The following report was produced by CNN. And though the video appears to be distorted somewhat, the pictures seen still speak a million words:

CNN: Living in a Cage in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, a place where its GDP ranks twenty-eighth in the world, where its federal reserve ranks seventh in the world (in terms of amount; had this been measured in terms of per capita wealth, I have a feeling that it would be even higher), also has a Gini Coefficient that ranks FIRST in the world (for those of you who don’t know, the Gini Coefficient measures the discrepancy between the rich and the poor). In a place where the rich gets a lot richer, and the poor gets a lot poorer, the government is doing next to nothing in helping them. On the contrary, the government’s policies are slanted towards the rich and the big corporations (sounds familiar, right, British Columbians?).

If this report was seen in another democratic society, can you imagine the backlash the government will receive? Can you imagine the shame that the government will be put into? And, as a result of the public humiliation the government suffers, it will most likely be doing something immediately to address the problem; otherwise, that government will be going down in flames in the next election. However, because Hong Kong is not a democratic region, with a crippled, non-elected government, government officials do not seem to have the need to address these problems. If you re-watch the clip again and see the way the government responses to CNN’s questions about the “cage houses,” how can you not be angry or even infuriated?

Some pro-government personnel would blast the critics, saying that we are complaining and criticizing all day just to disturb the society’s harmony, and to negatively affect the rule of the government. Only people who support a dictatorship mandate would say such words. The truth is: the culprit in destroying the society’s harmony is the government, who allows the discrepancy between the rich and the poor to go completely out-of-hand with no policies to help those who cannot help themselves. The truth is: the one responsible for crippling the effectiveness of the government is the government itself, who uses policy makers and officials who have no regard to the poor and the needy.

Hong Kong, a place I used to call my home. How did we EVER get to this stage?

Say No to Foie Gras

Today, I came across a blog entry that was absolutely disturbing. It is about a gourmet meal called the foie gras (the literal translation for this dish is “fatty liver”) – basically, this dish involves the cooking of the liver of geese (or ducks).

While the thought of eating an animal’s internal organs in itself may be unpleasant enough to deter you from even considering this dish, there is a lot more to it. While I am no nutrition expert, my biology training tells me that this dish is probably very high in its cholesterol content and thus is not healthy. The liver, the largest filtration organ of an organism, filters all the “junk” we consume, including poisons. Why one would enjoy eating animal livers is beyond me.

But the main reason why this article is written is not because foie gras is an unhealthy meal; it is because the production of this dish involves some very inhumane and gruesome methods, and to me, it was just sickening. I have captured a few images below. A word of warning: these pictures are not suitable for the viewing of everybody – you have been fore-warned.

In order to prepare a dish of foie gras, geese/ducks must be induced into a physiologically sick condition called fatty liver. This is achieved through a process of force-feeding, and assisted by a complete restriction of movement that would allow the animal to use up some of the foods’ energies.

Birds are confined to cages that are just slightly wider than their bodies. The birds cannot spread their wings, and cannot even turn around.
As frequently as three times a day, workers use force to insert a long metal tube (up to 30cm in length) into the bird’s mouth. And food is squeezed into the bird’s stomach. Birds can be injured or even killed during the force-feeding.
The amount of food forced into these animals’ stomach is so substantial that the food may overflow backwards out of the mouth (some articles call that vomiting, but I do not think birds have a vomit reflex) and may suffocate the birds.
If the force feeding is successful, the birds’ livers are progressively enlarged. When the birds are finally slaughtered, their livers can be more than 10x the size of a normal bird.
And all this for a delicacy that people pay a lot of money to eat. I am sorry, but even if it is the best-tasting food in the world, count me out as a person who would want to eat it.
For more information, Wikipedia has a couple of entries that are very good starting reference:
Foie Gras
Foie Gras Controversy

Reconcile in Love

October 10, 2009 will be marked as a day that I’ll remember for a long, long time. And I have to thank a lovely couple, who stepped forward to share with us a story of reconciliation.

As a person of faith, and a follower of Jesus Christ, I was taught, like many other Christians, that God’s love brings about forgiveness, that it brings about healing, and that it brings about reconciliation. We listen to those who have taught us, and believe in what we are taught. In many ways, we even experience these lessons in our lives, to a certain extent: over the years, we have learned to lay down some grudges we’ve held against others. Over the years, we have learned to forget some of the sorrows we have experienced, and replaced them with the current joy. Over the years, as we grow, we have learned to understand that some of the rifts left behind are really not that important anymore. All in all, we understand the lessons, and believe in these lessons.

But you have taken these lessons to a whole new level when you took courage to stand in front of so many people, and share with them, in tears, the most concealed wounds that you have suffered. What we witnessed was your forgiveness to those who have hurt you; what we heard was an unconditional plea to reconcile and an open expression of unconditional love in spite of all old wounds and sorrows. Watching you two, I know that God’s love, through you, are shining a lot brighter than what I have ever been taught.

When I saw the hugs you have given out, I know they were not hugs that came from a moment’s of emotions – they were hugs that signalled the true beginning of reconciliation. Like what was said in your slide show, the road is still difficult, but I trust wholeheartedly that you can make it through.

Thank you, for the loveliest testimony of love. I know there is not a whole lot that I can do, but please believe: from this day on, every step that you two take, will come with our blessings, and will come with our prayers.

To a perfect couple, all the best to you!

Listening to your sharing, I cannot but remember this song, “in the seas of life, time flies right by; but through the changes, I have learned to feel the warmth of this family…” It’d be my prayer that your family will be blessed with love and warmth, for now, and for all the future days ahead.

Shame on You, Marc Emery

I haven’t spoken much on the issue of pot in this blog, and certainly haven’t talked about marijuana activist Marc Emery (aka Prince of Pot) either, but recent news surrounding Emery and his impending extradition to a US prison is certainly worth talking about:

First, some background information for your reading pleasure:

CBC News: Marijuana activist Emery awaits extradition

The Vancouver Sun: Marc Emery's sentence reeks of injustice and mocks our sovereignty

I will talk about my take against the very biased Vancouver Sun article later, but first, let’s talk about the incident:

Marc Emery sold marijuana seeds to the US. This is against the US laws. Whether you agree with the laws in the States in regards to marijuana is irrelevant – he broke US laws knowingly. Canada and the US have extradition agreements. When a Canadian citizen has broken American laws, the US has the right to ask the Canadian government to extradite that person to the US to face prosecution and imprisonment. The same is true when an American breaks Canadian laws. These are objective facts.

If Emery wants to be an activist, and feels that his cause of the nature of civil disobedience, so be it. At least, I can almost respect him for taking a stance on something he believes in (though I would disagree with his stance completely). But, if he wants to be looked at as a martyr, then behave like one! Don’t whine about being extradited, don’t complain that Canada is “selling you out!” Emery KNEW when he sold the seeds to the States that he would be breaking their law! Emery mis-calculated, and now, has to pay for his mis-calculation. If he makes it sound like he didn’t know that this would happen, then either he has too much “hippie lettuce” in his system to think straight, or he is just a liar. Plain and simple.

As for Ian Mulgrew’s column – I have been criticizing this columnist for a very long time, and this is just another example. Look at the facts, Ian! Canada and the US have extradition agreements with each other! People who break the other country’s laws can be summoned for extradition! This is not a humanitarian case where Emery may face execution – he is going to the States for a jail term that he knew he might face. Canada is merely following what it has agreed upon; it is its international duty – how is that selling out our sovereignty?

Bottom line – when one has made a conscious choice, take ownership of the consequence. And please do not throw in the sovereignty card to make your argument sound more patriotic and reasonable – it only shows that you would go out of your way, even if the way is totally unreasonable and inaccurate, to make a point. It does not make you look smart, to say the least.

Hilarious or Worrisome?

Social networking has been extremely popular in recent years. Sites such as “Facebook” and “Twitter” have been used extensively, sometimes excessively, by people young and old. But this latest news is just over-the-top:

cnet News: Facebook break leads to burglary suspect

PC World: Burglar Checks Facebook During Raid, Gets Busted

Jonathan G. Parker, a 19-year-old from Fort Loudoun, Pa., was arrested by police for an alleged burglary. According to the charges, Parker broke into a home and stole two diamond rings that are worth $3500. The quick arrest happened, not strictly due to the police’s efficiency, but more so, because of Parker’s stupidity:

You see, when the victim of the crime came home and realized that someone had broken into her home, she also noticed that her computer was turned on, and on the browser was Parker’s Facebook page. Apparently, Parker could not stop the urge of logging onto his Facebook account during the burglary, and had to log on (but had forgotten to log off).

If you are in the middle of a burglary and you cannot resist logging onto Facebook to check if your “homie” is having lobsters that evening, or if your buddy is having a fight with his girlfriend, you have an addiction problem! Jonathan, if it is not too much to ask, next time you are breaking into someone’s home, bring your smart phone with you so you can twit about your crime, and can update your status without leaving such apparent tracks for the police. So you can update your status as “in the middle of a burglary, hope I won’t get caught…”?! Or so you can twit and say “picked up two diamond rings, score!”?!

Social networking has done wonders for many of us – how many of us have benefitted from these programs that allow us to connect with friends that you have not seen for the longest time? Having said that, it has also created a bunch of us, who seemingly can no longer survive without letting the whole world know about what we are doing. What has happened to sports, to private, quiet reading time, to family time?

As for Jonathan Parker, he may be behind bars for as many as ten years, likely without a chance to Facebook or Twit during that time.