Referring to a Straits Times report that a member of the British parliament had called Singapore "a pestilential and immoral cesspool", he knotted his dark bushy brows and, fixing his audience with a baleful stare, thundered: "Who is responsible for making this cesspool?"
Soon after, the Department of Education issued a circular banning the man responsible for the above bold statement, from ever speaking in the colony's schools.
Who is this man?
“My doctors told me this morning my blood pressure is down so low that I can start reading the newspapers.”
Ronald Reagan, US President, 1987
Newspapers have come a long way since their putative beginnings in Rome with Acta Diurna, appearing around 59 B.C., which is generally considered the earliest recorded “newspaper”. The point, just like our newspapers, was to let the people know about important social and political happenings and they were posted on walls in public places (such as baths) in the major cities. The Romans used large white boards whereas in 8th century China, the first newspapers appeared as hand-written newsheets in Beijing. But of course the real catalyst for the newspaper was the invention of the printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1447. Since then the evolution of the news has been swift The first modern newspapers came out of Europe e.g. Germany ("Relation" in 1605), France ("Gazette "in 1631), Belgium ("Nieuwe Tijdingen" in 1616) and England (the "London Gazette"). These tended to look outside of their country of origin for uncomplimentary events to highlight about France, Britain or whichever. The shift in focus to more local news is reckoned to have begun at the end of the 18th century.
Between 26 MAY and 14 JULY 2007 all of you young guns between the ages of 15 to 35 are encouraged to get out there and video-express yourselves (in a strictly non-violent sense).
After registration (details at the bottom of this post) you are invited to "think passionately and articulate [your] opinions" whether you have a burning beef or a opinion dying to get out about your life in Singapore, your Asian universe and anything socially significant- and then if your idea is selected, you will be mentored through the whole process of creation..
So what are you waiting for - if you have admired from afar John Grierson, Agnes Varda or Michael Moore then this is your chance to step up to the plate. The Sundance Film Festival with its famous short film emphasis beckons .... So whether you do it all yourself or you want to get together with some friends (no more than 4, the rules stipulate) give yourself a break ...and dream big ... you have nothing to lose but your video virginity!
Some films have been uploaded online on Youtube for access by anyone, and you can get involved in discussions about them via the Youth.SG forums
Oh and did we forget to say there will be cash prizes in the student and open categories. and that the two first-prize winners will be awarded a further $2,500 prize to produce a short film.
Registration is SGD$10 per person, via Gatecrash from 2nd May to 25 May, or through The Substation Hotline, 6337 7800. For details and updates, visit reel revolution
or call 6337 7535 / 6734 9600.
DIRECT LINKS
1. The Battle for Authenticity': Perspectives on John Grierson and the National Film Board of Canada. - from EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier
Film.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=aph&AN=9063087&site=ehost-live
2, "Varda, Agnès." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. 11 May 2007
All this while, some of us may have been under the notion that most NSmen can hardly wait to, to put it in local singlish terms, “ORD, loh!” (which refers to the operationally ready date of those who have served 2 ½ or 2 years of full-time National Service also fondly known as NS, made mandatory for all Singaporean men). Now, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all, after all.
Image taken from Factiva.com
Some 360 gung-ho NSmen have gone beyond the call of duty by serving past their National Service training cycle (which is of up to 20 years) and this makes Minister of Defence, Teo Chee Hean, a happy man. (1)
‘Singapore's population has officially passed the four million mark, swelled by a huge influx of foreigners who make up nearly 20 percent of the population.’ -(2)
1. "S'poreans excited by prospect of Universal Studios - Fun rides, 3-D films and high-tech effects are trademark of world-class park"
The Sunday Times (Singapore) - December 10, 2006
GENTING'S win means that Singapore will finally get a world-class theme park - by Universal Studios no less. Singaporeans who have visited the Universal parks in in the United States say the rides stand out for their interactive nature and appeal to both the young and old.
2. "Win set to boost Genting shares as company goes global"
The Business Times, The (Singapore) - December 9, 2006
By winning the right to develop the Sentosa integrated resort project, Malaysia's Genting Bhd group is poised to be re-rated as a global gaming company with operations in Malaysia, London and Singapore. More immediately, however, its triumph is expected to add considerable fizz to its share price.
3.The Business Times, (Singapore) - December 9, 2006
"A gut feeling for accessibility pays off"
The gut feeling of Genting International chairman Lim Kok Thay was that Singapore was not in the market for an avant garde integrated resort (IR), and his gut feeling has been shown to be right.Genting International and sister company Star Cruises have won the tender to build Singapore's second integrated resort with a concept that has been widely regarded as the safest.
4. The Business Times, (Singapore) - December 9, 2006
"Genting comes up trumps"
Genting International has come up trumps in the bidding for Singapore's second integrated resort, seeing off rivals Kerzner International and Eighth Wonder in the contest for the multi-billion-dollar prize.Announcing the winner yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar said Genting International - partnered by Star Cruises - submitted the 'most compelling proposal overall' that best met Singapore's economic and tourism...
5. The Business Times, (Singapore) - December 9, 2006
"Sun, surf - and Genting"
After months of hard work, things have finally come together for Genting and its partners. Here's how their winning combination for the Sentosa integrated resort looks like - in sum and in its parts.Total investment commitment: $5.2 billion Targeted completion date: early 2010 Total number of gated attractions: 4 Visitor targets: 10 million tourists by 2015 Economic benefits: Genting is expected to generate about $2.7 billion (or 0.8 per cent) of Singapore's GDP.
To access these articles copy the title, go the e-Database page, click on
If you want to remind yourself what the bid looks like you can access a slide show here
Business Times, The (Singapore) - December 6, 2006 length: 531 words
Tight race seen among bidders for Sentosa IR - However, S'pore stock market's favourite appears to be Genting Int'l
1. With the race for the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) in the home stretch, Genting International and Kerzner/CapitaLand are still seen as the front-runners, though some analysts rate Eighth Wonder an outside chance.The IR winner is expected to be announced this week. And unlike the tender for the Marina Bay IR - when most gaming analysts (wrongly) tipped Harrah's Entertainment/Keppel Land as clear winners - the Sentosa contest is seen as tight. Some analysts rank all...
2. Business Times, The (Singapore) - December 6, 2006 length: 395 words
Three-Minute Digest
Tight race seen among bidders for Sentosa IR WITH the race for the Sentosa integrated resort in the home stretch, Genting International and Kerzner/CapitaLand are still seen as the front-runners, though some analysts rate Eighth Wonder an outside chance. The IR winner is expected to be announced this week.eSys closes in on strategic deal: sources COMPUTER firm eSys - founded by well-known entrepreneur Vikas Goel - is on the verge of securing a strategic investment that will help it...
3. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) ... December 3, 2006
Packer game on gambling pursuits
JAMES Packer's $4.5 billion bid for Singapore's second casino is an extraordinary cavalcade of way-over-the-top extravagance. It could also prove the defining event in his personal corporate and business development -- cementing his commitment to a Pacific and then global gaming future.
Read the full story at Newsbank [cut and paste the article title above into the Newsbank search box]
The GST hike has been the talk of the town for the past two weeks.
Don’t be left out, catch up on what’s been happening!
Read these articles [cut and paste the article title above into the Newsbank search box] and more, from database Newsbank.
Govt to freeze fees for a year : Tharman -
State to absorb GST on healthcare, education as part of hike offset package
By Michelle, Quah. Business Times, The (Singapore)
December 1, 2006.
“LOWER-INCOME Singaporeans will not suffer from an increase in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Second Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a TV interview broadcast last night. The government will put in place measures which, taken as a whole with the GST hike, will ensure there is no regressive effect, he said…”
There's a lot of talk in Singapore recently about Eighth Wonder which makes you wonder about the other seven, which brings us rather clumsily to to the new 7 Wonders Launched in September of last year, New 7 Wonders is precisely what it says - an attempt to identify a new set of seven wonders of our world, this time based on a campaign where the whole world gets to vote.
The New 7 Wonders of the World will be announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 (for those into numbers that is 07.07.07). The election/selection procedure is backed up by a panel of experts consisting of :
The former Director-General of UNESCO, Spain's Prof. Dr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, has been appointed president of the panel.
Cesar Pelli, architect of the Battery Park buildings in New York, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Canary Wharf in the UK and the second tower of the new Hong Kong Financial Centre.
Zaha Hadid became the first woman to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize when she did so last year. She has designed buildings around the world and was described by judges as being "one of the most gifted practitioners of the art of architecture today."
Tadao Ando awarded the Prizker Prize, in 1995. One of his most acclaimed projects is the Church of the Light in Osaka, Japan.
Yung Ho Chang, one of China's most accomplished contemporary architects and the founding director of the Graduate Center of Architecture at Peking University, Head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Architecture since July 2005.
As from today "investing in our libraries" takes on a new meaning. Leveraging on a partnership between SIngapore Exchange and National Library Board, NLB patrons will be able to access financial and investment information through special terminals at Lee Kong Chien Reference Library. They will be able query SGX's databases which cover independent research reports, market data, trading tools and all of the Archived Investment Resources after 1998, patrons can now ponder on their next investment steps in a connected conducive setting. The service also offers annual reports, IPO documents and other company information from Singapore and selected regional exchanges will be available in print and soft copy.
“Because the world is radically new, the ideal encyclopedia should be radical, too.” -Charles Van Doren (1)
‘The Singapore Encyclopedia’ was released recently. Weighing in at 3.2 kg, this comprehensive tome on everything and anything about Singapore features 2500 entries and about the same number of photos, maps and illustrations. (2) The encyclopedia is so popular that it is already on its second print run – the first 8000 copies having sold out in three weeks! (3)
While ‘The Singapore Encyclopedia’ might be the first of its kind here in Singapore, encyclopedias have been around for more than 2,000 years. (4) According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, an encyclopedia refers to “a compendium of all available knowledge, complete with maps and a detailed index, as well as numerous adjuncts such as bibliographies, illustrations, lists of abbreviations and foreign expressions, gazetteers, and so on”.
There are various types of encyclopedias, ranging from a single volume on a specific subject or country, to giant multivolume sets on everything topic imaginable. For instance, there are encyclopedias specifically for children, the first of which appeared before the 19th century. It is interesting to note that in the past 2,000 years, at least 2,000 encyclopedias have been published in various parts of the world. Imagine the shelf space these volumes would take up if a library owned copies of them all!
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.”
- Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian Prime Minister, 1889-1964
Singapore is culture-rich despite being a small country in size and young in age when compared to neighbouring countries. Yet there’s so much to explore in this small sunny island.
“Uniquely Singapore” we are, having a variety of different races and religions all living in this island, in harmony most importantly. Being multi-racial sure does have it benefits.
One benefit, which is my ultimate favourite, would be the amount of good food we get in Singapore. Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak, Chili Crab, Fish Head Curry, Nonya Kueh, Pasta (signature dishes of the various races and religions) and more, name it and we have it! There is definitely bound to be a foodie in everyone living in Singapore.
So apart from food, how much do we know about Singapore, it’s heritage and culture? If we’re asked to describe Singapore, will we be able to do so?
Well maybe Singapore is not such a jungle as it used to be ... but courtesy of NHB in the coming weeks anybody who is anyone (and the rest of us as well) will be encouraged to "Explore Singapore". The point of this (quickly consults the press release) "...to spark a national passion in discovering and learning about Singapore’s heritage" ...mmm sounds doable... and mildly diverting ...but there is more.
The “4 Million Smiles” campaign was launched on the 11th June 2006 by Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong in conjunction with the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group. This is just one of the smaller campaigns under the big umbrella of Singapore 2006 which is considered a mega happening in the nation.
Singapore is a hub for many major events. So why is everyone extra excited about Singapore 2006?
As August 9 comes around again and the Nation takes a breath before moving forward, reflects on what what has been achieved and, as usual, has some fun in the process. In the blogging community, unlike last year the landmark 40th birthday, where blogs sprouted like mushrooms after rain, the celebration is a little muted.
The phrase "end of an era" is greatly overused but in the case of Lim Kim San it really is an understatement.
In the face of sceptics and detractors he lead the team which made possible the basic Singapore housing unit now referred to as the HDB.
There are few places in the world who can boast such a high standard of public housing as Singapore and the roots of this achievement lay in the 1960s. Much of the idealistic buildings of that era put up elsewhere have had to be torn down. Not so the HDB unit. Built on a "rough and ready" basis, the planning " team showed more enthusiasm than skill" as was said in a report at the time. But in the first two years of the accelerated program, their work resulted in over 25,000 units being built, more than the entire previous decade!
As a tribute to a a literal builder of Singapore ASK! - our cousin blog - has done a really informative piece outlining this significant Singaporean's career and achievements
We are actively building our heritage collection in the digital domain and we are aiming to have a comprehensive collection of documents from the 18th century up until Singapore’s independence. These will be available in English, Malay, Arabic and Chinese. The “born digital” items and the photographs are of a more recent vintage, however they still encourage you to reflect on Singapore’s historical and cultural legacy.
