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Monday, April 8, 2013

Photos of the Homeless in HK 本港露宿者相片

Photos of the Homeless in HK 本港露宿者相片 from: http://www.soco.org.hk/artwalk2013/


"For protection of my own safety, I would believe in anything" Ah Lun has many nicknames - "drunkard", "foolish Lun", "Grosvenor momordica fruit", because he loved drinking very much and there was always with him a bottle of brown wine with Grosvenor momordica fruit. Drinking too much led him to a dreamy state. He always giggled when he talked. Why drinking all the time? It was because "if I don't drink, I would remember the old days and cannot fall asleep." `「為保自己平安，我乜都信」` `阿倫有很多外號，「醉貓」、「傻倫」、「羅漢果」，皆因他酷愛飲酒，身旁總有一支咖啡色的羅漢果酒。酒飲多了就如在夢中，說話臉帶傻笑。為何酒不離手？因為「唔飲酒就會想當年，就會睡唔著」。`

Naked Friendship Choosing to have the starry sky as their roof, and cold concrete ground as their bed, most street sleepers are naturally solitary and do not like to socialize with others. However, 65- year-old Ah Choi was all smiles as he talked to you, "I have a good friend called Hoi Gor." Hoi Gor is Ah Choi 's "neighbour", both of them sleeping in Sham Shui Po. The brothers are inseparable - often sharing food out of the same meal box, and taking turns to smoke the same cigarette. `赤裸友情` `選擇以星空為瓦，冷冰冰石屎地為床，露宿者大多性格孤僻，不大愛與人交往，但６５歲的阿財卻笑盈盈跟你談起，「我有個好朋友叫海哥。」海哥是阿財的「鄰居」，兩人同於深水露宿。這對露宿兄弟，形影不離，常常一個飯盒兩人分，一支煙仔輪流食。`
"Renting a cubicle? What happened to my cats and dogs?" There were few female street sleepers. Ah Mui was one of the few. Ah Mui was separated with her husband. Though she still had a daughter, elder brother, younger sister and mother, this 59-year-old lady did not get along well with them and slept under the flyover by herself. But it was not that she could not afford to pay several thousand dollars to rent a mosquito-size cubicle. In the housing shortage throughout Hong Kong, no landlord would rent a cubicle to a single woman with a dog and three cats. As she loves cats and dogs, she simply slept in the street. A place of 100 to 200 square feet, she lived with four pets leisurely and carefree. `「租房住？我的貓狗怎麼辦？」` `女露宿者很少，阿妹是少數之一。何妹跟丈夫分開了，雖然有女兒有兄妹有母親，但關係不和，59歲的她獨個兒睡在天橋底。數千元的蚊型房租金原來不是付不起，但在全港樓荒下，沒業主願租給有一狗三貓之單身女子，為了愛貓狗，她索性到街上睡，一家五口佔用了百多二百呎，樂得自由自在無人管。`

"I wish to learn to grow up by myself" Ah Ho, Ken, Dick, and Ah Wing (from left to right) had all slept in the street before. Later, referred by social workers, they moved into this free short-term "Street Sleepers' Shelter". The hostel was provided by a charitable organization. There were eight to twelve bedspaces in a large room. Though it was just a temporary home, Ah Ho elaborately decorated his single bedspace. He purposely put a mirror beside the bed. Every morning, he "combed his hair neatly" before going to work. `「我想學會自己長大」` `阿豪、Ken、Dick、阿榮（從左到右）都曾經在街頭露宿，後經社工轉介，入住短期免費宿舍「露宿者之家」。這家宿舍由慈善團體提供，一間大房裏共有八至十二個床位。雖然不過是個臨時的家，阿豪卻很用心布置自己的單人床位。他特意在床邊掛了塊鏡子，每早上班前都要先「梳靚個頭」。`

Sleeping with the light on It was 11pm. At the Hong Kong Cultural Center in Tsim Sha Tsui, the sky was still bright with light everywhere. The light pollution here was the worst in Hong Kong. It was difficult to tell whether it was day or night. The performances inside the Centre had finished and the door was closed. Street-sleepers walked one by one to what they called "the grand hotel" and made preparation. Among them was a regular visitor Tak Ming - strong build, 6 feet tall and 40 odd years in age, the prime years of life. `與光同眠` `晚上11時，尖沙咀香港文化中心漫天仍是光澄澄，這裏光污染冠全港，總叫人分不清是日是夜。場內所有表演活動完畢，關上門，露宿者陸續步至他們口中的「大酒店」準備，當中包括身材健碩有六呎高、正值四十多歲壯年的常客德明。`

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Apple apologizes to China

Apple apologizes to China

(IANS) / 2 April 2013

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook has bowed to pressure from Chinese consumers who demanded an apology over the company's warranty policies in China.
Saying the company is sorry for any "concern or misunderstanding" in the country.

"We are aware that due to insufficient communication, the public holds the idea that Apple is arrogant, disregards or pays little attention to the feedback of consumers," read a Chinese statement to consumers signed by Cook and posted on Apple China's website, reported Xinhua.

"Therefore, we want to express our sincere apology for any concern or misunderstanding arising from the process," said the statement.

A man smokes near the logo of Apple in Shanghai, China on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. - AP
An English-version of the statement is not immediately available on Apple's website.

Cook said over the past two weeks, Apple has received feedback concerning its warranty policies in China and the company has "reflected" over such opinions.

"We have always respected China and Chinese consumers have always been our priority among priorities," Cook noted in the statement, saying Apple has studied the warranty policies in China with authorities, examined the way it communicated over warranty and reviewed the management standards of Apple authorized service providers.

Cook's apology comes after the China Consumer's Association (CCA) asked Apple to "sincerely apologize" to Chinese consumers and "thoroughly correct its problems", after the US firm took little action to address waves of criticism started by the national broadcaster China Central Television.

CCTV accused Apple of offering discriminatory after-sales services in China in a special TV program to mark the International Day for Protecting Consumers' Rights March 15.

However, Apple insisted in the statement that "nearly 90 percent of consumers are satisfied with our warranty policies".

In the statement, Apple said the company is making four major adjustments to improve its after-sales services for Chinese consumers, including improving its warranty for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, enhancing supervision over and training for authorized service providers.

"Apple is making greater efforts to ensure Apple Authorized Service Providers follow our policies and offer high quality services to consumers," Cook said in the statement.

Apple was told earlier by the CCA to equalize the warranty periods in China with other countries. The association argued Chinese buyers of iPads, after the company admitted the device is classifiable as a portable computer, are entitled to two-year after-sale service packages for its key components.

Apple should inform consumers if refurbished parts are used when repairing broken devices, and repair costs should be counted accordingly, the CCA said.

Complaints about after-sale service account for 25.6 percent of the total 2,170 complaints the association has received about Apple products, seven percentage points higher than the average data for the home appliance sector, according to the CCA.

Data from iiMedia Research Group showed Apple has only 7.7 percent of China's smartphone market, behind 22.5 percent of Samsung, 10.7 percent of Lenovo and three other domestic brands.

Smartphone sales hit 169 million in China last year, according to iiMedia Research.