Seek The Truth
Archive for April, 2009
ANZAC Service
Apr 29th
To commemorate ANZAC Day Matipo Primary had their own service on the field beside the ANZAC Memorial. Mrs McKechnie and Te Maringi (Room13) read some readings and Mrs Compain lead the school in The Lords Prayer. Cecilia (Room 11) read the Lords Prayer in Spanish. We completed the service by singing the National Anthem.
Beat Girls Debut
Apr 29th
On Monday during Singing Assembly was the debut of the dancing group The Beat Girls. These girls were selected by Mr Bainbridge and include Year 6′s and one Year 2. The song they danced to was Blame it on the Boogie. They then improvised to the other songs sang during Singing Assembly. Fabulous first time appearance!
Child Sponsorship
Apr 9th
This year the school council has sponsored a child through World Vision. Our sponsored child is Rifat Miah, who is 8 years old and lives in Bangladesh.
Rifat lives with his parent sand two siblings. His hobby is soccer and his job at home is helping with the shopping.
World Vision sponsorship costs $30 per month and the school council is fund raising towards this total.
Birthday 28 October 2001
School Level: Primary School
Favourite subject: His National Language – Bengali
Favourite Sport: Soccer
Chores: Assists with shopping
Brothers: One
Sisters: One
Area he lives in: The Kaliganj Community
Our sponsorship helps Rifat with books and the costs of his education.
The sponsorship also helps his community reach its long term goals:
By helping improve the classrooms and school equipment. Trains school management committees and educates parents about the importance of education.
(Many children must work to help the family income)
Assists bringing clean water and better health facilities.
(Lack of clean water, poor sanitation, and going to untrained healers are major health problems)
Trains farmers to improve production, in agriculture though irrigation, fertiliser use, and improved seed stock. Also support services.
This is not all but an idea of what our sponsorship goes towards.
UPDATE: We have now received a letter from Rifat:[blockquote]First my greetings to you. I am Sumi Begum, a CRS volunteer, is writing this letter. Rifat is very happy to hear that you have become his loving sponsor. He hopes to continue his studies nicely by your kind help.
He lives with his family in a village. It is situated 40 kilometres away from Dhaka city. They live in a tin roofed house with bamboo walls around. His father is a rickshaw puller and mother does household works. A mud road has passed beside their home. There are many green trees and paddy fields around their home.
He likes to go to school. His school is one kilometre away from their home. He goes to school everyday on foot. He has many friends at school. He likes to play football. Rifat desires to be a teacher when he grows up. He is very interested to know about your family and your country. Thank you very much.[/blockquote]
Poetry Competition 2009
Apr 6th
Friday was the Matipo Primary School Poetry Competition. It was judged by Chris Carter, MP. The children did a fabulous job and the lucky winners were:
Year 1: Ruben Boyack – I blew a bubble
Year 2: Sophie Koosache – The Brat
Year 3: Jonah Polota – Kopa _ “Distracted” said the Mother to her Boy
Year 4: Kaitlin McAlister – “Distracted” said the Mother to her Boy
Year 5: Ruby Coombes – Plague Around
Year 6: Keegan Tunks – Changes
Will Asia become the new Rome?
Apr 1st
A Sigmoid curve illustrates the principle that everything rises and everything falls. We are now seeing a decline of the might of the United States, just as in recent history we have seen the decline of the British, French and German Empires, and further back some 2000 years ago, the Roman Empire. Will Asia become the new Rome as we witness not just the shattered economy of the United States, but the shattered economic philosophy of unregulated market forces.
Asia has certainly been a late starter with many nation-states only achieving independence within the last 50 years. Infrastructure and self-government (often in a vacuum) have been the main early priorities but early warning signs of the powerful potential of Asian economies were evidenced by the economic success stories of Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. Now the economic might and increasing global influence of India and China are sounding a major challenge to the West and to the United States in particular.
Asian politics are going through an increasingly settled period of maturity (in the main). Corruption and grossly uneven distribution of wealth are major issues to address along with human rights and environmental considerations but market strength, work ethic, non-union conditions and manufacturing efficiency are powerful counter balances. China’s contribution to the world GDP has grown from 20% to 33% and India from 6% to 16% over the last 6 years. China, India and Japan are senior figures in all international trade and economic forums with increasing talk now of a “G2” – China and the United States.
With the increasing demise of the United States financially and perhaps morally, and bogged down in crippling Middle Eastern military campaigns, Asian nations have an opportunity to assume some of the mantle, but need to do so politically as well as economically. Regional issues in Myanmar and North Korea need Asian leadership and an Asian solution. Addressing human rights, environmental issues and raising the living standards of the poor throughout the region need to become strategic goals. In July 2009, the Asian Development Bank announced US$1.7 billion in loans for Asian countries – Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia in particular – to develop green energy alternatives, The bank also announced that by 2020, 40% of its lending would be to address environmental issues.
The enormous economic growth and strength of the Chinese and Indian economies together with the ‘smart’ modelling of countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea gives Asia the potential to become the ‘new Rome’. The potential for the New Zealand economy to leverage off the Asian juggernaut is enormous. Despite the potential of recent free trade agreements within the region, including China, New Zealand seems oblivious to the trading opportunities presented by the large, well education, English speaking middle classes in Malaysia, South Korea, and India. If Asia is the new Rome, will New Zealand sit at its court?
