圣诞节当天白天在家里工作, 窗外就是这般景象. 北京今天空气级别四级, 属中度重污染, 算是个白色圣诞节, 虽然不是那种干净的白.
手边有本 Wired 杂志里面有个问答专栏叫 Mr. Know-It-All, 这期就以 “在中国呼吸, 后果自负” 为题回答了一位读者的问题, 谨录如下.
When in China, Breathe at Your Own Risk
I’m about to travel to Shenzhen on business, and I’m concerned about the city’s atrocious pollution. Will I offend my Chinese hosts if I wear a dust mask?
Not at all, since many natives have adopted this practice, too–though it’s generally more popular among bicyclists than pedestrians. Sure, a few folks might think you have some horrendous disease and thus refuse to sit next to you on the bus. But most Shenzhen residents will realize that you’re only trying to protext your health. Just don’t delude yourself into thinking a skimpy mask of the sort favored by many Chinese urbanites will do much good. “Cheap surgical masks gave a false sense of security,” says Christian Masset, chair of the antipollution organization Clear the Air Hong Kong, who contends that those filter catch few harmful particles. He recommends a higher-quality mask; many travelers opt for ones with replaceable charcoal filters. A little bulky and unsightly perhaps, but you lungs will thank you.
上回去 Stanford 看 Football 的时候中场乐队表演, 以中国的各种负面新闻为主题, 当然也少不了这个, “Smoggy Olympics”. 气象工作者昌明 gg 教导我们, 这是个政治问题 (这是我从昌明 gg 文章中领会到的精神). 我理解在我们这里所谓政治问题, 就是不能随便说, 不能随便评论, 有人问起也不能如实回答的问题 (参阅经济观察报本期第 45 版文章, 历史很像的).
话说这本 Wired 杂志我非常喜欢, 从 SF 回来的时候上飞机前买了一本, 看了一路, 爱不释手. 很难说这是本什么样的杂志, 反正是一本虽然没有美女但是理科无趣男们也一定会喜欢的杂志, 简直就是为我等理科无趣男量身定做的. 米国杂志貌似订价都很便宜, 像 Wired 零售 $4.99, 一年十二期订阅的话也就是 $10. 可惜国际订户又是另外一个价, $70. $70 折算过来大概每期就是 40 多块人民币, 小贵, 有人知道怎么样能省点钱吗?
