Nothing But The Truth (from the POV of Jake Barlow). I decided to assume the role of one of the characters to make it more interesting!

What is this country turning into? Can you believe it? I read in a news article that a student was kicked out of school for patriotism! I had such a shock that I thought I was dreaming. It happened in Harrison, New Hampshire. In America! I thought this is a free country. How can such a thing happen? A tenth grader was suspended from his local school just because he sang "The Star-Sprangled Banner" during the school's morning exercises. The boy, Philip Malloy, who wished to sing in the spirit of patriotism, was then forced to remain home alone as both his parents work. His English teacher, Margaret Narwin, who brought about the suspension, maintains the boy was making a nuisance of himself! I sang "The Star-Sprangled Banner" many times when I was a child. The teachers did not scold me! This teacher, Margaret Narwin, has no right to suspend a student just because he is patriotic to our nation. I am infuriated at her actions. She is a disgrace to the teaching profession.
If I were that poor boy, I would fight for my rights, and make sure that teacher is taught a lesson. She should not be allowed to teach at all! Why should we respect people who condemn the spirit of patriotism in this free nation? "The Star-Sprangled Banner" is a way of showing our patriotism for America, the country where we belong. I cannot imagine the consequences if every teacher is like Ms Narwin.
Furthermore, the teacher said that Philip Malloy was making a nuisance of himself! She has no respect at all for our national anthem. Is singing "The Star-Sprangled Banner" a nuisance? Definitely not. I love my country. No one will stop me from singing "The Star-Sprangled Banner"!
This incident must be made known to America, to the world! I will definitely talk about it at my talk show tomorrow. Imagine what will people think about it? What will you do if you are wrongly accused? They will be flocking to listen to my talk show, and they will be cursing Ms Narwin. This is what she deserves! The school should not hire her in the first place. I strongly believe that our students are the country's future, and they should be educated well. Ms Narwin has failed as a teacher, and as a citizen of America!
I support Philip Malloy and encourage him to fight for his rights. He does not deserve to be kicked out of school at all. What is the school doing? Shouldn't they prevent Ms Narwin from doing so? Are they in cahoots with her? Philip Malloy is a loyal and patriotic citizen of America. We should learn from him and stand up for our rights. Go Philip! For America!

Singapore has all it takes to host the Youth Olympic Games. Do you agree?

I am sure you know that Singapore has been chosen over Moscow to be the first city to host the Youth Olympic Games 2010. It was certainly good news for us and many Singaporeans celebrated and rejoiced. The Youth Olympic Games is a worldwide event and is considered as important as the Olympic Games, the only difference is that younger athletes take part. Hosting the Youth Olympic Games will not only make Singapore more famous, it will help to boost the economy of the country as more tourists want to come to Singapore to see what the first city to host the Youth Olympic Games is like.

Have you considered why Singapore was chosen to host such a major event? Do we have all it takes? Singapore is known as a little red dot, as it is only a dot on the world map, but it is actually very powerful, that is why it is red. Singapore has one of the most vibrant economies in the world, and one of the world's busiest ports. However, we have a major disadvantage, compared to big countries like China and USA. Singapore is only a small island, but we have a huge population size compared to our land area. Do you know which country hosted the previous Olympic Games? China. China is considered a very big country, joined by many provinces. It certainly has the space to host such a major event. That is why it can build many structures for the Olympic Games, like the famous Water Cube. However, Singapore is already experiencing a space constraint, our population is growing and the government must find space to build houses for the citizens. Our government is currently reclaiming land, but it takes many years, the Youth Olympic Games is only a year away. Can Singapore build the necessary facilities to host the Youth Olympic Games, and make sure it runs smoothly?

Singapore has a stable economy, unlike countries like the USA and Iceland. We are currently facing a global economic downturn. Does Singapore have the money to host the Youth Olympic Games? Have you seen the Olympic Games 2008 in China? It was a dramatic and grand event, with fantastic opening and closing ceremonies. Imagine how much money was spent to make that event a success! Singapore must do its best to make the Youth Olympic Games 2010 an unforgettable event, so that we can be recognised by the other countries as a major economy. If we just make the Youth Olympic Games a boring event, what will people think of our country? Our national pride depends on our performance in this Youth Olympic Games.

I believe that Singapore has all it takes to host the Youth Olympic Games. Although we are a small country, we are not to be underestimated. We have a good government compared to other countries. I hope that we, as a country, will do our best to make the Youth Olympic Games an event to be remembered. I also sincerely wish our young athletes all the best in the Youth Olympic Games 2010!

Reflections on Little Ironies - Adeline Ng Ai Choo

This story is about a secondary school girl who committed suicide after failing her exam by one mark. Why do you think she chose to commit suicide? Whose fault was it?

Adeline Ng Ai Choo's parents were partially to blame for her death. They have too high expectations of her and thus give her the wrong mentality that exams are everything. As a result, Adeline is under too much stress and studies as hard as she could to get good grades for her parents. When she is refused the mark needed for her to pass, she thinks that she has let her parents down and everything is over for her. In the end, she could not take the blow when she failed her exams and resorted to ending her life.

Adeline Ng Ai Choo herself was partially to blame for her own death. She had the power to choose whether to end her life just because for an exam or to continue to work harder to get better results in her future exams. However, she chose to give up and end her life. I think it is a pity that such a thing could happen. Her teacher was also partially at fault. Instead of just bluntly refusing her one mark, she should talk to her and tell her that exams are not for pleasing parents, they are just a mode of assessment.

To prevent such a tragic incident from repeating itself, the school should also care more for the welfare of the students. This incident would not only cause hurt and grief to the victim's parents, it will affect the school's reputation. Would you send you son to a school where a student has committed suicide? For his safety, you certainly would not. The school should give a talk to the students about this incident and tell them that they should not care only about results. I agree that marks should not be awarded just because the students beg for it or are so close to passing. This will defeat the purpose of having an exam in the first place. However, students should not be given only a pass mark or a fail mark, it will be unfair to those who pass with flying colours. I think that exam papers should also be returned to the students, so that they will know their mistakes, but parents should not compare marks with other students, it will put a lot of pressure on their children.

Life is not a bed of roses, it is natural for us to experience difficulties in our lives. However, we must not give up in the face of adversity, instead, we must overcome it in order to progress. Nowadays, students in Singapore face a lot of stress in their studies because of the exams and workload. In my opinion, there is more to life than getting good results for exams. Singaporean students should also know that too. This way, such incidents of students ending their lives can be prevented.

Age and Experience are important to the workforce in any country. How true is this?

Do you think that age and experience are important to the workforce in any country?
Recently, Singapore is facing a growing problem. The percentage of old people in the population is increasing. This is known as ageism. How did this problem come about? Let me share it with you.

In the past, after the fearful and uncertain days of World War II, there is a period of peace in Singapore. Many couples at that time saw that it was the perfect chance to have children. As a result, there was a baby boom in Singapore. The population of babies increased dramatically, until the government had to stop the surge in the population. After the problem was resolved, everything went back to normal. As the years went by, Singapore began to enter a modern era, and the birth rate decreased. How did this become a problem? Well, the babies that were born in the baby boom eventually grew older as the years went by. They make up Singapore's senior citizen population today! The senior citizen population is huge compared to the percentage of young people because of this reason.
As everyone knows, experience is very important to the workforce. If a person goes to a job interview and is asked whether he has undertaken such a job before, and he says yes, there is a very high chance that he will be hired. Experience is important as people with experience will be more efficient in dealing with problems in their work as they have faced them before, whereas people without experience much seek help or attempt to solved the problems themselves, which takes up a lot of time.
Many companies prefer younger employees to older ones. Old people are more fragile, so they cannot take on some jobs. Young people are more active and strong, so they have many advantages over older people in many areas. Furthermoe, old people can be stubborn sometimes, but young people are more flexible and IT-savvy. I think that experience is important to the workforce, but not age. Age can hinder a person in his job, but experience can aid him to overcome difficulties faster.
Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult for old people to find jobs. The government is encouraging companies to hire more older people. We are also currently facing an economic downturn, so the problem is worsened. Some senior citizens want to work even when they have reached their retirement age, mainly because they are passionate about their jobs or they want to pass time. Most of the senior citizens have the mentality that they have reached their "golden age" and should spend their rest of their lives relaxing. Most old people have experience, while most young people are inexperienced. However, it does not mean that the older you are, the more experienced you become. In this modern era, Singapore has progressed so quickly that most old people are unable to catch up. Young people are equipped with many skills that most old people lack, such as knowledge of IT, programming and anything to do with technology. This is the reason why experience is more important than age in the workforce.

Reflection - Lamb to the Slaughter

The story "Lamb to the Slaughter" tells of a woman who kills her husband and manages to fool the policemen. Why do you think Mary Maloney killed her husband? In my opinion, she did it when she was not in the right state of mind and it was an act of impulse. When she heard the news that her husband was going to leave her, any woman would be shocked, heartbroken and furious. The mixed emotions in her caused her to lose control of herself. At that moment in time, she found a lamb leg by chance, and it was a perfect murder weapon, so she killed her husband.

Do you think that Mary Maloney should be punished to the full extent of the law? Or does she deserve your sympathy? If you say that Mary Maloney should be punished to the full extent of the law, isn't it very unfair to her unborn child, who is completely innocent? Mary Maloney's child has already lost a father, if she goes to jail, won't he become very sad? In my opinion, Mary Maloney deserves some sympathy. She still cares for the welfare of her unborn child and uses all means to protect him, so she is not a cold-blooded murderer.

Does Patrick deserve to die? My answer would be no. Mary Maloney was wrong to kill her husband. Although he betrayed her love for him, this is not a worthy reason for her to kill him. Instead, Mary Maloney could try to talk to Patrick and tell him not to leave for the sake of the child. If he insists on leaving, she could seek help from her friends or family. This way, no lifes will be taken.

Current Affairs: "Economic development vs environmental conservation"

Do you agree that economic development will always have the upper hand over environmental conservation? Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it depends on which point of view you are looking from.

Economic development is crucial for the progress and stability of our economy and society, not to mention our national security. Currently, we are facing an economic downturn, all the more we will need to have a stable economy. Have you heard that even countries like Iceland are beginning to become bankrupt? If we do not have the ability and money to support ourselves, how can we have the ability to protect the environment? If the economy is stable, we can build more facilities, tourist attractions and even help people who are in need overseas. However, there is a growing problem in Singapore, a small island which little natural resources. How can we get the land to build all these things when we are having difficulties making land to build homes? The answer is land reclamation. It is essential for the progress of our economy. With enough land, we can build more tourist attractions, which will help improve the economy. The tourism industry is a key factor in our economy. The Integrated Resort is also under construction. Where do we get the land to build it? Through land reclamation! The IR will not only attract tourists, it will also create more jobs for our people.

Do you know that the population of Singapore is constantly increasing? As a result, the government is finding ways to build more homes for our people. Nowadays, high rised flats are much more common than bungalows or terrace houses as they take up less space and house more people. Do you know that the entire area from Suntec City to Marina lies on reclaimed land? That shows how important land is to us! However, land reclamation damages the marine life near the coast, especially the corals. To minimise the impact on the marine life, the silt release into the water is minimised during the process of land reclamation. This will actually help to lessen the impact on the marine life and it is proven too. The government will also try to preserve some of our natural beaches. We cannot afford to worry about the environment when our economy is at stake. Furthermore, we need land to build more schools to educate the younger generation. We will also need land to build facilities like NeWater plants, libraries and many others.

Environmental conservation is also important. Currently, the world is facing a very serious problem. Global warming. In this modern era, there are many air pollutants, such as vehicles, factories and many others. The carbon dioxide released will accumulate in the ozone layer and begin to trap heat. As a result, more and more heat will be trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. That is why the climate is beginning to change. The ice caps are starting to melt due to the increased temperature. In the end, the sea level will rise dramatically, causing small islands to be submerged completely. Singapore is also at risk. I am sure you do not want this to happen! Everyone, regardless of status or race, has the responsibility to conserve the environment. Since we depend on the environment for natural resources, we must protect it to ensure that future generations will still have the natural resources that we have. Do you know that the area of natural forests in the world is decreasing? This is caused by illegal logging, forest fires, expansion of human settlements and many others. This will cause animals that live there to lose their natural habitats. They may even become extinct! Don't you think that it is unfair for innocent animals to die from the acts of selfish people? Trees form an important part of the ecosystem. That is why our government wants us to recycle paper so as to save trees. Do your part! For the future, for the environment and for the Earth.

Now you understand the advantages and disadvantages of economic development and environmental conservation. I think that both of them must coexist in harmony. Without economic development, we will not have the ability to protect the environment. Without environmental conservation, we will not have a safe place and future for our economy to progress. In my opinion, we, as citizens of Singapore, can start playing our part by not wasting paper and water, encouraging people to take public transport as it reduces carbon emissions, recycling materials that are recyclable, using less plastic bags and not smoking. I think that the government's role is to think of solutions for economic and environmental problems, improving the living conditions for the poor and needy, maintaining the countries security and building facilities for our well-being.

The future may be uncertain, but I believe that if we work together, we can be prepared for any problems that we may face. What are your views?

First Post

What a fine day for a fine blog! This is the first post, so don't expect anything interesting. I just read a story which is "Nothing but the truth". Although it is quite thick, you can read it within two hours or so as the story is written in the form of tables, letters and dialogues. In my opinion, it is very interesting and unique. There are many different views about the characters in the story, whether they are right or wrong. I won't tell you the story, as it is better for you to flip the pages yourself!

There is also another story is would like to recommend. It is "Lamb to the Slaughter", by Roald Dahl. You may have heard of this story before. You should read it as Roald Dahl writes the story in a way that is very unique, especially the ending of the story. It is quite a short story, and there are also many videos on YouTube about it. Roald Dahl is one of my favourite authors because he is very good in writing children books. His language is simple for children to understand, but it is also interesting, in a way. Some of his famous stories have been made into films, for example, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"!