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.