Walking for the Animals

*Another piece of assignment that I wrote for a journalism course last semester*

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” Claudia Mo Man-ching, member of the Civic Party, delivered a quote by Mahatma Gandhi at the opening ceremony of a Sunday walkathon.

During a Legislative Council meeting earlier this year, Dr. York Chow, the Secretary for Food and Health, reported that the number of stray dogs and cats caught or received by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in 2009 was 15600. Over 85% of these animals were euthanized.

In response to animal rights and welfare issues in society, the Civic Party held a “You and I and Them Walk-the-Walk” walkathon for pet owners and their pets at the Peak on 14^th November.

The aims of the walkathon were to arouse the public’s attention to animal welfare issues, and also raise funds for the Civic Party.

“The main themes of today’s fund-raising event are animal-friendly policies and animal rights.” said Leong Kah-kit, Internal Vice Chairman of the Civic Party.

In regards to the problem of stray animals being put to death, the Civic Party urges the government to implement the “Trap, Neuter and Release” (TNR) programme.

“It is a world-famous policy adopted by every civilized society. The current practice, which is to euthanize animals if they don’t get adopted within 4 days after they’ve been trapped, is not a way of respecting lives,” said Claudia Mo. “Stray dogs aren’t a great problem if they’re neutered. Give them a chance.”

Apart from the handling of stray animals, conflict between housing estates and pets is another animal right issue that arouses the Civic Party’s concern.

During the event, some participants expressed that they were forced to leave their house with their pets.

Grace Pang and her husband are former residents of The Pacifica. They have been living in the estate with their Pekingese in the past couple of years.

“When we first moved in, we were allowed to keep a dog,” said Grace. “However, recently we got a letter from the Management Service Center asking us to take away our dog within 14 days, or we’ll face a lawsuit.”

The couple eventually decided to sell their property and move away with their dog. They said they felt “helpless” towards the whole situation.

“We are just ordinary people… we really had no idea what to do or where to seek help from.” Grace expressed, after thanking the Civic Party for helping her voice her feelings through the event.

Stanley Cheung, Grace’s former neighbor at the Pacifica, also faced the same problem and made the same decision as Grace’s family. He thinks Civic Party’s walkathon helped soothe his hard feelings.

“This event helps the situation…” said Stanley. “It raises the public’s awareness of cases like ours.”

Regarding the cases brought up by the estate’s former residents, the Management Service Centre of The Pacifica says as a lot of details are still under investigation, they currently have no plans to comment on the matter.

The walkathon started at 3PM at Mount Austin Playground on the Peak and lasted for around two hours. The route passed by the Peak Galleria, Pokfulam Reservoir Road, Pokfulam Reservoir and finished at the Pokfulam PHAB camp. Helpers from the Civic Party estimated a total of 150 participants in the event.

According to Claudia Mo, there is no specific plan for the use of the funds raised by the walkathon. However, she added that the Civic Party would keep putting effort into protecting animal rights.

2010年12月31日
一年365日, 總會有喜有樂, 亦有苦有悲
來到一年的尾聲, 是時候把這年的煩惱瑣事放下, 把美好回憶留在身邊, 好好迎接新一年
世界每分每秒都在變, 將來的事亦不能預測
無論你抱著什麼心情, 什麼態度, 生活總要過
緊記: 知足常樂, 珍惜身邊一切, 以開懷的心態享受生命每一天

祝各位2011年身體健康, 日日快樂!

Urban renewal may scare away hungry ghost

Urban development may be taking away cultural heritage and neighborhood bonds. A Yue Lan association of long history in Central is going to lose their headquarter because of redevelopment projects launched by the URA (Urban Renewal Authority). The traditional Yue Lan Festival celebrations are likely to be much smaller in scale in the future, and residents in the area will lose their usual gathering place.

The headquarter of the 30 House Yue Lan Associates has been on Staunton Street for more than a decade. The associates set up their office here back in 1996. Over the past 14 years, the associates and residents in the area have been using this place to prepare for their annual celebration events for the Yue Lan Festival, which is a well-known Chinese ghost festival in Hong Kong.

“We distribute ‘blessed rice’, run parades and hold worship ceremonies,” said Mr. Wong Kan-Oi, the chairman of the association.

This headquarter of the age-old association has become a gathering spot for residents around the area. According to people living nearby, a lot of elderly show up at the office to meet each other and chat every day. This usual practice has successfully built a strong bond among residents in the area.

The associates also hold different kinds of gathering events regularly for the neighborhood, like visits to elderly centers, dinner gatherings and one-day trips.
Every year before the Yue Lan Festival, local residents also take part in the preparation work for the celebration.

“Residents here know each other well and we come to the headquarter and help make paper offerings before the Yue Lan Festival every year,” said Ms. Lai, an elderly who visits the office every day. “The associates are kind to us; they respect us and treat us all very well.”

The Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street Project is one of the URA’s ongoing redevelopment plans. This project involves the area surrounding the association’s office and the URA is acquiring properties in the area for future development purpose. Information from the public relations department of the URA says the authority has already acquired the Yue Lan association’s property on Staunton Street, but the association may extend their lease to February 2011, and keep the office until the redevelopment work starts.

According to Mr. Wong, the deadline given by the URA is 11 February 2011. Though redevelopment work will not start until the authority has acquired enough properties in the area, the URA has not said whether the association can further extend their lease next year, or guaranteed to relocate the office in the same district.

Mr. Wong and other associates do not know what exactly they will do with the association when the lease expires. However, they hope to continue their annual Yue Lan celebration.

“We will try our best to continue our annual ceremony, but we are not sure if the event can be as successful as before,” Mr. Wong said. “Even if we could hold the event, we expect it to be smaller in scale than in the past.”

The associates are now facing problems preparing for the event next year. According to Mr. Wong, preparation work takes months to finish, but now it is difficult for them to order preparation materials as they are not sure whether they will have a place to keep the stock after February.

The nearby residents know that the headquarter is going to be closed when redevelopment work begins. However, they have not been able to find another place to replace their old spot.

“The other closest gathering place is the Kwong Hon Terrace Garden, but you’ll need to cross a few roads and go uphill to reach there,” Mr. Wong noted. “It’s difficult for the elderly to get there.”

When asked whether the association plans to buy another property in the nearby area to replace the old one, Mr. Wong said it might not be a feasible solution.

“After all, we are located in the Soho area, and rent here is extremely high,” he said. “We may not be able to afford it.”

Though there are still a lot of uncertainties regarding the relocation of the headquarter and the arrangements for the Yue Lan ceremonies in the years to come, Mr. Wong is still optimistic about the future.

“I think there’s still room for negotiation with the government. They’ve sent officials to discuss matter with us,” said Mr. Wong. “I believe they understand our situation and will take it into consideration when they carry out the redevelopment project.”

娛樂圈血淚史II尾場

黃子華這次棟篤笑名為「娛樂圈血淚史II」。這個血淚史的第一輯，原來與今日相隔廿年，早於1990年上演了。所謂的血淚史，就名符其實是黃子華過去廿年在圈中的種種經歷，當中有甜有苦、有高有低、有樂有哀，子華就趁這個機會「一鋪哂冷」，以拿手的棟篤笑方式與大家分享所見所聞。

11月8日是表演的尾場 (後來加開了11月9日)，紅館全場爆滿，由舞台邊的握手位至遠方的「山頂位」都座無虛席。約八時半，表演正式開始。子華甫進場的一刻，如雷灌耳的掌聲和歡呼聲四起；期待已久的粉絲們都懶理「嚴禁偷拍」的規條，全場閃光燈頓時閃過不停。粉絲們拍照都還能理解，但見子華手上亦拿著一部相機，邊走邊反拍觀眾們，上到台更自拍了好幾張，最後竟把相機拋向觀眾席－原來是份超豪見面禮!

作為熱身，子華播了好幾段過往的經典演出，然後才慢慢入正題，與大家細訴自己娛樂圈中的喜與悲。他說自己當年憑一個棟篤笑一炮而紅後，很快便人氣下滑，事業進入低潮，試過好幾年都無人問津，深深體會為作為演員「無人搵」的滋味。他說自己一直想拍電影，無奈無齣電影的反應都差強人意，但他堅持，說「要死都要死在自己手上」，所以自編自導自演「一蚊雞保鏢」，結果發覺電影名竟預測了票房收入，果真死了在自己手上。他說試過有導演找他拍戲時對他說 :「華仔偉仔呢，就拍o個D戲(手指向天)，你呢，就拍呢D(手指向地)。」亦有專拍黑社會戲的導演說他「睇個樣都唔識講粗口，就算講都講得唔順口」。他又說試過做棟篤笑反應麻麻，翌日報紙便大字標題寫道: 「黃子華淡出」。

雖說人生不如意事十常八九，但除了辛酸史外，當然也會有威水史。他說曾因棟篤笑一舉成名，即時吸引了很多導演找他拍戲。他說自己當年拍「男親女愛」，劇集大受歡迎，出街人人都叫他「小強」。而最威水，當然就是能來到紅館－並非坐在第一行觀眾席睇騷－而是「坐過左龍」，得到眾多歌手名星都夢寐以求的機會，在紅館台上表演。

過去二十年，黃子華在圈中可能還未至於飽歷滄桑，但總算嚐過高高低低的滋味。多年來，在浮浮沉沉、時紅時黑的演藝生涯中，他就是本著「有咪做囉…無咪無囉…」的心態生存。「電影唔得，咪拍劇囉…拍劇唔得，咪做下棟篤笑囉…做做下，咪做到黎紅館囉!」由當年幾百個座位的小演藝廳做到今天幾萬席的紅館，子華這句說話，贏得全場掌聲。由於是尾場的關係，在表演結束前，子華多說了些話，分享了一點感受，把整個騷的意思說得更明白，大抵就是在說: 在追求「夢想」的過程中，你可能會經歷挫折、可能會意志消沈，但一條路行不通，你可以找另一條，只要不放棄，肯不停試，最終都會達成心願。

要達成夢想，我們並非要除去沿途所有難關。很多事都受外在因素影響，不是說要解決就能解決到。要明白人生總不會一帆風順，總會有些日子特別難熬，有些日子特別幸運。我們要做的，就是在艱難時刻咬緊牙關捱過去。只要不放棄自己，終有一天，屬於你的時機會來臨。

Apple Delays the Release of White iPhone 4 Again

Bad news for Apple fans. Beside the fact that the black version of iPhone 4 has run out of stock and won't be available for orders, Apple just announced that the release date of the white version will be further delayed.

A few months ago, Apple announced its newest phone - iPhone 4, saying that there will be black and white versions of the phone. However, up till now, the company has yet to release the white iPhone 4, announcing that the much-anticipated white version will not be available untill Spring 2011. This is already the third delay for the product.

As for the reasons for the delay, one theory is that the white iPhone 4 is having problems with its camera. Rumor has it that when flash is used, the white case leaks light and greatly affects picture quality.

Another saying is that, of all colors, applying white onto iPhone 4's glass case is the most difficult. If the layer of color is too thin, the case would leak light, which may probably affect the camera quality. However, if the color is too thick, the semi-transparent feature of the case would be lost. This creates manufacturing difficulties for the white version.

Whatever the reasons, apple is surely having unexpected technical problems producing a white version of its new iPhone, and after the antennagate scandal with the black version, it is highly possible that the company is doing whatever it can to minimize hardware deficiencies before releasing the new product - even if it means delaying the release date again and again.

Some questions remain. If Apple is to release the white iPhone 4 in Spring next year, will it still stick to the regular schedule of releasing a new iPhone in June/July every year? If an iPhone 5 is expected in summer 2011, would it it look totally different from iPhone 4? Some speculate that after the antenna/camera/manufacturing problems associated with the current iPhone 4, the next generation of iPhone is likely to have a complete redesign. Though a lot of questions are left unsolved, there's one thing we can be sure of : with the shortage of black iPhone 4 and delay of the white version, iPhone 4 scalping is bound to be outrageous when they hit the market again.

Linkin Park's New MV - Waiting for the End

Linkin Park has just released the official music video for "Waiting for the End", a song from their latest album "A Thousand Suns".

The music video is directed by Joe Hahn, the DJ and sampler for the band. Joe has directed a number of the band's music videos in the past, including The Catalyst, which is another single from their new album. In the MV for Waiting for the End, the band members are portrayed as digital individuals in a dark space, with luminous grids wrapping around their bodies. The scene flashes from one band member to another, featuring each of them seperately.

"It was an opportunity to experiment with pushing the digital envelope as it pertains to the visual language created thus far for A Thousand Suns. It was my attempt to digitally crush us to the point that you feel the soul of the music through what has become the essence of us. We become the ghosts in the machine. Some may say that because of technology, we lose a sense of who we are. I counter that by illustrating that we can get closer to who we are if we sift through the noise." said Joe.

A Thousand Suns is Linkin Park's fourth studio album, a concept album featuring the theme of nuclear warfare. The band is currently on the A Thousand Suns Tour, which started on 7th October, promoting their new album. The tour is scheduled to finish in December, with Australia as the last leg.

令人大失所望的迪士尼Halloween

來到十月，不少人都懷著興奮的心情迎接萬聖節來臨，香港兩大主題公園一如往年，各自舉行萬聖節特別節目。小記用了兩晚時間，分別去了迪士尼樂園和海洋公園，參與兩個截然不同的Halloween Party。只能說，海洋公園的表現更勝以前，但迪士尼就真的太令人失望了。

海洋公園的「十月全城哈囉喂」已踏入第十年，活動似乎愈做愈好，鬼屋數量多之餘，每年都一定有新的主題故事、佈置和演員，連演員的嚇人方式亦見新意，絕不會把舊元素「翻炒」。除了鬼屋內面，海洋公園也十分注重整體的樂園氣氛，公園大街小巷都有不同造型的「厲鬼」到處遊蕩，還有多個配合萬聖節主題的音樂、舞蹈和話劇表演，整個公園變了個大型派對，節目類型多元化之餘，亦盡顯樂園娛樂大眾的心思，令人耳目一新。

相比之下，迪士尼就遜色不少。今年黑色世界只有兩間鬼屋，分別以酒店和森林為主題，鬼屋佈置尚算可以，內面的演員們也算賣力嚇人。除了鬼屋，也有巡遊表演、街頭舞蹈、與卡通人物合照等活動，節目種類也勉強足夠。看到這裡，你大抵覺得迪士尼的萬聖節活動看上去也還可以，怎樣也不至於令人失望吧！對，它的鬼屋和巡遊等等活動的確有一定娛樂性，但卻有一個致命傷：大部分節目與去年萬聖節活動一樣。是真的完全沒有改變，把上年的東西搬回來再做一次。例如，那間以酒店為主題的鬼屋由入口，以致內部裝飾、路線、鬼角色等等原素都跟去年相同。如果你之前來過，而記憶力又不算太差，大抵都不會感受到任何驚喜。除此之外，連巡遊的花車、演員舞蹈和服飾也是跟去年完全無分別。所以簡單來說，之前已經來過的遊客們，今次只會覺得所有東西都重覆一次，無半點新意。

其實，迪士尼輸不在它的佈置或演員質素，而是誠意。大家都明白，迪士尼對象主要是小朋友，即使辦萬聖節活動，也總不能太過恐怖，以免嚇怕小孩子；而由於樂園面積有限，鬼屋數量較少也是能理解的。之不過，把舊元素直接搬出來再做一次，就絕對令付錢入場的遊客覺得樂園亳無誠意。萬聖節活動一年一次，某些遊客可能去年來過，覺得活動不錯，所以今年再來，但十二個月時間不算太長，舊客對上年的活動記憶猶新，這次來到看到相同的東西，只會覺得浪費金錢，來年亦恐怕無興趣再來。反正都要付錢，與其重溫一次舊年看過的東西，倒不如到另一個樂園體驗全新的活動！

迪士尼樂園若想與本地的海洋公園平分秋色，必須花多點心思去設計節日活動。某程度上，迪士尼今次是自己不爭氣了。人家海洋公園只是個本地樂園，也肯每年搞搞新意思，換換主題；迪士尼是個國際主題樂園，論財力論經驗應該不比海洋公園差，但卻為何敷衍了事呢？非不能也，實不為也。是否知道海洋公園的「哈囉喂」節目十分受歡迎，所以自動棄權，不打算競爭？其實兩個公園對象不同，迪士尼大可行另一條路線，用家喻戶曉的經典卡通人物搞個可愛有趣的萬聖派對，效果可能更好。現在迪士尼那些想賣恐怖，但又不算十分驚嚇的鬼屋跟原本可愛有趣的卡通主題根本格格不入，兩者似乎有點矛盾。想來看卡通人物的遊客覺得童話元素不夠，追求刺激的遊客又或許覺得鬼屋驚嚇度遠比不上海洋公園。與其搞得「兩頭唔到岸」，何不專心做好自己老本行，來個適合一家大小的歡樂卡通萬聖節目？香港人喜歡娛樂，亦負擔得起，香港絕對能容下兩個主題公園。但若連一個萬聖節活動都不肯花心思去辦好，他日上海迪士尼樂園落成，香港迪士尼的經營恐怕會面對更大威脅。希望香港迪士尼樂園能早日認清自己的定位，在將來的節日活動中奉上更多誠意和新意，不要再令花真金白銀入場的遊客失望。