Beyond the Lion Rock

蘋論：國章不下台　孩子冇未來 不食人間煙火的教育沙皇，又怎會明白學券的意義？藍血貴族出身的李國章主理育，又怎會讓教育成為草根階層向上爬的梯級？一心只想將統一管死香港的統局長官，會真心真意推行學券制嗎？容我們借用佛利民的一句回答︰No he won't！ 李國章令學券制胎死腹中，理由是學券制不應該讓人發達。就讓我們放大膽些吧！就算學券制讓人發達又如何？學券制將教育的力量釋放，讓草根市民的下一代，透過教育跟李國章般的藍血貴族競爭，最終有些令我們引以為傲的香港故事，說不定當中可以有幾個香港仔女成為諾貝爾獎得主，又有幾個幾個成為富商巨賈，究竟除了高高在上的不食人間煙火貴冑公子，又有誰會如此憎人富貴厭人貧？ 據說，曾蔭權一直默默地希望見到學券制的出現。曾蔭權身體流的不是藍色血，要不是當年香港的育制度百花齊放，有耶穌會士以自由的理念來辦學，華仁書院可以有空間將曾蔭權般平民百姓的子弟，培養成領導香港的精英人才嗎？身為育自由的最大受惠者，曾蔭權應該最明白，育才是今天香港數以百萬草根階層的希望。有了曾蔭權如此這般的一個榜樣，香港人又怎會不知道教育自由的重要？所以當曾蔭權在施政報告中說會在幼兒教育引入學券的概念，一眾父母都期待真正的學券制得到落實，希望可以在本來已經沒有甚麼希望的香港育中找到一絲曙光。怎料細節從李國章口中說出來，卻是貨不對辦的偽學券，原來衙門一心只想借學券之名來一統幼兒教育，將這小片仍未被征服的自由教育，也收歸衙門的管轄。 幼稚園偽學券，可能差點就將香港的幼兒教育界分化。幸好，幼師們還清醒，明白到一旦幼稚園被統局統戰了，幼師就永永遠遠成為了官僚的棋子，要無日無之地服侍高高在上的統局欽差，為朝令夕改的所謂育政策疲於奔命。以偽學券收買育自由的動機敗露了，為官的便指鹿為馬，說幼兒育界得不到共識，所以要停止申請撥款。無論是家長和幼師，共識都明顯不過，那就是要真的學券，不要官僚插手破壞香港的教育自由。手握教育生死大權的李國章當然可以不認同市民的訴求，不過使蠻勁說是社會沒有共識，這又算是那甚麼貴族的君子風範？ 平民出身的曾蔭權口既說福為民開，我們現在唯一希望，就是李國章搞出來的偽學券，根本不是特區政府的本意。當全港都在等待學券制的生機，問責官僚卻來阻礙學券制的落實，更將責任推卸到百姓和專業幼師的頭上。如此不設實際也全無承擔的官僚，特區政府豈能縱容？懇請特首當機立斷，要這個毫...

為甚麼英國人寫的悼文總是更有深度？ An enduring legacy Nov 17th 2006 From Economist.com One of the most influential economists of the 20th century has died MILTON FRIEDMAN won the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded to an outstanding American economist under the age of 40, in 1951. Many consider it harder to win than a Nobel Prize. One of the measures of his greatness is that when he got it, he still had not done any of the work for which he would become most famous. Still to come were the permanent-income hypothesis, his groundbreaking “A Monetary History of the United States” (co-written with Anna Schwartz) and the proposal of a natural rate of unemployment. These works revolutionised the conduct of central banks around the world. But to non-economists Mr Friedman's great achievement is not his challenge to Keynesian demand management but the popular writings that challenged a consensus favouring ever-greater state intervention in the economy. This work, too, came long after his peers had recognised h...

Ideas: What's Wrong With Steroids? 大衛．佛利民 (佛老之子，物理學博士，不過正職是加州自由派掌門人之一) 提出這個問題，你們有答案嗎？ 我的答案明白刊登。

Jedi Knights demand Britain's fourth largest 'religion' receives recognition Daily Mail, UK With their vast intergalactic knowledge and ability to harness the Force, the task of convincing UN officials to recognise their cause should be a walkover for a pair of Jedi Knights. But self-proclaimed Jedis Umada and Yunyun, better known as John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law, have adopted a more conventional approach in their pursuit of recognition – delivering a protest letter. The unconventional pair are calling for the UN to acknowlegde what has become Britain's fourth largest "religion" with 390,000 followers. The UN International Day of Tolerance, which takes place annually on November 16, is aimed at emphasising the dangers of intolerance and promoting integration and cohesion across the globe. Umada, 27, and Yunyun, 24, both from London, want the day to be renamed the "Interstellar Day of Tolerance" to reflect millions of people across the globe who ha...

佛老在人生最後一段仍然記掛著香港，是我們的福份。 以下是FT的悼文，應該是寫得最好的一篇。 Milton Friedman, economist, dies aged 94 By Samuel Brittan Published: November 16 2006 17:58 Last updated: November 16 2006 17:58 Milton Friedman, who has died aged 94, was the last of the great economists to combine possession of a household name with the highest professional credentials. In this respect he was often compared to John Maynard Keynes, whose work he always respected, even though he to some extent supplanted it. Moreover, in contrast to many leading economists, Friedman maintained a continuity between his Nobel-Prize winning academic contributions and his current journalism. The columns he contributed to Newsweek every third week between 1966 and 1984 were a model of how to use economic analysis to illuminate events. Both his admirers and his detractors have pointed out that his world view was essentially simple: a passionate belief in personal freedom combined with a conviction that free markets were the best way of co-ordin...

Liberty

The Japanese Weekly Famitsu magazine reported that Sony sold 88,400 PS3s in the system's first two days. The best selling game over the period was Bandai Namco's Ridge Racer 7, which sold 30,300 copies. This was followed by Gundam Crossfire at 30,000 units and Resistance: Fall of Man, at 15,700 units. PS3 has a software-hardware tie ratio of 0.98. read more digg story

Rumsfeld Gets Cute At The Podium (extended version) 梁振英同Rumsfeld民望一樣咁低，不如《蘋果TV》都整番套咁搞野。

Rumsfeld flips off Kansas State student Yes, many people hate him. That's why.

Google plans to release Google AdSense for Audio to monetize podcasts sometime this quarter, according to sources. read more  |  digg story

An Alexa graph showing a decline in traffic since THE DAY Google bought them. read more  |  digg story

《孽愛姬管法》 曲寄： 《熱愛基本法》 作曲：招紙揚 填詞：不是王小明 Ｐ：以字眼　玩著色　數當天　亂追憶　 靠護法　釋就釋　不須解釋 Ｃ：維記笨伯　三字經　好高聲　多精警　 要罵到　死右派　都給肅清 Ｒ：共眾商家多勾結　博取功業　 誓要肅清所有背國媚外的港英餘孽 Ｐ：馬列志　不用數　 睇新聞　寫鱔稿　 稅盡耗　搞文宣　天天洗腦 Ｃ：為了利國　家被綁　 好北京　衰香港　 說為國　只為黨　極之堂皇 Ｒ：未理於這基本法　已寫的文字　 盡靠口講可作控制　人治得很本~事 合：國家偉大權力　法規嘴巴定 即使寫了律法　仍是不須認 誰若有雪亮眼睛　要抗命發聲 讓黨領導了的自治力　對這異見鏟平 這些偉大成就　你怎麼可敵？ 高呼「左」派萬歲　重造思想價值 有這大法　Say No 你笨極 懶理後世　於４６年的 香港有　孽愛姬管法 Ｐ：這大法　真擅隱　 想解釋　請等等 要度下　北大君　心中所諗 Ｃ：為了利國　家被綁 好北京　衰香港 說為國　只為黨　極之堂皇 Ｒ：未理於這基本法　已寫的文字 盡靠口講可作控制　人治得很本~事 合：國家偉大權力　法規嘴巴定 即使寫了律法　仍是不須認誰 若有雪亮眼睛　要抗命發聲 讓黨領導了的自治力　對這異見鏟平　 這些偉大成就　你怎麼可敵？ 高呼「左」派萬歲　重造思想價值 有這大法　Say No 你笨極 懶理後世　於４６年的 香港有　孽愛姬管法~~~~~~

Based on a few scientifically imprecise calculations, a New York dollar would lag somewhere behind a Canadian buck. Here’s why... [Simon's Note: This is actually about the cost of living and has nothing to do with purchasing power of dollar in a very strict sense. Anyway, it is an interesting read.] read more  |  digg story

In 2005 Halloween sales were $2.1 billion, easily making Halloween the biggest candy season. What percentage of those sales end up providing candy that individuals don't really like? If my own careful scientific study of Halloween bags is any guide, perhaps about 75 percent. read more  |  digg story

要發生的始終會發生。香港的積極不干預太美好，但太美好的事總難長久；這個政策理念違反天下政府官僚花費和干預成性的本質，所以當香港的領袖曾蔭權先生上個月宣佈這個讓香港繁榮起來的政策已經死亡，我不驚訝，但總令人感到哀傷。 曾蔭權的前輩在過去半個世紀，成功抗拒了徵稅和干預的誘惑，那是真正了難能可貴的成就。雖然當年宗主國英國信奉社會主義，幸得郭伯偉這位英國公務員，殖民地香港才追隨了自由市場的資本主義政策。郭伯偉最初在1945年被分派到香港主理財經事務，並於1961至71年擔當香港的財政司。今年1月21日逝世的郭伯偉，最為人津津樂道的事跡，是他拒絕收集經濟統計，怕數據只會讓官僚有更多藉口去作出更多干預，他的後任人夏鼎基創造的「積極不干預」一詞，所描述者正是郭伯偉的施政原則。 郭伯偉政策的確帶來卓越成果。第二次世界大戰後，香港只是一個極貧困的小島，當時香港的國民平均產值大約是英國的四分之一，到了1997年, 香港主權移交中國時，香港的國民平均產值已經大致相等於前殖民地宗主國,即使期間英國也有可觀的經濟成長。只要讓人民有空間去追求他們自己的利益，自由社會的生產力也可以得到彰顯。 香港自由社會的成功，鼓動了中國和其它國家擺脫中央指令計劃經濟，投向私人企業和自由市場。結果，這些國家都受惠於迅速的經濟增長。我相信中國的未來命運，將取決於她繼續隨香港的成功路向發展的速度，會否比香港向中國同化的步伐更快。 曾先生堅稱只會在「市場結構運作出現明顯缺陷時」，才讓政府出手干預，可是他忽略了現實上若真的出現了有任何「明顯的缺陷」，市場也會在曾先生出手之前把它消弭。更重要的是，所謂的「缺陷」無論是明顯還是不那麼明顯，都是由過於大有為的政府引申出來。 積極不干預在過去半個世紀使香港免於不少政府輕率干預的惡習，因而得以繁榮富足。傳統的慣性，雖然一定程度上可以限制政府的干預；政策上有所改變，香港仍可在未來的一段日子繼續繁榮富庶。儘管香港會繼續發展, 但將不再是自由經濟的一個光輝標記。 郭伯偉精神帶來的成就，也不會因此被忘記。無論日後香港發生什麼事情，過去五十年的香港經驗，將繼續指引和鼓勵信仰自由經濟的朋友，為世界各地希望造就繁榮的人士提供經濟政策的典範。 作者佛利民(Milton Friedman)，是1976年諾貝爾經濟學獎得主，現任史丹福大學胡佛研究所資深研究員。 * 本文原刊於10月6日的亞洲華爾街日...