Iraq war...
There is nothing more shocking then US declaring war on Iraq. Within weeks, the country of Iraq fell to the US. For some, it may be a gratifying moment for some as the “perceived” dictator had been toppled, however there are troubles to come.
When George W. Bush called for the military intervention of Iraq, they proclaimed that Iraq was fielding weapons of mass destruction. A UN weapons inspection team was sent in to check for the validities of the claims. When they found none, US again declared that they failed because Saddem was hindering their mission. When the search turned up nothing. He proclaimed that Saddem has a connection with the Al-Qaeda, to plot terrorist attacks on American soil. There are many accusations that Bush wanted to get his hands on the rich oil deposits in Iraq. It was alleged that Bush has stocks in the oil industry and he wants to reap profits from it. It was said that the shares rose by 50% even before the war, I believe it’s because that the market was guaranteed a larger supply of oil.
I am firmly against the invasion of Iraq,. In the first gulf war, Iraq was defeated and its economy nearly collapsed. When US invaded Iraq again, they were still in a state of demilitarising their nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and the economy is still struggling to revive itself. I do not believe that it is fair for the Iraqis that they are invaded by the same country within two decades and shattering whatever infrastructure they had managed to rebuild over the years. Although it is widely known around the globe that Saddem is a dictator, he had indeed done some good for the country.
For Iraq, I personally do not believe that getting rid of Saddem is the end of the problem. US, in its act of getting rid of Saddem, have created a much bigger problem that would not be easy to soft. Without Saddem to keep the conflicts between the tribes in check, the once restrained minority tribes are starting the climb to power. Suicide bombings, assassinations and kidnappings are not unheard of. Innocent civilians being killed are often ignored in the fight for power between the tribes. A survey conducted by human rights groups in Iraq concluded that the Iraqis felt that their life had generally deteriorated after the invasion and majority of them felt that life was better before the invasion thought some felt that it was better without Saddem.
The world will be a better place without conflicts...
Labels: by richen
|4:28 AM|
Iraq war
Iraq war. Was the war a justified one? Did the war have to happen? I guess that these are the questions that people would think of.Iraq war, initiated by US President George W. Bush happened in March 20,2003. The Iraq was also known as Second Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom(U.S.) , Operation TELIC (UK), or the occupation of Iraq.
The war started as US president George W. Bush claimed that iraq was developing weapons of mass destuction which violated their agreements in 1991. This claim was thus concluded to be false only after the war had happened. Due to this false claim by President George W. Bush, unrest have been caused in the country, thousands of innocent lives. Was this mistake unintentional or did President George W. Bush have other motives? Is there other methods to solve this problem besides engaging in a war?
Personally, i think that it may be a mistake. However, the president is bound to have other motives and reasons besides the violation of the agreement. And the failure to be honest, might have led to many people disliking him. Disliking him for the mistake, disliking him for causing many innocent lives. Of course, one of the reasons which i think he initiated the war was so as to have an excuse to eliminate the threat of terrorism mainly due to the group,al-Qaeda . Thus, i feel that more through investigations should have been carried out before the president decided to initiate the war.
Violence is never the best way to solve problems
Yi Cong
Labels: YC's
|9:00 PM|
It is now the 6th year of the iraq war. During this period of time, many American soldiers and members of the Iraq security forces have died. According icasualties.org, 4000 american soldiers and 8000 members of the Iraq security forces have died in Iraq so far.
After 5 yrs of war, we need to ask ourselves whether it was worth fighting this war. I personally think that the war was necessary. Without the Iraq war, extremists groups will not be free to do what they want. There will be more cases of suicide bombing and other terroist attacks around the world. The number of people killed in terroist attacks is likely to be more than the 4000 soldiers who died in Iraq war. However, UN weapons inspection team sent in to check for the validities of the claims found no WOMD. america then claimed that they failed because Saddem was hindering their mission. Furthermore, american soldiers made the mistake of killing the innocent people. Although the initial aim was to "liberate" Iraq, it would seem to the Iraqis that america is invading their country. Therefore, they would want the american soldiers to leave.
This iraq war also seems to surface a problem. America went on to fight a war against iraq even though there was no WOMD in iraq. It seems that america has very great influence for the UN. So, should countries seeking diplomatic ties approach US or UN? That's definitely a question to ponder.
George Bush mentioned that the American soldiers would triumph in the end. It is clear that the reason why american soldiers won't retreat is because of their pride. Going back to america will mean admitting defeat to the extremist groups. Hence it would seem that the soldiers will not retreat in the near future. Let's hope that the president in the future, though a little too far-fetched, will address the problem and allow peace in iraq.
-Zijun
|7:45 AM|
Iraq war
There had been many views about the Iraq war that started 5 years ago.
Was what U.S President George Bush stated true? That Iraq possesed weapons of mass destruction, violating the 1991 agreement, and the U.S wants to disarm Iraq? Or that it was a war on terrorism, claiming that Saddam Hussein had ties with the terror group Al-Qaeda?
Its seems that there had been sources that proved many contradictions in the reasons of President George Bush's for the invasion of Iraq. One of the claims was that weapons inspectors found no evidence on weapons of destructions. This ,I think, would mean that if the claims are true, then President Bush have other reasons for invading Iraq.
So, assuming that the claims are true, one of the reasons that the U.S wants to invade Iraq is highlighted in the cartoon illustrated above. As known, Iraq has the second largest supply of oil in the world. Could he be using disarming WMD(weapons of mass destruction) as an excuse to control the oil reserves for his own personal gain? There are claims that he had personal investments in the oil industries, and oil company profits have already increased by fifty percent even before the war started. No one would know what is really happening.
Nevertheless, I still think that the whole war was pointless. The threat of the terrorism have not been eliminated until now, which is one of the reasons for invading Iraq, and it seems the claim that Iraq possesses WMD and actively developing it have been proven false. I think that U.S President George Bush should have found an alternative diplomatic solution to the problems rather than to go to war, resulting in many casualties due to a war that has been started by what seems like a false claim. Diplomatic solutions would have been better choices also as it would not destroy the diplomatic ties of the two countries and possibly can still maintain it. The claims about the WMDs should have been checked more thoroughly before even jumping straight to war. This would have saved many innocent lives lost in the war, especially those of the children.
By: Ye Qijun
|12:04 AM|
Last Wednesday marks the 5th anniversary of Iraq war, the war US President Bush called a noble, just and necessary battle. 5 years ago this battle was supported by many, with the likes of Tony Blair and Hillary Clinton, but now many condemned President Bush for his decision on going to war with Iraq. Why is this so?I have to say it was because of the 900 plus false statements President Bush and his administration made as part of the propaganda before the war. President Bush claimed Iraq possess weapons of mass destruction and had link with Al-Qaeda but was later found out he was lying. It was all these false statements that made Americans had the wrong perception that Iraq was a country to be fear of and war is necessary to protect themselves.
Was President Bush abusing his freedom of speech? It was his and his administration’s freedom of speech that had caused 5 years of unrest in Iraq, killing innocent locals and American soldiers. Was that the correct way of exercising freedom of speech? From the Iraq war, we can see that President Bush definitely cannot deem himself as an ambassador of freedom of speech. He either practices it wrongly or did not practice it. He also controlled the media on reports of the Iraq war; reports were always about how the Americans are victorious in Iraq and never about American soldiers’ bodies being sent back to US.
Freedom of speech is present but is it practice in the world? This is a question one must answer on his/her own based on their judgments. For me it is largely not practice as media nowadays are restricted by government on what they can showcase to the public.
To conclude, I will like to give a piece of advice those who want to practice freedom of speech; get your facts right before you cause another “Iraq war”. And I salute Tommy Ray Franks and his brave soldiers, who are always committed in serving their nation, fighting the war even though they know the war was a mistake.
Quek Sheng Quan
|6:05 AM|
Is winning important in sports?
Is winning important in sports? Winning will bring fame and fortune to sportsmen and bring their career to a whole new level and that is what most sportsman aim to be. Is through winning that sportsman gain their motivation to carry on playing as they have the burning passion to win more games and tittles. Furthermore winning is the ultimate aim of sportsmen’s trainings.
However no one is perfect, no one can win every game. No matter how good they are, there are times when sportsmen are off form, have health and injury problems or have their own problems off the sport’s ground which will affect their game. For example, world’s no. 1 tennis player, Roger Federer, lost to world’s no. 11, Andy Murray, in the ATP Dubai Tennis Championship. It was later found out that he had mononucleosis, which explains his poor form.
Winning is important but is not everything in sports; we do not see sportsmen giving up on their career after losing one game. That’s another part of sports, being resilience. Improving one self is also a vital part in sports, there is no one who can say that they have reached their peak and cannot improve anymore. Is through losing that sportsmen know their weakness, this way they can improve on their weakness and go on to win more games.
Is the journey to winning that is enriching; sportsmen may encounter failure along the way but that makes winning meaningful. Winning every game will make sportsmen feel that they are just winning another game; it becomes a norm to them, winning then is not as glorious as to those who experience failure before winning.
Therefore winning is important in sports, so is losing and values, such as resilience and teamwork, which are being taught through sports.
Sheng Quan
|8:35 PM|
Is Winning Important in Sports??
Is winning important in sports? Of course, winning should be the ultimate goal of a sportsman. However, must a sportsman win a competition by hook or by crook? Thus, winning shall not be the most important in sports. So what is the more important that winning in sports?
There is no doubt that winning is important in sports. The will to win let athletes strive to improve. Winning also brings fame and glory to an athlete. Athletes thus train hard and fame and glory comes as a reward for their hard work.
However, to some sportsmen winning is the only thing that is important to them. Some even result to using underhand methods so as to win. However, there is more to sports than purely winning. It is the process to winning which is more important. When a sportsman train for a competition, or even when one plays on a recreational basis. One is able to develop certain personal qualities, able to train their mind and able to train themselves physically. It is these qualities that a sportsman gain that is important. Discipline is one of them; good athletes are athletes with self-discipline. Athletes are thus able to train on their own accord although they need supporters to drive them further. Perseverance also comes into place when individuals learn to pick themselves up when they lose or even to endure the hardships during trainings. Individuals also learn to portray their own image as a sportsman.
These qualities not only apply to athletes but even to people who participate in sports on a recreational basis. They learn to display good sportsmanship and play fairly.
Sports also bring about teamwork and bonding in a team. A team of people is a group of people who is able to work together. A team is thus able to excel if they have the same goal and is able to communicate with each other and work together. Thus, sports can help people to learn to communicate, and at times create strong friendships between team mates.
Thus, winning is no doubt important in sports. However, there are more to sports than just winning. And it is the process the one goes through, the people that one meet and qualities that one gain when one participates in sports.
There is no doubt that winning is important in sports. The will to win let athletes strive to improve. Winning also brings fame and glory to an athlete. Athletes thus train hard and fame and glory comes as a reward for their hard work.
However, to some sportsmen winning is the only thing that is important to them. Some even result to using underhand methods so as to win. However, there is more to sports than purely winning. It is the process to winning which is more important. When a sportsman train for a competition, or even when one plays on a recreational basis. One is able to develop certain personal qualities, able to train their mind and able to train themselves physically. It is these qualities that a sportsman gain that is important. Discipline is one of them; good athletes are athletes with self-discipline. Athletes are thus able to train on their own accord although they need supporters to drive them further. Perseverance also comes into place when individuals learn to pick themselves up when they lose or even to endure the hardships during trainings. Individuals also learn to portray their own image as a sportsman.
These qualities not only apply to athletes but even to people who participate in sports on a recreational basis. They learn to display good sportsmanship and play fairly.
Sports also bring about teamwork and bonding in a team. A team of people is a group of people who is able to work together. A team is thus able to excel if they have the same goal and is able to communicate with each other and work together. Thus, sports can help people to learn to communicate, and at times create strong friendships between team mates.
Thus, winning is no doubt important in sports. However, there are more to sports than just winning. And it is the process the one goes through, the people that one meet and qualities that one gain when one participates in sports.
-Yi Cong
Labels: YC's
|9:17 AM|
Is winning important in sports?
It is without doubt that winning is very important in sports, be it for the athletes taking part or for the country or club they represent. The glory and honour of winning the games is testament to the hard work they had put in, which is usually followed by wealth and other prestiges. Athletes usually train for a long time just to participate in a few competitions in a year. In the National Football League(NFL), 32 teams compete in single elimination rounds. Ultimately, only one team remains and that is the champion. Every year that can only be one winner, and thirty-one losers.
Winning is important as it spurs on the athletes to perform the best they can. If they do not have to win, the athletes will not have any motivation to improve and defeat the other athletes. If athletes do not improve themselves, people will lose their interest in sports and the sports will become a stagnant sector of the lives of the athletes. Young athletes participate in sporting events to gain experience. For the Youth Olympic Game(YOG), countries will be sending their inexperienced young athletes onto the world stage, to compete, and gain new skills and experiences. Such that they can perform better and honour their country. Young athletes will also get a taste on how their older counterparts feel when they are representing their countries.
Sometimes when the athletes are used to winning, they turn to other ways to allow themselves to continue winning. Some of the athletes start taking performance enhancing drugs to boost their performance. The psychological damage from drug and hormonal changes can literally kill a man. Top US athlete Marion Jones has been discovered of taking drugs, all of her medals had been confiscated and her world records erased. This is a case of athletes who are unwilling to fail and will go to extreme lengths to ensure that they can continue winning.
However, this does not generalise all the athletes. It is actually only a small handful of the athletes who take drugs in order to win. Most of the athletes actually only rely on their own strengths. In international sporting events, athletes are tested for any sign of using drugs, most athletes pass the test. In sports, displaying sportsmanship is more important than winning. There have been various accounts of athletes displaying sportsmanship, but they did not necessary won the event. In 1936 Munich games, German athlete Luz Long won the silver in the long jump category. The champion, Jesse Owens did not clear his first two jumps, Luz taught him how to clear the jump. Jesse Owens went on to finish as the champion, while Luz Long only came in second.
In the Olympic games, taking part in it is the highest calling for any athlete in representing their country. There is no greater honour in it. Even if they did not manage to win anything, they are still proud as they have proven themselves.
When they take part in the events, they display the qualities of an athlete. Fairness in competitions is also very important. Athletes come together to compete on a level basis to determine on the strongest among them, it will be unfair for someone to cheat and ruin the hard work of other athletes who have trained hard and did not get the reward they righteously deserve. To compete fairly in sports is usually known as sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is the
• Full commitment to participation (e.g., showing up, working hard during all practices and games, acknowledging one’s mistakes and trying to improve)
• Respect and concern for rules and officials
• Respect and concern for social conventions (e.g., shaking hands, recognizing the good performance of an opponent)
• Respect and concern for the opponent (e.g., lending one’s equipment to the opponent, agreeing to play even if the opponent is late, not taking advantage of injured opponents)
• Avoiding poor attitudes toward participation (e.g., not adopting a win-at-all-costs approach, not showing temper after a mistake, and not competing solely for individual prizes)
Excerpt from wikipedia (sportsmanship)
Thus, in conclusion, it is decided that winning is NOT everything in sports, even though it is very important in sports, as if you do not want to win, what is the point of taking part in the competition in the first place.
BY: richen
Labels: gp hmk.....
|11:21 PM|
Gp hw....
Ans: It is no doubt that winning is important in sports. In sports, players and teams compete against each other so that they know who the best amongst them is. Although there are still other reasons why players and teams compete with each other, such as to learn from others, the main reason is to prove to others that they're good.
The desire to win is important because it spurs people to continuously improve themselves so as to outdo others. If winning was not important, many people will be glad to stay status quo because they see no point in improving themselves and beating others. As a result, the sports sector will become very stagnant. This will be very detrimental to the sports sector.
However, teams and players should not be focused so much on winning alone. Other than winning, there’re still other factors important in sports. For example, going into competitions is mainly for youth players to gain experience rather than to beat others, like sending youth football players to play in the Carling Cup and FA cup. Fairness in games is also very important. Fairness must be maintained so that players do not doubt the results of the games. Unfair games will make youth players lose faith in sports and deter other potential players from entering the sports sector.
Sportsmanship is also important in sports. Without sportsmanship, others will not respect the team or player. Sportsmanship shows the maturity of players and earns respect of others. Players should not resort to unorthodox means just to win as the win will be meaningless.
Above all, players should learn to enjoy themselves while playing games. If players do not like the sports they’re playing, they should not continue pursuing as they will grow to dislike it. It will be very painful for them to continue on.
In summary, though winning is important, it is definitely not what sports is revolving around. There are still many other equally important factors like fairness and sportsmanship. Hence, players must learn to enjoy themselves and learn along the way.
-Done by Chan Zi Jun
(Source: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7620)
|9:23 PM|
Is winning important in sports
I feel that winning is not important in sports, even though the point of certain sports, such as football, is to win. But it is more important to show sportsmanship, enjoy the sport in which we participate and practice safety precautions during a sport.
Now, most athletes aim for major sporting events, such as the Beijing Olympics 2008 coming up soon this year, they give in a lot of effort to try a shot in the event, and ultimately to win. But if no sportsmanship is shown, the whole event would turn out very ugly, with many disputes among the athletes and possibly disagreements when judges announces their results. What is supposed to be a highly anticipated event will become disappointing without sportsmanship. Even in sporting games played by the rest of us, we should show sportsmanship so competitors would show friendly rivalry towards each other rather than turning it into something like a battlefield.
I also think that during a game, it is important to have fun in the sport we particpate. Its hard to even think that someone that do not enjoy a certain sport can still join a game of the same sport. People also join sports because they enjoy it or eventually like it after participating in it over a period of time, and sometimes move on to pursue a more professional career in it, becoming an athlete.
Of course, above all, we must consider safety first when participating in any sport. Safety must be considered in any sports to prevent any injuries or mishaps to occur, which is very undesirable in any game in which we are suppose to enjoy.
By--Ye Qijun
|8:34 PM|
testing... this is the first post xD
|5:36 AM|