User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: Get in line!
November 27, 2008 at 1:24 AMHi gunnellr
Official supervision of morals is the last thing I'm suggesting. What goes on in people's hearts is their own business.
But I think you forfeit your right to push others, eat pungent foods, and generally screw up the works each time you use a public means of transit. This comes down to sacrificing immediate personal gain (I win, you lose) for the sake of an orderly shared means of travel (I lose, everybody wins).
Another video camera innovation in the Taipei metro are special waiting zones for single women at night, continuously monitored by security staff. Even the most rock-ribbed civil liberties advocate could support this humane, unintrusive measure.
Although it's tempting to slip into non-judgmental relativism, I think the self-centered, me-first attitude of pushing and line-cutting is costing all of us time, efficiency and peace of mind. I'm pushing the case for collectivism because, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod
November 26, 2008 at 9:40 AMHi 1meiguoren
非常感谢你到我们chinesepod 来留言。你中文已经写得很不错，继续跟我们一起学习一定会有些进步！
Ｐｅｔｅ
（阿斌）
Posted on: Argument over Garbage (2)
November 26, 2008 at 8:55 AMHi gongde
Your interpretation is interesting. But she didn't put the garbage on her own doorstep...I think she just means that the neighbors are a little unreasonable, and it would be best to avoid them in the future.
Posted on: Get in line!
November 26, 2008 at 8:15 AMHi johnb
Touché!
People don't willingly change their behavior unless they get punished. That's why I am a big supporter of another Taipei metro innovation: cameras to monitor the platform and trains, and steep fines if you are caught eating, drinking, smoking, etc!
Posted on: Get in line!
November 26, 2008 at 7:46 AMHi shidakai
The people of Taipei are rightfully proud of their metro. You could eat a meal off the floor, and the 博愛seats (designated seats for the old and infirm) are a welcome reminder to be decent to strangers. Even the diagonal stripes indicating how to wait in line without blocking the door are so simple that I just can't figure out why the People's Republic doesn't have them yet.
Posted on: Argument over Garbage (2)
November 26, 2008 at 6:53 AM我认为changye大哥说的很有说服力。
我们也要观察一下 公私区别。中国人进门要拖鞋，把家里弄得干干净净，由此可见在私人住宅很讲究卫生。 而外面随便扔东西，遛狗不捡狗屎，表示对公共空间有些无所谓。
“内-外” 世界观不仅体现在国籍问题上。在日常生活当中也能看得很清楚。我认为人类的自然趋势就是种族歧视，乱扔垃圾，对不认识的人冷漠。
所谓的“文明” 就是放弃或改良这种落后的行为。
Posted on: Do you have a cold?
November 26, 2008 at 5:30 AMHi bababardwan,
The technical term for the flu is 流行性感冒 liu2xing2xing4gan3mao4 or 流感. Chinese do tend to lump everything under "感冒。”
Bird flu is 禽流感 qin2liu2gan3。 Scary stuff. And where do you find all your cartoons and movies!? Too funny.
Hi rjberki and martyang
You're right, there's nothing like "God Bless You." But for a discussion of sneeze culture, check out
http://chinesepod.com/lessons/sneezing/discussion
Posted on: 请 (Qǐng) - Please and Beyond
November 26, 2008 at 2:16 AMHi Sam,
Glad to hear that Qing Wen is helpful for you. Here's a previous Qing Wen about the usages of 不 and 没. If you're still not clear, we'll be happy to take your questions on the boards.
http://chinesepod.com/lessons/negating-verbs-when-to-use-%E6%B2%A1%E6%9C%89-meiy%C7%92u-when-to-use-%E4%B8%8D-bu/discussion
Posted on: Pumpkin Food
November 26, 2008 at 2:14 AMHi china4me
呢 has several uses. Here, 呢 is being used to ask a question about a topic already brought up.
For 南瓜饼呢 we need to see the context. One person asked if the other liked Pumpkin soup, and the other replied that they did. So the 呢 gives the meaning of "Do you also like pumpkin cakes?"
Stinky tofu is 臭豆腐, a kind of pungent-smelling fermented tofu. I love it, but it's not for everyone.
Posted on: Do you have a cold?
November 27, 2008 at 2:24 AMHi dunkerlumpen
Sometimes, like in English, 语气 （tone） can be used to make something a question. In this case, it's OK to omit 吧 because the sound of the speaker's voice carries that implication.
Hi missworldtraveler
When they are adverbs, 肯定 and 一定 can be used interchangeably. There are some usage differences in other situations, but that's a little too far beyond the scope of this lesson.