Friday, 29 May 2015
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Elderly left naked and exposed in Hong Kong!
Reposted from Coconuts Hong Kong:
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/05/27/elderly-nursing-home-residents-stripped-and-exposed-open-bathed
Elderly nursing home residents 'stripped and exposed' in the open before bathed
By Thomas Chan May 27, 2015 / 11:56 HKT
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A nursing home left elderly residents under its care naked and exposed to public view on a balcony, according to a Ming Pao report.
Families and residents have described it as “gross violation to the elderly”.
Ming Pao investigated after receiving complaints from locals.
‘Heartbreaking'
Photos show wheelchair-bound residents pushed onto a terrace, where their trousers were removed so that they could relieve themselves, after which they were stripped naked before getting bathed.
Several females were seen attempting to cover their naked bodies with their hands, with staff sometimes forcefully removing their clothing, according to the report.
The terrace is in clear view of the residential buildings that surround the nursing home.
Video footage shows the residents in open view on the terrace.
The Tai Po Cambridge Nursing Home is a facility that caters to highly dependent elderly people with severe disabilities. A place in the facility, which has a maximum capacity of 263 residents, costs approximately HKD11,000.
The home has received multiple warnings for this practice from the authorities in the past but has never been prosecuted.
A resident from the area told Ming Pao that the situation has persisted for several years. She said she has witnessed elderly people being exposed in the summer heat for hours without adequate care.
Residents were only wearing underwear or thin jackets while waiting to be showered during the winter, she added.
“It’s heartbreaking that the old people are losing their dignity so that the staff can make their jobs easier”, she said.
'Why won’t you die?'
Another Ming Pao report revealed that the facility is understaffed and that some employees exhibit bad attitudes.
A family member of a resident claimed she witnessed an elderly person being verbally abused by a staff member after accidentally spilling some water.
“You can’t even drink water properly. Why won’t you die?”, the staff member allegedly said.
The report also says the facility’s corridors were blocked with multiple objects and basic services were inadequate during that time.
‘Undermining the dignity of the elderly’
The founder of the nursing home, Luk Ai-ling, said she has not received complaints but admitted that the incidents undermine elderly people's dignity, reports Ming Pao.
She added that similar incidents were common a decade ago but such behaviour would not be tolerated on her premises.
"There will be bad karma if you mistreat old people", she asserted.
A statement issued by the nursing home said an employee has been dismissed for violating the residents, reports Apple Daily.
It also stressed that the employment contract disallows, “public exposure of residents” and that residents of different genders, “must be segregated”.
The institution has vowed to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
By Thomas Chan May 27, 2015 / 11:56 HKT
Like Coconuts HK on FacebookFollow Coconuts HK on Twitter
A nursing home left elderly residents under its care naked and exposed to public view on a balcony, according to a Ming Pao report.
Families and residents have described it as “gross violation to the elderly”.
Ming Pao investigated after receiving complaints from locals.
‘Heartbreaking'
Photos show wheelchair-bound residents pushed onto a terrace, where their trousers were removed so that they could relieve themselves, after which they were stripped naked before getting bathed.
Several females were seen attempting to cover their naked bodies with their hands, with staff sometimes forcefully removing their clothing, according to the report.
The terrace is in clear view of the residential buildings that surround the nursing home.
Video footage shows the residents in open view on the terrace.
The Tai Po Cambridge Nursing Home is a facility that caters to highly dependent elderly people with severe disabilities. A place in the facility, which has a maximum capacity of 263 residents, costs approximately HKD11,000.
The home has received multiple warnings for this practice from the authorities in the past but has never been prosecuted.
A resident from the area told Ming Pao that the situation has persisted for several years. She said she has witnessed elderly people being exposed in the summer heat for hours without adequate care.
Residents were only wearing underwear or thin jackets while waiting to be showered during the winter, she added.
“It’s heartbreaking that the old people are losing their dignity so that the staff can make their jobs easier”, she said.
'Why won’t you die?'
Another Ming Pao report revealed that the facility is understaffed and that some employees exhibit bad attitudes.
A family member of a resident claimed she witnessed an elderly person being verbally abused by a staff member after accidentally spilling some water.
“You can’t even drink water properly. Why won’t you die?”, the staff member allegedly said.
The report also says the facility’s corridors were blocked with multiple objects and basic services were inadequate during that time.
‘Undermining the dignity of the elderly’
The founder of the nursing home, Luk Ai-ling, said she has not received complaints but admitted that the incidents undermine elderly people's dignity, reports Ming Pao.
She added that similar incidents were common a decade ago but such behaviour would not be tolerated on her premises.
"There will be bad karma if you mistreat old people", she asserted.
A statement issued by the nursing home said an employee has been dismissed for violating the residents, reports Apple Daily.
It also stressed that the employment contract disallows, “public exposure of residents” and that residents of different genders, “must be segregated”.
The institution has vowed to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Harmful ozone levels in Hong Kong up 35pc in last 15 years
Source:
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1722475/harmful-ozone-levels-hong-kong-35pc-last-15-years
Ernest Kaoernest.kao@scmp.com
Thick smog hangs over Hong Kong in January last year. Photo: AFP
The concentration of ozone in the city's air has increased by a third in the last 15 years, highlighting yet again the severity in regional air pollution, preliminary government data has shown.
But despite the uptick, the Environmental Protection Department pointed to notable drops in most pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and breathable particulates, including double-digit percentage decreases at roadside stations last year from 2013.
Ozone concentrations at general stations, however, were still up 7 per cent to 46 micrograms per cubic metre of air last year.
And between 1999 and 2014, concentrations of ambient ozone at the city's general air quality monitoring stations rose by a staggering 35 per cent.
"This once again shows this is an area that needs improvement" via regional cooperation, said Mok Wai-chuen, the department's assistant director of environmental protection. He said emissions control measures would allow the city to meet its 2020 air quality goals.
Last year's most severe pollution hit districts in the northwestern New Territories such as Tung Chung, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, all three of which experienced more than 450 hours of pollution that was classified as high, very high or serious on the Air Quality Health Index.
The general average was 342 hours.
Hong Kong has set a target to reduce highly toxic nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds by 20 to 30 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, by the year 2020 in accordance with a regional air quality management plan between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Ozone is a major component of photochemical smog that not only reduces visibility but also threatens human health when exposure is prolonged and high. The pollutant is formed by a reaction between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides generated from other combustion sources.
Mok attributed the improvements to vehicle emission control policies coming into effect, including a plan to progressively phase out 82,000 diesel commercial vehicles that predate European emission standards introduced in 2005, known as Euro IV.
Some environmental groups welcomed the government's new data but said average concentrations were still high and far from satisfactory. The Clean Air Network said there were 148 days last year where the level of sulphur dioxide was higher than the World Health Organisation's 24-hour safety standard.
Citing a dip in pollution late last year, Friends of the Earth said the 79-day Occupy movement in autumn could have had something to do with the overall improved roadside air quality.
"It shows that controlling the number of vehicles on the roads is more effective" than regulating their emissions, the group said in a statement. The department has not provided final fourth-quarter figures.
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1722475/harmful-ozone-levels-hong-kong-35pc-last-15-years
Ernest Kaoernest.kao@scmp.com
Thick smog hangs over Hong Kong in January last year. Photo: AFP
The concentration of ozone in the city's air has increased by a third in the last 15 years, highlighting yet again the severity in regional air pollution, preliminary government data has shown.
But despite the uptick, the Environmental Protection Department pointed to notable drops in most pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and breathable particulates, including double-digit percentage decreases at roadside stations last year from 2013.
Ozone concentrations at general stations, however, were still up 7 per cent to 46 micrograms per cubic metre of air last year.And between 1999 and 2014, concentrations of ambient ozone at the city's general air quality monitoring stations rose by a staggering 35 per cent.
"This once again shows this is an area that needs improvement" via regional cooperation, said Mok Wai-chuen, the department's assistant director of environmental protection. He said emissions control measures would allow the city to meet its 2020 air quality goals.
Last year's most severe pollution hit districts in the northwestern New Territories such as Tung Chung, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, all three of which experienced more than 450 hours of pollution that was classified as high, very high or serious on the Air Quality Health Index.
The general average was 342 hours.
Hong Kong has set a target to reduce highly toxic nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds by 20 to 30 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively, by the year 2020 in accordance with a regional air quality management plan between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
Ozone is a major component of photochemical smog that not only reduces visibility but also threatens human health when exposure is prolonged and high. The pollutant is formed by a reaction between volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides generated from other combustion sources.
Mok attributed the improvements to vehicle emission control policies coming into effect, including a plan to progressively phase out 82,000 diesel commercial vehicles that predate European emission standards introduced in 2005, known as Euro IV.
Some environmental groups welcomed the government's new data but said average concentrations were still high and far from satisfactory. The Clean Air Network said there were 148 days last year where the level of sulphur dioxide was higher than the World Health Organisation's 24-hour safety standard.
Citing a dip in pollution late last year, Friends of the Earth said the 79-day Occupy movement in autumn could have had something to do with the overall improved roadside air quality.
"It shows that controlling the number of vehicles on the roads is more effective" than regulating their emissions, the group said in a statement. The department has not provided final fourth-quarter figures.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Noodle shop owner hits customer for asking too many questions!!
https://hk.news.yahoo.com/%E9%BA%B5%E5%BB%A0%E8%80%81%E9%97%86%E6%89%93%E5%AE%A2-%E5%AE%98%E7%9B%B4%E6%96%A5%E9%96%8B%E9%BB%91%E5%BA%97-215510018.html
Friday, 17 January 2014
Here’s the Hong Kong that Westerners never see
reposted!
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/01/17/heres-the-hong-kong-that-westerners-never-see/
Investment advisor and photographer Jonathan van Smit is one of the few foreigners who ever sees the dark side of Hong Kong.
The New Zealander tells us by email: “I know some Western expats who never eat Chinese food, and who rarely venture outside their expat communities. They’re here to make money not to experience a different culture. They live in a largely expat world, their kids go to international schools, their maids do the housework, cooking and shopping. I imagine that the more local parts of Hong Kong are completely alien to many of them.”
The level of inequality can be shocking: “Hong Kong is either heaven or hell depending on who you might ask. It has the [developed] world’s highest Gini score with Singapore 2nd and the USA 3rd. Over in Kowloon you’ll find so-called ‘cage people’, residents living in cages or ultra small dwellings, barely able to make ends meet and end up begging in the busy streets or living off meager social assistance if they can get it. Food and rent are expensive so losing a job can be a matter of life and death.”
Van Smit gave us permission to publish this set of photos from 2012. (See his latest work at his site and Flickr.)
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
Courtesy of Jonathan van Smit
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/01/17/heres-the-hong-kong-that-westerners-never-see/
Investment advisor and photographer Jonathan van Smit is one of the few foreigners who ever sees the dark side of Hong Kong.
The New Zealander tells us by email: “I know some Western expats who never eat Chinese food, and who rarely venture outside their expat communities. They’re here to make money not to experience a different culture. They live in a largely expat world, their kids go to international schools, their maids do the housework, cooking and shopping. I imagine that the more local parts of Hong Kong are completely alien to many of them.”
The level of inequality can be shocking: “Hong Kong is either heaven or hell depending on who you might ask. It has the [developed] world’s highest Gini score with Singapore 2nd and the USA 3rd. Over in Kowloon you’ll find so-called ‘cage people’, residents living in cages or ultra small dwellings, barely able to make ends meet and end up begging in the busy streets or living off meager social assistance if they can get it. Food and rent are expensive so losing a job can be a matter of life and death.”
Van Smit gave us permission to publish this set of photos from 2012. (See his latest work at his site and Flickr.)
Courtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van SmitCourtesy of Jonathan van Smit
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