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PICK THE TOP P[OPI,E, IYTNTS,INNOYATIONS, COMPANITS, CITIIS AND TRENDS THAT SHAPED 2OO8
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TOP PEOPLEWHO
SHAPE D 2008
r. Barack Hussein Obama
AMERICA GETS A MUCH-NEEDED FACBLIFT.
e should have known when some months back.
2oo,ooo Europ€ans showedupto watch Obama
speak in Berlin as ifhe w6 already ihe cnmmander
in Chie{ratherthan a candidate in the running.
So now thai Obama has won the U.S. presidenti.l seat by a historic
landslide ofmore than 35o electoral votes and 51% of the popular
rote, we can confirm that obama's extraordinary popularity is a
phenonenon that histo ans will most like\ be writing about yea.s
Ifthe millennium is the age of globalisation and
multiethnic pride, Obama is its zeitgeist - packaged
in palatable metrosexual form. No other sinsle individual
h6 managed io galvanise so much interest in politics across so
many disparate politicai. culiural, economic, reliSious and natioDal
ljnes. He is an Amencan p.erident u ike any other, the fever drean
ofDr- Kins's civil rights movement made flesh. Unlike ihe all-
Anerican pnnces hailing from the sreat Bush or Kennedy political
dynasties, Obama was born in Honolulu to an idealistic white
American teenase sirl and a Muslim turned atheist Kenyan who
abandoned then in poverty. He tasted life in a sinsle parent
household, experienced life with his liberal Muslim Indonesian
stelfather, worked hard to set out of poverty and discovered his
own Christian faith. Obama's very identity de{ies simplistic
caregoisation - a major trump card that worked in his favour localty
as well as intemationally. ln comparison, John Mccain and Sarah
Palin cime off too white, too smug, too rich, too Amencan, too muc}l
lite what the world looked like when things went so honibly ]mng.
H
t
So in spite of his relatively thin political resune, he won the heads
of his detractors because unlike Mccah and Clinton. he embodies
03 IRoAD !R P t
TYRANIS. DISPOTS,
THANGIMAKTRS.
TAT TATS. ZEATOTS.
rltr,'#trr?ililfifl,i^lilli
a clean slate, a fresh start fiee of past scars and sndges. ln a world
weary with all knds of econonic woes and political iumoil, Obama
- the man and the nrtth - is dactly what a troubled, apathetic world
mnts md needs nowr a reFeshins bEath of hope, offerins a sincere
vision of better things to cone-
Already, in Brazil, eisht politicians have chansed their names to
Obamq hoping to ride on rhe chaismatic campai8! of a presidential
cediilate a continent away. In S)ria, officials hope that an obana
win would mean a thawins in rcIaiions with the White House and
more support for peace talks with the Israelis. Haitian, Malaysim
and Taiwanese youth know his name, wear his tee shirt and
appropriaied his call to Change as theiroM.In his own country,
he won the votes of both whites and blacks, Main Street and WaI
Street, men and women - and most significantly. inspired a host of
new voteN and young vot€rs to so to the polls, mahns hnn not just
America's first black P.esident but its first post baby booner
president. No other presidential @ndidate has galvanised so nany
artists, guphic designers, cartoonists, actoN and musicians to oeate
cultural soods pushing the obama's catl for cnange. (ch€ck out
obamaartreport.com)
The obama mlthology has reached unbelievable proportions and
sone fear he will be crucified when the first signs of fallibility
appear. considenble as they may be, Obma's ultinate significance
may not centre so much on his owr talents but in his ability to bring
outthebest in each ofhis voters hope, the desire for cnange and
the stiength to say "Yes We Can". For causing so nany to believe
again that there is sh ength in unity and that someday the least shall
be made first, Obama may have already done our world a sreater
seNice than he knows and that is why he is arodder Perspechues'
Pe$on ofthe Year for 2oo8.It
RSP ttTlVtS iheyedrin reuier!] issxe

z. Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon,
Henry Paulson & Ben Bernanke
THE LECENDS OIJ 'I'HE }.AIL.
hey certainly do not look like your archetypal
superheroes. A middle-aged Wall street paunch
would neverlook goodin spandex. Butthesefour
greybeards mayjust be the supermen we need io
save the world - or America at least from economic doom. For
the fi6t time in four years, the DowJones has dropped below
1o,ooo and even the most seasoned investors are watching their
assets What thcsc four finance
with an anxious eye.
wiza|ds do in the next te$, rno ths mal'be all
that stands betr,ecn us and a dcrastaiting crllapse
ofthe rvorld s financial narkets.
Under the nost fire is mild-mannered matknatical child ptudisr'
Ben Bernanke, America's Federal Reserve Chiel who has already
been simdtaneously lauded 1br his quicktrouble shooting and
criticised for nukins investors nerous with his lack of a long
tern plar and his decisionto rescue B€ar Steams but allowing
l€hman Broiherc io fall flat. May blue-colld Americjn la$ayers
have pilloried Bemanke toseiher with fomler Goldnan s.tchs
CEO and now US Treasuiy Secretary HeDry Paulson who seNes
as the leading economic advisor for the U.S. President. The
bissest perceived offence? Resisting calls to crack down on
obscenely huse nnaDci executive pay packages while approving
a taa"ayer-backed $7oo bilion bailout plan to prevent a further
ILLUSTR-{TIoN CREDIT / Sbiao-Yin (uik
04 BR0ADIR PtKPtOlVt!
(
devastating domino effect on Wall Strcct. Fclv carc that Paulson
only did so at last resort $'hen jt seemed ihercwas no $'ay out
to save the U.s. economy. He had refused to use taxpayer money
to save Lehnan Brothers from banlcuptcy after all inspiring
manydcspairnrg Lehnan workers to use photos ofPaulson as
with the prospect ofgovemment assistance, all cyes arc now
turned on two of Wall Street s most ponel.ful noney men. Tbere
is the legendaryWarren Buffett proud advocate of U.S. style
capitalism and also fie world's ric.hest nan worshipped by nany
as the god of investment. His one-man campaign to instil
contd€nce in ihe markets asanr by shiftins his peNonal weaith
intoAmerican stocks (andperhaps makins a quickbuckwhiic
he is at it) may just be what the world necds to shore up investor
courase Js.rin. And there js NewYorkt most po'\€rlirl investment
banker - JP Moryan Chase's CEO Jamie Dinon whose bank
comnands nore than $2 triltion in assets and $9oo billion in
Buffetl\ favounie invcstnent diom is "be feartul $'hen others
are sreedy and be greedy when others are feadul". Let us hope
rhar h-s- ruuf hoApmen.an p_FvFnl rle f, onomic Apocdl) psF
L,) \,owing rhr,l:ilFrence It
thp enr in flri.uJ issue
 S*

3. Vladimir Putin

ilhorl i doxbt. to nrDl ItussirDs, irgRtirlirs cst..ialll to-\neri!a and 11. rst ofEulPe. Ptrtir
Iladi.rjr Prti. hrs ])c.r the best ll,ifg llrat has no qralns alroul o|cnh shoNtlij Iis di\danr fotAncic{s
caer haulcned lo Russia sirce Go.Lr(her's attcmgs to le!icl R!ssir as tli. hil Lnrpire on.c morc and
ter.siroifro rud q/.,sD.s. dismrntld the l..rtilg Russi! as if sie lvas lh. tootliless powe. i Iat shc wrs
li)nner USSR and rcdtrccd the oDce Areal Solnrt.lrpire to a
iumililtirg shalo\r ol its tormcr self. 1r 1998. lbe Russian
rn,blLr $6 r.arrlortLless and stit{'r'idc lulo upt(\' l,nd s.ddlcd PutiD isp.usnrali. bcilg fcrred o u tweip,hs b.irg lovcd, benig
lhe proud countN $ilh r S2l)o billio! forcigD debt. Sj.ce th.n. cllcctile out{eip,hs bcing idellistic. l.lk. China, Russia
thanks Lo th. sk!rcrketing trl*' ol crud. oil rnd fuLji' s abxndoned its cori.rand .conom) for r liee niarltct slstcDi -
st.ong a. lr.tics. Russir s petrodollirs nindfall rnd sl)ilL a1b.i1 on. lighth coDtrolled bl i|c strte. a'llrllr ri!
towards r l'ee nrrrkct has been deltlr .rrnagcd snch that .i,
ihc RussiaD lerr has llnall] rctumed sitll a \engein.c.
firi lrr;ii,! lrlir laiilii\ h.r billurai.es rr€ bri!ingul
prope.l\, spolts fraDchises rnd flr.cs in fr.stigious s(hols
Russia hls sixgcdthe greatesl Inliti.rl and ccoDomic rcrrebe.k
{ll o\e. the wo d. }losco$'is ufa$rm.d to luke oil. nuclear
in hist,rry rnd thc \{c'st ren,ti.s !n$n. i{hat to Dake !1 lhis
material r.d seil)ons dcals $ith (o.trorersial statcs like North
coolh chardr idg rDd ilholh iDtiniillali.g louncr KGn lentenall
Korca rnd Itun. P,,I nr has ciosed do$ n bnrrd.ast Dcti{ork ald
coldrel. N.ilrod! is foolcd - the curre.l pr.sidcnt lledvede!
nriglrtbeinthe seal olpivcr it tlie keDLiin lr,,l il is still PutiD
ncNsfapcrs. bughl doNn froninent busiless nr en $'ho ufsct
Itussir\ ini.Dal balan(e ol poN.r aDdjailed op!osilion latl
$hois thctrtre puppeL nrstsfulliDg tlie strjngs In th. global
polillcalar.Dr, Pntin loolis rlfrost likc a crricature ola Janr.s
rne rbeNa.disrunurredlohareo ocd tht assassiiinLion of
journali\ls rrd stics riho olenll c.iticis.d thc Ioemlin. IIis
lond rjllrjn cnca the Coid \!ar Bul |.hasltonthe reslecl an.l
ruthless h.rndling oftirc 2oo2 xlosco{ lhe.h. and 2oo.+ tlesltr
fear oilrie.ds rnd.DcDies fo. beinsvc't Dr ch his o$I Drilr:
r BiLk'readl.8 Ofhodox Ch.istian strl.s'n.n in rn officitll]
school hoslag€ !ris$ and brutal
rpp.ession ol L'hcch.D and
G.orgian rnilit.rirls hrs not dented iris por)trlaritv rt all.
rdrcist st{t!,r a Lhreatening and ltumurless norld l.ader$ho
Rrssia snDpl! adores ]riif: to th.m, hc js Peter th€ Grcal rcbon.
djsrl.r.d his rh\sical p.^ro rnd \irihtr nr a ltnrors s.rics of
'1o r|e .cst ol thc rlorld. he iighl still v.N $'ell tLrn oul lo bc
photos in 2oo: that showed him tis]rinil brre chested in ih.
Stalir but in nr orc frshittiable rloLhing.
siberian orntams (tc'iishtirs rrunl sudring Russi{n Non,e.)l
! polilicia. l..nr.d iD mulirl r.ls \!lro Dakcshttlc efforl lo be

ILl ISTR.{TION rRLr)Ir , sb 1. rin Iin,L

05 BR0ANR PIR5PIOVIS //r,..rrn.e.irx isi,r


4. Wen Jiabao
CFIINA GETS CUDDLIBIT.
Despitealandnarkirdofchinesescand s{iorn thesuppresion
ofTibetan monks io the tainted milk contoversy, prime minister
wen Jiabao has sailed through with bis political reputation noi
only iDtact btrt even groM in populariry. Thoush the Sichuan
earthquake was undoubtedly ore ofChina's most delastating
natural caiasirophes, it has also been a landslide PR victory for
china tbanks to comparisons betweeD wens handlins ofthe
crisis tir the ineffcctual handling ofthe Huricd1e Katrina disaster
by Georye Bush and the appaLling trucrlence.rfthe Bulnese
senerals to the traged)'of Cyclone Nargis. Like a scene straight
frorn a Holltryood djsastcr novie, upon hearhs Dews o{ the
eadhquake, Premie. wen Jiabao injured himselfin his rush to
the site yet dramatically refused treahnent so that he could take
comnand of the rescue efiorts. Mioo-blosgers and statc media
asencies alike innortalised Wen's fierce con1lrland to relief
offi cials that'No matterwhat your [problems are], 1 wani thcse
loo,ooo people out of darger. Thar's an order." Coupled t\'ith
earlier reports ofWen apologising to snowstonn victims and
images of him hussing and cryjns over children. clina has
successlolly groM a domeslic cult dedicated to "crandpa Wen"
His deft handlins of national crises and successful manasement
of the Beijing Olynpics has demonstrated a speed and
transparency uner-pccied of China. Radiaiirs tle charisna of
MaohimscllWen coulcl signal the flcxing ola new
kind of Chinese soli porvcr: a shili away at last
tron mereiingoisur and populism. rr
I |,LUSTR-A rrON CRIDIT/ sh J!-rin (trik
06 8R0A0[R PtRSPtOll/[s
.l
a
in
5. Rupert Murdoch
THE PIR-{TE KIN(I OFTHE MEDLq. WARS.
He is thc logth richest person in the world on the 2oo8 forbes
4oo list and $'orth cool $8.3 bilion. Not bad for a boyfroln
a
Down UDder who st.trted with only one neivspaper in Adelaide,
growing il into ihe massive conglomerate News Coryoration
ofthe
x,Iur-doch is a rctrdy candidate for any list
world's urosL inllucntial people for being rhe
rvorld's lcading investor in both traditional
maiDstieam media as well as the fi'ontiers of nerv
lnedia all over the tvorld. Murdochhasbeen accused of
plying a perceptible politicai bias in hisbroadsheets: reporrs on
the 2oo3 iN"sion of Iraq were mtably harlkish in his publiations
worldwide, News Corp owned Fox News allescdly pushes a
conseNative bias. But he js more a bNinessman than an ideolosue
- News Corp's publications generally suppod lthichever politi@l
leaders are on the upswing to Sain nore influence on state
decisions that allect bottomliner. Murdoch hs never shied away
li om doiDg whatever it talies to sell news - after all, tlis was the
man who save the world Sun's bare breasied Pase 3 Gnls.
"fi€
Murdoch's takeover ofthevenerable Dow Jones conpan]'has
now set ihe world of newsnaking for an old fashioned sholv-
down between the Dow Jones'croM jewel, ?he tvou S.reer
Yo't 7T,nes. After
.rourndl andihe stdwaltlylibeml lhe Neu
the watershed year of 2oo8 that saw 85% of large daily
newspapers losejobs as the online revolution continued to siphoD
away rcaders and ad revenues, Murdoch migbtjustbcthe swift
ldck in the pants the ailins newspaper industry needs . I t
the yeor in reirreur Lssu"
 I'
\

6. Bill Gates 7. Muqtada al-Sadr

IILESSTD ARE THE C!]EK. MOVE OVEta. OS-{XIA,

Wilh a sclf liadc foftune of Sss Lrillion ard lons ruDDins ouier
ofrhe litlc Richcst IIaD in the Wo.ld ' (he droptcd to f3 this
Iea.), ItanaJ'(t droirout Bill Gates is the udoilcial ovmlord of
geekdon. 2oo8 arls a rnajor trrniDg point h }liclosott s
history as its founder linally stcts doi{n his dar to daJ_
invohcnrcnt to focrs oD Inore piilant|rofic cndeavours.
AtLhongl Microsoft h6 talen many a bashing fot it's moDopolistic
stnlesies, ad campaignflops and the llagging FfonDanccs of
their laLest hard$'arc and softrvare (e.s {ould be irod yal,
Zune and the mirch rclil.d ]licrr$ftvista ope.ntirB systern),
thc catcs name has a.quired rbcatific Dei!shiDethanks to the
sorlt ol the Bill & Melinda crtes loundation. aw WiLh ai
dropping $38.7 billion in asscts. Gates'
fcrundation has swiftll.beconre a velitable global
tbrcc of its own, outclassing the develrpruent
wolli of olclcl bchenoths lilie Lhe Worlcl IJank in
tcrms of bLrd!!et, speed and illno\,iltiorl. T]rc catcs'
ldrsesse is well directed aDd divc$ely invested: linancial tools
havebeeDb.ought lo lhe poori th. dcvelopment ofvaccines lbr
AIDS, mrla.iaand tLrbercLrlosis havc bceD given a mchneeded
shotin thc ann; ime. city Anerican high-schoole.s are beinil
tunded rnd a more globalised education is bciDs pushed fo..
Despite ho$'thosc dcliciously obnorious iuac vs. PC ads seem
to associaLe Microsoft \rith a kind ol still nriddlc class
pr.dict.Lbilitr', leN would bc ablc io hbcl Bill Gates'nexl phase
of lilc iD that wa! tor sL're.It
Du.ing lhe 2006 cxccution of Saddam Hossein, a groupofloung
neD inliltraled thc roonto taunt saddan, tape tie lillnig aDd
chaDt victoriouslr.. lhe namc "Muqtr.la" o!€r and over rgajn.
Thc sminy \ideo circula(ed on Arab tele\ision and Yc,u lubewas
for many of us outside l.aq our fi6t nrtroduction io the fea.som€
anre of N{uqtada al-Sadr. Tlioush his enetnics labcl him r mere
ulrstarl, I h is .13 ycar old radicrl Shi iteMuslin clcic has alreactt
undernnred lhe influcncc oflraq s nost powerirl c.lc c thc
Grdxl Ayatollah Ali al Sisiani'dd is suspect€d o1maslenninding
the assassination ol lwo olher nrflucntial Shia cLerics. r'h is spells
troubl. for anpne hoping lbr a Facctul rcsolutioD to the roilnr!,
violenc. mardng haq and the ['liddle East. $rhi]e al-Sistani
actively pronrotcd Don-violent coDfrontalion rnd ncgotiation.
al szrdr"s strategy ol g,uelilla rcsistance irnc'l
r,iolence has turncd hin into Lhe champion of
nillions of ureducated urban poor as as
"r'e1l
wealthier. militart Shi ites. n aliiug hirn thcr
ovcrall rvinner ol tire post u,nr porver stnrggle ilt
Iraq. ,\l.eady, hordes of al Sadr's foltowers and aL Nlnhdis
Ar m"vha\c Mised blood) haloc in Iraq, bcliLTing that ai Sislan j s
refrFal to rctrlirte agairst the Unitcd Siatcs is an un-Islaniic
admission of dcfcat in the face ofZionist impcrialism. A1's{dis
power base will kccf sro$'iDs as long as lhe iraqi uDdcrclass
continue to see little bcncfits tunn.^merican occuFtion'and
thc overlhrow ofSadda'n Husscin. will Muqtada's name ever
..mnrrn{l rs mu.h learas Osama's? ODlvtine can tell. at

rr rrrsr{^r roN CREDIT / shix. Yin liuik

07 ER0rDtR PtRSPtfilVtS th. grrr m r eri, rr nvr'


B. Sarah Palin
& Hillarv Clinton
THEY RE \{TOMEN. I{IIAR TIIEM ROAR.
The biggest dilTerence between a male politican and a female
politician is that nobody actually bothe$ with whether thc fome.
wears Versace or if he {'ould dcisn to bake cookies for his
ncishbourhood. The U.S. presidential race has always thrown
up an assortment of female archeBpes for armchair sociologists
ro criiique: Michelle Obama is too threatening; Cindy Mccain
looks like a spoilt lady ofleisurej Jill Biden, the quiet teacher,
is a non entity. The big difference iD the 2ooa race is that ihe
women up for discussion are no loDserjust merely the i.ophy
wivcs of nalc candidates but aciual power brokers themselves.
Alaskan sovernor Sarah Palin and New York senator Hillar/
ClintoD invite endless analyses, instigaring society to question
and
simplistic aitenpts to siereotlpe their decisions.Palin
Clinton are our 21st crentuly fcminist icons,
strikingly Ieal life illusLratious of l'ror,v
complicated women's rolcs havc bccomc today.
Is it right wing" or "left wing for Palin ro go strajght back to
wofk three days after having a baby? which woman can be tik€n
serioully Palin who spent $$o,ooo on her wildly successtul
"sexy librarian" look or Clinton {ho insists oD donnins the most
trnbeconing suits? Who is the icon of tradjtional farnily values
- Palin who stood by her daushter's right to get pregnant belore
naniase or Clinion who stood by her philandering man? Being
a $oman has nev€r been more fascinatjng or conplex. at
ILLUSTRATION CRBTTIT / Shiao Yin (uik
08 BR0ADIR PtRSPtfilVts thp
4
9. Omar
al-Bashir
AI,I, HAII,'I'Hts', NI.]\V HITT,I.-,R. I
If arryone dre1\ r4r a list ofthc lr orlcl's worst post 'l
World War II dictators, Sudanese president b
Ornal al-Bashir u,ould not only univcrsally make
thc cut without a contest, he $,ould probably h
rank in the top live. At-Bashits "achievements" in the
resion of Datur in Sudan hal€ been depressingly impressive: he
has caused the most deaths as a resuit of war mongering (2.5
million) and rendered the most people homeless (7 milion) widr 6
hi, s.orchFd Fanh milirdD srrflF$. Thr Jtsmasosup ha\ e\ er !
blocked attempts by international aid agencies and U.N. led
peacekeeping forces to proted innocent cftlians, tuming a blind
f
eye to attack on humaDitariaD workeN- In power since 1989,
B6hir's bloody ethnic cleas s (lmpaisD asainst three minodt' I
groups has set into play a violent power struggle between
government forces, allied mjlitia (theji?niuree.l), rebel arnies s
andbandits. Rape has been employed as a nauseatins rreapon
of choice - so manybabies have been bom out of this ihat there
h6 been m e\plosion ofinlanticide ofthese so-called Janjaweed
babies". Thoush the International Crintual Coun has called for ir
the arrest of al-Bashir for c mes against humanity, Khartoum h
has only responded with a promise to turn Dafur into "ihe ia
graveyard for the enenies of Sudan . Yet, the powers ofthe n
world renain tight lipped as theysit ontheirhands and rratch ir
Sudan burn. We should be frightened. Very ftishtened. rt pr
L
lteatinrcLicu issue
 ro. Nicolas
Sarkozv
t.r{.\\cIt (ilt x's PoLt f IcALLY t\c0Rn{ t,]c r'.

t hls r!ri.e dilorcLrd Prlda-chd metrcse\u!i is no sLrr.ger l.

beilg sJtashed ir tI. t.bloids,lLhlt i{ith his ghno!rous er
Nife s aflairs,.ud hls e\ en I url {trn'l\ind comtshif rnctnariase
t. sufcDnodel singer, Carl.r llnini. His.riti$ ]ra!. slennncd
hin lorl.iDgtirt BIiDE Bliru, Preslderl ,ib.bcingt riIlolr
Nllh c.lcb ti.s. knr oleL-th ,\rnericaD ir orllook and g.n.mll].
r |]pemdi\L iDfrticnt and orrbelriDglerler. So $hen S.rrioit
took o!e.lhe 0rcsiddrc! ofthr Euroteln thior (ijL) iu Juh
irmTolINlair, r. nr pr.di.t.d ih^t Eurrpc iloukl go clownhill.
tJlll Sarko^ has hail the last hugh. Surfrisinslr. l'.tll ofe s
1l\,oulitc .r??fir7,1 lcllilrL, s LLuplcclictablr anil
il() oahstic \\,a!s Dlar bc jrrst \!lrat llre arorlline rli
nccds to |eportd Lo rLrgent worlcl cljscs. ln rli. i:..
ofthece!rgjn Russia rlm rnd thc 1\irll StrettfimnriaL bloolball',
slrloz! hrs pullel lo!,elhe|an drtir'. .ontincnt cnorLgh to arDL
rpeacelerlNith lbilisirndIrokcr a Eun)F
hlist \'losco\! ir1to
liidc r.scuc plaD to appease irNestor 1ex, s i. tl. rcgntr His
N?akn.$cs tum.d out to be strengLLs: h is hl fe r.r cl n ill nnrcd
into dogued refusal to back do$D till sohrtiors {eJe io,1nd rnd
his !n herch.ess m.aDtthAt lic had little issue \!ilh er(l'.rr)si.g
ideas ilith Brilaii a.d An.ri.a (historicrlh France s bissest
irals). Sxrliozl has ijiren !s a,an itlinrFc ola Eurpc united
iD voic. and agcnda. Too bad thal l,is lurn al lh. rotatilg EU

fFsid.nc: cnds ir Decenber $heu the C7e.hs 1rk. o!.r..:

rrr.LsrRA roN fRLDrr / sr'.L r \ . r! I

09 BR0ADIR PIRSPI(TjVI5 i/r. v.dr nr ro i,1, iss,rl

SHIAO"YIN KUIK
 n
li

z. The Slowdown of the Orient Express

IT'S NOT GOINC TO BE AIL FUN AND (OLT'NIPIC) GAMES,
I
II €s, China has naMsed to hit a few significant
home runs in 2oo8- Colonel Zhai Zigang became
the first Chinese man to take a walk in space.
Pime Minister wen Jiabao won najorbroMie
points for his exemplary statesmanship in handlins an
intimidating series of natrral disasters: January's devastating
cold snap, May's floods and landslides and a whoie slew of
earthq akes, culminatins in the 19th deadliest quake of all
I tine in Sichud. And how about that st€llar showcase of 5,ooo
years ofSinopowerthat xas the Beijjng Obmpics? Not only
did prctesiors fail to derail the passing of the Obmpic torch
as planned, but many world leaders turned up for the openins
ceremony, offering their quiet acceptance of Chinese power.
Frcm the Zhang Yinou dirccted openiDs ceremony that blended
hish technology with high art to the pronised gold medal
qclory nvcr qmpd. a. Eeling also conjured up, n aw"-rtupidng
urban tand.$ape creaied by the wunderkinds ofth€ architectud
world.
Then came all those accusatioN ofstaie conuption, negligence
and abuse that have always hanstrung Chinak aspiraiions to
be a respectnble global superpower.In June, a dot broke out
in cuizhou to protest e
alleged police cover up of a sirl's rape
and murder. In post-eartnquike Sichuan, grievins parcnts ad
activists were apparently silenced by bribery or force wheD
they accused the Education Ministry ofcorruption and beins
conplicit in constructjns school buildings dangerously below
The final kidney punch was September's melamine-tainted
s
recalls initiated by various counties in 2oo7 against exports
of Chinese nunufactrred toys, toothpaste and pet food. The
dip in consuner confidence in China's goods cannot hav€ come
at a worse iime. Already, the great Chjnese jussernaut is
showing signs offatisue. Thants to gloomy sentiments about
America's economy, e\ports, investment and consumphon - v
the tluee main &iving forces of China's erplosive eady emnomic h
success - are petering off in the credit crunch. The era of s
mushroomins real estate construction projects is over and li
many factories are closing down in the face ofa major retail
slowdown in the States. p
p
t\'l ce $ hilF. .eparati\l mov"m"nls donB $e erhni. minoride" 8i
continue to test China's poliiical stability. And though Beijing
has taken its fi6t tentative steps towards peace with Taiwan, T
Taiwanese indeperdence advocates are far fiom appeased. p
Tibetan monks and their s pporters have turned unusually lil
militant, attackins non-Tibetd etllnic groups in March. Uyghur di
separa*ts are upping the ante, plasuing the cities of (unming
and Kashgar with a series ofbombinss, suicide attacks and
protests. But what alarms Bei.jjns most should be tne srowing
unhappiness mong its own Han majonry. $ten 28 yearold
jobless Beijins resident, Yang Jia knifed to death six police fi
ofiicers, discourse on chinese internet {orums andblogs was
s rprisingly s)mpathetic to Yang.
China has put on a fabulous show so fhr. But
whether that show can go on in zoog depends
on how carefully Beijing plays the difhcult hand YC

nilk scandal, shanins a country already smarting liom prcduct it has been dealt this year. rt K.

Paat fanilu scavenqes ot tabbisn dxap in Jiansu, C/ttno, rNrAcE cREDrI / sheilaaz,lr3, fli&r creative comos

12 SRolDtR PtRSPtfllV$ the gear il retieu ksue

 3. The Globalisation of Food Woes
SORRY, BOB CELDOF, BAND AID DIDN'T WORI{.
ccording to Tony Ha , Cbrisiian hunscr activist
and former U.S. ambassador to rhe UN World
Food Prcgrm, we .tre lookjng at a "perfect storm"
ofslobal hunser. Never have so many factors
coalesced at so bad atime. Natural disaste$ iike Australia's six
year drought have caused many haNests to fail. Fuel prices
]m€spikeddranatically,increasingthecosiof foodprod ction.
Sone farmers in rcsponse have turned to producins c2ih crops
lile tobacco instead of producing food. Tomes ofwheat. com
and soybeans are beins funnelled by developing nations to
produce biotuels or fe€d farm animals instead oftheir own
people b€cause these two areas meet the needs of oil and meat
sLulinbdarFlopednarior. whocan p.\ l\.pn.p.
Tl€ pice ofbasicfoodshas skyrocketed such that 1oo million
people today have been forced from an already subsistence
lif€sryle of $2 a day to $1 a day. In quantifiable terms, a $r
differ€nce to an Afshan means movins from bread and tea to
ne.+ ten alone. Ofthe 35 naiions hit most acutely by food
scarcity, 2r are in Aftica with Ethiopia ironically the focus of
so much attention from Band Aid in the'8os and today - stil
sufferjng the worst. No wonder 2oo8 saw food riots and p.otesLs
fiom Burkina Faso to Bansladesh make the headlines. Hungry
n€n are also desperate men, maddenedby Deed and quick to
use violence even against reliefwo*eN. In Srdan, U.N. food
truck are regllarly swarmed and even attacked.
Who is kecpins us hunsry? Mostly lousy governments.
unde. ins€cure dictators like Myannar or North
You could be
KoFawhole{u.e to node_ni\c lra.Inonil Jsd,lrll ri or rccFire
CdmJour shelues cleored oJ Chinese nilL pro&rds, rMlAcE CREDIT / Mar
R BR0AlltR PIR5PFOIVIS
foreisn help out of misplaced pride. O. you could have a tlrant
like Zimbabwe's Mugabe who used food dist buiion as a
barsainins chip to sec re votes. Or you coldd simply be iike
Monsolia, KazaklNian, Panana and EsDt - countries that have
made poor economic choiccs like lsins artificial price controls
that kepr tuod prices capped for too lons, discouragiDg
dom€sric production and distotinsthe market.
The slobalisation of our food production and distnbution process
may wo.s€n the problen. Many countries are unable lo produce
enough food to neet thcir ow1 needs and have come to depend
on the iniegrity of other natioDs to srpply eDough and ensure
the food that we inport is safe- Yct, the Chinese melamine
tainted milk scandal shows us that trusi is sinply hard to find
and easyto lose. Memories oftainted American beefnca ydid
South Korean President Lee MFng bak's career in. Since May,
Seoul has be€n beleasuered by protests against the government\
decision to re open thc courtry's doo$ to American beef impods
after banning it in 2oo3. South Koreans reftrse to believ€ that
Americ:n beef is no lonser contaninated with bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) lhe deadly trigger of "mad cow disease".
With a doubt, with a global financial stonn that
is depleting the worth of every dollar in our
pocket even as we speak, food will without a
doubtkeep its place in the limclight come 2oo9.
We saiditin orr fi6t issue oflheyear and we will say it asain:
Never has food become so political as it has in 2oo8- It
can der chiis, flicrr cratiw connors
t'hr rcor ni reri. ) ksre
 I

I
IL
u,
JE

I
.J
u
!

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
4. Terrorism Persists 5.US Financial Crisis
I Tr.rRrtoR- TrRR()ll. hvERYwHElLL. I'HE SIIAMING OF ANII1ITICAN CAPI'I"{IISi!1.
1
1
t lhe re.cDt c\ccutioD ol lh. hllnic rniljtanls rcsPonsible for the Asjobs, stock fortfolios and nest cggs wither bythc day in the x
a
roo2 Bali bomhiDgs wili Inakc DaN a denl in thc $'rr aSainsl $ake ofr se.iotrs global credit clllnch and stockpani., thc ni{sses
I
I tc'ror. Year by,lcar, the mrnber of tcrroist bcid.nts worldwide aJr otrt on r witchhu.t for Bnt
someone con\.nicnt to cruci1r. I]
':
coDtimes Lo b.vcl on a de!ressingl! up$'{rl t.aje.tot1 2oo8 Lhe tmth, as Businessl4'cc/i puts u'r-vl]. is that n
qrNrh. s,ne, ilies andthc same lornrs ofDudDess nnke|cadlincs
the finiurcial clisis is "a .lisaster by conlnlittee . h
nd nruscan:Beirul,Je sal.Dr, Krbul. Bashdadr sui(ide LonrbcN.
'1hd. is ldmer Senalor lhil GRmut or Sccurities & iixchange it
Lruck bombs, ca. bonrbs saloE. But when cvcD safe cjtjes likc
2.)o8 target lisl, il ComnrissiorCliairnnn ChistophercorwholooscDedfint cial
Ilelsinli, Aihens and Kunnring nake Lhe
regulaLions. Or go!ennncrrt s!oDsored ente.|)iscs FaDnie Mae di
beconres..l.arthrt le.ro. js slo$'li but suRl] comnrg kr be
!ar1 a
{Dd I..eddi. Mrc th!l guarant.cd US$6 trillion woth of
ofeleryoneh ]i!cs. \\Ierlth. oe.d xnd nationalill alonc cannot
mor-tsases lo subl'irne bor.o{ers (hish isk borrowers \ith loN
brl )ou se(!.i$ as ivc s$v nr lhe bombtug ofMumlai's Obc'roi
crcdit rattugs) who.oul.t not rflord thcn - tlius ilrt.oducilsa in
andTaj Nlrlialhotels, Pakistrn s I\lam.bad Ma iotL Hotcl and
timc bonb of rbslintial risk i|Lo lh. finrncial syste . Hort
Alghanistll s I,aabLll SctcDa IIoteL. NoN.gians, Iillifinos, G
iboLrt former |ede.al Rcs.ne cliti.n,rn AlaD Greenspan who
A'nedcaDs. Irabs, Christians, NtusLjnis, clcancrs. di!lomats,
has a lr.rdy grudgirgl! a pologised for s la! ing haDdvoff tow.rds
soklieN, aid $'orkers nonc i{cre spared. CountcFterrorjsnl
the ba.king industn during his 18 )enr st.t{ardship of US th
efib s nrai have talter oLrl a tiw kc'l lead€rs and bmken apart a
nuletal] polic!an.l reli,sing to increase irte.esr rir.s to strl'e
f.$'net{o'ks bntthese l \.€ been llrrliic vic tories Thougli the
olTttre housing buirblc' fmnie a nd Frcddie bujltl' And $',r.aDnot FI
Jclraah lslalliahhasbeen split ap.lt. r.gionaL telrorism cverts
1..!'. ont uhllSlrcct$izards thal ilvcntcd derivatives (Wa e.
wa.D that ittust neans ih{t more splintctgr ps are oleraiiDg
BulLit dubbed Lhem terpors ol mass dcstNction ) and a Rr
independcntly. \\rithout tr grLidilg hcacl or ideologue
mind boggling concett calle.l sec!rjlisation thrt cnabled the
1o control them, the ncu,breed oftcr|orisLs ale to bu) ut said mo.lgagcs, bnndle the r logcthcr and sell them liz
fal nlore unplcdictirirle, r'anclom and thus, clcarJlr'. offfor a fortuDe to equallr- ofpoLlunistic iItrestoN. Likc nr drny -f
,dded bvbombrraknts Danurls and !rcpasaDda onliDe, Lhes. ordinaD Am.icans, linincial iDstitlrtio s lile 1ie l-chman
self trained snull celLs will nrtrlti ysuccesstuliy. Likc the fabled Brothe$ also spcnt i{ay belond thcir means lnd bo(owed l.o G(
Hldn, choppnrg onc lierd Lisonlt lcd to the s!.ou Ling of screral hcatily to sL,fpoft their risk! lilesqtcs. Sor,a, Go.don aleclo
more, multjplyingth. danser le.lold. rt grccd - it tLr'ns out -just isn t so good. {t

( ru r r "l 'l Fir.n.idl.risis, rllrAcn cRtrDIT / fi'rlr. fLia. 0.rr rp.onin]ons

]4 EROADIR PIRSPICTVIS thr q.nr rn rluidr issr(,

 6. Georgia
Invaded
ItI]IVARE TIIT BITE OF'I'HE BL{R.
uI It is still a mystcr-"- whether Russia or Gco|gia
at invacled SoLLtlt Ossetia tirst antl rvheLber thet'
L had been dclibcratel-"- plannitrg to go to tair all
rcc along. u/hat is clear is tliat both sides \rrc wcll'prepared for
a ftallight. Aftcr rnoDths of nutual lrovocation and rctrljxtion,
diplomacy did Dot scem to be r reaL option lbr eithcr side and
acc$rtions ol|einous humrn nshts viol.ttjons hale been lclcllcd
at both. Moscow has been palticlla v tutious rt NAt O-s pronrisc
ga in Al ril io giie nembership to Gcorgia, an.l suspicious oI
Ceoqiah closc nilitr]'a rel.rtionship $ith Amc cr. Wlien U.S.
trained Georyian forces launched a. aed.l and srourd rssaull
rds on Augusl Tth on solth ossetia's capiLal, l'sthinvali, it i{as all
US the exNse Russia nccdcd to follow suit, claiming it n.cded to
trctect her allies ]'h€ currcnt August ceasefire deal brokcrcd b,v
Frcnch president Sarlioz) is frasilc. Russia $'ilL not complerelt
$'ilhdr air itsiroops iiom lhe conllict a..as and has rlreadJ ofle.ed
RL6sian citizcnship to mo.e than half of South Ossetia s 7o,ooo
citizens. Destitc American :Lnd Ir.ench condcrnnation, XIosco\t
h ils"oll,i1 lt. i " (j' .rs,.-l \'i\ It.,
"8r "';i
-SoutllOssetia and Abkhazia - as iDdependent states and offcred
Ioi} fomal nilitar-! and diplomatic ties, .telibe.ately cballensnrg
Ceoryian prcsident Saalcsh\ili s .l.ctorai pronise to reunite the
rounLry. Do not |e too surprised if innoccnts are once nLore
mulhl betwccD the c.ossfire 01 ti{o nrighty anbitions. at
15 BRoAo[R PIRSPfOVtl t/t. vear
7. Asian Leaders
Bicker On
\\.Fry TH E Et JROPI]AN {NIoN CA\T S I'ILL RtrLAX.
2oo8 has been a mockery ofall that talk abort the diwn ofthc
Asian CcDtury ir 2ooo. Cambodia s Hun SeD declared that
lhailand should rehrquish ils chainnanship of Asean. And
despjteJapan s earlicrgcstues to soolhe China s t-orld war II
wounds, l okr-o sovonor Shnltaro Ishihara s(ill publicly mocked
Chjn{'s space p.ogrannnc as'out.lated'. ID the nidsL ofa major
lcadc.shi! c.isis, lhailand is conicDdiDs with Ca bodia, B nna
andMalaysir orer border issLtes. Foqt years since th€ir pain lul
sepantion, Malalsia is stjll con LesLing thc \Votld Court s decision
to i$'ard Singapo.c riglits to Pedra llranca, an insignificant little
rock outc.op. I ndoncsia an.l xklaysia har e even squabblcd ove.
the coplrjithl ofbatik, shadoi! puppetry and thc song "Rasa
sarang". A,sloDg as AsiaD leilders remain unwilling
to risli tbeit domestic populali\' by mal<ing hard
nosed political ciecisio s that ale frcc oflistoi ical
ancl cullrrlal baggagc, the drearn of seeilg zr
unificdAsian political and economic bloc to rival
the Erropear Union ancl countet U.S. influcnce
still seem lar at'a-v. rlioush AS uAN h.s long pushed the
.i.ean o{ an Asian Union, its hands-ofl nyle limits its clTcctitcncss
(as we have seen tohm. eMvanmar's iLnrta) and
in its inabilit]
\ill.nsure tlut suspicioo and nationalism ltill continue to divide
ir rfl)t1r tsskl
 B. Death of the NPT
INDIA (]OES NUCI,EAR.
PAKISTAI.- (IOES RALLISTIC.
'Il.re iandnuli US-India nudear pact l'as linally
signcd, r'emoring the final lcgislative hutdlc tbr
resumption ofcivilian mtclear Lrade bctl'een lhe
tlro collntrics {fier thilty J'cars. Not clcrtbody is
happy: some s.. the paci as lhe dcath kDell fb.lhe nrrl.'-N.n
Ituliferation Trcatr (NPT). Atim all, r'hat is Lhe point ofthe
NPT wlien it aDDlics oDlyto sone nuclcar poweN.at|ctthaD
all? Pakistan is reseniful about the excDrltion ertended by
\\rasiinstoD to its arch val, dcnaDdhf, a snnilatci\ilim uclear
agreenent. Pakistan will uotgo down with a fight, having been
locked in hostilities wilh lndia for more than six dccades and
hNiDg cnried out tit-for tit n uc]car detomtions ii 1998. Though
Indir and Pakistanbegan pence talks in 2oo.+, Lhis II s -Indian
nuclcar cleaL hns bccn a sou.ce olitro\iDs tension. Was|nrstotl
argucs that Pxkistan lacks tlie sa e encrgy requirelnents as
lndia lvho is rapidly expandins and induslrirlisiDs itself.Ilost
feel that Pakistan is beinit |enncd jn because il holds the Dene
mcliing titlc of being the world's only nuclear amcd ishnic
nation whosetop atinnic scjenList Dr. ,!Q. ICran has confessed
to running an intematidul black nrarlct sc'lling its aiomjc s.crets
to rogue mtions likeLan, Libta and North Krrea. r'hough KhaD
has bcc. kept underhousc aDest erer sincc his official pardoD
in 2lro:1, Pakistan has doggedl! t!ftrsed all intemati.rnal rlLempts
to gain a.ccss tohim. (t
\1,t-..a|,n| t \1-Jtn J t\
l6 BR0ADfR PfRSPttTlVtS
9. Religious Persecution
in Orissa
'l
AND THE S-{INTS (;O SUFFTRINC ON.
(Jlissil's historl.has been long steeped iu llintlu I
srspicions over tnissionarv t'ork particularll"
aruong lhe Dalit lorver castcs bul it has ncver b
fr
devolved inLo violcncre until thc rccent surge in
c
Hindu nationalism. Hindu hardliDcrs have rccused
ChrisriaD missionary groDps of using lbrcc or briber) to g€L p
lliDdus to conlert, elcol,taging Dxlits to overstep rhcir rights,
and hence insultiDs Hinduisu. Thcsc tensioDs have snrcc boiled
o\cr nrto a hor lying arra) of ai l acks cvcr since the murder of
Swami Laxsmananda Sa.rswati, a farticularly vocal anti
Christian IIiDdu leadcr. The hardliners have condenred Ir
Ch ristians for the crime as t{ell as for eight carlicr assassination
atlempts on the Swami s life. Ch.jstians hale bc.D beaten up,
burnl alive or hacked to death. Churches, homes and prayer
halls ha!€ be€D razed to the sround. Thousands have sousht
rctuge in governrncnt camps. And strangcly enough- the Orissa
govcrDnent have stood b) literall! eithcrin silent aPproval ot
vicious encourigerncDt. Most recenlly, aD Indian Calholic nun h
{as\iciousty aliacked, gaDS-.aped and lorced to pamde doM
the shcct half naked by a nob of5(J Hindus all this in the fl
presencc of x dozen sullen oissa policenen. Sorne Orissa h
nee.spnpe$ have even stated baldli that tlie Christians in\ited
these attac.ls nl)on themselles. No rondcr that VrticaD City has ir
stelped ir to ur€c the nU to deal sith thc sjtuation. (t
/,r{ien.nmrrdn,IM GEcRnDn/rrrdzimnenrar,!li.k, crernrecomtClik
tI! redrilr ro,pLU issre
 to. Congo's
Quagmire

LI ll is ir lrelthcrl \lo!.. .\1r'i(l is rill '.oo 1;rnilirLl

! 1\illr. L L,r,r r.,r,rr. Ltr" ,rirbiLrL]ra g,trr'ri,ie,rt,)r( !,go leit
h hf:jfun Krl)ih. Lr lhc oir|ositt courr. r mightl lirtsi rrhci
f.rcc l{i l)r crncrrl \lnunlr rlaiDiDg thc ncd to fhtcct Jl !4ini a'lel!!!oia
ll
lon!.irsc luisrs trom thr srDrc IIutr milrtirs thrt lfurr
rd
irstlnsil,l. r th. r,),)+ R(rndrn gd..j(lLi. On tlr.l|irgr. thr ii! li ilr tii dil;
|. lLLt(l :.\Lr.fr.iol RnrndN,sL,spL!1.il.l r,nri.g tht,.|.1s,
, id il'. u.\t i..r{ nii .l c,igl,LiLi,,r(l ZlitbiLhtrr. \Listrl l.l ,i1

Li{iiri lirLiila O,, 1 ,i ! r e. suilt ,irLrleri \!r!ltrr rrrtio!s rl!)

nrrxdi r l)linl c\c brlare lo thc RfrnlLrn ircn!( c rnd hxrr
i
dr\ i$t ltN|tc,t n) ifnd !r (ti|lomats tr j bn,licr r |Q(c !{rrmrnt.
hth. brrlilnrnrl..n r.rbitions chinr Insns thr cting.l.n,
gd.rrEni t,) r...tt r ri5 lnllit)n rlLll thirl \!jll girri (..g. r
nlhirhrN trIil, ill.rlrgahin.!. riL.rL1li1,L,t1ir,(*s
rNil\.r,
t,rCon3!s,i,,r rL,,lrr. L)l)r I ll), brLl,,,i6r,rl I!ltrir li)l
(; )l!!$ rnf ht) tolr|. ,\ul (x!3hl in t|r nridd Ic. un lo{Lunltlr . t !! i! L:,Irri ttr i1-;

d0r!r: oithoui.rts ofr!r' h.d1 (ontolcsc r.ligr.s r!d thc

nrrtcq[ otl .i (ir)mr r criti.r] strging gnurd tirr mn.h /i\aE.f!ttj$tj2
h noritrnr. wr.k r.d rn d.N!h( l.ul lr.N.f(N..lLL)ring .,,ffdi.d:lxiirrnkrt{n
i,r Sirt th. ft[goL.n ..nl]i{1 ht gNn l. rlx)S, lh. bo(| (.Linl
rlff r i ,., L.,l rNrLs.s { iL.. irir .rLli Lj,)iL i,rlL rLiiriLstl
hA dif,i)el t1, a sl,oitlr! 'l 9 r,illlof nrrl,iDl it llir trodrl s
no:t leth.l orllirl .itrcc \\j(!ld \!rr 11 \\:ilhout lorrigD
iDtoldrti.r. f.n!o r illnn fh slurliirth.r do !intL)Lrh.dt

filirri (,
i'r
'rit' r\1,\(;lrrRlltrr,.rL rnr iif.ha:fnrfali,Li, l

/ l]ll0iDtll Pl15Pttf:ir5 rl,r ,(r iJ, f, r'ill, i\s,,,

 SYMBOLIC SINGAPOI
WE I-OSI A GREAI OPPOSITION PARIY MtMBtR, A FUGITIVE, A WHOLE I-OT OI RITIREI NISI EGGS AND)

OVER IHE HUMAN ORGAN TRADI AND MIGRANI WORKER ISSUES. AND YES, WE GOT HIGH ONOOI

t. The Great Escape

'IHE ONE TI{AT GOT AWAY.

iDcc his escapefro the Ulhitl.y Road Detention had no grills du. to a nisu de.slanding bctwecn the c€ntre s
C.ntrc in Febnury, Sj.gapore Jenraah IslaDri l (,II) ad riiishatorsandthcrenovatLoncont.a.tor. Instcadtheivnldow
leaderMrs Sclamxt L.tstr.i hxs become SiIga!orc's handle had Inercl) bccD sarved off liron thesindorr. Mas Selamrt
n1ostwanted DcNon. Despite a nassile manhLtnt and w$ believed to have dcsccDdcd f.om a water pi1)e, thcn run 2(l
rr,. .rir 'i, .r. lLp ,l, " lrnn s.. l r rn.'r1 " l, r. . Drctrcstillhe reached a point shcrc the iurer rnd outer Fdmct.r
Ienccs conle.sed $.ith {n en.loscd staircase aDd walkwa!. Onc€
orerth. ouier feDce he {.,uld be on thc fal-Island rix!ress\tai.
Or 27l.ebruar,1 2oo8. at about 3.54p r, X{lrs S.laDrat cnteredthe
toilet cubicle lo s|av. aDd fresheD up for iris weetly familr fisit. Ihe escape and norc'cilicrll!, the revelation of horr it happeDed.
He ciosed the door, Uipped his pants over it, and tu.ed oD thc tap irave sedoush damascd the reputation ofthc crstwlile nrfallible
r{hilca Gurkhr grard stood watch at the door. lvhe he hiled to and efficient lite ral Sc.u ll
Deputment Home AilaiN Ministcr
emerg. aftcr sclerd nniutes, lhe suard bccaDre concerned and WoDg KaD seDg admitled thrt thc hnman and physical lapses in
ale ed |is fcllow curkha, \!ho inlornred thc sfccial Du\' ope.ative. th. ccntrc were "so si ple rs to appear silly and i credible . 'Ilre
Th€ ollcer. beinsf.nalc, called on a ntale assistant casc officerto lnabili$ of thc intemal secL, r'itl hrccs to loc{te X{as Selamal li rther
ihciine tliis officer laclcd op.D the door
checkon Nlas Selanrat. Bi bruLlghl th.n
competeDcejnto quesLion. Dcspite rnobilisiDg NnlioDal
at4.o5pm, eLeren mirmtes lrin tcs lrter, Xlas SelarDatwas gone. Sen icemen. policcm.D rDd th€ public at large 1d conducting one
ofthe largest man|trnts iD singrporek reccnt history, inlolvirg
A rcDolt bvth. Comrnission ol I nquirt rclcascd iti ,\pril elabo rated roadbloclts, nrLeosile chccks at imnigratjon c|.ckpoiDts, finc
o howllas Sclamat could h.we escaped. It was belieled thal Ilas cornbing of the e,ooded ar.as arornd dre detenLiorr cen e and
Sela at climbcd onto a lediie, prshed opcn a rcntilntion wirdoN puttiDg up posters otXlas Sclamaton buses, tr.rnN and co1lee shops,
and squeezed lhrcugh thc 7() cm bI55 c otening. Thc i{indoi! Nlas S.hmai siill evaded r€capturc.

18 BR0AUIR PlRSPlatWS r/r4,1,r t, r.fnar Nsxe

RE ENTS OF 2OO8
YEI ANOTI|TR BIG NAME IN THE WORLD OF GLAMOUROUS (HARIIABI-T ORGANISAIIONS.
IYlt4PI( DRIAMS, IAST (ARS AND HOPTS OF
SiDgaporc.ns anl XtPs wercciti.alol lhe $'ar ir r\'hich tbe search
oFratio. was conductcd, ar.rc o( casioD for a Scnoellr acquiesccnt
a.d apatheLic popnlation.cJitjcisn cam. in th. lbrm ofLetters to
newspaper foNn fages and elel toilct jokes circuiating oD tIe
lnterDet tliat scr\'€d as subtlc'but slrarf jib€s at the go!.rD enl.
Nal11 Singaporeans were shockcd at the carelessness t|at resulLed
D th. .sc.pe especialh gircn thc lrigh leyel of pnbli. lrlrst il the
policc rnd securitv forccs. and their reputrtion for belng super-
cfii.ien( and relirbl.. This i.cident serlcd rs r {ake up call for
j r ., .
". . , ,r \..,r..t .r Lair ju.-...
There i{xs also e\LeDsire criticisnr ol hoi! irfonnatio. \!ds
oonDnmicrtcd lo the prblic. ccnoall!, inLnnatidr I'rs rccetred
tooljttl. and 1oo late the pullic i{rs on lv nifonncd of II.s SelalLat's
disapFamnce lour liori$ attcr it occurred, losnrg v.lL, able tirne i!
nhich tlLe !ublic corld hale poteDtially hclfed irt derecting thc
escal,ee. SubscqncDt inlbrna D wrs rcl.ased h rehctant dribs
and dmbs. For cxanllt€- it $'as iDitilllyannounred thrt IIas Scla at
i!. led nith a limp. Iio$.e1er. sclcral dals later it $'as rnnoLi.ced
thathcoDlvlinrped $'heD lic mn. Onl! or the 19th dat ol lhe hunt
did lhc go!(,'lj nieDi re!€al t|at \,lns Selamat had a nrole utrder liis
cvc.l.ac,nrg frll al.l accurate in tbnuti{m, it $'as rhus dillicultfor
Si'rgaporeans to aid nr the orilhult.
Bl, ]\pdl. thc lik.l ihood of Mrs S.lamat-s recaphtrc grci{ slim. t he
spotliglrt now h, dred lo governD.nt a..ou tabiljn and irtro should
be hcld rcstons ible lor the .sc!pc. Alt ho! gh guiln of conr 0hcencl.
19 ER0ADIR PIRSPIUVIS //,r
WI DEBAITD
MORI FRIEDOM OF TXPRESSION. BY STIPHANIE HO
t|c Cor. nr itt€e of lDq irl had besicallv exoDeratcd thc gover nent
fiom blarne. Butthcrc$'as u n halpiress ov.r this decision, and the
public ralled for someone lo trlte resronsjbililv lbr this seids
nist{k.. Tlrc issue ras brought to lr ianrent bJ- opposition I'lP
LowTlria Kirng. He aryued that as Xfinisterl srhries $,.rc pesged
to trivrt. s€ctor strndakls, thcv should be mbject to corpol?re
rro d noln]s \!lierc'should anihinggo ilroDs 'h.ads $ould rcII".
H. queslioDed i{h! this s'rs not |appening in this situaLioD. Tlis
rrgu rent stNck r clo $ith maDy Singapor.ans rvho \!ere still
r., seething ologolemmert Niristc'd rc.cnl pa! rise despitc Druc|
public ofpos il i,nr lhn)' Silgaporcans beli€v€d that sircc ihcy we.e
$ $cll t.id. Nlinisters sirould bc nr.rc nccount:Lbleforth.if actions.
P mc X{inisLer Lee Hsicn Loong sLetped iDto th. dcbate arguing
againsl n \!itch li Dt" and s!ggesting snch actions lvould be rt
-c.s\'wa! out tliltNould.ot sohe the fllndamcrtal problen
but
li,rllier dennrmlis. lhe ciyil senice.
Ithxsbc.n ore tlrrn 8 moDthssince the escrpe aDd Mas S,rla ar
rcDuirN rl lnJle. ]lthough th. gorernrent has vigo.orsb delended
its fosllj.n, this j.cid.Dt lnought jnto shrrp focus the lacr rhat all
is rot lppcars.ItIrs nle.ted Sinsrtorcans ro lhe dangerof
$,t,at it
co.rdaceDcl aDd fallibillt! .rithe sovcmm.D rlich perhaps calls
llr greatcr ind.ferd€nL oversjght and nroni(oring. On { fositive
note. SiDgaporca.s have becomc morc $illing to \oice tlrcif ofnrions
and ast qu.sljolr in o crto hold Lhe government accorn Lable ior
jts actlon represeDtilg sicfs toNards beirg { nbrc iDibrm€d and
t.rticipalo.! citizenN. rt
vfdr ir rrl'a,r iss,(,
 z. National Day Rally 2oo8
PO\['ER TO THI' P!]OPLE?
n the National Day Rally, PM Lee Hsien Loong
announced a seri€s of measurcs that sisnalled a
libemlising ofSingapore societ] and wide ns of
space for public expression and paticipatioD.
There was to be an easing ofthe ban on public
demonsimtioDs such that demonstrations will be
atlowed in the Speaker's corner in Hons Lnn Park as long as
they do not touch on the issues of race. languaSe or religion. In
addition, recosnisins the pervasiveness of film and video on the
Intemel. the Pdme Minister dgreed that political films cspecialll'
factual footase, documentanes, recordings of live events' wiil
be allowed as well as political podcasts and vodcasts.
While ihese moves app€ar to be steps towards greater political
participation in the citizenry, exactly how significart are they?
On paper these arc lddmark changes as they ovclturn e{sting
laws that ban any fom of public denonstration and political
film and broadcast- Yct in rcality, these nelt rules have Dot yet
brousht about major chanse. on most days l:long Lim Park
continues to be peacetul. sleepy placc $nth a distinct absence
a what the PM has promised.
ofpeople let alone p.oiestors. Independent filmnakers have
not rushedio submit their political lilms for afproval.In fact,
s€veral "political filns" which have been banned such as Malt'iD
Sees docunentaries, SingdporeRebel, which explores thc civil
disobedience of Cbee Soon JuaD. and Zaharj's rZ sears, a
docunentar/ of Said Zahari's political detention, have been
widely viewed on tlie Internei through thc web-shadng website
YouTube. Opposition padies or individuals have yet to test the
rules on poliiical podcasts orvodcasls.
Nationoi DdU Rdllv 2ooa, nL{GE CREDIT / screenshob from hr broadra$
?ll Ei0ADFR PIRSPIOIVIs
Sone civil sociev activists generally arsue that these rules do
not go far enough. Although demonstrations are allowed, tiey
are limired to one obscrre veme, restricted only to Singapore
citizens and issues ofEce, tansuase or.eligion still remain out
ofbounds. Activists arsue that if the sove.nment was sinccrc
in giviry singaporeans a greater say n1 political matters, it would
allow public demonstrations in any sitc nr the city as long as
they do noi obstr ct traffic or inconvenicnce residents.
lhF I r.ei ore- hhr rs JIo E n"l J.lo$ed d 'o -c ndr , \asuF.
allowing the go\€rnment to have the final say. For examplc, PM
Lee had said that political filns sucli as documentaries and
recod footase rvould be allowed brt not "made up stuf or
.pat1isan siuff', yet it k inevitable ihat any good film has a
certain point ofview 6 Do filn1 is completely objcciive or neutral.
A-lthough the subjectivity may not come across in drc commentry
in th€ film, it is inherent in the director's choice of subject,
editing and thelike. A fine line separates objective and Fttisan
political documenrary and vasue rules reflect lirtle change li on
It is still too early to make a final call on these
nreJsllr's. There i5 r'oom for fur'lhrr expan:ion
ofpolitical OB ma|kers and delinition ofthese
regulations such that thcy do indeed make a
differencc and enable greater political
paticipation by the pcople..t
th. p.i n1r.Dieu issue
 3. J.B. Jeyaretnam Passes On
( ]OO I ) II I-F,- .IB,I. Y()U WILL ItE N'ISStrI).

e wasn'l gi!c! a statc fuDeral b!l Joshua
Benjanrin Jer',r.tnarn, p{rpularlv ftnown bv
his idtirlsJBJ, was a political oldsuardin his
osn ght, {lbeil ore on t|. optosite side ol
He clid Dot fight against
the rracks.
thc conlrnu[ists Do| clir] he leird Llie countn to
rrdel', n'1, r'.. lI.rer,l. lri. ', ":r'' 'rr. itr
breaiiing thc PAP'S llrollopoly ovcl political
porvcl by beirg lhe lilst opposition XllP to bc
electecl into Parliarne|iL aud thus operring, the
cloor, ever so sliglrtll', for politir:al liberalisation.
JBJ, thcn r dist.icl cou.t judsc, j onied poLitics in r 971 fiNt
lhe National Pafty olSingaporc andlater, the WorkerJ
AJ|€r ten \€ars ofcrDpaigning, JBJ finally entered Pa.liament
rn.eor ) s i , , , g .lr' !..ur, L') 'lF-i^, H t rirp
Ior i.'
golernnent \ras not oniv cha cteriscd by ligorous
la idmeDta$ debntesbutbl Duniercus court bnltlcsrYith Pr\?
bisrigs.Ir 1986 JBJ lost his Parliamentary seal when hc i{as
lnund of nuking a lalse dcclaratioD ofthe ulorlter's Paln
suilll
accounts. Hc re-entered Pa.liam.nt iD 1997 only to delal.i in
2oor whe. he Ms dcclrred a baDltupt. Hc lcft the h"orliers
lrtythat sa eyearbccausc of internal d isaB.crncnts. Despite
his adrtrsities:tr1d {ailures, ,IB,I peNevered in hjs political caree.,
edriDg thc epithet olbeing a doggcd fighter.
,\t age 82 wheD Drost of his conteniporari.s i{ere eDiolnrg
retireneDt, JllJ $as still fractisingla$ and lursuinghis politiud
ambitions. Ile h.rd jusl fonncd the Refoml Pa.ty sith his idedlism
intact. Atthe inaugu.al d irnrcr h. urged sirgaporcans to cast
of th€ shrmbcr into i{lich irto fo. the last
J-ou havc bccn led
ro tears. Wal. uf io your.ighLs as a humaD beirg, to yoLlr
prope. role as citizcns oftliis counlry-' .
-o.tJ.igr'c.:r'
\\ I ri"Ljrr'rur'ru5.t "ria .ci rs /ra,
folitical act{rr who had corsist.ntly served as a ba$ in thc
llesh of thc P,\P". llis suplori.rs adnired his coumge and
conmitment to his ideals ev€n at considoablc self-sacrifice. lo
then, he was a Dalid coDstrntlr throwing ston.s at the PAP
Goliath, rDd recening th. ftll bmnt oJ Lh e nrassilc P Parsenai
aith in rctuu. Ilis detractors, ho$'ever, felt thal he was foliticrll]
Paftl. naivc and oter jlealisli. which resulted h him i{asiing his
Dolitical opportunities. ln,rdditio., his coDfrontational stylc
has been criticiscd bv the mainstrcam me.lia as beinil
''uncoDstruclive'. Nc!crtheless, bis fighting spi t and
commihnent to hisbelicfs have never been in doubt.
A hrck after his death, a vigil ltas held iD liong Lim Park io
remembcr JBJ. The elent saw a gathcriDg of 2oo people $'|o
lit candles. nrotc Nords ofcondolenc. and paidtribute to the
nun. Anongsl i|.n $'crc nany yornil peoplc rvho promised
to rcmemberJBJ and.ontinuchis Legacy. (t

Me $tial ta J &t at t k,1q L I Prtr i, I\IAGI CREDIT / lhoiope, liered, Ih.b .ratir com',ors

?l 8R0A0[R P[R5PiO Vt5 i/t.] v.tr h rert.ur issrr

 \,9
ll\
$ii
4. Serangoon
Gardens'Dispute
NO MIGRANTS PI-I'ASE,IVE ARE SINGAI'OREAN.
Irew rcsidenrs of SeranCoon GardeDs lvelcomcd the news that ihe
old Semnsoon Gardens Technical School $ oLtld be converted into
dormitory for an estimated !5oo forcigr n'orkers Criticisms
a
rampart: the foreigners would worseD congestion nr the alrcadv
oowded estate, o!€rrun the park and buses, and briDg a host of
socialprcblens. The eklerb'l'ol d be abused, nuids and children
woLrldbe hanassed ard dr nkcn carcushs would abound (And
let s not foryet how real estrte prices ltolrld be de\dued eventualiv )
But.Lespitc fop!]ar stercol,r"es that forcigners are dift\', ro$d)"
clarse and cdrnnialy nnrdcd, Police records sho'! thc tnth: the
cirne rate among foreign $'orkers is lower than that of the
Singaporcan population al la€e. Given thai mdiv lbreign leorkers
come to Sjngapore, ofteD at great peNol1al sacnfice, to eam a lifiru,
few rlould jeopardise thejr livclihood bv breaking laws ard
committing crinies. Despite a petition of over r,.1oo sigMtures, dre
golerment announced in October that the dorm Norld p.oceed
as pldned albeii $'ith concqssions Drade iD response to rcsidents
conc€rns about noise dil The numbcrs of tbrcign
seci'rjry.
workers are erpected to peak at close to one million
within a few years and with scarce land, this will
iust be the first of many future efforrs to house ald
integrate them. It is lorcisD $orkers 'i'ho arc doins the harcL
md dnv wo* that allo\s ou. nation to keep iTo$'iDg econornic2llv
Tliis fact alone ought io tell us trtEi to do with ou. Prejodiccs at
22 BROADtR PtRSPttTIV[S
5. Singapore Fr
Grand Prix
R.{CE T'O BN THB MOST EXCITING ASIAN CI'TY.
Thc nation's most talked about spofis elent, the
Fr Singapore circuit u'as groundbreaking fbr two
En
main reasons: it was the first street circuit in Asia
and the first night race in F1 history. rhe choice of
havins a sireet circuit res obvious in sPace scarce SingaPore [A
purpose built circuit wil onl\, be comPleted in 2o1o.) tsDt ihis
option hasbcera boon,tur ng Singapo.e into a 'xlonaco of the
East" uith fast caN flashiDs sexiLy past historic buildinss such as
tbe old Citv Hall aDd modem icoN lil(e thc Esplanade. Tining the
race at Dighi wrs also a strategic choice to rnakc lising mnvenient
fo. Euroirean riewc$ in ditrercDttine zonc Fo. thal, a siate-of
a
the art {stem was b!i]t to deliver optinial lisibi}it} for night mce
conditions, lighting thc circlit tbur tnnes brjghtcr thm the lights
at sports stadiluns. The multi-million dolar lomrula l enteryrisc
js a far c,r- lrorn the arnual Sinsapore Crand Pri{ of thc 196os and
7os and the Snrdlcl Fl Grard Pri\ is enrnrarked by the SinsaPorc
Torrisrn Board's {STB) 6 tn iconic erenl atructi\e €nough io lure
tou.ists to our snlall isl al. was it a success? Depends on s'ho vou
ask. The sold-out elent attricted more than 1oo,o.ro oD site
spectators and millions of orerseas F1 fans who watched the live
broadcast. t]lc main Loserc? Residents iDconvenienccd due tothc
e$ended .c,ad closures as well as rcstaumrts aLld shops near the
rt
circuit who saw an ovet all slow dor$ in busnress
l
tl. !cdr in ruiricr,6s!e
 72

6. The Singapore Flyer 7. OlyrnpicVictories

\tH0 \\'A 'ls t'o PLAY\{rrF.l].T. o] r,oRl rr\Fr'? IIIG DIiLANIS DO (]O}I1I TRIII].

The Snrgll)orc fl\rr olrned i. Nj arch this \ear as the Nn ld s t.llcst r.\.eJr Singrpo.eatr kDo$'s dr. tircd old rcf|ain the ln\t tine
obscn ntion !rh...]. ADpJorirnateh dre height of a 42 siorq buil.liig. SnrEarrore lifted r m..tal \!s iD r!60 idren lan lro$,e LiaDgwo!
tbcnl'.ris 30nr higl)€r tlun tlie pot larLondon E].r]rrl na{ed a silverh i{tishtliftDrg. Hcne.2m8.r.rn$ a! unbelieQblc'rcar
r. .l-l a'r'r"\'. i,,' ..:l fd Singrporc sforts.Ih. {onreris lable tennis team $or r sili.r
arlurd the lrorld. Dcspii. th. f.ntrn . lh€ liher receiyed nixe.l Drcdal al t|e B€iiing sunner Ollrfic cam.s. Snrglpor.w.s also
rc\ic$s. Fc$'pcoplc iv.rc wo\led br Lhe steep picc tag of s:9.9o .hosen.rs the citl to hostth. iDatrgurrlYouth Olv.)picCa resiD
n[ r.irai n'as csscniiall) a 30 ]liiNle lerris \lirccl dc. \Vith rn 2o'o rD eyent thrt ilill cnhancc Singapor. s fubU( !rcfile,
oitrall dro! nr nali,Inl to!dsl numbe$, lrnc olt|c l.lril,rnd enourage great.r iDtcnst in stoas nr l|e naLjo! and boost tdlisn
r.statrranl leninLs at the |her ilcrc n.goti.ring rrts ilith rnd commcrcc. Snrgrtorc riso wo. its li$t ever gold, sih er and
tranage rert b] June bccaus. ofslonlusirFss. Surprisxrgl). it br)m nrcd.ls .t t|. Pa.alvnrlics. SLill, despite the i)biious .Vlosio.
ilxs feng shui nusters iviro wcrc rcs|onslble lbr changiDg the ofD.tionrl tld€. thek have been mnLtiDgs ofdiscoDt..t. [1a.r
{1, r ll l r.ll t. , ,.1, ,rl,.. lr , r.' \ i Singapo,eaiN i{ere coDscnrus that thc Olmti. siher ras \!o! br
in lh. NloDg dir..tion: br risinjl to frce the lusiD.ss c.ntr'. a.d .iorcilD
laleDts srecirllr rccmit.d to h.lD SinAaDoJr wh llie .iedal
goirgdoM on Llreolhe.si(le overlooking dlc scn and tlr..irslelJr .rtherthan "hom. g(xur" Snrg.torcans. l. lict,l.eng Tian 11'-ci

farlollheisland, tlretrl)erwasluningitsba.h on l|. ll.arcial who won thc citic.lmrt..|es lhal selurel the medal onll bccaDrc
dislridard laliiDg loltue ri{a! frnn SirgapnJ ln rsponse, a Sirgaporc citiz.n nr ,lanuaJt zoo8. llere hd dso bccn conh o\cr sr,

na rgemetrt reconfignrcd thc \'Ic.] as sogiteslel. $,lile makjns alont t|.\?st Ioequilil! irr rewr s dispeDscd b! tlc Snrga porc
enhancemcnts such as nNtrlliru ro fu\ses iI the capsulcs i{r htlf N.tloi'al Ohmpic Council: for $'nmnrg a itold. Si.gaporeaD
visiloN oricntatc t|crns( l\ €s, and a new visinrs c.!tr. B! Aug!(, Panlynpiln Yit Pnr Xtu goi $r()o,ooo as comp.t.e.l to the $1
thc fl\.rw.lco.r€d its r,ooo,ooo \isin)r and thc goal o1 2.5 .riLlio millior sh. might halc gotIcn iI she {as a riormal' OllrpiaD.
of:oo8 finallrlooks rosslble. The Fl-!-er''s
risitors b\ the end ID contrrst, thc Chi.a lnr OLrnipia! laddlers got s75o,ooo.ach

lalLre iis itlanclnalk attraction is still rqt for cJcbatc forth.irsjher.red.n\!iD BLrL ciespite all thc coutlovetsy,
but will probablf implove lith thc clo'clopment a spolling r:areer is lookilg more like a viable r,a1.
ol lheX{alina Ba).alca. r'lleo }.questii'r thxt rcmaiN is of litc in olelll' placlictl Sirrgaporc. I(cc1t an ele
Io\'loDs it crn lteer its title of $ukl s trll{.st obs.^alio. out li)r LondoD 2012.4t
vl..l It
t
Ni,rlrJltla.jr!nnv.rr.,r,rt/,InrAcEcRrir)rr'/r,rrrlnn,,rricltrIrrtnr a)/r,rti.! i,r. rrr^crj cruiDr'r'/ 5u.r.n ( r trrfi.ni11 r.rL,tr!

23 BR0ADtR PlflSPttTVtS th.,.rtitr* .r i\stn

B. The Tang
Wee Sung Case
FOR SALn: ONE SECOND-IL{ND IJDNEY.
In :ro08, Tang Wce sung bccane lhc fiNt Singaforean to be
charged in court ior tr,\ing io buy I kidncvf.ou a li\iDg donor
lor $3oo,ooo. Pl€nding guilly and rslting for leni.Dcv. Tang
claimed he was driaen by"pu.e desperalion'as lie sitffcred nol
o lv fron end-stage rcDal failurc but also othe. ncdicil
conplications such as diabctes and.oronalr' artcla diseasc lle
was finally sentenced lo oDe-d.q iail arct fincd $17,ooo ,\t
presenL, thcre are about 6l:)() SiDgaporeans thal rcquire kidncv
transplants but the alerrge saitiDg timc is 9 veaN lt is no
wondcr thal many people resort to desperatt measures like
acquirinso.gans throush the blac market orsoins abroadfor
o.gan ftansplants. If,galising orgalr h adiDg is sccn as a practictl
but touchr- soLu lion. r\ctressAldrea dc Cruz *']]o rvas sav'd b)
a ki.liev tlanspla nt from her husband sloke oot in $pport of
lesalisation as di.i
shockingl) I'Ifiister of Health Khan'Boon
Wan himself. Still. ihe locrl medical colnmuDitv is r.sistarl.
a.guing that therc isjust too nNch Dotctltial lbr tlre rhusc oftlie
poo. and defencelcss. Dono$ do pul thcmseLves atgrcltterhcalth
But the grcatest "ic]<
risk iD sivins away thcir.rrgans
lhctor" is knorving tltis: that a lcgalisccl olgan
trade leprescnts thc ultinale consLtmcrisL
attitu('le where Plncticalll rothing is be1'ond thc
purchase ofrnortel cven thc saclcclness ofthe
bocly ancl all ils pails. (t
24 ER0ADIR PIRSPEOIVIS
9. The Fall of
Shi Ming Yi
THE NEXT I.T. DURAI?
Thc face ofth. Ren Ci Hospjt,rl, VeDerabl. MiDg $. $'as beloved
lbrhis chi.itable$oJts aDd his dcath del]ing stuuls in Ren Cis
ar,rual tele\is.d flit1dr.tis.rs thal hrlc made Rcn ci Hovital the
second laryesL chadt] h Singrpore ButMingYi's life hasbcen
.tosged by n rours of a ict settirs lifest)le and t $ro,ooo
monthly salan lh.t clashed $ith the humble li li pcoPle exrcct
fron r delout Buddhist nio.t. Late 2oo7. Rer Ci Hospilalhad
alrca.ly conrc under a gore rmcnt !.ob. over accounLing
ir.egrladljes. B) 2oo8, NlingYi$'as aslied to step dowD as C]jO
of Ren Ci- abbot of |oo Hai Ch an montslcrv rnd tlc other
ereculivc fositions he held in larious tcnples nr Singrporc and
Hong l(oDg. h JLrly.tlie nonkwas offici.nl) (hargcd hcourtoD
tcD cou n ts iDcluding dcfi aud ilg the chei!, . forgerl ard h ehnrg
tofalsifi its accou l s. Hc Nus ako rccused of forging docu 'ents
to clicat auditors and gnjng false informalion to the
Co rmissioner ofCharilics. To nrakc thi gsNorse his f{rner
personsl assistant s'ith hom he slav.d occasioDall in a HolhDd
R,.n,^,d.nr,.,, \.. k-8.'l c ' rr lJr I' rP rp'r'' J'r
ol la4,e nunber ofobscelre lideo tapes. Shi lias v.t to be lbtrnd
a
guilq but this news cones hot oD the he.ls oI th. 2oo5 high
profilc dolvnfall ol l.T. Durai, CIO of ih. Nationa] Kidn'v
Fonn.larioD rNKFl. Shi s Lt agic lall has otlly fulthcr
clarnpcnecl public coltlicicnce in Ieligiotrs
orglrlisatio s ancl lheir lrse of ptrlllic funds rr
ilr. v.d. ii r.ui?t iss!.
 ro. The MiniBonds
Crash
trIINT BONDS. NtrAJOR DISASTDR.

The bankNptcy of US investnent baDk, Lehman Brothers, in

Septembcr had serious repercnssiois for the ro,ooo or so
Singapo.ears irho invested nr rninibonds or st cturcd financial
prcducts associated wilh thebank. Entire n€st e€gs halc al.cady
been lost to the shock ol man! relirees who tmsted the
local baDk $'hich asstr.ed their clients that these werelow dsk
iN€stnents aDd safe as a fixe.l deposit acc.runt. The failure ol
the bant's financial adlisoN to infom their clients about the
aclual risk and comflexitt of such iDvcstrncnts aroused nuch
purlic anser. With thc govelnment keeping
silenl on the issue, ground up initiativcs havc
flourishetl. t,o.mer rq t uC hcome CEO, TaD Kin l.ian startcd
ano nie petition signed bt rore than 9oo jnvestors asking the
ILdS to jnvestigate the enent of \[ong doing comnitted by the
financial institutions ir
the creaii{D aDd niarketing ofthese
products. Foronce, Speaker's Comcr $€s fillcd \trcn nr october,
Tan and over r,ooo inlestors gathered to explorc options and
|remes to heLp the r get back sone of their inveshncnts.
Ma1'bark,IIong Leong |inance and DilS ha!€ said llrat they nill
compensate investors aged ove. 62 and who hale less than a
prinaryschool education. The ninibonds cisis liishlishts tlie
needfor bettcr financial cducatioD here aDd is a pahful
demoNtration of just howvulnerable the Norld's most globaliscd
economvis.r'
L
Prole.tdrHong l,in Parlr,IMAGE CREDIT/ scrccn crptutu fron thr onlineciiizsnonYontube

25 ER0ADIR P[RSP[[T|V[S iftcaledrfi redeu 6sre

V_
/( lD)
))D
MOST POWERI'UL COMPANY OF 2OO8:
Google
ince iLs inception as a publicly held compaDy
Google has transformed the entirc business
stratosphere ofshat it means to be a succ.ssful
corpo tion, growing faster than iPhone proliferation
You knowl'ou
arnongst ihe fashionable vouth.
have tapped into thc zeitgeist of an age when you
are refercnced as a verb and in varrious languagcs
at that - film to googlc, to thc Gemran gooqelie, fi orn ihc Finnish
googldrd tothe Japaneseguourr, Google lias cone to shape aDd
develop our viea oftheworld in \2ys that $'e nevern ticipaicd or
cilr|ll, rhr : l\p .ontalr \ ru.- all "n. o r l,r .it e ni.'iun i
reflcctcd iI tlie etymological roois ofits Dane towanito"orga ze
the $'orld's infonnation" is a nassivc declaration of intent to anlone
pa) ins aiicDtioD. the world has dcfiDiteb been paying aneniion
sirce two Stanfod ^!ddo.to.al studenls, Scrgcy Brin and LarryPagc,
developed a set of alsorithms which $'as auc to make an amazjns
lcapfilg in the ac.uracy aDd perfomance ofweb search perfomance
by tapfinS irto the collectivc intclligence ofthe intemet aDd
the nrtricate connections of i'eb pases and tlieir links.
coogle is also a great enpl.ryer, ha\ingbccn electedtrvo years in
a row s the best cornpaDy to work for by Forrue magaziDe. At the
?6 ER0ADIR
THE NEW GOD OF THE INFORMATION AGE
i! 2oo,l, Googlcplex, over r5,ooo enrployees Deeds are cornplctcll catcred
to lrom gournet cafeterias. generous nedical benefits. gynN,
childcare to clen ababy grand.'[hesc fcrks are available so t]rat
the)' can concentlatc on naking Cooglc cvcD nore dominant
coogle also lures thc best minds by prornoting a culture ol
innovation and fle{ibility: it encotr.ages all ils ernployees to spend
one daya $€ek on projects ofihcir own irter€st. Many GooSle beta
proiecis like coogle Mail |avc been the r€sult of such an
-^l these pamp€red and crertivell nurhn ed cmplolees sPeDd mosl
oftheirtime ol)lhe corcbusiness ofCoosle nraking seucli better.
coogle at any.rne tine has a 60% share ofthe searcb market, more
than Yahoo ard ruicrosoft combined by rn ernbarrassnrsly lons
stretch. Cooglc.con haDdles oler 150 milliiD lntemet search€s a
daywilh more than 2l nillion uniqueuscrs cach morth.Anl self
respecting webmastcr wants his site listed high oD Google s search
r!$ ts because il alwrys g:Lrardtees nore traii.. Google hs beconr€
thc fi$t siteand plaifonn ofrcsort for nosl ofhumaD kir.l's dailv
onlinc activities ' Gnajl, Goosle Docs, Gc,ogle Blosscr, Goosle
t acking Groups. Google News and YouTube. Not satisfied with nrapping
the billions ofdocumerts online, Goosle is mapping eve.!'lhins
elsethatconstitltes as infonnation, includnrg digitisjDgthe Dillions
ofbooks pubLished and clen Darth itsell(i.e. Gooslc Earth, Googie
Maps and its Street Viei{fcaturc).
PtKPtfilVtS t/re uedrir reuiel, r'sr€
 t.}

AND STUPID. SOME A$UAI.LY D(} TRYTO MAKE A DIFFERIN(I

",I'IOIATL CORPORATIONS ARt BIG, IVII-
.\ WHll"E TURNING A PR0FjL ELlZABfTH,'l(0N & )0A0(HING,UNG INVESTIGAII.
G@qle Deuelopet Intlt
IMACE CREDTT /
vidor de ld Roch..
flickr crcati\c CururoM

Google has iD ll,e spr.c ol a fci{ yca$ becoue o|e ofthc ltorldk irfomlatio,r. Conccns !b.nt sucli irlbrnalion h.vc l.d to fressure
m.st r.cosDisable b.ands and |.s no real n jo. (orn!€litor. will from luropean regulators to lirlit the li e il l.cts snch nser
CooBlebcconcthc oDe conrlanr thal mlcs us !ll? l!-ill Goo!,le one intbrmation to 18 months and to cut rhc life span olits cookies fioDr
dr) rolt f|omrcrb to God?

The sigDs indical. drat Googlc i{ill onl} geL bigger and liggeri the
coDrpaDr is aLre.tdy ba..lcd b!an cstinatecL 15o,ooo seNeF ir otdcr
rnalrse atrd nr ap c.ti.s of tlrc inteDet. l llis iech nologv
to storc,
conuanyis croh'ing iDto an ad\e.lisin8, nrcdir, iDtemet and soli$a'e
behenroth allrollcd nrtooDe.,\nd iL js e!e. cxfandiDg its coDipan)
oit.sig|t to l.clud. comb{iing environnrenl.l challcDgcs, herlth
rd lorert) issL,es, and othcr global problens. ll is alrcady usiDg
th. coogle searclr eDginc io hclt track the sp.end of infcciious
dls.is.rnl n,t,i.rl{ilsrsle,s. And ithas comnitted r% ol ils an.ul
prolils io chaftrble eflorts, dir€cling snch actirities throuij| ils
pliiiaulhropicadn,Googh.org.Googleslendsh ndrc.lsof Dillions
ofdolla.s on lt&lr.nd rclcases nore and rore li.. frodtrcis beta
IsrhcrcaDvthing coogle \vill not do? or mabe lhe mo.e inrporant
quesiion to rskis - is there antthing Googlc cannot do? $hile publi.
suspiclon and mistNn nornlllr rcseAcd tbr bis conprnies lilte
Miorosoli has bar.l) scratch.d Google's cool rcpLrtrtion aDd 'DoDt
Google se .h r.sults {lso can] oulsiTed iDrpoftrncc. searches thal
cone lirst oisecord at most lilielv io be cli.l<.d wiih N)st peoPle
brrelr'loohirg be)ond thc first page of sea.ch resLrlts. This onlv
miscs coDcerDs over Googlek toncr to order irlbrl alio. on drc
i.lenrci, contmlliDg $.ha13ets nllention rnd i\'hat gets ignored. and
ii\ need lo Drakc its searchprcresses rnd rankings more tnnslare.t.
r\ coogledc$'cs nrrcthrn 90?6 ofjls h'lunuc ffom sellng oDline
ldleflise re.ls tcggcdt.r specific searclt l,e.rNords, it|.concs nore
lnd more ol an i.rf$.tivc to vcify thrt such n conrfanv \ith a
land nr clery pie can kecf io its Drission to proy e rnbias.d.
accuratc nnd fice access lo i.lormation" Uiliat.ec!u.se will a
conpanl halc $'hcD it $,akes up one drr,' to find o t tl t its (onrpany
\lebsiLe js n.rrly nnpossible to find whcn Googl.' eDgiree.s or€
agail t{eahs lhc s.crct algorithN lhal de.idcs how to process
kc)vords and lin[s?
'I|.r. is no denyiDg lLat GooSlc Ias flatc.i a big prrt in op.ning
t|e door th. futurc ofhoN irlomntion is indc\.d {nd percei\.ed
1o

Be Eil shield, Ihe.onuan) s rll'enconilassjng n.tur. is a loiDt
ol pot.aitial i!o.r) 1b.l|. futnrc as it acquires rlror€ inuurr.c and
Coogle s donrnrancc ovc'r the iDlbrrralion sph.rc m.rns thrt it (a
edih sh.r!€ {,,,rfr.f.r.nc.s nn.l percepiiui olt|c i{o d.conlrclliDg
IhdNe lea[ a d undeNtrld of t]re worl.l arou r)d trs. Coogl.track
lut ill lhe.ext liw dccxdes $ill$e co.re 1o scc Googl. rs a terhno
ltopian ideal o. as thc n.xt Big Llrolher. lh. n.\t all assimilatnrg
Borg? What happens r.n Google becom€s Lhc.cw God ofthe
nrfonnation a8e, essenli.lly s.ttiDg the couNe olhu'nan kno$'lcdgc
and und.Ntand g:i \\'|en asked hon long it $.oxld talie to o.ga.isc
the €ntirc $'orld's irfomaLion, the ans\'.r givcD was 3c)o lears.
ODL\ a co m Da Dv lvith sarslntuanj
I io ns aDd r frigliteningl)
aDr b

and stores ere.r si.gle itcm Nc s.arch for onliire a.d rll cmails farsighled riew olth. fnturc i{orld hare a respnsc likcthat.
{c!en dclctcd oD es) Urat r,o llniug| its scrcr, rnd the o.isin of Rrc.h
contcnt, gainirsaccessto nriissi\t.mounts of Dersonal and sellsili\'. \f. h,!e,ll hee,, \!.,ied. (t

2l BR0ADIR PIR5PICTVtl t/r. lcdr rr r?riru' iss,.

MOST INNOVATI!'E CULTURE
Genentech
orb bc Di\ed up with evil fidional Marcl conics
corporation Genetech, GeDentech is widely
considered to be tlrc most successni biotethnolos,
fimr h the wo d. Reguded b! some as the world's
fiNt biotechnology company, it has the Largest stock market
value and is second in sales only to Arnsen.
This San Fmcisco based fitm is no staDser to public accolades:
F.rrftrne nagazine has put Genentech on its "Best Companies
io Work Fol' list for ten consccutile years; Science Mdqdzirr€
rarl-uir"lbpBop,rmd,FU i .l trnPlo)"r lor."t"1)edFil
a row; and fbr the pastfouryearls, Bbiness 2.o has dubbed it
one of the "Top 1oo Fastest Growing Tech Companics"
cenentech's fortune has been built uporl its swiftness in
discoverins, developing and cornmercialising multiple
pharmaceulical products. Also, raiher than develop drugs for
a broad cuslomer profile, Geneniech focuseson trcatmen8 for
specific patient groups. is kecn aitention to i rovation has
rcsulted in exponential grotr'th ihat has been thc talk ofthe
pharnaceutical wor'ld. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche
Holdnrs wliich alreadv owls a significaDt share ofGencntech
even offercd aD astoundnrs $43.7billion io acquire nore sharcs
Already, a third of Roche s ovcrall2oo7 sales came from druss
developed b)' Genentech, particularly its siable of cancer
medicines. Avasiin. Rituxan and Herceptin.
Avastin tops lhe list of Genentech's cutting edge products aDd
is widely seen as a l'onder dns - thoush some dispule itslons
tern effectilcness and costljness. used to treat patients $ith precious equation that night falter if Roche
advmced luns, colon or breast cancer, its innovatioD is in killins succeeds in their takeover attenlpt. at
offGncerl)y cuttns otrthe tumons'blood supp\
?8 BR0lDtR PIRSPIITIVIS
ON TI{E CU'T-fING EDGE OF BIOTBCHNOLOGY
Thoush Genentech aDd Rocbe have invesied morethan $2.25
biliion into developins Avastin, this woDder d rs has been wel
orth it- Zie Neui yo/t ?i?ner even pcgs sdles ofAvastnl in the
Uniied Siatcs as ihe most sigtificant baroneter ofCeneniech's
growth. Avasiir has been caiapulted into the uPper ecbelons of
top-selling cancerdrugs in thc lvorld, witb global sales in 2oo7
peaking at US$3.5billion with $2.3 billion cominsfronthe
Looldng at their legendar,v worker perks - day care for doss, an
oDsite larmer's market brimmins with organic foods, subsidics
to encourage employees to cartool or tak€ public transport it
is Do reonder that Geneniech has nunaged to foster a work
culiure that attracis tlt best and thc bdghtest of the R&D world
lnngtimc cEO Art Levinson, has been crcdited for his leadeNhip
in eDsuringthe preservatjon ofGenentech's unique DNA In an
nlteniew hift Wdll S.reetJorrndl. biocheniist Michael
"ne
Ross an early Genentecb employee summcd tlis DNA up as
"a (silicon) Valle]'ctrlture thai has aspects ofGoosle and the
old Hewle( Packard". A slalwart prcsence in thc SiliconVallev
scenc. Levinson even seNes on the boards oI both Goosle and
Apple
What separatcs Genentech from evcry other
biotech firm? A science-drivcn culture, stock
options zrncl attentioD to the freedom aDd
independence of the company's scientists. A
theyedr it r€rieu issre
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irll o\ r,l lirr' \1.i ii. ii'1, r, ill lrlll l, orlr hlrirl]rtrg:.
ii( ( i,)51,r'ir,! ltnai ri|iililta's t-r',tLt ii \\ (, iilLtsi g1)
irloir' Lr l;tLr r Liti'lt.

tf L]l0r,,r!( Ptllaii ,ii! /i,


$
:
I\'TOST A1'I'F]NTION T() S]'-{NDARDS
Toyota
riraid lost nmch olils a! Lo indnsnt' and ,\rne.icn
slards lofaccthcsaDle Iile Nh)? Bccause. udilie
Ja!rnese c Drrnnfrciurers. lh.] hrvt not
maDaged to adrpl t|cn crcltile \!orking froccss.
Btlt iD.Japiln, To1'ota has r-oured to
Lhe hcaclof the pack bccause lhe! rcplcscnt i1
rcvoiuLio[:rrr corpo|ale cultulc ancl rre',1 sclioo]
ofthought in caI making tltal cloes Dotjust focus
on processcs, incerrli\es oI talgcts.
TNkc the wr! j1 \!cnt about developjnt:. ils D.\'truck.lhe Iundm.
Tolotr sent oul r small ttani or obs.N.rs n) frolile lhc
nro!.lrcnts ofpeople mxt likclt to be li.s ofhllcks - ortdoor
h! turs, fisheme!. \!n.n, hoDrc' nnrrorenrcnt jnrkies.
\\ia\t , r,, .- , ,tl r r.,
listene.s lhe! also dug throrEh scr.f)atds to iBenjjr,ale lvhiclr
plrtsolrlsli.gtickuptNcks lheirosrrsrtellascorip.liturs'
lrld hsterl or$ lh. lcars.
O, .\.milc their apf ror.lr to kccping lh e Nj al \.thcfire
veNion of th.irbest selliig.lassicTo\dx Cot!114. rl.D alfordrbLe
|rice ol !ndcr USDS15.ooo nnd ).t nill delirerilrij hlgh tcch
g{dgetN. lhjs s'as r.n)hcd b} a b r.rkthtotrgh problem s.hing
afprcach lsro\vn rs oobeyo lhe Jut)ancsc w) lor bjit. oP.!
officc. oo6duo js ebontlringing toEel|.r D.otlc tuon rllpa s
olthc co!rpa!) lbr nronthll neelilrgs l$o)clts bcfore the
ii!n.h ofth. cu.
l)esjgners, cngiDttrs- sales.ren and logistics
ofllcll! sit atth. sanl'table, olDrl: sluing ul emnnmieatirg
llout problcms nr lrious def.rtDrcnts that i{rs r.risjdg costs.
iDcreasiru rislikcs and clnsirB bollldrccks. Rather tba. hi\ing
onr herd blindl| rDDottuD out r bLidg.t for .[h dePa nrnr
30 Blt0ADIR PtR5PtOvt5
"tlY{}"A
'l H[. [rRrvE f() lNNo\iATE Fliorl TOP TO BO l"foNr
to f on lheir orD. cveN bodr, hid to conrc togellier l.
h! \!ilh
n.gotirt., debrle rnd instit cach per.r t]].y lLct rskirrE loJ
'llrough n tide oori,l/ds, Tolotrdid noL ha\e t{r Dralic r sirgle
cLa!ge lo thc ll{trir wl,eJr lh. final dcsign tus roll.d out' rn
anonialr in th. cr. nrrn!lnctnring sorld wh€.c .icsign,
rrg eeri.e, rnd manrfrclLiring dcfatmcnts olten tonr. into
conflid allL|e $.!thrNgli prodlr1i r. hr upholdiDg eleD bodi s
coDtibutior to llk'trnccss ofmaldlu, tr txr. Tolota h!.1 nLarag.ti
ro mininise costs lr.,nr last Dliu!te .hrngcs due to
urconrmLDicative de!a(nrenLs, rtttcktrobleif s ul 1|c rootaDcl
lreale.r c0 ofoutstrndii,g \rl1r. rnd affo rbjljtr.
Nowonde. lhalthccsiDthe lor,.liTcchnicxl SliillsA(,rd.ml
aDd Tovota lnslilutc.rc so souElrl all.r. Th.,l formalh iripr,t
th. Tolotr Urat ol$irkingihat $as on.. onl!trxnsmitled bI
irhnn.l cxchanses n.d i{ord ofmouth.
torola has all its eniDlovecs buv ilto the core coryo.it. vxhcs
that mude lb.Dr A grcat corrlun! lo b.gir with. Ker Lencts lik.:
' g.nclri jlenlrulsn (solving !.obl..rs on sitc insterl ol b.ihind
doo. dcsks)and liii,en mind (an rllil!de oftr.cndinglisis to li,el
thc dcsir. to inpJo{e) .Dd nrdinum fislbilit,t b.h{een (o
workds (such that e\ e i cLr|iclc $'alls ue ron c\istcno havt 10
le do(!nrcntcd and inlr .d.
Sone grtrLse lhrtTold! isEro$jng listcrthan it cln diss.trjn.tc
its coryorale .rlhrrc fc ectb lo ils globai workforce Alrerdl
r' l. --r r r'1.'-, r; i l '
' ^
s trodd] craftsmansl, ip ,r Drong its ole$ers hclorics. Ncu-theless.
br lighting for a cult! r€ t hat cnrlNers $orl(eJ s lo i nd sohltions
u, ll , \, rl.i''r ' I t \' I
srr is h..d rDdslio lders ih.!cthcir rtrlls 6t
/l], 1/..r in rrL i.rf 65,,.
MOST SOCIAI,I,Y RESPONSIBLE COMP^.NY
United Parcel Service
fcoursc it's hard to dccidc whcih.r a co{romtion
deseNes thelabel of nrost cthic.l '. And of couNe.
o busjness is 1oo% pure goodness. But when a
co.poration like United Pa.cel Sen ice (UPS)gets
coDsistently pegged br consune$. peeN aDd industryobseners
as bcing so over niany yerrs, the corpomtion niust be doing
UPS consistelltly tops surveys on corporate
reputation, cornrnunity leadership, hcalthy
workplace culture and quality of products and
scrvices. rn"nnn mngozirc ranked UPS nunber one in its
indrsht lor social rcsponsibilii,y for ihc fast four )caN. Thc
RepuLation lDslitu!e invites 6o,ooo coDsunrcrs rooss 26
cotrDtries lo weish ir or 6()0 Blobal companies lo. ils l'he
World s Most Respected ConprDiei' list rml trPS cane iri rst
in coryoutc citizensliip, srd higliest slobrl\'in the losistjcs
ildnstry and 25th orcrall ir its 2ooT ranking. Many respect
llPS lbr its cha tablc lcaniDgs: duing its 14 ycar paftnership
$ith humanltariaD oqaDisation CARE. UPSgav. lrorcthan $1
miLlion lo CARL'S e erge.cy and reliefeffors throug|ont
.lis,\t..7ones lil,e K.$r. S,idi,, .inl rliiti
UPS |as gcDcratcd industNbuzz in its coDscious efforl to make
its irel defend.Dt busincss go grccn bi kccpinsits opcmtids
as as possihl.. In 2oo4, UIS aDrouDccd ihat it $'as
elliciflrt
goirg nrinimise lell lutrrs in a bid to savc fucl. Appar.Dtlt,
Lo
drivers were most idle at intersections $hile lvaiLing lo make
left trrF. i) UPS developed software that strategicalll planned
1 r..rr "\ ILIrl / i lur i.lr' r r l \ ".! .;r". ..'
cons.qrcnc. ofchoosnrg dghi tums oler left, drilers speDt less
3l EfnADlR PfR\PlOlWS
t
CARING FOR MORE THAN THE BOTTOI'ILINE.
tinc waiiiDg to cmss seleml laDes oftrtric.
-l
h is simple bur sroLrnd br.rkins dis.ovcr,l cnfor..d across its
entire lleet of94,5oo ground v€hicles has rcsolled iD signilicnnl
fueL saviDgs. UPS sr\ed 5r,ooo gallo|s ol Luel wilhin iLs
l\'aslijngton D.C. routes alone ir :ro05 rtter i irlemertatio .
This lninimai lcft turD policy hrs alreacly been adopted b!
Dun] AmcricaD firc fighting units asatll. SiDcc 2oo7. Uls has
added 2io hybnd clcchic !.hictcs rnd 1,1oo comprcsscd Daturl
g.rs truclis to jls llee(.lls long lem goal? lb reflaceitsless Urel
effi.ieDt velicles, cutti g li,el con!unution and carbon dioxide
You $'ould ihiDk that { comfan} that delite$ rnore tliaD 15
.rillion packagcs a d!] io 6.1 million custoDr.rs iD nue thrn
2oo countries and lelitolies .round thc rior]d \ould shugglc
$ith cross cullural issues $haL js amazin!, is l|.t LIPS las
displayed uDusual cultural sersjli!i1r'ere. .rs il l.unslrtes ils
ethical standuds to its ove.seas ol1lces, alonlnrS the nnpositioD
of rn,\nerican-ceDtric peNpective tliat would alieDale its lorcign
uDNllrlisiig as iD its lnc can headqnxrleN, UPS
sta{f. Tbat is
Ias itenemll) .n.ouragcd multictrltu.alisDi And diycrsit!. It
Lopped the AilanLa 'l iibuntts 2oo8 list of B.st Pla.cs for
Xlino.ities lo Work' based on Lhe erLenl ol !rinorill
represeDtntion oD the board ot di.ectors a d alnon!,st its 5c)
highest paid crecutiles. It is also knowD for ils equitnbl€
trcatncnt of say, lcsbiaD, bise\ual aDd transgender employees.
lhouill toe knorl'UPS best by its Dbiquitous chocolatc bro\rr
trucl(s and unilor ls, this corporation s aitention lo social
rcsponsibility is definjteiy beyond plajn ranilla. (t
tht trnt in rptii.Ii i..rp
5 BESTTECHNOLOGIES OiI
1. Google Chrome
irally, a browser without ugly toolbars
and an almost-full screen's t'orth of
\'icwing space. How chic. Its entrance into
the world of browsers was even heralded by a
beautitully drasr 4o-page iong comic, detailing sinply the whats,
whys and hows ihat Nent into the wholc de1€lopment prccess So
what is the great deal about this new browser? Wel], despite only
havins capiured r% of the browser market since its rclede, Chrome
packs a mean punch.
Seeing that ihe way we use the jnternct has changed vastly sincc jts
inception wc now do alnost eve[ahing on the web, from playing
sanies to social networkins and feeding our appeiite for nusic and
.rovies - the Google ensnreers designed Chrone fron scratch and
conccived a new browser thai they thought would seNe the modern
day intemet user n1ore efficientlythan the currert oDes do. As a
result, Chrome h.ts a minimalist desisn, built upon the idea that
nsers do noi care so nuch about the browser. but how well ii scFes
N a tool in trawlins ihrcugh the Intemet and loading ivebpages and
32 BROADIR PIRSPIOIVIS
applications. The sinplistic intertace will delislit those who find
the usual toolba$ an eyesore, and the in!ovative start_up page
which allows inmedjate access to a useis nine most rcglla.ly lisited
lvebsjtes via hyperlinked thumbnails vidually takes convenience to
a wholene$'level. On the othcrhand, some ha\€ complairedthat
the lack of the regllar toolba$ makes tseating sorfins prcfcreDces
ahassle. but ihen again, one man's mcat is another man s poisoD.
coosle has also madc searching much easierwith ilie innovation
bchiDdits mrlti function URLbox, dubbed the Ornnibox". As its
name sussests, it deals wiih far nore than j ust URk ! it also doubles
up as a search tool lhai not onlyprovides a one stol scarch box
without haviDg to access thid pan]* websites, bLrt also intuitivcly
churns oui suggestioDs for searc.hes, accotdingto the user'shistory
ofpr€viously visited websites and popular t{ebsites that are olien
associated with ceftain search phrases.
The greatest value addednessthat c.rmes rtith using Chrone is in
ils faster speeds, added stabiljti and more secure browsiDs. The
use of sandboxing causes any individual tab thal is opencd to run
ti€ yed. fi reDleu rssue
 nnnn t,l/E Ar_r r_rKE OuR sHrNy, pRETTy rErHN0r_0crrs rHAr MAKE t"lrr

/uuu il'T,\i ?[HflflTfli?i-itiit-fitil H,ii-,ilil-lll

/\
WOULDN'T
IT BE GREAT,
r TH€N, TO I
fOt}AY'5 rrJE 6
] S'ART FROH i
,. SCRATCH .- ,
\.
\. ,,'
t' i{ \l
I
!
'\,
\.
APpLTCATTO{5
AND ToDA''s
,;ggns?
,/
i
]

2008

indcpendently of ihe othels, so Lhat the problenrs ilt a cerLain tab \\ith thc inclcasing \'alict] of uPplicatioDs that alc
arc contained $ithin itseiland does not destabjlis€ anl othertabs
being clc'r'eloped, aLnrost eYerl'lhing thaL we nri.s,hl
lvhich might be open. Asaresrlt, Ch.oDe is rlso less \arheubie to
malicious haclter attack. r\n inierestiDg and very useflrl featurc of
possiblr. reed can norv be founcl on thc rvcb.
Chrone is its Licognito bro$siDg Drodc, which docs not keep , Ior instance, shoppinC frnatics can shop to their hea.ts dclight
rccord of onct vicwiDg historl, nor hansnrit cookies. allo$ing lmce
$'ith "NIy Shoppilg", aD applietion oD Faccbook, and lcss-privilcgcd
studcnts \'ho cannot a{'ford Micmsoii Officecan nowulilise Google
ftee. p.ilaie browsirg for importanl occasiols mch as Christmas
gilt shopptrrit. Do.s. a llee web based word processing, spreidsh€et aDd
presentaljon applicaLior that ofte.s equally good and rilal
Like other $'el]-loi€.i brorvse$ sucli as Mozilla aDd Safai, chrcnc caprbilities. The inte.let is tlie marketplace for our Deeds and
is an open-source browser, DrcaniDg that jts dcvclopcr codc is
alzilablc to anyoDc$'ho rnight be interosted. As mLrch as Chrome
sasbLrilt usirg aspects 01existing code lro r Apple's Webkit aDd
wcb bascd apDlications are such intesral Darts of oul lir€s, and lor
rnost ol us jn the de\eloped \!orld, we cannot possibl) inusine
Mozilla's f.irefox, coocle hopes that bv nakirg its source code
opellr rvailable, buddhs pros.aDnneE will step forlh to fiddlc livinB $,ithout theDr. As the internet is hcreasingh avaihble ard
accessible to those hthe developnis workt, such applicatiirls $'ill
sith rDl aspects that are still lacking or not yct fiDc turcd, .nd
prove to be \itrl in connecting its citizens to th. rcst of thc $'o d
hclpdcvciof thc qualit! ofChroDrc. frolidilguscN all around t|e
by prlviding them i\ith outlcts to honc thcn skills and intemct wit|
{0 d i{it| b.tter bro$'sd .atibilities. encouragiig constanl
innolation and inprolement or the web.

'fhc pulposc ln this age of increasing slobalisation, who kro\rs? These

fin $hich Chronlccrcrte.l fulther'
\\,i1s
applications rnijaht just becone nian's ne\t best fiic'nd.6:j
reinlb|ces hoir,clepenalenL we are on the llrterI]el,
fol rrorlr. cntcr-tainmcnt or just simplr', liling.

33 BROADIR PtRSPtiTlVts tht qanr h n'i. i\\tt.

2. Personalised Medicine & Retail Genomics
siJ99 saliya test can roi{ reveil nran) lfecious
Serreti( sec.ets about onesell, fron the odds of
gettiDg a heart attack dowD to nitt) -gitt-v details
such rs the chances that one's soD $'ill sutrcr fr oDr
baldness. T|is is relailsenomics. It is liolted
Lhal $ ilh
linorvlcrlgc ofonc s gcnctic crorfiguration. cioctols
l'ill bc ablc to ilsscss one's lcspolisileness Lo
r.lr-iorrs hirds ard quanlities oldrLrgs, and then
tirilol trcltlDcnt iD il 1\,a1 that rlariiliscs thc
poLeno ol the nredicine.
Rctail gcnomics is a fiNt in offc rg gcnc anallsis to thosc \illnrg
to frrlor it.ID othcr $'o s.itis nolongo just doctors tcllnrg
us about lhe slLrll thal is ii our cells. ll js l)eople lea rj.g $ha(
.ral,es Lheir genes and reading irto it thensehes. 23a dlle-
aptl) naDled.tfte. the Dunbe. of chronosomes present in hurnaD
DN^. is oDe such comprnl offeirs DN^ profiliDg. Using xn
onlincdatabasc. uscrs acccss thc rcsults of th. .bolcDrc.tion.d
srlila iesi to Lrace their genetic origins and €voluLion. A social
eoterprise is also at rvo i lrere. l he cusloDer js lhe ind;vidual
eaEe. Lo lix his genetic faults with the help of the
biopharmaceutical (ompani. DeClODIne rnd llealth Conprss
rrc also profilins scrfices $'hich like 23and}'Ic, makc usc of i{cb
tcc|nologl to iDtcgratc t|c.ustonrcr iDto this n.r'busin.ss of
ge.e anallsis. Previously u nh l}oInable science speak is b.olren
dowr lbr the larperso to urderutand as lharrnnceuticals ict
l4 SROADIRPtRlPttTlVts
as n kllemrn betreen scjentist and nan on the streel. StL ving
our seDes h$ rerer been easier.
I-ikc Dranr'' fiNt timc cfforts. rctail gcnomics siill lcarcs rnani
qucstions xnin${crcd. T|ough geDe analysls frornises e l!
djsease detecLion, iL does not !,uaranLe€ treverLion sonre
diseases are sirongiv detenniDed bl' environmeDtal an.l not
geDeticfrctors. ThepMcticeDat also seem ffio able rt g1ooo,
bnt oDlv because { prlt of the entire genctic s.qtrencc is bciDg
aDa\scd to salc tim. and c{foft. It is also too carlyto t.ll if suc|
frilat. information conc.rring one s h.alth . nd bodl i{ill.ome
at a cosL lbr dala nrining js a concem lo' Lhe li,tL,.e. rt see s
that the sudden energeDce ofretail genornics promises to puzzle
as nmch as itprorides answe$.
lvith still much nccrtaint!, rctail g.noDrics is botrnd to
so
continuc devcloting. 23andII..lrc.dt hrs an aDbitious plaD
toi ilyse Lhe en tj.e genonre sequence trst€ad oliL,st idertitrnrg
!inr. r.L'.i ur'' .'lin, l'JnL,L'r.l!., r.. ri ,i r.
\\ith this rcrolutitliran'shift in thr usc ofgcnctic
inlolnrrtiou as a firLio\f Llp lo the Large scale
Hunrilr Ci('nonrc Project. sci('ntists (iln look
', r',r rl .,'tl , l.,..il,.l't\ ', ,1..,',r, i r: rl ,.
lboul lhe irrlr'icrcies oI-rrurlliirtd trrcl slnlhesisire
arcl cnstoniising tlmgs lirl cnlrcntlt' irrtulnblc
cliscurscs. 1i-l
tl. urdli,i kri.d,"rr
 3. The Nano Car
his is a quirky lookins, fuel efficient and non
expensiae carj the most desirabLe aspects of
autonobiles all rolled st)lishly into ot1e. Dubbed
the "People's Car", the NaDo is the newest offeriDg
in cheap iransport and India's latcst sho$'of prowess d a rapidly
-4.tr2o,ooo rupees (3,68() SGD), theTata Nano, brainchikt of
automobile company Tata Motors in lDdia, is the cheapest ca.
in thc wor'ld, sivins avcmse niddle-class Indiar families the
opportunjty to fulfil their aspimtions of o$'ning a car. It is
somewhat ol a cross between the Martrti 8oo. the "original
people s car" and secoDd cheapest one alier the Nano, and a
lhe magic of Lhis car is sulprisinglv
motorscooter.
sirnple lol, procluction cost thilt docs rrot
cornpronlise on Le ch n olollt. Tlie result is a car with a
hollow stecins column, rear-mouDied eDsine, th.ee-pin wheel
nount insread ofthe usual four, slightly thinner burnper and
tumished i{ith a standard lile light bulb. The innovati\€ creation
one-uls notor scooters by offeriDg protection from all weathers
aDd slightly bigger seatiDg capacity- Besides being a safer
alternati!€ to scatbclt'fice scooteN, theNano is also supposed
!o be easier on the envi.onmcnt as it has a lowcr ca.bon dioxide
€nission level. However, by costing less, the Nano naturallyhas
to cutback oD sonie kuuries. Air-conditioning is only avnilable
in tlrc deluxe model to provide sone relief to oppressively hot
daj's.
35 ER0ADIR PtRlPtOlV6
Indusiryreaction to thc Nano car has geDerallybeen positi!€,
it eveD being called a piece of "ouistandins ensineerins" br-'
lndia's wS Molor company. T|ough the car is notyctalailablc
for sale, public response fiom the domestic and intemational
mdket has snnihrly been enthusiastic especiilLy for the E Nano.
lhc car has also becn compared to the Ford T-model $'hich
similarly aspired to be durablc and depcndablc and at the sane
time, ve{, afordable.
Likc tle I-nodel, the Nano car looks sel lo be
a milestone ofthe automobilc inclust4'. Alrcac\'.
there are plans to lllarket tlre Naro in places lil(e
Latin America and Africa, and looliing at thc:
heaps oI praises it has alreadl' garnered, the
Naro car night just bc the poor family's ticket
lo modern upper class living. rhe car mayalsoseeits
electric versjon come into benu, tholsh there bas been no ofiicial
announcemc.t so far.
The alarning rise oI steel costs ho\rever threate. to dampcn
demand fo. the small car. Wilh no sales.just l€t, it seenrs that
beirg light and conpact is not enough to help the Nano car face
whatlooks Like abLrnpy ride ahead.It
the . in ftrieo iss@
4. The iPhone
pplchas done it again. Afirst in devicc too nuch iBeer, therc js ahvays the educational application
doMload to balance tun witli learning.
convergence u'ith revolutionary
x4ulti-Touch technology that does The iPhone is an immcnsely ingenious creation.
au'a1' u,ith the neecl for that clumsy stylus, the
It is nuch morc than a simplc example of device
iPl'ole is a brillir nt piece of L ttgineering Aetriu' convergcnce. It is a navigator, entcrtainment
that seanllessly incorpoiaLes thrcc different plovider, information supplier', and business
technologics, namely the Mobi)e Phone, iPod tool nallager all at the same timc, and scarily
and Internet, rvithout compromising on style.
efficient in all its taslG.'r'he 3Gmodel enables jnternet
The inhoduction of the iPhone has sotten people suddenly h)"ed
connectivity to rcach broadband speeds. lts use of flasli memory
up over touchscrcen phones and spawred a rvhole series of new
means ihat it does away wiih access time lag. Tiuc, paying for
touchscreen models fron other handphone nanufacturers.
downloads and inteniet use may cause some danage to already
shrinking pockets. It nay be even more of a bother findins
Whai is so attractive about tlie iPhone is tbe dizzying range of
compatibLe applications and adapting to a new operating systen
applicatjons that c.:n be domloaded or crealed to tuIthcr etlhulce
for some- But it seems small price to pay for agadget thatis
a
the devicc.Itlets the user choose its tunction accordingto his
the techDolo$"s ultinate immactriate conception. At leastthe
needs, be it for business, leisure or entertainment Digital
2o.ooo Sinsaporeans lvho have bought it seen io think so-
orsanisers, voice rccorders and spell chcckers are ready for
domload for the businessnan. Games like iBecr (crrrently the
As technology becomes an increasjngly indispensable part of
most doalloaded one accordhs to the Apple wcbsite) and
our lives. the iPhone scis ilie benchmark for a new kind of smart
B bblewrap are great for borins waiis or long bus rides. Even
phoncs that a.e immensely usetul, and yei ai the same iime,
boolts can be doMloaded to the iPhone to be read at onc's o$n
superbly tun and addictive. If ihe iPhone we have now already
time. A quick scan of top ro book applications shows that just hlagine whai the iPhones of ihe future
.clssics", ofiering practiczlly anltiing lrom Alice m Wonderldn.l dazzles us,
can do- at
to Parodise I,ost, js the surpise favourite. OlTenngs by literary
legends JaneAusten and Edsa.Allan Poe are at a respectable
sth and 9ih positions respectively. And for those who pla]' a bit

36 ER0ADIR PtRSPtfllVtS tlrc leur h reDieru issue

 meXOl
INIAGE CREDI I /
wl an \rotr, Ftickr Creative Codtrrors

'I

5. Laptops for the Poor

mall comprLters for a big cause - lnt€rnational ChndreD s DisitJ LibMr-a (ICDL) that h6 a colcction
povert-y.'fhcsc n.rchines, christened of or€r 5ooo cliildreD's bool<s in 4l laDsuages. Each laptop also
has abrilt-in cmer4 midDphon€, sarne contlollerc and speakerc.
the Xo 1. ale built with mate.ills
rrbich are we ath cr- re s i stant, I?nguagebader and basic literacy are najor obstacles eveD the
incorporate technologies such as hardy antennae scheme cannot guarantee to abolish. The schene has also bccn

that allow for internet conncction via mesh
nctworking and have remarkably eflicient energy
consumption, nlaling tlleDr plirctical foI usc
eve4'nhcrc, giving poor children living in far-
flung areas access Lo the rvorld.
the One t aplop per Child (OLPC) project Ms st ned by Nicholtus
Negroponte, in the hope that children ni developing countrics
criticised as being a nore er"ensive altemat c to local libr?ries
simply ftrnjshed ryith books in local ionsues and English that
arc norc cultumlly relevant. However, the OLPC has thus far
garnered more support and cooperation than criticism. To date,
laptops have been distributed to public scliools iD Peru and
Unrguay since last )'ea. and de in the process ofbeing givcn oui
in lislunistar, Canbodia and Monsolia. Over hau a million
laptopsha1€been siven this year alone. OLPC presidents hare
also been apponrted in Irrdia and China this year as thescheme

lvho received one of tliese low-cost I'et flilly tunciional laptops
would be enco mged to engage in active and self motivated
lcamins, hence promoiing education and providing a possible
long term solution to the problem of poverty. In a! uDusral
departure f.oni the tpical bottom-up approach of accessing
technologt tlirough education, XO-1 softwarc is intended to
stiDulate irterest in learnjDg through exploration. Memory as
well as nazc aDd logjc sames, music composition software
TamTamJam, and a paint program Olicina are included iD tlie
laptops. Etoys, an authoring softr'are, takes exploration a step
turthe. by allowing users to share desktops iD real time and
communicate in atr interactivc onhre environment. Academic
and story books are also readily available, tlanks to the
extends over to Asia. rhe Give I Get I program of 2oo7 was
repeated againin2oo8. Donors in the Us aDd Canada could pay
US$399 and set an Xo-1 for themselves as wcll as a child in a
pdticipatjng developing county. nlese repeated suc.€sses indicate
thJl rl p iniral rp i. gaining nom"nl rrn dn,l is showing no siJnr
'rhese nifty devices are a breath offiesh air for ihc education
landscape in the ]lid World, but a lot more s)ncins and action
within pariicipaiins countries itseu is needed. When used in
iandem rrith a complenenlary syllabus in the schools, the
XO 1 can go a long way in lifting many out of povefty through

3/ SR0ADtR PtRlPtOlV6 t'hp rpor in r?riplri\sup

 5 BESTCITIESOF2OOS
(ITIIS, IIKE PIOPLE, HAVI DIVERSI PERSONAIITIES. WHO'S THI tlAPPIEST? WHO'5 THE FUNKIIST?

WHO'S IHE MOST ECO-FRItNDI-Y? MELISSA EU LING BRINGS YOU ROUND TllE WORI-D.

MOST BUZZ-\MORTIIY CITY OF 2oo8:

Beijing, China RI'I)F]}.-INING COOL.

twasthe coming outpaftyofihe century at8p.u.
on the eighlh dayofthc eishth month (eightbeing a
lucky number in China) the world loolted toward
BeijiDg and the 91,ooo peoplc inside ihe National
Siadium. The ctazzling opening cercmoDy, directed
by Chnla's most famoN film director, ZhangYimou,
cost tens of nillions of dollars to produce a ftaction of the estimaied
g.+3 bilion that china has spent in buildins roads, stadnrns, parls
and subwaylines in trying to transform Beijins into ar Olplpic
city. The elaboEte prcdudion for the openins cercnonyniduded
is,ooo performers and a three-part perfbrmance focuscd tattly on
clina's lons history and its desire for good will s'ith the rcst of
the world.
duriDg th€ Games. One fcNon $'ho d not have a iickct was If,i
Xiuying,6r, apeasanl. She had traveled niore than r.5oo rnilcs oD
a thrcc-daytrain trip from the citJ of KuDnnig. She had no tickci
ard wasslccpnrson apalLet beneath an underpass notfarIloln t|e
National Siadiun because she could not afford a hoteL room.
Bui she sa she had to be in Bcijins, a!)vay. "I watc|ed telelision
and listened to rny radio ever] day, ' tf,i said as she $,ore a piD with
a thoto ofMao on her shirt. 'Therc was so much exciling news
about the Ollmpics that I decided six months ago to come here and
It seems nideed, that Beijing is the place to be this year at least.

', 9 , ,'- t r.-

ke \ Llr/\!r cl I s/ It F pern.p. Lnr' r.same
\l NEv**vAl-l-s/_It&gerhaqsthis
cRrlAl dynani
me oJ ndmlra
ng 8 roy"'ry+i&E- fridfi;\iisJom, hi r zs . t t"h F,l
f
-ati"riri,
 tJ.ijnry w.lcones Yar
Ilrlactr cRnrrrT / wQ, Fri.kr creaiile comDons

ForltJ.s, ChinJ s ltJdL6 hJ\ c shJpcd lioD, compared xith 5r million Commu ist Party
thcir culturc. T|e Fofbi
nrjglrt aDd rcflcct
to illustratcthc Ming Dlnastr s afliliatioD
Nassoon engulfed b!- Soviet styled halls E-ln'l i..l ui\\d'l r,'l 'rl-ll $lo..n.i"h.
the rise olthe communist sentiment i! a homcgrcrn1,acooD. Until a fci{ }cars ago, the
N,tionrl(+.rnd The,iresii.h is sitnrk,d rt lr.llustc .onsu n.r good. in state srorps. Now,
chaDgan -\venuc, fonns thc s)Dbolic bcli of merc have cash to burn nrdeed, the whole city of
ccst tn trcst acroqs dre ciq s iintef3l rtir ofTi s covered in a Gucci Prada Louis Vtritton lacque.ed
the Forbidden City. wiih lhe new buildinus zzing {ith the spending porver of the Notrvear Riche.
a soft power" in its bid to disLract from the "l Ddirg boom, WesterD businesses oDce aganr are
trying to d.own rhem out rvith fireworks. at hoart opportunistic drcam: sciljng cnough oil for
ofthc 1.15 billion consumcrs ofChina. McDonald s.
TIIL NE.IV GRL\T }[\ILS/ -ds Bcijins sishts nd Pizza Hut all hale come hnocliing or lhe golden
0n€ ofthe nrosttelling. Last fall, in the archaicTem literdlr, "elejaant-
ChjDese yuppies, cnLled ya pi shi, or
ahere Chnrese emDerors.nce made sa..ifi.es lo irgs," seened blissful to bask in the influx of lu$.]
has,ests. Patrick Louis Vuitton constructed an 'Ei Wcstcrn r.'tions brstnh upor tlrem.
luggage. Aided and abetted by a young woman in jmp
'Mi VuLiggr, ttre greargreat-sranilsoD ofthe fouDilcr walls and grcat malls josile for space in t|e {renelic
/"f; o l$nl(s, attachi cascs and purser thal seems lo hal-e cha.acterized tseijing, it is und€ iable
Chinese hinterlandhas to also be mindtultopresene and
t remdi n" uf t} r ulLl e ib .

old
HAPPIEST CITY OF 2oo8:
Copenhagen, Denmark
he famous children's author Hans cliristian
AndeNon once quipped, My life is a lovely story,
happy and full of incident. Indeed, as we
reninisce by flifpins through rhe ever green
favouites of the Litrle Match GirI, me Princess a1L1 the Ped
afi. nrc Little Mermaid, and gaze upon the loveliness that is
Copenhagen, we begin to understand why Ande$on attnbuted
his charmed life to his birthplace.
It fterefore seens befining that Dcnnark displayed reciprocity
$'hen it enbarked upon eight months of celebutions to coincide
with thebiccnienary ofhis birth. The festiviiies besan with a
lively sho$'ofmusic, dance, li,ahts and comedy hspired by lis
fany tales before a crolvd of sonie 4o,ooo people iDcluding
Queen Margrerhe II and hcr family - at the Parken Naiional
Siadiun. They were followed by concerts, mtrsicals, ballets.
exhibitions, parades and outreach education prosrams costing
a total of g4o million-
The Danes wjll thus be celebmting favorites like Enrpe.orl
Neu Clotfier, and ?ft€ Ugly DrrftIing, and other "he
such favountes
that have been immortalised in children's hearts or if rot,
Disn€y's celuloid. In organising this etravasanza, of course,
Dennark is also celebrating itselt
Itis not often that an advertising slogan sums up ihe spirit of
a city, but the one adomnrs a bilboard for new homes designcd
by yours Danish architects "therc's something modern in the
state of DenDark' - encapsulates Cop€nhagen's cur.ent mood
o{ creative maelstrom and youthful energy rather aptly.
40 ER0ADIR PIRSPIOIVIS
WHBITE LIFE IS A FAIRY TAIE.
Not thai thc charms ofDanish sociery in seneml, and ihose of
its capital in particular, liave previously gone uDnoticed. A 2(]c)6
suNey found Denmark to be the happiest place in the world,
b6ed on standards of eductioD, liealth and welfarc. But, despite
the smiling faces, conmentators were starting to insinuate that
the city might be slidinS into complacencl'- After all, there is
only so nuch one @ e\tol about the !'iriues of a broMe nernaid.
That has all chang€d. Anew wave ofDanish chefs, arclitects
and desisners, has prompted a Danish Renaissance. The reasons
are obvious, fron1 the prj?e winniDs slass cont.ol tower and
teak floorcd enension at Kastrup airNrt to the freshly minted
buildings linins the harbor. New desisn boutiques, snch as
Jacobsen's hens and Hay's showcase, whil€ once shoddy areas
such as vesterbro (the old rcdlisht districo and NonelN, are
seeins a slew of restaurant aDd bar openings.'rhese give Dancs
even more chances to leap on bicycles (their favourite activiry)
and enjoy a drink andsnoke {then secoDd and third favourite
aclivities), to the e\tent that life expectancy is among the lowest
in {F.1.-n tur oi'.. J iJ.r r h, ) .hoo.e to L isstu-l\ 8norr.
It is perhaps tlis state ofwanton bliss and fi'ee-
wheeling hippie idealisn that has been a paft of
Copenhagen's self image and popularity as a city
to live or holiday in.
As one residcnt enthused, "Copenhagen's default
mode is ah,vays sanguinity. I would never live
anvwhere else." rl
ifreUedrin reureu rssue
MOST ECOLOGICAI CITY OF 2oo8I
Helsinki, Finland
on't hf
Helsinki iD the offseason, no matter what
the brochures saJ. llore famous for Ioruula One
driver Mika Hakkinen and Nokiahand phones than
an)thins else, Ilelsinki, lhe capital ofFnnaDd, conjures iniages
of bitter sinter cold and red nosed rcindeer. Thc ciB is peftaps
atiis bcst during high sumner, ithen daylight lasts for a giddy
20 hourc out of 24, whe! the sidewalk cafes and thewatcNide
markets are thronged by handsome, hardt, people, the procession
of crayfish f€asts builds toward a climax, ald the pale blue
wate6 ofthe lalGs and the harbor and ihc white bark of the
birch trees match its illustrious national flas.
However, peftaps what is m.rst impressive about Helsinki is its
connitment to curbing climate change. Th€ city has s€ernedto
nake this its rajson d'6trc, andthis sreeD initiative has been
taken into consideralion in ahnost all aspects of Ilelsinki s
lesislatil€ decision making. r'he main eners/ company, Helsingin
Enersia has been prodded to build wind fams ard develop
suslainable bio-eneryy production. The govemmcni has also
pledged to hallc all ca$on diox e emissions by 2o3o, and is
committed to activelr dcveloping alternatives to fossil fuels.
This "greeD-mentality ' pervades every aspect of the ci\, as the
meropolis has been designed such thatschools, shops and day-
carc centers can be easily reached by walkins or via public
transport. Pedesi atr streets and open areas have also bcer
exlanded and the sufply of borowable bicycles has bccD
improved in oder lo encourzsc pedalins tlirough this ecologicnl
Ia\cn. Brs companies have also bccn encourased to adopt
natural gas and hyb. buses.
4l SR0ADIR PIRSPICIVIS
VI,-HERI' THE TRUTII IS NOT INCONVENIENT
In pafti.llar, the Viikld envircnrncntal houins project reprelents
alaDdnark in sustainable ecological plannirs ard const.uction
in Finland. ArchitectLrraL competitions and strict ecological
criteria for construction ensured that ttco Viikkiwas oDc ofthe
{irst prciects thai mct specially defiDed enlironmental objcctjves.
The entire proiect was constructed adhering to a set ofsirict
environmenial criteria to rcduce emissions, e courase bio
diversi\'md the use ol natLrrEl resources. Viikki is distinguished
by its east-west oriented rows of buildiDss nlterspersed
alternately with Darrowe. belts ofgardens aloDg strcets aDd
then wider srccn bclts. The buildings emphasisc ccolosical
innovation and pmctical cnviroNnentally friendly constNctioD
Other initiatives in uco Viikki includc the use ofsolar eneryy
to providc heat and electricity lbr hornes. Solar cells cover a
total area of 1,4oo square meteN, naking it t|e larycst ofsuch
projects in Finland. Flexible tinibe. constructio. tcchniques
liaae also been nrnovaiivcly applied and so .esidents bencfit
f.oni low enerBy housing dcsign. Essentially, the structure of
the houses minimise energy \zstage. Assessments illustrated
that housins projects such as these werc also econornically
viable. and rrojccts such as viikki lookpoisedto spear-hea.la
rvave ol enlilonmcntal residential living areas in Europe.
In an age where the spccter ofslobal warnnrg looms oler onr
frazzled planel, it is comforting io know that such an eclectic
sense of style and personal rcsponsibility exists in this
ScandinaviaD By putting the carth's
""u."",pe.
interests ahead of its own, Helsinki thus
distinguishes itself from the glitz ancl glamour'
ofother smog u,Tapped cities. at
tfi. yedr ir ,?uiclr issle

ODDEST CITY OF 2oo8:
Tokyo, Japan
ew cities have been stereotyped more lhan 1oky.,,
with its Elade Runner esque nec,n lights, qunky
street fashio.s, sky hisli prices and overali high
octaDe urban jDtensiv. But rcal Tokyo for the nost
part confouDds.xpcctaiions. Visitors are mrely prepared for
t|e ot|er side oft|e ci!v, so unlike iis vivaclous alter ego: the
quietness of the subway, the peaceful residential slreets, the
quaiDtness of the place.lt is perhaps thjs schizophrenic quality
lr1: I n i\' s TLI\u ur,r ut.l'r pl.'1' I r rnurr inl r slirE. ir:-"
With a populatioD of about 4 milljon, isirg to Deady 20 million
on i{cckdays whcn cornmutcrs arrivc for work, Tokyo is thc
quintesseniial rnetrcpolis. Buithereis a definiie oui*nr€ss and
buzz aboutlokyo that elevates it abole manyEnropean cilies.
It is a city of superlatives while oDe may be dazzled by the
bus ess atld sanitised Nsh of the strbrrar, .rne can also take
tjme to $ak ir the quiei beautj of the cheer] blossonN drrtug
sp Dg tinc. It is this seDse oftug and pull, ofold and new, or
t|e tmditional versus iechnologl thai infuscs To(]lo $'ith a
cuttirg edge hipness lhat can be lound no place else.
ln:l natioD that lvas infamous for its isolatioDist
policies and strict renophobic culture, it is
perhaps iionic that the city ol Tokyo boasts of
the striurgest fashion and cultural sccncs. tt h""
been lupoth€sised that rbk)-o's aversion ofall thirgs Weslern
nay have caused tliis cultural iDlplosjon, rrhereby everythnrg
seens to hale been elevated to lieightened levels of$eirdness.
42 S R0ADIR PiRSPIOIVIS
f
\
\I'HERN E\TERYTIIING IS EXTRtrME.
IllLrstnting this is the idea of Cos Play, thc Jatancse peDchaDl
lbr dressing in oullandish Halloween cosiumcs cvcrt' day of thc
year in Shniui(o. tsalsi'ithin the arca also boastbizarre themes
such as Alcatraz (a ghastl)' prison), to the Chdslon caF (tlemed
like a church replete x.ith crucifixes) and the oddly nnmed
Varnlirc caf6. Staff arc iD flill chancter aDd costume - goi.g to
a bar or restaurant is akin to stumlting onto a Holltvood nolic
set or faling down the Rabbit Hole. It is a cirr_whcr! sub culturcs
are condoned andeven encoumged e!€ry'thinit masnified and
made stranger when passed through the Japanese lens. Sone
explajD the enersence ofsuch trends as a result of rebellion
agaiNt an ovcrly confomist JapaDese society. Only iD Tok)o
will I ou be able ro witness pcdcshiaDs $cains "veDdnrs-machine
sltids"", and carrying lnan hole"bass,both dcsisncdto cscafc
fron a potentinl mugger in the dalt alle)avays. It lvas in Tob o
that the trend of"Blacklace'or "Gang!ru" arose nhich is to
liteMlly adopt tlie ,^Jrican Ame.ican sellse ol strle by darkening
thcir sknr as a forn ofrebellioD by taDhs their bodies and
gymting tiantically to hip hop tuncs.
It isa city where everything and aDllhnrg is electronic and a
gadget. ltom .obot dogs to miniato.e neon coloured hand
phones, to Ninendo Wiis and instant everything, lokyo is a
pulsatins, electrcnic hub and hive ofbizarreness and energy.
Frcm cnrcmc costumcs to the brcath-taking speed oftlie blllet
trah lo the maniacal fluoresccntlighis ofits daDcc floors, Tokyo
is a cjtt like o oth€r wlere the only constant is changc. at
ti!Uc , irr.ritr,i"xr
 SPORTIEST CITY OF 2oo8:
Melbourne, Australia
or the weary city dwellcr who is tired of the litter
in Paris, the neon henryihai characterises Nere
York and the sierile sanitation of Singaporc,
Melbourn€ bc,asts a moderate kind of appeal ihat
is appealing to everyone. It is, to use a sports analoB/, a city that
distinguishes itself for bcins an all-rouDder, an above average
pefo.me. and the most consistent player. lt is drus not suryising
to know that Melbourne has djstinguished iisclf by behg one
ofthe preniier sporting cities in the wo d. Consistentlyvotcd
as onc ofthe most lilable cities by ditrerent periodicals and Thc
tcononist Intclligence Unit, Austraiians are proud to boast
that, "Melbourne prctty much top scored ni eveq'thing," said
suney co editor Jon Copestake.
Thh mayseem a rather uninspiring and hunrdrun alva that
lacks thc pizzazz ofthe London eye and the brilliant cityscapc
ofHong KoDg, but llelbourne's charn lies preciselyin itslow
key, moderaie and scrcnc pace of life. Comparedwith Stdney's
Los Angeles style bmsbness, Mclbonrne has the geDtility of
Paris. The cilv's grand late 19th centurybuildjDss, plane-tree-
lincdboulevards aDd verdant parks speak of its foundins !'ith
gold rush mone)' at the peak ofthe victorian €ra. M€lbournc
rvas ner€r a coDlici colony like sydDey, but was settled. instead,
by hard wolking Scots. It is no{.also the third largest city of
Greek in Lheworld andhas a sizeable VietDmlese coDlmunity.
Decades aso,Italian immisrants brousht espresso to its caf6s.
) T,.rl u'J.,li\.r"ih na. rerrl "dinanpaect r h^dc, -t,nd8"
:r dn' d mu cur rari'n r '
i
:l::^::^. i:i::'' '(i
t
I
4l SRolDtR PtRsPtO
AIL ROUND MOST VAI-UABLB PLA\'ER.
Melbournians are also self prcfe$ed spods fanatjc -beitA ssie
tules fooiball, the Melboorne Cup hor se mce, iest crickei, rowing
regattas on the Yar.a River, or nelball in the Telstr2 Dom, thcy
are ofteD seen otrtdoors either watching orplaying sport.Ii is
p\idFl rh"r \.'l,lhnurnel J.pu. riun Llhrr:elldid prFmiFr
sporting centre. The ciryhas hosted tlie olympics, the Grand
P.ix, the Australian Open, andthe illustrious Melbounie Cup.
Melbourne has commilted itselfto also proriding top-notch
sporting facilities such as the rusra Done. MelbourDe cickct
cround aDd the Rod LaverAftna. The city also pridesitselfon
providnrs a Njde raDse of sporting facilities that are readily
available to all and sundry as lons as they have the penchant
for a cardio vascularworkout.
Few citics have made such a commitment to
sports and healthy living, and their effofis are
visible in the myriad of sporting greats that hail
from Australia such as Ian "1'horpedo" Thorpe,
Pat Cash and the "Awesome Foursome". pn' o
nation of so million people, Australia has produced a
disproporiioDately hisli ntrmber of athleles and Ol)mpians.
The benefits ofthis spoftinscult re are perhaps most lisible in
irs teotlp Au.r-ali.n. ar" a \ Do) lur. -n,l rhi5 serFn:l' \
perhaps best characterised by their wjllinsDess tojump iDto the
surf or to play a game of backyard rusby. Anstralians, aDd
Melbourre itseE should be lauded fbr its comtnitmentto spofts
' and thc bcnefits that it provides to the mind, body and soul.It
VtS rh.,rpdlin,rur.uis{rc
5 WORST CITIES 0F 2008
1'lOT AtI- CITIIS ARE (RIATID EQUAI-. SOME SIART LIIE OFF ON A MU(H MORE SHAKY IOOI.
MIIISSA tU IING SHOWS YOU AROUND.

aft$ food riots broke out and then rejected ih. Dcrt n{o noDirees,
leaviDg thc golrmmert lost and adrili. llrking otcr as lrime MiDister
in the rnidst of the trnnoil was Michelle Pierc Louis, $'ho tied to
rcach the disastcrzone but did Dot nunage to. Ihat in itselfsccmcd
teLling ol Haiti\ inabilitj to settle its domestic problelns witboui
llt.lAlrl HCARE \gotrS/ Poor geogmphy and inclcmcntwerther
seem t|e least of the people's worries. l he city is also raDkcd the
fourth dirtiest cit! iD the i{orkl, hrviDg to conlend $ith a rafidl)
srowiDg urban population aDd the ever-growing need lbr efficient
ilate. ancl rlaste managernent. Fctid sxter, oil ponds- jnLclious
discasc ard life threatening lelels ofair folluiion characterise the
Haitian citlscape. lnfant mortality and unemploymcnt rates are
soarins in aland idrcre nost people subsist on $r a day.
Ferver than r5% of Hailians ovel thc agc of t5 iue
literate, and less than 4o% have access to basic
healthcarc. A stagllerirg,6% ofllaitians arc infecteil
$ith HI\r aDd AIDS, the highesl ill the \\'estcrn
Ilcrnisphele, with 13o,ooo pcoplc cl1-ing fr-ont HI\L
leiaterd cliscases ealch -"-ear. The statistics are
depressinpi to sal'thc lcast. 1he YiciorLs cycle of
'llil"t r, r rnrl l'"r.r1r rnr I rotr.eltt.t ll,. r'rintr''r'nr.
to pe.petoate itsell.
Ntr$rScOtJRGuS/ Wlen Gehannc Beaulieu Nas kidnapped, her
qrcritrs were astounded. A hunrblc baDk teller, slie and her
hu$and, Jacques-llenri, had litlle if rn)'ihins to offer her
Iidnappers. Hor{cver, as Gehanne tseaulieu anived for work oD
Tuesda!. in broad davlighi, on the busl Rue des x'liracles, drre.
nen caryingguns forccd ihcir i{ay into her crr. Within the houf.
thq called herhusband b mobilcpbone xDddemanded $2o,ooo.
In a country'\ehere unenploynent mtcs havc soared to 7(r percent,
violcnt c ne and k Dappirg instances sccm s)m$onutic of a
country oD ihc bdnk of chaos. "This country is oui ofcoDtrol,"
Jxcques Heni said. "No one is safe.
Foreign obsene.s sn) the internaiional commuDity has failed 1o
undcrtake the lons, hard ard danuerous i{ork Dceded to rebuild
Haiii, almost from scutch. Many Haitians openlyaonder ifthere
is €noug| monc,v and rnanpolre. i the lvorld to do thxt.
obse$,ers say HaitircnaiDs a country pois€d 1br inplosion, with
almostrllitsi stilutions mlagcd from the nN e out b-v cr,rruption.
Rutl ess nobs have .isen in their placc, lcd by drug traffickers,
{omcr military otricers, co.rupL police olTiccrs aDd street thugs.
The.y |a!c sct offa devastatingwave olmude*. carjacknrs, arned
45 BR0ADIR PtRSPttTlVts
()ona\e, l laiti aJict the hutticon.s hit
IMAcrj cluiDrl / R.dioNede,t rd$I.ddom.oep, rlickCrtatire CoDnio's
Noi{, }idnatfiDgs are the latest scourge. l-ikc most c mes,
ldd appings tend to go unrcpofted. But the aLrthorities in the jnteim
governmenL and forcign diplonats estimate that six io 12
kidnappings occur jn ihis city cyert day. ]\mong lhem are high
profile cases,lilte lhe recent abductions ofan Indian busnressman
and of a Russid contractor to the United Nations. Sone authorities
say they halc rcccived rcports of vegetable \€ndors bcins kidnapped
for $3o.
ADDlcl ljD lO l RA(; l.i DY/ Drug trafficking his also proliferaicd
as Haiti has r,2oo miles olunuotcctcd coastliDe and 225 miles of
unpatrolled land border, makirgit an idcal iransliipment point fbr
cocaiDe. Drug shil)tneDts by fast boats and small flanes land at
tinr ports and on claDdestine airst.ips scattered along Haiti's
southe.n coasL. Hairi\ corNpt and dystunctional police fo.cc is
trnabletorespond to l|e challcngc, as traffickers often takeaslittle
as five minutes to o11load their cargo and reflrel. Ilaitit li y coast
guard has only ttro patrol boals,95 pe$onncl, aDd no air ftsources.
Xloreover, corrgion amons llaiti s law enforccmcnt authorities
is.ampi t. A near rccord scizure of 925 pounds of cocanrc oD Mny
3r, 2oo7 in th€ coastal towr of Legare liiglilighted B aiti s prcblerns.
The druss were discovered at a road checkpoint in vehicles hiill
golemmeDt license plates. Five Nlicc officen were among dre len
\Vith snc.h clrronic domestic problenN thaL pla€luinll
the nation, it is little \\'onaler Lhat tbreign invcstors
fcel r-epelled. DIug monc-v 1-oster-s corrupLion iu the
policc, coults, arld costoms, {ucls weaports
trafficl<ing, finances armccl gangs, breeds insecuri\';
and harrtpers economic clcvclopment b1'
tliscouraging invcstnent and tourism. The HaiiiaD
goverDnent k iniegralto solviDg the country's healLhcare, oimc,
an.t economic woes. rhe obvious need for strong leadership and
sovernmertal relo.m is hishlishicd \ith eachfiesh hur.icane and
each kidnatpiDg- Denocratic relbrm has to arnaiSamate its fractured
political partics so tliat a senblance ofa civil defcncc system can
beestablished to deal !'ith the cliallenges thatfacethe nation- Inst
but Dot least, Haiti also rcquircs both technical and econonric
assistance f.om the lnternational Conmunity, with perhaps a
targctcd coDcertration o cerlain sectoN Danely agriculture,
comrnunications and housing. Perhaps onlythcn can this nation
hope to elevaic itsclffrom the abtss it seems to Iave fallcn in. (t
iieileor i,r /cri.rr bsle
 Poiirrc(l
IN POME. SNIFFY DEIECATES TO THE U.N- FOOD CPISIS
SIJMMIT DECIJNE TO INYIfE ZIMBABWE PPES|DENT POBEPT
MUEABE fO THE EVENTS CEBEMONIAL DINNEP.
6PACE MY DE!,q, WHEN JN
THEEE MJCHEUN STARS.
MOST SUPPRESSBD CITY OF 2oo8:
Harare, Zimbabwe
n Zinbabrve. olTicers of the Cenl.al intclligence
Organizatio! a.resled ofposition supporters and
threatenedto makethem eat an MDC poster that they
i{ere alfixing io a wall if they refused to vote lbr
President Robert G. Mugabe. 'ttacheN distributing anti
Mugabc flyers were assaultcd $'ith iron bars by ruling partv
thugs. ID areas plagued by food shortages, lhe Nlins party
distributes com meal orly to those who vote for Mugabe The
commander ofthe Znnbabwean army proniised thal should
I'Iugabe lose, he woLrld stage a coup to ensure otheftise. Not to
be outdoDe, the commissioner of poLice promised to oPen
llre at anyone Nho protested Nlugabe's success.
ID a nation thai suffe$ b.rth phlsical aDd psychological damage
under the dictatoNirip ofPresident I'Iugabe, it is LittLe wondcr
t|.
that Zinibabwe is oDc ofihe nosL nriserabl. nrtions on
ptanet. Suffering frour one of thc \\'olst
dictatorships since the clcspotic Idi Amin,
Ziurbau'e is a beleaguered nation, oDe tbat seems
unable to denocratically free itself liolr its
quagmire. Any atrempt atopposilion is efficicntly squelched:
year.eign, Mugabe has,lready killed 86 ofTslaDgi.ai s
nr his 26
Mo!€rnent for a Democratic ChaDse rDdmaimed dozcDs mo.e.
condjtiors in Zimbabwe - where morc thaD 8c) percent of adults
are unernployed and nea y eaeryone is hunsry; wher€ lhere arc
startlirg shortages ofstaple co.n, sheat and brea.t, sugar, oil,
milk, and gasoliDe; where bNtahty is alwals arouDdthe next
corner have become unspeakably dire. Zimbabwe's hflation
Dos, e)iceeds 16(l,.l(]c) p€.cent a year. In the local supennarket,
toilet paper costs $q5,75o 1br a snrglc two pl)' sheel ln Arncrican
46 sR0ADtR PiRlPttllVtS
.orrr abolr ,V gdbc, rl|-{ci cRtrDIT / mbcdodev o, Flirkr craiivc cdlxno s
rs
I
TYRANNYAND HITNRINFLA.'I'ION COLLIDE.
currency however, lhat works out to approximately 69 cenls.
:l he price of toilet paper, like alnost elea,thing else in Zimbabrve,
soars almost daily, spawningjokcs about an impendiDs better
use for ZiDlbabwe s $5oo bil, norv the smalest Dote h circulation.
Bni $'liat is happennrg is Do laqhnrg matter. For untold numbers
ofZimbabwerns, loilet paper - and bread, margarine, meat.
even thc oDce ubiqoitous moniDg cup oftca - have b€come
unreachablc luxtrries. All are casualties ol the hweriDflation,
trNal\,se€n onlr in ilar zores.
Znnbnbne has been tormeDted this entire decadebr both decp
recession md high in1'lation, but jn recent vears the economy
seerns to have abaodoncd whatever nrooinss it had leli
Zhrbabwe's political opposition is callins for nass Protests
againsl the cconomic situation. so Mugabe has tighterecl his
grip on power cvcn further, turnjng tlie economy ovcr to a
natioDal secudly couDcil ofhis closest aiiies. siDlullaDeousl,v,
MDgabe's gove.nment has printed 1ri11io.s of Dere Zimbabnean
dollars to keep ministri.s flinctionnrg and to slield the salaries
of key strpporters aDd fotential enemies agaiNt further
ercsion. This ridiculous mow i{il otiy worser inflation. Printing
too many sothless d.rLlars is paftlywhat gol Zimbab$'e irto
tlis ness tobegin !'ith. Zimbabsefcll nrto h)'perinflation after
thcgovemn€nt began scizingcom rercial famN iDaboul2ooo-
Forcign investors fled, nanufacturing grouDdto a hali, goods
aDd forcisD cur€ncy needcd to btry impolts fell into shod supply
Said Milie tla\ics, Chairman of Combined Ilarare ResidcDt's
Associations, l]rerc's a realism herc that's liard to get acrcss
to pcople. Normalhodzons don'te\ist|erc. Pcoplelive hand io
mouth.It
/r.rrr., iit tfitlr i'i,.
 IJ 1;!!
*:
=**
:\

No $Aa
\lOLtNt\Ar

MOST DANGEROUS CII'L OI 2oo8:

Caracas, Venezuela TIINRE WILL tsE BI,OOD.

rlk iDlo al Lost {nr cmcrg.nc.! room in rnt
poo. prd ofthis booDrnrg, oil rich nation on
a \!eelieD.t Disht aDd rou $ill be oicB']rc]n.d
rictirns of sunshol \!onn.ts and dru.tien
(ouidors. Hornicldesareup 6r%snrce r999 rnd
is thc tof corcem ol most Ve ezuelans.
Concem orcr cim. |as €sraLated aftcr a se es o l bNtal incidcnts
pierced cvcn the reliti\eh sirclt$ff] e\istetrre of thc uffer
middlc class a d the diplom.tic aul iritenaiion.l tusiress
comrnunilies. StR'ct frotcsls broke o t iD Afril .rlier three
brolhe.s ilith CrnrdiaD .itiTership ilere tidnaDfed. abductcd
a.d dis(olercd dcad. Sirr!ltaneouslv, ])Drslars shot uialt.r
Rehberger. a coDsulaL t[e local,\nstriaD Etubassr, iD ! lr.rl
iD. Dittom.ts $'ere Laryeted !g.in r|is nionth. r\.h.D rhiLr!es
|rokc into the trade officc oft|e ChnLese trD lssv a.d rooli
llj1.1.orro. l-yen thc high$'r\ liom the int.rDatlonal airyort ir
Maiqrctia to Caracas h.s also p.orcd particulailr, dangc(us,
wlLh a ned gangs rc endilBCarsxith ariijng pissengers aDd
,obbiDg thcnr of t|eir belongings. ,\ H.$'lcl I Paclia coDn iant,
Carlos Colina. i{,rs gurned do$r on i|e rcute in,hrlr one ot
scvcr.l incide ls that l.d thc local LLS. Embassv to issue
a i{d. in3 rgrinst tmr.ling on rhe rcad aft.r nightlalt.
Whilc rluch ol Lhe r-eccnt attenLiol has fbcused
on killings atnong tlie privilcgccl, the virst
najoritl ofhomicides il Vcnczuela occrrr-in the
0oulltr'\''s poorest commtll]ities. Acco irg to
ojnrinologists, killilgs tend Lo spike durnrg seekends and
rcbbe es rrouDd p.ldnrs inthe niiddi. and e d ofthe moDtlr.
lLe large nujo t\ oJ jn(trleDts iDvolv. bo\s aDd mrn bctri..n
t) 25. UNESCO lbund that gun r.larcd denrhs ir
the a6es of 15
Ve ezuela$'.rc cl.r vs!.gilg. to 41..+ pcr loo.ooo i abitants
in roo2 from 34.3 h 2ooo, clearl), maknrg Cara(as one ofth.
most d..gero!s and violcnt cilies jn Latin An.rica.
T|c raDrf.nl flinr€ seems iroDic at a time as
resurgence of
Ve. eru elaeconomi h.s boo ored thank to high oil frices. i he
s
g.oss domestic trodnct increased rapidlv, gi\ing Ve e^rela the
i.' ' l--a n 'g. , r, r.r\ I L,tr' \ r', rr '. ',.:. . -, I, ri -
boomsIclped verezuela soid thc $ildinsviolenc. and social
conlli$ I trit phgued ncighbo ng A ndean couhies lilc Colombia
r.d PeN.IoDerhasbccD..|.rnreledintohc' thcarc.ndlirerar)
progrannnes, rcdu.ing the nunber of Vcnczuclans Iiving in
po\erq'frnn 4.1 to 34%.
Thc sfik. in c.nne couldlebc.aDs. ol PresideDt Ilugo Cha!.zk
nnrvilllngDess to rddrcss t|e problenr, rnd choosilginstead ro
fape. olerthe situaiion through a slstcn of crlcnsi\€ hardouts
lle eases the irurclraR: ol basic goods but do.s lntle Lo restore
lublic or.lcr. II.n) clain lliat Chrvcz's conlion(ational stic
aDd trndcDcv L.r tour lhe confts, Drilitr't aod poljce jrto tools
ofhis orin po$.er $.ere fc.dins the cri re elidemic. -Chalez
non shes tlie rnuchic for'.es riit.t.e terriDg\r.D.zuela alarr
sjlh aggressjon on all lio ts.'Opposition candidare Rosrles
chims. IIoi!c!cr. il renrdN to bc s.cn if t|e PresideDt can
resolve thcprol)letu ot ilaDtdr crimcshi.| plagu€s thecitizcDs
of Caracas. we re wihrcssing a .cductio ir inirnt nortaliry
ratcs .rlv 1o see our boys kill.d wher tliev tLrn 16," said Ana
Nf a Saojur, asociologistat Cen t.rl Uni1.'Nit! in C acrs and
aD otficial with l.olea, a o! go'ernmcnt.l ol€a.isarion that
!ronitors human rights isNes. (t

4/ ER0ADIR PIRSPIOVt5 th. t/..r tr,.r'ilf issr.

DTRTIF.S'I CITY OF 2()o{l:
Kabwe, Zambia
hanks lo thc copperboom, Zantbia s economyat
last is grorinit. Inst ycar, I]er capita g.oss donrestic
product ros€ by arouDd 4%. Hotever, like
,lnosr rll.onnties in thc Afiican b-contine t.
thc problem lias never been \tiih the lack of
mineral resources, but rather the problenrs that arisc from the
cxploitation ofsuch Cod givcn aealth. Irrom the e\ploitatioD
ofblood diamoDds tc, the exhaction of oil,,^Jrican nations Ialc
r_et to leam how to naDage the extraction of their $'ealth.
Wten dch deposits oflcadwere discovered near Kab$€ in 19(12,
Zan$ia was a tsritish colony called Northem Rhodesia, and little
conccrn rvas given for the irnpact that the Loxic nretal rnight
haYe on Dative Zrmbians. Sadly, there's been aLDrost no
improvenrcnt iD the decades since. and thoush the nines and
snelter are no longcr oterating,lead concentratioD levels in
Kabwe are astronornical. on ave.age,lead conccntrations iD
childreD are five to ro tinres thc pennissible U.S. EnrironmcDtrl
Protcction lgency levels, and are high enotrgh Lo be faial. Ul
lo 225,ooo people have been affecicd lead and cadnriurn
b,v
poisoning due to lead niining and prccessins. We d blood
tests on sone of thcsc kids, rnd they literally broke otr
machines," says fuller. "Thcre is a long, nasly |istory herc."
A small watcnray Nns from the miDc to the centre ollom and
has been uscd to carry waste from the oncc active smelt€r. lherc
are no safeguards or restrictions on use ofthe $'rterway and
local children use it for bathing. in addilion to contamiDated
sato, dry, dustv, leadlaced soil i{as fouDcl neir workcN. Hones
are also a sisnificant source of contaninrtion lbr the locals.
48 sR0ADtR PtRiPttTlVtS
A POISONOIIS L\ND.
ID soDre neighboufioods h Kibwe, blood coDceDtrations ol2oo
Bsldl o. norehavebeen rccordedin children and rcco.ds shorv
avcrase blood levels olchildrcn rarse betaeen 50 and roo l8/dl.
Childrcn $'ho plar in lhe soil and iouns men who sca!c!s. the
minesforscnps ofrnetal are nrost susceptible to lead produccd
b) the nrinc and snelter.
Zanbir renains onc of the fei! cities, includnrs BaDslactesh and
Baklr, Azerbaijan thal are |cfcatedly fealured on this infanoN
list. To sce {.hicli cities ii the workl xere diiiest, $'. turnedto
Mercer Human Resorrce ConsultiDs's 2o07 Health and
Sanitation RankiDss. -^s part of their 2oo7 Qtrrli\' of Lile Report,
they rarJted 215 ciiics i{o.ldwide based on levels ofairp.,llution.
w{ste mana€lern€nt, watcr podabilitr-, hostit sen'ices, medicil
supplies aDd the prcscnce of inlectious diserses.
Zambia lcnains one ol thc fcw places on thc
plarrel Lhat is hazilrdous Lo li\'c in.
Hcncc, eventhough lhe capital is btrs] {ith n€nconstruction,
it rcmairN tobe seen ifZanrbia can manage this ne$'sourcc of
wealih. Alreadr- traffic to the coppcr bclt has d€leloped so
hapliazardly that travclliDg time has doublcd to eighr houN.
Already, after decades ofpoliution, Za bians rccosnise that a
clcan-up p.olect is complcx aDd .tifficult. 'l} e \votld Bmk hts
also pledged $.+o million to the Zatrbia coppcrbelt
lhlircnmental Proiect astoclcan up wrste a d rclettlc fcople
in a la|d thatrcquires drastic rern.diatioD. rt
l/rcr,',, rr,.fi.t iirI
 '.r l
f {

MoST SUICIDAI CITY OF 2()o8:

Parts of Tamil Nadu \1,'rTlrRE {n{)F'X.] SI,t},|1nS I a)(] n.IT'fX.ii.

or 1s yerr old Raie Sabi, clcD a $'eekerd fro.r suicidc'from a uni dmrersional Fr{omunce anxielr orient.d
school i{as ro resfite. Sabi. !ho rcprescnted issue io tlrat ofa poor orernLldelelopm.Dt.nvironmenL lor a
'lanril Nadtr iD athletics irL herap,e grout rnd i{as cliikl,.rL school rndhomc. Teenase.s j. l'amilNadu fferfrom
an .rbolc rlcragc stu.Lent, \tas lold |.r ma*s x mlrirl ol a.ute shcss factom fa ill conflicts, domcstic
$.ere inad.quat. lnd she had to Iocds on liolcDce, and icade nri. failurcs seem to head lhe list.T|cl halc
acadcmics. ulitli all he. leisur. rctilitics trken a\!ay a.d her rlso dcleloped afpctite for high e d coDsurncr
a \r,raciotrs
parcnts mountirg a vigil oD her'lV ri.wing and a slci! ofrnodel gno(ls spnrrc.l bv no!€!le.ders .nd hire-purcliase schemes.
lens slated tbr thc }I(rxlay, R-tie lelL sliiled. OD lt JrDuaN, she 'lhe disiitcgrati.D an.L the drslunction of iraditional sociaj
was left alone al h onr. to focN oD her stulies wh ile h.r faDrilv Dechanisnis such as rhc frmilr uniL hive als. dilcn tccns to
nttcnded the Sundnr.hdlc|. uihcn thel returned hone, thc! despeRtior rnd desfrn. Th. rise in suic e rales coxldjllstb.
found hcr hrngjng lronr htJ li\ing rooNfxn. r' { rr "ll. r' rJl ^l rtri . \r"'r.ir 'r
gaf and { hck ol sociil sl:rli.cs to support adolescents r'|o
Itale reDrcscnts iust ore ol laoril Nadn's sroiliDs suicnles |,rvc to dcxl $'ith paro(hial lanrilics aDd their denlands.
arnolgsi lcdrs. Th.rcliavebeen h{o tee,r dclrt|s nr Jannary ancL
tolice sry 19 childrcn bcloi{ tlic age of15 cou,rrjLled $ri.idc last Pslcliologisl Nathcw Kuric'n of th€ Soulhern }I.dical CentE,
\c , manrLl due to tcade.r i. rDd par.Dtrl pressures. lhe slaLcs BaDgrlorc, agrees. In l|is Inod.rn age, DrKuriensn!s. c|ildrcD
high icide rate arioDg ) oLr ng $'oDrcn, bcn{een tlie ages ()1r5 arc rot brlught u! peaceirll]. Thcl are underpressure lo d.lilcr
and r9. gotih. atteltion ol ljriljsh n.dic.l lragrziDe, 'l )ie l!, {?r .r schoolj the! are under prcssnrc to appear for co pelllivc
rramnrations. r\fte. thev rench Dubc 1, Do one ir the lun!ily
smLiilille, a pofulatnr of loE,ooo !e lcllor. (arormd 2oo 6ives 1|cm an,v advice aboul t|. n.aring of liIe.'
kDi tuom chefnaj), i t.rrn lcd bv ch.istian vedi.rl collcsc Dr Kurien\ arytrDrcnt is borne out b) Lhe fa.t that cr.ryverr.
r.scarcliers sa betr!een r99-1 dd 2llo1. suicide rales aDrong Nhetr the resulls ol s..oDd!ry rnd jnte.mediat. sclrool
lhe )ouns p.ople, especiallr lodng noDr.D stcrdiLt ircreased. c!aniinxtids are !nnourrccd, couDs.llirg centr€s arross thc
\\ihilc in otlrr:r' prIls of thc Nor-1cl srricicle was .otrnir! arc' ooded $ilh distrcss calls frorn slude.ls.
llre li)rLrth Llading lr:asor lil dellhs. in lanril 'I geL hundr.ds ofcalls fion slude.ls \'|o rrc coniemplaling
\adlr it lrlrs ber:olie thc urtirlLrnille (ltltrl loppcl. suicide becausc l|ryconldnot achiere the good scor.scxpected
But this is iusl lhc tif ol the icebe.!,. lt is not iust a tccnage bythcir parenLs, sals l.'.lizab.ih Vadrkhekaft, co odinrtor rt
|robl.D1. Ilore leople nr tlrcso ih.n states bel,niging to .\'ct]' -lr'rr. r'..rl.'_ .,Ia,'Lrr\,'1.r.l.'",.r ..
\!ell ollif. xre liillxr8 Lhe.rsrh.s thaD in other regiors i i.dir.
Childcrrc specialists are n(tr! ch.rgnrg ihc wav tirev look at 1e.n

49 ER0rDrRPtRSPttTlV[5 r/r.1rrdr i, ',r,i',, i.,r'

 MlcR0-
TREN DS
0F 2008
Ttlt CRAZY IHING ABOUI SO(IITY IS IHAI II JUSI KEEPS CHANGING ITS PREFIRINIES. (OME
ATONG WITH TONG YEt Al'lD IXPI-ORE WHAI'S'IN'A(ROS S THE WORTD'S (ITIIS THIS YEAR.

50 ER0ADIR PIRSPIOVE! ilt.y&, il rcruui asue

 REL{TIONSIIIPS CRIM}', AND PIINISHMENT

Internet Marrieds Virtual Cops & Robbers

r.()vl.t Al tIRSt ttYt u. LdW FOR A I,A\'\,'I,trSS \'IIORLD.

'rhestigma ofonllne datilsis dliDs, ifDot alreadv dea.t. onhie ln October 2oo8. a Jafancsc aoman $'as hauled to court fo.
daters rlho we.e once labeled as desperatc,lcft on thc shclfor \nude."j lieronlnre hLlsband |ad dilorccd hcr withort$u rs
simplvpredatoN irthe r99os, ire havhgthe last lauith noi{ as and in her mse she liilled his online alatar. bludsconins it to
they arc amons the raDk of[close to 16 nillior in An)erjca alo.e) d€ath with ho dclcie brttd. successful convictions olonliDe
peofle Nlro arc Do$'activcly using the lnte.let L. datinu. cdmes nre not nDprcccdcDtc.t. r!rca.t t$o Dutcht€enagers ha\€
According to online studics coDdrctcd by industry rmlrsts rDd bee charged nith st.aliDg a virtual aDulet, Belgian ard Gemian
uire.sities, aheadl l in 4 pcoplc @Dsidcr oDhrc dntins ,N pedecd) iirtual 'se\ oflenders ',
authorities are sl ftr]ltj ing $ith how to chargc
acceptable. i{ith r in 6 aclL,allr grcwiDg liaisons nrio connnittcd {nd South Korea has alread! passed statutcs trcating cases of
rclationships. s ryrisirgly, studies have shown that onlin.lolc fitual theft as sererely as ph]sjcnl theli, b.inging mo.c rban a
can happcn to anlone resar.lless ofuce, creed o. age. fh€ most thousand South KorcaD teenagers to court torvirlual crinre .It
conxno n reason citcd for bciDg opcn to onljne datirg is that it has is ot tllat lar fei.]red to conccilc ihat rexl norld laws should €\€n
i mense potential in hehing siDglcs weed out the imDredirtely need to llex its strong a D in thcliftual rvorld. The law has no
undesi.ibl€. Oniine daling riebsites gilc siDglcs thc abilit! ti) probLern with treaLing irla'rgiblcs as goods tlut can be stolen:
pedo.m aD advanced searchwiLh clear faram.t.N likc tnust likc protectiDg int€llect{al properl-v an d braDd intcgli$ arc faft and
dogs" or "must accept cliild.en lroltl prclious rnar age , allo$iDg parcclofthis alrrad) pucticed principle. Larnakers are findnrs
t|cm to sift thrcush millions of profiles and inore e iciently that !iltral cinics i{arant theiLLttention, llndiI]g tbe a,Bument
identilylike minded paftD.m - somcthiug quite difficultto do in lbr prosecurion strons. IDcrcasnrs cime jn the rirtual workl rvill
rcil ljf€. certainli , therc ar e !er,r rcal isk, considciDs ho$'rours lbRe govenrnents to act sooncr t|an lat.r'so don't be supised
:md naiv€ som€ r,nline dalers ar e and ho$'maD' dcccittul pr.dators to see authorities ascerLainlnglherealNo d \rluc of )ur m.Lgic
prc$'l the sites for easy pre). tsut as r'el, data shols that drc sa'ord, a prccess necess:1rt 11r. realworld prosecuiio!. Viriual
number of crses of nldiscretioDs o. erer crimina I acriiviq alt|ough 'tbrcnsics miSht see a steadv growtl) as computer data is easilt
discenabl. is not.Dough to coniince people that o line dating tam|ercd wit| m*ing it .as,v for "ciminds to e\"cLe prosecution.
is harrnlill. l.ool tbr a fDiu.c ofmore nulticulhral paiiDss as lverr ilgo\ernmenis do not act, oDliDe ligilantes already have
peopLe rcach across the globe to find drcir huc lovc.It nete.l outiusljce b) turling offendeN nrto tariahs both hthe
\irlrul comnunitr and ir realworld tbNlns.(t

R!,ndncc, $r]\CE CRnDIT / lionikn.i nnt' c.cxtnrco.nnon\ (illc.l lv i]Ic{?rs., IMAcn cRnDIr / k,,.s.rnnrunmrl, i.I.cftrtivccomnrons

5l BR0ADIR PERlPttTlVtS .i. lear ir issrr

'!ri!u

WORI'ING LIFE
The Working Retired
RXTIREMEN I'? \,!TIAT RETIRLMENT?
According io natioDal ceDsuses conducted in developed countics,
life expectancy is increasing togelher wiih better qualiti oflife
I'IoE people are tiving hcalthily till the age of 85- with retirement
initiallyset at 65, this means that people rvould havc 2.) ye.tls
more to ltolk befo.e they ire forced to .etire due to physical
deterioratioD. The question is ofcouNe, s!trld they? ID some
cases, peotlehave little choice. Risins cost ofliving, especiall"v
in healthcare (or t conpel som€
cs in reelfare states), ccdanny
io
Fople to work past their rctirenent simply pay for necessities
like prcscription drugs or physiotherapy. But rnostly, it seems
people will go on worldng simfly because they i{ant to The
nature of work has certainly chansed. older Pec,ple. amed !'jth
a lifetine ofei"crience, are stiLl conn ibuting sigtificantly at ihc
work"lace, panicularly wlie! they master moderD day t€ch nology
that keeps then competitive. Even iftheir bodies a.e not as
mobilc as before, their minds are sharper than cver - more
managerial roles, consulting orsoftwarc-o ented iobs arc benis
filled by them. Youns trpstartsjust might have to wait loDgcr
before the old geezer ai the top knocks off Aseisrn night wanc
as olderpeople prole ihenselves to be increasingly c.rmpelent.
Tr aditional srand pareniins roles niigh be redcfined sith toung
couples finding their parenis too busy to lake carcofthei. kids.
M.rst importantly, tlie dreaded tax burden ive have been
predicting, brought on bt, our ageing population, night notbc
as catastrophic as wc ilink. at
Mdn dt Liro, Dook.tdn, rrL{GE CREDIT / haprl, Flirkrcrd.tive com'nons
5? ER0ADIR PtRYtOIVtS t/p uedrin reuieu
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-a-a{a{-r*al"-'"
!cal.dl-{i{at -Fri.{*l'
]'HI-, CI,INIC IS.IUST A CI,ICK AWAY,
Jnst t\ o decadcs baclr the e!€ryday nan was still largely clucless
about the intlicatc workings ofthe hunan body and jts nrany
ailmerts. i tenvl' reliancc oD nedical practitioDcrs for their experl
adviccicdtous havingsreat rcspect for the medical profession.
Better education, the lnternci, readill availablc druSs and
co ntless mcdical la\esoits lor malpractice laler. pcople are
beginning to suspect that they lnow as much as then doctoN
and would rather save the consultancy fcc ard sinp\ presc be
a do-ji-yourseLlcLrre. After,ll, thepresc ptioD dmgs that doctors
dispcnse to us are increasinsly available in Dcishbourhood
pharmacics. A quick search on the Internet can equip people
with basicknowledse to handle nost jnfections, alleryies or eveD
psychological abDonn ities and allowthem to dispensc thei.
own advice, saving then the need to worry about escalating
coDsultancy fees. Homc reniedies could, hoivever, elrgender
somc interestirg implicatioDs. On the Lrright side, doctors are
allowed nore breathing space to deal uith more urscni cases or
follo\ up $ith better !fter cnre sewicc. We can even look foNard
to nore drugs available ove. the couter, certai ly saviDg us a
small bundle. It is one tling thoL'gh to rcmed)'tour orn casc of
baldness or erectile dysflinction but trytakiDg cancer inlo your
own hands and you are askins for po tentially life-threatering
misdiasnoses. we will soon need more guidelines for Dn docto.
sites and a greatcr online presence of qualified doctoN to prc!€tit
a generntion of quacks iiom irising. (t
Pr?ls- IMAcn cI$DrT / vortheoia, Fli.kr crati'e conrn'oDs
'ssr.
 !
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ENTERTAINMENT RACE AND RELIGION

Gror.tm-up Gamers Rise of the Neo-Puritans

II"S NO'f ,II IST CH]I,D'S PI,AY. TIIE RO/\.R OF THE MOR,A.L MINORITY.

$tat used to bc aD obsessive aDd unhealtliy past-time for anti
social teenage boys has vastly cvolved into an industrythat is
appealing and catering more and more to all ase sroups, sendeN
andinterests. The surpdsing statistics from the Entertainnent
Software AssociatioD shows that the average ganer is more likely
to be in his 3os. Polls have shoM that people ranging from
ambitious white-colar workeN to bored housewies, fanilies in
search ofquality time together and even ihe pFfessioDal saner
all derive prolbund satistaction from the inieraciive cngagement
of disitil sming. Grcwing up with technolos has helped many
\p@ri, .uf5ciprU) d 1",l8ht-with thF
"bll, "mplFr:nlFrd.,ivi!
of todat's entertainment dd thercfore they are more comfortable
navrgating the viftual environments that these Sames prodde.
More people also recosnise thc iDtrinsic skill and knorvledge
d€velopment that occurs as they inmerse ihemselves in thcse
sames.,^lthoush the consuner base forgames has clearly besun
to iake a Edical shift towards the gener.tl audience, soliware or
gaming conpanics have yet to respond with a satisrying lin€ ot
p_odu.ts thrr mp", L'sn drv.r.. n.$ ,ccd.. Wrll, aing
'rr
r'r'
nunberof universitiesofferingdigitaleniertainmentorcomp ter
gane design as modules or even desrees, and more same
'!ith
pioneeins companies making financial headlines,look out for
fascinating developments in niliiary training, education,
government adninistratjon m wel as nnaci,l mdket snndation
as indosFiesleam to caterio a poweffirl new consumer base.It
What ishappeninsio sociery? oDe minute we are trlking about
how over sexed and apathetic we are and ncrt minute we are
seeins a rising trend ofyoong neo consenatives pushins a
rnodcmiscd Puritanical code of morality. lncreasingly, many
youths arc incrcasingly trl{iDg a ptrblic stand against pronigale
consumption, smokins, prcmarital sex, junkfood, shopping and
other health and environncnt-thrcatening behaliours. It is not
trendy to be a guih free hedonist. Betier io bc an orsanic food-
eaiins, placard-carrying responsible global ciiizen likc ihe
fashionably soufly atrd cause-espousing Jolie Pitts.In Paris, a
clandestine srolp caled IFs Desonfles (The Deflated) th.ow their
lot in with Mother Eatth by aiming to deflate about 4c) gas-guzzlng,
emissions spewjng Slrys a week. Amonsthe Americd eveselicil
conrmunil,v, fainers dance $'ith daughi€Is at Purivbals, bestowiDs
uponthei.girls silver Purjty rings as a slmbol ofiheirpledscto
protect the chastityoftheir little girls. One ofthe mostpopular
(and controvesial) youns Chnstia Miters is Joshu Hanis who
made a nane for hnnself biddins aI youDs people to "kiss dating
goodbye" and abide by old fashioncd coudship les insteact.In
the Netherlands, young Dutch Muslirn wonen proclaim their
jndependent choi(f to we:r the hendscnrlas a standard ofmod6v.
tuc Neo-PuritaDs neurotic killjoys? Perhaps they are simply ahead
ofthe'rtime early discovereN of an escape otrt of hopelessness
fron wirnessing rhe de$mction M ecked by impnlsive, ser-cent€d
living. at

ldulr gon€rs, IM,{ctr cnnDIT/bcnimoto, diclrcrerrivecordons ,]ln/slim girb. IMActr cRnDIT/ shazmn, Flirkr cftrtirecommons

53 BROAOTR PtRSPIflIVtS rie yeorilr i? eu 6sLC

POI,ITTCS
Militant Migrants
II,],EGAI^S GO TOR SELF DBI'BRMINATION.
clobalisaiion is compelling all nations to serbrsly .elooi(
citizenship. Invaiably, at the stage olconnectedncss ree have
alreadr reached, rural ulban misration is at an all tnne hish leith
rnillions ofpeople fron) less deleloped conmunities nalins the
journey to the world s e,eallhier conuibatioDs a b for a better
li1e. UnfotuDately nost ofthis migratioD is done illegally. A
fascinating n€$'treDd ho$'eve.. is seeing illegats enerye from
thef hiding holes in bold pursuit for recosnition of their
contibution to society and coDsequently aLso dras'ing rnuch
ernpathy {ron lesrl jmrnigr"nL! who had cone ii.rn1 similar root.s-
Large imniSrant states like the U.S. and Ausiralia as well as
snaller oncs like Sinsapore ar€ findins it incrcasinsly difficult lo
ignore tbe immigraDi voice as their numbers s\€ll to meet a
deniand tbr labour or healthy popoLation growth. lvhat is
interestiru though is the fact that these imnigrants would nrdeed
g3i ,.rgn ii..1. .njlu"n." iIrel nn"l ". irr ir ll"v$e-"si\cn
legitimate voice. Mrch 2006 sawillegals acrcss 40 cities in the
U.S. march in p.otest of a newbill that would scltrely linit their
ability to sLrwive. Sitikiry resonmce and gaini.g slmpathl, elong
Anricans, the protesi prompie.l congress lo relook thc bjll. Even
Dotoiously patemalistic singapore has op€ned up avenues for
public forun, afteralso,seeing resular discussions on immisrant
rights. Should intesmtion ofconnnunities cotltintre like lhis,
citizenship trill indced besin to take a very interestiDs new
sldt. (t
Prclesl. lMACtr cRIDl l / havnes phoIor:mDly, l'liclo crltna Coono.s
54 BR0ADn PtRSPttTlVts
TIT,F,NAGE I,IFE
The Mildlv Disordered
l\ ORI,] EXCIISES FORA PROI4AC NATION?
There uscdto be a time \rhen there i{as no excuse 1br laziness.
Nor stupidit"v. Nor misbehaviour. Now,larseiy because ollhe
work ol child psycholosists, it seenN that the case for clinicrl sloth,
apathy or bad manneN is incrcasinsly saining ground. Indicators
lion the .1ru9 induslry show ihat the use of anliprychotic dngs
havc shot up 138% over the pasi decade. child delelopment
research backed by atrluent and cauiio s parents have even
identified potcntial disorders in toddlels, ihcreb,v .illowing lhen
to seektreatment clen fron r young age. InicrestiDglt' enough,
this seems to encourasc findnls reason for thcir child's
incffcctiveness. Ard this is notjDsi an Anierican trend- -ffiuence
adoss the reo d, as ilell as Darents' everylood intention to allow
their belolcd childrcn to conpete on aD flen pla).iDg g.ound hal€
helped prcpcl new industries in early childiiood development,
fion educational speci.lists to dng enhanc€rs io eveD pe.son:iised
tuitior for afected tids. The SAT exam alonehas up to '1o,ooo
candidates diagnosed with learDins disorders lhereby carnins
then dtatineforthe exanr. Thisisupfrom a nere 2,ooo oDc
decade aso. shor d $'e be disturicd? It really depends on how
qnical we arc about diis tend. C€rtainb , all ihis etenul assistance
t.r heLp a child exccl can be e\cessir€ or to put ii across stidently,
ei€n corrupt. Yet, work in this field js conside.ed to be seious
and has profouDdly addresscd mey silentstnlggles that childt€D
used to go ihrougli alone in earlier gcncrations. Orit, lime will iell
if the clnics are risht. I t
Sref Porr.dii. nt {Gri CR€DIT / alexis dcad\, Flirkr cre.rn e connnons
/i. uprr tn r?ri.r, 6sre
 BUSINESS
Profit for a Cause
\,\,'IIO NEEDS ANOTHER LEHMAN BROTHERS?
Big corporations hale taken a PR beating over the past decade
and this millennium's senemtion of Neo-Puritans especi,Ily find
themselves repulsed by such flasrant co$orate irresponsibility-
It is no wonder that communiry conscious social enterprises like
Du€hy Orisinals ed Pantagonia have emersed d the more popular
Thoud many comercial businesses
business ofchoice to support.
would consider thenselves to have social objectives, social
enterprises are distinctive because their social or envircnmental
puryose is cenlr:l to what they do. Unlike traditional non prcfits
that need support from public or pdvate tunds, socirl enterprises
gun for profits aDd enh epreneurial excettence in order to be sef
sustaining. Th€ pay in the sector is also none too shabby, with
recent figures showins that socially conscious enieryrises may
'
pay their employees only 5% lower than in the privaie sector for
I
ajob of sinilar scope. With nore young and energetic talent
' flockins to this emerging sector, more companies are being
compelled to tale on simila r socialy oriented directions, beefing
up th€ir CSR (corporate social responsibility) prosrammes to
appeal to society's emersing idealism. Of course there are
busin€sses seeking to take advantage of the tax exernption and
intangible favour that comes with being a sociai enteryise -
governments ne€d to r€gulate the sector somehow. Uitimately
though, if more witlin the business comnunity aim for a triple
bottomline that meets financial, social as well as environnental
soals, this trend bodes wel for our tuture.
(t
stnrbuck (Taiuan) Cupeeq fisurcs
IM.\.GE CREDIT/ k6inwen, dickr CEalie Conmons
55 ER{)AOtR PERSPEOIVIS
FASHION & BEAUTT
Lunchtime Nip & Tuck
TAI{ING SHORTCUfS TO PRETTINESS.
An increasins nunber of wonen are havins Eotox for brunch.
Suryrisingly, its notjust women: men, families, racial minorities,
and even teenagers are finding the new convenience and speed
oi iJsta pl6ti. surgery ire.'stible sd in l-hF prcces. are pu m ping
rl
billions of dollars annually jnto the econorny. The uend has not
been unique to jusi western industrialised states. Wealthy Asian
destinations like Singapore, Hong Kons and especialy rorea have
all reporied st€ady increases in people se€kins pldric surgery,
on-the-go and on th€ quiet. what used to take a weekend is now
a procedure that can be conpleted in a matter of two hours. For
the price of a laptop, people can sei tuller lips, slimmer waists,
bette! eysisht and even new e)€lashes to boot. More distu$ingly,
teenagers ar€ .skins for larger breasts while their nother is getting
her lips done, coNuners are undergoing multiple procedures in
one sitting and to top ii off, the media has no qualms about
slanourising th€ whole affair 6 a rejuvenation ofdiSnitJ, identity
and wol1h. Beyond these queer and unnening tr€nds are also
serious impiications for the medical industry. Already, more
doctors ar€ beins drawr into the lucrative area of "aesiheiic
medicine".I€ss shrss,less emergencies, less lawsuits, no night
cals and of murse better pay are all good rcasons in thenselves
io enter the beauty industy, nuch less the deal of the century in
ge$ins them aI in one pac.kage. Like iheir patients, doctors night
just fall pr€y to ihe ,llure of the beauw industry in a bid to escape
harsher realities. l!
Adfat plasti stsers in Austi olia,
IMACE CREDIT / photonquantique, Fli.k C€ative Conmons
the uear in reriew issue
 BOOKSTHATMADE BEST
SELLER LISTS IN 2OO8
IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT BOOI(S PEOPI"I ARE READING, YOU GET
WIIAT PIOPI-E ARE I-EANING TOWARDS IN THTIR BELIIFS AND VAI-UEs. NADJA MAH RIPORIS.
REI,IGION & PHILOSOPITY
We're on a 21st century crusade:
Neo-Conservatives vs. Spiritual
Agnostics vs. Radical Atheists
It's a major cnltural $'ar - a cnsade for the hea s and minds - and
the battle lines have been draM bet$€en those who lirrnly believe
in cod, those who prefer not to makc up their minds and those wbo
refuse to accept that civilisation still clings oDto religion as a cnrtch.
This year partjcr arly has seen a suge ofbooks pushins a panicularb
vehement strain of aiheisn with Richard Da$'kins' 71r.' Go.i ,,r!si.n,
Sam Haris l,ellerloo C'I|is.tanNdhon and Christopher Hitchens'
Go.1rs -\io. a;fldt at the forefroni ofthe novenient. In reaction,
ihcrc has been a flurr./ olbools wittcn by theolosians ro debunk
tbe arguments raisedbythe atheist fundamentalists or to present
TIIII HARD AND SOFI SCINNCES
We desire answers beyond
Hard Science and are looking for
why we do the things that we do.
The best selling sci€ntific books are increasingly focused on the
nebulous, grcy realns ihat lie beyond the purview oftladitional
hatd sciences. One ofihe most c\t aotdindf bools thal has emerged
ihis year is ,rU!/ Sirote o/ /,rsirhl- W tten by Harya.d trained
neuroscieniist Jill Bolte Ta!'lor, she shares herjo rney from a
debilitatirs stroke to tuli recovery. As a blood vessel exploded in
the left side ofherbrain, rather than panicking, she actually had
the capacilv to mtionally obsen e how her own dlind was shuttiDg
doM tunclion by lunction such that within four hours she lost her
abiliv to walk, talk, read, $.rjte and remember her life. For some
scientists, Tator's discomforting conclusion that the feeling of
56 8R0ANR PiRSPtOtVtl
A PRIIIY 6OOD INSIGHT INTO
REASON ne@oetusion
GOD
Richard
Dawkins
a radically different perspective to why p€ople believe in Godstill.
Between ilie learned voice of Timoihy Kell€r's The R. a!r1.lar Go<l
and the iconoclastic post modern ione of Rob Bellt /.sN l'l(inls
to S.]ire Clrtsrtuns, the religious quafter renains well defended.
Where both atheists and b€lievers can stransely find thenselves
agreeing upon thoush is their rejection of agnostic, fecl-sood, pseudo-
religious pop philosophy that has energed from the crowded shelf
of self-help books. 'l.he current flavour of t}te month? Thanks io
Oprah's ringing endo*ement. it is Eckhart Tolle's :1 -Nex -Litti that
proposes a new world order through "persoDal trmsformation '. I t
t STROKE
Outliers
INSIGHT
e
buy.ology
nirvana is neve. more than a mere thought away, accessed by
stepping to the right ofourleftbrains, veers dangercuslyinto the
territort' of conjecture. Neverlheless, nany of us remain compclled
io puNue book like Taylofs, lookins for invisible answers to hunan
behaviour. It is the rcason why Malcom Gladwell remains a popular
writer sith his laiest book Ourlidrs which explores the economic
and sociologjcal reasons why some people can live such productive,
strccesstul lives while othcN droM in mediocrily. Look out too, for
the newest kid on the btock Martin Lindstrom whose art/ologq uses
neuroscience to explain how we are sedrced into buying things that
we do not need everlrine we wander around the shopping ma . rt
th€ lear in reuieu issue
POP(II,AR 1.'tC'fION
We want to exchange the
drudgery of reality for fantasy.
,^fter J.K. Rowlings'Han] Potter sagawappedup last ycar. several
fantasvserics have attempted to fill the void but none have done
so as dramaticallr, as Slephenie Meyer's'/1/ t/irlr/ series. Stripped
oft|e nlstical elements ofvanpircs and were&olves, this wikUy
popular series is at its heaft a resuneciion ofold lashioDed sotlic
roniance Dolels $'jth a suryrisinsly (some sajr unredistic,lly) chaste
code of ethics. The se es is focLrsed on the love affair bctween the
nnpossiblyhandsone, rich add powertul teenase varnfne Edlrard
cullen and the shy and clunsy htrmar sirl Bclla Swann. Literarl
critics bave been harsh, poirlting out how amateurish and anti,
feminist 1uiligfrt is, panderiDs to girlish fanlasies ofneedins a
POPUI,AR NON-FIC'I'ION
We feel lost and need to find
ourselves and feel good again.
,Iohn Grogan nas cedaiDly sur?ised at how people tool to ,1 /., rlrr/
& ,'i/., his ode to the naughty pupfy that he took in that taught hjm
about pa.eDthood- Elizabcth Gilbert did not expect I at. prdu.ldc
to be such a hit too but h€l memoir ofhow she got over hcr dio.ce,
tempstuous rcbound rom:nce and deprcssioD by travellinil to ltaly,
IDdia and Indoresia became one aD)Nay. Books nr the ineaning of
life" oeulre will be an eversreen fi\turc o! bestseller lists as lons s
e\€rlbody stays o\cNorked, cxhausted and tircd of the urbar snDd
ard paper ch.tse. Critics complain aboui how trite aDd fonnulaic
such book har€ becorne. Stereotypicaily, such books bcsjn with
SOCL{L COMMBN'IARY
We really want the world
to be a much better place.
T|ere is a grorving ninority - albcit a v.ry vocal and poLjtically
active one that believes in thc nccd for deep change iD the way
ou. institutions, economies and lifestyles are currently run. This
treDd nay partially cxplan) wh!. Barack Obama has woD thehearts
ofDotjustArnericaD voiers btrt people halfway across the world as
wcll. This herd also is the reason rrh). books advocating socio
economic change are topping the bcstscller lists. People are not
jrsl hu gry to loo$ nhai is rnong about our world but are most
5/ BR0ADIRPlRJPttTlVtl
dazzling, strons naD to swccp a girl out ola lile ofobscuritl' and
nundalitl. Like alltraditional ronarticheroes cast ir the mould
of Mr Darcrand l-ord Byron, EdwardCullenis popular bccaDse he
is thecoNcnient reposilo$ ofso naDy romancehuDgry women\
drcanrs. He is lhe ridiculously pefect man that ?ll,i1iofil s hordes
ofeDrotionally and sexuatlyfrustratcd female fans high scliooleN
and h.,usewives alike - {znt io find in reallile aDd caD !e!er fiDd.
Is there arything Mong nr that? As critic Lau..(X{iller pojDts oui,
much as nr ight fans nray protest, such sappy rom{nce nolcls are
thus cvcrt' bit as nonsensical and unhealthily addictive as their
malecounterpart porDographv.It
how thc city dweUing autho. is forced to coDsidcr wbat he or she
iruly wants oLrl ol li1e due to rD unwelcomc disrrr ion ljke a
devastating illness, personal h asedy, ioss of job or dirorce. I he book
will then centre nostly oD his or he.iourney trom epiphdy to
epiphay ard fiDallv end iith an upliftins Dlessaseto scizcthcdav.
look for simplc plcasures and s€ek love radier than Dutcnalisiic gain.
Mawkish as the oeu!rc lal seem, these book nc\rrt|eless rerfid
shottirne on earth. The
us to live nrore and gmmble less during our
late Canegie Mellon professor RaDd], Parsc.h who wrote TTrrldsr
/.'di,rr while stmggling with cancer woLrld certai y corlcur. It
r@
1Y
curious abou lhat tofi{the sitL,ation.
some ofus are p.oposing to do
Rcading Obama s l/rr r,(l{( iiq d 1.1rf., Michael Pollan s call to
returrr to en\ironnentaih fricndh eatnrit habits in 7rr (,,i,rnu..:t
lil.r,,l(, or David Rclin's accoLrnt ofhow cres Mortenson iruilt
schools across mral Pakistan andAfgharistan forpoorchildre. ir
7L, ( alifs d'l-rd sillres(o.e sone of]otrr faith nr humanii!-agaj
amidst bl€ak cifcumstances. Ior that, tliis gcDrc ofbooks is ceftainlt
a welcome addilio. ,)n rn! hookshelf {t
t'hp por fi reri.tii.s,tp
 MOVIES IHAT PEOPLE
FLOCKED TO IN 2OO8
SOME OF IHt BOX-OFFI(E HITS THIS YIAR ARt MORI IHAN MTEIS Ttlt tYE. NADJA MAH RIPORTS.

2oo8 was the year of the Anti-Ilero, the year where what was black
and rehat was wliite merged nno a disturbnrg $virl of grct Likc '/l,c
Ddrk Ktliqlrr, No C.unttu Jbr Old ,\'/., r present the audience njth a
nulti-facetcd character siud)' ofsood and evil, junaposing a morally
ambisious hero with an outrageously unapologetic yillain and
a qui€t secondary character with old fashioned noral vahes but
ultimately inadeqrate at changing the fate of the world. Tlterc Will
be ,lood dispenses away {ith my herc aDd instead presents us
a casi of characters uitcd in thcir rcpulsive lust for power and
h)?ocritical preiense to be otherh'rse.
The protagonists of our favou ie movies held up a glass to reflect
how murky the moral waters have becone in an age ol counter-
ierrorism Gitmo style, extraordinarv rendition and suNeillaDce
cameras galore. Fe$'people expected a superhero no\ie like
finily, ,o7* ,(ir&fit to be so corlteniplati\€ of tlie desensitisation rnany"neof
orr lawmakers ard peacekeepers go through in ordo io keep
nishtmares at ba]'for th€ rest of us- Can heroes alTord to hold onto
lrith noble values and stayuntainted or is it true thai the best !t'ay to fight
evil is io becone evil as well? Or are \re to beli€ve l lkre will Be
alood's that all men at hea.t are tundanentally sca.redby evil? It

The ronantic drama or romantic comedt is a beloved genre that
audiences will never tire of. Most ronantic movies are qtrite
lbmulaic: boyneets girl in a charming set-up, then comes conflict
that tears the lovers apart for a while tlien fiDally the)'maturc, paich
up and love is restorcd. T]1e formula is derivedfiom our collecii\€
hopc in how relationships olght to pan out in a perfect world.
Hos'e!€r, 2rt century socio economic trcnds have delinitely changed
the way romance, relationships and naniages are cirnducted in the
21st century. Nict (lrd Nor.r/r is an entertaining cotrflatioD of
ever)thing that modern youths waDt in their ronance: a great
soundtmck, the rapid ease of moving on fron an old love to a new
in one magical night and an edsy wardrobe. l)!,/hilely ,uovb"
depicts a siDgle father reconntiDs his romantic history $ith ihree
womer. The sad t$'ist of the tale is that thc woman $'ho ends up
bcing thc onc hc thoughttully chose, fell in love lvith, nar ed and
had a beautitul child witb still eDded up divorcing him a departure
from the usual ending x,here \!e are set op to assume once the
!,lctv
lovers chose each other, tlings rvo.k ort perfectly. Finally,
arislrra lJdr(elora is a seductively shot ode to abandoning the
"boins" respoDsibiliv of conmitmcnt to cnjoy afiairs with mlltiple
paftDers. Thc days ofold school romanccs likc Rondn Holtdd!
where the couDle stays chaste tbroushout is well o!er.lt

58 8R0A0tR PfRsPFOIV|s t'hp \pdr in r?t)ipltri\\trp


Dlane it on Jude Apaio$'. Ever snrce the nassive box oflice success
ofhis creatioDs,/o l'c.Ir O1.1 yl,!ir, (nol*.d Li| and ^lu|.rbd.i,
thcrc has been a flood of male driven filn1s at the cilema, celebratnu
all fonns of heterosexual nasculine excesses. Flolllvood pudits ljkc
screenw.iter Billy M€mittheorise that the "bronaDtic conedl is a
naturil pros.ession f.on movis likc Srd M.,.rr tr,lt?s and 1/if l)iutrr
S..rc.s o/ tlte i',itla Sisr.)t,oo./ epitomes of that long beloved
ciDematjc staplc. thc Chick Flick . $'hich celebrates femile bondiDs.
Mcn have ah{a}'s tmditionally shonned oyerlr sentnnental nlovies
and steered clear away liorn any scenes witli even a shred of
homoeroticisn1. Eut "buddy flicks" like o.,rns L/.r)., were
considered kosher because they fanrtcd rnalc 1ii€ndships as all abont
Wry ret teDdcr, painful yet uplifting, ll)c ])itltkt RrlL dnd the
,L.tct7vsas easi\'one of:oo8 s most artistic and nio\iDg films.
And it is no $'onder 1br it is fouDdedupon the rcal life stor] ofhow
Jean Dominique Bauby, popular editor ofFrcnch Elle nagazire
sutrered a nassive strcke and a{okc to find hnnselfpanlyzed troin
head to toe. Diasnoscd $'ith a rare neuroloiaical disorder called
locked-in sl,ndrorne and able to only nove his left eye, Bauby ilorked
wiih a speech t|erapist nnd ghostwriter to paintully bhrk out his
memoir belbre his death. Though nost asree that thc filt! is a
MOST SOCLA.LLY
CONSCIOUS MOVIE
Wall-E
Who rrodd havc thought a molie about two robots in love could
snndianeously be an indictment against lrasteful consllierism,
enliroDrnental neglect and obesity? Eilled as the "saddest besinnins
in the world 'b] its creato., l/.1/ ]r. preserted
a drrtopian vision of
an Lafin long abedoned by human beinss $'ho leere unable to clean
up after tlienselves and who presumed that corporations and
politicians could bc tmsicd to take up the slact( lbr thenr.'r'he image
ol hrmans losins bone mass i{hile they watched nr ald drank
Slurye€s for decades is eroogh inspiration for dloDe to set off their
couch and take charge of their lives aganr. (t
59 ER0ADIR P[RSP[UIV[! thc
I
humourousbmter,sharediDtercslsanddcvoidof any touch\-feelr"
se jnent- So lrhat is startling about ihis year's Stelbroticrs and
l"r.nr)r)/c /.-v)rrss is how they hale talten male bonding into Dew
tcnitor,l. Ofcourse male driven movies have not wanderedtoo far
arlay from their usual focus oD lewd behaviour, raunchyjokes and
outr.geous strnts but therc is a ftx.beart of suryrising decency and
rvarnith lnderDeaih the dross. ds nerdy, badly dressed or badly
behar€d the malc proiagonisis are, tirey are striingely lovable at the
co.c. As morc quick declarations of I love you, man-' turn into tull-
on huss aDd nen literally walk through llre for one another, these
movies may be a growing reflectioD of ho$' comfortable mcn have
become $'ith admittins their need for atrection.It
gorseous kaleidoscorc ofdrcamy inrages and sensitive acting, a
sroup ofBauby's close friends have come out in public to clarii,
that while the lilm gets the meaning and spirit of Ba btr's mcmoir
well, it distods certain key trutlis .ibout the peoplc in his lifc. Thei.
biggest grouse? The saiDtly portrayal ofthc mother of Bauby s
children (who consuitcd on thc film) as a devoted weekly vislor and
the uDflattcrins dcpiction ofhis then si fdend as a coward who
rcfused to i'isit as she was unable to deal ivith Eauby benrg so
broken roles thnt were apparentb reversediD reallife.It
MOS'I' F]XTRA\rAGANT
USts OF'PRODUCT
PI-ACEMENT
Sex and
the Citv
Therc arc nary thilgs that halr
alrcady bcen w itten about this cult
classic TV scrics its cafiung of Doden tromen's attitudes to
rclationships, sex, money and power. But the one thing that stood
out most iD themoviev€rsion is the sheer amouDt of braDd-nancs
that we.e Dame dropped - 65 in total, from thc ubiquitous - .pple
laptop to the Manolo BlahDik hccls uscd as a key proposal gifi to the
Starbuck takea$'ay culrs grippcd throug|oul e!€ry str€el scene. l€ad
cliaracter Caric Bradshalv actually went through as manv as 8t)
costume chanites to fLrlly showcnse yarious sth Avenue fashion
labels like Pmda, Vivienne Westwood, YsL and chmel. rt
qLat in tu'uh L 6'u.
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