Newscut

Lee offers land for super-size elderly home Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tycoon Lee Shau-kee has donated to Pok Oi Hospital land in Tuen Mun for a 2,000-bed home for the elderly.
The home, if approved by authorities, would be equivalent to 20 standard facilities for the elderly and shorten waiting time for such services. Henderson Land revealed that as the land is a gift from its chairman, he will pay the company its estimated value of HK$107 million.
It is now listed as farm land though used as a car park.

The developer also reckons the care home would be up and running with its 2,000 beds by 2107 if a change of land use for 100,000 square feet is approved.

Welfare sector lawmaker Cheung Kwok-chu said the project is a worthy cause and he urged the administration to help Pok Oi through what can be a lengthy land rezoning procedure.
Lee, 85, turned to Pok Oi after the administration rejected previous offers of the land for cheap housing and said Henderson should co-operate with non- governmental organizations.

Pok Oi Hospital has solid experience in hostels for the elderly, and the site is near Pok Oi's Yuen Long headquarters.
Henderson said there could be construction in phases of three blocks for a project that "will help shorten elderly people's waiting time for hostels."Henderson Land applied in 2009 for permission to build residential blocks on the site, but that was refused by the Town Planning Board.

Pok Oi is now to undertake a feasibility study, which will include site surveying and an assessment of the project's impact on the environment and traffic flows in the area. The site's designation as farm land would also need to be changed before going beyond the preparatory planning stage.Pok Oi would also need to discuss with the Social Welfare Department the number of beds, the expectation being most would be government-subsidized.

Labour and Welfare Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said yesterday that Pok Oi Hospital has already submitted to the department an application for a grant from the Lotteries Fund to develop and operate a care home for the elderly.Such facilities "are in acute demand," he said, and the land donation is to be welcomed.

Bell sounds on pollutants in school buses Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Students who travel by school bus are more likely to end up coughing and spluttering in class than those who walk or get there by other means.
This is the conclusion drawn by researchers at Polytechnic University, who claim the amount of dangerous pollutants found in some of the buses is more than double the standard set by the World Health Organization.

The researchers also found that in addition to breathing in large amounts of particulate matter, children are also exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide in some of their classrooms.

The researchers tracked 310 students, aged between 11 and 12, at 12 primary schools - from 2011 to this year - and monitored the air pollution levels along the routes they travel to class.

Of the 310 students, 24percent took the school bus, 48percent walked and the rest used other means of transport.

The 12 schools were situated on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon East, Tuen Mun, Tsing Yi, Sha Tau Kok, Yuen Long, Ta Kwu Ling and Tuen Mun.

On arriving at school, students were asked to blow into a device called a spirometer, which measures the volume and flow of air that is inhaled and exhaled.

Professor Hung Wing-tat said those arriving by school bus had the worst lung function when compared with others.

"From the test, the amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled after a deep breath, compared with the amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled in one second, had a value of 90percent, which is lower than the 100percent standard, Hung said.

He said equipment that measures air quality found the amounts of damaging pollutants - Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10) and Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) - far exceeded the mean standard of school buses.

The level of carbon dioxide on school buses exceeded the good class index of 200 parts per million volume set by the government, and which could be due to the number of children packed into such transport.

Hung suggested the authorities take the initiative to replace school buses, whose models are older than Euro III to Euro IV, or replace all buses using diesel.

School bus operators should also be reminded to keep their vehicles well ventilated.

Meanwhile, the study also found that a large number of students tested suffered from rhinitis allergy.

Hung said "the nasal allergy is found to be related to tobacco- smoking households, incense burning at home and mold at home."

Fire burns in rainy London Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The latest chapter of dystopian sci-fi saga The Hunger Games premiered in London, with Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence returning as the teenage heroine who inspires a revolution against sadistic rulers. Despite the drizzle, hundreds of screaming fans filled the West End's Leicester Square and dozens camped out for a full 24 hours to catch a glimpse of Lawrence on the red carpet.

The 23-year-old, sporting a new blonde pixie-crop haircut, wore a backless floor-length white dress scattered with gems.

There were also loud cheers for heart- throb co-stars Liam Hemsworth - ex- fiance of pop star Miley Cyrus - and Josh Hutcherson.

Speaking at the premiere on Monday, Lawrence called her character a "good role model for girls."
"She's strong, and she's a fighter, and she's not afraid to stand up for what's right," she said.
Produced by the US Lionsgate studio, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opens in Hong Kong a week tomorrow, expects to at least match the stellar performance of the first installment of the franchise, which reportedly took in US$693 million (HK$5.41 billion) worldwide last year.

The first movie saw Katniss and her friend Peeta, played by Hutcherson, emerge as the winners of the 74th Hunger Games, a fight to the death between children organized by the evil rulers of post-apocalyptic American kingdom of Panem. The latest film sees the duo fighting for their lives again while sowing the seeds of a youth rebellion.

This sets up the climactic showdown of the third novel Mockingjay, which will be split into two films due for release next year and in 2015.
Lawrence, meanwhile, remains grateful for the opportunity to play the role of a lifetime, which catapulted her into a new world of fame.

"If I was going to be identified for a character for the rest of my life, well, I love this character," she said.
"I'm proud of her and I would be proud to be associated with this movie and this character for the rest of my life."
Money talks for `self-centered' generation Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Money and position - that's what motivates today's generation.
Job satisfaction is only secondary, according to a poll of 1,462 young workers and 1,030 employers in Hong Kong and the mainland.

Pollster Tamty McGill Consultants International said 43 percent of young workers from the SAR and 42 percent from the mainland put money and title ahead of other considerations.
The poll was conducted to help bosses understand the characteristics and preferences of those born in or after 1980, and to work effectively with them.

Tamty McGill managing director Virginia Choi Wai-kam said employers believe monetary compensation and benefits are the most important factors for the new generation when considering whether to apply for a job or stay put.But mainlanders put interest and fun ahead of money, Choi added.

Other reasons advanced include benefits, professional advancement and job security.

The survey also showed that younger workers want to participate in decision- making and expect a more immediate response when communicating with others.

A large number also look for more flexibility in working hours, but are prepared to adapt to different working environments.

"Creative" is the top adjective used by Hong Kong employers and workers to describe the new generation, followed by "self-centered."

Choi said the new technologies with which youngsters are familiar may really help companies.
On the question about style of mentor preferred, the top choice by employers is someone who allows his workers more freedom in their work and puts them in charge of tasks or projects.
But the new generation gave most votes to mentors who are supportive when they face difficulties or need help.
Choi suggests employers offer benefits and compensation as well as opportunities for learning, developing, advancement, and accomplishment.
They should also provide interesting work, build a compatible team, and be a good boss and mentor.

Future of news in media spotlight Monday, November 11, 2013

The Chinese University Journalism Awards, held every two years since 2003, is an effort- consuming event to organize.
Apart from carefully evaluating each entry from contestants, the organizers this year are also putting up four seminars - covering topics from new media to free newspapers.

Organizing a seminar is no mean feat, and hosting four over a 30-day period is really commendable - given the effort and resources involved.

The speakers at the first seminar, held on October 25, were Hong Kong Television Network chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay, media practitioner Tony Tsoi Tong-hoo and Sing Tao group executive director Lo Wing-hung.

The lineup drew a full house at the Hong Kong Central Library Lecture Theatre.

The second seminar, held on November 1, was titled "Are free newspapers killing paid- for newspapers?"

I think whoever set this rather provocative topic was insightful about the operating environment for print media.

The recent folding of a leading free daily prompted speakers to explore the survival chances of different media, and whether more closures will follow.

The local news market has three kinds of publication: conventional paid-for papers, younger free papers and the new online ones.

Competition among conventional papers was already intense - especially in the mass- appeal segment - when free papers joined in the fight for advertising dollars.

Some are concerned that the print media market may not be big enough to support all existing players.

In fact, most big paid-for papers are still profitable as far as their news operations are concerned, and free papers were also making money when there were only three of them.

But some free papers started to suffer losses when two more joined the fray about a year or so ago, and we might see further consolidation of that market.

Some see great potential in online newspapers, but compared with places such as the mainland and North America, Hong Kong has a relatively small and geographically concentrated readership.

Creating a feasible business model is, therefore, the first hurdle local news organizations must overcome if they want to invest in the new media market. Siu Sai-wo is publisher of Sing Tao Daily