Why we are in Hong Kong

Hello Gentle Reader,

The point of this series of e-pistles is to maintain contact with the great people whom we have just met and to regain contact with many friends whom we had not stayed in contact with.  Oh, and hopefully to meet some more great people.  

Poor Yonaton was startled to discover that we had shifted continents before he had even come to visit in Switzerland, and fear not, Tilo, there is great hiking in HK too.

So, "why are you in Hong Kong?" a few have asked your trusty scribe.

We are here because of Regina.

And Interpol.

Never forget the clammy but remarkably long reach of Interpol...

But, our official and socially acceptable reason is that Regina was asked by a very large German conglomerate to be their Manager, Asia for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  

As Regina's boss is one of the six members of the Board of Directors of the holding company for the conglomerate, it appeared that this firm took CSR seriously which meant that she could make a real difference in the lives of workers, so it seemed like a good idea.  

Anyway, Regina jets around Asia, and maybe back to Europe frequently, checking on Working Conditions, the Environment, and other Capital Letter Concerns and ameliorating them to keep her employer a respected corporate citizen. And her firm does take CSR seriously.  

As a slightly cynical lawyer, your trusty scribe considers CSR risk mitigation, but the outcome is very positive for huge groups of people, so it is a pretty good thing.  So that, dear Reader, is why we are in HK.

Besides Interpol.

Oh, and Pommes too.  

Pommes was dying to try Beijing Duck.  

Being a cat with vast geographical knowledge (having resided in North America, Europe, and now Asia) Pommes knew that HK SAR was simply a part of China.  

Being not so politically savvy (what cat respects borders?) or maybe because he was too influenced by Bismarck's realpolitik from his visits to Germany (both visits, that is, Pommes' and Bismarck's) Pommes figured that the separation of power between Beijing and Hong Kong was not that great.  

(For those that doubt that your Hero, Pommes, is that astute, Pommes frequently perches himself on books when I am reading them. Who is to say that he doesn't ingest the knowledge through osmosis?) 

Anyway, Pommes thought that he would get more Beijing Duck here than he does receive in reality.  

I blame his vegetarian mother, your heroine.  But Pommes, unlike his parents, was getting tired of raclette and fondue, so he voted for HK.

And that is the problem with democracy. Armes, armes hase Chris.  2 to 1.  The scribe lost.  How the mighty have fallen... ...Well, I supported the whole venture also. But...

That is it for this update. Your scribe will endeavour to find more practical things to report on, and hopefully he does not tax your patience too strongly, nor wear too heavily at your interest.  

Now really, Tschuuuuuoous. But I promise that the next missive will have some meat to it.  It will be a local interest story which will warm the cockles of your heart, or the sub-cockles, or the buboes of your lymph, or something like that.

And with that, this e-pistle will e-ndeth.

Goodnight and goodrest and Tschuess,

Chris, Regina, and Pommes

Postscript:  Your heroine and your hero are both in the introductory picture. Your task is to figure out which is which.