Bewildering that there are running dogs out there who can actually talk so much cock in praise of FTrash. Till of course, he's being replaced by one.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Size does matter... in Olympic medal tally
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->ACCORDING to some South Koreans, Olympic ranking should be based not on the number of medals but on the number of gold medals won per head. By this measure, the Koreans have done much better than the Chinese. They surely have. Applying the same mathematics, the United States is also not the richest country in the world. Mathematically, China, thus disadvantaged by a big population, can never rank top, no matter how much it achieves.
But without doubt, the Koreans also know that, in a set of statistical data, the average may be pathetic but, if the number of items is big enough, the sum can be staggering. The average Chinese is still poor and by no means even a bronze medallist but their total impact on the world of sport is undeniable. I can never forget that, when I went to school, my teacher told me China was 'the sick man of East Asia'.
We read: 'Two-thirds of China's 639 athletes were competing in the Olympics for the first time. The newcomers won 29 individual gold medals (57 per cent), while forming the backbone of Chinese teams that won four more gold medals.'
Here lies what makes a great population formidable. It does not depend only on able but ageing champions. Many new and even more able candidates are itching to step in.
'The waves behind are pushing the waves in front,' says one Chinese proverb. Wave after wave after wave - this is where a small country like Singapore is at a distinct disadvantage. The most we can have are ripples. To think some of us are shortsighted enough to decry the import of a few foreign talent.
Sport is not everything. But with the same drive and human resource, China can achieve anything it sets its mind to, be it in science and technology, finance and industry, military defence or offence, on earth or in space. What Beijing has done will probably not benefit every Chinese but its impact on the rest of the world is not to be sneezed at. There may be tirades that it is 'undemocratic', it 'violates human rights', it is 'unacceptable according to international norms' and so on. No matter. A proverb from a country I forget: 'The dogs bark. The elephant continues marching.' The mammoth China will keep marching, despite the din of desperate barking and howling.
Mathematically, an average (yes, only average) Singaporean is wealthier than an average citizen of many countries endowed with oil and diamonds. But let us not deceive ourselves. As a little red dot, its total impact is not that impressive. And since it is not an elephant, even the meow of some alley cats may be spine chilling, or annoying to say the least.
Ee Teck Ee
http://snb.nl.sg/itemdetail.aspx?bid=10274153
<TABLE summary=SNB><TBODY><TR><TH width="15%">Title:</TH><TH width="85%">A comprehensive guide to mathematics 'D' for secondary schools /Ee Teck Ee. </TH></TR><TR><TH>Author:</TH><TD>Ee, Teck Ee</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Size does matter... in Olympic medal tally
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->ACCORDING to some South Koreans, Olympic ranking should be based not on the number of medals but on the number of gold medals won per head. By this measure, the Koreans have done much better than the Chinese. They surely have. Applying the same mathematics, the United States is also not the richest country in the world. Mathematically, China, thus disadvantaged by a big population, can never rank top, no matter how much it achieves.
But without doubt, the Koreans also know that, in a set of statistical data, the average may be pathetic but, if the number of items is big enough, the sum can be staggering. The average Chinese is still poor and by no means even a bronze medallist but their total impact on the world of sport is undeniable. I can never forget that, when I went to school, my teacher told me China was 'the sick man of East Asia'.
We read: 'Two-thirds of China's 639 athletes were competing in the Olympics for the first time. The newcomers won 29 individual gold medals (57 per cent), while forming the backbone of Chinese teams that won four more gold medals.'
Here lies what makes a great population formidable. It does not depend only on able but ageing champions. Many new and even more able candidates are itching to step in.
'The waves behind are pushing the waves in front,' says one Chinese proverb. Wave after wave after wave - this is where a small country like Singapore is at a distinct disadvantage. The most we can have are ripples. To think some of us are shortsighted enough to decry the import of a few foreign talent.
Sport is not everything. But with the same drive and human resource, China can achieve anything it sets its mind to, be it in science and technology, finance and industry, military defence or offence, on earth or in space. What Beijing has done will probably not benefit every Chinese but its impact on the rest of the world is not to be sneezed at. There may be tirades that it is 'undemocratic', it 'violates human rights', it is 'unacceptable according to international norms' and so on. No matter. A proverb from a country I forget: 'The dogs bark. The elephant continues marching.' The mammoth China will keep marching, despite the din of desperate barking and howling.
Mathematically, an average (yes, only average) Singaporean is wealthier than an average citizen of many countries endowed with oil and diamonds. But let us not deceive ourselves. As a little red dot, its total impact is not that impressive. And since it is not an elephant, even the meow of some alley cats may be spine chilling, or annoying to say the least.
Ee Teck Ee
http://snb.nl.sg/itemdetail.aspx?bid=10274153
<TABLE summary=SNB><TBODY><TR><TH width="15%">Title:</TH><TH width="85%">A comprehensive guide to mathematics 'D' for secondary schools /Ee Teck Ee. </TH></TR><TR><TH>Author:</TH><TD>Ee, Teck Ee</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
