What events best describe this decade?
Attacks on the World Trade Centre, collapse of Lehman Brothers, Indian Ocean Tsunami, Cyclone Nargis, Bam earthquake, assassination of Benazir Bhutto, independence of East Timor, retirement of Fidel Castro, Cyprus joining the EU, 7 wins of Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France, end of Concorde, Led Zeppelin reunion, Harry Potter books, death of Michael Jackson, global warming, elections of Bush and Obama, Large Hadron Collider, Copenhagen Climate Summit, 2008 Olympics, launch of Wikipedia, other global communication launches such as facebook, twitter, YouTube and blogs??
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Which people define this decade?
Which people define this decade?
McCann's, George Bush, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Shawn Fanning, Simon Cowell, Jade Goody, Barack Obama, David Beckham, J K Rowling, Dave Peltzer, Jamie Oliver, Sir Fred Goodwin??
McCann's, George Bush, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Shawn Fanning, Simon Cowell, Jade Goody, Barack Obama, David Beckham, J K Rowling, Dave Peltzer, Jamie Oliver, Sir Fred Goodwin??
Words which sum up this decade.
Which words best sum up the decade?
Noughties, 9/11, axis of evil, moral crusade, sexing up dossiers, great recession, toxic debt, quantitative easing, bling, nonebrity, Twitter, Tweet, Twitts,poking, Facebook, chav, chavi, tsunami, green, carbon footprint, eco-towns, swine flu, globesity, iPod generation, Asbo, WMD, Blarism, Jade effect????
Noughties, 9/11, axis of evil, moral crusade, sexing up dossiers, great recession, toxic debt, quantitative easing, bling, nonebrity, Twitter, Tweet, Twitts,poking, Facebook, chav, chavi, tsunami, green, carbon footprint, eco-towns, swine flu, globesity, iPod generation, Asbo, WMD, Blarism, Jade effect????
Taiwan, Lowest Birth Rate In The World!
Source: Time Magazine
At a community center in Taipei, a church bulletin board displays family pictures with children showing off drawings of pink lotus flowers, lush trees, ponds and imaginary bears from a drawing contest at the Botanical Gardens. Catherine Wu, a newcomer to the church, noticed something unusual on the board that any outsider might overlook: each family had two or more children. "Are people encouraged to have children around here?" she asked.
In many societies, photos of four-member families wouldn't be much to stop and take notice of. But as of this year, Taiwan has the lowest birthrate in the world, with just one baby born per woman. According to the Population Reference Bureau's 2009 annual report, Taiwan has now surpassed both Macau and Hong Kong, which have held the lowest spots on the world chart for the past five years.
"This is a tragic society," Taiwan's Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang proclaimed in a Nov. 28 speech at the National Science and Technology Museum. He warned that if the island continues on this track, the population would experience a future labor shortage and that the next generation of children would have significant difficulty covering the health costs of their aging parents. That intense financial pressure, he said, could raise the future suicide rate. The Education Minister, in a separate statement, predicted that one-third of Taiwan's colleges will close in just 12 years if the trend continues.
In a society where the cost of living is high, the notion that kids are an unwelcome burden — taboo in many cultures — has become an accepted idea. Take the title of a recent panel discussion put on by Taiwan's Human Social Sciences Foundation: 'Having Children! Does It Hurt That Much?' "The hurt," explains the foundation's president, professor Liu Pei-yi, "refers to financial loss." In a research poll administered by Kun Shan University in 2007, students interviewed 100 residents of Taiwan between the ages of 20 and 40 about their family plans. One-third didn't plan to have any children for fear of losing two precious things: money and freedom.
Balancing work and family life has proven to be a challenge for both men and women in Taiwan. According to the Swiss-based International Institute of Management Development, Taiwanese work some of the longest hours in the world, averaging nearly 44 hours a week, and Taiwan's women are very career-oriented. "Most women are afraid of losing their jobs" by taking time out to have a child, says Liu. He says Taiwan should follow the lead of European countries like Germany, where women are entitled to up to three years of maternity leave by law. Taiwan has been making progress in this area; in 2002, the government passed a law requiring companies to allow their employees two-year parental leaves without pay. This year, a policy came out that enables parents to take six months of parental leave while receiving 60% of their salary. But many say these changes only look good on paper, as most bosses discourage people from taking the time off.
Underneath these logistical issues, however, may be a fundamental shift in values. Two-thirds of working women in Taiwan are university-educated, and fewer of them are jumping into tying the knot early. "I'm not pursuing marriage," says Hsu Yu-hua, a 30-something accountant in Taipei. "Not with today's divorce rate [38% in Taiwan]. I'm financially independent, and it's more convenient to be single." Only a third of Taiwan's women are married by age 30, in contrast to 20 years ago, when the average age for marriage for women was 26. Many more men have also been marrying women from other Asian countries like China and Vietnam, both countries where women are statistically inclined to have more children. China, even with the government's one-child policy, still has a birthrate of 1.6, compared with Taiwan's 1.0 (Vietnam's is 2.1). Today, 1 in 8 babies in Taiwan is born to a non-Taiwanese mother.
The chief of Taiwan's Child Welfare Bureau, Chen Kung-huang, says lowering housing prices for families with children and other related goals — like helping singles date and mate — are all items on the government's to-do list to try to boost the number of babies being born in Taiwan's delivery rooms. But underlying factors behind the low birthrate may be beyond the grasp of government policy. When asked if she wanted to have children, happily married broadcast journalist Huang Shih-han replied, "I like reading and, well, you can't read if there are children wailing." Why does she think Taiwan's birthrate is so low? "I think our generation is more selfish," she says. "When you have children, you have to sacrifice a lot, and I don't want to do that."
At a community center in Taipei, a church bulletin board displays family pictures with children showing off drawings of pink lotus flowers, lush trees, ponds and imaginary bears from a drawing contest at the Botanical Gardens. Catherine Wu, a newcomer to the church, noticed something unusual on the board that any outsider might overlook: each family had two or more children. "Are people encouraged to have children around here?" she asked.
In many societies, photos of four-member families wouldn't be much to stop and take notice of. But as of this year, Taiwan has the lowest birthrate in the world, with just one baby born per woman. According to the Population Reference Bureau's 2009 annual report, Taiwan has now surpassed both Macau and Hong Kong, which have held the lowest spots on the world chart for the past five years.
"This is a tragic society," Taiwan's Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang proclaimed in a Nov. 28 speech at the National Science and Technology Museum. He warned that if the island continues on this track, the population would experience a future labor shortage and that the next generation of children would have significant difficulty covering the health costs of their aging parents. That intense financial pressure, he said, could raise the future suicide rate. The Education Minister, in a separate statement, predicted that one-third of Taiwan's colleges will close in just 12 years if the trend continues.
In a society where the cost of living is high, the notion that kids are an unwelcome burden — taboo in many cultures — has become an accepted idea. Take the title of a recent panel discussion put on by Taiwan's Human Social Sciences Foundation: 'Having Children! Does It Hurt That Much?' "The hurt," explains the foundation's president, professor Liu Pei-yi, "refers to financial loss." In a research poll administered by Kun Shan University in 2007, students interviewed 100 residents of Taiwan between the ages of 20 and 40 about their family plans. One-third didn't plan to have any children for fear of losing two precious things: money and freedom.
Balancing work and family life has proven to be a challenge for both men and women in Taiwan. According to the Swiss-based International Institute of Management Development, Taiwanese work some of the longest hours in the world, averaging nearly 44 hours a week, and Taiwan's women are very career-oriented. "Most women are afraid of losing their jobs" by taking time out to have a child, says Liu. He says Taiwan should follow the lead of European countries like Germany, where women are entitled to up to three years of maternity leave by law. Taiwan has been making progress in this area; in 2002, the government passed a law requiring companies to allow their employees two-year parental leaves without pay. This year, a policy came out that enables parents to take six months of parental leave while receiving 60% of their salary. But many say these changes only look good on paper, as most bosses discourage people from taking the time off.
Underneath these logistical issues, however, may be a fundamental shift in values. Two-thirds of working women in Taiwan are university-educated, and fewer of them are jumping into tying the knot early. "I'm not pursuing marriage," says Hsu Yu-hua, a 30-something accountant in Taipei. "Not with today's divorce rate [38% in Taiwan]. I'm financially independent, and it's more convenient to be single." Only a third of Taiwan's women are married by age 30, in contrast to 20 years ago, when the average age for marriage for women was 26. Many more men have also been marrying women from other Asian countries like China and Vietnam, both countries where women are statistically inclined to have more children. China, even with the government's one-child policy, still has a birthrate of 1.6, compared with Taiwan's 1.0 (Vietnam's is 2.1). Today, 1 in 8 babies in Taiwan is born to a non-Taiwanese mother.
The chief of Taiwan's Child Welfare Bureau, Chen Kung-huang, says lowering housing prices for families with children and other related goals — like helping singles date and mate — are all items on the government's to-do list to try to boost the number of babies being born in Taiwan's delivery rooms. But underlying factors behind the low birthrate may be beyond the grasp of government policy. When asked if she wanted to have children, happily married broadcast journalist Huang Shih-han replied, "I like reading and, well, you can't read if there are children wailing." Why does she think Taiwan's birthrate is so low? "I think our generation is more selfish," she says. "When you have children, you have to sacrifice a lot, and I don't want to do that."
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
The Aliens have landed!
On Friday evening I was feeling exhausted. George was having his farewell dinner with friends so I headed home, via Toasteria, to chill out until George arrived home with some wine. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in front of the TV.
On Saturday we went to see two great movies. The first was 500 Days of Summer. It was actually a really great movie placing a new spin on the traditional love story movies. It was far more real to life and poignant, in places, than most of the dire boy meets girl efforts. Next we saw District9 which I have to say is probably one of the best Alien based movies I have ever seen and for the same reasons as the previous movie, because it was different. Based in South Africa, the first part focuses upon the logistical nightmare of relocating over a million aliens from urban to rural life with a documentary approach. The second half takes on a more typical form with the lead character slowly transforming into an alien and transform the movie into a race against time. It was gripping from beginning to end and highly entertaining.
On Sunday we headed to Carnegies for lunch and then met up with George’s dad in the evening for dinner. On the way home we stopped off at Coldstone’s for dessert. George had the new Bailey’s flavored concoction whilst I opted for the more traditional chocolate one.
2) Radiohead: 'Hail To The Thief'
I fear I am cheating a little here, when I began this list I only intended to include one album from one artist only. However, Radiohead have to break the mould as they simply are the best band of the past twenty years. I was torn between two albums. Kid A is quite simply a stunning album which was way ahead of its time. It really should be on this list, however, not to include three albums from the same band I forced myself to make a decision. The album which holds more sway and memory for me is the shockingly underrated Hail to the Thief. For any other band this would be their crowning glory; for Radiohead, however, who have set the bar so high for themselves with past releases, this was widely seen as an average album by their standards. It is far from it!
Radiohead's Hail to the Thief bridges the gulf between their early epic progressive rock and their latter skittering electronic theatrics, borrowing equally from each. This is not an album full of optimism, it is a product of the time it was written in 2002. The songs are filled with anger and dissent and clearly reflect the feelings people were feeling at the time, the war on terror, the pending war in Iraq, and heaven forbid, the prospect of a full 8 years of George Bush! Radiohead opt for eloquent metaphors and complicated arrangements to express their fear, uncertainty in the post 9-11 world.
We start with the fantastic prog-rock opener 2+2=5 lifted fittingly straight from Orwell’s 1984. Society have idly sat back and let governments take over and ruin the world. The song starts off with a simple guitar backing Yorke’s vocals which lead into the dreamy mid section before transforming into a manic screaming frenzy repeating the same line over and over in a fit of rage. Next is ‘Sit Down, Stand Up’ starts off in a lesson of vocal harmonies over a drum machine glocks and piano and slowly builds into a heavy drum and bass piece, which is odd even for Radiohead’s standards but works! ‘Sail to the Moon’ is one of the most beautiful ballads Yorke has ever written, appealing to the younger generations to not make the same mistakes the present generation are making. The vocals are perfect, the arrangement intersperses piano and guitar to amazing special effect. Next is ‘Backdrifts’ with its pulsating drum machines and synths driving this number along. ‘Go To Sleep’ is a more accessible number of upbeat acoustic guitar, a great single. Then we have the stunning ‘Where I End and You Again’ which combine sci-fi effects with a traditional rock track. Then there appears to be an attack upon the music industry and the reality TV singers beginning to be turned out by Simon Cowell et al. with ‘We Suck Young Blood’. Following this is the experimental ‘The Gloaming’ which combines odd effects with time signatures, not exactly easy on the ears but stunning musically. ‘There There’ is a laid back drum led piece and is quite phenomenal. ‘I Will’ is a short piece which leads into my favorite track on the album ‘A Punch Up At A Wedding’. This jazz laden track is Radiohead at their best. ‘Myxomatosis’ is the one song on the album I really never connected with, a rather odd inclusion I feel. However, this side step is recovered with the fantastic ‘Scatterbrain’. Finally we have ‘A Wolf At The Door’ with fantastic arpeggiated chord and drums accompanied by Yorke’s confusing lyrical rant. A fantastic end to a much underrated album. Here at number 2 is Radiohead with ‘Hail To The Thief’.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
3) Amy Winehouse: 'Back To Black'
Amy Winehouse’s debut in 2003, Frank, was both commercially successful and critically acclaimed laying down tracks infused with jazz and ska. However, nothing could have prepared us for the astonishing follow-up in 2006 with ‘Back to Black’. On this album she changed direction and what resulted is a retro masterpiece.
Unfortunately, as much has been said of Amy Winehouse’s music as to her rather colorful private life. The boozing, the brawling, the drug abuse, her rather unstable relationship and overall self-destructive nature. Yet there is no denying this girl is a raw talent and puts most other artists to shame when it actually comes down to what really matters, musical abilities.
The first stroke of genius is the production which is second to none. For this Winehouse enlisted the aid of the great Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, who have managed to fuse elements of hip-hop, soul, gospel, and R&B into something quite amazing. The overwhelming influence is that of1960s Motown, in particular the Phil Spector Girl groups of that period, and what results is some exuberant neo-Motown swing. However, despite the retro sound, the album is certainly rooted in the present and the soul stylings suite Amy’s voice perfectly to create a 21st century soul classic album.
In saying this, no matter how good the production is, it is the singer which is the star of this album. She is quite simply awesome. When this 22 year old opens her mouth she is somehow transformed into a middle-aged 1950s jazz club singer, reminiscent of some of the great black female artists of that time. Yet what is different is the content which she is talking about. The constant obscenities, infidelity, drug use, love life and relationships are all contained in this classic collection of songs. In a nutshell, she is talking about life in contemporary London.
Opener, ‘Rehab’, is already a classic song, and is a massive single to lead with. It’s sassy, brassy and reads as a gospel-tinged stomp creating something which is pure class. ‘You Know I’m No Good’ is yet another formidable song with the big drums and bar room tale of infidelity. ‘Me and Mr. Jones’ clearly demonstrates its nod to the past with its stardust doo-wop sound but the lyrics are anything but old. This track is a clear example of why this album is so much more than just a tribute to the sounds of past. ‘Just Friends’ sees Amy back into territory she visited on her debut album, that of ska, and it fits perfectly onto this album. The title track ‘Back to Black’ highlights the Phil Spector girl group sound more than any other track with its melodrama-dripping wall of sound. The echoed drums, the rhythmic piano, the chimes, the saxophone and close harmonies makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. We are then treated to an amazing series of soul songs with ‘Love is a Losing Game’, a bitter, broken-hearted anthem, as poetic as it is exquisite, ‘Tears Dry on Their Own’, which is beautiful, evocative and oozing with passion and then with ‘Wake up Alone’ and ‘Some Unholy War’. Then we are treated to the more upbeat ‘He can Only Hold Her’. We are left, finally, with ‘Addicted’ which could be a Supremes anthem until the lyrics bring you crashing back down to earth. This can be no one other than Amy Winehouse.
Quite simply this album represents perfection on many levels. Perfect production, perfect lyrics, perfect styling, perfect voice and overall, a perfect album. Here at number three is Amy Winehouse with ‘Back to Black’ .
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