小站会根据您的关注，为您发现更多，
看到喜欢的小站就马上关注吧！
下一站，你会遇见谁的梦想？
对时间的无言,对生命的目送,人会逐渐退为影子,可心里却可以存在天堂.
我欢喜黄昏的时候在红砖道上散步，因为不管什麼天气，黄昏的光总让人感到特别安静，能较深刻省思自己与城市共同的心灵。但那种安静只是心情的，只要心情一离开或者木棉或者杜鹃或者菩提树，一回头，人声车声哗然醒来，那时候就能感受到城市某些令人忧心的品质。
这种品质使我们在吵闹的车流裏，有一种难以言喻的寂寞；在奔逐的人群与闪亮的霓虹灯裏，我们更深的体会了孤独；在美丽的玻璃帷幕明亮的反光中，看清了这个大城冷漠的质地。
居住在这个大城，我时常思索著怎样来注视这个城，怎样找到它的美，或者风情，或者温柔，或者什麼都可以。
有一天我散步累了，坐在建国南路口，就看见这样的场景，疾驰的摩托车撞上左转的货车，因挤压而碎裂的铁与玻璃，和著人体撕伤的血泪，正好喷溅在我最喜欢的一小片金盏花的花圃上。然後刺耳的警笛与救护车，尖叫与围拢的人群，堵塞与叫骂的司机&&好像一团碎铁屑，因磁铁辗过而改变了方向，纷乱骚动著。
对街那头并未受到影响，公车牌上等候的人正与公车司机大声叫骂。一个气喘咻咻的女人正跑步追赶著即将开动的公车。小学生的纠察队正鸣笛制止一个中年人挤进他们的队伍。头发竖立如松的少年正对不肯停的计程车吐口水。穿西装的绅士正焦躁的把烟蒂猛然蹂扁在脚下。
这许多急促的喘著气的画面，几乎难以相信是发生在一个可以非常美丽的黄昏。惊疑、焦虑、匆忙、混乱的人，虽然具有都市人的性格，生活在都市，却永远见不到都市之美。
更糟的是无知。
有一次在花市。举办著花卉大餐，人与人互相压挤践踏只是为了抢食刚剥下的玫瑰花瓣，或者涂著沙拉酱的兰花。抢得最厉害的，是一种放著新鲜花瓣的红茶，我看到那粉红色的花瓣放进热气蒸腾的茶水，瞬间就萎缩了，然後沈落到杯底，我想，那抢著喝这杯茶的人不正是那一瓣花瓣吗？花市正是滚烫的茶水？它使花的美丽沈落，使人的美丽萎缩。
我从人缝穿出，看到五尺外的安全岛上，澎湖品种的天人菊独自开放著，以一种卓绝的不可藐视的风姿，这种风姿自然是食花的人群所不可知的。天人菊名声比不上玫瑰，滋味可能也比不上，但它悠闲不为人知的风情，却使它的美丽有了不受摧折的生命。
悠闲不为人知的风情，是这个都市最难能的风情。有一次参加一个紧张的会议，会议上正纷纭的揣测著消费者的性别、年龄、习惯与爱好：什麼样的商品是十五到二十五岁的人所要的？什麼样的资讯最适合这个城市的青年？什麼样的颜色最能激起购买欲？什麼样的抽奖与赠送最能使消费者盲目？
而，用什麼形式推出才是我们的卖点，和消费者情不自禁的买点？
後来，会议陷入了长长的沈默，灼热的烟雾弥漫在空调不敷应用的会议室裏。
我绕过狭长的会议桌，走到长长的只有一面窗的走廊透气，从十四层的高楼俯视，看到阳光正以优美的波长，投射在春天的菩提树上，反射出一种娇嫩的生命之骚动，我便临时决定不再参加会议，下了楼，轻轻踩在红砖路上，听著欢跃欲歌的树叶长大的声音，细微几至不可听见。回头，正看到高楼会议室的灯光亮起，大家继续做著灵魂烧灼的游戏，那种燃烧使人处在半疯的状态，而结论却是必然的：没有人敢确定现代的消费者需要什麼。
我也不敢确定，但我可以确定的是，现代人更需要心灵的沟通，有感情的、安定的讯息。就像如果我是春天这一排被局限在安全岛的菩提树，任何有情与温暖的注视，都将使我怀著感恩的心情。
生活在这样的都市裏，我们都是菩提树，拥有的土地虽少，勉力抬头仍可看见广大的天空；我们虽有常在会议桌上被讨论的共相；可是我们每天每刻的美丽变化却不为人如。「一棵树需要什麼呢？」园艺专家在电视上说：「阳光、空气，和水而已。还有一点点关心。」
活在都市的人也一样的吧！除了食物与工作，只是渴求著明澈的阳光，新鲜的空气，不被污染的水，以及一点点有良知的关心。
会议的结果怎麼样？」第二天我问一起开会的人。
「销售会议永远不会有正确的结论，因为没有人真正了解十五岁到二十五岁现代都市人的共同想法。」
如果有人说：我是你们真正需要的！
那人不一定真正知道我们的需要。
有一次在仁爱国小的操场政见壁上，连续听到五个人说：「我是你们真正需要的。」那样高亢的呼声带著喝采与掌声如烟火在空中散放。我走出来，看见安和路上黑夜的榕树，感觉是那样的沈默、那样的矮小，忍不住问它说：「你真正的需要是什麼呢？」
我们其实是像那沈默的榕树一样渺小，最需要的是自在的活著，走路时不必担心亡命的来车，呼吸时能品到空气的香甜，搭公车时不失去人的尊严，在深夜的黑巷中散步也熊和陌生人微笑招呼，时常听到这个社会的良知正在觉醒，也就够了。
我更关心的不是我们需要什麼，而是青年究竟需要什麼？十五岁到二十五岁的，难道没有一个清楚的理想，让我们在思索推论裏知悉吗？
我们关心的都市新人种，他们耳朵罩著随身听，过大的衬衫放在裤外，即使好天他们也罩一件长到小腿的黑色神秘风衣。少女们则全身燃烧著颜色一样，黄绿色的发，红蓝色的衣服，黑白的鞋子，当他们打著拍子从我面前走过，就使我想起童话裏跟随王子去解救公主的人物。
新人种的女孩，就像敦化南路圆环的花圃上，突然长出一株不可辨认的春花，它没有名字，色彩怪异，却开在时代的风裏。男孩们则是忠孝东路刚刚修剪过的路树，又冒出了不规则的枝桠，轻轻的反抗著剪刀。
最流行的杂志上说，那彩色的太阳眼镜是「燃烧的气息」，那长短不一染成红色的头发是「不可忽视的风格之美」，那一只红一只绿的布鞋是「青春的两个眼睛」，那过於巨大不合身的衣服是「把世界的伤口包扎起来」，而那些新品种的都市人则被说成是「青春与时代的领航者」。
这些领航的大孩子，他们走在五线谱的音符上走在调色盘的颜料上走在电影院的看板上走在虚空的玫瑰花瓣上，他们连走路的姿势，都与我年轻的时代不同了。
我的青年时代，曾经跪下来嗅闻泥土的芳香，因为那芳香而落泪；曾经热烈争辩国族该走的方向，因为那方向而忧心难眠；曾经用生命的热血与抱负写下慷慨悲壮的诗歌，因为那诗歌燃起火把互相传递。曾经，曾经都已是昨日，而昨日是西风中凋零的碧树。
「你说你们那一代忧国忧民，有理想有抱负，我请问你，你们到底做了什麼了不起的大事？」一位西门町的少年这样问我。
我们到底做了什麼了不起的大事？拿这个问题问飘过的风，得不到任何回声；问路过的树，没有一棵摇曳；问满天的星，天空裏有墨黑的答案，这是多麼可惊的问题，我们这些自谓有理想有抱负忧国忧民的中年，只成为黄昏时稳重散步的都市人，那些不知道有明天而在街头热舞的少年，则是半跑半跳的都市人，这中间有什麼差别呢？
有一次，我在延吉街花市，从一位年老的花贩口裏找到一些答案，他说：
「有些种子要做肥料，有些种手要做泥土，有一些种子是天生就要开美丽的花。」
农人用犁耙翻开土地，覆盖了地上生长多年的草，草很快地成为土地的一部分。然後，农人在地上洒一把新品种的玫瑰花种子，那种子抽芽发茎，开出最美的璀璨之花。可是没有一朵玫瑰花知道，它身上流著小草的忧伤之血，也没有一朵玫瑰记得，它的开放是小草舍身的结晶。
我们这一代没有做过什麼大事，我们没有任何功勋给青年颂歌，就像曾经在风中生长，在地底怀著热血，在大水来时挺立，在乾旱的冬季等待春天，在黑暗的野地裏仰望明亮的天星，一株卑微的小草一样，这算什麼功勋呢？土地上任何一株小草不都是这样活著的吗？
所以，我们不必苛责少年，他们是天生就来开美丽的花，我们半生所追求的不也就是那样吗？无忧的快乐的活著。我们的现代是他们的古典，他们的庞克何尝不是明天的古典呢？且让我们维持一种平静的心情，就欣赏这些天生的花吧！
光是站在旁边欣赏，好像也缺少一些东西。有一次散步时看到工人正在仁爱路种树，他们先把路树种在水泥盆子裏，再把盆子埋入土中，为什麼不直接种到土地裏呢？我疑惑著。
工人说：「用盆子是为了限制树的发展，免得树根太深，破坏了道路、水管和地下电缆。也免得树长太高，破坏了电线和景观。」
原来，这是都市路树的真相，也是都市青年的真相。
我们是风沙的中年，不能给温室的少年指出道路，就像草原的树没有资格告诉路树，应该如何往下扎根、往上生长。路树虽然被限制了根茎，但自有自己的风姿。
那样的心情，正如同有一个晚秋的清晨，我发现路边的马樱丹结满了晶莹露珠，透明没有一丝杂质的露珠停在深绿的叶脉上，那露水，令我深深感动，不只是感动那种美，而是惊奇於都市的花草也能在清晨有这样清明的露。
那麼，我们对都市风格、人民品质的忧心是不是过度了呢？
都市的树也是树，都市人仍然是人。
凡是树，就会努力生长；凡是人，就不会无端堕落。
凡是人，就有人的温暖；凡是树，就会有树的风姿。
树的风姿，最美的是敦化南北路上的枫香树吧！在路边的咖啡屋叫一杯上好的咖啡，从明亮的落地窗望出去，深深感到那些安全岛上的枫香树，风情一点也不比香榭里舍大道的典雅逊色，虽然空气是脏了一点，交通是乱了一点，喇叭与哨子是吵了一点，但枫香树是多麼可贵，犹自那样青翠、那样宁谧、那样深情，甚至那样有一种不可言说的傲骨。不肯为日渐败坏的环境屈身。
尤其是黄昏时分，阳光的金粉一束束从叶梢间穿过，落在满地的小草上，有时目光随阳光移动，还可以看到酢酱草新开的紫色小花，嫩黄色的小蛱蝶在花上飞舞，如果我们用画框框住，就是印象派中最美丽的光影了。可惜有很多人在都市生活了一辈子，总是匆忙的走来走去，从来没有看过这种美。
枫香之美、都市人之品质、都市之每株路树，虽各有各的风情，其实都是渺小的。有一回我登上郊外的山，反观这黄昏的都城，发现它被四面的山手拉手环抱著，温柔的夕阳抚触著城市的每一个角落，天边朗朗升起万道金霞，这时，一棵棵树不见了，一个个人也不见了，只看到互相拥抱的楼宇、互相缠绵的道路。城市，在那一刻，成为坐著沈思的人，它的污染拥挤脏乱都不见了，只留下繁华落尽的一种清明壮大庄严之美。
回望我所居的城市，这座平常使我因烦厌而去寻找细部之美的城，当时竟陪我跨越尘沙，照见了一些真实的大块的面目。那一天我在山顶上坐到辉煌的灯火为城市戴著光环才下山，下山时还感觉到美正一分一分的升起。
我们如果能回到自我心灵真正的明净，就能拂拭蒙尘的外表，接近更美丽单纯的内裏，面对自己是这样，面对一座城市时不也是这样吗？清晨时分，我们在路上遇到全然陌生的人，互相点头微笑，那时我们的心是多麼清明温情呀！我们的明净可以洗清互相的冷漠与污染！同时也可以洗涤整个城市。
如果我们的心足够明净，还会发现太阳离我们很近，月亮离我们很近。星星与路灯都放著光明，簇拥我们前行。
就像有一天我在仁爱路的菩提树上，发现了一个小红蚂蚁的窝，它们缓缓在春天的菩提枝桠上蠕动，充满了生命清新的力量，正伸出触角迎接经过漫长阴雨之後都城的新春。
对我们来说，那乱车奔驰的路侧，是不适於生存，甚至不适宜站立的；可是对菩提树；它们努力站立，长出乾净的新绿，对小红蚂蚁，它们自在生存，欣然迎接早春；我们都是一样；是默默不为人知，在都市的脉搏裏流动的一丝清明之血。
从有蚂蚁窝的菩提树荫走到阳光浪漫的黄昏，我深深的震动了，觉得在乡村生活的人是生命的自然，而在都市裏生活的人，更需要一些古典的心情、温柔的心情，一些经过污染还能沈静的智慧。这株黄昏的菩提树，树中的小蚂蚁，不是与我一起在通过污染，面对自己古典、温柔、沈静的心情吗？
黄昏时，那一轮金橙色的夕阳离我们极远极远，但我们一发出智慧的声音，他就会安静的挂在树梢上，俯身来听，然後我感觉，夕阳只是个纯真的孩子，他永远不受城市的染著，他的清明需要一些赞美。
每天我走完了黄昏的散步，将归家的时候，我就怀著感恩的心情摸摸夕阳的头发，说一些赞美与感激的话。
感恩这人世的缺憾，使我们警醒不至於堕落。
感恩这都市的污染，使我们有追求明净的智慧。
感恩那些看似无知的花树，使我们深刻的认清自我。
最大的感恩是，我们生而为有情的人，不是无情的东西，使我们能凭藉情的温暖，走出或冷漠或混乱或肮脏或匆忙或无知的津渡，找到源源不绝的生命之泉。
听完感恩与赞美，夕阳就点点头，躲到群山之背面，只留下满天羞红的双颊。
太阳雨-林清玄
&&&&&& 对太阳雨的第一印象是这样子的。&　　幼年随母亲到芋田里采芋梗，要回家做晚餐，母亲用半月形的小刀把芋梗采下，我蹲在一旁看着，想起芋梗油焖豆瓣酱的美味。&　　突然，被一阵巨大震耳的雷声所惊动，那雷声来自远方的山上。&　　我站起来，望向雷声的来处，发现天空那头的乌云好似听到了召集令，同时向山头的顶端飞驰奔跑去集合，密密层层的叠成一堆。雷声继续响着，仿佛战鼓频催，一阵急过一阵，忽然，将军喊了一声："冲呀！"&　　乌云里哗哗洒下一阵大雨，雨势极大，大到数公里之外就听见噼啪之声，撒豆成兵一样。我站在田里被这阵雨的气势慑住了，看着远处的雨幕发呆，因为如此巨大的雷声、如此迅速集结的乌云、如此不可思议的澎湃之雨，是我第一次看见。&　　说是"雨幕"一点也不错，那阵雨就像电影散场时拉起来的厚重黑幕，整齐的拉成一列，雨水则踏着军人的正步，齐声踩过田原，还呼喊着雄壮威武的口令。&　　平常我听到大雷声都要哭的，那一天却没有哭，就像第一次被鹅咬到屁股，意外多过惊慌。最奇异的是，雨虽是那样大，离我和母亲的位置不远，而我们站的地方阳光依然普照，母亲也没有跑的意思。&　　"妈妈，雨快到了，下很大呢！"&　　"是西北雨，没要紧，不一定会下到这里。"&　　母亲的话说完才一瞬间，西北雨就到了，有如机枪掠空，哗啦一声从我们头顶掠过，就在扫过的那一刹那，我的全身已经湿透，那雨滴的巨大也超乎我的象，炸开来几乎有一个手掌，打在身上，微微发疼。&　　西北雨淹过我们，继续向前冲去。奇异的是，我们站的地方仍然阳光普照，使落下的雨丝恍如金线，一条一条编织成金黄色的大地，溅起来的水滴像是碎金屑，真是美极了。&　　母亲还是没有要躲雨的意思，事实上空旷的田野也无处可躲，她继续把未采收过的芋梗采收完毕，记得她曾告诉我，如果不把粗的芋梗割下，包覆其中的嫩叶就会壮大得慢，在地里的芋头也长不坚实。&　　把芋梗用草捆扎起来的时候，母亲对我说："这是西北雨，如果边出太阳边下雨，叫做日头雨，也叫做三八雨。"接着，她解释说："我刚刚以为这阵雨不会下到芋田，没想到看错了，因为日头雨虽然大，却下不广，也下不久。"&　　我们在田里对话就像家中一般平常，几乎忘记是站在庞大的雨阵中，母亲大概是看到我愣头愣脑的样子，笑了，说："打在头上会痛吧！"然后顺手割下一片最大的芋叶，让我撑着，芋叶遮不住西北雨，却可以暂时挡住雨的疼痛。&　　我们工作快完的时候，西北雨就停了，我随着母亲沿田梗走回家，看到充沛的水在圳沟里奔流，整个旗尾溪都快涨满了，可见这雨虽短暂，是多么巨大。&　　太阳依然照着，好像无视于刚刚的一场雨，我感觉自己身上的雨水向上快速的蒸发，田地上也像冒着腾腾的白气。觉得空气里有一股甜甜的热，土地上则充满着生机。&　　"这西北雨是很肥的，对我们的土地是最好的东西，我们做田人，偶尔淋几次西北雨，以后风呀雨呀，就不会轻易让我们感冒。"田梗只容一人通过，母亲回头对我说。&　　这时，我们走到蕉园附近，高大的父亲从蕉园穿出来，全身也湿透了，"咻！这阵雨真够大！"然后他把我抱起来，摸摸我的光头，说："有给雷公惊到否？"我摇摇头，父亲高兴的笑了："哈&&，金刚头，不惊风、不惊雨、不惊日头。"&　　接着，他把斗笠戴在我头上，我们慢慢的走回家去。&　　回到家，我身上的衣服都干了，在家院前我仰头看着刚刚下过太阳雨的田野远处，看到一条圆弧形的彩虹，晶亮的横过天际，天空中干净清朗，没有一丝杂质。&　　每年到了夏天，在台湾南部都有西北雨，午后刚睡好午觉，雷声就会准时响起，有时下在东边，有时下在西边，像是雨和土地的约会。在台北都城，夏天的时候如果空气污浊，我就会想："如果来一场西北雨就好了！"&　　西北雨虽然狂烈，却是土地生机的来源，也让我们在雄浑的雨景中，感到人是多么渺小。&　　我觉得这世界之所以会人欲横流、贪婪无尽，是由于人不能自见渺小，因此对天地与自然的律则缺少敬畏的缘故。大风大雨在某些时刻给我们一种无尽的启发，记得我小时候遇过几次大台风，从家里的木格窗，看见父亲种的香蕉，成排成排的倒下去，心里忧伤，却也同时感受到无比的大力，对自然有一种敬畏之情。&　　台风过后，我们小孩子会相约到旗尾溪"看大水"，看大水淹没了溪洲，淹到堤防的腰际，上游的牛羊猪鸡，甚至农们就会默然肃立，不能言语，呀！从山水与生命的远景看来，人是渺小一如蝼蚁的。&　　我时常忆起那骤下骤停、瞬间阳光普照；或一边下大雨、一边出太阳的"太阳雨"。所谓的"三八雨"就是一块田里，一边下着雨，另外一边却不下雨，我有几次站在那雨线中间，让身体的右边接受雨的打击、左边接受阳光的照耀。&　　三八雨是人生的一个谜题，使我难以明白，问了母亲，她二言两语就解开这个谜题，她说：&　　"任何事物都有界限，山再高，总有一个顶点；河流再长，总能找到它的起源；人再长寿，也不可能永远活着；雨也是这样，不可能遍天下都下着雨，也不可能永远下着&&"&　　在过程里固然变化万千，结局也总是不可预测的，我们可能同时接受着雨的打击和阳光的温暖，我们也可能同时接受阳光无情的曝晒与雨水有情的润泽，山水介于有情与无情之间，能适性的、勇敢的举起脚步，我们就不会因自然的轻易得到感冒。&　　在苏东坡的词里有一首《水调歌头》，是我很喜欢的，他说：&　　落日绣帘卷，亭下水连空。&　　知君为我新作，窗户湿青红。&　　长记平山堂上，欹枕江南烟雨，杳杳没孤鸿。&　　认得醉翁语：山色有无中。&　　一千顷，都镜净，倒碧峰。&　　忽然浪起掀舞，一叶白头翁。&　　堪笑兰台公子，未解庄生天籁，刚道有雌雄。&　　一点浩然气，千里快哉风！&　　在人生广大的倒影里，原没有雌雄之别，千顷山河如镜，山色在有无之间，使我想起南方故乡的太阳雨，最爱的是末后两句："一点浩然气，千里快哉风！"心里存有浩然之气的人，千里的风都不亦快哉，为他飞舞、为他鼓掌！&　　这样想来，生命的大风大雨，不都是我们的掌声吗？
NGC 1788与女巫发丝
NGC 1788与女巫发丝
图片提供&版权所有：John Davis&
图片说明：这张天空美景诠释了平衡美学。星际尘埃与气体聚集在星云众多的猎户座边缘。女巫头星云凸起的蓝色下颌位于左上方，它反射的是明亮的参宿七的光芒。女巫的发丝揭示出被紫外星光所电离的氢原子气体所发出的红光，似乎还连接着外表不为人所熟知的众多小型星云，例如右侧尘埃密布的反射星云NGC 1788。来自猎户座明亮恒星的强烈星风同样也作用于NGC 1788，且很可能引发了其中年轻恒星的形成。NGC 1788看起来就像一个宇宙的球棒，和它所处的位置极其符合。这幅照片横跨越3度，在天空中相当于6个满月那么大。
NGC 1788 and the Witch's Whiskers&
Image Credit &&Copyright:&John Davis
Explanation:&This skyscape finds&an esthetic balance of interstellar dust and gas residing in the suburbs of the&nebula rich&constellation of Orion. Reflecting the light of bright star Rigel,&Beta Orionis, the jutting, bluish chin of&the Witch Head Nebula&is at the upper left. Whiskers tracing the red glow of&hydrogen gas ionized&by ultraviolet starlight seem to connect that infamous visage with smaller nebulae, like dusty reflection nebula NGC 1788 at the right. Strong winds from Orion's bright stars have also shaped NGC 1788, and likely triggered the formation of the young stars within. Appropriate for its location, NGC 1788 looks to some like a&cosmic bat. The scene spans about 3 degrees on the sky or 6 full Moons.
（美）欧·亨利：鸽
陶柏蒙锁上公文包的时候，感到口干舌燥；他颤巍巍地伸手入袋，掏取香烟，觉得手在发抖。他站到窗口，俯视窗外中央公园的一片新绿；点燃一支烟，深深地吸了一口，内心的紧张，稍微缓和了一些。他那疲惫的蓝眼睛，惶惑不决地注视着那个公文包，公文包里正装着他的命运。虽然他心里仍然矛盾，但是他到底还是那样决定了。片刻之后，他就将提着那个公文包，悄然离开这间办公室，一去不再复回。但是，他真不能相信，个人五十四年来的信誉，即将就此毁于一旦。因此他取出飞机票来，困惑地省视着。这是一个周末的下午，办公室里静寂无声；陶柏蒙的视线，迟缓的从大写字台移向红皮沙发，然后经过甬道、外室，停驻在魏尔德小姐插瓶放在桌上的一束玫瑰花上。魏尔德小姐将和许多其他的人们一样遭受破产；这束玫瑰花，亦将被弃置于垃圾堆中。这似乎太霸道，太残酷；但是，有什么比自保更重要呢？即使是玫瑰，也长出刺来保护自己！他知道魏尔德小姐在爱恋着他，而且竭尽一个四十岁未婚女性的可能，在深深地爱恋着他，她供职于陶柏蒙信托公司已经十二年了；虽然他和她之间不会热络交谈、缱绻蜜语，但从她的眼波中，从她羞涩的神情里，从她的行动举止上，她的心思已经很自然地流露出来。她的相貌并非不动人，所以在他们单独相处的时候，对陶柏蒙是一个诱惑。但是，他却不想放弃自己宁静的独身生活&&他陷于沉思之中，不经意地把桌上的日历翻到了下礼拜；忽然间他从沉思中觉醒过来，发觉到刚才这些无意识的举动。他长长地叹了一口气，提起公文包，整整衣冠，悄悄走过玫瑰花旁，出门去了。飞机要六点钟才起飞。正是醉人的春天，公园里的景致，灿丽锦簇；陶柏蒙决定在回家准备行李之前，先散散步，浏览一下悦人的美景；春阳透过丛林，疏落的影子交相辉映。明天抵达里约热内卢之后，开始新的生活，往后的享乐多着呢！虽然到南美去颐养天年，是他的毕生大愿；但却不曾想到这个愿望竟会实现得这么快！这完全是医生为他决定的，他回想起医生对他说：&一切取决于你自己如同调养，享乐优裕，也许还能多活几年。&&他顺着公园漫步，手指被沉重的公文包勒得有些疼痛，但是心情却并不紧张；他和蔼地对一个巡逻警察古怪地笑笑，甚至想要拦住他，而且告诉他：&警察先生，我实在不如我的外表一般值得别人尊敬；我是个拐骗六百家客户的经纪人；我自己也和别人一样，对于我自己的行径感到惊奇，因为我一向诚实；但是，我在世之日已经无多，公文包里的钱财，足够我作最后的享用。&&路过一处玫瑰花丛，他又想起了魏尔德小姐。记得是在两个月以前，她怯怯地交给他一张三千元的支票，&陶柏蒙先生，请你把这笔款子替我投资好吗？&她忸怩地说，&我觉得我早就应该托付给你了。储蓄存款比较起来是最可靠的，而且自一九二九年以来，我一向对股票证券不大信任。&&&魏尔德小姐，我很愿为你效劳，&他内心暗暗得意，&但是，你既然不信任证券，为什么又变了主意呢？&她低下头，羞答答地不作声，停了半晌才说：&是的，我在这里服务已经很多年了，亲见你为别人赚了许多钱&&。&&&你总该知道，这种事情多少有些冒险性，万一有个三长两短，你真准备承受吗？&&&我相信托付给你是不会有什么不妥的，&她看看他，爽直地说：&万一不幸，我也不会有二话的。&&他提提精神，继续向前走去，远处，哥伦布广场已经隐隐在望了。忽然，他看见路边蹲着一个人，那人的年纪，和他自己不相上下，也许比他还稍稍大一点；头上蓬着苍苍白发，衣衫褴褛，补绽斑斑。陶柏蒙放缓脚步，许多野鸽子正围绕着那个人飞舞，争着啄食他手上的花生；在他怀里，还露出花生袋子。从侧面看去，那个人很和蔼，很慈祥：但是满面皱纹斑驳，想是历经风霜使然。他看见陶柏蒙正在看他，就说：&可怜的鸽子哟！它们经过了漫长的严冬，自从飘雪以来，它们早就被人们遗忘了；我只要能买得起花生，不论气候多么恶劣，我都必定会来的，因为我不愿意让它们失望。&&陶柏蒙茫然地点点头，他盯着那个孤零零的人出神；&那个人这么穷苦，还肯把仅有的钱用来喂鸽子，那些鸽子信赖它们的穷施主&&。&&这个念头激起他五十四年来清白无疵的自尊心，使他瞿然以惊。他忽然看见那些鸽子变成六百家嗷嗷待哺的客户，其中有几家是孤苦无依的老寡妇，靠亡夫留下的一点薄产，节衣缩食地活着：其中有一只鸽子是魏尔德小姐。而他，就是那蹲在路边喂鸽子的人；至少在今天以前的那些日子里，他就正是这样一个人物。但是，他不但从来不曾衣衫褴褛，而且一向丰衣足食！羞恶之心，不禁油然而生。他回过头来，跑回公司；虽然他的心里还有一个声音在讥嘲他重投樊笼，为人役使，太不聪明；但是他的意念趋于坚定，不再为邪恶的企图心所撼动，心志固如金汤磐石一般。他面对着桌上的日历，衷心喜悦；也许这是一个好预兆。他不应该毁灭自己一生的名誉；他为那个喂鸽子的人祝福，因为那个人把他从噩梦中拯救出来，使他及时省悟，悬崖勒马。到南美去，并不就是惟一可行的休养办法；如果能得爱人的悉心服侍，也可以延年益寿的。他要从头拾起那位爱玫瑰的人给予他的爱，他得到一个新生的机会。这时，那个喂鸽子的人还在公园里；他茫然地环视四周，回过头来，看见一只肥美的鸽子正在他掌中吃得高兴；他熟练地把它的脖子一扭，揣进怀里，然后站了起来。&&朋友们，很抱歉！&他对四散飞舞的鸽子们温和地说：&你们知道，我也需要果腹呀！&&
尤里的星球
尤里的星球
图片提供：国际空间站第30远征队，美国宇航局
图片说明：在1961年的4月12日，苏联宇航员尤里&阿列克谢维奇&加加林成为了第一名亲眼在太空中目睹地球的人类。这是他在轨道上根据所见给出的描述,&天空十分黑暗；地球是蓝色的。所有东西都看的异常清晰&。1981年，同样是4月12日，美国宇航局发射了第一艘航天飞机。为了庆祝这些不平凡的日子，让我们来看一下这张拍摄自国际空间站的照片，这是从地球低轨所能看到的夜间的美景。在照片中，由空间站所载荷的两架俄罗斯飞行器正好将地球上的灯光框了起来，那是来自大西洋东岸的美国城市所发出的灯光，它们代表着这里有大量的人口聚集。很容易辨认出的城市包括右侧的纽约和长岛。从那儿开始，一直往左数分别是费城、巴尔的摩以及位于照片中心的华盛顿市。
Yuri's Planet
Image Credit: ISS Expedition 30, NASA
Explanation: On another April 12th, in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human to see planet Earth from space. Commenting on his view from orbit he reported, "T the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". On yet another April 12th, in 1981 NASA launched the first space shuttle. To celebrate in 2013, consider this image from the orbiting International Space Station, a stunning view of the planet at night from low Earth orbit. Constellations of lights connecting the densely populated cities along the Atlantic east coast of the United States are framed by two Russian spacecraft docked at the space station. Easy to recognize cities include New York City and Long Island at the right. From there, track toward the left for Philadelphia, Baltimore, and then Washington DC near picture center.
尤里&加加林（-）
苏联宇航员，苏联红军上校飞行员，是人类第一个进入太空的人
每次看到这样的照片,都能感觉到大自然的广博.有时候人要远离人群和社会,独自面对自然,才能体会到对自然的敬畏.而这敬畏,会给你平心静气的力量,很神奇..会觉得喧嚣和浮躁都消失不见了...&&转自&
夜间飞跃地球
视频提供：Gateway to Astronaut Photograhpy网站，美国宇航局；编辑：David Peterson（来自YouTube）；
音乐：Freedom Fighters（来自Two Steps from Hell）
视频说明：在夜里飞跃地球的时候，可以目睹很多稀世奇观。最近，由国际空间站所拍摄的一系列这类视频被发布了出来，并配以澎湃激荡的音乐。在下方经过的，有雪白的云层、橙黄色的城市灯火、明亮闪烁的闪电风暴以及深邃蔚蓝的海洋。在地平线处的，是薄而模糊的地球大气层，在视频的拍摄过程中，还不时出现跃动的极光。空间站一般飞行在绿色的极光之上，但是其高度刚好与紫红色的极光出现的位置相同。国际空间站的太阳能电池板出现在画面的边缘。在每一段视频结束之前那一缕不详的光芒其实只不过是黎明时分的阳光，那是每90分钟就会出现一次的黎明。
地球~I love you ~&&转自&
纽约州的杀人之都——詹姆斯·加里亚诺怎样让一个小城更安全
（纽约市布朗克斯区的警察）&
今年9月上旬的一个清晨，太阳还未升起。几辆越野车组成的车队静静蜿蜒穿梭在纽堡这个狭小动乱的城市。&
200多名执法人员下车来到脏乱阴暗的市中心，随行的军事特种兵准备与执法人员对犯罪团伙进行同步攻击。这些穿着绿色军服，携着M4突击步枪，戴着头盔和护目镜的特种部队冲进那些荒废的住宅，大喊：&FBI，快趴下！&&
随后，12名&血帮&成员被拘留，&血帮&已有8名成员在监狱服刑。这20名成员被指控谋杀、谋杀未遂、抢劫、袭击、非法持有枪支和涉嫌贩毒等罪名。&
这是近16个月里，联邦当局第三次在纽堡进行的犯罪团伙清理行动。纽约南区的联邦检察官普里特&巴拉拉在新闻发布会上说，残暴的街头犯罪团伙猖獗了很长时间，这次袭击行动是为了使纽堡这个穷困的城市&恢复法治&。&
大都市安全了，纽堡仍被犯罪问题困扰&
纽堡坐落在风景如画的哈得逊河河畔，从纽约市向北开车90分钟的距离。它除了城市规模小，设施落后，还是美国东北部最危险的地区之一。&
去年举行的美国参议院听证会上，参议员查克&舒默说: &据许多报道，纽堡大街上多次发生枪斗、抢劫，还有持着大砍刀的犯罪团伙施暴。&这个只有2.9万人口的小城，人均暴力犯罪率却高于纽约的南布朗克斯区，或贫民区布朗斯维尔，因而成了名副其实的纽约州杀人之都。 近20年来，美国城市中心犯罪案件数量一直在下降，最大的改观发生在纽约。纽约市长彭博曾吹嘘纽约将成为&美国最安全的城市&，虽然看起来有些不太可能然而却说中了。尽管美国出现了经济危机，暴力犯罪事件数量却降到了31年来的最低值，这似乎违背了经济状况不好时，犯罪率升高的社会学基本原理。 但如果现在的大都市已经很安全了，为什么纽堡市还在艰难地应对暴力事件和光天化日下的毒品交易，为什么纽堡市民仍有理由害怕走在大街上呢？ 严重的犯罪问题不只是纽堡存在，哈得逊河以北20英里处的波基普西市，也是如此。美国国家犯罪信息中心(NGIC，隶属于联邦调查局)2009年发布的一项报告称，犯罪团伙正在从城市蔓延至郊区甚至农村。统计数据显示，大城市的犯罪率下降得要比市郊快。在纽堡的大街上，你会听到一种理论：纽约清理犯罪团伙的方法就是把他们赶到周边区域。 不久前，打击纽堡犯罪的活动开始提上了日程。当地政府在2010年5月发起了一次打击行动，随后起诉了当地两大犯罪团伙&血帮&和&拉丁王帮&的100多名成员。之后，毒品交易有所收敛，纽堡最狭窄的街道多年来第一次变得安全了。 这样的情况能持续下去，得归功于一位FBI探员，他叫詹姆斯&加里亚诺，是哈得逊河流域安全街道特别小组的组长。巴拉拉说：&老詹是骨子里的天性使然，值得无条件的信任。& &
整个纽堡市只有五六十个警察，黑帮甚至能叫出名字&
加里亚诺是2008年春天派来纽堡的。 他仪表堂堂，体格健壮，头皮刮得很亮，有一双深邃的蓝眼睛，说话像开机关枪，一口常常夹带脏字的纽约警察行话，还喜欢在对话中提反问句，然后又自己回答。 如果说胆量和抱负是成为FBI探员的先决条件，那么加里亚诺正好具备这两种品质。他有着丰富的经验，从事过间谍活动，指导过特种武器战略行动，曾在顶级的联邦准军事机构&&人质救援队中任职。他的家人一直住在哈得逊河流域的郊区，他很高兴被派到纽堡来，因为离家近。但他自己说，他对在纽堡未来的工作困难并没什么准备。 纽约市20年来成功降低了犯罪率。一些分析认为，如果不是拥有充足的资金和人力，纽约市警察局也不可能完成打击犯罪行动，及开发运用新的警务控制数据系统。 现在，纽约市有3.5万警力。而纽堡警察局2008年经济危机前只有100多名警察，现在连80名都不到。这个城市就要破产了：9月上旬，当地官员提议再解雇15名警察。 纽堡市中心的布局，使得不断缩减的警力处于更大的劣势。中心大道很宽敞，但旁边满是涂鸦的居民区只有狭窄的单向街，黑帮和警察们就在这种幽闭环境下熟悉了彼此。纽堡一名警员说：&他们认识开进街区的每辆警车，知道哪个警察会下车，哪个警察在开车，就像监狱里的犯人同时监视着看守一样，他们甚至知道警察的名字。& 加里亚诺估计自己刚来时，纽堡的黑帮与警察人数比例是5∶1，所以他首先要做的，就是精选一些联邦探员来增强政府威信。此外，他还建议扩大警力，支付加班费、购买监视设备和循环租赁汽车等措施，让警察能隐蔽地上街巡逻。 但关键的还是要靠联邦政府的紧急拨款，加里亚诺和大家都知道租来的汽车和加班费不足以根除暴力犯罪。要使纽堡恢复长久的秩序，他得拿下犯罪团伙头目，并阻止这些团伙招募新成员。 &
加里亚诺可能是首个黑帮称呼&教练&的FBI探员&
加里亚诺来特别小组上任前不久，一个星期二的晚上，15岁的杰弗里&扎卡里在杜波依斯大街被杀害。前一分钟，杰弗里还在和朋友谈笑，突然一辆银色轿车开到昏暗处停下来，车窗里有人开了几枪。 一个黑人青年在纽堡中弹并不是什么稀奇事。与团伙有关的杀人事件在当地司空见惯。但杰弗里&扎卡里并非团伙成员，他是个好孩子。&拉丁王帮&有人误以为他是&血帮&成员，因此误杀了他。 这场悲剧让人想起三年前，杰弗里的哥哥特伦特因为同样的原因被杀害，兄弟俩甚至是在同一间急救室离开这个世界的。 加里亚诺上班第一天，从报纸上剪下杰弗里的讣告，压在办公桌玻璃底下。他说：&我不能使他死而复生，但我能找到杀他的王八蛋。& 加里亚诺痛恨这个杀手，是因为他恰好认识杰弗里，而且是在篮球场上。 加里亚诺恐怕是美国第一位被黑帮团伙和毒贩称为&教练&的FBI探员。2001年，他和儿子发现一个纽堡不错的篮球社团，在一个隐蔽的体育馆里。队员都只有9～10岁，正找新教练，于是加里亚诺成了这些孩子一生中重要的人物。 随着球技不断长进，几年前，加里亚诺带领着他的篮球队参加了远在奥兰多举行的全国锦标赛。很多队员还是第一次坐飞机。当地报纸大肆报道，不亚于关注一支专业篮球队。 最后球队获得了亚军，但胜利来得喜忧参半&&返回纽堡几小时后，球队的明星球员就因为一级抢劫被警察逮捕了。加里亚诺替这个球员家里支付了保证金，还拿自己的房子作为抵押。最后那项指控取消了。 &
&&我是他们的父亲，不管当得好还是坏&&
多年困扰美国治安的一个难题，尤其在纽堡，就是警察都是每日往返的上班族，他们不住在执勤的街道，难以与居民保持密切关注。但加里亚诺在纽堡担任篮球教练的10年时间，对他来说是一个巨大的优势。他一来这里工作，就对当地很了解，居民也很信任他。他可以走过街坊邻舍，屁股后不用带枪。一个下午，加里亚诺步行经过居民区，碰到的孩子不管是站在空地上还是坐在车后座的，都向他问好。加里亚诺叫他们的名字，还说练完篮球后烤肉吃。你一定认为他是个社区积极分子。 别忘了，他其实是一名FBI探员，他的任务是将我们视若无睹的那些身边的毒贩绳之于法。 几乎每个街区，都有一群年轻人围着门廊坐着，用讽刺和鄙夷的神情盯着我们两个外来者。加里亚诺小声抱怨道：&你说我怎么警告孩子们别跟这些人来往，他们都住在同一个街区里。& 加里亚诺其实知道，纽堡最棘手的问题是无法通过执法解决的，那隐藏在犯罪远远发生之前。 他的篮球队里有个孩子叫戴尔里，一个还没有进入青春期的调皮小鬼，但知道如何在球场上展现自己的才能。加里亚诺对他很感兴趣，&我知道他生活的街区环境不好，但他从不会对我扯瞎话&。 长大一点后戴尔里开始逃避练习，这也是球员们的通病。加里亚诺经常让队员们在训练前做热身运动，自己开车满大街去找不练球的队员，最后常常发现他们跟一群大一点的孩子在一起，他就让那个孩子&滚上车&。男孩们还小的时候，这种办法也还奏效。一旦进入了乖戾的青春期，很多孩子就不见了踪影。戴尔里就再也没回篮球队。 他们时不时会在街头碰见，加里亚诺催他回球队练习。&教练，我看到你了，&戴尔里会说，&我会回去的。&但他从来没有。 &对他们大多数人来说，我是他们的父亲，不管当得好还是坏。&加里亚诺悲伤地说着，然后陷入了少有的沉默。 &
衰败的纽堡，让悲剧重复发生在杰弗里三兄弟身上&
纽堡市丰富的建筑样式彰显了时过境迁的繁华，而如今市容日渐衰败。19世纪的纽堡是哈得逊河岸一个繁华的贸易港，1884年，爱迪生在这里建了美国最早的电厂之一。最后工厂搬迁了，纽堡-毕肯大桥建成后，轮渡也停了。到1960年代，纽堡市尝试了一次城市美化，结果却是灾难性的，美化工程毁坏了具有历史意义的海滨，却没有其他设施来取代。 蒙哥马利街上有很多镀金时代(从南北战争结束到20世纪初)的房子，房子的主人&&当年的实业家已去世多年。走在这些房子中间不禁毛骨悚然，有些门窗用木板封住，有些被改造成了贫民住宅。废弃的建筑到处都是，很多开始发霉腐烂。 &这不是纽堡市独有的景象，&当地裁缝尼古拉斯&瓦伦丁说，&哈得逊河南岸北岸很多社区都是如此，都死气沉沉。& 如今，约1/4的纽堡市居民生活在贫困线以下。这个城市提供的就业岗位少，几乎没有零售业，没有杂货店，没有公共交通，也没有健全的儿童娱乐设施，有的是花样多得吃惊的街头帮派。 在当地人的记忆中，孩子们都拉帮结派，分划地盘。有些团伙参与贩毒，有些只是捣乱。纽堡警察局警尉帕特里克&阿诺德记得一个叫&灰贼&的团伙，其中有的成员只有8岁，&他们闹翻天了，撬车门，偷东西。最后连毒贩都给我们打电话说，&你们管管他们吧&&。 没人确切知道&血帮&是如何来到纽堡的。纽约南区联邦副检察官理查德&扎贝尔说，帮派在哈德逊河流域繁衍，是因为1990年代，纽约市的犯罪团伙清理行动很成功。 &帮派也分崩离析，他们离开纽约，去了别的城镇。& 加里亚诺说，&纽堡最近10年才出现的&血帮&或&拉丁王帮&&，一夜之间，两个团伙似乎将所有小团伙收入囊中，然后开始稳固贩毒地盘，不可避免流血事件。 杰弗里&扎卡里9岁的时候，他的哥哥查兹是&血帮&成员，因开枪杀人在服刑。另一个哥哥特伦特被&血帮&杀害时，杰弗里12岁。你可能会认为杰弗里会加入帮派，为哥哥报仇，但他没有。 他用在世的最后几年与帮派撇清关系，这对生活在杜波依斯大街的男孩来说，相当不容易。&我不想像哥哥那样死去，&他告诉姐姐。悲惨的是，他没有逃脱和哥哥一样的宿命。 杰弗里的妈妈梅勒妮&扎卡里，还住在杜波依斯大街的那幢粉色木屋里，一个儿子被杀害的街角离这儿不远，另一个儿子的被害地点就在大街对面。她从钱夹里拿出一张杰弗里上学时的照片，讲着他多么调皮，想起他撒谎的样子，忍不住笑了，然后开始呜咽。 她颤抖着问道：&有时我也恍惚，好像他们刚刚都还在我身边啊。我到底是生活在越南还是伊拉克，还是什么鬼地方？& &
执法的悖论：监禁反而助长犯罪，摸清犯罪却不能介入&
纽堡市的执法工作形成了一个悖论：监禁原本是用来阻止犯罪，然而事实上却在促成犯罪。&
纽堡少年很早就接触到服刑人员中流传的帮派文化。还没到青春期，他们就开始贩毒、抢劫。纽约州扣押的青年男子再犯罪率高达81%。纽堡警察局警尉阿诺德认为：&我们执法似乎是在制造更多的罪犯。& 加里亚诺来纽堡任职后，提出的方案是延长关押时间。他认为6个月时间足以使一个少年犯受帮派文化的影响，在出狱之前变得非常危险，因此他提议把顽固不化的罪犯关上几十年而不是一两年。 在距纽堡不远的橘城，加里亚诺的特别小组办公室正在进行资料搜集工作。目的是搞清楚每个帮派成员的身份、昵称、住址及在毒品交易中的角色。 &第一年工作最难的部分，是确认犯罪分子到底是哪些人。&加里亚诺说。 &
FBI通常是在公共场所的桌子底下安装窃听器，然后躲得远远的偷听。但在纽堡，调查员们不得不大街小巷走遍，潜伏行动，培养线人。 要证明一个犯罪组织，先得证明他们是有组织的。比如&拉丁王帮&，研究小组发现他们的分会关联紧密。每个分会都由一个&议会&管辖，议会定期开会和收税。要全面掌握&血帮&的情况就非易事了。这个团伙成员众多，但组织较松散，而且许多核心成员都在服刑。 &你抓了一个贩毒的血帮成员，把他关进监狱，&加里亚诺说，&他在监狱里干什么呢？招募新成员。等他们都出狱了，就都回到老地方为组织做事。& 特别小组面对的最大挑战也许是，摸清了其毒品交易脉络，却不能插手。搜集案件必要细节的系统方法可能与当地警方的职业要求背道而驰。当地警方可以假装做街头毒贩的生意，接着立马给他拷上手铐。但FBI办案则更要耐心。特别小组多次假装买毒品，却不抓人，以搜集更多证据，确保每一项起诉在法庭上都可靠。 &
一天晚上，小组成员照常假装去买毒品，他们期待的&血帮&成员突然出现，居然是戴尔里。加里亚诺有点紧张，他在思考他能做的选择：我能介入吗？我能不管吗？我能告诉小组成员不起诉他吗？他知道自己别无选择。 特别小组照常搜集证据，没有抓人，戴尔里那晚安然回家了，还不知道自己已经被盯上。 &
加里亚诺说，我对这个结果还比较满意&
到去年5月，特别小组已搜集到足够证据可以实施抓捕了。&
一个阴沉的清早，许多警车静静聚集在一座废弃的军械库旁。加里亚诺站在军械厂大厅里，他昨晚睡得不好，从指挥特种部队行动开始就一直这样。天色还是暗的，500名全副武装的探员、警察和州警都集合了。 这是联邦政府在纽堡对犯罪分子进行的第一次打击，也是最为严厉的一次。加里亚诺跳上台子好让大家都听见最后的指示：&大家小心！不要误伤自己人。& 大部队离开军械厂横扫整个纽堡市，他们搜查每一所住宅，使用消防打洞器和没有杀伤力的震撼弹。那天逮捕了64名疑犯，还将指控&血帮&和&拉丁王帮&的领导成员，其中两名成员下令杀死了杰弗里&扎卡里。 &我对这个结果还比较满意。&加里亚诺说。 &
但被指控的成员中有14个没有找到，他于是安排人继续搜查他们可能逃窜到的城镇。FBI在纽约时代广场的大屏幕上滚动播放逃犯的照片，市民都知道了哈德逊河流域的行动。&
但戴尔里不见了。行动那天开始，一周过去了，他也没有出现。加里亚诺决定直接去他家，说服戴尔里的家人让他来自首。 在约定的时间，戴尔里出现在自由大街上的男孩女孩俱乐部。这次相见有些尴尬，加里亚诺说自己别无选择，如果他儿子去买毒品，他也会做同样的决定。&我们坐在车里互相大骂。我什么也不能做。我不能解开手铐把他放走。& &
加里亚诺家里还挂着一幅照片，13岁的戴尔里微笑着，手搭在加里亚诺儿子的肩上。如今戴尔里在监狱服刑，他认罪了，判了10年。判决中，加里亚诺一直在他身边。&
今年8月一个闷热的下午，纽堡市的街道上有很多人，女孩在跳绳，男孩在玩橄榄球，一位老妇人在躺椅上给自己扇风。街上确实安全多了，今年还没有发生过一起与帮派有关的杀人案。 然而犯罪行为在暗地里抬头。&组成帮派已成了一种地下经济，&阿诺德说，&必须得到根除。& 加里亚诺对那个军械库满是自豪，去年5月的行动过后，纽堡市买下了这个军械库，并将其作为社区活动中心开放。这只是纽堡市在公共服务上做出的小改进，但体现出了市政府希望补偿市民的决心。加里亚诺深谙市政府的意图，他的执法策略成功了。 &
军械库旁就有个篮球场，每个周六早晨，加里亚诺在那里训练他的篮球队。队员最小的3岁，最大的11岁。加里亚诺说：&他们是一群可爱的孩子。&随即他又纠正自己：&但其中也有一些可能会成为杀人犯。&&
Beautifully situated on a picturesque bend
in theHudsonabout a 90 minutes& drive north ofNew York City,Newburghdoes not look, from a distance, likea community mired in High Noon levels of lawlessness. But in actuality,it has less in common with bohemian Beacon, justacross the river (&Williamsburgon theHudson,& as the Times recently anointed it), than it does with, say,West Baltimore. Despite its small size and bucolic setting,Newburghoccupies one of the most dangerous four-mile stretches in the northeasternUnited States.&There are reports of shootouts in the town streets, strings of robberies, andgang assaults with machetes,& an alarmed Chuck Schumer said in a Senate hearinglast year, describing the situation inNewburghas &shocking.& With a higher rate of violent crime per capita than the South Bronx orBrownsville, little Newburgh,population 29,000, is the murder capital ofNew YorkState.
For two decades, American inner-city crimehas been dropping. Major urban centers fromBostontoLos Angeleshave seen murder rates plunge,and the most dramatic transformation of all has unfolded inNew York, which in recent years, in theimprobable but accurate boast of Mayor Bloomberg, has become &thesafest big city in the country.& Across the country, violent crime has fallen to a 31-year low, despite the economic crisis, upending the bedrock sociological correlation between tough times and higher crime.
But if our major metropolises are so safe today, how do we account for the fact that Newburgh, whose residents could comfortably transplant into any small pocket of Manhattan (and probably would,given half the chance), is struggling to cope with a deadly gang war, open-air drug markets, and citizens who are justifiably afraid to walk the streets&the very &big city& problems, in other words, that our actual big cities appear to have licked?
Nor isNewburghan anomaly. Once-placidPoughkeepsie, another twenty miles up theHudson,has a gang problem, too, and trails onlyNewburghfor violent crime in the state. The FBI estimates that a single gang, the ferocious Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, is active in the bedroom communities ofLong Islandas well as nearly every state. A threat assessment released in 2009 by the National GangIntelligenceCenterfound that gangs are &migrating& from urban areas to suburban and even ruralcommunities. Statistics indicate that crime is dropping more quickly in our bigcities than it is in their environs. One theory, which you&ll hear on thestreets ofNewburgh, is thatNew York Citycleaned up crime by sweeping it into the surrounding area.
Just recently, however, things have started to look up forNewburgh.Starting with a spectacular raid in May 2010, authorities have indicted over100 alleged members of the two dominant gangs in town, the Bloods and the LatinKings. The drug trade has ebbed a bit, and some ofNewburgh&s meanest streets are suddenly safe to walk for the first time in years. If the improvements hold, it will be owed, in large measure, to the efforts of an FBI agent named James Gagliano,the head of the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force. &Jimmy Gags is a forceof nature,& says Bharara. &That guy deserves an unbelievable amount of credit.&
Gagliano was first dispatched toNewburghin the spring of 2008, after demoralized city
officials imploredAlbanyandWashingtonto send reinforcements. Imposing
and athletic, he has intense blue eyes and a shaved head. He speaks in the
quick-fire, fuck-inflected argot ofNew Yorklaw enforcement and has a tendency
to lace a monologue with rhetorical questions asked and then answered.
If grit and ambition were prerequisites forthe job, Gagliano possessed both in good measure. He has a long r&sum& of toughtactical operations, with experience working undercover, supervising SWAToperations, and serving in an elite federal paramilitary outfit known as the HostageRescue Team. Throughout his career, his family has lived in thesuburbs of theHudsonValley, and three yearsago Gagliano was happy to be reassigned to a case so close to home. But evenso, he says, nothing could have prepared him for the long odds he wouldencounter inNewburgh.
New York City&s success in reducing crimeover the last two decades has led some to liken urban crime to a vanquisheddisease&a deadly affliction that ravaged the country until, miraculously, wefound a cure. No one agrees on what precisely that cure entailed, and from TheTipping Point to Freakonomics, a cottage industry of competingaccounts has explored whether we should credit the &broken windows& theory, theburgeoning prison system, or for that matter Roe v. Wade. Butmost analysts concede that one ofNewYork City&s most significant assets was its gargantuanpolice force. William Bratton couldn&t have crackeddown on &quality of life& crimes or developed CompStat without abundant funds and personnel. Even now,New York Cityemploys 35,000 police officers.
Newburgh&s Police Department, by contrast,had just over 100 officers pr today it&s down to fewerthan 80. The city is nearly broke: Earlier this month, local officials proposedlaying off another fifteen cops. &I don&t think Bill Bratton could do anythinginNewburghwith the resources that we presentlyhave,& says Frank Phillips, theOrangeCountydistrict attorney.
The physical layout of downtownNewburghputs thisdiminished force at a further disadvantage. Broadway, the once grand centralthoroughfare, is wide and open, but the graffiti-scarred residential streetsrunning off it are narrow and one-way, which creates a claustrophobic intimacybetween the gangbangers and the local constabulary. &They know every car whenit makes the block,& says oneNewburghpoliceofficer. &They know which cop is going to jump out of his car, which cop isgoing to keep driving. It&s like prisoners watching prison guards. They knowthe cops by name.&
Gagliano estimates that when he took thejob, gang members inNewburghoutnumberedpolice five to one. So his first priority was to augment the local authoritieswith a hand-picked team of federal agents, but also, in a process he calls&force multiplication,& to provide money and mat&riel, in the form of overtimepayments, surveillance equipment, and a steady rotation of rental cars, so thatundercover officers could cruise the streets incognito.
This emergency transfusion of federaldollars was crucial, but, as Gagliano knew as well as anyone, rental cars andovertime payments would not be enough to stem the violence. To permanentlyrestore order toNewburgh,he would need to take down the gang leadership today, but also to cut off thesupply of fresh recruits who might run the streets tomorrow. Achieving thatwould require a tricky mix of blunt force and empathy&an unusuallycompassionate law-enforcement strategy, but one which Gagliano was wellpositioned to administer.
Shortly before Gagliano first tookover the task force, a lanky 15-year-old named JeffreyZachary was murdered onDuboisStreet. It was a Tuesday evening, just past teno&clock. One minute, Jeffrey was laughing and joking with friends. The next, asilver sedan cruised down the darkened block and slowed long enough for someoneto point a pistol out the window and squeeze off a few shots.
That a young black man would catch a bulletinNewburghwas n by that point, gang-related homicides had grown almost routine. But Jeffrey Zachary was not a gang member. He was a good kid who had avoided the internecine conflicts that ensnared so many ohe was murdered by accident, when a Latin King gunman mistook him for a Blood.This tragedy was compounded by an appalling coincidence: Three years earlier,Jeffrey&s older brotherTrenthad been gunned down in much the same fashion. Both Zachary boys expired in the same emergency room.
On his first day on the job, Gagliano took a clipping of Jeffrey&s obituary and placed it under glass on his desk. He shows it to me when I visit his office. &Now, I cannot bring him back,& Gagliano says. &But I can find the assholes who did it.&
If the murder of Jeffrey Zachary hit Gagliano especially hard, it was because he happened t he had encountered him on the basketball court. Gagliano may be the only FBI agent inAmericawhom gangbangers and drug dealers call &Coach.& In 2001, he ventured intoNewburghwith his son insearch of a better basketball league than could be found in the suburbs. Theydiscovered a rec league that played in a cramped gym at the back of St. Mary&sChurch onSouth Street.The team was looking for a new coach, and Gagliano volunteered.
His players started as young as 9 or 10years old, and perhaps because many of them lacked for male role models,Gagliano became a major figure in their lives. Increasingly, they started toplay a role in his. They also played some very good basketball. Several yearsago, Gagliano took his travel team, the Zion Lions, all the way to a nationaltournament inOrlando.It was the first time many of the players had been on an airplane. The localpaper covered their departure with the fanfare normally accorded a professional
team, noting that dozens of college coaches would be watching them play. Theteam ended up taking second place, but the triumph was bittersweet: Severalhours after they returned toNewburgh,the star of the team was arrested for first-degree robbery. Gagliano helped thefamily post bond, putting up his own house as collateral. (The charges wereeventually dropped.)
One perennial obstacle to good policing inAmerica, particularly in depressed jurisdictions
likeNewburgh,
is that cops
they don&t live on the streets they police,
which can limit both their acquaintance with the neighborhoods and their
investment in them. But the decade Gagliano spent coaching inNewburghhas proved to be an enormous
advantage. He arrived at his job with roots in the community and
credibility&what he calls &traction.& He knew the kids on the stoop, their
teachers, their families. He could walk the neighborhood without a gun on his
hip.One afternoon, I join him, and as we pass
the run-down rowhouses ofLander
Street, or &Blood Alley,& as it&s known, kids
materialize at every turn, waving from a vacant lot, calling out from the back
seat of an idling car. Gagliano calls back to them by name, spreading the word
about a barbecue he&s planning after basketball practice. You&d think he was a
community activist.
Except he&s not: He&s an FBI agent whose
stated mission is to &bring the hammer& to the very gangs that control the drug
turf we are casually strolling through. Every block or so, a clutch of hard-eyed young men sit arrayed around a porch. They stare at us, unblinking, with
withering disdain.
&How do I tell a kid to stay away from
these guys,& Gagliano mutters, &when these guys live in his house?&
It&s an oddity of Gagliano&s situation that
while he might know the victims ofNewburgh&s
gang murders, there&s a chance he&ll know some of the perpetrators as well.
These relationships prompt discomfort, if not outright worry, among his
colleagues. &You&re too close to this,& they say.
But Gagliano never really had a choice&his
investment in the community wasn&t a conscio it was the
baggage he brought to the job. He recognizes that the most intractable
challenges inNewburghare beyond the reach of law-enforcement solutions, and in this respect, his
competition with the gangs has simply evolved into a multi-front affair. He
relates the story of one kid in particular, a local boy I&ll call Delroy.
Like many of Gagliano&s players, Delroy started out as a harmless preadolescent
rascal. He wasn&t a big kid, but he knew how to carry himself and showed real
talent on the court. Gagliano took an interest in him. &I knew he was a kid
that lived on a tough block,& he says. &But he never gave me any guff.& Delroy
developed a friendship with Gagliano&s son and became a frequent houseguest.
But as he got older, Delroy started
skipping practice. This is a common problem on the team. Often, Gagliano starts
a practice by instructing the players to do warm-up drills while he hops in his
car and drives the streets in search of truant teammates.
&Get your ass in the car,& he&ll say when
he finds them on the corner with a group of older boys. &We&re going to practice.&&
&But as the boys grow into surly adolescents, many just fade away. Delroy
eventually stopped coming to practice altogether, Gagliano says. &He dropped
off the face of the Earth.& From time to time, they would bump into each other
in town, and Gagliano would urge him to come back. &Coach, I got you,& Delroy would say. &I&m coming back.& But he never did. &For most of them, I am their father
figure, for better or for worse,& Gagliano says ruefully, before lapsing into
an uncharacteristic silence.
One ofNewburgh&s crueler ironies is the way today&s
depressed urban landscape is overlaid on a rich architectural foundation full
of vestiges of bygone wealth. In the nineteenth century, the city flourished as
a hub for river-borne commerce. Thomas Edison built one of the nation&s
earliest power plants there in 1884. But eventually the factories relocated,
the ferry was discontinued after the construction of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge,
and Broadway emptied out after malls opened outside town. In the sixties, the
city undertook a disastrous experiment in urban renewal, demolishing the
historic waterfront but failing to replace it with anything.
It feels almost spooky to walk today amongthe Gilded Age mansions of long-dead industrialists onMontgomery Street, some of them boarded
up, others carved into low-income apartments. Abandoned buildings abound, many
of them gone to rot. &We&re not unique,& Nicholas Valentine, a local tailor who
serves asNewburgh&s
mayor, tells me. &It&s happened to many communities up and down theHudson.Poughkeepsie. Peekskill.
Things die.& These days, roughly a quarter ofNewburghresidents live below the poverty line. The city
has few jobs, little retail, no grocery store, no public transportation, and
not much in the way of wholesome recreational opportunities for kids. What it
does have is an astonishing variety of street gangs. For as long as anyone can remember, local kids in Newburgh have banded into informal fraternities, adopting colorful names and staking claim to some corner of turf: There were the Alleycatz, the Darkside, Five Corners Venom, too many to name. Some gangs were involv others just made a ruckus. Patrick Arnold, a detective lieutenant with the Newburgh Police Department, remembers one gang, the Ashy Bandits, which had members as young as 8 years old. &They wereraising hell,& he says. &Breaking into cars. Stealing your shit. We ended upgetting calls from drug dealers, saying, &You&ve got to do somethingabout these kids!&&
No one knows precisely how the Bloods first
came toNewburgh, but the East Coast Bloods were born on Rikers Islandin 1993, when a
charismatic inmate named Omar Portee started recruiting black
prisoners to oppose the Latin Kings, who dominated the penal system at the
time. Portee had spent time among the original Bloods, inLos
Angeles, and as he marshaled hundreds of inmates, he borrowed codes
and mythology from theSouthern Californiagang.
But while Portee&s creation was
symbolically affiliated with the West Coast Bloods, it was not connected to
them in any organizational sense. Gang migration, it turns out, is a
controversial concept. Recent years have witnessed a profusion in small towns
and suburbs of organizations that identify themselves as Bloods or Crips, Latin
Kings or Mexican Mafia. But it&s not clear whether actual gangs are on the move
or simply individual gang members&or perhaps just gang culture. There is some
evidence of Bronx-based Bloods& establishing new outposts for drug distribution
in places likeKingston.
Richard Zabel, deputy U.S. Attorney in the Southern District, says that one
explanation for the presence of gangs in theHudsonValleyis the very success, during the
nineties, of gang crackdowns inNew
York City. &They got both prosecuted and atomized,&
Zabel says. &People left the city and moved to these other towns.& What we are
witnessing today in places likeNewburgh,
he believes, is &the cresting of that problem.&
Still, Zabel argues, most gangs lack the
strategic initiative to enact a franchised expansion. Instead, studies suggest,
individual gang members may be moving for reasons of their own, swept up in the
broader demographic currents through which poor populations have dispersed from
large urban hubs to smaller cities and suburbs. One thing is clear: The
so-called national gangs now proliferating across the country often have no
connection to any national enterprise at all. A local crew that starts throwing
signs and wearing red might simply have intuited that when it comes to striking
fear in rivals and building esprit de corps, it&s not a bad strategy to just
borrow an established national brand. &Gang culture migrates faster than gang
members,& cautions James Howell of the National GangCenter. Omar
Portee had to travel as far asLos
Angelesto bring the Blood culture back to Rikers, but
that culture has long since gone viral. Those thugs outside the 7-Eleven might
not be foot soldiers in some terrifying expansion, in other words, but rather,
to use a favorite pejorative of criminologists, simply wannabes.
Nevertheless, as Gagliano points out, if a
group of kids who call themselves Bloods start murdering rivals over drug turf, debates about their provenance become rather
beside the point. &In the nineties, we hadn&t heard anything about the Bloods
or the Latin Kings inNewburgh,&
he says. &Last ten years? Fuck, yeah.& Almost overnight, these two gangs seem
to have subsumed many ofNewburgh&s
fractious smaller groups, and as they started to consolidate drug turf, perhaps
inevitably they went to war.
By the time Jeffrey Zachary was 9 years
old, one of his older brothers, Chaz, was in state
prison for shooting a man execution style at the corner of South and Lander.
Chaz was a Blood. Trent, another older brother, fell in with the gangs as well,
adopting the nickname Triggaman. Jeffrey was only 12 whenTrentwas killed, and you might think, given the logic of murder inNewburgh, that he would have become a Blood
himself and sought revenge. But he didn&t. Instead, he spent the last years of
his young life steering clear of the gangs, no small achievement for a boy
growing up on Dubois Street.
&I don&t want to die the way my brother died,& he told his sister. But then,
wretchedly, he did.
One morning, I visit Melanie Zachary at the
pink wooden house onDubois Streetwhere she still lives, around the corner from where one of her sons was
murdered and directly across the street from where the other was. In the meager
light afforded by a TV in the corner, Melanie shows me a makeshift memorial toTrent, with signatures and
little notes from his friends. From her wallet, she pulls an old school photo
of Jeffrey. She tells me stories about Jeffrey, what a cutup he was, how you
always knew when he was lying because he would blink uncontrollably. She takes
off her glasses to demonstrate, letting out a chuckle that turns into a sob.
&Your kid is gone five minutes,& she says,
trembling, &and you wonder, where&s my child at? Is he dead or alive?& She&s
sobbing now, swaying slightly, looking at me searchingly, as if I might possess
some answer. &It&s like I&m living inVietnamorIraqor something. It don&t make no sense!&
&You get a Blood, he goes to jail on
drug charges,& Gagliano says to me one day. &When he&s in jail, what does he
do? He&s recruiting other guys. They get out of jail, and they&re all coming
back to the same area.&
This is a tragic paradox of law enforcement
inNewburgh:
Incarceration, which is designed to deter crime, may actually be accelerating
it. Several years ago, a criminologist named Todd Clear studied communities inTallahassee,Florida,
and found that when a large enough proportion of people from a given
neighborhood is locked up, the impact on the community can be dangerously
destabilizing. Families are sundered, ex-cons with felonies on their records
are excluded from gainful employment, and a certain culture begins to take
hold. Children who have a father or brother in prison are statistically more
likely to commit crimes. In Clear&s view, imprisonment &now produces the very
social problems on which it feeds.&
This phenomenon is exacerbated inNewburgh, where many
juveniles have an early opportunity to imbibe gang culture behind bars. Kids inNewburghoften start selling drugs and robbing
people before they hit puberty, and the recidivism rate for male juvenile
offenders who are detained inNew
YorkStateis an astonishing 81 percent. As a result, Lieutenant Arnold allows, &we&re
kind of building this monster along the way.&
Gagliano fully appreciates the unintended
social consequences of locking up so many young people&he&s seen those
consequences firsthand. But when he arrived inNewburgh, the solution he proposed was to
lock them up for longer. Gagliano believes that one explanation for the
revolving door between the streets ofNewburghand the prison system was the comparatively short sentences that gang members
were serving on state charges. A six-month bid allows a kid to marinate in gang
culture just long enough to become dangerous before returning to the streets.
So what Gagliano proposed to do was identify the most hard-core offenders, then
send them away not for a year or two but for decades. To do this, he would
employ an unlikely but powerful tool: the racketeering act of 1970, or RICO.
Gagliano had first witnessed the power of
RICO as a young case agent battling theNew
Yorkmob. But during the nineties, federal
prosecutors inNew Yorkstarted using the statute to go after violent street gangs as well. The great
advantage of a racketeering case is that authorities can arrest the entire
membership of a criminal enterprise and bring murder charges not just against
the bagman who pulls the trigger but also the don who orders the hit. Gagliano
was convinced that major RICO cases against the Bloods and the Latin Kings
could effectively dismantle the gangs.
At a bunkerlike FBI office inGoshen, not far fromNewburgh,
Gagliano&s task force began assembling poster-board dossiers, delineating the identities, nicknames, and residences of each gang
member, along with their roles in the drug trade. Whereas a RICO case against
the Mafia might be constructed by installing a wiretap at a social club and
simply sitting back to listen, in Newburgh the investigators were forced to hit
the streets, working undercover and cultivating informants. &The hardest part
that first year was just identifying the players,& Gagliano says.
To prosecute street gangs as racketeering
organizations, you have to prove that they were actually organized. The Latin
Kings, the task force discovered, were small but coherent. In fact, they made
an almost comical fetish of organization. Each chapter was governed by a &Crown
Council& that ran regular meetings and collected dues. Members adhered to an
exhaustive handwritten manifesto. (&No smoking of drugs,& ran a typical
prohibition. &With the exception of weed or hashish.&)
DiagrammingNewburgh&s Bloods proved trickier. Despite
the gang&s vast membership, it was a looser enterprise, and at any given moment
many of the key players were in jail. Fortunately, before the task force
started work, several state and local detectives had made a map of all the
schools inNewburgh,
knowing they could obtain stiffer penalties for drug crimes committed within a
thousand feet of a school. They swung a compass in circumference around each
school, and realized, to their delight, that becauseNewburghwas so small, it was nearly
impossible to find a street corner to sell narcotics that wasn&t in the
zone of one school or another. These case files became a starting point for
Gagliano&s team, which then did months of surveillance and interviews with
informants to develop a rough picture of the Newburgh Bloods& ever-fluctuating
org chart.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for the task
force, when it identified these drug sales, was not to interfere with them. The
methodical collection of detail necessary for a major conspiracy case can run
counter to the professional imperatives of local police. In your standard &buy
and bust& scenario, a cop orchestrates an undercover buy from a street dealer,
then cuffs him the moment the drugs change hands. But a federal case requires
patience. So the task force arranged undercover buys and let them proceed&all
the while running comprehensive surveillance so that each offense could
eventually be tallied in court.
Gagliano&s team members did their research,
and most of the time they knew who would turn up at a buy. But occasionally
there were surprises. One night, the task force was orchestrating one of these
stings when someone other than the Blood they were expecting suddenly appeared.
It was Delroy.
Gagliano tensed. He thought about his
options. Can I intervene? Can I wave it off? Can I tell them, when we get
back, we&re not charging him?
But he knew he could do none of those
things. And because the task force was still gathering evidence and not yet
making arrests, Delroy headed home that night with no idea that he&d been made.
By May of last year, the task force
had accumulated enough evidence to start rounding people up. In the predawn
darkness one overcast morning, almost two years to the day after Jeffrey
Zachary&s murder, scores of official vehicles began to quietly mass by an
abandoned armory onSouth William
Street. In the musty, cavernous interior, Gagliano
stood in a vast drill hall that had once been used by soldiers to ride horses.
He had not slept all night, a habit from his SWAT days. Assembled before him in
the dim light were 500 armed agents, cops, and state troopers. This would be
the first of the federal raids inNewburgh,
and the most ambitious. Jumping onto a table to be heard, Gagliano issued final
instructions. &Be careful out there,& he said. &No blue on blue.&
The cavalry left the armory and fanned
across the city, charging into houses and apartments, swinging battering rams
and tossing stun grenades. Dozens of groggy young men were escorted, blinking,
into the street. The task force made 64 arrests that day. Using RICO, they
would ultimately indict what they believe is the full leadership of the Bloods
and the Latin Kings&including two alleged members of the Kings& Crown Council,
Wilson Pagan and Jose Lagos, who, according to the indictment, ordered the hit
that killed Jeffrey Zachary.
&Talk about satisfaction,& Gagliano says.
But the victory had a few complications. Fourteen of the men on the indictment
that morning were nowhere to be found, so Gagliano deployed the Marshals
Service to track each fugitive down. For a few flickering moments,
Manhattanites were afforded a glimpse of the gang war in theHudsonValleywhen the FBI flashed images of the Newburgh fugitives on one of the jumbo
screens inTimes Square.
Among the missing was Delroy. He wasn&t at
home when the task force came barging in that morning, and after a week passed
and he could not be found, it appeared that he had gone underground.
Gagliano decided to reach out to the family
directly. He convinced them that Delroy needed to turn himself in, and promised
that he would come personally, there would be no guns drawn.
At the appointed hour, Delroy appeared at
the Boys and Girls Club onLiberty
Street. It was an awkward reunion. Gagliano
explained that he was going to drive Delroy to the armory, where he would be
processed. He told Delroy that he didn&t have a choice, that had his own son
turned up at the buy, he would have had to do the same thing.
&As a 46-year-old hunter-killer,& Gagliano
recalls, &to sit there in the car with him and just&we bawled. There was
nothing I could do. I couldn&t pull the hook out of his mouth and let him go.&
A photo hangs on the wall in Gagliano&s
home of a smiling 13-year-old Delroy with his arm draped around Gagliano&s son.
But today Delroy is in federal prison. He ended up pleading guilty and got ten
years. Gagliano was with him for the sentencing.
One sweltering August afternoon,
Gagliano and I are wandering around the streets ofNewburgh. A lot of people are out: little
girls skipping rope, boys playing touch football, an old lady fanning herself
in a lawn chair on the sidewalk.
The streets are undeniably safer. &You take
a hundred people out of here,& says Lieutenant Arnold, &it has to make some
impact on the crime.& No one inNewburghwill tell you so without immediately touching wood, but so far this year, there
has not been a single gang-related homicide.
Still, criminality has a way of creeping
back. The kids are on the corners, and they&re younger every day. &If it&s an
underground economy, and it&s really the only thing people can make money on,&Arnoldsays, &you&re not
going to stamp it out.&
As we walk, Gagliano talks with evident
pride aboutNewburgh&s
armory, which the city bought for a dollar and reopened after the raid last May
as a community center. It&s a small step, but Gagliano savors the symbolism of
converting a building that was associated with the punitive aspect of his
strategy forNewburghinto one that will embody some redemptive possibilities as well. For all of the
success of his enforcement strategy, he is convinced this is the only way thatNewburghwill ever
permanently improve: one incremental alternative to gang life at a time.
The armory has a basketball court, and on
Saturday mornings, Gagliano coaches 3-to-11-year-olds. &They are the most
adorable, sweet, lovable group of kids,& he tells me. Then he catches himself
and adds, &Yet some of them will be murderers.&
（美）爱伦·坡：钟楼上的恶棍
　　曹明伦译&
　　现在几点了？&
　　&&古谚语&
　　每个人都知道，一般来说，世界上最好的地方是&&或者，唉，曾经是&&沃顿沃提米提斯这个德国小镇。不过，因为它离任何一条主要的道路都有相当的距离，一副遗世独立的样子，可能我的读者中几乎没人去过那儿。为了那些没到过那里的人，我应当对它进行深入的介绍；因为希望能代表那儿的居民们争取公众的同情，就更有必要这么做了。在这儿我陈述了一些最近发生在这个小镇上的不幸事件。认识我的人都不会怀疑，既然我自愿挑起了这个重担，我将尽最大的努力来让自己做到严格的不偏不倚，我会慎重地调查事实，并且请权威人士做仔细的校勘，而这样的校勘工作甚至能让渴望获得历史学家头衔的人脱颖而出。&
　　在纪念章、手稿和碑铭的合力帮助下，我可以肯定地说，沃顿沃提米提斯这个小镇从最初到现在一直保持着完全一致的状况。不过，谈到小镇初建的日期，很可悲的是，我只能用一种给出个半是含混、半是确定的答案，所以数学家们有时不得运用某些代数公式解决问题。我可以这么说，从它这么古老、偏远来看，这座城市的历史无论如何不会早于任何有据可查的年代。&
　　至于沃顿沃提米提斯这名字的来历，我得伤心地承认我感到很迷惑。在关于这个