Picture of the Day: Happy Boulder

A happy boulder sitting at the end of the street

The City of Vancouver has been working in our neighbourhood for over a year now, installing badly needed sewer pipes to replace those that are over a century old.

It's also because the city (and the provincial government) intend to densify neighbourhoods with up to six units on one lot, and our area is on the target list.

Every morning work starts at 7am, making the construction noise a jarring alarm clock, and the work goes on all day until 3pm.

Sometimes when they are digging up the roads they find massive boulders. A few months ago there were two giant ones near our home and they were hoisted up by a forklift onto a truck that took them away.

The other day another giant boulder was dug up at the end of the block.

Someone decided to personify it with eyes, nose and a mouth!

Dire Straits for Luxury Brands

Hong Kong's luxury malls are looking pretty empty these days

The projections are that big spenders from the mainland won't be splashing the cash in Hong Kong, Paris, Milan and London anytime soon, as China's economy continues on its downward spiral.

Analysts say this year is not good, and aren't even holding their breath for next year either and it's hurting luxury brands in their stock value.

Tiffany & Co's Shanghai shop to halve its space

Burberry Group had its market value plunge 70 percent from the past year, causing the brand to lose its inclusion in London's FTSE 100 stock list. 

Gucci and Hugo Boss have also been hit hard, both losing half their value over the past year. Gucci is owned by Kering, which owns Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, which was Europe's largest company by market cap a year ago, has fallen to second place.

To that end, Tiffany & Co owned by LVMH is looking to halve the size of its Shanghai flagship store, while high-end malls in Hong Kong are practically empty. 

Hermes is sitting pretty with Brunello Cucinelli

The only brands doing well are the ones catering to the uber rich -- Hermes International selling Kelly and Birkin bags, and Brunello Cucinelli with its cashmere sweaters. 

May they live long and prosper!

HK Media Facing Harassment, Threats

Dozens of journalists have been intimidated and harassed

In what the Hong Kong Journalists Association describes as a 'systematic attack against media workers", the group says dozens of journalists in the city are being harassed, as well as their family members, employers, neighbours and landlords.

Reporters from at least 13 outlets, such as Hong Kong Free Press, InMedia, and HK Feature have been targeted through emails and letters containing defamatory content sent to their home addresses, workplaces and other venues.

Cheng said threats interfered with press freedom

HKJA's chair Selina Cheng condemned the harassment as "a serious interference with press freedom", and said the matter had been reported to the police.

"Since June, self-proclaimed 'patriots' have sent anonymous complaints by email or letter to at least 15 journalists' family members and their family members' employers, landlords and related organisations, including charities, schools and private businesses," she said.

"The format of each email or letter is similar but tailored to the different identities and characteristics of a given organisation or individual."

Cheng said many of the letters and emails warned recipients that if they continued to associate with the journalists in question or their family members, they could be violating the domestic national security law.

"Since at least August, users of several private Facebook groups have also posted hateful content against certain media outlets and journalists, portraying legitimate reporting as problematic or illegal, and baselessly accusing articles of being inflammatory," Cheng said.

"According to HKJA's investigation, at least 36 journalists were identified in these Facebook posts, from multiple different outlets, education institutions and the HKJA itself."

Cheuk was unaware of harassment

Some of the messages included threats of violence and death threats.

It is unclear how the journalists' private contact information was found, though the HKJA suspects personal data had been leaked from "government or other private databases" and urged law enforcement agencies to launch and investigation.

Cheng said she too was a victim, with employers of her family members receiving letters containing accusations and false claims about her in late July.

Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip said he had not heard about the harassment and doxxing raised by the HKJA, but stated Hong Kong was a city that followed the rule of law.

"Any individual should be free from threats, free from fear and free from harassment," he said. "So if any individual, irrespective of who you are, if you are receiving such threats and harassment, please come out and report [it]."

He did not believe the association's claim that personal data had been leaked, or that the city's press freedom had further eroded.

Meanwhile the police force spokesman said: "Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law. If members of the public suspect that they are being intimidated or harassed, they should report the case to the Police. Police will handle each case in accordance with the law and actual circumstances."

The Mystery of the Missing Karsh Portrait Solved

The Roaring Lion has been found... in Italy

My father is a photo enthusiast and loves taking pictures. When I was young he told me about the famous Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer and showed me his famous pictures in two books he had.

There was then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, actress Sophia Loren, scientist Albert Einstein, and actress Audrey Hepburn. They are striking photographs because they are usually minimalist backgrounds and focus on the subject's face and their expressions. It was an honour to "be Karshed".

Karsh is best known for the Churchill portrait

But perhaps the most famous portrait is that of then British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, which was taken after he addressed the Canadian Parliament during World War II on December 30, 1941. 

Right after his speech, Karsh took the portrait of Churchill in the Speaker's Chamber during a very quick photo session.

As the story goes, Karsh asked Churchill to take the cigar out of his mouth, but he refused. So just before Karsh took the picture, he plucked the cigar out of the prime minister's mouth and got that grumpy, stern expression.

After the photo shoot, Churchill said: "You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed," which led to the name of this portrait.

Karsh and his wife lived in the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa for many years where he also had a studio, and when they moved out, they gifted a signed copy of the Roaring Lion to the hotel along with other portraits that were hung in public areas for visitors to admire.

Estrellita Karsh in front of the portrait

But sometime between December 25, 2021 to January 6, 2022 the Roaring Lion was brazenly stolen from the hotel and replaced with a slightly smaller replica.

In May 2022, Italian lawyer Nicolas Cassinelli unknowingly bought the portrait from a Sotheby's online auction for around 5,000 euros, or over C$9,000.

The portrait hung it in his house in Genoa, Italy, and Cassinelli today told the media it was like having the Mona Lisa in his living room.

It wasn't until August 2022 when a hotel maintenance worker who worked there for decades, noticed there was something different about the portrait and reported it stolen. Ironically the police told him he was considered a suspect, as the authorities thought it was an inside job.

Last October Cassinelli was contacted by Sotheby's warning the Canadian police were investigating the theft and would need to look at the photograph, as it may have been stolen.

The apartment in the hotel the Karshes lived in

However it wasn't until February 2024 that police verified he had the stolen picture.

Yesterday it was announced Jeffrey Iain James Wood, a 43 year-old from Powassan, Ontario, was arrested in April on multiple charges, including theft, forgery and trafficking stolen property.

In the meantime Cassinelli will travel from Genoa, Italy to Rome to formally return the portrait to the Canadian consulate this weekend and then it will be brought back to the Chateau Laurier where it will be rehung.

Cassinelli was only reimbursed about half of what he paid for the photograph, but he is taking it in stride and says he has an interesting story to tell about his brief time with Karsh's portrait.

Grazie mille Cassinelli and we are looking forward to Churchill coming back to Ottawa! 

Picture of the Day: Christmas at Costco

A Snoopy Christmas, anyone? It's available at Costco!

We went to Costco today and there were lots of Halloween candy in bulk and costumes for sale, but Christmas?!

There were advent calendars with chocolates in them, and this cute Snoopy set with a pair of mugs and a cookie jar wrapped with chocolate cookies and hot chocolate balls.

We haven't even had Thanksgiving yet!

Harris Commands Debate with Trump

Harris kept Trump on the defensive during the debate

Tonight was the highly-anticipated debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and there was little doubt who the winner was.

Broadcast on ABC, the two anchors asked the two candidates questions on abortion, the economy, and on foreign policy, such as the war in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

It should have been easier for Trump to attack the incumbent, but he lost his footing when she baited him about the crowd sizes of his rallies, how people leave because they're bored.

She went over to shake his hand at the start

Unable to keep it together, Trump rambled on about topics that had nothing to do with the questions that were asked, and what he said was mostly false, as the New York Times fact-checked both his and Harris' points. 

The most egregious was about Springfield, Ohio, where he claimed Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets. Harris for her part laughed that Trump resorted to pulling out this outrageous claim that he said he saw on television.

Perhaps the best part was when she chastised Trump for being weak, which is why dictators liked him.

"This dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear -- they can manipulate you with flattery and favours, and that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with, have told me you are a disgrace," she said.

Minutes after the debate was over superstar artist Taylor Swift published an Instagram post endorsing Harris and Tim Walz, and encouraged her Swifties to do their research and register to vote, and signed off as "Childless Cat Lady".

Swift publicly endorsed Harris after the debate

Walz found out about this live on TV with MSNBC, and was thrilled when Swift said she was impressed by his work supporting the LGBTQ community and women's reproductive rights. 

Seeing Trump and Harris tonight was literally night and day respectively; while he pitched darkness, negativity and hopelessness, she promoted change for the future, better lives and optimism.

It will be interesting to see the polling done after this debate, and what Trump's dictator buddies think of his chances now...

Picture of the Day: Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee Crisp

Just in time for autumn, Coffee Crisp with pumpkin spice latte

The other day I was in the supermarket and spotted Coffee Crisp -- in a pumpkin spice latte flavour!

So I had to get it to try.

It turns out I am late to the game as it was released a year ago. But no time like the present, right?

The original Coffee Crisp is a Canadian chocolate bar, with several layers of vanilla wafers covered in coffee-flavoured soft candy and then coated in milk chocolate. It's very crispy and has a hint of coffee flavour.

With this pumpkin spice one, the taste of the chocolate bar has a latte flavour, a milkier version of the original Coffee Crisp, but the pumpkin and spice flavour were not particularly overt.

Maybe it's better to have Coffee Crisp with a cup of pumpkin spice latte?

CBC's Scott Russell Signs Off after Paralympics

Hennessy (left) and Bennett carrying the flag earlier today

The Paris Olympics started off with rain and perhaps it was fitting that the Paralympics ended today with precipitation as well in Stade de France. 

Canada's flag was carried by Paralympic medallists Nicholas Bennett and Brianna Hennessy in the closing ceremony.

Bennett, who has an intellectual impairment, won Canada's first gold medal in swimming, while Hennessy, a Para canoeist, was awarded silver. She only took up the sport during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Russell signs off from CBC after 40 years

Canada won 29 medals (10 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze), which matched the country's performance in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.

Meanwhile China topped the medal tally with 220 medals (94 gold, 76 silver, 50 bronze), and Hong Kong did very well with 3 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze.

For CBC Sports broadcaster Scott Russell, today was bitter sweet. After nearly 40 years with the Canadian broadcaster, he signs off after covering 16 Olympics, including six as host.

When he was in Beijing in 2008, I was very lucky to be one of the associate producers behind the scenes helping him and anchor Diana Swain when we aired live from the Broadcast Tower, a very narrow, tall building on the Olympic grounds.

Russell was so passionate about each sport and athlete, knowing all about their backgrounds and personal stories too. What a pro and sad to hear he's retiring. 

China Hammered by Japan in World Cup Qualifier

Top Asian team Japan easily beat China 7-0 on Thursday

Chinese football fans are finding it hard to swallow its "humiliating" defeat to Japan in the World Cup qualifiers. Japan handily beat China 7-0 on Thursday in Saitama, Japan, and it's a difficult loss considering the two countries are geopolitical rivals in Asia.

Even though China is still alive in the group despite the disastrous start, Oriental Sports Daily blamed China's national coach Branko Ivankovic of Croatia for his "incompetence... a contributing factor to this crushing defeat".

Ivankovic says loss was "a tough match"

Meanwhile Ivankovic defended himself, saying: "Japan is not only one of Asia's strongest teams but also a world-class team. We specifically focused on defence during our prematch preparations, but we conceded too many goals during the game, and some of those should not have happened.

"It was a tough match, and as a coach, this was the most difficult night for me."

Journalist and commentator Zhang Feng was critical of the loss. "Football cannot be boosted by singing odes, or telling stories," he wrote on his popular blog. "It cannot be accomplished through politics."

Fans cannot understand why China was able to win 40 gold medals at the Paris Olympics, but not win the game in the World Cup qualifier.

"I still don't understand why they can't find 11 players out of more than 1.4 billion people," commented one.

Chinese fans angered by humiliating loss

China has only qualified for the World Cup once in 2002; it lost all three matches and failed to score a goal.

The country is currently ranted No. 87 by FIFA, just below the Caribbean island of Curacao (population 150,000), and just above the African nation of Equatorial Guinea (1.7 million).

Vancouver Tops List of Fentanyl in Wastewater

Vancouver has highest level of fentanyl in wastewater

Vancouver has landed on the number one spot for something it won't be proud of -- having the highest level of fentanyl byproduct in its wastewater. Toronto and Edmonton are second and third respectively out of seven Canadian cities.

The Canadian Wastewater Survey measures the level of 10 different drugs, including norfentanyl, a byproduct of fentanyl breakdown in the body. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is used to treat chronic pain, but users can become addicted to it. Those who overdose on this drug, which is 20 to 40 times stronger than heroin, can die from it.

Seven Canadian cities' wastewater were tested

According to statistics released Friday, levels of norfentanyl in Metro Vancouver were four to five times higher than all other participating cities in 2022 and 2023. Toronto and Edmonton have the next highest levels, while Halifax has the lowest, as well as Montreal and Saskatoon.

Sadly Statistics Canada analyst Lisa Oliver is not surprised by the findings and says they are consistent with the last two years of data.

In addition, the Public Health Agency of Canada says fentanyl was implicated in more than 80 percent of accident opioid toxicity deaths in Canada in 2023.

Other substances included in Statistics Canada's analysis include cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy, cannabis and other opioids like codeine and oxycodone.

The data was collected from seven Canadian cities: Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

Random Attacks Leave Vancouverites Feeling Unsafe

Queen Elizabeth Theatre was cordoned off by police yesterday

People in Vancouver were shaken by the horrific attacks in the downtown area yesterday morning that left one man dead and another with a severed hand.

Today 34-year-old Brendan Colin McBride of White Rock made an appearance in court charged with aggravated assault and second-degree murder. In court he reportedly sat on the ground and gave a wordless wail.

Yesterday morning around 7.40am, Vancouver police received reports of a man in his 50s who was attacked at Cathedral Square at Richards and Dunsmuir who was bleeding from his head and one hand severed.

Blood stains at Cathedral Square from the attack

Less than 10 minutes later at the plaza of Queen Elizabeth Theatre at West Georgia and Hamilton -- just across from the CBC -- another man who was 70 years old was attacked and later died. 

About an hour later, McBride was arrested at Habitat Island, near Olympic Village. On Google maps it would take around 23 minutes to walk there, if he took the route of walking across the Cambie Street Bridge.

VPD Sergeant Steve Addison confirmed the man's severed hand was reattached. 

Perhaps just as shocking was that McBride has had 60 recorded run-ins with the police, and VPD Chief Constable Adam Palmer says the suspect "appears to be a very troubled man".

Why wasn't anything done earlier? If someone has had 60 documented contacts with the police, surely something is wrong with that person?

All day today the CBC Radio Vancouver talked about the attacks, interviewing Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, who said there needed to be more of a concerted effort from provincial and federal governments, and admitted he was unable to fulfill his election promise of hiring 100 mental health nurses to work with police officers; apparently only 20 have been recruited.

Police Chief Palmer says suspect known to police

Listeners these two days were terrified and many said the former mental health institution Riverview should have never been shut down, that people with mental illness should be in a place where they cannot harm the rest of the population.

However, Dr Bill McEwan who has worked in the Downtown Eastside for a long time says Riverview, where he had worked at, was a terrible place for the mentally ill because of the facilities and care there. He says they need more treatment made available.

Another call-in show had callers who talked about not being able to get treatment for their loved ones who were psychotic, and a man was forced to go on pension because he was diagnosed as mentally ill but could not get the treatment he needed and is contemplating leaving the country to get help. Another talked about how their mentally ill daughter was living in a building with drug addicts.

It seems like many systems and governments have dropped the ball and there is no focused strategy to figure out how these people will be treated on a case-by-case basis, as each person's needs are different, how they will be housed, treated, and somehow get back on their feet, and how this will all be paid for.

The other frustrating thing is that these people need to recognise they need help before they can get treatment -- if they can get access to it. 

Hopefully these incidents will be the tipping point -- to get governments into action and be accountable for what is happening on the streets of Vancouver, and the rest of British Columbia. While the crime rate is statistically down, we are still seeing horrific crimes like the ones committed yesterday. It's the randomness that makes it so terrifying...

HK's Golden Retail Era is Over

A mall with empty shops isn't a very inspiring experience

In another sign that Hong Kong's economy is floundering is to look at the retail sector, plunging to pandemic levels. Yes, not pre-pandemic but during the Covid-19 era.

Mainland visitors, who used to be the priority customers in luxury boutiques snapping up designer handbags to pharmacies for shampoo to baby formula are tightening their belts and preferring a cheaper way to visit the city.

Hong Kong's retail sales plunged 7.3 percent in the first seven months of the year compared to 2023, according to government data that was published on Friday. And that's a big drop considering there was a 52.2 percent increase in visitors during the same period.

Street-level shops are also sitting empty

Mainland visitors who stayed overnight spent HK$6,495 (US$833) per capita in 2023, while same-day visitor spending plunged 37 percent to just HK$1,383 last year.

Why? 

"The reduced spending of middle class Chinese tourists in Hong Kong can be attributed to the economic slowdown -- started by the property downturn, shift in consumption patterns, increased focus on savings due to challenging employment prospects and changing travel preferences," said Christine Li, head of research for Asia-Pacific at Knight Frank.

She says this has led to mainland visitors focused more on experiences than material goods, and there are first-timers to Hong Kong who don't have has deep pockets as previous Chinese tourists. As a result they opt for "zero-dollar" tours, where everything has been prepaid.

"They take pictures for their online accounts, but they don't spend money. They're not spending the same amount of money in shops or restaurants like they used to," observed Simon Smith, Savills' regional head of research and consultancy for Asia Pacific. "The golden era for Hong Kong's retail market is over. That's the reality."

Of the 30 shops in Heritage 1881, only 3 open

Ouch.

To make it even worse for the local retail scene, Smith says Hongkongers are rushing to Shenzhen on the weekends to take advantage of restaurants and shops at one-third of the cost in Hong Kong.

Shopping malls like Heritage 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui are practically empty. It used to have high-end shops like Tiffany and Co, watch shops and Shanghai Tang, as well as a very expensive Japanese restaurant, but according to Bloomberg, of the 30 shop spaces, only three are occupied now.

Many analysts say it will take a long time before Hong Kong's retail industry bounces back, and when that happens how many shops will survive that long?

Hong Kong's Beefed-Up Diets Debunked

Here's what over 10 tonnes of frozen wagyu beef look like

There are statistics that say Hong Kong is the largest consumer of meat per capita in the world at an average of 137kg per person daily.

That's basically five times the international average.

Are people eating tomahawk steaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday?

If so there would be even more Hongkongers dying of heart disease.

It's not true.

The seized speedboat with six engines at the back

The reality is that a good portion of that meat is smuggled across the border to mainland China and some of it was caught yesterday.

Hong Kong Customs intercepted a high-powered speedboat on September 2, in the southwest waters of Hong Kong. In the boat was about 10.1 tonnes of suspected smuggled frozen wagyu beef with an estimated market value of HK$21 million (US$2.7 million).

Customs officers had spotted a suspicious speedboat heading to the open sea at high speed with its navigation off, and immediately followed it. Officers later discovered the speedboat was equipped with six powerful outboard engines. Five men aged between 22 and 36 were arrested, and the meat was seized.

That is sadly wasted meat... it will probably be stuck in a freezer as evidence for months and perhaps destroyed afterwards? 

So yes -- Hongkongers are not constantly eating beef all day. The same could be said about seafood, with highly prized fish, shark's fin, abalone, sea cucumber and so on are probably smuggled north as well!

Hong Kong's Shrinking Primary Schools

There are fewer Primary One students in Hong Kong this year

School has started in Hong Kong with a lot fewer students.

The latest statistic? Seventy -- 70 -- Primary One classes in 66 schools were scrapped for this academic year. Ten of the 70 schools either only had a single Primary One class or none at all.

The numbers were from data compiled from 453 public and government-aided primary schools and shows the number of families who have left permanently, as well as the birth rate continuing to decline. In 2022 it dropped to 32,500, though it rose slightly the following year to 33,200.

Most of this year's Primary One students were born in 2018, when 53,700 were born, but 40,293 have signed up for public school.

"The shrinking student population is still a serious problem for the sector and the number of pupils enrolled in Primary One in the coming years will continue to fall," said Chu Kwok-keung, a school principal and lawmaker representing the education sector.

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin doesn't deny it, saying that three to four primary and secondary schools would close in the next five years, and she expected the student population to continue to fall.

Teachers could become endangered species in Hong Kong...

This Time Sing with Emotion

Students must sing the national anthem "with emotion"

Students in Hong Kong started school today, and they were instructed to sing the national anthem "with emotion" during the flag-raising ceremonies.

"On some occasions, we call it 'playing the national anthem'. On others, we call it 'playing and singing the national anthem," Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said during a radio show.

Choi says students should not sing in a low voice

"Sometimes, students may be unaware of the occasion. Students sing in a low voice and are unsure whether they should sing it or not. After a reminder, everyone knows they should sing the national anthem solemnly and with emotion during the ceremony."

Back in June, the Education Bureau complained students in two schools of singing March of the Volunteers too softly, and told teachers at another institution to help pupils develop the habit of singing the song with confidence.

Thank you for the gentle reminder, but perhaps Choi could set a good example and sing March of the Volunteers "with emotion" for us so that students know what standard the Education Bureau is expecting?

Taste of Hong Kong at Cha Kee

Pineapple bun with iced milk tea from Cha Kee

Many people recommended I check out a cha chaan teng called Cha Kee in Richmond, so I finally did -- twice.

Opened in December 2022, it's tucked away in the corner of the first floor of a shopping mall called President Plaza, across from Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. 

Buttery scrambled egg sandwich

It seems just about everyone sitting in the food court are eating dishes like scrambled eggs with white bread toast, satay beef with instant noodles, and sipping cups of milk tea.

Other dishes include pork chop rice noodle, French toast, BBQ pork spaghetti, Hong Kong style Swiss sauce chicken wings, and curry fish balls. 

The first time I went, I had just eaten breakfast so I tried an iced milk tea and the pineapple bun. Each person gets a circular vibrating pager, even me with a simple order.

My pineapple bun arrived warm with a tall glass of iced milk tea. The pineapple bun was fluffy, with a crumbly cookie top, and was delicious, washed down with a very caffeinated milk tea. I was buzzing for pretty much the rest of the day.

I went again the other day with a friend where we were able to try more items. She had a bowl of macaroni with uneven slices of pork liver, which came with a side of scrambled eggs and white toast that she washed down with a cup of hot milk tea.

She invited me to have a few bites of the pork liver and I heartily tried some. Liver is an acquired taste and here it wasn't seasoned, but just kind of boiled in the thinly-laced chicken soup with a lot of macaroni. 

Meanwhile another friend had recommended the scrambled egg sandwich and I did not come away disappointed. In between two slices of toasted white bread slathered with a generous amount of butter was a big portion of scrambled eggs that were pillowy soft.

Slices of liver in macaroni soup

I can easily see how biting into this sandwich is the edible version of a big hug for people missing Hong Kong diner food in Vancouver.  

After finishing the scrambled egg sandwich I was actually quite full, even though I only had a small cup of iced milk tea. Food courts are where cheap and cheerful food is at!

Cha Kee

8181 Cambie Road

Richmond