becoming

the trail of a family becoming

Read any interesting stuff lately?

My next book-purchase is coming. Any recommendation from you this time? Read anything interesting lately?

Let me know.

iDoubt

It’s been a couple weeks since my last entry. Was in AMiA 10th anniversary Winter Conference last week which is awesome and quite refreshing.

Catching up with the happenings around blogsphere, my first question is this:

Is it just me, or is the iPad a bigger version of the iPhone (minus the phone part)?

Am I the only one that is completely NOT sold as to why we need an iPad at all?

Anyone?

Blomberg on Robertson re: Haiti

Craig Blomberg on Pat Robertson’s recent comment on Haiti:

… One of the most discouraging things about high-profile individuals whose misguided views on disasters are widely cited is the scorn that skeptics and critics subsequently unleash with renewed vigor against Christians more generally. If one’s goal really is for the lost to repent, this kind of pontification after a disaster proves dramatically counterproductive.

What Robertson needs to do, according to Jesus—what we all need to do—is take personal stock of our own lives, not those of anyone else, and ask what we need to repent of. Are we taking for granted that we have tomorrow to make amends, when we really know we can’t know that for sure?

[link: Denver Seminary]

See also Donald Miller’s remarks.

The Golden Canon Leadership Book Awards

The Golden Canon Leadership Book Awards

Two things in short supply for nearly every church leader—time and money. Unfortunately both are necessary if we hope to buy and read the numerous books intended to help us in our work. That is why Leadership created the Golden Canon, the ten books of 2009 most valuable for church leaders. The winners were selected by a diverse group of more than 100 pastors and leaders, including our contributing editors, who selected the best books in two categories: The Leader’s Outer Life, and The Leader’s Inner Life. We hope this list contributes to your development as a leader, and assists you in determining where to invest your finite hours and dollars.

The Leader’s Inner life
BEST OF THE BEST
Knowing Christ Today
Why we can trust spiritual knowledge
by Dallas Willard (HarperOne)

“Every leader from elder boards on down ought to be revolutionized by this book. Its correctives are timely, needed, and redemptive.” —Sarah Sumner

The Leader’s Outer life
BEST OF THE BEST
Deep Church
A third way beyond emerging and traditional
by Jim Belcher (IVP)

“Neither traditionalism nor emerging Christianity comes out unscathed. But Belcher’s analysis is fair and even. I hope all our future conversations about what divides us is done in the spirit of Deep Church, which reminds us at every turn what unites us: the gospel of Jesus Christ.” —Brandon O’Brien

Read the whole list here.

[link: leadershipjournal.net]

Hauerwas on Death

“In the Middle Ages, what people feared, is what we want. They feared the sudden death. And they feared the sudden death because they wanted to have time to be reconciled with God, their enemies (who are usually their families), and the church. They wanted to have a lingering death, because what they feared was God. We just feared death. We just want to put it off.”

More good stuff @ the Work of the People.

Earthquake@Haiti

For those of you who pray, please take a moment and remember those in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands are likely dead and millions need emergency aid, after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

For Canadians, Worldvision and Red Cross are both accepting online donations for emergency relief work:

  1. WorldVision
  2. Red Cross

Simpsons 20th.

Did you watch it last night? I enjoyed it very much!

The Simpson’s may not be as innovative as it was 20 years ago, but it is as important as ever — it is simply part of life now.

重新諮詢高鐵方案聯署

對近日高鐵問題不明所以的朋友,希望你能先了解別人在反甚麼、同意甚麼,才作出判斷。別急於「對號入座」式的,以自己熟悉的標籤,硬套進別人身上,再口誅筆伐。

—–

擱置669億高鐵方案,重新諮詢
尋求社會共識及最佳方案

致特首及立法會議員

尊貴的特首、立法會議員﹕

我們是一批關心社會的知識份子與大學教師。

我們看見,關於669億元高鐵方案,社會存在巨大爭議(詳見附文),有人根本反對興建高鐵,有人贊成興建但主張以錦上路為總站,有人連總站設於西九 都不反對,只是質疑財政預算過於龐大、或參與決定撥款的部份功能組別立法會議員有無利益衝突、或工程設計不合理、乃至只是不滿重要可行性報告並未公佈因而 無從衡量利弊,還有許多年青一代自發維護居民權益以至質疑「唯經濟發展」的方向。對於這些眾多爭議,政府並無仔細考慮和充份回應,只是一再宣傳高鐵有助本 港和內地融合、號稱能帶來龐大經濟效益、西九總站直達市區便可吸引旅客等等尚具爭議的原則,彷彿這就足以合理解釋政府唯一推薦的669億元方案。我們認 為,影響這麼深遠的龐大公共開支,面對如斯爭議,不應如此輕率決定,而是必須尋求社會共識,從詳計議。

因此,我們呼籲特首,暫時收回669億高鐵方案,至少像建設西九文化區一般,重新諮詢,尋求最佳方案。一方面可能節省公帑,另一方面避免社會撕裂, 讓市民感到各種意見均得到尊重,最終為社會真正所需而建設。

假若政府一意孤行,仍堅持1月8日向立法會提交669億元方案,我們呼籲全體立法會議員,莫讓政府粗暴濫用行政主導權,請履行你們守護公帑的職責, 暫時否決方案,以便各種爭議能反覆論證,一一解決後,再行撥款。

政府草率的行政主導誤用公帑或預算失準,屢有前科,如資助迪士尼樂園、維港巨星匯演、西隧收支失算、領匯私有化等等。香港的深層矛盾,很可能正是行 政主導草率行事、未能兼聽,而功能組別雄霸半個立法會,代表性不足、議政偏頗,往往悖逆市民的意願;我們希望特首和全體立法會議員皆能理性自省,避免一錯 再錯。

附文
眾多爭議,須一一解決,始行撥款

關於669億元高鐵方案,社會存在巨大爭議,我們簡列如下。請特首和立法會議員,細心理解、高度重視,先擱置方案,再重新諮詢,以便尋求社會共識及 最佳方案。

財務的爭議

1. 政府方案涉669億,非常龐大,是政府全年開支的22%,香港男女老幼每人都用去一萬元。而審批這個預算的早期過程中,端賴某些功能組別議員的贊成票,才 能通過,而他們在高鐵工程的龐大開支中,商業上極可能涉嫌利益衝突。亦即,只因他們沒有迴避利益衝突,1月8日才會有這麼龐大的預算呈交立法會。更何況, 不少人質疑這個預算中的鐵路成本,比目前全球最貴的英法跨海隧道高鐵還要貴。這麼巨大的利益衝突,政府尚欠市民詳盡的解釋和交待。

2. 港府稱高鐵會帶來巨大經濟效益;為什麼港府不公開計劃的可行性研究和經濟分析報告,讓市民參與評估其利弊?

3. 政府稱高鐵每日99,000人次的預測已算保守,但現今的直通車乘客其實每日只有9000人次,為何增長竟高達1000%?港府過去己有多項估算敗績,如 1):深港西部通道的車流量只有估算的兩成;2)西鐵的乘客量只有估算的一半;3)機場快線的乘客量只有估算的四成等。政府稱高鐵每日乘客會有 99,000人次,這預測會否過於樂觀,浪費龐大開支?

荒廢的中環月台不可動用的爭議

4. 機場鐵路中環站有22萬平方呎的月台荒廢12年,而機場快線的客運量在1998年啓用以來沒有增長,以致相等於200億元的資產廢置了12年。政府憑什麼 說未來11年機場快線客運量會激增一倍,所以不能開展由香港站至錦上路的新服務,而高鐵必須以西九為香港段唯一的車站?

總站設在九西是否合理的爭議

5. 政府一方面表示了解市民憂慮,不願引發樓價急升,但為何在另邊廂,政府要把幾百億資金硬塞進西九龍,間接推高市區樓價,讓市民百上加斤?

6. 高鐵的延伸隧道座落在西九文化區地底,列車造成的震動和噪音使地面難以興建表演劇場,這問題如何解決?

7. 高鐵須徵用西九文化區約三份一土地作施工用地至2015年,而近半的海濱地段更要用來搬運泥頭(泥頭相當於六座國金二期體積),但政府卻稱文化區將於 2014年落成。港府如何解決這兩個相互矛盾的時間表?

8. 政務司司長兼西九管理局主席唐英年在11月26日會議中,就高鐵工程將會佔用西九文化區用地,向運輸局和路政署表達強烈不滿。在政府內部仍對高鐵工程出現 重大分歧之際,為甚麽急於通過撥款?

9. 「西九龍填海區發展交通研究」顯示:高鐵西九總站建成後,新增交通會嚴重影響九龍區內18個路口,導致九龍交通長期擠塞,建議中的改善措施在技術上不可 行。政府至今未有向公眾公開的這份研究,為什麼?有沒有解決交通擠塞的辦法?

錦上路總站方案遭簡單否決的爭議

10. 高鐵若以新界錦上路為總站,會為新界西北地區居民提供更多就業機會。政府為何堅持總站只可設在西九,使市區與新界的發展更失衡?

11. 由深圳到尖東,無論經西九龍還是錦上路,旅客同樣需轉一次車,同樣要坐西鐵接駁。比較而言,經西九龍只不過比經錦上路快七至十分鐘。政府為什麼寧願為了少 量九龍區的旅客節省幾分鐘的時間而多花300億元?

12. 高鐵專家組的新方案不用回收菜園村,因興建錦上路站而受影響的零散村民少於50户,不及政府方案的三份之一。政府為何曲解新方案的走線,聲稱要把錦田河改 道,誇大影響範圍至300多户?

城市發展模式的爭議

13. 許多年青一代,倡議重視地緣和社區網絡,自發維護高達三萬戶受影響的居民權益,要求「以人為本」,取代以利益為優先的城市發展模式。政府為何從沒有與他們 好好對話,研究他們意見的合理性和可行性?

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