SKYLINE News Briefing -31 Octobert 2005

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

1.	Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.
2.	The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.
3.	The dot over the letter i is called a "tittle."
4.	A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
5.	40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
6.	315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
7.	The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.
8.	On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
9.	Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.
10.	Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized
11.	Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
12.	Most lipstick contains fish scales.
13.	Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
14.	Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
15.	Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, lower case' letters.
16.	Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time ... hence, multitasking was invented.
17.	Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
18.	There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
19.	The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before.
20.	There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!
21.	Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.
22.	A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
23.	The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
24.	By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.
25.	The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
26.	The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
27.	Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
28.	Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
29.	The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
30.	Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

HK will spend $1b on sports venues for 2009 Games
ALVIN SALLAY in Macau, SCMP 31 October 2005
The government plans to spend $1 billion on sports facilities for the 2009 East Asian Games, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping said yesterday, outlining funding plans for the first time.

$1b sports ground to be built for Games
Staff reporter, The Standard 31 October 2005
Hong Kong will spend more than HK$1 billion building an international standard sports ground and upgrading existing sports venues for the 5th East Asian Games, to be staged in the SAR in 2009.

Planning rethink delays Oil Street sale
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 29 October 2005
The Town Planning Board has demanded a review of the density of development for a prime harbourfront site - a decision which will delay the sale of one of the most coveted plots of land, but which the board says should result in more open space.

254 hectares set aside to meet housing needs
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 29 October 2005
The government will reserve 254 hectares of land for private residential development over the next five years, the housing chief pledged yesterday.

Open space plea for North Point rejected
Winnie Chong, The Standard 29 October 2005
A rezoning proposal to scale down and revise plans for a skyscraper complex in Oil Street by Designing Hong Kong Harbour District, an urban design umbrella group, has been rejected by the Town Planning Board.

U-turn on cruise terminal plans
Cannix Yau, The Standard 28 October 2005
The government will revisit its plan to build a new ocean cruise terminal at the old Kai Tak airport by allowing developers to submit proposals next week suggesting alternatives.

Exco backs park's survival plan
Andrea Chiu, The Standard, 28 October 2005
Ocean Park's HK$5.55 billion redevelopment plan to ensure its survival has taken a giant step forward with the Executive Council giving the theme park the go-ahead for the project.

Lo Wu plan aims to ease pressure on prisons
Michael Ng, The Standard 28 October 2005
The Security Bureau is considering the redevelopment of a prison at the Lo Wu border to ease overcrowding at correctional facilities before 2010.

Redevelopment Plans for Ocean Park
Hong Kong Government, 27 October 2005
The Executive Council has endorsed the Redevelopment Plans for Ocean Park which aim to turn the 28 year-old Ocean Park into a world-class marine themed attraction.

Management of cultural hub to cost at least $566m a year
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 27 October 2005
The government estimates it will cost about $566 million a year to run the West Kowloon Cultural District - but a critic of the project is calling the figure an underestimate.

Ocean Park plans hotels to counter Disney competition
MAY CHAN, SCMP 27 October 2005
Ocean Park will build three hotels as part of a plan to offset competition from Hong Kong Disneyland.

Wan Chai project talks 'a farce'
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 27 October 2005
The Urban Renewal Authority has been accused of bypassing local leaders as it holds a quiet and highly selective consultation on the future of Wan Chai.

The government has ruled out amending plans for commercial and office development on the new Central reclamation, despite a motion passed by legislators yesterday demanding the land be public open space.

All public flats to be checked in five-year, $6b repair plan
BENJAMIN WONG, SCMP 21 October 2005

A Housing Department inspector checks the window in a public housing flat in
Ho Man Tin. All 650,000 public flats could be checked in the next five years.
Picture by Edward Wong

Under a proposed $6.3 billion programme, the Housing Department is expected to check every public housing flat in the next five years and carry out repairs.

Sing Tao HQ makes way for twin tech towers
FOSTER WONG, SCMP 21 October 2005
Sing Tao Building will be turned into two 33-storey high-technology commercial towers by the end of 2009 at a cost of $869.12 million, according to its new owner.

Planning solutions for air quality
Doug Crets, The Standard 21 October 2005
Pollution-related sickness could be greatly reduced if the government adopts a more progressive planning and consultation process, conveners of a pro-business environmental advocacy group said.

Hung Hom waste plan call ignored
Chester Yung and Mimi Lau, The Standard 20 October 2005
The developers of the controversial Hung Hom Peninsula project have not yet submitted a waste management plan but work on the site is continuing, the housing chief has told the Legislative Council.

Waterfront ground, Sevens' home face axe for Kai Tak stadium
ALVIN SALLAY, SCMP 20 October 2005
The Wan Chai Sports Ground and Hong Kong Stadium - the home of the rugby sevens - could be bulldozed and the sites sold to pay for a new sports venue at Kai Tak, according to a leading sports official.

Stanley park plan set for the axe, saving trees
AGNES LAM, SCMP 20 October 2005
The Housing Department appears to have scrapped its controversial plan to chop down scores of trees in Stanley to create a horticultural park, in the face of opposition from green groups.

Dream project a bridge too far
KEN LO, SCMP 20 October 2005
For Hopewell Highway Infrastructure, the proposed Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge - whose present price tag is $60 billion - could be a bridge too far.

The Permanent Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works (Works), Mr Lo Yiu-ching, delivers a speech to mark the breakthrough of the Eagle's Nest Tunnel

27 Building plans approved in September
Hong Kong Government, 19 October 2005
The Buildings Department approved 27 building plans in September - four on Hong Kong Island, nine in Kowloon and 14 in the New Territories.

LCQ1: Hunghom Peninsula
Hong Kong Government, 19 October 2005
Following is a question by the Hon Ronny Tong and a reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (October 19)

KCRC invites expressions of interest for Tai Wai Maintenance Centre property development project
KCRC Press Release, 19 October 2005
The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) will invite expressions of interest (EOI) for its Tai Wai Maintenance Centre property development project from developers / consortia this Friday (21 October). The deadline for the submission of EOI will be 11 November 2005 at 12 noon.

Chesterton looks to replace poached executives
ERNEST KONG, SCMP 19 October 2005
Competition among international property consultants in Hong Kong to lure experienced valuation staff has intensified, with Savills poaching a team of 36 senior valuation executives from Chesterton Petty (Hong Kong) this month.

Gordon Wu gives $25m to City University
LIZ HERON, SCMP 18 October 2005

Sir Gordon Wu (fourth from left), announcing his donation, said that with student
numbers increasing every year, it was vital to increase the size of the campus.
Picture by Dickson Lee

Plans to expand City University's overcrowded campus have received a boost with a $25 million donation by property tycoon Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung.

No backing down on harborfront plan
Michael Ng, The Standard 18 October 2005
Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Monday that the government will not back down from plans to resurrect long- dormant projects slated for major sites near the harbor.

Arts hub canopy requirement remains in place, says source
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 17 October 2005
The canopy will remain a requirement of the West Kowloon Cultural District development because scrapping it would mean having to start the project from scratch, an official source said.

Only one tower for Tamar HQ, says chief
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 15 October 2005
There will only be one tall building on the Tamar site, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said yesterday, revealing the government's preference for how its new headquarters will be built.

Former government quarters up for tender
SANDY LI, SCMP 15 October 2005
The Government Property Agency will offer the remaining 46 former government quarters at 8-10 Caldecott Road, in Cheung Sha Wan, for tender sale.

Chief clears air on Tamar view fears
Monday Ng, The Standard 15 October 2005
The chief executive has taken to the airwaves to deny he has any intention of blocking sea and mountain views with the sprawling government complex proposed for the former British military headquarters site on the Tamar Basin in Central.



	31 OCtober 2005