Countdown to Extinguish-ion

Sadly, due to my ignorance, I failed to notice that the blanket smoking ban for indoor areas which was supposed to take place January 1st, 2009 had been postponed to July 1st, 2009. When I found out about the delay in January I was very disappointed. Two years isn't a long enough adjustment period? Bars and saunas were obviously stalling. It didn't matter how much of a grace period they were given, they were refusing to comply with the smoking ban.

That said, I was still willing to give them an additional seven months if it meant permanent cleaner air in bars.

Then in May, bar and sauna workers/owners came out to protest again, stating that the poor economy and swine flu were reasons (read: excuses) for again delaying implementation of the smoking ban. Fortunately, university students also came out that day to protest the possible delay of the ban.

Bars and saunas really have to shift their attention to their jobs at hand. They are not selling cigarettes. They are selling beer and massages. Instead of worrying about the potential loss of customers, why not instead think about how they can improve their product to attract more business. Yes, there will be an adjustment period, but people will still want to drink and people will still want their massage. It is stupid to think otherwise.

Anyways... 8 days to go.

New Gym Characters

Okay, there really isn't much to say about the latest gym characters. They're pretty nice guys. Let's just say they are highly related to the following video.



Happy Friday.

YouTube: Bottom of the Barrel

We've all seen cool stuff on You Tube, but it's not all cool. The above is one of the worst videos I have seen. I am not even sure how I came across it (probably searching for something related to sausages), but it must be the worst video I have ever seen that has come out of Hong Kong. Upon seeing the title, I actually thought it was introducing an innovative way of cooking sausages. Umm... no. This ridiculously silly woman spends nearly 8 minutes "cooking" a tiny piece of sausage with a lit piece of paper towel.

It is stupid to begin with, and the video can be ignored entirely. However, upon further inspection, it appears that this woman is making a career out of this, and that she is actually semi serious. I just can't believe there are dumbass people using awesome technology to create idiotic content, and are actually earning money... and she actually has supporters.

Wow, just wow.

Financial Services Sector run by Gambler

From The Standard

Lawmaker shows winning hand for advice

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Financial services sector legislator Chim Pui-chung may not have been a god of stocks over the past year, but he has been a god of gamblers.

Chim has turned over the tables in Macau by winning more than HK$200 million in 10 months playing baccarat, according to The Standard's sister magazine East Week.

To celebrate his success at the Wynn and MGM casinos, Chim offers would- be gamblers six tips:

Have a clear mind, understand the banker's role and how it operates;

Know your strength;

Let the profit run;

Stop once your luck runs out;

Bet as much as you can when you are winning; and

Set a stop-loss and stop-profit point.

Chim said gambling is not a form of entertainment and should be seen as a business. The legislator, who claims to be one of the world's 10 biggest gamblers, is considering publishing a book, entitled Chim Pui-chung Winning Bible, which will include his secrets to winning and detail his extravagant stays at the best casinos around the world.

You have got to be kidding me... the Financial Service sector legislator of Hong Kong is "one of the world's 10 biggest gamblers". Unbelievable.

This gives even more reason to do away with the Functional Constituency seats in Legco currently occupied by lazy fat cats not elected by the general public.

TSM 20th

The TSM anniversary has come and gone. There have been countless blogs, editorials, and articles about the 20th anniversary and what it means. So I'm not going to talk about the people who are still suffering from the incident, the ways China has been trying to hide the truth, or the way some have gone as far as attempting to deny the incident actually took place.

Simply, to me it was and still is as devastating as 9/11. TSM hurts more than 9/11 because the TSM has not yet been resolved. No one has taken responsibility for the death of (official death toll still not confirmed) the student protesters. Most protesters are still to this day forbidden from holding a job, receiving social benefits, entering the country, or have been jailed. What makes me angry, sad, and helpless is the fact that in 20 years, nothing has changed.

Pro Beijing folk are preaching forgive and forget, when the almighty Central Government won't even show the tiniest bit of forgiveness for the dead, those who try to mourn the dead, and the protesters who for the most part were trying to quash corruption and not fight for democracy.

I believe this is another misconception of TSM. Many believe that the students were dead set on making China a democratic nation. That is only partially true. The students pushed for democracy because it was a method of defeating corruption. Officials chosen by the people would have to be accountable for their actions. I know a lot of people are out there speculating whether China could have achieved today's success with a democratic system in place (in other words, if the students had gotten what they wanted*). Not to say that their arguments aren't relevant, but they don't mean that much to me. The stem of the problem then was corruption, and that fact has not changed: China is still extremely corrupt, and the people are suffering because of that.

The main concern of the students who protested are the same concerns I have for China today. Most of the students and disgruntled citizens had no intention of forcing democracy upon China. They were simply fed up and felt disenfranchised due to rampant corruption.

I don't believe that the TSM is the only outstanding issue facing China today. Heck, it isn't even one of the more important ones. Current issues corrupt officials, land ownership, secret police, freedom of speech, human rights... the list goes on. However, I feel it is necessary to remind China and the world that no one has forgotten about the TSM. It is necessary to remind China that killing unarmed students in cold blood is not acceptable, and no amount of national or economic success can erase this fact.

Physical Damage

WRC and NASCAR too? Gran Turismo is again looking to be the all-in-one racing game. This is one of those series that I will snap up without giving it any thought. GT has proven it's worth in my gaming library.

This time it looks like there will be car damage involved. Fans (and critics) of the series have been waiting ten years for this type of addition to the game. When I saw NASCAR involved, I couldn't imagine them not including damage as that's a big part of what makes NASCAR exciting.

The graphics, the amazingly inclusive and realistic drivable car encyclopedia, the variety (rally, oval, road race) make it a game I'm highly anticipating.