Monday, April 30, 2012

Local places and progress

Thought I'd introduce a new series focusing on developments taking place in different parts of Brunei Darussalam. The idea struck after reading quite a number of articles in The Brunei Times today relating activities happening in particular landmarks.

Four articles today - please click on the links to get to the full articles from BT. 

  • I have mixed feelings about the BSB-Lumapas bridgeway - on the one hand it will improve accessibility to that mukim and surrounding ones, and raise their profiles and economic opportunities; on the other, a long bridge cutting through picturesque Kg Ayer will have repercussions, not to mention serious environmental impacts - which after a long delay is finally underway.
  • The ever-popular Gadong night market (pasar malam/tamu Gadong) is expanded with the launch of a new section tonight. When I passed by the area a few nights ago, the temporary stalls are still up and running, so not sure if the new $2.6m permanent stalls will completely replace those.
  • BSB doesn't have the monopoly on waterfronts - Tutong town now boasts its own. The Pekan Tutong waterfront which was launched recently is quite popular with residents and visitors who fish and jog along the area, among others activities.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Interesting reads

Happy exam season! The final semester of the 2011-2012 is coming to a close, and exams kicked off just this morning. 

To pick things up after a lengthy lack of posts, here are some readings that might be of interest: 

  • The world of academic publishing may be radically changing as social media becomes more advanced and the need for instant access to scientific knowledge more pressing. Richard Price writes compellingly about this vision of the future of science.
  • The opening line of Richard Mabey's article, the second in an essay series on nature and landscape, makes it an instant must-read: Psychogeographers, the cognoscenti tell us, have been rebranded less dizzily as “deep topographers”.
  • Urban geographers might enjoy this textual and visual feast of Teufelsberg, Germany in this article on the city as a palimpsest