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Hong Kong youth suicide on the rise since school began, NGO warns

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The number of young Hongkongers taking their own lives has seen an "obvious increase" since school began in September, a NGO has warned.

The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (SBHK), an organisation specialising in suicide prevention, said on Friday that 17 youths had died by suicide between July and October according to local media reports. A further five had attempted suicide.

In September and this month alone, 14 youths had attempted suicide, according to the organisation's calculation.

"It's a worrying situation," Clarence Tsang, executive director of SBHK, said in Cantonese during a press conference to announce their findings.

Academic problems, relationship and family issues were prime reasons behind youth suicide, Tsang said, but he noted that teenagers faced a number of different stressors.

Among the 22 attempted suicides, 18 - or 82 per cent - chose to jump from height, Tsang said, adding that it was an alarming rate. That was the cause of death in around 50 per cent of all suicide cases.

"Jumping is a resolute method. It means they do not want to be saved," he said.

The organisation's Suicide Crisis Intervention Centre, which handles people with a mid to high suicide risk, had received calls from 51 youngsters seeking help between July and this month. The youngest was an eight year old troubled by a family issue, Tsang said.

Wai Choi-kei, who is in charge of the centre, added 32 of those calls had been received between September and this month - up 33 per cent from the same period last year. ChatPoint, an online chat service, had also seen a 52 per cent increase in adolescents reaching out.

The rise could be attributed to the city's return to normalcy after years of stringent Covid-19 mandates and an unreasonable level of academic pressure in some schools, the pair said.

Students became accustomed to online learning during the pandemic, Wai told HKFP in Cantonese. "It was a major adjustment to resume face-to-face schooling... especially for those who also have to adapt [from primary] to secondary schools."

Some schools and parents were determined to make up for "lost progress" during the pandemic as well, Wai added, referring to some cases of teenagers who told SBHK they felt overwhelmed by after-school tutorial classes.

"Young people already have less command over their lives... If their days are solely occupied by learning, their sense of powerlessness grows," Tsang said.

The pair advised both schools and parents to take heed of adolescents' needs, alleviate academic pressure, and not shy away from addressing their emotional and mental health needs. If they thought a youngster was experiencing suicidal ideation, they should actively seek professional intervention, Tsang and Wai said.

Rising suicide rate for youth

While Tsang on Friday cautioned about drawing a conclusion that youth suicide was on the rise before the coroner's court published its annual numbers, there has been an upward trend in youth suicide over the past decade.

According to the annual Coroner's Report, which summarises the yearly statistics of death in the city, 39 Hongkongers aged 19 or under died by suicide last year, up from 15 in 2013.

According to the statistics published by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, the suicide rate for the 15 to 24 age group also rose, with 12.2 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 10.4 deaths in 2017 and 6.1 in 2014.

Tsang said it was worrying that a non-trivial proportion of suicidal youth also suffered from mental health issues. Among the 22 cases of attempted suicide counted by SBHK, four had a history of mental health issues.

A new hotline 2389 2227 which caters specifically youth experiencing suicidal ideation, was opened on Friday, Tsang said.
See also: HKFP's comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong

💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the Social Welfare Department 2343 2255. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. HKFP's comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong youth suicide on the rise since school began, NGO warns

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The number of young Hongkongers taking their own lives has seen an "obvious increase" since school began in September, a NGO has warned. The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong (SBHK), an o...

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How Celebrities Influence Teens and Why it Matters | Newport Academy

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Popular culture: The influence of celebrities 

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Popular culture: The influence of celebrities 

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For better or worse, celebrities have a powerful impact on how teens view themselves and how they see the world. In fact, it's easy to underestimate how much celebrities influence teenage attitudes and behavior.

Celebrities can have a positive influence on youth. In fact, they can serve as role models. But famous people, whether they're singers, actors, and other celebrities, can also provide unhealthy examples. In particular, celebrity influence on body image and substance use is often detrimental to teen mental state. This has led to an unprecedented need for adolescent mental health treatment across the country.

Teenagers need guidance on how to interpret celebrities' influence. Adults can engage with kids around media. In addition, they, therefore, support how children process what they're seeing and hearing. Moreover, parents and teachers can use celebrities' stories as entry points into important discussions about health and personal choices.

The Impact of Media on Teen Body Image

Research shows that teen body image is shaped by many factors. These include friends and family, where the teen lives, and their cultural background. However, celebrity images have a profound impact on teen body image.

The Today Show and aol.com collaborated on the "Ideal to Real" body image survey. As a result, the survey found that 80 percent of teen girls compare themselves to images they see of celebrities. Moreover, among those girls, almost half said that celebrity images make them feel dissatisfied with the way they look.

Therefore, appearance is among teenagers' top concerns, teen girls in particular. In her book Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, author Lisa Bloom reveals that 25 percent of young adult women in the US would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize.

How Celebrities Influence Teen Eating Disorders

Why does celebrity influence on teen body image matter? Because body dissatisfaction is linked to mental health challenges, including eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Studies find that young women who consume media with many images of an unrealistic "thin ideal" are more likely to exhibit symptoms of disordered eating. In addition, the Girl Scouts Research Institute found that nearly half of girls ages 13 to 17 wish they were as skinny as the models in fashion magazines.

Celebrity influencers play into this trend when they document their extreme diets or use language that can be triggering for those with eating disorders-such as when the entertainer Kim Kardashian recently expressed gratitude for being told she "looks anorexic." News outlets covered a conversation between the Kardashians and the backlash it spawned. When celebrities minimize the severity of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, or endorse taking unhealthy products to suppress appetite, they are emulating dysfunction.

Furthermore, for celebrities that are as exploited for their physical bodies as often as the Kardashian family is, they are shirking an opportunity to reframe the narrative around healthy weight. Hence, teens are told that looking skinny defines your worth. This messaging is superficial, heartbreaking for many, and can be deadly for those who suffer with life-threatening eating disorders.

And it's not just teen girls who are affected. Research shows that young men also experience body dissatisfaction and depression as a result of viewing media images. And this body dissatisfaction can lead to unhealthy, excessive exercising among male teens.

Positive Celebrity Influence on Teen Body Image

However, some celebrities influence the body-image discussion for the better. For example, the singer Lorde called out a Photoshopped image of herself on Twitter. She noted that one photo showed her with "perfect" skin while the other was real. "Remember, flaws are ok," she tweeted.

Other celebrities, including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Melissa McCarthy, and Jennifer Lawrence have spoken out against the ideals of beauty promoted by the entertainment and fashion industries.

"You shouldn't be pressured into trying to be thin by the fashion industry, because they only want models that are like human mannequins. You have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. It's not realistic and it's not healthy."

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Celebrities Can Raise Awareness and Reduce Stigma

Many celebrities are open about their struggles with addiction and mental health. As a result, they help to reduce stigma and raise awareness. For example, before reportedly entering rehab after an apparent drug overdose earlier this summer, Demi Lovato released a song about relapse, titled "Sober." Consequently, the song inspired young people nationwide to open up about their substance abuse and mental health challenges.

Lovato has struggled for years with drug abuse, alcoholism, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. While her recovery continues, her song helped increase understanding around relapse and addiction. For many people, relapse is part of the recovery journey. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to address the underlying issues and build better coping strategies.

In addition, pop star singer Ariana Grande has been frank about her battle with PTSD and anxiety following a bombing at a concert venue while she was performing. Moreover, the model Bella Hadid has shared about her social anxiety. And England's Prince Harry has spoken publicly about the trauma of losing his mother, Princess Diana. Subsequently, he and Prince William formed the Heads Together initiative. The project tackles stigma, raises awareness, and provides help for people with mental health challenges.

These are just a few of the many celebrities who have shared their struggles with the world. As a result, celebrities influence the public's understanding of these issues.

How to Talk to Teens About Celebrity Influence

How does media influence teens? Because pop culture plays such a big role in teens' lives, celebrities influence the way teens think and what they talk about. Therefore, parents can use celebrities' experiences as avenues for talking about sensitive subjects.

Thus, celebrity anorexia cases offer opportunities to talk to teens about how dangerous the "thin ideal" can be. And they can discuss healthy ways to stay fit and eat well. Moreover, stars who speak out about coping with mental illnesses demonstrate that people with such diagnoses can be successful and happy.

Parents might ask teens what they admire about the stars they follow. What qualities do they want to emulate? Perhaps creativity, passion, or dedication? What can they learn from the lives of celebrities who have struggled with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or substance use?

Some teens are upset when they find out about a celebrity's struggles. Therefore, parents can offer a different viewpoint: Stars who share their stories are examples of courage, honesty, and authenticity. Moreover, their vulnerability makes them stronger. And they often receive tremendous support and love after opening up. In this way, they serve as role models for youth.

However, some celebrities are unable to overcome mental health conditions. The deaths this year of designer Kate Spade and television personality Anthony Bourdain brought renewed attention to mental illness and suicide. Therefore, the message for teens is that people who are suffering must seek professional treatment as soon as possible.

In conclusion, celebrities are really people. Thus, they experience real struggles. But because they are in the public eye, teens have the opportunity to learn from them. And parents can help them sort through the information and take away a healthy message.

Key Takeaways

Celebrities have a powerful impact on how teens view themselves and how they see the world.

A survey found that 80 percent of teen girls compare themselves to images they see of celebrities. Almost half of those reported that celebrity images make them feel dissatisfied with the way they look.

Growing numbers of celebrities are speaking out against the ideals of beauty promoted by the entertainment and fashion industries. Many celebrities are open about their struggles with addiction and mental health. As a result, they help to reduce stigma and raise awareness.

Celebrities are real people with real struggles. Teens can learn from their experiences, including when and how to seek help.

Frequently Asked Questions About Celebrity Influence

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Pediatrics. 2009 Jul; 124(1): 135-143.
Addiction. 2010 Mar; 105(3): 515-523.
Addiction. 2012 Mar;107(3):557-66.

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How Celebrities Influence Teens and Why it Matters | Newport Academy

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Celebrities influence teenage attitudes and behavior. Specifically, celebrity influence on body image and substance can be harmful to teen mental health.

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Consumers and businesses in Hong Kong are taking a stand against excessive food packaging By Sarah Poon
More than 290 organisations, including some of the world's biggest packaging producers and leading consumer brands such as Coke, Pepsi, Nestle and Kellogg plus retailers and recyclers, governments and NGOs, signed a pledge in late October to cut plastic waste from their operations.

The pledge - the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment - was launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on October 29 this year. Participating organisations promised to eliminate single-use and unnecessary plastic and to recycle packaging, with targets to be reviewed and updates on their progress to be posted regularly to drive momentum.

In a move that shares the spirit of the new global pledge, civil society and private businesses in Hong Kong are campaigning for the "naked shopping" concept, where consumers choose to buy products that are not packaged. Patsy Cheng Man-wah, director of the SEE Network, a pioneer of the shop naked campaign, says the concept stems from the BYOB (bring your own bag) movement.

The goal of the campaign, says Cheng, is to arouse public awareness. "Everyone has a chance to be a consumer. But not everyone has a chance to participate in the decision making of government policies. Not everyone joins protests but everyone buys things every single day. And if you shop every day, can you be a bit more eco-friendly? The concept should help everyone to stop and think - am I willing to change?"

To promote the concept, they set up a community group on Facebook for people to share their experiences of naked shopping. They also collaborated with sixteen local businesses in the Central and Western District in hosting a "Shop Naked Day" last year, where a diverse range of unpackaged and handmade products were sold. Residents were invited to bring their own containers to the stalls and get their first taste of naked shopping.

Despite the positive reaction, Cheng says it is hard to sustain the momentum, and the ultimate solution requires a structural change of the existing waste-treatment system by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. "I don't think there is a lack of promotion [on this issue from the government]," says Cheng, "There are not enough substantial policies and measures. The government should take this problem more seriously."

In the " Hong Kong Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources 2013 - 2022 " published by the Environment Bureau, the government listed "fill missing gaps in Hong Kong's waste-related infrastructure" as one of the policy directions. Whether or not packaging materials will be listed under Producer Responsibility Schemes, where manufacturers have to share the responsibility of recycling and disposing of their products, is still under review. So far, plastic shopping bags, waste electrical and electronic equipment and glass beverage containers have been included under the scheme.

The absence of government policy support, however, does not discourage private businesses and consumers in Hong Kong from taking action against excessive food packaging. A handful of grocery stores have sprouted up around the city with this very aim.
One such store is Seed, a modern eco-friendly grocery store in Sai Kung. Belle Chak Yuen-chi, one of the four co-founders of Seed, says their name stands for "Saving the Earth Every Day".

Opened in June this year, the shop offers a great variety of food products, ranging from parched fruits to jasmine rice and almond milk. Dried food items are stored in large glass bins and customers are encouraged to bring their own containers when they shop.
Customers can pick used plastic boxes and glass bottles donated by nearby residents if they forget to bring their own or if they are new to the concept of shopping naked. Consumers are charged HK$2 to HK$5 for each container, Chak says, to remind them of the value of these used bags and containers. "We want everyone to realise that a small step can help a lot," she adds.

Chak believes everyone should shoulder the responsibility for the excessive amount of food packaging waste. People are too used to the convenience of purchasing packaged goods in supermarkets, even though such packaging is often excessive. "If 100 or 1,000 people stop going to supermarkets due to the packaging...if everyone has this awareness and steps back, then supermarkets and other manufacturers will be more aware of the issue," she says.

She thinks people nowadays are pushing hygienic requirements to an extreme. For instance, restaurants in the past had sugar stored in a tin and toothpicks kept in a holder, but everything is individually packaged now.

Hygiene concerns sometimes make it difficult for consumers to buy unpackaged goods in some shops even when they are well-prepared with their own bags or containers. Carol Ho Kit-yee, a customer of Seed, who has been a devotee of naked shopping for a year, recalls an unpleasant experience of buying tea. She says a chain beverage brand in Causeway Bay once rejected her request of filling her own water bottle with green tea citing operational and hygiene concerns.

The incident shows that despite her good will, her environmentally friendly shopping habit is not welcomed in some places. Ho believes this has greatly undermined her right to select what suits her best. "I think participating in naked shopping is my right and my choice, just like I can choose whether to use plastic bags or not, and I am not forced to use it," she explains. Ho adds shopping naked saves people the hassle of recycling because they can avoid producing waste by buying unpackaged products in the first place.

Another environmentally friendly shop which shares Ho's social mission is Edgar, a bulk grocery store chain that specialises in organic food.

Raphaël De Ry, the founder of Edgar, was a food distributor before he became a shop owner himself. His solution to the problem of food packaging is buying in bulk, which he says allows both him and his consumers to "win all along the chain". By working with manufacturers who use minimal packaging, the items he ships take up less space in shipping containers and that in turn helps reduce the carbon footprint produced during the shipping process. Purchasing products in great quantities, such as using ten-kilo bags as opposed to five-kilo bags, helps cut down the use of packaging materials. Customers who bring along their own containers and bags also eliminate the use of plastic packaging for their purchases.

His store, like Seed, also features a stunning array of glass containers labelled with product descriptions. De Ry points out that customers often rely on packaging to decide whether to make a purchase or not and they might feel uneasy if they cannot read the food information. "The packaging is something that is very reassuring ... it gives like a sense of confidence in the purchase," he says.

Though the unpackaged movement is picking up, De Ry says he still encounters setbacks in searching for zero-waste products. He recalls he once sourced some metal straws only to discover that they were each wrapped in plastic and enclosed in a ziplock bag.

In his Wan Chai store, De Ry says up to 40 per cent of customers bring their own containers and 20 per cent do the same in his Tsim Sha Tsui branch. He feels optimistic about the possibility of making a change, and he thinks the Hong Kong government should do more. "I think people are taking the lead. They understand that the government will not do anything so they have to do it by themselves," De Ry says.
Edited by Catherine Chiang

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To combat excessive food packaging, the concept of "shopping naked" is gaining popularity in Hong Kong, as more consumers and specialised grocery stores take part in the initiative in a bid to protect the environment.

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Hong Kong school heads set to embrace AI in the classroom

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Hong Kong school principals said they felt more ready to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) as a learning aid in the classroom despite initial doubts following a forum discussion over how the new technology could reshape the education sector.

The annual Principals' Forum, hosted by The South China Morning Post (SCMP), was attended by over 200 school principals and educators on Tuesday. It aimed to facilitate a dialogue on the use of AI in education and introduced AI's practical uses in other sectors, including healthcare, textiles and the film industry.

Several principals explained that their schools had not yet adopted AI and admitted they had been hesitant about its implementation in the classroom.
Education chief asks teachers to be cautious when bringing AI in classrooms
YMCA of HK Christian College principal Diana Lo said: "I think there are a lot of questions. There were some uncertainties, and I'm not sure what AI [could] bring to the field of education."

In some cases, uncertainty ballooned into fear or mistrust, as described by Francis Kwan, principal of Ying Wa Girls' School. He worried that students would abuse AI tools like ChatGPT to take shortcuts on assignments.

"As principal, many people say that teachers need to be aware if students are handing in their assignments with ChatGPT and [students would have to] show that they did it on their own," he explained.

Throughout the forum, the esteemed keynote speakers and panellists addressed these inherent issues, including the potential for plagiarism, a decline in critical thinking skills and concerns about AI bias. Shirla Sum, principal of Victoria Shanghai Academy, said it is critical to teach students how to use AI software appropriately because "AI is not going away".

"There was a lot of discussion on academic dishonesty [during the forum]," she said. "At the end of the day, we want students to be ethical global citizens in the real world and also the virtual world. As educators, we must guide them along this journey ... [because] we want them to be able to make these judgments on a daily basis."

While the principals acknowledged the drawbacks, each admitted that the conversations within the Principals' Forum opened their eyes to the future of AI in schools and the workplace. For instance, Kwan said he realised that using AI at his school would set up students to thrive in their careers.
YouTubers will have to disclose use of gen AI or risk suspension
"I am very impressed because the SCMP invited a lot of people outside the education sector so we could learn [that] we need to embrace AI because it's used in healthcare, the textile industry, and the film industry," he said.

"As a principal, I changed my mind because I don't just look at it as students handing in their writing assignments [using ChatGPT]; it's preparing students for the future in different aspects of society."

While the principals are more receptive to AI at school, Lo recognised it's not simply an act of installing software. Rather, staff and teachers would need instruction on how to use AI in the classroom, and there would need to be a discussion on ethical practices. Her concerns stemmed from the logistics of undertaking this time-consuming endeavour.

"As some of the speakers shared, teachers may not understand what AI is and how it can help them in teaching and learning," she explained. "One of the challenges is finding time in the routine of teaching, learning, and catching up with the syllabus. [We need to figure out] how the school can create time for teachers to learn new things."

Lo pointed out that the topic of AI use at a given school is a nuanced issue that requires thoughtful consideration. Still, she felt more open to the idea.

But, as each of the three principals acknowledged, the Principals' Forum inspired them to look into adopting AI for their schools because, despite the various roadblocks and challenges, the technology is here to stay.

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Hong Kong school heads set to embrace AI in the classroom

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Annual Principals' Forum, hosted by The South China Morning Post, was attended by over 200 school principals and educators.

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Popular Culture: Can lab meat replace traditional meat?

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Popular Culture: Can lab meat replace traditional meat?

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For: Lab-grown meat is the greener future
Angela Au-yeung, 14, ELCHK Lutheran Academy
When we think about replacing traditional livestock as a source of meat and protein, we can relate it to the old saying, "When one door closes, another one opens".

In this case, with billions of animals slaughtered each year, are we willing to continue down this inhumane path? To debate whether cultured meat should fully replace animal-farmed meat, we need to recognise that the shared future of the Earth must be a priority.

If humanity switched to cultured meat, health would improve on a global scale, since cultured meat is produced in a sterile lab environment with strict controls.

This differs from farmed meat, which can be exposed to foodborne pathogens originating from livestock. People would not have to worry about consuming harmful hormones or antibiotics while eating meat, as studies show that farmed meat consumption has links to cancer, food poisoning and many other diseases.

Imagine this: a world without polluted air, greenhouse gas emissions, and a variety of biodiversity everywhere you go. This could be our future, as recent reports show that we could reduce the impact of global warming by using cultured meat instead of livestock. Transitioning from raising cattle in a field to cell-based methods can build a global food system with radically lower emissions.

It takes years and a lot of effort to raise a single cow, and humans finish their meat in just a few bites; we barely pay any attention to the animal that gave its life for the meal. Why not just shift to a better alternative that is right in front of us?

This new type of indoor agriculture would not only guarantee stable meat production, but could also make meat more accessible for everyone, especially in less developed countries, as it has the potential to undercut the price of more conventional options.

In conclusion, it would be beneficial for our health and the planet to fully replace traditional farmed meat and instead build up the cultured meat industry.

Let's close the door to traditional meat production and bring our world closer through our shared love of food in a way that satisfies people's desires without compromising our values. It's definitely worth it.
The Lens: South Korea bans selling and consuming dog meat Charlotte Chan Cheuk-lam, 12, Diocesan Girls' Junior School
Lab-grown meat is a type of meat produced by culturing animal cells directly in a laboratory or a controlled environment. While the idea of meat that doesn't require the slaughter of animals may sound like a dream come true for some, I believe that completely replacing animal-farmed meat with lab-grown alternatives is not the correct answer.

First and foremost, safety is a big concern. There are no studies to show its impact over many decades, as it is a newly developed food. Let's look at the thalidomide scandal and birth defect crisis in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This drug was proven safe to use, but it caused more than 10,000 children to be born with a range of severe deformities, such as malformations of the arms and legs, as well as thousands of miscarriages. We should learn from history and use caution with this newly invented meat.
Combat climate change and reduce your carbon footprint by cutting down on beef
Additionally, the environmental impact of lab-grown meat is less clear-cut than some would like to believe. While it may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water usage, the energy-intensive process and chemical solutions used in creating lab-grown meat could be more harmful to the environment in the long run.

On the other hand, raising animals on pasture-based farms can actually have a positive impact on the land by improving soil health and sequestering carbon.

Moreover, the livestock industry is a vital source of income and employment for rural communities worldwide. Small-scale farmers and herders depend on livestock production as their primary means of subsistence.

The complete replacement of farm-born meat by lab-grown alternatives could jeopardise these livelihoods, leading to economic disparities and social unrest. It is crucial to consider the socio-economic implications of a radical shift towards lab-grown meat and explore alternative solutions that support rural communities and sustainable food systems.

While lab-grown meat may have benefits, completely replacing animal-farmed meat is not the answer. Instead of investing money and effort in lab-grown meat, we should dedicate resources to eliminating food scarcity across the globe.

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Face Off: Should lab-grown meat replace traditional animal farming?

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Each week, two readers debate a hot topic in a showdown that doesn't necessarily reflect their personal viewpoints.

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Can the government do something to help the whale?

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Opinion | Turn fury over Hong Kong whale death into action

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Hong Kong must do a better job of protecting its marine heritage, even if some species are infrequent visitors.

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The Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mak Chai-kwong, said today (November 8) that development and conservation of the environment and heritage are equally important, and striking a balance between them would be an essential element for sustainable development.

Officiating at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Mainland and Hong Kong Construction Industry Forum in Changsha, Hunan Province, Mr Mak said economic growth had raised people's aspiration for quality of life. The fact that they held different views in the direction of urban development was a reflection of their values which varied with their experiences with urbanisation.

He said, "Different places in different periods of time have varied needs in urban development. The strategy of sustainable development has to be in line with time and place. The forum is to give the experts of both sides the opportunity to exchange experiences and views on urban design, planning and development models in Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas, with a view to inspire new ideas on sustainable development."

The forum is jointly organised by the Development Bureau, the Ministry of Construction, and the Changsha Municipal People's Government. The forum this year, 11th since its inception, carries the theme "Sustainable Urban Form: Planning and Development". Officiating guests of the opening ceremony include the Vice-Minister of Construction, Qi Ji, and member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan CPC and the Vice-Governor of Hunan Provincial People's Government, Xu Xianping.

Mr Mak said, "In the past, many people thought that the rapid development in Hong Kong was a miracle, and they raised queries about the development process of Hong Kong. These questions could be summarised into three aspects, urban planning and construction, urban management and operation, and urban conservation and renewal."

He pointed out that, the planning and construction in Hong Kong were about land use, urban layout and the concept of urban development.

He noted that due to the scarcity of land in Hong Kong maximising the use of land resources was the characteristic of urban development. During the period of rapid economic growth, an effective, efficient and high-return mode of development had met the development needs of the time.

On urban management and operation, Mr Mak said the urban transportation in Hong Kong, especially public transportation, was a success. Over 90 per cent of the 12 million daily passenger trips are made on public transportation.

He said, "The urban layout which puts the residential area, commercial areas, financial area and tourist area all under a convenient transportation network, has proved to be a success."

Mr Mak also pointed out that Hong Kong had made a lot of efforts in urban conservation and renewal.

He said, "Environmental impact assessments conducted in Hong Kong help to control and minimise the adverse effect on the environment during the development process. The application of sustainable construction methods minimise construction waste, and maximise re-cycle and re-use of materials. Meanwhile, concerted efforts are made to enhance the quality of environment, such as greening and energy efficiency."

Quoting the Chief Executive's Policy Address this October, Mr Mak said the Chief Executive would insist on promoting economic development as our primary goal, would insist that our development be sustainable, balanced and diversified, and would insist that development bring about social harmony, with different strata of people sharing the fruits. Cultural life is a key component of a quality city life. A progressive city treasures its own culture and history along with a living experience unique to the city.

The above remarks has pointed out the direction of urban form of sustainable development, Mr Mak noted.

The Hong Kong delegation consists of 180 members, which is the largest since the implementation of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). There are also 120 participants from the Mainland.

After the forum the delegation will visit Changsha's infrastructure facilities on November 9. The Director of Architectural Services, Yue Chi-hang, will then lead 31 members of the Hong Kong delegation on a study mission to Zhuzhou and Zhangjiajie from November 9 to 11, where they will see the latest infrastructural and environmental protection developments. They will also explore opportunities for business co-operation in these areas between Hong Kong and the Mainland.

Ends/Thursday, November 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 21:10

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Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage - Press Releases - Balance between development and conservation is essential for sustainable development (127)

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The Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mak Chai-kwong, said today (November 8) that development and conservation of the environment and heritage are equally important, and striking a balance between them would be an essential element for sustainable development.

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Eating bugs can be the solution of food shortage

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Livin Farms is a start-up with a unique message, and an even more unique product. The Hong Kong-based company believes in promoting sustainable, locally sourced food. How? By encouraging people to grow and eat their own insects.

Founded in 2015, the company's first product was the Hive Home, an indoor insect farm which uses food waste to produce protein-rich, edible mealworms that in turn create little waste themselves.

With the Hive Home already available in 38 countries, the company is now launching the Hive Explorer, a compact, travel-size version of the product which can be used as an educatinal tool in schools or at home, to teach students about the importnace of sustainable farming.
Solving HK's landfill problem with mushroom power: how this non-profit upcycles organic waste into edible fungus
Speaking to , company founder Katharina Unger explained that "Hong Kong's food sources are very unsustainable; nothing can be grown here. So much waste is produced and it is all shipped to China." She added that most of us are very disconnected from our food; we don't know how it gets from the farm to our plates.

Mealworms, which naturally dwell in areas populated by humans, are full of nutritious proteins. One dried mealworm can make up as much as 50 per cent of your recommended daily protein intake.

Clayton Wong, a biochemist and head of operations at Livin Farms, explained why it really isn't a big deal to eat worms. " The general population, on average, eats up to 500 grams of insects per year," he said. "It gets into our bodies through food. There's an average of one larvae per glass of orange juice and hundreds of insect fragments in chocolate."
Meet the HKU graduate making vegan treats to promote a plant-based lifestyle
What's more, worms can be super tasty: salty and flaky, and with a satisfying crunch, the experience isn't dissimilar to eating a packet of crisps.

"People are usually initially very scared, but they try it, and then they're surprised," Unger explained. And if you're still feeling squeamish about the idea of biting into a bug, don't worry; Livin Farms also sells worms that have been roasted and crushed into a powder, making them much more palatable for newcomers.

Not only do the mealworms in Livin Farms' Hive products feed on ordinary food waste that would normally clog up our landfills, the company has ensured the products are also waste-free themsleves; even the dung produced by the insects can be composted and used as plant fertilizer. Requiring little water and energy to grow, the insects alos emit next to no carbon emissions.

Unger added that the Hive Explorer "is very robust and does not make too much sound", and its ventilation system keeps the beetles and worms at an ideal temperature and humidity level.
Grassroots Pantry's Peggy Chan dishes on how she founded one of HK's most successful vegetarian restaurants
Livin Farms is also dedicated to working with local communities to promote susatinable eating, from collaborating with local restaurants to providing educational packs along with its products to assist classroom learning.

Unger said she hopes to assist young people in "recycling food waste, and learning about how this relates to the world and how we can make it a better place."

If insects are the future of sustainable farming, then Livin Farms is already well ahead of the curve.

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Eating bugs: the solution to reducing food waste and promoting sustainable living in HK

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Livin Farms wants to educate young Hongkongers about the importance of finding healthy and sustainable food sources.

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Ants are sweet, nutty little insects, aren't they?

I'm not talking about their personalities, but how they taste. Stinkbugs have an apple flavor, and red agave worms are spicy. A bite of tree worm apparently brings pork rinds to mind.

This information will come in handy for those of us following the latest recommendation from the United Nations: Consume more insects.

A report released Monday by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reminds us that there are more than 1,900 edible insect species on Earth, hundreds of which are already part of the diet in many countries.

In fact, some two billion people eat a wide variety of insects regularly, both cooked and raw; only in Western countries does the practice retain an "ick" factor among the masses.

Why eat something that we usually swat away or battle with insecticides? For starters, many insects are packed with protein, fiber, good fats, and vital minerals-as much or more than many other food sources.

One example: mealworms, the larval form of a particular species of darkling beetle that lives in temperate regions worldwide. Mealworms provide protein, vitamins, and minerals on par with those found in fish and meat. Another healthful treat: small grasshoppers rank up there with lean ground beef in protein content, with less fat per gram. (Related video: Family learns how to cook and prepare mealworms.)

And raising and harvesting insects requires much less land than raising cows, pigs, and sheep. Insects convert food into protein much more efficiently than livestock do-meaning they need less food to produce more product. They also emit considerably fewer greenhouse gases than most livestock (think gassy cows).

Entomophagy, the consumption of insects as food, is also a safe and healthy way to help reduce pest insects without using insecticides. Plus, gathering and farming insects can offer new forms of employment and income, especially in developing tropical countries where a lot of "edibles" live.

That helps to explain why 36 African countries are "entomophagous," as are 23 in the Americas, 29 in Asia, and even 11 in Europe. With so many species swarming the globe it's difficult to parse out the specific ones most often eaten, so we'll go a little broader-to the top edible insect groups. According to my favorite cookbook, Creepy Crawly Cuisine by biologist Julieta Ramos-Elorduy, a leading proponent of the entomophagy movement, here are the eight critters most often ingested worldwide.

1. Beetles

The most commonly eaten beetles are the long-horned, june, dung, and rhinoceros varieties. These are munched by people living in the Amazon basin, parts of Africa, and other heavily forested regions, both tropical and temperate, as diverse species are easily found in trees, fallen logs, and on the forest floor. (Native Americans, I've heard, would roast them over coals and eat them like popcorn.) They are efficient at turning cellulose from trees (indigestible to humans) into digestible fat. Beetles also have more protein than most other insects.

2. Butterflies and Moths

They do more than look pretty fluttering across a meadow; these winged insects, during their larval and pupal stages, are succulent and full of protein and iron. They're very popular in African countries, and are an excellent supplement for children and pregnant women who may be deficient in these nutrients. In Central and South America, fat and fleshy agave worms, which live between the leaves of the agave plant and turn into butterflies, are highly sought after for food and as the famed worm dropped into mescal, a Mexican liquor. Cultivation of these worms could help protect them from overharvesting.

3. Bees and Wasps

We love bees for their honey, but they have more to give. Indigenous people in Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Mexico commonly eat these insects when they are in their immature stages. Stingless bees are most commonly munched, with wasps a distant second. Bee brood (bees still in egg, larval, or pupal form tucked away in hive cells) taste like peanuts or almonds. Wasps, some say, have a pine-nutty flavor.

4. Ants

You're probably thinking that it takes a lot of ants to make a meal. True. But they pack a punch: 100 grams of red ant (one of thousands of ant species) provide some 14 grams of protein (more than eggs), nearly 48 grams of calcium, and a nice hit of iron, among other nutrients. All that in less than 100 calories. Plus, they're low in carbs.

5. Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Locusts

Grasshoppers and their ilk are the most consumed type of insect, probably because they're simply all over the place and they're easy to catch. There are a lot of different kinds, and they're a great protein source. The hoppers have a neutral flavor, so they pick up other flavors nicely. Cricket curry, anyone? Meanwhile, locusts move in swarms that devastate vegetation in countries where people are already struggling to eat-one of several reasons to turn them into dinner. (See video: Family prepares a cricket stir-fy.)

6. Flies and Mosquitoes

Not as popular as some of the others, these insects-including edible termites and, yes, lice-still have a place at some tables. Flies that develop on various types of cheese take on the flavor of their host, and the species from water habitats may taste like duck or fish.

7. Water Boatmen and Backswimmers

Easy to cultivate and harvest, these cosmopolitan little guys deposit eggs on the stems of aquatic plants, in both freshwater and saltwater environments-even in stagnant water. The eggs can be dried and shaken from the plants to make Mexican caviar (tastes like shrimp), or eaten fresh for their fishy flavor.

8. Stinkbugs

If you can get past the funky smell, these insects apparently add an apple flavor to sauces and are a valuable source of iodine. They're also known to have anesthetic and analgesic properties. Who would have thought?

Share your insect-eating stories in the comments.

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U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try

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From beetles to butterflies and from ants to stinkbugs, people in dozens of countries regularly eat insects. Here are the most popular types of edible critters.

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How pandemic gives rise to decluttering - a way to cope with heightened global uncertainty. By Kelly Yu
Carmen Chan Ka-man, a 38-year-old photography assistant says the coronavirus outbreak was a turning point for her to rethink her lifestyle and start practising decluttering after she lost her job earlier this year.

"I don't even know where to start (decluttering). It gets to a point where I feel like my whole life is a mess," Chan says, adding that her room was cluttered with random items like receipts, accessories and small gifts, a lot of which were not even unwrapped.

She finally sought help in October from Orange Tam, a certified professional organiser providing home decluttering service in Hong Kong, after her repeated attempts to clean up her home had failed.

Tam helped Chan to remove clutter and categorise her belongings in storage boxes within a few hours, clearing out a personal space in her room where she can finally put her books and music albums. With Tam's help, Chan says she can now tell what item is important in her life and what is not. "It is a life-changing moment for me," she says.

Orange Tam provides home decluttering service in Hong Kong. (Photo courtesy of Orange Tam)

Organise Home to Organise Yourself
Tam created a Facebook page JuppUk (執屋) in 2016 to share decluttering tips and to offer organising service. The Facebook page has attracted more than 11,000 likes and followers as of November, 2020. It has gained about 1,000 followers during the pandemic.

Tam has seen a growing demand for decluttering service in Hong Kong due to the pandemic.

"People want to have a higher standard of living environment now as they need to work from home all day. Some clients request specifically to have their workstation cleared," Tam says.

As the only Hongkonger certified by the U.S.-based National Association of Productivity and Organising Professionals, Tam says she hopes to advocate decluttering in Hong Kong.

She describes decluttering in a city with excess consumerism as a vicious cycle.

"We work so hard, so we buy things to treat ourselves. We end up hoarding things at home and wake up the next morning to work hard again," Tam says. She advises clients to think twice before they buy.

"Space planning is important for optimising physical space. It helps create a clutter-free environment and boost productivity."

According to a survey conducted by Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organisation, Hong Kong topped the charts in unhealthy consumerist shopping habits in 2017. 53 per cent of 1,000 Hong Kong respondents are owning clothes that they had never worn.

Tam says decluttering is not merely about throwing everything away. "Space planning is important for optimising physical space. It helps create a clutter-free environment and boost productivity," she says.

She suggests beginners to start decluttering step by step. "Start from small corners in your house, or else it (the process) will be too overwhelming," she says.

Chan's room before decluttering. (Photo Courtesy of Carmen Chan)

Chan's room after decluttering. (Photo Courtesy of Carmen Chan)

Mental Decluttering and Minimalism

Tam thinks decluttering is not just for physical freedom, but also mental freedom."Decluttering is a journey of understanding yourself. It makes you understand more about your own needs," she says.

"As we are tidying our stuff, we are also reviewing our past. It is a process to settle our past feelings and relationships. We will find it easier to get rid of old habits and unpleasant experiences in the past," she adds.

"As we are tidying our stuff, we are also reviewing our past. "

Tam is not alone in her pursuit of decluttering. Erica Ip Ka-yee, a 28-year-old tax consultant, thinks living with less has helped her to focus on the essentials in her life.

Before practising mental decluttering, Ip found it difficult to let go of others' expectations. But now, she says she is able to commit more time to herself by journaling.

Ip set up a blog Minimalist HK in 2017 to promote a minimalist lifestyle among Hongkongers. Minimalism first emerged as an art movement in late 1960s in the United States, characterised by extreme simplicity in art-related spectrums. Today, it has become a lifestyle trend.

"Minimalism is about going back to yourself. Sometimes we are not aware that we try too hard to live up to others' expectations. It is always beneficial to get rid of the clutter in your mind and in your surroundings to focus on what's important," Ip says.

Ip says keeping a clear mind is important. "The root of minimalism comes from philosophy - keeping a curious mind and exploring within yourself. It goes back to what to focus in life and how to spread this vibe to people around you," she says.

Ip says the pandmic has forced us to go back to the basics as we have fewer travels and social gatherings.

"The root of minimalism comes from philosophy - keeping a curious mind and exploring within yourself."

Erica Ip set up a blog Minimalist HK to promote a minimalist lifestyle among Hongkongers. (Photo courtesy of Erica Ip)

Focus on What We Can Control
Carole Bradshaw, a U.K.-based Core Process Psychotherapist and one of the directors at Integrated Medicine Institute of Hong Kong, points out decluttering can also help deal with uncertainty during the pandemic.

"The pandemic has heightened uncertainty on a global level. Our environment further affects our health. When we are surrounded by clutter, this often triggers stress responses such as anxiety," she says.

She adds that decluttering helps to create structure and order which can reduce stress and anxiety amid the lockdown.

"Whilst we cannot control the wider effects of the pandemic, we can focus on what we can control in our environment. Clearing out our space, our homes, our desk, is one example of what we can control," she says.

"Living more simply is less stressful and less clutter supports clarity of mind," she says.

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How pandemic gives rise to decluttering - a way to cope with heightened global uncertainty. By Kelly Yu Carmen Chan Ka-man, a 38-year-old photography assistant says the coronavirus outbreak was a turning point for her to rethink her lifestyle and start practising decluttering after she lost her job earlier this year.

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Resolve Foundation I Empowering future community leaders for an inclusive Hong Kong

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Key Message

Racial discrimination exists in Hong Kong more than we might realize in our everyday lives. While we are an international city, we still lack equal opportunities for everyone. All Hong Kong residents, no matter their backgrounds, contribute to build a better city.

What if Hong Kong was truly inclusive, with all identity groups equally represented and valued? Let's embrace everyone as HongKongers and stop racial discrimination! What's stopping us?

主旨

香港的種族歧視情況，在我們日常生活中，其實比想像中更嚴重。即使香港是一個國際城市，但所有人仍然缺少平等機會。而事實上，每位香港居民，無論他們出身為何，都同樣致力建設香港成為一個更美好的城市。

香港需要真正的包容，讓不同族群身份的人，都擁有平等的價值和代表性！讓我們擁抱每一位香港人，停止種族歧視！還有甚麼可以阻止我們呢？

Trailer

Imagine feeling excluded or treated differently day after day? Racial discrimination exists in Hong Kong more than we realize...

Background

The Everyday Racism Campaign is a participatory audiovisual storytelling project drawn from the lived experiences of racial minority communities in Hong Kong.

The campaign includes seven short videos - each featuring the story of an ethnic minority man or woman having experienced everyday racism in Hong Kong and a panel discussion as a wrap up.

The overall goal of the project is for affected communities to raise awareness in the local majority population about racial discrimination experienced by racial minorities.

The project was taken place in the context of the HKSAR Government appearing before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD) in August 2018.

The campaign is the result of the final project of the inaugural cohort of Resolve's fellowship, which was focused on the theme of racial equality. The fellows were given technical and creative support by Rights Exposure, which was also producer of the videos.

"The overall goal of the project is for affected communities to raise awareness in the local majority population about racial discrimination experienced by racial minorities. "

From October 15 to November 6, 2018,
Resolve launched a social media campaign that garnered:

Event Highlight

On November 6, Resolve organized a public event to screen selected videos and host a panel discussion to conclude the online launch of the campaign. The event was a chance to talk about solutions on how to combat racism and negative stereotyping from community, education, legal and media perspectives. It was an opportunity to take stock of the online conversation and draw conclusions and suggestions for how to move forward towards a more inclusive city.

On the panel were: Zoher Abdoolcarim (moderator), former Asia Editor, TIME International; George Chen, Head of Public Policy, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Mongolia, Facebook; Phyllis Cheung, Executive Director at Hong Kong Unison; Raymond Ho, Senior Equal Opportunities Officer of the Ethnic Minorities Unit, Equal Opportunities Commission; Hilda Poon, Honorary Secretary, Hong Kong Journalists Association; and Yasir Naveed, MBA Graduate, Engineer and Social Entrepreneur. The event had around 120 attendees.

Share the videos

Share the stories of #EverydayRacism to amplify the voices of minorities for a more #inclusiveHK. You can engage in our online social media campaign by using these hashtags, resharing or telling your own story. Read how here in our social media toolkit.

Host the Screening

If you are interested to screen the videos at an event, at your school, office or in the community, get in touch with us at camille@resolvehk.org. The campaign can spark conversations on the prevalence and forms of everyday forms of discrimination.

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2018 Everyday Racism Campaign - Resolve Foundation I Empowering future community leaders for an inclusive Hong Kong

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Racial discrimination exists in Hong Kong more than we might realize in our everyday lives. While we are an international city, we still lack equal opportunities for everyone. All Hong Kong residents, no matter their backgrounds, contribute to build a better city. What if Hong Kong was truly inclusive, with all identity groups equally represented and valued?

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Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

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Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn’t make sense, but he’s never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window -- and encourages us to think harder about what we’re really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.

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South Korea mourns victims of Seoul’s Halloween crowd crush

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Plastic utensils ending up in the local rivers create pollution problem to the city Reporters: Ada Chung, Jasper Cao, Fangdong Bai Editors: Marilyn Ma, Brian Yu
Typhoon Mangkhut ripped through Hong Kong in September, bringing the city not only heavy downpour and gusty wind but also piles of plastic wastes which were dumped into the ocean decades ago. The sight of a plastic tsunami along Hong Kong shoreline is alarming.

According to a Greenpeace report published in October, more than 17 million pieces of plastic waste are flushed into the sea via Hong Kong's Shing Mun River every year. The most common plastic items found in the rivers were plastic bottles, food wrappers, fast food utensils and containers.

Plastic wastes in rivers and the ocean subsequently break down into microplastics which find their way into the food chain and pose threats to the health of both marine lives and human beings.

Chan King-ming, associate professor at the School of Life Sciences of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, explains that if humans consume seafood that is contaminated by microplastics, women will be prone to cancers like breast cancer or ovarian cancer, while sperm count will be lowered for men.

To combat the problem of plastic pollution, both NGOs and the government have carried out various campaigns to encourage the public to cut down the use of disposable plastic items.

The Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC) has cooperated with three of Hong Kong's major fast-food chains, including Café de Coral, Fairwood and Maxim's, to launch a campaign to encourage customers to forgo disposable plastic utensils.

More and more small restaurants have also gone plastic-free in recent years. 5B Private Corner, a restaurant in Tsuen Wan has replaced plastic straws with stainless steel straws. The restaurant owner says they have saved over 100 plastic straws per day after switching to stainless steel straws.

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Over 17 million pieces of plastic waste are flushed into the sea every year, which pose serious threats to the health of both marine lives and human beings. Varsity looks into how different parties including NGOs and the government combat the problem of plastic pollution.

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How 'Quiet Quitting' Became The Next Phase Of The Great Resignation

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ET Bureau

As the country moves towards a cashless environment after demonetisation, the initial awe and confusion have given way to a flurry of concerns. Will the emphasis on online transactions provide convenience and tangible benefits or just add to stress and additional charges?

To incentivise the move towards a cashless economy, the government has come up with a rash of discounts and freebies on digital transactions. But will these be substantial enough and, along with other benefits, counter the higher risk of identity theft once the currency notes are back in circulation? What are the gains and drawbacks of financial digitisation? Here's a look at what may be in store for you.

ADVANTAGES OF GOING CASHLESS

Convenience
The ease of conducting financial transactions is probably the biggest motivator to go digital. You will no longer need to carry wads of cash, plastic cards, or even queue up for ATM withdrawals. It's also a safer and easier spending option when you are travelling. "The benefits are enormous if you leave out the low-income group, which will face a huge challenge," says Kartik Jhaveri, Director, Transcend Consulting. "For the rest of the country, it is constructive and simple.

It will be especially useful in case of emergencies, say, in hospitals," he says. Adds Jayant Pai, Head, Marketing, PPFAS Mutual Fund: "You have the freedom to transact whenever and wherever you want. You don't have to be physically present to conduct a transaction or be forced to do so only during office hours."

Discounts
The recent waiver of service tax on card transactions up to Rs 2,000 is one of the incentives provided by the government to promote digital transactions. This has been followed by a series of cuts and freebies. It's a good time to increase your savings if you take advantage of these. For instance, 0.75% discount on digital purchase of fuel means that the petrol price in Delhi at Rs 63.47 per litre can be brought down to Rs 62.99/l with digital payment.

Similarly, saving on rail tickets, highway toll, or purchase of insurance can help cut your costs. Add to these the cashback offers and discounts offered by mobile wallets like Paytm, as well as the reward points and loyalty benefits on existing credit and store cards, and it could help improve your cash flow marginally.

Tracking spends
"If all transactions are on record, it will be very easy for people to keep track of their spending. It will also help while filing income tax returns and, in case of a scrutiny, people will find it easy to explain their spends," says Manoj Nagpal, CEO, Outlook Asia Capital. "Besides the tax, it will have a good impact on budgeting," says Pai.

Budget discipline
The written record will help you keep tabs on your spending and this will result in better budgeting. "Various apps and tools will help people analyse their spending patterns and throw up good insights over a couple of years," says Jhaveri. Controlled spending could also result in higher investing. If the same amount of cash does not flow back into circulation and people continue to use mobile wallets and cards, it is also likely to bring down the latte factor. This means that the Rs 10 you spent on candy or chips, or that regular cup of coffee office is likely to take a hit since you will be short of loose change and smaller currency notes. There's a lesser chance of budgetary leaks and unaccounted for spends sneaking into your budget at the end of the month.

Lower risk
If stolen, it is easy to block a credit card or mobile wallet remotely, but it's impossible to get your cash back. "In that sense, the digital option offers limited security," says Pai. This is especially true while travelling, especially abroad, where loss of cash can cause great inconvenience. Besides, if the futuristic cards evolve to use biometric ID (finger prints, eye scan, etc), it can be extremely difficult to copy, making it a very safe option.

Small gains
It may not seem like much of an advantage, but being cashless makes it easy to ward off borrowers. Another plus is that you can pay the exact amount without worrying about not having change or getting it back from shopkeepers.

GO DIGITAL, GET DISCOUNTS

Service tax: Waiver of service tax of 15% on digital transactions up to `2,000.

Fuel: 0.75% discount on digital purchase of fuel through credit/debit cards, e-wallets or mobile wallets.

Rail tickets: 0.5% discount on monthly and seasonal suburban railway tickets from 1 January 2017. Online rail ticket buyers get up to `10 lakh free accident insurance too.

Rail catering: 5% discount on digital payments for railway catering, accommodation, retiring rooms, etc.

Highway toll: 10% discount on NH toll payment via RFID or fast-tags in 2016-17.

Insurance: 10% discount by government general insurers on premium paid online via their portals. 8% discount on new LIC policies bought online via its site. POS: Rs 100 a month is the maximum rent that PSU banks can charge for PoS terminals.

Rupay: Kisan credit card holders to get RuPay Kisan cards.

DRAWBACKS OF DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS

Higher risk of identity theft
"The biggest fear is the risk of identity theft. Since we are culturally not attuned to digital transactions, even well-educated people run the risk of falling into phishing traps," says Nagpal. With the rising incidence of online fraud, the risk of hacking will only grow as more people hop on to the digital platform.

Besides, the latest move by the government to remove the two-factor authentication process for online transactions up to `2,000, will not help. Irrespective of the size of transaction, the absence of this additional layer of security will expose thousands to the risk of identity theft. Another weak link is the inadequate redressal mechanism. "With the poor redressal system in India, imagine what a poor rickshaw puller will do if he has his Aadhaar ID stolen?" asks Mumbaibased financial trainer P.V. Subramanyam.

"Given the tedious process and poor grievance redressal, people will have no easy recourse if they lose money online," adds Nagpal. There is no stringent legal process to deal with this kind or scale of fraud. Add to it the mass identity theft from banks' or companies' databases and it can turn into a financial nightmare akin to the data breach in the Indian banking system in October this year.

Losing phone
Since you will be dependent on your phone for all your transactions on the move, losing it can prove to be a double whammy. It can not only make you susceptible to identity theft, but you could also be rendered helpless in the absence of physical cash or any other payment option. This can be especially problematic if you are travelling abroad or in smaller towns or villages with lack of banking infrastructure or other payment options. Another drawback is that you need to keep your phone constantly charged. If the phone dies on you, you will be stranded, particularly if you are in the middle of an important purchase or dealing with an emergency.

Difficult for tech-unsavvy
India has a low Internet penetration of 34.8%(2016), according to the Internet Live Stats, and only 26.3% of all mobile phone users have a smartphone (2015), as per Statista figures. Besides the practical difficulty of going digital, "a bigger block is the psychological shift. You are suddenly jumping three generations to the digital medium," says Pai. Adds Subramanyam: "It's a problem for the older people, who may suddenly find themselves locked out of their accounts if they can't download an app or don't have cash." The digital medium may prove a challenge for the tech-unfriendly people, who will need more time to adapt or the availability of other options to conduct transactions.

Overspending
While there is no denying the convenience of card or mobile wallet transactions, it could open a spending trap for an unsuspecting population. According to behavioural finance theorists, the pain of parting with money is felt more acutely if you use physical cash instead of a card. Hence, using cash instead of cards or mobile wallet acts as a natural bulwark for people who find it difficult to control their spending. "This is the reason that people could end up overspending, throwing their budgets into a disarray," says Pai.

Besides, a high penetration of the digital payment system is contingent on the fact that the same amount of cash does not come back into circulation. If it does, people are more likely to switch back to the former ease of using cash as it is a habit that they may find difficult to break.

Also Read: How you can help low-wage earners adapt to a cashless digital system

Read the now!

Indulge in digital reading experience of ET newspaper exactly as it is.

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Cashless payment benefits: Here are the advantages of cashless payments and the pitfalls you should beware of

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As the country moves towards a cashless environment after demonetisation, the initial awe and confusion have given way to a flurry of concerns. Will the emphasis on online transactions provide convenience and tangible benefits or just add to stress and additional charges?

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"I'm continuing to get rid of the negative energy in my life. I think 2022 will be an upgrade on 2021, but I still don't want to do anything. I will continue to 'lie flat'. I enjoy this state."

When Jeff (not his real name), left his home city of Hangzhou, for a highly-paid job as an app developer in Beijing several years ago, like many young Chinese professionals, work became his life.

The little spare time he had outside work, he spent playing what he describes as "mindless" computer games. He didn't develop a social circle in his new adopted city and eventually gave up trying.

But when the pandemic hit, life as he knew it came to an abrupt stop. Like many other workers Covid made him reassess his priorities in life.

Chatting with artist friends back in his home town it struck him how although they had little money they always had something interesting to say about their day and what they were up to - while all he had was work.

When his firm started laying off staff because of the pandemic, he was forced to work 60-70 hours a week. He finally snapped and took some time off to travel.

While staying in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, he had an epiphany after seeing groups of old men gathered in a nearby bar just relaxing, chatting and watching football for hours at a time.

His mind kept returning to them. Why couldn't he be just like them - just relax and lie flat?

And so he did just that. He returned home and quit his job - one of many Chinese citizens who have either resigned, or scaled back their commitment to work in the last two years.

Tired of working flat out

People "feel so apathetic now they're having to deal with the coronavirus and feel exhausted. They literally just want to lie down with a book, or sit and watch some TV, rather than keep the momentum going by working hard," says Kerry Allen, the BBC's China media analyst.

This means that while the Covid pandemic might be abating, the tang ping movement is not.

On Chinese social media sites, users are posting messages saying that they do not want to return to the way things were before the pandemic, and that they now have the confidence to pursue a slower-paced life.

China's former one-child policy has meant that many young professionals have grown up without brothers or sisters, and this has added to many people's sense of strain.

Traditional values are still very important in China - being able to own a home and have children. Yet many people in their 20s and 30s worry that they will never be able to achieve these things. Those that are only children argue, for instance, they will also have to take care of their elderly parents and for many people property prices are increasingly out of reach.

Jeff, who did not want to be identified over fear of a backlash, describes his own decision to ditch his job and life in Beijing as "a quiet protest [against] the current rules. Not accepting it, when people tell you you must learn more and work harder".

"It is necessary to prevent the solidification of social strata, smooth the upward flow channels, create opportunities for more people to become rich, form a development environment where everyone participates, and avoid 'involution' and 'laying flat'," he wrote.

So could 'lying flat' be the Chinese version of these trends? Dr Lauren Johnston, research associate at the China Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, says there are different drivers to this story.

First, there are young rural migrants in Beijing or Shanghai, who now realise "how far behind they are, in terms of being able to make enough money to buy a house, or compete with the city kids who grew up speaking English and wearing sophisticated clothing".

Dr Johnston explains some of this group may now be thinking of returning to their home towns and taking lower-paid jobs instead to be with their families.

On the other side, there are the children of richer, successful parents who are not "as hungry as the super-achieving kids from poorer families".

Dr Johnston thinks China's so-called "tiger" culture is an added barrier, where parents feel under intense pressure to help their child achieve, that school on its own is not enough. They feel they have to pay for extra lessons in maths, Chinese, English and music, or in preparing for competitive entrance exams.

As for Jeff, after pressure from his parents he finally got another job but says it is a much less-demanding role. He earns half of what he used to, but says he has so much flexibility that he is planning to remain for the foreseeable future.

"All my hobbies that I discovered during my 'lying down' time - skiing, rock climbing - I'll be able to keep doing them all. I have time to do what I love, I'm very satisfied."

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'Lying flat': Why some Chinese are putting work second

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"I'm continuing to get rid of the negative energy in my life. I think 2022 will be an upgrade on 2021, but I still don't want to do anything. I will continue to 'lie flat'. I enjoy this state."

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Health: The highest life expectancy in the world🎧🎧🎧

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Health: The highest life expectancy in the world🎧🎧🎧

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hong kong has the world’s highest life expectancy

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With more than seven million people crammed into a tiny land mass, Hong Kong is known as one of the most densely populated places in the world. But according to a number of sources including the...

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Hong Kong's wealth gap greatest in 45 years. What can be done?

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A HK$690 billion budget surplus and expanding economy, but a growing divide between the haves and have-nots. Why is Hong Kong so unequal, and what are the solutions?

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5 Global Crises the world can't ignore in 2021

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In some of the world's most dangerous and complex places, COVID-19 has reversed decades of progress, with the aftershocks of the pandemic threatening more children's lives than the virus itself. COVID-19 magnified the effects of poverty - as conflict, political unrest, food insecurity and violence made children and families increasingly vulnerable.

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The gender pay gap continues to be a regular staple of the news agenda. And many companies, when publishing their data, attempt to put a context around the fact that they have one. In some cases, they even try to explain the gap away, suggesting that it isn't so much a problem as a fact of life.

However, research has shown that there are four key reasons why the gender pay gap exists. And for three out of the four, there is a relatively straightforward solution: get better at flexible and part-time working.

Here we explore what the research is telling us - and what employers who are keen to narrow their gap can do about it.

Reason 1: There are more men in senior roles than women

It is certainly true that there are more senior men than women in the workplace as a whole, and as senior people tend to be paid more than junior people, this has a negative effect on the gender pay gap. However, that doesn't mean that the disparity cannot be tackled.

At the heart of the problem is an assumption that senior jobs 'naturally' require long hours and constant availability, and so cannot be done flexibly or part-time. This is largely due to the 1950s pattern of men going out to work and women being at home to support them - enabling men to focus on work to the exclusion of everything else in life. And it has been exacerbated in many sectors by globalisation and always-on technology, which have extended the working day to 10 or 12 hours.

Indeed, employers operating a long-hours culture for senior roles are likely to be the worst offenders. Long hours have been shown to be inherently gendered and to exacerbate the gender pay gap. And research has shown that, for the highest-educated women (those most likely to be in senior roles), the gender pay gap has not fallen at all in the last 25 years.

Solution: Design senior roles to work for all

In the 21 st century, this pattern of working is no longer fit for purpose. Instead of assuming that senior roles can only be carried out by someone with no non-work calls on their time, or that senior women need 'accommodating' to succeed, the roles need to be designed for the workforce we have now.

That's a workforce in which 90% of workers either already have, or say they want, flexible and part-time working. A workforce that includes men and women, parents and carers, all of whom want or need to work, but few of whom can do so to the exclusion of everything else.

Employers come up with a range of reasons why flexible and part-time working are impossible in senior roles. "The clients might need you on your day off"; "Your team can't manage without you"; "You're the only one with the expert knowledge"; "You'd miss out on too much information if you worked part-time". The fact is, none of these have to be a barrier. All jobs can be designed differently, with a little imagination and a lot of collaboration.

Reason 2. Caring responsibilities and part-time roles are shared unequally

Here, the argument is that women 'choose' to care for children, so they naturally end up in part-time jobs, below their skill levels, and with fewer progression opportunities.

It's true that the gender pay gap increases after childbirth, and that, by the time their first child is 20, women's hourly wages are about a third below men's. And it has been estimated that gender differences in rates of part-time and full-time paid work account for more than half of that gap, especially among the highly-educated.

However, this is based on a similar assumption to the first reason: that is, that part-time jobs are 'naturally' less senior, and so are automatically downgraded. And positioning part-time work as women's 'choice' not only suggests that women are responsible for their lower earnings, but also takes the pressure off employers to do anything about it.

It's also true that there are societal expectations at play here, with men in the UK finding it harder to ask for part-time work. In the Nordic countries, where government initiatives have actively tackled expectations of gender roles, change is much faster. Yet, we know that men in the UK do want to work part-time; research has shown that over half of younger fathers would take a pay cut to work less and spend more time with their family.

Solution: Create quality flexible jobs that allow women and men to balance ambition with caring responsibilities

In the absence of Nordic-style government intervention, employers who want to close their gender pay gap need to overcome the cultural biases which make it hard for men to opt for part-time or flexible working. And part of the solution here is to make part-time roles more attractive to career-driven people.

Firstly, employers need to redesign jobs so that part-time work doesn't just mean delivering a full-time job for part-time pay. That kind of set-up isn't good for anyone. And secondly, they need to redesign jobs at all levels, to ensure that career progression on a part-time basis is not only acceptable, but aspirational.

Reason 3: Women choose to work in low-paid roles and sectors

We know that many of the more poorly-paid occupations are those traditionally done by women, requiring skills traditionally regarded as 'feminine', such as people skills and caring skills. So women 'choose' to work as nurses, teachers, or shop assistants, while men 'choose' to be surgeons, construction workers or engineers. The issue here is that we undervalue traditionally female skills - and that will take a while to change.

But there is also a perceived wisdom that women choose low-paid occupations because they offer more flexibility, or are more family-friendly. Again, the perception that it is a choice to prioritise children over paid work, rather than being due to a lack of viable alternatives, positions the gender pay gap as a fact of life, and releases employers from responsibility for changing it.

Solution: Open up all sectors to part-time and flexible working

As we have found with the other issues cited above, flexible working holds the solution.

Opening up traditionally male sectors and occupations to flexible working would encourage more women to work in them, and more men to switch to working part-time. And building flexible progression into these roles would allow part-timers to develop their careers in a more equitable way.

Reason 4. Women are paid less than men for the same role

There is real confusion about the difference between the equal pay issue and the gender pay gap. As we have explained previously, the gender pay gap is based on the difference between the average hourly pay rate for men and the average hourly pay rate for women, largely due to the reasons cited above.

In contrast, the equal pay issue is one of discrimination: paying men and women different amounts for doing the same job. So while this does feed into the gender pay gap, it isn't the same thing.

Solution: Stop paying women less than men for the same role

We don't need a flexible working solution here; the law has been clear that men and women should be paid equally since the Equal Pay Act of 1970. However, it is worth pointing out that discrimination sometimes arises from the same assumptions about women's roles that are identified above.

It's clear, then, that cultural bias, societal assumptions and a lack of progress in workplace design all contribute to the gender pay gap. And we at Timewise know better than most that flexible job design is the key to bringing about change.
To find out about our training and consultancy services that could help you tackle your gender pay gap, please call 020 7633 4444 or email info@timewise.co.uk Published April 2018

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The real reasons behind the gender pay gap - Timewise

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This week sees the final deadline by which companies with over 250 employees are required to publish their gender pay gap. Here we explore the four key reasons why the gap exists, and explain the role that flexible and part-time working can play in closing it.

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A Hong Kong group advocating for increasing workers' living wages has said the government's decision to freeze the minimum wage at HK$37.5 (US$4.84) was "totally disrespectful" to grassroots workers - especially to cleaners working on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Street sanitation workers cleaning a street in Sham Shui Po. File Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.

Hong Kong's statutory minimum wage will remain frozen, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-Kwong announced at a press briefing on Tuesday. The decision was made by the Chief Executive in Council based on a recommendation by the Minimum Wage Commission. It is the first time since the city introduced the minimum hourly wage that it remained frozen, despite inflation.

Wong Yu-loi, a representative of the People's Alliance for Living Wages, told HKFP that the government's decision will disproportionately affect cleaners, including those employed by outsourced government cleaning services: "All these workers are being paid around minimum wage or a little bit above," Wong said. The freeze "is totally an insult to them."

Law Chi-kwong. Photo: GovHK.

Law said the Commission "has considered that Hong Kong's economy is in steep downturn, with high unemployment rate" in making its decision.

They should strike "appropriate balance" between preventing overly low wages and the loss of low income jobs, whilst maintaining Hong Kong's economic development and competitiveness, he said.

Hong Kong's unemployment rate hit a 16-year high of 6.6 per cent in the final quarter of last year, according to government figures released in January.

Workers cleaning the streets in Yau Ma Tei following a two-day Covid-19 lockdown. File Photo: Selina Cheng/HKFP

The Commission is set to review the hourly minimum wage level at least once every two years, with its next recommendation to be submitted in October 2022. This means the minimum hourly rate set in 2019 will likely remain unchanged until 2023 after coming into effect on May 1.

Wong said the Alliance had proposed that workers should receive a minimum of HK$54.7 per hour. "This rate is statistically reasonable, and it barely reaches the daily necessity and living standard of Hong Kong," he said. "It is totally unimaginable that wages will be frozen for four years."

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Freezing Hong Kong minimum wage at HK$37.5 an hour is an 'insult' to cleaners at Covid-19 frontlines, labour group says

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A Hong Kong group advocating for increasing workers' living wages has said the government's decision to freeze the minimum wage at HK$37.5 (US$4.84) was "totally disrespectful" to grassroots workers - especially to cleaners working on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Four years after she sent her mother to a nursing home, Jizheng Sun was still struggling with the decision she had made. Sun's mother had become very distressed since she was widowed, and would neither leave the house nor make new friends.

"I thought living with other old people might help," said Sun, a primary school teacher from Shandong. "But she's the same, not really talking to anyone. We used to be close. This has estranged us."

China had more than 158 million people over 65 by the end of last year, which was more than the population of similarly aged people in Japan, Germany, the UK, France and Australia combined. The figure swells by 10 million each year. Like Sun, as China's ageing crisis deepens, more people feel pulled between the demands of filial duties to one's parents and their work or other relationships.

Even as the cultural taboo and mistrust towards nursing homes remains, single children and their parents are running out of options, though experts say nursing homes are only a small part of any potential solution.

"The government has to move from only directly providing services and subsidizing financing more toward hybrid models where there's less providing and more careful regulating by agencies," said Karen Eggleston, an expert on health reform in China at Stanford University.

Strengthening primary care and extending basic health insurance coverage are parts of the government's health reform drive that began almost a decade ago. The Chinese government's stated national goal-expressed as "90-7-3"-is to have 90 percent of the elderly cared for at home, 7 percent at community care centres, and the remaining 3 percent at nursing homes.

However, in a country as populous as China, this could still be a daunting challenge. As of 2016, there were only 31.6 beds for every 1,000 elderly people, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The government's Thirteenth Five-Year Plan sets an explicit target for state-owned nursing homes not to exceed 50 percent of the total by 2020.

Despite the push to build more eldercare facilities, government efforts to tackle the mounting problem could be frustrated by structural issues such as the rural-urban divide, mistrustful doctor-patient relationships and the lack of trained staff.

China has the second-highest elderly suicide rate in the world, in large parts because old people, especially the rural poor, see themselves as a burden. In nursing homes, the day-to-day operations are done by "hugong"-or nursing assistants-who tend to have a low level of education and a limited amount of training. They often feel underappreciated and are treated poorly by the clients, who do not believe they have any expertise.

"Two days ago, I went to a nursing home to see a relative. The nursing home environment was very bad. Heating was enough, but due to lack of ventilation the whole house smelled of urine and poo all mixed together," reads a Weibo post by user "anunightowl."

Una, who owns the account, wrote via messages that the private nursing home, located on the outskirts of Beijing, "doesn't have medical equipment. If there's an emergency, they will have to send them back to the city for treatment." Residents are charged 3,000 yuan a month.

By comparison, many state-funded elder care facilities are better in quality and tend to charge less-though they are almost always full.

The elderly in nursing homes run by CHJ-Care in Beijing are served "three by three grid" lunch boxes put together by nutritionists, looked after by staff who are trained in taking care of patients with dementia, and can be rushed to the nearby hospital within minutes in case of an emergency, said Nan Jiang, who works at the company's headquarters. Residents there pay according to the level of care they need, those who can look after themselves do not pay nursing fees.

Aside from tackling the practical issues of quality regulation, cultural perception of the demands of filial piety also limits nursing homes' appeal to Chinese people. Citing the preliminary findings of a joint study with the polling organization Gallup, Jing Jung, a professor of anthropology at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said that only one percent of rural seniors said they were willing to live in nursing homes, compared with 10 percent in urban areas. Even if they were disabled, only 30 percent said they would accept to live in nursing homes.

Some Chinese "feel they've been dumped into nursing home by children who they are unwilling to call 'unfilial,' so [they] use other terms such as 'they're too busy,' 'under too much pressure,'" said Arthur Kleinman, professor of medical anthropology at Harvard University. "Even if filial reverence has not declined in absolute terms, it's declined in relative terms because it's replaced to some degrees by an emphasis on partners and collaborators and friends."

The extent to which filial piety still holds the moral fabric of the Chinese society together is still a matter up for debate. Devotion to one's parents was considered the paragon of virtues by the ancients. The story of Huang Xiang in the Han dynasty, who fanned his father's bed to keep it cool during the summer and warmed it with his body heat in the winter, is widely known among Chinese people.

"I'm in the first cohort of the one-child policy babies," said Jinyu Liu, a gerontologist at the Columbia School of Social Work. She was born in 1981, one year after the one-child policy was announced. "I still think in my generation, filial piety is the dominant culture that shapes our identity and interactions with our family."

However, putting words into action is the difficult part. As life expectancy among Chinese has risen to 76.7 years, chronic diseases such as hypertension, depression and dementia have become more common, requiring specialized care and hiking up medical expenses.

Yet, the high costs of living in cities, especially the huge sums that middle-class families must devote to their children's education, means less can be spent on the parents' well-being or healthcare bills.

As for the young elders like Liu's own parents, she observed a shift in their outlook compared with the older generations. These young elders spend more time hanging out with their friends to maintain their networks, which consist of classmates, colleagues and neighbours. They also tend to have a more open mindset and accept the idea of going to a nursing home because they understand the younger generation's burden.

Yi Zhou's mother, 62, has been looking after her own mother, who was diagnosed with late-stage Alzheimer's four years ago. "My mum is very considerate, she'd rather bear the brunt herself," Zhou said. "She feels that if it's a lot pressure for us to take care of old people in the future, she'd accept going into a nursing home." Fortunately, Zhou has a younger brother, and both are willing to look after their parents when they need it.

A poll conducted by the China Youth Daily this month found that over 87 percent of the 18- to 35-year-olds surveyed were concerned about the eldercare issue, while 93 percent deem the formulation of state-level eldercare policy for single children necessary.

It has been said that China is getting old before she gets rich. Experts estimate that China has two to three decades before the ageing crisis reaches its pinnacle, when one in three people in China will be an elderly person. Without effective policies or measures, filial piety-held by ancient Chinese as the chief virtue among all virtues-will be put to the test.

"Right now, it's two children taking care of four parents, how can they be filial?" Professor Jun asked. "It's an unfilial generation in the making."

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'Too busy, too much pressure': an ageing China and the erosion of filial piety

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Four years after she sent her mother to a nursing home, Jizheng Sun was still struggling with the decision she had made. Sun's mother had become very distressed since she was widowed, and would neither leave the house nor make new friends.

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Ukraine invasion could cause global food crisis, UN warns

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Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns developing countries face disaster due to rising prices.

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Hongkongers may be living longer but they're not healthier

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Chronic diseases, disabilities and dementia are on the rise among Hong Kong's ageing population while the pandemic has further exposed the lack of resources in elderly care. The city has the financial means and central government support to do better, but it has focused on treatment over prevention.

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Popular Culture: Nano flat vs co-living space

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Popular Culture: Nano flat vs co-living space

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14 August 2017 - Amid seemingly ever-soaring Hong Kong property prices, there is a rising trend of developers building tiny "nano flats" spanning less than 200 square feet as more affordable housing options for desperate Hong Kong home buyers. In a similar vein, some companies are also attempting to present more economical options in the rental market.

Synergy Biz, a team of professionals with backgrounds in property and architecture, is looking to provide solutions for youth accommodation. The company announced its upcoming co-living project in Mong Kok would be open for lease in September. Given the costs, co-living spaces might be the only real option for young adults to meet their housing needs. While nano flats, subdivided units and co-living spaces are meant to alleviate Hong Kong's housing crisis, there are two sides to every coin.

How Do Nano Flats Perform in the Property Market?

OKAY.com CEO Joshua Miller discussed micro (nano) apartments on Bloomberg in 2014, when the Mont Vert micro-flat development was first released. In that interview, Mr. Miller explained that while micro-flats fulfil a certain niche, it was unlikely to be the start of a significant trend given the appeal to a limited target market and specific economic conditions needed for micro/nano apartments to be financially viable. More recently, the chief analyst of Midland Realty held similar reservations about purchasing nano flats since people will not settle in a parking-space-like apartment forever. Once property prices adjust, nano flat owners might be susceptible to the risk of declining demand for tiny flats.

Can Subdivided Flats Ease High Housing Prices?

Subdivided units are another by-product of skyrocketing rents in Hong Kong, which squeeze people into smaller subdivisions of an apartment in order to maximize the tenant count. According to the Census and Statistics Department, about 200,000 people lived in 88,000 subdivided flats in 2015, of which 65.2 percent stayed in units measuring from 75 square feet to 140 square feet. While the rents of these partitioned cubicles might seem lower than other homes, the rate per square foot is double that of private flats in the same districts. From 2014 to 2015, rents of subdivided flats jumped 13.6 percent, whereas rents of homes in the private sector rose by 7.4 percent. Compared with nano flats, subdivided units were typically in much worse condition as most of these incredibly overcrowded cubicles are found in old tenement buildings, causing serious safety concerns in case of fire or other emergencies.

Are Co-living Spaces a Housing Solution for the Younger Generation?

While co-living spaces have yet to become a prevalent housing alternative in Hong Kong, recent years have witnessed more experimental co-living projects. For instance, Campus Hong Kong in Tsuen Wan, SynBox in Hung Hom and the upcoming Bibliotheque in Mong Kok. The concept was to strengthen the sense of community by sharing a larger kitchen and more amenities with other residents, while enjoying a decent and relatively spacious room compared with nano flats and subdivided units. About 30 percent of the Bibliotheque spaces have already been reserved by a local university as student accommodation, which could be read as promising demand for co-living spaces in Hong Kong. That being said, privacy is compromised when sharing a flat with strangers, which is a prime concern for more mature tenants with established lives. In this respect, co-living spaces might only be appealing to youth and international students, serving a limited population of renters in Hong Kong.

Both nano flats and subdivided units have proven one point - the smaller the unit, the higher the price per square foot. Yet, average home buyers and tenants can only go for what their budgets allow. Consequently, tiny room sizes and seemingly unreasonable rates per square foot are tolerated for a smaller lump sum, which contributes to the growing demand of these micro apartments. While co-living spaces are on the rise in international markets, experts wonder if developers would invest in co-living spaces when flats spanning less than 200 square feet do have marketability in Hong Kong's real estate sector. Co-living spaces are a nice idea, but their impact on Hong Kong's housing crisis has yet to be meaningful.

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Are Nano Flats, Subdivided Flats and Co-living Spaces the Solution to Hong Kong's Housing Crisis? - OKAY.com

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14 August 2017 - Amid seemingly ever-soaring Hong Kong property prices , there is a rising trend of developers building tiny "nano flats" spanning less than 200 square feet as more affordable housing options for desperate Hong Kong home buyers. In a similar vein, some companies are also attempting to present more economical options in the rental market.

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Technology: Guidance on  CCTV and Drones

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Technology: Guidance on  CCTV and Drones

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Social Issue: Homelessness in Hong Kong🎧🎧🎧

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Social Issue: Homelessness in Hong Kong🎧🎧🎧

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Extreme poverty in Hong Kong: homeless life on a footbridge

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Hong Kong authorities captured and killed seven wild boars on Wednesday night after using bread as bait in the first catch-and-kill operation, after the city announced its reversal on the trap, neuter, return (TNR) policy last week.

A wild pig capture operation was conducted in Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the police. Ming Pao and Stand News reported that, after police cordoned off the area, AFCD officers put bread on the ground to lure wild pigs from a hill nearby.

A group of wild pigs eating bread thrown by AFCD officers in Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen on November 18, 2021. Photo: Stand News, via video screenshot.

Seven wild pigs were anaesthetised with dart guns before being humanely euthanised, according to an AFCD press statement on Wednesday night.

The government's policy reversal came after a boar bit a police officer in Tin Hau last week. The boar fell to its death from a car park, while the officer suffered injuries his his right calf and buttocks.

'Abhorrent and bloody'

SPCA Hong Kong, Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group, and the Democratic Party criticised the authorities' move. Roni Wong, a spokesperson for the concern group who witnessed the culling operation, told Commercial Radio on Thursday said he was disgusted that officers had used bread as bait.

"The most despicable action was that AFCD threw pieces of bread in the middle of the road to lure some pigs," he said. "It was an abhorrent and bloody thing to do."

Roni Wong, a member of the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group being taken away from the police cordon on November 18, 2021. Photo: Stand News, via video screenshot.

At one point during the operation, Wong barged through the police cordon only to be subdued by officers and removed from the vicinity, a Stand News video showed. Wong said on Thursday that he was attempting to herd the wild animals back to the hill.

In a Facebook post last night, SPCA "condemned" the government operation, and said that while they had expressed their "concerns and disagreement" with the approach, their "voice has been ignored and not been addressed."

"The SPCA restates that a non-lethal approach to wildlife management is always preferred, and is against the idea of hunting boars as this proved to be problematic on several fronts," the SPCA Facebook post read.

The Democratic Party's Southern District team, which included party Chairperson Lo Kin-hei , on Wednesday labelled the bait-and-kill approach "extremely inhumane."

"The Southern District team thinks that the reversal in policy was obviously directly linked to the police officer being attacked... the changes ignored years of results with 'trap, neuter and return'," the statement read.

At the same time, the group urged the public to stop feeding wild pigs, saying it only encouraged the animals to get used to being fed by humans, which gives the the government "an excuse to bait and kill."

HKFP has reached out to the AFCD for comment.

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Hong Kong animal groups slam 'abhorrent gov't move' to catch-and-kill wild pigs using bread as bait, 7 killed on Wed

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Hong Kong authorities captured and killed seven wild boars on Wednesday night after using bread as bait in the first catch-and-kill operation, after the city announced its reversal on the trap, neuter, return (TNR) policy last week. A wild pig capture operation was conducted in Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the police.

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Related website: https://www.adcc.gov.hk/en-hk/anti-deception-month.html

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Latest Scam Alerts | Anti-Deception Coordination Centre(ADCC) | Hong Kong Police Force

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Latest Scam Alerts - Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) - Hong Kong Police Force

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Environment: Jane Goodall and her friends 🎧🎧🎧

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Environment: Jane Goodall and her friends 🎧🎧🎧

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Jane Goodall on How to Heal Our Earth

Dec 19 , 2019 | Social Good

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Jane Goodall, one of history's most influential primatologists, has spent her life dedicated to studying chimpanzees and advocating for animal conservation. Now, with the environment more vulnerable than ever, Goodall believes it will take global efforts to create a more sustainable future. We recently discussed with her the steps the international community must take to create a world that is viable for all living things. Watch her interview with James Chau for more.

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Jane Goodall, one of history's most influential primatologists, has spent her life dedicated to studying chimpanzees and advocating for animal conservation. Now, with the environment more vulnerable than ever, Goodall believes it will take global efforts to create a more sustainable future.

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HOT PROPERTY: Decentraland offers virtual real estate.

As interest and investment explode in the metaverse, tech savvy investors are shelling out small fortunes for a piece of virtual land in this immersive virtual world of tomorrow.

Sales of virtual land topped US$500 million (HK$3.9 billion) in 2021 and are expected to hit US$1 billion this year, according to metaverse data provider Metametric Solutions.

These red-hot cyberspace plots of land are sold as non-fungible tokens or NFTs, digital tokens that guarantee the ownership of a virtual asset by a unique piece of code stored on a blockchain.

Prospective landowners can buy these virtual properties on metaverse platforms such as the Sandbox and Decentraland or on a secondary marketplace like OpenSea.

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Once they buy the virtual real estate, the owners can build on these plots - a house, shopping mall, art gallery or even a hospital - which could generate income and profits, paid in cryptocurrencies, of course.

They can also rent or resell their plots.

Last November, virtual real estate developer Metaverse forked out about US$2.43 million for a patch of digital land located in Decentraland's fashion district, which would be developed to host virtual fashion events and sell digital clothing.

A month later, New World Development (0017) chief executive Adrian Cheng Chi-kong also announced that he will invest in the Sandbox and acquire one of its largest plots of digital land.

The plot will host an "innovation hub" for the startups he supports from the Greater Bay Area, and sell products in the digital realm.

Linus Yip Sheung-chi, chief strategist at First Shanghai Securities, equated these purchases to buying land in a city centre before the city is even built.

"People are investing in the future," he says.

Yip points out that one of the reasons why people are buying property in the metaverse is that the land parcels are offered in limited numbers, giving them the potential to appreciate in value because their supply is finite.

The Sandbox, the largest metaverse platform for land, has 166,464 parcels, each measuring 96 meters by 96 meters while the second-largest platform Decentraland has 90,600 parcels, each measuring 16 m by 16 m.

And while prices for real-world properties have remained stubbornly high, the value of digital land has been skyrocketing.

The average price per plot in the Sandbox between January and October in 2021 was 0.53 ether or roughly US$1,371 but from November 2021 to January 2022, the average price surged nearly six-fold to 3.2 ether or US$8,278, according to the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship.

However, Castor Pang Wai-sun, head of research at Core Pacific-Yamaichi, warns the digital property market could be extremely volatile. "Spending money on the metaverse is gambling," he says.

And the risks are very real: popular metaverse-related tokens, the Sandbox's Sand and Decentraland's Mana, have plunged around 66 percent and 56 percent respectively from their highs in November.

One of the critical questions for investors is how to assess returns and risks of digital assets in the metaverse, but there are no easy answers in these uncertain times with global markets remaining highly volatile.

Anli Securities chairman and chief executive Andrew Wong Wai-hong warns that the operational stability of various metaverse platforms should also be a major concern for prospective landowners.

He points out that if interest wanes in the metaverse and fewer people interact on these platforms, or if they shut down, the loss in property prices could be tremendous.

As of March 13, the cheapest price for a parcel of land in the Sandbox was 2.8 ether or around US$7,244, while on Decentraland it was 4.09 ether or around US$10,580, data from OpenSea shows.

Yip says virtual property should be more of an investment option for the wealthy rather than the man on the street.

"If you do not even own a house in the real world, why would you buy land in a virtual one?" Yip asks.

But with people racing to invest in this world of tomorrow, analysts from Goldman Sachs, J P Morgan and Morgan Stanley all estimate that the metaverse could become a trillion-dollar market in the not too distant future.
ETFs ENTER THE GAME
Instead of investing in sky-high virtual property, a blend of leading metaverse stocks appears to be a more logical choice for those who would like to profit from the metaverse boom.

Hong Kong fund house CSOP recently launched its Metaverse Concept ETF (3034), the city's first metaverse-focused fund.

The public-traded fund's portfolio consists of 46 US-listed metaverse bellwethers, with Facebook's parent Meta as the largest constituent with a weighting of 6.38 percent.

Other big names include online gaming platform Roblox, graphics processor designer Nvidia, 3D development platform Unity, and tech giants Apple and Tencent.

As of last Friday, the ETF was trading at HK$7.23, down 7.3 percent from its debut price. The minimum investment in this actively managed fund is a board lot of 100 units, and the management fee is 0.99 percent per year.

However, Pang says while an ETF can help diversify ones metaverse portfolio, investors should bear in mind that it is still highly risky. "You could end up buying a basket of companies that all fail in this game," he says.

Pang adds that one should do their homework and examine the business model of any company that deals in the metaverse before investing, but adds that many of these players are yet to find a feasible direction.

Risk-return trade-off is always applicable when it comes to metaverse-related investments, with Yip summing up succinctly: "Investors should be cautious about possible bubbles, but if you do really have a lot of money, you can give it a shot."
TAKING COVER
Metaverse mania is also poised to fuel the growth of the insurance sector as the emerging technology is not without its risks - both physical and financial.

Last year, the UK's largest insurer by premium Aviva reported a 31 percent increase in claims relating to people wearing virtual reality headsets.

These accidents involved people slamming into furniture, cracking TV screens and punching ceiling fans while using virtual reality headsets, with an average claim of £650 (HK$6,666).

Investment house Morgan Stanley estimates total spending on virtual and augmented reality worldwide will grow six-fold to US$72.8 billion in 2024, from US$12 billion in 2020.

However, insurance for homes and their contents against VR-related accidents is not commonplace and in Hong Kong, neither Prudential (2378) and AXA offer any such metaverse-related insurance.

But the risks are not limited to physical damages.

Last month, 254 NFTs on OpenSea were stolen overnight, according to the blockchain security company PeckShield. The total value of the stolen NFTs surpassed 578 ether, or US$1.7 million at the time.

Yip points out that the ecology of metaverse, which should consist of a variety of related products like insurance, has not yet been built.

Presently, Lloyd's of the UK and Hong Kong virtual insurer OneDegree are among the few insurers to offer coverage for digital assets.

And last November, OneDegree said it would offer up to US$100 million in coverage to the city's cryptocurrency exchange Hong Kong Digital Asset Exchange, covering it against threats like cyberhacking and theft of cryptocurrencies held in its custody.

Experts from consultancy firm KPMG, however, believe the significant changes in the risk landscape could bring major opportunities to insurers, though the insurance industry may struggle to cope with demand due to a lack of reliable data, standardized definitions and products in the near term.

"This will provide opportunities for bold market players to gain a first mover advantage in this space and establish a strong position in the market," KPMG concludes.

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As interest and investment explode in the metaverse, tech savvy investors are shelling out small fortunes for a piece of virtual land in this immersive virtual world of tomorrow. Sales of virtual land topped US$500 million (HK$3.9 billion) in 2021 and are expected to hit US$1 billion this year, according to metaverse data provider Metametric Solutions.

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Why physical books still outsell e-books | CNBC Reports

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Technology: Has Technology made us lazy?

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Technology: Has Technology made us lazy?

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In this era of rapidly developing technology, our lifestyles changed significantly. Technological devices such as phones and computers, after wedging themselves into our schedule, are gradually taking up more of both our working and leisure time. Some may assume that these devices are the culprit of laziness. However, electrical devices such as computers are actually beneficial in multiple ways as it is easier now for people to search for necessary data and information. Also, the prevalence of computers has made communication easier so that people can be motivated by each other's hard work through activities such as online study groups.

The usage of computers has significantly reduced the time needed to acquire information. Gone are the days when researching on a new topic means several long days spent in the library, going through countless books in order to grasp a tiny amount of useful information. Nowadays, only with a few clicks and the whole Wikipedia is at your disposal. The powerful search engine can fish through millions of pieces of information only to present you with the most relevant ones. This has ultimately changed the traditional mode of research and greatly boosted our work efficiency. Therefore, devices such as computers has made our work easier and more efficient.

Moreover, apps such as WeChat and Facetime make it easier for people to connect and communicate with each other. Studying together online is a new popular trend among people who find it very motivating to study in a relatively tense environment. People would join the same video conference and study with their cameras on. By watching other people study, they themselves tend to stop procrastinate and focus better. Also, if anyone encounter any problems during their studying process, they can immediately raise the question to the groups and discuss the answer. In this way, everyone can benefit and learn something new. Thus, laziness can be resolved by studying together with classmates after school which would not be possible if it weren't for the prevalence of computers.

Some people may argue that computers are very distracting. Numerous and fascinating, the online games and clickbait articles will lure people in and before you know it, precious working time is lost. However, this can be easily solved by installing apps that regulate screen time. They can also close off certain features on the computer to make sure that a distraction-free working zone is created. The apps are extremely useful for those who cannot control themselves in the face of online temptations. Therefore, instead of distracting, the computer can actually help us to focus on our work better.

In conclusion, technology does not make people lazy as it gives rise to electrical devices such as computers which give people easy access to useful information and create opportunities for people from different places to work together in order to improve work efficiency.

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In this era of rapidly developing technology, our lifestyles changed significantly. Technological devices such as phones and computers, after wedging themselves into our schedule, are gradually taking up more of both our working and leisure time. Some may assume that these devices are the culprit of laziness.

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The phrase "People Mountain People Sea" is a literal translation from a Chinese idiom that is often used to describe the dense population in Hong Kong - and the irony in its use now lies in that there is no more "mountain" nor "sea" left in the city.

Hong Kong is home to more than 7.3 million people. The city, once a mountainous rural area, is now one of the world's largest trading entities. Economic development is practically synonymous with urbanisation and, with the limited land space in Hong Kong, the city is fast coming up against the problem of overcrowding.

Land reclamation has been increasingly seen as a solution to this. However, it's highly controversial because of the impact it would have on the surrounding environment.

On one hand, land reclamation is seen as a good way to accommodate Hong Kong's growing population, as well as a way of boosting economic development. Major reclamation projects include the construction of Hong Kong International Airport, which aided infrastructural development and has proved indispensable for Hong Kong's quest in becoming a global financial hub. Hong Kong Disneyland is built on reclaimed land and is seen as a major tourist attraction.

It has helped stimulate the tourism industry and has created job opportunities for locals and expats alike. The Central and Wan Chai Reclamation project was initiated in the 90s to increase the city's land supply. It has led to the creation of new roads, commercial development sites, the Hong Kong MTR station, to name a few benefits. It would appear that land reclamation, to a certain degree, is invaluable for Hong Kong's economic growth and modernisation.

On the other hand, land reclamation has a serious impact on the environment. In particular in our city, on marine life in the harbour. A government review in 1996 stated that land reclamation would result in the "large displacement of the marine sediments and the development of mud-waves beneath the reclamation fill". This would disrupt the ocean's ecosystem, lead to soil liquefaction, and pollute the water.

Greenpeace, in 2003, said the Central reclamation project would generate "580,000 cubic metres of toxic silt". They accused the government of using "cheap and outdated" dredging methods that would dump toxic materials into the harbour. High concentrations of pollutants and heavy-metal contaminated mud would destroy the habitat and the well-being of countless marine animals. We can see how this has affected the wildlife through a look at the decrease in Chinese white dolphin numbers. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong have found that the dolphin population is declining at a rate of 2.5 per cent every year.

While the government has tried to pass a few environmental measures, like the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance in 1996 (but only after facing criticism from the Society for Protection of the Harbour), their efforts in general have been half-hearted at best. The "develop first, converse later" mentality they have can't - and won't - last forever.

The exploitation of land, and any other common access resources, will only be a threat to the growth of the city in the long run. Environmental protection is vital to sustainable and successful economic development. In other words, the government should invest in environmental preservation projects. Better technology and updated reclamation methods should also be employed to limit the release of pollutants, too. This would, for example, safeguard marine life in Victoria Harbour.

Hongkongers often boast about the city's magnificent skyscraper-studded skyline that edges Victoria Harbour, but we've lost view of our "mountains" and "seas". The explosive transformation of Hong Kong, from a rustic village to a cosmopolitan city, is an extraordinary story that's worth celebrating, but we should not prioritise economic development over our environment.

Let us not blindly resort to land reclamation as the only solution for the city's development. Instead, let us build a city that is economically sustainable - and let us build it with a sense of empathy for the life around us.

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Are the benefits of land reclamation worth the environmental impact they cause?

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We've often looked to land reclamation as a way of making our city even more economically successful than it is right now - but at what cost?

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After 142 years of service, Hong Kong 's iconic Star Ferry may sail its last trip between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island - unless it gets help from big-bucks business investment.

First launched in 1880 as the Kowloon Ferry Company, the Star Ferry Hong Kong has provided service for tourists, commuters and leisurely locals since before Hong Kong's transformation into a commercial and financial hub. The 40-minute to one-hour trip provides travelers with incredible views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline.
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Due to political unrest coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, the ferry is struggling to keep up with its schedule and survive. The last three updates to the company's blog are either service suspension or adjustments, and the company is bleeding money as it tries to continue while crowds dwindle.

Hong Kong's history, blessing and curse

The Star Ferry is steeped in history, and its boats have been at the center of growth, political demonstration and historical events that defined the eras they sailed through.

At the time of the ferry's inauguration, Hong Kong was British-controlled, transforming into a hub for both commerce and corruption - drugs, piracy and smuggling were rampant and a police force was formed to keep control of crime in the harbors of Tsim Sha Tsui on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

In 1966, the government raised the ferry's fare price, which did not sit well with a public that had grown to depend on the ferry as part of the city's lifeblood. Days of protests and deadly demonstrations and riots erupted as a result, and officials eventually reformed their policies. These riots became a symbol of the power of protest in Hong Kong.

Modern transportation and the proliferation of public land-based transportation and individual car ownership threatened the ferry once before in 1972, after the city built a cross-harbor tunnel. Star Ferry pivoted to market more to tourists, offering a cheap tour of the glimmering city skyline filled with glass and neon.
Related: 8 things every teen should do in Hong Kong
As the city boomed and more tourists came to visit its bright lights and luxury shopping and hotels, the Star Ferry again became a symbol of a global hub with a rich history.

2019 and 2020: Gut punch for the ferry

In 2019 and 2020, the years of a fight for democracy and against COVID-19 were a one-two gut punch for the ferry. The 2019 demonstrations between pro-democracy protesters and riot police became global news. The world saw civilians in helmets and goggles carrying shields to protect themselves during clashes with officers, demanding political freedom from China. Daily, the streets were clouded with tear gas.

After those protests, the Star Ferry reported an incredible financial crisis, losing more money in the 30 months of protests and pandemic than it had brought in over the last three decades.
Related: Why despite political unrest, it's still a great time to visit Hong Kong
The COVID-19 pandemic brought even more financial devastation to the ferry's operations and bottom line. With small businesses nearly destroyed by continuing "zero-tolerance" lockdowns and restrictions, Hong Kong was cut off from the rest of the world while other countries tried to recover.

It was looking good in late 2021, and Hong Kong had declared victory over the virus. Then came the omicron variant. Hong Kong closed down once again; restaurants, bars, schools and gyms all shuttered until the wave passed. Tourism, once an essential economic driver, is still suspended until May 1.

What can keep the Star Ferry sailing

Suffering from almost $9 million in losses, heaps of debt and owing back pay to its workforce, the Star Ferry's future looks bleak.

A recent article in the South China Morning Post reports general manager David Chow indicated the company has gone into "negative equity" and doesn't expect to pay off its debts until after 2047.

What can help the floundering ferry service? Big investment in preserving Hong Kong's history.

Other areas of Hong Kong, including the State Theatre in North Point and the Peak Tram, a funicular that carries visitors up to the top of Victoria Peak, were both bought by major Hong Kong business families with the intention of renovation and increased profitability. This is what could save the ferry.
Related: How to visit Hong Kong with kids
Additionally, the pier locations along the Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon harbors are waterfront properties crying out for investment as dining and shopping destinations, but as of yet, no investors have taken that opportunity.

The desire from Hong Kong's residents is there, and so is the demand. Crowds on the pier to board the tri-tiered boats are returning to pre-pandemic levels, especially as the city prepares to reopen to tourists, but the company's value seems unsalvageable. It'll take a dedicated investor with a love for the city's history and plenty of funds to bail out the ferry service and keep the Star Ferry an iconic piece of Hong Kong for 150 more years.
Featured photo by Howard Kingsnorth/Getty Images.

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Hong Kong's iconic Star Ferry may launch its final journey after 142 years in service - The Points Guy

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After 142 years of service, Hong Kong 's iconic Star Ferry may sail its last trip between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island - unless it gets help from big-bucks business investment. First launched in 1880 as the Kowloon Ferry Company, the Star Ferry Hong Kong has provided service for tourists, commuters and leisurely locals since before Hong Kong's transformation into a commercial and financial hub.

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‘Home is precious’: Hong Kong ‘McRefugee’ struggles with loneliness after return to ransacked flat

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Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, West Virginia -- and a shocking image of the sugar we eat -- TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

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Sports Communication: Interview questions for athletes

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Sports Communication: Interview questions for athletes

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Whether you're meeting with a manager or talking to a coach about playing for a potential team, your interview is the meeting that allows people to learn more about your teamwork skills, personality and other important character traits. As you think of answers to these questions, try to give interviewers an idea of what it's like to play on a team with you. Researching these potential interview questions will help you properly prepare for upcoming interviews, so that you can exude confidence and professionalism during the interview.

In this article, we explore possible sports interview questions and provide sample answers to help you impress your interviewer.

General interview questions

Use these basic, general questions to help interviewers get to know your personality, skills and genuine interest in the position:

What do you see yourself accomplishing in five to ten years?

Are there any short-term goals you'd like to accomplish in the next few months to a couple of years?

What do you believe to be one of your weaknesses and what are you doing to improve it?

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of sports?

Which strengths do you believe you have that make you a great athlete?

Which sport is your favorite to play and why?

Why are you so passionate about playing sports?

Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?

Rank the top five priorities currently in your life.

What clubs, teams or other extracurricular activities were you involved in during high school?

Questions about sports experience and background

These questions help your interviewers better understand your experience as an athlete to picture how well you'll perform on their team:

What do you believe is the greatest challenge most athletes are facing today?

How do you manage your athletic responsibilities and other outside recreational and non-recreational activities?

Describe your worst sports performance. What did you learn from this experience?

What does your daily routine look like?

What does your diet and nutrition plan look like when you're bulking up or getting in shape during training?

What have you learned about teamwork from your past experiences on your teams?

How have the past teams you've been on made you a better player?

Describe your major highlights and achievements in sports in the past.

Tell me about your most successful season in sports.

Have you ever served as a team captain?

In-depth sports questions

Many interviewers will use the following types of questions to gain a stronger understanding of your athletic performance, playing strategy and teamwork skills:

Why are you the best choice for our team?

Is there another athlete you mentored or helped train? Describe what you did for them.

Have you ever come up with your own plays? Tell me about them.

What's your technique for memorizing and teaching yourself new plays before an upcoming game?

What would you do if you saw a teammate struggling to learn a new move or play?

What's the best piece of advice you've gained from your coaches?

What do you look for in a great coach?

Tell us your current personal bests in various events.

How important is an athlete's public image?

What are your preferred pre-game, locker room and post-game routines?

Sports interview questions with sample answers

View some common interview questions for athletes, along with advice on how to effectively answer them with sample answers. Remember that the person interviewing you is trying to gauge a better understanding of how well you will collaborate with other players and if you'll make a strong asset to the team.

1. How would your coaches and teammates describe you?

People typically ask this question because they want to understand what it's like to work on a team with you. Be honest in your answer while also highlighting positive features that you believe make you a great teammate to collaborate with. Think about your teammates' and coaches' experience with you and any positive feedback they've had. Make sure to remain humble in your answer as well.

Example: "My teammates would say I'm motivating and encouraging both on and off the court. I constantly work to create and maintain a positive atmosphere for players both when we win or lose. If we win a game, I'm the first one cheering everyone on and the first one to lift our team's spirits during a loss. My coaches have praised me for my hard work and dedication to improving my form and technique to better myself before each game."

2. How do you keep your teammates feeling positive and motivated during a loss?

Interviewers want to know how positive you are at all times. Many coaches and players want to work with an athlete who keeps everyone energized, engaged and motivated when your team may be losing. When answering this question, express your strategy for keeping your teammates positive and in high spirits at all times.

Example: "When our team is losing, it can be easy for players to feel discouraged or let down. I see it as a challenge to lift my teammates' spirits by pointing out everyone's strengths and helping them realize how they can use these strengths to enhance their performance and achieve a victory in the game."

3. What would you do if another player complained about your coach for not playing them enough?

You can use this question as a way to demonstrate your loyalty to your team, which is an important quality most coaches look for in their players. Your answer should express your ability to stick up for your team, while also remaining professional and mature when speaking with the other player.

Example: "If I saw a player expressing negative opinions about our teammates or coaches, I would say something like, 'I understand your frustrations with our coach benching you the past few games. I think they've had to make tough calls like that lately for the good of the team. Maybe you and I can spend a few extra hours playing one-on-one to work on your form these next few evenings. At practice, our coach may see how much you've improved and start to play you more often.'"

4. What is one important lesson you've learned from your time as a professional athlete?

This question aims to understand your sports experience and how it's improved you as an athlete. Interviewers usually want to learn what inspires you about sports and how you'll apply what you've learned to your performance on their team. As you craft your answer, try to think of positive takeaways you've gathered from being on a team and work those into a quick and positive answer.

Example: "I've learned many important life lessons from my time as an athlete. One would be that communication is important before, during and after the game. Strong communication helps everyone stay informed at all times. When we're on the court, we're always telling each other when we're open and are communicating which play we're doing next. If we don't express this communication with each other, then some people will be left in the dark, keeping us from collaborating effectively and scoring a goal as a team."

5. Describe the qualities you believe an effective coach must have

Sometimes the person interviewing you will be the coach you may potentially be working with. There are other times when it could be the team manager trying to determine if you're a great fit with their coach. Whoever it is, they're trying to learn what you value most in your future coach and if their team has coaches with the qualities you're seeking. Think about the coaches you've worked with before and determine the traits they had that you did and didn't enjoy as you form your answer.

Examples: "The coaches that have inspired me in the past are the ones who pointed out both strengths and our weaknesses, rather than just the pitfalls. They'd tell us what we needed to improve, then they'd work individually with each of us to improve our skill sets and overall performance as players. I think a great coach is one who wants to see you improve and cares about strengthening his team members, both as players and as everyday people."

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35 Sports Interview Questions for Athletes

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Whether you're meeting with a manager or talking to a coach about playing for a potential team, your interview is the meeting that allows people to learn more about your teamwork skills, personality and other important character traits.

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Popular Culture: An interview with Elon Musk

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Popular Culture: An interview with Elon Musk

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What’s on Elon Musk’s mind? In conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Musk details how the radical new innovations he’s working on -- Tesla’s intelligent humanoid robot Optimus, SpaceX’s otherworldly Starship and Neuralink’s brain-machine interfaces, among others -- could help maximize the lifespan of humanity and create a world where goods and services are abundant and accessible for all. It’s a compelling vision of a future worth getting excited about. (Recorded at the Tesla Texas Gigafactory on April 6, 2022)