Jarrod Watt

YouTube video by The HU THE HU - Black Thunder Part 1 (Official Music Video)

I have come to the conclusion heavy metal has failed us with any proper song referencing ‘fire horses’ to coincide with this Lunar New Year - nope, Metallica, Motörhead & Iron Maiden not close enough - it’s up to Mongolia’s finest to saddle up and get us into a canter…
youtu.be/3aguZjkVLaE?...

UK bank bosses plan to set up Visa and Mastercard alternative amid Trump fears Exclusive: First meeting to be held over domestic payments system aimed at reducing reliance on US networks

“Visa, Mastercard.. the urgent issue is our payment system. Trump can cut everything off.. I urgently request that the commission organise a European Airbus for payment systems: you can’t say you weren’t warned.”
Not just China building an alternative to the US www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Opinion | Government must reflect on its failures as we enter Year of the Horse The past year has been a difficult one and it is important for the administration to assess its performance and embrace change.

Alice Wu holds the Hong Kong government accountable for 2025: drinking water safety, Kai Tak dramas, premium taxis debacle, the Tai Po tower fire horror. "The government’s processes and practices need a major overhaul to reverse a growing public confidence crisis." www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...

I know we are at peak season for horse-based imagery to greet the new Lunar New Year of the Horse... this seems to be the most representative of the sentiment for what lies ahead, given the last two months of global events

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence For long, China was a magnet for America’s rhetorical aggression. Now, it is the Europeans who are under fire.

It’s a game of good superpower/bad superpower as Europe talks security at Munich: “China is predictable and will work to preserve and maintain the status quo, even if the US wants to dismantle it…”
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

It’s Kung Hei Fat Choi and a big giddy-up from Hong Kong for the Year of the Horse: Harry Harrison’s cartoon

…work in progress

"Jon Kudelka loved his beautiful family and was fiercely intolerant of greed and hypocrisy." Comix #journalism as obituary as #cartoon. Is heart-breaking and lovely. Here's to the legacy of Jon Kudelka and @firstdogonthemoon.bsky.social

YouTube video by Kylie Auldist No Use - Kylie Auldist

perhaps more lyrically targeted... youtu.be/G0-ZOHRZR6k?...

YouTube video by The Bamboos The Bamboos - Power Without Greed (Official Video)

contemporary Aussie classics? youtu.be/yc18TsctvPA?...

Harry Harrison has a brush with the viral video sensation this week in Hong Kong: today's cartoon

Just astonishing... after a MONTH of reports - "Between January 18 and Thursday, the centre recorded 45 cases affecting 135 people, with nearly 87 per cent linked to norovirus" - "Hong Kong health authorities have urged diners not to eat raw oysters for the time being" www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

China Issues New Rules To Curb Auto Price War After January Passenger Car Sales Drop 20% HONG KONG (AP) — China moved Thursday to curb a fierce price war among automakers that has caused massive losses for the industry, after passenger car sales dropped nearly 20% in January from the year...

China's new car price wars "...caused an estimated loss of 471 billion yuan ($68bn USD) in output value across the whole industry in the past three years..." & 20% drop in 2026 sales
BUT
"China's exports of passenger cars jumped 49% year-on-year to 589,000 in January." kiripost.com/stories/chin...

Race is on to find a cover band in Wan Chai to cover an old UB40 hit for the story going viral in Hong Kong...
"There's a Rat In Mi Sushi Fridge" - whoah-whoa-whoa-whoahh-yeaaah... youtu.be/7ac0tksJfKo?...

Chinese sea captain pleads not guilty in Hong Kong court to damaging Baltic Sea cables A Chinese sea captain of a Hong Kong-flagged vessel has pleaded not guilty to damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in 2023.

"A Chinese sea captain of a Hong Kong-flagged vessel accused of damaging undersea cables and a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2023 pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a Hong Kong court. Around 18 witnesses could be called to testify, the court heard Wednesday." apnews.com/article/balt...

China showcases new Moon ship and reusable rocket in one extraordinary test The test marks a significant step in China's push to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

One step closer to taikonauts on the moon... "These advancements in China’s reusable rocket and lunar exploration programs come as NASA prepares to launch a crew of four astronauts on a loop around the far side of the Moon as soon as next month..." arstechnica.com/space/2026/0...

YouTube video by faustomx Barry White Love´s Theme

I was today years old when I learned Cathay Pacific used Barry White's Love's Theme as boarding music in the 1980s - this has forever changed what's in my headphones when I go to fly. Too much to imagine staff in these outfits to be conducting passengers as they board? youtu.be/v8Hw6yAaeBw?...

Not too long now... "I support the new one in, one out legislation (long as I'm not next in line...)"

Social workers in Tai Po fire relief warn of burnout after colleague dies Lack of communication by government on aid plans often adds stress to heavy workload, they say.

"Government social workers supporting survivors of Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire are struggling to manage their 'indefinite' duties, with poor communication about new initiatives compounding the stress of their already heavy caseloads."

www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

Hong Kong journalists face ‘precarious’ future after Jimmy Lai jailed Media bosses 'increasingly see themselves as an extension of the government propaganda arm,' said Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Do read this on the present/future of Hong Kong #journalism by local #journalist Holmes Chan for @en.afp.com - beyond the verdict for Jimmy Lai, publisher, to the journalists jailed for sedition, quotes two prominent local journalists on current newsroom vibes www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02...

always with the typo...

Gundam, Godzilla to headline Asian IP festival Con-Con in Hong Kong Two-day event will also showcase Japanese musicians including festival ambassador Cocomi, daughter of actor Takuya Kimura.

Gundam, Godzilla, Japanese and Hong Kong anime, boy bands - the best name they came up for this event is “Con-Con”, which stands for Convention for Connection… designed as a cross-sector platform with intellectual property”
Will there be an otaku queue?

www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

One fine day in the Hong Kong mid levels, with the expat ladies who lunch: Harry Harrison’s cartoon

Do you have a better example of firsthand reporting? Cheap smug keyboard warrior cracks no replacement for genuine reporting of what happened - or as my great aunty Kit would say “have a proper go ya mug”

S&P is already predicting China's property slump will be worse than it expected this year S&P Global Ratings said China's primary real estate sales will likely drop by 10% to 14% this year, steeper than the decline predicted back in October.

China’s property slump predicted to worsen this year, only a strong central government intervention can fix it… what will Beijing do? “This is a downturn so entrenched that only the government has capacity to absorb the excess inventory…” www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/02/...

Harry Harrison on the joy trickling down to the lowest paid workers in Hong Kong - offered one whole dollar per hour for a payrise - today’s #cartoon

NSW Police Forcibly Clears City in Touching Tribute to Israeli President — The Shovel “It’s not every day that you have a visiting dignitary accused by the United Nations of inciting genocide. Giving up our civil liberties is the least we could do"

Quality reporting gets the vibe right in Sydney theshovel.com.au/2026/02/10/n...

Which syndicates?
Which nation is the source of the foreign influence?
No names = may as well say "the boogie man"

Opinion | Legco must exercise due diligence against the tyranny of KPIs Even if the government drafted perfect laws, lawmakers must scrutinise them without being afraid of performing their constitutional duty.

Alice Wu again doing the journalist's job of holding government accountable in Hong Kong: "...what has transpired over something as simple as requiring people to wear seat belts on buses proves that neither the government nor the legislature have performed their jobs." www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...