What do you do when the mother you love is no longer of Sound Mind? -June article, Pg 65-71.
The author's mother had a case of Alzheimer's disease and a serious one. She received many e-mails on her mother's condition and when she received another one, she had to quit her job and fly back home to take care of her mother, with her 78-year-old father. Her father had been wearied out for four and a half years,taking care of her single-handedly. Her mother had become like a child of two years and all she chould do was move herself around. She recognized her husband but that was all. They decided to put her under paliative care, after trying their hardest and deciding that they couldn't take care of her any longer. They didn't have a choice in the matter as her mother would still be well if they did.
Reflection:
I find family bonds the strongest bonds that anyone can ever make, even as the saying goes, "blood is thicker than water." When sickness or diseases or even death comes to break this physical bonding that we have, we usually do nothing but cry and lament, not fully realising that the spiritual bonds are still there. The loss of a loved one is definitely a most deplorable thing to happen but we have no choice in life and death. We can not control the lengthspan of our lives or our memories. When we are seperated from our loved ones through death, we cry because we miss them, but do we still hold them in our memories? If we still do, then there is not much a need to cry although tears still fall.
Aside from seperation, we should cherish whatever time we have with our loved ones now, the good times, the bad times, the sad times. All things past are now memories safely locked in our hearts and minds and as long as we do keep them, we can live on even in the worst of times.
Children often see their parents as naggy and claim that they do not understand their feelings but all parents are trying their best to do what they can to help their children live on as best. They reprimand their children for the benifit of their children but they usually see it as a bother or that their parents do not care about them. If the parent did not want the child to improve, he/she would not have bothered to correct them or scold them when what they are doing is wrong. Still, as the children grow, they should start to understand the pains of being a parent, especially when the family comes from a poor background. Others though, only understand how it is to be a parent when they finally become one.
As parents have duties toward raising their children, children have duties of obedience to their parents as well. Parents are trying their best to cater to their children's needs and so must the children try to do their best. They also have a duty to be taking care of their aged parents when they are old and weak, unable to do much for themselves.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Rise of Cyber Bullying
Reader's Digest May 2008
Page 114-119
Done by: Yee Jian Hui Richard(42)3E
Page 114-119
Done by: Yee Jian Hui Richard(42)3E
Reflection:
Cyber bullying can turn deadly as the Internet is an always-on playground or schoolyard harassment. The rise in cyber bullying is a worrying fact many parents and Internet users feared, for online bullying can cause devastating effects that may result in depression and even death. With one-third of the targets being teenagers and children, it is a very serious matter that all of us, including parents or Internet users should think up solutions and solve this rising problem. Having read this article, I felt that there are two main reasons that led to the rise of online bullying.
Firstly, in this fast paced and modern world, many people are having stress problems and they do not know how to cope with it. For example, students, they have tests and examinations and co-curriculum activities in school to handle with. And maybe at home they may have tuition and extra lessons on other aspects such as art and music. For adults, they have their own career to fight for so they will have stress too, with personal and family matters to take care of. But unfortunately many people have no way of handling with stress. They found that the ‘only’ way to distress is to bully others online so that they could forget about their problems at that short period of time while giving others problems, disturbing them. They might have found it quite ‘effective’, thus they will continue bullying the targets that they had found earlier. But they did not care or think about the victims’ feeling about the insults (mostly) they had made before. Others Internet users might also join in the bullying feeling that it was fun. They might think it was a joke that they had made but not knowing that the victim would be emotionally hurt and think that it will simmer down after some time. But that not true, for the bullying will continue up to a few months or even years.
Secondly, the cyber net is always on, 24/7, 365 days a year. The Internet does not need face-to-face contact thus the bully can be anonymous without the need of revealing his identity. The lack of face-to-face contact might tempt the bully to higher levels of cruelty than ‘face-to-face’ bully. On the playground, seeing the stress and pain of the victim face to face might ‘stop’ the bullying to an extent. But in the cyberspace, there is no visual contact, thus there will be more extreme bullying. This might explain the rise of cyber bullying. And also, some victims that get bullied in a visual contact might be very angry with themselves being ‘weak’. Therefore they want to be ‘strong’ and become a cyber bully. So, as a result, this bully might continue to bully online targets when he/she got bullied.
With cyber bullying rising, there are some ways that we should implement some ways to solve this problem. Singapore had been looking into this problem some time ago. The news had broadcast about it and gives viewers especially parents to look out for their children actions seeing if they are depress, upset after using the computer, grades declining and emotional. They could have a talk with their children and give suggestions on handling such problems. Schools also need give talks about cyber bullying telling the students that if they encountered such harassment, they should approach their parents, the teachers or the school counselor. Students could be taught how to handle such problems so that they will not get very badly affected after meeting cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying can turn deadly as the Internet is an always-on playground or schoolyard harassment. The rise in cyber bullying is a worrying fact many parents and Internet users feared, for online bullying can cause devastating effects that may result in depression and even death. With one-third of the targets being teenagers and children, it is a very serious matter that all of us, including parents or Internet users should think up solutions and solve this rising problem. Having read this article, I felt that there are two main reasons that led to the rise of online bullying.
Firstly, in this fast paced and modern world, many people are having stress problems and they do not know how to cope with it. For example, students, they have tests and examinations and co-curriculum activities in school to handle with. And maybe at home they may have tuition and extra lessons on other aspects such as art and music. For adults, they have their own career to fight for so they will have stress too, with personal and family matters to take care of. But unfortunately many people have no way of handling with stress. They found that the ‘only’ way to distress is to bully others online so that they could forget about their problems at that short period of time while giving others problems, disturbing them. They might have found it quite ‘effective’, thus they will continue bullying the targets that they had found earlier. But they did not care or think about the victims’ feeling about the insults (mostly) they had made before. Others Internet users might also join in the bullying feeling that it was fun. They might think it was a joke that they had made but not knowing that the victim would be emotionally hurt and think that it will simmer down after some time. But that not true, for the bullying will continue up to a few months or even years.
Secondly, the cyber net is always on, 24/7, 365 days a year. The Internet does not need face-to-face contact thus the bully can be anonymous without the need of revealing his identity. The lack of face-to-face contact might tempt the bully to higher levels of cruelty than ‘face-to-face’ bully. On the playground, seeing the stress and pain of the victim face to face might ‘stop’ the bullying to an extent. But in the cyberspace, there is no visual contact, thus there will be more extreme bullying. This might explain the rise of cyber bullying. And also, some victims that get bullied in a visual contact might be very angry with themselves being ‘weak’. Therefore they want to be ‘strong’ and become a cyber bully. So, as a result, this bully might continue to bully online targets when he/she got bullied.
With cyber bullying rising, there are some ways that we should implement some ways to solve this problem. Singapore had been looking into this problem some time ago. The news had broadcast about it and gives viewers especially parents to look out for their children actions seeing if they are depress, upset after using the computer, grades declining and emotional. They could have a talk with their children and give suggestions on handling such problems. Schools also need give talks about cyber bullying telling the students that if they encountered such harassment, they should approach their parents, the teachers or the school counselor. Students could be taught how to handle such problems so that they will not get very badly affected after meeting cyber bullying.
Of course the best way or first line of defense is not to use the Internet. But that is definitely impossible for the currently always- on generation. Precaution should be taken to avoid such bullying. Mental wounds are more complicated/difficult to heal than physical wounds. But the best is not to get any ‘wounds’ and I hope that bullying will stop for both face to face and cyber bullying.
Reader's Digest May 2008 CYBER BULLYING
Having read the article on cyber bullying in the May's issue of the reader's digest, it seemed clear to me now how devastating the effects of cyber bullying can be. Just what is cyber bullying? It is the practice of using technology to hurt someone's feelings, causing them to be mentally and emotionally depressed. A cyber bully is able to use various platforms such as the internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. to cause hurt to their victims mentally. Some examples may include sending out death threats, posting embarrassing images of a victim or private messages.
And just why would these "cyber bullies" do such a thing? They do so as they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction.
My first reaction when i first read about cyber bullying some time ago was that it was something that would pass by quickly without causing a big impact, like a "trend". Hence, I did not pay a much needed attention to it. But I was terribly wrong. Over the years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of cyber bullying cases. What's so terrifying about cyber bullying is that is causing more harm to a victim than just bullying itself. Unlike bullying where you will only experience when you come face to face with the bully, you have no idea who is sending those death threats or posting those videos footages as it is hard to track that person down. It can be quite a nerve-wrecking situation for the victim. Also, if it is an image or video, as it is on the internet, anyone one person in the world can view it at any particular time. It would not stop. The video will circulate and more and more people will view it. The pressure and stress can also drive the victim up the wall and he or she might just commit suicide to escape from all this.
Cyber bullying, in my opinion, is definitely a serious matter. More and more teenagers are addicted to it as some of them might do so unknowingly. Whatever the reason, the negative effects of cyber bullying is great, and it is causing many victims to feel lost, hopeless, humiliated, threatened and unwanted. This will indefinitely affect the growth of the victim, who is of a young age, and might even spoil his or her life. The reasons for cyber bullying is due to either anger, revenge or fun. If we could all just maintain some self-control over ourselves and not do anything that could hurt someone's feeling, to forgive and forget and to solve problems before it sinks deeper, cyber bullying cases will definitely decrease. We must act now before it is too late. We must all do our part to stop cyber bullying now.
Gerald Chan (18) 3E
And just why would these "cyber bullies" do such a thing? They do so as they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction.
My first reaction when i first read about cyber bullying some time ago was that it was something that would pass by quickly without causing a big impact, like a "trend". Hence, I did not pay a much needed attention to it. But I was terribly wrong. Over the years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of cyber bullying cases. What's so terrifying about cyber bullying is that is causing more harm to a victim than just bullying itself. Unlike bullying where you will only experience when you come face to face with the bully, you have no idea who is sending those death threats or posting those videos footages as it is hard to track that person down. It can be quite a nerve-wrecking situation for the victim. Also, if it is an image or video, as it is on the internet, anyone one person in the world can view it at any particular time. It would not stop. The video will circulate and more and more people will view it. The pressure and stress can also drive the victim up the wall and he or she might just commit suicide to escape from all this.
Cyber bullying, in my opinion, is definitely a serious matter. More and more teenagers are addicted to it as some of them might do so unknowingly. Whatever the reason, the negative effects of cyber bullying is great, and it is causing many victims to feel lost, hopeless, humiliated, threatened and unwanted. This will indefinitely affect the growth of the victim, who is of a young age, and might even spoil his or her life. The reasons for cyber bullying is due to either anger, revenge or fun. If we could all just maintain some self-control over ourselves and not do anything that could hurt someone's feeling, to forgive and forget and to solve problems before it sinks deeper, cyber bullying cases will definitely decrease. We must act now before it is too late. We must all do our part to stop cyber bullying now.
Gerald Chan (18) 3E
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Cyber bullying May 2008.
This article talks about the dangers of the cyber bullying. Cyber bullying cases is increasing in numbers in years. It includes sending threatening messages, displaying private messages and posting embarrassing video footage.Cyber bullying is a much more serious case compared to schoolyard bullying. As school yard bullying happens only during the lunchbreak and the schooldays. But cyber bullying would be there 24/7 as long as the internet connection is present in the society. It would not stop. There is also another reason why cyber bullying is lethal. There is a benifit of cyber bullying compared to school yard bullying. It does not inflict any physical pain. But the victim would experience emotional pain. Which could be far more worse than the physical pain. As emotional pain would take days, months and years to heal. Or to make the matter worse it would be permanent. Victims have not been able to heal from the emotional pain because they would feel embarassed or shy to talk to someone about the incident. They keep their feelings to themselves and one day they could not take it anymore they would take the alternative way to solve the problem. So that is the reason why many victims of the cyber bullying cases would rather commit suicide to solve the problems.
We could see that somehow cyber bullying have became a trend in the society. Nowadays we could just use the search engine and we can find many videos that are out to embarrass the victims online. The cyber bullies might have done that to relieve their anger. As on the internet nowadays we could remain anonymous in whatever we do. So when people feel angry they might go on the net to look for some target. They are not afraid of the consquence as the victims would not be able to track them down so easily. The children are the main victims of the cyber bullying cases as we can see. The main reason is that there are lot of teenagers addicted to the online gaming world. The online gaming world could help them to make friends that is including the good and the bad ones. So when the bad friends starts the cyber bullying and the victims can't take the insults they began to feel angry or even emotionally hurt.
In my opinion cyber bullying is definitetly a very serious matter and it can't be overlooked. The increasing in the numbers of the cyber bullying clearly shows us that kids nowadays are somehow 'addicted' to it. As they might think that it is just a joke and anyone could take jokes. But they do not know the heavy consequences behind it. They will not understand how the victim would feel. So in order to solve the problem. we ourselve have to practise a sense of self-discipline or self control. If everyone would to have self-control and stop themselves from posting anonymous message or finding ways to embarass the victims online. Less people would to get hurt and less people would commit suicide and it would be ableto solve the whole lot of the problem. Parents should also play a part in this too although they can't help to reduce the cases of cyber bullying. They could see signs of their children being under cyber bullying. They could sit down and talk to their kids about the problems in a more relaxing way. This could reduce the death rate caused by cyber bullying. so cyber bullying can be stop with the help of everyone.
Lai Jian Hsien (29) 3E
We could see that somehow cyber bullying have became a trend in the society. Nowadays we could just use the search engine and we can find many videos that are out to embarrass the victims online. The cyber bullies might have done that to relieve their anger. As on the internet nowadays we could remain anonymous in whatever we do. So when people feel angry they might go on the net to look for some target. They are not afraid of the consquence as the victims would not be able to track them down so easily. The children are the main victims of the cyber bullying cases as we can see. The main reason is that there are lot of teenagers addicted to the online gaming world. The online gaming world could help them to make friends that is including the good and the bad ones. So when the bad friends starts the cyber bullying and the victims can't take the insults they began to feel angry or even emotionally hurt.
In my opinion cyber bullying is definitetly a very serious matter and it can't be overlooked. The increasing in the numbers of the cyber bullying clearly shows us that kids nowadays are somehow 'addicted' to it. As they might think that it is just a joke and anyone could take jokes. But they do not know the heavy consequences behind it. They will not understand how the victim would feel. So in order to solve the problem. we ourselve have to practise a sense of self-discipline or self control. If everyone would to have self-control and stop themselves from posting anonymous message or finding ways to embarass the victims online. Less people would to get hurt and less people would commit suicide and it would be ableto solve the whole lot of the problem. Parents should also play a part in this too although they can't help to reduce the cases of cyber bullying. They could see signs of their children being under cyber bullying. They could sit down and talk to their kids about the problems in a more relaxing way. This could reduce the death rate caused by cyber bullying. so cyber bullying can be stop with the help of everyone.
Lai Jian Hsien (29) 3E
Monday, June 16, 2008
Reader Digest Reflection
Reader Digest Article From The June Issue : What do you do when the mother you love is no longer of Sound Mind?
This article is about a person's mother suffering from Alzheimer's diease, having being the eldest among her siblings, she have to put down her work and visit her parents whenever her mother's illness deteriorates. Most of the caring of her mother was shouldered by her father, who was also old and weak. Taking care of her mother was not an easy task for her father, from feeding her to making decisions on her behalf. The author then realised the seriousness of her mother's illness. The things that she could do on her own was quite limited. To some extent, she had even forgotten what a toothbrush was, and coaxing was required for her to finish this simple task.
Because of her illness, had resulted her to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, deciding what to do next. The author and her father would take turns to observe her, no matter how tired they were. And also because of her illness, she had caused much trouble to her family and her neighbours. Seeing how much her father had done for her mother, the author wondered if her father was a saint.
Knewing that they could not continue going on like this, the author made research and found a lodge which was suitable for her mother to stay in. The author knew this was the best choice they could made for her mother as it was affordable for the author and her mother will be well taken care of. But then her father considered for a period of time and thought that he was not ready, including her mother. He believes that she could still recognise her despite her diease, but the cruel fact was that her mother's intelligence had been reduced to a two-year old's. The final decision was made after a long decision. The author and her father decided to move her mother into the lodge, and making frequent visits before moving her permanently.
In my opinion, to a certain extent, Alzheimer's diease can be cruel to anyone who suffers from it, and this could be a burden to any family who does not know how to take care of their elders properly, and it can consume time and energy drastically. However, from another point of view, this illness has shown the true love of life. The existence of this illness is a test to show people that they really cherish their loved ones even in the darkest times of their life, and are willing to rescue their loved ones from difficult situations. I think that what the author did was perhaps the best choice for her parents. She knew her father does not have the ability to take care of her mother till the arrival of death. And he would be less worried if he knew the author's mother was in good hands.
This article has also showed the hesitation of making decisions in crucial moments for there were still moments where the author and her father was sandwiched between "yes" and "no" decisions of whether to move her mother into the lodge or not.
Done By : Chan Wai Hong(17)
This article is about a person's mother suffering from Alzheimer's diease, having being the eldest among her siblings, she have to put down her work and visit her parents whenever her mother's illness deteriorates. Most of the caring of her mother was shouldered by her father, who was also old and weak. Taking care of her mother was not an easy task for her father, from feeding her to making decisions on her behalf. The author then realised the seriousness of her mother's illness. The things that she could do on her own was quite limited. To some extent, she had even forgotten what a toothbrush was, and coaxing was required for her to finish this simple task.
Because of her illness, had resulted her to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, deciding what to do next. The author and her father would take turns to observe her, no matter how tired they were. And also because of her illness, she had caused much trouble to her family and her neighbours. Seeing how much her father had done for her mother, the author wondered if her father was a saint.
Knewing that they could not continue going on like this, the author made research and found a lodge which was suitable for her mother to stay in. The author knew this was the best choice they could made for her mother as it was affordable for the author and her mother will be well taken care of. But then her father considered for a period of time and thought that he was not ready, including her mother. He believes that she could still recognise her despite her diease, but the cruel fact was that her mother's intelligence had been reduced to a two-year old's. The final decision was made after a long decision. The author and her father decided to move her mother into the lodge, and making frequent visits before moving her permanently.
In my opinion, to a certain extent, Alzheimer's diease can be cruel to anyone who suffers from it, and this could be a burden to any family who does not know how to take care of their elders properly, and it can consume time and energy drastically. However, from another point of view, this illness has shown the true love of life. The existence of this illness is a test to show people that they really cherish their loved ones even in the darkest times of their life, and are willing to rescue their loved ones from difficult situations. I think that what the author did was perhaps the best choice for her parents. She knew her father does not have the ability to take care of her mother till the arrival of death. And he would be less worried if he knew the author's mother was in good hands.
This article has also showed the hesitation of making decisions in crucial moments for there were still moments where the author and her father was sandwiched between "yes" and "no" decisions of whether to move her mother into the lodge or not.
Done By : Chan Wai Hong(17)
Reader's Digest Article!
Reader's Digest Article: The Rise Of Cyber-bullying. (May 2008 issue)
Page 114-119
This article talks about the number of people who get bullied on the Internet. Many bullies now have much more resources available for them to bully people. For example, there are chat rooms and even social networking areas for them to attack their victims who are totally oblivious to the current situation. More importantly, the bullies need not reveal their true identity. So even if their victim wants to sue them or even take revenge, it is hopeless. Moreover, it is far worse than in the past, meaning that bullying is on the rise.
In the past, students could only have the chance to bully on the school ground if there were no teachers or when they were having their breaks. But now, they can bully their victims throughout the whole day because their victims are bound to have their computers on. This makes cyber bullying even more tempting and easier to accomplish. When the bullies do not put their names up, it is far worse for the victim. The reason being is that they do not know who is even attacking them. It could be their best friend or even their siblings. This may be too hard for them to take and they might just succumb to it and commit suicide.
The European researchers are currently trying to launch a new software known as "Fearnot!". It teaches students to empathise with a victim of bullying and to give words of advice on the computer. Countries all around the globe are also trying to curb the problem by reinforcing laws on severely punishing the bullies. However, it is not taken seriously by some of the courts.
In my opinion, the victims are always being bullied because they appear to others as being weak and frail. The bullies think that they are useless. I feel that the reason why bullies are attacking others is because they may not have the attention that they want, and they think that bullying someone will get them their needed attention. Some of them are actually weak and they try to bully others to convince themselves and others that they are not weak but instead, 'superior'.
I deeply feel sorry for those who had committed suicide because they could not carry on and fight the nightmare anymore. They are the ones who show us how important the need to stop cyber bullying is. The bullies should think about how they are harming not only the victims but themselves. If they found out that their victims died because of them, could they even have the nerve to go on living their life as if nothing had happened? Would their conscience allow them to live on properly. They have ruined their own lives. They should think about the consequences of bullying instead of jumping right into it like it is some game.
Prior to this situation, I think that the governments are trying very hard to curb the problem by giving talks at schools as well as designing beautiful posters that discourage people from bullying as well as to encourage victims of bullying to report the event to their elder and to not be afraid. I hope that the government's efforts will not go to waste and that the bullies will please realise what harm they are doing and change their ways while it is still early to do so.
Written by: *Karen*
Page 114-119
This article talks about the number of people who get bullied on the Internet. Many bullies now have much more resources available for them to bully people. For example, there are chat rooms and even social networking areas for them to attack their victims who are totally oblivious to the current situation. More importantly, the bullies need not reveal their true identity. So even if their victim wants to sue them or even take revenge, it is hopeless. Moreover, it is far worse than in the past, meaning that bullying is on the rise.
In the past, students could only have the chance to bully on the school ground if there were no teachers or when they were having their breaks. But now, they can bully their victims throughout the whole day because their victims are bound to have their computers on. This makes cyber bullying even more tempting and easier to accomplish. When the bullies do not put their names up, it is far worse for the victim. The reason being is that they do not know who is even attacking them. It could be their best friend or even their siblings. This may be too hard for them to take and they might just succumb to it and commit suicide.
The European researchers are currently trying to launch a new software known as "Fearnot!". It teaches students to empathise with a victim of bullying and to give words of advice on the computer. Countries all around the globe are also trying to curb the problem by reinforcing laws on severely punishing the bullies. However, it is not taken seriously by some of the courts.
In my opinion, the victims are always being bullied because they appear to others as being weak and frail. The bullies think that they are useless. I feel that the reason why bullies are attacking others is because they may not have the attention that they want, and they think that bullying someone will get them their needed attention. Some of them are actually weak and they try to bully others to convince themselves and others that they are not weak but instead, 'superior'.
I deeply feel sorry for those who had committed suicide because they could not carry on and fight the nightmare anymore. They are the ones who show us how important the need to stop cyber bullying is. The bullies should think about how they are harming not only the victims but themselves. If they found out that their victims died because of them, could they even have the nerve to go on living their life as if nothing had happened? Would their conscience allow them to live on properly. They have ruined their own lives. They should think about the consequences of bullying instead of jumping right into it like it is some game.
Prior to this situation, I think that the governments are trying very hard to curb the problem by giving talks at schools as well as designing beautiful posters that discourage people from bullying as well as to encourage victims of bullying to report the event to their elder and to not be afraid. I hope that the government's efforts will not go to waste and that the bullies will please realise what harm they are doing and change their ways while it is still early to do so.
Written by: *Karen*
Sunday, June 15, 2008
the RISE of CYBER BULLYING
Over the net, we will not be able to know the person's real intentions and this is extremely dangerous. We may have a slip of tongue and offend the person without knowing. This may cause harm to the person and may push them over the edge. This is because bullying does not only exist physically, but also emotionally. The worse thing is that, we do not know the person's feelings.
Internet is a means of getting information and spreading messages to others rapidly, but some of us misused this accessibility. Therefore, as years passed, technology is getting more and more advanced, and bullying has been improved to cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can cause a lot of people to commit suicide. The victims of cyber bullying are ranged from a small kid to an adult! These people who cyber bully target their victims through the use of net, for instance messaging. Most of the people, nowadays, own at least one computer, hence the percentage of being a victim of cyber bullying is very high and common. Therefore, in my opinion, one should not believe anything what the cyber bullies said.
Through Massive Multiplayer Online Games, it is common to have cyber bullies. The players may gang up to bully a particular person, by spouting vulgarities and racist comments in a "shoutout" box. This infuriated a lot of people and caused a lot of arguements.
However, other than the bullies, the victims have faults too. It is because as long as you have confidence, no negative comments will be able to defeat you. Therefore, you must stand by themselves and believe in yourself.
The bullies often chat with people anonymously, thus making the percentage of being a victim a lot higher. Furthermore, nowadays people cannot cope with their work or studies without computer, adding on to the percentage. However I tend to think that the bully’s behaviours may be explainable, it may be due to pressure given by peers, parents and teachers and they need to be vented out. Therefore the bullies went ahead without considering for the victims. Hence some bullies go to the extend of sending hurtful rumors around anoymously, leaving no evidence. Teenagers are influenced easily, hence cyber-bullying has gradually become a trend and appears to be cool. I suppose their ultimate aim is to make the victims feel inferior.
After reading the article, I really felt sorry for the people that are mention in the article. They should not have believed in the words that the cyber bullies said. According to the article, a research had shown that one in every eight young people think that cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying. To reduce the number of victims, people should avoid talking to people whom you are not close to or whom you are not sure of his/her identity.
On the other hand, some bullies may do this due to the lack of love and care from the parents, who are always workaholics. As the dissatisfaction and loneness accumulates, the child will try to attract the parents’ attention that he’s yearning for by bullies and doing idiotic things; even beatings from his parents will satisfy him! Hence, parents and teachers should give fullest support to the child. However, some parents and teacher will think that the child is trying to make a mountain out of a mole and thus ignoring him. Therefore, when something bad happened to him, it will be too late for any rescue.
In conclusion, to reduce cyber bullying, we should start from family, to the school, and the government. As for family, parents should be aware of the child's doings and keep a close relationship with their child. As for the school, instead of holding more education seminars to help students understand the dangers lurking in cyber bullying, the school should hold more education seminars for the TEACHERS to guide their students and give the students their fullest attention. The school can also lengthen the hours of all CCAs and keep the students occupied with homeworks; this can also train the students for time management! Its killing many birds with ONE stone! As for government, they can ban more websites to avoid more cyber bullying.
~GLINNIS
JEFFERSON GOH 23.. DOING ARTICLE " RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE" EDITED TWICE
Summary :
Ryan Farrington was a normal kid until things started to change when he was about five or six. His legs could not function as well, bringing him much pain and discomfort. Often, when a relapse strikes and Ryan would be in such a painful state that even walking on his own was difficult. Ryan would then be sent to the hospital and doctors will put him on a morphine drip, knocking him out and deaden the pain. Ryan screams for his mother’s help but to no avail. Ryan was lying on the floor struggling in a pain attack. Finally, specialists confirmed Ryan with a rare condition similar to Parkinson's disease - Dystonia.
As his condition got worse day by day, Ryan was left with one option, to numb his nerves which will cause him to be confined to a wheelchair afterwards. At a young age, Ryan was persistent about leading a normal life therefore he refused to use the wheelchair. However, the disease was relentless and sometimes Ryan would end up having to use the wheelchair.
Ryan entered the rehabilitation centre at the age of 13. He first mastered the balance board, then holding the rails of a treadmill, and is even able to jog after months of trying. A coach was impressed by his raw talent and determinations to practice. Over the years, Ryan learnt to manage his pain, to cover and hide the side effects of dystonia. Ryan's persistency saved his life. He won many competitions. He is now one of Britain’s top ten sprinters for his age group. However, after every race he would need a lot of rest. There are still times when he cannot get out of bed. He has no idea how long he can keep competing but he has never thought of giving up.
REFLECTION:
Self-Determination, having the will and resilience in succeeding were the reasons why Ryan became a successful sprinter. From this article, I can clearly see the firm determination Ryan had shown despite hindrances. .Facing a uncertain future, Ryan does not give up in life. Instead, he was still optimistic about his life. He is always fighting for his time to live despite the pain he had to endure everyday. The efforts Ryan put in had led him to overcome the obstacles ahead of him. Hence, I was amazed by Ryan's spirits .
Nowadays, when people who face situations like Ryan, some even whose condition are less major compared to Ryan's, they fail to see the meaning of life. Even adults, who give up in life because they are sick. However, Ryan is determined to carry on, he rejected the doctor's suggestion of injecting painkillers into his spine and free him from all those pain that he was experiencing. Instead he put aside the setbacks and got on with life?
He always does his best in whatever he does. For instance , Ryan gets tired easily due to his illness ,however, he was always willing to practice his sprinting no matter how jaded he was. He wanted to be treated normally so he covered up all his pain and hide the side effects of the illness.
Whereas most people would probably give in to the doctor’s suggestion and just be an ordinary patient feeding on medicine and being put on drip every now and then. If Ryan did that, perhaps he would be lying in the hospital bed right now, waiting for his time to go.
I can see how seriously Ryan takes his life. Due to his illness ,I think Ryan seems to understand how lives is so unpredictable and precious.
Moreover, I also realized the importance of our families member. This is because family members always happen to be the most important people for someone who is in times of need. Their understanding, support, sincerity and love will certainly help one overcome an ordeal.
For instance, without Samantha and Lisa encouraging Ryan, I do not think that he will be able to improve so quickly in just 2 months. His mum, Lisa, did not stop her son from his desires, giving him the support and trust in what he wants to do. It was also his mum, who was constantly there to help him during his falls. Without his mum, no one would be able to be there to save him if he fell from the stirs during a pain attack. Also, his father and uncle spent time playing rough and tunble game of football with Ryan. They constantly urge him to be better, instilling in Ryan's mind that he can be the same as every kid and also motivating him. "No one is going to give you a break , Ryan you have to try that much harder, be that much better" Without their motivation, I think Ryan might not be what he is as of today.
After reading this article, I realized that If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he wanted, he will definitely meet with a success in unexpected common hours."
In conclusion, We should learn Ryan's qualities and apply to our daily life. So if a patient can do it, why not abled people like us? Therefore, we should never give up pursuing our dream even though it seems impossible.
-------------------------FINISH--------------------------------------------------------------
Finally done....
i flunked my oral..zzz
Ryan Farrington was a normal kid until things started to change when he was about five or six. His legs could not function as well, bringing him much pain and discomfort. Often, when a relapse strikes and Ryan would be in such a painful state that even walking on his own was difficult. Ryan would then be sent to the hospital and doctors will put him on a morphine drip, knocking him out and deaden the pain. Ryan screams for his mother’s help but to no avail. Ryan was lying on the floor struggling in a pain attack. Finally, specialists confirmed Ryan with a rare condition similar to Parkinson's disease - Dystonia.
As his condition got worse day by day, Ryan was left with one option, to numb his nerves which will cause him to be confined to a wheelchair afterwards. At a young age, Ryan was persistent about leading a normal life therefore he refused to use the wheelchair. However, the disease was relentless and sometimes Ryan would end up having to use the wheelchair.
Ryan entered the rehabilitation centre at the age of 13. He first mastered the balance board, then holding the rails of a treadmill, and is even able to jog after months of trying. A coach was impressed by his raw talent and determinations to practice. Over the years, Ryan learnt to manage his pain, to cover and hide the side effects of dystonia. Ryan's persistency saved his life. He won many competitions. He is now one of Britain’s top ten sprinters for his age group. However, after every race he would need a lot of rest. There are still times when he cannot get out of bed. He has no idea how long he can keep competing but he has never thought of giving up.
REFLECTION:
Self-Determination, having the will and resilience in succeeding were the reasons why Ryan became a successful sprinter. From this article, I can clearly see the firm determination Ryan had shown despite hindrances. .Facing a uncertain future, Ryan does not give up in life. Instead, he was still optimistic about his life. He is always fighting for his time to live despite the pain he had to endure everyday. The efforts Ryan put in had led him to overcome the obstacles ahead of him. Hence, I was amazed by Ryan's spirits .
Nowadays, when people who face situations like Ryan, some even whose condition are less major compared to Ryan's, they fail to see the meaning of life. Even adults, who give up in life because they are sick. However, Ryan is determined to carry on, he rejected the doctor's suggestion of injecting painkillers into his spine and free him from all those pain that he was experiencing. Instead he put aside the setbacks and got on with life?
He always does his best in whatever he does. For instance , Ryan gets tired easily due to his illness ,however, he was always willing to practice his sprinting no matter how jaded he was. He wanted to be treated normally so he covered up all his pain and hide the side effects of the illness.
Whereas most people would probably give in to the doctor’s suggestion and just be an ordinary patient feeding on medicine and being put on drip every now and then. If Ryan did that, perhaps he would be lying in the hospital bed right now, waiting for his time to go.
I can see how seriously Ryan takes his life. Due to his illness ,I think Ryan seems to understand how lives is so unpredictable and precious.
Moreover, I also realized the importance of our families member. This is because family members always happen to be the most important people for someone who is in times of need. Their understanding, support, sincerity and love will certainly help one overcome an ordeal.
For instance, without Samantha and Lisa encouraging Ryan, I do not think that he will be able to improve so quickly in just 2 months. His mum, Lisa, did not stop her son from his desires, giving him the support and trust in what he wants to do. It was also his mum, who was constantly there to help him during his falls. Without his mum, no one would be able to be there to save him if he fell from the stirs during a pain attack. Also, his father and uncle spent time playing rough and tunble game of football with Ryan. They constantly urge him to be better, instilling in Ryan's mind that he can be the same as every kid and also motivating him. "No one is going to give you a break , Ryan you have to try that much harder, be that much better" Without their motivation, I think Ryan might not be what he is as of today.
After reading this article, I realized that If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he wanted, he will definitely meet with a success in unexpected common hours."
In conclusion, We should learn Ryan's qualities and apply to our daily life. So if a patient can do it, why not abled people like us? Therefore, we should never give up pursuing our dream even though it seems impossible.
-------------------------FINISH--------------------------------------------------------------
Finally done....
i flunked my oral..zzz
Title: What do you do when the mother you love is no longer of sound mind?
Page: 65-71
Issue: Reader's Digest June issue
This story is about the mother of three kids in a family of five whom suffered from Alzheimer's disease and is no longer of sound mind and had difficulties doing and making basic desicions on her own. The family was forced to live far apart due to the South African diaspora, leaving the father, Yves, to single-handedly take care of his mentally unsound wife, Claude. He had to bathe, dress, feed and exercise his wife and was getting really exhausted having had to take care of her round the clock, till one day their daughter, Josephine, came back to South Africa for a ten-week stay. Yves and Josephine then took turns to take care of Claude. It was until a time where Yves could no longer take care of Claude and their daughter was suggesting that they put her mother under the palliative care resident, Abbey Lodge. However, it was difficult for Yves to accept that decision as the couple had been together for 50 years and he could not bear to abandon his wife. This put Josephine in a dilemma and till finally she said 'We have to do this. Because no time is ever the right time'. What she said was really true as no matter how many times Yves said that he is isn't ready, he would actually never be ready. This lead to a reluctant change of heart from Yves and after seeking advise from his other two children and getting their support, he finally agreed put his wife under palliative care. It took Claude some time to get adjusting to her new home but all in all, it looked the best decision made for her.
Love, what an amazing thing this could be, how it could change a person, and how deep it really is? In this story, it demostrates the strength of the love Yves showered to his wife. It touched me most when he said that he could not bear to abandon her as they had been together for 50 years, even though she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past few years and that he had to work his socks off taking care of her round the clock. Put another man in his shoes and the most probable response is that he will find his old and useless wife a burden and may not hesitate to send her to an old age home. I'm also awed by the determination of their daughter, Josephine, to go against her heart and make her decision which benefits both her father and mother. She showed great character to persuade her already shaken father to just allow his wife under the care of the palliative resident. Still, she made this decision all out of love and that she didn't want her father to suffer anymore till one day he collapses due to sheer exhaustion and when that time comes, it is really unthinkable and hard to imagine what would the life of her's turn into. This story demostrated how bonded this family is and that their reluctant choice of letting Claude under palliative care showed just how much they spared a thought for one another at the expense of their own will.
Done by: Lian Yi Jie(33)
Page: 65-71
Issue: Reader's Digest June issue
This story is about the mother of three kids in a family of five whom suffered from Alzheimer's disease and is no longer of sound mind and had difficulties doing and making basic desicions on her own. The family was forced to live far apart due to the South African diaspora, leaving the father, Yves, to single-handedly take care of his mentally unsound wife, Claude. He had to bathe, dress, feed and exercise his wife and was getting really exhausted having had to take care of her round the clock, till one day their daughter, Josephine, came back to South Africa for a ten-week stay. Yves and Josephine then took turns to take care of Claude. It was until a time where Yves could no longer take care of Claude and their daughter was suggesting that they put her mother under the palliative care resident, Abbey Lodge. However, it was difficult for Yves to accept that decision as the couple had been together for 50 years and he could not bear to abandon his wife. This put Josephine in a dilemma and till finally she said 'We have to do this. Because no time is ever the right time'. What she said was really true as no matter how many times Yves said that he is isn't ready, he would actually never be ready. This lead to a reluctant change of heart from Yves and after seeking advise from his other two children and getting their support, he finally agreed put his wife under palliative care. It took Claude some time to get adjusting to her new home but all in all, it looked the best decision made for her.
Love, what an amazing thing this could be, how it could change a person, and how deep it really is? In this story, it demostrates the strength of the love Yves showered to his wife. It touched me most when he said that he could not bear to abandon her as they had been together for 50 years, even though she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past few years and that he had to work his socks off taking care of her round the clock. Put another man in his shoes and the most probable response is that he will find his old and useless wife a burden and may not hesitate to send her to an old age home. I'm also awed by the determination of their daughter, Josephine, to go against her heart and make her decision which benefits both her father and mother. She showed great character to persuade her already shaken father to just allow his wife under the care of the palliative resident. Still, she made this decision all out of love and that she didn't want her father to suffer anymore till one day he collapses due to sheer exhaustion and when that time comes, it is really unthinkable and hard to imagine what would the life of her's turn into. This story demostrated how bonded this family is and that their reluctant choice of letting Claude under palliative care showed just how much they spared a thought for one another at the expense of their own will.
Done by: Lian Yi Jie(33)
Searching for Marita (DANIEL ROME LEVINE)
Pg 90 - 96
Reader’s digest MAY issue
Pg 90 - 96
Reader’s digest MAY issue
EVANGELINE HO [3] :)
using HUI HUI account.
This article is talking about Susana Trimarco who set out to search for her missing daughter, Marita. All these began on April 3, 2002, when Marita did not return home from her doctor’s appointment. Marita owns a apartment but she treats Susana’s house like a second home. As the day went by, Susana and her husband became worried and they went to their local police station to report a missing person case. But the policeman told them that only after 72 hrs then they could file a missing person report. But Susana was determined and formed a search party to search for her daughter. Few days later, Susana received a call and the man on the phone told her that he saw a red car pulled up near Marita. Two men jumped out and pushed her into the car when Marita struggled. It got worse when the received a news that Marita was seen in a brothel. After many pleas from Susana, the police took action and raided the brothel. But Marita wasn’t there. Susana then realized that she could only find her daughter by doing it alone. Thus, she often disguised as prostitutes and ventured into seedy bars showing pictures of Marita to prostitutes there to get hold of any information. But she was constantly disrupted from doing so because the police were trying to stop her from doing that. But she was very determined and never gave up. Along the way, she helped many girls who were forced into prostitution
From this story, I realize that a mother’s love could be so noble and strong as Susana did almost everything just to find her daughter, Marita. She was indeed incredible when she disguised as a prostitute and entered into brothels asking prostituted there for any information of Marita. And because of what she had done, it made her endanger her life on many accounts of people from the underworld trying to harm her. I feel that she is very daring as she wasn’t afraid at all. In search of her daughter, Susana also saved many girls who were forced into prostitution. It shows that she is also a caring person and pities others who maybe more unlucky than her daughter. I feel that those girls who have to abort their babies using a coat hanger are very pitiful because they have to undergo pain and trauma. I feel that those people who forced those girls into prostitution are very cruel because they destroyed those girls bright future. In Singapore, it seems very unlikely to have such things happening. But who knows? Maybe in the near future, these things might even happen. I feel that a message is sent in this article, is that everyone needs to know how to protect themselves and others too. I feel that Susana has a motherly image or seen as a heroine to those girls who were saved by her. Because their freedom and fate of their life changed because her actions.
This article is talking about Susana Trimarco who set out to search for her missing daughter, Marita. All these began on April 3, 2002, when Marita did not return home from her doctor’s appointment. Marita owns a apartment but she treats Susana’s house like a second home. As the day went by, Susana and her husband became worried and they went to their local police station to report a missing person case. But the policeman told them that only after 72 hrs then they could file a missing person report. But Susana was determined and formed a search party to search for her daughter. Few days later, Susana received a call and the man on the phone told her that he saw a red car pulled up near Marita. Two men jumped out and pushed her into the car when Marita struggled. It got worse when the received a news that Marita was seen in a brothel. After many pleas from Susana, the police took action and raided the brothel. But Marita wasn’t there. Susana then realized that she could only find her daughter by doing it alone. Thus, she often disguised as prostitutes and ventured into seedy bars showing pictures of Marita to prostitutes there to get hold of any information. But she was constantly disrupted from doing so because the police were trying to stop her from doing that. But she was very determined and never gave up. Along the way, she helped many girls who were forced into prostitution
From this story, I realize that a mother’s love could be so noble and strong as Susana did almost everything just to find her daughter, Marita. She was indeed incredible when she disguised as a prostitute and entered into brothels asking prostituted there for any information of Marita. And because of what she had done, it made her endanger her life on many accounts of people from the underworld trying to harm her. I feel that she is very daring as she wasn’t afraid at all. In search of her daughter, Susana also saved many girls who were forced into prostitution. It shows that she is also a caring person and pities others who maybe more unlucky than her daughter. I feel that those girls who have to abort their babies using a coat hanger are very pitiful because they have to undergo pain and trauma. I feel that those people who forced those girls into prostitution are very cruel because they destroyed those girls bright future. In Singapore, it seems very unlikely to have such things happening. But who knows? Maybe in the near future, these things might even happen. I feel that a message is sent in this article, is that everyone needs to know how to protect themselves and others too. I feel that Susana has a motherly image or seen as a heroine to those girls who were saved by her. Because their freedom and fate of their life changed because her actions.
Reader Digest Article
~Reader Digest June 2008 Issue~
Pg116-129 "A Healing Fire"
WTF this article is freaking long. Sian sia waste time!
Written by Hui Jian
-----------------------------------
What this article is about
-------------------------
Sokreaksa Himm grew up in Siem Reap, a town in northern Cambodia. The Khmer rouge came to power on April 17,1975 when he was just 11. His family was forced to leave their home like many others and were set to labouring in the countryside. They were exhausted, demoralised and filled with despair. One morning, Sokreaksa Himm saw the chlops sharpening their knives and axes, he ran back to tell his father that he suspects the chlops would kill them this morning. His father was shocked and in despair. He had become very desperate. A chlop came to their house and told his father that the angkar loeu is inviting him in the shelter. One of the chlops arrested his father during the journey to the shelter and the chlops told him that they suspect that they served the American soldiers therefore being an enemy to them. The chlops dragged his father back to the house and summoned his family to come outside. They put them in an ox-cart and drove them from the village and told them that they are to be executed. About three kilometres from the village, they came to a stop. They waited as the chlops finished digging a trench that would be their grave. The chlops hack at his father's head after forcing him to kneel in front of the trench and he fell into the grave. One of the chlops jumped into the grave to finish him off. The chlops then told the children to kneel in front of the grave. A man called Mao hit Sokreaksa Himm from behind and he fell on top of his father. His younger brothers, sisters and children from other families tumbled on top of him. The chlops jumped into the grave and started hacking wildly at us. They missed Sokreaksa Himm. The chlops thought that everyone was dead and they went off to find other victims. Five minutes after the chlops were gone, Sokreaksa Himm tried to escape from the grave and bodies that piled on him. He climbed out of the grave and found a hiding place in the woods. He also seen his mother and older sister being killed while he was hiding. After three days, Sokreaksa Himm was tired and went back to the village. The villagers welcomed him although they had just recently accused him. They fed him and he had a foster father. Sokreaksa Himm wanted vengeance. By early 1979 the Khmer Rouge had been driven from power by the Vietnamese army. Sokreaksa Himm went to Siem Reap, went back to school and started a new life. In 1983, Sokreaksa Himm joined the police so as to use this position to avenge his family. He was unable to fulfil his promises to his family that he would avenge for them and therefore fled across the Thai border to a refugee camp. He applied to go to Canada and arrived in Toronto in 1989. He was given accommodation at a centre run by World Vision. There were many people that befriended him. Chuck Ferguson, a World Vision member and a friend of Sokreaksa Himm, gave Sokreaksa Himm a Bible to read and made him feel that there was a new life for him. Sokreaksa Himm went to Tyndale University College in Toronto for his bachelor's degree. He started a cleaning company after graduating and settled down to his new life in Toronto. In 1998, Sokreaksa Himm received a letter indicating that there was a great need for good Christian teaching in Cambodia. Many Cambodians also needed counselling to help them overcome the emotional scars inflicted by the Khmer Rouge.
Sokreaksa Himm took years to consider reconcilation and in the end decided to forgive the people who murdered his family members.Sokreaksa Himm went back to Cambodia in May 1999. Sokreaksa Himm arrived in the village with two Cambodian pastors. He went to his foster father's house. Many came to visit him. Sokreaksa Himm asked about the people that murdered his family. He found out that four of the six people that Sokreaksa Himm was looking for had been killed during the Vietnamese invasion. Only Mao(The one that hit Sokreaksa Himm with the hoe) and Ean(The one that killed his mother) were alive. Sokreaksa Himm went to Mao's house. Mao was fearful. They had lunch and talked. Sokreaksa Himm told Mao that out of 33 people that were killed on that the day, one survived and that it was him. Mao was surprised and looked frightened. Sokreaksa Himm told him that he had come today to forgive Mao for whatever he had done.Then Sokreaksa Himm went off to forgive Kmao, the former deputy village leader who made all the decisions. Sokreaksa Himm promised the villages to come back to dig wells and build a school before leaving Siem Reap. Sokreaksa Himm met up with Ean who was in the neighbouring village to forgive him. Ean acknowledged his guilt and thanked Sokreaksa Himm for forgiving him.
Reflection
----------
From this story, i can feel and understand how difficult it was for Sokreaksa Himm to forgive the ones that murdered his family. There were many difficulties to overcome. He was able to overcome the thought of killing his parents' murderers. It was also very difficult for him to go meet the murderers face to face and tell them that he forgived them. From this story, i learnt that vengeance is not the way to solve a problem. Sokreaksa Himm could not ease the guilty feeling in him, he had always wanted revenge. It was only until that he decided that he forgive the people and after forgiving them, Sokreaksa Himm felt better. He is somewhat noble as he had also released the murderers from the pain of guilt for killing someone and made them feel better. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm has chosen the correct path instead of avenging his parent's death, forgiving the murderers instead of punishing them for what they did. This story also taught me that there are many different ways in solving a problem, each ways are unique. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm had the courage to forgive the people which was impossible to me. Vengeance was always the path i sought to solve problems. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm had set a perfect example for all the people to learn. He had the heart to forgive and forget. I believe that people should always forgive others. If not, they would be such a thing like enemies. People who always fight with each other would never solve their problems as their misunderstanding grows deeper and their relations worsen by the day. Vengeance would not solve the problems, it would only make more enemies for you. Once one have learnt to forgive others would the problems between enemies solve. People should be given a chance for whatever wrong that they might have done. It is sad to hear that people were commanded by their superiors into doing things that would make themselves feel guilty for live and feel that they were wrong.
------------
END
------------
Pg116-129 "A Healing Fire"
WTF this article is freaking long. Sian sia waste time!
Written by Hui Jian
-----------------------------------
What this article is about
-------------------------
Sokreaksa Himm grew up in Siem Reap, a town in northern Cambodia. The Khmer rouge came to power on April 17,1975 when he was just 11. His family was forced to leave their home like many others and were set to labouring in the countryside. They were exhausted, demoralised and filled with despair. One morning, Sokreaksa Himm saw the chlops sharpening their knives and axes, he ran back to tell his father that he suspects the chlops would kill them this morning. His father was shocked and in despair. He had become very desperate. A chlop came to their house and told his father that the angkar loeu is inviting him in the shelter. One of the chlops arrested his father during the journey to the shelter and the chlops told him that they suspect that they served the American soldiers therefore being an enemy to them. The chlops dragged his father back to the house and summoned his family to come outside. They put them in an ox-cart and drove them from the village and told them that they are to be executed. About three kilometres from the village, they came to a stop. They waited as the chlops finished digging a trench that would be their grave. The chlops hack at his father's head after forcing him to kneel in front of the trench and he fell into the grave. One of the chlops jumped into the grave to finish him off. The chlops then told the children to kneel in front of the grave. A man called Mao hit Sokreaksa Himm from behind and he fell on top of his father. His younger brothers, sisters and children from other families tumbled on top of him. The chlops jumped into the grave and started hacking wildly at us. They missed Sokreaksa Himm. The chlops thought that everyone was dead and they went off to find other victims. Five minutes after the chlops were gone, Sokreaksa Himm tried to escape from the grave and bodies that piled on him. He climbed out of the grave and found a hiding place in the woods. He also seen his mother and older sister being killed while he was hiding. After three days, Sokreaksa Himm was tired and went back to the village. The villagers welcomed him although they had just recently accused him. They fed him and he had a foster father. Sokreaksa Himm wanted vengeance. By early 1979 the Khmer Rouge had been driven from power by the Vietnamese army. Sokreaksa Himm went to Siem Reap, went back to school and started a new life. In 1983, Sokreaksa Himm joined the police so as to use this position to avenge his family. He was unable to fulfil his promises to his family that he would avenge for them and therefore fled across the Thai border to a refugee camp. He applied to go to Canada and arrived in Toronto in 1989. He was given accommodation at a centre run by World Vision. There were many people that befriended him. Chuck Ferguson, a World Vision member and a friend of Sokreaksa Himm, gave Sokreaksa Himm a Bible to read and made him feel that there was a new life for him. Sokreaksa Himm went to Tyndale University College in Toronto for his bachelor's degree. He started a cleaning company after graduating and settled down to his new life in Toronto. In 1998, Sokreaksa Himm received a letter indicating that there was a great need for good Christian teaching in Cambodia. Many Cambodians also needed counselling to help them overcome the emotional scars inflicted by the Khmer Rouge.
Sokreaksa Himm took years to consider reconcilation and in the end decided to forgive the people who murdered his family members.Sokreaksa Himm went back to Cambodia in May 1999. Sokreaksa Himm arrived in the village with two Cambodian pastors. He went to his foster father's house. Many came to visit him. Sokreaksa Himm asked about the people that murdered his family. He found out that four of the six people that Sokreaksa Himm was looking for had been killed during the Vietnamese invasion. Only Mao(The one that hit Sokreaksa Himm with the hoe) and Ean(The one that killed his mother) were alive. Sokreaksa Himm went to Mao's house. Mao was fearful. They had lunch and talked. Sokreaksa Himm told Mao that out of 33 people that were killed on that the day, one survived and that it was him. Mao was surprised and looked frightened. Sokreaksa Himm told him that he had come today to forgive Mao for whatever he had done.Then Sokreaksa Himm went off to forgive Kmao, the former deputy village leader who made all the decisions. Sokreaksa Himm promised the villages to come back to dig wells and build a school before leaving Siem Reap. Sokreaksa Himm met up with Ean who was in the neighbouring village to forgive him. Ean acknowledged his guilt and thanked Sokreaksa Himm for forgiving him.
Reflection
----------
From this story, i can feel and understand how difficult it was for Sokreaksa Himm to forgive the ones that murdered his family. There were many difficulties to overcome. He was able to overcome the thought of killing his parents' murderers. It was also very difficult for him to go meet the murderers face to face and tell them that he forgived them. From this story, i learnt that vengeance is not the way to solve a problem. Sokreaksa Himm could not ease the guilty feeling in him, he had always wanted revenge. It was only until that he decided that he forgive the people and after forgiving them, Sokreaksa Himm felt better. He is somewhat noble as he had also released the murderers from the pain of guilt for killing someone and made them feel better. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm has chosen the correct path instead of avenging his parent's death, forgiving the murderers instead of punishing them for what they did. This story also taught me that there are many different ways in solving a problem, each ways are unique. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm had the courage to forgive the people which was impossible to me. Vengeance was always the path i sought to solve problems. I feel that Sokreaksa Himm had set a perfect example for all the people to learn. He had the heart to forgive and forget. I believe that people should always forgive others. If not, they would be such a thing like enemies. People who always fight with each other would never solve their problems as their misunderstanding grows deeper and their relations worsen by the day. Vengeance would not solve the problems, it would only make more enemies for you. Once one have learnt to forgive others would the problems between enemies solve. People should be given a chance for whatever wrong that they might have done. It is sad to hear that people were commanded by their superiors into doing things that would make themselves feel guilty for live and feel that they were wrong.
------------
END
------------
Article: Searching For Marita
By: Daniel Rome Levine
Susana Trimarco of Argentina, mother of Marita, the missing 23 year old who was believed to be abducted off the streets to work as a prostitute in brothels, disguised herself as a prostitute in her search for her daughter.
When her daughter first went missing, Susana, together with her husband Daniel, reported her disappearance to the police who then dismissed it at first as Marita had to be missing for at least seventy-two hours before the police could open an investigation. Undeterred, the two went on to organized a search party and someone reported seeing Marita being abducted and another young girl told Daniel that she had seen Marita in a brothel in La Rioja.
It was only after repeated pleas from both Susana and Daniel did the police followed up on the statement made by the young girl and took action. When officers, together with the couple finally raided the bar, though they did not managed to find Marita, they managed to rescue a girl who was unwillingly forced to work there. They later learned from the girl that they had rescued that following a tip off to the owners of the bar, Marita had been whisked off shortly before the police arrived. Other raids followed but to no avail. Susana realized that to find her daughter, she has only herself to depend on.
About one year after the disappearance of her daughter, Susana quit her job in an effort to find her daughter. She would often disguise herself as a prostitute and ventured into seedy bars and engaged the girls into conversation in order to learn the whereabouts of Marita. In order to pay her investigation, she exhausted her savings, sold both Marita’s and her house and two cars. Her single-minded obsession also led to both she and Daniel separating. In her effort to find her daughter, Susana was stopped by local police but refused to be cowed. Her efforts started to receive media coverage and the pressure of publicity caused the police to step up raids in bars and brothels. Though she was often threatened and intimidated by bar owners and traffickers, she refused to give up and was placed under 24-hour protection by the police.
Though she stilled had not found Marita, she managed to help many girls forced into prostitution on her way. She started fighting against human trafficking and was an ‘icon’ to many. In October, she set up the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles Por la Lucha Contra la Trata de Personas in Tucuman and Buenos Aires which helped victims of sex trafficking get medical and psychological treatment and job training and provides food and shelter.
From my opinion, I think that the love Susana has for her daughter, Marita, is apparent from the every effort she put in to find her. I believed that all mothers in the world would willingly be like Susana; sacrificing themselves and no amount of money is too great for them in order to find their missing children. All mothers love their children no matter what and Susana effort in finding her missing daughter is just but one of the many great sacrifices mothers made for their children. That said, I still think that Susana is a very brave mother who would do anything in order to find her daughter. As a child, we often could not understand nor appreciate the little efforts and sacrifices our mothers made everyday. But from this article, we could clearly see an example of the great love a parent has for their child.
Furthermore, the security in Argentina could be further stepped up and reinforced. The lack of security in Argentina led to human trafficking happening in broad daylight and common. I think that the government could do more to prevent this from happening and the security is basically very slack in the country. Susana had, in her effort to rescue her daughter, brought up awareness about the issue at hand on human trafficking and this made her a hero in the eyes of the parents whose child had gone missing. She had also managed to save countless others who fall prey to human trafficking while searching for her daughter and her efforts should be widely applauded. Her refusal to deter from her mission even after repeated threats and intimidation from others showed determination and resolution which make her a noble person and a hero always in my eyes.
done by: regina[12]
By: Daniel Rome Levine
Susana Trimarco of Argentina, mother of Marita, the missing 23 year old who was believed to be abducted off the streets to work as a prostitute in brothels, disguised herself as a prostitute in her search for her daughter.
When her daughter first went missing, Susana, together with her husband Daniel, reported her disappearance to the police who then dismissed it at first as Marita had to be missing for at least seventy-two hours before the police could open an investigation. Undeterred, the two went on to organized a search party and someone reported seeing Marita being abducted and another young girl told Daniel that she had seen Marita in a brothel in La Rioja.
It was only after repeated pleas from both Susana and Daniel did the police followed up on the statement made by the young girl and took action. When officers, together with the couple finally raided the bar, though they did not managed to find Marita, they managed to rescue a girl who was unwillingly forced to work there. They later learned from the girl that they had rescued that following a tip off to the owners of the bar, Marita had been whisked off shortly before the police arrived. Other raids followed but to no avail. Susana realized that to find her daughter, she has only herself to depend on.
About one year after the disappearance of her daughter, Susana quit her job in an effort to find her daughter. She would often disguise herself as a prostitute and ventured into seedy bars and engaged the girls into conversation in order to learn the whereabouts of Marita. In order to pay her investigation, she exhausted her savings, sold both Marita’s and her house and two cars. Her single-minded obsession also led to both she and Daniel separating. In her effort to find her daughter, Susana was stopped by local police but refused to be cowed. Her efforts started to receive media coverage and the pressure of publicity caused the police to step up raids in bars and brothels. Though she was often threatened and intimidated by bar owners and traffickers, she refused to give up and was placed under 24-hour protection by the police.
Though she stilled had not found Marita, she managed to help many girls forced into prostitution on her way. She started fighting against human trafficking and was an ‘icon’ to many. In October, she set up the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles Por la Lucha Contra la Trata de Personas in Tucuman and Buenos Aires which helped victims of sex trafficking get medical and psychological treatment and job training and provides food and shelter.
From my opinion, I think that the love Susana has for her daughter, Marita, is apparent from the every effort she put in to find her. I believed that all mothers in the world would willingly be like Susana; sacrificing themselves and no amount of money is too great for them in order to find their missing children. All mothers love their children no matter what and Susana effort in finding her missing daughter is just but one of the many great sacrifices mothers made for their children. That said, I still think that Susana is a very brave mother who would do anything in order to find her daughter. As a child, we often could not understand nor appreciate the little efforts and sacrifices our mothers made everyday. But from this article, we could clearly see an example of the great love a parent has for their child.
Furthermore, the security in Argentina could be further stepped up and reinforced. The lack of security in Argentina led to human trafficking happening in broad daylight and common. I think that the government could do more to prevent this from happening and the security is basically very slack in the country. Susana had, in her effort to rescue her daughter, brought up awareness about the issue at hand on human trafficking and this made her a hero in the eyes of the parents whose child had gone missing. She had also managed to save countless others who fall prey to human trafficking while searching for her daughter and her efforts should be widely applauded. Her refusal to deter from her mission even after repeated threats and intimidation from others showed determination and resolution which make her a noble person and a hero always in my eyes.
done by: regina[12]
The Rise Of Cyber Bullying
by: PHIL MCKENNA
Readers Digest May Issue (article pg 114-119)
Done By: Hong Shao Han (25) 3E
~~Summary~~
This article tells that recently, there are many cases of cyber bullying occurring on the net. These cyber bullying usually causes people to commit suicide. According to a study conducted in 2007 by the US-based pew Internet & American Life Project, they found that one-third of American teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communication evolves from chat rooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people’s lives---and more public. There are cases whereby a young boy was taunted for months after classmates’ spread rumours on the internet that the boy was gay. A popular female classmate pretended to like him and chatted with him online, only to copy their exchanges to her friends. Unable to cope with the cyber bullying, the teenager killed himself. There are also cases whereby a girl took her life after receiving 20 different calls every 30minutes. Her father suspects that a final call at night caused her to kill herself. These are extreme but far from unique examples of the devastation wrought by cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can also occur at any time, it can happen 24/7, 365days a year, it is not like when we were a kid and playground bullying only stops when the school bell rings.
This cyber bullying cases in Asia is rampant. In Malaysia as of October 2007, 60 cases of cyber bullying occurred while in Singapore, 80 such cases of cyber bullying was reported to WiredSafety, which is an online safety and help group.
~~Reflection~~
Before I actually read this article, I knew that such cases of cyber bullying has happened in real life and that the numbers of it happening has been increase over the years as technology gets more developed with different people creating new online chatting system frequently. After reading this article, I now know that cyber bullying has become more serious and more frequent. Through cyber bullying, a person can get his/her pride hurt just through it and if the person if emotionally weak, they may take the bullying more seriously. I feel that in order to stop all of this cyber bullying, the victims must first tell the police or their parents about it. Next, they should consult a psychiatrist to counsel them on their problems to stop them from doing stupid things like committing suicide. I also feel sorry for those victims as most of the time they would have done nothing wrong, but the cyber bullies just pick them randomly and start cyber bullying them. Thus, for victims of cyber bullying who have done nothing wrong to anybody at all, they deserve our pity.
by: PHIL MCKENNA
Readers Digest May Issue (article pg 114-119)
Done By: Hong Shao Han (25) 3E
~~Summary~~
This article tells that recently, there are many cases of cyber bullying occurring on the net. These cyber bullying usually causes people to commit suicide. According to a study conducted in 2007 by the US-based pew Internet & American Life Project, they found that one-third of American teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communication evolves from chat rooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people’s lives---and more public. There are cases whereby a young boy was taunted for months after classmates’ spread rumours on the internet that the boy was gay. A popular female classmate pretended to like him and chatted with him online, only to copy their exchanges to her friends. Unable to cope with the cyber bullying, the teenager killed himself. There are also cases whereby a girl took her life after receiving 20 different calls every 30minutes. Her father suspects that a final call at night caused her to kill herself. These are extreme but far from unique examples of the devastation wrought by cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can also occur at any time, it can happen 24/7, 365days a year, it is not like when we were a kid and playground bullying only stops when the school bell rings.
This cyber bullying cases in Asia is rampant. In Malaysia as of October 2007, 60 cases of cyber bullying occurred while in Singapore, 80 such cases of cyber bullying was reported to WiredSafety, which is an online safety and help group.
~~Reflection~~
Before I actually read this article, I knew that such cases of cyber bullying has happened in real life and that the numbers of it happening has been increase over the years as technology gets more developed with different people creating new online chatting system frequently. After reading this article, I now know that cyber bullying has become more serious and more frequent. Through cyber bullying, a person can get his/her pride hurt just through it and if the person if emotionally weak, they may take the bullying more seriously. I feel that in order to stop all of this cyber bullying, the victims must first tell the police or their parents about it. Next, they should consult a psychiatrist to counsel them on their problems to stop them from doing stupid things like committing suicide. I also feel sorry for those victims as most of the time they would have done nothing wrong, but the cyber bullies just pick them randomly and start cyber bullying them. Thus, for victims of cyber bullying who have done nothing wrong to anybody at all, they deserve our pity.
The Rise of Cyber Bullying
by: PHIL MCKENNA
Summary:
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found that one-third of American teen Internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming clear that aspects of online communication encourage people to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they wouldn’t dare try in real life.
One of the examples was Ghyslain Rasa, aka “the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adolescent made a video of himself playing with a pretend light sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finished the school year from a psychiatric ward. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't his friends who found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
This cyber bullying cases in Asia is rampant. In Malaysia as of October 2007, 60 cases of cyber bullying occurred while in Singapore, 80 such cases of cyber bullying was reported to WiredSafety, which is an online safety and help group.
Reflections:
I felt melancholy and sad for the victims that had be cyber bullied as they were innocent and further more, they were bullied by an unknown person. To me, if I were them, I think I would scold them back or ignore them which it could be difficult as when one was hurt by her/his appearance, characters or just she/he, they felt uneasy and wanted to change themselves. In the end, it was too hard to change and they gave up by choosing the easiest way- commit suicide. It was stupid for them as I think that they should also think for others; the ones that loved them, the ones that knew them and not themselves.
I think the solutions to the problem can be a lot. The victims can calm themselves down first and tell their parents about it. The parents can then either report this to the police or school. Then the police or the school can try to track down the bullies which most likely are impossible as many used their fake usernames in the cyber world. The victims if needed help can consult a teacher or anyone they trust in.
In my overall point of view, it is wrong for the bullies for what they have been doing. However, I think that without a network will be better although it will cause our technology to be lagging behind. If all human beings are responsible, no such problems will happen and I think even the big problem that is happening now, the Global Warming can be prevented too as we are responsible in what we are creating.
Summary:
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found that one-third of American teen Internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming clear that aspects of online communication encourage people to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they wouldn’t dare try in real life.
One of the examples was Ghyslain Rasa, aka “the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adolescent made a video of himself playing with a pretend light sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finished the school year from a psychiatric ward. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't his friends who found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
This cyber bullying cases in Asia is rampant. In Malaysia as of October 2007, 60 cases of cyber bullying occurred while in Singapore, 80 such cases of cyber bullying was reported to WiredSafety, which is an online safety and help group.
Reflections:
I felt melancholy and sad for the victims that had be cyber bullied as they were innocent and further more, they were bullied by an unknown person. To me, if I were them, I think I would scold them back or ignore them which it could be difficult as when one was hurt by her/his appearance, characters or just she/he, they felt uneasy and wanted to change themselves. In the end, it was too hard to change and they gave up by choosing the easiest way- commit suicide. It was stupid for them as I think that they should also think for others; the ones that loved them, the ones that knew them and not themselves.
I think the solutions to the problem can be a lot. The victims can calm themselves down first and tell their parents about it. The parents can then either report this to the police or school. Then the police or the school can try to track down the bullies which most likely are impossible as many used their fake usernames in the cyber world. The victims if needed help can consult a teacher or anyone they trust in.
In my overall point of view, it is wrong for the bullies for what they have been doing. However, I think that without a network will be better although it will cause our technology to be lagging behind. If all human beings are responsible, no such problems will happen and I think even the big problem that is happening now, the Global Warming can be prevented too as we are responsible in what we are creating.
How to raise an A+ Student Pg 46-51
What this article is about :This article is teaches parents on the parenting techniques needed to raise an A+ Student. As most parents wants their kids to be a genius, they often put them under a lot of pressure by sending them to tuitions or giving them a lot of assessment books to do. This is in fact, not only the wrong way in raising a A+ student, but also will lead them to the verge of self-destruction. This article reveals some secrets of parents whom manage to raise A+ students and also teaches parents how to make full use of the tution centres.
As parents wants their children to get the best of education, many often overdo it by sending them to extra classes and making their child suffer from the extra loads of homework but despite all this, they may still not raise a A+ student. So some parents share their secrets to success and the all of them have one same thing about the method used, and that is home-educating their kids themselves.
Many parents use their own time rather than hiring a tutor to teach their kids. This not only let build up the relationship between the parent and the kids but also the parents can give the kids their support.
Some parents began to read stories book with their kids at a very young age which causes them to have a love for books. This makes the child a avid reader which makes them read more resulting them in having a wider vocabulary.
Some parents also constantly keep their kids under their surveillance so that they can know what their students are doing in school. By doing so, they can make sure that the kid does their homework and know what their child needs. Although this is a effective technique, the children may feel that their parents are invading their privacy and cause their relations to sour. Thus the kids need to understand their parents feelings for this method to work.
Reflection Starts Here:
I feel that the method being taught here are very logical as parents teaching their kids is a more effective way than hiring a tutor. This is because the kids may not be familiar with the tutor and thus have difficulties in communicating with the tutors which causes this way to be ineffective. However, when parents teach the kid themselves, they not only do not have difficulties in communicating with their parents but also able to confide their problems with their parents. The parents can also in turn improve their relationship with the children and can provide help to areas where the kids does not understand.
By reading story books to the kids at a very young age, this will make the kids very fond of books and make them avid readers at a older age. Having a love for books can not only increase their vocabulary, they can also obtain new knowledge at the same time. Whenever they faces a problem, they can read up on books on how to solve them so by having a love for books is a very effective way of raising a A+ student without giving the kids much pressure.
By taking control of the kid's life, parents can know how their child are doing in school and know what their child are weak at. Thus, the parents can help at areas where their kids are weak at. The parents can also constantly check with their kids to do their homework as constant work is needed for the child to improve.
So, i agree very much with what is being taught in this article on how to raise a smart student as not only are methods practical, they also do not add on to the current the stress the child faces.
How to Click And Clean
Reader's Digest June 2008
Page 72 to 77
Reflection:
After reading this article, I feel that people nowadays tend to say or post something easily on the net. I believe this is because internet is a place where you can communicate with people around the world easily so people may not tend to be careful on what they are saying or doing on the internet. I feel that most people did not think before they act so they will rather say or post something than thinking about the consequences of doing those stuff first. What they say or what things that they put on the internet can actually hurt someone's feeling since they do not think what will happen after posting anything on the internet so doing so can actually lead to tragedies such as relationships being broken, divorces being made or even casing someone that is hurt to attempt suicide. This can result in people being sacked by their bosses at work if people insulted their boss on the internet and the insults were being seen by their boss. This can also result in students being driven out of their school if they posted anything bad about their schools on the internet.
I feel that people who say or post something easily on the internet and maybe hurting someone as a result can be because of their parents' lack of teaching. If parents spend enough time teaching their children, their children may not do anything stupid or anything hurting someone related to them. I also feel that people tend to post stupid things on the internet is because they believe that doing so can be enjoyable and exciting. In conclusion, I believe that people nowadays should be careful when doing anything or else they may result in consequences that would be devastating so I advise people in the new generation to think before they act to avoid any misunderstanding or disasters.
Done by: Lim Chu Kee (34)
Page 72 to 77
Reflection:
After reading this article, I feel that people nowadays tend to say or post something easily on the net. I believe this is because internet is a place where you can communicate with people around the world easily so people may not tend to be careful on what they are saying or doing on the internet. I feel that most people did not think before they act so they will rather say or post something than thinking about the consequences of doing those stuff first. What they say or what things that they put on the internet can actually hurt someone's feeling since they do not think what will happen after posting anything on the internet so doing so can actually lead to tragedies such as relationships being broken, divorces being made or even casing someone that is hurt to attempt suicide. This can result in people being sacked by their bosses at work if people insulted their boss on the internet and the insults were being seen by their boss. This can also result in students being driven out of their school if they posted anything bad about their schools on the internet.
I feel that people who say or post something easily on the internet and maybe hurting someone as a result can be because of their parents' lack of teaching. If parents spend enough time teaching their children, their children may not do anything stupid or anything hurting someone related to them. I also feel that people tend to post stupid things on the internet is because they believe that doing so can be enjoyable and exciting. In conclusion, I believe that people nowadays should be careful when doing anything or else they may result in consequences that would be devastating so I advise people in the new generation to think before they act to avoid any misunderstanding or disasters.
Done by: Lim Chu Kee (34)
Reader's Digest June Edition (2008)
Topic: What makes a hero?
(pg9-11)
REFLECTION:
What makes an ordinary person do something extraordinarily brave? Is it because of the nature or noble qualities the person herself/himself possess? Or perhaps it's due to another person's influence/nurturing which makes one realize the importance of "leaving" space in one's mind to show compassion, love to people in the society?
HEROES, as defined, are people who are admired or recognized for their noble qualities through their contribution and significant changes they have done to the society or community. Stated in the text, I,myself also feel that "People over the world are becoming Martin Luther Kings and Mahatma Gandhis in their own communities", which simply means there are many heroes around you who have made contributions through their own means. Maybe the impact by one might not be distinct, but i personally feel that even the smallest things done with effort and love can make one a hero because this might eventually have an impact on maybe, a small group of people.
During these days, certain unforeseen disasters have struck the world. People might think mother nature is cruel, but of course, we can't possibly change the fate of the world but we can contribute through our actions to help those in suffering. Agree? Let's take an example: A 8.0magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China left millions of people dead and the alive ones, in suffering and poverty. However, from this tragedy, I saw compassion and love from people all around the world who felt an urge to lend a helping to those quake victims through any means such as monetary donations and even blood donation. Well, Premier WEN JIA BAO was probably the one whom i considered a hero. As the prime minister, he went to the quake-hit area to direct the troops. In his speech, he said: "no matter what cost it will take, we must save the trapped ones in the debris and provide for the suffering". One thing many of us wouldn't have even thought of was that he actually went to help to save those in the debris, with encouraging words and ended up getting his hand with cuts when he tried to get a victim out. However, he didn't want help and claimed that "time is life" and told the life-savers to carry on with their own work. I was really touched at his actions and his words, and admired his thoughts for his people even though he might risk his life at the aftershock-prone area. What a HERO!
Actually, I personally feel that one's nature and the way he/she is being nurtured is important in bringing up a hero. The most important factor is one's mindset, the mindset to help people in need or the mindset to show care and concern for other people. No doubt, forcing one to possess these qualities while bringing up their child wouldn't work for sure. Mahatma Gandhi quoted "I claim no perfection for myself". He strives to do anything which will do good for his people, showing that he is willing and noble. Thus, he managed to claim an "image" of a HERO in the eyes of many.
Hence, I sincerely wish that the world would be filled with heroes every now and then, so that those who are suffering from poverty could leave a better life, those in need could receive care and help and finally those without love could feel concern and love from the heroes around them who are determined and willing to lend a helping hand to them!! May the world be a better place!
Done by: Dathne Tan(1)
Topic: What makes a hero?
(pg9-11)
REFLECTION:
What makes an ordinary person do something extraordinarily brave? Is it because of the nature or noble qualities the person herself/himself possess? Or perhaps it's due to another person's influence/nurturing which makes one realize the importance of "leaving" space in one's mind to show compassion, love to people in the society?
HEROES, as defined, are people who are admired or recognized for their noble qualities through their contribution and significant changes they have done to the society or community. Stated in the text, I,myself also feel that "People over the world are becoming Martin Luther Kings and Mahatma Gandhis in their own communities", which simply means there are many heroes around you who have made contributions through their own means. Maybe the impact by one might not be distinct, but i personally feel that even the smallest things done with effort and love can make one a hero because this might eventually have an impact on maybe, a small group of people.
During these days, certain unforeseen disasters have struck the world. People might think mother nature is cruel, but of course, we can't possibly change the fate of the world but we can contribute through our actions to help those in suffering. Agree? Let's take an example: A 8.0magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China left millions of people dead and the alive ones, in suffering and poverty. However, from this tragedy, I saw compassion and love from people all around the world who felt an urge to lend a helping to those quake victims through any means such as monetary donations and even blood donation. Well, Premier WEN JIA BAO was probably the one whom i considered a hero. As the prime minister, he went to the quake-hit area to direct the troops. In his speech, he said: "no matter what cost it will take, we must save the trapped ones in the debris and provide for the suffering". One thing many of us wouldn't have even thought of was that he actually went to help to save those in the debris, with encouraging words and ended up getting his hand with cuts when he tried to get a victim out. However, he didn't want help and claimed that "time is life" and told the life-savers to carry on with their own work. I was really touched at his actions and his words, and admired his thoughts for his people even though he might risk his life at the aftershock-prone area. What a HERO!
Actually, I personally feel that one's nature and the way he/she is being nurtured is important in bringing up a hero. The most important factor is one's mindset, the mindset to help people in need or the mindset to show care and concern for other people. No doubt, forcing one to possess these qualities while bringing up their child wouldn't work for sure. Mahatma Gandhi quoted "I claim no perfection for myself". He strives to do anything which will do good for his people, showing that he is willing and noble. Thus, he managed to claim an "image" of a HERO in the eyes of many.
Hence, I sincerely wish that the world would be filled with heroes every now and then, so that those who are suffering from poverty could leave a better life, those in need could receive care and help and finally those without love could feel concern and love from the heroes around them who are determined and willing to lend a helping hand to them!! May the world be a better place!
Done by: Dathne Tan(1)
Reader Digest Reflection
RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE
Reader Digest 2008 June Edition
pg 36-43
A 13 year old boy diagnosed with dystonia is not able to walk without a limp but is able to run like a normal boy? Hard to believe, isn't it. But it is a real life example of this boy, Ryan, who has faced a his illness bravely. In the end, he finally found a way to minimise his pain in a non-medical and healthy way.
It all began when Ryan was five or six. The doctors did not know what was the problem at first, until a year later, after a specialist confirmed that Ryan had dystonia. The cause was quite unknown, but what was known was that this illness caused Ryan many problems for several years. there was once when the doctors suggested to numb Ryan's nerves, but Ryan was strongly against it as that would cripple his legs.
Luckily, when Ryan was thirteen, he realised that he had no problem joggingat all and his pain would go away. Ryan even got into an athletics club and became very famous-not because of his illness but of his speed.
It takes courage and bravery to face such a serious illness and for that, I respect and admire Ryan. Many people might have already given up in times of illnesses like this. For me, I just hope I will say healthy forever so that I would not need to fight such a tough and suffering battle. Ryan’s story has also taught me something important, that is to face my problems and not to run away from them, and there are always solutions to problems.
Though with a disadvantage against us, perfectly normal people, Ryan still manages to stand out from the crowd. Even coaches would take a second look at him. I hope I would be able to be as successful as him in life. Here, I sincerely hope the best for him.
___________________________________________________________
By: Perly Kweh (10)
3E
Reader Digest 2008 June Edition
pg 36-43
A 13 year old boy diagnosed with dystonia is not able to walk without a limp but is able to run like a normal boy? Hard to believe, isn't it. But it is a real life example of this boy, Ryan, who has faced a his illness bravely. In the end, he finally found a way to minimise his pain in a non-medical and healthy way.
It all began when Ryan was five or six. The doctors did not know what was the problem at first, until a year later, after a specialist confirmed that Ryan had dystonia. The cause was quite unknown, but what was known was that this illness caused Ryan many problems for several years. there was once when the doctors suggested to numb Ryan's nerves, but Ryan was strongly against it as that would cripple his legs.
Luckily, when Ryan was thirteen, he realised that he had no problem joggingat all and his pain would go away. Ryan even got into an athletics club and became very famous-not because of his illness but of his speed.
It takes courage and bravery to face such a serious illness and for that, I respect and admire Ryan. Many people might have already given up in times of illnesses like this. For me, I just hope I will say healthy forever so that I would not need to fight such a tough and suffering battle. Ryan’s story has also taught me something important, that is to face my problems and not to run away from them, and there are always solutions to problems.
Though with a disadvantage against us, perfectly normal people, Ryan still manages to stand out from the crowd. Even coaches would take a second look at him. I hope I would be able to be as successful as him in life. Here, I sincerely hope the best for him.
___________________________________________________________
By: Perly Kweh (10)
3E
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Reader's Digest reflection by Tasman using KX email
The Science of Sleep
Reader's Digest June 2008
Pg 58-60
Reflection starts...
I believe that everyone sleeps. Unless you are some superhuman that works 24 hours a day. Sleeping helps a person to forget almost every unpleasant things that happened in the day for that particular person. However, i believe that a person would not be able to sleep well when he/she does something which makes themselves feel guilty. In the article, it states a few points whereby i feel that its vital for everyone to know. The importance of sleep does not end when a baby grows and its vital for school-aged children. It also states that a good night's sleep sets a child for the day and i feel that its true. A good sleep also enables a child to deal with the social stresses and pressures of a busy school environment and also promotes learning and most importantly, sleep is essential for the growing of brains.
I feel that many children are against set bedtimes. This is most likely due to the fact that the technology is always improving and the children are attracted to electronic devices such as the TV or even the computer which allows them to play games 0r surf the internet. All this time being taken up by electronic devices definitely compete for their bedtime attention.Many chidren this days are also struggling to fall asleep and their sleep is often unrefreshing even if they are able to get into slumber. Nightmares are one of the common problems.
I believe that each and everyone of us differ in the amount of sleep they require and sufficient sleep is to ensure that they will be more active for the next day. Insufficient sleep would hence result in a bad temper, inattentiveness at school and a inconsistent performance and a poor memory. Therefore, establishing good sleeping habits is important so that a child can be active for the day.
Reader's Digest June 2008
Pg 58-60
Reflection starts...
I believe that everyone sleeps. Unless you are some superhuman that works 24 hours a day. Sleeping helps a person to forget almost every unpleasant things that happened in the day for that particular person. However, i believe that a person would not be able to sleep well when he/she does something which makes themselves feel guilty. In the article, it states a few points whereby i feel that its vital for everyone to know. The importance of sleep does not end when a baby grows and its vital for school-aged children. It also states that a good night's sleep sets a child for the day and i feel that its true. A good sleep also enables a child to deal with the social stresses and pressures of a busy school environment and also promotes learning and most importantly, sleep is essential for the growing of brains.
I feel that many children are against set bedtimes. This is most likely due to the fact that the technology is always improving and the children are attracted to electronic devices such as the TV or even the computer which allows them to play games 0r surf the internet. All this time being taken up by electronic devices definitely compete for their bedtime attention.Many chidren this days are also struggling to fall asleep and their sleep is often unrefreshing even if they are able to get into slumber. Nightmares are one of the common problems.
I believe that each and everyone of us differ in the amount of sleep they require and sufficient sleep is to ensure that they will be more active for the next day. Insufficient sleep would hence result in a bad temper, inattentiveness at school and a inconsistent performance and a poor memory. Therefore, establishing good sleeping habits is important so that a child can be active for the day.
Searching for Marita
Searching for Marita
By Daniel
When Susana Trimaco finds her missing daughter, she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution. Susana’s daughter, Marita, was lost when she was just 23 years old. To find Marita, Susana tried all means such as disguising herself as a prostitute going into brothels to ask girls whereabouts of her daughter. Susana and her husband Daniel even pleaded the police to take action after what a girl told them about what happen to Marita. Also, to pay for her investigations, Susana exhausted most of her savings, sold her house and Marita’s house and two cars. Her single-minded obsession also led to her and Daniel separating. However, some effort of Susana paid off, although she did not find Marita, but Susana refusing to be cowed, started receiving media coverage. The police who felt pressure by the publicity, they stepped up raids on bars and brothels. But, this led to Susana being in grave danger where bar owners and traffickers threaten to kill her, such as sending text messages to her “The next message I send will be a bullet in your head.” Many girls came forward and told Susana about their harrowing tales and Susana, who saw a little bit of Marita in each of them, she promised to do everything to help those girls. Other than that, she led more than 200 protesters through streets to demand greater government action in finding girls who were forced into prostitution. Mothers whose daughters have been kidnapped were also calling Susana for help. Susana was also elected to receive an International Woman of Courage Award. Susana also opened the 'Fundacion Maria de
Reflection:
Title:The Rise of Cyber Bullying
Reader Digest May 2008, pg 115 to pg 119
Done by:Neo Guo Rong(38)
Many people are bullied and taunted in the internet.It could be through instant messaging, chatting online, calls on mobile phones, posting embarrassing videos and photos on internet and many more which causes people to do foolish things like suicide.
A 2007 study by US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found the one third of American teens have been targeted for cyber bullying. It is turning obvious that aspects of online communication had encouraged people to act more aggressively, doing stuffs people would never dare to try doing in reality,no one would dare to do bad things in front of everyone,but if there is no one around, there is nothing to be afraid. Internet enabled people to reach out to even more people, this means cyber bullying can have even more negative effects on the victims. A 2006 study by UK-based internet market researh firm YouGov found out that For 1 in 8 young people, cyber bullying is worse than physical bullying. This is because when you post it in the internet, everyone can see it. Would you like to keep your embarrassing moments to yourself or telling the world wide world that you are gay or something?
Another reason why cyber bullying is harmful is its relentless attack. When you get bully in school, it will end quickly when school ends or during holidays. However, the internet is always on, it does not have holidays or something, it is on 24/7 for the whole year. Many people said that it can be ended by offing the computer, but is it possible? Another factor that worsen matter is getting to know who is behind all these ? When one gets bullied, they would like to know who is that and maybe they could have revenge on them. But in the internet, bullies can stay anonymous, they can do whatever harmful stuffs to you without you knowing who they were. That would be even more torturous as you could not do anything about it, this would amplify the damage done to the victims.
After reading this article, i realised that the threat of cyber bullying is so serious. I feel sorry for the victims that are targeted by the cyber bullies and ending up in a very sad state. They might have found fault with someone and that person wanted to make him feel sorry for what he has done, by humiliating them via the internet or maybe someone like his classmate has a dislike towards him or her and ending up embarassing them in the internet. It is not their fault as they maybe did not know what they have done. I think that those cyber bullies are cowards as they do not dare to bad things to the person in front of everyone and even though they attacked the victims by using the internet, they use fake names. I think that they should talk things out instead of doing such things and the victims should not take those attacks too seriously and end up doing stupid things like commit suicide. They should treat them as a joke or something that they won't put in their minds.
Reader Digest May 2008, pg 115 to pg 119
Done by:Neo Guo Rong(38)
Many people are bullied and taunted in the internet.It could be through instant messaging, chatting online, calls on mobile phones, posting embarrassing videos and photos on internet and many more which causes people to do foolish things like suicide.
A 2007 study by US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found the one third of American teens have been targeted for cyber bullying. It is turning obvious that aspects of online communication had encouraged people to act more aggressively, doing stuffs people would never dare to try doing in reality,no one would dare to do bad things in front of everyone,but if there is no one around, there is nothing to be afraid. Internet enabled people to reach out to even more people, this means cyber bullying can have even more negative effects on the victims. A 2006 study by UK-based internet market researh firm YouGov found out that For 1 in 8 young people, cyber bullying is worse than physical bullying. This is because when you post it in the internet, everyone can see it. Would you like to keep your embarrassing moments to yourself or telling the world wide world that you are gay or something?
Another reason why cyber bullying is harmful is its relentless attack. When you get bully in school, it will end quickly when school ends or during holidays. However, the internet is always on, it does not have holidays or something, it is on 24/7 for the whole year. Many people said that it can be ended by offing the computer, but is it possible? Another factor that worsen matter is getting to know who is behind all these ? When one gets bullied, they would like to know who is that and maybe they could have revenge on them. But in the internet, bullies can stay anonymous, they can do whatever harmful stuffs to you without you knowing who they were. That would be even more torturous as you could not do anything about it, this would amplify the damage done to the victims.
After reading this article, i realised that the threat of cyber bullying is so serious. I feel sorry for the victims that are targeted by the cyber bullies and ending up in a very sad state. They might have found fault with someone and that person wanted to make him feel sorry for what he has done, by humiliating them via the internet or maybe someone like his classmate has a dislike towards him or her and ending up embarassing them in the internet. It is not their fault as they maybe did not know what they have done. I think that those cyber bullies are cowards as they do not dare to bad things to the person in front of everyone and even though they attacked the victims by using the internet, they use fake names. I think that they should talk things out instead of doing such things and the victims should not take those attacks too seriously and end up doing stupid things like commit suicide. They should treat them as a joke or something that they won't put in their minds.
Article:The rise of cyber-bullying
Reader Digest page: 115-119
Written by: Phil Mckenna
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Unternet and American Life Project found that one-third of merican teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming more clear that aspects of online communication encourage prople to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they would'nt dare try in real life.
The ability to reach more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber-bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventianl variety. "It's schoolyard bullying taken to the next leve," says Justin Patchin, a criminologist at the University of Wisconsin.
A 2006 study by the UK-based internet market research firm YouGov found out that for one in eight young people, cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying. One reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. "It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one kid when nobody elso knows about it, but a video sen by hundreds or thousands of your peers can be devastating," says Robin Kowalski, a psychologist at Clemson University in South Carolina and co-author of the book Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age.
Ghyslain Raza, aka " the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adoloscent made a video of himself playing with a pretend li8ght sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finshed the school year froma psychiatric ward. Unfortuanately for him, it wasn't his friends who found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
Reflections: I think that to be cyber-bullying others are really bad things and things that should'nt be done at all as this causes the one to be cyber bullied to be hurt and may causes damage to the person even though its through a computer because it may cause hurt to that person pride and some may even starts to have psychology problems and may cause the person to suffer from some mental problems.
These are much more worser than physical bullying because if the person was beaten up, the bruises may heal quickly but whereas for psychology problems, it sure needs to take a long time before the person may recover or it may not even recover because of the deep hurt of pride. Besides that, i think those who cyber-bully are the ones that are more coward as they bully the people they dosen't really like behind the screens and are more likely to be described as underhand means. These people may have result to this means may be beacuse they had been offended and as they are mostly teenagers, may not like it and try to find a way for revenge which will make the person who offended them to 'pay the price'.
These acts are also seemed to be cowardly and that maybe it was just for the fun of it. But consequences have also to be thought. This is beacause not all people would be able to take the joke if it will hurt their pride esteem deeply and nobody would like to become the joke of the day. Thus, i feel that people who think that its fun to cyber bully is wrong and that they should think more of the consequences before deciding to act because it may cause the person who is being cyber-bullied to have the need to carry the hurt for the whole of their life. They should instead, try to tell the person whom they dislike whats wrong and try to be friends with him/her and not using this kinds of means to bully the people whom they dislike since it does not benefit either side and instead, hurt deeply.
Thus, i really hope that cyber-bullying can be controlled and although it may be a bit difficult, but at the least, decrease the number of cases of cyber-bullying. This can be done by giving talks to students or counselling them.
Copylefted=X:
☆ Jie lin(8)
Reader Digest page: 115-119
Written by: Phil Mckenna
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Unternet and American Life Project found that one-third of merican teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming more clear that aspects of online communication encourage prople to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they would'nt dare try in real life.
The ability to reach more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber-bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventianl variety. "It's schoolyard bullying taken to the next leve," says Justin Patchin, a criminologist at the University of Wisconsin.
A 2006 study by the UK-based internet market research firm YouGov found out that for one in eight young people, cyber bullying is even worse than physical bullying. One reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. "It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one kid when nobody elso knows about it, but a video sen by hundreds or thousands of your peers can be devastating," says Robin Kowalski, a psychologist at Clemson University in South Carolina and co-author of the book Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age.
Ghyslain Raza, aka " the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adoloscent made a video of himself playing with a pretend li8ght sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finshed the school year froma psychiatric ward. Unfortuanately for him, it wasn't his friends who found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
Reflections: I think that to be cyber-bullying others are really bad things and things that should'nt be done at all as this causes the one to be cyber bullied to be hurt and may causes damage to the person even though its through a computer because it may cause hurt to that person pride and some may even starts to have psychology problems and may cause the person to suffer from some mental problems.
These are much more worser than physical bullying because if the person was beaten up, the bruises may heal quickly but whereas for psychology problems, it sure needs to take a long time before the person may recover or it may not even recover because of the deep hurt of pride. Besides that, i think those who cyber-bully are the ones that are more coward as they bully the people they dosen't really like behind the screens and are more likely to be described as underhand means. These people may have result to this means may be beacuse they had been offended and as they are mostly teenagers, may not like it and try to find a way for revenge which will make the person who offended them to 'pay the price'.
These acts are also seemed to be cowardly and that maybe it was just for the fun of it. But consequences have also to be thought. This is beacause not all people would be able to take the joke if it will hurt their pride esteem deeply and nobody would like to become the joke of the day. Thus, i feel that people who think that its fun to cyber bully is wrong and that they should think more of the consequences before deciding to act because it may cause the person who is being cyber-bullied to have the need to carry the hurt for the whole of their life. They should instead, try to tell the person whom they dislike whats wrong and try to be friends with him/her and not using this kinds of means to bully the people whom they dislike since it does not benefit either side and instead, hurt deeply.
Thus, i really hope that cyber-bullying can be controlled and although it may be a bit difficult, but at the least, decrease the number of cases of cyber-bullying. This can be done by giving talks to students or counselling them.
Copylefted=X:
☆ Jie lin(8)
Article:The rise of cyber-bullying
Reader Digest May page: 115-119
Written by: Phil Mckenna
Summary :
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Unternet and American Life Project found that one-third of merican teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming more clear that aspects of online communication encourage prople to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they would'nt dare try in real life. The ability to reach more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber-bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventianl variety. "It's schoolyard bullying taken to the next leve," says Justin Patchin, a criminologist at the University of Wisconsin. A 2006 study by the UK-based internet market research firm YouGov found out that for one in eight young peoplr, cyer bullying is even worse than physical bullying. One reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. "It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one kid when nobody elso knows about it, but a video seen by hundreds or thousands of your peers can be devastating," says Robin Kowalski, a psychologist at Clemson University in South Carolina and co-author of the book Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Ghyslain Raza, aka " the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adoloscent made a video of himself playing with a pretend light sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finshed the school year froma psychiatric ward. Unfortuanately for him, it wasn't his friendswho found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
Reflection:
I think that there are a few reasons for the case of rising of cyber bullies. First of all, there may be people who gets involved in cyber-bullying just to relieve stress. Living in this fast paced Singapore, most working adults have stress. Not only that, children and teenagers will also encounter stress with the many tests and examinations they have to face. And when they start on cyber-bullying, they find it interesting and hence, relieving their stress. Wen this happenes, they will have the tendency to go on. Another reason to it may be because of people who idles their time away. Since they have so much time to spare, it doesnt take them long to get hooked up in cyber-bullying. They will not just spend away their time, in fact, they enjoy doing it... Furthermore, one may start cyber-bullying because of the influence by their friends. When one is surrounded by friends who are into cyber-bullying, it is hard for them to stand firm and oppose what their friends are doing. It is especially so towards the teenagers, where they would be laughed at if they did not do what their friends are doing. The last reason i am going to state is that the punishment for cyber-bullying may not be harsh enough to get people's attention. They will therefore, not hesitate much when breaking this law.
I think that if the punishment become harsher, people will hesitate more about the consequences before going into cyber-bullying. The government should also try to educate the people about cyber-bullying and make known of the punishments to them, especially the younger generations. When the children are taught from young that cyber-bullying is not allowed, there will be lesser of such cases when they have grown up. Parents' teachings are also important to teach them from right to wrong from young. It is so to ensure that the upbringing of the child is good. Also, i think that the harshness of the punishment for cyber-bullying can be increased.
On the other hand, the government should also educate the people about how to react when they become a victim of a cyber-bully. It is so that they won't feel helpless and at lost at what to do when they are being bullied in the cyber world. Also, they should publicise about the helplines or any other form of help available. This way, it will be easier to nap the cyber-bully and also minimise the hurt inflicted on the victim.
copyrighted,
yeeteng =)
Reader Digest May page: 115-119
Written by: Phil Mckenna
Summary :
A 2007 study by the US-based Pew Unternet and American Life Project found that one-third of merican teen internet users have been targets of cyber bullies. And as online communications evolves from chatrooms and instant messaging to social networking, the venues where bullying occurs are becoming more central to young people's lives. Research into cyber-bullying is still in its infancy. But it is becoming more clear that aspects of online communication encourage prople to act aggressively, prompting them to do things they would'nt dare try in real life. The ability to reach more people, and the always-on culture of the internet, means cyber-bullying can have an even more detrimental effect on the victim than the conventianl variety. "It's schoolyard bullying taken to the next leve," says Justin Patchin, a criminologist at the University of Wisconsin. A 2006 study by the UK-based internet market research firm YouGov found out that for one in eight young peoplr, cyer bullying is even worse than physical bullying. One reason for this is the sheer number of people who can view anything posted online. "It would be bad enough to be cyber bullied by one kid when nobody elso knows about it, but a video seen by hundreds or thousands of your peers can be devastating," says Robin Kowalski, a psychologist at Clemson University in South Carolina and co-author of the book Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Ghyslain Raza, aka " the Stars Wars Kid," learnt this the hard way. In the 2002, the overweight and awkward Canadian adoloscent made a video of himself playing with a pretend light sabre, and left it lying around at school. When his classmates found the video in 2003, they posted it online as a joke. Raza was so distressed, he finshed the school year froma psychiatric ward. Unfortuanately for him, it wasn't his friendswho found the footage so amusing. According to UK marketing film The Viral Factory, it became the most downloaded video of 2006.
Reflection:
I think that there are a few reasons for the case of rising of cyber bullies. First of all, there may be people who gets involved in cyber-bullying just to relieve stress. Living in this fast paced Singapore, most working adults have stress. Not only that, children and teenagers will also encounter stress with the many tests and examinations they have to face. And when they start on cyber-bullying, they find it interesting and hence, relieving their stress. Wen this happenes, they will have the tendency to go on. Another reason to it may be because of people who idles their time away. Since they have so much time to spare, it doesnt take them long to get hooked up in cyber-bullying. They will not just spend away their time, in fact, they enjoy doing it... Furthermore, one may start cyber-bullying because of the influence by their friends. When one is surrounded by friends who are into cyber-bullying, it is hard for them to stand firm and oppose what their friends are doing. It is especially so towards the teenagers, where they would be laughed at if they did not do what their friends are doing. The last reason i am going to state is that the punishment for cyber-bullying may not be harsh enough to get people's attention. They will therefore, not hesitate much when breaking this law.
I think that if the punishment become harsher, people will hesitate more about the consequences before going into cyber-bullying. The government should also try to educate the people about cyber-bullying and make known of the punishments to them, especially the younger generations. When the children are taught from young that cyber-bullying is not allowed, there will be lesser of such cases when they have grown up. Parents' teachings are also important to teach them from right to wrong from young. It is so to ensure that the upbringing of the child is good. Also, i think that the harshness of the punishment for cyber-bullying can be increased.
On the other hand, the government should also educate the people about how to react when they become a victim of a cyber-bully. It is so that they won't feel helpless and at lost at what to do when they are being bullied in the cyber world. Also, they should publicise about the helplines or any other form of help available. This way, it will be easier to nap the cyber-bully and also minimise the hurt inflicted on the victim.
copyrighted,
yeeteng =)
The Perks of Service
In the 11 years since its fouding, Araghi's Green Beans Coffee Worldcafe companyhas overcome daunting obstacles- suicide bombers, hijackers, snipers- just so it can offer lattes and mochas to US soldiers sewrving in the Middle East and Cental Asia. The son of Iranian immigrants, Araghi grew up in Los Gatos, California, and begin his career as a chiropractor. After he'd set up a clinic an Saudi Arabia, ine of his patients, a Saudi princess, offered him an intriguing oppurtunity: Would he open an American-style coffee cafe in a furniture showroom she owned? Enlisting the help of his brother, Jon, Araghi started selling local coffee to Riyadh locals. Soon military personnel were flocking in. Within months, their commander asked Araghi to build a coffeehouse right in the base. As American troops moved into Kuwait and Qatar, the Araghi followed opening 15 Green Beans cafes in the region by 2001. Because of shifting troop deployments, they've has to be mobile- and innovative. It soon beacme apparent that the cafes made a difference in the life of the soldiers. Then came 9/11. American troop deployments to Afghanistan and later Iraq meants that Green Beans would be serving coffee in war zones. " It was risky, dangerous," says Araghi. "But we couldn't say, We'll o to the safe places, but not where its dangerous." The logistics of shipping materials into a war zone were nightmarish and not to mention costly. Containers often arrived riddld with bullet holes, if they arrived at all. Hijackers nabbed two containers, each carrying merchandise up to $110,000. There were personnel dangers too. Kidnappings of Americans unsettled Araghi and his staffs. Some took to wearing body armour and helmets- " our business casual," Araghi calls it- as they served coffee. What started with a $20,000 investment and a single cafe has become a thriving $20.8 million business with 68 shops, all on or military bases. For Jason Araghi, Green Beans Coffee has become more than just a business venture. Wherever he goes, soldiers stand at the coffeebars, M16s slung over their shoulders as they show him photos of their kids and talk wistfully about their hometowns. " That's when it hits home thst they're just guys like me. They're just doing their job," he says. " They want their kids to have the same freedom as they did when they were growing up.
I certainly feel that Jason Araghi and his brother are both wonderful and noble men. Just for the sake of delivering coffee, they had to put their lives on the line everyday. I think that he is a very lucky men to have the support of his wife and family. These are, after all, rare cases as people working in foreign land, especially in war, would not get the support they need from their friends and family. If i were Jason Araghi, i would not have served coffee in war zones as i did not want to take the risk of a bullet getting into my head. I would not deny the fact that i admired him for this, his courage and bravery. In my opinion, i think that the Araghis cares truly about the soldiers as the cafes made a difference in the overall quality of life of the soldiers. It let them enjoy familiar fare: an expresso and a muffin, or a panini. But different people have different opinions and it is inevitable that some people want to make this a political issue by saying the Araghis are in business to profit from the war. These people must be jealous about the money that the Araghis are currently earning and have bad intentions. But from the way i read this article, i conclude that they are a company that just want to serve their customers. This can be seen from their company slogan " Honor first, Coffee second" beacuse a lot of what they do is about honour. They knew deep down in their heart that when the war started, the honorable thing was to go to Iraq.
Done by: Chiang Hai Wei
I certainly feel that Jason Araghi and his brother are both wonderful and noble men. Just for the sake of delivering coffee, they had to put their lives on the line everyday. I think that he is a very lucky men to have the support of his wife and family. These are, after all, rare cases as people working in foreign land, especially in war, would not get the support they need from their friends and family. If i were Jason Araghi, i would not have served coffee in war zones as i did not want to take the risk of a bullet getting into my head. I would not deny the fact that i admired him for this, his courage and bravery. In my opinion, i think that the Araghis cares truly about the soldiers as the cafes made a difference in the overall quality of life of the soldiers. It let them enjoy familiar fare: an expresso and a muffin, or a panini. But different people have different opinions and it is inevitable that some people want to make this a political issue by saying the Araghis are in business to profit from the war. These people must be jealous about the money that the Araghis are currently earning and have bad intentions. But from the way i read this article, i conclude that they are a company that just want to serve their customers. This can be seen from their company slogan " Honor first, Coffee second" beacuse a lot of what they do is about honour. They knew deep down in their heart that when the war started, the honorable thing was to go to Iraq.
Done by: Chiang Hai Wei
Article: Keeping up appearances
Reader Digest May 2008 pg 7
Done by: Leng Hui Hui(6) 3E
To be shunned or marginalised for the lack of good looks is an unbearable feeling ( "Cosmetic Surgery: Cure or Curse?" March 2008).I've experienced it before.The attitude of some people towards me changed for the better
after i did something about it. Therefore, I can imagine why people would consider cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.Perharps that is also why the rich, who can afford such choices,become richer and enjoy an even better life while the poor are left to their fate.
Lai Hui Yap
BEAUTY IS THE EYE of the beholder; who's to say what's beautiful and what's not. Our notion of beauty is defined by what we see in the media, which is hardly representative of the majority. I tend to think that cosmetic surgery and the pursuit of stereotypical beauty is against nature, and anything unnatural always has its consequences.
M.Kang
Reflection:
After reading this paragraph on how we can improve our appearance, i do not agree with it as we all have different features since we are born so i guess everyone living on Earth have different capability hence we should accept whatever we have.I understand that people now are more realistic nowaday example like people who are more pretty or handsome tend to have more friends around them just like the comment make "attitude of some people towards me".I think that people going for cosmetic surgery is putting their life in danger as problems like falling down after surgery might flatten their nose that affect their respiratory system.They should consider the problems faced and think twice.Though technology is advance but there is alway room for accident or perhaps you might not be able to adapt that cause your face to swell.Surgery is so expensive and it is not 100% guarantee so I think that surgery is a waste of money and why dont the rich donate them for charity.There are a lot of places needed aid so donation might be a better choice."Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that different people have different taste and judgement so we cannot compare who is more beautiful or charming so it does not mean that if a person say you ugly mean you are ugly.In addition, beauty cannot be measure.I think that beautiful might not be a good thing as it would attract troubles for yourself like harassment.Whatever we see might be just a act.To know if a person is beautiful,we need to feel it for ourselves.
Reader Digest May 2008 pg 7
Done by: Leng Hui Hui(6) 3E
To be shunned or marginalised for the lack of good looks is an unbearable feeling ( "Cosmetic Surgery: Cure or Curse?" March 2008).I've experienced it before.The attitude of some people towards me changed for the better
after i did something about it. Therefore, I can imagine why people would consider cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.Perharps that is also why the rich, who can afford such choices,become richer and enjoy an even better life while the poor are left to their fate.
Lai Hui Yap
BEAUTY IS THE EYE of the beholder; who's to say what's beautiful and what's not. Our notion of beauty is defined by what we see in the media, which is hardly representative of the majority. I tend to think that cosmetic surgery and the pursuit of stereotypical beauty is against nature, and anything unnatural always has its consequences.
M.Kang
Reflection:
After reading this paragraph on how we can improve our appearance, i do not agree with it as we all have different features since we are born so i guess everyone living on Earth have different capability hence we should accept whatever we have.I understand that people now are more realistic nowaday example like people who are more pretty or handsome tend to have more friends around them just like the comment make "attitude of some people towards me".I think that people going for cosmetic surgery is putting their life in danger as problems like falling down after surgery might flatten their nose that affect their respiratory system.They should consider the problems faced and think twice.Though technology is advance but there is alway room for accident or perhaps you might not be able to adapt that cause your face to swell.Surgery is so expensive and it is not 100% guarantee so I think that surgery is a waste of money and why dont the rich donate them for charity.There are a lot of places needed aid so donation might be a better choice."Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that different people have different taste and judgement so we cannot compare who is more beautiful or charming so it does not mean that if a person say you ugly mean you are ugly.In addition, beauty cannot be measure.I think that beautiful might not be a good thing as it would attract troubles for yourself like harassment.Whatever we see might be just a act.To know if a person is beautiful,we need to feel it for ourselves.
Many people are bullied and taunted in the internet.It Could be through instant messaging, Chatting online, calls on mobile phones, posting embarrassing videos and photos on internet and many more which causes people to do foolish things like suicide.
A 2007 study by US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found the one third of American teens have been targeted for cyber bullying. It is turning obvious that aspects of online communication had encouraged people to act more aggressively, doing stuffs people would never dare to try doing in reality,no one would dare to do bad things in front of everyone,but if there is no one around, there is nothing to be afraid. Internet enabled people to reach out to even more people, this means cyber bullying can have even more negative effects on the victims. A 2006 study by UK-based internet market researh firm YouGov found out that For 1 in 8 young people, cyber bullying is worse than physical bullying. This is because when you post it in the internet, everyone can see it. Would you like to keep your embarrassing moments to yourself or telling the world wide world that you are gay or something?
Another reason why cyber bullying is harmful is its relentless attack. When you get bully in school, it will end quickly when school ends or during holidays. However, the internet is always on, it does not have holidays or something, it is on 24/7 for the whole year. Many people said that it can be ended by offing the computer, but is it possible? Another factor that worsen matter is getting to know who is behind all these ? When one gets bullied, they would like to know who is that and maybe they could have revenge on them. But in the internet, bullies can stay anonymous, they can do whatever harmful stuffs to you without you knowing who they were. That would be even more torturous as you could not do anything about it, this would amplify the damage done to the victims.
Reflection=
After reading this article,i realised the rising threat that cyber bullying possess.Teenagers nowaday are mostly obsessed with the internet.They are still young,and their mind have not matured yet,false information given by other people might leave a deep impact in their heart.Although people might argue that cyber bullying is only a small issue,it is nothing to be compared with the normal bullying.But i felt that cyber bullying is a much more serious case,as it involve the victim deepest part of their mind.Although cyber bullying does not involve physical abuse,it can be more common,devastating and have longer lasting effects.As a small weak children could become a strong demanding bully in the internet.Everyone could be a bully in the internet hence cases of cyber bullying would hence increase.Although traditional bullying involve physical abuse,but the victim would be safe after they are at home.But cyber bullying enters into the home and is with the victim at all times.Some parents think that the way to prevent cyber bullying is to remove computer from their life,but it is not possible as technology is part of a teen everyday life.Beside the technology in itself is good,it is the way it is being used.I think that the true solution towards cyber bullying is to correctly educate the young.Give them knowledge of drugs,sex,or other abuses.Never respond to cyber bullies,protect personal contacts from others and changing password are possible solution toward the case of cyber bullying.
A 2007 study by US-based Pew Internet and American Life Project found the one third of American teens have been targeted for cyber bullying. It is turning obvious that aspects of online communication had encouraged people to act more aggressively, doing stuffs people would never dare to try doing in reality,no one would dare to do bad things in front of everyone,but if there is no one around, there is nothing to be afraid. Internet enabled people to reach out to even more people, this means cyber bullying can have even more negative effects on the victims. A 2006 study by UK-based internet market researh firm YouGov found out that For 1 in 8 young people, cyber bullying is worse than physical bullying. This is because when you post it in the internet, everyone can see it. Would you like to keep your embarrassing moments to yourself or telling the world wide world that you are gay or something?
Another reason why cyber bullying is harmful is its relentless attack. When you get bully in school, it will end quickly when school ends or during holidays. However, the internet is always on, it does not have holidays or something, it is on 24/7 for the whole year. Many people said that it can be ended by offing the computer, but is it possible? Another factor that worsen matter is getting to know who is behind all these ? When one gets bullied, they would like to know who is that and maybe they could have revenge on them. But in the internet, bullies can stay anonymous, they can do whatever harmful stuffs to you without you knowing who they were. That would be even more torturous as you could not do anything about it, this would amplify the damage done to the victims.
Reflection=
After reading this article,i realised the rising threat that cyber bullying possess.Teenagers nowaday are mostly obsessed with the internet.They are still young,and their mind have not matured yet,false information given by other people might leave a deep impact in their heart.Although people might argue that cyber bullying is only a small issue,it is nothing to be compared with the normal bullying.But i felt that cyber bullying is a much more serious case,as it involve the victim deepest part of their mind.Although cyber bullying does not involve physical abuse,it can be more common,devastating and have longer lasting effects.As a small weak children could become a strong demanding bully in the internet.Everyone could be a bully in the internet hence cases of cyber bullying would hence increase.Although traditional bullying involve physical abuse,but the victim would be safe after they are at home.But cyber bullying enters into the home and is with the victim at all times.Some parents think that the way to prevent cyber bullying is to remove computer from their life,but it is not possible as technology is part of a teen everyday life.Beside the technology in itself is good,it is the way it is being used.I think that the true solution towards cyber bullying is to correctly educate the young.Give them knowledge of drugs,sex,or other abuses.Never respond to cyber bullies,protect personal contacts from others and changing password are possible solution toward the case of cyber bullying.
How To Click And Clean
Name: Gable Heng (24)
Class: 3E
Article Title: How To Click And Clean, pg72-77
Written by: Andy Simmons
Summary:
This article is about how the Internet is being used by companies to conduct background checks 0n a prospective employee in order to see whether or not that person is fit for the job.And as a result, some companies who base the people that qualify for their job on what they post on the Internet have actually cancelled a few job applications due to the fact that they did not like what the applicant posted online.As a result, these applicants are obliged to take down whatever was found to be offensive to the company's management before applying for another job.However, due to the fact that most information found on the Internet can be freely reproduced,other users can take the offending material and spread it throughout the web,making it virtually impossible for the applicant to get rid of the material. Resulting in a business opportunity for companies who deal in privacy cases such as ReputationDefender and Defendmyname.com and even turning it into an industry-Identity Management, which basically helps people to remove offensive pieces of information from the Internet through various novel and time-tested tactics for a price.However, as this article implies, not all articles are offensive and some may actually be used to the applicant's advantage if it is what their employers are looking for, provided the applicant takes certain precautionary measures such as the ones listed in the article.
Reflection:
From the way i look at it, i think that is in incredibly ironic that some of the people who are complaining about the lack of privacy are the same people who would freely supply a complete stranger who more often than not, would live in an entirely different country with information that can not only be used for what its original author intended through various websites such as facebook,blogspot etc., but also for other purposes such as the collection of personal information by a prospective employer.Resulting in a serious lapse in the safeguarding of personal privacy considering that a prospective employer would almost certainly not be a part of that author's intended audience and the information collected can be crucial in deciding whether or not to hire the author.In fact, not only has it made websites that allow you to view the personal information of other's part of the advertisement industry, but has also formed a totally new industry with its own niche in the privacy industry-Identity Management.One that protects your personal information from being spread all over the Internet through various methods ranging from the old fashioned way of asking the site administrators politely to take it down to the time-tested methods of bringing the site administrator to court and boycotting the website by removing its advertisers.It is strange though, that people would pay a good amount of money just to clean up a mess that they could have avoided in the first place while simultaneously lambasting others who intrude into their privacy by reading their personal mail or physical diaries.However, i do not think that it is entirely their fault as even though almost every child has been taught to never trust a stranger, some believe that on the Internet, they are safe as they are hiding behind an i.p. address and in most cases, a firewall, lulling them into a false sense of security which allows them to post whatever they want freely on the Internet without fear of any repercussions whatsoever.
However, i do not condemn such sites as the Internet is about free expression of views and users should be allowed to write whatever they like provided that others do not find it offensive.I do, however, advocate making public some form of contact such as an email address so that other users of the Internet can contact that person in the event that they require their assistance.
End Reflection----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S This was written by Gable Heng and not Joshua regardless of what this site says as i could not find a single email address used by the owner of this blog to email to, requesting that i be allowed to post on this website with my usual email address.
Class: 3E
Article Title: How To Click And Clean, pg72-77
Written by: Andy Simmons
Summary:
This article is about how the Internet is being used by companies to conduct background checks 0n a prospective employee in order to see whether or not that person is fit for the job.And as a result, some companies who base the people that qualify for their job on what they post on the Internet have actually cancelled a few job applications due to the fact that they did not like what the applicant posted online.As a result, these applicants are obliged to take down whatever was found to be offensive to the company's management before applying for another job.However, due to the fact that most information found on the Internet can be freely reproduced,other users can take the offending material and spread it throughout the web,making it virtually impossible for the applicant to get rid of the material. Resulting in a business opportunity for companies who deal in privacy cases such as ReputationDefender and Defendmyname.com and even turning it into an industry-Identity Management, which basically helps people to remove offensive pieces of information from the Internet through various novel and time-tested tactics for a price.However, as this article implies, not all articles are offensive and some may actually be used to the applicant's advantage if it is what their employers are looking for, provided the applicant takes certain precautionary measures such as the ones listed in the article.
Reflection:
From the way i look at it, i think that is in incredibly ironic that some of the people who are complaining about the lack of privacy are the same people who would freely supply a complete stranger who more often than not, would live in an entirely different country with information that can not only be used for what its original author intended through various websites such as facebook,blogspot etc., but also for other purposes such as the collection of personal information by a prospective employer.Resulting in a serious lapse in the safeguarding of personal privacy considering that a prospective employer would almost certainly not be a part of that author's intended audience and the information collected can be crucial in deciding whether or not to hire the author.In fact, not only has it made websites that allow you to view the personal information of other's part of the advertisement industry, but has also formed a totally new industry with its own niche in the privacy industry-Identity Management.One that protects your personal information from being spread all over the Internet through various methods ranging from the old fashioned way of asking the site administrators politely to take it down to the time-tested methods of bringing the site administrator to court and boycotting the website by removing its advertisers.It is strange though, that people would pay a good amount of money just to clean up a mess that they could have avoided in the first place while simultaneously lambasting others who intrude into their privacy by reading their personal mail or physical diaries.However, i do not think that it is entirely their fault as even though almost every child has been taught to never trust a stranger, some believe that on the Internet, they are safe as they are hiding behind an i.p. address and in most cases, a firewall, lulling them into a false sense of security which allows them to post whatever they want freely on the Internet without fear of any repercussions whatsoever.
However, i do not condemn such sites as the Internet is about free expression of views and users should be allowed to write whatever they like provided that others do not find it offensive.I do, however, advocate making public some form of contact such as an email address so that other users of the Internet can contact that person in the event that they require their assistance.
End Reflection----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S This was written by Gable Heng and not Joshua regardless of what this site says as i could not find a single email address used by the owner of this blog to email to, requesting that i be allowed to post on this website with my usual email address.
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