I hunted down the woman who stole my life
As i was scanning through the pages of the Reader Digest, the title of the article caught my immediate attention. Filled with curiosity, i read on and what i read 'wowed; me.
The term identity thief was not even in my vocabulary and i would have never imagine what they could do. By merely losing your identity card, it created a chance for the holder of your identity card to tap into your bank account and apply for credit card using your name. Thus whatever amount that the use spent will all be charged to you instead.
The woman in the article that chased down her identity thief had truly admirable courage and perseverance. Even though she might have had thought she lost the thief, she still carried on and did not lose hope. That was truly admirable as she displayed it at the crucial moment. The capture of her thief did justice not only for herself but also to those that had fell victim to the vicious identity thief.
It is however very unfortunate as even if the identity thief is caught, he or she might have had already sold your personal information in the black market. this means that more people know about your information. Thus it is of utmost importance that we safeguard our belongings and prevent the lost of our identity cards. Also, do not reveal personal information to strangers especially so over the Internet. As i was scanning through the pages of the Reader Digest, the title of the article caught my immediate attention. Filled with curiosity, i read on and what i read 'wowed; me.
The term identity thief was not even in my vocabulary and i would have never imagine what they could do. By merely losing your identity card, it created a chance for the holder of your identity card to tap into your bank account and apply for credit card using your name. Thus whatever amount that the use spent will all be charged to you instead.
The woman in the article that chased down her identity thief had truly admirable courage and perseverance. Even though she might have had thought she lost the thief, she still carried on and did not lose hope. That was truly admirable as she displayed it at the crucial moment. The capture of her thief did justice not only for herself but also to those that had fell victim to the vicious identity thief.
It is however very unfortunate as even if the identity thief is caught, he or she might have had already sold your personal information in the black market. this means that more people know about your information. Thus it is of utmost importance that we safeguard our belongings and prevent the lost of our identity cards. Also, do not reveal personal information to strangers especially so over the Internet. As i was scanning through the pages of the Reader Digest, the title of the article caught my immediate attention. Filled with curiosity, i read on and what i read 'wowed; me.
The term identity thief was not even in my vocabulary and i would have never imagine what they could do. By merely losing your identity card, it created a chance for the holder of your identity card to tap into your bank account and apply for credit card using your name. Thus whatever amount that the use spent will all be charged to you instead.
The woman in the article that chased down her identity thief had truly admirable courage and perseverance. Even though she might have had thought she lost the thief, she still carried on and did not lose hope. That was truly admirable as she displayed it at the crucial moment. The capture of her thief did justice not only for herself but also to those that had fell victim to the vicious identity thief.
It is however very unfortunate as even if the identity thief is caught, he or she might have had already sold your personal information in the black market. this means that more people know about your information. Thus it is of utmost importance that we safeguard our belongings and prevent the lost of our identity cards. Also, do not reveal personal information to strangers especially so over the Internet. As i was scanning through the pages of the Reader Digest, the title of the article caught my immediate attention. Filled with curiosity, i read on and what i read 'wowed; me.
The term identity thief was not even in my vocabulary and i would have never imagine what they could do. By merely losing your identity card, it created a chance for the holder of your identity card to tap into your bank account and apply for credit card using your name. Thus whatever amount that the use spent will all be charged to you instead.
The woman in the article that chased down her identity thief had truly admirable courage and perseverance. Even though she might have had thought she lost the thief, she still carried on and did not lose hope. That was truly admirable as she displayed it at the crucial moment. The capture of her thief did justice not only for herself but also to those that had fell victim to the vicious identity thief.
It is however very unfortunate as even if the identity thief is caught, he or she might have had already sold your personal information in the black market. this means that more people know about your information. Thus it is of utmost importance that we safeguard our belongings and prevent the lost of our identity cards. Also, do not reveal personal information to strangers especially so over the Internet. Identity thief can use your information to buy items and yet you still have to pay.
The victim of this identity crisis is truly commendable as she had set up a website to help educate the public so that they will not fall into the traps of these identities thieves. With more people armed with the knowledge that these despicable people exist and the ways we can do to prevent them, I'm sure they will find it hard to find a victim in time to come.
;D
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
reflection: From Sip to Slip
Browsing throught the readers' digest june copy, I have came upon an article which caught my attention. From sip to slip.
As mentioned in the article, researches had suggested people to take in a small amount of alcohol daily as it can prevent heart diseases. However it seemed to be a false result, as in fact, it does not help in preventing heart diseases at all, although it does not do any harm either.
In my opinion, having a sip of wine daily could do not much harm to your body. Also, even if the research might not be true, but no harm trying, since there are no side effects in sipping a little wine daily. Nevertheless, do not get addicted in drinking. As what the title of this article had suggested, the sip might be increased to slip as many could not control their amount of wine intake once they got addicted.
But if one is a non-drinker, then maybe one should not try to take up sipping alcohol daily since it does not have any effects. It is still better being a non-drinker as one would never get addicted to alcohol because he or she had not even tried it. The chances of contracting liver cancer will also be largely reduced since the alcohol is not present in the body to do any harm to the liver.
Thus I feel that the government should try to do something about this problem to help people to control their intake of alcohol by making it taste more bitter, so that less people would buy them. Also, they could increase the price of alcohol as mentioned in the article. Lastly, they can import less crates of wine or beer so that when the stock is limited, the people could not do anything no matter how much money they are willing to fork out.
Seow Angeline (21)
As mentioned in the article, researches had suggested people to take in a small amount of alcohol daily as it can prevent heart diseases. However it seemed to be a false result, as in fact, it does not help in preventing heart diseases at all, although it does not do any harm either.
In my opinion, having a sip of wine daily could do not much harm to your body. Also, even if the research might not be true, but no harm trying, since there are no side effects in sipping a little wine daily. Nevertheless, do not get addicted in drinking. As what the title of this article had suggested, the sip might be increased to slip as many could not control their amount of wine intake once they got addicted.
But if one is a non-drinker, then maybe one should not try to take up sipping alcohol daily since it does not have any effects. It is still better being a non-drinker as one would never get addicted to alcohol because he or she had not even tried it. The chances of contracting liver cancer will also be largely reduced since the alcohol is not present in the body to do any harm to the liver.
Thus I feel that the government should try to do something about this problem to help people to control their intake of alcohol by making it taste more bitter, so that less people would buy them. Also, they could increase the price of alcohol as mentioned in the article. Lastly, they can import less crates of wine or beer so that when the stock is limited, the people could not do anything no matter how much money they are willing to fork out.
Seow Angeline (21)
Wayne's alarming revelation
I stumbled upon this article of a doctor(Tan Poh Tin) who was giving medical relief to remote villages in Afghanistan.
In actual fact, these villagers need relief from the hurt afflicted on their souls rather than those on their bodies.
I believe that this situation is the same not only in this village, but in many others too.
Throughout the whole article, I envision myself in their situation and my heart just goes out to them.
Imagine today, your parents, siblings and close friends are all massacred by terrorists.
To you, it would probably be the end of the world and you would literally have no life.
The same applies to these fellow brothers ans sisters in the Middle-East.
Time is running out, and the longer it takes, the longer these people suffer.
I thought to myself that countless peace talks and actions are taken, why does nothing seem to work out.
This got me thinking, and I came to a conclusion.
To have peace, the solution is not using political or military powers, but its about changing the hearts of men.
The terrorists first must want to stop fighting before a real peace talk can be conducted.
To the terrorists, no peace treaty or promise they make counts.
With all confidence, I dare say that even if Osama is captured today, there would be many more Osama-wannabes who would probably do even more damage.
Unless the Government and the terrorists can compromise-which I think would not happen-, the two sides would be at war until Armageddon comes.
Put yourself in the shoes of these two groups of people, would you be willing to compromise on your convictions?
I doubt so, and that is why I believe that peace talks hardly ever work out.
Countless peace talks and even peace treaties take place in the Middle-East, but things hardly work out.
On my part, I had decided to be less-racist and always put myself in other's shoes.
Through this small act, I pray that people would be influenced.
In actual fact, these villagers need relief from the hurt afflicted on their souls rather than those on their bodies.
I believe that this situation is the same not only in this village, but in many others too.
Throughout the whole article, I envision myself in their situation and my heart just goes out to them.
Imagine today, your parents, siblings and close friends are all massacred by terrorists.
To you, it would probably be the end of the world and you would literally have no life.
The same applies to these fellow brothers ans sisters in the Middle-East.
Time is running out, and the longer it takes, the longer these people suffer.
I thought to myself that countless peace talks and actions are taken, why does nothing seem to work out.
This got me thinking, and I came to a conclusion.
To have peace, the solution is not using political or military powers, but its about changing the hearts of men.
The terrorists first must want to stop fighting before a real peace talk can be conducted.
To the terrorists, no peace treaty or promise they make counts.
With all confidence, I dare say that even if Osama is captured today, there would be many more Osama-wannabes who would probably do even more damage.
Unless the Government and the terrorists can compromise-which I think would not happen-, the two sides would be at war until Armageddon comes.
Put yourself in the shoes of these two groups of people, would you be willing to compromise on your convictions?
I doubt so, and that is why I believe that peace talks hardly ever work out.
Countless peace talks and even peace treaties take place in the Middle-East, but things hardly work out.
On my part, I had decided to be less-racist and always put myself in other's shoes.
Through this small act, I pray that people would be influenced.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
amirah was here.
As I ruffle trough the pages of the may issue of reader digest, an article caught my eye. This article is called dead of night written by Anita Bartholomew.
At first glance, the first thing that stole my attention was the exquisite and majestic-looking house printed on both the pages of 120 and 121. As I moved my gape away from the eye-catching house, the subheading reads, " what would you do if a drug-crazed thief invaded your home " .
In the dead of night, while the rest of their nighbours were sleeping peacefully like a baby, the Mandziara family had gone through many intense and stressful situations. The scenes appeared as if they were directed by an award-winning director, but the only problem was that they were not from a movie, they were real-life situation where a life could be lost.
Dean Clay Miller Jr who was high on Methamphine,which is known as ice, had stuggled viciously with Robbert, whom latter managed to overcome his opponent and run into the arms of his wife, Ana, safely. That's not the end of the story, Robert jeapourdised his safety by turning back to danger for his two other children. Escaping Miller was not an easy job but this shows that Robbert had placed his family on the top priority, even more than his own life. I admire and idolise him for that. Even before this whole incident, Robbert had promised Ana that he would ensure the safety of the family at whatever situation. They even planned on what to do in case such thing happens. This has taught me to prepare for better or for worse at all time.
Having overcome such incubus, I'm sure the Mandziaras had learnt to treasure one another more and unite the family. Through this life-threatening event, they had also formed an even stronger relationship with their neighbours. Strong bonds and deep love can indeed overcome any obstacle.
At first glance, the first thing that stole my attention was the exquisite and majestic-looking house printed on both the pages of 120 and 121. As I moved my gape away from the eye-catching house, the subheading reads, " what would you do if a drug-crazed thief invaded your home " .
In the dead of night, while the rest of their nighbours were sleeping peacefully like a baby, the Mandziara family had gone through many intense and stressful situations. The scenes appeared as if they were directed by an award-winning director, but the only problem was that they were not from a movie, they were real-life situation where a life could be lost.
Dean Clay Miller Jr who was high on Methamphine,which is known as ice, had stuggled viciously with Robbert, whom latter managed to overcome his opponent and run into the arms of his wife, Ana, safely. That's not the end of the story, Robert jeapourdised his safety by turning back to danger for his two other children. Escaping Miller was not an easy job but this shows that Robbert had placed his family on the top priority, even more than his own life. I admire and idolise him for that. Even before this whole incident, Robbert had promised Ana that he would ensure the safety of the family at whatever situation. They even planned on what to do in case such thing happens. This has taught me to prepare for better or for worse at all time.
Having overcome such incubus, I'm sure the Mandziaras had learnt to treasure one another more and unite the family. Through this life-threatening event, they had also formed an even stronger relationship with their neighbours. Strong bonds and deep love can indeed overcome any obstacle.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Jump or Die
After reading this article on Tom Murphy’s snow boarding incident, I feel that life can be very fragile at times, and when our lives are at danger, the only people we will think of is our family.
From this article, we know that Tom Murphy is a breezy, energetic figure, he loves all kinds of sport, tried football, white-water rafting, bungee jumping parachuting, snow boarding and even sky diving. The article gives me the impression that he is a daring person, who likes to take up new challenges despite any risks. It is probably because he did so many kinds of sport thus he felt confident of himself, so he went for a slide in the mountains without telling his mate.
If I were he, I would never do such a thing, many such incidents have already shown the danger one will face without having a partner. At least he should have told someone where he was going, so that if he met any accidents, people will be looking around for him. Snowboarding alone on the mountains is already a wrong decision, yet he went off the safety boundary, ignoring all the warning notices just to get fun and excitement. I think it is a very unwise decision, danger warnings are there to prevent accidents from happening, they are there for reasons, and yet people always think that the people who set these warning notices are making a big fuss out of nothing, or they did think that they are already good enough. We should really educate people more on safety precautions and warning notices.
In the middle part of this article, he tapped a farewell massage into his phone, stating that he really regretted being there alone on the mountains, and really wished to be at home with his family, he love them all. After reading the message, for some reasons, the Sze Chuan earthquake incident flashed through. I remembered about a few weeks ago, I heard news on the Sze Chuan earthquake victims aired on 93.3 fm. The two DJs on duty were discussing about a women, who died, also did something that Tom Murphy did. She tapped a message on her mobile phone, telling her son not to be afraid and that she will always love him.
I thought it was quite touching by the fact that when our live are at critical situations, all we think of is our family, not assets, status or other materialism, but our loved ones. No matter how much some of us may hate them for forcing us to get down study, study and study, we will only picture the happy moments we have spent together as a family. So I feel that we should treasure them now, rather than to regret for not doing so.
Unlike the women from the Sze Chuan earthquake victims, Tom Murphy was lucky to be alive, however not everybody can be as incredibly lucky as him. I have chosen this article to once again emphasize that no matter what situations we are in, safety should come first.
From this article, we know that Tom Murphy is a breezy, energetic figure, he loves all kinds of sport, tried football, white-water rafting, bungee jumping parachuting, snow boarding and even sky diving. The article gives me the impression that he is a daring person, who likes to take up new challenges despite any risks. It is probably because he did so many kinds of sport thus he felt confident of himself, so he went for a slide in the mountains without telling his mate.
If I were he, I would never do such a thing, many such incidents have already shown the danger one will face without having a partner. At least he should have told someone where he was going, so that if he met any accidents, people will be looking around for him. Snowboarding alone on the mountains is already a wrong decision, yet he went off the safety boundary, ignoring all the warning notices just to get fun and excitement. I think it is a very unwise decision, danger warnings are there to prevent accidents from happening, they are there for reasons, and yet people always think that the people who set these warning notices are making a big fuss out of nothing, or they did think that they are already good enough. We should really educate people more on safety precautions and warning notices.
In the middle part of this article, he tapped a farewell massage into his phone, stating that he really regretted being there alone on the mountains, and really wished to be at home with his family, he love them all. After reading the message, for some reasons, the Sze Chuan earthquake incident flashed through. I remembered about a few weeks ago, I heard news on the Sze Chuan earthquake victims aired on 93.3 fm. The two DJs on duty were discussing about a women, who died, also did something that Tom Murphy did. She tapped a message on her mobile phone, telling her son not to be afraid and that she will always love him.
I thought it was quite touching by the fact that when our live are at critical situations, all we think of is our family, not assets, status or other materialism, but our loved ones. No matter how much some of us may hate them for forcing us to get down study, study and study, we will only picture the happy moments we have spent together as a family. So I feel that we should treasure them now, rather than to regret for not doing so.
Unlike the women from the Sze Chuan earthquake victims, Tom Murphy was lucky to be alive, however not everybody can be as incredibly lucky as him. I have chosen this article to once again emphasize that no matter what situations we are in, safety should come first.
Medical Breakthroughs 2008
Every year, people die of diseases of unknown cure. People die of SARS, sexually transmitted disease and many many other diseases which until now no cure has been found. Does it mean that there will never ever be a cure for all this diseases forever? With the medical breakthroughs every year, i believe that one day, a cure for all these diseases will be found and help those in need.This year, scientists, reseachers and doctors have brought smiles to people in need and these breakthroughs will really make you say "wow".
As for the brain, scientists have successfully watched a living human brain growing new brain cells(neurogenesis). It could help diagnose amd treat disorders like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and depression, in which neurogenesis is disrupted. Also, researchers in germany have also successfully developed a new technique to see entire neural network in 3 dimensional, without any slicing or reconstructing.
On treating skin cancers, doctors remove cancer fighting cells from late stage patients, grow more and then give them back. This immunotheraphy can shrink tumours in about 75%.
Two kinds of vaccines has been created.Flumist, approved to two to five year-olds, takes the sting out of flu prevention.Menactra, though rare, but bacterial meningitiscan be deadly.
Fractures from fragile boneaffect half wimen iver 50.Two new medicationscan help repair them, and reduce the risk.Forteo stimulates the cells that makes bones larger and harder and there is a greater increase of mineral density in a shorter time. Now, dose of Reclast can strenghten bones and protect against fractures.
UCB developed neupro, improving movement and lets those early stage parkinson's stay more active during the day and sleep better at night.
With so much advances in medical sciences, it really seems like a near future whereby there is a cure for every disease. So i think that nothing is impossible in this world. We must look further ahead for a better and more healthy future.
As for the brain, scientists have successfully watched a living human brain growing new brain cells(neurogenesis). It could help diagnose amd treat disorders like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and depression, in which neurogenesis is disrupted. Also, researchers in germany have also successfully developed a new technique to see entire neural network in 3 dimensional, without any slicing or reconstructing.
On treating skin cancers, doctors remove cancer fighting cells from late stage patients, grow more and then give them back. This immunotheraphy can shrink tumours in about 75%.
Two kinds of vaccines has been created.Flumist, approved to two to five year-olds, takes the sting out of flu prevention.Menactra, though rare, but bacterial meningitiscan be deadly.
Fractures from fragile boneaffect half wimen iver 50.Two new medicationscan help repair them, and reduce the risk.Forteo stimulates the cells that makes bones larger and harder and there is a greater increase of mineral density in a shorter time. Now, dose of Reclast can strenghten bones and protect against fractures.
UCB developed neupro, improving movement and lets those early stage parkinson's stay more active during the day and sleep better at night.
With so much advances in medical sciences, it really seems like a near future whereby there is a cure for every disease. So i think that nothing is impossible in this world. We must look further ahead for a better and more healthy future.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Rise of Cyber Bullying
i agree that the number of cyber bullying have increase over the years and many have become the victim of cyber bullying.
and the number of cases of victim themselves due to cyber bullying has also increase over the years with more and more people killing themselves due to cyber bullying.
some people may think that it is fun bullying people online and did it just for fun but they do not know what harm they may cause to people.
due to that, more people are bullying people online which cause the increases in number of victim.
and most of the victim have very quiet personality that cause them to keep quiet when they are bullied either in real life or online, thus, when they could not take it anymore, they will commit suicide.
with most of the students and people using internet now, everyone turn to cyber bullying in different ways like blogger or even in friendster.
people will tend to blog bad things about people in their blog when they do not like the person or even when the people offend him in a small way.
most of the cases of cyber bullying occurs on blogs or even online chatting whereby people will tagged on blog that you are so stupid and ugly or even scold you directly on chatting room online.
A case of students that kill himself due to cyber bullying is Sam Leeson, a 13 year old student from Tredworth, Gloucestershire, hanged himself in his bedroom apparently after suffering months of bullying online.
Bebo, a teenage social network allows people to target online user like myspace which gives people more chances to bully friends or even people they do not know online.
this show how easy is it for people to be targeted and used for cyber bullying.
i think that people should stop cyber bullying as they do not know what it will cause and more attention should be given to cyber bullying so as to prevent those victim from hurting themselves when they have no one else to turn to.
with the number of cases increasing, it is important to prevent more cases of it as it will be worst if there are more people who fall into the hands of cyber bullying.
and i think that people should pay more attention to those children who are usually quietier as they are they more common target that online bully will chose.
and most important, we must let the students know what harm they will cause to other people due to online bullying so as to solve the roots of the problem by decreasing the number of people who use cyber bullying.
and the number of cases of victim themselves due to cyber bullying has also increase over the years with more and more people killing themselves due to cyber bullying.
some people may think that it is fun bullying people online and did it just for fun but they do not know what harm they may cause to people.
due to that, more people are bullying people online which cause the increases in number of victim.
and most of the victim have very quiet personality that cause them to keep quiet when they are bullied either in real life or online, thus, when they could not take it anymore, they will commit suicide.
with most of the students and people using internet now, everyone turn to cyber bullying in different ways like blogger or even in friendster.
people will tend to blog bad things about people in their blog when they do not like the person or even when the people offend him in a small way.
most of the cases of cyber bullying occurs on blogs or even online chatting whereby people will tagged on blog that you are so stupid and ugly or even scold you directly on chatting room online.
A case of students that kill himself due to cyber bullying is Sam Leeson, a 13 year old student from Tredworth, Gloucestershire, hanged himself in his bedroom apparently after suffering months of bullying online.
Bebo, a teenage social network allows people to target online user like myspace which gives people more chances to bully friends or even people they do not know online.
this show how easy is it for people to be targeted and used for cyber bullying.
i think that people should stop cyber bullying as they do not know what it will cause and more attention should be given to cyber bullying so as to prevent those victim from hurting themselves when they have no one else to turn to.
with the number of cases increasing, it is important to prevent more cases of it as it will be worst if there are more people who fall into the hands of cyber bullying.
and i think that people should pay more attention to those children who are usually quietier as they are they more common target that online bully will chose.
and most important, we must let the students know what harm they will cause to other people due to online bullying so as to solve the roots of the problem by decreasing the number of people who use cyber bullying.
Reader's Digest Reflection : The Rise of Cyber Bullying
After reading the article on “The Rise of Cyber Bullying”, I felt both sad and pitiful for the victims. There has been a rising in the number of victims being cyber bullied and I think there must be a stop to it. However the number of victims has yet decreased. Worst still, many people, involving students, have done something similar to what a cyber bully might have done and they did not seem to have realized. This is terrible. This shows that many people do not know what cyber bullying is.
Firstly, what exactly is cyber bullying? I think cyber bullying happens when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, or mobile phones but it is usually from emails, chat rooms and even other websites from Internet. Cyber bullying is usually not a one time communication, unless it involves a death threat or a credible threat of serious bodily harm. When schools try and get involved by disciplining the student for cyber bullying actions, they often lose. Teachers just teach the students during assembly and just leave the case. They did not get opinions from students or check if they know and understand what cyber bullying is.
Secondly, how does cyber bullying works? There are two kinds of cyber bullying: direct attacks and cyber bullying by proxy. Direct attacks means messages sent to your kids directly and attack people, students. Cyber bullying by proxy means using others to help cyber bully the victim, either with or without the accomplice's knowledge. Direct attacks involves instant messaging or text messaging harassment, stealing passwords, blogs, impersonation, web sites, and sending pictures through E-mail and cell phones. They may send hateful or threatening messages to other people, without realizing that while not said in real life, unkind or threatening messages are hurtful and very serious. Blogs are online journals. They are a fun way for kids and teens to messages for all of their friends to see. However, kids sometimes use these blogs to damage other kids' reputations or invade their privacy.
For example, in one case, a boy posted a bunch of blogs about his breakup with his ex-girlfriend, explaining how she destroyed his life, calling her degrading names. Their mutual friends read about this and criticized her. She was embarrassed and hurt all because another kid posted mean, private, and false information about her. Sometimes kids set up a blog or profile page pretending to be their victim and saying things designed to humiliate them. Cyber bullying by proxy is when a cyber bully gets someone else to do their dirty work. Most of the time they are unwitting accomplices and don't know that they are being used by the cyber bully. Cyber bullying by proxy is the most dangerous kind of cyber bullying because it often gets adults involve in the harassment and people who don't know they are dealing with a kid or someone they know.
Why do people cyber bullies? I think there are many reasons to it. The first reason is perhaps because when it comes to cyber bullying, they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction. Some do it by accident, and either sends a message to the wrong recipient or didn't think before they did something. The most dangerous reason is the bullies they themselves do not know that they are in the wrong.
The types and methods of cyber bully differ and their motives differ too, the solutions and responses to each type of cyber bullying incident has to differ too. Nonetheless, educating the kids about the consequences helps. Teaching them to respect others and to take a stand against bullying of all kinds helps too. Parents need to be the one trusted place cyber bullies can go when things go wrong online and offline. Yet they often are the one place cyber bullies avoid when things go wrong online. Why? Parents tend to overreact. Most children will avoid telling their parents about a cyber bullying incident fearing they will only make things worse. However, some parents are kept unknown about their child’s acts as most parents are working parents, which means they work and the time spend with their children is getting lesser and lesser.
It is more and more difficult to prevent cyber bullying as the internet is getting more and more important to people regardless working adults or students. Many bullies tend to think it is funny to bully people but I do not think so.
As referred in the article, Ryan Halligan was taunted for months. His classmates spread rumours via instant messaging that he is a gay. A popular female classmates pretended to like him and chatted with him online. Being unable to cope, he killed himself. I think it is foolish of him to commit suicide. There are many victims like him, who cannot cope the taunts from cyber bullies and also nobody to confide in and eventually commit suicide. I think parents plays an important job in helping their children. Besides, victims of cyber bully must also confide their problems to someone who they can trust like teachers, friends and their parents. After reading this article, it was then I knew that there are cyber bullying going on. I reckon that no one should trust anyone in the internet and more time should be spend on ones studies and not on the internet.
Together, I think we can decrease the number of cyber bullying.
*o* Heng Hui Zhi (8) ~o~
Firstly, what exactly is cyber bullying? I think cyber bullying happens when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, or mobile phones but it is usually from emails, chat rooms and even other websites from Internet. Cyber bullying is usually not a one time communication, unless it involves a death threat or a credible threat of serious bodily harm. When schools try and get involved by disciplining the student for cyber bullying actions, they often lose. Teachers just teach the students during assembly and just leave the case. They did not get opinions from students or check if they know and understand what cyber bullying is.
Secondly, how does cyber bullying works? There are two kinds of cyber bullying: direct attacks and cyber bullying by proxy. Direct attacks means messages sent to your kids directly and attack people, students. Cyber bullying by proxy means using others to help cyber bully the victim, either with or without the accomplice's knowledge. Direct attacks involves instant messaging or text messaging harassment, stealing passwords, blogs, impersonation, web sites, and sending pictures through E-mail and cell phones. They may send hateful or threatening messages to other people, without realizing that while not said in real life, unkind or threatening messages are hurtful and very serious. Blogs are online journals. They are a fun way for kids and teens to messages for all of their friends to see. However, kids sometimes use these blogs to damage other kids' reputations or invade their privacy.
For example, in one case, a boy posted a bunch of blogs about his breakup with his ex-girlfriend, explaining how she destroyed his life, calling her degrading names. Their mutual friends read about this and criticized her. She was embarrassed and hurt all because another kid posted mean, private, and false information about her. Sometimes kids set up a blog or profile page pretending to be their victim and saying things designed to humiliate them. Cyber bullying by proxy is when a cyber bully gets someone else to do their dirty work. Most of the time they are unwitting accomplices and don't know that they are being used by the cyber bully. Cyber bullying by proxy is the most dangerous kind of cyber bullying because it often gets adults involve in the harassment and people who don't know they are dealing with a kid or someone they know.
Why do people cyber bullies? I think there are many reasons to it. The first reason is perhaps because when it comes to cyber bullying, they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction. Some do it by accident, and either sends a message to the wrong recipient or didn't think before they did something. The most dangerous reason is the bullies they themselves do not know that they are in the wrong.
The types and methods of cyber bully differ and their motives differ too, the solutions and responses to each type of cyber bullying incident has to differ too. Nonetheless, educating the kids about the consequences helps. Teaching them to respect others and to take a stand against bullying of all kinds helps too. Parents need to be the one trusted place cyber bullies can go when things go wrong online and offline. Yet they often are the one place cyber bullies avoid when things go wrong online. Why? Parents tend to overreact. Most children will avoid telling their parents about a cyber bullying incident fearing they will only make things worse. However, some parents are kept unknown about their child’s acts as most parents are working parents, which means they work and the time spend with their children is getting lesser and lesser.
It is more and more difficult to prevent cyber bullying as the internet is getting more and more important to people regardless working adults or students. Many bullies tend to think it is funny to bully people but I do not think so.
As referred in the article, Ryan Halligan was taunted for months. His classmates spread rumours via instant messaging that he is a gay. A popular female classmates pretended to like him and chatted with him online. Being unable to cope, he killed himself. I think it is foolish of him to commit suicide. There are many victims like him, who cannot cope the taunts from cyber bullies and also nobody to confide in and eventually commit suicide. I think parents plays an important job in helping their children. Besides, victims of cyber bully must also confide their problems to someone who they can trust like teachers, friends and their parents. After reading this article, it was then I knew that there are cyber bullying going on. I reckon that no one should trust anyone in the internet and more time should be spend on ones studies and not on the internet.
Together, I think we can decrease the number of cyber bullying.
*o* Heng Hui Zhi (8) ~o~
Searching for Marita
"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." I am very certain that this quote is implying about our mothers and all the mothers in the world whose love is so sacrificial and divine. Upon looking at this article, a guilty feeling suddenly ran through me, i mean, how many of us really appreciate all our great mothers had done for us and ever whispered a word of thanks to them to remind them that they are not forgotten by us? Being adolescents, we are usually involved our own busy lives, tremendous pressure from school work which seems to pile up daily and our own hectic lifestyle which cause us to forget our mothers' warmly embraces and say a word of thanks to them which will bring them transcendent joy. In this article, Susana Trimarco's divine love for her daughter, Marita, is expressed eloquently through her continuous and indefatigable search for Marita.
Determined to search her daughter, Susana tried to search Marita at dangerous locations such as bars and red-like districts where prostitutes carried out their undignified jobs. " Why these locations?", one might wondered. This would even led to another shocking revelation that in Argentina, young adolescents, even children, are exploited sexually and most of them have never been found since the day they are kidnapped by human triffickers.
Susana even dressed up as a prostitute herself in order to get involved in the shadowy and illegal network and attain as much information about Marita.This deed is indeed very sacrificial as she is risking her own life by getting involved in the dirty world of sex trade, in which, she stumbled upon young girls are victims of sexual exploitation. As a result, her compassionate personality give her even more drive to help these young victims of sex trafficking and as she continued her search untiringly, she has a even larger goal in mind, that is to bring hope and come into aid to young victims, each of them reminding her about Marita. Despite numerous futile attempts, she did not give up any hope but become more determined than ever.
Andrea, a victim of sexual exploitation, whom Susana stumbled upon while searching for Marita also recounts to her about even more gruesome and harrowing stories about other young victims. Out of compassion and sympathy, Susana let her stay in her house and even sent her for physcological counselling. This brings out Susana's generous personality and her heart that is sure to be made of gold. Her strong personality is also displayed when she overcame much of adversity, first having to sell her house and exhaust her savings and having to endure heartbreaking divorce with her husband in the midst of the search for Marita and having to recover from the nearly successful attempts to find her before hope came crashing down upon her again. No doubt, she really deserved the Woman of Courage award and also returned the much deserved respect to women in Latin America who are sexually exploited which was stolen once. Deep down in my heart, i am really touched by her actions and strong personality and admire her as a role model of all mothers and women.
The fact that sex trafficking has been facilitated by official corruption and authorities who totally ignored the heart-wrenching tales of many young girls will surely ignite sparks of anger in the hearts of many people and sparked off much controversy in the society. Even so, the country is still lacking enough provincial authorities to monitor sex trafficking and also to rescue sexually exploited victims. Thus, i would advocate the government to start off from educating parents of young girls of such existing and pressing issues of sexual exploitation nad to protect their girlos from such potential danger. Futhermore, programmes can also be organised in schools to strenghten the ability of young girls to recognise situations where they are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Most importantly, unions and organisations take up the action of training sex exploitation monitors to monitor and prevent more issues of sex trafficking. In conclusion, i sincerely hope that susana can eventually be reunted with her beloved daughter and for young victims of sexual exploitation to be given a new lease of life.
.
Determined to search her daughter, Susana tried to search Marita at dangerous locations such as bars and red-like districts where prostitutes carried out their undignified jobs. " Why these locations?", one might wondered. This would even led to another shocking revelation that in Argentina, young adolescents, even children, are exploited sexually and most of them have never been found since the day they are kidnapped by human triffickers.
Susana even dressed up as a prostitute herself in order to get involved in the shadowy and illegal network and attain as much information about Marita.This deed is indeed very sacrificial as she is risking her own life by getting involved in the dirty world of sex trade, in which, she stumbled upon young girls are victims of sexual exploitation. As a result, her compassionate personality give her even more drive to help these young victims of sex trafficking and as she continued her search untiringly, she has a even larger goal in mind, that is to bring hope and come into aid to young victims, each of them reminding her about Marita. Despite numerous futile attempts, she did not give up any hope but become more determined than ever.
Andrea, a victim of sexual exploitation, whom Susana stumbled upon while searching for Marita also recounts to her about even more gruesome and harrowing stories about other young victims. Out of compassion and sympathy, Susana let her stay in her house and even sent her for physcological counselling. This brings out Susana's generous personality and her heart that is sure to be made of gold. Her strong personality is also displayed when she overcame much of adversity, first having to sell her house and exhaust her savings and having to endure heartbreaking divorce with her husband in the midst of the search for Marita and having to recover from the nearly successful attempts to find her before hope came crashing down upon her again. No doubt, she really deserved the Woman of Courage award and also returned the much deserved respect to women in Latin America who are sexually exploited which was stolen once. Deep down in my heart, i am really touched by her actions and strong personality and admire her as a role model of all mothers and women.
The fact that sex trafficking has been facilitated by official corruption and authorities who totally ignored the heart-wrenching tales of many young girls will surely ignite sparks of anger in the hearts of many people and sparked off much controversy in the society. Even so, the country is still lacking enough provincial authorities to monitor sex trafficking and also to rescue sexually exploited victims. Thus, i would advocate the government to start off from educating parents of young girls of such existing and pressing issues of sexual exploitation nad to protect their girlos from such potential danger. Futhermore, programmes can also be organised in schools to strenghten the ability of young girls to recognise situations where they are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Most importantly, unions and organisations take up the action of training sex exploitation monitors to monitor and prevent more issues of sex trafficking. In conclusion, i sincerely hope that susana can eventually be reunted with her beloved daughter and for young victims of sexual exploitation to be given a new lease of life.
.
RD reflection -- the rise of cyber bullying
Since 2000, cyber bullying which includes sending threatening messages, displaying private messages, and posting embarrassing video footage and photos on the internet, has been increasing at an alarming rate. As online communication evolves from chatrooms and istant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives and more public. It is becoming clear that aspects of online communication encourage people to act aggressively, prompting then to do things they would not dare to try in real life. Many children thinks the cyberworld is a place that adults would not enter, so it is harder to get caught cyber bullying. The ability to reach out to more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventional variety. A research found that for one in eight young people, cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying.The reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one person when no one else knew about it. However, a video seen by hundreds of others would be devastating.
Another reason why cyber bullying is so harmful is its sheer relentlessness. The internet does not just amlify the effect of bullying. The option to stay anonymous when online means people can write things they would not dare to if their identity were known. Anonymity can also amplify bullying's negative effect on the victim. The psychological ramifications of not knowing who is attacking you can be maddening. A suvey carried out showed that nearly half of the children interviewed did not know the identity of their cyber-bully.
After reading this article, I feel that cyber-bullying is getting more and more serious. I feel cyber bullying should be eradicated as cyber bullying will affect the victim emotionally and physically. The devastation wrought by cyber bullying have caused suicides and even depression.
Hence, I advise parents to take note of their child's behaviour. If they find that they are reacting in a very different way like getting upset or angry after using the mobile phone or computer,they should take action iommediately and send them for counsuelling. The government should also take legislative action like making it a federal crime to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person on the internet. The government should also introduce the " internet real-name-system", which forces the portals and news websites to record the identities of people who post content and to disclose their contact details if someone wants to sue them for libel or infringement of privacy. In such ways, I think that we are able to control cyber bullying.
Ziji
Since 2000, cyber bullying which includes sending threatening messages, displaying private messages, and posting embarrassing video footage and photos on the internet, has been increasing at an alarming rate. As online communication evolves from chatrooms and istant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives and more public. It is becoming clear that aspects of online communication encourage people to act aggressively, prompting then to do things they would not dare to try in real life. Many children thinks the cyberworld is a place that adults would not enter, so it is harder to get caught cyber bullying. The ability to reach out to more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventional variety. A research found that for one in eight young people, cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying.The reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one person when no one else knew about it. However, a video seen by hundreds of others would be devastating.
Another reason why cyber bullying is so harmful is its sheer relentlessness. The internet does not just amlify the effect of bullying. The option to stay anonymous when online means people can write things they would not dare to if their identity were known. Anonymity can also amplify bullying's negative effect on the victim. The psychological ramifications of not knowing who is attacking you can be maddening. A suvey carried out showed that nearly half of the children interviewed did not know the identity of their cyber-bully.
After reading this article, I feel that cyber-bullying is getting more and more serious. I feel cyber bullying should be eradicated as cyber bullying will affect the victim emotionally and physically. The devastation wrought by cyber bullying have caused suicides and even depression.
Hence, I advise parents to take note of their child's behaviour. If they find that they are reacting in a very different way like getting upset or angry after using the mobile phone or computer,they should take action iommediately and send them for counsuelling. The government should also take legislative action like making it a federal crime to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person on the internet. The government should also introduce the " internet real-name-system", which forces the portals and news websites to record the identities of people who post content and to disclose their contact details if someone wants to sue them for libel or infringement of privacy. In such ways, I think that we are able to control cyber bullying.
Ziji
Rise of Cyber Bullying -pg 115- RD may 2008
From the article i feel strongly that ,bullying is no longer child's play anymore. Cyber-bully can cause more harm then physical bully in this case however, it even causes death.Due to the improvement and advancment in technology, bullies tend to bully many others through the net. Cyber-bullying by definition means a deliberate, repeated, and hostile act by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.In short ,a cowardy act, many tend to pose themselves as anonymous people,prank calling the victims continuosly, disturbing the victim's private life. Some chose to send threatful messages, post embrassing photos of victims on the net, or sexual remarks that hurt the victim psychologically. The bully may prank the victim for pure fun , posing as someone else and engaging in conversation with the victims through the net with the ultimate goal to embarrass the victim. The act of the bullies will cause the victims to be scarred for life. Maybe for primary reasons,it is for pure fun. But when things go overboard, no one can undo what is done. Everyone deserved to be loved and cared for, such act could be deemed cruel and unfair. Defaming others, spreading untruth personal secrets, not only will hurt the victims,it could cause them to lose their friends and family due to the untruth secrets. Parents knowing that their child is bullied, they might feel that it is their fault that result in the hurt of their children. The victims will feel even helpless , knowing that the ones destroying his life are the people they love and cared for and keep the problem they are facing to themselves. However, i feel that these cases could be avoided or prevented by doing some measures. Examples are, not
expose too much personal information to others through the net. Nobody should trust anyone through the net. Nobody should think that they can meet close friends through the net, in the end they might hurt themselves. Nobody should believe anonymous news. If anyone feels pressurized from what anyone have done to he/she, he/she should report or share with their close ones. These might prevent some cases of cyber-bullying from taking place easily. The all-convenient computer that most of us posses could be a ferocious weapon if used in a wrong way, therefore, people should learn the right way to use a computer and people should stop using the computer to harm people.
expose too much personal information to others through the net. Nobody should trust anyone through the net. Nobody should think that they can meet close friends through the net, in the end they might hurt themselves. Nobody should believe anonymous news. If anyone feels pressurized from what anyone have done to he/she, he/she should report or share with their close ones. These might prevent some cases of cyber-bullying from taking place easily. The all-convenient computer that most of us posses could be a ferocious weapon if used in a wrong way, therefore, people should learn the right way to use a computer and people should stop using the computer to harm people.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
RD May Issue: ' Carbon Offsetting-The Myths, The Truth '
Yelloe! Goodness gracious, what exactly in the world is Mother Earth 'evolving' into? Really, a whale more of sedulousness(& of course much more)has to be put in, aside from all the 'Saving Gaia' efforts and organisations, to save our lovely planet from utter destruction; causé if all of us still were to remain adamant with regards to this 'impending' problem, we will only be digging our own graves! Look at the recent spate of natural catastrophes- reasons for their occurrences can all be traced back to the issue of global warming and climate change! Anyway, let's steer away from digressing and discuss about the issue of carbon offsetting.
So, the question of the day is: Can giving money to plant trees far away really make up for our lifestyles' environmental impact? And, is the concept of 'carbon offsetting' itself feasible? Basically, the idea behind carbon offsetting is that you do something to remove the equivalent amount of carbon from the atmosphere by making whatever it was that you did "carbon neutral" - as if it had never happened in the first place. This is usually achieved by paying a company a fee based on the amount of carbon dioxide you have released or caused to be released.
Carbon offsetting is a relatively new concept for most people and, as such, has generated a good amount of debate. While simple at first glance, the market mechanisms supporting the generation and sale of offsets, as well as the way in which this activity results in actual emission reductions, is somewhat complicated. For this reason, a certain level of skepticism has been aroused. As for me, I do agree with what the article has justified, that is, there are no widely accepted standards as to what qualifies as an offset. Moreover, many retail offset marketers provide bantam information about where the money is being spent or what criteria are used to select the reductions they sell. True, this market in environmental absolution is remarkable unregulated and secretive. Also, the lack of transparency simply connotes that it is often impossible to be sure that money invested in carbon offsetting makes the difference that is claimed for it. I also agree that efforts to portray offsets as simple, quick fixes pose serious incertitudes of both commercial and ecological legitimacy. It is mentioned that skeptics argue that there is no substitute for cutting emissions. Furthermore, I too think that buying an offset implies a degree of certainty that we simply do not have here. and at the very least, there should be an urgent need for regulation so people can be sure that the way they offset is actually making a difference and not just some phony implementations.
Therefore, with regards to the second question, I would say that, in my opinion, this carbon offsetting project is not that feasible. Why? The problem of global warming is due to there being too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide has largely come from the burning of fossil fuels starting with the industrial revolution about 150 years ago. This carbon was safely locked up in a "carbon sink" but was released back into the atmosphere. as such, the only way that any act of releasing carbon dioxide can be fully "neutralised" is by locking that carbon equivalent up again in another carbon sink, not to be released again. And in view of this, none of the ways of carbon-offsetting I have heard of have yet devised do that.
Perhaps the greatest criticism of carbon offsetting is that it lulls people, individuals and businesses, into a false sense of security in thinking that they can carry on acting exactly as they always have and as long as they pay some money, it's all made better, when in reality it isn't. In addition, certain news sources have also quoted that " it may be often be cheaper to purchase offsets than to eliminate or reduce emissions, so big polluters just carry on as usual while paying some conscience-money. It may even encourage people to make unnecessary journeys that otherwise they wouldn't consider." As such, some companies have been accused of causing damage in the developing world while making no difference to curbing climate change. So, having said all these, I'm sure that there will definitely be queries such as, "Doesn't it even work a little bit?", so on and so forth. Hmm, I am glad to inform that, it does do good as things happen that would otherwise not have happened and those things are positive in terms of global warming. And in the grand scheme of things, it is claimed that carbon offsetting schemes help to raise awareness and reduce the impact of carbon emitting actions. But however, a point that must be accentuated is that, carbon offsetting is not the end-solution to global warming. Yeap, so to all those companies or organisations which have already signed a contract(s) to so-called 'neutralise' the amount of carbon and other maleficent, pernicious or pestilent greenhouse gases through this carbon offsetting efforts, try as you might, but it seems that is too late for salvage now!
Alright, anyway, let's now gain deeper understanding on some of the epistles and animadversion that have been tagged to some of the schemes that claim to "offset" the carbon dioxide we produce. First, for tree planting and reforestation, comments that have put buyers in a quandary are that, to be a real solution, the forests created would need to be there untouched forever. It can cause more harm than good in Northern countries. Finally, inappropriate species can (and have been) planted and workers in the developing world can be exploited. Wait a minute, I know some of you are already summing up more questions...... Next, in terms of Renewable Energy Investment, some drawbacks are: Nothing happens about the carbon dioxide you emitted, it is still in the atmosphere. Not sustainable as a solution to continuing to emit carbon dioxide. But then, as we all know, or probably most of us are aware of, there may still be certain benefits and one of these is that, investment can lead to technology and uses that continue to be effective potentially indefinitely, so the benefits can really be long-term. Lastly, in terms of Promoting Energy Efficiency, some of the impedimenta includes the smoky and traditional open wood fires which cause illnesses for millions of people. More efficient fires will reduce this problem though. As for the perquisites, more efficient light bulbs reduce the further production of carbon dioxide (which is still produced) rather than deal with any already produced; and more efficient wood stoves lead to better usage of renewable natural resources - trees that provide fuel.
So, is it all worth our time, effort and money? If carried out correctly - these methods are "worth doing" - but NOT for the purpose of ameliorating the effects of profligate carbon dioxide production, because they are simply NOT a cure. (Oops, did I seem a little agitated? ) Anyway, of these methods, rather surprisingly, I think that reforestation is the most controversial. It is the one that seems the easiest, straightforward and should be the most effective, but it is also the one that can be carried out in such a way as to actually be harmful rather than useful.
Deforestation has been a feature of human civilization from the earliest days when we first realised there were benefits from cutting down trees - wood to use as fuel, as a building material and for a million and one other uses. Open land rather than forest was good for hunting some animals and then later on it was a way of getting more land for farming. Planting trees is a good and useful thing to do almost anywhere in the world. It helps stop soil erosion, has an effect on climate stabilisation on a local and global scale, provides wood for fuel and building , and a habitat for wildlife. So, appropriate tree planting is always a good thing. But, to be useful, trees planted would have to be maintained in perpetuity (forever), if they were felled and used at any time, the carbon dioxide they have sequestered would simply be released back into the atmosphere and it may as well never have happened in the first place. In the worst cases, tree planting carbon-offset schemes are just ways of getting some subsidised forestry planting for future use, they can be a way of getting someone else to pay to plant trees that would have been planted anyway. Therefore, helping to fund these schemes may not necessarily deal with any carbon dioxide you have already emitted. However, it can be of increasing value for the future as such schemes can potentially last indefinitely and they result in NO further carbon dioxide being emitted over what is sustainable (such as biomass energy where the emitted carbon dioxide is used by the next crop).
The thing with a lot of this stuff is that we just don't really know where it's all going and investing in renewable energy is the place where it can possibly make the biggest difference in the longer term, don't you think? Still,I would like to mention that, even though energy efficiency does not help in any reduction of carbon dioxide, it helps other people (in developing countries) to act to reduce their carbon dioxide output. Energy efficient light bulbs are cheaper in the long run however and so are efficient wood burning stoves, so it's more to do with poverty than global warming.
Therefore, even though carbon offsetting projects are not likely to stop global warming, and are currently unsustainable as a long term approach, they still help to expostulate and inspire people all over the world to reduce their carbon emissions and assist in tackling climate change.
The Rise Of Cyber Bullying
The act of cyber bullying is increasing with the ascending usage of the internet by the children of today's generation. The US-based Pew Internet & America Life project have studied that one-third of American teen internet users have become targets of cyber bullies. Cyber bullying often occur in many online communication sites such as chatrooms. These young teens are the main, and eas,y targets of such undesirable acts. According to a research firm, cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying due to the fact that there is a sheer number of people who are able to view whatever that is posted online. The victim would usually feel distressed and devasted because of the embarassment that was showered upon him. With cyber bullying occuring 24/7, it is hard for one to overcome the stress.
There has been many cases of children as young as 13 years of age commiting suicide as they were unable to cope with the pressure, such as the incident that happened to Gail Jones. The 15 year old Briton commited suicide after recieving 20 phone calls on her mobile every 30 minutes. The calls had driven her over the edge, leading to suicide. At one point, cyber bullying may also lead to paranoia. Anonymity is an advantage to the bully as they are able to stay unknown and taunt one at the same time. So the victim will never know who is the one bullying him/her. It could be their bestfriend, a sibling and etc. Plus, bullying online means that there is no visual contact, thus more extreme behaviour are able to be done. No one will know that you have caused a life. You will not be caught or charged for the act of crime you have cimmited.
In my opinion, cyber bullying that goes as bad as one commiting suicide is equals to one literally stabbing another to death. Extreme cyber bullying is also a crime and I believe that police must take action. When death caused by another's reckless act occurs, in my opinion it is a major crime. If the police choose not to take them seriously just because this problem occurs online, then it reflects alot about the country and how careless they are about their own community.
Many articles and sites have been brought up in attempt to stop cyber bullying. Many have helped by simply putting up articles to remind internet users to be safe when online and take precautions when communicating with strangers through chatrooms, etc. Websites such as www.stopcyberbullying.org are also great as they explain alot about cyber bullying and the many actions we can take to stop cyber bullying from happening to ourselves.
Name: Nur Syazana (16)
Class: 3F
Date: 14 June 2008
There has been many cases of children as young as 13 years of age commiting suicide as they were unable to cope with the pressure, such as the incident that happened to Gail Jones. The 15 year old Briton commited suicide after recieving 20 phone calls on her mobile every 30 minutes. The calls had driven her over the edge, leading to suicide. At one point, cyber bullying may also lead to paranoia. Anonymity is an advantage to the bully as they are able to stay unknown and taunt one at the same time. So the victim will never know who is the one bullying him/her. It could be their bestfriend, a sibling and etc. Plus, bullying online means that there is no visual contact, thus more extreme behaviour are able to be done. No one will know that you have caused a life. You will not be caught or charged for the act of crime you have cimmited.
In my opinion, cyber bullying that goes as bad as one commiting suicide is equals to one literally stabbing another to death. Extreme cyber bullying is also a crime and I believe that police must take action. When death caused by another's reckless act occurs, in my opinion it is a major crime. If the police choose not to take them seriously just because this problem occurs online, then it reflects alot about the country and how careless they are about their own community.
Many articles and sites have been brought up in attempt to stop cyber bullying. Many have helped by simply putting up articles to remind internet users to be safe when online and take precautions when communicating with strangers through chatrooms, etc. Websites such as www.stopcyberbullying.org are also great as they explain alot about cyber bullying and the many actions we can take to stop cyber bullying from happening to ourselves.
Name: Nur Syazana (16)
Class: 3F
Date: 14 June 2008
Running for his Life
June 2008 .
Summary:
This is a real life story of a victim of dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ryan Farrington contracted dystonia since he was five or six but was later confirm when he was seven. Ryan would occasionally fall to the floor and scream, terrifying his mother, Lisa Farrington. Ryan would be sent to hospital and would then be put on a morphine drip to make him unconscious and deaden the pain.
When he was seven, another attack came but was different from the past attacks. Ryan was laying face down on the ground, violent spasms wrenching his back. The doctors could only help him by putting him on a morphine drip. A specialist then confirmed him of having dystonia, a disease which its symptoms are still unknown. Ryan’s dystonia worsen as he grew older and falling became so frequent that he had his own permanent bed in Walsall’s Manor hospital.
One autumn, the doctor explained their options after showing them pictures of patients with severe “torsion” dystonia who had symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and suggested Ryan to go for an operation to remove his legs. It would mean that Ryan would be confined to a wheelchair. But he refused.
During the summer of 2002, when Ryan was 13, due to a bad attack he stayed in the hospital for two months. Everyday he has worked with Samantha Butts, a physiotherapist in the hospital. He then discovered his ability to run. He felt no pain while he was running. He joined the famed Birmingham athletics club Birch field Harriers. Frank Gardner became Ryan’s coach. Even though he suffered dystonia, he won several races and is now preparing for the London summer Olympics.
Reflection:
Ryan is very courageous. I find that his determination is very amazing. In spite of the fact that the dystonia is causing a lot of pain, he refuses to remove his legs. He had cause a lot of troubles to people and himself but he never once thought about giving up. He set a good example to patients who are suffering from diseases and those who are bedridden. I learn that we should not give up on ourselves when we have difficulties and we should try to solve it. Friends and family members should encourage and support each other in such times. There are no problems that could not be solved; therefore we must not try to escape from the problem as escaping would not change the fact of the existence of the problem. Ryan found a solution to his problem, so can we.
Summary:
This is a real life story of a victim of dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ryan Farrington contracted dystonia since he was five or six but was later confirm when he was seven. Ryan would occasionally fall to the floor and scream, terrifying his mother, Lisa Farrington. Ryan would be sent to hospital and would then be put on a morphine drip to make him unconscious and deaden the pain.
When he was seven, another attack came but was different from the past attacks. Ryan was laying face down on the ground, violent spasms wrenching his back. The doctors could only help him by putting him on a morphine drip. A specialist then confirmed him of having dystonia, a disease which its symptoms are still unknown. Ryan’s dystonia worsen as he grew older and falling became so frequent that he had his own permanent bed in Walsall’s Manor hospital.
One autumn, the doctor explained their options after showing them pictures of patients with severe “torsion” dystonia who had symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and suggested Ryan to go for an operation to remove his legs. It would mean that Ryan would be confined to a wheelchair. But he refused.
During the summer of 2002, when Ryan was 13, due to a bad attack he stayed in the hospital for two months. Everyday he has worked with Samantha Butts, a physiotherapist in the hospital. He then discovered his ability to run. He felt no pain while he was running. He joined the famed Birmingham athletics club Birch field Harriers. Frank Gardner became Ryan’s coach. Even though he suffered dystonia, he won several races and is now preparing for the London summer Olympics.
Reflection:
Ryan is very courageous. I find that his determination is very amazing. In spite of the fact that the dystonia is causing a lot of pain, he refuses to remove his legs. He had cause a lot of troubles to people and himself but he never once thought about giving up. He set a good example to patients who are suffering from diseases and those who are bedridden. I learn that we should not give up on ourselves when we have difficulties and we should try to solve it. Friends and family members should encourage and support each other in such times. There are no problems that could not be solved; therefore we must not try to escape from the problem as escaping would not change the fact of the existence of the problem. Ryan found a solution to his problem, so can we.
June 2008 .
Summary:
This is a real life story of a victim of dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ryan Farrington contracted dystonia since he was five or six but was later confirm when he was seven. Ryan would occasionally fall to the floor and scream, terrifying his mother, Lisa Farrington. Ryan would be sent to hospital and would then be put on a morphine drip to make him unconscious and deaden the pain.
When he was seven, another attack came but was different from the past attacks. Ryan was laying face down on the ground, violent spasms wrenching his back. The doctors could only help him by putting him on a morphine drip. A specialist then confirmed him of having dystonia, a disease which its symptoms are still unknown. Ryan’s dystonia worsen as he grew older and falling became so frequent that he had his own permanent bed in Walsall’s Manor hospital.
One autumn, the doctor explained their options after showing them pictures of patients with severe “torsion” dystonia who had symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and suggested Ryan to go for an operation to remove his legs. It would mean that Ryan would be confined to a wheelchair. But he refused.
During the summer of 2002, when Ryan was 13, due to a bad attack he stayed in the hospital for two months. Everyday he has worked with Samantha Butts, a physiotherapist in the hospital. He then discovered his ability to run. He felt no pain while he was running. He joined the famed Birmingham athletics club Birch field Harriers. Frank Gardner became Ryan’s coach. Even though he suffered dystonia, he won several races and is now preparing for the London summer Olympics.
Reflection:
Ryan is very courageous. I find that his determination is very amazing. In spite of the fact that the dystonia is causing a lot of pain, he refuses to remove his legs. He had cause a lot of troubles to people and himself but he never once thought about giving up. He set a good example to patients who are suffering from diseases and those who are bedridden. I learn that we should not give up on ourselves when we have difficulties and we should try to solve it. Friends and family members should encourage and support each other in such times. There are no problems that could not be solved; therefore we must not try to escape from the problem as escaping would not change the fact of the existence of the problem. Ryan found a solution to his problem, so can we.
Summary:
This is a real life story of a victim of dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ryan Farrington contracted dystonia since he was five or six but was later confirm when he was seven. Ryan would occasionally fall to the floor and scream, terrifying his mother, Lisa Farrington. Ryan would be sent to hospital and would then be put on a morphine drip to make him unconscious and deaden the pain.
When he was seven, another attack came but was different from the past attacks. Ryan was laying face down on the ground, violent spasms wrenching his back. The doctors could only help him by putting him on a morphine drip. A specialist then confirmed him of having dystonia, a disease which its symptoms are still unknown. Ryan’s dystonia worsen as he grew older and falling became so frequent that he had his own permanent bed in Walsall’s Manor hospital.
One autumn, the doctor explained their options after showing them pictures of patients with severe “torsion” dystonia who had symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and suggested Ryan to go for an operation to remove his legs. It would mean that Ryan would be confined to a wheelchair. But he refused.
During the summer of 2002, when Ryan was 13, due to a bad attack he stayed in the hospital for two months. Everyday he has worked with Samantha Butts, a physiotherapist in the hospital. He then discovered his ability to run. He felt no pain while he was running. He joined the famed Birmingham athletics club Birch field Harriers. Frank Gardner became Ryan’s coach. Even though he suffered dystonia, he won several races and is now preparing for the London summer Olympics.
Reflection:
Ryan is very courageous. I find that his determination is very amazing. In spite of the fact that the dystonia is causing a lot of pain, he refuses to remove his legs. He had cause a lot of troubles to people and himself but he never once thought about giving up. He set a good example to patients who are suffering from diseases and those who are bedridden. I learn that we should not give up on ourselves when we have difficulties and we should try to solve it. Friends and family members should encourage and support each other in such times. There are no problems that could not be solved; therefore we must not try to escape from the problem as escaping would not change the fact of the existence of the problem. Ryan found a solution to his problem, so can we.
RD: The Rise Of Cyber-Bullying
Cases of cyber-bullying in the net have definitely increased. This can be due to the increase in technologies which can also be an advantage. Unfortunately, technologies are also being used negatively. When children are the target of bullying via mobiles phones or the internet, they can feel alone and very misunderstood. They may not be able to identify that what is happening to them is a form of bullying, or be confident that the adults around them will understand it that way either. Previously safe and enjoyable environments and activities can become threatening and a source of anxiety. As the use of the internet becomes increasingly common, so has the misuse of this technology to bully.
Cyber-bullies, which are usually teenagers, make use of the internet to taunt other internet users or even their own schoolmates or classmates by posting photos, videos or even by words. For example, Gail Jones, a 15-year-old Briton, committed suicide after receiving, at one point, 20 silent calls on her mobile phone every 30 minutes. When the final call was made she had already died.
These cases of cyber-bullying are much worse than physical bullying as it could reach out to more people and it is more rapid. Physical bullying could only last when the bullies meet the target in person but for cyber-bullies, the source is there on the internet 24/7 and it could not disappear just by turning off the computer as the teens depend on internet to keep in touch with their peers. The cyber-bullies could also address themselves as anonymous and in this case it’s difficult for the targets to find out who are taunting them causing them frustrations, leading to suicide.
I think that we should really try to stop cyber-bullying since if this continues, many of the targets of these bullies will commit suicide causing depression for their parents and other parents as they will worry about their children’s safety on the internet. Parents must play an important role in this matter. They can communicate with their children more often so that their children can be more open to their parents and tell them the problems that they are facing. From there, parents can take further actions to find a solution for the problem and solve it. The best thing to do is to ignore the taunting and worse come to worse make a report to an authorised person. These targets must not be shy or even afraid to approach councillors to talk through about the matter.
By doing this, the cases of suicide can definitely reduced.
Shamsiyah Bte Mohamad Nor(22)
Cyber-bullies, which are usually teenagers, make use of the internet to taunt other internet users or even their own schoolmates or classmates by posting photos, videos or even by words. For example, Gail Jones, a 15-year-old Briton, committed suicide after receiving, at one point, 20 silent calls on her mobile phone every 30 minutes. When the final call was made she had already died.
These cases of cyber-bullying are much worse than physical bullying as it could reach out to more people and it is more rapid. Physical bullying could only last when the bullies meet the target in person but for cyber-bullies, the source is there on the internet 24/7 and it could not disappear just by turning off the computer as the teens depend on internet to keep in touch with their peers. The cyber-bullies could also address themselves as anonymous and in this case it’s difficult for the targets to find out who are taunting them causing them frustrations, leading to suicide.
I think that we should really try to stop cyber-bullying since if this continues, many of the targets of these bullies will commit suicide causing depression for their parents and other parents as they will worry about their children’s safety on the internet. Parents must play an important role in this matter. They can communicate with their children more often so that their children can be more open to their parents and tell them the problems that they are facing. From there, parents can take further actions to find a solution for the problem and solve it. The best thing to do is to ignore the taunting and worse come to worse make a report to an authorised person. These targets must not be shy or even afraid to approach councillors to talk through about the matter.
By doing this, the cases of suicide can definitely reduced.
Shamsiyah Bte Mohamad Nor(22)
Readers Digest: Running for his life
This article is about a boy name Ryan who suffers from dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson's disease. The pain started when he was five or six. Ryan would just fall to the floor and scream. Stunt by his symptoms, hospital doctors could do litle more than put Ryan on a morphine drip to knock him out and deaden the pain. Although the full causes of dystonia are not known, researchers beleive the problem can be traced to an abnormality in the basal ganglia. Ryan's dystonia is severe: it affected much of his body, even his face. The older he got, the worse it became. Doctors have tried everything and the only option is to numb his nerve and confine Ryan to a wheelchair. Ryan rejected that idea. A few months later, he took up jogging. The pain seems to subside when he is jogging but he would collapse at times. After much training, he became very fast and was chosen by an athletic club to become a runner. He trained hard and took part in his first official race. He won the first place. Months later he won many medals, including silver and gold. Ryan had succeeded despite his condition.
RD reflection: Searching for Marita
This article is about a 48 year-old mother in search of her daughter. Although she did not find her daughter, she freed many other girls from the dark realm of prostitution.
Susana Trimarco's love for her daughter is so great, she even disguised as a prostitute herself and went into bars to look for Marita. This shows us that, parents love their children so much, they are beyond willing to sacrifice for their children. She even risked her own life just to save her daughter. She tried all ways to find her daughter back, and though she did not find Marita back, she saved many others.
Through all the obstacles she faced, she did not give up the search for Marita. Her efforts garnered the attention of the country, and brought the issue of prostitution to the world. It told the world that such an issue exists, and needs to be targeted. Because of her efforts, 20-year-old Jessica Cativa was freed just two days after her capture. It teaches us the lesson of determination, and others before self. Susan might not have freed her own daughter, but she freed a lot of other girls, who are daughters of others.
Susana Trimarco truly deserves the International Women of Courage Award. Not all women have this much courage, to even disguise herself as a prostitute and travel into seedy bars just to look for her daughter. Although she may not find her daughter back again, she continued her search, which is for all the girls that have disappeared. She truly is a heroine, and her courage deserves all our admiration.
Susana Trimarco's love for her daughter is so great, she even disguised as a prostitute herself and went into bars to look for Marita. This shows us that, parents love their children so much, they are beyond willing to sacrifice for their children. She even risked her own life just to save her daughter. She tried all ways to find her daughter back, and though she did not find Marita back, she saved many others.
Through all the obstacles she faced, she did not give up the search for Marita. Her efforts garnered the attention of the country, and brought the issue of prostitution to the world. It told the world that such an issue exists, and needs to be targeted. Because of her efforts, 20-year-old Jessica Cativa was freed just two days after her capture. It teaches us the lesson of determination, and others before self. Susan might not have freed her own daughter, but she freed a lot of other girls, who are daughters of others.
Susana Trimarco truly deserves the International Women of Courage Award. Not all women have this much courage, to even disguise herself as a prostitute and travel into seedy bars just to look for her daughter. Although she may not find her daughter back again, she continued her search, which is for all the girls that have disappeared. She truly is a heroine, and her courage deserves all our admiration.
RD reflection: Words to inspire
Words can be inspiring or damaging, depending on how we use them. For children, they may not comprehend the meaning of words in the same way as adults, so adults should change their choice of words to better communicate with their children. Communicating effectively with children can be difficult because of the different mindset between an adult and a child. If we want children to grow up into the best possible versions of themselves, it is crucial to replace damaging words with alternatives that help build character.
Instead of saying "You are the best!", we can say "You should be proud of how hard you've worked". This will help to boost a child's self esteem more as you praise the child for his own hard work, while using "You are the best!" will make them think that you only like them when they achieve or accomplish something, and not anymore on other occasions. Replacing "Don't worry - it'll be OK." with "I totally understand what you must have gone through. Tell me about it" is also a better way to console a child. They may think that you are a drama queen by just telling them that it will be alright, while hearing their problems make them feel better as they feel that they have shared their problems with someone.
Above are some methods that parents should try while communicating with their children as children and adults do not comprehend words in the same way. Using more inspiring words than damaging words will help your child more, and parents should also try to think in their children's shoe when conversing with a child so that it is easier to communicate with each other.
Shi Jie (38) z.
Instead of saying "You are the best!", we can say "You should be proud of how hard you've worked". This will help to boost a child's self esteem more as you praise the child for his own hard work, while using "You are the best!" will make them think that you only like them when they achieve or accomplish something, and not anymore on other occasions. Replacing "Don't worry - it'll be OK." with "I totally understand what you must have gone through. Tell me about it" is also a better way to console a child. They may think that you are a drama queen by just telling them that it will be alright, while hearing their problems make them feel better as they feel that they have shared their problems with someone.
Above are some methods that parents should try while communicating with their children as children and adults do not comprehend words in the same way. Using more inspiring words than damaging words will help your child more, and parents should also try to think in their children's shoe when conversing with a child so that it is easier to communicate with each other.
Shi Jie (38) z.
LISTEN UP
ATTENTION
hey people
this is huaan:)
sorry this is not meant to be a reading digest post
okay listen up.
People who are not invited in any of the post
pls sms me. i believe i have sent sms to all 3F
SEND ME YR NAME AND WHICH WEBSITE YOU ARE NOT INVITED
AND YR EMAIL
okay
for 3I
i have no idea how to help you all
but anyway. sms me if u have my number:)
same.
SEND ME YR NAME AND WHICH WEBSITE YOU ARE NOT INVITED
AND YR EMAIL
AND YR EMAIL
(u can ask my number from charmaine)
OKAY
IMPORTANT
pls post before 11.00 by today(saturday)
i am not sure if you all can post tmr
but anw
pls at least write something
so that u all can edit tmr
i will write a dead end solution tmr
if u all still not invited.
but not now.
i am scared that u all miuse it
Reader's Digest - Jump or Die [May issue]
This article is about a snowboarder, Tom Murphy who was trapped on the mountain. It was the last day of his vacation. He wanted to make the most of it, he decided to snowboard alone. The journey started off well. However, when he decided to ignore the warning notice, things start to get wrong. He felt that it would be more fun to 'off-piste' and the conditions were perfect. He realized that he was lost when he found himself in the middle of nowhere.
He tried to call for help through his walkie-talkie. However, there was no signal. He had to make a decision that concern his life and death. It was a difficult decision as both had little chance of surviving. He had to choose whether to stay there and wait for help or to jump and increase his chance of survival. He decided to take the risk. Before he jumped, he typed a farewell message to his loved ones. He let go of his hand and dropped into space, but he did not die. He tried to get help again, but to no avail. He gave up, thus, he typed another message. However, moments later, he decided that he should not give up so easily. He found that there was signal on the phone and called his friend, Elliot for help. Elliot did not believe him initially, it was his sob that convinced his friend.
Life is precious. After reading the article, I am glad that Tom decided not to give up hope in the end. However, I think that he is very reckless. He should think about the consequences of ignoring the warning post and taking the risk. Accidents could happen anywhere at anytime. We should be careful of what we do so as to prevent tragedies from occurring. Tom was lucky that he managed to survive this time. Perseverance is also an important factor that Tom have. He hang on to the last minute and thus managed to survive. There are situations that we would have to make certain important decisions. We should not give up hope in no matter what situations we are in.
I think that Tom Murphy is also very brave. Even though he is in a very dangerous situation, he did not stop fighting on. He hang on there, and told himself that he should not give up. Even when he felt lonely and helpless, he still held on, looking for ways to get help when he finally found signal on his phone. However, I think that to prevent such tragedies from happening, we should always remain in the safety zone. When there is warning notice posted, we should obey it. Or else, it would only result in unwanted circumstances. Hence, safety is always our top priority.
Ginette Kee [11]
He tried to call for help through his walkie-talkie. However, there was no signal. He had to make a decision that concern his life and death. It was a difficult decision as both had little chance of surviving. He had to choose whether to stay there and wait for help or to jump and increase his chance of survival. He decided to take the risk. Before he jumped, he typed a farewell message to his loved ones. He let go of his hand and dropped into space, but he did not die. He tried to get help again, but to no avail. He gave up, thus, he typed another message. However, moments later, he decided that he should not give up so easily. He found that there was signal on the phone and called his friend, Elliot for help. Elliot did not believe him initially, it was his sob that convinced his friend.
Life is precious. After reading the article, I am glad that Tom decided not to give up hope in the end. However, I think that he is very reckless. He should think about the consequences of ignoring the warning post and taking the risk. Accidents could happen anywhere at anytime. We should be careful of what we do so as to prevent tragedies from occurring. Tom was lucky that he managed to survive this time. Perseverance is also an important factor that Tom have. He hang on to the last minute and thus managed to survive. There are situations that we would have to make certain important decisions. We should not give up hope in no matter what situations we are in.
I think that Tom Murphy is also very brave. Even though he is in a very dangerous situation, he did not stop fighting on. He hang on there, and told himself that he should not give up. Even when he felt lonely and helpless, he still held on, looking for ways to get help when he finally found signal on his phone. However, I think that to prevent such tragedies from happening, we should always remain in the safety zone. When there is warning notice posted, we should obey it. Or else, it would only result in unwanted circumstances. Hence, safety is always our top priority.
Ginette Kee [11]
RD REFLECTION: Cyber-bullying on the rise
There has indeed been a huge rise in the number of cyber-bullying cases happening lately and the repeated reports in newspapers on cyber-bullying has raised the awareness of the public.
cyber-bullying means bullying others on the net. cyber-bullies make use of the internet and they attack other internet users either verbally or by posting pictures or videos that make the victim feel uncomfortable.
There are cases whereby the bullying does not just stop on the net but these bullies also carry out their bullying in school
Most of these cyber-bullies are only teens and they think that it is an "in" and "cool" thing to taunt and harass people whom they are against, this in turns causes negative impacts on the victim.
Some victims suffer from depression and low-self esteems, they are also reluctant to turn up for school and in more serious cases, they even choose to commit suicide as they do not know how to cope with the immense pressure that they face.
Many at times, people have the concept of that " it is not so easy to die",
but cases like these have already proved enough that measures need to be taken
We would not want more suicide cases to occur before we finally realize the severity of the situation would we?
Of course, the root of this serious problem is actually the internet itself, but it would not be possible to ban the internet as it serves as an important medium of communication for everyone in the world.
schools need to educate pupils on how to deal with cyber-bullies and also the severe consequences of cyber-bullying so as to serve as a reminder to them that such behavior is not condoned.
parents should also take note of their children and spend more time communicating with them, getting to know more about what is happening in their lives.
This can indeed lessen the number of suicide cases due to cyber-bullying as many victims choose to end their life as they have no one to confide in.
Having the school and parents taking extra notice in this issue, one must also learn to think before they action , to also have self control as what they are doing might mean involving the life of another person.
This issue should be taken seriously as it would be too late for regrets when things actually happen.
valerie foo hui ting (28)
The Rise of Cyber Bullying
Modern technology is now part of our daily lives and is very important to us. However, as records as shown, more and more people are misusing the technology provided for us and turning it into a dangerous tool of hurting others.
Most the cyber bullying cases involve teenagers where their schoolmates, classmates or even friends tend to target on them and start harassing the victim like sending repeated emails. Cyber bullies would use crude words on the victim, make up new nicknames and start mocking at the victim which makes things even worse. The victim of cyber bullying would normally start to do badly for their school work, not able to concentrate well and in some even worse cases, the victim might even choose to end their life to end all the stress he or she is taking from cyber bullying. For example, Ryan Halligan who was taunted for months by people that pretended to be nice to him and back stab him at he back. He could not cope with all the pressure he received and commit suicide.
A study shows that one-third of the American teenager Internet users have been targets of cyber bullying and this is not just a laughing matter. If more and more people are victims of cyber bullying, then cases of teenagers committing suicide might increase and causing family members, relatives or even some of their friends to get upset and unable to get over the sadness of losing a loved one.
I think that we should really stop cyber bullying from happening around our society and definitely to cure the root of the problem. Firstly, parents should take more notice of their children to make sure nothing is bothering them and that if they have a problem, inform or tell them immediately so the parents could help them with it. Parents should also warn the children of the consequences of cyber bullying and let the children be sure they would not be bullies in the future.
Secondly, teachers should also take a part in teaching the students of the right and wrongs. Teachers should inform students of all the cases of cyber bullying and how dangerous it could get if the problem is too serious. Letting the students learn of the cases of cyber bullying would allow them to learn not to be a bully and cause trouble to the others. Last but not least, computer or Internet users should also take notice of their own language while posting something online and not to use crude languages. Or else, even though they themselves might not notice it but these are signs of cyber bullying.
If everyone comes together to solve the problem of cyber bullying, I believe cases of cyber bullying would definitely decrease greatly to every one's anticipation.
Teo Wan Lin (27)
Modern technology is now part of our daily lives and is very important to us. However, as records as shown, more and more people are misusing the technology provided for us and turning it into a dangerous tool of hurting others.
Most the cyber bullying cases involve teenagers where their schoolmates, classmates or even friends tend to target on them and start harassing the victim like sending repeated emails. Cyber bullies would use crude words on the victim, make up new nicknames and start mocking at the victim which makes things even worse. The victim of cyber bullying would normally start to do badly for their school work, not able to concentrate well and in some even worse cases, the victim might even choose to end their life to end all the stress he or she is taking from cyber bullying. For example, Ryan Halligan who was taunted for months by people that pretended to be nice to him and back stab him at he back. He could not cope with all the pressure he received and commit suicide.
A study shows that one-third of the American teenager Internet users have been targets of cyber bullying and this is not just a laughing matter. If more and more people are victims of cyber bullying, then cases of teenagers committing suicide might increase and causing family members, relatives or even some of their friends to get upset and unable to get over the sadness of losing a loved one.
I think that we should really stop cyber bullying from happening around our society and definitely to cure the root of the problem. Firstly, parents should take more notice of their children to make sure nothing is bothering them and that if they have a problem, inform or tell them immediately so the parents could help them with it. Parents should also warn the children of the consequences of cyber bullying and let the children be sure they would not be bullies in the future.
Secondly, teachers should also take a part in teaching the students of the right and wrongs. Teachers should inform students of all the cases of cyber bullying and how dangerous it could get if the problem is too serious. Letting the students learn of the cases of cyber bullying would allow them to learn not to be a bully and cause trouble to the others. Last but not least, computer or Internet users should also take notice of their own language while posting something online and not to use crude languages. Or else, even though they themselves might not notice it but these are signs of cyber bullying.
If everyone comes together to solve the problem of cyber bullying, I believe cases of cyber bullying would definitely decrease greatly to every one's anticipation.
Teo Wan Lin (27)
RD Reflection: Running For His Life (June Issue)
After reading the article, I feel that Ryan is a very strong person. Although he had dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease, he is still able to run. The disease affected him in a negative way; he could not do things that a healthy five or six year old child can do. It must have been a depressing experience for him whenever he see children playing happily, while he is almost immobile and cannot join them. It is saddening to hear that his dystonia may worsen when he gets older. This caused him to fall down the stairs regularly at home, when his left leg would collapse under him. His jaw would also lock sometimes that he could barely speak. The convulsions became so frequent that he had a permanent space in the hospital.
If it was me who had dystonia, I cannot imagine how life would be for me. As a child, my days were spent playing with my cousins, and I would be running after them or vice versa whenever there is a chance. Like any other typical child, I would not know what is right or wrong to do and needless to say, sensitive to the feelings of others. Due to that, perhaps I’ll feel scared and would not want to be anywhere near if I see someone go into spasms. So if I were the one with dystonia, I guess I would be discriminated by the other children. If I am already thinking this way, Ryan must have felt a million times worse. He is such an innocent kid; he shouldn’t have been the one to have this disease. However, life is not always fair and my heart goes out for him.
Not defeated by his disease, he’d rather suffer the frequent seizures than have a painkiller injected to his spine. Although Ryan seemed better for weeks at a time, it would suddenly flare up and cripple him. In spite of that, he was still a fighter. I suppose he wanted others to see himself as any other normal boy instead of letting them know his condition and be treated differently. Even his friends had no idea when they first got to know about his condition.
He is now one of Britain’s top ten sprinters for his age group. Not knowing what will happen to him in the future, he hurries to keep on competing. I take my hat off to him for his determination to compete in spite of dystonia.
- HUIMEI
After reading the article, I feel that Ryan is a very strong person. Although he had dystonia, a rare condition similar to Parkinson’s disease, he is still able to run. The disease affected him in a negative way; he could not do things that a healthy five or six year old child can do. It must have been a depressing experience for him whenever he see children playing happily, while he is almost immobile and cannot join them. It is saddening to hear that his dystonia may worsen when he gets older. This caused him to fall down the stairs regularly at home, when his left leg would collapse under him. His jaw would also lock sometimes that he could barely speak. The convulsions became so frequent that he had a permanent space in the hospital.
If it was me who had dystonia, I cannot imagine how life would be for me. As a child, my days were spent playing with my cousins, and I would be running after them or vice versa whenever there is a chance. Like any other typical child, I would not know what is right or wrong to do and needless to say, sensitive to the feelings of others. Due to that, perhaps I’ll feel scared and would not want to be anywhere near if I see someone go into spasms. So if I were the one with dystonia, I guess I would be discriminated by the other children. If I am already thinking this way, Ryan must have felt a million times worse. He is such an innocent kid; he shouldn’t have been the one to have this disease. However, life is not always fair and my heart goes out for him.
Not defeated by his disease, he’d rather suffer the frequent seizures than have a painkiller injected to his spine. Although Ryan seemed better for weeks at a time, it would suddenly flare up and cripple him. In spite of that, he was still a fighter. I suppose he wanted others to see himself as any other normal boy instead of letting them know his condition and be treated differently. Even his friends had no idea when they first got to know about his condition.
He is now one of Britain’s top ten sprinters for his age group. Not knowing what will happen to him in the future, he hurries to keep on competing. I take my hat off to him for his determination to compete in spite of dystonia.
- HUIMEI
Reader's Digest : Searching for Marita
This article is about the struggling search of a mother for her 22 year old daughter where she also freed many trapped girls from prostitution.
Searching for MaritaSusana Trimarco of Argentina set out to find her missing daughter. Instead she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution .
On her way, she lost many things yet, gained more. She learned the cruelty of prostitution, from forced abortion by using a coat hanger, to torture and drugs forced down throats of many.
She sold her house, quit her job, exhausted her savings just to fund her search and even lost her
husband-Daniel. At first, the police were not keen to help Susana at all. Only after her many pleas and pressure by the media, only they helped her. Raids to many prostitution house
got her closer to finding her girl but still, she had not succeeded at all. She paraded the streets, asking many people for news of her girl but only found clues. Along her search, many threats were sent right into her face. Approximately 3 cases of hit-and-runs came for her but fortunately, she was safe and 24-hour police protection was given to her. As the police raids continued, more and more captive girls came forward. And Susana, who often accompanied police, started learning about the shadowy world of the sex trade. She also personally gave protection to a girl Andrea. Praying for not only her daughter, she prayed for every girl and promised to do anything she could to help these girls. She was a nominee for the International Women of Courage Award. Till now, she has not found her daughter but she will continue to battle against prostitution and bring forth a better world for everyone to stay in.
Personally, I felt aghast and shocked as I read the article. Before I read this, I never knew that girls were dragged off streets and forced into prostitution. I never knew that there was such a heroine, fightning to save her daughter who was one of the victims and at the same time, save many other poor girls. I was very touched to read this article but shocked at the same time by the harsh facts of the cruel world. Most of all, i was disappointed by the reluctance of the policemen to help Susana. I believe if such a case were to happen in Singapore, the abductors would be facing death sentence and hated to the core by many. For parents out there, they must do whatever they can to protect their child from such horror and prevent history from repeating itself.
Human trafficking is a government matter. If the government provides enough employment opportunities for its citizens, it would lessen if not completely eradicate the problem on human trafficking. Poverty is the one of the roots cause of all. It should therefore be prioritized in every country.
It is business both to those the sender and the receiver. It is cheap and something thats illegal to do but its business. However, International Relations can do something for it in the name of putting standard to its ties,like standard to labors. If in every country where strict, harsh laws are imposed and make prostitution illegal, i believe this will benefit many people. However this may economically harm.
Thus, i hope that every single person out there that is free from such cruel truth get to learn about cruelty and try to make a diffrence to this world, taking Susana as an example to learn and help all those in need.
Searching for MaritaSusana Trimarco of Argentina set out to find her missing daughter. Instead she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution .
On her way, she lost many things yet, gained more. She learned the cruelty of prostitution, from forced abortion by using a coat hanger, to torture and drugs forced down throats of many.
She sold her house, quit her job, exhausted her savings just to fund her search and even lost her
husband-Daniel. At first, the police were not keen to help Susana at all. Only after her many pleas and pressure by the media, only they helped her. Raids to many prostitution house
got her closer to finding her girl but still, she had not succeeded at all. She paraded the streets, asking many people for news of her girl but only found clues. Along her search, many threats were sent right into her face. Approximately 3 cases of hit-and-runs came for her but fortunately, she was safe and 24-hour police protection was given to her. As the police raids continued, more and more captive girls came forward. And Susana, who often accompanied police, started learning about the shadowy world of the sex trade. She also personally gave protection to a girl Andrea. Praying for not only her daughter, she prayed for every girl and promised to do anything she could to help these girls. She was a nominee for the International Women of Courage Award. Till now, she has not found her daughter but she will continue to battle against prostitution and bring forth a better world for everyone to stay in.
Personally, I felt aghast and shocked as I read the article. Before I read this, I never knew that girls were dragged off streets and forced into prostitution. I never knew that there was such a heroine, fightning to save her daughter who was one of the victims and at the same time, save many other poor girls. I was very touched to read this article but shocked at the same time by the harsh facts of the cruel world. Most of all, i was disappointed by the reluctance of the policemen to help Susana. I believe if such a case were to happen in Singapore, the abductors would be facing death sentence and hated to the core by many. For parents out there, they must do whatever they can to protect their child from such horror and prevent history from repeating itself.
Human trafficking is a government matter. If the government provides enough employment opportunities for its citizens, it would lessen if not completely eradicate the problem on human trafficking. Poverty is the one of the roots cause of all. It should therefore be prioritized in every country.
It is business both to those the sender and the receiver. It is cheap and something thats illegal to do but its business. However, International Relations can do something for it in the name of putting standard to its ties,like standard to labors. If in every country where strict, harsh laws are imposed and make prostitution illegal, i believe this will benefit many people. However this may economically harm.
Thus, i hope that every single person out there that is free from such cruel truth get to learn about cruelty and try to make a diffrence to this world, taking Susana as an example to learn and help all those in need.
Searching for Marita . Reader 's Digest
RD May 2008 issure : Searching for Marita
Susana Trimarco of Argentina set out to find her missing daughter . Instead she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution.
SUMMARY:
Susana' s nightmare begin on April 3 , 2002 , when her daughter did not return from a doctor appointment in the morning , and as the days wore on , she got no news of her daughter . This had made her to decide to inform the police, however the police cannot open an investigation until Marita was confirmed to be missing for 72 hours. Underred, Susana decided to organise a search party , with the help of her husband . relative and friends . Posters and photos were pasted all over Tucuman and this had led to her first clue about her daughter whereabout.Her neighbour had received a call from a man that saying that he had saw Marita kidnapped by some unknown guys . The news got worsen when a young girl told her that she had saw Marita in a brothel in La Rioja. The search for Marita began in La Rioja , and this had proven to be very hard on Susana when she decided to quit her job to look for Marita. She had often disguised as a prositute to engage in conversation. To pay for the investigation , Susana exhausted most of her savings and sold her house. Her single obsession also led to her seperation of her and her husband Daniel. During her search in La Rioja , she often opposed however this had had made her to start receiving media coverage . With the presssure of publicity , the police had stepped up raids on bars and brothels.However the publicity had also started to bring her threatening text message. However this did not stop her from continuing to search for Marita. During the search for Marita , Susana also help lots of girls from prostitution and this had won her the International women courage award . Susana had make her mission clear and known to everybody , her mission is no longer searching just for Marita but for all the girls who had disappeared in the country and to help and protect those who had been freed.
Reflection:
After reading the article , i was shocked by the determination of Susana to find her daughter and also at the number of things that she had given up during her search for Marita. She had sold her house , cars , gave up her husband and career. This isn't an easy thing for a woman as it might be just the end for her even she found her daughter. However this had not worried her as much as finding her daughter and this had proven that she was a great mother and to me , close to an angel. Her love for her child was so deep and i could not imagine the hardship that she had gone through during the search. Also , not only she tried to find her daughter , she stopped to help many others girls that had also disappeared the same way as Marita. This made me feel very touched. As even if her circumstances was bad enough for her to withstand , she tried to solve the problems for others by spending the effort to keep a lookout and to take care of other girls that had suffered the same way. Also from the passage , i can see that the police force is reluntant to help Susana and also search for the missing girls. This is very disappointing as if the police had made efforts to save and protect the girls many of this problems can be prevented . Thus i hoped that many will take Susana as an live example and will try to follow her footsteps in helping the people all around the world .
Susana Trimarco of Argentina set out to find her missing daughter . Instead she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution.
SUMMARY:
Susana' s nightmare begin on April 3 , 2002 , when her daughter did not return from a doctor appointment in the morning , and as the days wore on , she got no news of her daughter . This had made her to decide to inform the police, however the police cannot open an investigation until Marita was confirmed to be missing for 72 hours. Underred, Susana decided to organise a search party , with the help of her husband . relative and friends . Posters and photos were pasted all over Tucuman and this had led to her first clue about her daughter whereabout.Her neighbour had received a call from a man that saying that he had saw Marita kidnapped by some unknown guys . The news got worsen when a young girl told her that she had saw Marita in a brothel in La Rioja. The search for Marita began in La Rioja , and this had proven to be very hard on Susana when she decided to quit her job to look for Marita. She had often disguised as a prositute to engage in conversation. To pay for the investigation , Susana exhausted most of her savings and sold her house. Her single obsession also led to her seperation of her and her husband Daniel. During her search in La Rioja , she often opposed however this had had made her to start receiving media coverage . With the presssure of publicity , the police had stepped up raids on bars and brothels.However the publicity had also started to bring her threatening text message. However this did not stop her from continuing to search for Marita. During the search for Marita , Susana also help lots of girls from prostitution and this had won her the International women courage award . Susana had make her mission clear and known to everybody , her mission is no longer searching just for Marita but for all the girls who had disappeared in the country and to help and protect those who had been freed.
Reflection:
After reading the article , i was shocked by the determination of Susana to find her daughter and also at the number of things that she had given up during her search for Marita. She had sold her house , cars , gave up her husband and career. This isn't an easy thing for a woman as it might be just the end for her even she found her daughter. However this had not worried her as much as finding her daughter and this had proven that she was a great mother and to me , close to an angel. Her love for her child was so deep and i could not imagine the hardship that she had gone through during the search. Also , not only she tried to find her daughter , she stopped to help many others girls that had also disappeared the same way as Marita. This made me feel very touched. As even if her circumstances was bad enough for her to withstand , she tried to solve the problems for others by spending the effort to keep a lookout and to take care of other girls that had suffered the same way. Also from the passage , i can see that the police force is reluntant to help Susana and also search for the missing girls. This is very disappointing as if the police had made efforts to save and protect the girls many of this problems can be prevented . Thus i hoped that many will take Susana as an live example and will try to follow her footsteps in helping the people all around the world .
Friday, June 13, 2008
Reader's disgest - May issue
RD MAY ISSUE :
The Medicine for Grief.
This article is mainly relating about a doctor who volunteered medical relief to the remote villagers in Afghanistan. She had encountered many people, patients, from all walks of life.
Afghanistan was in chaos due to the Taliban being driven out of power. The people's lives were being threatened, and villages were reduced to rubbles. It is saddening to see the villagers and people struggling to seek medical help, and at the same time, grieving for those family members who had passed away in this tragedy. After all, all human beings have a heart, and feelings. I can understand how they feel, to lose their beloved family members, or even being the only sole survivor in the family.
Through the issue, it is realised that the people needed more than medical cure, or medical facilities. What they yearned for, is "A cure for the broken hearts". It was possible to provide medical relief, but the aching pain that they go through, can never be stopped. Their souls had already been inflicted with serious damage, and i can imagine how helpless the doctor felt. Especially when she met with people who had lost their newborn babies due to the poor conditions, all she could do was to give the person a hug to show that she cared.
Once, she had met with a mother of seven boys who is a university graduate and forced to stop working as a teacher. The husband had related the story to the doctor, and upon doing so, the doctor was touched. I was touched too. The boys of the family had an undying persistance to succeed, regardless of the circumstances. We should all learn from him. He had gone through a few years facing hardships, and not being able to pursue his dreams at that time. However, when he managed to come back and reunite with the family, he made up his mind to continue pursuing his ideals, and never to give up. This was very heartening, and somehow manages to touch my heart.
All of us are living comfortably right now, and we may not understand how the other countries are doing. However, regardless of the different surroundings and environment, we all can succeed. A person with a suitable ambition drives him/herself on. If the people in other countries, who had faced numerous hardships can do it, we cam do it too. Perhaps the medicine for the grief of the people in Afghanistan, would be the enduring resilience, and hope within them.
One who dares to dream, dares to lose.
The Medicine for Grief.
This article is mainly relating about a doctor who volunteered medical relief to the remote villagers in Afghanistan. She had encountered many people, patients, from all walks of life.
Afghanistan was in chaos due to the Taliban being driven out of power. The people's lives were being threatened, and villages were reduced to rubbles. It is saddening to see the villagers and people struggling to seek medical help, and at the same time, grieving for those family members who had passed away in this tragedy. After all, all human beings have a heart, and feelings. I can understand how they feel, to lose their beloved family members, or even being the only sole survivor in the family.
Through the issue, it is realised that the people needed more than medical cure, or medical facilities. What they yearned for, is "A cure for the broken hearts". It was possible to provide medical relief, but the aching pain that they go through, can never be stopped. Their souls had already been inflicted with serious damage, and i can imagine how helpless the doctor felt. Especially when she met with people who had lost their newborn babies due to the poor conditions, all she could do was to give the person a hug to show that she cared.
Once, she had met with a mother of seven boys who is a university graduate and forced to stop working as a teacher. The husband had related the story to the doctor, and upon doing so, the doctor was touched. I was touched too. The boys of the family had an undying persistance to succeed, regardless of the circumstances. We should all learn from him. He had gone through a few years facing hardships, and not being able to pursue his dreams at that time. However, when he managed to come back and reunite with the family, he made up his mind to continue pursuing his ideals, and never to give up. This was very heartening, and somehow manages to touch my heart.
All of us are living comfortably right now, and we may not understand how the other countries are doing. However, regardless of the different surroundings and environment, we all can succeed. A person with a suitable ambition drives him/herself on. If the people in other countries, who had faced numerous hardships can do it, we cam do it too. Perhaps the medicine for the grief of the people in Afghanistan, would be the enduring resilience, and hope within them.
One who dares to dream, dares to lose.
RD May Issue: Jump Or Die
Extreme sports have been a disturbing issue since a million light years ago. Fun, joy and laughter was never a word to describe these sports, for majority. Insane, instead, is normally the word used for these extreme sports.
However, to those adventurous people, they take these sports lightly, claiming it injects fun and joy into their lives, that they love the adrenaline coursing through their veins every now and then while doing the sport.
Of course, I do not discriminate their choice of sports, and I definitely do not disagree to them. However, I have this strong aversion to dangerous sports, as I seriously cannot afford to see my life slip away from me, just like Tom in this article.
Trapped on a mountain, Tom Murphy had only two life roads to choose. To jump, or to die, of which both had minimal chances of survival. If he jumped, albeit he would have a higher chance of survival, he could have easily died too. However, if he had stayed there, he would be facing a road which marks his definite death. He had picked to jump, and had eventually, saved his own life, and survived although there was no lack of injuries. When faced with such a quandary, there are little most of us can do, except to try to think logically.
To prevent such life threatening situations to begin with, the least one can do is remain in the arms of safety at all times. For Tom, this can be prevented if he had heeded the warning notices and stopped when the rope was clearly in his way. Ducking under the rope and ignoring the warning notices had only resulted in this situation - trapped on a mountain, death knocking on his door.
Albeit in such a situation, where death was so near and one could just lay there and give up on everything, Tom did not stop fighting. He fought on bravely, using every ounce of his energy to survive. He only knew there was no way he could go any further when his physical strength was sapped away. Even till then, he did not give up completely, by taking out his mobile and try to get signals.
In this article, there is a strong sense of perseverance seen, and showed us that one must never give up hope in no matter what the circumstances are. Once he survived, this incident will never be forgotten, and would instead be used as a source of inspiration for perseverance, for hope, for people giving up on their lives. Tom showed that no matter whether the situation was in your favour or not, by being indefatigable, one will always have a higher chance of survival, of being the winner, or even of being more susceptible to keep up with everything happening in this society.
Tom is an epitome of bravery, and I feel that whoever who read this article should be able to relate to his harsh experience, relate to his courage and boldness, and as such, learn something invaluable from it.
However, to those adventurous people, they take these sports lightly, claiming it injects fun and joy into their lives, that they love the adrenaline coursing through their veins every now and then while doing the sport.
Of course, I do not discriminate their choice of sports, and I definitely do not disagree to them. However, I have this strong aversion to dangerous sports, as I seriously cannot afford to see my life slip away from me, just like Tom in this article.
Trapped on a mountain, Tom Murphy had only two life roads to choose. To jump, or to die, of which both had minimal chances of survival. If he jumped, albeit he would have a higher chance of survival, he could have easily died too. However, if he had stayed there, he would be facing a road which marks his definite death. He had picked to jump, and had eventually, saved his own life, and survived although there was no lack of injuries. When faced with such a quandary, there are little most of us can do, except to try to think logically.
To prevent such life threatening situations to begin with, the least one can do is remain in the arms of safety at all times. For Tom, this can be prevented if he had heeded the warning notices and stopped when the rope was clearly in his way. Ducking under the rope and ignoring the warning notices had only resulted in this situation - trapped on a mountain, death knocking on his door.
Albeit in such a situation, where death was so near and one could just lay there and give up on everything, Tom did not stop fighting. He fought on bravely, using every ounce of his energy to survive. He only knew there was no way he could go any further when his physical strength was sapped away. Even till then, he did not give up completely, by taking out his mobile and try to get signals.
In this article, there is a strong sense of perseverance seen, and showed us that one must never give up hope in no matter what the circumstances are. Once he survived, this incident will never be forgotten, and would instead be used as a source of inspiration for perseverance, for hope, for people giving up on their lives. Tom showed that no matter whether the situation was in your favour or not, by being indefatigable, one will always have a higher chance of survival, of being the winner, or even of being more susceptible to keep up with everything happening in this society.
Tom is an epitome of bravery, and I feel that whoever who read this article should be able to relate to his harsh experience, relate to his courage and boldness, and as such, learn something invaluable from it.
RD reflection April issue: The Way to Happiness
"Emo" have been a popular term used by many to show that they are feeling moody, especially by the secondary school students. From what i have known, some went to the extend to be "emo" purposely just because it was a fad. However being a fad, it only lasted a while. But this fad resulted in many students not be able to get back to their cheerful self after that period of craze was over. Hence they were somehow unable to feel happy from the inner most of the hearts.
As mentioned, this "emo" problem needs a solution urgently so that people could regain the smile that was previously plastered on their faces. Thus this article had provided reasons for people to stay happy and methods to turn the frowns upside down. Indeed, a new fad had just started. Everyone seems to be jumping on the get-happier bandwagon. Many things had implemented happiness into it because positive psychology has shown that happy people thrive. Cheery people is able to make more friends, enjoy better marriages, able to socialise with others better, stay healthier and even outlive their grumpier peers. Hence all the more everybody should stay jubilant as far as possible.
To some, staying happy is no easy task. Others blaming their nature is no surprise too. "I'm not born with a positive mind, so there's nothing i could do about it." That is absolute rubbish I should say. Research had shown that genetics only accounts for, at most, fifty percent of the frowns found on faces. There are still ways able to turn the frowns upside down. Of course, it is not that people cannot feel sad. We are human, and feeling sad when there is a need to is usual, because we have emotions. However, certain amount of sadness may cuts into the happiness quotient, which will result people in feeling miserable.
Actually I think that it is rather ironic to reflect on this article as this problem is common seen among the students of secindary two and secondary three. Although wanting to be happy and unable to happy is two different matter, but people should try their best. Nevertheless, being happy and staying cheerful is not a tough task. As long as everybody puts in effort and tries their best, I am sure that happiness is within their grasp.
Ong Lok Lin (17)
As mentioned, this "emo" problem needs a solution urgently so that people could regain the smile that was previously plastered on their faces. Thus this article had provided reasons for people to stay happy and methods to turn the frowns upside down. Indeed, a new fad had just started. Everyone seems to be jumping on the get-happier bandwagon. Many things had implemented happiness into it because positive psychology has shown that happy people thrive. Cheery people is able to make more friends, enjoy better marriages, able to socialise with others better, stay healthier and even outlive their grumpier peers. Hence all the more everybody should stay jubilant as far as possible.
To some, staying happy is no easy task. Others blaming their nature is no surprise too. "I'm not born with a positive mind, so there's nothing i could do about it." That is absolute rubbish I should say. Research had shown that genetics only accounts for, at most, fifty percent of the frowns found on faces. There are still ways able to turn the frowns upside down. Of course, it is not that people cannot feel sad. We are human, and feeling sad when there is a need to is usual, because we have emotions. However, certain amount of sadness may cuts into the happiness quotient, which will result people in feeling miserable.
Actually I think that it is rather ironic to reflect on this article as this problem is common seen among the students of secindary two and secondary three. Although wanting to be happy and unable to happy is two different matter, but people should try their best. Nevertheless, being happy and staying cheerful is not a tough task. As long as everybody puts in effort and tries their best, I am sure that happiness is within their grasp.
Ong Lok Lin (17)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
RD REFLECTION: "JUMP OR DIE"
“Jump or die” is an article about this snowboarder Tom Murphy, who got trapped on a mountain. It was the last day of his holiday and intending to make the most of his trip, he decided to go snowboarding alone. Initially, when Tom Murphy first started to slide down the mountain on his snowboard, everything seemed fine but things started to go awry when it became steeper and more rocks appeared. He found himself trapped in the middle of nowhere, and very lost.
Tom Murphy had to make a difficult choice of whether to stay where he was and freeze to death or to throw himself into space so that he might find help. He was on the verge of giving up on his life not once but twice. He was certain that he’d die and had typed 2 text messages into his mobile phone saying that he think he will die and wanted to tell his loved ones how much he loved them. However, after typing his second text message, he decided that he should not give up on his life that easily. It was then he found signal on his mobile phone and called his travelling companion and asked him for help. Though his friend did not believe him initially, Tom Murphy’s sobbing proved that it was not a joke.
After reading this article, I think that it was really foolish of Tom to give up on life so easily. Life is precious and fragile. There are so many people out there who want to live but cannot do so because they have illnesses. Hence we, the healthy ones should treasure every minute and every second of our life and live life to the fullest.I also feel that I really venerate him because I believe that a lot of courage is needed to throw one self from a 90 foot cliff. If I were in his shoes, I think that I would probably stay where I was and only pray that someone will come and rescue me. Tom Murphy has proven how courageous he is and that even though he thought about giving up on his life, he had managed to pull through and got out alive.
In this article, Tom Murphy faced a do or die situation and had to make a decision that concerns his life and death. I personally feel that he did the right thing at the right time and hence there was a higher chance of him surviving. It’s a good thing that he did not wait because that would be equivalent 350 to be waiting for death and at times, it’s good to not depend too much on the rescuers but on ourselves. I feel that it was really fortunate that Tom Murphy can survive and I hope that he has learnt his lesson and will be more careful in choosing the spot he chose to snowboard down.
Tom Murphy is lucky to have survived but I certainly do not think that he would be that lucky the next time. I certainly hope that this frightening experience would be a lesson learnt for him and that he would think not only twice but thrice before deciding to do something exhilarating or dangerous. There are dangers lurking everywhere. Hence there is a need for us to be very careful and no matter what; safety should always be our first priority.
Posted By: micHELLe tan(14) ^^
Tom Murphy had to make a difficult choice of whether to stay where he was and freeze to death or to throw himself into space so that he might find help. He was on the verge of giving up on his life not once but twice. He was certain that he’d die and had typed 2 text messages into his mobile phone saying that he think he will die and wanted to tell his loved ones how much he loved them. However, after typing his second text message, he decided that he should not give up on his life that easily. It was then he found signal on his mobile phone and called his travelling companion and asked him for help. Though his friend did not believe him initially, Tom Murphy’s sobbing proved that it was not a joke.
After reading this article, I think that it was really foolish of Tom to give up on life so easily. Life is precious and fragile. There are so many people out there who want to live but cannot do so because they have illnesses. Hence we, the healthy ones should treasure every minute and every second of our life and live life to the fullest.I also feel that I really venerate him because I believe that a lot of courage is needed to throw one self from a 90 foot cliff. If I were in his shoes, I think that I would probably stay where I was and only pray that someone will come and rescue me. Tom Murphy has proven how courageous he is and that even though he thought about giving up on his life, he had managed to pull through and got out alive.
In this article, Tom Murphy faced a do or die situation and had to make a decision that concerns his life and death. I personally feel that he did the right thing at the right time and hence there was a higher chance of him surviving. It’s a good thing that he did not wait because that would be equivalent 350 to be waiting for death and at times, it’s good to not depend too much on the rescuers but on ourselves. I feel that it was really fortunate that Tom Murphy can survive and I hope that he has learnt his lesson and will be more careful in choosing the spot he chose to snowboard down.
Tom Murphy is lucky to have survived but I certainly do not think that he would be that lucky the next time. I certainly hope that this frightening experience would be a lesson learnt for him and that he would think not only twice but thrice before deciding to do something exhilarating or dangerous. There are dangers lurking everywhere. Hence there is a need for us to be very careful and no matter what; safety should always be our first priority.
Posted By: micHELLe tan(14) ^^
RD: The Rise of Cyber-bullying
Lately, cyber-bullying cases have been on the rise. Being anonymous on the Internet means one can have the 'privilege' of voicing out whatever he wants without being condemned. This anonymity acts as a barrier to protect oneself and one's identity. Cyber-bullies take advantage of this and harass or verbally-attack other Internet users online. The possibilities of cyber-bullying cases are rather wide - it could be an act of impulse, out of pure fun, or to get back at the other party.
Cyber victimization has been shown to produce poor school grades, negative emotional impacts, depression, poor self-esteems and even suicides. Through different medias such as chat rooms and forums, cyber-bullies can get accessed to these victims whenever they want to.
According to a youth research team, 33% of youths have been cyber-bullied online. Many of them reveal that they feel "frustrated, angry and sad" and rarely confide in others in fear of embarrassment. And the aftermath? Suicide happens when these victims can no longer withstand the depression and emotional turmoil that they have. More measures should be taken to prevent the rise of cyber-bullying cases.
For example, in the latest cyber-bullying-suicide case, Megan Meier's suicide has been attributed to cyber-bullying through an account on the social networking website MySpace. The account, purportedly belonging to a 16-year-old male named "Josh Evans," was created and monitored by the mother of a friend of Meier,Lori Janine Drew. However, no charges will be filed against Drew because she did not cross a threshold into criminal activity based on state laws that govern harassment and child endangerment.
And hence, thanks to his non-punishment sentence, this opens the door to allow and to continue cyber-bullying in cyberspace.
Even so, it is unlikely that victims will stop going online after or even during the period of bullying because the Internet is an important medium of communication. Let's not put all the blame on the cyber-bullies: First of all, Internet-users must watch their language and think twice before posting anything online. One shall invite trouble if something inappropriate offends the other users. Next, parents should be aware of cyber-bullying and while giving privacy to their children, parents should keep track of what they're doing online and note if there's any behavioural changes. Schools should also conduct educational lessons on how to deal with cyber-bullying. Lastly, depending on the severity, laws on cyber-bullying should be made.
Let's make the Internet clean because we'll die without it.
Wee Jing Zhi speaks.
Cyber victimization has been shown to produce poor school grades, negative emotional impacts, depression, poor self-esteems and even suicides. Through different medias such as chat rooms and forums, cyber-bullies can get accessed to these victims whenever they want to.
According to a youth research team, 33% of youths have been cyber-bullied online. Many of them reveal that they feel "frustrated, angry and sad" and rarely confide in others in fear of embarrassment. And the aftermath? Suicide happens when these victims can no longer withstand the depression and emotional turmoil that they have. More measures should be taken to prevent the rise of cyber-bullying cases.
For example, in the latest cyber-bullying-suicide case, Megan Meier's suicide has been attributed to cyber-bullying through an account on the social networking website MySpace. The account, purportedly belonging to a 16-year-old male named "Josh Evans," was created and monitored by the mother of a friend of Meier,Lori Janine Drew. However, no charges will be filed against Drew because she did not cross a threshold into criminal activity based on state laws that govern harassment and child endangerment.
And hence, thanks to his non-punishment sentence, this opens the door to allow and to continue cyber-bullying in cyberspace.
Even so, it is unlikely that victims will stop going online after or even during the period of bullying because the Internet is an important medium of communication. Let's not put all the blame on the cyber-bullies: First of all, Internet-users must watch their language and think twice before posting anything online. One shall invite trouble if something inappropriate offends the other users. Next, parents should be aware of cyber-bullying and while giving privacy to their children, parents should keep track of what they're doing online and note if there's any behavioural changes. Schools should also conduct educational lessons on how to deal with cyber-bullying. Lastly, depending on the severity, laws on cyber-bullying should be made.
Let's make the Internet clean because we'll die without it.
Wee Jing Zhi speaks.
RD Reflection [ May Issue ] : Loose Nukes
Done By: Zhang Hua’An 3F (43)
Article: Loose Nukes (Pg. 28-33)
“Terror” in a Terrorism?
Indeed, what we see in our world today, is an increasing tendency of terrorism attacks, that we as peasantry cannot elude from. Primarily, these attacks are known to be more hazardous, with the presence of nuclear arms.
Essentially, this article can be encapsulated in three main issues. Number 1, how effective the country is, to safeguard the true intent of nuclear weapons. Number 2, how cardinal is it for one country to dominate a nuclear weapon. While fundamentally, are the people mentally and physically prepared to face a terrorism attack.
On the first issue, which is how effective the country is, to safeguard the true intent of nuclear weapons. The author revealed that plutonium or uranium fuels nuclear weapons. This can be potentially arduous to make, as it has to go through complex refining and enriching process. Also the fact that such materials can either be retrieved under the ground or to run through a nuclear reactor, thus making it more difficult to be located. Gradually, the terrorists percepts this, and thus, they are aimed at bargaining or embezzling, through underhand means. These may include stealing from warehouses and military bases guarded by underpaid military police with poor security procedures and ramshackle infrastructure, purchasing of nuclear weapons through unauthorized means or to illicitly shipped nuclear blueprints and enrichment technology from unlawful companies to Islamic extremists, etc.
Basically, I observe that this is mostly occurring in third world countries, for example, Iran and Russia. Tentatively, the regulatory frameworks of the law in their countries are morally weak, which can be the root of the problem. Adding on, the local government of these countries spares diminutive effort to maintain the condition of the nuclear weapons, which directly led to such unprecedented events. Assessing on the several aftermaths, it is important that we have to set up immediate rules and regulations, to minimize and to eradicate such happenings. Unfortunately, we do not see it.
I suppose it is substantial for most of the first world countries (America, Singapore) to step in and give necessary recommendations to such countries. The fact that such nuclear weapons pose a great threat to the world and its commoners, this must be done without delay. Also, fixed meetings have to be held so those country leaders are informed of the progress of the implemented rules and regulations. If there is a suppressing need, the country leader should further evaluate the effectiveness of such rules. This can be done by perpetually reviewing the number of nuclear weapons or the workers convoying the weapons itself.
On the second issue, which is how cardinal is it for one country to dominate a nuclear weapon. It is lucid, that most countries would like to dominate a nuclear weapon, so as to be able to defend its country efficiently. Apparently, if more countries are planning to adopt nuclear arms, what we have to recognize is that it also increases the probability for terrorist to lay hands on it. While security measures can be preventive, we are still risk of having events when nuclear arms are stolen and ultimately, terrorists will still be able to exercise nuclear bombs in terror attacks. Surprisingly, this amount stolen is limited for nuclear arms to be made.
Subsequently, the author relates to us how detrimental it is for another country to have nuclear arms. It said that France, Britain and Germany are backed by the United Nation’s resolutions, have tried to negotiate to end Iran’s atomic ambition, but was unsuccessful. Also, United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have also persuaded North Korea to freeze and ultimately dismantle its nuclear ambition, and it was a terrific accomplishment.
So what are mainly the themes of this issue today? Is it the lesser countries possessing a nuclear weapon, the better and the safer the world will be? Or is it the better security you can provide with the nuclear arms, the more you should deserve to possess a nuclear weapon? I beg to differ that both themes are clearly mistaken. What we have to understand the author is trying to bring about is that a nuclear weapon can be devastating, and it should only be adopted when a country has faces 3 main enigmas; power, land and energy resource.
First And foremost, is the issue of power. In this context, power basically refers to the possession of control or command over others. This context is referred as a positive intention. However, this can only be agreed on with two conditions. Firstly, when a smaller country may face an outer invasion at any point of time, that is when nuclear arms may be own. Secondly, when power comes in adhesion with several complicated political issues with other states or countries, that is when nuclear arms may also be own so as to be able to procure a stronger stand.
Secondly, is the issue of land. By land, we are basically revolving around two main issues. Firstly, nuclear bombs should only be owned when a government has to rule over a large area, so that the defence of the country will not be compromised. A good example can be America or China. Secondly, the fact that nuclear bombs require several tests before it can be equipped into the army; the country requires a large land, so that such tests will not influence the masses.
Lastly, is the issue of energy resource. While considering nuclear energy to only be a vacuum to make bombs, this can be mistaken. Nuclear energy, can also be an alternative to generate electricity. Germany, for example, has a high consumption of electricity. For that reason, there is a need for them to search for other forms of energy. Europe has also been searching for alternative energy sources other than resorting to natural energy, or diesel. Currently, both countries have adopted nuclear energy, which provides 61% of their island wide energy demand. Tentatively, only when a country is in need of energy resource, then nuclear energy can be legal.
Last but not least, is the issue if people are mentally and physically prepared to face a terrorism attack. We have to acknowledge the fact that even if there are many posters, advertisements or videos to remind the public about terrorism, we see that they are unreactive, and ultimately, there will still be people remaining ignorant if danger approaches them or to the extent, feeling lost when they are met with pressing problems. This includes injuries or death.
We have to constantly remind the public that the threat of terrorism is real, and to stay vigilant at all times. As the article in the Reader’s Digest has brought up, we can review what will exactly happen when a country faces terrorism. Under this context, we see Brussels is an example being brought up. Simply, it talks about how an atomic reaction affects thousands of life, and across buildings and cities. We also see how commerce in the country ceases, or even the recession of economy. Indeed, the destruction can both be brutal and critical.
In my opinion, I believe that across the globe, we can classify the people into two types of genera; the majorities and the minorities. Explicitly, the majorities I refer to are the people who will not know how to react in a terrorism attack. While on the other hand, I refer the minorities to people who will know how to react effectively at times in danger. I personally believe that only people, who had experienced the danger itself and managed to escape successfully, are people who will know how to react well in terrorism attacks. For the adverse to be taking over, this can only occur in two levels. Firstly, when society is well informed; when society is well grounded of the instructions to do when we are in danger, then the majorities will be the people who will know how to react in a danger. Secondly, through more effective talks to the young and providing more valuable information to the public via different types of media, people will then be well informed of the precautions to take. That is quintessentially, when will the adverse take over.
On the whole, we have to understand that the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. The problem of our society today is that the people are merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, which defeats the purpose. Take for example, Bali. There had been twice bombing attacks since 2002. That being said, the casualties, which includes the injured and the death totals up to more than 1 million. Though after the first bombing attack, vigilance has increased significantly, and people started putting up posters and announcements to inform people of the threat against terrorism, but the bombing in 2005 happened again. So, three questions. Firstly, will the people be more vigilant after two bombings? Secondly, are the people really well informed and equipped with such life-saving skills? Lastly, will the bombing attack repeat itself? It is ironic to say but fortunately, only “normal bombs” are used, and they are not nuclear bombs.
That being said, I hope people will know how to respond effectively when they are faced with imminent danger. Like mentioned, we are facing an increasing tendency for terrorist to exercise nuclear bombs in their attacks.
To conclude, I wish for a world, which is free from terrorism attacks!
Article: Loose Nukes (Pg. 28-33)
“Terror” in a Terrorism?
Indeed, what we see in our world today, is an increasing tendency of terrorism attacks, that we as peasantry cannot elude from. Primarily, these attacks are known to be more hazardous, with the presence of nuclear arms.
Essentially, this article can be encapsulated in three main issues. Number 1, how effective the country is, to safeguard the true intent of nuclear weapons. Number 2, how cardinal is it for one country to dominate a nuclear weapon. While fundamentally, are the people mentally and physically prepared to face a terrorism attack.
On the first issue, which is how effective the country is, to safeguard the true intent of nuclear weapons. The author revealed that plutonium or uranium fuels nuclear weapons. This can be potentially arduous to make, as it has to go through complex refining and enriching process. Also the fact that such materials can either be retrieved under the ground or to run through a nuclear reactor, thus making it more difficult to be located. Gradually, the terrorists percepts this, and thus, they are aimed at bargaining or embezzling, through underhand means. These may include stealing from warehouses and military bases guarded by underpaid military police with poor security procedures and ramshackle infrastructure, purchasing of nuclear weapons through unauthorized means or to illicitly shipped nuclear blueprints and enrichment technology from unlawful companies to Islamic extremists, etc.
Basically, I observe that this is mostly occurring in third world countries, for example, Iran and Russia. Tentatively, the regulatory frameworks of the law in their countries are morally weak, which can be the root of the problem. Adding on, the local government of these countries spares diminutive effort to maintain the condition of the nuclear weapons, which directly led to such unprecedented events. Assessing on the several aftermaths, it is important that we have to set up immediate rules and regulations, to minimize and to eradicate such happenings. Unfortunately, we do not see it.
I suppose it is substantial for most of the first world countries (America, Singapore) to step in and give necessary recommendations to such countries. The fact that such nuclear weapons pose a great threat to the world and its commoners, this must be done without delay. Also, fixed meetings have to be held so those country leaders are informed of the progress of the implemented rules and regulations. If there is a suppressing need, the country leader should further evaluate the effectiveness of such rules. This can be done by perpetually reviewing the number of nuclear weapons or the workers convoying the weapons itself.
On the second issue, which is how cardinal is it for one country to dominate a nuclear weapon. It is lucid, that most countries would like to dominate a nuclear weapon, so as to be able to defend its country efficiently. Apparently, if more countries are planning to adopt nuclear arms, what we have to recognize is that it also increases the probability for terrorist to lay hands on it. While security measures can be preventive, we are still risk of having events when nuclear arms are stolen and ultimately, terrorists will still be able to exercise nuclear bombs in terror attacks. Surprisingly, this amount stolen is limited for nuclear arms to be made.
Subsequently, the author relates to us how detrimental it is for another country to have nuclear arms. It said that France, Britain and Germany are backed by the United Nation’s resolutions, have tried to negotiate to end Iran’s atomic ambition, but was unsuccessful. Also, United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have also persuaded North Korea to freeze and ultimately dismantle its nuclear ambition, and it was a terrific accomplishment.
So what are mainly the themes of this issue today? Is it the lesser countries possessing a nuclear weapon, the better and the safer the world will be? Or is it the better security you can provide with the nuclear arms, the more you should deserve to possess a nuclear weapon? I beg to differ that both themes are clearly mistaken. What we have to understand the author is trying to bring about is that a nuclear weapon can be devastating, and it should only be adopted when a country has faces 3 main enigmas; power, land and energy resource.
First And foremost, is the issue of power. In this context, power basically refers to the possession of control or command over others. This context is referred as a positive intention. However, this can only be agreed on with two conditions. Firstly, when a smaller country may face an outer invasion at any point of time, that is when nuclear arms may be own. Secondly, when power comes in adhesion with several complicated political issues with other states or countries, that is when nuclear arms may also be own so as to be able to procure a stronger stand.
Secondly, is the issue of land. By land, we are basically revolving around two main issues. Firstly, nuclear bombs should only be owned when a government has to rule over a large area, so that the defence of the country will not be compromised. A good example can be America or China. Secondly, the fact that nuclear bombs require several tests before it can be equipped into the army; the country requires a large land, so that such tests will not influence the masses.
Lastly, is the issue of energy resource. While considering nuclear energy to only be a vacuum to make bombs, this can be mistaken. Nuclear energy, can also be an alternative to generate electricity. Germany, for example, has a high consumption of electricity. For that reason, there is a need for them to search for other forms of energy. Europe has also been searching for alternative energy sources other than resorting to natural energy, or diesel. Currently, both countries have adopted nuclear energy, which provides 61% of their island wide energy demand. Tentatively, only when a country is in need of energy resource, then nuclear energy can be legal.
Last but not least, is the issue if people are mentally and physically prepared to face a terrorism attack. We have to acknowledge the fact that even if there are many posters, advertisements or videos to remind the public about terrorism, we see that they are unreactive, and ultimately, there will still be people remaining ignorant if danger approaches them or to the extent, feeling lost when they are met with pressing problems. This includes injuries or death.
We have to constantly remind the public that the threat of terrorism is real, and to stay vigilant at all times. As the article in the Reader’s Digest has brought up, we can review what will exactly happen when a country faces terrorism. Under this context, we see Brussels is an example being brought up. Simply, it talks about how an atomic reaction affects thousands of life, and across buildings and cities. We also see how commerce in the country ceases, or even the recession of economy. Indeed, the destruction can both be brutal and critical.
In my opinion, I believe that across the globe, we can classify the people into two types of genera; the majorities and the minorities. Explicitly, the majorities I refer to are the people who will not know how to react in a terrorism attack. While on the other hand, I refer the minorities to people who will know how to react effectively at times in danger. I personally believe that only people, who had experienced the danger itself and managed to escape successfully, are people who will know how to react well in terrorism attacks. For the adverse to be taking over, this can only occur in two levels. Firstly, when society is well informed; when society is well grounded of the instructions to do when we are in danger, then the majorities will be the people who will know how to react in a danger. Secondly, through more effective talks to the young and providing more valuable information to the public via different types of media, people will then be well informed of the precautions to take. That is quintessentially, when will the adverse take over.
On the whole, we have to understand that the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. The problem of our society today is that the people are merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, which defeats the purpose. Take for example, Bali. There had been twice bombing attacks since 2002. That being said, the casualties, which includes the injured and the death totals up to more than 1 million. Though after the first bombing attack, vigilance has increased significantly, and people started putting up posters and announcements to inform people of the threat against terrorism, but the bombing in 2005 happened again. So, three questions. Firstly, will the people be more vigilant after two bombings? Secondly, are the people really well informed and equipped with such life-saving skills? Lastly, will the bombing attack repeat itself? It is ironic to say but fortunately, only “normal bombs” are used, and they are not nuclear bombs.
That being said, I hope people will know how to respond effectively when they are faced with imminent danger. Like mentioned, we are facing an increasing tendency for terrorist to exercise nuclear bombs in their attacks.
To conclude, I wish for a world, which is free from terrorism attacks!
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