Universal paradox

I suppose it is true of all great religious buildings, but on a visit to Borobudur I was particularly struck by what I think is a universal paradox: that you need huge material wealth, acquired through intense engagement with the affairs of the world, to build monuments which inspires us to abandon wealth and to leave the world behind.  --A History of the World in 100 Objects

Must be seen to be done

吳靄儀常說的那金句：「Justice…must be seen to be done」，終於給我看書時碰到原句和出處（雖然真要找也容易得很－－太出名了）。
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Sussex_Justices,_ex_parte_McCarthy

書是《The Discipline of Law》，Lord Denning著，很精彩，每個案例都精簡，只是太短促。

把兩隻鳥綁起來

Tie two birds together. They will not be able to fly, even though they now have four wings.

Jalaluddin Rumi

民主和自由

托克維爾：「在現代，一個國家（法國）的歷史乃是民主的歷史，而非自由的歷史；而另一個國家（英國）的歷史卻是自由的歷史，而非民主的歷史。」

http://www.unicornblog.cn/user1/54/24837.html

這個崇拜黃金的時代

Quotable quote:「我想看看在這個崇拜黃金的時代，誰還關心好人。」－－賈樟柯演講

Antipole 2

球面上每一點都有反極（antipole）（反極的定義見另文﹕Antipole）﹐而且反極只有一點。於是反極跟其他點不同了﹐它之於原點﹐是世界上唯一的﹔而原點之於反極﹐也是世界上唯一的。反極對的關係比其他點都密切﹐就如小王子和他的玫瑰花一樣。

雖說每一點都有反極﹐但一地的反極不一定是陸地。地球上海洋的面積比陸地大﹐大多數陸地的反極是海洋。圖中暗黑的一層是把地球的另一端投影在原本的地圖上﹐黑白重疊的部份就是反極對皆為陸地的地方﹐較大面積的只有三處﹕東南亞及蒙古和一點點俄羅斯與南美洲、新西蘭與西班牙、與及南北極。南北極重疊的面積似乎很大﹐但不要忘記在麥卡托投影法（Mercator projection）高緯度的地方會被大幅度放大﹐格陵蘭看起來比南美洲大﹐但事實上比巴西還要小四倍。估計陸地反極對只佔全球陸地的十分之一。（Click圖可看大圖。圖片修改自google maps。）

我們有幸生活在少數有陸地反極的土地！

為甚麼找反極﹖不因甚麼﹐就只因為根據定義﹐世界上有這麼一點。第一個嘗試登珠穆朗瑪峰頂的西方人叫George Mallory﹐人們問他為甚麼要登頂﹐他說﹕「because it's there」。

伸延閱讀：Antipole

參考資料：
-Mallory的金句
-Google maps用Mercator projection
-巴西面積
-格陵蘭面積

名人金句

無甚可記，來點名人金句如何：

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

Sir Winston Churchill, http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/772.html

The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.

George Bernard Shaw, http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/458.html

A cult is a religion with no political power.

Tom Wolfe, http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1420.html

We are so scared about talking about death that we are letting people die in silence. It is good to talk publicly.

Javier Bardem, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000849/bio