知識卡片

考據癖如我，邊看片子邊看劇本邊google或wiki整出來的東西，本來只是for my information而已，很不系統，九牛一毛，主要是第二,三季中提到的一些話題或語句。

12. Non-binding Resolution

　　A non-binding resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body that cannot progress into a law. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion.
　　
　　This type of resolution is often used to express the body's approval or disapproval of something which they cannot otherwise vote on,[1] due to the matter being handled by another jurisdiction, or being protected by a constitution. An example would be a resolution of support for a nation's troops in battle, which carries no legal weight, but is adopted for moral support.
　　
　　 Use
　　Non-binding resolutions are usually specific simple or concurrent resolutions that are not passed on to the president to be signed in to law.[2] These resolutions differ from pure concurrent resolutions (that are used for various procedural requests such as adjourning sessions) in that they are designed to formally express and document opinions, not initiate a process.
　　
　　These resolutions offer a means for elected officials to publicly air the concerns of their constituents[3] and are closely followed by major media outlets. Additionally, these resolutions can be used to state the position of congress, showing a preview of how they will vote on future legislation and budget allocations.

11.KeyWord: Ways and Means Committee

In the English Parliament (later the British Parliament and UK Parliament) between 1641 and 1967, proposals for raising taxation originated in the Committee of Ways and Means, where they were initiated by a Government minister. The committee was copied by the legislature of the United States where it currently exists as the powerful U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means.

With effect from 1967 that Committee was abolished. The Chairman of Ways and Means presided over that Committee; and though Speakers have sometimes presided at Budgets since abolition of the Committee (as, for example, in 1968 and 1989), the Chairman does still generally occupy the chair during the speech.

The Chairman of Ways and Means is the title given to the Deputy Speaker who is appointed on a motion tabled at the beginning of each Parliament by the Leader of the House. The Chairman of Ways and Means has two deputies: the 1st and 2nd Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. Thus there are three deputy Speakers who may take the Chair in the place of the Speaker.

In the British Parliament, the Speaker and his deputies are considered independent and as such they do not normally vote, except for casting votes, and they are not included in the figures of party strengths within the House of Commons.

The term "Ways and Means" refers to the provision of revenue to meet national expenditure and to forward the objectives of economic policy. Ways and Means are principally provided by the imposition of taxation - the Budget resolutions are Ways and Means resolutions, upon which the Finance Bill is based - but also by the raising of loans and provision made as occasion arises for the payment of sums into the Consolidated Fund or the National Loans Fund.


10.KeyWord：Giselle

在《West Wing3》中，Sam告訴Josh黃石國家公園發生大火。Josh一本正經地問他要去滅火嗎，Sam則一本正經地回答說自己不是專業消防員，然後隨口說自己小時候倒是想當消防員。這時Josh也順嘴說他小時候想當芭蕾舞演員。過後Josh意識到說漏嘴了，於是警告Sam不要把芭蕾舞演員的事說出去。過了幾幕，CJ要找Tony單獨說話，但Josh正好在旁邊。於是CJ低聲對Josh說：Giselle~，果然很見效，Josh立刻就走了。

Giselle是一個著名的浪漫主義時期的芭蕾劇的名字，也是劇中女主角的名字。劇情是由Slavs神話改編而來的，它的內容梗概為：
In the first act, a young, innocent village maiden named Giselle is in love with a man she knows only as Loys. In reality, the man is Albrecht, a nobleman disguised as a peasant, and who is betrothed to Bathilde, daughter of the Duke. When Giselle discovers the deceit, she is inconsolable and goes mad, then dies of a broken heart. In the second act, her undying love for Albrecht saves him from the wicked magic of the wilis, vampiric ghosts of betrothed girls who have died before their wedding day. Though their leader, Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, forces Albrecht to dance again and again, Giselle intervenes long enough to spare his strength and allow him to survive until the dawn. At sunrise, wilis must return to their grave; Giselle must return as well but not before showing Albrecht that she forgives him for his treachery. The two pledge their love to each other and she descends back into her grave, but will forever be separated. Giselle is now a wili for the rest of eternity.

Slavs神話是3000年前由東歐起源的神話傳說，在這個神話裡，上帝讓魔鬼用大海海底的沙子建成陸地。而作為一個宗教，Slavs是一個二重體系。它有兩個神：黑上帝管詛咒，白上帝管仁慈；另外雷火神也占重要地位。

關於Slavs裡的精靈，這裡著重介紹一下：

歌聲甜美的Wila
In Polish mythology, the Wila (VEE-lah) are believed to be female fairy-like spirits who live in the wilderness and sometimes clouds. They were believed to be the spirits of women who had been frivolous in their lifetimes and now floated between here and the afterlife. They sometimes appear as the swans, snakes, horses, falcons, or wolves that they can shapeshift into but usually appear as beautiful maidens, naked or dressed in white with long flowing hair.

It is said that if even one of these hairs is plucked, the Wila will die, or be forced to change back to her true shape. A human may gain the control of a Wila by stealing feathers from her wings. Once she gets them back, however, she will disappear. (Compare Swan maiden.)

The voices of the Wila are as beautiful as the rest of them, and one who hears them loses all thoughts of food, drink or sleep, sometimes for days. Despite their feminine charms, however, the Wila are fierce warriors. The earth is said to shake when they do battle. They have healing and prophetic powers and are sometimes willing to help human beings. At other times they lure young men to dance with them, which according to their mood can be a very good or very bad thing for the lad. They ride on horses or deer when they hunt with their bows and arrows and will kill any man who defies them or breaks his word. Fairy rings of deep thick grass are left where they have danced which should never be trod upon (bad luck).

Offerings for Wila consist of round cakes, ribbons, fresh fruits and vegetables or flowers left at sacred trees and wells and at fairy caves.

捉弄旅行者的Vila
The Vila, or Willi or Veela, are the Slavic versions of nymphs, who have power over storms, which they delight in sending down on lonely travelers. They are known to live in meadows, ponds, oceans, trees, and clouds (cf. Leimakids, Limnades, Oceanids, Dryads, Nephele). They can appear as swans, horses, wolves, or, of course, beautiful women.

The Vilia is the Celtic version of this woodland spirit. She enjoys captivating passing men with her beauty, but then abandoning them. In a love song titled Vilia, from "The Merry Widow" by Lehar and Ross, a hunter pines for Vilia, "the witch of the wood".

女吸血鬼Wili
Among the Slavic creatures of folklore, for the English-speaking world the wilis are indelibly connected with the Romantic ballet Giselle, first danced in Paris in 1840, with its spectral wilis, young girls who have died on their wedding days, who almost snatch away the hero's life-breath, but must disappear at the break of dawn.

These wilis have been adapted from a poem of Heinrich Heine, who claimed to be using a Slavic legend. Meyer's Konversationslexikon defines Wiles or Wilis as female vampires, the spirits of betrothed girls who die before their wedding night. According to Heine, wilis are unable to rest in their graves because they could not satisfy their passion for dancing when they were alive. They therefore gather on the highway at midnight to lure young men and dance them to their death. In Serbia they were maidens cursed by God; in Bulgaria they were known as samovily, girls who died before they were baptized; and in Poland they are beautiful young girls floating in the air atoning for frivolous past lives.

湖中魂魄Rusałka
In Slavic mythology, a Rusałka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a lake. She was considered a being of the unclean force or нечистая сила (nechistaya sila). The ghostly version is the soul of a young woman who had died in or near a lake (many of these rusalki had been murdered by lovers) and came to haunt that lake; this undead Rusałka is not invariably malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged. In most versions, the Rusałka is an unquiet dead being. According to Zelenin, people who die violently and before their time, such as young women who commit suicide because they have been jilted by their lovers, or unmarried women who are pregnant out of wedlock, must live out their designated time on earth (срок, srok) as a spirit. Another theory is that rusalki are the female spirits of the unclean dead; this includes suicides, unbaptized babies, and those who die without last rites. (Under this theory male unclean dead were said to become vodianoi).

深水精靈Vodianoi
The vodianoi is a male water spirit of Slavic origin. He is viewed to be particularly malevolent, existing almost exclusively to drown swimmers who have angered him by their boldness. Reports of his appearance vary; some tales define him as a naked old man, bloated and hairy, covered in slime, covered in scales, or simply as an old peasant with a red shirt and beard. He is also reported to have the ability to transform into a fish.

The vodianoi lives in deep pools, often by a mill, and is said to be the spirit of unclean male dead (this definition includes those who have committed suicide, unbaptized children, and those who die without last rites). As previously stated, the vodianoi would drown those who angered him with boasts or insults. However, this was no certain protection, as the spirit was particularly capricious. Peasants feared the vodianoi and would often attempt to get rid of the spirit or, failing that, appease him.

The only people who were generally safe from the vodianoi's anger were millers and fishermen. Millers in particular were viewed to be so close to the vodianoi that they often became seen as sorcerous figures. This may be influenced by the belief that millers yearly drown a drunk passerby as an offering to the vodianoi. Fishermen were somewhat less suspect, offering only the first of their catch with an incantation. If a vodianoi favored a fisherman he would herd fish into the nets. [1]

The Czech and Slovak equivalent is called a vodník. A similar figure appears in German mythology as a Wasserman or nix.

風雪女神Sky Women
In Polish mythology, sky women were the warm-weather incarnations of the rusalki. Slavic women would go out in the first snowfall and build snow women to honor them, as snow is believed to be brought by the sky women. One belief has it that the thunder and lightning of springtime are brought on by Sky Women mating with the thunder gods; hence spring festivals included a celebration of the return of the rusalki from the waters with the placing of wreaths on the waters, and with circle dances and fire festivals.


9. KEYWORD: line-item veto

In government, the line-item veto is the power of an executive to nullify or "cancel" specific provisions of a bill, usually budget appropriations, without vetoing the entire legislative package. The line-item vetoes are usually subject to the possibility of legislative override as are traditional vetoes.


8. KEYWORD: ERA

ERA是Equal Rights Amendment 的縮寫。具體來說，它主張的是：Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex。所以它相當於是一個婦女平等權利和義務修正案，而它也是一個備受爭議，至今仍未批准通過的憲法修正案。不要從字面上以為廣大美國勞動婦女都積極擁護支持它，因為它不光使得男女權利平等，也使得男女義務平等。一方面它能夠促進女性在許多社會領域獲得更平等的機會；另一方面它無視男女天生的差異，尤其在勞工、軍役等對女性有特別保護的領域裡，它大大削弱了女性的權益。


7. KEYWORD：瑪莉 Jane

大麻的俗稱。


6. KEYWORD: ALMA MATER

指母校。Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin 瑪莉.
This term is taken from the motto ("Alma Mater Studiorum") of the oldest European university, the University of Bologna, in Italy, founded in A.D. 1088, and located in the city of Bologna.
In many modern languages it is usually and principally heard as a term of academia; thus, in the English language, it is used as a sobriquet for the university or college a person has attended. In American English, it is also heard in reference to a high school or elementary school.


5. KEYWORD: Bob Marley ，Wailers

Bob marley is a reggae singer, songwriter, guitarist. Wailers is a musical group founded by Bob Marley. 他和他的組合信仰一種宗教叫astafarianism. 這種宗教遵循一種嚴格的規定：他們拒絕酒精和毒品，但是崇拜大麻，他們認為大麻是一種聖草能夠給人以啟迪。這就是為什麼Josh和剛剛對外流露支持大麻合法化意向的衛生部長的對話：

JOSH
Did you know that 69% of Americans oppose legalization? Only 23% support it.

DR. GRIFFITH
The number gets a lot higher than that if you ask people under 30.

JOSH
Well, that's a shock. Did you know that the number gets even higher than that if youlimit the polling sample to Bob Marley ad the Whalers?


4. KEYWORD: FILIBUSTER

以前對這個詞的理解僅僅是單詞書上那個莫名奇妙的解釋「阻礙議案通過」。這才知道原來它是這麼的搞笑。

filibuster是最大化地利用了「議員在議會上發言，想說多久就可以說多久」這個規矩，片中的老議員為了抗議政府沒有給自閉症兒童撥款，站在講台上夜以繼日不眠不休不上廁所地發言（讀菜譜，狄更斯，打牌規則等等...），這樣拖延時間，使議會無法進行下面的議程。本來看片時有點兒懷疑此招的真實性，後來查了一下才發現真實生活中還有更有光澤、更持久的議員。最長的個人演講歷史紀錄創造於1957年，一位議員為反對民權法在講台上說了足足24小時18分鐘。當然還有更有組織有紀律的filibuster，那就是一幫子議員聯合起來拖時間：你方唱罷我登場。眾人拾柴火焰高，這個法子顯然更有效。下面是wiki上列舉的許多filibuster的案例：

In 1789, the first U.S. Senate adopted rules allowing the Senate "to move the previous question," ending debate and proceeding to a vote. In 1806, Aaron Burr argued that the motion regarding the previous question was redundant, had only been exercised once in the preceding four years [4], and should be eliminated. The Senate agreed, and thus the potentiality for a filibuster sprang into being. Because the Senate created no alternative mechanism for terminating debate, the filibuster became an option for delay and blocking of floor votes.
The filibuster remained a solely theoretical option until 1841, when the Democratic minority tried to block a bank bill favored by the Whig majority by using this political tactic. Senator Henry Clay, a promoter of the bill, threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Missouri Senator 湯瑪士 Hart Benton rebuked Clay for trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate and he was unsuccessful in eliminating the filibuster with a simple majority vote.
In 1917 a rule allowing for the cloture of debate (ending a filibuster) was adopted by the Democratic Senate[5] at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson.[6] From 1917 to 1949, the requirement for cloture was two-thirds of those voting.


3. KEYWORD: LSD

應該是迷幻藥的意思。Lsd is the abbreviation for lysergic acid diethylamide, a synthetic hallucinogenic drug discovered by Albert Hofmann in 1938. By disrupting the action of serotonin in the brain, LSD produces markedly abnormal behavior, including psychotic episodes that can last anywhere from hours to several days. The drug is usually administered through the tongue, although it can be absorbed through any of the mucous membranes.


2. KeyWord: Algonquin Round Table

The Algonquin Round Table was a group of 紐約 City writers, critics, actors and wits that met from 1919 until about 1929, though its legacy endured long afterward.
They met for lunch every day at a round table at the Algonquin Hotel and traded quips; many of these sayings are still repeated today. The group began meeting in June 1919 when several of its members returned from World War I where they met on the Army newspaper Stars and Stripes.


1. KeyWord：Puerto Rico，statehood，commonwealth:

波多黎各原為印第安人居住地。1493年C.哥倫布航行至此。1509年淪為西班牙殖民地。1869年波多黎各人民起義，宣佈成立共和國，遭西班牙殖民軍鎮壓。1897年實現內部自治。1898年美西戰爭後成為美國殖民地。1917年美國把「美國公民籍」加於波多黎各人民。1950年人民武裝起義，宣佈成立波多黎各共和國。1952年美國給予波多黎各自由聯邦的地位，實行自治，但外交、國防、關稅等重要部門由美國控制。1977年美國總統G.R.福特向國會提交了《1977年波多黎各立州法》，主張把波多黎各變成美國的第51州。1982年11月R.W.雷根總統發表聲明，支持波多黎各成為美國的一個州。1993年11月，波多黎各再次就與美國的關係舉行全民公決，結果多數人仍主張維持美國的自由聯邦地位。1992年佩得羅·羅塞洛當選為總督。根據1952年由美國制定的憲法，總督為最高行政長官，由選舉產生，任期4年，下設部長會議。美國國會有權廢除波多黎各議會通過的法律。議會分參、眾兩院。該島選舉出地方專員常駐美國國會，但只能在眾院委員會參加表決。主要政黨有：①人民民主黨，執政黨。成立於1938年。主張維持波多黎各「自由聯邦」地位，要求在美國主權下成立地方自治政府。②新進步黨，1967年成立。主張波多黎各成為美國的一個州。③波多黎各獨立黨，1946年成立。主張波多黎各獨立，建立社會主義民主共和國。   舉報