October 2018

An Ode to Children's Day

An Ode to Children’s Day

An acquaintance recently related a story from her days as a kindergarten teacher. Once, in haste, she started throwing workbooks to her pupils at the back of the classroom. To expedite the process, she asked a boy to help her distribute. To her horror, he started throwing workbooks as well. “That was when I realise

Catalonia: More Than Barcelona

You may know Barcelona for its famous football club and Camp Nou stadium, but have you visited Catalonia where it’s situated? With its own language and flag, Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with 300 days of annual Mediterranean sunshine, 65 Michelin Stars, and at least nine UNESCO world heritage treasures. Occupying just 6.3%

Six Things You Can Do To Get Boys Reading More

The OECD consistently finds girls perform significantly better than boys in reading. This gap can also be observed across the Australian NAPLAN reading data. Research suggests reading more can improve literacy outcomes across a range of indicators. But girls typically read more frequently than boys, and have a more positive attitude toward reading. Parents read more with their daughters. This sends a strong

Qatari Treasures

From an authentic Arabian market to an inland sea in a desert, Qatar is replete with cultural and UNESCO gems for tourists to enjoy By Claire Ong –  Just a 7.5-hour flight from Singapore is Doha, Qatar’s capital, host to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and a thrilling blend of old and new. It is

Indian Buddhist Monks Who Travelled to China Before the Tang Dynasty

Thanks to the famous novel ‘Journey to the West’ (西游记), the names of Tang Seng (唐僧) and his three disciples – Monkey King Sun Wukong (孙悟空), Pigsy Zhu Bajie (猪八戒) and Sha Wujing (沙悟净) – have been made known to many. Can you still recall how Tang Seng and his three disciples encountered dangerous situations

Celebrity Crackdown In China’s Entertainment Industry

According to Taiwan News, President Xi Jinping has announced plans to investigate nearly 200 other celebrities who might be entangled in tax fraud, including Taiwanese celebrities like Ethan Ruan, Wallace Huo and Mark Chao. By June Low | One of the most influential actresses in Mainland China, Fan Bingbing is also the highest-paid celebrity in

The Uyghurs: Surviving in China

In August, a UN human rights panel reported that around 2 million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities have been forced into political indoctrination camps in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as part of a brutal crackdown. In this series, The Epoch Times delves into the persecution of the Uyghurs in China as they try to survive amid

China’s Neo-Colonising Bag of Tricks: Malaysia

In my previous article (China’s Neo-Colonizing Bag of Tricks), I explained how China’s “build now, pay later” investment strategies have entrapped many smaller countries as China’s neo-colonies of the 21st century. The case previously highlighted was that of Sri Lanka. The country owes China billions of dollars, and as part of Sri Lanka’s debt reduction

China’s Neo-Colonising Bag of Tricks: Djibouti, Africa

In my previous two articles (China’s Neo-Colonizing Bag of Tricks and China’s Neo-Colonising Bag of Tricks: Malaysia), I explained how China’s “build now, pay later” investment strategies have entrapped many smaller countries as China’s neo-colonies of the 21st century. The case previously highlighted was that of Sri Lanka. The country owes China billions of dollars,

Are We Hoodwinked Into Sexual Promiscuity?

Today, society is so hypersexualised that we can’t turn on the radio or watch a movie without being inundated with sexually suggestive songs or bed scenes. But do you know that sexual promiscuity is destroying people and humanity by deconstructing the institutions of marriage, family and morality? Where did all of these begin? For the

Tips From Confucius on Living a Harmonious Family Life

Let’s do a quick survey. Turn around and ask your friends, family members or just yourself: “Who is Confucius? What are Confucian family values? Do you consider them restrictive and outdated?” Probably, most of us will equate Confucian family values to filial piety (孝顺) or a set of strict family tenets—which is quite a big

Kids With Cellphones More Likely To Be Bullies – Or Get Bullied. Here Are 6 Tips For Parents

Each year, more parents send their young child to elementary school equipped with a smartphone. For instance, the percentage of third-graders who reported having their own cellphone more than doubled from 19 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2017. Similar increases took place for fourth-graders and fifth-graders. About half of fourth-graders and 70 percent of fifth-graders went to school

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzea. EPA/Justin Lane

How Russia’s UN Vetoes Have Enabled Mass Murder In Syria

Since the start of Syria’s uprising in March 2011, Russia has vetoed 12 UN Security Council resolutions concerning the conflict. Among other things, these resolutions covered human rights violations, indiscriminate aerial bombing, the use of force against civilians, toxic chemical weapons, and calls for a meaningful ceasefire. Russia’s behaviour at the Security Council is not motivated by

To-Make-Friends-Online-Join-More-Groups

To Make Friends Online, Join More Groups

“If a person is looking for friends, they should basically be active in as many communities as possible,” says Anshumali Shrivastava, assistant professor of computer science at Rice University and coauthor of the study, which the researchers presented at the 2018 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining. “And if they want to become

China Slashes Steel, Textile Tariffs Amid Trump Pressure

China announced it would reduce tariffs on textile products and metals, including steel, as it runs low on ammunition in its tariff war with the United States. Tariffs on textile and metals will be lowered to 8.4 percent from 11.5 percent, starting Nov. 1, China’s Finance Ministry stated on Sept. 30. The announcement came six

Inspiring words. Vadiem Georgiev/Shutterstock

Poetry Has A Power To Inspire Change Like No Other Art Form

Culturally, poetry is used in varied ways. Haikus, for example, juxtapose images of the everyday, while lyric poetry expresses the personal and emotional. Similarly, poets themselves come in a range of guises. Think of the Romantic poet engaging with the sublime, the penniless artist in their garret, the high-brow don, the bard, the soldier on

Understanding China’s Race-Based Espionage

A discussion with John Jordan, former senior Navy intelligence officer The Chinese Communist Party heavily focuses on race in its espionage recruitment. That’s so that when issues arise with prosecuting Chinese spies, the “race card” can be played, triggering sensitivity about discrimination, according to a former senior U.S. Navy intelligence officer. The CCP uses two

Ten Photos That Changed How We See Human Rights

Nearly 70 years ago, in December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At this time, the UN’s cultural arm, UNESCO, sought to harness the “universal language” of photography to communicate the new system of human rights globally, across barriers of race and language. UNESCO curated the ground-breaking “Human Rights Exhibition” in

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