Causeway Bay Books disappearances

The Causeway Bay Books disappearances are a series of international disappearances concerning five staff members of Causeway Bay Books, located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Starting October 2015, five staff of Causeway Bay Books have gone missing. At least two of them disappeared in mainland China, one in Thailand. One member was last seen in Hong Kong, but apparently had found his way to Shenzhen, across the Chinese border, without the necessary travel documents.

There was widespread suspicion that the booksellers were in detention in mainland China,^[1][2] and in February 2016Guangdong provincial authorities confirmed that they had been taken into custody in relation to a case involving Gui Minhai.^[3] There was muted response to the October disappearances, as unexplained disappearances and lengthyextrajudicial detentions are known to occur in mainland China.^[4] The unprecedented disappearance of a person in Hong Kong, and the bizarre events surrounding it, shocked the city and crystallised international concern over the possible abduction of Hong Kong citizens by Chinese public security bureau officials and their likely rendition, and the violation of several articles of the Basic Law. In his report to the British government and parliament in early January 2016, foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the incident was "a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong and undermines the principle of one country, two systems".

The disappearances were followed by virtual appearances by two of the missing men, Lee Bo and Gui Minhai, in the form of letters and photographs in the case of the former and a confessional video from the latter broadcast on national television, in which they insisted their return to mainland China was indeed voluntary but which failed to account for their movement across national borders. These efforts were considered by commentators as farce or a charade, as they failed to satisfy citizens' concerns over their personal safety and the international community's concerns over the breach of "one country, two systems".

From:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay_Books_disappearances

Twelve Nights 十二夜

一部關於流浪狗的無聲紀錄片

      Indeed, the film is radically different from any previous documentaries I’ve watched which address the topic of homeless Taiwan dogs. Twelve Nights looks and sounds like it should screen alongside mainstream, commercial features with high production values, though I suspect the actual budget was relatively low. There were no “actors” to pay, after all. Most of the crew is comprised of volunteers, and all of the proceeds are going to animal welfare charities anyway.

It’s a film that holds together with a desperation and sincerity befitting the gravity of the topic. They desperately want people to come and watch this film, not for their sake, but for the animals. And as art is motivated not by profit motives, but by a resolve to understand and transcend time and space, Twelve Nights is so much more than that fatal deadline indicated in the title, or the duration of entrapment in this “shelter” that is more accurately described as a death-row prison. Rather, the aesthetic choices delicately balance hope and devastation, inevitably tipping one way or the other at times, but doing so with grace and sensitivity. How do you convince people to actually purchase a movie ticket and sit through such a painful film, after all? And once there, how can you justify making them stay? Why do you want to expose them to animal suffering and cruelty, and the visage of real death? Must we see these things to know that they exist?

I think there are many valid ethical questions when subjecting audiences to screen violence of any kind. Let me try to explain how the film navigates these issues through its three outstanding features – cinematography, narration, and music.

From: https://shibasenji.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/film-twelve-nights-%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%8C%E5%A4%9C-documentary-on-taiwan-shelter-dogs/

Beyond beauty - Taiwan from above

From:http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/11/27/documentary-beyond-beauty-captures-taiwan-from-above/

It has been said that when the early Portuguese explorers first laid eyes on Taiwan in the 1500s, they were so impressed with the island’s lush green mountains and pristine turquoise shorelines that they decided to name the place “Ilha Formosa” — beautiful island — on the spot.

More than 500 years later, as Taiwan transforms from an agrarian society to a high-tech-dominated economy, many of the majestic peaks that took the settlers’ breath away have been sullied by residential blocks, tea plantations, and high-end hotels. The once clear waters off its beaches are also discolored by the massive amount of chemical waste discharged by factories each year.

“In a way, what happened in Taiwan is a reflection of what’s happening in many parts of the world,” said Chi Po-lin, the director of this year’s Golden Horse Awards winner for best documentary, “Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above.”

The 48-year-old aerial photographer-turned-filmmaker used to work for the government’s National Highway Engineering Bureau, taking tens of thousands images of the island during helicopter trips over the past two decades.

Sitting in his small Taipei office, lined with books on Taiwan’s landscape and geography, he said he had long wanted to make a movie based on his photographs, but for years it seemed like a far-fetched dream. That changed in 2009, when French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand released his aerial documentary “Home” on climate change and global warming.

Mr. Chi said his motivation for making “Beyond” was not to point a finger at a certain industry or even the government, but to present a realistic view of Taiwan’s growing environmental problems. His hope is to make people think twice the next time they throw out the garbage or turn on the faucet.

One of the most unsettling images is of a traditionally scenic spot in the Alishan Mountains, visited by millions of tourists each year. The view from above shows a popular sunrise viewing point at a train station, which sits at the edge of a precipice in danger of landslides each time a typhoon or earthquake hits.The documentary opens with images of the island’s unspoiled natural beauty as the camera pans from the unbroken mountains ranges of Yangmingshan National Park in the north, to the sapphire-hued alpine Jiaming Lake in the east and the roaming indigenous wildlife of the south. Then, the spell is broken as the film detours to locations that are being destroyed as a result of Taiwan’s rapid industrialization.

The documentary also shows the waters near many Taiwan’s industrial parks tainted with toxic hues of green, crimson and fluorescent orange, as factories continue to pump out waste into rivers that feed water sources for the residents and marine life nearby.

Though scenes like this are alarming, Mr. Chi said he views of himself more as a storyteller or record-keeper than an environmental activist. His goal, he insisted, is to tell the tale of Taiwan and let the audience decide what changes they can make in their lives to decelerate the island’s demise.

“I am not here to judge, because I understand there is a price to pay to live the way to we do right now,” said the director. “But each of us must stop pretending that all this destruction is not happening.”

He added, “Just because we refuse to see it or pretend it is not there, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Pointing to his glasses, Mr. Chi said that years of trying to getting his camera lens to focus while riding on a shaky helicopter has taken a toll on his eyesight.Currently in Mandarin with English subtitles, the documentary has proven a success in its domestic market, grossing more than 85 million New Taiwan dollars (more than $2.8 million) since its Nov. 1 premiere. It is now being discussed for release in the U.S., China, Hong Kong and Singapore, with plans under way to make an international version for which Mr. Chi hopes to enlist Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee as a narrator.

“It is a tough job but I will keep doing it,” he said. “Telling the story of Taiwan is the least I can to show my gratitude to the land that has given me so much.”

Volkswagen, emisson scandal

 General Motors and Toyota had their massive scandals. Now it’s Volkswagen’s turn. The company, which owns 70 percent of the U.S. passenger-car diesel market, is in major trouble for cheating on diesel-emissions tests. After years of promoting “Clean Diesel” as an alternative to hybrid and electric vehicles—the company even marched on Washington with a squadron of Audi TDI models—Volkswagen is stewing in its own toxic vapors. Here’s our handy guide to what’s happening.

What happened?

Volkswagen installed emissions software on more than a half-million diesel cars in the U.S.—and roughly 10.5 million more worldwide—that allows them to sense the unique parameters of an emissions drive cycle set by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, who were tipped off by researchers in 2014, these so-called “defeat devices” detect steering, throttle, and other inputs used in the test to switch between two distinct operating modes.

In the test mode, the cars are fully compliant with all federal emissions levels. But when driving normally, the computer switches to a separate mode—significantly changing the fuel pressure, injection timing, exhaust-gas recirculation, and, in models with AdBlue, the amount of urea fluid sprayed into the exhaust. While this mode likely delivers higher mileage and power, it also permits heavier nitrogen-oxide emissions (NOx)—a smog-forming pollutant linked to lung cancer—that are up to 40 times higher than the federal limit. That doesn’t mean every TDI is pumping 40 times as much NOx as it should. Some cars may emit just a few times over the limit, depending on driving style and load.

Which cars are affected? Will my car pass state inspection?

The following Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche diesel models have been cited by the EPA for emissions violations. There is no recall and the cars pass all state inspections, at least for now. Remember, VW has admitted to violating federal emissions laws, and as such, it’s neither a state nor a safety issue. However, if Volkswagen does issue a recall, some states (particularly California and some that follow Partial Zero Emission Vehicle standards) may prevent owners from renewing their registration if they don’t complete the fix.

Link From Here :http://blog.caranddriver.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-vw-diesel-emissions-scandal/

104-6 Syria refugee

    More than four million refugees of the Syrian Civil War have left the country during the course of the war. Most of them fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, while thousands also ended up in more distant countries of the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf, North Africa and Europe. As of December 2015, Turkey was the world's biggest refugee hosting country with close to 2.5 million Syrianrefugees; the nation had spent more than 8 billion Euros since 2011 on direct assistance to them according to estimates by Turkish Ministry of Education deputy secretary Yusuf Büyük.

    The refugee crisis began in 2011, when thousands of Syrian citizens fled across the border to neighboring Turkey and Lebanon. By early July 2011, 15,000 Syrian citizens had taken shelter in tent cities, set up in theYayladağı, Reyhanlı and Altınözü districts of Hatay Province, near Turkey's border with Syria. By the end of that month, 5,000 of the refugees had returned to Syria. However, by late June 2011, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had reached around 10,000 people. By mid-July 2011, the first Syrian refugees found sanctuary in Jordan, with their numbers reaching 1,500 by December. On 21 September the European Union approved a plan committing itself to taking in 120,000 refugees.^[95] The newly electedLiberal Government announced that it would bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of 2015 and struck a cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Minister of Health, Jane Philpott, to fast track their resettlement.

    In 2015, fake Syrian passports were being used by non-Syrians in the hopes of fraudulently gaining legal residency in Europe. According to the EU border agency, Frontex, trafficking in fake Syrian passports increased. In September 2015 German customs officers seized packages containing Syrian passports which police suspect were being sold illegally to those wishing to gain entry to the country.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War

104-5 2015 Bangkok bombing

  On 17 August 2015, a bombing took place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125. Surveillance footage showed a suspect leaving a backpack at the scene shortly before the explosion. As of 30 August 2015, the suspect in the surveillance footage had not been arrested and no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack. On 26 September, police announced that the primary suspect was in police custody. The attacks are thought to have targeted Thailand's tourism and economy, but there has been a range of inconsistencies in the statements of Thai authorities about those arrested and the reasons for the attack. The Thai government has at times suggested the bombers acted to avenge a crackdown on their human trafficking network, to take revenge for Thailand's deportation of a group of Uighurs back to China in July 2015, to strike a blow for the insurgents fighting the Thai government in the deep south, or for reasons related to Thailand's domestic politics. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

104-4 New horizon, Pluto.

    In a few hours, at 7:49 AM Eastern time, the New Horizons probe will fly 7,750 miles above the surface of Pluto, something no other spacecraft has accomplished before. Unfortunately, we can't fly with the probe as it swoops in on the dwarf planet, but we can celebrate with NASA when it happens. The agency will hold a live webcast for the event starting at 7:30AM, which you can watch in the video below the fold. After the countdown to the flyby, NASA will unveil one of the closest photos of Pluto humanity has ever taken between 8 and 9AM.

    Take note that the spacecraft will get a full view of the planet's heart-shaped region during its trip, so it will likely capture the first clear photo of that crater, as well. In addition, New Horizons is expected to beam back lots of data that will help us get to know Pluto a lot better. It's already managed to gather enough info to confirm that the planet is 1,473 miles in diameter, for instance, proving that it's larger than previous estimates. You can see its size in the image above compared to its biggest moon, Charon.

    Google, by the way, has launched a new Doodle that shows in a simple animated sequence how the flyby is supposed to go -- just visit google.comto watch it. But if you need something more substantial, NASA's Eye appfor Mac and PC can show you a simulation of the flight, including a view that lets you see through the eyes of the probe. We'll keep you updated on the spacecraft's momentous flight, so make sure to check back later.

  From: http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/14/nasa-new-horizons-pluto-flyby-webcast/