“Success ... is about the difference you make in people's life.” Are you sure?

Michelle Obama said with tears in her speech, "Success isn't about how much money you make. It's about the difference you make in people's life."  Logically, I think there is something wrong here.

First of all, some differences are good, and some differences are bad.  Yes, Obama and his government have made many differences in many places in this planet and in many people's lives.  Not every difference made is good.  At least we should say "It's about the GOOD difference you make in people's life".

Is a difference good or not?  The answer is of course subjective.  There is no universal ground truth.  It depends on whom you ask and how you ask.  That is exactly why we need politicians to deliberate data from different perspectives.  That is the major part of the candidates' job.

Does everyone's life need a difference?  The leader cross Pacific Ocean said, "不折腾", meaning "don't sway, keep the predefined direction".  In the last 4 years, Obama's government and Hu's government fought with each other on many cases where one party wanted to make a difference, and the other one wanted to keep the established advantage.  By the way, Obama's government is not always the one that would like to make a difference.

Last, what is a difference after all?  The world is evolving and differences happen all the time anyway.  Our world have many different possibilities in the future, but we can only experience one of them.  Then, the whole point in Michelle Obama's statement is the difference the party she represents wants to see.  Is that subjective after all?

In no means I want to say Michelle Obama is a bad speaker.  Instead, she is such a good speaker, as good as her husband, that, more often than not, too good to be a president.  :-)

机动车与汽车

刚看到一则新闻：“记者从公安部交管局获悉，目前我国机动车保有量已达1．99亿辆，其中汽车8500多万辆”。谁能告诉我其它1.14亿辆机动车主要是什么？摩托车、火车、还是坦克？

“让全体市民吃上粽子”

 今天是端午节。早上起来，在新浪网上看到一则头条新闻，“让全体市民吃上粽子”。我能明白要让全体市民都住上房子，让全体市民顿顿想吃饱就能吃饱，或让全体学龄儿童都能上学的重要性。 但是，我不能明白让全体市民都吃上粽子的意义。如果一个人平常食不果腹，就算端午节吃上粽子又能如何？粽子这么贵，买一个粽子的钱也许能买好一些大馒头，管好几顿，岂不是更好？有些人也许因为身体原因不能吃粽子，或不喜欢吃粽子，你非得让他吃，岂不是勉为其难吗？

想起我以前讲过的一个笑话“坚决不让一个学生站着回家”，总是觉得类似的口号多少有点可笑。

不同的人之间说同样的一句话

有时候，不同的人之间说同样的一句话，意思和感觉可以很不一样。刚才偶然想到了一个好例子。

“为什么在你小的时候，我不用担心你，但现在你越来越大了，我倒反而天天不放心你呢？”

这句话在很多场合下都有用，但意思不太一样。父母可以用这句话来教训日渐长大的孩子。长大了的孩子可以用这句话来关怀日渐变老的父母。更绝的是，在情侣和夫妻之间，这句俏皮话可以巧妙地传达心意，还带有几分幽默。

一个有意思的句子

今天看到一则新闻，题为“交通部承诺不让一个旅客在客运站过年三十”。（http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2009-01-16/211717060681.shtml） 这个句子的本意是想说，交通部要把每个旅客都在过年前送到家。可是，这个句子却有歧义，可以被曲解成“交通部将在年三十关闭所有车站，使得旅客不可以在客运站过年三十”。又一个例子证明，话还是直接说明白的好。

不知不觉，又要过年了。


后记： 昨日读到一则笑话如下。

“某高校大学生春节欲归家，往车站买票。硬座卧铺皆不得，只站票有余。生遂曰：‘给我一张无座的车票’，售票员拒绝。生大惑，‘为什么？’售票员严肃的说：‘上头决定，层层领导严令遵守，基层人员不得违反，一个重要的承诺：今年春节，我们坚决不让一个学生，站着回家！’”

告示一则

今天，在学校的网页上看到如下告示，叹为观止，对告示作者的文字和幽默感深表佩服。

BURNABY WEATHER

Driving is tricky on the Burnaby campus. Overnight snow should end this morning, and be followed by clouds and sun. But more snow is possible Tuesday, almost certain on Wednesday, probable on Thursday, and is expected through the day Friday. As ever, don't head for the Burnaby campus without first checking the SFU Road Conditions webpage.