been far away for far too long.

WIPE OUT AIDS BY 2031

2006-08-21T09:31:00.000+08:00

augst 15th straits times.

bill gates places faith in eradicating the disease in the hands of women and new drugs. the worlds wealthiest man bill gates has vowed to fight the war against aids. " no matter where she lives or what she does, a women should never need a partners permission to save her own life" - mr gates. microbicides are a gel which would kill or block out the aids virus in the vagina or anus. hopefully the cream will be ready by 2009. i think this is a very big step. AIDS has always been the killer virus. the one everyone fears. the uncurable. this could be the turning point in the epidemic. but it doesnt mean the end to the desperate fight ahead. i think that people could start this by being responsible and practicing either abstinence or at least safe sex. gates is making a huge step by holding conferences where thousands of testimonys are shared with aids affected victims. this will boost their confidences are morals and sometimes they say that if you have the will to live.. you WILL live.

TEENAGER WITH BIRDFLU REFUSES TO BE HOSPITALISED

2006-08-21T01:59:00.000+08:00

straits times 15th aug

An indo teen has tested positive for bird flu refuses to be hospitalized. he insists that he has the common cold and not the bird flu. he checked into hospital for a day but then checked out again. now he refuses to be persuaded into going back into hospital. hes a farmer who rears chickens all of which tested postitive for bird flu. nothing was said about this boys parents. but i feel that this boys parents should really convince him to go back into hospital because if he doesnt it says that he will be taken by force into hospital and forced to stay there. indonesia has logged the highest amount of bird flu deaths in the world. yet many of them are unaware of bird flu and its consequences. i feel that especially in th more rural areas, someone should go there and educate them about bird flu. like as this boy they probably are frightened if they are diagnosed with bird flu. and they would be in denial and would probably refuse to to be hospitalized too.

TYPHOON SAOMAI KILLS MORE THAN 250 IN CHINA

2006-08-20T19:23:00.000+08:00

AUGUSt 15th straits time.

the death toil rom typhoon saomai - the most powerful to hit china in half a centuary rose to 255 with more than 166 still missing. fishermen spent ages retrieving dead bodies from the sea in Fuding. saomai destroyed more than 50000 houses sank more than 1000 ships and tore our powerlines. more than 1.6 mil people were forced to flee their homes. it is said that people were walking alng the beaches hoping to find the bodies of their uncles sons brothers husbands daughers family friends who were dead during the storms so as to be able to give them proper cremations. it is a really sad state of affairs, it will be the worst possible time for them as people who lost loved ones and their homes and possesions will be struggling to stand up and get along with life once again. but you know what they say. what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. so i really hope that these victims will get on with life and i hope that they feel that their gone relatives / family / friends are all in a better place now.

DEAD BABY FOUND IN STAFF LOCKER

2006-08-20T19:15:00.000+08:00

straits times aug 15th.

HOW GROSS IS THAT. putting your dead baby in a locker. INSANE ? MAYBE. staff at ntuc fairprice bishan traced a foul stench to a locker which was pried open just to find a rotting baby in there. it was born premature and it even still had its UMBILLICAL CORD ATTACHED TO IT. but then. maybe this heartless woman was under stress and perhapsshe had her reason. BUT STILL. UNLESS SHE IS INSANE OR MENTALLY UNSTABLE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. she really has to face up to reality. you DONT stuff your baby in a locker. its morally wrong to kill. and she killed her own flesh and blood. it makes one wonder what the world is actually coming to. she has to take responsibility for her actions. i feel sorry for the poor baby. it makes you wonder how the mother is right now. haunted by her actions. and the father.. how he feels about his baby dead. does he even know he had a baby ? maybe not. i hope the baby rests in peace.

NTU STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD DURING HOLIDAYS

2006-08-20T18:53:00.000+08:00

straits times august 15th

undergrads in singapore spend their time overseas vactionaing usually but NTU wants them to spend this time studying abroad instead. the universities in singapore want singapore university students to get the overseas exposure they need. to be pushed beyond their comfort zones. i think that this is a good idea. i know plenty of people who attend summer school in these universities overseas to get a feel of what its like. to prepare for the future. this indeed is a very good way to prepare students for overseas education should they want to go. or at least it is a good way to expose them to how the system is like overseas so they can make a decision of where their future is. students cn really learn alot there. one student who went specifically spoke about the racial insensitivity there. so she learned not to lapse into mandrin in front of non chinese speaking people in singapore. it has taught her how to be sensitive to people of other languages/races. so u'd be surprise what can be learnt from such overseas trips. i feel that it is a great way to learn new things .

BLOODY THREAT

2006-08-20T18:11:00.000+08:00

friday august 18th

A robber threated hougang woman with a sringe of what he claimed to be AIDS infected blood. he got away with her phone and cash. The kind of ways that the robbers rob nowadays are outrageous. all we see in the papers are these kind of bad happenings. im seriously appauled by the atrociousty of this robber. But seriously , WHAT a way to rob someone. interesting way to rob someone. threatening her with AIDS infected blood. i really have to give the robber credit for his creativity. but this is going too far. the number of robberies this year has multiplied tremendously according to the statistics in the newspapers. the police should really tighten up security as well as the punishments.

WOMAN BEATEN AND ROBBED WHILE FEEDING STRAY CATS

2006-08-20T17:48:00.000+08:00

straits times. 18th aug

a poor old lady was robbed while feeding stray cats. a man came up behind her and beat her up. when she yelled for help he shouted "diam"(shut up in malay) and hit her more. she was found in the morning passed out on the ground her handbag found open nearby with a small amount of money still in the bag. only a cellphone was missing. my point is.. what is singapore coming to. it used to be one of the safest places around. now even poor old ladies feeding stray cats cant even feel a sense of security. we could get robbed anytime anywhere. the police really needs to tighten security as there are probably plenty more of these kind of criminals running around. the police needs to have a more punishment for people like that. they need to know that doing such things have serious consequences.

HOME IS A BOMB SHELTER FOR ISRAELIS IN A ROCKET ZONE.

2006-08-19T13:52:00.000+08:00

straits time. august 12th.
a bomb shelter has become a home to many israelis since the war with Hizbolla began a month a go. in the news paper. it shows a picture of a few children playing in a very small bare area. i feel very sorry for the children as the sounds of bombs can be heard as they play, unaware of the pandamonium going on around them. there is so much violence in the world nowadays i remember there was a time where we heard nothing at all about terrorist attacks. when we opened the papers and there was all peaceful news. when there wasnt so much terror in our lives. not knowing when a bomb could just crash on us and destroy our peaceful world. everywhere we look there are reports about bombings in many places. wars in many places. what is happening to the world. the saddest thing about these kind of event is that the children in these countries are really suffering. some of them get pulled off to become child soldiers because they need more man power for their wars. it is a really sad state of affairs.

ASIAN AIRPORTS ON HIGH ALERT

2006-08-19T13:44:00.000+08:00

STRAITS TIMES AUGUST 12th.

new cabin baggage rules and tight security for flights to britain and US cause long queues. A day after Britain announced it had thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid air, aairports across asia announced tighter security and enforced new baggage rules. No liquids such as gels and even TOOTHPASTE is forbidden. ipods and laptops werent allowed either. aiports now have officers on patrol. dogs on patrol. in some places FULL BODY checks were deployed. I feel that this is getting ridicuolus. its almost crazy. every few months there is a terrorist attack. in this case its just WORD of a terrorist attack and security is going crazy. i was at the airport recently and there are soldiers with huge guns walking around looking at you. and the queues are massive just because of all the tight security. its a bit much and we have to be at the airport a few hours before our flights because of all the new rules. but anyway... better to be safe than sorry i suppose.

THEY'RE TOPS IN EVERYTHING FROM SPORTS TO STUDIES.

2006-08-19T13:33:00.000+08:00

Straits times august 12th

Besides bringing As in studies, they each excelled in sports music debate... etc. now these 4 students (mrAng, Ms Chai , Miss tan , Mr hong) have bagged another award. winners of the president's scholarship. they're all aged 19 and from the science stream. they all lead activity filled lives beyond their books. Singaporeans should aspire to be like them, as these people will go very far in future. and more of these kind of model citizens will make singapore a better place for higher learning. and we can establish our country as more of a learning hub than it already is. the government will be very pleased to have more of these kind of model citizens. hopefully these model citizens dont take off to other countries because they feel that singapore is too restricted and small. But students should really aim to acheive as high as possible to their best abilities.

PAY MORE IF YOU WANT TO RIDE IN COMFORT

2006-07-18T07:48:00.000+08:00

july 4th - new paper.
COMFORT PRICES UPPED AGAIN !!!
flag down fare would be 2.50 for normal cabs and 2.80 for merc cabs. Many people are complaining as now the meter jumps faster and the peak hour surcharge is 2 instead of 1 dollar. being in a school of pretty well off people, i noticed that majority of them take cabs all over the place and i hear plenty of complaints. i dont take cab so much. and now i am determined to take even less of cabs seeing as the fares can go up pretty high now. their reasons are that the price of fuel has doubled and they have no choice but to up the fares. the only compensation they offer to us passangers is that saturday morning will no longer be considered as peak hour. I THINK THEY SHOULD STOP RAISING THE FARE BEFORE MANY PEOPLE STOP TAKING CABS. THEN THEY WILL REGRET IT.

NO HOLIDAY AT RI ON YOUTH DAY

2006-07-18T07:41:00.000+08:00

instead of having a youth day holiday, they moved their holiday to 10th july. the day of the world cup finals. many of them claimed to be soccer fans and therefor would be watching the match. which was screened at 3am predicted to end by 5 plus. and an hour later they'd have to be in school. I think this was a really good idea. And its unfortunate that no one in our school thought abt that. But it was really smart on the students of RI's part. innovation and initiative. It states that the move was welcomed by everyone. and the teachers had no problem with it as the students were willing to give up their youth day holiday for it. so fairs fair and they got their holiday. they should be the only school in singapore declaring it a holiday. The quarter finals of the match were also screened iin school. WHAT A GOOD IDEA :))

I HELD ONTO HER FOR DEAR LIFE

2006-07-18T07:33:00.000+08:00

NEW PAPER 4th july.

spore mum saves daughter from serious injuries in malaysia bus crash.
This is an article which touched my heart. the mother hardly thought of herself. and she used her own body to shield her young daughter. so she had no hands to stop herself from falling and therefor fell n cut herself on her face. but she kept her arms around her child to make sure no hard came to her. This is the kind of unconditional love that a mother has for her child which is so powerful and touching :)) When a mother is willing to sacrifice herself just for her child. its the kind of thing i'd rather read about compared to parents raping their children or abusing them.

SHE SAVED A SUICIDAL WOMAN

2006-06-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

straits times. june 23rd 06.

CRYSTAL LIM from SGH tracked down a suicidal woman after the woman called the hospital and arranged for her organs to be donated after she committed suicide. Ms lim was in shock when she heard this and immediately set out to track her down. Luckily, the woman had her records in SGH as she had gone there before, so they were able to find her records and ms lim rushed to the address on the file. The woman was called, and they stalled her from jumping by asking her for details, the woman was keen on donating her organs, so she gave all her details while ms lim rushed there. in the end ms lim saved the lady.. this dedication is seldom found, especially because ms lim had no relationship to this lady, and yet she tried so hard to make sure that this stranger stayed alive. I am proud to say that there are caring singaporeans in this plac, and i was really pleased to read this article. WELL DONE MS LIM :))

FOREIGN STUDENTS LEFT IN THE LURCH

2006-06-24T11:17:00.000+08:00

straits times - friday. 23rd june 06.

another private school closes. singapore's growing reputation as a quality education hub has taken a hit with another private school closing down, leaving their foreign students in the lurch. the manager claims that they are just moving, but apparently none of the students were informed, and because the students were using social passed which were given out to tourists, they will not be able to claim a refund on their fees as they were not under some protection scheme. i feel this is vry unfair to the foreigners, and 15 chinese ladies have already complained to the china embassy. this will bring a bad image unto singapore, and just as we are getting to be known as a quality education hub, this will bring down our reputation and reduce the number of tourists/foreigners coming to singapore to learn. the school admitted to running into money problems, but claimed that they informed their students that they were moving the school, but many of the students claimed to know nothing about it.

BACK TO SCHOOL TO WATCH WORLD CUP

2006-06-08T13:37:00.000+08:00

wednesday 31st may - new paper.

RI is probably the first school in singapore to arrange a sleepover in school just to watch the world cup in their school hall. the school board approved the idea as it was brought up by a student and the school thought that this showed that the students were using their innovativity and leadership skills as he had gotten a lot of support from the rest of the students. I feel that this is a good idea because it not only makes the relationship of the students better, it helps the relationship between the students and the school as the students think its cool that the school approved this idea. however, the first world cup match is something that my family and many of my friends families would consider a family bonding event. we always watch it together. And for some of the RI boys this may be the case, but at this age, all we seem to want to do is hang out with our friends. So although it is a good student bonding opportunity, they are also missing out on a family bonding thing. but all in all i think it's a GREAT idea, and i'd love it if my school were to organise something similar.

BOYS AND GIRLS

2006-05-11T03:35:00.000+08:00

This is the penalty for having sex with minors
"Women charter states that it is an offence for a male to have sex with a female aged 14 to 16, even if its consensual sex. And under the Penal code, sex with a girl below 14 years of age is considered statutory rape, with or without her consent. Even if the male believes the girl is above 16, it is not valid defence, unless he is under 24 years old. If so, this will be valid defence for the first offence. The maximim sentence for a male wo has sex with an underaged female is a jail term for up to five years and a fine of up to $10,000."

it is quite funny to see that whatever the situation is, the men still get the blame. in this case it is gender discrimination. I feel that it is not possible for a girl to rape a guy, because the guy is always in a consenting position when it comes to sexual stuff. Plus, if the guy were not to consent, he could easily over power the girl and push her off. so in this case, discrimination is a good thing.

REDUCING DANGEROUS POLLUTANTS IN THE AIR

2006-05-11T03:20:00.000+08:00

wednesday may 10th. straits times

Officials here are taking aim at these ultrafine pollutants floating in our air as these potential killers are found at higher than recommended levels. They are considered a health threat as they can penetrate into our cells very easily. It can easily cause problems such as respirtory problems, broncitis, and even trigger off asthma attacks. The officials are blaming it on the diesel combustion, and the congestion in singapore. I feel that there should be rules in singapore where all cars should be fitted with catalytic converters to help reduce the chemicals being released into the air. I feel that tthe government should start campaigns telling people to use public transport more, or car pool their kids to school or to arrange for the school bus. the people should understand that this is totally to benefit them, and a little invconvienience could save them a whole lot of health problems.

EVERYTIME I SAW MY PRISON CLOTHES - I THOUGHT I WAS FINSIHED

2006-05-11T03:13:00.000+08:00

may 9th. new paper.

Mr rushdi was arrested for kidnapping, something which he did not do but was caught when he was having dinner with the kidnappers. Finally an example of a responsible parent. Even though he was facing death prosecution, all he could think of and say was that he was the sole bread winner for his family and he was so worried about his family , and if they had enough to get by. In the 7 weeks he was in prison, he'd ask about them and he was worried sick. His wife visited him everyday at QRP (queenstown remand prison). This shows that he has a tight knit family who he cares for and is responsible for. Finally he is reunited with his daughter and wife as after careful invvestigations, there were no charges against him. The newspapers show a picture of him and his wife smiling happily. i admire the fact that although he was fcing possible death penalty or to be put away for a long time, his main concern was if he his family was getting along fine , if they had enough to go by on, enough to eat. His wife showed her support and love and visted him everyday. Compared to the horrifying articles about irresponsible parents in the papers these days, this is a very pleasent article.

SINGAPOREAN DRINKS HIMSELF TO DEATH

2006-05-11T03:02:00.000+08:00

25th april the new paper.

think drinking will only give you problems a long time later ? Well this man when pubbing for 8 hours on christmas eve. Drunk and passed out, his friends brought him home, only for his sister to discover him dead the next morning. Drinking too much not only causes liver problems in long term, but now, drinking too much can cause immediate death. I feel that there should be a limit set to how much one is allowed to drink. It is not possible for the government to set a law , as it is not possible to control how much alcohol one is consuming, so i feel that to avoid problems like going over the body's alcohol tolerance limit, one should set the limit to how much he or she is going to drink and have a responsible friend to remind you of your limit. i feel that there is no need to drink oneself into a drunken stupor. Social drinking , i feel is acceptable, but not going on a drinking spree. I would strongly advise people to cut back on their alcohol content as it is not good for the body.

LET ME GO, TAKE MY SON INSTEAD

2006-05-11T01:06:00.000+08:00

the new paper. 2nd may

Taiwan gang kidnaps man over drug dispute. man hands his son over to gang while e tries to raise $90K. Boy starves for 6 days til the police rescue him. Another horrendous article to show that not all parents are role models and that there are parents who are irresponsible and have no sense at all. How could he even think of handing his son over so he could be released to get the money. even if there was no other way, how sure could he have been that the kidnappers would not harm his 9 year old son. Recently, the actions of parents shock me more and more. But this article shows how forgiving and loving children can be. For once this boy was resuced, he showed NO trace of anger at his father and still said it was daddy who helped resucue him by calling the police. some people may argue that it is because the boy does not know any better, so he does not know to scold his father. But i feel that this is just pure forgiveness and pure love, innocence and ignorance.

EMINEM MAKES UP WITH DYING MUM

2006-05-11T00:59:00.000+08:00

6th may newpaper.

Eminem is a white rapper, who's fans are mostly made up of teenagers. Eminem is vulgar in his songs , and he poured his hatred out for his mother in a song. But yet, many teenagers look up to him, relate to his songs. But now his mother is dying from breast cancer. It's an intruiging question why teenagers would respect and look up to Eminem despite all he's done. This shows that a lot of influence on the teenagers nowadays is from television and their idols may it be actors or singers. The point that i am trying to point out is that how the stars should use their influence well. Many teens listened to his song about his mother and it even hit the US top 20 charts. This shows that the teenagers nowadays are influenced greatly by the media, and they tend to follow what they are doing, regardless it be good or bad. It is very sad how even when they have better people to use as role models, they pick someone they entirely do not know. Because of the influence of the media, this generation has become rude and have no respect for their elders because of their idols doing the same. So once i again i hope that the idols will do their level best to become good role models.

ASPIRING UK ACTRESS DIES IN FREAK COSMETIC SUGERY ACCIDENT.

2006-05-11T00:45:00.000+08:00

may 6th new paper.

She wanted her jaw corrected. but got heart punctured instead.
The amount of people have cosmetic surgery is rising. And on television we see many shows such as Dr 902010 and Mtv's - i want a famous face. All these shows show only the SUCCESSFUL attempts at cosmetic surgery. If it is corrective surgery it is not so bad. But it is sad how some people dont like the way they are and have to pay thousands of dollars just to go under the knife to correct it. And sometimes surgery can go horribly wrong, even though the doctors have done it many many times. in the case of this aspiring actress named Ali. she wanted to make her chin less protruding, and this bunch of experienced doctors carried out this minor procedure, but along the way, the tube inserted into her body pierced her heart, and the pottasium entered in to her body to aid her recovery seeped through the tear and caused her heart to stop. So plastic/cosmetic surgery is not a simple thing and there are times where things can go WRONG. I feel that cosmetic surgery is unnecessary, and not to be encouraged.

MONSTER DAD RAPES AND RAPES AND RAPES AND RAPES AND RAPES DAUGHTERS.

2006-05-07T14:34:00.000+08:00

Friday april 14th. the new paper.

HORRIFYING! TERRIBLE ! ATROCIOUS ! DISGUSTING ! AN ABSOLUTE OUTRAGE ! This MAN was considered a "HOLY MAN" he took 10 wives against the law, he had 66 chidren. Then he falsely told his daughters, "the Quran says i OWN you, so i have a right to have SEX with you." THIS 45 YEAR OLD MAN WAS RESPECTED. HE WAS ONE OF THE TOP STUDENTS IN A RELIGIOUS SCHOOL HE ATTENDED HERE. Does this not make you doubt sometimes how holy your religious leaders actually are?! I am not refering ONLY to this article and i AM NOT critising the islamic religon for there have been cases in the papers of Catholic/christian priests and churches exploiting and the leaders molesting their followers as well. But i dont understand HOW this man could ask his daughters for sex. On second thought, he didnt ask them, it was FORCED. And the wives are not much better, they told the daughters to obey the father. MONSTER MUMS ? OR MEEK WIVES ? the question still stands. He claims that he saw it as a lesser evil. letting them have sex with him rather then with other people, so they would not contract illnesses. He even made 2 of them pregnant. AND THEY HAD ABORTIONS. IS THAT NOT AGAINST THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS? Not only did this man dirty the islamic name, he hurt his children, and i hope that none of his followers have any ounce of respect for this man who should be put away for life. AGAIN. this is another article of the terrible things done to children with irresponsible parents.

NO MONEY FOR MILK. GIRL BEGS FOR SNACKS TO FEED BABY BROTHER

2006-05-07T14:15:00.000+08:00

The new paper. 27th may 2006

Everytime i read the papers, the atrocities parents these days do to their kids can never fail to shock me. In this case, this poor girl, at 10 years old has to beg for food to feed her younger brothers aged 5year old and 7 months. At 10 years old she should be asking for toys and not having to find food to support a baby. She had to witness her parents shouting almost everyday. And finally one day her badly bruised mother walked out on them. This only came to attention of the authorities when they were spotted wandering around in the rain. A neighbour called the police. A kind neighbour who claimed that he often bought them snacks said that he saw the girl trying to feed her baby brother marmee snacks because she had no money to buy him milk. The father was nonchalant when he heard that his children were taken away by the police. He did not even ask why. He claimed that he hit his wife because she had a lover. and he said that his wife was not a simple woman and this was her 2nd marriage. THEN WHY MARRY HER ? There are an increasing amount of articles in the paper showing the children having to suffer just because of their parents stupidity and their irresponsible attitude. I feel very sorry for the young children who cannot do anything about it because they are too young to know any better. I feel that if a couple cannot even maintain a marriage , then PLEASE do not do a stupid thing like have children, why would u want someone else to suffer because of your stupidity ?! It angers me terribly to see this kind of situations. But in this case it is really a blessing that the oldest girl was responsible enough to take care of her two brothers. It is a good thing that she was taken away from her irresponsible parents.

I DONT WANT MY GIRL TO GROW UP A FREAK

2006-04-10T23:28:00.001+08:00

April 2nd NEWPAPER.

Man disfigures daughter and wife by splashing acid on them. Now he faces death sentence. When Zhang heard that his wife wanted to divorce him, he flew into a rage and hit her over the head with a bottle of acid, the acid splashed onto his daughter xiaoxia. recently, the children of fighting familes have become the victims. in this case, it was the fault of an impulsive reaction on the fathers part. after hurting his wife, he fled the state. this took place in China. And he had no idea that he had scarred his daughter for life. he even sent her gifts.

another case of a chiild falling victim to fighting families is the constance chee case where out of jealousy, she stole her lovers child and threatened to hurt the child. But instead, the child fell out a window where constance placed her. the children may be the most innocent in the family, but seems as if they always have to be the ones paying the price for their families irresponsible actions.

SHAME ON U

2006-04-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

friday. 31st march. NEWPAPER.

families dump elderly in homes and dont pay up. Some dissappear. others dont care. and its not because they dont have money. This article is a very sad one. it shows that singaporeans are losing their heritage. singaporeans were once known as polite and family orientated. Now all that has changed. Take the peacehaven nursing home. its clients owes it around half a million dollars. And its not a large percentage who have money problems. Its that they dont want to pay and take advantage of the fact that they know the homes will not put the elderly out in the street. I think it is a sad state of affairs that the younger generation just skives responsibilites of taking care of their grandparents or parents by dumping them in a home and running away never to be seen again. they should SHAPE UP and have some respect for the people who brought them up and cared and sacrificed for them.

BIRD FLU PANDEMIC COULD SHOCK ASIAN ECONOMICS

2006-04-08T13:09:00.000+08:00

friday - april 7th. straits times.

an avian flu pandemic could cause a severe economic shock for asia and trigger the first global recession since 1982. This would cost asia between US$100billion with the economy fallout lasting about a year. I feel that to prevent this, drastic measures must be taken. person hygiene must be stepped up and people must be wary of what and where they are eating. The animal shelters or places which birds are bred and the Zoo and as such should step up hygiene and get the vet to regular check the birds for any strain of the virus. We should all lay off eating chicken and duck and as such. Asia should start stepping up and tightening the import and export of chicken. Many precautions should be taken to prevent this possible global recession as it would be terrible for all.

MAIDS WHO KILLED - AND SPARED THE GALLOWS

2006-04-02T12:23:00.000+08:00

THE SUNDAY TIMES - april 2nd 2006.

Foreign maids have been in the news for killing their employers and yet SPARED the death penalty. I feel that this is not fair. I think that the only reason why they are spared the death penalty is because of the incident which a fillipina was executed here. It sparked rallies in the phillipines against singapore. But in Singapore when a murder is commited, that person would receive a death sentence. So i feel that the government maybe compromising the law just so that there will be no tension between Singapore and other countries. But i suppose that they are trying their best to make sure Singapore has as little enemies as possible so as to prevent war on Singapore. In this case there are two sides to the story to be told and listened to. Coming back to the sentencing, most of the maids which were charged with muder were sentenced to life imprisonment. Which in certain ways could be just as bad as death sentence. so i suppose that makes up for it.

SECRET LIVES OF SINGAPORE TEENS

2006-03-26T12:15:00.000+08:00

the sunday times - march 26

"having sex is no big deal, 20 teens tell Sunday times. Half do it before 16. most dont use protection - and none have told their parents about it. "

this is a VERY alarming comment. As it is stated in the papers that the rate of teenage AIDS cases have risen by a tremendous rate. Singapore is becoming form conservative into a very open country. I feel that it has been an underlying situation. It has only been realised when the sex video of tammy from NYP found its way onto the internet. And a survey by the AIds awareness group showed that out of 500 teens. 1 in four are sexually active. But youth counsellors fear that the ratio is rising. Many teens also practice unsafe sex giving reasons such as it is inconvienient to buy condoms or they find thrill in unsafe sex. I feel that action should be taken before there is an epidemic of AIDS in singapore teens. Parents should make sure that they educate their children about safe sex. It may not be possible to prevent teens from having sex, but perhaps it can be instilled in teenagers brains to practice SAFE SEX. they should be educated about the impliations of pregnancy and AIDS.

CABBIES ON ALERT OVER FAKE 50 DOLLAR BILLS

2006-03-19T22:39:00.000+08:00

THE SUNDAY TIMES - march 19 2006.

There have been 9 reports of Taxi drivers swindled in the last 2 weeks by female passengers seeking change after short cab rides in the east.
This reflects badly on Singaporeans, and reflects how money drives us to do things which will affect others. From the article, it said that it was a young female passenger. This tells me that the younger generation are becoming more cunning and money minded. And if the notes get circulated, innocent people who use the notes might get accused of trying to cheat people. The youths are the future of Singapore and if more and more youths becoming increasingly money obsessed, Singapore in their hands will fall.

CARBON DIOXIDE AT RECORD HIGH LEVEL

2006-03-15T22:41:00.000+08:00

STRAITS TIMES - wed 15th march.

Scientists say that CO2 in the atmosphere have hit record highs and the north and the south pole are on the brink of a climatic disaster that could affect the world. i feel that although some of the carbon dioxide release may be caused by decaying plants, i feel that indeed mankind has defintely contributed to it.

quote - today we're over 380ppm, thts higher than we've ever been for over possibly a million years. Mankind is changing the climate.

this quote proves that mankind's doing is the main cause of the large amounts of CO2 released into the air. It also states that once levels hit 500ppm , there could be irreversible consequences which would tip the planet towards disaster. Scientists and campainers have been pushing polititians to reach agreements to prevent the CO2 level from rising. But i feel that probably nothing will be done as polititians are not very concerned about the atmosphere, and i feel that only when something disastrous happens then they will feel relality sinking in but by then it might be too late to do something about it. But on our parts, we should use more CFC free things. always check for the CFC free label. We can make a difference =)

MERLION IN SHADES - FUNKY OR BAD TASTE

2006-03-05T09:27:00.000+08:00

Friday 24th Feb 2006 - the new paper.
I have always felt that the government in singapore is pretty rigid, so when I found out that the Merlion, the singapore symbol/icon was decked out in sunglasses, i was pretty surprised, as i did not think that they would give their approval for such a thing to be done. The merlion dressed up in funky gear was a collaberation between Singapore Tourism board and MTV networks to show that singapore was "hip and funky. " But apparently, while people were pretty amuzed by Singapore's Icon all dressed up, there were some disagreements.

Quoted from the article
"I dont think the merlion's image should be changed for anything, espescially not for a promotion or gimmick. It is disrespectful to the symbol of our country."
"How can they put sunglasses on the Merlion? The image of the Merlion is to be respected and protected, and it makes me angry that whoever did it thinks they can just change the face of the Merlion like that"

Personally I feel that the merlion looks pretty cool decked out in shades, and i dont feel that it is disrespecting neither Singapore nor the merlion. If it brings in the tourists then all the better. I suspect that the people who disapprove are probably the older generation, i feel that like me, the teenagers and young adults will find the merlion decked out in funky apparel cool. But everybody has a right to their own opinion, and ultimately it is still the government's decision whether the merlion should ever be dressed up. But this still came as a surprise to me as i thought that the government would feel that dressing up ther merlion woild be an insult to the symbol and singapore. =)

POLICE TO KEEP TEENS OFF STREETS AFTER 11PM

2006-02-21T20:47:00.000+08:00

Police to keep teens off streets after 11pm
[The New Paper - Thursday 16th Feb 2006 ]

The title itself is self - explanatory. I was slighty annoyed when i found out that teens under 17 were no longer allowed to be out after 11pm. Since I don't turn 17 until somewhere midyear, this involves me as well. All teenagers 17 and below caught loitering in public places after 11pm would be stopped, and their particulars would be taken down and their parents called. I feel that teens in secondary school should'nt be allowed to loiter in public areas after 11pm, but those who have graduated from secondary school or are no longer schooling, should be allowed to roam free. So the age "below 17" should be changed to "all secondary school students and below."
The reason given for this implemented policy is to reduce youth crime and to prevent teenagers from becoming victims of robberies or crimes as such. I feel that this is not the not the way to do that beacause as a teen myself, i feel that i would probably not take this policy seriously as my parents allow me to be out on the streets even after 11pm. I questioned a few of my friends and they expressed their dislike to the new policy but most of them brushed it off and said that this would not change their late night habits. This shows that the policy will not be taken seriously.It also states in the article that 205 youths were arrested for rioting or fighting. What makes the police think that this new policy will prevent them from rioting or fighting ? These rioters are usually school drop - outs or from neighbourhood schools, and lack parental guidance. So it would be up to the teens whether to go out or to stay home. But personally i think that they will just rebel.