Controversial Issues, made by request.

- Fill out your opinion on the following major controversial issues facing our society today. It's kind of interesting to see how your views differ from that of your peers. Then tag some of your friends and have them do the same.

YOUR OPINION ON THE FOLLOWING:


Abortion: I believe that every woman has the option whether or not she wants to keep her child. However, I don't feel that making the choice to get an abortion is the RIGHT one. I really could sit here all day and rant, but I wont. Abortion shouldn't be used as a form of birth control, and nor should it be used if you're too irresponsible to accept the consequences of your actions. There ARE other alternatives for your stupidity.

Underage Drinking: Every teenager has fallen victim to this, and if you haven't, and you're almost twenty, it's time for you to come out of your cave.

Lowering the drinking age?: I think it's fine where it's at, honestly. Only because your liver isn't FULLY capable of processing alcohol until your 25, and I think by the time you hit 21, your brain should be functional enough to make rational decisions. Lowering it would cause more immature teenagers to abuse alcohol, and it would cause a whole bunch of ridiculous chaos that is completely unnecessary.

Cloning?: I don't care. I just don't want another one of ME running around. That'd be creepy.

Teenage Pregnancy?: WHY ARE SO MANY TEENAGE GIRLS GETTING THEIR EGGO'S PREGO? Seriously?! I heard somewhere that there were 14 INCOMING FRESHMAN to BHS this year that were pregnant. SERIOUSLY? Did condom manufactures ship an entire FAULTY batch to the Bolingbrook area? Or maybe I just missed the damn memo. That's not saying anything about pregnant people I know, (FYI) because theres a rhyme and a reason for everything that happens. (And, not to mention, most of my friends that HAVE children are wise beyond their years.) But as an INCOMING FRESHMAN!? You just learned your ABC's like, yesterday, and now you're going to take care of another HUMAN BEING? That's ridiculous.

Prayer in Public Schools?: No. Simple as that, lol. I don't feel I have to elaborate any further.

Drug Legalization?: Haha. Well, I know a couple people that would be happy. I, however, am not one of them. Grabbing a bottle, or smoking a bowl isn't gonna make your problems go away. Cause once your ass sobers up, that problem is STILL gonna fucking be there. WELCOME TO REALITY BITCHES. This life is the only one you've got, and when you look back ten years from now and try to remember a memory from your baby brothers graduation, and the only thing you can dig out of your hippocampus is that you were higher than a fucking kite, I hope you kick yourself in the ass.

Immigration?: Whaaaaatever. I don't care. I do, but I'm really not about to get into this lol.

Child Abuse?: There are alternative ways to teach your children lessons besides beating them to a bloody pulp. If they still don't listen to you, maybe it's YOU and not your child.

Animal Experimentation?: They test makeup on animals. I think thats kind of.. cruel and unusual, but I'm pretty sure they don't die? It's not like they're strapping a pound of C4 to a german shephard, setting a timer, and seeing how far he can get before he blows up. So, whatever.

..I don't know where I come up with this stuff, by the way.

Driving under the Influence?: I'm HUGE on not drinking and driving, especially underage. I would always take Peter's keys everytime he was gone. It just freaks me out. I'm like sitting here erasing everything because it sounds stupid, but I'm just real big on the whole 'driving home drunk' thing. Call yourself a cab, stay wherever your at.. don't be a dumbass and get behind the wheel of a car and put your life, and other peoples lives in danger.

Eating Disorders?: I get the whole 'no one likes me the way I am' thing. I really do. But if people dont like you the way you are, then fuck 'em. I was ALWAYS teased when I was little about being aneroxic. ALWAYS. I'm just tiny, and I probably eat more than you do, so kiss my ass. I don't think you should starve yourself, or vomit up your entire lunch because you've got an unqenching desire to change what other people think about you. I'm sure it's probably a TOTALLY different perspective from the other side of this issue, but whatever.

The Environment?: Is going to shit, apparently? I don't know. That's probably due in large part that my garbage always gets thrown out the window of a moving car. Whoops. I recycle, that's enough for me.

Gambling?: If you're able to control it, then it's whatever. When you go and empty out your familys bank accounts to feed your need to gamble, then you have a problem, and you should probably seek councling.

Homelessness?: This is a tough one, because some people weren't put into that situation beause of their actions, and others were. Ahhh. I don't know. I'm not gonna feel bad for you if you don't try to better yourself. Spending money that's given to you on alcohol by generous strangers, is not trying to better yourself. I have no sympathy for people like that.

Obama?: I hate Obama, and I hate our goverment. Seriously. Apparently he's spent more money in a MONTH, than Bush did in 8 years? I'm not patting Bush on the back, because he's an idiot, but so are the rest of them. They're all hypocrites. Put Ron Paul into office, and then we'll talk.

War in Iraq?: Bring my soliders home, that's all I'm saying.

Racism?: As much as you're taught in school that racism's disappeared, it's evident that it still exists in our culture. Whyyyy cant weeeeee be friendssssss.

Homosexuality?: Do what you want. Completely aware that it says totally different in the Quran, but you're also told to follow what makes you happy. So ha.

Smoking Laws?: They don't do shit, but hell, at least they're trying.

Baby Steps

In life there is sadness, as well as joy; losing as well as winning; falling as well as standing; hunger as well as plenty; badness as well as goodness. If there was no darkness, we would not be able to enjoy and embrace the light. If you NEVER experienced sadness, you could not truly appreciate times of joy. Without death, humans would not have the emotional capacity to embrace, and be grateful for life.The key in all of this mess, also known as "life," is to find the balance.

When faced with an emotion, you have to remember that one emotion DOES not cancel out the other. The reality of joy DOES NOT eliminate the possibility of sadness. (Trust me, I've learned this the hard way.) Even though there will always be difficult times, the bad times also offer us several gifts that we often look past... surviving, learning, and becoming stronger.

You can't wish away bad times.. I'd wish away A LOT if it were possible. But just as sunshine dries the rain, you have the ability to carry on. LOVE conquers HATE; SELFLESSNESS can overcome GREED; andHONESTY can triumph over DECEIT.

Many people measure their worth and success by the abundance of their possessions. However, the pursuit of wealth is never as important as what you do with your time, and whether you are loving, kind and generous. MY persistent need to obtain unobtainable things and ideals has been overwhelming, but none of them have superseded the ones that I already have graciously placed at my feet. Sometimes, those who have attained wealth feel that they deserve it more than others do. This arrogance is particularly insidious, because it robs the believer of compassion, and makes one feel that less fortunate people deserve their fate.

Enhh, all in all, I need to understand that I cannot keep dwindling on my past, and hoping it will change.. What I should do instead, is embrace the changes ahead.. and hope for the best. Because hope is one of the sparks by which life sustains itself.. Without hope, we have nothing. I just have to remember that it isn't always necessary to overwhelm a problem or overcome an obstacle in one fell swoop. A series of small victories, small steps, will serve me the same purpose.

English Teachers

MANY parents complain about the declining standard of English among teachers of English these days. There is some basis to this derision. Are Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL) graduates competent in the language? Unfortunately, there are some who are not up to the mark for some obvious reasons.

A survey on this issue in some urban schools showed that even average students felt that some of their English teachers are not really proficient in the language. To quote a few examples related by students:

The term “ketua pengawas” was translated by the English teacher as “head prefect”. The teacher holds a master’s degree in TESL.

Another teacher could hardly differentiate between the past tense and the present perfect tense. She habitually used the past tense in sentences that required the use of the perfect tense form.

One teacher could only tell the students what good writing is all about when teaching, but she herself could not write a simple paragraph of her own in proper English.

Another student pointed out that her English teacher’s spelling was just atrocious. She often got confused when using double or single letters for English words such as “necessary” and “business”.

TESL students, unlike students of English literature, do not actually do English at the university or college. They are assumed to be proficient in the language. A TESL course focuses more on the pedagogical aspect of teaching a language — the theories of teaching and learning.

It is assumed that those applying to do TESL are already proficient in English by just looking at their good grades at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level, although this is somewhat undependable.

Obtaining 1A or 2A in English at the SPM level these days does not reflect students’ competence in the language. Gone are the days when As were scored by the finest students among them all.

One way to ensure that TESL teachers are proficient in English is to rigorously assess their spoken and written English before they are given the training in pedagogy.

In other words, for candidates to undergo training in TESL, they should first present themselves well both in the spoken and written English. This would help produce English teachers who can become role models to students.

Another point to consider in schools is to ensure that teachers do not skip classes to attend in-service courses. In-service courses for teachers should be confined to non-schooling days because the disruption of teaching does not help students.

If proficient English teachers are hard to come by, the Education Ministry should consider employing retired English teachers. These experienced teachers do not have to attend in-service courses and they practically stay put with the students throughout the year.

These teachers should also not be burdened with other school duties but employed solely to teach.

The pride of our nation is having Bahasa Malaysia as the national language. Malaysians should also bear in mind that being proficient in a foreign language works to their advantage. We need to be proficient in English in today’s increasingly competitive world. To achieve this, we need teachers who are proficient in the language, dedicated and who can spend more time with students.