Great Picture (32)

13 March 2011 - Today I send my sympathies to the people of Japan - struck by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Many terrifying images has surfaced, but I stick to this simple image of people in a bookshop in Sendai, who froze when the roof ovetr their heads collapsed.

China Overheating

11 March 2011 - Confidence in Chongqing's property sector runs high, despite a raft of borrowing and buying restrictions in recent months as China's central government seeks to rein in soaring prices.

Even the introduction of a brand new city property tax failed to cool ardour.In fact, at the Lishui Jingyuan development - a very typical Chinese forest of skyscrapers that towers over the Yangtze River - sales have actually increased.In the show flat, lavishly decorated with magnificent views of the neighbours' bedrooms, sales manager Tang Yang shares her thoughts on how buyers think."People are trying their best to buy now because the government may tighten the market further," she explains.First-time buyers must now make a minimum down-payment of 30% on home purchases.For young couples, families often pool their cash to help them on to the property ladder.Further cooling measures in place now include a ban on banks offering discounts on interest rate payments.The banks have also been ordered to strictly restrict lending on home owners' equity - a typical way to raise a deposit on another mortgaged property.Those buying a second property must find a 60% deposit and pay higher interest charges. Bank loans for a third property are banned.

Bumper War

10 March 2011 - A Manchester United fan has had her bumper sticker censored after a complaint was made to police that it was "offensive". Sarah Webb-Lee, 39, from Stockport, had a car sticker which read: "On the first day God created United then completely f+++i-up up and created City." When officers told her to take it down she refused, but later agreed to have a letter removed. Police said the swear word used breached public order legislation. A neighbourhood team officer was sent round to Mrs Webb-Lee's home in Cale Green, Stockport, after a local councillor passed on to police a complaint they had received from a resident. She was informed that the language used on the sticker was offensive under the terms of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. "I couldn't believe it when they told me," she said.

Fur

9 March 2011 - With many thanks to the Big White Guy in the City of Buzz, I blog about fur today. Local newspapers reports that Hong Kong is the fur hub of the world, handling 70 per cent of globe's raw furs and 80 per cent of its processed furs. Unsurprisingly, mainland China is the biggest market. It seems odd that furs come through a city which is so hot and humid much of the year, but there it is.The article made no mention of the ethics of the fur trade, but that's not to say there haven't been protests against fur in the Big Lychee. Ethics regarding animals are quite different in the motherland and changing minds isn't easy, especially when it's so cold in northern China, and certainly when increasing numbers of wealthy mainlanders are eager to display their status.Hong Kongers have no reason to wear fur; it rarely gets much colder in the winter than 5C, and trying to prevent mold damage would be a never-ending battle. For those who want the real thing regardless, recycled furs may be the ticket: they don't involve the cruelty often perpetrated by the fur industry, and they don't involve the use of petroleum products and toxic chemicals in the manufacture of fake fur.Once fur traders figure that out, you can be certain that Hong Kong will capture the world market for recycled furs as well.

Hayabusa

8 March 2011 - Since the launch of the first "Shinkansen" train lines in the 1960s, Japan has been a world leader in the production of bullet trains. And the country's latest effort - unveiled in Tokyo - is no slouch. The Hayabusa train, which has a distinctive long nose, can travel at speeds of up to 180mph and will carve across the country from Tokyo to the northern city of Aomon in just three hours and ten minutes. The company behind the green-and-silver train, the East Japan Railways Co, says the E5 series of bullet trains will be able to travel up to 198mph by next yearm making it the country's fastest train. It is not just speed over substance either, the Hayabusa (literally "Falcon") train will be among the quietest on the tracks and for those wishing to splash out, there is even a first-class cabin that will be the envy of the airline industry. A one-way tocket in the "Granclass" carriage will cost nearly GBP 200.

Rain Trees

7 March 2011 - The public in Malaysia has been advised against drinking the "holy water" showering down from a tree in Pinang Tunggal and another in Siungai Petani. The Consumers Association of Penang  rural education officer N.V. Subbarow said it was foolish for anyone to wipe their bodies and faces with the water or to even drink it. "people are merely exposing themselves to unknown risks as the authorities have yet to run tests on the water. They should be reminded that many diseases are spread by animals and insects, including leptospirosis which is spread through water." he said. Thousands of people from afar have been flocking to see the two trees since late February. Witnesses claimed they had felt showers from the trees - a 12m high petal tree and an 18m high wild tree in Taman Ria Jaya. Subbarow said that those people making a fast buck from selling the "holy water" at MYR 5 per glass were being "irresponsible".

Sperm Quality

6 March 2011 - Sperm quality significantly deteriorated and testicular cancers increased over recent years, a Finnish study says. The study in the International Journal of Andrlogy looked at men born between 1979 and 1987. The University of Turku research suggests environmental reasons, particularly exposure to industrial chemicals, may be behind both trends. A UK expert said chemicals may affect the development of male babies. Finnish men were studied as they have previously been shown to have some of the highest sperm counts in the world. But scientists were never sure if this was because of their genetics or because they were exposed to fewer harmful chemicals.'Danger chemicals'. The researchers looked at three groups of men who reached the age 19 between 1998 and 2006.Men who were born in the late 1980s had lower sperm counts than those who were born in the beginning of the decade.Total sperm counts were 227m for men born in 1979-81, 202m for those born in 1982-83 and 165m for men born in 1987, respectively.In addition, the researchers observed that there was a higher incidence of testicular cancer in men born around 1980 compared with men born around 1950.