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1. Dave Barry at SCMP

2. SHKP scraps office development and turns to four-star hotel

3. Pupil's text life baffles teacher

4. NET's pleas for toilet paper make a big impression

1. Dave Barry at SCMP
SCMP, 8 March 2003

When we think of Winsonsin, we think of it as the nation's Heartland - a placid place where you can park your car anywhere and leave it unlocked, with the key in the ignition knowing that no matter how long you're gone, when you return, your car will be covered with cheese.

But, more important, your car will still be there, because Wisconsin is a decent, honest place, populated by decent, honest, chunky people.

Or so I always thought. But then I received, from several alert readers, a shocking articles from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, written by Marilynn Marchione. This article describes an evil, almost unthinkable activity that is raging out of control in Wisconsin, and threatens to infect Minnesota [the nation's Spleenland] and lowa [the nation's Pancreaticglandland].

What is this activity? I will answer that in two shocking words, which you probably never thought you would read in a family newspaper : under tampering.

Yes. There are men in Winconsin who are deliberately using artificial means to make their cows udders more attractive. Why? Because these men are very, very lonely.

No, seriously, they are doing it to win livestock shows. These are competitions in which cows are judged on various characteristics, kind of like human beauty-pageant contestants, except the cows are more likely to know what "Iraq" is.

2. SHKP scraps office development and turns to four-star hotel
SOPHIA WONG, SCMP 8 March 2003

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) has scrapped an office development plan in Kwun Tong in favour of a four-star hotel in a bid to tap the increasing demand from tourists in non-core urban areas.

Victor Lui Ting, executive director of SHKP subsidiary Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said the site at 392 Kwun Tong Road was earlier designated for the phase-six grade-A office development of Millennium City.

"We want to have another option for a four-star hotel with about 500 to 600 rooms as hotel demand will also be keen there," he said, adding that the plan was in its initial stage and no development schedule had been set.

The company would have to pay a premium for conversion of land use from industrial to hotel.

The proposed change of the 29,000-sq ft site for hotel use was approved by the Town Planning Board yesterday.

Under the proposal, the site can be turned into a 35-storey hotel with a gross floor area of 402,581 sq ft.

SHKP has been undertaking massive commercial redevelopments in Kwun Tong over the past decade to transform the decaying industrial buildings into decentralised offices.

However, recent economic uncertainty has resulted in contracting office demand and developers are seeking alternatives to enhance their land value.

Mr Lui said SHKP was about to release more than 400,000 sq ft of office space at Millennium City phases three and five, due to be completed this year, for lease at a monthly rental of HK$13 to HK$15 per square foot.

Three hotel redevelopments in Kwun Tong and the surrounding area have secured planning approvals over the past two months. Windsor Properties was allowed to turn its former factory site in How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, into a mixed commercial project that includes 440 hotel rooms.

Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum's privately run Chinachem Group was permitted to build a 300-room hotel in Chong Yip Street, Kwun Tong. Glorious Sun Group, controlled by manufacturer Charles Yeung Chun-kam, got the green light to build a 960-room hotel at Kowloon Bay.

3. Pupil's text life baffles teacher
REUTERS, SCMP 8 March 2003

An English essay written by a British teenager in text messaging short-hand has reignited fears among teachers that literacy standards are under threat.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that the 13-year-old's teacher could not decipher what the youngster had written. "I could not believe what I was seeing. The page was riddled with hieroglyphics," the teacher said. The essay began: "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc."

In translation: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place."

4. NET's pleas for toilet paper make a big impression
STEVE CRAY, SCMP 8 March 2003

A teacher's campaign to get her school to provide its pupils with toilet paper is about to pay off.

But her plea for soap has been rejected because the children "aren't educated enough" to use it.

Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li Kwok-cheung this week phoned Pamela Young, a native English-speaking teacher (NET) at Homantin Government Secondary School, to pledge he would get to the heart of the issues she raised in a letter to him recently.

She has called for resources in both public and aided schools to be focused on pupils rather than spent on "pomp, ceremony and show".

In her letter to Professor Li, Ms Young protested at what she saw as the squandering of funds on "glossy expensive brochures {hellip} flowers, bouquets, plaques, pennants, flags and banners" in many schools while children were not provided with basics such as soap and toilet paper.

She also raised the general issue of the plight of NET teachers and said she had written the letter - an edited version of which appeared in the South China Morning Post - because of the difficulty NETs experienced making themselves heard.

"It's absolutely useless raising issues with your principal or other staff because they are effectively gagged by rules and procedures. They're all too damned scared to speak out," she said.

But her letter has already produced results.

The principal of Ms Young's school, Priscilla Lee, said she was planning to equip the toilets with paper "later this year", although she said there were problems with providing soap. She wrote Ms Young a letter in which she explained that some pupils were "too naughty" and would have to be educated how to use it. She said she feared the soap could end up on the floor, posing a safety risk.

Ms Lee rejected Ms Young's comments that resources were being wasted and said many of the flowers to which she referred were donated. "There is a misunderstanding about the flowers and bouquets," she said, "they were donated by teachers and parents."

She said she had already addressed the toilet paper issue before Ms Young had written to Professor Li. "We were already working on it. It is under progress. I promised the students I would implement toilet paper step by step," she said. She refused to comment on Ms Young's claim that she had said pupils were too naughty for soap, but did say that the issue had been raised before.

"I don't want to explain the background. I need to protect the image of the school. As a civil servant I am not allowed to talk about these things. Be careful what you write, I don't want to break any regulations," she said.

Professor Li told the Post he was pleased Ms Young had raised a range of issues and that he would be convening a meeting with her, representatives of the Native English Speaking Teachers' Association and deputy secretary for education Chris Wardlaw, to discuss them. But he criticised her for not following normal procedures by copying her letter to the media.

"But we are not going to censor or issue any black mark against her. In fact, I am pleased she wrote to me," he said.

On the question of toilet paper and soap, Professor Li said the Education and Manpower Bureau required schools to provide a hygienic environment but it was up to school managers to decide how.

"There are probably many schools in Hong Kong without toilet paper, but there is nothing special about that, we all run out of toilet paper from time to time. But so far we haven't had any mass outbreaks of diarrhoea or an epidemic of tummy aches, so that's okay."

He explained that there was a government-approved supplier of toilet paper and it was up to school managers to budget for it.