The US has closed China’s Houston consulate – is it true there’s a wanted person holed up in there? A noticeable increase in talk of China’s looming war with Taiwan. Beijing threatening to retaliate against everyone for everything – you give passports to the emperor’s subjects, we ban your soccer from TV.
A relatively parochial question: what happens when the Hong Kong government wants to maximise land valuations/revenue, while also ensuring property developers continue to make bloated profit margins? Answer: liveable and affordable housing becomes the lowest priority, and policymakers actively create a spiral of ever-pricier-but-tiner apartments. Full details here. As Marie Antoinette said, ‘Let them do their cooking in the toilet’.
Prize-winning SCMP film about the Protect-the-Kids elders at protests.
Re the Houston consulate shennanigans: why burn stuff so openly in the compound? Guess the staffers there aren’t familiar with the English saying that “there’s no smoke without fire”…
A recent article I’d like to call to your attention:-
https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/china-s-belligerence-we-are-all-hong-kong-now/story-8Py6Y4yG36KpwD5csP1YjN.html
I think when there are Indians stating that “We are all Hong Kong now”, we know that “China’s belligerence” really is getting at the world’s goat!
Cue: R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World”
https://youtu.be/Z0GFRcFm-aY
@YTSL because they are freakin’ idiots.
Also, the alleged wanted military officer is allegedly in the San Francisco consulate, not the Houston one. The Houston one is alleged to be a front for, as Marco Rubio says, “a massive spy operation” that was stealing military and pharmaceutical secrets from American companies.
Years ago I took part in a government consultation about holistic and healthy homes. This was conducted at model housing units erected near City Hall. I clearly remember the emphasis was on cross ventilation, natural light, etc. The bathrooms and kitchens definitely had windows. I probably have the obligatory glossy brochure tucked away somewhere.
So when the mini units started to appear I found the design shocking and made inquiries about ventilation and maintenance. In the traditional kitchens and bathrooms one can easily clean and dismantle the extraction fans but in the minis ventilation is via inaccessible ducts.
I was advised that the onus was on tenants to arrange to have the ducts professional cleaned and serviced once a year……..
For sure most folk are not aware of this, there is no regulation, no inspection process, no onus on the building management to arrange an annual inspection.
So some years down the line there will be an Amoy Gardens type scenario.
The proliferation of mini units since the bending of basic building regulations re ventilation will have disastrous consequences. But of course the developers will have long sold them off and the officials who relaxed the very sensible building codes will have retired or engaged in lucrative ‘consultancy’ work.
Most of these units are home to young folk so they have dodged the bullet in the current crisis. However the next virus may have a preference for the young and then the ramifications of lack of cross ventilation combined with the accumulation of gunk in the ducts will become evident.