tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-212457112024-03-13T20:25:38.030+08:00Private BeachTrying to make sense of a weird world - and maybe make it a little better. If that's not possible, then laugh at it. Those with shorter attention spans may enjoy us on Twitter at Private Pebble.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger946125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-57454710586305963572022-11-03T16:20:00.000+08:002022-11-03T16:20:02.294+08:00Around the Corner<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIEGdFfjbWbPS0tOdgTXdYe3qd9TK50YORxlL5XrYbpmsSGQcPN7wRvVlmUcWLzVqV4WksrO26Zkw4-8riryKLFCG5t69YtwuOy3MGRiC6rgrzbUCN95HTBBQlpx6ZKEIPDFQEfDpDa1F9aVHk9NhQ7qpebWR2oIRnN65rLjmyWcn_8WzaA/s1366/Maersk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1366" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIEGdFfjbWbPS0tOdgTXdYe3qd9TK50YORxlL5XrYbpmsSGQcPN7wRvVlmUcWLzVqV4WksrO26Zkw4-8riryKLFCG5t69YtwuOy3MGRiC6rgrzbUCN95HTBBQlpx6ZKEIPDFQEfDpDa1F9aVHk9NhQ7qpebWR2oIRnN65rLjmyWcn_8WzaA/w400-h178/Maersk.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Just wondering - if the earth is a globe, how can it have corners?</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-53694991908808206512022-10-24T00:02:00.002+08:002022-10-24T00:02:41.818+08:00Still No Vagina<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEGNnQOeoSGO6KQjasCyNA6j5AcU4JTZSaRZ4zFvf2dt3wbjdlg5StNIM7yPY6o2aE-jqAASSkedBX7c1bbyjPSqG_lLCxY-aZUbHRRIVRXlvqwAlg89eixXMFhnWqM5R7EYd42N24Xc4ka2r6-zRwgikWA_h5vkXHtG9UvAoecmP19vs9w/s770/New%20Politburo%202022.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEGNnQOeoSGO6KQjasCyNA6j5AcU4JTZSaRZ4zFvf2dt3wbjdlg5StNIM7yPY6o2aE-jqAASSkedBX7c1bbyjPSqG_lLCxY-aZUbHRRIVRXlvqwAlg89eixXMFhnWqM5R7EYd42N24Xc4ka2r6-zRwgikWA_h5vkXHtG9UvAoecmP19vs9w/w400-h266/New%20Politburo%202022.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Every five years I get a chance to point this out - see <a href="https://ourprivatebeach.blogspot.com/2017/12/oh-yes-we-have-no-vaginas.html">here</a> and <a href="https://ourprivatebeach.blogspot.com/2013/02/whats-missing-here.html">here</a> - but still no progress.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Number of Chinese citizens with a penis: <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">738,247,340<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Number of members of the new Politburo with a penis: 7</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Number of Chinese citizens with a vagina: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">701,076,434<br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Number of members of the new Politburo with a vagina: 0</span></span></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-57819034743973961532022-07-05T18:31:00.000+08:002022-07-05T18:31:10.167+08:00The influence racket<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3x3CcVTV90-4CrIRn1QLtWOLub8xsonR0lKTxvjf7ntVYkGlVXeBaEAIDkPBZIbquTJJSJ_khD2ouJd0yxduUMGwQQ6tGFk5UbRHQV7WdXJV9EroIaiQSjY60hEdZr6azxgj-BQWpdbYs1kSKn_vBKqONYIi0OJXOnzMBfLctYDo9XGY5wA/s1076/All%20China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1076" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3x3CcVTV90-4CrIRn1QLtWOLub8xsonR0lKTxvjf7ntVYkGlVXeBaEAIDkPBZIbquTJJSJ_khD2ouJd0yxduUMGwQQ6tGFk5UbRHQV7WdXJV9EroIaiQSjY60hEdZr6azxgj-BQWpdbYs1kSKn_vBKqONYIi0OJXOnzMBfLctYDo9XGY5wA/w400-h268/All%20China.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-815426271202623772022-07-04T20:26:00.000+08:002022-07-04T20:26:23.003+08:00Still a way to go<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Au94jXGe5heiprgJWBDFCBRE7LyQlLnigaDYXaPEhzI_APurn0JUXT3QFmGPKY3y7E3QsWPgvZDDSWr18P3eXhpKyGdRqG0sT9m_mlDe_xkJr6A0LWIYjdIyMIOXDvUjfCbnpJ__x89KP9_yECF5zPo0fVEwPXxmy0Q3i2YI2CfuwSU2Q/s804/Distancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="804" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Au94jXGe5heiprgJWBDFCBRE7LyQlLnigaDYXaPEhzI_APurn0JUXT3QFmGPKY3y7E3QsWPgvZDDSWr18P3eXhpKyGdRqG0sT9m_mlDe_xkJr6A0LWIYjdIyMIOXDvUjfCbnpJ__x89KP9_yECF5zPo0fVEwPXxmy0Q3i2YI2CfuwSU2Q/w400-h249/Distancing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-88808682207943313352022-04-20T20:25:00.000+08:002022-04-20T20:25:30.166+08:00Invisible Men<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9uz3m3bYlJrIioFyt1OS4J_YYKcO4A2IL178jF-eKZHzKfHraoa2kSE_bEN6AklBC5sY4jIPBVN88mr4QDQbzTdeWdpEgMYhr-A7LKGR8G14yhoC5KX9MWORDJ1kcrWJYq2sRGmtJMwXXmXEpLS2MoU62f76MooRqX6FwN-OqN72XhOHJQ/s828/invisible%20men.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9uz3m3bYlJrIioFyt1OS4J_YYKcO4A2IL178jF-eKZHzKfHraoa2kSE_bEN6AklBC5sY4jIPBVN88mr4QDQbzTdeWdpEgMYhr-A7LKGR8G14yhoC5KX9MWORDJ1kcrWJYq2sRGmtJMwXXmXEpLS2MoU62f76MooRqX6FwN-OqN72XhOHJQ/w590-h640/invisible%20men.png" width="590" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do the Standard's caption writers actually look at the photos they are captioning?</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-85946430897881480622022-03-24T12:43:00.002+08:002022-03-24T12:43:31.955+08:00Blood Ties<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-nbUlpdmzdRRXMLhwuyvvBvAmcasfWt4CuqL7txIzzjTBn8_pov5yteARlOyEXSJj-UMTQ7Bg-gfhSUQgf6qiloYiqkuz1C41JwtGh8kzC0x33JAPSLyK0hQJNrmU-Zs9tGb9XctvlqwgtEVUgT0KAwsqu_EYRmBj1NB901Aph5Xl0sujg/s1210/Blood%20Ties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="1210" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-nbUlpdmzdRRXMLhwuyvvBvAmcasfWt4CuqL7txIzzjTBn8_pov5yteARlOyEXSJj-UMTQ7Bg-gfhSUQgf6qiloYiqkuz1C41JwtGh8kzC0x33JAPSLyK0hQJNrmU-Zs9tGb9XctvlqwgtEVUgT0KAwsqu_EYRmBj1NB901Aph5Xl0sujg/w400-h141/Blood%20Ties.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-40961590454724263822022-01-22T15:21:00.006+08:002022-01-22T15:21:49.915+08:00Hamming it up<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeKqPzHNALHC_3gvEV7hpVohcM6YLh-t1IPMJ77JgH-U77JLAeKCuFTBhFKcmxL1W1NrobioNQ2QlF0bX_s_YUAop8sMJqmnywk7inA2IUS9B5eoOBzsNF_Sxy1rQc8Dxi-N7q9406gU50feHq8EWeXJkeQK3ZzFKDUGdOEIGdnaq84DK_ww=s690" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="690" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeKqPzHNALHC_3gvEV7hpVohcM6YLh-t1IPMJ77JgH-U77JLAeKCuFTBhFKcmxL1W1NrobioNQ2QlF0bX_s_YUAop8sMJqmnywk7inA2IUS9B5eoOBzsNF_Sxy1rQc8Dxi-N7q9406gU50feHq8EWeXJkeQK3ZzFKDUGdOEIGdnaq84DK_ww=w400-h398" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-59568726783195439222022-01-19T00:29:00.000+08:002022-01-19T00:29:00.645+08:00One law for the rulers...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkSeuXdfg194SxndwIwmaJv33Uzb7uWbtX8Eqj5DgXwRdhiv_rasVxHXxq8QoZTL7YLDFsOJzyyKLYXXS__hSDs0mNWJkOMPm2z4PXXSQnPmHrMmOta97UkV862tQZQ-qV6dWXXRBDPtKy9LoDrcHsaFDT9faL-RM28yu5R9LST85SiHa5ZA=s888" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="888" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkSeuXdfg194SxndwIwmaJv33Uzb7uWbtX8Eqj5DgXwRdhiv_rasVxHXxq8QoZTL7YLDFsOJzyyKLYXXS__hSDs0mNWJkOMPm2z4PXXSQnPmHrMmOta97UkV862tQZQ-qV6dWXXRBDPtKy9LoDrcHsaFDT9faL-RM28yu5R9LST85SiHa5ZA=w400-h293" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-73401743602706729872021-09-30T16:05:00.003+08:002022-01-22T15:22:31.781+08:00Safety First<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKsrMGk-oP8/YVVvBH_yZHI/AAAAAAAAB_k/X41tD2V2qPs6QZprKsoElz_mjKLnWJpmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Welcome%2Bhome.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="1280" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKsrMGk-oP8/YVVvBH_yZHI/AAAAAAAAB_k/X41tD2V2qPs6QZprKsoElz_mjKLnWJpmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h138/Welcome%2Bhome.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-45320665742928070862021-08-23T11:45:00.000+08:002021-08-23T11:45:34.381+08:00The Lion Rock Spirit Lives<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihlHd9a4eSM/YSMTymC1kyI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/AuqqJTCdEm8zwgoAyy6vMGtPoNOM4_y7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s711/20210822152617contentPhoto1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="711" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihlHd9a4eSM/YSMTymC1kyI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/AuqqJTCdEm8zwgoAyy6vMGtPoNOM4_y7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h256/20210822152617contentPhoto1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The picture shows a group of people who rushed to lift the taxi that <a href="https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/179158/Good-Samaritans-lift-taxi-to-save-pregnant-woman" target="_blank">crashed in Taipo</a> yesterday (at a spot where I've crossed the road hundreds of times) to free victims trapped underneath.<p></p><p>This is far from the first such case in Hong Kong. Years ago I helped to lift a car that knocked down a young boy in North Point. Meanwhile it has been widely reported that in mainland China, most people will <a href="https://medium.com/shanghai-living/4-31-why-people-would-usually-not-help-you-in-an-accident-in-china-c50972e28a82">steer well clear of helping</a> accident (or <a href="https://supchina.com/2018/02/22/laws-prompt-motorists-kill-injured-accident-victims/">worse</a>) victims rather than get involved in potentially <a href="https://supchina.com/2018/02/22/laws-prompt-motorists-kill-injured-accident-victims/">messy consequences</a>. </p><p>There would be scope for an interesting master's thesis on why mutual aid thrives in a supposedly competitive capitalist society while being conspicuously absent in a supposedly collectivist one. Suffice it to say here that "one country, two systems" is not just about politica and economics.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-62488160808705920892021-08-09T02:24:00.000+08:002021-08-09T02:24:14.736+08:00Precious Medals<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4CdQPzc4d8/YRAgR3i5U3I/AAAAAAAAB_M/ZwKNFwcnpeQXaYx6T-iCS7ASmFIYgEk0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s948/Congrats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="948" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4CdQPzc4d8/YRAgR3i5U3I/AAAAAAAAB_M/ZwKNFwcnpeQXaYx6T-iCS7ASmFIYgEk0ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h304/Congrats.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now if only our politicians were of the same calibre as our athletes...</div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-9039520457946627442021-07-03T19:24:00.000+08:002021-07-03T19:24:26.747+08:00A Centenary Worth Celebrating<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56cjyC9-Z1w/YN_02z_KzcI/AAAAAAAAB-s/ji8NDCGqKkYK4PGBPtyQFwbfGfNaVIxvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s364/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="364" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56cjyC9-Z1w/YN_02z_KzcI/AAAAAAAAB-s/ji8NDCGqKkYK4PGBPtyQFwbfGfNaVIxvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h151/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There is a lot of bally hoo at the moment about the 100th anniversary of a certain organisation, but we won't talk about that. Meanshile there is a local centenary which many Hongkongers may perhaps consider more worthy of celebration.<p></p><p>Three times in my life I have found stray animals and handed them in to the SPCA - a rabbit roaming in, of all places, the Academy of Performing Arts garden; a puppy unable to escape from a concrete drainage channel in Jardine's Lookout; and a desperately sick kitten, its eyes two pools of pus, dumped in an alley in Kowloon Tong. Without the SPCA, life for these, and many thousands more lost, sick and abandoned animals every year, would be immeasurably worse. Their valuable work costs money - why not become a member and give them your support?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-29259215460679471592021-07-01T12:38:00.001+08:002021-07-01T12:38:21.866+08:00Walk On<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWehZuDvCJw/YN1BTGKr0cI/AAAAAAAAB-I/rMG91Wk2RawHJIl_y6hJjQvgq7-d9g2awCLcBGAsYHQ/s591/Walk%2BOn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="591" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWehZuDvCJw/YN1BTGKr0cI/AAAAAAAAB-I/rMG91Wk2RawHJIl_y6hJjQvgq7-d9g2awCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h120/Walk%2BOn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-45257006079696999652021-06-24T01:39:00.004+08:002021-06-24T01:39:45.275+08:00By Their Fruits...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fiLV8-laKRE/YNNxPwY1TEI/AAAAAAAAB9k/sjA5zZcWm7wRHDd4sXG4UpsJaDE7-1pCACLcBGAsYHQ/Apple%2BDaily.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="737" height="305" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fiLV8-laKRE/YNNxPwY1TEI/AAAAAAAAB9k/sjA5zZcWm7wRHDd4sXG4UpsJaDE7-1pCACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h305/Apple%2BDaily.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-68248696944853705072021-06-19T23:08:00.001+08:002021-06-19T23:08:42.114+08:00I Ran<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZIflfFI81g/YM4IEQ_d7kI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/SC0tJJ79wc4oMAwIgc04JLj0Dlxrhk0EwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-democracy-dictator-elections-iran-supreme-leader-theocracy-2314291456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="500" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kZIflfFI81g/YM4IEQ_d7kI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/SC0tJJ79wc4oMAwIgc04JLj0Dlxrhk0EwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h319/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-democracy-dictator-elections-iran-supreme-leader-theocracy-2314291456.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Watching BBC News earlier today, I was struck by some key characteristics of the current Iranian election:<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The ruling elite selects the winner in advance and ensures that their selected candidate receives the most votes.</li><li>To make sure of this, many popular opposition figures are barred from standing for office.</li><li>The government also puts pressure on the media to suppress dissenting voices. </li><li>However, the government does not exercise ultimate authority; on all major decisions, it defers to the dictates of a self-appointed higher power that tolerates no defiance.</li><li>In the face of this situation, many citizens are becoming disillusioned with the prospects of achieving change
through electoral politics and are not bothering to vote.</li></ul><p></p><p><o:p></o:p></p><p>Now, where else in the world does this remind me of?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-68576709837690238082021-06-04T12:30:00.001+08:002021-06-04T16:06:27.519+08:00Lest We (Are Forced to) Forget<p>Few people in Hong Kong take the South China Morning Post seriously as a news source any more, but one of the few remaining points of excellene in the paper is Harry's cartoons. With the Victoria Park candlelight vigil banned for the second consecutive year, the June 4th Museum closed on the bureaucratic pretext that it requires a public entertainment licence (massacres are so entertaining, aren't they?), and organisers of the vigil <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2021/06/04/brekaing-police-arrest-two-for-allegedly-promoting-banned-tiananmen-massacre-vigil-including-head-of-organising-group/">being arrested</a> or already in prison, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/photos/harrys-view#&gid=1&pid=1">today's</a> cartoon is particularly poignant: </p><p>The <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/">Hong Kong Free Press</a> also has a number of articles marking the date. And <a href="https://www.biglychee.com/2021/06/04/june-4-nothing-happened-or-will-happen/">Hemlock</a> is incisive as usual - pointing out that the aurhorities' clumsy efforts to suppress remembrance of the 1989 events are merely bringing more attention to them (the Streisand effect at work).</p><p>P.S. A valuable resource: <a href="https://tiananmen-trolls.doublethinklab.org/en/#">How to Respond to Tiananmen Trolls</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-22836222876899125982021-03-06T20:18:00.005+08:002021-05-19T12:44:27.043+08:00Quack Doctor<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD9-Sp2CiGk/YENv28cxNeI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/AULsk9Jm1ags_MC2TdzrbjCzXMxpHoukgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/hkfp_2021-01-15_18-08-20-1200x675.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD9-Sp2CiGk/YENv28cxNeI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/AULsk9Jm1ags_MC2TdzrbjCzXMxpHoukgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hkfp_2021-01-15_18-08-20-1200x675.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />No one can deny that HKU professor of microbiology Yuen Kwok-yung has made a major contribution to Hong Kong';s fight against the Covid-19 virus - but really, what's with the duck's beak mask?<p></p><div><b>P.S. </b>The heading of this post refers only to the duckie character of Dr Yuen's mask, and is in no way questioning his credentials. If I had wanted to write about dubious doctorates, I would have headed the post "Quat Doctor".</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-80047072406347739292020-11-06T19:50:00.000+08:002020-11-06T19:50:36.417+08:00Two Words, Not One More<p>It's puzzling that Carrie Lam is spending so many days hobnobbing with Chinese officials over the border to discuss the content of her delayed Policy Address, when all she has to do to surprise and delight the people of Hong Kong is to condense it to just two simple words: "I resign".</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-63208488357834047602020-10-06T09:55:00.000+08:002020-10-06T09:55:31.510+08:00Look Back in Danger<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh6xLbY1ZG0/X3vL4Dvy90I/AAAAAAAAB6M/MNOWW74fSPI_2iXEEQbT_MQwZmiFG5UsACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/hqdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh6xLbY1ZG0/X3vL4Dvy90I/AAAAAAAAB6M/MNOWW74fSPI_2iXEEQbT_MQwZmiFG5UsACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/hqdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Four decades in Hong Kong have given me a great admiratiuon for the Hong Kong people (if not, alas, for those who govern them). Yet despite their hard work, intelligence, and dedication to principle, one quality is curiously lacking - they seem to be totally unaware that vehicles can travel backwards as well as forward. Any driver in Hong Kong trying to manoeuvre into or out of a tight parking spot can be sure that the second they start reversing, some idiot pedestrian will walk across their path a few inches behind them, seemingly blithely unaware that they are actually moving. I'm not sure what accounts for this blind spot - posasibly the fact that many Hongkongers lack driving experience - but you can be sure that if one of these people who put themselves in harm's way actually suffered an injury, they would immediately blame the poor driver for it and not their own lack of caution.<p></p><p>Mind how you go.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-4859377218349515682020-10-02T18:23:00.005+08:002020-10-02T18:23:59.889+08:00When in doubt, see Rule 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgXW2t8oIh0/X3b_H-dN33I/AAAAAAAAB58/r5gd0IgBEUgzechJ55zdMgi83dZIkoQ-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/Wanted.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="716" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgXW2t8oIh0/X3b_H-dN33I/AAAAAAAAB58/r5gd0IgBEUgzechJ55zdMgi83dZIkoQ-gCLcBGAsYHQ/w398-h400/Wanted.png" width="398" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-61146847022919718992020-09-28T15:48:00.000+08:002020-09-28T15:48:05.190+08:00We are the people our government warned us against<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0h1F-EtyBUA/X3GUx2YrZZI/AAAAAAAAB5k/jm5wXn6u7-ME6gh3zDpqxAGe_MongFfUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1279/Enemies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1279" height="99" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0h1F-EtyBUA/X3GUx2YrZZI/AAAAAAAAB5k/jm5wXn6u7-ME6gh3zDpqxAGe_MongFfUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h99/Enemies.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-73592220491584182472020-09-15T17:29:00.000+08:002020-09-15T17:29:12.034+08:00Nasal Intrusion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EX8NSWN2flA/X2CDteaJbRI/AAAAAAAAB5I/gYc2K9xyhfIR3FQRpzgyeTE4bwNwidEdgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Covid%2Btest.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />Though the government will no doubt proclaim its mass community testing programme for Covid-19 a magnificent triumph, I leave it to others to comment on whether a turnout of 1.7 million against a projected 5 million, with only a handful of positive test results, really qualifies as a success.<p></p><p>What I do wonder is whether any of the numerous test subjects pictured in the constant stream of propaganda pushing the scheme have given permisision for their depiction in this situation. Surely one time you are entitled to expect a degree of privacy is when undergoing an uncomfortable and unsightly medical procedure probing one's oral cavities?</p><p>Given this, I wonder how it is that Chief Executive Carrie Lam (or her body double; it's impossible to tell from this angle) managed to get her own test photographed from behind?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C55MqX3f3Y4/X2CGwW0eHwI/AAAAAAAAB5U/JG75FcCKS3AAQW7a8p27Ki-XL0tWSa6uwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/0d6bf7f0a7ab4efaa6e2fcb36acde862-1920.jpg" width="400" /></div><div><br /></div>Surely if others are expected to be photographed uncomplainingly with a swizzle stick deep up their nostrils, Carrie should let the public enjoy the sight of her own discomfort?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-84448653296880227172020-09-15T09:07:00.002+08:002020-09-28T15:49:09.122+08:00Bob-a-Job<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFFEfYqnPTU/X0oRqyibDbI/AAAAAAAAB4w/kYDkEmZds5wAvBS3zRPq5MccQNMecfuywCLcBGAsYHQ/s660/MW-IM587_belaru_20200816163813_ZQ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFFEfYqnPTU/X0oRqyibDbI/AAAAAAAAB4w/kYDkEmZds5wAvBS3zRPq5MccQNMecfuywCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h288/MW-IM587_belaru_20200816163813_ZQ.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br />The embattled Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is quoted as describing protesters against his rule as "people with a criminal past who are unemployed". With that many unemployed in the country, it's not surprising he had to rig the last election to stay in power! Let's hope that he himself soon joins the ranks of the unemployed so his people can look forward to a better future.<p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-66582558812819231232020-08-29T16:26:00.002+08:002020-08-29T16:31:33.021+08:00Be careful what you ask for<p>As in past years, the Hong Kong government is conducting a <a href="https://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/consultation20/eng/share.php" target="_blank">public consultation</a> exercise on what should be in the Chief Executive's annual Policy Address. This seems a particularly pointless exercise this year, as what the majority of people want is not only clearly unattainable under the current regime, but even to demand it is probably no longer legal. Still, I am wondering what would happen if a million Hongkongers wrote in to say they wanted this year's address to consist of only two words: "I resign".</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21245711.post-53684913867738111752020-08-27T15:46:00.000+08:002020-08-27T15:46:04.156+08:00Return of the 4 o'clock fairytale hour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crzhFrideUk/X0djiwS7g3I/AAAAAAAAB4k/R3R5q6_2CWg9MO1MogNuICP7xk0PzuKRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1204/Lam%2Barrest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1204" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crzhFrideUk/X0djiwS7g3I/AAAAAAAAB4k/R3R5q6_2CWg9MO1MogNuICP7xk0PzuKRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h191/Lam%2Barrest.png" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">See <a href="https://hongkongfp.com/2020/07/21/from-violent-attack-to-gang-fight-how-the-official-account-of-the-yuen-long-mob-attack-changed-over-a-year/" target="_blank">here</a> for an account of the police's rewriting of the Yuen Long attack story.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0