More Restrictions Suggested to Covid-19 Weary Residents

Endless numbers of people waiting to get tested for Covid-19

Hong Kong's number of Covid-19 cases dipped just slightly at 986, with all except one being local infections. The number is not necessarily a true indication of the situation as the city's testing capacity is limited.

However, this evening word came down that Beijing will be sending medical experts to Shenzhen to discuss the best way to battle the fifth wave, which could entail sending thousands of medical personnel and millions of test kits, while also ensuring food supplies, particularly vegetables will come to Hong Kong. 

Beijing will offer medical help to Hong Kong

It makes the city sound like a developing country, completely helpless in its food security and medical capabilities. It's actually quite embarrassing.

There continue to be shocking scenes in Central, Wan Chai, and Tung Chung, the endless numbers of people waiting hours to be tested.

A temporary testing lab at Ma On Shan sports centre will be resurrected to ramp up testing from 100,000 a day to three times that.

Meanwhile experts from the University of Hong Kong are predicting that if the latest social-distancing measures continue, the city could see up to 28,000 cases by next month and 1,000 Covid-19-related deaths.

Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of HKU's faculty of medicine, is even suggesting the city be put under lockdown for two to three months to squash the virus. 

Leung is suggesting a city-wide lockdown

So when this was reported, residents here got into a frenzy worried about the possibility of that happening. 

When Leung was asked to clarify what he meant by lockdown he said: "What lockdown means is that we should implement more stringent measures... It could be achieved through administrative or legislative means... It could also be something voluntary. The most important thing is to curb transmission."

We get that, but how is that possible in a city of 7.5 million people?

He also suggested that residents be given rapid antigen tests and test themselves every other day before leaving their homes, and boost the vaccination rate not only in the elderly but children as well.

In addition Leung said having just one jab of the vaccine wasn't enough.

"Even with two jabs, it's very difficult to stop the spread of infection of Omicron. What it does do, however, is it brings down your bad outcomes and deaths," he said. "It will have a dramatic difference in terms of the number of deaths if you get jabbed early enough before you get infected."

Prolonged isolation will have mental health impact

People are wondering if they need to prepare suitcases for when they need to go into quarantine, or at least some kind of isolation.

If and when Hongkongers get out of the fifth wave, we will all need psychological help us understand what we've all gone through in the past three years.

Hike to Kowloon Peak

A view of Kowloon and Hong Kong island in the distance

Today my walking buddy and I went up Kowloon Peak or fei ngo shan (飛鵝山) which is above Ma On Shan. We took the MTR to Shatin City One and began walking up a path of stairs. It was a good day to go, around 9-12 degrees Celsius and relatively clear.

Along the way we passed a group of young people, the girls already saying they had regrets when they were only at the beginning of the hike! 

Past the Gilwell campsite and the hills ahead

We soldiered onwards and finally got onto a path that was covered with rocks and tree roots so I constantly had my head down making sure I wouldn't trip. Many of the paths were quite narrow too, another reason to watch where we were going.

A few times we had to consult our map or ask a few people how to get there as there were some "intersections" along the way. While the paths weren't packed, it was good to see many like-minded people getting some fresh air. 

Finally we made it to a clearing and the views were outstanding -- on one side was Sai Kung, and on the other Kowloon below us, such as Kai Tak and beyond to Hong Kong island, with the convention centre and IFC in the distance. 

We kept going, and had to go up one hill and then the other (Elephant Hill) to get to a weather station and helicopter pad. The first hill was such a trek that we had to practically climb up the steep hill, grabbing onto large rocks for balance. 

Below is Sai Kung

Meanwhile others were coming down the same path, and that was even scarier -- one young woman slid down right beside me and landed on her bottom. Yikes. 

Some parts were relatively flat but meant passing low bamboo bushes. At each point the view below was more amazing and eventually we finally made it to the weather station and helicopter pad. One man was playing with his drone, while the rest of us took lots of pictures having succeeded at reaching this point! Phew!

Now how to get down? Off another part of the mountain was a path marked with wooden steps and we made our way which seemed relatively easy at first, but it seemed to never end. By this point it was 5pm and we saw people, including young families making their way up. I encouraged a young girl to keep going though she was breathing rather heavily, while two women were walking up, the second one carrying two heavy bags!

I asked why so many bags and the first one admitted she couldn't carry it anymore and was exhausted. I told them another 10 minutes or so they would make it to the top, but why were they carrying so much stuff? They wanted to go up in time for the sunset, but the hazy air didn't seem like a dramatic sunset would happen. Nevertheless I told them the view was definitely worth it and they carried on.

The weather station and helicopter pad!

Finally we saw large Chinese graves and then an actual road! Civilization! It was Fei Ngo Road, with lots of fancy homes on both sides. Who lives up here? Towards the bottom we caught a taxi down to Diamond Hill MTR and made our way back from there. 

What a trek! My legs feel like jelly, but the views were worth it. I probably won't go up there again anytime soon. We recorded a 12km trek, but it definitely felt much longer!

Govt's Incompetence Fighting Covid-19 Leads to Frustration

Outbreaks in housing estates in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan

Hongkongers are getting tired of the coronavirus pandemic, and their patience with how the government has handled it is wearing threadbare thin it could snap any day now.

Swimmers are desperate now beaches closed

Starting tomorrow all dining establishments -- with only two per table -- must close by 6pm, while gyms, museums, concert halls, stadiums, beaches, and massage parlours are shut down, and infectious disease experts keep reminding people to stay home, as the number of new cases rose to 104 today.

But people are tired of staying home and it's going to be Christmas in two weeks. 

Restaurant owners, chefs and wait staff are disappointed -- it is during this period in December when they rake in the most money, and considering they've had it tough all year, they were hoping to recoup some of the losses these few weeks but now that's gone.

Does the government really think it can seriously clamp down on the virus by Christmas Eve? Why not just tell us that Christmas is cancelled and be done with it? Fireworks won't be exploding in the sky December 31 anyway.

Now the frustration is turning on the government for mishandling the pandemic. There have been so many missteps from the beginning.

Healthcare workers docked pay for striking

The first is not shutting down borders with the mainland until hundreds of healthcare workers protested for several days and then Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor relented. And now those same healthcare workers are being punished for striking by docking their pay.

Then there were several loopholes where airline staff were tested at the airport, but didn't have to wait for their results. One airline staff went sight seeing with his luggage on the Peak Tram. Questions were raised and then finally loopholes were tightened.

Also, why do directors of listed companies and those planning their IPOs, get to be exempted from quarantine? It makes absolutely no sense. Everyone needs to take a test, regardless of who they are.

Restaurants desperate for business, now shut at 6pm

And now the main source of the fourth wave with over 600 cases are dancing clubs and why aren't they closed? Why are they allowed to remain open and yet karaoke lounges, entertainment centres and cinemas forced to shut instead?

Finally why has Hong Kong not procured enough Covid vaccines for everyone, and not until late 2021? Not only that, but also the flu jab as well. The government was warned well in advance the winter season would be even more severe, and yet only about 200,000 are available in the city of over 7 million.

Why is it that Hongkongers are forced to pay for the mistakes made by the government?

Gym owners are angry they will be shut again tomorrow, and even though the government stipulates it is for two weeks, the last time gyms were closed, it was at least six weeks later until they were allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile Lam claims she is too busy working to even talk to her husband, and boasts of having piles of cash at home because she can't open a bank account.

How about sparing a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been financially affected by the pandemic and lost their jobs or had to take pay cuts for the foreseeable future? 

Why are dancing clubs still not closed?

Infectious disease experts have hinted many times the government is not moving fast enough to clamp down on the pandemic when time is of the essence.

Two housing estate blocks in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan have clusters of infections and yet the government has not exercised its powers to lock down those buildings to test everyone; many families have moved out elsewhere, possibly spreading the virus to other areas.

Is this deliberate so that Hong Kong will never be able to reopen its borders with the mainland and Macau again? Or is it because of the sheer incompetence of the government to follow expert advice and make decisive decisions?

Because the number of cases is so high these days, the chances of the travel bubble with Singapore restarting again soon is a far from possible.

Lam is one of the highest paid leaders in the world and yet her performance rating is so low. 

It boggles the mind how Hong Kong ended up with Lam. Do the 777 people who voted for her in 2017 regret doing so?

 

 

Hong Kong's Remembrance of November 11

A Remembrance Day ceremony was held at the Cenotaph in Central

Today is Remembrance Day, when we are supposed to pause and remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the greater good.

But in Hong Kong today will also be remembered as a day of sheer horror.

The moment before the protester was shot with a live round

Before I even left my home to go to work, a police officer had already shot a 21-year-old protester surnamed Chow at point blank range in Sai Wan Ho at around 8am this morning.

What was also horrific was seeing how the police handled Chow's body as he lay unconscious on the road. Is there no protocol in dealing with what is essentially a crime scene?

The police force later claimed a protester was trying to reach for the gun and so the officer didn't have time to shoot a warning shot. However others dispute this because the protester was completely unarmed.

Then there was a policeman, now identified as a traffic cop, who drove his motorcycle into a group of protesters, weaving in between them like a drunk driver. It was revealed later in the afternoon that that traffic cop had been suspended immediately. Probably with pay.

After lunch was the horrific news that a man had been set on fire in Ma On Shan. A shocking clip shows a man arguing with protesters and one of them throws colourless liquid on him and someone lights a lighter and the man is immediately engulfed in flames.

People running for cover after tear gas shot at The Landmark

The victim, 57-year-old Leung Chi-cheung is fighting for his life in hospital after suffering severe burns on 30 percent of his body. He was already suffering from head injuries from an earlier altercation with protesters.

How did Hong Kong descend to this?

At 6pm Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference and again labelled the protesters as "rioters" and "mobs".

"[I] will send a clear message that there is no question that escalating violence can get what the rioters want -- not from the government, not from society at large," she says, wearing a giant scarf around her neck. "Violence will only lead to more violence."

She adds she is sure there will be more violence if the government satisfies all five demands.

But she should remember that if she had never proposed the extradition bill in the first place we would not be in this tragic mess we are in now.

Carrie Lam bundled up in 25-degree weather today

The MTR was one of the main targets of protesters today. This morning I took the Island line going from Kennedy Town to Causeway Bay. I usually sit in the last carriage because it's closest to the MTR exit I need to go to. When the train stopped at Sai Ying Pun, a young man wearing a baseball cap and no mask, carrying a backpack, burst out of the driver's cabin and fled the scene.

A woman sitting next to me nervously looked in the direction of the cabin wondering what would happen. Minutes later MTR staff arrived and checked it out. On their walkie talkies they reported they couldn't find any serious damage and the train eventually continued on, with a young skinny man in MTR uniform standing in front of the cabin to prevent more sabotage. I made it to work in one piece.

Meanwhile, Central was a complete war zone this at lunchtime, some protesters in their suits, carried umbrellas to shield themselves from teargas that was shot on Pedder Street, right in front of the luxury shopping mall The Landmark.

People in office wear trying to avoid being pepper sprayed

But towards the end of the day, there was a video circulating on Twitter of office workers in Central, picking up railings and bricks off the road so that vehicles could go through.

The Hang Seng Index plunged 724 points, down 2.62 percent. It's the worst tumble in three months thanks to all the dramatic incidents today. What will happen tomorrow? We are still trying to process what occurred today...

Hong Kong Police Continue Crackdown

Chung Yeung is a grave-sweeping festival, but not many people did that today

Today is Chung Yeung Festival, the autumn version of Qing Ming, or grave sweeping. What should be a day of quiet, reflection, and family gathering was instead turned into another day of Hong Kong being half paralyzed again.

Less than half of the MTR stations were in operation today, forcing many people to use other means of transport (bus, tram, mini bus, taxi), and with the current environment of the Hong Kong government spreading fear, many chose not to go out to do their filial deed.

This had a knock-on effect impacting those in the cemetery industry, from flower sellers to incense and food offerings like roast pork and rice wine.

This Prince Edward memorial has been up since August 31

But it looks like the government doesn't care if people couldn't pay respects to their ancestors, and focused on continuing the spectre of danger looming nearby.

Tonight some 100 protesters gathered at Prince Edward MTR station again. Many believe on August 31, three people were not accounted for when several injured in the station were sent to the hospital. Since then protesters have left funeral offerings in the form of flowers, incense and burning hell money in front of the station entrance (that has since been shut).

Tonight was another opportunity for protesters to pay their respects to them.

However, riot police were having none of it and chased people away with tear gas and shouting.

They were even more rabid in Ma On Shan, where they stormed a shopping mall and pushed away the security personnel who were literally trying to keep the doors shut to prevent them from coming in. The riot police claimed the mall was not a private area (it technically is) and went in to arrest protesters, and even pushed down a Stand News reporter, ripped her glasses off her face and threatened to pepper spray her.

This looks like a scene straight out of a zombie movie: shopping mall security guards tried to hold the doors to stop riot police fr entering but they failed #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/nKsmgrT2M6

— Vivienne Chow (@VivienneChow) October 7, 2019

 
https://twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/status/1181225255945158656?s=20
https://twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/status/1181225255945158656?s=20 https://twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/status/1181225255945158656?s=20
What is going on?!

If Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor thinks this is the way to subdue the protests, she has a pack of rabid dogs to tame first. Last night they arrested several children -- as young as 10 years old -- who looked absolutely terrified.

While the police's brutal actions may scare off some people, it has emboldened others to step out and voice their anger from shouting expletives to aiding the protesters with everything from water to food, car rides and even safe houses.

Shopping malls have been a gathering place for protesters

This past weekend violence reached new heights, but unfortunately they are going to climb higher in the coming days, weeks and months.

Meanwhile shopping mall owners and operators are wondering what to do for Christmas, being less than 90 days away. An interesting factoid is that four of Hong Kong's main developers own or operate 100 malls in the city. Talk about ka-ching.

Anyway everyone is wondering now with the current situation what to do about the countdown to Christmas... should they put up displays or risk them being used as weapons or projectiles? Or should they try to bring some cheer to the city?

Tough call, but really it's up to the government to fix this mess they created, four months ago...

Disrespecting Anthem Means No Graduation

The Hong Kong College of Technology has a political slant on its education

It is disappointing to see a Hong Kong school has punished its graduates for not standing up during the national anthem by forcing them to leave their own graduation ceremony and not receive their certificates.

Two social work students from Hong Kong College of Technology sat silently while March of the Volunteers was played during the ceremony at a Ma On Shan campus, defying a new school rule which defines disrespecting the national anthem as misconduct.

The staff cut short the anthem not long after it began when they saw not everyone was standing. The two graduates were told to leave along with more than 10 other students who were supported the pair.

Chan told the students the school loves the country and HK

The incident lasted 20 minutes and the two graduates didn't receive their certificates.

Afterwards president and principal of Hong Kong College of Technology, Chan Cheuk-hay, spoke to the pair after the ceremony.

One student said to him: "That we sat down [during the anthem] did not mean we don't respect the national anthem. And if we sang the song, it would not mean we loved the country.

"We don't understand why the school rejected the social work students it trained up during the graduation ceremony just because of a national song."

He or she has a point there -- they are only telling Chan how they really feel and are metaphorically standing up for what they believe in, something educational institutions try to instill in students. However, these days what kinds of values to believe in is another issue...

The students held the view the Chinese government was not serving the people, and that they, as social work students, should speak out.

But Chan said the institution, established as Mongkok Workers' Night School in 1957 and led by a board of pro-Beijing members, had always loved the country and the city.

The students felt they stood up for what they believed in

"The [college] is an institution which loves the country and Hong Kong," Chan explained to the students. "It has been upholding the patriotic flag and is uncompromising.

"And we never retreated even under colonial rule, during which we were suppressed... if you didn't know about this during your admission, you have picked the wrong school."

Pretty tough words on what should have been a day of celebration.

This is not the first time students have protested when the national anthem is played, though it is the first time students were kicked out. Chan has had to deal with rebellious students before.

At the graduation ceremony at the same place in November last year, Chan scolded students for "insulting the anthem" after some social work graduates raised signs during the song, protesting China's 2016 interpretation of the Basic Law.

We understand there are rules of decorum, but kicking students out for not standing for the national anthem?

They are not disrespecting the anthem, they are not holding up signs nor shouting protests, but just not standing.

They are honest in saying the words of the national anthem don't mean anything to them. Is that wrong, so wrong that they are not entitled to their graduation certificates?

It seems very heavy handed for a college that isn't particularly well known either -- unless Chan wants to become notorious for imposing serious punishments on what he considers unruly students.

The government isn't doing a good job in allaying people's fears about the mainlandization of China, and some educational institutions are blindly obedient without considering the possible consequences of imposing such rules around the anthem.

While a law was passed in September where people who mocked the March of the Volunteers would be punished with up to 15 days in jail, enforcement of that law has not been passed in Hong Kong or Macau yet.

Until it is legally enforced, why punish students for not standing up for the anthem?

Contentious Plan for Country Park Housing

Can you imagine housing blocks near here in Tai Lam Country Park?

The Hong Kong government has announced that the not-for-profit Housing Society will conduct an 18-month study in the feasibility of building public flats and homes for the elderly on two 20-hectare sites on the edges of Tai Lam and Ma On Shan country parks.

It's a controversial move, following the proposal made by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his policy address in January, and now the first steps are being taken two months before he leaves office.

"We are not saying we are going to build flats in country parks now," says Housing Society CEO Wong Kit-loong. "But the study will facilitate public discussion. We hope to also understand why people disagree [with the proposal]."

This is an interesting development -- the government is getting someone else to do the study, so that it doesn't get the blame in case the study concludes building housing on protected country park land is a good idea.

Or how about here at Ma On Shan Country Park?

Some lawmakers and conservationists are opposed to it, saying there is no public consensus on the matter and it may set a bad precedent.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong of activist group Green Sense says "pitting environmental conservation against the public's need for housing" was "deplorable and unfair".

According to the Planning Department, country parks make up 41 percent of Hong Kong's land area, while residential land use was only 7 percent.

Wong seems to hint the housing proposal would be a good idea, saying the total size of designated country park land had increased by 6 percent over the past few years to 43,000 hectares.

How could country park land grow, unless someone donated land back, or some rezoning has taken place?

"Hong Kong is still short of 200 hectares for building public flats, according to [the planning strategy beyond 2030]... The queue for building public flats is getting longer. The problem is immediate," he says.

One of many brownfield sites (front) that can be redeveloped

Thousands of families currently have to wait an average of four years and seven months for a public rental flat, according to the Housing Authority.

Seniors must wait about two years and seven months for housing, as there are 275,900 applications.

But why build housing for the elderly out in the boonies?

Then public infrastructure projects also need to be built to connect them to civilization. Oh wait -- is this a make-work project?

Why not, as we have pointed out time and time again, there are so many brown sites around Hong Kong that could be redeveloped -- and many are near transport links already. Why not work on these areas first?

Or is it because the government wants to distract us from New Territories so-called "indigenous villagers" who have occupied government land and refuse to give it back so the government would rather encroach on virgin land than try to reclaim what is essentially taxpayer land?

In these times we need to be more sustainable and practical. Developing the edge of what is supposed to be protected land with the blessing of the government is so bizarre and hypocritical.

Whatever happened to Hong Kong finding creative solutions? This is not one of them.

Housing Worlds Apart

The luxury development Mount Nicholson on The Peak

Last Friday, the Hong Kong government made a surprise move when it raised the stamp duty on real estate for non first-time buyers to 15 percent in a bid to curb property prices.

But it seems buyers have found a way to circumvent the tax -- by putting their multiple flat purchases into one agreement.

It happened on Sunday when one man, considered a first-time buyer, purchased four flats at Met Bliss project in Ma On Shan for a total sum of HK$19.93 million.

Because all four units were put under one agreement, he was able to avoid paying HK$1.6 million in levies.

And then today two adjoining luxury flats on The Peak were sold for a whopping HK$912 million, or HK$104,803 per square foot, making it the most expensive price for a flat in Asia.

The deal is for two flats at Mount Nicholson for a total area of 8,702 square feet and includes three parking spaces.

Entrepreneur Sandy Wong rents out capsules in Hong Kong

The selling price beats out the previous record set in 2015 by 39 Conduit Road in Mid-Levels for HK$103,762 per sq ft.

"Rich families are most concerned about the prestigious location and quality of the project, not the stamp duty," says Thomas Lam, head of valuation and consultancy at Knight Frank.

"Investors buying small to medium-sized units will be hit hardest by the latest property tax, but not the richest [investors]," says Lam.

Of course. Stamp duty to them is part of the cost of buying the property in the first place.

But these people are living on another planet compared to the rest of us, some of who are perpetually saving because real estate prices keep going up and salaries are not keeping up with inflation.

Or perhaps you should give up dreams of trying to buy a flat and live the minimalist life in a capsule?

An enterprising man from Guangzhou has rented out flats where each person can rent a capsule space of only 2 metres long and 1.1 metres high, about 25 sq ft.

A government brownfield site in Wang Chau, Yuen Long

The monthly rent ranges from HK$2,800 to HK$4,500 depending on the location. All the occupants have to share the bathroom, kitchen and common area.

Sandy Wong says he has received a lot of inquiries, and many of the renters live far from their workplace, or maybe their home is being renovated, or they've had marital problems and need a space to live in temporarily.

These "space capsule" homes are inspired by the Japanese capsule hotels, but those were for salaried men who missed the last train and just need a cheap and clean place to sleep in for the night. These are for renting monthly.

Is it me, or is the Hong Kong housing market completely out of hand now?

And yet the government doesn't want to do anything to disturb the rural strongmen who are occupying government land in the Wang Chau that could house some 13,000 people...

Olympic Stars Coming to Hong Kong

Hong Kong fans are going to be excited to see Fu Yuanhui this weekend

The euphoria of the Summer Games in Rio have begun to evaporate, but it will extend in Hong Kong this weekend when the Chinese gold medallists come here to show off why they're in the best in the world.

Sixty-four Olympians will come, including the 12 "golden girls" of the women's volleyball team who won gold for the first time since 2004, along with their coach Lang Ping.

Diver Wu Minxia will show off her diving skills

Others include diver Wu Minxia, swimming Sun Yang and badminton player Chen Long.

Even though badminton bad boy Lin Dan was unsuccessful in defending his title, he will also be in Hong Kong, as well as bronze medallist Fu Yuanhui, who became an internet darling for her post race interview when she found out from a reporter she came in third, and being open and honest about her menstrual cramps.

Hong Kong Olympic officials had been requesting Fu to come, but the previous policy from the Chinese side was only to have gold medallists come here.

But Fu's attendance was confirmed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying today, which will surely thrill those who managed to snag the 5,700 tickets that went on sale on Monday morning and were gone by 1pm.

Superstar Lin Dan will demonstrate his badminton prowess

Already some of the tickets are being scalped for as much as 1,000 yuan each, when they were bought for only HK$20, each person able to buy a maximum of two tickets.

The athletes' visit starts here on Saturday, when they will hold table tennis and diving demonstrations at Queen Elizabeth Stadium and Victoria Park, and participate in a variety show in Sunday.

They will also have a meet-and-greet session with young people in Ma On Shan, and visit the Hong Kong Sports Institute to meet local athletes.

Attention will definitely be on Fu and wonder what she'll inadvertently gab about next!

End of an Era

There won't be payphones like this in MTR stations anymore

It was bound to happen eventually, but the payphones in all 87 MTR stations will begin to be phased out from January because Shinetown Telecom, the latest payphone operator in Hong Kong will not renew its contract after it expires on December 31.

An MTR spokesperson said the company tried to contact other operators, but no one expressed any interest.

As a result some 390 pay phones will be removed from next month, and they should be all gone by the end of the first quarter of 2016.

A payphone at Sha Tin station that will be removed soon

From 2003, Shinetown Telecom installed payphones in all of the then Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation's West Rail stations, before eventually extending service for the East Rail Line and Ma On Shan Line in 2004. Five years later its payphones had covered the entire network.

But with practically everyone having some kind of mobile phone, the vast majority owning smartphones, there was probably little money made in payphones. While it's a good service to have, it wasn't financially viable.

The number of payphones in Hong Kong will decrease significantly as a result. The Office of the Communications Authority reported in March there were 1,632 payphones across Hong Kong (including in MTR stations), down from about 1,920 in 2000.

This contrasts with the number of mobile phone subscribers -- 17.1 million -- almost 2.5 two mobiles per person in the city...