Response to "Polluted cities taking initiative to tackle global warming" by The Straits Times

Click here to proceed to article

'Mayors from more than 40 of the world's most polluted cities have declared at a climate summit here that cities must take the lead in the campaign to reverse global warming.'

These countries are carrying out national policies in hope to reduce carbon emissions and develop more energy-efficient infrastructure. 'As cities produce three-fourths of the carbon emissions, we must act,' London Mayor Ken Livingstone told delegates, describing climate change as 'the single biggest threat to the future of humanity'. During the meeting, there was a 'pledge by 514 US mayors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol, a move which signals their objections to the environmental policies of US President George W. Bush.' Governer Shintaro Ishihara felt that it was ridiculous that the US did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Mr Ishihara also implemented tough regulations on diesel vehicles in Tokyo. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also criticised governmental inaction on climate change, telling delegates: 'We need no new technology, we need no new invention, all that is required is political will.'

I have to say that i entirely agree with what Michael Bloomberg said. We can have the best technology and inventions to lower carbon emissions around the world, however without the political will of the governments of cities, it would be of no use at all. The mayors of the other US cities have all signed an accord to slash pollutants to below 1990 levels by 2012. It is probably because of his personal pride, George Bush is unwilling to ratify the Kyoto Protocol as it was against his own environmental policies. As the president of the United States, he should have the people and the country's future in mind when making any decisions, however this time he is defending his own personal pride and sacrificing probably the future of the entire planet.

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore planned to ask other cities to follow Sydney by implementing an 'Earth Hour', during which businesses and homes turn off their lights for one hour to reduce energy consumption. The city's first 'Earth Hour', on March 31, was hailed as a success. It cut normal energy use by 10 per cent. I feel this idea implemented by Lord Mayor Clover Moore is very innovative and an effective way to cut down energy consumption. This is because he is using this 'Earth Hour' to challenge the people to do what is right for environment and the world they are living in, and this method is very efficient.

Forget about fancy hybrid cars that claim to reduce gas emissions and other technologies that claim to reduce harm to environment. The most important is the people. If the leaders of the world can think of a way to encourage the people to save power and have a 'greener' lifestyle, then that would probably be the best way to tackle this problem of global warming. Well, not only the leaders can influence the people. Everybody, you and I can do our part by spreading the word of maintaining a clean and green society! As students, we can try to turn the lights off when they are not in use and encourage our parents to use cleaner and greener car petrol. We can all do our part to save the Earth.

Percy Shelly once said, "Fear not for the future, weep not for the past."

The future is all in our hands, it's just whether we want to make a difference.

Response to "Singapore Ministers to get 60% Pay Hike" by Reuters

Click here to proceed to article

Local ministers will enjoy up to a 60% increase in pays and allowances, according to the article. Ministers themselves have justified their cause by stating that the government sector should provide equal and parallel rewards with regard to its commercial counterparts. However, this decision has caused quite a bit of uproar among the local community, signing petitions against and fiercely objecting to it.

Among the hoo-ha generated, the people cited widening income gaps as their reasons. Also, the local community believes that the pay rise is unreflective of the minister's performances and the nation's economy.

Locals should have realized by now, that as long as you live in the Lion City, the government is always on a higher level than us. As such, if the ministers decide on their pay rise, who is there to stop them? To put it simply, if your boss were to give himself more breaks and leave his employees to do the dirty work, the victims have no choice but to shut up; after all, their jobs are at stake.

Singapore is a democratic republic. A quote from Abraham Lincoln refers to democracy as 'government of the people, by the people, for the people'. The locals get their say once every four years during the General Elections. With such discontentment with the current governance, the only way the disgruntled citizens can change it is to have their say in the next elections.

However, this group of rebels are not generating buzz for the sake of it. As we look at the issue at a wider scope and deepen our understanding, we find that their protests are not entirely baseless. With the sluggish progress of the economy and rising rates of unemployment here, the ministerial pay hike does not seem to be alleviating the problems. Such are the issues why people view the decision as unnecessary and merely eating into the nation's economy.

My occupation as a secondary school student limits my knowledge and capability to understand the issue. Having money, food, and comfort provided for, I am unqualified to comprehend fully what the grievers are going through. Only when I reach an age where I am working and actively informed about local politics will I come to realize why these people are unhappy with the governmental decisions.

To conclude, the people can express whatever injustice done to them as soon as they get their voting slips.

Response to "Govt confident migrant population growth won't affect social harmony"

Click here to proceed to article

Over the years, Singapore's migrant community has been increasing drastically, and the article highlights this. One word pops out. Racism.

Just think of Singapore as a plate, and the different races as the food from a Eat-All-You-Can Salad Bar at Sizzlers. You take a lot of food, too much in fact. Tastes of foods can and will clash. Potato salad and Pineapple Tidbits taste terrible. Chicken Soup doesn't go with Romaine Lettuce. Worse still, the food can fall right off your plate and create a mess.

Not trying to make a meal of things, I feel that the racism is totally ludicrous. What has happened to Racial Harmony? I mean; a Singaporean in a Lexus is a businessman. A "Chinese National" in a Lexus? Go figure. These innocent jokes which are done in the name of fun are merely the tip of the iceberg. It’s no different from the Blacks and the Whites in America in the time past. The increase in immigrants is nothing for us to invent jokes about. Who is going to do all the physical labour for us? Physical labour, in the eyes of most Singaporeans, is considered "dirty work" and most singaporeans would prefer white collar jobs. If we do not have foreign labourers in Singapore, our Circle Line would merely be a fantasy. What happened to Singaporeans and D&T? We should learn to feel grateful for all the contributions these migrants have put in for the country.

Mr. Mah was asked how population growth through migration will affect Singapore's ethnic mix. The migrants are here for our good. To preserve racial harmony, everyone just needs to understand that. I don't mean they should think they are lower than us just because they are building the underground MRT Line, or anything. I feel that we need to understand that there is no shame in doing these "lower-down" jobs. I think we should eradicate this mindset that there is a spectrum of job "ratings" with some being marginally lower.

Why is this mindset even there? I find it quite immature, really. There is a Circle Line construction site right next to my house at Marymount Road, and despite rain, cold or even hot sun, the resilient workers there continue working consistently, not giving in to "a few droplets of rain".

Migrants do not consist of just construction workers. Regarding maids, many of us have them in our homes; their function? I feel that most people in Singapore treat their maids as inanimate objects whose only purpose in their house is to cook and clean. This idea is comes from the fact that just because maids gain monetary rewards from their work, we should learn how to sympathize with people who have left their family and friends and have come here to make a living.

The ironic thing is, most of these people whom some of us look down on do not complain at all. They have resilience, perseverance and courage to leave home and come to an alien country. These people may be somewhat despised on now, but wait till we go abroad.

Response to "Man's feet caught in platform gap at Tampines MRT Station"

Click here to proceed to article

It is interesting that people end up on the tracks instead of the train for such a variety of reasons. Some people are drunkards who can't tell the difference between the platform and a pub. Others are ingenious cold-blooded killers who decide that the best way to eradicate their ex-girlfriends is to give them a loving push onto the wooden tracks, where they walk the planks (literally), and meet their doom.

Yes, death by Mass Rapid Transport train collision is an increasing fad amongst Singaporeans these days.

However, we have to evaluate this alarming problem before trying to suggest any solutions, and taking a closer look at the situation, these deaths are not isolated accidents. Most of the cases go like this: a boy pushes his girlfriend on the tracks in fury. A man commits suicide by hopping onto the tracks. In fact, the death mentioned in the article is one of few pure accidents resulting in death.

SMRT has improved safety measures, with guards patrolling the station diligently, unsightly cement blocks plopped on the yellow safety lines and so on, and this certainly helps to cut down on accidental deaths.

The problem of intentional killings, however, still lingers. People with the desire to kill can and will indefinitely find a way around these safety measures, literally. If a guy was really out to kill his girlfriend, a few cement blocks won't stop him at all. On the contrary, the person, assuming that he is of competent intelligence, would merely push his girlfriend through the gaps between these blocks.

We could completely blockade the stations with cement walls, and force the commuters to bash through Platform 9³/₄ style, but, as much as that idea sounds fun, what we really need is a foolproof system. One airtight system proposed was to have all stations similar to the underground stations; a fully enclosed air-conditioned station where doors would only open when the train arrived.

This seems like a great idea to me. Not only does this ensure safety, but I can use the air-conditioning as well, especially with Singapore's perpetually hot weather. Probably to cut costs, SMRT has yet to implement that system. Alternatively, SMRT can install cheap metal barriers that act just like the other system, minus the air-conditioning. SMRT could also fine people who venture on the tracks, but they would probably be dead by the time they get to these infiltrators.

We can come up with all these solutions, but I assert that SMRT has got to take action fast, and get their track safety back on track, before Singapore's declining population is attributed to its trains.

Response to “Your Igloo or Mine?”

Click here to proceed to article

After reading this article, I was appalled by the shocking statistics that were stated. A whopping 28.5 million kids are logging onto social networking sites - and that figure is only representative of the United States. This is because the target audience of these social networking websites is kids; hence, there are many features on the site that would capture the attention of such kids. This shows that kids could be neglecting responsibilities in the non-virtual world. This could be detrimental as it would affect the future of our society.

Firstly, is it a healthy behavior for kids to be logging onto social networking websites? Yes, there may be filters on the site which disallow unhealthy content such as vulgarity, but the internet is so huge that it can hardly be considered a safe and controlled environment. Exposure of such material could change the lives of kids forever. This is because images such as nudity can be easily etched onto the minds of these children. Furthermore, due to curiosity, these preteens could search for pornography or other undesirable materials after being exposed to it, and all these negative influences could ruin their future.

What I find disturbing is that these social networking websites are targeting children as their main audience. The marketing of these websites is certainly a lucrative market, but shouldn’t the people behind these websites spare a thought for the younger generation and analyze the consequences of these children logging onto them? This I feel, is a question of ethics. The people who run these social network websites are actually aware of the consequences, but being money-minded, they would rather attract preteens to the websites, knowing that at a young age, they are easily manipulated and can succumb to peer pressure.

However, we should not just blatantly push the blame onto social networking websites alone. Proper parenting skills are needed to ensure that children do not frequently log on to such websites. For example, understanding the concept behind such websites and placing the computer in a public area such as the living room would be a good start. Parents should also talk to their children about unhealthy materials on the internet and advise their children how to stay away from them. One thing parents should keep in mind that is that it is never too early to talk to your children about these topics, for prevention is better than cure.

Response to ‘Are more kids having sex?’

Click here to proceed to article

It was very disturbing to find out a girl could get pregnant at such a young age. I remember that when I was nine, my world still revolved around cartoons and action figures. Yet here is a girl who has undergone sexual intercourse when she should be playing with Barbie dolls and stickers. This highlights a major problem in our society which is mainly sex education and parenting skills.

In Singapore, sex education starts at secondary one, when children are thirteen year old. However, I believe that it is too late to start at secondary one. I believe that the earlier sex education starts, the more aware these children would be about sexual behavior. Hence, they can better protect themselves and understand the consequences of having unprotected sex or premarital sex. Therefore, I propose that sex education should start at the age of nine instead of thirteen.

Really, how on earth did a nine year old girl get pregnant? Speedy maturity? No. Bad parenting skills? I think so. Parents should be more aware of the actions of their children and monitor their activities. They must be aware of what their children are exposed to, some simple checks such as observing what kind of television programs they watch and what websites they log onto can be enough to detect any problems. Not only schools should play a part in sex education, parents should too. Talking to your child about sex should not be viewed as ‘absurd’ as it is currently is in Singapore. It would be too late to regret it when your child lands himself/ herself in trouble.

The media is also a major influence on the sexual behavior of young children these days. Due to the universal fact that ‘sex sells’, the media is constantly capitalizing on that fact to attract viewers. However, the media’s portrayal of sex is meant for adults, hence, if children are exposed to such material, the fault should lie with their parents.

All in all, if parents and schools hold back sex education and treat sex as a taboo topic, the consequences would be catastrophic. Love should come before sex and not the other way round.