Burma mourns

China is often referred to as "The biggest backer of the Burmese regime" even though Rangoon's most dependent trading partner is Thailand.
Perhaps Burma has learnt a little from the "new" China PR policy and started to observe three days of mourning following the killer typhoon that has devastated the country. But it's too little too late. Remember, it's the same bunch of goons and thugs (in Burma this time) that held a referendum while its citizens were still in shock following the storm.
The reaction by the corrupt Burmese generals almost looks staged to make the Chinese leadership look good following the fall out of the torch relay and the international visa ban. If typhoons and earthquakes of this scale could be man made, then we'd probably see China asking Burma to "take a hit for the team, so we can look good..."
Spielberg might not be doing anything for the Beijing Olumpics, but I have just written the synopsis for his next blockbuster on how corrupt regimes manipulate the weather...

China mourns

The Chinese leadership has learnt quickly. It appears they now know how to win points on the international stage during times of crises like the recent earthquake in Sichuan. Despite having one of the largest reserves of cash at more than US1,500 billion, Beijing has still managed to raise almost $1billion from donations! News coverage has been what we think is transparent.
Despite this, there have been bans on some foreign rescue workers with life saving equipment. However, unless they speak Chinese it would seem appropriate to keep all "help" on the ground to people who can communicate with the authorities otherwise it would create a further drain on taxed resources.
Hong Kong began three days of mourning with flags at half mast and a solemn three minutes of silence. This was followed by a cancellation of horse racing and other entertainment. Some radio stations played an appropriate piece of music at 2:28 pm Monday. TVB Pearl scooped the prize for dumb programming changes though. In what appeared to be an attempt to keep things on the straight and narrow, programmers "pre-empted" America's Funniest Home Videos with European Art at the Met which seemed fine in principle except it featured the nudes of Cezanne.

First there was Red Bull...

Which gave you wings and then there was Red Horse that ran out of air...

Money in air pollution

I am just wondering if there might be money in that there air pollution... I am thinking if it gets much worse, HK property tycoons might find a use for the many roofs in our tiny land. This ties in with the shortage of metals and the high price of some of the more precious ones. I am thinking that we might clear the air and make money by placing huge magnets on top of buildings and using them to filter some of the crap out of the air. You might be thinking about what I am on and asking me to change the medication, but in all seriousness, certain chemicals acting as catalysts near the magnets could change the make up of the particles and gases and be manipulated by magnets. Dumber ideas have received funding... I may be poles apart but I am sure there is some attraction in using magnets to champion the issue of air quality.

Invade Burma

We who have the power to better mankind have too many mistakes in recent times. We have stood by while millions have died in Africa, let Osama bin Laden go and continue to allow oppressive regimes in Asia kill people. Many disagree with what Bush did in Iraq. I support him because he took the war from his country and placed somewhere else that would have less of an impact on everyday US life. Congo-Zaire, Zimbabwe, Darfur, Pakistan and North Korea are also screwed up because we have stood by while millions have died and or been oppressed.
We have a chance to redeem ourselves and take action against the generals in Burma and I am pretty sure there would be consensus among most leading nations, even the French! We should invade Burma, kick out the military government and feed the people. If the UN can't do this and just argue over parking tickets in New York City, then maybe we need to form a new world group that has some teeth and can deal with this.

Sexual health in China

Other Olympic boot

With all the hoo-hah about the China visa restrictions and apparently because of the Olumpics, maybe we should ask the UK representative in Hong Kong if London is going to enforce the same draconian rules for attending the 2012 games?
Just imagine if the UK government kicked out all the Chinese from the country and then enforced the same rules UK nationals have faced.
If you are a journalist and you read this blog, please ask the UK consulate this question. You might want to put it to other consuls general. I would be interested in hearing and reading the answers.

China arts and crafts obstruction

I am not sure about this but I reckon the lions outside the Chinese Foreign Minisrty Office and China Arts and Crafts in Fleming Road, Wanchai are an illegal obstruction. I thought about taking a photo of these today and taking them to Wanchai police station but I did not have time. In fact the queuing rails are also a nuisance. Add the overhead maintenance and the illegally parked contractor's vehicle on the pavement outside, I think you the HK government should start talking to some of these mainland companies and representatives about their abuse of our home.

I wonder if we did report an illegal structure whether the Wanchai police would do anything about it or not? That's a hot potato for sure.

China Visa update May 15

Picked up my so called "double-entry" visa - let's just not go there for the mean time as it is bard enough as it is.

Had a bit of a think and headed over to the Aussie consulate to ask the consul staff to take my complaint. First staffer started telling me about the non-interference with the internal affairs of other countries and that I would have to write. I know I could send an email but I wanted to do it face to face to see the reaction. I asked a few questions and another staffer told her colleague "do you mind if I step in here?" We had a good and quick discussion and I was assured the visa issue was atop the list of the May diplomatic meetings in Beijing.

While there I asked the well informed consul whether visas were tightened during the Sydney games. The answer was "no, they were probably loosened... but it was before 9/11." But the look on her face told me the answer like what was going on was not in line with Olympic procedure. She then told me groups like the Falun Gong might have been the real reason for the visa ban. From what I know the majority of Falun Gong activists are ethnic Chinese and I am guessing they spend little time going to grotty factories in Dongguan. I am pretty sure the 10,000 Nigerians in Guangzhou aren't Falun Gong practioners either.

China quake

My heart goes out to the victims of the China quake. Conversation around the home was "couldn't they do something to prevent this?" Actually, yes there is. Most modern buildings in earthquake zones like Sichuan are designed and built to withstand the shock, particularly government structures and schools. The problem is that when corruption gets in the way, there is little left to make a building quake proof. I am all for giving to charity, but is this just going to the same goons and thugs that were in charge of the original construction, then what's the point.

TVB fact or fiction

TVB Pearl news reported that a Euro dude called Fusion Man jumped out of Cessna-like light plane at an altitude of 2,500 kilometres. I am no expert on aviation but I think you'd need the help of the space shuttle to get that high.

Fo Tan Rd. speeding

The only time I see a speed trap on Fo Tan Rd. is on a weekend. It is usually in conjunction with a race meeting. The only time my friends get parking tickets in Fo Tan is on the weekend. In both cases, the streets are practically empty and if one were to exceed the speed limit slightly, it would seem less dangerous considering the volume of traffic. The same goes for illegally parked vehicles that would not seem like an obstruction - even to fire trucks.
I am wondering when traffic police will have the balls to conduct an anti speeding operation on Fo Tan Rd. on a weekday? I am also wondering if they will really enforce the no parking issue on Shan Mei Street outside Sha Tin Galleria during daylight hours on weekdays? I reckon they don't have the balls to do it!
I have posted many pictures of illegal parking in Fo Tan, today a snap shot of what 60k minibus driver does along the 50kmh section of Fo Tan Road.

"Olumpics" good for HK sport

Yes, we have the Olympic equestrian event! This involved shutting down the Hong Kong Sports Institute and ruining the immediate future of the HKSI expanding and elite atheletes' training programmes.
All the destruction and construction led to the closing of the bike lane and jogging path on one side of the Shing Mun River. This was used by full time and part time athletes and general walkers. It was also an important stretch that allowed rowing coaches to bark orders to their crews on the river.

A Hong Kong company

Olympic mural screw-up

Someone, perhaps Visa, paid for a mural celebrating the Olympics to be painted near the Sha Tin MTR.Can anyone spot the black kid? Perhaps it's the big red lips or s/he is wearing underpants only... Yes, the "Olumpics" is all about unity and understanding - how the rest of the world must understand what a united China thinks.

Brainwashed

Recently I was criticised for using the term brainwashed in my description of the support shown by ethnic Chinese towards the Olympic torch relay. Apparently, I am not the only one to use this term and some ethnic Chinese have become offended by this. Calling people brainwashed is not an insult. It merely shows us that the government's propaganda machine has worked. The media have been controlled in such a manner they have been unable to show us any rational reflection of what happened. Those who have have been labeled as unpatriotic. Such terms and media control did not figure with the Sydney Olympics. So, are we having the Beijing Olympics or the China Olympics? I am looking forward to hearing the speeches closer towards the event. I hope the journalists that do question and probe the nationalism get aired and column space, however I fear they will not. I think this year's summer games will be simply be used as a showcase of China and its oppressive regime. It's already used the victim argument which many ethnic Chinese have latched onto to claim the past injustices and marginalisation they have faced. In these circumstances, it is very hard to have a rational argument with someone who has not experienced freedoms many others have grown up with. The Beijing Olympics will not bring us harmony but will instead create a greater divide between the haves and have nots. We have seen the millions of Chinese who have suffered while billions has been spent on the games for an event where only the best of the best take part. This is far from the true spirit of the games and is a reason why countries with starving people living in shit should not be allowed to host such events. China - get your house in order!

The spirit of Oasis

I always wondered why QANTAS used the word Spirit in its slogan. Maybe Oasis should have done that. As you can see while it ain't a spirit in the sky, it is very much living among us these days as per this clipping of the May edition of YMCA news (or whatever it is called).

China Visa Update

If you are a foreign passport holder and have a permanent HK ID card and you want to go to Dong Guan to visit a crappy and dirty factory for a one-hour QC inspection, you need a special visa. Included with your application, you need a copy of a hotel reservation and a return transport ticket. Most of the time, like HK people, I just take a local bus, cab or the factory arranged something - there are sooooooooooooo many choices. What a drag. Why do the communists want us to stay in a hotel? Boost tourism, boost occupancy rates? Do they want us to get robbed and ripped off more? It's not like they don't want us as we are being told "we are welcome."
By the way, the pink slip below contradicts what is on the website and on the monitors inside the Foreign Ministry Office in Wan Chai.
Honestly, the less I have to go, the better as it is such a screwed up place.

China PRC - the new North Korea

Below I will give you the true answers to the lies stated by the Commissioner’s Office in Hong Kong. My answers will be in red. Not only are these lies listed on the website: http://www.fmcoprc.gov.hk/eng/xwfw/gszxxw/t426104.htm but they even appear on a expensive touchscreens inside the visa office on the 7^th floor of the FMO’s office in Wan Chai.

All these years, we have watched China develop and go forward and were happy the city of Beijing was awarded the Olympics. Instead of the promised opening up of the country, it has become reclusive.

The goons and thugs running China want you to have an air ticket and hotel reservation to get a visa and this is part of their way of protecting the great motherland. I guess they missed the book “How to stop terrorists 101” and the paragraph about how the 911 hijackers had all the cash they needed. Terrorists would love to be in your five star hotels and first class airliner cabins. They are not interested in the grotty streets, taxis and factories of Shenzhen and Dongguan.

The Commissioner's Office Continues to Facilitate Visa Application of Foreiign Nationals 2008-05-05

Foreigners are welcome to China. The Chinese visa is issued in accordance with the laws and regulations of China, with reference of the practice of hosting countries of previous Olympic Games and other international sporting events. Compared to most of the other countries, it is relevantly easy and convenient to apply for a Chinese visa. I wonder how this comparison was made. Genuine visitors to China and those attending Olympic Games will not be affected.

Since the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong SAR, it has always been providing efficient service to facilitate foreigners' visa application. The Office will continue to work in the same spirit. It is not doing so anymore, especially for permanent residents of Hong Kong who happen to have foreign passports.

The recent drastic rise in the number of applicants adds to the waiting time for queuing and processing. To spare applicants of the unnecessary trouble, for non-resident of Hong Kong SAR, please apply for the Chinese visa at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in his or her home country or resident country. Despite this, you have failed to communicate the changes and at least 30% of the counters are closed.

The followings are the answers to frequently asked questions from the media and the public:

1. What is the number of entries of a Chinese visa? What is the validity of a Chinese visa?

A single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry visa can be issued. A single-entry or double-entry visa is valid for 3 months for entry; the validity of a multiple-entry visa can be longer.

2. What kind of documentation is needed for visa application?

A valid passport, one photo and a completed visa application form are basic requirements. A return ticket and hotel booking are required for tourist visa. An additional Visa Notification Form is required for business visa. For detailed information, please visit the website of the Commissioner's Office at www.fmcoprc.gov.hk. Well we have visited this website and this is in fact from it.

3. How long does it take to get a visa?

We encourage all visa applicants to apply for Chinese visa well in advance of their anticipated travel plans. The regular processing time is usually 4 working days. Express or rush visa service is available for emergencies. Express visa is issued within three working days after application is received, while rush visa is issued within two working days (24 hours after application is received).

4. Has the multiple-entry visa service been suspended?

The multiple-entry visa service is still available. The visa officer will consider the real need of the applicant when granting a multiple-entry visa. This is a lie. The person accepting the visa does not appear to have this power or ability. The only thing they can do is advise you to take a double entry and even then it is limited to Shenzhen unless you get a train ticket and hotel reservation. Yes, all this for a three factory inspection.

5. What is the requirement for applying for multiple-entry business visa specially?

To apply for multiple-entry business visa, original Visa Notification Form issued by authorized departments of Chinese Mainland (eg. authorized Foreign Affairs Office or Bureau of Commerce), together with original and photocopy of Hong Kong Permanent ID card of the applicant and other possible supporting documentation (eg. Registration Certificate of the relevant company in Mainland China and proving documents of business relations) are needed. A multiple-entry visa is issued at the discretion of the consular officers. Yes, but can someone explain how to do this in English? How about some links, some forms and so forth? What are you doing with all that money being earnt in your visa sweat shop?

6. Have the visa fees been raised? How much is charged for a visa?

The visa fees remain unchanged. HK$150 is charged for a regular single-entry visa, HK$220 for double-entry visa, HK$400 for 6-month multiple-entry visa and HK$600 for one-year multiple-entry visa. For applicants of certain countries, visa fees are charged on reciprocal basis. Please visit the website of the Commissioner's Office for detailed information. There are a bunch of us that would pay double for the multi entry. The cost is secondary to the time it takes to go and get a visa.

7. Is express visa service available? What is the charge?

Express visa service is available for applicants caught in emergency. An additional fee of HK$150 is charged for express visa service and HK$250 for rush visa service.

8. Should foreign citizens apply for Chinese visas in their home country or resident country before departing for China?

Yes, foreign citizens should apply for Chinese visas in their home country or resident country before departing for China.

9. Is there any recent change of the application forms?

There's no change recently. The Form of 2007 Edition is still in use for all categories of application.

10. Where the detailed visa information could be found?

For detailed information, please visit the website of the Commissioner's Office at www.fmcoprc.gov.hk . For further inquiry, please contact the Office by calling (852)34132300, or by email to fmcovisa_hk@mfa.gov.cn, or by fax to (852)34132312. The staff will be available to answer questions at number (852)34132424 (10:00a.m.-11:00a.m.; 3:00p.m.-4:00p.m.). Don’t call – they won’t answer. Don’t email – they don’t answer.

China visa problems get even worse

Decided to go to a travel agency - Japan Travel - to get a double entry China visa. They are now demanding evidence of return tickets and accommodation before issuing a visa. I was advised to join the cattle queue at the China FMO in Wanchai.

All I want is a visa to Lo Wu and nothing more. The only ticket I need is an Octopus card. This is sooooooooooooooo racist as ethnic Chinese who have lived in Hong Kong for a lesser time than me have unfettered access.

This blog is about to get an X rating thanks to the goons and thugs running the place - FUCK China!

Christina Chan - the new generation

Christina Chan is the new generation of protestors. Keep these pics because in ten years you might want to remember how she started. She will be a star in the future and we need to support her.
http://www.daylife.com/search/photos/all/1?q=Christina%20Chan

Park N Shop special

Where's the pavement

Just wondered where I should walk when using Wong Chuk Yeung St? On one side there's a recycling shop and there's a very dodgy looking overhead renovation on the right while the road is being used as a unloading/loading zone. Despite this, tickets are never issued for such obstructions and instead always around the corner in Man Hang St.

I was only following orders

At a time when we remember the victims of the Holocaust we have seen the Flame of Shame rip through Hong Kong. We are now learning that support for the Olympic torch relay was not from Hong Kong and the "see of red" was nothing more than rent a crowd.

- Many of the supporters came from mainland China. They had been bussed in for the day. After the HK leg, they went to Macau. Many foreigners who are unable to get visas for cross border travel are wondering how these other "foreigners" were able to travel to freely.

- The other people clad in red were in fact school children. There are stories that many schools were ordered to tell students to wear red and attend the relay. This is just brainwashing propaganda.

- Protestors were bundled away for their own safety because supporters had threatened them with violence. What happened to the police supporting freedom of speech? I believe the police were the victims of political manipulation.

The Olympic torch relay is another "F" on Hong Kong's post 1997 scorecard. It shows there is NOT a "high degree of autonomy" as written in the basic law.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day

Visa ban explained

Maybe the goon and thug administration has made it difficult to travel to the middle kingdom for our safety... but at least dogs seem like they are off the menu for a while!

Holocuast Memorial 2008

It is a matter of history that when Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps, he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead..

He did this because he said in words to this effect:

'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing'.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.

This posting is a memorial chain, in memory of the 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian peoples looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.

Be a link in the memorial chain...

Take a big deep breath

What some people seem to be missing is the point... The reason why some of the commentators are making their remarks is to help bring about positive change.

Even if we accept the simplistic east and west divide, let's see what each side has. In the west, you have the freedom to speak your mind, freedom of movement and the right to choose who will govern you.

If you read the transcript of the remarks made by the commentator, then you will note his language is about the leadership of a country and not a race of people. What I find hard to understand is how can those identifying with the race of the people most represented by a country feel offended by criticism made at leaders they have never had a chance to choose.

The transcript will also show that criticism leveled at some products was justified. The scandal of dangerous products that are not suitable for export is another challenge for the government that sets the rules and not the people.

The same country that has criticised others for meddling in its internal affairs has attacked the government of a European nation after the country's capital city betwowed an honour on the Dalai Lama. That city, like many democracies, acted alone and was not representative of national policy. Maybe that explains how a city that has the right to host an international event becomes caught up in national fervour.

However when the country that opposes criticism receives a positive report, it is the first to headline "Western Journalists Praise System". But when a citizen speaks about the problems with the health care system, he is thrown in jail.

So tell me, is that lack of transparency, cruel treatment of people and jingosim the kind of system that we want in the 21st century?

Watch branding 101

Please note a lot of tampon brands end with the letter X.

April fools 2008

Here's my list of April fools pranks.

1. One child policy for residents of Discovery Bay
2. Britney Spears concert in Hong Kong the night before.
3. Dolphin soup being offered by Japanese chef Noichi Tsikamura in a Causeway Bay Restaurant.
4. Public consultation on a cross harbour bridge that would involve demolishing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
5. New golf club members must have a minimum handicap of 5 to join local clubs. Exisiting members will have one year to catch-up. Failure to do so will lead to cancellation of membership.

Honourable mentions.
1. Sky closed due to pollution.
2. Smoking ban to repealed
3. Middle East summit to be held in former governor's cottage at Fan Ling.