Science and Technology

Many people have questioned: Is Science and Technology created by Man to replace God? With the constant improvements and developments of Science and Technology, Man is able to master its physical environment and everything is within Man's grasp of knowledge. For example, during the Stone Age, way before the Industrial Revolution or the development of Science and Tech, Man used to believe that rain was an act of God. Rain meant that God was crying, Earthquakes meant that God was angry and the list goes on. Man could not explain the natural disasters or phenomenons taking place, thus God was the answer to everything. Not too long later, Science and Technology was introduced to the world. The water cycle was the answer to rain, which took over the explanation of "God is crying". Thus, it is clearly shown that Science and Technology has taken over God. Another example would be artificial canals. The Suez Canal is an example of a man-made canal. It is the main trade route between the European countries and Asian countries. This proves that Man has used Science and Technology to alter the physical geography for their convenience, therefore reducing the status of God and increasing the status of Science and Technology. Thus, it is an established fact that Science and Technology has indeed taken the place of God. However, the question is whether it is right to do so. Nobody has the answer to this question thus far, only time will tell.

Science and Technology

In the increasingly technology-reliant world we live in, the question of ethics and deprivation of life would be an issue. In the future not too far away, cloning for humans would be possible. This would allow humans to harness their organs from the clones. However, are clones just machines that contain living cells created to help humans, or are they living things, just like you and me? Do they have human rights? As depicted in the movie, "The Island", the living clones would be killed and their organs removed when their clients, or more specifically their creators, needs an organ. Thus, it is questionable if it is ethical to kill a living organism just like that. It is also unclear whether controlling the lives of the clones and depriving them at a chance of life is unfair to them. Clones, being living organisms, would be able to think just like normal human beings. However, whether they would be classified as a human remains to be seen. Also, cloning animals still has a very low rate of success, much less for humans. Thus, it is currently an expensive procedure despite much funds pumped into the research of this field. However, medical science should aim to make treatment affordable to the main population, instead of having the aims of expanding one's lifespan and for personal fame and glory. This is a very selfish act which cloning would only be available to those who are rich and can afford it. This would further widen the gap between the poor and the rich, which would bring about more social problems.

Science and Technology

Ethical controversies have risen over the past century as technology advances with each passing of the day. There would always be different extremes to the subject of ethics. Thus, it may be seen as a war between what is morally right and wrong, and what is legally acceptable and what is not. Firstly, it is important to establish the fact of practical reasons, that science and technology would always have a practical use or reason. It could range from the need to cure a disease, replacing a limb to travelling to the moon and communicating with others. Thus, technologies such as antibiotics, spacecrafts and satellites are invented for a reason. Every creation marks a new milestone for the development of science and technology, as well as a breakthrough for the field of study. However, people would have practical objections - against how people are exploring science and technology. There would definitely be people who are doubtful and questions the science and technology of the modern era. In this day and age, despite being technologically advanced, it is still far from perfection. The rate of success is debatable amongst people, and some people may disagree that all modern technologies work. This is clearly a point of discussion for cloning. It took 276 tries before scientists managed to clone the infamous Dolly the sheep on 5th of July 1996. Even then, after countless efforts and succeeding eventually, Dolly the sheep developed early arthritis and died, prematurely and unnaturally aged. This proves that even after succeeding in cloning, the cloned subject may still be deformed or mutated. Therefore, it proves that science and tech may not be the best solution after all.

Science and Technology

The development and constant improvement of technology has brought about much convenience in our daily lives. This has also brought us much power to communicate efficiently and effectively across boarders. However, there are many people who abuse the authority of usage of the Internet and decides to hack and steal information from a corporation. A good example would be the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who hacked into the secure network of various countries' government and reposting the confidential information onto the Internet. Hence, it clearly illustrates that the knowledge of science and technology, when fallen into the wrong hands, may have unimaginable consequences. "With great power comes great responsibility". This raises the issue of safety and dangers of the modern technology. With knowledge of mass destruction, countries have become arrogant and complacent, thus undermining world peace and security that the United Nations have been fighting for all this while. Hence, it is important to be responsible for one's actions if one is heavily armed.

Updates on Youth Olympic Games

It has been a few days into the Youth Olympic Games, and I must really say it is a resounding success that was beyond my imagination! I felt that the Opening Ceremony and the events up till now have been carried out rather smoothly, and there has been a rather positive response to the crowd. Before that, tickets sales have not been rather good, and usually half of the seats in the arena are empty. This does not reflect well on the host country, hence the Singapore National Olympic Committee had launched a new scheme to resell tickets that were unsold before the match started. Thus, many people were able to watch Singaporeans in action, as well as top youth athletes from all over the globe. When the President of the Olympic Committee visited Singapore, Rogges said that it was very successful, which has boosted Singapore's reputation internationally. However, to my disappointment, Singapore's sole representative at the badminton competition had been knocked out by Malaysian Loh Wei Sheng. It was very regretful that Singapore was unable to win a medal in the badminton event. In other events, Singapore took home a silver and bagged 3bronzes so far. In conclusion, I wish all the athletes participating in the Youth Olympic Games good luck!

Youth Olympic Games

The Youth Olympic Games will kick start from tomorrow onwards! I very excited to have world class athletes competing for glory for themselves as well as their own country, and achieving the one of the top youth sporting accolades. It is also a chance for the athletes to have a gauge of their standards at world stage. However, I feel that the hosting rights should have been given to Moscow instead. As we can see, successfully hosting international sporting events would reap greater benefits for a developing country rather than a developed country. The infrastructure, transport systems of the country would be improved and even the people there would be friendlier. Take South Africa for example. It has successfully hosted the renowned FIFA World Cup, therefore boosting its tourism, economy, and reputation. Even world leaders such as Barack Obama praised South Africa. Another example would be the Beijing Olympics. The Olympics has improved the quality of air, quality of people as well as infrastrcture of Beijing. Thus, I strongly feel that Moscow should be given the hosting rights for the Youth Olympic Games.

Visit to Peranakan Museum

Today, Ms Lim brought my friends and I to the Peranakan Museum for a field trip! Everybody was excited as we were about learn more about the Peranakan culture and its past, in order to have a deeper understanding of the literature text we were studying, Emily of Emerald Hill. Ms Lim also gave us a worksheet to fill up, as we went from a place to another. As I have watched the Channel 8 drama "The Little Nonya", I had a little knowledge of the Peranakan culture. As we strolled in the Peranakan Museum, I found out that there was Peranakans were actually Chinese, with a little Malay in their culture. We also learnt about food, rituals, clothings and even saw the utensils and cutlery of the Peranakan families. From this field trip, I was able to have a greater understand of Peranakan Culture and better imagine the life of Emily in the Play.

Youth Olympic Games Torch Relay

After much anticipation, the Youth Olympic torch has finally arrived in Hwa Chong! We were expecting a whole array of activities, such as lion dance and performances put up by the various CCA groups to add on to the celebratory mood. However, it was a letdown for all of us. The first dissapointment was that we had to wait for half an hour for the arrival of the Youth Olympic Flame. It was disgusting. Surely the time could be put to better use? With so many test coming up, we can barely cope, yet they wanted us to waste half an hour just to cheer when the torch arrived? Secondly, the Flame arrived in a small candle and the torch was not even lit. How is it supposed to be a relay when the torch is not lit? It was dissapointing for all of us. As we had to stand by the roadside, we could not see any of the action that took place somewehere else. Then, we had to wait for another half an hour before we were let off. The third dissapointment, which was the greastest dissapointment for me, took place while I was crossing the road. At a zebra crossing, I was about to cross. However, a car driven by a Youth Olympic Games offical told me to stop and let him go first! I was so angry. Does being an Youth Olympic Games offical make you higher ranked than other civilians? Even World Champions are just another motorist on the road, much less an official. This has made me both displeased as well as dissapointed.

Hosting China Students for Immersion Programme

The week before national day was celebrated, Ortus hosted a group of students from China, and I was involved in leading them around the places of interest in Singapore. However, contrary to my belief that China students are disciplined and well-behaved, the students were not only talkative but also disobedient and did not listen to of our instructions. Thus, our plans were greatly disrupted and could not follow as planned. Originally, we were supposed to bring them to Little India, followed by Chinatown and then to Toa Payoh. However, the students were uncoorperative and moved very slowly. Hence, after visiting Little India, we skipped to Toa Payoh to have our dinner. We did not even have the time to bring them around to show them our HDB flats and bubble tea. After dinner, we took a charted bus from Toa Payoh to the Night Safari. When we entered, many of them did not follow closely to each other, resulting in the group being split into two groups for the tram ride. The China students also disobeyed instructions and continued using flash photography despite repeated reminders. Finally, after the tram ride, it was time to head home. This trip has changed my mindset of China students and will make me think twice before hosting anymore in future.

National Day Celebration

It was a long weekend for us, with five days of holidays! It was a good time to regenerate, relax, before all the term test came in. On Friday, I had CCA Appreciation and thus missed the national day performance at Kah Kee Hall. However, the CCA Appreciation ended earlier, thus I joined my friends at Kah Kee Hall and managed to catch a little of the sing along session. My class also won a consolation prize for the most united class award! I think it was because all of us came in school uniform and P.E. Attire instead of red and white, hence we received a consolation prize for being "united". During the sing along session, we sang "Stand up for Singapore" and "Peng You". Both are rather sentimental songs. My friends and I had fun singing the songs together. On Monday, I watched the full parade held at the Padang. I think it was a sparkling performance and managed to show off Singapore's military prowess. My favourite was the fireworks, which was dazzling. Fireworks exploded and lit up the night sky for a full three minutes! It was so loud I could even hear it from my house! (But there's a lag between the screen and the actual 1 because light travels faster than sound) However, the angle of camera taking the fireworks was not really good; hence it was unable to catch the desired effect of the fireworks. After that, I also watch Ip Man and I felt that it was a good movie that could portray national pride (but in the case of China, not Singapore). All in all, I enjoyed my national day celebration!

Home Learning Assignment(Task2)

Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

Point of View:

The personna of the poem is a soldier of Vietnam fighting during the Vietnam War. He is most probably a victim of the gas attacks, and witnessed the entire episode of the war. He only felt the effects of the toxic gases much later in life after the war when he becomes immbolised. The chaos and the burtality of war affected him psychologically. However, he had first-hand experiecnce, hence we can conclude that everything he describes about the Vietnam War would be true. However, there the personna may be exaggerated in some cases when he becomes too emotional. One good example is when he says "Nefariously America led astray - Generations untold WILL pay - Execrable effects of agent orange spray!" In this case, he is generalising and making an assumption that everybody in the country has become a devil due to war. This is untrue as there are many war heroes as well.

Situation and Setting:

The setting of the poem is during the Vietnam War, where the situation was chaotic and turmoil. This poem is written to remind people the consequences of war and to convince them not to start another war. The title "Rainbow Death" suggest that there was a variety of coloured gases used during the war, and the people who came into contact with such gases died horribly. The personna also emphasizes the dire consequences by capitalising WILL to show that future generations would have to pay for the consequences of the war.

Language and Diction:

"potpourri" means a mixture of dried petals of roses or other flowers with spices, kept in a jar for their fragrance. There is an irony in the poem as potpourri is compared to the death fragrance of the Agents(coloured chemical gases) which can kill people.

"deceit" means the act or practice of deceiving or concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading. The personna is warning his readers that the government is deceiving them and mislead them when countries go to war to conceal their true purpose, which is negative. By covering up the truth, the people would not know the real war situation and be convinced to help the country when it is going to war.

"toll' means the extent of loss, damage, suffering resulting from some action. However, the "toll" in this poem actually means that the innocent and the unborn have to pay the price of countries going to war, often because of political conflicts which could have been resolved peacefully.

I feel that the poet is trying to put across his message to the readers that many innocent lives have been taken away by war and the severity of the consequences of war. Hence, he is promoting peace and trying to prevent another war from taking place again.

Personal Response:

Most of the time, wars can be prevented if countries are willing to resolve conflicts peacefully. However, many countries are unable to see the importance of peaceful resolvence and have a probability to use violence instead. These people do not bother about the citizen's feelings or the consequences. They are rash, irresponsible and irrational. In some cases where war does not solve the problem, the innocent people are suffering in vain. Instead, it is the innocent people like civilians and soldiers who are not even involved in the conflict that have to go to war and suffer the consequences of war. These innocent and helpless people have become the slaves of the devils who do not appreciate peace and stability. Hubert Wilson wrote this poem to remind everyone in the world that peace is precious and the world should always preserve peace to protect the innocent and the helpless people from suffering the horrible consequences of war.

Home Learning Assignment(Task1)

Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.

Be sure to include your references and credit your sources.

Poem: Rainbow Death
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!
Hubert Wilson

Background info:
This poem is written during the Vietnam War when the Americans were attacking Vietnam. Chemical warfare was widely used during the war, and Napalm, also known as "Agent Orange", was the favourite weapon of the Americans then. This poem creates an imagery of how the Vietnamese people were suffering when they came into contact with "Agent Orange".

Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide, Napalm, used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to Agent Orange. Among the 4.8 million Vietnamese, 400,000 died or had disabilities, and 500,000 children were born with birth defects.

Agent Orage was just one of the many other berbicidal gases widely used from 1962 to 1971. The title "Rainbow Deaths" suggests that there are many other coloured gases in the chemical warfare programme. Some other gases included Agent Purple and Agent Green. These gases inflicted much harm and pain to the Vietnamese, which caused many health complications.

References:
www.google.com
www.lewispublishing.com/orange.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

Commentary on Songs

Lyrics:
Viva La Vida
Coldplay
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

(Ooooh Oooh Oooh)

Hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5TNK-TvIcI&feature=fvst

the song has obvious biblical references and I think it's a song about Jesus Christ.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

All catholics should know that Jesus Christ gave the word and he controlled the seas - I think that the line now in the morning I sweep alone clearly means that Jesus Christ was betrayed and had to endure many things alone! The first verse is talking about a decline from wealth and fame to a nobody, just like Jesus Christ experienced on his life! He used to be a king, but he had to die for all human beings..So on a certain way he turned over his kingship (I used to rule the world). Clear reference of someone giving God kingship over his life.

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing,
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand


The line upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand, possibly is a reference to the sermon on the mount where Jesus speaks of a wise man building is house on a rock while the foolish man builds his house on the sand, only to be washed away.

Those days, there were different kings! Ones thought the king was Jesus Christ himself, others thought the king was the Roman authority and other thought the king was the Jewish priests.

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

Jerusalem bells and Roman Cavalry, it's obvious it's a biblical allusion. I think the line Be my mirror my sword and shield, it's a praying to God for strength. Also, the line my missionaries in a foreign field, has to do with the idea of taking the message of God and Jesus Christ all around the world. Finally, never an honest word, meaning the betrayal to Jesus Christ and his subsequent death.

I know St. Peter won't call my name, referring to the fact that Saint Peter denied Jesus 3 times.

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever wanna be king?

This could be a reference to John the Baptist of the New Testament.
In The Book of Mark, John is noted as the one that comes before Jesus to announce His coming to Earth. A lot of people thought he (John) was going to be their Messiah, however he corrected them and told them that it was the One after him that would fill that role. I, also, argue that point because it is said somewhere that John's head was brought to king Herod on a Silver Platter.

Blew down the doors to let me in, meaning when Jesus Christ got furious because they turned the temple into a market!

Exams Are Finally Over!

After two weeks of mugging and hard work, my mid-year tests are finally over! I feel a heavy burden off me and I can finally relax! Term 2 passed in a flash and it is time to reflect on Term 2. Firstly, I would like to comment on my results. I received back a few results and is rather satisfied with some subjects, while some are not up to my expectations. I am quite happy with my maths results, scoring 36/40. Despite the high score, I felt that I could have been less careless and scored even higher. I am also rather pleased with my Chinese, which I scored 52/70. Even though I underperformed compared to my Term1, but I feel that it is acceptable because my Chinese has never been too strong, and I was just hoping to get at least a grade A. However, I am rather disappointed in my History by getting a B4(15/25). I have a little trouble understand the topic, and my weakness has been History. Hence, to improve my History, I decided to read up more about the topic and have a better understanding, which will facilitate my understanding of the topic when it is taught. Lastly, I would like to comment on my Literature paper. I am neutral with my results, but I felt I could have "dug" deeper in my annotations and not repeat my arguments in my essays. Overall, I felt that I fared rather fine for my mid-year tests. I hope that the marks coming in would be as good or even better than my current marks!

War Poetry

After discussing much about current affairs, I decided to discuss about academics in my school. Currently, my class is learning War Poetry and I have gained much insight on four poems: The Soldier, Wirers, The Happy Warrior and I Have a Rendezvous with Death. Of all the poems, I liked the last poem the best. The poem is mainly about a soldier who fantasizes about death, and resigned to his fate at the end of the poem. I admire how to poet is able to personify "Death" into a person and wrote it like a love poem, but not to a lover but death. The poem catches my eye at first sight because the word "Death" jumped at me. "Death" provokes an emotional response, which makes reader want to read on. It also has beautiful and vivid imagery in the poem. Lastly, the poet is able to make reference to Greek Mythology from the quote "dark land", which is referring to Hades, a Greek god.

MOE Decides Not To Lower Chinese Weightage

In reference to my previous post about MOE considering lowering the weighting of Chinese in PSLE, the MOE has officially announced that the weighting will not be lowered, but instead students will be tested in a different format. I feel that the MOE made the right decision to maintain the weighting of Chinese. This would dispel all worries of pragmatic parents to view Chinese as a less important subject. It is also right that the MOE keeps the current weighting of the two languages as the government is promoting students to be bilingual. Lastly, MOE made the right choice. The government did not contradict itself by having double standards for the kids. It is important that children are taught English and Mother Tongue and view them as equally important so that they would be able to communicate effectively in either languages.

Volcanic Ashes (Iceland)

Recently, an eruption of an Iceland Volcano has caused the ash emitted to disrupt air travel. Up to 4,000 flights are being cancelled with airspace closed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark among others. Many trips from Singapore to European countries have been cancelled. This has resulted in losses amounting to billions of dollars. This has caused many tourist to be stranded in foreign countries. This has also adversely affected the economy. Looking at the bigger picture, it shows that humans are over-reliant on advancement of technologies. Is this a good sign that humans are improving? Or is it bad to be reliant on technology? I feel that it is unhealthy to be reliant on technologies. No doubt they may bring convenience to us, but it has caused pollution to the environment. In the past, people travelled by horses and foot. It shows that people are manipulating the Earth's resources and for their own benefit.

Shanghai World Expo

China showed its most glamorous city with a blaze of fireworks, opening the 6-month-long World Expo with a glittering riverfront. It appears to be less spectacular than the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, but it was said to be budget-conscience. It still charmed, nonetheless, leaning heavily n the use of water. It is an important event for Chinese to showcase its 3000 years of rich history, as well as the exponential growth in the past 3 decades. The Chinese President assured his foreign guest that it would be a grand event that would bridge China and the world. I feel that this is a golden opportunity for China to showcase her talents, as well as to improve ties between countries from other parts of the world. It would also be beneficial to other cities as Shanghai will open the door to future cities, help boost construction of peaceful, civilised and happy cities, and promote the all-round development of mankind.

MOE Considering to Lower Chinese Weightage - Feasible?

A review of the weighting given to mother tongue languages in Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) scores have raised concerns among Chinese Singaporeans. Many fear of an erosion of Chinese Language standards among the young. An Education Minister revealed in an interview last week that the 25% weighting given to the Chinese Language could be cut. This could give the younger children, as well as parents, an unhealthy mentality that Chinese is not as important as other core subjects. Does that make the Singapore government have double standards? They want children to have the edge over others by being bilingual and promotes the language, yet on the other hand, they are reducing the percentage of the weighting of Chinese Language in PSLE? By reducing the percentage of Chinese is only solving the issue by giving in to ignorant kids who hate Chinese. In my opinion, the government should continue the promotion of Chinese. Should they give up now, their past efforts will go down the drain. Hence, the government should continue promoting Chinese and in Singapore.

Youth Olympic Games - Is it receieving too little publicity?

Why is the inaugural Youth Olympic Games having too little attention in Singapore? Is it not receiving enough media publicity? Or is it because of the attitude of Singaporeans? In my opinion, the Youth Olympic Games are receiving sufficient media attention. However, Singaporeans are not trying to be involved as they feel that they are neither youths nor sportsmen, hence they do not see any relationship they should have with the Youth Olympic Games. Many Singaporeans were cheering loudly when Singapore was announced to be the host city of the Youth Olympic Games. Why couldn't the spirit and the enthusiasm continue? I hope that the government can do something to improve the situation and hopefully, by August, Singaporeans would be actively involved in the Youth Olympic Games.