English

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Science

Science; what is it actually? It is derived from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge. It is also due to science, that I need to go for a run after I finish typing this essay to promote growth of more neurons to make up for all that I lost after all the thinking on this topic. Sorry to all anti-science guys, but I believe that all of us would still be living in caves and getting all excited about seeing fire if not for science.
Take fire for example. Fire is needed to provide electricity, create warmth and cook food. Without all these functions, people will die due to cold and bacteria in food. But hey, what’s this? “Fire is BAD! It causes the deaths of thousands of people and billions of dollars in damages every year!” Yes, that is valid; as valid as saying that water is bad as it also causes deaths and damage. Science is definitely a double edged sword, but I feel that people who are anti-science have tunnel vision and are only focusing on only one edge of the sword. This doesn’t mean that people who support science are omniscient though.
To evaluate whether science is a menace or not, we have to look at both ends of the sword.
For instance, nuclear power can be used to create bombs and replace fossil fuels for power. In the end, it is not science’s fault that there are certain diabolical people who exist only to kill people and thus only want to create bombs. Science merely provides the knowledge, and it is up to man to decide how they use this knowledge.
An example of the double edged sword would be the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The way products were manufactured was changed and more efficient sources of power were utilized. However, this also paved the way for coal being the main power producer of the world, which releases carbon dioxide, which is bad for our environment, blablabla. Without the industrial revolution, humans will be faced with a lot of problems, such food production being unable to keep up with population growth. Saying the Industrial Revolution is bad is akin to saying that fire is bad. One cannot ignore the fact that science has brought negative effects, but one also cannot ignore the positive effects.
Science also brought large benefits, especially to the medical field. Because of better knowledge of the causes of illnesses and ways to treat it, you don’t see that much people dying from pneumonia and viruses such as the cold virus don’t seem that deadly now. With the knowledge of how illnesses take place, we will then be able to find ways to solve it. This prolongs the life expectancy of a person, and reduces the suffering of sick people. Now that is definitely not a menace to society.
One must face the truth. Science is a double-edged sword. There is no entity so perfect that it does not bring about any bad points. We can either choose to mope over the fact that there is imperfection in this world, or strive to make use of the plus points of things. I believe, that science itself is only a platform, and it is ultimately us, humans, that decide whether to use it or not, or use it for good or bad.

2:48 PM

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Pornography

No one likes a wall of text right, so I'll start with a video!

Pornography itself is a taboo word. Chances are, when a person tells you, "Hey I watch porn to de-stress," no one will say, "Yea that's a perfectly normal and good thing." In fact, a typical reaction will be more along the lines of: OMFG this guy is a shameless SICKO! It is very deeply ingrained into Singaporeans that pornography is a bad thing. Along with this notion, sex is also deemed a disgusting and adults-only topic. However, I beg to differ with the association of sex with pornography as I believe that they are 2 completely different things.

Therefore, before I start, I would like to clear the air about the difference between sex and my topic, pornography. Sex is the sexual interaction between a group of 2 or more people done in private with the intention of pleasure and procreation. Pornography differs from sex as although sexual acts are part of it, these acts are normally performed for a third party’s viewing pleasure for an often commercial purpose.

Anyway, back on track. Personally, I feel that everyone needs a little sexual stimulation once in a while. This is especially true for males. Even the cleanest and nerdy person will have to admit that he also has sexual desires. Our body is constantly seeking physical gratification, and sometimes that can come from sexual pleasure, be it conscious or not. (Wet Dreams hello?) In our present society where sex is considered immoral before marriage, one will be in effect, devoid of sexual activity from puberty to around 30. Being in the most essential of a person’s needs, one will definitely try to find sexual arousal. In a society still steeped in the Confucian value of modesty, it would be extremely difficult, not to mention certain suicide, to try to find sex publically. Furthermore, with the ease of access to the internet, one can easily access any kinds of information with a few mouse clicks and taps of the keyboard. This is where porn comes in.

In order to satisfy the inherent sexual nature of humans, a person will constantly will try to source for other types of sexual gratification if he is denied of it. Therefore, ingenious businessmen came up with a great plan to capitalise on the ease of access to the Internet and release pornographic materials online, making money from it in the process. Other forms where porn can be located would be in magazines. To my knowledge, these 2 mediums are the greatest vessels for carrying the message of porn. Hundreds of thousands of copies of porn magazines are snapped up all over the world everyday, which shows just how into sex humans are.

However, if humans are so sexually inclined, why is pornography so taboo? Perhaps it is the fear that the more sexual material a person is exposed to, the higher the chances that the person will commit the acts in real life. Heard of the term desensitisation? It’s still being taught to countless students in Singapore so that they will think that pornography will lead to more violent and sexual desires in real life. However, there is evidence which shows that this is the inverse in real life. In the USA, which is more liberal than Singapore in the porn industry, has states with a lower amount of internet access has a lower incident rate of rape. A more concrete example would be of Japan; one of the world’s largest makers of rape fantasises, and yet has the lowest sex crime rate in the industrialized world.

Perhaps it may be because people associate pornography with prostitution. However, I feel that pornography is not necessarily prostitution, as one has a choice on whether to join the porn industry or not. A very prominent example would be Sufiah Yusof, the maths child prodigy found to be working in the porn industry. She chose to be porn star, and so did many other people. Therefore, I believe that the world is changing, including the porn sector, and it would be updated to say that all porn stars are coerced into being one.

It is impossible to cover all the aspects of pornography in a blog post of 600 words, yet I believe that I have presented enough points for me to make a stand; Pornography is perfectly alright as people have to satisfy their sexual desires, and with the lack of real stimulation, one can turn to porn.

That may seem biased and rash, and I don’t watch porn (by the way). However, I feel that this is a fact that all must accept. Humans have 2 goals in life, survival and procreation. Certainly both must be addressed adequately for a person to feel happy. Porn is the way to go.

3:59 PM

Regulation of political commentary on the Internet in Singapore-

Many people know Mr. Brown from Singapore; After all, who can forget the iconic "Mee Siam Mai Hum"? Mr. Brown is also known for creating videos which are especially mocking towards the Singaporean government and certain policies they make. He is an exceptionally witty and intelligent writer, and his fame acts as an invulnerable suit of armour which the government cannot penetrate. While many other people who try to mock the government fizzle out and die soon after they start, Mr. Brown is still going strong after years. Perhaps he can attribute this to his extremely funny and sometimes overly exaggerated comments. After all, not even the Singapore government can attempt to bring down a person as prolific as Mr. Brown.
Anyway, back to the topic of the regulation of political ideals. Singapore is definitely practising some kinds of autocracy, the whole world agrees, that is very subtle and sometimes termed ‘soft autocracy’. There are countless instances which act as evidence to show that Singapore is not necessary democratic. Policies such as the Internal Security Act make it easy to keep political opponents in the background. Singapore’s largest newspaper distributor, Singapore Press Holding’s chairman is Mr. Tony Tan, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence of Singapore. All this mounts an undisputable case that there is evidence of autocracy present in our society, yet no one really complains. Why?
Singapore, from third world to first all in a matter of

3:58 PM

President’s Star Charity Show

President’s Star Charity Show- is there a need for artistes to perform stunts to milk the public’s compassion for more generous donations?

3:46 PM