Being humane

Never laugh at one’s aspirations, because it will show others the manners you lack. (This too comes from Desperate Housewives Season 6 Episode 7 [I think], which also indirectly puts teachers and foreign workers on a pedestal!) Having manners like being polite and tactful are a rare quality in social animals called humans nowadays. Perhaps the Americans might be readily blamed (by the British), for such degeneration which parallelled the simplification of the language.

This ecareers.sg portal is a wonderful initiative by the Ministry in helping children plan ahead, and the formality of the portal does reflect the kind of manners required in a job hunt. (That’s why I give it a place here in this post, instead of a spot on the blogroll on the right, which is where you can find the link to my clinic opening hours.)

School is the place to start the habituation of good manners. When things go wrong in future, for instance one’s failure to observe the good manner of “verbal hygiene” (to borrow the term from Deborah Cameron) or to abide by the law (think of acts like graffiti or sexual crimes as futher degeneration of the lack of manners and morals), prison is the only place where your ‘problems’ will be rectified and good manners re-instituted.

Whether or not this particular prison makes sense is your call:

Norway Builds the World’s Most Humane Prison

By William Lee Adams

May 10, 2010

By the time the trumpets sound, the candles have been lit and the salmon platters garnished. Harald V, King of Norway, enters the room, and 200 guests stand to greet him. Then a chorus of 30 men and women, each wearing a blue police uniform, launches into a spirited rendition of “We Are the World.” This isn’t cabaret night at Oslo’s Royal Palace. It’s a gala to inaugurate Halden Fengsel, Norway’s newest prison.

Ten years and 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($252 million) in the making, Halden is spread over 75 acres (30 hectares) of gently sloping forest in southeastern Norway. The facility boasts amenities like a sound studio, jogging trails and a freestanding two-bedroom house where inmates can host their families during overnight visits. Unlike many American prisons, the air isn’t tinged with the smell of sweat and urine. Instead, the scent of orange sorbet emanates from the “kitchen laboratory” where inmates take cooking courses. “In the Norwegian prison system, there’s a focus on human rights and respect,” says Are Hoidal, the prison’s governor. “We don’t see any of this as unusual.”

Halden, Norway’s second largest prison, with a capacity of 252 inmates, opened on April 8. It embodies the guiding principles of the country’s penal system: that repressive prisons do not work and that treating prisoners humanely boosts their chances of reintegrating into society. “When they arrive, many of them are in bad shape,” Hoidal says, noting that Halden houses drug dealers, murderers and rapists, among others. “We want to build them up, give them confidence through education and work and have them leave as better people.” Countries track recidivism rates differently, but even an imperfect comparison suggests the Norwegian model works. Within two years of their release, 20% of Norway’s prisoners end up back in jail. In the U.K. and the U.S., the figure hovers between 50% and 60%. Of course, a low level of criminality gives Norway a massive advantage. Its prison roll lists a mere 3,300, or 69 per 100,000 people, compared with 2.3 million in the U.S., or 753 per 100,000 — the highest rate in the world.

Design plays a key role in Halden’s rehabilitation efforts. “The most important thing is that the prison looks as much like the outside world as possible,” says Hans Henrik Hoilund, one of the prison’s architects. To avoid an institutional feel, exteriors are not concrete but made of bricks, galvanized steel and larch; the buildings seem to have grown organically from the woodlands. And while there is one obvious symbol of incarceration — a 20-ft. (6 m) concrete security wall along the prison’s perimeter — trees obscure it, and its top has been rounded off, Hoilund says, “so it isn’t too hostile.”

The cells rival well-appointed college dorm rooms, with their flat-screen TVs and minifridges. Designers chose long vertical windows for the rooms because they let in more sunlight. There are no bars. Every 10 to 12 cells share a living room and kitchen. With their stainless-steel countertops, wraparound sofas and birch-colored coffee tables, they resemble Ikea showrooms.

Halden’s greatest asset, though, may be the strong relationship between staff and inmates. Prison guards don’t carry guns — that creates unnecessary intimidation and social distance — and they routinely eat meals and play sports with the inmates. “Many of the prisoners come from bad homes, so we wanted to create a sense of family,” says architect Per Hojgaard Nielsen. Half the guards are women — Hoidal believes this decreases aggression — and prisoners receive questionnaires asking how their experience in prison can be improved.

There’s plenty of enthusiasm for transforming lives. “None of us were forced to work here. We chose to,” says Charlott-Renee Sandvik Clasen, a music teacher in the prison and a member of Halden’s security-guard chorus. “Our goal is to give all the prisoners — we call them our pupils — a meaningful life inside these walls.” It’s warmth like that, not the expensive television sets, that will likely have the most lasting impact.

*

When something makes you laugh and think, it should be something you will remember for a longer time than the knowledge of what you ate for breakfast. At The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Saturday, while I was enjoying my Salmon and Egg Sandwich and coffee, and marking, something dawned on me: I was actually not displaying proper manners! I was multitasking, eating and marking. I was reading through the lines when I stumbled upon the one which talks about the hectic daily grind and how people walk and eat or work and eat. While there isn’t much of a choice for us, it may actually not be bad manners if it is something that has been largely accepted by society, especially that of an urban one and such capability is actually a concrete jungle survival skill.

And so it is much ado about survival that people here have been reminded so frequently that we don’t have any natural resources but ourselves to build a prosperous future. And unfortunately, we are not reproducing fast enough over the decades. The ruling party’s policies have been deemed as ineffective by many, but there’s nothing much the policymakers can really do. Perhaps we need a new party…sex party.

Sex Party promises ‘real action’ for Australians

The Australian Sex Party on Tuesday promised to spice up campaigning for next month’s elections with a manifesto “unlike Australia had ever seen before”

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 20/07/2010

Party chief Fiona Patten launched a risque national campaign at a Melbourne bar, saying her policies “would make (opposition Leader) Tony Abbott’s hair stand on end and would turn (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard’s hair grey”. prospective

“We’ve always been forward and we actually enjoy real action,” Patten said, mocking Gillard and Abbott’s “Moving Australia Forward” and “Stand Up For Real Action” slogans.

The party’s policies include legalising euthanasia, decriminalising all drugs for personal use, and watering down strict anti-pornography laws.

Although sure to attract criticism from church groups and other conservative elements in society, Patten said it was time an Australian political party pushed the boundaries.

Patten said personal freedom issues affect people’s lives more often than tax or immigration, and wanted to break down “nanny state” policies that she said had been built up over several decades by the major parties.

While the party will struggle for mainstream support, Patten remained confident of at least one Sex Party candidate being elected to the country’s Senate.

“In the privacy of the polling booth, anything could happen,” she said.

The Sex Party is running a candidate against Abbott in his Sydney electorate, a comedian who has offered to doorknock voters wearing a “mankini” — a type of bikini designed for men.

*

Humour or not, I don’t want to know what’s happening down under.

But seriously, such a topic has become blatant and brazen in contemporary time, and formality has been deemed by some to be an attempt at elitism and discrimination. When there is a “high variety” and a “low variety” of some thing, like language or humour or music, snobbery is rife (according to some, while many would kindly refuse to comment).

This good essay (a really long read) sums up the history: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/allen/ch5.html (THE REVOLUTION IN MANNERS AND MORALS).

Fearful phenomenon…

…We’re not talking about GP there.

In the lecture at LT3, which some say is haunted, we briefly looked at the passage from which this post found its title (Prelim2005). More apt is the fact that today is the day where the longest total solar eclipse happened. And there are many cultures around the world from past to present which find significance and fear in such a phenomenon.

This I covered in 0408 and I share here the ppt (insoluble in excess so that it shall stick with you for life).

If you think such a topic isn’t important, think again. EVERYTHING is important in GP.

Ref CAM2007 Q2: Can a belief in the supernatural be sustained in our modern world?

Ref CAM2006 Q10: Do myths and legends still have a role to play in Singapore?

Sometimes I find myself lapsing into the belief of the supernatural too, because it is convenient when I have limited knowledge of the phenomenon. I thought there must be some spirits at play when my statues move(d)! (See https://akbywerk2.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/toys/)

If you too believe in the supernatural, you may ignore this edict that follows. Otherwise, turn up for the consultations as stipulated: NOW!

You may think that you are going to love Science more than anything else in the world, but there are many ‘supernatural’ sciences out there that can impress you if you are not well-grounded in the art of GP and PW. Some ‘sciences’ are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

There is Neuro-Semantics. As of today, I have wasted a couple of hours trying to find something scholarly about it, but failed. If any Nero(…)tics are reading this, please send me a copy of your theses that seek to link up the different branches of academia as you have claimed and I will send you my apologies if it is found that you are indeed credible. I’m not saying what you are doing isn’t good or isn’t working. I agree that it works but it is more like baking a cake than an academic pursuit. Business is business and I’m probably jealous that you are earning thousands of dollars everyday. If each student of a school pays $50 a day, I will get $75000 a day from 1500 students!

And there are also fad sciences like this; same beef I have:

Can your genes tell you how to eat?
By Wong Mei Ling, Mar 7, 2009; The Straits Times

It doesn’t get more faddish than in Hollywood and diets are no exception.

From singer-actress Jessica Simpson’s Five Factor Diet to R&B icon Beyonce Knowles’ Juice Fast, new dieting regimes have made news in the tabloids.

The latest to hit Tinseltown is the GenoType Diet, which America’s highest-paid TV presenter, Oprah Winfrey, is a huge fan of.

It is created by American naturopathic physician Peter D’Adamo, author of The GenoType Diet, and is an expansion of the blood-type diet. Naturopathic medicine is an alternative medicine which claims that the body can heal and maintain itself naturally.

The Genotype Diet claims that 70 per cent of our genes are changeable as they are heavily influenced by environmental factors, dietary habits being one of the most influential.

The diet claims that depending on one’s genetic group, or genotype, different problems and factors affect weight and metabolism.

Therefore, by eating according to one’s genotype, one can boost certain genes and suppress others, which, in turn, can improve the body’s health and facilitate weight loss.

It adds that there are six genotype groups: Hunters, Gatherers, Teachers, Explorers, Nomads, and Warriors.

A person’s genotype group can be assessed by blood type, thumbprint, certain body measurements and various personality traits.

Depending on the group type, the person’s body requires different types of food and drinks. What may be harmful to one group can be beneficial to another.

For example, those in the Explorer group should eat organic red meat and poultry, while the Warrior group is advised to keep off red meats and poultry and eat oily ocean fish.

The Teacher and Nomad groups can include coffee in their diet, but the Explorer group is told to avoid it.

‘Some of the diet’s guidelines are quite sensible, for example, changing to monounsaturated and unsaturated fats and oils,’ said Ms Karen Wright, lead dietitian at the Food Clinic in Leyden Hill, Bukit Timah.

Monounsaturated fats – found in foods like olives, nuts, canola oil and avocados – can lower cholesterol and may assist in reducing heart disease. It also provides essential fatty acids for healthy skin and the development of body cells.

However, Ms Wright noted that some of the recommendations do not specify the number of times that a food should be eaten on a weekly basis.

For example, Hunters are recommended to eat oily fish like salmon and sardines. However, she said mainstream health experts recommend that girls, and women planning to have a baby, consume oily fish no more than twice a week. This is because oily fish can contain residues of pollutants which can build up in their bodies over the years and affect reproductive functions later in life.

All other women, boys and men, should consume no more than four servings per week. This is because these fish may contain high levels of mercury.

Some dietitians here also question the scientific basis for the diet.

‘No two persons, except identical twins, have the same genetic make-up just because they have the same blood type, body type or features,’ senior dietitian and managing director of The Nutrition Place, Ms Pauline Chan, said. It is therefore misleading to claim that people of the same genotype, as defined by Dr D’Adamo, should eat or avoid certain foods, she said.

Both dietitians also point to the lack of scientific evidence to support Dr D’Adamo’s genotype theory.

‘There is no scientific evidence presented to back up his claims. The other source of information is from

Dr D’Adamo’s own collection of data. However, again, no specific journals or studies are referenced,’ Ms Wright noted.

So little is known about this diet that hospital-based dietitians in Singapore declined to comment on it, while major bookstores in Singapore like MPH and Borders do not carry books on the diet.
Ultimately, dietitians said, a balanced diet is essential for health. Diet fads do not lead to healthy and sustained weight management in the long-run, they added.

‘The best way to lose weight is by eating fewer calories than are being used,’

Ms Wright said, adding that there is no one diet that suits all people in a particular category.

Food and your genotype
Hunters
Blood type: O; Personality type: detail-oriented and able to handle stress; Food type: red meat, ocean fish and basmati rice; avoid dairy products and coffee
Gatherers
Blood type: O or B; Personality type: focused, a problem-solver but tends towards emotional highs and lows; Food type: red meats, herring and sardine, rice and ginseng tea; avoid feta and mozzarella cheese
Teachers
Blood type: often A, occasionally AB; Personality type: calm and has close links with nature; Food type: mutton, white fish, coffee and green tea but keep chicken intake low; avoid white rice, wheat
Explorers
Blood type: A, B, AB and O; Personality type: quirky, entrepreneurial; Food type: red meat and poultry, oily ocean fish and basmati rice; avoid coffee
Warriors
Blood type: A or AB; Personality type: charismatic but occasionally bad-tempered; Food type: no red meats nor poultry; should eat oily ocean fish, brown rice, barley; drink coffee, black tea, red wine
Nomads
Blood type: B and AB; Personality type: easy-going and fun-loving; keeps emotions hidden; Food type: red meat and white fish; avoid rye and rye flour; beer, red wine and coffee are permissable.

***

There you go. Science is perhaps so commercialised that even I sympathise with the situation.

So what are you?

Blockbuster Thursday: AQ

This is the blockbuster everyone’s been waiting for (not). It is a blockbuster because a lot of money is spent on it. Time is money. Whether or not it rakes in the sales to truly make it blockbuster remains to be seen.

First, an absolutely nonsensical trailer:

http://absolutefacts.blogspot.com/2007/07/vr-man.html

And now, onto the show, AQ. Directed by Mr K. Actors: Mr K, and Xinyi, Nicole, Lina, Lalida & Huimin of 2208.

 

Being a small country which lacks natural resources, Singapore has to rely heavily on other countries to drive our economy. Influences and interactions will be inevitable due to our openness. In this situation, it is best we learn to accept and adapt those external influences that may benefit us and resist those that may be harmful to us. This will then allow us to survive in a gobalised world.

I agree with Nye that “vibrant cultures are constantly changing and borrowing from other cultures—and that borrowing is not always from the US” (Passage A l.25-6). From our colonial past we inherited the British legal system. This borrowing is a matter of convenience, but we have also once heavily curbed freedom of expression in particular that of public protests, very much authoritarian indeed. However, we have recently accepted that we need a good degree of freedom of speech following a more liberal Western ideology (particularly the US). The government has increased the number of feedback avenues for residents to air our views. We now have STOMP, an online portal that encourages active citizenry and is popular among the younger generation. We also have the Speaker’s Corner at Hong Lim Park, modelled after Hyde Park in London. Although we have these “borrowings”, we have not legalised demonstrations and strikes for the benefit of Singapore. This is because a small country like Singapore with multi-racial residents will suffer when strikes and riots instil fear and distrust in us, as was seen in the 60s. Without a harmonious society and in a state of unrest, Singapore’s economic growth would be hindered as foreign investors would not be attracted to Singapore. We borrowed and we adapted what is good for us for our survival, very much like how “local cultures modernize in their own ways.” (Passage A l.8-9) Hence to ensure we survive in a globalised world, Singapore should continue to ignore calls to grant residents full freedom of speech.

In the recent years, Singapore has accepted and adapted well to external influences. With globalisation, more people are heading to the West for higher levels of education. Nye mentions that the Japanese have sent “its young people to the West for education” (Passage A l.14-5). However, “it is possible to adapt while preserving a unique culture” (Passage A l.18-9) as the Japanese are still very much rooted and loyal to their country after a century or so. Perhaps not so similarly in the Singapore context, professionals or students we have abroad may have the urge to uproot, or ‘quit’ the country, which led to the discussion on “stayers” versus “quitters” many years ago. The Singaporean authorities, worried about the brain-drain, rolled out programmes, and nuanced pleas were also made over National Day Rallies to resist such an impact caused by globalisation. “Singapore Day” is held annually abroad (like in Melbourne and London) and the venue of celebration would be dressed up like a part of Singapore. Singaporean chefs are flown in to prepare local dishes for these Singaporeans, perhaps to ensure that their “cultural identities have not been submerged by McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken” (Passage B l.8-9) especially when the “market economy has modified and commodified” char kway teow (a type of stir-fried noodle in soy sauce and clams) such that it costs $25 a plate in the foreign lands (thus unauthentic and expensive) while the golden arc and KFC become staple food. Although some may just be homesick, this event would also help to bring pride to those potential quitters by trying to connect them again with cultural artefacts familiar to them. With this scheme in place, Singapore will be better poised to survive in the global village where citizens are free to drop the red Singaporean passport when they found the grass to be really greener on the other side.

Besides those who are abroad, the Singapore government should also carry on instilling in the citizens within the borders a sense of identity and national pride. In this way, people will not “diminish their own capacity to find significant cultural satisfactions in their own deeds and achievements” (Passage B l.28-9). Besides rewarding the people through meritocracy as we have been doing over the decades, emphasis can be placed on cultural diversity and racial harmony as something unique: within a small country, the harmony that we have is something to be proud of as people are tolerant of all the practices from different culture, race and religion. It is a model that should make other countries envious. Our local television has frequently been importing programmes from the USA; it is time local productions increase their prominence (and quality) and bank on their creativity to bring us captivating and meaningful television programmes or films, like Singapore Dreaming or 881. These are films about life in Singapore from historical, societal and cultural lenses. Why wait and let our kids (Passage B para.5) feed on foreign milk when we can nurture them with our own for them to grow up to be staunch goats of Singapore? Of course all this sounds propagandistic, but people in authority in the country would deem it necessary given the threat posed by globalisation. Thus to survive in the globalised world, Singapore should respond by continuing the production of more Made-in Singapore films or television programmes even though some may bomb (like Masters of the Sea): nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The need to discover our own unique identity amidst the normalcy of change is crucial to our survival in the global world, especially when we are at the same time encouraging a profusion of foreigners to stay. This uniqueness in our identity may well come from all parts of the world, making Singapore a hotpot of cultures that appeal to foreigners as well as locals. Singapore is an open economy and we embrace foreign talents when our population itself is not self-sustainable due to the low birth rate. Like the USA, immigrants “enriches and changes” (Passage A l.32) our culture. This could enrich the local culture here. There is an increase in the number of diverse ethnic communities in Singapore over the years; now, we have more Japanese and Germans who work and live in Singapore, just to name a few. Some have even felt encouraged to stay on and take up Permanent Residency. We now have specialist stores that tailor to the needs of these residents, like the Japanese-oriented Liang Court. Oktoberfest is also now a common annual fixture in the Singapore calendar and locals and Germans celebrate this as one. Such additions indeed add colour and vibrancy to cosmopolitan Singapore. Cultures change to survive (Passage A, l.25) and Singapore needs immigrants who can add value to the country in different economic sectors. We thus change to appeal to all. These frills might serve as attractions to make them want to come to Singapore and call it home. Conversely, Singaporeans might also feel attracted to stay on and enjoy such an international melting pot. Singapore thus needs to carry on progressively allowing avenues for such festivities and businesses to bloom in order to survive in a global world.

Some may see this as a commodification of cultures; however, in order to survive, a balance has to be struck between allowing for changes and restricting changes. It is not as if Chinese New Years and Hari Rayas have become a costly affair packaged for foreigners. It is probably extravagant in some years and “fortunes are indeed made” (Passage B l.38) by “outsiders”—as well as locals, but the significance of such celebrations is still present. The essence is unchanged. Even the roti prata (pancake bread) was changed when it came to Singapore from India and Pakistan. Likewise, Singapore will do well to not resist changes but adapt those we borrowed like what we have been doing in order to survive in a global world.

May 4 2009 Issue of TIME

Amazingly there are so many useful and interesting articles in the latest issue of the magazine. One seems to be of use in a previous essay while another seems to be of use in an upcoming extra essay task (of course, I know best…I just set the questions before I read this issue).

Singaporeans moan that besides shopping, dining and the movies, there’s not a lot you can do here. Ignore them. The must-see list for the one-day visitor to Singapore, especially the first-timer, is absorbingly long. There is very little chance you’ll get bored. Most tourists tend to gravitate first towards the famed retail stretch of Orchard Road. Fine, get your fix of bold-faced names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and every other couture label under the sun. When you’ve gotten that out of your system, dump your purchases back at the hotel and head out into the ‘burbs where the real charm of Singapore lies. We’re here to guide you to the top 10 places where tourists don’t normally go; in short, the places where Singaporeans in the know live and play. (http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1845806,00.html)

Here’s another extract on Torture:

When the CIA was asked to resume hostile interrogations after Sept. 11, some agency leaders were dead set against it, arguing that the military was better equipped for the task. But Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insisted the job belonged to the CIA. We now know that Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in one month. His interrogator, a former CIA colleague of mine, admits he had almost no training in the technique and knew nothing about how the cumulative effect of waterboarding might affect the quality of the information he was trying to extract. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1893509,00.html)

It seems like the US has been cowed in recent time, or they may just be reflecting on their deeds, or they may just be playing the moral diplomat. Here’s another article that gives us a glimpse of the US mentality (the printed version is actually written in a different tone–if only someone could just help me retype that and email it to me for I can’t find the same version online):

The anniversary celebrations come at a pivotal moment for the United States and China. On April 6 Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his intention — and a budget to back it up — to build future defense spending around the “wars we are in,” rather than those that military planners can imagine. The decision is hugely consequential. Even as the U.S. was engaged in two fronts in the so called War on Terror over the last eight years, it simultaneously spent defense dollars on weapons systems grounded in the assumption that someday the U.S. might well find itself in conflict with a big, technologically sophisticated nation with global ambitions, one with a well-funded, well-equipped army, navy and air force. America needed, in other words, to be ready to go to war with China. (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1892954,00.html)

Sometimes with insecurity, we fall back on somethings that give us comfort. If an armada floats your boat (well, it’ll actually crush your boat literally), so be it. For most of us lesser beings, we turn to comfort food, like chocolate:

Move over, organic, fair trade and free range–the latest in enlightened edibles is here: food with “embedded” positive intentions. While the idea isn’t new–cultures like the Navajo have been doing it for centuries–for-profit companies in the U.S. and Canada are catching on, infusing products with good vibes through meditation, prayer and even music. Since 2006, California company H2Om has sold water infused with wishes for “love,” “joy” and “perfect health” via the words, symbols and colors on the label (which “create a specific vibratory frequency,” according to co-founder Sandy Fox) and the restorative music played at their bottling warehouse. At Creo Mundi, a Canadian maker of protein powder, employees gather around each shipment and state aloud the benefits they hope to imbue it with for their consumers–increased performance, balance and vitality. Intentional Chocolate, founded in 2007 by chocolatier Jim Walsh, uses a special recording device to capture the electromagnetic brain waves of meditating Tibetan monks; Walsh then exposes his confections to the recording for five days per batch. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1887858,00.html)

So there you have it: five articles in one issue of TIME. I sincerely think it is a noble initiative in making them freely available on the Internet.

I miss buffet

While searching for the various meanings of the word “buffet”, I realised the reason why I pronounced the name “Buffett” wrongly in class was that it was spelt wrongly on the answer scheme! So, it wasn’t me.

To my surprise, my dictionary actually holds this entry, the name of the brand of hair gel I have been using for the past 20 years! lol

Brylcreem.

For the record, the answers I had for the Buffett question were correct.

Taboo-inspired research

This is a quick link to a quick research inspired by today’s episode of Taboo. It is unfortunate that I can’t get a copy of the series from okto; I guess acquiring it from Australia is going to be too expensive.

http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Th-W/Wet-Nursing.html

That’s something I didn’t know, but France and Japan have been fascinating me recently.

What is the author’s tone?

Hold your horses! Before you reply to this post and give me the answer, “sarcastic”, think (and use the online dictionaries) to find out what is the subtle difference among the supposed synonyms of these words used to describe tone. (Remember, there is also a subtle difference between tone and attitude.)

This is an e-task (easy task) on Paper 2 skills–to sharpen your reading of the author’s intention.

And I almost thought this was an April Fool’s joke.

Agence France-Presse – 3/31/2009 7:19 AM GMT

Singapore wants a kinder, gentler nation

Singapore has launched campaigns to promote everything from more romance to better English. Now, the city-state wants its citizens to just be… nicer.

“Kindness. Bring It On!” — to be launched this weekend — is a government-backed initiative aimed at encouraging Singaporeans to be openly gracious to their relatives, colleagues, classmates and neighbours.

The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM), a partly government-funded charity, plans to recruit “kindness troopers” to deliver its message, and draft movie stars to do public appearances. Teachers will give lessons about graciousness.

A recent survey commissioned by the SKM showed that less than half of Singaporeans were pleased with the overall graciousness of their compatriots.

“We are actually quite a kind, gracious society… (but) there are Singaporeans who feel shy about showing spontaneous consideration and acts of kindness,” SKM chairman Koh Poh Tiong said Tuesday.

“I want Singaporeans to, one day, be like the Japanese — very gracious, very polite, very friendly.”

Teh Thien Yew, an SKM official, said: “In these trying times, we need to be kinder than necessary because everyone is struggling.”

Singapore, sometimes described as a “nanny state” because of a number of government regulations and restrictions on its citizens, often launches campaigns to instill proper social behaviour.

Education campaigns have promoted everything from speaking better English to flushing public toilets to smiling more often. A Romancing Singapore drive is held annually to encourage romance among couples.

A few years ago, SKM even launched a drive to improve punctuality at wedding dinners following an outcry about tardy guests.

Rich Dude, Poor Dude

This is a round-up of the week’s most exciting movie (in three glorious formats!) that will not make it to the Oscars.

By the way, because this is the Kwoskar Awards, everyone’s a winner! All of you who have acted in this play, give yourself a pat on your back and a trophy too (you know who).

Back to the point.

In the first Act where Poor Dude (P) was begging for shoes (and trousers too, for one class), the Rich Dude (R) typically ignored him and walked away. Some of the reasons are that (1) R feels P doesn’t deserve the item, (2) P needs more pertinent aid than something that isn’t deemed to be an immediate necessity, (3) there is no benefit to R, (4) R will end up with nothing if he gives away something of limited quantity in his possession, but will give it if he has more of it. R also might have felt that (5) it was none of his business, (6) “if you feed one monkey, the others will come”–note the connotations, and (7) it depends on whether the object of affection is limited in availability or not–pricelessness.

Of course the R who gave once to P but stopped giving also has his own legitimate reasons: R stopped giving because (8) the item is a necessity and he has immediate need for it which prevented him from giving it away. If it is going to put you in a dire situation, it is a bad decision. Shoes, give. Trousers, no.

(There are in fact three scenes, and in one class we’d seen two scenes for this first Act, but I shall not reveal what the last item is!)

Thus although the reasons given are the same in general, the value-system of the act of giving is different. While some feel that shoes are immediate necessities, others may feel that shoes are something they can still do without–but certainly not the trousers! What you see as a dispensible necessity (an oxymoron), others may see it as an absolute necessity.

The point is, there is always at least a reason for any needs. And we want to also look at country, company or community-specific evidence to prove your thesis statement.

Note (3) above. Marginal benefits must outweigh the marginal cost before the individual takes an action, eg: giving and sharing (hope I have not mangle the concept). That’s Economics. So let me translate it to GP. That is not to say that “marginal benefit” cannot be understood in simple English. An individual will take an action if it doesn’t compromise his position, eg: well-being, reputation, character. Which is why it is awkward to say that one can give and give without losing much and you’d still have enough. The situation is just too hypothetical and you’d need to tell me if there is any country who would be in such a position to give without worrying about their financial well-being and budget deficits. Thus the marginal benefit gained from helping outweighs the cost.

Maybe this set of articles would lend you some credibility (in GP, not Econs! [But at this moment, I wonder why people tend to hyper-correct themselves when they say “Maths” is the wrong abbrevation for “Mathematics” and “Math” is correct but we don’t really bother if it is “Econ” or “Econs”.]) Special thanks to TIME.

In the second Act (the one after the “Happy Prince”), some of you found that (i) there is no strong reason to convince you (R) to give or lend away the item, or (ii) it depends on whether R believes P needs it. And because the act is that of lending, some felt it would be (iii) troublesome to get the borrower to pay up the loan. This brings to discussion the difference between giving and lending. If it is a gift, it is expected that you don’t get it back, but if it is a loan, it is expected that you get the loan sum back (plus interest, maybe). There is a difference in expectation, which is why certain countries might have trouble coming to terms with writing off debts. Then, is it selfish of them if they do not write off the debts? Is it selfish of them if they do not give but they lend to the needy?

When you think about these questions, be careful not to fall down the slippery slope. Of course some of you have heard about it in lecture already; you might also have heard of the conditional reasoning. Here’s a clarification, using Maths no less.

Conditional reasoning isn’t saying “If X, then Y.”

It is: “If X, then Y. We see X happening, therefore we claim Y.”

Seriously, it isn’t important at this stage to remember what the terms are (because there are many and can be very confusing). Just remember to back up your claims with evidence.

Take it down…

Just a notice here: I will be taking down three pages from this blog on New Year’s Eve, so if you need to back up anything from those pages, feel free to do so!

1. That GP Schedule…

2. That PW page for 1907…

3. That PW page for 1508…

Hohoho!

PS: That will also roughly be the time I respond to those of you who have emailed me queries on your holiday assignment =)

Of Prejudice & Discrimination

This post serves as a complement to the supplement to the Group Presentations on the topic, Prejudice.

CAVEAT: Clips shown here can be offensive in nature, but critical to the learning process.

To: the three whom I got out of my class on Tuesday, 22 Jul. It had to be done. You had the chance to explain yourselves. You have to take ownership in your own learning especially e-learning and i-learning (independent) tasks because I will be away on course for quite a few days this term. It was a decision made known to me at the eleventh hour (literally; it was 12am on the previous Friday). If I had known this earlier, I would have planned the lessons in another way.

You have seen the newspaper reports in class–0408 and 2208, please find someone in 1508 and borrow a set of the “non-black” (is this discrimination against white?) copies from them. In the meantime I’ll try to get the photocopier to apologise to you for the inconvenience caused.

When we talk about prejudice, in many societies it is almost natural that the first thing to come to mind is the talk about racism and religion sensitivity. Some feel that that is a limit to jokes, some feel it’s a way to express ourselves, and yet some feel it is bad humour altogether.

This is the infamous “No pork” sound clip. Some say it’s a prank, some say it’s staged. You decide. But more importantly, compare it with the Russell Peters act. Is one more offensive than the other? Why?

Yet, do not forget that there are other forms of prejudice. Discrimination against class is one. It may be the case that people behave or act in a particular way as a result of their upbringing or education level; it may be that they have a medical condition. The same goes for speech behaviour.

This next clip is from a popular radio station in Singapore.

Is this more acceptable than “No pork”? Is this worse than Russell Peters? Why do you feel so?

For those who want to watch the Russell Peters clip again, here it is–but I’m warning you: the language used can be very offensive, even for the segments that I recommend (if you experience discomfort at the content, you may stop the clip altogether):

Segment 1: 6min-16.08min

Segment 2: 17.35min-19.35min

Segment 3: 20min-45min

(Russell Peters performance has been rated NC16 according to the DVD I own.)

Is any one of these not discriminationary practice? Is any one of these not considered humour, not even low-brow comedy? Can we use humour to embrace differences? What is the role of globalisation here in terms of what we deem to be acceptable and what are not?

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What defines a more palatable racist joke, or do racist jokes have no place in a multi-racial society like Canada or Singapore? Does a racist joke become more palatable if the speaker demeans himself or his race/religion/gender first?

Post all your comments here and share with us how you feel! There is no right or wrong: it’s solely your own opinion & if any visitors to this site has issues, please contact me at akbywerkz@hotmail.com.

For those who’d watched the videos but had not posted any comments here, we now know how selfish you are. So share your insights.