Perspica-city

2006-08-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Title: Singapore accused of maid neglect
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4502046.stm

Summary:
- Report states that maids in Singapore are overworked as well as being denied thier basic human rights (Food, pay, social contact ) and are also subjected to physical abuse
- Singapore's goverment denies the claims made by HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
- About 150 000 women work as maids in Singapore
- Authors of this report believes that abuse such as rape, beatings and even killings are widespread in Singapore
- In the past 6 years, 147 domestic workers have died in Singapore
- Maids are not protected by the Employment Act in Singapore
- However, Singapore's Goverment denies exploiting this class of workers and states that they choose to work in Singapore because of better conditions here compared to their home and other countries
- The authors say Singapore is by no means the worst offender in the region, but they argue that this tightly controlled city state could improve conditions very easily, giving many thousands of vulnerable women greater control over their lives.

2006-07-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Title: School 'snobbery' over languages
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4765395.stm

Summary:

-Learning Mandarin is becoming something of a vogue, especially in the independent school sector: high-profile schools such as Brighton College, in East Sussex, have added it to their curriculum.
-Figures from the National Centre for Languages (Cilt) show 3,091 candidates were entered for GCSE Chinese in 2005, up 40% on 2001.
-There are still concerns that non-European languages are regarded as "second-class" options among teachers, parents and pupils.
-Jane Thick, who is studying at Goldsmiths for a PGCE in Mandarin, says she has witnessed her subject being sidelined in schools.
-Mandarin is considered as a third-class language, and there are very limited resources available to Mandarin teachers.
-Parents in the UK can be snobby and prefer European languages to Asian languages.
-However, the learning of Mandarin is driven by the government, the economic and political factors in relation to globalisation and the growing economic force of China.

Commentary:
Apparently, the common perception in the UK is that Asian languages such as Mandarin and Arabic are inferior, unimportant and second or even third-class. This really reflects the snobbish, lofty and haughty attitude of the British majority, who regard the learning of foreign languages such as German and French of a higher priority.I feel that this is a very traditional and narrow-minded view towards Asian languages. It could very possibly stem from racial prejudice as well. I disapprove of this bias perception and I feel that UK citizens should adopt a more modern and open-minded approach towards learning of Asian languages.However, the picture is not entirely grim. Despite the common prejudiced perception towards Asian languages, learning of Asian languages in the UK have picked up and improved. In particular, Mandarin is receiving more attention and more students are taking up the subject and even going for Chinese Language examinations. With the recent economic growth, globalization and modernization of China, Mandarin should receive an increase in popularity in other countries, including the UK.I believe if the UK government put in more effort in encouraging the learning of Mandarin, the learning of Mandarin will improve and advance, and hopefully issues such as students skipping Mandarin lessons because its "not important" and limited teaching resources will cease.

2006-07-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

Title: The fairer side of Singapore politics
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/analysis/view/211596/1/.html

I agree that Singapore's politics has become fairer in the sense that more women are given a chance to enter the political arena. A total of 22 women contested in the General Election (GE) 2006. Although there have been notable women holding high corporate and political appointments around the world, there continues to be the sentiment that male prejudice persists to obstruct women's progress in these fields. Of more than 190 countries worldwide, only 11 are led by women. This shows that it is still, largely a men's world. However, it is not true that a woman's most important role is bringing up children and taking care of the family. There are successful career women who can juggle both work and family together. Women should no longer be known as the "weaker sex". It is time we downplay male prejudice and let women decide if more of them are prepared to handle the demands of public office and top corporate jobs, knowing what they may have to sacrifice as a consequence. This is a challenge for the feminist movement. What the PAP did was right as it is more beneficial to our country if we make use of the best human resource we have to govern our country.

2006-06-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Title: 'Pirate' iTunes rival enrages music industry
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/06/02/web.pirates.ap/index.html

Summary
-Russia is already the second-biggest source of pirate music, film and software in the world after China -- costing U.S. companies nearly $1.8 billion last year, according to anti-piracy groups.-The website, allofmp3, is a pirate, they allege, and say Russia's failure to close it down presents a direct obstacle to the country's negotiations to join the World Trade Organization.-The site's knockdown prices, coupled with its huge catalogue, crisp design and convenient downloading software make it a strong draw.-Allofmp3 leapfrogged U.S. online music store Napster over the first half of the year to make it the second-most popular music site in the U.K. after iTunes.-The site is already under criminal investigation by Russian prosecutors and has been picked out by the U.S. Trade Representatives Office as an example of Russia's bad record on tackling piracy.-Allofmp3, officials say, is jeopardizing Russia's WTO bid as it seeks to reach an accession deal with the United States.

Commentary
Piracy has become a culture around the world and the most common would be music piracy. Almost every developed country in the world has its problem of music piracy.
I agree that pirate websites distributing pirate music, software and films should be shut down. These sites are not licensed to distribute or sell music, and these music are usually free or at very low prices. This form of piracy will disrupt trade between countries, damage the music and film industry, harm the economy and also put singers and performers at a severe disadvantage. Record companies and singers put in months and months of hard work as well and large sums of money into making music, hoping that people will appreciate and buy their music. By supporting piracy, we are discouraging record companies and singers to make new music. Therefore we are preventing talented artistes from displaying their talents and if this continues, we may not see the next album from our very own favourite singers.As stated in the article, piracy can cause companies huge losses. The piracy of music, film and software in Russia cost U.S. companies nearly $1.8 billion last year. Pirate web sites are also doing artistes injustice by profiting through illegal sales of their work. They are violating intellectual property rights and copyright laws.
Therefore, I think the least companies can do is to include more freebies or pictures of the artistes in the albums to encourage more people to buy it. By practicing product differentiation, people may be more willing to buy the originals rather than the pirated ones as the latter may not have as good quality photos.

2006-06-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Title: Social workers expect to see more problem gambling cases after World Cup
Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/213644/1/.html

Summary:
- "This is going to put a lot of people in trouble if they are not careful of the boundaries and how much they should gamble and when they should stop. What we foresee is that there will be a surge in the number of calls, number of cases coming in, so we are prepared," said Charles Lee, Senior Counsellor, Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society.
- When contacted, the Singapore Pools would only say its sales figures are encouraging and that the phone betting lines and counters have been very busy. It has also introduced new betting schemes to discourage illegal gambling.These included pre-paid phone betting cards, special bet types and extended betting that allows bets to be placed while a match is still going on.

Commentary

The long queues at 4D booths and crowds at the Turf Club– this is already a common sight here in Singapore. Even without the arrival of the World Cup, streams of people have already made their way down faithfully every week to place their bets on the infamous 4D and Toto.
The World Cup phenomenon is back again. As we watch the football players strut their dribbling and shooting skills on the field, some people start to show off their supposed great hindsight of the matches in the gambling field.
Social workers say that there will be an increase in the number of gambling problems after the World Cup. Despite knowing that the chance of winning is one in a few million, many are still banging on their luck to see if they can strike a fortune. What is worse is that some people find it hard to stop when they start gambling. That is the mentality that feeds the Singapore Pools till today. People think that the more they bet, they higher are their chances of winning. But sadly, before they can win anything, the have already lost half their fortune. The problem here is that gamblers never know when to stop.
In view of the arrival of the Integrated Resort (IR), the government should monitor the situation for the World Cup and create barriers to prevent gamblers from becoming lost in the world of gambling. Although these gamblers contribute a lot to the Singapore Pools and the future IR, the welfare of the people must not be compromised. Yes, the large amount of money earned through these gamblers is revenue to the country, but what is more practical is to focus on other sectors of the economy. Reducing the number of problems in society will bring work productivity up, thus contributing to the economy. Having serious social problems will also not do any good to the tourism sector, that is, the IR and this will defeat the purpose of having an IR, isn’t it?

2006-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Title: Toilet cleaners to undergo training to become better paid professionals
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/214837/1/.html

Summary:
- Singapore's toilet cleanliness is lagging behind Japanese standards by 15 years, and the Singapore Restroom Association, Workforce Development Agency and National Trades Union Congress hopes to change that by getting toilet cleaners to go professional.
- The 50 cleaners will be attending Singapore's first Restroom Cleaning and Maintenance course which costs about $100,000 to organize.
- More courses like this will be conducted at the Singapore Polytechnic, and the aim is to eventually train 5,000 of the 22,000 toilet cleaners in Singapore.
- Toilet cleaners currently make about $600 to $800 a month. That's 3 to 4 times less than their Japanese counterparts. It is hoped that with the job creation programme, they can make about $950 a month.

Commentary
Personally I think that Singapore’s toilet cleanliness is not up to the mark, apart from the hotels’ of course. The disparity between the standard of cleanliness in hawker centres and the hotels is something to look into. Even the stench some toilets in shopping centres are unbearable. Of course we do not expect the standard of cleanliness in hawker centres to be as good as hotels, but the bottom line is that it should be clean and odourless.
Why is there such great disparity between the standard of cleanliness in hawker centres and that in the hotels? The only reason I can think of is that the hotel is one place that leaves tourists with the deepest impression because that is the place they rest and relax in. Therefore to leave a positive impression, everything in the hotel must be spick and span. But is that how we create an impression on tourist, or maybe a false one? If we really want to up tourists’ opinion of us, we should ensure that all our toilets are of acceptable standard. Indirectly people form an impression of our society by the cleanliness of our toilet. And the cleanliness of our toilet is not only the responsibility of the cleaners but also the users.
Also, ‘most Singaporeans look down on cleaners’ and the pay cleaners get is also very low. Yes, their job does not require much expertise but how many of us are willing to do this dirty job? Their current pay range from $600 to $800 that is 3 to 4 times less than their Japanese counterparts. Through this course, by building their capability and their expertise, MCYS hopes increase the cleaners’ pay to $950. I agree with the move to increase their salary. As I have mentioned above, although this job does not require much expertise, we should compensate them for their willingness to take up such a job and ‘being plumbers, toilet maintenance technicians and supervisors all at once’.
Perhaps we should look up to the Japanese where cleaners are accorded their due respect more than they do here. Furthermore they are the ones taking up this job that none of us would want to do if we were given a choice.

2006-06-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Title: Battle over New York school cell phone ban
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/06/15/telecoms.schools.reut/index.html

Summary:
Reasons for ban of cell phone:Source of distractions during lessons: -to send and receive text messages-taking photographs-surfing the Web-playing video games

-Aid students in unlawful acts-using phones to summon friends for fights-cheat during exams-to take illicit photographs

Commentary
In Singapore, many junior colleges and higher institutes of learning allow the use of handphones in the school compound but the phones must not be used during lesson time. However for some primary schools and secondary schools, the use of handphones are not allowed in the school. Permissions must be granted to students in order for them to bring their handphones to school. Even then, students can only use them out of lesson times.
In New York, debates are going on as to whether to ban the use of handphones in schools. Reasons cited were that it is a source of distractions during lesson times and that it aids students in unlawful acts.
To me, I think what Singapore schools are doing is rather acceptable. Perhaps for students in primary schools and secondary schools, the ban of handphones is acceptable. At these ages, children might not have the maturity and discipline to not use handphones lesson times. But when they get to junior colleges and higher levels of education, the onus is on themselves to have the basic courtesy of not using handphones during lessons and lectures.
Furthermore it is time for them to learn to be self-disciplined and to not do certain things because the rules say so. To be a learning and thinking nation, we should instill in our students a sense of responsibility and maturity of thought, instead of banning the use of handphones. A person could easily commit a crime by stealing. If we want to correct him, do we lock him up in the house to prevent him from stealing? Of course not, we have to instill in him the correct set of moral values so that he would not commit the crime again in future. If we can lock him once, can we lock him up forever?

2006-06-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Title: MCYS launches programme to help in work-life balance
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/214309/1/.html

Summary:
- A new programme hopes to help individuals who find it hard to juggle their work and family life.
- Launched by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, "Arrows with Soul" aims to help individuals manage their personal and work lives effectively.
- It will reach out to 10,000 employees and employers at the workplace and community level with a series of seminars over the next two years. MCYS is also working closely with the Manpower Ministry in the effort.
- "Two recent surveys seem to suggest that Singaporeans are suffering from work-life imbalance. There is one survey suggesting there is more burnout today. The other suggests that Singaporeans have some difficulties balancing their work life and their family commitments.”

Commentary

Immersing ourselves in the rat race Singaporeans’ working life, some would find it almost impossible to ‘get a life’, or simply having some time to themselves. In Singapore, everything is expected to be done with efficiency, quality and speed. It is common to see people working overtime just to complete their proposal or to round up meetings. By the time these people get home, they would be so drained that all they can do is just to bathe and fall into slumber land.

This kind of life style is actually very unhealthy and as the saying goes ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ Having no time for relaxation stresses up our body and makes our immune system weaker. Thus to help Singaporeans who ‘are suffering from work-life imbalance’, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has come up with the campaign ‘ "Arrows with Soul" to help individuals manage their personal and work lives effectively.’

Hopefully through this campaign, Singaporeans can live a healthier and more enriching life by having time for exercise and relaxation. By balancing work and play, one will be happier and work productivity will also increase.

2006-06-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Title: New technique helps couples avoid transmitting tragic diseases to baby
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/214585/1/.html

Summary:
- British researchers said Monday they had revolutionised a screening technique on embryos to help couples avoid the heartbreak of handing on a crippling inherited disease to their baby.
- This search, called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, entails screening embryos that are created by in-vitro fertilisation.
- A cell is then taken from the embryo and then amplified a million times over to see if it carries these markers, and if so whether it carries two copies of them in its chromosomes.
- The technique, called pre-implantation genetic haplotyping, fine-tunes the previous diagnostic tool, making it more accurate and allowing more embryos to be available for implantation.
- The development of this new approach for single-gene disorders represents a major step forward in widening the scope and availability of (embryonic gene testing) for serious diseases," the research, presented at the conference, said.

Commentary:

This breakthrough is indeed very beneficial to mankind. And of course this is a relief to many parents who are hesitating to have a baby because of the fact that they are carrying diseases that can be transmitted to their child. This will also reduce the number of unborn babies being aborted due to the diseases.
With this discovery, parents can avoid passing on several inherited diseases to the next generation and ensuring healthy babies for couples. Thus, couples who have genetic disorders also have a chance to have babies, without fearing that their disorders will be transmitted to their children.

With the government encouraging more births in Singapore, this breakthrough will definitely be good news for parents as well as for the future generations in Singapore.
However, this kind of treatment will definitely be very expensive and not many people will be able to afford it. Thus unless there is subsidy or a lowering of treatment fees, the take up rate would not be very high.