Perspective towards Casino Gambling in Singapore

Today, I will be blogging on my views in the recently controversial topic of casino gambling in Singapore.

The decision by the Singapore government to set up two integrated resorts with casinos has stirred up some healthy debate among its citizens. Within this ‘lion’ city, voices were heard from ordinary Singaporeans on the negative and positive impacts of such a decision. Many people have, however, failed to realize that many Singaporeans have prior experience in gambling in one form or another. Singaporeans are much more mature and educated toward gambling than what outsiders may think.


Recent survey by Singapore’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has found that 58% of Singaporeans aged 18 years and above engaged in some form of gambling activities in the past year. Only about 2.1% of these people are probable pathological gamblers and 2% are probable problem gamblers.


Many Singaporeans love to visit Genting Highlands in Malaysia. It is an entertainment get-away from the hectic lives in the busy city. Every day, people can be found waiting outside the Golden Mile Shopping Centre for coaches that will ferry them to Genting. A number of agencies provided the services with buses leaving from 7am or 10pm every day and arrive 6-7 hours later in Genting for good fun. Many adults travel to the highland resort to gamble at its casino and, at the same time, enjoy a fun time with their families amidst the cooler weather up the mountain.


Thousands would go on Star Cruises each year, longing for its delicious and free-flow food, entertainment facilities, and/or trying out their luck on the limited number of slots and gaming tables.


Many more would make time (even during office lunch hours) queuing to buy 4-D or Toto lottery tickets. 4-D are drawn on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Toto is offered on Mon and Thurs with prize earning as high as half a million U.S. dollars.

Singapore Sweep is also offered by Singapore Pools, which manages all lottery and football betting (Score and Strike!) games in Singapore. In the Singapore Turf Club, which is more than 150 years old, horse race betting is legalized. Local horse racing occurs in selected Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while Malaysia racing is conducted only over the weekend. Both the Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club are owned by Singapore Totalisator Board, a statutory board under the government’s Ministry of Finance.


At the Pasir Ris NTUC chalet, SAFRA clubs and other private clubs, old slot machines can be found to provide some gaming entertainment to the public. While 4-D is the most popular form of gambling in Singapore, many gamble privately and socially with friends and families. The most popular form of private games is mahjong. If you live in a public flat by Housing Development Board, you can often hear the sound of mahjong tiles made by your neighbors playing their favorite mahjong game.

Gambling also occur in traditional Chinese clan associations among friends and also among extended families with the same family name. These are normally patronized by elderly Singaporeans.


Singapore society is a predominantly Chinese, yet multi-cultural and living in harmony with other races. Chinese’s perceptions of problem gambling are not one of human sickness but one of human weakness. A problem gambler is socially undesirable and a bad moral example. He or she is someone who asked for it. It is not a sickness. The person has control but chooses to lose it.


Chinese Singaporeans share many cultural similarities with Chinese in Northeast Asia including Macau. Many Singaporeans watch Hong Kong television drama series and Hong Kong-made movies. Singapore media often broadcast Chinese television programs obtained from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Korea. Chinese Singaporeans’ core characteristics bear many similarities to Chinese in Northeast Asia. These similarities include beliefs in certain Chinese superstitions, rituals, and feng shui.

Gambling is not new to the average Singaporean. Singaporeans have shown their willingness and capacity to gamble as well as to take risks. Hence, it comes with no surprise that the Singapore government, its citizens and some private associations are so wary of the social impacts of having casinos in the country. This is an educated society where its population has, in the past, demonstrated its willingness to take uncertain risks to gain monetary rewards. Having said that, it also means that Singapore has prior experience of managing gambling activities and dealing with social problem that gambling brings.


Companies currently going through and eventually selected through the bidding process should understand the various perspectives that the Singapore government and public are coming from if they want to maintain a sustainable business in the garden city. Thus, I believe the government's decision to set up a casino appropriate as this is not the first time Singaporeans are exposed to gambling.



Survey report by Ministry Of Community Development, Youth and Sports (2005) can be found at http://www.ncpg.org.sg/research.html.

Censorship of pornographic materials

Right, today I will be blogging on my views on whether pornographic materials ought to be censored.


There are many sides in the argument for and against censorship on the Internet. From companies in the online adult entertainment industry who are concerned those efforts to restrict the access of children to sexually explicit material on the Internet will impinge on legitimate business opportunities, to the opposing view of companies developing filtering technologies and other methods to censor children from illicit content and opportunities for them to capitalize on a growing market.


 In the interest of free speech, these technology companies and other pro-censorship supporters must not only recognise the rights of the adult entertainment industry, they must also ensure not to infringe on the rights of adults to view pornographic content at legitimately. The Adult Entertainment Industry must also recognises that it has an ethical and social responsibility to uphold to the community at large.


 A major impact of the immense amount of pornographic content online is the social implications of children being exposed to graphic sexual content online at an early age. This is a major focus and basis of the argument for censorship. As according to Jerome et al. (2004) exposure has many negative social ramifications in later life such as the degradation of partners and the disassociation of sex with intimacy. Many anti-porn advocates believe regulation is the key to protecting our children. 


This being said, censoring pornography have both advantages and disadvantages. However, it is my personal opinion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Thus, I think that the censorship of pornographic materials is appropriate.

Wildlife conservation

Today, let me blog on a very important topic, wildlife conservation.

Throughout history, wildlife has suffered because of human beings and their activities. Increasingly efficient weapons, such as bows, rifles, and shotguns, enabled people to kill game with growing ease. With such weapons, hunters have killed off some species of animals. People also have cleared forests, drained swamps, and dammed rivers to clear the way for agriculture and industry. These activities have seriously harmed or destroyed large areas of plant and wildlife habitat. Human beings may also disrupt the natural processes of the habitats that remain. These disruptions affect the diversity and size of living populations in the habitats.

If people ignore the need for wildlife conservation, today's endangered species will soon become extinct. Many other species will also face extinction. If this happens, human beings will lose much of great value that cannot be replaced. Wildlife is important to people for four main reasons: (1) beauty, (2) economic value, (3) scientific value, and (4) survival value.

Beauty

Every kind of animal and plant differs from every other kind and thus contributes in a special way to the beauty of nature. Most people feel that such beauty enriches their life. It also heightens the enjoyment of camping and other forms of outdoor recreation.

Economic value

Wild species of animals and plants provide many valuable substances, such as wood and other plant products, fibres, meat and other foods, and skins and furs. The financial value of wild species is important to the economies of many nations. In industrialized nations, the recreational viewing of animals at zoos and wildlife refuges is also a source of revenue.

Scientific value

The study of wildlife provides valuable knowledge about various life processes. Such study has helped scientists understand how the human body functions and why people behave as they do. Scientists have also gained medical knowledge and discovered important medical products by studying wildlife. In addition, by observing the effect of environmental pollution on wild animals, scientists have learned how pollution affects human life.

Survival value

Every species of wildlife plays a role in helping maintain the balanced, living systems of Earth. These systems must continue to function if life is to survive. Thus, the loss of any species can threaten the survival of all life, including human beings.

Having said that, I will now proceed to elaborate on the methods of ensuring the conservation of wildlife.

Many species of wildlife are threatened because human beings have destroyed their habitats. For example, people have drained swamps and marshes and converted them into farmland. The wetland habitats that remain have been further degraded due to factors caused by human activity. These factors include the redirecting of surface water away from wetland sites, reduction of ground water levels, sedimentation, toxic chemicals, and isolation from other wetlands. Poor farming practices also may destroy land, or the spread of cities and industries may pave over former wildlife habitats. Pollution may poison the air, water, plants, and animals. To save wildlife habitats, people must control pollution and set aside areas in which wild animals and plants can survive.

An animal threatened by too much hunting can be protected by laws that forbid or regulate such killing. These laws may specify when a certain species may be hunted or how many of the species may be killed. Laws can also protect plants endangered by over collection. If an entire habitat requires protection, the area may be made a national park or wildlife refuge. In some cases, predatory animals that kill an endangered species must be controlled until the endangered animal has increased in numbers. On the other hand, a species may become too numerous. When this happens, the animal may threaten its own survival—or the survival of other species—by eating too much of the food supply. This problem has occurred with elk and hippopotamuses in national parks. The numbers of such a species must then be reduced, either by controlled hunting or by restoring its natural enemies where they have become scarce.

If a species can no longer survive in its natural environment, it may be raised in captivity and then released into a protected area. This method saved the Hawaiian goose. Likewise, conservationists hope to save the black-footed ferret. This small mammal once lived in the Great Plains, but its population declined sharply during the 1900's. Scientists captured all known ferrets in the 1980's and began breeding them in captivity. In 1991, they began releasing the ferrets into the wild, where these animals have established new breeding populations.

Public awareness also plays an important role in the conservation wildlife. The various animal welfare organizations can act as a platform to educate the public. If the community is educated correctly, they will not become litterbugs or illegal poachers of endangered animals. They will become responsible citizens and care for both the wildlife and the environment. Schools can also play a part in the raising the awareness of the public. They have their eyes on the people of the community at a young age and thus it is easier for the school authorities to instil this awareness on the conservation of wildlife as young people tend to be more receptive.

In conclusion, the conservation of wildlife is extremely important. It is also something that we, as responsible citizens should play a part in. Therefore, after reading this blog post, I hope that all of you can try, as far as possible to play a part in the conservation of wildlife.

Jem's Diary entry

Today, I will be creating a diary entry on one of the main characters in To Kill A Mocking Bird ---- Jeremy Finch.

Mid-morning, Scout, Dill and I went to the courthouse to witness Tom Robinson's trial. Scout got separated from us and we didn't manage to get an empty seat in the courthouse as we were searching for her. Fortunately, Reverend Sykes gave us a place in the coloured balcony to witness the court proceedings. From the balcony, we got a good view of the entire court.

Firstly, the witnesses gave their accounts of the incident while Atticus and Mr Gilmer questioned them. The two lawyers than gave their respective speeches. Atticus was very calm as well as confident in his defense of Tom Robinson.

This was as far as I recollect besides the fact I told Scout to take Dill out of the courtroom. My mind was in a haze as I contemplated the court proceedings. I was devastated, confused beyond measure and hurt by the proceedings in the courtroom. I did not know what to think and my belief in idealism was forever shattered.

I was furious over the way Mr Gilmer cross- examined Tom Robinson, as if he was dirt. The fact that Mr Gilmer took every opportunity to trap Tom only further incensed me. I was confused over the reason that this court still took place, with not a shred of evidence that prove Tom Robinson guilty except the accounts of the Ewells, who were commonly known to be untrustworthy, cruel and violent people. This, coupled with my belief in fairness in the world, as well as Atticus' aura of confidence and sense of authority made me almost certain that Tom would be cleared of all charges.

However, when one by one, the jury announced "guilty", my heart sank like a stone to the bottom of the ocean. I could scarcely believe that they can find Tom guilty on such grounds. I felt numb, unaware of what was happening around me as the scene where Tom Robinson was pronounced guilty kept on flashing back at me. The outright discrimination against blacks was so outrageous that I wanted to vomit. The marginalization of blacks from society made me feel disgusted at the current judical system. I suddenly felt a blazing hatred towards the jury, each and every one of them for their unfairness and biasness towards Tom Robinson.

Luckily, Atticus was there to comfort and reassure me. He tried to explain to me that this was reality, in other words, life is never fair and that I should get to upset over it. He urge me to get over this and to continue to fight for what is right, despite the many obstacles laid out. After listening to him, I realized how foolish and childish was my youthful ideology that everyone is fair and just. I plan to put aside my naivety and face the real world at last. 

Newspaper article / report on an incident that happened in To Kill A Mocking Bird

Maycomb Prison- Tom Robinson, recently the object of much talk and controversy, was shot dead yesterday. .
During the daily exercise ritual, Tom Robinson strayed away from the designated exercise area, When he thought that nobody was keeping an eye on him, Tom Robinson made a break for it. He broke into a blind raving charge the wall surrounding the prison and started climbing over. Unfortunately for him, he was seen climbing over the fence by several prison guards. The prison guards called him to stop and when he didn't listen, fired a few shots into the air to warn him. Tom Robinson was indifferent to their warnings and continued his bid to escape. The guards then shot him. Seventeen bullet holes into him. When the guards shot him, he was on the verge of freedom. He would have made it if he had two good arms, he was that fast!

Recently, Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayalla Ewell. Even though the only evidence to support this accusation was the account of the Ewells ( not only a medical certificate was produced ) as well as the overwhelming evidence that states that Tom Robinson was innocent, the jury still unanimously found him guilty.


According to Maycomb's leading lawyer and Tom's lawyer in court, Mr Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson was frustrated with the turn of events, white man's chances as well as the outrageous discrimination of blacks. He was disgusted by the unfairness of the current justice system. He decided to choose the easy way out of it and try a bid for freedom.

This incident should be a wake up call for everyone. This incident gives light to the unhappy plight of Tom Robinson, as well as the outrageous discrimination of whites against blacks. The people in the white community ought to reflect on this incident and treat the blacks more fairly.

Learning profile/ Style assesment

Recently, I took a test on my learning profile. This learning profile is about  multiple intelligence, the various sorts of intelligences and skills that a human has. Multiple intelligence compromises of 8 different components, namely Kinaesthetic - Body Smart, Linguistic - Word Smart, Logical - Number Smart, Interpersonal - People Smart, Intrapersonal - Myself Smart, Musical - Music Smart, Visual/Spatial - Picture Smart and Naturalistic - Nature Smart.
          From this assessment, my logical thinking skills are the best, followed by my interpersonal relationships and my linguistic abilities. My worst areas are musical and visual knowledge. I think that this test is sufficiently accurate in describing my various traits.The fact that my logical thinking skills are ranked first is quite accurate as I am rather inclined towards mathematics and logical reasoning. That my visual knowledge is ranked last also came as no surprise as I usually have problems observing the most obvious of things.
         I think that acquiring this learning profile is an important step in our life. This profile can be used as a tool to help us make certain decisions which we would otherwise spend much time thinking about. This profile gives us an insight to our strengths and weaknesses and we can use this knowledge in deciding what courses to take even wahat careers to chose.