Message: Google Blogger deleted posts

While waiting for Google Blogger to fix it's problems, which might further delete new posts, I just write this entry to inform you guys that I have not been lazy and I am still writing entries, but I'm saving them as drafts in my email account and I will only post it after my previous entry comes back.

Idiom & Song & Event: You Don't Miss Your Water -- Craig David X Memories of King Kowloon

Google claims that they have successfully brought back most of the lost entries and are working on the lost comments, but my nice entry is still gone, so meanwhile, we can only wait.

Right now, I'm more than frustrated!!!!


Resources:


Google says data corruption led to Blogger outage @ The Inquirer

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2071188/google-corruption-led-blogger-outage

Google Blogger Glitches, Posts Vanish @ Search Engine Journal
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-blogger-glitches-posts-vanish/29866/

Movie: Fast and Furious 5 VS Initial D

Image from freddyo.com

Fast and Furious 5, the 5th movie of the The Fast and the Furious film series has got to be one of the best action movies this summer!

You have Vin Diesel as Dom(inic) Toretto, highly intelligent with lots of plans, like I have always liked to see. You have Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, good looking and muscular, girls’ favourite.

Gal Gadot
Image from media.screened

You have Miss Israel 2004, Gal Gadot, as sexy gorgeous-looking Gisele Harabo with deadly driving skills,

Ludacris
Image from fanpop

Korean actor Sung Kang as Han Lue, and to my big surprise, the rapper/singer for the Tropic Thunder theme song (or the black rapper in Justin Bieber’s song Baby if you like)
Ludacris as Tej Parker, all of them going against the other fierce, detailed-minded, unforgiving military general Dwaybe Johnson as Luke Hobbs and his team. Full of actions, explosions, speed, pretty cars, and most important of all, wit! I just love movies that are all witty and full of guessing to do!

Actually, I have never seen the first 4 episodes, so this is the first one I have ever seen, but after watching this one, I really want to go back to watch the other four.But the first one I really want to watch, is the 3rd episode, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), because of the Japanese racing legend!!!

Keiichi Tsuchiya on the right
Image from photobucket

Keiichi Tsuchiya, the REAL Drift King, performed the drifting and the driving stunts in the film!!! And he also made a cameo as a fisherman in the film
!

Wanna see some drifts? Here you go!

And his favourite car? Needless to say, is the legendary Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)!!! The car which formed the basis of the entire Initial D manga!!!!

Image from imageshack

Image from Wikipedia

This is a video of Tsuchiya racing with different cars, and the final race was him in an AE86 versus a Skyline GT-R 34!!! No tricks!!! All real!!!! You can also learn some words from the video below.

So don't wait, go catch the new movie and watch the prequels now!!!

Vocabulary:

legend -- (n) [C or U] a very old story or set of stories from ancient times, or the stories, not always true, that people tell about a famous event or person
drifting -- (n) [U] a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed.
stunt -- (n) [C] an exciting action, usually in a film, that is dangerous or appears dangerous and usually needs to be done by someone skilled
cameo -- (n) [C] (plural cameos) a small but noticeable part in a film or play, performed by a famous actor
prequel -- (n) [C usually singular] a film, book or play which develops the story of an earlier film, etc. by telling you what happened before the events in the first film, etc

touge -- (n) Tōge or Touge (峠^?) is a Japanese word literally meaning "pass." It refers to amountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas, like the legendary Nordschleife in Germany.

Resources:
Fast Five 2011 @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596343/

Fast And Furious 5 (Official Trailer) HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PspF_GA-9U

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift trailer @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aScHDjMJjfg

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_drift

Initial D @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_d

Touge Showdown 2 - AE86 vs Skyline GT-R - Hot Version International
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGYGSqGz3gM

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/legend_1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_(motorsport)
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stunt_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cameo_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/prequel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touge

Message: Happy Buddha's Day!!!!

Leshan Giant Buddha
Image from wideview.it

Message: Problem with Blogger

Sorry everyone, there is something wrong with Blogger, so I couldn't write anything, but I can now, so you will see the update later this afternoon!

News & Opinions: A Big Day (News Digest)

Can't find one particular news or thing that is especially interesting, so I decided to put a few news together and comment on them, like a readers' digest.

Image from BBC News

First, there is another case of Legionnaires' Disease, but this time, it is an imported one, which means it was not originated in Hong Kong. The news of course hasn't attracted much attention from the press or the people of Hong Kong, but seems like there are more reports of this disease worldwide recently. Last month, both the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington and the Playboy Mansion in LA, California, are said to have confirmed cases of the disease. And as I have written before, this disease spreads quickly with water, it seems very hard to stop it from spreading.

The death of Bin Laden have brought about the drop in the Hang Seng Index in the 6th consecutive days, and the 7th might be coming. It may be related as some suspected this is due to the strengthening of the US dollars, and so hot cash is leaving the Asian markets, or it may not be related at all. Anyway, who can tell?

Image from AAStocks

When the market goes up, people say that the price is cheap and confidence is up, investors are optimistic, when the market plunges, people say it has gone up a lot and it is the right time to take profit or that USA is greater threat now that Bin Laden is dead. This always reminds me of my A Level Chemistry, especially the molecular Chemistry, because those theories are almost always the unproven arguments that scholars come up with in order to explain what they see, which means "I see this is true, so I create reasons to make it true. I really didn't buy this concept! I still don't!

Image from Business Insider

Lastly, Donald Trump tried to bring down Barack Obama in the race for the next presidential election by questioning the president's citizenship, and by doing so, he helped in creating a new word in English called "birther", which refers to a person who support this viewpoint.

Image from Wikipedia

Anyway, is there a chance for Donald Trump to win the next election against Obama? The result may not be as one-sided as one may think. Let's not forget that Ronald Reagan, American's 40th President, used to be an actor too!






Resources:
CHP investigates Legionnaires' Disease case @ 7th Space Interactive
http://7thspace.com/headlines/381192/chp_investigates_legionnaires_disease_case.html

Spokane hospital fighting Legionnaires Disease @ The Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014905910_apwahospitallegionnairesdisease.html

Legionnaire's Disease Found at Playboy Mansion @ Ology
http://www.ology.com/celebs-and-gossip/legionnaires-disease-found-playboy-mansion

Medical: Legionnaires' Disease @ QE @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/04/medical-legionnaires-disease-qe.html

Actually, Donald Trump Just Made Himself Look Like A Complete Idiot @ Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-continues-free-fall-2011-4

Birther @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birther

Ronald Reagan @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Regan

News: 'Unpaid toilet time' adds to $28 bitterness

I know the death of Bin Laden is a huge news, but before we get to see the picture, I'm still sceptical about it. So, let's change the topic and come back to Hong Kong.

On today's newspaper, we have a case on a company wanted to cut an employee's wage through the excuse of an 'unpaid toilet time' in order to balance the increase of their wage to meet the $28 minimum. And there are many words to learn.

'Unpaid toilet time' adds to $28 bitterness  The minimum wage controversy took a new twist yesterday with a veteran unionist claiming a manufacturing company refused to pay a worker for time spent in the toilet. Tuesday, May 03, 2011 The minimum wage controversy took a new twist yesterday with a veteran unionist claiming a manufacturing company refused to pay a worker for time spent in the toilet. The flap comes on the heels of rows over meal times and rest days after the hourly minimum rate of HK$28 took effect on Sunday. The complaint was made by a 30-something worker to Federation of Trade Unions vice president Chan Yuen-han on Sunday. Chan said the worker was told that 30 minutes will be counted as toilet time each working day and docked from salaries. "I am furious. In such a situation, does it mean the worker is a slave?" Chan said. She added: "What is the rationale? It's unreasonable. I think the employer is acting way out of line and should be condemned. "If each and every corporation treats employees this way, it will be humiliating to all Hong Kong bosses, not just that employer," she told a radio program. "How can it be acceptable to exploit workers that way?" Chan told The Standard she considered the practice "crazy" and "relentless." She said she has rarely heard of such cases in her decades as a unionist, but she believes more employers will make various excuses to exploit workers' under the minimum wage regime. The complainant, she said, works in a manufacturing company with more than 10 employees. She declined to reveal the worker's salary and daily working hours. Confederation of Trade Unions lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan renewed calls for collective bargaining rights. "To be frank, without collective bargaining rights, how can I possibly plug all the legal loopholes or tricks used by employers?" he said. The Provisional Minimum Wage Commission last year estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 workers could be sacked when the hourly rate goes to HK$28. A 23-year-old kitchen worker attempted suicide in Tsim Sha Tsui early on Sunday morning, three days after being sacked. Rescuers pulled him from the seawall. Meanwhile, a survey has found that 85 percent of flat owners' committees have increased management fees by 5 to 30 percent. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said many committees had cut staff or working hours. DAB community officer Yeung Hok-ming said some residents were against the staff cuts for safety reasons, leading to arguments. Yeung called on the government to strengthen communication with owners' committees. COLLEEN LEE AND SAMSON LEE

Actually, how many people are happy with $28?

Is it even enough? Closure of certain smaller companies who exploit their employees, is it what they deserve? Those who are already underpaid, do they enjoy the continuation of their underpayment or do they enjoy the new 'unpayment' because they get fired or their companies are fried?

Whenever a new policy goes up, some people need to suffer, and this is the so-called 'transition period', a new equilibrium cannot be reached if there is no shift in the old one in first place. The question is, is there a way to help these new sufferers?

The safety net has to be there to help the unfortunate. Otherwise, it could cause more uproars in the society.

But my doubt falls more on the question of, "is $28 enough?" If this is not enough, it will be harder to get the public to up the price even more. It seems like it is easier to start higher, say $38 and then bring it back down. Well, it is just my gut feeling. Of course, if you start from $38, then the shift from the equilibrium would be greater, and more companies will be forced to cut labour or shut down.


Vocabulary:

sceptical -- (adj) doubting that something is true or useful
controversy -- (n) [C or U] a lot of disagreement or argument about something, usually because it affects or is important to many people
twist -- (n) [C] a change in the way in which something happens
veteran --  (n) [C] a person who has had a lot of experience of a particular activity
flap -- (n) [S] informal a state of nervous excitement
on the heels of sth -- Fig. soon after something
row -- (n) [C] mainly UK a noisy argument or fight
dock -- (vb) [T] to remove part of something, especially money
furious -- (adj) extremely angry
slave -- (n) [C] a person who is legally owned by someone else and has to work for them
rationale -- (n) [C or U] formal the reasons or intentions for a particular set of thoughts or actions
humiliating -- (adj) making you feel ashamed or stupid
relentless -- (adj) continuing in a severe or extreme way
regime -- (n) [C] mainly disapproving a particular government or a system or method of government
complainant -- (n)  [C] legal a person who makes a formal complaint in a court of law
frank -- (adj) honest, sincere and telling the truth, even when this might be awkward or make other people uncomfortable
loopholes -- (n) [C] a small mistake in an agreement or law which gives someone the chance to avoid having to do something

Resources:

'Unpaid toilet time' adds to $28 bitterness @ The Standard

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_print.asp?art_id=110631&sid=32223164

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sceptical#sceptical__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/controversy
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/twist_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/veteran_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/flap_4
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+the+heels+of
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/row_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dock_4#dock_4__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/furious_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/slave_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rationale
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/humiliating
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/relentless
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/regime_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/complainant
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/frank_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/loophole#loophole__3