Monday, May 28, 2012

沉香大王陳觀榮打鼓嶺村屋住所遭爆竊險失150萬「爛木」


沉香大王險失150萬「爛木」
星島日報 
5/28/2012


(綜合報道)(星島日報報道)沉香有價,賊人不識寶!「沉香大王」位於打鼓嶺村屋住所遭爆竊,賊人由天台潛入,翻箱倒篋,偷走三十八萬現金與一隻勞力士手表,總值逾四十萬元,但沒有發現房間擺放一棵價值一百五十萬元沉香,事主慶幸賊人「唔識貨」,否則損失慘重。


  「沉香大王」居所揭發失竊案,一棵百萬身價沉香樹幸保不失!事主陳觀榮,五十三歲,與妻育有兩名十一及十三歲兒子,但妻兒早年移居英國,他獨居坪原路坪洋村一幢兩層高村屋。陳是該村原居民,三代一直經營沉香生意,有「沉香大王」之稱。


http://easss.com/health


  陳事後憶述,前日因赴友人喜宴,昨凌晨四時始返家,發現家中凌亂不堪,睡房抽屜打開,裏面三十七萬港元與一萬元人民幣貨款,以及一隻價值二萬八千元勞力士手表同時失去,懷疑有賊人入屋爆竊,於是報警。


  忘鎖天台門揖盜
  由於三樓天台鐵門平日會加上鎖頭,但事發時沒有上鎖,陳懷疑前日離家時忘記鎖上,讓賊人有機可乘,利用地下外牆去水渠攀爬上天台,再經樓梯落樓大肆搜掠,得手後循原路逃走


  他經算點證實只損失現金與手表,擺放在其他房間的名貴沉香原封不動,包括一棵價值一百五十萬元的沉香樹。「嗰個賊肯定唔識貨,如果唔係就損失慘重」,陳指賊人可能以為該棵沉香是一棵爛木頭,所以沒有興趣偷走。


  據陳透露,自祖父起三代都是經營沉香生意,並在附近昇平村開設全港首個種植沉香樹的「沉香園」,現時約種有萬棵沉香樹,其家門前亦種有四至五棵沉香,但只有五至六年樹齡。他透露,家傳之寶不是幸保不失值百萬元的沉香樹,而是一塊重七公斤、市價一千二百萬元沉香,目前擺放在深圳與買家磋商。


  經過今次失竊教訓,陳表示會加強居所的防盜措施,包括在屋內外安裝閉路電視監察,天台加裝圍欄與鎖頭,希望可以防止盜賊再次光顧。據坪洋村村民表示,村內治安一向太平,甚少有入屋爆竊事件發生,僅間中門外的物件失去,疑遭人順手牽羊。

四大連鎖超市百佳惠康華潤及吉之島每日棄87噸食物

四超市每日棄87噸食物
明報 – 2012年5月27日星期日


地球之友的調查發現,本港4大連鎖超市每日棄置約87公噸食物,造成大量浪費。


地球之友稱,百佳、惠康、華潤及吉之島,以約650分店計算,每日丟棄約87公噸食物。一年下來,棄置量相當於2,000架雙層巴士的重量。在這些食物垃圾中,約三分之一為麵包、蔬果甚至壽司等尚未過期的寶貴食物,其餘三分之二則為生果殼及過期食物等不可食用的廚餘。


調查過程中,調查員見過丟掉的食物中,有離到期日還有5日的麵包。不過,有超市職員私底下警告調查員,禁止讓拾荒者拾取食物,而部分包裝食物如麵包,更於棄置前刻意被爛淋水,無法食用。


地球之友發言人指:「本港的超市集團財雄勢大,每月肯花兩千多萬元賣廣告宣傳 ,但對於十元八塊的『賣剩』食物,卻怕影響生意而不讓拾荒者取用,予人『超市霸權』的惡霸印象。」


地球之友早前去信四大超市,詢問其減少及處理廚餘的政策。惠康表示,對過期食物有一套處理機制,但會考慮本會回收廚餘的建議;華潤亦會考慮有關食物捐贈的方案,但要確保食物安全及質素;吉之島則需要更詳細資料才會再作考慮;百佳回應指超市內部有守則控制超市內的廚餘量,暫時未會考慮本會減少廚餘的建議。


地球之友稱,相較於外國超市履行企業責任的經驗,香港的超市集團相當落後。以英國的食物銀行Fareshare為例,它每獲贈一噸食物,捐助的食物公司會同時捐出16英鎊作為行政費用。有此一著,是因為對比於運往堆填區的50英鎊廢物處理成本 ,付出16英鎊予食物銀行更為划算。


http://ramsss.com/hk/supermarket


地球之友促請超市將未過期的賣剩食物,贈予食物回收銀行,協助基層市民。超市應回收過期及腐爛的廚餘,用於堆肥或動物飼料。


地球之友促請政府盡早落實「垃圾按量收費」及「堆填區廚餘禁令」,推動超市等工商業著力減廢,並支援食物銀行及廚餘回收業。


(即時新聞)


四大超市年丟3.1萬噸廚餘
星島日報 
5/29/2012


(綜合報道)(星島日報報道)地球之友調查發現,本港超級巿場平均每日丟棄百多斤廚餘,以全港四大連鎖超巿共六百多間分店推算,年丟廚餘量有逾三萬公噸,相等於二千架雙層巴士的重量;當中有三分一更是未過期、尚可食用的食物,包括生果、蔬菜、壽司和肉類。但團體發現,部分超市故意破壞丟棄的食物包裝,加水甚至加入漂白水,令拾荒者無法食用;環團促請超市將廚餘捐贈給食物銀行,助基層紓困。
  
  地球之友在今年一月至五月期間,抽查分別位於港島、九龍東和九龍西共五個丟棄超市廚餘的垃圾站。結果發現,包括兩間惠康、兩間百佳和一間華潤在內共五間超市,每日平均丟棄廚餘量有近一百三十五公斤。團體以全港四大連鎖超巿六百五十間分店推算,年棄廚餘量高達三萬一千公噸,相等於二千架雙層巴士的重量。


  在抽查的超市棄置廚餘中,有三分一是未過期、尚可食用的食物,大部分是生果和蔬菜,有少量肉類和壽司,而離到期日尚有五天的袋裝麵包,也在丟棄之列;其餘則是「不可避免的廚餘」,包括果殼和果皮等。


  過期食品可作堆肥
  地球之友環境事務主任馮詩麗相信,超市為確保貨架「常滿」,到晚上仍大量製作壽司;又為保證貨品外觀「靚仔」,若一棵菜只有一部分略為變黃,也會全棵丟棄,她批評超市行為浪費和「折墮」。


馮詩麗又指有垃圾站工人透露,部分超市的職員故意切爛蔬果,又將包裝完整且未到期的麵包淋水,甚至淋漂白水後才丟棄,避免拾荒者免費獲得食物。


  地球之友建議超市將廚餘捐贈予食物銀行,由食物銀行上門回收可食用食品,既能減低處理廚餘而衍生的費用,又可幫助基層市民;至於過期和腐爛的廚餘則可用於堆肥或動物飼料。


  期梁振英「消滅廚餘」
  另外,馮詩麗批評,現屆政府無誠意推行「減廢」措施,期望候任特首梁振英上任後實踐「消滅廚餘」的承諾,推行健全的回收系統,如實行垃圾按量收費和禁止廚餘進入堆填區等措施。


  環保署表示,會就諮詢期所得意見,於今年內向立法會提交未來「減廢」路向的建議,並會繼續推動減廢回收,密切監察香港的廢物問題及所需的措施。

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Volkswagen’s Levitating or Floating Car, Hover Car - No wheels required

Review: Volkswagen’s floating car — No wheels required
digitaljournal
By Kyle Busch
May 15, 2012 in Auto


This article reports on Volkswagen’s levitating or floating car. It has no wheels and uses an electromagnetic grid in the road and it will indeed change driving from the way we know it.


Some are more so and some less, however, most people are fans of technology. And one automotive innovation that has been talked about for some time is the ‘car’ that levitates or floats off of the ground.


---

Volkswagen gathers ideas from the people of China to help innovate future cars. We took one girl's idea for a hover car and made it into reality.


The People's Car Project
http://www.zaoche.cn


 



Volkswagen's Levitating Car
While we sit patiently and wait for this automotive fantasy to come true, watch a brave duo hover around the city in the first (computer animated) test drive of the Volkswagen concept.


The Volkswagen Hover Concept Car is a pod-like zero-emissions vehicle that uses electromagnetic road networks to float above the road.



 ---


Mercedes-Benz recently showed off its F-Cell Hydrogen Roadster Concept. The F-Cell is a modern two-seat roadster with large buggy like wheels. Volkswagen is also venturing into the future too but the automaker has gone one step further and eliminated the wheels altogether. And how did the Volkswagen floating car come about?


Getting to know what Chinese drivers want is a top priority for automakers as such a huge market of future drivers equates to major vehicle sales and profits. Consequently, Volkswagen came up with the People’s Car Project to inquire of China’s citizens about what they want in their future cars.


And out of 119,000 car concept responses, who submitted the idea for the Hover Car? It was a young girl from Chengdu city who was studying animation and gaming design. Volkswagen used the girl’s idea to develop the floating car.


The two seat Hover Car levitates by way of an electromagnetic grid in the road. The car has clear round doors. Furthermore, its smart key combines aspects of a ‘regular key’ with a small LED screen that provides information on the vehicle’s fuel use as well as the driver’s driving habits.


Regarding the car, Simon Loasby, head of design at Volkswagen Group China said, “The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design.”


The automaker believes that the People’s Car Project has been successful enough that it will extend the project and consider bringing it to other countries.


Volkswagen released a video of the Hover Car in action and the viewing reportedly went viral. It is said that after watching the video, one cannot help thinking how similar the car looks to the ‘cars’ seen in the 60s Jetsons cartoon shows.


Soon we might be saying: Let’s not take that old hydrogen buggy but take the Hover Car. Yes Jane (Jane was George Jetson’s wife)!