What's in a Name?

4 Sep 2010 - Two hundred people sharing the surname Shan in a village in Shandong province have been forced by China's unbending bureaucracy to change their family name as the character is so rare it cannot be typed. So far, they had no problem when identity cards, driving licenses and other documents could be handwritten, but now they have to be printed using computers. Their name is so unusual that it does not exist in word processing programmes. "Nobody wants to do it, but under the circumstances we have no chance," villager Xian Xuexin (new name) told state television, using a new, easy to type family name. People may ask "What's in a name?", but your name is part of your identity.

Great Picture (15)

4 Sep. 2010 - Dutch newspaper the 'Parool' published this great shot by Elmer van de Marel. It shows the preparations for the annual Dam-to-Dam run, a half marathon in Amsterdam city. It reminds me how much I miss my bicycle. Normally it is not allowed to cycle through the IJ-tunnel, but these officials got the treat. Look at the speed! Exciting.

823 (2)

3 Sep 2010 - OK, I am sorry, but this is going to be a bit of rant. Yesterday it was reported that three of the coffins containing the bodies of the Manila hostage disaster were wrongly labeled. The errors were discovered when members of one of the Hong Kong families went to identify the body of their loved one and found that the body in the coffin was not their relative. The other seven coffins had to be opened for inspection after the discovery and it was found that three coffins were wrongly labeled. The Hong Kong Government said the error had occurred at the Manila funeral home. How much salt needs to be added to open wounds? I am outraged how Philipino officials make mistake after mistake, and it leaves me with the impression of total chaos in their system and disrespect for the victims and their families. It is very frustrating that there is nothing we can do about it. Damn. And how about the Hong Kong officials who were sent to Manila to ensure that the reception, identification and transport of the bodies was well taken care of? Damn Damn Damn.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ...

3 Sep 2010 - From a Fung Shui perspective, the incorrect placement of mirrors may create problems. For instance, having a mirror on the ceiling above your bed will result in poor sleep and could lead to arguments between your partner and you. Likewise, a mirror on the ceiling above the dining table will result in stress and tension when eating and impaired concentration could mar your work if your desk is below a reflective surface. If a mirror is in such a position that it can't be moved, one may consider painting over it so that it is no longer reflective. Hanging a mirror at the foot of the bed is less of a problem, as long as you do not see yourself, but take note that the mirror will still reflect your chi, or energy, when you are moving around in your sleep. Fung Shui masters claim that you will feel the difference when you remove such a mirror.

Wealth Gap

2 Sep 2010 - We hear a lot about the (growing) wealth gap in Asia, but sometimes it is difficult to get some facts about this phenomena. Edusports, an Indian agency promoting sport in schools, just published a survey about the health status of India's city children. The shocking result is that 23% of these children aged between five and 14 in city schools is considered overweight. About one in 10 were even considered obese, according to the measurements of the WHO children's body mass index. There are no figures available about teh health status of the same age group in rural areas, but it is fair to assume that a good part is still considered underweight. These statistics point to the widening wealth gap between India's booming cities and impoverished rural areas. And I am pretty convinced that other Asian countries, notably China, show similar trends.

Thai Food

2 Sep 2010 - A woman, weighing 274 kgs. and believed to be the heaviest in Thailand, has left her flat for the first time in three years with the help of Bangkok city officials and a forklift. Neighbors of the 40-years old woman contacted the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority when they learned that she needed medical attention to remove a tumor in her right leg. Media-savvy governor Sukhumband Parlbatra summoned camera crews to document the event, rescue workers, demolition crews, doctors and nurses. The patient said she could walk only a few meters on her own and was confined to her studio apartment, where she runs a laundry service with the help of her two adopted sons. She flashed a "V" sign for victory as she was lowered from the apartment by a lift constructed outside. A forklift then transferred her to an ambulance that took her to hospital.

Video Game Addiction

1 Sep 2010 - Only in America! District judge Alan Kay in Honolulu, Hawaii, ruled that four out of eight charges can go ahead in a lawsuit brought by a man who claims he is psychologically dependent and addicted to an online video game, called Lineage II. Craig Smallwood , 51, said he had played the online role-playing game for more than 20,000 hours since 2004 and was now unable to function independently in daily activities, such as getting dressed., bathing or communicating with family and friends. He said the game South Korean's maker, NCSoft, which demanded the case to be dismissed, had not warned him about the risk of addiction. Stay tuned, because if he looses the case he may sue his mother for putting him on the planet in the first place. And I eat my hat if NCSoft is not quietly very happy with all the free attention for their product?

Migraine

1 Sep 2010 - Migraines affect about one in six women and one in 12 men, and have been estimated to be the most expensive brain disorder to society in the European Union and USA. Not only are migraines painful, they can also be disabling and are often a life-long condition. The exact causes of the disorder remain unknown. However, migraines are believed to occur when inflammatory chemicals are released around the nerves and blood vessels in the head, inducing pain that can be excruciating. The condition is sometimes accompanied by nausea and hyper-sensitivity to light and sound. An international scientific team has now for the first time identified an inherited risk factor associated with migraines and say the research could open the way for new treatments to prevent attacks. It was found that patients with a certain DNA variant affecting regulation of a particular brain chemical have a greater risk of developing migraines.

The New Stethoscope

31 Aug 2010 - For a long time the stethoscope has been one of the symbols of the medical profession. However, the stethoscope - medical icon, life-saver and doctor's best friend - is increasingly disappearing from hospitals across the world as physicians use their smartphones to monitor patients' heart beats. More than three million doctors have downloaded a HKD 7 application - invented by Peter Bentley, a researcher from University College, London - that turns the Apple iPhone into a stethoscope. Experts said that the software has saved lives and enabled doctors in remote areas to access specialist expertise. Bentley's iStethoscope application is not the only tool lightening doctors' bags: there are about 6,000 applications related to health in the Apple App store. The uptake has been rapid. It was reported that two-thirds of the doctors are using smartphones, and 80% of doctors they will own a smartphone by 2012.

John Lennon's Pot

31 Aug 2010 - Last week we had a media frenzy about the news that the Liverpool birth house of Beatle Ringo Starr (with double 'rr' if I remember well) was up for demolition. Well, fasten your seat-belts for another media storm because it has been made public that John Lennon's toilet was sold for GBP 9,500. That may sound like a good deal assuming the water closet was made from gold, but unfortunately it just a simple porcelain sample. The toilet is painted with blue flowers, and belonged for many years to John Lennon. The item was sold to an overseas buyer at the 33rd annual Beatles Convention auction in Liverpool for nearly 14 times the expected price. Lennon owned the toilet at his Tittenhurst Park home (sorry I cannot help that name) in Berhshire, from 1969 to 1972. It is not known if Lennon got the inspiration for some of his famous songs while sitting on his porcelain throne.

Mak Fung

30 Aug 2010 - There is a great photo exhibition about our city's history going on. Late local photographer Mak Fung became famous in his later years for the treasure trove of photographic heritage he collected over his lifetime, showing in remarkable detail the transformation of Hong Kong. The Upper Station Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition "Hong Kong as it was" to showcase Mak's images of the city's history. Mak said "I was only trying to capture the street scenes with a few friends in the 1950s. It was relevant to our humble backgrounds, and we did not have much ambition beyond reflecting the lives of the common folks ... I thought photography should be about human life, just like literature, and I de-emphasized the aesthetic aspects". The Upper Station Gallery is at 22 Upper Station Street in Sheung Wan, and the exhibition runs til 17 October 2010. Highly recommended to everybody who wants to learn about Hong Kong.

Warren Buffett

30 Aug 2010 - Today is the 80th birthday of the "world's greatest investor" Warren Buffett. Mr. Buffett is probably also known as one of the world's most generous philanthropist, because he has given about USD 30 million to charity - the largest donation in history. He is a big donor to Bill Gates' Gates Foundation. A man of few material needs, Buffett has planned all along to give his wealth away. He told the New York Times that he does not believe in dynastic wealth, and described those who grow up wealthy as "members of the lucky sperm club". Currently Mr. Buffett is ranked as the third richest person in the world. Buffett was born in Omah (nebraska) and has earned his nickname the "Oracle of Omaha", because his investments - through his company Berkshire Hathaway - are so successful. I wish him a Happy Birthday!

Voting Diplomats

29 Aug 2010 - There is an ongoing debate in Hong Kong about universal suffrage for the Hong Kong people. So I was surprised to read in HK Magazine that some diplomats in the territory can vote. Among the seven million people in Hong Kong, only 226,000 people are eligible to vote for the functional constituencies in the Legislative Council (Legco). So it is astonishing that Cable TV discovered that some foreign delegates stationed in Hong Kong actually are eligible to vote too, because they are members of the chamber of commerce in Hong Kong. They can vote for the legislator representing the commerce sector. It means that even the de facto Taiwan representatives, not immediately China's best friends, can vote, while millions of Hong Kong residents can not. How absurd is that?

Madame Tussauds

29 Aug 2010 - I have never been to the Madame Tussauds Museum on The Hong Kong Peak. I remember seeing the waxed figures for the first time in London many years ago, and they looked somewhat scary - almost ghost-like. Also, most wax figures did not really look like the original, because there was no light in their eyes and no soul in their guts. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Manager Kitty Tang explained in an interview how her staff walks around every morning from 8 am to 10 am to ensure the wax figures look perfect. The hair needs to be tidied and they need to zip up the male figure's pants as visitors are very curious to see if some special body parts are wax as well. Shirts need to be replaced because they get covered with lipstick. People also shake hands with the figures, so a set of spare hands is available because the hands get dirty. The most popular figures in Hong Kong are Jackie Chan and Andy Lau. Unzipped and covered in lipstick.  

Quote of the Day (20)

29 Aug 2010 - I came across this interesting line: "Tough times don't last, but tough people do." It is a good quote and it is probably true, but it made me think if one always needs to be tough to get through the tough times. Probably not - it seems helpful to sometimes loosen up a bit.