Goodbye and God Bless!

Please read previous post on Last Minute Pointers before you read this.

Howdy soon to be freed slaves!

Just wanted to thank everyone for a great year. Thank you for the great memories and for putting up with my hyper-cynical and rude nonsense! Some of you have been infected by this disease. My apologies in advance.

You guys have worked so hard. I pray you get the grades you deserve. I honestly believe you can ALL pass if you do what you need to do in the exam hall. Be cool, make smart decisions and be vigilant of the common errors. Be confident. You can do it!

This is probably the end of my teaching journey. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with young people and getting to know so many of you so well. I wonder what God has planned for me next.

Goodbye and God Bless you!

Stay tuned to this blog I intend to use it to chronicle my adventures Down Under!

Raymond Andrew

9th November 2010.

Some last minute pointers

I've collated these comments based on my last consultations with all of you. There are a number of issues which keep cropping up and I'll try to deal with these.

Paper 1 Question analysis

1. Please be aware that not all Absolute questions carry the usual absolute terms, so you must use your analytical skills to ascertain the nature of the question. There is a simple test. Ask yourself, "From a logical perspective, is this a question I MUST disagree with because it is an extreme comment/suggestion? Or can I from a logical perspective choose to agree?" If you find that you MUST disagree, that is an Absolute Question. There are some questions that you judge to be Absolutes, but in exceptional situations you may choose to agree if you have the evidence to prove it. Not recommended to be honest.

2. Do also note that words like 'greatest' and 'the most', 'too much', 'too little' can be interpreted as absolutes. Here the onus is on the student to say that the subject is 'great/a lot but NOT the greatest', 'good/bad but NOT the most', 'a lot, but NOT too much", 'little, but NOT too little' etc.

3. Words like 'sole', 'just', 'all' and 'every' can also be interpreted as Absolutes. I can't give you all the answers, you need to use your logical analytical skills.

4. Question analysis is something you can't mess up, so go through all the essays and outlines we have printed for you. The questions picked by SR are chosen to reflect as many concept words as possible and maximise your exposure. So you must do this to avoid 'bombing' and misinterpreting the question.

5. Practice some question selection today. It is absolutely vital that you pick a question that suits you and offers the most amount of scope as possible. These days the questions are not as general as they used to be, so you need to find the most general question in that list. Pick three and then choose one. Question selection must be done in 5 minutes flat.

6. You need to find that right balance between scope and depth. A lot of scope and little depth is also not good. You should do questions that allow you to use information from a variety of issue areas. Do not do a detailed question (Eg. Recycling or Formal Education) unless you feel you have enough content for the 4-7 paragraphs including balance.

7. Extent. Simply balancing an answer does not mean you have dealt with extent. You must show the degree. So you may argue that you agree with a certain point of view, but you would not go so far as to argue xyz. Where would you draw the line? Are there exceptions? Limitations? Conditions? Remember these phrases as well as CAL, CAF, SPERM when brainstorming.

8. You must have realised by now that a good answer always deals with Extent even when not asked for. That's just good evaluation skills.

Paper 2

1. Short Questions. You must try and analyse the question before jumping in. If you know the question type, you'll know what to do. Please go through the notes from Mr Daniel Tan's lecture on Short Questions. It was a very thorough lecture. Please go through all the Unit practices and analyse the questions and answers. If you're missing stuff sms me (98455900) with email address. I'll send it to you.

2. I expect perfect scores for certain kinds of questions such as Paraphrase (isolate key ideas and paraphrase), irony, paradox and metaphors. All two steps here.

3. Many of you can't identify metaphors! If there is no contextual reason to refer to a 'bullet' or 'chariot' or 'treadmill' or 'tapestry', surely you are staring at a metaphor. Be vigilant! Watch out for basic grammatical errors like Tenses, SVA, Articles, Determiners etc.

4. Application Question. Please remember the structural elements. Quick intro : stand and reasoning (no need to summarise authors' views). Topic sentences are important, don't start with quotes!

5. The definition of balance varies, so you must be intellectually flexible. If you have two passages and both are saying similar things, the balance may be that one is less feasible or applicable in your country or that one is more convincing because of xyz or one has elements that may be less than true etc

6. If there are two passages that are polar opposite obviously you agree with one and disagree with the other. Etc. Be flexible and forget about bloody formulas. Just answer the question directly. Use PEEL. The link back to stand is important.

7. If there is one passage check if the AV is supplied by author. If not you have to balance through your own ideas and EV.

Be COOL people. Manage your breathing and heart-rate. You must be relaxed but vigilant and sharp and constantly aware of what you need to do (steps) and the errors you always commit. Do not discuss the paper at all with anyone including me. Try your very best and move on. Pls read through the blog comments here from a year ago. The comments are still relevant.

Common Test: Some pointers

1. Read AQ question first, then summary and short qn.

2. Annotate. Identify function of para (Arg, Elab, Observ, Data). How is it linked to others? Do Para summary. Use colours, highlights, underline, circle etc. Interact with the text.

3. Analyse qn type and mark allocation. How many steps, how many marks?

4. Summary: Key step is number points and select points to paraphrase. Paraphrase key ideas not key words. Examples cannot be used. Generalise them.

5. AQ: Analyse qn req properly. Key step: You must identify the Arg that allows you to answer the qn and engage in a discussion that leads to Eg and Eval. Structure: Stand, Expl, Eval. Eg. Not neccessarily in that order, but all the ingredients must be there. Never use examples from the passage. If you do. you must complement with your own. Not sure how to Eval? Use PIPICACI!!!

Try your best. Whatever you achieve will make the next climb easier!
RA

Weekend homework 27 Feb

1. Of the three comprehension practices, DO PRACTICE 1. This should be done your third GP lesson of the week. First two lessons will be spent reviewing STAR test on GM food.

2. You are to log on to Diigo and comment on three articles Diigod in the last week. Obviously, this should involve analysis. USE PIPICACI.

3. The LISTS are the most important thing on Diigo and many of you can't find them. On the right hand side of the Group page you'll find a Group Info page. You can see my name 'Raymond Andrew' in a blue hyperlink. Click on that. You'll reach my Profile Page. Scroll down and you'll find the link to the LISTS. Click on MORE for the full list of 14. These lists will come in handy at exams.

4. The other thing you can do when you reach my Profile Page is 'Follow Me'. This will give you access to my Library. The LISTS are on the right hand side of the Library page.

I sincerely hope you guys will use Diigo. It's a fantastic tool and you're the first batch to use it.

cheers
RA

Thank you.

Thank you all for a wonderful year. I've enjoyed myself thoroughly this year. It has been beautiful getting to know some of you so well. I hope we remain friends for life. I will be doing JC2 again next year, so the journey begins again soon.

I can honestly say that there is a realistic chance of all of my 63 students passing GP. You guys have worked hard and I pray that you get the scores you deserve. I pray that you remain calm and perform to potential. I pray that those of you have studied so hard (some since January) will get the questions you need and deserve.

God Bless you all.

RA
8 Nov 2009

Pls feel free to respond, especially to encourage your schoolmates.

A few things to remember

Howdy! Here are a few things to remember. These comments are a collation of things I've said to students in the last four weeks of consultation.

• Remember to go through the revision sheets. Depending on how prepared you are, you may choose to make these the last things you look at before the exam. Pls remember not to take them into the exam hall.
• Use the revision sheets in tandem with the revision you've done and all the essays, AQs and summaries.
• You may wish to make reference to a previous post just before the prelims where I offered some tips.

Paper 1

• By now you should have a keen sense of what topics suit you best. You should have about 4 broad topics. Studying only narrow sub-topics like 'cloning' is too much of a gamble.
• Study the revision sheet and all the essays and essay plans you've written. What works? What does not? What did you bomb? What booby-trap words killed you? What did you do really well in? Take notes and remember your findings as you begin choosing questions.
• As always, the first 15 minutes decide your grade. So be very cool and calm and don't rush in. Weigh your options in a scientific manner.
• The 'predictable' questions on Science and the Environment are always booby-trapped with language that can be misunderstood. So be very careful. For that matter, the language in any P1 question must be viewed with caution. So make a good and decisive choice.
• Choose questions that suit your content knowledge (no examples no Ev) and your language abilities. If your language is really weak, aim to write a simple yet effective essay (read the NOVA essays I attached in the revision package). Play defensive and you win. If your language is stronger you can be a bit more adventurous, but weigh your choices carefully and never jump in mindlessly. Stay in control.
• If an essay is not balanced it can't get more than 12 for content.
• Watch SVA, Tenses and Articles.
• Remember you should always speak last. The opponent speaks first. Make sure the signposting makes clear who is talking.

Paper 2

• Revise using the revision sheets and practice simultaneous using the practice papers provided. Never use the revision sheets in isolation. It is pointless. Execution is key.
• Before you read the passage, read the AQ qn, Summary Qn and Short Qns. Once you know where the Summary will come from slow down a little as you read it. This will save time later when doing the Summary.
• Be very clear how you are going to allocate your time before you enter the exam room. Perhaps 15 min to read, 15 min short Qs, 20 min Summary, 25 min AQ and 15 Vocab and remaining difficult Short Qn. You must adapt this according to your sense of how doable the paper is. No matter what your plan is, the Summary and AQ should be towards the end as they require a macro view of the passage and the ARGUMENTS in it. Being familiar with the arguments saves time when doing the AQ.
• If you think you don't have examples for AQ, cut down the time (spend time where you feel you can do well) and just write three simple paras for 4 marks - Preamble (intro and stand), and two paras. In each para just provide textual reference, a quick Ex and zero in on EV where the marks are. Never leave the AQ or Vocab undone. You must pass all sections to pass.
• To do well, you must try to show some sort of balance or alternative view in your AQ answer. Gabriel Teh from S16 made a great observation when he said that no matter how the AQ question is phrased, it will in some way involve showing extent. Large extent vs small extent, more convincing vs less convincing, agree vs partially disagree or agree vs partially agree, more applicable vs less applicable to my society etc. This is the sort of maturity required of GP. You never answer anything in a Yes and No fashion, but in a nuaced fashion. Try to avoid situations where you are totally moving in one direction. Like "No, both passages are inapplicable". That's too simple. How about "Both passages are not applicable but one of them has shades of relevance to my society." Your signposting must again clearly indicate who is talking.
• With time in mind, please try to ensure you plan your AQ answer such that the section with the most Ev is at the top, in case you don't finish. It helps if your intro includes your entire stand. That way, if you don't finish, the markers knows what you meant to say. This really helps.

Stay cool.

• This is the most important thing I have to say. Many of you don't do well because you descend into a panic in the exam hall. I should know. I used to do it too.
• It is really important to regulate your breathing throughout the exam. If you're breathing in an unusual way, we can assume your brain is not operating at its optimum and your work may be erratic or careless.
• So, before the paper make sure you're relaxed. Use music, prayer or just breathe and calm down.
• After you are seated there will be quite a few minutes before you start. Again, regulate your breathing. Pray if you need that to calm you down.
• The night before, don't panic. Instead, go to sleep early thinking about how well you will do. Sportsmen do this. Remember, if you can't even imagine doing it, how will you ever do it in reality?

Get into the mood.

Two excellent sites to get you into the mood. The Temasek Review (brilliant local analysis - thanks for introducing me Paula) and Project Syndicate (excellent commentaries and international themes and general discussions - quite a few compre passages are found in this site).

Do also have a look at the White House website (thanks to the obsessive tweeter for bringing it to my attention!).

http://www.temasekreview.com/

http://www.project-syndicate.org/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Debates - An excellent resource for arguments. Try it out.

http://www.idebate.org/

Use the search function at the bottom. An excellent resource.

New Media

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media

How can old media survive in the new world?

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB111643067458336994-dZdpfVsBBc8Y17yRcFtFhF_8YWk_20060522.html?mod=blogs

Animal testing

http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/animal_testing/

This site on Animal Rights is great
http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=9f9ymYPmPeUC&dq=Animal+testing&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=qx0Tcjzp9r&sig=DC2gnmtq0kzHuIEPJgjCErsApUY&hl=en&ei=oMjQSuKBAova6gPzpb3zAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=14&ved=0CDUQ6AEwDQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Cruelty free lifestyle

http://www.acres.org.sg/issues_crueltyfree.html

Stem cells

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

Climate Crisis

An inconvenient truth:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

Hi all,

More links. Do read these. They give you more depth and scope in P1 and AQ.

http://singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg

http://www.sg/ (particularly the 'Who we are' tag)

http://idebate.org/ (Flipside was inspired by this. Excellent arguments, alternative views and rebuttals and lots of international examples)

The Journey of Man

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/lan/en/atlas.html

Some things to remember

Paper 1:

1. First 5 mins - Qn selection. Pick a question based on awareness of content, assumptions (arguments), challenges to those assumptions (counter - arguments).
2. Next 10 mins - Break down question and Brainstorming. After planning a balanced essay ask yourself what is the best structure) format to use. Two chunks (yes,BUT) or the rebuttal style (yes,BUT) (yes,BUT) (yes, BUT) or a hybrid? This depends on the availability of direct rebuttals. Your view is always presented last.
3. After first 15 mins - Writing Intro. OS, Thesis/Stand/Balance (incorporating CKT), Scope (optional). Remember to write the question and question number down. This REALLY helps ensure you don't get lost.
4. After intro - Paras. SHARP Topic sentences (TS) should attempt to prove thesis right. Ensure there are no examples in TS.
5. Develop para through elaboration and then supply example/evidence
6. At the end of para you may wish to link back to TS.
7. At the end of essay - Concluding Para. Either reiterate/summarise (basic approach) or use conclusion to explore additional arguments that you deemed unsuitable for body of essay. This could include postulations into the future or arguments that radically challenge assumptions that you may have been reluctant to use in body of essay for fear of digression. These evaluative arguments are acceptable as a sort of afterword (an A essay).
8. Manage your time with discipline. If you are unable to, you simply don't get the grade you deserve. There are, unfortunately, no two ways about it.

Paper 2:

1. Ensure you have a plan for time allocation and follow with discipline depending on how well you feel you can do the AQ.
2. Read AQ and Summary qns first.
3. Annotate. Use bright colours. Make linkages and comments. Write para summaries.
4. Be aware of AQ and Summary qn as annotating. Keep an eye out for useful info.
5. Analyse question. Analyse Marks, Question type and be aware of UYOWAFAP. Write down this analysis on answer booklet to guide you.
6. If in doubt, give a bit more, with strongest answers first. But don't copy down whole para please.
7. Apply Summary skills with diligence. Be precise when isolating key ideas and paraphrasing. The exact meaning, context, connotation and nuance must be reflected.
8. Don't forget Word Count.
9. Spend about three minutes planning the AQ answer. Break down question requirements and how your paras will flow. Remember to use common sense to decide how to answer the question and how to sequence paras. Your view is ALWAYS presented last.

Be calm. This is the most important ability of any student who succeeds in exams. Good luck to you all for the Prelims. Some of you have worked really hard and I sincerely hope you will show good progress in these Prelims so you can attack the A Levels with full confidence.

RA

Alyn Magenta A01: 'Women will never enjoy the same rights as men.' Do you agree?

Since ancient times, gender inequality has existed. Men tended to have more basic rights and freedoms entitled to humans as women were treated as a lower class as compared to men. There have been feminist movements to overturn gender inequality since the late 1880s when the word “feminism” was first used and even though such feminist movements are not as prominent as they were then, many are still fighting for equal rights for women. Indeed, women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some womens' civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.

Undoubtedly, women nowadays are given basic human rights in the developed nations but it is certainly not the same for women living in developing countries. There have been laws issued by many governments across the globe to ensure the rights of women. One example is the United Nations Millennium Project. The project claims, "Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies where women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner.” There are surely better living conditions for women and more resources allocated to take care of women than before. However, this is only true in countries that can afford to defy the traditional society’s point of view to give the females better treatment. In developing countries like India, the mens' opinion is too strong to be suppressed that women are still being treated as people of lower status. Women are traded like merchandise in India and in China many female babies are abandoned or female fetuses are aborted because of the one child policy. People have chose to give up these lives of women in exchange for a possibility of getting a male baby. Figures have proven that women’s rights are not equivalent to men. Of 150 million children aged six to eleven who do not attend school, over 90 million are girls and of the world’s 876 million illiterate people over 15 years of age, two thirds are women. Women also make up 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people worldwide who live in poverty. They are not only not given proper living conditions or the opportunity to progress from their poor living conditions, they are subjected to violent abuse by men. They have become the source of satisfaction to men’s lust and women being victims are even at times blamed for the lecherous acts of men. There are honour killings committed by Iraqi men against their own sisters, wives, daughters and mothers whom have been raped by other men or have been suspected of straying from traditional rules of chastity and fidelity. Thus, even though the human rights entitled to a woman has advanced; women still do not enjoy the same human rights men do.

It can be seen that women have achieved certain rights that men used to enjoy which women did not in the past in the workplace, but it must also be recognized that there is still a long way to go before real equality is achieved. In this era, women are now able to enter the workforce and hold an occupation. This was never possible before as women’s role was stereotyped as the one taking care of the family and staying at home to perform house chores. It can be seen that women’s rights in the economic realm has improved; they are now able to earn a living for themselves and not depend on men as the sole breadwinners of the family. Women are even given the privilege of maternity leave during their pregnancy. However, there is still this social stigma against women. Many employers are reluctant to hire married women or give them a higher position in the company as they are aware of the possibility of women going on maternity leave, that women have the tendency to place family above their career and that women are more emotional as compared to men. It is certainly still gender inequality existing even though it is not blatant. Globally, female directors of companies are few and far between. Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level. People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family.

In addition, in the political arena, it appears that women can now take part in governing the country but the truth is, women are still under-represented. Indeed, more and more females are now entering politics and given the opportunity to voice the female point of view instead of the same old patriarchal voices. However, women in fact do not enjoy the same rights as men in politics. Their political rights are still less than that of men. Women make up more than half the population in the world but only 12.7 percent of the world’s parliamentarians are female. Also, it has been said that women who break political barriers despite being a female do so because of their family connections. Benazir Bhutto and Indira Ghandi, both ex-Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India respectively were of privileged political lineage. In many other countries that have elected more women than others, it is also because of lineage that they were able to slash through gender barriers. Another example would be Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, a war time hero that led Burma out of colonial rule. It is not only the rulers that deny women of their equal rights but also the members of the society. In a poll done in the US recently, 14 percent admitted they would never vote for a female. Hence, this shows how women are not given the exact same rights that men enjoy even though they get do get a sniff of it.

In conclusion, women do not enjoy the same rights as men even though the situation has been somewhat ameliorated. Women will indeed never enjoy the same rights as men because of the characteristics a woman have and the social stereotypes that have become innate to mankind since time immemorial.

Michelle Yang S16: Is it possible to protect the environment when many countries require increasing amounts of energy to progress?

In recent years, developing countries such as China, India and Vietnam have been growing their economies at phenomenal rates. This clearly implies that there are increasing demands for resources that are essential for production. The main resources required would undoubtedly be oil or coal as they would generate energy. The process of energy consumption would emit pollutants such as carbon monoxide which would adversely affect our health and also our surroundings. The rising trends of global warming and severe depletion of natural resources such as crude oil are one of the many concerns of environmentalist. It is indeed true that it is very difficult to have a balance between production and environmentalists. However, it is actually possible to implement effectual measures to curb the worsening of environmental degradation, depending on the willingness of the country.

It is argued that sustainable economic growth will eventually precipitate eco-friendly economic growth. When countries increase their demand of energy, enormous amount of pollutants would be emitted into the air, water and our land. Statistics have shown that while average emission of carbon dioxide in developed countries have stabilized in recent years, yet in developing countries they have been increased by 4% a year. Some economist may say that when countries have more demand for energy, they are actually developing their economies and when they eventually gain sustainable economic growth, they would also gain wealth which can be used for research and development of clean energy or on infrastructures to solve environmental problems they have caused.

However, this is only an assumption made by the economists. Since most economies in the world are profit-motivated, countries can be reluctant to engage in protecting the environment. Taking America as an example, although the Americans just made up 4% of the world population, they produce 25% of carbon dioxide pollutions, more than China, India and Japan combined. This clearly indicates that America should take the leadership role in solving the problem, but why is she not doing it? The American government even refused to rectify the Kyoto Protocol- an international treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. In addition, developing countries would prioritize their nation’s interest before environment because they have too much infrastructure to be developed to improve standard of living of her people. With countries averse to solve the problem, it seemed more difficult to save Earth.

Some may say that measures are already implemented such as carbon tax and tradable emission permits to curb environmental problems. Hence, even though countries have increasing demand, the amount of pollutants emitted would be limited. However, it is difficult to apportion blames and to fairly distribute the emission permit. Richer developed countries such as Japan can actually buy the permit from another country which does not require the pollution permits. This would not solve the problem; instead, it gives countries the legal rights to pollute. Moreover, these measures have existed for a long period since 1990s and there is no evident effect on the current situations, instead, it has worsened. This is an implication of countries engaging in economic developments instead of mitigating environmental problems.

It is indeed true that some countries have successfully switched to non-carbon based energy sources. Norway has the world largest solar production plant and for Sweden, majority of the country’s power is generated by hydroelectricity or nuclear, which are better alternatives than fuels or coals. Using of solar power to generate electricity would not emit pollutants. Countries can actually make use of their geographical advantages to protect the environment. Taking New Zealand as an example, she has been actively engaging in development of geothermal energy which is a renewable resource that would help to generate power without emitting pollutants.

However, only a handful of countries are engaging in these eco-friendly developments. Most countries are still not making use of their geographical advantages. Singapore is a good example. She has an equatorial climate which is an advantage of using solar power; however, she is still not engaging in such clean energy development. Despite having a small population, Singapore’s energy consumption is one of the highest in the world. In addition, even though environmental friendly vehicles such as CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) cars have been invented in recent years, many people are still not driving them. One of the studies conducted on road users in Singapore have shown that the main reason of them not driving those environmental friendly vehicles is due to the insufficient refuel stations available. If the Singapore government had spent money on building more of such stations, many people would choose to drive these vehicles which would in turn reduce pollutions. It goes to show again that a country can actually protect the environment; however it all depends on her willingness.

In conclusion, when countries have high energy consumption, it is impossible to prevent pollutants from being emitted. However, they can engage in developing effective solutions to solve the problems they have caused. It depends very much on the foresight and political will of the government of the day.

Clara Cho A01: Is there still a place for charity in today’s world?

With globalization on the rise, societies may be increasingly preoccupied with bringing in the dollar bills and squandering it to raise their living and comfort levels. As such, would it be possible that the poor, homeless, and the destitute would be left displaced in society without any source of help? Personally, I do believe so. Despite the presence of charitable organizations and programmes to help raise funds for the less fortunate, it is even more evident that charity is given less priority in today’s world. As modernization and rising affluence begin to assume control in this world, many people in the Third World and those marginalized in developed societies would be at a greater disadvantage, as charity seems to be displaced from society.

Some may argue that with globalization and modernization, charity has evolved into what is known as ‘modern philanthropy’, taking action rather than supporting charitable organizations with one-off donations. Previously, while acts of charity were usually associated with money donations and supporting donation drives, charity has now evolved into action, with people traveling across countries and helping those in need. Locally, schools have made overseas Community Involvement Programme (CIP) an integral part of school curriculum, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. Not only do these programmes allow for well-rounded education, they also provided opportunities for students and teachers alike to understand the plight of the less fortunate and to take action in building wells, schools and other facilities to help them meet some basic needs. On the global stage, the creation of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF) could be seen as one of the leaders of modern philanthropy. From Africa to Asia, the foundation has impacted countries positively in line with their belief that ‘all lives have equal value’. They are concerned with educating the poor, eliminate poverty and have given out grants and donations in order to try to nip these problems in the butt. Henceforth, philanthropy in today’s context may not merely be about money donations. Rather, charity is still relevant today because of how man uses it as a tool to help better the lives of others.

Furthermore, charity is still existent today as it allows people to understand what compassion is truly all about. In a world where globalization seems to numb people, inhibiting their ability to feel for the destitute, charity still has a place to help them regain consciousness of the plight of fellow men in other parts of the world. For instance in Singapore, local celebrities Priscilla Chan and Alan Tern had been giving recognition for their charitable works overseas by Channelnews Asia. On the international level, an entirely new industry centered on giving has been created. Philanthropy workshops and coaches have emerged, helping people to narrow in on what they genuinely are concerned about, guiding them in managing their finances and taking the right action in contributing to charity. Philanthropic coaches go an extra mile in helping their clients create mission statements based on the type of change they envision, and help them to plan their giving, both in mode and magnitude. As such, proponents of the claim that charity still has a place in the world today may be valid as charity takes on a different and more meaningful nature when people get their hands dirty and create change in the world.

On hindsight, however, rather than allowing charity to gain some control over the world today, greed seems to be the new “virtue” that many subscribe to. With rising affluence in many parts of the world today, one cannot help but start to practice material hegemony, igniting a desire for material pleasure. Even with greater amount of wealth, it would be surprising that man would donate a portion of it to charity purely out of goodwill rather than desiring to be recognized for such a major contribution. The recent Wall Street meltdown is an apt example of how a rich and developed country led to its own downfall and adversely affected the global economy. In the USA, citizens took mortgages from the banks without being able to pay them off due to their desire for their dream house without being fully informed of the risks involved, in a bid to increase their pool of wealth. Locally, there are also instances in which people bought Minibonds that were repackaged and sold through local banks, losing thousands of dollars overnight, showing how greed is perhaps innate and universal. Therefore, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to claim that in today’s world, charity is becoming more displaced and greed has taken its toll on society?

Aside from Greed, the power that Pride yields seem to be usurping the throne that Charity once held, in the 21st Century. As people become more prideful about their wealth and status, charity may have become more obsolete in their lives. America is a good example, again, of how a nation slowly and painfully learns the truth behind being humble. For the past few years, the USA has prided itself for being brilliant, her greatness in moral convictions, the superiority of its intelligence and the seemingly blameless nature of her actions and decisions. Involvement in war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan have pulled American into uncomfortable realizations of how far its pride has led it to squander global goodwill and cooperation and in the process, make a number of enemies worldwide. A poll conducted after the Wall Street meltdown was even more telling of how pride blinds people, causing them to be even more self-centered than before. The poll saw half of Wall Street workers dissatisfied with their 2008 bonuses while the rest of the world suffered from the repercussions of the financial turmoil, with retrenchments and bills that could not be paid off. As people become increasingly preoccupied with meeting their level of happiness and comfort, charity would seem to disappear from the list of ‘must-dos’, leaving the less fortunate with little hope for the future.

Lastly, laziness seems to be getting the better of the world when it comes to charity. It is ironic how the world is in a constant buzz and yet Sloth stealthily kicks in to help people settle for what is most convenient. Be it struggling to complete one’s PhD, keeping the family together at the dinner table and loving one’s difficult relationship entails costs and sacrifice. Sloth, or rather, laziness propels individuals to choose the easy way out, thereby neglecting what is more pressing. It is no wonder that the larger affairs of the world such as poverty continue to remain unresolved despite the many years of international cooperation. Even with money flowing through the banks of charity, the hands of the people are not yet dirtied as they seem to believe that mere dollar bills would indeed make the world go round in happiness and hope. These people share the common belief that one-off donations would indeed make a difference, but they may not be clearly aware that their laziness in taking action to create changes in the world would ultimately, prevent the less fortunate from envisioning a better life in the coming years ahead. As such, I do believe that charity is becoming increasingly displaced as the world today would rather choose to settle for the most convenient things in life.

To sum up, charity, I believe begins with the heart. With people whose hearts are filled with greed, pride and laziness, how can the world be rid of the current problems that have to be tackled? Poverty would continue to exist in the future if people are unable to realize the increasing importance of charity in the world today. Without charity, there probably would not be any glimmer of hope for the poor and destitute. As the “virtues” of greed, pride and laziness pounce forward and assume control of the world, charity seems to be marked out of the list of priorities in the world today.

Genevieve Wong S16: In what ways does a country both benefit and suffer from where it is situated?

A country's geographical site is something that is of great significance, however, it can never be changed. A country has no way of deciding where she is located. Depending on beliefs, location is decided by a supreme being or sheer luck. Location can be an asset or liability to a country depending on the exact nature of the location. Some countries have been submerged in water , others have been mired in war for years and some are located strategically along trade travel hub. However, given the level of technology today, coupled with factors such as good governance, it is possible to mitigate the effects of poor location in certain situations.

A country with a good location would be a country that is not land locked, is accessible to good trade routes and natural resources.

A country can gain from her location if she is in close proximity with other countries and they cooperate. This being the case helps to encourage trade and security cooperation which are two important factors that helps to build and safeguard a country. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and the European Union(EU) are international organizations that carry out the gains mentioned earlier. To illustrate, to bolster security measures, member countries of ASEAN signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which spelled out the basic principles for their relations with one another and the conduct of the association’s programme for cooperation. In a similar manner, to maximise their influence on the international scene, on trade matters, EU members speak with one voice. In addition, EU members have removed all tariffs on trade when trading with fellow members, in order to boost trade. These examples demonstrate how countries can benefit from their location if they work hand in hand with the countries that are in close proximity.

However, just as close proximity can help a country, it can also bring about harm such as increased tensions and even conflict. Such is the case of the boundary disputes between India and China. India and China have yet to resolve their dispute over large land areas such as Aksai Chin, a territory that China seized during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. In addition, close proximity due to the location of countries can bring about conflict over natural resources that are shared. A more recent example, is the building of as many as 55 dams along the course of the Mekong river flowing through Indochina. This is especially damaging as the river meanders from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Thus, the lives of millions of people, not only those in Indochina, depend on it. This problem which will not be corrected in the near future has led to an increase in social and political tension between the lower Mekong countries and those in Indochina. This is an apt example of how close proximity arising from countries' location can result in the sharing of natural resources and the subsequent increase in problems that the countries have to face.

Moving on, a country's location determines the climate that the country experiences and the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters. Such factors are vital in determining if a country gains or loses. An example of a country that has prospered due to its good climate is Brazil. Climate suitable for agriculture has enabled Brazil's agriculture sector to grow steadily over the past decade, positioning itself among the most dynamic sectors of the economy. Certainly, the growth is also fueled by the increase in the use of high technologies such as softwares to maximise the use of fertilizers and pesticides. However, climate still plays an irreplaceable role in the agriculture sector. This is because, without the suitable climate, crops cannot prosper or survive even if large amounts of fertilizers are used. Hence this case shows how a country can gain from her good climate due to her good location.

In contrast, a country can suffer due to the geography and climate of the country. Problems include natural disasters or islands becoming submerged underwater and these problems can arise due the location of the country. As climate continues to warm, entire islands are sinking below rising waters due to melting glaciers. At least 18 islands have been submerged underwater. This problem is a result of the location of these islands. It is because these islands are located in low lying areas which is why the change in climate has resulted in them being submerged. This has brought about harm as whole communities have to be relocated, bringing about the advent of climate refugees. In addition, this has also caused much land to be no longer suitable for agriculture. This example shows the magnitude and how a location of a country can bring harm and loss.

On separate note, it is important to note that while location is significant, in this day and age, it is possible for good governance coupled with technology to mitigate the effects of a bad location. Land locked countries such as Switzerland and San Marino are among the most stable and prosperous countries in the world. This shows that the most unfavorable geographical locations can be made prosperous by good policy. Apart from this, technology can also make geography irrelevant. Technology has enhanced communication and thus shrunk distances. Bangalore has become the software capital of India, with Hyderabad a close second. Both are land-locked, but satellite communications enable them to link up with cities anywhere in the world at low cost.

Location remains an important determinant of whether a country gains or loses. However, it has been shown that technology with good governance can conquer location. Hence while location is vital, perhaps the gains and losses a country experiences also depends on the resolve of the people to use things available to their advantage and make their country prosperous.

Kelly Wu A01: Should the police have unlimited powers when dealing with crime?

In the new movie “Public Enemies”, Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger, the 1930s bank robber and killer who gets hunted down and shot by the newly formed FBI. This seemingly suggests that the governmental department that was established to maintain order as well as to enforce the law is given a very large amount of authority in the process of law enforcement. However, this is true only to a certain extent because in reality, the police force does not have such a large amount of power to wield as they wish, and for good reason. Although some argue that the police do not have sufficient authority and that the police force should be given more liberty when faced with powerful criminals like the criminal syndicates, it is inevitable that if given too much of a free rein, the individual members in the police force might be tempted to abuse this power, or even become licensed assassins as they might become as irrational and brutal as convicts in their attempt to resolve a crime.

Indeed, the law enforcers ought to have a greater authority whilst upholding the law, especially in the face of powerful criminals like the crime syndicates. In places like Russia, Japan, Italy, Mexico and China, where the Russian Mafiya, the Japanese Yakuza, the Italian Mafia, Mexican Drug Cartels and the Chinese Triads are considered the five most powerful criminal syndicates according to the Foreign Policy online 2008, it is essential for the police force to have the necessary authority to apprehend them and bring these criminals to justice. This is especially so when these criminal organizations have the ability to reach out to gangsters worldwide. This can be seen in the example whereby wherever there is a Chinatown in the world, the Triad’s tentacles would have reached there to tap into ties – giving them an unprecedented huge network of opportunities to expand their criminal network. With such a huge reach over the many petty criminals worldwide, there is a massive potential for large-scale global crimes to take place. Therefore to prevent this, it is crucial that the police force should be able to match up to, or even hold greater powers that these huge criminal syndicates have so as to able to keep these syndicates in check or to eradicate them entirely.

Some also argue that the police ought to be given more liberty when pursuing petty lawbreakers as they believe that the police do not have enough power to uphold the law. Police power is highly circumscribed by law and departmental policies and they have very little power or control over the situations they are in or the people they encounter. They also cannot use force the vast majority of the time, and when they do, they are subjected to an enormous amount of scrutiny. In the Gallup Poll, an institution that is seen to have too little power is the local police “in your community” (31%). In addition, the poll results show that the oft-cited fear of the power of the police-type units of the federal state, state, and local governments is not as widespread as might be supposed. In fact, at the state and local levels, the prevailing sentiment is clearly that police forces either have the right amount of power or should have even more.

However, the above claim should be refuted since if given too much of a free rein, some members of the police force might be tempted to abuse it to help the criminals get away scot-free in order to reap some rewards. In fact, there have been many cases of police officers abusing their power and accepting bribes from criminals. One case in point is where a number of Colombian police officers were arrested for accepting bribes and returning seized drug to a trafficking group. Furthermore, in Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel, details emerged in April this year of an elaborate criminal scheme to turn police officers into informants on behalf of lawbreakers. The officers were accused of accepting cash bribes to tip off a "serious criminal" who runs brothels, and passing on intelligence in ways which are reminiscent of double agents depicted in the Hollywood film The Departed. In a situation where the police were given the right to apprehend law-breakers in order to prevent crime, they abused this right for their own personal gain. In a separate incident, Chicago Police have been accused of using pepper spray without provocation on black people celebrating Obama’s victory on election night and also of kicking in doors and running into people’s houses. They never explained what was going on and simply left when they were done with whatever they were doing. This suggests that the policemen involved in this unfortunate and seemingly racist incident simply rode on the fact that they were in the uniform and took advantage of the authority that the uniform gives them in order to carry out unexplained acts of harassment on the target citizens. Since power can be so easily made use of, it is then unwise to entrust unlimited powers to the police.

In addition, the police might become licensed assassins if they are given too much power as they might become as irrational and brutal as convicts in their attempt to resolve a crime. In the UK TV program “Worst Police Shootouts”, viewers were shocked rigid by the gratuitous legalised murder fest that ensued. Five or six cases were shown, each of which ended in the ‘perpetrator’ being shot, usually to death. In one video, a middle aged lady ran out of her house on a suburban street, obviously in some kind of distress, waving a short kitchen knife. The two attending cops panicked and shot her when she ran towards one of them, panicked and shot her, thinking that she was about to attack them. All the other cases featured followed much the same pattern. Should these cases be considered as ‘legalised murders’ then? Maybe, if the killings were entirely accidental, but if the police use their given authority to behave as they wish while patrolling or chasing criminals, then many more innocent people will be injured or killed in their reckless line of duty. Therefore, since many police force members have already harmed so many people with the current level of authority that they have, it is definitely imprudent assign even greater powers for the police to wield.

To conclude, as Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt once said, “If it were possible to make an accurate calculation of the evils which police regulations occasion, and of those which they prevent, the number of the former would, in all cases, exceed that of the latter.” It thus can be said that with the current level of power that the police possess, it is already being abused or used in the wrong way. Therefore, the notion that the police should be given more power should not be encouraged as it may result in disastrous results.