Diane Cox - Lamma Animal Welfare Centre:

Sarah Fung - Deputy Editor - HK Magazine:

We are absolutely thrilled that plucky Lamma has triumphed in our Readers' Choice Awards. It only confirms what we have long-known about your lovely island.

I understand that HK and Lamma have had a--shall we say--complicated relationship over the years, but please rest assure that any ribbing on our part is fully intended as good-natured banter, and we hope they are received in the spirit that they are meant. After all, what other Outlying Island would keep such a good sense of humor? Certainly not Discovery Bay!

Unfortunately, distribution of the magazine falls out of my jurisdiction, but we do have similar complaints from Lantau residents of not being able to find it.
(L-G: I was complaining about not a single distribution point for HK Magazine anywhere on Lamma.] May I suggest nominating one bold Lammaite to pinch a dozen copies from another distributor in Central and convey them to Yung Shue Wan for all to enjoy? [L-G: Or download the weekly PDF file for your PC or eBook reader.]

You may also be pleased to know that HK Mag is now available in PDF format and the full book (plus lovely ads) can be sent to your email every Wednesday afternoon. Sign up at our website: www.hk-magazine.com.

Here at HK we do see Lamma-Gung as a Lamma "ambassador". Obviously you feel very passionately about the island and you really put yourself out there with your articles about Lamma life, and also your campaigns to make Lamma an (even) better place to live. In our eyes there was no question that we'd love to have you picking up the award. However, if you feel your District Councilor's nose may be put out of joint with a lack of an invite, we can definitely ask him/her to come by as well.

If your rabble feel as though must stuff all the vegetarian canapes in their pockets as a snack for the ferry ride home, please try not to do so during the speeches. [L-G: Lammadonna & friends were eager to tag along with our "mooching hippie rabble".]

All joking aside though, congratulations again, and hope to see you at our awards party.

Tavis - HK Philosophy Cafe - Lamma Branch:

Photos by Cindy (above) and L-G (below)

By all accounts, the first meeting of the Lamma Island Branch of the Hong Kong Philosophy Café was a roaring success. Graciously hosted by Ken of the Bookworm Cafe (wearing a "Prayer Warrior" T-shirt for the occasion, see right), over 20 of us gathered to think, question, learn, and most importantly dialogue on the topic of meditation as considered from within a Christian context.

Our esteemed guest presenter, The Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD., an Episcopal priest for 35 years, spoke with a warm and unaffected manner about one of her greatest passions, Centering Prayer, a Christian form of meditation. She revealed her interest in meditation to not be restricted within the Christian domain only, citing studies of the effects of meditation upon the brain that are well funded by the Dalai Lama. Also a member of The Spiritual Paths community where the practitioners of many the world's major religious/spiritual paths practice together within a context of mutual respect and sharing, Cynthia pointed out that it is in meditative practice that that the world's religions come closest to touching.

Louise, a café participant posed a direct challenge to the concept of Christian meditation: She asked, "Why do we need to associate our meditation with any religion at all?" Cynthia responded positively, affirming that the beneficial neural response to meditative practice is not dependant upon the religious context, but that meditation will bring about naturally a marvelous awe of our cosmos and ultimately some sense of the universal as personal, relational and unitive.

Wonderful! So, how much should we meditate? "As little as possible" suggests Cynthia. Explaining her surprising response, she suggests that it isn't helpful for meditation, itself, to just become another addiction. Rather, a meditative practice should support the broadening and calming of our minds so that our "doings" are positive and loving.

The meeting was attended by wide range of Lamma and non-Lamma persons, seeming ranging in religious interest from atheist, Buddhist, agnostic, liberal and even fundamentalist Evangelical Christians. There was also a nice mixture of Chinese and non-Chinese as well as a range of different levels of English fluency. There will always be some who can assist with translation. Feedback after the event was almost unanimously positive except for some difficulty with extraneous noise and difficulty in hearing the speaker.

Cynthia herself affirmed her enjoyment of the event in no uncertain terms:

"Thank you for a perfectly delightful evening on Lamma Island--not only one of the best nights I've ever had in Hong Kong, but in my life! What a treat to gather in the delightfully funky and welcoming Bookworm Café, surrounded by spiritual seekers from all over the globe, sharing their deepest thoughts in two languages! It was a glimpse of the human spirit all too rarely visible these days in our sanitized, commercialized world, and I loved every minute of it!"

Our next meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on November 7th,and meetings will follow on the first Sunday evening of subsequent months. Professor Steven Palmquist, founder of the Hong Kong Philosophy Café pointed out that usually meetings will not have external guest speakers, but topics will be mostly generated by members of the Café itself.

We are looking for topics and presenters for upcoming meetings! Presentations of a topic can range between 5 and 20 minutes and may be presented in whatever fashion the presenter chooses. Some topics that have been suggested so far include:

Are mixed or intercultural marriages less likely to succeed?
Should we love our jobs?
(Questions that might be posed by different spiritual/religious groups on Lamma including atheists and agnostics.)

So, if you are looking to exercise the gray matter and build some new community connections, come on out to our next café meeting! Contact me!

Jay Scott Kanes - Official Court Pet Correspondent - Cairns Media:

(Pictures and story by Jay Scott Kanes)

China's National Day:
Time for Monkeys

A COUNTRY PARK, Hong Kong – On the recent holiday weekend for China's National Day (October 1), the official events in Hong Kong and those on television from the Chinese mainland shared a common problem – the wearisome presence of government officials.

Eager to spend my time with more noble companions, I located some tiny individuals (many about the size of former Chinese president Deng Xiaoping) who may look and act much like government officials. But they're vastly more interesting.

My quest led to the Monkey Hill in a country park north of Kowloon. That's home to many of Hong Kong's several thousand macaque monkeys, who appear there perched on posts, clinging to trees and ambling along hillsides. Never mind that most of Hong Kong's real monkey-business happens in company boardrooms, SAR government buildings and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government.

Even when stepping from a taxi, I spotted monkeys near the roadside. Serious jaywalkers, some of the primates scramble dangerously between passing cars on the busy highway. Safety-conscious ones use a nearby overhead pedestrian walkway.

These monkeys aren't shy. Some sat on a road leading into the park, reluctantly stepping aside when a car or truck turned off the highway and approached. Others clung to the highway railings as if ready to hail taxis. One rested a paw against a PCCW phone booth. Did he plan to place a call?

When a taxi stopped to deliver another human visitor, a monkey hopped onto its red engine bonnet. Instead of welcoming this potential fare, the cabbie shooed away the animal.

Prominent posters in the park warn visitors to "protect yourself from monkeys" and to "stop feeding feral monkeys". They caution against "eating when monkeys are watching you".

Initially, I envisioned staying alert to prevent the monkeys from stealing my spectacles, wallet or even camera. Maybe they'd turn the tables by photographing me instead of vice-versa.

Actually, most of the macaques behaved like tolerant hosts. Youngsters, seniors or in-between, they showed little fear or hostility. If I avoided sudden moves, they let me quietly approach and expressed few objections as I shot photos at close range. Despite their failure to smile on cue, I doubted if professional fashion models could co-operate better.

Peering into the faces, especially of older monkeys, gave me powerful impressions of savvy and wisdom. I never feel such sensations from TV images of Chinese president Hu Jintao or Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang.

Unperturbed by my presence, the monkeys continued their regular activities – climbing, foraging, munching on plants, toting babies, ambling about, checking for insects in each other's fur, watching humans for possible food handouts and even (apparently) meditating. The favorite multi-task involved napping as a partner inspected and picked impurities from one's fur. That looked as relaxing as a spa treatment.

Allegedly, most wild monkeys in Hong Kong have descended from pets released in the 1920s. One variation, the rhesus macaque, is native to southern China. The animals like to live in large groups. Up to 200 may eat, sleep and hang out together. Females can breed by age four and then give birth to a baby per year.

Hong Kong's Wild Animals Protection Ordinance forbids anyone without a permit from feeding the monkeys. Offences may lead to fines of HK$10,000. Supposedly, too much food from humans makes the monkeys greedy and aggressive, ready to mug anyone with shopping bags.

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, "The feeding ban is a measure to:

• reduce monkey nuisances and attacks;

• curb the unnatural growth of the population of monkeys;

• reduce monkey deaths in traffic accidents by avoiding monkeys staying along the road for feeding;

• help monkeys revert back to their skills to forage in the wild; and

• minimize any possibility of disease transmission between monkeys and humans."

Some monkeys, seen munching on berries and leaves, clearly possess the skills and motivation to focus on finding edible plant-life. Others show more enthusiasm to forage at the bins where people place rubbish.

One monkey chewed on slices of bread. "Why not make a sandwich?" I wanted to suggest.

A nearby poster declared: "Monkeys are primarily vegetarians. They have excellent memories and high learning capacity in discovery of new food sites. They can recall their experience of foraging and adapt to different plants for food as the season changes.

"Rhesus macaques take mainly fruits, seeds, roots, buds, sprouts, grass, leaves, algae from ponds and even mushrooms for food. Longtailed macaques eat mainly fruits, buds, sprouts and young leaves. They also feed on insects and small invertebrates."

Suddenly, a brainstorm hit me so I asked the monkeys within earshot: "Hey, do any of you guys want to move to Lamma Island? It's a good place. You'd like it."

One macaque looked quizzically at me before diverting his attention to scratching an armpit. None gave a direct reply.

Yung Shue Wan, the Lamma village where I live, would become much livelier with resident macaques. Imagine them climbing onto balconies, swinging from awnings and tugging at dogs' tails!

Wisely, I resisted a desire to grip two monkeys by their paws and lead them to the Lamma ferry pier in Central. They enjoy their country park. Surely, a pushy human urging them to move, or even touching them, would get bitten by sharp teeth and pummeled by fist-like paws.

The primates' behavior outshone that of passing people. Most humans strolling past carried sticks and waved them at the nearest monkeys. What needless hostility! Why do people feel threatened by these small relatives from the animal kingdom? Personally, I felt happier and more relaxed among the monkeys than I ever do on the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay.

As for the monkeys' perspective, I imagined them thinking: "Humans grow taller than us, but they're timid and easily frightened, definitely an inferior species."

Nasty people sometimes try to stab the monkeys or place traps in the park, but experts warn against eating monkey meat. The Wild Animals Protection Ordinance stipulates stiff fines or jail terms for hunting or deliberately disturbing wild animals.

Overhead, tree branches heaved and swayed as macaques swung among the leaves. Unlike Lantau Island's Ngong Ping cable cars, their sky-transport never breaks down.

Then a sprinkle of warm liquid traced a path along my right shirtsleeve and forearm. Surprised, I glanced up into a tree just in time to sidestep a new stream of falling monkey urine. Someone among the leaves disliked me. Had the suggestion of moving to Lamma aroused more resentment than I realized? Would fellow passengers on the Lamma ferry later sniff out my from-the-sky perfume?

Not annoyed, I felt amused, appreciating the mischievous monkey's sense of humor. His behavior brought to mind how Hong Kong's leaders treat the local people by favoring big business and neglecting to defend public interests in Beijing. The government's actions aren't as funny.

Several monkeys scaled towering trees, ascending into the sky. Their climbing skills made me think of how the central government had exploited National Day for propaganda by launching a lunar-probe rocket then – a mildly impressive feat, but one that solves no problems on the ground. The agile monkeys impressed me more.

By the time I left the monkeys, I felt spiritually rewarded for visiting them. Maybe I can mingle with the same crowd next year. What better time than China's National Day to meet with monkeys?

Professional fashion models couldn't pose better.

Pensive primate: a monkey looks thoughtful.

Happy to pose: 'How's this for my best angle?'

Why not make a sandwich?

The face of a senior monkey shows wisdom.

A woman carries a big stick to walk near the monkeys.

Into the clouds: monkeys scale a towering tree.

Mother and child: wary of human monkey-business.

Like a day at the spa, snooze as a partner cleans one's fur.

Rubbish duty:
alert to what enters the bins.

Lamma-zine's correspondent 'fits in' with the macaque clan.