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2021-10-12 08:01:01 恒大負債嚴重，連埋大陸一連串嘅加速行為，揭露咗好多中國社會隱藏住嘅問題。有一篇寫得好好嘅文章總結咗中國社會依家面臨嘅問題，值得一看。

標題: Real Estate Bubble 打开/如何

2021-10-08 08:02:04 標題Hong Kong seeks to resurrect legislation to further crush dissent
Resurrect: 重新引入
Dissent: 分歧／反對意見

It came amid a raft of developments in the campaign against Hong Kong’s pro-democracy groups and figures, including the denial of bail to student activists as young as 15.
Amid a raft of developments: 喺出現唔同發展期間
Campaign: 戰役、運動，呢度指政府打壓民主派嘅舉動，但反抗當權者嘅運動，一樣可以叫campaign，例如Crowds gathered at Piccadilly Circus in London on Friday, in solidarity with the campaign for democracy for Hongkongers, Uyghurs and Tibetans（民眾星期五於倫敦Piccadilly Circus聚集，對為香港人、維吾爾人和西藏人爭取民主的運動，表示團結）（HKFP，2021年10月4日）
As young as 15: 「細到只有15歲」，咁寫語帶同情

“Since the national security law has been enacted, there may still be gaps that need to be filled with the Article 23 legislation,” Tang told the legislative council. He also flagged creating a new offence of “inciting hatred”…
Gaps that need to be filled: 需要堵塞嘅漏洞
Flagged: 「打旗號」，即示意、表達意願
Inciting hatred: 煽動仇恨

講廿三條同03年嘗試立法：But the clause was never implemented because of deeply held public fears that it would curtail Hong Kong’s cherished rights, such as freedom of expression, and an attempt in 2003 drew 1 million people to the streets.
Deeply held public fears: 公眾人士嘅深切恐懼
Curtail: 削弱、剝奪
Cherished: 被珍惜
Drew 1 million people to the streets: 話當年廿三條立法「引致一百萬人上街」（編按：其實當年就算民陣都只係話有五十萬人示威，點解記者會寫1 million？推測係國安法前，場場示威都最少一百萬人，令記者有錯覺）
Draw其他用法：
Hong Kong’s largest protest group that drew upwards of two million of the city’s residents on to the streets in 2019 will disband.（香港曾於2019年號召高達二百萬人上街的最大示威組織［民陣］將會解散）（彭博，2021年8月14日）
Student Politicism’s activities drew the attention of the police.（賢學思政的活動，引起警方注意）

The failure to implement Article 23 had been cited as a key reason for Beijing’s decision to unilaterally impose its own national security law on Hong Kong.
Unilaterally: 單方面，即係中共無諮詢香港人，無通過立法會，直接由人大立國安法

Last week Tang told the SCMP the “time was ripe” for Article 23 as there was an immediate need to tackle “espionage”, claiming without evidence that the 2019 pro-democracy protests were orchestrated by “state-level organisations”.
Time was ripe: 時機已經成熟
Claiming without evidence: 喺無證據情況下聲稱；其他例句：”Either they want to undermine the Chinese government, or they have ideological prejudices against China. So these external forces are at work,” she claimed, without citing evidence.（［賤婦］在沒有提出證據下指出：「他們或想攻擊中國政府，或對中國帶有意識形態偏見，所以這些外國勢力十分活躍」）（HKFP, 2021年6月8日）
Orchestrated: 精心安排／策劃

David Alton勳爵retweet呢篇文時就話：Totalitarians have an insatiable appetite for ever more power and control over people’s lives（極權統治者，總是貪得無厭，希望擁有更多權力，控制他人生活）
Insatiable appetite: 「難以滿足嘅胃口」，所以立完國安法，會想再立23條

原文連結：https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/hong-hong-seeks-to-resurrect-legislation-to-further-crush-dissent 打开/如何

2021-10-08 08:01:03 PK鄧之前放風，話將會立23條，跟住施政報告再寫明。若將來真係立23條，而家學定用語，都差唔多 打开/如何

2021-10-07 08:01:03 支持邦聯制嘅美國國父 湯馬斯·傑弗遜

今日想同大家講講唔同國家嘅結構：邦聯制，聯邦制，單一制

美國由立國至依家採用過兩個唔同嘅結構，非常適合今次嘅解說。

邦聯制（Confederation）
美國依家係聯邦政府，但立國開頭美國其實係用邦聯制。

"邦"字行先，某程度上亦都明示左州嘅重要性。係美國，每個州都係獨立嘅政治個體，而州的而且確有好大嘅主權。例如起初啲州可以決定用咩貨幣，有自己支旗，收稅等，簡單嚟講就好似一個小國咁。

雖然話州好強勢，但其實美國嗰時都係有一個中央政府，只不過啲州故意令到中央政府非常弱勢。即係州做得嘅野中央政府都做唔到，個問題就係又冇錢又冇軍隊嘅政府基本上乜都做唔到，所以好弱。

佢地咁怕中央政府掌權其實就係怕個中央政府會變到好似英國咁（美國曾係英國嘅一部分）。當時美國人覺得英國人對佢地唔好（用軍隊鎮壓騷亂）又收佢地稅（重點。詳看波士頓茶黨），於是就想反抗自己立國。因為怕中央政府會變成另一個英國咁獨裁而堅決抗拒強勢中央政府。

美國一直都係用邦聯制，直至謝司起義（Shays' Rebellion）。簡單嚟講就係農民因為政府對佢地不公而起義，佢地勢如破竹，甚至達到想要推翻政府嘅地步。邦聯嘅中央政府第一下反應緊係拿拿冧去鎮壓，但又冇軍隊又冇錢嘅中央政府真係廢到不得了。搞左好耐都平唔到亂。

雖然最後個起義係平息左，但呢次起義嚇到班政治精英階級。佢地發現太弱嘅中央政府似乎都好唔安全（如果真係俾農民成功推翻政府啲精英肯定係第一個死），所以佢地開始想改一改政府結構。而且邦聯制亦都有其他問題，例如美國依家都未還清獨立戰爭（Revolutionary War）啲債等。

改下改下就變左聯邦制（Federation）
下次再講 打开/如何

2021-10-06 08:02:06 #part4 #留守兒童 #戶口制度
戶口制度
A major source for China’s inequality — CCP’s alleged new concern — has been the ruthless exploitation of “migrants” for the last four decades. These migrants (farmers who moved to the cities) are relegated to low-wage, dirty, and dangerous jobs without basic labor rights. These people toil in factories, mines, construction sites, restaurants, janitorial services etc. and have been the driving force behind China’s prosperity. However, they are denied access to public services such as education, healthcare, and housing in the cities regardless of how long the migrants live there. This is due to the Hukou or household registration system, which treats rural Chinese people like illegal immigrants from another country.
source（名詞）：來源
ruthless（形容詞）：殘酷
relegate（動詞）：分配到一個較低嘅等級或職位
wage（名詞）：人工
toil（動詞）：非常努力或不停地工作
mine（名詞）：礦
construction sites：建築工地
janitorial（形容詞）：看更嘅
deny（動詞）：拒絕
access（名詞）：使用權
regardless（副詞）：無論
Hukou：戶口制度
rural（形容詞）：鄉郊的

Migrants are paid below minimum wage and are deprived of workplace benefits such as health insurance, injury/disability insurance, pension plans, vacations, and sick days.
deprive（動詞）：剝奪
injury/disability：傷殘
insurance（名詞）：保險
pension（名詞）：退休金

留守兒童
Migrant children, even if they are born in the city, face similar institutional discriminations. Thus, many migrant couples are forced to leave their children in their home villages. This is why rural China has tens of millions of “left-behind children,” who grow up without their parents, enduring psychological trauma and even physical abuse. Only 5% of rural children end up going to college; most drop out of school by 9th grade.
institutional（形容詞）：制度上嘅
discrimination（名詞）：歧視
left-behind children：留守兒童
endure（動詞）：忍受
psychological（形容詞）：心理上的
trauma（名詞）：創傷
drop out（phrasal verb）：輟學
9th grade：中三

Migrants are also victims of large-scale wage theft and are powerless to fight back. In Chinese factories, migrants typically work for 12 hours but get paid for 8. In construction, migrants often don’t get paid for months; and when they get paid in the end, they get shortchanged. Migrants cannot form grassroots labor unions and lack collective bargaining power. Lawyers and activists who attempt to help migrants are arrested on fake charges like “picking quarrels” or “disturbing social order.”
victim（名詞）：受害者
scale（名詞）：規模
theft（名詞）：偷／盜竊
typically（副詞）：通常的
shortchange（動詞）：找少錢，呢度意思係比少咗人工
grassroot（名詞）：草根（階層）
labor union（名詞）：工會
lack（動詞）：缺乏
collective bargaining：集體談判
picking quarrels：尋釁滋事
disturb social order：擾亂社會秩序

Migrants are invisible and left out of urban statistics. Thus, stats related to urban home ownership, wages, wealth, life expectancy etc. are much rosier by excluding migrants.
left out（phrasal verb）：除去；撇開；忽略
urban（形容詞）：城市的
statistics（名詞）：統計數據
stats：同上，statistics嘅簡寫
life expectancy（名詞）：預期壽命
rosier（形容詞）：字根係rosy，即係＂紅潤的＂。但呢度意思係＂有希望的，美好的＂
exclude（動詞）：撇除，唔包括

In summary, 30–60% of the people in Chinese cities are deliberately kept in poverty. So, how can the Chinese government now pretend to worry about inequality?
deliberately（形容詞）：故意地
poverty（名詞）：貧窮
pretend（動詞）：假裝

btw呢篇文真係超級長，好嘅部分又好多，應該要分好多part
Source&圖源: https://medium.com/@ckanthan?p=e89c243ece63 打开/如何

2021-10-06 08:01:06 恒大負債嚴重，連埋大陸一連串嘅加速行為，揭露咗好多中國社會隱藏住嘅問題。有一篇寫得好好嘅文章總結咗中國社會依家面臨嘅問題，值得一看。

標題: Exploitation of “Migrants”
exploitation（名詞）：剝削
migrant（名詞）：移民（佢呢度用雙引號嘅意思係雖然啲人係所謂嘅＂移民＂，但其實只係由一個中國嘅省搬到去另一個省嘅人。正常國家肯定都唔會叫呢啲人做移民，因為中國係中國先會對外省人有差別待遇，所以先會用雙引號。唔係話由其他國家真係移民入去中國嘅人） 打开/如何

2021-10-05 08:02:06 #part3 #不可達成嘅承諾 #黨爭
不可達成嘅承諾
When there are big societal problems in democracies, politicians from one party blame the ruling party and promise changes. Considering that there is only one real party in China, the authorities have a lot of chutzpah in promising “profound changes.”
societal（形容詞）：社會的
blame（動詞）：責怪
ruling party：執政黨
consider（動詞）：考慮
chutzpah（名詞）：極度自信或大膽

One of the main driving forces behind the new populism might be Xi Jinping’s upcoming “re-election” by the Party apparatus next year. After the tumultuous years of Mao, Chinese leaders wanted to avoid autocracy and personality cult. Thus, they introduced term limits and the concept of collective leadership. However, Xi Jinping amended the Constitution, removed the term limits for himself, and made himself the virtual emperor.
populism（名詞）：民粹主義
upcoming（形容詞）：將會發生
Party apparatus（名詞）：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparatchik
tumultuous（形容詞）：吵鬧的
autocracy（名詞）：一人嘅專制統治
personality cult（名詞）：（尤指對政治領袖的）個人崇拜
term limit（名詞）：任期限制
collective（形容詞）：集體的
amend（動詞）：修正，修改
virtual（形容詞）：可指＂虛擬的＂，但呢度係指＂幾乎＂

Students from primary schools to universities are now forced to learn “Xi Jinping’s Thoughts.” It’s quite surreal to see such propaganda and brainwashing in the 21st century.
surreal（形容詞）：超現實的，離奇的
propaganda（名詞）：https://t.me/TwitterEnglishDep/156

Next year will be the end of Xi’s second term. Although he is virtually guaranteed to get re-elected for an unprecedented third term, there are political rivals — mostly other princelings — who would pounce on him if the country faces a major economic crisis or if his approval ratings take a dive. (Princelings are the descendants of the original communist revolutionaries who won the civil war in 1949. Xi Jinping is a princeling himself).
guarantee（動詞）：保證
unprecedented（形容詞）：前所未見的
rival（名詞）：敵人，競爭對手
princeling（名詞）：太子黨
pounce（動詞）：猛撲，突然襲擊
approval rating：支持率
take a dive：潛水，引申就係支持率下降嘅意思
descendant（名詞）：後代
revolutionary（名詞）：形容詞時態可指＂革命的＂，名詞時態指嘅係＂參加政治革命嘅人＂
civil war（名詞）：內戰

So, Xi and his loyalists have to convince the masses that the government is working hard, although it’s the government that fueled the daunting problems.
convince（動詞）：說服
mass（名詞）：可以指＂質量＂，但呢度係指＂羣眾，人民＂
fuel（動詞）：名詞時態時可指＂燃料＂，但動詞形態時可指＂使衝突或困難局勢惡化或加劇＂
daunting（形容詞）：睇起嚟好難應付

As for the acute demographic problems, they are obviously due to CCP’s one-child policy that started in 1980. In 2016, China established a two-child policy and this year introduced the three-child policy. Too little, too late. In a poll, 94% of Chinese couples said they will not even consider having three children. If the technocrats were smart, they would have never had a one-child policy or at least would have abolished the limits two decades ago.
acute（形容詞）：可指＂尖銳＂，但呢度係指＂急性＂
obviously（副詞）：明顯地
technocrats（名詞）：支持技術精英主義嘅人
abolish（動詞）：廢除

btw呢篇文真係超級長，好嘅部分又好多，應該要分好多part
Source&圖源: https://medium.com/@ckanthan?p=e89c243ece63 打开/如何

2021-10-05 08:01:07 恒大負債嚴重，連埋大陸一連串嘅加速行為，揭露咗好多中國社會隱藏住嘅問題。有一篇寫得好好嘅文章總結咗中國社會依家面臨嘅問題，值得一看。

標題: Cynical Promises — Arson to Fight the Fire
cynical（形容詞）：憤世嫉俗的；認為人皆自私的。係有啲厭世嘅一種哲學
arson（名詞）：縱火 打开/如何