Would you buy products that contain GM foods for consumption by your family? Why or why not?

For the same reasons that I would not encourage the use of GM food in my country if I was a decision maker, I will not purchase GM food for consumption by my family. There is no proof that GM food is completely safe to our health; by not consuming these food, we are safe from any potential side-effects that GM food might bring, regardless of it being short or long term.

As one of the country’s decision makers, would you advocate the use of GM crops? Why or why not?

I will not advocate the use of GM crops because GM crops are not fully tested for its safety. Up to now there is no conclusive test proving that GM crops are safe to consume, and by allowing GM crops, I would be endangering the lives of people by exposing them to an unknown risk. Quoting http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/Primer,

Genetically modified (GM) crops and food are being grown and consumed by the public, even though:

• there is little scientific study about their health risks
• safety test technology is inadequate to assess potential harm
• they can carry unpredictable toxins
• they may increase the risk of allergenic reactions

It can be seen that the field of GM food is littered with potential landmines, and thus is far too dangerous to be treaded upon. Its best to put off the use of GM crops until a conclusive test had ascertained the safety of these plants.

“What are your views on abortion?”

Abortion, many people say, is murder. Cold-blooded murder of infants who have not even caught a glimpse of this cruel world. And these poor HUMAN BEINGS, just like anyone of us, albeit much younger, are not put to eternal sleep peacefully; instead, they are torn to pieces by machines.

I feel this reflects the current world we are living in: cold, cruel, and determined to remove anything that stands in our way. Couples plot the dismissal of their own child just because it might affect their career, or simply because 'they are not prepared for it'. Teenagers who had a fling and 'accidentally' created a new life abort it for the following reasons: they are too young, they do not have the required responsibility nor the financial capabilities, blah blah blah. These, in my opinion, are merely EXCUSES, not reasons. At the very least, give birth to it and give it up for adoption.

Abortion nowadays is made too easy, too affordable, too accessible. Anyone who could not decide what to do with the child they are carrying will simply resort to the common option: abortion. Many women, or even men for that matter, do not know what actually happens to the tiny life. Public education may reduce the number of babies being aborted, as I believe that, no matter how the society evolves, the species known as Homo sapiens still retains that bit of compassion.

Bringing Up Child ProdigiesGood reasons not to allow grade-skipping

The letters to The Straits Times above present different views on whether the education system should allow exceptionally bright students to skip grades. Which writer do you agree most with? Justify your answer by drawing from the letters above as well as from your own examples and experiences. (Reminder: Remember to cite the writers as well as the Straits Times Forum section).

I agree with Dr Lee. I, too, feel that exceptionally bright students should not be allowed to skip grades. Just look at the overall picture. What will the child prodigy do if he or she is allowed to skip one, two or even five years? So what if they did their A’s at the tender age of 11? These years saved by allowing them to skip grades will eventually be wasted. A master degree holder at the age of 20 has to be joining the workforce too, just like the others with the same qualification, albeit at an earlier age. By then his area of proficiency would have been fixed; his field of expertise cast in stone.

However, if he wasn’t allowed to skip grades, but instead, used the spare time to dip into other areas, or explore rare areas of the subjects. Dr Lee quoted the example of encouraging these wizz-kids to explore non-Euclidean geometry, or other rare areas of mathematics. They could also be exposed to other interesting sciences like astronomy or archeology. In this way, they could find out where their interest lie and thus can focus their blessed abilities on these areas, and therefore fully realizing their potential.

Allowing these bright students to skip grades may also create a certain gap between them and the average students. Their classmates, who are a couple of years older than them, may isolate them due to jealously, or simply a difference in thoughts. They may be bullied, as they may not be as physically developed as their classmates. All these may be detrimental to their psychological development.

Therefore, my view is in the same line as Dr Lee’s, which is to not allow exceptionally bright students to skip grades.

“There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.” Comment.

I disagree with this statement. There can be permanent friends, whilst having no permanent interests. Human beings are fickle minded creatures, and anything is possible in this unpredictable, ever-changing world.

Friends can be for life, if the mutual respect and trust is there. They are invaluable assets in our life; how far we go relies much on them. Friendship is like a potted plant: care for it and it will bloom, neglect or abuse it and it will wither. Minor bust-ups among pals are common, but unless their trust and concern is abused, friends, especially close ones, will probably stick with us for our life. This is provided we keep in contact.

Similarly, interests may vary along the different stages of our lives. They might change as we mature, or as our surrounding changes. For example, our hobbies may change from collecting stickers during childhood to playing soccer during adolescent level to playing chess later on in life.

It may also depend on our surroundings. Our financial state and the people we mixed with will affect our interest. A normal factory worker may enjoy watching TV, but after getting a fortune from lottery he may want to indulge himself in playing golf with the wealthy. A primary school kid studying in a school where a lot of students play ‘Gunbound’ may follow suit; another kid may join in the trend of playing ‘Maple story’. (Both are online games.)

Therefore, there can be permanent friends, while interests can change.

1. Should marriage be a legal contract between individuals or a non-binding relationship based on love? Why?

· In traditional societies, the ideal of adhering to one spouse for life is deeply entrenched. In such societies, it is often regarded as a misfortune either not to marry or to have excessive marriage (which is punishable in social, financial and legal terms).
· Today, more and more people regard marriage as a non-binding relationship between two individuals based on love rather than a socio-legal contract between two individuals. For them, the legal contract is no more necessary if the relationship is rooted on love.

Personally, I feel that marriage should be a non-binding relationship based on love. Since ancient times, marriage has often been a reunion between two loving and willing parties. There are numerous exceptions to this, mainly arising from the form of forced marriage. However, a large proportion of these unorthodox practices have since been condemned to history; there is perhaps a minute group of people lingering in some obscure part of this world continuing this coercion, but it is highly dubious that these are enough to be warranted a social problem.

In modern times, marriage has become a legal contract: one with heavy penalties for breaking it, more so for the males. It is signed when the couple is still head and heels over each other; the punishment will set in when the pair gets sick of one another. This 'contract', in my opinion, is only essential in the running of a country. The purchase of a new house, for example, is only limited to married couples, and singles who had spent three and a half decade without a 'legal' mate (even though you can buy any size now). It ensures that houses, especially in land scarce Singapore, are sold to the people who need it most. The basic fabric of human societies is the family, and the government has long realized it. This may be part and parcel of nation building, but it bounded numerous couples whose love has withered and are living in silent (maybe not) misery. It has also baited numerous two-some (I refuse to use the word 'couple' here) to 'marry' in order to purchase a flat, or reap the benefits from signing this contract, without giving it much serious thought. Divorce – this is where these marriages often lead. Why…

Therefore, a marriage should not be a contract. It should be based on the steady platform of true love. The role of marriage is to celebrate the perfect reunion of a pair of lovebirds; it symbolizes the merging of two willing bodies; it reminds us that, in this sad and cruel world, there is love.

My views on adver.tisments

Advertisements are part of our everyday life. From taking public transport to surfing the net, there will surely be some advertisements along the way. It is the most effective way to gain publicity for a certain product or service.

Advertisements work by introducing people to a good, thus increasing their awareness for the existence of that particular product or service. Good advertisements imprint the image of the good in the mind of viewers, such that consumers will want to purchase it. An advertised good will probably generates more sales as consumers can relate to it better. They can be assured that the product is well know, and thus is less likely to encounter problems with it. Advertisements may work wonders for a good that has many substitutes, as consumers will be drawn to that product when faced with a multitude of choices in, for example, the supermarket. There may be a dozen brands of canned tuna with almost the same price. However, one of them regularly advertises on TV. A housewife purchasing grocery took a glance at the shelf. She will most probably choose the advertised good, as it stands out from the rest. This is the power of advertising.

However, advertising is costly, especially when it is shown during prime time TV programs. Many people will question the effectiveness of advertisements, but they just need to look at the never-ending demand for advertisements slots to get the answer. Businesses are out to make money; they would not plunge money into something that does not aid them. Advertising will differentiate the good from its substitutes, and make it less prone to changes in price. It also attracts more consumers to buy the good, and this is especially important for a new product or service that want to build up a costumer base. The long-term benefit of advertising will surely more than cover the cost spent initially.

Advertising, as mentioned above, is an integral part of our life. However, unsolicited advertising is also extremely common. These include pop-up ads when you visit a website, or the numerous flyers in your mailbox. More often than not, these unsolicited advertising are just a plain nuisance, and does not capture the person’s attention. Pop-up ads are immediately closed, and flyers go into the first dustbin the person can find, or even to the floor. Resources like paper are wasted, people get irritated and their time gets wasted. Thus, unsolicited advertising should be banned.

Advertising can take many forms, and it is important to restrict what the public gets to see. Adult content, violence and propaganda should all be banned. Singapore has a censorship board to review all the advertisements, and those with unsavory content are not shown to the public. Advertisements should showcase creativity, not negative information.

What is one value or belief that I hold on to in life? Why?

Life is hectic; it is stressful as well. Furthermore, our lifespan is, on average, around only seventy years: too long if you are living in misery, under stress. However, one might wish for an elixir of life to prolong their time on earth if their time spent its meaningful and full of joy and laughter. This leads to the belief that I hold in life: to live a life surrounded by fun and laughter.
 
As the saying goes: All work and no play make Jack (or anyone else, for that matter) a dull boy. We weren’t born into this ever-changing world to slog. Yes, in this information age everyone is expected to work to earn his or her own meals. However, a sufficient amount of relaxation is required; in fact, it is the key to increase production, reduce stress and live life meaningfully. Sometimes I look at those people who spent 18 hours to work or, in a more relative context, study, only to reluctantly spare that miserly 6 hours to rest. There is an ongoing debate within me, to decide whether to pity them, or despise them. They might as well be born a robot, a machine; at least those do not have to sleep. We are born in a colourful, beautiful world (though that is changing as well). Our creator meant for us to marvel in the beauty of life and live through it happily. At the end of the journey, depart with a smile, knowing that our time on earth was spent in laughter and jest, and not in constant torment of work.
 
We are given a voice to laugh, a face to smile, a body to play. Work is secondary, and is only required to ensure we have the resource to continue trekking during the journey of life. We must not, like a contract with the devil, swap our life for work, or study. Take time to bask in the warmth of friendship and family. Reserve time to frolic in the sun, for a game of soccer with pals. Life is fragile, we must treasure it.   

Brokxn Kxy

Evxn though my kxyboard is an old onx, it works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of the kxys.
I havx many timxs wishxd that is workxd pxrfxctly.
It is trux that thxrx arx hundrxd and thrxx kxys that function wxll xnough, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.
Somxtimxs it sxxms to mx that our class is somxthing likx my kxyboard -- not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly.
As onx of thxm, you may say to yoursxlf, "Wxll, I am only onx pxrson, I don't makx or brxak thx class."
But it doxs makx a big diffxrxncx, bxcoursx a class, to bx xffxctivx, nxxds thx activx participation and the xffort of xvxry pxrson.
So, thx nxxt timx your xfforts arx not nxxdxd vxry much, rxmxmbxr my kxyboard and say to yoursxlf, "I am a kxy pxrson in thx class and I am nxxdxd vxry much."
If xvxryone thinks this way, our class would bx a much bxttxr onx.
So, don't be a broken key -- be a useful one.