Egypt, one of the many countries that still considered a male-dominated society, will have a historic milestone where women of Egypt will have a higher profile in life. This is held true by the guarantee of 64 out of 508 parliamentary seats being contested in its election. This is a big step from the previous 8 seats that women Mps currently hold, and only 3 out of the 8 were elected, the rest were appointed by the president.
This for me shows that no matter how many time we back track, bad economies, natural disasters and public unrest, the world still makes advances forward, and this is certainly one of them. Another step forward away from the male minded world that was in the past, many women all over the world will be delighted about this, no matter if they affect them or not.
This is also true for men, the stereotype of men still being such “jerks” to girls is slowly breaking off. Of course it cannot be completely be eliminated, but I’m sure that the changes can clearly be seen.
One example is the government in Finland. Around 50% of the cabinet are women. And few if not none of the men sharing the cabinet with them don’t mind at all. In a sense, we understand the advantages of having women around us. Being less rash is one of many examples.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
MHA to review gangs, youth violence laws (Sandi)
The recent spike of youth and gang violence cases is alarming and frightening at the same time. Just when we thought that the downtown east incident would served as a wake-up call to these gangs,cases of another slashing and attacking starts to pop out, from bukit panjang to even Ang Mo Kio but what is the real reason behind this spike of gang violence?
Ministry of Home Affairs would be reviewing the laws to give more power to the police and more sentencing options for these youths and this would take 6 to 9 months. Like what Kah Jing said, the government is doing already doing their best and even though during this period, there might be incidents occurring, the government is already stepping out, setting more police posts in bukit panjang where it is infamous for its gang activities. It gave me a sense of security that the government has come forward and said that they are taking actions now, rather than having this issue solving by itself.
I agree that the current legislation is already sufficient, that it has been efficient for several of years. So, the problem does not lie with the legislation but with the youths nowadays that join these gangs. Yes, there are avenues for one to seek help to quit the gang but who dares to go and seek help, knowing that there might be someone watching over you, threatens you to stay in the group or else.
Like what Minister State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said "we also have to be forward looking - to look at the kind of trends our youth go through, the environment they live in. " Only then, can we understand the root problem of the spike in youth violence.
Ministry of Home Affairs would be reviewing the laws to give more power to the police and more sentencing options for these youths and this would take 6 to 9 months. Like what Kah Jing said, the government is doing already doing their best and even though during this period, there might be incidents occurring, the government is already stepping out, setting more police posts in bukit panjang where it is infamous for its gang activities. It gave me a sense of security that the government has come forward and said that they are taking actions now, rather than having this issue solving by itself.
I agree that the current legislation is already sufficient, that it has been efficient for several of years. So, the problem does not lie with the legislation but with the youths nowadays that join these gangs. Yes, there are avenues for one to seek help to quit the gang but who dares to go and seek help, knowing that there might be someone watching over you, threatens you to stay in the group or else.
Like what Minister State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said "we also have to be forward looking - to look at the kind of trends our youth go through, the environment they live in. " Only then, can we understand the root problem of the spike in youth violence.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
MHA to review gangs, youth violence laws (Wei Sheng)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1093798/1/.html
I feel that the recent Downtown East incident and a couple of incidents that later occurred have been a wake-up call to the public as well as the government. However, the article stated, 'Minister of State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said the review would take between six and nine months.' With what the source had said, I feel that this situation needs to be taken care of immediately as more problems would arise indefinitely, however the review requires between six to nine months. Probably because I do not understand how the whole politics issue works about, I feel that the review is too long of a time. In this six to nine months period, numerous incidents may occur.
However, I may need to applaud the Minister as, 'he cautioned against over-using legislation and oversimplifying the solution to the recent problems, which are multi-faceted and need customised solutions.' I feel that most of the parents felt that problems that their child experience is nothing and they would all go through a rebellious stage, and that is how parents oversimplifies the situation, however this may lead to undesirable consequences such as their child joining a bad company. In conclusion, I am still glad that the government sector is trying their best to address this situation.
I feel that the recent Downtown East incident and a couple of incidents that later occurred have been a wake-up call to the public as well as the government. However, the article stated, 'Minister of State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said the review would take between six and nine months.' With what the source had said, I feel that this situation needs to be taken care of immediately as more problems would arise indefinitely, however the review requires between six to nine months. Probably because I do not understand how the whole politics issue works about, I feel that the review is too long of a time. In this six to nine months period, numerous incidents may occur.
However, I may need to applaud the Minister as, 'he cautioned against over-using legislation and oversimplifying the solution to the recent problems, which are multi-faceted and need customised solutions.' I feel that most of the parents felt that problems that their child experience is nothing and they would all go through a rebellious stage, and that is how parents oversimplifies the situation, however this may lead to undesirable consequences such as their child joining a bad company. In conclusion, I am still glad that the government sector is trying their best to address this situation.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
MHA to review gangs, youth violence laws (Cheryl)
I feel that the government should not overlook or underestimate how much impact gangs and youth violence have on others. The recent Downtown east murder case, and the armed rioting at Bukit Panjang has proven that the government should take serious actions against youth violence and secret society activities.
The Downtown east incident and armed rioting at Bukit Panjang has traumatised many out there, and after the 2 incidents, i started to wonder if Singapore is still a safe place to stay at. Children have to take more caution and even adults have to be more alert ever since what happened at the Downtown east and Bukit Panjang. It seems to me that the police force are not doing their job well enough. I agree that the government should come up with measures such as reviewing gangs and setting youth violence laws, as mentioned in the article.
It is important that a country is a safe place for its citizens to stay at, as it does not concerns only one person, it concerns the country as a whole. Therefore, it is a need for the singapore government to implement measures to address youth violence issues.
The Downtown east incident and armed rioting at Bukit Panjang has traumatised many out there, and after the 2 incidents, i started to wonder if Singapore is still a safe place to stay at. Children have to take more caution and even adults have to be more alert ever since what happened at the Downtown east and Bukit Panjang. It seems to me that the police force are not doing their job well enough. I agree that the government should come up with measures such as reviewing gangs and setting youth violence laws, as mentioned in the article.
It is important that a country is a safe place for its citizens to stay at, as it does not concerns only one person, it concerns the country as a whole. Therefore, it is a need for the singapore government to implement measures to address youth violence issues.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
MHA to review gangs, youth violence laws (Kah Jing)
It is trend for groups doing local news to be reviewing an article related to the alarming incidents of gang violence in Singapore, our group is no different. However, our article may see the outcome of the incidents rather than the incidents themselves.
The article that we have chosen showed that now the authorities are responding, such as intensifying checks at the youth congregation hotspots during the current school holidays. But this is the short term measure for the incident.
The long term measure in the review of laws so that not only police but also other institutions are given more power to deal with gangs and youth violence, be it in action or taking root in the society. However, the typical disadvantage of such a review is its long duration. This review will take, as quoted by Minister of State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, “between six to eight months”. This six to eight months may be short in the long term view, but it may be too late to prevent such incidents from manifesting, which can already be seen in the recent weeks.
Can the short term measure of more checks stalk enough time for the changes in laws to be implemented, I do not know. However I do know that from the article, the Singapore authorities are doing their best in a calm and sensible manner.
The article that we have chosen showed that now the authorities are responding, such as intensifying checks at the youth congregation hotspots during the current school holidays. But this is the short term measure for the incident.
The long term measure in the review of laws so that not only police but also other institutions are given more power to deal with gangs and youth violence, be it in action or taking root in the society. However, the typical disadvantage of such a review is its long duration. This review will take, as quoted by Minister of State for Education and Home Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, “between six to eight months”. This six to eight months may be short in the long term view, but it may be too late to prevent such incidents from manifesting, which can already be seen in the recent weeks.
Can the short term measure of more checks stalk enough time for the changes in laws to be implemented, I do not know. However I do know that from the article, the Singapore authorities are doing their best in a calm and sensible manner.
Monday, November 8, 2010
UN chief's silence on China rights draws critics
From my point of view, after reading the article, i do feel that the act of silencing the case of jailed Nobel Prize winner Liu XiaoBo by UN chief Ban-Ki-Moon is wrong. This is because, as mentioned in the article, UN chief Ban did not hesitate to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, when he should have done the same for Liu Xiao Bo.
I agree that the silencing of the Liu XiaoBo case by UN chief Ban can be linked to his personal ambition. This is supported by the fact that he has to go through an reelection next year, which puts him under huge pressure as China is becoming more and more powerful. He could be trying to win China's favour for his reelection by silencing on the Liu XiaoBo case.
This is a disappointing and biased act especially when it is made by the secretary general of the United Nations and i think that he did not display the human rights leadership, a secretary general should have.
In conclusion, i think that everyone should be treated equally.
I agree that the silencing of the Liu XiaoBo case by UN chief Ban can be linked to his personal ambition. This is supported by the fact that he has to go through an reelection next year, which puts him under huge pressure as China is becoming more and more powerful. He could be trying to win China's favour for his reelection by silencing on the Liu XiaoBo case.
This is a disappointing and biased act especially when it is made by the secretary general of the United Nations and i think that he did not display the human rights leadership, a secretary general should have.
In conclusion, i think that everyone should be treated equally.
UN chief's silence on China rights draws critics (Kah Jing)
This article proves my point that the United Nation does not have the power to do what it was suppose to do. And this is because the nations within the United Nations have to think about themselves first before the world. This may seem selfish, but it is reasonable.
For this case, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon did not raise the case of jailed Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo. From the Human Rights Watch (HRW) perspective, the UN chief has neglected one of his primary duties and showed favouritism. This can be seen as he did not hesitate to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi but did so some two days later for Liu Xiaobo. The reason? Because China is the next world leader, with its growing economic power. China is also 1 of the 5 permanent members in the Security Council of the UN that has the power to choose the next UN chief after the current UN chief finishes his/her 5 year term. Ban Ki-moon’s term will end next year, in 2011.
For me it is understandable that he hesitates on the issue of Liu Xiaobo, and I do believe that he has done something about it, no matter how small, behind closed doors. Because this situation must be done with great care and caution, so that Ban Ki-moon can impact the release of Liu Xiaobo, without compromising the potential of him being re-elected during next year’s UN chief election.
For this case, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon did not raise the case of jailed Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo. From the Human Rights Watch (HRW) perspective, the UN chief has neglected one of his primary duties and showed favouritism. This can be seen as he did not hesitate to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi but did so some two days later for Liu Xiaobo. The reason? Because China is the next world leader, with its growing economic power. China is also 1 of the 5 permanent members in the Security Council of the UN that has the power to choose the next UN chief after the current UN chief finishes his/her 5 year term. Ban Ki-moon’s term will end next year, in 2011.
For me it is understandable that he hesitates on the issue of Liu Xiaobo, and I do believe that he has done something about it, no matter how small, behind closed doors. Because this situation must be done with great care and caution, so that Ban Ki-moon can impact the release of Liu Xiaobo, without compromising the potential of him being re-elected during next year’s UN chief election.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
UN chief's silence on China rights draws critics (Wei Sheng)
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101102/tap-china-rights-un-ban-8d4ea94.html
After reading this article, i feel that UN chief's Ban Ki-moon is facing enormous pressure with the two problems that is facing agaisnt him, one would be the Rights group that criticized him on his failure to mention on the case of the jailed Nobel Peace Prize Winnter, Liu Xiaobo. The other problem would be his reelection which there is a possibility that China's president, Mr Hu Jintao has a important part in it. I infer that China's president could have pressurized the UN chief's Ban Ki-moon to choose if he either ones to play a part in the human rights or be reelected again next year.
In addition, Mr Ban's spokesman stated that Mr Ban did not raise a question or suggestion on human rights when he had the discussion with China's president. Then, there was a contradiction that the UN released a statement saying that Ban did discuss human rights 'with other Chinese leaders', which led me to be very puzzled as to what was going on.
Furthermore,almost 40 people have been detained in China after Liu Xiaobo had been detained. Liu Xiaobo is a pro-democracy activist thats currently serving an 11 year jail term for subversion. He was then awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 8, according to the Human Rights In China group. I feel very angry by the fact that Liu Xiaobo was just standing for his own rights and should not be convicted for subversion, furthermore the jail term consists of 11 years.
After reading this article, i feel that UN chief's Ban Ki-moon is facing enormous pressure with the two problems that is facing agaisnt him, one would be the Rights group that criticized him on his failure to mention on the case of the jailed Nobel Peace Prize Winnter, Liu Xiaobo. The other problem would be his reelection which there is a possibility that China's president, Mr Hu Jintao has a important part in it. I infer that China's president could have pressurized the UN chief's Ban Ki-moon to choose if he either ones to play a part in the human rights or be reelected again next year.
In addition, Mr Ban's spokesman stated that Mr Ban did not raise a question or suggestion on human rights when he had the discussion with China's president. Then, there was a contradiction that the UN released a statement saying that Ban did discuss human rights 'with other Chinese leaders', which led me to be very puzzled as to what was going on.
Furthermore,almost 40 people have been detained in China after Liu Xiaobo had been detained. Liu Xiaobo is a pro-democracy activist thats currently serving an 11 year jail term for subversion. He was then awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 8, according to the Human Rights In China group. I feel very angry by the fact that Liu Xiaobo was just standing for his own rights and should not be convicted for subversion, furthermore the jail term consists of 11 years.
Friday, November 5, 2010
UN chief's silence on China rights draws critics (Sandi)
This whole episode started when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiao Bo who is known as one of China's leading dissidents. The reason why the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to him is because the Nobel Foundation recognises his effort in pushing for both China's own constitution and human rights in China in a non-violent way.However, China condemns this action, saying that it would be an insult to the Nobel principles and perceived this to be a threat against it.Currently, he is serving an 11-year prison sentence for "subverting state power" which comes after calling for a political change in China and lots of human rights organisations and western countries are calling for his release.
Being an big activist of human rights, United Nations have the obligations to discuss with this problem with China. A great opportunity came but the chief of United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon apparently did not do so, just a few days after demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is currently detained in Myanmar. Observers are largely disappointed by the lack of effort coming from Mr Ban Ki Moon.
I do agree to that Mr Ban Ki-Moon's silence about the detain of Liu Xiao Bo has got to do with his re-election next year. China, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, has the power to kick Mr Ban Ki-Moon out of his position. But even so, I feel that Mr. Ban Ki-Moon should still push and stand firm for the human rights principles regardless of what country is he facing with or else we can see a disparity of how he is handling with different countries and its not fair.
I also agree that the way China handles this matter definitely would have an impact to the rest of the countries and that now it would be more difficult to impose universal human rights. The importance of promoting universal rights is because that no one is different from the rest and that everyone should be treated equally.
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101102/tap-china-rights-un-ban-8d4ea94.html
Being an big activist of human rights, United Nations have the obligations to discuss with this problem with China. A great opportunity came but the chief of United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon apparently did not do so, just a few days after demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is currently detained in Myanmar. Observers are largely disappointed by the lack of effort coming from Mr Ban Ki Moon.
I do agree to that Mr Ban Ki-Moon's silence about the detain of Liu Xiao Bo has got to do with his re-election next year. China, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, has the power to kick Mr Ban Ki-Moon out of his position. But even so, I feel that Mr. Ban Ki-Moon should still push and stand firm for the human rights principles regardless of what country is he facing with or else we can see a disparity of how he is handling with different countries and its not fair.
I also agree that the way China handles this matter definitely would have an impact to the rest of the countries and that now it would be more difficult to impose universal human rights. The importance of promoting universal rights is because that no one is different from the rest and that everyone should be treated equally.
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101102/tap-china-rights-un-ban-8d4ea94.html
Monday, November 1, 2010
Lady Gaga Got 1 Billion Views on YouTube—Is That Even a Big Deal!? (Cheryl)
Source taken from: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b207481_lady_gaga_got_1_billion_views_on.html
A billion views on Youtube may only appear to be as a big deal to Gaga herself, as she once mentioned that she is hungry for fame. Which also explains the name of one of her albums, The Fame Monster.
I do not deny that she is influential in some ways, as there are many of her fans out there who idolize her, imitate her and think that she is really 'cool'. However, I do not think that by getting a billionth hit on Youtube makes Lady Gaga the most powerful person in music.
I feel that what attracts visitors to her videos are the content of her music videos which mostly do not make much sense and the catchy tune of her songs. She dresses up looking really weird in her music videos and the lyrics of her song do not make sense sometimes. It might seem really 'cool', unique and interesting to some that they would like to 'check it out' on Youtube but I find that all to be just signs of attention seeking and Gaga's hunger for fame.
All in all, i do not think that a billion views on Youtube makes Gaga the most powerful person in music and it is not a big deal.
A billion views on Youtube may only appear to be as a big deal to Gaga herself, as she once mentioned that she is hungry for fame. Which also explains the name of one of her albums, The Fame Monster.
I do not deny that she is influential in some ways, as there are many of her fans out there who idolize her, imitate her and think that she is really 'cool'. However, I do not think that by getting a billionth hit on Youtube makes Lady Gaga the most powerful person in music.
I feel that what attracts visitors to her videos are the content of her music videos which mostly do not make much sense and the catchy tune of her songs. She dresses up looking really weird in her music videos and the lyrics of her song do not make sense sometimes. It might seem really 'cool', unique and interesting to some that they would like to 'check it out' on Youtube but I find that all to be just signs of attention seeking and Gaga's hunger for fame.
All in all, i do not think that a billion views on Youtube makes Gaga the most powerful person in music and it is not a big deal.
Lady Gaga Got 1 Billion Views on YouTube—Is That Even a Big Deal!? (Wei Sheng)
Lady Gaga has indeed become one of the prominent icons in the music industry, however, i do agree with what the writer has written for the title of this article. Lady Gaga has achieved a billion views isn't really considered a big deal. This could be infered that people do know about Gaga, but not necessarily their fans, even though there are a billion views, people may just be watching her video just to kill time and forget about it, almost instantly.
Furthermore, i do not agree with what J.P. Clement, head of The Marketing Distillery has stated. He stated that,'If by power you mean popularity, then, yes, this is a major deal.' From what i feel, this is not considered a major deal. As what i have just stated, viewers of the videos may be influenced by many factors such as friends and families, however they may not be fans of Lady Gaga. Viewers are able to comment on each and every video in Youtube, both positive and negative comments. So does this even mean that viewers who viewed the video and posted negative comments, are fans or supporters of Gaga?
Furthermore, i do not agree with what J.P. Clement, head of The Marketing Distillery has stated. He stated that,'If by power you mean popularity, then, yes, this is a major deal.' From what i feel, this is not considered a major deal. As what i have just stated, viewers of the videos may be influenced by many factors such as friends and families, however they may not be fans of Lady Gaga. Viewers are able to comment on each and every video in Youtube, both positive and negative comments. So does this even mean that viewers who viewed the video and posted negative comments, are fans or supporters of Gaga?
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