VIEWERS who remain awake during advertising breaks may have noticed a rather smart commercial for a newspaper on the box of late.
You have probably seen it - state-of-the-art graphics and a closing phrase that says the organ is ''more than just a newspaper''. Fewer will have noticed that in a mock-up of the front page the main story - or ''splash'' - has a headline reading something like ''Triad boss shot dead''.
A not uncommon occurrence in Hong Kong, of course. The only problem is the head and shoulders picture that has been used as an illustration accompanying the article looks uncommonly like tycoon Stanley Ho, although only by using a video freeze-frame could anyone tell for certain.
The so-called ''casino king of Macau'' and Shun Tak head is a man of many interests but no one in the territory has accused him of this before. And as far as anyone can tell, Mr Ho seems to be in rude health and not at all dead. Not in the least. PERHAPSthe sunshine towards the end of the week will make a difference, but there are reports the typically gloomy and chilly winter is having a debilitating effect on a very special piece of Hong Kong turf.
Those labouring to be ready for the Hong Kong Sevens at the end of the month have noticed to their considerable alarm that the Chinese-grown turf laid on the pitch at the Hong Kong Stadium has been very slow to take root in the sandmesh surface.
The cold, sunless weather is being blamed for the apparent reluctance of the grass to grow. During the tournament two years ago, the pitch turned into a quagmire because the soil could not absorb the torrential downpours. This year, the opposite applies because the sandmesh is ferociously efficient at draining surface moisture.