Many women in Hong Kong wear t-shirts and blouses with English slogans printed on the front. I am not sure they are entirely aware of the meaning these slogans might communicate; in some cases I am not quite sure what they mean. Here are a few of my favorites:
“The Plane Circled Over the Park”
“Take One More Glance”
“Show Me Fantasy”
“What Do You Think”
“Feeling the Sense of Aroma”
“Relax, Don’t Do It”
“I’m Really Really Pleased”
“Drink Till You Want Me”
“I Lost My Puppy Dog”
“Poppin’ Bottles With Models” (a male pedestrian)
“Just Do Me”
“If You Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine”
“Everything You Thought Would Happy Will Never Happen”
“I Am So Lost In Your Love”
“Do You Love Someone Like Me”
Friday, June 3, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Managerial Oppression
Hong Kong is a great place to live, if you have money, and it is a great place to visit, but it is a tough place to be a worker.
There is a lot of competition for jobs, people work long hours, and most are very dissatisfied with their supervisors and under enormous job-related stress.
On May 1st the HK government finally established a minimum wage which guarantees at least HK$5824 a month which translates into about US$750.
Though a minor concession, employers here have already started to devise ways to reduce the impact on their profit margins. In the most recent case, one employer is deducting wages for toilet breaks to offset the minimum wage.
The fact that there is a set amount of time for toilet breaks is further evidence of the situation many workers face.
There is a lot of competition for jobs, people work long hours, and most are very dissatisfied with their supervisors and under enormous job-related stress.
On May 1st the HK government finally established a minimum wage which guarantees at least HK$5824 a month which translates into about US$750.
Though a minor concession, employers here have already started to devise ways to reduce the impact on their profit margins. In the most recent case, one employer is deducting wages for toilet breaks to offset the minimum wage.
The fact that there is a set amount of time for toilet breaks is further evidence of the situation many workers face.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Shanghai (by train)
Shanghai, a city of 23 million, is on the cusp of becoming the premier global city.
I traveled there from Hong Kong by train as a way to see more of the Chinese landscape and maybe have a bit more adventure.
My sleeper -- 4 to a compartment.
The landscape
Shanghai Train Station
The Peace Hotel in Shanghai -- stayed here 27 years ago with my father. It is a different country today.
Magnificent lobby of Peace Hotel.
The Bund that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu River
The Bund by night
Pudong -- the newly developed area on the east bank of the river. Nothing there but farmland when I visited Shanghai in 1984.
Pudong by night.
China flag flying over the Bund.
A model of the city including present and future construction and infrastructure at the Urban Planning Museum.
The popular XinTianDi district in the French Concession area -- plenty of cafes, restaurants, and stores catering to tourists.
In an old reconstructed shikumen building in XinTianDi.
Tianzifang -- a massive complex of shikumen buildings now home to bars, cafes, craft shops, studios, galleries, and boutiques. It is also an artist community. One of the true highlights of Shanghai.
The floating teahouse in the Old City.
I traveled there from Hong Kong by train as a way to see more of the Chinese landscape and maybe have a bit more adventure.
My sleeper -- 4 to a compartment.
The landscape
Shanghai Train Station
The Peace Hotel in Shanghai -- stayed here 27 years ago with my father. It is a different country today.
Magnificent lobby of Peace Hotel.
The Bund that runs along the west bank of the Huangpu River
The Bund by night
Pudong -- the newly developed area on the east bank of the river. Nothing there but farmland when I visited Shanghai in 1984.
Pudong by night.
China flag flying over the Bund.
A model of the city including present and future construction and infrastructure at the Urban Planning Museum.
The popular XinTianDi district in the French Concession area -- plenty of cafes, restaurants, and stores catering to tourists.
In an old reconstructed shikumen building in XinTianDi.
Tianzifang -- a massive complex of shikumen buildings now home to bars, cafes, craft shops, studios, galleries, and boutiques. It is also an artist community. One of the true highlights of Shanghai.
The floating teahouse in the Old City.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Hong Kong Sevens
A cocktail and costume party masquerading as a rugby tournament
The infamous South Stands -- no children allowed!
Post-tourney street party
The infamous South Stands -- no children allowed!
Post-tourney street party
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
"Lunch Is For Wimps"
Or at least that was Gordon Gekko's view in the film Wall Street.
In Hong Kong, however, there is no such sentiment; going out for lunch is a sacred ritual. Stockbrokers here are accustomed to a long and leisurely two hour lunch starting at the magic moment of 12:30.
All that changed yesterday. Under new rules designed to bring the Hong Kong bourse more in line with trading hours of the global economy, lunch will start at 12 noon and end at 1:30. Next March it will be reduced to one hour.
Not everyone is happy with the changes. As one broker was quoted: "Chinese people take meals very seriously. While the Westerners can have sandwiches every day, we want soup and several cooked dishes to share. Shorter lunches aren't good for the health of staff and customers."
In Hong Kong, however, there is no such sentiment; going out for lunch is a sacred ritual. Stockbrokers here are accustomed to a long and leisurely two hour lunch starting at the magic moment of 12:30.
All that changed yesterday. Under new rules designed to bring the Hong Kong bourse more in line with trading hours of the global economy, lunch will start at 12 noon and end at 1:30. Next March it will be reduced to one hour.
Not everyone is happy with the changes. As one broker was quoted: "Chinese people take meals very seriously. While the Westerners can have sandwiches every day, we want soup and several cooked dishes to share. Shorter lunches aren't good for the health of staff and customers."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Surplus Illegitimacy
We all know how budget deficits can generate social conflict. Well, in Hong Kong the government has managed to create mass political discontent over a budget surplus. In Hong Kong, the original projection of a budget deficit was slightly off the mark. Instead, Hong Kong is sitting on a massive budget surplus (largely due to the sale of inflated property) of $71.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$ 9.15 billion).
Rather than formulate some long-term policies to address the many social problems facing Hong Kong( inequality, housing, education) the government decided to just hand out one-time cash transfers for various purposes, and hold the bulk for a "rainy day". This satisfied no one.
One "scheme" (this is the term they use instead of "plan" making people from the US very suspicious)involved placing HK$6000 into each pension account. The population responded to this with a collective middle-finger. How will this benefit us now and why are we providing a windfall to investment managers? This scheme was so unpopular that the Budget secretary, who is now vilified, did an about face and said he would simply give every HK resident HK$6000 cash directly. Rather than appease the population, this just made people more angry and disgusted with the lack of vision and planning and transparent attempt to buy off discontent.
This all culminated in a mass protest today. Pictures below.
Several other groups were also engaging in political action in proximity to the larger rally. This group was protesting against the bear bile industry that extracts bile from Asiatic black bears for Chinese medicinal purposes. The bears are held in small cages and it is regarded as a form of animal cruelty.
The large population of migrant domestic workers, primarily Filipino, and the compensation levels and immigration rules, is also a significant social issue in Hong Kong.
One of the great things about participating in protest marches in Hong Kong - you can always pop into a Gucci store to pick up an item or two.
Rather than formulate some long-term policies to address the many social problems facing Hong Kong( inequality, housing, education) the government decided to just hand out one-time cash transfers for various purposes, and hold the bulk for a "rainy day". This satisfied no one.
One "scheme" (this is the term they use instead of "plan" making people from the US very suspicious)involved placing HK$6000 into each pension account. The population responded to this with a collective middle-finger. How will this benefit us now and why are we providing a windfall to investment managers? This scheme was so unpopular that the Budget secretary, who is now vilified, did an about face and said he would simply give every HK resident HK$6000 cash directly. Rather than appease the population, this just made people more angry and disgusted with the lack of vision and planning and transparent attempt to buy off discontent.
This all culminated in a mass protest today. Pictures below.
Several other groups were also engaging in political action in proximity to the larger rally. This group was protesting against the bear bile industry that extracts bile from Asiatic black bears for Chinese medicinal purposes. The bears are held in small cages and it is regarded as a form of animal cruelty.
The large population of migrant domestic workers, primarily Filipino, and the compensation levels and immigration rules, is also a significant social issue in Hong Kong.
One of the great things about participating in protest marches in Hong Kong - you can always pop into a Gucci store to pick up an item or two.
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