書法落款

同事們不時都不吝為大家提供有趣資訊，很多都是有用的講座如書籍介紹、藝術演出等等。我有時會出席這一類活動，有機會和有衝動時亦會和大家分享。雖然亦是賣廣告，但我一定是親身出席做白老鼠，絕不會放大家飛機。不過至於是否受感動，就要看機緣巧合。雖然藝術不能被批評好壞，但個人主觀喜好絕對自由。如果說喜歡一切藝術，當是不懂扮懂居多。

Stephen兄早前介紹一批藝術講座。我有空去聽了禤紹燦先生講書法題款用印。短短的兩小時，資料如海嘯而來，盡量吸收都遺漏不少。近日在網上遇上吳清華講書法落款，正是禤紹燦所講過的題目。所以就要匆匆記錄下來。

書法作品大多有題款，分上款和下款。上款多是尊稱送贈的對象和目的；而下款除簽名外，主要描述書寫時的時間和情景。落款的傳統很講究，功力不夠可能連落款都看不明白。

書法作品中，落款大都會記載書寫時間。雖然有些現代前衛派不落書寫時間，而近代書法家紀年亦有採用公元紀年方式，但大部份書法家還是使用傳統干支紀年。傳統書法比較講究紀時方法，在落款中佔極重要地位，而干支紀年是從古至今一直沿用的一種紀年方式。

傳統書法家採用的干支紀年方式，以天干地支相組合。
天干是甲、乙、丙、丁、戊、己、庚、辛、壬、癸，也稱十干。
地支是子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥，也稱十二支。
十天干與十二地支可依序排列成六十組，從甲子至癸亥代表六十年，一般稱為六十花甲子。

而在年月之前，也有加上歲在、歲次等。

季節與月份以農曆為主。每一季中的三個月，可依孟、仲、季相次。如秋季；七月稱孟秋、八月稱仲秋、九月稱季秋，其他三季亦同。

每季的第一個月也可以依初、早、首、始、新、上、肇、開等，如：初冬、早冬、首冬、始冬、開冬、新冬、上冬等等；
第二個月可依中、正、 半等，如：春半、春中、正冬等；
第三個月可依晚、末、暮等，如：晚春、末秋、暮冬等等；每季的末月又稱杪月，三月稱杪春、六月稱杪夏、九月稱杪秋、十二月稱杪冬。

月和日的雅稱都有來歷。一般而言，依淵源可分幾類：上古典籍、農曆節氣、民俗節日、文學典故、神話傳說、宗教信仰等。

以下是月日代稱之整理：
一月：孟春、寅月、陬月、太簇、初春、新春、端月、歲始、肇春、初陽。
二月：仲春、卯月、如月、夾鐘、花月、杏月、春半、花朝、殷春、春中。
三月：季春、辰月、病月、姑洗、桃月、暮春、桐月、晚春、春杪、餘春。
四月：孟夏、巳月、余月、中呂、初夏、麥月、槐月、夏首、新夏、梅月。
五月：仲夏、午月、皋月、蕤賓、蒲月、榴月、星月、盛夏、夏半、芒種。
六月：季夏、未月、且月、林鐘、荷月、晚夏、暮夏、荔月、晚夏、杪夏。
七月：孟秋、申月、相月、夷則、瓜月、初秋、桐秋、桐月、蘭月、肇秋。
八月：仲秋、酉月、壯月、南呂、桂秋、桂月、清秋、拓月、秋半、中律。
九月：季秋、戍月、玄月、無射、菊月、暮秋、涼秋、杪商、秋末、殘秋。
十月：孟冬、亥月、陽月、應鐘、初冬、早冬、首冬、始冬、開冬、新冬。
十一月：仲冬、子月、辜月、黃鐘、霜月、寒月、葭月、正冬、暢月。
十二月：季冬、丑月、涂月、大呂、臘月、暮冬、梅月、暮歲、歲杪。

每月一日至十日：上旬、上浣、上瀚、上澣
每月十一日至二十日：中旬、中浣、中瀚、中澣
每月二十一日至三十日：下旬、下浣、下瀚、下澣
每月初一：朔、旦、額
每月十五日：望
每月最末一日：晦
其他：元旦、元宵（元月十五日）、端午、中元（七月十五日）、中秋、清明、冬至、七夕、重陽、除夕等等。
二十四節氣：立春、雨水、驚蟄、春分、清明、穀雨、立夏、小滿、芒種、夏至、小暑、大暑、立秋、處暑、白露、秋分、寒露、霜降、立冬、小雪、大雪、冬至、小寒、大寒。

例：「歲在壬午年花月中旬吳延陵書於靜心雅築」

落款題款常用語有下列各種：
上款：雅正、雅屬、教正、清賞、博鑒、正之、賜正、清品、惠存、清玩等等。
下款：敬書、臨、題、書、節臨、學書、試筆、撰題、拙書等等。
     

誰謀殺了居屋

我試從公共政策和福利資源管理角度看看居屋問題。

居者有其屋是一個很好的公共房屋政策。政府一向以來為貧困家庭提供廉價出租公共房屋，需求很大。出租公共房屋是虧本生意，因租金不夠承擔開支，每建一棟都會增加長期經常開支。當生活改善後，租戶會有意欲置業而交回出租單位。市面上亦有家庭希望置業但卻未能負擔物業的成本。居屋滿足這些需求。政府資助以折讓價錢出售物業給公屋租戶以使他們交回單位，又出售給收入較低的市民，是房屋福利的延續。出售居屋，政府取回成本，資本可以持續地循環使用，不需長期再注入資金。其代價只是供應用地，即是將土地分派給人民，作為人民福利。

為避免資助物業被販賣圖利，居屋出售受到限制。初期的居屋有很長的禁售期，不能在市場流通。而居屋是針對低收入人士，他們大多數不是私人物業市場的對象客戶，所以居屋對地產行業沒有太大影響。

但業主真金白銀買了的居屋，就是私有產業。以資本主義的原則，他們應有自由去處理自己的資產。政府在此有點短視和考慮不詳。居屋在禁售期後可以在補地價後自由買賣，而新一代的居屋更是沒有禁售期。居屋於是因此流入了私人物業市場。

問題出在那裡？第一，居屋業主以折讓價買入居屋，以市價七折為例，業主其實應該只佔七成權益，三成歸政府，所以物業契約內有限制。當物業升了值，業主應得的是物業現價的七成。但現時安排是業主只需補回地價就可全權自由出售居屋單位，即是業主可以將政府的三成權益的升值部份獨佔。當物業市值上升，而土地現價又上升，要補回的地價比例上就變得較少。第二，政府提供了房屋福利，體現在折讓了的三成權益。這並不一定等於地價，因為居屋定價是跟隨物業市價，而現時的地產泡沫已顯示物業價值要比土地和建築成本高出很多。政府興建居屋，在整體價值上是虧本生意，但可解說是給人民的居住福利。但當居屋被業主以市價出售圖利，福利說法就消失了。

變了質的居屋有嚴重後果，它們進入了私人物業市場，衝擊私人物業供求平衡。這是一股潛在的供應，在市道平淡時不甚起眼。但當物業市場升溫時，出售居屋的意欲會忽然增加。居屋是現貨，沒有建築滯後期，地產界很難應付。在政治和政策層面，我們已見證變化。當地產市道不佳時，地產界歸咎居屋，要求政府停止興建。其實居屋應是福利，造福收入較低的市民，而他們並非地產商的客戶群。現在因為地產商的利益，這個福利沒有了。我覺得地產商這個憂慮有點短視。居屋業主出售了居屋單位，雖然買家就此不買私人物業，但賣家極有可能會變成私人物業買家。地產界不會因此而有重大損失，他們應該計對其他市場因素。

煲呔在此有角色。政府抵擋不住地產界的政治壓力，宣佈停建居屋，置低收入人士的置業福利不顧。但她又自圓其說，辯解為居屋歷史任命已完結，再無需要。當民間要求重建居屋的呼聲不絕時，她又不願意認錯自掌嘴巴。取代的可租可買置安心計劃是權宜之計，歸根結底其實亦是居屋，不過制度變得很複雜，以致行政費用甚高，而政府的資本風險亦大大提高。

我認為居屋是房屋福利這一個原則應該要貫徹。政府不應輕易放棄她擁有的居屋單位的權益，更不應只收回地價就讓這些政府資助房屋變成私人物業，可以在地產市場炒賣。政府應該堅持居屋是資助房屋的地位，維持推出時的條件，只可轉讓給公屋租戶及收回出租單位或是經入息審查的低收入人士。居屋業主可以轉讓其七成權益給這些合資格人士，但政府仍擁有物業的三成權益。雖然二手居屋仍是資助房屋，但其吸引力應該不弱；只需看看每期新居屋出售的盛況就可說明。居屋不進入私人物業市場，對地產界影響減少，政府就不用承受地產商的政治壓力。一筆過注資作為興建居屋的種子基金，就已可多年循環使用興建新居屋。大量資助居屋的市場，可以協助下一代的年青人上車置業。但現時的補地價安排謀殺了居屋的原意。

Protect your cloud data

Cloud computing is the order of the day.  It is receiving much attention and many companies have moved their IT platform to the Cloud.  However, the fact that the core of Cloud computing is to relocate your data away from you has created a sense of insecurity for many.  Security measures for the Cloud have been well developed; but this cat and mouse war will never end.  All advices say that one has to be prepared for the black swan, and be aware that the weakest link in personal data security is yourself.

Recently, CNN has an article offering some tips on cloud security.  Surprising, it came from an IT expert who himself suffered from a careless mistake.  You may wish to take a look at this article.

Here are five useful tips that are worthwhile to follow.

1. Backup everything -- in the cloud and on the ground.
Although it is convenient to have your data in the cloud, to be accessed anywhere and with different devices, it is important to have them backed up elsewhere.  Cloud providers will back up their data in order to maintain a quality and uninterrupted service.  But when someone else, or yourself, messed up the data, the corrupted data will also be put as back-up copy.  Harddisk storage is now very cheap.  It is a good practice to spend a little time to back up your cloud data on your own harddisk regularly; better still, back up more than one copy.

2. Use a bunch of different passwords.
Always use different passwords for every single online account.  It is obvious that this can protect you from every account being hacked should you accidentally leak one password.  Too many passwords may be difficult to remember.  You can devise a secret system yourself for password allocation, or use a password management service available in the market.  The simplest way is to write the passwords down in one place.  But be careful of how you write it so that other people cannot understand should the paper be stolen.

3. Don't link all of your accounts together.
This is daisy-chaining.  If you use Facebook, Twitter or Google to log in to other social networks or websites, you may run the risk of all those accounts being compromised at once.  It is convenient to link accounts sometimes, but you should try to think like a hacker when you are doing it.  Try not to link accounts with important information with others.

4. Use two-factor authentication on Google and Facebook.
This one is vey useful.  Both Facebook and Google offer two-factor authentication or sign-in.   For Google, you will be sent a code via text or voice message as second authentication when you sign in.  You will then need your password and the code to log into your Google account from an unfamiliar computer if you have two-factor authentication turned on.  Facebook has a similar feature called Login Approvals.  It is used when you log in from an unfamiliar computer.  Some other services, including Amazon and WordPress have two-factor authentication.  Turn them on for extra protection.

5. Don't use 'Find My Mac' on Apple computers.
If you use "Find My Mac," which is designed to help you locate your laptop in the event of a theft, you run the risk that a thief or hacker could wipe it clean, which is what appears to have happened to the writer.  When you perform a remote hard drive wipe on Find my Mac, the system asks you to create a four-digit PIN so that the process can be reversed.  But if someone else who gained access to your iCloud account through malicious means performs that wipe, there's no way for you to enter that PIN.

我是誰

荒失失奇兵 Madagascar 已拍到第三集，非常受歡迎。通常這些拍給小孩子看的卡通片都會隱藏一些道理，暗中給他們洗腦。不過小孩子的智慧不容忽視。我記得在第一集有一幕，是班馬 Marty 有身份危機；他對動物朋友訴苦，說他搞不清楚他自己究竟是一隻有白班紋的黑馬，還是一隻有黑班紋的白馬。小孩子笑得很開心，他們知道 Marty 只是一隻班馬。不過編劇沒有那麼聰明。在第二集他再搞一次。動物朋友們一齊幫忙，為 Marty 數班紋。答案是他有二十一條黑班紋，但有二十二條白班紋，結論是 Marty 其實是一隻有黑班紋的白馬。小孩子笑得更開心，他們知道 Marty 只是一隻班馬。



小孩子天真無邪，想法直接，沒有人為的複雜。但成年人就經常會思考混淆，自尋煩惱。較早前有辯論，說這裡的人究竟是中國人還是香港人。有人說香港是中國一部份，當然是中國人。但又有人說香港是特別行政區，不由中國統治，香港人不是中國人。雖然各自在鑽牛角尖，各有利益盤算，但大家心中其實知道，這裡的人是中國的香港人，或是住在香港的中國人。

二千多年以來，人類對道德觀有很大的分歧。人之初，性本善還是性本惡呢？有學者提出人性本善，有如一張白紙。人的一切惡行，都是習染而來。問題是從誰習染，而始作俑者又如何學壞？補鑊說法加多一項：世事皆惡，唯有人性清白，但來到世上就會學壞。性本惡論者說人從野獸進化而來，獸性乃是天性，人出世就已繼承了這些習性。在社會生活，需要後天學習人為的道德禮節，才可以在扭曲自然的人類社會上生存。這些自以為是的理論都是自尋煩惱，其實人類進化而來，適者生存，就保留了最佳的求生基因。這些基因在人類的道德觀點上來看有善亦有惡。為了可以傳承基因，所有生物都會愛護子女，家庭和伙伴；但在需要求生而爭奪資源時，就會對他人很自私和無情。人類與生俱來的本能，其實和班馬一樣，有白班紋亦同時有黑班紋。

人的本質是什麼有很神怪的說法。聖經說人有原罪，由亞當夏娃帶來。數千年來所有的人一出世時已有罪，終生不做其他事都已是罪人。後來耶穌被殺，被說成是為人類解原罪。自此以後，人一出世就沒有罪。是罪人與否，竟然可取決於一個生日。其實人的祖宗是否有罪和其後代沒有任何關係。但亦有人說性格會遺傳，很多子女的性情和父母相似。但基因帶給下一代的只是生物特徵。人生經驗和處事方法取決於後天學習。你究竟是好人還是罪人是由你的生活環境決定。人類的文明只是知識的累積，而經後天學習而得。

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
By John Perkins



The author said this book is his biography;  that is, a true story.  I find it more like a novel.  It was written vividly with many interesting details.  The underlying story is the conspiracy of the USA Government using false economic tools to influence other countries.  Quite interestingly, the USA Government did not openly rebut this book.  Instead, some critics claimed that the book does not have substantial details on the intention of the government, and that it is rather a personal interpretation of the USA foreign aid policy.  Actually, facts of truth cannot be denied, but intention can be.

John Perkins was trained by the National Security Agency NSA to be an economic hit man, both in concept, intention and skills.  Thereafter, he was employed by an international consulting firm.  As an employee of a private firm, he was not paid by the USA Government, nor had any official connection with her.

The scheme worked this way.  First, the USA Government showed a friendly gesture to a developing country, giving hope of assistance on modernization and progress.  With the introduction of the diplomats, the private firm would be awarded a consultancy on the feasibility of infrastructures such as hydroelectricity, power grid, highway system, etc.  The economic hit man would provide professional input, concluding that such infrastructure would greatly increase the gross national product. 

With such economic forecast, USA banks, the World Bank and USA foreign aid agencies would grant enormous loans to the country.  Using insider knowledge, all infrastructure projects would be awarded to USA companies.  In a decade, the country would be deep in debt but the infrastructure would not be able to generate sufficient wealth for the repayment.  On the verge of default, the creditors would ask for exclusive right on the exploring of natural resources by USA firms.  The deal would usually let the firms retain 75% of the profit, with another 20% given to the ruling families as sweetener, leaving only 5% for the national coffer.  In the meantime, the debts were still outstanding.  With such outstanding liability and the grateful ruling class, the USA Government would have favourable votes from these countries on UN affairs and other international affairs.

But what about those countries which could repay the debts?  A typical example is Saudi Arabia with ample crude oil export.  The economic hit man designed the Great Money Laundering Project.  A few decades ago, Saudi Arabia was a desert with only nomad population.  With the assistance of the economic hit man, the entire infrastructure of the country was modernized, from garbage collection, highway system, energy system, communication system, and in particular, to a military system with state-of-the-art USA weaponry.  All infrastructure projects and supplies were handled by USA firms.  All loans from USA were channeled back to the USA economy in this way.  But Saudi Arabia still had to repay the loan from her oil reserve.  The kill in the whole event was that all management, maintenance and supplies of all infrastructure and weaponry were continuously undertaken by USA firms because Saudi Arabia had no skilled personnel for them.  The end result is that Saudi Arabia now relies heavily on USA in running her infrastructure and in being a strong military power in the Middle East.  She is now a strong ally of USA and is a strong military base for the USA force in the region.

The economic hit man was not always successful.  There were countries with leaders who were full of national pride and were aware of  the USA intention.  The economic hit man is only one level of many covert operations.  When they failed, the real hit men would come into play.  Uncooprative leaders were outright assasinated.  This happened several times in South America where presidents were killed in air crashes, including Roldos of Ecuador and Torrijos of Panama.  For those well protected leaders, the USA Government would find an excuse to rage war.  There are typical examples in Panama and Iraq.

Economics is an inexact science.  There are much narrative fallacy within and it can be easily manipulated one way or the other.  While there have always been debates on Keynesian economics and Friedman economics, the economic hit man could easily take the best of both worlds in meeting his own needs.  Heavy investment on infrastructure is the core of Keynesian economics.  This is favourably labeled as a prerequisite on the road to prosperity.  However, when it comes to carrying out the projects, the Friedman economics of a free market is heavily promoted, leading to open competition by private firms, with USA firms having great advantages using insider information.

The final trick is to give false creditability to this theory.  John Perkins took the statistics theory developed by Andrey Markov in the beginning of the 20th century, which is a decision making process based on probability.  He employed a mathethetician and launched a research project based on the Markov Process.  In six months, they produced the Markov method for econometric modeling, the result is the forecast of the impact of infrastructure investment on economic development.  Technical papers were produced and were published in science journals.  The tool of the economic hit man now has a false academic foundation.

The work of John Perkins as an economic hit man covered Indonesia, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Ecuador.  All of them were victims of USA foreign policy.  John Perkins found his conscience and resigned from the consulting firm in 1980.