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SCMP Reporter

Q Do you agree with the shelving of the superjail?

The success of the campaign to stop the superjail is a triumph for grassroots democratic activism. Bravo, Living Islands Movement!

Dare we hope that this marks a shift in the government's approach; that it will now start paying heed to the wishes of the community at large, instead of just playing stooge to Beijing mandarins, local tycoons and multinational corporations?

Tony Giles, Clear Water Bay

Q Should dogs be allowed to use public beaches?

Friends of Hoi Ha chairwoman Nicola Newbery, it seems, has been sadly misunderstood and is crying out for our sympathy.

Ms Newbery is in effect saying, 'Let's protect Hoi Ha from the locals'.

Her aggressive campaign did not begin yesterday. David Newbery, also from Friends of Hoi Ha, mounted a vigorous and long  campaign against vehicle passes to control access to keep more outsiders at bay, and keep the roads clear for residents with vehicles for their selfish pursuits.

Intimidated by media campaigns fuelled and manipulated by the Friends of Hoi Ha, government authorities caved in on the vehicle permits issue and imposed a limit of 10 per day and now Mr  Newbery is again agitating that it effectively be reduced so that the World Wide Fund for Nature,  with its Marine Life Centre at Hoi Ha, can use four of the 10 permits. This is disingenuous.

It is filth that flows into the sea from village drains that pollutes the beaches and the marine environment. But as Ms Newbery  would have it, the dogs, the Chinese and their cars and buses are the real threat.

Does she  have the right to determine how many people go to a public beach in Hong Kong, our home, and do we have to yield to her edicts about dogs and etiquette? She appears to have toned down her vitriol, but her hostility is despicable.

It would be wise if the government intervenes to rein in these do-gooders rather than allow them to perpetuate this hostility towards locals. Hong Kong and its beaches are for everyone. They are not Ms  Newbery's personal property.

Kapila Bandara, Sha Tin

Q Have you experienced any bank bungles?

I am not surprised about the DBS bungle. About a year ago I tried opening a trading account with their bank, at The Centre, Central. After three weeks of attempting to open the account with them and transferring funds to that account, I was informed by  staff that internet transfers were not allowed.

Throughout the three weeks, I dealt with four different staff members, including a manager, who contradicted each other and failed to provide a straight answer about the service they were trying to provide. I gave up due to the fact that I could not trust them with my money in light of their inability to be honest with me.

To put closure to the bad experience, I sent a letter of complaint to their branch manager, Richard Wilts, thinking he may appreciate knowing how his junior staff were performing. He did not reply or acknowledge the letter. I guess they don't need to listen to their (potential) customers!

David Brian

Q Should charcoal sales be banned except near barbecue sites?

Only sell charcoal near barbecue sites because of suicides using charcoal? Why should we make a trip halfway across town to buy charcoal if we want to barbecue at home? Just because some people kill themselves using charcoal?

It's nuts. Suicide is prevented by talking to people, not by making it more difficult to get suicide tools.

Jeffry Kuperus, Clear Water Bay

On other matters ...

The solution to the 'Shapeshade' problem given on page C1 in  yesterday's edition of the Post is incorrect. The shaded area is too large. Also, there is more than one solution. The simplest is to drag the line so that it bisects the rectangle into two rectangles - one being one-third the size of the whole rectangle.

This underlines two weaknesses in this type of test: (i) sometimes there is more than one solution (establishing only the inadequate thinking  of the test's designer); (ii) mathematical knowledge is required, gauging memory and  education rather than problem-solving ability.

Greg Hughes, Kennedy Town

The answer to 'Shapeshade' should be a shaded triangle with sides being 4, 4 and the square root of 32 units long.

Tim Chong

Editor replies: You are both right, as are many brainy readers who wrote in spotting the error. The wrong answer was provided to us by a public relations agent and we failed to verify it. Many apologies!



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