Help underperforming students!

Our Education Ministry has identified a total of 402 schools nationwide as hotspots for disciplinary and drugs problems. We wonder after the identification and classification, what are the follow-up actions to be taken by the authorities to help improving or delisting these schools? Are there any ready measures and guidelines for the schools to be followed in order to be removed their names from the list ?

It may sound illogical and unreasonable for the schools to be enlisted or red flagged but no guidelines or measures for the grieved schools to adhere for improvement.

The root-causes of the disciplinary and drugs problems among the students must be identified and rectified within the shortest possible time to enhance the public confidence and perception on these schools. It appears ironical and unfair to the schools on the list if there are no remedial solutions and counter measures by the Education Minster to render necessary assistance tackling the disciplinary and drugs problems. Without any clear directions, the enlisted schools will find it difficult to be delisted.

Why are students lackadaisical in their studies? Why are they not disciplined and drug-addicted?

Education is said to be free and fair to all but what we have seen today the process of educating and transmitting knowledge is not fairly practised especially onto those students who are slow-learners and incompetent. The present scenario is discrimination through classification based on examination results. The students are being judged and categorized through their examination results. Students with excellent results are classed in Category A and those students with poor performance are being seated discriminatingly in the lower rank of the classes. This act of classification undoubtedly and directly creates misconception and stress on these poor students whose self-pride are hurt.

Placement of students accordingly to their performances is good if there are plans to assist improving those needy. These students with poor academic results really need motivation and inspiration. Are there any constructive and rhythmical plans for these students. Contradictorily, knowing them exam phobia, they are again given the same test papers as those students categorized A. They are again graded in overall results of the same form of the students. What do we expect their results will be? It appears that they are repeatedly beaten and placed lowly in the examination throughout their school lives. Continual failure and poor performance in the examination not only erode the confidence but also help to develop disciplinary problems among the students.

Proactive measures should be embarked to help those underperforming students. Motivational and inspirational talks should be conducted often. Self-pride and confidence of these students should not be eroded for the creation of disciplinary problems which will become the social liabilities with high cost to tackle.

Road signs in Geroge Town

最近，在槟城的市区与朋友走走时，突然发现许多的路牌上的华语路名不见了。

Recently, while loitering along with friends in the city of George Town, we discovered that many road signs were now without Chinese characters.

最近，在槟城的市区与朋友走走时，突然发现许多的路牌上的华语路名不见了。 Recently, while loitering along with friends in the city of George Town, we discovered that many road signs were now without Chinese characters.

最近，在槟城的市区与朋友走走时，突然发现许多的路牌上的华语路名不见了。 Recently, while loitering along with friends in the city of George Town, we discovered that many road signs were now without Chinese characters.

还归真相?????

当一个人莫名其妙地被人诬赖和误会了，自然的反应就是尽量尽快的澄清本身的无辜。如果有人提供场所和机会给与这位所谓的无辜受害者来澄清自辩，肯定是求之不得天赐良机也！他绝对在第一时间，紧抓这机会来向众人告白！

俗语中的“清者自清，廉者自廉；浊者自浊”或来自屈原的“举世皆浊而我独清”只是生活指南，不是常人尤其是政治人物在日常生活中可行可实践的品格规范。政治人物一有风吹草动，对他不利的事情和传闻；通常多会立刻出来澄清，绝不会有任何拖泥带水，犹豫不决的举动来延缓还我清白的机会！所谓“官”字，两个口，上口用来吃饭，下口用来装钱，有鉴于此，“钱”对当官者实在是太敏感了。若是有传闻或事情牵扯上“钱”而不利于某位当官者，该当事人的反应是想尽各种各样的方法，用尽管道来澄清，让民众知道真相，明白他是清白的！

在我国的政坛上，这几年却出现了反现象。当官者被控时或被扣押待调查，被控者与被押着都在尽量拖延时间或尝试规避“还归真相”的程序。这反逆叛行的举动，的确让人一头雾水因为当事人每时每刻都在谈反污，打污去污还大地清凉的官员！所以，政客的话不可信以为真，需要我们选民“听其言，观其行”认真分析后才能知道他们的真实或虚伪！

some time, sometimes 和 sometime

有学生再次问及英语中的 some time, sometimes 和 sometime的区别。

Some time, sometimes 和 sometime 太相似了但它们的意思却有些不一样。

Some time - 一些时间，一点时间。

例子：

I need some time to finish the work.

我要一些时间来完成工作。

She needs some time to come here as the traffic is congested.

她需要一些时间抵达这里因为交通拥挤。

Sometimes 有时

例子：

He sometimes drinks coffee though his favor is tea。

虽然他喜欢喝茶但有时喝咖啡。

Sometimes I go to bed without washing。

我有时没有淋浴就睡觉。

Sometime 某时

例子：

We shall meet sometime in future.

我们将会在不久后的某时见面！

I did remember we had done the repair sometime last week.

我记得上周的某时我们已做了修理。

Bring back the Pinang trees to Penang

The activities of cutting and shortening overgrown branches by the workers of Penang City Hall have been a norm of daily panoramic view along the major roads in town and this cutting exercises on major roads have impeded the flow of traffic and create inconveniences to the road-users. Nonetheless, these exercises will continue as long as the present species of trees are not changed. Not only the ever-growing branches of the problematic trees create laborious cutting work but also its withering leaves require constant clearing labour of the council workers. Therefore, to save cost and also avoid controversial arguments on the environmental issues contradicting many banners with slogan of Greener and Cleaner Penang, it is high time for the local council to plant or replant or replace the present species of trees with less branches and falling leaves.

As the name of the island implied, Pulau Pinang derives its name from the name of Areca Catechu or Pinang Palm. However, ironically, except for few places such as Codrington Avenue and Esplanade playground, we can hardly find any prominent proliferation of these Pinang trees within the town area. Pinang trees, one of the essential features of Penang signatures, should be considered an ideal choice of substitution for the present species as they are of pinnate compound leaves without any branches. Incidentally, their leaves are not straightly or upwardly protruding but growing downwardly and this may help to save the cutting and trimming exercises being conducted regularly by the local council. Secondly, the leaves of Pinang trees do not easily wither and fall and this would keep the roads free of scattering leaves.

Prioritizing planting of Pinang trees is not only apt to the name of “ Pulau Pinang” but also nostalgic of its agricultural heritage.

那失落的手帕

朋友往生了。在陪同他走完人生最后一段路的送殡行列中，我不禁想起刚才一位中年妇女的话。

在灵堂前，这位妇女接到丧家家人交给她的一条手帕后，待丧家家人走向另一处派发手帕给与其他到来送殡的妇女后，低声地对她旁边的朋友说：“手帕现在已不流行了，我们都不用了。我自己也几十年末曾带手帕出门。现在的香巾纸，用后可丢实在太方便了！”

那位妇女的话是千真万确的。现在的确是很难见到小姐女士们用手帕了，擦眼睛或脸，擦眼泪，抹汗水等，或替小孩擦鼻涕已用上了香巾纸来代替手帕了。方便极了！方便的运作酿造了许多的方便性质的商品。现在的市场到处可见许多与环保意识相对的纸盘，纸杯，纸碟，用后可抛丢的叉子，勺子和筷子等等。

我们就是为了方便自己在不知不觉中制造垃圾带来了环保问题。我们为了避开洗涤的麻烦，不惜花了另一笔额外的钱来这些“用完可丢”的纸制品。家庭主妇也为了方便不要麻烦，不再提菜篮上菜市场，结果带回来了许多塑料袋的垃圾。

今天的社会依凭高科技的发展让日有着越来越舒适的享受；但环境，自然生态却愈来愈严重地受污染。土崩地陷，水泛，天气的畸变，天灾始终唤不醒人们对环保的特别关注。这是在舒适生活里，心灵渐渐被方便文化的污化吧！

在送殡后下山的回程中，目睹着路上被人抛弃许多的香巾纸和其它包装的饮料的空盒，我的心是沉呀沉。。。

马云的四个 "坚持"

马云讲了他本身的四个坚持：

第一要坚持理想主义。永远记住我们是因为有理想才有今天的，今天不因为有了钱、有了事以后，我们放弃理想主义。理想主义是坚持未来的思考，只有理想主义者才能够在残酷的时候活下来。

第二坚持乐观主义。我是一个乐观主义者，我不相信一个悲观主义者可以做好企业。你愿意不愿意，十年以后会诞生大批的企业，而在座很多企业家二十年以后，我们的企业不会在了，这不是悲观，这是一个现实。因为未来三十年技术的变革，未来三十年全球化的变革，未来三十年中国产业升级的变革，会淘汰大批企业。大批的就业会没有，机器会越来越超越人，大数据时代对IT的冲击之大超过大家想象。很多省份你看不起，很多企业行业你看不起，但是它会起来，昨天你认为很牛的行业都会被击跨，所以这不是危言耸听。

第三，我们要坚持学习。不直接世界发生什么事情，不知道隔壁邻居在发生事情，不知道竞争对手在发生什么事情，我认为我们不可能走向未来。

第四个我们要自重、自尊、自强。世界已经发生很大的变化，中国已经步入了商业社会，但是我们的很多思想还是农耕思想，还是在农业思想，总觉得商人这个群体不行，我希望大家作为商人，我们要自尊，只有我们看得起自己，尊重自己，只有我们自己把自己做强大，我们自己开始纳税，我们自己开始就业，我们自己参与社会的责任担当，我觉得我们才会强。

人要成功，情商、智商、爱商缺一不可

人要成功，要情商、要智商，还有爱商。如果你要想获得成功，你必须要有强大的情商，情商好的人容易成功，因为支持你的人多。但是你要不败，一定要智商。我们现在的第二代年轻人智商很高，情商不行。情商是一路打出来的，情商是玩出来的。我今天看到很多年轻浙商，你的孩子很小的话，花一点时间，让他们会玩，会玩的孩子会有情商，强大的压力，被打压过的人，情商才好，情商高的人，人家愿意帮你，但是智商高的人，不太容易失败。很多老板成功了，但是缺乏知识结构、文化结构，我是眼看着愚蠢的一个个下来，别人帮了他，他觉得天下人都会帮他，没那么回事情，别人帮你是不正常，别人不帮你是很正常。所以要想不败，必须要有智商，如果你自己觉得读书不咋的，知识结构不够好的，请把读书好的、知识结构好的人请过来。

所以要成功，要有情商，要不败，必须要有智商，但是你要受人尊重，一定要有爱商。我们很多企业做得很大，没有人尊重他，他的脑子里就是钱，我觉得钱很重要，但是它只是证明你是会赚钱的聪明人而已，所以爱商显得尤为重要。爱商是什么？是担当，是做一些看来跟你没有关系的事情，绝大部分的决定，我相信在座每个人会感到骄傲的，你做最大的决定，跟你的生意毫无关系的时候，这些决定让你一辈子，别人尊重你不重要，你自己知道才是最重要的。

公益请大家多参与。我并不觉得社会责任是企业的第一责任，我认为社会责任的第一责任人是政府，企业的第一责任人是纳税，去服务好整个社会，这是我们社会的第一责任。但是社会责任，去担当社区建设，去做一些帮助别人的事情，会让你在做生意的过程当中无比快乐，你的钱解决不了社会什么问题，你捐出去的钱，你花在公益上的时间是改变了你和改变了你的孩子，如果改变了你和你的孩子，你才会有更大的未来。