Further down the ladder, at 56, is the Father of Modern China, Sun Yat-sen who gets a big fat zero in the spending stakes.

That could be because: a) his films are not available on VCD; b) his films contain no action or funny wise-cracks; c) there is no church dedicated to his honour where a congregation can pass the collection plate (however, he does seem to have been born in, or at least lived in, a house in every city in China).

At No 64 Bill Gates pockets HK$1,785 per month. Unfortunately, 'the man at the end of the street knocking-out copy Microsoft software' doesn't get a mention but he must be raking in thousands.

And Li Ka-shing - a perennial favourite - gets the No 162 slot neatly sandwiched between Cradle of Filth (band) and Jennifer Lopez (actress/singer/model).

Stall order: The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has announced that members of the public who are interested in operating Lunar New Year Fair stalls will be able to rent a stall at the 'upset' price.

Considering that a wet stall at Fa Hui Park in Mongkok will cost HK$4,140, we are not surprised traders are upset at the price.

Weight of opinion: If you are thinking about a trip across the border via Lowu today then maybe it's a good idea to think again.

The Planning Department is carrying out a little survey into the patterns of cross-boundary trips in the light of extended operation hours.

Up to 9,000 people are expected to be drawn aside for four-minute interviews by clip-board carrying officials.

That should allow just enough time for you to lose your place in the queue.

All information will be kept confidential and we can confirm questions will not include:

Are all those handbags for you madam?

Are all those handbags for you sir?

What is the capital of Uzbekistan?

Thank you and would you mind rejoining the end of the queue?

Slurred speech: Just days after announcing he would be 'madder than heck' if it turned out that an Arab-American Secret Service agent was the victim of racial profiling George W. Bush made his own un-politically correct gaffe.

The White House has said the United States President meant no disrespect to the Pakistani people by referring to them as Pakis.

Mr Bush used the term in remarks to reporters on Monday when discussing the possibility of nuclear rivals India and Pakistan going to war.

'I don't believe the situation is defused yet, but I do believe there is a way to do so, and we are working hard to convince both the Indians and the Pakis there's a way to deal with their problems without going to war,' he said.

Most in the US are unaware of the sensitivity of the term, reports Reuters.

In Britain, however, it is considered an ethnic slur toward Pakistanis who emigrated there in large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s.

An official at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, Asad Hayauddin, said he did not consider what Mr Bush said to be an insult.

'I would give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was said in passing. In all fairness, I would say it's not a racial slur,' he said.

He did, however, receive a number of phone calls from reporters seeking a reaction.

Graphic: whee09gbz