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From Cradle To Grave---Life Under The Nordic Crosses從搖籃到墳墓 --- 北歐十架下的生活
北歐,斯堪地那維亞,包含多國
從嬰兒、失業到晚年,政府一直在後幫忙
Writer: Kaku, Crumbled NissinTypesetter: Hamburg
Content provided by interviewees: Tobias Mathiasen (from Sweden), Sami Hiltunen (from Finland), reported by Au Ka Yi
Let’s take a look at the life outside of Hong Kong.......
An overview
When asked to name a workaholic society with its typical busy lifestyle and fast pace of life, would Hong Kong comes first to your mind? However, when talking about our European counterparts, we tend to associate them with the relaxed and laid back outlook towards life, which is the most typical differences that come to people’s minds. But actually, Hong Kong differs from European states far more than that.
One of the controversial issues solved recently in our society is the dispute over the implementation of minimum wage. Some regard it as a basic form of welfare for the state. Others take it an intervention against the free market. In terms of what a government should provide for its people, we may look to our European neighbors for reference. Though ‘welfare state’ sounds familiar, you may not know it exactly. So we’re trying to present a general picture of the welfare model in European states.
Nordic countries, so-called Scandinavia states including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aland are the states pursuing a socialist society based on fairness. According to this principle, basic welfare for the people is strictly guaranteed, from cradle to grave. We’ll talk it later in detail.
Still having doubts in the existence of such government? Well, let’s take Sweden and Finland for example.
In these states, when you were born in the hospital, the government would cover your medical expenses. When you were still a child, the government would offer one-year subsidy to one parent for home parental care. Then you were old enough for school, without tuition, from kindergarten all through university. When unemployed, you would be subsidized. When asking for a sick leave, your salary would still be paid. Besides, a basic pension is waiting for your retirement. Special attention is also dedicated to elderly care. Owing to the comprehensive welfare services, people always refer to the nanny states.
Too good to be true? There’s more!There exists free public health care in Sweden. In Finland, free dental care is only available until 20 while normal healthcare is free throughout life. In terms of schools, the state would provide free meals and transportation. Cards for free buses are distributed, but older students have to pay half the price. In addition, help packages are provided to cover students’ living expenses monthly. A high school student would get about HK$1,500. And the proportion for a university student would be astonishing HK$3,000.
About social insurance, it covers legal aid, old age pensions, unemployment benefit and medical insurance, etc. Facing legal matters? Free lawyers come. There’s no need to worry about litigation costs. Regarding the elderly, there is a state pension for all regardless of income level. On top of this national pension stands an additional payment, varying with individual needs. Unemployment benefit aims to cover your daily. People in between jobs can claim
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From Cradle To Grave---Life Under The Nordic Crosses
it as well. Medical insurance helps with your expenditure on treatment by paying as much as 80% of the salary.
As the saying goes “After dinner comes the reckoning”, Nordics pay great taxes. Meanwhile there are many problems in welfare states.
1. TaxesTrue indeed, Nordic countries, implement relatively progressive and high tax rates. Progressive tax means more tax for the richer. And taxes account for more GDP in northern Europe. For instance, the tax revenues received by Sweden and Finland are about 51% of their GDP, while Hong Kong has 22.8% and United States, commonly known as a high tax rate country, has 15% merely. Their tax ratios are between 30% to around 50% whereas Hong Kong limited it to at most 15%. However, their government supplies allowances for the low income. High tax system is “squeezing” from the rich. But interestingly, would the wealthy people care about the tax?
2. Debt crisisYou may have heard that some European countries are suffering debt crisis because of the high welfare. Are Nordic countries also in the same situation? Well, in fact, it mainly occurs in southern Europe like Greece, Spain and Italy. Southern countries increased their welfare regardless of the income level, which resulted financial deficit. Before 2007, Northern Europe such as Sweden and Finland loaned money to the southern to pay off the debt. That is to say, Sweden and Finland are not the worrying borrowers, but those loaners angrily wait for the borrowers to improve their economy!
3. Dependency, lack of motivation and mediocrityPeople tend to lose incentive to work in secure and satisfactory environment. That is the common problem in welfare states. As the welfare system has already taken everything into account, there’s no point in working hard. Welfare states emphasize equality and security; no wonder mediocrity prevails like schooling, the education aims to maintain equality rather than to encourage the weak. Without competition, people tend to maintain the status quo or even lag behind.
4. FairnessIronically, a system aiming to provide fairness always generate unfair situation. It is reasonable that everyone pay for essential public services like military, post, police and firefighting. But art, sport or museum should be paid, at least to a certain extent, by those who are interested to use. Quality of services provided is so equal and average that someone who is able to afford more cannot gain better. The support to immigrants also arouses people’s concern, as public gain from them cannot cover the expenditure incurred. These are the problems that “equality” brings about.
Nordic countries have become a model of welfare state to promote: high tax, but a fair society. It seems very attractive to most people working their fingers to bone in classic capitalist society like Hong Kong. When it comes to “welfare states”, we cannot miss to mention “social democracy”. Social democracy is a political ideology that aims to build up a commonly wealth country. Not like the communists, social democrats do not
achieve the aim by revolution, but to join the election and seek corporation with the existing capitalism, which means they’re striking a balance between capitalism and communism. For instance, they re-distribute wealth in society and promote green lifestyle by taxes and subsidies. Nordic countries started their social democratic policies since cold war or before. Social democratic parties played a pivotal role. Here is part of their idea:
Economic: high and progressive tax rate, preferring fair trade to free trade, establishing a series of regulations protecting labors’ benefits, nationalizing some services like medical care, education, public transport
Moral: supporting homosexual marriage and legitimation of abortion
Cultural and immigration: supporting new immigrants and multiculturalismOther: sustainable development and green policy
The financial tsunami aroused people’s concern about capitalism. The flood of protest activities like “occupying wall street” was sweeping across the world. It emphasizes a ratio, 1/99, to criticize the lack of responsibilities of some financial clique and the unfairness of our society. Nordic style once again caught the spotlight. People feeling bullied are finding an alternative to the cruelty of free market.
Hong Kong, one of the freest economies in the world, demonstrates how a free market without effective restriction could damage a generation. The elderly living in cage home reflects the cruelty undoubtedly. Nowadays, more and more political parties are coming into existence and tend to introduce social democratic policy, such as Labor Party and League of Social Democrats. However, nothing is all plain sailing. Although Hong Kong fulfills some criteria of implementing social democracy like high employment rate and lack of corruption, the existing political structure that favors the rich will not give the nob so easily. Minimum wage law was only passed after years of objections; standard working hours is still in process…Are they willing to pay progressive tax ? In addition, Hong Kong is well known as a cosmopolitan showing off and defensing its free market policy. The left voice is not so powerful in the long history and foreseeable future. The last problem is that, our competition of resources, either human and land, is extremely vigorous, much more than the Nordic countries. How can the social democratic government handle it? There is no perfect answer yet.
After all, it is always easier said than done. Facing the cruelty of capitalism, we admire the Nordic style and hope our country can become a welfare state. But for those who are living under the Nordic crosses, they understand the problems behind and seek the solution. Nothing is perfect; or perhaps the perfect model is always on the land opposite to the one we are standing on.
More than vindictiveness Political motivation may have contributed to the current plight of DBC, but Mr. Albert Cheng has not been given his fair share of blame
Writer: Hugo Typesetter: 阿歷 C
What happened?
Mention the word Digital Broadcasting Corporation Ltd., or DBC, and we get political. The company, which now has been forced to liquidate its assets, is brought down by several stockholders pour more money into the company, which was in the red. This, given that they command a combined 50% of the shares, has inevitably made DBC the shortest living legal radio station in Hong Kong. Many, including Mr. Albert Cheng Jing Han, think the government and Liaison Office of the Central People's Government is behind this incidence.
While the accusation seems very compelling, it is after all mere speculation. Even if the Liaison Office really wanted the downfall of DBC, it has to be opportunistic because the law cannot be twisted and bent like it is in the Mainland. That might be why Apple Daily and Commercial Radio, both take an anti-government stance, are still doing business in Hong Kong. So unless anti-government firms do something wrong, the Liaison cannot legitimately interfere. As i will attempt to show, Mr. Cheng has done a lot of things wrong.
Premature launch
Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB for short, is still new to Hong Kong. Indeed, DBC is one of the very first DAB radio stations, along with two others, to be granted a license.
There are two ways by which one can listen to DBC, via the Internet or a radio that can support DAB. Although the formmer is very pervasive, the latter is not. Such a radio costs at least twice (lenient estimation) as much as your ordinary radio receiver, according to price.com.hk. The situation one year ago is still worse. Mr. Cheng himself admitted that DAB receivers are not pervasive. If all commercial vehicles were to install a receiver, more than $21,000,000 will be required. That leaves many in the working class unreached. Worse still, the special radio cannot receive FM/AM signals, creating an extra huddle for listener wannabes.
Besides, older citizens either do not have access to the Internet or do not know how to listen to DBC via it. As far as I know, most catering houses do not support DAB.
DBC started too early, at a time when DAB is not mature in Hong Kong.
In neighboring regions such as Taiwan, the development of DAB has not gone well. NCC, the Taiwanese broadcasting authority, opened the application for DAB preparation license in 2004. Out of the 6 DAB stations granted a license, only 1 is now still in preparation to broadcast. The others dropped out of the race. The spokesman for NCC, in a telephone interview with the
Central News Agency journalist, said that the future of DAB is very dim.
Mr. Cheng or whoever made the decision to launch DBC clearly made the wrong choice at the wrong time. In a broadcasting industry in which DAB is not widespread, its radio receiver is expensive and others have failed to launch DAB radio stations, starting DBC is clearly against the odds. Yet Mr. Cheng, whatever his rationale, insisted on a premature launch. I wonder whose fault it is.
Poor management
DBC is a big spender. Mr. Cheng hires renowned radio hosts from other radio stations, including Leung Sze Ho, Francis Mak, Kelvin Tang and others. In July, the first sign of overspending occurred. Shareholders, having injected a combined fifty million ($50,000,000), was furious because a second fifty million was soon required in the same month. Some threatened to withdrawn their investment. Yet the radio station showed no sign of improvement. By late September, news comes out that DBC is spending three million ($3,000,000) while earning a mere five hundred thousand ($500,000) per month. I understand that recording a loss during the first few years of start-up is normal, but losing THAT much is definitely poor management.
Who brought in the wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Mr. Wong Cho Bau, a Beijing loyalist tycoon, commanded 20% of the shares in DBC. His, and three other shareholder’s, refusal to pump more money into the company is widely cited as the most direct cause of DBC’s presumed shutdown. While his withdrawal can be viewed from a purely monetary perspective, political motivation, as many have angrily pointed out, may well be a factor. But politics is a dangerous and dirty business: even the slightest mistake can cost you dearly. This is certainly something you should watch out being a member of the opposition. Mr. Cheng has suffered the consequences for not being careful enough given his vociferous anti-Communist, anti-government remarks he is so famous for. Looking back at the start of DBC and its predecessor Wave Media Limited, i can’t help but ask why Mr. Wong was invited to be one of the investors in this company. After being laid off by Commercial Radio in 2004, one would presume that Mr. Cheng has learnt a lesson as to be cautious, not in what he says but what he does. Inviting someone from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference into your company, which tries to criticize the boss he serves? Was Mr. Cheng out of options? I think he could have invited Mr. Lai Chee Ying, a media tycoon who owns Next Media.
If Mr. Cheng had invited someone who, never mind support him in hard times, will not stand against him like Mr. Wong do now, he might just be able to save the day. Mr. Wong hold one-fifth of the DBC share, second only to Mr. Cheng himself, who holds 23.3%. But with what he decided to do, it’s like saying to the Liaison Office “come take me down!”
Don’t get me wrong
Despite all the weaknesses mentioned, politically motivated oppression should not be discounted as a plausible reason. It is indeed unusual that Mr. Wong and others, despite what they say about not willing to sell their shares at a very low price, opt not to sell their shares to cut the loss (before all their shares becomes useless pieces of paper).
What’s my point?
But this argument should not carry the heavy weight as it does now, as public opinion shows. What the majority fails to notice is the loopholes Mr. Cheng created for his own company but blamed on others. That is why he hasn’t got his fair share of blame, which is quite big. Mr. Cheng may not know, but he might have brought down his own company by making a chain of poor decisions and exposing his weaknesses to his enemies.
I do not have the slightest hope that readers of this article will agree with my line of reasoning, which is after all guesswork and inference. What I will be happy to achieve is simulate your thought so you can realize that the DBC incident has more to it then it seems.
I hurried to retrieve my phone. Roger probably called to check my whereabouts, as we had plans for lunch before lecture.
‘Hey, where are you?' he asks. ‘Er... sorry, I’m stuck at the minibus queue in Choi Hung.’
Taking the minibus during rush hour is definitely unwise. With just 15 minutes of traveling time, and minibuses constantly waiting on passengers, taking the minibus used to be the most efficient means of transport to the university. Yet now with the double cohorts, all facilities were utilized and everything was overloaded. So here I was, still waiting at the end of a long queue for over 25 minutes, frustrated and impatient like everyone else. There was nothing I could do....or was there?
Actually there was! Like everyone else, I utterly ignored the alternatives-- buses could take us to the university as well. The bus stops were just next to exit C of the Choi Hung MTR station but there is a general misconception. Taking the buses to university takes ages---- even up to a long 40 minutes according to some people’s general exaggeration. Yet, isn’t traveling time supposed to be only around 20 minutes in reality? That doesn’t sound so unbearable…
I decided to wait for a bus instead and soon, I arrived at the atrium. ‘Hey Roger, I’ve just arrived. Where are you?’
‘Oh you finally decided to grace me with your presence?’ he teased me half-jokingly.
‘Sorry. I should have known better. But unlike someone, I don't have a hall residence, so I can’t come and go as I pleased.’ I replied apologetically. Come to think of it, I really think I should learn something from this… that my time management needs some serious work. Just to prepare for the unprepared in my future life.
Prepare for the
Unexpected Writer: KaKuTypesetter: Hamburg
振翅之高飛報 20.3
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THE COMPROMISED CREED:A Reaction towards the Institution of MediaWriter: Jessica Ng and Joan Danielle K. Ongchoco Typesetter: WhiteWhitePig
Without doubt, society today heavily relies on media—from the paper-based publications to online news and entertainment. By media, we are informed and influenced and our perceptions are shaped. Through news reports, we are given the opportunity to know more about the people around us. Readily, we take this opportunity with the expectation that we get the truth. We couldn’t be more mistaken. The problem in status quo is clear—media has an overstated power that blows it up into an institution that’s all about glamorized stories that will sell. They find a story. They embellish the details. They tell us it’s the truth.
Ideally, we recognize the media as the fourth institution. It is the body that functions not only to entertain or appeal to emotions, but also to inform and cater to the people’s right to know. It is a body enshrined under a code of ethics that binds journalists and newscasters to strive for the pursuit of truth. For journalists, they call this code the Journalist’s Creed which was written by Walter Williams in 1906. This creed not only prioritizes accuracy and fairness in journalism, but also states the supposed responsibility journalists have. This responsibility is not towards the big names that are willing to pay a huge amount of money just to get good publicity. This responsibility is to the general public, the readers, the subjects of the story.
Journalists have shown an increasing tendency to be insensitive to the emotions of interviewees and their readers. While it is understandable that the media must be as objective as possible, without siding with the victims of the story, this still does not excuse rude intrusions of privacy. A crying mother who has just lost a child has the right to refuse to give a statement to the media. We have heard countless cases of the media stalking, harassing and chasing after people just to get exclusive information. The line between professional journalism and fanatic journalism has been crossed. Yes, it is difficult to sell papers. Yes, competition among journalists to get published or promoted is cutthroat. To post pictures of the full horrors of crimes or to harass victims for their feelings and opinions is to shake the foundations of the institution of media, questioning their motives and the actions they take just to be the best newspaper in town.
Moreover, if not insensitive, the people behind the papers tend to be selective of the details they reveal. In the process of writing a “good story,” journalists leave out details and exaggerate others. They pick the stories that people will like, all in the name of profit. This breaches the contract journalists make when they promise to serve the public with the truth. Journalists must remember their responsibility to verify the authenticity of their articles before releasing it to the entire public. Once a person’s reputation is damaged, it is difficult to restore. Once an innocent person’s name has been tarnished, his life will simply never be the same ever again. When companies’ names or people’s names are wrongfully accused by the media, they make the talk of town. While we recognize that journalists must also be under a lot of pressure to please their editors, the cost of getting sued for the wrong story is even bigger than the cost of getting scolded at. Media companies themselves also have to think about the possible consequences of publishing selective articles. Integrity lost is not restorable. Money lost cannot be recovered. Public trust gambled cannot easily won back.
At this point of the article, we turn to the recent event that has demonstrated the failure of media to live up to its responsibilities. In the unfortunate Lamma Island Vessel Incident, media naturally found a big scoop to write. New reporters were everywhere. Keen on reporting from first-hand information, they shoved their microphones in the victims’ faces, eager to get even a little statement. The question is, how necessary was it to question survivors right after they were rescued? How necessary was it to get a first-hand quotation on how they felt, when they were clearly shivering, crying, screaming frantically for their family and friends? There were parents who worried about their children who couldn’t swim; friends who had lost their fellow friends; elderly who were in a panic. At that moment, when the survivors were going through shock, traumatized of the event that almost put the Titanic tragedy to shame, how necessary was it for media to obtain juicy interviewees? While it is important to note that media’s role as the public’s informant still stands and that they were right to rush to the scene and report on the turn of events, their insensitivity to the victims of the accident struck some chords.
“That the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.”
– Walter Williams
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Interestingly, albeit all the fuss that media demonstrated on the night of the accident, the story did not even make the headline of an isolated newspaper. This paper had fireworks plastered all over the first page, in grand celebration of the National Day. There are many justifications that the newspaper might use to explain this behavior. Maybe the front page had already been printed the night before. Maybe the lay-out had already been done by the time the accident happened. The bottom line is that regardless of why the newspaper chose to put the Lamma Island Incident in the next pages, everyone in Hong Kong was grieving for the victims and their families. It was imprudent for the newspaper to post images of celebration amidst the grieving Hong Kong. Of course, there were suspicions that the newspaper prioritized the interests of its major stakeholders and supporters over the interests of the general public. While we will never know for certain, its actions do raise questions about the actions of the media. Who is it still serving? The rich tycoons funnelling in funds or the readers?
As we further trace the timeline of events, we find the media blowing the story up again in the government press release. Reporters asked questions about rescue ships from China, almost turning a probably sincere humanitarian act into a political statement. These are the little things that inevitably plant seeds of doubt and paranoia in the minds of the public. These are the little things that distort the truth and make it difficult for readers to actually know about the operations going on to save the people of the accident who have not yet been found. On one hand, one might argue that these questions are necessary, there are people who want to know about the intentions of these rescue ships, and that the public has the right to know why China has decided to take interest in this big incident and offer help. However, the chalk talk of the story still remains, in the quest for every possible scoop, journalists must not lose sight of the actual issue being talked about, the actual picture they must focus on, because the minute they do so, they compromise their integrity and the creed they promised to keep.
This reaction has no intention in bashing the institution of media and the journalists who work just to earn a living and pay rent. It has no intention to accuse media of being a selfish, profit-oriented institution that exploits the stories of people just to earn the big money. Instead, it wants to bring to light the questionable stories, the questionable practices and the questionable motives, so that maybe next time, when we pick up a newspaper to read, we become more critical of what we’re actually taking in. We can never know for sure why the media resorts to these insensitive or selective-journalistic practices, but what we can do as the readers is be more vigilant and critical of what we take in. We, the public, are the check and balance to the institution of media, and when the journalists themselves go against their very creed, we have to be able catch them when they do.
Sources of images: evchk.wikia.commilitaryphotos.net
然而,無論如何,本文不是致命的批評,只是致敬的書評。本書不值得奉為儒學入門,然而卻能引起讀者進一步研究儒學典籍,尚可一讀。至於成敗功過、得失對錯,筆者認為南先生胸襟廣闊,不會計較太多,何況逝者已矣,何從計較呢?這些全都在我們心中。之謎先生足音未遠,也許會有想法,不過再多的想法都隨風飄逝,blowing in the wind 了。
"It's I who has destroyed you by helping you.” – Howard Roark
“The Fountainhead” and the Heroic in Man: A Book Report on “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand
"When I look at the ocean, I feel the greatness of man. I think of man's magnificent capacity that created this ship to conquer all that senseless space. When I look at mountain peaks, I think of tunnels and dynamite. When I look at the planets, I think of airplanes." - Gail Wynand
Look at the world around you. Look at how the society you live in functions. Have you ever wondered what thoughts and ideas shaped society as we know it today? Behind the economic and political thought of the late 20th century and the early 21st century, one author has dominated the philosophical thinking of the age, Ayn Rand. Many noted members of the American political right have been influenced or were in fact disciples of Ayn Rand, such as the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan. Put into a nutshell, her basic philosophy was that “greed is good” and that being altruistic and going out of your way to help others was in fact evil. Now, before we get into a debate as to whether the policies of the right reflect this thinking, we must remember that the Right espouses the concept of Laissez-faire, wherein the government should have nothing to do with business except to protect property rights against theft and aggression. Also, espoused by the Right is the concept that social inequality is natural and normal as the product of a Market Economy. Basically, it is survival of the fittest and those who support those who cannot rise by themselves should be damned.
Ayn Rand’s philosophy is put forth in two novels, “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”. If one were to compare and contrast these two books, one would see that the former is an ode to and a description of the Ideal Man, according to Ayn Rand, whereas the latter is an analysis of the role of the Ideal Man in society and how he interacts with society. In order to have a better grasp upon her philosophy it is best to start with the foundation of the philosophy. That foundation is given an expose in her book, “The Fountainhead”. Thus, we must first start with “The Fountainhead” in order to better grasp the thinking of Ayn Rand.
“The Fountainhead” is a novel about an architect named Howard Roark. He gives no quarter and accepts no compromise in the pursuit of his work. In a world dominated by architects who are architectural vultures, lifting and copying designs from the great styles such as Victorian and Classical, Howard Roark is the only one who proposes that the design of a building should follow its function. There should be nothing for the sake of itself. A building should be honest and be itself and not bend to the pressures of men to follow a norm established by the society. Howard Roark’s philosophy on buildings extends to people. A person must be honest and uncompromising in his values. He should not let others dictate his work and force their will unto him for to do so is to lose his individuality and become, simply, an extension of the will of others. In other words, you lose your right to be called a man. The term used in the book for this type of man is “second-hander”. The “second-hander” doesn’t live his own life. The “second-hander” lives his life based upon the whims and praise of others. He doesn’t live for himself, rather the second-hander lives his whole life upon the greatness of others and uses this to build the illusion that he, the second-hander, has achieved something.
Throughout the book, Howard Roark is abused and rejected by society for following his convictions and values. However, despite this, he does not bend or compromise in the face of overwhelming odds. From poverty, he rises, by the strength of his will, to become the foremost architect in the country. The story culminates when he assists a fellow architect who was his old rival in college in designing a low cost housing for the poor of the country. He takes on the project, though, not because of any desire to help the poor. Rather, Howard Roark takes on the project because he profits, not materially, but in that he may have the knowledge to himself that it was he who designed the housing. It was he who solved the problem of how to design low-cost housing while providing the greatest quality and comfort possible. He accepted the deal so that he
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“To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That's what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul
- would you understand why that's much harder?” – Howard Roark
“Self-sacrifice? But it is precisely the self that cannot and must not be sacrificed. It is the unsacrificed self that we must respect in
man above all.”- Gail Wynand
Writer : Jose Florencio maria V. Dos remedios Typesetter : Kung
“The Fountainhead” and the Heroic in Man: A Book Report on “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand
would know that he, Howard Roark, would know that this great work and this great advancement in the history of mankind was created by his mind and his mind alone. However, his former rival, who embodies the archetype of the second-hander, is weak. His former rival allows other people’s ideas and wills to seep into and poison the project, turning it into an abomination of different competing styles and useless additions.
Rather than see his work be desecrated as it was, Howard Roark decides to blow up the entire project. He stays at the scene and allows himself to be caught and taken into custody. Disgusted with the state of society, he goes on trial and doesn’t defend himself. Accusation after accusation is poured against him. He is called a “ruthless and arrogant egotist” who cares not for his brother man and only is concerned with himself, not the society. He is demonized and persecuted for blowing up a building that was designed for the poor and which was swept away by his hand. Howard Roark calmly sits through each accusation and doesn’t challenge any accusation. He waits for his time to speak and when he speaks he denounces the second-hander. He states that the housing project was a work of his mind and this he was his creator. Only he has a right to it because he created it and he gifted it to humanity. By the same logic, he has the right to take it away. It is only logical and right that a creator have a right to his creation. He entered into the contract with his former rival with the assurance that he, Howard Roark, would be the sole mind behind the project and its sole creator. That was the payment he demanded and that was the profit he was promised. This contract wasn’t fulfilled and thus he took it upon himself to destroy the abomination which the project had become, rather than live with the knowledge that it was once his and had been perverted by those who live not by their own work but rather the work of others. Howard Roark is acquitted by the jury and the world changes to its proper form due to his fight. With that in mind, the Ideal Man takes his rightful place in society as the creator.
This is the “Heroic in Man”; a man who is able to create and innovate, a man who lifts himself up and achieves against adversity, a man who in the face of the pressure of society, doesn’t compromise himself and his ideals. The “Heroic in Man” is best exemplified by a skyscraper. A skyscraper soars above the landscape and it was only made possible by the mind and innovation of man. It is the symbol of man conquering and bending the world with his mind. It is a symbol of man achieving greatness by his hands and mind.
This is the philosophy of Ayn Rand and this is the expose of her philosophical ideal man. With this we begin to understand the philosophy that has shaped our modern world. However, we must take this and all other philosophies with a grain of salt. When one reads this book, one must keep in mind that this point of view also led to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. That is not to say that Ayn Rand and her works do not make a point. Many of her views are agreeable and logical. It simply is up to the reader to choose what to believe and what not to believe. That is the nature of philosophy. We must keep an open mind when exposed to new ideas and make our own judgments about them. I cannot tell you, the reader how to understand this book. I can simply give
you its background. What I can and will say though is that everyone, not just business students or professors, should read this. As university students we must broaden our minds and gain consciousness of the world
around us and learn of the thoughts and philosophies that have shaped society. Therefore, I recommend this book to you, the reader, not only because it is full of drama and intrigue and is a rather riveting read
but also because you live in a world built upon these ideas.
振翅之高飛報 20.3
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Human and Nature
There is an endless fightbetween human and naturetraces of history are in our sightthey may be short,may be long,may be new,may be oldthrough the smog it had toldabout what we’ve done wrong
No one can seethe sapphire sky and oceanbut black dragons who’re freesoaring high through the airgrasses dare not grow on hillfor the heavy metals in soil can killand nobody is willing to care
No one can hearthe angelic songs of wildlifebut deadly screeches which clearpatches and patches of jadeutopia where the animals dwellturning the forests into blazing hellbarrenness is what it has made
There may be one daywhich darkness will swallow the worldbut don’t be panic,I must say for the destiny is depends on youknow how your fate is bonded with nature and create a green plan for futureit can rescue our planet, I’m sure.
Writer ; FalconTypesetter ; Wing
The Editorial Board, HKUSTSU, the 20th Session 香港科技大學學生會編輯委員會
文藝組SUB-COMMITTEE NAME LIST 附屬幹事名單:PERSON-IN-CHARGE 總編輯: Sophia So 蘇惠珊
LEADER OF EDITORS 寫作總監: Jose Florencio Maria dos RemediosLEADER OF DESIGNERS 設計總監: Louise Lau 劉曉君ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER 行政主任: Grace Kung 龔卓瑤
FEATURE EDITORS AND DESIGNERS 編輯及排版:Sherry Wu 吳彤霜 Donald Ng 伍詩偉 Edu Ho 何子淵 Jenny Lo 盧煒殷 Sharon Siu 蕭倩怡 Samuel Wong 王明彬David Chu 朱大偉 Raymond Tse 謝家尉 Elvis Lam 林昆明Kobe Lam 林頌堯 Angel Tam 譚逸嵐 Karin Leung 梁祺欣 Yvette Lau 劉小冰 Crystal Chan 陳凱欣 Tracy Lau 劉曉欣 Niki Chung 鍾瑋盈