Let There Be Light
Time, May 13 2006 (Pg 21) I think that the massive amount of pollution in Hong Kong is disgusting. Things seem to be getting from bad to worse, and only now do people get really fed up with it. This problem should and could have been tackled a long while ago. However, as they say, better late than never. Hong Kong should really buck up and act fast to save the health of it's citizens. The pollution is really dangerous to people's health, not to mention doing damage to the image of the city. You can't see the sky at all, apart from advertisements for luxury apartments, which is rather sad as well, and tourists might be deterred from coming because of this on top of the health hazard.
Of course solving the problem isn't that easy when traffic is dense and pollution doesn't dissipate quickly. But that doesn't make the problem any less urgent. Hong Kong leaders need to put aside all airs and acknowledge the problem before it is too late, or the people of Hong Kong will suffer even more severely for it.
Most Teens Say No to Pre-Marital Sex
Home, 9 May 2006 (Pg H4)Statistics say that "95% of under-16s opt for abstinence, with moral considerations being the largest factor". As a follow up to the first blog post, I think this is rather heartening news . After all teenagers are the best group of people to reduce the occurance of pre-marital sex. This, in a way, could show the success rate of sex education in schools. Imagine the benefits to our community this news entails: hopefully reduced cases of STDs and underage pregnancies. Of course this isn't going to happen overnight, but the numbers do show the potential for this to happen. Add the fact that teens do indeed consider morals in the process, and I feel proud to say that Singaporean teens can be credited for more than our academic achievements.
The article also mentions how those teens who engage in pre-marital sex are often those who are misinformed. This is a minority, however. And one way of solving this problem is simply to pay attention during sex education. Perhaps the misinformed might like to take that into consideration. Sex isn't an initiation ceremony, it's procreation. I quote from the article when one girl said, rather naively, that "After me and my boyfriend are finishedm I just need to go to the toilet, urinate and force everything out lah." Looks like she needs a lesson in biology. It's just really funny how silly some people can be...
Mammoth challenge for WP against PM's team
Home, 4 May 2006 (Pg H12)Perhaps this is just because Singapore has been under the PAP since we ever had an independent government, and that people are afraid of change. While it might feel different to be under another party, change might not be a bad thing.
People have called the opposition party "wishful dreamers", among other nicknames suggesting inevitable "death". Although it's true that the PAP has a strong following, I don't think that means that there will be a walkover. It's good to encourage competition, I think, because otherwise it's unhealthy for the country. I agree that it's better if the PAP wins by contention and not walkover, as it says in the article. If the PAP wins by a walkover then other countries will really think that the PAP has done a good job of brainwashing Singaporeans to their propaganda.
Anyway, the PAP can't hold on forever. They can't be consistent in their views forever because people are inconstant. The original leaders will leave the party eventually. Nothing will be the same forever. So change, in a way, is good. We never know what the other party can show to Singapore because they haven't had a chance. And though it may seem likely that they will lose to PAP, it would have been a good exposure for them nonetheless.
Woman jailed for abusing maid
Home, 4 May 2006 (Pg H15)This is one of the many maid abuse cases that we have, and though this one seems rather minor, maid abuse is a rather important current affair. It shows how we treat our fellow human beings just because we have power over them. I think it's unfair, because after all the maids are doing their job and even if they're not doing it well, it's rather derogatory to hurt the maid like that. It's almost like treating the maid as an animal, and forgetting that she too is human and has flaws. She may be slow because she doesn't understand English or is in an unfamiliar environment or simply because she has but a rudimentary education.
Many maid abuse cases have blown up time and again yet some people still do this! If they weren't happy with the maid, why not just fire her? It isn't the best solution, but at least it prevents maid abuse. Why can't Singaporeans learn that maid abuse just isn't right? Even if the maid is doing bad things such as stealing, doesn't mean that they should stoop down to that level and abuse their maids. It's good that even minor cases are getting reported and that the offender gets due punishment, because any maid abuse at all reflects badly on us as human beings.
How Kaavya got busted
Life! section, 4 May 2006 (Pg 12)I think plagiarism is a terrible thing. It's like piracy, and just as bad. What happened to originality? Some people are just too insecure that they are not good enough such that they feel they have to copy from other bestsellers or some other works. If they can't produce decent work or aren't confident enough, then why send it to be published at all? Such acts of plagiarism only leads to horrible repercussions, such as getting slammed by the media and worse, being condemned by the public.
Perhaps publishers might be better off if they were able to spot the problems earlier and not publish. It would save a lot of people a lot of heartache and humiliation, particularly for themselves and the author.
