Death penalty is one punishment that is commonly used in many countries on murderers. It had always being an issue to whether it is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to death penalty. Personally, I would say yes to it due to a few reasons.
Firstly, death penalty will restrain people from killing. As mentioned by Gary B Becker, mast people are afraid of death and murderers will also try to escape from death penalty. Hence, it is evident that by imposing death penalty, it helps to deter potentials that thought of murder. One, seeing that there is a severe consequence for committing murder, chooses alternatives to solve their problems instead of taking impulsive actions like murder. Thus, death penalty should not be abolished.
Secondly, death penalty acts as a way to mend for the psychological loss of the victim’s close ones. To an outsider, it seems absurd to execute the murderer for what he had committed as it does not help to bring back the dead. However, to the victim’s close ones, there is no other punishment that could bring the same sense of justice that is brought by death penalty. Many still feel that an eye should pay for an eye, thus the execution of the murderer is justifiable. There may be an emotional unbalance in the victim’s close ones if the murderer were given life imprisonment instead as they feel that the punishment the murderer deserve s more than being locked up in the prison for the rest of their life. Hence, death penalty should not be abolished, as it is accountable for the justice for the victim’s close ones.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
New gaming centres in school
Article: Game time at schools by Lim Yee Hung & Melissa Tan The Straits Times 24/6/07
In view of the many advantage of opening a game center, Local Area Networking (LAN) e-gaming centres were set up in schools so as to keep their students away from LAN gaming outlets.
There are obvious advantages to such decision so that there are a number of local schools already have their LAN gaming centres located in their schools. Some of such schools are Montfort Secondary, Wellington Primary and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). There are a number of reasons as to why the schools support this move.
Firstly, at commercial gaming outlets, students are exposed to bad influences such as smoking or swearing. As cited from the article, 58% of youth between 10 and 15 played or download computer or video games online. Thus, there is a need to guide these young users so that they will not pick up bad practices like smoking. In schools, the students’ gameplay will be monitored so as to ensure the students from not picking up the bad influences. For example, there is a teacher stationed in the gaming center at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) so as to ensure discipline. Thus, parents need not to worry their child picking up the wrong things from wrong people as they enjoy their game online.
Secondly, students’ health is also taken care for in the game centres in schools. For example, at Wellington Primary School, students are to take a 15-minute break after an hour. They are to go to a reading corner so as to give their eyes a break. An OSIM eye massager is available in the centre. As myopia is one of the health problems associated to long hours of gameplay, thus under the monitor of the school, students are able to have fun in the center while paying attention to take good care of their health. Thus, the idea of having LAN centre is greatly supported in the schools.
On the other hand, the opening of LAN centres worries the shop owners of the commercial LAN centres as their business may be affected. There will definitely have a decrease in the number of younger customers patronising their shops. However, it is certain that the decision of opening a LAN centre in schools brings no harm to the students as they receive guidance as they play their game. It is also a more protected environment as compared to the commercial LAN shop where they are exposed to people from all walks of life – whether they are good or bad.
In view of the many advantage of opening a game center, Local Area Networking (LAN) e-gaming centres were set up in schools so as to keep their students away from LAN gaming outlets.
There are obvious advantages to such decision so that there are a number of local schools already have their LAN gaming centres located in their schools. Some of such schools are Montfort Secondary, Wellington Primary and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). There are a number of reasons as to why the schools support this move.
Firstly, at commercial gaming outlets, students are exposed to bad influences such as smoking or swearing. As cited from the article, 58% of youth between 10 and 15 played or download computer or video games online. Thus, there is a need to guide these young users so that they will not pick up bad practices like smoking. In schools, the students’ gameplay will be monitored so as to ensure the students from not picking up the bad influences. For example, there is a teacher stationed in the gaming center at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) so as to ensure discipline. Thus, parents need not to worry their child picking up the wrong things from wrong people as they enjoy their game online.
Secondly, students’ health is also taken care for in the game centres in schools. For example, at Wellington Primary School, students are to take a 15-minute break after an hour. They are to go to a reading corner so as to give their eyes a break. An OSIM eye massager is available in the centre. As myopia is one of the health problems associated to long hours of gameplay, thus under the monitor of the school, students are able to have fun in the center while paying attention to take good care of their health. Thus, the idea of having LAN centre is greatly supported in the schools.
On the other hand, the opening of LAN centres worries the shop owners of the commercial LAN centres as their business may be affected. There will definitely have a decrease in the number of younger customers patronising their shops. However, it is certain that the decision of opening a LAN centre in schools brings no harm to the students as they receive guidance as they play their game. It is also a more protected environment as compared to the commercial LAN shop where they are exposed to people from all walks of life – whether they are good or bad.
Article: Embracing Otherhood, The Straits Times 17/12/05
As Singapore play host to more people from different backgrounds and culture, challenges arise, as there exists the question of how accepting the locals are and the possible unfair treatments to the foreigners.
The influx of new immigrants brings out the problem of how accepting the locals are to the foreigners. Many locals view foreigners as burdens or people that snatch their jobs or opportunities away from them. From the article of “Red stars, scholars and stayers” (The Straits Times), one of the parents interviewed, Madame Irene Tan said that China students that had done excelling well in schools may go on to compete in the same job market as our local students in future. Besides that, the difference in appearance is believed to be one of the causes for locals finding hard to see the foreigners as one of us. As cited from the article, there are still whispers about Caucasians living HDB estates. This does not help Singapore in playing the role of a hospitable host as she invite more foreigners that may contribute positively to her economy. The foreigners may feel rejected by the treatment from the locals and chose not to come to Singapore to work or stay.
In addition, the foreigners may receive unfair treatment from the locals. Foreigners with lower social status may have their welfare neglected. For example, the recent case of the death of the illegal worker Maung Soe Thein from Myanmar who fell to death while working on a block of flats as stated in the article. His employer, Chua Beng Lye, buried is body instead of reporting his death to the authorities. As the case was revealed, there was not much of a strong response from the locals, which simply show the apathy of the locals to these foreign workers of lower social status. The prejudice suffered by the foreign workers causes unfair treatments from work and the public as we can see from the death of Muang.
In conclusion, the challenges faced by Singapore as she play host to more people from different backgrounds and culture are interlinked. The unaccepted foreigners receive prejudice and unfair treatments from the locals in various places like workplace. Hence, steps should be taken to solve these problems so that the locals and foreigners could work and live harmoniously, contributing positively to Singapore.
The influx of new immigrants brings out the problem of how accepting the locals are to the foreigners. Many locals view foreigners as burdens or people that snatch their jobs or opportunities away from them. From the article of “Red stars, scholars and stayers” (The Straits Times), one of the parents interviewed, Madame Irene Tan said that China students that had done excelling well in schools may go on to compete in the same job market as our local students in future. Besides that, the difference in appearance is believed to be one of the causes for locals finding hard to see the foreigners as one of us. As cited from the article, there are still whispers about Caucasians living HDB estates. This does not help Singapore in playing the role of a hospitable host as she invite more foreigners that may contribute positively to her economy. The foreigners may feel rejected by the treatment from the locals and chose not to come to Singapore to work or stay.
In addition, the foreigners may receive unfair treatment from the locals. Foreigners with lower social status may have their welfare neglected. For example, the recent case of the death of the illegal worker Maung Soe Thein from Myanmar who fell to death while working on a block of flats as stated in the article. His employer, Chua Beng Lye, buried is body instead of reporting his death to the authorities. As the case was revealed, there was not much of a strong response from the locals, which simply show the apathy of the locals to these foreign workers of lower social status. The prejudice suffered by the foreign workers causes unfair treatments from work and the public as we can see from the death of Muang.
In conclusion, the challenges faced by Singapore as she play host to more people from different backgrounds and culture are interlinked. The unaccepted foreigners receive prejudice and unfair treatments from the locals in various places like workplace. Hence, steps should be taken to solve these problems so that the locals and foreigners could work and live harmoniously, contributing positively to Singapore.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
world in balance
Regardless of the rise or fall in human population, the society and economics of
a country will definitely feel the impact of such changes.
With the rise in human population, there will be more demands like more jobs
will need to be generated for the young workforce. However, economic problems
arise when the country is unable to meet the demand. For example India is unable
to keep pace with its growing population in creating six million new jobs a year.
The situation of unemployment in India is thus made worsen with youths joining the workforce jobless.
Eventually, this leads to social problems like poverty and increasing crime rates.The poor are forced to steal or rob so as to survive in today’s world. They are trapped in a poverty cycle as their children are unable to receive sufficient education thus having little or no skills for jobs with higher pay. Hence, socio-economic problems occurred due to the increase of human population.
The fall in human population results in the lack of young workers in the workforce. As the population of the old increase in the country, there will be a strain on the economy as there are insufficient young workers to generate enough revenue for the welfare of the elderly. Hence, the country may lack the resources and money to build necessary infrastructure like old folks’ home for the old. The social impact, in this case, is that the elderly in the country may not be well taken care of.
Besides that, it is also to note that the country suffering from a fall in human population may not be generating as much revenue as they could if there is a younger workforce. There are also fewer consumers with a drop in human population. This means that there is less business targeted for the younger age groups. Eventually, this affects the welfare of the elderly as less revenue means that there is less measures to take care of them since the country is unable to afford it.
a country will definitely feel the impact of such changes.
With the rise in human population, there will be more demands like more jobs
will need to be generated for the young workforce. However, economic problems
arise when the country is unable to meet the demand. For example India is unable
to keep pace with its growing population in creating six million new jobs a year.
The situation of unemployment in India is thus made worsen with youths joining the workforce jobless.
Eventually, this leads to social problems like poverty and increasing crime rates.The poor are forced to steal or rob so as to survive in today’s world. They are trapped in a poverty cycle as their children are unable to receive sufficient education thus having little or no skills for jobs with higher pay. Hence, socio-economic problems occurred due to the increase of human population.
The fall in human population results in the lack of young workers in the workforce. As the population of the old increase in the country, there will be a strain on the economy as there are insufficient young workers to generate enough revenue for the welfare of the elderly. Hence, the country may lack the resources and money to build necessary infrastructure like old folks’ home for the old. The social impact, in this case, is that the elderly in the country may not be well taken care of.
Besides that, it is also to note that the country suffering from a fall in human population may not be generating as much revenue as they could if there is a younger workforce. There are also fewer consumers with a drop in human population. This means that there is less business targeted for the younger age groups. Eventually, this affects the welfare of the elderly as less revenue means that there is less measures to take care of them since the country is unable to afford it.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
young investors in the money market?
article: Savvy young investors in the money market by Tessa Wong, The Straits Time 2 july 2007
There is a growing number in teens as young as secondary students to the early 20s who are getting involved in financial trading. They handle real money with sums as large as $200,000 as investments. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages of youths getting involved in financial trading since they are mostly inexperienced youths who hardly have enough working experience to be able to make the best decision when comes to financial management. However, I am giving my full hundred percent support for youths getting involved in financial trading.
Many got their capital from their parents who supported them in their involvement in the financial market. They believe that their children are able to handle the money wisely and most importantly, learning life skills and experience as they trade in the financial market. As mentioned by Mr Tan Choon Hwa, father of the teen, Ace, “He (Ace) will learn life skills and god finance management.” It is undeniable that youths do earn life experience as they encounter difficulties or make hard decisions during their trade. As they learn and eventually make up a choice, the youths will learn some skills or values that they pick up along the way. This adds up to their life experience that may help them in their future work.
However, it is to note that the youths are handling with real money and are trading in the financial market. This is no child’s play and with every investment comes along risks. Thus, the youths need to be guided and be given advice for their decision. Some may have their family members who have experience in the trading world to act as their mentors. For those who are not so fortunate, they are still able to receive help from clubs or associations. Foe example, I-cube is an association formed last year by Singapore’s three universities’ investment clubs. It organizes financial literacy events for students from secondary schools, junior colleges and polytechnics. Thus, with the availability of sources to teach the youths and advising them on making the wise choice, why should we discourage the youths from learning financial management early?
There is a growing number in teens as young as secondary students to the early 20s who are getting involved in financial trading. They handle real money with sums as large as $200,000 as investments. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages of youths getting involved in financial trading since they are mostly inexperienced youths who hardly have enough working experience to be able to make the best decision when comes to financial management. However, I am giving my full hundred percent support for youths getting involved in financial trading.
Many got their capital from their parents who supported them in their involvement in the financial market. They believe that their children are able to handle the money wisely and most importantly, learning life skills and experience as they trade in the financial market. As mentioned by Mr Tan Choon Hwa, father of the teen, Ace, “He (Ace) will learn life skills and god finance management.” It is undeniable that youths do earn life experience as they encounter difficulties or make hard decisions during their trade. As they learn and eventually make up a choice, the youths will learn some skills or values that they pick up along the way. This adds up to their life experience that may help them in their future work.
However, it is to note that the youths are handling with real money and are trading in the financial market. This is no child’s play and with every investment comes along risks. Thus, the youths need to be guided and be given advice for their decision. Some may have their family members who have experience in the trading world to act as their mentors. For those who are not so fortunate, they are still able to receive help from clubs or associations. Foe example, I-cube is an association formed last year by Singapore’s three universities’ investment clubs. It organizes financial literacy events for students from secondary schools, junior colleges and polytechnics. Thus, with the availability of sources to teach the youths and advising them on making the wise choice, why should we discourage the youths from learning financial management early?
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Article: Students with average grades grab chance to shine by Jane Ng, The Straits Times 22 June 07.
In 2004, the Education Ministry allowed the NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to set their own admission criteria for up to 10% of their students. This allows students that are unable to earn a place in the universities with their grades, yet have performed exceeding well in other areas.
I believe that such an allowance provides more opportunities for the average students to excel as well as an A-grade student could. As tertiary education is not only about being book-smart, average students who have other strengths of their own that may in turn be helpful for the course that they are studying. For example, Mr. Han Weiding, 22, a second-year NTU student was admitted to NTU through the discretionary admission. His experiences in writing competitions during his secondary school days are helpful in his studying of journalism. Thus, it is certain that the discretionary admission helps to discover a pool of average students that have hidden talents that makes them as competitive as an A-grade student.
In addition, discretionary admission also prevents Singapore from losing average students who can be accomplished. For example, before the discretionary admission was allowed, Miss Penny Tan failed to get into NUS and decided to stay in Britain’s University of Leicester after she secured a place there. She is now studying medicine and prepares herself in becoming a doctor. Singapore hence lost an individual who can contribute positively to Singapore. Moreover, there is more than one such student like Miss Penny Tan in Singapore. Undeniably, Singapore will be at the losing end if steps fail to be taken in keeping these talents. Thus, with discretionary admission, Singapore will be able to keep promising students that may not be performing academically well. It eventually benefits Singapore’s economy in future. Thus, I strongly support the discretionary admission.
In 2004, the Education Ministry allowed the NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to set their own admission criteria for up to 10% of their students. This allows students that are unable to earn a place in the universities with their grades, yet have performed exceeding well in other areas.
I believe that such an allowance provides more opportunities for the average students to excel as well as an A-grade student could. As tertiary education is not only about being book-smart, average students who have other strengths of their own that may in turn be helpful for the course that they are studying. For example, Mr. Han Weiding, 22, a second-year NTU student was admitted to NTU through the discretionary admission. His experiences in writing competitions during his secondary school days are helpful in his studying of journalism. Thus, it is certain that the discretionary admission helps to discover a pool of average students that have hidden talents that makes them as competitive as an A-grade student.
In addition, discretionary admission also prevents Singapore from losing average students who can be accomplished. For example, before the discretionary admission was allowed, Miss Penny Tan failed to get into NUS and decided to stay in Britain’s University of Leicester after she secured a place there. She is now studying medicine and prepares herself in becoming a doctor. Singapore hence lost an individual who can contribute positively to Singapore. Moreover, there is more than one such student like Miss Penny Tan in Singapore. Undeniably, Singapore will be at the losing end if steps fail to be taken in keeping these talents. Thus, with discretionary admission, Singapore will be able to keep promising students that may not be performing academically well. It eventually benefits Singapore’s economy in future. Thus, I strongly support the discretionary admission.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
commentary
http://innerv0ice.blogspot.com/2007/05/in-view-of-global-warming-many.html
I do not agree that Singapore can go car-less. Instead, Singapore can try to cut down the number of cars in the country.
It is not possible for Singapore to go car-less as there are a portion of the population that need private cars so that it is more accessible for them to reach places in the country. For example, my father need to travel to many different places in a day due to work. Thus, having a private car is undeniably more convienent than waiting ten to thirty minutes at the bus stop or train station for public transport. Of course, some may suggest taking a cab. However, it is not possible to take a cab everytime as the fees are high.
Though Singapore is not able to go car-less, we should still try to reduce the numbers. Besides reviewing the car ownership, the government should also educate the public in taking public transport over private cars. More canpiagns like 'no-car days' should be organised and perhaps getting more public members involved in such campaigns. In addition, the public should be kept informed about the present situation of global warming. This can be done through putting up the newst information regading global warming on the notice board at the basement of the flats. Not only that, the young should also be educated so that they are more aware of global warming and contribute by going green. Besides studying the causes of global warming and the consequences of it, the school should engage the students in how to conribute in controlling global warming. Through this, the students can be encouraged to take public transport instead of private cars and other ways of reducing carbon dioxide emission or preventing the further worserning of global warming could be taught.
I do not agree that Singapore can go car-less. Instead, Singapore can try to cut down the number of cars in the country.
It is not possible for Singapore to go car-less as there are a portion of the population that need private cars so that it is more accessible for them to reach places in the country. For example, my father need to travel to many different places in a day due to work. Thus, having a private car is undeniably more convienent than waiting ten to thirty minutes at the bus stop or train station for public transport. Of course, some may suggest taking a cab. However, it is not possible to take a cab everytime as the fees are high.
Though Singapore is not able to go car-less, we should still try to reduce the numbers. Besides reviewing the car ownership, the government should also educate the public in taking public transport over private cars. More canpiagns like 'no-car days' should be organised and perhaps getting more public members involved in such campaigns. In addition, the public should be kept informed about the present situation of global warming. This can be done through putting up the newst information regading global warming on the notice board at the basement of the flats. Not only that, the young should also be educated so that they are more aware of global warming and contribute by going green. Besides studying the causes of global warming and the consequences of it, the school should engage the students in how to conribute in controlling global warming. Through this, the students can be encouraged to take public transport instead of private cars and other ways of reducing carbon dioxide emission or preventing the further worserning of global warming could be taught.
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