Thursday, April 05, 2012
Putonghua or not
There is a hot debate whether Putonghua should be the main teaching language in schools in Hong Kong. Everything is possible but it does not mean everything is good. We know that PRC is the most populated country in the world. There are about 1.3 billion people in mainland China. Putonghua is the most commonly used in this country. Even though there are about 1.8 billion English speakers, Putonghua will be one of the most influential languages in the long run because of the number of speakers and the growing economic power of PRC. Hence, we need to learn Putonghua. Period.
Language is not only for communication but also for the creation of identity and culture. Though most of Hongkongers are Chinese and Hong Kong is part of People's Republic of China, they do speak Cantonese. If Putonghua is chosen as main teaching language, mother tongue and cultural identity cannot be further developed. It will be a cultural disaster. It is the basic principle. Period.
For this reason, the dialects in different provinces should be protected and should be used as the teaching language.
Some other people would argue the huge amount of resources and time for switching teaching language. I would not think that it is the key point.
Friday, January 06, 2012
Comment Psychology
Recently a Chinese official complains that the survey conducted by University of Hong Kong for many years is not scientific. The result in past few years was highly accepted by his colleagues. Inconsistent comments on consistent object implies that such scientific judgement is just a gimmick.
Let see his complaint on putting Chinese and Hong Kong citizen as two parallel options of recognized identity. He thinks that all Hong Kong citizens are Chinese by defaut.
He actually forgets that people can select up to four options. The question would not make Chinese and Hong Kong mutually exclusive. Besides that there are follow-up rating questions on importance and degree of belonging. It is an objective approach. It follows the scientific method.
He also forgets that some are American, Indian, Korean, Japanese. Even though they love Chinese culture, you cannot treat them as Chinese. It is common sense of secondary school students.
Why does the official make such different comment? It is because of different result which they don't like. The rating for being Chinese drops after pushing national education rigorously.
After reading the older science books in mainland, you may make a guess. He may think that science need to serve the communist party. He may think social science should help to decorate the policies.
Let see his complaint on putting Chinese and Hong Kong citizen as two parallel options of recognized identity. He thinks that all Hong Kong citizens are Chinese by defaut.
He actually forgets that people can select up to four options. The question would not make Chinese and Hong Kong mutually exclusive. Besides that there are follow-up rating questions on importance and degree of belonging. It is an objective approach. It follows the scientific method.
He also forgets that some are American, Indian, Korean, Japanese. Even though they love Chinese culture, you cannot treat them as Chinese. It is common sense of secondary school students.
Why does the official make such different comment? It is because of different result which they don't like. The rating for being Chinese drops after pushing national education rigorously.
After reading the older science books in mainland, you may make a guess. He may think that science need to serve the communist party. He may think social science should help to decorate the policies.
Monday, October 24, 2011
it takes three years
You may not able to imagine that it takes three years to obtain a reference letter from Hong Kong government. This letter only states the evidence of service period of an employee.
How many years do we have?
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Good websites about Languages
Useful links about Animal Languages
http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/
Alex Foundation about a Parrot
http://www.alexfoundation.org/
Critical Period Argument
10 Poor Cases of Feral Children
http://listverse.com/2008/03/07/10-modern-cases-of-feral-children/
A feral child is a human child who has lived away from human contact from a very young age, and has little or no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language. Feral children are confined by humans (often parents), brought up by animals, or live in the wild in isolation. There have been over one hundred reported cases of feral children, and this is a selection of ten of them.
About Input and Interaction
- Adults and Older children use a special register known as Child Directed Speech , when talking to young children. They simplify and clarify their speech in numerous ways at very level of language, including phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax.
- CDS is dynamic register with adult speech being tuned to some extent to the language level of child as it changes over time.
- The amount of linguistic input available to children varies quite widely Children of high-talking parent tend to be relatively advanced in terms of vocabulary and grammar development.
- The child's linguistic environment comprises both input and interaction.
- Children cannot acquire language fro watching TV a situation in which they are exposed to input in the absence of interaction. Interaction is therefore are essential for language acquisition.
- Imitation both verbal and non-verbal is a fundamental aspect of human interaction. Infants who are especially responsive to imitation develop relatively advanced vocabularies.
- Parents frequently imitate their children, repeating back child utterances with modification.
- Some adults recasts can function as a form of corrective input for grammatical errors. They present a direct contrast between a child error and a grammatical alternative offered by the adults.
- It is widely assumed that CDS is not universally available but cross-cultural research does not support that assumption.
- CDS may be an inevitable consequence of adapting to the communication needs of a conversational partner who is both cognitively and linguistically immature.
Videos of adult-child interaction
http://www.msu.edu/~casby/langdevidcomp/
Effects of TV viewing on child development
Teaching Good TV Habits
Here are some practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home:
1. Limit the number of TV-watching hours:
Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids' magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube.
1.1. Keep TVs out of bedrooms.
1.2. Turn the TV off during meals.
1.3. Don't allow kids to watch TV while doing homework.
1.4. Treat TV as a privilege to be earned — not a right. Establish and enforce family TV viewing rules, such as TV is allowed only after chores and homework are completed.
2. Try a weekday ban. Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week. Record weekday shows or save TV time for weekends and you'll have more family togetherness time to spend on meals, games, physical activity, and reading during the week.
3. Set a good example by limiting your own TV viewing.
4. Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time for programs your family can watch together (i.e., developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that reinforce your family's values). Choose shows that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education (reading, science, etc.).
5. Preview programs before your kids watch them.
Come up with a family TV schedule that you all agree upon each week. Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when. And make sure to turn off the TV when the "scheduled" program is over instead of channel surfing.
6. Watch TV together. If you can't sit through the whole program, at least watch the first few minutes to assess the tone and appropriateness, then check in throughout the show.
7. Talk to kids about what they see on TV and share your own beliefs and values. If something you don't approve of appears on the screen, you can turn off the TV, then use the opportunity to ask thought-provoking questions such as, "Do you think it was OK when those men got in that fight? What else could they have done? What would you have done?" Or, "What do you think about how those teenagers were acting at that party? Do you think what they were doing was wrong?" If certain people or characters are mistreated or discriminated against, talk about why it's important to treat everyone fairly, despite their differences. You can use TV to explain confusing situations and express your feelings about difficult topics (sex, love, drugs, alcohol, smoking, work, behavior, family life).
8. Talk to other parents, your doctor, and teachers about their TV-watching policies and kid-friendly programs they'd recommend.
9. Offer fun alternatives to television. If your kids want to watch TV but you want to turn off the tube, suggest that you all play a board game, start a game of hide and seek, play outside, read, work on crafts or hobbies, or listen and dance to music. The possibilities for fun without the tube are endless — so turn off the TV and enjoy the quality time together.
(to be continued)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Something about Markus
Markus Wasmeier hat in seiner sportlichen Laufbahn als Skirennläufer genug Geld verdient, um davon leben zu können. Doch während andere ehemalige Profisportler schon morgens um neun auf dem Golfplatz neue Herausforderungen suchen, sieht der zweimalige Olympiasieger von 1994 in seinem Museum nach dem Rechten. Wer ebenso zeitig seine Eintrittskarte löst, wird mit Geschnatter von den Hausgänsen Gustav und Agathe begrüßt, vernimmt das Glockengeläut der hofeigenen Kühe und atmet den Duft von Rohrnudeln, der Hefespezialität, ein, die der Bäcker bald aus dem Holzofen zieht.
Analysis:
Sentence 1:
Markus Wasmeier hat in seiner sportlichen Laufbahn als Skirennläufer genug Geld verdient, um davon leben zu können.
Markus Wasmeier is the third personal male singular form of subject.
Hat ... verdient is the conjugatation of dienen representing present perfect tense. It means 'has earned'.
'in seiner sportlichen Laufbahn' means 'in his athletic career'.
'als Skirennläufer' means 'as a ski racer' where Ski is ski, renn is racing and läufer is runner.
'genug Geld' means 'enough money'.
The last part consists of two particles. Therefore, we need to reorder the analysis flow.
'davon leben' means 'live on'.
'können' means 'can/able'.
'um ... zu' means 'in order to'
Translation of Sentence 1:
As a ski racer Markus Wasmeier has earned enough money in his athletic career in order to live on.
Sentence 2:
Doch während andere ehemalige Profisportler schon morgens um neun auf dem Golfplatz neue Herausforderungen suchen, sieht der zweimalige Olympiasieger von 1994 in seinem Museum nach dem Rechten.
Literal translation:
But while other former professional athletes early mornings about nine on the golf course new challenge search, sees the two-time Olympic champion of 1994 in his museum on the right.
Adjusted translation:
But while other former professional athletes search new challenge early mornings about nine on the golf course, he sees the champion of Olympic Games of 1994 twice in his museum on the right.
Sentence 3:
Wer ebenso zeitig seine Eintrittskarte löst, wird mit Geschnatter von den Hausgänsen Gustav und Agathe begrüßt, vernimmt das Glockengeläut der hofeigenen Kühe und atmet den Duft von Rohrnudeln, der Hefespezialität, ein, die der Bäcker bald aus dem Holzofen zieht.
Literal translation:
Who likewise early his ticket solves, is greeted with chatter of domestic geese and Agathe, hears bells of the farm's cows and breathes the scent of cube shaped yeast cakes, one of yeast specialities, the the backers soon from the wooden stove pulls.
Adjusted translation:Who solves his ticket early likewise, is greeted with chatter of domestic geese and Agathe, hears bells of the farm's cows and breathes the scent of cube shaped cakes with special yeast which the baker pulls from the wooden stove soon.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lamb of Red Castle
When you believe in that most of things in your life do not change
When you do not notice that there are big changes
You may eventually know that it is strange
When you think it is the limit of development of your old school
When you think that the design isn't cool
It would give you a ding sound in your mind
They would break down the historical building as a fool
They would fit a new building in the loo.
Red castle is its nickname
Its function is to produce lambs
It works like factories
And provides you lots of laboratories
Castle grows bigger
And buildings are greener
We may grow older
It may not give you a vision
It may not give you satisfaction
Because your road depends on your imagination
And the mind of determination
When you do not notice that there are big changes
It would come out with a big impact to your life
You may suggest that they are in the appropriate rangeYou may eventually know that it is strange
When you think it is the limit of development of your old school
When you think that the design isn't cool
It would give you a ding sound in your mind
They would break down the historical building as a fool
They would fit a new building in the loo.
Red castle is its nickname
Its function is to produce lambs
It works like factories
And provides you lots of laboratories
Castle grows bigger
And buildings are greener
We may grow older
But old school still looks younger
It may not give you a vision
It may not give you satisfaction
Because your road depends on your imagination
And the mind of determination
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Rev and Styles
A Buddhist group overseeing the construction of the world's tallest bronze Guanyin statue in Tai Po says the surrounding monastery will be a non-profit- making complex that will help followers reflect as well as promote Buddhism to the general public. A Buddhist group overseeing the construction of the world's tallest bronze Guanyin statue in Tai Po says the surrounding monastery will be a non-profit- making complex that will help followers reflect as well as promote Buddhism to the general public. The Rev Sik Kwok-kwong, who chairs the board of directors of Tsz Shan Monastery Ltd, said there will be no niches for the dead in the temple and that no individual is involved in the project.
As you may see, Rev is the abbreviation of reverend which is a style of addressing most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. This was a practice borrowed from Christianity by Jodo Shinshu in Japan and has been used in Buddhism since the early 20th century. The ordained monks and nuns were addressed as Maha Thera in the Theravada branch or Sakya in Chinese Mahayana branch. The title was translated to Venerable before borrowing. Theravada, which literally means the ancient teaching, is one of oldest Buddhism school in India. It is conservative and closed to early Buddhism. Analytical approach is much preferred in this school. Mahayana, which literally means great vehicle, is another old Buddhism school in India and is practiced in China, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and Japan. It is a loosely bound collection of many teachings with large and expansive doctrines.
Style of addressing is a common tradition in academia and royal family. E.g. His/Her Magnificence is for the rector (president) of a university. His Most Reverend Excellency is for diplomats. Your Worship - Justices of the Peace (Magistrates) in the United Kingdom, usually by solicitors. His/Her Majesty in royal families.
For ordinary people, we mainly use mister, miss and mistress. After the feminism prevails, we can only use Mr and Ms.
As you may see, Rev is the abbreviation of reverend which is a style of addressing most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. This was a practice borrowed from Christianity by Jodo Shinshu in Japan and has been used in Buddhism since the early 20th century. The ordained monks and nuns were addressed as Maha Thera in the Theravada branch or Sakya in Chinese Mahayana branch. The title was translated to Venerable before borrowing. Theravada, which literally means the ancient teaching, is one of oldest Buddhism school in India. It is conservative and closed to early Buddhism. Analytical approach is much preferred in this school. Mahayana, which literally means great vehicle, is another old Buddhism school in India and is practiced in China, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and Japan. It is a loosely bound collection of many teachings with large and expansive doctrines.
Style of addressing is a common tradition in academia and royal family. E.g. His/Her Magnificence is for the rector (president) of a university. His Most Reverend Excellency is for diplomats. Your Worship - Justices of the Peace (Magistrates) in the United Kingdom, usually by solicitors. His/Her Majesty in royal families.
For ordinary people, we mainly use mister, miss and mistress. After the feminism prevails, we can only use Mr and Ms.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
German terms in Railway
What is Eisenbahnknotenpunktweiche? Eisenbahnknotenpunktweiche is railway junction switch. You can decompose this whole german (compound) noun into several parts.
Einfache Fahrt means single journey where Fahren means go.
Hin- und Rückfahrt means return journey. Hinfahrt means outward. Rück means back.
Abfahrt means departure. Ab-fahrt literally means from-go.
Eisen = Iron
Bahn = Road
Knoten = Node
Punkt = Point
Weiche = Switch
Knoten = Node
Punkt = Point
Weiche = Switch
Eisenbahn means railway. But wait! Eisen is iron and Bahn is road. It is same to the combination of Chinese character 鐵路 (tie lu). Funny!
What is Triebwagenzug?
Trieb = engine
wagen = wagon = car
zug = train
Triebwagenzug means railcar.
Triebfahrzeug means trains and Localmotiven mean localmotives.
Auskunft means information. Preise means rating and Buchung means booking.
Hin- und Rückfahrt means return journey. Hinfahrt means outward. Rück means back.
Ankunft means arrival. An-kunft literally means to-future.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Unabsehbaren Folgen
[German] Die Angst vor einem Börsencrash und unabsehbaren Folgen für die Konjunktur hat Spitzenpolitiker weltweit zum Handeln getrieben.
[English (My own translation)] The fear of a stock market crash and unpredictable consequences for the economy has driven world leaders to action.
[German] Auch die Europäische Zentralbank und die Finanzminister der G7 kündigten rasches Handeln an.
[English (My own translation)] In addition, the European Central Bank and the G7 finance ministers called for urgent action.
Past tense of the verb: (Wir/Sie) kündigten ... an
Present tense : ankündigen
It is one of examples of German separable prefix verbs. They can be compared to English verbs like "call up," "clear out" or "fill in." While in English you can say either "Clear out your drawers" or "Clear your drawers out," in German the separable prefix is almost always at the end, as in the second English example.
[English (My own translation)] The fear of a stock market crash and unpredictable consequences for the economy has driven world leaders to action.
- Angst means anxiety or fear.
- Börsen means stock exchange.
- unabsehbaren means unforeseeable
- absehbaren means foreseeable
- sehbaren means dictable
- seh means see
- Folgen means Follow, aftereffect and consequence
[German] Auch die Europäische Zentralbank und die Finanzminister der G7 kündigten rasches Handeln an.
[English (My own translation)] In addition, the European Central Bank and the G7 finance ministers called for urgent action.
Past tense of the verb: (Wir/Sie) kündigten ... an
Present tense : ankündigen
It is one of examples of German separable prefix verbs. They can be compared to English verbs like "call up," "clear out" or "fill in." While in English you can say either "Clear out your drawers" or "Clear your drawers out," in German the separable prefix is almost always at the end, as in the second English example.
Confused German Words
There are some German words that look alike. For example, das vs dass and denn vs den. Das means 'the' and dass means 'that'. Denn means 'because' and den means 'the'.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Chinglish
'People Mountain People Sea'
should be 'full of people'
'ding'
should be 'bear', 'endure'
'You will very like it.'
should be 'You will like it very much.'
'I am sales.'
should be 'I am salesman.'
'add oil' = 'Gas geben' (in German)
should be 'hang in there', 'keep going', 'step on it', 'step on the gas', etc
carton
sounds like 'carten'
carbon
sounds like 'carben'
should be 'full of people'
'ding'
should be 'bear', 'endure'
'You will very like it.'
should be 'You will like it very much.'
'I am sales.'
should be 'I am salesman.'
'add oil' = 'Gas geben' (in German)
should be 'hang in there', 'keep going', 'step on it', 'step on the gas', etc
carton
sounds like 'carten'
carbon
sounds like 'carben'
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Ancestry of Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II is
the daughter of George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George),
the son of George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert),
the son of Edward VII (Albert Edward),
the son of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel),
the son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ernest Anthony Charles Louis),
the son of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Francis Frederick Anthony),
the son of Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha,
the son of Johann II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (Johann Maria Wilhelm),
the son of John William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar,
the son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony,
the son of John, Elector of Saxony (John the Steadfast),
the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick IV of Meissen and Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia (Frederick the Strict),
the son of Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen (Frederick the Serious),
the son of Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen (Frederick the Bitten),
the son of Albert II, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Henry III, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Otto II, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Thimo II the Brave, Count of Wettin,
the son of Dietrich II, Margrave of Lower Lusatia,
the son of Dedo I von Wettin,
the son of Dietrich I von Wettin.
Wettin is a small town in Saxony-Anhalt of Germany. Meissen is a small town on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Thuringia is a state of Germany in the central part of country.
the daughter of George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George),
the son of George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert),
the son of Edward VII (Albert Edward),
the son of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel),
the son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ernest Anthony Charles Louis),
the son of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Francis Frederick Anthony),
the son of Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,
the son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha,
the son of Johann II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (Johann Maria Wilhelm),
the son of John William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar,
the son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony,
the son of John, Elector of Saxony (John the Steadfast),
the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick IV of Meissen and Elector of Saxony,
the son of Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia (Frederick the Strict),
the son of Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen (Frederick the Serious),
the son of Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen (Frederick the Bitten),
the son of Albert II, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Henry III, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Otto II, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen,
the son of Thimo II the Brave, Count of Wettin,
the son of Dietrich II, Margrave of Lower Lusatia,
the son of Dedo I von Wettin,
the son of Dietrich I von Wettin.
Wettin is a small town in Saxony-Anhalt of Germany. Meissen is a small town on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Thuringia is a state of Germany in the central part of country.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Merkel - Durchschnitt Europas ist global nicht wettbewerbsfähig
Hereunder is the news article in German.
Nach Aussage von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel ist ein Großteil Europas international nicht wettbewerbsfähig.
Deshalb habe sie mit Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy den Pakt für Wettbewerbsfähigkeit vorgeschlagen, sagte Merkel am Montagabend zur Eröffnung der CeBIT-Computermese in Hannover.
"Europa muss aufpassen, dass es sich nicht zu sehr an sich selbst orientiert", warnte die Kanzlerin.
Alle Staaten müssten sich künftig an den Besten der EU-Partnern orientieren.
"Der Durchschnitt Europas ist nicht wettbewerbsfähig global", sagte sie.
Am Nachmittag hatte Schwedens Ministerpräsident Frederic Reinfeldt den von Merkel und Sarkozy vorgeschlagenen Pakt für Wettbewerbsfähigkeit kritisiert.
The following is the translated version.
Merkel - Europe's average is not globally competitive
According to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, a large part of Europe is not internationally competitive.
Therefore, they have proposed the pact on competitiveness with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said Merkel on Monday evening at the opening of CeBIT in Hannover Computermese.
The following is the translated version.
Merkel - Europe's average is not globally competitive
According to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, a large part of Europe is not internationally competitive.
Therefore, they have proposed the pact on competitiveness with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said Merkel on Monday evening at the opening of CeBIT in Hannover Computermese.
"Europe must be careful that it is not too much oriented to yourself," warned the Chancellor.
All states should be based on the best in the future EU partners.
"The average for Europe is not competitive globally," she said.
In the afternoon, Sweden's Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt has criticized the pact proposed by Merkel and Sarkozy for competitiveness.
wettbewerbsfähig(adj) : competitive
der Wettbewerb (n) : competition
die Wette (n): bet
Monday, February 28, 2011
No-fly zone over Libya
Die USA berät mit Verbündeten eine Flugverbotszone über Libyen. Derweil bereitet sich die Opposition auf einen Angriff von Gaddafis Truppen vor.
The United States consults with allies a no-fly zone over Libya. Meanwhile, the opposition is preparing for an attack on Gaddafi's troops.
Flug (n): Flight
fliegen (v): fly
verbot (v): prohibited
zone (n): zone
Derweil: meanwhile, whilst
der: the
weil: because
über: over
von: of, off, from, on the part of (what a flexible particle in German language!)
Für ein Flugverbot müssten weitere Beratungen im UN-Sicherheitsrat stattfinden. Es sei allerdings unwahrscheinlich, dass das Gremium handele, solange die Gewalt der libyschen Führung gegen Zivilisten, etwa durch Luftangriffe, nicht deutlich zunehme. Eine entscheidende Rolle spielt in der Angelegenheit dem Bericht zufolge Italien, das einen umfangreichen Freundschaftsvertrag mit Libyen geschlossen hatte.
Held for a ban would have further discussions in the UN Security Council. It is unlikely that the panel trade unless the violence against civilians by the Libyan leadership, such as air strikes, not significantly increasing. Plays a crucial role in the matter, the report says Italy, which had signed a comprehensive treaty of friendship with Libya.
müssten => müssen: have to
weitere (adj) : more
Beratungen (pl): proceedings (similar to discussions / Diskussion)
im : in
der Sicherheitsrat: security council
stattfinden: to happen
finden: to find, to locate, to meet
statt: stead (a place or role that someone or something should have or fill)
die Gewalt: violence
Eine entscheidende Rolle: a crucial role
der Angelegenheit: a matter
dem Bericht: the report (dem indicate that it is an object)
Freundschaftsvertrag (Freundschaft + s + vertrag): friendship treaty
Freundschaft: friendship
Vertrag: agreement
geschlossen : closed (implies signed)
The United States consults with allies a no-fly zone over Libya. Meanwhile, the opposition is preparing for an attack on Gaddafi's troops.
Flug (n): Flight
fliegen (v): fly
verbot (v): prohibited
zone (n): zone
Derweil: meanwhile, whilst
der: the
weil: because
über: over
von: of, off, from, on the part of (what a flexible particle in German language!)
Für ein Flugverbot müssten weitere Beratungen im UN-Sicherheitsrat stattfinden. Es sei allerdings unwahrscheinlich, dass das Gremium handele, solange die Gewalt der libyschen Führung gegen Zivilisten, etwa durch Luftangriffe, nicht deutlich zunehme. Eine entscheidende Rolle spielt in der Angelegenheit dem Bericht zufolge Italien, das einen umfangreichen Freundschaftsvertrag mit Libyen geschlossen hatte.
Held for a ban would have further discussions in the UN Security Council. It is unlikely that the panel trade unless the violence against civilians by the Libyan leadership, such as air strikes, not significantly increasing. Plays a crucial role in the matter, the report says Italy, which had signed a comprehensive treaty of friendship with Libya.
müssten => müssen: have to
weitere (adj) : more
Beratungen (pl): proceedings (similar to discussions / Diskussion)
im : in
der Sicherheitsrat: security council
stattfinden: to happen
finden: to find, to locate, to meet
statt: stead (a place or role that someone or something should have or fill)
die Gewalt: violence
Eine entscheidende Rolle: a crucial role
der Angelegenheit: a matter
dem Bericht: the report (dem indicate that it is an object)
Freundschaftsvertrag (Freundschaft + s + vertrag): friendship treaty
Freundschaft: friendship
Vertrag: agreement
geschlossen : closed (implies signed)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Intrinsic value is key to growing up
Children are curious to everything in daily life including their own sensation and experience. They do observe everything closely. They taste it, try it and enjoy with it. Enjoyment is one of the driving forces of learning. They can pick up the first language in a few years. They want to talk to their parents, voice out their needs and share their ideas and feelings.
Our world is a sophisticated system with lots of policies, measures and utilities for certain goals. These goals are inscribed in these measures. Even though, these goals may be right, the implementation may not be good for everyone or tailor-made to the perception of everyone. For the sake of prolonged exposure to external measures, the external values are internalized. As we know, the external environment is kept changing. The change would be an impact to the children especially when the internalized values do not match to the new external values.They may collapse.
If the children have not yet internalized these values, they would treat those measures to be controls only. They would either adapt them or work against them. Eventually, they would forget their own values.
Parents should help them to develop their own intrinsic values which are the pillars of self-development. These values also give them direction and stability.
Our world is a sophisticated system with lots of policies, measures and utilities for certain goals. These goals are inscribed in these measures. Even though, these goals may be right, the implementation may not be good for everyone or tailor-made to the perception of everyone. For the sake of prolonged exposure to external measures, the external values are internalized. As we know, the external environment is kept changing. The change would be an impact to the children especially when the internalized values do not match to the new external values.They may collapse.
If the children have not yet internalized these values, they would treat those measures to be controls only. They would either adapt them or work against them. Eventually, they would forget their own values.
Parents should help them to develop their own intrinsic values which are the pillars of self-development. These values also give them direction and stability.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Mein Eindrunk about BarCamp HK 2010
Es ist mein erstes Mal, BarCamp Hong Kong 2010 teilzunehmen. Eigentlich habe ich keine Ahnung, bevor ich wurde von einem Freund ein paar Tage vor dem 18. September 2010 eingeladen. Nachdem ich lese die Regeln, ich fand daas es ganz interessant, dass jeder die Chance, eigene Ideen, Geschichten und Erfahrungen zu teilen haben. Alle Teilnehmer, die zum ersten Mal zu verbinden, sind herzlich eingeladen, zu präsentieren. Ja, Präsentation. Ich habe wirklich keine Ahnung von Besuchern Hintergrund. Werden sie es nicht interessiert überhaupt?
Der Zeitraum von 3-Wort-Einführung selbst ist recht interessant. Es ist eine Herausforderung, um sie an Sie zu erinnern.
Nach dem Grundton des Veranstalters ist es ein Thema Anregung Zeitraum. Alle von uns notiere das Thema und die Kategorie auf ein Papier und steckte sie dann an die Wand außen. Der Veranstalter würde dazu beitragen, wieder je nach Kategorie zu 8 verschiedene parallele Sessions Form zu vereinbaren. Der Rest der Konferenz ist es, den Teilnehmern überlassen.
Es ist gut, ein paar Freunde zu machen, um neue Arbeitsplätze zu finden und für die Kandidaten suchen. Außerdem denke ich, es ist gut, Vorbild für andere Community-basierte Ereignis wie Wikipedianer sammeln. Es ist wirklich fördert die Beteiligung, Initiativen und freien Austausch. Es können alle genießen es.
BarCamp läuft noch in meinem Kopf viele Tage lang.
Der Zeitraum von 3-Wort-Einführung selbst ist recht interessant. Es ist eine Herausforderung, um sie an Sie zu erinnern.
Nach dem Grundton des Veranstalters ist es ein Thema Anregung Zeitraum. Alle von uns notiere das Thema und die Kategorie auf ein Papier und steckte sie dann an die Wand außen. Der Veranstalter würde dazu beitragen, wieder je nach Kategorie zu 8 verschiedene parallele Sessions Form zu vereinbaren. Der Rest der Konferenz ist es, den Teilnehmern überlassen.
Es ist gut, ein paar Freunde zu machen, um neue Arbeitsplätze zu finden und für die Kandidaten suchen. Außerdem denke ich, es ist gut, Vorbild für andere Community-basierte Ereignis wie Wikipedianer sammeln. Es ist wirklich fördert die Beteiligung, Initiativen und freien Austausch. Es können alle genießen es.
BarCamp läuft noch in meinem Kopf viele Tage lang.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Freedom and Responsibility
In fact, freedom and responsibility is in the same package. Why? Every person is born with equal rights including freedom of speech which is limited by law in a society, If the exercise of freedom causes conflicts, such conflicts must be resolved according to mutually agreed principles of justice. These principles of justice are normally presented in the form of laws and regulations. For example, if it is an emergency for a nation, much of the freedom of nationals is restricted. If the exercise of certain freedom violates the human rights, say living with respect, such exercise would be prohibited. Therefore, these regulations remind us our responsibilities.
My friend commented that this is idealism. Americans don't see it that way. For them, freedom is the biggest and nothing to do with responsibility. Responsibility is another issue.
I think that though most of americans don't see it in this way, it does not mean that their view is right. Freedom of speech should be protected until the exercise of it violates other principles of human rights. Recent there are many cases about cyber-bullying in Hong Kong. It is abuse of freedom of speech in certain sense.
He said, "yeah, it is not right. But in this world, the powered commands. Sadly, everything is not purely considered. Everythings is mixed with benefit and advantages......... Human rights is always a bargaining power for US to negotiate with other countries for commercial rights. "
Most of us try to interpret a nation to be a person. The behaviour of a nation is analogued to personal behaviour. In fact, it is not strictly appropriate. The outcomes or decision is obtained through a political process which is a competition among pressure groups and interest group especially in a nation where democractic system is deployed. For the US pigeons, human rights are good for 'preaching'. For the US eagles, human rights are for bargaining power. When it is republicans' administration, the eagles win, otherwise, the pigeons win. I hope the democrats can fix the problems created by the republicans.
(Chinese Version of "Freedom and Responsibility")
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Scoring is administration
Do you hate scoring and marking? Do know what should be done before it? Yes, creating a marking scheme is the crucial task. A good marking scheme can help us to give marks for any possible student answers without violation of fairness. It helps us to categorize answers according to its semantics and syntax. It sounds like law and regulation which helps us to handle any possible cases by taxonomy and procedures. It also follows the principle of justice and fairness. Law to lawyer, rule-based program to processor. Before marking, we need to plan the marking scheme, to organize materials, to use some methodologies or tools, to control the quality of scoring and to have a time-budgeting.
For administration, we also need planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and budgeting. Plan what we should do, how we should do, who should do and when we should do. Assign responsibility to posts and organization. Put these rules on the policy. Then, find right candidates to fill the posts. Direct or motivate them to do. Monitor performance and control the quality of work. Finally, budgeting is a periodic task for future resource allocation. Both administration and scoring share a similar model.
In fact, as the environment is changing fast, administrators need to adapt it fast. Administration is not an easy job.
For administration, we also need planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and budgeting. Plan what we should do, how we should do, who should do and when we should do. Assign responsibility to posts and organization. Put these rules on the policy. Then, find right candidates to fill the posts. Direct or motivate them to do. Monitor performance and control the quality of work. Finally, budgeting is a periodic task for future resource allocation. Both administration and scoring share a similar model.
In fact, as the environment is changing fast, administrators need to adapt it fast. Administration is not an easy job.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Data type
In programming language, we have something called data type. We have it because any program would process data only. If the data type is well declared and defined in a programming language, it is a strong typed language; otherwise it is a weak typed language. If the data is well defined, its operation is clear enough; otherwise there are many unknown outcomes for different unexpected scenarios.
It looks like mathematics. We have sets, number sets. We can define our own sets and we also have some pre-defined sets such as Integers, Real Numbers and Complex Numbers. The name of these pre-defined sets is reserved in certain sense. The concept of reserved words is similar to this one. Besides sets, we have operators like '+','-','x' to manipulate the numbers, members of the given sets.
In programming, data type is not limited to numbers. It includes characters and even strings. Here, characters does not mean any tool or persons in the movies. We are talking about members of alphabet, the letters, the puntuation marks and other symbols.
Typically, we write some functions to manipulate these data for us. It normally takes serveral input and generates a datum as output. It works like a function in mathematics. It maps the parameters in given sets to a value in another set. It tells us a clear relation.
How about the function of your mind? How can we understand and handle the data from the external world? Firstly, we tends to categorize them. Category is one of the key concept in our mind. Secondly, category helps us to compare and associate the current instance of event with the past events. It helps to manage the expectation. Thirdly, we can take the procedure from our experience or external authority to deal with the current situation. Hence, category on low level is data type in our mind.
Our mind is much more advanced. We have self-awareness and self-reflection. We can handle meta-level thinking. We can apply category on other categories. We can understand the logic of our thinking.
In fact, compilers of some computer programming language can be implemented by itself. It means it has reflection mechanism to describe itself. It is similar to metadata for database and meta-language for language.
Language somehow governs our thinking and communication. If everyone has kept its very own version of interpretation on public affairs, it would create chaos. It is the reason why we need objectivity and objective language in law. It helps us to categorize different real life scenarios and measure them with objective scales such that we can handle them in a systemetic way under the principle of fairness and justice.
It looks like mathematics. We have sets, number sets. We can define our own sets and we also have some pre-defined sets such as Integers, Real Numbers and Complex Numbers. The name of these pre-defined sets is reserved in certain sense. The concept of reserved words is similar to this one. Besides sets, we have operators like '+','-','x' to manipulate the numbers, members of the given sets.
In programming, data type is not limited to numbers. It includes characters and even strings. Here, characters does not mean any tool or persons in the movies. We are talking about members of alphabet, the letters, the puntuation marks and other symbols.
Typically, we write some functions to manipulate these data for us. It normally takes serveral input and generates a datum as output. It works like a function in mathematics. It maps the parameters in given sets to a value in another set. It tells us a clear relation.
How about the function of your mind? How can we understand and handle the data from the external world? Firstly, we tends to categorize them. Category is one of the key concept in our mind. Secondly, category helps us to compare and associate the current instance of event with the past events. It helps to manage the expectation. Thirdly, we can take the procedure from our experience or external authority to deal with the current situation. Hence, category on low level is data type in our mind.
Our mind is much more advanced. We have self-awareness and self-reflection. We can handle meta-level thinking. We can apply category on other categories. We can understand the logic of our thinking.
In fact, compilers of some computer programming language can be implemented by itself. It means it has reflection mechanism to describe itself. It is similar to metadata for database and meta-language for language.
Language somehow governs our thinking and communication. If everyone has kept its very own version of interpretation on public affairs, it would create chaos. It is the reason why we need objectivity and objective language in law. It helps us to categorize different real life scenarios and measure them with objective scales such that we can handle them in a systemetic way under the principle of fairness and justice.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Source of Trust
In the past few weeks, the political reform package of Hong Kong was eventually passed in legislative council and submitted by the chief executive Donald Tsang. However, we may find that mutual trust lacks among the public, the government and the central government of People's Republic of China. Donald Tsang always urged the public to trust the government. Can trust be built up by public announcement?
According to the chapter of Gongye Chang in Analects of Confucious (Lunyu), we have to listen what he says and observe what he does. Just listening is not enough, we have to check whether it is consistent with what he does. We should settle for short term observation. Long term observation is more reliable.
Firstly, from this point of view, one should be observable before trust is earned; otherwise it is hard to judge it. Regarding government, the process of making policy should be open and fair. Recently, the Hong Kong Journal Association is pushing the Hong Kong government to enact freedom of information legislation to ensure access to government information and documents. According to the principle of governance, it enforces government to release the information pro-actively such that the public can monitor the whole process of making and implementation of policy. Therefore, the former director of Government Records Service, Simon Chu, requested to put the Law of Public Records on the agenda of the Legislative Council in order to ensure the public records created, archived, released and removed properly.
Secondly, it is mutual understanding between government and the public. It requires effective communication. Understanding of nature of communication is crucial. The message will be selected and compiled by the sender, transformed via different type of channels and finally interpreted by different kinds of receivers. Hence, the results would vary so much. The government should not just focus on itself and should use the appropriate methods according to the receiver. Communication is not only a delivery of its own message but also receiving of message from other partners. Selective listening must be avoided. Positive and constructive comments should be included.
What is positive and constructive comments? When citizens are sitting on the road without saying a word, is it? When protesters are climbing on the tree without saying a word, is it? Objection! Is it? If we speak out what we want and what we need to do, it is a positive and constructive comment.
Appropriate channel is critical for effective communication. Discrimination should be avoided. At least one open and fair platform should exist in a civic society. Every party can have equal right. Their opinions should not be wrongly interpreted. The creditability of Radio Television of Hong Kong is well known. However, it is retained as a government department after public evaluation. HKJA urged government to reverse its decision.
Thirdly, keep the promise. Only hope can be built when the promises are kept all the time. Promises must be kept whatever it is. Typically, those promise should be in black and white. The most challenge issue is the change of the people, the environment and the society. If the need for a specific promised policy vanished, the public can realize that such policy should be suspended; otherwise, apology and backup plan is needed.
Finally, I hope that the mutual trust can be built up. The making of public policy will allow peaceful participation of the public in the public space. The society will be improved continuously.
(Chinese Version)
According to the chapter of Gongye Chang in Analects of Confucious (Lunyu), we have to listen what he says and observe what he does. Just listening is not enough, we have to check whether it is consistent with what he does. We should settle for short term observation. Long term observation is more reliable.
Firstly, from this point of view, one should be observable before trust is earned; otherwise it is hard to judge it. Regarding government, the process of making policy should be open and fair. Recently, the Hong Kong Journal Association is pushing the Hong Kong government to enact freedom of information legislation to ensure access to government information and documents. According to the principle of governance, it enforces government to release the information pro-actively such that the public can monitor the whole process of making and implementation of policy. Therefore, the former director of Government Records Service, Simon Chu, requested to put the Law of Public Records on the agenda of the Legislative Council in order to ensure the public records created, archived, released and removed properly.
Secondly, it is mutual understanding between government and the public. It requires effective communication. Understanding of nature of communication is crucial. The message will be selected and compiled by the sender, transformed via different type of channels and finally interpreted by different kinds of receivers. Hence, the results would vary so much. The government should not just focus on itself and should use the appropriate methods according to the receiver. Communication is not only a delivery of its own message but also receiving of message from other partners. Selective listening must be avoided. Positive and constructive comments should be included.
What is positive and constructive comments? When citizens are sitting on the road without saying a word, is it? When protesters are climbing on the tree without saying a word, is it? Objection! Is it? If we speak out what we want and what we need to do, it is a positive and constructive comment.
Appropriate channel is critical for effective communication. Discrimination should be avoided. At least one open and fair platform should exist in a civic society. Every party can have equal right. Their opinions should not be wrongly interpreted. The creditability of Radio Television of Hong Kong is well known. However, it is retained as a government department after public evaluation. HKJA urged government to reverse its decision.
Thirdly, keep the promise. Only hope can be built when the promises are kept all the time. Promises must be kept whatever it is. Typically, those promise should be in black and white. The most challenge issue is the change of the people, the environment and the society. If the need for a specific promised policy vanished, the public can realize that such policy should be suspended; otherwise, apology and backup plan is needed.
Finally, I hope that the mutual trust can be built up. The making of public policy will allow peaceful participation of the public in the public space. The society will be improved continuously.
(Chinese Version)
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