â€‹The Perseid meteor shower will occur on August 12 (Monday) this year. It is estimated that the zenithal hourly rate may reach 100 during the peak from 9pm on August 12 to midnight. The Hong Kong Space Museum will live-stream the Perseid meteor shower from 10pm to 11pm on August 12 via its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/hkspacem) and "LCSD Plusss" Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LCSDPlusss) and share some astronomical knowledge related to meteor showers.
      
     During a meteor shower, meteors appear to emanate from a point (known as the radiant) in the night sky. On August 12, the radiant of the Perseid meteor shower will rise in the northeast at about 10pm, and the number of meteors will increase as the radiant rises gradually. Since the peak lies on the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, the moon will set at about 11.30pm, and the observation conditions will become more favourable after moonset. During the small hours of August 13, observers may see more than 10 meteors per hour at a location with a wide field of view and low light pollution.
      
     As astronomical observations depend heavily on weather conditions, members of the public are advised to check the latest weather updates before the outdoor activity. For details of the Perseid meteor shower and the live streaming, please visit the Hong Kong Space Museum's website at hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/home.html.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present "The Andrew Tuason Orchestra pay tribute to Percy Faith and Henry Mancini" concerts in early October. Renowned local musician Andrew Tuason will take the stage with the Andrew Tuason Orchestra (ATO) to perform 40 classic easy-listening and film songs composed or arranged by renowned film and television music composers Percy Faith and Henry Mancini, paying tribute to the two great musicians with ethereal melodies and rhythms.
 
     Rising in the 1950s, Percy Faith and Henry Mancini have collaborated with various famous singers and artists. Easy-listening music, movie and television theme songs composed by them still linger among music lovers today. Striving for excellence in these concerts, Tuason has selected elite musicians from his big band together with other talented players to form the ATO with 41 players, including 23 string musicians, 11 wind musicians and seven rhythmists, to deliver the authentic musical style of the two composers.
 
     In the first concert on October 2, the Orchestra will play works composed or arranged by Faith, such as the movie theme of "A Summer Place", which won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1960, as well as music from the Oscar-winning films "Doctor Zhivago", "The Sound of Music", "Gone with the Wind" and more.
 
     The second concert on October 3 features the works of Mancini, including the familiar rhythms of "The Pink Panther"; the film song "Days of Wine and Roses" that won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1963 as well as Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1964; the original soundtrack from the movie "Charade", and Mancini's version of the classic song from the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and many more. Guest singer Maria Rosa Tuason will also perform with her alluring voice in the two concerts.
 
     Percy Faith was one of the most popular easy-listening recording artists of the 1950s and 1960s. As a child piano prodigy, Faith gave his first recital at the age of 15, and provided live soundtracks to silent films in various movie theatres. Later he began his career in music arranging and recording, and subsequently earned a place in radio broadcasting. Many records and singles under his name became popular hits. He was also responsible for arranging hits by Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis and more as the musical director for Columbia Records in the 1950s.
 
     Henry Mancini was one of the greatest composers and arrangers in the film and television music industry. Over his five-decade career, Mancini created numerous masterpieces of music for films. Songs he composed were staples of the easy-listening radio format from the 1960s to the 1980s. Mancini was nominated for 72 Grammy Awards, winning 20. He also won four Oscars. In 1995, Mancini received a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
     Andrew Tuason is a renowned local musician who has worked as a record producer, composer, arranger, conductor and music director in the local Canto-pop business since the 1980s under the guidance of the late music maestro Joseph Koo. Tuason has been the producer and music director for many notable pop artists. In the 1990s, many productions under the record label of Tuason became top-selling Canto-pop albums. He has received numerous accolades from various music award ceremonies. With the objective of bringing the sound of big band music back to Hong Kong's mainstream music scene, Tuason founded the Andrew Tuason Big Band in early 2021. In September 2022, he led his band to perform in the well-received "Jazz Up" Series: "The Andrew Tuason Big Band" concert presented by the LCSD.
 
     The two above-mentioned concerts will be staged at 8pm on October 2 (Wednesday) and October 3 (Thursday) respectively at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $220, $280, $360 and $420 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1758.html.

      

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (August 9) announced that the department collected 10 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) samples from auto-LPG filling stations and LPG terminals on a random basis in July 2024 for laboratory tests. The results show that the LPG quality of all these samples complied with auto-LPG specifications.

     The detailed test results are available on the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/gas_safety/lpg_vehicle_scheme/publications/general/results_of_lpg_sample_analysis/index.html ). Enquiries can also be made to the EMSD hotline on 2333 3762.

     In addition, the EMSD has been vetting independent third-party test reports submitted by LPG supply companies for each shipment to ensure that the quality of imported LPG complies with the specified requirements.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (August 9) reminded members of the public, particularly those undertaking outdoor activities, to take heed of necessary measures against heat stroke and sunburn in very hot weather.

     "The public should carry and drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration while engaging in outdoor activities," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "Those engaged in strenuous outdoor activities should avoid beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee and tea, as well as alcohol, as they speed up water loss through the urinary system," the spokesman explained.

     "Infants and children, the elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease or high blood pressure, outdoor/manual workers, and individuals who are overweight are more vulnerable to heat stroke. They should pay special attention," the spokesman added.

     The public should adopt the following precautions:
 

• Wear loose and light-coloured clothing to reduce heat absorption and facilitate sweat evaporation and heat dissipation;
• Avoid vigorous exercise and prolonged activities like hiking or trekking as heat, sweating and exhaustion can place additional demands on the physique;
• Perform outdoor activities in the morning or the late afternoon, if possible;
• For indoor activities, open all windows, use a fan or use air-conditioning to maintain good ventilation;
• Do not stay inside a parked vehicle; and
• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day if feasible. If working in a hot environment is inevitable, introduce shade in the workplace where practicable. Start work slowly and pick up the pace gradually. Move to a cool area for rest at regular intervals to allow the body to recuperate.

     
     â€‹The public should also note the latest and the forecast Ultraviolet (UV) Index released by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). When the UV Index is high (6 or above):
 

• Minimise direct exposure of the skin and the eyes to sunlight;
• Wear long-sleeved and loose-fitting clothes;
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat or use an umbrella;
• Seek a shaded area or put on UV-blocking sunglasses;
• Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen lotion with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15, preferably higher. Reapply every two hours if you stay out in the sun, and after swimming, sweating or towelling off; and
• While using DEET-containing insect repellents for personal protection against mosquito-borne diseases, apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent.

    
     â€‹If symptoms develop, such as dizziness, headache, nausea, shortness of breath or confusion, rest and seek help immediately, and seek medical advice as soon as possible.
     
     â€‹The public may obtain more information from the DH's Health Education Infoline (2833 0111), heat stroke page and UV radiation page; the HKO's Dial-a-Weather (1878 200), latest weather report and forecast, UV Index and weather information for hiking and mountaineering; and press releases of the Labour Department on precautions against heat stroke for outdoor workers and their employers when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.

     To prevent heat stroke, avoid prolonged activities outdoors.

     If engaged in outdoor work or activities, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes. Stay in shaded areas as much as possible.

     Drink plenty of water, and avoid beverages containing caffeine or alcohol.

     If you feel sick, consult a doctor right away.