Cicillia
AJ 23/07

Wish to get at least "B" for my GP

+ An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind- Mahatma Gandhi

+ To err is human, to forgive divine- William Shakespeare

+ The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands at comfort and convenience, but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy- Martin Lurther King

+ punitive measures= punishing measures
+ reticent / taciturn = reluctant to communicate
+ inadvertently = unintentional





Mdm Vivian Loh

23/07
Stephanie
Shi Min
Jeanette
Eugenia
Jacqueline
Katherine
Yuan Yin
Marion
Wenjing
Royston
Colin
Joshua
Junwei
Wei Zhe
Kian Zuo
Patrick
Kane
Jeremy
Zhi Wei
Murphy
Bobby
Wei Xun
Kangchong

Lovedrops♥
x x x x

“What is important is not winning, but taking part”. How realistic is this attitude in the world of sport today?

In the world of sports today, it is not only about taking challenge. Sports were supposedly to be a physical challenge between people in games. However, it seems that winning is important if the athlete is taking part in competitions in the world of sport today. This is due to the extra incentives an athlete could gain if he wins. This is especially so since the world of sports has been over- commercialised. Hence, the attitude of “winning is not important, but taking part of it” is not realistic in the world of sports today as there are certain objectives that a sportsman would want to achieve at the end of competition.

Winning is important in the world of sports today because there are many rewards which the winner could gain. Sportsmen who are taking part in the competition are promised with numerous cash rewards and medals if they win a game. Hence, this drives sportsmen to strive to win the games as getting the rewards are important to them. By winning the game, the sportsmen would also be given media attention and they would be popular sportsmen in the public eye. As a result, many of them resort to doping to boost their skills or stamina to help them win the game. For instance, Marion Jones, a tracker, was found gulity in doping cases to win various games. She expressed her greatest regret to resort to using perforamce-enhacement drugs to win the titles. This indicates the importance of winning to sportmen when they are taking part. Perhaps, this could be due to the high expectations they have set for themselves or even due to the greed of rewards. Therefore, this shows the attitude of winning is not important in the world of sport today is unrealistic as taking part without winning would not bring any economic benefits to the sportsmen.(yes also add how gold medalists from the last Olympics are millionaires. winning=$)

Similarly, winning is ultimately important in the commercialised world of sports today. In professional sport, sponsorship means that big prize money can be paid and events can be organised on a very large scale without the spectators having to pay huge admission prices. On the other hand, companies who put money into sponsorship will have their names brought attention to the public to get publicised through the winning team by media. Nonetheless, sports teams definitely have to win first before this mutual symbiotic relationship steps in. For instance, Phonak, the world’s largest makers of high-tech hearing-aids decided to pull out the sponsorship contract when the Phonak team led by American Floyd Landis, the surprise winner of this year’s Tour de France was subsequently tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone in 2006. This shows that no company would want to sponsor a bad-image or losing teams. This clearly shows the realistic attitude in the world of sport today where money is extremely closely related. Furthermore, it would be wastage of resources if a sport team keeps losing-especially if the team has received a huge sum of sponsorship. In this case, taking part without winning might be seen as a disgrace. As a result, the importance of winning in the world of sport today is practically realistic.

However, there are sportsmen who still value the fundamental purpose of games in sports too. Sportsmanship is an attitude that strives for fair play, and grace in losing. This expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. It is not that you have won or lost but how you played the game. It is the process of taking part that is important in sports. Not only the sportsmen will get to enjoy the process, sportsmen who take part in competition will get to experience and learn more about the sport they play. This is evident in the Beijing Olympics 2008 where Shawn Johnson (age 16) and Nastia Liukin (age 18) openly cheering for each other when a strong performance from one would knock the other from gold medal status. Also, Liukin expressed that it was a great opportunity for her to explore the depth of gymnastics. This shows that the attitude of importance of taking part is more realistic in this case. Perhaps, winning is not important for sportsmen who do not only aim for the rewards but learning experience. Most probably, this attitude is more realistic for most young or amateur sportsmen.Therefore, the notion of taking part in competition is more important than winning is still realistic in the world of sport today.

Conversely, both taking part and winning are equally important for some sportsmen. This is especially so if the sportsmen is representing a small country of his homeland in a large-scale competition event in the world. Firstly, by taking part in an international sport event, sportsmen who represent their countries will show the country’s active participation in the world events even if the country is small or probably often neglected. √However, if they further win the games, the countries represented would be given much attention for the achievements they have accomplished. This, in turn, leads to voices from small countries could be heard and brought attention to the world as well. For instance, the participation and achievements from small counties like Singapore are important. Kenenisa Bekele, an athlete from Ethiopia, was very proud to win the gold medal in the 5000m race in Beijing Olympics 2008. National Pride was often instilled in the sportsmen especially when they could see the flag of their countries represented were being raised up high in the event. This indicates taking part in competition is insufficient without the glory of winning that comes together to leave a deep impression of a country in the world. Although I reckon that it is impossible to award every country to be the winner, I think seeing the importance of both taking part and winning should be the realistic attitude in the world of sport today for countries who wish to be heard in the world.

In conclusion, I feel that the importance of winning is often closely related to cash benefits and popularity that a sportsman aims. On the other hand, the importance of taking part is often closely related to the personal experience that a sportsman hopes for. As a result, the relative importance between winning and taking part is subjective as different sportsmen would have different expectations and goals for their own. Generally, the business of sport has been spread widely across the world through media. Therefore, a widespread of commercialized sport today would most probably outweigh the spirit of just taking part of it. This shows that the attitude of “winning is not important, but taking part of it” is not realistic in the world of sport today.

President Hu holds South Korea summit in aftermath of Olympics

SEOUL: The leaders of China and South Korea agreed on Monday to strengthen trade, diplomatic and cultural exchanges during a summit marked by mutual compliments over the Beijing Olympics.

Seoul presidential officials had said Lee was expected to seek China's help in easing tense inter-Korean relations. China, a longstanding ally of the North and a crucial donor of food and fuel, is of the few nations with some influence on its hardline communist regime.

US threatens Iran with punitive measures

The United States and its allies will push for "punitive" measures against Tehran due to its weak response to the international offer to persuade it to freeze its nuclear program, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday.

"In the absence to a positive response to the generous offer that we provided for our incentives package, we think that the allies will have no choice but to take further measures that would be punitive, given that we don't have a decent and responsive statement from the Iranians," said Perino.

The United States said Iran is a weapons proliferation threat, while Iran insists that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes.

In seeking new UN sanctions, Washington is assured the support of Britain and France, both of which have used stronger language in dealing with Iran. The position of the other three ( China, Russia& Germany) is unclear. Russia and China, two of Iran's biggest trading partners, are usually reticent in adopting sanctions.

Technology

Technology has made our lives easier, but it has also created new vulnerabilities!
While the accessibility of Internet is to help people to make transactions faster in the borderless world, the accesibility of it has proved that it has vulnerabilities too. Cyber-crimes such as identity theft cases have been growing up rapidly. For instance, In United States, It alleges that the conspirators obtained the credit and debit card numbers by "wardriving" and hacking into the wireless computer networks of major retailers, including TJX Companies, BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21 and DSW. Once inside the networks, they installed "sniffer" programs that captured card numbers, as well as password and account information. This shows that our information is easily being hacked through the internet networks. Thus, this makes people to feel threatened as their personal information is so easily being disclosed without their permission. Moreover, the convenience of transferring fund through internet might lead to the increasing feeling of distrust when they are making online transactions. Ultimately, this will affect many business deals done in the cyber-world. Hence, this case clearly shows how strokes on a keyboard with a criminal purpose can have costly results. Consumers, companies and governments from around the world must further develop ways to protect our sensitive personal and business information.

Condolezza Rice

- 66th United States Secretary of States.
- She pioneered a policy of Transformational Diplomacy, with a focus on democracy in the greater Middle East.
- Rice worked with other leaders at the United Nations to pass UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on August 11, 2006, which sought to resolve the crisis which imposed the ceasefire on the 2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflict.
-Rice restructured US foreign assistance, naming Randall L. Tobias, an AIDS relief expert to focus foreign assistance efforts and de-fragmenting the disparate aid offices to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

WORST DICTATOR IN 2007

Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe.
Age 82.
In power since 1980.

-Robert Mugabe once was hailed as a symbol of the new Africa, but under his rule the health and well-being of his people have dropped dramatically, which is as much an abuse of human rights as arbitrary arrest and torture.

-According to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the world’s shortest life expectancy—37 years for men and 34 for women.

-It also has the greatest percentage of orphans (about 25%, says UNICEF) & worst annual inflation rate (1,281% as of last month).

He last allowed an election in 2002 but “won” only after having his leading opponent arrested for treason.

Situation in Zimbabwe

Four and a half months have passed since the people of Zimbabwe voted for Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change on 29 March. Hyperinflation has exploded to an unimaginable 40,000,000%, and millions now face starvation.

The EU, US, and UK have pledged a $1.9bn financial aid package to stabilise Zimbabwe's economy, feed the hungry and combat hyperinflation -- but only if Mugabe is removed.

Meanwhile, distribution of food aid by local and international humanitarian agencies has been prohibited by Mugabe's government. Torture camps remain in operation, political violence continues in some rural provinces, and 12 opposition MPs languish in jail on trumped-up charges. The Mbeki-led talks are collapsing, as Mugabe and his military high command insist on retaining control.

11) Sportsmen are not born, they are trained. Discuss.

Sport has been a popular activity since it was introduced in the centuries ago. Many people were interested in taking part of them either as recreational purposes or personal challenge. Some people, by nature, are born with innate ability and certain physical features to play sports well. However, there are others, by nurture, are trained through either physical training or with the help of technology of sports to help themselves to achieve better performance. Nevertheless, the issue of whether sportsmen are born or trained remains controversial. In my view, outstanding sportsmen in professional sports are both born and trained as the combination of the nature and nurture will help them to achieve the best performance they can be.

In the sports world, where competition are held to recognise who are the most outstanding sportsmen, people may be willing to spend most of their time to go through intensive physical training since young. Many amateur athletes pick up sports skills from young, go through tough training by pushing their bodies to adapt the requirement of the performance standard. Slowly, by repetitions of actions and training overtime will help the sportsmen to master the skills. One example would be the Russian gymnasts are trained for 30 years of brutal and cruel training, Bela Karolvi and wife Martha got the deserved recognition: “The Platinum Cactus Award” in 2007. The amount of hard work and training they have put in certainly help them to achieve the title. This shows that sportsmen are trained to achieve excellence results even though they do not possess the innate ability.

Correspondingly, with the advent of technology, performance of sportsmen can be enhanced through various means. In this win-at all-cost age of sports, sportsmen are exploring crude forms of genetic engineering to build muscles and improve stamina. One of the fastest ways to achieve them is through doping. Drug enhancements are well-known for its effectiveness in improving the performance by altering their hormones. This ensures their bodies are working at the optimal conditions. Marion Jones is one example who has made use of drug to achieve her gold medals in various competitions. However, it was all stripped off from her when she was found out to have positive test for steroid. As such, sportsmen are trained through unscrupulous means to get the title, not by their own talents.

However, the nature side of human beings cannot be ignored. Some sports require certain age, weight and size to excel in performance. Our body builds play an important role in what kind of sports we play. From stamina, agility to flexibility, they are all affected by our hormones, lung capacity or even bone structure. Research from Loughborough University has proved - size and age really do matter when it comes to doing well at sport.An analysis of 348 Premiership footballers shows that majority were born between September and November while only a handful were born between June and August.One of the famous gymnasts from China, Cheng Fei, are worried about her increasing size and weight would affect her performance in the next Olympics. This clearly shows that the nature of the physical bodies is crucial in their performance, in which it is not attainable through intensive training. Therefore, sportsmen are born.

Admittedly, some sportsmen are born with their innate ability to play the sports well. They have been well known to be able to grasp the skills and started to play the sports at very young age. Many ordinary young children may not be able to pick up the skills as well as those who are born to be sportsmen. For instance, Tiger Woods, a famous golfer, began to play golf at the age of 2. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in California, and at age five, he appeared in Golf Digest. With the innate ability that they possess, they are exceptionally better compare to others who put the same amount of effort and trainings. This is due to the nature side of them to be able to play the sports better than others. Undoubtedly, with the help of training, their talents are further developed and strengthened so as to stretch themselves to the fullest potential. Hence, sportsmen who are both born and trained are usually able to achieve better results than the average person who undergoes the same training.


In conclusion, training plays an important role in sportsmen so that they are able to improve or even maintain their performance. Nevertheless, sportsmen are best equipped with talents and training to achieve their maximum potential. This is because sportsmen who are born but without undergo any training will not achieve the same excellence results compared to those who undergo training. Ultimately, sportsmen who are born with talents as well as passion and motivation to conquer the field will be the outstanding one.

North Korea returns to nuclear disarmament talks

The United States responded to the nuclear declaration by easing some trade sanctions and beginning the process of taking the North off its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

South Korean and US officials said one main focus this week would be working out how to verify the atomic declaration, while the North has signalled it wants to be fully rewarded for its latest steps towards disarmament.

The declaration was a key part of the so-called "second phase" of the agreement, with the first phase seeing North Korea shut down its main plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon in July last year. It then began disabling the plant under the supervision of US inspectors in November, and last month blew up the cooling tower at Yongbyon in a gesture intended to demonstrate its commitment to disarmament.

The Yongbyon plant was the source of the material the North used to conduct its first atomic test in 2006.

However the North's declaration only covered its nuclear facilities and the production of the plutonium, not its weapons or a suspected programme involving highly enriched uranium that can also be used to make bombs.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said on July 4 that while 80 per cent of the Yongbyon facility had been disabled, only 40 per cent of the promised energy aid had been delivered.

The third and final phase of the disarmament deal calls for the North to permanently dismantle its atomic plants and hand over all nuclear material and weaponry. In return, it would receive wide-ranging energy aid benefits, as well as a restoration of diplomatic ties with the United States and Japan. - AFP/ir