Evil/Ivy/10S403

The author states that society denies against evil because it seems "extreme". I agree with the author as human beings would most of the time prefer to sit on the fence as they often find supporting one extreme would mean trouble. This is evident especially when people are faced with a dilemma, for example, when a man is sandwiched between an argument between his wife and his mother. Most of the time he would not take sides as he is afraid of hurting the other party or risking their relationship. The same goes to evil, evil is a very subjective term and varies from person to person. Society, most of the time would prefer to 'see no evil' as it would imply that the society is all good. However, this may not apply to the whole of society, there are some people with courage to admit to the existence of evil by not sitting on the fence and such acts are getting more popular these days. This could be seen from the increase in numbers of children willing to seek help when being abused or bullied.

In order to deal with evil, the author believes that 'we must do all we can to not dehumanize or demonize others.' I disagree to some extent, as often those who commit evil lack human feelings and conscience, this is because the term 'evil' is an extreme word, merely saying someone who for example, breaks rules and regulations in an institution, such as school would not be called as evil but one who murders with a plan to escape punishments and with motive behind, especially one that is wicked is often one who is incurable, hence it would be proven much difficulty to not demonise them. hence, i find the author's arguments unconvincing.

NJC07~Christopher~*(のヮの)*

From Passage 1. the author argues that children are groomed to be passive from young. In my opinion, this view is applicable to today's world. As parents tend to be more protective of their children these days, they often do many things for their children, giving them a passive role in the life as they do not have to do much. In the past, parents were not so protective and allowed their children to learn how to perform tasks themselves, so as to groom them to be independent. However, this is absent in today's world. Because they are not taught how to do things themselves, they tend to rely on others a lot. If they do not see others doing anything, they will also not do anything as they are taught not to be independent and to think for themselves as their parents do most of the thinking for them. However, this does not apply to all children as some parents may want their children to be independent from young, especially if the parents are busy and have little time to take care of the kids. They will try to let their children learn things on their own so they are able to accomplish things without the help of other people. This way, they will not have to rely on others for help and they will be able to be active in their own life.

From Passage 2, the author argues that people will be disliked if they stand out from the norm. This is also applicable in today's world as in most societies, people tend to treat people that deviate from the norm as weird, and they will ostracize the odd one out. This is because most people do not dare to stand out, and those who stand out have no one to side with them as everyone feels safer and more secure in a group. Thus, they will not want to be the only one on the opposing side as everyone will be against them. However, this is not always the case as some people might not be afraid to stand up to the crowds. In the case, they might be able to change the minds of others to join their cause. Also, by standing out, some people may be able to become more popular as a result, for example, many artistes choose to have very shocking outfits and images to get more fans. Thus, standing out does not always mean that people will hate them.

Our society can deal with this by allowing children to be more independent by teaching them to do tasks by themselves from young, such as kindergarten. For example, getting their own food. This helps them stand on their own two feet instead of always relying on others. They are able to do what they want and will not become so passive when they grow up.

DHS08_Utopia/ Wu Xin Fang/ 10s403


The author argues that attempts to create and drive utopias have been dangerous, enduring and futile. How far do you agree with his view?


The author states that 'a conflict free existence is impossible for humans, and whenever it is attempted, the result is intolerable to them for they soon find themselves wanting or needing different things, which ultimately leads to a state of tension once again.' In other words, the attempts to create utopia is pointless because people would eventually end up fighting against one another for self-interest. Humans are 'the proposed agents of such change, are fraught with temptations and weaknesses.' Indeed, i agree with the author's point that it is an unrealistic aim to achieve complete world peace, harmony and equality. Due to the modern world we are living in today, most are forced to grow up in an individualistic environment. The uniqueness of each individuals caused them to have different likings, different wants and desires. It is almost an inpossible task for people to be homogeneous and accept one another's differences, not to even mention creating utopias. Perhaps, it is a human nature to be selfish. Most people want the best for themselves, and unknowingly, creates a competitive edge which could result in unhappiness, and even conflicts. For example, Stalin's communist ruling did not work out, instead the outcome was disastrous. Countless people died and suffered. However, the attempts to create utopia were not completely futile. Instead, it can improve social cohesion within a small and controlled community. For example, Simgapore has enjoyed years of racial harmony with the government's effort to ensure equality of races. The government has always set their goals as creating an ideal living space for their citizens. Therefore, it is not entirely true that the attempts to create and drive utopias have been futile. At least, the attempts have healthy impacts on small scale society. The efforts cannot be neglected. But overall, it is still unrealistic and pointless to attempt achieving complete utopias in the world.

Also, the author claims that ' the lure of hope can also make us deaf and blind to what is around us.' Hope is the reason why people are still attempting in achieving utopia despite its several failures. It is dangerous as people become too driven in wanting to achieve utopia such that they forgot to listen and accept other's view. I agree to the author's point to a small extent. Although it is true that sometimes people tend to become oblivious to their surroundings as they are too focus in achieving the impossible task. Often, they forgot the true meaning of it and hence, the result is worse than before. Taking communism as an example again, Stalin's goal of achieving equality, believing that communism could stop all sufferings, turned out to be one of the worst historical period. Stalin's ruthlessness led to the death of million innocents. The lost cannot be compensated. The risk is dangerous and can be deadly too. However, we can now put a stop to it and not let the painful history repeat itself again. It is not entirely true that 'hope can make us deaf and blind'. It makes us want to improve ourselves. It does not neccessarily make us deaf and blind, provided that we know our boundaries and know not to go overboard by our aims. Perhaps, people should lower their expectation of a utopia space and work towards achieving harmony, then it would not be dangerous.

Education-Jieyao-10s403

The author states that "Many jobs that never before required college now call for at least some post-secondary course work.". The world now has become more competitive and educated due to the education becoming widely available in most countries. As people become more educated, they would be able to learn new skills faster and master them. This has created competition amongst people to be able to receive higher education as they would need to gain an advantage over others in order for them to get employment. In Singapore's society, more students are encouraged to or rather, forced to go for higher education like enrolling in universities. This can be seen by the amount of career talks available from secondary school onwards where these talks are mainly conducted by universities who would tell students more about for their courses available. With these talks, more and more students would be encouraged to enter universities and thus, creating an abundance of workers who have at least a university degree, hence, the need for post secondary course work for jobs.


The author also states that "They are not ready for high school, some of them, much less for college." because they may be ignorant of the pressure and work present in higher education or they may not know how to apply what they have learnt. When these people attempt to pursue higher education, they may instead fail to complete the education as they may not yet be ready for it. Also, they may be pursuing higher education just for the sake of getting a job instead of choosing what thy really wants. In SIngapore, we have several alternatives for students to choose if they feel that they are not yet ready for higher education. There is the ITE where students learn skills that can be applied in the real world so that they would be able to earn a living, and also polytechnics which offers students a chance to learn a particular set of skills which may be their passion. This would enable them to go out to work immediately after the completion. Also, there is even an arts school where students learn about music, art and others. All these would provide students with a chance to learn valuable skills that can be used in the real world and they would not need to pursue any higher education.

Population and demographics AQ/Eunice/10s403

The author in passage1 states that population will decline due to women being more educated. The increase in literacy rate in women has allowed them to have more "social and economic options in today's rich countries", which led to a delay in them having children. This has "pulled fertility below the natural replacement rate." The threat that this pose is that there is too much food which might affect exports and widen income inequality between the rich and poor countries. I agree that this point is relevant to Singapore because women here enjoy equal education rights as men and thus are highly-educated as well. Many women are pursuing careers and are reluctant to put their careers on hold to form a family. For example, our government have put in a lot of measures to try and get the birth rates up through baby bonus schemes and extended maternity leave. Hence, Singapore is also facing a declining birth rate and this is due to women being highly-educated as well. However, the view is not true that rich and poor countries will be even more segregated. People from poor countries are given opportunities to study in other countries to allow them to get a better job in the future and hence up their standard of living in their hometowns. For example, Singapore gives out ASEAN scholarships to allow students from poor Southeast Asian countries to study here. Therefore, the point that the author made that population decline will widen the rich and poor countries' gap is not relevant to Singapore.

The author in passage2 mentioned that sub-replacement fertility is due to graying population and population decline. This argument is relevant to Singapore because we are facing sub-replacement fertility and experiencing population decline and graying population as well. Due to a threat on our sustainability caused by the sub-replacement fertility, our government has put in measures to counter the graying population and population decline issues. For example, retired workers are encouraged to return to the workforce, retirement age has been increased and baby bonus schemes have been put in place to encourage people to have more babies. Hence, the author's point is relevant to the Singapore society. However, the point is not entirely true because our sub-replacement fertility could be due to other reasons like standard of living. Due to the high costs of living in Singapore, people are unsure about raising children as they are afraid they might be financially challenged. For example, people are choosing to have only one or two kids relative to more than five in the past. Hence, this point is not relevant to Singapore as it did not account for other possible reasons.

Therefore, the argument presented in passage2 is more relevant to Singapore because it gives more insight to the sub-replacement fertility issue.

AQ/Tan Ping Hao/10s403

The author in Passage 1 states that "The society operates on the assumption that they not only can be taught, but must be." I agree with the author that the society must be taught as without education on moral values and the culture of shame as without it, children would end up growing up not knowing how to lead their lives. We are not born with natural morally correct instincts, and have to be guided to the correct paths in life. There are many examples of such an education being implemented, such as the civics and moral education in schools in Singapore which is compulsory for all students. However, the society may not respond appropriately to the teachings implemented. It is clear that even with moral values being taught to the society, the society still chooses to ignore these values, or consider them irrelevant and unimportant. This results in the disasters caused such a lack of moral values. Some examples include abuse cases and teenage pregnancies. In fact, some societies in other, more liberal countries do not even operate on the assumption that the society must be taught moral values, and consider actions fuelled by a lack of moral values as a norm in their society. However, the idea in passage 1 is relevant to our society as Singapore is still considered more traditional than liberal today, and places much importance of the upbringing of their children. Acts caused by a lack of moral values, such as rape, teenage pregnancy or abuse, are still deeply frowned upon and not considered a norm in society at all. The government also places much empahsis on the importance of our values through education and campaigns, in order to make sure that even though Singapore progresses, her civillians are still able to maintain and pass on their values to later generations.

The author in Passage 2 states that "We are, very simply, unprepared for dealing with pangs of shame or for undertaking spiritual soul-searching." I agree with this as while the society is progressing materiallistically, we remain stagnant when it comes to spiritual well-being. The society today is driven by economic progression and the improvement in technology and other material gains, so much so that the basic value of conscience and humility are ignored. Students are trained to deal with problems at work or school and are educated in problem-solving methods, but they are uncertain and apprehensive when it comes to the culture of shame. With a higher standard of living, people nowadays also become more complacent and confident of themselves, and do not try to assess themselves. For example, a businessman may be more driven by profit than how morally correct his methods to gain profit are. They have little shame in what they do, as long as profit is earned. This idea is applicable to my society as Singapore is fast progressing economically and with our higher standard of living and quality of life, humility has become a rarity.

Education/GPZ/10S403

The author thinks that higher level of education is not for everyone as society's view as certain jobs do not require those skills learnt. Indeed, such expectations may be unecessary as the skills learnt are not putting on good use but are took up just to secure a position in the society. For example, in Singapore, students have to study selected compulsory subjects that might not be useful for their career in future in order to reach university. Thus, this means that higher level of education might not necessary for everyone. However, in Singapore society, whereby there are influx of talents resulting in an competition for jobs. Thus, the level of education serves as a crucial measure for employers to select their employees. Hence, high level of education is remains important for everyone.

The author also states that people try to take up higher level of education although they are not apt for it and other people would find it harsh to bring this message across to them. Due to this, people may take up skills that may not be suitable and thus, be unhappy with what they are doing. I agree to this stand as in Singapore's society, the government has already set up various institutes, such as Institute of Technical studies(ITE), to accomodate different kinds of learner who are suitable for different types of job. Thus, this cushions the author's stand that high level of education is not for everyone. However, different jobs would bring in different income for various individuals. In Singapore, those people who have higher level of studies such as lawyer and doctors are earning much more than those who are holding on to jobs that does not involve high level of education. Thus, in the pursuit of having more income, it is imperative to pursue a higher level of education so that the income earned is more than sufficient to cope with the rising standards of living in Singapore. Hence, this limits the author's point that high level of education is not for everyone.

Education AQ/Chin Wang/10S403

From the passage, the author states that in society it should only be natural and fair for all to receive an education. It is only appropriate for people to make their own decisions as they have the rights and freedom to do so and nobody should be able to decide for them. Education has only been highly regarded in recent years as a factor that promotes growth within a country. As a result, many countries have started placing emphasis on its education system to provide an education for every individual that is suitable for it. In addition, some countries have made primary education compulsory for all. Therefore, many government have implemented policies which aids excellent students who experience financial difficulties with scholarships to pay for their tuition costs. For example, in my society, the government has made primary education compulsory for all children and those parents who fail to adhere to the regulations will be punished according to the law. This promotes the future growth of the economy as all future generations would be literate and can effectively contribute to society. However, this point is limited as although education is provided for all, some might not take education seriously and waste their years away. Most of these people are those who are not interested in academics but may be more interested towards the practical side. Therefore, many of these students drop out during their teenage years and begin working at a very young age without much skills. Hence, this is applicable towards my society.

The author had stated another point that not all are suitable for college as there are those who lack the skills and knowledge required for higher education. With an education system, every individual are ranked based on the ideal of meritocracy whereby students higher better academic results would be much more regarded as compared to those who did worse. This would cause intense competition amongst students to compete for admission into universities. For example, in my society, courses only take in a certain number of students during the annual student intakes. This causes students to compete for the more popular courses where they are promised a better future if they do get admitted in to the course. As a result, many youths who are not admitted are often disregarded by most members of society. However, this point is limited as people who are not suitable for college does not mean that they are stupid. It might only be due to the reason that they have interest in other topics. Therefore, most of these students prefer experiencing to studying. As a result, most countries have establish other sorts of institution which caters to the needs of these students and also to enhance their learning experience and prepare them for the working society. For example, in Singapore, the government have encourage the establishment of other institutions such as the Institute of Technical Education and Polytechnics to cater to the needs of students who are more hands-on and interested in topics related to the working society. This has helped many to develop themselves and also to excel in studies although they might not have done well academically before. As a result, I feel that this point is applicable to my society.

Crime AQ / Faizah / 10S403

In Passage 1, the author states that crime is more prominent in countries with the greatest income inequality. I agree with his point as it is applicable to Singapore. Singapore's income inequality has been reduced through means such as subsidies to th poor. At the same time, it is known that Singapore has a very low crime rate. This proves that countries with little income inequality has little crime rate. This claim is also supported by the author in passage 2.

In Passage 2, the author states that riots are all occuring in destitute neighbourhoods. I agree to his point to a certain extent as it is applicable to Singapore since Singapore does not have destitute neighbourhoods and have no riots in present day. This proves that the author's statement is somewhat true. However, it is flawed as not all riots occur in destitute neighbourhoods only. Riots may not occur only due to income inequality as there are other reasons like racial or political problems. Therefore, not all riots ovvur in destitute neighbourhoods only. Thus, i agree to th author's claim to a limited extent.

In conclusion, Singapore's cirme violence is low as it has low income inequality & has no destitute neighbourhoods. Both authors' claims supports each other and are applicable to my society.

25/07/10

AQ/Faris Hakim/10S403

The author in passage 1 says that society operates on the assumption that they, values, not only can be taught but must be. I disagree with the author because in a more liberal society, these values has been eroded. The values are being taught but it has not had any effect on the society. This can be seen from the reality show 16 and pregnant. Their society view it as a norm for an unmarried 16 year old getting pregnant. If this happens to a more conservative society such as those in Asia, the girl and her family would be deeply ashamed. Hence, i disagree with the author because not all societies operates on the same assumption. This idea is applicable to my society because Singapore is still largely considered as a traditional and conservative society. However, this may change in the coming years because Singaporean youths are becoming more liberal.

The author in passage 2 says that the basic problem is that there is an absence of a culture of shame. I agree with the author because as society strives to improve its economic and material well-being, much of these values are being ignored as they tend to hinder society's progress. This idea is not applicable to my society because Singapore is still considered a traditional and conservative society.

AQ/ Toby Ong Zheng Shuo/10s403

The first passage states that murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality. This is most likely because of the large income gap in society will induce pressure on the poor as the poor will feel inferior as compared to the rich and thus will resort to violence especially when the rich looks down on them.In some societies, the rich lives separately from the poor creating two 'separate' countries as there is little interaction between both the parties. However, in the case of Singapore, there is not a problem regarding income levels as most of the working adults do not have a great difference in income and mostly all Singaporeans received secondary education thus they will learn moral values. Thus with secondary school education, Singaporeans can find jobs that can afford at least the basic necessities in life. Thus very little income problems will arise. Therefore, income inequality is a minor factor for violence and murder cases occurring in Singapore.

The second passage states that riots are geographically and socially circumscribed, with almost all occurring in destitute neighborhoods. Such communities suffer from poverty such that they do not have enough income to afford food and basic necessities. Thus these low income families might feel unfair that the government is not helping them and only focused on developing the country which will make the rich richer and the poor poorer. therefore resulting in riots as this is a way of expressing their anger to the government and hopefully the government does something to alleviate the problem. however, in the context of Singapore, the income gap is relatively low due to the enforcement and support given by the government. Thus it is unlikely that riots will happen in Singapore.

AQ/Ying Ting/10S403

In Passage 1, the author states that criminal violence could be due to a society's structure. For societies who are of a heterogenous structure, it is hard to bind people together and thus creates feelings of alienation among citizens. The author states the United States as an example, which he calls 'a nation of strangers', with a high level of homicidal violence. This view is becoming more and more applicable in my society, as Singapore has an increasing number of immigrants coming into our society. It is part of the government's plan to increase population to 6 million people in the near future, and more immigrants are allowed into our society. This changes our society's structure into a heterogenous structure, where percentage of immigrants in our society is considered high in relation to number of locals. Recently, there was a series of slashings in our society, which is more commonly known as the Kallang Slashings, where immigrant workers robbed and attacked random strangers. This has sparked up many discussions and debates on whether or not immigrants might pose a threat to our society's welfare. I feel that the sense of alienation among immigrants is increasing as more and more immigrants are entering our society, and there is discrimination among Singaporeans against these immigrants, which migth cause them to feel even more alienated and lonely in our country, thus affecting their psyches adversely. Thus, the issue of a heterogenous society causing feelings of societal alienation is becoming an increasing cause for concern in my society.

In Passage 2, the author thinks that increased emphasis on multiculturalism and respect for other cultures in France is not a solution to preventing riots and violence. He substantiates his point by saying that the riots and violence is due to the population being highly deculturalised and individualised. I disagree with the author, as in my society, such emphasis on multiculturalism and respect for other cultures has been effective in preventing riots and violence. I feel that the author is not being very fair in deriving such a conclusion. However, I feel that in all societies, the people in the society must be willing to embrace such emphasis and reforms. With increased understanding among race, religions and cultures, riots and violence can be decreased. I feel that a deculturalised society can in fact become more bonded if people are willing to embrace one another's cultures. By being appreciative of one another's culture, individuals will be willing to accept one other for who they are. This will lead to the society becoming less deculturalised and individualised. In Singapore, there was a 1964 Racial Riot which was triggered by a clash between a group of Malays and a Chinese policemen. The government has since taken steps to alleviate racial discrimination and misunderstandings, such as creating Racial Harmony Day. In recent years, there have been no racial riots in our society and younger generations of Singaporeans are more able to appreciate the cultural diversity in Singapore. This emphasis on multiculturalism and respect for other cultures has helped Singapore become a multi-racial and multi-religious society today. Thus, I strongly believe that such emphasis on multiculturalism and respect for other religions can help in reducing violence in a society.

AQ/Gracy/10s403

In passage 1, the author states that murder and violence are higher in nations with largest income inequality. In countries where there is income inequality, societal prejudice arises. The rich may look down on the poor while the poor struggle to achieve a more equal income level with the rich often by dishonourable means. However, this is applicable to Singapore as our country's income inequality is low and this is explains for our country's low crime rate.

In passage 2, the author claims that crimes are more likely to happen in destitute neighbourhoods. I agree with the author's point. This means that crime arises more often places with poor living conditions. In poor living conditions, people are more desperate for better living conditions. However, they may not have the ability to improve their living conditions hence they may resort to dishonourable means. For example, South Africa, one of the world's least developed country with the lowest standards of living, has a crime rate that is extraordinarily high. This is applicable to Singapore as Singapore, being one of the most developed countries in the world, has low crime rate.

AQ----PAN JIEMING------10S403

In the first passage, the author made it very clear that murder and violence are higher in nations with largerincome inequality. This is partly true, as people sometimes do react to unfairness with extreme criminal actions. Take for instance, when the poor have no food and basic necessities for survival, the only thing they can do is to steal cheat and beg. The problem worsen when they notice how the rich has been wasting the food and enjoying themselves. When such thing happens, they may become frustrated at the unfairness of life and indulge in crime. Sure enough, this is an issue closely related to criminal violence. However, this is not so much of an concerning issue to my society in Singapore. First of all, Singapore has a very strong economy where there is rarely any economic crisis. Citizens are able to earn a living in the toughest World wide economic recession. Then, the government has given every citizen despite their differences the same welfare. Medisave, Medifund etc are given to all the citizens to ensure equal rights of every individual. So to the poor, basic necessities like healthcare and education are ensured. Funds are set up to help the needy as well. Therefore, in Singapore, this issue isn't such a concern compared to other country in world.

In the second passage, the author claims that "the riots are geographically and socially very circumscribed: all are occuring in about 100 suburbs, or more precisely, destitute neighbourhoods". This is a reaction from the cultural minority when they feel that they are unfairly treated. It is likely due to the social and economic exclusion to the different minor race which cause the riots. The issue here is that it is hard to achieve racial harmony. The minority race or culture always feel discriminated and wanting to be treated fairly. However, the majority may not think its necessary. When the tension between the different cultural group builds up, a little spark is all it takes to start a riot. Similarly in Singapore, a multiracial society, have a history of riots between the Chinese and Malay due to tension and misunderstanding. This is indeed an issue of Singapore's concern. That is why, the government are adopting all kinds of measures to promote racial harmony. The country will fall if it faces internal struggle each day. Thus it is important and necessary to keep Singapore harmonious.

In conclusion, there are many issues relating to criminal violence, economic and social especially. It is important to solve these root of the problem in order to lower crime rates. It is the responsibility of every government to ensure fairness and safety in the nation.

AQ/Tan Ping Hao/10s403

I feel that both the first author's point of murder and violence being higher in nations with the largest income inequality and the second author's point of riots and crime occuring in destitute neighbourhoods are not very applicable to the Singaporean context in our present society.

In the first passage, the author states that "murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality." This may be because the large income gap in society creates pressure for the poor as they fight for survival. In some countries, the poor and rich live in seperate societies even though they come from the same country, and form a hierachy. People from the upper caste are able to receive education, unlike the lower caste who can't afford it. Thus, while the upper caste are educated on both academics and moral values, the lower caste are only educated on how to survive using their own abilities. Thus, when faced with pressure, these people may end up resorting to violence and even crime when faced with desperation for wealth and survival. An example of a country like this is South Africa, where the lower caste have to fight tooth and nail for survival. However, since there is very little or no income disparity in Singapore, this is not very applicable to the Singaporean context. Though it is true that the income levels across various occupations in Singapore differ, everyone is subjected to at least secondary school level education and are taught moral values from young. Everyone in Singapore thus has the ability to hold jobs that allow them to live adequately. Thus, income and economic disparity is eliminated. Therefore, it cannot be used as a reason for violence and murder cases occuring in Singapore, if any.

In the second passage, the author claims that "the riots are geographically and socially very circumscribed: all are occuring in about 100 suburbs, or more precisely, destitute neighbourhoods". This could be because the poor feel that it is unfair and they had received biased and ill treatment by the rich, for example, discrimmination, so they form riots as a form of resisting and to win back their rights. Again, I feel that this is inapplicable to the present Singapore society as "destitute neighbourhoods" are a minority, or rarity, in Singapore. Singapore, being a prosperous country, enjoys a high standard of living. The government also offers help to those Singaporeans who need financial aid. Thus, it is nearly impossible to have destitute neighbourhoods in our country. Furthermore, the Singapore government has also set strict rules and regulations regarding riots in Singapore, following the aftermath of disasterous riots like the Maria Hertough riot. Thus, rioting in Singapore is never seen in the present, so this author's point cannot be applied to the Singaporean context.

AQ/Nordiyanah Samsuddin/10S403 (:

In passage one, the author states that murder and violence are higher in countries with very significant income inequality. I do concede that in certain countries with very significant income inequality, murder and violence rates are relatively high. This is due to the fact that citizens do not receive equal benefits and do not enjoy the same standard of living. Those at the lower ends of the income spectrum may be desperate enough to commit certain crimes just to ensure their survival. However, this may not be true for all nations. For instance, income inequality in Singapore is not really that significant. The gap between the rich and the poor is not as wide as the poor are often aided by the government and non-government institutions. For instance, the poor in Singapore are given more monetary benefits than the rich. Hence, this issue would not be of concerrn to my society.

In passage two it is said that riots would normally happen in destitiue neighbourhoods. This may be true as the poor may resort to rioting just to have their voice heard by the government. However, this may not be true in the Singapore context as the poor and the rich are not divided or segregated. They live together in the same neighbourhoods regardless of their income. Hence, this view is not applicable to my society.

AQ/Caleb Seow/10s403

I think the author's view of murder and violence being linked to nations with a larger income inequality in passage one, and the author's point on violence and riots occuring most commonly in destitute neighbourhoods hihgly inapplicable to the Singaporean society i live in.

The author states that "murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality". A large income gap may create tension in a society. The rich and poor may live separately,with the rich, not wishing to be acquainted with the poor, may form a sense of social class or hierarchy, with the poor at the very bottom of the social pyramid. The rich may take advantage of their increased social leverage, by exploiting labor from the poor, or even reducing them to slavery with minimal basic necessities. This creates tension among the poor, who may feel unfairness and demand for equality. Due to their lack of social power, they may resort to physical forms of attaining power, resulting in murders and violence. One such example would be South Africa, where the blacks are deemed as a lower social class due to their skin colour and income levels. The whites constantly exploit the native blacks, which created much tension in their society. This led to many riots and revolts against the whites, as the blacks demanded for basic human rights and the need for equality. However, this is not applicable to the singaporean society context, as the our society does not have a very large income inequality gap. In Singapore, the government ensures that everyone is provided with primary to secondary education. This immediately ensures that everyone is capable of holding jobs of a certain academic standard, thus eliminating the level of income inequality between the educated and non-educated. In Singapore, financial support schemes are also given to the poor. Such schemes and policies allow them to obtain basic necessities such as housing and food. This effectively lowers the income gap. There will be no discrimination towards the poor as everyone is on the same socio-economic level, and the poor need not resort to violence to attain basic necessities as they can rely on the government to provide for them. Therefore, the author's point is inapplicable to our society.

the author in passage 2, claims that riots are geographically and socially circumscribed, with almost all occurring in destitute neighborhoods. Yet again, this view is inapplicable to the Singaporean society, for the very reason that there are hardly or almost no destitute neighbourhoods in Singapore. Being such a small yet populous city, we have about 7022 people per square metre. This makes it impossible to have destitute neighbourhoods, where land is so limited and people cover every inch of the area. Next, Singapore enforces many strict laws on rioting in the nation. This laws are easily enforced, with Singapore being such a small country. therefore, the authors point is inapplicable to our society

AQ/Pang Chin Wang/10S403

In passage 1, the writer states that in countries where the income gap is wider, there is a higher percentage of crimes committed. When people have little or no money for survival, it might cause them to be desperate enough to commit crimes in order to obtain food and water. However, this is not completely true as people are brought up with different cultures.Some might have been brought up to be people of integrity while others grow up with principles that they follow. As a result, even when these people are desperate for money, they will not go against their conscience in order to obtain them. For example, children in Singapore are taught the importance of moral values and good character. In addition, the consequences of criminals are also greatly emphasized by the country's education system as children go to school in order to cultivate good character among the students. As a result, Singapore has been able to maintain a low crime rate in its country. Therefore, even though there might be a issue of income inequality, a nation will not experience an issue of criminal violence if their citizens are conscious of its consequences and are raised with good moral values. However, the author is also true such that cases of criminal violence are exceptionally high in countries with an issue of income inequality. This may be caused as a result of countries with a large immigration intake which usually bring about problems regarding illegal immigration. This is because when a country has a large number of illegal immigrants, these immigrants are usually unable to get normal jobs such as clerks and cashiers because of their status. Hence, getting a job for them is difficult but if they do get a job, they would usually be paid only a meager sum as compared to locals. This would cause many of them to have financial problems and as a result, many result to crimes in order to get money for survival. For example, the United States which is experiencing an issue of income inequality is also facing a problem of high crime rate. It has many cases of homicides and robberies yearly committed by illegal immigrants. Therefore, this point is not applicable to my society.

In passage 2, the author states that riots mostly occur in destitute communities. Such communities suffer extreme poverty whereby they do not have enough food and have difficulties with their finances. Moreover, they are unable to receive an education when young and therefore many of them are unemployed and have to find other means to support their families and themselves. As a result, many people living in such communities gather and form gang in order to ensure their own survival as people with similar backgrounds often try to take advantage of them. However, this is not applicable to Singapore as people with financial difficulties are provided aid from the government and so it would be least possible that they would start a riot as they are provided essential necessities.

AQ/Jieyao/10S403

In passage 1, the writer states that mass murderers tend to be people with a history of failure, losers who feel chronically frustrated and socially alienated. These people, having been failures all their lives, deprived of both success and friends, turn to mass murdering to make themselves feel successful by achieving something that no one else has. In doing so, they would also attract the attention of people, something which most of these murderers desire to have after years of being ostracized by people. Furthermore, people in America are allowed to possess weapons such as guns, which makes mass murdering more accessible as compared to other countries. However, this may not be applicable to Singapore as people are not allowed to possess guns and the rules are being enforced strictly. Also, Singaporean citizens are not as exposed to materials such as violent videogames from a young age as Americans and hence, most Singaporeans would not turn to mass murdering to get rid of their "failure" status.

In passage 2, the author states that riots are happening at destitute neighbourhoods where people are angered by racism and unemployment. This indicates that racism is strife in France and has led to riots in order for people to achieve equality amongst the different races. It also shows that people living in destitute neighbourhoods are mainly of the same race whilst the rich are of a different race. This leads to resentment and thus the outbreak of riots in order for the less privileged race to achieve equality. However this is not applicable in Singapore as Singapore is a multi-cultural society where citizens have been inculcated with a sense of racial harmony since young. Also, all races are treated fairly by the government and no particular race are being favoured. Hence, riots due to racism does not occur in Singapore.

AQ/ALICIA/10S403

In passage 1, the author states that an observation is that murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality. When there is income inequality, it may mean that there is a difference in level of education between those people who are earning more income than those who are earning lesser. Hence, they have different skills and thus have different kinds of jobs which different pay. These may lead to those people with lesser income to resort to crime as their income may not be sufficient for their daily necessities. These same group of people may be the less educated ones too as their parents could not sent them to school and without any skills, they cannot get jobs and may have no choice but to commit crimes for their livelihood. In South Africa, there is a high crime rate that has always been an issue in the country. Reports have shown that those who commit the crimes like fraud are people with very little education. Hence it is true in this context that crime rates are higher in countries with large income inequality. In Singapore, there is a low crime rate. This is due to the fact that the government subsidies education and makes it compulsory for every child to have at least a primary school education. This would have equipped them with some skills to be able to find a job. Even when people in Singapore have financial problems due to their low income, the government will help them and thus, there is no need to commit crimes to get money. Therefore the author's point is applicable to my society.

In passage 2, the author states that riots are occurring in destitute neighbourhoods. People who live in such neighbourhood are usually the poor. These people may also have little education and thus face a hard time trying to get a job hence they may be unhappy with the way their life is and thus start riots in order to get the government's attention to do something to their neighbourhood so that their life will improve. This is not very applicable in Singapore as there is a strict law regarding riots and thus people do not start riots. As Singapore is a small country with little land, it is not very accurate to say that they are destitute neighbourhoods here. The government tries to help its people as much as possible when it comes to housing and jobs. Hence, people do not have to start riots in order to get the government's attention. Therefore this point is not much of a concern in my society.

AQ/ Jaron/ 10S403

The author of passage 1 states that nations with large income inequality gaps have a higher rate of crime and violence. This is somewhat true. With countries involving people of extreme poverty and wealth, the income gap may result in disputes among the two groups due to differences in quality of life. In order for the poorer people to make ends meet, they may resort to crimes such as robbery or kidnap so as to plunder as much money as possible. This large income inequality gap may be the result of globalisation or poor governance on the country's part. Globalisation can cause the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer due to the advancements in global activities, while poor governance may cause an unequal or unfair distribution of resources and wealth to the people of the country. However in Singapore, the government makes an attempt to close this income inequality gap by offering greater subsidies to patients, based on their income levels, in hospitals and this is known as Means Testing. Poorer families are offered greater subsidies in Class C wards based on their income levels as compared to richer families. This has proven to be effective in bridging the gap in between income levels as a fairer method of offering subsidies among the country's citizens is being implemented. As such, the income inequality gap in Singapore is not a factor of occurence of crime and violence and thus is not applicable to Singapore.

Roy states that riots are occuring in destitute neighbourhoods. This is not always true. Denizens of poor neighbourhoods tend to have a lack in basic necessities such as food, water and proper sanitation due to several reasons such as discrimination. These unfavourable conditions may cause the people to believe that the government is neglecting their neighbourhood. As a result, people may form up parties to riot against the government to show their unhappiness in a bid to receive the necessary and adequate amenities. However in Singapore, the government also aims to provide better housing for its people and eradicate racial discrimination. Basic housing such as Housing Development Board flats are at most equipped with electricity and plumbing. It is also ensured by the government that there is a healthy mix of different races in each flat so as to encourage social and cultural interactions so as to prevent racism. With this improved standard of living for poorer families in Singapore, destitute neighbourhoods are slowly becoming inexistant. As such, this not much of a concern to Singapore.

The two author points may be largely due to the poor governance of a country which in turn cause unhappiness and social unrest among its people and with better governance, crime and violence rates may slowly decline and in turn help the country in the big picture.

AQ/ WUXINFANG/ 10S403

In passage 1, the author claims that murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality. Large income gap within the nation is usually caused by poor governance. For example, government may be incapable to distribute the nation's wealth fairly, they may be corrupted and give priorities to the rich, neglecting the poor. Hence, the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer. The poor may feel a sense of resentment towards the governemnt. Such biased ruling might trigger unhappiness and riots, which explains the high murder and violence rate. However, i feel that this issue would not be of concern to Singapore. Singapore has an excellent ruling body and society's welfare is well taken care of. Our education and healthcare are subsidised, making it more affordable for Singaporeans. With the basic needs met, the standard of living in not low. Therefore income gap is not the reason for the crimes in Singapore.

In passage 2, it states that riots are more likely to occur in destitute neighbourhoods. People living in poor state of environment are likely to riot. However, again, i feel that this is not applicable Singapore. Our government has put in great amount of effort to renovate and upgrade the necessary building facilities, making sure that residents enjoy basic living standards. Singapore do not have destitute nighbourhoods. For example, the HDBs lifts are being checked regularly and for every housing estate there will be playground and garden. We do not have large disparities among residents, therefore this issue is not applicable to my society.

AQ~!/ChRisTopHEr~!/10S403~!

In Passage 1, the author states that criminal violence is more prevalent in societies where it is difficult for people to settle down and bond with others. In my opinion, this is somewhat true. This is because when people do not feel welcome and accepted by others in the society, they tend to feel rejected and this may lead to extreme acts such as crime for them to vent their frustrations. There is no one for them to talk with and share their feelings, thus all these feelings bottled up inside them may have an adverse effect on their actions as they strive to find ways to get back at the people who shun them or be accepted. This may lead to criminal acts as these victims usually take drastic measures to get people to notice them. For example, there have been many shooting crimes in America, due to the victims being bullied or shunned by their peers, thus the victims seek to take revenge as a result of  mental trauma. However, this is of less concern in Singapore. As Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-cultural society, it is unlikely that there will be as much discrimination of people here.Thus, people will most likely feel more at home and accepted here in Singapore rather in other countries as people in Singapore are used to many different kinds of people. This reduces the chance that people will commit crimes as a result of being shunned as they will be able to integrate into Singapore society more easily. This is also one of the reasons that Singapore has a lower crime rate than other countries like America. With strong ties forged here in Singapore, people will be less likely to commit crimes as they will not want to hurt their close ones. Thus, due to Singapore's unique culture, the issue of criminal violence due to alienation is of less concern than in other countries.

On the other hand, Passage 2's author states that criminal violence most happens in poor areas. This is also quite true in my opinion. People who are unemployed tend to feel that it is unfair that they do not have a job and have to suffer without income. They may feel resentment towards the government for not helping them or giving them jobs and may stage riots to protest about their unemployment. This usually leads to casualties when the police try to stop these riots, which can get violent in some cases. However, this is of less concern in Singapore. In Singapore, the government helps the unemployed by providing training courses to improve their chances of employment, and also holds career fairs for people to find jobs that they want. In addition, those without income can apply for financial support as well, thus it is unlikely that Singaporeans have to resort to criminal violence. As such, this matter is of lesser concern in Singapore. 

☺AQ / aÐël!nĘ / 10S403 ♫

From Passage 1, it is stated that nations with the largest income inequality has a higher rate of murder and violence. It is true that this disparity in income will lead to crimes such as murder and violence as the difference in standard of living between the two ends of the income level group will cause some disputes. Those living in poverty may feel compelled to turn to such crimes to improve their standard of living. For example, the poor may kidnap a child of a rich family just to earn some ransom to make ends meet. However, this issue would not be much of a concern in the Singapore context as the government of Singapore has ensured that the disparity in income among the citizens will not affect the standard of living of the citizens. For example, the poorer end will receive more subsidies than the rich in areas such as medical fees. There are also other organisations that are established to help them too. As help such as subsidies are present to ensure that all citizens can enjoy a certain level of standard of living despite the difference in income, income inequality is thus not a key factor in Singapore that leads to criminal violence.

In Passage 2, it states that riots occur at destitute neighbourhood. I agree that riots will occur more often at destitute areas. Afterall, the rich will not have much reason to organise riots when they are already living a well-fed life. Furthermore, considering their status in society, riots will be one of the best ways for their voice to be heard. Thus, as the rich has no reason to organise a riot, it would appear that riots occur more at the suburbs. However, once again I feel that this issue would not be much of concern to my society too. It is mainly because Singapore do not have destitute neighbourhood. The government has put in much effort and set aside funds to upgrade old housing estates and ensuring that every citizen has accessed to the various necessary facilities. Therefore, it is not much of an issue to Singapore for riots occurring at destitute neighbourhood. However, there are other causes for riots to happen in Singapore like racial discrimination.

AQ/Eunice/10s403

Passage1 states that murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality. With a large income gap, criminal violence occurs because the poor are likely to harm in their angst to get money. For example, cases like robbery and kidnap are largely linked to monetary issues, which are aggravated in places with income disparities. Singapore boasts a low crime rate because income inequalities are reduced by the government. For example, they give out subsidies for areas like education and healthcare. Hence, this view may be applicable to Singapore in the sense that we have a low crime rate because income inequality is not a huge issue. However, this view may not be applicable to Singapore because crimes are carried out for other reasons. One of the reasons is debt. Though certain debts are due to income problems, majority are gambling debts which have nothing to do with income. These debts will henceforth motivate people to rob. Hence, this view may not be applicable to Singapore because our criminal violence may be largely due to debt issues.

Passage2 states that riots are occurring in destitute neighbourhoods. This means that the poor are likely to riot than the rich. For example, the riots in France are possibly due to unemployment. This may be applicable to Singapore because we have an unemployment rate of 2.1%. However, it is also not very applicable because there are no destitute neighbourhoods in Singapore. Our economy is more or less integrated and the blue collar and white collar workers come from every part of our country. Hence, this view may not be applicable to the Singapore society because we are not distinctly segregated by wealth but may be applicable because we are facing unemployment as well.

AQ/ Faris Hakim/ 10S403

In passage 1, the author pointed out that murder and violence are higher in nations with largest income inequality.This is not applicable in my society because income gap in Singapore is not a pertinent issue. This is because the Singapore government does their best to provide the basic ammeneties for everyone. For example, they give out subsidies and financial assistance to those in need of help. This way, tension between the society is reduced even if there is a large income gap. Hence, this view is not applicable in my society.

In passage 2, riots are geographically and socially very circumscribed, occuring in destitute neighbourhood. This is applicable in my society because the trend shows that more violence and murders occur in neighbourhoods which are known to have different gangs occupying the same area. For example, certain estates in Singapore like Geylang, are notoriously known for the amount of illegal activities such as revenge killing of a rival gang member. Hence, this view is applicable in my society

AQ/PZ/10S403

In passage A, the author point out that "murder and violence are higher in nations with the largest income inequality", which means that income disparity is one of the main reasons to criminal violence. I agree that criminal violence is linked to uneven distribution of income. When people are not receiving an adequate amout of income even if they deserve it, most of them might feel aggrieved. This sparks anger within the population with low income which may then lead to protests. In the process of protests, the situation will become chaotic and aggressive. People might lose their cool and results in criminal violence. For example, in Latin America, where income inequalty occurs has led to protests set up by the low income population. Protests which mainly results in agressive fights is one of the criminal violence. However, in the context of Singapore society, income inequality might not be applicable. Different societies are made up of people of different education standards. People who are better educated may be more able to think and curb their emotional feelings, hence solving problems without the use of violence. For example, countries that are more educated tends not to resort into violence to resolve problems. When Singaporeans, who are mainly educated, have various discontenments about certain issues, they can voice out through means such as writing to the government and posting comments in government webpage forums. This helps to establish a good communication between the government and the citizens. Thus, if problems such as income inequality arise, I believe that it can be resolve without resulting in criminal violence.

AQ/Ivy/10S403

In passage 1, the author states that murder and violence are higher in nations with largest income inequality. I agree to a large extent with the author's statement and applicable in the context of Singapore as its income disparity is not as serious as other countries such as China. This is because, generally the Singapore population is satisfied and are financially able to afford the cost of living in Singapore. There is only a minority of citizens in low income families who face financial difficulties at which financial aid such as subsidies to basic needs such as housing and education is provided by the government at which the income inequality is lessen between the rich and poor. This supports the author's views as criminal violence committed in Singapore is one of the lowest.

In passage 2, the author states that that riots all are occurring in destitute neighbourhoods. I agree to a certain extent with the author's view as when a person lacks basic necessities such as money, they began to turn to crime to solve their problems. There have been offences committed in Singapore for example the snatch thiefs in Singapore that would resort to violence when the victim puts up with some resistance. However, this is not necessarily true and applicable to the Singapore society as the citizens are generally easily accessed to food, money and housing and criminal violence need not only occur due to lack of basic necessities but could occur due to other reasons such as hatred. One example would be the sensational killing by One eye dragon in 2006 by gunning down nightclub owner Lim Hock Soon just because he was unhappy that the victim was unwilling to lend him money. Hence this shows that riots also known as criminal violence do not necessarily occur in destitute neighbourhoods.

PZ: Have the new media changed our lives for the better?

New media has granted users to have greater accessibility to wider range of knowledge. Different people has their different kinds experiences and also unique set of ideas about certain topic. With the advantageous tool of new media in hand, such ideas are easily distributed and some might be useful. For example, new media such as Facebook(which has the world's second highest network users per day) and Youtube( which has the world's second highest network users perday) allow people to share their views and experiences of different topics to people at the other end of the pole. Such knowledge shared by different individuals might come in handy. There was a case whereby a baby was safely delivered by following the instructions given from the videos posted on Youtube when the father of the child failed to send his wife to the hospital on time. Hence, new media has slowly gain its status of being an imperative tool as various informations can be gathered with its help, efficiently and effectively.

Ying Ting - "To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?"

The government may be expected to be responsible for the welfare of the elderly when they are unable to financially support themselves. However, the elderly themselves should also be responsible for building up their own nest eggs for their retirement. The government can provide subsidies for the elderly when they are no longer able to take care of themselves financially as they cannot work any longer. For the elderly who are still physically able to work, the government should help them look for jobs which are suitable for them to take care of their financial needs. Although the government can provide help to the elderly who can no longer support themselves financially, it should be noted that the elderly themselves should save up for their retirement, and plans have been putin place by the government, such as Central Provident Fund in Singapore, which forces Singaporeans to save up for their retirement. Singaporeans have to put aside part of their monthly pay into their CPF accounts. They are only able to use money in their CPF when they reach an age of 55. This ensures that they have enough money for retirement. As can be seen from the example, the elderly themselves also hae a role to play in saving up for their retirement, and government policies act as a catalyst for them to do so. Thus, the government is only responsible for taking care of the elderly financially only to a small extent.

Christopher~QN 5!!! /(@o@)\ "To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?"

The government may be expected to be responsible in taking care of the elderly when they do not have the well-being of staying in the workforce and are unable to financially support themselves. This is because the government is expected to provide help for each citizen to give them an average standard of living. Since the elderly are no longer working, they do not have income and thus have may have lost the ability to support themselves, having to depend on other sources of money for their day-to-day life. For example, applying for grants from the government to support themselves. The government then will allocate some money for these elderly so they will be able to pay for their daily necessities. However, this is only limited to those elderly with no savings or little savings, or those without children to support them. Without any other form of support, the elderly then has to turn to the government for help. As most people around the world do have some form of savings throughout their career life, it is unlikely that the elderly do not possess any amount of savings to support themselves after they retire. Most elderly have a pension or savings account that they contribute to throughout the years, thus accumulating a substantial amount of money for retirement. In this case, they may not need to depend on the government for financial support as they are most likely capable of supporting themselves with their own hard-earned money. Moreover, the elderly with children have another source of financial support as their children, being filial in most cases, would repay their parents' love and care over the years by supporting them throughout their retirement years. Thus, the government does not need to intervene in these situations. The government should only intervene when the elderly do not have much savings or children to support them after retirement as financial support for the elderly is most likely not needed if the elderly have substantial savings or filial children to pay for their living costs.

Clement - "How far does good leadership depend on courage?"

In the business world of today, not only do the leaders, in this case the top businessmen have to make decisions, they too have to make the right one. What that means is that they must have the courage to take risks in order to acheive greater heights. Businessmen risk everything from their pride to their entire wealth when they undertake such difficult decisions. Why then do they still dare to take that step forward? It all boils down to brains and most of all, brawns. One example is the well known businessmen, Donald Trump. Donald emerged from the brink of bankrupcy by risking the last of his remaining business in the casino industry to restore his wealth, before further expanding and he is being regarded as one of the top few richest man in the world. However, this cannot be said for businessmen who have fallen into bankruptcy. Risks cannot be taken blindly and this requires the particular business leader to be equipped with sufficient experience in their respective field.

#1 ~ FAIZAH.

#1 How far do you agree that traditional gender roles are a thing of the past?
[PEELEEL]

Women today has become more valuable as compared to the past, in the sense that they are given more rights. This includes the rights of voting, pursuing education and pursuing career. When women's value has been increased today, they are then sent for education. For example, researchers have predicted that America will have more female than male graduates in th near future. This goes to show that females today has been given the choice to pursue their studies just like the males today. However, while this is true in most countries, women in some countries are still traditionally not valued as much as men. There are some who are still deprived of pursuing their education. For example, in the some Arab countries, young girls are forced to marry early, some to men who are way older than them. With this, these girls are unable to pursue their education as they are expected to be good wives and serve their husbands well. Therefore, I agree that traditional gender roles are a thing of the past only when countries has given women the rights to pursue their dreams and education.

Chin Wang - To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?

The government may be expected to take responsibility for taking care of the elderly when they do not have the physical well-being of staying in the workforce and are unable to financially support themselves. As long as the government can afford it, and it does not strain its economy to offer subsidies for the elderly, the government can intervene to take care of the elderly financial problems. The government should be concerned regarding the welfare of the elderly for the contributions that they had to the country’s economy during its booming age. Furthermore as most of the elderly are illiterate and begin to have illnesses, they are unable to keep up with the time and are easily eliminated from the industry and this affects their livelihood. Hence, many of them might be unemployed and would not receive a regular income to lead a comfortable life. As a result, many have opted to live a simple lifestyle with sufficient necessities for their everyday life. For example, many elderly in Singapore that are illiterate and can only afford single room which they often live alone in. This causes the government to force individuals to save up for their retirement with schemes when they begin working such as CPF. However, other factors should come into the picture. The elderly themselves should save for their own retirement as it is their responsibility for the retirement plans that they wish to have in the future keep their own savings in case there is a need for them in times of hospitalisation and recessions. Therefore, it is appropriate that the individual are encourage to begin saving up for their retirement in preparation for old age as soon as they begin their careers. As a result, the government may be expected to take responsibility in taking care of the elderly.

Kuanghua- how far does good leadership depend on courage?

Good leadership depends on courage when they need to make sacrificial decisions for greater good. When leaders are facing some problems, they have to make sarificial decisons in order to protect the rights of majority of their people. As a good leader, they should make these diffcult decisions which depends a lot on their courage. For example, during the second sino-japanese war, the leader of China, Mao, decided to fight against Japanese army when the Japanese military force is much developed than China's. Because of his decision, Chinese people scarificed millions of soldiers but they won the war finally. When Mao made and insisted this scarificial decision, there were other parties in China had already surrended. Thus, we can tell this diffcult decision really depended on Mao's courage. Because of his courage, Mao was seemed as the greatest leader of China. However, good leaders can avoid these if they can think ahead. For exmaple, when South Korea was suspected for making nuclear weapons, USA government decided to warn then South Korea government instead of attacking it. Thus, USA leader thought ahead so they avoided useless scarifice.

Caleb Seow-- the reality of sports today is that it is unsporting

12. The reality of sports is that it is unsporting.

Topic sentence: The intense competition and pressure to win in many competitions leads to a many athletes resorting to and demonstrating undesirable behaviour in many sporting competitions.
(Limitation) However, most atheletes are aware of their obligation and representation to their country and team. They understand the consequences and shame their undesirable behaviour might cause to the team if they act in such ways, thus are able to govern themselves.

Paragraph: Many athletes may be familiar with the immense pressure burdened upon them to win competitions they participate in. Ahletes have to often cope with the pressure of having to win not just for personal glory, but for the pride of their country and team as well, especially in competitions of the highest level, such as the olympics and the world cup. With such knowledge that personal reputation is not the only thing at stake, athletes may conform and display certain unsporting behaviour in competitions, such as disrespecting their own opponents and disrespecting the game itself. Some might even resort to foul or violent play, executing illegal moves that are unscrupulous, but giving them an upper hand in the competition. Furthermore, upon losing, many of these athletes refuse to acknowledge their loss, throwing tantrums and placing the blame for their loss on everyone else, but themselves. For example, many boxers have been seen to throw illegal elbow blows to the opponents, causing them severe injuries. in addition, these boxers continue to land blows on their opponents even after the bell has been rung. Such undesirable, unsporting behavior may contribute to such unsporting sports reality.

However, while it is true that athletes have a tendency to resort to unscrupulous means, this is merely but a dip in the ocean among many other more professional and sporting athletes who do not display such behavior. A large number of these athletes understand their obligations to their countries and teams, and displaying such undesirable behavior would only cause greater shame to themselves and their teams, as compared to if they had failed to win in a sporting manner. While failing to bring glory to the team and country with a trophy does bring about much shame and let down to athlete, failure to abide by rules and play in a sporting manner has a much greater negative impact to the athlete. During the recent world cup, we saw the English football team destroy the hopes of the English nation, by exiting the world cup at an early stage and failing to bring home a trophy yet again. on top of that, english fans were enraged to find the team coach refusing to shake hands with the opponent team, as such showing great disrespect to their opponents. This led to an unpleasant welcome home when the english team returned to england. Many athletes are aware that such the pride and reputation of a team should always be placed before winning the competition, thus promoting athletes to compete in a sporting manner. Thus, the reality of sports is that athletes do show sportsmanship after all.

Yaksh Birla - Can we put Singapore's future in the hands of our youth?

Detractors to my stand will emphasize on the fact that, Singaporean youths are becoming highly competent academically and Singapore's future can be handed to them as part of their responsibility. Singapore is, by all means, constricted in terms of talent and resources and the only valuable resource is its 5 million strong population.Today, nearly 12 years of a student's education is extensively subsidized and mostly free hence, staying true to the objective of ensuring that it is mandatory for every Singaporean youth to be enrolled and educated to be groomed to be future leaders. It seems it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that Singapore's future remains vibrant and flourishing with the incessant influx of talented local individuals into tomorrow's workforce. Ergo, this comes at the extent of making the education system in Singapore overly-competitive in order to keep the youth current and well-educated to be major contributors to Singapore's future as a developed nation that can be economically and politically sustainable.

Despite the education system that grooms Singapore's youths to be academically competent, however, it fails to enhance the youths capabilities to be thinkers. Putting ideals into perspective, the education system in Singapore bestows the ideology into the minds of youths that , 'Think outside the box, but make sure it's within limits'. It seems, especially in Singapore, that after years and years of learning and growing, youths are condoned to standardized tests as a real test of their learning capabilities and intelligence. However, if by chance a student has had a bad day while being tested for a standardized test, he is condemned to the abysmal circle of failure that is deplored in this competitive and grueling education system that Singapore holds near to its heart. At the end of the day, hard work pays off, however intelligence is not something that is appreciated. Standardized tests can diminish a capable individual's ability to pursue a desirable career and those who succeed will happen to be those who slog through these competitive years.

Pan Jieming "The Reality of sports today is that it is unsporting." How far do you agree with this view?

"The Reality of sports today is that it is unsporting." How far do you agree with this view?

This is interesting Must READ!!!

In today's sporting world, the intense competition and pressure to win may lead to athletes demonstrating undesirable behaviour. This is especially so in international competition where each athletes are stressed out in performing well for their own nation. In such situation, one may not be able to cope with the intense pressure and give in to irrational behaviours. There are numerous cases in the tennis world. Roger Fedrer has being one of the best tennis player on the planet. More often than not, he too have given in to undesirable behaviours such as smashing the racket onto the ground after he have lost his match. Cases like this are definately a bad example to not only the sportsman but also the millions of sports loving children around the world. However, most athletes are aware of their obligation to the team and usually capable of self-governing their behaviours. Cases like rugby football match turning into a boxing competition is indeed rare cases. In most cases, sportsman are capable of controlling themselves event if they have lost the match. Golfer J.P. Hayes admitted for using a wrong ball for his tournament, because of this he was disqualified. This indeed shows how in many cases where integrity of the sportsman are strong enough to not only control their behaviours but also admit to his or her own fault even if it means a title or medal. The reality if sports today is that majority of the sportsman are still keeping up with sportsmanship and keeping the games a aspirational one.

Adeline - Qn 11

Qn: Newspaper have become redundant in today's age of the internet. Comment.

The internet provides a vast amount of information that is instantly accessible to users. Users are able to find most information that they need on the internet with much ease as these informations are just a few clicks away. Furthermore, the internet has no limits to the amount information it can contain unlike the newspapers which are restricted to a limited number of pages. Countless websites ranging from types such as the Straits Times to blogs are available for users to cross reference for informations that they need. However some may argue that newspaper provide the same information with greater credibility as newspaper is one of the main source of information that provides updated news and is easily attained. Thus, it cannot afford to make errors as there are many who still rely on it to get updated with current affairs. However, it is erroneous to assume that all information on the internet is unverified and therefore not credible. For example, there are websites such as Straits Times which origins from newspaper and are reliable as they provide the same information as the newspaper. Also, the internet maybe able to provide more information than newspaper as users can find information from the past too. Newspaper on the other hand has much difficulties in doing so. Therefore, newspaper may have become redundant to a large extent as internet is able do disseminate as much or maybe even more information than the newspaper.

Eugene - 12. The reality of sports is that it is unsporting. Do you agree?

Sports are becoming more and more unsporting as athletes become more competitive, and resort to dishonorable measures to win. Some athletes now resort to doping to give themselves an edge in competitions, despite it being against the rules. This tarnishes the reputation of sports as competitors who play fair have a disadvantage against the cheaters, hence making the sport unfair. However, just because cheating happens in sporting events does not mean that it is accepted. Rule breaking is frowned upon by the public and punished severely by the organizers of events, often with a ban. This ensures that athletes will comply with the rules and not do anything unsporting for fear of punishment and public backlash.

Jieyao 12 The reality of sports today is that it is unsporting.

Sports may be sen as increasingly unsporting when athletes , driven by the desire to win , resort to dishonorable means. Dishonourable means come in various forms such as taking drugs, or cheating during the game to gain an unfair advantage. The presence of such acts are detrimental to sports as a whole as it goes against the core value of sports, which is to have sportsmanship. Such acts are becoming more and more common in today's society, whereas in the past such cases are rare and athletes possess the desire to compete fairly and achieve recognition for their abilities fairly. An example of unsporting behaviour in today's world was when alex rodriguez, a baseballer, admitted to taking drugs to enhance his performances. Also, an F1 driver was instructed to crash in order for his teammate to achieve a better position and place the team in a better position to win the team's championship. Therefore, the reality of sports today is unsporting as the presence of dishonourable behaviour is increasingly common.

However, sports today is not unsporting as in the baseballer, Alex Rodriguez's case, the fact that he admitted to taking drugs shows that he feels responsible and guilty for taking drugs in order to gain an unfair advantage. This shows his sporting nature as it proves, deep down, he knows that it was wrong for him to take drugs. Therefore, Sports today is still sporting.

Jaron 11. Newspapers have become redundant in today's age of the internet

The Internet provides information updates round-the-clock while the newspaper has a time lapse in between publications, therefore, the Internet is a better mode of information dissemination in terms of updatedness. New York Times has both a daily newspaper and an online website and Twitter account to publish information. Information can be published rapidly on the Internet as can be seen by the constant updates on its website while in order for the same information to be published on the newspaper, we need to wait for at least the next day for it to be printed and sold. As such, the Internet can be used by people who want constant and almost instant updates regarding the most up-to-date and critical information in the world. Newspapers on the other hand require some time to be disseminated and the information between this time lapse may become outdated as the same information could have been published online several hours ago. Thus, newspapers have become redundant in today's age of the Internet as the Internet is a much efficient mode of information dissemination as compared to the newspaper.

Pinghao- Have the New Media changed our lives for the better?

New media has helped our society gain broader perspectives and become more knowledgeable about worldly matters instead of being restricted to their own countries and communities. This is due to the increased transparency and accessibility of information and ideas now shared, which was made possible by new media. For example, anyone who has a question can now simply post it on an online forum and receive their views answers from online users all over the world. Answers from various perspectives can then be obtained and discussed. An example of this is STOMP, a widely used forum page to discuss various issues pertaining to the world today. Online blogs by people on their views of various issues are also accessible to anyone who wants to read it, through websites such as Blogger and Livejournal. This allows readers to gain a new perception of things. Users may use this information and new ideas to improve their own lives. However, some may argue that information provided by online users are unverified and thus cannot be depended on. Users may end up receiving the wrong information as not all online answers come from professionals. However, our society is rapidly becoming media-literate and are able to discern what information is right and what is wrong for themselves. This is especially true for youths, who rely on new media the most. New media provides a platform for the sharing and discussion of ideas and information, but ultimately, it is up to the users to decide whether or not to use the information provided. Thus, new media has changed our lives for the better as it provides the opportunity for people to gain broader perspectives.

Eunice/ To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?

The government may be expected to be responsible for the elderly who do not have families by building relevant infrastructure and promoting community involvement. This is to ensure the elderly can assimilate into the society effectively and be a part of it, rather than be seen as a source of hindrance or burden. It will also aid the elderly's emotional well-being, because they will not be isolated but instead, actively involved. For example, infrastructures such as exercise corners and elderly-friendly HDB flats have been implemented in Singapore to take care of the elderly. Community centres have also catered to the elderly by engaging them in different activities and by doing so, provide opportunities for the elderly to interact with each other. Hence, the Singapore government should continue providing these facilities and amenities because they are expected to be responsible for taking care of the elderly who do not have families.

Brian -- "The reality of sports today is that it is unsporting." How far do you agree with this view?

The intense competition and pressure from traditional rivalry between athletes or teams to win may lead to players demonstrating undesirable behavior such as foul play as players start to get personal. Players, often on the impulse, are driven by the desire to win and may result in succumbing to act undesirably and dishonestly. They only focus about winning and forget about their morals by intentionally injuring another player. Also, they do not respect the sport itself and display unsportsmanlike behavior. For example, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, Zinedine Zidane, a French player, committed a serious offence by intentionally hurting an Italian from the opposing team. He walked straight into the Italian and head-butted him in the chest. As a result, Zidane was given a red card for the offence and was sent off the playing field immediately. That was the end of his soccer career as he retired after that world cup. The once renowned French star player had ended his career in shame. However, most athletes are aware of their obligation to the team and usually self-govern their own behavior. For all sports, foul play is usually accompanied by very serious consequences such as the banning of players from entering the sport again and so on. Such consequences act as a deterrent to players to commit such offences. As such , there has only been very few cases of players being banned from the sport due to offences committed during game-play. Therefore since only a minority of sportsman demonstrate such unsporting behavior, the reality of sports today is still sporting.

Ivy, To what extent should the Singapore government be responsible for taking care of the elderly?

The government may be expected to be responsible in taking care of the elderly when they are not physically able to stay in the workforce and are unable to financially support themselves. As long as the government is able to afford it and does not strain the economy, the government should be responsible for the elderly.The elderly are generally people who have reached an age whereby their physically health is deteriorating. They are less physically fit as compared to the younger workers in the workforce, hence many often get retrenched or get a pay cut during an economic crisis and to lose or have a drop in their source of income. This problem is serious especially to elderly living on their on as others in their household to turn to, as a result, these elderly are unable to even afford the basic necessities such as rice or a fan. This is when the government's responsibility comes in aiding the elderly who are facing such financial difficulties. This is often done through the use of subsidies in healthcare treatment and in giving them monetary aid once in a while, for example during special events or festive celebrations .
However, should the implementation of subsidies be proven to have a strain on society's economy, the role of the government should be minimised as there are other stakeholders for example the community that should share the responsibility in taking care of the elderly. The community may help financially-disabled elderly through charitable organisations in grassroot organisations whereby a person basic necessities are given monthly which are financially supported by the public through donations. This is when the responsibility of the government is shifted to the community and public.

Amsyar; "The reality of sports today is that it is unsporting.How far do you agree with this view?"

I agree with the view stated in the question because athletes, driven by their desire to win, may resort to dishonourable means, such as cheating or taking performance enhancers. It is obvious that a sportsman would want to win his game. However, the extent to which a sportsman wants to win can differ greatly. The lines between the those who want to win fairly, and those who want to win at all costs are blurred. A prime example would be the american olympic sprinter, Marion Jones. She had previously won 5 medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. However in 2007, she admitted to taking steroids before the 2000 Summer Olympics. She also acknowledged that she had continuously lied about her use of steroid to the press, various sports agencies and even two grand juries.Thus this shows that some athletes would do anything to win. However, although there still are athletes who use these methods to get ahead of their competitors, it is not allowed. Measures have been installed to try and wipe out the use of performance enhancers. For example, the governing bodies of different sports conduct stringent checks on their athletes to prevent them from taking those drugs. Therefore, although there are still athletes who cheat and take performance enhancers to win, these are just the minority of athletes as most athletes would not want to jeopardise their careers. Furthermore, cheating and taking these drugs are strictly not allowed, and there are stringent checks on the athletes to ensure that they do not use these underhand methods to win.

ALICIA "The reality of sports today is that it is unsporting." How far do you agree with this view?

As athletes take part in competitions, there is pressure for them to do well from their family, coaches and for some, their country. The pressure may be too overwhelming for them plus with the intense competition, it may lead to them demonstrating undesireble behavoiur during the competition. This is because they may feel very stressed and thus may not be able to control their emotions and temper in the midst of competiting. Serena Williams is famously known for her superb skills on the court. However, it is her bad sportsmanship displayed during competitions that lead to her appearing in news more often than her skills. Being the number one woman in professional tennis, she is often under much pressure to win every event she takes part in and thus, this leads to her emotional breakdown when she is losing to her opponent during a match. However, athletes representing their country in world class competitions know that they have an obligation to their country and thus will self govern their behaviour during competitions. They understand that as the world and their country watch them compete, they cannot afford to demonstrate unacceptable behaviour which may not only bring shame to them but to their country as well. They may then try to control their behaviour during competitions and thus, the reality of sports today is not unsporting.

Gracy. The reality of sports today is that it is unsporting. How far do you agree with this view?

Sports may be seen as increasingly unsporting when athletes, who are driven by desire to win, resort to dishonourable means such as taking physical enhancement drugs and bribery so that they will have an edge above the rest. They may choose to violate the rules of sports in order to obtain recognition and glory. Athletes commit bribery by making judges or referees of the game take their side such that they have a clear advantage compared to their opponent in winning. Similarly, taking physical enhancement drugs may allow them to have physical level that is higher than their usual standards. As an athlete will not be able to tell how well he will perform that day or if he will perform, taking such drugs to boost their performance will ensure that they perform well or exceedingly when competing. For example, at the expense of winning, Marion jones, a reknown athlete, took steroids at the sydney 2000 summer olympics. In conclusion, sports may be seen as increasingly unsporting as competitors no longer compete with their own genuine ability but with undesirable means by cheating.