The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the Formula One World Championship. It was being held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore. Upon renaissance of the event in 2008, the first race at the Marina Bay location, which was also Formula One's first night race, was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault F1 team. The first race held at the new Marina Bay street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event Formula One history. The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. For the 2009 race,, the circuit was slightly being rectified, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high kerbs caused many accidents in 2008
Singapore's third Night Race was held in September 2010, in conjunction with a comprehensive 10-day entertainment schedule. Officially known as the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010, which led up to the final race which included parties, race-themed events, music concerts, exhibitions and dining & shopping experiences
An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) would sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD. Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later. The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.
I honestly think that such events being held in Singapore is very beneficial to our country and businesses as it brings in revenues. As known to everyone, hotel prices around the area went up really high during the F1 event. The food and beverages, souvenirs and all of the things being sold at the place of event is relatively high, especially in the view of us, Singaporeans. With an average 160 million global viewers per race, the event can act as an annual engine to drive tourists here, luring them not only to the track, but also the theme parks and casinos. There can also be F1 worldwide promotions, selling family packages that include Singapore Airlines tickets, Marina Bay Sands rooms (to be near the race), Universal Studios admissions and, of course, F1 passes. F1 can also give Singapore the need to realise its vision of a global city. Unlike many major cities, Singapore does not have a regular world-class sports event. Compared to the generic race tracks, a city event is far more scenic and colourful. The night race will also be a first, giving Singapore a chance to build a signature sports championship. Political will is needed to convince the people that F1, despite the short-term inconveniences, such as road closures and traffic disruptions, it has long-term benefits such as more jobs and creating a well known city. Therefore, I think that Singapore needs to have exposures like this to create more revenues for the country which also means more employment for the citizens.
~ Natasha
Singapore Grand Prix was first held on 28 September 2008 at Marina Bay Street Circuit. It was not only first for Singapore to hold this prestigious event but also, the first in Asia and the first night race Formula One has ever held in history. Much awaited by the locals and visitors alike, the race was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA (Fédération Internationale de I’Automobile) Formula One Championship. The event was set at a five-year agreement deal by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestrone to stage the Singapore Grand Prix. Proudly sponsored by SingTel, it was officially called The Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The event was also munificently co-funded by Singapore’s government, forking out $90 million SGD out of the $150 million SGD which was 60% of the total bill.
Since the launch of tickets for the Singapore Grand Prix on 14th February 2008, Singapore GP has sold 82% of the tickets on 8th May 2008 out of the approximately 110,000 tickets that were made available. The tickets include three-day walkabout, grandstand passes, corporate hospitality and Paddock Club seats. The event was occupied by thousands of spectators from all over the world and over 30 million TV viewers, watched in live coverage, in 5 main Europe markets of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The exciting race of 61 laps covering 309.087 km was finished off in 1h 57m 53.6s by Ferrari’s driver, Fernando Alonso. Red Bull-Renault’s driver, Sebastian Vettel came in 2nd by +0.2 seconds and from the same constructor, Mark Webber came in 3rd by +29.1 seconds later. Overall, it was an accomplishment for Singapore for the first successful night race of Formula One.
Not only has Singapore successfully held the event, but this marked the economy growth for Singapore and her identity as a country to be known globally as well. As the Formula One is a regional event, people from all over the world are well-informed of the event and the country host. This will help people from other country familiarize and learn more about Singapore. Many have come down to Singapore and have not only witness the race; they also had the chance to tour the country. Although small, it’s vibrant in culture, known for its green and clean environment and a shopping paradise for all to enjoy. In this way, Singapore is able to expect a tremendous growth in its tourism and financial sector as visitors will need accommodations, transport and food expenses during their stay. During the Formula One event, Singapore hotels are all fully booked especially those in the town areas. Known for its best shopping experience, visitors loved the shopping places available here. This contributed in the economic growth by 1.2% in 2008 compared with 7.7% in 2007 as a whole.
Without doubt, the Formula One has take Singapore a notch higher overall as a country and has bring many fortune in 2008 alone. This inaugural event has promised more events of Formula One in the years to come. The most recent event was held on September 2010 which marked Singapore’s 3rd year for the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix night race. It is officially known as the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010. The event led up to the final race which included parties, race-themed events, music concerts, exhibitions, dining and shopping experiences.
- Yana xoxo
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wikileaks is an international, distributed organization that develops and hosts a highly-secure application for anonymously submitting leaked documents and files. It is certainly one of the most divisive web applications ever. What is more with over 1 million documents available for download, The National speculates that Wikileaks has broken more scoops in 3 years than the Washington Post.
Wikileaks has made history by releasing leaks with far-reaching, geopolitical impact. Most notably, Wikileaks became famous worldwide in 2010 with (1) their ‘Collateral Murder’ video release (a US Army leak showing an Apache gunship killing 14+ people in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists) and (2) publishing their ‘Afghan War Logs’ release (over 90,000 US military reports from the war in Afghanistan) — arguably, the largest breach of military security in the history of warfare.On Sunday 28th November 2010, Wikileaks began publishing 251,287 leaked United States embassy cables, the largest set of confidential documents ever to be released into the public domain. WikiLeaks says the documents show how the U.S. kept tabs on its allies and on the UN, turned a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuses in states it supported, and how American officials described foreign leaders. The documents will give people around the world an unprecedented insight into the US Government's foreign activities.
A month earlier, WikiLeaks released documents that suggested the U.S. turned a blind eye to hundreds of reports of abuse, torture and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers. On July 25, 2010 WikiLeaks published nearly 77,000 secret U.S military and intelligence documentsthat revealed new details about the war in Afghanistan, including the close relationship of the Pakistani military with Afghan insurgents. At the time, the posting of those documents was described as the largest leak in American military history since the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
I am indeed fascinated by the impact of WikiLeaks and I think it is pretty awesome. WikiLeaks is a freedom of speech and the truth splash of what politics and governments are doing.Perhaps with the Wikileaks, future governments will be more open.WikiLeaks is based on the premise that transparency in government discourages corruption, which is definitely a good thing. The future of Wikileaks is uncertain but there’s little doubt that Wikileaks is influencing how society will be affected by information networks. I believed WikiLeaks strives to bring transparency to government activities by publishing and defending sensitive materials submitted by activists, journalists, and others. It is about democracy, and democracy is people's rights to the truth.
~Natasha
WikiLeaks aims to bring important news and information to the public. They provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way to leak information regarding material of ethical, political and historical significance to their journalists. Thus, by keeping the identity of the source anonymous, they are able to create a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices. A non-profit media organisation launched in 2006, by The Sunshine Press, WikiLeaks has claimed to have more than 1.2 million documents only after a year after it’s launched.
WikiLeaks relies significantly on its supporters from all over the world to stay strong. They uphold the fact that everyone has the right to express their opinions without inference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any source of media regardless of frontiers. They believed that not only the people from the country that keep their own government honest, but also people of other countries who are watching and observing that particular government through the media to develop their honest judgments too. Through publishing the governments’ information and secrets, it creates transparency within a country and this will in turn create better society for all people. Better scrutiny or analysis of the country can reduce corruption and build stronger democracies in all society’s institution, including government, corporations and other organizations.
In April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video on a website called Collateral Murder, where Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. forces in 2007. In July of the same year, they have released the Afghan War Diary, a collection of more than 76,900 documents about the War in Afghanistan which was previously not available for public review. In October, a package of almost 40,000 documents called the Iraq War Logs was released. And recently in November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing U.S. State department diplomatic cables in several news organizations that was picked up quickly by news wire and blogs. The leaked diplomatic cables included frank, unflattering characteristics of U.S. diplomats. U.S. Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, herself was said to question the mental health of Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez, asking U.S. diplomats to look into whether she was on medication.
Prior to the release of confidential American diplomatic cables, some world leaders reacted with anger or embarrassed silence. However, U.S. is certain of surviving WikiLeaks. Mrs Hilary Clinton, who is currently leading the massive damage-control operation that has launched in the wake of the latest revelations by WikiLeaks, expressed confidence that her country’s diplomatic relationships would withstand the upheaval. Despite the endurance, Mrs Clinton responded to the leaks saying, "This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy; it is an attack on the international community, the alliances and partnerships, the conventions and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity."
In my opinion, there are advantages and the disadvantages of the disclosure of information by the WikiLeaks. Some of the information are indeed confidential and should only be made known by the government itself since they are more knowledgeable about their own matter. In Singapore, Official Secrets Act is formed to protect the confidentiality of diplomatic and official correspondence. This is also critical as it prevents dispute among the people in a country who have different opinions about a certain issue. Especially when the selective release of documents taken out from a particular context, it will only serve to create confusion and fail to provide a complete picture of the important issues that were being discussed among the leaders in a country. However, there are advantages to have an organisation like WikiLeaks. It would be to create awareness for the whole world, help people in the nation to be prepared of any disruptions that will happen in the future and most importantly, to be able to have the rights to voice out our opinions or views on a particular issue. It would create an honest relationship between the government and its people and to be able to open up each other. As a democratic citizen, human rights and freedom of speech remains vital. I would appreciate if the government is willing to share their information and to accept my opinions before stepping into a vast decision, if there is, that will affect me as a citizen of my country.
In conclusion, I feel that it is best that confidential matters in the government be kept safe among themselves. Since we trust our democratic leaders that we voted for to run the country, we should continue our trust and believe that the government will provide their best for its nation’s benefits. However, if there are matters that the government feel or think that it’s best that they ask for opinions of its people, they should certainly do so. In this way, we do not have to worry about any nation dispute and respect the government space for privacy so that they can do what they do best in peace.
- Yana xoxo
Wikileaks is a non profit website dedicated to publishing news that is not available to the public or leaks from anywhere in the world regarding different topics. It was launched in December 2006.
In November 2010, Wikileaks published US diplomatic documents in its website. The documents published had important and relevant information for the country and its future plans. Some information included stating what was important for the country's future. And some of these things or places are not in the US itself. By publishing this, Wikileaks has put the country's national security in jeopardy. Terrorists can act on this information and hinder the progress of the US. Or countries might start blackmailing or using US for their own benefit now since they know that the US is going to rely on them in the future.
Such may be the consequences of publishing these kind of information on the internet. There is a reason to why this information was not given to the public. Obviously the governments have the well being of its citizens as a top priority and would devulge any relevant information to them. And the information that is not given or shown to the public, there certainly would be a good reason for it. Such as the safety or the citizens, the progress of the country or the jeopardy of national security.
Some people might think to themselves, why must the government hide information which is important from them? what has the government have to hide? But have they ever thought why the government needs to do that? yes, i agree that a country needs transparency to run smoothly. But then again, which country is totally transparent? Everyone in this world has their dirty laundry and doesnt show it to the world for their own reason. i beleive that a country too, has this.
So, whenever anyone starts to question how a government is running a country, they should stop and think over why are tey questioning them. Thus, i would say that publishing confidential information on the internet, in this case, is an act of terrorism as the country's national security is at stake. The website should not have published this at all ans should have contacted the US government instead.
SUNILSINGH
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
WikiLeaks in an international new media non-profit organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous news sources and leaks. Its website, launched in December 2006, is run by The Sunshine Press. Within a year of its launch, the site claimed a database that had grown to more than 1.2 million documents. The organization has described itself as having been founded by Chinese dissidents, as well as journalists, mathematicians, and start-up company technologists from the United States, Taiwan, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. The Guardian newspaper describes Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist as its director.
In April 2010, WikiLeaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians and journalists were killed by U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder. In July of the same year, WikiLeaks released Afghan War Diary, a compilation of more than 76,900 documents about the War in Afghanistan previously unvailable for public review. In October, the group released a package of almost 400,000 documents called the Iraq War Logs in coordination with major commercial media organisations. In November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing U.S. State department diplomatic cables.
A lot of people are talking about 'Human rights'. I believe that everyone has the right to know what is really going on in this world. Everyone has the right to know all of the wrongdoings being committed by various governments and corporations. Publishing all these news on internet improves transparency and this transparency creates a better society for all people around the world. Better scrunity leads to reduced corruption and stronger democracies in all society's institutions, including governments, corporations and other organisations. A healthy, vibrant and inquisitive journalistic media plays a vital role in achieving these goals. I strongly believe that it is not only the people of one country that keep their own government honest, but also the people of other countries who are watching that government through the media.
In conclusion, I think that WikiLeaks is a good service in a democracy as it keeps the governments around the world honest and open to their citizens. Our world is in need of 'heroes' who are willing to remove the mask of some corrupted governments, corporations and organizations. I am glad WikiLeaks is leading the bunch of 'heroes'.
-Ung Lay Hoe
Friday, December 3, 2010
WikiLeaks, provokes terrorism or renders good service?
Wiki Leaks in an international non-profit media organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. The website was launched in 2006. Within a year of its launch, the site claimed a database that had grown to more than 1.2 million documents. Wiki Leaks had also stated that its “primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behaviour in their governments and corporations.”, it had also described itself as “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking.”. Wiki Leaks has also achieved a number of awards such as the 2008 Economist Magazine New Media Award and Amnesty International’s UK Media Award.
Some of the astounding leaks that had caused uproar were the Afghan War Diary that was a compilation of more than 76.900 documents about the War in Afghanistan that was not previously available for public review. It also posted a video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians and journalists were killed by the U.S. forces, on a website called Collateral Murder.
In contrast to many others, I do find that Wiki Leaks is indeed a good source of information and has provided good service. Just like Wikipedia, Wiki Leaks contains and possesses a good amount of sources and information which usually are dependable.
In this post here, many people characterizes the content of the tens of thousands classified diplomatic cables as mere “gossip” and maintains “that grabbing as many diplomatic cables as you can get your hands on and making them public is not a socially worthy activity”. However, in contra to these comments, I strongly disagree.
For example, drawing on the documents made available by Wiki Leaks, the
ACLU reports that the Bush administration "pressured Germany not to prosecute CIA officers responsible for the kidnapping, extraordinary rendition and torture of German national Khaled El-Masri", a terrorism suspect dumped in Albania once the CIA determined it had nabbed a nobody. Kidnapping and torture serious crimes, and I think it's interesting indeed if the United States government applied pressure to foreign governments to ensure complicity in the cover-up of it agents' abuses. In any case, I do not think this is gossip.
Wiki Leaks do provide information that actually triggers a new way for governments of different countries to handle different situations and citizens to have a better understanding of what is going on in their country.
An example, Scott Shane, the New York Times’ national security reporter had suggested that
“Perhaps if we had more information on these secret internal deliberations of governments prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, we would have had a better understanding of the quality of the evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”
Therefore, personally, I’d say that Wiki Leaks providing the information would have been a socially worthy activity and had indeed rendered good service to the community, even if the information were obtained illegally. Because of Wiki Leaks’ information, it is said that the quality of discussion over possible US efforts to stymie Iran’s nuclear ambitions has already become more sophisticated.
However, I do agree in some ways that if Wiki Leaks become a common place, it will have a great impact on the world’s ability to do diplomacy. But on the other hand, the leaks might be a great thing for democracy. Not only dispels notion of most conspiracy theories, it will also stop the governments from starting real ones.
Lastly, the posts that Wiki Leaks have revealed have been said to have not put any lives at ricks and that most of them should not have been classified to begin with, the posts just confirmed what people had always suspected.
Therefore, I do think that Wiki Leaks is a good service as it increases the citizens awareness of various happenings and it does reveal unethical behavior in governments and corporations. Although it had led to many criticisms by governments, it had also received praises by governments. Deputy Foreign Minister Kinto Lucas praised Wiki Leaks, calling them people who are constantly investigating and trying to get light out of the dark corners of state information.
Jiayee Wan
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A 19 year ols youth, reepeatedly hacked by a group a youths in full view of the public, died in hospital died in hospital hours later. This violent attackand the susequent attempt of the youth and his friends to flee, left a 500m long trail of blood at Pasir Ris resort and amusement park.
Darren Ng Wei Jie was with two friends when they supposedly got into a "staring" incident with a group of about 10 teenagers. It is believed that Darren's attackersproduced a choppernd slashed him several times. Darren, now dead, was believed to be in his third year in Republic polytechnic and was also in the water polo team. Reports later however, stated that Darren Ng and his friends were from a gang and was supposed to meet a rival gang at downtown east to settle some unresolved disputes.
The slashers at downtown east have been caught and given a death sentence as they have been charged with murder. Although this have been done, there were two more incidents of slashing- at AMK and at Woodlands. These gang members involved in slashing innocent people, what is their real motive? Are they not afraid? what are they trying to prove?
I think, first of all,the police should take more actions and deal with the gang issues in Singapore. I think that the government have overlooked theSingapore underworld and did not perceive them as much of a threat. However, after all these incidents and what not, measures should be set up and stricter rules should be put in place as well.
Secondly, the fact that the downtown east slashing incident happened in front of a huge crowd, really disturbed me. Why did a group of a few hundred Singaporeans watch on as a 19 year old boy got slashedto death? Are Singaporens cowards? Are they too self absorbed to care nothing about others and only themselves? I think we should all step up and take initiative to try and do something about this. Honestly, no amount of police or security will be able to protect every single Singaprean, so we must ourselves start to take initiative and help and protect each other.
Parents should also educate their children about these gang activities and should not allow their children to mix around with people involved in gangs, both directly and indirectly as the conquences are severe and sometimes brutal.
SUNILSINGH
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Is our Singapore still safe?
Halloween is an annual celebration observed in October 31 and this Halloween, there was a tragic incident that happened at Downtown East, located at Pasir Ris. 19-year-old Darren Ng Wei Jie had been repeatedly hacked by a group of youths in full view of a crowd and died in the hospital hours later. The violent attack and subsequent attempt by the youth and his friends to flee left a 500 meter long trail of blood. Initially, it was said that the incident had happened because of a ‘staring incident’, however, it was then reported that the Darren Ng was part of gang and that he and his fellow gang members were going to meet a rival gang at Downtown East. The police managed to nab 4 men related to the incident 48 hours after the tragedy. In less than a week, another slashing incident happened at Bukit Panjang and shortly after, another slashing case happened again in Ang Mo Kio.
Is Singapore still safe? Are these gangsters making a comeback into the society? It came to me as a shock when I heard about the news of Darren Ng. I could not believe the barbaric nature of our teenagers nowadays. They managed to carry knives around, going around sashaying their choppers, did no policemen or bystanders notice? And was it really necessary to bring choppers and knives along? This incident definitely triggered a lot of questions in me, especially questions about teenagers today. I still feel angered by the incident because I believe that whatever Darren Ng did, he did not deserve such a brutal death, neither did the ruthless men that killed him had any rights to end his life, regardless of what he did to them. These men are aged between 18 and 20 and according to the law, as long as you are above the age of 16, you have the ability to think wisely. What exactly was going through the minds of these people when the incident took place? Were they afraid? Or did they feel proud of themselves for ending a life? According to the newspapers, after stabbing Darren Ng, the bunch still made noises and shouted their gang names. It seemed like they were feeling accomplished by what they have done, which I feel that it is utterly disgusting. It was a very depressing farewell to Darren Ng and at the funeral, his father wailed uncontrollably as he said his last words to his son, which was, “You’re only 19. Why? Darren, why? You were supposed to take care of your sister and mother.”
In my opinion, such cases should and must be taken very seriously. The men that killed Darren Ng should be given the most severe sentence and there should be no leniency. This is to show other teenagers that are in gangs that Singapore does not tolerate such irrational acts and that it is very severe, therefore it will serve as a warning to these gang-related people.
It is sad to see a youth gone like this. His parents had raised him up for 19 years and he hadn’t been able to take care of them and now he’s gone. Many insist that Darren Ng deserved it and that he was the one that approached the other gang members first and even threw the first punch. However so, I still do not think that Darren Ng deserves death. It is rather depressing, too, to see our Singaporean youths become such uncouth teenagers which is just not right at all because Singapore has one of the highest literacy rate therefore, we are not supposed to produce these teenagers whom do not care about their own lives or others, taking life and death like a gamble.
Since the incident, although there had been more police patrolling areas and that the police are said to be more uptight about the situation, unfortunately, there had been a few other incidents related to gangs and slashing happening in Singapore within a month of Darren Ng's incident. It triggered a lot of commotion and people started to question Singapore's education. Not only that, people started questioning Singapore's safety, which has been known to be one of the best in the world. I think that now that these had happened and there is no point crying over spilled milk, the authorities in-charge should step up. Not only should our police force be working harder to nab these people, there should be a educational resource for all teenagers to educate them about the consequences of such happenings. Also, parents should step in and teach their children, share with them this particular incident and help them understand how bad the situation is as these incidents have not happened and cause such a commotion in Singapore for years.
However, no matter how sad the situation is, I know that Singapore’s police force and government would stand up and rectify these problems. Singapore is still safe, look how quick and nimble our police officers are, they managed to nab the murderers in about 48 hours. Therefore, I trust that Singapore will continue to investigate on this case and the related slashing cases and give us, the citizens in Singapore, a full explanation soon.
Jiayee Wan
It was on the headlines all over Singapore. 19 year old Daren Ng, was stabbed to death at Downtown East in full view of passers-by at the leisure complex. He was reportedly hacked with a chopper and died in hospital about five hours after the attack. The police commented that the initial media reports that the murder arose from a staring incident were "unfounded". The clash was connected to gang-related disputes involving the deceased, victims and assailants. The suspects were aged between 19-22 years old. Darren Ng Wei Jie, a student from Republic Polytechnic, had suffered multiple slash wounds and a stab wound to his abdomen. Despite his injuries, he had managed to stagger about seventy metre and even climbed a flight of stairs with the help from his friends before collapsing in front of the restaurant in Pasir Ris.
In less than two weeks after the incident, a similar incident hit the news yet again. Six students have been hospitalised after suffering injuries from yet another gang-related slashing incident.Seven youths brandishing chopping knives went on a slashing rampage at Bukit Panjang. Witnesses claimed that the gang were seen slashing a man in his twenties before approaching a basketball court. Twenty youths were resting after a soccer game and just as they were about to leave, they were confronted by the attackers, who were holding 16-inch parangs. Believe it or not, the youngest among them was only 8 years old.
Parents are starting to worry for their children’s safety with the gang related incidents. These hooligans are really out of their mind. They hold knives like toys and went on attacking people as if it was not a crime to do so. Don’t they ever think of the consequences for their actions? Don’t they give a thought for their future? The police have already warned that youth offenders involved in violent crimes will not be treated lightly because if their age. All gang behaviour will be dealt firmly and decisively. They will face the full force of the law. The youths should have known better how tight Singapore’s law is and that they can never run away for all the crimes they have done. They can try hiding, but never for long. There has been an insidious and silent growth of gangsters amongst the youths that has been ignored over the years. These so-called gangs can be curtailed if more ground work and human intelligence are in action. Well, at least the police are now taking pro-active actions by doing frequent patrolling in the neighbourhood, interchanges, stations and more. Many have been caught with gang related issues and drug offences ever since the police starts to take actions. These nuisances should face with severe punishments and let it be a lifelong lesson for them. Hopefully they will change for the better after serving their sentences and be a useful citizen and do some contributions to the country. May this create awareness among the youths to turn over a new leaf before it is too late.
~Natasha
Late Darren Ng Wei Jie, a 19-year-old Republic Polytechnic student was killed after being repeatedly hacked by a group of youths at Downtown East, Pasir Ris on 31st October. Halloween night became a truly frightening incident that left many people in a state of shock. This unexpected incident had been reported to be gang-related and is believed that the "Sah Lak Kau" (Hokkien for 369) gang group was involved.
10 days after, news roared up about another slashing incident that involved this time, 7 youths being repeatedly slashed at Bukit Panjang. The victims who was believed to be resting after a football game was approached by a group of 8 people brandishing chopping knives and asked them if they were from the gang group called “Pak Hai Tong”. When the boys said no, they surround and started slashing them. They were also believed to be from the "Sah Lak Kau” gang group.
However, the nightmare did not stop there. On 18th November around 7pm, a dispute started between 2 youths and later turned bloody when one of them whipped out a knife and slashed the other on his right hand. It happened in the full view of the patrons at a fast-food outlet at Ang Mo Kio.
This has raised many concerns among the members of public over the subsequent incidents that happened 3 times in a month. Parents are becoming more worried for their children’s safety when they are outside from their homes. Now that all these incidents are happening one after another, the question is, Is Singapore still safe? Sharp weapons are being carried around openly in the public and brutal fights are happening unexpectedly at anywhere. Nobody knows for sure if all of these fuss and fights nightmares are going to end soon while some do think that there will be more such cases happening in the future.
Obviously, it seemed like the strict laws that Singapore has imposed on the country are no longer an important matter to these youths from the gang group. Even if they know what they’re getting themselves into is extremely dangerous and there’s a definite price to pay for their actions. This may absolutely be a threat to the nation’s security. Furthermore, innocent people could be getting hurt or even killed. In my opinion, this certainly calls for thorough investigations on all these secret society in Singapore and it’s time for the government to take proper and severe actions in order to stop another tragic incident from happening. Tighter securities should be enforced such as frequent patrolling around the neighbourhood areas should be done by the police officers, regardless in the day or night.
- Yana xoxo
Fatal Stabbing at Downtown East
Four men have been arrested just 48 hours after a teen was brutally hacked to death in a gang fight at Downtown East. Police have classified the case as murder, which carries the death penalty. Republic Polytechnic student Darren Ng Wei Jie, 19, had suffered multiple slash wounds and a stab wound to his abdomen. Despite his injuries he had managed to stagger about 70m and even climbed a flight of stairs with his friend's help before collapsing in front of the restaurant in Pasir Ris at about 6pm on 31st October 2010. Besides this incident, there are several such incidents which had happened in Singapore. There are several stories regarding this incident. Some said that the catalyst of the fight is a staring incident while some said it is related to gangs’ dispute.
I find this incident rather unbelievable as all of the people involved are all youths. Shouldn’t they be working hard and studying hard to achieve their goals in life? Kids like to behave like heroes when they are in a group, emboldened by their peers. The victim is only 19 years old this year, a third year student in Republic Polytechnic. At this age, he has so much going for him in life but it’s all a blank now. Not just the life of the boy, the future of the murderers ends here. They might even face death penalty. Before doing such a thing, have they ever considered how would their parents feel about it? Their parents must be devastated after hearing this case. The parents of Darren Ng were very infuriated and downhearted upon hearing this tragedy. Government should do something about this matter such as bringing attention to all the parents of the teenagers around Singapore. They should come up with videos to alert the parents and also the teenagers. Teenagers should be focusing on their studies rather than being a ‘hero’.
- Ung Lay Hoe
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
British Monarchy
Latest News: Prince William and Kate Middleton to marry at Westminster Abbey on Friday, 29th April 2011[Kate Middleton and Prince William]
[Britain Royal Family]
Congratulations and best wishes for the royal couple! Prince William has finally popped the question to his fiancée with his late mother, Princess Diana’s blue sapphire and diamond engagement ring, during a holiday at Kenya in October. The couple has known each other for nearly 8 years where they first met at St Andrews University in Scotland where both of them were studying art history. Catherine Elizabeth “Kate” Middleton, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, said that it is a “daunting prospect” for her to join the royal family. Despite the intimidating fact that she’s not from the royal blood, I am sure that the princess-to-be will be as excited as how her nation has joyously responded to the wedding and that she’ll be a promising princess for London.
Personally, reading up on news like this makes me really excited although I may not be a part of it. Perhaps it is because in Singapore, we do not practice such monarchy system and therefore becomes a thrilling fact for me. Besides, it is in every girl’s wish list to be called a princess, a true princess that will be able to rule a country. However, in today’s era British monarchy, it is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that the Sovereign is still the Head of the State, but the ability to make and pass legislation holds in the hands of the elected Parliament. In layman terms, The Queen does not “rule” the country but fulfills important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to the Government. Although her majesty is no longer involved in the political and executive matters, she continues to play an important part of the nation. The Sovereign acts as a focus on national identity, unity and pride for the country. They provide stability, officially recognises success and excellence and support the ideal voluntary services. For example, the Queen entertains visiting Head of State and makes visits to other countries in support of the diplomatic and economic relations. In all of these roles, the Sovereign is supported by members of the instant family.
As a constitutional monarchy, the Sovereign must remain politically neutral. Therefore, laws by the government are made and followed by the nation. Due to the constitutional monarchy system that has been implemented since the 18th to 19th century, I do not feel that there is a need to be against the British Monarchy but rather I see it as a tradition that the royal family have been upholding since more than a 1000 years ago. Despite the fact that we’re already living in the 21st century and in a modernized global, they did not abandon the monarchy system that have been around for years and instead, implemented a more sensible system at the same time, keeping the royal blood alive. Unlike the monarchy system since the ancient time which allowed only one person, which was the King himself, to decide about all the matters in a country. This is obviously not a fair system as it intend not to care about the nation’s welfares or rights but rather decisions made to the King’s advantage.
- Yana xoxo
Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton, which took place last month during a vacation in Kenya, was announed publicly by Prince Charles. He proposed to her with his mother, Princess Diana’s engaement ring. Being the girlfriend to Prince William, it brought her widespread media coverage in the United Kingdom and abroad. The two met more than 8 years ago as students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Middleton, the daughter of self-made millionaires, works for the family business. Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton are the people’s choice to be the next King and Queen according to a poll. More than half of Britons would prefer William to be the next monarch, instead of his father Charles, Prince of Wales. Most of the people agree that the young couple’s marriage will strengthen the monarchy. A monarchy is a form of of government inwhich all political power is absolutely or nominally lodged with an individual, known as a monarch("single ruler"), or king(male), queen (female).
Personally, I find the whole British Monarchy thing rather quaint. They are just like the rest of us except that they are well known and live a life full of wealth, just like the celebrities. However, I don’t deny that the monarchy system does make the country more interesting and draw in a lot of attention from all over the world. What I find most interesting about countries with monarchy system is that the country will usually have castles and stately homes which makes a country far more unique.advantages. Apart from that has been mentioned earlier, I don’t think there is any other I strongly believe that people should be given opportunities according to their abilities and not according to their birth. British tax payers are also paying quite a sum of money to support them. The costs of monarchy are unjustifiable. Typically monarchs and their immediate family receive substantial amounts of money from the state to maintain luxurious lifestyles, complete with servants, expensive holidays and hobbies, not to forget the costs of maintain the palaces and other royal residences. The monarchy also encourages the continuation and acceptance of outdates traditions and beliefs. Furthermore, the monarchy are living in a life full of luxury while the people are working hard to earn a living.
In conclusion, the monarchy is just unproductive and hence should be abolished.
~Natasha
Monarchies still relevant? Or are obsolete?
There has been a recent uproar about the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Since marriages in the Monarchy has always been arranged and the parties have no say in it, this proves the point that the Monarchy's views has changed over the years. Compared to Princess Diana Spencer, Kate Middleton comes from a normal family instead of royalty. Princess Diana, on the other hand, is the son of John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer. He held the offices of county councilor for Northamptonshire, was a high sheriff of Northamptonshire, Justice of the Peace for Norfolk, served King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II as equerry and was invested as a member of the Royal Victorian Order. Princess Diana's ancestors are also part of British Liberal Party as politicians. Kate Middleton, on the other hand, comes from a family that has no connections with the Royalty or Monarchy. Therefore, when the news regarding Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement was released, many started to question the relevance of the Monarchies in today's society.
The Monarchy's history goes back a long way. It traces its origins from the Kings of the Angles and the early Scottish Kings. Currently, Queen Elizabeth II reigns the Monarchy and she had taken over since 6 February 1952 after King George VI passed on. When Queen Elizabeth II passes on, Prince Charles, father of Prince William will be taking over her place.
In my opinion, it seems that the Monarchy has of rich historical value and that it possesses a lot of traditional culture. Therefore, it is something that the country wants to preserve for the later generations. Being different from many countries like Singapore, United States of America and China, the Monarchy still adapts the old ways of governing the state, there are still Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses. Personally, I feel that the difference is rather interesting and that I would not mind having a Monarchy in Singapore. The history and culture the United Kingdom's Monarchy possesses is really something that needs to be passed on. I believe that the people of the United Kingdom or Great Britain are proud about their culture and therefore I think that the Monarchy is necessary.
Here are some of the comments from people of the United Kingdom -
How will we identify our nationhood in future? Our unwritten but vital constitution in tatters, no Monarchy, no Pound, no Union (or unity) between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or Commonwealth, Europe? The economy is not our national identity, our history is! We seem determined to implement change for changes sake. European ideals will not replace individual national identity (unless all its members give up sovereignty, language and flag).
Unfashionable though it may be I think at this time we need to retain as many aspects of our history as possible, modified to today's needs but more or less intact, without them we will lose our roots - without roots our nationhood will wither.
Martin, UK
Monarchy, like the Lords, are part of our heritage - how we got to the evolved state that we are in now. We should not destroy our heritage - what will further generations have to say about what we do now?
Simon Treleaven, UK
The continued existence of a British monarchy reflects our obsession with living in the past. All societies must have regard to their history to live in it, is to be doomed to staying there. Britain must move on and an end to the monarchy is an essential step to our doing so.
Garnet Harrison, UK
There are people who object to the Monarchy and people who accept the Monarchy. Although it doesn't relate as much to me because Singapore does not adapt to a Monarchy, I strongly feel that the Monarchy is still relevant in today's society. Although it is said that other people in the country deserve a chance to 'rule' the state and not only the descendants of the Royalty, I believe that the Monarchy has its ways to govern the state well with blooming growth for the future because it has been doing so for the past hundreds, even thousands of years. Till date, it has proven itself to be of great capability. In fact, in recent news, Prince William mentioned that he 'wants to modernize the British Monarchy'. Which would be a huge change in the Monarchy as it is known to be strict and very traditional. Also, with the unplanned marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, it goes to show that the Monarchy is gradually changing its point of views. Thus, I believe that the Monarchy isn't obsolete and in years to come, the Monarchy might be more successful in governing its state with the wisdom of the Princes that would bring forth the country to whole new level.
Jiayee Wan
The engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton was announced on the 16th of November 2010. The wedding will take place in the Spring or Summer of 2011, in London. It has been such a long time since such a happy occasion happened in the British Monarchy. Not surprisingly, the engagement is creating a sensation in United Kingdom. A lot of people are discussing and comparing the future Royal Highness, Kate with late Princess Diana. Kate Middleton comes from a middle class family which is unlike from Diana who came from a upper class family. I don’t see the need to compare both the ladies as different people have different characteristics and ways to handle their matter. An eight years relationship doesn’t come by easily and loads of bonds have been created in this long relationship. Therefore, I think that they will lead a happy marriage. However, the wedding is bound to affect the monarchy of British in a way or two. The British Monarchy has been around for a very long time, it traces its origins from the Kings of the Angles and the early Scottish King. The marriages in the Royal Family have always been arranged, nobody has a say about it. However, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton has showed that the Monarchy has changed its view towards marriage. With Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Monarchy is lurching towards inclusivity.
The present monarch, Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties. Personally, I agree with the presence of Monarchy. The presence of the monarchy does not affect the major decisions by the government as the monarch has no authority to interfere. The monarch may express his or her views, but, as a constitutional ruler, must eventually accept the decisions of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (providing they command the support of the House). The Monarchy is present most likely because of the social and cultural functions it fulfils. These include: providing a focus for national identity, unity and pride; giving a sense of stability and continuity; recognising success, achievement and excellence; and supporting service to others, particularly through public service and the voluntary sector. In addition, at times of national celebration or tragedy, The Queen publicly represents the nation's mood - for example, at annual commemoration of the war dead on Remembrance Sunday, or at celebrations for a national sporting victory. In conclusion, I don’t think that having a monarchy system in a country would be any bad to the country itself. In contrast, it might help the country in ways such as building up the morale of the country at times of tragedy. Other than that, it also recognizes success, achievement and excellence. With this, the citizens of the country would feel proud to be one of the citizens. After all, a country would wish to have citizens who are proud of it.
-Ung Lay Hoe
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
THOMSON FERTILITY CENTRE
Thomson Fertility Centre reported that there was a mix up in an IVF treatment resulting in the baby having differnt DNA than the supposed father. Because of this, The Ministry of Health has imposed an immediate suspention of all new assisted reproduction(AR) activities at the Thomson Fertilty Centre(TFC). The centre has been instructed to stop admitting patients for any new AR procedures, including sperm collection and processing. Existing patients who have commenced AR cycles with the centre should be informed of the incident and be given a choice on whether to continue at the centre or transfer to another AR centre. MOH has asked TFC to facilitate the transfer should the patient wish to do so and to give its full support and fulfil its duty of care to the patient.
In my perspective, this incident should not have taken place as the centre should have taken more drastic precautionary measures when handlingn these sort of things, especially when lives of people are being affected. This mix up shows that the staff were being complacent and ignorant during theIVF treatment. This has taken a huge toll on the couple's lives as they had to find out that their long awaited baby did not have the DNA of the supposed father but instead, the DNA of another man.
Since the couple has taken the child in, they would have to bear with the future consequences of bringing up this child and also the fast that the child is not totally theirs. This would be ery hard for the family to accept no matter the situation or what anyone says. TFC should compensate this couple to some extent for their monumental mistake. Although no amount of compenstion could turn back time and reverse whatever has happened, TFC should do everything in their power to help this couple in raising "their" child as painlessly and with little hassle as possible.
MOH has done the right as well. To suspend the centre from all future activites so that this kind of mix- up would not happen again. Other fertility centres should also learn from this and have proper precautionary measures in place. Staff should also learn not to be so negligent in the future when working in this particular industry as one mistake would not only affect them and the company, but also the parents involved and everyone around them.
-SUNIL SINGH
Thomson Fertility Center Incident
I believe all the couples around the world wish to have their own kids, even if it is just one. However, some couples may not be so fortunate to conceive naturally. Hence, they have to opt for In-Vitro-Fertilisation (IVF).
Recently, stunning news was reported reported regarding IVF. A mistake has been made through the process of IVF, the baby does not have the father's DNA make-up. This is the first time such a tragic incident happened in Singapore and I am thunderstruck by it. It is hard to believe how something like this would happened in our local clinics as I assumed they do follow safe procedures and protocols. There isn't really anything the clinic can do to compensate the couple since what has been done cannot be undone: at best, they can only apologize and cover the fees of the treatment and other expenses spent by the couple which are relevant to this incident. Other than that, they should ensure that this misfortune does not happen again to other couples who want to go through the same treatment in the future.
I feel really sorry for both the parents and the baby, but I am really touched when I knew that they have decided to keep the baby. It goes to show that true love really does exist in this world. However, the baby might receive unwanted stares from strangers when he or she grew up because of his or her skin colour. Hence, they should be prepared to face all these a family. It may not be easy but I believe that the love they share will help them to surmount all these obstacles as a family.
MOH has made the right move by suspending the clinic's operations and organising an thorough investigation before allowing the clinic to continue its operations. After this incident, I doubt the public will lose confidence in the IVF treatment: in fact, this might serve as a wakeup call to other clinics to be more precise and careful when conducting this kind of treatment in future. The stance that the MOH took goes to show how severely they view this matter and it will assure the public that this mistake is just an one-off unfortunate incident.
-Ung Lay Hoe
Thomson Fertility Centre
Recently, Thomson Medical Centre reported on a mix-up in an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment that resulted in the baby having a different DNA from the supposed father had hit Singapore by storm. Being the first of it's kind, a lot of people including myself, was shocked after learning about the unfortunate event. After 10 years of marriage and finally an end to their longing hope for a child, it's devastating to find out it's not actually theirs. Not only their newborn baby's complexion was noticeably different from theirs, a Chinese and Caucasian couple, the baby has only the mother's DNA make-up but not the father's. The blood group combination is B whereas the mother and father is type O and A respectively which is biologically not possible.
Despite the advance technology, this proves that results are not 100% assured. However, it was still the clinic's responsibility to ensure all procedures were carried out correctly as bringing a new life to the world is not a matter to be taken for lightly. Due to their negligence, they not only have to face this matter but also facing the members of public and staking their reputation as one of the reputable private clinics in Singapore. Even though the medical director of the Thomson Fertility Centre, Cheng Li Chang, have apologised, I feel that they would need more than an apology to compensate the couple for this mishap.
As all the actions are irreversible, the clinic should take full responsibility of what had happened and ensure that the treatment expenses for the IVF and all other expenses, which would definitely cost a bomb, will be taken care of. As the couple have decided to keep the baby, they should also provide free medical treatment if anything were to happen to the couple or to their newborn baby in the future. Apart from that, this should be a lesson learnt not only to the clinic, but also to other clinics in Singapore and make sure that this do not repeat itself in time to come.
I feel deeply sorry for the couple to have to go through all the hard times. Even though they had an option to foster the child out, I was glad that they took it up on a positive note and decided to keep the baby. This may be a blessing in disguise for them.
By Yana xoxo
Thomson Fertility Centre Incident
Nowadays, nothing seems almost impossible to be accomplished, especially with the modern technologies that are available. One of the example would be In-
Vitro-Fertilisation (
IVF). It is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body,
in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. This treatment will definitely be of a great help to those couples who are not able to conceive naturally. However, how safe and liable are these treatments?
Recently, the Strait Times reported that the Ministry of Health has ordered Thomson Medical Centre to immediately suspend all new assisted reproduction (AR) activities at its fertility centre, after a case reported about a sperm mix-up during an in-
vitro fertilisation (
IVF)M procedure. The 'parents' of the newborn became suspicious when the complexion of the newborn were different from theirs, a mix of Chinese and Caucasian.
My point of view is that this kind of incident should not have happened. The clinical staffs should be more
cautious and careful when doing their job because this is indeed not a matter to be taken so lightly of. The mix-up sperm shows that the staffs were being very negligent. Their negligence has definitely caused a lot of problems and chaos to all the parties involved. Both the 'father' and mother of the newborn must have felt very disappointed and devastated when they found out that the long awaited baby turned out to be from a different man's sperm.
The clinic should compensate the couple with a sum that is reasonable enough to cover all the expenses that the couple had spent throughout the
treatment they received from the clinic. They might also have to consider compensating them for all the emotional sufferings. Should the couple still faces problems in conceiving in future, perhaps what the clinic can do is to provide free In-
Vitro-Fertilisation (
IVF) procedure for them. This case will definitely be a lesson learnt to all medical centres, and reminding them to be more cautious when handling matters related to their patients.
-Natasha
IVF Mix- Up: Tragedy or Happy Ending?
This article concerns a couple, a Chinese lady and a Caucasian man, both trying hard to conceive. As we all know, Babies are the fruit of a couple's love and they also play a part in representing their parents in many ways. The couple had seek medical help from local facility, Thomson Fertility Center to solve their problem of not being able to conceive. As
In vitro Fertilization (IVF) is widely known for it's major treatment in infertility, the couple then decided to go ahead with the procedure, in high hopes of finally being able to produce their fruit of love.
Fortunately, the procedure was a success.
Unfortunately, the baby has a markedly different skin complexion of that of his mother or 'father' and has been found to have none of the supposedly father's Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), this made the couple furious. It appears that it had been a mix-up and the clinic is apologizing for the blunder they made. However, the couple has decided to keep the baby.
Personally, I feel that apologizing for the matter isn't enough to make up for the mistake they have done and calling it a mistake is really an understatement. There are many factors to consider when such an unfortunate incident occurs. It may be the first in Singapore but there is no comfort assuring the patients going through IVF that the
risk of such a mistake made is very low. It is similar to the posters we see on the trains or buses posting a reminder that
"Low Crime doesn't mean No Crime". A single accident is one too many and that patients do deserve better especially when they are forking out a rather large sum of money for the procedure.
Since the parents have decided to keep the child, they would have to face the consequences in the future. As I have mentioned in my first paragraph, a child represents his or her parents. Imagine the shame that both the child and parents go through if someone probes and questions on the child's skin complexion? The child would then go through a rough time accepting him or herself. Next, how would the couple explain the difference to their child? Not forgetting that the "father" isn't the biological father of the child, how would the child react when he or she learns the ugly truth? Questions will be asked by the child and the answers from the parents would not be pleasant. In addition, it is tough carrying a child for 9 months and it is said that the mother had
already bonded with the infant.
It is hard and almost impossible to make up or compensate anything to the 'parents', even monetary compensation would not be able to salvage the situation as the child is innocent and what is done has been done, there is no way to turn back time and definitely no Re-dos.
I believe that the Health Ministry would step up and take on more serious measures and precautions to omit such negligence and prevent such unfortunate incidents to happen again. It is also comforting to see patients trusting our healthcare services as it is said that the
confidence of patients going under the IVF have not been shaken and that they will still continue with treatment.
Lastly, tragedy or a happy ending? It is really up to one's view of matters. It might be a tragedy on the surface but beneath lies a healthy child, all ready to grow up and take on the journey of Life. It may be a tough one, but everyone faces difficulties and it is all just part and parcel of life. Therefore, it might be a blessing to the couple since they have been yearning for a baby and it also serves as a reminder to those in the Healthcare Industry to be extra cautious.
By Jiayee Wan
