引爆多年績壓在教育界的深層次矛盾。在此我想表達對兩項特別引起爭議政策的看法。

教學語言政策的矛盾

自從母語教學實施後，眼見學生的英語水平每況愈下，實在令人婉惜。儘管政府不斷開動宣傳機器，拿出片面的數據去支持母語教育如何優勝，但都不能改變家長和學校的看法 — 母語教學是稍遜的。君不先每年會考放榜，教統局便急不及待向傳媒發表母語教學下學生成績如何進步云云，那一邊廂，傳媒追訪成績優良的中中學生如何在尋找中六學位時碰釘，及如何克服在中六因教學語言改變而面對的學習困難。如果政府認為中中和英中的水平是一樣的，為什麼只容許收生組別和老師語文水平較佳的中學實施英語教學，強制性的母語教育，令到整個教育界陷入階級性的矛盾當中。從此「中中」和「英中」的標籤取代了一間學校的內涵，就算教統局官僚一百個不承認，母語教學政策令香港大部份的學校背負反感的標籤，這個事實無論教師、家長和學生都只可以吞聲忍氣地接受。

我不知道母語教學政策是否「愉快學習」理念的延續，就我課堂所見，當學生遇到不明白的英文生字，他們會採取逃避態度。進行專題研習時，當面對英文的材料不論是印刷還是網上，他們都會放棄使用。今天大部分的學生，當遇到學習困難時是採用逃避態度，母語教學已成為他們不學好英語的藉口。當政府高層要把香港定位為國際城市，而其他亞洲城市不斷加強英語教學，我們又是否應該削足就履，斷送下一代的英語水平和在國際社會的競爭力。

增值指標的禍害

今天的學校愈來愈像工廠的生產線，學生可比喻為原材料，經過幾年的「加工」後，便成為有用之才。而增值指標就是這間工廠的品質管制(QC)，增值指標是基於會考和高考的成績來計算，政府一方面鼓勵發展學生多方面的才能，但一方面就以公開考試的成績來定奪一間學校增值與否，這又是否一個互相矛盾的政策？再者，根據學者的研究，學生的學業成績受不同因素影響，其中以社經背景(Socioeconomic status)和家庭支援尤為重要。如果硬把成績退步的責任全數由老師承擔是極不公平的。當整個社會充滿間責的風氣，為什麼學生和家長可以獨善其身？

要知道增值指標的禍害，大家可以晚上到新市鎮的學校看看，晚上九時大部分學校還是燈火通明，為了不「貶值」各科老師爭相進行馬拉松式補課，長假期回校補課已經成為常態，有些直資學校甚至以老師披星戴月補課，把操場改建成補習課室來招徠。如果我們相信學習是一生的歷程，為什麼硬要把不同學習能力的學生安排在同一條起跑線，以跑100米的速度完成10000米的長跑。增值指標最大的禍害不在於增加老師的壓力，而是壓搾學生的空間和學習興趣，今天的學生已經沒有多餘的空間發展興趣和閱讀課外書，老師忙已經是人所共知，但學生更忙，要找學生傾談是需要預約的！補課的風氣亦使學生把補課等同學習，他們沒有自學的習慣，更加沒有反思的空間。有些公開考試成績好的學生因為已習慣中學「飯來張口」的學習模式，對於大學較自由和重自學的學習環境感到格格不入。

以上是我當了十多年前線教育工作的觀點，希望當局聽取前線的聲音，制定對得起下一代的教育政策，還學生和老師空間。

參觀瀕危物種資源中心

二十五名中三同學參觀漁護署位於長沙灣政府合署的瀕危物種資源中心，透過這活動同學可見到一些活生生的瀕危動物，觸摸一些標本，從而多了解瀕危物種。當日的導賞員更為同學安排一個講座，內容是關於「瀕危動植物種國際貿易公約」及其在香港實施的情況，該短講使同學更加明白作為市民可以做些什麼來保護瀕危物種。

環保教育系列

我消費，故我在？ I BUY, therefore I AM

引言：看似簡單的消費過程遠遠多於金錢與貨品的交易，它還包含個人的身份打造和反映我們對甚麼是美好人生的想像。本文作者朱仔以尖酸的文筆剖釋尊崇消費的社會，不但削平個人獨有的差異，亦令像生態價值等無法直接轉換為金錢利益的議題在發展經濟的前提下被迫讓路。【獲獨立媒體授權轉載】

我消費，故我在？
--朱仔
23-02-2005
http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=16521&group_id=78

【獨立媒體】香港，已進入「我消費，故我在」(I buy, therefore I am) 的物慾時代。

「好天買鞋，落雨買鞋，心情好買鞋，心情唔好買鞋 ......」別以為這則商場廣場誇張，原來有38.2%的香港受訪市民未必會在購物前想想所買物品是否有用，也有近三成人坦白承認「愈消費愈滿足」。

原來，我們已告別了柴米油鹽的基本生活年代。香港地球之友的調查發現，86%的受訪者認為這個社會過度消費。縱使這種購買行為尚未失控，但消費本身早已淪為滿足感性、物慾的工具。
現代人吃著消費的奶水長大，然而這種奶水既沒有刺激腦部發育的DHA，也沒有讓小孩兩歲就學會2136個單字的成份。相反，它有吞噬人類精神面貌美善價值的副作用，裡頭的涵義是：必須要靠花錢消費才能尋找自我、定義自我，甚至界定我們對萬事萬物的看法。最明顯的例子，是很多人只有聽著「身體工業」老闆的魔笛，才知道「靚」的標準答案。於是，前年夏天「照」出一身古銅膚色是為美麗，去年轉為美白，今年更要激白。明年呢？可能已然蒼白。因為，你再不是你，只不過是追逐消費符號的臭皮囊。

人與消費的主從關係，荒誕地倒置著。人的自我價值，也拱手讓與資本家，任憑對方複製消費者的思維，灌輸閣下美醜肥瘦該穿甚麼該買甚麼的單一準則。所以，我們認定鑽石等同承諾、朱古力代表愛情；而買花送金睇戲共晉情侶餐等千篇一律的樣板，才是情人節最政治正確的表態公式。一旦逐件褪去名牌衣履皮鞋及各種「人工膚色」時，你可會像遺失身份証般，說不出自己是誰？

只有囚在監牢的犯人才沒有身份，僅有一組編碼代號。然而，很諷刺地，我們身處的這座現代城市，也形同無處不在的消費牢房。無論在家中看電視、聽廣播，翻報紙雜誌，都逃不過商業資訊的洗腦。走在街上、坐上巴士還是地鐵，莫不是廣告燈箱、Roadshow宣傳或外牆廣告。行人天橋、九鐵尖東站的某處出口，總接上一式一樣的商場、裡頭有一式一樣的U2、G2000、麥當勞、百佳、惠康或Gucci。閣下以為走出一個商場，其實又不經意地墮進另一個預設的消費場地。既然看的吃的穿的想的都一樣，難怪愈來愈多像「倒模」般的「現代人」出現，只是大家都面目模糊，毫無個性，連編號也沒有。

可怕的是，當大家在政治上、經濟上、心靈上愈苦無出路，我們就更欲一頭栽進消費的懷抱來逃避、麻醉自己。

消費既非心靈雞湯，亦非唯一價值。不過，太多人膜拜消費，視它為救世主。去年沙士過後，由餐飲旅遊業組成的「消費大聯盟」大聲疾呼叫大家花錢；銀行、保險機構及信用卡公司也推波助瀾，推出沙士病人可延長還款期的「優惠」。「勁碌就有至抵優惠」、「人人齊消費，恒生來鼓勵」、「您消費，我找數」等宣傳口號，瞬間侵佔大小媒體。連經濟發展及勞工局局長葉澍堃也不落人後，一家四口參加本地遊，走了一趟大埔林村許願樹，硬要為許願樹套上消費外衣：「大家繼續去消費、參加這類活動時……證明香港人自己有信心出來消費、吃東西，這可吸引到海外旅客來港。」

結果，許願樹也被「消死」！
當一切都以經濟、消費定義，許願樹就難免要兼任推動經濟發展的推銷員。亦因此，西九龍的新填海地給披上文娛藝術的外衣，大做「愚民區」的房地產項目、簇新的紅灣半島可以話拆就拆變成變豪宅、大嶼山保育區更要為發展的硬道理讓路。
筆者不反對消費，但眼見消費幾近涵蓋了整個城市的面貌。它不但把公共空間打造成為消費空間，操控我們的食衣住行、打造大眾的身份及價值，甚至形成一種強迫性消費。我憂慮這種消費背後的劣質文化，終會把家的靈魂、下一代的生活品質一併「消」掉……


探究問題：
1. 根據你的生活經驗，鼓勵不斷購物消費的訊息是否正如作者所言隨處可見？試以例子說 明。
2. 朱仔在文章的開首直截了當地用「我消費，故我在」(I buy, therefore I am)來總括消費主義。她/他並不全盤否定消費帶來的樂趣，但卻指出消費正侵入生活的各個層面，排除其他構成自我的生活面向和價值。你是否同意她/他的觀察？為甚麼？
3. 朱仔認為我們的現代城市儼如一所消費監牢，她/他的意思是甚麼？你認為這個比喻恰當嗎？朱仔同時批評消費主義削平人與人之間的差異，彷彿普羅市民都接受了由商界打造的單一的身份、生活品味和人生理想。但有另一些意見認為消費主義事實上是鼓吹多元，創造差異。從同一型號手機設有數十款不同顏色風格的配件隨意配搭，便說明消費主義為了鼓勵消費比以往更加懂得迎合個人品味。你同意哪一種觀點？為甚麼？試舉例說明。

A good reference on antibiotic misuse

The Antibiotic Paradox: How the Misuse of Antibiotics Destroys Their Curative Powers by Stuart B. Levy, M.D., Stuart B. Levy updates information on the misuse of antibiotics in general and Cipro in particular, linking new mutations of bacterial resistance to the overuse of Cipro and other important antibiotics. Resistance can lead to disease outbreaks: The Antibiotic Paradox examines the build-up of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria and examines medical and social trends in treatment options.

I read an early edition of this book a few years ago and found it informative and inspiring. The author delineates the mechanism of developing antiobiotic resistance in some bacterial strains in such a way comprehensible to laymen. According to this book, people ranging from farm workers to those working in the medical field used to treat antibiotics as an elixir to all types of diseases in the past. The severity of antibiotic misuse was reflected in the propaganda in the early '60 that boasted the miracle use of antibiotics in promoting health and extending longevity. Based on this belief, the government officials in Thailand made the prescription of antibiotics to sex workers mandatory in a hope that this might stop the spread of syphilis in the country.

The abuse of antibiotics is not only restricted to the medical field. It has become popular in the farming industry. Fodder containing antibiotics is given to livestock as growth promotor. The residues may result in the mutation of antibiotic resistant strains in our normal flora. Despite the non-pathogenic property of the normal flora, mutant genes in the normal floral may get into those disease-causing strains through the plasmids and this may lead to a big trouble.

The most interesting part of this book is its subtle portrayal of the change of perception of people on antibiotics from miracle drugs to nightmare of medical practitioners. The rise of MRSA and other lethal resistant strains has posed threat to the public health. I am pessimistic about this matter becuase antiotics are not only but the last bullet available to fence off bacterial infection.

This book is available at local libraries and the call number is 615.329LEV

抗生素的迷思 : 濫用抗生素對醫學的影響 = The antibiotic paradox : how the misuse of antibiotics detroys their curative powers / 史都華.萊維(Stuart B. Levy)著 ; 林丹卉, 王惟芬譯.

Call number: 418.1 7454

無價的

每逢送禮，總會發現身旁太多「什麼都有的人」，要想出對方有什麼需要，難度太高，還是直接問對方有什麼想要好了。

送禮是一點心意，然而忙張羅之際，不要忘記，人生中最重要的禮物很多都是無價的：

金錢能買居所，不能買家庭；
金錢能買肉體，不能買真心；
金錢能買娛樂，不能買快樂；
金錢能買名表，不能買時間；
金錢能買照片，不能買回憶。

China's Talents in exile

The article in SCMP dated 17 January headlined “Surgery needed to plug the brain drain” highlights the problems facing both Communist China and would-be academics in China. With a highly unfavourable environment for research and development, an exodus of aspiring elite scientists has been witnessed over the past few years.

Most of the students/ researchers concurred that “China was still not the easiest place for academics to work because of ambiguities and restrictions in policy.” According to Dr Cao(a scientific policy resercher at the Levin Institute of the State University of New York), “The cost of opportunities for the best and the brightest scientists to work in China is just too high… They (Researchers) don’t know what research is permitted and what is not. They might find themselves having to suddenly stop their research because they are ordered to."

Another problem has something to do with plagiarism and academic corruption. The students studying overseas are prone to dismiss the idea of returning China to serve due to a lack of social justice and a heavy reliance on one's personal network for his success.

Such grave concerns have aggravated the problem and forced them into exile. The most popular country for higher education is the United States, followed by Hong Kong.

I wonder if offering "preferential policies or money to lure the talented back" is really as workable as expected. After all, relaxing restrictions on the freedom of press, the freedom of speech and so on would be the panacea for uprooting the problems.

King Kong Q & A

數天前小清清曾提問有關King Kong存在與否的問題，我和她的對話節錄如下:

清：King Kong 有沒有爸爸媽媽？

父：當然沒有，牠不可能存在於世上，既然如此，牠怎可能有爸爸媽媽呢？

清：為甚麼？

父：牠身型如此龐大而且是哺乳類動物，必須每天吃掉最少一個森林內的林葉，方才有足夠的熱量活動，那麼牠又怎可能存活太久呢？既然養活一隻King Kong的可能性低至零，牠又豈能繁殖後代呢？所以牠根本不可能有父母！

清：….

Some useful quotes from HKU Convocation Newsletter

The following quotes from HKU Convocation Newsletter match quite well with my philosophy of learning and self-discipline.

'The best regulations are not written!'

'The best learning earns no credit!'

'Learn from everything!'

'Take nothing for granted!'

'Read ahead and raise questions!'

'The virtues of diligence and obedience should never be allowed to breed yes-men and yes-women.'

' There is no time to waste!'

'To Serve, To Excel!'

I hope the above approaches towards learning and self-discipline also apply to you.

A book about thinking

'Teach your Child How to Think' , by Edward de Bono, is intended to give parents and teachers some guidelines on how to develop children's thinking skills. I have read a few chapters. To my disappointment, the first two chapters boast how influential and authoritative the author is in the field of cognitative science and psychology. When I moved on to chapter Three, what I discovered was the concept of 'Six Thinking Hats', an obsolete concept proposed by the author many years ago. I expect something new and inspiring in this book but it fails to meet my expectation.

"Six Thinking Hats' is a mental habit of approaching a problem from six perspectives represented by six hats of different colours. White-hat thinking is to do with information. Red-hat thinking is to do with feelings. The Yellow hat focuses on benefits. The Black hat is used for judgement and assessment. The Green hat is for action and creativity and the Blue hat is for the control of the thinking process itself. One advantage of the 'Six Thinking Hats' is that it can force you to deliberately think about an issue from multiple facets. However, as I practice the 'Six Thinking Hats' I find it quite difficult to partition my thought into six categories. The deliberate use of 'Six-thinking hats' may sometimes complicate the problem. Maybe it takes time to devleop this habit so eventually this particular way of thinking may seamlessly merge your routine mental work.

The author also suggests the sequence use of 'Six Thinking Hats' in different scenarios. The following paragraphs on sequential use are quoted from the book.

Scenario 1

Seeking an Idea:

The sequence of hat colours might be:

White: To gather available information.
Green: For further exploration and to generate alternatives.
Yellow: To assess the benefits and feasibility of each alternatives.
Black: To assess the weaknesses and dangers of each alternative.
Green: To develop further the most promising alternatives and to make a choice.
Blue: To summarize and assess what has been achieved so far.
Black: To make the final judgement on the chosen alternative.
Red: To find out the feelings on the outcome.

Scenario 2
Reacting to a Presented Idea:

Here the sequence is different because the idea is known and usually, the background infromation is also known.

Red: To find out the existing feelings about the idea.
Yellow: To make an effort to find the benefits in the idea.
Black: To point out weaknesses, problems and dangers in the idea.
Green: To see if the idea can be modified to strengthen the yellow-hat benefits and to overcome the black-hat problems.
Green: Development of the final suggestion.
Black: Judgement of the final suggestion.
Red: To find out the feelings on the outcome.

Do you find the above sequences useful? You can try these in solving problems and see whether they work or not.


This book is available at local libraries and the call number is 153.4 DEB

教育，應該是一種解放性的事業

以下說話是節錄自程介明先生在信報教育評論於一月七日所發表的文章。

「教育，應該是一種解放性的事業，而不是限制性的事業。我們對於年輕人，往往不是估計得太高，而是估計得太低太低了！」

Honour Killing = Horror Killing

The following article on 'Honour Killing' is quoted from my wife's webblog. I would like to share with you this article because most of us living in Hong Kong may not be aware that human rights and free will are too romote from women living in the tribal Islamic male-dominant world.


'I can't imagine that I am still terribly upset 16 hours after watching a programme on National Geographic channel last night about the plight of women in Pakistan and Lebanon. Cases of married and single women who got burnt half-dead or even got shot by their own families have been so common that people in the Middle East have taken it as something quite normal.

Quoted from www.gendercide.org/case_honour.html, the men say the wife didn't obey their orders, or was having relations with someone else. The police often say it is a domestic matter and refuse to pursue the case. Some judges even justify it and do not consider it murder." (Constable, "The Price of 'Honour.'") Such crimes are also rife in Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, where some 2,200 women are disfigured every year in acid attacks by jealous or estranged men. (Ellen Goodman, "How Long Before We Take the Honor out of Killing?," The Washington Post [in the Guardian Weekly, April 6-12, 2000.)

These women were killed for bringing "SHAME" to their families or fighting against family pressures. "SHAMEFUL ACTS" include: suspected adultery, pre-martial sex and refusal to marry in accordance with their family's choice. All these have something to do with the deprivation of free will to make choices and make decisions on their own.

The worst part of the programme was a disfigured pregnant married woman whose biological brother tried to get her a sponsored plastic surgery in the United States so that she could have a reconstructed nose for the half-cut nose(she still could smell, I guess), a pair of reengineered ears for the half-removed ears(she still could hear) and two eye balls(not real ones!) stuck into the two hollow holes. How terrifying it was!

Another story was how a female Pakistan who strived to fight for women's rights helped those abused and half-dead females. According to her, some families killed their daughters because they came back from the abusive husbands and decided to file a divorce. The families thought "the declaration of independence" had brought shame to the families. Another case was that a woman who was burnt nearly to death by her husband's family had been locked inside a room for four months without any treatment till the skin of the whole body turned to be watery dead meat. I covered my daughter's crying eyes immediately, yet she kept asking why and who did it. I told her the naughty and malicious men had done so.

In spite of being treated in a public hospital, the victim still longed for a "reunion" with the cold-blooded butcher and her husband once she has recovered. What an ignorant and uneducated woman she is! She is sort of human sacrifice on the altar in the modern world. How could that happen frequently in rural regions in the tribal Islamic male-dominant world? How lucky I am to have received higher education, to enjoy freedom of movement and freedom of speech here in Hong Kong!'

新 世 紀 人 類 工 程

新 世 紀 人 類 工 程
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/program_archive.cgi

2004-08-14
必 經 大 腦
2004-08-07
天 命 可 遺
2004-07-31
新 世 代 食 糧
2004-07-24
絕 處 逢 生
2004-07-17
複 製 之 謎
2004-07-10
病 毒 世 紀

健 康 大 道

RTHK Program Archives
2006-01-02
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 五 集 (老 齡 化 有 關 的 誤 解)
2005-12-26
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 四 集 (有 仔 趁 嫩 生)
2005-12-19
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 三 集 (雄 性 脫 髮)
2005-12-12
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 二 集 (食 物 敏 感)
2005-12-05
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 一 集 (超 時 工 作)
2005-11-28
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 十 集 (中 醫 跌 打)
2005-11-21
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 九 集 (失 眠)
2005-11-14
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 八 集 (中 醫)
2005-11-07
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 七 集 (高 血 壓)
2005-10-31
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 六 集 (呼 吸 道 毛 病)
2005-10-24
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 五 集 (健 康 的 定 義)
2005-10-17
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 四 集 (生 理 性 衰 老)
2005-10-10
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 三 集 (肥 胖 學 童)
2005-10-03
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 二 集 (痴 呆 症)
2005-09-26
《 健 康 大 道 》 第 一 集 (沒 有 疾 病 的 身 體 不 適)

Hong Kong Connection

2005-12-15
Ready To Respond迎 戰 世 紀 大 流 感


2005-11-24
The Globe Is Warming與 天 地 同 行


2005-09-29
The Avian Threat ( 山 雨 欲 來 )


2005-02-22
A War Without Guns沒 有 槍 炮 的 戰 爭


2004-12-07
The New Green Generation ( 綠 色 新 一 代 )

Global Aid for AIDS

RTHK Program Archives
2005-09-22
South Africa and Uganda: The Tales of African Women
2005-09-15
China: Any Harm?
2005-09-08
Hong Kong: Love Disparity
2005-09-01
Brazil: The Samba Medication
2005-08-25
China : “ Too Poor to be sick ”
2005-08-18
United States: Tainted Rainbow
2005-08-11
China: Nipping AIDS in the bud
2005-08-04
Cambodia: Drifters
2005-07-28
Ukraine: The Forlorn Needle
2005-07-21
Thailand : The Sirens

The Good Samaritans

The software giant Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda and the Irish rocker, Bono are TIME’s Persons of the Year. They are celebrities sharing something in common, rich and famous. They are selected for the Person’s of the Year not because of their wealth and fame but their unreserved effort and influence they put on helping those who suffer in the poor Third World.

Bill and Melinda are co-founders of the world’s wealthiest charitable foundation. Bono makes use of its influence to persuade the world’s leaders to take global poverty on by reducing debt of the Third World.

The plight of people living the poor developing countries may sometimes be overshadowed by media-catching catastrophes such as Tsunami and hurricane Katrina. Malaria kills two African children a minute, round the clock. In that minute a woman dies from complications during pregnancy, nine people get infected with HIV, three people die of TB. A vast host of aid workers, NGOs and governmental organizations have struggled for years to get ahead of the problem but often fell behind. Cultural differences further complicate the problem. In Muslim parts of Ethiopia, aid workers can’t talk to teenage girls about condoms to prevent AIDS; but in Tanzania they are encouraged to. How you cut an umbilical cord can determine whether a baby risks a fatal infection, but every culture has its own traditions. They cut with a coin for luck in Nepal and a stone in Bolivia, where they think if you use a razor blade the child will grow up to be a thief.

There is no one-size-fit-all solution for all countries. Bill’s foundation and Bono’ effort act as a catalyst to pull the politicians, philanthropists and experts at all levels to think globally and act carefully in response to the actual needs of the underprivileged. We desperately need more ‘Good Samaritans’ to bring in social justice and make the world a better place to live for all.

Hypoxia may be the culprit of sex transposition in fish

A recent study by local marine scientists reveals that hypoxia may be the cause of sex transposition in fish. In this research, carps growing in the hypoxic water have smaller sex organs, lower sperm activity and survival rate. After growing in the hypoxic water for several generations, the sex ratio tends to become imbalance as evident by the domination of male and virtually no female in the population of the progeny.

Researchers explained that an enzyme CYP19, an important protein in sex determination, is interfered under the hypoxic environment and renders fish inability of producing female sex hormone and this leads to the domination of male in the progeny.

The problem of hypoxia in marine environment is a global problem. The water is defined as hypoxic if the dissolved oxygen is lower than 2.8mg per liter. The area of hypoxic ocean is equivalent to the size of three Japan(s). The condition in Hong Kong is not too bad. Occasional hypoxia is found in Deep Bay and the dissolved oxygen in the other nine water pollution control zones is well above 4mg per liter.

There are natural and human causes of hypoxia. The meeting of sea water with freshwater results in the formation of water layers of different densities and this may form barriers slowing down the dissolution of oxygen in the water body. Global warming leading to the rise of sea temperature further aggravates the problem. Besides, organic pollution and eutrophication promote the extensive growth of algae, which leads to the red tide and it is one of the major human causes of marine hypoxia.

Sex transposition caused by hypoxia may further drive some rare but commercially important species such as Cheilinus undulates (NAPOLEON WRASSE), already over-fished, to the verge of extinction. To save our precious renewable resources such as fish, we need not only the effort of scientists but also the strong political will and concerted efforts of leaders from governmental and non-governmental organizations all over the world.