Fire station wrecked in blaze had no alarm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/26/nfire26.xml

By Stewart Payne

Last Updated: 2:32am BST 27/10/2006

A fire station destroyed in a blaze did not have a smoke alarm fitted, an embarrassed brigade spokesman admitted yesterday.

	The fire station which was destroyed in a blaze

The retained fire station at Arundel, West Sussex, was found to be ablaze when its part-time firemen arrived for work yesterday morning.

Smoke was belching from the unmanned building and they had to call on colleagues from neighbouring towns to put it out.

Crews in six fire engines arrived from Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Worthing and East Preston but were unable to prevent the destruction of the building and the appliance inside. It emerged that the fire station was not fitted with any form of fire or smoke alarm.

A spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service: "A fire alarm system is designed to save lives, whereas this building was unoccupied most of the time."

He added, however: "This incident just goes to show that fire can affect anyone.

"We don't know what caused the fire but we don't think it is arson at this stage. The fire station included a bay, a recreation room, an office and kitchenette."

Nobody was injured but about 20 neighbouring properties were evacuated as a precaution as firemen tackled the blaze.

Temporary fire cover is being arranged for the area while the station remains out of service.

Two engines crash on 999 call

Two fire engines crashed into each other on the way to a fire, Kent Fire and Rescue Service said yesterday. One ran into the back of the other as they attended a blaze in Chatham.

Four firemen were taken to hospital with whiplash and shock as two more engines were sent to deal with the fire. A fire service spokesman said an investigation was under way.

Sis sent it to me.... well... anything could happen in the UK... well well

儒家。關愚謙。德意志

... 受儒家教育的人永遠以慈悲為懷， 瞻前瞻後， 就怕得罪對方，怕影響關係，結果讓人家欺負。美國和歐洲打起貿易仗上是互不相讓的，也並不因此而老死不相往來。

I read yesterday's Hong Kong Economic Journal (信報: Oct 25) and I had some special feeling on this statement in 關愚謙's 德意志 column. I always luv to read his essays. This statement really punches my heart that some Chinese people do think like the way he mentioned.

The essay I extracted from is about the acquisition of Siemens's mobile business by BenQ and was later wound up because of various reasons and many German believe that its BenQ's problem. BenQ is a Taiwan brand and it wants to step into the mobile phone market by acquiring Siemens's money-losing business. However, because of different cultural backgrounds and the lack of understanding in the western business models and culture BenQ was not succeeded in operating this mobile phone section. Mr Kwan tried to pursuade Chinese investors about the dangers and concerns about stepping into the western markets.

Maybe its because in China we do not have rule of law. We only have rule by law, and rule by the people. haha. Chinese seldom understand the necessity of processes, laws and the binding rules. Everything's just derive from their desire......

Quote: 我們這一代生意人

Quote from 人在中環

難度雖然高，又唔代表一定做唔到。畢竟呢個世界，有太多太多可能啦，Life, is still good。

CK身邊差唔多年紀既生意佬朋友，承繼父業既彼彼皆是，創業既則寥寥可數。今時今日創業，大概比從前更難。

好多年前既一個暑假，CK做暑期工時認識左當時既老細Uncle Sam。Uncle Sam宜家六十幾歲，係一間玩具廠既老闆。七十年代香港經濟起飛，佢同佢細佬，兩兄弟搞左間廠出黎。大概佢地並唔係最出色既生意人，不過憑住努力，雖然做唔成超級富豪，但生活水準都算得上幾富裕。畢竟佢地由二十幾時歲住板間房開始不斷往上爬，到而家六十歲人，有能力坐擁何文田兩千幾呎大屋，供得起兩個仔女留學美國，呢幾十年既努力，都咪話唔野少。

CK偶然都會同Uncle Sam飲下茶。不過幾年前CK同佢講話諗住做生意既時侯，Uncle Sam係其中一個向CK大潑冷水既人。佢潑冷水既原因，係覺得我地呢一代後生仔，唔捱得苦，又容易放棄。童年時物質生活富足，養到我地個個生骨大頭菜咁。創業做生意需要無比毅力同會遇到好多挫折，好似CK呢死仔唔方捱得住云云。

CK當然唔認同Uncle Sam對我地呢一代人既偏見，至少，CK都自以為自己唔係佢口中講果種生骨大頭菜。不過話晒係長輩，無謂同老人家鬥氣啦。呢幾年CK都有keep住問 Uncle Sam一做生意既心得同貼士，不過識左Uncle Same大大話話成十年有多，佢所講既生意心得來來去去都係離不開要「肯捱」同「死做爛做」諸如此類，然之後例必撘句：「你地後生仔唔明架啦！」啊！收到。

CK從來冇抹殺過上一代生意人所付出既努力。不過，時代唔同左，成功既途徑都改變左。聽Uncle Sam講，30年前佢地最初創業既時侯，兩兄弟都係求其個爛鬼豆腐潤既工廠單位，買兩部爛鬼機器仔，再請兩個工廠妹就開工。Uncle Sam同佢細佬，既係老細，又係工人，每日由朝做到晚。咁既山寨廠模式，又可以比佢地接到外國大廠既訂單。做下做下，就越做越大，賺錢就越黎越多。你而家聽Uncle Sam既故事，好似天芳夜譚，咁既規模咁既門面可以接到來佬大廠既單？就係唔到你唔信。30年前既香港，成個經濟都未成型，咩都有可能發生。你間廠個門面樣衰咩？冇規模咩？你對手一樣係咁。大家一齊起步，要賺錢，根本唔需要打贏行家。大家都係中小企，胃口有限，個餅大家根本食唔晒。唔似而家，大財團霸佔左大部份市場，佢地既胃口特大，佢咬左個餅一啖，淨番餅碎俾千千萬萬既中小企分黎食，而家先入行創業，梗係難啦。幾十年前，阿李超人都唔係好似而家咁惡啦，下話？

我地呢一代創業人既難處，除左市場被大財團佔去大部份之外，大公司經過多年既進步同資金既投入，由門面到服務質素既水平都經比以前大幅提高。消費者見慣大公司產品、服務同形象既standard，對全行既expectation都不其然提高左。中小企經營既困難，正係要用比大財團少N倍既資金，做出令消費者感覺上同大企業差唔多既質素。難度之高，絕唔係好似Uncle Sam所講，一招「死做爛做」可以解決。

呢一代創業人，一樣有靠創意發大達既例子，Google、Youtube既故事，大家耳熟能詳。不過，呢個年代同30年前既分別係，宜家一百萬個創業人裡面，大概先會出產到一、兩個天才，佢地有本事極速賺到幾百億，成為超級富豪，其餘九十九萬九千呢，大部份都係浮浮沉沉，吊住鹽水咁啦。30年前呢？或者佢地絕大部份都冇天份成為億萬富豪，但係憑住一招「死做爛做」，只要肯捱肯努力，一百個創業人裡面，總有二、三十個可以脫貧，能夠成為「比中產更好」既富裕階層。

今日做生意要贏並唔係容易。由板間房到何文田豪宅既港式奮鬥故事，究竟仲可以我地呢一代生意人既身上發生幾多次？又或者可唔可以CK身上發生？

難度雖然高，又唔代表一定做唔到。畢竟呢個世界，有太多太多可能啦，Life, is still good。

You have to tell money how you want them to go into your pocket - II

Peter Lynch's Secret

You don't need a lot in your lifetime. You only need a few good stocks in your lifetime. I mean how many times do you need a stock to go up ten-fold to make a lot of money? Not a lot.

Was that your (Peter Lynch's) secret?

Well, I think the secret is if you have a lot of stocks, some will do mediocre, some will do okay, and if one of two of 'em go up big time, you produce a fabulous result. And I think that's the promise to some people. Some stocks go up 20-30 percent and they get rid of it and they hold onto the dogs. And it's sort of like watering the weeds and cutting out the flowers. You want to let the winners run. When the fun ones get better, add to 'em, and that one winner, you basically see a few stocks in your lifetime, that's all you need. I mean stocks are out there. When I ran Magellan, I wrote a book. I think I listed over a hundred stocks that went up over ten-fold when I ran Magellan and I owned thousands of stocks. I owned none of these stocks. I missed every one of these stocks that went up over ten-fold. I didn't own a share of them. And I still managed to do well with Magellan. So there's lots of stocks out there and all you need is a few of 'em. So that's been my philosophy. You have to let the big ones make up for your mistakes.

In this business if you're good, you're right six times out of ten. You're never going to be right nine times out of ten. This is not like pure science where you go, "Aha" and you've got the answer. By the time you've got "Aha," Chrysler's already quadrupled or Boeing's quadrupled. You have to take a little bit of risk.

Extracted from:
Interview with Peter Lynch | PBS
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/betting/pros/lynch.html)

I read from 曹仁超's article on Hong Kong Economic Journal (信報) today and he mentioned Peter Lynch's secret which I have put in this article. Its true that we could not expect every stock we chose would rise and will not fall. Most people earn much because they chose the right stock, then buy and hold. Just like Walmart and Microsoft 20 years ago. Yet 20 years ago they're not the 1st tier stocks.

That's why an analysis on the company's balance sheet is important if you are to take this strategy.

I also read another paragraph lately which is quite related to this blog's topic from the reading, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham: (Your Money and Your Brain: p.220)

... It turns out that our brains are hardwired to get us into investing trouble; humans are pattern-seeking animals. Psychologists have shown that if you present people with a random sequence-and tell them that it's unpredictable-they will neverthelesss insist on trying to guess what's coming next.

Why it is related to picking the right stock is because you have to do the analsyis and be confident with it. Here analysis means to do financial analysis on the company's business situation, but not the analysis on the trend of the stock price.... (to be continued)

《熊貓萬能俠》

Is it lovely?
Sometimes its really interesting to search on the web. I've just read Yahoo! News and found the name of 《熊貓萬能俠》. In Hong Kong 'Panda' means those who got under-eye circles and probably you'd think about An An and Jia Jia in Ocean Park.

The English (Official) name for 《熊貓萬能俠》is Panda-Z. To know about this cute guy you'd click:

http://www.panda-z.net/index.html

That's a Japanese site. I do not have much intention to know more about it but its really cute that I can't resist not putting it onto my blog, hahaha. :p

I just realize that in the hands of Japanese they'd simply everything into something cute and put in animation. P's right. Jap luvs 2 things: cute things & gals.

Astrology Forecast for Pisces - Oct 2006

You are now being challenged to grow and to evolve, sometimes by being asked to deal with challenging situations that are completely unanticipated. By responding to those types of situations, you reveal your character, true feelings, and values, and you may also discover your true life's purpose. Sometimes we can't imagine how we will feel in certain situations - not until we are in them. Your sign is a highly pensive, philosophical sign, and this quality helps you deal with change better than most. - from Susan Miller's Astrologyzone

I have been a fan of Susan Miller for quite a long while although I found that for a period of time her forecast is not very accurate (at least to me). Well, or as a Catholic I should not be a fan of an astrologer. Anyway - I have my own reason. :p

I also read this from S's blog:

還沒長大

有這種缺點的男女，不願意表現出成熟負責任的態度，結果迫使他們的伴侶扮演父母的角色。哥林多前書十三章11節說，「我作孩子的時候，話語像孩子，心思像孩子，意念像孩子，既成了人，就把孩子的事丟棄了。」耶穌希望我們有赤子之心，但不是幼稚，你要找一個成年人做伴侶，一個可靠的人。當你和一個不可靠的人在一起，最後一定會對他失去信任和尊敬。還沒長大的另一個症兆是消極、沒有原動力，人生沒有方向，總是遲遲不肯做決定。有一些男女在事業上雄心勃勃，卻連賺錢養都不夠，銀行沒有儲蓄，孩子沒有足夠的教育費...；如果對方總想不勞而獲，他就是還沒長大。

That's really true. It is good to be a kid, especially when you want to escape from something uncertain, or something you do not want to see and want to face. Being a follower of Christianity sometimes I'd just think that 'cos Jesus said that if we want to go to Heaven we have to be like kids. Yet it doesn't mean that its to stay acting and behaving like a kid. Its just that we have to have 赤子之心.

So... what's that all related?

Its that I'm in a situation that I have to face some uncertainty, which has been told in Susan's forecast for October, and I know I'm quite determined this time not to avoid it, though, I still have fear in facing them. It's my habit to think the dark side, the negative side inevitably for something I do not know. Some people could think positively and get fun from it. But that's not me. I tend to use the teaching above to tell myself that I should be a kid and then mis-interpret its meaning with intent.

Maybe its time I pray intensely for God's help. It'd be a positive development but I'm just being too worrisome. :p

Let's say Hail Mary together:



Hail Mary,
Full of Grace;
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.

Amen.

Salesian Fathers used to teach us to seek help from St Mary. Thank you.