CL Wang Fuk owners got the word yesterday: sign now. There is a particular Hong Kong music to that phrase, patience running out in triplicate. Not a deadline. A deadline wearing a suit. Somewhere a committee is pleased with itself for finding a gentler word than eviction.-- CL

MB The city's monetary authority spent Tuesday reassuring everyone the banking system is fine, which is the sort of thing you only say twice in one week if it isn't. Wang Fuk owners are being told to sign now, not later, which tells you who holds the pen. Washington revoked 200,000 visas the same week Ottawa found its own. Everyone here is negotiating from a position of strength. Someone should tell them what that phrase means.-- MB