Capital Punishment: Should it be abolished?

Capital punishment, the final and most severe punishment a criminal can ever be sentenced to. Capital punishment is also known as the death penalty, in which the criminal is to be hung. In other countries, the criminal who is sentenced to the death penalty may also be shot, gased or put on an electric chair. Many people argue that Capital Punishment should be abolished as it causes emotional harm to the criminal's family and they argue that an eye for an eye leave both blind. However, capital punishment should not be abolished as it can be used as a method to deter crime in Singapore and it is also a more economical method than rehabilitation.

Firstly, capital punishment should not be abolished as it can be used as method to deter crime in Singapore. Capital punishment would serve as a warning to people. The warning is that if they commit serious crimes such as kidnapping and murder, they might be sentenced to death. Since most people are afraid of death and do not wish to die. Thus, they will think twice before they commit a crime. Hence, capital punishment should not be abolished.

In addition, capital punishment is a more economical friendly method in comparison to the other methods such as rehabilitation. All that is required of capital punishment is a bullet or a rope and some chains. It will be a surefire way of removing criminals and dangerous personel from society as it always succeeds. However, other methods such as rehabilitation are not as good as capital punishment as there is no guarantee that the criminals will become good again once they are out of their rehabilitation programmes. They will commit crimes again and get themselves back in the rehabilitation centre, which will thus result in the loss of precious money. Thus, capital punishment should not be abolished.

Moreover, capital punishment is the most effective and efficient way of cleansing society of dangerous personel. The chains, bullet, poison gas and electric chair never fail to kill a criminal. Thus,  it would be an effective way of cleansing society of dangerous personel as it would definitely kill a prisoner. Other methods such as imprisonment are not as effective as there is no guarantee that the criminals will turn over a new leaf after they are out of jail. Thus, capital punishment should not be abolished.

However, capital punishment may not always be good and may also be abolished. This is because capital punishment will only cause more anguish to more people. It will cause anguish to the offendant's family as their son has died. Also, killing a criminal will not bring the victim back from the dead. Thus, capital punishment may be abolished because of this reason.

In conclusion, there are quite a few reasons to why capital punishment should be abolished and why capital punishment should not be abolished. I feel that in the end, capital punishment should not be abolished as it serves as an effective way to keep society safe and sound. Abolishing capital punishment would result in the increase in crime rate as there would not be the factor of death to deter criminals. Thus, capital punishment should not be abolished.

Cell phones: Benefits us or harms us?

Nowadays, almost everyone has a cell phone which one can carry around for easy contact with the outside world. Cell phones can be used to surf the net, play games, take pictures can communicate with other people. Because of these outstanding features that allow people to do many things at once, cell phones have become an essential part of many people's lives. Thus, many feel that the cell phone is beneficial to humans and is very important in their daily lives. However, this might not be the case as there may be negative effects of using cell phones, especially the harm it brings to our health.

Firstly, research has shown that excessive use of cell phones can be harmful to human health. This is because cell phones emit microwave radiation. This radiation may cause alteration of activity in the brain, disturbance in sleep and loss of concentration. Many diseases such as cancer are related to the excessive use of the cell phone. With so many defects to our health, cell phones are harmful to humans.

Moreover, cell phones are very distracting to people, especially teenagers. Teenagers might get addicted to using their cell phones to play games, surf the net or text others during class. This would result in the loss of concentration in class. They would not be able to pay attention to what the teacher is saying. Because of this, they will not be able to pay attention in class.

In addition, cell phones might be a danger to people. People who use their phones when driving might lose concentration and crash into other people or cars. Based on a report, 40% of car accidents around the world resulted from the drivers using their cellphones while driving. Thus, cell phones are harmful to humans.

In conclusion, cell phones are harmful to people as they pose as a health hazard, are distracting to people and might be dangerous to people who are driving.

US Bombing of Hiroshimathat

Many state that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima ordered by President Harry S.Truman was a crucial part in the war. It resulted in Japan's surrender and peace. Others stated that the bombing was irrational and it claimed many innocent lives. Many state that the bombing of Hiroshima was not crucial in ending the war and other methods could be utilized.I feel that the bombing of Hiroshima was crucial to ending the war.

The bombing of Hiroshima was crucial to ending the war as it broke Japanese morale and destroyed one of its main industrial cities. Hiroshima was one of the cities that produced many war products at that time. By bombing it, it would effective cripple Japan's war supplies and thus reduce their ability to fight. With the knowledge that one of their main sources of war materials was destroyed, Japan's morale will no doubt be weakened. Also, the thought of the US having such as powerful weapon would also greatly impact the Japanese's morale. With low morale, the Japanese will not have the strength and will to continue fighting and surrender

However, the bombing of Hiroshima might have been unnecessary as Germany and Italy, Japan's allies, had surrendered. With their surrender, Japan would lose the support of the two powerhouses which it heavily relied on. Thus, this would reduce their ability to fight on and eventually cause them to lose the war. Also, with the surrender of Germany and Italy, countries in Europe would be able to join in the war in Asia and aid USA in defeating the Japanese. Thus, the bombing of Hiroshima might have been unnecessary.

Gender Equality-The double standard

Many countries around the world past and present have campaigned for gender equality. They campaign that women should be allowed to join the army, vote and drive cars. However, despite this, men are still required to give way or give up seats  to women. The reason for this is because many consider women to be the "weaker" gender. But isn't this a double standard? If women strive to be equal to men, shouldn't they at least stand like men do since genders must be equal?

Should parents let teenagers make their own decisions?

Many teenagers often complain about how they are restricted by their parents in decision making and other aspects of their lives. They complain that they feel trapped inside a cage and that they have no freedom and liberty to do whatever they like. However, what they do not know is that their parents are actually doing these things for their own good. Without their parents, they might eventually make the wrong choices in life. These choices might eventually lead to severe consequences that they might eventually regret. Thus, parents should not let teenagers make their won decisions.

Teenagers are easily influenced by their peers around them and they might be easily convinced into making incorrect decisions. For example, a teen might do something wrong that his friends had asked him to do just to fit into the group. Thus, parents must be there to stop the teen in making the wrong decision and guide him in the correct direction.

Also, many teens are often distracted by the latest "in" thing, such as having a Facebook account, or having the newest iPhone and android phone.For example, when a teen sees most of his friends having the latest Android phone, he would definitely want an android phone as he would not want to be left out. However, parents should step in at this time to stop the teen from buying the phone. This is so as some features of the Android phone,such as the apps and internet surfing, might distract the child from his work. Also, parents were also once teens and would definitely know how it feels and know the harmful consequences of these things. Thus, teens should not be allowed to make their own decisions.

However, parents should not exercise total dictatorship over their children. Parents should learn how to "loosen their grip" on their children and slowly let their children make their own decisions. These decisions may include what courses the child wants to take in college. Parents should not force their child to take a course that he or she does not have passion or interest in. Thus, parents should only exercise a certain amount of control over their children.

Should smoking be banned?

Smoking is bad for your health. Does this sound familiar? Of course it does. At one point in our lives, we all must have heard this sentence. However, many people are still addicted to smoking. This is because many people think that smoking is cool and that smoking is actually fun. Once they start, they cannot stop due to addiction. This will result in more people getting addicted to smoking. Thus, smoking should be banned.

Smoking should be banned as it is hazardous to the smokers' health. As most people know, smoking can cause diseases such as lung cancer and other lethal diseases. It can also increase the risk of miscarriage in pregnant mothers. Smoking also contains harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and nicotine which can result in high blood pressure in a smoker. The high blood pressure may eventually lead to the smokers suffering from strokes or even heart attacks. Thus, one in two smokers die as a result of these diseases in middle age. Hence, smoking should be banned as it is hazardous to the smoker's health.

Smoking should also be banned as second hand smoke exhaled from smokers can pose a threat to the health of others. People around smokers have even higher rates of contracting diseases caused by smoking. This is due to the fact that the smoke exhaled by the smokers is even "dirtier" then the smoke that the smokers breathe. Some people even contract cancer due to too much contact with second hand smoke. Thus, smoking should be banned due to this.

However, smoking also has its pros. This is so as smokers excessively buy cigarettes from stores around Singapore. This will thus increase Singapore's revenue from selling cigarettes to these smokers. Without smokers, Singapore's economy will weaken as it will lose a source of revenue from these smokers.

In conclusion, smoking is a bad thing but should not be totally banned. If possible, a scheme could be made to limit the amount of cigarettes a smoker can buy a month. This will result in the smokers having a smaller chance of contracting diseases but will still allow Singapore to gain income and revenue from the smokers.

Journal entry in War

When I first joined the army, my head was full of glorious images. Images of me killing and destroying anything that stood before me, images of me achieving glory, of me being welcomed home after the war as a hero! When i first joined the army, I felt that my country would finally be able to get back at the French,the Russians and the British, to carve out an empire in the east! When i first joined the army, the only thing in my head was victory.

But now, all I see and feel is doom and dread. Will I survive the next offensive on the Soviets? Will I live, will i still be intact, mentally and physically? I don't know. I want to flee, I want to run away and hide until the war had ended. However, I can't. For my country, I have to die, I have to fight till my very last breath. Is it worth it? I don't know. If I die in battle, will I be remembered by anyone? If I survive and live to see Mien Fuhrer victorious, will i be recognized as a hero who risked his life for his country?

Before the winter, everything went fairly smoothly. We had crushed the weak soviets under our feet in less than a month and we would have been marching into Stalingrad in a week. However, Mother Earth turned her back on us. She unleashed her fury on us, harsh cold swept through our ranks, blizzards tore through our armies like artillery attacks. The soviets had retreated but Earth had began her attack.

For weeks, we were under attack from Mother Earth, her powerful winds and freezing hail buffeted us. We were poorly equipped for winter. Mien Fuhrer had expected the war in the east to be over by August. However, the blitzkrieg had failed and we had to endure the harsh winter with barely any warmth or supplies.

Worse still, from what I had heard, the Soviets had taken the time when we were immobilized to start a huge manufacturing campaign. If the sources were correct, their production rate was more than 3 times ours. Impossible! Gott! If we did not move fast, the Soviets would crush us in a matter of time.

However, we would be resuming our offensive tomorrow. I pray that i would survive, I pray that we would win the battle and achieve glory for Germany, for Deutschland! 

Singapore the plane, not the bus.

Many people nowadays are referring to Singapore as a bus. A bus that needs a good driver to drive the Singapore bus to success and a bus that needs a co-driver to slap the driver if he falls asleep. However, this is a FALSE ANALOGY. Singapore apparently, is not a bus that anyone can drive. It is a plane.

Singapore is a plane that requires a skillful pilot to drive it. The pilot must be able to foresee all problems ahead and make preparations for it. For example, when the pilot sees a storm or a hurricane coming , he must be able steer the plane away from the storm. Even if the plane is caught in the storm, he must be able to steer the plane safely out of the storm. This can be compared to leadership in Singapore. Good leaders will be able to foresee problems that are coming and be able to avoid the problems and challenges. This will in turn ensure that Singapore or any other country will be able to do well economically. With a good leader or leaders, Singapore will be able to brave through economic crisis too.

Can Singaporeans cope mentally with natural disasters?

During the past few months, there were devastating natural disasters around the world. The natural disasters include the earthquake in Christchurch, the earthquake and tsunami and Japan. Both of these natural disasters have devastated affected areas. However, people in these places were able to cope surprisingly well with these disasters. In Japan, there was very little looting reported and many people were helping each other. In Christchurch, there was also very minimal looting. However, if such disasters were to hit Singapore, would Singaporeans be able to cope well with these disasters? The answer is a definite no.

Many Singaporeans can be defined by a slang word "Kiasu", which means scared lose. Even during non-disaster periods, Singaporeans have been shown to be pushing and shoving in shopping centres to get their hands on the best goods. Many Singaporeans also do not spare thoughts for other people's needs and only cater to their own needs. Thus, if an earthquake or tsunami hits Singapore, Singaporeans will thus demonstrate their "scared lose" spirit and cater to themselves first. This would thus result in many cases of looting happening around Singapore as people only care for themselves and not for others. Thus, they would not spare a thought for the shop owners and only steal for themselves.

Blog prompt:What do i look for in a future leader of a nation

What do i look for in a future leader of a nation?First, i would look at his or her level of maturity. If he or she is mature enough and can think with a certain level of maturity, he or she would become a potential future leader of the nation. With maturity, a leader can think of what is best for the nation and not what is best fo himself or those close to him. He will think and do things for the greater good and not for earning money and giving himself benefits.

I would also look for a leader which is proud of Singapore and loves Singapore. If a leader thinks like that, Singapore will eventually benefit from him as everything he does will be for the country.

I will not despise a future leader of Singapore because of his social life. If he spends his free time in pubs and having fun with his friends, it is acceptable as long as it is not illegal. This is because he can decide what he wants to do in his own free time. He does not always need to be serious and does not always have to restrain himself from having fun with his friends. There is no hard and fast rule that all leaders cannot have fun during their free time.

Online assignment:Descriptive piece on war

The sky was grey,filled with dust and dirt. Everything that was disgusting and horrible floated through the air.The smell of soot burned my lungs. But it did not matter to me, i was used to this. Everyday, the deafening gun shots would pierce my ear drums and the images of my comrades dying would recur in my eyes every now and then. It had been like that ever since that day. Ever since that first day, every since it began.

When i was younger, i had always dreamed of blood and glory, of killing as many as i can on the battlefield, of bathing myself with the impure blood of the enemy. I dreamed of being a hero on the battlefield, i dreamed of killing a thousand enemies at once. But now, all i can dream of are the nightmares of heads flying and people dying. Every day since that first day, i was always daunted by many unanswerable questions. When will it happen?When will it end? When will the strength in my limbs finally fade away? It was always the same questions.

Now, as the ground shook beneath me and the walls covering myself gave way to the merciless bombardment of artillery, i asked myself,"Is it worth it?Is it worth the fight? Is it worth it to live a life that is stained with the blood of many people?" The answer was obvious to me. It would be perfect to do so, to just let the strength finally seep out of me together with the pain and the suffering i had endured. It was just perfect. As i stood up, i imagined the peace that would finally overcome me. I imagined the peace that would come with the one thing that all of mankind feared. I imagined the peace of death.

As a bullet pierced my skull, a sharp pain ripped through my beaten head. Somehow, it felt good. As suddenly as the pain came, it ebbed. A curtain of darkness was lowering slowly over my eyes. It was a blessing to be able to rest after so long. It was definitely a blessing. There would be no more fighting for me ever again. I would never need to fight a war again.

Blog prompt 24th march:Why should we care about events happening in Other parts of the world?

I tend to pay attention to events in other parts of the world. I always pay attention to events in other parts of the world as these events might affect our country'e economy.For example, if the wall street crashes in the USA, Singapore's economy will definitely become weaker within the next few months as many companies in Singapore are linked to companies in the USA. Hence, by tuning in to the news and paying attention to events in other parts of the world, i can make preparations to prepare myself for a possible weakening of the economy in Singapore and start saving money so that i have enough to use in case my parents are retrenched. By paying attention to events in the other parts of the world, i can also increase my knowledge of current affairs. Hence, i can thus debate about these events,such as the conflict in Egypt and Tunisia, with other people and find out their opinions of that particular events and thus find out from them how these events would in turn affect Singapore.

I believe that one should not just learn about and event and not care about it.Many people think that events that happen in faraway countries will not affect Singapore and that life in Singapore would still go on as per normal even though there is turmoil and conflict in other countries. It is important to care about the events that happen in other countries as these events will in turn affect Singapore. Those events might affect Singapore's economy and environment. For example, the earthquake in Japan has forced many foreign investors there to leave japan in fear of radiation from the nuclear plants. Without these foreign investors, Japan's economy will weaken as they will not be able to export and import as many goods as usual. Hence, less production in Japan would also result in less goods and daily necessities being exported to Singapore. This will in turn cause the price of food and daily necessities to rise in Singapore, making life harder for the lower income families. More Singaporean companies that were based in the affected cities in japan will also suffer losses. These losses would in turn affect Singapore's economy.Hence, it is important to care about events that happen in faraway countries.

Can the machine ever replace a teacher?

Can a machine ever replace a teacher?

I feel that a machine can never replace a teacher.

I feel that a machine can never replace a teacher as a machine cannot guide you. The job of the teacher is to provide the students and learners with resources and to further explain the information.A teacher can also ask questions to stimulate critical thinking processes in students. A teacher can gain new knowledge when teaching students and can always formulate new and innovative ways to teach students when he or she finds that the student is not really interested in the way he or she teaches. However, a machine cannot do so. A machine is only programmed to teach and it cannot learn. If a machine cannot learn, it cannot learn from its pass mistakes and teach in new and innovative ways. Hence, it will always use the same methods to teach its students even though the students do not like the method it is using. Hence, a machine can never replace a teacher in that aspect.

Another reason why a machine cannot replace a teacher is because a teacher is one with life and with the five senses. He can sense when his students are bored, he can feel anger and and scold the students if the students have done something wrong or have not done well in an exam. However, a machine cannot feel such emotions. Hence a machine will not lecture or reprimand the student when he or she has done something wrong. Thus, this shows that a machine cannot replace a teacher as it cannot feel emotions and do things appropriately in that aspect.

With the following points above, i conclude that a machine can never replace a teacher in the classroom or when learning.

Blog prompt: BEP where is the love.

The song is about terrorism, war and warped values.

I feel that the issues discussed by the song are extremely important. However, i think it all starts with the upbringing of the child. If a child is thought to be truthful, peaceful and brought up to be a good man, things such as terrorism, war and others will not happen. However, if a child is not thought properly, he will have warped values and start to do bad things. These will thus result in the child being attracted to things such as terrorism and war. In America, the people make the decisions as it is a democratic country. Imagine if these children grew up and began to vote. If the country is about to go to war, they would definitely vote for war instead of peace. Hence, i think that the upbringing of the child is extremely important as it affects all of the factors above.

I also feel that the media would result in the things the song mentioned happening. I feel that this is so as the nowadays, the media promotes violence and other warped values. The media also promotes sex and drugs. With the media promoting these things, many people would want to follow the things the people do in the movies or television programmes. Thus, more people will commit crimes such as taking drugs. 

With the above points, i can conclude that terrorism, war and warped values are created when one is brought up in the wrong way or is in a bad environment.

There are also many other injustices in society today. One such injustice is racism. Many people dislike others of different races because of their different skin colour. Many people dislike others with coloured skin because of their 'impurity of skin". Many people think that coloured people are sinful and that coloured people all have committed heinous crimes in their lives.However, this also has to do with the upbringing of a person and his or her environment. If a person is thought to hate coloured people and look down on them, he will do so in future. If a person is in an environment or place where most people hate coloured people, he will also do so in time as he wants to fit into that environment.

From the above points i made, i can thus conclude that all injustices in society have to do with one's upbringing.

Poem:Sunken bells are tolling for thee

Sunken bells are tolling for thee**
No matter how brave
No matter how strong
None will escape her
When she wants to collect what is rightfully hers

Sunken bells are tolling for thee
Her claws are rising
Her mouth is widening
She shall devour thee
As she wants to collect what is is rightfully hers

Sunken bells are tolling for thee
As the ship is ripped
As the ship is wrecked
Thee shall fall into her embrace
When she wants to collect what is rightfully hers

Sunken bells are tolling for thee
As thee floats down
As thee drowns
Thee shall be wrapped in darkness
As she wants to collect what is hers

Sunken bells are tolling for thee

**The line sunken bells are tolling for thee is taken from The Comic book series B.P.R.D by Mike Mignola.
     However, the poem is original

Which has a greater impact on the upbringing of a child, Nurture or Nature?

What is nature and nurture? Nature is the genes and personality one person is born with while nurture, or nurturing, is the act of teaching one person habits and how to have good personality. So which has a greater impact on the upbringing of the child? I personally believe that Nurture and Nature both have an impact on the upbringing of a child but a child's nature has a greater impact on his or her upbringing.

A child can be nurtured from young to do certain things. For example, a child can be born left-handed but be trained to use their right hand instead. A child can also be nurtured to do things in a certain way or talk to people in a certain way. However, one can only be nurtured to act in someways and do things in someways when they are at a very young age.When they are older, and their true nature and attitude start to become more obvious and prominent, it will become harder to nurture the child to do otherwise.

When a child is older, his or her true nature and personality will start to become more prominent as he or she will commit more acts that shows that. For example, a child who has and extreme dislike for coloured people from young will tend to show his or her dislike for coloured people openly only at an older age as he or she will become braver. As children grow older, they tend to become more rebellious, hence they will not listen to their parents when their parents tell them do act or think otherwise. When the children do not listen to their parents, it shows that nurturing in that aspect has failed as the parents will not be able to nurture their children to do otherwise.

Hence, this shows that nature has a stronger impact on the upbringing of a child than nurture or nurturing. However, nature can be stopped at an early age. Parents can try to communicate more with their children to find out their nature and their personality when their children are young. This way, it will be easier to nurture the children to do otherwise.

Good genes or meritocracy?

         Having good genes or smart genes does not mean that your children will do well in life. Although most students in top schools such as Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution have parents who are at least university graduates, I believe that to succeed, one must depend on hard work, and not just depend on one’s “smart” genes.

         Having “smart” genes gives you a head start in your studies as you are smarter than others and your parents can also help you in your studies. However, from then on, one has to depend on hard work to succeed in life. If one only has the brains, but is not willing to work hard to achieve what one aims to achieve, one will not succeed in life.

         I know this as I have faced such a problem before. When I was 10, I decided not to study for my math test as I had always aced the math test. However, when I sat for the examination, I did not know how to do about 25% of the questions. Hence, I did very badly for the examination. My parents are graduates and they hold top jobs in the companies they are working in. However, to be honest, I am not doing very well at school as I had failed my overall end of year examinations last year. I had failed because I was not hardworking enough and did not have the motivation to do my ace and projects day project properly.

         Through past experience, I can conclude that having brains and “smart” genes does not nesaccerily mean that you will do well in your examinations and succeed in life.

Problem gambling:Casinos' fault or Gamblers' fault

I personally believe that problem gambling is caused by the gambler's lack of self control instead of the two new casinos in Singapore.

Problem gambling has been on the rise since the casinos at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) were opened. Many people blame the rise of problem gambling cases on the opening of the casinos. However, i feel that most of the problem gambling cases arise from the gambler's lack of self control. The casinos have already imposed a 100 dollar levy for Singaporeans who want to enter the casinos. However, due to the gambler's lack of self control, they do not mind the 100 dollar levy as they have the urge to gamble.

As they lose more money in gambling, gambling addicts will have the feeling that their luck will change and they keep gambling. This is a result of lack of self control.If the gamblers can control themselves, they will know that they do not have enough money to gamble and will stop gambling. Without self control, these gamblers will gamble until they have no money left, resulting in them borrowing money from unlicensed money lenders, otherwise known as loan sharks.

However, all the blame cannot be put on the gamblers. With the two new casinos opened, it will be more convenient for the gamblers to gamble. Instead of heading to other countries such as Malaysia and Macau to gamble, the gamblers can just head to the casinos at RWS and MBS to gamble. They also do not need to pay membership to enter the casinos while they need to have membership cards to enter mini casinos at places such as SAFRA.

Smart and Lazy? Or Not so smart and hardworking?

       When one is smart, one tends to understand things much faster than one who is not so smart, or in other words, stupid. However, why do the not so smart ones do better than the smart ones in the exams? The answer is that they are hardworking.
       However, i tend to realise that the not so smart but hardworking people tend to forget how to do the various problems that they had learnt after they have completed their examinations. Why is this so? It is because they tend to just remember the formulas or the explanations by heart. When they remember these things by heart, they are not actually understanding the formulas, hence, they will tend to forget these things one they have passed the exam which has tested this things.
       Smart people who are lazy, are just as bad, or maybe even worse. They do understand the topic that was thought, but they don't even want to try to study for the exam which tests these topics as they think that they are already very smart and that they do not need to study for the exam. This will result in overconfidence and laziness, and hence, they will not do well in the exam.
    

philosophical question: Can a robot be a human?

If a robot is programmed to do all things humans do, to feel all things that humans feel and to learn like humans do, can it possibly be a human?

It is a tricky philosophical question. However, i feel that a robot cannot be a human.Firstly, a robot is programmed to have feelings like we do. hence when we hit it, it can only do as its programme tells it to do. It cannot do otherwise. When some of us get hit, we will just not retaliate and forgive the person. However, a robot, which is programmed to be angry when it gets hit, cannot understand the circumstances under which it was hit and hence cannot act in other ways, hence a robot cannot be a human.

A robot also cannot truly feel things like a human. It is only programmed to do so. Hence, it can never truly act like a human and react to different situations. It can only do as it is programmed, so, it will not be able to improvise like a human. When hit accidentally, they can only express anger. When laughed at, they can only express anger. When someone shares a joke, they must laugh, hence, how can a robot programmed to be a human actually be a human? 

Furthermore, people make mistakes, a robot which is programmed can never make mistakes as it will always follow its computer programme that guides it. Humans will always make mistakes but a robot cannot make mistakes, hence this shows that a robot cannot be a human.

LA blog post:Ignorance is a bliss

1) I chose to background so as to make the reader believe that the the person who is singing has a very good voice and has a lot of fans.
2)It creates irony. The readers will thing that the singer is very good as she has a lot of fans. One of the "fans" even comment that she is the 8th wonder in the world. However, readers who continue to read the strip will soon realize that the they are not her fans and they were just there to hear for themselves how horribly she sang.
3)All of the elements i have used mislead the reader into thinking that the singer's voice is extremely good, but when they continue to view the strip, they will be proved otherwise.

LA mind map: The Civil War

No maids allowed in swimming pools?

"It is wrong to discriminate against people because of their jobs or nationalities, period" This sentence was quoted from an article in "The Newpaper". According to The Newpaper, many condominiums do not allow maids to swim in the swimming pools. I do not agree with this policy.

Firstly, it is wrong to discriminate against maids. Although they are from foreign countries and are not very poor, they are still human and should thus be treated like one. However, many condominiums do not consider this fact and do not allow the maids to swim in the swimming pool.

According to The Newpaper, some residents in the condominiums say that the maids are here in Singapore to work and not to enjoy life.They also stated that allowing the maids to swim in the swimming pools might make them forget their status. However, i feel that although the maids are here to work, they still have the right to use the swimming pools as they live in the condominium and with their employers, hence, this technically makes them residents of the condominium and thus this should give them the right to swim in the swimming pool.

Not allowing the maids to swim in the swimming pools might also be a safety hazard. If the maid's employers' children are in the water, the maid cannot supervise them and keep them safe. If the children and facing difficulties while swimming and are drowning, the made also cannot save the children. Hence, condominiums should allow the maids to swim in the swimming pools.

Class blog post 2

 have been part of a group which was unkind to one or a few individuals. We disliked that individual because he was fat and lazy. In his napfa test, he only ran 4 out of the 6 rounds that we were supposed to run. However, instead of telling the teacher that he had only ran 4 rounds, he told the teacher that he had ran 6 rounds. Hence, he got the best timing in the class. After that, he began bragging to everyone that he although he was fat, he had beaten everyone in the napfa test. A group of friends and I decided to teach him a lesson. Everyday after that incident, we mocked him and made fun of him, saying that he was extremely fat. We even went as far as to insult his parents and his family members. One day, he locked one of our members inside the toilet. However, that particular group member managed to get out of the toilet and he punched the boy in the stomach. We did not see him for the rest of the day. While we a being mean to him and bullying him, I felt really happy and excited as I really felt as if I hated that boy and I wanted to humiliate him as much as I could. However, after one particular verbal attack on him, I felt really sick on the inside and guilty. I asked myself why I was doing these horrible things. Since he has already cheated and nothing can be done about it, why not just let him be? From then onwards, I left the group and never tormented the boy again. 

Reflections for the past year and my targets for 2011

Target for 2011

1.What went well last year?

2.what went wrong last year?

3 what is my target for 2011?

4.how do I intend to achieve this?

1.       What went well last year?

I achieved a B3 for my end of year examinations last year for LA, which met my target of achieving at least B3 for my LA Final examinations.Since my La was not very good, I decided to set my targets a little lower for myself so that my targets would be realistic and I could achieve my targets.

2 .  What went wrong last year?

Many things went wrong for me last year. First, I got on the wrong side of my former LA teacher, mdm sng. I was the former LA rep and I forgot to collect homework from my classmates for three times. She hence thought that I was an irresponsible person and I was “fired” from my job as LA rep. I did not do well for most of my LA tests and assignments as I was not very strong at my compreshension, summary and essay writing skills. As I could not excel at these components, my LA results were extremely lousy for the first 3 terms. I even failed one of my comprehension subjects. I was weak at my reasoning skills in essay writing and I could not develop interesting stories in my composition

3.       What is my target for 2011?

My target MSG for 2011 is to achieve at least 1.80 MSG while my target grade for LA is an A2. I also hope to be able to understand everything the teacher says by the end of the year. By understanding the things the teacher has taught me, i can apply them in the exam and everyday reading.

4.       How do I intend to achieve this?

How am I going to achieve these grades? LA may be a breeze to other students, but for me, it is the hardest subject of all. Hence, I intend to read more story books to improve my composition skills. When reading books, I will have to write down the new words and styles of writing I have learnt. I will also write a page of the current affairs of the current day and debate with myself on whether the actions made by the people in the newspapers are desirable and how will it benefit, or harm us. This will help to improve my reasoning skills.