F**k Artisan Water

Madness is... a HKD80 (USD10) bottle of water.

Apparently, that's what some restaurants are charging these days for bottled water. Not only do they charge an outrageous price, but they damn near force you to order it.  If you want water, you have to order the silly artisan bottled water. Otherwise, you're just going to have to go thirsty while eating that meal.  What happened to the days when water was free at restaurants?  

I'm a drinker.  I'll have beer with my pizza and wine with my steak, and I'll pay for it.  But I absolutely hate having to pay for ridiculously expensive water that comes in an environmentally unfriendly bottle.  It is stupid.  I feel like I'm being cheated.  The water costs HKD10 in the store, so they're making a profit of HKD70. That is seven times the retail cost.  

Sabatini's in the Royal Garden Hotel has the right idea.  They serve bottled water, but it is included in the meal.  Now that is service, and service that I will gladly pay more for.  

Cheapo

Even when it comes to charity, HSBC is a cheap bastard.  

In an attempt to offload some of my HSBC credit card bonus points, I chose to donate them to the Community Chest. Then I found out that you need 25,000 points to donate HKD100! That's a 0.4% return since one dollar spending equals one point.  Normally I would accept this if it were a cash back return scheme, but this is a donation.  I expect the bank to be willing to give a little more when it comes to charity. Oh well, I guess I'm just more naive than I'd like to think.

Countdown Continues

Nearly two years ago I foolishly discovered that most restaurant bars did not ban smoking because they were able to claim "bar status".  Banning restaurant smoking in 2007 was a great leap for Hong Kong, but bars were still off the hook for another two years. Since then, I have been silently counting down the days until January 1st 2009, when smoking will be banned in bars as well.

Only 23 more days left until the full ban comes into effect.

Sadly, not every establishment will adhere to the new policy.

• "Upstairs Bars" will ignore the ban the best they can by instructing customers to smoke in stairwells (already illegal), or they may ignore them completely by continuing to allow customers to smoke.  
  


• Smaller, less prominent bars on the ground level may try to ignore the ban as well. Their success will depend entirely on A. The bar's popularity, and B. Whether anyone files a complaint. If a bar is popular, there will be more people filing complaints, forcing the bar to follow the rules.  
  


• Karaokes should have banned smoking since 07, but it appears that they are ignoring the law. They aren't saying it is okay to smoke, but they aren't doing anything to prevent it either.  They're basically turning a blind eye, and providing makeshift ashtrays when requested.
  


• As for massage parlours (where smoking is still allowed until 09), I have no idea what they will do.  They are also usually located "upstairs", and it will be difficult to enforce a smoking ban just like the "Upstairs Bars".
  

It appears that not many people are all that interested in fixing these problems. Government officials feel that it isn't their problem.  The Tobacco Control Office doesn't have the manpower or incentive to enforce the new legislation.  Owners of bars and clubs fear that banning smoking will turn away customers.  Non-smokers have either stopped going to these places (like me), or pretend it doesn't bother them.

So how can we finally make Hong Kong smoke free? Here are some ideas.  Increase the manpower of the Tobacco Control Office, and give them an incentive to hand out fines. Make it a quota system where the more fines they hand out, the more salary they will receive.  Have them work in tandem with the police.  Make the smoking fines a larger amount to cover the cost of TCO officer bonuses.

When you raid enough karaokes, bars, and clubs, people will learn not to smoke there and eventually become accustomed to it.  People putting out their butts before TCO guys can hand out tickets?  Have officers pose as party goers, and conduct random raids.  Don't tell me this can't be done.  The Department of Health did the exact same covert type operations when the order came down to clean up littering in Hong Kong.

If you're going to make such a drastic rule change, you have to come down hard in the beginning. Does the government want to give the people another reason to call it weak?  Nobody said this task would be easy, but it it nothing new.  Many other cities have banned smoking already, Hong Kong has no excuse not to.

This is the world we live in

Having made HKD1 billion in profit last year (and 500 million for the first half of this year), TVB decided to layoff 212 employees in this time of turmoil.  Their reason is that they must be responsible to their shareholders.  

TVB's decision probably makes sense on paper. With publicly listed entities, the shareholder is king.  I guess I could sympathize with the layoffs if TVB was barely breaking even, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  I just want to know when enough is enough.  

I certainly have no right to judge TVB's decision.  Perhaps they are planning for the gloomy outlook in upcoming years.  Only they can project how much revenue next year will bring.  

The TVB layoffs have brought to attention the subject of shareholder responsibility vs. social responsibility.  Naturally, to stay attractive and keep investors coming, TVB wants to show shareholders that in times of turmoil, they know how to make the tough, unpopular decisions to keep that profit margin.  Strictly business minded people will applaud this, stating that it keeps Hong Kong investment opportunities attractive.  

On the other hand, where does it end?  Shareholders are not the only ones fighting their way through a bad economy.  The ones at the bottom of the ladder always suffer the most.  When does a company put a hold on the profit margin, and decide to take care of their own people?  I'm sure corporations understand what they are doing when they put people out in the cold in this economy.  They have just never experienced it themselves.  

No one is saying that we should tell TVB (or any other company) how to run their business.  I'd like to ask, do investors only care about profit?  If that were the case, nobody would care about child labor, poor working conditions, and minimum wage.  If profit was the sole purpose of investing in a company, these issues wouldn't even be discussion topics.  Can corporations look past the money and see the significance of social responsibility?  Can investors do the same? People don't like the words "social responsibility".  How about just calling it "taking care of your own", or "living through the thin as well as the thick".  There will always be money to be made, but at what expense?  

Furthermore, is TVB's reputation in the public eye at all important?  Make an unpopular move, and there could be consequences (though likely minor consquences).  

Personally, I would much rather put my money in a company that took care of society as well as their investors.  A company that blindly cares about profit (especially in times like these) is not a company I would support.    

New Style of Corruption: The Puppet

扮港商也可騙得十七億元？
24.11.2008 潘小濤

有一宗跟香港有少許關係的國內法庭新聞，看過後讓人難以置信。

主角是只讀了小學的湖北木匠王細牛。不過，這位中年漢，卻憑著一間在香港註冊、登記資本只得一萬元的空殼公司，短短四年間，在國內商場翻雲覆雨，賺了十七億元，還包了六個「二奶」。難道中國真的遍地黃金？

這位假港商的賺錢秘訣，只得一個字，就是「騙」。更奇怪的是，他的謊言其實破綻百出，卻屢試不爽。法庭透露，二ＯＯ一年，王細牛得知寧夏自治區政府準備改造寧夏賓館，於是承諾出資4.56億元，並與區政府簽訂了投資合同。然後，他以扣押招標保證金、騙取銀行貸款及工程材料等，拿到五億，再以高息來公開集資，又獲得三點二億。僅在寧夏，他已得到逾八億元。

問題是，他是如何得知寧夏區政府要改建寧夏賓館呢？是誰給他信息，又是哪個官員決定與他簽定合同呢？法庭沒有說。

之後，王細牛轉戰內蒙古，聲稱要在內蒙首府呼和浩特市的建成「西北第一高樓」，樓高169米，投資額達53億元。當地市政府高度重視，列為07年內蒙古自治區成立60周年獻禮工程。為保證工程進度，剛建成四年的公安局大樓，還有市政府大樓、龍海商廈、第一人民醫院保健樓、公安局三棟宿舍樓等全被炸掉，讓路給此「西北第一高樓」。然而，王細牛的公司自始至終都沒有出資，那個所謂「西北第一高樓」很快成了爛攤子，甚至涉嫌非法集資。到這時內蒙古警方才開始調查王細牛。當時，他已得到各種貸款及集資逾九億元。

更甚者，他用了六個假名登記了張身份證，然後成立了六間空殼公司，並且用每個假名娶了一個老婆。

聽完這個故事，大家是否滿腹疑團，為甚麼這樣一個木匠，能令那麼多大官上當受騙？他騙回來的錢，究竟流向何處。我就懷疑，他是否只是木偶公仔，背後有官方背景的人控制他，否則不可能獲得那麼多政府工程的消息，而那些地方諸侯也不會那麼信任他！看國內的新聞，即使是法庭已判了案的新聞，也不能全信官方的版本呀!

It appears that corrupt Chinese politicians have found a new way to steal from the people. They've gotten smart. Instead of strong-arming the funds and concealing the crime with their authority, they employ a "puppet" to do their dirty deeds. When this puppet gets caught, they are free of any blame.

This case in point involves a middle carpenter with only an elementary school level education. This man, Wang Xiniu, managed to open a shell company in Hong Kong and proceed to con investors into giving him a grand total of RMB 1.7 billion within the very short span of four years. Through forged documents, he has six identities, and six wives to match.

Wang's building investment proposals were obviously flawed, yet they somehow got approved. How did this happen? How did an uneducated carpenter orchestrate such an elaborate plan and actually succeed in its execution? Wang has now been caught and been proven guilty in a court of law. However, no details behind his actions have been disclosed, and the whereabouts of the 1.7 billion yuan is still unknown.

One can only come to the conclusion that there is a higher power behind the scenes. The men behind the man are likely corrupt Chinese government officials. Only they would have the power to push for the approval of such shoddy construction proposals, and only they have the ability to prevent the courts from probing any further into the people behind Wang Xiniu. Meanwhile, Wang, who began as their puppet, is now their deliberate scapegoat. They knew that his ruse was built on sand and was destined to be uncovered. Now Wang takes all the blame, and the people's money will never been seen again.

Bling It!

Click here for the tech stuff.  Tests have shown that Chrome is twice as fast as Firefox, and it appears to be the fastest browser available.  Has mighty Google done it again?  The browser feels great.  It has nearly everything Firefox 3 has.  It doesn't "hang" occasionally like FF does, and it is a lot faster (at least it feels that way since I haven't timed it myself).  Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised that Google appears to be dominating another facet of my web experience.  The Google search engine, Gmail, Maps, Google Chat, Blogger, Reader, Picasa, and even YouTube, all suit my web lifestyle just right.  Minimalist, utilitarian, unobtrusive, efficient, are words I'd use to describe Google's most basic products.  They are taking over the world and perhaps they deserve to.  

Weak Sauce

Why is our government so weak?! Every time the public or the media asks our government to make a decision or solve an issue, all we get is a wishy-washy non-answer.  As the article notes, our useless government always comes back with a non-answer like, "that is a hypothetical question", or ignoring the problem all together with, "there is no problem there", or yet another non-answer like, "the government has the ability to solve any problems that may arise".   

Macau is not a mirror image of Hong Kong, but being another SAR of China, it is the only place to compare us to.  The Macau government is not perfect.  Yet how come they can come up with solid answers and our government cannot?  We've even had a two year head start in terms of SAR experience.

I hate our government. I hate them for their style of corruption, and their lack of a spine.

We Have Arrived!

Big-O's checklist on who to thank:

1. Family
2. Supporters
3. The People

...for obvious reasons.

4. George W. Bush

...if he didn't do such a craptastic job in the last four years, Obama wouldn't have won so convincingly.


Hooray!

Not Just Racing Buckets

Premier racing bucket and OEM car seat maker, Recaro, has seemingly snuck into the airline seat business.

In the past, airline seats had no visible branding. You assumed they were Airbus brand or Boeing brand seats. Now you can see the Recaro brand clearly labeled on the seats in certain Airbus planes. It is kind of like Prada putting their name on an LG phone, or Bose putting their stereos in Audi cars.

Overall, it's refreshing to see professional travel seat makers making seats for airplanes. So what's next? Herman Milliar designed seats in first class? Would be a great selling point if you ask me.

Happy Birthday

To a friend who can no longer wish me Happy Birthday.

Controversial legislator quits beauty pageant

BEIJING -- After public outcry, political figure, Yuan Jing, decides to quit the ongoing "Miss Chinese International" beauty pageant.

Yuan Jing, a controversial people's congress deputy who joined in a beauty contest, shows in this undated photo. [Sina.com] When she made the announcement last week, Yuan was ranked second among more than 1,000 candidates in the contest's preliminary section, which was held online.

"I'm too busy to continue the contest," the 22-year-old explained. "I have a heavy workload."

She does. Yuan is a deputy to the People's Congress, or legislature, of east China's
Jiangsu Province and an alternate member of the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee.

As a politician, Yuan's entry in the Hong Kong-based beauty contest, created controversy.

Opposition didn't come from fellow politicians but instead from Internet users throughout China.

"Being a People's Congress deputy means she represents the people. What she's supposed to do is to help improve people's livelihoods, not go for a beauty crown," said a user on a forum of sina.com, China's major Internet portal.

The beauty pageant, sponsored and aired by TVB, a leading television station in Hong Kong, is an annual contest generally held in January and February. Contestants are women born in China or of Chinese descent living abroad. Some participants become famous TV stars after participating.

Many people questioned how Yuan used her political status in the pageant. On her blog, she promoted her legislative titles.

Yuan defended the move, saying "I was only introducing myself to the public. It was a kind of resume. Besides, contestants naturally would try all means to win votes. Why can't I?"

Yuan said she didn't care much about the negative responses written about her on the Internet.

"I would walk my own way."

Not all the online comments were bad. Many people supported Yuan.

"She is a girl after all, young and pretty. Being a Congress deputy doesn't forbid her to participate in the pageant," an Internet user said.

"It's an open world," said another.

Yuan admitted she didn't expect to win so many votes during preliminary selection. It isn't known just how much her political status played a role in her popularity.

Yuan did say she thought twice about applying for the contest because of her job title but she went ahead anyway.

"I'm just a 20-something. I want to go for a beauty pageant -- that's a dream cherished deep in the heart of every girl, I guess. So, why don't I give it a try?"

Yuan denied she quitted because of social pressure.

"It's really because of my own tight work schedule," she said.

"If such opportunities present themselves before me in the future, I'll go for it again, definitely. I'm not only a People's Congress deputy, but also a vigorous young person."

In my opinion, China has much bigger fish to fry. Instead of bitching about a move that could possibly make Chinese politicians look hip and cool, they should focus on stopping corrupt officials from accepting bribes and abusing power. This article should be under the gossip column.

Please focus on the important issues! Stop corruption, not beauty pageants!

Restaurant Etiquette

I had to have a late lunch the other day. So I'm at the mall, expecting restaurants to be somewhat empty. I though about trying this somewhat new place where there's always a long line (turns out it was crap, but anyways...). Surely, there would be no line well past the lunch hour, right?

Wrong. There was still a considerable line. What I should have done was move on and eat somewhere else, but it was too late. My mind had already programmed itself into wanting to eat that meal at that place. So I lined up with everyone else, and that's when I noticed the reason for the line.

People who had finished eating were still hanging around. They weren't just done eating, their dishes had already been cleared away. Despite people waiting for seats right in front of them, they chose to just remain in their seats and chit-chat long after their meal was finished.

Of course this annoyed me, but it is what people do in Hong Kong. Even at a busy restaurant, most Hong Kongers will choose to be inconsiderate and hog their tables until their lunch hour ends. This happened to be a Japanese restaurant, and it reminded me of what would likely happen in Japan: people would quickly eat their meals, and vacate the restaurant. If they wanted to hang out and chat, they would go to a cafe instead of delaying the next person from eating their meal. That is restaurant etiquette.

Naturally, different restaurants and different situations will require different actions. If the restaurant is empty, then yeah, stay as long as you want. However, during the lunch rush, I wish Hong Kong people would be more considerate.

180903

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
"Just what your worth"

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I...

Tears stream, down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

Exit Polls

The latest Legco elections in Hong Kong have triggered a gaping hole with the method and usage of exit polls.

First, Dr. Robert Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme (POP) at The University of Hong Kong, made the fatal mistake of announcing that the exit poll information will be distributed to media sponsors periodically before the election is over. This got an immediate negative reaction from the public and many politicians. Chung reversed the decision to release data early, but it was too late. The people had lost faith in the fairness of exit polls and many chose to boycott them by either remaining silent, or purposely providing wrong information.

Second, there's the issue of "fake" exit pollsters. These are exit polls run by private entities who use the data to win the election, rather than for study. The public generally does not like this type of polling, so the pollsters impersonate Hong Kong University staff to entice voters to reveal their choice.

What is the solution to this? I have heard suggestions to release the official vote count every hour, as to ensure absolute fairness. When all the data is out in the open, there will be no chance for private polls to use their data to "cheat". However, that is a pretty drastic move.

Instead, I suggest making the Hong Kong University pollsters "official". Have police stand guard near the HKU exit poll personnel to keep the peace, and to inform the public which poll is "genuine". There will no longer be exit polls claiming to be from HKU.

Give us a choice

Credit card companies are cracking down on retailers who have a surcharge for customers who decide to pay with their credit card. Credit card companies take a hefty percentage from each credit card transaction which ends up being paid directly by the retail store. By employing a surcharge, the retailers are trying to pass on the credit card's added cost to the customer.

Credit card companies are offering a service, and of course retail shops can choose whether they want to allow the use of credit cards as a form of payment. However, I believe the card companies are overstepping their boundaries when they require retailers to charge the same amount for both cash and card payments.

The retailers have no choice. They are forced to pay the transaction fee when a customer pays with a credit card. They should have the right to pass that fee to the customer. Customers will either pay the higher price, pay with cash, or purchase their goods from another store that doesn't charge the transaction fee. The credit card company may lose out if the customer decides to pay in cash, but I still think it is unfair for the card company to tell the retailer how to run their business.

The Consumer Council has sided with the card companies on this issue. If that is their policy, I suppose there is nothing that can be done. However, I am disappointed that the Council has sided with big business rather than try and help out Hong Kong's small business owners.

Monster Maker

Everyone knew that Nissan had their cross hairs on the Porsche 911 Turbo. Everyone knew the goal was to beat the Turbo. No one expected the GT-R to completely blow the 911 out of the water. Let's just say, there's no comparison. The heavier, front engined GT-R beat even Porsche's top of the line, ultra rare, Carrera GT (on the Top Gear track, driven by the Stig). It is mind boggling how good this car is at this price. It is truly supercar performance, without the supercar price tag. It has achieved what the Honda NSX always wanted to do. So instead of paying USD600,000 for a Ferrari Enzo, you'll probably end up paying USD70,000 for a GT-R that has Enzo like performance. How crazy is THAT!

What's even more amazing is the technology involved. Sure, the Porsche GT2 is crazy fast, but you have to be a very competent driver to be able to control it. The GT-R on the other hand is suitable for both professionals, and amateurs alike.

Bravo, Nissan. I am officially jealous.

Absurd

I have refrained from posting about Olympic controversy during the Olympics. This is not a controversy, it is just people acting dumb.

Today's newspapers were filled with pictures of Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, and the faces of people in tears over his sudden exit from the games. Cry for Sichuan, cry for the firefighters who gave their lives in Mong Kok, but please don't cry for Liu. He still has his gold medal from 2004, and he has won many many events between then and now. He is no slouch, and certainly not a disappointment. China is shooting for 40 gold medals in this Olympics. People shouldn't cry over the one they can't get.

Of course, that's not all. The worst part is probably the silly internet folk (AKA 憤青), who are calling Liu a coward, speculate that he pulled out on purpose, and whining about how they feel cheated. Cheated? Last I heard, the Olympic televised broadcasts are free. Let's say you managed to get an overpriced ticket to watch the race live: last I heard, there's still a 110 meter hurdle event going on. It's not like the event was cancelled. People cheated themselves by putting too much focus on Liu.

There are the more mellow ones who say they wish Liu would have ran anyways since he showed up, to "finish what he started". Err... the man still has something called a career. If he destroys his Achilles tendon just so you can "get your money's worth", Liu's career as a hurdler may just end then and there.

The media is also certainly at fault, for over promoting Liu. However, I'm cutting them a huge break this time. If it wasn't for the media, Liu wouldn't have been making 60 million yuan per year in sponsorship money.

So stop whinning. Nobody lost here.

Oh please...

Golf without El Tigre

Suddenly, the PGA Tour Championship is upon us! I honestly didn't notice. Since the US Open, and since Tiger Woods got season ending surgery, golf has pretty much been fast forwarded for me. I've only noticed the majors, and the only reason I even noticed the British Open was Greg Norman almost winning it.

Is it my fault? Am I a "Tiger only" golf fan? Not necessarily. However, I have to admit that ESPN and a blog or two decide how much golf news I receive. Now that I'm paying attention, I've noticed that ESPN's golf coverage has dropped a ton since Tiger stopped playing.

Is this on purpose? Probably not. A sport simply isn't as exciting when your best player is injured; especially when its an individual sport. Even for other sports, when Jordan was injured, basketball suffered a blow. Tiger is just so much better than his peers, that the blow golf suffers is even greater. It's all relative.

Farewell, Manny.

Perhaps one day we will know exactly how this came to be. Maybe when Manny writes his life story, we'll find out why Manny's departure from the Red Sox was so abrupt. Things just happened so quickly.

Throughout all the rumors and talks, I still expected Manny to stay. I mean, the past few five seasons all had rumors of Manny being traded, but trades never took place. Manny's offensive prowess just never allowed the Red Sox front office to get rid of him. He had some attitude issues, but how "destructive" could they possibly be if we were able to win two World Series titles, and come pretty darn close in 2003? Manny was the WS MVP in 2004, and he gave the team much needed contribution in 2007. To me, the 2008 rumors seemed no different. It was that time of the year when Manny was acting up again. He was still one of the most productive players on the team, and arguably the most hardworking. I really didn't see this coming. Down to the trading deadline, I was still telling friends that Manny wouldn't be traded. Things would just be the same as they always are. Lo and behold, Manny is gone, we are suddenly short two top prospects, and Jason Bay was due to play LF at Fenway.

Suddenly, a player who had been with us for eight years, who played Fenway in his prime, who won two World Series titles with us, who had so much talent, quirkiness, and unintentional humor, was gone.

From a baseball standpoint, Jason Bay is certainly an upgrade in defense, and provides current Manny type stats. I'm disappointed that Brandon Moss had to go, plus we gave away a much needed reliever in Craig Hansen. Both were long time Red Sock prospects. Personally, I'm sad to see Manny go. Not only a future Hall of Famer, but one of the most fun players to watch, whether it was hitting the baseball, or doing funny stuff like high fiving the crowd, or taking a leak in the Green Monster.

Farewell, Manny. Good luck, and thank you.

Madness is a charcoal filter

William Pesek and I have something in common. We both refuse to help smoker friends buy cigarettes at the airport duty free shops. Read his interesting article about anti-smoking woes in Japan. It is quite sad to see such a sophisticated and advanced nation stuck with an archaic habit. As the article points out, for the Japanese government, it's an economic issue; health comes second.

Also check out David Sedaris' book, When you are Engulfed in Flames, where he goes to Japan (of all places) to quit smoking.

Wow Just Wow

Twins general manager Bill Smith, on Livan Hernandez, who improved to 10-6 with a 5.29 earned-run average with Saturday's victory over Texas: "I'll take the (10) wins. Who do you want, a guy who's 10-15 with a 2.80 ERA or a guy who's 16-8 with a 7.00 ERA? I'll take the 16-8."

Remind me again... are they paying this guy? Furthermore... why hasn't he been fired yet?

Again, why why why do people even LOOK at the wins column when it comes to pitchers? What is this madness? Can't Minnesota afford someone with some basic, modern baseball knowledge?

Dear Bill,
ERA = VERY IMPORTANT
Wins = NOT IMPORTANT

Well... it's not my team, so I don't give a shit. Red Sox fans should thank their lucky stars every single day that we have Theo Epstein as our GM.

Alex says: "I am Ironman"

Robert Downey Jr.? Nope. I've got a real Ironman right here! Congratulations Alex on finishing your first Ironman. I have witnessed the metamorphosis you have gone through in the last couple years: from getting healthy, to running, to biking, then to swimming, and diligently putting it together into achieving this goal which I'm sure is only a start to many more future accomplishments.

Very proud of you buddy. Let's drink together soon.

Well Deserved

Am I finally agreeing with China in something? China Vice President Xi Jinping gave a speech that was very critical towards Donald Tsang and the Hong Kong government, during his visit just this week. Hopefully, Xi had the same issues in mind as the ones I've been talking about during the past two years of Tsang's administration (the year after Tung Chee Wah, and the official year when he was "elected"/appointed).

Michael DeGolyer certainly had the same issues in mind. His opinion piece (above) lists all the issues I've talked about in this blog. DeGolyer's article really summarizes where Tsang has failed and where he should have paid attention. Most of Tsang's faults are really the result of negligence (i.e. ignoring the environment). Other faults come from what seems like a clear choice (i.e. choosing to shy away from the "assistant hiring debacle"), or poor management (i.e. typhoon aftermath in the New Territories).

Well, time for me to shut up. Just read the article.

Bravo to Xi for not allowing this trip to be just a PR pat-on-the-back for Tsang.

World's Worst Tourists

No longer are Americans the world's worst tourists. Sadly, China has taken the cake in this category. A French travel website surveyed 4000 hotel staff whom reflected that the worst tourists are those from China. India came in a distant second, and the French came in third. You can read about it here.

I guess this isn't really news. I have experienced the ignorant Chinese tourist first hand, and it is not pretty. Let's take away the spitting and squatting, since it's kind of a cultural thing. However, the lack of manners and lack of respect are actions I just don't understand. It is sad to see Chinese people (including many Hong Kong people) acting so selfish and disrespectful while in a foreign country.

Don't worry, things haven't changed completely. Americans were still voted as the loudest.

Sympathy

Last week, a kid from Beijing went to Shanghai, charged into a police station in Shanghai, and started killing police officers. The toll from his action was six dead, and four wounded. The curious thing about this incident, is that Chinese netizens are praising this kid as a hero. The story (or rumor) is that this kid was accused ot stealing a bicycle, arrested, and beaten, resulting in him having become impotent. This rampage was his revenge. Internet folk have created websites and tributes to the kid for his heroic actions.

The true horror of this story is that the rumored unjust treatment by the police, and the kid's motive for revenge are so believable. The netizens aren't gullible. They are just so accustomed to corruption and incidents of injustice that to them, the kid's accusations come as no surprise.

China's biggest enemy is still itself.

Clarity... again

Out of nowhere, the Hong Kong Government decides they want to donate HKD100 billion of public funds for the rebuilding of Sichuan. There are a few problems that have arisen from this announcement.

Fairness?
Hong Kongers living in poverty, feel that the government has shunned them. This aid was so easily and so quickly offered to Sichuan, while the impoverished have to protest and beg, only to get very little in return. Indeed many Hong Kongers are facing economic difficulties at the moment, and there have been noticeable cases where the government has ignored pleas for help. I'm sure many agree that money should be donated, but they're also asking, "what about me?".

Filtering.
Where will this money go? To Sichuan, of course! Not so fast. China is notorious for its corruption and its lack of clarity. This is afterall the blood and sweat of Hong Kong taxpayers. We want to know that the money is going to the right place and not into the pockets of corrupt officials, or corrupt contractors. This type of skepticism should be a shock to no one. There's nothing wrong with wanting to know how your money is spent. Have a plan. It is foolish to make such an announcement without a plan to reassure people their donation will be put to good use. We don't have a choice whether to give the money or not, so at least try to put our minds at ease.

Surprise!
Where is this sudden enthusiasm from the government coming from? The earthquake occurred in May. Why offer the donation now? There is speculation that Donald Tsang wants to offer this as a gift to vice president, Xi Jinping during his visit to Hong Kong. This is unlikely, but you do have to question the timing of this offering. Why make a move that might raise eyebrows? Use common sense. Try to make it our decision instead of just yours. Again, if the government proposed this donation earlier on, when people were in more of a giving mood, perhaps they wouldn't be met with such resistance.

Safety First

Here we see Chinese soldiers preparing to defeat terrorists. No joke. These are undoctored photos, and they were published in a newspaper (in the third photo, you can see signs in the background stating this is a anti-terrorist training exercise). I'm guessing this is in preparation for the Olympics. This is also the dumbest shit I've seen in a long time.


Is a caption even necessary for this photo? What the hell? Soldiers on Segways? Is this their feeble attempt at being cool? It is failing miserably. This isn't even funny. It is very sad. Please stop.


What? So they're using flame throwers against terrorists? How is this even remotely useful in an anti-terrorist situation? You'll likely be facing a large crowd which will likely consist of innocent bystanders. Oh wait, but if you accidentally charbroil 100 innocent people, you can just block the media from reporting it. One hundred suddenly turns to one, and of course they'll say that one person was the terrorist.


What do we have here? This water truck is:
A) Spraying "terrorists" to disperse them.
B) Misting people because it's too hot.
C) Helping prepare for a new Olympic event: "rain sprints".

Oh! I get it now. They're spraying this water sprinkler style in order to extinguish the flames, in case all that flame-throwing gets out of hand. What else could it be? This weak sauce stream of water can't possibly stop a terrorist.

(Morons.)

Then again, these "anti-terror" drills are probably actually "anti-protester" drills.

Immortality?

Does Curt Schilling belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Read this chat transcript.

I'm a Curt fan because of 2004, but when it comes to HOF induction, I am fair and unbiased. Curt Schilling is most definitely a Hall of Famer in my opinion.

What I don't understand is why people still base performance on number of wins. Wins is an eye catching stat. When you see a guy with let's say a 10-3 record, you automatically think that he's a good pitcher. That could be far from the truth. What really matters are ERA, strikes, walks (actually WHIP). Schilling performs above and beyond well in all those categories. Not getting a W, doesn't mean the pitcher didn't pitch quality innings. Getting an L or no decision doesn't necessarily equal a poor outing. Sometimes giving up one run can lead to a loss. If that one run was given up in 6 innings, I'd say that's a quality start; yet it's still branded as a loss.

So I don't get it. People these days should be smart enough to skip over the win-loss column when judging a pitcher's worth.

Everybody Loses

Are the truck drivers right? Is the government focusing on the wrong stuff? Alcohol over fuel? Whether the decision was right or wrong, the people feel disenfranchised. Again, the silly HKSAR government has managed to give the impression that they are trying to make the rich richer. This stupid government needs to learn about something called foresight. They need to make decisions that benefit a majority of the people, then have their PR guys run all over town promoting their work. Now it's just the opposite. Everything is disaster management. The government is often seen as putting more money in the pockets of the rich AKA their friends/possibly future employers.

Despite the massive groan from the Hong Kong public, the government continues to blindly go ahead with its promotion of wine in the region. Personally, I'm disappointed with the decision to demolish the alcohol tax. Very little or no savings have been passed on to the actual consumers. Instead, the money has gone straight to the distributors. Wine shops shrug as they didn't win or lose in this situation, and they aren't to blame either. The government should have taken a step back, seen that when the alcohol tax was lowered a couple years ago, there was no significant drop in the price of alcoholic beverages. Is there a solution here? Probably not. Yet, why make your actions look dubious? Why make people feel disenfranchised? If I had any humble advice for the HKSAR government, it would be to focus on the real issues... please.

Whoa Boston (an ongoing series)!

Before

After


I am primarily a baseball fan, but it's always good to see Boston win. After a 22 year drought (if you can call it that), the Cs win their 17th NBA Championship. Icing on the cake is winning at home, and starting the celebrations midway through the fourth quarter after annihilating the Lake Show. What a way to end this amazing season. This somewhat dulls the pain of Superbowl XLII, which has made me contemplate skipping this year's football season entirely.

In other news...

Everyone is saying it, so I mind as well say it too. It's on everyone's mind...

JD DREW IS ON FIRE!!!

We are injured, but we are strong. Just as the Sox disabled list was starting to pile up, we get strong performances from Masterson, Drew, Crisp, and even the pen has stepped up.

Craig Hansen is showing much more promise this season, as his outings are more and more solid. Javy Lopez, David Aardsma, Timlin, Oki, and MDC all seem to take turns having a bad inning. In other words it's a good balance, and the pen has been efficient with Papelbon to slam the door when necessary.

Happy Days in Boston!

Best. Show. Ever.

HBO's The Wire ended this year after five seasons. I only recently discovered the series via rental. I managed to burn through season one in one week, but only because I was allowed to rent just two discs each time. In short, it is the best TV series I have ever seen.

I saw season one of Heroes this year. I really liked that show too, and I would rate it at a close second on my personal list. Both Heroes and The Wire are character driven shows. They each have a boatload of characters, yet both shows manage to balance out each and every one of them. With so many characters, it could have been easy to get lost and not care about some of them. It is not the case here. You end up caring about everyone in the story, including the "bad guys".

What edged it over Heroes for me is the realism and message of The Wire. Crime dramas and stories surrounding cops and robbers has been done time and again. This one is a masterpiece. The Wire is an intense portrayal of Baltimore in many aspects. Season One portrays the urban drug trade, poverty and despair among African Americans, and also the bureaucratic police department that's supposed to be fighting it.

The Wire is part entertainment, part social commentary. It is by no means easy to swallow. Negativity is never easy to watch. I'm sure not many people enjoy rewatching Saving Private Ryan. Yet, there are lessons to be learned when watching The Wire. The good guys don't necessarily win in the end, and perhaps viewers might be left with a feeling of despair, but they certainly won't be left with emptiness. While Heroes is very entertaining, the Wire is that and more.

The Wire toys with your emotions, and you end up caring about all the characters because the show feels so real. You sympathize with the cops who can't do their job because of politics and corruption. You sympathize with the "soldiers" of the drug trade, as the show asks whether they are truly at fault. Do they have any other way to survive in the projects if they didn't sell drugs? Season one of the wire tells the stories of multiple worlds most viewers know very little about. The story, the characters, and the setting do a phenomenal job of introducing us to one of the most crime ridden cities in America.

As said, The Wire is no walk in the park, but if you're up for a challenge, definitely don't let this amazing show pass you by.

(In addition: when I used to hear people talk about characters in the wire like, Wee-Bey, Wallace, Stringer, Bunk, Kima, Carver, Daniels, Prez, I got really confused. I couldn't put names to faces. After just one season, I know everyone in that show. Their personalities stick to you like glue. You get attached to these characters. I've seen nearly five seasons of 24, and the only characters I remember are Jack Bauer and Chloe.)

The light that burns the brightest...

I grew up listening to Beyond, and Wong Ka Kui: singer, songwriter, lyricist, messenger of peace, leader, legend. Ka Kui died nearly 15 years ago, yet he is still influential to many people, including me. I never get tired of his songs, his message, his super soulful voice. The man spoke his mind, he loved peace, and he loved music. He was intelligent and ambitious, yet his goals were never about money, and he was always generous with everyone around him. If he were alive, Ka Kui would be 46 years old today.

Below are lyrics that I will never forget. They are powerful lyrics for sure, but the reason I will remember them forever is the performance below. This song and this concert really moved me, and Beyond went from being a band that I liked, to a band that I love.

我已背上一身苦困後悔與唏噓
妳眼裏卻此刻充滿淚
這個世界已不知不覺的空虛
不想你別去



Happy Birthday, Ka Kui. Your legacy will live on forever.

Meh Olympics Side Story: Meh Torch

A newspaper decided that it was really important for the public to know the difference between the authentic, "priceless" Olympic torch, and a fake eBay Olympic torch. It is baffling as to why they felt the need to use half a page to cover this news. Then I realized why after seeing this chart.

They just HAD to emphasize that the torch is priceless (無價). Oooooo, that's right... another reminder of how sacred and important and amazing the 2008 Olympics is going to be.

Also laughable is how they spend half the article explaining that the real torch can be lit, while the fake torch cannot. I don't know why I need to know this. Perhaps they thought that people would be dissuaded from buying the fake torch if they knew they couldn't light up the flame and parade around their neighborhood.

However, what I find to be absolutely the most absurd thing is how China spent tens of millions of yuan (US$X,000,000) over the past two years to create the special fuel that can manage to stay lit on the Himalayas leg of the torch relay. I won't even talk about how much could be done with that money in rural China. How about using that money to invent something good for the nation? Perhaps create the first LED Olympic torch? Show off China's technological prowess after inventing the first electric Olympic torch. It would also show China's newfound care for mother nature. Instead, the torch rides in it's own private plane that spews CO2 like there's no tomorrow.

Fun fact: did you know that this Olympic torch emits 5,500 tons of CO2? Read about it here.

6.4 不忘

As people continue to cry over the Sichuan earthquake, let's not forget those who died in vain 19 years ago today, right smack in the heart of China: Tiananmen Square.



I usually keep quiet about this issue. Usually just post a picture or a news article. However, it seems like more and more people are forgetting about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Survey says that more and more people (nearly 15%) now think that the Chinese government did the right thing when they deployed the PLA, which resulted in death of thousands of student protesters.

Maybe 19 years is a long time, and people are forgetting the blood, sweat, tears, and pain they saw on television. Perhaps it is some of the younger folk who didn't live through the incident, and pass judgement based on things they were told.

Remembering "June 4th" is no easy feat. You watch as less and less people attend the annual memorial events. It's like trying to promote democracy in China, or like getting China to admit they were wrong. It's like talking to a brick wall.

Nearly 20 years later, exiled former student protesters are still not allowed back in the country. Many former protesters are still in prison. The parents of dead protesters are closely watched, and they are not allowed to go anywhere near the Square to pray for their dead children.

Since China certainly hasn't forgotten about this date, why should we? Don't give China a free pass on this. Don't let people forget.

理智躲到檯底

Rational thought thrown out the window. A high school girl says they should save pandas instead of humans. CNN guy calls the Chinese thugs. Sharon Stone says the earthquake is karma. Not only have these people been condemned on the internet, silly internet folk have asked that these people be killed or hanged or whatnot.

You see this dumbshit happen all the time on the net. People hide behind their computers and do some extreme name-calling. It transfers into reality as well, like when Fenqing threw feces and paint on the house of a Chinese Duke University girl who pushed for peace talks with Tibet. In a country with little freedom of speech, this kind of behavior is not surprising. However, seeing it happen in Hong Kong really disappoints me.

Everyday, the local Hong Kong tabloids have an article interviewing pop stars about Sharon Stone. Every response is how her speech is unforgivable, blah blah blah. When did Sharon Stone's opinion suddenly start carrying weight?! Even if it did, what's the big deal? It is her opinion, and she certainly doesn't deserve to "die", or be "chopped into a million pieces", etc.

CNN host Jack Cafferty implied that Chinese people were "goons and thugs", which caused a typhoon sized stir. Again, I don't see what the big deal is. The author of the piece above said an American journalist she talked to chuckled that The Situation Room show is a "news show" and not a "news report", in response to Cafferty's comments. Goons and thugs was Cafferty's opinion. It doesn't actually mean that everyone in America (or CNN even) thinks that all Chinese are goons and thugs. It is Cafferty's right to have that opinion. Hong Kong people should be smart enough to know how important freedom of speech is, since we currently enjoy this right and hopefully will enjoy it for ever and ever. It's this peer-pressurish, pseudo-patriotic bullshit that's destroying the few things that make us more desirable than the Mainland.

The poor high school girl who thought pandas should be saved over humans may hold a different opinion, but it is her opinion to hold. Instead, she was not only condemned by her peers, her school actually punished her for speaking her mind. I just cannot believe people in Hong Kong have fallen to this level of ignorance. Students should be rewarded for speaking out, whether or not you agree with them. What the school should have done, was ask her to explain to her peers why she thought the pandas were worth saving over the humans. An easy answer would be that pandas are facing extinction, and humans are not. What part of that argument doesn't make sense?

Hiatus/Thoughts

Where in the world? Yes, I've been away. Spent nearly two weeks in the US. Was ablt to swing by the East coast for the first time in four years. Do I miss it? Sure. Parts of it... sometimes.

So I was in the US when the earthquake hit Sichuan. It's strange how when you're not anywhere near the epicenter of tragedy, you can easily remove yourself from it. The only report I really watched was on CNN, when they interviewed an American there by phone. Otherwise, it was pretty difficult for foreign journalists to gain access at the time. It's that age old news barrier in China: when you're there, you can't get foreign news; when you're not there, you can't get any accurate news from China. So it was pretty easy for me to continue my vacation, and not think much about the quake and its victims.

When I returned to Hong Kong, then I realized how crazy people were about the quake. Newspapers printing everything in black, everything was tragedy, tragedy, tragedy, death, destruction, hopelessness. The Hong Kong media just kept feeding people negativity, as if the victims needed everyone to share their grief. Anyone person or media outlet that didn't follow suit were be "condemned" or frowned upon. It's like "Fenqing" behavior: if you don't agree with them, you're the enemy; there's no room for discussion.

Maybe it was my absence during the quake, or maybe I'm just a heartless bastard. I didn't feel sad, and I didn't need psychological help. Sichuan was a mess, and tens of thousands were dead. Yet people around the world die everyday. Some suffering African nations are in even worse situations than the quake survivors. What about Myanmar? Suddenly, people stopped thinking about them.

There are so many examples of how people suffer day in day out (even in China), yet we never think of those people. I know it's wrong to say this, but it almost appears like it's fashionable to feel sad, and cry about Sichuan, and donate money. Yet how often in our daily lives do we think about the impoverished, those struck by tragedy and injustice? Why does it take a major tragedy, and a pushy media to get us to care? I am numb by what goes on in the world today. Sichuan just didn't faze me.

Before the quake, I saw a news show (The Pearl Report) about the Olympics, and Tibet, and China's human rights record, which people were protesting. They interviewed a man living in Beijing named Wang Zhi. Wang owned property, he had a good job, and a family. Regarding the protests against the Olympics, he couldn't understand them. He said that he "doesn't have the luxury to care about human rights". That made me sad. In fact, I was stunned by his comment.

Plenty of tragedy and injustice happens in the world around us. Unfortunately, we can't seemed to be bothered by it until it hits us with sledgehammer strength.

Meh Olympics Side Story: Meh Hong Kong Torch Bearers

The selection process of Hong Kong Olympic torch bearers didn't really push me any further away from the Olympics. Instead, it added to my disappointment in the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, and the Hong Kong government. Yet, perhaps I really shouldn't be so surprised.

It is a direct reflection of how the Hong Kong government operates: behind closed doors. There was speculation that the torch bearers were hand-picked by the Central Government. There was speculation that government officials picked all their buddies: ultra rich folk in Hong Kong. Of course, the 120 person list was kept secret from the public until two days before the event. When it was leaked that 2/3 of the runners were non-athletes and they were mostly from the business sector, the public frowned.

Again, after warning people not to politicize the Olympic torch relay (aimed at protesters), the government goes and makes the event very political. The list was very pro wealthy, and very pro China. Politicians who weren't "China friendly", were kept out of the relay. Though it is arguable that the list can never be perfect, it just seemed that the runners did not represent the Hong Kong people.

The relay came and went. So how could the government have done a better job? I have a couple ideas.

Have a little vote.
The US votes for minor yet somewhat important nationwide events that take place every year: All-Star games. For baseball, the players are picked online. For basketball, the players used to be picked at McDonalds. Make it a casual vote like the NBA All-Star game. Maybe even let McDonald's or 7-11 handle it for some free publicity. If the vote had to be fair, perhaps set up a simple web vote where people key in their HKID card number.

My suggestion is to allow citizens to vote for one or two people from their district to carry the torch. These runners would make up maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the total runners. The rest would be athletes, and the government could still throw in a dozen or so politicians in the mix to please China. The main idea is that everyone stays happy. Even if the list isn't perfect, at least the people had a say in it.

Let the little people run.
Why not make it a competition? Fifty people who do the most community service within one year get to be in the relay. How's that for a good cause. Perhaps reward kids who have done good deeds or have gotten good grades in school. I mean, who can argue with these selections? Who would not want kids, or good citizens to run?

The problem with the list was that it was just way too skewed towards big business. Unfortunately, that is also a reflection of Hong Kong: the people who build their fortune off the blood and sweat of others reap all the benefits in the end.

Blogger's Scheduled Posts

I was secretly hoping for this feature.

Blogger's scheduled posts allows users to prepare their blog posts in advance, and schedule when they will be published. So technically, one could write up a year's worth of posts, and have them automatically published throughout the year. I actually thought of doing this for when I was away on trips to China (since my blog is censored there, and I have no access to it).

I also secretly wanted this function so that my blog would keep being updated even after I'm dead.

(this entry was published using Blogger's scheduled posts)

Political Olympics

A lot of people are saying, "don't politicize the Olympics", and that it should be about sports and nothing more. Well, don't tell that to China. They were the first ones to make the Olympic games political. How?

1. Who transports a torch on a private jet? That's right, the oh-so-precious Olympic torch was flown to Beijing in a private jet.
   


2. Then it was "greeted" by Zhou Yongkang (周永康), the head of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. He is the overall 9th ranked government official in the entire Chinese Communist Party. In other words, a real big shot. The last time China sent a high ranking official to greet at the airport was in 1998, when then President Bill Clinton visited China. Clinton's visit was significant, because it was the first time an American President visited China since the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
   


3. After being transported to the Tiananmen Square, the torch was greeted by a lavish ceremony, with general secretary Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), ceremoniously lighting and passing on the torch to hurdler, Liu Xiang (劉翔), as vice-president Xi Jinping (習近平) made a speech. It was done in the same manner as when the Kings of China prayed to the gods in ancient times, the most grand of events.

The whole point was to show the world how China is an economic leader and powerhouse. The torch is a symbol of China's recent success and achievement of the status of top world power. You'd have a hard time convincing me that this torch ceremony was not political.

Meh Olympics Part II

People ask me how can I possibly shun my country's own Olympic games. Well, it's simple. I just casually opened today's newspaper to find these two articles. Naturally, they were completely overshadowed by Olympic related news. It makes me wonder whether a country with such glaring problems deserves to host this event.

Sadly, there's a possibility that the journalists who uncovered these will be jailed or killed from retribution by corrupt local governments. In most foreign countries, they would be hailed as heroes.

Such is China.

Meh Olympics Part I

The Olympic torch has arrived in Hong Kong, yay... not.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to get excited about the Beijing Olympic games. Between the shameless event promotion being done by the local government, the protests, and China's negative track record overshadowing the event, I just can't get bring myself to muster up any interest.

Looking back, I've always had a grim perception of the Olympic games overall. The Olympics itself is really a show. Back when I was in the US, the TV stations would promote the games early on: seeking out the potential medalists and turning them into instant celebrities. There would be interviews, mini documentaries, non-stop repeating footage of past events, silly slogans, plus the sudden flood of endorsements. It gave the public a month long love affair with these select athletes. Once the Olympics ended, they once again faded into obscurity. For me, it felt like a cruel cycle of highs and lows for these athletes, and I could never get comfortable with it. You could see the athletes eating up this short lived stardom, knowing that it may be their one and only chance to make a buck off their athletic careers.

Yet, even back then I still found the games enjoyable. The commercial nature didn't manage to completely overshadow the actual games. Watching athletes succeed and have their dream come true was still a very inspiring event to watch. The most memorable Olympic moment for me (and likely many Hong Kong people), was when Hong Kong won its one and only gold medal (during colonial rule) in 1996 via windsurfer Lee Lai Shan. I still get choked up and teary-eyed just thinking about it (very much like the 2004 World Series).

The Beijing Olympics are just not the same. It's like there's a huge cloud hanging over the upcoming event. Instead of the promotion of athletes, we've got Darfur, Tibet, RWB, human rights atrocities, pollution, and corruption issues popping up left and right. Instead of Olympic athletes getting their 15 minutes of fame, China's controversial issues are getting noticed.

Don't get me wrong. Anyone who's been reading this blog knows that I'd much rather have these issues dominate the front pages of newspapers than the Olympics. It's just hard to feeling happy about it when you're constantly faced with the shameless celebration of China, contrasted with the dark, ambiguous injustices occurring in the background.

Once you go black...

Perhaps in a feeble attempt to stay on top and stay organized, I have long been a faithful PDA user. Since my Palm V died about 3 years ago, I've been trying hard to find a reliable replacement. Part of the plan was to also combine the whole phone/PDA/mobile email into one device. I tried a lot of options. At one point I got so frustrated, I even switched to the Hipster PDA.

Well, the notorious Blackberry devices finally caught my attention, and I bought in to the hype. The results have been eye-opening. The Blackberry email is great, but to be fair, a lot of providers do push email. Blackberry Internet Service is probably better than others because of their sheer size, but that's not what impressed me the most. The latest devices are just superb.

Not only are they reliable, efficient, and user friendly, but they are miles ahead of the competition. I won't go into the details, since any tech head on the net can tell you the positive details of RIM devices. Just comparing to other PDAs, RIM is much more reliable, extremely logical and easy to use, and the battery life actually performs to level stated by the manufacturer. It has no flaws, aside from perhaps being too boring for some people (usually iPhone users).

RIM doesn't try to do too much with their PDAs, and that's exactly what I want.

Self Imposed Handicap

I caught a prison documentary on TV the other night. It isn't news that prisons are a problem: life in prison, managing prisons, managing prisoners, keeping a balance between prisoner's rights and keeping them in check, etc. One thing I never understood is why prisons have weight lifting equipment. Violence is a major issue in prison. So wouldn't it be easier to subdue weaker, out of shape inmates, rather than have to deal with inmates who have been bulking up and getting strong all-day?

It makes no sense. Prison guards are the people who should be working out, not prisoners. In fact, they should feed inmates a near vegetarian diet to keep them from gaining too much weight. At some prisons, all the inmates do is lift weights all day, everyday. Why not give them books to read instead? Make sure they're paperback books, so they won't use them as weights to workout.

Patriotism(?)

Will patriotism go the on/off extreme route, as it did in the US? With China being heavily criticized for pretty much every move it makes (as any superpower should expect): Tibet, Olympics, Chinese netizens are showing their "patriotism".

Click here to see what I'm talking about.

This really reminds me of the "USA" chants at international sporting events, and the obnoxious American flag t-shirts, etc. To me, it's all a bit lame. No, patriotism is not lame, but people "showing off" patriotism is pretty weak. So you add "heart China" before your MSN name... so what? Most people are doing it just to be trendy, or they're doing it in response to attacks against China. But what else have they done to demonstrate patriotism? By the way, I don't consider protesting against a department store, to be patriotic in any way (it's just a waste of time).

A real patriot would do things to help his or her country; for example helping the disadvantaged or impoverished. Helping to fight injustice is a true demonstration of patriotism (though in China, that may land you in prison or even kill you). I just wonder how many of these silly chat room folk actually step away from their computer and make themselves useful (in the name of patriotism).

To express my disappointment towards China, I instead use

iTunes = Slow

I don't know how else to put it. Apple iTunes is excruciatingly slow. My computer isn't anywhere near top of the line. I don't need the latest computer because I don't use heavy duty programs, and I don't play PC games. So why should I upgrade just for a music player. That's what I find to be most inexcusable: iTunes is a music player! Yes, it has other functions like iPod sync, iTunes store, and Quicktime. I would expect delays if all those programs were running all at once, but that is never the case.

Things slow down when I edit song names, organize the songs, or even just scroll up and down. When I say slow, I mean the program just freezes for a full 10 seconds. You can't do anything in iTunes, the CPU usage shoots up to 90-100%, and Windows Task Manager lists the program as "Not Responding".

I find it hard to believe that this type of program is taking up so much processing power. What the hell is it doing?! What could it possibly be doing?! All I want from iTunes is for it to sync to my iPod, and download podcasts when I ask it to. Perhaps it is trying to do too much. This is a flaw in the design. iTunes should be designed to work well on both faster and slower computers. It should give the user the option of making it run "heavy" or "light". If it weren't for my iPod(s), this program would have been tossed long time ago.

Typhoon Neoguri

As Hong Kong suffers through, Neoguri, the first typhoon of the season, I can't help but remember the spicy korean instant noodles I used to love in college. Good times.

租霸

One problem Hong Kong has failed to tackle over the years is the case of deadbeat renters. I remember seeing a mini documentary on how professional deadbeat renters or "租霸"s, take advantage of legal loopholes and terrorize small-time landlords. They refuse to pay rent, refuse to vacate the property, and when they do finally leave, they destroy existing appliances and facilities. Did I mention they don't pay rent?

The law "allows" these people to wreck such havoc because the law is designed to protect renters. They didn't want to see people being put on to the street because they were late with a rent payment.

Are landlords powerless? They can go to court and have a judge force the renter to leave and pay up the owed rental fees. However, this application process can take up to six months. The deadbeat renter often gets off with about one year's worth of free housing. They may pay the first two month's worth of rent, then just stop paying after that. The landlord doesn't realize it's a problem until perhaps a month after that, and pretty soon it gets to be a year before a judge forces the renter to leave. Of course, the deadbeat renter will destroy everything they possibly can in the apartment, including sinks, toilet bowls, air conditioners, and even the walls.

Just a few weeks ago, an incident happened which was similar to the documentary I saw five years ago. The government has done nothing to improve this situation, and these issues never make front page news.

Where are gangsters when you need them?

What non-lethal actions could a landlord possibly do to make the tenant leave on their own?

Call the cops - not only do the police have no power over these disputes, they often don't bother to step in between a landlord and a tenant.

Cut the power - this has not worked, as the renter would simply have the power reconnected under his/her own name.

Secretly let loose cockroaches/mice/foul smelling stuffs into the apartment - this might actually work, but the owner will have to do it strategically. First it must be on a day when no one is home. It can prove to be tricky, as even deadbeat renters hire domestic helpers. Lock picking may be required, as renters like this are overly suspicious and install their own locks. The owner must also let the loose only a couple at a time, as not to cause suspicion.

In the end, new legislation is ultimately required to solve the issue once and for all.

Times Square Promenade Liberated

After 14 years of operation, it has recently been revealed that the promenade outside Times Square (in Hong Kong) is actually public land. Since the promenade first opened in 1994, citizens have been prevented from sitting, squating, eating, drinking, or even loitering in this space, which is evidently the equivalent of a public park. Times Square may not have publicly claimed this land as theirs, but their actions have certainly reflected otherwise.

In the past, this space has been used by private companies as venues for product placement, shows, a cafe, as well as other commercial ventures. It is still a mystery as to how much money changed hands between private companies for the use of this public land. Times Square security guards have also made a special effort to stop people from doing things management considered "unsightly". Sometimes this included simply standing around. (Curiously, no security guard ever stopped people from smoking in this area.)

The good news is that this incident has triggered an investigation by the press, to find and liberate all the "private" spaces that actually belong to the public. The people will finally regain their right to enjoy these gardens, parks, and rest areas. No longer will they be charged for useage, or barred from entering.

I guess in the end we have Times Square management to thank. If they didn't push their security guards to kick people out, there would be little to know uproar, and the land discovery would be a small page 5 headline. What touched me about the result was a caller on a radio show, happily proclaiming that she could finally sit in the promenade and eat lunch in peace.

A Hero Steps Down

Hero of Democracy and one of China's worst enemies, Martin Lee (李柱銘), ends his political career after 23 long years. Lee has been, and is still the face of democracy in Hong Kong.

Thank you, Martin.