ffiSuapes eF GRAv

f--7

lf

Mass Media

lThe television is detrimental to our abitity to think criticalty.

2should we still expect objective reporting from today,s mass rnedia?

Society 5-34

3Has globalisation made the world more civilised?

4clobalisation has cr€ated two worlds, not onc. Comment.

5somc high-profile politicians have brought up claims that the young adults inindllstrialized or rapidly industrialized countries like the Unitcd Statcs andSingapore are too self-absorbed. Do yott agree?

6The family has suffered at the expense ofcareer iD Singapor€an society. Disc6s.

TCri(ically examine the forces threatcning the family in Singapore.

8Critically examine the forces threatening the family in Singaporc todav.

9Parents in Singaporc today hnve generally abdicated thcir responsibilities. T(, ivhatextent do you agree with this statement?

lols ar agl]ing population necessarily a bad thing?

llls an ageing population necessarily a b:rd thing?

12ln this modern era, the aged are becoming more ir.relcvant than they ale useful.What arc your viervs?

lS lhe greatcst obstacle to womcn achieving eqtlality is the wornen thcrnselves. I)oyou agree?

l4our lives are determined by the places $e :rre born into. How true is this belicP

IsPublic figures have to behave wel! at all times. Do you agree?

l6"Thc road less travellcd." (M. Scott Peck) is being diffcrent overratcd?

Valucs 35-43

lTHumlln lifc is precious nnd nrtlst bc preservcd at allcosts. Discuss.

lSAsian Values: Do thcy exist?

t-1

\

38capital punishment versus the life sentence. Discuss.

3gEx-criminals ought to be given a secoud chance. Discuss.

Sports 82-89

40Sport is taking fun seriously. Do you agree?

4lsport has fallen short ofits true ideals. Is this true of today's world?

42Is it true that competitiye sport is all about fame and money?

43with technology, sport is no longer the samc. Do you agree?

Miscellaneous

44"H€al the world, make it a better place." Can we?

45"Science enslaves, the arfs liberates." Discuss.

46Any change in society begins in the school. Comment.

4THistory is dominated by wars. Discuss.

48comment on the st:lte of tr:rditional rrts in your country.

49Genetic Patcnting

S0Tragedy and Our Response

90-104

Quotes

Vocabulary

105-109

110-113

\

The television is detrimental to our ability to think critically.

The srereotypical imase of the American family is often that of an obese middle_aged farher. his wife and chitiren on thc "",g" of b;;;.;;';u"." ,,li"L,*.. ,ra';"g

",].1.^Y:::,q" white earine chips. rhis ..*u,io. u,o;;;"";;;;'.;;;;:.,. nor enliretyuncommon rn devetoped nar,ons and rew wonder "h) ;; i;i;;"";;;'; orren calted rhe"idior-box". Of lare. it has [reen accused of discouraging

""a "r.* ir"","g a neSari\eeffect on rhe vieweft' abiliry to rhink criticaly.i;; #;",iil;,"r""!il,lir"", n.*".,",,First of all. ir is neccs.an to clearly defi e whet is refercd lo bv one s ability lotlLink criLica'y. tr rcfers ro rne ar,;liry of rhc i"di",d";i-; i;;i';i.Jri i1,10..,,".. o, ,,,issue and weigh borh rheir meriLs and.faltacies d;"#;;:;firion. To thintrcriticatly is ro rhink independenrtu *a ai.pu.ionui"ii,;i;;,f";il"* unafl.ecred bypublic opinion. Lrsrly, ir is rhe abil;ty to make a rati&i;;:#;;lltson *hur on","five senses have observed, not one based on p*t

"*p"ri"".". oiffi;"*"ln this aspect, the television itselfis to blame to an extent. Most of the timc, whatore sees on any tclevision channcl is the.A-".i.un ui.*. it ill i" i".u"u.."l",ng ,rr" *toUnte.onotnii .uf'er porrer. ir hrr. nrrmfred trillrnns i",o In.Jir',..nn.lorr"',o p.n1",, ,,.

;,,ji.;;#,J,::,j.;l,l::i :ig.i.y1l3 .,,"p;"i"" ;;;,;:;;";:'",;;,,1.,,, dround ,,,e

:.;;;.;-,; ;,;i ;,"il*"';:,i";l:iH;1 : ::; iffiI",l:.il.:.,ii ;l:.1#i;:':advalced satellite technology in the world_ A lot of news and even entertainmenl wercceive is not witholt an American sltt

".. is o,rty u,re'ui.*;;l;:#;:1* one wonders how one can think criticallv when

Of'ten. the infomtalion we reccivc is already in processed fon]r. When flmous:i'::if':f1i:,j:i1fi::: ::":J5;:'"r"

juagn'.,'i o,' ,,,f i,,u., iil'o.irr, ,",i";.", "n,their idols say even if th. ."l"b.itutl

Atd"nt fans o[ celebrities hang o' to every word

c.iri";i;;l;;s;b,L,r'i'ii,,"iiii,iil5l'ws rirrrc or nothrrtg rbout a Prrticular issuc.

Another important reason whv rhe teler tsion is more prone to such accusation incomparisoo ro orher rnass nredi:r i< the ,.,.; ;il; ";;;;';#'i',in', ',"."','J,

. *"*,,il.rlormilin . WlleI r(rdi g,u.r..p,,p.r..,u,. hjls t,, tr) ^n".s lr\t to tmirAine i d s..c thecverr rcporrc,t hrpperrinr ir 'ne s rrrirrd },... ,"1,u onr1 i. in""oi",*o .",o,,,"unhotoBrilphs to aj(l the Fro!c\s. The radio only providcs sound, so what the cvent itselfIooL: lrke r. upir ro intcrtrr,.rirriL,rr fh" <lr.rn _q"i.",r ,o

",,r!ir"'1u"n,.,r,.,,,,,,,*r(qurre\ rtrnl'18 rlrrlirv rrnd drttcjenr peuptc uil inrertrcr ,h";;;;;; ." ,i.,, 0",_",,,opinions- -Ielc\ tsion, hower cr , is m tull colour and stercophonic sound and one docs notneedrorhinkJr :rll whilc reccr\ino rh. intonrrrun ur".,a.i., ,rrr"rlr,',i""1.".".,, I*o.,u,ol li\c.cn.es rle fttlly cilterc,l J.ri.rn,l rhis crl,ja||r. wlr) it rs e.r,) to irhsorh 1n;6r_.,,,on

il[ri':,:::,:il:l] rheebir rytotrrinr,criticairf Jim;;i;h;.;r;;J;;;i i"o,r r,utonry

tIrlIIIiTIT:

f:

IItI!tI

. However' saying trrar rerevision.is. only detrimenral to critical thinking woutd,alJ:rin be inational. There are mind-srimulating p.og.o--". to i","". ".a'"a"y"a

Uy "lion channels such as Narional Geographic,

'Diicovery ifr"*"i'ani ggc fn.iri.tBroadcasting Corporation). Oftcn, highly .ont,nu"rriit ,rr"*'_l'ol"o"o "p _a

1,:.:!:ll!,"u c\jltu.,,e,t. objccriv.ry ,,,,1 "i t.ngrr,,";,;s,,;;._,i.n ll'lno,o ,,,u...I i r\s[.s Jrc dehaled tu tlle evtcllt rlrar irs fr.r. and cuns rr( c\posed Jn,l the publrc canmrke rr. o$.n rdtrondt judBnrenr Jtrcr lhe d(tire ,,.,",. M,:,.;r";: ;ui..,,,. ,,"**cnJrmets \ucn rs BB( anLi f-lrarrnel \ewsAsr.r gu r\, gre.rt lengrh. to irrteivieu peoplcwho havc sl.oog views regarcring an issue and they are

-caretir nlot ,o le:we-out any otherperspeclivcs. The

_individual sitting at home ian thus form tri"_ -o*,,'op,nron

oncorrtenrior,\ rssucs Irkc clonrng L,r retrorisDtl for exan4rle, t "r.a

on_fri"-o*n five senscsJrrrrrnlnKln: JOrlrl\.norlIib.r.kprolrlld.Lrplrrrrrernr..r puhltcofinion.

Whether the television has a negJti\ c Effc!t o[ crillcJl thrnking ur not dcpends onwhat viewcrs want to watch. .fhc f:rct ihrt pr,.,gr"nun". *f,,.1 Jn

',lr?

"n.o"u.og" c.iticatthinking tend.to be nrorc popular rharr rhose wiL.h.r", .r,",". ,i", p."pi" iiuo,,1, ao no,want ro thirk criticelly_ .I.hcrcforc,

one has to bc careful ,"ir"n'Ji...-ing *t,.rprogralnnles to watch as a slaple dict and wha( to watch lvhcll onc wants to relax

The ,r.e

quu aments oJ-the qltestioh an: ut tr.rttroJ,u h,tn,llcLl n,ell D(.velal)ment pt)ints,,'htdl,. ..tnt,dturt.,t.thr\ r, j,.,thttt,tt,ta,dJ,t.;l " " ,'

Ushnish Dc04s33

Should we still expect objective reporting from today's mass media?

The mass media refers to institutions concemed with the large-scale pmductionand diffusion of communication. News, which is the product of organizational paocessesand human interaction, is shaped by the mcthods used in the news-gathering process.News is thus affected by the infbmration sources available and the organizationalrequirements, resources and policies of pa icular institutions. A piece of news is ideallyfree from bias, opinio\ personal values, prejudices aod associated with scientihc datathai is generated under experimental conditions. Unlike the past, corporations andgoverrments arc lrow asserting greater influence on the nuss media today. Also, theprofit-motivation of media firms as well as the professionalism ofjoumalists are growinufactors contributing to the distortions of news rcports. Thercfore, we should not stillexpect objective repofting in today's mass media

In the past, media companies were mainly small scaled and too insignificant toacquiae any power of illfluencc. The arliclcs that they published weie also mostlybalanccd and well researched. Today, ownership of the media is largely in the hands oflarge multinatiolal corporatiolts- Wc arc faced with an incrcasing number of multimediaconglomerales such as the Ruper( Murdoch's Media Empire which have large controlovcr the various tbmrs of media. The proprictoas of dresc large colporations often playthe rolc of gatekecpers. aestrictiltg thc flow of infbmtation in a country. Illey often usetheir wide ciaculations to promole their pel political causes or dcligrate people t]reydisagree with- These are maidy done through the hiring and firinS of statT. For examplc,two award-winning Florida TV producers working for F'ox News have recently bccn firedafter thcy rehrsed to broadcast falsc reports aboul Monsanto's controversial lleneticallyengineercd growth hom)one. Therelbre, mnny joumalists are 'cocrccd' or 'intinidated'into Dot rEporting things thal atlect the nolhcr company and lelalecl intcrcsts. resLrlling innews repofts drat are largely onc-sicled and lnisleilding. Thc prolit molivation of nlediafirms also led to more alisasters beiug broadcast, lhrl appcal nlore lo the audicncc. Thus,due Io corporate influe[ces at]ecting lhe lrass iledia, wc carno{ expect oiiectivcreponing fiom il today-

Cornpared 1rl in the pasl, media companics today arc increasingly irndergovernment pressure- Vcry otien. lhe govcrnntent sees the media as a plattbrm ot wlichit can put forth its propaganda alld changc what the pcople think. This is cspccially sowhen a ruling pa.ty in drat country has a large sha.e of the broaclcast nlcdia timc_ In thcrecent fhailand elections, more television coverage was given (o the prime Ministcr. Mr_Thaksin Shinervatre than to the opposition lcaders. This suggests that Thailand's massmedia is not oeutral in its broadcasring approach, espccially since Mr. Thaksin's fnmilyruns the kingdon's largest tclecornmunication corporation. Allhough the mass media isgiven the ficcdorn to repod what i1 wanls and various laws are hid dob,n to avoid nlediabias in many countries, objeclivc reports still c nnot bc cxpected lronr today's massnlcdilr due to govemrnent ill(ervcntiot.

Joulnalists used to coocLlr thal obicctivily wts the htllnlrrk of crediblcjoumirlism- They largely wrote rniclcs orr rvhich thcy wcre tlloroughly informed Today,

tIItItTttItIFttItI

however, joumalists lepoft news based on how they see the world ln the recent tsunamr

i,r"il"rrt, i.port"." tiom Sri Lanka are known to ex;ggerate the extent of damage in their

.*" """*.y to toy with people's emotions in an atGmpt to increase the propofiions of

"ia ,rr"t rii po.,i irr,o s.i Lanka Thc danage done to the coast of other itft'ected

Joun*i". *u, no,."ported. This skewed piece oiinformation may mislead both the locals

-J io..ign"rr. Sin;e joumalists report news as they see it' they would freque[tly and

u"ini.*io"n"ffy slant iheir "ou"rug".

Oft""' when joumalists try to be objectivc and

U"fm""J, ,ft"y ".a

rp broadcasting their liberaL slalt' As a result' we cannot still expect

non biased reporting in today's mass nredia-

There l1as been a growing intcrest among readers worldlvide in.objective news

"o-pu."Jio in *" pu.t. ihis m"iy <tttue profit-motivated media cornpanies to broadcast

-orJ otrj".,iu. n"*i in order to incrcase readelshiP However' the problem of liberal bias

*iff "f*'"vt

..itt i. media corpotations Unbcknown to them' somc of their own vie\ts

n l.i ia.as *outa rc nintecl in the aticles they write, whether subtly or not Hence' we still

can|ot expect objective reporting in today's mass media-

Morc ancl more newspapcrs claim that they are indepcndent ol -lhe Sovernmenl

"na ntner inttu"n.ing factors Some of thesc media compuries and jollrnalisrs evcn devise

iiJr-"*t t"*tiq*iof verifying thc faimess of the stories they publish The Oregonian'

" US fror"a daily. for examples, is said lo enlPloy a system callcd 'prosecutioD ediling

ir"-.r;-i. "a1tii"^,c a stoly. Such news peoplc care about ftcir image and therefore

Itrj."titity l{owevcr, il today's globalizc woricl' a tnedia cunpaoy will not he able to

..u,'aotuu"-E'ventuxlly'ilrvillhavelohavelinks,cilhe'withothcfmcdiacolnP.lnie\oIutir", ,yp". c,f con,panies. Howcver. wllen this happens alld the media lomparly acccpls

any kini of favor fiom any source. its stand on objectivity wilL cornc plumnreling down-

ifr'"."to... it is still not possiblc tor us lo expecl objective reporting in today's mess

media.

Mark Twailr oncc said. "[f you do not rcad ftc newspaPer' you arc uninlormcd: ifyou do read the ncwspaper, you are nrisinfomrecl'" fhis is especially lruc {oday' Lls

lrguccl in the "bnu"

po.ng."pl,,. To(lx), lhe nasr rredrrr lects en,rnclerting trend of

r"ii..ri";,v in it. c.,nt.ni. iherclbre, pe"plc necd to be cduc'tterl Icgrrding how lo

ii"iiirv trri, various tbrms of media sul'iectivrty we rs re'rdcrs rlso ncLd to develop a

critical eye when reading ttre nc*'si'rpt' rnrl ehsurh tnlolnrtlLln that l\' truthful and

Lrnbiased since morc opir;onltcd iclcas are rnjectctl intu the nrass rnedia rurlay corupared

to in the pasl. Thcreforc. !\'e caflnol still expect objcctivc repotli g from thc mass media

today.

Contcnt of yttur esstty is L:lcarly ttnqlc and x'eLI otganizet! A tog(ttt etsal'

Hong Ji g Har04s22

flIT

Has globalisation made the world more civilised?

In our rnodem world. the word in vogue is .globalisation,_ After the collapse ofconmunism and the end of the cold war, globafiz;don, where social, economic ahdpolitical barriers no longer exists, emerged. The workl is a society instead of manysmaller sepamte ones, with human interacdon possible anywhere. One of globalization,spremises is that it can eradicate barbarism. violencc alld wars, repJacing it_with refined asociety with a univeAal culture. However, many people, including myielf, feel that fhisdesired effect ofhaving a less barbaric society has notieen achievi. "

One of the indications of a less barbaric world would be a reduction in levels ofviolence and wars. Tlre world would shrre a common political ideology in globalization,wherecountries would work together to improvc rheu iivcs. This woui-jbe frade possiblcthrough the transmission of ideas and ways of governance. The westem world, forexample' championed the capitarisl cause and triecl to influence the rest of the world tofollow suit. Anterica was the forerunner and its fbreign policies under president Bushemphasized a hands-on approach, wherc the Unticd Siates of Arncrica (U,S) personallyfook it upon itself to propagare wcstern ideology_ They believed that the US way ofgovenitnce ought to be adopted by everyone and thaf this way was globalization in termsofpolitical culture. However, through rhe process of globalization, t"tre US tract nn quatms

:l?ll r:',"s jb.* on rhc rcccr.'rin8 narion. They backed rhe Taiibans whcn rhey werctrghttnB the Sovict invasron in rhe 90s because they fcared communism spreading furthel.But they bombcd thcm in the afremurh of ttre 9/11 incidenr They launciect thc traq Warto stem thc tide of anti American scnltment. The Antericans, the chempioris ofglobalization in tcmN of polirical ideology, o[ly allowed for the American way ofthinking. other ideas woulrl be quashed and if e.rtire countries were ,,,,in"J r".uu". ofglobalization through wars ancl violencr-, ir was unavordxble. The tjS-lcd globalizationhas only shown the inhcaent warring and brrb.lriL lurLrrc ot thc Arn..i."n, u"'u r"rutt.

.. The benefits ()1 globalization in tenns of economic effects would be that thedivergence

_bctween the rich and pooa coult es would be reduced. .liading and rhcexchange of technology and ideas would enable less_developed countries io catch up withdeveloped ones- Thc developed countr-ics felt that this woulL.l bc an advanced stage in theprogress towards racial equality since it was a case of thc rich helping the poor. It wouldthe ulrimare level of aftainment in tenns oi moral values. Wid gtiUuliJ^iion tfllougttrade, the rich, advanced countrics could civilize or enlighten the'poor, backwad onesand bring rhem ro lhc same level. I{owever, rhis only works theoreiicaliy. Globalisation:tt ,lt"d: gnly rc\uhcd In lhc ex|loit,rtion of cheap labour ;n count.i"s'tit" China andlnolA. LaDnur Inten\tvc Lrctoaicl werc situated ilr third world coufltties, whcre workersuere trcared inhuntrncly, Lvrng rn squalor and bcing paid extremcly low wages. f.brrnstance. hum.n right. groups crarnrcd that for a uS$r20 Nikc shoe riiade in china, theworker reccived less rhan UStlj l_ Chikl labour was also reporledly pracrised by Nike shocmanufacturing ifldLrslrics in China as well. Llencc, giobalisation fhrougli tradc hasallowed multi-lation{l corpor-ations to lakc aclvantage J cheap labout off.e'rctt Uv rtrira_world couorr ics. Ycr, whilc they hide uncler the ba[nir of providing jobs t., rt,e ott,.,*,s"joblcss poor and bringing them to rhe sanre civilizcd lcvel evc"rriually, rhey pay rhe

L

v/orkers peanuts and give them pathetic livjog conditions This is because it is not

desirable for them to b;ng thc Poor to the same level of riches since the poor would be

;;lh"g a engage in siuch labour then. Thus, glotralisation through trade has only

;;;.g-h, -"";

the- rioney-grubbitg and hhumane side of the so-called more civilized

nations and matle them appear no less barbaric as a result

Ilowever, in temrs of global culture' we have definitely procee'ded in a positive

direction. In thelarts, a worl6 iulture has evolved dramatically since the past fifty years.

Many nrod".nists have fused the best qualities of the Eastern-and Westem crtlture and

formecl a whole new breed of fusion ari. For instance, Bright sheng, an intemationally

ac.tuiorea Cnin".. compute. expefl in America' has successfully merged Chinese and

.i^.i*f .".i" togcther. The successful fusion ol O cnlal and Westem stvles would

have beel1 irnpossiile without globalisation Furthermore' it is {ar easier to have access to

ini".nnLionut u"t. because of iire fact that they are aware of intemational audicnces ln

i.g^p". "f""", lhe number of intemational perlonners is very high'-whar with the

Siniupo* e*fti.t e.stivat, Films Festival and Arts Festival taking placc in the pe'iod of

n"friuo.y to ltluy. Internatiolal acts can be flown in and rve can diverslfi our cllture and

t.ing itio g."ut". fl.ights. ln this rcspect. globalisation hds definitely cxposed stonrore

cultJralchangcs urd rnacle us more retined and civilized-

"Gtobalisation" is a word that s|ells much (hangc irnd its rcirch is oLrLy limited to

Ihe size of our globe- Despitc our ditfercrlces' be iI rn temN of phy\i(xl or menlal

,ilrp".iry, *. arc-nonetheleis equally cauSht up in globatisatiolr'- lt may ofl't hcnefils'

Liti having a vibra t global atls;ullurc, or ir may spell tlisastcr like cult ral.rcscnlmcnl'

,ej".tiun n-f "

gtot,oi iJentity to rnaintain individralily or the exploilntion of cheap lebour'

fl"" t*v *. _-"fi",c

against such changes may llso show oul barblrric or civilizcd

nature. We llave lo bleaLthe egg in oader lo nrake xn omelct' bllt il is anolher nlater when

it conres to whether wc woiLld bc wilting to sacrifice our h[manity for corplele

glnl\Jtr'irrrnrr irl ill :llca- ofurlr lrulrrarr 'o ict1

Mttin probltm: You tiid nttt tuswer tl( Llltcstion "llas " htfu conclusiott

Gootl riisr:ussion dt.spit( lhe lttng wirlt:tlness arul perhaps tfu: stiSht (vo t slightb) Lack

of e\)alua!i.)n. Cool! c\anPIes

Lirrt Yi Niy04s31

has crdtted two worlds, not one. Comment.IItIrlIIIItIItI

globalisation was coiied to rcflect the creation of a world in whichare non existent Indeed, the ideal aim of globalisation is to unite thethis is made possible by the mpid development in communication

Nevertheless, sociologists and economi.rs aliLe arc unltzed wirLr the tr,,negloba,isation and feel lhat jt ha. fallcn \hofl of its rrue ideats. I here'a'..

people who feel drat globalisation has separated the world more than it hasagree with this statement to some extent.

ir, One of the most evident effects of globalisation is the creation of a .North_Southle'- a term coined by economists to describe the huge economic disparity that exisrseen ich and poor nations. Globalisation is often see-n as a fagad" mi rfr" ,iJ ,ri.rlapitalise on the poor alrd m?Lke themselves richer. Most rich nations have

)nted outsourcing policies thaf enable them to tap the ."roua"", of uuoth"afor thei own development. This is evidenr evcn in South_East Asia itr"tf *f,el"

t of_the oilfields are owned by Westem companies such as Exxon Mobil. Shell andsh P.troleurn. Former Indone,ian pre\ident Suklrno o \. dubbcJ gf"fr"ti",io,, .rr

the 'new form of colonialism'. lndeed, in the economic sense, *" ;;" ;i;;;';;;globalisarion has created a huge disparity between the rich anil poor natio.s insLeaa ofreducing the rich-poor gap. Thus, in a sense, grobalisalion has createcr nor one, but two

Politically, lllobalisation has created a wo.ld whcrc the more powedul ationshave tltc most say in worlcl affairs. "fhis rgxin, ls eonrraly ro thc idea ihat elc,balisation\-tould urrrc llrc uorld. Ho$ r. thdr l,trssrble qlren rlre rnorr fowerlul n,rrion,',,r,.rt,e,.lr.;makrrg thc deLrsion? Anlcrirr rrgucd lhat therc was a ncedio invade Iraq on thc basis ofSaddam Hussein's weapors progranlme. IJowcver, the Unitc.l N^tio,rlr'1U11 Secu.ityCouncil votcd against the invasion of Iraq, but was p,r*".t... t,-r fa"u"nt'ilr. ,nuoaiun_After thc war, it soon became cvirient thit lraq,s supposed pnr."lr"ion-ui *""p,rn, utmass destruction (WMDS) was a hoax. The events'that occurred in ti," traq Wa,highlighted a clear loirr - rhar the unired srares runs rh," *n,tu nna ,rntro,tv can srand irrits way. The situation has also becn Jescribcd o,

".U.S. u"r"u.r-ttr. *olti,.ituution.

Thus, it can be seen that globalisation has not yet fulillcd irs ulr_, oi"riiin, ur" *_fa,but ha.s crcated a lrurf between natiors. Moreov;r, rr h.r, c,ruscd the less pn*.i.t,,t uuriun.to .slrftcr from an irfcdority complex and comply rvrrh thc ,lec,si,rns ol iti" ,no." p,r*"rtutnatlons.

_ -" , t|'r is not ro siry rhirr glohtlisarion is a complete tailure though. Socially,

.9"t1':ll)r,'"1t:i. mirde euhurol tusiun possible in many counrrics, whcre the lif.esryles oftne Last rnd We\r . e buth rhrivrng regardlcss of the paft o[ lhc world thal an tndividual

rs rfl. t[ l\ commoD ro find n 'L'hin town' in the Uniled States ancl a .McDonalds, inSirgapore. lhe intlux of forcigners in individual counrrie. i, o". * irr.,"""i ru.,o..' ,rr",make cultural fusion possibrc. Indeed, culturar fusion has crealed a harmoi'rious mrx olcultures and has made peoplc aware of another pcrson,s cultnre. lftf,ougt it . i".u" .rfAmcrican cultural domination has oiien croppetl irp, it is quitc cvident tlu_t societies still

maintain thcir roots even when exposed to tbrciSn cultures. In the area of music,

globalisation has enabled musicians to take the best of both worlds and come up wiih

;omething that shows traits from both worlds. New Age musician, Kitaro' is f'morrs for

such com-positions and the Malaysian band 'Too Phat' is renowned for making 'hipiop'music using traditioral tuncs. Thus, in this area, globalisation has united the best from

both worlds and created a new blend of culhrre that no country can call its own'

In conclusion, globalisation may have failed to unite the world economically and

politically, but its success in fusing cultures is not to be played down. Though it has not

iully achievert iLs ideal aim of creating a world without borders' it ha$ come a long way

from the 1940s when the idea of Germany holdirg talks with the United States was

impossible. Ooc of the barriers that used to restrict unity language - has been rernovcd

to an exrent. No doubt, globalisatioo is still not very successful- But neve heless, the

future certainly looks bright as China rises as a supcrpower and balances the powe' once

hcld by the U;iGd States. Hopefully in the futurc. we can one day look fbrward to a real

world without borders.

The grcdt ma il is ),aur clear arul ol.lered thillkits Polentidlly, Lhc grrdtest faiIing would

hc four (:ategorical cl.tssirtcaioll of tle effccts ttl global^ation e g p!!j!k!A t is not

toward one workl, culturalh,, it is--

Tan Yee Kiat04s:]4

GL@BALrzarr@N, As DEFINf D

TH IN G... YOU ARE TALKING

ABOUT C€LL PH(DN€S. Y(DU ARE

GLoBALTZATIoN Qu@T E s:

IT HAs sEEN sArD THAT ARculNG AcAINsr GL@BALIzaTl@N 's LIKE ARGUINc

ACAINST THE LA'WS 6F GR,AVITY.

- K@FI ANNAN

BY RICH P€(EPLE LIKE US' !5 A VERY NIC€

ABOUT THE IflT€RNET, Y(EU ARE TALKING

TALKING AEOUT C(EITIPUTERS. TUIS OOCST'T

AFFECT TW@-THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE (DF THE W(ERLD.

- IlmnY CARTE R

GL@BALIZATIoN HAs cHAticED us INTo A conPANY THAT SEARCHES THE

WORLD, N(DT JUST TO sELL lDR T@ S{DURC!, BUT TO FINO INTELLECTUAL

CAPITAL - THE 'WORLD.S 8€5T TALENTS AND GREATE5-T IDEAS.

- IAcK \i/E LcH

some high-profire poriticians have brought up clairns that the Joung adurts inindustrialized or rapidty industrialized count.ies tike rtr" Uni;;'i,;il;;Silgapore are too self-absorbed- Do you agree?

Just two weeks before, five hundred youth convened at the National University ofsingapore in early Jure for the amual preuniversitf ,;;;;;il;;;, Durins theseminar, Dr. Vivian Batakrishnan rlescribed Singaporean yo"if, .,::r"ti "., frr"g.y *aseltrsh". In an informal poll conducred-by ff,. S"r.Ar" fi_!, nn ii "ilil uarri"tpru., *overwhelming majorirv begged ro differ wirh ,r,. rnrni.*r, ,"r"i,[ nii iiourr, ,tu, ,t

"people oI their generation were becoming roo self absorbed. So_. -nigir_p;fff.

p,rtiti.utfigurcs have brought up claims that rhe young a.tutrs in rnaustriaiiiea o. ,upiatyindusrrialized counrrics like rhe Unircd stu"" u"j sing;po; ;;.;;i;: r* ," *o'-absorbed. Altfiouglr there rna) be some erceprions. in ml opinioni rhosec,l.t,m" arc urli.tto only a srnall cxtent.

As education today takes on a morc holistic approach, community work atul:::l-,^lj,l,,llr"^"reDr lre slowty being inresrated iJ," irr.'

"""J'",itrrn. *un ,rri,

iii!=:Tfli.iLi'f::Tfi'.'.':,'"'a::'"li'":i:::'J";ii'Jlll'"#l$"ily',fi:il:,;themselvcs in chariry work. be it local. o. uu"r."ur..i-1".i_* fii'.*"r"pr", "ta"y:j:":l-"::ll: llii"rr. in singapore organ,,.. .,..,",,. ."i;;;;;i, in"",,.,'n",,, r.,on.,.rrJr alr verv ue rc(ci!ed bv theirrtudenr.. I.lre:c srudenrs g" ro lreprl tu huild properschools or visit rural areas in ihailand ro ronstrucr

"anita,.y toicrslu. ,i. ."iia"nr._ ,trv"yfrom home, thesc participants have no lnalenal ctrmlon. yet they carry out the tasksassigned vi r nuch cnjoymenr and enrhusirsm, t""*i.g -rrr"i.

"it.,a"

t*iuta ur"t"

"positive diftcrence in the lives of rhe uldcrprivrlegca arr"ott -, "^"r,rii"

r., t,act up theclaim that youth irt dcveloped counlrics do r""or* ir"-."irl. i" ."rlr"i"r,ri .,v".0 .."*from an issue of us sEV'ENTEEN ."g;,i;;"1. l;:;;;;;:il:;..#:1Tir""il;.,_"highlighted a group of teenage girls whu underrook, p".r,.r1r*"J., ,rri .nrgte hanacdly::::1illi':d..

r'', "',",,e.,s

(onrnrrnirv invotremcnr p,"t.., LJ_, r.""r".i,r,i *,,,,"ar"aosorrlcrllrns tot th( lcss lbrtufi3tc. Ftorn tlte ahovr c\.rmph.s. rr is rhu. er idcnt Ihar yoLlll rndevelopcd countdes are hot selfish aod :etf absorbcd bc.;;;;; ;;;; th" n..,ts ufothers bcforc thek own, contrary to uh3t rhe tcmr .,sel[-,rbsorbei..i.Jpii".. .f.nu., ,t"claim is tnre to o y a snrall exteni.

-^,, ^"-1i"t,l:r ieason why rh( young adults in devcloped coontries are said ro be norscrr-aosorDcd lt hecxuse dLcv ale tblc to take hardships in their stride and adapt to lhcirsituation instcad of merely whining ir the hopc thal the situarion will bet{er itserf, or thatsomeone will coil)e and better thc siruation for them. The frti",.ir-" .frurl.i".ir,i. ot

"::1"j.1,;ii^".,^:l:ll:"'brd yourh. f, far cry tionr thar in devetopert co"*.t", i.ouy. r" ,r,"wdKe ol rne terrunst Septentber I I auacks on the US Twin Towers. the US ecolomv wasbrll) shaten. \4rl) innu(.crt lrve: wcr. l,rst arrd rnarrl sulo brcr.lwrnrrclr

".,i:;:;'i,;;.stack. As nillions moumed rhe deaths hcro.. rr," Us, i*t"," oir""ii, ".,j..'in" "."",o:T*U"","0

rrllrecl ro_gcrher. formrng supporr groups lhar helped ride each olhcr over theoeilln ul luvcli nnes. It is :uch inrtLntrvcs that show thrlt the y;ung do not clcse.ve dre {ag,

'self-absorbed' for instead of grievirig silently' they take hardships in their stride and go a

step further to help those in the same boat as they.

Closer to home, just a few years ago, the Singapore economy was not doing very

well and cornpanies carried out rnajor retrenchment exercises' leavilg many Singaporean

parents unemployed. Some, although sti1l employed, took major wage cuts such that a

itranpe in tifesrvie was warranted. When interviewed or polled by the local media as to

noru ih"y *out i .op. with the reduced income flow in the household' most parents cited

measure; such as ."ducing their teenagers' pocket money and cutting down on buying

iu*ury it -r, purchasing only what was absolutely necessarJ' In respoDse to their

p-",it.' I."ta"rr.lt-"nts or wage cuts, a small number of Singaporean youth took fo the

;fieets in search of work in an attempt to supplement the household's income l-ess

significantty, however, in response to the poll on their parents'.most ofthe youth polled

reieated ttrat they would accept pocket money leductions and other financial changes

unquestioningly because they understa[d the situatio[ their parents are in When fufther

lu"'.tion"a ^i io hn* th"y would aid the cuffent economic situation' most youth cited

sacriftccs like spending less and goilg out and eating oul Less often to ease the burden ol1

their clders. As such. ii can bc seen tiom thc above mentioned that the youth in developed

countries are able to take hardships in their stride and adapt to the situation - deltnitely

not a mark of a self-absorbed generation. Thus, the slatemenl that youth in developed

countries are too self absorbed is true only to a small extcnt'

On the flipside however, there are instaoces when thc youth of developed

countries can be sclf absorbecl lt is lhese limes that catch the ettention of inclividuals ilr

the govemrnent, who then speak abotlt il' tamishing the image of the whole gcnelction'

Oneiexamplc in rvhich this nature of being self-absorbed carr surface is whe-n the young

are lacing sliff competition- [n this situation. it is "evcry man for himsell'' and many

would gJ all out ;i{l litlle regard of others. just so lhey would enicrgc vrcnnious'

Althou;h it is convenicnt to seJthis as a characleristic of the generation as a whoLe' it

woulcl Le bcfter if onc examines lhc situation into which the yoLlng are plxced- ln today's

fast{aced world, cspecially irt dcvelopcd countries' thc young must keep uP with the

competition should they want to keep afloat. Thus, it lhen becomes rccessary to bc

selfish and self absorbed.

ln conclusion. the youth ill dcveloPcd coufltrics are self absorbed to only a small

cxtenl. They have proven to be lble to take hardships in their stride' idapt to their

situation. and thcy clo put the needs of the mderprivileged befbrc the needs of

thcmselves. They do, however bccome sclf absorbed whcn faced with stifT comlctirlon'

in which case it iecones a necessily. Thc clai tha{ lhey are too sclf absorbed probably

stems frorn the fact that it is easier to rcmember the bad points of the generation instead

of the good, but as has been proven, the characteristics displayed by the youth of today

"," o i", ary frorn the "self]absorbcd" generation painted by many menhers of thc

gcneration bcforc ours.7)ood essayl l(ell baLanced, r:artJu[[y t ttnsidercd wirh u good ttst ttf cxutnples

Nur Raihana 04522

l0

The family has suffered at the expense ofcareer in Singaporean society. Discuss.

As Sirgapore progresscs. oeopj: are becomitg ntorc alld nlote edu.ated. As a

;H1'*:\H:::;:t":;":xfi'";:' rend ro wanr tu rocu' more on rhe,,'i.,.e,s. rhu'.dererio, a,ed ir r J""" ii' 0",_iur,'i.,fl "ll".1, :rff :;,"oJL#:lll nlln Hl;ril:lard te5s rime spenl $irh lhe fa;itv olhers mighr

"""" .rr.."1,1., ,. iru.'",i,t.lr.n in rtr.tust place. Hence, ir would be fair to say that f".ify _f^o"r.i"r. ,i,o.i"nJ ""*,ng ,t.famity ro be less ctosel) knir. as a resutr olenrptra.is on;;.;;;;;;..'"' '' ," "

Traditionally, men were the bjead winners of the family and women usuallysrayed ar home and spenr rheir time tooking ,t "l'

rrr"j'ii;ral"?"lu"olil n"*.n"achores. Bur xs more peopic are educated, ,n-",; ;";;; "."',.,,r#:#',tj.. n"r"r,*,\ here both larentri are not workins arAs a resu ;,;.;;. ;;;.1;_: ;;J :, ffi lJ,xl"iffi lTii ;:il i

j Li'l:H:ilT1;:;responsibilities at work, they now havr

".i.r,,"" "n.,,gr, ;;;;"",*t;;'fi;",T.T"fi in::"ll].fir-:i::ili;.:1.r,"-i::ineglcctcd Filmil) rellrions suffer. xitd to worcen the situe{ion, ill somc cases. the chiklrenpjck ut) bcd hrbirs sucb as snrokrns In.a recenr .i rr'".,ij."r"i,-,i " lshown rhatchildlcn whu atc djnllcr:I homc *]th rlre t;rrnill ucre Ic.\ jrLcl) to rllRjr!,. 1 \rLclracri\'ic\ sucn n. rang fiplt, i.d LiruB ahu\c ff,",.,i,-.';;;:'j,;;,,t;;; i;;imteraction is higrrry important in nlainrar.ing cruse bo'ds

"irn .,,.r. a*,.'u,"nn".i, *.aieir: could grcallv ti.duce limrly t;m, .

,""0 .#'li :'.ijii;',:;'fi'l ;i,1.',::j::rv' paretlts ,esoft ro hiring crorncstic hcrpcrs ro

.o'sist of dual ;r;.;'";.;rl;:;:;leDon rs.cornnlon in singapore' as Inosl fimiliesrl,cir .trt,tr.ll

" ,i,";"r;;,.'ii";:l'rrrs ol'Ln r|'n push rh" r'\pnn',hil'r\ .r biir*,iI rp

:rbou rrrrrrng,n",,',i,,,""i'i".i",.',,1ffi::llli,;;:.:ilir,il',,i."ij'li;,,i,liiilllj:lg.hl I:.t :j,."ii"." rhu. prctrnu ,,p rrdcsirilbte r"rt,,.. r" ,,tj,,t,",. lln,,, l_,,0. *o,,,0De ucal r. Il)c chrl,lrcn se( therr rrrid. rrorc tlr.rn thcrr pJrcl,.. ii,r_. i, ,rr,,|e,,,.,,rf.,fo,they mighr bc cioser to thc maids rhan parents. Hence, tbr thc sake oiirr"i,:.r,.*, por"u,,ffil , [iJ;1"1i:lrrrv

nt rookrns 'ti"' 'ur*",'',"''r'". a,,""]"'iiii,'il.iin",. o*,,",

,. ,, tt.1l, lenpic in SinpJporc. rlre r.lrrl tenrily currsisr.,,t.fJr.nt,.,l|d,l,rl.lr.o lrr. rlr. rrc talit) oI:ocict\ thJt jr furnil) \\uIld "", ,*.o",1f",. *,,no,,, ,,,,,0,,.".Ho$c,c1 x,i.4.,.1, hcc,me.morqc,Jrrcar-.,"",.""r"*.",,i;:'l;;'",::jl:"..,.,".,_

on thcir careers tirst and havc children at a later age, or nor have .nro_" ,".rii.' iirlliplacing so much elfolt into building up their uilreers, sonte couples mighl nor want to'pend o,,.rrirdr... hur ,nrrcad .p"nj,t,"i, r,n,a..,n.,i ;";;;.'; ;il,,1,lli]:\ r, r srL,,ryconductc,l rn Silgaporc il lead uurrrerr \rh!, uent tbf .f_,,,r,. ,,.." ,1,,^,,.,r jrs:ilyltJrrr,i, rr,e) .rid ,,or ui,,r bab,eL ro hro.r. rr,.,, .,;;;,,,;;_ i;; l',l, "lii lii",. ,, .

",",,,suffcrs in that couples are less willing to slarl families_ Thercforc. at the cxpe[sc otcareer. fewer lamilies are formerl

L.

On the other hand, an emphasis on career does have its advantages- With greater

income, the tamily can lead a comfortable life. This would definitely boost family ties as

,fr" f"-ify wouli be able to participate in activities and spend time with each other

*i fr"ut ftu"l"g to wony abouitaking on more jobs to buy the next meal Many broken

fu-ili"a ."aoliu, p-enis resort to deiperate measures' such as cdme, to make ends meet'

'I'her"fore, a stable and adequate income would be beneficial to the family With good

tl-" -*ug.fn"nt, family members would still be able to keep strong bonds with each

oih.r. p".."nG should leam how to balance both lamily and work appropriately to keep

the family going.

Family ties are extremely inportant in keeping a family as one' To do so' one has

to.p"nd ti*" tog.th"r with one's family. However, as pcople,spend mole time on their

."..!.r, .u"f.t ftiify time is cornpromisld. By just Providing for the family.and leaving

ifr" t".rpontiUifity oi t eping the iamily goi-ng to orhers woutd only worsen the situation-

Therefore, to say that thc family has suffercd at thc rxpcnsc of uareel u sngapolean

society is generally justified.

Daphne Ho04s26

@RD€R: T(D PUT THI NATI@N IN

IN ORDER; T@ PUT TH€ FAMILY

PERS@NAL LIF€; \(/E MUST FIRST

- C@N FUcrus

Fanr L'r Quer e s:

To PUT THE v@RLD RtcHT lN @RDER, \r/E musr tlRsr PUT THE NATIoN IN

(ERDER. VE MUST FIRST PUT THE FAINILY

IN @RDER, \I/E MU5T FIRST CULTIVATE (DUR

S€T @UR H€ARTS R]GHT.

Y@uR FAmtLy aND Y(EUR L@vE nusr BE CULTIVATED LlKg a GARDEN'

TInE, EFF@RT, AND TmAGINATI@N musr BE suEn@NED c@NSTANTLY To

KEEP ANY &ELATI(DNSHIP FL@URISHING AND CR(EVING.

- Jrm RoH N

Critically examinc the forces threatedng the family ill Singapore.

Having a family.is one of the most important priorities for many. ln recent years,families have changed and evolved over.rime in ,fi" f"." "i-gf.i"iira'tion and rapiddevelopment of society. These chanScs include changes in famify-.lJJ,

"",io",ur". u" *"lra, comrnunicliorr wirlrin rhc family. herrce rhre-arening irinilf-"ofr"r,r"n...

"nOtogethemess.

The changing values of society have greatly thrcatened the family structurc.While such.a phenomenon was greatly flow".,l ;p"" ; ,h" t;.;, ii i"'n-ornino, u.,.o.,,ln"to find single parenr families. This is due ro rlr. high d*;"';;;pr.uif"rr, _ Siogopor",which can be atributed ro rhe changing _unti,.,1 *r" y.",ri"i'ffir*". Wf,in.y::::l ll lT pasr rctr rtrar rhe) werc ur)tigcd ro tive rrreir ti,c. r.ir, rl-"i, t,r.uon,j, on."rriey werc nrifncd. womcn nowadays feel otherwise. Most women feel that they shouldhave r Ireedom of choice rnd rhar nobody cun ."sUcr tt,ai +lJon . iiir." .""" ,n", u..uniappy with their husbands due ro soDrc mariral problems, rhey immetiiatety opt for adivorcc and cease their DrarrinJ,e wirhour ,h,rk;s-;i;; ;;;;;;, of rhis rastrdecisiurr ;nd rhe iml,,cr,r Lr..,nih"m..t".-.r *;ii :_ ;;.;;,n,"i,.,,1- ""

^ Rapid development and thc demands of the changilg society have tlueateDed thefamily size. Ir rhe pasr, a famiry consisted "t ,,"rt ,r;;,:;;;;. i;ii ir',,i".n,."r, ,. ,n.phenomenon [owadavs where f:;milv size is greatly reduced to what is known as .nuclear

familiesl consislillg oi parents and one or t*o children. I{owever, I do acknowledlle thciact lhat cerfain lamilics have cven six or ,evco childr.n. H,rw""". iir"r"'i"uru., _^t"up a minute percentage of the Sinsaporean populatjon in geleral. Undeniably, the use ofrontricepri\i\ rtr( jcBr.tition ,,t .b.,ai.,, r. \!ct, r, ",i;, g;";;;;;;;;i;l;;:.,';,:contributed to,this small farnily size. Houcver, I r..r,ir"i ifr"'J,rr..,l.loi,,n"

"non*in*socrcty as well as rhe hectic schedule^are a milor tactor rcsulil,,g i,t ,fr".",r"...i iifi,risize. Most people put fhci. carecrs bcfcrrc rhcir iamilies, *frl.f, l.-"r,,j".t i;o,n rhe olanyirrterr.rc*s,nnducred a,d prrbtr.rre,i ,",r," """.;";,:; "i ;;;.;;;;;;,i;" r\rn're rL)Brvi l)rrth tu nlore .lril,lr. or r\crr I

ian,ly o. it ,uouia i.,.;il;,;;;,;;$::|ng as to wirether or not thcv should srarr a

Also, the denlands of socicty havc threatened family cohesiveness andtogcthemess. In lhe pasl, the wile rvouttt bc ore who,,,\^,", l.;rJ,.;;ihc householdchorcs as well as ro lirss over rhe children. Ho*"";, ;r,;,1;.;-, ;,ii*t,,r, u." .o_5:111":^ who hold.pr,vrLisrrrg lob prosfecrs. leaving rtreir childrcn ro be raken care oIu] rrilLos or rDro rng rhcnt in thijrlrarc centres. Even the eldcrly at home arc placed inthc old fblks hornc, as their chilctrcn ,i,,rpry lru. no-tin l ;;;i. ;;;.';i;"..

"*r,"comc honre larc,r nighr afrcr a rtay of wo.i ana .p"rd ,;;;; ,;;;'i"ii,, iir"o "n,rd.""lel9rc lhey rerire to bed. Hcncc. it rtris conrinues, rhc ".h".;";;;; .,i'ri,. ,".i,, *a,definirely be affccted.

lmprovements in comlDlrtricJlion .rn,j rcchrrologl lrl\u llcLted {arnilv

::::].:j]:.:^^yli': r.rrrrrrre rr, rrh pi\r r,\,.d ilhd(r rrr, :jiln, ,,-r i,, r,.ri";', i.";;iurrcrc\, tnc pcofic nt'wa!li)'\ |rctL-r to livc scpalately..fhel, buy llleit own hones once

\

tl

thevcetmarriedanditisalsonotuocommonto{indsingaporeanswoTkingabroad'away;;'il-;-; ;;; .iuii"gt. rr" introduction of t"1'pho"es and the advent of th.-

i"i.*"i *ii"rt has lidked many places and people tagether' all make this possible as

-aJi" -."it".t ".t still get in iouch with tft"it t"titv through these avenues- Often

distunt r"lativ"s ar. forgotten or are only visited on festive occasions'

Last but not least, the media influence, especially in the fonn of television and the

fot...r"i tt"" greatly threatened family togcthemess Most children l\rorld rxther watch

-rr,.i.^i^.1fi,"'i"r..ri,ion serial or surf o' tie Inremet rhan ta.lk about their dry's activities

lvirfr ift.it p-*o. In some families, comrnunication is reduced to a minimum when the

i"i""i.i.. i" t*i"ft"a on. In fact, it is this loss of communication as well as the rapid

a"u"f_oprn*, of society, that has caused a generation gap between the older and the

y"r"gJt *"""*i"., -sulting in the loss of eflective communication' hcnce affecting the

colresrverlesr ot lhe enlile lamil\.

All said, families today have simPly cvolved naturally and ine'ritabty in the face

of .upli 'J"u"topiu"nt

of society. Ho*"vti, no mattcr how the tamily changes' it will

always be impoitalt to the individual as well as to society-

Contprchensive answer gitting relevdnl Points' Coultt also consider dttempts to

strengthen these forces, e8. CamPaiSns to promote familJ life

Chcw Li Ling Jocelyn

04s l4

Famtlv Quor e s:

THE FAntLy Is rH€ NUcLEUs oF clvlLtzATloN'.ARI€L AND \l/ILL DURANT

HomE Is THE PLAC€ \('HERE B(EYs aND GIRLs FtR5T LEARN Ho\? "r.o ttmlr

TH€IR VISH6S, ABTDE BY RULES, AND CONSIDER THE RIGH'IS AND NEEDS OF

OTHERS.

- SIDoNIE GRUENBERG

HavlNG CHILDREN lnAKEs Ytou No In<BRE A PARENT THAN HAVII'{G A PIAN@

MAKES Y(EU A PIAN I ST.

- III rcrae r Lrvtre

t4

Critically examine the forces threatening the family in Singapore today.

The family is the birsic building.trlock of sociery, usually consisring of two rgbiological parenrs and their chitdren. white a majoriry oi;L."Aii"iri#ii"t "an

orlo "strong foundation for a country, more broken ;n"r""u" ";;;J,;; ,J.n'i,ro, .

",u," o,anarchy. Ir short, the family unir is vital ro a.ountry,s prospe.iiy -ilr.i""r. .f.a"y i,S-g:ry1:, however, the family unit is no tonger as i""i *r!J"'"ru,l. *. gou"..o,,"ntwould like it ro be. ctobalisarion hir.s expJsed ou, "o;;;y-;-;; il.J"" .u.r, o,fe^minism,,fechnological advances, liberal estem ia*,

".Ji,f ""r."", o"u!.y ,t...rtutlifestyle. When a small countrv like singapore is bomba.ded Uy.o rrr*yio.i", toauy, itis no wonder rhat our families irave become ir..""rirgff l,uirerifri;. "*" -'"

Although feminism was already present in Singapore in fhe l9g0s and 1990s, I*:* ::"::^:*f ?j-1",,:: "1,n,:

imia.t or trris prre,,Jrn"no" * *" iui"i#uy, ro. ,r,i,wavc or womcn s trtleratton has imncrceptibly but surely, rnoved into its third stage -l*:i',1"'l^]"'": As its name suggests, trr"

"r*rr.ng.. ,ni'pr"l"__ ii"i,rrir',nrro **"bnngs rs wltat p ts our famrlics :tr fl\k todr\.

Couplcs who crnbracc ferninisrd'ai incorne -"y p..,ir.'ii*i,

"i,;i;;1,'#r":-ilil:X,.li:X,lTilifll 1,,.,i\,1-":1,'ibetter, morc comlortable life in the famrly. n"*"*r]Ur," n".'i" "rr.

_P".iu*.^. *nnboth parcnts working, childre are often neglccted or worse, brought up by foretgn maids_In f:rct. soiiolut.rsrs cu\necr llrar rhr trerd L,t t\^n parcnl\ *.rf.rn'g unl il',, ""f

,n.,.n,;,,gchrld.d(lr)quencv mr) h. retJred w,rr, .r,ira,.n',,,,iu.,"t' ,". ii,"'i.,, ','i,, i', ,r', *.,,gua.dians, rlre percenragc of rhem teaving rrnn . ona .;ointiig e;;s;;;.tt.* tt'.lresult, wirh children drifring farther from- home, "". i"-Ji;';.";;ry. .uo*,y rr,li.aapan.

y]r1li1.t t:Tjit.T. women have dsen up and reiccred rheir rradirionat roles as

il"::"'::'"T'-:"T::::'T::-Y:l" 9*" usecr to. In ;;";t-;;;;";;;;"'J'"':::i';l;u!t! r6!rr up alu lelccreo merf tracllllnives and morherb Wirh iubs afld o. rrn flouli.hing cetcers. rhel arc n,no longer the

:H::j"^r:_o :-r ll" new-found domi'ance in women. a, .n."*olr* rru*;#:::'lt#;:ll::. i:;,,;.1,,:i:ljl:.s:,

men: h"usbands. *;,t' iiu. ,""r1.,"p....,ir'.i"',il"r"o, n*"1:::T."- liiilib",,,,d,into^lerant of ao incre.ri,,gry a",,'i,'"", ,pi;:::;i"'",,'.,i,ffil'.li:;berwcen husbad imd wife thLrs purs n'arriar" ;; i;;;;';ll"

IT :::::.11,,,::: ,belween husband and wifc are furrher suained by our

:::T:jll]:l :jl.'tt riresrytc. rn a slolrarised, f^.r pu."d ;.o;;;;y,-,il;;;,*i ;;;*T:Yl"r:l-:-.::ll:i pl.*o wr', r. ..",".,,,.y i"f ;,i:,.; ;'J";;;::;-::'::may promolc rLntlcrslrntling bctwecn In--"^^-;^.. ^-r ! - ,. _ _jpouscs, moae often than not, irrilablc behaviour,depression and fraye(l tcrnpcrecl caused i.y srress, niat\e marrirges rnore o[ a fenance tirata-troly, rrrrion hcr$ccn tt\o tcoplc tnis. ..rpf"J Ul

-,,""" fr": l;' .l: ier divorccproccedings, has caused nlany tnarriages ancl familics to dissolvc

,Sonre forces whichfamilies. Heavy workloads

inrrde nur corrrrtr') tnda) (v..r Jrrr\int tlre tlllnllon ulrn,l rhe lajk ul timc lor so..til ifit,.rJ\rron ltjr le.l r.).,,rr

l-5

(n.i.rv havins more sinales lhan a heallh) demograPhic graph should show Covernmenl

il;i'lJ." ';il;;,i"i..i"r o*"r"p"nt u"it i'"ue rhJs srepperJ uP on Policies ro

J.ut- -o." oppoaunities fbr young peoole to mecl and thus raise the possibility of them

srenrnp families. While lhis ta" strown sonle success campaigns such as RomancinP

i:HA#;;; il*" .."uur' io oual"utc the main reason for fewer mariages and

Iarnllies the high stress levels al work'

In fact, many young women' with the fear of childbifih jeopardising their career

p-rp.*, fruu".i"lia"d ,o-to.go the ordeal altogether' They either vow to stay single or

int"i .urriug" with no intentjon of slaflrng r tittity tn tti' re'ent Nation"al Dav speech'

i.i-. lli"i.i.. r-". nsien Loong spoke of increa"ing matemity leave and.family-friendly

;;;;;1i.;. which could help promote the foniation of families However' as thc

"'tr"^,rgJ.'iut" n"t't""n drastic' Iioiesee that there will not be an upsurgc in the nrrmher of

families started in the near futrlre'

ALso'theinlluenceofthemassmediahasbeensogreattodaythatjlhastatenot.. ,h;-;;l;;; p^r;nts. Today's children arc more exposecl to violence' sex and adult

*r*.*i ,fl* any generation iras ever been ln fact' according to a British survey by

."n.r-"lt""n.. Si,ti"pur"ort louths have received and sent more pomographic videos

).'.in.',ii. .:rt,,i,.ill". u,'l tr..' counrrv Flrmlovarrr' In\olou\ purrsrar' ha\c bccomc

our role models. displacing our pa'enrs' *ho er'emplity good moral v' ues such as

i""*rt -al"yuty- Witlt t'h" "tt'ftit of information on television' ladio and the lntemet'

"i,ri..-i ,"4"u ir" ttorc Likely to drLft away from their familics than thosc of any other

age- This weakens fumily ties significantly'

On an internattional and national level' thc liberalisation of ideals and infiltratiotr

of W"r,-t til*. into Singapore have also thrcatened the conventiooal fitmily as a

hrrit{lnp block tor society. lhe Soveromcnl' lor cxarnple' has takeil a n]ore tolerant

ioo.""irl ",.*"ro'

g";r- fty *""';"" is thal, rvith globalisalion' .thc acceptance of gay

,ii..rr*"r . Sutgap.,re *ili be rnevrtable Once this is allowed' lhc convenlional family

"*t tiia"ftti

"-fv u" threatened, as gays set uP their homcs logether end start only whet

they theinselves consider a family'

Cohabitationhasbecomeatrend-Today,Peoplelllelivingtogetherwitlrout.r"*iug;-;;.tiri;;;.. Their relationship' "t"

bu"d irn mutual .t*u "11-:^: lltd

.una"niuuf og...*",tl. Cohabitation. with its unwritte ruLes and unknown expectatlons'

;;;1;t"1y ffi;;;;;';per faffilies from being set uP' as cohabiters ale slrong advocales

of living together without tamilial commihnent'

Today'anrultitudeofforceshaveinviLdedSingaporcliketheptagLlcandhaveth-rcatened the existence ancl fbrmation of convcntional tamilies- For policy mtkers who

foresee the undesiJable consequences such ns plunging birth rates' incrcased child

;;li;qt"n.y and social or,rto.al tlet"dent", it is a dcadly conundrum-.Even now' the

g.""r'.-".t at-ggl", to protect the precious fanrily unit lvhich it recognises as the basis

iu, r,,y "u.."*.ful sol iely Th' b.rlrlc 'rnlirrrr"\'

l6

\.

ints .is forces of some kind. Could be a bithavc covcrcd mu.h siof(. Organisaion

r the thredts are reallJ threals.

can be improved and try :tmore critical dnd eraluatir '

t]:tlItt

IIItIIIIIIIItII

Wai Jia23

ANYDODY INVENTS, 'I ]L

ALWAYS CRE EP5 BACK.

" Illan can e r IlI rao

Y@u HEAR a L@T @F DraL@cuE oN TH€ DEATH oF yHE ArnER!{:FanrLrEs.q.ndt'r oyrNc- Tsgv'n! nERGING tNT@ Brc c@NGLori:r-ERnA B@nBEc(

N@ succEss cAN C@IIpENsATE FIBR falLURE IN TlrE rJem€.

" DavrD e IncKAY

NoB@Dy HAs EVER BEFtgRE asK€D THE NUctEAR FAnlLlr rro :.

ITSCLF IN A B(EX THE VAY w'E DO. W'ITH {O RELATIVES, Ii'N

vervE puT IT IN aN Imp@sstBLE slruaTl(EN-- IIIa,n caRer IlI eao

Parcnts in Singapore today have getrerally abdicated their responsibilities' To Yr'hat

""*i ao f ou agrct nith this statement?

The responsibilities of parents in Shgapore are very much similar to those of a y

narcnt around rhe worl.t..lhe) *" ,n.tJi*'"-ot rr*lc a"pects such as.the pro\ision ol

i-ssenrial" t.helter. tooa una .tort,,ng,'ui! i1.y.i"nr nunuring o[ lhe children {ensuring

rheir hcclrh is cared Ior. to. "*un,pr.,.

naiirllnJ ,"ipon';uiiiri"t 'uch as the emolional

nunuring and edu(aliorl ol tft" tn"u""'"ft" t?lnnot Lc omilled from a porent s dulies'

rhoueh sadly, rlrece rre Icr\ *rt''r' u"'rnl"itir'" io be neglected by the modcm worling

narenl. ln order lo assecs lh( "*'t"r io tiitrt iotut p'tittt have abdiecled lhc above

mentioned resDonslbiliti"s, *e m"s txlmi"iltrtiiJ;Jtt""at' tn" pttysical aspects as well

o. "*orion"t

a\pecl\ of his lifc a' a whrrlc'

ln terms of providiog for a child's b$ic reeds' wlrich l choose lo dehne as only

lho.c rssentrnls tor hr* .urvivrl. ,h,' i'-";;;;i \thrih mnsl Parents in Srnpapore hrve

.,,t ncsle.(cJ No ci1'Ps ol tr""rrt'""" i"ttip'""n"nt pattnt'' dtl'b"o'"ly dcpri\ing lheir

chrtrlrcn ut lood rnLl 'hcller ft.'t" t'"""'i"' Sing'tp"'" fv'n in thc ca'c uhctt llrc

oarenl\ b.long to t""' 'n' 'nt.- gtuuti "i'i' ""' "tt"'i' "r^d'quJlel) Pro\'idrng ior llrcrr

:iliJ-",, il.:, .",ir, , ,ro s',"i,'r-*' ll;l;l,XT: :;ltL,':ili'-Ii',ill'"":ii:"':J :t"#;H:'?"'.1\ffi i;'X'JlJi' n i,,nl -"'" t"ormenter r e{uirement or

pirrenthood-

Ilowevcr'theelnoliol1alespcctofparenialresponsibilityiscomnonlyoverlookcdas catering for the childrel's pr'ysitui i*"at teri to pro lapse into salisfying their

nratcdal wants and clesircs 'frto tt tftJ t"'"ot ten'na w'trfrng irdults"\lxving away for

iff ;"ili: r' * "";". y:1::; ;*I;ul,: ;::r:; [,'illil Jil:l[',i]:I'Lrrpo.eofellnrdrrrvlrr\'rrrc\ru -^:,,:;.;,;'r,orirr',lu.er1larnrl).rr.nr'.r.ucllt I!'n)'lrrlucl{r IllFnllicecqualt\murcoll(rr lhJllrol1(]I(

I'nu rhe re'ult bcrrrg llrJl th' 'tt'f'f"n "tl"uoff' lcll \\ilh nu onc lo ltrm Io lnr lhc

;:i;:ilil;""i;";';;" l;1 :*::l:;lifi j;*l;:;:ff'..'-:i;#T[,".i'ilT,il'::#l,,1" i'i,::i"":li\':',l lll:'l;:ii"";i"';;,;"',',' ',.n in'c'jiriduur' a e re* n .r' rrhc'r

amidst todaY's rat racing' paper cha"ng "o'''1y \\hcre socril t:t::5[]O'morc uporl

i"ll;']"t]r;',,;,'i,;" i,.' ;"' t'"''e u'p 1'"' ' hirdrcn rn 'horr' srrre'potPdrr prrcnt' rn

."ncr,,t u,,utd bc eurlrl ,,f urr,t"q,r,r;;J,;;; ;;;""." ol frovr,ling lor rleir (hrldtrn c

:;:lt ;;;.;';";;l" r '"''i'',"''it irnl ing out rrrerr drrrre' irr rrrrq rclc'r

Duetotheevcrirrcreasingcornpetrri.)nllllltc$orldtl,dlty'PJrcntscannotallbrdoot to seriously enlphasize th""- tlui'tt ur ptorLtlrng llrcir childrcn wttb a proper

educarioD_ Mosrdoru,,..u" in,rr" "Ji.,-l oL"Jl,..'uon b"eyontl aceclcmrt,grades A(ripto

ary Popular bookstor" r'"tot" tr'"'it'i "i t' ttr'ot't ttntt woutd rLrrd"trbt'dly enablc one to

sce otl display the con,,ttit'o"nr p"t*it ttlruc towards giving theil.progeny a head start nr

academic u'ork' with brightly cotori'l'"tt"ttrn""t l"cli't tbr all subjeots rlpidly flyllg-:fi

bookshelvesintothehilnds.,te"g.,mutl'...irdlelllctantyouflgsters'.suchascenarrobrings into nrincl thc stark t"ni'^iion it'"t not many of those szrme parenls would bc

{8

\

si ing down wirlr lheir chrldren and going through rhose books willt them h .my earlier point on emorionat .uoonn" r".""i,iii'.' ;::.":-:::l: -':'l rnem

. bnngins up

rime ro rake rheir.hir,r,.. ^,,, ,^':,.... l:l :1"'o':l fcwer sdll would probably hrre rherime ro rake rheir- chirdren *, ,n nr,,y "pon. ",o-;" iil;,.*.":;i"",i;:::l:":lr;:T

#J'::fj ;',:::l:::1":1-::"1'l:1..l''n'''t'"' *"'ii i"".) ilJ"',ij,f; io",, o,,",uo,IlII

and going through assessment books troxr nours of tuition*resJpnrints

"'; ;;;;;;;i; ;,y ! liifl,}H]fff f :?',:,.;};l i"1t;iithe academic domain - an education in molrur, anaipp.ofriui.fue-."*iui ,ii"r..r,o 0."r,those children way ahead of theh peers, twenty years dowll the road

In conclusion, parents in sinsapore today only see the need to furfil the materialaspecrs of rhei duties. assunrins rhai the only qualifications iue those in black and whiteand rhar by providing cveryihineauromarica ! r,,,y,r,"."i"*_l..lii,:

1."':,1" ;il,. :;1,:T"S"JJyl$:? -Hl#ltchoosrns sroup dares wrrtr rtrcir fii.nds ."., ,;");; ;;;; ';i;';"t;

*,r.nrs. 5rmrtybecause rhey find rhe spi.irual sarislacrion *o _J"p,?.". "_"r!.r'rn.," !lj^, *n.n

"severely lacking back at home. In a sttreir rusponsiuiiitiJi,^;' .ffi,"#i :;re|se

rbough parents have not entlclv abdicated

abour Lrrcir a",i"..-vr,,, ;;:;;;;; ;fr':* rhr cormoraron rhir rhev do nor ca,e jr x

e,'otionrtly se*." on;lJ;.il ;##t""'s would definitelv wa'r theL children to feel

ff l"* * il f, i:i:mi ",i"";

X *": +,:t' :ili:":l J iI I;T H,: I f ifiorher _ of making up for the lack of time spent wrth each

Fluidly writtcn niitll dthrough.)ut the es:d),

Adeline Quah l,ci Shan05s

,qood sense oJ coherettcc. Valid p()lnts were well-argued

Is an ageing population necessarily a bad thing?

Be.er sanitarion.,lt** I'li'Jnifl"i""i,x'i[,lf ':tr"il+'T'ii]:"i;H"ff :lrhe man) factols rhal ate increarrng rnrj'flf

"lii*tl .i.l+ry-io yecrs.old and il is still

some counlrics like Japan has rtsen lti"li o""orf"t- is mo.. of a bane.dul a boon

iirio*. Soln" peoPlc may leel lhat an i,^^.^,r ,^.,,.ndrr rhe elderly people ur therr necd

beca-use ot an increase in ur' "*":,",:iil;::;; ;"'J;;';"" rtr beaiand regard elderlv

for heclthcare scrvices Thev ":: :'::;'J"L i;,, i, a coin ha" t\^o sides. lhere is a PooJ

people as resrrictins rhe'-r c'owrh ,:r::;;;, ;:;;:;', ;. , bad rhi,rs bcccuse ol facrors'ride ro rne,rB.ing poPulation too ll

Tila.nl,'f *f *fl' "ia moral values lo lhe young and

like the elderly impafling valuablc w

ii"y pro.o," iit"ttincalion of lhc economv

one or rhe reasons whv *"rli,#lJ".,l,l,ifi':i ffi,"#:J ::ilil$"T-,i:bccausc clJcrl) pcoPh req.uire.c.,suiilrl"ilro-

," * ,".*ase rn rar cotl.itcd from lhc

o,lvernmc11r has ro frovide lor lncnr' rrur "^ .: .^ ":.^^^., "". clderlv ncrson in an

'working p.pur.,ri''n as Ihere $ irr ,": :Y:1, T:',1:::::ii:':.i':"';'lilit"'"o* '' rh.ecgeing popurari"n t'19-i-'-":: "i:lii";.,;;il ,r,i, i' "" ararnringrv l'l*" i:l',":workjni ddulrs \uppndrng t* ''"''11,^:'..;;i ,,^,^ n,..

',' Drv morc ra\e\. lh' agerng

Houe'"er' alrhnugh rhe !ountser "::'jl::Ld;i: ;;;ii;;"". ihii i. b..''ut" rhP increr*e

nooul,trron Jclually helps t'r promotc ""'"'1":-'-,^": ", r,,,llr leads to en itrtrea'< in

in'a"^"'',t tor <lJerlv relrlP'l l,.(rlrlresoanu .iu.i., ,"j-*r*r', inn,!\:rior,' Jnd new

producr,Un.] n"": f"t i':":l,i lil"-*. .. .r,.rs hJve ,r\cnrcd i, robor Jos rrral

ie' hnol"gv rh,.r rrtr's lror tlitlli";"'ii." "*

,h.nr ' o,,.,Pun) arr'l <rcrr brrnrints their

acrLr:rll) hclp' Iu scrtc thc i'":''l :;":,; ';.";;",,, g,"*i', :,nd rhc ellccr nf tlrc :rgcing

nreclicLire t,, rhcrt' Thrs thus hclPs lL

poPulrtrun b(curne\'1 nusllr!e one

S',rn. pc.rplc Ini\ sa\ llrirl rhc cldcrl) ftnuP i' 1u't r Lrun' h ol o1'1 lnll \\lro \il

i'ou,,J , corr" <hops i'rring ''"''T'i:'Jit';;;[ll l":l*:lll::ll';5"]::il '; ll:\ocicr\ 'r r,e\ curnlrrin or * o"'..:i:;r'lll:;;;";,. ; i;;;" ror ,hc cr,re'-r) becal,'c

irr(r.d.,c in rhc numhcr ol leoPle '(norng.rrrr lj i:]' ';.;" ,,:*. ,.r. o',. srpp .lo\cr lol;:' ;;;a ; : cho* t' caie l"r rhcir s(k fxrcrrr' Bur' Il $e rJ\c orr"

cxanline the sirLration' the erder.v' i:l':; '];;;i;"t''j:::':,:j ;lil'T iii;ili3ii:l[ x i], :'l T:i:, :,,"",';J,1. :',:."'T;;iiil: I'illt'll"*:;:il li:1,:":"';:in,. 'l 't'.y

h.rLr *tr'run "': ':l ':';I":'1"'li,'il'r',,i",. ,u,,t,, r.,,ne', e.n"'o"on

;:lll;;i:;J:il.ll1: lt.'{'ihi:t .1:il,1;l Ll;llll;t ;lh::T" l""l':::;llrare l:,ilc.l to s"e lhJl h) ronrblnlrrtsl'''i,"a"r".

- :tgcirrg oopulaiirrr' i' nut ncccssrrily

'fififfi'J:l'Jr3:if.',irt::::'i'"""J1L":;'""0"'i*' 'innf i" vo'ng' imparring to them

wisdom and insight

On the other hand' soole mry d'gLre thlr Ih" "tn"ll' "":11-l::f'\ in the'mud who

,re rror flexible and not easily ^u^o1,rj.tt'to'.nr^*. in thc cn!rronnrent they arc in The

I

20

I

,t,r*r",r,;=, fit, :::. 1;:u:fl Ji;:[T:,".,ilfl :: i; ffi :il"l,,oin,roduce new

ter,caprctry and potenLjal. Bur.l *."r,f lif." . "",,i1j(sro mer charrces ol expandrng

;i:' fl'.flilfi: i: jH gi,; ynli1'j:i!!!:1 "l:l.:f#u :l';:tmjlVhile the elderly u.t;.v" in'srar i'e ilv'^'/

arc ruoreo In lherr moral belicf, .nd val;j.

:il:;1,.",,xt tr ;::11 *, *ii Tfi : J#'': ;1,:::i i#,..:i *;,. T";",:;li: ::: lii"H"". T;il:* H*:i"i,+x,;iJ1:,l"T.fr i+#fr $; fl l{i,:fr:*,fr i":!principles of lifc -O f"-" fr.--,]r.'"i'E '"r

l(ry r ney should hold fast to some ot lheselhe )oung may .r,r"g"

"6.'ir, ;""t:11'l

o'sr'rvin8.rrue lo thcm\etve'. faged bv doing rheir besr in *n",.,-"-tl.l. f^i: tt'".'"tu" ol ,." .or;';,"iliHfrll:;succesr. The _"*l

""rr."

,,In"jJj),;: :j^ri ^ln:,

do.. Thcy wi rhcrr reip rhe lruit oi.success. The moral values i-n*"a or.;;"'^ rrrrv oo. lncy wiil lhcrl reip rhe lruit oI

vounBcr senerarion ir;";;;;;,;;:i,T:""T::,fl: "u,. ro ,mpro!c

'r'. rir..fr" oi,r,i

, In conclusion. I brlieve tlat an .the vounBer g""".urion f..""i*'iil""i'ffll*"n-tt*it",.is not necessarily a bad rhins ifyounger gellerarion perceive rhe .i;-;. "-'-*'""-'..'' not treccssarily e bad rhinB itnriat morat uutu.",art,".,r,,,,.i""";:: i r:",).: ot.wisdom and team frum rtremes'ential moral uuru.",o,rr"r,r,r,r'*".!iv d\ d sour'e ol wisdom and leam frum tlim

berng infle',ibrr una .giJ. ;;;.;,,;:j::::,,"^:.T,i(in8,nu co,,rribur,on ro j,oc,err rndberng.infle',ibtr and rrgid. Ar;;;;,;;':::" " mr(rng nu conrriburron ro j,ocierJ rndeven,hoLrah,r'"* ,. "ii".,.,."i";;1::i::l::'i^":::^l:!s

,n d,\e,.s,ryins ,h, ecnno.rr

ged are only conrfoftable in familiar

even though there is tuiin...o".i*n' ,r" i3,o".i'ir'"11'"'i"*;i", ;,ii:#i:T:ros'PPon them.Irth;-:il:;;J;;::[?b;;;i;;;; Jli:J,liiil,i;Jl il'.'-*l',t*t* t,, ";;:u#;.#I#H:;,::in the futu.e.to socicry wher rhey rt

"-""rr[" i.o# "";.;:il:):I;.''"tt

insightr,eft. cliscussed. More concreLe eramples h,oul.lhavee hetperl the

ItTIrttttITtItIIll

Kang Zhi Nio5s22

il.lI

Is an ageing population necessarily a bad thing?

An ageing population may not necessadly be a bad thing An ageing population is

. popuraiion" i. "#niirr the oldei generation forms a large podion of the poPulation in

co-pa.ison to the younger generation This phenomenon is gradually emerging in

d"u"lo,t"a und devetoping counlries due to many factors such as improvemenls in

healthcar. seruices, high itandards of living and a low birth rate in the-.recent years

,+f*roogl1 ttoui"g u i"laiively large population made up of the elderly may disadvantage a

."".rrii. ""*itt *"ys, the eldeily may also prove to be valuable assets .The

elde y can

.onoiuot" ir, ,t . "o"ial

aspects of life such ai in caring for the young children, guiding

you.rg p.opL" una U"ing good sources of advice They can also continue to confribute to

lhc economy by slrying in thc worklorce'

A significant disadvantage of having an ageing poPulation would be the large

expenditure of the govemment on healthcare services for the elderly Due to many age

."L,"d illrr"rr.. tlt"at are prevalent amongst the elderly, there is 1r constant nced for

affordable and quality healthcare li..uittsl Th"s, the govenment is obliged to provide

,rr*" ""*i.* oi tlre .ost of the working population, as thlr working people have to be

taxcd in retum. .lhus, this creates a strai; on dle youngcf generation as they have to

r,,op"" ,t-t" growing ageing population as the ntio of clderly to each working citizen

irir'"^".- rri"." i. it.o-u ni"d ib. t oin"d medical personnel such as doctors' nurses and

.^G".lt t"-"n"tta to the needs ol the elderly Morc people would then have to be

trained in thc field of geriatrics

The iocreasc iD the nLlmbea of eldcrly may also lead to social Problems Thcre are

many cases of the e ldcl ly bcing abandonei by reir chiidren who ^refuse

to takc care of

h"i o. giu. tt*t tftelb; The; elderly People are unable to feod for.thernselvcs as they

t "u"

,ro jrn-" ro retu. to_ Thus, it is necesiary to provide lodgings tbr these eldetly in

in" for- of low cost rental FIDB apatlnlcnts This resulls in the govemment having to

t;r;;;;t in the construction oi thcse homes as special considerations stlch as the

satety of rfr" "tA"Ay

have to be faken into account Furthermore' due to ill planning for

retirement when many clderly peoPlc\ were youngcr' the) alc trced -with fiscal

difticulties. As they are unable to coritinue working or find 't job' many-of the elderly

frou" to ."fy on a";iy allowances givcn to them by wclfare organizations Thus all these

needs of the eldcrly have lo be seen Io and the govemment plays a large- role in doinS so'

As a resuh, this slrains our vallrable resources ancl the elderly become a filancial burden'

OIrtheolherhand,lheelderlycanbeasselsinmanysocialaspectsj|thirsociety.Grandparents can be responsible fff taking care of their grandchjld'en These children

necd nor be left solely in thc carc o[ the maid Since there havc bcen cases of maids

abusing young children without thc knowledge of their employets' it.is.more reassuring if

" gaurtdpu."nt can be at home to supcr',isJ the child(cn and naid More importantly'

g.inap*"nt, can impa( knowleclgc accumlLlated over lhe years to the younger

!en..ation. They can also share veiuabLe expcrienccs in life with their grandchildre '

ihcse lcssons in life can grcatly iDfluencc the rninds of the yortng childrcn as tiom lhesc

t"a.onr, tf,"y can leam nr-orals and the right way of life, plevcnting them tionl strdling

iirl

22

I

----.---_..

II

intolhe wrong path. Thus, grandparenls ctui be seen as an intcgral part ofanyto their, abuidlurce .f t1r*iig"'-a their phenomeral oo,tir1, ,o .ur"'ufiita# :grandchJldren. An ageing populrtion has irs silver lininE.

I::*::::j::,",t*il :i :r.: continue.to contribute ro rhe economy. some IIIIIIIIIttIttIII

elderly people who are still fir are abte tn t,L" ". ,r,. ,."-^:;i;,,:: :.":^::':ll'l *'1"., ,, .ro,*. ul ,he responsibility of work orrce agam.

:T,:j,*j::::t""j:f^1T:t,ro*', cen take up r"* ."."".'". r"il,".il" ;ffi;securify guards, relief teachers and mento.* r" ,r," .^1,.-." --]::i:_';: :::" - *-td,^rl. ihc ar,_{-.r,, , , ttors to the younger gencration. By going back to::ll.*..^"tj:lt.,t not. onry able to o""upy tr,.."iru.!,

'il;;;;".;i.j ;;iJ ii

:lT:::":.-:"_^Til" ::l!b"r"^ to the.economy. r, .;;,;". :;;; ffi,:,;":;IT,T,::,,:g:]:'.:lr,avc been scr up ru aid rhe eraerry in ,*r,",.,,Ji", i.u.. rii. i,.i,ro-work?rosramme has auracted many and can "t;; ;.;; ^;;';;;",#;;,"'-dff_population.

Morcover, the elderlv do not nccessadly have to rcly on others. They can also bcindependerr and live acrive iulfilrins rir""yr." ef pran^"j # *,,)jrn.,11?.n., rn ,o",they can prevent themselves from iacing- -on"ia.y pr"Uf?... ilr""grl riraintailing ahealthy and rcrivc lrtesryle by con,ranr"ly ",,",.iii,,'g r,,j,.U,u,rt" il

"o.,rt "narecrerrionrl rcttvities such xs ball pln.,"d".",r,"i;;.;.;;."";;,."*il'f;::'.",:*1.Sfi.$1",:i",'"J":1il?t"in:,?.:l$heath and loneliress. participarins acrivety i, ,t. i","tr]

""ai, .Jii"Trii".'.rn o..u"n,rhese from happening. Thus, ir can bc seen rhat the elderly "." ,;;i;;" burdens rosocicty, as long as they have the financial

""p"rrilitv oi .*ppo,rinf ,ri",rr'rt".tu". urra ,rr"determination to lead a hcalthy lifcstyle.

Fiom lhc above, it can bc seen that. tbough thc eldet.ly may pose burdens to thccountry as a whole, rhey are also valuablc r.r"t, ,o- tlr. .o,r,,nrn,f .,1rj *i.iin.""_ ou" ,u::::1,::1:,1-',1

knuuteJse rnd er1,c1iq11r.s. ,r,"1 ,."1,,,,i. 1i,,,,r.,""*".r",.,",n"wu,rr('r(e .lno edu(Jlc the )oullp rlld.llrelr granJclrildren. By.rdolring I lt.rltlr) and

::j::."::::,.f ,:i: cldcrry can renair as conrritrurins fack)rs ro oJ ct,unrry. .r.rreur\JUvanrag(.. ot ttrv lg a aucing pUpuhrion can be,lctcrred b1 inrplenrenring polrcre.lo e\lcnd rerirrmrnr agc. err..ruraging.lo.cr rrcs herwec, ir",,ii..

",il-,t.ir'.ra", r1 ,".1also en(ourages rhe eldcrty ro jerd heatthy [f"rtyt"s. fnu., an og.i rf-p.iri",i.rl "r"y "",necessa.ily be a bad rhing.

Rather Jluidb) writen ancl convincingly atgu.(1 piece of h,otk_

Cytthia'Ian0-5s I I

23

In this modern era, the aged are becoming more irrelevant than they arc useful'

What are your views?

The world we live in today is markedly different from the world our fotefathe$

liv"d n, Jo. to rapid industrializition and advanced scieltific breakthroughs that have

"-"lf'.-i't "*""."d our slandiud of Iivins Technological hrea-k*uoughs havc seen the

i^?"",ii "'"0

*i""""tions of elecronic gnig"r, r-ging from lhe basic comptler lo $e

il;;;;;,;";;;J;iJ"o "ont"'"""iog to-otlln"" gaaget' a. vcry much characteistic

of the modem ela we are rn now Our ttuna*a of living is also enhanced bY

"a""".".".".r'r'"athcare'allowingtnorepeoPletodaytolivetonger.Theagedareii.* *rr" rr"r. -^"rred the age of sixty-fir," -i f"* g"n..,ions ago. the rged toiled a''d

..rt.ilrti"a wholly to the fatnily anj economy- Although this modem era has seen

i*ir""r"g*"f ui""i tt"ughs that iheaten to take over the rote of the aged' they are still

t"i"t"., i.J "t"rtr

a a lige extent be it on a micro or macro scale'

tt would be difficult for one to debunk the view that in this modem era the

,,riaJl. ag"J "pJ.ui*.

,"p,"..n,inp the 'econd Benerrlion cre murc cauglrl ul in lherr

*"rt tf',i,ft";, o$n nJrenls due to the emPhatrion ploduclr\it) A' r.re'ull ol shulllinv

;r";J;; ;;"; *ori ,o l,ont" ancl spending long hours er .lheir

$ orkllace T":"- 1f::,rru,' ,r"i. iL. ,."ona generation tend to neglcir their responsihilitres_rs.palcnts to a certatn

.*r"n,- irt"."for", th-ey retegate the tasl'i of nurturing and distiptrnrng the children to

rhcir ,,wn Darcnts. *hom society reter to as rhe rgcd. tiavrrrg the rged l.roL all"r lhe lhird

;;;;;;;;i;' ., ."ry r'blc alr':mcrrve ro scn'lins rhe voung(rer ' ro 'hilJcarr cenrre- nr

*;ffi;^-;;ii i' -i.J ir'"'" The ,sed' -at

least thr'se \ ith . sound nrind can

a"ir"'i"iy-i. i,,,si.a to a"at with Lhc c-hrl'l [airlv lnd uith lovc The SingaPorc

;;;;;;;^;;;", luve realizcd rhc viabilitv of this option because it now encourages

threc lier famtlies to stay togcdler. or even ciose togeLher' As an incentive"it h's made it

.".i". ii. rft..-ti". t"milies"to gct lalger Housing -irnd

Devclopnrcnt Bo tl (HDB) tlals-

i,i ,rri. ,r-a"r,r ".u,

o. the role oi the sJcon.l generalion as tlrcer f."l]: ol': on a grealer

imDoftance, the nged woulct hout tn st€)p intit the vacuurn lcft.behind by th€m as child

'"tii..r. *'.t.tl*c.rgetl are srttl re[vant and useful to a large extent at the faorily

lcvel.

At the community lcvel' nany ot thosc xged sirly trvc arrd shove hxve sacriticed

rnuch of their time in order to servc thc ncetls 'ot

rhe comlnunity as a whole Happily

..,i."a. "..ig"iti""* number of the.aged renlain atrrvc Lonstantly seeklng to challelgc

(heir minds instead of 1u.l ..n,n"tirg idlc anLl wstLhiDg-lrnrc sLrf.by To cnrich

thcmselves. some of the agetl nrfft to "o;nluLlity work Slrould one cffoll in a course at a

..".ty ...*t"irv ."ntre iCCl in Singaporc, it rs hrghly Pussrblc lh'lt oni-lo td find lhat

one out of lhree traincrs there would;e a rttit"t ani a t"tmber '_'l the "rgct1population"'

.+iirlorgl, ,rt"y go p^id a small fee for their services' many of them reveal that working in

in" cCi. lrrtirt"" snall contribution back to society Fu herlrore' thcy say working

with peoplc and interacliflg with them kceps thcrn lcelrng^1uung An cxamplc ol-somcone

who has redcfined "retirement" by rnnrcrsing hcr"clf i'r ttn'ing the needs of lhc

comorunity is Mrs. Cannee Lim' an cr-pnncrpil ('onccmeLl hy the.dangers lurking in

avtl"r.p^." and the easy access of the inttrntt tn youngstcls in thrs modem era she

Ifl

$1

l:

24

L

'*:tr***u*i'*Ffffr#ffi*ffiuuffi imru****ffil,".,",",T"H;^ln.ll":.,.'.,..,J;:,,;,,;n;:

#;,:ll,,li,l,,,;i,ll:l:;_ juc ,\.o,,,;,,s ,,,,rrc I

,f,t:i'*'tltr*,****llrir*n[r**:*--lrii** rd*#i'.,l*'"*'it.'..x;--;i",.li'*i*tiili:-iil i,i r

.er rhe jobs of t

ffi,."{',,,::f,tffi#:,,:'",iilii-iffi['fit*ixin*tr rOne or twn ,-.., ^ -,.

", *r,,,,', ,,'",h i,i,',i':i,:: ,:,:,:i,,1::'::::t:,!,:i:,;:i::::,::;i;,!{,,1!;,, ,,,*n_,,," tNur Raihana -" ""'raLttlges\'

I

I

25

The greatest obstacle to women achieving eq[ality is thc womcn themselves' Do you

agree?

Nowadays, thele are so many campaigns orgrnised by women whosc aim is to

eive the woman equalirl tirtt rtte ten Hol"J"'' unittoaoy itte) slrll have nol achievei

,t;ir;;;;Ii"hi"; lain the somc n"orm.nt us men in societv some people believe

that women themselves ar" ttte greutest obstacles to women achievirlg equality'

il;;; ; -v .piti.", ttrere arc ottrei ractors such as the culture of the community

women live in which also playt a tot" in hindering the wometr flom achieving equality-

We nust consider dris too-

In the first place, thc charactenstics of women may become an obstacle for them

a g".""q""iitr"i"t"ictt prnvet th..i u"uatty women tend to be less competitive than

men. Consequently' they may not toit" tfttit opinions or their complaints and needs

"r*'..t'*it.l*, "i"g in mosi people rgnoring tirern ot nol nnlrrinv lhem. M^reover'

*1-n." "'.'r.,rrrrv plr)sicrlly weiker rhin m'u Th"* irr lhe errlier d:ry' perhaps men

;;;;;d*J;.';;re .,utial indiuilualt than women since they were secn as the

r-,..t.,.fi,n. 1'n.,1;g. l: a recull \ omen Llid nol hr\( cqlrelil\ cnil lhi' \nnlinuc\

il;l;l;:"t:';; i,,.,,"- '"

nrl l'rrrilt nD rarlrer i' s<rn rs rlrc rror'cror ur ttre tu11t1,

il;.. i;;;"*" he is physicaliy strongc' than my mother' -Th's

rnr) create an opnio^

that mv fathcr is more impo ant tftai my mnrtr"t in thc farnily Henlc .the traits^oi

||ll..; o, ilJ';Jt,t"J itt"ttttu"t c'rn be s'en as rn ohsr&lc for tltem to garn

equality.

Furtllennorc' the tact that womcn are the ones who bear children may be a

flinaron.J'o"*u.r,"n ""lri"',ing "qu^liif- Actotdrng lo seientists rs the Individuals who

:;;:;;;,t,"thcir.hrlJrtrr'*'m'nl'"""ir\rtonu(rrr(wirlrrlrcrr'lril'l''rr rlra. nrcrr lrrvr'

Thereforc. lhey are seen to bc Ilrore capable in reising the:hiltlt:l1-::l hence arc

associatcd with this task. This rneans that inost of the lirne' they have to stay al homc and

;;;il;;iJ chores roo. This view is roo{ecl so deeply iu sociery. that it is very

i,rr.rri'io. ...", ro change il toclay. Hence, although Drer can rcplace women rn

rrising tlrc LlrrlJren. worn"rr are rrr''r" frcqu'ntl) fourrLl lL' hc '1,'," ltt:n':

ulro :ll\ al

llurnc, l:rl'nP iarc ol lh'il clrrtaren lrt mt ctle 'rn cxarrrplc lo !llLl.lrJle rnv pUirrt My

mother was the one wllo stayed at home and fook carc of me whcn I wes a child' whereas

my talhcr atways went out c!ery w''rrking day lo work Thcreiole' thc fact thaf women

are the ol1es who glve blrrh to Lneu ctrildr'en, Lesutting in thcm being.associtted with the

i^.t oi nunu.rng ,i" tattet' hamPcrs womcn's effbi in achievirlg equali{y'

Ilowevcr'tlrerealeo(he.tectorshirrdcr-irrgwornenintheirfighllbrequdlity.fhes" "r. "x.*ptifi"cl

by the cultures t'f the coinmunity i which they live Some

cultures in solne coulltries ut" ntot" f'"n"iiti"t to mcn and causc women lo be

iirra"an,"g"0- o:"t "xampte'

in Cnina. a son is considercd to be nlore significant than n

daughter since thc sol*itt p."..rut tt'" fomily nallle As a.rcsuli us{rally-th" l:*:,t-li']receivc tnore wealth frorn his Parcnts whcn they die Anolhcl casc occurs in collnlncs ln

East Asie, wherc wcxlcn are deprivecl of eclucatiol as nlen ure seelr as treing more

)5

Iimporranr and de*rve educarion ber

I

women achieving equalny- --'ter' These culfures' of course' arc ot.ru.t., ,o f

:::::,.T:i:i,iJht"#il:ry#:1?!i!";"il:.,1,J:JHJ.,:,:.,#::,Xfmen to take on certain jobs in countrie

fi ;l;rxitti"k]^thrJs'Ji'T"i;lllrr::::li;,fl :';li3*counrry where rhcv riwF h.. ,.,^--- i: has dcprired uomen ofa chance rcountrr where d,ey rive by enrerins ll",.rli *,ii""lrl"i*ill; il:lXT

to serve rhe -rwar. In addition, in somc counrriesl

f,Ti?:"*:-:" jn::*".':*n*t":'k"#,]"1.';Tff :tr:';j.1lT:",;il

**,**i-**;.ii,,'i:lr:1"l:.;#:i+flir,iTlT['tiliH;.; :some counl_'e\ miy obstrucr tlre el.lon\ ol-r{",*,, i" r.f,""i"g.q;;,r;, -',

, {\ uc halr secn. wom(n themsolve; ,,rn h. ^h.,^^r^- Icquatiry due '" .",;. ;;; ..;;,:i'r rem$lvei Len bc ob'13'1q' 1e w6rne

berrers. ,o$c\er. lh.re rre orhcr ,rhc1 pos.ic.. ,n,r ,t,. tl.r',r,ri,ili"in

0"n,."'ne

H";il'i:1"i,,::. ;:jl'.::,:y -,t: ;Uiil* :*il:'il#;iii#, U*[ |

;:H" f 1;h,i*l:fj:h:fi:l:'1 ;,J:I::'1:i:il';t.'ff i['-]ii,ff Io'ndoncs a, s "",r .. ni",p ,*, ;iil:i:;T;S;l;l,r';:ll';::J:'il ;i:::i:cr 'esi,,cn

-rtll€rr countn(s wcll. However. ulttil ti,ur.ycJno\.i,nnr(.rhcir$.eakressc,n,do' w"'ntnt""4"""'it'"""'"urll,:':i.t,,i:J;l t*i:l;::l':|"^;::;:T:j;.:::hil.;;,][::i]ll:l::.i;::m:n:]:::;lllff1;:i:.i:$;.::i;j.rfi,,, *r,,"r, '",_.n"ii;:;:il.;l#".LTlil::1,':::t*1,:: :Ilcll argued your cuse is wtll orgunizetl antl r:onvincit, ISusanlo Winatao5s. I

ITItI

27

:

Our lives are detcrmiDed by thc places we are boru into' How trre is this belief?

The belicf that our lives are detemined by the places we lre bom into-ia true to a

certain extent. o|.ll lives refer to ouf lilestylcs and ]uturc while plates r€fer to both

different countdes and different parts of a country' the city' countrysidt and the suburb'

ffri. fr"-fi"f i"qoit ttue as the place where we are bom into shapes our beliefs and norms

;;; i;;id.t..pportunities. on the other hand' it may not be true in that nothing in

thi, *orta "* a"t".*ine our lives as if we exercise no choice in our lives'

Fi$tly, my Point to show that this belief is truc is that the place where you are

Uorn into alt"p", !oo, character- For example' people who are-bom into the countryside

,"na to t. mor" iu*ble and hardworking as they are generllly loor and have to eam

eu""ything Uy working hald. However, people who are bom into cities are nore afiogant

ur nlo, "r"Ao*r,

to eith due to the envirorunent around them- PeoPle frotn djfferent

collntriesalsotendtodifTerintennsofcharacter'fbrexarnple'foreignworkersfronCtirlounalndiaarewillingtodotoughhobsforameagersalary.whilemanyil;;;;;;.;-;; very pickv ibout rheir jobs. So, our lives are dctennined bv the phces

we arc bom illto-

Secondly, the place where wc are bom into detennincs our opporhrnities lt

.l"t".*in"a ou, .itun.es of survival, the ch:uce of obtaining education and lhe chance of

ii.ai"g " r.l. tn places with poor medical scr"rices and shortagc of fbod' for example

Africa. many childrell do not suavlve lrto adulthood and some bal)ie! die jusl wilhin days

,,p".iil"i, ^itl".f inlo the world. People lrvrrrg rn sorne LouLllries.like Induflesia rnay lind

elu.atinn to be a luxury while for peopte irr-Jnprn' ttn yejrrs ol cducrfi"n Ls something

.;;t'p"i-t;ry- jubs toay t" pt",ttifut in t"ttaitt parts of the world but scare in. orhers Also'

^ c"ir"in f"uet of.au.atioir may land us a job in less devclopcd countrics but rot in the

aar",[""f.p"0 oncs likc the Unitcti States Thereforc' our lives are delernincd lry the

places we are bom into

From another point of view' migrJtion can rnrke rhis bclrc[.tlr'rl orrr Iives ale

determined by the pla."s *. a.. bortt intJ to bc untruc- Thete nre pcoplc who r:an be bom

in,u loun,.i", *t "i" ,he majofity of the peoplc ar.e poor like in Africa but they migratc lo

lr"ri". nm "oontri".

like En;lard. Wtren ttrei" peotle migrate at a very young age, their

"t oa^.,". i, y* ,o fr" mould"ed so their character is not determined by the places thcy are

tr.." i,li". .ii;"if"Av, ,heir oppoltunities will nol come from the pltce they are horn illto as

tf*f *iff r,r" frorrr another country. Tltus' our livcs are not detennincd by the placcs we

ate bom into.

My sccond point that opposcs this belied is that no matter which counlry we are

bom into, we cafl ovctcolne all sorts of difficulties Our lives lie in our o\{n hands aod

nothing but oursclves detennine orr lives Wc create our own chances scarch for our

own ofportunities ancl build our own future so o{rr lives are nol determined by the Places

*" u." to* inro- No rnatter how slim our chances are of obtaiDing a goocl job in a poor

developinS cotttlhJ, as long as we can make ourselves sland our from lhc crowd' nothing

i. i'npo,r.fut". If a person is bom inrc the countryside with no proper schools he can

llIIIIIg

{i:

28

?,9

travel to the city to obtain education as long as he is defermined. Once again, our livc, ,rrcnot detrrmined hy thc plrcc\ we are bbm into.

However, dcspite the possibiliqr of migration and self- derermination, the majodtyof people's lives are detennined by the places they are bom into. lf a person wirh a veryhigh IQ is bom into Af.ica and is very poor, there is hardly any chance of suwival tomake it big in the workjng world. Even if he survives, the denial of the chance ofeducation will kcep his intelligence hidden_ However, a person who is not smafl but isgiven an opportunity to study will be able to acquire skills and be successful. places weare bom into do shape our characters and determines our opportunities. So, our lives willalways be determined by places we are bom into for the majority, even into the future.

Goocl points raised and well-supported. Keep reading to hone jour use of EnglislL.

Tan Bao Ling Charlene05s45

IttTtIItItIItIItIIt

Public figures have to behave well at all tirnes. Do you agrce?

Today, due to the openness of the media, there has been a self proliferatingculture of scandal of which public figures, including celebrities, politicians andsportsmen have become victims of. Journalists dig out the dirt on them and hold themaccountable for their actions. Secrets of infidelity, drug consumption ard sexual habitsare uncovered for the world to see. These public figures have yet to realize that they haveto behave well at all times, not just at public events, but also behind the glitz andglamour. Cood behavior should entail behaving morally and ethically and detinitelyincludes obcying the law. As public figures, these persoralities have the responsibility touphold the repulation of the bodies they represent and are rcle models to many. Thus,they should be virtuous and upright at all times to be worthy ofthe limelight they bask in.

Public figures have to behave well at all times as they are accountablc for thercpotalion of the bodies they rcpresent. This is especially true tbr politicians, whorcpreseflt their party and the govemment. Ao example would be the recent case ofSinaporc's Non-constituency Member of Parlirment, Steve Chia. He had taken'sexyphotos' of his rnaid, made a hobby of taking nude sho(s of himselt. and had anextranarital affair which he ended beforc the 2001 General Elcctions. This 'private'infonnation was spilled out lor public sclxtiny aftcr his wife reported him to the policcafter she found the maid s pictures in his computer. Although he has since rcsigned fromall his posts in the National Solidarity Party, hc is still clioging on fo his Parliamenl seat.

Political observcrs say Ihat his crcditability has bccn undennined and whethea he iseligible fo| future elections or !rot, is all opefl question. On lhe sanlc notc, in 1977, Mr.Lee Kuan Yew, then Prine Minister of Singapore. adviscd mcmberu of his party, thePcoplc's Action Party, not to misbehave themselves as anybody rvith a palemity suitagainst him would be 'out' of politics and Lhere would be a by-election. Thesc cxamplesshow that public figures, especiiilly politicians, have to behavc in a dignifiecl manner atall times, even al home, as any iscondlct can hevo grave cftccts on the cledihbility andintegrity of Ihe body they represcnt. Their misdecds could damalle the body's standing as

it would go against tlre values it endorses-

Public figures also have to behave well al alL times as Ihey have to live up to theexpectations society has of them Io dcvelop olufual tiust- Atlcr all, they thrive onpopularity. Successtul lubic tigures rccognizc drat such trust hlls to be eamed and oftenwrap thcn$eives in the cloak of 'family valucs' and paradc their firmilies befole themedia, prescnting themsclves as likeablc chaaactcrs and showinS the public whdt they are'really' Iike 'up close and personal'- Fbr example. David Beckham, cap(airl of Il glend'sfootball tcam, often parades his family at public events, showinlt himself to be a 'tamilyperson'. lor Beckham, his good behavior has brouSht him lar.'loday, f)avid Bccklam isEngland's most populatr footballer and is also a household flame in countries likeSingapore aod Jap:ur. Fans cite his 'wholesome lamily image' as e rcason fo[ hispopularity. For politicians, many feel fhat privnte conduct coonccts shorgly to publicofiice. For ex.lmple, joumalists nradc Ihc issuc of whether (lcorgc W. Bush ever usedcocainc as thc campaign qul-stion of summcr 1999. Colunrnist Molly [ri[s andNews$,eek's SIuarl Taylor poi[(ed toward the relcvmt policy issue: Bush's sisning of thc

3l

Texas law that made even fiast-time possession of small anounts of drugs punishable byprison time. The question was should people less fortunate than Bush be ieaming fromtheir youthill mistakes inside a jail cell? Bush denied any consumption of cocaine andhis good behavior paid off. He was elected president of the United States. Theseexamples show that society expects public figures to be upright and worthy so it isimportant that public figures live up to those expectations and behave well ro gain therespect and tust ofthe public.

Public figures are role models for mxoy and they havc ro behave well at all rimesto set good examples for the comm[nity. For example, a study made by the University ofCalifomia, Los Angeles, School of Public Health, stated that lgqo of the teenagerssurveyed named sports figures as role models while anothet l0olo looked up to singers.This shows that public figures exefi a strong irfluence on impressionable minds and thusthe public expects them to have clean and acceptable behavior. Whether they like it ornot, famous pcople arlr mimicked, not just at their profession but at everything they do.During her recent Super Bowl half-time perfonn:rnce, singer Janet Jackson accidetrtallyexposed her breast, causing a huge uproar among audiences_ Some thought that the scen.:was disgusting arld that it promoted the baring of flesh as bcing fasl onable. JanetJackson's invitation to present an award er the Cr.lmnry Awa(is irlcw days later, wassoon withdrawn- She had been denied attendance at the covetcd music award show as hcrbehavior was inappropriatc and undignified_ Thus, it is important that public figuresbehave well at all times and inaintain a good, clean irnage as they are influential rolemodels for many.

Ilowever, one can also argue thal it is irrational to idealize public figures anddemaftl pcrtection of them. Aftcr all, they are ollly hurnall, and it is unrealistrc to e\pcLtthem to be omnipotent. Some feel that public figures have a right to do what thcy wafltprivrtell a. long a: rhcv d,, rlreil t,,bs uell. lrke tur cr,rrrplelrl,c Bill r linrurrtMnrriiaLewilsky scandal thxt produced thc first prcsidential inpeachmcnt over a cenrury_Fomrer l,resident o[ the U ited States of Amcrica Bill Clitton admittcd ro havinS anaffair with Whitc llouse inrcrn Mo ca Lcwinsky. but he was srill electcd president forfwo lerms- Polls rcpeatedly suggesled thal mosl Americans did not think prcsidenlClinton's allegecl peccadilloes undermincd his performarce as president, rlthough theyundermincd their rcspect for him. This shows that ro some, ir did not matrer if Clinton.the public figure and Clinton, the private an, wcrc two difierent people. To thelll, aslong as hir was honcst in lhe way he conducled his politics, whclher he was honest abouthis personal ljfe rcally was nonc of their-btsiness. Thus, public figures do not havc tobehave wcll at all times because cven lttough thc) have .t !cftarn leveL ol erpenise, thcyare still human and to err is only hurnan. lt ca be argued that as long as they do their job,what gocs on behind the scenes is nol impol1ant.

Public figurcs seek lhe bcncfits of tame and thev must be able to takc thcdowrside of public inteffogirtion. Givc rh(ir hrgh pr,rtrlcs rht,y h.rve to behrvc well andproject an ethical imagc to society to gain (heir trust and live up to their expectations ofthcm as role models- Morcover, a.ly misdemeanor on (hcir part could also ruin thc goodlran1e of lhe body they rcprcsent- Indccd. somc of their ilcts might bear no rclcvance (o

IIIIIIIIIITtIItItII

their jobs but public figures should rccognize that fol them' what is public and private is

noiu'lfu"t_u"i_*rlit" isue. To ask the world to t.m a blind eye to any immoral behavior

would simply b.; biting off more than they can chew-

This is a well-written essal Good usd of emnples and insighful conments nade

Joame Teo04s26

R@rE lll oDE L Qu@TEs:

I Tgrlr tt's AN H@NoR TlE BE A R@LE m(EDEL T@ (ENE PEf,soN oR maYBE

IIIORE THAN TflAT. IF YOU ARE GIVEN A CHANCE T@ BE A ROLE IIIODEL' i

THINK Y@U sH@ULD ALWAYS TAKE IT BECAUSE Y{EU CAN II'I'LUENCE A

PERSONIS LIFE IN A P@SITIVE LIGHT, AND THAT.S VHAT I WAI.I T TO OO.

THAT'5 wHAT IT'5 aLL aB@ur.

- Veeos. TI ce r.

CHILDREN NEED In@DELs RATHER THAN cRlrlcs'- J@sEpH f@uBERr, FRENcH EssAYlsr (17 s2-1824)

ExamPL€ HAs m@&E

- CHRIsTIAN N EVE LL

t9 @4)

IOLL@WERS THAN RE ASON.

BOVEE, ANERICAN AUTH@R ANO TA'VYER II824-

IrnrrartoN Is A NEc€sslrY (DF HUIIIAN NATURE'

-(ELrveR !?ENoELL H@LmEs' JR" AmERIcAN luRIsr, SuPREfiE C@u&T

IUsrrc€ (1841-1955)

32

road less travelled:', (M. Scott Peck) is being differcnt overrated?

M. Scott Peck had it .ight when he wrote the phrase, ..The road less travelled_,,tothe idea of choosing to be different. lo this time -a ug., utt oi-u. ar"

to be different, to the extent that some find that being diffJr""t l. .r".r;disa$ee with this view, to a large extent. Being unique in oie,s ideas, thoughts and

viour is not over-glorihed. Instead, the emphasis is "ppropriat,'as ,i. need

lh:1""d *r,Ii:T dre crowd,_ro_power rhe differeni sectors of *,. "ou,rt

y,business, science and technology and the arts. When a child,s nature m"ets th"

different forms of nurturing, a myriad of unique individuals .me.g.. H"nce tothem to continue being one of a kind is par for the course

For example, in any country who would want an economy that has encouraged a

pot trade centre, our. a country's economy would have failed as other neighbouflng .ounrri.a a,*"d,loi,r ""*-'1., nergnDounng countrles stafted doing the, same. Trade would then bifurcate between the countries and-profits would plunge. H-ence

gt1 e.'u"*,'*, *.gr'i i. r'-,". "ii;;".;;;;;;. il",;;;:'u"J""1"" jJ:l9il:':;f

tIItIIIIIIIttt:

I:

tt

industries. One might argue that if our ncighbouring countries did not change, we wouldhave continued to mirkc money. Brt it no onc coirinues changing, we viould alt justrevert back to being cavenen, grunting around, and there is no pJintin that either.

It is importanr in business to bc diffcrent, crcative evc. An individual withideas can creatc a whole ncw business, rvith gargantuan profits, jusl iike the

unrque i

necessrly_

creator of llread 'Ialk did. Why iust have plain bread, *h"n *. "o,,

i,"u. bread and porkfloss? With that simple, yet creative idea, a unique man became a rich busincssman. Also,what if a differcnt soll of approach can achieve the salne clesired rcsults, with less etibrt?Having no natural resources of oul own Sirrdv[E ru ua.urar resources o[ oul own, Stngapore would ncver be tamous fbr anythingwith regard Io gold. Yet a simpre rwcaki[g oithe rnind, antr wc werc able to crcate Durore.,!q !vs4!v LU BUru. rcr d strrrlJrc rwcrKrllg OI tDe rnrnd, and wc werc able to crcate purplegold. and start making a name fbr ourselves. So being diflercnt is not overraled, but a

ncver In/'l rilking flrghr. Wc wurrld be rn the ate of(dn.llc\ "id ho,..irr*n."-"g.,.

Having diffbrenr, creative ideas wiLl opcn new doors for making new tecturology toinprovc our lives as well as to extcnd our physical capacitics. If cv"eryonc nlade do withsimple tools. we would not have nanotechnology. the atility to manipulaLe the smallcst ofparticles: nor would we havc stenr cell researJ which has brought us one step closer toeliminatinll ceftain discases. Nor would organ trarNplanls t" a,,L."rrtut. A. *"

"^pto."xnd probe rhe boundaries scr by ourselves, lhe f;ture bccomes filled wirh endlesspossibilities, simply because scientist dared to be dilfercnt and crearivc

lfcing diffcrent allows differenl sectoas of a country, like the anistic community,to,bc kcpt alivc ln this epoch, a large nunber of people tcnrl lo favour sciencc subiects iscltools. as thcy bclieve it will lead to a brigh(er flturc_ But sonte i[divicluals rernain

Another important area where being different is a must is i,-uurEr nupurri{lr :rrea wnere oeng cltlterenl rs a must is in science andtechnology. Imagine ii people werc contcnt *itl, n.u", finding out why oblects fall, or

33

different, sticking steadfastly to their ambitions' which lie in the afis sector- This is

.,"*.ct. us it ltJws a contioued cxistence of people like fashion designers' ntrtiitionists

inJ "u..r

.ou.ti"tr. These people allow a country to stay vibranl having a diverse

".onorny urta a colourful pop.tlution. Besides' if everyone did enter the science faculty'

if-ter" *o"fa not be enough vacancies in all the science sectorc for all science graduates'

io*" *outa "tta

op ftav;g to be different and taking up ajob they were not trained for"

Again, being unique allows for a better future' and should be encouraged'

Yet a lot of peoPle tend to be so different they disrupt social peace Most of us are

probably unimpressed with people who do something totally unacccpted by social norms'

uncl "laim

to io so because they are being different This is where being e uniquc

individual is indeed over-glorified. In some places like Singapore' with a meagre

fofriuti.. of 4.4 million, t"lt.re is no room for a vast diffcrence in people Tf small

i.it"," .f people tbrm, each headed for different business' that business will surely'.oLtapse, a,le to a marginally effectivc working force considering the 'small size ln this

ron'ii i"*^""" "n "iph..i,

on diversitlcation should be stymied' till the situatiod is

appropriate.

Ilowever. these socially unaccePted actions or lllrge dil'crsion might actually hclp

in the right circumstances, to be a springboard for People to create something rhat would

be more_ accepred and pnctical Being ditTerent again, would help in cre rling new

artifacts and ploducts that will allow us to advance.

ln a'1, being diflercnt is generally llof overratcLl Wc need to bc differcnl ;n order

to help kecp econlmics alivc. We nced crcative ideas 1tl explore thc urknown and the

u,.h"^ia oft. we should have unique individuals to keep various areas of hurnxnrt) going.

So being cliflerent is a must, alld cafflot be consiclered overrated

Mostly tt tltt:ent tListussiott - rt)u n(ed t() vtttrk a little on tt uctutitry' E\amplcs nceded lo

hraL:e nair points up. F lu(nt a d confident wrililg

Gcrald Phoon05s l5

Human life is precious and must be preserved at all costs. Discuss,

It is almost inevitable that every human individual considers his own life to be ofutmost va ue. However, in a somewhat paradoxical fashion, the lives of other fellowhuman beings are often perceived to be of less impodance. This leads to controversysometimes as to whether every life should be preserved at all costs. I would say that toprcserye a life at all costs is not economically viable, and is very impractical. Rather, abalance needs to be struck between morality and practicatity. Although such a balance isimponderable, it is an ideal that slrould be striven for.

The idea of preservitrg a life incorpomtes the concept of saving a person from animminent death, o. extendirg thc life of a person. lt is bitterly ironic thar while peopleseek to preserve human lives, it is often other lbllow human beings that kill people, oreven themselves. Wars are the ultimate embodiment of this. Man battles against mall'resulting in an asfonomical loss of human lives. Casualties ilr World War II greatlysurpassed the loss of lives caused by the Black Plague. peace is preached in an attcmpt toavoid future wars and collflicts, but sometimes, wa.r is waged in an attempt to preservepeace. Although it may seem ethically wrong, humal livcs have been saoificed toachicvc a goal, to lealizc an ideal, or to protect the lives oI people close to us. 'fhis goesback to the idea thaL we placc dil'ferent values on thc livcs of different people. The livcsof people close to us are usually perceived as being morc precious, and to better or topreserye their lives, sacrifices mxy bc made even if they arc the iives of othel humans.

The assumption thal human life is precious is also ulrlermincd by people whoperceivc the own lives to be of litrle value. Pcople afflictcd with terminal illrrcsses nrayfind life intolerable, or do not wish ro be a burden- Preserving the lives of people strickcnwith illnesses such as canccr or AII)s is very costly and taxing, and may adversely alfectpeople close to them. Howcver, there arc rnoral issues that nake this such a colundrum_Taking away the lives of such people is sccn as playing God, and doing so goes rgainsrall our cthics. I-[ence, euthanasia is still noa widely accepted in most countrics.Conversely, are the lives of pcoplc who arc of little value or even cletrimental to oursociety wonh prescrving? Murdercrs, rapists and robbers offen take away the livcs olother humans, but docs this give us rhe right to take away thcirs? This..eye for an eye',concept fbnns the basis of capital punishnent_ Thcre is the altcmative of implisoomeutwhich is oftcn preferrcrl, since it givcs crininals a chance to rcpe t and strrt afresh. butfor those impervious to changing tbr the better and unrcpentant, perhaps capitalpunishment cannot be avoided. Howcvcr, effort should be taken Io counsel and try to helpthc criminal before capital punishment.

Prcseffing human life is an idcal rhal should be strivecl fbr. lt would be ir lumancto lct a person dying of lltv simply dic without mcdical aid. tf rirar person values his lit'eand wishes to have his Iifespan lengthcned, albeit tcmporarily, attempts should bc macleto preserve his litir [or-as loog {s possiblc- AlthouSh rhis maybe an excrcise in futility, thefew cxtra monlhs the paticnt lives would bc priceless Io the feople who care for him.

I:

IITTTIIIIttt:

IttT35

:l

It has been said that what separates mankind from other animals is our code of

ethics and morals. Our acceptance that killing other human forms is murder forms the

comerstone of this code- If we are capable of preserving a life' but choose not to' does

this not bord., on murder? At times, it is a conflict of ethics that results in a moral

Jif"t"-u. n"..y human life is unique, is conscious of its surroundings' and is hence'

"on"ia"r"a pt""iou.. Uowever, the sacrifice made in order to save a life must be weighed

ag;iist ho; the resources used in doing so could be used to betteror even save the lives

o? ott ".,.

fni. may seem to be a very inhumane statement, but the bottorD line is that

.esoo.ces ar. limit d, and an opporfunity cost is involved if we are to preserue lives- The

-"".y tp.", on p.eieruing the^ life of a cancer patient can save numerous children in

,qll"u f-rrt starvation. Human life may be precious, but the sad reality that we place

;ifferent values on the lives of different peopte limits our capacity to truly prcsefve

hu.-rir".Rather'sometimesitisourcompulsiontosavealifeatallcoststlratmayprevent others frcm living.

It is said that the road to Hell is Paved with good ntenhons To preserve a human

life at all costs may seem like a noble intention, but the social rilmiflcatioos can be so

u4r,".," ,o the cxtent that other lives are forgone' The perception that human life is

p...io* it one that is widely accepted, but the truth is that the different values we place

in different tives undermine this concept. Truly, moderation is imperative in preserving a

lite, for sometimes, the sacrifice is.just too great'

While the essay i fotused, the itleas are a tad unclear' Lack of clear topic sentence in the

paragraphs makis for a difficuh understan'ling of your argnnent You. nis' :;'ntc'inr"r"rrirg ideas bit ditl nil take them to the conclusion you suggest This is Lt pity'

LangutrgJ is quite niceIr- controlletl Good use oftocabulary and etPression

Daniel Chang04s63

36

Asian Values: Do they exist?

The concept of "Asian values" has often been refened to ilr mary diflbrentcontexts_ Arnong the values often associarcd wirh asian:;oci.tle" a.e tn"l.in"ipt" ofcommunity above serf, the premium on frugariry and hard work. wi r' ,rrl oJ"u.."o". otthe Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 came a wave of cnriclsm, maiaty from Westenrcommentators, that the death klell of rhe myrh ot Acial u"lu." hJ b.en sourraed.However, I believe that while the various attacks on the

"on""pt oi;A"i*' uutu".,, a,,

have some justifrcatiol, Asiar values do exist and will probably **irr*-i" U. ,"f"r"*in the future

One of the criticisms levied at the concept of ,,Asian values,, is on the mostfufldamental level - that Asia covers such a huge geographical area and spans such adizzying specffum of diflbrent cultrrres that ir is meaningless to speak of ,,Asian

values,,as if it was a homogelcous belief system. For examplJ,

"o.pu.i"orra have otten been

made, espelially in Malaysia wherc Lhe bumiputra policy is an issue, between thetendercy of the Chinese to enshrine fhe pursuit of Draterial suc""ss a" a core value, itndthc relative laidback. relaxed ethos of the Malay comnunily. Of course, compansonssuch as thesc have oftel been attacke.l as being over_gencraiiscd, evcn racist, but they dopoint to some dilfercnces in value systems betwecn cjiifeient Asian cuhures_

Fufthemore, with the increasing globalisation of thc world, trytig tocompartmentalise cultures along gcographical or ettrflic lines is becoming increasinglyfutilc, as cultures are now interact and influencc one another to such un e?t.m ti,ot on."world culture" is begiriring to take ioot all around the u,orld.

"u- it.rugf, li,ouy ls,rff fr"

li^'-l].li*1,]'".,"t"" Mrny lleople B)inr our that vatLres rhar have becn cied as espccialtysLgortrcirnr jn Asixn ruirure, such rs the principle of cornnlunity above self, are in fact notunique to Asia but rathca, to somc ertenr, unrvcrsal. hvcn tirc biggest flag bearers olWestem civilisation such as thc Uniteil Srxrcj rrd rhc Unrrcd f<,rgl'|""i ir"i," f"*, ,fro,arguably inlringe on human righrs, such the USA'S patriot Act, plciseiy because rhcyhave weiShed collecrive sccurity aSairNt human righls and f,r,,ntf ttJ forr,,.r rrrur"tmportant. Thus, therc is nothing particularly ,'Asian,'

aboul ,,Asian values,,_ rathe. theyare motivated by co[cems that would be relevant to lllolc or less any civiliscd socrcry_

It is largely on this basis that the various critics atlack the concept of Asian valuesas bcing more a political insffuntcnt tiran a social rcality. .I.hcy

"u,,r"rr.l ,1,o, in a worldincreasingly dominaled by "wesrern varues" pcrvasive iriar arJar.iiiil, i.",.,n" rirr-rr

market ethos of the economic realm 1o the emphasis on dernocracy anJ in;i;idual liberlyitl.politics and popular culture, Asian lcerlers ."*,, ,..o,r"..li"s "","1iir "f

"e.imvalues" to justify and thus preserwe thcir rcgimes, ,hi.h n." aut.irutic'"t *nr.t ou,lpatcflralistic at best. Thcse leacler.s clairn that Asians, unlike their Westcrn counterparts,

l,lt-iii ,ll:

i1""1 ::""-unity ahovir sclt rnd workinlt rogerhcr for the comrno( good ratherlllan rr,li\idu.rl libcr(ic.. end rhus rarious rrprcsrirc rrrcirsurrs 5.cll a\ llrc.unrrLlrlcnl olftec spccclt iD thc irtterests of |re,!cntmg the fiagmentation of socicty are to be applaudcdrrthcr driIrr rnrr(lernncrl. Thesc clltrc\ also pJilrt to practices such as cronyism anclnepotism, nrasquerading as "Asian values', o[ ioyalty to [amily and friends, as thc orjgin'

IIIIfIlIItIIIIItIItj'l

Hs

Hflt!

fl$

!

i

iI

I

of the 1997 Asian Cufency Crisis- Had Aslan governmenls had the.foresight to tum to

[r[;#";i;;* ii"'r"" it"*a' t"l tn" "iti"' ttri' crisls could have bcen ave{ed'

While it is true - and sadly so - that many Asian govelrunT:s do hijack the

conceDt of Asian valires as a bulwark againsi enlighiened reform, I would not go so far as

;#;# #;;;;"*i"t"n"" ot a"i"j" ua-lues b-ecause of this Phenomenon Politicians

throughout the ages and i,, utt .*i"t.". t'ou"...orLed to shrewd ploys to achieve political

il;""i-*. ;;i ;,i" i."i *tut ttt"y do thrs does not negate the existence of values unique to

;"iil; ";"il. i;"iJ'"* trt" ""v t,o'it-"itl'" "'"g"""

that Asian values are a mvth'

while there are inevitably aircr.n"."*;itnln- itr. iug" .p""** of cultures that Asia

encomDasses, there are also common stranA' *itf i" ti"t"'tott"tes that are more notable

HiiI;#i;, .;;,;"op"* * ar"'- uor''" svstems This can be attributcd to tle fact

that di{ferent areas of A"iu nou" "^Lt""ilv

i"t"r-linked histories and thus' have developed

verv similar philosophics' .Itrc most sr'Jifi":rnL' "ta

tnov "ft"n tited example of this is

irr ionfucianism. Although it originateii ;'t';i"'' the ntinrate end sustahcd interaction

of China with Japanese, Korean, ^ni """n p"tintuf" Malayan socicty resultcd in the

<xtensive pr.rpagatrun ol Cor ucran tui'"" tft'*gn..'t Atir' unrlerpirrring rnanr LrlieI

s\\rcnls.ornrnun lo A'ian soclelle' fi rn"y t'" ri* that 'ucll ralucs ina\'drlfcr 'r: lhe

:I;H"t-;";;;,i"" *i*"' t'".ot" i'o'" fine{uned' but tbat should onlv lcad to

our aDprecratlon of sLrbtleties *ith;';;; u"lu"t' *" shou'd not write thefi off

;i;;;;;. Tt;.; .;" *btlc drffererrces in values evcn among diflerent Eroups within one

H:ffi",g;;;.;" tot^"v' r''"' trtui at"" not mcan we ne;ate the existcncc of chinese

valucs ot American values lt is also true that some values iclentitied as "Asian" are not

rigidly uniqr.rc to Asil there *" oi't"ut certain poinls ol sitnilarity between vastly

(litTerenl culturcs, but thc important obs"'luotio" rltui"tutt tt" madc is that -certain

values

:;:#";;;;;il ; "ry -*'::'"Lll-$"i:" i":ilL', *:"',t,:J::ii:" ;: i :l'::values that sometimes conre lnto co

ft;;;;'t**;aiive prioritics whilc thc values that make up thc value svstcm

miqht be similar for diflerent socletles' it is in tllese value judgments that thc differences

il:,?..-,i;;,;.;;'l'i" n'"' 'r'ir" tr'" iii"" oi 'nawia"ot

libcdv a d the idea of

common lvelfare would not be "tp"ti^ity "'i"ttt"nto to eilher westem society or Asiln

society, when a trade olt "rir"r,

w"ri"*'a*i"ty i. mu.t, a.rr" likely to rule in l^vour of

the fomer, whercas Asi{n society t" llt* iit"iy to play sale Lry castirg its k)t with the

latter "

In [act' ] trelieve it is preclsely because cenain valucs are deeP-roofe'l in Asian

society that polrtrcal propatsandd ^piJ"rilrn ic, trt"* values has decp resonance with-the

peoplc in thc lrr 'l Plr' e pdtcrnalr'nl rripll r "rrld rrol scll il ll\e rdcr o[ (ornrnurrrlv

rbov( ell $erc rllelcl\ lhP "*t't "'*l"gi'rl rcccnl lllv'nlrun ol llrliorlxl ler'ler* lhc

value of alt culturcs, whethcr -tt b" tit;';;-"i

'rr it logrtlrer" cthus ot th^c-British welfare

"t.,""t ..^rJlat aty indePendcnt and iltli v itlua tistrt Americnn rpprorch havc come

trnclcr attack at so rc time or othet Ji"n ift" "utiun"f

tystem cngendercd by such valucs

sccrned shaky, indicating lhal ti'nts"oi "tono"tic or iolitical trouble olten provide a

convenientframeworktornakesocra"|,-ulu.","."p.11n"ttnfJ!t.lvhilenrltnypcoplecitepolitical motivations as thc source- o[ itt" l-onttpt_nf A\rrn values the irony is that

algurlcnts against this co cept ot" ofr"" "rltp"tt

in political agendas too Asian ledders

L

TO ME, BUT DEAR€R STIL! IS TRUTH.

atlLrflous [o preservc thejl system again;rcm cuttural imoeriAli<m

^,,. --,;*^-r: lh:,oo.lauglrt of what rhey perceive fo beestcm cultural imperialism, but nei;h€ " roLqq6rr! ur wnrt tnev ocrceive fo beIture entirelv liee from ^-." --,r_,,^,^^-I }t 'h".ptoponents of wesrem or ,,y7e.16',ture entirely liee from over_enthusiasm iin wiurting to prove the sup".io.iiy oi ttrei.

IttItIIIIIIII:

ItT

. But will Asian values lose meanihar nsr,ead of wanins asian _"r,,-- ,..,Si,,1 ": ino"^ingly globalised wortdi, I believe1r instead of wanins, Asian values il "";;;;i;il;'l;t"[ffi::li:::;::iJJ,::*;;

not a one-way process and has not onl,rld. ln lacl. wirh rhe;.. ^r o.,..- _^.,^I

proPaSalcd weslem values to th"e rest ol theworld. ln fact, wiLh Lhe rise o[ Asian n. _J r.v|q6q,\ u ]yrsr(nr values to the rest o[ the

a nend is alread; "r.r*i"*.' " -J,.1rons

on lhe-world slage. \uch as china rnd India,While it could be rro,,a,_r ,h"i ...- ..- p.^"",u1 influcncc ol A.iaD values on lhe n orldWhile it could be argue6 that this .E ur Asran values o[ the world.rtreir uery ab.orprion'il; :;.il :J;;:"

Incans rhar "Asian vrlues uill ceaseruexisrbyturure, be comotcre <,-,, ,"", ",, ,,^,,-.ll 'globalisalron ccnnol al le3qt in llr. lorerrcablefuture, be complete sucl tl]at al aistirr"l ' 6'vvdtlrdru' carurot' a' least m lhc foreseeable

ua"", *lr .tli u ,"."-iJ..l;;;ilf:.ff Hffi"i T':TilrXf":r,r,ffii, "nrr thus Asian

Perceptive and v)ritten v)ith teal irLti?hwett rn qttthhle. there watn r ,rirr:,o'

F'."ot'd'h" qut\tlon on !h' hroa,l lctcl bur iflw *u n,u u", , ), ", ,,;;;,:;:,':;:,,,,;:",:,'"ta.hara116a

o1, th, . \r& itl,.t .,1 at,an v,ttuor.sh.tyn -urtlttllol l''rtt' rn: of l'rlt^irut.'t lto,tt4t\ At.r,

of view-

Chua Shirin0445 i

Humlr.r V.qlug e vore s:Ir we vete r@ waKE Lrp stomE n@RNING aNDYHE SAIIE RACE, C&EED AND C@L(DR.'WE \X/OULDFOR PREJUDICE BY NOON.- G eor.c e Arrr s

FiND TIIAT €V€RYONE .!?,AS

FIN D S@ME OTHER CA(,SE

Nlvet oe ANvTHINc AGAINsT coNscrENc€ EVEN IF TH€ STATE DEMANDS

'.4r. r E RT

€vERy@NE

Erusretu

IS ENTITI-ED T(E THEIR E\(/N @ P IN I@N, 8UI N(DT TH EIR @w'NFACT S.

'Daurtr parr.rcr [I oylr r aar

PLATo ts o Eat'Atrstorre

Rivalry brings out the best in one. Discuss'

Rivalry happens all the time. We are bound to face it at every.stage of our lives'

be it during o,rr "iritalooa

st ge or our working stage RivaLy cirr bring out the best in

one but it Jan also bring out the worst The nature of rivalry comes from the competitive

nature of human beings We are bom with a natural instinct to competc for what we want'

ni, d^ Uri"n" oul 1e besl in one by lorring one lo give all lhc besl lo be-lhe best and

ri"t*ti. i*i o" irt" oLher hand. rivalrl also causes selfishress lcck o[ sclf-confidcnce

and dirty fights among PeoPle.

When one laces rivalry from one's peer, the competitiveness in one's heart will

fo.". on" to ,i." up to the chitenges. Through competition' we will briflg out the best in

.,r. io fr" U"u"r,fr* others, dete;ination zrn. perseverince play an inportant role. For

"*ulnpt., in u."a"*i"s, if a student wants to be the best in the school' the student must be

a"i" i,r"a o.,.t ,nu.t work hard to achieve the goal. lt is tl*orgh this kird of rivalry that

;;; ;il; th".."L,.. and strive to be bctter' Thesc qualities can be developed

when one faces rivalry, thus' bringing out the best in one-

Rivaly is also essential to maintain a certain standard of achicvements- Withoui

rivalry as a d'.it,ing for.., we humans will not havc progrcss and recor-ds.will not be

U.ot"'n- fur, i-ug;i. if Michael Phelp had not threatened Ian Thrcpe's placc in the world

iJ in Lfr" ofy*ii.t record. Ia Thrope then would not havc any dvals to conpele with

"na m"..f,r." no incentive to improve hirnsell ln fact' his perlbrinance could havc

J.L.in."t"a. Because ol r-ivalry' Ian Thrope had to work very hard to keep xnll maintain

flJl""oiJ f... ft"i tc takcn away by Pheips l'his rgain shows thxt rivalry cen bring out

the besi of someone-

However, therc is also a darker sidc of rivalry Whcn thcre is loo much rivalry

goinll on. one will feel very prcssured to Perfonn -$cll .Too 1::ch,f::tsl.l-e wilt cause

io-.un" ,u bccomc very srreisetl up and rLr tur'n dllcct his herlth lt i5 also hecause of

ti""f,y,f-, *lt.n on" porty loses, he or she will tend to become deprcssed alld end up

*ottn'*irlg in sadness. Thii will cause him to losc his self-confidencc and develop low

selflesteem. tn the end, rivalry only brings out the worst-

Extreme rivaLry will bring an ulwillingness to share This is because everyone

wa Is to be thc best and every scrlpe of Lnn$ Lcdge rnd olfortunity.lrecomes vely

cnrcial. Due to the "need" to beconrc lhc bcst, pelrple will then isolatc themselves and

refuse lo help others. For exanplc' befbre Islam was intro<Iuced' the people of Hijaz

fom]edthcirowl1clans.Tlrerewercrivalriesamongclansloconqueftllemosllandandriches- In the end, the "assabiah" spirit arnong clarls caused disuoity amorg lhe people

and war broke out. lf only thcre werc no riv^Iry dmong clxns lf they had bcen willing to

share, many lives would havc becn sp.rerl

Ilivalry can also bring out the evil side of humans- When wc are too absorbed

rvith the idea o[ winni^g a'<1 iorni.g out as *le best. we tend to put everything elsc asidc

iust to reach ou, gorl. ih"t is {he time wheD we Llse dirty tactics to down our opponent

40

f,

just to get a s(ep closer to our goal. For inslance, jusr take a look xt thc reelity_game show,.survivor" [t was supposed to be a test.ot'.physical abilirres bur ir enaed ulas.Nst plainback stabbing among castaways, This rivalry brings our rhe worsr pan of liuman beings,the dark side.

_ Io conclusion, rivaLy is important because without it, we would not be wherc we

are today and rivaly does bring out the best_ in one. It is extreme dvalry that will bringout the wo6t side of human. Therefore, we should encourage rivalry only up to a certainlimit -,that is, it should be just enough for improvemcnt but nor to t_he extent ttrat it wiltcause disunity in the human race.

On the whole well-argued and organized. Fluent English but do be careful of yourt?ndcnt r to writ., tnfomplttc scntcnter.

Suzanne Chcng0-5s I l

RIVALRY Q UoTEs:C@npETrrIoN ts rHE KEEN currlNG EDGE @F DUstNEss. Al\r/a.rs sHAVINGAWAY AT COSTS.

" H €NRY F@RD Ir

Tue ceurn,rr FAcr rs IHATHUIIIAN EN

'RGY IS TH&(EUGH

SPECIALIZATION,AND S@CIAL

CO - @P€RATI ON.* CHAR r.E s H@RT@I{ C@@LEy

Rtva,ln.r er scH@LARs

" H Egtew PRevr nt

No"|HING Is EVER

N(EDLY, \vHICH IS

'loru Rusrt u

THE IIIOST €FFECTIVE \x/AY (DP UTILIZINCAN @RGAIIIZED RIV,ALRY. VHICH OY

C(ENTR@L I5. AT THE SAME TIME. @RGANIZED

ADVANCES \X/I SD@N.

D(ENE BEAUTIFULLY \'/HICiI IS D(ENE IN RIVALSHIP: (DR

D@Nf IN PRIDE.

tfiH

trIgd

x

i

Rivalry brings out the best in one' Discuss'

There is rivalry everywhere Be it in a famiLy' school'-society or between

""r"tti.t ;;;;;il;is strife ' and this is all pafl of human nature .Humans

ar. 'nable

to

cimnlv lea.l lives wilhoul conslant contpetiti;n bccaucc oflhe basic inslincl of survival

ll',[Jruiii':. j;r.;t.o*'ri."' r,"ut"a "' a rar race: e\eryone desires ro be rhe srrongest

]i iir" i"p ".a

trt" u"i wttit" ttti. 'iuut'y does bring out the best for some' it also has its

detrimental effects.

Undoubtedly, under the constant Pressure to do bettet than others .on€

is able to

,"p i";;;;;'i.";; strength and utiiize his or her trlents !o the tof of its potential'

Willr ri\ alav. man dcvelop' a fenrclou\ cdge lhrl rlllo$s hlm lo hone his,ahililics and

;;i;; ;t; 'i',: ;;;;'" r,[i.' i'""1 rake rhe olvmpics ror Insrancc Fach. competrt'rr

:''":^ ;: ;;-;il ;" ."?riitv or "ot

r"'ting anvone get in front of lim or her' Rivatv

ffiil;;;; * .t.*grrt .,i mind and tic cletermination not to be beatcn' In the

b,tntt.tl .r""rtt J..s noionly exist between the present competitors' there also lies the

i"Jit"'a rr""- r*tou. .e.ord hold"ts' Tu many' it is not erough to best the man next to

you, to be the ";est". They want to break a wolld record'

Rivalty brings out the inhercnt hurnnn ncccl !o prove that nn: ':,.111t^t:

n"u"t tn"n

""y.". ;i;;. ;l;;.,; of succcss' rivalry can bring otrt l|c Lrest in ulc LlLrc lo-this constant

striving for better lcsults. However' noi everyone- has the same definition of-"hesl" 'fo a

..a"f;nofv1*"i. "best" might reter to pe"'nrl 'utces' aLld dch'e\errent to prove lhat

on" i, unpur"tt"t"a in his orler arcn^- Yct i[ r person rcsorts to lrrscrupulnrrs means lcl

^.fri."" iiti. thcn rivalry has insteed brought out the rvorst in thal person Marly lake

"1r""1" -t.

."pr.r"nt su"c"s,; and to achieri this success solne would do anything' no

,*",,"a fl.*-i.* ". a"spicable Rivalry is rlcver ahvays pure and clean lt carries with it a

""""i" i""".lty afld the inhcreot sellishncss of humans lt is llot uncomnlon Io some to

,".* ,o iu-n una cheating and backslabbing lo work their way Lrp to thc top fake the

il;,;;' i;'"J";i;;;;i' i;; be viewe"d in two perspectives: one' vo'can merelv

:"i;i;;,:.;:;il ..-.p.,;t,.n belween ihose in the race' striving to eam the sold; or

,*",'V"i "^"

4"i". a."p". and s"" thc number of cases of competitors being accuscd of

f,kinF Dertolmance cn}rancing drugr to achieve their Peak- In lhis case. livalry blillgs out

;:;1"^'';',:;; ;-. r'"'"p'"" "r." $in( b) lris " i'"' o*n Incrrr( i' r(spe!rcJ b\ rhe

*o.kt ior t,ili o. her ubility io excel, bur onc $ ho wrns by resorrng l r undcrharld means to

*i"" iti* .. tt", " u..st i; uldmaiely regarded as e loser' This acl cveorenl can hardly be

ion.ia...a nlrt.*", if one doesn'l depind on hrs ur hcL o\ r strengllrs Bringing out the

;;.; t;t;;;r;.id"g out one's abilit) !o shrnc undcr rntense pres\urc r d being abLe to

;;;;i;;-;;JJr";th and clctennination' Instcad' for thosc who rcsoft to lorv (lown

,rr""n., .iuafy Uringi out their weaknesses Though lhey might achieve success' in reality

ih"y tou" foit"a ai they l,au" chosen not ro tap on their own strengths' hut to seek

unwholesome aid.

"Best" can rcf-er to many thi gs; it can mean pcrsonal' matcrixl succc\s or it lirrl

refer to thc good character c,t o p"..ion lf one is able to graciously accept defeat by 1l

rival. is this not also considered a "best" in tenns of his or hcr character trilirs? With the

42

L

41

elections in USA coming up soon in November, competition bet{veen George Bush andJohl Ke_rry is getting incrcasingly tense and heighlnect. White rhis allows them todisplay their leadership abilities and capabilities to iead their country, the competition toprove that each of thern is the ..better

man.. has also caused rhem to iownplay each other.Can fhis be_considered "bringing out thc besr'. in rhem? Uttimately, there wili only be onewinner, and in this case, is the loser able to acknowledge defeat and pledge support to thewirurer? If tmmpeting the flaws of an opponent is the means by which Jne extols his orher abilities, this individual has aheady failed to a cefiain extent as he or she is unable toprove his or her capabilities withour betitling another. t";;;;;;;1.-;;;ufting rhemdown might achieve a "best,, if one is able to attain the coveted"success, but this is also a"worst" as one has to rely on znother,s flaws, and not one,s personal achievements, tobolster one's abilities.

. Whil: thete are people who can work well with intense rivalry, there are alsothose who fail to do so, as they succumb to pressure and are demoralizej, unable to excelas they do not thilk that they can better their contemporaries. Rivahy has two effects; itcan give one confidence and a zealous drive or it cin also instill ulcertainty anc.l fi:ar.Because of this lear of failure that they are unable to prove that they are worthy. Somecven develop a "cannot do this" mcntality, and they are alrearly clefeatetl. Thus, theycollapse as thcy ailow thek weakness to tait mph over their strengths.

It is a dog-eat dog world, and the ,,best rnan" may not always win. .Ihe word

"best" is too subjective, whether it relers to a moral bcst or a material b;st. In either senseof thl: word, rivalry is indeed able to brirg out thc best in somc. But we cannot ignore thcfact that rivalry can also clrum out losers, be il those who ,,selt destruct,, by collapsxtgundcr prcssure, or thosc who, under contpetition. display thc worst of their character-s.

FluentlJ written. A sophisticat(.d tliscussiott. A pit)J lou did nLrt tr| to give a runge ofetarnplcs especially x,hen in the intro, )1ltn ),,1u t.tLot b mettri,,ne,l trt .ul,a rhat could heexplaitkLl .eclurols (runks)

Danielle Wong04s23

IItIItTIIIttIIIIIIt

In a technological society, do libraries still h:rve a role to play?

The library can be considered an immutable part o[ ttle technology wave'

retaining its place even in this modern day and age. It still serves its functio[ as a public

collection oibooks. from reference to fictioil, to satisfy the intellectually hungry right

down to the infant leaming the alPhabet. ln countries that rely so heavily on computers

and machines for their day to day functions, it comes a's no surprise that these societies

:fe inherently fasFpaced, wherc peoPle often crave specific knowledge at the snap of

their fingers. However, with the impeilections of thc Intemet (the closest substihlte of the

library)'and the ineplaceable library experience' it is satir to say dral libftries ,rre here to

stay.

In this technological society' thc place of the library is challenged by the

pcrvasiveness of a new altemative, the lnlemet. Known for its high speed' fhe InerneL

iriumphs over the books in lhat il co bines tcxt, graphics and sounds [o creale a mole

engajing reading experience that stimulates the senses. Compare this with the tyfical dull

ti#uiy toot tftui is often tom ard tattered and easily outdatcd Moreover' the volume of

infolmation on thc world wide wcb is no less than that of the library ln fact' there is ari

unlimited acccss to the htemet whercas people can only have acccss fo libriry books

rvhich bavc not bccn borrowed. A merc search ol1 googie l'or 'Britney Spears' fol

example, would chun out ovcr five nillion rcl:lted lioks in just about a second These

wouli includc the latcst news abo[t the celebrity' and a hugc anay of photos end music

vidcos. much more than wouLd bc found in librdrics.'fhe Intemct ill itsclf is ilso much

more convenient than the libaary, as it transccncls geographical boundaries anrl can be

accessecl front any compulet. palnl top and even hand phole' be it xt homc or on the go-

Converscly, people have to sPecially lio oul o[ thcir wly and ruake a t[ip down to the

nearest lilxary t;bolrow books whiclt Ihcy ilre llot evefl sure cxist in thc fi$t pl:rce!

Howevcr. this constitutes only one sidc of lhe argumcnt Thc lnternet in rcality is

not as perfcct as it seems F'or rll the abunclance in illfonnalion. the lntemcl aclually

suffers a huge credibility crisis as it takcs so liltle fbr auy Torrr, Dick and Hany lo set up

a web page]jumbling up tacts with opinions and half--Iruths Fudhennore'.il lakes skili

ana practle io mastei searchi g techniqucs to accurately sier'c ou{ thc useful infomlation

from the rest. Tllis leck.rf technicel know_how $lay bc a hindrancc to thc very oid and

very young, who would naturally prcfer lhc librury Finally. the dillitalizatior of pdnt

rlei;a is qaraer th.rn it seems. Not only do compaflics have to get round-copydght laws

nnd intcllcctr.ral propcity rights, lhc mere frocess of copying ovcr aLreedy entails somc

unwanlecl inuccuracies, Io i(s attcmpl to digitalize all thc resources in an Americall

library, Google Iocorporatcd finally ddlrrittccl lhe tutilily of lhe task as lhey needed at

lcast a dccadc to complete the projecl, ^nd

the materiills wouid already bc outdated by

then-

However advancecl our level ol technology' there irc still asPccts ol llre libftrythat catrnot be replicated. Thc esse cc of the library cxperience in frct involvcs walking

in{o one and beirig grcctctl by lhc cntire ranSc irlld varioly ol books, neatly shelved and

catalogues. waiti[tl to be explorcd. lu lhis ciLs.. therc Llocs not need to be ll sPecific

l

14

purpose for visiting the library, but an opportunity to chance on material rclatxrg to theinterest. Moreover, many still cherish the sens;ry experience of froia;rlg |loin"tfrngtangible in their hands, flipping its pages and smelling rhe *nilf" oi-i*]p"., a.o un

ll:l::l.i :"t :T_19._.f rhe book. Espccia y for shatespearean

"ug"a;r',no ora.n_a,y

ctasslcs. tr ts srmply more authentic teading them on paper than on sireen. Long hours on,tle

computer also srrain the eyes and det;riorak "il;;;.';;,h;;;;ui',, u, ,o *n1,libraries.srill have a role to play in our society is than maly loots, maeuzin.s unamullimedia avrilahte ltrere ffe not found on rhe inremcr lLi" i.;.il;;ljy;T;;;;"rks

written before the invelrtion of lhe cornputer, and refcrences thar aie copyright protected.The assortnent of newspape^ a.d magrzines on library st,etues are ,r,Jl" &t"n ,t un no,disallowed to be published online and peopt" or" ..qui."a ro.uUr.JU. oni poy to.,fr"n.As such, the library holds a different vrriery of resources arrd e^p"rien""s aitogether.andcar withstand the test oftime.

, C_onsidering the ulique .ole of the library that caru1ot be replaced, it can be seenthaf the library still has a future in this tecltological society. ft _".i, fro,""u".. tfo* *i*lthe times and constantly update its collecrio. ot'Ooot. ana ilefrunir. tfr" J.o-"..r"r. go,l'the lntemet_ard the library have their advanrages an.l shoulJ b" ,."J a rlontr"*t *.toth(.r. Rcsults of rhii are c-lihraric\ ,,nd ..crrologu.. rfr"r ,lig,,ufir" rf,. .JJl ,n .*i*,;nglibraries. Whatever Ihe case, dre library will hold its place.

(jreat erpression and good points.

Lee Min Xuan0,lsl I

tIItIIItTIItttIttItI

Ltoranv Quo.res:TnE Ltar.aRy ts ouR H<ousE oF tNTELLecr, ouR TRANscENDENTALUN IVE RS ITY, \I/ITH @NE

can, and no one should'PnEstoeu.I, Ca,rN scrs

LIBRARtaNs HAVE al.ways BEEN AmtBNG THE mosrHELPFUT PE@PLE. THgy p,Re TgAcHERs .VITH@UT

At IBRARI E S, NO PR(EGRESS.

'Bloaocast€tt WtLlato S cerr

Tar gugrrc LTBRARv Is iI@RE THAN amYSTERI@us. woNDER@us pLAcE vtTH'CHICAG@ Trrsutr Lt.rcrary rorren

exception: no one graduates fiom a libra.y. No one possibiy

C@RpoRATroN VarTa,N G r!cer.raH

THOUGHTFUL AND

CLASSR@@m. N(D

REP@stToRy @F B@@Ks. [T's aTHE P(EVER T@ CHANGE LIV€S.

E Lt za,r eru Tayror

45

and serve for better enErkinment vn, as t\e reed ourserv".;;;;;;;il,;il:.;-.?.^:kl. "9ll.r becomc increasinsryry ano audrLonrlly stimuletjng source

l:d::d..oline qublishing and orher media coutd pur rhe ti,e ofboot s ar risk:r. tts tuture shines confidentjy duerte to most DeoDle con\i,-tc;,," ,r^, ^-1"

tn' simple reason uf il bcirg rnosl\ible to most people. considerirrg Lh;, ' '" "- rr"rPrc reason ul il bcino Inosl

: Yl :o\uy rechnologicat .quip,n.n,o,l")^ mosl peopic lrom <lcr eloperl co-untrie'

I oe[nttetv flor,ri.h i" trKe compulers alld television set\, book\. d:finjlely flourish in orfr., pa11.',:'-

\vrrrPU'crr alro televtsron sel\ hook\rutsrcalty advanced. people erist.

rl ule norld' whcre. lil'rate ntueir I.s,

:e-[a:l':ali:y of purdng alt knowtedSe online is doubrful to me. with billio^ ofon earth trom the past antl prescnt. it sevrrual ntrtfoml rr/r.jr- -_..L,: , _ el" to me i^possiblc to put all of it onlincon .a vinuar pr:rrromr. whire ,"uri,r,i"e ]"i,,. ,ffi:":1il1J",11,:',

;jJ:.x|1,;envrronrnenrat and cosr benefrrs. doing so tor erisring anJ i,.,rn.iilJ"_ *.," or,necess:1ry.:r\ they ere already eircrrlJling rn the trtdition:l b."k ;;;i;", ",,.

IIIIIItIIIIIItIII

I must agree that, u hiie ir is tltheir benefirs

"n.r \!lri *r,irt" ;.':t 'lti' \ ifluJl book' 'ud onlrne prrblrrhing do have

nadirionrr hoot ,e.rni r;''ili;i.";,1:lrruoughs rrrdui'uv PIav.rs "arr riJe upun. rire

;11,,:,-T i;4',;.iilTij;illi::T:i,,,11il,,'J _iil;lii,l,#i_ :iljril:,i;:laenniretu ne.J

"Jr-u,i;r';;;;:,,;;: f. .'l'f""-'n't"'o o1 lrom pages or a bo.,k $ourJa cerrain herur) ," p;;;"";;;;';;,'ii.'sd ro sL'me avid rerrdert q.,uld asree thur rherc r,econon,y or '-J:, -":";;,.j-ir';;, f'l:':'

I notel and rcvelline in rhe berurv ofrtresomehor{. rtre,,,".,.,,.1.'""i"i,"j"j:i'. ]."8'h:,'j brc.rdrh of rhi\ dn\.rcrr r,\cniu,,.phv'icai,r) r'd ,.',";;;i', ;;,,';]l;"rJrrerrcc

ur rhe \ rnrral bot'k can ncvcr rct,ldcc rtr.view. bur' rr r""g "- ,i,".'.,J?lj ?ff : """; surell. nor "u".1o'," \,,irr r,ora ,hi.re' hrolog). llrc ,ril

', tr.." ," .,* "ur)\ lu\el\ ''rrd lilclrle le,'ll( qirhurt 3,.ccs5 tu

Written with som(. r,it urd *"tt urgu"a.

Tan Wai Jia04S23

l-

Does the book still. have a future?

Primarity, books are for reference purposes' data collection and storage' and a

simple yet powerful mears of conveying literary language The book is highly acclaimed

to d" "if."tiu"

nna ."liable as knowledge colrtained within its pages can be passed down

Irom generation to generation. Despite its pages being yellowed- with.age' if is able to

servc'its purpose ditifully. However' the existence of the book is threatened by the

ou..*fra-ni .-"ag"rr"" of new educational software and various means of

entertainrnen; TechnJlogy despises the basic element of the book - paper' Because of the

world's obsession with iechnology and its ability to serve the needs of people 's well as'

or better than books do, a tirne may corDe where the book becomes useless'

Preseltly, as maiy counlies push towa[Is a knowledge based society' the use of

infomration tecirnology it.fl is p..uilent. In Sing:rpore' every school is equipped wjth

cornputer laboratoriei- where slte-of-the-afi computers and prograrnlnes are Irousecl-

Stuclents have access to such hiSh technology cducational materials at least twice a week

where computer lessons are conductecl by the IT savvy teachers lt is believcd that

sludying in Ihe classroom call gct boring' and hcnce thcre is a l1eed to move away from

thc tracitional use of books ai the teaching material Computer programmcs aimcd at

aidi[g stuclents in corc subjects are deemed io be mole stimulating and cha]lengiog to thc

brain than books are- Countries such as America' United KiDgdom, Ilong Ko[g and

Malaysia ar-e also inlegraiing the use of IT into theia education systems and doing away

with ttre bulky books- Othei forns of teaching methods with the aid of techrology are

seen as rnorc practical ancl less cumbersome Take for cxample Crcscent Girls' Schools'

bold nlove lo usc lablct PCs Evely secotldary one student this year hxs to purcltase a

$3000 tabtel PLI o[ rvhich homewor-k assignments have to b{r cornpleted- ln this way'

hturding up homework is easily tracked and workbooks or assignmcnt lrooks necd not bc

carried to school. llel-erence sources alc tufting lo technology in the hope of clealilg a

ncw fonn ol iheir Product. Diotionaries can now be found online' and so can

encyclopaedias. I he f:mous Encarta Encyclopedia comes in a compact disc fbrn i stead

of r \vfr,rt" scries of nlore than 20 large and heavy lomes This saves spacc ar'l can be

^cccssed willl easc. Even now thc mosl widely rcad book, the Biblc' has a latest vcrsion

in the foam of a palm top Biblc This is so much nlore convenicnt, user friendly' and

mostly, lighl weiglt. As iuch, many sources ol refere ce items arc now assurning nlort

technologic{l [omrs-

When pcople think aboul books' they usLrally also associatc il -rvith fiction

literature or booki fbr reart;ng pieasule. Books are promireflt examplcs of ;r so(rcc of

enterlailrmenL Howcver, lhc najority oI the worLd prefers rnorc rnindless enlcdrinnl(flt

lhtn that which is provicled by books Fihus, lelevision' video CDs and DVDS ere all lhe

rage these days- Many clevcloped counlrics are atfluent enougb to indulge in lhesc forms

of eflle ainrnent. The clemancl fbr films. television silcoms video CDs and DVDS arc

leslintony to thc fitcl that lrooks are losing popularily anLl appeal The world gyrates to

enlcl1airunenl sou.ces thal rcquire morc techilology than just peo or papcr' The speed at

rvhictr ncw lilm vidco CDs ancl [)VDs rre availabLe in the market is ntuch lastcr dran the

48

f

49

time taken to write a book, publish it and wait lbr it to hit the [rookstores. The future ofthe book competing against entertainment sources that are aided by technology is dire.

To counfer this argument is the fact that books have a strong histodcalbackground. From the past, the first bool6 were created when Egyptians began writing onpapyrus paper and the Chinese began caiving their edicts onto thin bamboo ships. Peoplehave come to realize that books are the most dependable form of data collection.Although computers are more efficient for data collation, just a single virus is needed todeshoy the computer's software, causing it to crash. The vital information stored insidewill be lost forever if no backup files were made. Furthe.more, even if backup files weremade, drey could malfunction if left un used for long pedods of time. By contrast,infomation from books can be retrieved without fear of it beins lost the verv nextsecond.

In the long run, the evolution ol technology will mttke certain fo.ms ofinfomation stonge outmoded. Take, for examplc, the floppy disk. Previously, it was theonly way to transfer files, but now there is the burning of VCDS and even DVDS. Theycan store much more information and at a faster rate too. ln time to come, cornputers maynot include the drivcr to read floppy disks anymore as it becomes unpopular. Hence,infomation previously stored on floppy disks cannot be opened anylnore. Thc samc willgo for tapes being rendered obsolete by the emergeDce ol VCDS and DVDS- Howeve[,hooks are irreplrccable 5ourccs of inlormalron

The continued popularity of books can also bc seet ftom lhe flourishing websiteAmazon-con where books are bei[g sold online. h shows that avid readlrrs have not lostinterest in books nor abandoned them for other [orn$ of enteltaimnent. Filnls ortelevisioo sitcoms bascd on books somchow plle in compariso[ to fhe book. Tl]eperfoamance of the stellar cast maybe lacking luslcr aod the plof of the nlovic compa.edto the book e[ds up too skeletal duc to the timc constraint of the movie. Thc cssence ofthe literary language is lost to the short and minimal diatoguc by the cast. Fuftherrnorethe director of the movie may construe the plol in a orarlne. that fails to capture the mostcaptivating parts of the book. For exarnple, movies that have been made lrased on bookshave not succeedcd in hitting the box-office number orle. The Harry Potter fiolie sericsis much more poorly reccived than the books writtefi by J.K. Rowling. Another examplcis the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and the Green Mile by Steplrer King. The nrovicswerc all a poor retlcction of how alluring the book was in ny judgment.

As such, thc book has a ccnain ineplaceable lactor about it. In its simplicity.books will have an enduring and codearing aspect that surpasses all the movies, VCDSand DVDS enhanced by tcchnology. Thc book will still have a place in dre futrrre andremain victorious compercd lo the rest of the sources of entertainment and infonnetiontechnology.

Requi'cs to be less sweeping and simplistic in plac6 though it is good on th( r'holc.

'l ang Jia Hui Eudora 04524

Does the book stilt have a future?

Today we live in a fast-paceJ. rapidly changing society lhat is driven bytechnology, which progresses in leaps. and bounds each day. It threatens our lifestyles,forcing us to adapt or be left behind. For centuries, the book has been regarded as ao iconof litera.y wealth and a symbol of the pursuit of knowledge- But like many other aspects

of our society, it is threatened by the advent of digital technology and other mobilesources of infomation. Letter writing has been replaced by the much more efhcient andcheaper email, while online diaries, commonly known as web logs or 'blogs', are nowpopular fixtures on the lntemct. However, an essential characteristic that gives the bookits longevity, is its ability to adapt and change with the times, catering to the ever-changing needs arrd tlemands oI socier).

The book is a ubiquitous entity. At school, at work or at play, the individual wiildcfinitely encounter the book- In schools, books are the lradilional medium for teachingand leaming, although in rccent years its rcle has been slightly marginalized by the use ofinformation technology (IT) during lessons. In tluth, an online lcsson, though morecreativcly presented, simply cannot compiue to an actual lessol in class where the studcnlis guided through the lesson by his textbooks ard doubts can be clea.ed up immediatelyby the teacher. It is not surprising theD, ftat today, books

^.c still the mair tool of

teaching and lcaming in schools. As comparcd to earlier textbooks, the books r$ed bystudents today have adapted to the new aims of education, which are to furtherindependent leaming and nurlirre critical thinlers. Integralion is the main aim ofpublishers. end a majority of tcxtbooks now co rc with useful web linl$ to informativcsiles on the lnternet.

[t is csscntial fbr studcnts to bc lT litcrate so as not to be lelt behind in today'sinlonnation driven econonry. 'Ihe book has thus complemented lhe role of the lntemct bylecommending useful and reliable siles to students, maintaining its role as a maj.r s.urccof infoamation and an importallt teaching medium ill schools at prescot and in the future.

In thc past, at workplaces, the book was used in stocktakinS, accounting and forvarious othcr uscs. Today in most businesscs and corl]panics, books and handwrittenrccords are regardcd as inefticient and cumbcrsomc. Companies now look to IT soltLtionsfor clficiency; the majodty of all company operations arc automated and most havccornplcx data storage systems. However, for- all its efficiency and productivity.tcchnology is not infallible. A power surge or blackout could result in the nclwork bcingdown while an important gate runs the risk of being erased- Thus, it is of paramountimponance that hard copies of compLlter documents are stored as wcll, ensu.ing thesrnooth running of the company when the techflology fails. In Singaporc, hard copies olaccotnting documcnts have to bc stored ul to 7 years, for income tax purposes- Adaptinglhc usc of lcchDology in workplaccs is comnlonplace nowadays to increase the level ofelliciency end organization at wolk. ln the past, Ihe book was vital ill managing rn enlirebusirrcss. Today, the role ()1'lhe book is rcncwcd as it takes on the responsibility olbacking up sofi copics of informi ion. Hence, it is clear that the book still has a fut[re atthc workplace.

50

Tluough rhc ages. rhe book has nrovrledge. ihe 1,oit ;;-"}}J 1l:'"," l':"lr

ro be a souce of lirerary wcarrh andarnment. uut todav rn^rc,u"- -.,^-

,fro.,r.well. providing lnowledSe and.nmenl Bul loday, rnore than auar. n Pruvruurg lJ]owledPe anding number ofyourhs *;.;

";;;:Jl socrely faces an acute probleri ol an

ol locla\ tre fr.c.t u i,r. - ^r^.1^ . ,mg Une primary rcason would he lhat theyoulhs of loda) ore faced \^ itlt a Dlerh, Plrrtdy rcason would he trhal ljleon]ine chars. o.

" '",rr'. *""'*" ,';il i:1 :' ,i:':"': acrir ities lile compurer games. and

ha\ broushr abour ro rack "j ;;:,;;:: j:'^l:'Jlo pjck up a book rhit alarming probtemIas brought aboul ro lack oi

"n"o*un.,_

_'"' 'lv P'r ^ uP a DooK l nl\ alarmine problemrrl.er hand. ,h. n"pr; ;;*";;l;."',T'n' ':o'n

socierv ulSing vourhs ro read. on rheranscending bourdaries of ase an,.r ,":1:^:":',t1 novels.has taken off successtully,scending bourrd:ties of age and lun. '

_ ""-' ta.Ken olt successfully,Idwide. Reading ;. ,

'".i""-,i 'filt"lage and aclrieving populariry with pcopte

ron therr frv^ri'. ly dJlcrorlcdos uho will purcltase novel. r.suppon lheir favorite authors. thu, Lc wrru wlll ourclrjr\e novel\ toLhe toor tra., a ,, ;.r; t;;;;;;:1",;).eprng

rhc pubtishing houser open. lr rs e\ idenr rh:Ireadel: in years to con-,"

_ ' ""' l\ rll conllnlle lo cnleflain many ntorc generarions ol

IItIIIItIIIIIIIItI

__ The non fiction book laces th(lire in. 1_;",;on 1,"*r d f.^,,...ii,i i,"

greare\r rhrllcnte rn rhi, lnlonnarro. Agc rhltr wecorrecrion purpose.. T"h. i;;;."J;;l :1':'h:'

own randri( rl rollowers who hu1 thnpn r'6,puuli.lrer..'NJr-rrcr'io; t#""; :i:

I'r lhc book ulrinrsrclv rlcpcnd\ on frofir' made byi5 narurllly so bccir'se r";;;;;;' :: jh: brunr ol'.lh' orr'laughr or tccluuloB) | rrisBrirannicl is, '.' ";r;;;;;;,;'r

necdcd rs vri'lelv arcilablc on rhe rnremer. Thesord rn sers consisring

"' i;"";";,,;l;llol:,::l:llTt:'ll rrom rhc Unrred Kursdonrcosl md bulk) nJtrlrc ol th. ;ncvclor ' ru / vcrrs 3eo. lh(' e\otbitnnrwhere rnlormirio|| ncedj ro be -:,^,,:,"lit jlli9: llrcnr,

rrnpracricrt in-rtrrs dav arr,t rycol itrlonrratr,, in,o ., .",nor., .ri,,\'

rrrL Ir'rrrr\ricrs In(ll Iomlrcss''l lnertr\ v,rlunlciB.ra.nrci, i\ atso.\a;i..;;;;;:,,.:l;:,

nn'r Ir'rlrrrr'h(d rr 'r' rlrc new B'rJn.i,J. rremonrhrv rce r

'',. ,i. ,i*", '", '":';l:;:,]l]'::il:.:l'.w-wrrorc cai(res

',d rn!,r, ror ,,

infurmal;on pruvidcr\. Bul n,ur" ot,"n " ""' rol' o('unje,l lr\ I'o,'ks .i\

be ,on,erirne. t,,r,.r,r,Il"o'i*.i,"ni,"'1" n"' irr';rrnirri,rir nvrrrhble un rlrc tnremcr c.,rrcan \(c rhe bou( conttnurng ur o *,),,.

u""'" I lrc( oI Iivision rn,l e,lrliJrg. lleIL.. rvrtuturc. rce ol tclt,,l,lc Intormrrion o, f,.r.nl rnJ tn tllc

- Thc reach ot technolosv rDa\racr or rne m.rrrcr i* rh,,i ;;;;""'j 'i;:1.';"t:ll1il^^ltlil o-les5 unsro|pahrc. tsu, tr,cldck ut clecrriciry. ,"J r'",;,"orr. ,l]i 'rr

\rrrr prdcc\ rlrc'cessihle lu techlrologJ. Liui ro Jlorrgbeenregard"d".;".;;;;;i ;i1:l:8).rrrsir'irrrr'rcnt

rlJ\j'as,terl rhebrrokrrrrbeaurirutly rt i.rugrr ,;" ;;rr;'. ;;;i,;:

rircrac) itrr'r turowledtc and it hes nl:rved it rotcro chanse rnd ,h"'- ,p;; ;;;";,, ',lr',1 hc.buo( ju\ririe\ rr'i longc\ irv hv rrs r,nprrbirrrlu,ure and wir

" , h;i ; ;,;. .:,i;;:,I"Y:'j' i;:ii;:,,".;T ;f;:;i:i:;,i;;: f

Y,,ur ca.te wat beaitifu \ e\prts:,..j on.6no1 1u,,r,",,,.n:,";;,',;;;:;;,:::!i'.qu;'1 ta, L\,cNrorlhpqucsti,'natrtr,,,c,,t1n.1 at t htr, t, , nnt,,nr A\),r ,n,plr nn,l t,,lcv,)ttl

Eugenia Ono04S22

5l

Does the book still havc a future?

Traditionally, in the age of feather quills and papyrus, books werl- the only sourceof information, and writing the only medrod of storing data. Now, with the emergence ofvarious technological devices, some people tbink that the book has gone the way of laserdiscs and odler obsolete inventions-

Yet, I llelieve that thls is not so. Books heve a certailr old world cham thateldears them to thejr rcaders. In fact, some people pass dowll their books to theirchildren, alld this goes on from gencratio to genention. Some even love their books somuch thal they :ue willing fo spend hundreds of dollars leather-binding them, or do thecheaper altemative of fabric-binding.

Books have becomc a symbol of literature itself, and one who reads is given theair of dignity, or so sorne would like to think. Besides being a syrnbol for the leamed,books ride out lhe wave of change as they are tangible. Reading a book is verl differentfrom rcadiog something on a computer screen as a book gives you a sense of ownership,and some identify better with books because of this- Furthennore, books can be revisitedover and over at leisure, without the rcader being subject to thc availability of a

computer- Websites are often not a hundred percent rcliable either, the dala on thelnternet may not be trustworthy wheaeas a lot more editing work goes ioto a book beforeit is published. Websites too may not endurc thc test of time and ntany have expericncedfmstration when they type in an URL and see the error mcssagc "page not found". Otherthall webmastcrs ooI rctaining their domail, the use of intemet also faoes other problemsof spywdre, viluses and wonns. This makcs ajourtey into cyberspacc lcss plcasurablcthan it could be and the security a book offers makes it still relcvant in the world loday.

IDfonnation comes fhrough many channels nowadays, ranging tiom thc abovcmenlioned Internct to the telcvision. radio and neq/spapers- Howevea, thesc rcdia aremore cxpeflsive than books, and not everyonc can affbrd them. With such media, one isunable to a degree to control what one sees, and this may not lr desilable, especiallywhen it causcs children and young people to be exposed to sugges(ive advertisemenls orPomography. With books. one has a greater degree of control over what one wants to see.

Though such media havc thcir tlaws, they do somethirg that books ncve. couldachieve aeaching a wide audience in a short span of time. Books take a longer time toprocess and even best selling novels may not have the reach of the Ielevision or illtcnicr.

This is ot to say that books do not havc a tuture, for bookstores still generate agood incone- In Silgapore, though there are Iwo major companics (Kinokuniya andBorders) vying for the sarne slice of pie, they stilt liavc enough sales to sustain theirgrowlh. This shorvs thet people irre still reading books. Librarics show similal lindings,with crowds coming in to borrow books, and this is especially so during the weekends.

ln recent years however, librarics havc startcd a process of going digital and somehave started Loani g ouI CD ROMs as wcll as DVDS. Books have the disadvantagc of

52

itbeing susceptible to atmosphedc conditions and yellow over time ,.besieged by silver woms or other paper eating creatures. The shecr \i,!up is also a major point that even book-lovers calnot ncslect. Other nr,:data like CD ROMS or thumhdrives have srerdily lrorv,r in potcompactness nakes them desirable.

. . Every medium has its imperfections, but I believe that books possr: i

is enduring and this cannot be found in any other medium. no matter_houadvanced. As long as people lovc to read, books will continue to he aror:,

E(onomical \,(t cffcctivc. ifd ltuh bricJ.

Sarah ShiMS2J

itv

B@oK Qu@TEs:Ltle tRat.lstoRmlNG tDEAs HAVE AL\x/Ays ctgmE T(D na rHR(E(], r.

'(ELIVER V/E N DAI.L H@LmEs

You cal'T TELL A B@oK By lr': m<gvt€.'Lours A SaFl aN

A seer rs Lr(E A GARDEN caRRtED rN THE p@cKET.- CHTNEsE PR@vE RD

B@@Ks aRe rH€ eutET€sr aND rn<osr c@NsrANT oF FRIENDs:THEY ARE THE II]OST ACCTSSIDIE AND 'w'ISEST OF C(EU}{5ELL(Dft.

AND THE III@ST PATIENT (EF TEACHERS.- CHART.Es V. E lrer

53

Technology has dehumanized us. Discuss'

Undeniably, technology has indeed become an integral pax.of our.everyday life jn

d", 2fi;;;;t. 3orn" t to.i-it as the insidious bug which has slowly infiltrated manv

,'.-,*"o oi ou, tit", u" ii social, polirical or economic. Technology can be looked upon as

,,r5.i".*o.",." ii*iicial rnre igence into machinery and gadgels. ln many faclories,

*i fr-,fr" i"ip "f ,".ft"ology, laborious and hazardous work initially done by workers can

i. t"pf"*J'*iritLl".atylitactrines. Ftlns have thus seen a shift from labour-intensive to

.r.,;Lll intcnsive invcslment5. leading lo efficiency and grealer social r'relfare TheriseoI

;"i;;";;;; ;".i.;j"rv trr, *u,, a-t'n not be neslecrcd with rr' cumr.ntrn icar ion wirh

Itt ".,

ttu" "rrotu"a

m a level of convenience which merely involves a click of a button'

Ha.ssle free document spreadsheets could now be created easily Howcver' some fear that

i"ifr""f.gy ft". a.ft".irized us' making us dc!oid.of humln interactions and emotions'

una indti.."n ,o "u"nts

happening arotind us I fcel that rhese feats are unfounded as so

i"., ""tt

.i"gv rt*, i" fact' bii<lged thc gap across courtries and among humans'

ID this a8e of globalisalion lnd progress ir i\ undeniahle rhirl ,inlonnation

technology has p-iaye<I an important rote iti ttre breaking down of birmcrs' tre ir social'

oolttical oi econornical_ As joog as one is cquipped with a gadget that has intemet access.

:;;.;;;;;;'J;i"it *"ui"g"' lrom othei countries' cven 'igh!

across the globc'

rru,i*" uni ouu*n".e No longei do feolle need to wdrt lor long periotts of time fbr a

;;1##;;;";.;ut 0"" pui wjth electronic mrll' letters e an .ow be Lcccived i^ a

.rllr-.""oua lrom the moment i! is sent out- With joumals' blogs' and Photojouranls

'ii"tt l""u.n* ""u,.,"'.-"'. ir r\ rrn lunger d hd"lc ke'lrng ut wirh orer+"' ii'r'd

or learning more about cultures lndeetl, thc grp has rntlced nJrrnwed srld.nurnans calr

;; r;rJt more aboul each other wilh the hclp of technology as Lon!: as thcy meke lln

cffort to.

The use of €chnology, has blought much conveniencc il) our livcs albeit

discounting the various viru. aito.ks as well as Trojan horses on our petsonal computer'

ii*" r"ri'^, the coilvenicnce ir has brought ro our lives from a broader perspeLriv(. we

would ther be able to say that we would iot have cnjoyed tife as much wilhorrl it When

;";;;;;; ";".i(" .".tt transaclions, he can eithcr do it clectlonicallv via the

int",ir"t ,t t'ougt, e_Banldng or just po| b) the neilrest rutomitlc lsller macline' which is

"f""i,""i. t"". tn Japan, ihc place where most silvvy technologicrl grrdgets originate

i;;;, ,ir.y ;*" "t";devised

a robot which could relieve the work of a polir:eman This

..f* fr"l fr""" designed to palrol the strccts daily anci cven Put out small flres' thus

irl.*ai.g tfr" levcl"of safcty in its society- l-ooking at the vanous conveniences that

technoloiy bdngs, one has to say that teclurology erriches life and not dehumenize it

Many might be conceored thirt peoPLc who communicrtc- only across a gLass

,oonito. o..n LCb s.reen io their oundr;e lives rnrght laek sucial \krll! and inrerlclions'

since virtually everythioS can be accomplishert onlinc bc it e shopprng. or e-billing'

However, while chatting onlioe. users uan now choose to spile ul thelr chats wilh

eoroticons and display picttres, to showcasc feclings Wcb conferencing is also lvidely

available. It is only a matter of choice if they choose tt) intcract opcnly or not We should

--=E

blame technology fol the inftoduction oI loners in society who choose to spend tlieirir front of a technological box. Instead, we should consider the possibiliry that their

could be anti social in the fiIst place. Thus, technology has not made us lessas it has made multiple online social ioteractions even across geographical borden

However, ill the long mn, the fact that users of the computer might becomeof human contact, thus becoming dehumanized, must not be overlooked.

in China who are obsessed with playing computer games rue sent by parents tomilitary-based camp in which they are forced fo participate in healfhy physical

r, activities and to undergo psychological counselling. This might be a case in point which' shows that young people today might eventually develop to become ovedy dependent on

technology, thus leading to a withdrawn community of youths. However, as long asschools and parents play a part in inculcating ways of leading a balanced lifestyle ir theirchildren. t-his problem would rhcn be ea\rl) be pre!enteLl.

Many fear that the many conveliences that tecfulology introduces to our liveswould only make us lose the human fighting spirit ard cause us to becollre complacentand lazy. Peopie might no longer see the nced to work as rnany of their rolcs have beenreplaced by technological gadgets, and it is nor a necessity to toil fbr rheir fruits of labouranymore. I feel that this is a narrow minded mindset that we should not even considerThis is so as competition is prese.rt il1 many diflerent fonns. With recluology pushing ourlivcs to becomc increasingly fast-paced and more efficicnt, therc is a greater necd tosurpass othels by having an even greater love and pussion for everything. Thus,technology does not makc us less hurnan. but instead il brings fbrth another mode ofcompetitiofl_

ln conclusion, as long as propcr rneasurcs arc taken to ensure (hat tcchtrology doesnot cause huDrans to develop an ovcr rcliance on it, and tltat it is pul to good use, it isunlikely that hurnans will lose their human Iouch with the inctcasing use of technology.The world is still colcerned about the less fonunate, thus showing that we are not devoidof human emotions. The rcsent tsuDami aid effbrt is a testi ony of how the world is ableto contribute wilh the help of rechnology. Funds pourcd in quickly fiom users of theIntemet through credit card accoullts in a sho* span of tinle. Voluntccrs could sign uponline to assist in tsunarni stl-icken areas. Indeed, globalisation, alongside tecfurology, hasonly made us more awa.re of currcat affairs and more sensitive {o issues that allect fheworld and ou$clves. Thus, technology has ror only bridgcd the gap across geograplicalboundaaies, but also brought many cooveniences and awarcoess to our cvcryday lives. Ithar not rnudc u* lc.s human irr .-rn] n:ry

Ovrall a sound drgument althauglr yotLr discussion J7i1>flops bctv)cen tht two sides fordilferenl points so it's not as tightly argucd as it t:ouk! ht: Tr1- un.d ba tLorc sLtcancr,ct)en as tou' re balan<:ing your view, deal witlt tfu point as a u'holc, ruth(t than a:omingbdck to do it later.

Sheralyn Quek 04521

ItIIrIIIIIIIItIIItI55

To what extent should the government help the poor?

A constantly recuring issue in rhe polirical forums of many counrries is that ofthe extent to which goverunents should render ..help,, to the poor in society, to elevatetheir living conditions, if not, to pull them out of pove(y. This was an issue that emergedduring the tenure of Silgapore's former prime Minister, Lee Kuan yew, who at that time,vehemently opposed the creation of a welfare state, citing the failure of the UnitedKingdom's system as a classic example of the disastrou"

"orra.qu"n""a of rendeing too

much help to the poor and needy.

Whaf constitutes the poor differs across geographical boundaries and societies. Indeveloping countries, thc poor itre those who are unable to jump onto the bandwagon ofirdustrialization and they live in appalling condirions with a lack of potable warer, accessto proper sanitation atrd access to healthcare and educational faciliti-s. The ,.poorest,, ofthe poor jn these less developed co0ntries may even be suffering from starvation. IDcontrast, the poor of developed countries are relatively better off, lhe cause of thejrpledicament beinS rheir inability to keep up with rhe r.apid rate of economic progress.Gererally, the [)oor in any society are those who do not have access to opportunitieswhich could lift them out of poveny. Hclp fi.om the govemmcnt could come in rn lyfonns such as monctary rewards, rebates, butlding ot infLrstnrclure t.r the poor ancl evenfiee job or skills retraining.

Generally agreed is the notion that e goverrurent.s main role is to care ancifrovide adequately for its citizcls in arcas such as sccuri(y, tbod and water supplics afldin the economic aae[a. llcnce, {lrc government should afte;npt to a]leviate poverty, on Ihebasis of the noble airls of goverflancc or at lcast, on the rationale that havin!] a significantgroup of impoverishcd and discontentcd denizcns might be potenlially diststrous to thcnatiol in the long run- Ilence, the qucstion lics in just how nluch help is considereclenollgh. The irnmediate or evenlual aims of providinll assistancc to the poor should befirstly. to elcvate rhcir living cooditions and secondly, to cnabie thc pooi ro cven(uallygain access fo tools or opponuilities fbr self improvclnent so that they cart be productivccitizens and contribute Io the eco{omy_

In rendering help to dre poor, the governnent should balance its needs and thegeneral needs and welfarc of the public with tlre needs of the poor in society. Hencc, theextcnt of hclp thc governmenl should give to thc poor shoukl bc a limite; one and notprolonged assistance, but rather just the sufficient imounr of hclp needecl ro .,push,,

thepoor out of the track of povcrty. The govemment should withdraw or scale down whcuthc help it givcs is bordering on the urureccssary aod lavish. An iniamous and widclvcited crrmple is that ol thc $eltrrc \rar,.sysrent rn tlr,. U,,ir..t t<,,,gAo,,,. ui,.,. rt,"govefiLmenl gave too much oronetary hclp to the needy and as a result, was burdened byfiscal woes duc to an acule shortage n[ tund. llris has lcd !., thc [Jk govcmmenrco prom(sng on thc intcrests of the society at large, by cutting down on ils educalionaod military expe|diture in lieu of the wclllrre staft systcrn. Heirce, a rational yardsfickrcgiuding thc. exlenr of help $at should be given. ;hould be thar help which is norexccssive and docs llot cornpromisc or unnccessarily burden thc gov;nnncnf and tlte

interests of greater society should be rendered. As such, the government lleeds toexerci5c lrudencc and judAc for ilself the ..nght.

arnounr .r f,"fp ;irf,"rfa gi"". it"-. iiexemplified.in [re case of Singapore, where stringenr guidelinei are in plaie fbr peopleclaiming to be poor and wanting to receive help from vaiious social welfare organzation.

Providilg help to the poor thus means creating or allowing them access toopporlunities to upgrade and uplift themselves from poverty. A practic"al example is seenin_how [on-govemrnent organizations like World Vision, teach poor farme$ ln subSahan Africa new arld improved methods of famiug in order to alleviate povcrty, ratherthan giving them free loads of crops and buildin; high_rech farms for them. Thisexarnple summarises the approach govemments should t:tke. Tho main reason whyCo-u-:m-"lt: should adopt the suggestecl approach of prudence and giving linited butsufficient help is that it is not beneficial fbr govemment; to rcnder too riruch-assistance asthe danger thal they will eventually dreate a welfare stafe is always present. Followingthe creation of a welfare slare comes the problems of citizens becoming over dependanion the government for a livelihood and hence losing thejr economic resilience andjeopardiing the economic growth of the country in the long run. Furthemore, it is notbeoelicial to fhe poor themselves if too much help is rende-red as the poor will then beforever tappcd in the quagmire of poveny anJ not acquire a means of supponingther.selves' should the govemmeot in the future, choose to withdraw its assista[ce.

The essence of rhe extent of help thar should be given lies iD thc phrase, ..teachthem lo fish but do oot fistl lor them." Ctich6d it may be,iut it nevcrthelesis ollers worclsof wisdonr required fbr successftrl govcmance and alleviating poverty_

rt tctdnI Ltntl tnstIhtlul

Daoiel Yap03sr6

5'7

1fd

Ein

,{

jl

To what extent is the common man able to affect the country?

Societal change has always been thought of to be brought about by rhe work of afew extraordinary people, who are usually the leades of the masses. It is believed thatthese people rallied the masses together and pushed them forward with their ideals inmind to create cultural, economic and political changes. However, maoy have failed totake into account the power the commoners possess when they work together to bringabout refoms. Furthermore, with the proliferation of democracy as the 'ideal' way togovem, the common man is now equipped with greater power to eftbct changes. Hence,in my opinion, the conrmon man is able to effect changcs in a society to i large extent,especially in today's world.

Let us look at how the risc of democracy has enabled people to be able to effecteconornic changes in a society. Take the recent rejection of the European Union (EU)constitnlion by the French and l)utch for example. The cumulative effect of the majorityvoting against the constitution has prevented thc EU from being able to push foreconomic reform and budget changc in France and the Nctherlands. A rcsounding 'No'has even stopped the French Plime Minister form having his way wirh going ahead withimplementing the constitution. The pdme ministers of france and Holland cannot domuch abott economic refonns now that their people havc objecled. Thus, we can seethat the common man is able to cause big changes in the decisions of the govcmnlent aswell as intenational organisatio(rs.

Even without democmcy, the commot an is still able to effcct political changesin a society. For instancc. the proletariat managed to ovcltluow the Tsar in the Novcmberl9l7 revolution i Russia. tsack thcn, there rvas no democracy; itnperi:rlist ruledonitlated. Howcvcr. that did not stop thc dissatislieal masses tiom coming bgethea torcvolt againsl the ruling party- The work of the pcople was so power{ul that it could cnd a'fsarist regirne and replacc it wift a conlmuDist onc. and this is consiclered a tremendouschange in society. Therefore, the masses do have the ability to ettect changes in .r soetery,and they can bc more capable than the govcmmen! in doing so, bccause thcy know whatkind of life they want to lead.

Bven the day to day actioos alld habits of the commonels are able to cffectchanges in e society. What thc contmoDers clo in their daily life can cause culturalchanges- Ihc widesprcad use of handphooes by thc pcople in teclnologically advanccdcount.ies has changed the way peoplc comtlunicate and relale fo one another_ A black,bulky, walkie talkie look alike has bccn irnproved on bccause o[ demand by consumersand today we havc the small and sleek htndfhone that many use. A major cuLtLrral chaogethit has bec brought about is the changc fiom calling pcoplc on rhe phooc ro u\ing texrmessaSes to communicate. [r1 facl, the extcnt that the common man uses tcxl llessageslooks sct to take over thc use of phone calls- Flcnce, wlj can scc Ihat cultural cLanges in asociety can be effected by thc nasses themselves.

Howevcr. somc al€ue tlut cvcn if democracy is adolled in a country, thegoverrunent still has thc final say over irajor refonns. fhc CST hikc in Singapore is un

5ll

mple ofhow the govemment can take th(3 iinal stand. Although thc public wrcle to therms of various newspapers such as the Straits Times and Lian He Zao Bao to protcstinst the increase in GST from 3 to 5 percent, the governrnelt nonetheless went ahead

their decision. In the end, the people had no choice but to pay for the increased tax.what is the use of giving the common man a voice when he cannot effect changes in aiety? I do acknowledge the fact that sometimes the govenment has the hnai say injor reforms. However, if the protesfs of the people were strong enough, the

would not be able to continue to implement what the people clidnot want. If..::irotestors of the GST hike wore to do what other people in other countries did, for

examplc, standing outside a govemment building to demonstrate peacefully, tllegovemment might change its decision, and once again, the common man would havebrought about a change in goven nent decisions.

tIIIIIItItItIIIIItI

There are people who also point out that not every country adopts democracy, andsome counLries are still ruled by a hard-liDe regime. Nodh Korea for instancc, is stillruled by the infarnous dictator, Kim Joing Il. In this country, no one can rise up rgainsrthe govemmelt, or try to effect any changcs. In fact, the pcople from countries ruled bydictatorship may be so brainwashed by propaganda that they may rot wanr to effectchangesl Thc governrnents of such coontries have ful aggressive propaganda progra toinstill into the milds of the peoplc that they are living a good lifi ind that they arcsatisfied with what they have. Howevcr, I believe that no matter how hard the dictatorstry to oppress and brainwash thc people, it is the pcople themselves who decide whethcrthcy wanl to listen to the government_ For exanplc, despite the propaganda spread inNodh Korea, there are people who are dissatisfiecl with the govemment and wish tocscape to Soulh Korea- Nevcrtheless, wc do have to acknowlcdge that in coun{ries ruledby hard'line rcgimes. the common lnnn has little or absolutely no power to effect changesin their socielics.

'Io conclude, lhe comnon man has the ability to cftect societal chenges to a largcextcnl, bccause they have "Ihe power of the masscs,'. 'lhe common ntan, .iusI like anypoliticai lcader, mulls over what kind of life he wa ts, and comes up with his set ofideals, ancl Just like any other political leadea. his desire lo livc i0 a better world dnveshim to want Io effect changes in his society. Although the common man cloes not havehigh poLitical standing, he, toSethcr with many othcrs just likc him can cause rnajorrefoms rvilh their combined powcr. Kudos to the people who choose to contribute thclilllc p,'v<r rlr,.y l.rsscss to makc wJ\c,.

Coh, r. ,'t 1't, . , t,t 1\:rv trtt nttt rtt, n,4orittLt,.t

Yeo Xiu Wen0.lS I I

T.,j$ I

Politics is invarinbly a dirty bttsiness. Discuss.

Politics involves the campaigning tbr. and holding of government positions,which is carried out by politicians- Politics has often been considercd a difiy business,ard I believe that that is irvariably tlue. This is because humans, engaging in politics,find it difticult to leave out their natural human tendercy towards greed, the hunger forsuccess and making mistakes- Still, there arr: still some instances where politics has notbeen sullied b1 human nature.

Onc important aspect of politics is the election process, where nomineescampaign for thc votes of thc public to gain the right to a post in the govemmenthierarchy. In this political arena, reius the ugly head of man's hunger for success, whichmakes politics a dirty business. Just last November, the world watched with bated breathas the Ame.ican public trmed up to vote for their President and Vice-President. As theBush Cheney team prcpared b squarc off against that of Kerry-Edwards, in the monthspreceding November 200.1, the American public was subjccted to a drawn out caLnpaignby each side to mar the image of the other. The mucl slinging was harsh, with militarysefficc callcd inlo question, and changcs io policy stands highlighted. Each tcam wanlcddesperalely lo win, and woulcl do anything b do so. It was this mud slinSing durinU theclcction. caused by the tear$' wish to succeed, that made politics dilly.

Ar)olher example of the dirty politics resulting fiom the human wish to succeed inthc clection process was the Watergalc scandal, when then US President Richard Nixobugged the ofTiccs of his opposition so that hc woLlld kno$, their deepest sccrets and beable Io tlse lhem in fulure eleclions. 'l his lvas a strict violxlion ol tlle law. and was nletwith disgusl aod outrage (Nixol is still considererl 'that crook' by ma y). Anotherexample would bc how. in 1930s Gcrnany. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party stifled theoplositiorl through threat of vioLence and hencc was able to wiD thc clcction that broughla Nazi majorily. Hence, il is the rnucl-slinging. underhand mclhods and violence causedby the human wish or hunger to slcceed, that makes politics difty.

Polilics can also becomc invariably dirty duc to the fact that politicians and thejrfamilics, living uncler public scrutiny, somelimes do rnake mistakes, as humafls are wontto do. Sonre examples would be the Clinton scanclal- IJS Prcsident, Bill Clinton, lradindccent rclalions wilh i[tem Mo[ica Lewinsky. Other scandals inclucle the numeroussexual scitndxls that dogged US President John fi Kennedy, and the charges oI underagedriniing against cur.cnt US Prcsident Georse W. Bush's daughter. Ihese poLiticians, andin sorle cases thcir families, rrradc all Ioo human mistakes that lrlally membc$ ol the iaypeople would be guilty of as wcll- Howevcr, even tmall indiscretions appear huge whenviewed under Ihe microscopc of public opiniorr. and it is in this way that thc politician'shuman nature of making mistakes makes 1)olitics look dilty.

Another way in rvhich poLitics can be consiclercd diny is Lrecruse ol the rulingpi ly's inabilly to oa[ly our rtre policies it proorisecl. lhis coulcl be (llrc to n variety offacloas- One q,ould bc the lacl that thc politicians sintply olxdc cmpty pro iscs to lhepubLic. bcing guilty ol another hunran tcndcncics Iyi g. Olien, politir\ fcqLrLrc\

6()

6t

politicians ro promise rcfoms dral th(

;"',',".", fi ;1r'#'J*:il:'fi :3;F!i[ff :#:li:Tl""':il l-J,:i; ;: ll:'iJgoverunenr, the hurnan ,""0"r."

t* 1T:::jolY-.is,sarn:'l bv forming a coalition

::fl"#::fl# ;,j;ffiT,XT:li ;i;';:.";;;iJ" .:il" Ji" #;, il;J,,1..1"'i:Iconnictins p"iiJ,*'i" il"ii,l,JIioi'".T,0,i'0,...,,i,11"rn:T:HJJ:1..1-5;*Germany. where the numerous Dartieraecide on poticies arr; ;;;;;;.1#::":to wcre.elccred irrto thJparliament. could rrot

Il.:i: .:""* ;i;i";:';d:"."r#i';';.'il;Jff ,j':J,iIj"^i;:I jffi :f j:cornmuntsl pany. Althoueh lhc concapitarist-styi" f'oii.y;;",il" ;" i,l',Tll',:t. '""'no"'" mav attcmpt to hlock somearreviaring ihe iJ.i

'il;r";;J;tro rs lhirr since borh parlies ri,n on rhe tromise or

T::: ltu n"'",n n,,,,."#',ri;J.i.*1,oJ'"_fi ;i.::"1'l; lli'l;,,,ii,i,;i.;1,";i:[:T:11,:i;Ii$:1,]T"1'*:*rt'.",-.p"i'"0 r,"i."''.,u,,r"i'",i,'..

" u,,,,can stay clean. ' ln some casesl this may not be tnte and politics

-{

ttIIIItIIIII

C)ne m Jor reison why politicscauses corxprion. rn many places ,."J:o.-T:'t..::1,

o:Il" ,:^u::,ll human s,ced, whichproces.ed b) orficiars ,j rj,e r"p"*".k;..;;;.,.;:;r;,1;;#:li"iJ;, jlill:l| :: i"oftrcjals Corruftion clso nccurs on r'roo( rh. urhe, ;;yi ,;..;;' ;''t-' i

l1'ei 'itl", 'nrrh oflicril\ f,rc(erirrs rnirrr'rr. rocnu\c\ oollic\ ri! tr,ri,,,, ,.,,,. ^,^ -,1ill""u

Inthrsu:r1.humanr.na"n,v',.t-^s,."Ji

::: ,i".1- t9t.;,"t, ;; i,il:l#;H:.;;i:l: l:"",;,J::'i,i,'il:1;11:1,,i:: ,;

li::nol lrruntpltcd..rnJ rlt. Eo\.rn re t came un $;rl,tlo\cltun.ttl ,rlLicial, lriglrll so rlrcr du

ru lxcrrrrr crrlTlll)lrorl p')rnr,hc 8rccJ,u n,,,,.,,..,1i.,,,,.,i,.i; :"[:."]l;,[ j",: i;',;,::i::lr,:jil,i;i.il::ij:ji;,:",.,")e,r rorun.moorhivrcrr.,.,,,i,,,f""i,'",,,j_,1i,1,,,",,,",,,,,.

In.conclusion, although there arc sone iastances where polilios rernain clean rn.lunsullic'l b) lturndn nrture. rnvrrieblr r. wrlcr( lrrrrrrcs rerrr.rrn,lcan x J

polrtr\ir,.\ j,n,l nr ,.. ^^ri,.^ ,- - . , ,. 1'" n"t,,,u.:lsp(cts ot hurnan nJrur. lcr,t ru rJrnrp(,llU(r:' \ rnd pl.ric polirrc, in r br,l lighr.

Valitl poittts discussctlh)ith dpt use ofexdtl)ler. Rather cleaj.di.tcussion.

JoAnn Mclina Lopez

Can palriolism be taught?

Living as we do in the modem world, characterized by increasing gLobalization

and naterialism, images such as fighting and dying for one's country seem to belong to adistant, more romantic age. Indeed, patriotism, conmonly understood to mean love and a

sense of pdde in one's country, as well as a sense of belonging to the country, seems tobe under thJeat frorn modem forces, as people no longer draw lines of identificationalong national lines but increasingly see the world as one miscible entiry. Even ourgreatest wars are not so much fought between counfties as against things like zm opposingideology or terrorism. In this context, many countries have intensified efforts to'1each"patriotism, but societies have lately developed skeptical attitudes as to whether somedlingas emotional as patriotism can be transmitted ill a fonnal, organized manner.

To arNwer this question, we need to consider realistic contexts in which the

teaching of patriotisrn has been attempted- Typically, countries have incorporated intotfieir nalional syllabus, subjects that aim to acquaint students with the history of theirnation and inculcate in thcm a keen appreciation of their roots and culture. Examples ofthis are Singaporc's implementalion of National Education and lhe USA'S teaching ofnalional history. However, Singaporc's example seems to defy the supposed cffectiveness

of tcaching patriotisn. Despite repealed altempts to drum into Singaporean students thcmessage that we sho[ld fcel proud of our racial harmony, out economic prosperity allcl

our sociel stability, recent polls have rcflected trends such as a large majority of young

Singaporeans who confessed that they would leave if Singapore faced a war ancl an evcrglowing nunrber of Singaporeals who want to leave for what they perceive to be greener

pastu.cs. So why has Sinltapore's attcmpt to leach palriotisn apparently failcd? I believethat rt is precisely the rcpetitive message - drumming that is the paoblem- Palriotism, Ifeel. is essoDtially an intcnsely emoiional phcnomenon. Ctsting out minds back to

iristory, we scc that the ceiebrated iconic images of patriotisrn arc sornewhat fornlnti(William Wallace of Scotland facing rhe English punislunent of drawi g and qualleringfbr his fight against EugLish impe|ialisrn; the nlLmerous Chinese generals such as ZhengCheng Gong glorilied fbr facing loreign invadcrs fcarlcssly; lhe British resilience duringthe BliIzend most rccently, lhe Germa cuphoria at the teariflg down ofthe Berlin Wall.The arousal ol pahiotism, I would argue, alrvays involves a ccnain degree of romance,

and rvhether we like it or not, a cefiain degree of inationality. and thus it would seem

incftective to try to communicatc something so charactedzed by intense cmotion andspontaneity {hrough the Logical, rcgimenled medium of the classroom-

However, the olportunities that arise tbr nations Io piu-allel thc great hisloricalicons io the narne of palriotism are grcatly reduced in the modem age due to, as exPloredeurLiet, t|cnds of globalizatidl and the dillrtiofl of the nation as a [nit of identification.Docs this mcan then that patriotism is irrclevant today? How exactly can palriotism bctAughl in a civilian envirorulent devoid of wars or other llrreals thal tend to lhruw citizensfi|rnly behind their connlry? Exa inc the example of USA, we see {hat therc wcre timcswhen its cilizens opposcd rathcr than supponed lheir colrntry's involvemcnt in walfare,such as du.irg thc Vietnam war afld more recently the lraq War- Iherefole theirpatriotisn cirnnol have [reen dedved lrorn thcir nced lo flght a common enenly

tlu.eatening their natiol. However, evcn jn those iimes, alrd in tilnes of peaces, Americanshave consistently been known to di:plal a grear sense of pride in their country. someeven arlriburing re beginnings or ir in rireir iaucaijo"*E;";i;";;;;, ;p;;;;1".::::story of teaching palriotism vis A_vis Siogapore,s example, a contr-ast emJrles that mightperhaps explain why an ostensiblv similai me,h.d;r;il;.;;.,iliir.."rrt"ru" r,' ,*"countries. While Singapore's national educarion .on.ru",fy- i""y"i". ' messages ttratpredicate love for rhe counrrv on crioical, ,".giur"

-i".i"' "'r onJ"'i?,i"I. ."oro^,"prosperiry, America's education ,."-. ,o b" ,rro?" puril;;;;#;"ril;,in trre stuaentsa pride and immense sense of rheh counrr]." hi;;il;;;ilj;;r, ,,.ii".J'0.**."., nstands for. Regardless of whcther these norional idlrritics are """*"i"'ii- ,"*, rn,gfr,conrcnd rhar rhe LrSA ,hametesst\ abuse\ rhe f,"";;;";;;;;;;;,,.1n,,. *,n.,,_",,pelhaps. lhe deplh ol paniotisrn can uorne down to sonlclhing as irrarronrl as thts _ i. alot more romantic to stand for clemocracy and freedom tLria faa """rr" ;. prospenty.Thererorq

.what r woutd argue j. rtro, 'rul;;"--;;;;;;ir'', 'iarn'o'i#lr* *,' o"mcutcared. but rhe crirical lacror r. uhar is tauf l)t i.nd how il i. i.p;.1. '""

Funhermore, thc tegrhinF oF oatriotism cannot expect to succeed in a vacuum.Wlat ls taughr i" , cl".rroo-- _-,,.,'

ia".,uy o,,,i i"'ir," ;*;# ;;il.i1l.l_,T$il]';.1i.."::l*:ll.i::i jJ.': 111,,,;:lcountrv nor he(au\c lhcy lra\c becr..rrdoctnna,.j

"u"r, t." g.";, Sr. ur"linn.r ,,,,,,t"classroom, but rather because the oror

a,iry ri"e,,rro** ri. ,;;;;,,,;,,i'il"";1,:l.tj':i]_::Til:lilJJfi,"f::,;:.:,il.jii:simitarly, srudics have shown rhe Danrih ,. p..f"r" "-;;;;:;;."'.i o.arrl.a ," ,n",country because rhey leel well looke(t,'trertrr.j,.,

",ra irri"..i".i r'..irr^.,1'ii,,",

", ,n"ofiatjonal practice of .ho one gets left behlrld,,.

It|rIIttIIItIIIIIIIT

ll:j:jin::* .l-l""orism, I believe, musftake rhe firsr srcp of sowing rhe seeds

:Tj:,"-:1:*j:o.i' " way rhnt ackriowtedg"e,,h. i";;:;; ";;;;,il;;;r.#*,

:1::':":l-l"l:'l e , ri./.n hr acqu, in ing h,,; *;;i;;;,;;,;,;:.";is hrsrory and ideills. [tcruuLr(,Ilar ano romantlc naturcor patltottsm. Ifdonc elinierllt or ro er, cessi tcaching patdotism can, in fact. be counrer

f,:::::i'J:"iL,1l:ltl::lonlne peopte ;'"-r ;;;i;;ffi;:';:i:'i:iil";:::J'i:i:

Risht if rhe cirizen fi'ds thosc vaiues worrr.' ;;i^g il;';il;ffi"'il::il:,i:::,:T"ii:Insighfut, v)ell supported with ex(rmples.

Chua Shirin04A5 t

63

Can patriotism b€ ttught?

It is increasingly common to hear people complaining about how lifc has k&en awrong tum for them, and how the best solution would be a welcome change in serdng,otherwise known as migration to greener pastures. patriotism is no longei much of afactor for such decisions in this increasingly modem world, where peopie pursue theirown dreams and desires in order to succeed as individuals. Many countries reiy on lonnaleducation and nationwide initiatives a.s extemal influences to ..teach" patdotism to itscitizens. This pride and sense of belonging to one's country, however, can only beinstilled in individuals ind not forced into them. Only through the cirizen's personaldevelopment and experiences will they be willing to saciihce and contribute to the wellbeing of their country.

The integration of patriotism in formal education has been increasingly popular inmany countries today. Howcver, this association of an ideal with the educationouuiculun would creale a rigid and inflexible envjtonment in leaming about holv (o bcpatriotic. Patriotism is unique to cach individual. While someone miy love his or hercountry for its rich history, another mxy be morc aware ond proud of iris or her- role indefending thc counrry. This poFrlar method of creating a subjcct aiming ro instillpatriotism is thus largely ineffective, because too mechanical a systcm would lead to agrudging acceptancc of knowledge and facts inste d of application thtough personalrellection over what has been taught.

Iu Singaporc, National Education has not takcn its true effect on many of thestudents who are forccd to undcrgo this compulsory module. Most of the students aremore intercsted in getting their lacIs right and scoring well for their examina{ions insteadof rclatinlt the infbmlation to their Iives in Singapore. They liken Social Stuclics toI{istory, not rcalizing that National EduL3tion r\ Jitiercnt as lr srre\ses thc role ol theindividual to the country_ Hencc, tire integmtion of idcals of patriotism into formaleducation does not achievc its aims. to a largc extent.

Eflofts to instill pat.iotisft arc largely taken for graoted. As we live ir anincreasingly affluent society, we Iend to fbrlJet about the imponant values in life whichare essential to cope with the ma.ly problems our lolefathers had to deal with. Hencc.prac(iccs suclr as (he singi[g of the Nalional Anthen] and pledge laking have grownmonololrous- It is nol oftcn that you hea. a rousitrg, inspiring chorus of voices wheneverpeople are rcquired to do so- bu( rather, a lacklustcr whimper of words anrl rnumbli[g.Ma[y people hence do not vaLue thcir countay in a way thai is lasting, as patfiotisn hasnot yel becollle a part oI thcol. but ralher, shown wlren required. Hencc, the nronotony ofeffbrls to instill patriotism mostly oauses people to take their countr.y for granted, insteadol cultivating a sense of belongtng and rcsponsibility io peoplc_

Palriotisln is largely based on circurnstance alld pcrsonal experience, ilstead of asel melhod o{ irrs(illing parriotic values in peoplc. Only when pcople realizc rhat rheircountry is vulnerabte, woulci Ihey would fecl inclincd to livc up io thcir role as a cilizen_In rccent vcers. alter the Septctlber I I terrorisl attacks. a nlsh of patriotism infecled thc

64

*-_:j.3iit --,_ J

United States, until there was alr overwhelming show of patriotism to the exteot wherehomes and sfteets were adomed wirh rhe country,s flag. Similarly, during the wa_r againsrSARS in Singapore, Singaporeans exercised dreir role as responsibte, vi;ilant citiz;s by

:- Iooking out for one another and havilg the belief that the counhy would emergevictorious with the combined efforrs of the citizens_ Hence, it does not iake ajoumey of

IIItIIIItIIIIIIIIIII

education and practice imposed on people to instill patiotism. Rather, patriotism is anideal which has to grow within individuals through experience, where they can relate toas wellas reflect upon themselver even more elleclively.

On tho other hand, pat.iotism can be taught through knowledge of a country,shistory and achievements. The integration of knowledge about the pasi into the presentcuitivatcs a sense of belonging and identity in individuals. Swiss citizens look back ontheir policy of neutrality during World War II, and are proud about how their smallcoufltry managed to defend itself despite all the chaos around it. The knowledge of acountry's history hence serves as a source of inspiration for people now, and thc onlyway such knowledgc is available is through education. Hence, to be proud of a countryand be ready to defend rhose thi[gs thar you love, you must first have Lrowledgc oI wharthere is to be proud ol

Ilowever, knowledge without the ability to rellect and relate to the infonnaliongained, is kiowledge wasted. 'Ihc aimr o[ p3i11e11. educrtion are nul tultrlled throughjust teaching inclividuals how ard why they have to be parriotic, as this knowlcdge $,ouldnot directly resonatc in theil day to day activitics and lheir own inlerests_ The kriowteclgeof patriotism will no doubt be instilled in them. but theia o$,n ycerninll to bc a patriotcxnlrol be taught. The nrcthocls of fonnat education arc hcDce largcLv ineffective. assludcnts do nol trcat srch cduciltion as all opfortunity to dcvelop lhetnse]ves. bul relheras an opportunilyto gain krowledge and succced. OogoinEt etlbns to insrill pride and ascnse of belonging in citizens are also firtile, as the cntjre process seems nlototonouslcausiDg people to take rheir bvc fbr rhe country lightly. patriotisn car only bc inslillc.lthrough cxperience, and hellce "teaching is not effertrlc Thus, patrrorisitr cannot bcinstiiled pu.ely through education, bur musr be left to develop in individuals in ordcr [o|suclr ideals to be deeply roorcd.

An itsightful assq - interesting obse^'dtitrls noted.

Diana bte (lthman

I

Democracy is far from perfect. Why then, does it appeal to the m4iority?

The emergence of capitalism as the eventual winner of the Cold War has l(rdmany people to associate democracyj usually the goveming style to accompany theideology, as being the model of govemance to follow. It helps as well that the idea of.,forthe people, by the people" has been adopted by a number of the most mljuentialeconomic and political powers of today. Democracy is not flawless and has its inlerentwea-knesses, but nonetheless, it is still the prefer.ed choice of goveming style for amajo ty oI pcople duc to a host of reasons_

The democracy practised today is not a homogeneous polirical model ofltovcnlarce, but insread is also influenced by other styles. The flaw in this is that it mayIead to a blured line between rhe diffcrent idcologies, hence confusing the people as towhich sct of ideas thcy are the followcrs of. Despite thar, democraiy appeals to themasses bccause it provides them with opporturitics to forge a sense of b;lo;iing towardsthe country. It is, undeniably, hurnal nature to walrt to belong and dcmocr.-acy allows asense of belonging to be fostered through measures like voting and ftee speech.Switzerland practises direct democracy whei.e every person above the age of cighte;n caoexcacise hca voting rights and pafticipate in the decision ntaking process al all ievels ofgovertunent. Through this system, the Swiss dcvelop a strong ser$e of belonging to thecommulity because thcy gel aclively involved in the workilgs of thei countay. If onedoc-s not have any role lo play in the country, a sensc of oppression might set in and a lossof idcntity and self will result. Hence, people are attracted to cleriocracv because ilpr.\i.1..rherl$rthupl\nflujlitrr'.t. lccl lrk, llle) b"lu glotjr(fi coLrnlr).

Secondly, democracy does not boast of a polenlially strong ccnlral authoritybccause the power is not fbcused on a cenbJl trgrk bur ln\terd drviilc.l rntong sevcralgroups of pcople. Despite thet, democLacy still appcals to the Dasses because capilllismis thc only viable oplion as compared to other ideologics like comnlunism, fescism,Iolalitarianism aid autocracy. Fascism and totalitarianism had fallel in thc later-ycars ofthc Second World War, discredircd alongside thc fascisr Mussolini and the dictalor Hrrler.Whiist it night have becn popular in the 1930s and I940s, rllc idea of unqlrestioningloyalty does not sit very wcll with the fiercely vocal people of the twenty firsr century.This.at sanle reason explains why autocracy has lost its favor with the majority of thcpeople today, with the last autocratic govcnrnent having been overthr;wn severaldecades beforc. Comrnunism, however, is a trickier issue. II ivill not suftice lo say that itdicd ouf atier the Sovicr Union collapscd in 1991 because rjll today, Cuba, Nonh Koreaand China arc commulisl rcgirDes_ Evell so. one should realiz.e that the moclel olconlrnunism adopted in the countries above is a deviaot version of lhe rlodel Karl Marxenvisioned. China. for example, is paladoxically comrnunisr in ideology but capitalist irnalu.e. The explanation for the abscnce ol. lrue , comntullisrn rr simpli rt rs essentiallyirnpractic{l and hence unsuitable for today,s society. Its loss of favour in nrary oncecomnlunist countries leaves democracy as lhe doninant moclel of govemance. Thlrsclemocracy appeills to the masses becausc it secnr likc the only viablc option oi

a)6

"""""i::::::: i:j:f:no])j.^,Ty j:.apirarism, whicrr is in tum rerared to direct,al ecooomic benefits. The very pracrice.of pe^"r"t ".._.i.'i."";H;ilffIiit-1.I""*lttj:*:: the economic divide berween ,rr. ilr".. "rJ n"""_*iJ'*,,,:n with rime. This will create a sulf in economic stanaing rvtttrin iJc#;i"il:

:o]I i*5,::E:"" wirhin rhe corruDudry r,u.a to u"rri,i". i.iir","J, i* ru*:being able to.rerain rhe weahh they hav€ own"a *ut". O".o.r.f *,a"f '"ifa-g r"

;,#'T:;,*1:-:::ff"j:'L^^11.1"i l" money makers,r,.,y"..,",*"#.g r,igr,alaries. Falling under rhe democrar ic .ptrere of i#,rence **,0 _.'""","n" ,i'"';;:"".i';tJl:1T:*11*,::jl,:,:: jr,:^:lT:11 rhe.united states, trre rarge numu".

"i:i"n p"opr"democracy appealing because then they would be ati" ;:;j;;;;;;: #:.:!ll! d olel yrtets as they always havr. peopl. worlJ i"'r*""iJi" I .""",,

'f::,:gr-5:ll:::ldre pcrsonrl bcnefir. ir woutJ brini H""." a.."..-1'., ppeet. ro rrremasrs. cspecrall) tl thcy are mdde uf ul the rnorrel .pirurcrs hecarr,e ol rhe directeconomic benefits that democracy brings.

i",.1,:.:i!:::: piece,oJ writing.

.you had some ttificulties presettting tht ltaws rrhitalttt\ tnt I

,'::"::i.f ,::i bu1.,),,ut r\t,tat1, i^r [.,] ttt,. d, :tratutitt n1 rt,, .t.tt,n.rari, t,,rrt,

^t:p "_r"t 1l:

I I and b t a t ly c o rtv iit. i rt g. Lart g uttg e use is the most sophisticatcd I,\.t reen.v)

On the othel hand. democrrcv docs Dot always appeal to the masscs, particularlydue to its flaws. One major flaw oldemocracy is rhar it rJixremely susceprible to a weekgo\ cnrr-nenr and a $eik ;.ovcrnnrrnl do,.s.nnr ncre.srrily ,,,.1. g""a,k.;l;". ;, ,i;,"",these people in power ivil reave rhe decision.oting tn tf," ,""..r"""i", ,n* *.ycharacteristic of dernocracy might undennitre ,h. giu"r.,ru,.nt:. postion. .t.his

isespecially so if the 'rasses

have n-ot had p"o. "*p.a.ni- *'i,rr'i.,rr*.i."u'r.o n""* *"

i,::,,j:1 'S-1:,1:--::antl lesponsibrriry suctaenry-tr,.ust up,,n 1r,"rrr. e

"l's,e i" po"u i, ,r,"

;:::'l|^11 ":l:"'i: or cermrn). r denrocrrrr( eo\.rnmFnr rhdr !{i, r.riLrcd by rh.,._:ill,l::ll" alr(r c.l.\^ yerr. in p.wcr. [r.ause rher rtrcrrrs"tr.s drLt r!,r \e.l'r lL)Dcrevc Ln.th€ rdex of Llentoelltcy Thc .ejection of rhc Wiinrar Republic lncl democr.acy$usnL'r Jtt,duF ro rhc tl.er'\ fl.Lrr.. bur rtso brcrr,.c in rtrc l,;;;,:;;;:,;",, *r",, ,,,,rrrralXy rnd P(oplc dr,l not knuw $h:I to.tlt.rkc ollt ot tl. A{ rll|c i. ",n,,,r ,t.,nu.,r.1still atperts ro rhc nresses becerrsc ir Drovides r5em wirh ;" ;;p;;;;;;;:; involved inlhc u nr krng5 61 11," .nun,.,

-^--.- ?"To..u.{, jr.t.lik" uth". ,yrt.rn. of governmenr, does have its own wcaknesses-Howevcr, it appeals to the masscs more thun in" ottr". ryrt.." ,ril.*-,ro.i 0""u"." ir,weaknesses do nor pur democracy in such a bad hght.'Hence ii i"iir-"orri*.- ,o b.,r,"preferred system of govemance for a majo.ity of tne"peuple lit in" i,ri"r."i,.,"ru .,,""r,*,dictatcs orherwise, jusr tike ir has diciarect rt

" "ua oi ti," i*,.. io;'';;;;;;,,.,,

tIttIIITIIIIIttII

Nur Ilaihana04s22

I

I

I

I

I

i

In Singapore, meritocracy is a fngade for elitism- To what extent is this true?

Il anciert China, many men spelt countless days studying poerns and texts aboutvarious aspects of the country, hoping to take the imperial examiratioD and fighting tbrthe coveted top posilions to achieve rccognition from the Emperor. Cefltudes after, mostof the world has adopted this practice, known as meritocracy. For fhe purpose of thisessay, meritocracy is dctined as the rewarding of people who have achieved a certainlevel of success in theil particular field or study. Elitism is then defined as the belief andpractice of creating a group of people deemed to be supe or to others. Throughout thcduration of the essay, we will be looking at meritocracy as a faQade and also at the otheruses of it.

No doubt it is true lfiat neritocracy leads to elitism, lbr the basjs of merirocracy isto separate the so called "better ones" from the "weaker ones", that is, the moresuccessful fiom the not so successtul. If there wcre no fame attrched to being successf[],meritocracy would not exist, for it would prove toa diflicr t to reward those who achicvcsuccess. And with this farne, comes thc creation of elitists and elitism. tbr it is the humanbeing's innate characteristic of p de which leads us lo believe that we arc bcttcr tha[everyone clse. The Chinesc did lrot implement the impcrial etaminatidt systern pureiy tobring joy to thc lirnperor in reading thc candidates' essays. They also waarted to cteate agroup of people, who were seen as the "noblc class," lo aid in the running of thc country.lt is because of lhis inhcrcnt nalure of meritocracy. that it can be used as a faqade fbrelitism.

Dcspite lhe cr.:ntion ol a 'noblc class" being an elitist praclice, lneritoctacy has itsbe efits, and hcnce not shoulcl not bc regarded as mcrcly a feEade for elitism. lflSingtpore, meritocracy is a pragmatic tool fbr finding leaders for thc country. Due to thebasic fact that our poplllalioo does not exceed tive milLion, the tequircntcnt of a highlytalentcd workforce and govcrnnle[t is esscntial to the survival of our counlry,econonically or otherwise. As such, the govennnenl employs the technique olnlcritocracy to sieve oul these talentcd people and train them lor frLture leadershippositions. For instance, the Nalional Universily of Singaporc and thc NanyangTechnological Univcrsity ofler opportunities fb. studerts at th(r Junior Collcgc level totake pafi in Science rcscarch programmes at thcir irNlitutions, and most of thc timc. arrexenplary gtade in the scicnce subjects is a prcrcquisile. In this way. the govemolcot ismaking use of meritocracy to find telent lor the purpose of growth ol'the counhy- Thisshows thal medlocmcv is not merely a taqade for clitisnl.

Apart from helping the country grow as a wholc, the govenx[ent also helps toimprove thc lives of the people, individueliy, or as a whoic. This, il does in various wirys,including thc use of meritocracy. 'l he hcading organization tbr Singapore's education, theMinistry of Educatiol, awauds butsitr-ics and scholarships Io studet{s who are ra[ked inthe top 5 to L0 percent of the cohort for acadcmic results, but also fbr thosc from lowe.-incorne families- This shows their strong bclicf that educalion can hclp irnprove ono'ssocial sta[ding. Aparl fftrm thet, thc educa{i(m systcn aLLolrs for st ents with cxcclLcnlrcsulls for their fi$t year in Junior Colleges to takc "spccial papers', which coteils

Iexaminations of a highe, stafldard than h the nolmal papers - which.he

$::,rj#:iiJ"*;1 it::I; x*;:,s;j *tffi :.*;i; :xfT r"il rr-he imponance of lrard work irnd dererminaion. ;.; ;;; ;;;;;;;;r:;i:"":1 .,,::L :"*0. ;r.;;;;;;". ;., **r*h;';;;;#;:,;:"":,:"J"il, :[X Imentocracy to help better the people,s lives.

An atlect of encouragiug rhe population to work hard is that sociery does not Ibecome hz). In lhis wa) . met itocrecy act. as an imperu. to economic growth becau)e ilis u5ed to provide incenrives tor oo.a,,ro,f ,"a f,""J" p,., ""i ,;;;;;#;;Lile in anv *.i"ir' " ,""i "fr."*tud ofien read\ io un*irringni.i rl ",l.llili'l* Igovemment did not continuousiv .eward good **L, p""pf.- *r""iAl"""r,o pu.por" inworking, and rhere would be no competirio, o.ong.i',ir" p';;pi;. il;"lead ro rhe *"*ry u"""-"tg ,",rrlppv .u.h u, in dre case of rhe former Jfu:J#illl Iwhere. everyone was provided wittr iood, shetrer

""; ";;;l ;;;';';;io* ,,,u"h o.!:.,"-til1. :* worked. The peopte evenrually decided ihar ,f* ia-"r.i'.."not a good one und.o-munism fe,. Anor[er "."^p;;;,,td;;;'";i#:""llrJ] IBritain, where people wc.e provided wirh certain bjsic ";;;i;;;';""; .,*" ,"* .,rcason to worl. They ev(nrusllv bccrr.g,,vernm.ni ;;;;,i;i;::,ij'"il:?;:;.;r;:r;:i""1:l;"'.".":lilii;",;"ili:l; Ithey did not contribute ro the economy actively. Due to rhe very nur." J:it.

"ir. ot no,counrry, Singaporc has little choics l* ,o "ngng"

'i.-gl;;i#;; ;j ;

:::::'i: l::1::: ::41,.. ,i',.i" ,u"., in he reriun are rr.o r,robrrrzirrrl..ll:#ff IJ slep alleJ,t ot r.,r,rnnctirion arrd orrll I Lrlentcll rlld dcdr..are,l w.rrk ltrlccwitl irllo!{ tt rL' do so A. such, rrc|rroc

:i'I-:'1i" "' '",'' ",i.',,-'.',.i;i':i:liliJ':;J:X:11"i; i:l'l'li,'[ji:]il I;il"*:_tl* -" lrcvenrrrg SingJporcans fiorn becorning over depe denr on the efforts of tIIr conclusioo, rnerilocracy in itself is a faQade [o. elitislrl, be it in Sin!]apore orotherwisc. Howcver, thc Sirrgaptr.e government has used mcritocracy tocountry's advantage. n r,"r--r,-"i."

-rrio*n rhar whire merirocracy .",

"ooit ljtJn| tfaEade. it is actually an imporranr rool in the gruwrh oi fie n*ir; ;;.t i;;,p;;..

!,!.:...,::::tr"n^ a.rc tung hut p<)u .\ dre Jbw. lhert: is gootl tinkage both within antl IDttwetn ptraNraphs.You could Ltlso discusstyn" ,o,,-n* i"ii'n'i'tilu, ,1 ,,"riur rnr,y in Singapot.?, iku ir^, it is mca.surt,tl chiefll ,,, Itcrmr ol paf.t quaIt.t'ic.rria

""!:::::':i;:;;:::rr,:,,,,,,i:::,';,::::f:::;:):,;::::::;,,,," " I

1\pv(t th, tr\r tht\ i, (1 \,,u,1 irst ,ltrntl,r l,) r ftt ,r y, ,tt .)ta,.t,r

Joel Kals Ir)5so4

I6sI

I

ilffi

ffiffi#:*$rlri

t-I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

Whatcver thc cause, terrorism can never be acceptable. Do you agree?

There exists a ccrtain tension within our global society today-an aum oluncefiainty and even fear drat pervades every corner of modem civilization. This may beattributed to the fact that tenorism has reached a theshold where it is increasingly all-encompassing and lethal in nature, making it a sedous threat to the stability of oursociety. Terlorism ilvolves acts of violence or attempts fo instigate chaos in ordet toachieve a cefiain aim, be it religious or political, or monetarily motivated. Sometimes,these aims embody religious or political ideals that may seem noble, but I believe thatattempting to realizc these goals via such socially debilitating and unde unded meansundennines whatever nobility there is in these aims and serves only to aggrandizetenorism.

The impact ol terrorism on a society is profbundly adverse and far-reachirg. Asits name suggests, terrorism strikes fear into the heatts of people. It leaves an indeliblemark on both the society and the individual - the society has ro grapplc wirh rhe perpetualfear of another act of telrorism, while the individual is emotionally scaned. The cffcct ofthe 9-l I bombing of thc World T.ade Towers tt-anscended the loss of lives and propefiy.Thousands of people who witnessed the honific scenc had to [ndcrgo leflgthycounsellinli. Families [Iad to conterd with thc grief of losing a lovecl one- lhc physicaldcstruction and chaos associated with lerrorism is uodeniable. bLll il is essential tounde$tand that the social ramifications reach beyond econo ic irstability, thedeslruction oi property alld the loss of livcs. It is far more deep reaching that tllat- Whatcausc, no malter how rightcous it ntcy appear to be, is worth such a sacrifice?

There is a vast m6lange of terrorist faclioas which appear to have a just causc Ihltis driving them to pcrfbrm thesc acts of violencc. There are eco lerrorists whu stu\'u llrsave thc environment through bonbing pollutive factories or sabotage lree-lolJgil1!:operations- There are temorists who scek to altain indefcndcncc fbr thcir state ol toseparate from a cou try, such as the IRA and Tanril'ligers, by bombing landnrarks orassassinatil8 ofticials- There are tenorists rvhosc goels are to make religious statcnlcntslfuoogh bonlbhgs of what dlcy perceive to run contrary to their beliefs, such as the AlQaeda and Jemaah tslamiyah who claim to be waging a religious wfi known as a jihad.Thcir airn is to make a statement to the authorities or pcople in power thal cannol beigDoled. It is a threat to commit morc acts of terrorism shonld their goals not be attai[ed.What divides terorism from aD open rcbcllion or even war is that terroaisnt is far mc;reinsidious in naturc. While both are similar in the sense Ihat thcy arc pcaccivcd as violenlmeans of achieving an objective, lerrorism appcars to be a morc undcrhandcd rnethod, i$it strikes the vulncaable and defenceless patls of a society without warning. II is thjsaspect of terrorism that makes it inherelltly unecceplable.

Terrorisnr is an cxlrcrnc inethod of itchicving e goal. lhele will inevitably lrcaltemate means of fulfilling thesc goals which are pcaccful and do noI conle at theexpcnse of others- Diplomacy should prcccdc such ac{s oi violcnce. Howevcr. shoulddiplomacy or all othcr rnethods fail. ten-orism should not be a last resorl. Certarlr rrsucsmay bc solved by appcaling to lhe lntemati(ntal Cotn of Justice or the flniled NatioDs.

Te(odsm is by far not the most efficacious means of achieving a goal- Thoughout theannals of history, few te.rorists have actually had their way with a g;vornment or people.Despite terrorists in Iraq capturing and beheading several Ame cans, America has itillrot given in to the demands of the terrorists. Although the terrodsts have managed to getcountries like Spaio and China to withdraw, it marks an empty victory as their ultimategoal to free Iraq from its invaders is still untrrlfilled. As such, even if there is a worthvcause, terorism should not be a means to achieve thrs cause, even if aU alternatives arlexhausted.

However, there is a certain degree of subjectivity involved in our perccption oftenorisln- Dr Mahathir infamously labelted America as the ..greatest tenorist,, inreference to America's invasion of kaq and controve$ial foreign policy. To overthrow anevil dictator is undoubtedly a noble goal, but the sacrifice involved in accomplishing thisis extremely high. America's precision bombing of Iraq could be perceived as being amore grandiose and acceptable form of terrorism_ Hence, terrodsm may sometimes be astimulus in a society tbr a change for lhe better. lt carr instigate a change in power, takedown dictators, or achieve indepcndence from a country. But to commit illsidious acts ofviolencc in a society to achieve this is still rnorally unacceptable.

Terrorism is something that society has nevea and will never accept. The impactof an act of tetyo.ism shakes the foundations of our society, leavilg a mirk even in itswake that the people in the society still have to live with. Even if the cause is woflhy, it issuaely not wordl such wanton destruction and chaos.'Iherc are always altematives roterrnfl m. Att., dll Crnillri nc\cr neeJeLl vt^lpncc lo a, hierc hrs gurlr.

Etsay is fot:u,^etl ri,ith pettincnt points and illustratiotl Dis(Ltssi(n llnugh Jdit-Ucomprehen.tiv( (like the inclu.tiotl o.f eco tu-t.orists) is nonetheless not as tleep. Do younot tlifferentiate ttrrorist d d cco-terrorist for exttmple? Whut iJ dOlomacy lalts?Subvcrsion has ahta,rs bet:n uscd in war, e.g the Frcn(h ResistLtn(:( itt\lllll. Do wt:co dcmn them as wtll'? Ldnguuge isfine.

DanielChang04s63

Is terrorism acceptable as a necessrry evil?

Terrorism has plagued the world since time immemorial if Prince John had theuse of modem idcas, he would probably have branded Robin Hood a terrorist. But it isonly in modem times that the term "terrorism" gaincd a specihc meaniog unique to itself.A terrorist is defined as a person or a group that resofis to violence on the civilianpopulace to achieve a political end. Modem exanples of tenorist groups would includeAl-Qaeda, and the lrish Republjcan Army. With the passing of the September eleventragedy, global opinion has turned against teirorism- The Bush Doctrine, eannarked bythe phrase, "You are either with us or with the terorist", seems to be the plevailingmindsct today. To examine just how acceptable terrorism is, we have to examine it basedon two crilerions whethcr it is morally ftcccptable and if it is pragmatically acccptable-

Tc.rorism by its nalure is, intrinsically. morally objectionable. By definition, itsvcry objective is the inflicting of maximum casualties on the civilian populatioi in orderto ensure that their actions resonate as loudly as possible, so as to fbace thc government tornake concessions. Tefodsts utilize fear and horror as a weapon in order to coerce lhegovcrrlrncnt to come 1() the negotiatirg table. The elhical problem lies in lhe tact that theykill innocent civilians, insteed of the people who opprcss Ihcnr. Civilians are inostly notculpablc lbr Ihe plighl o[ the lenorists, and punishin!] them to get back ar lhe govemmentis unacceptablc- Thc thrce thousand who dicd in the collapse of the TwiD To\r'crs q'crenot respolNible for the evils brought by thc Arnerican (lovcnrnrent on thc Arab world,and to make them bear the blaDre with their lives is rnorally reprehensible, whatever (he

llowcvcr. T believe solDctinlcs the issue o[ lelrorism is nol lhal cleir cul.'Ielrorisrn is usually co currcnt with govcrnrnc lal opprelsion usulLlly ir tcrrrrfl\t grou|has no legal neans to put its interest or grievanccs I'orth and thus had Io rcsort to rnorcslLbversive mea[s to !]ain a voice. Usually, (he despot in qucstion would tlrst lvrouBhtinjusticc on a specilic grolrp jll society. and leller them lo lhe yoke of oppression, byde[ying them x voicc. Tcrrorist groups uslraliy spring up as a reaclion to tliis rc|rcssrnn.because they o. their pcople have been trcated !vi1h mindlcss cruelty and iiluslicc- ThcBasquc Nationalist group E1'A, carne about trecause thc Fascist Spa ish Governrncntunder F-rancisco Franc deliberirtely clamped doun on the Basquc hn.quage and deniedthcnl sevcral civii liberties. As suclL terrorism, lhough morally wrong as an act in itself,somctimes can be exoneraled by exte uating circumstances. 'l hus thc ceuse miry al rimc\justify drem.

I.urthemrorc, drc dcfinition of tcrrorism is stitL mllinly Debulous. As lhe clich6goes, "One man's terrorist is another's frecdom fighter." Yasscr Arafal rnay havc beet abloodthirsty tcrrorist to thc lsfaelis, but to thc Pal.stinian people, he was a bcacon ofhoPe fbr thcir ernnacipation, atrd the lsracli army, with thcir rcpcatcd incursrors utroPalestinian civilian ierri(ories, were the real terrorists. lhe only differcnce betwecn thelwo was lhcir mcthods ol warfare Arxtat bed to losoi to len()rism becaLrsc lre could notatlbrd lo wage a conventional war. Thc conundrunr is thlrs this: should Ierrorism beconsiclered any more unacceptablc vis ir vis othcr mcthods of warlerc. dcspitc simihr

ramifications? I believe lrot. If rheil: cause can be justified by a lack of any viableiha^els, dren it may stilr be ao acceprable evil- N;lson Ma.,i"ta'" arrican l,tario'utCongress previously resorted to violence against its apartheid regime, n rj trre apartt eiagovemment branded fhem as terrorists. I believe, that, with tfre i'enetit oi tundsight, weknow befter than to de[ouncg terrorisrn without first considering the backgrouna and thecauses.

^ On a more practical level, terrodsm has been castigated as a tutile political toolfor two reasons. Firstly, tenorism mercly exacerbates tfr""connici anJ'ao"s nothing toresolve it. By killing iturocent civilians, they incur the wrath ol tfre peopte anagovcrnment,_oftentimes leadilg to more rccriminations and a vicious cycle of violence.This.can probably explain why Russia has ody escalated its oper",ion* i.-ifr..toy" _ i,was in response to Chechnyan terorist attacks. Secondly, terrorists tend to ,,overstay theitwelcome" and be too extremist to eu.ry..uch o co-prorrise with thcir govemments, astheir very roots arc raid in radicalism. The Good nriaay Accoras in Noirt .m rrer"na r.,gradualiy being discrcdited because tringc g.oup" *ithin sinn r.in'-an,r tne rrtnRepublican Army are persistilg with the uie o-f terrorism even oti"i u f"*" "g.""_.nthas been nlade between the IRA an.i_ the Northem lrish Govemment, tf,ercly rettcctinghow terorism may be detrimental ro the search for a resolution ,. ifr"

".rlii",Whilst the above c.ificisms are at times justified, I still believe thal under sone

circumstances, terror-isrn may plove to be efficacious in ...otulnf conni"ts, when wr:compare more successfill temofist organizarions likc the ANC and thc East TimoreseLiberation Front undcr Xanana Gusnras, with less successfulgroups like Hanras, we see aclcarly disccmable diflerence tllc lon er .Lrc mor. wrlliniro corrrpr.urnrrc. For them,lerrorisnr is Dreant solely to gain attcntion for thei. cause oia ptigfrt, alrd lo bnng theiroppressors lo the ncgoriation table. Afier thal is accomprished, i"riori.- *r. abandonedas a political tool. ln the case of the latter, foa example, gr.oups likc Hamas, oitcn thele isa reluctance to even rnovc an inch for prace, thereby futlier enrrenchilg the conflict.Thus, iI is only if terorisn is kept as ju\r on. ou, .f ."ny putrrlcot rnot.. uia tts *i"laer.are willi[g to compromise and abandon it at thc right timc. that terrorisln crn be secn asan acceptable evil on a practical level.

On lhl: whole. while I rlo acknowledge thc intrinsic dilficulty wc have inaccepting rerrorism u.'der a'y circumstanccs, wharever the causc, I sti| b;lievc lt can attimes be nio.ally justified by irs very cause- It can also, if rightly used. be a tegitimatepolitical tool to ema cipate oppresseti peoples. In a world t.ri.,, ly ou"l.", and powerlust, tcrrorism might at timcs be a neccssary cvil.

We!t arguetl Apart ft'on the slight digre)-sio on th. inelI.(titjaness of terrori.rmas (t bol,yout essay presented a (ogcnt drgume l .tttoitLlltinttcttt)t.isnasa.,n€ :ess./j,t)..vi.,,

Robin 'feo0.1.451

iIitItItI'13

Is the lcgalization of gambling a necessary evil?

Gambling, long considered a vice. has always been discouraged. Lotteies, sports

betting and games at casinos all do not require much skill or ability; they p.imarily relyon the sheer caprice of chance- The humrur desire to gain wealth and get dch quicklywithout an equal amount of work put in, tempts men into gambling. Rather than allowwidespread propagation of moral vice advocated by illegal gambling syndicates, the

govemment needs to intervene via a regulatory and controlled body to curb the

unclesimble effects of gambling. It is evident that although the legislation of gambling

may not sit well with many, it is essentially a decision made out of necessity.

ln many countries, the revenue fiom legalized gambling is a major source of state

revenue- Il constitutes the Cross Domestic Product (GDP) ofa country and these eemingsgo towards the govenrmcnt budget. This is used to improvc thc infiasfucture of the

country, reconstnrct wom out amenities, and providc thc public with benefits. [n Macau,gambiing ancl casino operations account fbr 40olo of thc country's GDP. Also, revenue iscommo y dircc(ed to charities or to the needy in the community. Singapore Pools was

set up in 1968 to curb illegal gambling aDd is the only legel lottcry operator in Singapore.Sury)lus earnings are devoled lo communily causcs whose outcomes inprove the well-bein!! of lhe conmlunity. Bcncficieries inclucle the National Kidney Founddtion and thc

Assisi I{omc and Hospice. Without legnlised gambling, profit takingi; tiom illegalgaming activities would go into the pockcts of gambling syndicates, which would ir tunlfinance the developnlcnt of other vice activities. 't'hus, il can be scen that gamblingshould bc lcgalizcd in order lor lhe govenr0le t to cxerl coollol over ganbling rcvcnues.

Consequently, lhis valuable sourcc of rcvenuc could 8rl towards bencflting the publicinslead of sLrpporting other vice activi{ies-

ln today's last-paceri society, drc world is conslantly cha[giog end we have to

accommoclale change lo slay rclcvant wi$ the timcs. Our economy laccs slagnatiun i[ \ c

do oot keep abreast of cw dcvelopmenls in lhe reg-Lon. lhe legalization of ganbling. inparticular, thc ofening ol a casino, would be ideal ilr diveIsitying our economy. IIr rcccntyeius, tourists havc tlocked lo Malaysia end Australia. indulging in shopping andgarnbling within the casinos, thlls gcnerating thc much needed lourisnt dollars to irooslthe ccono(ly- To slay compctitivc as a tourisrlr hub, Singapore has to rcinveot herself.The opcning of a casino within an inteSrxted resort rvould give thc cconomy a vitaliniection. Toluist speuding on iiod. lodllin8, shopping ancl gambling would contribulemuch to thc tour'srll sccto. io a country. It is un|ealislic lo rely solely otl olLr pasl

atlftctiols to drew thc crowds back. Hence, a resorl cum casino would add to dlcvibrancy of our citysc{pe, subsequenlly etticing tourists to spend a longer slol'ovcr timL-

in Srngaporc. thus cffcclively boosting the economy

'lhe lelialization of glorbling would irlso sucgcst regulation so lhrt the inherentproblcms slemning fro l gxrrbling can bL: tackled thoroughly. Esselltially, the siturliunof gambling can be closcly nronitored and controllcd, curbi[g lhe sphcrc of influelce ofillcgal syndicales. Given an allernitive. llamblers would most likely palronisc lcgeloLlIlcts as well. An er)rcrdnent lo llle Betring xnd Swccpstake Duties Acl halved betling

'/4

duty to allow Singapore Turf Club ro offer berrer odds and lower prices tor theircustomers, so as to compete more elfectively \rith illegal gambling opererors. Having thegovemrnent play a role in legalizing gambling also implies ihai resources can beallocated to solve problems at hand. For example, compulsive gamblers could be sent forcounselling or to undergo keatments. Responsible gaming woul<t be encoumged,disallowing those below 1 8 years of age from taking part in lotteries and bets.

Having gambling legalized would accord flexibility and rigour to the governmentbodies jointly responsible for eradicating illegal syndicates. .l-his

results in bettercoope_ratio[ between the various organisation and effectiveness in stamping out illegalgambling. At the same time, the govemment would have the resources to plovidecounselling alld treatrnenf for compulsive gamblers, ald the iirfluence to promoteresponsible gaming. The above reasons indicate the necessity oI legalise<.I gambling.

However, there aae concems that whell gambling is legalized, the governmelt issending out a strong social message that gambling is acceptable. Garniling tcnds toextract revenue fiom those least ablc to resist the temptation, in particulally, low,iricomefamilies. Gambling is blamed tbr the illcreasc in broken homes, underrnining the rnoralfibre of the comrnunity and ultimately giving public sanction ro the attitude of gertirgrich without diligence. The main assumption underlying the dctrituertal effects ofg:rmbling is that the individual lacks self-rest.aint and gumprion, easily giving in to thetemptation of gambling. Ilowevcr, we know this to be unhe. Even with ihe legaiizationof gambling, individuals who have the sheer willpower will not succumb to it, nor willthey becomc "victims" of gambling. Victimizarion is Dot an issLre whcn rhe individral hrsa sensc of conviction aod a codc of moral principles which he lives by.

_ ln ttre most praclical sensc, ganbling can nevcr be totally e\lirpatcd. If exists,whclher opcratecl by illegal syndicates or run by thc govenrmellt. However, the assurancelegalized Sambling gives is that social problems can bc carefully monitored by therelevant checks and bala[ces inplemelted by the govemmenl, so these problems can bckcpt to a minirnum. Furthermore. eanings from legalized gambli g could bc used to theadvantage of thc community thus extenurttng thc dcletcrious cnnstquences of garnbling.Hcnce, I would agree to a large extent that legalization ol gambling is a necessary cvil.

E)icellent pie(e oJ work. Ilse of thc language has improved while you meintain d cleat-sense af purpose.

Eugenia Ong04s22

75

Thcre is no place for corporal punishment in schools. To what extent do you agree$ ith this rie$?

In many schools across the world today, school authorities, when dealing withstudents who have committed an offence, often choose to deal out caning, spaflkilg andsuch fonns of physical punishment to discipline the student_ The ..offence" committed isusually of a heaviea nature, for example, smokng or vandalisrn, but in sorlc cases.teachers actually deal out punislment for minor issues such as sleeping in class or nothanding up work. In over twenty states in America, schools are tie only insriLutionswhere such physical punishment is still legally sanctioned even milirary camps alrdprisons do not condone using violence to deal with unacceptable bchaviour. personally, Iagree very much that there is no place for corporal punishment in schools, and only in themosI extreme cascs, and as a last resoft, should violence be uscd to discipline.

My first reason for disagreeing with co.poral punishment is rhe physical andpsychological scars it inflicts on the student. Definitely, caning, spanking;r hitting thestudent with a foreigr object would leave the student injurcd, bruisetl and in pain.Furthennore, if the student is punished in front of a class. or even the entire school(which is often the casc), tlis public display of thc studenr's problem will have drasricpsychological eft'ccts on him. 'lhe stlldent bccomes very self-conscious, thinking thateveryone probably laughs at him and looks at hiln in a diflerent lighr now, and hc teelsashamed of himself- F'ootballer Stcven Gerrard once comrnctted on how one incident ofcaning in front of rhe wholc sludent population in school left him feeling likc ..a loser,'and caused hinr to pass the bulk of his schooldays as an introvert. Thus. I do nor supportintlicting injuries on a studcnt as a way to disct)line the studcol and ensurc Ihat the samenristeke is not repcated, as violence o ly seryes Io endanger thc physical and c otionalwell bciog of the studcnr.

Secondly. corporal pulishmcnt in schools shoulcl not be suppollcd because itpe.pctuales a cyclc of child abuse. When violence is used to dcal with younger studentswho have comnitted an offence, it teaches {hc stuclent that it is okav to hit. and thestudcnt grows up and continues to hit other llri,plir, cspecrrlly tlrose yourrger than hrnl, ashc lries 11] instill discipline. In Kenya, over the 1970s and l9g0s, many stJries ofstudentsgettinS hit, slapped, and thcir heads slamnled against the table arose, and many of Ihcteachcrs inJlictiog such punishments lver.e found to have bccn be hit whcn they wcrcstudents

-themsclves. The brcekillg of this cycle of chilcl abuse is often rhe biggesr

probLem faccd by schoot authorities, and many a line, stlrdents lcave school thinking tatit is okay for lhose who care for-them to hil thcm. {nd they perpcluate this vicious cycle.'l'hus I disagrce with thc usc of coaporal ptLrlishntcol_

Thirdly, with thc use of corporal punishoenl, the teacher loses an importantoppodunity.for tcaching a Dlore appropliatc behaviour. More often than oot, hitting thestudent lor doing somclhing wro[g docs Dol bring about thc dcsired effect ol the studentlca(rilg where he has gone wrong and thercby becoming a bclter person. llrslead, thcsltLrlent may stccl himself aea,nst the pain infliccd. shut oll his emoiio,rs, go aboul wirhhis pilsl $,ays and rcfuse to cha,gc. ln Antcrica, statistics hevc shown that-with vrole^cc

'/6

used as the way to discipliDe problem students, repercussions have arisen, with therebeing "more vandalism, truancy and pupil violence,, nr the schools. After gettingphysically punished by the teacher, the- student oller.efuses to regai<I anytnfg theteacher says further, and in ao act of defiance, continues with his reb_ellious uehaviour.Thus, I see little point in spanking or ca ng when in most situations, the snrdent hanilylislens any\ ay. ald curtrer\elJ drrplays worse behaviour.

However. there is then the issue of..spare the rod and spoil the child,,. Manyeducato$ choose violence to maintain discipliDe, especially in the classroom, as they findthat this is the easiesl way of getting thei messag; acros; to the students. .I.hev

believethat once they go soft, and become too lenient, students get the impression tfr.i tfr"f a]-"allowed their own way, and stafi displaying outrageous b-ehaviour.

'personallv. I teel rhar

when .dealing with exceptionally egretsious conducr, corporrl punishmen; might just

come in handy, but only as a last resort when talking and reasonilg have failed _ andthe student's parents should be notified. At the end of the day, thcre is a time antl placelor ever)lhing. Jnd corpnr:tl punishrle t should only br dcrlr u lren cbsoluLcl,co.po.ur pr','ish."",'t

'r,*ro'r" r.r,l"ir,.i"-"i.iuiJiffiil,ii'1Ji,i'1'Jii,iHii",iil?;allowed a regular place in schools.

In conclusion. therc is Iiftlc -schools. caning ancl spnnring rn.g"ry i,,il.::::.J:,-.',1[l:,"t,:l^:il!i'#JTi.',1ff.1 ::they grow up and may tbrce soDte to become immune to pain and hold Iittle rcgard fblschool authorities anynrorc. Very often. using violence on a itudent shuts his ears to thcgenuine advicc of thc teacher ind the student may not beconte bettcr disciplilred at theend of it all. Evcry studenr is al i.dividual, ancl sho.kr be lrcatccl .s such, a.cr there arcalways altemativcs -- cornrnunity service, talking to corporal pulishmcl]I to make astudent leain.

[.sstty .was-

y,cl[,orljanized, well argued dnd suffiti?ntb, ltarkttl up t,itlL t:oncretaexrmples. Language use was saphisti(Ltted and .epr()prial(_

Jalrice Jcganalhan04s22

IItttIIItIItITf

Capital punishment versN tlre lile s€ntence. Discuss.

Human civilisation has always seen life as sacred. rhe beauty ol life being extolledby various major religions. In addiLion, heavy punishmeits are meted to those who wouldwillfully rob it from oLhers. Capital punishment has been, and still is, a method ofpunishment used in scveral countries for binging retributive justice on those who wouldcornmit heinous acts such as murder_ The ongoing controversy of capital punishment andits use io a supposedly more humane world of today is a hotly debatcd topic. However, ifgiven a choice, I support the notion thaf those who comrnit heinous acts against humanityshould be "scntenced to life" rather than be executed_

The forrnation of a law efforcement agency and the setting up of ajuclicial systernwithin each country is for dre purpose of providing j stice to the people_ Laws, inessence, were created to protect the rights of all humans alike, and in breaching the ',rightto life" by depriving another fellow human beirg to continue living, the murderer haseffectively sur-rendered that sacred "right to life" and. hence, places htmscll or hersell atthe mercy of society at large. Thc rest of society has now the choice of putting thcin[rderer to death, and stooping to the level of cr.irninality o[ the murderer. orimprisoning the c.iminal and allow rehabi litive justicc to take its coursc_ Ia all aspects, bysentencing the criminal to li[e, socicty can also achievc the goal of prcvcatillg lhecr-iminal from cornmitting further heinous acts and in addition, allow the criminal time toseek recolrrse- ln the famous casc of "Hurrica[e" Cafter, the lack ofcepital punishment inthe state of Louisiana allowed him to appeal contilually until a Supteme Courr ruli[gredrcssed his wrongfui conviction by overtuming it due to a lack of evidence againsl him_ll .nprl;-l lu ish rc t ha,i beerr rrnposed. lrii trglrr rUuld lrJve abruprly. d.d rninn.r.enrman lvould have been killed, and thc whole sociely would have becn guiily ol amiscar.iage of juslice-

ln addition, scnlencing a cri inal to life shows the naturity of a society throughits willingncss to subjcct the criminal to rehabilitation. lf one pursues the notion ofvengca{ce, then sulely an cyc tbr an eye will leave the whole world bliDd. A life scntcncedoes noI just reprcsenl an act ol ntercy, but also rcprcsents the belicf of an elltire so,Jrcr)lhat the course of.iustice does not necessarily have lo bc retributivc. cspccially since thccooccpt of justice was created by humans, and should ithercntly bc more hunane ll)nature- Why would society lower itsclf to 1he animalistic act of homicidc? One cannotjustify capital punishnrc r. or legal killitgs pe. sc, if one wishes for morc civility in thc

Advocates of capilal pudishmcnt ha4) on the fact that capital punishmc|r rr untosl effcctivc detcrrent for would-be murderers. Flowever, what srch advocates fail tosee is lhat detc[encc only exists in the ntind with logical thought. When most murdersllairpcn. it is usually in a fit of rage or hatrcd, when rational thoughr is i valid. In fact,stalistics suggest tlllll cxecutidls ntay even increase viotc t crime rates. From 1952 to1967, Calitbmia avcraged abou( six cxccutions annually, buI withh the samc period. thcm[rder rate doubled as comparecl ftr thc period of 1968 to l99l when therc were noeKeculions. For a person rvho harbours such deep hatre(l thal he or she has to kill to

i)

)

7iJ

resolvc his enrotional distress, detearercloud Ihc mind r" r""

't''' r","^,'.I:'li:: li'"" ellccr"e'peciall) whcrr sucmav madvcflenrt) inrrucnce rurure jlii-ll3' *"i"'rol';'"r;-;;";';;"il;n;;.:#l Ihumane sociery. '"rur( generalrons undermining th. .au." tb, a mo."

t'on""ffi?,1TJ',,1-i$::ttr1f:"',*l mav raise rrre poinr rhat in rhe case of rifelifelime. which L irr"ii"'"i .,il.ir,iJar

the cost of supponrnS Lhe murderer for ar enrirccan \e measure ,r,. rurr"

"i'rrr,i"lncn lhe mulderel i\ a socieral nrenace. Howsver,

consiJerarions -" ."r1, o"ni ^'l,i:1: .i": i1 rerm\ ol doller\ and cenrs? Economrc

srale. whar ,r'".. *" i,"'r.'r*" ,o''JrX."'u' *') concems a li[e. arrd r human litr is ar

uunare\ Jusr becar.rse rhet ,." ;^",j^^'llqo'" il" wr 'ysternaticalll e\ecure all dcarh ro$

"r il.n.""no- ,1,"-ui ,,;.:,: ,;:i'::i,,il,'.:::'"1 .'."" m'chr Morrt arsu,nenr\ rs,dc.

seven miltion n"rr", ",'!.rn "rr"i

',l"ll1' ':*' may co\l Jnylhing lronr herncen one rothou'and E, o'.rrnic .,; j";;::,';: ;:'i

rmpn\onmenr c;ses' which 'o'r around )00lrd ro acruali) p"' " ,.i." l. ,"""-:-Da\elrne

is that hLrman life i' helond arrl c.sr.economic considerari;;;;;;;;:,".r s trte aDd c\ecure rhc murttc;er because oft wrong messages about the value ofhuman lif.e.

I

When onc lools at cxp(tal DLrpromrs.Lt ctlc(riveness in,lereninp,.lj:']t"i' -: Inry bc ca.rly {qa\cd be,jl,r.r,,t ir.deat wirtr rnurdnrcrs rj;;,:;. ";:";: -"" ' riminrl' an(l rl)c r.re'cy ur ir $hF,i L,\.Lr roprorecr \o!rcrv

"r ,r.gi. r,,i r,i"'i"linP.,at

lile.irnIris.,ruierr. ue .er rtrer ir ro,, ranol ju\ricc. ln

"ou',i.,,ili'" ,",0r'L'uxils lhc relribtrli!" rs .,ell a' lh. r, lrabrlirrrrre rrms

\(, nr' rL) bc. enrr. J rnn\c ,,.r*rr,, ,1"' tt' nnt br r'cn'rl) a\ ur lcs. d.renen trJI jl

f'1,\'uvc \rct rn\tJrd. r,"it,t;,,r,, ,nor" i]1.lTpt i'uI1n 1'|l

' irr lrcl of, at,ir.,l Purri.trrrrerrr rs ,rdre'(hcd corr i,, ,",",,, "i "',?,","',"J:,:l;',:::^""

"' ro* "nt.,.en'.'.r 'lie,t. irs ,,tuo.l

[n c,rn!lLr\ron, a scntenle (,f. lrf.'toula t.

"uppo,i"a, il;;$#:::.I"*cts,a societv's respecr fbr life and rhererbrc,utr"r" rtre.,,ie ,n"

" ;"'" ;. .;;;:illo"' "e"a ro rrl'r rh( rher o1 .nn ,", nuni.h're,r.lrl lwo Words. ltrst revengg,,

A ^plcannr

rLaJ ttut iJcrt raul,J Lt urt!t.'tryprs"nnt(nt Jutttly rtt, a1,^r,1 .i,1,!.::'' f"''o'' tttt'it ol t'ttib tit, iLt\rlt,. t' r\

"q.rin,nrttr,,rr.L"i,,,rr..',' ;,';,:,,;r,''1tt\la tton !o rh' t,ttrirct ti rt,, ,',,,,,1r,,, L,i,

Yeo Shi yuaDO4S I l

Ex-criminals ought to be given a second chancc. Discuss.

Even in today's sociefy, where people are generally mole open, ex criminals arestill being discriminated against. Very often in television shows, criminals arc ponrayedas big burly rnen, with tattoos all over their bodies. It is no doubt that people eventuallydevelop a negative image of theDr and are less reccptive towards them. However, thesepeople have already paid for their wrongdoings and a_re fully capable of turning over anew leaf. Thus, it is fa that criminals, people who have broken the law in the past,should be given another oppoftunity to live a nomal life again without beingdiscriminatcd against. They should bc teated as part of society, and should be given theright to take olrjobs and to integrate into society once again.

Hurnal beings are not perfect creatures. Every one of us is bound to makemistakes in life. It is then up to the iDdividual to leam and Drove on. At times. some excriminals could have committed an offe[ce at the spur of the nomel1t, or they wcre underpressure to do it. Take for examplc, a thlteen yca. old girl trying very hard to blr part ofthe 'cool' crowd. In ordcr to prove hersclf, she could have shopliftcd [nder ILc prcssurctiom her'fricnds'. Very oftc , soole ofthe crirnes commifted ai.e minor and the oflenderswould have aleady learnt their lesson atd are willing to turn over a new leal_ Ihus. it isollly fair that society givcs them a chancc to do so, illstead o[ condcmning thetn forever.

Fu.lhermore, nany prisons arouud lhe world now providc services to hlrlpprisoners i prove thcmselves while scrving their jail tern. For cxarnple, SingaporeChangi Prison has a comprchcnsive progrannDe hilored Io each individual to hcb him orhel rchabilale. Young inmates can choose to conlinue thci. stLdies while othcrs arep.ovided wrth vocational traiting.'lhe innrates lio through religious counselline as wcllas attcnd moral lcssons to hclp theni get back on the righl tlack. With the hcll) of theseproSrarnines, criminals havc Lhe potcr(ial (o lcad ir normal litc agirin. ltrercfbrc. socicrl,shoulcl bc tbrgiving ancl open and givc thern another chance.

Economic clevelopntcnl is very importalt in cvery counttJ. espccielly in today'ssociety. In order to achieve this. a strong labour tbrcc is nccdecl. If crinrinals are nor givelra cttance to work. there would bc fewer pcople to contribute to the ecortolny. Asmentioned l.eviously, some plisoncrs have gone iluough h.aining cluring thei. slay in lheprison to cquiP them with skills. Thus, if ernployers are unwillingly b cmploy excdminals, sociely will lose out ultimaicly as therc would bc fcwer skiLlerl workcrs io lheworkforcc- ln the Unired Kingdom (UK), one rhird of the mcn under lin.ry have {cri inal reco.d xnd in thc LIS, 1600 ofl'cnders ate being released cacll day lor lhis ycar.Thercforc. therc is a leed to operr up job vacancies to ex criminals or there would bc aserious shortage of labour in future.

Somc peoplc thinl that criminals will repeat thcir offence lLqain and it is nofwise to give thcn anothca chance- This is rr(le, jt rhesc u lr. llrtls f"il i,, ,lr",j'

",t",,rpt t,,

lead a nonnal life again. Being trappcd in a vicious cycle. cr.iminals will co rinuc lucommit crimcs if they feel aiscouragea hcciuss lhell xr;nlpt ut tntctsrJriDg lnlo societyl,.r.trrlcll .r9.,I, ( fr r( ntly tJrcll bc llrieaii,.rwe\ i,ul l,,tlteDl. Sr.,r,,ii, . gii.r, r,y , .t ,r.

80

in US showed that nearly half end up back in jail because they carnot lind jobs.According to the Depaftment of Justice Bureau of Statistics rlr tiX, Z-ln 3 releasediimafes- were_reaffgsted within 3 years. By giving ex_criminals another chance, not onlydo we help them to change for lhe better but society also benefits ua f"a", ,-o"".rtpeople are behg victimized by these repeat offende$.

Perhaps it is wise to think twice about giving criminals a second chance as there isa possibility fhat they might revert to their old wayJ an<l also because of the social stigrnathat a jail sentence carries. Ex-cdminals are often secn as tricky and uffeliable as therehave been many cases where they betray their employer,s fuust ana

"orr,rr_,it

-.rln", uguio..

Thus, companies that employ thcm might be discriminatetl agairrrt as u result. Ho*.ve.,this.point might not be valid as loday,s society is becolring nire opcn. Efforrs have beenmade to change the miodset o[ society. For example in Sing"pore, an island widecampaign was organized to encourage people to be more receptirTe towards ex_criminals.Poste^ have been put up at many bus stops a',d commercials fcaturing inmates at workhave beerl broadcast on telcvision as well as in cinemas.

Since these crimioals have already paid a price for their crime, in tems ofcaningand,rheir..jail temr, they should be ltiven another opportunity to live a normal life agair.Each,and every one of them is t'ully caprble of cbingrng for rhe burrer, csfeciatty sincethey have received counselling and trntnrnB. N..,nc i,

-perle.r lnd cvery,inc should begiven a .second chance to makeup for his mistakcs. Furthennore, Iabour is'feeded for the

economic development of the country. By clepriving ex caiminals of a chancc to work andcontrib[te, both paaties Iose ollt eventually. The tountq, r\ unrble r,, fLospel as nLrch as itcould, alrd there would bl3 a strain on rhe laxpayers as money is leedcd 10 rull the prisons.By giving them a second chance, not only do they bc'efit. socicty arso benefits fronr thedecrcased crime lale.

Valid poitts nwd( it1 Ltnswer lo the questiott_ (iood conchnion. (|ttttrttlly xtell n,rittenbut you nead tu make tet tuin links clear lia greatet eldhoratk)n.

Dapfule Ho04s26

til

Sport is taking fun seriously. Do you agree?

.lose Mourirho, the current manager o.f Chelsea Football club made this infamousstatement on the eve of a Chdtupions Leagtte clash with his former soccer club, pato,"Give me a choice between spottstrdnship and h)inning, I would definitel! choo.tewinninq, at all costs, bt hook or by crook." He sure was dead. serious dbout v,inningalthough the sdne cannot be said of his interest itr his plalers haying fun.

It is pertinent to definc lun as enjoying oneself thoroughly, which woulddefititely ditler to some extent bctween individuals. Sport can then be defined as anyform of physical exercisc consisting of certain objectives, which people pafircip:rre iD,such as soccer, golfor even thc Fomula One Grand Prix_

That spoft is taking fun seriously, I would only agree to a certain extent. What Ileel is that whcn these spo.ts are recreatioral, nol-competitive and do not involvc anyhigh stakes lo the individual, the statement would apply_ I{owever if this wis rn acompetitive sporting arcna, such as thc English Premier League or cvcn the Olympics,the statement wo ld tlot hold. Take for exarnple, Singapore shuttler, I{onald Susilo. As anatiooal reprcsentative for badminton, he could ill afford to havc fun at lhe rccent AthcnsOlympics where lhe entire coultry was pillning its mcdal hopes on him. To hirn, he wasdefinitely takilg the competitioa seriously. However, as hc once said, .,When I atn on the(badnrinton) couft, there is no nrore fun, ancl it is all focus. fbc[s and locus i.om thenon." With srLcll Eounting prelsure hcapcd on alhletcs. they can barcly affoad 11] have funand crrjoy thems€lves during their rnatches.

This would be duc to the fact that atliletes dcsiae lo win, cspccially dLLe to thegarqantual amoullt of money oflered at compcfitioN. 'Ihcy tlain continuously fbr ycarsjust to take part in e competition where a singlc defea{ usuelly rDeiins tha{ thc athlctc isknocked out of the competition and has to pack his bags and go hone. 'Ihus, the desirc towir alld the pressurc hcapcd on the:rthlctc by himsclf, his coach, his fans and probablyhis counlry incvitably takc out the fun elcmcnt in the sport fol the ath]etc who. insteaci,has to teke the spoft seriously.

ln rccent yearsi there have bcen cases of alhletes involved in doping. ilrcludingprorninent cases such as Marion Joncs, an ex,Olympic gold mcdallist in six ttack cvcntsand her ex husband C.J- llunter, also an cx-Olympic discus and short plttt gold medallist.All of thcse athleles takc performancc cnhtncilg drugs such as tcstosterone iust to Bothat cxlra second frster. or extra centimctcr higher_ Can it be said thtt they are takingspofts for furr and yct seriously? Such Machiavellian ways of slepping onlo the winner,sroslrum ce aioLy do not demonstrnte lhis possibility.

Apart fuorn thcse. politics may be intcr-min!{1ed with spon. Events such as the191J0 Moscow Olynrpics. which thc llnited Srarcs boyco(ted. and rhe 1984 Los AngclesOlympics. when the Russians .etumed the illsult, suggesl that thc ()]ympics was tcckingof politics. This occuffcd during the Cold War era, whc America and thc USSR wcrestaging a face oiT due 1() the clash of borh idcological and polirical diflerenccs. Anothcr

82

event would be the 1936 Munich Olympics lvhich was politicised by the then notoriousdictator, Adolf Hitler, who used it as a platform to showcase Nazi power and his fists ofsteel. These events serve to show drat sports especial-ly at a highly competitive levelconstitutes more than just fun. ln fast, some unscrupulous politicians all over the worldhave hamessed this as a form of power play, and have defeated the purpose of fun insports by placing their vested intercsfs upfront.

However, for non-competitive or recreational sports, the stakes of parlicipants are

not as high as that within the competitive sporting arena. For example, a frieldly soccer

match between neighbou.s is a fun-filled one- Even with a few scuffles and argumentsthat take place which show thal playeN are taking the match seriously, the match seldom

tums ugly. At the end of the day, everyone enjoys himself or herself and looks forward tothe next match.

All of these can take place because winning or losing the game is not as impo(anrto these sportsmen who have litile to play for anyway. A victory or defeat does notchange the life of these amateur sportsmen as it is not their livelihood; thus they can

aflord to have fun. Sport is one of the fbrms of enjoyment they engage in, away from the

hustle and buslle of their workplaces. However, those athletes in the cotnpetilive sloftingarena have much to gain and lose in every loumameDt they participate in. As sport is the

athleics' livelihood, it is clubious if any of thcm is goiog to make a joke out of it or have

fun, while fretting whelher they can makc cnds mect or whether they are able to maintaintheir present world ranKng or status.

Various events such as chilrity toumarncnts also cnable participating spottsmen to

luve fun wilh a[ element of scaiousncss, due {o lhe fact lhat it is a competition arttca all.

However, the nrain objcctivcs of such eveDls are not to win, but rather to raise funds forthe needy- Again, rt can blr secn lhal thcse sportsmen have nothing b gain or lose excepttheir own pride. Hcnce they are able to erjoy themselves thoroughly and yct take lliisspon scriously and try to win the racc.

Appreciate jour attempt lo balance \oLtr argument with or oidmPle oJ sPorts

incorporating both Jun anal scriou.enes.t. you c.)uld look at how Jun is at the basis of the

prafessional sportsperson's tradc, etc.

Jeffrey Ng04S l6

tItIItIIIItIIt

I

I

Sporl has fallen short ofifs true ideals. Js this true of today,s world?

.".,,,,rtfr,,),'i'1"n,1:e.|ffiHii: miu) chinses over dre vcars bolh economicarrv and

ru,::ti.l*r; jll{" :i"iii:: fxlf i,'il,ii l."""fi ,., il.J;n:1".,",n:* *;u.,,,r;ng p.oprl,og"i^.;"";;T;Ti'lii :"::ilil"ill "l;T ::^'iU ;:;;l,r,n:daity tife. However. ouer rtrc rce,'. ,r," ,o.^ .".,i.1" ir"."ii'r,.a1,Ll,.rr" o, n i. ip-,.

".qell as srecrelors renJ ro plaie nrorc emplasis _ ,,," or,"o.. ,i r,l"j",nl.. ,r,r,", ,t unlhc procesi ot it. ln the process. marry iderls ot

"0",, n,, "- i"."'a.*i,i"f,,,

,,n,.,".11,i,'i;;l"j;tl,X'Illlirl],l''r::rined sraduarrv over thc )eir\ No Joubr m.m\rro g"n,". uo;.i,".]; ;;"";;:';,"::'lllns rrrnd5 wirh tlreir

'pponerrt ' I'eroIc and i,rrerdi.purc; fc111xpj.i ..p;,;; ;;,;;l',"

rrrrnv case\ w|nre ther losc thq;,...1 orcr mino',,r,i.'.. ,",,,r. l,,, " g,;:ilH;":,i'i;T ;:;i.nTiilT lHll i;m*:lspod, to be gracious winners and ,lso grxcious r^*a ,1. *"-r,r"".rriti"."..a rn auny:r]j:^iialionar

comperirions, players throi, ,r,.;..""r"i, *i.r",r,:;";;',,J:""." o. """";::J:-:.'!ili'1i':i::*:1r:;..,n-",','* p."t*"'noi- pr'v"i.',

'*ii"- ","'",i",. ,0,.,, ',ldr( lrecn ;'",,, ;,'.,;.;;,'J;"1.',',li'"u"''

is eriderrr in feni t"o ln r' \'crrr \cj,,r. rl,crcpori.",n",,n"u.iioi.;:ll;:;r:l,,i,,jji',;:;f;",i:"ll:, i::"il:,l,,ljll,:"J*ttwo I cc,rs Unrred supporters were.stabbed ,n,a""iir tf ;;ffi;;;

.ilurrish club,

l,':]:'.1.:", nsdr_sur, L,l bcrrrcuverl".,".*a,,,,r,".;",;.;;.;,"', ,: l;,''s",,.,, ,,.,,r\\ rrncls are rho\r wlru dispt.r! \turrhrlr.r\c uirl ,Jrgrity. I

' -"'rrrJir hrl att'l v Ln (rrur' lruu ro 1,, r .crcr, rrrd r,r

Ii' vies ot lh,.I rowr ! e.olr(,

::l i"r., i" ".a.,',. .""".".i ili,;t"l:iilr;i"L $,L1,'|ill.Jiil,f,:1il" ;::i:1spo':r wlere arhteres shoukt be morivjrred rry ,r*;r. frrri'"" ani,;", #il;,: gans. tr isnol uncuntmon nn$ ldays for neoolc ta

ruft *,i**;:j#l 1,,lilH:t i';1t!I :''.:l: il"i::: '1:Hfl:i".iiiilorr"''a '" '"*"a i; '

;ni:,.'' i',;::]l''l rh( rec'nr 2u04 Arhcn\ or\rnPi't sinsrrrorc

,:';"iln:,llu:ii;;;J;ii;:,:tT:tJljilt.:;i;,;;.l,tj:i,"ll.l,itTil;t,i:,i:",r,ij" i""",,., "li. Liii,j,l .,"]i;,],

A,ncricrrr .uinrrilinr: _.I\Jri,,,, $r,,, u.,. irr.L,

::,1.1"1,':,",, ,"'r,,u.r,il"'i;;ir"li.,;:I;,;;;i."t: l,l"l,',::J; ;l; :i;lllpIrdFIrstcadol rnrrerirlrrccJ.r.nrJir'\quc\ri,,nal,lc . , i. !\u u l

IriI phy. lru., l)cen .r t,llJ.i/edHow.r cr rr,is .".,;;,, ; ';.ir;l; 1",1::.;....1J;1 i,";i ljJji l :

jl',; ',il,l::i" ,1,';J;

j"J:li:'j,1l"+;,1:':illilll,'.i::"j::'.::.^:;u'. i' " ,""",,"LiJi"i, :il"i".';:l :', *", *"ill::: f.i:: ; ;" ffi.;',iil].::il.::iiJt:;':illl,Ji::,,ff1,:."1ffi1f

:: lllnerr 'lruI le:1. ,,t ,r'. brnrred Ir,,rl| l\.lni..rndtIl- A (;rr.l u(rfltrlrlt .r. tlrc ..,,rnln \ tir I

8,1

L

medalist, might be stipped qf liis bronze medal because he was found to have consumed

I'l'il:iil-t;f[:3iilJ."' o'" i' on" otrt'" -o"r-i--p;-i;;;.-';':: in:'pon. i, is

"- - .9" _9. orher band, sport has truly done its part in bonding people together. ItDnngs togerher people wirh a common interest, uniting them againJ? Jo-_._"r, oppon"nr.Jusr lasl week. people gathered rogerher in _ff.J ,,f,op. 1"A' .iublou."*, ,o *,.nSrngaporc.rn rabre rennis player. Li Jia w"i. i, ,r,"-."_ilri"i,.i'*""'6,"rn0,"r. ,n,_untied rhe people a. one counr^/ ro rend rheir supporr ;J;;;;;;;;;"il on. DespireLi Jiu Wei . lrirure ro qucriti. mu1 peopre cril srood by her and ofrered word5 orercouragenent. Thus, the unity of people through sport is stiil eviA.ni in toauy,. ,o"i"q,.

Sport and its ideals have evolved much over the years, along with economic andso(iat dcveloprnenr. sporrsnranshi' and fair play rr*J J..ii""J'"".rr.i ilrough time.Furlhcrmore, the ability of governments tuid.organizatiors to provide economic gains has

i::f,.T:,:': "l::":Desf ire ri,is..spon stirr lalconrftui.aL'.,r,"

"_f.io".p" ",0 ,t

"uur(lurg ')r a sen\e ot belonging Bu!, much has to be done to rcinlro;uce the fruc itlcals!,1 .lon. and to l.cp rh. slrrit ut .p,,n buming.

Fu used answt:r.

Daphne Ho04s26

SP@&T Q uorE s:

SURE. wtNNINc tsr.r'.r EvElvrttuo. IT's rHE oHLv ruttc- (seertsILLUsTRATED. lgSS)- H ENRY SANDERs

Tge rtlsr IHING ts rtos{DmE(DNC gLse- Il uas. PEGcy FLEmrNc

L(Ev€ y(DuR sp@RT. NEVER D(E IT T(D pLEAsE

T(D BE YOUR S.

Settous spotl HAs N@THING To Do wtrH sAtR pLA.r. lT Is BouND up\vITH HATRED, IEAL@U5Y. B(DASTFULNESS, DISREGARD (DF ALL RULES ANDsaDlsrtc PLEASURE IN wtrNEsstNG vt@L€NcE. I l.t ergea v/@RDs, IT Is waRMINUS THE SHO@TING.

-GEoRGE OR.vELL

Is it true that competitive sport is rll about fame and money?

Competilive spoft has been closely examined under a mic;oscope in the recentyears. The who's who in competitive spofl are frequently appearing in tabloids and evenon our own regular broadsheet. It is apt to discuss if competitive sport is all about fameand money, and I have to say that I agree with this stateinent to a latge extent.Competitive sport is defined as sporting activities that have amateur or professionalcompetitors in national, regional or intemational toumaments. Examples iflclude theOlympics, South East Asian Games and the Champions Leagu(j of Europe. Fame is thecelebity status accordcd to these competiron. Money is defincd as firstly the cashpunped into the competitivc spofis to ircrEasc the staldard of these sports. Secondly, it isdefined as monetary i[celtives, in thc fbrm of wagcs, bonuses and endorsement deals, forthe sporting individual.

Wc have to face the fact that Ihe coufitrics or clubs with morc digits in thcir baDi(account statcmenfs, geDerally win rnore t-rophies and medals, lhan their poorercounterparts. The pleying fteld is deinitely not level. Counrries rhar channel funds intocompctitive spons help to ircrease the spons associations' and coachcs' ability topurchase more cfficient iurd bettcr qualily equipment_ IIence, the pldyers have a bctterstandard of training then others who havc to makc do with cheaper equipntcnt.Oftentimcs, countries likc drc United St?tcs and Canada dominatc intenletionalconpeLitions bacause oI the sheer fact that they havc the spending power to do so. ln thecase of Singaporc, the Foolball Association does not hxvc the nloney to give sky highpaychecks fbr a world class. rcno(rrecl coach [nlike in Enltland whcrc thc FootballAssociation pays thc nutional coach Svc0 I}ikkson fbur irillion pounds a year. As suchtherc is a grcat dispaiity i fbotball in both coultr ies as lhc t\.vo diflcrenl coeches inparldiffercnt Ievels oi skills and taclics to thc already vastly dif_fcrcnt national teal1ls_Ilsse[tially, n]onev (irlks in compctilivc spor(s.

Fame and noncy ligure lalgely in thc competitivc sport individual's life. I he keyimpoftance o[ natural abilities, id terms of spccd, slrength end skills are oow a distantsccond place Io fdrne and rloncy. Ilorv else can rvc expLilin why fbotball playeas withastrooomically high wages still prccn and pose for advisements to earn moncyl [:lavingalrcady :ltlaincd a certalin prestigc for thcir natural abilities and astute rcadirg o1competitive gamcs, tttese pLayers hungcr fbr more by sig ing endorsement deals. Maoyfbotball playe$ prorlote products that i]Irc cn{irely unrclaled to their alea ol exprr'rrsc.Somc cven appear to pro role unheal(hy prodocls such as beer, fnst iood ancl junk fbod_For exanrple, English lbotballer, Alan Shcarer, appearcd ir :l MacDooald's lelcvisionadvertisemcnl. They 1uc uscd unrealistically in such etldo.sc tenl coolracts because theyhave to follow stlict litncss end diel regimcs, and lhus cannot tcast on srrch unhealthyfbodl Again, we see that nlany spo(ing intlivicluals havc lro qrralns aboutnlisrcprcscnling Iheir sport and not gi!ing fieir uhosl to thcir sporI, so as Io fu(her lheircelebrity sIa{us and to gct morc supflcneuts to thcir incolncs. lhe classic cxarnple istsngland football captain Dlvicl Bcckharn uho now h:N quesrionable skills as fcllowcountrJfiren lalnpoon hinl for his lack of focus in compctiliods.

\

)

II

. Many a times, spots associations in countries have dangled mooetary carrotsbefore the eyes of spofis men and women. In Russia, it is the nonn for these associarionsto promise bonuses of a few million roubles to individuals or tearns who wln medals.Money, coupled with the potential increase in fame for trophy-beadng winners, has takenover dre traditional ethos of sports. This ethos which includes values like fair play isignored irs sports personalities abuse drugs and participate in match-fixing. Jojo Sinciair,a Singaporean bodybuilder, was so athacted to the bonuses offered to he;, that she usedillegal drugs to boost her ability to win a medal in the SEA Games_ The rugby players ofNew Zealand, the world-renowned All Blacks, played to lose in the Rugby Worid CupFinal of 1999, in protest against the Rugby Association withdrawing thei. boruses of$500,000. They were not sedously condemned. Instead, they were lauded as sportingherces as their fame increased with thejr appearances in adveflisements. The fact that th;advertisers were still willing to use these match fixers show that indeed, in competitivesports, fame and money is everything.

However, some people may argue that passiol is a greater motivator than fameand money. Without passion, spofis men and womel would not have the mentality andwill powet to push remselves to their very best. For example, we sec this in thcSilgapore gymnastics team. Cymnastics is not exactly a lucrative spofi, unlikebadminton and table tennis. Yet the gymnasts havc the drive to perform well in the SEAGames 2003. It is heaftening to see sponing talenrs who t.uly love their sport but thestatus quo is such that nany playe$ arc more i[terested ilr thc n]oley and fame thananything clse. I havc pointed out clearly that their motivatioll lies in these two arcas asthcy are more than willing to overwrite the ethos of sporls and to ignore the imporlalceol intense conceotration on their sport. [n addition, sporting powerhouses and thedirccting boards of clubs have shown lhat with cash, they can easily improve their ownplayers, while othets fall far behind- Therefore, I have to conclude that compelitilc sportis all about fanre and money.

Clean, organized piece of writing alld choicc of question reflects your knowlecige of thctopic-

Elaine Chan04A51

I

With technology, sport is no longer the same. Do you agree?

The Olympics is the bjggest sporting event, attracting thousands oI athletes fromall over the world, involving countless background crew and requiing an immenseamount of planning and preparation. In the lead up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,sportsmen are training intensively, in a bid to shave off those 0.5 seconds from dreirtimiflg to meet the qualifying standards. Off thc tiack, coachcs are testing out variousmachines that can hclp improvc their chluges' strokes. Spofting brands like Nikc andSpeedo a.e coming out with their latest aerodynarnic, hydrotech range of apparcl, whichthey claim cnn maximize the wearers' strength. Nulritionists, too, are lookinlJ to see howthey can concoct thc ultimate drink to boost athletes' perfbrmance. Technology, is indeedgennale in the sporlinS arena, and renders sport ot only a test of physical abilitics, butalso a battle of sport's conplemenls.

Equipment is undeniably an epochal factor in an athlete's performance. A look eI

oul sporting heroes Lhoroughiy demonstrates this-'Ihey wear customized shocs. shirts and

swinrsuits. xnd usc {he ldtesl rackets which boast of greater speed and plecision- hseilinS. morass amounts of rDoncy arc pumped into buying ncwer, faster boals and sailswhich are shaped blNed on QuanluDr ['hysics. No one is willillg to lakc chanccs and

slingc on cquipnrcrrl. Il a rlomeirr lvhcrc cvcn 0.01 seconds counts, nothing bul the best

nrust be used-

Othcr Ihar) thcsc I)lrysicll clcmcnts IhaI can rdd that !itt]c cdgc to the cumlclilur\and boo\l lheir level of conlidcnce, lecluologi/ has citused traditionll rncthods ofcoachi g to be phrscd ou1 Conc:re thc drys where praclicc ancl repetition wcr.: drc ruleol the thunlb. ln placc (l1'Ihosc hours swinlming laps. elhlclcs havc beell introdlrced 10

machines rvhich can track do!vn, lo lhe Drinutest of details, thcir perfonnlnce levels. Evcnhcart ratc scnsors rrr coLrsidercd p$s6. q/hxt *,ith Global I'ositiouilg Radar Systcm((iPRS), which c:r[ trlce r sailor's vclocity, sailing angle and boal eLlgle throughout thcentirc duration ol a racc. Runncrs and iumpcrs irlso nlake rsc ol indoor sifirulalors 10

achieve tlritl perlccl, streamlineci posture. Swiirlrncrs:uc no exception. Sl(lies liave bee

madc to try 1() irnitrte lhe molions ol-fast-moving $,a{er animals. Tcchnology has

pro pled an cvolulion C}l the win[ing filrnula. An alhlele call no Longer clinch thc goldlrcdJl l,) l rr\, Ilr'tlrn,l. ot r r. c fr.|rrlrron.

AccLL.ate linrings and iudgmcnts havc always bee e conundrum for \prriingorga izers, all ol-whom airn at hosting a flawlcss cvcnt u|intcrruptcd by discreprncies ol'rcsults. l-ollunately- lechnology has enabled such prot)lcrns Io be rore or less solvcd.Scnsitivc digital scnsors can aulonlaticalll/ recorcl athlclcs'tintinlts, dislances aud speed.In a fieid rvhcre the dittcr.nce lrtweel goLrl and silver nlcdals can be hlitlinc thio, this is

cssential. llowcvcr, tcchnology has created competili(xt in lhe spofli0g arLrna. by rrcansofachieving thc bcst infrastmcturc. Co[ Iries like I)alis. Mad]id :r d Lon&)n boast oftbclatest slalc ol--thc an sladiums. conlplclc $itll srnooth lracks and electronic deviccs,hoping to clinch lhc bi.l to holl lhe 2012 Olympic (;lrncs. lhe crilerion lbr tire hoslcountry is rlo lonllcr nrcrcly secrrrity lnd rbilily, bur no.,v includcs thc standrrrd offa(:ilities

)

:-\

l)

\

I1l

Il

88

On the other hand, competitive spoft still essertially boils down to an afhlete,stalent, hard work and passion, which is the true nature ot sport. One cannot cveD dreamof crossing thc finishing line frst, even equipped with the most advanced aids, if onedoes not put in one hundred arld one petcent of cotxnitment. It can be argued thattechnology can be portayed as an insidious virus that feeds on the spirit of sport and robsit of its es$ence. However, we must first take a look at the definition of sport _ a domailwhich challenges physical abilitics. Even with the inexorable dse of teclnology, theelement of physical ability remains rhe most influential factor that makes a spoflsman.

While tcchnology has ifldeed made spo.t "no longer the satne,', it is clcar that theheart of sport remains unchanged. Technology is merely there to enable atltletes to goswifter, higher and stronger- Technology has brought attention to other arcas conLributiugto sport, such as thc preparation and the cquipment, and made use o[ thesc to rnaximizcthe potential of athlcfes. The world of sport is not impervious to the advancements iuteclxrology, and should therefore embrace it and make the tullest use of it, lor technologyis here to stay and will cortinue making charges to sport.

At least 3 stntng points- Overlooks [ssues like commercialism and cheating.

Fawn Soon05,{51

SP@RT O u@TE s:

THr mgoars o@NrT nEAN ANYTHING aND THE GL@RY DoESti'T LAST. IT'sAtL AB@UT Y@UR HAPPINESS. TTiE NEWIN.PS ARF GOINC T(D COME, BUT MY

HAPPINESS IS IUST L@VING TH€ SPORT AND HAVING FUN PERFORI]IING.

'JACKI€ J@yNER-KERsEE eu@TEs (Amerrcar ATHLETE, oNE of TH€ BgsT

FEIIIAI.E ATHLfTES IN THE V/ORLD, D.I962)

VIcrer.v IsN'T DEFIN€D By vtNs @R LossEs. IT Is DeFIN€D B.r EFF@RT. IFy@u cAN TRUTflFULLY sAy, 'l DrD THE BEsr I couLD, I cAV€

EVERYTHINc I gao,' 'IueH Y@U'R€ A .\T/INN€R.

"\(/ouFca.lc ScHADLER

rd

89

'tHcal the world! make it a better place.', Can we?

It has been said, that as the first ge2fs of the industrial revolution cranked intomotion, an invisible clock powered by those gears began a countdown towards the totaldestruction of nafute. As nations aspired to ever-greater industries we hastened the handsof thc invisible clock. Humanity is consuming the very earfh, in a reckless and dangerousmatu1er. The earth is ill and the symptoms are hardly invisible.

_Ore environmental problem that has captured our attertion is the thinning of the

ozone layer caused by the emission of chlorofluoroc.ubons (CFCS) tiom factories. andce ain chemicals cornbine with ozone to form va ous other substanccs. The destuctionof the ozone layer left a hole in our shield against harmful ultra violet rays from the sun,Ietling thesc ca'cer-causiag rays to rerch rhe surlace ot the (anh. The;ir ls t red withgases rcleased by cngines and factories which trap the sun's heaf contributing to thegrcenhouse effect. The resultant risc in global tenperature has wreaked havoc with theclimate of various regions making hot places waamer and cold places cooler. In someilstances, even the reverse has been observed. Cefiair y, the recent recorcl high rainfallaod temleratures in Singapore have been attibuted by scientists and mcteorologist to thc.lrarrge in uerrlrcr pitll,.m\ Laused by rhe incrcased greenllou\e e ir.t.

An average of one football tield-sizcd tract of foresl is bcing clearcd every minuteand cveryday- The loss of each and cvery tree is causing incvirsible damage to thecnvironnent. Trees act as natural air- conclitiooers, prodicing oxygen ancl absorbingcrrbon dioxide - a strong greenhouse gas. This is o[ top of thc loss

-of b;ocliuersity anA

\\.ilcllift caused by such destxclion. Judgitg fiorn rnan,s dcstruction of thc fbrests which.cncws the air, much can be told of our unbridlcd grecd and ir$atiablc needs. lt is clearlhat il we c()ntinlre to carry out deforestation al such an aL4rming rate, our edvironmeltalwocs will ol)ly bc exaccrbated.

_ We arc not only killing innocent wildlife, wc are slowly siratgling the rest ofhunranity as wcll- Thc sea and other bodics of water has become conieniint dumpingsites leading to tragcdies such as the Minanrata Bay incident ir Japan whete newbomssuftc.ed ftonl mcrcLrry poisoning clue to contaninatcd fish. The trails of nran,s grecd arevisible everywherc - the poisoted air anLl water and massive dcfbrestatio[ Ir manydaces of the world. peoplc literally wallow in dirt. Thcse sha ly towos located in garbagedunps are an affronl to human dignity_ It is not right that people shoulcl Iive amongsrsquatter and plague when we can build entire mega conur-bations with glearningskyscrapers- Nor roo Long ago, dis:lster srruck a shanr; town in thc philippines whcntonential rains caused the local mountain of debris and junk to coll:rpse on the people.

,.--_ _,:^l".lnt, what. is wrong with world is thar wc are dcstroying and consumirg

lncrcrslng amounts of its finite resorrrces k) o)eet our necds and yct there rcmain lcgion;of sterving. povefty stricken peopre in areas rikc rhe centmr rcgions .f Afiica and NorthKorca In facI, thc nurnbcr of people below tlre poveny line is giowing.

)

,)

\

91)

It is possible, that we could heal rhe world: Is ir possrble rhar we could minirnizeervircnmerral degradarior and human suffe""g .. "";,'

.'.;;;.;;" o.llr." 0"r",The damage done asdnst earth. has not gone unnoticed. Stricter laws againstillegal toggjng and polturion have. been

"rj"a. n"ri-"-.itA"'i"t ui.t, totfrygovemmenrs -inrensety

in tursuit of their causes. Brt th" ;;;;ti;l ia,iert e. rhis isenough. The K\olo prolocol was an agreemcnt to cut do\ n oI harmtul Fas em_rssions byindustrialised nations. yet, the worti,s gr*"r, i;d""i;l1r;;il: _ the Unir.dstates, has yer to commir itself ro the r,y.," n","".ir.. iir" .i,1ro*"i"ll" rr", u nllrn,hinder economic growth testimony to humun g.""a una ."H.h;.."..

Brazil recently created the world,s largest rainforest reserve, an area mary timesbisser than siosaporc itsen However, illegai,toget;; ;ili ;;;;.;; ]i'tiJi.ine" or tr,"reserve. The govemmelt has been accused- of ,*ii.ri " iJ'.y", tecu'use tn"y hav.vested interest in such acriviries. .l.he pany in po*". iJofrfrg"i"a-;o po*"iiur

"o.poni",which. lund the political party - creatrng a loop ot self scrving purpose_ h olher-.^":i::i"_rl

,h. sovemmenr_is siruply powirless ,.' ,ro;;;i,-;;;;;,ti'..". ? ,n. ,un*"regloD, govemments not onlv have to lulfill the basic needs of the p"upl" .*i o. "."otingagricultural land btrt they arso have to struggle to provide basic ame.itics of crea. waterand power. The prorccd;n ofthe environmeit is siinply not a pri.;t. -" --

People, nations alld govemnlents have clearly recognized that we are incxorab]yheading towads a roral environmenral catastrophei i;;..-;;;'";;";;;"ri .u"n ". tn"

1;::: i::::.:l llj.:: come irrro,bcrng ro sroq rhe di\ e,r i,,," ,,, ip". "5

p* v., a,. ,osEr rnrcresr\. ue rre clearlr holdrrp Lrecl rt nur .rllcrnpr\ r., n,in,,niz.. irr ,l.,ne rer,.rsetire enr' ironmentJl dtnlir'e

Have we done our bcst to ease human suffer.ilg? Statistics have shown that thcgap bc''veen the Jich and rhe poor is wideni,rg una "u;ln ,h;.i"h;i nli.,'.] ,rr"r" .*irr,many Iayers of social strara of grcar disparity. Even uhcn J.," l,"'"lj pr.g.^,r. r".rnarrv l\o\ed) !tncLe attons. tltete ita lanlls rnd paotaatio,,,,t. _*lua.r rfr,nr,exports keeping them shackled.

It is crear that we are abrc to do more, so much .'iorc to hear this carth ard makelife for its inhabitants rhar much rnore plcasanr. To ..f,""f ifr" *",ii-"J'."t i, "

Uo",place" is a high noble aim, an ideal h;ld back by ,h" .Mi;,, ;i';i;;rr.',"'.r. *" r,"u"willingly bound ourselves with.

I!:':,:.!:,., :,,:::":,,tt a1,n, 167 1'apyulTnpnt \\,u,p,,.rt,,tnty,tur,t,,n, tuut prctnu\w0rK h\'?\, cJJl,tg tn thi\ d, nanJint qucr!ion. W"lt J., ,.

Lim Yao Jun

IIItIIIItIItI

in

"Scicncc enslaves, the arts liberates." Discuss.

Science, the methodological study of the world around us and the application ofknowledge for the bettennent of Man, has always been compared to the arts, the studyand approciation of beauty, whether found in a painting or a theatrical performance. Theformer, due to its stricl guidelines and, well, methodological approach at vicwing thingsarcund us, has always been perceived to enslave, limiting our space and freedom to thinkand act creatively. The latter, on the other hand, is viewed by many as a me:ms to free themind and soul by invoking layers upot layers of thought and self-reflection.

Many people would agree that the arts do indeed liberate an individual in terms ofthought. The arls introduce a spectrum of angles and perspectives to viewing cenainobjects and issues, giviDg dre individual ample room to think and explore freely. Take,for instance, the famous picture ofMona Lisa. Though centuries, this pictu.e continucs toengage the nasses, binding countless people to it because of the beauty and nlystcr iouselements it possesses. Science, however, is not given as much regard in the hearts ofthese people. They see science as opprcssivc and enslaving. The study ol Scicnce hasproven lo be very rnuch the case. For instance, in schools, students art taught to followcertain steps closely whcn pedonning science expcriments during paactical lessons.Failure to do so would resuit in dre loss of marks. Under such circumstances. thc studcntsare taught lhat science is a very monotolous and boring subject because they aLe grvenvery limited opportu ties to exprcss their creativity in the subject. In this light, indeed,the arts liberatc while science enslaves in some ways-

Howcver, it is the ftrst pan of thc thesis statement that I find faulr wirh. Science infact gives humans immense opportunity to let their imagilation run freely. Fbr rnstrutcc.il'a pcrson were to talk about laoding on the moon a f-ew ltundred yeals ago, he no doubtwoulci bc brandecl an absolute lunatic. However, our gcneration bears witoess to thespectacular achievements of space exploration. This is possible only bccause sciencegives us the capability to do whatever we so dream- [n this perspective, I think scicnccnot only does nol enslavc the human luind, but it facilitates us in our accomplishment ofwhal we used to think was impossible and allows us to dreaftt even bigger dreanN thallbetbre.

Science also liberates hum{ns fronr thc woes of physical coostraints and tiees us,or lrost ol us, fiom pressing problems likc poverty, starvatior and diseascs. Majorcor?orations like IBM are already nuking imprcssive headway in improving thc livcs oimiliions world widc through their inteNive rescarch on nanotechnology. tn 1999, IBMsuccessfully rnanipulatcd xenon atorN to lol1n thc ietters "I,B M". lf anytlitg, the futurclooks rosy lbr coltpanies and cvco the proverbial man on the street. With technology abillionlh of a nletrc in size, companjes will run on small computers with the capacily andefficietcy of rno.e Ihan a million computers used at prcsent. The econoory and societycvc|tually. lvill be brought to wholc ncw fiontiers. Also, thc use of scicncc has enabledagricultural production to increase many fold due 1() advanced methods likc hydroponicsand aerophonics. as well as the use of lnor.e resiiient caops and more efficienl pesticides.Added 1() this is the relculless improveolents made ill thc tield of medical science, which

),<:'

p)

\

I)

ll

92

l*" ::::l::ll 11" ^:1y,l"jT" of previously life_rluearenins diseases like smal_pox .

3:^J:::ib,'lg.',:f .etiminaring,more has grented r,,*u"r"r.ng."iy.'-i'i;;'fitiie,

l*"j":,1i:t:^tl ilqll "l:1,:"*1" :' t ""j"je machines smarr en"o"di.;;i;;#;;;

ll.^"1,"-.1": .:".*e possibte blockages. Science has given us a *fr,ii" rr"* i""."-.f"fii",Iiberating us from physical corNtraints, poverty, st;ation ana aiseas" itl,ough notentirely) which shackled and enslaved us humans in the past. Hence, ,fi"rri" ao". not

enslave us as is mentioned in the thesis statemenf

Science has also broken down barriers, be it physical or not, in our modem worldto b.ing about globalisation. The Intemet and alr forms of mass meriia, has allowed us tocreate a 'gl.bal village'. we are now able ro communicate with others alr around theworld instantaneously through the Intemet. Through our $atellite broadcasting, we canfiod out what is happenilg at, say, the other side oi the world at the moment rt happens.Science has given us immense freedom in terms of interaction with people fiom otherp,uas of the globe. In Singapore, secondary school students are given opportunities tobminstorm ideas for projects with other studeDts from other nations through theintemational

. competition, Thinkquest. Not only do thcy develop an intcllectual

camaraderie' but they arso learn from each other's culture and broadcn their ho zons_ Inthis sensc, science should be applaucled for liberatitg us from cultural, physical, andreligious barriers_

In conclusion, I am of the firm belief that science does not cnslave us. [n allhonesty, science has tieed us i[ nrore aspects tl.nn one and, iD my opinion; it will onlycontilue to do so irstcad of limiting our-thouShts and actions. p"rsono y. I think thutbo[h thc arls and scielcc are cmcial if the human race is to prosper. With science comestangible satisfaction and fulfillmcnt. As science co'tillucs to flourish, so too wr ournatural propensity to fulfil and achieve non tangible appetencics made ail the [loredistinct with scientilic progress. Hence, science and the aris actually do conlplement cnchother in bringing about our libcration in all respects, whcther physical or mental.

Fluent.and engaging s4'Le of writing. Hov,ever, thcre i.t not enough tliscussion on thea,r.ts. There is too much emphasis on science ttntl whcther it liberatis. you must givt thelliscussion on the art.t adequate foc6_

Zhen Junjie04s6.4

IIItIIIIIIIItItI93

Any change in society begins in the school. Comment.

Oftcn, when a countrv wrnrs 10 change dhection, the first area the govemment:l-c"".i: the education sysrem. rr is *ry i,"rrJ-i"r'tti. .'nffi,"'r'rr." .nua*trrepresenf the future of societv and it 1s lmportant to use education to ensure that the fufure*r;.:i:"-:-t^:"::f l as rhe govemmenr sees it. However, white it is ce.rain that school,J d ^cy prd(e ror cnange tn socjetv. I have my doubts over the claims that any change insociery begins in schoolonly.

Many beliefs are builr inro us through schooling. Irl China, for example, thecornmunisr ideotogy is hughr ro srudents f; "

y;;;;';e.. j.*ln.iy i"our,rr"., .i*"aschoolirg prcvenrs peulle of diftcrenr .".. ,."ln'uI""arr"i.#,", .;r"""i, o* ", *.,,other. As pcopte grolr otder. rhev rend to \ricl ,"",. i" ir," u"fi.i, *,.r,',n"r"d",. n",o f".,to since rhey were young, and iiis har,r ;J,,d;".r'I;;;"".',i,*ij!li"'ln* *",,'*,nrluril wa) ro cltangc socictl wollld bc to e ect the changc irr sclrooll

However, even bcfore a chilj enbrs school, his educatiol has, in a way, startcdalready. A chitd generallv ontv enters scho"l ", ".;,,;J;;;;;;;;;": il;:su,.,", p."_school seven yexrs of toial dependcnce or his or her parenti worird n,ake a chird trust hisparents more tha' anyonc else. As a rr,ult, not ,,ri1 do ,f," p"r""rr'"i rir" .f.ld aflect his\rlue .)\tern tnJ b.licf\ bclurc lhc.hrl,lcn,",. *frl"f . fr,,, .1"" r;;" ";i:;;;":.illor, l;':chitd is unlikcly ro fiod fautr in much of what ni;;;;; ;;; ;;; .i,,ili],,1t, u* 0","r"and orindsct of (he child is esscorial.rbr

""v J,..;-;; ;;;1;;r."o,f,1'i*1i',, ,n" ..," .,schools in nloulding thc vouth ol., natrul is un.lcurablc. tf," ,nte ,ri. rt," p,r.!ni. ;n str"pi,rgthe devctopmcnr of rheiichirdrcn atso e rn,,", b.,;";,;;d. ;1,".. ,iriiiili..ii * ,,r, .i:)mtlrr'

3n) rhrngc rn sorrery bcgrns onry fio'r school, fb,;;; ;i,;;i;;;sr coinc rhe

.whrrc crery schnorrng chiLJ spcrrLLs a rar*e propoftion of his life in school and arnonrc. rtr. lcncrrl srrvironrrrcnt rrurrnd hjrrr *ii

"ir"'.,i",-, t,. ,,.""i"n,"." ,.r1. orcn,rrrrplt.rn,,ronrr\i,srobeconrcacr*ncruiry,i,,;,;;,;;.;,j;;;1 ','n.]."n,n,,,,,,,drsLegurd\ rhc,rirn iu(l Ii eas wilholr,-.^ ,r," .r,iri..*",i,,:.'#;J;";;::,i:l:"i"':::11,'T"i.jiffi'lilJ"::ffi:.ii:l,,;tcachers ard parents re' the child rhar r,u.ring i"-*,ong, ,r," .nu.i' ,,*r'lr11i'l,l ..o*o,,accept their reachilgs aod mav insrejr,r q,r.sri; rh.,rr-if?li-;;",,"j'*i" rr"il 0",,u"orr,he .rr(er t,reri'g. ror'.r cjrrrree ,^ *.;,,1, .. "",,,^".; ;'j:^:]l:': 'l'lll,:" ''=:also chrnse _ ety, a portion of the general adult populatlon must

FL,r it rh ntc Ln the xtllllr noDulttion, govertmcnts have var.ious lnethods tor.hoo.' frr,rn Srrrgrp,,1,, 1.,,n "."-pi. ul,",. ro,,uu, Jpprod.llr\ hr," b..,, ,"1";.ii;J;thc Sirrg;p1i gr,q.n'.rcrt dcerdpd i^ ,,,11,q 51ag;rp,,1.. x (lcancr rrry. ,,", ,,r.u l;"';;:ilmcthods the rnass media anct srricr taws. R"p;.;,;;,;il.: ,,,i ,.i"'rl,..il ."0. _oposlers in the srreeh. have drilled inro p."pr", irr" ,.p"n"-^* "l',i,.r]iil,"J'," u*0,",Singaporc clean. For those who lemaine6l xniJon,,1n16d, there are harsh punrshntenrs fbr_littc.ing. The campaign has been largety ,"...""f"1.-;;;;

"p;;,.*'r,i",iil " r*"r"

lH1

)

III

94

in.society not only help convince the adult ?opuration, but arso further shape re child,s.mindsets-

""'.^^, T:1":.-l::e-ver. a sma _ group d changes in sociery thar have to beg1n lrom

::"9:' lo. most narural example would be a change in t-he economic structure ()1socrety. ior wagcs to risc, or laboa standards to improve, schooling is necessary. Suchchanges have to start from school_

_ However, in general, it cannot be said drat any ch:rDge in society begins in theschool. If the change is to be successfully impt"..nr.O, cir.,rg-. tn*i __'" f-_ Ur p*.of socioty. Most of all, any chalge in society musr O"gil i-. it.-f"ra".ship of thecountry.

l: :,:r!,:-t:::,Jiscusl'iun Mth poinrs we supportett. The tast paragraph shoutd havt:Deen PLtrt ol lht {nnt lu.riun. lt ir rurltcr weak st(tnding on its owr.I gioa' 1i,,r, ,,""u1 .

Paul Ho05s31

Itt-

iE ouca,rlel eueTEs;€oucartex's puRp@sE rs ro REprAcE aN Emprt- mtND \x/rrH aN tsp€N(DNE.

- IlIalcorm 5. F@RBEs

CHANGE DoEs N@T NEcEssARrLy assuRE pR{EGREss, BUTImpL.ACABLy ReeutREs cttatcr. EoucalloN ts essENTIALEDUCATI@N cREATEs B{ETH Ne\x/ .wANTs AND THE 46ILI.IYTH ! ll].. H ENRy STEELE CommAc€R

PR@GRES5

T(E CIIANGE,

T(E SATISFY

Eouc.a,rtel ts rHE trosr p@wERFUL wEap@N \r/HtcH y<su caN usE T@CHANGE TflE \?'(D R L D.- NsLsou I1l aHoe La

,]

History is dominated by wars. Discuss'

History is the very essence of our being and existelce' Historical.study does more

rhan Drovide in insight into past events and erables us to make better judgments in the

f"*.J. H'"..v that ietails armed conflict' inrlustrial atlvancements' modem and ancient

culhrral deveiopments help us to appreciate our plogress The detailed scrutiny and

unufy.l, of wai*e has made the most significant impact in shapirg our society and

contributes greatly to the other facets of historical study'

The study of warfare encompasses advancements in cultural- and industrial

history. It is thro;gh battles that cultural influences can cross transnational bordcrs and bc

;;;; ;t.g -aiy. F.om the beginning of time, great civilizations such as rhe ancient

egyp,i"* "tia

dle Holy Roman Empirc extend their beliefs, customs and religions

i#ligt Ltr" acquitition of new lands. Islarn was brought to Europe and Asia Minor due to

*" n_u*".oua conquests of the Ottomalr Turks Similarly, the Renaissance which was

UitttrcJ it, ftofy advanced rapidly throughout Europe due to the many military conflicts

between the Euopcar nations betweer 1494 and 1559

The waging of battles is thus also used Js r rool to Proplgate jndrlidual cultural

ancl social oorris ;hich are still bcing enforced till this day Hence' culturirl changes are

feriptrerat tu histn.ical study as this aspcct of study can be discussed under warfare which

is tlie main factor in influcncing the cultutal diversity in the world we know today

tn addition. war has.also sparked off sotrlc of the grcatcst dcvelolrncnls in

industrial and technological history Trade was eslablished betwecn colonies ;rnd

diif*",rt c.runL.i". "s

a rJsult of warfarc. For exarnpie, the Holy RorDan lmpire had one

oiitr" ga"ot.at trade retworks in the lBrh centuly' Rome had a very powerluL arny and

,h.uugti i,. continual coDquesls for neighboring laods' established trade cent(rs in rvcr]

city iiactluired. This was to elrsure thaf Rome herself had access to as many rcsourccs as

possibte. Frorn therc, tlade took ofi in thc western states which gradually led i() 11 vibrxnl

economy fbr all who participated in it.

Warfare has the grealcst influence on oatiulal progress and is thc primxry

cortributor to shiils in Poiitical systcms antl results in greater i tcmation{l cooperatio[

ln ancierlt China, the u;ificatiul of the various warring states was only made possible

tkough wadare which saw the Qin ant1y consolidating China's lands and this led to a

monaichy which ensured grcater uniforrnity. This brought great progress fhr China in

later years. Wars also lecl io Sreatcr intcrnational corsensus and cooperation r\ scen in

the settiog up of the United Nations Council in 1963 after the corclusion of world War

rwo- rhe'Uit, an international body that is recognizcd' presides over numerous global

issues ancl ensurcs Eireatcr accounlabilily and tolerance between natioos This is thc

signif-rcaocc of war on iflternational and national Progress'

Thirdly, histo|ical accounts of warfare still remain relevant to decision making

today. Becau;e of past experielccs in war' diplomacy ancl delcrrence are now the mxin

focus of every country's delerse policy. A large pctcentage of a countly's oational

)

7_

4

I

96

budget is devoted to defense and the analysis of strategies of war. Historical studies ofwar give us infonnation of the strcngth and specializatior of various countdes, militarystrategies. For example, America focuses on stealth weapons and Russia, submarinei.War crimes and abocities in the past are also noted and this has led to the formation ofthe International criminal court and the establishmeot of the International HumanitarianLaw. The reminder of great suffering during wals has made us realize more than evertoday, that peace and tolerance is of utmost importance. These aae the contributions ofwarfare to historical study that has made and led to the greatest and most importantgrowth irl humanity that severely outweighs the other aspects of history.

Even then, some would still believe that cultural and industrial history capturesthe glory and failures of nankind better than the study of warfare, which focusesprimarily on the bittemess of man. [n the study of wa.fare, the glory and beauty ofculfural advancements are ofte[ undennined and;ndushial leaps and depressions ate alsosidelined as war takes center stage. As such, the study of history will never be completewithout the study of the nugniticent murals in lhe tombs of the pharaohs or the musicand dance of the lndians. Howevcr, I disagree with tiis statemelt as in lookiog at wars inthe past, we also study the way countaies finance their wars and note significant artisticstrxctures alising from the creatio[ ofdelence structures.

ln conclusion. dle hislory of the world can be summed up in general as thc studyof warfare as this study has made the greatest contribution in shaping our nations and isalso thc most rclevant to today's society. It helps us appreciate our roots and heritage escultural and industrial developnteots can all be linkecl in coote rvay or anothe. to warfare.

An exempku! piece oJ writing. A beftef lret:rh.ni oJ rc aherndte viewpoints could har)emade tht.' une at rht h, \! pir, , \

^ t t tt, n.

Iiona'l an

04s44

tttItIIt:

tIIIIIII

91

Comment on the state oftraditional arts in your country.

Singapore is a multi racial society where rnzrny races liva h:rnloniously in onccountry. For example, Matays, hldians and Chinesc can live togethcr in the sane block offlats- Therefore, there is a wide variety of lladitional arts made available to Singaporeans.Examples arc the wayang, thc traditional Chinese drama, and traditional Malay andIndian dances o| music- However, these forms of traditional afi are losi g thcirsignificance in present Singapore.

Traditional arts io Singaporc are losing students who arc willing to leam theseforms of aft. There arc less pcople who are willing to learn as compared to in the past. [nthe past, probably every race would want to leam their respective forms of traditional itrtas it was passed down from ge eration to generation. Howcver, thcse days, what ourgraldmothers know might not bc what rve know. Evcn though professional institutioltstcaching tradilional arls arc still available, there ale very few takers, especially

^nrong the

youths. For exarllple, iNtitulions teaching traditional Itdian drnces rnd the mastery ofmusical instrumerts are in abundancc at Excclsior llotel. I-Iowcvcr. cach time I visit thatplacc, I realize that thcre is only a handful of sludents in each institution, d they arcpri[rlrrily aduits. It appears that traditional erts have lost lheir appca] to lcarners,espccially thc youngcr gcnelalion-

Singaporeans have been exposcd Io various fbnrN of ar1. both modern anci

traditional but traditional arts sccnrcd to havc lost thcir appeal to local audiences. Eveuthough lhe elderly still appreciale sLrch folms of arl. lhe|c are fe!\, l'rour thc voungcrgeieration who would lollow their lbolstcps and nke to the traditio'rel arts. For exalrlple.in the annuai Chincsc ghost fcstival which occurs in thc scvcoth nlonth o[ lhe Chi ese

lulral calendar, rneny perlbrmanccs rre pul up. hr lhe past, the nrost cornnloll lcri)rolancclhat we see rvould be the wayaDg Holvcver. nowadrys, due to thc l.rck ol suppo( ffdnaudienccs. the perlbrmallces havc swilchcd liom tr:rdilionri wuyurg to thc nrodclr'pop'and 'rock' pcrformanccs- Thcrcf_orc. traditional afts hevc lost thcir nrass appeal.

The rrass media loo has conlibuted lo the decline in inlcrc\t ill ahe triLditionalarls.'Iraditionxl perfonnances that lve often sce broadcast oll lelevision i thc past havcsomewhit decrcascd in numbcr- This is inclusivc of 'Art Centrirl'. thc tclcvision charuelspecially set up in favor of ihc pcrtbrmio8 arts. ln rcccnt ycars. wc rarcly scc prograNresshowing rvayangs, Melay da ccs or Indian music anynrorc. I rccall in nry chil(lhood days,Sunday rrror nings' lelevisi<lrr progranmes wcre usually wayangs pcrlormed in Clnloneseand Teochew, but we clo not see these regulariy these deys- In thc pdst, *,c oftcn haddrania scnrls or [rovies witir thelnes revolving around the traditionill afts- For cxanrp]c,productions had plots bllilt around wayang silgers or even Malay danccrs. and q,c oflcnsee such plots in these traditional artisles' Iives. However, now sllch thcmes have shiftcddirection; productions lhesc days, n)ore ofte than not, are built on the slories aboutyoung pop artistes; pcople iue no longcr intcrcstcd io storylines ol lraditionel irrtistes.Theaefbrc. on the whole, even lhe .nass medit has cerscs trkiDg i tcrcst in dlc tradilionrlarts. Thcy arc losillg fLrblicity.

-)

b--d,4H]\i-l

\

II

98

, The traditional arts probably r'st emerged as a form of entertainment rbr thepeople. People used to view these forms of an.a; a form oI relaxari"n a.rJ f-.oUaUfy aaifyentedainment. However, these afls have lost their enrenai"-"nt ,uto., ii'_y, *a mu.evolved to become more of a ritual in tradifioml f""lu" o""u.io.r* io, .**pt",traditional Malay and Ltdian dance: or music ate most

"f,"n,""n u, *.Ja;ne*, N"l' V..or Racial Harmony day celebrations, bur no longer car be seen in the i?rm of aaityentertaioment. They are so rarely seen now that we can assume they have lost theiteltertainment value but have become a dtual for festive occasions.

In my coulrtry, the traditional arts are losing their stnnd and have nearlycompletely lost their inJluence on the people. There are few takers and audiences whosfill appreciate and lose these forms of art. They are being rapidly displaced by themodem forms of a.t such as .pop' and .rock' muiic, ana .n"lp t op, iances. Traditional2rrts are no longer as popular as they once were when there were fewer forms of otherentertainment.

Goh Xin Yang0-5s3 r

ItttIIIIIIIIIIII

I

I

l

Genetic Patenting

,, , Dl" to the pioneering rcsearch of rhe Human Genome projecr, an intemationalcollaboration of scientisl,s, as well as the contrib_utioo of priuu", !"iornii, "o.po."rion.,we now have rhe abilitv to isolafeil;; di;;i;#il,ffi: frili: "i:$ Sij[Ji"1 [T.5:"Ti"li]:,"":'":[Jj

ll b 1a*-tt, the_ genes which frompr cerrain human diseases. io. "in_pr.,

g"o"ti"screening for key breast cancer senes is ut "uay

.o_rnon io eullf", iniitio.v. ,"i.nti.r.a chance ro signilicanrly alter an'.l e\ en cure the carl) forms .f .un."r. H"*":;;:::1"";companies also attempt to cash in on-jnvaluubf. ."liirr ,.."*.t'r"r"ri *" oo""ri.,of individual senes, and profir from firnher *".k i. ,h", ;;;. C;;.;;;: over : rnilliongenome relared patenrs have been f.iied in rtr" U,fr.d s;;;;p;;*iario?*.-alt oti".(USPTO), parking rhe beginning of a trend of g"r"d.;;;;;.-Why patent? Accorcling to NHGRI. falenring provides a srrirregy fbr protectingrnvenlio s rvilhour .errec). b\ ptdntil.tg rhe rrght to cxclu.lc other. frui makrng. using.ztnd sclling any resrs baseLl on drk.

gene. lhis rnonopoly encouraee. ;it:l-:l 1!: gcne"and/or particrrlar rnutations in tlte

d'p,ica ror ;r;,i;l ',j';J";:,;': ,l::111"ff,,1,1,;;::Ti",#,ni."l",jll:"";,'T:

standa.d justificarion for pateuts in comnrcrcial seLtingi; bowevei ii i.*urrusrrut in ir"conrroversy precisely because the subjccr_ ir rooks t"o p","ni i"ot"oa-g.n", ,r"essenriatty a paff of Dafure. a basir: hurJding bloL:k "f

lit . +;-,;;, ;l;;efic parenting1-o1lo ,let

one ore11rlnr own alr ur pan of -another or;;.i',,';;;;; ;:;,rershrp of aprtrcurrr gene. whieh wc att share in our borries.

"h;*, , ;.;;i;t.;j to, hun,"nityand sclf owncrship o[ one's body. per,nn;tl). r r."i ,i i.; *."pi"ir.',i .T,r"puni.. *is, topalcnl lrcarment{ thJt tdrg,.r sfrr,.rli\.t.t|e bL n,,l tlre Acn.\ ti,.,,,..1r"* '

'Ihe thrusl of the economic algLltrrnt behind gcncrrc latenling is that withoutpatents, lhe lucrativc incenrive ro invcsr r\ould.f,rninii. *t,i.ir-ir',hi, a.,lr".,n"a,"o1research. However, baruring parenring,acrualty prorecrs rii" p;ii.-;,r;;:;;r;r rn Senomeresearch, which could becomc *^.t.i ir puu.,i" ..rrrpn^.J .rrifl. 'uu"_o,r'

,,, ,.a""..ni::":;l::l :j:: lll,^,1:lo ,: o:::, ' N;" """ , r;;:;r; , ";,",,"i'l'"#0"",_, 0".n,,,,,ur BsIlcrrc frrentrng Jjr bd.ic:rll) JrLrItng rh.rr e. orrnmrr .elt. letest b.irrc th" ,rr, .tsood h) re.rricrinp ac,.c\s lu rhe ohi.,.r br:irrg p.rrrnrr.,t wf,if. ,, i" i,r. ,fl],

"pl,,"n,,ng do"-allow t\uhtic rccci\ rn rhc research :rn,r d";:r;r,;:;;;"h,';,i,;.;1,:;i'll.ll;-"n",, ,,genetic-testing, which we must note is speedlly becomjng the spotlight of research as the\.irrrtifrc currlrrunl\ pcer\ rrnre rnr.nrly rluuryh ,t," ,nir.oil.r,". ,.,,,ur", ,,,,,pos\rbihr) or

"rhcr* g"rri'g rn o, rhe rcserr.h r. r.i.,rrr. 'n ll;;:;;;J;:

" :". ,.

"".",and Ai.ls rhe ven nurror ot dL,iror\ hrvirt rtr,,, tr,rr,,t* i,,,r n,,,.1r'lii;',',l.; ", I,n,,,"profiteers seems abhorent. Iostead of protc"t,,rg ttr",l: ."r.,o..tr',inu'"airrr"n,. ,n.l"typerhaps should reconsider rhe social duty of p.i",,r" ""r..p11."",'

*friJf,".flor,o ,.y ,ofacilirare screnritrc :Lid ir eny wrv rhcv can. For ex:rmpl". ft; H.;"; ;;;,;,re ero.j..r i.a uniqu,.cramplc ot d cornFirnv urr,t ,,rrkc, all rr.,r..;rrch ,."i1 ,,,d nrL,f".il ^",,f",,1.t hc prerailing hclrct, rs rhai rlr,, ,s ,,, srer

"r -,,.r, , ,.", i,"p,',,,,,i*',r,,i oliill ", ", "n,to mankind, rhar rtrere should be no reti irrrerc.r'<rr i,"fJi;-",i,.,'g.i,-)j.,"."u..h.

Nonetheless, the primary problem of aru prrcnlljrL l. t,no rn .t"u.top" ci,eap, avartable

lk:1ri1

)

It

t00

trcalments and screenings for diseases, which are so dangerous ro so rnan! 0.,)t .. ,.r . .,icof dre pctcnt? Ofrcnlirnes. tlre lime limit on r.lre prtenrs Lsr r; i; l; ;";'that in the inrerim, nothing ca'be ttonero rhe;il ;;;il;;;;."iil'"." ,"i";ri!;iiwith heatdr problems or diseases which can be traced Uu"t to-g""iri"-ii*,.a"r. o,malfimctions. With calcer on the rise, we can ill afto.d the isolat.a

""*.to.ilrltv of g"rr"ti"testing, which if it does not fmd an evenrual cure, could

"r l;;.; ;_;;;; ;uy to**d,providing a temporary 'crutch,.

. understandably' bioethics are a difficurt balance between the vested intercsts ofp.ivate companies, who are answerable to their stockholders -J -o,i'uJt"a lu,t";.wealth, and l}e benefit ot rhe public. who srand to gJin :iny Llegree ;i i.;;;;;.;; i;their standard of life arrd are interested in their heatth. gven ii we ieet that niedicine,s soleprrprrse is lo servc iociery. ue carutot ignore lhc l(glimrle inr.rerr, ofc.,,npa,,,".; tl,u, ,rrs drllrcult to say whrch side has any abrolutc priorily. and wc can only hope to matntJininc Irnc oarrnce wtthoul comprum;<ing bioethics. lcrhrps thcn il is under.t:Ildablc \ hythis controversy rages on.

It is the patent of genes which allow them to prcvent otler from caping tq withtreatmctts that could rival their reel monopobr_

Sonya l,iilay04,451

IItIIIII

ll0l

TragedJ and Our Response

Wifh regard to the controversy as to whether or not we sfill have discrimination inour wortd, I would say rhe srearesr e;iderce f".,hi";;l;;;;onr1ni"J,.uo;u*uuo" o,womcn or in lingering racism. but in the pt "no_""on of *V.]rr""r", ,r"rp"nr.

For mosr people, the Holocaust ur eashed by rhe Nazis is probably the ultimatesymbol of man's sruesome cn,errv rowtu.cts hi" f;il;-_;';;":,ii1ij y"_, on, ,r,"hideous evenr still srips our emotion", "na

u ."r.."r.,i" ,"'uri i.ij"i#r, rarely madewithout a somewhar morbidlv fascinated indutg",r." in ,lr" .iilln! i"*,i, ",

N"r, ,"^""methods. rhe sheer numbers who dier and s;;".;;il;;;il;:;l[]io" u,,on *"to say this irl a peioaative maru1e.. or

li:li:". F.;r;;,".',llliT';,1'i'ii1'"1,:illxx:;'i;"Tf?:'i,,?1,.'i"iill,T?;tragedy looking beyond the numbels ro try and feel fo., .lr"n "ay

for, tlr" tragedy on avery ildividual, human level. Whar I nkl ""* *,it i. ,fr",' ,iri."..Jpinr" o ,o."fyextended ro orher rrasedies. Is ir beceuse ,h" H;i;."":;',;;; ;r, ".,

iiili"nr rn^ur,in thc whoie of human history?

lf its ghasrriness is in the sr:€gering numbers of those k lecr, rher the twentymillion kitled in Sralids sulaqs shoul,l.o_ri"nd "u"n,nor" n._*.,i)r, *iasur,"r. i, i"the faci thar huma s can cooltv anij r:atcula,"dty pi";,;;;;";"iu, ,ri"".X',,"..**ion oranolher group of humor,.. .u*,inn death camps ,, if'rfr"v *"r" *"iirlri^'i,nor.,o, ,r""

::.,;;:'',,.ii1ll,:j;l1lllii,i:-[..y" po,i"ii, in;;;1,,';;ilil"#'lere,ircra,iy

rTi :J".fi :$i:;;l ifi *l{ i1i ;:J'''',TH."l*i;:'l l''litiTT:ffi'p".,.1 ,l; ;1.;;;.; i;;;,lr ii';:l't

aborigiies was legal becausc thev rverc legillvwesrern world rhar whires ,,verc.u,r",.1:'-tno.lnn*

ago that il was populir bctief in the

(.r'cry scicnrihcariy "":;-;;;:,;,lilj"l;:i.,,i:::'il*Til.;rrJjil:;,.T,;3.""',:",1rl,Freru'c,t.,,k^r .tirrrrcJ p,.,,1,t.. rnulr L,c..to,r,",n.irnr",,i ,_. i"liu,,liio,, ,n...,,r.thar thc whir(\ As.1 resulr ol rhis widespread *.;.;;;;;;,';; ouloo,,n, ,"*Zealand, AIlica, the Americas anrl almost cvcrywhere elsc whe.. coloniul-.iler. i.po.",tthcil' rule, deliberatc policies rvere rnclertaken at sollle point or othcr to externtrute the"suh-hun)an" c, rlnnr\ed Deooles

l, lh. tsl'J5rlrnc:\,,t rhc lloln,rr,sr ii rrr rjr. u.rr rlre N.rt rs rrscJ llrc t,.ct ul llreu \ r.rinr\ ispaperwe ighls and thcir far ro make crqfllg5..1hcn th. "." .f.h;;i;; "obo,rr,r"

.OUl ,oInrke pu'rhc rlrc,rr'prey nt Arnerrc,rr Irrdiarr scrrlx rr) rriumphJnr c'ionizcrs rrrd trrerrau,rr,,r or r trirr.sc le;rds on,nrker h) ,t,",, r,,i";:i.;M";;;"il;i;::l:'l;;,*,-"r.,!eiiur.,:h,'uJ,r*,.crrchou,.s,r.cqunri1 ,r n,, ,,,",..ii ;l;';:,:.;;,,';;;1,11,,,.,,,o,,un,,rn powerlully he(JU\c tl h l,,De0ecl rrr

rhen lh( frrrL,.t,,,,,"..,^,- , ^- ly vcry rrLcml! r"irllrlr lirrrlg nrcllror) lbr \urre,

i" R*..J ,; ; ,.::.]:: i. d,,rl'r, wwt an,t. mur(. recellrt). rll. rrras.r. rrst "r, "qr"t

tng*i,'* t il; " ' ' ruoan' just to scralc aI the tip of Ihe iceberg' should

I

U1JJ

)

I1

I

Thethc globe,destroclion

::::11,5':'l ,1.::,' tsurunni itrouscd powerful synrparhy and solrow across.j:]ll];j::i.l werirh or aid r... .,,,",i., ,,"i'i;i;ffi1 ffi:l'r;ri:.:;':onr "ru,o"i

iu.o,,,f."il;,;;;:i,.;,::il:.:;iil;1l';:1xil.ff]:i_i_y,ili..:x:

t02

our response to this one and our response to the chilling fact that every five minutes, achild dies of starvation in the developing world are vastly different. The sorrow and helpstimulated by the horrific genocide and consequence refugee cdsis in the Sudan, or thecamage of the Hutu-Tutsi massacres, come nowhere close to the emotions unleashed bythe tsunami. Of course, there are heartening increases io the number of humanitariangroups responding to the tragedies of starvation, disease irnd genocide, but when I talkabout the lack of rcsponse, I rnean the general public. It is immediately clear to anyonewho botheN to look that the dispariry in responses to the tsunami disasfer and, say, thegenocide in the Sudan, lies in the extent of mass participation. In the aftermath of thetsunami, alnost everyone I knew had responded to the tragedy in some way, no matterhow small, such as by donating to the Red Cross, volunteering services to help packsupplies to fly to the affected are:r, organising their own small fund-raising activity,atfending a memorial seryice, or simply just participating in the observaDce of a fewminutes of silence before moming assembly in school. By contrast, I doubt if any morethan a minute minority of those unaffiliated to aoy humadtarian organisation have evensedously contemplated the tragedy of the Sudan-

In all the above examplcs, the disparity of response to the different tragedics canbe expl:rined, I think, by the disparity in publicity, either bccause of what kind of historywe have ir rerited aod how it has been told (for example, rnany survivors of the Holocausthave commulicate.d thcir experience to posterity through a range of mediums such asbooks, whereas the Native Americans and Maoris remain largely margilalized fiom themainstream of historical literature), or by bias made inherent in media covemge bydifferenl vested intcrests. For example, whilc the co flict in thc Slrdan or in Rwanda, isfraught with political scnsitivities (even a natural disaster such as the 19821 lamine inEthiopia can be politicised the Wesrcm public wN initially reluctant to give aid becausethe Ethiopian regime was Marxist), the tragedy o[ the lsunami is la.gely devoid of sinilarsensitivities to inhibit extensive media covctagc.

'Ihus, tragcdy, I arn increasirgly convinccd is in the prblicity. Thar, and in thcnovelty. To put it crxdcly. we arl: more horrified and outraged whcn innocents are killedin teraorist bomlrings of a train ir Madrid than we are when innocelts at an [raqi weddingcelebration are massacred by firing lionr an American helicopter, because, besides thedisparity in publicity given to the two eveflts, we are somehow accustomed to peoplcbeing killcd in thal seemingly god-forsaken land of Saddam Husseifl than we are toEuropcans being killed on dreir home soil. Similarly, having Africans die ar grcar ratesfrom starvation and disease seetns to bc a desperately rclentless nom1, whc.eas havingrnorc llrrn 20U.000 A.ians nrlcd nut by r rrunami r.. nr.

Many would protest that tragedy is so dcpressingly commonplace in Ihc human conditionthat iI is impossible to respond to thenl all to the samc cxtcnt. Suff'eri[g in thc forrn ofstarvation. disease, wars and massacres seem to be morc thc nol]n than the e\ception inhistory, and rcrnains so in rnuch of thc world. Of course, this is perfectLy valid, but I amnot sure it should sit well wilh our conscicnce fo jusl lie back and reserve our sympatheticfacuhies for thc odd issue or event that cornes alolg and shoves itslrlf sufficiently info ourapadretic faces for us to sit up and take note- I think this is especially so bccause in nunytrxgedies, blamc is intrinsically involved. In a disastcr such as the Dccembcr 2o rsunrnri,

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I hcre was no hu m"" Perper rar or' t: ::, I"TJ" :f:::i#:, #lil'ffi iil"':i[$il'".j

anotheis man s crime Thrs is !r'hen neg"ts\ il.; i;n;;";" .; our judgemenr, When rhc

emphasis ol other} become. danger9ui.:ltil ; ::;;;;e agair.r civili"arion' . while few

murOer ot lO0O American civilian\ rs o":":t 11, i;'il;:?"'.i "iJlri^n. ftut" t".n t ittta

,xr leasr in this pan of re worrdr rcdrse rht *:'lTl0l.l'::i:'J'lT.'iii"'"tr*, ,nnin the American inrasion we *"- ";il:a{"I";:"".i."io."o't f-rne vicrimsof the

neoDle re'pond lo lIagedies clo{esl lolnem rIru\65rd r ^'::-;;i ieeline,, of harred in

B:"J#J;,J";J', y::::.l,",TXllllli:; *'fr:Tl:.::}i1,"''"liii"1i'".***,,fte A6b worldt the Weslem worlo rs outrdts' " "'-,-: ,^ _::", _ rh.r rnav be precisely lhc

is no cxcuse ro n, orest rhcr a\vmmemcal .stmPartt : ::Tli ,]tfl il,X|,!lit,n*, ,"' "n..

f*ffi l"l *.ti;l;l iii';J,:ffi ff ."'oJil',; #;; ", lj:l::l'il'"'

o'"''"*

for i.,val III zrnd demrnds *n-t 'n^i'i''ii

*' tiilr rhe nu*ian' demoni\elhd cllecherrs

tlllo'* 'i'" .r,r*", "t 't'ita'"n 'n,B'"dllt*:,*l**f:';i:lJ'l'Ji,'ti:;'J:tlli:' :;l il[:"-I'.] ;: :i*i:l;i:"liil' lil;;l;-r"::f:i l*:Ti."fi '".,1II:',:llsrandarcls, we afe ir.danger "t ]]:"ti:5"i1ili;i

"'*"" *n.i'

" rr"^arespondedto

personau\, rhe rno*r chilling rlcmonstratton ti I l'l :1,:'i'.-";; ,^ ^r,,,*\ "' Abu chraib.

tl,c..an,rrr rhrr brnke o\cr rhc Americarr mrrrrirr'""",:11::::l i"","'li,'i,1i1,,,i|', ',"'l' "wirh "But zren't the Arabs *"ttt O"lf'r'",ni""1,i i,r", i",.,'.t "befle_r" and "worse"

moden educatioD to analYse- issues " n''"r-f.i,rJ*"0i". a tn" general public' and the

:i,",i,::l::oxli[ 1,]"1,il*^lj iilii;;;:i:;'' ;;;;'' '| ce A' rnns e', $e pc*i''| in

L.,n! .o'''pr"., ,,t ,r'"u' "'u'n'n"'n'llt''i;ll:'li :ll"::l ::;:l; :1.i"::l;.:l:1lL:"]i

:: lli.il,'.lllfl:T;iJIIJl::i:1.,.'i:;;l':.:1*";;" ';;'";.'urrns asc.ord so''J

evrl' Llir ide, rrLrd that is dengeruus

'fhis is an age in which we-$-o:5.,'s.i-::;':f,:H:iiil:**'::lti::|ro)'r.s r\e.rlur ir i ar'o'rnrscjl::iJ.;:i;;: ;;il.,.n,,,0",.'..'ni.n'.r,dberwr(nrrrth.r: thn e bcllveen relrg'on ano \r:rr( rr rw\\ii

--'' .-.,' i..li, rn,.nl ol our lim'les\"i;;,,;. t; "u.lt n" "'"' I bclrcvc rlrPrc ts rro tnotc po*erlul inJirrnrcnl''

plcbeian myopia and ou"opu"ity tot Ji''ttintin"ilun' inun out t"tponse Lo tr^gedy

Sometinles,(loeslhisresponsehayetodowitllpo||u'fuealthas'nt.ut}tasrace?Man'tt,'i )itiil"i'"'"^ t" in povcrDt'strit:kcn ateds LxcePtionul ntlt'urd)).

Chue Shiin04A51

-)

+:

s,8",

)

-.,,',/

II

104

OTHER Qu@TEs:EducationThe classroom not the trench _ is the frontier of freedom now and forevermore.-Lyndon B. Johnson

The responsibility for producing an educated citizenry is too important to be leit entirelyto educators. Educatjon i\ everybod] s business.-Thomas J. Brown

The most violent element in society is iglorance.Emma Goldman

Education is lile a double edged sword.properly handled.-Wu TiDg-Farg

It may be turned to dangerous uses if it is not

Those who_have been requirccr to memorizc rhe worrd as it is w l lever create fhe worldas ir might be.-Judith Groch

Mass Media

"The owncrs ilnd nlanagcrs of the prcss detemrine which person, which facts, whichver\rL,not lhc t .rr. rnd $ hiclr rdca.5hrll rc:l(h the I,ublic..-Report by the Commission olr Freedom of the press

In this century' the mess media have come to rival parents, school, and relieion as fhemo5l inlluc ttal rn.titulio rn clt,ldrcns Ii\ei-Mcdia and Values Magazine

OIL gaeat altar of passive entertaimnenl_._ Besto$, upon ntc thy discordanr lmages at suchsfee,lrr ro rc der lineal lhoutht impos\iblclCalvin Arlrcl ol lhc Derrnged \4utanl Killer Mo .l.r Sno$ Coon( l)4r,_.1

Censorship reflects a society,s lack of confidence ir itself. 11 is the landmark ol anauthoitarian regime...-Justic{r Potter Stewaft

There's so n uch conredy on television. Does thtt cause comcdv in lhe strcers,-Dick Cavett

Govcnnnent and politics

You camot simultaneously prcvent and prcpare fbr war.Aibert Einstein

IIIIIIIIT

IIIIIIII

We malc rvat lhal we may live in pcace

Adstotle

You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality Wrong is wrong' no

matter who does it ol says it.Malcolm X

A society that puts eqr.rality...ahead of freedom will lrnd up with neither equality nor

freedom-Milton Friedman

Those who would give up essential Liberty' to purchase a little lemporary Safety' deserye

neither Liberty nor Saf'ety.

Benjanlin Franklin

Law. Cflme and Punishment. deviarce

I hear rnuch of people's callilg out to punish the guilty' but very few are concome'l to

clear the ifirocent.-Daniel Defoe

Jails and prisons are the complement of schools; so many less as you have of the laiter' so

many more must you have of the tbrmelHorace Mann

So long as people, being ill govemed, suffer lronl hunger. clirninals will ncver disappea'

It is cn'renrcly u[kind to punisll those who' bcing suflcrs from hungcr' arc conPelled to

violate laws.-Kenkti Hoshi

Whatever you think about thc cleath penalty, a system thet will tale life must first give

justice.- Jotm L Cuflin, lr., President of the Amedcan Bar Association' to a congressional

commirtee in 1991.

ls the statc so sir ess that it has the moral authority to kill?Bryan Stcvenso . Director of Equal Justice lnitiative of Alabama. Olof Palme Prize

Winner 2000

Sciencc and'fecluoloqv

The fault lies nol with our technologies but with our systems'

Roger Levian

Relilquishirg lcchnoiogical advancement woutd be er:onomic suicide tbr individuals'

compa ics. and nations.

l-/u:

:ffl1\T)c.,

)-,),z

I

106

-Ray Kuflweil, "The Law of Accelerating Retums.,, 2001

.j

A man is truly_ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he islo assist. and stlrir*s from injuring anyLhing that lives.-Alberr Schweitzer

All attempts to gain infomation arc modulated parrly by rhe degree rhar rhar informationmay Iend lo desubilize one's current worldview- Larry Hinds

,*:lT_"]::13:,y-:turized the wortd reducing rhose vast oceans ro mere ponds and

*""i:::: :: ,,:.,-:i1._"ia,smaural sp,nning o, 6" n;",;; "";i;;-:;ffil;contlnues to telescope time and space...,,

-Vr'illiam S . Cohen [Secretary of befense]

societv

IJ[imacy is what makes .1maffiage, not a ceremony, not a piece ofpaper tiom the state.Kithleen Norris

Unifomity, therefore, is an essential built-in element of utopian existence, and if is noless imporlalt lhrl fiis unilormity remaln permancnr.Thomas Molnar

Weltare's purpose should bc to elimiinate, as far as possible, the need for its ownexistence.-Ronaid Reagan

Collective t'ear stiorulates herd insfinct, and rends to produce terocjty toward those whotue not r( tsarJed a\ ntembers ot the llerd.-Beftrand Russell

Traditions are thc guideposts driven deep 1(l our subconsclous mlnds_ The most powerfulones are thosc we can,t even describe, aren,t even aware of.-Ellen Goodnran

Human Values

If we were to waLe up sonrc nroming and find that everyone was tlle same race, creed itndcolor. wc would find some other cause for prciudice b) noon - ' ' "_ '' _"

-George Aiken

Ne_ver do :urything against consciencc even if the state demands it.-AIbeft Einstein

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, bul not their owlr facts

-Daniel Pat ick Moynihan

Plalo isdetu to me. bul deorer still is rrulh.-AIlstorle

There is no sickness worse for me than \-Aeschylus 'ords that lo be kind musl lie.

Envircmnent. ecoloev and natural resources

D^onl blow it - good planet. are hard ro lrnJ--Quoted in Time

I thirlk the environment should be rrur lorlr reso rces i5 iust rs imporlanl o; o"il'h"

t1'"sov ol otrr nalional securllv. Delense of-Roben Rcdrordl \ ";;;;;ffi;;;;;,;fi;Xr,Jff:; i,#1"'..

whar is here ro dercndl

"We dill nor weave rhe ueb oI life: weweb, wedobou$elv"",i '' " *! are me'ely a strand ir it whatever we do to the-Chicf Searte

'The Amerrcan peoplc hivc .r rirht to;rfear.,, - _ir that they and thejr childre[ can breathe withoutJohnson, Lyndon Baines

'As soils xre.lcpleted. hunrin health. v;bronrlrrll, I ouis l'rlil) and inrrllli'llc( 8o wilh rhern.

World Economic Issues

Po\ cn). ts the prrenl ol j c\ olution lnd cr lme_

' Population. u hen unchecl,ed. ilcrea\c-valrIu..rhomas Ro;:;r' "' r\6dqrn Jireumerrcirllrlioi

'Produ.lion is rhe only an.wer ro inflaLrorr..UncsteJ tsowles Lluotes

"The lrinle of ta,(ation is not rn rhe takirvrrl Kogcrs quor.\ rA-.ri.nn"n,"r,ui]|.ltlrl's ilr the !tdv lhat itssJ\enr '

l d / y- t 9ji/ ler' tanous for his pithy and homesput humour,

"Inecluality. rather thafl want, is te cause oftrouble.,,-anctent Chincse saying

lh\

)

-./'14fI

Art. Literature and music

Scielce and art belong to the whole world, and before them va[ish the barriers ofnationality.-Goethe

Art does not solve problems but makes us aware of their existence. It opens our eyes tosee and our brain lo imagine.-Magdalena Abakanowicz:

Where they have bumed books, they will end in buming human beings.-Heinrich Heine, "Alnansor (1821)"

After silence, that which comes nearcst to expressing the inexpressible is music.- Aldous Huxley

Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that life imitates art far morethan art imitates life.- Oscar Wildc

VocaBULARY Llsr:

Haut monde zFashionable or high society

Stratitication zSocial stratification is a sociological term for the hierarcl cal arrangement ofsocialclasses, castes, and strata within a society.

Reverse discrimination rtDescribes discriminatory policies or acts that benefit a historically socio-politicallynondominant group (typically minorities), rather than fhe historically socio-politicallydominant group.

Affirmativc action ,ra policy designed to redress pasL discrirninetion a!:aurst women xDd tnrnority groupsthrough measures to imptove their economic and educatioral opportunities; ,'affirmative

action has beer extremely cortroversial at1d was challenged in ]978 in the Bakkedecision"

Echelon 'r.A level of responsibility o. authority in a hierarchy.

Marrirge blanc n.A narriage without sexual aelations.

Pecking order n.A hierarchy arnong a group, as ofpeople, classes, or natiods

Conventionalize t1: nake conventional or adapt to cotventions; "convcntionalizcd behavior"2: represeni according to a conventional style; "a stylized female head',

Statism n.It is thc practice or doctrinc ofgiving a ccntrelized govertunent contaol over ecouornicplanning and policy.

Xenophobia aDenotcs fear of strangers

Class war aClass conflict is the friction that accompanies social relationships beiwccn mcrnbers orgroups ofdiffercnt social classes and thc underlying tensions or antagonisms which exislin society.

Proclivity rt

-)

*$ri1

I lt)

A naLural propensity or inclination; predisposition_ .

Unalienable right ,lInalienable righrs are fundamenlal rir'oI speech. duc process, and coual "r;,lt]l

hduo.tg tlt". righl lo ptaclice religion. freedorn,".ir,., "",'."#"i".".:ili;;lilJ;:.:j"T...::'.1;,;i;j"."-",

be ian.rerred ro

Probity zIntegrity, honesty.

Inequity ttInjustice; unfair:ness.

Fallacy 'lA talse notion. a sraremenr or an argulnent based on . false or invarid inference or fhequality of being deceprivc.

Non sequitur 'l4tl ltgumcrrt is erllrd a,r/.n (?xirl ii 1he.,n,.t,,.i.,..r^-.. -.., . ,,

r'.r'"ira ',".*.".i,r:;;;,;;;";;::":;;i,::.'ii':;X'1i"fi:::T:':,X,ll,,T,lT.fil,:;i,the argument is a lallacy bccause the concr".i." a.". ,"i r"il"*J.,r_ ioi 0...'r'r"*.

Macrocosnr tr.'rhe whole of any sphere or depanmcnl of narure or k.,olvlccrgc to which man is rcraf..r

ImpecuDiousness 4dJ.Lacking nloney

IDflati()luGeneral infiation is a fall in the rnarket value orecodomy, as cortpared to cuarency devalualionc[rffency betwecd cconomies

Unaligned Nations n.Nations not allied with any other nation or bloc: neutral

Economic libcralism 'lCommonly knowl as ldiss(.2 liirc .Tll("* .i *ri;,,t,".,,.u;ffilffi ; [-":fi:il f ;:ifii:1l']:ili.1*:.".JjJili,-",protlu\i rh^ b..r re\utr: (er..ii pjr;ol, ", i" ",r",

,,"'.:i..;,:,1il';;,;iJ;,1'*,.,,*r_a.ofpublc intunnirriun andJU\frcr. Thcconceptol econo ic libcralism undcrpimed themove lowards a free tnarkel ecoDortlic systenl, ar)d thc sllbscquent d",rli;t;i;"mercantilist systerr).

.::

li:

...:

||:

:..frl

:.:::,i

-l,g

:i+,11

ir'

:i

i

IIIIIIIIT:

tTItTI

purchasing power of rnonev within ,nwhich is the fall of the market value of a

Population control tr.

Population control is the practice of curtailing population increase' usually by reducing

the birth mte. The practice has sometimes been voluntaly, as a response to povery' or out

of religious ideology, but in some times and places it has been govemment mandated'

This is generally done to try to prevent a believed threat of Malthusian catasffophe, or

overpopulation in general.

Larceny n.Crime involving stealing. Untler common law, larceny is the 1) trespassory 2) tadd g and

aspofiation 3) of the (tangible) personal property 4) of another 5) with the intent to

deprive him or her of ir 6) permanently.

Judicial mu.derur.Euthanasia ordered by couft.

Purgatory rr.

A flacc or (.rnJilion ol sulfering. e\pialion. or rcmot \e

Victimize v.

Made a victim of or punished uniustly

Castigation v.

To inflict severe punishment or to crilicize severely.

Mulct t.To peralize by flning or demanding fb.feiture, lo acquire by trickery or dcception or to

defraud or swindle.

f,ynch r.To execule without a fair tdal, esPecially to hang, as by a mob. Victims of lynchi g have

generally bccn members of groups marginalized by socieLy.

Nomin:rl punishment n.Punishmenl existing or being something in lrame or fomr but usually not in reality The

same nomdal punishment is not, for difterent individuals, the same redl punishment Let

thc punishmerlt in question be a fine: the sum that would not be felt by a rich man would

be ruin to a poor one.

lW\,::/

\

])')

1I#

/

Falsilication ,,.Falsificatioo is the act of producilg sornething that lacks authenticity and passing it off toother people as authentic.

Library science z-Library and infonnation scicnce (LIS) is the sludy of issues rclatecl to lib|aries This

includes academic studies (mosl often surveys) about how library rcsources arc usecl and

how people interact with library systems.

112

Tririum z.The trivium comprised the tlrce subjects taught first in medieval universities, before thequadrivium. In medieval educational theory, the trivium consisted of granrmar, rhetoric,and logic. These were considered preparatory fields for the quadrivium, which was madeup of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. In nrm, tlle quadrivium wasconsidered prepa.atory work for the serious study ofphilosophy and theology. Thisschema is sometimes referred to as classical education, but it is moa" u""*ut"ly odevelopment of the l2th and l3th centuries mther than a direct descendant of theeducalional systems of antiquity.

REFE RENCf FREIII:ft Alq!r&l4uta{a$-_eduJltesearall!lltigadbqa11haqfpftp.b0 l.=p6,-ht!dhttp ://dictionarv refe(ence.con/httplTllr wikipedia ore