Hong Kong 2007 life expectancy

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  1. #11

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    What we eat and drink and the other vices in our life are just a small part of the equation. HOW you live that life is also very important too.

    Those in their 60's+ now didn't work in an environment where they were constantly pushing to earn more and more, working crazy hours, living stressful lives etc. They lived a life where they weren't just chasing the next best consumer goods and processed foods. Family time was very valuable, TV's were a rarity, cars a luxury etc. They lived a life that they were a lot more content with then the generation in their 20'3, 30's and 40's etc.

    HK has the buzz but a lot of is the "money, money, money" buzz. Must own that apartment, mercedes, country club memebrship, climb the career ladder, trophy spouse etc. The food might not be as unhealthy as your texas 40oz steaks and chips (no salad please) but then again the life here is probably more stressful with the demands of having to constantly do better, own more, earn more etc.


  2. #12

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    Ahh Katanga, some keen observational intellect, good on you ! I agree totally with you.

    Add the rapid environmental distruction of the environment, due to the cash obsessed developers, HK's lack of construction land, inwhich the population will quickly outgrow, or will they merge with Shenzhen like the HKSAR Govt is slowly slowly pushing. Its looking that way..

    When HK merges with Shenzhen, I can see a mass migration of many people here commenting how good things are currently, you wont hang around when the crime rate goes off the dial, and can you imagine having shenzhen polluting cars on the roads here, my god, what a circus its going to end up.. Watch fatal car accidents alone increase at an alarming rate, you definately wont want to use road transport to go to work by then.

    See if I am wrong, but we will move to Europe, the moment that Shenzhen merges with HK, I lived there for a couple of years, and all I can say is, bugger that for a joke....

    Last edited by Skyhook; 18-08-2007 at 10:43 AM.

  3. #13

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    skyhook, you're making the sz+hk 'merge' sound a bit like pre-'97 doomsday-speak / the 'oh-hum' millennium-crash... can't tell the future, but not sure if it would actually happen exactly like that...


  4. #14

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    i do agree stress may be the modern-day #1 killer, since it seems to the root of many diseases... and even resulting in overeating.. but perhaps it's really the extreme high % of obesity in the states that dragged down the life expectancy... it's crazy the portions they serve - and if it's in front of you, you feel obligated to finish it - and it's kinda embarrassing for 2 people to order and share 1 entree...


  5. #15

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    I wonder is one off events like wars, disease outbreaks etc are taken into account in these calculations. If yes, we have a lot of factors people are ignoring here which would explain why the numbers tell a different story then your "guts".


  6. #16

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    Then explain to me Golly, why the HKSAR govt is on a big push to connect main arterial highways to Shenzhen, why they are improving transportation hubs between the currently bordered cities ?

    It's been expressed by both the Guangdong Public Security Bureau and the HKSAR Govt to merge Shenzhen and Hong Kong as one super city for 18 months, with a new border boundary line. It was raised again recently by the HKSAR Govt that this is what they would like to do in the future, anybody that watches the news on TVB or reads the local news papers would be aware of whats being proposed.

    You've lived in HK for 5 minutes so I dont expect you to know much.

    It was rumoured in 1997, that HK will eventually become a city, no different to any other mainland city..
    I think thats whats happening, most of the historic colonial buildings are gone, no new street names can have anything but chinese names and slowly but surely HK is erasing its colonial past, visiually till its as if it barely existed...

    Wait till they start up the refuse incinerators next year, incinerators that the British Govt disabled in 1994 because of the environmental impact, but HKs land fills are close to full, so they will burn that rubbish, regardless of the environmental impact... At the end of the day, what ever is cheapest aye, and judging by some of your empathy, a common attitude here, they ( the Govt ) will get away with it...

    Atleast higher income provides excellent hospital cover for our later years, because generation X's, and the baby boomers are going to need it, if they choose to live to retirement age here.


  7. #17

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    factors

    My brother used to live in one of the most wealthy towns in Pennsylvania, 60 miles from Philly near the Mainline. He got a stroke but the ambulance didn't come until 25 minutes later and the local hospital had to call in the doctor from Philly because they just didn't have the equipment/facility as well as the expertise to deal with his problem. This is not a 100% rural area. Well, he died the next day.

    New Jersey is a very industrial state in US but people live in the central part of New Jersey have to drive to North Jersey for major surgeries. A friend's father was too weak to be operated on in a local hospital in Central Jersey, not 100% rural because the hospital there just didn't the right kind of facility to take care of very ill patients. The surgeon is a family friend and they decided to send this old man to a hospital in North Jersey. Well, this old died on his way to North Jersey before he even had a chance to be operated on.

    Most big US cities hospitals as well as those university affiliated hospitals are excellent if you have money in addition of coverage from the insurance companies. Most smaller cities and rural area are much worse than any hospital in Hong Kong with respect to facilities and personnel. Well, I can tell you that because I teach in the medical school and cut people up legally for living. LOL.

    Las Vegas is tourist town and it has a fair representation of different people from different parts of US. Go there and compare your physical size against the "tourists" there. This has nothing to do with drinking or whatever. Just look at their physical sizes. It makes me look real small inside an elevator with these people.

    Go to a typical US supermarket, especially one in the East Coast outside of big cities like NYC and the middle of US and see how many different kind of veggie and fruits that you can buy.

    Public transportation system does not really exist in US. Driving is the only mean. Well, how about walking ? I rarely walk because it is either too cold or too hot. Beside, I have hay fever problem during Spring and Fall.

    If you really want to be farmer, you should think deep. The chemical used around the farm area is an issue. The tap water there is another problem because most water in Central Valley, California are tainted with all kind of fertilizers and weed killers. check them out before you make the move.

    Physical isolation is the biggest problem for most old folks. Mental health and stress are related.

    Well, talking about stress. Have you ever worked in Japan ? Smoking, pollution, drinking and stress are ways of life there in Japan. Why these people can live longer ?


  8. #18

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    Yes, I have lived and worked in Japan and people do smoke and drink quite heavily there. Their lives are pretty stressful as a result of the culture where people are not as open in discussing their problems etc.

    However, the life expectancy of people in Japan being longer is largely skewed by those from rural areas and Okinawa who live a fairly relaxed life, eat minimal meat, lots of vegetables, afternoon naps etc. They don't quite live the life at the pace of someone in Tokyo, Osaka etc.


  9. #19

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    the reason HKSAR is pushing for the 'merger' is because all the other cities in china are overtaking HK in terms of growth - luring multinationals away from hk and into places like shanghai / beijing and guangzhou... and yes even shenzhen... it seems the proposed 'merge' to become a 'mega-city' will be so that some of the china-appeal to rub off onto hk... so that hk/shenzhen may potentially be considered again by foreign corp looking to establish their china presence and set up their regional headquarter. from personal experience, many companies i met with when i was still in the states offered great packages to head their mainland-china offices... even when companies are considering opening offices for the first time in the region, they actually choose 'mainland' cities vs. hk - since hk is expensive, 'far from their core market'... but since my family is here i was adamant about sticking to hk...

    also, re: hk 'erasing' it's colonial past... i don't see it as a bad thing or as dramatic as you make it sound... first of all, what country would want to keep memories of 100 years of domination by a foreign country...? huh? i don't see british monuments or statue of the queen in New York City or Washington DC... is it also 'a shame' that the U.S. has 'erased it's colonial past....'? having been dominated is not something to necessarily to be 'proud' of... get with the program... it's 2007, perhaps it's time to stop desperately hanging onto the past and look towards the future - everyone else in the world is... the farther Hk stays away from recognizing itself as a real Chinese city, the farther it's gonna fall behind the international scene... and yep, this is from someone who just move back for 5 minutes but is also from someone who has heard all the rumblings in the states about shanghai and beijing, no one really gives a rats ass mentioning HK anymore.

    Last edited by goleoboy; 19-08-2007 at 12:40 AM.

  10. #20

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    p.s. "baby boomers" is an american/canadian/australian phenomenon... resulted from the end of WWII - i don't think there is such a thing as baby boomers in HK...