Straits Time Reflection

Minister question plans to separate conjoined twins

2009-04-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

1)What are some of the problems involved in separating a conjoined twin?

2)If you were a part of a conjoined twin, would you rather stay together with your twin for the rest of your life or would you risk both your lives to go for an operation? Why?

ANSWERS

What are some of the problems involved in separating a conjoined twinThree of four twins joined at the head who were seperated in operations here are dead, and the fourth is not in good shape.Seperating a conjoined twin has a great risk as most of operation to seperate conjoined twin failed, surgeons might also have to pick one twin to die to save the other,even those who survive would often be left with a brain damage. International studies have shown that the chances of surviving surgery for 40 pairs of twin joined at the head was rated 50:50. That is why Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested thar docters should reconsider plans to seperate yet another pair of such conjoined twins. Mr Khaw also said that docters would likely end up harming gthe patients and should not attempt such opperations. He also said that the outcome of the two opperations in Singapore "reafirmed these awful statistics". But for twins joined at the head, Mr Khaw hoped the ethics committees in hospitals would dissuade doctors from attempting to seperate them. He told the docters that although life as a conjoined twin would appear to be intolerable, there are conjoined twin who have progressed to adulthood. Thus in some situation, it may be better not to operate on these patients. To change the course of nture may do more harm than good. One of the major problem during the operation is making sure that blood supply to both brains is maintained at all times.I think that further test and investigations should be done before the docter decides whether surgery can or should be done, even one of the most extreme forms of congential malformation and deformity should be given a chance to live a normal life.

If you were a part of a conjoined twin, would you rather stay together with your twin for the rest of your life or would you risk both your lives to go for an operation? Why?

If i were a part of a conjoined twin, I would not like to stay together with my twin for the rest of my life, i would rather risk both our lives to go for an operation. Although going through the operation could be dangerous, but living together with a twin is very inconvienient, we must do every thing together . We will not have our own privacy and it would be very troublesome.

Businesses are still big on doing good

2009-04-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Question 1What are big companies doing in order to be more socially responsible?Question 2How important it is to be socially responsible?

And do you think it is still possible to make a social impact during the recession? Answer 1AMID the gloomy economic out-look, big businesses are not cutting down on their Corporate Social Responsibility (csp) programmes.Companies have stepped up their efforts according to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Asia, a Hong Kong based firm. This programme is often defined as how strategically manage their businesses to bring in profits.Sing Tel`s CSR programme is divided into 4 parts: Community which supports initiatives focusing on youth and education; environment, which aims to reduce carbon emmissions and cut down on paper usage; Market place which involves corporate governance; and workplace, which provides learning and development opportunities and quality work-life balances for it staff. McDonald is trying to get sustainable supply chain, environmental and community responsibility, nutrition and well being and employment are equally important as philanthropic activities.Major businesses here are also committed to raising funds for charities despite the downturn

Answer 2It is very important to be socially responsible as if all the companies are not socially responsible it would be terrible, all the companies would`nt care about the environment and care only about their profit.

Yes i think it is possible to make a social impact during a recession as their are many company making a social impact during a recession. I think they are able to do that because they are doing well or they want to make a social impact for some reasons.

Save the Planet ? This is a job for school kids

2009-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

1)What are some of the things that schools in Singapore are doing in order to take care of the environment?

2)Do you think one person's effort in reducing, reusing and recycling will make a difference in saving the environment? What steps have you taken in the effort to save the earth?

1)What are some of the things that schools in Singapore are doing in order to take care of the environment?

Schools are stepping up emphasis on issues like energy conservation and climate change. Schools are asking their student to bring electricity bills from home to track their month-to-month energy use and are teaching them to save enrrgy. For instance, Lakeside Primary School aims to have at least half its b 600 primary 4 and 5 pupils take part in such an exercise. MOE has also designated two schools as centres of excellence for enviromentally education,the ministry also said that enviroment education has always been a part of itrs geography, science social studies.

2)Do you think one person's effort in reducing, reusing and recycling will make a difference in saving the environment? What steps have you taken in the effort to save the earth?
Yes i think that one person`s effort in reducing and recycling will make a difference in saving the enviroment because every person effort counts. There are a few steps that i have taken are switching off electrical appliances when not in use, do not leave electrical appliances on standby- mode , reuse plastic bag, donating books away instead of throwing away them, etc.

Reforming sex offenders

2009-04-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

1)How does the treatment programme of the Singapore Prison Service help sex offenders?

2)Do you think that sex offenders should be given a second chance in the society? State your reasons.

Answer 1

How does the treatment programme of the Singapore Prison Service help sex offenders?
Not all sex offenders are put through this programme. Only those that are only likely to re-offend will be only then put through this programe.The programme helps sex offenders learn about the way they think and how their actions flow from this, an awareness of this process is supposed to help them choose not to commit sex offences when the urge arises again.The first stage of the three-stage course, inmates learn to defeat the secrecy, shameand denail surrounding their acts and to "own up" what they did. In the second stage of the programme, the inmates break up their sex crimes into "little bits " so that their "thinking errors" can be identified and addressed. In the final stage, inmates develop a "relapse prevention plan" for themselves.So far, Bala Kuppusamy is the only known offender on whom the programme has failed to work.

Answer 2
Do you think that sex offenders should be given a second chance in the society? State your reasons.

Yes, they should be given a second chance in society. We should`nt judge a person of what he did in the past, he might have already turn over a new leaf and decided not to do things against the law. We should be forgiving and help them get into the society. Everyone makes mistakes, as long as they are willing to change, they should be given a second chance in to the society.

Man and Beast face off in Sumatra

2009-04-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Q1) What is illegal logging?Q2) What can you do to stop the Sumatran tiger from extinction?

ANSWERS

Q1) What is illegal logging?

Illegal logging is the cutting of wood illegally. Illegal logging is one of the main cause for the loss of habitats like the sumatran tiger. Illegal logging has also cause a tiger-human conflict in a Indonesianisland of Sumatra. Since Janurary, the big cats has already killed nine people and authorities are preventing illegal loggers from entering the tiger`s habitat. The Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, with estimated less than 400 left in the wild. The tigers are not guilty for attacking the people as people the incide4nt happened in their natural habitat. These are the information for the recent tigers attack:JAN24-A tiger ambushes and kills a rubber tapper near a river in Sungei Gelam district of Jambi province, JAN28- A tiger pounces through a thin roof of a hut, killing a 50 year old man and his 21 year old son who are sleeping in the same area. FEB21-A tiger mauls and kill to illegal loggers also in Jambi province. FEB22-A tiger attack and kills a man carrying logs near an illegal logging camp. march1- A tiger attacks to illegal loggers in their forest hut and mauls them to death. MARCH3-A tiger mauls an illegal logger to death. The authorities believed the death toll would be higher as this some attacks go unreported. Villagers also kill this tigers as they are afraid that they might attack them.

Q2) What can you do to stop the Sumatran tiger from extinction?

Educate the public to stop illegal logging, bring all the tigers to a nature reserve as villages might kill them. Employ more forest rangers to patrol the jungles and for illeal loggers and preserve their habitat

I will knock you out

2009-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Q1) What are the different forms of ketamine?

Q2) What would you do if you knew your friend took ketamine?

ANSWERS

Q1) What the different forms of ketamine?

Ketamine is an anaesthetic to reduce pain- on both human and animals, but some drug abusers take it illegally. It is also known as K, Special K, Kit Kat. This drug, Ketamine is often taken at nightclubs and dance parties called raves, it is like a "party drug" like Ecstasy. There are a few forms of ketamine, liquid form, powder form or tablet form. Doctors and vets use it legally usually in an indictable liquid form. People consume the drug because they want to get high. Ketamine also come in powder form which users snort up their nostrils. It also comes in tablet form that are swallowed. Drug abusers often get more then they bargain for, because ketamine has several dangerous and unpleasant effects. People who take it could feel unable to move, bleed from the nose be overwhelmed with fatigue or have trouble sleeping. They may also feel confused and experience hallucination. They can also get "flashback" experiencing these symptoms days or week after they take the drug.

Q2) What would you do if you knew your friend took ketamine?

I would advice them not to take ketamine as the aftereffect is terrifying, being not able to move or talk as if you are paralysed, bleed from the nose, be overwhelmed with fatigue or have trouble sleeping. You may also feel confused and experience hallucination and could also get these experiencing symptoms days or week after they take the drug. I would also tell them that it is against the law and if you are found taking it, you can be sent to jail for up to ten years and fined $20,000. If they didn`t listen to my advice, I will talk him into going for drug rehabilitation, if that doesn`t work, I will inform the authorities. But mostly I would talk my friends out before they touches them

Getting in heart of Total Defence

2009-04-28T21:01:00.001-07:00

QuestionsQ1) In the last link page B7e, what did the writer mean by suggesting that “he may have found more porcupine then rats?"

Q2) What’s worth giving up your life for?

Answers

1. In the last line, what did the writer mean by suggesting that “he may have found more porcupine than rats?"

Rats are scardy cats who scurry away at the sound of foot steps while porcipine bristle to warn their aggressors away. The writer means that the evidence from this year`s Total Defence campaign suggest that the writer found that when there is trouble, the people who will stay in the country and fight against or warn their aggressors of attackers away with their life`s is more the the people who will flee from the country when their is a threat that will cause their life. The writer describe them as porcupine and rats as porcupine will bristle to warn away their enemys while rats will run away when they feel threatened.

2. What’s worth giving up your life for?

I will defend a few things with my life. The first things are my family and friends and myself. Although one of the National Education shared values are " society above self " but I cannot imagine myself laying down my life defending people outside my family circle. I would also prevent race riots and defend racial harmony with my life. With different races living together in Singapore, harmony between different races is crucial to the continuity of peace and properity. I friends from different races and I`ll never trade this bunch of friends with anything in the world. I will also defend Singapore with my life as Singapore is my future and is a future worth defending.

ST Reflection 2009- Term1 ,Week 8(23 Feb 09)

2009-03-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

Getting to the heart of Total Defense (Home-Youthink pg B7)

Q1) In the last line, what did the writer mean by suggesting that "he may have found more porcupines than rat?"

Q2) What's worth giving up your life for?
Answers:

Q1) The writer meant that more brave people are willing to help. There is less people who are unwilling to help in whatever way. The writer also means that Singaporeans will fight no matter how scared they are then being selfish in not helping to save the country.

Q2) To me, giving up my life in saving my most important people. Including family and friends. We, Singaporeans should play a part in saving the country. Saving the country does not rely only on mens but everyone has a part to play. It is worth giving up your life in order to save the country.

ST Reflection 2009 - Term 1, Week 7 (16 Feb 09)

2009-02-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

No Loitering After School (IN! pg 7)

Q1) Why Coral Secondary School forbids students to idle around near their school in their school uniform?
They do not want their students to waste time walking around doing nothing. They do not want their students to do bad things in their school uniform so they force them to go home and change before doing anything so that when they are caught doing bad things their school will not suffer that much

Q2) Do you agree with this rule? Explain your answer
No and Yes. No, after school is our time and has nothing got to do with the school. It depends on the student but if it is only for normal student who just want to go to he mall and hang out there is no harm. If you don't do anything wrong what for be scared.it doesn't make sense just to buy food need to go home and change....isn't that wasting much more time....
Yes, i agree to a setence extent. They want to keep the good standard of the school, they do not want the bad students spoil the good image of the school. They want their students to achieve well in studies so tell them not to waste time....

ST Reflection -Term 1, Week 6 (9 Feb 09)

2009-02-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Master of One (Life! People pg 4)]
Q1) What was Jack Neo’s vocation when he was serving the nation?

Q2) “Hard work leads to success.” To what extend do you agree with this statement?

Answer:
Q1) He host,act wrote script and made film.

Q2) I agree it because if you do well and with hard work there will be someone and notice will get high chance of getting to success.

ST Reflection-Term 1, Week 5 (2 Feb 09)

2009-02-07T05:07:00.000-08:00

Golfers, youths in brawl on green (HOME, pg 1)
Q1)How did the teenagers trespass into Singapore Island Country Club?
One of the teenagers told the news that they were walking at the MacRitchie reservoir to see monkeys after a night drink at VivoCity. They lost their way while in the forest and did nt knw that they were in the Singapore Island Country Club as they did not see any sign that stop them to go in.

Q2) Is underage drinking correct? Explain your answer
No. Underage drinking is not correct. Alcohol will spoil thier body if they do not take it properly( everyday). Some of them they just want to released their stress or run away from problem and they drink it. Some of them they follow the adult an dfriends that looks cool when drinking it. They just want to make ppl look up at them(the younger ones) but actually it is no right...Same goes for Smoking..