Officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation in the Pacific that is home to around 10,000 natives. But this little nation that would normally be just a paradise from the outside world is facing a serious consequence that it has very little to contribute to - global warming.

As an island nation, the coastline is retreating at an alarming rate each year. Trees that were once growing about the beautiful beaches around the country are now dying because of the sea water that is eroding the soil. It's a devastating issue indeed, with local government having plans to migrate the entire population before Kiribati is submerged underwater.

The price of industrial prosperity often comes at a cost on people who are much less fortunate and never enjoyed the benefits that industrialization brought about.

Wanted to drive down to Seattle in one of these coming weekends where there will be no exhaust fan to fix, no grocery shopping to be done, no church to go to, no status report to do, no translation work, no broadband network problems to fix for my neighbors, just some tranquillity. Next weekend the company Bu is taken though and the family Ri is in use. Anyone is invited of course.

Also need to find a weekend tutoring job (that is reasonably paid) as well. The week day 15 hour plus work + tutor cycle is not sustainable (except for the volunteering one).

With the large scale market intervention by the US government on the financial sector, it's natural to ponder if the last of free market is disappearing. The concept of free market, whereby government and regulations allows for natural market adjustments without intervention, has been a main pillar in American value. Traditionally, the American government also forces other markets to open door to American goods and stop subsidies to local industies with the concept of free market. Now that the US government is injecting hundred of billions in taxpayer money into the US financial sector, a) does that mark the disappearance of free market, and will this intervention do good to the US economy in the long run?

As with other US policies of the past decade, this injection of taxpayer's money into the financial sector has been followed suit by other governments to stablize the global economy. A land of the free, at least in the sense of free market at least, is not so free anymore. And once an intervention of this scale has been done, it will be expected that next time the financial sector cries for help that the government has the same "responsibility" again.

More importantly, does an intervention such as this do good to the US and global economy in the long run? The fundamental reason to this near collapse of the US financial sector is the greediness of investment banks and the lack of value these banks create in return. How does the average investment bank create value to society at large anyways? Injection of taxpayer money has the negative effect of encouraging bad credit and investment practices in the future. The average citizen will probably not benefit from this policy either. When the government forcefully stabilize the stock market, other things such as oil and housing prices will sustain as well. The economy isn't really in a good state though, so people suffer from high costs of living while either losing their jobs or not having their salary increases match the increasing living costs.

Fundamentally, one must also ask where the US gets the money from to inject into the market. Recall the US is already running on huge debts from the war against terrorism, so it isn't exactly true that US taxpayer money are being used. Instead, the US will run on more debts, print more money (which will result in inflation if you remember your ECON 101), or sell more government bonds. Is saving an industry that can arguably be said not to be worth saving, and do so on credit, be really worth it? And is this a sustainable practice?

A strange iced beverage, but a strangely tasty summer drink nevertheless. And I am not a fan of alcoholic drinks in general. Perhaps you can consider it as the Japanese version of whisky x Red Bull (which I would never dare try because it sounds like I would get a heart attack from it)? Even though it's still an alcoholic drink, it's rather mild and healthy. The tea component of the drink hides the strong fragrance of sake, so it's very easy to swallow (haha overly easy for someone).

In case you're adventurous, sake shouldn't be hard to find, but Karada Meguri Cha (http://meguricha.jp/, a Coca-Cola Japan product) is if you're outside Japan. Ginseng tea should be a good replacement however. Only tastes good when chilled. Thank you Manami S. for this interesting combination.

Start of Another School Year

It's the start of another school year for students in many countries, best of luck with your studies. And in general, this also means the recruitment season for consulting staffs across many firms have begun. When considering a career in consulting, do remember to keep a few things in mind:

1) do you truely love to travel when demand arises?

2) can you afford to give up some degree of work-life balance?

3) do you prefer the comfort of doing recurring task with a long term team or would you rather move from project to project?

4) are you disciplined enough to shape your own career?

5) will you adapt well to a very competitive and constantly changing environment?

Perhaps some corporations never got the meaning and definition of the Latin term "Pro Bono Publico", or "Pro Bono" as it is usually referred to as. Literally, the phrase is defined as "for the good of the public". The effort involves voluntary professional services for those in need but are unable to afford the service. Charging reduced rate to a NGO and then marketing the effort as a pro bono service to glorify a firm's social contribution does not cut it. The intent of pro bono service is lost.

A professional firm has the social responsibility to serve the communities in which it operates. The endeavor should be genuine and without thought in any form of return. Unlike SOX, compliance to social contribution is not mandatory. However, when committed to pro bono services, a firm should do so by heart.

Improving the Quality of Living in Hong Kong

While New Jersey serves as a "lower cost living buffer" to New York and Yokohama serves as the Tokyo counterpart, that seems to be something missing for the population in Hong Kong. As a result, many find it very difficult to afford even marginally spacious apartment flats.

What is a "lower cost living buffer" after all? By nature, New York and Tokyo are crowded and estate costs are extremely high. For people with entry level positions, living within these cities is very difficult. And demanding moderate space is often a dream. However, New Jersey and Yokohama, provides low cost land and housing for people in working in the metropolitian cities. The mobile population works in NYC and Tokyo during the day, and returns to NJ and Yokohama by night. Transportation is convnenient and without buffer. Amtrak serves to connect between NJ and NYC, whilst express JR trains allow the commute between Yokohama and Tokyo city to be cheap and efficient.

The same cannot be said for Hong Kong. A land surrounded by sea in three directions, the only ways to expand habitable space are through sea reclamation or into the North. Reclamation is less than environmentally friendly, however, and room to build new city centers in New Territories, the last of available space to expand within the Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), is severely limited.

As a long term solution, Hong Kong and the province of Guangdong should be jointed, such that Guangdong serves Hong Kong the same way that NJ and Yokohama provide more affordable living space to the working population of NYC and Tokyo respectively. Removal of the custom between the HKSAR and Guangdong is necessary to make everyday transportation more seamless, and a high speed transportation system must be available to connect the two places. Law, culture and other infrastructures needs to be unified, which is much easier written than done. The availability of affordable real estates will improve the quality of living for those in Hong Kong and provide added opportunities for those in Guangdong.

Recall the frustration when the flight status changed to 'DELAYED' or 'CANCELLED' on your last business flight to the client site? If you believe that you're the unlucky exception, you can be rest assured that many travellers are keeping you company. On average, 25% of the flights in the United States are not leaving the ground on time. Consider yourself lucky if your flight is just delayed, because airlines are trimming routes with minimal warning for the passengers, which means that your UA 1132 flight from Chicago to some rural town might not exist anymore by the time you are ready for your travel at the airport.

But don't blame on the airlines just yet. An aging continential air traffic control system backed by a congested sky means that some planes just have to stay put for a little longer, for your safety. More severe weather around the year isn't your favorite airline's creation either. The increase in business and leisure travellers, despite the recent skyrocketing fuel surcharges, puts strain in international airports which have not grown in capacity for a while.

The solution?

1. Have a favoritism with your clients on the west coast. Delays in the western half of the continent are generally less severe. The worst locations are flights entering and leaving Washington DC, New York and Chicago.

2. Fly through Canada. As much as Canadians complain about delays as well, problems are less severe and better regulated.

3. Don't complain when the air fare increases at rates matching credit card interest rates. The average cost of air fare have halved over the past decade while fuel cost have increased many folds. Heightening air fare helps reduce passengers and unprofitable flights, which will help clear the congestion in the sky and reduce delays.

4. Leave buffer time for the next flight and bring with you a good book to read while you wait. Delays often exist to ensure your safety when you're up at 33,000 feet above sea level. Be glad that taking a flight is much safer on average than driving on the road.