Hong Kong: Why do we live here?
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Keep one thing in mind - China is going through an industrial revolution - and you are the labour that will be abused in the process. As long as the same scumbag leaders who make law and policy are the owners of the factories there will be no improvement in your environment or working conditions.
This took two hundred years and the rise of socialist trade unions and their fight for legal recognition in the West to sort out - won't be any different in China. And won't happen while you are on the B/unified scale....I expect things to go to at least a H or J scale over the next 50 years before we might start seeing an improvement.
This took two hundred years and the rise of socialist trade unions and their fight for legal recognition in the West to sort out - won't be any different in China. And won't happen while you are on the B/unified scale....I expect things to go to at least a H or J scale over the next 50 years before we might start seeing an improvement.
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AIG Pollution Protection Plan
I opened my mailbox today to find a leaflet showing how some people are managing to find a way to make money out of the pollution here in Hong Kong - I guess there is a silver lining to every (brown, foul-tasting and pungent) cloud...
AIG are offering their 'Pollution Protection Plan' to all and sundry! Their advertising pitch goes like this:
If you want to get the hot oil, (or to prove to yourself that this is not a crank post...), the number to call is (852) 3174 5505.
I am just guessing here, but I doubt the same plan is being offered in Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
AIG are offering their 'Pollution Protection Plan' to all and sundry! Their advertising pitch goes like this:
- Nowadays, our environment is heavily polluted. We are breathing in fumes always and eating can be life-threatening. Nearly 4000 food poisoning cases have been reported in Hong Kong over the past 5 years affecting about 15,000 people. Now you can make a choice of living in fear or being secure - Pollution Protection Plan with a comprehensive coverage for you and your family just costs you $3 a day.
If you want to get the hot oil, (or to prove to yourself that this is not a crank post...), the number to call is (852) 3174 5505.
I am just guessing here, but I doubt the same plan is being offered in Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
I came over here with two buckets labelled Money and Experience.
I told myself that when either of them is full then it is time to move on, but since I arrived here I now realise that there is something a lot more important; a third bucket labelled 'Health'. Should that one start to empty too quickly then it is time to go.
In short, how much is your health worth? We all have a choice, it is just having the balls to cut the ties and move on when you feel the time is right.
I told myself that when either of them is full then it is time to move on, but since I arrived here I now realise that there is something a lot more important; a third bucket labelled 'Health'. Should that one start to empty too quickly then it is time to go.
In short, how much is your health worth? We all have a choice, it is just having the balls to cut the ties and move on when you feel the time is right.
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I have just spent the last 3 weeks recovering from a bad chest infection,which turned into Bronchitis.Not nice and in a very clean air climate.The Doc first words were ''Do you smoke''.He reckoned heavy pollution doesn't do Asthma or Bronchitis sufferers any good at all.Smoking is a real no no.
It's only when you can't breathe properly,that you realise what hidden dangers there are inhailing the HK soup.
It's only when you can't breathe properly,that you realise what hidden dangers there are inhailing the HK soup.
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My friend suffered badly from lung infections in Hong Kong, hospitalised, constant medication, check ups, frequent xrays. Then two years back a family situation required her back in Europe and she departed to small town European life. She binned her medication on leaving HKG.
Since then, no problems....no medication..... Earlier this year while discussing same with a Dr. who is a pal during a dinner party, he suggested her having an xray to ensure it had cleared properly. She accepted his invitation, the X Ray and examination came back crystal clear. I should add she suffered no problems before going to HKG in the first place, she spent 3 years there.
HKG Air is poison !!!!
Since then, no problems....no medication..... Earlier this year while discussing same with a Dr. who is a pal during a dinner party, he suggested her having an xray to ensure it had cleared properly. She accepted his invitation, the X Ray and examination came back crystal clear. I should add she suffered no problems before going to HKG in the first place, she spent 3 years there.
HKG Air is poison !!!!
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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/bc66f794-9...0779fd2ac.html
Pollution policy
A sure sign that your affluent financial centre needs to do more to clean up the environment? When an international insurer starts selling “pollution protection plans” to your citizens.
Such is the case in Hong Kong, which today gains the dubious honour of being the first city in the world where insurance giant American International Group will be selling insurance policies targeted at illnesses caused by pollution and food poisoning.
The plan, essentially a more narrowly defined health insurance policy, will be launched next in São Paulo, Brazil, before other cities across the world.
Hong Kong’s government has been facing growing calls to improve air quality. Its standing in quality-of-life surveys has suffered recently because of complaints about its air pollution.
Environmentalists in Hong Kong would rather the money going into insurance accounts was somehow used instead to clean up the air.
But if AIG’s latest product proves popular, environmentalists will at least gain one piece of ammunition: a handy statistic to cite on the monetary cost of pollution.
Pollution policy
A sure sign that your affluent financial centre needs to do more to clean up the environment? When an international insurer starts selling “pollution protection plans” to your citizens.
Such is the case in Hong Kong, which today gains the dubious honour of being the first city in the world where insurance giant American International Group will be selling insurance policies targeted at illnesses caused by pollution and food poisoning.
The plan, essentially a more narrowly defined health insurance policy, will be launched next in São Paulo, Brazil, before other cities across the world.
Hong Kong’s government has been facing growing calls to improve air quality. Its standing in quality-of-life surveys has suffered recently because of complaints about its air pollution.
Environmentalists in Hong Kong would rather the money going into insurance accounts was somehow used instead to clean up the air.
But if AIG’s latest product proves popular, environmentalists will at least gain one piece of ammunition: a handy statistic to cite on the monetary cost of pollution.
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A financial article on investing in China indicated that investors should be very warry because of China's staggering pollution killing off everyone over the age of 60 with respiratory illness or lung cancer.
The health system is being swamped and on top of this their 1 child policy means there will not be enough young workers to help meet the soaring health care costs of the elderly.
I agree with those who say all the tea in China ain't worth an unexpected Chest X-ray at the cancer clinic.
Blue Foot
The health system is being swamped and on top of this their 1 child policy means there will not be enough young workers to help meet the soaring health care costs of the elderly.
I agree with those who say all the tea in China ain't worth an unexpected Chest X-ray at the cancer clinic.
Blue Foot
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What,pollution killing the over 60's.That would be god sent for the UK,and its incompetent polie's,and answer for its pension crisis.The polie's would have a field day.
On the subject of pollution,industrial revolution,the WEST helps/causes China to expand which is being caused by demand for cheap labour and profits from it.£180 pounds for a basic package Wii,made in China for 18p.Demand equals supply.Globalisation.Stop moaning HKG this HKG that,look at the real cause of it all.Leave in protest and write to your Member of Parliament expressing your concerns about their foreign policy.Why don't you all buy products made at home(no they are much cheaper in HKG)bla bla bla
On the subject of pollution,industrial revolution,the WEST helps/causes China to expand which is being caused by demand for cheap labour and profits from it.£180 pounds for a basic package Wii,made in China for 18p.Demand equals supply.Globalisation.Stop moaning HKG this HKG that,look at the real cause of it all.Leave in protest and write to your Member of Parliament expressing your concerns about their foreign policy.Why don't you all buy products made at home(no they are much cheaper in HKG)bla bla bla
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Pollution Unit Crashes
Article in the SCMP Sunday December 9, page A2
Pollution unit crashes after high reading
The roadside station detecting air pollution in Central broke down a few hours after it recorded the highest air pollution reading of the year.
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department, which manages the station, said the non-functioning unit would not be repaired until tomorrow.
But environmentalist Edward Chan Yue-fai, of Greenpeace, said it should be repaired as soon as possible although people could get an idea of air quality by reading data from the other two roadside stations, in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.
The results are posted on the department's website.
The absence of data from the station meant that the overall roadside reading was downgraded to 'high' from 'very high' in the afternoon. The goverment website ceased showing the Central roadside ststion's data from about 2pm yesterday, shortly after recording a reading of 103.
Readings above 100 are deemed 'very high'.
Yesterday was another badly polluted day for Hong Kong. Mong Kok and Causeway Bay recorded high air pollution levels, and Mong Kok's index rose slightly above 100 in the morning. The year's record high of 151 was detected at the roadside station in Central on Friday. The highest reading ever recorded (174) was on March 29, 2000.
Friends of the Earth environmental affairs manager Hahn Chu Honkeung said it was not uncommon for the detectors to break down. He said the public should be aware that air quality in crowded districts such as Central was usually poor despite a lack of scientific data.
'Indexes taken from roadside stations usually show poor air quality, meaning that the public should be aware of their health when going to these congested districts,' he said.
'Even when fairly satisfactory indexes are shown, they are usually not up to standard according to the one formulated by the World Health Organisation'.
So don't just take my word for it - read the papers! The inescapable fact is that the pollution here is disgusting.
For those considering a job here in Hong Kong, (not just aviation, any job...), it has to be a major factor in determining whether the remuneration or career progression is worth the health risk to you and your family.
For those here in Hong Kong already, it must be a factor in determining just 'how much is enough'! There are those that have left the Company recently, particularly junior officers, because the combined effect of the Cat B system, CoS08 (the attendant risk to command progression in event of industry slowdown), apallingly inadequate imposed pay rise, compel junior officers to look elsewhere.
The pollution, always a constant stressor in Hong Kong, appears to be the straw that breaks the camels back for some.
Pollution unit crashes after high reading
The roadside station detecting air pollution in Central broke down a few hours after it recorded the highest air pollution reading of the year.
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department, which manages the station, said the non-functioning unit would not be repaired until tomorrow.
But environmentalist Edward Chan Yue-fai, of Greenpeace, said it should be repaired as soon as possible although people could get an idea of air quality by reading data from the other two roadside stations, in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.
The results are posted on the department's website.
The absence of data from the station meant that the overall roadside reading was downgraded to 'high' from 'very high' in the afternoon. The goverment website ceased showing the Central roadside ststion's data from about 2pm yesterday, shortly after recording a reading of 103.
Readings above 100 are deemed 'very high'.
Yesterday was another badly polluted day for Hong Kong. Mong Kok and Causeway Bay recorded high air pollution levels, and Mong Kok's index rose slightly above 100 in the morning. The year's record high of 151 was detected at the roadside station in Central on Friday. The highest reading ever recorded (174) was on March 29, 2000.
Friends of the Earth environmental affairs manager Hahn Chu Honkeung said it was not uncommon for the detectors to break down. He said the public should be aware that air quality in crowded districts such as Central was usually poor despite a lack of scientific data.
'Indexes taken from roadside stations usually show poor air quality, meaning that the public should be aware of their health when going to these congested districts,' he said.
'Even when fairly satisfactory indexes are shown, they are usually not up to standard according to the one formulated by the World Health Organisation'.
So don't just take my word for it - read the papers! The inescapable fact is that the pollution here is disgusting.
For those considering a job here in Hong Kong, (not just aviation, any job...), it has to be a major factor in determining whether the remuneration or career progression is worth the health risk to you and your family.
For those here in Hong Kong already, it must be a factor in determining just 'how much is enough'! There are those that have left the Company recently, particularly junior officers, because the combined effect of the Cat B system, CoS08 (the attendant risk to command progression in event of industry slowdown), apallingly inadequate imposed pay rise, compel junior officers to look elsewhere.
The pollution, always a constant stressor in Hong Kong, appears to be the straw that breaks the camels back for some.
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The Good News Keeps Coming...
Letter to the Editor in SCMP Tuesday December 11, Page A14
Bad press for HK pollution
Attending an Islamic Banking conference in Bahrain, I noticed a report in the Bahrain Tribune about pollution in Hong Kong.
It was embarrassing to have to try and defend the quality of life we should have in Hong Kong against comments condemning Hong Kong as 'a filthy place to want to live or visit'.
Given the conference is attended by some of the leading figures of Islamic financing, an area our hapless Government seeks closer ties with,it is time for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to do something to stop Hong Kong being condemned internationally as an unfit place to work.
MP, The Peak
The pollution is becoming an all-encompassing issue for many employers seeking to attract expats - here it is affecting the banking sector.
The cat is out of the bag - everyone knows about Hong Kong and it's problems with pollution, and one or two clear days over summer is not going to fool most people. Just check out the live background to the CNN newsdesk most days.
Bad press for HK pollution
Attending an Islamic Banking conference in Bahrain, I noticed a report in the Bahrain Tribune about pollution in Hong Kong.
It was embarrassing to have to try and defend the quality of life we should have in Hong Kong against comments condemning Hong Kong as 'a filthy place to want to live or visit'.
Given the conference is attended by some of the leading figures of Islamic financing, an area our hapless Government seeks closer ties with,it is time for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to do something to stop Hong Kong being condemned internationally as an unfit place to work.
MP, The Peak
The pollution is becoming an all-encompassing issue for many employers seeking to attract expats - here it is affecting the banking sector.
The cat is out of the bag - everyone knows about Hong Kong and it's problems with pollution, and one or two clear days over summer is not going to fool most people. Just check out the live background to the CNN newsdesk most days.
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Last edited by SMOC; 13th Dec 2007 at 07:26.
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The Real Deal
The text below is from a Hong Kong pilot's union forum- edited to protect the innocent. The test was done by a professional air filtration company. One of the pilots with the same company has been diagnosed with heavy metal readings way in excess of safe limits.
"PM is particulate matter which is the crap we breathe on a daily basis courteousy of our friends involved in Made in China.
Let me summarize what came from the conversation at the time and from a conversation i had with the good doctor i mention above (this is just referring to PM);
The text below is from a Hong Kong pilot's union forum- edited to protect the innocent. The test was done by a professional air filtration company. One of the pilots with the same company has been diagnosed with heavy metal readings way in excess of safe limits.
"PM is particulate matter which is the crap we breathe on a daily basis courteousy of our friends involved in Made in China.
Let me summarize what came from the conversation at the time and from a conversation i had with the good doctor i mention above (this is just referring to PM);
- 5,000 - 30,000 ppl (parts per litre of air) is the range you would expect in Switzerland or Australia
- above 105,000 is considered a 'contaminated' zone, and you should limit your expose to these types of areas (think of a surfboard shaping bay or a dusty workshop).
- the explanatory graphs in the attached doc stop at +300,000
- particles smaller than 3 microns are not blocked at all by our natural filtering system (nose hairs etc; some are more protected than others) and travel directly into our lungs.
- the air pollution indexes in HK is based around counting particles that fall within certain weight/size ranges, ergo, if a particle is lighter than it should be for it's size IT WILL NOT BE COUNTED
- a reading of 670,000ppl inside and outside my house. The fact that we had the house closed, air-con on with the air-con filter recently replaced MADE NO DIFFERENCE at all. That is almost 7 times the maximum recommended limit and 20 to over 100 times that of a bad day in Sydney or Zurich.
- a really good day in HK is still in the 100k contaminated area! 600k being average, and they say we have regular days in excess of 1,000,000ppl... god help those of you in Tung Chung, and all of us clowns on overnights in China.
- HKs 'average day' is twice the top level of the graphs... they didn't consider readings this high which is disturbing in itself.
- the majority of the particles that were detected were below 3 microns (down to .3microns) so we breathe them straight into our lungs. This explains to me why after a days work in Africa (hazy from bush fires/natural causes) you have a blocked solid nose and here all you have is an acrid taste in your throat.
- It's possible that the published API figures here are jerry rigged to prevent a mass exodus of the Expat work force and anyone else with half a brain (yes, i am still here...)
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The 'air' we breathe...
As I walked outside to get the paper from where the following article was taken, I couldn't help but not see the other side of Victoria Harbour only a couple of kilometers away. The other side is completely hidden, on a cloudless day, by unmitigated, foul-smelling, dangerous smog. Retreating inside to write this, as the previous post pointed out, will not help me avoid breathing this noxious brew.
Why is it so bad? Don't we read in the papers and on the news that the Government is 'doing something' to solve the problem of the rampant noxious pollution? Why are things only getting worse?
It helps if you understand where the pollution stems from. Particularly at this time of year, with a northerly monsoon, the Mainland pollution washes over Hong Kong like an ever-thickening blanket.
This article will help explain why things are only getting worse on the mainland. It may appear long, but it is worth the read.
Article in the SCMP Thursday December 13, Page A8
Beijing's edict lost in scramble for coal
Central Government safety crackdown is no match for Shanxi's corrupt mines
Last weeks explosion at the licensed Xinyao coal mine in Hongtong county killed at least 105 miners.
The central government has been ringing the alarm bell about mine safety for years, issuing laws, regulations and propaganda on environmental protection and sustainable development, and sending out scores of inspection teams each year to weed out illegal operations.
But the decrees crumble under the weight of local protectionism. The death toll from resource exploitationism escalates, polluting businesses continue to operate, and corrupt officials remain at large.
"If the operation of the Xinyao coal mine is fully licensed, it is licensed by the devils from hell," Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said on Sunday, slamming his fists down.
Beijing, he announced, would establish a taskforce to find out what caused the explosion, imprison those responsible and prevent similar blasts. "Linfen officials at all levels must seriously review what they have done this year and tell me exactly what is behind these three fatal incidents," he told China News Service.
Meng Xuenong, Shanxi's newly appointed acting governor, immediately submitted his apology.
And city mayor Li Tiantai said he would obey any central government decision with a "broken heart" and "shame". "As the head of the city, I haven't carried out my job properly and failed to live up to the trust that the party and the people placed in me. My responsibility for this cannot be shrugged off."
But as he apologised, a convoy of trucks carting coal from a mine 3km from Xintao paid fees at a secret toll station set up by Hongtong county officials on an uncharted highway covertly built by mine owners to avoid inspectors. The convoys continued despite Beijing orders for a halt to coal operations throughout the county until the enquiry was done.
Just a kilometer from the highway that leads to the Xinyao mine, an illegal coking plant fitted with 18th century technology ran as usual, spewing out flames and black smoke beside a dried-up river in Longma village.
And, in Zuomu village, residents complained about a four-hectare chemical plant that emitted "sweet and nauseous" smells that caused their hair to fall out.
"Officials from Beijing will never find the truth," said Ma Geming, a Xizhuang village farmer who has seen the tunnels of the Xinyao mine. "Coal mines don't hire locals. They don't do business with locals. So when someone dies, it can be easily covered up."
"In every mine there is a person whose job is dealing with accidental death with the heads. Taking care of an accident that kills less than 10 is a piece of cake," Mr Ma said. "Nobody has any idea how many miners die every year."
Government officials who were supposed to supervise mine safety were mostly bought off, Mr Ma said.
Some officials have even been mine owners. Cheng Yanping, director of the Hongtong county land and resources bureau, was once the owner of the Longma coal mine, one of the biggest in the Linfen area.
It is common knowledge in Hongtong county that an official needs to spend half a million yuan to buy a position in the county government, and more if he or she wants to move up to the municipal level.
As a result, government officials are motivated by money, creating a breeding ground for corruption. "After paying 500,000 yuan to the county environmental protection bureau every month, you can continue your business, even though on television they say it has been banned," a Longma villager said.
Chen Zhongquan, a former party sectretary of Hongguang village, summarised the coal industry this way. "Behind every coal mine accident there is corruption; behind corruption there is immense government power; behind the power there is one single party," the 70-year-old said. "Maybe it was a mistake to drive the Kuomintang to Taiwan, maybe we should welcome them back."
If you have read all this then congratulations!!
...the point here, broken down to it's irreducible essence, is that the stuff I can see out of my window, floating down from mainland China, the stuff I breathe every day, is not going to go away anytime soon.
Some pilots feel somewhat trapped here in Hong Kong by the seniority system prevalent in airlines today that, unlike many other professions, does not allow easy transfer between companies without loss of pay. It's hard to leave having invested so much time and effort.
Some have done the monetary versus environmental sums and simply cut and run anyway.
Some junior guys have an easier decision cutting and running as they do not have as much time invested in the airline for their long-term career elsewhere to be impacted greatly.
The question I always have to ask myself is, "When and if I, or God forbid, a member of my family, ever end up suffering from a disease attributable in some way to the pollution here, will I be able to look myself in the miror and say that my time living here was worth it?" It's a question we all have to ask ourselves.
Why is it so bad? Don't we read in the papers and on the news that the Government is 'doing something' to solve the problem of the rampant noxious pollution? Why are things only getting worse?
It helps if you understand where the pollution stems from. Particularly at this time of year, with a northerly monsoon, the Mainland pollution washes over Hong Kong like an ever-thickening blanket.
This article will help explain why things are only getting worse on the mainland. It may appear long, but it is worth the read.
Article in the SCMP Thursday December 13, Page A8
Beijing's edict lost in scramble for coal
Central Government safety crackdown is no match for Shanxi's corrupt mines
Last weeks explosion at the licensed Xinyao coal mine in Hongtong county killed at least 105 miners.
The central government has been ringing the alarm bell about mine safety for years, issuing laws, regulations and propaganda on environmental protection and sustainable development, and sending out scores of inspection teams each year to weed out illegal operations.
But the decrees crumble under the weight of local protectionism. The death toll from resource exploitationism escalates, polluting businesses continue to operate, and corrupt officials remain at large.
"If the operation of the Xinyao coal mine is fully licensed, it is licensed by the devils from hell," Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said on Sunday, slamming his fists down.
Beijing, he announced, would establish a taskforce to find out what caused the explosion, imprison those responsible and prevent similar blasts. "Linfen officials at all levels must seriously review what they have done this year and tell me exactly what is behind these three fatal incidents," he told China News Service.
Meng Xuenong, Shanxi's newly appointed acting governor, immediately submitted his apology.
And city mayor Li Tiantai said he would obey any central government decision with a "broken heart" and "shame". "As the head of the city, I haven't carried out my job properly and failed to live up to the trust that the party and the people placed in me. My responsibility for this cannot be shrugged off."
But as he apologised, a convoy of trucks carting coal from a mine 3km from Xintao paid fees at a secret toll station set up by Hongtong county officials on an uncharted highway covertly built by mine owners to avoid inspectors. The convoys continued despite Beijing orders for a halt to coal operations throughout the county until the enquiry was done.
Just a kilometer from the highway that leads to the Xinyao mine, an illegal coking plant fitted with 18th century technology ran as usual, spewing out flames and black smoke beside a dried-up river in Longma village.
And, in Zuomu village, residents complained about a four-hectare chemical plant that emitted "sweet and nauseous" smells that caused their hair to fall out.
"Officials from Beijing will never find the truth," said Ma Geming, a Xizhuang village farmer who has seen the tunnels of the Xinyao mine. "Coal mines don't hire locals. They don't do business with locals. So when someone dies, it can be easily covered up."
"In every mine there is a person whose job is dealing with accidental death with the heads. Taking care of an accident that kills less than 10 is a piece of cake," Mr Ma said. "Nobody has any idea how many miners die every year."
Government officials who were supposed to supervise mine safety were mostly bought off, Mr Ma said.
Some officials have even been mine owners. Cheng Yanping, director of the Hongtong county land and resources bureau, was once the owner of the Longma coal mine, one of the biggest in the Linfen area.
It is common knowledge in Hongtong county that an official needs to spend half a million yuan to buy a position in the county government, and more if he or she wants to move up to the municipal level.
As a result, government officials are motivated by money, creating a breeding ground for corruption. "After paying 500,000 yuan to the county environmental protection bureau every month, you can continue your business, even though on television they say it has been banned," a Longma villager said.
Chen Zhongquan, a former party sectretary of Hongguang village, summarised the coal industry this way. "Behind every coal mine accident there is corruption; behind corruption there is immense government power; behind the power there is one single party," the 70-year-old said. "Maybe it was a mistake to drive the Kuomintang to Taiwan, maybe we should welcome them back."
If you have read all this then congratulations!!
...the point here, broken down to it's irreducible essence, is that the stuff I can see out of my window, floating down from mainland China, the stuff I breathe every day, is not going to go away anytime soon.
Some pilots feel somewhat trapped here in Hong Kong by the seniority system prevalent in airlines today that, unlike many other professions, does not allow easy transfer between companies without loss of pay. It's hard to leave having invested so much time and effort.
Some have done the monetary versus environmental sums and simply cut and run anyway.
Some junior guys have an easier decision cutting and running as they do not have as much time invested in the airline for their long-term career elsewhere to be impacted greatly.
The question I always have to ask myself is, "When and if I, or God forbid, a member of my family, ever end up suffering from a disease attributable in some way to the pollution here, will I be able to look myself in the miror and say that my time living here was worth it?" It's a question we all have to ask ourselves.
Last edited by BScaler; 13th Dec 2007 at 09:59. Reason: article reduced(!) for clarity
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I enjoyed my CX interview experience approximately 2 years ago. Then I did some research regarding the air pollution and I politely said "thanks, but no thanks".
I have nothing against CX itself, but the air pollution in Hong Kong is simply unaccetpable. I believe economists like to consider something called "final cost". Even if CX is a great carrier with high paying salaries, what will 10-20 years of that air pollution do to your health and that of your loved ones?
I will say this though, the air in VHHH is better than that of VIDP. 0500m visibility in FU isn't my idea of a good time. Took a month to get over the cough and other asthmatic problems when I was in India.
I have nothing against CX itself, but the air pollution in Hong Kong is simply unaccetpable. I believe economists like to consider something called "final cost". Even if CX is a great carrier with high paying salaries, what will 10-20 years of that air pollution do to your health and that of your loved ones?
I will say this though, the air in VHHH is better than that of VIDP. 0500m visibility in FU isn't my idea of a good time. Took a month to get over the cough and other asthmatic problems when I was in India.
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I will say this though, the air in VHHH is better than that of VIDP. 0500m visibility in FU isn't my idea of a good time. Took a month to get over the cough and other asthmatic problems when I was in India.
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=0B...o&feature=user
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Now the average view from the Peak
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YOU COULD SMELL THE ACRID SULPHURUOUS COAL SMOKE IN THE CHUNG THIS MORNING.
IF ACCORDING TO THE ABOVE YOUTUBE LINK REPORT THE DELHI POLLUTION IS 20 CIGARETTES A DAY, MY GUESS IS THAT THE CHUNG MUST BE ABOUT 18-19!
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne...5313048&size=l
IF ACCORDING TO THE ABOVE YOUTUBE LINK REPORT THE DELHI POLLUTION IS 20 CIGARETTES A DAY, MY GUESS IS THAT THE CHUNG MUST BE ABOUT 18-19!
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne...5313048&size=l
Join Date: Sep 2007
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At some point in the near future the pollution issue will become the greatest obstacle to recruiting into Hong kong - not just for CX but all corporates. Then watch the salaries go up. The only workable solution for CX will be more and more based guys - which ironically will save the company money. Also it will mean that CX will start to steal pilots off other Asian carriers - ie. recruit Thai or Malaysian or Filipino pilots to be based in their respective home cities.
Tough luck for expats....
Tough luck for expats....
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Another coal mine
And as if there isn't enough coal being dug out of the ground in China to feed their billowing factory chimneys, there was a good photo in yesterday's SCMP of the top of one of their mountaintops being blown to smithereens, (to the tune of 6 million cubic metres of soil and rock), for the purpose of exposing yet another seam of black gold.
As a consequence, we'll no doubt continue to be living with the resultant burnt pollutants here in Hong Kong every time a northerly wind drags them down over the coast, (read: pretty much every winter, all winter long), for years to come.
As a consequence, we'll no doubt continue to be living with the resultant burnt pollutants here in Hong Kong every time a northerly wind drags them down over the coast, (read: pretty much every winter, all winter long), for years to come.