You may have noticed that I have a thing about green issues. You may also have noticed that I'm not all that impressed by the approach our great leaders are taking to these matters in Hong Kong.
Two small examples. This week there was a laughable article in the SCMP (again....) where a drop in energy consumption in HK over the past few months was somehow spun into a problem....Er, hello??? Isn't energy reduction and conservation something we're all gunning for these days? As a pertinent follow up, I've just collected my electricity bill. Due to the government's decision to subsidise electricity to the tune of HK$300 per month, I now pay nothing for electricity.
Complete lunacy. Mind you, if anyone would like to pop over and charge up phones, ipods, cameras etc and watch TV, all courtesy of our benign and generous leadership then please feel free.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Monday, 24 November 2008
word up! it's the code word....
and another thing....
my word's arrived early this year. It's "kindness". Nice huh?
my word's arrived early this year. It's "kindness". Nice huh?
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Step it up, step it up it's alright...
One of the most important life lessons I've learned in the past couple of years, thanks to LottieP, is the importance of stepping over things, rather than running headlong into them.
On this trip back oop north with my family, I realised to my surprise that this was one that I could indeed have learned from my family many years ago. Now, it shouldn't come as any surprise that the secret to reasonably functioning family relationships is the ability to ignore or tune out the more extreme or annoying habits and traits of one's family. You know, Dad's casual homophobia, Mum's ditziness, that kind of thing (worth noting at this point that it's just as well, of course, that I'm perfect and impose none of this burden on my family, oh no).
Anyway, as we drove away from Blackpool (allegedly the UK's premier tourist hotspot, but having seen the prom I have my doubts) we settled into the car journey home. As is usual, my brother was in charge of choons. As is also customary, he took no notice of the preferences of the audience and proceeded to treat us to a medley of Village People tracks (innofensive, crap), followed by this lil' number from Peaches and Iggy Pop (even by my very liberal standards a litle eye opening) before rounding off with this.
Hilarious. And somehow, throughout it all my parents didn't blink once, stepping over the whole smutty, bawdy mess with aplomb.
On this trip back oop north with my family, I realised to my surprise that this was one that I could indeed have learned from my family many years ago. Now, it shouldn't come as any surprise that the secret to reasonably functioning family relationships is the ability to ignore or tune out the more extreme or annoying habits and traits of one's family. You know, Dad's casual homophobia, Mum's ditziness, that kind of thing (worth noting at this point that it's just as well, of course, that I'm perfect and impose none of this burden on my family, oh no).
Anyway, as we drove away from Blackpool (allegedly the UK's premier tourist hotspot, but having seen the prom I have my doubts) we settled into the car journey home. As is usual, my brother was in charge of choons. As is also customary, he took no notice of the preferences of the audience and proceeded to treat us to a medley of Village People tracks (innofensive, crap), followed by this lil' number from Peaches and Iggy Pop (even by my very liberal standards a litle eye opening) before rounding off with this.
Hilarious. And somehow, throughout it all my parents didn't blink once, stepping over the whole smutty, bawdy mess with aplomb.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
What a waste.....
Thank you SCMP! From today's paper:
I was saddened to read your story on the decline in waste-paper recycling ("Waste recyclers plan protest as some exporters halt collections", October 29).
Presumably the lack of a local market for recycled paper products is in part a cause of the decline in recycling. I am always alarmed that it is so difficult to find recycled paper products, particularly for everyday items.
The versions available in high street supermarkets are usually made from 100 per cent virgin wood pulp (unbelievably, a fact boasted of on the packaging).
As the awareness of the importance of maintaining trees as a critical component of global ecosystems increases, it is incredible to me that recycled products are not more widely available.
GP, HK
I was saddened to read your story on the decline in waste-paper recycling ("Waste recyclers plan protest as some exporters halt collections", October 29).
Presumably the lack of a local market for recycled paper products is in part a cause of the decline in recycling. I am always alarmed that it is so difficult to find recycled paper products, particularly for everyday items.
The versions available in high street supermarkets are usually made from 100 per cent virgin wood pulp (unbelievably, a fact boasted of on the packaging).
As the awareness of the importance of maintaining trees as a critical component of global ecosystems increases, it is incredible to me that recycled products are not more widely available.
GP, HK
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