Last post! On the deadline! Says a lot about my work habits I guess. I shall bury the English blog after today. Hopefully I won’t have to exhume the body next year. Enough morbid stuff for now. The topic I chose is something close to my heart, as I have actually thought about this before. This topic is doping. The article taken from MSNBC and is entitled “Tour winner denies doping, will provide DNA”. Here’s the URL
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20179848
The article discusses the cleanliness level of the Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. It is said that he was once caught without taking a bath and was suspected of being dirty. I guess Spanish people don’t really make an effort to look clean. On top of that, most Tour de France winners have been found to be dirty, with the exception of Lance Armstrong, who was extra clean due to his cancer treatment. Rather, I believe he was sick of drugs and hence decided to stay clean.
Well I am referring to doping in cycling. Where those who have use performance enhancement drugs are considered dirty and those who pass doping tests are considered clean. The winner of the latest Tour de France is only the winner due to the fact that the overall winner was ruled out due to one of countless scandals that have taken place in the Tour de France, which has been subject to satirical comments that it should be renamed Tour de Farce, and rightly so. The winner initially was only the runner up but in lieu of the disqualification he is the winner. Contador, however, is not scandal free himself. News broke last week that a doping expert Werne Franke has found incriminating evidence that proves Contador did not take a bath. That will be enough dirty jokes for now. The evidence shows that Contador had taken a testosterone booster and an asthma drug. However, Contador vehemently denies it and claims it is a misunderstanding and that he will take legal action against anyone who makes another defamatory comment and the compensation will go to the fight against doping. To top off his inspiring selfless vow, he gave a sob story as an appeal to pity. Something about going through a sad and disillusioning experience that transformed the vision of the sport he gave the best years of his life to.
I am not impressed. To give him credit, his speech was well prepared. He even punned on the word dose in the phrase “and a large dose of hope”. However, in my opinion, if he is innocent, he has no need for all that fuss. Even if he did drugs, I would not blame him. In a competition littered with doping cases, the peer pressure would be great. The physical toll on any cyclist taking part is really great, as the tour has many stages and a good overall performance would be required to even make it to the top ten. Furthermore, he is seemingly stricken with asthma, if the report is correct in saying that he took drugs for asthma. It would be hard to excel in a sport so physically demanding if he was weighed down by asthma. Personally, I had a struggle as well as to why we should not take drugs. This was due to the fact in primary 6, I could not make it to the sprint relay team which I was in for the past 2 years. While everyone’s puberty level was 5, mine was a mere 1. Excuse on my part? Maybe. Still it wasn’t fair. I felt the need to level the playing field. Yes, I can empathize with those doping dudes. However, is it worth it? I don’t think they gain anything but triumph for a few days till the doping results surface.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Bangladesh moves to quell unrest
This will be my second last graded post for the year. How saddening this news is. Well as a matter of fact, there are no non graded posts so this will effectively be my second last post of the year. Once again this post is on the day of the deadline. How exciting! Anyone has a cure for procrastination? Anyway, this article is entitled “Bangladesh moves to quell unrest” and is taken from BBC news. Here is the URL for the article. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6961543.stm
Starting from the top, the title which states, “Bangladesh moves to quell unrest” refers to the Bangladeshi authorities taking action against the people involved in the riots and protests that took place during the week. The title though a tad vague, can be excused as there is a subheading which explains more on the issue. The subheading states “The military-backed authorities in Bangladesh have detained five senior academics after anti-government rioting on campuses across the country.” This sets ample foundation for the article which discusses the main topic of the poor government handling of the protests which led to the riots occurring.
The demonstrations were held to oppose a ban that was put in place under the state of emergency declared by the country since January. The country was taken over by a military-backed government when the polls were cancelled due to the months of violence that preceded it. Initially the administration was met with approval and content by the people due to its promise to stamp out corruption by the year 2008. However, as a result of rising costs of living, dissent started to rise through the ranks of the people. The government’s rule over the people does not seem to be very successful so far as they even gone to the extent of controlling the press so as to seek public approval when they sent censors to make sure the press did not criticize their rule.
The protests turned ugly on Monday when the students in Dhaka were handled roughly by soldiers during a football match and before long, the riots began. This resulted in injuries to several hundred soldiers and rioters as well as a death of a civilian. The bloodshed only ceased when a curfew was put into place. The authorities then proceeded to detain five senior academics who are allegedly the cause of the protests against the continuing emergency rule, and also interrogating students who are suspected to be involved.
The rationale behind the authorities’ desperate measures is evident. The past two military rules were toppled after student demonstrations. This probably is the reason behind the authorities trying so hard to quell the dissent, before it overwhelms them.
Personally, the significance of this article lies in the people power, where the common people are fighting for the good of their country and for their rights. It reminds me of the concept of democracy when the people have a say and the people effectively rule the country. I believe that in every country, the people have the right to have a say and in Bangladesh, the people evidently have the power to topple the ineffective government. However, I pity them for the fact they are oppressed and need to use demonstrations to get their way. This highlights the people power as the government is afraid of the people due to their power. This can also link with the social advocacy project and it enforces my belief that individuals in society have the power to effect changes, but unlike the people of Bangladesh, I am more fortunate as I can do it in a more peaceful manner.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
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Second post! This time I chose a relevant topic again. This article is definitely relevant to all of us. The article is title “Is the Queen’s dead?” The article was taken from the second issue of the magazine Lexean in 2007 and is written by Noelle De Jesus.
Once again I shall start by critiquing the title of the article. This is especially in magazine articles; the title has to be attractive and thought provoking so as to attract the attention of the readers who browse through the many articles in the magazine. For this title, I did not immediately understand it as it was not very clear. I first read it as “Is the Queen dead?” and thought it was an article on either the monarchy in England becoming obsolete, or that it was an article on England getting taken over completely as a world power by other countries. I decided to take a better look and realised it was nothing to do about the monarchy but the second idea I thought of was close. The article was lamenting the falling importance of English and the Queen’s English in the world. It examined the various causes for the diminishing significance of English in various case studies about a few countries. It then went on to talk about Queen’s English losing their place as well due to various other “Englishes”. The main English that is taking over it would be American English. That is why it could be used to display the taking over of America as the world’s power.
The top level structures used most extensively in the article are exemplification and cause and effect. The main top level structure being used is cause and effect, displaying the relationship between progress of other countries and the diminishing use of Queen’s English. The main threat to the Queen’s English is still American English. This is due to the influence of media from America. One example is Hollywood or MTV which both exert a worldwide influence promoting American English. Also, there are countries that are surviving without imposing English as the medium of instruction. In Singapore, the common view is that as long as it is pronounced correctly, it does not matter about whether it is Queen’s English or American English. This leads to the common types of English emerging in various countries. This is as it is easier to communicate in something that is easier to pronounce. For example, in Singapore, many Singaporeans use “Singlish” and in India they also use “Hinglish”. These examples show that common folk do not use Queen’s English anymore but adapt it to suit themselves.
In my opinion, it does not really matter whether we use Queen’s English or a variant of it. The most important part of it is using good English. What is good English then? Good English refers to English that is grammatically correct and the accent in which it is spoken in does not matter. As the article says “Ultimately language is a tool. As the Bard himself might have said, English is English, and with any accent, will sound as sweet” I agree fully with this statement as English is still English when spoken with whichever accent and it is useful as long as it fulfills its purpose as a communication tool.
Once again I shall start by critiquing the title of the article. This is especially in magazine articles; the title has to be attractive and thought provoking so as to attract the attention of the readers who browse through the many articles in the magazine. For this title, I did not immediately understand it as it was not very clear. I first read it as “Is the Queen dead?” and thought it was an article on either the monarchy in England becoming obsolete, or that it was an article on England getting taken over completely as a world power by other countries. I decided to take a better look and realised it was nothing to do about the monarchy but the second idea I thought of was close. The article was lamenting the falling importance of English and the Queen’s English in the world. It examined the various causes for the diminishing significance of English in various case studies about a few countries. It then went on to talk about Queen’s English losing their place as well due to various other “Englishes”. The main English that is taking over it would be American English. That is why it could be used to display the taking over of America as the world’s power.
The top level structures used most extensively in the article are exemplification and cause and effect. The main top level structure being used is cause and effect, displaying the relationship between progress of other countries and the diminishing use of Queen’s English. The main threat to the Queen’s English is still American English. This is due to the influence of media from America. One example is Hollywood or MTV which both exert a worldwide influence promoting American English. Also, there are countries that are surviving without imposing English as the medium of instruction. In Singapore, the common view is that as long as it is pronounced correctly, it does not matter about whether it is Queen’s English or American English. This leads to the common types of English emerging in various countries. This is as it is easier to communicate in something that is easier to pronounce. For example, in Singapore, many Singaporeans use “Singlish” and in India they also use “Hinglish”. These examples show that common folk do not use Queen’s English anymore but adapt it to suit themselves.
In my opinion, it does not really matter whether we use Queen’s English or a variant of it. The most important part of it is using good English. What is good English then? Good English refers to English that is grammatically correct and the accent in which it is spoken in does not matter. As the article says “Ultimately language is a tool. As the Bard himself might have said, English is English, and with any accent, will sound as sweet” I agree fully with this statement as English is still English when spoken with whichever accent and it is useful as long as it fulfills its purpose as a communication tool.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Elitism
Again the last minute rush to fufill the minimum requirement of two blog entries. This time i chose an article on an issue that is embedded in everyone of our hearts. Elitism. Enjoy. The article was taken from the second issue of the magazine Lexean in 2007. The title of the article is "So, what school did you go to?" and it is written by Sudhir Vadaketh.
The article is one that engaged me and kept me amused till the very end. The apt title stated “So, what school did you go to”. This creative title was not only attention grabbing but also thought provoking. Especially for me, as I acknowledge that I myself am somewhat elitist. When I saw the article, immediately the thought “I am from Raffles Institution, the elite school in Singapore” came to my mind. This shows the relevance of this article which discusses elitism in Singapore is to me.
Although the title of the article is rather vague, the introduction paragraph shows clearly the main topic of the article. That is embedded in the thesis statement “A society which oils its engines with meritocracy, is Singapore nurturing a breed of elitist?” This statement refers to Singapore’s system of meritocracy leading to elitism. To develop his thesis statement, the writer uses cause and effect to show the causal link between the system of meritocracy Singapore adopts and the growing elitist culture.
The writer extensively used terms and illustrations that really blew my mind due to the depth of his vocabulary. These terms, which are fitted in with exemplifications of the causes and effects in the main top level structure of the article, have another role in the article besides just vivid diction and impressive wield of the language. In my opinion, these words could have been put there to make the article come across as so called “high class” and sophisticated, just like the way the elitist feel about themselves. I inferred this after reading the short but sweet conclusion where the writer wrote “It doesn’t take much to be an Elite Chauvinist Pig. I am losing the battle. Are you?” showing that he is also battling with elitism.
This article, besides entertaining me, also widened my perspective about the problems that could surface from this culture of meritocracy. This is as the writer gave viewpoints from both sides when he used the example of what Wee Shu Min, “the daughter of a member of Singapore Parliament”, wrote in response to Derek Wee’s blog entry that lamented the rising costs of living and the falling availability of jobs for the group of “ageing semi-skilled workers”.
From these examples, the writer helped me to empathise with this group of people who are falling into poverty due to polarization; the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. For me, I live comfortably and go to a top school in Singapore and this problem was never so real to me before. This is due to the fact I did not realise it existed due to my circumstances. This article definitely fulfilled its purpose in invoking a sense of pity so as to help the readers to empathise with these victims of elitism in our society today. I shall end off similarly to the way the author did. It doesn’t take much to be an Elite Chauvinist Pig. Don’t succumb to it.
496 words
Although the title of the article is rather vague, the introduction paragraph shows clearly the main topic of the article. That is embedded in the thesis statement “A society which oils its engines with meritocracy, is Singapore nurturing a breed of elitist?” This statement refers to Singapore’s system of meritocracy leading to elitism. To develop his thesis statement, the writer uses cause and effect to show the causal link between the system of meritocracy Singapore adopts and the growing elitist culture.
The writer extensively used terms and illustrations that really blew my mind due to the depth of his vocabulary. These terms, which are fitted in with exemplifications of the causes and effects in the main top level structure of the article, have another role in the article besides just vivid diction and impressive wield of the language. In my opinion, these words could have been put there to make the article come across as so called “high class” and sophisticated, just like the way the elitist feel about themselves. I inferred this after reading the short but sweet conclusion where the writer wrote “It doesn’t take much to be an Elite Chauvinist Pig. I am losing the battle. Are you?” showing that he is also battling with elitism.
This article, besides entertaining me, also widened my perspective about the problems that could surface from this culture of meritocracy. This is as the writer gave viewpoints from both sides when he used the example of what Wee Shu Min, “the daughter of a member of Singapore Parliament”, wrote in response to Derek Wee’s blog entry that lamented the rising costs of living and the falling availability of jobs for the group of “ageing semi-skilled workers”.
From these examples, the writer helped me to empathise with this group of people who are falling into poverty due to polarization; the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. For me, I live comfortably and go to a top school in Singapore and this problem was never so real to me before. This is due to the fact I did not realise it existed due to my circumstances. This article definitely fulfilled its purpose in invoking a sense of pity so as to help the readers to empathise with these victims of elitism in our society today. I shall end off similarly to the way the author did. It doesn’t take much to be an Elite Chauvinist Pig. Don’t succumb to it.
496 words
Sunday, March 4, 2007
India enters the global education race
Second post at the death! The blog is due for an assessment tomorrow and I am doing the entry only now. I promised never to procrastinate but ended up procrastinating on my promise. Good job myself! I have my reasons I guess but they could be said to be excuses too. I was too down this week to do anything but that’s just an excuse. I shall never procrastinate ever again! Starting from next year. Down to business. The article I am responding to this time is about education, titled “India woos West with education” by Anu Anand.
It is taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6312771.stm
The article is made up of two parts. The first is commenting on an online tutoring system. The second is commenting on the uprising of international boarding schools in India that could challenge the boarding schools abroad with its facilities and culture.
The novel idea of schooling over the internet with is one that could soon revolutionize teaching and the way it is conducted. The one-on-one tuition from a teacher overseas over a communication system is very simple due to technological advancements now. The next step could be a video tuition or maybe even group tuition. This prospect is one that is very exciting and it could redefine home schooling. The system is as such. The subscriber pays a hundred dollars a month for unlimited tuition sessions monthly. This is a real good bargain as face to face tuition fees could reach as high as more than a hundred dollars per lesson and the timing for these online lessons are flexible.
Furthermore, the lesson is as interactive as any other tuition lessons with both the teacher and the student possessing the teaching materials as well as a headset to communicate. The only thing lacking is the factor of seeing your teacher. The catch is that this company is based in India which is now revamping itself from being a country that sends out millions of students to other countries to one that is an affordable destination for education. The reason it was started up was to cater to the education needs of the US and the UK where the grants and budgets are getting lower and thus the system is not catering to the needs of many individuals. This lucrative business is booming due to the poorly planned education in the two regions. This is a reflection of the education is the US and the UK. The work that the company is doing is a win-win situation for both parties as the company estimates that the global tuition market is worth about 12 billion dollars and the cheap rates they offer are very affordable. The poor education in the US and the UK is capitalized upon by India as well as International boarding schools with world class facilities are springing up everywhere. This provides schools for the children of the migrants who come to India on their jobs. Their facilities are attractive enough but the culture there is the main draw as compared to the schools in the UK and the US.
The competition for the global education market is getting more competitive as India joins the race for the ideal school.
It is taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6312771.stm
The article is made up of two parts. The first is commenting on an online tutoring system. The second is commenting on the uprising of international boarding schools in India that could challenge the boarding schools abroad with its facilities and culture.
The novel idea of schooling over the internet with is one that could soon revolutionize teaching and the way it is conducted. The one-on-one tuition from a teacher overseas over a communication system is very simple due to technological advancements now. The next step could be a video tuition or maybe even group tuition. This prospect is one that is very exciting and it could redefine home schooling. The system is as such. The subscriber pays a hundred dollars a month for unlimited tuition sessions monthly. This is a real good bargain as face to face tuition fees could reach as high as more than a hundred dollars per lesson and the timing for these online lessons are flexible.
Furthermore, the lesson is as interactive as any other tuition lessons with both the teacher and the student possessing the teaching materials as well as a headset to communicate. The only thing lacking is the factor of seeing your teacher. The catch is that this company is based in India which is now revamping itself from being a country that sends out millions of students to other countries to one that is an affordable destination for education. The reason it was started up was to cater to the education needs of the US and the UK where the grants and budgets are getting lower and thus the system is not catering to the needs of many individuals. This lucrative business is booming due to the poorly planned education in the two regions. This is a reflection of the education is the US and the UK. The work that the company is doing is a win-win situation for both parties as the company estimates that the global tuition market is worth about 12 billion dollars and the cheap rates they offer are very affordable. The poor education in the US and the UK is capitalized upon by India as well as International boarding schools with world class facilities are springing up everywhere. This provides schools for the children of the migrants who come to India on their jobs. Their facilities are attractive enough but the culture there is the main draw as compared to the schools in the UK and the US.
The competition for the global education market is getting more competitive as India joins the race for the ideal school.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
First Post : Global Warming and Hot Air
I have great reason to believe I am either the first or one of the first to write a serious commentary in this class. I was looking through the various links I had and some did not work whereas others were still under construction. You could say mine is too but I really cannot be bothered to “decorate” my blog. Is that the right term? Never mind. Here is my commentary on the article “Global Warming and Hot Air” by Robert J. Samuelson. The article is taken from Newsweek online and here is the link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17025081/site/newsweek/
The article is an article commenting on the situation of global warming and his outlook on what the people of the world are doing to try to prevent it. However, the article is filled with satire and biting sarcasm. This is evident from the title of the article which reads “Global Warming and Hot Air”. The double meaning on the words “Hot Air” can mean the temperature of the earth getting warmer. Its other meaning is that the hype over politicians doing something about the situation is just hot air, meaning that there was not much really being done, more words than actions. This title sets the tone for the most part of the article where the writer criticizes the politicians and big companies that say they are doing their part to save the environment. This is as he feels they are just doing that to improve their public image and he feels they have made a lot of talk but little action has been taken.
The main focus of the article is to criticize the politicians and Multi-National Companies that are trying to show that they care about global warming by making extravagant speeches about their efforts and campaigns against global warming. Another purpose of the article could be also to raise awareness of the current situation. This is as the writer does include evidences like the percentage of the world’s energy coming from fossil fuels, the Earth’s total emission of carbon dioxide as well as the percentage of those emissions coming from developed countries.
It is evident that from the writer’s point of view, the talk about things being done to improve the situation is nothing more than talk, or just a lot of “hot air”. The writer is an experienced writer and writes mainly analyses on socioeconomic issues. He wrote the article from his own point of view, one of a person that lives in a developed country. The insights he gives into his area of expertise are honest but blunt. It is evident from his scalding criticisms that he does not mince his words and just writes what he can infer from evidences he collects as well as to his own knowledge. How far can his insights be trusted is another issue. This is as there is not much evidence that says that the politicians and the Multi-National companies are not doing what they pledged to do. The only evidences are from the writers own knowledge and the ever worsening situation.
From my point of view, the article has brought some light onto my view of the environmental situation. It has shown me how serious the situation actually is, something I never realized and never really bothered about. Most of the time I just considered global warming as a myth and the politicians and Multi-National Companies were just creating a lot of hype. Now I realize another point of view, one that says the situation is really bad and the politicians and Multi-National Companies are not doing much about it.
Living in Singapore which is more or less devoid of natural disasters, I felt that the situation was far away and not going to happen in my life. However, I now realise that I knew practically nothing at all. This was due to my comfortable and sheltered life. I guess that the article is somewhat effective with its blunt and open criticism and scalding sarcasm.
The article is an article commenting on the situation of global warming and his outlook on what the people of the world are doing to try to prevent it. However, the article is filled with satire and biting sarcasm. This is evident from the title of the article which reads “Global Warming and Hot Air”. The double meaning on the words “Hot Air” can mean the temperature of the earth getting warmer. Its other meaning is that the hype over politicians doing something about the situation is just hot air, meaning that there was not much really being done, more words than actions. This title sets the tone for the most part of the article where the writer criticizes the politicians and big companies that say they are doing their part to save the environment. This is as he feels they are just doing that to improve their public image and he feels they have made a lot of talk but little action has been taken.
The main focus of the article is to criticize the politicians and Multi-National Companies that are trying to show that they care about global warming by making extravagant speeches about their efforts and campaigns against global warming. Another purpose of the article could be also to raise awareness of the current situation. This is as the writer does include evidences like the percentage of the world’s energy coming from fossil fuels, the Earth’s total emission of carbon dioxide as well as the percentage of those emissions coming from developed countries.
It is evident that from the writer’s point of view, the talk about things being done to improve the situation is nothing more than talk, or just a lot of “hot air”. The writer is an experienced writer and writes mainly analyses on socioeconomic issues. He wrote the article from his own point of view, one of a person that lives in a developed country. The insights he gives into his area of expertise are honest but blunt. It is evident from his scalding criticisms that he does not mince his words and just writes what he can infer from evidences he collects as well as to his own knowledge. How far can his insights be trusted is another issue. This is as there is not much evidence that says that the politicians and the Multi-National companies are not doing what they pledged to do. The only evidences are from the writers own knowledge and the ever worsening situation.
From my point of view, the article has brought some light onto my view of the environmental situation. It has shown me how serious the situation actually is, something I never realized and never really bothered about. Most of the time I just considered global warming as a myth and the politicians and Multi-National Companies were just creating a lot of hype. Now I realize another point of view, one that says the situation is really bad and the politicians and Multi-National Companies are not doing much about it.
Living in Singapore which is more or less devoid of natural disasters, I felt that the situation was far away and not going to happen in my life. However, I now realise that I knew practically nothing at all. This was due to my comfortable and sheltered life. I guess that the article is somewhat effective with its blunt and open criticism and scalding sarcasm.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Calm before the storm
First time blogging, but i did keep a diary before, that was given to me by thom on P2 christmas i think. Anyway I always thought of setting up a blog to post all my emo stuff but never got down to it.
The title of this post is fitting isn't it? Very soon I will be rushing to post two article commentaries before week nine comes along. I guess I won't be alone at that time.
Well good luck to all of you. try to ride out the storm k?
The title of this post is fitting isn't it? Very soon I will be rushing to post two article commentaries before week nine comes along. I guess I won't be alone at that time.
Well good luck to all of you. try to ride out the storm k?
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