A journey filled with cultural riches

Model student: Goh delivering a speech at her graduation ceremony in 2022, where she received the award for outstanding doctoral graduate. — Photo courtesy of Goh

Scholar says her five-year stay in China nothing short or unforgettable

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian’s academic journey in China has been enriched with unique opportunities to advance personal growth and experience the country’s rich culture.

Dr Goh Chye Poh said her most fascinating experience was attending the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games and contributing to the production of its theme song music video “Together for a Shared Future” for the Beijing TV station covering the event.

“It was truly a privilege for me and my coursemates to be part of such a significant and unforgettable experience.

“I was honoured to contribute creatively to the representation of the Paralympics through music,” she told The Star in a recent interview. 

Goh, 35, from Taiping, Perak, pursued her doctorate in Chinese International Education at Beijing Language and Culture University on a Chinese government scholarship after completing her master’s degree at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Since arriving in China in 2019, she has embraced the country’s diverse experiences.

“Each season brings its own unique beauty, from spring blooms to winter snow. 

“Adapting to the changing seasons requires adjusting not just my clothing and activities but also my mindset.

“Over time, I’ve learnt to fully embrace the rhythms of the four seasons,” she said.

Goh’s academic journey has been marked by achievements, including winning prizes in essay and speech competitions for Asean international students.

“These achievements led to more opportunities to participate in international events,” she said.

Goh also had the opportunity to deliver a speech at her 2022 graduation ceremony after successfully defending her thesis on comparative lexical knowledge systems between Malaysia and China.

To stay updated on industry developments, Goh said she frequently attended or hosted forums.

“Earlier this year, I had the honour of participating in exchange activities in Xinjiang, a crucial Silk Road hub with a rich and diverse culture that left a lasting impression.

“The most rewarding aspect was immersing myself in the daily lives of local residents.

“Seeing the unique cultural charm of each city I visited is so endearing,” she said.

Now living in the central business district of Chaoyang in Beijing, Goh’s passion for learning and experiencing new adventures remains a driving force in her academic and personal pursuits.

“I hope I will visit more cities in China. My time here has been both enriching and fulfilling.

“The country has provided countless opportunities for my career advancement and personal growth,” she said.

Source link 

Related posts:

Thrilled to leave his mark in China

 

Melaka-born lawyer finds the perfect place to work hard and play hard

Thrilled to leave his mark in China

 

Melaka-born lawyer finds the perfect place to work hard and play hard

WADA statement on Reuters story exposing USADA scheme in contravention of World Anti-Doping Code

WADA Exposes USADA's Prolonged Doping Scheme ...

WADA Exposes USADA's Prolonged Doping Scheme ...

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) responds to a Reuters story of 7 August 2024 exposing a scheme whereby the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) allowed athletes who had doped, to compete for years, in at least one case without ever publishing or sanctioning their anti-doping rule violations, in direct contravention of the World Anti-Doping Code and USADA’s own rules. 

This USADA scheme threatened the integrity of sporting competition, which the Code seeks to protect. By operating it, USADA was in clear breach of the rules. Contrary to the claims made by USADA, WADA did not sign off on this practice of permitting drug cheats to compete for years on the promise that they would try to obtain incriminating evidence against others. 

Within the Code there is a provision whereby an athlete who provides substantial assistance can subsequently apply to have a proportion of their period of ineligibility suspended. However, there is a clear process for that, which does not involve allowing those who have cheated to continue to compete while they may or may not gather incriminating evidence against others and while they could retain a performance-enhancement effect from the substances they took. When WADA eventually found out about this non-compliant practice in 2021, many years after it had started, it immediately instructed USADA to desist. 

WADA is now aware of at least three cases where athletes who had committed serious anti-doping rule violations were allowed to continue to compete for years while they acted as undercover agents for USADA, without it notifying WADA and without there being any provision allowing such a practice under the Code or USADA’s own rules. 

In one case, an elite level athlete, who competed at Olympic qualifier and international events in the United States, admitted to taking steroids and EPO yet was permitted to continue competing all the way up to retirement. Their case was never published, results never disqualified, prize money never returned, and no suspension ever served. The athlete was allowed to line up against their unknowing competitors as if they had never cheated. In that case, when USADA eventually admitted to WADA what had been going on, it advised that any publication of consequences or disqualification of results would put the athlete’s security at risk and asked WADA to agree to non-publication. Being put in this impossible position, WADA had no choice but to agree (after verifying with its Intelligence and Investigations Department that the security threat was credible). The athlete’s doping was therefore never made public. 

In another case of a high-level athlete, USADA never notified WADA of its decision to lift an athlete’s provisional suspension, which is an appealable decision, despite being required to do so under the Code. Had WADA been notified, it would never have allowed this. 

How must other athletes feel knowing they were competing in good faith against those who were known by USADA to have cheated? It is ironic and hypocritical that USADA cries foul when it suspects other Anti-Doping Organizations are not following the rules to the letter while it did not announce doping cases for years and allowed cheats to carry on competing, on the off chance they might help them catch other possible violators. WADA wonders if the USADA Board of Directors, which governs USADA, or U.S. Congress, which funds it, knew about this non-compliant practice that not only undermined the integrity of sporting competition but also put the co-operating athletes’ security at risk.  

WADA statement following comments by CEO of United ...

WADA statement following comments by CEO of United States Anti-Doping Agency

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is astonished by the outrageous, completely false and defamatory remarks made by the CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tygart, who has made very serious accusations against WADA in connection with the case of 23 swimmers from China that was reported upon by the media earlier today.

Mr. Tygart’s allegations are politically motivated and delivered with the intention of undermining WADA’s work to protect clean sport around the world. WADA notes that the damaging comments have been delivered without any supporting evidence whatsoever.

The truth of this matter is that according to all available scientific evidence and intelligence, thoroughly gathered, assessed and tested by leading anti-doping experts, WADA had no basis to challenge the explanation of environmental contamination. At all times, WADA acted in good faith, according to due process and following advice from external counsel when it decided not to appeal this case. In the absence of any other evidence WADA, still today, stands by the results of its rigorous scientific investigation as well as the approach of its Intelligence and Investigations Department. WADA’s statement of 20 April outlines the Agency’s position on this file in more detail.

It is implicit in his statement that Mr. Tygart does not accept the finding of environmental contamination in this case although he cannot say why. Yet, it is true that in the United States, WADA has also accepted USADA’s similar conclusions of contamination involving a number of U.S. athletes. Mr. Tygart should realize that it is not only American athletes who can fall victim to situations of no-fault contamination.

USADA contacted WADA in early 2023 based on a tip it had received about an alleged cover-up involving these cases but unfortunately was unable to provide any evidence whatsoever.

It should be noted that following Mr. Tygart’s false allegations, WADA has no choice but to refer this matter to its legal counsel for further action

Source link 

Medal Table

 

 < click Live update

Paris 2024 Olympic Medal Table

Related posts:

Weaponized tests: How US uses extraterritorial jurisdiction to intervene in international sports, tarnish China’s anti-doping efforts

• 

  Weaponized tests: How US uses extraterritorial jurisdiction to intervene in international sports, tarnish China’s anti-doping efforts

    Gold medallists Team China (center), silver medallists Team USA (left), and bronze medallists Team France pose on the podium of the men...

 < click Live update

Fly-by-night architects on the prowl

LAM: Services have now proliferated. especially on social media sites.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The activities of fly-by-night architects and illegal practices by unregistered companies offering architectural and interior design services have evolved rapidly with technological advancement, says the Malaysian Board of Architects (LAM).

In the past, these services were advertised in newspapers and on websites.

They have now proliferated, especially on social media sites like TikTok and ecommerce platforms.

“We were surprised by such advertisements. That is alarming, because we never expected it to go this far in Malaysia. So, is this practice wrong? Yes, it is,” LAM president Datuk Azman Md Hashim (pic) told Bernama. 

According to a random survey by the LAM Surveillance and Enforcement Committee, out of hundreds of advertisements offering such services, only one firm was registered under the agency.

Azman said that based on the Architects Act 1967 (Act 117), only those registered with LAM are eligible to offer and provide architectural services, including design and building plan services.

He said registered architects or interior designers are professionals regulated by the Code of Conduct under the Architects Rules 1996.

He added that one of the benefits of hiring a professional architect is to control or monitor payments and claims to contractors based on performance, quality standards and project progress, preventing clients from being cheated.

These professionals also act as project consultants to oversee the project from the planning stage to completion and the issuance of the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).

“This practice involves public safety. Therefore, only registered individuals are eligible to provide these services to avoid substandard designs, failure to obtain approval from local authorities, safety weaknesses such as structural design flaws, legal liabilities, abandoned projects and financial losses,” he said.

Azman said that according to the existing code of conduct, there are specific procedures for advertising a professional architect’s services.

“Architects registered with LAM typically do not advertise on social media. We are not saying it is not allowed, but we do not encourage it. Professionally, they also refrain from doing so because our LAM portal allows public access to our services.”

Since 2016 to date, LAM has received 94 complaints involving illegal practices by companies and individuals through physical advertisements and direct appointments by clients, as well as five complaints related to advertising on social media.

The professions registered with LAM, which comes under the Works Ministry, include architects, architect graduates, building draughtsmen, interior designers, interior designer graduates, inspectors of works, and architectural technologists.

Azman explained that the work of fly-by-night architects is usually carried out by unregistered architect graduates and interior designer graduates who are not qualified to apply for planning and building plans.

“Their involvement usually occurs in two ways: either the contractors hire them or the clients appoint them directly. Both scenarios aim to ensure the fees or charges for these fly-by-night architects are kept to a minimum,” he said.

However, there are also instances where fly-by-night architects collude with professional architects to gain “credibility”.

“What are the consequences if our house project becomes illegal? The effects are that the house cannot be insured, the quality of completion cannot be assured, and it can endanger the safety of the occupants. Additionally, the CCC cannot be issued because the proper procedures were not followed.”

He said any professional architect registered with LAM can face disciplinary action or fines if they violate the Architects Act 1967, including collaborating with fly-by-night architects.

“One of our main roles is to protect the public. If anything happens, we will take action against our members because we safeguard the public. This is enshrined in Act 117,” he said.

Fly-by-night architects, according to Azman, are in a different situation because they are not subject to any agreements or regulatory bodies, making it impossible to take legal action against them.

However, he said LAM has a Surveillance and Enforcement Committee, which is also represented by police officers, to monitor these irresponsible activities if they are advertised on social media.

Admitting there are gaps that allow fly-by-night architects to thrive, Azman said stricter measures need to be introduced.

Educating the public about the correct methods and procedures for building houses on their land must be ongoing to prevent more people from falling victim, he said.

To achieve this, LAM is developing a system in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Architects and the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers to provide guidelines for members of the public on the proper procedures for building or renovating their homes.

ource link 

Related posts:

Give thanks with a grateful heart

The allure of Penang heritage properties