Hong Kong: Ching Ming festival

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Fifth of April is Ching Ming festival. Ching Ming is also known (in English) as Grave Sweeping Day, and it's a public holiday.

But before the grave comes the funeral service. On a little island in the South China Sea such a service is usually held in the open-to-the-elements funeral parlour in 'funeral square'. The square in reality is a rectangle. And this rectangular space has good feng shui, backed by a small hill and overlooking an unimpeded view of the sea.

Even in death life goes on. As well as the funeral parlour, there is a video games centre, pet shop, and three restaurants with alfresco dining in the square. So one can watch a funeral service and dine in the open air at the same time. Cool, eh?

And for funeral participants (and occasional restaurant watchers) the funeral services come and go in a variety of styles: ancestral, Christian, Taoist. Often what occurs seems to be a mix melded from two or more traditions -- all the better to hedge one's bets in matters ethereal, celestial, spiritual.

Anyway, the photo above shows a mourner and some of the bamboo and paper replicas which will be burnt during this ancestral-Taoist funeral service. With a car, house, trunks full of goodies, the departed is assured creature comforts in the netherworld after a life which may have included assorted disadvantages and discomforts in this one.

Hong Kong: Soko Islands RIP?

Will the peaceful Soko Islands Rest In Peace?

Today, Hong Kong's so-called Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has green-lighted CAPCO's plan to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and associated facilities at South Soko Island.

EPD: press release

CAPCO (Castle Peak Power Company Ltd), you will recall, is 60% owned by one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world: ExxonMobil. The other 40% is owned by one of the world's most successful and profitable power generation, transmission and supply companies: CLP (which used to be known as China Light & Power).





cartoon
©Gavin Coates





The EPD's decision was based on an Environmental Impact Assessment supplied by CAPCO. Hello? Yes, that's right: CAPCO assessed itself. Oh, CAPCO didn't assess itself, it paid someone else to do its EIA. See Nick G in Comment.

It gets better: CAPCO's EIA report was issued on 27 December 2006 (Happy Christmas!). Oh, and the report was in English only. Nice. The report was of humongous length. Even better. And the general public had just one month to digest, formulate and respond. Better and better.

The full report which probably no one has ever read in its entirety, including the people who wrote it: Contents

The report which some people may have read, including some of the people who wrote it: Executive Summary

The 7 March 2007 CAPCO clarification (with photos and montages of the now as well as the imagined future): further info

But is it a done deal?

The spokesman stressed that the statutory ordinance dealt only with the environmental acceptability of the project. The project proponent had to seek policy approval on the development of the project and approvals or consents under relevant legislation in Hong Kong before the project could proceed.

Probably. Still, it's good to keep in mind that: It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

Eye | Land | View

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First heavy rain of the year

Hong Kong: I Ching, Book of Changes

Hexagram 20, 觀 Kuan / Contemplation (View) -> Hexagram 50, 鼎 Ting / The Caldron
Source: afpc

Eye | Land | View

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Dai pai dong, afternoon tea

Duke Ellington: Blues for Miro

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Duke Ellington and the Spanish painter and sculptor Joan Miró in an art museum garden in the South of France, 1966:



Have a great weekend.

Hong Kong Sevens?

30 April - 1 April:
HK Sevens 2007

Hong Kong: Li threatened to `rape' institute, inquiry told

It made a false start in early March because one of the judges, after deliberation, decided to recuse himself (backdoor link to scmp).

But yesterday (29 March 2007) the unwieldily titled The Commission of Inquiry on Allegations relating to The Hong Kong Institute of Education finally got down to business.

President professor Paul Morris versus Education chief Arthur Li Kwok-cheung.

On the first day of the Inquiry, the report is of personality clashes, power plays and power trips, sundry threats, and a taped phone call. In other words, an education in higher education.

The story has got, as they say, legs: HK Standard

Hong Kong: the naming of names

Daisann McLane writes:

You can pretty much divide Hong Kongers into generations, based on the English language names they use. Anybody over 45 will probably sport a common and somewhat archaic British name like Margaret, Grace, Gordon, Alan, Alice or, perhaps, Donald. But under 45, things start to get looser. Among 35 to 40 year olds you'll find Tiffanys, Jennys, Jackys and Eddies. Then, below the age of 35, the dam breaks open in the Chinese-to-English name game: Serendipity, Durian, Ecstasy, Napoleon.

Great read: Call Me Durian

The naming of names. Mister Bijou remembers once meeting a girl called Alcohol. Mister B queried the name, and she looked at Mister B as though he were dim-witted.

There used to be a girl who worked at a professional photo film developer and printer in Central who called herself Bad Wong. Must have been a fan of the words, music and moonwalk of Michael Jackson.

Then there was the salesman called Beatrick. He said people remembered him because of his name. He was right.

That's enough. Please read Daisann.

Shui Hang: Cecil's green patch

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As promised, here is a photo of Shui Hang, Cecil Chao's latest acquisition. This is further to yesterday's post Concrete plans.

If Mister Bijou is still breathing, mobile, and on a little island in the South China Sea when the project is completed, expect another photo from the same spot (at the north corner).

Hong Kong: Legislative Council Questions

Some of the questions (and answers) from the LegCo meeting of Wednesday, 28 March 2007:

LCQ12: Noise-related nuisance made by users of holiday flats
LCQ18: Nathan Road Road Safety Improvement Plan

Concrete plans

Hong Kong Government sold some land at public auction yesterday. More precisely, the level grass area at Shui Hang adjacent to the coastal Sai Wan road. Next door is Greenery Crest estate, which is immediately to the southwest of the three public tennis courts.

Bidding for the patch at Shui Hang started at $HK39 million. The final, accepted bid was HK$96.5 million. In sterling, that's getting on for six and a half million pounds.

The buyer? Cecil Chao. Did he pay too much? More details: Hong Kong Standard

Long-term residents will recall that Cecil Chao Sze-tsung has a colourful background: Asiaweek

More recently, in Kuala Lumpur he seems to have become a doctor: the star

Mister Bijou will tomorrow go down to Shui Hang and take a photo of ninety-six point five million Hong Kong dollars.

Eye | Land | View

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Fruit store

An autumn tale

What starts out as a simple question -- where is it? -- becomes an obsession. The mysterious origins of a Windows desktop image, by Nick Tosches: vanity fair

Also by Tosches and worth tracking down is his biography of Dean Martin -- Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams. Tosches chronicles Dean Martin's life and the writing takes on a semi-hallucinatory darkness as Dino reaches old age, closes the curtains, knocks back some more pills, and opens another bottle.

Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams is out of print but available at places like the 'new, used, rare and out of print' retailer: abebooks

Hong Kong: change in the weather

Since 1995 when Clarence Fong set it up, the website Weather Underground of Hong Kong has had more than seventy million visits.

The website has been a wonderful resource and (Mister Bijou speculates) influenced the development and range of Hong Kong Government's own on-line endeavours at Hong Kong Observatory.

If you're wondering what happened to all the bells and whistles on Weather Underground and why the webpages are now barebones, here's the reasons why: WU discussion Via batgung

Eye | Land | View

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Incense man

Hong Kong: small circle election

Well, the election for the post of Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took place this morning.

It was all over by 11am, what with there being only 800 eligible electors, the 'small circle'. Keith Bradsher of the New York Times nailed the class position and political sympathies of the broad majority of that small circle of electors:

With strong backing from Beijing’s leaders, Mr. Tsang’s re-election was never in doubt. The electors are mainly wealthy businesspeople and politicians with close ties to the mainland.
Many of them arrived at the election site, a convention center next to the city’s outlying airport, in their chauffeured Rolls-Royces, Mercedes, BMWs and even a Porsche.
While most of Hong Kong’s people did not have a say in the outcome, the election still caught the public’s attention. Hong Kong held its first two election debates pitting a leader of the territory against an opponent actively promoting democracy. The campaign grew sufficiently contentious that mainland authorities temporarily blocked signals from CNN even when Mr. Tsang articulated his position on eventual democracy here.
People in neighboring Guangdong province can receive television signals from Hong Kong, and have expressed envy to Hong Kong television crews over this territory’s limited liberties.

More: NYT (registration-free link)

But the numbers? Out of 800? Votes cast: 789. Number of valid votes obtained:

Mr Alan Leong Kah Kit 123
Mr Donald Tsang Yam Kuen 649

So that's 772 valid votes and 17 invalid votes, the latter will be blank votes and mal-formed votes. So it goes

Cut!

How about a documentary (1hr 28min) about the history, development and art of film editing? With lots of clips from many familiar and famous films?

For film buffs, The Cutting Edge -- The Magic of Movie Editing: video google

Karen Dalton: It Hurts Me Too

Bob Dylan mentions Karen Dalton several times in his book Chronicles, Volume 1. A track of hers -- Ribbon Bow -- is featured on a 2CD that has a variety of singers mentioned in the book. That double CD -- Chroniques -- was, however, only released in France to coincide with the publication of the French translation.

Since when, Dalton's slim body of work -- two albums -- has been re-released. And beautiful the music is, too.

Dalton had a troubled life -- doesn't everyone? -- but hers appeared to be more troubled than most. For a good overview of the life and times of Karen Dalton: Guardian Video clip from 1969: youtube Thanks, Gavin!

Águas de Março: Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Águas de Março, aka The Waters of March. With composer Tom Jobim and the delightful Elis Regina:



Have a great weekend.

Eye | Land | View

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Street furniture

Hong Kong: daai seng, the big sound

Daisann McLane writes:

I am in the middle of having a brain operation without anesthesia and a mad surgeon is holding a power drill millimeters from my skull. Oh, wait. The damn jong sau is still going on in flats 15A and B. Here at Profitable View Court, we tenants are living in renovation hell. Every morning at 9am, the construction crew arrives. At exactly 9:15 they finish drinking their naaih cha, plug in the power drills, and the daai seng, the big sound, begins. I'm jarred out of sleep, my head starts to throb and my chest feels like it will explode from the stop-and-start whining and hammering.

Great stuff. To read the rest, please go here: Learning Cantonese

Eye | Land | View

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Me looking at she, she looking at me, he looking at her

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Manhole cover.

A little island in the South China Sea has its charms and idiosyncracies. For instance, the island probably has more hair salons and head shops (selling balaclavas, baseball hats, bonnets, flat caps, summer hats, and sun visors) per square kilometre than any other place on the planet. That, and manhole covers. They are everywhere. Lots of them.

Some manhole covers are courtesy of PWDHK (Public Works Department), many others carry the imprimatur of Hing Lee. This one is from the extensive Hop Fung collection.

Eye | Land | View

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This afternoon, Mister Bijou sauntered over to the waterfront's railing to see what the men and boys -- it's always men and boys -- were looking at. Why, of course, other men at work.

In this case, guys with a pneumatic jackhammer who were drilling away at the one of the concrete stanchions which support the ferry terminal.

It was low tide and they were working real close to the shore. Progress report(s) to follow as the tide goes higher and they get into deeper water. Stay tuned!

Hong Kong: South China Morning Post editor-in-chief quits

Yes, Mark Clifford is stepping down as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post, ending a short and controversial year-long tenure. Mr Clifford leaves two months after the departure of editor Fanny Fung. C K Lau, who filled Fung's position, now moves up to become top dog. (For more on Clifford's tenure at SCMP, click on scmp in Labels).

Here's the internal email announcing Mr Clifford's departure:

I wish to announce that Mark Clifford will step down as Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post with effect from 1 April 2007 to pursue another opportunity. Mark has been the driving force behind the SCMP's forthcoming re-design. He has contributed in the convergence of the print and digital efforts of the SCMP and overhauled the paper's training program for our journalists. During his tenure, Mark played a key role in changes that have both strengthened and improved the editorial operations.
Editor C.K.Lau will assume responsibility for editorial operations after Mark leaves.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and Management of the SCMP Group, we express our deep appreciation to Mark for his efforts and contributions in the past year, and we wish him the very best in his new position. Please extend your cooperation and support to CK and the rest of his team.

Kuok Khoon Ean
Chairman

Where's Mr C going? To the Asian Business Council, where he will become executive director. In May. It's not on the ABC website, yet(?). But for the official party line: ABC press release

For newer/previous posts, please click on scmp in Labels.

Eye | Land | View

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Late afternoon, two large puddles

It rained early this morning. The heat and sunshine later in the day soon dried out everything and everywhere, except those two last holdouts. This was the first rain in many months, and in a couple of more months' time it will be the start of the rainy season. Typhoons to follow. Oh, this morning, because of the cloud, the partial solar eclipse was not watchable, tant pis.

Multi-touch sensing graphic video display

This is just so awesome. And like the audience at TED, Mister Bijou found himself clapping too. Jeff Han: youtube Thanks, Rick and Nick S!

Digging around, Jeff Han also has a webpage (with more video): Multi-Touch Interaction Research

The youtube clip is from the very worthwhile exploring: TED

Previously featured on Mister Bijou, link to the (video) talk by Dr Larry Brilliant: TED webcast 2006

Hong Kong: partial eclipse of the sun

Partial eclipse of the sun on Monday morning (19 March 2007)). As observed at Hong Kong, the eclipse will occur from 9.09am to 10.26am.

Maximum eclipse will occur at 9.47am. Which is when 16.1% of the sun's diameter will be obscured by the moon.

The partial solar eclipse will be visible hereabouts in the east southeast, weather permitting. (Standard health warning: don't stare at the sun.)

Performance

Mister Bijou has seen few films more than once, with one exception: Performance. Made in late 1968, but only released in 1970, Mister B saw that film six times during the 1970s.

Why? For starters, Performance is crammed with sex, drugs, rock and roll, violence, and issues of identity. What's not to love about a combination like that?

Plus, it's great cinema.

However, from the onset of the 1980s, Mister Bijou's viewership tanked. (It's a long story). But his birthday is coming up and Performance is now available . . . on DVD!

There used to be a couple of clips on youtube, but they have been taken down.

Still there is . . . Performance: Anita Pallenberg talks about the notorious Sixties film: Independent

Or, "What's Been Puzzling You is the Nature of My Game": Performance (Sense of Cinema)

Brill. Just brill.

Pet Shop Boys: West End Girls

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.



Have a great weekend!

Eye | Land | View

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Village square, student voters

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Street cleaner

Reading matters

To be read with a trembling eye. Like many people, Mister Bijou was unnerved as a child by the thought that maybe the colours he saw were not exactly the same as seen by other people. We might have some general agreement as to what constitute red or blue of green, but . . .

Even so, Mister Bijou is not sure he ever talked out loud about it. But he does know a decade or so ago he truly startled a group of people when he recounted something which had been niggling him for years. To wit, how it takes one tenth of a millisecond for light to penetrate the retina, hit those cones and rods, and finally get processed in the synapses and neurons of the brain to produce "what we see".

That's to say, that itty-bitty tenth of a milisecond gap means what we "see" has already happened. Which means (doesn't it?) that we visually live our lives in the constant past. Thus reality -- the here and now -- is an illusion. Maybe Mister Bijou is missing something?

Anyway, Mister Bijou remembers those who were "present" at the telling of this, as if touched by fire, backed away a yard or two. So it goes.

Perhaps this will clarify, The Eye: A Natural History by Simon Ings -- timesonline

Hong Kong: Pak Tai Temple

Yesterday, in the report of an ongoing court case, the following caught the eye:

New City Construction, as McDonnell noted, was the contractor for the "restoration" of Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau, which was demolished with the result that all the important architectural items were lost. Source: (Hong Kong) Standard

Demolition? Important architectural items lost? Surely not. Let's see:

This temple had undergone several major renovations in 1822, 1838, 1858, 1903 and 1989. The latest one by the Chinese Temples Committee commenced in 1999 and was completed in 2003 with a project sum of $13 million. Source: Chinese Temples Committee -- Pak Tai Temple

Thirteen million? Who knew? For a major renovation? But that's for a "major" renovation, not a restoration. What's the difference? Discuss.

Anyway, how about this for a formula: restoration -> major renovation = demolition? Could be. What do you think? After all, during the 'restoration/renovation' the temple was surrounded by shuttering. Work-in-progress was impossible to view by prying eyes. Since when, the last time Mister Bijou went for a walk around Pak Tai Temple -- about a year ago -- all the stonework inside and externally looked remarkably new . . .

Perhaps this oft-quoted statement:

This temple was built in 1783 and is now listed as Grade 1 historical building by the Antiquities Advisory Committee

needs to be re-assessed. Like, for instance:

This temple was last knocked down and rebuilt at the turn of the 21st century but is still listed as a Grade 1 historical building by the Antiquities Advisory Committee.

Truth in advertising, and all that.

(oh, here for photo of Pak Tai Temple)

Hong Kong: Legislative Council Questions

Some of the questions (and answers) from the LegCo meeting of Wednesday, 14 March 2007:

LCQ11: Tree at Hang Ha Po
LCQ12: Shortage of IP addresses
LCQ14: Cancer cases

Eye | Land | View

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Supermarket check-out

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Stepping off the ferry

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T'ai chi fan

The Crystals: Then He Kissed Me

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

That wonderful tracking shot from Scorsese's Goodfellas:



Have a great weekend!

Six of the best odd book titles . . .

Here we are, shortlist for the The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year:

How Green Were the Nazis?, edited by Franz-Josef Bruggemeier, Mark Cioc and Thomas Zeller (Ohio University Press)
D. Di Mascio’s Delicious Ice Cream: D. Di Mascio of Coventry: An Ice Cream Company of Repute, with an Interesting and Varied Fleet of Ice Cream Vans, by Roger De Boer, Harvey Francis Pitcher, and Alan Wilkinson (Past Masters)
The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification, by Julian Montague (Harry N Abrams)
Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan, by Robert Chenciner by Gabib Ismailov, Magomedkhan Magomedkhanov and Alex Binnie (Bennett & Bloom)
Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Seaweed Symposium, edited by Robert J Anderson, Juliet A Brodie, Edvar Onsoyen and Alan T Critchley (Kluwer)
Better Never To Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence, by David Benatar (Clarendon Press)

Cool list, eh? I'm partial to the Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification . . . (every home should have one). But I think the runaway success will be Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan.

What about you? How Green Were the Nazis?

Anyway there's an online poll and it's now open. The winner will be revealed on Friday 13th April on the eve of the London Book Fair. For poll, scroll down, it's on the lower right: bookseller

Eye | Land | View

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Some of the green in greengrocer

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Street musician

This afternoon, this guy showed up on the corner of the square, played several tunes which sounded like they were from the Chinese traditional repertoire, and then went on his way. But what was he playing?

Digging around, it may be some kind of dobro (resonant guitar), but it was too small to be a regular guitar. It isn't a banjo --wrong shape. Could it be some sort of ukelele with a metal resonator? Or is it a Portuguese/Brazilian cavaquinho (with resonator)? If it is, he would probably have picked it up in Macao.

Eye | Land | View

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Don't know how the Chinese reads, but the English is a tad inelegant if judicious

Hong Kong: Legislative Council Questions

Some of the questions (and answers) from the LegCo meeting of Wednesday, 7 March 2007:

LCQ4: Open-air bazaars
LCQ8: Airport Express service after opening of AsiaWorld-Expo
LCQ19: Government attaches importance to providing assistance to HK residents overseas when in distress

Lunar eclipse? Obscured by clouds

How was the moon eclipse for you on Saturday evening / Sunday morning, depending on where you live?

Accidentally, Mister Bijou woke up early enough on Sunday morning to view the lunar lightshow at around 5:45am from a bijou balcony, only to be defeated by cloud cover. Thwarted, Mister B went back to bed. So it goes.

Eye | Land | View

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Other people's laundry

Only connect

The above photo recently won the World Press Photo of the Year award for 2006.

Rich kids in Beirut taking in a spot of disaster tourism? Yes? No, apparently not. For the back story on the people in the car and why they were where they were: speigel

To view the other winning photos in World Press: And the Winners Are?

Casablanca: As Time Goes By

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson. Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake . . . Play it, Sam, play As Time Goes By:



Have a great weekend!

Eye | Land | View

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Bannerman

Bees make money. But in honey?

Beehive populations crash and burn in the US, with worrying repercussions. Almonds may be one of the culprits as US beekepers earn more pollinating crops than making honey:

California’s almond crop, by far the biggest in the world, now draws more than half of the country’s bee colonies in February. The crop has been both a boon to commercial beekeeping and a burden, as pressure mounts for the industry to fill growing demand. Now spread over 580,000 acres stretched across 300 miles of California’s Central Valley, the crop is expected to grow to 680,000 acres by 2010.
Beekeepers now earn many times more renting their bees out to pollinate crops than in producing honey. Two years ago a lack of bees for the California almond crop caused bee rental prices to jump, drawing beekeepers from the East Coast.

Honeybees Vanish, Leaving Keepers in Peril: (registration-free link) NYT

Hong Kong: Legislative Council Questions + Budget for 2007-08

Some of the questions (and answers) from the LegCo meeting of Wednesday, 28 February 2007:

LCQ3: Seismic resisting capability of buildings
LCQ17: Eco-Coffins
LCQ19: Landscaping and slope stabilisation works

And -> Budget (2007-08) highlights

Eye | Land | View

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On the waterfront, nighthawks and night-hawkers

Hong Kong: I Ching, Book of Changes

Hexagram 22, 賁 Pi / Grace -> Hexagram 17 隨 Sui / Following
Source: afpc

Eye | Land | View

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Saiwan public pier

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Village square

The Shipping Forecast

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Rockall, Malin, Hebrides. Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, veering west, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. Rain, then squally showers. Poor, becoming moderate for a time:



Have a great weekend!

Hong Kong: total eclipse of the moon

For those who stay awake on Saturday night or wake up real early Sunday morning, there's the chance to view a total eclipse of the moon.

Moonrise 5:57 p.m. (3 March) East
Moon enters penumbra 4:16 a.m. (4 March) West
Moon enters umbra 5:30 a.m. (4 March) West
Total eclipse begins 6:44 a.m. (4 March) West
Moonset 6:46 a.m. (4 March) West
Middle of eclipse 7:21 a.m. (4 March) West
Total eclipse ends 7:58 a.m. (4 March) West-northwest
Moon leaves umbra 9:12 a.m. (4 March) West-northwest
Moon leaves penumbra 10:25 a.m. (4 March) Northwest

Weather permitting.

Eye | Land | View

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On the waterfront, one more from day three of Chinese New Year

Reading matters

The Undertaker's Tally, or The Long March of Donald Rumsfeld: how Rumsfeld changed our world for the worse.
By Roger Morris.
Part 1, Sharp Elbows
Part 11, The Power and the Glory

Eye | Land | View

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On the waterfront, day three of Chinese New Year

Hong Kong: Wage survey

English-language summary of a report in Apple Daily:

The Clothing Industry, Clerical And Retail Trade Employees General Union interviewed 227 store service workers, stock clerks and cashiers and found that Watson paid HK$27, Manning paid HK$25, ParknShop, OK, Wellcome and 7-11 paid between HK$20-22 per hour. An interesting feature is that the wages are not uniform across Hong Kong for the same store chain. The highest rates are for the Manning and 7-11 in Tsimshatsui at HK$30 and the lowest at HK$16 at the 7-11 in the Tin Tsz estate in Tin Shui Wai.

Why would 7-11 pay HK$30 in Tsimshatsui but HK$16 in Tin Shui Wai?

More: ESWN

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On the waterfront, day two of Chinese New Year

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First day of Year of the Pig . . . Kung Hei, Kung Hei, Kung Hei Fat Choi (Congratulations and be Prosperous)!

Eye | Land | View

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Fashion note: the ladies (?) bicycle with shopping basket and pillion is not only a mode of transport but also a subverted signifier on a little island in the South China Sea. For that type of bike is much favoured hereabouts by those males who also tend to sport dragon tattoos and masculine as well as muscular attitudes.

For reasons best known to itself, the banyan tree at the lower end of the square is shedding its leaves.

Asha Bhosle: Lucky Lips

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

The Bolshoi mix:



Have a great weekend!

Hong Kong: Bun Festival, a clarification

Bun Festival upholding both tradition and safety, it says:
press release

Where the hell is Matt?

Wonderful, just wonderful:



Thanks for the reminder, Nick!

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Late afternoon on a very overcast day, on the waterfront

Whither Asian Newspapers?

Are Asian Newspapers Under Siege?
By Doug Crets: Asia Sentinel

Bob Dylan: Theme Time Radio Hour

Dylan continues to crank out his radio show, TTRH. So far, one of Mister Bijou's favourite's is Countdown.

That show kicks off with the ska classic Prince Buster's The Ten Commandments and thenceforth countdowns to Zero Willpower by Irma Thomas. In between? A bunch of other musical numbers . . .

For Countdown (and a whole bunch of other shows): patrick crosley

While you're there, you might like to check out his blog, too: pc blog

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Late evening, 14 February 2007

Reading matters

Notable Quotables, by Louis Menand: New Yorker

Connexions? We have connections!

Connexions? Noun, chiefly British: dictionary

What a difference a day makes. Twenty-four hours. Yesterday evening, wandering the Internet was achieved with speeds little better than 56K.

This afternoon? 2.53 Mbps.

At 6.20pm. 'Course things will slow down a tad during the evening as it's peak traffic time hereabouts. Still, that'll do nicely. Test: speed test

Repair of submarine cable systems damaged by earthquakes completed: press release

Eye | Land | View

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Just around the corner from Mister Bijou's bijou residence grows an antique, sacred banyan tree.

In anticipation of Chinese New Year (18 February 2007), the tree's base has been decorated with peacock feathers, statuary of various Chinese gods, incense sticks, votive offerings, a chrysanthemum flower, foliage (unindentified), lighted candle, and seasonal and festive banners. Which Mister Bijou is unable to read as he is functionally illiterate. Any offers?

For several evenings, the whole thing had its own fairy lights and was lit up and sparkled and twinkled. Sadly, the ensemble is now cast into darkness as a result of some electrical mishap. So it goes.

Hong Kong: Bun Festival to go Plastic!

Plastic Fantastic . . . Today's South China Morning Post front page carries a report (pay wall, no link) that beggars belief.

As of this coming month of May, a little island in the South China Sea's Bun Festival will be featuring plastic buns on the Bun Tower. Yes, plastic buns. Lots and lots of plastic buns.

Out with the organic, in with the synthetic!

Ah, the synthetic aesthetic! And the utility! For according to Islands District Councillor chairman Daniel Lam Wai-keung, "[the buns] would look nice and create less mess."

That's what Mister Bijou's mum said the first time she brought home a plastic Christmas tree. Life went downhill ever after.

But, wait. The SCMP further reports the plastic bun decision was the result of brainstorming by the Council and Government's Leisrure and Cultural Services Department. Brainstorming, you say? Er, well done everyone.

Beaucoup de buns? Visualise between 8,000-10,000 imitation plastic buns. No doubt with an eye on the environmental lobbies Mr Lam hastens to add, "as long as [the buns] were in good condition they might be reused."

Or, not.

Mr Lam is a man of the moment, and has no known link to any pecuniary interest in plastic bun manufactory. He is, however, a political operator and man of vision: as well as being Chairman of the Islands District Council he is also Member of CPPCC Shenzhen Municipal Committee; Vice Chairman of the well-known environmentalist heavy weight the Heung Yee Kuk, New Territories; the Chairman, Peng Chau Rural Committee; and Member of the Selection Committee of the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China.

Anyway, perhaps words of support are in order from the toiling masses? How about other blue sky thinking to further improve the Bun Festival? What about other out of the box suggestions? Or otherwise . . .

Emails to SCMP: letters at scmp at com. (NB: scmp requires yr full name, address and contact number).

Emails (please be polite) to Mr Lam and other members of Islands District Council: IDC members

Mister B is sure overseas input welcome at the above.

Plus, comments (below) most welcome!

And the Winners Are?

Winners Gallery 2007: World Press Photos

Hong Kong: avian flu

Just prior to Christmas 2006, a Scaly-breasted Munia bird dropped dead in Leighton Road, Causeway Bay. Since when a Crested Goshawk in Shek Kip Mei, a Japanese White-eye in San Po Kong, a House Crow in Sham Shui Po, and a White-backed Munia in less than sylvian Mong Kok have also dropped dead. There may have been a few others . . . Mister Bijou is not an obsessive collector of dead bird data.

All those wild birds tested positive for H5NI. What is interesting is that everyone in Hong Kong continue to lead lives as normal. Why? Back in 1997, people died (18 cases, six deaths) as a result of H5NI infection. Extensive studies showed that all those infected had had direct contact with diseased poultry. But even before the evidence was out, people stopped buying live, chilled and frozen chickens, ducks, what-have-you. Meanwhile, the Government ordered the slaughter of a millions of chickens in factory farms in New Territories. Imports stopped, too. End of story.

Then there was the dreadful SARS crisis in Hong Kong in spring 2003: a savage pneumonia-like respiratory illness that often proved fatal. Where did that come from? How was it spread? What was it? To begin with, nobody knew.

So, panic in the supermarkets, expats flying out their families. For the rest of us, there was stoicism, face masks, and don't touch anything in the public sphere: escalator guardrails, lift buttons, door knobs, ATM machine buttons. . .

With all that past experience under our collective belt, Mister Bijou speculates Hong Kong's partially unenfranchised citizens have since been keeping an eye on Dr Martin Williams's excellent forum "H5N1 Poultry Flu and migratory birds". Hence the lack of any panic about the current dead wild birds. For the good doctor has, after all, been banging on since 2005 that poultry birds (and the trade in such birds) are the main vector for the spread of H5NI to humans: Dr Martin Williams

What's more, Peter Melchett (who he?) also has some interesting things to say about about agri-business, hi-tech farming and bird flu in today's Guardian: A wild bird chase

Eye | Land | View

Lanterns lighten a really overcast day

Hong Kong: I Ching, Book of Changes

Hexagram 7, 師 Shih / The Army -> Hexagram 35, 晉 Chin / Progress
Source: afpc

Eye | Land | View

Ferry terminal

Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.



Have a great weekend.

Eye | Land | View

(click on photo to enlarge)

Cloud patrol

Attention, cloud spotters! The Cloud Appreciation Society

Deep throat

Gyuto Tantric Monks, sacred chants of Tibet: bbc worldmusic
Gyuto, a brief history: Gyuto

Gyuto Monks, Yamantaka (8min 58 secs) streaming audio: Wisconsin
Gyuto Monks, Mahakala (28min 20 secs), streaming audio: Gyuto

Who’s attacking marxist.org?

China's capitalist roaders are suspected of trying to block access to Marxist texts: NYT (registration-free link)

Marxist.org: attack log
Marxist.org: mirror site (UK)

There's heaps more, but this is some of what's in their archives . . .
Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Guy Debord: The Society of the Spectacle
Christopher Hill: The English Revolution 1640
Lu Xun: The True Story of Ah-Q
Karl Marx & Frederick Engels: Communist Manifesto

Hong Kong: South China Morning Post drama continues

Robert Mountfort was SCMP's photo editor until he was dismissed in June 2006 by the apparently humour-impaired Editor-in-Chief, Mark Clifford . . . Since when there have been a bunch more sackings and, erh, "resignations".

The latest South China Morning Post casualty?

Tuesday, Gracia Wong, a 19-year veteran SCMP librarian, was notified that she had been fired nine months short of her 20-year pension payout as a “mandatory redundancy with immediate effect.”

Nice one, SCMP.

SCMP's continuing turmoil: Asia Sentinel

For newer/previous posts, please click on scmp in Labels.

Hong Kong: Legislative Council Questions

Some of the questions (and answers) from the LegCo meeting of Wednesday, 7 February 2007:

LCQ1: Natural gas supply strategy
LCQ5: Seismic resisting capability of buildings
LCQ19: Organic food

Eye | Land | View

(click on photo to enlarge)

Pak Tai Temple, hoop dreams

Hong Kong: Wordjazz for Stevie

For many years Jonathan Chamberlain lived on a little island in the South China Sea. But he doesn't live here anymore.

Since when, however, he has written a memoir about eight of those years. Tumultous years they were too. For those were the years he shared with Stevie, his profoundly handicapped daughter, and wife Bernie, soon after taken away by a terminal cancer.

Two excerpts from the memoir: Wordjazz For Stevie. Thanks, Jonathan!

Plus, Jonathan's Fighting Cancer: A Survival Guide

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Late afternoon, sitting out area

Hong Kong Copy News

Hong Kong's on-line satirical roundup of Hong Kong news -- Hong Kong Copy News -- delivered in glorious hand-crafted 2D animation.

Copy News took a break over Christmas and New Year, but since mid-January it's been news, news and more news: Scaly-breasted Munia, Soko Island, Nostoc (and more): hong kong copy news

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(click on image to enlarge)

One of the friendliest of the mostly friendly dogs on a little island in the South China Sea, Juno

Hong Kong: I Ching, Book of Changes

Hexagram 46, 升 Shêng / Pushing Upward -> Hexagram 9, 小 畜 Hsiao Ch'u / The Taming Power of the Small
Source: afpc

Eye | Land | View

(click on photo to enlarge)

Harbour, Saturday afternoon. A cormorant? Think so. But Wikipedia lists all sorts of cormorants. Anonymous, do you know which variety is this one? Thanks!

Please see Comment. Thanks, Anonymous!

Alain Bashung: Volutes

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure:

Volutes? Curlicues/spirals. In one superbly timed take: the singer, his song, harmonica, frisky girlfriend (marginally NSFW), a roadside, toke of a smoke, some aeroplanes . . .



Have a great weekend!

Hong Kong: ParknShop shopping card

Picked up an application form for the recently launched ParknShop shopping card, "It's FREE! Apply now!"

The supermarket chain's claimed benefits for shoppers includes lower prices on "Exclusive Member Prices", which is interesting.

For instance, a one litre tetrapak of Devondale New Zealand UHT Skimmed Milk, usually retails at HK$15.50. Currently, it is on "Price Watch" at HK$12.90. With the shopping card, make that HK$12.40. Buy two? HK$18.80. Buy two with the shopping card? HK$17.80.

Prices which are academic, however, as the local ParknShop is out of stock.

At minimum, ParknShop require yr name, ID card number, address, and a contact phone number. There's also another page in the leaflet/ application where you can volunteer all sorts of personal info so they can offer you personalised offers.

Yeah, well.

What else? "Terms and Conditions" (in Chinese and English) are the usual but in the smallest type available. Mister Bijou can make out the characters in Chinese, but the English looks like a thin stream of data. Even viewed through Mister Bijou's Sunday best spectacles.

Mister B challenges anyone to read the English and tell me what it says. But there's no need; it's on their website: parknshop

Ha! Section 10: English Version Prevails

Let's see, section 9.3d gives them carte blanche to use yr details "by us, our subsidiaries, our affiliates and/or Our Partners" and section 9.5 allows for transfer of yr details "to Hutchison Whampoa Limited, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, their respective subsidiaries and any company in which the same has an interest (collectively "Hutchison Group")".

Not forgetting the standard (section 9.4): "You further agree that we may disclose and transfer (whether in Hong Kong or abroad) to our agents, contractors, any telecommunications operations, any third party collection agencies, any credit reference agencies, any security agencies, any credit providers, banks, financial institutions, any other persons under a duty of confidentiality to us and any of our actual or proposed assignees or transferees of our rights with respect to you to use, disclose, hold, process, retain or transfer such Personal Data for the purpose mentioned above."

Data mining, don't you just love it?

Mister Bijou will apply and supply the minimum.

Then go over to the other supermarket chain, Wellcome, and apply for one of their recently launched shopping cards, too.

Hong Kong: Pottinger Street

History of one of the oldest and first streets of colonial Hong Kong + couple of photos of Pottinger Street in the 1930s + location of the 1940-41 Air Raid Precaution shelter + link to some of the marvellous Hedda Morrison photos of Hong Kong as it was in 1946: batgung

Eye | Land | View

Looking north

Hong Kong: Literary Mayhem

Storm in a literary teapot featuring a local self-publicist/writer and a local publisher/on-line book retailer. At stake? Pride, honour, power and the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival and Man Asia Literary Prize. What else? A conversation secretly taped in an up-market coffee shop: Asia Sentinel

Hong Kong: smog, smog, smog

These are reading for the Air Pollution Index . . . at midnight (00.00), 1 February 2007. Presumably, the air available for living things on a little island in the South China Sea is of slightly better quality. Presumably . . .

High, High, High Very High, Very High, Very High.

(a) Nitrogen dioxide
(b) Respirable suspended particulates
(c) Current API
(d) Past 24 hours (scroll down for charts): 24API

Environmental Protection Department (ha!)