BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Six imams ejected from US flight
发生在美国的又一起可笑的航班拒载事件。受害者仍然是穆斯林。布什的反恐政策制造了国家监视系统，全国性的恐慌和种族偏见，却没有抓到一个真正的恐怖分子。真正的极端分子可以偷笑了，他们不费一枪一弹就在5年里打垮了美国标榜在星条旗上的正义勇气和纯净。
在美国的大多数机场穆斯林或看来像穆斯林的人现在都是不受欢迎的人，任何“可疑”的行动都可能招致无端的怀疑和禁飞的不公正待遇。如果这种种族偏见继续扩张到社会的其他部分，那么信回教的人在这个国家的生活将不会比上世纪30年代德国的犹太人更好。随之而来的将是仇恨和冲突。西方社会对伊斯兰社会和人民长期的妖魔化必然带来难以下咽的苦果。而现在，西方后殖民主义社会标榜的多元化和文化宽容的信条已经受到了来自传统社会本身的威胁。
西方社会也许需要一个能够反省其对外政策并承认伊斯兰社会价值观的美国，而伊斯兰社会也需要让世界更了解自身，但不强求他人接受其宗教诉求。这样文明的冲突才有可能避免。但目前的现实是无论西方还是伊斯兰社会都无法在态度上急转弯，或者是长期的路径依赖使它们不愿改变现有的姿态。
2006年11月18日星期六
室内锻炼计划再启动……
很久没有练上肢力量了。今天到 Argos 买了这个杠子以后才发现安装是需要在门上钻孔的。学校大概不会允许我这样大兴土木。不过好在这套东西里还有用来做俯卧撑的器具，加上以前买的两个绳套后就组合成了这个简易单杠。实验了一下，还是比较结实的。这样就可以在室内练习引体向上了，而且腿因为窗台的缘故不能晃，估计锻炼效果会不错。
Week 8: Cross roads
The review on Tibetan environment is close to finish. The climate section is the most detailed. The other are less so. Given the availability of today's literatures on Tibet biomes and geology, I believe to write a more detailed version for the other parts will cost much more time than the current one. Another problem is that considerable amount of data are only accessible from China.
I surely have more literature reviews to do in next weeks. However, I also realised that it may be the time I began preparation for the fieldwork. Some work may take longer than I expect, so an early start would be better. I have not talked about this with my supervisors, but I think they will agree with me on this.
During the study of Tibetan ecology I find the system more complicated than I previously estimated. The dynamics of pikas is complicated enough. This may add some difficulties to future research, considering it is basically blank in ecological research in Tibet.
I surely have more literature reviews to do in next weeks. However, I also realised that it may be the time I began preparation for the fieldwork. Some work may take longer than I expect, so an early start would be better. I have not talked about this with my supervisors, but I think they will agree with me on this.
During the study of Tibetan ecology I find the system more complicated than I previously estimated. The dynamics of pikas is complicated enough. This may add some difficulties to future research, considering it is basically blank in ecological research in Tibet.
2006年11月16日星期四
BBC NEWS | UK | World Cup site threat to swallows
BBC NEWS | UK | World Cup site threat to swallows
This is an interesting environmental management case. It is special in that it involves international affairs. Bird migration may be the link of friendship between countries -- as well as of disputes. In my memory there is no international law regulating bird conservation. Swallows are not rare or endangered species (yet). The question now is, should South African pay the bill for the conservation of a bird which is liked by Britons?
In South Africa Environmental Impact Assessment is mandatory for almost every construction project[1]. Why EIA did not address such a threat to over 3 million swallows currently nested in the future site of World Cup matches? My guess is that the public did not consider the swallows important; the local authority would not pay for "British swallows" either. Apparently there is no pressure group claiming the interest of swallows. When choosing site for such project, it is the competition of interest groups determining the final choice.
Now there is RSPB standing out for the interest of swallows (perhaps Briton's as well). How much weight can they put on the South African official's decision? I noticed that South Africa is one of the 53 Commonwealth countries. Does this organisation play its role on environmental issues? Maybe time can tell.
(Strange, RSPB has not put out this issue on their website when I write this post.)
[1] Environmental Impact Assessment in Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia and Denmark: working report. http://www.ruc.dk/upload/application/pdf/9c4d310e/workingpaper1.pdf
This is an interesting environmental management case. It is special in that it involves international affairs. Bird migration may be the link of friendship between countries -- as well as of disputes. In my memory there is no international law regulating bird conservation. Swallows are not rare or endangered species (yet). The question now is, should South African pay the bill for the conservation of a bird which is liked by Britons?
In South Africa Environmental Impact Assessment is mandatory for almost every construction project[1]. Why EIA did not address such a threat to over 3 million swallows currently nested in the future site of World Cup matches? My guess is that the public did not consider the swallows important; the local authority would not pay for "British swallows" either. Apparently there is no pressure group claiming the interest of swallows. When choosing site for such project, it is the competition of interest groups determining the final choice.
Now there is RSPB standing out for the interest of swallows (perhaps Briton's as well). How much weight can they put on the South African official's decision? I noticed that South Africa is one of the 53 Commonwealth countries. Does this organisation play its role on environmental issues? Maybe time can tell.
(Strange, RSPB has not put out this issue on their website when I write this post.)
[1] Environmental Impact Assessment in Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia and Denmark: working report. http://www.ruc.dk/upload/application/pdf/9c4d310e/workingpaper1.pdf
2006年11月14日星期二
More fieldwork?
This noon when I was having my lunch on the bench outside the school building, I tried to go through my research plan again, then I realised that I need data on two seasons for two types of pastoralists. Thus I may need to go to the field as early as in summer 2007, then I will have time and experience to do a fieldwork in winter 2007. If there is not one in summer 2007, I will have to wait until summer 2008 considering the winter climate and lack of experience, and surely will have to spend some time in Tibet in 2009 when I should be writing up my thesis.
On one side this is a good opportunity for me to reunite Amy, on the other side it could mean a lot of preparation and hassle of learning sociology methods, contacting central and local officials/academics, and maybe studying/borrowing devices. All seems still too sudden so I will need to talk to my supervisors about this idea. However, I think it is time to do some networking at this moment. It is never too early.
If I can make this trip, I cannot tell what the outcome is at present. I will make a more detailed plan if my supervisors give me a green.
On one side this is a good opportunity for me to reunite Amy, on the other side it could mean a lot of preparation and hassle of learning sociology methods, contacting central and local officials/academics, and maybe studying/borrowing devices. All seems still too sudden so I will need to talk to my supervisors about this idea. However, I think it is time to do some networking at this moment. It is never too early.
If I can make this trip, I cannot tell what the outcome is at present. I will make a more detailed plan if my supervisors give me a green.
2006年11月11日星期六
Week 7: Exploring new territory
This week I basically finished the review on climate, and move on to review geology, soil and other aspects of Tibetan environment. These are really new to me. And I find it really hard to be critical for such a new field I know so little about.
Another problem is that very few articles discuss the current environment in Tibet, which is more important to me. Most focus on Holocene uplift and climate. Next week I will turn my attention to biodiversity and ecosystems in Tibet. Hopefully there will be more current issues.
Another problem is that very few articles discuss the current environment in Tibet, which is more important to me. Most focus on Holocene uplift and climate. Next week I will turn my attention to biodiversity and ecosystems in Tibet. Hopefully there will be more current issues.
2006年11月10日星期五
A better method to value ecological services?
This is a lecture given by James Boyd, a economist from Washington D.C. He argues that present means in which the value of ecosystem services are measured is too complicated(, partly by ecologists who want to address many issues at one time). His idea is to only calculate the "final" goods provided by ecosystem, the inputs, or intermediate goods to produce the final goods are ignored in the calculation. Then we can determine the quantity of the goods. The qualities of the goods are measured by a weighting system, depending on how people concerned evaluate such qualities. The product of goods quantity and quality (weight) is the value of the given ecological service.
I find the weighting system particularly interesting. On the one hand, it is reductionist approach, and may bring some environmental justice problem, but James said this tool is not concerning environmental justice -- there should be other people/tool to deal with them; on the other hand, I think the sum of weight is pre-determined by some total amount, such as the size of population, thus weighting means dealing with tradeoff and exclusive choices. Now imagine ecosystem services A and B. They have different weights but in one system they enhance each other and are inputs of each other. What if a group of people want A sacrificing B and another think the other way round? How do we measure the relative importance of A and B here? James' explanation is that ecologists should let the decision makers know there is such implication and tradeoff exist, and such tradeoff can be considered by the policy makers. In my opinion, I think the mutual enhancement of A and B can be represented using some kind of matrix algebra, though this will surely increase the complexity and compromise the merit of James' approach.
I find the weighting system particularly interesting. On the one hand, it is reductionist approach, and may bring some environmental justice problem, but James said this tool is not concerning environmental justice -- there should be other people/tool to deal with them; on the other hand, I think the sum of weight is pre-determined by some total amount, such as the size of population, thus weighting means dealing with tradeoff and exclusive choices. Now imagine ecosystem services A and B. They have different weights but in one system they enhance each other and are inputs of each other. What if a group of people want A sacrificing B and another think the other way round? How do we measure the relative importance of A and B here? James' explanation is that ecologists should let the decision makers know there is such implication and tradeoff exist, and such tradeoff can be considered by the policy makers. In my opinion, I think the mutual enhancement of A and B can be represented using some kind of matrix algebra, though this will surely increase the complexity and compromise the merit of James' approach.
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