Controversial comments taken out of context

Politicians and Public Figures can speak their mind in public or private conversations. Discuss.

I believe that politicians and public figures should not speak their mind in public conversations. The politicians and public figures are important people in the society, what they do will be reflected upon Singapore and Singaporeans do look up to them as well. The bad publicity that we will get from this incident might cause distrust from other countries. I don’t think that speaking their minds is a bad thing to do but I do believe that they should be mindful of what they say as their words carry a lot of weight. Devastating wars can be ignited from a simple exchange of words. People tend to get defensive when facing criticism and the human ego plays a huge part in it.

Foreign Minister George Yeo slammed the released of the comments which he described as “gossip” and “cocktail talk” that should have remained confidential. However in my opinion, he should not be talking about such things with other people in the first place. The comments were highly disrepectful to the other nations and this will definitely cause friction between the countries. For example calling Malaysia a confused and dangerous state due to incompetent politicians, Singapore and Malaysia already has strained relations over the sale of water supply with this attack launched towards them, Malaysia could feel unjustified.

I also feel that Wikileaks is not fair to the policitians and public figures involved as they might have taken the words out of context, making a mountain out of a molehill. We should give the policitians the benefit of the doubt as we do not know how true the source is and the fact that they did not know that someone heard their conversations. I feel that Wikileaks should not be published in the first place as some of the documents are highly confidential and private. We are all human beings and everyone tends to gossip a little so what's wrong with speaking their mind in private conversations? However, Wikileaks do give the people transparency in all the governments decisions so they have a plus side too. They show us the things that the government might try to hide from us and if the nations have nothing to hide, they should not be afraid of Wikileaks at all.

Answers regarding Week 7's questions issued

Should the government allow people to "resign" from life? e.g through suicide or euthanasia
No I do not believe that the act of suicide and euthanasia should be allowed in Singapore. Singapore is a small country with no natural resources and our biggest asset is our people. If suicide is legalized, everyone will turn towards that resort for every small matter, we would lose a lot of our people. And the fact that everyone turns to the easy way out through suicide, we are not able to learn from our mistakes or try to find a way out of our problem. This will lead to Singaporeans giving up easily. However, Singapore does practice the Advanced Medical Directive Act. It is is a legal document that you sign in advance to inform the doctor treating you (in the event you become terminally ill and unconscious) that you do not want any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to be used to prolong your life. The AMD is about letting nature takes its course for the terminally ill at the last stage of their lives.

escapism, should we take away the virtual life from singapore?

I do not think that virtual life should be taken away from Singapore to a certain extent. The virtual community is a growing community in the world. Yes, one may argue that there are negative effects of the virtual life. One may be so engrossed into his virtual life that he is unable to differentiate between reality and the virtual world. However, the virtual world has it's advantages too. Through the virtual world, we are able to make friends from different parts of the world, we are able to communicate and have a cultural exchange. According to Wikipedia, "Online communities seem to have a direct impact on civic participation. 20.3% of members do something in real life at least once a year to support a cause related to their online community. 65% of members have started involvement in civic causes since they connected to the Internet. 43.7% are more involved with social activism since connecting with their online communities. Over half of virtual community members sign into their respective communities every day and 70% interact with other members daily."

Therefore, I believe that the Virtual Community should not be banned in Singapore but the government should take measures to ensure that the line is not crossed. Technology is taking over the world, if Singapore bans the virtual life, we will be losing out to other countries in my opinion.

Peace Prize

Peace and Patriotism and at what price or Prize? Discuss

The Nobel Peace Price is one of the five Nobel Prizes given by the industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. According to Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize should be awarded to the person who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for holding and promotion of peace congresses.

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 Liu Xiao Bo is a democracy activist who has been jailed for 11 years on subversion charges. I think that it is a pity that the Chinese government has to resort to such an action to show their prowess or to silence the messenger. According to the article, there are members of Beijing’s intellectual community who disapproves the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision, as they believe that Mr. Liu does not deserve the award and they also see it as an unwanted lecturing by western countries. Getting the Nobel Award should be considered a great honour as the notable awardees are Nelson Mandela, Jean Paul Dunant, Aung San Suu Kyi and Barack Obama. Liu Xiao Bo was not able to collect his award by himself but what made the matter worst was the fact that he was not allowed to send any representative to collect the award as well. His close friends and wife have also been put under house arrest, police surveillance or even barred from leaving the country. It is sad to see China reacting like this as the Nobel Peace Prize serves to advocate peace around the world and by doing such extreme measures, they are showing the world how unappreciative they are and is causing more tension and criticism from the others.

I think that China should open up more towards other countries, allow more interaction and loosen up a little. They blocked YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to protect China’s local social networking industry and to effectively control information flow from the outside world. An example taken from Penn-Olson.com, “On Oct 8, the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee granted Nobel Peace Prize 2010 to Chinese citizen Liu Xiao Bo for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”. As soon as this announcement was made, thousands of Renren users began to share their thoughts. In fact, many paid honor to this Nobel Prize Laureate, which weren’t well received by the administrator. Within a few hours, all these information were removed.” This really shows how much the government does not tolerate any form of criticism and it is a waste to see that people are not given a freedom of speech. They are not unable to speak freely as there is a fear that if they show any form of criticism, they will be in some kind of danger.

China comes out with alternatives toward the Western such as the Confucius Peace Prize to counteract the Nobel Peace Prize; they have Youku instead of YouTube, Renren instead of Facebook and Weibo instead of Twitter. Are these actions good for their countrymen? Or are they just afraid of the Western culture being spread into their country and the criticism they face from their own people?

Man found dead at Queenstown MRT

Could this be a case of 0$P$ or a suicide? Gaming and Gambling addiction as well as depression and suicide are phenomena on to take note of - how should the Government of Singapore deal with such issues?

It is sad to see people taking life so easily. Everyone is given the chance to live but some just chose to give up. There are people who are diagnosed with terminal diseases but they chose to fight for their own life and cherish every moment that they have while some others are born healthy and yet they take their own lives. This article addresses the incident where a man was found dead after being hit by a train. The victim is a Chinese man in his late 40s, the police have classified the case as unnatural death and are investigating. Which brings us to our next point, what exactly has caused the death of this man? Could it be a suicide or a case of owing money and being unable to pay the debts so he took his life. I believe that it could be a suicide due to depression or the man’s gambling addiction gone out of control.

Gaming and gambling addictions are two of the rising issues that almost all countries including Singapore faces. In Singapore, we are exposed to all sorts of gambling day in day out. For example, the 4D (four digit number game) draws on every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. On Mondays and Thursdays, there is TOTO. The Singapore Pools also offer football betting whenever football matches are played which are usually the weekends or some times Wednesdays and Thursdays. From the above, we can see that everyday, there is at least one type of gambling conducted in our country. To me, it is just typical Singaporeans, give them four numbers and they go crazy. It might be human nature to feel excited when taking risks and the feeling gained from gambling could be no different. “Will my numbers come up?” “Will my team win?” The sense of anticipation creates an adrenaline rush, a feeling that some people believe they cannot live without.

How should the government of Singapore deal with gambling issues? The government has brought up the issue of gambling addictions again and again. They try to create as much awareness as possible through commercials seen on the national television, on the radio and through new media. There is the National Council on Problem Gambling and there are helpline and help services provided. It is important to educate our people and I believe it is up to the person himself to know his own limits. The government should also enforce stricter laws on illegal gambling and have more patrols so as to prevent illegal gamblings from happening. At this rate, the chances of people getting a gambling addiction would be reduced. There are too many cases of gambling gone wrong where people got into debts and are unable to pay the loan sharks. Driven to desperation, they committed suicide.

Gaming addiction is more prominent within our nation, where users play compulsively, isolating themselves from social contact and only focusing on game achievements rather than life events. People get addicted to gaming because they like the challenge of completing these games. It gives them a sense of being on top and being the best at what they are doing. It gives people confidence and satisfaction. To them, it is like an escape from reality.

The government set up the Inter-Ministry Cyber Wellness Steering Committee (ICSC) to educate the public on cyber wellness. In addition to that, schools also conduct workshops on cyber wellness for their students. There is also a cyber wellness centre set up by the non-profit organization Touch Community Services’. I feel that the government should play a stronger role in dealing with gaming addiction issues. Gaming addictions can be serious among the young adults these days, students are encouraged to look for their school counselors who are trained on managing addictive behaviour.

All in all, I believe that most gaming or gambling addiction is due to culture in our country. It is popularized through the word of mouth for the case of gaming addiction. If one's friends are all interested in one game, he will definitely join the bandwagon. It is important to know your own limits and know when to stop. Occasional gaming and gambling is okay as long as we don't get overboard.

Depression and suicide are also phenomena to be taken note of. According to the Ministry of Health up to 9% of our adult population suffer from depression and close to 6% of the senior citizens are also affected. In this fast paced society, people can get a lot of stress through work, family or even social. The depressed patient might not be aware of his own illness and sometimes depression even lead to suicide. I feel that everyone should take care of the people around them, if you see your friend feeling sad and having the loss of interest towards social activities, or even thoughts of death and suicide, you can try to talk to him or even encourage him to seek professional help so that a tragedy would not happen. Our country has a series of helplines provided if anyone needs someone to talk to.

Multilingualism and Culture

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION – The State intervention of a carefully engineered tripartite approach should be introduced to encouraging integration and cultural pluralism in Singapore.

I agree with the statement above as Singapore is a multi racial country. We have people of different backgrounds living together and therefore it is important to have integration and cultural pluralism in our country so that we can understand each other and live harmoniously together.

As mentioned, singapore is a multi racial society where we have people from all walks of life living together. There are people of different races and culture living around each other and misunderstandings could be caused easily if they do not have the rapport. This is where a tripartite approach, referring to the Government, the community and the private sector, would come in place.

The government has to be the one that takes the initiative to promote integration and cultural pluralism as they are our leaders. Without the government’s actions, most people would stick to their own race and cause social segregation which would lead to no cultural pluralism. Therefore Government has to take the extra steps to campaign for cultural pluralism actively so as to ensure that everyone of all kinds of race are treated fairly and to make everyone feel wanted. Singapore’s government has done many things to encourage culture integration. The public housing policy applies that the flat owners have to be of different races so that not all people of the same race would live in one estate. This encourages the people to communicate and live with their neighbours of different races with different cultural backgrounds. Singapore also celebrates Racial Harmony Day to commeorate the 1964 Race Riots and to celebrate Singapore’s success as a racially harmonious nation and society built on a rich diversity of culture and heritage.

The community sector refers to the public where individuals play their own part in maintaining racial harmony. There is an appreciation for the different cultures in Singapore as we celebrate different types of festivals for every race. A cultural understanding is developed individually when neighbours of different cultures sees the other one celebrating their festival. Neighbourhood community centers also host celebrations for different festivals where all residents are encouraged to participate. At the event, they are given the chance to learn more about other cultures and have fun at the same time. Activities such as yoga, knitting, cooking lessons or even foreign language classes are held and people can take this opportunity to make new friends from other races. Being mutually tolerant and respectful to each other’s race and culture is also a way on how to maintain multi-racial harmony.

The private sector also plays an important role in cultural pluralism and integration as there is an increasing number of foreign companies setting up offices and headquarters in our country. Therefore there is an influx of foreign talent and The companies should encourage more social bonding and also assign people of different backgrounds to work together so as to not create friction between the local and foreign employees. It is important for the private sector to encourage integration so that we can all learn from each other and make Singapore a better place to live in.

In summary, the tripartite approach should be introduced so as to encourage integration and cultural pluralism in our society. It does not matter whether we are of different cultures because we are all Singaporeans. The tripartite approach would integrate us into one and ensure harmony in our country.

Primary School Admission Is Not Fair, But Inevitable: MM Lee

Meritocracy should take a backseat in the primary school admission system as high regard for the social economic status and background of the student should take the limelight. Discuss this argument and identify the desired outcomes of education.

I disagree that the high regard for the social economic status and background of the student should take the limelight in the primary school admission system instead of meritocracy to a certain extent as I believe that it is inevitable.

At the age of six when students are enrolled into the various primary schools, how do we adopt meritocracy to the situation? From my understanding, meritocracy is based on the ability and talent of a person. If we were to apply meritocracy to the primary school admission system does it means that we have to start assessing the students’ abilities at the age of six? In Singapore’s education system, students are already required to go through the PSLE, O levels’ and A levels’ or other examinations in their tertiary education. With Singaporeans being dubbed with the reputation of “Kiasu” (fear of losing), parents could make their children start preparing for their “primary school admission assessment” at the age of four or five. Children will not be able to enjoy their childhood as a carefree soul anymore. I feel that it is too much to dump so much pressure on these young children.

So this is where the social economic status and background of the students come in place. I’m from Raffles Girls’ Primary School, I was enrolled through balloting. I had classmates who lived a stone’s throw away from our school and there were students whose mother or sister have studied in the very same school but that does not determine how well the student would fare in her PSLE.I agree with Mr. Lee that the PSLE helps to assess the students’ performance and sort them accordingly. PSLE is taken at the age of 12, I believe that most students are more matured to be assessed of their abilities. There are people in the elite primary schools who do not fare so well at their primary school leaving exams and there are students who do really well in neighbourhood schools. Personally, I believe that your background and your primary school does not determine where you would go in the future.

However, it is argued that bright students who come from less fortunate backgrounds would have a chance to attend good schools if they do well in the PSLE. The problem comes about where goods schools have better teachers and the students there just get better. While students in the “lesser” primary schools suffer as they might be influenced easily and be less willing and interested in studying. Therefore in my opinion, the best solution to the primary school admission system is to set a guideline for elite schools. There should be a “limit” for priority registration and the elite schools should set aside a higher number of intake for students who come from an average family. In the end, the desired outcome is all singaporeans to be given a fair chance of having a good education.

My point of view

In order to survive in the competitive global environment, Singapore is best to perfect the delicate balancing act of being independent and interdependent

China has been improving tremendously and is quickly catching up with America to become one of the super powers in the world. It is great that we enjoy a great working relationship with them. With China advancing, there are working opportunities for both countries and we, Singaporeans, do speak chinese which is an advantage when pitted with other countries and we do understand their culture.

Mr Lee’s point of view was rather interesting as I had never thought of it this way but what he said made sense. “In Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's view, the added value Singapore could provide China would include Singapore's in-depth understanding of its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and Singapore's intimate relationship with countries in Southeast Asia as well as Singapore's understanding of the operational knowledge of western countries that until today, China has not fully understood.” I agree with his view as one major reason why China is losing out to other countries is the understanding towards western countries. Singapore has great relations with different countries and this would definitely help China in their developing.

I agree that Singapore has to perfect the act of being independent and interdependent. Singapore as we all know is a small country with no natural resources therefore I believe that it is important we maintain good relations with other countries as there are definitely some things that we are unable to do. For example, we need water from Malaysia and fuel from Middle East countries and even our food is imported from neighbouring countries. We have proven ourselves in different aspects such as our Changi Airport and the port of Singapore is one of the world’s busiest transhipment hub. It is impossible for Singapore to be “completely” independent. Sure, we have developed NEWater and introduced desalination to reduce the reliance on water imported from Malaysia but that is all that we can do.

As we are mutually dependent with other countries, it is important for us not to lose ourselves and become influenced by other powerful countries. I agree with Mr Lee that we have to have our own position and principles and not to become a satelite country of other countries. We need other countries just as much as they need us. Singpaore has to show the world that despite being a small country with no natural resources, we are still capable of doing what bigger countries do. We might have more difficulties or we could take more time but we will get there through our “Singapore spirit”.Therefore Singapore just has to be independent and interdependent at the same time.

The article basically talks about bullying in United States of America. Half of the high school students admit to bullying someone in the past year and nearly half was also being bullied.

The act of being bullied is defined by being physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upsets them. This article also shows how bullying is turning into a common situation and I also believe that with the improvement of technology and creation of new media such as twitter and facebook, the bullying is made easier as words can be spread even faster.

It's hard to stop bullying from occurring because most victims of bully are afraid of speaking out and standing up against the bully and the bully finds satisfaction through the fear of people. Schools should take an active part in campaigning for anti-violence and stop bullying acts. Students should be more aware of the bullying and try to speak out against the bully or inform an adult about the incident.

source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_595924.html

VIVA ESPANA

Spain is the champions of the World. Can you believe that Spain lost their opening game in the World Cup to Switzerland but is now crowned the Champions? They are the first country to have lost their first game and proceed to win the trophy.

SPAIN'S place among world football's all-time greatest teams was assured on Sunday when Andres Iniesta scored with four minutes of extra time remaining to beat the Netherlands 1-0 and clinch his country's first World Cup.

Alongside the European championships 2008 which Spain also won and this makes them the World and European champion at the same time. I watched the entire match and I feel that Spain deserves this victory. I feel that both teams had their fair share of chances but it was Spain's patience that gave them the win. I am also glad that Spain won as they had dominated possession throughout the game and Netherlands definitely did not deserve a win as they played so aggressively like when one of the players gave Xabi Alonso a kungfu kick. This final also sets the record for having most yellow cards in a World Cup final, 14 yellow cards in total.

As a supporter of the Spain national team, I am proud to be a part of this historic moment for their football team. I'm glad they won it now and not like 4 or 8 years back when I wasn't interested in football yet.

source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Sport/Story/STIStory_552396.html

Is this the only way out?

The article says that just 1 day after the suicide of korean actor Park Yong Ha, three have attempted to take their own lives and two of them succeeded. All three of them are believed to be affected by the death of Park Yong Ha which led to their subsequent actions.

According to a police statement, Roh, 31, said he was "suffering from depression" and started having "suicidal thoughts" after hearing of the "Winter Sonata" actor's demise on June 30. However, Roh's manager claimed that the singer was simply drunk at the time and accidentally fell into the river. Roh may have survived this incident but a 40-year-old female owner of a Korean production house was not so lucky. She apparently hung herself with a belt at home on July 1, leaving behind a suicide note that read "I am sorry mother!" Another 49-year-old woman had also hung herself on that same day. After examining her suicide note, police have expressed that the woman, who was a fan of Park, may have taken her own life to follow her idol.

I am quite taken aback by the attempts of suicide as I don't understand why they would give up their own lives just because their idol is dead. I understand that they might be a really big fan of this korean actor but is life that unworthy to live for just because he is found dead? There are many people out there fighting for their own lives but there are some people who would just end their own lives like that?

Another part of the article,

Suicide is the highest cause of death among those in their twenties and thirties in South Korea, which in 2007 had the highest suicide rate among members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The health ministry said 23.9 in every 100,000 South Koreans committed suicide in 2007, compared with 19.4 in Japan, 16.7 in Finland, 14.2 in France and 14.0 in Switzerland.

I see that the stress level in South Korea is probably really high for their suicide rate to be that high. I think that suicides are really irresponsible as there is always a solution to everything. Committing suicide will not solve the root of the problem but it just pushes the problem to someone else to settle. The two ladies gave their lives away for someone who probably did not know their existence. Was it worth it? It's your decision to make.

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1067623/1/.html

sorry professor, the vuvuzela blew my homework away.

World Cup fans can make even more noise this weekend, but not without some controversy. The vuvuzela is coming to town! Is it an instrument of joy or torture for the ears? People are divided.

The vuvuzela has caused quite a big ruckus in the World Cup where everyone over the world has a love or hate relationship with this instrument. Some fans loves it as it boosts the atmosphere, lifting everyone's spirits. While some other fans absolutely despises the noise that comes from the equipment as it gets really annoying at times. The Vuvuzela is definitely the hot topic for everyone now as I see it on the trending topics of Twitter and even youtube has added a "Football" button where the sounds of vuvuzela will be played when you click on the button. Way to ruin your videos isn't it?

Having watched quite a few World Cup matches, I have experienced the prowess of the Vuvuzela. It sounds like hornets to me, but it is pretty much bearable. However, it is probably worst for the fans watching at the stadium as there are harmful effects to one's ears. But I do think that the vuvuzela is pretty cool to play with if you do it moderately.

The selling price here will be about S$50 per piece - about double what it is going for in South Africa. This is for the high-end model - the one with the country sock - which is what the supplier is selling here.

I feel that the vuvuzela is overpriced in Singapore as it is only sold at $10 in South Africa. I would have considered buying it home if it costs $10 but not when it is priced at $50. After all, when the World Cup buzz dies down, the vuvuzela would only be lying in everyone's storeroom.

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1066288/1/.html

Wanted: Change

FIFA refuses to act on calls to introduce technology to decide on contentious decisions after refereeing mistakes marred Sunday's two last 16 matches at the World Cup. FIFA's refusal has long been criticised with its president Sepp Blatter insisting the referee will always remain the ultimate decision-maker at all levels of the game.

England is out of the World Cup after being defeated 4-1 by the Germany national team. One of the controversy was a goal by midfielder Frank Lampard which was disallowed even though it was clearly a goal. Replays has showed that Lampard's shot bounced off the underside of the German crossbar in the first half and landed a yard over the goal-line, however it was missed by both the referee and his assistant.

First of all, I feel strongly for this incident as I am a supporter of the England national team and a big fan of Lampard. I'm not saying that the German team didn't deserve the win but that the fact that if the goal was allowed, the German and English would have a draw for the first half and I believe that this probaly would change the game in the second half. The England team might fight even harder for a win and the outcome might be different.

I do agree that the Germans simply outclassed the English team and they deserve to be the one of the last eight nations in World Cup. However, is it time for the FIFA to introduce technology into the game? This is not the first time the FIFA referees made a blunder and blunders in World Cups are definitely costly. Just like the disallowed USA goal against Slovenia which they could have won and the Argentina-Mexico game where Tevez was given a goal despite being offside.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1066278/1/.html

Do you want to be like James Bond?

Well, you can if you have around 3.5 million pounds to spare.

James Bond's famous Aston Martin car from the films "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" is expected to raise more than five million dollars when it goes on sale. The car is customised with gadgets such machine guns, a bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, a tracking device, a removable roof panel, an oil slick sprayer, a nail spreader and a smoke screen.

I read that the money raised will be donated to the owner's charitable foundation. The hefty price tag that comes with the car would be worth it as it is for a good cause and I believe that everyone that can afford it would be dying to own the car. But wow, 5.1 million singapore dolllars?

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1060742/1/.html

Blow Wind Blow~

A LARGE thorn in the side of Singapore-Malaysia relations was removed yesterday as leaders of both countries took big strides towards resolving a two-decade-old dispute over land owned by Malayan Railway (KTM) in Singapore. The two prime ministers told reporters that they had agreed to move the existing railway station from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands train checkpoint by July next year, and had sorted out how the redevelopment of the railway land left behind would be dealt with.

The old station was completed in 1932. It's kind of sad that the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station will be relocated as the railway station is full of history but I read that the building will be preserved by the National Heritage Board. I have never been to the railway station but I hope to visit the railway station in the near future before it stops operating or when it reopens as some sort of heritage building. Moving the railway station is probably a win win situation for both Singapore and Malaysia as Singapore can maximize the space for future developments and Malaysia can also build a station nearer to their coast so that it will be more convenient.

source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_530957.html

"Every step I take is finally toward the biggest goal of my life, to stand on top of the world,"

A 13-year-old American boy on Saturday became the youngest person ever to climb the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, a statement on his website said. Jordan Romero and his father and stepmother reached the summit early Saturday, fulfilling a dream the Californian boy had harboured ever since seeing a mural of the mountain at school aged just nine.

Some experts said Romero, who climbed with his father and stepmother and a small team of sherpas, was too young to understand the dangers of scaling a mountain that has claimed the lives of many adults.

What were we doing when we were 13? This boy at the age of 13 has achieved so much more than many older than him has. It is an amazing feat to conquer the highest mountain at his age and he appears to be the youngest doing so. I don't agree with what the critics said about him being too young to understand the dangers of scaling a mountain that has claimed lives of many adults. Romero climbed the mountain with his father and his stepmother, his father would have stopped him if he thought that it was too dangerous. Besides, Nepal did not have any age limits for climbers, so Romero did not do anything wrong.

So, Congratulations to Jordan Romero!

source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1058368/1/.html

First hit, now slash. What's next?

TWO years ago, Koh Kim Swee, now 23, hit his mother on the head with a hammer and was jailed 15 months. The unrepentant son hurt her again two months ago. He slashed his 49-year-old mother's forehead with a 19cm-long knife along the common corridor outside their flat at Jurong East Street 21 on March 18 - over a trivial matter.

There is a lot of violence cases appearing in the news recently. The actions of this 23 year old, barely a man, is very wrong. Even though I do not know the whole story and the mother might be at fault too. I believe that a man should never lay a finger on a woman unless it is for self protection. It is not right to do it to anyone and let alone your own mother. This man clearly has no respect for his own mother as he had hurt her twice. I am glad that he have received the rightful punishment as he was jailed 30 months and ordered to be caned six strokes. I hope that he would reflect upon himself when he is in prison and be a better man when he is released.

source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/the%2BStraits%2BTimes/Story/A1Story20100513-216112.html

Would you put your child on a leash?

"Children of kiln workers at a brick/tile factory in the town of Dingqiao in Haining, some 125 km west of Shanghai, have been leashed to the workshop's windows with rope by their parents. It is believed that the parents of these children do not have time to look after them while they are away at work. They have resorted to these measures because they are afraid that their children will get into an accident if left unsupervised. It is also understood that these children are leashed for nearly 10 hours every day."

Personally I feel very disturbed by this article. I understand that the parents might not have the time and financial ability to take care of their children by themselves or to hire someone to do the job but is there a need to put their kids on a leash while they work? I've seen the pictures attached to the article and the child only has a mat and a blanket with them as they are leashed to the walls. I also think that the children are really deprived of many things such as companionship and what if they need to use the toilet? I hope that their parents do visit them at least once in two hours. I pity the children but at the same time I don't think the parents have a choice as it is probably very difficult to make a living in their area. I do hope that the parents would come up with a better solution to taking care of their children instead of leashing them on a rope.

source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20100507-214781.html

Let's play musical chairs!

IT IS almost like a comical musical- chair routine, played out on Singapore's public-transport services. A passenger boards the bus or MRT train and rushes to occupy seats other than the priority seats, which are usually a different colour from regular ones. The 'slower' ones who get the priority seats had better give them up to pregnant, old or disabled people who board the bus after they do. Otherwise, they will be bombarded by disapproving stares from other commuters, who hope to force them to give up their seats.

This is something that I have seen happening often in the train. In the article, the writer also directed these questions to the readers, "Yet, has Singapore really become more gracious? Or have we merely shifted our civic responsibility to others?" I have witnessed inconsiderate commuters who still continues to sit at the priority seats despite having a pregnant lady just standing right in front of them. Honestly, I really want to know what they were thinking at the moment when they chose to ignore the lady who obviously needs the seat more than they do. I think that our government have tried hard to educate and promote the citizens regarding graciousness on MRTs but Singaporeans still has a lot to improve on when it comes to it.

source: http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Transport/Story/A1Story20100506-214540.html

$500,000 to catch durians!

"Developer plans to preserve durian tree with a S$500,000 net-like structure. IT IS is known as The Durian Catcher. That’s precisely what it does – catch durians. The structure consists of a funnel-like netting surrounding the tree, which will catch the durians and channel them down to the ground. Below the funnel, a second layer of netting will provide space for children to play on."

The Durian Catcher seems to be of a good cause which is to protect the aging Durian Tree but I am very surprised with the exorbitant price tag that comes along with it. The developer managed to "kill two birds with one stone" by building this durian catcher, they are able to preserve the tree and at the same time, the structure would serve as a playground for the children. I am sure that the developers will ensure the safety aspects of the structure and that no one would get hurt by falling durians while playing around the structure. The ripe durians would be shared between the residents of the estate as well and it probably is the only estate with a durian tree so I think that it's really amazing despite the price.

source: http://www.soshiok.com/article/11512

Super Tottenham, from the lane!

"Tottenham booked a lucrative place in the Champions League in dramatic fashion as Peter Crouch's late header clinched a 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday. A fixture dubbed a 50 million pounds play-off for a place in Europe's elite club competition lived up to its billing as both sides went for broke, but it was Spurs who were deserved winners."

This is the fourth season I have been following the English Premier League and it is the first time I've seen another team next to the Big Four (Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) in the top four positions. After winning this match, Tottenham will now have the chance to fight among the Europe's elite for the Champions League next season. I am happy that Tottenham won as I believe that they are the better team compared to Manchester City and I prefer them way more than the other club. However, I am also sad that Liverpool would not be qualifying for the next season's Champions League. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Liverpool but the club definitely has a lot of experience and history. The article also says that the club has not taken part in the European Cup since the 1960s so I think that they really deserved this win! So for now, all the best to Tottenham in the coming season!

source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1054726/1/.html

Team brings glory to NYP

A TEAM of Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) lecturers and students emerged as the cream of the crop, winning an international ice cream award on Wednesday, trumping major players such as Dreyer's Grand and Haagen-Dazs.

The NYP team's 'green tea laced with aloe vera' recipe beat industry names from Slovenia and the United States to emerge tops in the best new ice cream category at the inaugural IDF Dairy Innovation Awards in Austria.

NYP's winning ice cream flavour was developed by four students and two lecturers from the Food Science Programme of the polytechnic's School of Chemical and Life Sciences (SCL).

I think it is a great honor to be awarded with such an award and not to mention we even beat Haagen-Dazs which is an international brand and also popular throughout the entire world. Winning this award also brings global recognition to our country and our school (NYP). I believe that this win will also be a great factor in attracting students into the Food Science Programme and this will make a determining factor for students when NYP is compared with other polytechnics.

Green tea laced with aloe vera flavor of ice cream sounds very interesting and I would definitely try it if the ice cream is being commercialised. However, I do think that the recipe name should be changed as the it is too long and it does not sounds attractive at all. The team should come out with a name that will make everyone interested so that they will purchase the product.

source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100503-213791.html

The Computer is not on friendly terms with me

Crashing machines, slow boot times, and agony dealing with technical support have Digital Age people suffering from Computer Stress Syndrome, a study available online Tuesday found.


The report identified sources of peoples' pain as "frustrating, complex computers and devices, technical failures, viral infections, and long waits to resolve support issues."

We are living in a world that is almost completely reliant on computer technology and the technology just keeps on improving. I have to admit that my technical expertise might not be the best and after reading this article, I actually do think that I might suffer from the Computer Stress Syndrome. I never fail to feel like an airhead when it comes to my notebook especially when it comes to those softwares and applications so I do try to steer clear from them. However everything that we do right now, basically revolves around the computers. We communicate with our friends through instant messaging and we keep in touch through social networking sites such as Facebook and even our school work requires the use of a notebook and internet.

"When they are functioning properly, they're great. But when something goes wrong, we immediately go into panic -- This is what I call the Computer Stress Syndrome."

The article has got me thinking on how reliant we actually are on our computers. If our computers disappears for a day, I'm sure everyone will feel lost without it. In conclusion, I have nothing to say against how much easier the computer has made our lives. Be patient with me, I'm taking baby steps here. Someday, I am so going to become the best of friends with my notebook. Well it's either that, or ....

article source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1053024/1/.html

picture source: http://www.pajamasatlunch.com/?p=351 s

picture source: http://davidwallphoto.com/searchresults.asp?t=55