Singapore Books

This book combines two very important elements in academic writings that are seldom found in writings about Singapore soceiety and its politics: scholarly analyses and intellectual courage. Must be the first book about the PAP and Opposition Parties ever written and penned in such a comprehensive and scholarly manner. I have made it as compulsory reading for my course in the university here!

This book is a must if you are interested in Singaporean politics. It gives a good overview on the most important political parties in Singapore. Even though these opposition parties have gained some 40% of the vote in many elections they have hardly been represented in parliament. (only once with 4 memberes) Hussin Mutalib shows the reader how the government has managed to sideline the opposition. The Singaporean leadership's assertion of opposition parties as a threat to Singapore's national integrity is one of the most important arguments in this discourse.

This book is a great addition to Diane K. Mauzy and R.S. Milne's "Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party" from 2002. However, Mutalib's book is more daring in that he helps the reader understand Singapore's authoritarian handling of any kind of opposition. In the end he concludes with the suggestion that "For Opposition parties, perhaps there is a pressing need to reflect on these trends (that Singaporeans want more political pluralism) and scenarios, ugrade themselves and rise to the occasion." With other words, the Opposition should become more courageous and challenge the ruling party more decisively.

Overall a surprisingly open book from Singapore. It shows that academic freedom has made great progress in this city-state!

American educators are regularly reminded that the educational systems in other countries do a better job in teaching their students. While it is possible to dispute some of the statistics, the fact is that the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the reminders. One of the best ways to explore the reasons for this is to look at the textbooks being used in other countries.
This book is the U. S. edition of the book used to teach mathematics in the primary grades in Singapore, a nation with a proven track record of educational success. In particular, it is used to teach the fifth grade. Visual aids are extensively used and the examples are solved in a clear, stepwise manner. Color contrasts of black and green help highlight the different steps in the problems.
The topics covered are:

*) Decimals
*) Percentages
*) Average
*) Rates
*) Line graphs
*) Triangles
*) Four-sided figures
*) Tessellations
*) Volume

I was impressed when reading it and would recommend it to any elementary school teacher. If I had known about it when my daughter was in elementary school, I would have purchased a copy.

Singapore Math has literally saved my son from being mathematically illiterate. My youngest kids are 2 and 3 and I've already started them on the 'early-bird math' by the same company. I would strongly recommend this for any homeschoolers, and it would be great for any parents who want to supplement their kids public education. I think it's worth 10 stars, but alas, I only have 5 with which to express my gratitude to this math system...

To truly understand a nation you need to understand how it reacts in defeat as well as victory. This is an excellent study of the former case by Colin Smith. The author provides great detail of individual actions throughout the campaign and highlights all to many of the deficiencies. Details of the adversaries on all sides of the conflict help to crystalise the thoughts and pervading attitude and atmosphere that both led too and propagated the greatest catastrophe and capitulation in British military history. The author's description of events, of the fighting retreat, tactics (especially of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Australian regiments and the Anti-tank and Artillery regiments) ,of the mistakes , mis-handling, bungling and lack of foresight, as well as some of the all too short successes makes exilarating reading. The many atrocities covered make the ordinary mortal question the inhumanity of the Japanese Army. I chose to read the book in parallel with Peter Thomson's book Battle for Singapore which helped developed my understanding. Both books are equally good. Maps of Singapore were good but the overall Malaya maps could be more detailed. The culpability for the debacle was easily discernible through the narrative with politicians in Britain, Australia and Singapore playing their part in this. The desertion, at the end , by the Australian commander General Bennett, all bull and bluster, was only counterbalanced by the extreme bravery of Australian and many other nationalities. It's also fair to say that others deserted Singapore by ignorance and dereliction of their own particular duty and were not brought to book. I strongly recommend this book to anybody interested in WW2 history and the fall of an Empire.

Among contemporary accounts, this is probably the best book on the campaign. Its analysis of the individual actions down the peninsular is fair and judicious. There is a pernicious tendency in writing about the Malayan campaign to either define the heroes and the villains, and then build the story around that; or to tilt in favour of either the Australians or the British. This book does neither: it unpacks the facts and lets the reader decide. In that way it does justice to all the protagonists, including the Indian army and the Japanese.

A book which everyone interested in this campaign should read is 'Phoenix from the Ashes' by Daniel Marston, which is an excellent account of what the Indian army learned in terms of the tactics of jungle fighting from its experiences in Malaya and Burma and how it responded.

There are a few technical errors (e.g. Nelson was not of the same class of battleships as Prince of Wales), but overall Smith's research seems equally sound as it affects the air, land and sea elements of the campaign.

A very beautifully done tour of the restoration of colonial Singapore rendered in watercolors and charcoal sketches. The book gives glimpses into the everyday street life of Singapore in the 1980's. A provocative Journal which makes the reader long for a spur of the moment trip to the orient.

The watercolours of colonial architecture by Graham Byfield do greater justice than mimetic photography in this instance. There is a nostalgic quality that is retained by preserving images of old Singapore buildings - some of which are no longer with us, such as the Katong Red Bakery, in this manner.

Great attention is paid to detailing, such as in the Chinese Baroque facades of the terrace houses ("shophouses') in the Blair Rd district.

As an added bonus, there are many little vignettes scattered around recording life in Singapore in the mid 80s - coffee shop life, ice cream street carts etc.

For anyone who loves Colonial and Straits Chinese Singapore architecture, this book makes a lovely keepsake.

STRATEGIC PRAGMATISM: THE CULTURE OF SINGAPORE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD
by Dr Edgar Schein

This book documents the culture of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB), a quasi-government body set up in the early sixties to spearhead the country's attraction for foreign investment. It sheds light on how Singapore within the space of thirty-five years could be transformed from a fairly improverished under-developed country with per capita of US$500 into a modern city state that today stays at the forefront of the world's most competitive economies. Today, Singapore's per capita income exceeds US$25,000.

More precisely, this book tracks the creation & development of the EDB, its leadership & management structure, its human resource policies & its influences over other organisations within the Singapore government. The book also intertwines the many perspectives of Singapore's leaders who created the board, the current & former EDB board members, business-people who have dealt with the board, & more importantly, the major investor clients from North America, Europe & elsewhere.

What strikes me most about this book, at the time when I read it during the mid-nineties, is the revelation for the first time how Singapore's leaders, specifically Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore's Prime Minister from the early sixties to early nineties) pick top brains to run the various government ministries as well as statutory bodies, like the EDB. EDB's top brains include the late Hon Sui Sen (whom Lee Kuan Yew reluctantly lent to Dr Goh Keng Swee to develop & run the EDB in the early years), I F Tang, Chan Chin Bok, Ngiam Tong Dow, P Y Hwang & Philip Yeo. (Philip Yeo masterminded the US$4 billion Jurong Island complex, in which seven offshore islands were linked with imported landfill to form a huge new industrial area. Currently, as chairman of Singapore's National Science & Technology Board, he is positioning Singapore to excel at what he believes is the next big thing: life sciences & bioengineering.)

From the book, I learned that Lee Kuan Yew (at the time the book was researched & written, he was Senior Minister in the Singapore cabinet; currently, he is Minister Mentor to the Singapore cabinet) has used the H-A-I-R module to pick his candidates. He has adopted this human resource module from the Royal Dutch-Shell Group, a global energy & petrochemical company that has also pioneered the application of scenario planning in long-term strategy formulation. (Shell is the world's second largest oil company after ExxonMobil & owns the first oil refinery in Singapore. Today, Shell is acknowledged as Singapore' first 'Distinguished Partner in Progress'.)

For the benefit of readers, here is the H-A-I-R module (Lee Kuan Yew has specifically pointed out that he has wanted all four qualities in the people who he selected, as follows):

H = Helicopter ability: the ability to rise above the immediate scene & see it from a total & overall perspective;

A = Analytical ability;

I = Imagination: the ability to see things from new & creative perspectives;

R = Realism: having one's feet firmly placed on the ground;

Furthermore, from the book, I also learned that Lee Kuan Yew has mandated that the entire civil service in Singapore adopt the HAIR module & distribute the booklet describing the system in detail to every. He has even asked Shell to train people in the use of the system. Though EDB does not use the system explicitly, these qualities are sought in the recruits.

The other interesting revelation by the book is the fact that EDB has embraced readily the concept of itself as a 'learning organisation' during the mid-nineties, drawing much inspiration from Peter Senge's systems thinking perspectives.

On the whole, 'Strategic Pragmatism', has been an interesting & inspirational read for me.

[Readers who are interested to find out more about how EDB picked their 'road warriors' - EDB's international centre directors, who roamed the entire globe, more specifically North America & Europe, to scout, cajole & attract foreign investors to Singapore, & their 'war stories' - should read Chan Chin Bok (former EDB Chairman)'s 'Heart Work: Singapore Economic Development Board & EDB Society'. Another interesting & inspirational read!]

A detailed case study of a unique experiment in development cooperation between a nation state and business, focused on the body at the centre of the development strategy. Written by a leading expert on organisational culture. It is of interest both to students of organisational culture and for its relevance to globalisation.

Two groups of readers who will be interested in this 1997 study of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB). T EDB has been Singapore's chosen instrument for development and implementation of its policies to become a very successful player in a globalised world. Its strategies and practices are of more than passing interest to anyone interested in dealing successfully with globalisation. Both the discussion of the factors in the EDB's success and the discussion of the problems and issues that it - and by extension Singapore - faces make an extremely illuminating case study that, by virtue of EDB's role, incorporates national, governmental and enterprise perspectives. The book also makes an interesting case study of other criteria for successful globalisation identified by both Thurow: Building Wealth and Friedman: The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

Second, students of organisational culture are offered a thorough and lucid account of how the person who is arguably the world's foremost authority on organisational culture went about studying a major organisation in the context of a wider societal culture with which he was not wholly familiar.

This is a set of books (3 parts). The writing is clear, logical and easy to understand but brings your knowledge level to a much higher level. The author writes not to impress the reader with his background or research but to teach the reader about the subject. Concepts, which I have read about in other books but did not really understand yet, are now clear. I altered my experimental setup and I now have a better measurement system. I purchased vol 3 (basically thermocouples), read it, then purchased and read parts 1 and 2.

This is a set of books (3 parts). The writing is clear, logical and easy to understand but brings your knowledge level to a much higher level. The author writes not to impress the reader with his background or research but to teach the reader about the subject. Concepts, which I have read about in other books but did not really understand yet, are now clear. I altered my experimental setup and I now have a better system. I purchased vol 3 (basically thermocouples), read it, then purchased and read parts 1 and 2.

This is one of two volumes: the other bears the same title and is also published by Dover (available through Amazon.com). There are many texts in these two books which are of use to the student of Taoism. There is little sense in buying one volume without the other, since the writings of Chuang-Tzu are spread across the two volumes. These are excellent translations from the end of the 19th century, with copious notes. Part of an original series published by Oxford, called "The Sacred Books of the East". James Legge translated all of the Chinese classics in six volumes of the fifty volume series. Dover have published some of the more useful and popuar volumes. If you want to preview it, any major city library should have a copy of the whole set. These two volumes are a hugely rewarding investment for anyone inserested in learning about Taoism. The only downside is that here and there Legge expresses in the notes a certain hesitance to accept the full great wisdom of the texts (he himself was a Catholic missionary in China).

Taoism is a philosophy (and religion, even today) which has application for anyone who seeks to better their ability to cope with today's difficult environment. These translations are from this perspective not outdated at all.

This is one of two volumes: the other bears the same title and is also published by Dover (available through Amazon.com). There are many texts in these two books which are of use to the student of Taoism. There is little sense in buying one volume without the other, since the writings of Chuang-Tzu are spread across the two volumes. These are excellent translations from the end of the 19th century, with copious notes. Part of an original series published by Oxford, called "The Sacred Books of the East". James Legge translated all of the Chinese classics in six volumes of the fifty volume series. Dover have published some of the more useful and popuar volumes. If you want to preview it, any major city library should have a copy of the whole set. These two volumes are a hugely rewarding investment for anyone inserested in learning about Taoism. The only downside is that here and there Legge expresses in the notes a certain hesitance to accept the full great wisdom of the texts (he himself was a Catholic missionary in China).

Taoism is a philosophy (and religion, even today) which has application for anyone who seeks to better their ability to cope with today's difficult environment. These translations are from this perspective not outdated at all.

The Chinese knew what they were doing when they put this together at their language institute. Go People's Republic! If I did not own it already I would pay $50-100 for the honor of having it on my shelf. Except it would not be on the shelf because I would be using it everyday. Very user friendly format. Exceptional detail. The best part is the Chinese is current usages and the English translations are also. Doesn't it just make you sick when you are hungry for good Chinese and the English translation is just archaic? Scarey, isn't it?! This book with blow your mind. Where are the flaws? You can't find them because the book is PERFECT!

- All entries are arranged according to the Chinese Phonetic (hanyu pinyin) alphabetical order. A Chinese character radical index is also provided.

- Emphasis was placed on using modern Chinese, and modern English was taken as the basis of all English translations.

- Clear and precise definitions and explanations.

- Practical and rich examples.

- 6 useful appendices, including "Chinese Phonetic Alphabet and Wade System" and "Units of weights and Measures"

- 2,000 most frequently used Chinese characters are marked by an asterisk.

- More than 100 illuustrations.

This dictionary covers a wide scope. Apart from expressions for general users, attention has also been paid to social and natural sciences

Southeast Asia is a world filled with mystery and intrigue, and one that doesn't give up its secrets easily--as the author and his wife soon found out! Walking To Singapore is an often hilarious, but always informative look at the daily lives and disparate cultures of the region, and provides insight into the history of the region, the best (and most bizarre) foods, even religious temple etiquette. The book celebrates the beauty of Southeast Asia: swimming with sea turtles in Malaysia, seeing the sunrise from the rim of a smoking volcano, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, and watching wild orangutans waking at sunrise in Borneo. The author's adventures also take them to some of the most magnificent historical and archaeological wonders of the world such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Burma's city of 4,000 temples at Bagan, and the magnificent Buddhist and Hindu monuments of Borobudor in Indonesia. Helpful as a guide to budget travel in Southeast Asia--for about $10 per day!--Walking To Singapore also recounts some of the difficulties and downright danger that await--from an all night journey along the Road to Mandalay in Burma, to leeches in Sumatra, to grenade attacks in Phnom Penh!

This book is hilarious!...and informative. The travel essays tell how it really is to travel in some of these incredibly remote, but incredibly wonderful parts of SE Asia. Unlike most travel guides that merely descibe the points of interest, without honestly telling how difficult it can be to get there--without doing it the "tour group way"--this book tells how YOU can do it on your own...but gives some advice to ease the trip as well as to caution the traveler. Every chapter also provides tons of information on the history and politics, etc. of the region, too. But what I like most is that the author encourages everyone to give independent travel a try. And by traveling as the author and his wife did, anyone can do it on a shoestring budget. Personally, I would RATHER eat and do as the locals do; the author shows that it's not only possible but very cheap and a lot of fun!

This is a charming walking tour/guidebook that really enhanced my recent trip to Singapore. The layout of the book is easily accessible and the line drawings throughout are a beautiful touch. The walks themselves are well thought out and obviously meticulously researched and planned by the author himself. I especially liked the Did You Know? sections dotted throughout which contain little tidbits of unusual facts and information not often found in other guidebooks. This is definitely a must for any visitor who wants to see more than just the tourist side of the city. I highly recommend it. Also worth checking out are the other guidebooks in this series that do walking tours of Bangkok and Hong Kong.

What a nice idea! Easy-to-follow walks through the different parts of the city, plenty of advice on what to see and do, as well as a wealth of architectureal and historical information, and all accompanied by delightfully hand drawn sketches by the author. A lovely, useful guide, and very pretty too. Highly recommended!