出差报销和公款吃喝 Business Trip Reimbursement and Public Funds for Food and Drinks

最近看到中国关于公款喝茅台的争论 - 有人竟提出“不喝茅台喝什么”。可见，中国的公款吃喝让美国望尘莫及。

加州大学，和其他加州公共机关一样，对出差人员的报销数额有严格规定。每人每天， 旅行，住宿和通讯之外，目前每人每天有$64的饮食定额。住宿旅馆开销也有规定，特殊情况，比如会议旅馆是唯一可行的选择，即使超标，经特别批准后，也可以报销。$64的饮食报销不能包括含酒精饮料。出差人员可以饮酒，但酒类开销要从报销单中除掉。

公务接待允许有限度的公款吃喝 -

早餐 - $26
午餐 - $45
晚餐 - $78
点心 - $18

当然， 酒类不能报销。

这些规章不仅存在，而且第三者审计公司定期抽查加州各大学账目。如果公务人员违规，他们不但要受惩罚，而且会因此丢掉工作。

干杯！




Mark Bussinger (photographer)


Recently I read the debate in China, on drinking Maotai with public funds -  actually someone even posed such challenging "If not Maotai, then what?". Maotai, is an iconic hard liquor produced in China and is extremely expensive, and is distilled from fermented sorghum and now comes in different versions ranging in alcohol content from the standard 53% by volume down to 35%. Obviously, using public funds on food and drinks in China is a tall order for the U.S. to match.

University of California, as other California public institutions, has strict regulations on the amount of reimbursement of the travel staff. Besides the costs for traveling, accommodation and communications, the current per diem limit is $64.  Accommodation hotel should not bee too expensive; under special circumstances, such as the conference hotel is the only viable option, by special permission, one can stay in an expensive hotel. The food/drink reimbursement of $64 should not include any alcoholic beverages. If a person chose to drink, he/she must cross out the cost of alcohol from reimbursement request.

It is also allowed to provide some food and drink during official receptions using public funds with such limits:

Breakfast	$26
Lunch	$45
Dinner	$78
Light refreshment	$18

Of course, alcohol can not be reimbursed.

These regulations not only exist, a third party auditing firm periodically inspect the accounts of the University of California. If public servants violated regulations, they will not only be punished, and might lose their jobs as well.

Bottom up!

善待服务员 - Treating Service People Nicely

Recently, a Chinese couple was asked to leave the airplane from Guam heading Shanghai, because the female passenger refused to allow the stewardess to re-arrange her luggage in the bin, while her husband told the stewardess to "shut up" multiple times.

It is a common practice in the US that customers treat service people humanly.  To command them like slaves, often seen in mainland China, is not a practice received nicely, not only the servers, but other customers as well.

In the airplane, the crew member should not fly if he or she feels he or she is not up to task, due to any reasons, while the plane cannot take off without a full crew.  Under such circumstances, the captain almost always back his crew member up.

In the past, even a very famous American operatic soprano had been asked to leave the plane when a crew member was upset by her alleged maltreatment.

Of course, that's extreme case.  But even in a restaurant, when a diner treats server rudely, it would embarrass his/her companion(s) and would invite hostile looks from other diners.

In the US, people do try to treat others nicely. 


近日，一对中国夫妇被要求离开从关岛前往上海的飞机，因为其中的女乘客拒绝允许空姐重新安置她在行李箱的行李，而她的丈夫多次告诉空姐“闭嘴”。

在美国，客户常常对服务员很人道。在中国大陆经常看到的，把他们像奴隶一样吆喝，不但招服务员不满，也惹其他客户生气。

在飞机上，机组成员如果他或她觉得因任何理由不能完成任务，他或她则不能飞，而没有全部机组成员，飞机则不能飞。在这种情况下，船长几乎总是支持他的机组成员。

在过去，曾有过一个非常著名的美国歌剧女高音被要求离开飞机，也因为一名机组成员认为被她恶言相待。

当然，这是极端的情况。但是，即使在一间餐餐馆里粗暴对待服务员，这也会让他/她的同伴（们）难堪，并会招致其他食客的白眼。

在美国，人们总试图善待他人， 包括服务人员。


 


--

Follow up:

Just saw a video - waiter spilled beer on the back of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who took it very graciously.



跟进：

刚看到一个视频 - 服务员上酒洒了德国总理安格拉·默克尔的后背，她处事不惊，非常客气。

Governor vs. President 州長对總統

The picture of Arizona Governor Jane Brewer's pointing finger at President Obama has raised eyebrows and generated much talks both domestically and internationally, such as reported by People's Daily in China.

She was in the airport to greet President Obama, however the conversation didn't go smoothly therefore the finger-pointing.

In regardless what triggered this confrontation and how serious it was, the very fact that a governor can point her finger at the president much seem very impossible to imagine for many Chinese people.

Yet, once you learn that in the U.S., a governor is not appointed by President and was elected by voters in her/his state alone, you can see that not much direct impact would only to her, unless voters in Arizona feel her behavior unacceptable.  A president cannot punish, let alone remove a governor.  A governor cannot even remove a mayor, who usually is elected by voters of that city.  That is simple how things are in the U.S.

亞利桑那州州長簡 布魯爾的手指指点奧巴馬總統的圖像让人有点惊叹, 引起國內和國際很多评论，如中國人民日報的報導。

她是在機場迎接奧巴馬總統，但显然談話並不順利。

無論在什麼引發争执，或争执是否嚴重，州長布魯爾可以手指指点總統, 似乎让很多中國人無法想像。

然而，一旦你了解到，在美國，一個州長不是由總統任命，並是由她/他的州選民選舉產生，你可以认识到，这件事不会給她带来太大的直接影響，除非亞利桑那州的選民覺得她的行為不可接受。美國總統没有权力懲罰，更不用說免掉州長。州長也不能免掉市長，因为市長通常是由該城市的選民選舉產生。在美國事情就是这样。

Wiener Großer Musikvereinssaal – Viennese Music Association The Golden Hall 维也纳金色大廳

I have been intrigued by the exceptional pride some Chinese people took in the fact that popular folk singer Ms. Ziying Song had performed a solo concert or recital at the Wiener Großer Musikvereinssaal (The Golden Hall at Viennese Music Association) in 2003.  To them, Ms. Song's concert there was a proof that Chinese art and artist have reached the pinnacle of artistic achievement and duly acknowledged by the ultimate arbiter in the field.

A little online search told me that Ms. Song indeed sang in the Golden Hall.  But it was not a part of the regular program of the Musikverein or its associate.  Instead, her concert was presented by Austrian-China Cultural Exchange Association in Austria.  I was able to include a video below.



One can see, for example, at 2'33, the hall is about about half-full.

It was obviously not a pure musical event, rather, it was a cultural exchange event. Ms. Song relied on two program announcer which also struck a wrong gesture.  In the west, when the serious musicians perform recitals, they do not rely on announcer(s) to inform the audience of the program. The programs would be printed and if there is any encore, either the performers announce them or no announcement at all. With there two announcers on stage, the performance took an air of a circus.

It is not insignificant that the Cultural Exchange Association presented Song in the Golden Hall but it was definitely a testament of her artistry.  Even in a exulted hall as this, it can still be rented by presenters as long as the program is not going to do damage to the reputation of the concert hall.  Presenters organize the show alone and rented the venue, and other musicians and crews. The audience who came to the concert did not came for the love of music (alone).  This event did show that Ms. Song had strong backing and fans from Chinese government, who saw her as the good fit as cultural ambassador.

And that's that.

我一直对中國民謠歌手宋祖英女士維也納音樂協會金色大廳獨唱音樂會（2003年）引起的一些中國人人的特殊的驕傲感到好奇。對他們來說，宋女士的演唱證明，中國藝術和藝術家的藝術成就已達到巔峰，並获得該領域的最終仲裁者的正式承認。

網上搜索告訴我，宋女士確實在金色大廳演唱。但那不是金色大廳或其聯營公司的常规节目計劃的一部分。她的演唱會是由奥地利奥中文化交流协会推出的。

从以下視頻人們可以看到，在2'33时，大廳約半滿。它顯然不是一個純粹的音樂會，相反，它是一種文化的交流活動。宋女士依靠兩個报幕員也打了個錯誤的手勢。在西方，嚴肃音樂家演奏時，不靠报幕員告知觀眾节目, 而是打印的节目单。如果有任何返场演出，或由表演者宣布，或沒有公佈。使用兩個兩個报幕員，带来一個馬戲團的气氛。

奥地利奥中文化交流协会主办的金色大廳演出并不是微不足道，但它不能證明宋女士的藝術水准。即使在這个声明显赫的大廳，仍然可以被租用，只要节目不會使音樂廳的聲譽受損。主办人可租用場地，和其他音樂家及音乐厅工作人员。來演唱會的觀眾並不单纯是出于對音樂的熱愛。演出事实证明，宋女士有中國政府的堅強後盾，把她视为非常適合的文化大使。

一切就是這樣。

Libraries in the US - 美國圖書館

Libraries in the U.S. are very different from their counterparts in China.  In the U.S., libraries collect large quantities of books, audio and video materials, with few duplications.  Their collections are usually free of charge for local people to use, either in the libraries or at home.  Borrowing materials from libraries is very easy.  Once one proofs his local residency, he can obtain a library card almost immediately.

In the U.S., libraries also provide many social activities, such as story times for children, etc.  Usually, there are several computers people can sign on to use for free.

Libraries in the U.S. are open to the public and requires no endorsement or recommendations from other organizations for one to borrow books, unlike in China, that libraries there often require people to produce some "introduction letters" from their workplaces or resident committees before they were allowed to use the facilities.

The openness of the U.S., libraries and their service orientation make them very valuable in people's life.  In China, even highly educated people like my parents almost never use any library after their college days.


圖書館在美國与在中國的非常不同。在美國，圖書館收集大量的書籍和音頻, 視頻材料，很少有重複。它们的藏品通常是免費為當地居民在圖書館或在家使用。從圖書館借用材料是很容易的。一旦證明居住情况，居民可以得到幾乎立即一個借書證。

在美國，圖書館還提供了許多社會活動，如兒童故事時間等等。通常情況下，圖書館有幾個電腦供人们免費使用。

在美國的圖書館向公眾開放的， 用户不需要任何其他組織的贊同或推荐来借閱圖書，不像在中國，需要有從他們的工作場所或居民委員會开给圖書館的“介紹信”。

美國圖書館的開放性和服務導向，确立了美國圖書館在人們的生活的重要性。在中國，即使受過高等教育的人如我的父母也从他們的大學毕业后幾乎從來没有在中國用过任何圖書館。

 
Berkeley Public Library - 伯克利公共图书馆
Courtesy Steve Masover