FEATURES OF THE MONTH - June 2010 CLUB EVENTS Stanley International Dragon Boat Event - Wednesday, June 16, 2010.The Stanley International Dragon Boat Event is one of the highlights of the Hong Kong calendar! What better way to enjoy the races away from the crowd and heat than to watch it from the comforts of the Hong Kong Sea School and enjoy a buffet lunch and free drinks! Races start at 10:30am to the end of the afternoon. Date: June 16, 2010 (Wednesday Public Holiday) Time: 12:30pm to 2:30pm Venue: Hong Kong Sea School, Steward's Room, 13-15 Tung Tau Wan Road, Stanley Cost: Recommended $100 donation Reply: Complete Reply Slip and return to Bill Chew at bchew@stanfordalumni.org Parking: Limited so complete car details on reply slip. (Note: a lot of traffic that day! so public transport may be better.) Deadline: Monday, June 14, 2010, 12:00 noon OR limit of 20 Stanford Alumni - first come, first served. Stanford Yacht Cruise -- Organized by Stanford, Brown, and U.Penn. Is the bright sunny days making you think of leisure boat cruises? Want to put in some water time before the Dragonboat festivities? You’re in luck, cause it's time again for our club's annual summer cruise around the island!Organized jointly by alumni of Stanford, Brown and Pennsylvania, participants will be whisked away from the bustle of Central to one of Hong Kong's getaway coastal hotspots in a matter of minutes! A delicious lunch (including wine and drinks) will be served, followed by an afternoon of your choice of  As always, space for this event is very limited. Last year, the organizers received overwhelming signup interest and dozens of people had to be turned away. Don't let this happen to you -- please rsvp as soon as possible if you are interested. Thanks, and see you on the yacht! Date: June 12, 2010 (Saturday) Time: 9:30am late afternoon Venue: Pickup and drop-off at IFC Pier (Central) Cost: $380 (inc. lunch) before June 2. $430 thereafter. RSVP: Please email Geoffrey Chan at geoffrey.chan@gmail.com. Given the typical oversubscription, please limit signups to 1 non-alumni guest per rsvp. Scholarship for Summer Camp in Japan! Stanford School of Education alums working on a project to establish a new international boarding school in Japan are looking for talented middle schoolers (5 spaces left !) to participate in a 2-week residential program (July 19-30) in Karuizawa near Tokyo with scholarships covering meals, accommodation and program fee available if required. Application deadline is 10 June. Interested pls email Lin Kobayashi at info@isak.jp for the program brochure and application. INVITATIONS Asia Society - See Event Calendar and Right Column Asia Society has kindly offered all their events to Stanford Alum to attend at Member discount prices. COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS - DON'T MISS ! CLUB CORNER  Bowling mixer (July/Aug) As our current students return home for the summer and before the new admits join the gang, how about a friend match between alum and students in the bowling alley ? More details to come. CLUB CONNECTIONS Your Club is glad to connect alumni to events and opportunities that comes to us because of the Stanford connection as one of the channels through which we serve the alumni community: Jobmart : Your club believes in serving the alumni community, one way being helping prospective employers and job seekers meet via the newsletter/web page. So if you would like to post any opportunities with us, feel free to drop us a line at hkclub@stanfordalumni.org ! Summer Intern RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: Ashokais, the largest association of social entrepreneurs in the world - men and women with system-changing solutions for the worlds most urgent social problems, seeks an outstanding candidate with a strong interest in social entrepreneurship and innovation to conduct research on China's innovation in the social and business sector. They will help Ashoka map out the most innovative fields and players in China. The results are critical for the future operational direction in China. The Research Associate is expected to be an integral part of our team, and contribute significantly to broaden Ashoka's knowledge base.  Ashoka also organizes different activities to promote Social Entrepreneurship. The research associate may be assisting in setting up events. An allowance will be provided. For further information and application, pls email: kto@ashoka.org, stating ‘Research Associate Application’ in the subject heading. Facebook: Get updates and reconnect with Stanford friends in Hong Kong. Search for "Stanford Club of Hong Kong" in Facebook. Go Stanford! Edith Ngan Chan (BS’87) President www.stanfordhk.org | Asia Society Events offered to Stanford Alumni To register, please email hk@asiasociety.org. Remember to mention your alumni affiliation in order to get the Member Discount offer. For enquiries, please contact Frances Chim on 2103 9508 or Wendy Poon on 2103 9502. An Evening Discussion with RICHARD ARMSTONG, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and HANS ULRICH OBRIST, Co-director of Exhibitions & Director of International Projects, Serpentine Gallery Thursday, May 27, 2010 Lock Cha Tea Shop, G/F, The K.S. Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty Cocktail reception 6.30 p.m., Discussion at 7.00 p.m., Close at 8.00 p.m. $150 Asia Society members/ Full-time students; $200 Non-members (Priority for members)Richard Armstrong and Hans Ulrich Obrist will discuss key questions facing China-U.S. Relations: Partners or Rivals A Luncheon Panel Discussion - Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Conrad Hotel, Ballroom, Pacific Place, Admiralty Registration at 12.00 p.m., Luncheon at 12.15 p.m., Close at 2.30 p.m. $390 Asia Society members/ Full-time students; $490 Non-members (Priority for members)After two decades of growing engagement, China-U.S. relations today are under severe stress. Charges and countercharges over currency manipulation and unfair trade, debt and deficits, media censorship and Google, Taiwan and the Dalai Lama, and military expansion and aspirations challenge the stability of the world's most important bilateral relationship. The global financial crisis has served to accelerate the global power shift from west to east with an ever-more confident China and an unusually self-doubting U.S.. Where are Sino-American relations headed? Will today's quarrels be managed or flare out of control? Are China and the U.S. competitors, partners or rivals? Hear some of the world's leading commentators discuss the future of China-U.S. relations and share your views on their implications for business and politics in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. James Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly magazine and Chair in U.S. Media at the U.S. Studies Centre, Sydney University. He was Editor of U.S. News and World Report and Chief Speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter. Professor Fallows is one of the world's leading journalists and has written nine books on a variety of subjects. He is a graduate of Harvard University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Gideon Rachman is Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator for the Financial Times and writes a weekly column as well as an FT blog. Before that, he was with The Economist for 15 years. His book Zero-Sum World, about the future of international relations, will be published in 2010. Mr. Rachman is a graduate of Caius College, Cambridge and has been a visiting fellow at Princeton University. Moderated by Dr. Geoffrey Garrett, U.S. Studies Centre & Political Science Professor, University of Sydney Home Visit & Private Viewing with Mimi Wong Hung, Collector Saturday, June 5, 2010 Residence of Ms. Mimi Wong Hung, The Peak Discussion & Viewing at 11.00 a.m., Close at 12.30 p.m. $300 Asia Society Members Only Classical Chinese furniture is treasured for its precious wood, simple form andA Luncheon Presentation by STEPHEN D. KING, Global Head of Economics, HSBC Monday, June 7, 2010 JW Marriott Hotel, Level 3, Pacific Place, Admiralty Registration at 12.15 p.m., Luncheon at 12.30 p.m., Close at 2.15 p.m. $390 Asia Society members/ Full-time students; $490 Non-members (Priority for members) As the economic giants of Asia and elsewhere have awakened, Western leaders have increasingly struggled to maintain economic stability. The tide of money washing in from emerging nations has already fuelled the recent property bubble in the West, while new patterns of trade have left the West increasingly dependent on risky financial services. What is likely to happen in the decades ahead? Will there be a major redistribution of wealth and power across the globe that will force consumers in the U.S. and Europe to stop living beyond their means? With the increasing power of emerging markets, will there be greater financial instability and income inequality? Based in London, Stephen D. King is HSBC’s group chief economist and the bank’s global head of economics and asset allocation research. He is directly responsible for HSBC’s global economic coverage and co-ordinates the research of HSBC economists all over the world. Mr. King writes a weekly column for The Independent, a leading U.K. newspaper. He has also given written and oral evidence to Parliament on the economic effects of globalization and U.K. monetary policy. His first book, Losing Control, published this year, examines the impact of the emerging nations on western economic prosperity. Mr. King studied economics and philosophy at Oxford University. Booksale after program.China: The Paradox of Stability A Luncheon Presentation by PEI MINXIN, Professor of Government & Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, Claremont McKenna College Thursday, June 10, 2010 JW Marriott Hotel, Level 3, Pacific Place, Admiralty Registration at 12.15 p.m., Luncheon at 12.30 p.m., Close at 2.00 p.m. $390 Asia Society members/ Full-time students; $490 Non-members (Priority for members)Chinese leaders have repeatedly stressed that safeguarding social harmony and stability is one of the top priorities for China. On a macro level, China is relatively stable evident by the lack of organized opposition or external threat faced by the government. Yet on the micro level, it is a different story. Riots, social disturbances, abuse of power by local officials and other forms of instability occur daily. Why does this paradox of stability exist? Is there a connection between Beijing’s all-out focus on social stability and this paradox? How should the government – both central and local – handle these sensitive issues? Pei Minxin is Professor of Government and Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College. He is also Adjunct Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Prior to this, he was Director of the China Program at Carnegie Endowment. Professor Pei graduated from Shanghai International Studies University. He received Masters degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University and also his Ph.D. from Harvard. Professor Pei is the author of China’s Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy and From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union. A Cambodian Tragedy - Lesson for Today? A Luncheon Presentation by BENNY WIDYONO, Professor of Economics, University of Connecticut in Stamford & Former U.N. Special Representative in Cambodia Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Hong Kong Club, 1 Jackson Road, Central Registration at 12.15 p.m., Luncheon at 12.30 p.m., Close at 2.00 p.m. $390 Asia Society members/ Full-time students, $490 Non-members (Priority for members) During the cold war, Cambodia was subjugated in the ongoing power struggles for hegemony of Southeast Asia. For two decades, between 1969 -1997, Cambodia was plunged into chaos, turmoil and civil war culminating in the massacre by the Khmer Rouge of 1.7 million of its own people. Liberation by the Vietnamese army did not end its suffering. Incredibly, spearheaded by China and the U.S., the United Nations continued for 11 years to recognize the exiled Khmer Rouge as the representative of Cambodia. A U.N. peacekeeping operation brought this anomaly to an end by holding elections in which a new coalition government of Cambodia was established. Why were trials against the Khmer Rouge delayed for 30 years? Why did the U.N. continue to recognize the Khmer Rouge? What are lessons learnt from this tragedy? A U.N. civil servant, Benny Widyono spent five years in Cambodia in the 1990s, first with the U.N. Transitional Authority and then as the U.N. Secretary-General’s Political Representative. He will give a firsthand account of the little known details of this fascinating but tragic story. Dr. Widyono is the author of Dancing in the Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge, and the United Nations in Cambodia. He is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut in Stamford. He is the recipient of the Commandeur de l’Ordre Royal du Sahametrei, the highest class civilian medal in Cambodia. Booksale after program. Burma Update: End of an Era? A Luncheon Panel Discussion Thursday, June 24, 2010 JW Marriott Hotel, Pacific Place, Admiralty Registration at 12.15 p.m., Luncheon at 12.30 p.m., Close at 2.15 p.m. $390 Asia Society members/ Full-time students; $490 Non-members (Priority for members) Burma has had a military dictatorship for five of the six decades since it MAUREEN AUNG-THWIN is Director of the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative at the Open Society Institute. She sits on the Asia Advisory Board of Human Rights Watch and is a trustee of the Burma Studies Foundation which oversees the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University. Ms. Aung-Thwin was a freelance journalist based in Asia and a program staffer at the Asia Society New York. Born in Burma, she attended Northwestern University, Illinois and New York University DAVID STEINBERG is Distinguished Professor and Director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. He was a member of the Senior Foreign Service, serving as Director for Technical Assistance in Asia and the Middle East, and Director for the Philippines Thailand and Burma Affairs. He is the author of 13 books and monographs including Turmoil in Burma: Contested Legitimacies in Myanmar and Burma: The State of Myanmar. He graduated from Dartmouth College, Harvard University and the School of Oriental and African Studies. SEAN TURNELL is Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Macquarie University. His research interests include Burma and its economy and financial sector reform in developing nations. He is a former senior analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia and is the author of Fiery Dragons: Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma. He co-founded Burma Economic Watch in 2001, an online resource of information and commentary on Burma’s economy. Moderated by Philip McClellan, International Herald Tribune |