MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Made in China. Made with the World

Here some news about a campaign by the China Government to do something "good" to the "MADE IN CHINA" image. Not so sure if this spot will do very good. Please use this link - you can also see the ad there:
http://www.media.asia/The-Workarticle/2009_11/Peoples-Republic-of-China--Made-in-China-Made-with-the-World--Global/38032

ANOTHER THANKSGIVING PRAYER

version of William S. Burroughs "Thanksgiving Prayer" - enjoy:

The "HAND OF GOD"

was walking in front of me this evening in Kwai Hing. What was the "HAND OF GOD" carrying ? A box of MAXIM'S cake. Have your own thoughts about this. Nice weekend to all the readers.

Do you believe in ghosts ?

As Halloween is over now ...here something to think about (Do you believe this ?):

HERE SHE COMES AGAIN - GRACE MUGABE IS BACK

Yesterday lovely Grace Mugabe came back to HK. She was escorted through a VIP channel at the Immigration together with her 8 other people (all illegal working bodyguards ?).

Nobody knows where she is staying - lets hope somebody will find out and then have a lot of reporters running after her. Will she beat somebody again ? Full story can read here:
http://www.news24.com/Content/Africa/Zimbabwe/966/d2cd2aba4b9a4870b08f8d346edcf53b/17-10-2009-08-43/Grace_Mugabe_back_in_Hong_Kong

TAKE A REST !

The Visa Man is taking a rest now - need to prepare for the celebrations - just enjoy this relaxing video with no sound: A Shanghai intersection traffic scene - very relaxing.

HONG KONG SPAACE MAAN

Via Asia Synth Station:
http://kowloonmusicbuero.blogspot.com/

From "South China Morning Post" 05.09.2009:
"Morning rush hour on the MTR has never been this lively, with passengers on the Island line treated to the unusual sight of a visitor from outer space boarding their train.Dressed in his distinctive astronaut outfit and accompanied by his trademark 80s ghetto blaster, music producer/DJ Spaace Maan blasted out his own brand of retro-futuristic electro-pop for morning commuters.However the fun ended when the DJ returned to Central station, where MTR staff and police were waiting to detain Spaace Maan. After being detained for approximately three hours, Spaace Maan was eventually released."

2 Things

Number 1)
About the since 9 months detained GOME big boss - once the richest man in China (or maybe still) - he can do his business out of his "prison cell" which is equipped with a flat screen tv (big size) with mobile telephone etc. Thats all because he named the names of the ones being involved in his "business".
So now ? Where is the justice here ? The China Government seems to have double standard.
Number 2)
There is the FRINGE CLUB in Hong Kong - in todays SUNDAY POST they are reporting about some dispute between the main tenant and some "Pottery Shop" hosted inside the FRINGE CLUB.
It is said in this report the FRINGE CLUB is rented out for HKD 1 per year.
Was this a typing error ?
If not I want to offer HKD 1,000 per year.
Can I have it ?

NOTHING

No more on MUGABE ? No Visa Body guards ?

After some time now it is very "quiet"about the Mugabe case.
What about the bodyguards "working"on a tourist visa without any "security license"- are they on holiday now ?
What about Bona Mugabe ?
She can go out shopping alone without her "bodyguards" ?
What about the other residents in this Tai Po property - do they feel comfortable with this kind of neighbourhood ?
And what about the "relevant departments" here in Hong Kong ?
For example the Immigration Department:
I cannot remember I have been pardoned during my time as a "non permanent" resident + applying / renew work permit every 2 years with such kind of "leisure treatment".......
Check the guys there in Tai Po - is it that difficult ?
KICK THEM OUT !

CHINA VISA NEWS

Applying a China Visa in Hong Kong at "China Travel Service" (CTS) will maximum give you a 2 entry visa if you are not holding a Hong Kong ID-card. This is the status right now.
Multiple entry is not available for the moment. In any case you need to apply and still can do this in your home country better do it there - then the chance to get a "multiple entry" is maybe better.

CORRECTION ABOUT THE GZ STORY

As reported today the guy who has jumped down from the 2nd floor is not dead. He is with serious injuries in the hospital. So the statement of the police was correct.

ANOTHER VISA STORY

Yesterday in Guangzhou: The first protest by foreigners on the mainland !
A little bit unlucky "accident" let it be called like this. Why the guy was running ?
He had most probably not a valid visa. So he was illegal. This is not very good for the reputation of the black community there in GZ. Guys you need to follow the law !
On the other hand also stupid that the city police last night claimed "there had not been a death".

MORE ABOUT THE MUGABE BODYGUARDS

Here some more about the Mugabe bodyguards. Interesting is, that with no word it was mentioned in this "special meeting" that a) the bodyguards did not had a valid work-visa and b) they did not had the "security license". So they were already acting "illegally" - isn't it ? Please read below (click on it). And what about the bodyguards right now - it is said they have changed already to another team - they need to exchange every 3 month - because of the non-existing work visa. They are here as "tourists". Maybe the Immigration Department should make a short trip to Tai Po to check them up. And be sure this case will soon be solved !

WELCOME TO XINJIANG !

GOOD BYE MICHAEL..............

MORE ABOUT GRACE MUGABE !

Click for reading !
Let's see if maybe "suddenly" the decision will be revoked and next time this lovely lady want to enter HK she will be refused by the Immigration. This is like it should be.
Because if YOU are beating somebody on the street in HK, YOU will find yourself at the police station very soon and maybe at least for a night or two in a comfortable prison cell.
Why Mrs Mugabe can just walk away ? Because her husband is a corrupt, brutal dictator ?
Because the "China Ministry for Foreign Affairs" has advised the HK Government to give her the status of diplomatic immunity ?
And they have done it and now they have the blame as this will be a never-ending story as long it is not very clear: No more Mugabe can enter HK + also no body guards on tourist visa.
And why not Bona Mugabe enjoys the the education system in her own country - it is said this is "world class". Then she can see Daddy & Mummy more often.

Cheers !

THE MUGABE VISA SCANDAL !

Click the clippings from SCMP for a proper reading.

In the case of this Mugabe bodyguards it is getting "better & better".

Now it was found out they a) had no work - visa and b) had no license to work as security staff.

How comes nobody was checking their visa status ?

What about the new guys replacing the first ones ?

Same story: No work visa + and no security staff permit.

Normal people on a tourist visa doing this will very fast land in prison and then be kicked out of Hong Kong after serving the terms !

What is the Immigration Deptmt doing ? What is the HK Government doing ?

IT SEEMS THEY ARE DOING NOTHING TO STOP THIS !

20 YEARS

Phone call from Beijing to Donald Tsang...........

"Dear Donald, we are very worried about your Immigration department procedures at the Hong Kong airport......on last Saturday they let this Xiong Yan in. Please clearly talk to your guys there at the Immigration dept, we are afraid if you let more of this people in that they will hurt the feelings of the China people during their visit in Hong Kong. We have done already that much from our side. All blogspot, hotmail, twitter and others we have block already - so please do your part. Thanks you very much"

You can be assured that "somebody" in Beijing heavily complaint that Xiong Yan was able to enter HK last Saturday. So yesterday they sent back Mr. Xiang Xiaoji after arriving from USA at 7.00 pm and they put him immediately back on a plane to NYC after midnight. What kind of jet-lag this will be ?
Lets see if their are others refused entry to HK the next 2 days.........................

Slow posting

during the last days. I am on the move to another place in HK ......a lot of work no time for "blogging" ..........as a compensation maybe you listen to some nice music - I am not sure I have posted this one of Iggy already - but if it doesn't matter because its is a goody as an extra also enjoy the PSB last single ............Enjoy and have a good week

One more about the outside dining in HK

Just click on both articles to read in full size. Now another Mr Chan from the district council is planning to send a "team of volunteers" to inspect about 100 public areas + this will take 6 months........Unbelievable.

Besides this, it is said that some councillors complained about smoking customers outdoors at the tables of "Gaia". Now the other Mr Chan is saying that they have been "set up......we should not be the one make the decision."

Then why they first make the decision then ?

Once the "public outcry" starting they find out that there should be a "guideline" from the Government, used as a reference to make this decisions.

The producing of this "guideline" will need a "public consultation" up-front and will approx. take 12 months. The "Gaia" can still stay out-doors until October - but this is only 5 months.

So this is how some district councillors are helping the local business to survive in times that difficult ! Do they have nothing else to do ?

Hong Kong - Asia's World City ..........?

..........not when it comes to "alfresco dining" etc. See this article from today SCMP (just click on it for full size). It seems Mr Chan Hok-fung does not like Italian food that much. But it also seems he not at all knows what really makes a "World City".
Can you imagine Rome, Florence, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna or, or or......... without people sitting and dining or having a coffee outside and "occupying public space" ?
This decision is stupid.
Almost the complete "non-existence" of the possibility to take a rest at "public spaces" (nothing to sit down, no benches etc) is very obvious in Hong Kong and does not contribute to make it a "World City".

3 x "daily reading" 20.05.2009

Just click on each picture to read in full size.

HSBC - Free Wifi at Nathan Road branch

Cool ..you have Iphone ?
You need free WiFi ?
Get the WiFi Trak application..sit in front of HSBC in Nathan Road and get a 40+ strong not encrypted open Channel called "HSBC Premium WiFi". Not sure what real experts can do once they log into this open network. We just used it to send emails and to use Skype.
Cheers.

China changes visa rules for US citizens

please read here from AP yesterday:
quote
By TINI TRAN – 1 day ago
BEIJING (AP) — China has tightened visa rules for citizens from the United States, which has reported the second highest number of swine flu cases in the world.
A notice dated May 3 on the Web site for the Chinese Embassy and its consulates in the U.S. said that all visa applications would now require six business days to process, with express and rush services for visa applications suspended until further notice.
It is unclear exactly why the rules have been changed, but it came hot on the heels of strident measures by China to contain any possible spread of swine flu, including quarantining of some foreign nationals.
The new visa regulation, effective as of May 4, appears to apply to all Chinese visas, including tourist and business categories. Visa applicants are also required to fill out a form declaring which countries and U.S. states they had visited two weeks prior.
Previously, U.S. nationals could obtain visas in as little as one day.
More than 1,400 people globally have been infected with swine flu, with Mexico reporting the most confirmed cases with 802. The United States so far has reported 380 cases in more than 30 states.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu refused to address the specific visa changes for Americans, saying only that "relevant adjustment (to the visa policy) is non-discriminatory and is not targeted at any country. The adjustment of visa policy will not affect the normal entry of foreigners and exchanges of people."
The new rules do not appear to be in effect for any other country, including Spain or Canada, where swine flu has also been detected.
China has already earned the ire of the Mexican government for its aggressive quarantine measures after a Mexican traveler flying to Hong Kong via Shanghai was diagnosed with the illness over the weekend.
More than 70 Mexicans were quarantined in hotels and hospitals in mainland China. A plane chartered by the Mexican government arrived in several cities in China on Tuesday to pick up these and other Mexican citizens and take them home.
China has denied singling out Mexicans, saying it was purely a medical matter and that it hoped Mexico would be "objective and calm."
A group of 29 Canadian students and their professor were also being held in isolation in China. Two Americans were in isolation while another two who were in quarantine have been released.
Last year, China severely tightened visa regulations ahead of the Olympic Games in August as part of a wider security clampdown, and earlier this month, travel agencies in Hong Kong reported that visa restrictions were being tightened again ahead of the 60th anniversary in October of the communist nation's founding.
Last week, government spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the reports of changes to visa regulations were "groundless."
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
unquote
In case of the H1N1 the suspension of 'express + rush" visas makes sense and should not be such a big problem. More troublesome will be if the Government really start changing the rules again because of the 60th Anniversary.

Welcome the Swine Flu !

It was only a matter of time until the first case coming up here.
Why not stop all incoming flights from Mexico ? This seems not possible due to some reasons..then just take out the arriving ones - why not ? Nobody wants another "SARS" here in Hong Kong. See Aubrey and her video telling you everything about the latest news:

By the way please see this video about something concerning "pigs" in China. Anything going on there .........?

Is Everybody In ? The ceremony is about to begin...........

Just for your pleasure...................dedicated to the "Visa Designers":

Lets watch how this will change ......

here the copy from the webpage of "The Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR" - this one is dated 2008-09-24 (1 month after the Olympics have been finished) - under "Additional information" you still can find this information:
quote
1. Foreigners with Hong Kong (permanent) resident status
(1) Foreigners with Hong Kong permanent resident status can apply for “L” or “F” multiple visa valid for one to three years by providing personal Hong Kong Permanent Identification Card, as well as a copy of the said ID card.
unquote
Let's see a few weeks later from now if this will be still the same.
Then also see this one you can find under "Visa to China" (should it better be "Visa for China" ?) This one is just an amended text from last year - just deleted the phrase "welcome to visit the Olympics....." and it is still dated 2008/04/13:
quote
NOTICE
(2008/04/13)

Visa applicants are increasing in a large number and need longer waiting
time in the visa office recently. If you don't reside or work in Hong Kong
permanently, you are required to apply Chinese visafrom the Embassy
or Consulate-General of Peoples' Republic of China in yourresident
country. You are welcome to China for tourism, business and visit .
unquote
And finally this one without any date - just "for your info":
quote
General information on Chinese visa
1. Applicants are advised to apply his/her Chinese visa from the Embassy or Consulate-General of Peoples’ Republic of China in the country where he/she resides or works permanently.
2. Applicants should be physically in Hong Kong during visa application except foreign business people residing presently in Taiwan.
3. Visa category, validity, number of entries and duration of each stay are issued at the discretion of the consular officers whose decisions are based strictly on relevant laws and regulations of PRC, and also on the identity and purpose of trip of applicant.
4. The consular officers are entitled to refuse any application inconsistent with relevant Chinese laws and regulations, as well as to change and/or revoke an issued visa without disclosure of the reason.
5. The contents in this enquiry system are for reference only and are subject to change without prior notice. The right to interpret is vested in the Consular Department of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in Hong Kong SAR.
unquote
Cheers + have a happy anniversary of whatever ! I still remember the October 1st 1999 in Shanghai - this was the 50th anniversary (somewhat a better date then 60th - right ?). There was not any kind of this trouble as far as I remember. Foreigners (and our businesses - means MONEY) have been very welcome to China at this times..............

WELCOME BACK THE VISA TROUBLE !

Click on the photo for full reading:

In this difficult times they are doing this again ? Do we have to say how stupid this is ?

One must have really big doubts about the ability / capability of some people

working in the Central Government. Like always Mrs Jiang Yu is not aware of "this".

Come on guys, not really any of us business people is interested to bother your "self celebration" around the 1st of October.

99% of all who need a F Visa need it for better reasons - for example to "stimulate your economy".

China that easily again is forgetting who is contributing the huge part to your national's economy success. Nothing more to say for the moment. Thank you !

And again here...........

And here from the Shanghaiist dated 22.04.:
quote
F Visas will be scarce during upcoming anniversary
The 60th Anniversary of the founding of Communist China isn't going to be a headache just because of the raucous celebrations (complete with fireworks that we're pretty sure would rival the Spring Festival) - it's also going to make getting F business visas a giant pain in the ass.
Resident amazing visa procurers Meshing Consultancy Service had this to say about the upcoming date:
Oct 2009 is our China 60 Years Liberation ceremony(very huge ceremony). The visa policy start to become tight again from now. According to that, right now, we can get 6 month F visa with maxmium 2 entries(you can leave and come back 2 times during the 6 month), multi-entries or 1 year F visa is not available, and the 6 month visa will only valid till the end of Sept.
Meaning: Good luck getting anything in that two week period in October. Magic, head of Meshing Consultancy, recommended applying for a 30 day L or F visa and waiting for the ceremony to finish before trying for your 6 month or one year F visa again. If you're unable to get that 30 day L or F extension here, you'll have to head to Hong Kong for it.
unquote

More news on the "rumours" regarding the Visa.......

This one found on www.chinatravel.net - I just copy the whole post. Please read and lets hope it will not come true - this would be very "uncomfortable" again.
quote
It's still seven months off, but China travelers will want to take note of October 1 as a date that could bring an Olympic-style tightening of visa rules & regulations. Though it may prove mere rumor in the end, we've been informed by an in-the-know and well-placed source in China's travel and tourism industry that China's 60th birthday celebration will likely give rise to another round of visa difficulties for travelers. This is a year full of sensitive dates, of course, from the 50th anniversary of China's big move on Tibet--Beijing is calling it "Serf Liberation Day"; Tibetans the world over have a whole lot of other words for it--to the 20th anniversary of what the government refers to as an "incident" that took place here. And yes, it's true that those two anniversaries, the first of which just passed while the other is just about two months off, have yet to lead to tighter restrictions like we saw last summer. However, those two T-dates are ones Beijing wants to downplay. October 1st, on the other hand, figures to be a major media extravaganza rivaling the Olympic Opening Ceremonies for bombast and pageantry. You can bet that those in charge don't want any pesky foreign protesters scampering up buildings to drop banners--or do anything else that could disrupt things--while they orchestrate and execute a massive celebration of the October 1, 1949 founding of the People's Republic. So... we're thinking there could be something to the rumor. We hope not, but we'll keep on it and let you know whatever we can find out.Regardless, it's good to keep the date in mind. As our favorite visa expert Magic tells us, "normally, at every big ceremony, they'll tighten up the visa policy." You can always find the latest China visa updates in our popular China Passport & Visa Forum, where we tracked the complex and shifting ins & outs of the 2008 Beijing Olympics visa situation. You can also check out our recent aggregation of China visa news to get a handle on the current situation.
unquote

Lo Wu Shopping mall warning !

Hope all is clear - and do not violate the law please !

China Visa problems again ?

Here a comment I have received right now ! Need some time to verify this - I am not sure if this is real. Comment was anonymous. If it is true, everybody better try immediately to apply a new multiple visa NOW. But really not sure if this is not a bogus info.
It would be very careless to suspend multiple entry visa again in the existing economic situation. I will try to find out more asap.
quote
again Visa problems in China, there is no more multiple Visa available anymore, it seems for the 60th anniversary of national day in october. Enjoy!
unquote

DRINK TIBET ?

Free water distributed at the Lo Wu train station. The name of the water is "TIBET SPRING".

As I was told it is only available there and some guy told me this is because that the people "learn something" about Tibet.

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Just found out exactly one year ago on 6th of April opened this blog as some kind of forum against the new CHINA VISA RULES (just at this time 1 year ago). Surely any idea that a blog could change this kind of "decisions" would have been very naive - but it was a kind of "personal experiment just to see how a blog can work". Many things have happened - the rules have been relaxed very quickly after the OLYMPIC GAMES have been finished. Anyhow the effect of "the Games" was maybe not as strong as China's leadership was hoping......all is back to normal. Then there is some kind of crisis which maybe China will remember much more than the "Olympic Games" last year. Now the blog title is not 100% accurate anymore - I think it doesn't matter - you suddenly can find different things here - more music than before - other topics also focussed on Hong Kong more than on mainland China ..............Cheers ! New things will happen soon.........
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BY THE FAB FOUR ........

Nothing special to report

....quite lazy for the moment to do any posts. But here some nice sound from somebody who do not want to show his face - but thats okay. Enjoy here:

Lets have Bob Marley a word ...........

Do not let her in again !

please read below - at least somebody is trying to complain about this lovely woman behaviour in HK - if this helps nobody knows - but she should not get away that easily - simply do not let her in here anymore:
quote
Campaign to have Grace Mugabe banned from Hong Kong
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
First lady Grace Mugabe might have escaped an assault charge in Hong Kong, using diplomatic immunity, but now lawmakers and human rights activists in the territory are campaigning to have her banned from traveling there. In January this year Grace flew into a rage after British photographer Richard Jones took pictures of her as she left a plush hotel with a female friend and a bodyguard. With help from her bodyguard, who pinned the photographer to the ground, the first lady struck him repeatedly in the face, cutting him with her diamond encrusted ring.
The decision to grant diplomatic immunity to Grace has not gone down well with human rights activists now demanding a full explanation from the Department of Justice. Activist Law Yuk-kai told the government-run RTHK radio station that they wanted to know why Grace got immunity when she was on a private shopping trip and visiting her daughter, who is a student at a local university. Further enraging the activists are reports that the Mugabe’s bought a US$5 million mansion in the territory, when half of Zimbabwe faces near starvation. Mugabe denied the purchase, saying he was just a tenant in the house.Pro-democracy lawmaker Audrey Eu told the South China Morning Post newspaper that even though Grace, ‘has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested, at least we can refuse to let someone who has committed a crime in Hong Kong visit again.’ It remains unclear whether Grace requested the diplomatic immunity or if it was granted automatically. Hong Kong’s Department of Justice simply issued a statement saying, ‘we have ascertained that ... Grace Mugabe is not liable to arrest or detention and enjoys immunity from criminal jurisdiction.’Although Hong Kong is a self governing territory, matters relating to defence and foreign affairs are controlled by China.
SWRadio Africa
unquote
Still wonder about the Tai Po property of Mugabe - it seems some strong black guys living there to protect this place. How comes not any of the other owners there have any concerns about this kind of "neighbourhood" ?
Here some more footage about Mugabe - this time his birthday party:

A little bit more about Mugabe

Here first some info from THE TIMES - approx 1 month old:
quote
Mugabe's Home Away from Zimbabwe: Hong Kong?
By Ishaan Tharoor / Hong Kong Monday, Feb. 23, 2009
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the three-story villa inside Hong Kong's JC Castle that he reportedly bought
L. to R.: Alexander Joe / AFP / Getty; Bobby Yip / REuters
JC Castle is an unlikely home for a world dictator. Although posh and secluded, the compound's pale pink boxlike villas look altogether drab in this city of tycoons and high rollers. On Saturday, a few shirtless residents smoked cigarettes on balconies, clotheslines suspended from the railings. Potted plants unevenly line the estate's walls — behind them, perhaps, lies a vital part of the exit strategy of Robert Mugabe, the President of impoverished Zimbabwe.
Political High Tension in Zimbabwe
In recent months, Zimbabwe's octogenarian autocrat has watched as his country was ravaged, first by chronic food shortages, hyperinflation and political turmoil, and then by a cholera epidemic that continues unabated. Although Mugabe still locks up political opponents, most recently a deputy minister slated to be sworn into the new unity government, his rule has been weakened by a power-sharing agreement with an emboldened and entrenched opposition. His position is as insecure as it has ever been, and, if press reports this month are to believed, he and his confidantes are looking to Asia and to property at JC Castle — named for the action star Jackie Chan by the real estate group behind the residential development — for solace and safety. (See 10 things to do in Hong Kong.)
An exposé published last week in the London-based Sunday Times alleges that Mugabe and his wife Grace have amassed a string of investments through a shadowy network of partners in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, most likely with funds funneled out of Zimbabwe's coffers. Mugabe is reviled by many of his countrymen and much of the world for the corruption and cronyism of his regime, and extensive U.S. and European Union economic sanctions bar him and his associates from visiting or conducting financial affairs in the West. So the former champion of anticolonial revolution has over the years turned toward the wealthier climes of Southeast Asia, where he once could count on significant support and still does among private circles of businessmen and politicos.
Chief among his alleged Asian possessions is the $5.7 million house purchased last year in this remote development, perched beneath a hilly copse of trees in Hong Kong's verdant New Territories. An agitated guard stationed by JC Castle's iron-gated entrance told TIME there was no such house; she was contradicted by a superior who said its occupants had left strict instructions not to be disturbed by visitors. When two Sunday Times journalists approached the compound to photograph the villa last week, they were reportedly assaulted by three African guards and had to receive medical treatment. This attack followed another encounter last month, when Grace Mugabe and a bodyguard allegedly slapped and bruised a photographer tailing her around a ritzy Hong Kong mall. She left the city, a special administrative region of China, before investigators could make inquiries.
Grace Mugabe, four decades the President's junior, is accused by critics of extravagant spending sprees, with funds supposedly siphoned from Zimbabwe's state bank. According to the Sunday Times, she has spent tens of thousands of dollars on designer handbags and Vietnamese marble statues, and is supposedly speculating in a lucrative China-based diamond business. During stays in Hong Kong, according to local reports, Grace's entourage occupies two whole floors of some of the fanciest hotels. She was photographed in 2003 with 15 trolley loads of luxury goods while sitting in a first-class lounge in Singapore's airport. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe reportedly doled out $92,000 for her latest holiday, which began in Malaysia last month where the Mugabes are reputed to own a vacation home. An article in the Zimbabwe Times claims that the bank's governor, Gideon Gono, accompanied Grace on the trip.
While Hong Kong maintains strict rules against money laundering, the Mugabes, it appears, have established themselves here with little trouble. Bona Mugabe, the dictator's 20-year-old daughter, is allegedly enrolled at Hong Kong's City University. (Mugabe's relatives have been barred entry at schools in the West and Australia.) The Zimbabwe National Students Union, based in Harare, issued a petition on Feb. 15 demanding Bona's deportation back to Zimbabwe, so that she could resume her studies alongside her people. "The state of our education system is so deplorable," reads their statement, "that [Robert Mugabe] has seen it fit to trust the Chinese for the education of his daughter."
Pro-democracy legislators and human-rights activists are reviewing whether the Mugabe presence in Hong Kong can be challenged, but it remains unclear how much can be done to thwart a head of state who remains close to Beijing. "At the end of the day, Hong Kong has no power over its foreign dealings," says Law Yuk-Kai of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told the Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post on Feb. 17 that Mugabe had the right to invest in Hong Kong real estate. "Hong Kong is a free port ... even Falun Gong practitioners can buy a property there," said the unnamed official. The connection between a marginalized religious sect and a tyrant in power for three decades may be tenuous, but, for Zimbabweans, half of whom face malnutrition, it must elicit the most cynical, if fleeting, of smiles.
unquote
If you want to become friend with Bona Mugabe just go to "Facebook" and find her here:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bona-Mugabe/1244676420
And if you want to see some more about the country they have ruined then maybe watch this:

And then watch this - be aware like always it is the "bad propaganda of the West" and surely nothing is true:

MRS MUGABE ENJOYS "DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY"

Please read (click on it) info from yesterday "SUNDAY POST":

Mrs. Mugabe has been granted "diplomatic immunity" in the case of beating a reporter on Jan 15th.

So this means every ugly dictator wife can come here to Hong Kong behave against the law and then just simply walk away without being charged ?

Will Mrs. Mugabe come back soon to enjoy some more shopping (and maybe some beating ........) ?
What will happen if somebody without "diplomatic immunity" will beat her in a revenche act ?
One more article about Mugabe and others and how they buy property here with "dirty money".

Looking for a new job ?

Then maybe the SCMP for the time being has not so much to offer. Remember the times the "CLASSIFIED POST" had seven or eight parts in the Saturday issue ? This times are gone right now. Today there are only 3 parts and they look like this:
CLASSIFIED POST 1:
Front page - 2 0r 3 head hunter advertisings
Page 3 Hotels & Catering + some PRIME positions
Page 4 - 11 Education Appointments
Back page some editorials called "Executive Insights"
CLASSIFIED POST 2:
Front page - headhunting + Financial controller + "AXA Wealth Management" + a lingerie producer looking for a "Cost Controller"
page 2 - 4 1/2 "Banking & Finance" (they still have some jobs - one is called ETHICS TRAINING PROGRAM MANAGER)
the other part of page 4 some "General Appointments"
Page 5 "Manufacturing, Merchandising & Purchasing Appointments": GAP, Betty Barclay (a german "brand"....), Mannings, Horwath headhunting already the second week for a General Manager, WELLCOME (Category Manager - Alcoholic -sounds good...) and a few more
page 6 + 7 "Property & Construction" + some "General Appointments"
page 8 'Sales & Marketing"
page 9 again "General Appointments" - wow here is a rather small ad with arather big pay (if it sounds too good..............):
"Quality Assurance Mgr to $95K" one requirement: "must be able to live & work in Shanghai...."
page 10 BARACK OBAMA - SCMP self advertising
page 11 - half page MTR ad + some other ones like: China Reporter for Lloyds List some kind of shipping gazette
back page: Some editorials again like "Mind your own business" or "Top campanies share winning formula"
CLASSIFIED POST 3:
Front page: Mainly "Michael Page headhunting" + one "leading multi-national property developer"
page 2 - 3 or 4: Engineering & Technology Supplement" + some "General Appointments" one company called "Gold Profits" looking for a General Manager.....
page 5 "China & Macau" + "Manufacturing ........" + "General Appointments"
page 6 - 10 " Government Appointments" you can find the "dream job" here for example"
a) Innovation and Technology Commission - Senior Manager (Corporate Communications) - HK$ 60,000 - 72,000 per month
or
b) Fire Services Department - Contract Telecommunications Manager HK$ 68,915 per month
then 1 more page "Sales & Marketing" + half page "Secretarial......." and then three or four pages filler with something else like ads for "Motors & Boats" or buying / renting property.
That is it: Happy job hunting !

How to boost China's domestic consumption ?

Very easy, according to a clip in SCMP today:
quote
" Rich people should spend more on private planes and yachts to boost domestic consumption, the Southern Metropolis Daily quoted CPPCC deputy chairman Li Jinhua as saying. Mr. Li, former National Audit Office administrator, said there were two effective ways to expand consumption: increasing the income of people in the low and medium-earning bracket, and encouraging rich people to spend. He said it was important the wealthy expanded their consumption."
unquote
It is most likely NOT to believe that any of the greedy & thrifty chinese company owners will increase the income of their staff - it will be rather the other way around - or just fire the staff.
About buying private planes & yachts ? Very good idea ! So how will this boost the domestic consumption ? Or was this just a joke ?
Most likely it seems some of the "important advisers" in the mainland government still do not know what extreme problems the chinese (normal) people will have to face because of the world wide slow - down.
Cheers...and lets hope some guys will buy some private planes...........

ELECTRIC FEEL - MGMT

Now you need to click the play button to hear & see this:

Rod the Mod in Hong Kong soon....

....please enjoy a special version of DO YA THINK I'M SEXY by Tiny Tim:

Update: Mugabe & Bouncing Eggs

Mr Mugabe had a nice birthday party and beside this is saying he is not owing any property in Hong Kong (Tai Po) - besides this no news about the attack against some reporters from the people who are living (protecting) the not owned property of Mr Mugabe. What about the other people living there in this Tai Po place ...do they really want to have this kind of people in the neighbourhood ?
Also real eggs can bounce some source was saying after fake China eggs have been found in Macao ..really ? I tried and made an omelett afterwards - but quite difficult to remove all the broken pieces of the eggshell from the glibbber....

Make your own eggs !

As recently reported some smart businessmen sold "fake eggs" to markets in Fuzhou province.
Here part of the DIY - instruction. Enjoy a nice omelett !

Mr Mugabe's "hut" for retirement in Hong Kong

And the story goes on.........

If you want to get beaten - just go to this place in Tai Po. Click the picture to read full size

Seems the bodyguards or "house - watchers" of this humble HKD 40 Mio property owned by the Mugabe family (purchased via some middlemen) are not very humble in "protecting" Mr. Mugabe's property. Imagine what will happen once they are really living there?

Very soon some owners commitee hopefully will start some action to get rid of this "thieves & thugs". Also see a picture of Mugabe's lovely daughter Bona - most favourite hang-out in HK is Pacific Place and similar humble places where she can spend her "pocket-money" hard earned by her family back in one of the poorest countries in the world. Cheers !

SCINTILLATION

found via http://www.matrixsynth.com/ :
This is an experimental film made up of over 35,000 photographs. It combines an innovative mix of stop motion and live projection mapping techniques. Directed bychassaing.xavier@gmail.comMusic by myspace.com/fedaden
This is nice - as I did not post so much recently - please enjoy this - best to view on full screen:

SCINTILLATION from Xavier Chassaing on Vimeo.

GARY GLITTER & MUGABE FAMILY: Anything in common ?

Last year Gary Glitter was refused to enter Hong Kong.
Right or not (most people were thinking it was right) ?
At least he had finished his sentence and was released as a free man - surely most probably the decision to not let him enter Hong Kong was a correct one.
Now the wife of Zimbabwe president is accused to have beaten a photographer together with her bodyguards in HK 10 days ago. She was on a shopping trip for which she has withdrawn USD 90,000 from her bank-account as some sources say. Quite a nice amount to spend on shopping, compared with that 50% of the people in her country would not survive without outside "food aid".
And now suddenly the Mugabe daughter is studying here in HK under some different name..............
This kind of people should receive same treatment as Gary Glitter - why shall they be allowed to enter HK and maybe even use the HK banking system to deposit money they have stolen from their country.
USA, Europe + Australia have banned them already for getting in.
Here from AFP - just 3 hours old:
quote
HONG KONG (AFP) — The daughter of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is studying at a university in Hong Kong under an assumed name, a newspaper said Sunday.
Bona Mugabe, whose father and fellow leaders are banned from visiting the United States, the European Union and Australia, began studying at the University of Hong Kong last year, a senior university source told the Sunday Morning Post.
Her presence in the southern Chinese city was revealed after her 43-year-old mother, Grace Mugabe, allegedly assaulted a British photographer who tried to take photos of her outside a five-star Hong Kong hotel earlier this month.
A spokeswoman for the university said the presence of Bona Mugabe on campus had not given rise to any negative reaction from other students.
"We believe that education should be above politics and young people should not be denied the rights to education because of their family background or what their parents have done," the spokeswoman told the Post.
Australia last year deported eight Zimbabwean students whose parents are linked to President Mugabe's government, saying it wanted to prevent those involved in human rights abuses from giving their children education denied to ordinary Zimbabweans.
Mugabe's regime has been internationally condemned for its disregard of human rights and its politically motivated violence targeting opposition and civil activists. Nearly half the population of Zimbabwe is dependent on food aid while a cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,700 lives.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong police said they were still investigating the alleged assault on photographer Richard Jones by Zimbabwe's first lady on January 15.
"No one has been arrested yet," a spokesman told AFP.
Jones said he had been repeatedly beaten and punched by Grace Mugabe while her bodyguard held him outside the Kowloon Shangri-la Hotel. He said he had sustained numerous bruises, cuts, and abrasions to his head and face because Grace Mugabe was wearing diamond rings when she attacked him.
unquote

The smiling Thai

beating & mistreating people looking for shelter - the poorest of the poorest:
The so-called Rohingyas - just put back into the sea ? A few hundred ?
Which year is this ?
1809 - or are we in 2009 ?
Best punishment (if ever somebody will be punished for this): Do the same with them.
Do I feel the desire to make holidays there again ?
Not for 1 day !
Sorry - you guys all go to hell !
And here is the song for this guys there in Thailand:
DIRT (posted a 2nd time - you can also see Ron Asheton in action)

Ronald Franklin Asheton July 17, 1948 - January 6, 2009

nothing to say - here just the copy from Iggy's page:
quote
We are shocked and shaken by the news of Ron’s death. He was a great friend, brother, musician, trooper. Irreplaceable. He will be missed. For all that knew him behind the façade of Mr Cool & Quirky, he was a kind-hearted, genuine, warm person who always believed that people meant well even if they did not. As a musician Ron was The Guitar God, idol to follow and inspire others. That is how he will be remembered by people who had a great pleasure to work with him, learn from him and share good and bad times with him. Iggy, Scott, Steve, Mike and Crew----------------------------------------- I am in shock. He was my best friend.Iggy Pop
unquote

Old style barber shop

Want a good haircut ? Want a real clean shave ? Want a good shampoo after that ?

Then you should try this place in Kwai Hing (yes yes it is NOT in Central or CWB and it is not VIDAL SASSON or any fancy trendy overpriced salon): It is an old style barber shop in Kwai Hing Estate. The youngest guy working there is in his early sixties, the others is hard to estimate but at least all between end 60 - end 70's - and they are doing an incredible good job.

The whole package haircut, shave + shampoo you get for a reasonable HKD 60 - you need at least 1 hour to go through the whole procedure. Very precise, very clean and polite. All kind of old trimming tools, nice barber chairs (you can sleep during they work on you) and relaxing atmosphere. The younger guy speaks quite good english, means no need to worry that you will get your hair done wrong. They are closed on Wednesdays.

Go to Kwai Hing (MTR Tsuen Wan Line) - exit A - turn left and follow Kwai Hing Road - at the next crossing (Wo Kwai Lane) cross the street - stay right side (you will see a WELLCOME after 100 meters) - near the WELLCOME is a stationery shop and opposite of this is the barbershop. The photo of the street sign is exactly opposite the barber shop (when you stand with your back to the sign you can see the shop left hand side in the small passage). Enjoy !

And if you are there already opposite of the WELLCOME is a very nice hot pot place in the first floor.

Classified Posts, Idling motors & China mobile phones......

looking for a new job in HK ? No need to buy the SCMP on Saturday - the "Classified Post" section has shrinked a lot - sure it is close to CNY so nobody will change the job in January - but it is really very little what is offered there. 2 sections only - 40% is government & education jobs - the rest you can forget. So lets see how this will look in mid of February .......Def not too many companies are looking for new staff.

The Governments proposal on "idling engines" of vehicles like taxis, minibuses etc seems a big burden to many of the poor drivers who are SIMPLY not willing to switch of their engines while waiting in a queue.....Sorry I cannot understand this - they are contributing a big part to HK pollution and NOT willing to sacrifice a little bit - Cheers !

China will soon have some very drastic measures in eliminating "fake mobile phones" - this will come most probably hand in hand with the introduction of 3G - all need to change there SIM cards - and then they will not work in fake mobiles anymore (thats what a factory owner told me a few days ago - I still cannot really believe it......) - lets see if this comes true - that will be at least then a very good year for the mobile phone market in China.

Please note following.......

if sending comments and you guys place them on a post several months old - now you tell me how to find them ......and answer there on that post and vice versa how are you going to find that comment again ...........................
Just today received one from a lady called Raisa from Indonesia - but commented on some post in the middle of "nowhere".........