Hong Kong Critique
Critique means to comment on something either postively or negatively to provide the reader with a different insight on the issue.
Hong Kong Destroys Its Heritage
I wish I could say I was surprised when the Antiquities Advisory Board, in a closed door meeting, voted to demolish the colonial-era, Bauhaus style Central Market. Instead, in an act of supreme foolishness, they recommended that detailed photos of it be taken for display in the future.
Even though the architects on the board disagreed, one of them actually walking out on the meeting. The board decided it wasn’t even genuine Bauhaus and that there were other buildings in Hong Kong in this style, some of them even more attractive and having more architectural merit: this in spite of 80% of interviewed architects desiring to retain the building in some form.
The fact that the site will fetch in the neighborhood of HK$5.8 billion at auction, I’m sure had nothing to do with the decision. Developers could be heard licking their chops from miles away.
Date: May 21st, 2006 |
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Does an Expat Package Indicate Racism? (Part Two)
Continued from yesterday:
I wanted to take an extra day to think some more about the implications of what the government is trying to do with its so-called “anti-racism bill. It certainly isn’t to wipe out racism as anyone with dark skin who has tried to rent a flat will attest. Nor does the government seem interested in alleviating the prejudice and racism, the 225,000 domestic helpers face every day. Instead it is focusing on the few hundreds of expats who have benefits that differ from those given to local hires.
My wife and I are U. S. citizens and permanent residents. Both of us, when we were employed, have always worked here on local terms. Quite frankly, this gave us an advantage over expats who needed an “expat package.” As anyone in Human Resources will tell you, the “expat package” is going the way of the dodo bird whether the government passes the bill in question or not. It’s just bad business to over-pay expats. One company I am associated with has reduced its Hong Kong expat staff from over 30 to one, in the last 20 years
Date: May 15th, 2006 |
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Music Haters Unite!
Time to ‘fess up. I have taken an unpopular stand.
The feedback in the local newspaper, The South China Morning Post, in both Talkback and Letters to the Editor indicates that many, if not most, people believe the Tuen Mun Park traditional Chinese musicians should pack up their instruments, especially their amplifiers and leave. Some felt unamplified music would be OK.
I was the only correspondent who was in favor of letting them play. I must be either an amplified music nut or out of touch. The truth is that, having lived in urban environments almost all my life, I believe …
Date: May 19th, 2006 |
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