Wednesday, August 31, 2005
But cycling back and forth along the Sai Wan waterfront road sure works wonders on body and soul: physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Kerouac's On the Road? First time I read it I was doing a lot of drugs. Re-reading it a couple of years ago, drug-free, I was agreeably surprised at how well the book had withstood the test of time. Worth a look.
With the prosecution and defense finished presenting their cases and summations, Justice Michael Lunn began his directions to the jury Tuesday in the trial of Nancy Kissel, who stands accused of murdering her husband, top Merrill Lynch banker Robert Kissel.Report here,
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Has there ever been a rock star as contrary as Bob Dylan? When taken for a folk singer, interpreting traditional songs, he started to write his own. When taken for a topical songwriter who would dutifully put his music behind party-line messages, and praised as the spokesman for a generation, he became an ambiguous, visionary poet instead. And when taken for an acoustic-guitar troubadour who was supposed to cling to old, virtuous rural sounds, he plugged in his guitar, hired a band and sneered oracular electric blues.Full text (NYT, reg required).
The website i-resign.com is truly an inspiration. Everything you need to know (and everything you don't) about quitting your job with flair is here. Need a resignation letter? Templates ranging from the dignified to the hilariously insulting are ready for use. Or how about an online calculator to work out your holiday pay? With these tools there's no way you can get shafted with your final pay cheque.
Since almost all Hong Kong's basic necessities in food and other consumer items have to be imported -- vegetables, fresh pork, fresh chicken, live freshwater fish from China; everything else from around the globe -- these price increases were in part a reflection of the shift down in the Hong Kong dollar against most other currencies. With a less favourable exchange rate, the same items cost more.
Added to which, various recent food scares about the safety of pork and fish from China have also resulted either in lower or the complete cessation of the importation of such items. Consumers, if they have a mind to eat such foodstuffs, have been obliged to buy more expensive products imported from areas other than China.
Then there is the price of oil... Currently US$70 a barrel. Received wisdom is that speculators have pushed the price to US$20 more than it need be. Be that as it may, the traded price is the traded price. Airlines hereabouts have twice increased the fuel surcharge for passenger flights this year. Likely the airlines, like the container ship owners, have increased their freight charges applying to their customers: shippers, traders, merchants, retailers.
For local consumers, more price hikes are in the 'pipeline': from First Ferry (+ 9.6%?) and others. Details here.
Since wage increases always lag behind price hikes, for the forseeable future for wage earners what's in store is less spending power and the reduced ability to save.
Monday, August 29, 2005
In spite of the long shift hours, colleagues off duty could go swimming at Tung Wan Beach on the island's east coast. Some preferred to go to the cinema or take strolls around the island. There used to be some twenty cooked-food stalls near the ferry pier and many colleagues enjoyed the seafood and other delicious snacks at these stalls. A retired colleague who had worked at Cheung Chau for a long time planted many kinds of fruit trees, such as orange, shaddock, loquat, sapodilla, papaya, banana, etc. in the station garden. His efforts were highly appreciated, and many colleagues could recount how good the fruits tasted.History of a little island in the South China Sea's aeronautical, meteorological and signal station? More here.
Hurricane Katrina is a big one: 160mph sustained winds, gusts higher; rain; floods...
Non-Precipitation Watch/Warning/Advisory, one of the scariest warnings ever.
Hurricane KATRINA Public Advisory
US National Hurricane Center
It all looks very bad. I was in Hong Kong in 1983 for Typhoon Ellen. It was not a picnic, believe me. A major typhoon (Typhoon Signal No. 10, highest warning) and direct hit, Typhoon Ellen was one of the scariest, most frightening times I have ever experienced. And there have been a few... ever looked down the wrong end of handgun? Had a stranger pull a knife on you? Neither events, I hasten to add, took place in Hong Kong. But I digress.
I was living on the 16th floor of a 24-floor highrise, in a residential complex on the west coast of Hong Kong island. Our block was mostly sideways on to the winds and rains. The building... swayed. Yes, swayed. The noise? It was like an express train roaring past. Bushes flew past our taped-up windows, the glass panes bending in and out. The rain went past sideways. My partner and I soon moved from our bedroom to the living room, where we hid under the duvet. The whole thing happened at night, lasted for hours, and no one got any sleep. Fortunately, the electricity stayed up. The next day, we ventured out to see the damage in the neighbourhood, which was a lot...
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Never need to go through a Big One again, thank you very much.
So, I wish all those in Katrina's path the best of luck.
Typhoon: Chinese for big wind.
Hurricane: Spanish from hura¡kan, the Taino word.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Some of the recordings are taken from the BBC radio shows of John Peel or Andy Kershaw. Always a pleasure to hear the witty and entertaining HMHB -- Joy Division Oven Gloves; When the Evening Sun Goes Down; Paintball's Coming Home; I'm Throwing Rice (At the Girl I Love). The pleasure doubled with Peel or Kershaw attached.
More recently, moistworks has put up several tracks by Luc Ferrari. Luc who? First I'd heard of him was a few days ago when his obituary started popping up. Ferrari was, I learned, a composer who used tape recording of ambient environmental sounds in "an organized and poetic, though non-plot oriented manner." That's from the Wiki entry.
Can recommend at Moistworks the excerpt from Presque Rien No. 1 "Le lever du jour au bord de la mer" (1970); the excerpt from Presque Rien No. 2 "Ainsi continue la nuit dans ma tete multiple" (1972); Danses Organique Part IV (1973).
Moistworks, one to bookmark.
The term 'curry' was a product of the British Raj and the word has since become synonymous worldwide for food from the Indian sub-continent. But credit where credit is due: praise be to those 16th century Spanish explorers, adventurers, merchants and missionaries who brought those fiery red chilis from Central America to the Indian sub-continent, China and southeast Asia. Without those chilis, not only Indian but also Thai, Vietnamese, Malay and Sichuan food would taste totally different...
Saturday, August 27, 2005
But there is another kind of blackout: alcoholic blackout. I'd never heard of that until I met some sober alcoholics.
Hang on, just hold on a second... the term 'sober alcoholics', isn't that an oxymoron? Perhaps it is, but that is what they call themselves. If the term helps to keep them sober, more power to them, eh?
Anyway, there's a useful article about alcoholic blackouts published in the weekend edition of the [Hong Kong] Standard: blank tapes.
The triad gangs? There are several, the biggest being the Sun Yee On (新義安). At the sharp end of capitalism, criminal enterprises such as Sun Yee On generally only resort to violence if it concerns finance, loyalty, discipline, internal or external affairs. Eight or ten toughs beat someone unconscious; a hitman imported from the mainland puts a bullet in the head of a current or ex- business partner; two or three street fighters chop the arms and legs of someone who has tried to wriggle out of paying any of their debt to the loanshark.
So, the triad-style attack on Thursday evening against a seven-year-old boy -- chopping the little lad's arms so that the muscle in his arms has been all but severed -- has provoked public outrage.
Methinks the Old Bill will be pressuring people in the grey economy and making their lives uncomfortable until they deliver up the malefactors.
More on the triads in Wikipedia.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
There is a growing uneasiness in the air in China, after months of increasingly bold protests rolling across the countryside.Want to find out more? Click here, comrade.
For reasons that range from rampant industrial pollution that recalls the shock of Minamata disease in Japan in the early 1960s to widespread evictions and land seizures by corrupt local governments working with increasingly powerful property developers, ordinary Chinese seem to be saying they are fed up and will not take it anymore.
Each week brings news of at least one or two incidents, with thousands of villagers in a pitched battle with the police, or bloody crackdowns in which hundreds of protesters are tear-gassed and clubbed during roundups by the police. And by the government's own official tally, hundreds of these events each week escape wider public attention altogether.
Until 1856, international law recognized only two legal entities: people and states. People were subject to the laws of their own governments; states were subject to the laws made amongst themselves. The Declaration of Paris created a third entity: people who lacked both the individual rights and protections of law for citizens and the legitimacy and sovereignty of states. This understanding of pirates as a legally distinct category of international criminals persists to the present day, and was echoed in the 1958 and 1982 U.N. Conventions on the Law of the Sea. The latter defines the crime of piracy as "any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends." This definition of piracy as private war for private ends may hold the crux of a new legal definition of international terrorists.Full text here. We will live leave the case of how to address and punish state and state-sponsored terrorism to another day.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Pentagon-organized, the so-called freedom walk is 'to remember the victims of 9/11, to honor U.S. troops and veterans, and to highlight the value of freedom.'
Plus, freedom lovers, there'll be a concert by country singer Clint Black. Mp3 of Clint Black singing his freedom-lovin' I Raq and Roll.
Oh, wait. One of the media co-sponsors of the 'Freedom Walk', Washington Post, has pulled out.
No? Well, on the other side of the highway is an mp3 of I'm Taking My Country Back by the Honky Tonkers For Truth. Can't help you with that new Rolling Stones tune Sweet Neo Con, though. Have to wait for the cd release on 6 September, unless the tune leaks out before then...
Mind you, the BBC Worldservice has already played a couple of short clips from three of the songs on the new album. I think they said those three are already up at iTunes? As appetizers, they were actually quite tasty.
Old joke: what happens if you play a country & western song backwards? You git yor truck back, yor dog back, yor woman back... Told you it was old.
Steve Earle: On My Mind. Great song, great sound. Video here (streaming). Thanks, Gavin!
If you are interested, there is a longer and better argued piece in today's Guardian.
ROBERTSON: There was a popular coup that overthrew him [Chavez]. And what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing. And as a result, within about 48 hours that coup was broken; Chavez was back in power, but we had a chance to move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he's going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.Video (not direct link, Quicktime). Methinks Roberton should discuss with his doctor the dosage of his medication.
You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United ... This is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Vultures are one of the Indian sub-continent's pre-eminent sanitary engineers -- eating up not just the Parsi's dead, but everyone else's: dead cows, goats, dogs, what-have-yous. But in the late 1990s, first peasant farmers and the Parsis, then a scientist, noticed there were fewer and fewer vultures, and that vultures were dropping down dead all over the place. In fact, numbers had plummeted by 99 percent. In less than a decade. Which is why other scientists worldwide quickly joined the quest to figure out what had happened and why. In the interim, the once ubiquitous vulture was promptly put on the critically endangered list.
Meantime, the Parsi's were trying to figure out what to do given the increasing paucity of vultures. Magnify solar rays to dessicate the bodies? Create a netted aviary over the Tower of Silence? The discussion went this way and that. It is still not settled.
Scientists finally identified the culprit as Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) taken to reduce inflammation, such as in arthritis. Turns out the farmers were giving it to their cattle. If a cow keeled over, the opportunistic vultures ate it... and absorbed the diclofenac. With devastating result. It's a fascinating story, more here.
In March 2005, the Indian government ordered diclofenac banned, an order that will take effect by the end of this year. Hopefully, the vultures will recover in number. It is not a given, however. Once a predator's presence diminishes other predators move into the ecological niche. Newly occupied, that niche may no longer be available to vultures in significant number.
Disclosure: I regularly take diclofenac. The only vultures round here wear suits and, as far as I know, while they may try to extract their pound of flesh, it is more often from the living than the dead. Still, to safeguard the future of the (avian) vultures, I guess my diclofenac ingestions disqualify me from ending up at one of those Towers of Silence. Oh, well... there are other ways: ashes to ashes, dust to dust, et cetera. Meanwhile: live well, be thankful, be helpful.
On this, for instance: during the Monday to Friday work-week when we get warning of impending very heavy rains, typhoons and such like, there's a well-ordered, slow-but-sure shutdown of Hong Kong. Depending on the actual or predicted severity, schools close (if they had already opened), followed by work places and, finally, most forms of public transport. If it is a typhoon, people get paid their salary despite the fact they are not at work. A state of affairs just short of bliss. But if it happens at the weekend, outside regular work hours? No financial recompense and a weekend most probably stuck indoors. So why do such weather events and accompanying shutdowns seem to occur most often around the weekend? Why is that?
Monday? Back to work. Outside? Sunshine. Go figure.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
BBC website has all manner of interesting stuff on it. Currently, they have a section about Britain's coast, which also includes video clips of people talking about how they feel about their own bit of seashore. I haven't looked at them all, but there is a nice one by a man who sells fish sandwiches on Brighton beach, a saddish story about a Punch & Judy man, and one about the old, long-ago abandoned River Severn ferry. Much to my surprise, the last-mentioned had Dylan content, and now explains the cover of the next Dylan release, No Direction Home.
BBC Video Nation Coast webpage for River Severn, go here. BBC Video Nation Coast webpage, go here.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
I went out in it this lunchtime to meet up with Mr N, have a snack, pick up a newpaper and buy some food and stuff. No queue in the supermarket, not many people about at all.
Came back, made lunch, put Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks on the cd player. Prince? I have. But only on cassette and nothing to play that on anymore. Still, I needed something to shake things up after Notebooks, so... Changing Faces: The Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme (scroll down for track listing).
Some rain songs:
Come Rain or Come Shine -- Ray Charles
Rain -- The Beatles
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall -- Bob Dylan
Here Comes the Rain -- Eurythmics
Fire and Rain -- James Taylor
Purple Rain -- Prince
The Rain Song -- Led Zeppelin
I Can't Stand the Rain -- Ann Peebles
Who'll Stop the Rain? -- Creedence Clearwater Revival
I Wish It Would Rain -- The Temptations
Little Bit of Rain -- Karen Dalton
Listen to the Rhythm (Of the Falling Rain) –- The Cascades
Buckets of Rain -- Bob Dylan
Singin’ In the Rain -- Gene Kelly
The "gonzo cannon" is all but completed, last-minute organizational details are being worked out and the countdown has begun -- on August 20, the ashes of the late Hunter S. Thompson will be blasted into the air above his home in Woody Creek.Further details and photos at the Aspen Times. Thanks to Gavin for the heads up, and this link!
It reportedly will cost an estimated $4 million, according to sources close to the effort. Those costs are being borne by actor Johnny Depp, a fellow Kentuckian and close friend of the late writer who portrayed Thompson in the film version of his seminal book, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
Friday, August 19, 2005
A fine fish.
According to my copy of Wolfram Eberhard's A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols:
the Chinese words for 'carp' and 'advantage' are phonetically identical: so the carp symbolises a wish for benefit or advantage in business. It is also said that on its journey upstream the carp can jump the rapids in the upper course of the Yellow River (at the Dragon Gate). This feat is compared to success in the state examinations, and is frequently shown in pictures: the carp, surrounded by smaller fish (those who don't pass!), is in the act of making its powerful leap. As this is no easy feat and requires long preparation, the carp is also a symbol of patience and steadfastness.Bow-tie Tsang, who admits to a passion for carp caring and keeping, will already know carp (Cyprinus carpio) are gregarious creatures: there need to be at least five for them to thrive. Less than five, they get depressed and die. Fish, in case you didn't know, have feelings too.
More about carp? Carp (koi).
Our CEO, however, may not know about the person who had a carp tattoo done, completely covering his entire back. Sadly, Keith Alexander died on 11 July 2005, the result of a road traffic accident while riding his bike. Still, the website and photos of the making of the carp tattoo remain. He documented the whole process and it's online.
An hour's pay for a junior McDonald's staff member is not enough to buy the fast-food chain's cheapest combo meal. McDonald's pays its staff $15 an hour - the lowest rate found in a union survey of 80 companies - compared with $20.30 for a Sausage McMuffin with fries and soda.McDonald's Hong Kong website is entertaining. Found on their People Philosophy webpage:
People Promise: "We Value You, Your Growth and Your Contributions"Yeah, right.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Another cool app from Hong Kong Observatory: the lightning detector. Some may scoff, but I think it's cool: cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud lightning strikes. The above shows cloud-to-ground lightning strikes between 9:10-9:39pm on 13 August 2005. More details here.
A little island in the South China Sea is to the southwest of Hong Kong island, as you can see we were treated to a real good show that evening. I saw lightning hit several boats in the harbour, the mast of the weather station at the southern end, and sundry other spots on a little island in the South China Sea. Plus, there was loads of cloud-to-cloud lightning.
Overall, throughout Hong Kong between 9-10pm on that day there were nearly 2,100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. More details here.
The lightning detectors are at Chung Hom Kok, Sha Tau Kok and Tsim Bei Tsui (Hong Kong), Sanshui (Foshan, Guangdong province) and Taipa in Macao. I am not sure how the lightning detectors work, or whether they are a Good Thing, but the Pearl River Delta region now has them.
Lastly, a question of the moment: do mobile phones attract lightning? Does anyone know? Shouldn't someone get on to this burning question? Anyway, it looks like it might be prudent to turn off the mob during a storm while visiting the Great Wall near Beijing. Why? Read here.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
At times, the environmental problems we face can seem overwhelming. Walking amongst the steel and glass towers of central Hong Kong, sometimes it feels as though the natural world no longer exists. Yet, outside the heart of the city, some wild spots still remain. If you come to a pool or stream in one of these places, drop a pebble in the water and see what happens. As the stone vanishes, ripples spread outward across the entire pool. If you drop more stones in, the ripples touch. Working to protect the environment is like dropping a pebble into a vast sea. It takes great courage, but we must do it, no matter how small or weak we may feel. We must strive harder than ever to protect what's left of wild Hong Kong and South China, and find new ways to achieve a balance with nature. Together, we can make waves!
Sinclair, who lives in the New Territories, had popped in to the nearby Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden. According to the Kadoorie website:
Southeast Asia has the richest diversity of chelonians in the world--over 90 species. At least 37 of these are endangered, though it is feared that the count has now doubled in recent decades, due to economic prosperity and open markets. KFBG, like many other organizations, has only recently become aware of the crisis Asian turtles and tortoises face. Our location within Hong Kong gives us a unique perspective and opportunity to aid turtles in their fight for survival. We have already begun a conservation breeding programme which includes the Three-lined Box Turtle Cuora trifasciata also known as the Golden Coin Turtle, and have also successfully bred the Vietnamese Leaf Turtle Annamemys annamensis.The Golden Coin Turtle (Cuora trifasciata) is, of course, on that endangered list -- not just endangered, but critically endangered, on the brink of extinction (aren't we all?). Still, where there's life, so they say, there is hope. Trawling around the web, I came across the Department of Ecology & Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong's online newsletter, Porcupine! I have lived here a considerable time, but this place continues to amaze me. There are sightings (and some photos) of all sorts of Wild Things that live in Hong Kong: wild boar, mongoose, barking deer, masked palm civet, porcupine and a lot else besides. See for yourself, here. Amazing, just amazing. (Oh, I saw a rather large apple green lizard while I was cycling to Sai Wan, yesterday. Apple green, lizard, eight or nine inches long. That's all I know, all I can tell you.)
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
These figures include only deaths from alcohol-related disease, such as cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis and accidental alcohol poisoning, which can be a consequence of binge drinking.Full report in Guardian. Locally, South China Morning Post used to carry a small ad in the classifieds (when their ad rates were still affordable). The ad said: If you want to drink, that's your problem; if you want to stop drinking, that's our problem. Hong Kong Alcoholics Anonymous: 2522-5665; Chinese speaking: 2578-9822. Hong Kong AA website.
If deaths in which alcohol-related violence are a factor are counted, such as stabbings and car accidents, the numbers are vastly higher. The government uses a global figure of around 15,000-22,000 deaths a year, which includes around 1,000 suicides.
Leung Kwok-hung (Chinese: 梁國雄; Cantonese in IPA: lœːŋ kwɔːk hʊŋ; Pinyin: Liáng Guóxióng), also known as Long Hair (長毛) (born 27 March 1956) is a Hong Kong political activist, he is currently a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) representing New Territories East.Full Wiki Long Hair entry here.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Full story at the UK's Daily Mirror. Elsewhere, British Airways unlikely to renew contract with Gourmet Gate. Why? BA's chief executive Rod Eddington is not amused, according to Guardian.
The sacking plan was drawn up by a tight-knit team of hard-line businessmen from GG's US owners, the Texas Pacific Group.
They drafted three options. The most dramatic was the "Mile Stones" plan to provoke unofficial action.
Our insider said a solicitor was consulted. The source said: "He said if staff could be provoked into unofficial action they could all be sacked and have no legal redress. It would also mean the company could seek damages from individuals."
Referring to the firm's drivers, the dossier details how staff could be told their working conditions were going to be dramatically worsened, so provoking fury.
Among the threats listed were: "No redundancy packages, no leaving early, no extra pay for extra work, random drug testing, no smoking, eating or drinking in cabs."
"Even though I knew the iPod, like many other consumer products, was made in China, I had erroneously assumed it would be shipped to Pittsburgh from a U.S. warehouse, perhaps in California where Apple is based."Error! Package trackers know it's a very quick trip for an Ipod from Shanghai, where it was manufactured, to Pittsburgh.
Full story here.
Now, if they would only promptly deliver much needed food and clean water to the countless wretched of the earth...
Sunday, August 14, 2005
"Few men who come to islands leave them; they grow grey where they alighted; the palm shades and the trade winds fan them till they die, perhaps cherishing to the last the fancy of returning home...no part of the world exerts the same attractive power."The imaginative power of islands.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Timely, eh? Lennon & McCartney's Maxwell's Silver Hammer (click on song title, that will take you to a page where you click on 'watch this movie!'). Bang, bang, clang, clang! Animation, very funny. (Flash required) Oh, the song has a page on Wikipedia, too.
This is a story about a military-industrial complex, about power and politics and propaganda, about efforts to prevent high-technology weapons from reaching the hands of the enemy. It is about the tension between armaments production and environmental damage. It documents interference by intelligence agencies in political affairs. But it's not about the United States or the Soviet Union, or the nuclear arms race or intercontinental ballistic missiles. It's about cast-iron cannon, and it took place four hundred years ago in a small corner of England.In short, the Tudor military-industrial complex. A readable and fascinating account. Truly!
Friday, August 12, 2005
In London, Gate Gourmet sacked by megaphone more than 600 poorly paid (mostly Asian) workers. Many of those workers had family or friends who are British Airways baggage handlers or other ground staff. When someone kicks you, you kick back. Hence, the BA unofficial wildcat strike.
Oh, BA used to do their own catering in house at Heathrow until 1997. They then sold their catering operation to Gate Gourmet.
Gate Gourmet is owned by private equity investment firm Texas Pacific Group, based in Fort Worth, Texas. A founding partner of the group, David Bonderman, held his 60th birthday party at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on 16 November 2002. Music for the party ? The Rolling Stones. It was an expensive party. To see what we missed, play list and more details here.
A document recovered from the Recycle Bin of ex-Microsoft vice president Kai Fu-Lee's PC has apparently revealed a belief that Microsoft could sue over Google's decision to hire Lee.That phrase 'revealed a belief' is a might odd, but it's the reporters turn of phrase, not mine. A cautionary tale, all the same.
The weather has been beautiful all week, until this morning. Today is hot and heavy. I thought something was up, so I checked the Hong Kong Observatory. Sure enough: 'at 3pm tropical cyclone Sanvu was travelling at 28km per hour in a northwesterly direction towards southeastern China'.
On its current track it will not come close to a little island in the South China Sea, but associated winds and rain bands are expected. O000-eeee!
"Following a low-fat diet, getting an appropriate amount of exercise, and using stress-reduction techniques isn't bad advice for anyone, whether or not you have cancer"Nutrition and cancer information here.
Bladder, breast, colon, liver, ovary, prostate, testicular, and other types of cancers, links here (scroll down).
Great recipes, tips and hints here.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
"You used the milkshake to conceal the drugs,'' said Prosecutor Peter Chapman today in the city's High Court. "You didn't bring the milkshakes to them. You used the girls because you knew Robert Kissel wouldn't take it from you.''Bloomberg report.
As promised, here is a photo of DocMartin 'the bird' and Maya's son, David. Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong on 3 August 2005. For the astrology crowd: 11.19am. Weight? 2.9kg. David's middle name is Raditya (which means 'Sun' in Indonesian). Good, eh? Thanks for the photo (click on to enlarge), DocMartin and Maya!
We have all experienced the perfect English summer's day - even if we were on the other side of the world.Mike Molloy, quoted above, mentions Edward Thomas' poem Adelstrop. I don't remember if I was ever exposed to that poem at school. But it is a poem I read at some time. Later, much later, I had what best can be described as an Adelstropian moment without recognizing it as such. A bite of a Proustian petite madeleine cake that set in train remembrance of things past -- except that, unlike Proust, I hadn't a clue what in the past I was remembering.
That quasi-Proustian event occurred while travelling on a dilapidated, half-empty train. I hadn't planned to be on the train, but I'd hitchhiked from Penang a good way up the Malaysian coast, had run out of rides, and was entering an area that had a somewhat lawless reputation. At one point, the train came to a stop at a railway halt, just short of the Thai border. We sat there in the tropical heat of a late afternoon with the fuss of insects and hissing of the train, the moment filled with a warm, peaceful stillness while 'no one left and no one came'. Until a nagging feeling, a sense of déjà vu, tugged my mind. Then the train lurched forward and we were gone. At that time, I wrote down the name of the place, but the notebook was lost long ago.
Many years later, I came again upon the poem. It was only then I finally recognized the already seen that had fluttered through my mind on 'a hot summer's day'. Ha, Adelstrop! Since when Malaysia has now and forever been the Cotswolds of the tropics. Like I said: you can take the boy out of England, but...
Anyway, I have linked to the Edward Thomas poem and in doing so learned there was more to the poem than I ever imagined or knew: Adelstrop.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
[Backstory] Bela Vista holiday flats have been the scene of more than 25 suicide attempts and 20 deaths during the past eight years. Yes, a little island in the South China Sea was, at one time, most especially for the heartbroken, stressed out and financially torpedoed, the island of choice for those who wished to off themselves. Local newspapers took to calling the island 'Hong Kong's suicide capital'. Before that, people merely came over from the nightclubs of Kowloon to murder one another. These days, however, holiday flat owners have a rough and ready profiling system before they rent out. Homicide/suicide events have eased off in the last couple of years. [/Backstory]
Mr Lam 'innovative proposals' have been met with howls of protest from, among others, Island District Councillor Kwong Kwok-wai, who criticised it as a 'bad stroke in calligraphy' -- a Chinese idiom that means 'a terrible move'. Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention wasn't terribly impressed either.
Perhaps Mr Lam should next meet with the families, friends, work colleagues and acquaintances of those who committed suicide before he further develops his proposals. Or, do us all a favour: rent a room at Bela Vista, buy a bag of charcoal, firmly seal windows and doors, fire up the charcoal, close his eyes, and open his mouth wide, one last time...
Post Scriptum. How financial institutions and some of their employees make humongous amounts of money in and from capitalism: Kissel was a vice president in Goldman's Asian special situations group, helping the firm become one of the biggest investors in bad debt in the region. Merrill Lynch then hired Kissel from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in 2000 to head its distressed assets business in Asia outside Japan.
Arcane financial dealings, eh? I am probably wrong, but that job description reminds me of something Woody Guthrie said: some folks steal with a gun, some steal with a fountain pen.
Monday, August 08, 2005
"No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine own were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."Donne was a great poet and became a devout Catholic. I am neither poet nor devout nor Catholic, but I read his poetry and, on occasion, meditate on his Meditation XVII. I love the English of Elizabethan, Stuart and Republican England, but for ease of reading the complete Meditation XVII is available in current English, go here.
John Donne (1572-1631)
Downloads here. A tad slow, but... hey! While waiting, there are the lyrics to consider.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
It's a boy, and his name is David (+ an Indonesian name -- but I don't know how to spell it yet). Place of birth? Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam. Date of birth? 3 August 2005. So he's a Leo, in western astrology. Chinese astrology? Born under the sign of the rooster/chicken. Time of birth? Not sure... 11.19am? Weight at birth? Martin told me, but I forgot. Government helicopter ride from a little island in the South China Sea to Hong Kong? No such luck. Marine Police launch and transfer to hospital? Yes. Delivery? Natural and mega-quick (15 minutes!). Fast, eh! Health status? Everyone is tickety-boo. Photo or photos to follow...
Meantime, on behalf of their friends and acquaintances: congratulations!
Friday, August 05, 2005
Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai's next and latest film, 2046, is now doing the rounds. First shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004, when Wong presented an unfinished film, the result received a luke-warm response. No surprise there. Since when, more filming, thinking, editing... Hey, presto! The 'finished version' is now on release. I haven't seen it yet. I am still relishing Wong's previous film In the Mood for Love. First I saw that film. Later, I bought the music soundtrack. Very recently, I picked up a cheap and legitimate copy of Mood on VCD. Yeah, I think Mood is a great film. Would that there were more such films. The New York Times (NYT reg-required) has a truly awesome review of Wong's latest cinematic pleasure, 2046. Desire and Loss in the Curve of a Back:
"Like some avant-garde filmmakers and like his contemporary, Hou Hsiao-hsien of Taiwan, among precious few others these days, Mr. Wong makes movies, still a young art, that create meaning through visual images, not just words. And so in "2046," the wallpaper swirls find a visual echo in the curls of a metal grille that, in turn, echo the loops of some cursive handwriting, the curlicue of smoke that rises from Jing's lighted cigarette and the impossibly long curve of Bai Ling's arched back."
The Brits, riding pillion passenger, have a British Sandwich Week. A week, mark you. But that was in May.
Commerce-free Wikipedia has an extensive range of sandwich filling: 4th Earl of Sandwich, butties, links to sandwiches, and a lot more besides.
Yes, time for some Marmite on a cheese toast. And a nice cup of tea. After which, there is the Marmite FAQ and the Guardian's Marmite Net Notes.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
I Come and Stand at Every Door
I come and stand at every door
But no one hears my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, for I am dead.
I'm only seven although I died
In Hiroshima long ago
I'm seven now as I was then
When children die they do not grow.
My hair was scorched by swirling flame
My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
And that was scattered by the wind.
I need no fruit, I need no rice
I need no sweet, nor even bread
I ask for nothing for myself
For I am dead, for I am dead.
All that I ask is that for peace
You fight today, you fight today
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play.
So what? Apart from Let It Bleed (1969), Exile on Main Street (1972) and Some Girls (1978), the only other Stones album worth having is a compilation of their singles from the 1960s and early '70s. OK, I'll be generous and throw in another album: Tattoo You (1981). Other than those, there have been a succession of bad to mediocre albums for thirty years or more. I have listened to many, bought none.
The Stones are a very efficient and experienced business machine, the publicity for the new album is already cranking up. I guess this post is part of that. Mea culpa.
Anyway, good look at the Stones -- 'the most expensive tribute band in the world' -- and review of the tracks on the new album in Uncut magazine. Which also has a special section on the life and death of Brian Jones -- and stuff about an upcoming film with the working title The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones.
Many an 'expat' marriage has been wrecked on the shores of this barren rock Hong Kong. Why that is so is perhaps a post for another time.
For now, this: to save such a marriage, some, like the Kissels, turn to marriage counseling. And some marriage partners turn to drugs. If they are not doing them already. The legal drugs: beer, wine, spirits... the street drugs: hash, coke, ice, smack... the prescription drugs. For the latter, you need to find a Dr Feelgood. In Mrs Kissel's case that was Dr 'Fung': Lorivan, Stilnox and Amitryptaline + Dr Annabelle Dytham: Rohypnol.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Vladimir: Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today? That with Estragon my friend, at this place, until the fall of night, I waited for Godot? That Pozzo passed, with his carrier, and that he spoke to us? Probably. But in all that what truth will there be? (Estragon, having struggled with his boots in vain, is dozing off again. Vladimir looks at him) He'll know nothing. He'll tell me about the blows he received and I'll give him a carrot. (Pause) Astride of a grave and a difficult birth. Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries. (He listens) But habit is a great deadener. (He looks again at Estragon) At me too someone is looking, of me too someone is saying, He is sleeping, he knows nothing, let him sleep on. (Pause) I can't go on! (Pause) What have I said?Thanks, Sam!
An oftentimes complicated tale, simply told by Juan Cole.
(Fisking? Guardian weblog glossary for explanation)
Or, how about disinformation, distortions, lies, and obfuscations? Secrets and Lies: The True Story of the Iraq War, by Dilip Hiro. Review here, looks good. Bush and Blair look bad.
Known as Regional Seats of Government (RSG), these bomb-proof underground bunkers were scattered around the country and would have sheltered 'key' personnel. The RSG for central England, for instance, was buried under the village of Drakelow, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Quite who those key personnel were going to govern in the aftermath of a nuclear attack (would there be anyone left above ground?) was not spelt out.
That was then, this is now. Like to visit an RSG? You can! How about the biggest, deepest underground bunker open to the public? Details, here.
This is the way the world endsItalicized in the original, a metaphysical despair wrapped up in a children's nursery rhyme (Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush).
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Although written in and for another era, during the 1950s and early '60s, many people wished and hoped that -- despite much evidence to the contrary -- Eliot's words would hold true. By the late 1960s, not so long ago, it even looked like Eliot's prophetic conclusion might become fact. That we, humankind, would see an end to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Further than that: reverse the trend, put the genie back in the bottle.
Such hopes are fast turning out to be a pipe dream. Israel was allowed (enabled?) to develop nuclear weapons. India, too. The renegade North Korea hasn't tested one yet, but...
Now, it looks like Iran is set on going down the same road.
Furthermore, it is depressing to note that the US and UK are tooling up to build a new generation of nuclear weapons. About that, click here.
Meanwhile, the anniversary of the dropping of the Bomb on Hiroshima is on Saturday, 6 August. The masterminds of that inferno sixty years ago were men in suits and ties aided and abetted by men in uniforms. Thank you, and have a good day.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The Administration is admitting that its strategy since September 11th has failed, without really admitting it.George Packer in The New Yorker magazine writes about Bush's 'the war on terror' (TWOT) -- and the how and why it has now been reframed as 'a global struggle against violent extremism'. Frame, re-frame? Wikipedia has a good explanation of frame:
In communication theory, and sociology, framing is a process of selective control over media content or public communication. Framing defines how a certain piece of media content or rhetoric is packaged so as to allow certain desirable interpretations and rule out others. Media frames can be created by the mass media or by specific political or social movements or organizations. The concept is generally attributed to the work of Erving Goffman, especially his 1974 book, Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience.More Wiki here.
Anyway, maybe that heading should read: Twilight of the Idles. (There is a great essay by Bertrand Russell titled In Praise of Idleness. But I digress.)
Twilight... what is twilight? Anyone read Tristes Tropiques by Claude Levi-Strauss? I remember he spent two-and-half pages analyzing why witnessing sunset and twilight had a different impact on the human psyche than witnessing dawn and sunrise. A fascinating man, a fascinating book. But I no longer have the book to hand.
What is instantly available is a no-nonsense definition of twilight by Hong Kong Observatory. The Obs has also come to the rescue as concerns those bright lights seen in the western sky in late July at the hour crépuscule (Astronomie: lumière du soir). Yes, stargazers: Night Sky in Hong Kong, July to September 2005.
Things that are VERY difficult to say when you're drunk...
b) British Constitution
c) Passive-aggressive disorder
Things that are ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to say when you're drunk...
a) Thanks, but I don't want to sleep with you.
b) Nope, no more booze for me.
c) Sorry, but you're not really my type.
d) No kebab for me, thank you.
e) Good evening officer, isn't it lovely out tonight?
f) I'm not interested in fighting you.
g) Oh, I just couldn't -- no one wants to hear me sing.
h) Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no co-ordination. I'd hate to look like a fool.
i) Where is the nearest toilet? I refuse to vomit in the street.
j) I must be going home now as I have work in the morning.
Thanks, Peter O!
On contradiction? A yin-yang 'socialism with Chinese characteristics' perspective, circa 1937.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Beijing, not Washington, increasingly takes the decisions that affect workers, companies, financial markets and economies everywhereFrom latest issue of the Economist: From T-shirts to T-bonds.
How global inflation, interest rates, bond yields, house prices, wages, profits and commodity prices worldwide are now being increasingly driven by decisions in China. Read and ponder.
Absent from the online edition, the many pleasures of the magazine's photo captions in the print edition.
After singles came albums. In 1967, the excellent Are You Experienced and the later not-so-good Axis: Bold As Love. Autumn '68? The double-album Electric Ladyland. Ladyland had everything: a loud, gutsy psychedelic soundscape and an album cover (of naked ladies) upon which it was a delight to roll joints. Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll all within easy reach.
Longish excerpt recounting Hendrix's arrival in London in 1966, from a new biography of Jimi Hendrix. What a life! A soul whose flame shone bright, albeit for a short time.