2009年2月14日星期六

科學使人類謙卑


達爾文 Charles Darwin 的進化論本只是科學理論,郤對哲學和宗教有着衝擊,蓋它似乎把人類從神壇上請了下來 (It seems to reveal that the human species is not semi-divine)。

相似地,另一個科學學說地心說(相對於日心說),也把我們生活在其上的大地(地球)從宇宙的中心請出來。地球,原來只是宇宙的一員,而不是它的中心。

科學使人類謙卑。由此可見一斑。

寫在達爾文誕生(1809.2.12)二百週年紀念日前後。


(圖:通過科學觀測,伽理略 Galileo Galilei 確認了哥白尼 Nicolaus Copernicus 的日心說。並因此遭遇到羅馬教廷的大審判)

(Photo credits: both pictures (Darwin: photograph by Henry Maull and John Fox and Galileo Facing the Roman Inquisition: painting by Cristiano Banti) are in the public domain as both of their copyrights have expired. I obtained the digital version from Wikimedia Commons)

2009年2月11日星期三

爛詩一首:央視與國家尊嚴

(Photo from guardian.co.hk)

小弟也作爛詩一首:

央視新樓本好事,無奈大意成飛煙,
聖旨下達不不不*,國家尊嚴因此失!


* 官方對央視大火的報導指示:「各網,中央電視臺新大樓北配樓發生火災相關報導,請各網站只用新華社通稿,不發圖片,視頻,不做深度報導,只放國內新聞區,關閉跟帖,自然滾動,博客論壇不置頂,不推薦。」

2009年2月10日星期二

Top RTHK appointment sends wrong message to community

By Yui-Wah (Clement) Lee (a member of SaveRTHK)

(A revised version of this was also printed in South China Morning Post as a Letter to the Editor on Feb 11, 2009)

I refer to the government decision to replace the outgoing Deputy Director of Broadcasting by another administrative officer.

With all due respect to the outgoing and incoming administrative officers appointed to this post, I would like to point out that both of them do not have any media experience, and their posting into RTHK, a media organization with a sensitive role, can only strengthen the public’s fear that the executive branch intends to control the media organization.

Some may defend the appointments and say, “Why not? RTHK is a government department after all, isn’t it?” Well, not quite. RTHK is more a de facto public broadcaster than a government department. The executive branch should not be RTHK’s boss but rather its peer. In fact, in many cases, and justifiably so, the executive branch is also a subject under RTHK’s watch, investigation, and criticism.

Here is the fundamental question. Do we the people of Hong Kong believe that Hong Kong will be better off by having a truely independent public broadcaster, or by having a government mouthpiece?

Similarly, do we believe that HK will be better off by having a truly independent commission against corruption, or by having an “internal affairs bureau” through which alleged government corruptions would be investigated by government officers? In 1970s, the society has made up its mind for the former, and that was why we have got ICAC and could finally clean up the massive corruption in the executive branch.

The fact that RTHK is still being structured as a government department in Hong Kong is an unfortunate vestige of history. The community have repeatedly demanded that RTHK be de-linked from the government structure, and be given a statutory guarantee that it would not be interfered by undue political and commercial pressure. Yet undue political influence is exactly what the Tsang administration seems to have been imposing, repeatedly, upon RTHK in recently years. It has been adding salt to the injury.

The Tsang administration also uses the reason that “a public service broadcasting review is underway” as an excuse to justify the appointment. I think this excuse is ludicrous. We all know that the Tsang administration has broken its promise to the community thrice (in late 2007, early 2008, and late 2008) and a public consultation has never happened. To me, the so called review is just vaporware – it will never happen. It is just yet another political harassment of the executive branch on the media organization.

(This letter was originally titled as "Is an independent public broadcaster a bad thing for HK?")

-- The End --

2009年2月7日星期六

漂碟行動:Who Killed The Electric Car?



小弟最近看了一齣紀錄片 Who Killed the Electric Car? (YouTube 短片),很想向香港的朋友推介,碰巧蔡團長遠道而來,故此我借此機會把該紀錄片的影碟「漂」回香港。。。

漂碟行動。玩法:

  1. 收到影碟後,請給本人 (leeyuiwah AT hknet DOT com) 發一封電郵,告知「收到」 Who Killed The Electric Car 。並告知您的大約所在地區(如沙田,或美國新澤西州等)。
  2. 如有興趣收看,請盡量在三星期內看完。看完後,請把影碟漂給下一位朋友。請同時再給本人發另一封電郵,告知影碟已「漂出」。如有興趣,也可寫一點感受。
  3. 我會將以上收集到的追踪資訊,在以下網頁上發表。(觀後感會在以下 Comment 欄發表)





追踪紀錄:

2009.2.7 美國新澤西州。漂出。
2009.2.10 港島渣甸山。收到。