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Sunday helpers are a nuisance

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  1. #31

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    and actually do they really leave that much mess? I havent witnessed so couldnt say..

    having seen HK'ers on the beach never mind a BBQ pit I dont think they can say much on this point tho

    ( I have seen groups of HK'ers get up and leave behind lunch boxes and coke cans water bottles behind )

    that makes me mad when they obviously come for the natural beauty..

    - is it becos of years of having maids picking up behind them??¿

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  2. #32

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    They are leaving all that recyclable to the Wombles. It's supporting an industry and leaves the bins free for real rubbish.


  3. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by dear giant:
    The problem is, of course, that the real estate developers would be minting money at a lower rate under those conditions and that's something that can't be permitted to happen.
    That's one problem. But I think the bigger problem is that if the government builds public housing that's bigger and nicer than the current private housing, and charge the same rent, thus causing a drastic drop in prices in the private property market, then basically all of those middle class families who have put their whole life's saving into their small private homes and are bounded for at least 20 - 30 years by mortgage will riot and/or kill themselves. I find it almost funny that people simply assume that everything the government does is just for protecting the developers. How straightforward! Remember negative equity? It wasn't that long ago.
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  4. #34

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    JT06: Yes, I remember negative equity.

    You do realize, don't you that keeping the saps who have bought their rabbit hutches already fat and happy requires apartments to get progressively ever smaller and more crappily built and and more expensive, don't you? Sadly, of course, that's exactly what's actually been happening.

    Most of those middle class folks you're talking about either have or will be having kids. As it stands now, their kids will have no hope of purchasing homes of their own or, if they do, they're going to be smaller and worse in just about every way than the ones that their parents currently "own" -- or, rather, will own in that brief period that will begin once they've paid the mortgage and end when it has begun falling apart badly enough, hello shoddy construction!, that the govt lowballs the owners, buys a bare majority of them out, forces the holdouts to take the offer, and knocks the whole thing down.

    It would be great if HK society could have a conversation about land policy, living standards, how HKers are not simply human-sized termites, etc. and what would be better for their children and grandchildren moving forward. The suckers who have bought into the current regime would have to take one for the team, but their kids would be able to sit on the toilets in their homes without one thigh scraping a wall (or toilet paper roll) and the other rubbing against the shower door.

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  5. #35

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    The irony is that a FDH probably pushes your stroller for 6 days of the week.


  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by mrdollars:
    The irony is that a FDH probably pushes your stroller for 6 days of the week.
    That is what probably pissed her off most.
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  7. #37

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    It would take a social uprising to get the government to build more flats for public housing, let alone bigger flats. I would support a higher tax rate or a broader tax base to fund this construction or the gov't should just dig into their coffers. I think social harmony is in decline and we better do something now to avert a greater disaster later. Unfortunately, Henry Tang is not the leader with his hands on the pulse of the majority of HKers and he will not have solutions because he cannot even identify there is an issue. We need some foresight and guts to make the right call from our leaders.

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  8. #38

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    Sorry for being totally off topic. By the way, I think it's a shame that domestic helpers don't have better places to go than sitting on footbridges. I certainly don't like that. But I'm sort of happy to see that our government actually allows them to hang out where they want on Sundays.

    DG: You're not wrong. People are having conversations about housing though. It's actually a conversation that's more dominant than any other conversation, because it literally consumes their lives. I like your idea. But, take one for the team... it's easy to say. Tell it to the couple millions people out there that what they've worked their whole life for is worthless. We're talking about extremes here though. There must be a more gradual, less drastic way towards the direction you're going. About the availability of land. All the green places you see on google map are in the New Territories. Sure, we can build more flats there. Apartments in the more remote parts of NT are actually bigger and cheaper. Problem is, not as many people want to live there. The fact is that in the city centres, there is very little land left. The government is doing a consultation on land reclamation outside the Victoria harbour, but there is already a lot of objections from environmental groups and certain parties who support them. If not that, then it's the country-parks and designated farm lands we're talking about. I think the government won't want to spend money (and fight the possible political and legal battles) to reclaim land if they can avoid it. But then changing the land use of country-parks and farm land aren't exactly objection-free. On the one hand, HK does seem to have land. On the other, I'm not sure it does.

    Last edited by JT06; 21-11-2011 at 04:41 PM.
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  9. #39

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    This topic has been discussed numerous times in China. It seems that most of them prefer the western way. Don't know why it is still the way it is now. I think McDonald's here hire busboys to do that work while no one is hired to do the work in other countries. As you know, the labor is cheap in HK/China. I tried to clean up myself at first, but after a while I don't want to be so different with others. It may sound trite, but it is kind of a cultural thing. Not long ago Chinese think eating (fries) with your fingers is savage.

    Quote Originally Posted by threelittlepigs:
    re the state of picnic sites. Look at your neighbood Mcdonalds. Very few people take their own trays to toss their garbage. They are all waiting for the one or two McD staff to do it for them. This really astounds me since when they themselves sit down the table is a mess since the one before them failed to exercise some common courtesy. Many HK residents are lazy assed selfish pigs. To the pushcart lady - get a baby Bjorn next time you want to venture anywhere cause your 50 lb pushcart is getting in people's way.

  10. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skyhook:
    To be quiet honest, if these helpers pulled this stunt in majority of western countries they would been set upon by the the mounted police with pepper spray at the ready. the public space laws cater for EVERYBODY, not a select group....
    Has anyone ever stopped you from sitting down with them, or prevented you from using the space otherwise (like walking through, standing naked on one leg etc.)?
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