Politicking

Channel 5 recently has been broadcasting interesting American dramas. A fine example is Brothers and Sisters. It is aired on Mondays, 11pm after Desperate Housewives.

The plot revolves around a wealthy family who is coping with the death of the matriarch. The business started by the matriarch slipped into finanical difficulties after his death. The family is left to pick up the 'broken' pieces while juggling with sibling relationships. What is different about this drama is that it explores a theme religiously shunned by producers; homosexuality and sex. I am quite surprised that MDA actually gave the go-ahead with this drama. So far, nothing randy or raunchy. Don't expect too much because definitely there will be certain level of censorship.

Another issue... In light of the rising GST, bus companies are jumping on the bandwagon of money squeezing. Reasons? Rising fuel prices. It is laughable if it is not ridiculous to justify rising bus fares with rising GST? Subsidies? Bus fares will remain the same for children and senior citizens for the first 3.2km.

Did you know that bus operators can apply to increase their bus fares once every 2 years. They have a complicated way of computing bus fares using indicators like inflation, economic growth, etc etc etc. Hail the person upstairs, this means bus fares can go both ways. However, it has been heading north and never south. It seems now that besides our age, bus fares can go up but not down.

So does the increase in bus fares means better service? Apparently it seems to be heading in that direction with the "Iris" system. Bus drivers will be penalised for arriving late. This is a tricky issue. While it is imperative for bus drivers to get to their destinations in a given time, will road safety be compromised as a result?

Recently crowned Ms Hong Kong is uhemm....