Manningham councillor Jennifer Yang to run for state seat on Labor ticket

Posted to Monash Weekly (15/5/2014) on 15/5/2014 at 3:14 AM
Commenting on "Manningham councillor Jennifer Yang to run for state seat on Labor ticket"
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/story/1802178/manningham-councillor-jennifer-yang-to-run-for-state-seat-on-labor-ticket

Am I cynical or just being naïve? During election time, ordinary candidates can turn into super heroes, looking after the interest of people in more than one city. Those MP's who stand for re-election can suddenly promise things that could not be done during their time in office be accomplished the next time round. Out of the blue, party leaders are able to find millions or billions of dollars to lure voters to put them in government. Come to think of it, is this a form of bribery that ICAC may be called upon to investigate?

Unfortunately, I have not come across a candidate that either has vision or specific enough to tell the voters what his / her real skill sets are and how these can be utilised and benefit the people in the council, state or Australia.

Once elected, many are promoted to their incompetence. They are just apprentices or rookies, learning on the job. Owing to such, many make mistakes and incorrect decisions that affect the lives and livelihood of ordinary people like me and millions of Australians. Many also lack people skill, which is in fact more than just hugging and kissing babies.

Monash could become first metro council to ban smoking in outdoor dining areas

Posted to Herald Sun (Waverley Leader) 1/5/2014 on 6/5/2014 2:00 AM
Commenting on "Monash could become first metro council to ban smoking in outdoor dining areas"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/monash-could-become-first-metro-council-to-ban-smoking-in-outdoor-dining-areas/story-fngnvlxu-1226902189470

So you think it is ok to dine outside cafe after smoking ban? Think again.

Many of the eating places, including those at Eaton Mall are close to roads for motor vehicles. The exhaust for these vehicles contains microscopic dangerous chemical particles harmful to the body. In addition to these is the filth and dust present in the air stirred up by the movement of vehicles and their frequent braking.

Many people suffer from various forms of illnesses without any known cause. They may be eating the so called healthy food, but may not be breathing in "healthy" air. I do not enjoy Alfresco dining as long as the surrounding is not enclosed. In fact, I choose not to dine at cafes or restaurants that leave their doors and external glass panel walls wide open.

Smoking ban will NOT kill businesses, but help prevent people from early death.

State VCE students punished for cheating

Posted to Monash Weekly (11/4/2014) on 14/4/2014 at 8:05 PM
Commenting on "State VCE students punished for cheating"
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/story/1799881/state-vce-students-punished-for-cheating/

The front page of the examination booklet / papers should be written in bold the consequence of cheating - "Any student found cheating will have examination papers removed, and no score will be awarded for the subject."

Students should be alerted to read the warning before other instructions.

One hi-tech approach of cheating is to transmit images of the questions to someone remotely, and the answers / solutions returned to the student.

iPhone, Google specs, eat your heat out!

Susie Wolff, fastest woman in F1

Posted to Monash Weekly (17/2/2014) on 18/2/2014 at 2:24 PM
Commenting on "Susie Wolff, fastest woman in F1"
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/story/1796545/profile-susie-wolff-fastest-woman-in-f1/

This is a living proof that if one is good in a specific field, gender is not the issue to success. In fact, success never comes easy, whether one is a male or female, weak or strong.

We always strive to have gender equality but most people create the mental divide psychologically. Even medical experts and scientists join the band wagon and said that the genders have different physiological make up, and therefore certain things just can't be done effectively by certain gender. So what if it does? Advancement in medical, science and technology can help remove most physiological and physical barriers. Mental barrier, however, lies within the individual.

Not everyone goes for the same goal or position, and there are many other things in life which are just as satisfying and fulfilling. In fact, with the right mindset and training, anyone can reach for the star.

Shepparton SPC - Future secured with $22m

Posted to Monash Weekly (13/2/2014) on 13/2/2014 at 9:42 PM
Commenting on "Shepparton SPC. Future secured with $22m?"
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/story/1796247/shepparton-spc-future-secured-with-22m/

What's the worth of SPC if its door is closed tomorrow? Very likely it will worth as much as the the scrap of the dated machinery, building and land site. So how much is this worth - $50 million, $100 million or more than the Government assistance the company is asking for?

I find it amusing that Government is handing out packages to rescue private companies when they become uncompetitive due the company management lack of forward planning, unrealistic forecast, and perhaps their inaptness or incompetence to recognise market threats.

With public companies, it is unfortunate that profits are normally distributed as dividends to shareholders, and when bad times come, there is not enough in the coffers to support losses. Lack of fund can delay or stop major maintenance, upgrades or purchase of equipment critical to ride out difficult moments. The reverse of the adage "short term pain, long term gain" is valid too, that is "short term gain, long term pain".

Australia is not only a welfare country giving handouts for many Australians, rightly or wrongly, but also for inefficient public companies. Time and again we witness Government's bandaid financial assistance fail to resolve problems in a long run. Like former Singapore Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kwan Yew, once said, "give a beggar a gold coin, he will ask for a second one".

Is there a better way to tackle this problem? I do believe so. However, I shall leave this to those highly paid parliamentarians, advisers and experts to do some hard thinking. Think outside the box, or else Australia will live in one soon.

Home-schooling on the rise across Victoria

Posted to Monash Weekly (31/1/2014) on 2/2/2014 at 2:47 PM
Commenting on "Home-schooling on the rise across Victoria"
http://www.monashweekly.com.au/story/1795304/home-schooling-on-the-rise-across-victoria/

Traditional schools either spoon-feed the students or emphasize mainly on literacy an numeracy. There is not enough emphasis on two important disciplines for character building and prepare them to be successful in life. These areas of interest are respect and confidence, and these two must be impregnated in a child's mind at an early age.

Many parents blame schools for not teaching their children the right way, or for their misbehavior. Sometimes they confront the teachers and principals aggressively, and abusively - definite bad examples for their children to follow. Most unfortunately, many parents do not contribute constructively to the "running" of the school, because they are far too busy doing other things, and have no time for the wellbeing of their children's education.

As an educator, I understand that different students or "trainees" learn differently, at least in theory, but what I believe is that this is very expensive and the ends normally do not justify the means. The available budget for education is insufficient to provide teaching / coaching in small groups and better way must be found to achieve optimal throughput.

Home schooling is a the extreme case of small group teaching and training methodology. It is not cost effective, and may not achieve the desirable results. Are parents equipped to teach their children multiple subjects? Do they undertake continuous improvement program to update their skills and competencies? In future, do home schooling providers expect funding from government? As the number of home schooling cases increase, the administration costs for such funding program would be enormous.