“Wealth from trade was the mainspring of Western material advance; the visible agents of change were great guns. These came of age in Europe in the 15th century. On land their potency in reducing castle walls favoured central over local power, since in general only monarchs could afford siege-trains; so nation-states were consolidated and extended into great territorial empires. At sea, guns transformed sailing ships into mobile castles virtually impregnable to opponents who lacked equally powerful ordnance. With the ocean-going gunned warship, western Europe began to extend around the globe.” StatesAgeNationsWealthPowerfulSeaLandCenturyMaterialsWallOceanGunEuropeTradeTrainWesternLocalsShipsAgentsOpponentsVisibleEmpiresTransformedGlobesSailingCastlesMobileReducingMonarchsSiegePotencyTerritorialSailing ShipsWestern EuropeWarshipsOrdnanceCastle Walls Author:Peter Padfield
“Whatever strengthens our local attachments is favorable both to individual and national character, our home, our birthplace, our native land. Think for a while what the virtues are which arise out of the feelings connected with these words, and if you have any intellectual eyes, you will then perceive the connection between topography and patriotism.” IfsThinkingCharacterFeelingsHomeEyeIndividualVirtueLandIntellectualConnectionsConnectedAriseLocalsPerceiveNativeAttachmentNative LandBirthplaceTopographyBirth Place Book:The Doctor, &c Source: The Doctor, &c
“Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.” EnemyLandWeaponsGuidesLocals Author:Sun Tzu
“The idea that a relatively fixed group of privileged people might shape the economy and government for their own benefit goes against the American grain. Nevertheless, the owners and top-level managers in large income-producing properties are far and away the dominant power figures in the United States. Their corporations, banks, and agribusinesses come together as a corporate community that dominates the federal government in Washington. Their real estate, construction, and land development companies form growth coalitions that dominate most local governments.” PeopleIdeasRealStatesGovernmentMightTogetherFormGrowthCommunityLevelsUnitedCompanyUnited StatesEconomyGroupsLandFiguresDevelopmentShapesBenefitsPropertyIncomeLocalsManagersCorporateCorporationsFixedOwnersConstructionGrainNeverthelessDominantEstatesPrivilegedFederal GovernmentCoalitionsLocal GovernmentAgribusiness Author:G. William Domhoff
“Some land surveyors delve into land development advocacy, working with local government on behalf of clients in order to facilitate progress on a project. Others stick to strictly surveying. The approach depends on the individual firm and the needs of the local area.” NeedsGovernmentOrderIndividualProgressLandDependsDevelopmentProjectsApproachAreasSticksLocalsFirmClientsBehalfAdvocacyFacilitateLocal GovernmentSurveyorsLand Surveyor Author:Mark Mason
“Our company has only been active in Beijing and Shanghai, two very market-dominated cities. This was an advantage. Land is purchased here in public auctions, in a transparent way. When you do real estate development outside Beijing and Shanghai it is good to have "guanxi" - good relations within the local government.” WayTwoRealGovernmentCitiesCompanyLandDevelopmentAdvantageRelationActiveLocalsEstatesTransparentBeijingAuctionsLocal GovernmentShanghai Author:Zhang Xin
“They are the kinds of things that make us a community: attachment to place, attachment to local arts traditions, the ability to read literature, the ability to look at paintings, the sense of connectedness to the land, the sense of community that comes from people taking care of their own.” PeopleLooksKindArtCareLiteratureCommunityAbilityLandPaintingTraditionLocalsAttachmentConnectedness Author:Robert Hass