国内通往北美的internet数据终于有了一点点复苏的迹象，至少我可以让我打开位于DreamHost的MT管理界面，写下这一篇，而在这之前的四天里，我的主机基本上遥不可及。

一次地震，让我们看到了脆弱的数据通信技术，中断的节点几乎全部集中于台湾附近，而这一中断几乎让中国大陆对外特别是对北美的所有数据流处于中断状态，所造成的损失不可估量。

到现在为止，我还不能打开Dreamhost的Control Panel，不知道为什么MT的管理界面出奇的顺利，难道是加密传输的原因？

希望情况尽快好转起来。

刚才坐在桌前上网，突然觉得屁股乱抖，台灯也在晃悠，觉得奇怪，哪个大卡车路过搞得抖这么久！后来小B出来说，好像地震了！深圳很少地震啊！

还好，房子没塌，阿弥陀佛。

[2006-12-27]: 早新闻报导，台湾7.2级地震

呵呵，转一篇，那些庆祝圣诞的朋友们过来扫一下盲先：
原文来自：http://wyx.cuit.edu.cn/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=361
我把中/英文的顺序颠倒了一下:-)

　　“圣诞节”这个名称是“基督彌撒”的缩写。彌撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。耶诞节是一个宗节我们把它当作耶苏的诞辰來庆祝，因而又名耶诞节。这一天，世界所有的基督教会都举行特別的礼拜仪式。但是有很多圣诞节的欢庆活动和宗教并无半点关联。交换礼物，寄圣诞卡，这都使圣诞节成为一个普天同庆的日子。

　　圣诞节是基督教世界最大的节日。4世纪初，1月6日是罗马帝国东部各教会纪念那稣降生和受洗的双重节日、称为“主显节”Epiphany，亦称“显现节”即上帝通过那稣向世人显示自己。当时只有那路拉冷的教会例外，那里只纪念耶稣的诞生而不纪念那稣的受洗。后来历史学家们在罗马基督徒习用的日历中发现公元354年12月25日页内记录着：“基督降生在犹大的伯利恒。”经过研究，一般认为12月25日伴为圣诞节可能开始于公元336年的罗马教会）约在公元375年传到小亚细亚的安提阿，公元430年传到埃及的亚历山大里亚，那路撒冷的教会接受得最晚，而亚美尼亚的教会则仍然坚持1月6日主显节是那稣的诞辰。

　　12月25日原来是波斯太阳神（即光明之神）密特拉（Mithra）的诞辰，是一个异教徒节日，同时太阳神也是罗马国教众神之一。这一天又是罗马历书的冬至节，崇拜太阳神的异教徒都把这一天当作春天的希望，万物复苏的开始。可能由于这个原因，罗马教会才选择这一天作为圣诞节。这是教会初期力图把异教徒的风俗习惯基督教化的措施之一。

　　后来，虽然大多数教会都接受12月25日为圣诞节，但又固各地教会使用的历书不同，具体日期不能统一，于是就把12月24日到第二年的1月6日定为圣诞节节期（Christmas Tide），各地教会可以根据当地具体情况在这段节期之内庆祝圣诞节。自从12月25日被大多数教会公认为圣诞节后，原来1月6日的主显节就只纪念耶稣受洗了，但天主教会又把1月6日定为“三王来朝节”，以纪念耶稣生时东方三王（即三位博士）来朝拜的故事。随着基督教的广泛传播，圣诞节已成为各教派基督徒，甚至广大非基督徒群众的一个重要节日。在欧美许多国家里，人们非常重视这个节日，把它和新年连在一起，而庆祝活动之热闹与隆重大大超过了新年，成为一个全民的节日。12月25日的主要纪念活动都与那稣降生的传说有关。

　　耶苏的出生是有一段故事的，耶苏是因着圣灵成孕，由童女马利亚所生的。神更派遣使者加伯列在梦中晓谕约瑟，叫他不要因为马利亚未婚怀孕而不要她，反而要与她成亲，把那孩子起名为“耶苏”，意思是要他把百姓从罪恶中救出來。

　　当马利亚快要临盆的时候，罗马政府下了命令，全部人民到伯利恒务必申报戶籍。约瑟和马利亚只好遵命。他们到达伯利恒时，天色已昏，无奈两人未能找到旅馆渡宿，只有一个马棚可以暫住。就在這时，耶苏要出生了！於是马利亚唯有在马槽上，生下耶苏。后人为纪念耶苏的诞生，便定十二月二十五为圣诞节，年年望彌撒，纪念耶苏的出世。

　　圣诞节便是於十二月二十五日纪念耶苏的诞生，但真实的诞生日就沒有人知道了。十九世紀，圣诞卡的流行、圣诞老人的出现，圣诞节也开始流行起來了。

The name Christmas is short for “Christ’s Mass”. A Mass is a kind of Church service. Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus.

　　There are special Christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. But many of the festivities of Christmas do not have anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the world.

　　The birth of Jesus had a story: In Nazareth, a city of Galilee. The virgin’s name was Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was minded to put her away secretly. While he thought about these things, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him did not be afraid to take Mary as wife. And Mary will bring forth a Son, and he shall call his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

　　Before Jesus births, Joseph and Mary came to Quintus was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.　　And that, Christmas is the feast of the nativity of Jesus, is on 25th, December every year. But nobody know the actual birthday of Jesus. And the Christmas has become popular when Christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly Santa Claus was first made popular in nineteenth Century.

I paid $119.40 for another year service on Dreamhost.

After two weeks looking on line to check all the comments for different hosts, e.g. Bluehost, the one I prefer more, but finally I decided to stay in DreamHost.

There were two other plans:
1. Change all domains / service to Bluehost, with good web panel and stable host computer, or
2. Register another user instead of the current one, but it’s make trouble to transfer the domains to new space, and cause a lot of work.

I am lazy boy, so I spent more dollar and enjoy serving my girl.

Think about what did you do last weekend, on Christmas Eve. I was staying with my old friends in a coffee bar until 0:00 without saying “Merry Christmas!”. The beer went into my head and made me snoozing in rocking chair while they were playing pocker.

But what I cann’t understand is there was so crowded on EVERY restaurant / bar that night, and during last four weeks every shopping mall decorated by huge Christmas trees, and my foreign friend told me it’s even bigger than the shopping mall in Europe:”Did Chinese people also celebrate Christmas?”

I told him it’s only a chance to make party and good excuse or opportunity for all friends come together. But I doubted how was the youngers think about that.

China didn’t have any law to protect our tradition until the dragon boat festival was stolen by Korean and herbal medicine is deprecating by hign-educated professors on internet. Now more and more small children start to learn English since they could speek, on the other hand the Chinese literature is degenerating; the experienced herbalist becomes less and most of research on Chinese herbal treatment was carried out by foreign institute; and Kongfu…

Now for Christmas, a typical western festival, shall we call it “culture aggression”? I never heard my German or England friend celebrate Chinese Spring Festival so that they totally cann’t understand why Chinese people were so exciting!

The media / Commercial activities pushed the Christmas culture into China, the business men only take care of their money so that Santa Claus becomes the most popular star on media, and the curious make young people want to try everything new.

Now I write in English, but I won’t let the tradition away. All the friends when you see this page I would like to say: “圣诞快乐！“ I think it would be interesting for you to learn these charactors rather than I say any words in English.

Try to tell your friends more about Chinese tradition as well as your sons/daughters, and don’t lost your own culture.

Merry Christmas to all the friends!

Happy Christmas Eve!