Wednesday
5
November
2008
Yes We Can
Posted in 时事与政治, 转载 at 8:50 pm by 老貓 · Permalink · ·
[UPDATED 6 Nov 2008] Video and audio: click here, and the actual speech delivered here (PDF).
Source: CNN. As released by the Obama campaign:
Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama—as prepared for delivery
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
Tags: Afghanistan, Ann Nixon Cooper, Atlanta, Barack Obama, Berlin, Birmingham, Charleston, CNN, Concord, David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Delaware, Democrats, Des Moines, Iraq, Joe Biden, John McCain, Malia Obama, Michelle Obama, Montgomery, New Deal, presidential election, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Sasha Obama, Scranton, Selma, Wall Street, Washington, White House
Saturday
18
October
2008
浅思录（十二）
Posted in 时事与政治, 有关食物, 生活 at 11:38 am by 老貓 · Permalink · ·
75、
今天做药材鸡。鸡是半只童子鸡，药材是沙参、玉竹、芦根、黑枣、枸杞。在家里经常是熬汤，偶尔炖汤，美味之极。不过本猫的做法那叫一个独出心裁：先蒸鸡，再加药材炖，炖到汤色变深了再加水熬，一锅的汤熬成半锅。吃的时候基本上鸡是可以扔掉了，那精华都在汤里。
我们念书，何尝不是蒸、炖、熬。
76、
今日读报，看到美国最新科学研究显示，肥胖者可能欠缺吃的兴奋感，因此沉溺吃喝，以加强满足感。据研究者观察，肥胖者脑部的兴奋感受体（pleasure receptor）可能比一般人少，所以他们必须依靠食物或药品，来增加脑部多巴胺（dopamine）的分泌，达到如同常人一样的兴奋感。
如此说来，我之所以那么能吃，不是因为“胃口大”，而是因为我太肥了……
77、
说到肥胖，我的形象似乎的确不佳。昨天上课时我上去present我们讨论组的答案，老师说做得很好，讲得也很好。这就算了，她又加上一句：“我没想到你能说得这么清楚这么有条理。”我本来想顶一句“我还没想到你能听得懂”，不过最终还是采取了自嘲的方式：“嗯，我知道我形象的确不怎么样。”老师连忙补充说我很有内涵。你以为你这样说就可以弥补了吗？没有用的！像你这样拉风的老师，好像黑夜里的萤火虫……咳咳。
78、
上个礼拜我们小组present我们写的教案时，某老师尽问些乱七八糟的问题，我黑着脸回答了。有些问题她又问了两三次，我被惹毛了，回了一句“刚才我已经解释过了”。该老师终于找不到任何破绽，让我们下来。下来的时候有几位同学问我是不是生气了，怎么那么凶。
大家可能见惯了我嬉皮笑脸，突然发现我凶起来也很可怕，有些不能接受吧。
后来，据另外一班的同学说，该老师在他们班里说，要学会接受意见，不要赢了分数，输了态度。前天上课，她一进来就说，老师问问题是在指导你，不要太defensive，呵呵，明摆着说我嘛。
什么叫defensive？你问问题，我当然要回答。我做的东西，我当然会为之辩护。难得你问一个问题我就要说一下是是是我们做错了下次我们会改？
不过我那天那么凶的确是不对的。某故事说，某甲跟某乙争论，某乙说三七二十八，某甲说三七二十一，二人争执不下打起来，闹到衙门。县太爷听了之后打了某甲十板子，说：“人家都说三七二十八了，你还跟人家一般见识，简直有辱斯文！”（大意）该老师当然不是某乙，不过不管对方是不是某乙，至少我们不能做某甲。嗯。
79、
在爱枣报看到这个段子：
不知深浅的河上有座桥，美美在桥上走，突然看到有人在河里摸什么，于是问：“你在摸什么啊？”那人道：“我在摸石头。”继续问：“摸石头干吗啊？”“过河呗。”“这不是有桥吗？”“那不符合我的国情。”（重排标点版）
我觉得实际情况是，河上有很多桥，但是这位仁兄嫌这些桥都不适合自己的鞋子，自己造的桥又烂尾了，只好摸石头……
80、
三聚氰胺现在已经是敏感词，哈尔滨6+1事件也不得讨论了。
小孩继续给司机敬礼，郭小四继续抄书。
大家继续掐架拍砖，我继续作壁上观。
Tags: 三七二十八, 三聚氰胺, 哈尔滨, 国情, 多巴胺, 浅思录, 爱枣报, 药材鸡, 郭敬明
Sunday
28
September
2008
浅思录（十一）
Posted in 文史哲, 时事与政治, 有关食物, 生活 at 12:35 am by 老貓 · Permalink · ·
69、
生病了，饮食就不敢像平时那样百无禁忌。辣的不能吃，炸的不能吃，燥热的不能吃。
有人说，平时饮食注意点就不会生病了，何必等到生病了才来注意呢？对这种说法我保留意见。
怎么说呢，我初中的时候就十分注意饮食，只吃健康食品，这个太热了不吃，那个太寒了不吃，这个太辣了不吃，那个太咸了不吃。结果呢，初中那三年是我最瘦的时候——是瘦，不是苗条——脸色苍白，毫无血色，还隔三岔五生病。而且最长身体的那三年之中身高一点没有增长，以至于我现在还是小学毕业时的身高。
到新加坡之后，辛温凉寒全部无视，五香八味一概下肚。气色好多了，身体也壮了，生病频率也低了N倍。
70、
上个星期买了榨汁机，于是每天搅水果喝（等等，这里的因果关系似乎颠倒了……）。其实应该叫搅拌机，因为水果搅拌之后的渣和汁是混合在一起的，没有过滤装置。
这样的水果饮料是我最喜欢的。但是为什么要搅来喝呢？新鲜水果直接拿来吃不是更好吗？不，直接拿来吃的话，我必须在短时间内消灭完，否则腾不出双手敲键盘，搅来喝的话我就可以很惬意地边喝边玩……还有，直接拿来吃的话还需要动用我的牙齿咀嚼，搅来喝就不需要，而且口感也好很多呀。
71、
最近的健康饮食还包括意粉。包装上写着macaroni，我觉得很奇怪。macaroni是通心粉，就是那种短小弯曲的管状意粉，但是我吃的是conchiglie（海贝状）和rotini（扭转回旋状），一点都不“通心”。
把意粉在一个锅里煮熟，另一个锅里煮汤——新鲜肉脞加香菇——意粉煮熟了之后捞出来放到肉汤里一起慢火煮几分钟，鲜美又有营养的老猫记意粉就可以上桌了。
这么中式的意粉，吃起来挺有趣。
72、
除了意粉，还有阳春面。说到阳春面，就不由得想起那篇脍炙人口的《一碗阳春面》。这个题目让我犯了嘀咕：难道日本也有叫做“阳春面”的东西？于是去找日语原文。题目原来是一杯のかけそば，所谓的かけそば就是清汤荞麦面。翻阅了一下阳春面的历史，发现六七十年代的所谓阳春面，便是清汤面。把清汤荞麦面翻译成“阳春面”，也算神来一笔。
73、
在查《一碗阳春面》日语原文的时候，看到了其作者栗良平后来因欺诈罪被捕。
一个感动无数人的作家，却因欺诈入狱，让我不得不对这个世道感慨一下。
话说回来，某位以所谓的”文化散文“出名的”大师“，当年在文革中写了多少灭绝人性的文章，如今却声望日隆，工作室叫做”大师工作室“，人还没死”故居“也要申请地方保护性文物了。
国情，国情。
74、
很久很久以前，有人比较了中国国情和国际惯例的区别，当然很多人也在争论”中国国情“、”与世界接轨“的问题。其实归根结底，就是看哪一种(a)有利于跟老百姓要利益、(b)有利于避免分利益给老百姓、(c)有利于花掉纳税人的钱。
所谓运用之妙存乎一心，大伙儿学着点儿。
Tags: conchiglie, macaroni, rotini, かけそば, 一杯のかけそば, 余秋雨, 余秋雨大师工作室, 国情, 国际惯例, 地方保护性文物, 意大利粉, 搅拌机, 栗良平, 榨汁机, 浅思录, 石一歌, 荞麦面, 通心粉, 阳春面
Sunday
21
September
2008
龙应台1984年旧文一篇
Posted in 时事与政治, 转载 at 1:32 am by 老貓 · Permalink · ·
【网上找到的版本要么有错别字，要么标点有误，特整理如下。】
中国人，你为什么不生气？
龙应台
原载1984年11月20日《中国时报·人间》
在昨晚的电视新闻中，有人微笑着说：“你把检验不合格的厂商都揭露了，叫这些生意人怎么吃饭？”
我觉得恶心，觉得愤怒。但我生气的对象不是这位人士，而是台湾1800万的懦弱自私的中国人。
我所不能了解的是：中国人，你为什么不生气？
包德莆的《苦海余生》英文原本中有一段他在台湾的经验：他看见一辆车子把小孩子撞伤了，一脸的血。过路的人很多，却没有一个人停下来帮助受伤的小孩子，或谴责肇事的人。我在美国读到这一段，曾经很肯定的对朋友说：不可能！中国人以人情味自诩，这种情况简直不可能！
回来一年了，我瞪大眼睛，发觉包德莆所描述的不只可能，根本就是每天都在发生，随地可见的生活常态。在台湾，最容易生存的不是蟑螂，而是“坏人”，因为中国人怕事，自私，只要不杀到他床上去，他宁可闭着眼假寐。
我看见摊贩占据着你家的骑楼，在那儿烧火洗锅，使走廊垢上一层厚厚的油污，腐臭的菜叶塞在墙角。半夜里，吃客喝酒猜拳作乐，吵得鸡犬不宁。
你为什么不生气？你为什么不跟他说“滚蛋”！
哎呀！不敢呀！这些摊贩都是流氓，会动刀子的。
那么为什么不找警察呢？
警察跟摊贩相熟，报了也没有用；到时候曝了光，那才真招祸上门了。
所以呢！
所以忍呀！反正中国人讲忍耐！你耸耸肩，摇摇头！
在一个法治上轨道的国家里，人是有权生气的。受折磨的你首先应该双手叉腰，很愤怒地对摊贩说：“请你滚蛋！”他们不走，就请警察来。若发觉警察与小贩有勾结……那更严重。这一团怒火应该往上烧，烧到警察肃清纪律为止。可是你为什么都不做；畏缩地把门窗关起来，耸耸肩，摇摇头！
我看见成百的人到淡水河畔去欣赏落日、去钓鱼。我也看见淡水河畔的住家把整笼整笼的恶臭的垃圾往河里倒；厕所的排泄管直接通到河底。河水一涨，污秽气直逼到呼吸里来。
爱河的人，你为什么不生气？
你为什么没有勇气对那个丢汽水瓶的少年郎大声说：“你敢丢，我就把你也丢进去？”你静静坐在那儿钓鱼（那已经布满癌细胞的鱼），想着今晚的鱼汤，假装没看见那个几百年都化解不了的汽水瓶。你为什么不丢掉鱼竿，站起来，告诉他，你很生气？
我看见计程车穿来插去，最后停在右转线上，却没有右转的意思。一整列想右转的车子就停滞下来，造成大阻塞，你坐在方向盘前，叹口气，觉得无奈。
你为什么不生气？
哦！跟计程车可理论不得！报上说，司机都带着扁钻的。
问题不在于他带不带扁钻。问题在于你们这20个受他阻碍的人没有推开车门，很果断地让他知道你们不齿他的行为，你们很愤怒！
经过郊区，我闻到刺鼻的化学品的味道。走进海滩，看见工厂的废料大股大股地流进海里，把海水染成一种奇异的颜色。湾里的小商人焚烧电缆，使湾里生出许多缺少脑子的婴儿。我们的下一代——眼睛明亮、嗓音稚嫩、脸颊透红的下一代，将在化学废料中学游泳，他们的血管里将流着我们连名字都说不出的毒素——
你又为什么不生气呢？难道一定要等到你自己的手背也温柔地捧着一个无脑婴儿，你再无言地对天哭泣？
西方人来台湾观光，他们的旅行社频频叮咛：绝对不能吃摊子上的东西，最好也少上餐厅；饮料最好喝瓶装的，但台湾本地出产的也别喝，他们的饮料不保险……
这是美丽宝岛的名誉。但是名誉还真是其次。最重要的是我们自己的健康，我们下一代的健康。一百位交大学生中毒——这真的只是一场笑话吗？中国人的命这么不值钱吗？好不容易总算有几个人生起气来，组织了一个消费者团体。现在却又“占着茅坑不拉屎”的卫生署，为不知道什么人做说客的立法委员要扼杀这个还没有做几桩事的组织。
你怎么能够不生气呢？你怎么还有良心躲在角落里做“沉默的大多数”？你以为你是好人，但是就因为你不生气，你退让， 你忍耐，所以摊贩把你的家搞得像个大破烂杂院。所以台北的交通一团乌烟瘴气，所以淡水河是条烂肠子；就是因为你不说话、不骂人、不表示意见。所以你疼爱的娃娃每天吃着，喝着，呼吸着化学毒品。你还在梦想他大学毕业的那一天！你忘了。几年前在南部有许多孕妇怀胎九月中，她们也闭着眼梦想孩子长大的那一天，却没想到吃了滴滴纯净的沙拉油，孩子生下来是瞎的，黑的。
不要以为你是大学教授，所以作研究比较重要；不要以为你是杀猪的，所以没有人会听你的话，也不要以为你是个大学生，不够资格管社会的事。你今天不生气，不站出来的话，明天——还有我、还有你我的下一代，就要成为沉默的牺牲者、受害人！如果你有种、有良心，你现在就去告诉你的公仆立法委员、告诉卫生署、告诉环保局：你受够了，你很生气！
你一定要很大声地说。
Tags: 中国, 中国时报, 包德莆, 卫生署, 台湾, 国立交通大学, 沉默的大多数, 淡水河, 苦海余生, 警察, 龙应台
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