Corporate Hong Kong can have no doubts on Mr Justice Anthony Roger's feelings about rabbits. They have no place in the stock exchange. The Court of Appeal judge famously gave his take on the need for an independent regulator of stocks in October. 'You cannot have the rabbits in charge of the lettuce,' he stressed. But where does he stand on dolphins? Recent events at the Hong Kong Country Club may shed some light on the question. It appears the judge treated neighbouring dolphins at Ocean Park to a free fireworks display on the occasion of his daughter's wedding dinner at the club. Permission first had to be granted by the Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing, (Tela). Animals have never been known for their love of loud banging noises, smoke and bright flashing lights. The company that let off the fireworks arranged for a demonstration. Still, it seems that Ocean Park was not convinced. According to a Tela spokesman, more concessions were arranged. Smoke machines would waft the bad air in another direction. The scale of the event was downsized. In the meantime, a letter from Mr Justice Rogers was sent to Tela. The judge stressed his family's concern for animal welfare. He reiterated the precautions that would be taken. Indeed, the display would even enhance the image of Hong Kong as many overseas guests would be in attendance. The park's attitude was 'unreasonable'. It was also suggested that refusal of permission was totally unnecessary 'in the interests of the animals'. A licence was issued. And two staff from Tela were on hand to make sure the protective measures were adhered to. But it seems the dolphins were not enamoured with the spectacle. Perhaps they felt Mr Justice Roger's letter to Tela lacked the personal touch. It was written on official Court of Appeal letterhead. The judge was asked to comment. The judiciary replied: 'There is no comment. It is understood that it is the judge's standard practice to use his letterhead for correspondence.' And the dolphins' response? It just went to prove that humans are more intelligent than the mammals. All they could do was swim frantically in the pool, synchronising their fins to spell out the word 'fishy'. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN . . . It's ironic that PCCW opted for the name 'Cascade' for its new transfer-staff-and-reduce-their-salaries subsidiary, because that is exactly what the company's shares were doing yesterday. Cascading. The stock plunged 10.42 per cent to close at HK$1.29. It could have been a less than gleeful reaction to the five for one share consolidation. Or it could have been the suspicion that British telecom firm Cable & Wireless would sell its 14 per cent stake in PCCW. The British firm's stock has plunged by more than 85 per cent so far this year and it has been honoured with junk bond status. So would it offload its PCCW shares? Surely the man in the know would be David Prince, Cable & Wireless' group finance director. And there lies another coincidence. Mr Prince was until recently PCCW's chief finance director. He left the post in May this year to jump telco. From one plummeting stock to another. Yet another coincidence. It has just been one fluke after the other. INTO THE UNKNOWN The Cable & Wireless Web site offered an array of services to concerned investors yesterday. Lots of fabulous pictures of its directors. Some information on its social corporate responsibility. Details of its alliances. There is also a promise of 'stability, accessibility, reliability, quality of service.' And up in bold at the top: 'Our focus for the future.' But where are they really going? We clicked on the corporate strategy option. Not a lot happened. The page was conspicuously unavailable. Quote Of The Day 'The most keen can certainly find a second job, maybe unofficial, from which they could earn extra money' Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi urging Fiat workers to find work on the black market
