The article is about the release of the table tennis team manager Antony Lee, after guiding the women’s team to a silver Olympic medal, he has to face the consequences for neglecting his duties.

It all started because Gao Ning, Singapore’s top male paddler got kicked out of the Olympics after losing a match without a coach. Zu Haining was busy guiding another Singapore player, Yang Zi at the time as he had been tasked with overseeing both players because his colleague, Chen Jian, fell ill. But Yang Zi's match, which was scheduled an hour before Gao Ning's, started late, and went to the wire, so Zu Haining was unable to attend to Gao Ning in time.

Was the decision to release the table tennis manager justifiable? Even after leading the women’s team to a silver medal, does he deserve to be punished for something that was not in his control? This could be seen as a mistake on the part of the organizers and how could the manager be able to make last minute decisions even if he wanted to in such a short time?

Even if it was the team manager’s fault, would it be justifiable to release him immediately after leading the women’s team to the silver medal? Not only would this affect the mood and morale of the team, as he was the man behind their successful campaign. It would also send those out there a message, that after helping us to achieve something great in 48 years, your service would not be needed anymore, something like using a piece of tissue paper and then throwing it away after it has lost its purpose.

This could also be seen as STTA (Singapore Table Tennis Association) president Lee Bee Wah effort to show her authority as she had just gotten this position not long ago. This would be sending out a message that you had better not mess with her, because she means business and you will be punished for every mistake that you commit. However, there could be a negative effect to this, if she were to show double standards in the future, she would lose the trust and support of many who she have convinced in this incident.

This could also be a bad start to her life as the STTA president, as many would view her as the evil or bad character in this incident, as she was the one who made the decision to release the one who made all this possible, a silver medal after 48 years. Many may also say that the commotion that she has caused was uncalled for.

This move would also prove to cause the table tennis team to be in a mess, which is extremely bad for the team, as they would want to look to defending their titles at the very least as well as to challenge for gold medal.

She has also mentioned some plans, but would these be able to cover up for the loss of the team manager in the short run? I doubt so, somehow what she has done seems redundant to me. Therefore I would say that her decision to release the team manager is not justifiable.

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Let's move on, says Lee

Section:	Prime - Table Tennis Shocker
By:	PEH SHING HUEI, MARC LIM
Publication:	The Straits Times 25/08/2008
Page:	A5
No. of words:	349

BEIJING: Mum's the word when it came to the controversy. There were no further comments on the future of team manager Antony Lee, who has been released by the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), nor other members of the STTA.

There were also no comments about why she felt the need to decide the fate of Mr Lee so soon after he had helped Singapore win a table tennis women's team silver at the Beijing Olympics.

Instead, STTA president Lee Bee Wah, who is in Beijing, would only talk about her plans for the sport yesterday.

A day after she revealed that team manager Lee's services would no longer be required, and that head coach Liu Guodong could face the chop as well, she declined to say more about the matter.

"What we need now is to let Singaporeans know the STTA's plans for the future. We want to move on," she said.

Top of her list is to realise the full potential of the current crop of national players.

She had told the media earlier that she will have one-on-one meals with the players in the coming weeks, to see how she can help them become even better. She also wants to groom capable successors to the team.

Also in the pipeline is a scholarship for national players, to support the paddlers in pursuing a university degree after retiring from the sport.

But more than the elite squad, the new ping-pong chief – who took over the presidency just last month – wants to broaden the base of table-tennis players in Singapore.

There are plans to introduce the game to children at the kindergarten level. She said that the PAP Community Foundation, which is in charge of the People's Action Party's kindergartens, has given in-principle approval.

An age-group league is also in the works to sustain interest in the sport throughout the year and to engage students regularly. She also wants to set up a business league, where national players can represent companies and improve their marketability.

PEH SHING HUEI and MARC LIM

democracy creates stability in a society

As we have a rather vague topic at hand, we need to first define or explore the different terms used in the question, democracy, stability and society.

We will first start with democracy; it is a system that is adopted by a country to govern their country to bring about political or social equality. There are also different types of democracies depending on which aspect they lean towards.

Next, we have stability; there are three aspects we can look into, socially, politically and economically, these are the different aspects we can look into during my argument.

Lastly, we have the most complicating term in the whole question, society; it can be seen as an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.

We will look at two countries that have adopted a democratic society, with two different endings and result.

Sweden is a parliamentary democracy, which means that all public power proceeds from the people. While at the national level, the people are represented by the Riksdag which has legislative power. The Government implements the Riksdags decisions and draws up proposals for new laws or law amendments; this ensures there is political as well as social stability. There are many ways citizens can influence Swedish politics, for example by taking part in referendums, joining a political party or sending in your comments on reports presented by the Government, people in the country are all entitled to vote for which parties are to represent them in the Riksdag, county council and municipal council.

Thus Sweden is considered the most democratic country; people there also enjoy a high standard of living due to its modern technology and liberal laws. As Sweden is a major exporter of iron, copper and timber, materials that are important in many different processes, it would fetch high profits for the country, thus bringing about a stable economy.

Taiwan adopted a democratic system as an effort to pull away from China, an authoritarian state. Even years after Taiwan adopted a democratic system; there are still many ‘political infighting’ between different parties have caused much confusion and toppled the balance in the political aspect. The economic and social stability is also affected by the political imbalance as they build upon the stability of the political aspect. An example would be when Taiwan’s previous president Chen Sui Bian was suspected of corruption, it caused an uproar in the country as the other party pressured him to step down, while the supporters of Chen Sui Bian stepped up to show their support for him. The riots then resulted in some violent acts.

Thus we have seen two different results of a democratic system, showing us both the positive and negative points of a democratic system. We can also conclude that whether democracy creates stability in a society is dependant on the attitude of the people in that particular society, as no one system can fit all the countries.

When it's time to talk about sex / Attitudes - kids observe their parents

The article advices parents to educate their children about sex issues before they start school. You may wonder how is it related to teenage issues.

As underage sex and teenage pregnancy becomes a increasing problem, it is stated in the article that "a poll conducted by Aoxiang Counselling Service in 2005 showed that as many as one-third of 1,500 students aged between 13 and 14 said they are already having sex". Most of these students lack the education or understanding of sexual issues, while others are not able to contain their lust for pleasure.
It is indeed true that the school is responsible to educate the students, but "parents set the social, religious and moral standards for a child," because their "sexual attitudes and behaviours can influence how his children view sex and sexuality".

How is this then related to the issue of increasing cases of underage sex and teenage pregnancy?

As research have shown, more cases of underage sex and teenage pregnancy are ever increasing and most of the teenagers involved does it is because they want to enjoy something adult-like and they view it as a way to relieve their stress. We can then infer that they have a wrong concept about sex as "1,210 students said "yes" to the idea of pre-marital sex", and that is why the idea of parents sharing their view on sex or educating the children since young about sex may be able to make a difference. There are always two sides to everything, depending on what their parents tell the children, it could be for the better or the worse.

What if somehow the child is involved in such a case even if the parents have talked to him or her?

Although it may sound rude, but when the parent decides to talk to the child, it is just a prevention and it is not proven that it will definitely work in making sure that the child would not be involved in the future.

I may not be an expert or a profession in that field of study, but so far i am able to keep away from trouble and i can say that the attitude or self-control of the child is the key to keeping him or her away from trouble. Whether they treasure themselves or not, it all depends on the individual.

Therefore after all that i have said, these is just one thing i want to tell all the teenagers out there, who are facing difficulties. It is you who is responsible for yourself, if you do not treasure yourself nobody can help you, people can only be there to support you. If you think you are useless, then you are not aware how many people out there admires and want to be like you.

You are yourself.

article

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When it's time to talk about sex / Attitudes - kids observe their parents
Section: Intheknow
By: KOH JOH TING
Publication: The Straits Times 14/03/2007
Page: 10,11
No. of words: 1110

baby & child

Have that chat before your kid starts school, a child guidance expert tells Koh Joh Ting

When Timothy Tan turned 12 last year, his father booked a room at a hotel for a day so they could talk about sex and all the puzzling questions that come with it.

Timothy's father, Mr Alfred Tan, is the executive director of the Singapore Children's Society.

He consciously set aside that time as "it signals to the child how seriously you view sexuality issues".

Timothy himself had looked forward to the retreat.

Mr Tan explained: "His elder sister Cheryl had her retreat with her mum when she was 12 years old. Tim had always wanted to know when his turn would come."

Parents must make the effort to educate their children about sex and sexuality from an early age, he told Mind Your Body.

"Just as any parent would teach a child not to steal or take drugs, a parent should help a child make the right judgment when it comes to sexuality," said Mr Tan, 48.

"If you don't set the ground rules early, someone else will, such as the Internet."

Parents have reason to be concerned, recent media reports have suggested, including one about a nine-year-old girl who managed to have sex with a 14-year-old schoolmate in her home and got pregnant, without her parents knowing.

On top of that, a poll conducted by Aoxiang Counselling Service in 2005 showed that as many as one-third of 1,500 students aged between 13 and 14 said they are already having sex.

More than two-thirds, or 1,210 students, said "yes" to the idea of pre-marital sex.

During their retreat, Mr Tan and Timothy talked about things like peer pressure and played games. One of the games had Timothy filling up a balloon with water and then poking it repeatedly with a needle. Water leaked out each time and the balloon soon shrank.

"I told him this was what having sex is about – once you do it, it leads to another time and another, which is why I would prefer him not to have sex before marriage," said Mr Tan.

"As a parent it is important to let your child know your stand."

Indeed, a parent's sexual attitudes and behaviours can influence how his children view sex and sexuality, said the chief and senior consultant of the child guidance clinic of the Institute of Mental Health, Dr Daniel Fung.

"The issue here is not just about sex or the mechanics of how babies are made but the sexuality of the child, which means the erotic significance of the child's identity, relationships and behaviours," he pointed out.

"Parents set the social, religious and moral standards for a child," said the father of five.

"So their attitudes to intimate relationships and how they behave in such relationships say a lot.

"The best way to show what a good relationship is – responsibility, respect and love – is simply to be good and faithful spouses to one another because children model themselves on their parents' behaviour."

Dr Fung observed that talking about sex to your child boils down to how they relate to other people.

"Sexuality is really about what it means to be you," he said.

"What it means to be a boy or a girl, what it means to say 'no' to people touching you in a way that makes you uncomfortable. Being ignorant about these may make you easy to take advantage of."

Unlike the Tan family, who set special dates for the heart-to-heart, DrFung said his family simply talks about sexuality when the opportunity arises.

"For instance, we talk to our kids about having kids. We give them books on how babies come about from a very young age and they read them on their own. And when we watch Friends, we ask them things like whether it is OK to sleep with someone you like."

The key, said Dr Fung, who has written a book about sexuality issues for families, is to educate children about sex once they enter school.

"Better nutrition has meant children can reach puberty earlier and they should be equipped with the knowledge about what is happening to their bodies."

If a parent is proactive about communicating and is the first to bring up a sensitive topic like sex, said Mr Tan, he can revisit it when the child is much older.

He said: "Treat the issue of sex in a relationship as part of building your child's life skills. Keep it fun and non-threatening, like 'What kind of girlfriend do you think you would like?'

"And if you tell him early that you would prefer him not to have sex before marriage, you can broach the subject again later because the trust level has already been built."

His and his wife's approach seems to have paid off. His daughter, who is now 18, speaks frankly to her mother about boy-girl relationships, something which still "amazes" him.

Both Mr Tan and Dr Fung said parents should be supportive and keep communication lines open with their children.

If you treat talking about sex with your child as a 10-minute lecture, you will achieve nothing, said Mr Tan.

Instead, you must be ready to talk about sex, know how you stand on issues and be willing to deal with surprises, however discomfiting.

For example, when Timothy stumbled inadvertently onto a pornographic site, Mr Tan did not get agitated and scold the boy, or shrug off the incident.

Instead he turned it into a teaching opportunity. He explained the exploitative nature of the contents and showed Timothy how to avoid logging on to such sites.

"You can even show them a site to take away their curiosity and why they should not go back."

A parent's support should be unwavering, even if your child has had sex and is grappling with an unwanted pregnancy, said Dr Fung. "You should consider all the alternatives as a family – it certainly is not the time to say 'I disown you'."

And even couples whose marriages have broken down have a responsibility to educate their children about sex, he said, especially since the children's views of relationships would be coloured by what happened.

"When the mother says 'All men are like that', she certainly leaves a very biased impression on her child's mind and may lead the child to trivialise relationships," he said.

Living With Sexuality Issues by DrDaniel Fung addresses issues of teenage sexuality. It also talks about child sexual abuse, pornography and sex addiction clearly and frankly. It is available at all major bookstores at $8.50 before GST.



E-mail: johting@gmail.com


'For instance, we talk to our kids about having kids. We give them books on how babies come about from a very young age and they read them on their own. And when we watch Friends, we ask them things like whether it is OK to sleep with someone you like.'
– Dr Daniel Fung, chief and senior consultant of the child guidance clinic at IMH