The GP Blog

Monty Python Argument Clinic

2008-04-16T22:30:00.001+08:00

Saving the rainforest

2008-01-07T10:52:00.000+08:00

Can the rainforest really be saved by forgiving debts?

BBC's Will Grant reports from Costa Rica on such an ambitious scheme and explores how effective these schemes are.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/one_planet.shtml

Story of a 'Mouse'

2008-01-07T10:28:00.000+08:00

Charles Thacker was a scientist in the Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre (known as Xerox PARC) in the 1970s and his group was one of the first to adopt the mouse technology.

To find out more about how it has developed over the years and what the future holds for us, visit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/digital_planet.shtml

Sporting Scandals

2008-01-03T15:40:00.001+08:00

All good sport needs drama, but there have been dramatic events over the years which sport could do without.

Stories of scandal, corruption and villains have brought sporting heroes to their knees.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6227573.stm

For Richer For Poorer

2008-01-03T15:35:00.000+08:00

It seems that inequality is greater now than it has been since the 1920s. There is a New Guilded Age of the rich in ever bigger mansions and the poor looking in through the gates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6656923.stm

Coming Out

2008-01-03T15:34:00.000+08:00

Homosexuality is one of the world's biggest taboos.

It has led to riots in Russia, huge splits in the Anglican Church, and was a large factor in the re-election of President Bush. Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe famously proclaimed that homosexuals were "worse than pigs and dogs."

Now in the first of two programmes, Clare English explores what it is like to be gay and asks why some societies are more tolerant than others.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6246332.stm

Press For Freedom

2008-01-03T15:31:00.000+08:00

Roy Greenslade presents this four-part documentary series on the freedom of the press.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2007/12/071204_press_for_freedom_one.shtml

The Story of Stuff

2007-12-11T16:52:00.000+08:00

Where do all the things we use/consume come from?

Where do they go after we use/consume them?

Watch the Story of the Stuff!!!

Learn New Words & Feed The Poor!!

2007-11-22T12:46:00.000+08:00

If you thought things couldn't get any better, picture this!

LEARN NEW WORDS AND FEED THE POOR AND HUNGRY OF THIS WORLD DURING THE PROCESS!!

UNBELIEVEABLE BUT TRUE!!!

Check out this website:

Any Sherlock Holmes Fans Out There?

2007-11-19T12:28:00.000+08:00

Any Sherlock Holmes fans out there? If you are one, now you can listen to the adventures of the great detective online on the BBC7 website.

For this and many other fun programmes, please visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/

Can World Poverty End?

2007-11-05T23:34:00.000+08:00

Hear what the Leading economist and director of the UN's Millennium Development Goals’ Jeffrey Sachs has to say.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4413935.stm

Great Audio Programmes for You

2007-10-27T15:20:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Holidays are here but learning never stops!

Here are some great audio programme links that will enlighten you about many things happening in our world. Some programmes you can download into your ipod, others you may have to listen online.

The Giving Game

Investigation into the world of Non-Governmental Organisations

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/archive/030717_givinggame.shtml

The Cost of Coffee

Traces the journey of the drink from its producers to your nearest café joint.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6609141.stm

The Cost of Cotton

What is the real cost of your 'cheap' white cotton t-shirt? To find out, follow the link…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6564445.stm

For Richer For Poorer

A candid study of globalisation and inequality in the world

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6656923.stm

Escaping the Caste

On caste system in India

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1516_assignment/page30.shtml

Corruption in Afghanistan

How corruption affects a country

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1516_assignment/page23.shtml

Happy Listening!!!!!!!

Mr. Wangyal

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-10-25T10:28:00.000+08:00

Send this eCard !

Using Commas & Grammar

2007-10-24T08:19:00.001+08:00

Dear Students,

If you ever wonder where to put an comma in the middle of a sentence or an essay, follow this lis link and find out http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html. If you have problems with Subject Verb Agreement look up this link http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/esl/eslsubverb.html.

For other Grammar problems look here http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar. After learning the rules, start your word processor and do some practice.

Mr. Wangyal

Articel 377a

2007-10-23T11:25:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

A raging debate has been going on in the parliament and various web forums discussing whether we should make homosexuality a crime or not.

To read some of the interesting viewpoints which may give you some insight into the different local perspectives, follow the links.

http://www.keep377a.com
http://www.repeal377a.com
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20071023/ThioLeeAnn.pdf
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20071023/Siew%20Kum%20Hong.pdf

Improve Your Grammar

2007-10-16T13:26:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Here are two very good resources you can utilise to improve your grammar esp. your Tenses. Click on the links and do the online exercises, you can check the answers yourself as these are mainly java based exercises. If there are any rules or explanantions given try to read them before doing the exercises.

http://www.learn-english-today.com/free-english-lessons/free-english-lesson_contents/

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Wangyal

Global Warming! Really?

2007-10-10T20:43:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Promos are over but the world is till getting warmer!!!

So if you want to add some more salt and pepper to all the debates and points of views we have been talking and you have been reading about, visit these sites:

http://www.globalwarming.org/

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html

You can also watch a counter-documentary produced to challenge Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ if you click on this link.

Esnips Sharing Folder

2007-09-24T12:03:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Please go to the esnips sharing folder and checkout the TJC 2006 Paper 2 Suggested Answers. To get there, click on the esnips folder sharing widget.

Finding out whether your answers are right or wrong is not as important as knowing whether you know how to arrive at the correct answer, whether your way of answering is correct or not and whether you know how to justify your answers or claims.

Mr. Wangyal

Some Online Grammar Resources for You

2007-09-21T11:12:00.000+08:00

Here are some links teaching how to write sentences - simple, compound and complex.
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/sntmatr.html
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/sntstrct.html
http://www.eslbee.com/sentences.htm

What are clauses? Find Out!!!
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/bldcls.html

Here is a link that teaches how to use pronouns.
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/pronref.html

Here is a link that teaches how to use Verb Tenses.
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/usetense.html

Your Esnips Widget For Shared Folder

2007-09-21T10:48:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Please click on the esnips widget to get to the shared webfolder to access shared documents like ppts and word docs.

Good Luck!!!

Mr. Wangyal

Sample Answer

2007-09-12T10:32:00.000+08:00

Here is the link from where you can download the sample answer for the AQ Question on the text 'THE REWARDS OF OLD AGE'.
http://www.esnips.com/doc/21f60769-9d09-4f5f-b9a6-a3599561a4e1/AQ-Sample-Answer

Sorry for the delay in posting. My internet service at home is still down despite assurances from my internet company yesterday that it was 'fixed'.

Audio links to interesting debates on pressing issues in BBC

2007-09-11T11:30:00.000+08:00

Here are some audio links to interesting debates on BBC.

Is a free media essential for development?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1512_debates/page12.shtml

The Business of Climate Change

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1512_debates/page13.shtml

2007-09-04T11:52:00.000+08:00

Exercise

Refer to the passage below. Attempt the following AQ.

Steps :

1. begin with Text Analysis and the Mapping of Main Ideas (refer to previous page)

2. Active Reading should have taken place.

Personal Response

Text

Textual

Analysis

S’pore govt ensures that the citizens have adequate funds for retirement through CPF savings.

Most Singaporeans own a HDB flat and 90% of the households in S’pore own the homes they live in.

It is compulsory by law (through Maintenance of Parents Act) for adult children in Singapore to provide for their aged parents.

Women in such societies have less rights/ status than men?

Societies that are fundamentally Confucianistic in nature tend to have great respect for the elders.

Likewise, the Chinese practise

ancestral worship to ensure blessings and protection for their families.

Is the wisdom of the old still relevant in this age of technological advancement?

Adapted from AJC JC1 Common Test 2003

THE REWARDS OF OLD AGE

1) Old age is a period of dependence. It is a period of dependence on others, but it is also a period of dependence on the particular social and political system in which old men live. In some societies, old age is a time of unequalled power and wealth; in others, it is a time of degradation and despair. The reason for this dramatic difference is fairly simple. In some societies, the old retain control over resources, wealth, land and women. They are courted by the young, who depend on their favours for land to cultivate, for money or for wives. In other societies, the old give up their control of resources or they are allowed to retain little. They are a burden on their descendants.

2) This is a contrast familiar to Western societies for centuries. The contrast between the treatment of the old in industrial slums left to the tender mercies of institutions and the pampered and humoured treatment of their contemporaries in the propertied classes was described by such writers as Galsworthy in the Forsythe Saga and is stark indeed. The reasons are not hard to find. Those whose wealth was their ability to work are of no interest when their strength has diminished with time; those who hold the family property control the young with threats and promises of what their wills might contain.

3) The same contrast holds true for many different aspects of societies. The Siriono are a primitive group of people in the forests of Columbia. Because they hunt freely and gather wild fruits and plants, they do not own land, and they have no major possessions they can use to control the young. When they are old or inform and cannot hunt animals or gather food effectively, they literally become nothing but burdens; and are simply abandoned.

4) Not all old people are treated in this way in hunting and gathering societies. Among the Tiwisa group in Australia Aborigines, the old men wield very great power. They do not have land or property with which to do it- the way they do it is by controlling women. A man promises his daughter in marriage to another, sometimes even before she is born. He does this to gain political alliance with another man, who may seal the pact by giving him his daughter in exchange. Since it is the old men who have all the wives, nobody else but they would normally have wives, or therefore daughters to offer.

5) This theoretical situation is modified by the fact that the old also need the physical support of the young men. They obtain this by promise of wives which they make to the young men in return for their services of all kinds. In this way, by promising their daughters, they control the young. The young have to work so hard and so long to obtain wives that by the time they have wives and, more importantly, daughters by these wives, they too have become old men so the system repeats itself.

6) Many African societies are organised into small clans of people who live together and farm together. These clans hold their land in common as a holy trust from their ancestors of the clan. In such a clan the eldest members are seen as the natural leaders because they are closest to the ancestors. They are only like managers of the common property, but this gives them great power. They can at any time re-allocate the land between the members of the clan and since everybody depends on this land for their very survival, this means that they will not be offended lightly.

7) The powers of the elders extended into the realm of the supernatural. The elders were closest to the ancestors and so if a young man offended them, the ancestors would be angry at this lack of respect towards their representatives. It was believed they would send diseases or other disasters to their descendants and these could only be averted or the diseases cured if a sacrifice were made to the ancestors.

8) In most of the traditional societies of the world, the old not only have the prestige because they control such resources as land or money, or because of the religious power which derives from their closeness to the ancestors, but also because they are thought to be wise. The wisdom of old age depends on a relatively stable type of society. The philosopher of ancient China or India or Europe is always thought of as an old man. In pre-literate villages when things go wrong or a new problem arises, the young talk to the old for advice to see if they can remember a similar situation. An example can be found among the hill peoples of Vietnam. Like many other simple peoples in the world they practise shifting cultivation. This means that in order to cultivate efficiently, these people must remember in detail the way hundreds of different patches of forest were used, when and by whom. In such a situation a detailed memory of the past is essential and thus the old hold distinct advantages. The same principle applies to nomadic tribes: the older men will know the routes to avoid and the ones to take for water and grazing.

9) Yet it is not in practical matters that the memory of the past is important in traditional society. It is also often vital for social and political issues. In many cultures those who are allies and those who are enemies are likely to depend on the type of family links the ancestors of the group had to bind them together. In such situations the old, because they are likely to be the only people who will remember the family histories, will enjoy considerable respect and prestige.

Adapted from ‘The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind’

Old age:period of dependence

→burden

contrast

aged with power vs

aged who are a burden

reason: access to resources

similar contrast

western societies

reason for contrast: access to family property

similar contrast

The Siriono

reason for contrast: land ownership

Reason for power: women

→ability to control the young

wives and daughters of the old exchanged for services from the young

African societies

older members → closer to ancestors

→more power

Ancestral worship

Offenders

→ retribution

wisdom and knowledge of the old valued

e.gs

Knowledge of history puts the old at a greater advantage

Once you finish the reading part try writing the AQ answer. I will post the answer in a few days time.

Enjoy your holidays!!!!!!!!!

Kai Xian's Findings

2007-09-02T13:27:00.000+08:00

Kai Xian has gone the 'extra mile' and done some research on the article I posted on 29th August titled 'Life in the 1500s'. She found another article online which refutes many of the claims made in that article. The URL is http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.asp.

As I have told you in class before while the Internet is a good resource, all the information posted online may not be true. One has to exercise discretion and judgement. A thorough research is always called for when it comes to important facts.

In this case, while the veracity of both articles and claims made by the authors may be disputable and may be either wholly fabricated or partially correct, the important thing to note is they do tell us in some ways how the phrases and expressions we use nowadays could have been coined and give us some information about life in the 1500s.

2007-08-30T16:25:00.000+08:00

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask, "How are you?"

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

* Someone emailed me this poem a decade ago. This poem it still makes so much sense today.

Some Interesting Triva

2007-08-29T08:30:00.000+08:00

A friend forwarded this interesting article to me. It was (probably) taken by someone from this website http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/life.html . Enjoy the read.

LIFE IN THE 1500s

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence, the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all, the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don't throw the baby out with the bath water”.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, “It's raining cats and dogs”.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence, the saying, “Dirt poor”. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence, the saying “a thresh hold”.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old”.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence, the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring.

More Stuff on Globalisation

2007-08-27T01:14:00.000+08:00

Links for more info on Globalisation:-

Globalisation Guide

http://www.globalisationguide.org/index.htm

World Bank Site

http://www1.worldbank.org/economicpolicy/globalization/

Articles & Documents

http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/define/index.htm

Global Media Giants

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1406

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants/

BBC Audio Links:

Great documentary reports tracking the production process from raw material to finished products

Cost of Cotton

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6564445.stm

Cost of Coffee

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6609141.stm

PM Lee's National Day Rally Speech

2007-08-22T10:39:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Here are the links to PM Lee’s National Day Rally speech. Please read or listen to the PM’s speech carefully. It is a goldmine for GP students.

Text Version

Video Link

Apart from noting down the important points useful and relevant to different GP topics, also try to note down the keywords and phrases you can use in your essay.

How Gullible Are We?

2007-08-22T10:22:00.001+08:00

A student at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment.

In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."

And for plenty of good reasons, since:

it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
it is a major component in acid rain
it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
accidental inhalation can kill you
it contributes to erosion
it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.

Forty-three (43) said yes,
Six (6) were undecided,
Only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.

The title of his prize winning project was, "How Gullible Are We?"

He feels the conclusion is obvious.

Globalisation Resources

2007-08-22T08:49:00.000+08:00

Here are some interesting reads and AV links

Women & Globalisation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2002_49_tue_03.shtml

Globalisation & Asian Women

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2002_24_thu_03.shtml

BBC Globalisation webpage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/globalisation/

Globalisation & Business

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2007/globalisation/default.stm

Genocide

2007-08-22T08:41:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

If you want to know more about genocide, here are some interesting links to follow.

Darfur Crisis (Sudan): Article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/africa/2004/sudan/default.stm

Darfur Crisis (Sudan): Audio
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/6249466.stm

Khmer Rouge (Cambodia) : Audio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2006_11_tue.shtml

Nazis (Germany)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/nuremberg_article_01.shtml

'I have a Dream' M. L. King Jr.

2007-08-05T21:17:00.000+08:00

The 'I have a dream' speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
Text
http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

Listen or Download
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/politicalspeeches/mlkingihaveadreamtu6trtrtr766.mp3

Great Video Links for GP Topics

2007-07-30T19:37:00.000+08:00

Great Video Links with EXCELLENT & INFORMATIVE video documentaries

Crime & Punishment

Life Sentence for Kids
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/whenkidsgetlife/view/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/burden/view/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/oj/view/

Old Age, Youth & Family

Aging Issues in America
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/livingold/view/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/retirement/view/

Mass Media:
News War in America
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newswar/view/

Teenage Marketing
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/view/

Science & Technology

Internet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/view/

Health

Diet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/view/

AIDS

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/view/

Globalisation

MNCs
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/

Breathing Earth!!!

2007-07-30T13:47:00.000+08:00

A wonderful presentation with pollution statistics!!!

http://www.breathingearth.net/

Is buying fake goods morally wrong?

2007-07-30T13:16:00.001+08:00

Let' listen and judge for ourselves?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/religion/moralmaze.shtml

Click on listen to the latest edition button.

Links to the ppts

2007-07-30T13:06:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Here are the links to the PPTs.

Essay Writing : http://www.esnips.com/doc/ab91b31a-bec9-44d5-a8a8-deeb4dbeac1e/Essay-Writing

Question Analysis
http://www.esnips.com/doc/a41083da-8d16-44fe-8140-4a30c2485bfe/Question-Analysis

Mr. Wangyal

World Views Prog. on BBC

2007-07-30T12:58:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Have you ever wondered what people around the world think about the things that are happening each day?

Well, here is a Radio cum Internet discussion forum where such topics are discussed every day. You can tune in to listen or log in to listen to past week's discussions or read comments posted by people discussing these issues.

Tune in or add your comments. He is the link and programme information.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/

Mr. Wangyal

My Time Table for You

2007-07-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

I have uploaded my time table for your kind reference. If you need any extra lesson or clarification before you GP common test do let me know. you may email me, use the intercom system or SMS me in advance 97407308.

if the time you want is after 3pm, do inform me by 11am.

http://www.esnips.com/doc/b3f19489-6178-42ce-91ba-4992bca93641/New-Time-Table

Your teacher,

Mr. Wangyal

Links Galore

2007-07-20T10:15:00.000+08:00

Here are some the website links to learn more about how to use ‘Connectors’. Some examples are also given. If remembering, what ‘type of connectors’ they are, is difficult, just note how they can be and are used in sentences.

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_opposition.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_addition.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_cause.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_comparison.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_condition.htm

http://esl.about.com/library/writing/blwrite_connectors_contrast.htm

After that, take some of these online quizzes.

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/gc-connectives.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/rcs11-23.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/compare.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/9-10.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/9-1.html

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/gramcheck/8-7.html

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/writing/linking/index.htm

More ideas & examples of how to write good Introductions

http://www.teacherjoe.us/WriteIntroductions.html

Here is a good link to teach you how to write a thesis statement for your introduction.

http://gocsm.net/sevas/esl/classnotes/thesis_sent.html

More ideas on how to write good conclusions

http://www.teacherjoe.us/WriteConclusions.html

SVA Online Quizzes

2007-07-20T09:25:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

I have some found some online grammar quiz links for you if you have problems with Subject-Verb Agreement. You don’t have to do all, just try some. Each quiz will not take more than a few minutes.

While doing these exercises, make sure that you notice the whole sentence structure and think why a particular choice was made and is correct.

Don’t make this a guessing exercise. That would defeat the whole purpose of doing the exercise.

Quiz Links

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/sv_agr_quiz.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/svagr2.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/svagr3.html

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/agreement_add1.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/agreement_add2.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/agreement_add3.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_quiz.pl/agreement_add4.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/agreement_quiz.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/niu/niu7.htm

http://www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/subverb1.htm

http://webquiz.ilrn.com/ilrn/bca/user/quiz-public/run?session=023370DD6F22E6F5AFD515F345FF5CC9#question1

http://webquiz.ilrn.com/ilrn/bca/user/quiz-public/run?session=023370DD6F22E6F5AFD515F345FF5CC9

http://webquiz.ilrn.com/quiz-public?name=scde07q/scde07q_chp02C

http://webquiz.ilrn.com/quiz-public?name=scde07q/scde07q_chp02D

The answers can be checked after finishing the exercise and clicking the check for answers button. You may need to install Sun's Java Runtime Environment if it is not installed.

Mr. Wangyal

Term 2 CA Quiz PPT

2007-07-04T08:41:00.000+08:00

Please go to this link to view or download the current Affairs Quiz Answer Scheme. Please remember that alternative answers are possible.

http://www.esnips.com/doc/7d8353df-ecb8-44f2-8d50-3cabf0cc24bd/Current-Affairs-Quiz-PPT

CA Quiz 1 Resource Links

2007-06-29T09:40:00.000+08:00

Here are some links you can read up to see what other people say about the topics discussed in current affairs quiz.

Read, analyse and form your own opinions

On Legalising Same-Sex Marriage

http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm
http://www.crisismagazine.com/january2004/leslie.htm
http://grove.ufl.edu/~ggsa/gaymarriage.html

Modern Family
http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/F/family/21st/families.html

Sperm Donation

http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012412
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2001/11/19/withSpermAdComesControversy
http://www.wyff4.com/health/10357723//detail.html
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2007/01/24/soldiers_case_adds_to_ivf_controversy.html

Pro-family Policies

http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/faml_supfaml_3rdchild.asp
http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/faml_supfaml_babybonus.asp
http://www.babybonus.gov.sg/bbss/html/index.html
http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/faml_nurture.asp

Links News Articles on Crime & Punishment

2007-06-25T22:18:00.000+08:00

Here some news articles and information which may interest you.

Shifting Legal Boundaries : About Euthanasia & Dr. Death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kevorkian
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6710643.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3143112.stm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/13163/an_overview_of_the_debate_over_euthanasia.html

Crime & Justice : Was Justice done in O J Simpson Case ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.J._Simpson
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/simpson.htm
http://www.cnn.com/US/OJ/
http://www.courttv.com/casefiles/simpson/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6165254.stm

Crime & Justice : Should Paris Hilton be jailed?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/news/newsbeat/070608_paris_hilton.shtml

Shifting Legal Boundaries : Gay Issues
http://www.yawningbread.org/apdx_2007/imp-308.htm
http://safesingapore.blogspot.com/2007/05/straits-times-forum-letter-whether.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/gay_divide.shtml

Crime & Punishment : (Trying War Criminals)

Chemical Ali http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=6644&start=0&&&edition=2&ttl=20070625154335
Charles Taylor http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6707551.stm
Milosevic http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/milosevic_trial_01.shtml
Saddam Trail http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6118226.stm

Crime & Punishment : Incarceration without trial at Guantanamo Bay http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4720962.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4502411.stm

Hello

2007-06-25T22:08:00.000+08:00

Dear Students,

Through this blog I will share with you interesting links to news, views and other interesting and useful information which will supplement what we have discussed during class.

You may use this forum to share your views and comments about things we have discussed and other aspects of our lessons but please do exercise judgement and responsibility when you interact with each other and me via this forum.

DO NOT USE THIS FORUM FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN THOSE RELATED WITH OUR LESSONS TOGETHER.

IF I NOTICE THAT YOU ARE MISUSING THIS FORUM, THIS PRIVILIGE WILL EITHER BE WITHDRAWN OR MADE EXCLUSIVE.

Your Teacher,

Mr. Wangyal

The GP Blog

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Learn New Words & Feed The Poor!!

Any Sherlock Holmes Fans Out There?

Can World Poverty End?

Great Audio Programmes for You

Happy Halloween!!!

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Articel 377a

Improve Your Grammar

Global Warming! Really?

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Some Online Grammar Resources for You

Your Esnips Widget For Shared Folder

Sample Answer

Audio links to interesting debates on pressing issues in BBC

Kai Xian's Findings

Some Interesting Triva

More Stuff on Globalisation

PM Lee's National Day Rally Speech

How Gullible Are We?

Globalisation Resources

Genocide

'I have a Dream' M. L. King Jr.

Great Video Links for GP Topics

Breathing Earth!!!

Is buying fake goods morally wrong?

Links to the ppts

World Views Prog. on BBC

My Time Table for You

Links Galore

SVA Online Quizzes

More interesting links

Term 2 CA Quiz PPT

More Intersting Links

CA Quiz 1 Resource Links

Links News Articles on Crime & Punishment

Hello