昨日電郵 :: Yesterday on Email

I was asked whether I would be interested in turning the paper which I presented in the Oxford conference in April into a book chapter. Yes. And I am happy.

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          CD博士說，他受四月牛津會議主事人所託，負責主編會議的論文集，已經從57篇文章中挑選了十五篇，邀請作者修訂潤飾，其中包括我當日發表的拙作，問我有興趣否。

          有。More than happy to。謝謝。

          是的，我開心。

教會與後現代文化 ：： The Church and Postmodern Culture

The newest issue of the online journal The Church and Postmodern Culture: Conversations is now available. The focus of this issue (2.1) is: 'why is the emerging church drawn toward deconstructive theology?' The pdf version is HERE.

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最新一期 《教會與後現代文化：對話》期刊推出了，可以在此下載pdf版本。

此網上期刊是以The Church and Postmodern Culture網誌最近大約半年的內容編輯而成，方便諸君一目了然，今次是第二期。今期總題是：『為甚麼emerging church對解構的神學如此著迷？』

(抱歉，我暫時還無法為emerging / emergent church 這個運動找到理想的中文名，歡迎提供。)

各位谷歌/古狗擁躉請注意 ：：attention Google fans

Google is found to be the worst player in the internet business in terms of handling users' privacy, according to a recently released research by Privacy International. Read it HERE. 

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         Google各種超級強力的網上服務向來令人(我)既愛且忌。愛的當然是它的強勁功能，忌的正是強勁功能背後那無孔不入、深入個人私隱/隱私的能耐實在太過驚人。

          長期關注私隱/隱私問題的Privacy International做了一個關於互聯網上各項主要業務/服務的大型研究，近日發表了初步報告 【全文】，把Google排到榜末，列為黑色警告類別，即是侵犯私隱的情況最誇張；連很多人唔順眧的Microsoft，也不過是橙色警告，比Google還要好兩級。

          在批評Google的時候，Privacy International用了一些非常強烈的字眼，譬如說研究過程裡發現Google對私隱問題有「多處缺失和敵意」(numerous deficiencies and hostilities in Google's approach to privacy)，又形容它「愈來愈能夠深入鑽探用者細眉細眼的私人生活和生活方式的選擇」(increasing ability to deep-drill into the minutiae of a user's life and lifestyle choices)。最恐怖的是，報告基本上認為，Google公司內部對私隱的態度，「明目張膽地視之為眼中釘，最無傷大雅的時候是含糊不清」 (at its most blatant is hostile, and at its most benign is ambivalent)。

          報告總括Google在私隱問題上的缺失，包括但不限於以下各點，只能剪貼如下，無時間逐一解釋了：

• Google account holders that regularly use even a few of Google's services must accept that the company retains a large quantity of information about that user, often for an unstated or indefinite length of time, without clear limitation on subsequent use or disclosure, and without an opportunity to delete or withdraw personal data even if the user wishes to terminate the service.
• Google maintains records of all search strings and the associated IP-addresses and time stamps for at least 18 to 24 months and does not provide users with an expungement option. While it is true that many US based companies have not yet established a time frame for retention, there is a prevailing view amongst privacy experts that 18 to 24 months is unacceptable, and possibly unlawful in many parts of the world.
• Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, contained within user profiles in Orkut. Google often maintains these records even after a user has deleted his profile or removed information from Orkut.
• Google collects all search results entered through Google Toolbar and identifies all Google Toolbar users with a unique cookie that allows Google to track the user's web movement.17 Google does not indicate how long the information collected through Google Toolbar is retained, nor does it offer users a data expungement option in connection with the service.
• Google fails to follow generally accepted privacy practices such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines and elements of EU data protection law. As detailed in the EPIC complaint, Google also fails to adopted additional privacy provisions with respect to specific Google services.
• Google logs search queries in a manner that makes them personally identifiable but fails to provide users with the ability to edit or otherwise expunge records of their previous searches.
• Google fails to give users access to log information generated through their interaction with Google Maps, Google Video, Google Talk, Google Reader, Blogger and other services.

          申報利益/冇利益：我自己也有使用Google的幾種產品，常用的包括本網誌、Google Reader(衰貪方便)、Google Search (好難避免)；其次是Calendar、Map、Scholar；儘量少用的是G Mail (個人化廣告太恐怖了)，還有Google Docs & Spreadsheets (我當然有用其他網上文字處理工具)。 絕對抗拒的是Google Desktop，等於把自己電腦內的一切開放任佢武，咪搞。

          我儘可能把東西分開擺放，當係安慰吓自己咁囉。但是數下數下，原來都Google得好多。

Leith Festival Parade

I was in the shower when this annual parade passed by where I live. The pictures are from a year ago.

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一年一度歷時十天的Leith Festival接近尾聲，週末的大遊行就在我家旁邊的大馬路Leith Walk舉行。我開始洗頭的時候遊行剛開始，洗完澡之後遊行剛結束。心有不甘，就找些一年前的照片來頂檔。現場氣氛是蠻高興的啊！

Leith (即是我住的的這區) 本來是愛丁堡以北的一個海港城鎮，以捕魚貨運等為生，廿世紀初期被合拼入愛丁堡市，成為愛丁堡新城區的延伸。但是，Leith始終仍有一點點我說不出來卻好像感受得到的地方性格，停留久了，住多了一會，就開始隱約臭到那種味道。

漁業貨運旺盛的時代，Leith風光一時，甚至是愛丁堡對外的主要命脈。及後時不與我，Leith變得凋零貧窮殘破，年輕人無所是事，位於愛丁堡舊城的那所 世界級學術殿堂，對他們和大部份蘇格蘭的青年人來說，何其遙遠。他們過的日子，就是無無聊聊的，在荒廢的鐵路和公廁一帶溜達。

噢，是的，十年前那部轟動全球電影發燒友的 Trainspotting (1996)，就是以Leith為故事背景的。去年的Leith Festival，還有Trainspotting實地講故事的節目呢。

踏入本世紀，沿岸又重新積極發展，新型豪宅、大型商場、酒吧餐廳、文化藝術場所陸續建設或重建。

而我，就在這個從凋零到重新建立的過渡時期，在愛丁堡市中心和Leith最蓬勃的核心之間的夾縫地帶居住，也算是一個無意中的適逢其會，對這個毫不起眼的insignificant community，來個隨意的participatory observation吧。

終於 :: finally

The University of Edinburgh has finally made the decision to revoke the honorary degree conferred to Robert Mugabe (president of Zimbabwe) some two decades ago. Finally. Though not without controversy, it is a nice thing to do, at the end of the day.

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          擾攘多時，愛丁堡大學校董會終於決定遞奪廿多年前頒發給津巴布韋總統 Robert Mugabe 的榮譽學位了。終於。

          當年愛丁堡大學頒發榮譽學位的理由，是表揚Mugabe對非洲教育普及化的貢獻。如今此人惡名眧彰，血腥屠殺，侵犯人權，全國民不聊生，大家都以有這樣一個榮譽校友為恥。

          學生會遊說，蘇格蘭傳媒發動簽名運動爭取，早幾天連首相Tony Blair在國會發言之後也加多句，話如果愛丁堡大學真的那樣做，他會很開心云云。為此，大學不惜修改校規，破天荒地取回一個出了門的學位，似乎也令大家舒了口氣。

          有人說，根本當年的榮譽學位已經是個有眼無珠的錯誤，因為當時(八十年代初)津巴布韋國內的屠殺其實已經開始，只是外面知道的人不多而已。唉，我對非洲何其無知。

          據說，美國麻省大學和密歇根州立大學也可能會撤回他的榮譽學位。

延伸：愛丁堡大學新聞公佈；BBC報導

補充：The Scotsman有關專輯