Miss Teng's Sec 304/404 LA class

SRQ Pactice

2010-04-09T14:53:00.000+08:00

Instructions:

Read the speech by Robyn Williams (War and Peace).
Write your response to it in your R&R blog.
Go to http://mixedink.com/forpeaceforwar/Rwilliams414 to rate what the students there have written in response to this article. (You may write your own response by mixing what others have already said so that it becomes an even stronger piece.)

Peer-evaluation: Personal Statement

2010-04-09T14:49:00.000+08:00

Use these prompts to guide you as you peer-evaluate your friend’s personal statement:
1. What is your most initial impression of this candidate as you read the opening? (Is there a strong hook at the start of the personal statement?)
2. After reading through, state in one sentence how a university admission board or scholarship board might view this candidate. (Are you clear what the candidate is like? What she wants? What her strengths and weaknesses are? Are you impressed by the candidate in any way?)

Use this checklist to give your friend comments on her personal statement:

• Good flow; the whole essay hangs together; not piece-meal; not grocery list; one or two central thought/idea

• Enough elaboration by means of specific examples to SHOW the candidate’s quality, aspiration, etc.

• Genuine personal voice: appropriate tone
• Effective use of language: choice of word, tone, diction, correctness

FINAL DRAFT DUE: 12 April (Mon)

Writing your personal statements

2010-03-31T11:38:00.002+08:00

To prepare for the writing of your personal statements, do a Glogster poster of who you are. Use the following prompts to help you decide what you need to include on your personal poster:

Your personal qualities
Your values, beliefs, priorities
Your aspirations
Life-changing moments: obstacles, challenges...
Major influences: people, books...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stollerdos/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

AUDIO DIARY;

2009-06-03T22:57:00.003+08:00

IMPT!

hey 304ers,

please email your audio diary file to ms teng if you are unable to upload it onto blogger. take note that the preferred format of the file is MP3!

thanks!

Comments on 'To Live' and Poem

2009-05-24T16:25:00.000+08:00

In what ways is the portrayal of the common man similar and/or different?
The common men are both in the lower or middle working class. They blend into the world and are unnoticeable to people. In ‘The man in the bowler hat’, the common man is described as the windowpane, transparent and often overlooked or neglected. On the other hand, in ‘To Live’, Fugui is also often remembered as the man who delivers water to households instead of his name Fugui. They do not have an identity or a voice and just blends with the surroundings around them. For example, in the poem, the man was ‘the colour of the carriage, the colour of the mounting’, faded into the surroundings. In ‘To Live’, Jiazhen said a few times that even though they are poor, she was still happy as they lived a peaceful life and were happy as a family. She wanted to be unnoticed and just wanted simple happiness.

How pleased are you with the status of women as portrayed in ‘To Live’?
I am generally pleased with the status of women as portrayed in ‘To Live’. When Jiazhen left Fugui at the start, the house was in a mess. This shows how important women were in the family. Because of Jiazhen, Fugui also turned over a new leaf for her sake. This show how influential and the authority and power women have. In ‘To Live’, men and women are of balanced status. Even though Fengxia could not pass down their family name, Fugui and Jiazhen still loved Fengxia a lot. Women were also given respect and a voice to speak for themselves, for example in marriage. When Fugui and Jiazhen were arranging marriage for Fengxia, they asked for her opinions and did not make decisions by themselves. Therefore, in general, I think that the status of women portrayed was fair.

In what ways is the portrayal of the common man similar and/or different?

2009-05-24T13:05:00.001+08:00

The man in the movie and the poem are both portrayed as individuals with no voices in the society they are living in.

In the poem, the man is unnoticed and isolated. He simply fades into his surroundings, as an individual with no personal voice. He is invisible to those around him and feels he can give more to the world around him. He feels that his life is too monotonous and he wants to live for a reason, not just for the sake of living. The man in the poem also seems very depressed and unspontaneous. He does not seem to be enjoying his life. This is likely due to the fact that he is being ignored by the society. The sentence “The man who is patient too long and obeys too much. And wishes too softly and seldom” shows that he thinks that he does not have a voice in the society he is living in, but basically just leading a life by following the rules of the government.

Similarly in the movie “To Live”, Fugui and his family had no voice under the communist power. The movie reflects what the common people in China experienced during the Cultural Revolution. Fuigui is portrayed as an ordinary member of the society who goes through many hardships, lingering between life and death of himself and the people around him. He is helpless in front of the deaths of both his children, yet could do nothing about them. He and his family could only follow the rules of communism and Chairman Mao under the fear of punishment.

comments on 'to live' and the poem

2009-05-23T11:52:00.003+08:00

In what ways is the portrayal of the common man similar and/or different?
They are both unnoticeable, where they can easily blend in with the surroundings. They are the common men in the workers society, where they do not get to voice out their thoughts, as most people will neglect their opinions. No one bothers them unless they do something grand or gets involved in illegal things. For example, in the movie ‘To Live”, Fu gui lives in an isolated alley with his wife. They are just contented with their simple life, and trying to blend in with others by following the Mao Ze Dong’s lead, instead of opposing the government party. In the poem, the man is also unnoticeable as he is “the man who was the colour of the carriage, the colour of the mounting.” This shows that he is so unnoticeable that he blends in with the background, as if he is not even there in the first place.

How pleased are you with the status of women as portrayed in ‘To Live’?

I am generally pleased with the status of the women in ‘To Live’. Jia Zhen is seen as a head of the household where she could also make decisions for the family. When Feng Xia was supposed to get married, Jia zhen played in part in finding the right husband for her. This implies that she is also a respected member of the family. Furthermore, the couple also consulted Feng Xia if she wanted to get married with that man, as her opinion is also valued.

Furthermore when Yong Qing, their only son, was dead, the couple did not neglect Feng Xia. I am very pleased with this, as there is an equal love for their children, regardless of their gender. In China, this is very rare in the past, as most parents are more favourable towards the son, as he is able to “pass down their family’s name”. Therefore, this movie has portrayed women in a equal status as the men, and I am pleased with it.

Comments on 'To Live' and poem

2009-05-22T14:34:00.004+08:00

In what ways is the portrayal of the common man similar and/or different?
I think that they are both similar in the way that they are the commoners that are trapped in the web of circumstance. They are unable to change the circumstance and there is a sense of helplessness as they blindly follow the leading party, without an opinion, resigned to fate and simply content to live a simple life.
For example, in the movie 'To live', the couple's daughter, fengxia, although she was saved from the disease she turned into a mute, just like the nation. They were saved from starvation but the people lost their voices and their rights to speak. just like the'The man in the bowler hat', the writer does not give his persona a name, but instead calls himself "The man" making an emphasis on the fact that he has no voice, just another one of those commoners with no opinion, nothing, just the ordinary working class.

However, they are different in the way that if this man continues being his contented down-to-earth self, supporting the government and not rebeling against laws he would be able to lead his simple life, however in the show 'to live', even the supporters of the current political system were at risk of getting into trouble. For example, the town chief was an avid supported of Mao Zhedong but was instead being accused of being a capitalist although the whole village could vouch for his character. The power given to the people is minimal in the case of 'to live' with a lot of unfairness going around.
What are the director and poet saying about the human condition and human spirit?
Both the director and the poet agrees on the point that the humans have lost the will to dream, to hope and to make changes to the society. They have become accustomed to the mundane life that they live, cynical about the society they live in and are content to let life remain as it is.
How pleased are you with the status of women as portrayed in ‘To Live’?
The women in the movie "To Live" are protrayed as the lowest in the social hierachy, they are expected to stay at home and listen, serve their husbands and in-laws. While they work the hardest, they are given the least recognition and as it can be seen in the movie " To Live" the female was considered to be very "rebellious" for going to the gambing den and was viewed as causing her husband to "lose face" because of that. However, when her husband verbally abused her in public, the concern about his wife "losing face" never occured to him or anyone at all. It was considered during those times as normal or maybe even mild for not striking her for her disobedience. However, with the communist society, the promotion of equality, the status of women gradually improved.

Similarities and differences between the two characters

2009-05-22T14:34:00.001+08:00

Responding to the 1st question posted by Ms Teng, I think the man in the bowler hat is also a worker who is in the lower class. He is somewhat similar to the main character in ‘To Live’ as they both have to work very hard to earn a living. Also, they belonged to the workers’ class which consisted of a large percentage of people of the society. Thus they were usually unnoticed by the other people. Besides, they did not have a “voice”, They could not speak up for themselves and could only obey the instructions that were given to them. This was because they were only commoners and nobody would care to listen to them. Both characters were also similar as they were described as the “nation’s backbone”. Without them, the nation would most probably “collapse”. However, there are also differences between the two characters. In “To Live”, the main character was not in a safe position at all. The commoners in the society have to be careful as there was a conflict between the Communists and the Capitalists. As for “the man in the bowler hat”, he would not have to worry about these things. His life was much more peaceful compared to the life of the main character in “To Live”.

After watching 'To Live' (:

2009-05-22T14:26:00.001+08:00

How pleased are you with the status of women as portrayed in 'To Live'?

In ‘To Live’, women are portrayed as essential people in a family, and I think that’s fair. When Jiazhen left with Fengxia, Fugui was devastated. And this has made Fugui set his mind to turn over a new leaf; to quit gambling for good. During the time when Jiazhen and Fengxia were gone, Fugui’s house was in a mess, implying that without his wife and daughter, Fugui’s life is in a mess. When Jiazhen was finally back with their daughter(after Fugui already quit gambling), and with a new-born son in hand, Fugui was overjoyed.

Although Jiazhen and Fugui had another child, and he was a boy, they did not show less care for their daughter, and neither did they shower more love on the son, Youqing, than Fengxia. For this, I am pleased, as many Chinese families tend to be biased to the son of the family, but this was not so in ‘To live’. After Fengxia passed away, Fugui and Jiazhen also did not neglect their grandson, Mantou, although he wasn’t a grandson who could “pass down their family name”.

Overall, I am quite happy because in ‘To Live’, women had status almost equal to men.

Audio Diary Project - Let us hear you!

2009-05-22T10:44:00.004+08:00

You have spent this past semester collecting audio recordings and editing them into audio diaries for publishing and sharing. THE WORLD (at least our small class community, and hopefully the cyberworld) IS READY TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!

As you prepare to upload your audio diary, please do the following:

Create a new post: Be sure to title it
Write an introduction for your audio diary: what it's about, how you came to decide on the topic, any interesting details about your process, etc.
Include your initials (or first names)
Upload the media file (mpeg)

Airwaves, here we come!

The common man crossing the East-West divide?

2009-05-22T09:45:00.005+08:00

Having watched Zhang Yimou’s 活着 (huozhe) ‘To Live’, read A.S.J. Tessimond’s poem, ‘The man in the bowler hat’.

Here's the poem (also in PDD p.2):

I am the unnoticed, the unnoticeable man:
The man who sat on your right in the morning train:
The man who looked through like a windowpane:
The man who was the colour of the carriage, the colour of the mounting
Morning pipe smoke.

I am the man too busy with a living to live,
Too hurried and worried to see and smell and touch:
The man who is patient too long and obeys too much
And wishes too softly and seldom.

I am the man they call the nation's backbone,
Who am boneless - playable castgut, pliable clay:
The Man they label Little lest one day
I dare to grow.

I am the rails on which the moment passes,
The megaphone for many words and voices:
I am the graph diagram,
Composite face.

I am the led, the easily-fed,
The tool, the not-quite-fool,
The would-be-safe-and-sound,
The uncomplaining, bound,
The dust fine-ground,
Stone-for-a-statue waveworn pebble-round.

Both ‘To Live’ and ‘The man in the bowler hat’ portray the voice, attitude, preoccupations and aspirations of the ‘man in the street’ when facing his lot in life.

In what ways is the portrayal of the common man similar and/or different?
What are the director and poet saying about the human condition and human spirit?
How pleased are you with the status of women as portrayed in ‘To Live’?
Do you think ‘The man in the bowler hat’ presents only a masculine perspective? Or does it deal with the subject matter sufficiently with the generic male reference? If not, can you think of a title for a poem written on the same subject matter, but that represents the feminine point of view?

Leave your comments on any or all of the questions. You are also encouraged to respond to other students' comments.

2009-02-17T11:00:00.000+08:00

Responding to Beishi's post on" Star school later, let children sleep more."
I agree with Beishi point of view. Starting school late is not very benefitual to students. When school starts late, say about 8.45am, instead of the usual 7.45am, our breaks are pushed backed, and lunch and recess turn into a break at 10.45. Having regular meals is essential to be healthy. If break is at 10.45, it will be a disruption of out regular meal times. Most people eat during recess, lunch or after school. 10.45 fits into none of the time slots, and many people may not feel like eating then as their system is not used to it. Thus they will start to be hungry in class, and be unable to concentrate during lessions.
Further more, starting school late makes people worry about getting to school on time. No doubt some parents will find it easier to drop off their children on the way to work, but the timing is also peak hour. Many adults are going to work, and many students from nearby school will also leave aroung that time. This makes it virtually impossible to leave home later, as you would not be able to fit on the bus. In worse casses, even if you take the bus or MRT from the terminal, you can't get on. This forces some students to be unable to enjoy the benefit of extra sleep.
Other than that, starting school late makes lessons end late. Instead of AEP ending at 4.30pm, AEP ends at 5pm on Mondays. Forcing students to have to squeeze onto busses crowded with the working population. In my experience, I have ever stood by and watch 2 busses that were packed full go by. And I got home very late, and had to stay up later than usual to do my homework.

Who is more susceptible (or vulnerable) to extremist ideologies -- the uneducated, or the educated?

2009-02-17T10:38:00.002+08:00

In my opinion, I think that the uneducated are more susceptible/vulnerable to extremist idealogies. There are many reasons to why it is so, in which I will be covering in this post.

I feel that the main reason is that the uneducated people are usually poor, and therefore having more problems in life. They are looking for people who are able to understand how they feel and the problems they face. Most of the people in the lower class are constantly thinking about their problems in life and how they cannot solve it easily, especially since the global economic crisis is affecting everyone. This will be the best time for the extremists to spread their idealogies and "brainwash" their minds. They will make the poorer people think about how their beliefs are for the good of mankind and believe in it.

The educated are not as susceptible to extremist idealogies. This is because they are more aware about how these idealogies can cause countries to fall easily as most are educated on such topics. For most educated people, they know about terrorism and other related subjects as they would have been taught about how terrorism can affect the world. Therefore, they would know not to be easily brainwashed by extremist idealogies. Also, they would not want their businesses and jobs to get affected as well. The educated are also aware that terrorism is wrong and against the law, therefore most of them would not turn towards extremist idealogies.

In conclusion, I feel that the uneducated are more susceptible to extremist idealogies as compared to the educated people.

Commemoration of Total Defence Day

2009-02-17T08:59:00.005+08:00

I don't know about you, but I had a good time visiting the ISD exhibition last week, even though I had very recently visited the main exhibit at the ISD Museum this past December with other teachers. The enjoyment came from the discussions prompted by my speaking with other teachers and with the real ISD man, Mr. Joseph. Here's one I would like your response on:
Who is more susceptible (or vulnerable) to extremist ideologies -- the uneducated, or the educated?

Noise limits do not help

2009-01-21T21:17:00.003+08:00

I refer to the article “Noise limits do not help” by Ronnie Koh in The Straits Time forum on 10 January.

In this article, the writer wrote about the noise levels of construction sites. He first talked about the stricter limits being imposed, then implied that it does not improve the situation. The writer asked a few rhetorical questions like “Should work even be allowed close to residential area at night?” and “Are Sundays and public holidays not when people want or need to sleep in?” to persuade the target audience, which is most probably the National Environment Agency(NEA), to stop construction work completely at night, on Sundays and public holidays.

The writer also used himself as an example. He claimed that he is currently sandwiched between 2 construction sites, and is unable to have any rest even on Sundays or public holidays because of the high noise level. He also criticized the “permissible noise limits” that the NEA set using slightly harsh words, for example “Instruments do not need to sleep. People do.”

All in all I think the writer is very persuasive in this article. His points are closely tied to the topic and the purpose of this article – to have NEA stop all construction work at night, on Sundays and public holidays. He emphasizes this at the start and the end of the article. In the article, there were also good use of sarcasm to make the writer sound right. I believe the writer has done a very good job on persuading – at least to normal readers.

“It is not unreasonable to stop construction work at night, on Sundays and Public holidays.” – Ronnie Koh

Cut back? Not anymore

2009-01-18T23:15:00.001+08:00

I refer to the article "Cut back? Not anymore" by Teo Cheng Wee on 18 January 2009 from The Sunday Times (Reflect section). This article is a personal response to the current recession situation. Being one who generally does not fret too much about money, the writer is "disturbed" about having to be constantly aware of the prices of everything and feels that instead of consciously saving, he ought to just relax and spend. "Besides, spending is supposed to help the economy, isn't it?"

With the recession becoming one of the most concerned problems of the public, many people are fretting over financial woes. The writer is frustrated, having to decide between the "right" and "wrong" of saving money and spending money freely. Just two weeks ago, he found himself meticulously calculating if a pack of six red bean buns costing $5 was of better value than two muffins costing $3. He feels that the constant reminder of having to save and spend sensibly is irritating and oh-so-tiresome.

Two weeks ago, we gave our thoughts and views about the doom and gloom for 2009, and recession was one of the topics that was constantly brought up. Some felt that we ought to save, while others felt that we should spend (to help recession). Personally I feel that we should spend as per normal (but should not over-spend) to help the recession. If everyone were to live frugally, no one would make profit and a vicious cycle would occur (nobody spends, nobody earns, the people who did not earn anything would not have money to spend, and so on). Even if we want to save money, we should still spend on things we ought to spend. For example, if you fall ill, you ought to spend money and visit the doctor, or else the condition may worsen, resulting in you having to spend more money than before.

The writer questions, "Shouldn't this be my time to enjoy? Perhaps sneer at the other two pigs who didn't take time to build a strong house?" For those who have been spending wisely and saving for a rainy day for the past few years, then yes, perhaps the recession is a time for you to enjoy the fruits of your labour. However, let's not over-do it and spend more than what you can earn.

Music copyright fees are reasonable

2009-01-18T21:46:00.002+08:00

I am refering to the article "Music copyright fees are reasonable" that was published at The Straits Times(forum) on the 16th of January. The author of the article was Ms Barbara Wong, the General Manager of the Recording Industry Performance in Singapore.

According to the author, it is the duty of the Recording Industry Performance to control the coprrights of all the music videos, sound recordings and others to make sure that the users respect the producer by not copying the files illegally.In fact, I agree that the users should pay for the copyright fees. The product that one has created should be protected in a way such that it would not be copied as the producer had put in all they could to produce the product. Thus, by paying the copyright fees to Recording Industry Performance, the users had also given some form of recognition to the producer for all the hard work.

Besides that, I think that the license charge fee charged by the Recording Industry Performance is really reasonable even after they increased the price. Over these few years, prices of all things had gone up vigorously, the license charge fee had also increased. However, in comparison, the increase in price, which is only ten percent over the 14-year period is a lot lower than those things that are being sold in the shops. Thus, I really agree on the author's viewpoint that the music copyright fees are reasonable.

Take a leaf from Singapore’s book

2009-01-18T21:45:00.001+08:00

The article is taken from The Straits Times, 15 January 2009, the Review and Forum section. The writer is writing about how the Thailand government should learn from the Singapore prime minister who “talks and works immediately”. The writer himself is a Thai citizen and this article was first published in Thai Rath, a Thai-language daily on 10 January 2009. Hence the original targeted audience should have been Thai citizens.

The writer compares the Thailand government with the Singapore Government in terms of clarity of the government’s direction and gives examples on what the Singapore government is doing. He seems to be implying that the Thai government should be more like the Singapore government and “act”. The writer makes his purpose very clear the last paragraph, “I have written this just to let you think about and compare the prime ministers of Thailand and Singapore.” He then further provokes the Thai readers to think by comparing Singapore’s effective prime minister with the Thai government who “just thinks too much about politics.”

I do not know much about the situation in Thailand, but I know that they have just appointed a new prime minister and I feel that the writer is a little over critical about the new government in Thailand. They had just resolved a political crisis and maybe are still trying to sort things out between the political parties. However the writer is a Thai citizen himself so he certainly knows more than I do about what the Thailand government is doing. I feel that the writer is brave in expressing what he feels about the new government and maybe this article may cause the Thai government to start acting more for its people, hence accomplishing its purpose. This article also allows Singaporeans to realize how good our government actually is and maybe not take our government for granted anymore.

Schoolbags: 5 ways to lighten the load

2009-01-18T21:10:00.002+08:00

I refer to the article “Schoolbags: 5 ways to lighten the load” by Fong Ching Min (Ms) in The Straits Time forum on 14 January. When I was in primary school, I often suffered backaches from carrying heavy backpacks. The backaches were not only the results of the heavy backpacks but also because we have to carry them for long periods of time. Usually after we are dismissed from school, we would be made to line up outside the classroom before the teacher would bring us down. As we take quite long to line up, we would have to stand there carrying the backpacks for a rather long time. Though it might be the students fault for taking a long time to settle down, however, perhaps teachers could just dismiss students immediately after school ends instead of going to the trouble of making the students line up outside the classroom and bringing them down. This would probably cut down some of the time the students spend carrying their backpacks and will help in reducing the stress on their backs.

Though some of Ms Fong’s suggestions to reduce the weight of the backpacks are rather useful, however, I think that items such as colour pencils and workbooks should not be left in the classroom. As many schools have two sessions, classrooms are shared between the morning session students and the afternoon session students. If would not really be possible for both sessions of students to leave their items in the classroom, as there might not be enough space to store the items. Also, if students were to leave their items under their tables, they might easily get it mixed up with the items from the other session’s students. Workbooks should also not be left in classrooms as they are essential for revision.

If the load of the backpacks cannot really be reduced, perhaps parents can invest in backpacks that help to ease the stress on children’s backs. This may not be the best solution but will definitely help to put less stress on children’s back.

Sudden death: Touching scene at RI boy's funeral

2009-01-18T20:43:00.001+08:00

I refer to the article, “Sudden death: Touching scene at RI boy’s funeral” in The Straits Times, published on 16 January 2009, written by Yeo Sam Jo.

The title itself gives us a rough idea what the article is about, immediately drawing the reader in. The article is about a 12-year-old RI student, Tan Yan Chyuan who passed away on Sunday unexpectedly, after a game of badminton. Quotes from family, close friends are also featured in the article.

Also, it is mentioned in the article that medical experts say that this is an uncommon case, as sudden death is unusually for such a young boy like Yan Chyuan. Currently, the doctors are still unable to put a finger on exactly what caused his death. However, one doctor did mention that drinking cold water after exercising might result in irregular heartbeat. However, it cannot be proven that that was the cause.

As stated in the article, Yan Chyuan was like any other children his age – active and healthy. His family also described him as a well-mannered, hardworking boy who had close relationships with his family members. His sudden death was a shock to all who knew him.

I feel that the writer is also trying to bring across a message to the readers as well, that we should treasure what we have before it is too late. Many times, we take advantage of what we have in life. Only after we lose them, we realise how much we rely on them, and how important they are to us. Additionally, the writer made a point to mention that Yan Chyuan was also a fit boy who consistently achieved the Gold Award for his National Physical Fitness Award in the past three years. This allows us to reflect; if we are able to handle physical activities well, exercise regularly, and are perfectly healthy, does it mean we are safe?

My view is that although it is true that one should be optimistic, we must always expect the unexpected, and always be prepared. Rare cases like Yan Chyuan’s do happen. Hence, like the popular Latin phrase, “carpe diem”, we should make the most of current opportunities as life is short and time is fleeting.

2009-01-18T18:35:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article in ST forum, online story, a response to an article “Start school later and let children sleep longer.” posted on 9^th Jan. ( http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_327049.html ) After reading this article, I think it is relevant to us as we all have experience starting school late on Mondays as a Nanyang girl. Therefore we can give constructive feedbacks and not base on assumptions.

In this article, the author Mdm Ginny Leow fully agrees that schools should start later around 8.30am to 9.00am. The main purpose of this article is to tell the readers that, not only the children will benefit from starting school late, but also the teachers and staff as well.

She first explains how important children are to Singapore, and how the bus driver operate 2 services instead of 1 to earn more, but made the child suffer. She also wrote that because of that, children were deprived of sleep. She then explains how parents can drive their children to school if schools start later and coincides with the parent's working time. She mentioned that the children will have sufficient sleep and enjoy lessons more.

She also said that 'Teachers will also be less sleep-deprived and able to deal with work stress better too. ' , which we can infer that, by starting school late, teachers would be able to teach better as they could handle work stress better, therefore more concentrated while teaching the students.

I do not agree with the author. This is because as someone who is personally experiencing this policy for one year, I realised things do not work the way people think. Curriculum wise, the number of lesson hours we need to have in a week is fixed, therefore, if we start school late, we will have to compensate for it. For example, ending school later at 3.00pm instead of 2.30pm. Besides, we still have the same amount of work to do, but with less time in the afternoon, we have to further sacrifice our sleep time to complete the work. Therefore, although we get to wake up later, we have to sleep later as well, which shows that this policy does not help in solving the problem of children's sleep deprivation.

If people insist to have less lessons, that means that either a drop of standard in Singapore syllabus, or more intensive lessons, which might cause heavier workload. Are parents who want their child to enjoy lessons and suffer less willing to accept this?

On the other hand, because schools start late, we have awkward lunch time on that day. Instead of have lunch at around 12.15pm, we will have lunch at 10.45am, 2 hours after breakfast. If we choose to have lunch after school, we will have to have it at 2.05pm. Is it right to let our stomach suffer in order to get enough sleep?

Although I live in the boarding school, I have heard enough complains from my friends about starting school late. For those who takes public transport, which is most of them, they would have to sqeeze in the buses and MRTs with all the working adults, causing heavier traffic. For those who takes school bus to school, whose parents do not own a car, they still have to take the school bus and wake up early.

Therefore I think starting school late only benefits a small number of the student body.

What matters is their quality

2009-01-18T15:50:00.002+08:00

I refer to the article "What matters is their quality" by Ee Teck Ee in the Straits Times forum on Jan 3, 2009.

In my opinion, the writer has a clear stand in his article. The article is short but straight to the point. The writer basically wants to convey the message of the importance of the quality of teachers, as seen from the title of the article. He stated three requirements for a teacher, and mentioned that having any two of the three is still not qualified to be a teacher, but only satisfying all three requirements is a true teacher.

I strongly agree with the writer that the three basic requirements to be a teacher are professionalism, passion and compassion. These qualities of a teacher are in fact very important as they determine the character of the teacher and his influences on students. Besides having experience and being professional at his job, I think that a teacher also needs to have a good personality. Students should be comfortable with him and enjoy his lessons, and look forward to going to school everyday. It is necessary for the Ministry of Education (MOE) to consider all these qualifications when recruiting teachers.

The writer supported his stand by quoting a Chinese adage- 'A teacher is a model. His every speech and every action are worthy of being examples'. I agree with him because I feel that to students like us, teachers are like our second parent. The development of the character of a student is greatly influenced by the teachers he is being taught by. This is because we spent more time in school than at home, and teachers are responsible of instilling knowledge and moral integrity into us students. Teachers are also being set as good examples by us and we look up to them, thus our own characters as students are indirectly affected by them too.

At the end of the article, the writer concludes that recruits should be well-paid only then would they want to work as a teacher. I personally dislike this point raised because I feel that money should not matter that much to people and anyone who has a passion for teaching should just go for what they truly love. However, I understand it is still a fact that most people nowadays work for money. I believe that the writer is being realistic and saying this from a general point view.

Teachers and other staff will also benefit from later start to school day

2009-01-18T15:04:00.002+08:00

I refer to the article by Ginny Leow(Mdm) in the Forum section. This was also a reponse to the article,' Start school later and let the children sleep longer'(9 Jan).
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_327049.html

The writer agrees to the idea of starting school late as she believes that teachers, staff and students benefit at the same time. For teachers and staff, this allows them to align their working hours to those of their spouse and/or other family members, they'll be less sleep-deprived and be able to deal with work stress better. For school children/students, parents can drive them to school on their way to work (and thus depend less on school buses), they woud get suffcient rest and not find school tiring.

But what i feel is that the writer is making an assumption that every school child's parents own a car and are able to send their children to school by car. NOT all students comes to school by school buses or by their parents' car, some rely on public buses too. So, the benefit of parents being able to send their children to school does not apply to every single student.

Starting school late also does not necessarily means every schoolchildren getting sufficient rest or sleep. For example, for people who takes public buses to school, starting school at around 8.30am actually means that they have to squeeze onto crowded buses packed with people on their way to work. In the end, just to not take the risk of reaching school late because of not being to squeeze onto the bus, they still go to school at the normal time.

And what about the people who has the habit of only turning in late in the night? And just because they know they can wake up later, they might sleep even later than before. And the situation will still be the same.

As for teachers and staff, they might not necessarily be sleep-deprived even if there wasn't any adjustments to the time school starts.

I think time management is the one thing we have to improve on in order to get sufficient sleep, deal with stress better, and not find anything tiring and tedious. Once we know how to manage time, we can do alot more than before and be able to "clear our sleep debt".

As for now, the work load is the main problem for me, having to deal with the changes of subjects etc., but things would soon get better...

Sometimes, changing oneself(habits?) can be more effective than changing other factors.

Approach Kidney Donations Logically

2009-01-18T14:55:00.003+08:00

I refer to the article "Approach Kidney Donations Logically", written by Lee Wei Ling, the director of the National Neuroscience Institute, published on Wednesday, 14 January, in the 'Think-Tank' column in The Straits Times. In this article, the writer talks about the controversy of kidney donations in Singapore, and urges the government and readers to try and approach kidney donations with more logic, which we can infer from the title.

Firstly, the writer comments on the public's responce after the Human Organ Transplant Act (also known as Hota) proposed to allow kidney donations between unrelated people, provided that a reasonable sum would be paid to the organ donor, such that the money would be needed by them to cover both direct and indirect expenses, such as future medical expenses. Some people have expressed their concern that these amendments would be used to exploit the poor who desperately need money and lead to organ trading. Here, the writer is ironic in saying that he "never cease to be amused by the 'holier than thou' attitude taken by some who are simply participating in a philosophic debate compared to the person who is willing to exchange one of his kidneys for cash and the patient who needs a healthy kidney to keep him going". In a way, the writer seems to imply that those people who disagree with the act of paying a healthy person for his kidney as it is "morally wrong" only say so because of morals, but not considering on why the donor is willing to do so for cash or the patient who needs the kidney.

The writer then argues with what Drs Christopher Cheng and Ng Lay Guat, who wrote in the same column the previous week, said in saying she feels that there is no wrong in letting monetary gain become the main driving force for selling/ donating an organ. If the donor feels that he received enough money for him to donate his organ, nobody else will have the right to say that such act is unethical. Here, I agree with the writer because I feel that as long as the donor is willing to do so, people like us, who are not the one going through all this or any way involved in it, would not have the right to disagree with his actions just because it is "morally wrong". Therefore, I think that as long as the two parties involved in the kidney donation agree, they can do so.

Later on, the writer said, in response to Drs Cheng and Ng statement of warning us about the "steep slippery slope" of organ trading, as a "totally ridiculous assertion". She then explains that this would not happen because kidney transplants have a low enough risk of morbidity and mortality such that it is acceptable for living donors to donate their kidneys, and put off the "steep slippery slope" argument by stating that for other organ transplants, such as heart and face transplants, the donor must be dead. Therefore, she concludes that increased cases of organ trading would not happen. To conclude, the writer feels that using logic is the best way of answering questions on donating or selling kidneys. She feels that the donor or seller should get a minimum amount of $50,000. Also, she added that the government should not intervene in a transaction between two consenting adults.

After reading this article, I feel that what the writer is trying to put across to us is right. There have been so many debates on kidney donations, arguing that it is morally unethical but how many people have thought about the donor or the kidney recepient? Thus, I feel that this article is very effective as it is very persuasive, to me at the very least. It manages to get me thinking that after all, kidney donations might not be unethical. What matters here most is the welfare of the parties involved in the kidney donations. So long as both parties consent and are willing, and no one would not be harmed at the end, what's the problem then, right?

Chance for capital felons to pay back

2009-01-18T14:39:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article “Chance for capital felons to pay back,” written by Andy Ho, a senior writer in the forum section of The Straits Time, published on January 15 2009. This article has a self- explanatory title, and is about the felons being able to do a good deed when they die.

This article holds the views of the writer on the donation of kidneys, cornea and liver by the “One-Eyed Dragon”, a notorious gangster known in the underworld. The writer feels that prisoners who are under the death row may donate their organs since they are not explicitly denied of this right under the law.

In fact, the writer feels that such deeds could benefit the society as each execution could then possibly save six, or perhaps more people. However, the different executions cause great damages to organs that can be donated. Hence, the writer feels that there should be methods of execution that preserves organs better, because then, more capital felons could pay back to the society.

Late project causes 11 O-level failures

2009-01-18T13:46:00.003+08:00

I refer to the article by Joy Fang in my paper Home section on January 15, 2009. According to the article, eleven teenagers had supposedly gotten the green light from their teacher on an extension of the deadline of their O-level Design and Technology project. But when they received their results, all of them had failed, getting an F9 as a grade for the subject!

While this does not seem to concern us, being exempted from the O-levels and all, it actually concerns their teacher wrongfully giving them permission, and not a miscommunication between the MOE and the students. If we put it into our context, perhaps we thought that our teacher gave us an extension on an SIA that she didn't really mean to give to us but was a case of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. We would hand in our SIA past the original dateline but before the supposed "extended deadline". Getting a big fat 0 on our SIA which constitutes 30% of the final mark will definitely not make our day.

Perhaps this is not just a problem for schools where students take the O-levels.
Perhaps this concerns us too.
Perhaps we should be way more worried that such cases actually happen.

How many of us get deadline extensions for our projects?
I'm sure all of us have at least gotten one. I know I've gotten plenty.
If we handed up our project on what we thought was on time, then were told that it was late and got a 0 for all that effort, how many of us would just sit back and do nothing.

Sure it’s not all the teachers' fault for this.
Sure the students probably hold most of the responsibility for not completing the project on time in the first place.

But it sure makes us doubt the ability and credibility of Singaporean teachers doesn’t it?
(No offense Ms Teng, you're a great teacher! Honest!)
Is the standard for Singaporean teachers dropping?
Joy Fang quoted an example of a primary-school teacher allegedly making corrections to answer scripts of her Tamil students in their PSLE Tamil Language papers last year.
While this is simply an example out of all the many teachers in Singapore, it sure makes us question the integrity of our teachers.

The police have this slogan that goes:
"Low crime, doesn't mean No crime"

Having no such incidents in Singapore would be better than having even just one.

Regarding the teacher that relayed the wrong information to her students, the SEAB (Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board is now "reviewing the case following an appeal by the school".
The teacher wasn't even scolded.It was nothing important enough to have to spend some effort talking to the teacher.
Nothing much came up from the incident.
Just that 11 students failed a subject in the O-levels.

I sincerely appeal to the SEAB and MOE to do something about the matter and get to the root of the problem before the incident repeats itself or other students get affected. One of the eleven students said, "We're very sad. A lot of us were depending on a good grade in D&T to go to better schools."

Many of us will probably just flip past it in the newspaper, treating it as just another random article in the newspaper that does not concern us. It's quite sad as this is actually an issue that concerns all of us, affects all of us. Perhaps one day, this problem might occur in Nanyang and we might start to do something about it (though I strongly doubt it as we have awesome teachers like Ms Teng!). But until then, let's all just hope we don't get F9 for any assignments anytime soon.

Righting a wrong comes from the heart

2009-01-18T13:09:00.002+08:00

I refer to the article written by Lee Wei Ling in the Sunday Times (Think section) on the 18th of January 2009, "Righting a wrong comes from the heart". The content of the article, as the title implies, is about the writer views on human's morality. The subtitle states, "A society that is blind to the suffering of the less fortunate will never be gracious".

In the article, Wei Ling talks about how she feels that "morality may be a hard concept to grasp, but we acquire it fast." In it, she talks about how its easier to "follow rules that requires passively not doing anything wrong. But actively doing something right, especially if it doesn't fall within our area of responsibility is uncommon." Then she goes on to further elaborate and give examples of what how the concept of "guilty of omission"(or in other words, guilty of not doing anything/not helping) is uncommon in Singapore.
At last she ends off her article by explaining how a rich middle class who is oblivious to the suffering of less fortunate could never be a gracious society compared to one with little financial reserves but is socially active, urging Singaporeans to start and learn how to put a wrong right.

I agree with the author, and feels that not setting something wrong which we know of right means we are guilty of committing the wrong too. However, personally, i admit that despite knowing this, despite my awareness of someone needing my help(say an old lady who needs a seat)there are too many times when i am guilty of not doing it; not helping out. After a long day of school and finally grabbing a seat, i don't think i'll be able to stand up and offer my seat to someone who needs it more than me graciously. I don't think if someone throw an empty can on the street and i happen to be walking behind him, i'll go forth and tell him that he should not do it; it is morally unethical and affects our country negatively. I think what we all need is a little courage and heart to go forth and do what we feel and think is right. It's easy to not do something wrong, but it's requires a little more effort and courage to do something right. Maybe we could all start to do something simple and easy, and even if it may seem insignificant and useless at that time to you(what good can my teeny weeny act of kindness do to improve the world?!), it could actually make someone's day, and that, is actually an amazing thing. So let's try a little harder today.

Fending off Depression: Will US plan be bold enough?

2009-01-18T10:51:00.002+08:00

I refer to the article by Paul Krugman of the New York Times in the forum section in The Straits Times on January 4 2009. This article is a response to one of US President Barack Obama’s weekly radio address. Barack Obama said “if US don’t act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to a double-digit unemployment.” However Paul Krugman thinks otherwise; he thinks that Obama was understating the case - This recession looks an awful lot like the beginning of a second Great Depression.

In this article, Paul Krugman was critical and sarcastic, and he used past incidents and experiences of the world well. I was in fact, very shocked to know that this recession is happening, to find ourselves in this situation when most economists believed that preventing another Great Depression would be easy for many years. And I’m sure I wouldn’t be if Krugman hadn’t informed his audience about the confidence that the economists had.

Krugman is also worried about Obama’s plan, that it may be delayed and/or downsized. He even came up with a nightmare scenario, which eventually leads to a second Great Depression. I think that worst case scenario was used effectively as it helps the audience imagine what the future will be like if US did not act swiftly and/or boldly enough, understanding the severity of the current situation. This article was an effective and well-written one as it has an argumentative and slightly sarcastic tone, and it also engages the audience, encouraging them to imagine what the future will be like. It really managed to stir up something inside me and I am beginning to truly worry about this recession.

Although whatever that is written in this article are all happening in the US, this country plays a fair part in the economy. The rise and fall of the US will directly affect the economy of other countries, and Singapore will gradually feel its impact as this impact will spread like ripples on water, an earthquake. It is important that we follow news of recession as this involves everybody around the world. Krugman also ended off with a question, a moment of truth: Will we in fact do what’s necessary to prevent Great Depression II? I certainly hope so.

Ex-Sanlu boss clawed her way to the top

2009-01-18T10:16:00.005+08:00

http://news.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20090105-112478.html

This is a response to the article written by Grace Ng in the Sunday Times (think section) on January 4, 2009, "Ex-Sanlu boss clawed her way to the top". The ex-Sanlu boss, Tian Wenhua insists she isn't the only one to blame for the melamine tragedy. She also said that the leaders of other companies that produced tainted milk should also be punished.

Sanlu has been accused of adding melamine, which can cause kidney stones and other ailments, into infant formula to falsely increase its protein count. Tian has already pleaded guilty to the charge of producing and selling infant fomula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine that has made 294,000 infants sick and killed six others in the country.

I feel that it was very irresponsible of her to allow this to happen knowing that it may cause the lives of many innocent infants. It was due to her neglect that the new generation of managers who were eager to prove themselves, and cut corners to achieve results, were able to do so. Although she regrets that this has happened, no matter how many times she weeps, she will never be able to bring the unfortunate infants back to life.

Sanlu was virtually everything Tian lived for. Even so, to shorten the road to fame, she may have succumbed to pressure to cut corners. However, i still sympathise with her. Sanlu was her everything, i doubt that she had wanted this to happen, for Sanlu to go bankrupt, and also a possible death sentence for Tian herself.

Many do not feel a thing for Tian, as they think that she has seated the nation's soul and reputation in this food safety crisis.

The 'Them and Us' Divide

2009-01-17T22:53:00.002+08:00

The 'Them and Us' Divide
http://xinkaishi.typepad.com/a_new_start/2008/10/st-the-them-and-us-divide.html

I refer to the article written by Tan Dawn Wei in the Sunday Times (Think section) on the 12th of October 2008, "The 'Them and Us' Divide". The subtitle below the title sums up the main point of the article. 'Singapore is a cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic city built by immigrants, so why do people here display intolerance and snobbery towards foreigners?" The main purpose of this article is to reflect how Singaporeans to do not respect foreigners and feel that they are inferior compared to the other locals living here.

The article uses different point of views to relate how foreigners, in their respective jobs, are treated in Singapore. The writer is extremely detailed and covers the personal views of foreign scholarship holders, foreign workers, maids, service staff from China, expatriate professionals and foreign-born athletes. She also includes real-life examples of Singaporeans reactions and behaviour towards these people.

Singaporeans feel a sense of resentment and fear of expatriate professionals and scholarship holders. For example, we see examples of 'fierce competition' in school where local students fear ASEAN scholars who are recently accepted into top schools in Singapore. We feel strongly that we should be doing better than them and even look down on them at times. In addition, even our parents and other adults treat foreign workers and expatriates as their 'enemies' as they are deemed to be snatching jobs which 'rightfully belong to Singaporeans'.

Although I fully understand the feelings of Singaporeans and I know that I thought this way at least once before, I feel that these foreigners have every right to enter Singapore for a better life, a better future and a better chance of making it big and supporting their family back home. We should give them a chance to prove themselves and give them an equal opportunity as compared to other Singaporeans. These foreigners should not be looked down upon by Singaporeans as they have worked hard to get to where they are. It aslo takes a lot of courage for them to leave their home countries and source for a better life in Singapore and we should respect their bravery for doing so. In addition, I think having these foreigners in Singapore is a good thing as they provide intense competion whether it is in school, at work or anywhere else and Singaporeans are spurred on to work harder and fight to the top of the food chain the world of today.

Therefore, I agree with the writer that Singaporeans must learn to close the gap between ourselves and the foreigners in Singapore. If we do not change this obstinate mindset of ourselves, we may live to regret it some day.

Teens not sleeping enough

2009-01-17T22:21:00.001+08:00

SLEEPLESS IN SINGAPORE – Teens not sleeping enough

By Salma Khalik [Health Correspondent] Straits Times - Jan 5, 2009
Available from: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_322117.html

I refer to the article written by Salma Khalik in Straits Times paper on Jan5, 2009. Looking at the title of the article, we know that it concerns all of us, the group of teenagers in Singapore. Also, being in a SAP school, I believe many of us will have the problem of not getting enough sleep. This is also the reason why I will like to share this article with you.

The purpose of this article is to tell readers the importance of sleep for teens and how it will affect teens’ health and performance in school. As a health correspondent, he presents his worry and concerns for the well-being of teens in Singapore as there is a growing trend of teens not getting enough sleep. In the article, the writer uses a research fact for the introduction to show the growing trend of teenagers not getting enough sleep, comprising their health and performance in school, showing the seriousness of the problem.

In the article, the writer reinforces the importance of sleep to teens using comments from different influential people like Dr Lim Li Ling, director of Singapore General Hospital's Sleep Disorder Unit and research studies in United States to support his stand. The writer lists down the impacts of lack of sleep. For example, it affects learning and growth. The writer feels that sleep is very important to teenagers and his tone is critical. Although he states that one to three percent of teens’ lack of sleep is caused by illness such as Sleep Apnoea and stated an example of one that was affected by school work and co-curricular activities but he thinks that the main problem is teenagers’ idea of sleep unimportance as teens spend lots of time on computer games, online chatting and more.

I do agree with the writer. I agree that many teenagers in Singapore do not sleep enough hours. For us, secondary three students, an average of eight and three quarter hours of sleep is needed. However, I think many of us sleep for eight hours or even lesser. Sleep is needed to for us to concentrate in class and most importantly stay healthy but how many of us do have enough of sleep?

“Get feedback from teachers

2009-01-17T17:39:00.002+08:00

This article is a response to another article “What matters is their quality” written by Mr Ee Teck Ee. In accordance to this commentary article by Mr Ho Kong Loon, its content focuses on mostly teachers’ rights to speak up, and is based mostly on teachers wanting a chance to express their opinions to the ministers or top education officials on the current education system during the few ministerial visits to schools. When there are ministerial visits to school, and those carried out by other top education officials, the school only showcases its best, but never its worst. VIP visitors will then be able to only see the school at its best, and think that the school is not facing any difficulty. Other than the school elite that preserves the school’s reputation and “face”, other teachers do not have an opportunity to voice out. Also, Mr Ho mentioned that schools should not only focus on academia and discipline, but also students’ love and interest for studies and schooling.

I strongly agree with Mr Ho. If teachers are not given the chance to voice out on the enormity of issues that they face daily, what exactly is the meaning of their presence? I personally feel that if schools only involve the school elite in such visits, the VIP visitors will be made oblivious to the usual happenings in the school, as they can only view the school at such a small scale. According to the article, “The bulk of the teaching staff was never actively involved, except for those whose lessons were observed by the guest of honour and his entourage.” Usually, these model lessons are demonstrated by the top classes and the best teachers. The lessons are practiced like a ritual over and over again till everything is perfunctory and looks normal, so that when the VIP visitors walk in and out of the lesson, it will leave them a good impression of the school. Even the feedback sessions are performed to show off the schools at their best. Questions posed to the VIP visitors during such sessions are too vetted, so as to not give them a need to have a closer scrutiny of the education system and well being of both the teachers and the students.

What is the use of the visits then, if the VIP visitors do not get to see the truth with their eyes? Schools overlook the main purpose of these visits, and it seems that having these visits are tantamount to use their bulk of “cream of the cream” to deal with the situation, preventing any unpleasant happenings. Even as a teacher for 40 years, Mr Ho never got the chance to express his views. If the education standard or any part of the education system needs to be improved, schools will never reveal its weaknesses, unless these VIP visitors come in and see it for themselves. As Mr Ho wrote, the difference of an outstanding teacher and an ordinary one is the compassion, dedication, commitment and passion in his/her work. Also, an outstanding teacher will want to reveal the enormity of issues they face daily, rather than showing only the situation’s surface to the ministry. If a school really has its students’ well-being at heart, they should not limit ministerial visitors to such an extent that the school covers up most of the normality of the education system. Instead, the top educators should be given the privilege to walk in and out of most of the lessons, not demonstrations and judge whether the school needs any improvement himself. Schools should put aside their reputation and “face” for such visits, for the sake of their students and teachers.

Financial crisis—cushioning the impact on kids

2009-01-17T16:05:00.001+08:00

I refer to the article by Anupapma Rao Singh in the forum section in The Straits Times on January 5 2009.
The writer of this article is a regional director of Unicef East Asia and the Pacific and he talks about how the children of families are affected by the financial crisis. He starts off with a true story on a sixteen years old girl named Pan Nan who has to quit school and work in order to earn money for her whole family. He also mention that she has four siblings who are frequently ill and a widowed mother and they eat leaves and scavenge for snails and crabs in the rice paddies. This story can help the writer to be persuasive as it evokes sympathy in readers towards these children and have the desire to help them, which achieves the writer’s purpose.
There are statistics to further illustrate the financial problem and he also referred to the 1997-1998 Asian crisis as an evidence on how it can affect the children. By providing many concrete evidence, he can persuade us to follow his stand in this issue.
Then the writer concludes his article with this question, “If weakened village communities can help, why can’t national governments?”. This act as a rhetorical question which make us think that we should help the people living in poverty as people poorer than us are even helping and we should do that too. Especially the government as they have the responsibility to ensure the people’s wellness. Therefore, this conclusion helps to convince the readers to take the writer’s stand for the final time.
After reading this article, I am definitely convinced by the writer and I sympathise Pan Nan as she has to give up her studies in order to raise her siblings and return the debts her family owns due to the financial crisis. Pan Nan even has to take two hours in order to reach her working place and I am also concerned about her siblings’ and her future since they only have US$10 to use each month. This shows that financial crisis can affect the children to a great extent even though it is not directly. So, I too feel that the government should spend more time and expenses on them as they need it much more than anyone else do.

Two faces of alleged Singapore terrorist

2009-01-17T15:44:00.002+08:00

Two faces of alleged Singapore terrorist ST Forum Jan 17,2009

ON THE one hand, alleged Singapore terrorist Mohammad Hassan Saynudin is accused of hideous plots against his fellow humans. On the other, he is as human as any of us, with an upbringing and range of interests no different from ours.

Even as he allegedly plotted to kill Singaporeans and foreigners under the flag of Jemaah Islamiah, he remained Singaporean with his love of football icons like V. Sundramoorthy, his bilingualism and his taste for teh tarik. He also showed his side as a family man when he referred to his family in a loving and regretful manner. He also showed leadership qualities as he took charge of his cellmates.

He could have been a great Singaporean with all these positive traits, so what drove him to be what he is today?

Mohammad Hassan appears to have his sense of logic clouded and governed by his twisted sense of religious ideology. He speaks coherently and appears to know what he is doing. He felt that whatever he did was in the name of his religion and he regards himself as a pious and righteous man. He can see from only his perspective and that made him what he is.

Singapore has lost a potentially valuable citizen because of a twisted religious ideology. I urge local and international religious bodies to be constantly on the lookout for potential extremists in their ranks.

One single man lost to evil has a multipronged effect as his actions harm not only himself, but also his loved ones. Such a ripple effect must be stopped before we lose more of our countrymen.

Peng Tie Lun

-----------------------------------------------
In the first two paragraphs, the writer (Peng Tie Lun) talks about the human side of alleged Singapore terrorist Mohammad Hassan Saynudin. The writer gives some examples to support his opinion. Then, he starts to analyse the cause of Mohammad Hassan Saynudin being a terrorist. Finally, he states his point of view and his feeling about this incident. This structure is quite effective because at beginning it lists Mohammad Hassan Saynudin’s strong points, thus , makes us feel regret for him. Then, it is easy to make us agree that “Singapore has lost a potentially valuable citizen because of a twisted religious ideology.” Finally, it creates a sense of awareness and makes us feel urgency of doing something to prevent our citizens from being terrorists.

In my opinion, the writer is trying to say that an alleged Singapore terrorist can be a potentially valuable citizen if we take precautions to prevent him from being a terrorist. It contains the thought that one coin has two sides---one thing can either be useful or harmful. However, it seems that the writer thinks we actually can control one from being a terrorist by being constantly on the lookout for potential extremists.

I agree that people have two sides, but can we prevent a person from being a terrorist?
I think if one does harm to society, it only proves that one’s evil side has stronger power than one’s human side. It all depends on one’s own. In other words, it is unpractical to persuade one to become a good citizen instead of being a harmful person. Thus, when we find potential extremists, what should we do？Lock them up or trace them for 24 hours？It is apparently impossible.

In addition, since the writer only gives one example, readers may think : Is it just a single case?

It is true that many people got hurt in this event and we all feel sorry about it, but it is not persuasive to me that there is a trend which more and more citizens will become terrorists in the future.

In conclusion, the writer's worry seems unnecessary to me.

Tragedy in a poor town

2009-01-17T14:08:00.000+08:00

This is a response to the article “Tragedy in a poor town” I read on Monday, 5 January in the World section of The Straits Times. The article was written on the incident of soil contamination in the town of Thiaroye Sur Mer on the fringes of Dakar, Senegal’s capital, where lead particles contaminate the soil and had caused the deaths of eighteen children dying from lead poisoning.

I was appalled to learn of the severity of lack of education there, when the locals decided to sift lead day after day to sell lead particles to countries like India and China especially where the demand for cars and lead-acid car batteries grew higher over the years. These locals had no idea of how toxic lead can be, especially to infants and children, of how just 100 micrograms of lead per litre of blood can impair brain development in them. While more developed countries like America and Europe had safety regulations on the recycling of spent lead-acid car batteries, these locals in Thiaroye Sur Mer were literally living among the lead contaminated soil. I feel that this incident is an example of the poverty found in the outside world, especially in developing countries, where for example in Thiaroye Sur Mer despite government’s plans to relocate the locals, they are too poor and too rooted to move. I agree with the writer on his point how the globalization of a modern tool—the car battery—can wreak havoc in a developing country. While developed countries are the ones with the biggest number of car buyers, lead-acid car batteries are instead made in developing countries where labor costs are much lower and laws are enforced more leniently. This has made me think of the many more people living in the developing countries who are still living among poverty and low living standards. We, as citizens of the developed countries, should be the ones offering assistance to such countries based on the fact that these people would not be able to stand up and fend for themselves. It also made me wonder about the effects of globalization on less developed countries.

All in all, I am glad the writer used the Thiaroye Sur Mer incident as an example to show us the effects of globalization on developing countries.

Two attacks on the same MP: Coincidence or conspiracy?

2009-01-17T12:58:00.000+08:00

I read this article from forum page, on January 17 2009, written by Aaron Low.

Recently, the talk of the town is focused on the Yio Chu Kang MP Seng Han Tong who was attacked in the midst of a community event being doused with tinner and set on fire by a former taxi-driver who alledgedly has a history of metal illness. In 2006, Mr Seng was also punched by another cabby, these two coincidences in job occupations has led much hot speculation.

This article starts off with background information as introduction, also giving an explanation for the hot speculation. His view of all these is very clear, "taxi-drivers can be a vocal and passionate lot" but this does not mean that because of one attack, to sterotype taxi-drivers as "cabbies go around setting people on fire". For each statement that he writes, he provides us with much concrete evidence, for example, his view against speculations that Yio Chu Kang GRC's residents are more violent, was provided concrete evidence through Mr Lau who was the previous MP of that constituency.

What I like best about this article is its concluding paragraph, being clear and concise. "The rarity of MPs being attacked in the course of duty is why the gossip mill is in the overdrive". To judge to success of an expository piece is by how swayed the reader is to the writer's point of view after reading the article, and it has certainly worked for me.

The Upside Of This Downturn

2009-01-17T11:58:00.002+08:00

Forum Article on Friday, January 9 2009: The upside of this downturbn by Zakir Hussain
http://www.nbs.ntu.edu.sg/announcements/public/images/attachments/ST_090109_The_upside_of_this_downturn.pdf

People have said that the year 2009 will be a hard and trying time for all of us, especially those who invest or are businessmen. Most of us agree that everyone throughout the world will be affected by this change, and I am one of those who do. This results in us leaving 2008 with a pessimistic thought about 2009, but this article written by Zakir Hussain shows us what we can look forward to in the new year.

In this article, the author states a few things we can be positive about despite the economy crisis. Firstly, property prices which soared in recent years are set to drop, which is a good thing especially for newlyweds in their 20s and 30s or businessmen wanting a new bachelor pad. Also, aspiring car owners who have the cash would be able to buy cars because of the drop in certificates of entitlement. More jobs requiring skills and government-funded training oopportunities are available as well. The factor making people happy is the dip in prices of goods and services because suppliers are shedding excess demand and retailers offer discounts to encourage spending. We may recall that in 2008, the prices of food, especially rice were soaring to an untouchable high price. Therefore, housewives with the responsibility of feeding their family would be happy of the drop in prices. In my opinion, the best part of this downturn is where this recession would bring out the best in people- the upper and upper middle class helping the less fortunate.

The writer makes the subject clear by stating his stand in the title itself, and further emphasizes his point by giving examples throughout the article as stated in the paragraph above. Also, he starts the article with what people are worried about in the recession such as the loss of jobs and the infamous collapse of United States investment bank Lehman Brothers. He elaborates about helping the less fortunate through examples from the past, such as the Great Depression in the early 1930s where there was high unemployment but they were able to turn to family, friends and kin to obtain jobs or to procure some pocket money or temporary lodging and food.

The writer-reader relationship is good as the author writes things which are related to most people in Singapore. Since the recession affects almost everyone throughout the world, anyone will want to read about it. Also, the attractive thing about the article is the topic itself. This is because everyone is talking about how bad the recession is going to affect everyone negatively and not the good things a recession will bring. The author also uses statistics and examples to illustrate his points.

The writer's tone is positive and casual, making readers feel as if there is some good out of the economy crisis after all. He is also persuasive in speech, using words which help persuade the reader to think that the recession will not affect that much in terms of their lifestyles. This is good as it helps people to be less negative about the new year and for once, think positively.

Look Out For The Eye In The Sky

2009-01-17T09:47:00.002+08:00

(January 17, Saturday, Forum)

The writer, Andy Ho, expresses his concerns that technological advances may be a double-edged sword. This article mainly revolves around the example of satellite images which can be bought quite easily and at an affordable price. He reinforces the restrictions and limitations on our freedom that these satellite images pose on us by starting off with a little anecdote of how an English philosopher suggested to build a prison whereby all the prison inmates would be watched from a central tower by guards. However, those prison inmates would not be able to see if there were guards watching them. This striking similarity between the "Panopticon" prison and our present situation regarding satellite imagery is a disturbing revelation.

Firstly, I feel perturbed. I had just read a little bit of the novel, "1984" by George Orwell, yesterday, and it seems startlingly similar to what we are experiencing now. The book introduced a world whereby there were "telescreens" which watched each person's every move and could record any sound above the volume of a low whisper (which is practically everything). Even the Ministry of Peace mentioned in the novel (whereby they organize wars to obtain peace) sounds like what is happening now. Anyway, that is not the point. The point is, our world is changing. It has become almost like the world inside a storybook and we are the characters whose fates are controlled by "the eye in the sky". It seems that US export controls make certain that the best resolution is 50 cm, which is not enough to make out human faces. However, US satellites are able to give resolutions of 41 cm, just that they are moved further up to provide us with resolution of 50 cm.

Of course, the author does not deny that there are advantages to satellite imagery, which namely are: potential buyers of land can see the land from a bird's eye view, these images can be used to ensure that claims of disaster are true etc. However, this detailed images can also be used by terrorists to identify targets and carry out their operations. This has already happened before, as the author notifies us, in January 2007. There is no knowing what else these satellite images may be used for.

In conclusion, this article is effective because there is no random crapping or extra bits which are there for no particular reason. The author was concise and straight to the point, and he added many scenarios and anecdotes which no doubt evoked much doubts and anxieties in the reader (well, he certainly did in me). He gives many concrete evidences and examples of when the disadvantages of satellite imagery may come into play, and when they have already taken the stage. He effectively sums it up in the conclusion by using the metaphor "in this new Panopticon that we live in".

Why football drives people mad/Teo Cheng Wee

2009-01-16T16:13:00.000+08:00

I read this article from the “ reflect” page of The Sunday Times dated January 4, 2009.
The writer wrote that he enjoyed football when he was very young, but now he has stopped playing partly because he had seen the ugly side of the football. This made it clear to the readers that the writer was unhappy with the football players’ attitude, especially those who are middle-aged professionals.
I think that the writer feels disgusted when he wrote that “ any other time you strike a player so blatantly with an object, you can expect to visit the police. In football, you get away with a red card and can still fell you were wronged.” This shows that he thinks that the players should get more severe punishment instead of just a red card. I agree with the writer’s opinion because most of the players are violent and they think that they are right even when they hit another player. If they are not punished severely, they may do that again as they may think that they will only get a yellow or red card after he fouled.
Though football may be an interesting sport to some of the people, I think the conclusion of the essay correctly describes my feeling towards football. It says that “ football is a game where 22 people brainlessly chase a ball around the field” . However that is not the writer’s feeling towards football as he still loves the “ nice” side of the sport.

Real Chinatown is at Waterloo Street

2009-01-16T13:41:00.002+08:00

THE present Chinatown has failed in its attempt to attract tourists. Unlike Little India, which is an authentic charming area, Chinatown is becoming too 'touristy', to the extent that tourists would want to give it a miss, as shared by Mr Andrew Raven in 'The exit interview' last Sunday.

Indeed, local Chinese like myself, would probably drop by the area once in a while for the famous claypot rice in the hawker center and perhaps during Chinese New Year.

In short, Chinatown has lost its charm.

Not all is lost, as there is another area that could prove to be the real Chinatown. Admittedly, the historical location of Chinatown is important, but it does not mean that we should continue to cling onto something that has transformed beyong recognition.

Not only is this fixation unproductive, it prevents valuable resources from being allocated to other uses.

The area that I have in mind is where the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple is located at Waterloo Street. Every weekend, many Chinese throng the area to visit the temple, OG Department Store, Fu Lu Shou Complex and the dried goods market.

There are other equally attractive belts nearby, such as Little India, the arts hub and Sim Lim Square.

Perhaps, the arthorities should re-designate this area as the new Chinatown. Some parts of the present Chinatown ought to be preserved, but we should not be ashamed to admit that it is no longer the Chinatown of modern Singapore.

Tan Siang Meng

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The author (Tan) talks about the current situation of Chinatown in the first three paragraphs and deduces that the Chinatown is no more attractive. Actually, I think that he (or she) did not elaborate and give some examples like feedbacks from the tourists who have visited Chinatown. Thus it is not so convincing and persuasive.

In the following paragraphs, Tan went on to give his piece of opinion and advice, that the real Chinatown should be at Waterloo Street. As a matter of fact, he did expand this part but unfortunately, it is not persuasive, at least for me. It is because most of the evidence he used is based on his own observation, his own thoughts. It is not proven to be true.
Additionally, I am against his opinion. Should we change the "location" of Chinatown just because it is not charming any more? What is the original purpose of naming the "Chinatown"? I think it is to let people remember the history, thee roots. The commercial profit is not at the first place.
In the last line, the author mentioned that the "Chinatown" was no longer the Chinatown of modern Singapore. It is ridiculous! How can a historical place be modern?! The government setting up the Chinatown is not to address the modernity of Singapore, right?
Nevertheless, the opinion is creative and then contents can capture readers' attention. As a point of view, it is successful.

2009-01-16T13:34:00.002+08:00

Peranakan Germ (The Little Nonya) / Letter from Khng Eu Meng

I refer to the letter by Mr Khng which was posted in the “Voices” section of the TODAY newspaper on January 5th 2009. This article talks about Mr Khng’s feelings towards The Little Nonya, which is a show on Channel 5. He tells us how the show reminds him of his childhood days and that he wonders if Mediacorp can translate the show into baba patois, which is the peranakan language. This is so that it can be included in the artifacts of the baba/nyonya culture that are fast declining, if not disappearing in Singapore today.

I strongly agree with Mr Khng’s suggestion to Mediacorp. The Peranakan culture is one of the cultures from the past which Singapore is built on today, with many of the founding fathers of this country coming from Peranakan families. The kebaya, the Peranakan-style houses, and Peranakan kuehs and all the tasty foodstuffs are very precious and extremely wonderful displays of the Peranakans creativity and clever designs. With the Peranakan community growing smaller and smaller as we go down in the generations, I think it is vital for us to take measures to preserve what is left.

By translating the show, I think that it can also promote social harmony and build stronger friendships between the chinese and the Peranakans. For example, if the two races meet on the street one day, despite efforts to communicate with each other, I find that there is still nothing much that they have in common. However, once we translate this show which keeps many thousands glued on their television screens every night, the chinese and Peranakans can talk about the show together - debate about which characters they like or dislike, have susepenseful conversations where they try to predict what happens next. This will forge common bonds between the two races, thus revealing more of the Peranakan culture which is so distant and probably non-existant to many chinese today.

Also, like what the author of the article said, since we have already spent a large sum of money setting up the Peranakan Museum etc., I think that spending a bit more to protect the Peranakan culture is worth price to pay. To think that just by using abit of money, one entire culture can be preserved for a longer time. After all, history is priceless, isn’t it?

The writer has convinced me by using many good examples which made me think twice and realise the importance of preserving history. He does not only give one or two examples, but actually gives four to five examples, convincing me one time after another about why the show should be translated. The article can definitely be described as "short but sweet".

Music copyright fees are reasonble by (Ms) Babara Wong

2009-01-16T13:33:00.003+08:00

Music copyright fees are reasonble by (Ms) Babara Wong
In this article, the writer refers to the ariticle - Night Life by Dennis Foo. Apparently she is the General Manager of the RIPS (Recording Industry Performance Singapore) that represents the major producers and distributors of sound recordings, karaoke and music videos in Singapore.

Her purpose for writing this article is to prove and show people that paying license fees for the reproduction of songs etc. is actually very fair and reasonable.

First, she starts off with a clear introuduction that covers her main purpose for writing the article: to explain how reasonable license fees actually are.

Then, she explains the duties of RIPS - licensing of the public performances of karoke, reproduction of sound recordings, and many more.

Next, she refers to the contents of the article and does a counter-argument, stating how important, reasonable and necessary license fees are. She uses information that Dennis Foo, the writer of the article "Night Life" quoted. "St James Group pays 'almost $200,000 annually' to the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore and Rips." She counter-argues by saying that St James Group actually only payed $23,000 for license fees. Also, Ms Wong goes on to explain why it is reasonable for St James Group to pay such an amount.

She ends with a clear and short ending, that she has hope that her article has clarified that license fees are reasonable.

I agree with her. I think that in order for singers, composers or companies to be regconised for their music, there should be a license fee. For example, if a song is not licensed, then everyone would be making use of it and sometimes not giving proper regconition to the composer/original singer etc. Therefore, I agree with the writer.

To give or not to give?

2009-01-16T13:32:00.016+08:00

In the article ‘Drivers refuse to give way’ dated 5th January, Miss Veronica Ong lamented the deplorable behaviour of Singaporean drivers who had refused to give way to her when she tried to change to the correct lane at the Second Link at the Singapore Customs from Malaysica back to Singapore. Some even clapped when her mirror was damaged due other drivers hitting her side mirror to prevent her from switching lanes. Miss Ong also feels that the society that we as Singaporeans live in has become a place where only few act of kindness can be found. Although the article was short and concise, it was very effective in conveying the disappointment and anger that Miss Ong felt at that time from looking at the tone and sentence structure of her article.

For example, Miss Ong expressed 'Is extending a moment of graciousness worth less than an additional minute of waiting?' From this statement, her disappointment was conveyed effectively to the readers. In her conclusion, she dreaded to think what would become of our society in the years to come if Singaporeans remain oblivious to their uncivilised behaviour. This is a very powerful ending and it created a large impact on me. It left readers pondering over the fact that the current society is is becoming less gracious and warm and what long term effects this could create.

After reading this article, I was a little disappointed at the way some Singaporeans behave, as described by Miss Ong. In the point of view of foreigners, the common perception is that Singapore is a highly efficient country with world-class infrastructure. As Singapore continues to excel in terms of technological advances, we should also pay more attention to the way we treat other people in terms of gestures and our behaviour. Simple gestures like a pleasant smile or a wave would be a good start. In my opinion, helping others does not only benefit others; you also feel happy yourself. So why not start everyday with a smile and help others where possible?

On the other hand, although it was wrong of the other drivers to prevent Miss Ong from changing to the correct lane and i could understand the anguish and frustration that she felt, I can also empathise with those Singaporean drivers who had likely taken the view that Miss Ong was trying to jump the queue and thus decided not to let her get her way. Most Singaporeans have a shared identity - being kiasu. I believe that this was also another reason why they did not let Miss Ong change lanes.

Nevertheless, i feel that in the current society where many people are feeling uptight and tense due to the recession, more people should lend a helping hand and be kind and gracious to those people they meet. As a well known motivational speaker John Cassis said: 'It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.'

Abandoned Workers

2009-01-16T13:31:00.003+08:00

I refer to the article,"Abandoned Workers: Rules should be tightened", dated 20th December 2008.

This article voices the concern that the author, Gilbert Goh has for the foreign workers coming to Singapore and also how we, as Singaporeans, can help to improve their living conditions and plight when they arrive in Singapore to work.

This article starts with the writer's concerns and his stand is immediately made clear to the reader. The writer then states examples of the plight of the foreign workers so that the readers will sympathise with their plight and that would make his point come across clearer.
He thens emphasizes on the plight of the workers with rhetorical questions about their importance and how they are not being recognised for it. He also compares the foreign workers with the Australian workers, to show the big gap between the foreign workers here, and the local construction workers in Australia, which highlights the plight of the foreign workers even more.

The writer also has some suggestions at the end, for the relevant authorities to take note of, so as to improve the plight of these foreign workers.

Widen Causeway

2009-01-16T13:08:00.004+08:00

I read the article from the forum page, dated December 20, 2008.

The article is by Joshua, who expressed his opinions on the causeway. He feels that the Causeway should not be torn down and rebuilt, instead, upgraded to better serve the cars that go to and fro from Malaysia. In other words, to ease the traffic.

I feel that he has stated his points very clearly in the article and that he is very convincing. After stating his opinion, he elaborates on it, like why he feels that way. For example, he states that the Causeway should not be torn down and rebuilt as it is part of our natural heritage. It links Malaysia and Singapore together, reflecting our unity. However, he also talks about how building a new structure (a 'crooked' bridge, as proposed) would not be good as a crooked bridge would reflect an unhealthy relationship. I don't think that this is a valid reason, unless he is sure that majority of the audience believes in feng shui or luck.

Basically to a normal non-superstitious person, a crooked bridge does not really matter. Like to the Malaysians, (who are mostly Muslims that do not believe in superstition or Chinese beliefs) they would not see his point in 'the crooked bridge being a reflection of an unhealthy relationship between Singapore and Malaysia'.

Nevertheless, i still think that this article is good and convincing. At the end of the article, the writer also states some alternate ways to ease the heavy traffic, instead of having to tear down and rebuild the Causeway.

JAMIE

Sleeping in for students?

2009-01-16T13:07:00.001+08:00

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090109-113447.html

Sleep is extremely important for adolescents who are still experiencing growth. Younger children require more sleep than adults, but due to the early timing of school hours, they often have to give up on their optimal amount of sleep hours. The amount of homework load also does not allow them to sleep early to make up for their early waking times.

In this article, the author makes his stand early in the passage where he poses a question to all readers. This question allows the audience to think about this topic and at the same time, allow the audience to be involved in the thinking process of the author, therefore establishing a connected thinking process between the author and the readers. He also makes his stand clearly- encouraging students to sleep in till later times- through his examples and tone used.

His article belongs to an argumentative essay which engages readers in his reasoning, discussions and argument in an attempt to convince them in his stand that allowing students to sleep in is right.

The author also proves to be persuasive as he uses factual research to emphasize the points that he makes. He offers many perceptions of arguments to his articles by providing different varieties of reasons why students should be allowed to sleep in later, eg. Transport service's times and the welfare of the students.

He also touches on all the different measures which are currently taken so that students can get more sleep and showing it to readers the different loopholes which exists in these preventive measures.

The concluding paragraph makes a strong impact on the readers as they further enforce the fact on how important the welfare of students are as they are the nation's future and how we should not undermine their potential due to logistical difficulties.

Cats in HDB, Dr Tan Chek Wee. 2nd January.

2009-01-16T13:06:00.004+08:00

The training of pets is the responsibility of their owners. HDB should do something about irresponsible owners, instead of banning cats or dogs, as only the irresponsible owners should have their pets taken away, instead of imposing a bann. The bann would not help owners learn to be responsible, and nothing would be achieved. The bann would also cause other responsible owners to lose their pets through no fault of their own.

In this article, the writer is giving information to the readers using real life experiences making the relationship more like someone complaining to another party. The writer uses questions "Are HDB officers allowed to remove cats?" to make the readers think and also creates an impression that the officers over-stepped the boundary.

Treat all workers with Dignity and Respect /Halimah Yacob (Mdm)

2009-01-16T13:01:00.000+08:00

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_326801.html
This article talks about the exploitation of the foreign labour we have in Singapore. I would like to add on to the article.
Singapore employers should consider themselves fortunate to be able to have foreign workers to work for us. A widely known fact that most people in Singapore take our foreign workers for granted, I believe that we should “treat all workers with dignity and respect”.
They are all man like you and me, and all man have human rights. They should be treated just like any other employee. A big boss may greet his Singaporean secretary every morning, but will he do the same to his Bangladeshi toilet cleaner? Similarly, us, as students, would greet our teachers but do we do the same to foreign workers that come to work on construction in the school? It is evident that there is not enough respect for our foreign workers. In fact, I would add on that there is not enough respect for other workers as well.
We need to learn to respect all workers, inclusive of the ones whom we consider, to have a job ‘below us’, both for foreign and Singaporean workers. Imagine all our foreign workers from Bangladesh, India. India has a population of 1,147,995,904, and we cannot deny that many talents come from there. Who’s to say that India would not become the next America? Will there be a day when Singaporeans have to work for the Bangladeshi? When that day comes, imagine how we will regret not treating them with due respect.
As the saying goes, ‘Do unto others what you would do unto yourself’. Don’t let such a regret happen. Treat all our workers with dignity and respect.

Van hits 2 schoolboys

2009-01-15T13:24:00.004+08:00

I refer to the newspaper article, "Van hits 2 schoolboys", which was posted in the HOME section of The Straits Time newspaper on 16th January 2009. This article is a follow-up to the event which involved a van, two Kong Hwa Primary School kids and a fatal accident.

Singapore has always been a safe haven for me to live in. You do not often see accident signboards on the roadside, nor do you read about fatal road accidents often. In fact, road accidents happen only now and then, mostly minor cases. However, this piece of news did send enough shockwaves in me to rock my initial assumption.

From the article, two pupils from Kong Hwa Primary School were seriously injured on Thursday afternoon when they were hit by a van while on a pedestrian crossing. Primary 5 pupil Leif Lieow, 10, and Primary 3 pupil Tan Heng Joo, 8, were walking home together when the accident happened along Old Airport Road. The boys had made it almost all the way to the other side of the crossing when the van hit them.

The purpose of this article, in my opinion, does not only serve to inform the reader of such an accident, but also to reinforce the importance of road safety. Even without having to read the full article, I must guess that the two boys were not paying close attention on the vehicles. At least not close enough for a 'close shave'.

I remember once my grandfather reprimanded my brother for picking up his BeyBlade top from the side of the road when he dropped it. He emphasized that we should never take road safety lessons lightly nor treat it as a joke. "To bet with the road is to gamble away your life" his words so long ago then is still fresh in my mind. It only struck me recently that even if we are very careful and precautious in minding ourselves, others might not be doing the same. With just that, an accident can happen.

Apparently, Heng Joo's family maid, who was walking behind the boys, was left unhurt. This perhaps reveals the speed of which the van was travelling at. It must have happened really fast, for someone who was tailing both boys to be left unharmed. Like I have mentioned in my previous paragraph, no matter how alert we are, we may not escape the consequences of other's mistakes. As a result, Leif sustained head injuries and has yet to regain consciousness in the intensive care unit of KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Heng Joo suffered severe abrasions on his face and body but has been transferred out of the high-dependency ward to the children's ward.

Therefore, all users of the road out there, I urge you to be considerate to other people. On the road is where when you make mistakes, you may never get to correct them ever again. Now, we're not only weighing your own life, but also the innocent party, who did not agree in sharing the consequences nor bearing the mistake you made.

The road is not 100% safe, let's not entrust it with our fate.

Facebook 'friends', food trays, infant formulas and animal testing

2009-01-15T09:02:00.003+08:00

After analysing your assigned reading of opinion/review articles (using Paul's Wheel of Reasoning), what can you conclude about effective expository essays? (Discuss this question by leaving your comments. Be sure to make reference to the assigned articles to support your conclusions. You may also refer to and respond to other people's comments.)

Here are some prompts to help you get started:

How does the writer make the subject matter/topic/question/issue, and so his stand and opinion clear to the reader?
How would you describe the writer-reader relationship?
How would you describe the tone of the writer?
How persuasive is the writer?

More prompts (if you need them):

How has the writer structured (form and structure) his essay?
Does the writer appeal to the reader's reason or emotions?
How has he used vocabulary/language to persuade us (rhetorical questions, metaphorical language, repetition, etc.)?
What are some predominant grammatical features found in these articles (e.g. tenses, personal pronouns, modals, active/passive voice, conjunctions and correlatives...)?

Refer to the articles by using the short titles or names of the writers:
Old Habits / Chong;
Face it / Ho;
VR / Joanne;
Privacy / Lee;
Verse / Tay;
AVA / Sai;
Lab Animals / Moss