One Poem
by R. T. Smith
Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
On the north fork of the Cowpasture
twenty inches of devil dog swam
in wick... Read More...
Letter to America
by Steven + Sophie Church
Letter to the Future President
Dear America,
On the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in Fresno, California we took our eight-year-... Read More...
Hong Kong through the Looking Glass:
Singapore vs. Hong Kong, Water
by Dante Archangeli
By Dante Archangeli Hong Kong and Singapore are both world-class "city states". And they are competitors. At least Hong Kong thinks they are. I don't know if Singapore feels the same way. Regardless of Singapore's and Hong Kong's sentiments towards each other, it's interesting to look at how the two compare based on sustainability standards. But first, how do they stack up on measures more people care about?
Hong Kong through the Looking Glass:
Is the Ocean Safe + Clean?
by Dante Archangeli
By Dante Archangeli "Chinese people don't care about dirty water," Sam, my barber, asserted. We'd been discussing Hong Kong beaches and commiserating about how something that appears so beautiful from a distance can be so unpleasant up close. But Sam's declaration threw me for a loop. Just a minute before she'd told me about the beaches she wouldn't swim at because of the trash in the water and on the sand. "Ummm, but aren't you Chinese?" I asked. I knew that she'd grown up in Hong Kong, but my ability to differentiate Hong Kong Chinese from other Asian ethnicities isn't anywhere near as good as a native's. "Oh yes I'm Chinese" she confirmed with pride. "But I don't like to go swimming in dirty water. Other Chinese people don't care. They just go in." I suspect that nobody really likes swimming in dirty water and I hope the Hong Kong government cares. But it may have a narrow definition of dirty.
Hong King through the Looking Glass:
Is it Safe to Drink the Water? Part 2
by Dante Archangeli
By Dante Archangeli ". . . our investigations have found issues that are absolutely inconsistent with our internal requirements . . ." July 28, 2014, OSI Group statement concerning tainted meat produced at its Chinese subsidiary, Shanghai Husi, and sold to McDonald's The good news is that I've not eaten at a Hong Kong McDonald's and, not surprisingly, since an earlier post about Hong Kong's tap water safety I've not suffered any apparent ill effects from continuing to drink water straight from the faucet. The bad news is that although I've run across a few more fountains here, they are still few and far between and bottled water use seems as pervasive as ever.
Hong Kong through the Looking Glass:
Is it Safe to Drink the Water? Part 1
by Dante Archangeli
By Dante Archangeli Public drinking fountains on the University of Hong Kong main campus are almost impossible to find. Around the new LEED Platinum Certified Run Run Shaw Tower I've only discovered one after five months of looking. It's hidden under an escalator and looks lonely and like an afterthought. But beverage vending machines are all over campus and much more visible.
