Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - Take a cue from｜又中又英
New York City should take a cue from a small city in France called Beziers. The expression “take a cue from” means to follow the example of another person or place. The mayor of Beziers has done something that political leaders everywhere should take a cue from. The streets of Beziers are strewn with dog poop. Poop is a slang word for excrement. If streets are strewn with dog poop, it means dog poop is scattered everywhere. Inconsiderate dog owners don’t bother to clean up after their dogs leave poop on the streets. The mayor recently introduced a new rule requiring dogs walking on the streets to have their DNA on file with the government.
Owners walking their dogs must carry a document to prove they have complied with the rule. Street cleaners who find poop on the streets will test it for DNA. The government can then trace the dog owner who will be fined 122 euros (HK$1,058). Dog owners who don’t have a document to prove their dogs have been tested for DNA will be fined 38 euros (HK$334). Cities with similar policies include Tel Aviv in Israel, Valencia in Spain, and some areas of London.
When I was living in Manhattan last year, I saw dog poop everywhere. I had to look down when I walked to avoid stepping on poop. Some years ago, when I lived in Hong Kong’s Mid-levels, I often saw poop on the streets. I stepped on dog poop on Conduit Road and nearly stepped on dog poop on Chancery Lane where I lived. Hong Kong dog owners have become more considerate in recent years.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
紐約市好應從法國一個小城市貝濟耶那裏取經（take a cue from）。習語“take a cue from”是指參考另一個人或地方的做法，以對方為榜樣。貝濟耶市長做了一件事，世界各地的政治領袖都應借鏡（take a cue from）。貝濟耶的街道撒滿了狗屎（strewn with dog poop）。Poop是糞便的俚語，若街道都是 strewn with dog poop，意即那裏遍地都是狗屎（dog poop）。罔顧他人的狗主在他們的狗隻隨街拉屎（poop）後，也不在乎要去清理。市長最近推行一條新規例，要求那些在街上散步的狗隻要向政府登記DNA。
遛狗的狗主必須攜帶已遵從規定的登記證明文件。街道清潔員在街上找到的狗屎（poop），會檢測其DNA，政府就可以追溯到狗主，可罰款122歐羅（1058港元）。未能出示狗隻DNA證明的狗主，則面臨罰款28歐羅（334港元）。有類近政策的城市包括以色列的特拉維夫、西班牙的華倫西亞，以及倫敦的一些地區。
我上年住在曼哈頓時，狗屎（dog poop）隨地可見，我得望着地下走路，免得踩屎（poop）。好些年前，我還住在香港半山區時，在街上就不時見到糞便（poop）。我在干德道踩過狗屎（dog poop），在我住的贊善里也差點兒踏上狗屎（dog poop）。香港的狗主近年變得比較顧己及人。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
