From HKFP…
The Hong Kong government has given new identification numbers to lamp posts that inadvertently referenced the date of the Tiananmen crackdown, with the numbers “8964” and “6489” erased in favour of new codes.
Article includes a real, non-stock-photo, non-AI, pic of an actual worker spray-painting a new number on a tall item of street furniture in sunny downtown Tseung Kwan O.
Fortunately, only four-digit versions of the offending date are affected, otherwise every lamp post, vehicle, ID card, etc with the number 64 on them would get spray-painted, along with everyone born in 1960, the famous Beatles song, and those 1964 wines – notably Bordeaux from St Emilion or Pomerol.
And a man has been charged after a sports event in June when…
…officers witnessed someone who turned their back to the field and did not stand for the entirety of China’s national anthem. Local media reported at the time that some plainclothes police officers were observing spectators and filming them as the March of the Volunteers was played to the stadium.
A couple of little items from the weekend…
A paragraph from Carl Sagan in a 1995 book predicting today’s world of anti-science idiocy. It’s so prescient (as the poster puts it) that it could almost be a fake, except it’s in Sagan’s unmistakable voice.
The Economist interviews former US and foreign officials and passes on guidance on getting on with Donald Trump…
…the usual wisdom on how to handle Mr Trump could double up as advice on hosting a toddler’s birthday party, with its emphasis on lavish presents, easy-to-eat food and unlimited praise.
…Mr Trump admires ancient bloodlines…
…flattery can make Mr Trump receptive to a leader’s words, but only if he also thinks that leader strong.
…There is agreement that Mr Trump has a short attention span and does not read his briefings. He is a bully, arguing with the help of made-up facts and daring foreign leaders to contradict him. “Please don’t, don’t be patronising,” was the heartfelt advice that a senior American diplomat offered allied governments on handling Mr Trump, before a G7 summit.
Not just four-digit numbers. Caption under picture of lamp post 52314:
A lamp post in North Point that was numbered 38964, but has been re-labelled as 52314, shown on November 12, 2024.
Does anyone believe anything in The Economist anymore?
One may as well cite The New York Times or the BBC.
Seems like the oxygen thieves have nothing better to do than to relabel lamp posts. They should be swinging from them.