Superfast net to change education

Posted to Adelaide Now (16/9/2011) on 29/9/2011 at 10:51 PM
Commenting on "Superfast net to change education"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-depth/superfast-net-to-change-education/story-e6frebvu-1226138893759

For higher ed, superfast broadband for education means superfast plagiarism and super slow brain work. For lower forms, superfast broadband means superfast internet games and super slow RRR's.

How to ride out the tough times

Posted to The Age (29/9/2011) on 29/9/2011 at 12:53 PM
Commenting on "How to ride out the tough times"
http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/managing/blogs/enterprise/how-to-ride-out-the-tough-times-20110929-1ky7j.html

Have you ever got reply from job application? If so, what's the hit rate? Have you been told you are over-qualified? Having diverse qualification can be viewed as Jack of all trades and master of none; but there are always exceptions. I have been training and advising trainees how to tackle problems, until I realise in the real world, many textbook techniques don't work. Self confidence is good when one is competing in good times, but it soon gets eroded when every technique has been tried and failed. Age is definitely a barrier as long as young interviewers are doing the interviewing, whether from the organisation or employment agency. Most companies can be more efficiently run if the aged but experienced people are given a chance. By the way, I am a victim, but fortunately I can hang up my boots today. I don't want to waste my useful brain cells if I am given the opportunity.

Underquoting will never stop

Posted to The Age (28/9/2011) on 28/9/2011 at 5:20 PM
Commenting on “Underquoting will never stop”
http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/blogs/domain-investor-centre-blog/underquoting-will-never-stop-20110928-1kwrm.html

Rules are rules, and we must adhere to them whether we like them or not. However, we must instigate to change the rules, especially these stupid ones. As a licensed estate agent, I believe that the term underquoting should be removed from the real estate vocabulary. Like most retail products or even professional services, having recommended prices or schedule fees respectively, all properties listed for auction should have a recommended price, list price or reserve, whichever one the public likes to call it. The so called reserve price is in fact a recommended price or schedule fee guide, and should be disclosed at the start of the auction. Bidders are allowed to bid below this reserve – it is no different from asking for a discount from the seller. The seller can ignore the bid, and the show can continue to go on. Auction is a classic supply and demand model taught in a marketing textbook. If there is more demand than supply, namely many bidders with one ideal home worth dying for, then the highest bid wins the day. By the way, according to contract law, suggested list price of a product is not set in concrete, and can be negotiated. So how do agents get their commission for an auction property? Negotiate with the seller when they get the listing, how else?

$200 to lodge a complaint

Posted to Adelaide Now (27/9/2011) on 27/9/2011 at 8:54 PM
Commenting on “$200 to lodge a complaint”
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/property/news/to-lodge-a-complaint/story-e6frefgc-1226146207634>

It is not unacceptable to charge for a service, because when it's given free, people don't appreciate it or sometimes abuse it. However, there can be a compromise; if the complaint is found to be genuine, then the money is refunded in full or large proportion of it to the complainant and the offending member will pay for the fee. However, complainant may not receive any refund if the offending member fails to pay the penalty, in which case, the offending member can be expelled from the Institute.

Anthony Albanese can look forward to a 'huge cuddle' from Dolly Parton

Posted to Herald Sun (24/9/2011) on 25/9/2011 at 1:45 AM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on “Anthony Albanese can look forward to a 'huge cuddle' from Dolly Parton”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/anthony-albanese-can-look-forward-to-a-huge-cuddle-from-dolly-parton/story-e6frf9hf-1226144912255

Donald Trump was telling us that Australia should screw China on mineral prices, and now another Yank is telling us that we can get a cuddle if we kowtow to her! When is Australia going to grow up and not to behave like a puppy dog to the Yanks?

Visa rule reforms give universities a lifeline

Posted to The Australia (23/9/2011) on 23/9/2011 at 3:14 AM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on “Visa rule reforms give universities a lifeline”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/visa-rule-reforms-give-unversitieis-a-lifeline/story-fn59niix-1226144082762

Previously, some TAFE's and private colleges messed up the international education industry. They issued certificates to undeserving students, and fed sub-standard students to universities. When government polices changed in July 2010, many TAFE’s and private colleges started to offer degree courses.

The change caught many foreign students off-guard, and for those who hoped to apply for permanent residence after graduation had no choice but to enrol in the “high ed”. While the average number of foreign students may have fallen about 10% as reported during the last calendar year, the real figures in the second half was very much higher. After the announcement of the bad news regarding the changed policies, more than half of the potential foreign students mainly from India and China turned to other destinations, creating a big financial blackhole for the states and Australia. USA and UK benefited from another idiotic Labor’s policy-on-the-run, costing billions of dollars of “export income.”

The proofs are in the closure of many colleges and the slashing millions of dollars from the budgets of TAFE’s and universities. Many full time and sessional teachers, (including myself with 16 years of teaching/training experience) and administrative staff have been laid off. The proposed reform is nothing more than just following what UK is offering. It is important that the Government must NOT make another mistake. Overseas IELTS assessment should be treated with great caution, because money can buy good results in some countries.

I have written to newspapers on many occasions regarding prevalence of plagiarism in colleges and universities, but without any luck in getting my comments published. Some students do not have the English skill of a lower secondary student and yet they can get through the system studying Diploma courses.

Many foreign students are no better off than the asylum seekers queue jumpers trying to apply for permanent residence via the Visa loophole. The Government should not provide blanket Visa approvals and the right to two years of work after graduation. In order to be granted such privilege, students must achieve good scores or grades.

For goodness sake, don’t wreck the higher education industry!

Australia should screw China - Donald Trump

Posted to Herald Sun (22/9/2011) on 22/9/2011 at 3:31 AM
Commenting on “Australia should screw China - Donald Trump”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/australia-should-screw-china-says-donald-trump/story-fn7j19iv-1226142979625

Time must be tough even for Trump. "He arrived on a commercial flight on early yesterday, leaving his own $100 million Boeing 757 back at home."

He advised Australia to "screw" China by raising its commodity prices, which in short, he is saying to the audience that he is screwing them to line his pocket.

I don't quite get the statement that "... you're selling them all sorts of s***." Who are the "them" - the Americans or the Chinese? If it implies Americans, then he is one of them we Australians have been selling s*** to. If it implies Chinese, then he should be paying us, the Australians, to teach him a trick or two in negotiation.

Trump’s mouth is as big as the pothole in the street after a heavy downpour! I can’t tolerate his sense of humour!

Uni's a shock to students

Posted to Adelaide Now (18/9/2011) on 19/9/2011 at 12:16 PM, 4:20 PM, 4:50 PM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on “Uni's a shock for students”
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/unis-a-shock-for-students/story-e6frea6u-1226140351467

In general, schools prepare students to be Jack of trades and master of none.

Another problem is that there is always push for smaller class sizes and more teachers’ attention. While this may be alright for students below lower secondary, the change must begin in upper secondary as a transition to university. If students at this stage do not learn to compete academically, but still live in a protective cocoon, they will become lost souls in universities.

Unfortunately, many first year students tend to think that it is a honeymoon year with their new born freedom, after being treated like "kids" for the last 12 years or so at schools.

University is not a babysitting place and truancy is not monitored. Plagiarism is more prevalent in university, and attitude of lecturers varies according to their conscience and politics of the university.

Same argument can be said about universities not preparing graduates for future workplace environment and life journey. Don't be a baby, get over it Gen U.

Happy Days as 'The Fonz' awarded OBE for work with dyslexic kids

Posted to Adelaide Now (15/9/2011) on 18/9/2011 at 11:59 PM
Commenting on “Happy Days as 'The Fonz' awarded OBE for work with dyslexic kids”
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/happy-days-as-the-fonz-awarded-obe-for-work-with-dyslexic-kids/story-e6fredpu-1226137780798

Suffers of dyslexia, Asperger syndrome, autism, ADHD, epilepsy, etc. suffer more than just the medical conditions - they don’t show physical defects like paraplegia or blindness, and therefore people around them don’t often treat them with sympathy and understanding. Knowing the medical term for their condition is a cold comfort, for it can cause more distress and intentional isolation from the other people. It is great that Henry Winkler was able to overcome his difficulty, but many “medically branded” sufferers become more demotivated in life, and live in the shadow of disability.

Julia Gillard to get spin classes after PM sends SOS to image expert

Posted to Adelaide Now (17/9/2011) on 18/9/2011 at 10:26 PM
Commenting on “Julia Gillard to get spin classes after PM sends SOS to image expert”
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/gillards-spin-classes/story-e6frea8c-1226140040239

First there was the old Julia, than the new Julia. What’s now, the new release Julia Mk II? News like this only makes Julia Gillard look more incompetent than ever before. What nonsense is this - a leader needs leadership skills training after she has become a leader? That clearly means that she is not fit to be a leader in the first place. For goodness sake, it is not about how she "reads" the pre-prepared address or speech; what really counts is how she answers questions from the floor - knowledgeable, honest and from her own heart.

A big future for small apartments

Posted to The Age (17/9/2011) 18/9/2011 at 3:08 AM
Commenting on “A big future for small apartments”
http://theage.domain.com.au/home-investor-centre/a-big-future-for-small-apartments-20110916-1kcd1.html

Only those lack life ambition and goal will opt to live in a 1 bedroom unit / apartment. Don't be fooled by those advertising materials and fast-talking real estate people. Whether it is real or virtual, many people want their own space. A small, boxy, confined unit / apartment does not offer much in terms of physical space. Why are cars still built for four people? Logically most car owners don't need more than a 2-seater. Why do large corporations and shopping centres still have big voids and large foyers? Living in a larger dwelling is more than a luxury, it benefits one's mental wellbeing, and drives one to think big and achieve big.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's $1 million power trip

Posted to Herald Sun (14/9/2011) on 14/9/2011 at 1:29 PM (Not published by newspaper)
Commenting on "Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's $1 million power trip"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/foreign-minister-kevin-rudds-1-million-power-trip/comments-e6frf7jo-1226136562137

Posted to The Daily Telegraph (14/9/2011) on 14/9/2011 at 2:36 PM (Not published by newspaper）
Commenting on "Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's $1 million power trip"
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/foreign-minister-kevin-rudds-1-million-power-trip/story-e6freuzi-1226136196391

Don't ever let him come back to Australia. Worse still, if he ever returns to his former post as PM, Australia will go bankrupt much sooner than 2012. What has he done in developing relationship with all the countries he has visited? We'll have to wait for the next episode of WikiLeaks to reveal it, haha!

Posted to Herald Sun (22/9/2011) on 22/9/2011 at 3:10 AM (Not published by Newspaper)
Commenting on “Kevin Rudd told to rein in high-flyling overseas travel expenses”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/kevin-rudd-told-to-rein-in-high-flyling-overseas-travel-expenses/story-fn7x8me2-1226143032460

Let Rudd go – with a one way ticket next time. Don't ever let him come back to Australia. Worse still, if he ever returns to his former post as PM, Australia will go bankrupt much sooner than 2012. What has he done in developing relationship with all the countries he has visited? We'll have to wait for the next episode of WikiLeaks to reveal it, haha!

Sharia already in Sydney, say Muslim leaders

Posted to Herald Sun (14/9/2011) on 14/9/2011 at 1:21 AM
Commenting on "Sharia already in Sydney, say Muslim leaders"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/sharia-law-applied-secretly-in-sydney/story-e6frf7l6-1226057896078

If there are separate laws, there will be separate law makers. Law makers "make" laws in the parliament, which means there will be separate parliaments, analogous to the State and Federal Parliaments. It is unthinkable to have more than one parliament for each state (not that this is ideal even to have state parliaments) and one for Australia.

From this deduction, I can only conclude that there will be a piece of land cut off for the Muslim similar to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where the Sharia Parliament will be erected. Is there a state that generous enough to spare a piece of land for such purpose? Pragmatically speaking, will any clear-minded Australian allow this to happen?

For all the Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, etc., you are all Australians if you take up citizenship in Australia. If you are not an Australian, please keep quiet. No one should behave like a spoilt brat trying to do whatever they desire. Australian Constitution and Australian Laws come before any individual's self interest, for whatever motive.

One can either launch a constitutional challenge, or get a one way ticket to go to a country where they can practise their own laws.

Kids at Port Augusta Residential Housing Facility pleads for freedom

Posted to Herald Sun (12/9/2011) on12/9/2011 at 11:15 AM (Not published byNespaper)
Commenting on "Kids at Port Augusta Residential Housing Facility pleads for freedom"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/kids-at-port-augusta-residential-housing-facility-pleads-for-freedom/story-fn7x8me2-1226134300401

Are we going to learn from the past about stolen generation? If children of illegal asylum seeker parents are sent back to the refugee camps of origin, and Australia accept the children in good faith, in decades to come, the story can be so distorted that they become the stolen generation Mk II. Who will be the twit (or Australia’s King of Twitter) to apologise next?

Cancer Council wants to kill Paddle Pop lion and Coco Pops monkey

Posted to Adelaide Now (10/9/2011) on 12/9/2011 at 5:42 AM
Commenting on "Cancer Council wants to kill Paddle Pop lion and Coco Pops monkey"
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/cancer-council-wants-to-kill-paddle-pop-lion-and-coco-pops-monkey/story-e6frea8c-1226133898291

Where is free speech? WikiLeaks is banned then comes plain cigarette packaging. What's wrong with the Food Acts?

Obesity is a lifestyle choice, no difference from people who take up extreme sports, or practise as snake catcher.

If we are fair dinkum about teaching those who can't help themselves, then let those people who consume excess fatty foods, sugar, alcohol or anything that are classified as health hazard pay their related medical treatment out of their own pockets. The public health system and Medicare WILL not be responsible. If they can't pay, they will have to suffer due to their own stupidity.

As a marketer, I protest strongly about plain packaging. Being different is fundamental to brand / product differentiation. Do we expect more generic brand foods in every food outlet?

I don't like to see Australia to become one of those Communist countries where freedom of speech and expression are premium.

Are we going to see banning of Google? Will there be forced closure of McDonalds, Hungry Jacks or KFC unless their products are fat-reduced? Is this the end of Australian sugar and butter industries?

Please publish this comment - just to show that free speech is NOT dead!

Beware of the false profit trap

Posted to The Age (12/9/2011) on 12/9/2011 at 4:55 AM
Commenting on "Beware of the false profit trap"
http://theage.domain.com.au/home-investor-centre/beware-of-the-false-profit-trap-20110909-1k0ek.html

Many property investment seminars and books provide great bottom line figures after certain number of years. These figures are inaccurate, because these have to be converted to present value mathematically. A million dollars may sound a lot, but that amount in 30 years, if earning at 7% per annum compounding the interest monthly is equivalent to $123,205.85 at present. Many of these investment advisers have no idea about mathematics, and many assumptions made are over-simplistic.

Asylum seekers, carbon tax legislation on table for Julia Gillard

Posted to Herald Sun(12/9/2011) on 12/9/2011 at 1:56 AM
Commenting on "Asylum seekers, carbon tax legislation on table for Julia Gillard"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/asylum-seekers-carbon-tax-legislation-on-table-for-julia-gillard/story-fn7x8me2-1226134300031

Rudd started the mess, Gillard only made it bigger! Rudd did some seemingly palatable things to Australian voters, until he was dropped from the "flavour of the month" list. Gillard is getting from bad to worse, behaving like a spoilt brat and wanting to interfere with the separation of powers between the Executive and Judiciary.

Kyoto Protocol is a formality that will become empty promises. Many European countries' carbon emission has been reduced NOT because of their conscious effort to do so, but their manufacturing industries have gone south (or to China precisely). This leads to drastic reduction of power consumption and in the meantime less output of carbon dioxide.

An apology to Indigenous Australian will not make their livelihood improved. Once precedence is set, in decades to come, future Government will have to apologise to "stolen" children of illegal asylum seekers whose parents were sent back to refugee camps, say in Malaysia.

WorkChoices was the key issue that brought down the previous Liberal Government. History will tell whether the people of Australia had made the right choice, by electing Rudd for dismantling it. There are already signs that wage breakout and strikes returning to Australia sooner than expected.

The Iraqi War was a war that should not have taken place at all. The real evils of axes were the two George Bushes and their Administration under their command. The Americans did not want their sons and daughters to fight in the unjust war, and why should Australia follow? The WMD turned out to be Worldwide Mass Deception. On one hand, Rudd recalled the combat personnel from Iraq, and on the other hand he sent troops to Afghanistan.

The stimulus package meant to prevent Australia falling into the cracks of GFC benefited overseas manufacturers of flat screen televisions and outbound overseas tourism. The effective impact was minimal and lasted for about two months. Without the package, Australia would not have sunken; it would be better off to use the money for future rainy days or tempests.

Contractors at state's IT agency bringing home a Premier salary

Posted to The Age (7/9/2011) on 7/9/2011 at 11:00 AM
Commenting on "Contractors at state's IT agency bringing home a Premier salary"
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/biz-tech/contractors-at-states-it-agency-bringing-home-a-premier-salary-20110906-1jvx9.html

It is usually about whom you know, not what you know, and also about the best crap one can tell in their CV and at interview that gets the job.

Charging on hourly basis is a joke; if a bug is detected in a system, a contractor can say they have spent 100 hours to fix it but in fact only taken 10 minutes. To be more pedantic, if the software bug was "coded" in the system due to carelessness by a contractor, present or past, who pays for fixing it? Obviously, present contractor can do no wrong, can they? Even Sherlock Holmes can't help in finding the culprit.

By the way, where are these contractors from and where are they graduated? Do they have proper, formal training and qualification? An ox in a Chinese rice field has years of leg-on experience in ploughing land, but an efficient machine can turn the soil in a matter of minutes instead of hours.

Who normal ripped off the organisation? The ones that can play politics in the IT department, who do not necessarily know much about IT, do. Like what Parkinson's Law say, "they have been promoted to their incompetence".

Often Western countries (including Australia) point fingers at the Asian countries about existence of prevalent corruption. It is about time Australia needs a few more "Clean Up Australia" days

Diners' wallets feel sting of price hikes

Posted to Herald Sun (4/9/2011) on 4/9/2011 at 3:47 AM, 12:36 PM (Not Published by Newspaper)
Commenting on "Diners' wallets feel sting of price hikes"
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/diners-wallet-feel-sting/story-fn7x8me2-1226128846243

Those who don't want to work weekends or public holidays for normal pay, they are free to stay at home. There are many who want to work to earn extra to pay the mortgage or save up for rainy days

It is absurd from the start to introduce penalty pay, no matter what the industry is. Andy H, only if you become an employer, you will realise what you said is nonsensical. If bosses don't make money, they might as well pack up and put their money in the bank; they don't need the headache in employing staff, and risk making a loss every time a customer is served.

Just be rational for a moment - would anyone want to pay 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 times for train, tram, bus or plane tickets, takeaway or restaurant meals, taxi fares, utility usages, supermarket items, consumer items, entertainment, on weekends or public holidays. If the answer is no, then why should the workers pay at high rates?

When politicians start tinkering with education, you know your kids are in trouble

Posted to Malaysian Chronicle (1/9/2011) on 1/9/2011
Commenting on "When politicians start tinkering with education, you know your kids are in trouble">/span>
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=18568%3Awhen-politicians-start-tinkering-with-education-you-know-our-kids-are-in-trouble&Itemid=2#.Tl7cLaQLafw.facebook

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 12:48 PM
"Plagiarism, cut-and-paste and the outsourcing of tasks and assignments have become the norm in the higher institutions of education – all due to the lack of proficiency in the English language. " is neither unique to Malaysia, nor due to lack of proficiency in the English language. This is NOT uncommon in Australia, and I had to fail many of my students (as high as 90% in one class), with the blessing my Departmental Director. In severe cases, they had to repeat the subject / module.

The problem is, what do the lecturers / tutors do when they discover plagiarism? Many will sweep it under the carpet and score the assignment / project accordingly, some will give them borderline pass, some will interview the students asking them why they do such silly things. Education is a business, and many colleges / universities don't like high failure rates. Teachers / lecturers are pressured to pass students despite poor performance. So the practice continues on.

Plagiarism is a no no, and is always stipulated in the college / university student diary or policy handbook. Students MUST BE reminded on the very first day they enter the classrooms / lecture halls the consequence of plagiarism. I'm not a very popular teacher / lecturer, but I do "produce" some excellent performers and achievers.

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 1:28 PM
Symbols used in Maths and Science are universal, and therefore the language of delivery is not important.

Germany, the largest economy in Europe uses German instead of English in their education system.

Many mainland Chinese students go to Germany universities to study, without knowing a word of German at the start. I met several of them on one of my European tours. They were very fluent with German, and spoke little English. How did I communicate with them? In Mandarin / Potunghua, of course.

I am thankful that my late father sent me to a Chinese-medium school up to Primary 6. That provided me a good foundation, despite the fact that I went on an English-medium school after that. I still write blogs in Chinese in Chinese newspaper, tell stories to the Australians about Chinese traditions and culture, and developed bilingual software in Chinese / English for HK clients.

Many overseas students from Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Burma, China, etc who come to Australia for Higher Education undertake a year or two of intensive English language classes. Many become just good as other English-speaking students.

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 1:38 PM
In respond to MARA, I did get away from being sacked. I took the policy handbook to the Director, and asked whether the policy was for real and I should follow it. No Director would ever say NO to policy written by the college / university in black and white as well as on the website. I then said to him that he had just given me permission to fail 90% of the students! This is effective negotiation!

Posted on 1/9/2011 at 3:15 PM
Only human students plagiarise when they do their assignments / projects. Tutors, lecturers or professors assess or mark the students’ submissions, and therefore they are not the culprits of plagiarism. As for colleges and universities, they cannot plagiarise because they are non-living things!