雨后寻茶“猫空”******
中新社记者 邢利宇 陈立宇
朋友说饭后去喝茶。想到都市中茶艺馆的样子，对此提议只是礼貌应和而不以为意。谁想几分钟后，车子已随蜿蜒的山道上行，四周青山不高却也是重峦迭嶂，满眼的绿树雨后更显得苍翠欲滴。车窗外，邀月、清风、圆正、龙芽……一个个茶馆的招牌一晃而过。去哪喝茶？此情此景令人不由得对品茗处生出期待。
不知庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。原来，这里就是“木栅猫空观光茶园”，常来喝茶买茶的人直称其为“猫空”。它位于台北市文山区指南里的山坡上，是宝岛台湾铁观音和包种茶的专业区，茶树栽植面积共约100公顷，年产6万公斤，共聚集有90多户观光茶园示范农户。虽然从市中心向南车行到这里只需三四十分钟，但已是别样的山间景致。
从停车的道边拾阶而下，走过一段弯弯曲曲的石板路，再经一段湿润的泥土小道，一个依山势而建的小庭院便出现在眼前。建在院中最高处木屋里，放着焙制茶的机器，依山势而下，是四座大小不一的茶亭，再往下有穿插在小路边的露天茶座。
“寒暄红尘由他去，舍间香茗与君来”，握不盈掬的白瓷茶碗上，两行纤巧的墨书道出了这座山间茶馆的名字——“寒舍”。年过四十却实实在在显得很年轻的老板张福钦介绍说，“猫空”原只是茶区东侧的一处小溪谷，由于地质松软，在河流长年冲击下，河床被卵石击出坑坑洼洞，闽南语称之音似为“猫空”，叫的人多了，竟成为整片观光茶园的代名词。
已经经营这个茶馆十几年了，张福钦仍不愿意说自己是茶商，只说自己是这里的茶农而已。因为家就在这里，祖辈都在这里种茶，制茶，直到上世纪80年代以后，城里人发现并掀起山间品茶之风后，他才在自己家里建起了茶馆。在周边正常营业的60多个茶馆的“创建史”上，“寒舍”排名第六。
“其实泡茶的利润高一些，节假日，往往有人携家带眷到这里泡茶喝。但买茶的一般都是回头客。”据张福钦介绍，“虽然卖茶利润低，但还是愿意，因为可以交朋友”。无论谁来买茶，张福钦都会热情地请他喝茶聊天，而不是急于卖货求利。有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？这也许就是他所说茶农与茶商的重要区别。“可是，因为有竞争关系，村里人的关系淡了很多了。”张福钦无奈地讲。
“寒舍”经营的茶品有铁观音、比赛茶、翠玉茶、金萱茶、高山茶、乌龙茶、陈年老茶等十几种，其中大部分是自己种植而且由张老板以祖传手艺焙制而成。泡茶的水，则是这山里的甘泉。“金萱是改良品种，有一种奶香，但味易散，乌龙则本质传统，味不易散所以耐泡。”谈起茶品，张福钦确实是行家里手。
随着城市的发展，越来越多的上班族喜欢在周末来山间小歇，有的全家野游，有的则带书来安静地品茗阅读。逢年过节，狭小的山道也会塞车。但山里的茶馆就是以这自然的幽静超越了都市茶馆矫作的清雅而蓬勃地生存着。
虽然在多次的农会茶品比赛中得奖，而且经营收益不错，座中放着一本“清净心经”的张福钦似乎并不在意名利。“我们在这里长大，是很爱这个地方的。人来的多了，环境遭到破坏，我们会觉得很可惜，可是个人也没什么办法。”
“空山新雨后，天气晚来秋。明月松间照，清泉石上流。”与张福钦想法相同，对于这里的青山绿水，我们这些偶尔闯来的过客也在为它长久的美丽而在心中暗暗祈愿。
(中新社台北2005年1月21日电)
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
