Current Affairs

The "Highline" is probably going to be one of the most interesting things that happens in NYC in the next couple of years. A little searching and summarizing gets us photos, renderings and information from Wikipedia and other sources online:

The "Highline" is an abandoned 1.45 mile (2.33 km) section of the former elevated freight railroad of the West Side Line, along the lower west side of New York City borough of Manhattan between 34th Street near the Javits Convention Center and Gansevoort Street in the West Village. The High Line was built in the early 1930s by the New York Central and has been unused since 1980.

The community-based group Friends of the High Line was established by neighborhood residents Robert Hammond and Joshua David, leading to plans to turn the High Line into an elevated park or greenway. In 2004, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park.

On April 10, 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presided over a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the beginning of construction on the High Line project, turning it into an elevated park. The project is being undertaken by landscape firm Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. If work goes as planned, the southern section of the High Line, from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, will open to the public in early 2009.

環球大海嘯引致近日金融市場風高浪急，當身邊各人都因為股市大跌而損手爛腳，小弟這類典型的電車男 (其實英文詞 Geek 比較貼切一點，有譯科技/技術怪客) 因為掙來的錢都花到電腦和其他玩意上，沒多餘錢拿去投資，故可算是這災難性跌市中比較幸運的一群。

可是我們這些幹 Corp Com 的勉強也可算是執筆換飯吃，總不能因為沒錢而完全不問世事吧? 最近報章財經版上就有一件新聞引起我這個福士迷的注意。於德國法蘭克福上市的福士集團(Volkswagen) 由於股東保時捷 (Porsche)放風增持致其股價飆升，但保時捷這毫無先兆的一著導致一眾拋空福士集團股票的對沖基金慌忙平倉，加上福士股份在市場流通量不足 6%，故上週五才以200 歐羅收市的福士集團股價於10月28日曾一度被搶高至 1005 歐羅，並以 3700 億美元市值超越 Exxon Mobil 的 3430 億美元一度成為全球最值錢公司!

雖然福士股價後來回落至400-500 歐羅水平，但經此一役，受牽連的對沖基金損失便估計達 300 億歐羅。