Budget Tomorrow

Henry Tang delivers "The Budget" tomorrow. I don’t know how many different ways to say this, but cut taxes and cut expenditure. Also if he calls it a pragmatic budget, it really means an unprincipled budget. Pragmatism has the principle of not being principled, just acting on what feels right without ever judging why it feels right. If one holds that justice includes rewarding the productive, then the best way to reward those that work hard is to end this idea of parasitism that has crept into Hong Kong.

Cisco Censorship and WTO protester charges dropped

Over at the SCMP website, the second lead story tonight is that China defends its censorship of free speech. Meanwhile. the lead advertisment is from Cisco – Smarter, Simpler and More Secure – this from a company that has helped China build its censorship sytstem.

The SCMP also notes that another anti-WTO protester has had charges dropped against him. The government apparantly does not have enough evidence.

United Nations Threat to Free Speech

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the United Nations is threatening free speech with talk of a blasphemy code of practice. Details of the story are here and there will be more comments about this on the blog later today.

Update: According to the Sydney Morning Herald:

The European Union and a group of Islamic countries said they backed UN action to stop "defamation of religion".

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference is lobbying for the UN to include language against blasphemy in the tenets of a new human rights body. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said he supported the idea.

This in effect represents complete capitulation to the Islamic extremists by the EU. If implemented it would represent a victory of savagery over rationality. Free speech is man’s most basic right and this represents another step on a very deliberate slope of European appeasement.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, the Prime Minister has closed down a Chinese language daily for two weeks for printing cartoons of one of Islam’s alleged icons.

Confused Democrats

First they want a tax cut, now they don’t. Seven Democrats have now come out against a cut in salaries tax and more profits tax. The Democrats should remember that taxation is theft and it penalizes the productive.

Cartoon Contest Update

Michael Leunig from the Melbourne Age apparantly did not submit a cartoon he created in 2002 for the Iranian Holocaust Cartoon Competition. The contest is deliberately designed to offend and he claims he does not want to take part. However let’s look at the original carton which can be found at the following Sunday Mail website

One thing is clear though, if the Iranians are happy to accept a cartoon that Mr. Leunig did in 2002, one has to question Mr. Leunig’s creation of the cartoon in the first place. He seems to be targeting the Israelis just because they want and have to take measures to protect themselves from hostile neighbours that are open about calling for Israel’s destruction. He is free to create such rubbish, but so are others to condemn Mr. Leunig for such creations too.

Marathon News

One person has unfortunately died as a result of the Hong Kong Marathon last Sunday. Originally this was put down to air pollution, but local doctors have been saying it is a result of a lack of preparation. More can be found in the Hong Kong Standard

The SCMP also reports that the Hong Kong Medical Association president noted that it was improper training, not pollution. RTHK also reports.

Marathon News

One person has unfortunately died as a result of the Hong Kong Marathon last Sunday. Originally this was put down to air pollution, but local doctors have been saying it is a result of a lack of preparation. More can be found in the Hong Kong Standard

The SCMP also reports that the Hong Kong Medical Association president noted that it was improper training, not pollution. RTHK also reports.

More Cartoons

Via Tim Blair, the staff at Cracked Magazine have produced some of their own cartoons.

Sunday Review

A very late and quick review of yesterday’s SCMP. According to the post:

Former Iranian president Khatami claims that free speech is to blame for the current riots. No, Mr. Khatami the ones to blame are radical Islam, the Iranian leadership and the rioters that came out onto the streets and participated in the violent protests.

Canning Fok, Chairman of Hutchison Whampoa’s 3G service in Italy is blaming a lack of education for investors not wanting to pay about $9 billion dollars for an interest in the 3G service. I am not a fan of 3G yet, and I am wondering whether wireless might lead to the premature death of 3G.

Henry Tang has appointed Emily Lau as vice-chairman of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee(BFAC), which is supposed to help businesses by reducing outdated rules and regulations. There first meeting is on Tuesday and my suggestion that if they really want to help business, that the first order of business should be to remove Ms Lau from the BFAC.

Radical Islamic Protesters Show Their Colours

The Sun in the UK has some telling photos from a demonstration against the Danish Cartoons. Some of the signs they carried included:

• Behead those that insult Islam
• Slaughter those who insult Islam
• Mutilate those who insult Islam
• Europe: your 9/11 will come

There are more. These people are a disgrace and they are continuing their rampage. Europeans in Beirut and Gaza are the latest targets.