JTBlog 曾堯角落: 2016

2016-12-27

2016布里斯本聖誕

因歡度紀念日，我倆大鄉里出城過了2016年聖誕。

無謂解說，請看相簿（點擊下圖進入相簿）：

另一批照片，攝於本市的現代美術館Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)。GOMA的展品向來以“好玩”為主，大人小孩都樂在其中：

（上面是個Google Photos animation，製作方法頗簡單，先在Google Photos相簿點選用作animation的照片，上限50張，相簿右上角按“+”，再按“Animation”即成。接著把它embed到Blogger網誌，方法是，右點擊Google Photos上的animation，選擇複製檔案的網址，然後在Blogger貼文框選加入圖像，進入後選提供網址，貼上剛才複製了的animation網址即成）

Chinese Whispers

Hong Kong Free Press: Chinese whispers: How China is using the media as a form of soft power in Australia

After a year dominated by controversy over China’s soft power forays into Australian politics, experts are warning the emerging superpower is using Australian media to exert political influence with implications for press freedom.

A recent report commissioned by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney, argues this “major blind spot in Australia’s… understanding of Chinese-language media” could become “a trigger for social disharmony”.”

2016-12-26

原來The Guardian這篇評論是他們2016年在臉書上最受歡迎貼文第三位，我亦見過臉友對George Monbiot此文讚譽有加。若問我，只能冒著被人取笑，老實回答：不合格！

不是對文章的結論，亦即文章的標題Neoliberalism - the ideology at the root of all our problems有太大異議（雖然過份誇張簡化），而是，Monbiot本末倒置，拼命強調Hayek/von Mises/Friedman等人對新自由主義Neoliberalism的興起（或曰復興）所起的作用，好像這批學者在大財團背後支持下，密謀推動西方政府採納Neoliberalism作為主導思想，待到70年代中，時機成熟，一舉功成，誤盡蒼生幾十年！

我所認知的實情是，到了70年代末，戰後穩佔主導地位的凱恩斯主義經濟政策流弊漸露，造就了新一代，深受大市場/小政府學說（Hayek/von Mises/Friedman等人是表表者）影響的政客執政，美國是Reagan，英國是Thatcher，為Neoliberalism奠下基石。所以，主要是時勢亦即當時的社會（主要是經濟）發展，需要主導理論的範式轉移（paradigm shift），結果召喚了新自由主義，也令該派學者抬頭。

我也認為，這統稱為Neoliberaliam的西方管治主流對今日世界面對的大難題，甚至危機，要負上重大責任。但Monbiot將矛頭指向那幾位學者，是本末倒置，是二流報章寫手的慣技。不合格！

當今世界危機重重，人心不安，Neoliberalism作為治國主導思想看來已走到末路，進入另一範式轉移階段。不過，從目前看，舊的不行了，新的仍未明確，唯一較明顯的趨勢，是各國埋首走自己的民粹路，強調make our own country great again，世界走入追求安穩但反而更加動盪的局勢。

重建文明

（踢走2016）
一起來，在頹垣敗瓦中，重建文明

2016-12-25

時代之音：我們為何築牆 Why We Build The Wall

Why do we build the wall?
My children, my children
Why do we build the wall?

Why do we build the wall?
We build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

How does the wall keep us free?
My children, my children
How does the wall keep us free?

How does the wall keep us free?
The wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

Who do we call the enemy?
My children, my children
Who do we call the enemy?

Who do we call the enemy?
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

Because we have and they have not!
My children, my children
Because they want what we have got!

Because we have and they have not!
Because they want what we have got!
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free

What do we have that they should want?
My children, my children
What do we have that they should want?

What do we have that they should want?
We have a wall to work upon!
We have work and they have none
And our work is never done
My children, my children
And the war is never won
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
We build the wall to keep us free