Bob Huggins tribute at 5/3 arena last night

Bob Huggins, the Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Coach from 1989-2005. 在這16個球季中,他把我們學校的球隊一舉拉近全國的版圖.帶領Cincinnati進入全國四強一次.並且連續14年打入NCAA Tournament.自從他被學校行政階層類似半Fire狀況下請走後.學校還未從回NCAA Tournament.雖說今年有一線機會,不過隨著3/1/09輸給Syracuse Oranges後,今年希望可能又要落空了.

他被請離開學校是有一些原因的,因為他有不良的酒後駕車紀錄以及他招募的學生運動員畢業率偏低,以及少數有操守問題.我多多少少可以理解,但是當年學校請離他時,公關操作手法極為粗糙.全城震撼,也讓學校捲入一場公關風暴.

Bob Huggins在他的tenure期間,因為球隊長期的勝利,以及他親和的個性,他在Cincinnati是獨霸一方.他是城市最好的行銷者,人們稱他是King of Clifton (學校位在的行政區),甚至是King of Queen City.城市的運動迷愛戴他.而他所犯的DUIs,雖是大忌,但是都僅是被pulled over得到的citing.不是有造成傷亡的.對於運動明星,美國人有著較高的容忍度. And when you fired a King of a city. It's a public affair's nightmare.這到至今都還餘波盪漾.

不過三年多過去了.如今各方都已經moved on.那位被城市人仇恨的校長Nancy Zimpher將要去SUNY接管全紐約州的公立大學系統. Cincinnati Bearcats 的籃球隊也逐漸回到全國版圖了.而Bob Huggins也回到他的出生地跟母校 West Virginia Mountaineers 接掌總教練.

而Bearcats and West Virginia 同在Big East Conference. 每年要交手至少一次. 今天是Bob Huggins首度回到他帶領16年的 Cincinnati Bearcats的 Fifth Third Bank Arena打球.而因為當年的衝突,學校跟球迷一直都沒有機會跟他說聲謝謝跟再見.也因為如此,很特別的,學校為敵隊的總教練,我們的前總教練, Bob Huggins,辦理一個隆重的感謝儀式.向他說聲謝謝.而本篇的VCR,則是在他的球隊入場時播放的,他也是老淚縱橫的接受全場球迷長達三分鐘的standing ovation.就這樣,我們正式了向Huggs說聲謝謝,而希望從這天起,學校的球迷能夠重新支持學校,畢竟,Huggins的王朝已經正式告個段落了.現在已經是當年Huggins的助理教練, Mick Cronin的時代了. 而更重要的,我們是支持這個球隊的球迷.

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln Statue in Lincoln Memorial

我上一篇的重點是在著重在我對Darwin的歷史意義,而對於Lincoln沒有太多著墨.
但是今天是他的生日,我在開車的途中,聽到廣播主持人在討論Lincoln.
中間引述到他的Gettysburg Address(蓋茲堡宣言),聽了很感動,甚至有人評論為美國總統最好的演講,短短278個字,確是個意義深重,感動人心,擲地有聲的一個演講.我想重點不但是個偉大的演講,而林肯他的作為跟帶領美國人向理想邁進,能夠跟演講相符,才會讓這篇演講傳誦不已.

另外今天學到的小常識,猜猜Abraham Lincoln,是哪一黨的總統,我學習到的時候很訝異,我想很多人會跟我一樣訝異,答案請點選Read more

他是代表共和黨選上的總統,這是個跟現在的刻版印象有些不同的概念,甚至許多美國人都會直覺認為他是代表民主黨參選的總統.

以下是他的演說全文
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Feb. 12, 2009

Feb. 12, 2009.
今天有甚麼特別的呢？
今天是兩位重要的人兩百歲冥誕.

First, Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), 美國第16任總統.
帶領美國度過內戰,統合美國,並且終結奴隸制度.而今天的美國,有個首位黑人總統.

另外一位壽星,則是
Charles Robert Darwin(12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882).生物學家,
Darwin的大作"On the Origin of Species",開啟了"Natural Selection"的論述,
而後隨著現在生物科技的進步,整個對於物種歷史的論述有個全然的翻新.
而我自己算是半個環境微生物學的研究者,許多研究也是在推導微生物的演化跟分類.
這一切的起源,都來自Darwin的論述.

我特別提到Darwin原因是,回頭看看這個歷程,跟新的分子生物的證據,我以為Darwin是個很久遠以前的科學家,但是沒有意會到他的年代竟跟我身處的年代相差不遠,科學在這方面進步的神速,真的是讓人訝異.

另一方面則是,在我身處這個國度,USA,即便科學的證據不斷的支持,而卻有很大的比例人口否認這個Natural Selection and the earth age is over 4 billion years old (他們認為僅約6000年).讓人感到驚奇,這也是今天很多報紙甚至會忽略了今天是個改變史觀的Charles Darwin的生日.