tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91651982011-11-28T07:58:51.702+08:00Personal thoughts and meditations about a variety of subjects.Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.comBlogger6281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-86194219681343699522011-05-30T08:51:00.002+08:002011-05-30T09:19:35.715+08:00

This is kind of a neat idea. I bet it would do really well especially if they could use the deck to land helicopter taxis for the show-offs In my experience there are two kinds of Hong Kongers. Those who are British Running Dogs and those who think the British are dogs. This has the rare potential to appeal to both of them Until Next Time Fai Moa The Blogger who falls into the second type

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-26124565587958355272011-05-27T10:37:00.001+08:002011-05-27T10:37:27.242+08:00

I am sorry, the endless classism of parents in Honk Kong is simply disgusting. This is a school for social parasites who try to make up for their lack of ability by throw ing money at it

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-66344596086418263842011-04-29T10:50:00.007+08:002011-05-27T11:01:37.983+08:00

The minimum wage issue is an interesting one to me because it seems that none of the parties really have a clue about what it is, what it is supposed to do and how it will affect the average working person. I guess that the Mandarins in Central are to busy contemplating their next self-congratulatory pay raise to research the effects of a minimum wage, or if they have they've not made any kind

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-65259867593905321122011-04-26T13:00:00.004+08:002011-04-26T13:02:23.669+08:00

This has been a hard year. I have been sick since Christmas. I’ve missed weeks of work and just generally spent far too much time in bed recuperating from a never ending flu that turned into an antibiotic resistant bronchitis. The wife and I had moved from Causeway Bay to Tai Po and there were larger adjustments involved with that than I anticipated. I also resigned my job in September over some

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-32102946219623958032011-01-24T13:23:00.002+08:002011-01-24T13:23:20.449+08:00

Twas the Night before Christmas (Postmodern Version) Bryan Stone, Boston University School of Theology 12/10/2010 Twas a Postmodern Christmas, when all through the regime Not a concept was stirring, not even a meme. Essentialist dogmas were nurtured with care, And imperialist ambitions still hung in the air The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While grand narratives of

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-77874200947771153202010-12-15T14:19:00.000+08:002010-12-15T14:19:41.053+08:00

Someone sent me the link above. It induced one the rare bouts of homesickness I still get. I am going to the UK to be with our daughter this Christmas. But my family is originally from the other Birmingham; the one in the US state of Alabama. Until Next Time Fai Mao The Blogger who won't be home for Christmas

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-82426758684329959392010-12-13T14:51:00.000+08:002010-12-13T14:51:23.657+08:00

I guess if I were them I'd do this to. Well, no I wouldn't I'd be too ashamed of the amount of money I'd taken while orking for the government. These people are so over paid it isn't even funny. Why do they need a pension at all? In related news there appears to be an epidemic of brain tumours in Hong Kong. I guess it would be too much to expect that they would all be found in (un)Civil-Servants

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-46518468320023417642010-12-06T10:21:00.002+08:002010-12-06T10:21:37.703+08:00

If only the HK Government would read this

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-79021423694611524202010-12-06T09:03:00.001+08:002010-12-06T10:12:14.226+08:00

A lot of the "multiculturalism" preached today is based in nothing more than cowardice, envy and laziness. Notice, I said a lot, not all. This is really true in Hong Kong where they don't even really understand the issue. As long as the primary driver of the government here is that Civil Servants are able to keep their jobs then there will never be good government in Hong Kong. Until Tomorrow

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-74507472949130611172010-12-02T09:14:00.001+08:002010-12-02T09:14:21.489+08:00

My fake Christmas Carol this year is a bit greusome. It is sung to the tune of "Here comes Santa Clause" Here come Kim Jung-ill, here comes Kim Jung-ill Right through the DMZ Tanks and army they’re a blitzin’ Right towards you and me Bombs are falling, children screaming It’s real scary tonight Grab your gun and say your prays Cause Kim Jung-ill comes tonight Here come Kim Jung-ill, here

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-38392605928618312062010-12-01T13:00:00.003+08:002010-12-01T13:12:37.890+08:00

One of the problems with leftist is that they don't believe in the law of unintended consequenses. A prime example is the Wikileaks web site which released a massive amount of diplomatic documents over the week-end. These were embarrassing to lots of governments and lots of government officials. The publication of these documents was also in violation of any number of laws and the colaborators

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-46490912623733118482010-11-30T09:57:00.000+08:002010-11-30T09:57:37.957+08:00

This falls into the "You can't make this stuff up" catagory Untill Tomorrow Fai Mao The blooger who does not steal ladies underwear

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-67483310716827465932010-11-19T08:31:00.001+08:002010-11-19T08:31:46.280+08:00

It isn't about AGW it is about socialism

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-48488781788144502472010-10-22T09:25:00.002+08:002010-10-22T09:27:20.571+08:00

A plane crash in Africa was caused when a crocodile that had been smuggled onto the plane as luggage got lose and starter attacking passengers. How do you do that? Who would do that? Kane West has his teeth replaced with diamond implants. Quick somebody lone me a club and pair of pliars! A three-year-old and five-year-old are engaged in Syria. What do you expect? The Yankees are getting beaten

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-70850144317961572172010-10-19T15:50:00.000+08:002010-10-19T15:50:58.559+08:00

Part of my job is reading juvenile literature. I’ve been reading the Tripod books by John Christopher the past few days and found them quite thought provoking in a number of ways. It is always interesting to be able to see the way that moral issues are handled in books for teen-agers; especially in what is left unsaid at times. It is also interesting to see how often I think people who review

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-15929993185313010902010-10-12T08:51:00.000+08:002010-10-12T08:51:08.187+08:00

THBT almost gets some points from me on this one. Almost not quite. How about this. How about he, personally, Donald Tsang, gives two months salary to the coause helping the underprivilged and challenges the business comunity to do the same? He seems to be mighty generous with tax dollars but I doubt he is as generous with his own funds. Come on Donald, shell out a few million, you've got

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-87566486599957607702010-09-29T08:30:00.001+08:002010-09-29T08:31:19.019+08:00

When I first moved to China in the early 1990's China was becoming a freer place. Under the leadership Dung Xiaoping and then Jang Xiamin China it looked like that China would make the transition from a dictatorship to something approaching a free nation. Hu JingTao has reversed that process This kind of thing actually makes me nervous. It seems that they have reclaimed the position of the old

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-16069478771393068052010-09-26T07:55:00.002+08:002010-09-26T07:55:51.201+08:00

Fans of bad teams sometimes get some love

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-55071520209640813912010-09-20T16:13:00.003+08:002010-09-20T21:10:00.251+08:00

I have over the years made rather well deserved fun over the strange first names you find in Hong Kong. While giving lip service to the idea that other people in other places might have names as strange I never really believed it. Well Marijuana Sawyer takes the prize. Chocolate Cake Wong, Swim Ng and Shampoo Chan are a distant second. (Yes those are actual people I've met.) Until Next Time Fai

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-47057485913232298552010-09-12T18:51:00.001+08:002010-09-12T18:55:30.325+08:00

I remember when I was watching television with my wife ten years ago and the phone rang. It was our friend from Singapore and he asked if we'd seen the buildings? Because TVB was slow to the disaster we hadn't and then Jenny Lam broke into the evening show and TVB cut to footage from ABC just as the second plane hit the second building. We watched in horror for the next several hours. We saw

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-76465519343937606122010-09-07T08:20:00.003+08:002010-09-12T18:56:20.426+08:00

Just because it's fun

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-61826653902378726662010-09-01T13:16:00.001+08:002010-09-01T13:17:27.843+08:00

I saw a young mother this morning walking her primary school age child up to school. She had a T-shirt that said "Work Hard & Party Naked" Not that I necessarily have any problem with that but I wonder if she could read the shirt? You don't see as many weird T-shirts here as you used to. Several years ago I'd see one every couple of days at least and sometimes several in one day.  I don't think

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-48616312518482659882010-08-22T16:30:00.002+08:002010-08-22T16:56:13.147+08:00

One of the things that seems to have gotten harder over the years is pleasure reading. In a way that is odd since I work as a librarian you'd think I read all the time. Well I do, but only in a professional capacity. I try to read at least four or five juvenile novels a year so that I have some idea what middle-school and high school students are reading. That means that I seldom read anything

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-74143959485629529882010-08-14T21:04:00.002+08:002010-08-14T21:06:11.495+08:00

After a summer of traveling we returned home to find jobs waiting for us and a buyer for the Causeway Bay flat with cash in hand. The really-pretty-looks-25-years-younger-than-she-is-smart-hard-working-Chinese-wife and I were suddenly in moving mode.  We'd purchased the flat in Causeway Bay as an investment and never really thought that we'd live there. It turned out to be the place we've lived

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-88132582113426954242010-07-11T08:02:00.000+08:002010-07-11T08:02:12.582+08:00

Nothing these people say is true. They are all liars, all the time.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-76315430408539452362010-07-10T17:04:00.000+08:002010-07-10T17:04:25.957+08:00

I thought that I was the only one who could see this coming. The Chinese boom is actually a Chinese bubble. Not only for the reasons listed in the article but because of the one child policy which will mean there are fewer workers to work in the coming years thus each worker will be worth more; but also the fact that 1/2 the smokers in the world live in China and what is going to happen when

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-5670448661827790872010-07-07T08:49:00.001+08:002010-07-10T17:17:49.234+08:00

As a Hong Konger who is from somewhere else I find the expression of and lack of expression of patriotism by the general population in Hong Kong to be quite odd. It seems that either the population is somewhat rabidly pro PRC or distrustful of it and have a suitcase packed in case the tanks roll down Queen's road. There is no in between. We are either fully supportive or just here for the money.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-6285915905684840462010-07-02T08:33:00.001+08:002010-09-12T18:57:38.253+08:00

This is turning out to be the summer of my discontent. Last spring was ridiculously busy and I had trouble finding time to post  Summers are always problematic because I am often out of Hong Kong. I am something of a technology Saboteur in that I do not carry a cell phone or one of those devices which would allow me to post from wherever I am. I post from from home or from work.  If I am not one

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-13585657624675939612010-06-16T12:05:00.001+08:002010-06-16T12:08:07.218+08:00

This is cross posted from Martin Freeberg's Blog Fifty Things That Make You a Better Person Sunday, June 13th, 2010A short time ago The Blog That Nobody Reads put up a list of one hundred things that do not make you a better person. We perceived then, and still maintain today, that the need for the list was present, intense and palpable. People nowadays seem to be grasping at straws, trying

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-39566924683696770292010-06-16T12:00:00.000+08:002010-06-16T12:00:22.683+08:00

This has been an incredible month for being busy. Hopefully I'll be able to post more. It isn't as if there has been nothing to write about, there has been pleanty. I've just been too tied and tied up to say anything. Until Next Time Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-40891203059738450652010-05-25T08:29:00.002+08:002010-05-25T08:34:33.618+08:00

I received a rather strident, but not unexpected comment from someone regarding a previous post on the problematic behavior of domestic helper picnics on the sidewalks in Hong Kong. It started with the rather predictable. "These women are treated like slaves" Two words: B.S. They are not slaves. Nobody forced them onto a slave ship. They were not "Sold" at a market and they can quit any time

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-78485548729645677382010-05-25T07:51:00.001+08:002010-06-16T12:10:42.416+08:00

This is a message that the HK government needs to hear as well.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-61137142972199417422010-05-14T08:06:00.001+08:002010-05-14T08:08:57.007+08:00

Did they have melamine in the milk powder? Inquiring minds want to know. Until Next Time Fai Mao The Blogger who does not eat dogs

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-2938800978892057892010-05-11T08:39:00.002+08:002010-05-11T08:41:45.224+08:00

I have a new favorite female offender, Leung Sin-ting. I have some sympathy for her in a sense though not very much. She was, I think totally and certifiably nuts but I am not sure that nuttiness should exonerate her of this crime. What is interesting to me about the horrific crime is the role that culture (Notice I didn't say society) plays in mental illness? If this woman had lived in a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-22482240650096803182010-05-09T14:30:00.008+08:002010-05-09T14:58:59.625+08:00

My wife and I spent time on the telephone with the Hong Kong police today. My tolerance with the passive-aggressive herds of domestic helper buffaloes that are allowed to flagrantly disobey the loitering laws; sell merchandise in direct violation of their employment contracts; block sidewalks and generally make life Hell for the residents of Causeway Bay every Sunday reached a breaking point when

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-75898375516014517772010-05-06T07:25:00.005+08:002010-05-06T07:28:03.649+08:00

The article linked to above is a good example of why kids should play sports. The unwritten rules in any sport are often as  important as the written ones. They also bleed over in a positive way into the rest of the players life and help to explain why geeks and over protected kids are often so rude. The unwritten rules help the player, child, student, adult internalize the concept of fair play,

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-40968605478054910352010-05-05T19:20:00.001+08:002010-05-06T07:00:24.239+08:00

Hong Kong does not have a Capital Gains tax or a VAT tax. The lack of those two taxes, I believe go a long way towards explaining why Hong Kong is prosperous DESPITE the incompetent government officials. Here is a good  overview of a Capital Gains tax and why it is a bad idea. Until Next Time Fai Mao The blogger does not support a Capital Gains or VAT tax

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-63872926841819187952010-05-05T14:35:00.002+08:002010-05-05T14:37:39.420+08:00

Robyn makes a wonderful point. The rub for me is that the environmental movement majors in minors. How much pressure did the environmental movement in Hong Kong put on the government to force stores to stop using plastic bags? This despite the FACT that it was the environmental movement in the 1980's that forced stores to use plastic bags because they were more environmentally friendly than

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-53164960286439833342010-05-04T08:52:00.003+08:002010-05-04T09:03:55.836+08:00

The definitions below are my reply to a post by Morgan Freeberg's about definitions for various phenomenon: 1. Womynism: That branch of feminism that seeks to divide privilege from responsibility, so that all gender disparities having to do with privilege can be ended, but disparities dealing with responsibility can endure indefinitely. 2. Pan-Gaism: Those of any religious affiliation that seek

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-26304678385548372212010-04-27T19:02:00.002+08:002010-05-04T15:30:05.111+08:00

There is an interesting post today at “The House of Erathothenes” about freedom. It is actually a link more than a post but the article it link’s to is interesting. It presents a very clear and well written summary of the Objectivist definition of freedom which the objectivism claims begin with property rights. There is a lot to like in the article and on many levels I find myself agreeing with

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-43054214955806082562010-04-18T14:36:00.005+08:002010-04-18T14:53:23.437+08:00

There are times of year that I miss the prairies. Spring on the prairie is like fall in the mountains. It is the time when nature shows off. Today is homesick day. I can't really say why. It isn't family I miss, or people it is the land and sky, the dirt, the smell of the plants, the silent ghost that walk the roads of our memory. I despise the crowds today. There is no comfort in the relative

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-46360047498452321982010-04-15T11:58:00.000+08:002010-04-15T11:58:14.458+08:00

I've been on a haitus from this blog for a while. I had a daughter get married over the Easter break had lots to do when I came back.  I guess I should feel relieved that I no longer have to complain about the no-good-lay-about boyfriend. Personal issues aside, The SCMP has a story today about some shoe-polish hair dye guy from up North making a proposal about the electorial process here in the

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-67878498773814264422010-03-24T13:31:00.000+08:002010-03-24T13:31:05.570+08:00

And the PRC is going to put several Rio Tinto employees in jail for asking the executives of Chinese steel makers how much they could produce? Geez, I thought this level of hypocrisy only occurred in Barak Obama's administration. I guess it just goes to show you that the political left is corrupt regardless of continent. I was also wondering today how long it will be before we get letters in

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-69089505268132800842010-03-23T14:40:00.000+08:002010-03-23T14:40:37.796+08:00

I am not a fan of Google. They scare me with their reach and ability to monopolize the flow of information. But, good for them on this issue! This is a move more companies should make. And yes, it just means that it is harder for the citizens of the PRC to get actual information and not Baidu propaganda. However, the situation will never change until the people in China want it to change. If it

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-54166218236048736802010-03-19T08:59:00.003+08:002010-03-19T09:00:43.282+08:00

Fes Parker died yesterday at 85. I had the hat. I had the toy musket. There are days I just feel really old RIP Davey Crocket RIP Daniel Boone Until Next Time Fai Mao The Blogger who knows that Daniel Boone was a man, yes a real man

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-57123341088017338232010-03-17T15:17:00.004+08:002010-03-17T15:34:13.403+08:00

I've struggling to post of late because I get tired of complaining. It is more fun to bang my head on the table than it is to continually recite the list of problems with the PRC or the Hong Kong real state market. I have really try to look for more positive things to write about but sometimes it is just so hard. I've even thought about becoming a poet and filling this space with silly sonnets or

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-74472917179106434892010-03-11T11:02:00.009+08:002010-03-17T15:38:26.458+08:00

I am not a big fan of government hospitals and the ones here deserve my scorn more than many I've seen. I bring this up because there is a front-page, above the fold article today in the nearly always unreliable SCMP about the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacterial in Hong Kong Hospitals. I will give the SCMP the benefit of the doubt on this story because the issue is easy enough for a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-91160416609487489102010-03-09T12:03:00.002+08:002010-03-11T11:17:49.445+08:00

Unfortunately a drug using friend is not the same as this guy. I find it amazing that the response for this serial thug is so silly. They install security cameras AFTER an attack is made when the attacks are never made in the same location. What exactly do they hope to see? How about this. Require purchasers of this type of material to show an HK ID and have the store record the ID and then

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-244441973404982392010-03-05T14:38:00.000+08:002010-03-05T14:38:43.410+08:00

There is a very sad story in the SCMP today about a family in the PRC who had to steal their dead father's body from a hospital and keep it in a freezer for months until they could get someone in the government to conduct a murder investigation. In Denver they are starting a government pannel to contact Space aliens. When I read a story like the first I really want to leave China. When I read a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-84228208449527232672010-02-12T14:47:00.002+08:002010-02-22T13:42:17.998+08:00

As a rule, I publish every comment, few as they are that I receive on this blog without regard to weather it is supportive or oppositional to my point of view. If warranted I will reply and enjoy people's comments. There are really only two exceptions to this rule. I don’t generally publish comments created by either Spambots or those which are commercial in nature. Comments should improve a post

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-84048357633217751472010-02-10T12:04:00.002+08:002010-02-10T19:59:47.543+08:00

I spent a large part of the morning completing a 360 review of my administrative assistant because her contract is up for renewal. What a complete or near complete waste of time! I have never liked these reviews. Suppose my assistant, let us call her “Sharon” is doing a good job? If I simply fill out the 360 form and say “Excellent” in every box it looks like I am not serious about filling it

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-7239317749882786632010-02-10T09:16:00.003+08:002010-02-10T20:00:52.302+08:00

What a great headline. I was never a "Wacho-Jacko" fan. But this is just so sad. The guy had become a parody of himself and it would have been nice to see him age at least as ungracefully as The Who or The Rolling Stones. Not many entertainers manage to age well. Paul McCarthy has, as have the Eagles; very few others. Until Next Time Fai Mao The Blogger who thinks Michael Jackson and Cher may

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-10510397223698927892010-02-09T10:08:00.007+08:002010-02-09T10:49:32.152+08:00

This past Sunday a woman threw her daughter over the seventh floor rail at a shopping mall and then climbed the rail and jumped to her own death while her husband and other shoppers watched in horror. Luckily or perhaps unluckily the little girl landed on safety netting and was physically unhurt. I would not want to have to deal with the emotional damage this incident caused the child. The SCMP

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-79997527567193265622010-02-04T08:15:00.000+08:002010-02-04T08:15:23.147+08:00

Maybe I should just  post this and not comment further except to say that my really-pretty-hard-working-looks-25-years-younger-than -she- is-Chinese wife works harder than most men I know Until Next Time Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-2185734990807287462010-02-03T13:18:00.014+08:002010-02-09T10:40:41.921+08:00

So, Tony Chan lost his attempt to gain control of Nina Wong's, ChinaChem fortune. The judge found his will to be fraudulent and awarded the fortune to Nina's late husband's family. This was such a bazaar story. Hong Kong used to be a more interesting place when there were more people like Nina Wong running around. Just to recap. Nina Wong, who at the time was just past her prime but still a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-37343683220141456472010-02-02T08:31:00.008+08:002010-02-22T13:50:26.050+08:00

I wish that the Hong Kong Standard would do a better job of putting today’s news up with links. This tragedy happened this weekend and they have it in the "Today's” edition that you can browse but not with an IP that I can link to. The gist of the situation is this. A slumlord owns a building. In an effort to maximize both the rent generated by the building and to increase the misery of the

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-84784760538837316822010-01-28T11:38:00.010+08:002010-02-02T10:04:47.882+08:00

I occasionally get comments from people who do not understand some of the terms and abbreviations I use. So I thought it might be a good idea to make a list of these terms so that curious readers can know who or what I am referring to. A APGW – Anthropogenic Global Warming, a fraud. ATV - Asia Television, a TV station in Hong Kong B Broom Head –Regina Yip a local politician Brylcream,

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-21939153207093044502010-01-28T09:11:00.001+08:002010-01-28T09:17:26.544+08:00

I saw the tape of this on TVB. To paraphrase Bugs Bunny, she made the HK Police look like total maroons. I think back a couple of years ago when actor Mel Gibson was stopped for drunk driving in the US. He launched into a profanity laced tirade at the police and they quickly controlled him by grabbing his hair and banging his face into the top of his car. He had bruises on his face. A contrite

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-88586603652112225692010-01-27T12:10:00.000+08:002010-01-27T12:10:50.018+08:00

I am really tempted to run for one of these seats. I am not real happy with the government's proposal that they are so upset about but it isn't like anybody in the "Pan Democrats" have a brain either. I'd be better than these people because: I do believe in limited government. I do believe in a government that actually represents the population I do believe that people and organization are

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-3176562110449673982010-01-25T09:01:00.005+08:002010-02-10T20:24:07.992+08:00

There was a story on the news this weekend, I believe it was on ATV about a proposal by the Transportation Department to eliminate many buss routes and scale back others. The putative reason for this was that buses contribute 60% of the vehicular exhaust in Hong Kong and clog traffic. This is so typical of the civil service in Hong Kong. I have come to believe that one of the requirements for a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-40053673171687615662010-01-22T09:45:00.002+08:002010-02-10T20:20:52.632+08:00

Gee, after oil one of  largest Venezuelan exports is cocaine. Do you think the guy who said this may have done one too many lines? I think I need to start a tin foil hat factory. I could make a mint selling them in South America! Until Next Time Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-38598241972099152402010-01-20T12:22:00.001+08:002010-01-20T12:31:27.537+08:00

This is always sad. I am actually surprised that there are not 100's of people killed by being run over in Hong Kong every year. I find that the drivers and pedestrians are equally to blame.  The pedestrians here, especially the elderly simply do not look. They will attempt to cross the street at the worse place in very busy traffic. I can understand them not wanting to climb the stairs to get

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-49433976468744314822010-01-19T12:22:00.001+08:002010-01-20T12:36:20.677+08:00

We are almost past the chilly weather again this year. That is good. Generally sometime in Februrary the weather in Hong Kong turns really pretty. It isn't so hot and hasn't started raining yet. I was out on the bike yesterday for the first time since before Christmas. What a wonderful ride. This has actually been a very chilly, for Hong Kong  winter. We've had years with colder weather but

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-26638739443475732112010-01-18T13:53:00.010+08:002010-01-18T15:21:01.712+08:00

I didn't go to the protest this weekend in front of the Legco building over the government's proposal to build the world's most expensive railroad that will link Hong Kong with the greater Chinese high speed rail system. I am to old to be pepper sprayed and find local activist like Christina Chan to be such a repulsively shallow loud mouthed whiner that it would be a waste if the police sprayed

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-43414755800422498452010-01-15T13:47:00.004+08:002010-01-15T13:54:24.840+08:00

Holy Cow. It has been nearly a month since my last post on this blog. I took a break for the holidays but didn't mean to be gone this long. It also isn't as though nothing has happened that I might want to write about and that people might want read about. But, instead of writing about stuff I spent the holidays with my really-pretty-looks-25-years-younger-than

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-67734992116427143092009-12-18T10:39:00.004+08:002009-12-18T14:02:19.892+08:00

We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas And a prosperous New Year! Good Fung-Shui we bring to you and your kin And dim-sum and char-sui and TVB Cheer We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas We wish you a Hong Kong Christmas And a healthy New Year Good flu shots we bring to settle your fear But what of

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-87247342559416551572009-12-17T08:46:00.000+08:002009-12-17T08:46:10.714+08:00

Kind of a neat  E-card.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-12789161112644321122009-12-16T15:10:00.000+08:002009-12-16T15:10:49.048+08:00

Notice the academic qualifications of the people answering these questions. They are at least as qualified as any of the "experts" Owl Gore uses in his lying, misleading and fraudulent film.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-48185818433958596662009-12-15T11:58:00.000+08:002009-12-15T11:58:25.177+08:00

There is considerable evidense of Global Warming on Mars. How are we going to get Martians to reduce the CO2 levels in their CO2 atmosphere? I know, we'll blame it on the US. Until Next Time Fai Mao The blogger who becomiing increasingly sarcastic

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-81456571865109820492009-12-14T15:31:00.001+08:002009-12-14T15:32:43.126+08:00

This is for Peter Sherwood of Discovery Bay who had such a nice letter in the SCMP today. It isn't difficult to deny Global Warming because it isn't happening or at least not the way the the Warmist say it is. The ices cores you reference clearly show that the Warmist are liars.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-15588819662315520342009-12-11T10:33:00.003+08:002009-12-11T10:38:07.196+08:00

I am a librarian not a scientist. I have a PhD in Philosophy and thus am more of a meta-physicist than a physicist. However, to paraphrase Tim Allen in the movie Galaxy Quest "It doesn’t take a good actor to recognize a bad one and it doesn't take a good scientist recognize a terrible one" The people promoting Global Warming are bad scientist. Because most of them are also apparently as dumb as

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-3164560206222428712009-12-10T11:21:00.003+08:002009-12-10T11:30:21.767+08:00

Some relavant quotes from notable Environmentalist:“The common enemy of humanity is man.In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came upwith the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming,water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All thesedangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only throughchanged attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome.The real

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-33811038348308192012009-12-09T12:56:00.003+08:002009-12-09T12:58:11.182+08:00

Why did I already know this?Anyone who has used the public hospitals in HK knows how frustrating they can be.Until Next TimeFai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-68703927551473030802009-12-09T07:41:00.001+08:002009-12-09T07:46:01.346+08:00

The whole book is available online.Al Gore is a paranoid slimball. Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-30289674236063237052009-12-08T15:33:00.009+08:002009-12-14T15:57:37.368+08:00

At the risk of being blunt, good! Am I the only one who noticed that ATV reran the entire program schedule this year? The same episodes of the same shows down to the movies! The only thing new they got were a bunch of nature programs that invariably told us we are all going to die from Global Warming. Geezes-Cheeses if that's true you'd think they'd at least let me die happy and air a few new

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-83028526289369032432009-12-08T00:08:00.002+08:002009-12-08T00:12:48.918+08:00

The Greenland Ice Cores show NO warming people who say otherwise are lying. It is just that simple.These were swiped from the Climate Observer. Until Next TimeFai MaoThe Blogger who wishes he didn't have to post these.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-50582790350701038262009-12-07T20:18:00.003+08:002009-12-07T20:22:18.014+08:00

Why repackage? This is the conclusive proof.The Warmist are liars. Their own data proves it.Until Next TimeFai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-35094432941863419362009-12-07T16:19:00.001+08:002009-12-07T16:21:35.246+08:00

This is from, I think, The CBC. We need this here. Until Next TimeFai maoThe Blogger who can't wait for the Warmist to be go to jail.

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-75423172034743902362009-12-07T15:32:00.003+08:002009-12-07T15:48:38.487+08:00

So, the holier-than-thou big-wheels and fat cats at the Copenhagen event are actually doing what they tell other people not to do.So it is appropriate for them to tell everyone else to use video conferencing but they have to have a face-to-face? Hey, why didn't they do this in Second-Life? Then they could all look young, happy and environmentally correct. I guess I should expect this from

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-37702128061901539632009-12-07T10:21:00.002+08:002009-12-07T12:06:42.044+08:00

Why write a rant when someone else has done it better?Until Next Time Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-80670260035794244562009-12-05T15:16:00.002+08:002009-12-05T15:18:10.773+08:00

I always knew there was good scientific reason I shouldn't be expected to do housework.Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-87381173958348233012009-12-04T12:39:00.001+08:002009-12-04T12:41:32.404+08:00

Mark Steyn is one of two or three people that everyone should readUntil Next TimeFai maoThe Blogger who wishes he could write so well

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-79731314700077475222009-12-04T07:37:00.003+08:002009-12-04T07:45:24.585+08:00

The continued dismantling of the HK justice system took another step forward yesterday. I have some sympathy for the truck driver in this case however, this was a horrific crime and his sentence is entirely inappropriate. He should be in jail forever more and the churches who are petitioning for him should simply take care of his wife. Mercy to the guilty is a punishment to the victims. That said

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-82432611712817662022009-12-03T10:29:00.004+08:002009-12-03T12:28:41.633+08:00

The BBC finally picks up the Climate Gate Story after having the information nearly two months. It appears the dike is about to brake on this story.Until Next TimeFai MaoThe Blogger who wants clean air not fake science

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-36026502951880414112009-12-03T08:15:00.010+08:002009-12-03T12:43:16.485+08:00

1. The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus2. it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.3. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.4. Say to those who are of a

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-58913863697413265412009-11-29T19:08:00.001+08:002009-11-29T19:10:02.320+08:00

Until Next TimeFai MaoThe non-musical blogger

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-79690410916097692942009-11-28T15:59:00.014+08:002009-12-05T15:24:15.121+08:00

A.J. Strata is one of my favorite online reads. I wish I had the science background he does and could couple it to my philosophy and social science background. I'd be a better blogger. His post earlier this week titled: Alarmist hide truth about (lack of ) global warming: was picked up by several other blogs and was rated as one of the best blog entries by the political blog Watchers of the

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-20951401532483087232009-11-26T11:16:00.005+08:002009-11-26T11:27:16.830+08:00

Today is an American holiday, Thanksgiving. If you are a US citizen you probably consider it to be one of the big three along with Christmas and Independence Day. In many ways I think it is my favorite holiday and is one that I am surprised that more people outside the US do not adopt.The story of Thanksgiving is familiar enough. The Puritans came to what is now the Boston area in 1620 and landed

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-36076715313542035762009-11-25T11:20:00.001+08:002009-11-25T11:22:26.514+08:00

I've been in Hong Kong a long time.There are still a few days I get homesick for Texas. Thanksgiving is one of them. The link below isn't a Thanksgiving song but it is close enough for me today

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-59074165857999003772009-11-24T12:53:00.012+08:002009-11-25T13:33:37.623+08:00

I sometimes wonder if I am the reincarnation of John the Baptist when it comes to Hong Kong politics. I don't normally believe in reincarnation but, when it comes to local politics here in Hong Kong I certainly know how old locust breath felt. He had a rough time of it until Herod Antipas beheaded him. It is tough to preach to a stubborn and recalcitrant generation who resist doing the hard work

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-27035317009791395412009-11-21T07:50:00.000+08:002009-11-21T07:52:21.871+08:00

I thought this kind of stuff only happened in China.Guess not. Fai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-51803360335625943602009-11-11T09:27:00.009+08:002009-11-28T16:56:36.215+08:00

Without a doubt, some of the most intense, emotional entries I have posted on this blog were those that dealt with the death of my mother-in-law in 2005. I thought of this today because of an article that appeared as a eulogy on the American Thinker Blog. One of their frequent commenter's, Peter Blocking recently died. He posted under the name PeterUK or PUK. He was generally a funny, genial man

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-69061290545740712872009-11-08T19:22:00.004+08:002009-11-08T19:27:23.583+08:00

I've received some Email about my last post. I even work with some ex-Brits now EUers who don't realize they have just lost their country.I guess if you are one of the 20% in the former UK that live on the government dole you don't actually care who sends the check as long as someone does.You'd think the other 80% would care.In other news the US just became a basket case today as the congress

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-60336924023899896212009-11-05T12:41:00.021+08:002009-11-05T14:47:56.008+08:00

I had to really look to find an article on the shenanigans of the EU yesterday. The US press is filled with news about the US off year elections and the local papers are focused on a new Disney Land in Shanghai.The nations of Europe basically ceased to exist yesterday and were replaced by the EU in what amounts to a bloodless coup.There will be, in my lifetime probably no better example of the

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-29819787249709159782009-11-04T15:14:00.005+08:002009-11-04T15:30:09.179+08:00

I am surprised that this story is still in the news. Normally this kind of thing is quickly swept under the rug in favor more pressing concerns like the business ventures of the THBT's increasingly distant relatives.As I said in a previous post on this; I am having a hard time sympathizing with this dissident. He KNEW he was a wanted man in China. He WAS travelling under fraudulent documents. The

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-68166974805323556032009-11-04T07:54:00.003+08:002009-11-04T07:56:32.855+08:00

Yes, this is really hokey. However, how much closer to true is this of the US than it is of the PRC?Until Next TimeFai Mao

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-41091071023446653492009-10-29T07:23:00.007+08:002010-01-28T15:55:07.915+08:00

(A staff Devotion I presented in September of this year) When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide in these three; but

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-22577893560568975502009-10-24T16:08:00.004+08:002009-10-24T16:42:24.496+08:00

I am a little bit of a disgruntled employee right now. I was hoping to be promoted to the administrator pay scale when my next contract comes around and found out that is not going to happen because my department is being reorganized in a way that will forestall my argument of being an administrator. The job will not change but I will be struck at the top of the pay scale and not qualify for

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-19723394457500395652009-10-24T15:59:00.005+08:002009-10-24T18:04:05.864+08:00

I have a sort of list that I carry around in my mind of 10 inventions or ideas that have actually made our lives better rather than worse. It is a fuzzy list with items falling off and being added as the mood strikes me but normally looks something like:10. Ball Point Pens - If you've ever had a fountain pen you'll understand.09. The bicycle - The perfect urban transportation machine08. Plumbing

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9165198.post-30334258398522597152009-10-23T13:28:00.008+08:002009-10-23T17:07:28.250+08:00

I was alerted today to the fact that the persons over at Hong Kong Blog reviews had listed this blog in their recommended category. I had been aware of them for sometime and found it somewhat disconcerting that they were evidently unaware of me. Though to be fair, I have thought for some time that the only people who ever read this blog are people still hoping that Nancy Kissel gets out of jail

Fai Maohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06349942737341368605noreply@blogger.com0