Reflection 5

I think that this initiative is great. Firstly, it will act as a deterent for people who engage in high-risk sexual activities without first checking whether they are HIV positive or not. By doing so, it will greatly reduce the number of HIV cases in Singapore. HIV is a very powerful and deadly virus, and I think this change would impact the society greatly.

Secondly, I think that with this new initiative, people will be much more aware of the dangers as well as the consequences of engaging in high-risk sexual activities, since fine is a major psychological factor. Thus, this would cause more people to go for regular HIV checkups, and I think that this would also greatly decrease the number of HIV cases in Singapore.

Mr Koh Peng Keng, senior director of operations of the ministy of health put it very well and said 'It's very easy to hide behind the veneer of 'I don't know'... but that's not a good-enough excuse. This law is to say: You have a responsibility to whoever you have sexual intercourse with, that you don't pass HIV to him or her.' I liked what he said and I certainly agree to it. I think that he brought up a very good point, that is people usually give the excuse of 'I don't know' when charged for engaging in high-risk sexual activities when they have HIV. I think that this is very irresponsible, as it shows that you do not care about the well-being of your partner, engaging in such activities without 'reasonable precautions' like wearing a condom, since you know that there is a RISK of you having HIV.

Thus I think that with the implementation of this law, people would have to be more responsible for what they do especially when it is life threatening, not only for themselves but also for their partners.

However, although I think that this new initiative is great, but i find that it is somewhat harsh, since the maximum penalty is now $50,000 fine and 10 years' jail, just because you did not take simple precautions. Though I know the reason for this is to make it a strong deterrent, but humans being humans, might sometimes be lazy and assume themselves to be HIV-negative since they do not usually engage in high-risk sexual activities, and have sex with their partners, only to end up breaking the law.

This problem lies with human nature, something that is hard to change, thus I think that it will be hard to solve directly, but other methods such as giving incentives for HIV screening could be implemented to encourage regular HIV checkups

Article 5

Ignorance is no excuse for infecting others
S'pore will introduce law to to hold those who do not know they are HIV-infected responsible for their actions

By Lee Hui Chieh
Last year, a record high of 357 people here were found to be HIV-positive. More than nine in 10 were infected through sex. -- PHOTO: ST

ENGAGING in sex while infected with the virus might soon be made a crime, regardless of whether you know you are HIV-positive or not.

The Health Ministry wants to take this major step to curb the spread of Aids, as educating the public on the HIV virus has proven ineffective.

It is proposing a change to the Infectious Diseases Act to put the onus on individuals, especially those in high risk groups, to get themselves checked medically and to behave responsibly towards their sex partners.

The amendments, up for public consultation, will affect anyone who 'although unaware he is HIV-positive, has reason to believe he has been exposed to the risk of contracting HIV or Aids', said the Health Ministry.

Risk groups would include people who have unprotected sex with multiple partners, share needles to inject drugs or have had sex with someone they later found out to be HIV-positive.
If the changes are approved, they would be obliged not to engage in sex, unless they have taken any of the following measures:

•Warned their partners of the risk of contracting HIV from them, and gone ahead with sex only if their partners agreed to accept this risk.

•Taken a HIV test, been found negative, and not have engaged in risky behaviour exposing them to the virus between the time of the test and having sex with their partners.

•Taken 'reasonable precautions' during sex, such as using condoms.

If the legislation is approved, Singapore might well be the first country in the world to hold those who do not know they are HIV-infected responsible for their actions.

As the law now stands, it is an offence for an HIV-positive person to have sex only if he already knows he is infected, and goes ahead without getting his partner's informed consent. This law, which is similar to legislation elsewhere, will remain in place.

What will also remain intact - it does not matter if the sexual partner does not end up getting infected, as long as the sexual act occurred.

The maximum penalty for the offence will be raised, from a $10,000 fine and two years' jail, to a $50,000 fine and 10 years' jail. Those who run afoul of the proposed new law will also be subject to the higher penalties.

Said the ministry's senior director of operations, Mr Koh Peng Keng, 'It's very easy to hide behind the veneer of 'I don't know'... but that's not a good-enough excuse. This law is to say: You have a responsibility to whoever you have sexual intercourse with, that you don't pass HIV to him or her.'

Other countries consider an offence for a HIV-infected person to have sex without his partners' informed consent only when he is aware of his condition.

On why the Ministry has decided to take such a radical move, its director of medical services, Professor K. Satku, said, 'There are concerns that with all the education that we have done, we are still unable to contain the problem. 'Legislation may be useful in curbing the problem, even if it doesn't resolve it.'

He cited the example of how banning smoking in more places has reduced the number of smokers here, and hoped that the new law would push more people into getting tested regularly.

Last year, a record high of 357 people here were found to be HIV-positive. More than nine in 10 were infected through sex.

Madam Halimah Yacob, who heads the Goverment Parliamentary Committee for Health, acknowledged that major changes were being proposed. 'But the overriding consideration is to protect the innocent against irresponsible behaviour of some who should have known that their lifestyle would expose them to the risk of getting HIV,' she said.

Reflection 4

I have always been disgusted by the acts of prostitutes, who earn their money through offering sex to other men, and in the process degrading themselves. This case is no better, and probably even worse, since not only did she "offered herself to him(the victims)" but she also drugged them and stole their money. To me, that is one of the most unethical and immoral ways to obtain money, offering sex, and then dope-and-steal. It makes me even more disgusted when i realise that she is actually a "mother of three". I think that her actions would affect her children greatly, since she probably will not be able to provided them with proper education, not just academically, but most importantly, ethically.
I think that the reason why people like the lady in the article choose to do such immoral things like prostitution and stealing is because of their poor financial backgrounds. having no skills and no money to start a normal career, they resort to prostitution, since it is the easiest way to earn quick bucks without having to have any form of qualifications, just to a certain extent, sex appeal and no shame.
However, although it really gets you some easy cash, but it is absolutely degrading to your character, which is why people have such bad impressions about protitutes. This also has really great implications on people who look up to you as role models, especially your children. Since the parents are their natural models, and what the parents do who greatly affect what the children would do in the future. In this case, the lady does not seem to be thinking about the implications of her actions on her children.
I think that if people like this lady in the article are really struggling financially, they should instead of resorting to prostitution, work hard to do simple part-time jobs like those in the cleaning and manufacturing sector. Using the money earned as well as some more from friends and relatives, they should learn skills to improve themselves, and then use that skill in the future to a proper career of their own. I think that this way is much better than protitution and theft, since it allows the person to pink up a new skill, have a stable income, have something that they can be proud of, as well as being a good role model for their children and others who look up to them, all at the price of hardwork and determination.
Lastly, to solve such problems in the future, i think that the government should set up incentive schemes for people who are struggling financially to allow them to pick up new skills, therefore allowing them to have a proper career and improve their lives. By doing this, there would be more people picking up new skills to create a better future for themselves, rather than relying on unethical forms of attaining money like prostitution and theft.

Article 4

Dope-and-steal woman jailed 6 months
By Elena Chong

A WOMAN who stole from her victims after doping them with pills was jailed for six months on Friday.
Devi Marie Rattan Singh nee Dumont, 43, who faced a total of 10 charges, admitted to stealing cash and valuables from three men between 2004 and this year.
Seven other charges including soliciting for prostitution were taken into consideration.
A district court heard that she met Mr Vengadasalam Muthusamy Sundaram Srinivasan, 57, along Rochor Road on March 16 and invited him to a hotel but he suggested going to a club.
They ended up at Fort Canning Park where they drank beer. She gave him a pill to take and he became dizzy and lost consciousness.
When he woke up a few hours later at his home, he found cash and valuables totalling $1,270 missing. He did not know what happened and how he got home.
Earlier on July 29, 2004, she met Mr Vivekananthar Kandasamy at a pub and offered herself to him. They went to his flat in Toa Payoh North where she gave him a few blue coloured pills, claiming they were for sexual enhancement.
The 42-year-old took some beer with the tablets and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found cash and property totalling $590 missing.
She similarly stole cash and property amounting to $767 from Mr Thirunavukkarasu Veeran Ramasamy, 40, at Hotel 81 in Geylang on March 17, 2005.
The mother of three, whose husband is serving a jail sentence, had convictions for drug possession and theft in 1999.

Reflection 3

After reading the article, i feel that i have found a major problem within our society. We are getting too materialistic, and have way too much concern about money and physical possessions over anything else, like health or family. I think that this drastic increase in overworking is contributed by mainly two factors, employees working too hard, and employers demanding too much. Both of which caused by materialism, as both try too hard to earn more money.As seen in the article, there is an increasing amount of part-time jobs in Japan, and this directly leads to pressure on full-time employees. Due to competition and lack of security, i think that many of these full-time employees are afraid that their jobs would be taken over by these part-timers. Due to this pressure that is caused by part-timers, there people tend to overwork and push themselves too hard in order to stay in their positions.

Japanese labour ministry official Takashi Amano also says in the article, "In many cases, workers faced many demands while receiving limited support, putting (huge) pressure on them mentally." This shows how demanding the Japanese employers are, and how much pressure they are putting on employees.

Materialism refers to the thinking that physical possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. In short, money and possession is very much everything.Since people are so materialistic and value physical possessions so much, they would definitely put physical possessions over their own health, and compromise their physical well-being for the sake of money. This is seen from how people choose to "push themselves beyond the limit" to protect their jobs, or simply to earn more money, rather than take care of their health. Often, instead of being happy from earning money and gaining physical possessions, these people end up falling sick and even dieing from overworking.

Lastly, to solve this problem, I think measures should be taken to solve the most fundamental issue, that is materialism. More traditional teachings should be imparted to school children and even adults. I personally think that traditional teachings like Confucianism are very meaningful to the heart and soul, as they generally believe in a life where one is happy and fulfilled spiritually, and not just in terms of physical possessions.

Article 3

Deaths from overwork in Japan at record high
May 18, 2007 The Straits Times

TOKYO - A RECORD number of Japanese people literally worked themselves to death last year, the government said, despite campaigns to ease the country's notoriously long office hours.
Some 355 workers fell severely ill or died from overwork in the year to March, the highest figure on record and 7.6 per cent up from the previous year, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour said.
Of the total, 147 people died, many from strokes or heart attacks.


Death from overwork grew so common during Japan's post-World War II economic miracle that the country coined a word for it - karoshi.

The government has tried to address the problem by promoting telecommuting and encouraging workers to take leave when they start families or need to care for elderly parents.

But as the world's second largest economy posts a record-long expansion, critics point to the rising number of part-time jobs, saying new employees lack the security that would allow them to resist pressure to overwork.

Lawyer Mikio Mizuno, who has long fought to stop karoshi, said the growing number of part-timers has also increased the workload and pressure on young full-time employees.

'Those in their 20s and 30s, who still have some physical strength, tend to push themselves beyond the limit,' he said.

'They can suddenly have an irregular pulse or a heart attack. As for what triggered it, you can't think of anything else but overwork.'

The labour ministry said it rejected nearly half of the record 938 worker claims filed in the last financial year seeking compensation for suspected illness or death from overwork.

Among the 355 worker compensation cases approved, the largest age group - 141 cases - was those in their 50s, the ministry report said.

But the number of overworked workers in their 30s shot up by 31 per cent from the previous year.

'We saw that the trend of people in their 20s and 30s being most prone to mental diseases was particularly strong in the past year,' said labour ministry official Takashi Amano.

'The working environment remained harsh for workers. In many cases, workers faced many demands while receiving limited support, putting (huge) pressure on them mentally.'

A total of 819 workers suggested that they became mentally ill due to overwork, and 205 of them were given compensation, according to ministry data released on Wednesday.

Mentally troubled workers killed themselves or attempted to do so in 176 cases, of which a record 66 cases were found eligible for benefits, the report said.

Among applicants seeking worker compensation for their mental problems, those in their 30s accounted for the largest number at 40 per cent, followed by those in their 20s at 18.5 per cent.

The occupational group most prone to death or disease from overwork was the transport industry, which accounted for 27 per cent of all the applicants who were found eligible for compensation.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Reflection 2

I think that this act is a really meaningful one. As a geography student, i know from all the lessons that I have had, that global warming is THE major environmental issue of the 21st century, and it relieves me to know that leaders of major cities are doing something about it.

Average global surface temperatures have risen a lot in the past century, and so has carbon levels. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which traps heat, it is no doubt that the rise in surface temperatures is partly due to the increasing levels of carbon, which in turn is caused by the increased burning of fossil fuel from transportation vehicles, idustries, as well as homes.

With the establishment of this act, in line with the current kyoto protocol, i think it would do quite a fair bit in reducing carbon emissions. I choose to say "quite a fair bit" because I think that though this act aims to cut down carbon emissions in major cities, there are still too many factors affecting global warming that needs to be taken care of, such as deforestation, planting of too many paddy fields (as suggested in the recent news, paddy fields contribute to global warming by producing methane), rearing of cattles(also produces methane) and many more. However, though this act, we can see, like what New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg emphasized on, "political will". We can see that people are taking more and more interest on the topic of global warming and climate change, and are starting to take actions like the establishment of this act. Thus hopefully in the future, there would be more and more of this kind of acts, this one would act as a stepping stone for all the rest to come.

Another part to this article is regarding the US president George W. Bush on not ratifying the kyoto protocol. This is no news, and has been published for a very long time already, and it is again brought up in this meeting. The US has been critisised by many, such as Japanese Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who blames Mr. Bush for worsening the environment, and also New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who criticised governmental inaction reagarding climate change, and said that they are lacking "political will".

From my point of view, it seems as though the US had been pressured into signing this accord to cut down on carbon emissions. However, this is still good news as not only will it cut down the carbon emission of the world's most polluted country, but as said before, it will act as a stepping stone for many more of this similar acts to come.

In conclusion, I think that not only would the established act cut down on carbon emissions and reducing greenhouse gases in the environment, it also would pave the path for more and larger-scaled acts to stop global warming. This act is indeed very valuable and meaningful.

Article 2

Polluted cities taking initiative to tackle global warming
May 17, 2007 The Straits Times
NEW YORK - MAYORS from more than 40 of the world's most polluted cities have declared at a climate summit here that cities must take the lead in the campaign to reverse global warming.

City leaders cannot wait for their countries to enact national policies, they said.

'As cities produce three-fourths of the carbon emissions, we must act,' London Mayor Ken Livingstone told delegates, describing climate change as 'the single biggest threat to the future of humanity'.

'Whatever the discussions within our governments, as cities we are not waiting,' he told leaders from 46 of the world's most polluted cities, from Cairo to Shanghai and Los Angeles to Singapore.

The C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, which started late on Monday and is set to run through today, is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions and developing more energy-efficient infrastructure.

One of the first agreements to come out of the meeting on Tuesday: A pledge by 514 US mayors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol, a move which signals their objections to the environmental policies of US President George W. Bush.

The US mayors signed an accord to slash pollutants to below 1990 levels by 2012.

The accord is the only climate protection agreement of its kind among US elected officials. Mr Bush has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

Tokyo's outspoken nationalist leader yesterday lashed out at the US for not ratifying the Kyoto treaty and blamed the country for worsening the world's environment.

' It is ridiculous that the United States did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol,' Governor Shintaro Ishihara told Japanese journalists in footage broadcast here.

Apart from calling for US ratification of the landmark treaty on cutting emissions, Mr Ishihara is also expected to explain the tough regulations on diesel vehicles that he implemented in Tokyo.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also criticised governmental inaction on climate change, telling delegates: 'We need no new technology, we need no new invention, all that is required is political will.'

Former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern last year warned that the fallout of climate change could be on the scale of the two world wars and the Great Depression of the 1930s unless urgent action was taken.

London was the venue for the first such summit of mayors in 2005, bringing together environmental officials from around 20 cities for what was mostly an opportunity to exchange ideas and set up the large cities network.

This year's summit brings together mayors and senior officials from 46 cities committed to tackling climate change and reducing their carbon footprint on the planet's atmosphere.

For the first time, it also includes top business leaders and corporations from around the world, including General Electric, Deutsche Bank, Shell and Siemens, who are here to offer technological expertise and financial backing for green projects.

Other topics up for discussion include beating congestion, making water systems more efficient, adopting renewable energy sources, increasing recycling levels, reducing city waste and improving mass transit systems.

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore planned to ask other cities to follow Sydney by implementing an 'Earth Hour', during which businesses and homes turn off their lights for one hour to reduce energy consumption.

The city's first 'Earth Hour', on March 31, was hailed as a success. It cut normal energy use by 10 per cent.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Reflection 1

Playing games with old people as part of CIP? That was never my idea of a CIP. Indeed, most of us teenagers if not all, think that CIP is all about helping old people do chores, listening to their stories about some super long time ago stuff, and working hard not to fall asleep. That's so not CIP. After reading this article, i think i am beinging to understand what CIP is all about. More than just helping old people do work so that they can rest, but giving them what they need most, LOVE.
You may say, how are you giving love to people by just playing games with them? Well, of course you can! being normal children born out of normal if not good families, we do not know how important having a companion to play with even the simplest of games is. For example, one of the residents, Mr B. Zainal, said that as their children do no want them, they have no other people to turn to for companionship, except for the people who come to visit the home, people such as Akel. He also commented that he actually enjoys this companionship very much, and even treats them as his children's replacements. This simply shows how much playing games with these lonely and old people would help them, and make them happy, and most importantly, let them feel love.
I feel that this is really a very meaningful way of conducting CIPs, as it is more appealing to teenagers, and brings out the enthusiasm in them, making it even more meaningful. Not only does it bring happiness to the people of that home, but it also helps the juvenile offenders who come to the home to do CIP, to understand and realise that there are actually people who are worse off then they are, and this would hopefully have them be inspired and one day change their ways and turn over a new leaf.
In conclusion, i think that this form of CIP is not only very meaningful for the people of various homes, but also for the juvenile offenders who visit the homes. i think that this practise should be brought and made known to other homes, so that hopefully they will adopt this kind of CIP

article

Pub Date: 29/12/2006 Pub: ST Page: 1,2Day: FridayEdition: FIRSTHeadline: Young-old interaction mends lives of teenagersBy: KHUSHWANT SINGHPage Heading: PRIMEPicture Caption:A LESSON LEARNED: Akel tells Peacehaven resident Bernard Tan about his currentjob as a waiter. He says talking to theresidents helped him ditch his formerarrogance. Community service has been a life-changing experience for youngoffenders.Subject: POLITICAL/GENERAL NEWS^SOCIETY/COMMUNITY/WORK^DEMOGRAPHICS^YOUTH POLITICAL/GENERAL NEWS^CRIME/NATIONAL SECURITY^LAW ENFORCEMENT^REHABILITATIONSource: SPH
UPFRONT

WHEN 14-year-old juvenile offender Akel arrived at the Peacehaven Nursing Hometo begin a stint of community service, he braced himself for cleaning toiletsand painting walls.Instead, Mr Ian Robinson, the home’s executive director, asked him to talk tothe elderly residents and play games with them. The only painting he did wasfor a mural in the dining hall.Akel – not his real name as probationers under 16 years old cannot beidentified – had heard that community service meant menial work. So he wassurprised when his primary role turned out to be befriending the residents.“I found that I could cheer and comfort these elderly people,” he said. “And itmade me aware of the needs of my grandparents, with whom I hardly spoke.”In January last year, he was part of a gang which assaulted and robbed ateenager. He was placed on probation for 11/2 years and ordered to do 100 hoursof community service.The Community Service Order (CSO) was first included as a condition ofprobation in 1996. It allowed judges to send offenders aged 14 years and aboveto work unpaid at welfare homes for anything between 40 and 240 hours, aspunishment for crimes such as drug-taking, shoplifting and rioting.Initially, offenders carried out menial chores, which some resented.Probation officers and the staff of participating welfare homes realised thatthere could be more beneficial results if the youngsters were given other jobs.Said Mr Robinson: “The CSO can be a life-changing experience only if theactivities allow them to relate to our residents, so we would rather hirepeople to do the menial tasks.”A gradual change led to the launch last year of Project Sunshine, which tapsoffenders’ talents, interests and resourcefulness to let them serve the lessprivileged.It is hoped that they will develop a sense of empathy when they bring laughterand cheer to the residents of nursing and children’s homes.At the same time, they learn new skills, such as event planning, and acquiresocial skills when dealing directly with the voluntary welfare organisations towhich they are attached.A 2002 study found that about 85per cent of probationers completed their CSOprogrammes, better than a worldwide average of 75per cent. More impressive isthat nine in 10 probationers remained crime-free for three years aftercompleting their CSOs.It is a statistic few other countries can match, said Mr Robinson, who has 12years of social work experience in the United States.Last year, there were 978 new probationers, down from 1,168 in 2004.There are now 128 agencies in the programme, up from only 10 a decade ago.They include the Ang Mo Kio Community Library, the Singapore Zoo and JurongBirdPark, though most are still welfare centres, such as the Metta WelfareAssociation and Jamiyah Home.For Akel, serving the residents of Peacehaven helped him realise the importanceof behaving properly.“The residents may be old and sick but they have pride, so I had to be verycareful in the way I behaved. I couldn’t be my former arrogant and rude self,”said the Secondary3 dropout, who is now a waiter.Peacehaven resident Bernard Tan, 58, a former security guard, said heappreciated Akel’s visits. He has a grown-up daughter who visits himoccasionally.“Some of us rarely receive visitors, so these young people are very welcome,”said Mr Tan, who suffered a stroke six years ago and is semi-paralysed.“They are fun to talk to and have interesting opinions – very different frommine. And when they play games, they let me win!”Another resident, Mr B. Zainal, 60, said: “I know that they have to come hereas part of their probation but after some time, they too seem to enjoy ourcompanionship.“My children don’t visit me, so I treat the CSO visitors as theirreplacements.”Staff at the welfare homes find the enthusiasm of the young visitorsinfectious.Madam Shafiyah Sarwan, head of the Clementi Training and Development Centre forintellectually disabled people, said: “The whole mood of the centre changeswhen they are around. There is laughter and some gentle teasing.”Many of the young offenders have such a positive experience that they return tovisit their welfare organisations even after completing their CSO hours andprobation.The Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports has found that about sixin 10 came back after their probation ends.Susan, now 21, has been back to Peacehaven three times, even though she nolonger had to.“I became quite attached to a resident, whom I had to bribe with biscuits toget her to do things like comb her hair,” she explained.She was put on probation for 11/2 years and ordered to do 100 hours ofcommunity work for consuming Erimin-5, a controlled drug, in late 2003.Madam Shafiyah’s centre became a CSO agency two years ago and, initially, thestaff had doubts about taking in heavily-tattooed probationers.To their surprise, the young people turned out to be some of the most committedworkers and came back even after their probation had ended.“The CSO programme makes them realise that there are people more disadvantagedthan themselves and this can inspire them to change their ways,” she said.“That’s where the CSO programme really surprised all of us.”khush@sph.com.sgSEEING SENIORS DIFFERENTLY“The residents may be old and sick but they have pride, so I had to be verycareful in the way I behaved. I couldn't be my former arrogant and rude self.”AKEL, on his visits to Peacehaven Nursing HomeLIKE A YOUTHFUL BLAST OF FRESH AIR“They are fun to talk to and have interesting opinions - very different frommine. And when they play games, they let me win!”PEACEHAVEN RESIDENT BERNARD TAN, 58

Foreword

All that will be posted here will be current affairs... this will be a super super super educational blog and no emos will be shown here. Enjoy! ... try... your best...