Byajing, our beautiful Taiwan Tugo, sometimes falls asleep standing up. And sometimes it is hard to stay standing up!

猜得出來吧，外國人學中文，常被聲調搞糊塗了。

話說當年，本人剛進國文系，要寫作文寫不出來，越寫不出來越煩，就到宿舍找同學聊聊、解悶。

不料，到了宿舍還沒開口，同學說，「來得正好！走！我要出去買蚊帳！」我愣住。「蛤？你要去買文章？」「是啊。」

「你為甚麼要買文章？」「睡不著，所以一定要買。」

我似懂分非懂。「文章可以用買的嗎？」「當然要買，難道蚊帳要自己作嗎？」

「我以為要自己來才對。」「哪有人自己來？其實，我家裏有，可是沒帶來，因為沒想到宿舍蚊子這麼多。」

「你家裏有文章？沒帶來？」「是啊，我們睡覺都掛蚊帳，否則不好睡。」

我越聽越聽不懂。「沒有文章就不好睡？？」「所以呀，我沒有帶來，所以現在出去買一個，畢了業不想帶回家的話，就看留給哪一個學弟用。」

這實扗很奇怪，文章還可以留給學弟用。我很老實說，「我以為老師要我們自己寫。」「寫甚麼？」「寫文章。」「我還沒寫完，可是我想趁商店還沒打烊之前買蚊帳，回來以後再寫。」「你文章已經買了，為甚麼還要寫？」同學好像終于懂了問題所扗，很有耐心地、慢條斯理跟我說，「陶維極，文章，一聲，蚊帳，四聲。我要買蚊帳，四聲，我才能睡好覺；我買回來以後，我要寫文章，一聲。」

原來~~~

某甲看報導，跳高世界紀錄245公分。他從來沒看過人跳這麼高，他才不信這分報導。雖然認為不可能，但為了證實自己很客觀、很科學，所以他自己跳十次。連續十天，天天跳十次，最高，只不過跳110公分，因此他認為他已經證明跳245公分的報導是杜撰的，子虛無有之事。

某甲沒看到選手平常怎麼練，配合飲食、起居、拉筋，多管齊下；也沒注意到，因為那十天稍多運動，有一段時間他走路輕一些，味口好，晚上也睡的好。他只是逢人便說，跳245公分是騙人的，沒有這回事。他才沒那麼傻！

A man saw a report that the world record for the high jump is 245cm. He didn't believe a word of it, because he had never seen anyone jump so high. However, in order to prove himself an open-minded, scientific person, he jump ten times himself. He jumped ten times every day for ten days, but his highest jump was 110cm. Therefore, he felt that he had proved that it is impossible for anyone to jump 245cm.

He never considered how athletes train, how their diets and hours are carefully regulated, how they stretch and build strength, and how a large number of factors are behind a world record. He also did not notice that because of his ten days' exercise, for a while his step was lighter, his appetite better, and his sleep sounder. He just told everybody that it is impossible for anyone to jump 245cm. He proved that he is nobody’s fool!

某乙某甲看報導，有人持咒念佛有感應。他從來沒看過人用心念佛，他才不信這分報導。雖然認為不可能有甚麼感應，但為了證實自己很客觀、很科學，所以他自己念了一百聲佛號。連續十天，天天念一百次，可是也沒看到佛菩薩來給他加持，雜念還是那麼多，也沒感覺到有甚麼氣通脈徹，因此他認為他已經證明念佛感應的報導是杜撰的，子虛無有之迷信。

某乙沒想過，念佛持咒要配合飲食、起居、要改習氣、要調心，多管齊下；也沒注意到，因為那十天稍多善念，有一段時間他與周遭的人相處比較好、心情安穩、味口好，晚上也睡的好。他只是逢人便說，念佛感持咒是騙人的，是迷信，沒有這回事。他才沒那麼傻！

Another man saw a report that reciting Amitabha and telling mantras is good for you. He didn't believe a word of it, because he had never known anybody who had tried that. However, in order to prove himself an open-minded, scientific person, he recited Amitabha a hundred times himself. He recited Amitabha a hundred times every day for ten days, but no buddhas or bodhisattvas came to visit him, and his mind was still cluttered with junk. Therefore, he felt that he had proved that reciting Amitabha and telling mantras is nothing more than superstitious nonsense.

He never considered how Buddhists train, how their diets are carefully regulated, how they work to change their stultifying habits and to tame the monkeys in their minds, and how a large number of factors are behind telling a mantra. He also did not notice that because of his ten days' practice, for a while he got along better with people, he felt settled and calm, his appetite was better, and his sleep was sounder. He just told everybody that all this stuff about Amitabha and mantras is superstitious nonsense. He proved that he is nobody’s fool!

一二三自由節怎麼不見了？我們的自由不需珍惜了嗎？

The quality of this video is not great, but I happened to catch an eagle (hawk?) flying by.

note:
多謝賴鵬智先生，說『可以看出一點特徵，就是臉有一點黑的感覺，而上胸是白色的，對照猛禽圖鑑後，我認為那是「遊隼」』. Many thanks to Bird Lai, who has identified this bird as a Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, the fastest animal on earth.

A mind-shaking comment (not an exact quote) from one of those little book-review blurbs in the LA Times last November: "The book was more believable because it was non-fiction." HuH? More believable than what? Fiction? This requires comment? Or she implies that non-fiction is composed of believable and non-believable?

白虎通三綱六紀:

三綱者何謂也？謂君臣、父子、夫婦也。六紀者，謂諸父、兄弟、族人、諸舅、師長、朋友也。故含文嘉曰：「君為臣綱，父為子網，夫為妻綱。」又曰：「敬諸父兄，六紀道行，諸舅有義，族人有序，昆弟有親，師長有尊，朋友有舊。」何謂綱紀？綱者，張也；紀者，理也。大者為綱，小者為紀，所以張理上下，整齊人道也。人皆懷五常之性，有親愛之心，是以綱紀為化，若羅綱之有紀綱而萬目張也。詩云：「亹亹我王，綱紀四方。」

「君為臣綱，父為子網，夫為妻綱。」這段文字悶殺了孔子之道，今姑不論，且曰，「敬諸父兄，六紀道行，諸舅有義云云」，疑有錯簡，原文當為「六紀道行，敬諸父兄，諸舅有義云云」。

#1971

I was reading about the amazing fossil fish, the Coelacanths. It seems that it has a brain that occupies only 1.5% of the braincase, and that the rest of the cavity is filled with fat.

Good heavens! I had never realized that so many prominent politicians are coelacanths!

(as to which politicians, please list your own pet peeves. 陳水扁, Sarah Palin, McCain, 陳菊, and Cheney top mine. Bush, per and fils, are nowhere near that 1.5%.)

十幾年前，捷運未建之前，進出烏來就靠新店客運的烏來線。線上的司機多為本地的達彥(泰雅族)；我的達彥語，多半是跟他們學的(很多音不準，也是這個緣故::車上聽不太清楚~~)。那時平地人很少知道烏來有溫泉，所以通常未出山前，車上是村民多，外人少，常常熱鬧非凡。我也觀察到一個現象；如果達彥扗臺北上車，看到司機也是達彥，雖然不一定說甚麼，但往往有一種很微妙的反應：放鬆，已經回到自己人的世界，不須管平地人的遊戲規矩。

泡湯流行，外面投資人把烏來溫泉炒熱了，現在村民坐公車通常沒位子坐，都給外面來泡溫泉的人搶了。一年前，「烏來線」這個親切的名號廢了，編號1601了。沒辦法的事，但至少四位數，多少可以安慰一下，與一般三位數的公車有點差異。

從前的鄉民選鄉長幾年前變成政府派鄉長。官派的鄉長全都是平地人，不是土生土長的達彥。最後一任的鄉長不錯，但前幾任的只將烏來當差事、當跳板，不想了解泰雅文化，不關心這份臺灣獨一無二的文化寶藏，甚至于污衊部落長老。

現在「烏來鄉」這個親切的名號廢了，我們降為烏來區了。今天起，1601號的公車，貶為三位數，849。事情雖然不大，但又覺得外頭主流社會的入侵。

臺灣有這種特殊文化，全世界只有臺灣才有；可是高喊「愛臺灣」的聲浪中，就聽不到一個衛護這個瑰寶的聲音。

三月二十七日的解譯：

臺灣名牌YESMEIDEO：夜市買的喔！

At a public meeting in Arizona, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 14 others were wounded and six killed by an unbalanced gunman. This in a state where people carry guns when the President of the United States visits.

I cannot believe that the Second Amendment (which was enacted to arm the militia, not individual citizens) was intended to allow a minority to enforce their will on the majority, or to enable that minority to obliterate the results of lawful elections with a few bullets.

Is the NRA proud? I hope that Americans who are capable of thinking finally start to enact some real gun control. It’s long overdue.

The new speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner (R / OH) defends his disgusting habit of smoking by saying, "I am what I am."

I'm not sure how to read that. Does that mean he's Popeye the Sailor Man (toot toot!) or just a horrible example?

I marvel every time I pass one of these modern gyms, with all the equipment and trainers and bright lights and loud music. People very seriously trot along on running machines, their eyes glued to the television screen in front of them: can't having the paying customers getting bored while they're exercising, I suppose. Are they aware that their running machine used to be called a treadmill and was once a tool of punishment for prisoners?

Perhaps gyms are a necessity in this modern cities where most people spend their days sitting. But I feel overall hard work is better for your health than going to a gym, and if your hard work is done outdoors, in a natural setting, even better. I seriously doubt whether all those bright lights and loud noises can be good for your whole body health, not to mention the lack of fresh, natural air. But if you are active outdoors, you aren't spending money, nobody is making a buck off you, so in today's world, that won't do. Sure, gym rats may be festooned with glamorous muscles, but look at photos of hard working men from the 19^th century. They were certainly tougher than city dwellers today, but they didn't have those cumbersome clumps of muscles. You may not be aware of it, but sawing is hard work; old-time sawyers did their work day in and day out, with saws that did not cut as well as modern saws. In the pictures I have seen of those sawyers, their figures were not particularly impressive. Probably because they didn't spend enough time (and money) on the treadmill watching insipid television shows, with an IPod blasting music into their ears.

Athletes competing in the Olympics a century ago trained for a week or two before the big event, which was truly amateur. Records are better now, but the few seconds faster or few centimeters higher are all out of proportion to the time spent in preparation, which is now counted in years rather than weeks.

In Food Politics, Marion Nestle points out that natural foods are more complete than processed foods, as they are still full of trace vitamins and so forth. (blog here, worth reading). Of course processed food is better than no food at all, exercising in a gym is better than not exercising at all. But by the same token, living a healthy lifestyle, moving about under your own power, using your hands and feet to do things besides pressing buttons, is bound to be better for you over the long run than living a sedentary life and spending time in a closed in gym.

So turn off the computer and get out into the wilderness!

今天是中華民國百年元旦。本來多數人認為中華民國絕對撐不到今天。當年我要從越南戰區來臺灣的時候，很多朋友勸我留扗越南比較安全；越戰雖然打的很劇烈，可是世人認為解放軍、紅衛兵隨時血洗臺灣，所以留扗戰區比來臺灣安全。

到來時正是中華民國「退出」(被推出)聯合國的前幾週。那幾年，常有外國人來臺灣的目的，是想看看中華民國被滅亡之前夕的樣子；甚至有人說，護照裏有中華民國簽證，將是奇寶、有歷史價值。當時，外國專家斷定，中華民國絕對撐不到民國七十五年。

讀師大時，常有人討論，歷代換朝易代，元朝最短，享酢才九十七年，怎麼樣也要撐過元朝的記錄，才能給國父面子、才不辜負民主的包袱。但臺灣局勢如累卵，前途堪虞。

終于熬到百年，恭喜。走過的路，危機四伏；但這並不表示未來的路好走。只要高喊「愛臺灣！」就悶死一切自由思攷或者辯論。臺灣現今的想法很封閉，越來越沒有國際觀。以前的團結解體了、遠瞻宏觀鎖緊了；臺灣年輕人養尊處優，少了父母輩的鬥志、缺了往年的衝勁。這個處境比對岸的槍砲更危險！還是要努力不懈；還是那句老調子：莊敬自強。

Today is the first day of the 100^th year of the Republic of China. Most people thought this day would never come, that the ROC would be wiped out by the Communists long before this. When I planned to come to Taiwan from Viet Nam, my friends in Saigon told me it was far too dangerous, and that it was much safer to stay in Viet Nam, where there was a war going on, than to come to Taiwan and get slaughtered when the People’s Liberation Army and the Red Guards carried out their promise to wash Taiwan in blood.

I arrived in Taiwan just a month before the ROC got kicked out of the United Nations, at a time when everybody knew that the ROC could not survive the PRC’s diplomatic and military thrusts. Foreigners hurried to come see what the ROC looked like before the communists destroyed the place. People even came so they could have an ROC visa in their passport, as a historical curiosity. Everybody knew the ROC was doomed.

We've come this far, which is cause for celebration, and relief; at least the ROC has lasted longer than the Yuan dynasty, founded by the Mongols after Genghis Khan, at 97 years the shortest of all Chinese dynasties. The ROC today faces far different challenges: loss of solidarity, loss of economic strength, a loss of the will to strive for anything. A particularly worrisome problem is a closing in of vision; people forget that Taiwan is a very small place, and that the world does not revolve around Taiwan. Right wingers think that all you have to do is yell "Love Taiwan!" to solve problems; at least it stifles free expression of opinion and creative thinking. To my mind, this is more dangerous than the Red Guards or the Liberation Army. But happy new year!