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A Christian perspective on contemporary policy debates may not prevail. It must nonetheless be argued.

Hi Jun Yu: Hi Jun Yu,

Sorry for this delayed reply to your email. I have been away a little bit in between work. Life have been busy but as always, lots to learn and it's a maturing process for all of us I suppose.

It's great to hear from you again. No fuss about my last suggestion about catching up earlier. We could do it this weekend if you are available. I will be available during the daytime on Saturday, and probably Monday morning if you prefer. I will be having a long weekend in Melbourne.

As for your trip, did you get to take lots of pictures? Did you go with your friends and what did you do there? I have been there once to catch up with my friends who have been over there. Like you, I enjoyed the beautiful weather there. Show me some of your pictures there when we meet up, and share with me your experience there!

It's been a few weeks since you began your new semester. I hope you are coping well with the subjects. The subject about Global city region sounds interesting to me. What's it about?

The other subjects are quite essential for you, in my opinion. You are absolutely right in saying that planners need to have a good grasp on urban design. It is a field of knowledge that has been often overlooked in the public sector and most of the work has gone to consultancies, unfortunately. Having said that, and looking beyond the individual planners' work, I am glad to see some exceptions in the last few years, with growing number of Councils taking initiative in establishing their urban design framework and producing excellent outcome through projects delivered by their in-house urban designers. It seems to me that there has been a gradual change of attitude towards urban design in the metropolitan planning community and among other decision makers.

You probably have already worked out the topic for your thesis by now, but I do think all the topics are very interesting. If you have chosen to take on Urban Village--built form, Melbourne 2030: Planning Rhetoric Versus Urban Reality edited by Kevin is a good starter. You may want to study a few case studies in Europe as well. I would suggest you try to incorporate some of the current urban forms in China and other Asian countries, in order to bring in a cultural and political perspective to your thesis too.

Given the Eddington Report and East link still being on the hot plate, I think while you may lack in-depth information on this topic, you would be able to get lots of ideas from the opinion of commentators and columnists. We may be short of information, but not opinion on this topic. You may want to borrow ideas from the current policies adopted by DOI and the funding from the federal government to begin with, as their policies and funding, as the "software", has shaped the spending and the economics of road pricing. What makes this topic even more interesting, of course, is the creeping of petrol price, and the environmental concerns surrounding use of car and continual expansion of the "hardware", eg. highways.

The soft and hard sides of urban economics sound fascinating, as it points to the agenda beyond State politics, all the way to the international level. The book Dear Mr Rudd may help you to gather some ideas from a few social scientists on this topic, as it touches on one of the interesting and crucial elements in urban economics--Nation Building, usually presented in the form of slogan, and implemented through a series of infrastructure development. The book argues that the liberal government was an outstanding performer of this philosophy. Labour on the other hands, appears to have focused a lot more on the soft power, the latest of which would undoubtedly be the advocacy of Asian languages taught in Australia. In terms of creativity and innovation, I would argue that presence of universities and research centres are crucial in all societies However, similar to some developed economies such as Hong Kong and England, where NGOs plays a big parts in publishing independent papers on relevant matters, the government's role is to nurture or at least facilitate this environment where NGOs are free to and have sufficient room to do their job. The basis of this argument is that all creative industries, including policies community I would suggest, requires a free environment where they can not only freely publish their work, but are only supported to inform the community about their work. The 2020 Summit, however imperfect it may be, was a good example for NGOs in environmental, economic and social policies, by promoting effortlessly the public participation that had been demanded by many creative industries.

On your last point on whether hardware establishment is in tandem with good performances on the soft side, I would leave you my last point to ponder on: Given the Olympic event in China, which has demonstrated a great advancement in the hardware side, will this be translated into a good performance on the soft side? Certainly it is a question that would receive vast range of response. A master thesis may not be enough to sufficiently cover this topic though :)

I am looking forward to seeing you again. If you are available for a catch up this weekend, please get back to me with a time, and I will fit it in my schedule.

Regards,

Victor

Tuesday August 12, 2008 - 11:15pm (PDT) Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Really Achieving Your Childhood --Randy Pausch: All about having fun? What do you think?

He said, his last lecture was not going to be about his family, spiritialit and religion, but achieve your goal and how to help others to achieve their goals.

As it turns out, it's really about a lecture for his children, and it's about love and relationship with people where true passion can be found. as he proclaimed at the end.

A thought provating material which has received just below 5 millions hit on youtube, till toda, 2 das after his death.

More reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Pausch

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Sunday July 27, 2008 - 03:06am (PDT) Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Entry for July 17, 2008: Dear Mr Rudd and Mr Chung,

One of the many things we don't envy about your job is the public's fascination with approval ratings. For the next four years, you will be reminded on a daily basis of whether or not the citizens of this country approve of our performance.

Our hope is that you will set your sights on something of far greater consequence than our approval. We want you to lead in such a way as to gain and maintain our respect.

For that to happen, here must be consistency between what you say an what you do. This alignment will provide you with the moral authority necessary to lead and influence those who selected your name in our election, as well as those who did not.

Conduct your public life in a way that positioned you to confront without reservation those who have abused their power and influence. Conduct your private life in such a way that you can speak with authority to husbands and fathers about their responsibilities at home. Lead the way n personal generosity. Be the first President of our generation to give away 20 percent of our annual income.And do it publicly, so as to remove any doubt from either party that you are a man who truly cares about the less fortunate in our nation and in our world.

Our country is deeply divided over the economy, health care, and national security. A significant portion of the population will not share your beliefs about how these issues should be addressed. There's nothing you can do about that. But please don;t do anything that would lead us to wonder if you really believe what you have said you believe about those issues.

The late Journalist Louis Fischer wrote: "History is the chronicle of divorces between creed and deed." We pray that will not be the case with your administration. Our hope is that you will be a leader whose actions reflect the promises you've made and the values you claim to embody. And if that is the case, you will have something far more valuable than our approval. You will have our respect.

Sincerely,
Concerned citizen of Hong Kong and Australia

Thursday July 17, 2008 - 04:09am (PDT) Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Letters to our leader: Dear Mr Rudd and Mr Tsang,

While it is true that you are accountable to us, we are not your source of ultimate accountability.

While it is true that you must answer to the Congress /Parliament, you must one day answer to someone of far greater consequence.

While you consult with leaders from around the world, our hope is that you will not forget to consult with the Creator of this world.

As the great king Nebuchadnezzar was once reminded, "The Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."

So your leadership, like all leadership, is a stewardship. It's temporary. And you, are accountable.

Sincerely yours,

Concerned citizens of Australia and Hong Kong

Thursday July 17, 2008 - 02:55am (PDT) Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Up the Yangtze (Documentary): Up the Yangtze http://www.uptheyangtze.com
Review on ABC's "At the movies": http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/geo/atthemovies/atm_2008_ep22.wmv

A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze, navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “The River.” In the biggest engineering endeavour since the Great Wall, China has set out to harness the Yangtze with the world’s largest mega-dam.

Meanwhile at the river’s edge Yu Shui says goodbye to her family and turns to face the future.

From their small patch of land, her parents watch the young woman walk away, her belongings clutched in a plastic shopping bag. The waters are rising.

The Three Gorges Dam, gargantuan and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle, provides the epic and unsettling backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic and disquieting feature documentary on life inside the 21st century Chinese dream.

Stunningly photographed and beautifully composed, Up the Yangtze juxtaposes the poignant and sharply observed details of Yu Shui’s story against the monumental and ominous forces at work all around her.

Among the two million losing their livelihood to the dam, the Yu family must send their daughter off to work. In a bitter irony she’s been hired by Farewell Cruises, part of the strange apocalyptic tourist trade that thrives along the river, offering a final glimpse of a legendary world before it disappears forever.

Life onboard mirrors the hierarchy of the wider world. Western passengers take in the spectral views, consuming entertainment on the spacious upper decks, while Yu Shui toils in the galley down below, vying with workmates for the few permanent positions. A shy country girl, she must compete with young show-offs like Chen Bo Yu, an urban kid with the over-confidence typical of single sons, the “little emperors” of China’s one-child-only policy.

All the while the ship charts a course towards its controversial destination, travelling upriver through a landscape of unprecedented upheaval, as ancient and revered sites give way to the burgeoning candy-coloured towers of China’s neon future. Back at the river’s edge, far from the bright lights, Yu Shui’s parents assemble their humble possessions as the floodwaters rise.

Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang directs it all with insight and cinematic

flair. Drawing inspiration from contemporary Asian cinema and post-war neo-realism, he crafts a compassionate account of peasant life and a powerful documentary narrative of contemporary China.

Wednesday July 16, 2008 - 06:20am (PDT) Permanent Link | 0 Comments