General Paper

Funny or racist? Drawing that fine line

2006-08-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times,Saturday,August 19 2006

A fine line needs to be drawn between what is racism and and what is just a joke.Many Singaporeans confessed they had no qualms trading racial jokes and using derogatory sounding racial names. This is scary as if we are not careful and say the wrong thing we could be in serious trouble. Since Singapore is a multi-racial country the slightest remark could result in a huge problem as it could even spark of racial rioys. This is why the Singapore government emphasizes on racial harmony to a large extent as they know the importance of being racial harmonious. If we were not there would be a lot of problems such as we would not be able tp progress economically as we have done through out the years as to have a good society we need to be able to work with everyone.

Judge throws out appeal by maid-abuser

2006-08-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times,Saturday,August 19 2006

A lady's appeal for shortening her jail sentence did not come through. Lim Lai Kwan had abused her maid and the judge rejected her appeal based on bizzare claim that the maid had consented to being slapped. In my opinion it was really good on the judge's part no to accept her appeal as it would nto have thought her a lesson as she would then know she could get away with what she had done. Miss Lim is not different from many Singaporeans as many do abuse their maids as they think their maid is an object or they own the maid. This kind of attitude has to stop and a larger punishment should be implemented to deter Singaporeans away from abusing their maid. Singaporeans need to treat theri maids with more respect and dignity and not forget that they are human beings to just like us.

She didn't follow family's advice-and got killed

2006-08-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times,Sunday,August 13 2006

A student in Johor Baru was advised not to walk to her workplace but did not heed the advice and in the end she was killed. This incident happened after the prime minister ordered the police to set up patrols to make the country safer. We can see what happened when this girl took the safety of her country for granted. We can see that eventhough we may have a low rate of crime in our country it does not mean that we should take it for granted. This can be said for Singapore as well. Many Singaporeans take the safety of this country and are not vigilant enough. We need to learn to be more careful and take a larger responsibility of ensuring our own safety and not depend on the government totally.

India on high alert ahead of Independence Day

2006-08-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times,Sunday,August 13 2006

India has tightened monitoring at key nuclear and space installations as part of a massive security build-up across the country in the run-up to independence Day. This is because one of the nuclear reactors was under threat by a Pakistan- based Islamic militant group. So we can see from this article the amount of precaution the government is taking to prevent any threats from happening as if anything does happen especially to the nuclear installation there could be serious damage to the people and the country. We can see how the threat of terrorism has really become a serious threat in our daily lives and even to an extent controlling our lives. We must not let this happen as and fight this threat to prevent it from taking our very way of life. We can see how the recent terrorist threat in London was found out before any real damage was caused. So we can see in this way if we can overcome this threat if we are vigilant enough like how they were in London we can overcome this threat.

Thai dies of bird flu after burying infected chickens

2006-08-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times,August 6 2006

We can see in this article that a man died after burying his infected chickens. From this we can infer that the people in Thailand are not fully aware of the deadly virus and this is extremely dangerous as if the proper precautions are not taken this virus could spread rapidly. The government should take more measures create awareness amongst the people of Thailand especially in the villages where the people may not be as eduvated and aware about what is happening. Singapore should also increase its' measures as since Thailand is a close neighbor all the more we need to take more precautions.

Above 55 and still working

2006-08-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times,Wednesday,August 9 2006

We can see from this article that more and more people are working even after 55. This is a very good sign as our population is ageing and life expectancy is growing. We can see that people are releasing the importance of senior citizens and the experience they have which can be used. The government is encouraging many firms to make use of the experience of senior citizens rather than always hiring younger people. Also this will mean that Singapore's labour force will increase in size. This extremely good as since Singapore's resources are it's people it would mean that we would have a larger pool of people and thus decrease unemployment and help the economy. So we can see what a benefit this is to Singapore.

Raffles Hotel hit by chemical attack

2006-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times,Thursday,August 3 2006

We can see in this article that a mock chemical attack at the Raffles Hotel was held early in the morning and their mission was to rescue the victims of the attack in one of the function rooms. We can see from this article the importance that the Singaporean government puts on being ready at all times. The exercise that was carried out would be extremely useful as it would mean that when the actual thing happens we will be ready and things will flow more smoothly. Thus we will be able to save more lives in the process. This exercise can teach Singaporeans to be more vigilant and to be prepared. This can also tie in with the recent National Day Celebrations where it is always emphasized that Singaporeans should always be ready for anything. So we can see the importance of being ever ready.

They barely made it

2006-07-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times, May 7 2006

Two groups of people barely made it in time to vote. One couple came in so late as they are hawkers and this was the fastest they could make it down to the voting station. However another lady said that she purposely came down late as she could not be bothered with it and only came down because her mother was nagging her to do so. In my opinion this is very scary as she may be the one of many who have the same attitude as her. This is very alarming as if people are not bothered who they vote for then we could be in serious trouble. This could mean that all the wrong people could be getting into the government and if we do not have a good government to lead us we will be in serious trouble. I think it is very important that people are aware of who they are voting for in the government as this is their country and the voting process has a huge impact on how the country will be run in the near future. So from this example we can see the importance of voting and the attitude of many Singaporeans and this attitude must be changed.

HK electricity firms turn to wind energy

2006-07-23T02:58:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Friday, May 5 2006

Hongkong's two electrical companies are turning to alternative and cleaner sources of energy such as wind energy. They will be spending about HK$10 million over the next three years on the study of wind-powered projects. One reason of doing this is because the amount of pollution in Hongkong has become worse over the years resulting in many people leaving the country and one example is the number of Americans that have left the country is about 26%. In my opinion this project is extremely good as it has many benefits such as providing cleaner sources of energy thus reducing the amount of pollution. This will help greatly as it with less pollution it reduces health problems and also saves the environment at the same time. One of our main energy sources, fossil fuels is being depleted very fast and we need to source for different forms of energy sources and this is one way of helping things out. Wind is a renewable energy source and thus we would exterminate the problem of our energy sources being depleted. So we can see that this project that Hongkong is taking part in is very helpful and useful to everyone.

Buyers flock to CDL's Sentosa Cove condo

2006-07-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, July 15 2006

We can see that in the article that many people are buying condominiums at the Sentosa Cove. the demand for these condominiums is very high eventhough the prices for them are not cheap. We can infer that many Singaporeans are becoming richer or they feel that it will be a good investment for the future. Some of the villas are selling at $1500 per sq foot and even then people are still buying them. We can see that Singaporeans have become richer and that must mean that he economy is doing rather well. Also as compared to the past we can see that Singaporeans have so much more buying power.

Temasek eyes Indian fund house

2006-07-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, July 15 2006

We can see that Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings is eyeing India's lucrative mutual funds. The purpose of doing so is so that it will help Temasek ot enter the market in a big way with AUM around 100 billion rupees thus giving it an advantage in the highly competitive market. So we can see how Singapore is eyeing these developing countries as these countries have a huge amount of potential to develop and excel in it's economy. This is why the government of Singapore is always encouraging Singaporeans to learn their mother tounge. If we are able to communicate with these developing countires it will help us immensly as it will mean that many more doors of oppurtunities will open. Singapore will be able to expand it's economy and thus help us greatly.

US blacklists four accused JI militants including Bashir

2006-07-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, June 15 2006

The US treasury has blacklisted four Indonesian as they were accused of being members of the JI including the leader Abu Bakar Bashir. Under US presidential order no one is to have any transactions with these people and all transactions with these people have been frozen. From this article we can see how terrorists have made a huge impact in our lives. There is more fear in the air especially with the increase in number of terrorist attacks. This is very alarming as we should not be living in constant fear and what kind of world would it be if we were always living in fear. The environment would not be suitable for children to grow up in or for that matter anyone. So we must all do our best to end this fear and move on with our lives.

Gas well to be sealed after leak

2006-07-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Tuesday, June 28 2006

11 500 villagers had to flee their village in south-western China due to a leaky gas well. 243 people were killed form the toxic fumes and people were advised not to drink the water from the river as research showed that it contained traces of methane. This article shows us how dangerous these gases are eventhough they may help out in our lives a great deal. So we can come to the conclusion whether or not these chemicals should be used as if not all the safety measures were taken it could result in a huge catastrophe. Also if these chemicals are not taken care of properly it could result in a huge problem as seen what happened in China.

High oil prices slow demand

2006-06-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times,Wednesday,June 14 2006

We can see in this article that as the oil prices rise the demand for it is slowly falling. The amount of oil barrels being sold a day has dropoed in many countries as many can't afford it anymore. in my opinion this is too be expected at least for some time as it may soon become difficult to buy oil eventhough it has become a neccesity. This will reduce the demand for oil. However I feel that eventhough the demand for oil will fall the drop will not be a great one as we can see how neccesary it has become in our lives. It is almost neccesary to keep some countries running and it is very imporatnt for major cities. This is why I beleive that the drop will not be a great one.

China plans eco-city model near Shanghai

2006-06-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, June 24 2006

We can see from this article that China has realised the effect of pollution and taken the initiative to resolve this matter. The eco-city which is located near Shanghai will not be very built up like Shanghai as only 40% of the land will be used for housing. Also all the energy used will be renewable. This article shows us that at least people are realising that we are in a great deal of danger if we do not take of the environment, as when mother nature stikes back it could be a disaster. Also we can see that we are using alternative sources of energy as fossil fuels will soon run out. In conclusion this article is very comforting as we are at least taking the initiative to save the environment.

High oil prices impede Asian growth

2006-06-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, May 6 2006

Oil prices have been increasing and the government driven subsidies to keep prices on oil products low were not sustainable in the long run. This is going to be a problem for many people in Asia. If the oil prices continue to rise many people will not be able to afford it creating a huge problem in the whole of Asia. One reason why the price of oil is rising is because we are depleting oil so fast that it will run out very fast. Our oil reserves could be drying up and we could be in for a serious shock when we find out that we have no more oil left. By increasing the price of oil it could be a way to prevent the amount of oil being bought will reduce and thus making the oil we have left last for a longer time. This is why the oil prices are increasing across Asia.

Taiwan opposition leader leaves for Singapore visit

2006-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times, May 7 2006

The Taiwan opposition leader plans to visit Singapore on an on route trip to Australia. The purpose of his trip is to promote municipal exchanges. We can that this trip is significant to Singapore as this is one way for Singapore to strengthen its ties with other nations and maintain good ties with these nations. Since Singapore is a very small nation it is very important that we have good ties with many nations around the world. By having good relations with other countries it will help Singapore in terms of it's economy and defense. Having good ties with other nations will help foreing investment and thus help our economy. Secondly since Singapore is a small nation we need larger and bigger countries to help us during our hour of need and thus helping in our defense. So we can see how significant this article is as it shows us the importance of maintaining good ties with other nations and how good Singapore is at it.

Nurse shortage a safety hazard

2006-05-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

The is a huge shortage of nurses in China as their is one nurse to about a 1000 people and this is much lower than the global average. This is becoming a real problem for China as it is threatening the safety of the patients. This is very scary if there are not enough nurses attending to the sick, people will take a longer time to recover and some may not get the attention they need and die. So we can see how this is a huge problem China. We can compare this to the problem of shortage of nurses that Singapore had. There was a shortage of nursed in Singapore at a period of time as the pay of a nurse was very low and the working hours were long and the job was difficult. To address this problem the government had to increase the pay for the nurses and encourage more people to go into that field. Maybe China should consider making the job more attractive to get more people for the job and solve their problem.

Seoul tightens grips on disputed isles

2006-05-07T03:33:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Friday,May 5 2006

Seoul announces a five year plan to explore and develop resources in waters surrounding a string of disputed islets in a move to bolster its control over territory also claimed by Tokyo. Japan is likely to react strongly to this. The whole plan will be approximately about S$ 57 million. We can see how this is a very clear example of how conflicts start between two countries and if the proper precautions are not taken the whole thing could be blown out of proportion. Eventhough this seems to just be monitoring on South Korea's part if something is said or even done to offend its neighbor's such as entering their territory it could result in drastic consequences. As we can see this could be a repeat of history as we can see that most wars start of because of territorial disputes as seen in WW1. So we can just hope that this does not blow up into something drastically bad.

Ensure water is safe, says Hu after mine disaster.

2006-05-07T03:15:00.000-07:00

Toxic waste from a mine explosion has gotten into the water in the Shaanxi province. The government has ordered all residents living on the river banks not to drink the water or to have any contact with it due to the toxic waste in it. Also due to the mine explosion it has left 63 people missing or dead. From this we can see how an explosion has caused a huge amount of difficulties for the people of this province in China. Many people died in the accident and due to this the water was contaminated and creating a problem of drinking water for the residents of the area. From this example we can ask ourselves whether or not technology has actually made life easier for us? We can see that in this case technology went wrong and it resulted in drastic consequences for a lot of people. We can learn form this example that if technology is not handled well things could turn for the worse.

Same factors cause flooding in Bedok again

2006-04-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Home, Saturday April 15 2006

There has been severe flooding in Bedok due to the heavy rain,uneven roads and choked drains. These were the same reasons that caused the floods to happen a fortnight ago. The rise in the water level was so severe that it was up to a vans wind screen 45 minutes after the van was stalled. We can see that the government needs to step in at this point and take some measures to prevent floods like this from happening again. We cans see that two of the reasons why floods occurred was because drains were chocked and the roads were uneven. From this we can infer that Singapore has not been living up to it's name of being one of the cleanest cities in the world. Also the roads in Bedok were uneven increasing the possibility of floods. So from these two examples we can see that the government has become complacent in maintaining the roads and due to this complacency it has resulted in floods. We can see that the government needs to do more frequent checks on the roads and in checking the drains. So we can see these are some of the issues that the government needs to address.

NUS gets suprise million dollar gift from expat couple

2006-04-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday April 1 2006

An expat couple decided to leave tow thirds of their will to NUS, which amounts to about one million dollars. From this article we can see that this expat couple who has lived in Singapore for eleven years have been very impressed with our local university that they have left one million dollars to it. So we can see that our universities in Singapore are actually very good for someone to donate so much to it. This may encourage locals to further their studies in Singapore due to the NUS being a very good university.Many students choose to go abroad as it is the trend. But why do we need to do this when we have such good universities in our homeland. Also it shows how far Singapore has progressed in such a short time as we have managed to attain high standards in education.

India study may be A-level subject

2006-04-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, April 1 2006

Students who are interested in learning more about India will now have the opportunity as it will be offered in Junior College's. The students will be able to go to India for two to three weeks to view the country which will help them in their studies greatly. So we can see that Singapore is opening up many more choices for students to and making their studies much more interesting. So we can see that the government is moving away from the old system and giving to students more freedom and choice in what they want to do. This may encourage more students to join JC's. Also we can see that a large number of students in Singapore do not continue their education. This is very scary as it will be difficult to progress with some of the population being uneducated. So by offering more subjects this may encourage students to work harder and continue their studies.

PAP Likely to field more women candidates into GE

2006-04-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Home, 19 February 2006

More women are likely to be candidates in the upcoming general election. The number of women that have been chosen has not been finalized. The government wants more women in the PAP as they want their to be an infusion of people. In my opinion this is a very good policy as it will always be good to have new people with new ideas which may help our country in any way possible. Also by allowing a different sex in the PAP we will be able to get views from a different perspective and it will be to our advantage. We will be also showing everyone that we give everyone an equal oppurtuntiy regardless of their sex. So this is a very good policy adapted by the PAP.

Buggatti deal in the bag

2006-04-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, April 1 2006

This new car will soon be launched in S.E.A and has horse power of 1001. This car which is priced at 5 million will oly be opened to the millionairs club. While this may be a very good investment it cost's a lot and the insurance to cover such a car will be very expensive. So we can see that this car has it's pros and cons like any other product. If this car sells well it will be a very good investment. However not many can afford such an expensive car and nations are not sure wether it will sell.

KL protests against fuel price hike continue

2006-03-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Tuesday, March 28 2006

There have been protests in Malaysia due to the rise in fuel prices as the government has cut down fuel subsidies causing the price of petrol to increase by 19-23 percent. The government refuses to give into the people as they said the revenue they earn form this will go into upgrading the public transport system. Also the government firmly believes that laws need to be enforced otherwise there is no point in having them. We can see that all around the world fuel prices have been increasing and this should not come as a real surprise to Malaysia. However this leads us to think that either fuel prices are being increased for the benefit of many businesses. Also since petrol has become such a necessity to is difficult not to buy. However we are depleting fossil fuels so fast and by increasing the price it may be a measure to save the fossil fuels as people will not buy as much.

Queen Arrives In Singapore For Visit

2006-03-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Friday, March 17 2006

Queen Elizabeth arrives with her husband Prince Philip for an official visit of Singapore. They will be visiting Toa Payoh and the Mr Nathan will be hosting a banquet in her honor while Mr Lee Hsien Loong will host a lunch. Also the queen will be attending the races as one of them is in her honor. We can see that this visit is very important for Singapore as it will strengthen ties between Britain and Singapore which will help Singapore in terms of defence and it's economy. Since Singapore is a very small nation we need to maintain strong relations with countries all around the world. So by showing the leaders of many leading nations such as Britain what gracious host we are and how well organised our country it will strengthen our ties. Also after this visit the number of foreign investors investing into our country may increase thus helping our economy. So we can see the significance of this visit and how important this visit is to Singapore.

New PAP face meets residents

2006-03-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Home, Saturday March 25 2006

A new PAP candidate, Lim Wee Kiak, meets the residents of the Marsling community speaking to them in Malay, urged them to support the programme where by lifts would be made to stop at every floor. By speaking in Malay we can see that the Mr Lim is showing how well he can communicate with different races and how racial harmonious he is as eventhough he is Chinese he is able to converse in other languages. This means that he will be able to address the needs of every race and communicate with them without there being a language barrier. Also since Mr Lim has been put in charge of a community that he is familiar with it will be even easier for him to communicate with the residents of Marsling. So we can see that Mr Lim is a very people kind of person as he directly addresses the needs of his community. This is because he knows many of the residents and frequently meets with them to ensure their needs are met. So we can see that Mr Lim has good qualities of a leader as he will be able to lead his community well as he is very personal and addresses the needs of his community directly.

Series of break-ins in Orchard Road

2006-03-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Tuesday, March 21 2006

Three shops were broken into in Orchard Road and two of the shops were GNC health-food shop and guardian pharmacy. About $8000 was stolen in total from the three shops. The robber gave up breaking into the fourth shop as he could not open the shutters. The suprising thing was that the security guards on duty did not stop the series of break-ins. So this leads us to infer that the security guards might have some involment in the break-ins but the seecurit guard company has refrained form making nay comments regarding this matter. We can infer from this article that even though Singapore has a very low crime rate it does not prevent break-ins from happeing. Over the years Singaporeans have become complacent and not taking care of their belongings well as they feel that low crime does not means any crimes. So this is a very good wake up call for all Singaporeans to become more aware of their belongings and not be so complacent. Also we should not be too dependant on the government because they will not be able to solve evry single problem we have. So low crime does not mean no crime!

Singapore on track in stockpiling Tamiflu

2006-03-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times,Thursday,February 23 2006

Singapore has decided to stock up the drug Tamiflu which used to treat the bird flu virus. Up to date they have stocked up to about 700 000 courses of the drug. The government said they did not need to increase the bird flu security as it has not gotten out of control yet and we need not worry. However we can see that the danger of the virus spreading is still there as we can see that Singapore is still stocking up the drug for the virus and not taking any chances. This means that we all should be more alert as this virus could spread rapidly and without warning. So we can learn that we should not depend onto the government too much as they can only shelter to a certain extent and be alert. Also is we become too complacent it will make things much more difficult for everyone if the virus stikes.

Talent shortage despite high jobless rate

2006-02-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times,Money,Wednesday,February 22 2006

Employers all over the world are finding it difficult to find the right people for the jobs. Eventhough the jobless rate is increasing, suprisingly their still is a talent shortage. This is because more employers are much more fussier about getting people as they want people who are experienced in their field, know their respective industries well and can drive revenues. So we can see the increasing difficulty of finding jobs now a days. We can see how this article ties in Singapore encouraging everyone to upgrade their skills so as not to get left out in this really competitive world. So the government has taken up a good plan of action by providing oppurtunites to the masses to upgrade their skills so that they may cope in this new world. So therefore always improving your skills is very important in this modern world if you want to stay employed.

Sri Lankan peace talks held for first time in 3 years

2006-02-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times,Thursday,February 23 2006

Sri Lankan officials are meeting with the Tamil Tigers to restorea shattered cease-fire agreement and revive peace talks. The talks will be helped out by a Norwegian peace envoy to prevent any further disputes form happening and help settle things. We can see from this article that how a conflict between two different races caused so much damge to the country and the amount of lives lost in the process. We can compare this article to how Singapore encourages racial tolerance and as it is very important in running a country smoothly. In Sri Lanka we can see how the civil war affected the conomy so much that it prevented the country from growing. So this is another reason why Singapore encourages racial tolerance as they know the consequences of it on the country.

Extra kick for hundred of Thai workers

2006-02-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

The Sraits Times, February 20 2006

This year during the World Cup all the balls that will be used for it will be made in Thailand. The balls are made using a new form of technology as the footballs are thermally bonded instead of using the usual stiches to make the footballs. So we can see that the Thai workers who are huge football fans will take extar pride when making the footballs as in the World Cup they will be suing the footballs made by them. This will give emense satisfaction for these Thai workers as they will know that they helped in out in this major event. Also this is very good as it will help in the Thai economy and attract more investors as they will know that the quality of work is good enough that it will be used in a major sporting event. So we can see how this simple task will help the Thai's a lot and benefit the whole country in the long run.

Do you know your child's tutor may have duped you?

2006-02-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

The Sunday Times, February 19 2006

This article shows us that many tutors are lying about their qualification to make a fast buck. Many tutors lie about their degrees, teaching experience and grades they got when they were in school. Also the agencies that they come from urge tutors to lie about their qualifications as it will be easier for them to take more money with teachers who are much more qualified. We can see how common this has become and makes it even more dangerous hiring tutors as they lie about the qualifications. We can learn form this that students should learn to become less tutor reliant and more independent learners. We can also see by so many students hiring tutotrs that they are becoming more exam smart instead of actually learning something. So by being an independent learner we can see that it benefits the student tremendously and the demand for tutors will fall and they will not be lying about their credentials.

Bird flu spreads to India and France

2006-02-21T05:31:00.000-08:00

The Sunday Times, February 19 2006

We can see that the bird flu has spread to India and France. About 30 000 birds had to be killed because they had been affected by the virus. The Indian government estimates that another 500 000 birds will have to be killed as these birds are found in a 3km radius around the poultry farms in the town of Nawapur. Chickens in the neighboring states such as Gujarat while also be killed as a precaution. France has also just reported that it has sound birds that have been affected by the virus and will be taking all precautions to ensure it does not go out of hand. In Asia the total death toll for humans that have died from Bird flu is 70. In my opinion this shows us that we have become complacent and that we are not being vigilant enough resulting in this epidemic. This is really a warning for us as we have become far too complacent and dependent on modern day medicine. As we can see that their has been no medicine discovered yet to cure this virus and until then we have to be more vigilant and alert for our own sake. This is very similar to the epidemic we had a few years back with SARS. We can see how unprepared resulting in many deaths all over the world. So to prevent this from happening we have to be more vigil and alert this time for our own sake.

Millions cram trains to be home for reunion

2006-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, January 28 2006

We can see in this article that many people from mainland China are rushing back home to their villages in China resulting in the trains being packed and people having to fight for space on the train. Some people even have to stand for two hours on the train because all the seats are taken up. However we can see that people in China still go back to celebrate the new year with their family which is good. However in Singapore we can see that many families leave the country and do not spend the new year with their family. This is scary as for some families this may be the only time they have to spend it with their families and if they do not cease this oppurtunity they may never spend any time with one another rsulting in family ties getting weaker. So i feel that families should use this period of time to spend it with one another and they will have many other opputunities to go on holidays. The Singaporeans can learn a lot from the Chinese in China as hook or by crook they make sure they get back home which amy be hours from mainland China to spend the new year. So this article bring out the importance of spending time with our families.

Rush To China

2006-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Straits Times, Saturday, January 28 2006

In this article we can see that many people from Hongkong are moving to China to find job opputunities due to China's growing economy. Many citizens of Hongkong are moving to China for job oppurtunities as thay will have an edge over the chinese as they are well versed in english and exposed to international business practices. Since they can speak both in english and chinese it will be easier for them to get jobs and fit into the chinese society. In my opinion this article shows us the importance of learning a second language as we can see how countries such as China and India have growing economies and this means there will be many prospects and job oppurtunities in these developing countries. If we are able to communicate with the people of these countries it will immensely help us as it will create exceelnt oppurtunities for us. We can see how the Singapore governement is also encouraging Singaporeans to learn their own mother tounge as it will help them and the Singapore as we will be able to attract these developing countries to invest in Singapore thus boosting our own economy. So this article brings out the importance of learning a second language as it will open doors of oppurtunities for us.

Written By:Aqeel Nomanbhoy