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Volume 2, Issue 18August 2008
THE 1818 SOCIETY
BULLETIN
Volume 2, Issue 18 AUGUST 2008
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Volume 2, Issue 18August 2008
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Volume 2, Issue 18August 2008
The 30th Annual Meeting of The 1818 Society will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2008.The business meeting will convene promptly at 3:30 p.m. in the J Auditorium, room JB1-080, in the basement of the J Building, 701 18th Street,NW.After the meeting there will be a reception from 6:15 to 7 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner from 7 to 9 p.m. in the 12th floor gallery of the Main Complex. Further information will be mailed later./ From The
1818 Society President’s
Desk
Dear Members:
At the top, you will see information on the Thirtieth Annual Meeting and thetraditional Annual Dinner. Please note the date and time on your calendar. Wehope to see a big membership turnout for these events.
The Thirtieth Anniversary publication is moving ahead, thanks to TomBlinkhorn. We have had good response in the form of reminiscences, vignettes, short stories and photographs from several members and the publication promises to balancean optimal dose of nostalgia with a lot of fun. Your Board discussed the businessissues relating to this publication at its last meeting, with Zafar Ahmed in thelead. The game-plan emerging is somewhat like this. The publication, to bereleased in October, will be in the form of an E-BOOK that will be accessible through our 1818 Society Website. Once this electronic publication is released, weexpect that it will stimulate additional contributions in the form of photosas well as written pieces. We would thereafter proceed with the publication of apaper-version, perhaps as a table top book.
It is good to note that our Chapters are vibrant. You will find details offorthcoming activities elsewhere in this Bulletin. We hope that a sizeable number ofyou can make it to these events, which promise to be most enjoyable. What can bebetter than renewing social contacts with erstwhile colleagues?
Indeed,one of the main purposes of the Society is to promote such contactsamong its members. At the last Board meeting, it was decided to reactivate theFriends-in-Need activity. Frona Hall is leading this effort. If you have any suggestions on how to organize social events at a local (or perhaps Zip-code)level, please email Frona,who is actively seeking volunteers.
Our summer lunch on July 2,2008 with Katherine Marshal as speaker turned out tobe a popular event. Our members not only listened to a thought-provoking talk, but also took part in a lively discussion on the connections betweenfaith,religion and development. Turning to forthcoming events, Kabir Ahmed isorganizing a meeting with Bank Insurance staff and AETNA officials in lateSeptember/early October to discuss health insurance problems relating to 1818 Society members. Under the Retired and Active Living Initiative, Sandra Hadler isworking hard to organize an“Ageing in Place” event in the Bank J BuildingAuditorium on Novembers 20, 2008. It promises to be very relevant to the futureof many of us and we hope members will turn out in large numbers to benefit from this event.
Our nine member Board has been an outstanding group that has workedcohesively with a strong commitment to The 1818 Society’s goals. While continuity isimportant, some new blood is also healthy. A nominating committee, chaired byDaniel Ritchie, is now inviting nominations for the forthcoming vacancies. Elsewhere in this Bulletin, there is an appeal for “workhorses” tovolunteer. Your suggestions would be most welcome on who would make our Boardbetter represent its membership and be more efficient in the delivery of itsresponsibilities.
Finally,our renovated office is now functioning and we look forward to a visitby you whenever you next visit the Bank. Please remember that this is your “home” within the Bank.
With warm regards
Shiva
(J Shivakumar)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ANZ CHAPTER
The second meeting of the Australia & New Zealand Chapter took place in Melbourne on Sunday, May 11, 2008. Sixteen people attended (there are about 20 alumni in Victoria). In addition to alumni living in the state of Victoria, colleagues from the states of Queensland and New South Wales, and Ken Piddington from New Zealand also attended. It was also pleasing that Nigel Roberts, Country Director, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and PacificIslands, participated and addressed the meeting.
Experience with taxation of the Bank’s pension in Australia, the health insurance quandary and the value of the pension with changing exchange rates were some of the issues discussed at the meeting. The meeting was preceded by pleasantries and followed by a lunch.
Alumni in New Zealand have started to exchange ideas on common interests. One of these is, as in Australia, the taxation of the Bank’s pension. Dialogue is also taking place regarding a possible meeting of the ANZ Chapter in New Zealand in 2009. Consideration is also being given to a meeting in Brisbane/Gold Coast in 2009.
During the Melbourne meeting, Prue Hill and Ann Dotson discussed the possibility of spouses and partners networking for continuing mutual support, including the often difficult adjustments required by “re-entry” into Australia and New Zealand after retirement from the Bank. They would welcome ideas and participation in this endeavour. Prue can be reached at .
The Chapter is grateful to Alexander Keyserlingk for his help in keeping the website of the ANZ Chapter up to date. The address is:
Third Meeting of the ANZ Chapter:
Dates:October,or early November, 2008
Place: Sydney
The above dates were suggested to avoid the Silly Season in Australia. Suggestions and offers to work as volunteers can be sent to Jo Martins. His e-mail address is ; his postal address: 103 Cabarita Rd, Avalon Beach NSW 2107 Australia and his telephone number 61+2+99733022.
1818 BRITISH CHAPTER (BC)
2008 WinterReunion and Luncheon:
Date: Saturday November 29, 2008
Place: Thistle Hotel, Euston, London
Please note change of venue. Details will becirculated in September. All 1818 Society members are welcome. For further information, please contact Andrew Spurling (Tel. 0118-942-7310; e-mail: ).
Spring Reunion and 21st Annual Meeting:
Dates:May, 8-10, 2009
Place: Lansdowne Hotel,
Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Please note that this meeting takes place earlier in May than usual. The hotel is on the Promenade and within walking distance of two theatres. A Saturday coachtrip will include Beachy Head, the village of Alfriston and Batemans, the home of Rudyard Kipling.Details will becirculated in February 2009. All 1818 Society members are welcome. For further information, please contact Andrew Spurling (Tel. 0118-942-7310; e-mail: ).
CHILEAN CHAPTER.
The Chilean Chapter met on July 15 with Ian Johnson from the UK, to discuss global energy and environmental issues, and their implications on Chile, including its entry to OECD. The meeting took place at the Club de la Unión, and was also an opportunity to view a CD ROM of the 1818 Society Meeting with the Bank’s President. For information about other activities of the Chilean Chapter, please contact Miguel Schloss (), or Silvia Lay de Schloss () tel. 56-2-458-6050..
DUTCH CHAPTER.
Ninth Dutch Reunion:
Dates:Friday, Sept. 12, and Sat. Sept. 13, 2008
Place:Hotel ‘t Paviljoen, Rhenen
For early arrivals, there is a menu of choices for early Friday morning: Bicycling; nature walks,militairy history, zoo. The official program starts late Friday morning with coffee and lunch, followed by a city tour and a boat trip on the Rhineand a visit to the WageningenAgriculturalUniversity. Theannual dinner is inthe evening.
On Saturday morning, the group will depart for Wageningen whereagain there is a menu of activities. The annual meting of the chapter, followed by lunch, will take place in Hotel de Wereld where the armistice wassigned.
To participate please do the following:
First, register ASAP with thehotel: Hotel‘t Paviljoen: tel: 00 31 317 619003; email: . The basic arrangement with the hotel, for the reunion, is that participantsarrive on Friday. At a cost of Euro 160 per person, this includescoffee,lunch, parking, dinner with wine and breakfast. Those arriving on Thursday nightmust add Euro 130 for a double room, 110 for a single. Second, register with the organizers:Jan Bouwhuis and JanWeijenberg: ; . Third, you must pay Euro 50 per person for overheads, including guides, lunch on the second dayetc. The organizersdo have a bankaccount but the cost of international money transfers is outrageous,soplease pay the treasurer on arrival.
Tenth Dutch Reunion:
Dates:September, 2009.
Place:Noordwijk
For this tenth anniversary of the Dutch Chapter of The 1818 Society, the group will return to where it all started: het Zuiderbad in Noordwijk. For more information contact Robert-Jan van der Lugt
FRENCH-SPEAKING CHAPTER
Fall Outing:
Dates: October 3-5 2008
Place: TBD
Forfurther information, please contact Olivier Lafourcade(e-mail:).
GERMAN-SPEAKING CHAPTER
[Editor’s Note: Due to electronic transmission difficulties, this informative piece is unfortunately several months out-of-date].
Erika Wagenhöfer reports that sixty-one members of the German-Speaking Chapter with their spouses or partners gathered in September 2007 at LakeConstance (“Bodensee”), Germany’s largest lake. Its mild climate, historical and cultural sites and beautiful towns and villages, make it an attractive tourist destination.
A beautiful hotel overlooking Überlingen, the richest town in the region, hosted the meeting. Across the lake, the high Swiss mountains formed a magnificent backdrop.
In the early hours of Saturday, some participants visited Überlingen’s City Hall to admire its 14th century wood carvings. The official Saturday morning program started with a challenging lecture. Mr. Bueb, who had been the principal of the nearby boarding school of Salem for the past thirty years, delivered the lecture. He explained that the school’s guiding principle is “learning by doing”, which the student-body of 700 does in small groups. The school’s primary aim is to foster a sense of life-long responsibility, based on respect for discipline. A spirited discussion followed Mr. Bueb’s lecture, after which Mr. von Samson thanked the presenter on behalf of the group. Many participants also accepted Mr. Bueb’s offer of a guided tour of the school on Monday morning, after the official conclusion of the reunion.
The annual meeting followed the Saturday-morning lecture. Topics included the Chapter’s decision to discontinue its website, a wait-and-see attitude regarding future taxation of World Bank pensions and the number of newcomers to The 1818 Society. Participants learned with regret that Mrs. Adrienne. Nassau was not seeking re-election to the presidency of the Society. Mr. von Samson also noted that, in May 2007, the German Chapter had sent a letter to the Society expressing criticism of Mr. Wolfowitz’s leadership of the World Bank. The coordinators of the next meeting, Hasso and Birgit Molineus, explained the details of the forthcoming event in Potsdam. The meeting also agreed to meet in Cologne in 2009. Finally, all current members of the Chapter’s Committee were re-elected for a one-year period.
On Saturday afternoon the group visited Mainau, an island owned by Count Bernadotte’s family. The Count gave an overview of the history and economy of the island, which has many beautiful parks and flower displays. On the return trip, the group passed the ancient buildings on stilts in the lake. This archaeological site dates to the Bronze Age, and is over 5,000 years old. A magnificent dinner concluded the day.
On Sunday morning the group visited Constance, a city founded in the second century B.C. It hosted the “Council of Constance”, the most important assembly in the late Middle Ages (1414 – 1418). On Sunday afternoon Andriana and Helmar Ochs and Birgit and Diethard Hubatsch took the participants to a wine-tasting event in Hagnau where the region’s young “Wine Queen“, presented a selection of great Bodensee wines.
The group thanks Andriana and Helmar Ochs for organising such a perfect weekend at LakeConstance – sunny weather included.
Fall 2008 Reunion:
Date: First weekend in September, 2008
Place: Potsdam.
For further information, contact Hasso or Birgit Molineus at:, orDieter von Samson; at: .
Fall 2009 Reunion:
Date: Fall, 2009
Place: Cologne.
For further information, please contact Dieter von Samson at:.
JAPAN CHAPTER
The Japan Chapter held its 2nd annual meeting at Akebono-kaikan of Japan Bank of International Cooperation on June 14th, 2008. Forty-five members attended. The meeting reviewed the main events of the past year and discussed and approved upcoming events for 2008. A summary of these activities is provided below, while a more detailed report will be published in the upcoming Newsletter (Japanese version).
The Japan Chapter supported an “International Collaboration Career Fair 2007”, which the International Development Journal of Japan organized on November 10, 2007. The Chapter sent three members to the fair: Mr. Harutaka Hamaguchi, Ms.Hiromi Nakano and Ms. Yuriko Sakairi from the Japan Chapter and the World Bank Tokyo office. Close to 800 participants with interest in career opportunities in the field of international cooperation and development attended.
The Chapter conducted two member surveys during 2007. First was the question of Bank policies regarding pension payments in various currencies. The topic had originally been raised by the Chile Chapter and the survey results were therefore shared with the Chile Chapter. The second survey explored the sharing of personal data. Survey results indicated that, initially, only the name and email address of Chapter members would be made available on the Chapter’s web site.
There have been changes in Directors’ tasks. Mr. Yoshiaki Abe was appointed as new president. Mr. Masayoshi Takahashi, the former president, was appointed as the director in charge ofa newly approved activity: RALC’s Japan Branch. Mr. Masaaki Amma was a new nominee as director for organizing the Annual Meeting and as a focal point for members in the western regions of Japan.
Financial reports, including the 2007 account summary and the 2008 budget proposal, were approved. Proposals for the 2008 activities including legal guardian system support for the elderly were also approved. At the end of the annual meeting, the new president, Mr. Yoshiaki Abe, stated that he would make the Chapter more joyful and meaningful under his leadership.
The English-language version of the Japan Chapter’s Web Home page can now be found at For further information and/or details, the contact address in Japan is: Mr.Harutaka Hamaguchi (Director of the Japan Chapter),E-mail: or Mr. Yoshiaki Abe, e-mail . For the Washington area, the persons to contact for information is Mr. Kunio Kikuchi ( ).
FLORIDACHAPTER
Spring Reunion:
Date: February 2009
Place: Palm Beach.
The reunion is open to all! Check the website for details. Note that the reunion will be during “the Season” when hotels fill up fast! Bookings should be made about four months ahead to ensure room availability at any of the hotels. If you are thinking of coming, make hotel reservations early to lock in a good rate. For February 2009, the Fairfield Inn in Palm Beach offers rooms for seniors for $186.00 (including breakfast). You may want to check out the website. The hotel is about an 8 minute leisurely drive from downtown Palm Beach (5 miles) along the scenic Ocean Boulevard (A1A) that allows you to see the ocean, Lake Worth and all the mega mansions in between, including Mar-a-Lago! The hotel is on the Intracoastal Waterway across the street from the ocean. It offers free parking and free wireless internet.
If you make the reservation now, your credit card will not be charged until you check out. To cancel, you have to do it 72 hours prior to arrival. For information about this or other events, please contact Karin Nordlander by email () or by phone (561-447-9499). You can access the Chapter's website through the 1818 Society website or directly at
ENERGY SECTOR GROUP
For information about activities of the Energy Sector Group, please contact Huda Kraske (), Mike Gillette (), Akin Oduolowu () or Eugene McCarthy ().
WATER SECTOR GROUP
Mr. Stavros Papadopulos was the guest-speaker at the Water Sector Group’s luncheon meeting on May 21, 2008. The title of his presentation was “Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater: A Technical and Public Policy Dilemma”. While very technical in several respects the topic drew interest from all attendees. This was also the first time that our group had called on a speaker who was neither a Bank retiree nor Bank staff. As is now customary the speaker has left a copy of his presentation which can be viewed on the 1818 Web site ( under “Sectors” and “Water Sector”, where this is item number 11.
During the ongoing summer recess, the Coordinating Committee intends to circulate a questionnaire/survey to all the members of the Water Group, to assess which topics should be covered during our next 2008/09. A priori, topics such as a) Corruption in the case of water/urban projects, b) Food sufficiency in the World and Irrigation, c) Update on the Water Program managed by the Central Department, etc. have been identified as those of greatest interest. The committee also looks forward to additional suggestions from the Group to assist in the selection of next year’s topics.