The SCMP's front page screams 'F' for HK students in English proficiency stakes...

More than two in four Hong Kong Chinese students granted permanent residency in Australia after graduating from its universities last year did not have competent English language skills, research released yesterday shows.

Data collated from immigration tests carried out when the graduates applied for permanent residency visas showed 42.9 per cent of the Hong Kong students failed the language competency tests, only slightly better than the 43.2 per cent from the mainland who failed it.

This is Hong Kong's alleged paper of record.

I'm all for being tolerant and everything, but sometimes it can go too far...and who would have thought that it would be China's turn to catch political correctness disease? CCTV has banned pigs from being shown in TV advertisements to avoid offending Muslims. In 3 weeks the Year of the Pig starts. Being Jewish I can wholeheartedly say the appearance of pigs on TV causes me absolutely no offence whatsoever.

Who knew The Don could be so funny. He's complaining that being Chief Executive is such a burden during this election, although why the Standard's headline writer put the quotes over burden instead of election is anyone's guess. The result is already known, plans are already made for what The Don will do once he's really truly elected rather than a fill-in for Tung Che-wa and the 7 million Hong Kongers that don't get to vote pray this thing can be over and done with so the newspapers can go back to Canto-pop gossip and gruesome tales of murder.

It's news to all other politicians in the universe that being the incumbent is a burden. Luckily The Don is going to refund the cost of petrol and his security detail for his little trip to the electoral office in Wan Chai. This has now managed to occupy the press for days....and yet no-one seems interested in that other stuff of elections like policies and promises. Again, that's because it doesn't much matter - this isn't an election, it's a coronation.

As if the rich don't have enough going for them already...

You know things are pretty desperate in Hong Kong's political scene when Donald Tsang's trip to his campaign office in his government car is grounds for a press beat-up. In most grown up democracies the incumbent does two things at once: they run for office and run the government at the same time. The Don tells the SCMP to do otherwise would imperil him...

Citing an unnamed "very reliable legal opinion", he said taking leave to campaign could "amount to dereliction of duty" under the Basic Law.

"People will take me to court. There will be a judicial review on my decision to take a holiday and abdicate the work of chief executive. And then, if something like avian flu happens, I will have to stop everything and come back to work to deal with the crisis."...

"The last thing I want is to cheat the electoral process. It will be a fair game. I have to conduct it with the advantage and disadvantage of incumbency. It's something I cannot help."

Today's Standard reports on the latest exotic disease to strike China: stock fever. Here's some handy hints from people who really know what they're doing.

"The stock market at the moment remains very bullish. There are ample chances to invest. Making money from the equity market is not difficult at all," the report quoted Liu, a retail investor who refused to give his full name, as saying.

"While deciding which stocks to pick, remember to buy stocks that have at least 20 percent growth. Yet, do not buy stocks that have 200 percent growth as their room to grow is very limited," Liu said. He added it was not difficult to raise capital for the initial investment.

"The simplest way is to apply for a credit card and get the cash advance. Many of the retail investors are actually using this method - like me," Liu said. "As long as the money is not for long-term investment or investment involving high-risk vehicles, it is all right to use this method."

China shoots down a satellite and everyone wonders what's going on...China Matters finds a PLA general who is happy to explain.

Meanwhile Singapore continues its desperate fight for relevancy by cutting their corporate tax rate to catch up to Hong Kong. Now all they need to do is move the city a few thousand kilometres north, hand over sovereignty to China, and grovel to Beijing like crazy and they'll be there. Interestingly, while Hong Kong's government often frets about the city's place in the world, these days the Albert Road crew are all worried about Shanghai rather than the Lion City.

Ma Lik is one of Hong Kong's better politicians, which isn't saying much. The people's SCMP dutifully reports on Ma's clever upping of expectations for the number of votes the evil democrat Alan Leong will receive in the Chief Executive election...

DAB chairman Ma Lik expects Alan Leong Kah-kit to grab up to 200 of 800 votes in the chief executive election in March, but says Mr Leong is not suitable for the post...Mr Leong was someone who was "not too friendly" with the central government and who opposed the National People's Congress Standing Committee's reinterpretation of the Basic Law, and Mr Ma asked: "Can such a person with a total lack of ruling experience lead Hong Kong?"

In Ma Lik's world, it would be disasterous to have someone who believes the Basic Law should stand as it is not be subject to reinterpretation on a whim. It seems the DAB is campaigning on a platform opposing the rule of law.

Lovely holiday in the home of the Ashes, thanks.

Slowly getting back into the swing of things here...including splurging (finally) on an iMac. Arrives next week, along with an indoctrination kit and a mantra of the virtues of all thing neatly but expensively designed.

In the meantime, ESWN points to a story that confirms my suspicions on at least some Hong Kong beggars. If you feel compelled to give, a better mechanism is through recognised charities, but I maintain that instead of spreading one's charity giving amongst many, it makes more sense to focus on a single charity and give a large amount to that one charity...see this discussion at MR.