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Showing posts from May, 2011

The biggest problem of research 研究的最大難題

The Australian federal government budget was announced tonight. There were very few surprises and excitements, particularly because many of the most important points have already been reported in a newspaper yesterday. I was however most interested in how medical research funding fared in the budget. 今晚澳洲聯邦政府公布財政預算案,其實箇中重點,昨日已有報紙詳細披露,我最關心的,倒是政府有沒有削減醫學研究開支。 Back in the end of March when the federal government was in the consultation phase for the budget, it was already rumoured that the government planned to cut A$400 million (US$430 million, 300 million euros, HK$3.4 billion) of medical research funding over 3 years. If it were to go ahead, it would be a severe blow since it would represent a nearly 20% decrease of the A$700 million available to medical research every year! 記得三月底政府開始蒐集預算案意見時已傳出政府要填補赤字,並考慮三年內削減醫學研究撥款4億澳元(約4.3億美元、3億歐元、34億港元),若落實的話,相對於每年7億澳元的經費,即是每年的研究經費會勁減差不多兩成! Even without mentioning the benefit of medical research to the Australian economy and the society’s well-being

Simply Red 當紅的秋

The most eye-catching colour of autumn is red, and it is everywhere to be seen. 秋天最奪目的顏色,是紅色,祇要舉頭張望便四處可見。 You can even see red in the sky! 萬里長空中的一點紅 April had plenty of days when there wasn’t a cloud in the blue skies and the weather was still warm. What better ways are there to spend those times than casually sauntering in the quiet streets – even the courtyard within the National Gallery of Victoria in the heart of the city. Time seems to slow to a lazy pace in the golden but gentle rays of the autumn sun and the tranquil surroundings, as if it were trying to stretch those beautiful days out as long as possible. 四月有不少日子藍天一片萬里無雲而且和暖,我當然不會放過這些好時光,在柔和的陽光下到寂靜人寥的街道閒逛——甚至是市中心維多利亞州國立藝術館內的庭園——不禁有種懶洋洋的感覺,也教人留戀秋天的美好。 An oasis of tranquility 繁囂中的一點悠閑 Autumn through a water wall 隔着水簾的秋色 Back at the start of April, two of the maple trees in my neighbourhood took the lead and started displaying a finely graded colour transition from green at the bottom to r