On the surface

Work diary log (September 2009).
The North-South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) is the largest ever road infrastructure project aimed at addressing the existing and future transport needs of Brisbane.

The NSBT is not just the hole underground. It has many allied infrastructure on the surface that are part and parcel of its intended purpose of alleviating traffic congestion. Many of its ingress and egress features are quite obviously on the surface where they link with existing roads infrastructure.

The project also includes a range of urban enhancements to surrounding suburbs.

Some features include pathways for pedestrians and cyclists. These are all planned and designed to merge neatly with present pathways.

This project also takes into consideration the existing residential street networks and overall residential amenity.

Some residential streets had to be closed temporarily during works.

The rail transport network also plays a role in the design of the tunnel infrastructure. Therefore joins to nearby railway stations are also part of the picture.

The recently operational translink system combines bus, rail and ferry travel.

All these intersecting and overlapping transport routes had to be catered for.

That’s a no-through-road (dead-end street) on the right, which joins a pedestrian footbridge over a 6 or 8-lane freeway (behind fence with windows on left).

Again the residential amenity (in terms of noise) is taken into account here. A residential fence adjacent to pathways on split levels, are all designed neatly beside an acoustic fence of a major freeway.

That’s the pathways on split levels above.
Below gives a peek through the windows of the freeway fence, as well as landscaping features on a no-through-road.

The requirements of commercial establishments such as carparks and access driveways (above and below photos) together with pedestrian footpaths are all taken into account and interlinked with exitways from the tunnel.

Even religious establishments influence road designs.

Rail and freeway overpasses also allow for pedestrian tunnels.

Busway ramps and more footpaths. Pedestrian amenity are as important as roadways.

Links to hospitals are designed for.

Tunnels are generally clearways and off-limits to pedestrians.

Some kind of a landscaped buffer between footpaths and pavements, provides just a bit more sense of safety from the often huge and noisy machines that travel at speed along the roads.

The base for huge pylons or electronic signage hoardings utilise an existing traffic island.

Working beside roadways is always dangerous. Be visible. Be very visible.
I'd be very afraid if i wasn't.

Parkland amenity is not sacrificed nor compromised but rather enhanced as part of design.

Working under a freeway near a railway station.

Not a good photo, but i like what the sign says.
Freedom’s just another word for ...travelling?

Works on the north portal. Am not sure if those are silos or tanks.

More spaghetti. I saw above me - the ribbons of the on- and off-ramps.


The project is 6.8km length in total and includes two 4.8km tunnels linking the Southeast Freeway and Ipswich Road in the south of the city; to the Inner City Bypass and Lutwyche Road in the north and Shafston Avenue to the east.


The south portal. I think i shot this also during the tunnel run. So long ago now...

So this is the job that has kept me busy since September 2009. Well i’m bitchin’ so i must be still involved in it.
I just had a few weeks off hoping that on my return everything will have been put to bed. It somehow feels like i never went on leave.

Anyway, am here to make the final deliveries or put the finishing touches so-to-speak. I wish i could say the final words but i don’t know how to pray for my part in it to be finished.
It's a privilege to have been involved in what is the longest and most technically advanced tunnel of its kind in Australia, but i wish i am now finished with it.
The tunnel, as part of Clem7, has now been operational for the past two months.

Some tunnel facts:
Some key aspects of the environmental program of the tunnel include: Noise and vibration, Hydrology and groundwater quality, Cultural heritage, Air quality, Topography, geology and soils, Materials and resource management, Traffic and transport, Flora and fauna, Land use and planning, Social environment, Urban design, and Hazards and risk.
 
The jury is still out on whether the project in fact met the criteria.
Already there are grumblings about the toll to use the Clem7.
And as to whether the project also delivers on its long list of key benefits, that also remains to be seen.
 
As for me...
I thought i saw a light before-
ah there it is again - flickering.
is that the end of the tunnel i wonder.
(It's now May 2010).
I need a looooong holiday...

March marched on, and April came – she didn’t.

This set sat unopened for weeks. Am not sure if my time was better spent away.
I have much to say but not right now, cause i can't think. It's either too quiet - or too noisy.
depends on how you look at it...
So most of the notes are extracts, 'cut n paste' from various reviews.
you get the message.

Philip Roth. Indignation is a good though sometimes confounding read with the odd subtle turn, as a reviewer wrote: "Indignation is a deceptively short book, written in a style in which limpidity conceals darkness."

Jonathan Lethem. Chronic City. From a review: “The acclaimed author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude returns with a roar with this gorgeous, searing portrayal of Manhattanites wrapped in their own delusions, desires, and lies.” I pretty much prefer Lethem’s earlier books.

Herman Wouk. A hole in texas. I take this to be Wouk’s attempt at mainstream fiction. The New York Times says the 88-year old Wouk "spins it into a crackling yarn and writes with an enduring vigor that whippersnappers might envy."

Allan Massie. Charlemagne and Roland. Third in Dark Ages series. As in the previous books, the story is told by a narrator, instructing a young emperor in the ideals of kingship by telling him tales of the great men of the past and their adversities. Massie is a mighty story teller who with his knowledge plays fast with both fact and fiction, but he never plays loose. He displays so much learning and sympathy that one seeks the wisdom that lies beneath.

Toni Morrison. Sula. ‘Sula’ another acclaimed Morrison book, is described as "...a satire on binary thinking, which glories in paradox and ambiguity." I think I’ll leave it there.

Dostoevsky. The house of the dead. about a man serving a prison sentence for murder. It is not an account of imprisonment and system of law but the author's own experiences. on his fellow inmates their personalities, their culture, their way of life and way of thinking to great effect, Its a story of love for humanity, of resurrection from despair, and of a man's final reconciliation with his own life

Martin Amis. Yellow Dog is described as “...readable, amusing and clever, which gives it a head start on the majority of modern novels.” Another reviewer wrote: “...contains moments of comedy aimed at generating discomfort as well as laughter. a tightly constructed novel, bristling with ideas and allusions. Overall the flaws are frequently eclipsed by moments of brilliance.” Still another reviewer: “it is a bad book in the most ordinary of terms. Poorly integrated, pointless, and, for a satire, not very funny, ...Yellow Dog isn't a scandal; it's just kind of crummy.”

John Updike. My father’s tears. Updike’s distinguished writing career spanned more than half a century. It's only fitting that in My Father's Tears, his final, posthumously published collection of short stories, he turns that gaze — bent upon both precision and beauty — to death. not his best, but they are a lesson in love.

Previous notes:
Don DeLillo's 'Underworld' is a bit disjointed but this acclaimed book is a snapshot of american culture and needs a bit of patience to enjoy.

Stephen Mitchell. Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was written a thousand years before the Iliad and the Bible. This is a very readable and entertaining version that one can finish in one sitting (or one lie-down in my case). The author uses “a loose, non-iambic, non-alliterative tetrametre...”, which I like. I also like that it refers to existing translations. The biblical story of Noah and the flood is very similar to one in this ancient Babylonian tale. This has apparently disturbed some Christians.

Music guide.

 
I dig Neil Young
I dig Bonnie Raitt
I think the dirt band is grand...
as Kristofferson said:
If you don't like Hank Williams...
you can kiss my ----ocks...
('you can kiss my donkey' i think he said).

Twilight running festival 2010

Twilight running festival 2010 (21 March)

Racing along the green bridge during the run.

While waiting for a running mate (see previous post), i registered for the 2010 Brisbane twilight running festival 10km run.

This event is held against the backdrop of the University of Queensland grounds in St Lucia.

The start and finish lines are at the UQ athletics ground.

I’ll just say i finished the race in a personal best time.

I do feel bad about two female runners who stumbled in the pavement in front of me during the race. These were on two separate occasions, and i knew there were first aid officers about on bicycles throughout the course. But i still feel i should have stopped to aid them. What price a personal best heh? The pride of a PB comes before a fall (even if it's a pretty girl) he he. Thinking back on it, I really should have stopped at either or both instances where those girls stumbled. Who knows they might have shared a drink with me after the race. do i hear someone say: tell Martin he's dreamin'...
So folks, a good Samaritan should always stop and help - if you see your sister fallin’ by the way...
Next time i’m not chasing time, i know i’ll give a hand...

After the race i got to rub shoulders with the male winners of the 10km and the half-marathon. I should qualify that by saying they rubbed shoulders with me. I was standing on the sidelines watching the other runners finish, as these two gentlemen sidled up beside me. They did all the talking, and i couldn’t get a word in, although i wasn’t in the conversation in the first place he he.

They must have fancied my white shirt that said “Igorotak”.

So anyway i studied these two young men for a bit wondering what made them tick and run so fast. They’re no more than 2 inches taller than me, maybe less even. They’re both of slim build. Thinnish to lanky would be a description. I concluded that the only thing i had in common with them is the good looks heh. I was about to congratulate them, when they were called up by the marshalls for the medal ceremony.
C’mon Martin you can’t be that rude!
I would have gladly posed for a photo with them but too late, they missed the chance he he.
I did carry a camera but i didn’t have a mate to take photos.

As if i didn't know it yet this planet is such a small world.

A few minutes after mingling with the elite runners, i bumped into a University classmate from right on 20 years ago. Artie is a professional colleague whom i catch sight of every decade or so at the odd seminar or conference. He had to rush off but fancy meeting someone like that in the oddest of places. Brisbane is a sizable city that we don’t cross paths enough.

He said to catch up at the next run. I omitted to tell him that my race may be ran.

I hastened off to grab a hot cross bun, a banana, and a sports drink from the refreshments stand, before sitting my damp butt in the driver’s seat back to home.

Twilight 10km 2010 results, , , , , ,

Place, Name, Age Cat Place, Bib #, Chip Time, Race Time, Diff, Pace

The top 5
1, Hintsa Mebratu, M 18-29, 1395, 32:30.0, 32:30.0, , 3:15/K
2, Bior Arok, M 18-29, 26, 34:45.0, 34:45.0, , 3:29/K
3, Clare Geraghty, F 18-29, 442, 35:50.0, 35:53.0, 0:03.0, 3:35/K
4, Matthew Reis, M 18-29, 7604, 36:12.0, 36:15.0, 0:03.0, 3:37/K
5, Ricarda Lisk, F 18-29, 1503, 36:36.0, 36:36.0, , 3:40/K

The rest
190, Martin D'Allurer, 37 M 40-49, 276, 48:18.0, 49:06.0, 0:48.0, 4:50/K
438, Martin Polichay, 126 M 40-49, 4945, 54:09.0, 55:02.0, 0:53.0, 5:25/K
456, Martin Regal, 18 M 50-59, 1119, 54:18.0, 55:21.0, 1:03.0, 5:26/K
459, Martin Speedy, 19 M 50-59, 1152, 54:41.0, 55:27.0, 0:46.0, 5:28/K
781, Martina Lo, 121 F 30-39, 753, 1:00:38.0, 1:01:53.0, 1:15.0, 6:04/K
870, Martin Hea, 187 M 30-39, 538, 1:02:01.0, 1:03:51.0, 1:50.0, 6:12/K
987, Martin Lee, 126 M 40-49, 731, 1:05:19.0, 1:06:31.0, 1:12.0, 6:32/K
990, Martin Lem, 117 M 18-29, 735, 1:05:57.0, 1:06:36.0, 0:39.0, 6:36/K

Remember Artie my mate at Uni? I didn't know it before but that tall tanned Aussie is an elite runner! He finished in the top 50.
I did finish in front of another mate at Uni who is also a current colleague at work. I won't mention his name cos he might think i'm bragging. So i'll just say he is my katokayo he he. I didn't know he ran too until i saw the results a few days after the race.
There were 3000 participants in the twilight run on 21 March 2010.

Some of them were kids (9 yrs and younger) who took part in a 1 km run.

About 2000 of the runners registered for the half-marathon (abt 800) and the 10 km (abt 1200).

Here's the field massing at the start line.

Many of the fun runners like me are middle aged men and women who are mindful of the benefits of running and keeping fit. Good on 'em.

when we started it was not dark yet , but by the finish, it was getting there.

(thanks for that line zimmy).

the crowd milling at the finishers' area.

Another run, another bib.

A souvenir - a vest for the finisher.

My running history updated:

2010 Twilight Running Festival (10 km) place 440 (out of 1250) time 0:55:00

2010 clem7 tunnel run (10.45km) place 1175 (out of 4,400 runners) time 1:02:10
clem7 28/02/2010.

2009 mousdash (10.5 km mt coot-tha) place 373 (out of 650 plus runners) time 1:03:50
mousdash 14/11/2009

2009 bridge to brisbane (10km) place 6600 (out of 45,000 runners) time 0:59:59
bridge-to-brisbane aug 2009

2008 bridge to brisbane (5km) 0:27:30.

Anyone for a running mate yet? look at all the sights you're missing out on.

The Clem7 Tunnel Run

The clem7 tunnel run.
The north-south bypass tunnel here in Brisbane finally opened last night (15th march 2010).
This after weeks of anticipation and even radio call-in guessing competitions for when it will open. The official opening follows the open day two weeks ago on the 28th February.

Before the open day there was a fun run.
I ran over the Brisbane river before.
bridge to brisbane (10km run)

Now i'm about to run under it.

Having worked on the tunnel intensively for the best part of the last four (4) months, and on and off over the last three (3) years, i thought i should take part in the run and check out the inside of the tunnel. I have only been involved in outside (surface) works on my job doing deliveries.

On the day, i dragged myself out of bed in the wee hours (0400h), got to a sidestreet near the northern portal at about 0500h, walked a few hundred metres to the race assembly, and being one of the early birds managed to find a spot just near the start line.

On a Sunday morning side run.

Dawn at the north portal of the Clem7 tunnel.

About an hour before the run.

It was a bit gloomy as there was some rains threatening all week. (the rains did come in March - with a vengeance, but for today - it was a fine morning for the race).
After a few minutes of noisy chatter from the race announcers, finally the time came for the run.

Part of the almost 5000 crowd jostling for a spot near the start line.

The day was breaking and the sun tried peeping through the clouds as the elite runners got called up to the front for the start.

At 0600h the starter fired the shot (wasn’t heard around the tunnel) and off we went.

I was feeling okay at the start, but a few minutes in at about the 3km mark, my bladder started complaining and sent pain messages to my brain. As any aspiring medical doctor still in prep-school will tell you, nerves quicken the build-up of urinary fluids. It doesn’t help that one had a cuppa coffee and twice that amount of water, just prior to the race start.

I held on up to the 4km mark but lots of people were queueing at the portaloos. So i plodded on and somehow got to the turning point (around 5km). I paused to quickly snap a photo before joining the run.

At the halfway mark.

After what seemed like a very long kilometre I got to the 6km feeling a tad woozy. Luckily the toilets there were unoccupied, and i topped up the water closet by maybe two litres.

I lost about 2 minutes as i re-joined the race. And that’s when the humidity hit. The almost imperceptible gradual descent to the tunnel’s low point of 60m below the Brisbane river, was like running with lead weights. But that was bearable compared to the final 2km-2.5km ascent up to the finish line.

I heard sportspeople talking of ‘hitting a wall’. Now i know what that means. I was getting dizzy and could no longer focus on the race. I just knew that i did not want to collapse in the depths of the tunnel, so i concentrated on slowly putting one foot in front of the other and guided by the other runners around me, somehow kept on going. I snatched a water squincher at the last drinks stop, as the heat and humidity seemed to keep rising (I learned later that there was some issue with the ventilation and fans in the tunnel – "an absolute stinker" is how a runner-blogger Helen described it).
From the dim depths, suddenly a light seemed to appear in the distance. I told myself that the end is near, so i kept jogging towards the daylight. What seemed like a couple of hundred meters to the end, was actually a lot farther – maybe 800m. I could no longer lift my legs when i finally made it to the finish line. The one-hour race time (which was my target) had come and gone, but i was just relieved to finish on my feet.

Some NSBT trivia:

• Brisbane's CLEM7 is Australia's longest road tunnel
• The tunnel stretches 4.8 kilometres underground
• Cost $3 billion
• tunnel links Bowen Hills on the city's northside to Woolloongabba in the south
• officially opened by the Lord Mayor Campbell Newman at 10:00pm AEST on 15 March 2010
• four entrances - one on the northside and three on the southside.
• project was completed seven months early.
• 12,000 men and women worked for three-and-a-half-years
• Tunnel was named in memory of the Dr Clem Jones, [former] lord mayor of Brisbane

Some of the 4400 finishers:
1 Hintsa Mebrahtu 32:56.8
2 Jonathan Peters 33:11.7
3 Neil Labinsky 34:39.0
4 Alexander Rose 35:48.7
5 Dennis Fitzgerald 36:36.0
6 Masayuki Atsumi 36:40.9
7 Keith Williams 36:50.7
8 David Kalinowski 37:12.5
9 Patrick Nispel 37:20.8
10 Roxie Schmidt 37:23.1

 The rest (there are a few Martins and some of the Martin families too):

125 Martin R 46:20.7
215 Martin S 49:05.4
307 R Martin 51:09.3
463 Martin W 53:58.7
532 K Martin 54:59.2
554 Martin Sc 55:13.5
845 Martin Sch 58:52.3
895 Martin P 59:26.7
918 Unknown Partic. 59:41.5
1174 Martin Polichay 1:02:07.0
1308 Unknown Partic. 1:03:11.3
1416 Unknown Partic. 1:04:09.0
1636 Dean Martin 1:06:09.7
1731 Martin Spu 1:06:59.7
1808 Martin Shi 1:07:40.6
2318 Martin Gol 1:12:10.7
2358 p martin 1:12:31.8
2502 R Martin 1:13:48.7
2550 Martin B 1:14:22.7
2695 Pa Martin 1:15:53.0
3020 Martin He 1:18:50.1
3025 Martin Le 1:18:54.6
3048 Martin M-Woods 1:19:26.7
3255 B Martin 1:22:30.0
3390 Martin Sha 1:24:23.5
3485 Ni Martin 1:25:52.4
3486 Unknown Partic. 1:25:52.8
3551 Martin Seym 1:26:59.4
3570 Martin Ho 1:27:20.7
3931 MARTIN CES 1:38:04.8

 There's a couple of unknown runners. maybe they're 'tea n tea' like me. he he.

 Impressions.

The 10.45km CLEM7 Tunnel Run was a once-off. It's not to be repeated, so in a sense, it was a historic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And to finish the run (limited to 5000 participants only) is an achievement.
I finished in the top 30* which is a bonus.

matey, you're blocking my line.

medal and bib for the one-off clem7 tunnel run.

next time i'll train at low altitudes - in the humid regions...

and i'll double my efforts - jog twice a year!

(that's my mousdash 2009 singlet)

2009 mousdash (mt coot-tha run)

ps. that should have been the top 30% - typo that he he.
tho i did finish in the top 30 of the Martins!
Ah the stories to tell when i get back home.

My running history:

1. 2008 bridge to brisbane (5km) 0:27:30
2. 2009 bridge to brisbane (10km)   place 6600 (out of 45,000 runners)  time 0:59:59
3. 2009 mousdash (10.5 km mt coot-tha) place 373 (out of 650 plus runners)   time 1:03:50
4. 2010 clem7 tunnel run (10.45km) place 1175 (out of 4,400 runners)   time 1:02:10
5. where to now? fade into the twilight perhaps?

February readers for SEQ sojourn

Last month, a few days before the Australia Day long weekend, I drove up to South-East Queensland to commence on a new work assignment. I cannot say much more due to client confidentiality. Suffice it to say that I'll be delivering to some Port Authority for a week or so. And  soon as that's done I will be on to the next job.
I am at present deep in this big job which involves a tunnel project linking the Southside of Brisbane to the Northside. It is called the North-South Bypass Tunnel or NSBT.
To keep me sane during these next few weeks, I packed my mobile bookshelf with books to while away the time.

Noel Pearson. Up from the Mission.
Pearson is an Aboriginal lawyer and activist. This collection includes essays, columns, position papers and speeches; and which analyse issues of land rights, alcohol abuse, state welfare dependency, and responsibility. Pearson takes a swipe at various sectors including politicians whom he accuses of being blind to the real issues due to their obsession with staying in power; and at Indigenous Australians who he says adopt the stance of victims, and abrogate responsibility. In “Our Right to Take Responsibility”, he writes of the need for Aborigines to face up to reality. Pearson might as well be exhorting all Australians, and everyone else for that matter. He does not mince his words and sometimes comes across as nasty, but he is always passionate, inspirational and intellectual.

Michael Ondaatje. The English Patient.
This is the story of a nurse at a military hospital in Italy and her patient, and two other characters. This is a narrative of interconnected and non-linear events but which are examined in detail. The book was made into a movie. It’s on some lists of great works of fiction.

Stephen Mitchell. Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh was written a thousand years before the Iliad and the Bible. This is a very readable and entertaining version that one can finish in one sitting (or one lie-down in my case). The author uses “a loose, non-iambic, non-alliterative tetrametre...”, which I like. I also like that it refers to existing translations. The biblical story of Noah and the flood is very similar to one in this ancient Babylonian tale. This has apparently disturbed some Christians.

Toni Morrison. Beloved.
Nobel Laureate (Literature 1993) Morrison was a voracious reader as a child, and this influenced her storytelling and writings. This appetite for reading must have done her good as her books got nominated for and have won various awards. Beloved is a huge critical success. In 2006, in a poll conducted by The New York Times, it was named as the best American fiction of the last 25 years. The novel portrays the lives of an escaped slave and those around her. The story of the main character makes us reflect on the meaning of our desire for freedom, or of a parent’s love for a child. Other themes explored by the novel are: history, manhood and the impact of slavery.

Shel Leane. Say it like Obama.
Leane illustrates how Obama uses techniques such as alliteration, mannerisms, rhetorical and non-rhetorical questions, body language, links to personal life, and many other methods. But the key of course is confidence – with a capital O. A reviewer of this book said that reading Obama’s speeches made her feel proud to be an American, after she got so jaded during all those Bush years.

Businessweek. Chindia.
The term Chindia, now in popular use, is credited to Jairam Ramesh, an Indian politician and Minister of State. This book combines reports and various commentary on the complementary economic strengths of the next economic superpowers China (manufacturing and infrastructure) and India (IT and services). It discusses cultures, economies and practices, as well as the megamarkets and the future of trading, manufacturing and investing in those two countries. It is a good reference for the afore-reviewed ‘The New Asian Hemisphere’.

Kishore Mahbubani. The New Asian Hemisphere
Click below for review.
ramblin' on

And when the above set starts to get boring, I can indulge in some dog-eared books below.
I drove past the Brisbane convention centre on the way to this job, and saw that there was a book sale on there.

Not one to miss a chance at a good bargain, I popped in for an hour or so and picked out this pile from amongst thousands of books.

This collection purchased at a reasonable bookstore would add up to $300-$400 easy. Poor poor pitiful me managed to come up with $30 ($35?) for the lot. One can get them cheaper at garage sales, but you have to find time for those.

I have read most most of these before - or maybe I've read most of the authors here before - something like that. A few excellent reads here really. If you persevere with the thickish Vikram Seth book, it's quite wonderful.
Ye bookworms would be familiar with all the other books, go on read them again.
wanna swap?

video postscripts to biloela sojourn

video clips taken on the return road trip from biloela to southeast queensland. with music (an old song and a recent song) from neil young.
burnett highway monto, mulgildie, eidsvold, binjour, gayndah, tansey, wide bay highway, kilkivan, bruce highway, gympie, sunshine coast, moreton bay region, gateway highway, inner city bypass, brisbane.

videos have also been added to the following blogs:

1. first-we-take-brisbane.
2. deer-hunting-on-wheels
3. on-road-again-eastern-queensland
4. going-bananas
5. i-banana-theyre-wild-mob

a musical expedition - the journey continues...

To a bit of musical diversion now – to ease the troubled mind. This is my choice of what's around at my local library.
(I'm stocking up for at least two months of work up in sunny Queensland again. This time it's deliveries to a Port somewhere - Qld State Govt Authority; and also to a tunnel project of sorts - South-to-North bypass Tunnel or something like that, under a river i'm told. I hope to see the light at the end).

So here is for my listening pleasure - my company on the road.

Recent CDs
Lyle Lovett. I like Lyle Lovett. And I love and have at least half of his recordings. His latest is called ‘Natural Forces’. It’s a modest effort really. There’s more covers here than original compositions, but he does them all tastefully and respectfully. Check out his interpretation of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Loretta’.

Norah Jones. I don’t mind Norah Jones either. I believe she’s from Mainit country he he. This is her 4th album. And like her first three, there’s something to like here too, though they’re mostly songs of heartache and regret over a love that’s gone sour. The CD just lacks something – like maybe a killer cover as in her previous efforts. But she’s sold 40 million albums - and am still looking at my old school photo album.

Dave Matthews Band. This 2-cd set is a Greatest hits compilation. The second CD is a compilation of fans' choices of live performances. I prefer Matthews’ subsequent release (with Tim Reynolds) at Radio City music hall, but this is okay if you like your music rowdy.

Kathryn Williams is an English singer who does great versions of songs by Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Tim Hardin and Jackson Browne.

CDs to Revisit:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 'Will the circle be unbroken Vol 3'. This is top country, with input from established artists and the band. This 2-CD collection is what country music is meant to be. On this volume, the Band is joined by Iris DeMent, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, etal.

Putumayo Presents American folk. And this is topshelf folk with contributions from peter mulvey, lucy kaplansky, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin, Natalie Merchant, Eric Bibb etal. This compilation features these well-known artists alongside lesser-known troubadours.

The best UB40 is just that with their hits including 'kingston town', 'many rivers to cross', 'light my fire', and others.

Simon & Garfunkel. This duo’s music is hard to ignore even decades on from their heyday. Their seminal album is still worth the time.

Dvds:

Woodstock. Woodstock is ingrained in American 60s culture and the music there in those three days still echoes. Check out Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Country Joe, John Sebastian, CSN, Hendrix etc here. If you haven’t seen or heard Woodstock before, you were born yesterday.

The best of REM includes hits 'man on the moon', 'losing my religion', 'everybody hurts' etc.


John Schumann. 'Behind the lines'. If you get a chance to listen to some classic aussie songs, check out schumann’s ‘I was only 19’,’ khe sahn’, and eric bogle’s ‘and the band played waltzing matilda’, both are in this cd. Or try youtube.
More CDs
See also Tarantino connection and The Sports.

the rest:

Grant Lee Phillips. A Native American Singer-songwriter compared favourably to Neil Young and Bob Dylan. 'Strangelet' was released in 2007. Since 1999, Phillips has quietly been establishing himself as a singer and songwriter of the first caliber, and 'Strangelet' is lovely stuff that shows he's still reaching the top of his game.

'Campfire songs' by the 10,000 maniacs (lead Natalie Merchant) include songs by Cat Stevens, June Carter, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Patti Smith/Springsteen.

Yet more books:

Don DeLillo's 'Underworld' is a bit disjointed but this acclaimed book is a snapshot of american culture and needs a bit of patience to enjoy.

Dr Karl Kruscelnicki is a popular and likeable Aussie who popularises science. Read his books. They're funny but the best part is they're very informative.

Yet more reads:
Mojo Dec 2009 on the latest news on music.

'The Politics of hope' is more on Obama.

'Fire' (Oxfam book) is a selection of short stories including from Le Carre etal and poetry from Vikram Seth.

Some notes on "The New Asian Hemisphere"

The New Asian Hemisphere is a book by Kishore Mahbubani.

Mahbubani gives an Asian viewpoint of the current economic and political balance or imbalance and posits the thesis that Asia has risen to take control of half the globe away from the hold of the West headed by Imperial America. He contends that the struggle between supposedly two main protagonists Asia and the West (America/EU & allies) will shape global relations and policy in this next decade and into a new Age (of Asia).

The book glosses over a few issues such as human rights, political oppression and economic exploitation. It also chooses to ignore the fact that the success of the Asian tigers is owed mainly to the principles of free market and the current economic order effected through globalization.

Mahbubani does advance the positive Asian values of meritocracy, pragmatism and open-mindedness that are the ingredients to global leadership. He is optimistic that these Asian traits will lead them to prevail.
Mahbubani thinks the Asian hemisphere is inevitable, although many consider his arguments debatable.

I have compiled some notes from the book of the positive aspects of the Asian tigers:
• Asian domination in research in science and technology. It is predicted that soon 90% of all PhD scientists and engineers will be based in Asia.
• Massive increases in funding, investments and spending in research and development.
• In India, they are reaping the rewards of decisions made decades ago by Nehru who founded Indian Institutes of Technology. These IITs collect the best talent pool in India and are very successful in churning out very talented and internationally renowned graduates. This fact led a TV host in America (CBS’ 60 Minutes) to state that the status of IITs is comparable to Harvard, MIT and Princeton put together.
• China’s gains in science and technology match that of India.
• The World Bank has reported that from 1983-2003 more than 50% of US PhD degrees (nearly 90,000) in science and engineering were awarded to students from Asia (China, Taiwan, India and South Korea). This is four times more than those from Europe (23,000).
• Japan successfully modernized by applying Western best practices. They learned from the French and American education systems and implemented them. They also adopted Western civil service and jurisprudence systems.
• Singapore has the most meritocratic civil service in the world. Pay scales of senior government officials almost match the private sector. Department heads earn as much as US$1.5M a year, more than President Obama ($400K). Singapore also applied Western techniques in its fledgling years of independence after 1965.
• The principle of meritocracy rigidly applied in Harvard and a few other organisations, has been adapted and applied ruthlessly and systematically in China’s government structures. China also gained from following the success of Singapore after Deng Xiaoping visited there in 1978.
• Malaysian leader Dr Mahathir implemented economic policies by “looking east” and learning from Japan and South Korea.

What of the Philippines? Has it missed the boat?
Mentions of the Philippines in the book highlight Asian non-achievement. The Philippines is noted as an example of where meritocracy has failed:
• The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism PCIJ (2007) shows that two-thirds of congress are traditional politicians (second- and third- generation).
• The Makati Business Club showed that only one-third of 86 bills passed in 2007 were of national import.
• Roger Olivares found that political dynasties control 75% of provinces and 100% of cities. This hold on power by the traditional elite, and by extension their grip on the economic wealth of the Philippines has resulted in what the late Fr Miguel Bernad described in a review of Olivares’ Noli... 2,

the degradation of the Filipino people who must export one million persons every year, because the leaders have neglected to develop the agricultural and the industrial resources which might have provided them with decent jobs at home. A total of eight million Filipinos are now abroad, most of them in menial jobs. ... Government officials gloat over the number of Overseas Workers (OFW) and the amount of dollars coming in from them – not realizing that this situation is an indictment of their neglect: they should have been doing something to improve the economy so that people need not seek a better life abroad (underscoring mine).

Mahbubani states the obvious that the Philippines is still very much crippled by feudal mindset.

The Philippines is an Asian country and yet likes to adopt the Western mindset and cultures of its former colonial masters, including the Christian religion. The Philippines proudly boasts to be the only Christian nation in Asia. It’s motto is: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa ("For God, People, Nature, and Country").

The Philippines is indeed a Christian nation. People go to their churches and absorb christian values which inform their politics. Come election time, influential people, including the clergy apparently hear voices from God to endorse this or that candidate. How many Christian gods are there though? How come he endorses so many? Politicians themselves claim to have divine approval. So then may we ask - with God on their side - why have they abandoned their fellow Filipinos by the wayside? I read that the Philippines became a Christian nation in 1521. Being a Christian must be so hard to do. I’ll just be an Igorot, tend to my fields, and thank the anitos for the palay and camote that sustain me. I’d be very afraid to face God in the other life if I were or profess to be a Christian.

And therein lies the paradox. The Philippines is the most professedly Christian of the developing countries in the world, and yet is the most un-Christian in its standing. How does one reconcile that?
The Philippines is going backward because of corruption and all sorts of unchristian practices not least  hypocrisy. And going back to meritocracy - the principle of equality somehow goes against the grain, in the minds of the Filipino ruling class.
The above shows that traditional Politicians are not the solution, they are the problem. The journalist Sheila Coronel also stated an obvious 'known known' (thanks rummy):

“I think our problem is we ask the politicians to save us from our misery when they are the cause of our misery.”

So back to the question: has the Philippines missed the boat?
Well bet your house on it (i would if i owned one) - that the Philippines has missed the boat. The ship has nearly arrived at its destination, and we haven’t even got to the port yet.
Is it too late? Hey we're Christians aren't we? We believe in miracles. But we need to find a catapult to breach that ocean and hope for that divine intervention to delay the ship “The New Asian Hemisphere” so we can swim along in its wash.
Where to start?
First we need to learn to swim or we’ll just sink.
Let us start from the basics: that democracy is best practised in the grassroots and thus must emanate from the grassroots. As the notes above show, it is time for a change. Get rid of the traditional politics that have been an albatross around our necks. The huge majority of Filipinos are morally upright citizens with enough intelligence to run national affairs capably and well.

It is time for us to change our culture of popular politics and look to those acclaimed in the community for leadership. Our tradition of the ato where the Council of elders is formed not through wealth or name or connections, but by virtue of one’s standing, may be the key. This is the egalitarian philosophy at work.
It may be a schoolteacher, a government official, a local Councillor, or just someone with enough experience that the people can entrust their confidence in. If there is someone who combines some of these and is willing to be drafted to serve, that would be ideal.

Wikipedia has attributed part of the success of the Asian tigers to the role of traditional philosophies:

• In Japan the existence of harmonious labor-management relations resulting in an "invented" tradition that has played an important role in the evolution and character of Japanese economic values and behavior of social peace for economic development. Thereaffirmation of ancient Confucian values and native Japanese traditions of harmony, self-sacrifice and non-individualistic group striving in pursuit of a common cause. The emphasis on long-term growth, scrupulous market evaluation, and process engineering are all well regarded as important components of its economic development.
• These "Asian values" are the foundations ("Grund" as it used to be) of "Asian political economy". Abandoning import substitution, the model advocated in the developing world following the two world wars, the Four Asian Tigers pursued an export-driven model of economic development with the exportation of goods to highly-industrialized nations. Domestic consumption was discouraged through government policies such as high tariffs. The Four Asian Tigers singled out education as a means of improving productivity; these territories focused on improving the education system at all levels; heavy emphasis was placed on ensuring that all children attended elementary education and compulsory high school education. Money was also spent on improving the college and university system.
• Since the Four Asian Tigers were relatively poor during the 1960s, these nations had an abundance of cheap labor. Coupled with educational reform, they were able to leverage this combination into a cheap, yet productive workforce. The Four Asian Tigers committed to egalitarianism in the form of land reform, to promote property rights and to ensure that agricultural workers would not become disgruntled. Also, policies of agricultural subsidies and tariffs on agricultural products were implemented as well. (underscoring mine).
• These places had strong industrial economies which set them apart from all other places in Asia.

Indeed we could do worse than to be 'looking East' and learning from our Asian tigers.

New Year's Resolution # 0101: drink less read more

January reads 1.
• Bob Carr: My Reading Life. Carr is a former premier of the State of NSW down under. His book is like a compilation of notes on his library which includes volumes on writing, democracy and dictatorship, fiction, thrillers, politics, histories, literature, shakespeare etc. I like Carr’s Introduction:

Recommending books is an exercise in sharing – sharing pleasures.

I’m pleased to see that he enjoyed the works of some authors as i did. Carr suggests how to read:

Don’t just read for pleasure... otherwise you won’t get beyond spies, crime and the comic. Tackle works that are a challenge. The enjoyment comes with the comfortable familiarity of subsequent readings.

I have to check out his list now, although he did write in his book’s introduction (2008), that he might write differently in another ten years. I’ve got eight years before his next list then.

• The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan is the latest book on a much-loved and admired writer and composer still practising his craft. I had the opportunity to see him in concert about two years ago. The contributors are very distinguished writers and authors including from the Academe. The book is laid out in two parts. The first part comprises Perspectives on Dylan’s achievements and influence and his place in the artistic tradition. Part 2 spotlights eight of Dylan’s Landmark albums (he’s released nearly 50). Overall the book is an excellent addition to appreciating Dylan and his immeasurable contribution to contemporary culture.

• I only recently watched a dvd of the Wing Chun kung fu action flick Ip Man which i enjoyed thoroughly. This film was released more than a year ago, about the kung fu master of Bruce Lee. The book on wing chun is co-written by Ip Man’s son Ip Chun.

January books set 2

• The Q&A Cosmic Conundrums... book on everyday mysteries is an entertaining and informative unravelling of the science of our world. It includes chapters on everyday life, life and death, beliefs and myths, numbers and games, meteorology and nature, the earth and sky, the heavens and the cosmos. So if you have a question, you just might find the answer here. Or like Newton asking how an apple could fall to the ground and setting out to find the answer, you might discover a universal law yourself as he did, such as that of gravitation.

• 1089 and all that is like a ride into the wonders of Mathematics if Maths is your idea of an adventure. Even those not overly enamored with maths will find some thrill in this book.

• For those who have troubles with correct spelling or choice of words like me, Quite Literally is a useful reference for all writers. So think laterally but keep it quiet. This is a fun and practical resource with more emphasis on British rather than American English.

• Some choices for fiction here too. I enjoyed American Rust by Philipp Meyer. This book has been hailed as a 'Great American Novel' and compared favorably to the works of Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy. I passed on the Wambaugh book and may read Greene later.  A collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut published posthumously, is also here.

• I recommend The Mask of Dimitrios if you’re into thrilling spy stories. This Eric Ambler book is among his better ones and is just as good as a Le Carre 'Smiley' novel. Or maybe put the other way, Le Carre is as good as Ambler was in this book.

• Oh and listen to some Disney music composed by Randy Newman in the The Princess and the frog CD.