bc magazine

Trust

In revolutionary times like these, the biggest danger to your own personal freedom is surrounding yourself with people who may not be safe or have duplicitous, veiled intentions.

Trust is a very precious thing. The currency of the Communist Party of China (CCP) is distrust. They break bonds and relationships in order to create an atmosphere of distrust. In this warped World of their making, the CCP thrives within the fractures of society and human relationships. When no-one trusts each other it is very hard to get anything organised. This is how the CCP destroys any notion of civil society in China and ensures that no one defies it.

To get to the very top of the CCP you need to be a master in exploiting mistrust. The success of the CCP relies on no-one trusting anyone, ever. This also goes for CCP members, who have the least trust in anyone or their organisation. The only real antidote to CCP tactics is to create trust. The CCP doesn’t know how to build real trust, it only knows how to break it.

Even as far back as the Yan’an days, starry-eyed, young wannabe communists would turn up at the border of the new Soviet, and the first thing the CCP establishment would do is get to work on destroying whatever trust the friends had in each other. Just like a Mahout breaking the will of a baby elephant, the CCP uses the threat or actual violence to break the natural tendencies that humans have to trust in one another.

Although the CCP, via United Front activities, has permeated all levels of Hong Kong society they have yet to have any major impact upon our civil society. HongKongers both know how to trust and be trusted. This sounds like a simple life skill, but many people on the Mainland are devoid of trust due to nearly 70years of CCP rule.

The Umbrella Revolution has shown that HongKongers are happy to put an enormous amount of trust in their fellow citizen-protestors. When the police were running rampage swinging batons and showing no discipline despite having so-called training, protestors stood their ground and calmly held their lines, showing maximum discipline and great trust in complete strangers who shared similar ideals and values.

The Umbrella Revolution was a fantastic display of a trusting civil society pulling together to express itself unconventionally. This scares the CCP. However going forward, the simple honest trust that HongKongers share with their fellow citizens will not be enough and will come under persistent attack by shady groups designed to break trust at every turn.

In order to take on the CCP and its lackey local government, HongKongers will need to create trust networks that will be very difficult for the CCP to infiltrate and disrupt using simple, well-used methods.

How to strengthen trust for the fight ahead?
The best way to protect and build trust is to create small, human-to-human trust networks. Or cells of 8-10 people you absolutely trust and know share the same values as you.

Why only 8-10 people?
Here’s a quick exercise.
Quickly list all the people you absolutely trust in your head.
It’s not that many right? Probably less than 10.
This is not because you live in an un-trusting world. It’s because trust begins to fray at the edges once the numbers get too big. Groups that are over ten people start to unravel on real trust.

Military Special Forces now favour small teams of 6 people over large battalions of men commanded by a few key generals. A small group becomes self-regulatory, everyone can manage each other and make sure they remain within the trust-circle and values parameters. If someone breaks trust the person can be removed quite simply and the group regenerates itself quickly without major disruption. In larger social groups, this simple task is harder because factions can form and identifying those who are not trustworthy becomes both time consuming and difficult.

Once you are part of a small trust network, you will see that this protects your own personal freedoms and liberty and it can then begin to interact with other people’s networks much easier. Large crowds of trust networks sharing similar ideas are much safer than large numbers of individuals who you ‘think’ have the same common goals.

When on a protest, you will know and trust the people standing next to you. You will know that the communications you’re receiving are authentic and that you will be surrounded by many others that share your values. You may not know everyone in all the groups, but you know you can trust them because they are built on the similar values as your network. In this environment agent provocateurs are stifled in their activities as they rarely operate as groups. They are quickly shown up to be lone wolfs with no immediate network to back up their direction which is trying to agitate the crowd and cause chaos. Agent provocateurs operate by acting as individuals, coming together to incite a larger crowd. If they can be identified quickly as being at a protest with no close networks then their intentions can quickly be seen as suspicious. Singular individuals with good intentions generally don’t try and rally people to do provocative things out of the blue.

The only weakness in creating tight, trust networks is choosing people to be in your network who are not trustworthy. I will discuss this in another post.

Will creating trust networks help reduced the factionalism that is present in the Umbrella Revolution?
Well, it wont eliminate it, that’s certain, but it will reduce it. You see, like attracts like. Trust networks will be created along the lines of the political spectrum you adhere to. In this way, the various democratic groups can interface with each other, knowing that they may not see eye-to-eye on method, but can identify and work with each other on greater causes. The classic example would be the breaking of the window at Legco. It wasn’t the actual breaking of the window that pissed most people of, it was more to do with, well, who the hell is this guy and that guy? In a revolution that is permeated with trust networks, people can quickly be validated as the real deal, even though you might totally reject the methods they are using.

Conversely the CCP wants to riddle the revolution with no trust. In this climate, groups fight one another and are at the mercy of manipulative agent provocateurs at every turn. Giving in to distrust will assuredly bring about a CCP victory within HK. Or as Ben Franklin once stated, “If we don’t all hang together we shall surely hang separately!” Or in order to guarantee our independence and freedom from the most tyrannical entity that has ever existed, the CCP, we will have to fight for it together and defend each others’ rights when attacked, even if we don’t fully agree with the actions or methods of all those involved. Trust networks go a long way in mitigating against the CCP carving up the Umbrella Revolution into bite sized chunks. It doesn’t matter where you are on the democratic spectrum, anything is better than the CCP spreading the disease of distrust throughout Hong Kong’s society.

Trust is the glue that bonds the revolution together. Distrust is the cancer that will eat away at the weak joint in between groups.

Fantastic things were achieved during the opening phase of the Umbrella Revolution. But during those times, the crowds that came together were just clusters of strangers sharing the same dreams and aspirations. In the next phase of the Revolution, we need to return with more trust and more organisation. The CCP will be working tirelessly to make sure that doesn’t happen. It is their number one enemy, they hate trust above all things. Yet, for HongKongers it’s our greatest weapon, so don’t squander it!

Still Struggling to Understand What Was Happening at the Kweilin Street Lunar Markets Last Night?

Still struggling to understand what was happening at the Kweilin Street Lunar Markets last night?

Firstly, HK Indigenous issued a formal proposal to the FEHD on how they would help improve the hygiene and safety of the traditional market. (See full proposal at bottom of this post)

Despite this, the FEHD started clamping down on the hawkers in the afternoon. Many hawkers relocated to Mongkok to avoid fines and trouble.

HK Indigenous turned up with rubbish bins, brooms, fire extinguishers and volunteers to help maintain the night market for the local community.

In response the Government mobilised many police officers and FEHD, which all but killed the Lunar New Year Market for the night, as per the Governments design.

Proving that this Government will mobilise huge volumes of expensive manpower and allocate huge amounts of taxpayer’s money in order to suppress local people, but wont entertain sensible proposals to preserve or maintain local culture.

This action by HK Indigenous will happen for the next three nights. Please show your support.

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FEHD Proposal
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就桂林夜市一事，我們向食環署寫了一份建議書，內容包括有關改善衛生，人流及交通之方法，希望他們能參考建議書之內容，通融保留富有本地特色的桂林夜市。

We have submitted a proposal to the FEHD about measures to improve hygiene, pedestrian and traffic management. We sincerely hope the department could take reference of the proposal and accommodate for this local night market of indigenous blend of food and culture.
————————————————–

食物環境衛生署：
『桂林夜市』建議書

To the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department:
Proposal on the temporary Kweilin Night Market

背景
桂林街（Kweilin Street）是香港深水埗區一條街道，其道路與北河街大致平行。近年起於農曆新年(從年三十晚至年初三期間)，桂林街聚集不少本地居民擺設地攤及熟食檔，繁華鼎盛，因而被稱為「桂林夜市」。可是，2014年民建聯向貴署提交一份建議書要求貴署嚴打夜市，導致極具本土特色的『桂林夜市』成為絕響。有見及此，本組織(本土民主前線) 就衛生、道路安全及保存集體回憶三方面提交此建議書，致力追求讓本土特色得以保存時，對其他市民日常生活的影響減至最低。

Background
Kweilin Street in Shum Shui Po is well known for the night market held during lunar new year eve and the first three days of it. People from the Neighbourhood gather there to set up bazaars and food stalls. The prosperous night market is thus born. However, the intervention from the Pro-Establishment Camp is threatening this indigenous tradition. In the light of preserving the night market, Hong Kong Indigenous are proposing means to minimize the side effect of the night market.

衛生
鑒於往年桂林夜市的衛生問題都令各界引起關注，垃圾堆積問題嚴重。為改善衛生問題，本組織將於年三十晚至年初三期間放置十個臨時垃圾箱，並安排義工充當衛生大使，清理囤積的垃圾，垃圾會由義工運送至元州街垃圾收集站(元州街59-63號)；另將有多名義工負責道路清潔(如掃地)，盡可能做到垃圾分類，以便減少堆填區日積月累之負擔。義工們會勸籲市民不要隨地亂拋垃圾，籍此提升港人之公德心。

Hygiene
To cope with the environmental issues produced by the stacking of refuse, we would arrange to set up ten temporary trash bin. Together with our volunteers, we would like to send the trash directly to the refuse collection point nearby. We also assign helpers to keep the road clean and sort the waste for recycling. On top of that, we would remind the crowd not to leave refuse on the street.

道路安全
據往年所見，很多地攤和熟食檔都放置於行車通道，規劃散亂，容易造成交通阻塞及易生意外，汽車駛進來的時候亦花很長時間開通道路，故此道路安全值得高度關注。本組織建議行車通道和行人通道都需預留足夠空間，以免人多擠逼產生碰撞。可於地面劃出地攤及熟食區，清晰地指引桂林夜市之檔主如何擺放，互相作出協調。本組織亦安排多名義工專門負責道路協調，疏導人流及車輛。當有汽車通過桂林街的時候，義工會安排檔主及市民在安全情況下有秩序地讓出車路，務求令人流及交通暢順。本組織亦備有滅火筒，如遇火種，可即時使用滅火筒進行撲救，減少意外發生。

Road Safety
We are aware of the need of a clear passage for emergency and traffic. We would improve by drawing clear guidelines for stalls and food trolleys and enforce them with the help of volunteers. Our road safety helpers are in charge of coordinating traffic, pedestrian and stalls. Fire extinguishers are prepared for emergency use.

保存集體回憶
香港發展急促，日新月異。社會進步帶來了不少方便及新穎感，但與此同時港人之集體回憶正逐漸被蠶蝕。就如已被商業化的各個小社區，裡裡外外都成為名店、金鋪、藥房等供應遊客購物的店鋪，真正屬於香港人的消費和娛樂的地方已所剩無幾。為保存港人之集體回憶，本組織強烈建議保留桂林夜市。

As a preservation of memories
The development of Hong Kong has washed away most of our local memories. The old local stores were tore down and replaced by chain stores. We feel the need to save some indigenous value for the Hong Kong local. The Kweilin Night Market is highly recommended to be preserved.

總結
桂林夜市只是農曆新年期間，持續數個晚上的平民活動，其存在價值在於擁有極濃厚香港本地特色，包括文化和美食，可惜慘遭無情打壓，俗語有云：法律不外乎人情，本組織還望貴署參考此建議書就衛生，交通和保留集體回憶三方面之具體建議，通融保留桂林夜市。

Summary
Kweilin Night Market is a neighbourhood activity held during a few nights of Lunar New Year. Yet it bears a strong indigenous value, with a mix of local culture and culinary. Even it is under repression now, we have to urge the FEHD to make an exception and preserve the Kwelin Night Market.

本土民主前線
2015年2月17日

Hong Kong Indigenous
17/2/2015

Images courtesy of their respective owners

Who are HK Indigenous?

HK Indigenous is one of several new political groups that has evolved from the experiences learned during the initial months of the Umbrella Movement. They “want to break away from the pseudo democratic roadmap and put direct pressure on the government with the right means of protest. We have to alert the government that the indigenous value of Hong Kong cannot be washed away or sold.”

This is the HK Indigenous Charter in English if you didn’t know what they are about:

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Hong Kong Indigenous: Upholding Indigenous Virtue Against Suppression

18 years have passed since the handover of Hong Kong. “One Country, Two System” is just a scam under the Communist Party rule. Day after day we local Hong Kong people lose our rights and indigenous values to the Chinese Communist Party, while the pan-democratic legislators indulge in their own ‘China Dream.’

Hong Kong people are fed up with this. We rallied against the National Education Reform and the North East New Territories Development. We took part in the Umbrella Revolution. We are doing more and more to get this message across to the government – we are not going to back away or accept our fate lying down. The pseudo democrats time after time created fake protests which achieved nothing but keeping the peace for the authorities. Hong Kong people are being betrayed and kept away from true democracy, as well as being hindered in developing our own indigenous virtue.

We are a group of nameless Hong Kong people who are on the frontline of protests. Since the old resistance methods have failed against the authorities, we have no choice but to stand out and break the stalemate.

Hong Kong Indigenous was founded after we learned from the lessons from the Umbrella Revolution. We want to break away from the pseudo democratic roadmap and put direct pressure on the government with the right means of protest. We have to alert the government that the indigenous value of Hong Kong cannot be washed away or sold. Thus we are upholding indigenous virtues, as we the people own this city.

We are Hong Kong people. We have the spirit to overcome whatever challenges are thrown at us. We have overcome 1967, 1989, 1997, SARS and avian flu. What is there to fear?

Hong Kong Indigenous leads the way in the new era of protest, where we would not be fooled by pan-democrats or ignored by the government.

If you are proud of the values that Hong Kong People have created during our rich history, then please join us or support us in this fight.

Together we are strong and can’t be defeated.

www.facebook.com/hkindigenous

Has the Democracy Movement Been Hijacked by Racism?

As a westerner living in Hong Kong one of the first things you notice about the Hong Kong Cantonese is that they spend a lot of time shouting at each other. Often, what you think is a conflict is actually just two friends engaging in friendly banter about horses or Korean soap operas. That said, you don’t have to have lived here too long before you will encounter a real confrontation. Whatever the reason for the conflict, these situations quickly escalate into loud slanging matches, punctuated with elaborate verbal abuse and theatrical posturing. These conflicts almost never end in violence. Almost every westerner who witnesses these events for the first time thinks, “There’s no way I would let anyone shout at me like that, I would punch them in the face.”

And on the whole it’s true, westerners are much quicker to fight than Cantonese. Maybe it’s something to do with the Cantonese language being very colloquial and street-wise, who knows? But Cantonese really do enjoy verbally abusing each other where other nationalities would already be rolling in the dirt and fighting.

The Occupy protests amplified this penchant for verbal abuse into a mass movement. Battles over Lung Wo Road regularly saw more than 2000 people chanting abuse to the police but staying incredibly peaceful physically. I personally took a major role in convincing a few people not to load house bricks onto the road, so as to prevent the crowd from bloodbathing the police, who were at this point so cocky that they were running around beating people with no shields or helmets. Good sense won over, in that the Cantonese are really good at verbally abusing each other and don’t need actual violence to articulate and vent their views. Unfortunately this good sense hasn’t seeped down into the police who believe they have the right to Route One to violence because they are being shouted at by the protesters. In this, the police are stepping outside of the Cantonese social norm, in that tens of thousands of times a day, Cantonese hurl verbal rocks at each other, but 99% have the self restraint to not lash out into actual physical violence.

These days in heated confrontations with protesters the HKPF always bemoan, “We’re not doing anything international police wouldn’t do in a similar situation,” but the critical point they miss, is the Cantonese aren’t acting like international rioters. They’re acting like Cantonese. They know the rules of the game, which the police have forgotten, or choose to ignore. Instead They somehow feel they are apart from local culture and are justified in using violence because they’re police and should automatically deserve respect without earning it. This attitude is destroying Cantonese culture by introducing quick, physical violence as a way of resolving conflict. The Blue Ribbons have taken to this new way of conflict resolution like ducks to water. This represents a significant slide in the cultural values of the Hong Kong society and the police created it on October 3rd when they turned a blind eye to the triads causing chaos in Mongkok.

So, the reality is the Occupy Movement has been high on verbal violence and infinitesimally low on actual violence because the Cantonese culture regularly substitutes verbal violence for real violence to resolve conflict and express frustration.

With this in mind, we can see that the current redirection of the democracy movement from protests on the streets outside Legco to Direct Action in the districts has also manifested this engrained habit. Instead, the targets of verbal abuse has changed from the Government and the Police to smugglers and parallel traders.

I stood outside the 3BX Bus line in Tuen Mun for many hours on Sunday and the level of verbal violence that was being hurled was fairly substantial. Certainly, it is not something I would do, but I’m not Cantonese. Those hurling the abuse are not stupid and they are also not racists. I grew up in 1970/80s Birmingham, England, I know what racism is, and what was on display in Tuen Mun last Sunday was certainly not racism.

Instead it is a form of verbal violence against actions that people see as objectionable. If we’d have been in Europe, the protesters would have burnt the bus stop, the bus and probably routed the police out of town. But like I said, this is not the Cantonese style, Cantonese love shouting shit at each other and especially at things they don’t like.
Certainly, from a superficial level, watching the verbal barrage is not pretty and could be misconstrued as hateful racism, but if you are there you can quickly see that it is very specifically directed at a certain type of person carrying out a certain type of action. It is not based on anything the person can’t rectify very quickly. If a Mainlander was in the crowd, they would not be targeted carte blanche for their race or heritage. This is not to say, if they tried to defend the actions they wouldn’t receive a volley of abuse, but they could take part or silently observe without any fear of attack from the rabid crowd. This shows it’s much more sophisticated than racism. Try sticking a silent, black person in a group of European Neo Nazi racists and see if you get the same result.

This is the critical difference between the anti-Mainland sentiment in Hong Kong and say classic white, black racism in Europe or America. They are coming from completely different foundations. One is a temporary form of protest, or a new form of expression at the dissatisfaction towards our malign government. The other is coming from hatred based on ignorance, is long lasting and often incurable.

Given this, at this point, I have no fear that the democracy movement has been hijacked by racism, certainly a tiny minority may misunderstand what is going on. Definitely our malign government will try and exploit it for its own advantage, but the protestors are smart and savvy. They will use this current tactic while it is useful and discard it once it becomes a burden.

It may not be pretty, but revolutions never are. Some might argue that flirting with racism is playing with fire, but the protesters would argue back,

“We’re already fighting the Volcano.”

Pit Stop in Quarry Bay

We’re in the midst of a ‘game’ generation. Everyone is gaming whether on their phone, using a computer or game station or even vicariously by watching videos of others gaming. And it’s fun! We enjoy pitting our skills against the computer or friends across the digital world. But it’s intrinsically a singular experience we game alone in our own world… which goes really against the idea of games. Games are social experiences, people get together to share, have fun, build bonds, reduce stress – all things apart from fun, that are missing in the digital experience.

Andy Raishbrook, Sue Man and HK 'The Original' Stig at ARace's opening Pit Stop — Andy Raishbrook, Sue Man and HK ‘The Original’ Stig at ARace’s opening Pit Stop

Looking to change that are Andy Raishbrook and Sue Man the founders of ARace who are wanting to bring the social back into gaming and give people a fun night out with real world experiences and memories. The ARace 50m long track recently opened in Quarry Bay and after a few hours of fun, crashes, spills and racing bc asked Andy and Sue what it’s all about.

Why slot car racing?
The new era of digital slot car racing is a popular hobby and sport enjoyed in many parts of Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand. However, slot car racing has never become popular in Hong Kong, not because the people of Hong Kong are not interested in it, but because it hasn’t been as readily available to them.

ARace is seeking to build awareness of digital slot car racing, and has set up a large 50-metre commercial track to enable Hong Kongers to participate in an activity that is enjoyed by citizens of many other nations around the world. Slot car racing is not just for children or teens. With the advancement of technology, slot car racing is now just as enjoyable and challenging for adults.

ARace is setup to provide slot car racing as a fun and socially interactive sport, ideal for a social gathering, party, corporate event, or teambuilding activity. Those who want to enjoy racing cars have previously been limited to driving simulators, where enjoyment is limited to the individual racer. ARace provides an active and more social racing experience, where racers can drive while standing side by side and moving freely around a large track Teammates can assist in the racing challenges as ‘pit crew’, and spectators can also enjoy watching and cheering the racers from beside the track. Slot car racing can be a useful tool for teamwork activities, and for encouraging good sportsmanship. There will be fun and exciting themed race events at ARace, including James Bond and Formula 1 race nights.

http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/Opening-Pit-Stop-Arace/47231966_kTdTxZ#!i=3851141320&k=NHvG8qk

With several different slot car systems available why did you chose Carrera?
There were many reasons why we chose to build our slot car circuit using the Carrera system. The main reason was that we believe the Carrera system to be the most robust and reliable. Our research found that the Austrian manufacturing company, Stadlbauer, had invested significantly in recent years to introduce new digital and wireless technology that provides more exciting challenges, and experiences closer to those faced in real-life motor-racing.

The detailing of the Carrera cars, of which there is a large and varied catalogue, the precise engineering, and the high standards of quality production by Stadlbauer, are further reasons why we chose to select their system for our venue.

The Stadlbauer team has been most helpful and receptive to our ideas and suggestions and strives to continually improve and better the experiences for slot car racers. Indeed, we were recently able to welcome the company founder Dr Dieter Stadlbauer, the Managing Director Mr Andreas Stadlbauer, and their team, to our venue when they recently visited Hong Kong.

We hope to be able to continue working with Stadlbauer into the future, to ensure that the new exciting digital technology now emerging in slot car racing, and being implemented in the Carrera system, is brought to Hong Kong so that Hongkongers can be amongst the first to enjoy it.

How has technology impacted slot car racing?
For those of us who were able to experience slot-car racing when we were younger, we know how fun and exciting it can be to spend hours playing without getting bored. In the past, slot car racing was limited to just two racers, circling on simple parallel tracks, with limited challenges.

In recent years, advanced digital and wireless technology has been introduced that brings slot-car racing to a new exciting level. At ARace, we can race up to six drivers simultaneously on custom built circuits that can include multiple lanes, lane changing, and overtaking possibilities. The wireless handsets allow “drivers” to move 360 degrees around the circuit, with no impediment. One of the most exciting innovations is that we can now simulate each car having a “fuel load” at the beginning of each race, necessitating a pit-stop strategy for periodically “refueling”. This is just one example of the extra challenges available to more experienced slot car racers. There are numerous challenges that can be set for different skill levels.

The digital technology further enhances the racing experience as we are now able to accurately record lap times, race positions, speed, and laps completed. At ARace, our Carrera system is connected to a PC, and to large monitors positioned around our comfortable venue. The statistics of each race can be displayed, including graphical information of race performance, for all to see and discuss. Post-race analysis is often lively and interesting.

Can customers bring and race their own cars?
Yes. Our standard racing sessions will include the hire of 6 cars, normally Porsche 911 models at 1:32 scale. However, we encourage our customers to consider purchasing their own cars from the extensive range available from Carrera, including Formula 1 models. A new range of Carrera cars becomes available every year, including nice collectors’ items for car enthusiasts. The ARace system is suitable for Carrera slot cars at either 1:32 or 1:24 scale which must have a Carrera digital chip. Digital chips by other makers will not function on our track. If customers bring their own cars they will be tested to ensure compatibility, and to avoid damaging our system.

We are currently liaising with educational organisations to incorporate slot car racing into the classroom. Slot car racing has already been successfully implemented in the US, and has been incorporated into the syllabus in numerous subjects, such as science and technology, mathematics and arts and crafts. Such projects are very student-centered, practical, and motivating for both students and teachers. Students can design, build, and then race their own slot-cars, and by using advanced computer software students can design and decorate their own slot cars in the most imaginative of ways.

ARace is set up as a communal/social experience, what options are there for individuals to race?
Whilst ARace is readily available for groups and families to enjoy slot car racing, we also have membership plans available for individuals to come and race too. Once sufficient individual members have signed up, exciting race events will be scheduled, and leagues will be established to compete for the fastest race times.

The individual memberships will be categorised into 3 different age groups, namely; a: kids (8 to 12); b: teens (13 to 17); and c: adults (18+). Further information about individual memberships will be available in due course.

Interested individuals can currently join our online “Meetup” group at http://www.meetup.com/Slot-Car-Racing-Hong- Kong-Social-Meetup-Group or they may email us at [email protected].

You can find more information on membership or sign up for to the ARace monthly newsletter to receive the latest information, promotions, updates on the availability of Carrera products and upcoming special Arace events at www.arace.hk.

Red Bulls**t

Would you confuse beer and an energy drink? Red Bull seems to think it’s customers are that stupid or maybe they’ll be confused that Red Bull has entered the beer market, if they came in contact with Virginia’s Old Ox Brewery?

Attorneys for the extreme drink certainly think so, and have filed a complaint in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In it, attorneys – always looking to increase their billable hours – for the energy drink assert some consumers might confuse the brands because “An ‘ox’ and a ‘bull’ both fall within the same class of ‘bovine’ animals and are virtually indistinguishable to most consumers. In addition, an ox is a castrated bull.”

In reply the Old Ox Brewery released a public letter asking the company that makes Red Bull energy drinks to drop its complaint.

Hey Red Bull –

You seem pretty cool. You sponsor snowboarders, adventure racers, rock climbers and motocross bikers. You launch people into space so that they can skydive back down to earth. That’s all really darn cool. For all I know, you’re reading this while strapping yourself into a Formula One racecar that is about to be lit on fire and jumped over a large chasm of some sort. How cool would that be? Feel free to give it a try.

Here’s the thing, though. You are being extremely uncool to us at Old Ox Brewery. We are a small startup brewery in Ashburn, Virginia. We’re family-run, we love beer, and we love our community. For reasons that we cannot understand, you have attempted to strong arm us into changing our identity for the last 10 months because you believe folks might mistake Old Ox beer for Red Bull energy drinks. We respectfully disagree. The only similarity between our two products is that they are both liquids. You make non-alcoholic (but very extreme) energy drinks. We make delicious (but laid-back) beer. Our consumers are looking for two distinctly different experiences from our respective products.

Basically you are holding us hostage with a list of demands that, if agreed to, would severely limit our ability to use our brand. Demands like, never use the colour red, silver or blue; never use red with any bovine term or image; and never produce soft drinks. Do you own the colour red? What about fuchsia, scarlet, crimson, or mauve? Are you planting your flag in the colour wheel and claiming those shades for Red Bull? Do you claim exclusive rights to all things bovine? Do you plan to herd all heifers, cows, yaks, buffalo, bison, and steer into your intellectual property corral, too?

When we refused to succumb to your demands, you responded by filing a formal opposition to not just our trademark but to the very name Old Ox Brewery. Way to step on our American dream. You say you are protecting your intellectual property rights, but your claim, in our opinion, is Red Bulls**t.

We can only interpret your actions as one thing—bullying. You are a big Red Bully. Just like that mean kid from grade school pushing everyone down on the playground and giving us post-gym class wedgies. You are giving us one hell of a corporate wedgie. We don’t appreciate it and we sure as hell don’t deserve it.

Is this really what you’re about? Are you a bully? Your extensive marketing campaigns (your glitzy advertising, your sponsored sports events, your death defying stunt shows, etc.) certainly don’t project that image. Take a hard look at your “case.” Can you honestly look at our brand and say, “this is a threat to my image?” We don’t think you can. Given that, we repeat our offer: We agree NEVER to produce energy drinks. In exchange, we are asking for one simple thing: Leave us alone. Drop this trademark dispute. The only people benefiting are the lawyers.

Sincerely and Uninfringingly Yours,

Chris Burns
President – Old Ox Brewery

As Shelly commented it’s easy to get confused
“I’m just a silly girl. Sometimes I really need an energy drink and I get confused why I’m in a brewery. Wait, why are they carding me for an energy drink? This is weird. Oh wait…. I’m getting drunk from this energy drink from my tulip glass.
And sometimes I’m in 7-11 thinking I can get a great craft beer, but this can is only making me hyper…
Why is life so hard?
I need a beer.”

Tuen Mun: The big question is WHY?

Why, when we have a malign government that failed to be moved by 79 days of Occupy have many highly motivated young people turned to combating smugglers?

Isn’t all this New Territories shenanigans just a side show to the main event which is political reform? Wouldn’t their efforts be best served outside Legco facing down the government they hate so much?

The answer to this question is a resounding NO!

Why?

Because all rules of the game have changed. In the eyes of the young people who make up these Direct Action Groups the Pan Democrats have been dallying with the government for 30 years and achieved all but nothing. For them, it’s an entirely new game and they are taking politics right back to the roots. Local politics for local people solving local issues. They are the masters of their own destiny now. Not distant politicians with political agendas that have been forged over decades. They know no-one is coming to save them. They know the force that they are fighting has enormous influence and resources, but they also know that real power lies within in the hearts and minds of the people.

Over the past few months these groups have been working to capture the hearts and minds of the residents of Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun. The currency they are dealing with is called empowerment. A community empowered to take charge of its destiny is a powerful force for change.

Admittedly, there are many in these areas that are still slow to catch up with their message and struggle to separate these groups out from Occupy, but the tide is turning. The people in these long suffering districts are slowly realising that they have the power to take their districts back. Certainly, they may not agree fully with the Direct Action Groups hardcore tactics, but they fully support their message.

These groups have taken it upon themselves to be the hammer that breaks down the door of local issues. They openly accept that the police are authorised, from the very top, to use whatever force is necessary to meet them, for they understand clearly that the harder the police hit them, the louder their message is amplified.

In the current climate, provoking the police is not difficult at all. Just being there is enough for the police to come out fighting and the trap is sprung. The media predictably jump all over it and their goal is achieved. For the Direct Action Groups the Tuen Mun operation was a complete success. Every news media organisation in Hong Kong now has the plight of these affected communities front and centre. This is all thanks to a small group of politically astute, hardcore protesters, non of whom are much older than 27. Using a delicate blend of cooperation and confrontation they have bought a festering, hidden sore of Hong Kong life into the spotlight and laid it bare for everyone to see and solve. The locals thank them for it.

But let’s be clear here, these maybe raw, high stakes protests, but they are in no way coarse or uncontrolled. It’s a highly calculated balancing act between knowing when to push and knowing when to yield. This they learnt in the cauldron of the Mongkok Occupy. On Sunday, they played the police like an old fiddle.

Just being there was enough to make the police go into hyper aggression mode once again. This doesn’t mean to say that they relish conflict, nor does it mean to say that every time a person is pepper sprayed or arrested the group members aren’t beside themselves with anger and anguish.

Instead, it’s an acute awareness that the police have long since set themselves up as a political arm of the government, therefore they are a legitimate political force to be manipulated at will. An amplifier as it were, which the groups turn on or off depending upon the timings for their message. No doubt the police will now be bringing all the sophisticated powers they have to monitor these new groups and curb them at every turn.

Just take a while to digest that. Civic groups set up specifically to encourage and support local issues and problems are now the focus of the police, as if they were terrorists or triads. Can there be any doubt that Hong Kong is being lead down the wrong path by malignant people?

This kind of Direct Action like we have witnessed in Tuen Mun and Tai Po, may not be your cup of tea. They are certainly not the main road to universal suffrage, but they are an essential part of it. While some say that Occupy lost public support, they have begun to win it back where it counts, in the districts.

You may never fully understand them but don’t shun them. Take the time to understand. Open your eyes to what’s going on around you, take you head out of the sand and take an interest in the place you call home. Whatever your view, remember their goal is the same – an open corruption free Hong Kong where everyone can enjoy societies benefits not just the privileged few.

The wide range of protest is a hopeful sign that a genuine shift in society is taking place.

www.facebook.com/hkindigenous
https://hkindig.wordpress.com/

Addendum: Tuen Mun resident Fran Wong posted this comment on facebook:
Fran Wong Thanks for your in-depth report. As a Tuen Mun resident, I fully support this action and thank the Direction Action groups for organizing this. Unfortunately, there are alot of local residents who still have some misconception or doubts about these local groups, and some even consider them as triads and radical losers in the society. The most disappointing is that alot of local mainstream media rarely report the conflicts between these local groups and the blue-ribbon groups, or any injustices took place in the local districts in the previous weeks. But from all the videos which went viral, it’s crystal clear that the government/ the police are targeting these local groups.

I have lived in Tuen Mun since I was born. Lots of the residents here could tolerate the long traveling time to the city centre, the frequent traffic jams on Tuen Mun Highways, and the juvenile problems in the early 90s. Yet, the ‘multi-entry permit’ has brought a great deal of disturbance to this residential area. What has the government done all these years? Nothing. Now, the situation has only become bad to worse. So, you’re right! Looking at all the problems in HK, when no one is coming to save us, we have to empower ourselves. Indeed, I was amazed to see the flexible tactics these local groups adopted on Sunday. But it was also sad and worrying to see the young kids being arrested and beaten up by the police. I hope the young kids will try to keep themselves safe.

I truly appreciate what the local groups did on Sunday. They helped to unite the Tuen Mun residents to voice out and stand up. So, like what you said, we gotta explain, explain and explain to clear those so-obsessed- with-being-peaceful-rational-and-non-violent people’s misconception about these local Direction Action groups.

Thanks for reporting the truth to HK people. Your articles report a great deal of information which the local mainstream media rarely covers.

Match Report: HKCC Babes 5 – 0 Police Sirens

(note: the author takes no responsibility for the numerous, terrible, law enforcement puns in this article)

The Women’s National League 1 regular season drew to a close on Saturday, with HKCC Babes hosting Police Sirens at Aberdeen. Delays in earlier games meant kick-off was postponed until 18:45; with the sides opting to “play until the lights went out”.

The Police, in yellow, received the ball to start the first half, but good poaching from Winnie Cheung and Emily Tuck arrested their attack almost immediately, at which point HKCC turned on the heat. The second row partnership of Lauren Petersen and Cornelia Noren (making an exciting 15s debut) powered a dominant HKCC scrum, which perhaps let off Sirens lightly by not pressing its advantage in the drive. Babes set up camp in the Police 22, but it was only in the 20^th minute that points went on the board, returning centre Julia Mason displaying excellent skills in the midfield and making space via a loop ball; then resisting three defenders to score on the far left of the field. The conversion was narrowly missed. HKCC should perhaps have had the courage of their convictions more often, working hard to create the space but then under-utilising this by relying too much on crashing the ball through the forwards. In full-flow, however, the Babes looked threatening and full of promise; Tinley Wong and Lucy Thomson, carrying matching shoulder injuries, scampered through the Police defence time and again but excellent speed and awarenesss from the Siren’s scrum half saved their bacon, securing turnover ball in some sloppy rucks.

The second half was an equally scrappy affair. The Babes’ occupation of the Police half threatened to last the entire game, as the HKCC scrum brought the Babes to within the 5 yard line yet again. Several phases later the referee raised his arm to indicate a try. The decision was overturned on appeal, both Babes and officials having being deceived by extraneous white paint on the pitch and thus short of the true try line. With possession secured, Carolyn Champion peeled off the back of a subsequent ruck but couldn’t find the final yards as the ball was held up yet again. Sirens broke out of their 22 on the left wing and, at full flight with support behind, looked nailed-on to score. But full back Brenda Chan bailed HKCC out of trouble with spectacular reading of the play and a well-timed tackle that forced a line out. HKCC soon stomped back down the field, hackles raised by some subtle infringements in the ruck – well, as subtle as stamping and hair pulling can be. Scrum half Lynda Nazer’s prints were all over the ball as she distributed it throughout a stop-start series of phases that saw no real breakthrough.

The first significant defensive error from the Babes (forming a line more umbrella shaped than flat) allowed Police to break through again, with winger Steph Zhang halting the attack but earning a card for doing so with a high tackle. And as the minutes ticked down, a second error, in not retreating ten yards from a penalty, earned Sirens their chance in the Babes 22. An over-zealous quick-tap was firmly rebuffed by the referee, and then play halted for several minutes to deal with an injured Sirens’ player. In the cold, the Police massed around the ball. The Babes closed ranks on their try line, poised and ready. After nearly 60 minutes, the game hinged on what was deemed the final minute. The Babes held their line after four phases. Sirens looked to pass across the width of the field, to exploit the space of the extra player. Excellent blitz defending held out to the very end though, and Sirens couldn’t hold on to the ball; Harriet Jamieson kicking out to secure a win that, with a little more poise and experience in attack, could have been so much more convincing.

Next week is championship quarter finals; at the top of the bill Nataxis HKFC Ice will take on 8^th seeded Police Sirens and second seeds Bloomberg HK Scottish Kukri tackle Society General Valley Red Ladies. HKCC Babes face off against Comvita City, in what should prove an exciting contest.

Unfortunately, your correspondent won’t be here to see it, or any future matches, owing to an imminent departure from Hong Kong. As ever with stories about this beautiful city, the tale is one of endless arrivals and departures, of soaring summers and hot-pot winters. The centerpiece of my own version will certainly be the fantastic, utterly brilliant year with HKCC, both on and off the pitch; when the most drunken 7s declaration ever made (why yes, Anna Holmes, maybe I would be interested in playing rugby again) became one of the best decisions I ever made. My thanks to bc magazine for hosting these only-slightly-biased match reports; and most of all to the people who’ve appeared in them. Babes, you’re all awesome – Keep playing ‘til the lights go out. HK….CC!