Sec : Dangers of one-child policy

An interesting article of what is likely to happen to the individual, family and society when a country practices the one-child policy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-25/chinas-one-child-policy-creates-ruthless-children-writer-says/6495666

O Level: Useful Essay Words

To indicate more information

• Besides - Making an additional point; anyway
• Furthermore
• In addition
• Moreover
• Likewise
• Indeed – In truth
• In fact
• Also
• As well
• Foremost - Ranking above all others; Preceding all others in spatial position
• First, Second, Third, Finally
• Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly

To indicate an example

• For example
• For instance
• In particular
• Particularly - Specifically or especially distinguished from others
• Specifically
• To illustrate
• To demonstrate

To indicate a cause or reason

• Since
• Because
• Because of
• Due to
• For
• For the reason that
• As
• Inasmuch as - Since
• Whereby - As a result of which, By which, "the means whereby we achieved our goal"

To indicate a result or an effect

• Accordingly - because of the reason given
• Consequently
• Hence
• So
• Therefore
• Thus
• Thusly - In the way indicated
• Thence - From that fact or reason or as a result
• Therefrom - From that circumstance or source
• Thereof - Of or concerning this or that, From that circumstance or source
• Corollary - A practical consequence that follows naturally, "blind jealousy is a frequent corollary of passionate love"

To conclude

• For the aforementioned reasons
• For the aforementioned reasons, there is no doubt that
• To sum up the foregoing,
• Given these facts
• In conclusion
• In closing
• To conclude

To express an opinion

• In all due fairness
• With good judgment, (one/we may)

To describe or make

• vivid
• portray
• depict
• exhibit
• illustrate
• expose
• present
• paint a portrait
• limn - Trace the shape of, make a portrait of
• delineate
• represent
• demonstrate
• constitute - Form or compose
• embodied - (adj) Expressed by
• embody - (v) Represent or express in tangible form
• embodiment

To prove

• manifest - Provide evidence for; stand as proof of
• attest - Provide evidence for
• testify - Provide evidence for
• certify - Provide evidence for
• endorse, indorse - Give support or one's approval to
• shew - Establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
• establish
• instance - (v) Clarify by giving an example of
• exemplify - (v) Clarify by giving an example of

To compare or contrast

• Whereas
• In comparison
• In contrast
• However
• Although
• On the other hand
• Likewise
• Similarly
• But
• Yet
• Withal - Despite anything to the contrary (usually following a concession)
• Withal - Together with this
• Nevertheless - Despite anything to the contrary
• Nonetheless - Despite anything to the contrary
• Notwithstanding - Despite anything to the contrary
• Even so - Despite anything to the contrary
• All the same - Despite anything to the contrary

To indicate time

• After
• Before
• Currently
• During
• Eventually
• Finally
• First, Second, etc.
• Formerly
• Immediately
• Initially
• Lastly
• Later
• Meanwhile
• Next
• Once
• Previously
• Simultaneously
• Soon
• Subsequently
• Subsequent - Following in time and order
• Hitherto, Heretofore - Used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time, “The sun hasn’t rose hitherto.”
• In due time
• Henceforth

To indicate certainty

• Truly
• Sincerely
• Genuinely
• Surely
• Rightfully
• Absolutely
• Indubitably
• Certainly
• Without doubt
• Needless to say

To indicate doubt

• Most likely
• More likely
• Possibly
• Probably
• Dubitable - Open to doubt or suspicion
• Dubious - Distressed with uncertainty or doubt

To summarize

• Overall
• To summarize
• In summary
• To sum up
• Paraphrased
• Briefly
• In brief
• Summing up
• To put it briefly
• précis - A sketchy summary, Make a summary (of)
• synopsis - A sketchy summary
• apercu - A short synopsis

To provide a condition

• provision, proviso - A stipulated condition
• stipulate - Specify as a condition or requirement in a contract
• given
• if
• whether
• whenever
• when
• while

To express positive words

• magnificent
• grandeur - The quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand, the quality of being exalted in character or ideals or conduct
• magnanimous - The quality of being exalted in character or ideals or conduct
• fantastic
• fantastical
• phenomenal
• wonderful
• extraordinary
• marvelous
• superb
• good
• fine
• great
• avid - Emotionally desirable
• avid ambition to succeed
• excellent
• spectacular
• prodigious
• grand
• brilliant
• glorious - Bringing great happiness and thankfulness
• illustrious - Widely known and esteemed
• notable - Worthy of notice
• respected
• impressive
• splendid
• splendiferous - Having great beauty and splendor
• resplendent - Having great beauty and splendor, Richly and brilliantly colorful
• flamboyant - Elaborately or excessively ornamented, Richly and brilliantly colorful
• redoubtable - Having or worthy of pride
• formidable - Extremely impressive in strength or excellence
• prowess
• superior
• terrific
• tremendous
• wondrous - Extraordinarily good
• wonderful
• sublime - Inspiring awe, Lifted up or set high
• flair - natural talent
• knack - A special way of doing something
• outshine - Attract more attention and praise than others
• paramount - Having superior power and influence
• predominant
• preponderating
• prevailing

To show intelligence

• profound
• shrewd – hardheaded (practical experience and observation) intelligence
• astute
• acumen - Shrewdness shown by keen insight
• insightful
• savvy - The cognitive condition of someone who understands
• cognition - The psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning
• genius
• smart
• sharp
• keen
• mastermind
• Einstein - Someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
• work of art
• fine art
• maven - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• mavin - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• adept - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• whiz - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
• wizard - Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

To intensify

• incredibly
• exceedingly
• toppingly - extremely well
• extremely
• extraordinarily
• truly
• really
• very
• utterly - Completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers, With sublimity; in a sublime manner
• absolutely
• perfectly
• sublimely
• dramatically
• sheer - (adj.) Complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as an intensifier; (adv.) Directly "he fell sheer into the water"

Said

• enounced, enunciated - Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
• pronounced - Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
• articulated - Express or state clearly
• vocalized - Express or state clearly
• posited - Put firmly
• stated
• expressed
• reported
• alleged - Declared but not proved
• averred - Report or maintain, To declare or affirm in a grave manner and formally as true
• affirmed, asserted
• wrote
• composed
• indited - Produce a literary work
• penned - Produce a literary work
• spelt - Indicate or signify
• voiced, sounded - Give voice to
• demean - Reduce in worth or character, usually verbally

Noted (said)

• remarked
• denoted - Be a sign or indication of, "Her smile denoted that she agreed"
• observed
• commented
• mentioned
• referred
• announced
• noticed

Precisely

• explicitly
• accurately
• expressly
• exactly
• incisively

Numerous

• innumerable
• many
• various
• several
• diverse
• umpteen
• umteen
• myriad (noun and adj.)

Praise

• extol - (v) Praise, glorify, or honor
• exalt
• glorify
• laud
• proclaim
• revere
• idolize
• worship
• venerate

Call Forth

• evoke - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• arouse - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• elicit - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• enkindle - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• provoke - Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
• inflame - Arouse or excite feelings and passions
• awake - Stop sleeping
• conjure - Evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic
• invoke - Evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic
• summon - Gather or bring together
• instill - deposit gradually

Source: http://martinpiecyk.com/site/improveyourwritingability/index.html#_To_indicate_more_information

A Speech on Abortion

An example of a great speech.




http://viralvita.com/video/this-speech-on-abortion-by-a-12-year-old-left-her-pro-choice-teacher-and-half-the-internet-speechles#.U2HsoHeAb5w.facebook

O Level: Learning - the Finnish way

 

By Sandra Davie The Straits Times Monday, Sep 30, 2013

 

 

Like Singapore, Finland, which has a population of 5.4 million, is an education superstar. - See more at: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/learning-finnish-way#sthash.3XR6FXvm.dpuf

 

Only Finland's best become teachers

Free to play and free to learn at Finnish pre-schools.

 

 

Its students consistently do as well as top-performing Singapore pupils in international maths and science tests. 

 

But a recent study trip by The Sunday Times sponsored by Lien Foundation found that Finnish students take a completely different route to academic excellence.  Before going to Primary 1 at age seven, all that Finnish children in pre-schools seem to do is play.

 

And once in school, they do not undergo formal assessments or examinations until they are 18, when they sit for a matriculation examination to enter university. There is also little homework for primary and lower secondary students, and no nationwide standardised testing. 

 

And tuition? That is a concept foreign to most Finnish parents.  Teachers say the equivalent of Singapore's gifted education scheme or Normal or Express streams would be illegal in Finland because its education policy calls for all children to be given the same opportunities.

 

Streaming at 16

 

The only "streaming" allowed occurs at age 16, when students, after being graded by teachers, get to choose whether to take the vocational or academic route. 

 

And yet, the Finns have consistently performed in the top tier since the first Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) survey was conducted in 2000.  This study compares 15-year- olds in different countries in reading, mathematics and science. 

 

So how does Finland do it without the intense pressure and competition that are so much a part of Singapore's system?  Finnish educators list a combination of factors, from the strong reading culture - Finnish people borrow more books from libraries than anyone else in the world - to highly educated and well-trained teachers. 

 

Many also attribute the success of the Finnish education system to the strong foundation in learning laid in pre-school, where the focus is on cultivating intellectual curiosity and a love of learning in the young.

 

The emphasis is on learning through collaboration, not competition."  All children are given equal opportunities. We put equity ahead of producing top students," says Dr Pasi Sahlberg, who wrote the much-talked-about book, Finnish Lessons, which details how the country improved its mediocre academic results and produced top-performing students.

 

Every school is a good school

 

The 53-year-old director-general of CIMO (National Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation) at the Finnish Ministry of Education explains how Finns aim to have good schools for all students, echoing the Singapore Education Ministry's (MOE) recent slogan that "every school is a good school".

 

Dr Sahlberg says Finnish parents really do believe that all Finnish schools are equal. That would explain the puzzled looks given by Finnish parents when The Sunday Times asked how they select a school for their children. The answer: They pick the one closest to home.

 

Dr Sahlberg points out that the Pisa results show that the gap between high and low achievers in Finland is the smallest in the world.The main aim of its policymakers since the 1980s has been to ensure that every child should be given the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background or income.

 

In Finland, education is free from pre-school to university level. Government spending on education makes up 6.8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).All Finnish schools offer free meals, free health care, free psychological counselling and free individualised student guidance.The country's education system did not start out this way.

 

Back in the 1960s, less than 10 per cent of students continued their education until the age of 18. There was nationwide standardised testing for children at age 11. Children who scored in the top 25 per cent went to private schools that charged high fees.

 

But starting in the mid-1970s, education reforms were introduced. Private schools were scrapped and all schools became publicly funded. Pre-school teachers attended a three-year degree course, while those heading to teach in primary and secondary schools studied for five years up to master's level.

 

Teachers are allowed to design their own lessons.

 

Streaming of students to put them on either the vocational or academic tracks was pushed to a later stage, at age 16.Class sizes were kept to an average of 25 students. Teachers were allowed to design their own lessons.

 

Instead of examinations, teachers assessed students using tests they designed themselves. Grades in report cards were based not just on test scores, but also on projects and class participation. 

 

Periodically, the Education Ministry would track a few sample groups of children across a range of schools to make sure the system was working.  There was opposition to the reforms at first, with some groups calling for a return to examinations and streaming. 

 

But the results of the first Pisa studies in 2000 and the second in 2003 changed people's minds. Finnish children were among the top performers in mathematics, science and literacy.  Soon, educators from around the world were flocking to Finland, hoping to learn the secret to its success.

 

"Once, people used to come to Finland to learn about Nokia. Now, they come here to learn about our school system," says Dr Sahlberg, who receives numerous invitations from around the world to give talks and attend education conferences. 

 

Dr Sahlberg, who has been appointed visiting professor by Harvard University, says: "When the first Pisa study came out, most Finns didn't believe it. But we came out tops again in the second survey. The best thing that Pisa did was that it silenced those who wanted to go back to having private schools and national examinations."

 

But he is quick to correct any misconceptions among visiting educators that the system, from pre-school to university, is laid-back. He notes that although examinations and streaming do not exist in the lower levels, students have to sit examinations at age 18.  At 16, more than 90 per cent of students choose to further their education through either "general" or "vocational" upper secondary schools.

 

Consider doing away with PSLE

 

Vocational students usually head to polytechnics or enter the job market. Those in the academic general stream have to sit a national examination to get a place in university.  Universities also set their own entrance tests to select students for specific courses.

 

However, there are those who believe the Finnish system is not suitable for all countries, including Singapore. 

 

While Finland's population is similar in size to Singapore's, it is largely homogeneous, with people speaking the same language, Finnish.  Also, Finland has a generous social welfare system where education and health care are free. But Finnish taxes are among the highest in the world at 44 per cent of GDP, reported Reuters.

 

The income tax rate ranges from 6.5 per cent to 31.75 per cent. On top of that, Finns pay municipal tax ranging from 16.25 per cent to 22 per cent.  Dr Sahlberg says Singapore is admired for the way it teaches mathematics and science, and for its recruitment and training of teachers.

 

But one thing that Singapore should consider doing away with is the Primary School Leaving Examination, he says, echoing the views expressed by Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond in a recent interview with The Sunday Times.  "Singapore is one of the few countries in the world to have a high-stakes examination for 12-year-olds," says Dr Sahlberg. "So I wonder why Singaporeans are arguing over scores or bands.

 

Shouldn't the debate be about whether the exams are appropriate for children at such a young age?" 

 

He is aware of the anxiety felt by Singapore educators over the widening gap in school performance between children from disadvantaged homes and those from privileged backgrounds. 

 

Stressing that many elements of the Finnish school system are interwoven with the country's social welfare policies, he says: "As the OECD (Pisa) report stated, the highest-performing education systems are those that are able to combine quality with equity." 

 

And if there is something that Finland can show others, it is what equity and equal opportunity in education look like. And it is possible to achieve excellence along with equity."

 

 

Source: http://www.edvantage.com.sg/content/learning-finnish-way

Experiment that convinced me online porn is the most pernicious threat facing children today:

By Martin Daubney

 

The moment I knew internet pornography had cast its dark shadow over the lives of millions of ordinary British teenagers will live with me for ever.

 

I was sitting in the smart drama hall of a specialist sports college in the North of England with a fantastic reputation.

Before me were a group of 20 boys and girls, aged 13-14. Largely white, working class children, they were well turned-out, polite, giggly and shy.

 

Martin Daubney, ex-editor of Loaded, with his wife Diana and his son Sonny

As the presenter of a Channel 4 documentary called Porn On The Brain, airing next Monday at 10pm, I'd been invited to sit in on a forward-thinking class led by sex education consultant Jonny Hunt, who is regularly asked into schools to discuss sex and relationships. To establish what these kids knew about sex - including pornography - he had asked the children to write an A-Z list of the sexual terms they knew, no matter how extreme.

Most of these children had just hit puberty and some were clearly still children: wide-eyed, nervous, with high-pitched voices.

 

Some of the girls were beginning their first forays into make-up. Several wore braces on their teeth. Everybody was smartly turned out in school uniform, and the most anti-authority statement in the room was a tie worn deliberately short. A One Direction pencil case lay on a desk. These were clearly good children, from good homes. So far, so very, very ordinary.

 

But when Jonny pinned their lists on the board, it turned out that the children's extensive knowledge of porn terms was not only startling, it superseded that of every adult in the room - including the sex education consultant himself.

Martin was shocked by what the teenagers said

'Nugget, what's that?' asked Jonny.

'A nugget is a girl who has no arms or legs and has sex in a porno movie,' chortled one young, pimply boy, to an outburst of embarrassed laughter from some, and outright revulsion from others.

The adults in attendance were incredulous at the thought that not only did this kind of porn exist, but that a 14-year-old boy may have actually watched it.

But the more mundane answers were just as shocking. For example, the first word every single boy and girl in the group put on their list was 'anal'.

When questioned, they had all - every child in a class of 20 - seen sodomy acted out in porn videos. I was stunned they even knew about it - I certainly hadn't heard of it at that age - let alone had watched it and as a result may even have wanted to try it.

One 15-year-old girl said, 'Boys expect porn sex in real life'. And one boy - to choruses of approval - spoke of his revulsion for pubic hair, which he called a 'gorilla'.

 

When Jonny pointed out that pubic hair was normal in real life, the boys scoffed, but some of the girls were angry that the boys' template of what to expect from real girls had clearly already been set by porn.

 

By the end of the hour-long class - and three others that followed with other children - I was profoundly saddened by what I had witnessed. While teenage boys will always be fascinated by, and curious about, sex, what's now considered 'normal' by under-18s is an entirely distorted view of intercourse and the way relationships should be conducted.

 

It seemed as if the children's entire expectation of sex had been defined by what they see in online porn. The conversation was horrifying enough, yet there was worse to come.

 

In the playground, I interviewed a brave group of seven bright boys and girls aged 14-15 to ascertain in more detail what online porn they had witnessed.

 

'Nugget, what's that?' asked Jonny. 'A nugget is a girl who has no arms or legs and has sex in a porno movie,' chortled one young, pimply boy

 

One boy calmly recalled watching a scene too graphic to describe in a family newspaper, but which had involved an animal.

'You're watching bestiality?' I asked. 'That's illegal. Where are you getting this stuff from?'

 

'Facebook,' the boy said. 'It just pops up whether you want it or not, sometimes via advertisements. You don't have any control over it.'

 

A girl added, 'On Facebook, you just scroll down and it's there. If any of your friends like it, it comes up on your home page.'

 

These kids were balanced, smart and savvy. They were the most academically gifted and sporting in the school. They came from ordinary, hard-working households. This was not 'Broken Britain'.

 

Some were clearly shocked by what they had seen on the internet.

 

'I find it dirty and disturbing,' said one 15-year-old boy. 'I try not to look at it, but people just keep sending it to each other. They email disgusting links to each other's mobile phones to shock.'

One girl put her head in her hands and said, 'It's just gross'. 

It's horrifying enough for parents to know that children can get porn via the internet. But to think they get it from Facebook - the social media currency that has become a universal must-have for teenagers globally - will strike terror into their hearts.

Documentary investigates what effect online porn has on teens

 

I asked the teenagers: 'On a scale of one to ten, how likely would you say it is that boys and girls your age are watching porn online?'
 

The reply was a chorus of tens, nines and one eight.
 

When I asked the children if there were parental controls on the internet at home, they all said no, their parents trusted them. They all admitted their parents had no idea what they were watching, and would be shocked if they did know.
 

What I saw at the school was awful, but sadly not unusual.
 

The findings were backed up in a survey of 80 boys and girls aged 12-16, commissioned for the TV show.

It proves the vast majority of UK teens have seen sexual imagery online, or pornographic films.

According to the survey, the boys appear largely happy about watching porn - and were twice as likely as girls to do so - but the girls are significantly more confused, angry and frightened by online sexual imagery. The more they see, the stronger they feel.

But what impact is this steady diet of online depravity having on the attitudes of boys and girls towards real life relationships, and on their self-esteem?

Could it even have a wider impact on their lives, blighting their ability to function in the world, get good qualifications and jobs?

What I discovered left me truly shocked and saddened.

He wanted to know how to protect his son

You might be surprised. After all, from 2003-2010 I edited lad's magazine Loaded.

 

With its frequent nudity and lewd photo spreads, I'd long been accused of being a soft pornographer, and after leaving Loaded I agonised that my magazine may have switched a generation onto more explicit online porn.

 

In the documentary I set out on a journey to answer the question: is porn harmless, or is it damaging lives?

 

My interest was deeply personal, too, as my own beautiful little boy, Sonny, is now four. Even though he has only just started primary school, the Children's Commissioner estimates boys as young as ten are now being exposed to online porn.

I wanted to know what I could do to protect my own son from a seemingly inevitable exposure to hardcore material in just a few years' time.

 

I used to be sceptical that porn was as damaging a force as the headlines and David Cameron - who recently said it was 'corroding childhood' - suggest. In the past I'd even defended pornography in university debates, on TV and on radio. I claimed it was our freedom of choice to watch it and said it could actually help add to adult relationships.

 

But what I saw during the making of the film changed my opinion of pornography forever.

 

The true stories of boys I met whose lives had been totally taken over by porn not only moved me to tears but also made me incredibly angry that this is happening to our children.

 

And the looks of revulsion on those poor girl's faces in the playground enraged me.

I feel as if an entire generation's sexuality has been hijacked by grotesque online porn.

 

To find out what porn is doing to young men, and the girls they have relationships with, we spoke to them via online forums and discovered that there were many young lives seriously blighted by an excessive, unhealthy relationship with pornography that can begin when they are as young as 12.

 

We learned that some had lost their jobs, others had broken relationships, failed exams, or got into serious debt through using porn.

 

'When you interview young women about their experiences of sex, you see an increased level of violence: rough, violent sex. That is directly because of porn, as young boys are getting their sexual cues from men in porn who are acting as if they're sexual psychopaths'

 

 

Take the 19-year-old man I got to know. He was handsome, articulate and in full-time employment as an apprentice electrician. But his life was dominated by his porn habit.

 

'Every bit of spare time I have is spent watching porn,' he says. 'It is extreme. I can't hold down a relationship for longer than three weeks. I want porn sex with real girls, but sex with them just isn't as good as the porn.'

Having established, like the recent Children's Commissioner report, that 'basically, porn is everywhere', we set out to discover what all this porn was doing to their brains.

Was it having any effect at all? Could it be addictive?

We found Dr Valerie Voon, a neuroscientist at Cambridge University and a global authority on addiction.

Then, in the first study of its kind, we recruited 19 heavy porn users who felt their habit was out of control and had Dr Voon examine their brain activity as they watched, among other things, hardcore porn.

She showed them a variety of images, both stills and videos.

These ranged from images known to excite all men, such as bundles of £50 notes and extreme sports in action, to mundane landscapes and wallpapers - all inter-spliced with hardcore porn videos, plus pictures of both clothed and naked women.

The ways in which their brains responded to this diverse imagery were compared with the responses of a group of healthy volunteers.

 

She was interested in a particular brain region called the ventral striatum - the 'reward centre' - where our sense of pleasure is produced. This is one of the areas where an addict will show a heightened response to visual representations of their addiction - whether it's a syringe or a bottle of vodka.

 

'Letting our children consume it freely via the internet is like leaving heroin lying around the house'

What we discovered was a revelation. When shown porn, the reward centre of normal volunteers barely reacted, but that of the compulsive porn users lit up like a Christmas tree.

The compulsive porn users' brains showed clear parallels with those with substance addictions.
Everybody on the project was astounded, even Dr Voon, who admitted she had been 'sceptical and ambivalent' about the study at the outset.

 

If porn does have the insidious power to be addictive, then letting our children consume it freely via the internet is like leaving heroin lying around the house, or handing out vodka at the school gates.

And this toxic effect is filtering down directly into young girls' lives.

 

The most shocking testament came from Professor Gail Dines. Regarded as the world's leading anti-pornography campaigner, she has interviewed thousands of men and women about sex and pornography.

 

'When you interview young women about their experiences of sex, you see an increased level of violence: rough, violent sex,' she says.

'That is directly because of porn, as young boys are getting their sexual cues from men in porn who are acting as if they're sexual psychopaths.

'Pornography is sexually traumatising an entire generation of boys.'

 

By talking with sexual addiction experts such as Professor John E Grant of the University of Chicago, Dr Paula Hall, the UK's top sex addiction therapist, and Professor Matt Field from the University of Liverpool, we learned that the teenage brain is especially vulnerable to addiction.

 

The brain's reward centre is fully developed by the time we're teenagers, but the part of the brain that regulates our urges - the pre-frontal cortex - isn't fully developed until our mid-20s. The brains of teenagers are not wired to say 'stop', they are wired to want more. The implications of this study are profoundly troubling.

 

So who is going to take on the responsibility for protecting our children until they are old enough to do it for themselves?

 

Can we rely on schools? It strikes me that the current sex education system in the UK - where schools are obliged only to teach the basics of reproduction and the perils of sex, which they can opt out of anyway - is hopelessly outdated.

 

In the internet age, our children are turning to online porn for an alternative sex education - the worst place they can go.

 

The Mail claimed a victory in July when David Cameron announced that by the end of 2014 all 19 million UK homes currently connected to the internet will be contacted by service providers and told they must say whether family friendly filters that block all porn sites should be switched on or off.

 

But our TV show proved that determined children will always find a way around online blocks.

 

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with us, the parents. The age of innocence is over.

Like many parents, I fear that my boy's childhood could be taken away by pornography. So we have to fight back.

 

We need to get tech-savvy, and as toe-curling as it seems, we are the first generation that will have to talk to our children about porn.

 

We have to tell our kids that pornographic sex is fake and real sex is about love, not lust.

 

By talking to them, they stand a chance. If we stick our head in the sand, we are fooling only ourselves.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2432591/Experiment-convinced-online-porn-pernicious-threat-facing-children-today-By-ex-lads-mag-editor-MARTIN-DAUBNEY.html#ixzz2gKomKWLt
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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2432591/Experiment-convinced-online-porn-pernicious-threat-facing-children-today-By-ex-lads-mag-editor-MARTIN-DAUBNEY.html

O Level: Do you agree or disgree? (Simplified version)

PepsiCo is a company well positioned for the global market. Do you agree or disagree?

Adding information/Stating a paragraph topic

In addition/Furthermore/Moreover/Secondly, PepsiCo tailors its marketing strategy to make its products more appealing to consumers the world over.

Sharing an example

For example/For instance, PepsiCo alters its traditional blue colour scheme to red in China to take advantage of the positive local sentiments associated with the colour.

Take PepsiCo’s branding in China as an example. Culturally, the Chinese prefer red and thus the traditional PepsiCo image is altered to suit local tastes.

As PepsiCo’s altering of its colours from blue to red in China shows, it is a company that is willing to cater to the markets of its consumers.

PepsiCo is a company that has been willing to alter its image for large international markets, such as China.

PepsiCo is a company that has been willing to alter its image for international markets, namely major emerging countries like China and India. (“Namely” refers to the most major example, so in this case sharing only one country could be slightly awkward.)

PepsiCo’s marketing strategy in China exemplifies this precisely. In China, PepsiCo has altered its branding from blue to red to take advantage of the positive sentiments associated with the colour among locals.

PepsiCo’s marketing strategy in China plays a good example here.

PepsiCo’s marketing strategy in China is an obvious example.

This can be seen in PepsiCo’s decision to change its branding from blue to red in China to take advantage of local colour preferences, for example/for instance.

Showing effect/Drawing conclusions

As a result of these marketing efforts, PepsiCo has become one of the most popular soft drink brand names in the world’s second largest economy.

Because of these marketing efforts, …

Owing to these marketing efforts, …

Due to such aggressive marketing strategies, …

Such aggressive marketing strategies, as a result, have allowed PepsiCo to become one of the most popular soft drink brand names in the world’s second largest economy.

As PepsiCo is among the top soft drink brand names in the world’s second largest economy, the effectiveness of its marketing strategy can be seen.

…is clear.

…is obvious.

…is apparent.

Therefore, it can be concluded that PepsiCo is a company clearly capable of positioning itself for growing global markets.

This discussion clearly shows why PepsiCo is a company capable of positioning itself for growing global markets.

Thus, it can be seen that PepsiCo is a company capable of positioning itself for growing global markets.

It can thus be concluded that PepsiCo is a company capable of positioning itself for growing global markets.

Thus, the link between PepsiCo and global market positioning can be seen.

PepsiCo, as a result, can be concluded as a company with strong positioning for the global market.

PepsiCo’s ability to position itself for growth in China establishes with clarity that it is a company with effective strategy for global markets.

Contrasting

Many companies stick to traditional logos and slogans when entering new markets like China. However, PepsiCo has been versatile in that it has radically altered its historically blue can to better suit Chinese buyers.

Despite the fact that many companies are sticking to traditional logos and slogans when entering new markets like China, PepsiCo has decided to be versatile and has radically altered its historically blue can to better suit Chinese buyers.

In spite of the fact that…

While it is true that many companies have stuck to traditional logos and slogans when entering new markets like China, PepsiCo made the decision to be versatile and radically altered its historically blue can to better suit Chinese buyers.

In many circles, companies have decided to stick to their tried and true advertising methods when entering new markets like China. PepsiCo, however, bucked this in China when they radically altered their traditionally blue can to better suit Chinese buyers.

Many companies have decided to stick to their tried and true advertising methods when entering new markets like China. Nevertheless, PepsiCo has decided to be versatile and radically altered its historically blue can to better suit Chinese buyers.

In contrast, …

Here is the above vocab summarized in a table:






Source: http://ieltsnetwork.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=76

Debate on Genetically Modified Organisms between a 14 year old and an arrogant interviewer

An excellent video clip on how to engage in a debate.  The same skills apply in an argumentative essay.  Do read the comments too.


http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/5_ways_a_14yearold_crushed_an_arrogant_interviewer_15006.aspx

O Level: Advertisements are harmful. Do you agree?

Advertising is an extremely lucrative business that is worth billions of dollars across the world. Advertisements are everywhere in all forms of media, such as on the Internet, in paper print and on the television and radio. In fact, the amount of advertising has exploded over the past two decades where studies have shown that on average, consumers are exposed to a staggering 3000 advertisements a day. Online advertising alone is believed to be worth $24 billions. So what is wrong with advertisements? Why are they harmful? Whilst most agree that advertisements help business to sell their products and inform consumers about new products, many believe that advertisements have negative influences on people. In this essay, I shall explore how advertisements create harmful effects in people's health, finances and self-image.
 

Firstly, the profiteering nature of advertisements causes health to deteriorate. The fast-food advertisements that abound everywhere are good examples to illustrate the point.  Everyday, in Singapore, consumers are invaded by many MacDonald advertisements. Such advertisements tempt us to feast on more junk food. It is a well-known fact that fast food is detrimental to health because of its high fat content and the lack of proper nutrition. Still, people flood to the MacDonald restaurants whenever there is an ad that introduces some attractive $2 value discounts or a new burger flavour. This contributes to the increase in the obesity index. Hence, with such fast-food advertisements, people's health would definitely continue to spiral downward.

Secondly, advertisements hurt people's pockets considerably. Advertisements have the ability to transform every want into a need. Many consumers love to buy products of limited editions. It is not uncommon to hear people say, “I really need to get the new limited Louis Vuitton handbag.” Even children want the latest Lego Ninjago figurines. It was reported that in December 2009. the credit card debt hit an estimated $3.4 billion which was the highest in that month for the past 20 years. As a result, many enter into an exorbitantly-high bloodsucking credit card debts. As interest rates of credit cards can go up to 24% per annum, they become trapped in a cycle of overspending and under repaying. As a result, the debts balloon to gargantuan amounts. Sadly, many, even teens, end up becoming bankrupt.

Thirdly, advertisements cause many to have a poor self-image of themselves. They set the standard of the ideal image. Due to the advertisements, the common aspiration of women now is to have a slim and shapely figure, to be young and beautiful as well as to have a great fashion sense. Not only is this idealized image not attainable for most, it also results in poor self-image. Women resort to plastic surgeries, botox, slimming pills and what-nots to stay attractive. For example, glossy photographs of super-thin models in magazines subtly persuade women to go for liposuctions, slimming pills or even starve to be stick-thin but not many can attain the body of Kate Moss. This gives rise to the increase in anorexia in young girls. Such successful marketing strategies have given rise to a need to embody such beauty and yet, the irony of not being able to attain it at all. Consumers suffer low self-esteem as a result.

In conclusion, people consume unnecessary products due to these advertisements and the irony of it is that they become less healthy, poorer and less happy about themselves. Without a doubt, the negative influences of advertisements abound. Perhaps, consumers should learn how to be more discerning and not be seduced into the addiction of buying more and more. Instead of slogging hard to buy what we do not need, we should think twice and learn contentment and choose not be trapped by these evil claws of advertisement anymore.

Sec: Teenage Dating

Underage Dating: The Elephant in the Social Conservative Living-Room

 

Bryana Johnson

        

I have a bone to pick with young, socially conservative Americans, and I know it’s something that will get under your skin. Just sit tight, though, and hear me out, because the elephant in our tidy little room is starting to tear things up. It’s time we acknowledge his existence, and maybe even call in some animal movers to take him back to the zoo.

 

I currently live in a small community in the Bible-belt of the country and I have been given some opportunities to mentor young people from my area through different venues. I can count on one hand the kids I know from the local high school whose parents have never been divorced.  I’ve witnessed reactions of genuine surprise and envy from students who hear that my parents are still together. In any given conversation with groups of youth, I can expect to hear continual references to step-parents, step-siblings, and half-siblings. Divorce is a way of life down here – albeit one that has taken its toll in the lives of the young people that will make up the next generation.

 

However, while I could certainly write extensively on my experience with the negative effects of divorce on children and on society at large, I actually want to address something else entirely.  I have concerns about the number one way that our culture chooses to perpetuate the cancer of broken marriages and failed relationships– underage dating.

 

 

You can follow them on Facebook – the failed attempts at love, I mean. Somebody is always changing their status from “in a relationship” to “single.” Unfortunately, a huge number of these disappointed lovers are too young to be legally married. I wonder sometimes if I am the only one who winces to hear a thirteen-year old speak with cavalier abandon of his or her “ex?”  Since when is it considered healthy and acceptable for underage people to be in “relationships?” Just what do parents and educators expect to be the result of the romantic conquests of these middle-school children and young high school students? The results I’ve witnessed personally are beyond disturbing; they are downright sinister, and have caused me to question whether or not those who claim to champion marital fidelity and family values are paying any attention at all to the standards we are passing to our children.

 

The trouble with underage dating is that it presents an entirely faulty view of what interaction with the opposite gender should be about. Rather than placing emphasis on building one strong relationship with one person at a stage of life when a marital commitment is feasible, dating encourages young people to pour their energies into consistently seducing other young people at a time when neither of them are capable of making any long-term commitments. Their “relationships” are destined to fail from the get-go because they are founded on unhealthy perceptions of love and not backed by any real necessity to stick it out.

 

The beauty of marriage, as it was intended to be, is that it teaches two people of opposite genders to learn to work through incompatibilities and give of themselves. In the same way, the great ugliness of dating as it is practiced by our culture and portrayed by our media, is that it teaches two people of opposite genders to be selfish by giving them an easy “out” when things don’t go according to their initial feelings. I believe it is fair to say that this form of dating is a training manual for divorce, because it encourages young people to grow accustomed to giving their hearts away and then taking them back.

 

Sadly, parents who should know better continue to display shocking naïveté regarding the absurd practices of driving their twelve year olds out on a “date,” or purchasing provocative clothing for their sixteen-year-olds, or sympathizing with their broken-hearted fourteen-year-olds by assuring them that they’ll “find someone better.” “They’re just having fun,” they’ll tell us, rolling their eyes at what they consider to be our tightly wound principles. I work a volunteer shift at Crisis Pregnancy Clinic where I witness every week the ruined lives and broken dreams that “fun” has left with our youth.

 

Another defence offered for the ridiculous habit of underage dating is that the kids are “just learning how to relate to the opposite sex.” It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to figure out that what they’re really learning is how to recover quickly from a break-up and set their sights on another gorgeous and equally hormonal person. The culture of dating is a culture of hunger and unsatisfied eyes that are always looking around for affirmation via someone or something else.

 

But perhaps the most ludicrous and most wilfully naïve assertion is that “relationships” between young teens are “not really about sex.” Just what do we think such relationships are about between people too young to be interested in any of the other things (family, stability, home-making, etc. ) that come out of  a romantic involvement with the opposite gender? Contrary to such half-baked assurances, it is all about sex for these young people. Whenever they forget that, the pop-culture is quick to remind them of it. In the media, girls are unfailingly presented as having value to boys only in proportion to their physique and their manner of flaunting it. Boys are presented as bestial and incapable of responsibility. Overwhelming, this is the primary message being offered to our kids by the movies, magazines, music artists, and commercials directed at their age group. It is inexcusably irrational for us to suppose that their relationships with one another are untainted by the stereotypes that surround them.

 

If the situation is so straightforward, why is there not a greater resistance to this cultural trend that trivializes relationships and produces jaded and cynical people who have already been through the warm fuzzies of love and are ready to settle for mere physical gratification by the age of eighteen? Could it be that big-money industries like Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana, who thrive off of exploiting our hormonally charged youth, are partially responsible for throwing the wool over the eyes of so many well-meaning parents? Are sex-education advocates like Planned Parenthood, who profit from purchases of birth control and abortions, throwing money at the movement to desensitize parents to the perils of underage “relationships?” Are we really being duped into sacrificing our kids for the buck?

 

While social conservatives may proclaim the virtues of pre-marital abstinence and fidelity, their actions don’t line up with their words. They behave as though they expect our young people to embrace or at least abide by the values we preach to them, all the while continuing to direct them in lifestyle choices that foster the opposite principles and attitudes. And we wonder why 95% of Americans admitted to having premarital sex in 2006? Or why it was estimated in 2008 that 40% of all US marriages ended in divorce? Or why 4 in 10 children are born to unwed mothers today? My friends, it’s time for us to wake up and make the connections between the dating scene and the deterioration of the stable American family.

 

Source: http://thecollegeconservative.com/2012/03/15/underage-dating-the-elephant-in-the-social-conservative-living-room/