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ByJackChang The Associated Press HONG KONG For genera- tions of Western men, Hong Kong's Wan Chai neighbor- hood captured all the mys- tery and hedonism of this financial capital known around the world as the Pearl of the Orient. Prostitutes, strippers and bar girls entertained visit- ing sailors and businessmen at all hours in these neon- filled blocks, even as work- ing-class Hong Kongers went about their busi- ness around them. And de- spite all the vice, foreigners could count on being able to walk home safely in the wee hours, while many pros- titutes worked indepen- dently, without protection. Now, the neighborhood has been jolted by an un- speakable crime, the grue- some killings of two young Indonesian women, with a British banker the sole sus- pect. Even as the music and drinks continue flowing in Wan Chai's bars, people say the murders have cast a pall on the freewheeling streets. "If you go with somebody, and you don't know who they are, that's what could happen to you," said Allen Youngblood, an American jazz pianist who has lived in Hong Kong since 1992. "You roll the dice, and you don't know who's who." Hong Kong police have charged 29-year-old British banker Rurik George Caton Jutting with two counts of murder in the deaths of 29-year-old Seneng Mujia- sih and 25-year-old Sumarti Ningsih. Police found the bodies in Jutting's 31st- floor apartment, Ningsih with stab wounds to the buttock and neck and Mu- jiasih stuffed into a suit- case left on the balcony, also with cuts to her neck. Police were alerted by Jut- ting himself, and was wait- ing for them in his apart- ment when officers arrived. On Wednesday, several regulars in a British-themed bar called Old China Hand on Lockhart Road in the heart of the red-light dis- trict said they knew Jutting and Mujiasih. A Filipino bartender, who identified herself only as Lisa, said she remem- bered Mujiasih approach- ing strangers in the bar, al- ways ready to chat them up. "If you didn't know her, she would come and talk to you," the bartender said. "She had a lot of jokes. She loved meeting people. It is just a sad thing." Youngblood called Jut- ting a bully who used his bulky body to push his way through crowds and drink from other's glasses. "He wanted to get two or three girls at the same time," he said while sipping a vodka tonic. "He had a lot of money and used it on women. There are a lot of guys around here like that." On any given night, scores of foreign men and young, made-up Asian women fill the pubs on Lockhart Road, while out- side on the sidewalk, host- esses in cocktail dresses swarm passing Western men, hoping to entice them into booming nightclubs. That seedy scene long defined Hong Kong to out- siders, even as prostitution became more established in other neighborhoods, said John Carroll, a profes- sor who specializes in the city's history at the Univer- sity of Hong Kong. "When they think of Wan Chai, for a lot of people, they think of Suzie Wong," he said, referring to the fic- tional Hong Kong prosti- tute in a 1957 book about the city's sex industry. "But there's much more to Wan Chai." The neighborhood on Hong Kong island now in- cludes middle-class apart- ment towers as well as blocks with some of the highest land prices in the world. Even the red-light district has been transform- ing, with luxury stores and shopping centers moving in and rents shooting up. The rent for one store- front on Lockhart Road is about $80,000 a month, said Steve Sayell, a for- mer British policeman who said he met Jutting several times. Many of those moving in are highly paid profession- als working in the city's fi- nance sector and eager to blow their paychecks in Wan Chai's bars and night- clubs, Sayell said. For them, spending hundreds of dol- lars on prostitutes and co- caine is just part of a nor- mal night's agenda, he said. "They need a release," Sayell said. "In the old days, you just drank a lot. Now a lot of people are resorting to recreational drugs." For many of the South- east Asian women work- ing in Wan Chai, stints on the strip help bring in ex- tra income on top of day jobs as maids and nannies, he said. One of the victims, Mujiasih, had overstayed a domestic worker visa, said Sam Aryadi, an official with the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong. About half of the 319,325 migrant domestic work- ers in Hong Kong are In- donesian and nearly all are women, according to the human rights group Am- nesty International. Mira Septyawaniti, a 36-year-old Indonesian who first came to Hong Kong in 1999 as a domestic worker, said many of her friends were mourning the two victims. She said she got to know Mujiasih in Wan Chai and like her had left her do- mestic worker job. GRUESOME KILLINGS Ho rr or h it s Ho ng K on g' s fa me d re d- li gh t di st ri ct VINCENTYU—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS People walk past a night club in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district Wednesday. By Anne D'innocenzio The Associated Press NEW YORK A snaggletooth eight-year-old. A middle schooler with a punk rocker bob cut and big earrings. Tween siblings with a pen- chant for playing. These are among the young power brokers who will determine the toys that will be under Christ- mas trees this year. At a time when toy sales have stagnated for years at $22 billion, children who review toys on YouTube are wielding increasing influ- ence. Toy makers are court- ing them for their ability to connect with a generation that views the online video sharing service like baby boomers do HBO. "Kids trust other kids more so than they would an adult," says Marc Rosen- berg, a Chicago-based toy consultant. Leading the pack of pint- sized YouTube personali- ties is Evan, 8, who has dim- ples and a few missing teeth. With over 1 billion views be- tween his three channels, he's YouTube's most popular kid. He gets over 800 million views from EvanTubeHD, where he reviews the toys. EvanTubeHD, which fea- tures special effects thanks to his dad, Jared, who runs a video production com- pany full-time, is known for telling kids how to play with toys. Evan speaks di- rectly to them, with occa- sional cameos from his lit- tle sister and mom. In a review of Angry Birds Space Softee Dough playset, Evan apologizes for a noticeable lisp: "Sorry if I'm talking a little funny today because I just lost my tooth." Later, after trying to bite an apple he attached toy "face pieces" to and called "Angry Bird Fruit," he quips: "It's too hard to bite without a tooth." Behind Evan are a few other young YouTube phe- noms. Most of the children are identified by first name because their parents don't want to risk their safety: • Siblings Noah, 14, Jo- nah, 12, and Emma, 11 star in KittiesMama, which has nearly 400 million views. KittiesMama is a reality show that chronicles the kids' daily lives, includ- ing birthday parties. They also review toys and Emma shows kids how to look like characters from toy lines like My Little Pony. • Gracie Hunter, 11, pairs up with her mother, Melissa, in "Mommy and Gracie," which has close to 90 mil- lion views. Gracie, a redhead who sometimes sports black glasses with rhinestones, searches for hard-to-find dolls with her mom. They've eventraveledtoCanadafrom theirNewJerseyhometofind a Monster High doll. • RadioJH Audrey has more than 60 million views. Audrey, 11, speaks to tweens, frequently say- ing "cool" and "awesome." She also streaks her bobbed hair in a rainbow of col- ors and wears big jewelry and studded tees. Audrey's trademark: reviewing mys- tery toy bags that are sold at places like Toys R Us. Julie Krueger, industry director of retail at Google, which owns YouTube, says the channels have "huge fol- lowings of fans." Toy makers — from Mat- tel to smaller ones — have noticed. In fact, Spin Mas- ter says Evan's reviews helped boost sales of its Spy Gear toys 65 percent this year. The private com- pany declined to disclose sales numbers. "It gives the item more widespread exposure," says Jim Silver, editor-in-chief and CEO of TTPM.com, a toy review website. Toy makers regularly send the young reviewers products. And some ink paid marketing deals with them and their parents. Spin Master hired Evan to appear in a TV ad for its latest Spy Gear toys. Anki, which makes robotic toy cars, teamed up with Evan and KittiesMama for reviews on a race car. WowWee is working with "Mommy and Gracie" on promotional videos for Ele- ktrokidz collectible dolls. The parents and compa- nies declined to disclose fi- nancial terms. Most of the parents, who also declined to say how much ad revenue the channels make, have quit their jobs to focus on the businesses. HOLIDAY SHOPPING To y ma ke rs ' ne w da rl in gs : tiny critics on YouTube RICHARD DREW — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Evan and Jillian, no last name given, of EvanTubeHD, try NBA Heros, by Jazwares, at the TTPM Holiday Showcase, in New York. Evan has over 800million views on EvanTubeHD, where he reviews toys. By Monika Scislowska The Associated Press WARSAW, POLAND Pol- ish President Bronislaw Komorowski on Wednes- day signed into law a new national defense strategy aimed at addressing threats to regional security caused by two factors: the fighting in Ukraine and Russia's "intensifying policy of con- frontation." The 57-page strategy doc- ument replaces a plan drawn up in 2007 and involves de- fense, political and economy structures on all levels, in- cluding everything from lo- cal firefighters and reserv- ists to professional armed forces and intelligence. It calls for greater protection of national borders, the econ- omy and finance, art and electronic data. But the document con- tains few details about what will change in each sector, apart from the fact that they will be better operated, coordinated and equipped. Komorowski told a news conference in Warsaw that details concerning Poland's military defense forces will be included in separate, classified documents that are still being written. He did not discuss what Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak had told The As- sociated Press last month that Poland is planning a major reinforcement of its military structure in the east because of the conflict in Ukraine. Siemoniak pro- vided no figures, but the move could involve thou- sands of troops. Komorowski said the new strategy document, which was approved by the government last month and made public Wednesday, is a reaction to the things that have "changed for the worse to the east of Poland's bor- ders, where an area of in- stability has emerged." Po- land, once part of the So- viet bloc, borders Russia and Ukraine, where Rus- sian-backed insurgents are fighting government forces. Komorowski said that by strengthening its defenses, Poland is contributing to the capabilities of NATO, which it joined in 1999. REGIONAL SECURITY Poland unveils its new strategy for national defense Select"Subscribe"tabinlowerrightcorner Complete information for automatic weekly delivery to your email inbox That's it! This FREE service made possible by the advertisers in TV Select Magazine Kindly patronize and thank them. Click on their ads online to access their websites! FREE online subscription to TV Select Magazine Digital edition emailed to you, every Saturday! Just go online to www.ifoldsflip.com/t/5281 (You'll only need to go there one time) N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY • Fully searchable online, zoom in, print out pages and more! • No newspaper online subscription or website access required. • Best of all ... it's ABSOLUTELY FREE! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 5 B