2024年5月31日 星期五

書評 ridden, guilt-­ridden.It is a superstition-ridden community. The Rwandan genocide is remembered as an event that prodded a guilt-­ridden world to pledge never again to stand aside and allow mass atrocities.

 

The Rwandan genocide is remembered as an event that prodded a guilt-­ridden world to pledge never again to stand aside and allow mass atrocities. Yet 30 years on, the nightmare has continued: https://econ.trib.al/L3CWlkd




RIDDEN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
Cambridge Dictionary
https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › ridden

 — full of something unpleasant or bad: It is a superstition-ridden community. She was guilt-ridden when she discovered that the business had ...



guilt-­ridden

feel very guilty about
adjective. If a person is guilt-ridden, they feel very guilty about something.



貼文要節制,但重要的書評不能斷

讀《地獄的難題》思考台灣的處境

中文書名《地獄的難題》其實是英文書名的副標。英文書名主標是 ”America and the Age of Genocide”. 副標是 “A Problem from Hell”. 英文書名的正標,才是貫穿全書的主軸:美國的角色。但是當然,「地獄的難題」比較聳動。

Genocide 這個字是 Raphael Lemkin 在 1940 年代所創的新字,意思是「種族滅絕」。L 氏是波蘭裔猶太人,他從史料中,對於土耳其人在一次世界大戰前後對亞美尼亞人的屠殺深感震撼,然後又在二次大戰期間目睹納粹對猶太人的滅絕式清洗,於是在二戰之後奔走呼籲,由聯合國通過了 The Genocide Convention, 其中許多條文都是 L 氏原始的主張文句。

The Genocide Convention 特殊在哪裡呢?聯合國憲章第二條第七款明定:聯合國不得干預各國「內政」,這是個大原則。這個原則的例外極少,「種族滅絕」則是極少數例外之一。質言之,如果一個國家在其國境內滅絕某一種族,即使那是不折不扣的「內政」,聯合國還是可以干預。

但聯合國只是一個「組織」,手無寸鐵;真正要執行干預,必須要動員各國共組維和部隊,才能達到干預之效。前述「各國」,其實真正關鍵的就是美國。二次世界大戰之後,老美擁有超強軍力,幾乎比全球民主國家之總和還要大。老美大哥帶頭,加拿大、澳洲、英國、法國等才可能跟著搖旗吶喊;但若老美猶豫不決,其他國家根本無法吹皺春水,遑論去干涉他國境內的種族滅絕。

攤開歷史,二次世界大戰之後,美國確實很少干涉其他國家的種族滅絕。1970 年代赤柬的波布,殘殺了境內大約兩百萬人(該國一共才七百萬人)。1980 年代,伊拉克海珊用毒氣屠殺庫德族人近百萬人。1990 年代,塞爾維亞的米洛塞維奇殘殺境內非塞爾維亞人也超過百萬。1990 年代,盧安達屠殺境內圖西人,每天殺 8000 人,持續 100 多天。這些慘絕人寰的悲劇,美國絕大多數時刻都袖手旁觀。

因此,雖然聯合國說「種族滅絕我們要管」,但實質上就是很少有國家出面來管。沒有外人管,一國國內的種族滅絕,又變成了一國的「內政」,國家主權還是凌越一切;獨裁劊子手幾乎不必受到任何追究。有人說,The essence of sovereignty is the absence of responsibility,描述堪稱精準。獨裁掌權者靠著主權的庇護,乃得以遂行種族滅絕而無所顧忌。

美國為什麼袖手旁觀呢?大致而言,應該是與美國在越戰的挫敗有關。打越戰的邏輯,其實是依循 George Kennan 的「圍堵」戰略。然而圍堵,是 Kennan 在觀察與分析蘇聯之後,是為蘇聯量身訂做的。但越共、柬共背後都有中共的龐大身影。中國共產黨的精神領袖是毛澤東;對毛澤東而言,赫魯雪夫根本是穿開檔褲的娃兒。圍堵戰略堵得了蘇共,對於「毛系」根本不足畏懼。此外,圍堵式的堅壁清野適合中歐西歐等已開發的經濟,卻根本沒有辦法在越南叢林或是阿富汗山區實施。70 年代美國人的圍堵戰略在越南受挫,屍袋運回國成千上萬,最後愴惶撤兵,就再也不敢冒然派兵去國外。

從 1970 年到 1990 年,老美對於派兵海外確實是推三阻四。老美偶爾還是會出兵干涉種族滅絕,但那些都是政客在環境壓力下不得不然的因應,而與種族滅絕的殘忍無關、與種族滅絕的不道德無關、與聯合國公約無關、與美國國內已然批准公約無關。這本書詳實記載歷任美國總統的推拖、迴避、壓制、閃爍、顧左右而言他,一直拖一直拖。直到圖窮匕現,證據再也無法狡辯,這個時候政治人物(通常是總統)就會展現出「割稻尾」的天賦,以一篇生猛神武的演講宣布出兵,強調正當性、道德性、「絕不容許二次世界大戰猶太人被屠殺的歷史再現」。在種族滅絕「接近完成」之際這樣割稻尾,正是政客的本事。依據作者的記述,美國歷任總統最沒有原則的就是克林頓,最會演的也是克林頓,賊到極點。

本書作者 Samantha Power 是哈佛大學甘廼迪學院教授,現任美國國際開發總署的署長。這本書的撰寫需要爬梳史料,更需要深刻的人文關懷。對許多人而言,這些大屠殺發生在他地他域,遠在天邊,且死的人非親非故。但 Power 必然是有極深的人文內在,才能對這樣一個看似冰冷的題目,閱讀、爬梳、吸收、整理,最後寫出一本感動人心的巨著。作者記述:赤柬波布殺死所有柬國「戴眼鏡的人」,因為戴眼鏡表示有讀書,應該就是資產階級餘孽。統治者弱智病態低能至此,真的是匪夷所思。赤柬殺僧侶數萬人我還能夠想像,但是殺所有戴眼鏡的人,我簡直驚訝到不知所已。

這本書榮獲普立茲獎、甘迺廸圖書獎、紐約時報選書等殊榮,良有以也。

讀後,我也問自己:如果老美對於赤柬、伊拉克、塞爾維亞、盧安達動輒百萬人的殘忍虐殺都無動於衷,都不願意派兵干涉,那麼台灣呢?老美吝於出兵海外,是標準的現實主義:一定要美國政客感受到「出兵效益大於成本」,老美才可能有動作。台灣有許多民調,詢問台灣人民「如果中共犯台,你認為美國會不會協防台灣」,台灣民眾的回答難免一廂情願,忽略了美國現實主義的思維。

台灣的處境當然與柬埔寨或盧安達不同;老共如果犯台,對老美而言,它影響到三種利益。其一,是「全球晶片生產與相關科技產業將天翻地覆」,這是經濟利益。其二,是「如此健康活潑的民主體制居然會被獨裁的維尼翻倒」,這是「擾亂文明世界」的惡劣行徑,衝擊到民主自由的價值。其三,是「第一島鍊出現缺口」,影響美國的地緣霸權。上述三種利益,有哪一個會比「X 國正在執行種族滅」在美國國內更有震撼力,我不知道,但是我不會太樂觀。

如果從積極面思考,也許台灣能做的,就是改變、加深前述三種利益在美國與民主國家的感受 (perception)。這些工作平常就得努力,但是完全不在傳統外交的 domain。這需要創意、需要突破。法國總統馬克宏提出「歐洲主義」,反對歐洲去理會台灣,對台灣其實很傷。如果立法委員質詢:面對這種「台灣有事不是歐洲有事」的思考,我們要如何改變與扭轉呢?我若是行政官員,不知道要如何回答,才不算藐視國會。朱敬一0601 2024



2024年5月30日 星期四

close in, cash-stuffed envelopes. Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are showing up in Japanese universities, where aspiring tech innovators conduct research.


Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are showing up in Japanese universities, where aspiring tech innovators conduct research.



wsj

China's total number of Internet users rose 53% to 210 million at the end of 2007.





Examples

cash-stuffed envelopes

close in


1. Surround, enclose, envelop, as in The fog closed in and we couldn't see two yards in front of us, or She felt the room was closing in. [c. 1400]
2. Also, close in on or upon. Draw in, approach, as in The police closed in on the suspect. [Early 1800s]
close in phrasal verb
to gradually get nearer to someone, usually in order to attack them:
The advancing soldiers closed in on the town.
The hunt chased the fox until it was too tired and weak to run and then closed in for the kill.


hoppy, chop, brinicle, mugger. Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are showing up in Japanese universities, where aspiring tech innovators conduct research.

Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are showing up in Japanese universities, where aspiring tech innovators conduct research.

The Russian vice-consul shot dead the armed mugger who had tried to hold him up in his car


Oxford University Scientific Society
This is a brinicle forming, a.k.a ice finger of death. It freezes everything it touches.


A brinicle is a frozen column of ice inside water. Learn more about the brinicles and the filming of this extraordinary event:http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15835017





The boom in craft beers has sparked a hop farming renaissance in upstate New York
New York hops fetch higher prices—$12 to $18 per pound—than those grown in the Pacific Northwest
BUSINESSWEEK.COM|由 KAREN ANGEL 上傳





hop2

Line breaks: hop

NOUN

1twining climbing plant native to north temperateregionscultivated for the flowers borne by the femaleplant, which are used in brewing beer.
  • Humulus lupulus, family Cannabaceae (orCannabidaceae)
1.1(hops) The dried cone-like flowers of the hop, used in brewing to give a bitter flavour and as amild sterilant.

1.2(hopsAustralian /NZ informal Beer.

1.3[MASS NOUN] US informal , dated narcotic drug, especially opium.

VERB (hopshoppinghopped)

Back to top  
1[WITH OBJECT] Flavour with hops:a strong dark beer, heavily hopped
2(be hopped upinformal Be stimulated or intoxicated by or as if by a narcotic drug:most muggers were hopped up on coke or angel dusthe was very much hopped up about the concerto

Origin

late middle english hoppe (in the sense 'ripened hop cones for flavouring malt liquor'), from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch.



Derivatives

hoppy

ADJECTIVE (hoppierhoppiest)

MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES
  • Another curious ad on a bus shelter: Summit Beer has a new brand called ‘Grand’ - it's a cheerful beer for the Bud crowd, the people who find hoppy beers too bitter, too harsh, too unbeery.
  • Less strong than Shephard Neame's flagship Bishop's Finger at 4.7 per cent, Spitfire is a full-bodied, rounded, clean beer with a hoppy flavour which is served at its best just below room temperature.
  • In pre-filled flagons, they had Parrot & Jigger's two Katipo Pale Ales - go for their stronger Pale Ale as it's still easy to drink and more hoppy, herbaceous and spicy in the flavour.


mugger 1 

Pronunciation: /ˈmʌɡə/ 

NOUN

A person who attacks and robs another in a public place:a woman was punched in the face by muggers who snatched a gold chain and pendant

chop
n.
  1. The act of chopping.
    1. A swift, short, cutting blow or stroke.
    2. Sports. A short downward stroke.
  2. A piece that has been chopped off, especially a cut of meat, usually taken from the rib, shoulder, or loin and containing a bone.
    1. A short irregular motion of waves.
    2. An area of choppy water, as on an ocean.

contention, idealist, contend with sth, cynic, contender, freeloader, characterize



"The must-have kitchen bible. A heavyweight contender for space on your shelf alongside Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking." —Bloomberg 

How Adobe's Flash video software became a contender for the technology dead pool.
Adobe’s Flash video software, criticized for years as a security risk and a drag on online progress, last week stepped yet closer to the grave due to a flaw that hackers were reportedly exploiting. Some in the tech industry say...
WSJ.COM|作者:ROBERT MCMILLAN





Obama Contends With Arc of Instability Unseen Since '70s1




Whether John Maynard Keynes's ideas were ever as simple or consistent as some modern-day Keynesian economists suggest is a matter of great contention. The Economist noted as long ago as the 1960s that the ideas of Keynes the man were diverging from contemporary Keynesian economics http://econ.st/1iS2V7p
 我也調侃過王爾德的。在我中譯本的《不可兒戲》後記中,我曾摹擬他的口吻對譯者的我說:So you have presented me in a new version of Sinicism? It never occurred to me I could be made so Sinical. 王爾德好用雙關語,我也用以還治其人。Sinicism意為「中國風味」但與cynicism(憤世嫉俗)完全同音。料這位唯美才子也未必能針鋒相對回我 嘴吧?

Cynicism We Can Believe In By SIMON CRITCHLEY
The ancient philosopher Diogenes the Cynic’s definition of cynicism as a moral protest against excess and thoughtless self-indulgence in the conduct of life has modern implications.

Indeed, for all the attention to the Olympics, 2008 also marks the 30th anniversary of China’s initial embrace of the market reforms that have powered the country’s rapid economic rise. As the population becomes more urban and wealthy, the leadership will probably have to contend with rising expectations and demands for better services. Liberals in China have hoped this anniversary would inspire new reforms, especially to a political system still marred by corruption and a lack of transparency.




Although some criticized parts of his later work as too contentious, Mr. Carlin defended the material, insisting that his comedy had always been driven by an intolerance for the shortcomings of humanity and society. “Scratch any cynic,” he said, “and you’ll find a disappointed idealist.”



G.O.P. Weighs Limiting Clout of Right Wing

By JEREMY W. PETERS and JONATHAN MARTIN

Leaders of the Republican establishment are pushing their party to rethink how it chooses nominees and advocating changes they say would result in less extreme contenders.

Gingrich to OWS: Take a Bath, Get a Job

GOP contender characterizes the protesters as ignorant freeloaders.


Oracle Says H-P and Intel Secretly Propped Up Dead Chip
Oracle added what it characterized as a damning new allegation against Hewlett-Packard in a vitriolic legal battle. But the bigger issue may be just how long this fight will go on.

Donald Trump is often unpredictable, but his criticism of countries that do not meet NATO’s target of defence spending amounting to 2% of GDP has been consistent. In recent comments, he has taken his long-standing characterisation of these countries as “freeloaders” to another level by suggesting that the US might not come to their aid in the event of a Russian invasion, as NATO’s Article 5 requires. 

This has prompted much concern: in 2023, 20 of the 31 NATO members failed to meet the 2% spending target. Mr Trump has even floated the idea of the US withdrawing from NATO; however, this is highly unlikely, as it would need congressional approval.

Learn more in our latest article on the impact of the upcoming US elections on Europe in our latest article: http://econgrp.co/Ao

Looking for more expert insights? Explore EIU’s Country Analysis service to get in-depth analysis on politics, economics and market-shaping topics. Understand the global dynamics that impact your organisation and plan for the future with EIU’s award-winning analysis.
http://econgrp.co/An

#USelections #DonaldTrump #JoeBiden #NATO #Russia #Ukraine

contend

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɛnd/
Translate contend | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish


verb

  •  1 [no object] (contend with/against) struggle to surmount (a difficulty):she had to contend with his uncertain temper
  •  (contend for) compete with others in a struggle to achieve (something):factions within the government were contending for the succession to the presidency
  •  2 [with clause] assert something as a position in an argument:he contends that the judge was wrong



Derivatives

contender
noun

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'compete for (something)'): from Old French contendre or Latin contendere, from con- 'with' + tendere 'stretch, strive'


freeloader
noun
    One who depends on another for support without reciprocating: bloodsuckerhanger-onleechparasitespongeSeedependence/independence.


contend with sth phrasal verb
to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation:
At the age of nine, he had the death of both parents to contend with.
We don't need a computer failure to contend with as well as all our other problems.



contention
(DISAGREEMENT)
noun [U]
the disagreement that results from opposing arguments:
There's a lot of contention about that issue - for every person firmly in favour, there's someone fiercely against it.
The matter has been settled - it's no longer in contention.But sure there is need of other remedies than dreaming, a weak contention of art against nature.

See also contention at contend (COMPETE).
━━ n. 競争; 論争; 論(争)点, 主張;

【コンピュータ】(通信の)競合, コンテンション.

A condition arising when two or more data stations attempt to transmit at the same time over a shared channel, or when two data stations attempt to transmit at the same time in either-way communication
con・ten・tious ━━ a. 議論好きな; 物議をかもす; 【法】係争の.



contentious
adjective
causing or likely to cause disagreement:
a contentious decision/policy/issue/subject
She has some rather contentious views on education.contention (OPINION) Show phonetics
noun [C] SLIGHTLY FORMAL
an opinion expressed in an argument:
[+ that] It is her contention that exercise is more important than diet if you want to lose weight.
See also contention at contend (COMPETE).

Contention

Noun

1. A point asserted as part of an argument.
2. A dispute where there is strong disagreement; "they were involved in a violent argument".
3. The act of competing as for profit or a prize: "the teams were in fierce contention for first place".
Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
cynic

n.

  1. A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness.
  2. A person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative.
  3. Cynic A member of a sect of ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.
adj.
  1. Cynical.
  2. Cynic Of or relating to the Cynics or their beliefs.
[Latin cynicus, Cynic philosopher, from Greek kunikos, from kuōn, kun-, dog.]
WORD HISTORY A cynic may be pardoned for thinking that this is a dog's life. The Greek word kunikos, from which cynic comes, was originally an adjective meaning “doglike,” from kuōn, “dog.” The word was probably applied to the Cynic philosophers because of the nickname kuōn given to Diogenes of Sinope, the prototypical Cynic. He is reported to have been seen barking in public, urinating on the leg of a table, and masturbating on the street. The first use of the word recorded in English, in a work published from 1547 to 1564, is in the plural for members of this philosophical sect. In 1596 we find the first instance of cynic meaning “faultfinder,” a sense that was to develop into our modern sense. The meaning “faultfinder” came naturally from the behavior of countless Cynics who in their pursuit of virtue pointed out the flaws in others. Such faultfinding could lead quite naturally to the belief associated with cynics of today that selfishness determines human behavior.

ideal (PRINCIPLE)
noun [C]
a principle or a way of behaving that is of a very high standard:
democratic ideals
We are committed to the ideal of equality.
They share the same high ideals.

idealism
noun [U]
1 the belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others:
She never lost her youthful idealism and campaigned for just causes all her life.
Compare realism at real (NOT IMAGINARY).

2 SPECIALIZED the belief in philosophy that objects in the world are ideas which only exist in the mind of God or people who see them

idealist 
noun [C]
someone who believes that ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others

idealistic adjective
When I was young and idealistic I believed it was possible to change the world.



i・de・al

()

-->
━━ a. 理想的な, 完全な ((for)); 想像(上)の, 観念的な, 架空の; 【哲】イデアの.
━━ n. 理想(の人・物), 典型.
ideal crystal 【結晶】理想的完全結晶.
ideal gas 【物・化】理想[完全]気体.
i・de・al・ism ━━ n. 理想主義; 【哲】観念論; 【芸術】観念主義.
i・de・al・ist ━━ n., a. 理想主義者; 空想家; 【哲】観念論者; =idealistic.
i・de・al・is・tic
 ━━ a. 理想主義の; 夢想家の, 非現実的な; 観念論の.
i・de・al・is・ti・cal・ly ad.
i・de・al・i・za・tion ━━ n.
i・de・al・ize ━━ v. 理想化する; 理想を描く.
i・de・al・ly ━━ ad.
ideal solution 【化】理想溶液.
Ideal Toy アイデアル・トーイ ((米国の玩具メーカー)).