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We just ran into a broker friend of ours. Last time we spoke to him, he was in a fine mood.

The source of his good humour was an invite to a 'lingerie fashion show' courtesy of Ladiesasia.com.

Financial types from one end of Exchange Square to the other had been summoned to the launch party.

Market's close found them pouring out of their offices and rushing for bar ING in Wan Chai. The money men poured into the club, aglow with the anticipation of a night of free booze and semi-naked models.

So when Lai See  spoke to her Jardine Fleming friend, she naturally asked how it went.

Turns out the evening wasn't quite what everyone expected.

'You couldn't move for male brokers,' the money man told us. 'They were fighting for spots right at the front by the catwalk.

Then the show started, and the brokers couldn't escape fast enough.

Beefy men in G-strings paraded past, the light bouncing off their oiled chests.

Turns out Ladiesasia is the 'premier Web site for  Asian ladies'.

Launch hiccough: NOW is the winter of our Net content.

Made glorious summer by the Son of Li.

That quote came from Shakespeare's Richard III,  adapted slightly for our own Richard I.

NOW stands for 'Network of the World', Little Richard's channel for Asians which naturally emanates from a studio in Chiswick, London.

It's owned by Pacific Century CyberWorks, and will eventually become a source of fully interactive entertainment, game-playing and Internet access, delivered via personal computers, televisions and mobile phones.

NOW launched into cyberspace on Friday. Correction. NOW was supposed  to be fully launched on Friday. Things didn't go quite as planned.

The debut had to be scaled back because 'certain key features' of the service were not ready in time.

So when people called up Friday to ask what was going on online, staffers had to keep telling them 'Not NOW'.

Situation vacant: Ever wonder what bosses write on staff appraisal forms? Presumably it's something along the lines of 'Typically stupid Jamaican will never amount to anything because none of them ever do. Since she's a woman she'll probably get herself pregnant because, let's face it, all chicks want is a husband and loads of kids. And that crippled leg makes her walk like a duck, and who wants to look at that all day?' At least, we're guessing that's the sort of thing they've been writing. It would explain a section in the 'Guide to staff appraisals' that a local firm felt compelled to give its bosses.

It seems political correctness hasn't seeped into their corporate culture just yet, because managers had to be specifically instructed to 'guard against discrimination'. Then followed some top tips for appraisal writers.

These were featured on a list of things managers were instructed to avoid: Preconceptions about the abilities of minority ethnic staff, women or people with disabilities; Stereotyping about how individuals will perform in certain situations; Generalisations about the capabilities of individuals; Assumptions, eg that an officer with a disability will not want an overseas posting.

We were surprised by that last example.

Given the way Hong Kong accommodates handicapped people, we would have made the assumption they'd want to be posted anywhere but  here.

Graphic: whee03gbz 



Brokers in a sweat over panty parade