My Brother Speaks

Pass in English a must

2009-06-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

There is a big debate raging at the moment about the teaching of Maths and Science in English and to make a pass in English compulsory to obtain the SPM certificate. This has been going on for a while now and I'm not sure why it is taking so long to decide. I for one am all for English to be used and can see no valid reason for it not to.

In today's newspaper, it is reported that an Ulama group have submitted a memorandum to abolish teaching of Maths and Science in English as it threatens the position of the "National" language. It also says that by making English a must pass subject for the SPM certificate would only discriminate students in rural areas, who were generally weak in the language.

Wouldn't making English a core subject by itself and teaching other subjects in English address this problem of students being weak in the language by forcing them to improve their command of it? Wouldn't having lower standards of English then discriminate against urban students who are not given the best possible education to have a chance to go to the top universities, join top international firms and climb up the corporate ladder?

How can the national language be threatened by teaching 2 subjects in English? There are so many other subjects that would still be taught in the national language. Learning Maths and Science in English is an advantage as most textbooks, research and theses are in English. For Malaysia to produce the best engineers, doctors, researchers, scientists etc, wouldn't it be an advantage to learn these subjects in English from young instead of having to re-memorize the whole periodic table again in English in the 1st year of uni as an example?

In all the job interviews that I have been to, all of them were conducted in English. English proficiency is one of the factors than employers look for when hiring someone. Those who hold top management positions are also usually fluent in English unless you are related to the boss or one of the cronies. In my job and dealing with others, everything is done in English. Therefore, to not discriminate against students who are poor in English is in essence a preparation for them to be discriminated against when they join the corporate world. By not making English a compulsory pass subject, this would ensure that the rural students who were generally weak in English remain so and thereby limiting their job prospects. To lift the living standards of rural people, would it not be in the best interests to give them the same chance of having a better job?

I do however agree that not all the teachers who are teaching English are up to standard. Some are rather poor to be honest. But this leads us to a chicken and egg situation, if English is not a must pass subject for students because the teachers are not up to standard, then our next generation of teachers will still not be proficient in the language and therefore future students will still be poor in English.

In our efforts to attain developed status, we should be looking forward to the future so that our students get the best education there is and to be proficient in a language that has become THE International language. We should be looking for progress instead of being stuck in mediocrity because we were afraid to discriminate against some rural kids.

Article from Kopblog

2009-06-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

This is to share parts of a blog that I just read that I think is so true about Fergiescum. This is just a copy and paste job but it's too good not to share. :D

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In the 23 years he’s been in charge of the mancs they’ve been one of the wealthiest clubs in the world and despite his dubious record in the transfer market, he has always had access to unlimited transfer funds. But while they have won a lot of domestic silverware, they have only managed to win the top prize in Europe just twice and in both cases very fortunately. For most teams this wouldn’t be too bad but for a man the British media help to throw knighthoods at and dub the “greatest manager of all time”, it’s hardly eye-catching.

It’s only when you truly look at why he can be so dominant in the domestic game but fail to reach the same levels in Europe that you begin to see behind the truth behind the hype. In England Fergie has absolutely everything going in his favour both on and off the pitch. First and foremost, with occasional exceptions, he has always been able to outspend his rivals but beyond that he bullys smaller sides, intimidates referees, has manc director David Gill in a lofty position at the FA to ensure they remain on side.

He also enjoys the favours of some of his other manager buddies, as we seen recently with his lap dog Allardyce assisting him in a co-ordinated attack on Rafa, and to cap it all off he also has an adoring British sports media constantly singing the praises of him and his players and seemingly afraid to dare to write a single word of criticism lest they lose their place in his circle of trust. These things have all played a part in the mancs domestic success and if you don’t believe this to be the case then you only have to look at their record in Europe without them.

In Europe, the sides aren’t as easily bullied nor are the referees and Fergie has no “special friends” in positions at UEFA. Outside of Britain the media tends to be a bit more balanced and doesn’t look at him quite so adoringly and he has few if any buddies among the other European managers. So this leaves him with “just” a highly priced team and his ability to manage them and this has led to two fortunate victories in 23 years. Is this the type of record you would expect from a man some people in the media claim to be the “greatest” manager of them all?

Anyway, before I go here are a few interesting “facts” about last Wednesday’s game.

Michel Platini has announced that the next time United get to a European cup final, they will play with two balls so each team can have a kick.

For Sale: 30,000 Man United Final flags – good as new – only been waved for 10 minutes

For Sale: 70,000 Man United Champions League Winners 2009 t-shirts. Contact www.overconfidentb*st*rds.com"

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Girls with Moustaches

2009-05-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw this girl with a pretty heavy moustache. Pretty might be the wrong word to use cos it is far from it. I'm not talking about fine hair that you have to look closely to notice. What I saw resembled what a man growing it for a week might have.

What I don't understand is how can a girl look herself in the mirror and not notice the moustache? Or does she not look at another girl and say hey, somehow she looks different from me. Doesn't her family members or friends tell her that she should do something about it? Does she not notice when people talk to you somehow their eyes are staring above your lip?

Maybe I'm being a bit mean, but having a moustache is definitely a nono. C'mon, all it takes is a shave, wax, laser or cream application.

LCCT Taxis

2009-05-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

What is the use of a taxi service from the airport if your suitcase can't fit into the taxi? I'm not talking about coming back from a month long holiday with loads of baggage either. I'm talking about having 1 regular sized suitcase.

Only in Malaysia do you have to endure this scenario specifically the taxi service from the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). In case you didn't know, the taxis from the LCCT are Proton Iswaras and these taxis use LPG to save on fuel costs. However, with a LPG tank installed it effectively takes up 2/3 of the boot space. So we now have a taxi that has only boot space for a trolley bag. So then you think that OK I'll put my hand luggage (trolley bag or knapsack) in the boot and I'll put the suitcase in the backseat, that should fit nicely. Wrong! The LCCT has some f*ck up policy that no bags are allowed to be put in the sitting compartment of the taxi.

And so you have a taxi service from an airport that only carries passengers but not their luggages. If you have a suitcase, you need to take a bigger taxi and pay 50% more for the trip or to take the Shuttle bus to KL Sentral where you then can take a similar taxi but you can put your suitcase on the backseat.

Maybe this is why the taxi drivers from the LCCT are complaining that they don't get enough customers. How do you get customers if you can't carry their luggage? For f*cks sake, it's an airport so it is safe to assume that people will be travelling with luggages. I'm not blaming the taxi drivers but it's some clueless authority there that has disallowed the taxis from having luggage in their seating compartment.

But then again, maybe these people have a stake in the larger taxis or the bus companies so in fact they may be quite smart. Who knows? But having an airport taxi that can't fit a suitcase is just plain stupid!

Penny Wise Pound Foolish?

2009-05-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

I've decided the first subject I'm gonna talk about is on what's happening in Perak only because many of us have been following developments there. First of all, I'm still wondering why did the Federal Court refer the matter to the High Court when whatever the decision, it was clear it would go to the Court of Appeal and then whatever the decision was there it would end back up in the Federal Court. The logic here just escapes me!

Now back to Perak proper, without fresh elections being called and therefore returning the vote to the public does the government then enjoy the same credibility? Wouldn't having fresh elections be the fairest way? At least the side in power would be what the people of Perak want.

Will the integrity of the goverment in power be compromised without the elections? Will this affect the perception of the general public that may have more far ranging implications when the next general election comes? Is being in power in a State for the next few years worth it? Which leads me back to the title in that could this be a case of penny wise pound foolish?

Finally gonna start writing!

2009-05-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

This blog was created some time ago and the intention was to start posting stuff. However, halfway through my intro the last time I gave up cos I was just lazy. As you can see I am still lazy to learn about the settings and layout. I'm not really too bothered about how it looks or if people want to read this blog. It's gonna be something that's just gonna be there. :P

Anyway, after constant harassment from a certain someone to start writing I will finally give in and start. Hopefully, I won't be lazy to keep this going lol.