14 December 2014

Gentlefolk

One of the things I am going to talk about in my Western Culture classes this week is how we (westerners) view China.  As part of that discussion, I will describe who we see as the most influential people in the world, and why.  I will refer to the annual list compiled by Forbes, which I have spent the last few hours analysing.

Forbes 2014 “List of Most Powerful People”

Every November since 2009 Forbes Magazine has published a “List of the Most powerful people on earth”. The list has one name for every 100 million people; the 2009 list contained 67 names, the 2014 list contains 72 names. Click HERE for the full list.

Selections are based on the amount of human and financial resources they command, as well as their influence on world events (basically, their 'soft power').  It would probably be more accurate to call it “List of Most Influential People in the world”.

Time Magazine publishes a 'Top 100' list usually in April every year, but my assessment is that the Forbes list is more considered and solid.

The following table shows the Top Ten names on the 2014 list.

Table 1: Forbes 2014’s Top Ten

Ranking on Forbes 2014 list	Name	Position	Age
#1	Vladimir Putin	President of Russia	62
#2	Barack Obama	President of the United States	53
#3	Xi Jin Ping	General Secretary of the Communist Party of China; Chairman of the Military Commission; President of the People's Republic of China	61
#4	Pope Francis	Spiritual leader of the Catholic Church	77
#5	Angela Merkel	Chancellor of Germany	60
#6	Janet Yellen	Chair of the US Federal Reserve	68
#7	Bill Gates	Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Former Chairman of Microsoft	59
#8	Mario Draghi	President of the European Central Bank	67
#9	Sergey Brin &  Larry Page	Co-Founders of Google	41 & 41
#10	David Cameron	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom	48

Do you agree with their Top Ten? What would you change?

Obama obviously has more resources than Putin, but Putin has demonstrated his ability and willingness to use his power, especially this year.  

Personally, I would put Xi Jin Ping ahead of Obama because he is less constrained.  He is head of the Communist Party of China, and once the CPC determines a course of action, it happens.

I wouldn't rank #4 Pope Francis as high.  I agree he has influence, especially with 1.2 billion Catholics, but I would rank him lower, perhaps around #50. What do you think?

The 2014 list contains leaders of seven important international organisations.  They are:

#4 Pope Francis (Catholic Church)
#8 Mario Draghi (European Central Bank)
#33 Christine Lagarde (International Monetary Fund)
#40 Ban Ki Moon (United Nations)
#45 Jim Yong Kim (World Bank)
#67 Margaret Chan (World Health Organisation)
#70 Joseph Blatter (FIFA)

Regional origin

The regional origin of the 65 individuals on the Forbes list is shown below.

Table 2: Forbes 2014 list, by region

Region	Number	% of 65
USA	24	37%
Latin America	3	5%
Asia (including Australia)	19	29%
Europe	11	17%
Middle East + Africa	8	12%
Leaders of 7 International Organisations are in the list:   Pope; United Nations; World Health Organisation; World Bank; IMF; European Bank; FIFA. They are not included in Table 2.

The 2014 list of 65 individuals (excluding the international organisations) contains 24 Americans, 8 Chinese, 5 Russians, 4 Japanese, and 3 Indians.  One Aussie is included: #66 Gina Rinehart (#32 Rupert Murdoch is shown as American). 

{By way of comparison, the 2009 list contained 22 Americans; 6 Chinese; 3 Russians, and 5 Indians}

The eight persons of Chinese origin are:

#3 Xi Jin Ping (President)
#13 Li Ke Qiang (Premier)
#28 Li Ka Shing (Hutchinson Whampoa, Hong Kong)
#30 Jack Ma (Alibaba, e-commerce)
#41 Robin Li (Baidu, search)
#43 Ding Xue Dong (China Investment Corp)
#53 Ma Hua Teng (Tencent, social networking)
#71 Terry Gou (Hon Hai Corp, Taiwan)

Age distribution

The age distribution is shown in Table 3.  #22 Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is the youngest on the list (30 years of age) and #11 King Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia is the oldest (90 years of age).

Table 3:  Forbes 2014 list, by age

Range of age	% of all names
30 – 39	3%
40 – 49	15%
50 – 59	30%
60 – 69	32%
70 – 79	15%
80 – 89	4%
90 – 99	1%

18% are younger than 50; 62% are aged between 50 and 69; 20% are 70 and older. The median age is 61. 

Women

There are nine women (12.5% of total) on the list. They are:

#5 Angela Merkel (German Chancellor)
#6 Janet Yellen (US Federal Reserve)
#31 Dilma Rousseff (Brazilian President)
#33 Christine Lagarde (IMF)
#46 Park Guen Hye (President of South Korea)
#55 Ginni Rometty (IBM)
#62 Mary Barra (General Motors)
#66 Gina Rinehart (Hancock Prospecting)
#67 Margaret Chan (WHO)

Although lists like this are subjective, I find them quite stimulating.  One can have spirited discussions about names on the list – for example, the inclusion of #70 Joseph Blatter, head of FIFA.  Is he really more ‘influential’ than say Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, or Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia who are both not on the list?

A controversial inclusion in the 2014 list is #54 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State movement. Do you think he should be there?  Should people like Edward Snowden or Julian Assange be included in such lists?  Their actions have had big impacts, but do they wield real power and influence?  What about leading actors, artists, architects, scientists, or talk show hosts such as Oprah, or authors such as Rowling?

Postscript: I'm glad someone else compiles these lists -  big challenge!

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That's it for this post.

Keep well and keep smiling (it's only 10 days to Xmas!)

Best wishes,

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn/english
Sunday 14 December 2014

11 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

Today is the 3rd anniversary of my mother's death, and I want to dedicate this post to her memory.

Herewith a snapshot.

Mum (in later life the whole family called her Omi, which is 'grandmother' in German) was born in Dresden, Germany on 18 May 1920 and christened Edeltraut Johanna Goerner. Aussies couldn't get their tongue around her name so she used the shortened version 'Traudi'.

She grew up in a loving family and reveled in the culture and history of Dresden.

When she was 20 she was drafted into the war effort, and sent to a radar station on Germany's north coast where she worked as an administrative assistant.  In March 1945, with Germany facing certain defeat, the radar station was abandoned and she returned to Dresden only to find the city in ruins. Her immediate family survived the devastating bombing: her father, mother, and elder sister (who had two little girls - her husband would join them later) - a miracle.

Somehow they managed to get to Bavaria, the American Zone, and settled in a small town called Weilheim, between Munich and Garmisch. She met my father, Akos Olah, who had been an officer in the Hungarian army, became a prisoner of war, and was later designated a "DP" (Displaced Person) when he refused to return to Soviet-occupied Hungary .

They had three children in quick succession (the 4th was born in Australia).  Germany was devastated and the future of Europe looked bleak.  So, like many others in similar situation, they decided to seek their fortune elsewhere.

Australia was the first to offer them sanctuary, so that's where we ended up in January 1951. After a while Dad got a job in Cooma NSW on the Snowy Mountains scheme.  The scheme was completed in 1974, Dad was retrenched, and they moved to Canberra.  He passed way on 25 July 1990 (aged 78) and Mum on 11 December 2011 (aged 91).

I'm sure everyone's mother is special, and Mum was no exception.

For us children, it was all a big adventure.  But looking back now we marvel at her strength and resilience. She bore four children in difficult circumstances - for example, the day before I was born she was out searching for fruit which had fallen to the ground. The voyage to the other side of the world was a nightmare, spent in the hold of an ex-troop carrier. The country they came to was strange: language, food, attitudes, manners, everything was different; no family, no friends.

She was made of stern stuff.  Always the optimist, she experienced hard times but refused to give in to despondency and despair.

A woman's capacity to protect her young and care for them is truly amazing.  I honestly don't know how she did it, but she always seemed to be there when we needed her.  A cup of hot chocolate on a winter's day, a band-aid for a cut, a kind word, and a gentle smile of encouragement when we felt down.

Her children and later her grandchildren always came first.  They had to be fed, clothed, cleaned, kept warm, while her own comfort and needs were set aside.

She was a very special lady.  May she rest in peace.

Here are some photos of the last year or two of her long, eventful, life.

Omi died on 11 December 2011. Over 100 family and friends attended the funeral service at St Pat's church in Braddon.  She is buried in Gungahlin Cemetery in Canberra. Her four children: Alex, Angie, Andy, and Aniko at the burial.  She instructed mourners to 'wear something yellow' as she wanted us to celebrate the joys of her life, not the hardships.

May 2011 Omi finally left her home and moved into Morshead Retirement Home in Lyneham, Canberra.  She had a nice room and was well looked-after.  When her health started deteriorating, Vera & I quickly returned from China and we were able to spend the last two weeks with her -  a precious time.  Angie came up from the coast.  Here we are chatting with Mum and singing songs.   Her mind was sharp till the end - we were often surprised at her ability to recite long poems and songs from her youth.

Omi always loved the festive season.  Here Aniko is singing Xmas carols with her. Aniko, despite her very busy job, was always the first there in the morning, and the last to put her to bed at night.

Omi surrounded by her extended family.  It was Aniko's birthday, January 2011. 

Aniko's birthday, January 2011.

My favorite photo with Omi.  We attended a function at the Indonesian Embassy, September 2010. This photo is the background on the Dedication Page of my book "It's all about the students". 

The three most important women in my life: mother, wife, and daughter, Canberra 2010.

January 2010, Mum with 3 of her 4 children; Angie 'missing in action'.

Andy's 60th birthday celebrations, January 2009.

The family always celebrated Xmas at Mum's house in Ainslie. She spent hours decorating the living room, and preparing the food.  It was a special time.  

A few simple words can't convey the kindness, the inner-beauty, and strength of my mother.  But I wanted to try anyway and it was good to go through the process on this day.

...

That's it for this post.

Only 3 weeks of teaching left for me this semester.  The final exams will be held in the week beginning 4 January 2015;  a few days of marking, then we will head south, to warmer climes.

 Until the next post, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn/english/
Thursday, 11 December 2014

6 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

You must be thinking: "Three posts in a week, what's going on?"  A sudden burst of energy - it will probably never happen again.

The last few days have been windy and cold.  Maximum temperatures of  +2 and +3C. Today it's sunny and calm, forecast max of 6C - positively balmy!

My post today is about a special teaching activity, and a bit more on the American political system, following the comment in the post on 1 December about the very low turn-out rate in the recent Mid-term election.

Love poems with International Trade theme

Recently a former student reminded me of an unusual activity I organised with her class last year. The background is as follows.

I am always on the look-out for new activities which can make the Oral English classes more interesting.  On 21 May 2013 I saw an article in the China Daily titled “Science students calculate formulas for love” describing how science students at Fudan University in Shanghai held a competition to compose short love poems with a science theme.  What a novel idea.

At that time I was teaching two classes of International Trade majors (sophomore classes 1101 and 1102) and I challenged them to do the same, but using international trade terms such as CIF (cost, insurance & freight); FOB (free on board); FAS (free alongside ship); FCA (free carriage); DDP (delivered duty paid); WTO (World Trade Organisation).

.

My criteria for the love poems: 3 lines; maximum 15 words; international trade theme.

Some of the more interesting compositions are shown in Table 1 below.

The China Daily published a story about our version of the Fudan University contest.  You will see that in the article the journalist called it a 'wacky idea’, but I prefer to think of it as creative and innovative.  What do you think?

To see the China Daily story, click HERE  or follow this link:  http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-07/05/content_16737867.htm  . 

The students certainly enjoyed doing something different, related to their major, and, of course, they are always interested in anything to do with LOVE.

Table 1: Poems by students in International Trade classes 1101 and 1102

CIF (Cost, insurance & freight)
Casually I met you and Fell in love	Convict If you want to be Free, go!		Come here my darling I will give you all my love Forever.
Coffee is lonely without a cup I am lonely without you Forge everlasting love.	Can I love you Forever?		Come to my heart I will hug you Falling in love.
FOB (Free on board)
For me Only one thing I know Be my girl.	First time I saw you “Oh my god” I thought Because had I found my angel.		Forever Our love will go on and on Boy, be mine.
FCA (Free carriage)
First time I met you Calling your name in my heart At that moment I fell in love.	Find you amazing Crazy in love Absolutely.
FAS (Free alongside ship)
Falling in love with you Alone Searching for you in my dreams.		First time I saw you Appealing to my soul Say you love me, please.
DDP (Delivered duty paid)
Darkness or Dawn? Please re-assure me.
General (with trade theme)
FOB, CIF, FAS, WTO           All those crazy acronyms    Now part of my DNA.	You are the buyer FOB, CIF, FAS, whatever My heart is yours.		My love for you Is like China’s trade Forever growing.

...

Western Culture classes

We have just completed Week 13 of this semester.  In my Western (really, American) Culture classes I have covered the following topics: Geography; Economy; History; Political system; and Religion.

I regard these as the foundations of a culture or society.

Before now moving on to a myriad of "Way of Life" topics (such as cars, sport, pets, etc) last week we had a "review" class to catch our breath and look back at what we have covered. I summarised the lectures so far, and then answered written questions.

Most of the questions related to religion and to the American political system.  Table 2 shows selected questions:

Table 2: Selected questions posed by students in the review class last week

  

Theme	Question
Religion	Isn’t there a fundamental conflict between science and religion? Americans are smart and technologically advanced, yet many believe in religion. Why?
	According to surveys, the proportion of American adults who say they are Christians has fallen from 86% in 1990 to 73% in 2012, and during the same period the proportion who say they have no religion has increased from 8% to 19%.  Why this trend?  Will it continue? Do you think that one day only a few Americans will follow religion, same as in China?
	Christianity has one God, but Buddhism and Hinduism have many. Why this fundamental difference?
	What actual difference does religion make to a person’s life?
	What are the key differences between the beliefs of the Catholic Church and the main Protestant Churches?
Political system	What are the main advantages and disadvantages of the American political system (the 3 branches of government, with checks & balances)?
	How do politics affect a person’s daily life in America?
	Which do you think is better: the American political system, or China’s?
	I watched the TV series “House of Cards”.  It shows system based on ambition and greed. How true is it?  Could someone really kill opponents for political gain?
	Only 36% voted in the recent mid term elections.  How can the Congress elected say it represents the whole country?
War	Some people say that America’s main motivation in getting involved in wars such as WW2 and Iraq was to boost its economy.  What do you think?
	In the American Civil War, was there conscription or did people volunteer to join the Northern and Southern armies?
Economy	Comparing the Global Financial Crisis (2007-9) and the Great Depression (1929-39), what were the main differences and similarities?
	What were the main reasons for the rapid development of the American economy in the 1800s?
	China has a much longer history than America, but America is stronger economically.  Why? Is there any benefit in having a long history?

 From my perspective it was gratifying to see so many incisive and inquiring questions (many difficult to answer!).  Seems that my teaching has provoked thinking, which is great.

A student asked me what changes I would make to the American political system if I could?  Hard to think quickly, but I suggested the following (felt a bit presumptuous for a non-American) :  

• Double the term of House of Representatives, from 2 to 4 years.
• Introduce mandatory voting for all citizens over 18 years of age.
• Change some of the "checks & balances", eg exempt Executive appointments from Senate approval
• Mandatory retirement of Supreme Court Justices at 80.
• Restrict donations to political parties.
• Change the system of electing the President, from Electoral College to popular vote.

What do you think?  Any others?

The Electoral College system to elect the President seems cumbersome.  Wouldn't it be simpler to just count all the votes in the country ('popular vote') and the candidate who got most, becomes President?  

Actually, there have been 4 elections when the candidate who got the higher popular vote did not become President.  The election of 1824 was complex and the House of Representatives made the final decision. The other three elections are clearer - the candidate who won most of the popular vote ended up with fewer Electoral College votes and did not become President. 

We all remember the 2000 Presidential election and the shenanigans in Florida which tipped the result in Bush's favor.

 Table 3: Elections in which the winner of the popular vote did not become President.

Year of election	Winner (became President) / loser	Popular votes (millions)	States won	Electoral College votes
1824	ADAMS / Jackson	0.11 / 0.15	7 / 12	84 / 99
1876	HAYES / Tilden	4.03 / 4.29	21 / 17	185 / 184
1888	HARRISON / Cleveland	5.44 / 5.53	20 / 18	233 / 168
2000	BUSH / Gore	50.46 / 51.00	30 / 20 + DC	271 / 266

...

The intrepid travellers

What's happening with the Roberts family as they wend their way around Australia?

Their latest post (today) has them at Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly corner of Western Australia. Click HERE or check out Robertstour2014.wordpress.com

Cape Leeuwin the most south-westerly point of WA. It is named after the Leeuwin ('Lioness') a Dutch ship which surveyed this area in 1622, Mathew Flinders passed here in 1801 and nearby Flinders Bay is named after him.

A more detailed view of the south-western corner of WA.  They have had some wet and cool weather.  Jen became quite maudlin in her blog, because Cape Leeuwin is where they "turn left" and head back towards the East Coast.  The family has been travelling for 4 months, and have a month to go.  They will  have Xmas in Adelaide and then it's back home to Brisbane.

Cape Leeuwin is considered the "border" of the Indian and Southern Oceans. The impressive Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was built in 1895. 

Tom trying out his new surf board at Bunker Bay.

...


OK, that's it for this post.

Best wishes.  Keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday, 6 December 2014

 

4 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

As you know, I compile a monthly summary of events and news which caught my eye.  

We live in an age of information overload – there is so much happening all over the world that it is difficult to keep track.  I am hoping that these monthly summaries will help me recall the key events which took place that month in China and internationally.

Events which made the news in China in November 2014

Note: these news items were sourced from The China Daily newspaper in November 2014. Keep in mind that it is a government-run newspaper.  I can't vouch for the accuracy of the statistics, except to say that China used to be a centrally-planned economy and they collected (and continue to do so) data on all manner of things.  

Actual events usually occurred a day or two before they appeared in the newspaper.  Currency is US$, and the exchange rate used this month is US$1 = Yuan 6.1.

Previously I listed the International Events first and then the Domestic (inside China) Events.  But I think you may be more interested in the China list, as you are already familiar with the International events, so I will reverse the order.

I used to include these monthly news summaries in posts with other commentary, but they are actually quite long, so in future I will make them a separate post.

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

1 Nov	In 2013 inbound tourists numbered 129 million, down 3% on 2012 figures.  75% satisfaction; main concerns: water & air pollution, and safety at tourist sites.
	China has 58,789 people aged 100+; 75% women.  The oldest Chinese is 128.
	150 in 10,000 babies suffer from some defect and about 900,000 babies are born every year with a congenital disease.  The Government is considering re-introducing compulsory pre-marital health checks.
	The Commercial Aircraft Corporation (a state-owned enterprise) is building narrow-body aircraft with 90 and 168 seats. Plans to build wide-body aircraft by 2023, to compete with Boeing and Airbus.
13 Nov	11/11 is promoted as “Singles Day” in China, with lots of e-commerce specials aimed at young people. Estimated total sales of $13.2 billion in 24 hours (about 410 million orders averaging $32 each). Alibaba, the e-commerce giant, represented 71% of total turnover.  Local smart phone company, Xiaomi, sold 720,000 phones in the first 12 hours. Huawei and Heier products also popular.
	The government is stepping up the anti-corruption campaign.  Wei Peng Yuan, Deputy Director of the National Energy Administration, had $33 million in his home in Beijing.  Ma Chao Qin, General Manager of the water company of Qinghuangdao, Hebei Province was found with $20 million cash, 37 kg of gold, and 68 property certificates.
	Lenovo’s revenue for the 3rd Quarter (July – Sept 2014) was $10.5 billion (40% inside China, 60% outside). Shipped 16 million personal computers in Q3. Recently bought IBM’s server unit, and Motorola (smart phones).
14 Nov	2013 Chinese outbound tourists: 880,000 France, 790,000 Australia, 1.8 m USA.
	China Mobile, the largest mobile service provider, has built 470,000 4G base stations around China.  It has more than 50 million subscribers.
	2015 estimate: 300 million households in China will have disposable income of more than $10,000 pa
18 Nov	Tibet: 82,666 hectares planted with trees in 2014 (program now suspended for the winter months).
	Opening of new “Museum of Overseas Chinese” in Beijing (Dong Cheng District Ph 010 6407 0943). 15,000 exhibits in 4 halls.
19 Nov	Contrary to tradition the annual CCTV advertising sales meeting was held in private. Soft market because slowing economy and govt’s austerity drive. Experts say that this year, for the first time, ad spending on ‘new media’ (internet, video streaming, etc) will surpass traditional media (TV, magazines).
	Following ruling by the High Court of Hong Kong, bailiffs backed by police started clearing protest areas in Mong Kok and then other locations, after about 60 days of occuption.  The government has shown great patience; other jurisdictions would have moved much earlier (eg New York dealing with disruptions caused by the Occupy Wall Street movement).
	Microblogger Yang Xiu Yu was sentenced to 4 years in jail and fined $24,000  “for publishing rumours and deleting unfavourable posts for client companies”.
22 Nov	About 60,000 Chinese travelled abroad for medical treatment this year, mainly to USA, Taiwan, HK, Singapore, Europe.  The Mayo Clinic now has 200 Chinese patients pa.
	Jane Goodall, 80 years old, visited for the 20th anniversary of the first Roots & Shoots NGO in China.  Now 600 branches in China; 150,000 world-wide.
24 Nov	6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Kangding, Sichuan Province.  Remote area, 5 dead 54 injured.
	Peking University (Bei Da) sacked Associate Professor Yu Wan Li for affair with a PhD student from Singapore; for brining the university’s name into disrepute.
27 Nov	Fire in Hengda Coal Mine in Fuxin, Liaoning Province: 26 dead, 50 injured.
	Microsoft’s China Office accused of cross-border tax evasion (channelling earnings through Ireland, Singapore and Puerto Rico) and ordered to pay $137 million in back taxes.
28 Nov	The Ministry of Education will assume responsibility for the development of junior soccer from the China Football Association.  Soccer will become compulsory in many schools.  Plan to train 6,000 coaches in the next 12 months.
	According to the Public Security Bureau (Police) there are now 300 million licensed drivers in China, and 154 million ‘civilian vehicles’.
	Gambling is prohibited in China, but there are two nation-wide, legal lotteries.  In October 2014 the Welfare Lottery (started 1987) sold tickets valued $2.9 billion and the Sports Lottery (started 1990) $2.5 billion.  Questions how the proceeds are being used, and the govt has announced an audit of the two lotteries.
	As part of its austerity drive, the Government has established maximum sizes of official’s offices: a Minister’s office should be less than 54 sq metres; Vice-Minister 42 sq m; Bureau Head 24 sq m; Director 12 sq m.
	Beijing subway and bus fares will increase on 28 December 2014. Subway will be $0.50 for first 6 km, then by distance; bus will be $0.33 for first 10 km, then by distance. In 2013 the Beijing subway system carried 3.2 billion passengers; it covers 465 km, with another 208 km under construction.
29 Nov	The Shanghai Stock Market is experiencing a bull run (after 4 years in the doldrums) and the Composite Index hit 2682. It set a new record for a single-day turnover of $114 billion (previous record $99.5 billion was set by the New York Stock Market on 26 July 2007).

(b)  International Events

1 Nov	Sweden became the 9th country to formally recognise “The State of Palestine”, after Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Iceland. The British Parliament (13 October) and the Spanish Parliament (18 November) passed non-binding resolutions urging their Governments to recognise Palestine.  The French Parliament is debating the issue in December and is expected to follow suit. These countries see “Two States” as the only viable solution and are hoping that Israel will stop prevaricating.
	The San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals in the 7th game to win the baseball World Series.  Madison Bumgarner (pitcher) named MVP.
3 Nov	Ban Ki Moon said “time is not on our side” as UN Panel of climate scientists issued another report asserting that climate change is man-made and calling for action.
	Western Sydney Wanderers beat Al Hilal in Riyadh to win the Asian Champions League.  First Aussie club to be Asian Champs.  The Guardian called it “The Football Story of the year”. The Daily Telegraph said “From a twinkle in the eyes to Asian Champions in less than 3 years!” The Sydney Morning Herald said “Achieved the seemingly impossible!”
5 Nov	Mexico announced that a Chinese consortium won the contract to build a 210 km high-speed train from Mexico City to Queretaro. A few days later the contract was cancelled, and a new bidding process announced.
	A record 37.5 million tonnes of iron ore were shipped out of Port Hedland, Western Australia in October 2014 (of which 31.7 mt went to China). The price of iron ore (62% content) delivered in Qingdao fell to $72 per tonne (down 47% so far in 2014).
	5 – 12 November various APEC meetings in Beijing, hosted by President Xi Jin Ping who spoke of an “Asia-Pacific Dream”.  APEC Leaders agreed to negotiate a “Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific” (FTAAP).
6 Nov	US Mid-term election held on Tuesday 4 November: the Republican Party gained seats and will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 115th Congress.  The turn-out rate was 36.4%.
	A Memorial Service was held in Sydney for former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
	The USA had a record monthly trade deficit in September 2014 of $43 billion (of which China was 80%). In September US exports to China were $10 b, while imports from China were $45 b.
	Reports that Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia’s badminton star (55 global titles), failed a drug test and was banned for 2 years.
13 Nov	Following the APEC meeting, President Obama made an official one-day visit to China.  Bilateral agreements were announced on:  climate change; a military code-of-safe-conduct; and accelerated talks on a bilateral investment treaty.
	Myanmar hosted the East Asia Summit in its capital Nay Pyi Taw.
	The International Ski Federation banned Vanessa Mae for 4 years because some of her qualifying races to get into the Sochi Winter Olympics were rigged.
15 Nov	USA announced that visas for Chinese for business and tourism (B1 & B2) will now be valid for 10 years.
17 Nov	15 & 16 Nov, G20 meeting in Brisbane hosted by Australian PM Tony Abbott.  Attended by many world leaders including Obama, Xi, Cameron, etc.
18 Nov	Following the G20 meeting Xi Jin Ping made an official visit to Australia (then on to New Zealand and Fiji).  This was his 5th visit to Australia; the first was in 1988 when he was Deputy Mayor of Xiamen in Fujian Province. He has now visited every Australian State. Xi addressed Parliament in Canberra; and opened the Chinese Garden, a gift from Beijing for Canberra’s centenary (they are sister-cities). In Hobart he witnessed the signing of an MOU on cooperating on Antartica. In Sydney he attended the inaugural Australia – China State & Provincial Leaders meeting, and the opening of the China Cultural Centre. After lengthy talks Australia and China announced finalisation of a Free Trade Agreement.  Two-way trade in 2013 totalled almost $130 billion (heavily in Australia’s favour).
20 Nov	Kobe Bryant scored 28 points in the Lakers win over the Atlanta Hawks.  He has now scored more than 32,000 points in regular season games.
21 Nov	Main countries of candidates sitting the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) in 2014 for graduate study in the USA: America 336,367; China 44,100; India 42,098.
22 Nov	UK Independence Party (UKIP) won a 2nd set in the House of Commons (for the Rochester & Stroud Constituency).
24 Nov	Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick when Barcelona beat Seville 5 – 1, and broke the La Liga record of 251 goals set by Telmo Zarra in 1955. He also holds the European Champions League record with 74 goals (in 91 games). Ronaldo from Real Madrid is second with 71 goals (in 108 games).
25 Nov	The Oxford Dictionary word of 2014 is ‘vape’ (or vaping = to smoke an e-cigarette).  Their word of 2013 was ‘selfie’.
	Switzerland (anchored by Roger Federer and Stan Wawarinka) beat France to win the Davis Cup for the first time.
	Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to take out the 2014 F1 Championship (he won once before, in 2005, with McLaren).
26 Nov	A Grand Jury cleared policeman Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, St Louis, on 9 August 2014.  Big demonstrations in many cities.
	Chuck Hagel resigned as US Secretary of Defence.
28 Nov	25 year old Aussie cricketer Phillip Hughes died after being hit in the head by a cricket ball (bouncer).
29 Nov	Indonesia’s new President, Joko Widodo, has instructed govt officials to cease extravagant entertaining and spending.  Last weekend he flew economy-class to Singapore, which produced many positive comments.

Keep well, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Thursday, 4 December 2014