Yes, yes, yes, we know that Islam is the religion of peace, but this is outrageous. A Christian woman in Sudan, married to a Christian, has been sentenced to death because her father is Muslim, although her mother is Christian. Since her father is Muslim, her Christian faith is disregarded and her Christian marriage has been annulled by the court, so she has also been sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery. Good old religion of peace, huh?

LINK

我來華學中文年代，曾一時流行大學生背高中書包。當然要背建中、北一女、中一中之類名校的書包；板橋高中、彰化高中的沒人背。

(板橋高中的名聲是流氓學校)

來華的外國漢學家跟進，當然要背建國中學書包，偶而有人喜歡「成功」就背起成功中學書包；女漢學家只有一兩個，不用問：北一女。

可我不想。往昔臺灣買不到好背包，而書包確實好用，我就想。好了，和平東路溫州街口有人賣書包。(注：從國際學舍到和平東路，沿著瑠公圳走，圳溝邊的樹多，但是不好走，東側很多雜亂小房子，稍微比較好走，到了和平東路右轉，和平東路左右各一車道，兩邊矮房子裏騎樓下各種商店。)我買了一個沒字的軍綠色書包，帶回國際學舍，磨墨提筆，上面很仔細寫：

學小鬼洋

(？右到寫左從，洋崇麼那誰？好不好，左而右從是字國)

自格兒覺得字不錯，很滿意，從此背著上街。

有意料不到的效果：路人的反應。很嚴肅、道貌岸然的外國學者背建國中學，司空見慣，一個野小子背起這個「洋鬼小學」，很多大人不知道該如何反應。多數人裝做沒看到，有人看到欣然一笑。

也有好心人，很體貼問，「書包上面的字，你看懂嗎？」

「我自己寫的，當然看懂。」

于是有人釋懷笑，但大部分人更加困惑。

A fascinating new look at human evolution: “essential molecules had changed even more rapidly in human muscle than in the brain. The rate of change in muscle was 10 times that seen in our closest animal cousin, the chimpanzee.

In contrast, the molecules in the human brain had evolved four times faster.

The scientists believe human muscle needed to alter drastically to free up energy for the brain becoming puny.“

For the complete article, please click HERE.

文化大學某一同學每上課必睡，教授終于忍不住，說，「想睡就不用來上課。」學生一氣就往教務處投訴，理直氣壯說，「上課是我的權利，睡覺也是我的權利。」

二、三十年前有個我不太喜歡的口號：「不要讓你的權利睡著。」現在變成：「睡覺是我的權利。」

我小時在美國受到的教育是：權利佔三分之一，義務佔三分之二。現在臺灣的教育是：我有權利我就要濫用，別人都有義務服侍我。

這樣下去，臺灣不保。

楚懷王說，大福不再。自古有幾人能讀書？今天是人類歷史上教育最普及的時代，而今天的世界上，只以1%的人可以念書到大學畢業。福中要知福，不知福、不惜福，卻糟蹋福氣，臺灣有前途嗎？

Hurray for France! They bought new trains to upgrade their train service. 

One slight problem: somebody forgot to measure things, and it turns out that the trains are just a few centimeters too large to fit into the stations. Not a big problem, only 1300 stations. I’m sure they can remedy this minor glitch with a bit of grease on the sides of the trains.

LINK

The bulls win one! Hurray! 

LINK

It tells you something about matadors’ “bravery” when they keep fighting only when the bulls lose. Let a bull win, and the cowards call off the game. 

從前讀歷史，到魏晉南北朝就搞不清楚：魏篡漢、晉篡魏、八王之亂、中華自亂、五胡亂華、華亂五胡、五胡戶亂、亂亂亂，實在搞不清楚。

共產主義在中華名存實亡，年輕學者擺脫馬恩思想的枷鎖；在歷史，新秀日出，作品成山，成就沛然，這幾年讀他們的作品，魏晉南北朝終于開始理出頭緒。

那是一個燦烈的時代：時代、人物燦爛、悲烈，一點也不令人嚮往，但使我想提筆。其中太多太多精彩的題材：都需要人寫短篇、長篇、劇本、電影展示他們的事跡：尊重地詮釋他們的時代、他們的抉擇、他們的人生。光是慕容家族故事就說不完。羊后的心態很需要探索，可以寫成上等的作品。原來毛寶不是洗衣精，是橫行戰場的勇將。蘇峻幾杯酒改變了歷史，司馬炎立太子壞了晉朝。秦王苻堅的帝國版圖大于盛漢，出征淝水于時為世界歷史最大規模軍事行動，一馬跌而局勢顛倒。十六歲的梁敬帝遶著床逃命，喊「本不願為皇帝，陳霸先推我即位，如今將殺我！」而死于刀下，又一個年輕皇帝(忘了哪一位)為權臣所弒，臨死只求來世不生帝王家。石勒從奴隸成為帝王、劉裕本為無賴的孤兒卻篡晉立宋。阬人、食人，常有的事，人民怎麼活？整個家族記憶中沒過過安寧的日子，怎能活下去？

韋孝寬、達摩祖師、侯景、宇文泰、高歡、佛圖澄、高敖曹、苻生、石虎、好人壞人幾簍筐，都用他們的生命、他們的智慧、愚蠢、遠見、盲點、熱血、冷血寫出燦烈的歷史，躍然紙上。

但其中，幾乎不必點綴而自成最完美的故事，就是嵇康。「康早孤，有奇才，遠邁不群。身長七尺八寸，美詞氣，有風儀，而土木形骸，不自藻飾，人以為龍章鳳姿，天質自然。恬靜寡欲，含垢匿瑕，寬簡有大量。學不師受，博覽無不該通，長好老、莊。」與魏宗室婚，而他二十四歲時攜眷離洛陽索居山陽竹林，阮籍、山濤也來了，有那麼燦爛的一年多，留下竹林七賢的美名，供後人摸索。隨君追思、質疑、叱笑、仰慕。「康居貧，嘗與向秀共鍛於大樹之下，以自贍給。潁川鐘會，貴公子也，精練有才辯，故往造焉。康不為之禮，而鍛不輟。良久會去，康謂曰：『何所聞而來？何所見而去？』會曰：『聞所聞而來，見所見而去。』會以此憾之。及是，言于文帝曰：『嵇康，臥龍也，不可起。公無憂天下，顧以康為慮耳。』因譖康」，文帝不容，加之罪賜死。往刑場，三千太學生出來請拜為師；太學生壞事，文帝認為臥龍不可起，必死不赦。康顧視日影，索琴彈「廣陵散」，曰：「廣陵散于今絕矣！」時年四十。

嵇康之死，于其人于其時，實悲，但為候人留下最完美的故事，不撰而為上品。

嵇康嘆，「廣陵散于今絕矣！」其實是他個人的版本；曲譜記音，但詮釋由個人。曲譜未佚，隋朝找到曲譜，唐代流行民間，宋高宗時收入宮廷，而明代編入「神奇曲譜」，流傳至今。

聽吧，紀念嵇康、竹林七賢、南北朝芸芸眾生。

沒齒鼠見人起大廈，嫉妒成恨，天天啃鋼筋，企傾伏其樓，殊不知，若樓垮，第一被壓死，是自己。

When we got home, I went out back to feed the dogs. A large field mouse was scampering back and forth between the dogfood buckets and the tool rack. I called Byajing and Yumin, intrepid hunters. They wagged cheerfully, ignoring the field mouse. Finally, after considerable coaxing, Byajing went over and sniffed perfunctorily under the rack. Yumin checked the place too.

I have a feeling a conversation was going on, beyond my ken.

Byajing: Hey, Qoli, we told you not to come when Yaba has come home.

Qoli: I know, but you promised me I could play with your toy sticks tonight.

Yumin: Not now, Qoli, get out of here and come back when Yaba has gone indoors and turned off this light. 

Qoli: Well, okay, but I’ll be back after you finish eating.

Byajing: No problem! Now, scoot!

明遺民船山王夫之著「讀通鑑論」，亦可名「讀通鑑吹毛求疵集」，歷代好人、壞人，通通劇罵。船山筆下，無完人，苛察而無已。尤恨外族，或以其生于明末，眼見滿清入關。

船山卻問：「君子之求于人也，可以苛察而無已乎？」下文云「事是君而為是君死，食焉不避其難，義之正也。」

臣不死君難，船山甚不饒人，筆征墨伐。

但是：船山生于明末，眼見滿清入關，其父親、二兄、叔父均護明抗清陣亡，而船山獨活。雖組民起兵，但不了了之；明朝有難，船山何以不死？苛求諸人，至己身則不論。

人，最容易認出自己。一個人一直罵、不饒人、口出惡言，往往就是看到自己。或許船山惡言詈罵前人的不是，實為自責。

今臺灣政事，極少就事論事、計及子孫、為社稷謀福，只有怒吼、毒罵。怒吼的人，是發洩內心的不平？抑或看到自己？

現代教育不重視詩，一則學校教育功利，能賺錢的科目家長才願意讓孩子上。然一則現代詩已離詩本位：失去詩意，寫長短句，跟散文沒兩樣，只有排版不同，詩的意境已無，則何需為詩？
請看看第十四屆台北文學獎的首獎作品LINK。這給你人生的啟發嗎？感動嗎？半夜睡醒，會在你心中裊裊，喚起人生幽趣的憧憬嗎？

Poetry is being neglected in today’s schools, which are geared to producing efficient money making machines. LINK

Part of the problem lies with modern poetry, much of which has lost touch with its muse. All you have to do is plop down some artistically arranged sentences on a page and you’re in business. IMHO, people read poetry to be informed of new worlds, to be moved. You’re not getting that with a poem published recently that had a verse saying:

T T T T T T T T T T T T

T T T T T T T T T T T T

T T T T T T T T T T T T

and so forth. I may not be quoting exactly, but is that something that would haunt your dreams? 

恭喜拉阿魯哇、卡那卡那富的自我定位收到官方認同。

一方面，覺得要分就分不完，我們都是人，管你膚色青紅皂白，管你說甚麼語言，我們都是人，何必細分？但另一方面，確認自己的位置、自己的祖先、很重要。

恭喜他們正名，是為了這個。

唯一遺憾：鄒族人數又變少了！

Congratulations to the Kanakanavu and Saaroa(ɬaʔalua), who have won recognition as being separate tribes. They have long been grouped with the Tsou (Cou), but their languages are quite different. Each of these newly recognized tribes has about 500 people.
LINK

The NRA will tell you to be proud: this proves that Americans have better aim.

The raw numbers tell you something, but not everything, because not all countries have the same population. How many people are killed, proportionately?

In Japan, 1 out of 2,600,000.

In the UK, 1 out of 8,000,000.

In Switzerland, 1 out of 235,000.

In Canada, 1 out of 6,700,000.

In Israel, 1 out of 132,800.

In Sweden, 1 out of 434,000.

 In West Germany, 1 out of 1,200,000.

and in the US,

1 out of 29,000. We WIN!

Let’s make the competition a bit stiffer: Russia has about 5,000 gun deaths a year out of a population of 142,500,000, so that gives them only 1 in 28,500, so you can see Americans have to work harder! We are losing the Death Race! But only by a little, so go out there and get your kids guns so they can do the patriotic thing and pop someone off.

We are still way behind Jamaica, Swaziland, and the Honduras, but let’s concentrate on overtaking Russia first.

If it’s any consolation, we still have a lot more people incarcerated than any other country in history. 

The idea that guns can protect liberty in the computer age is either pathetically naïve or disgustingly disingenuous. 

Now you can get your six year old a color coordinated rifle that shoots real bullets and can kill real people. >>LINK<< They ought to work on that scope, though. Can’t they make a pink one, to go with the gun?

If you want a gun, okay, but you ought to be required to prove you can handle it responsibly, just like you need a driver’s license before you can legally drive. Nobody needs a tank in his garage, and nobody needs an assault rifle at home. Leave those to the professionals.

錄此段民主銘言，因為深感臺灣亟需加強：你不跟我喊同一個口號，你就是不愛臺灣。「我是人，我反核」：換言之，立場與我不同就不是人，那就是畜牲，畜牲不要講話，等著被宰就好了。你對服貿的意見與我不一樣，刪除好友。民眾努力摀住對方嘴巴、箝制言論自由。臺灣的言論自由是，可以很自由地罵國民黨；持有其它意見，小心被冠上「不愛臺灣」的罪名。

上街頭更是如此。喇叭音量越大越好，壓過一切其它聲音，沒有對話，不可以討論，強迫接受我們的看法，還好意思說是救臺灣。

今偶得明遺民王船山一句：

「言路者，國之命也。言路蕪絕而能不亂者，未之有也。」

慎之！

新店地方法院附近有一家公司：

益享有限公司

偶視之，眼花，看成

益拿有限公司

而位法院旁，於戲！