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“Woman charged with tying up nephew” by Eldora


The article is about a 47-year old woman charged of ill-treating her seven-year-old nephew by tying up his hands and legs to a beam and pipe respectively in the kitchen of her house. There was also another five-year-old, brother of seven-year-old, who was found dead on Sunday morning.
I feel disgusted after reading this article. How can that woman do that to her own nephew? They are relatives, so I don’t understand how she can be so cruel. The parents of the boys must have trust this woman to allow her to take care of the children but this outcome is what they get for trusting her? It’s unforgivable.
I think that this woman should be jailed for a longer period of time so that she will be able to reflect upon her wrongdoings. Four years is not enough to cover for her murder and ill-treatment of the boys. She should not even be fine for just $4000!
When you are in trouble, it’s your family that will lend a helping hand first. She should not have done such an awful thing that could harm the family’s trust with each other. “Blood is thicker than water.” I hope that period of time gives her enough time to ponder about this statement.   
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Eldora’s comment on “New York Legalises Same-sex Marriage” by Amad

I agree that homosexuality is surfacing but that doesn’t mean that others in the society approve of it. Same-sex marriage cleared the Senates by only a few votes. This shows that people’s thoughts are wavering. This can mean that they are trying to accept gay marriage or giving gay-marriage a test in their country. Some cities in the USA have adopted the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) but they have not really legalised same-sex marriages. At the moment, even Mr Obama supports civil union instead of same-sex marriage. I think others disagreed with homosexuality because of various reasons such as homosexuality is against the human nature and that some find homosexuals close contact with each other in public places disturbing.
I think that celebrities have to come clean about them being gay before the paparazzi did, so that their reputation would not be greatly affected. I think that they are not really good examples of inspiration because they are just trying to prevent themselves from being marked out.  
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Eldora’s comment on “Cleanliness on the decline” by Blandina


I strongly agree with your comment. There in an increasing number of Singaporeans paying less attention to our country’s cleanliness and more are showing the “it’s the cleaner’s job” kind-of-attitude towards litter on the ground or even, in our hands. The most concrete and upsetting evidence of such littering habits would be the scene after the National Day Parade. There will be lots of litter lying everywhere such as on the seats, on the ground, on stage and even in the toilets. People would just leave hurriedly to catch their last means of transport back home and would not bother about what they left behind. I feel that it is disgraceful that Singaporeans gave our nation this kind of “presents”.
Are we going to start another similar courtesy campaign named “litter-free”? I hope not. There are so many rubbish bins around Singapore so why do we not throw our litters properly? Japan has lesser rubbish bins, much bigger land and in fact also cleaner than Singapore. I think we no longer deserve to be called a clean and green country. To earn back our rightful title, I think that rubbish bins could be designed more attractively to get attention from passer-bys and also more litter. We could also have more comic posters such as those for toilets to be placed at appropriate places. Have more promotions of interesting litter-free advertisements and educate Singaporeans starting from the younger generation. Hopefully we can salvage our reputation and remind Singaporeans the responsibility to keep our country clean.  
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“Are Singaporean youths politically apathetic?” by Eldora


GE2011 was not very significant to me as I am not eligible to vote. However, this year, I paid more attention to GE as it is one of the hot topics in Singapore and many people of different ages have discussions through various types of social media. In short, during that period, GE was in the air so I eventually took note of it.
I think GE does slightly affect those who are under the voting age. I feel that generally, those who are not eligible would not bother as much about GE because they won’t have to make important decisions on who to vote for. Thus they will not take the effort to find out more about the parties that were involved in the elections or even weigh the content of the speeches made by the parties. But, I am sure that the voting age does not affect the majority of people, whether they fulfil the eligibility or not, to stay awake and wait patiently for the release of GE2011 results as it is the climax of the election. As a Singaporean or resident living in Singapore, this election gives us the chance to voice our opinion in political issues and hope for better life in the future. Therefore regardless of our age, all of us would still want to know the outcome of this election. Even if the changes of seats in the government are small, at least we know what the majority of Singaporeans’ choices are.
I don’t think that the voting age should be lowered as adults still make better decisions then young adults. Young adults are too self-centred in decisions and easily influenced by peers, while adults usually make more critical thinking and are firm with their choice. I feel that the voting age should remain the same so that young adults can have more exposure to the society first before making any voting decisions.
The GE does not really have any impact on me but this year I gain more knowledge about the elections from discussions with my family and friends.
I think raising political awareness of young people is still a challenge even though I agree with Mr Teo Ser Luck that youths here are not politically apathetic. Perhaps there could be compulsory political talks for youths in schools especially for secondary, junior college and polytechnics. Or have famous bloggers blog about politics so that people who read will pass the message around by reblogging or other means of social media.
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Blandina's comment on "maid jumps one storey down to flee bosses" By Joanna

There is an increase in the cases of maids being ill-treated. I agree with you that the government should set a rule to specify the maximum hours that a maid can work each day. Employees should not ill-treat their maid by asking them to work for long hours. This will deprive them from having sufficient amount of rest and they would not be able to work efficiently the next day. To prevent such cases from happening again, employees should treat their maid well so that they will enjoy working here in Singapore. Although they are paid very little, maids are human beings as well. They should be treated fairly and equally. Treat them like a family member and they will be more willing to serve you.
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“Obama says gay couples deserve same rights as all” by Eldora


The article is about how Mr Obama addresses his views on the issue of gay marriage on several events. Mr Obama is seen to be very precautious about his views as his answers are very indirect and somewhat neutral.  
As stated in the article about the evolvement of Mr Obama’s views, I think it is true as he did not support gay marriage in the ’08 campaign. But now, he openly expressed his belief that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple. I think Mr Obama is also trying to delay legalising gay marriage as he kept asking the parties for patience and states that the progress will be slower than some people want. If he have already approved of gay marriage, he should have his ways of legalising it, instead of making them wait for the approval.  
Personally, I would discourage gay marriage and feel that it should not be legalised. I feel that gay marriage is against the nature. The person who created humans must have reasons for creating distinct difference between men and women right? It would be wrong and against human nature and rights to allow two parties of the same sex to be entitled marriage.
Shouldn’t everyone take a step back? Mr Obama didn’t say “No” to gay couples, so why are they asking for more? They should be contented with what they already have. There was even an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employer with at least 15 employees. Gay couples should compromise by now.
Even if gay marriage was legalised, would that lead to a better future for them or more problematic disasters? Will the gay couples be able to accept the society’s view on them? Or will they break down few years later after their marriage and lead to a higher divorce rate in the states? Also, if they want to adopt children, is it healthy for that child to have parents of the same sex? When people get together, all sorts of promises are made, but thereafter, everything is at stake. There are so many researches that need to be done to support so many unsure questions. I believe that Mr Obama would suggest a satisfying conclusion for all someday.  


http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_683432.html
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Blandina's comment on "Sloppy In Singapore" By Amanda

I agree with some of the things that you have said. It is true that most people will take some time to doll up during special occasions. However, I have seen people wearing singlet and shorts to attend concerts. This was what I had encountered on several occasions. It is the mindset of people nowadays that they do not care about how others would judge them as long as they themselves feel that is it right and comfortable wearing it. This shows that our society has a change in our values. You mentioned that it is normal to see many people wearing slippers and Bermudas at Orchard road. I think that this is a trend that many Singaporeans follow. Many cannot be bothered to dress properly and they use the hot weather as an excuse.

I also agree that not everyone can afford to spend so much on dressing up. I feel that people do not have to buy an expensive item to look good. One will look great if they dress appropriately at all times.
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Nur Hazimah's Comment on "Sloppy in Singapore by Aina"

I strongly agree with your opinion that a person’s dressing reflects a person’s mood and character and that others will judge you based on how you look. One who makes an effort to look good and presentable shows that he or she has a high confidence and self-esteem. Whereas a person who dress sloppily shows that they are lazy and has a low self-esteem. This is because others always judge you based on first impression.

I also think that looking presentable does not necessarily mean dressing up from head to toe. As long as our outfit is appropriate and neat, it would be fine. It also depends on the occasion that we are attending in order to show respect to our hosts.
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Amad's comment on "Should Maids Get A Day Off Every Week?" by Nur Hazimah

I absolutely agree with your opinion. I notice that domestic workers are working too hard. They are meant to help with housework but they certainly are not slaves. Every working person deserves a rest.

You have a good point in saying that it would be risky to give them a day off since they might encounter mishaps when they wander around. Outings with the employers’ family would be a better option instead of giving them a day off.

Because these domestic workers have to work almost all the time for their employers, they usually resort to sneaking out of the house just to ‘unwind’. We can't blame them entirely for doing so as they are always busy that they don’t even have leisure time. I feel it is good that the MOM brought this matter up.
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Nur Hazimah's Comment on "Cleanliness on the decline by Blandina"

I strongly agree with you that the cleanliness in Singapore is declining. Singaporeans are taking advantage on the term ‘Singapore is a clean and green city’. Just because there are cleaners around, they feel that they can throw their rubbish anywhere and it is not their job to pick up litters that are lying around. Very few Singaporeans are taking the initiative to play a part in keeping Singapore litter-free. I feel that it is our responsibility to keep Singapore clean. If nobody is doing their part to keep Singapore clean, it will affect the good image of our country. It is advisable for the government to organise more campaigns to increase the awareness of keeping the cleanliness of our country.
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Amanda Lim’s comment on “Woman pierced kittens for gothic look by Lam Jia Jia"

JiaJia,
I am a cat lover and when I read the article I felt like slapping that beast 1000000 times. The anger in me is burning furiously. I cannot believe that there are such heartless people on Earth at all. All these animal abuser should just torture themselves with how they torture animals and DIE.
Everybody, everything, every animal, anything living thing on this earth has their own rights, even plants.  Just because that is her interest, doesn’t mean it’s the kitten’s interest.  She DOESN’T have the rights to do so. 
The law in New York is too lenient. What is the point of having law enforcers for animal when offenders are only given such lenient punishment?! Six months’ home detention is NOT ENOUGH. I think she should be jailed for like 10 years OR maybe even forever.
It doesn’t send out a strong signal to the other abusers. 6 Month home detention is NOTHING. If a person in Singapore gets hanged for killing somebody, I think that whoever abuses animal and it dies, should get hanged as well.
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Amanda Lim’s comment on “Sloppy in Singapore by Eldora"

Eldora,
I agree with you the phrase you came out with “ Singaporean dress logically” I don’t think that ALL Singaporeans dress sloppily, just a minority of Singaporeans do that which has caused us to be labelled that way. I also often see small kids dressing up for weddings and all the ladies gentleman all dressed up as well. I’ve not come across anybody who didn’t dress up during a wedding when I was working as a part-timer in a hotel during the holidays.
I, myself, also prefer to be comfortable clothes, and yes, who says comfortable can’t be fashionable. I strongly believe that one has to be comfortable to look good. Imagine, you wore a dress that’s really uncomfortable and you have a really hard time walking, thats makes you look very awkward. Then I don't think that person will look good already because the confidence is not there.
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"Singaporeans under attack " By Lim Pei Xuan Amanda

Singaporeans are being crazy, disgusting and irritating? That is a lot of accusations to be thrown at us, don’t you agree?  Basically, what we can tell from this article is that foreigners are having mixed views about Singaporeans. And similarly, Singaporeans are also having mixed views about foreigners. This is mainly due to the fact that we have cultural differences. However, I find it really disturbing when foreigners criticise us like this, especially when we are letting them stay in our country.

First of all, though some Singaporeans can be rude and inconsiderate at times, most of us are courteous, polite and even make foreigners feel welcomed in Singapore. We can also criticise their loud speaking and rude services.  

Secondly, they are calling us disgusting? I beg to pardon but I find them more disgusting. I have read articles about Chinese nationals cutting their toe nails in Mass Rapid Transport and even washing their baby at a water cooler at Sentosa. Worst of all, is their habit to pick their noses so openly in public. They should learn to reflect on their selves before they accuse us of such.

Lastly, as I have watched the German show, I find it highly distorted and biased. It talked about the ‘weird’ things that Singaporeans do. However, we find these ‘normal’ in Singapore. Also, it is just plain rude to call us crazy before understanding why we do certain things.

In conclusion, it is just the cultural differences we have between countries that force them to think as such.

WEBSITE: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_684759.html
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"RGS girls raise $80k to build school in china" by Lim Pei Xuan Amanda

I am truly amazed that 11 girls from Raffles Girls School raised a total of $80k in just a year. Their actions touched me deep down in my heart. I believe that they are helping the community from the bottom of their hearts and not just for Community Involvement Programme (CIP) hours. Many of us get involve in CIP because we have to fulfil our hours in secondary school, and most of us do not genuinely want to help the community as they think it’s a waste of their time. They often just get involved in the program and forget about it in a week or so.
CIPs are losing its meaning over the years as the younger generation as doing it for the sake of their Co-curriculum activity (CCA) points , but these girls are bringing its meaning back. I am inspired by their actions and I believe that many teenagers like me are inspired by them too.
I feel that it is important to start CIPs at an early age so as to cultivate the younger generation into compassionate people who does voluntary work genuinely. Parents make up a big role in cultivating the younger generation. They must first be an exemplary role model and inspire their children.
These heroines sacrificed one year of their lives to help somebody that they don't even know. The younger generation really needs to be less selfish and learn to love others too.
I am not saying that we have to be like them, but little actions like donating things to the less fortunate is the least you can do. Helping others with an open heart, this world will definitely be a better place for you and me.
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Are Singaporean Youths Politically Apathetic by Amanda

I do not agree with the article. I feel that youth do care about politics. The general election was quite significant to me. I was watching the GE election programmes throughout the week as it was rather exciting as to see who is going to rule the government. It affects us positively because it actually got us to start thinking which party is more capable in leading our country. Sometimes while we are having lunch together, the GE topic will pop out and we will start to talk about it and share our own opinions with each other.
I do not feel that it should be lowered because of our age (17), we have a certain level of maturity, and this level of maturity may not be sufficient for us to make the right choice which could lead to horrible consequences. At the age of 21, majority of us would already be able to think logically and rationally. The GE impacted me in a way that it got me to start thinking what has the current government done for us throughout the years and also made me more aware of what is happening within the country. I believe that it has not only impacted me but also other young people of similar age range as it became the trending topic on Facebook and twitter as well as other social networking sites.
They can spread political awareness through social networking sites as that is where most young people are. Through this, it will start to get the young people to think and share their opinions
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