News

Aborting Abortions

2007-08-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

Article: "China plans tougher laws on sex-selective abortions"

Here, China is attempting to enforce regulations on meting out punishment against those who continue with sex-selective abortions. Such abortions are already banned but prior to this, no fixed punishment was decided upon for those who broke the law.

This move by the Chinese government is for practical purposes, but in my opinion, it can also be used to change the mindsets of the people. The Chinese government aims to restore the social balance between males and females because if the trend of sex-selective abortions continues, there could be as many as 30 million more men and women in the future. The outnumbering of the fairer sex could breed a male-chauvinist society in which men are unfairly favoured for jobs and political positions. This will prove to be detrimental for China, a growing nation constantly placed under the microscope by the world. China’s progress in the political, economic and societal spheres will take a turn for the worse because China’s workforce and government will not comprise of the best in each field, many of whom are women, but rather who the majority, namely the males, favours, namely themselves. On a global scale, this could also prove detrimental because China is one of the fastest growing nations in all fields and many countries depend on them in different ways.

The move to ban sex-selective abortions can also be used to educate the public, especially those in rural areas, that boys should not be favoured over girls. A change in mindset for the Chinese society, which places great importance on the ability of the next generation to carry on the family name, would be beneficial because the beliefs of the Chinese society need to evolve with the times. I’m not saying that the values that ought to be adopted should be those of the West; I’m merely saying that their values should be adapted. Those in the rural areas favour boys for another reason: their ability to work in the fields. With the change in mindset to favouring neither gender over the other, the citizens in rural areas will realise that it is not the continuation of farming that will get them out of the poverty cycle; it is basic education which will do it as this is something both boys and girls will be able to undertake.

On another level, China should consider banning abortion totally. In this context, the question of whether abortion is immoral or not is not the right question; that can be debated another day. Since China has implemented the One-Child policy, banning abortion would ensure that each family would have to live with their first child, regardless of whether the child is a boy or girl. This would also ensure that the family cannot pick and choose whether they are willing to live with a child with disabilities. This would ensure that reproduction does not merely become a game of chance, without any consequences, where one can just play again.

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Art of the Arts

2007-08-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

Article: "33 schools win awards for implementing arts education programmes"
In this article, the 33 primary schools received awards at the National Arts Education Awards ceremony in recognition of their arts programmes in school. The aim of their programmes are to introduce students to the arts while they still young so that an appreciation for the arts will be able to be inculcated early. Half of the 33 winners are first-time recipients while this is only the second year where primary schools have been included in the assessment criteria.

I feel recognising the efforts of primary schools in exposing their students to the arts is a step Singapore needs to take and refine in the near future. Arts programmes should be included as part of the curriculum in all primary schools and this is a necessary step on a pragmatic and educational level. On a pragmatic level, it stems from the fact that Singapore aims to promote itself as a cultural hub, where arts of all types flourish. However, Singapore cannot limit the appreciation of arts to older youth and adults because the whole society, inclusive of seven to twelve year olds, needs to be in tune with the way society is headed. An equally good footing in both the sciences and the arts is now the requirement. One cannot expect adults and youth to fully appreciate, let alone promote the arts if they do not have a proper grounding in the field. This is why for Singapore to be a cultural hub, education from a young age is important.

At the primary school level, pupils’ mindsets are still being formed and they are still open-minded about both the sciences and the arts. This can be compared to secondary school students, who more often that not have a tendency to be one-sided in terms of their preference of the arts or sciences and only take a subject in the contrasting area if they have to. Hence, primary school students will be able to make the best choice possible about whether they are more inclined towards the arts or the sciences if they are exposed to both areas. Furthermore, even if they prefer the sciences, they will still have an understanding and an appreciation for the arts, leading to a more holistic development of the student. This will result in a more mature thinker and person on the whole.

From here, Singapore needs to look at how it recognises primary schools for their efforts. If arts programmes become compulsory in all primary schools, schools should then be recognised based on the quality of their programmes and only the schools that constantly revamp and improve their curriculum should be awarded. This provides schools with the motivation to give their students the greatest exposure possible, and this can only bode well for Singapore in the future, with a generation of arts enthusiasts leading the way while still being well-versed in the sciences, or vice-versa.

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Face to Face

2007-05-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Article: "Facing up to Facebook fears"

In this day and age, youth are more vocal than in the past, and what better way for them to express their opinions and emotions than in today's Web 2.0, where collaboration and sharing takes place between users. One such vehicle is Facebook, a popular social networking site. The majority of this site's users are students, where students from more than 30, 000 educational institutes in English-speaking countries used it.

This article serves to show that social networking sites can also be "very useful in mobilising interest around political and policy issues". They also serve to bridge gaps and overcome physical barriers. Hence, the decision taken by the Province of Ontario in Canada to ban the website from the eyes of bureaucrats and elected officials is not an informed one.

The two problems that the writer has mentioned which I would like to focus on are derogatory comments, and the impact of stating personal information. These problems need to be addressed, especially for the majority of the users who are students. These students are still young and may act on impulse more often.

The first problem, derogatory comments, is illustrated when the effects of a posting by a student is juxtaposed against that of an employee. He condones the fact that employees should be fired if they make these comments, because "companies are obviously entitled to establish the ground rules for employee behaviour". However, he does not feel that students should be punished. He states that "students exercising legitimate free speech should not be punished simply because the speech occurs in a semi-private online forum rather than in a semi-private discussion on school grounds out of earshot of school officials". However, he is missing the point because the reason why the students are being punished is because their comments are aired in semi-private online discussions, open to viewership across the world, as opposed to a handful of people within the school grounds.

The student should serve to be an ambassador for the school and should not air his displeasure at certain school officials online, where everyone who wishes to see it is able to do so. He has to be responsible for his own actions of tarnishing the reputation of the school staff in view of the public. Hence, I fell punishment is appropriate as it serves to teach him this responsibility.

Secondly, students make personal information available on the net without realising the possible implications. People could use the information for fraud and harmful purposes, and the students are not mature enough to realise this. Hence, they have to think carefully about how each piece of information they give could affect them.

Lastly, I agree with the writer's point that banning Facebook will "cut off decision makers, school officials, and community leaders from their communities". This is in turn will lead to more misunderstandings between youth and school officials. Also, government officials will not be able to run the country as effectively because they will not be able to get a feel of the opinions of the public, especially an influential group known as 'Youths'.

To solve these problems, all sides need to be educated. Educating students on the right way to utilise Web 2.0 is as important as educating officials as to the importance of Web 2.0 in connecting with Youth. This will lead to a more understanding and progressive society.

(499 - quotes considered one word)

Whale of a tale of Japan impaled

2007-05-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Article: "Did Greens help kill the whale?"

Whaling is a despised maritime activity involving the killing of whales with harpoons, which pierce the whale and blow up the insides of the whale. It is cruel to say the least because it may cause the whale to suffer a slow and painful death. That is why a moratorium was voted for in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to end commercial whaling by 1986. This was indeed a good move, which prompted the US, UK and Australia to drop their harpoons. However, Japan, a country heavily involved in whaling, objected to this moratorium.

This article not only talks about whaling by the Japanese. Instead, I feel that this article is a illustration of how a strong country can overestimate its power over a politically weaker country, allowing the weaker country to hold the more powerful country at its mercy.

Although Japan objected to the moratorium, Japan was willing to drop whaling as a commercial practice after signing an agreement with the US to stop whaling by 1988 and withdraw its objection to the moratorium. However, an increase in unnecessary pressure only served to push Japan away.

NGOs pushed for Japan to cease whaling in exchange for its ability to fish in US waters. This was seen by Japan as a threat due to the fact that fish was, and still is, an extremely important commodity to the Japanese. However, it did not stop there. Japan's ability to fish in US waters was taken away after NGOs stated that Japan's methods of fishing harmed porpoises, fishes and even birds. By 1988, the Japanese were not allowed to catch a single fish in US waters. Shigeko Misaki said "Anger is the only word that can describe it - why did America have to cheat us like that?" America went a step too far even though Japan had already agreed to give up whaling.

Now, Japan continues to whale, but for scientific research. It seems to be a form of retaliation to the US and UK, when official Kazuo Shima says "Always I was beaten by United States and United Kingdom. However, I will never give in, because we have a rationale on this issue."

In this conflict between the US and Japan, it is clear that the US always had the upper hand as it dictated Japan's actions because Japan depended on the US, both economically and politically. Japan had already agreed to cease whaling in the first agreement. However, NGOs took this progress made for granted, and instead went on an offensive against Japan. This pushed Japan into a corner and isolated Japan. This was further fuelled by the Japanese involvement against the US in World War II. Japan then began whaling again behind the cover of scientific research, and this backfired against the original intent of the whole incident.

The article serves to remind all nations that it should be careful when wielding its power because abusing it could backfire.

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Reading for Pizza

2007-03-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

Article: "Critics denounce Pizza Hut reading program"

In America, Pizza Hut sponsors a programme called "Book It", which encourages children to read. If the students manage to attain a specific goal within a specified time period, they receive a certificate which they can exchange at Pizza Hut for a pizza. It is a great idea. However, what is enticing the kids to pick up reading? The pizzas. Hence, reading merely becomes a mean to an end.

At the foundation of this programme lie assumptions which may not necessarily be correct. First and foremost, Pizza Hut knows that using pizza as an end result will entice children to read. However, they assume that once the children pick up the habit of reading, it will soon become an interest and pizza will no longer be a sole reason for reading. However, how many of these kids will fulfill this? A noble hope but in reality, the boys and girls of today who find the joys of video gaming before beginning to read, will merely see this as a way to get free food, and good free food at that. Fast food, or junk food more pessimistically speaking, is something that students of all ages, especially in America, crave. It is prepared quickly, it tastes good, and it is not that expensive. In America, there is a wide variety and kids have easy access to it; there's a different fast food outlet everywhere you look.

As Alfie Kohn, a former teacher, put it aptly "The more kids see books as a way to get pizza or some other prize, the less interest they'll have in reading itself. They tend to choose easier books to get through faster."

There is also a secondary problem to deal with, and that is the consumption of junk food. By rewarding the kids with pizza, one encourages the consumption of junk food. If reading is good, and is rewarded with pizza, should pizza not also be good? Therein lies another problem with the system and its rewards. Pizza is something temporary; once it is eaten, it is gone. Hence, kids might see reading, which earns them the pizzas, as something temporary as well, which defeats the underlying purpose of the programme.

However, all is not doom and gloom. All kids will be given the opportunity to read, and they can make their own decision as to whether they like it or not. There will be kids who will find joy in reading and will realise what they have been missing out on. All I am saying is they will be outnumbered by those who read for merely for food. This programme could work, but it needs to teach children that reading is not as shallow as a means of earning a pizza.

In my opinion, there should not be a reward. If there is no reward, kids will be under no illusion that reading is for a secondary purpose. They will not be distracted by a reward and will focus on reading in itself.

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Crime-ridden South Africa

2007-02-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Article: "South Africa faces crime challenge"

South Africa: one of the top three most dangerous territories in the world, ridden with crimes like kidnapping, murder and rape. The society is affected by poverty, and it is in most cases due to racism and the inability to break out of the poverty cycle, which is also because the chance of a child getting a proper education in South Africa is influenced by race. South African politicians would like you to believe that the apartheid is now a mere fragment of history. This indeed not the case even though one might say it is not as wide-spread. "[T]eachers are frustrated with the lack of change" ("Education: A promise hard to keep") . Hence, the underlying problem affecting everyone is corruption within the government, and I agree with Professor Pityana who said that there has to be change within the upper echelons of the government.

The president feels that increasing police numbers will solve the problem. However, I agree with the writer when he states that policemen are "poorly paid, poorly trained, and easily corrupted" and hence it will not solve the problem. If the government does not address this, it shows the people that the government is not interested in halting the steady rise in crime rates. Also, increasing police numbers alone will not solve the issue as the defined scope of "crime" cannot be limited to vice that goes on in the streets. Is corruption not a crime?

I agree with the writer, who states that "[i]t does not help when senior figures close to the government seem protected against the law." This will give society an impression that crime is acceptable and the government is not going to take a heavy stance towards it. How can the police chief have a friend in the mafia when the mafia is one of the sources of crime? How can the people expect to believe that crime will be dealt with severely when an official sentenced to four years in prison was released after four months in a comfortable open prison? The writer states that "[s]ociety itself has to rise up against the criminals", but this will not happen if they do not have a strong government to show them the way. Hence, changes to the government have to be made.

The government needs to look at its society and fully comprehend the root problems it faces. Racism leads to unequal education and employment opportunities. This in turn leads to poverty, and forces those who suffer to turn to a life of crime to make ends meet. The government cannot remain ignorant any longer, the level of crime is becoming uncontrollable. It is convenient to blame the government, but all members of society need to play their part too. They should speak out against what is wrong. It is no use having a discontented society where no one says what they are unhappy about.

South Africa has to start a cycle of change soon. Can South Africa rise up against crime? More importantly, WILL they?

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Welcome

2007-02-09T03:36:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog of personal response to current affairs. Or news blog for short. Please comment on my posts and link this blog to your news blog as well. Thanks