SGP = HKG

23 Oct 2010 - People in Hong Kong like to compare. They compare everything and often argue that others are more privileged than themselves or that life is not fair to them. But people also take great pride in the "miracle called Hong Kong", although recently more critical voices about the functioning and the future of the territory are heard. people often compare Hong Kong to Singapore, and of course they argue that Hong Kong is better. Singaporeans seem to be more relaxed about this rivalry, and point out the uniqueness and the comparisons between the two sisters. I came across an interesting article that compares the two, so it also happens here in the Lion's city: Teh Marik = Milk Tea, Universal Sudios = HK Disneyland, Casinos= Macau, Fishhead curry = Curry Fish balls, Kopi = Yuen Yang, MRT = MTR, Geyiang = Mongkok and Love Lettrs = Egg Rolls. The sisters have so much to offer ...

Clean Asia Games?

23 Oct 2010 - The last week has mostly been grey and hazy in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, which is preparing itself to host the Asia Games in November. Hazy days are nothing special, most days are rather grey. But the city Guangzhou Government chose to take a different take on things and launched a massive propaganda campaign  to pronounce the city ready to take on the grand event. Speaking at a press Conference Mayor Wan Qingliang said "Guangzhou's sky is bluer and the water is clearer. Some citizens said they could enjoy the sunshine during the day and the moonlight during the night. Many could even count the stars in the night sky while taking a stroll." People in the audience were shocked and in disbelief. Residents cannot recall any night in the last year when they saw stars shining in the sky in downtown Guangzhou. Guangzhou's rivers are clotted-up and black. Does Guangzhou really need this kind of nonsense to turn the Games into a success. Get real!

5,117 Steps

23 Oct 2010 - People move less and less, and get fatter and fatter. The Western world is affected, but increasingly the phenomena is seen in the East as well, where many people struggle with obesity. Americans do not walk a lot: they prefer the car. The number of steps the average adult Americans walks a day, numbers 5,117 according to a new study. They are outpaced by Australians, Asians and Europeans. Adults in Western Australia average 9,695 steps a day, followed by the Swiss with 9,650. "Five thousand steps is pretty inactive," said David Bassett of the University of Tenessee, the lead author of the study. And just imagine all those mountains those Swiss have to climb while making those steps ...

Inconvenient whistling

22 Oct 2010 - Only in the United States of America, where people can be sued for, well, almost nothing. A man is facing an assault charge for hitting a town hall custodian on the back of the head with a roll of toilet paper, because he was angry the cleaning man was whistling while he worked. Police in Framingham, in the US state of Massachusetts, say Allen Kerner, 55, was in the town hall using the bathroom while the custodian whistled as he replenished toilet rolls. The custodian told police he was in a stall when he was struck. Kerner yelled at him and fled, but he was caught outside. There are probably more serious assaults than being hit on the head with a roll of toilet paper, but with a bit luck the whistling cleaning man walks out with a couple of hundreds of thousands.

Bear on the Loose

22 Oct 2010 - Some news is too good to be true. Singapore authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the Dutch electronics group Philips over their most recent marketing campaign in the city state. In the online video campaign a wild bear appears to be roaming in one of the cities residential areas. Some citizens realized it was a stunt, but the zoo sent some of their staff with a tranquilizer gun on a search for the animal. Philips has apologized for what was in fact a human being in a bear costume. A spokesperson said that the company did not want to cause harm Police said they were investigating Philips for causing a public nuisance under section 268 of the penal code. Unfortunately I did not see the video yet (but would love to), because I wonder what the bear was advertising for? The Philipshave perhaps?

Divorce Record

21 Oct 2010 - After all the happy reports about marriages and weddings earlier this week, it is time for some reality. The number of couples seeking divorce every day on the mainland has reached 4,500, according to state media. The Civil Affairs Ministry said 848,000 couples registered for divorce in the first half of the year, up nearly 10% over the same period last year, the Legal Evening News said. The number of mainland couples splitting up has increased by nearly 8% every year since 2003, when the Government simplified regulations on divorce, the paper said. It is not clear if people also easier get married, and what the main reasons for the increase in break-up's is. Or did many Chinese married couples lead miserable lives, because it was simply too difficult - or expensive - to divorce?

Dying Salamanders

19 Oct 2010 - It has been some time since I wrote about the Shanghai Expo, which is probably a good sign. However, the Expo got in the news again. Thedeats of 15 Chinese giant salamanders at the World Expo are no big deal, officials said. The salamanders were at the Shaanxi province pavillion for three weeks in August. Nine died then, and six died after they were removed to a "quiet indoor" place in Shanghai - they prefer dark, quiet environment and rapid running creeks with water below 25 degrees Celsius. An official from the Hanzhuong Fishing Affairs Supervision Station sniffed at the death of"just a dozen". Chinese giant salamanders, which can grow to a length of up to 1.8 meters, are the largest in the world and have a history of 350 million years. It seems no difference is made in the valuation of salamanders' (and other?) life.

Money From the Sky

18 OCT 2010 - What would you do if money would fall from the sky? Would you stuff your pocket and run? Ot take an other approach? Unfortunately money does not grow on trees, but it seemed to fall from the sky in the United States city of Indianapolis. Police say three bundles of money feel from the back of an armoured car near an intersection in the city. A car hit one of the bundles, sending bills into the air. Witnesses (so there were bystanders; people just witnessing the whole event without getting directly involved) said about 10 people stormed through traffic to fill their arms with cash dollars. Two others stopped to help collect he money and guard it until police arrived.

SARS Thriller

17 Oct 2010 - Last week Hollywood Director Steven Soderbergh re-created flashbacks of the SARS era in the territory, while filing for his new blockbuster movie Contagion. The action thriller about the spread of a deadly virus starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard is among the handful production that have been allowed to film in Hong Kong's International Airport's no-go zones. One scene filmed at the airport featured Paltrow and Coutillard playing WHO experts. Earlier last week, both ladies were seen at Aberdeen's Tai Pak Floating Restaurant, which was transformed into a casino set. Other scenes were filmed in To Kwa Wan, Mong Kok and Shek O. Around 300 people were hired for a scene in a To Kwa wan factory doubling as the home of "patient zero". The 300 amateur actors played an army of medical staff who turned up to sterilize the apartment.

Planning Sex

17 Oct 2010 - While the Chinese Government is still in panick how to respond to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to mainland intellectual Liu Xiaobo, who is jailed for 11 years for non-patriotic behavior, I picked up the following article. Three gay men have been sentenced to an unspecified number of years in jail and another was ordered detained by Baixa District Peoples' Court in Nanjing for intending to have sex, Xinhuanet reports. police said they discovered the four men in a hotel room while on patrol in the building. The men were not decently dressed and several unused condoms were found in the room. This raises a lot of questions and concerns: people can easily be detained in the mainland, for example for the intend of having sex? What was the police doping in the hotel? What is "not decently dressed"? And shouldn't the guys be applauded for having condoms available in times of  HIV/AIDS? Wakakaka.