February 24, 2010

  • <Whenever…>

    I work till late, the following picture jumps out of my mind

    That is a hysterical smile, I know.

February 19, 2010

  • <Myth and reality>


    Click images to enlarge the myth and reality.


    1. Island Crest

    IslandCrest


    So 文武廟 and 遮打花園 are supposed to be at your corner, like 7-11.


    IslandCrestReal


    But in reality, they are separated like the beginning and end of Nathan Road


    2. YOHO MIDTOWN

    Look at the middle pictures among the 3 small ones.  Here you have IFC and ICC, in Central and TST respectively.

    YoHoMIDTOWN


    But there is no way your eye sight can pass through the mountains.  Unless you have 白眼 in the Japnese comic Naruto

    YoHoMIDTOWN3





February 16, 2010

  • <Some thoughts on sports development in HK>

    Just pieces of news.  Shall beef up the ideas later :

    1. 繼去年底有柔道界人士指控代表隊成員選拔運作黑箱作業後，有女子花劍手投訴，負責推薦劍手代表香港出賽的香港劍擊總會最近突然成立女子花劍隊培訓中心，不參加培訓的劍手就不能獲選為代表隊成員，批評過程沒有廣泛諮詢，是黑箱作業。

    (source : 蘋果日報)

    2. 車菊紅 (2007 年壹周刊訪問, 節錄)

    運動好個屁車菊紅     

    忽然一片體育風——明年奧運，香港協辦奧運馬術，黃金寶勇奪華人從沒贏過的世界場地錦標賽男子捕捉賽冠軍。

    「反對全職投入運動。」

    倒戈的是「香港第一金」車菊紅。

    「當年金牌獎金有兩萬幾蚊，不過全部上繳保齡球總會。」

    她八六年為香港摘下首面亞運金牌，之後也沒有保齡女將奪得此殊榮。

    「保齡球總會主席劉掌珠，拿政府的資助，裁培自己的女兒 —— 馮雪儀。」

    車菊紅成功，因為她「得天獨厚」。

    …

    車菊紅情場失意，保齡路卻一帆風順。

    她希望為天下女性，愛情以外，找一片樂土。

    她入保齡球總會當委員，一心栽培新進保齡球手。

    九八年，憤然離場。

    「代表本港派隊到外地參賽的保齡球總會，每年花數十萬替港隊租場練波，其中竟有四分三資金，是幫襯馮劉掌珠丈夫任職，並曾經擁有股份的迪高保齡球場。

    「劉掌珠的兒子馮志新，為保總帶隊。」

    十年來，保齡球的生力軍，過去有許長國（已歿），現在有胡兆康。

    「沒一個是女的，因為劉掌珠只想栽培自己的女兒馮雪儀，忌才，怕別人勝過自己個女。」

    馮雪儀去年多哈亞運，排名五十；○五年東亞運動會，得第十九。

    「保齡球總會，變成該會主席劉掌珠一家的搵錢場所。

    「她女兒屎波，卻拿政府給予精英運動員的資助，代表香港到外地。到底她是出賽？抑或是遊埠？她兒子當領隊，是工作抑或順便嬉戲？誰知。

    她曾去信特首，又投訴至霍震霆。

    「得到的答覆竟是：這是家事，由個會自行處理。

    「成個會都是一個家族主理，沒外人插手，怎處理？」

    車菊紅女兒遺傳了她的天分，有機會代表香港出賽，她大力反對女兒接棒。

    「呢個會無透明度，但又要入會先可以做港隊，咁係咪寧願唔打？」

    車菊紅女兒，曾和盧耀威拍拖，盧父的舅父（譯音馮啟德），是何鴻燊家姐八姑娘馮何婉鴻的丈夫。八姑娘的丈夫和獨生女先後離世，作為外甥孫的盧耀威，得以住在她的渣甸山物業。

    二人最後分手收場，車菊紅女兒現職廣告，仍在愛情路上尋尋覓覓。

    「我當然希望女兒結婚，做女人，結婚、生仔，是必經之路。但感情控制不了，我更希望她獨立。」

    車菊紅的媽媽，不煙不酒，昔日為陪丈夫應酬，投丈夫所好，晚晚喝拔蘭地，吸二手香煙，換來一個肝硬化，死時只三十六歲。

    「靠人，只有兩種下場。

    「一是像我媽媽，俾人累死；

    「一是像羅嘉玲（打球成績遠勝馮雪儀卻不獲球會重用），俾人激死。」

February 10, 2010

February 4, 2010

  • <Forbes’ 40 Richest Men in Hong Kong>

    Full list here. Basically, you can expect the list, especially towards the highest rankings (in terms of net worth), is only a shuffling amongst the same group of people. This is not surprising and has little to do with income inequality or equivalent.

    These are very conservative people. In terms of wealth accumulation or destruction, they are likely to outperform the market.

    Of course, some do have their wealth from inheritance or from speculation. For example, Richard Li from PCCW. But ranking of these people could move up and downs very rapidly. Richard Li ranked very high a couple of years ago; only ranked 26 in 2009.

    Other quick observations :

    (1) Villain of the city : Amongst the top 10 richest men, 7 are property developers (exception : CLP’s Kadoorie, Li & Fung’s Brothers). Indeed, most are property-related.

    (2) Most interesting part of this list : The youngest richest man amongst them is Richard Li (again). He is 43, but already the youngest. In today’s terminology (which I hate and refrain from even mentioning), he is “Post-60s”. Similar to the earlier Forbes’ the World’s Most Powerful People

    In case you are not aware, Li Ka Shing and some of his counterparts are already over 80s. Yes, Li is already 81.

    (3) Only 1 female. No. 34, Pong Hong Siu Chu (龐熊少珠)

    (4) All married or once married. Doubtful case : Richard Li (he appears so many times)

    (5) Impact of stock market : Most have at least 1 list company. If Nina Wang were still here, she would have been the one that is on the list but with no list company.

February 3, 2010

  • <Populism, proceduralism & stupiditism>

    So this is what the Hong Kong Medical Association proposes :

    將醫生對病人態度列入專業守則中，如醫生向病人說粗言穢語，構成專業失德

    道德事務委員會主席謝鴻興表示，在醫生專業守則中，專業失德行為是指行為構成可恥、不道德及不名譽的影響。他承認如何判斷一名醫生態度及禮貌有問題，是很主觀的，但如醫生向病人說粗言穢語或攻擊性言行，已可構成專業失德。

    I think many people encountered such instances more than once in their life :

    People did not swear at you, but you can tell they were very very RUDE and did not respect you

    Meanwhile, there were people swearing at the time, but they are very polite and show due respect

    Of course, there are people being rude and swearing at the same time. But by and large, any civilized human can tell for most of the time, swearing has little to do with being rude to you. It depends very much on the situation.

    So being rude is a very subjective issue.


    We are just substituting our judgment with such stupid procedures as disallowing medical practitioners to swear. You can ban them for being rude; but you cannot ban them from swearing because it is automatically equal to being rude.

    Why?


    Watch this    .

January 29, 2010

January 28, 2010

  • <Tiger Woods, coming back?>

    According to Intrade, there is 80% chance that Tiger Woods would come back before April 2010.

    Price for When will Tiger Woods next play professional golf? at intrade.com

    By the way, Tiger Woods’s indefinite leave from golf starts hitting the relevant economic activities. The first : marketing campaign :

    See earlier post on Woods’s economic impact

January 27, 2010

  • <What a coincidence>

    In Tuesday’s HK Economic Journal (信報), 陳雲 wrote an article on HK police :

    如何毀滅一隊警察

    毀滅一隊警察，不須人民起義，不須槍炮刀劍，只須政府以不義之名，唆使警察陷害忠良，警察就濫權營私，不成為警察，而成為家僕與鬼卒了。

    回歸之後，警察在警局強姦報案少女，脫衣羞辱保育靜坐示威者，在香港電台門口拘捕做完論壇節目的示威少女以及掀褲拍攝其腰部紋身，胡亂控告和平示威者以襲警罪名。看來，前皇家香港警察的遺風，連帶香港的家業，在曾蔭權手上敗壞得差不多了。新政府不珍惜香港的良風善政，一切終如逝水，無可挽回。

    是警察，不是私人衞隊

    一九六七年之前，香港警察包娼庇賭，當街勒詐小民，如有牌爛仔。港人信任警察，來自六七暴動。暴動帶有反殖民地鬥爭的色彩，但後來因本地居民與難民要求治安與秩序，斥責土共暴徒，支持警察執法，結果反而令大部分香港居民認同港英維持公共秩序的政府功能，將中共視為境外威脅力量，強化港人的恐共情緒，產生本土居民意識，維護了殖民地統治之合法性。

    暴動之後，英女王授予香港警察「皇家」之名，港府大增警力近六成，港督麥理浩厲行廉政，提高警察的入職學歷及訓練品質，令港人放心授權，即使後來有當街無理搜查身份證，這種其他文明地方認為是奇恥大辱之事，港人也覺得理所當然。

    然而，港英即使集權，卻是懂得克制權力的。一九七七年維多利亞公園的保釣示威，威利警司嚴厲清場，亂棍打人，很多示威者頭破血流，但港英並未以襲警罪名控告示威者。襲警罪名，是對付黑幫挑釁用的，匪徒一旦與警員有身體接觸，不論是否攻擊，警察便可以此罪名控告，法庭也會輕易定罪，藉此震懾惡勢力。

    然而，這是留中不發的鎮山大權。將襲警罪名用來對付和平示威者，是輕賤權力，將游散示威的市民當作暴力黑幫集團成員同等處理。同理，用重案組警力對付示威組織者，也是輕賤權力。政府是小題大做，侮辱警察（假若警察仍有良心及職業操守的話），當警察是家丁嘍囉、私人衞隊，警察日後在行使刑法權力之際，也會失去分寸，動輒濫權，成為酷吏。

    個人一例。一九八九年十二月十二日，我在赴德國之前在《年青人周報》登了文章，剖析港英政府制定妨礙自由的《公安條例》，也仗義聲援被捕的「四五行動」成員。爾後，我每年暑假回港，往灣仔青文書屋途中，都會遇到態度特別和善的巡警搜查身份證及書包，令我發不起脾氣來。最後的一次，我忍不住問﹕「我的樣子像偷渡客麼？」巡警笑說﹕「我只覺得你不像本地人而已。」我笑答﹕「也許我僑居德國太久了。」他說﹕「那你有否德國護照，為何不留在德國呢？」

    「巧暴力」誘捕示威者

    於是，我才明白是港英用搜查身份證之特權，借助巡警傳個口信。這是港英對付異議者的政術，雖也濫權，卻比曾蔭權政府在二○○八年將利東街的示威者捉入警署，脫光之後，要示威青年張開陰戶或掀起陰囊搜查毒品，來得文明。

    殖民地政府在上世紀七十年代之前，用強悍武力對付異議分子，用政治及外交方法將之遞解出境，但不會輕易動用刑法罪名，否則法治蒙污，得不償失。

    回歸之後，警隊落在曾蔭權手上，卻不以強悍武力，反而用「巧暴力」（smart violence）的權術，挑釁和平示威者，例如幾個人抬起示威者用手指搓捏其肌膚，使其扭動反抗，或用圍欄封鎖或收緊示威路線的方式，肆意激怒示威者，使其發生口角或身體推撞而控告以襲警罪名，有時甚至示威者舉起鏡頭拍攝警察，也受到一般毆打的罪名警告。這是以刑法誘捕市民，《孟子》所謂「網民」（張開法網驅趕人民進入），猶如大陸的「釣魚執法」。警察在此等戰術擺布之下，會滋生詐偽之心，維護正義與法紀的操守，終將蠶食殆盡。市民—特別是面對互聯網資訊的年青一代，認清警察蠱惑的真相之後，會對警察執法失去信任。

    襲警罪名濫用之後，被定罪者會引來社會同情，而示威者稍有異動，都會被控告襲警，反正罪名一樣，為何不真打起來呢？不大白不打，血氣方剛的青年就真的會動武，襲擊警察了。「民不畏死，奈何以死懼之？」稍有政治智慧的領導人，都會克制權力，不會輕賤刑法，就是這個道理。

    香港法紀無存，警察與市民爾虞我詐，功利一點地說，香港還能讓資本家安居和招引大陸人來購物消費麼？港府如此輕賤刑法，不正是在挖香港的牆腳，破壞香港的繁榮基礎麼？

    回歸之後，年輕人不再尊重警察，近日大量網上留言在辱罵警察，這是四十年來罕見的景象。香港警察從四十年前的頹唐之中，建立信譽，過程維難，年長一代見到今日的景象，可謂痛心疾首，欲哭無淚。正義的執法者，當你不斷地接到不符合公義和法理的上級命令，你還敢正視你頭上的警徽麼？你對得住市民的託付麼？再不辭職的話，你能面對人格腐敗、被正義市民鄙視的下場麼？警察世家出身的曾蔭權閣下，你還能懵懂下去麼？

    —————–

    So touching, so sad but TRUE :

    Should our police first learn flopping from players of NBA or English Premier League?

January 26, 2010

  • <Do they really trust you?>

    I have glad that 5 LegCo members resigned.

    This is what Donald Tsang and Repeater Lam said in response :

    行政長官曾蔭權發表聲明說，不願意見到今天的情況，無奈議員仍然偏行己路，相信許多市民都會失望。

    林瑞麟說，今次補選預計要動用一億五千萬，相信納稅人會有意見，但政府會依法辦事，進行補選。

    If a majority of HK people are disappointed, they should vote the LegCo members down during the by-election. Of course, with their VOTE, not with some so-called twisted opinion survey (with samples from the government cabinet) or unfounded “public views”.

    Basically, The election result (if any; see below) will give a vivid, authoritative and clear result on whether the majority is really against the 公投 and the so-called misbehavior of the 5 LegCo members.

    But this is clearer : 港大民調計劃的調查，發現特首曾蔭權的民望數字再次下跌。對比半個月前，特首的支持度明顯下跌2.8分，為50.9分。(earlier entry on Donald’s rating)

    Meanwhile, if many taxpayers care about the HK$150 milllion expense for by-election, there is no reason to believe less will care about the $66.9 billion for the Express Rail Link. So who cares about the view of general public anyway? The $150 million could yield much much much benefit to HK, in political terms; the $66.9 billion? well…

    One problem : 民建聯未決定是否參與補選

    If they declare joining or not joining the by-election NOW, the democratic camp could still devise measures to ensure a voting (instead of being automatically elected); If they declare just before (or even after) the deadline for participating in the by-election, the camp has to wait. This is a risk if you want to vote – you might not even have the chance to vote.

    I need to vote. I feel obligated to vote. But your political parties, your government and your motherland are altogether preventing you from have the opportunity to vote. Let me ask again : Do they really trust you?