The Last Trip Home / 最後一次送你回家

　　It was such a normal day. Comet saw David home, took a deep breath and left all alone.

　　And they never meet again.

　　This is not just another love story. In fact, Comet is a British guide dog who guided his master David Quarmby home every day. In early April of 2010, he passed away out of the blue and without a last word. Yet his touching story tells how brave and loyal a dog he is.

　　On that day, without noticing that Comet was suffering from serious ill, David made a long trip with his beloved guide dog to the near town for a conference. After the conference, Comet guided David home as usual. They got on the train, got off the bus, across a road and the other. There was no sign showing that things were getting so wrong despite a slightly sluggishness for Comet's actions.
　　
　　When they got home, David let Comet off, saw him sniff, and collapse. Immediately David called a vet but that was too late. Comet finally died after he was taken to the vet's.

　　David now knows what was wrong with his beloved dog. He got an painful tumor on his spleen and the cancer had metastasized. He suffered the great pain, guided his master a 193-km last trip back home.

　　這天本也平常，Comet送了David回家，幽幽的透了口氣，就獨自一個走了。

　　一別成永訣。

　　這不是愛情故事，彗星(Comet) 是英國一頭導盲犬，每天都會護送雙目失明的主人大衛(David Quarmby )回家。2010年4月初，他突然一聲不響就離開了人世。留下的故事，卻動人心弦。

　　事發當日，彗星已是病入膏肓，大衛卻毫不知情，帶同他雙雙離家遠赴鄰市參加會議。會議結束後，彗星護送主人回家，一路乘火車、乘巴士，橫過一條又一條馬路，沿途沒有異樣，頂多就是彗星的動作比平日有點遲鈍。

　　豈料回到家門前，大衛甫解開彗星的鏈扣，牠就倒抽了口氣，虛脫倒地。大衛馬上打電話召來獸醫，只是為時已晚，彗星到達診所時，已經返魂乏術。

　　後來大衛才知道，原來愛犬早已得了脾臟癌，癌細胞擴散，卻忍著痛苦，把主人由193公里外的會議會場護送到家門前。

That I Can Hardly Hope For / 不敢奢望

　　Lewis Carroll was the English writer who wrote the famous novel Alice in Wonderland. He published his masterpiece in 1865. Hundreds of editions, including translations to over 125 different languages, have been sold ever since.

　　 At the very beginning  however, Lewis did not expect much of the book. In his daily entry of August 2, 1882,  he wrote that if he had sold the entire 2000 copy first printing of Alice in Wonderland, he would lose £200. By selling another 2000, he would make £200. If he sold additional copies, he would realize a bigger gain - "that I can hardly hope for," he added.

　　Before his death, in 1898, about 180,000 copies had been sold. He probably grinned like a Cheshire Cat while leaving this world.

　　劉易斯‧卡羅爾 ( Lewis Carroll ) 是著名小說《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》的作者。《愛》發行於1865年，至今已印製成過百種版本，並翻譯成超過125種語言。

　　可是，劉易斯最初似乎沒對作品寄予厚望。在1882年8月2日，他在日記寫道：《愛》初版2000本，要是全賣掉的話，他會虧蝕200英鎊；若再版2000本也賣光，可以賺200英鎊；再賣更多，才能多賺幾個錢　　「對此我不敢奢望」他補充。

　　只是，到劉易斯1898年去世時，《愛》已賣出近十八萬本。而他本人，大概也帶著列嘴貓的笑容與世長辭。

Not For Us / 略有小成後

　　Stephen King is, without a doubt, the best-known horror and science fiction writer in the world. When King was about sixteen, he, just like what many famous modern writers did in their early life, kept submitting his own-written stories to magazines for publication.

　　He once wrote a story called The Night of the Tiger and sent off to a magazine. He soon received the rejection slip, saying thus: "This is good. Not for us, but good. You have talent. Submit again. "

　　Ten years or so later, after King had sold a couple of novels, he discovered The Night of the Tiger in a box of old manuscripts. Thinking that it was still "a perfectly respectable story", he rewrote it and resummited it to the magazine which had once sent him a rejection slip for it.

　　This time they bought it.

　　"One thing I've noticed is that when you've had a little success, magazines are a lot less apt to use that phrase, 'Not for us.' " King remarked.

　　毋庸置疑，史提芬‧京是當世最為人熟悉的驚慄及科幻小說作家。十六歲那年頭，他跟很多現代作家的年少經歷相去無幾，都是不斷投稿，希望有雜誌刊登。

　　有一次他寫了一個故事，名為《虎之夜》，投稿至一本雜誌。他很快就收到退稿通知，上面寫著：「寫得很好。不合我們調性，但寫得很好。你很有天份。請再投稿。」

　　十數年後，京已經寫了幾本小說付梓出售，偶爾間在一個裝滿舊稿本的盒子中看見《虎之夜》。他始終覺得這個故事「極之不錯」，於是重寫之，再次投稿到那家曾拒他千里之外的雜誌社。

　　這次雜誌沒有退稿。

　　「我發現了一件事，就是當你略有小成後，雜誌社比較不會說出那句『不合我們調性』。」京如是說。

How To Save Lives / 救人

　　On 27 June, 1975,  an Air France flight, bound from Athens to Paris, was hijacked by 10 terrorists not more than 10 minutes after its takeoff. The terrorists then diverted the flight from place to place, and finally to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. They held those 103 passengers hostage in the old terminal of Entebbe Airport as their bargaining chips.

　　Within the few days later, the Israeli government acted as they could fulfill the terrorists'  requests while covertly planning a rescue operation. Then a team of a hundred Israeli Special Forces members flew to the Entebbe Airport at night. Without the permission for using the airport of the Uganda's government- who was said to be supporting the terrorists - they were forced to engage the Ugandan Army in battle. Still, they took only 30 minutes to kill all six hijackers and 45 Ugandan soldiers and rescued all but one of the hostages. A rescuer was also killed though.

　　On 24 December, 1994, Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked by the Armed Islamic Group. The French government ordered to negotiated with the hijackers while they sent a team of GIGN (The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) to the airport to be on call. After two-day standoff, three hostages were executed and the GIGN therefore immediately leapt into action.

　　Using three staircase units, the GIGN stormed into the flight from the front and the back doors. While there was a gun battle between the GIGN members and hijackers in the cockpit, the other GIGN members rescued the hostages in the rear of the flight. It took only a few minutes for GIGN to free most of the passengers from the hijacking. After they fire off thousands of rounds, all four hijackers were killed while none of the hostages was during the assault. Only 13 passengers and 9 of the GIGN members received injuries.

　　On 4 April, 2003, an armed men hijacked a bus and took the passengers hostage after a bank robbery in Berlin. The police sent a group of SEK(Spezialeinsatzkommandos, the German SWAT team) to chase the hijacker. They first forced the vehicle stop, then attacked. In only a few second, they broke the window, smashed in the vehicle, injured the hijacker by shot and rescued two hostages who were both unhurt.

　　On 4 April again, 2009, four Somali pirates captured an American captain in a lifeboat which was under an American destroyer's supervision. The U.S President authorized the Navy to take action if it was determined the hostage's life was in immediate danger. So, after dark, when it seemed the pirates were about to kill the captain, the commander immediately ordered "open fire". The Navy SEALs snipers pulled the triggers three times, all bull's-eye, three of the pirates fell down, and the fourth surrendered.

　　On 24 August, 2010, we were grieved.

　　1976年6月27日，法航(Air France)一架飛機從希臘雅典起飛，原定飛往法國巴黎，但起飛不到10分鐘，就被10名恐怖份子騎劫。飛機輾轉飛到烏干達的恩德培國際機場，恐怖分子把103名人質關在機場的舊客運站樓，以之為籌碼，向以國政府交涉。

　　其後數日，以國政府表面上接受恐怖分子條件，暗地裡卻部署營救行動。近百名特種部隊登上飛機，夜襲恩德培機場。因為營救過程未得包庇歹徒的烏干達政府允許，所以營救部隊還要對上烏干達軍隊，但他們只花了三十分鐘，就殺掉45名烏干達士兵和全部6名劫機者，成功救出102名人質，誤殺一人，以軍則損失一員。

　　1994年12月24日，法航8969號班機被武裝分子騎劫，法國政府一邊與他們談判，一邊派出著名的法國國家憲兵特勤隊(GIGN)到機場戒備。談判疆持兩天，武裝分子殺掉3名人質，特勤隊覺情況危急，馬上行動。

　　特勤隊分乘三台登機車，突襲前倉門及後倉門，前倉特勤隊員與駕駛倉的歹徒駁火，同時另一批隊員從後倉救出乘客。不到幾分鐘，大部份乘客已經逃出飛機，特勤隊員續與歹徒交火上千發，把4名劫機者殺死。突擊過程中全部人質生還，僅有13人加上9名特勤員受傷。

　　2003年4月11日，柏林發生銀行械劫案，劫匪搶去一架巴士逃亡並挾乘客作人質。當局派出特警隊SKE追捕犯人，他們先截停巴士，後攻堅救人，只花幾秒就從車外破窗而入，劫匪中槍受傷被捕，人質毫髮無傷。

　　2009年，也是4月11日，四名索馬里海盜在小艇上挾持一名美藉船長，美軍派來驅逐艦在旁監視，並與海盜談判。總統下令人質若命懸一線，則對海盜格殺勿論。結果入黑後，指揮官見海盜有所動作，即下令海豹部隊狙擊手開槍，開了三槍，彈不虛發，三個海盜應聲倒下，第四人則舉手投降。

　　2010年8月23日，聞者感愴。


註：本文於2010年8月25日寫成，成文前兩天，即2010年8月23日，發生了馬尼拉人質慘劇。事件中菲律賓警員門多薩挾持了一部載滿港人的旅遊車，當地警方接報前來營救，但手法劣拙，最終8名人質命喪他鄉。

What Is The Thinker Thinking About? / 沉思者在沉思什麼？

　　The Thinker, one of the most famous sculptures of all time, was created by 19th-Century French sculptor Auguste Rodin. With its long face and tensed body, The Thinker really makes people lost deeply in their thoughts while watching it. No wonder it has appeared a couple of times in the Japanese manga Crayon Shin-chan as the idea of parody.

　　This might be the question you have long since wanted to ask: What is this "thinker" with knitted brows thinking so hard ?

　　In fact, he is more of gazing than thinking. Since The Thinker was originally created as part of the other Rodin's masterpiece The Gates of Hell, in which The Thinker was meant to be Dante, who was sitting on the lintel and gazing through the gate at all the hellish things inside the inferno.

　　Rodin then had it enlarged to a bronze sculpture of monumental size, which soon became The Thinker imprinted in most people's minds today.

　　鼎鼎大名的藝術雕像「沉思者」，乃出至十九世紀法國雕塑家奧古斯特‧羅丹之手。其沉痛的臉容，繃緊的姿態，教人望之感懷。難怪連日漫「蠟筆小新」也經常拿他來惡搞。

　　有個問題你可能早就想問：這個愁眉深鎖的「沉思者」，到底在想什麼個鬼呢？

　　其實與其說他在「沉思」，不如說他在「注視」。皆因沉思者源自羅丹的另一作品「地獄之門」。該作品中，沉思者正正就是坐在「地獄之門」門樑上的詩人但丁，注視著地獄裡各種苦難。

　　後來，羅丹將之重鑄成巨大的銅像，就成了今日人所共知的「沉思者」。

A Dirty Cat / 色貓

　　He should be aptly called an "old pervert". Talking about Oscar, a British cat owned by Peter and Birgitt Weismantel. Having some real dirty thoughts in mind, this 13-year-old cat steal underwear from neighbours houses every day.

　　Ever since Mr.& Mrs. Weismantel adopted Oscar at Christmas of 2009, things have gone wrong just the way the movie Orphan did: they soon realised their "adopted child" was not as normal as they had thought - when they saw him brought home somethings like underwear rather than mice.

　　The couple then tracked and discovered that those items was brought from their neighbours' houses. They finally called the police - not to take Oscar away - but to prevent neighbours from thinking that there is a pervert on the loose (though there really is).

　　So far Oscar has brought back about 70 goods including socks, woman's knickers, kids' pants and etc. And much would have more. It seems that more and more underwear would come and come and come.

　　名副其實的「糟老頭」。居於英國的魏斯曼德夫婦二人育有一頭的貓，名叫奧斯卡。這頭年過十三歲的老貓異常糟糕，每天跑到鄰家偷內褲。

　　魏斯曼德夫婦於2009年的聖誕節收養奧斯卡，往後情節卻直如電影《孤疑》那樣鋪排：夫婦很快就發現「養子」有所不妥　　奧斯卡不捉老鼠，只偷內褲。

　　後來夫婦二人查明東西乃從鄰居家偷來的。他們不住報警　　並非要逮捕奧斯卡　　只是怕鄰居以為有無法無天的內褲大盜，惹人誤會(雖然事實上真有一隻)。

　　至今這貓勝利品超過七十多件，其中有臭襪、女裝短褲以至童裝內褲等。不過牠食髓知味，內褲還陸續有來。

Bet Your Life On It: The King's Little Pathway / 行山要賭命：國王小徑

　　Hiking, at least in Hong Kong, is never an activity for fashion. Most local hiking trails are smooth and well-paved and the safety coefficient of them is high enough for you to walk through blind, that makes hiking way too boring compared to extreme sports such as surfing or break dancing.

　　Yet the world is big. There are many crazy mountains or trails on earth in where hiking can turn into something real adrenaline and you got to bet your life on it.

　　Here comes an example - El Camino Del Ray, a.k.a. The King's Little Pathway - one of the world's most dangerous hiking trails, located in Spain, where several people have lose their live in these recent years.

　　The trail was originally built in 1905 as a walkway for transporting the building materials of a dam. In 1921, the dam was completed, and King Alfonso XIII crossed the trail for the inauguration. That is where its name come from.

　　Now the trail has fallen into disuse and been without maintenance for many years. Some parts of trail has completely collapsed with only steel beams remains. Of course, you can cross the trail by walking on that, but one wrong step and you experience a 350-feet drop. It is this kind of things that draws challengers from all over the world, and push their courage and skills to the edge.

　　Unfortunately, in 1999 and 2000, two accidents killed four people. The local government therefore closed the entrance.

　　Yet one can still find a way in if he want to. Few years ago, a bold hiker went to the trail with his camera, filming some of his exciting walk-through. He then uploaded the video online (#) and that makes The King's Little Pathway even more famous.

　　行山，對港人而言實非什麼潮流玩意，無他的，本地的行山徑大多鋪上石屎路，平坦易走，安全系數高得任你馳騁縱橫。比起滑浪或跳霹靂舞，行山實在悶死人。

　　然而，世界之大，有很多險峻無比的行山徑。在那些地方，行山可是賭上生命的刺激事。

　　舉個例子，西班牙就有一條名為「國王小徑」的行山徑，被譽為世界最危險的行山徑，奪人命無數。

　　這條行山徑於1905年落成。原是為運送水堤建材而修築的架空走道。1921年，水堤完工，在任國王阿方索十三世通過這條小徑去參加啟用典禮，小徑因而得名。

　　後來，這條「國王小徑」經年荒廢，日久失修，部份通道已經完全塌陷，僅餘支撐通道的鋼筋。你可以跋之而過，但一失足，就得向百米深谷投懷，極之考驗平衡力和膽色，世界各地的登山好手也因此慕名來挑戰。

　　不幸的是，1999年至2000年期間，發生了兩宗意外，4名登山客命喪其中，當地政府於是把入口封住了。

　　然而，有心人硬闖還是可以的。年前就有大膽的登山客一邊登上小徑一邊執機拍攝，把登山的驚險過程拍成影片 (#) 放上網，「國王小徑」亦因此聲名大噪。

(#) Here is the video/ 影片如下：

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw )

Who Dares Wins / 敢作敢為

　　"There are more important things than the lives of soldiers. "

　　"We're doing it anyway. "


　　We, the members of this second SAS squadron, are a little bit nervous today. Though we're the elites of British Army who should have been ready for any situation, we can't help but feel nervous this time.

　　Two of our fellows have been captured during an action. We have to hammer out a speedy rescue plan in less than a second because hesitating for even just a second can send our fellows to the death.

　　Now, everything is ready except a permission from the higher authorities, so our commander makes a call asking for it.

　　But they turn down the plan, saying that they worry the action would exposed the fact - the battle is not yet under control - and it can cause a political crisis.

　　"There are more important things than the lives of soldiers. " They says.

　　We're all stunned. More important things? Political crisis?  We're astonished, we're angry, and we're sad. And all these feelings can't be told better than by an awkward silence.

　　At the time, Commander picks up the phone.  "We're doing it anyway. " he says.

(P.S. This fictional story is based on an actual military action happened in May, 2010. See here. )

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcxQfCZ_9V8 )

　　「有些事比士兵的性命更重要。」

　　「無論如何我們都會出手。」


　　這一天，我們英國空中特勤隊第二中隊有點緊張，儘管身為全英陸軍中最精銳的部隊，訓練有素，但這次行動還是很令人緊張。

　　兩名同僚在一次行動同被敵方擄去了。我們不能怠慢，要在片刻之內定出作戰計劃救人，事關猶豫片刻，就可能要跟他們說再見。

　　如今萬事俱備只欠東風，待上級准許就可以行動了，隊長也就致電求准。

　　豈料，他們竟然拒絕批令，說擔心行動會敗露戰況未受控的事實，觸發政治危機，還說：「有些事比士兵的性命更重要。」

　　此語一出，我們無不嘩然。「政治危機」、「有些事更重要」？我們愕然、憤怒、難過……很多感覺，一時說不出話來。

　　這時候，隊長拿起了話筒，說：「無論如何我們都會出手。」


(註：此故事乃根據2010年5月英軍一次真實行動創作而成。見此。)

Mind Went Blank / 一片空白，心想這下完了

　　Team-killing is not only a phenomenon that happens in the world of FPS games. It is, in fact, everywhere in our world.

　　Such a statement was proven by a new recruit in the Chinese PLA while he was given training in use of hand grenades. That was always supposed to be safe training in which the solider needed only to throw a grenade from a blockhouse and the process was all under a trainer's supervision.

　　However, this time, the new recruit was too nervous and ran out of luck. He threw the grenade from a wrong angle and the grenade hit the wall of the blockhouse and rebounded back to his side.

　　While the whole thing was too sudden for the recruit to react; the trainer swiftly pulled the recruit back  behind a solid concrete wall and bent over him on the floor. Miraculously, no one was injured in the accident.

　　"My mind just went blank, except that I thought 'It's over.' " The new recruit said, when being asked about his "near success in team-killing" .

　　Yet, on the other hand, the life-saving trainer spoke of the accident in a much calmer way as if it was his daily job: "As a trainer, I must watch out for everything when the new recruits throw grenades. "

　　Perhaps the new recruit should at least treat his life savior a meal as a pay back.

　　「Team-killing」(簡稱：TK)是第一身射擊遊戲裡的術語，意即「同隊自殘」。原來那種事情，在現實世界中也隨處可見。

　　中共解放軍一名新兵在一次手榴彈訓練中，就親身說明了這一點。那種投彈訓練中，士兵只須從碉堡內把手榴彈投擲出去，過程中有指揮員在旁監察，一向十分安全。

　　但今次這個新兵實在緊張過頭，也欠一點運。他投擲角度差勁，手榴彈先擲中碉堡牆壁，再反彈回了身旁。

　　意外發生得太突然了，新兵來不及反應，獨是指揮員夠機警，立即把這頭驚弓菜鳥拉到保護牆後，並伏在他背上保護他。奇蹟地，誰都沒因此受傷。

　　「當時大腦一片空白，心想這下完了。」談到是次幾乎成功「TK」，新兵猶有餘悸。

　　但另一邊廂，當了「救人英雄」的指揮員卻視之為日常職責，不以為然：「作為現場指揮員，要時刻觀察新戰士投彈時的一舉一動。」

　　也許這頭菜鳥最少都要請救命恩人大吃一餐以視報答吧？