Monday, June 26, 2006

Surviving the new killer BUG
time magazine

This is not bird flu, SARS or even the flesh eating bacteria. However, it is every bit as dangerous even if it goes by an uncommonly ungainly name: community acquired methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. Medical researches had proven that such diseases spreads by contact. Hence, if it gets into any community that's fairly close knitted, all it needs is to be passed. Like SARS or bird flu, there isn't any cure to it just yet, still, people could take on precautionary measures to prevent such illnesses.

At the same time, I believe it kept many wondering as to why innoculations for many new diseases have not been cultivated despite our advancement in sciences. Does such hints provide clues that mother nature are proving to human beings that they could never play God? or maybe the myth stating that earth and its people will soon get exhausted was never wrong from the start?

I have a dream by Martin Lurther King, Jr

This article tells us what the Negro's in America have always wished for. They never dreamt of having more prosperity than the whites but instead, they wanted freedon, they wanted to be accepted by the whites in America. All along, the Negro's have missed out their opportunities to cause a change in their lives just because they have always deemed as the inferior by the society.

In my opinion, it is right for the blacks to stand up for themselves. For, alas, they could refrain others from deciding how they are and how they should become. No changes of prejudism on them had been made in the past because even the blacks themselves looked down upon themselves. I have a dream by Martin Lurther clearly emphasises the change in status of the blacks today, which is, like almost all whites they do hold superior jobs.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

S'PORE APPROACH TO OBESITY WON'T WORK
straits times/ review/ 19 june
This article addresses a new problem Singaporeans are facing--increasing levels of obesity among our youths.The writer feels that Singapore's approach to obesity is wrong---in his opinion most Singaporeans are "ignorant and ill-disciplined when it comes to food".Hence ,naturally, their children would develop unhealthy eating habits as well.I agree with the writer to a large extent.Obesity cannot be dealt with solely through "educational means" and "market forces".A half hour of exercise in school would be useless if the obese child returns to an unhealthy diet once he returns home.It is important that parents cooperate with schools in their efforts to teach children how to eat healthily.I feel that the main reason why most Singaporeans do not practise constraint with food is an ignorance regarding the bad consequences of obesity, and the value of a healthy diet. In order to put a stop to a growing obesity problem, it is crucial that Singaporeans start to practise discipline when it comes to their diet.

Growing Pains
time magazine

Chen Shui Bian's victory in the 2000 presidential election was a landmark event not just for taiwan but for the worldwide chinses dispora. It marked the first peaceful transition of political power through deomcratic means in the history of chinese governance. However, amid allegations of corruption against his aides and family members had caused a big frenzy in Taiwan today.

Corruption within a government maybe the worst fears of its people because this would mean the declination of a nation economically and as a whole. However, because it's people are comitted to electing their president, law makers and local leaders, and are increasingly aware of their right to have a greater say in the governance of the lives and of their power to kick out officials who don't deliver, eventhough Tawian's leaders may come and go, but the island's democracy is here to stay.

Get ahead, Learn
times magazine

China's economic rise means the world has a new second language- and it isn't english but chinese. While english may be the only internationallylanguage, millions of tongues are wagging over what is rapidly becoming thw world's other lingua franca: Mandrin. Just as Americans started studying Japanese in droves in the 1980's when Japan's economy was ascendant, so today, as China rises, the world is embracing Mandrin. In fact it is estimated that Chinese is spoken by one out of six people on earth today.

Since Mandrin may soon become an international language in the near future, the chinese themselves, especially Singaporeans should be thankful for chinese education offered to us since young. This would not only allow us to recognise our roots, but also, useful in the near future when we get into the job industry.

Extract from: To kill a mocking Bird

Are all men born equal? There is never a right or exact answer to this. However, I do not believe all men are born equal. The fact that there are smarter people, better looking people, people who are being born into better backgrounds while others are born handicapped or with lesser opportunities have contradicted Thomas Jefferson's statements. Furthermore, he claims that the court is and will always be a fair place. But, how true is this? If the court was a fair place, innocent victims would not be accused to jail with the lack of evidence. In fact, the court is never a fair place. All it takes is a couple of bribed or prejudiced judge, a good lawyer or even an alibi to turn a whole situation round.

World has not learnt lessons of Holocaust

Why do human beings always learn the wrong things, to cheat , to steal, to kill. But never in this while, a human being could turn wise enough to learn the greatness of helping each other, to share and to forgive. From the recent reports about the mass murders in cambodia and elsewhere, it had just proven once again that men never learns from history or their mistakes but stubbonly repeats them.

Is it true that " All that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing"? I believe evil would seize to exist even when the good men does something. Similar to police and crimes. Even if there are multiple or lots of crime preventor taking action each time to stop crimes, they still do take place. Take terrorism and the law enforcer as an example, this is a cycle that could never be destroyed because the terrorist refuses to change or give up on their attempts of hurting others because they felt indebted to take revenge for the close ones who died. Perhaps, the problem lies in forgiving one another. There is a saying that it is easy to forget but never easy to forgive. Therefore, in my opinion, stopping the action of mass murders by force isn't enough.

Auschwits-never again

The Holocaust had taken place sixty five years ago. Nevertheless, this event has been commemorated even until this day. Hence, showing it's importance and the amount of grieveness the Jews have suffered since then.

Could you imagine yourself leaving with hundred of thousands of people in a small area without food and water, yet, having to work as slaves for the nazis? This was in actual fact how the jews lived during the holocaust. I read a book entittled "Friedrich" once, it was a story about the life of a Young boy who was a Jew and how he lived through World War two having lost his rights, friends, and even parents in the later stages. Perhaps, being in the Auschwitz was not a bad thing compared to the Jews who were spared initially for working for the nazis soldiers.These Jews were asked to bury other Jews and their family members alive and this must have been a more painful job mentally than physically. The descrimination got on so badly later that even the Jews were seperated from the Germans at public schools and finally when they lost their rights to enjoy the public services like the swimming pools and movie theatres. On top of that, the Germans would boycott all businesses of the Jews, leaving no lee way for them to survive.

All this while, people had blamed Hitler for being ruthless and unsympathetic. However, it always takes two hands to clap. I guess the Germans do have to take responsibility for their actions too. Afterall, they do have a choice not to be manipulated by Hitler.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Let's talk about "HAPPY SLAPPING"
The straits times/youthlink/June 19 2006

What is Happy Slapping? According to the British tabloid, it is when you walk up to a stranger, assult the person, at the same time, recording the entire process and finally, place the video on the internet. This phenomenon has caught the media's attention only lately due to the increased amount of the displays of violence on the internet.

Nevertheless, it did prove that violence and bullies know no gender as it can occur in a girl's or boy's life. What is especially shocking is how the violence seems to have escalated. Name calling and teasing have been around for a while, but filming the inhumane beating of a fellow student is simply too repulsive. Statistics had shown that more than ninety percent of primary school and secondary schools students have been preyed upon by bullies, thereby, showing the seriousness of violence today.

violence is only being instilled in a person after constant exposure to it. Therefore, should we blame the media for it's constant exposure of violence to their young television viewers? Bullying and violence among youths should be eliminated. However, it takes two hands to clap. Unless the bystanders are willing to raise their courage to speak up, allowing the culprit to feel accountable for their actions or otherwise, I feel that violence, like an epidemic, would never stop spreading.