https://www.scmp.com/rss/267541/feed Paul Stapleton is a long-time resident of several countries in Asia, where he has been teaching and researching at various universities. He writes about environmental, social and educational issues. In his op-eds, Paul's goal is to shed some light on issues of interest as well as generate a bit of heat. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In the manifesto released by Chief executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu, a key item was the promise to fully review and plan for the Northern Metropolis and Lantau Tomorrow Vision. These two enormous projects have been proposed as solutions to Hong Kong’s severe and long-standing housing shortage. There are few issues that can be considered a higher priority than accommodation, given the long waiting times for public housing and the hundreds of thousands that are still living in subdivided... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3177489/it-wise-proceed-northern-metropolis-and-lantau-tomorrow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3177489/it-wise-proceed-northern-metropolis-and-lantau-tomorrow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 May 2022 22:45:19 +0000 It has been a year since Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver after an extradition request from the United States. In a recent blog she wrote on a Huawei website, Meng noted that a year had passed and describe her experiences over this time. Before describing her year filled with “moments of fear, pain, disappointment, helplessness, torment, and struggle” however, it is useful to draw some comparisons with a parallel set of incarcerations. Shortly after Meng was arrested, the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040645/canadians-languish-chinese-jails-meng-wanzhou-blogs-about-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040645/canadians-languish-chinese-jails-meng-wanzhou-blogs-about-her?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Dec 2019 00:00:14 +0000 Amid the media’s blanket coverage of the protests this summer, a story that came and went quickly was that of our exceptionally warm July, which registered 0.7 degrees above the long-term norm. It followed a very hot June, which was 1.1 degrees above the norm and which, in turn, completed the warmest temperatures on record for the first six months of a year in Hong Kong. Such record temperatures have now become back-page news. In normal times, the extreme heat we are experiencing would be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3023249/dealing-hong-kongs-other-serious-hot-problem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3023249/dealing-hong-kongs-other-serious-hot-problem?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:52:35 +0000 Technology is radically changing the way we live and work, and although figures vary, a common belief is that roughly half of all current occupations are vulnerable to being replaced by automation or artificial intelligence. And this raises the question of whether our education system is properly preparing our youths. The call for change is nothing new and neither is the criticism of Hong Kong’s education system: too much rote learning, too little focus on critical thinking, too many exams, too... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009765/want-creative-self-starters-free-hong-kong-youths-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009765/want-creative-self-starters-free-hong-kong-youths-classroom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2019 01:00:07 +0000 We may be seeing the beginning of a technological disruption to our educational system, which could have far-reaching effects on the medium of instruction in our schools. Presently, one of the most enduring issues in Hong Kong schools is the role English plays in the classroom. Although the English language enjoys preferred status and is one of four subjects in which students must attain high grades to advance to tertiary education, it is not the native language of the vast majority of the local... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2182115/how-google-translate-may-disrupt-english-classes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2182115/how-google-translate-may-disrupt-english-classes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jan 2019 22:30:45 +0000 The recent debate about whether exams should be the sole determiner of local university entrance raises some interesting realities about the assessment of human abilities. At a recent forum on education, former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung suggested that our current university admissions system puts too much emphasis on the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) scores, while aspects of the “whole person,” such as a student’s non-academic experience, including talent in arts and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2171545/time-consider-nature-well-nurture-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2171545/time-consider-nature-well-nurture-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Nov 2018 11:08:19 +0000 “If you build it, they will come.” That was the line quoted by Kevin Costner’s character in the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams. The sentence has now entered the popular vernacular to roughly mean, if you build something, it can create its own demand. And, although everyone knows this message doesn’t always pan out, which is why we have the term “white elephant”, it most certainly does apply in the case of the recent discussion about Hong Kong International Airport’s potential fourth runway.   This... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2153057/hong-kong-airport-fourth-runway-may-be-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2153057/hong-kong-airport-fourth-runway-may-be-good?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jun 2018 22:01:18 +0000 Two news items last week had Hongkongers raising their eyebrows. First, next year, Harrow International School will no longer teach traditional Chinese characters in its lower school classrooms, and second, the International Baccalaureate is considering dropping middle school courses in traditional characters by 2020. This news arrives at a time when any threats to Cantonese are met with reactions that mix fear and hostility. The term “cultural genocide” has even been used to describe the threat... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2150255/traditional-or-simplified-debate-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2150255/traditional-or-simplified-debate-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jun 2018 05:45:00 +0000 South Africa has condemned it, Canada has demanded a review while an Indian sprinter blasted it as just “wrong”.  A new hyperandrogenism rule unveiled by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) presents a disturbing precedent that could have broader implications for competitive sports.  Caster Semenya, the South African middle-distance runner who has won multiple gold medals at the Olympics and world championships, will have to reduce her naturally high levels of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2144314/caster-castigated-iaaf-right-clamp-down-sensational-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2144314/caster-castigated-iaaf-right-clamp-down-sensational-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 May 2018 06:30:07 +0000 Almost like clockwork, the quality of spoken English among locals raises its head periodically in the media, as it has for the last generation or more, and as it did in these pages recently. Invariably, whenever this topic is brought up in Hong Kong, it is to lament declining standards, which apparently were much higher in the good old days. Most often, front and centre in this collective moan are native speakers of English who seem to be able to instantly cherry-pick a recent instance of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2136874/english-hong-kong-may-be-getting-better-so-forget-nitpicking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2136874/english-hong-kong-may-be-getting-better-so-forget-nitpicking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Mar 2018 04:11:48 +0000 Somehow celebrities have come to hold a privileged position in society so that just by virtue of their brand, they often gain the spotlight on issues that go far beyond their expertise. Movie stars, whose expertise is in the area of pretending they are people who they are not while reciting lines in front of a camera, sometimes become spokespersons for certain causes, such as minority rights. They also frequently lend their names to companies, such as brands of coffee. Against this backdrop, we... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2131710/celebrity-golfers-should-stay-out-hong-kong-housing-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2131710/celebrity-golfers-should-stay-out-hong-kong-housing-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Feb 2018 07:04:57 +0000 Two news items last week illustrated the perverse logic of Hong Kong legislators regarding the realities of moving around the city. The first was the news of the 25 per cent increase in fines for five traffic violations. On June 1 this year, drivers who violate one of the five, such as illegal U-turns, will pay a fine of HK$400, up from HK$320. The last time the fine was raised was in 1994. In other words, with the increase, the new fine hardly reaches 21st-century pricing levels once inflation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2129969/why-inching-forward-traffic-fines-and-parking-fees-wont-halt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2129969/why-inching-forward-traffic-fines-and-parking-fees-wont-halt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jan 2018 07:03:20 +0000 The #MeToo campaign took a while to reach Hong Kong, but with hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu’s Facebook post about being assaulted by her coach, the issue is now out in the open. Undoubtedly, Lui’s case is the tip of the iceberg. Although sexual harassment has become one of the daily topics in Hong Kong media, whether this will lead to a significant change in behaviour remains to be seen. In the meantime, this open discussion of deviant sexual behaviour highlights the extremely conservative approach... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2123968/metoo-and-vera-lui-show-why-hong-kong-needs-better-sex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2123968/metoo-and-vera-lui-show-why-hong-kong-needs-better-sex?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2017 01:43:54 +0000 “Low-hanging fruit” is an expression often used to describe a task or goal that is most easily achieved among a whole set of challenges. In Hong Kong, the government regularly confronts challenges where sets of obvious solutions exist, but each arrives with difficulties. If there are too many cars on the road, for example, then the lowest-hanging fruit is probably to raise taxes on automobiles. High-hanging fruit, in this case, would be to build more roads because there is so little space in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2121010/hong-kongs-housing-shortage-suffers-lack-low-hanging-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2121010/hong-kongs-housing-shortage-suffers-lack-low-hanging-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Nov 2017 02:25:52 +0000 We’ve just learned that an interstellar rock the size of a large stadium is whizzing through our solar system. What makes this newsworthy is not so much the size of the rock (perhaps about the size of Hong Kong’s own Green Island), nor its speed (close to 100 kilometres a second, about the same as zooming from Stanley to Lo Wu in less than half a second). The key point here is the word “interstellar”, which means it arrived from another solar system. Although such rocks have certainly crossed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117789/interstellar-rock-visiting-our-solar-system-reminder-how-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2117789/interstellar-rock-visiting-our-solar-system-reminder-how-far?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2017 03:26:10 +0000 Two seemingly unrelated news stories have exposed a curious contradiction in the interest in and promotion of electric vehicles. The first was about Hong Kong’s rise to sixth place in the latest global competitiveness index. Notably, the city came first in the physical infrastructure subcategory, largely due to its world-class public transport network. The second story came from Ombudsman Connie Lau Yin-hing, who revealed that the number of recharging facilities for electric vehicles has not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114025/why-hong-kong-should-think-twice-about-more-electric-vehicle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2114025/why-hong-kong-should-think-twice-about-more-electric-vehicle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2017 04:05:26 +0000 The latest polls in the US show President Donald Trump with an approval rating just below 40 per cent, which is the lowest recorded for a first-term president this early in his term of office. This low rating is not surprising, given the many blunders he has made in the first few months of his presidency. In fact, what may be surprising is that close to 40 per cent of the population still support him. How could this be so, given his frequent distortion of facts coupled with his bombastic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2095239/donald-trump-supporters-are-under-spell-blind-faith?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2095239/donald-trump-supporters-are-under-spell-blind-faith?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 May 2017 09:57:01 +0000 Environment minister Wong Kam-sing’s announcement of a cap on guaranteed earnings for Hong Kong’s two electricity suppliers raises a puzzling issue. While the reduction should benefit consumers and notify the two firms that their duopoly does not have a free rein, what stood out was Wong’s claim that the agreement could see tariffs cut by up to 5 per cent. This windfall for consumers appeared to be something to be proud of. And why not? Doesn’t everyone appreciate lower utility bills? But why is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2091962/why-hong-kong-needs-higher-not-lower-electricity-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2091962/why-hong-kong-needs-higher-not-lower-electricity-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 May 2017 04:46:10 +0000 Three seemingly unrelated, recent news stories drew my attention and started me thinking about our education system. One story was about the predictions made for the performance of the Hang Seng Index in the Year of the Rooster. Apparently, this year will be auspicious but bumpy, because the rooster’s elements are gold and fire. Another story was about the seizure in Bangkok of nearly three tonnes of pangolin scales, which some believe can cure cancer and enhance sexual performance. The third... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2069756/dont-pass-false-beliefs-such-feng-shui-our-children-teach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2069756/dont-pass-false-beliefs-such-feng-shui-our-children-teach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Feb 2017 03:46:47 +0000 When I bought my flat here in Hong Kong a few years ago, one feature that attracted me was its unobstructed view of the mountains. Further, with a highway squeezed between the closest mountain and my building, I felt sure that the beautiful view would remain, without any possibility of a housing estate going up to destroy it. I was wrong. A housing estate will be built after all. Also nearby is a sewage plant that will soon be relocated. The insides of an adjacent mountain are presently being... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2067460/why-hong-kong-golf-club-more-precious-our-country-parks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2067460/why-hong-kong-golf-club-more-precious-our-country-parks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Feb 2017 06:24:35 +0000 Each morning after waking up, I look out of the window at the clarity of the air and then check two websites that give air pollution readings for Hong Kong. Admittedly, my first action is very subjective. Air clarity is a crude way to measure pollution levels, especially during months that tend to be foggy. This is why I check the indexes on those two sites. Then, I decide whether to go out for a jog or stay indoors on the treadmill. ‘It’s like they’re killing our children’: parents call for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2061239/hong-kongs-official-air-quality-index-failing-warn-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2061239/hong-kongs-official-air-quality-index-failing-warn-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2017 03:15:30 +0000 The recent Chinese University study concluding that eating breakfast is related to higher grades in school helps to confirm the belief that it is the most important meal of the day. News that eating patterns are related to academic performance is useful information for parents, teachers and the public in general. Or is it? From details picked up by the media, the public learned that children who regularly ate breakfast scored higher on internationally recognised tests than those who did not.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2050421/hong-kong-students-get-better-grades-breakfast-why-link-hard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2050421/hong-kong-students-get-better-grades-breakfast-why-link-hard?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2016 01:16:49 +0000 British banker Rurik Jutting was handed a life sentence for his heinous murder of two women, though the defence claimed diminished responsibility from the effects of alcohol and cocaine. While there is no doubt that a life sentence is appropriate, such crimes always raise some doubt about the extent that psychopaths like Jutting have control over their actions. The idea that psychopaths have diminished responsibility because of genetic propensities is generally viewed with scepticism. Parents... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/2044467/rurik-jutting-how-fate-jailed-psychopath-raises-questions-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/2044467/rurik-jutting-how-fate-jailed-psychopath-raises-questions-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2016 04:00:30 +0000 In the past month or so, several lists have appeared in our local media showing the rankings of the world’s universities. The Times World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and the US News and World Report Best Global University Rankings are just three among several that periodically release their results. These rankings use various criteria, such as research output and impact. Naturally, each list has its own set of criteria and weighting. In the most recent Times list, Oxford... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2042004/hong-kong-universities-are-already-top-league-whatever-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2042004/hong-kong-universities-are-already-top-league-whatever-their?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Nov 2016 06:16:21 +0000 Last week, a message arrived in my workplace email inbox reminding me that October 7 is “No Air Con Night”. The message was from local environmental group Green Sense, inviting me to make a pledge on their website that I would not use any air conditioning at home from 7pm until 7am the following morning. Green Sense is to be commended for raising our collective consciousness about how use of electricity has a negative impact on our environment. And by inviting all of Hong Kong to make a pledge... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2024578/hong-kong-shopfronts-blasting-out-cold-air-reflect-blatant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2024578/hong-kong-shopfronts-blasting-out-cold-air-reflect-blatant?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2016 07:13:40 +0000 The popularity of Donald Trump may be one of the more befuddling phenomena of our times. The most recent polls have him in a tight presidential race against Hillary Clinton. While Trump’s ability to make it this far may seem implausible, there is actually a hidden logic to his success. When Trump first joined the race, few gave him more than a couple of months before he would implode in the primaries, given his bombastic personality and constant self-aggrandising braggadocio. Added to this are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2021893/secret-snake-oil-salesman-donald-trumps-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2021893/secret-snake-oil-salesman-donald-trumps-success?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Sep 2016 02:00:15 +0000 The recent news about sending a space nanocraft to earth’s nearest neighbouring star system, Alpha Centauri, surely qualifies in the category of mind-boggling events. That is, if scientists can pull it off. The spacecraft would be tiny, just a wafer-like microprocessor with sails propelled by lasers. Until now, any hope of sending a spacecraft to that star, 4.3 light years away, was considered by most scientists as a feat for our distant future. Instead, in a mere half a century of space travel,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1936163/whether-it-succeeds-or-not-alpha-centauri-project-already?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1936163/whether-it-succeeds-or-not-alpha-centauri-project-already?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2016 07:31:30 +0000 Another week goes by and another survey pops up and, again, the results cast Hong Kong in a poor light. The latest depicts shop assistants as a sour lot; apparently, they smile the least when serving customers among the 37 countries and regions surveyed. Explaining our poor result, the survey chairman suggested that the weak economy and high turnover of staff played key roles. The week before, we learned from another survey that our children’s happiness had fallen to a new low. Again, experts... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1935204/relax-glum-shop-assistants-dont-necessarily-mean-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1935204/relax-glum-shop-assistants-dont-necessarily-mean-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2016 08:14:10 +0000 Hong Kong is presently experiencing some soul-searching following the recent spate of youth suicides. The media is full of discussions about the plight of our youth, providing reasons for these tragedies and lamenting the inadequate support that students appear to be getting. Pressure from the education system is often at the top of the list of reasons for the loss of life. But other causes have been suggested, ranging from the clinical (a lack of counsellors in the city) to the cultural (the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928744/dont-be-too-quick-blame-school-pressure-hong-kongs-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928744/dont-be-too-quick-blame-school-pressure-hong-kongs-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2016 05:59:47 +0000 The discovery of gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, is being celebrated by physicists around the world. Science is on the right track to uncovering the physical mechanisms governing the universe. The feng shui master makes suggestions about improving the ‘flow of energy’ that will bring improved fortune. But this ‘energy’ has more to do with imagination than science While the average person hearing the news may have some interest, the banal reality is that they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1913873/how-questioning-mind-scientist-can-help-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1913873/how-questioning-mind-scientist-can-help-hong-kong-students?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Feb 2016 07:10:13 +0000 Most people are familiar with the various free applications available on the internet. Google gives us Gmail and Google Photos, for example, in exchange for our eyeballs, which can be targeted for advertising. READ MORE: Great Firewall rises: darkness descends as China tightens online censorship One Google application that many are probably not so familiar with is Google Scholar. Using it, which is free, has added great convenience to the lives of researchers. Type in the name of a scholarly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1883500/china-must-unblock-google-scholar-and-keep-internet-open-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1883500/china-must-unblock-google-scholar-and-keep-internet-open-its?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Nov 2015 04:46:19 +0000 Once again, the issue of Hong Kong's low proficiency in English has been highlighted, this time by a recent worldwide ranking survey. In the 2015 survey, Hong Kong ranked 33rd in the world, a drop of two places from 2013. However, compared to 2011, when Hong Kong ranked 12th, we have fallen off a virtual cliff. The survey was performed by EF Education First, an education company that focuses on language, with more than 500 schools around the world. The survey results were generated by analysing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876276/are-hong-kongs-english-standards-really-falling-cliff-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1876276/are-hong-kongs-english-standards-really-falling-cliff-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2015 03:15:00 +0000 The recent news that red meat, especially preserved meats such as bacon and ham, causes cancer may come as a surprise. Putting bacon in the same category as tobacco seems extreme given that, unlike cigarettes, it is a good source of protein and other nutrients. READ MORE: Warning that processed meat causes cancer ‘too rash’, Hong Kong food industry says Our species, homo sapiens, are clearly meant to eat meat. Inside our mouths we have canine teeth, albeit not so sharp; we have the binocular... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1873127/cancerous-price-pay-changing-meat-we-eat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1873127/cancerous-price-pay-changing-meat-we-eat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Oct 2015 06:30:30 +0000 The enormity of the recent discovery that Mars has liquid water on its surface is difficult to grasp. Until this discovery, scientists could only speculate about the existence of flowing water in our solar system and, for that matter, the rest of the universe. Although water is a substance we largely take for granted, biologists know it is critically important for sustaining life, or at least life as we know it. And while life on earth seems to come in an infinite number of forms, it is all... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1864168/go-flow-discovery-water-mars-raises-fundamental-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1864168/go-flow-discovery-water-mars-raises-fundamental-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2015 05:27:33 +0000 Two recent news items, seemingly unrelated, bring pause for thought and the need for reform: The first is lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun's comment last week that Hong Kong's English standards need improving; the second concerns the ongoing anxiety about kindergarten tuition fees. Tien's comments about English standards and declining competitiveness in the city are not new. They reflect the ever-present concern that our education system is not doing a good enough job in teaching the world's de... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1858677/full-subsidies-kindergarten-education-would-improve-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1858677/full-subsidies-kindergarten-education-would-improve-their?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2015 04:25:18 +0000 The clear air we have enjoyed over the past couple of months, with a few exceptions, is about to end. The winds will shift from the south to the north, and, with the cooler air, tiny particles of suspended particulate matter will again begin to enter our lungs. Then for the following seven or eight months, although we will get relief from the heat, we will be forced to breathe unhealthy air. This is the seasonal pattern of air quality that Hong Kong has been experiencing for more than a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1852688/raise-tax-petrol-help-clean-hong-kongs-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1852688/raise-tax-petrol-help-clean-hong-kongs-air?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2015 04:25:59 +0000 We have just learned that our universe is slowly dying. Scientists have recently announced that within a few trillion years, give or take a billion or two, our universe will run out of energy and stop making stars. All that will remain is a cosmic void - an abyss of darkness. A sobering thought indeed, given the other weighty issues our world is grappling with, such as climate change and terrorism in the Middle East, not to mention Hong Kong's struggle for democracy or the fall in the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1849580/universe-begins-its-fade-black-we-should-marvel-miracle-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1849580/universe-begins-its-fade-black-we-should-marvel-miracle-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2015 03:00:30 +0000 The World Health Organisation has just issued new guidelines recommending that our daily consumption of sugar be reduced to less than 10 per cent of total energy intake, or, even better, below 5 per cent. The latter amount is equivalent to about six teaspoons of sugar a day, just over half the amount found in a typical soft drink. Few can argue with this advice, given the number of both local and international news reports about the increase in obesity and its associated diseases, such as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1736603/students-need-learn-how-enjoy-eating-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1736603/students-need-learn-how-enjoy-eating-health?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2015 04:01:46 +0000 Academic staff at Hong Kong universities have just finished making the final tweaks to their grant proposals for this year’s round of submissions. Next summer, the results will be announced and more than HK$2 billion of public money will be awarded to the various disciplines. As may be expected, the bulk will go to scholars in the physical sciences. This is because research in fields such as medicine, metallurgy and pharmacology require expensive equipment and laboratories. In the meantime, the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1642140/hong-kong-academics-must-do-more-justify-taxpayers-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1642140/hong-kong-academics-must-do-more-justify-taxpayers-money?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2014 08:30:30 +0000 A new year is now just beginning on university campuses around the city and, as it does, a remarkable social phenomenon is taking place. Students are connecting and assimilating in a way that just a few years ago they could not - by using social networking sites. Friendships are being forged and problems, both practical and academic, are being resolved in highly efficient ways without the help of administrators. New students go through a notoriously difficult period when they enter their first... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1587755/online-social-networks-helping-mainland-students-adapt-hong-kong-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1587755/online-social-networks-helping-mainland-students-adapt-hong-kong-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2014 05:00:00 +0000 The recent incident involving the death of a stray dog struck and killed by an MTR train once again reveals a disturbing hypocrisy with regard to the treatment of and concern about animals. The death of one dog has produced a major outcry and media stories both here and abroad. A petition with 90,000 signatures was submitted to the MTR Corporation and it has publicly apologised while promising to review its policy regarding the rescue of animals on train tracks. The MTR will release a report on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1580524/death-dog-mtr-tracks-shows-our-selective-sympathy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1580524/death-dog-mtr-tracks-shows-our-selective-sympathy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2014 05:15:45 +0000 In education circles, the term "critical thinking" has become one of the buzzwords of our times. More often than not, the term is used to lament the lack of good-quality thinking among the current generation of students. Usually, it is the education system that takes the blame for this. The typical refrain is our system of education focuses too much on rote memorisation to prepare students for exams. It may come as a surprise then that our youngsters do indeed have critical capacities, and they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1561133/teaching-critical-thinking-helps-children-developan-open-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1561133/teaching-critical-thinking-helps-children-developan-open-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:30:00 +0000 The debate over a third runway at Hong Kong's airport is heating up again, but it is a debate in name only. In reality, the outcome is a foregone conclusion with only minor tweaks, such as the date to begin construction, yet to be worked out. The "debate" has mostly been between the pro-business forces and the dolphin lovers. While experts argue about whether local dolphins can withstand yet another encroachment on their habitat, somehow the affordability of a third runway, said to cost HK$136... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1546420/opponents-runway-plan-should-look-beyond-dolphins-see-wider-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1546420/opponents-runway-plan-should-look-beyond-dolphins-see-wider-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:30:00 +0000 The recent news that three tonnes of pangolin scales worth HK$17 million were found by authorities here in Hong Kong comes as no surprise. The transshipment of body parts of endangered animals for markets here, and especially mainland China, follows a regular pattern and frequency. Customs seize a large quantity of an endangered species' body parts. Police (occasionally) arrest the smugglers. And the goods are destroyed. Weeks or months later, the cycle is repeated for another endangered... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1538927/put-chinese-medicinal-products-test-sake-rare-species?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1538927/put-chinese-medicinal-products-test-sake-rare-species?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2014 08:15:00 +0000 This month, final-year secondary school students are writing exams that in many cases will determine their future. For those with hopes of entering university, their main focus will be on doing well in the four core subjects. Normally, students hoping to enter university must achieve a minimum score of "3" in both Chinese and English and a score of "2" in both maths and liberal studies, sometimes referred to as "3322". Recently, however, despite these recognised minimum grades, some students... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1514933/dont-let-rigid-entrance-criteria-keep-talent-out-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1514933/dont-let-rigid-entrance-criteria-keep-talent-out-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 May 2014 18:32:02 +0000 Trans-fats are in the news again. These fats, which are vegetable oils that have been artificially solidified in a chemical process, are cheap ingredients in foods providing a pleasant texture and longer shelf life. Instant noodles and biscuits, for example, often contain them. These cheap and tasty fats would be the perfect food additive, except that they are well-known contributors to heart disease. Because of this health concern, the question of whether they should be banned in Hong Kong has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1463129/public-ignorance-not-trans-fats-real-problem-our-daily-diets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1463129/public-ignorance-not-trans-fats-real-problem-our-daily-diets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2014 08:45:15 +0000 At a recent event that I attended, a buffet lunch was on offer as part of the day's activities. As I stood in line waiting to pick up my plate, the aromas from the hot offerings wafted towards the queue. With a dozen or so hot entrées and the same number of salads, there seemed to be plenty for every palate - chicken curry, sweet and sour pork, spaghetti Bolognese and so on - except for one type of person, a vegetarian. Remarkably, the kitchen even managed to squeeze bits of meat or seafood into... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448445/addicted-meat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1448445/addicted-meat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Mar 2014 08:00:00 +0000 Once again, images of chickens being grabbed by their wings and tossed into plastic bags to be gassed and sent to incinerators have hit our TV screens. This time, 20,000 birds were "culled" in Hong Kong, a convenient euphemism used by the government and media in place of "asphyxiated" or just plain, "killed". It is true that these birds, under normal circumstances, would soon have met a similar grim ending, albeit in the stomachs of Hong Kong consumers rather than incinerators; however, the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1421483/sad-lot-hong-kongs-slaughterhouse-animals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1421483/sad-lot-hong-kongs-slaughterhouse-animals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2014 09:45:00 +0000 The recent news that there are 40 billion earth-sized planets in our galaxy, give or take a billion or two, suggests that the possibilities for extraterrestrial life have jumped enormously. This number is an estimate, of course, seeing that astronomers have found actual evidence of only about 1,000 exoplanets. Forty billion is a big number, however. Coincidentally, in the same week, the discovery of another "earth-like" planet was announced, but this one has a surface temperature of up to 5,000... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1362906/40-billion-reasons-why-we-may-not-be-alone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1362906/40-billion-reasons-why-we-may-not-be-alone?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Nov 2013 11:24:40 +0000 The criticism of mainland Chinese tourists has now spread well beyond Hong Kong, with stories about their apparent bad behaviour coming from Vancouver, Paris, Seoul and the Maldives, just to name a few. We've all heard the stories of mainland mothers letting their toddlers relieve themselves in public. And news items about mainlanders committing a cultural indiscretion or jumping a queue frequently land on the "most read" web pages of local newspapers. Mobile phones often capture these images... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1321413/case-missing-hordes-misbehaving-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1321413/case-missing-hordes-misbehaving-chinese-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000