Stop the stupid announcements!

There is no escape once stepping into an MTR station -

"When using the escalator, hold the handrail, stand firm, and don't walk."

(But everyone walks down the escalator during rush hours! Also, there are signs asking people to stand on the right to let the others walk on the left.)

Immediately followed by:
"Please use the lift if you are carrying baggage."

And without a pause, the jabbering continues to say:
"Eating or drinking is not allowed on trains or in the paid areas of stations."

And one or more of the above will be repeated non-stop in Cantonese, Mandarin and English as one journeys down to the platform, leaving no space for any peace or quiet.

It does not get better on the platform. "The train for Sheung Wan is arriving. Please let passengers exit first." (The train arrives; people crowd in and passengers cannot exit.) "Please stand back from the doors." "Please do not block the train doors when they are closing." and so on and so forth.

It was the last straw when they tried to spice things up - a simple message to hold the handrail on the escalator became "Be my friend and hold me tight.". Who is my friend?! Whom am I supposed to hold tight on my way to work on a Monday morning?! It did not come across clearly at all that passengers were meant to "befriend" the handrail by holding it tight. It is a relief that they seem to have stopped using this version of the announcement now.

The announcements become pointless as they are generally ignored. They certainly do not stop people from running down escalators, blocking train doors or eating and drinking on trains. On the other hand, their unnatural tones and repetition like nagging parents may actually defy disobedience. If I were a tourist in Hong Kong, I would question the sophistication of the city - do the people here really need such non-stop reminders for simple things like holding the handrail? A sign will do. In fact, I do not remember the undergrounds of other cities having similar repetitive announcements.

It's time to stop and let passengers have some peace!

即棄（附筆）

昨天談及壽司店停用即棄木筷，今天讀報竟見到相關報道，真巧。元綠「轉用可再洗筷子後，初步發現成本減半 」，這真令人興奮。
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20081013/gom1.htm

即棄

最近乘飛機，航空公司是我之前從未光顧過的，想不到竟遇到一個小驚喜。無他，只因這公司的飛機餐所附的餐具，並非即用即棄的那種。

即棄餐具的普及，常令我覺得很苦惱。在這個污染嚴重、廢物過盛的年代，卻有越來越多食肆的堂食都轉用紙杯木筷，實在是一個諷刺。有人說，即棄木筷經過消毒，比較衛生。但即棄木筷普及之前，倒不大見有人因筷子不潔而中毒啊。況且，許多即棄木筷都被驗出含有對健康有害的化學物質呢。

又有人說，即棄餐具不需清洗，可省點水。可是，那點水跟即棄餐具每天造成的大量廢物，大概不可比擬吧。日積月累，堆填區只有更快填滿。扔一對筷子容易，廢物卻是不會自動消失的。

曾幾何時，飛機餐都是附上可再用餐具的；九一一事件後，人人變成驚弓之鳥，於是飛機都轉用膠刀叉，卻顯得矯枉過正。飛機上可用來襲擊的東西，又何止區區餐具。

最近，地球之友成功游說一些連鎖壽司店，不再用即棄木筷，實是一喜訊。希望未來有更多食肆響應！

Under the Name

"Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest all by himself under the name of Sanders.

('What does "under the name" mean?' asked Christopher Robin.

'It means he had the name over the door in gold letters and lived under it.' ...)"

-- A. A. Milne, Winne-the-Pooh

***
Sometimes, I guess we just shouldn't ask too much. Say when we learn something entirely new, or when we listen to a story - too many questions can be quite obstructive. On the other hand, it strikes me that I never challenged the expression "under the name" - perhaps we shouldn't have taken certain things for granted either!