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Governor Hogan Speaks at the Commerce Staff Event by Patrick Siebert at 401 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
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Singapore (Listeni/ˈsɪŋɡəpɔːr/), officially the Republic of Singapore, and often referred to as the Lion City, the Garden City, and the Red Dot, is a global city and sovereign state in Southeast Asia and the world's only island city-state. It lies one degree (137 km) north of the equator, at the southernmost tip of continental Asia and peninsular Malaysia, with Indonesia's Riau Islands to the south. Singapore's territory consists of the diamond-shaped main island and 62 islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23% (130 km2), and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with tropical flora, parks and gardens.
The islands were settled from the second century AD by a series of local empires. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded modern Singapore as a trading post of the East India Company; after the company collapsed, the islands were ceded to Britain and became part of its Straits Settlements in 1826. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan. It gained independence from Britain in 1963, by uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia, but was expelled two years later over ideological differences. After early years of turbulence, and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy, based on external trade and its human capital.
Singapore is a global commerce, finance and transport hub. Its standings include: "easiest place to do business" (World Bank) for ten consecutive years, most "technology-ready" nation (WEF), top International-meetings city (UIA), city with "best investment potential" (BERI), 2nd-most competitive country (WEF), 3rd-largest foreign exchange centre, 3rd-largest financial centre, 3rd-largest oil refining and trading centre and one of the top two busiest container ports since the 1990s. Singapore's best known global brands include Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport, both amongst the most-awarded in their industry; SIA is also rated by Fortune surveys as Asia's "most admired company". For the past decade, it has been the only Asian country with the top AAA sovereign rating from all major credit rating agencies, including S&P, Moody's and Fitch.
Singapore ranks high on its national social policies, leading Asia and 11th globally, on the Human Development Index (UN), notably on key measures of education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety, housing. Although income inequality is high, 90% of citizens own their homes, and the country has one of the highest per capita incomes, with low taxes. The cosmopolitan nation is home to 5.5 million residents, 38% of whom are permanent residents and other foreign nationals. Singaporeans are mostly bilingual in a mother-tongue language and English as their common language. Its cultural diversity is reflected in its extensive ethnic "hawker" cuisine and major festivals - Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western - which are all national holidays. In 2015, Lonely Planet and The New York Times listed Singapore as their top and 6th best world destination to visit respectively.
The nation's core principles are meritocracy, multiculturalism and secularism. It is noted for its effective, pragmatic and incorrupt governance and civil service, which together with its rapid development policies, is widely cited as the "Singapore model". Gallup polls shows 84% of its residents expressed confidence in the national government, and 85% in its judicial systems - one of the highest ratings recorded. Singapore has significant influence on global affairs relative to its size, leading some analysts to classify it as a middle power. It is ranked as Asia's most influential city and 4th in the world by Forbes.
Singapore is a unitary, multiparty, parliamentary republic, with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. The People's Action Party has won every election since self-government in 1959. One of the five founding members of the ASEAN, Singapore is also the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat, and a member of the East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth of Nations.
ETYMOLOGY
The English name of Singapore is derived from the Malay word, Singapura, which was in turn derived from Sanskrit (Singa is "lion", Pura "city"; Sanskrit: सिंहपुर, IAST: Siṃhápura), hence the customary reference to the nation as the Lion City, and its inclusion in many of the nation's symbols (e.g., its coat of arms, Merlion emblem). However, it is unlikely that lions ever lived on the island; Sang Nila Utama, who founded and named the island Singapura, most likely saw a Malayan tiger. It is also known as Pulau Ujong, as far back as the 3rd century, literally 'island at the end' (of the Malay Peninsula) in Malay.
Since the 1970s, Singapore has also been widely known as the Garden City, owing to its extensive greening policy covering the whole island, a priority of its first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, dubbed the nation's "Chief Gardener". The nation's conservation and greening efforts contributed to Singapore Botanic Gardens being the only tropical garden to be inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The nickname, Red Dot, is a reference to its size on the map, contrasting with its achievements. In 2015, Singapore's Golden Jubilee year, the celebratory "SG50" branding is depicted inside a red dot.
HISTORY
Temasek ('Sea Town' in the Malay language), an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire, is the earliest written record relating to the area now called Singapore. In the 13th century, the Kingdom of Singapura was established on the island and it became a trading port city. However, there were two major foreign invasions before it was destroyed by the Majapahit in 1398. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burned down the settlement, which by then was nominally part of the Johor Sultanate and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries, while the wider maritime region and much trade was under Dutch control.
BRITISH COLONISATION 1819-1942
In 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived and signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, on behalf of the British East India Company, to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post. In 1824, the entire island, as well as the Temenggong, became a British possession after a further treaty with the Sultan. In 1826, Singapore became part of the Straits Settlements, under the jurisdiction of British India, becoming the regional capital in 1836.
Prior to Raffles' arrival, there were only about a thousand people living on the island, mostly indigenous Malays along with a handful of Chinese. By 1860, the population had swelled to more than 80,000 and more than half were Chinese. Many immigrants came to work at rubber plantations and, after the 1870s, the island became a global centre for rubber exports.
After the First World War, the British built the large Singapore Naval Base. Lieutenant General Sir William George Shedden Dobbie was appointed General Officer Commanding of the Malaya Command on 8 November 1935, holding the post until 1939;
WORLD WAR II AND JAPANESE OCCUPATION 1942-45
in May 1938, the General Officer Commanding of the Malaya Command warned how Singapore could be conquered by the Japanese via an attack from northern Malaya, but his warnings went unheeded. The Imperial Japanese Army invaded British Malaya, culminating in the Battle of Singapore. When the British surrendered on 15 February 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the defeat "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". Between 5,000 and 25,000 ethnic Chinese people were killed in the subsequent Sook Ching massacre.
From November 1944 to May 1945, the Allies conducted an intensive bombing of Singapore.
RETURN OF BRITISH 1945-59
After the surrender of Japan was announced in the Jewel Voice Broadcast by the Japanese Emperor on 15 August 1945 there was a breakdown of order and looting and revenge-killing were widespread. The formal Japanese Occupation of Singapore was only ended by Operation Tiderace and the formal surrender on 12 September 1945 at Singapore City Hall when Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of Southeast Asia Command, accepted the capitulation of Japanese forces in Southeast Asia from General Itagaki Seishiro.
A British Military Administration was then formed to govern the island. On 1 April 1946, the Straits Settlements were dissolved and Singapore became a separate Crown Colony with a civil administration headed by a Governor. Much of the infrastructure had been destroyed during the war, including the harbour, electricity, telephone and water supply systems. There was also a shortage of food leading to malnutrition, disease, and rampant crime and violence. High food prices, unemployment, and workers' discontent culminated into a series of strikes in 1947 causing massive stoppages in public transport and other services. In July 1947, separate Executive and Legislative Councils were established and the election of six members of the Legislative Council was scheduled for the following year. By late 1947, the economy began to recover, facilitated by a growing demand for tin and rubber around the world, but it would take several more years before the economy returned to pre-war levels.
The failure of Britain to defend Singapore had destroyed its credibility as an infallible ruler in the eyes of Singaporeans. The decades after the war saw a political awakening amongst the local populace and the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist sentiments, epitomized by the slogan Merdeka, or "independence" in the Malay language.
During the 1950s, Chinese Communists with strong ties to the trade unions and Chinese schools carried out armed uprising against the government, leading to the Malayan Emergency and later, the Communist Insurgency War. The 1954 National Service Riots, Chinese middle schools riots, and Hock Lee bus riots in Singapore were all linked to these events.
David Marshall, pro-independence leader of the Labour Front, won Singapore's first general election in 1955. He led a delegation to London, but Britain rejected his demand for complete self-rule. He resigned and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies convinced Britain to grant Singapore full internal self-government for all matters except defence and foreign affairs.
SELF-GOVERNMENT 1959-1963
During the May 1959 elections, the People's Action Party won a landslide victory. Singapore became an internally self-governing state within the Commonwealth, with Lee Kuan Yew as its first Prime Minister. Governor Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State), and was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak, who became the first President of Singapore in 1965.
MERGER WITH MALAYSIA 1963-65
As a result of the 1962 Merger Referendum, on 31 August 1963 Singapore joined with the Federation of Malaya, the Crown Colony of Sarawak and the Crown Colony of North Borneo to form the new federation of Malaysia under the terms of the Malaysia Agreement. Singaporean leaders chose to join Malaysia primarily due to concerns over its limited land size, scarcity of water, markets and natural resources. Some Singaporean and Malaysian politicians were also concerned that the communists might form the government on the island, a possibility perceived as an external threat to the Federation of Malaya.However, shortly after the merger, the Singapore state government and the Malaysian central government disagreed on many political and economic issues, and communal strife culminated in the 1964 race riots in Singapore. After many heated ideological conflicts between the two governments, on 9 August 1965, the Malaysian Parliament voted 126 to 0 to expel Singapore from Malaysia with Singaporean delegates not present.
INDEPENDENCE 1965 TO PRESENT
Singapore gained independence as the Republic of Singapore (remaining within the Commonwealth of Nations) on 9 August 1965. Race riots broke out once more in 1969. In 1967, the country co-founded ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and in 1970 it joined the Non-Aligned Movement. Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister, leading its Third World economy to First World affluence in a single generation. His emphasis on rapid economic growth, support for business entrepreneurship, limitations on internal democracy, and close relationships with China set the new nation's policies for the next half-century.
In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister, while the latter continued serving in the Cabinet as Senior Minister until 2004, and then Minister Mentor until May 2011. During Goh's tenure, the country faced the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah.
In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the country's third Prime Minister. Goh Chok Tong remained in Cabinet as the Senior Minister until May 2011, when he was named Emeritus Senior Minister despite his retirement. He steered the nation through the 2008 global financial crisis, resolved the disputed 79-year old Malayan railways land, and introduced integrated resorts. Despite the economy's exceptional growth, PAP suffered its worst election results in 2011, winning 60% of votes, amidst hot-button issues of high influx of foreign workers and cost of living. Lee initiated a major re-structuring of the economy to raise productivity, improved universal healthcare and grants, especially for the pioneer generation of citizens, amongst many new inclusive measures.
On 23 March 2015, its founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who had 'personified Singapore to the world' for nearly half a century died. In a week of national mourning, 1.7 million residents and guests paid tribute to him at his lying-in-state at Parliament House and at community sites around the island.
Singapore celebrated its Golden jubilee in 2015 – its 50th year of independence, with a year-long series of events branded SG50. The PAP maintained its dominance in Parliament at the September general elections, receiving 69.9% of the popular vote, its second-highest polling result behind the 2001 tally of 75.3%.
GEOGRAPHY
Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor–Singapore Causeway in the north and the Tuas Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at 163.63 m. April and May are the hottest months, with the wetter monsoon season from November to January.
From July to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia, usually from the island of Sumatra. Although Singapore does not observe daylight saving time (DST), it follows the GMT+8 time zone, one hour ahead of the typical zone for its geographical location.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing constituencies. The country's constitution establishes a representative democracy as the political system. Executive power rests with the Cabinet of Singapore, led by the Prime Minister and, to a much lesser extent, the President. The President is elected through a popular vote, and has veto powers over a specific set of executive decisions, such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judges, but otherwise occupies a largely ceremonial post.
The Parliament serves as the legislative branch of the government. Members of Parliament (MPs) consist of elected, non-constituency and nominated members. Elected MPs are voted into the Parliament on a "first-past-the-post" (plurality) basis and represent either single-member or group representation constituencies. The People's Action Party has won control of Parliament with large majorities in every election since self-governance was secured in 1959.
Although the elections are clean, there is no independent electoral authority and the government has strong influence on the media. Freedom House ranks Singapore as "partly free" in its Freedom in the World report, and The Economist ranks Singapore as a "flawed democracy", the second best rank of four, in its "Democracy Index". Despite this, in the 2011 Parliamentary elections, the opposition, led by the Workers' Party, increased its representation to seven elected MPs. In the 2015 elections, PAP scored a landslide victory, winning 83 of 89 seats contested, with 70% of popular votes. Gallup polls reported 84% of residents in Singapore expressed confidence in the government, and 85% in its judicial systems and courts – one of the highest ratings in the world.
Singapore's governance model eschews populist politics, focusing on the nation's long-term interest, and is known to be clean, effective and pragmatic. As a small nation highly dependent on external trade, it is vulnerable to geo-politics and global economics. It places great emphasis on security and stability of the region in its foreign policies, and applies global best practices to ensure the nation's attractiveness as an investment destination and business hub.
The legal system of Singapore is based on English common law, but with substantial local differences. Trial by jury was abolished in 1970 so that judicial decisions would rest entirely in the hands of appointed judges. Singapore has penalties that include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning, which may be imposed for such offences as rape, rioting, vandalism, and certain immigration offences.There is a mandatory death penalty for murder, as well as for certain aggravated drug-trafficking and firearms offences.
Amnesty International has said that some legal provisions of the Singapore system conflict with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that Singapore has "... possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population". The government has disputed Amnesty's claims. In a 2008 survey of international business executives, Singapore received the top ranking with regard to judicial system quality in Asia. Singapore has been consistently rated among the least corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International.
In 2011, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked Singapore among the top countries surveyed with regard to "order and security", "absence of corruption", and "effective criminal justice". However, the country received a much lower ranking for "freedom of speech" and "freedom of assembly". All public gatherings of five or more people require police permits, and protests may legally be held only at the Speakers' Corner.
EDUCATION
Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is mostly supported by the state. All institutions, private and public, must be registered with the Ministry of Education. English is the language of instruction in all public schools, and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the "mother tongue" language paper. While the term "mother tongue" in general refers to the first language internationally, in Singapore's education system, it is used to refer to the second language, as English is the first language. Students who have been abroad for a while, or who struggle with their "Mother Tongue" language, are allowed to take a simpler syllabus or drop the subject.
Education takes place in three stages: primary, secondary, and pre-university education. Only the primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school, which is made up of a four-year foundation course and a two-year orientation stage. The curriculum is focused on the development of English, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science. Secondary school lasts from four to five years, and is divided between Special, Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical) streams in each school, depending on a student's ability level. The basic coursework breakdown is the same as in the primary level, although classes are much more specialised. Pre-university education takes place over two to three years at senior schools, mostly called Junior Colleges.
Some schools have a degree of freedom in their curriculum and are known as autonomous schools. These exist from the secondary education level and up.
National examinations are standardised across all schools, with a test taken after each stage. After the first six years of education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which determines their placement at secondary school. At the end of the secondary stage, GCE "O"-Level exams are taken; at the end of the following pre-university stage, the GCE "A"-Level exams are taken. Of all non-student Singaporeans aged 15 and above, 18% have no education qualifications at all while 45% have the PSLE as their highest qualification; 15% have the GCE 'O' Level as their highest qualification and 14% have a degree.
Singaporean students consistently rank at or near the top of international education assessments:
- In 2015, Singapore topped the OECD's global school performance rankings, based on 15-year-old students' average scores in mathematics and science across 76 countries.
- Singaporean students were ranked first in the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, and have been ranked in the top three every year since 1995.
- Singapore fared best in the 2015 International Baccalaureate exams, taken in 107 countries, with more than half of the world's 81 perfect scorers and 98% passing rate.
The country's two main public universities - the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University - are ranked among the top 13 in the world.
HEALTH
Singapore has a generally efficient healthcare system, even though their health expenditures are relatively low for developed countries. The World Health Organisation ranks Singapore's healthcare system as 6th overall in the world in its World Health Report. In general, Singapore has had the lowest infant mortality rate in the world for the past two decades.
Life expectancy in Singapore is 80 for males and 85 for females, placing the country 4th in the world for life expectancy. Almost the whole population has access to improved water and sanitation facilities. There are fewer than 10 annual deaths from HIV per 100,000 people. There is a high level of immunisation. Adult obesity is below 10%
The government's healthcare system is based upon the "3M" framework. This has three components: Medifund, which provides a safety net for those not able to otherwise afford healthcare, Medisave, a compulsory health savings scheme covering about 85% of the population, and Medishield, a government-funded health insurance program. Public hospitals in Singapore have autonomy in their management decisions, and compete for patients. A subsidy scheme exists for those on low income. In 2008, 32% of healthcare was funded by the government. It accounts for approximately 3.5% of Singapore's GDP.
RELIGION
Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore, with 33% of the resident population declaring themselves adherents at the most recent census. The next-most practised religion is Christianity, followed by Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. 17% of the population did not have a religious affiliation. The proportion of Christians, Taoists, and non-religious people increased between 2000 and 2010 by about 3% each, whilst the proportion of Buddhists decreased. Other faiths remained largely stable in their share of the population. An analysis by the Pew Research Center found Singapore to be the world's most religiously diverse nation.
There are monasteries and Dharma centres from all three major traditions of Buddhism in Singapore: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Most Buddhists in Singapore are Chinese and are of the Mahayana tradition, with missionaries having come into the country from Taiwan and China for several decades. However, Thailand's Theravada Buddhism has seen growing popularity among the populace (not only the Chinese) during the past decade. Soka Gakkai International, a Japanese Buddhist organisation, is practised by many people in Singapore, but mostly by those of Chinese descent. Tibetan Buddhism has also made slow inroads into the country in recent years.
CULTURE
Singapore has one of the lowest rates of drug use in the world. Culturally, the use of illicit drugs is viewed as highly undesirable by Singaporeans, unlike many European societies. Singaporeans' disapproval towards drug use has resulted in laws that impose the mandatory death sentence for certain serious drug trafficking offences. Singapore also has a low rate of alcohol consumption per capita and low levels of violent crime, and one of the lowest intentional homicide rate globally. The average alcohol consumption rate is only 2 litres annually per adult, one of the lowest in the world.
Foreigners make up 42% of the population, and have a strong influence on Singaporean culture. The Economist Intelligence Unit, in its 2013 "Where-to-be-born Index", ranks Singapore as having the best quality of life in Asia and sixth overall in the world.
LANGUAGES; RELIGIONS AND CULTURES
Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, religions, and cultures for a country its size.
When Singapore became independent from the United Kingdom in 1963, most of the newly minted Singaporean citizens were uneducated labourers from Malaysia, China and India. Many of them were transient labourers who were seeking to make some money in Singapore and they had no intention of staying permanently. A sizeable minority of middle-class, local-born people, known as the Peranakans, also existed. With the exception of the Peranakans (descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants) who pledged their loyalties to Singapore, most of the labourers' loyalties lay with their respective homelands of Malaysia, China and India. After independence, the process of crafting a Singaporean identity and culture began.
Former Prime Ministers of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, have stated that Singapore does not fit the traditional description of a nation, calling it a society-in-transition, pointing out the fact that Singaporeans do not all speak the same language, share the same religion, or have the same customs. Even though English is the first language of the nation, according to the government's 2010 census 20% of Singaporeans, or one in five, are illiterate in English. This is a marked improvement from 1990 where 40% of Singaporeans were illiterate in English.
Languages, religions and cultures among Singaporeans are not delineated according to skin colour or ancestry, unlike many other countries. Among Chinese Singaporeans, one in five is Christian, another one in five is atheist, and the rest are mostly Buddhists or Taoists. One-third speak English as their home language, while half speak Mandarin Chinese. The rest speak other Chinese varieties at home. Most Malays in Singapore speak Malay as their home language with some speaking English. Singaporean Indians are much more religious. Only 1% of them are atheists. Six in ten are Hindu, two in ten Muslim, and the rest mostly Christian. Four in ten speak English as their home language, three in ten Tamil, one in ten Malay, and the rest other Indian languages as their home language.
Each Singaporean's behaviours and attitudes would therefore be influenced by, among many other things, his or her home language and his religion. Singaporeans who speak English as their native language tend to lean toward Western culture, while those who speak Chinese as their native language tend to lean toward Chinese culture and Confucianism. Malay speaking Singaporeans tend to lean toward the Malay culture, which itself is closely linked to the Islamic culture.
ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS
At the national level in Singapore, meritocracy, where one is judged based on one's ability, is heavily emphasised.
Racial and religious harmony is regarded by Singaporeans as a crucial part of Singapore's success, and played a part in building a Singaporean identity. Singapore has a reputation as a nanny state. The national flower of Singapore is the hybrid orchid, Vanda 'Miss Joaquim', named in memory of a Singapore-born Armenian woman, who crossbred the flower in her garden at Tanjong Pagar in 1893. Many national symbols such as the Coat of arms of Singapore and the Lion head symbol of Singapore make use of the lion, as Singapore is known as the Lion City. Other monikers by which Singapore is widely known is the Garden City and the Red Dot. Public holidays in Singapore cover major Chinese, Western, Malay and Indian festivals.
Singaporean employees work an average of around 45 hours weekly, relatively long compared to many other nations. Three in four Singaporean employees surveyed stated that they take pride in doing their work well, and that doing so helps their self-confidence.
CUISINE
Dining, along with shopping, is said to be the country's national pastime. The focus on food has led countries like Australia to attract Singaporean tourists with food-based itineraries. The diversity of food is touted as a reason to visit the country, and the variety of food representing different ethnicities is seen by the government as a symbol of its multiculturalism. The "national fruit" of Singapore is the durian.
In popular culture, food items belong to a particular ethnicity, with Chinese, Malay, and Indian food clearly defined. However, the diversity of cuisine has been increased further by the "hybridisation" of different styles (e.g., the Peranakan cuisine, a mix of Chinese and Malay cuisine).
WIKIPEDIA
Governor Hogan Speaks at the Commerce Staff Event by Patrick Siebert at 401 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
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Maine Monument
The Maine Monument stands at Merchant's Gate, a park entrance named in 1862 to recognize the importance of commerce and business in New York City. The monument honors the 258 American sailors who perished when the battleship Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, then under Spanish rule. The causes of the February 15, 1898 explosion remain unclear, but by April of that year, Spain had declared war on the United States.
The Spanish-American War ended in December of 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This agreement, a landmark in the United States' rise to international power, released Cuba from Spanish rule and ceded Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippines to the jurisdiction of the United States. Cuba, nominally independent after the war, was forced to include a clause known as the Platt Amendment in its new constitution. This amendment allowed the United States to "protect" Cuba whenever Congress was of the opinion that the new republic was experiencing a threat to its sovereignty. By effectively negating that sovereignty, and by the brutal suppression of the independence struggle in the Philippines, the United States ended the Spanish-American War much enhanced in territory, trade, and prestige.
The war brought rewards for the state, but quoting the words inscribed on the monument itself, the "valiant seamen who perished on the Maine by fate unwarned, in death unafraid" were mourned by the entire nation. Four days after the Maine went down, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst's New York Morning Journal called for a public collection to honor the sailors with a monument. Over the course of several years, the newspaper received monetary gifts of all sizes, from large grants to thousands of dollars worth of pennies collected from schoolchildren.
Hearst first considered the mouth of New York Harbor as a fitting site for a monument to sailors. He wrote that, "A monument standing at the mouth of the Narrows, looking out over the ocean, would form a memorial worthy of the brave fellows who died while on duty for their country." The site eventually chosen for the memorial was Longacre Square (now Times Square), the present location of the midtown TKTS booth. Through some "clerical oversight," however, the designers discovered that a comfort station had been hastily built on the designated spot. When the architects started looking around for another site, the obvious choice was the Merchants" Gate, where the memorial would provide a balance to the monumental column of Columbus Circle, erected in 1892.
H. Van Buren Magonigle and Attilio Piccirilli were chosen to design and sculpt the massive monument. Sculptor Piccirilli and architect Magonigle also worked together on the Firemen's Memorial in Riverside Park at West 100th Street. Attillio and his five brothers operated a studio in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx where they modeled and carved their own work and also carved for other artists some of the nation's best-loved works, including the Library Lions at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, portions of the Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village, and Abraham Lincoln at Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial. Designed by Magonigle and created by Piccirilli, the monument is rich in allegory and symbolism. Atop the center pylon rides the bronze figure of a woman, Columbia Triumphant, drawn in a seashell chariot by three sea horses. This martial group is cast in bronze recovered from the guns of the Maine itself.
In the front of the tall shaft is an allegorical group arranged in a ship configuration, entitled The Antebellum State of Mind: Courage Awaiting the Flight of Peace and Fortitude Supporting the Feeble. The youth at the prow of the ship holds his hands in the sign of the Victory that he represents. Recumbent figures at the side fountains represent the Atlantic and Pacific, while those at the rear represent The Post-Bellum Idea: Justice Receiving Back the Sword Entrusted to War. The names of those who died on the Maine are inscribed on the pylon above the oceans, while all over dolphins, seashells, and sea creatures bring a unity of decoration to the complex allegorical composition. The sculptural program figuratively reflects America's new position as a dominant world force just as the imposing Beaux Arts structure itself symbolizes the American conception of the bold and grandiose domination of space.
Photo Courtesy of the "Peace Plus One - World Sustainability Project"
and McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce
SUBJECT:
北京能源网络 Beijing Energy Network
in partnership with the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
presents
北耳 Beijing Energy & Environment Roundtable (BEER)
featuring
» Chivas Lam, Venture Partner, Qiming Venture Partners
» Mark Levine, Group Leader, China Energy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
» Sebastian Meyer, Director of Research & Advisory, Azure International
» Edward Steinfeld, Professor of Political Economy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
发展未来能源技术：中美合作是答案吗？Developing Energy Technologies for the Future: Are U.S.-China Partnerships the Answer?
5:00pm - 6:15pm: Cocktail Session
6:15pm - 7:30pm: Panel Discussion
** About the Talk (报告内容) **
In the 20th century, we understood energy technology development to be something that took place within the confines of single national economies. The development phases were long, the capital requirements intense, and the levels of uncertainty and risk extremely high. When energy technologies found their way across borders, if they did at all, they did so as mature systems, ones that could be "transferred" from one place to another. Today, an entirely new pattern seems to be afoot. Overseas innovators are teaming with Chinese partners to co-develop energy technologies. Upstream innovations -- often pioneered in Europe, the U.S., and Japan -- are being translated into commercially-viable systems on Chinese soil and in conjunction with Chinese corporate partners and Chinese financing. Yet, as this process surges forward -- both because of the demand for such technologies in China, and the availability of Chinese financing -- significant questions remain. At the commercial level, which technologies are most suited for cross-border development, and which are not? Once financing is secured and cross-border partnerships are established, what is required to make joint technology development actually work? How should the process be organized, and by whom? At the policy level, to what extent can governments be relied upon over the long run to support co-development efforts? What are the risks of protectionist backlash? Under what circumstances might public financing be withdrawn? How do political risks differ across various types of energy technology? This panel will take an "inside-out" look at cross-border technology co-development, starting from the perspective of the commercial players themselves -- the most active drivers of the process -- and then drawing the broader ramifications for public policy and national interest.
** About the Speakers (报告人简历) **
Chivas Lam is a Venture Partner of Qiming Ventures focusing on the Cleantech Sector. Chivas brings over 25 years of operational experience in the General Industrial Manufacturing and Energy Sector. Prior to joining Qiming, Chivas was the President Asia Pacific of the Morgan Crucible Company. He successfully led reengineering and integration of multiple business units and was instrumental to operational enhancement and profit growth. Prior to Morgan Crucible, Chivas held various Senior Positions with GEC Alstom in Project Management and Business Development in China and Australia. Chivas started his career with Hong Kong Electric Company Limited.
Mark Levine is the Group Leader of the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Previously, he was director of the LBNL's Environmental Division, which is a leader in research on buildings energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and various clean energy technologies. His major passion in the past two decades has involved analyzing and promoting energy efficiency in China. Dr. Levine is a board member of five leading non-profits in the United States (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Center for Clean Air Policy, Center for Resource Solutions, the US-China Green Energy Council, and California Clean Energy Fund, an innovative green venture capital fund) and one in Asia. He has also founded or co-founded two successful non-profits, including the acclaimed Beijing Energy Efficiency Center. Dr. Levine graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, earned a PhD from the University of California.
Sebastian Meyer has covered the wind industry in China since 2004, and has built up a successful research and advisory practice focused on the alternative energy space. Sebastian came to China from London, where he specialized in due diligence supporting project finance and M&A transactions related to alternative energy. He also worked in the transition economies of Europe through the 90’s heading the Warsaw equity research team and covering industrial manufacturers and privatization programs for Creditanstalt Investmentbank - the leading western investment bank focused on the region at the time. Sebastian’s career spans debt and equity financing, project finance, equity research and valuation, mergers & acquisitions, and management consulting within the context of alternative energy and transition economies.
Edward Steinfeld is a professor of political economy in the MIT Department of Political Science and co-director of the China Energy Group in the MIT Industrial Performance Center. Steinfeld received his BA, MA, and PhD in political science from Harvard University. In addition to a variety of academic articles, Steinfeld is the author of Playing Our Game: Why China's Rise Doesn't Threaten the West and Forging Reform in China: The Fate of State-Owned Industry. Steinfeld is the author of numerous articles in both academic and non-academic journals, including Comparative Politics, Political Studies, World Development, The Far Eastern Economic Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The South China Morning Post. Steinfeld is a member of the board of directors of the National Committee on US-China Relations, as well as a member of the academic committee of the Center for Industrial Development and Environmental Governance at Tsinghua University.
** About BEN & BEER (北京能源网路和北耳简介) **
The Beijing Energy Network (BEN) is a grassroots organization with a mission of promoting knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration in understanding and tackling China’s energy and environmental challenges among individuals and organizations from diverse sectors such as government, finance, industry, media, advocacy, think tanks and academia. Our membership currently stands at over 1,900 strong.
The flagship activity of BEN is the Beijing Energy & Environmental Roundtable (BEER), an approximately twice-monthly happy hour/speaker series. BEER events are free and open to all with no RSVP necessary. We hope you will come early, stay late, listen and ask questions, catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Please note, we ask that our speaker's remarks remain off the record unless they otherwise grant permission. A listing of our past events can be found here.
If you would like to learn more, receive email updates from BEN, have a suggestion for an event, or are interested in possibly being a speaker yourself, please sign up to our Google Group, or if you can't access that link from China, send an email to beijing-energy-network+owner@googlegroups.com.
The statue that adorns the front roof of Grand Central Terminal and faces south is 48 feet high and weighs in at 1500 tons. On the left sits Hercules, representing physical strength; on the right is Minerva, goddess of wisdom and protector of cities; featured at the center is Mercury, god of travel and commerce.
This sculptural grouping was considered the largest of its kind when it was built in 1914. Perhaps even more impressive than the statue is that clock. At 13 feet in diameter the clock still is the largest example of Tiffany glass in the world. During the 100th anniversary, in Inaccessible New York: Behind The Scenes At Grand Central Terminal, WCBS offered a backstage tour that seems “like something out of the movie ‘Hugo.’”
“Transportation” or alternatively “The Glory of Commerce” is said to represent the wisdom, speed and strength of Grand Central and the midtown neighborhood. Apparently the French sculptor who designed the work was not very impressed by this wisdom, speed and strength of the neighborhood. French artist Jules-Alexis Coutan refused to come to the United States to oversee the construction of his project. When asked why, his reply was “I fear some of your [American] architecture would distress me.”
So the sculpture was constructed locally under long distance supervision. William Bradley and Son of Long Island City, Queens took seven years to construct Coutan’s massive sculpture of the Greek Gods out of the same Bedford limestone as the façade of Grand Central Terminal.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Caroline Atkinson today announced the U.S. private sector members who will serve the next term on the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. The Forum will meet during the State visit of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to Washington, D.C., in October and will provide joint recommendations to both presidents on opportunities to advance the U.S.-Brazil bilateral relationship. Pritzker and Atkinson will co-chair the ninth meeting of the CEO Forum along with Brazilian Presidential Chief of Staff Minister Gleisi Hoffmann and Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Fernando Pimentel.
“During his recent trip to Brazil, Vice President Biden asked what the United States and Brazil can do together. The U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum seeks to answer that question through a public-private dialogue in which business leaders from the United States and Brazil make recommendations to the highest levels of our respective governments about the future of our bilateral economic and commercial relationship,” said Secretary Pritzker. “I am looking forward to meeting the new and returning CEOs along with both Ministers Pimentel and Hoffmann and Deputy National Security Advisor Atkinson to discuss issues of mutual interest.”
The Forum has had success opening discussions between the United States and Brazilian governments on a number of important issues, including visa reform, aviation, and education, and was instrumental in concluding the recent U.S.-Brazil Tax Information Exchange Agreement.
“Presidents Obama and Rousseff recognize the benefits of a strong and dynamic U.S.-Brazil commercial relationship. The upcoming CEO Forum meeting comes at an important time for the U.S.-Brazil relationship as we host President Rousseff during her official State Visit. I look forward to engaging both the CEOs and the Brazilian government on issues that will benefit our commercial relationship. By continuing to strengthen our partnership, we can provide the steady, positive leadership and growth our hemisphere needs as we seek to develop policies that will help our economies and our citizens prosper.” said Deputy National Security Advisory Atkinson.
Launched in 2007, the CEO Forum meets biannually and consists of up to a total of 24 CEOs from the United States and Brazil. The U.S. CEOs are appointed to a three-year term, and were selected from respondents to a Federal Register Notice for applicants to the U.S. section of the Forum. In addition to the appointments of the following individuals to the Forum, Secretary Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor Atkinson have designated Patricia Woertz, Chairman, CEO, and President of Archer Daniels Midland Company to serve as Chair of the U.S. Section of the Forum.
U.S. Section for the 2013-2016 Session of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum
John M. Dionisio, Chairman and CEO (AECOM Technology Corporation)
Andrés Gluski, President and CEO (The AES Corporation)
Patricia A. Woertz, Chairman, CEO, and President (Archer Daniels Midland Company)
Eduardo C. Leite, Chairman of the Executive Committee (Baker & McKenzie)
Lee A. McIntire, Chairman and CEO (CH2M HILL)
Michael Corbat, CEO (Citigroup Inc.)
William M. Brown, President and CEO (Harris Corporation)
John P. (JP) Bilbrey, CEO (The Hershey Company)
John V. Faraci, Chairman and CEO (International Paper)
Kenneth C. Frazier, President and CEO (Merck)
Stephen F. Angel, Chairman, President and CEO (Praxair, Inc)
Keith Nosbusch, Chairman and CEO (Rockwell Automation)
As the United States’ seventh-largest export market, Brazil offers U.S. companies tremendous opportunities. In 2012, U.S. goods exports to Brazil were $43.8 billion, up 254 percent from 2002. U.S. goods imports from Brazil were $32.1 billion in 2012, a 104 percent increase from 2002. In the past 10 years, the United States and Brazil have increased bilateral trade in goods 170 percent. Top U.S. exports to Brazil last year included chemicals, transportation equipment, computer & electronic products, machinery, and petroleum and coal products.
At the end of 2012, the total stock of Brazilian investment in the United States stood at $14 billion. This is about a 10 percent increase from the 2011 total FDI stock of Brazilian investment in the United States. Top sectors for investment include metals, auto and transportation equipment manufacturing, energy, and services. Total investment by affiliates of Brazilian firms in the United States supported roughly 76,100 U.S. jobs in 2011 and contributed $5.7 billion to U.S. exports. The United States has substantial FDI in Brazil. At the end of 2012, the total stock of FDI from the United States to Brazil stood at $79.4 billion. In 2012 alone, U.S. firms invested $7.9 billion in Brazil.
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An Official Website of the United States Government
www.commerce.gov/blog/2013/08/23/obama-administration-ann...
Overview of Charters Towers History.
Until around 1900 this was the second largest city in QLD! It called itself “The World” and with good reason. The gold finds here lasted a good 40 years. The town had a long period of wealth and growth. And the town took itself to the world which was a first for any mining centre in Australia and for any city apart from the state capital cities. Because of the wealth in the town share brokers started businesses there in the early 1880s. They agreed in 1885 to form a group and establish a stock exchange – the only one in Australia that has ever existed outside of a capital city. Then in 1886 they took the city to the world- at the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London. The set up a display of mining and ore crushing and they accepted £1 shares in various mining companies that operated in the town. It was a great success. One company is an example- Day Dawn Block and Wyndham- they received almost £500,000 in paid up shares to finance their future mining work! This exhibition put Charters Towers on the world map and was the first time London investors invested directly in Australian mines rather than through a London based share broking company or finance company. Some of the companies were duds but most were not. The peak gold yields from Charters Towers did not come until 1899 but these yields would not have occurred without the London finance for the deep shafts that were needed to reach to gold. The influx of money into the town transformed the place. The wooden structures, many dating from 1872 the time of the original gold finds were replaced with lavish and imposing stone and brick structures. The main street was rebuilt. Grand houses were built by the successful miners and the period from 1886-1893 was a boom building period. Prosperity was assisted by the development of the new cyanide gold processing works which produced even more gold for the miners and investors. The new cyanide works opened in Charters Towers in 1892. Fortunately we can still see some of this faded glory in Charters Towers today. But in the 1890s it was the best place to live in QLD outside of Brisbane. Thus it was not surprising that the Northern Mining Register newspaper wrote in 1897 that:
Most mining in Charters Towers ceased around 1912.
Discovery and Early Establishment of Charters Towers.
Hugh Mosman, whom we have heard of before on this tour, George Clarke, John Fraser and their Aboriginal horse boy called Jupiter Mosman were prospecting near Ravenswood in December 1871 when they found the first gold in the region. They registered their find as Charters Towers after Mr Charters the Gold Commissioner of the day and Towers because of the conical shaped stone hills (tors) near the site which looked like towers. A gold rushed quickly followed in 1872 with the birth of the town. Mosman and his mates discovered 10 gold reefs. Early finds were of alluvial gold but soon deep shafts were needed to extract the ore and companies were formed with money and capital to undertake this work. British investment led to the transformation of the canvas and wooden town into a fine stone metropolis occurred after 1886 as explained above. The gold at Charters Towers was the major find in QLD and an important find for Australia. By the end of 1878 there were 12 mills processing ore in the town. The Venus Battery works which started operations in 1872 operated right through until 1972. For most of the period from the mid 1870s up to 1906 gold exports from QLD exceeded those of the other major QLD export - wool. QLD certainly had much more gold than NSW but much less than Victoria although not all QLD gold came from Charters Towers. During its peak years over 200,000 ounces of gold a year were mined in Charters Towers. Although the mining companies closed down operations in 1912 individual miners continued working the field right up to World War Two and the old cyanide ore dumps from the battery works have been reworked since then.
To recognise the importance of his find the main street of Charters Towers was named Mosman Street. In 1882 the town was linked to Townsville by rail improving communication with the outside world. The two day trip to Townsville now took a few hours. In the boom period of the 1890s Charters Towers saw the erection of some of its major structures such as:
•the Stock Exchange Arcade ( 76 Mosman street)
•the amazing classical structure for the former Australian Bank of Commerce (86 Mosman Street)
•Ayot House that we visit ( 63 Hodgkinson Street)
•the Court House ( 32 Hodgkinson Street)
•the former School of Mines building ( 24 Hodgkinson Street)
•the classical revival Post Office with tower ( 17 Gill street) built in 1892
•the historic Civic Club for the well-to-do miners ( 117 Gill Street)
•the old Police Station and barracks ( 51 Gill Street)
•the wooden tower bell of the former Anglican church and rectory ( 134 Gill Street).
•the impressive Masonic Temple ( 18 Ryan Street)
•the Thornburgh House and later college buildings ( 57 King street) - this was originally a grand home for a wealthy town businessman, later becoming a college after 1919.
All of the above buildings and more are on the Register of the National Estate and others are on the QLD register. Most survived because when the gold did peter out the town remained a major agricultural service centre and education centre. It never lost the bulk of its town population. Lissner Park with its charming rotunda and bandstand complex at Deane Street (on corner with Bridge Street) is one of many reminders of the heyday of the town. The structure opened in 1910 as a memorial to those who served in the Boer War. The wrought iron was forged in Charter Towers itself in a local foundry. The original marble benches have been vandalised or broken but the bandstand is still charming and picturesque with some good historical details. Quite a few hectares around Mosman and Gill streets are on the Register of the National Estate as the area contains so many 19th century buildings, many with original features and details despite their current commercial usage.
Charters Towers Today.
The city has 8,000 inhabitants down from the 19th century 20,000 and then 1915 population of the 15,000. But some gold mining was re-activated in the 1980s and again after 2001. Mining is still a significant employer of townspeople and Citigold Corporation Ltd announced in 2006 that they would work four mines beneath the current township. They are excavating 250,000 ounces of gold a year. Tourism is not a major employer but education is still important. The city still has private boarding schools for the children of the outback pastoralists and a total of four secondary schools. There are still 8 hotels in the town and tourist attractions do employ some locals in some of the old restored building such as the former Stock Exchange which is now a museum and the Venus Gold Battery.
The MWATBAR (Watson, CA to Barstow, CA) manifest makes its way east through the City of Commerce in the setting sun.
This is the Dr. D. D. Hooper House, which is currently home to the offices of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and architect Odell Thompson. Constructed in 1906, the Queen Anne victorian-style house was built for Dr. D. D. Hooper and his family, and was a Sears and Roebuck kit house designed by Charles M. Wells of the firm Wells and Wilson. The house received the addition of a one-story doctor’s office wing to the lefthand side of the building sometime in the early 20th Century; this space now houses the offices of Odell Thompson, a local Architect. The house was used as a residential property until the late 20th Century, when, prompted by the construction of the old Jackson County Public Library next door in 1970 and the increased commercialization of this formerly residential portion of Main Street, the house became home to the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore, whom operated their charitable bookstore out of the house to support the Library next door. During the 1990s, the Public Library had become woefully inadequate for the needs of the community, and it was proposed to demolish the Hooper House to make way for an expanded library. Thankfully, as it was the last house at this end of Main Street and is an architecturally significant structure, the Hooper House was renovated and adaptively reused as the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, with it being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and renovations finishing up around 2002. Since that time, the house has served as the chamber of commerce and an architecture office, while the Library, which had long outgrown its quarters in the building next door, moved to a new facility behind the old courthouse atop the hill only a block away in 2011, with the old Library shortly thereafter being renovated in order to serve as the new home of the Sylva Police Department.
Chamber of Commerce group, Waterford, from the Poole Collection.
See comments below for those that we've managed to identify...
Date: Monday, 12 May 1930
NLI Ref.: POOLEWP 3697