Chris Richardson, why didn’t you tell John Howard & Peter Costello?

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Chris Richardson, why didn’t you tell John Howard & Peter Costello?

Visit Time: 19/12/2007 2:21 AM

Remark:

It is amazing that Chris Richardson from Access Economics finally realised that the tax cuts were not good for the economy. I wonder why he did not tell John Howard and Peter Costello about his analysis before.

Furthermore, it is not rocket science to add up the promises of Labor Party. If he had announced his calculations and findings to the public prior to the election, just like what he had said on Tuesday 18 December 2007, the swinger voters might have voted differently!

Literacy & numeracy problems

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Literacy & Numeracy Problems

Visit Time: 19/12/2007 12:51 AM

Remark:

Perfect means free from mistakes or faultless, and is numerically represented by 100%. However, VCE students who get perfect scores only achieve 99.95%. This is a definite proof that our school system is the cause of students’ literacy and numeracy problems!

China and Kyoto Protocol

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     China and Kyoto Protocol

Visit Time: 13/12/2007 3:48 AM

Remark:

The segment on “China beefs up clean energy drive” was fascinating. I returned from The Silk Road tour recently, and agree wholeheartedly that the air pollution in many Chinese cities is totally unacceptable. In LanzZhou, the world’s most polluted city, blue sky and sunny day were non-existent.

On the positive note, I saw hundreds of wind turbines rising like white gum trees in various parts of the Gobi Desert. A tour guide also mentioned that some natural gas electricity plants had replaced the coal-fired plants.

In GuangZhou, motor cycles are banned in the city, partly to relieve the traffic jam, and partly to reduce the air pollution.

China has set itself very high targets in cleaning up the pollution. China knows the health of the 1.3 billion people will suffer if this is not done sooner - the health care cost will be enormous. If China’s economic growth continues at the present rate, it has the money to invest in its scientists to develop technology to clean up the mess.

China’s willingness to reduce the carbon emission is self-imposed. It makes no pledges to the world about its reduction targets, nor tells the world what to do. Actions are more important than just Kyoto Protocol.

The government’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol may result in closure of coal mines and power stations, and loss of export income. The map of Victoria could be redrawn with coal mining towns turned into ghost towns.

An unhealthy income statement

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     An Unhealthy Income Statement

Visit Time: 13/12/2007 2:48 AM

Remark:

Kevin Rudd is definitely a no-nonsense Prime Minister who keeps to his promises in rectifying the Kyoto Protocol, setting in motion to provide every Year 9 to Year 12 student a laptop computer, and expending $600 million to improve the hospital waiting list.

If he continues on at this pace, he will probably spend $2 billion to roll back the WorkChoices, if that was the amount claimed by Labor what Howard’s government had spent. He will also spend $42 billion for schools funding guarantee, $4 billion on high speed broadband network, $2 billion on health and hospitals reform, $1 billion to secure nation’s water supplies and desalination projects, $100 million for innovative manufacturing, and so on.

He will not forget to handout cheap travel for older Australians and provide a new 50% Education Tax Refund to help families of school-age children meet the costs of education. This Santa Clause will also help aspiring first home buyers save a larger deposit by establishing a new, low tax, First Home Saver Account.

If Australia is a listed public company with the Stock Exchange, I shall not be investing in it. Not a single pledge by Kevin Rudd involves in creating wealth for Australia. A healthy Income Statement (also known as Profit and Loss Statement or Statement of Financial Performance) requires more than just generous expenditure, but most importantly, income generation.

I sincerely hope that the income will be derived from company taxes in a rising economy rather than increased GST or income tax rates, which will badly affect the working families.

Rudd's Education Revolution

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Rudd's Education Revolution

Visit Time: 5/12/2007 2:44 AM

Remark:

The views and concerns expressed by many interviewees about this education revolution are appropriate and true.

Even without a laptop computer or abacus, Kevin Rudd and his team should be able to work out how much the so-call education revolution will cost the taxpayers. For example, a laptop computer plus basic software worth $1,500 for 100,000 students from year 9 to year 12 in a year will cost a grand total one hundred and fifty million dollars ($150,000,000). Need I go further?

Is there any restriction on how many laptop computers can a student claim throughout year 9 to year 12? If there is none, the students will be able sell the computers and pocket a very healthy profit each year, since the computers do not cost any money to the students.

Computers are just tools, and will not make the students smart. I have been working in the computer field for over thirty-five years, and I don’t think I am super smart. As a teacher in many disciplines, I can conclude that the computers make it easier for students to plagiarise, and make them bad spellers because they rely completely on the spell checker.

Once the students have laptop computers, they will be able to access school Intranet or Internet web sites related to their study. Will they not use them to chat with their friends or strangers, visit what’s hot and pop web sites, play games and download songs and movies? They could be spending their time in doing something more productive instead.

There are a lot of other related unwilling expenses. The schools need to upgrade the computer network systems, the parents will have to pay for more expensive Internet plan, last but not least, the Rudd’s government will have spend more to introduce higher speed broadband than what originally intended.

When teachers put their blood, sweat and tears course / lecture notes on the Intranet, they are digging their own graves! Many students without the presence of teachers, including off-campus or online study students can use the material. This is one of the reasons how education institutions can replace their full-time staff by sessional teachers. TEACHERS BEWARE!

Kevin Rudd did not submit this education revolution promise to be costed by the Treasury before the election, and many voters thought this would not matter!

If we extend Kevin Rudd’s ideal further, students studying science subjects such as chemistry and physics may get a rebate for setting up laboratories at home in the future. Sweet dreams!

Rudd's selection

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Rudd's Selection

Visit Time: 30/11/2007 12:10 AM

Remark:

Julia Gillard has been handed a new super-ministry combining education with industrial relations. She may be a first-class in her past performance, but she is no Wonder Women or Superwomen.

If the Media Statement - 18th November 2007 posted in the Official Website of the Australian Labor Party is fair dinkum, I can’t see how Julia Gillard could fulfil everything promised by the Federal Labor as commitment to lift school standards, from primary to university, and to establish a National Curriculum from prep/kindergarten to Year 12. The IR portfolio involves abolishing the Liberal’s AWA/WorkChoices and keeping the unions happy, is already a job and a half.

What kind of AWA did poor Julia Gillard sign with Kevin Rudd? She will have to work 24/7, probably she will not have time for her Christmas and New Year holidays.

However, help could be on the way! Maxine McKew, a miracle candidate that removed the previous PM from his seat, is too new to the political game. If given a front bench position, it will not please many, and thus, she is temporarily assigned as the Parliamentary Secretary to Kevin Rudd. My crystal ball tells me that there will be a mid-term reshuffle and Maxim McKew will be elevated to take over the education portfolio from Julia Gillard.

The reshuffle may see Peter Garrett demoted from the front bench and Penny Wong will take over the combined role of Environment, Climate Change and Water. Penny Wong’s appointment just fits in well with Kevin Rudd’s Chinese diplomacy policy. While Kevin Rudd is just a Chinese speaking Australian, Penny Wong is a Chinese speaking Chinese (Malaysian) who came to Australia at the age of eight. In the eyes of the Asians, and Chinese, Labor is not a “racist” political party/government, which Liberal fails to accomplish.

To appoint Martin Ferguson to be in charge of Resources (does it include human/union resources?) and Energy seems OK, but handling Tourism is not a “Bloody Hell” good idea!

Japanese Whaling

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Japanese Whaling

Visit Time: 28/11/2007 1:06 AM

Remark:

It is most disappointing that Green Peace and many other international protesters have been trying various methods and stunts to stop the Japanese killing whales in the name of research for the past 20 years without much success. What I can't understand is that no one / organisation has ever demanded the Japanese Government to release any scientific research findings or data of the scientific research.

I feel very strongly that the protesters are risking their lives stupidly. It is more productive to pressure the Japanese authority directly or via the appropriate global organisation to release the research information, if any. If the research body fails to publish anything after 20 years, it is about time for the useless scientists to pack up and go home.

Workplace discrimination

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Workplace discrimination

Visit Time: 28/11/2007 12:56 AM

Remark:

The Parliament is the workplace for parliamentarians, and we the citizens of Australia are the employers of the parliamentarians. For those who voted John Howard out of office because he had been there for too long, or he was too old to be the Prime Minister, then those voters would have been in breach of workplace discrimination Act.

It is interesting to note that after Mr John Howard’s debacle, many former Liberal MPs blamed him directly and indirectly for the introduction of AWA / WorkChoices. I find these former MPs to be very un-Australian, and un-Liberal. They were in with the government team. Were they just naive or plain ignorant to play the follow-the-leader game, or just gutless to confront the former PM to raise their concern?

Many programs or projects cannot achieve perfection at first go, not even the billion-dollar lunar exploration program. If AWA / WorkChoices were so bad, why did the small businesses and WA mining industry welcome them? That proved that not everyone disagreed with the introduction and implementation. Space exploration techniques have been improved and refined so much that present day probes go beyond the solar system. AWA / WorkChoices can be amended and enhanced to be “fairer” to the workers and employers.

Many students found part time and casual jobs to support their studies because businesses were prepared to take them on without the fear of union interference.

I hope that the pendulum does not just swing from one extreme to another. We don’t live in a world of just black and white – there are many shades of grey.

Over simplified funding promises

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Over simplified funding promises

Visit Time: 28/11/2007 12:11 AM

Remark:

Computer technology advances very fast – computer hardware and software upgrades occur far too often. Giving rebates to students on purchase of computers, and providing computers to schools will be more than one-off event within 3 years – a term in government.

Many wards in hospitals are closed because of nurse shortage. With more funding just for the nurses, the hospital system is going to experience a much bigger “headache”. More patients require more doctors, specialists, anaesthetists, etc. Are these medical professionals funded? Even with money where can the hospitals find additional suitably qualified doctors, who are already in short supply worldwide?

More patients also mean provision of more non-clinical services – cleaning, laundry, foodservice, utility, etc. These services lead to more staff, and additional on-cost. Were these costed?

I am very concerned about cost blow-outs, by the Rudd’s government, the schools and the hospitals.

Should Dalai Lama practise what he preaches?

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Should Dalai Lama practise what he preaches?

Visit Time: 13/06/2007 10:27 AM

Remark:

While I do not claim to be a philosopher, I find the Dalai Lama's actions are in conflict with his views at times. The Dalai Lama's teaching, to some extent, is similar to what Dale Carnegie's, who wrote the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

I watched the The National Press Club Address - The Holiness Dalai Lama program on Tuesday 12 June 2007. There are certain points he raised at the address seem paradoxical, and he should practise what he preaches. He reckoned China had long been ignored by the world, and implied that having good relationship with China, the world could influence China's actions.

The Dalai Lama promotes world peace and harmony, but his meetings with the opposition leader Kevin Rudd and the Prime Minister John Howard provoke ill will between Australia and China. If Australia's relationship with China is "rock solid" (John Howard would probably use the term}, then Australia could in a better position to help the Dalai Lama or Tibetan people to reconcile the differences with China - with or without divine intervention (shall we pray?).

This is definitely a political football game!

Cervical cancer vaccine versus GM crops

Name:        CHAN, Sin Fong

Subject:     Cervical cancer vaccine versus GM crops

Visit Time: 23/05/2007 12:55 PM

Remark:

On 17/4/2007 Kerry O’Brien interviewed Dr Ian Frazer, during which Dr Ian Frazer said, “Yes, realistically, even if the vaccine were used worldwide tomorrow, it would be another 50 years before the cervical cancer figures fell to the point where you could say the vaccine had worked.”

On 22/5/2007, The Age reported that “Leading immunologist and Gardasil creator Ian Frazer says a cervical cancer vaccine is safe, despite five Victorian schoolgirls falling ill after they were immunised.” In the same report, the health department spokesman said that “... the overriding thing here is we've got a vaccine that is a cancer-preventing vaccine. I mean, that's got to be a good thing."

It is interesting to note that cervical cancer vaccine is so readily embraced by the community, here and overseas, and yet GM crops receive great opposition. Before the word GM becomes commonly used, botanists and zoologists have been cross-fertilising plants and cross-breeding animals in search of better and stronger species.

Borrowing the words in a negative way from Dr Ian Frazer and rephrasing in my own way, “Yes, realistically, even if the GM crops were consumed worldwide tomorrow, it would be another 50 years before the human deformity figures increased to the point where you could say the GM had not worked.”, or positively from the health spokesman, “... the overriding thing here is we’ve got a crop that is drought and pest resident crop, (and may even solve the world hunger problem.) I mean, that’s got to be a good thing.”

Statistically, around 300,000 women worldwide die from cervical cancer annually and 227 Australians in 2002. Almost 800 million people worldwide go hungry ever day.