2_Carisa+Lam+Shie+Yun

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__**Assignment 3.**__

Paragraph 1:  No, I disagree. Nowadays, in workplaces, there is no longer discrimination against women, the reason being the advancement in education for women. Most women nowadays undergo education, and this in turn equips them with high qualifications. All the high qualifications and education increases the ability in women, showing that they are just as capable as men in thinking and processing ideas. In terms of jobs, the society has accepted that fact, and now most women are part of the workforce. This is unlike the past where women were considered to be of lower status and denied workforce, and were only expected to take care of the household. People nowadays are more accepting of women joining the workforce. In fact, many women in the workforce now have successful careers, and some are even doing better than men, Examples include Carols Bartz, the extremely successful President and CEO od Yahoo!, the Internet services company, JK Rowling, the writer f the Harry Potter series, which was an internationally recognized worldwide sensation, and Irene Rosenfeld, the owner of Kraft Foods Inc.. According to Bloomberg news, women heading successful companies, such as Anglo American, the world’s third-largest mining group, averaged earnings of $14.2 million in their latest fiscal years, 43 percent more than the male average.

Paragraph 2:

 Moreover, more women nowadays are moving into the countries’ governing system. Largely due to the acceptance of most people in society towards women, more women are getting into the government system. In the past, women aren’t allowed to join the government, much less campaign for an election, due to gender discrimination. But nowadays, both genders play vital roles in the government sector. By allowing females to contribute to the government, it provides the government with another perspective, one from a woman’s angle of perception, thus providing the government with valuable ideas that would contribute to the society. By doing this, the country can cover all aspects and problems in its society, thus improving the ruling head of the country. Female politicians are now widespread. Take Sarah Palin for example. She is an extremely capable American politician, author, speaker and political news commentator who was the youngest person and first woman elected to be the Governor of Alaska. She has also received large amounts of support from the community when she campaigned to be the President of the United States. Other examples include Angela Merkel, the first female German Chancellor, and the leader of the world’s fourth-largest economy, and Cristina Fernandez, Argentina’s first elected female President. Such ready acceptance from both the society and the parliament towards female politicians reflect how much gender inequality in the society has decreased, making it reasonable to say that women now have equal rights with men. Furthermore, almost 10% of the United Nations countries now have women heads of state, a huge increase from the three females heads of state in 1975, further emphasising how much gender inequality has declined, and it is no longer as prevalent.

Paragraph 3:  Nowadays, there are more sports contested in the Olympics for both male and females. In the past, women weren’t allowed to join sports nor become athletes. This is due to the fear that by letting women pursue their interest in sports, it was prohibiting them from fulfilling their duty and roles in households, causing families to become ‘unbalanced’ in a way. However, nowadays modern women are facing less discrimination against their interest in pursuing sports. This is due to the society slowly understanding their ability to juggle household duties and their interests. Therefore, it can be seen that society has become more accustomed to gender equality. Now, women are able to compete in various sports in the Olympics. It is estimated that during the start of 2001, 40 percent of all athletes at the Olympic games were women, reflecting the drastic change in the society’s perception towards women, and how the society is no longer prejudiced against women. An example of a female athlete in the Olympics is Hilary Knight, one of the top three players for Team USA in 2009. She achieved amazing results whilst competing in the Olympics for ice hockey, and ranked seventh in the nation in points per game for rookies and game-winning goals. This achievement is truly outstanding, and has far surpassed many male athletes.  While some may say that women are facing gender inequality as there are less women than men in the workforce, research shows that most women are having equal rights to apply for jobs, therefore showing that gender inequality is no longer prevalent, and the reason why there are less women than men is due to their personal choices to remain unemployed to stay home to take care of the household.

After revision, 22/30

__**Assignment 4.**__
 * 1) It has been contended that being able to tell lies occasionally is important to maintain a healthy relationship. However, I disagree. Using deception, especially with a romantic partner, can lead to a lot of problems in its own right. Lying in relationships often leads to a loss of trust and it makes people feel less close to each other. The more people engage in deception, they tend to feel less close to their partners and tend to feel more misunderstood, with all the false truths and excuses between them. Also, if a partner finds out he has been lied to, the person would feel hurt and betrayed. Insecurities might start to surface, with the constant nagging suspicion towards the lying partner, as to whether he or she is lying. This, in turn, may lead to misunderstandings and fights may arise, threatening to tear the relationship apart. Moreover, it is hard to feel like a partner knows you and understands you if you are lying to her. By lying, people tend to keep the negative aspects of their personality hidden from their partners examples include their cheating habits, gambling addictions or preferences, creating something like a mask that hides their true selves. This is very unhealthy in a relationship as the false persona would lead the partner to form wrong assumptions about them, and this in turn may cause misunderstandings that may lead to disputes. In fact, even white lies can lead to horrible disputes. Do not underestimate the age-old white lie so commonly told by men – when his wfe asks “Do I look fat in this?” “Of course not, honey,” would be the conditioned response. Even though it may seem too small to matter, little white lies in relationships could blur the lines between respect, honesty and valuing each other’s opinions, thoughts and feelings. These little white lies may become a way of life or may grow into much larger white lies. While the person is not intentionally out to hurt the other’s feelings, lies would cause doubt which would erode the structure of the relationship. This shows how white lies in relationships are unhealthy and definitely should be avoided.


 * 1) It has been asserted that it is better to be a student in out parents’ time as students nowadays have to face too much stress, However, I disagree. While students nowadays have to face more stress, it has an illogical correlation to saying that it is better to be a student in our parents’ time. There are many reasons to which present day education is advantageous. Reasons include better qualified teachers, access to technology, and ready availability of advanced facilities. Firstly, teachers nowadays receive proper education and training in order to be able to teach, In countries like Singapore, teachers are made to undergo trainings in the National Institute of Education, before being officially qualified to become a teacher. This improves the quality of education in schools, and gives the students abilities to learn topics that are more advanced. This is unlike the past, where teachers did not have to go through such strict regimen in order to be qualified to teach. No longer can under-qualified teenagers, barely into their adulthood, teach. Therefore, students nowadays have access to much better education, reason being the qualifications of the teachers. Secondly, there is now a ready access to technology. In our parents’ generation, due to the absence of the internet, it was difficult to obtain information for assignments and class projects. Students would have to visit the limited libraries, and resort to other tedious methods of obtaining information. This would naturally lead to then spending a great deal of time,just to complete one assignment. However, nowadays, compuers, the Internet, and libraries with a wide range of books are prevalent and provide ready and fast access to information, that, in the past, would have taken a much longer time to find. In fact, research has shown that the use of the Internet for schoolwork has increased student’s understanding of topics taught in school, as compared to the past, where students had to struggle with understanding some things taught in school. This shows how nowadays actually have it better than students in our parents’ generation. Moreover, students in our parents’ generation face their own kinds of stress. In their generation, poverty was very prevalent and students often had no money to go for tuition. The students lagging behind had to struggle hard to keep up with the other students, and they could not afford to go for tuition to aid their studies. Furthermore, due to the majority of parents if students in our parents’ generation being very strict with their children, many students who were struggling with schoolwork were further stressed by their parents’ strict expectations of them. This is unlike the present-day generation of students, where most families have a steady income, and most parents dote on their children. Most of the students nowadays who are lagging behind are able to attend tuition classes to help them catch up with their schoolwork. This therefore shows that being students in our parents’ generation was also very stressful, and this shows how being students in our parents’ generation may be better than receiving present- day education.


 * 1) It has been argues that organ trading should be allowed in Singapore as nothing is more important than saving a life. However, I disagree. Organ trading has many disadvantages in its own right, The reasons include high risks, and it leads to terrible social problems. In organ trading, the risks are considerable, and there is a high chance of serious complications in the patient’s condition. According to BBC News, research carried out by doctors in Conventry shows that of eight patients who travelled to India or Pakistan for organ transplants, six returned suffering from serious complications. Receiving an organ might not ensure a chance to recovery, so organ trading should not be allowed. Moreover, allowing organ trading would cannibalise the poor and only the rich would be able to receive organs. This would lead to terrible social costs, crime and violence, such as forceful removal of organs from people like tourists and the poor. If Singapore were to allow organ trading, there is a high chance these problems would arise, and if the forceful removal of organs from tourists were to happen in Singapore, people from other countries would have a bad impression of Singapore, resulting the taking of precautionary measures and avoiding travelling to Singapore, which would lead to an adverse effect on Singapore’s economy. Furthermore, Iran is the only country where organ trading is legal. The reason for so many countries refusing to legalise organ trading is due to it being rather risky and the matter may go out of hand, which a high chance of it causing societal problems. Therefore organ trading should not be allowed in Singapore.

After revision, 24.5/30

__**Assignment 5:**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Sometime in June 2010, Singapore opened its doors to its brand-new casinos to the public, and also to an abundant number of opportunities for its tourism and economy. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> The casinos give hope to boosting Singapore’s tourism industry and gives a fillip to the economy. The tax revenues and tourists are the resulting benefits from the casinos, and tourists from all around the globe have been flocking to Singapore in throngs to experience and enjoy the novelty of the casinos. According to the Google news webpage, it has been recorded that Resorts World Sentosa recorded 149,000 visitors of the casino in the first week after its opening, marking a drastic increase in the amount of tourists arrivals in February. This is exceptionally good news as by attracting more tourists, we are bringing money from other countries, boosting the economy and giving us an advantage over other countries, resulting in a more vibrant economy in Singapore. This strong flow of money from the tourism area would also be very useful for Singapore in times of recession, ensuring that we still have enough money put away to tide through it and sustain the economy. This will make us stronger as a country, and will also allow Singapore to gain recognition from all the other countries. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> The casinos in Singapore would result in a spill-over on hotels, airports, travel, transport, retail and restaurants in Singapore. Apart from the tourist arrivals, hotels also benefit from the casinos in Singapore. Hotel occupancy had a surge of 14 per cent since the opening of the casinos, as reported by the Singapore Tourism Board. This is the result of the tremendous increase in the amount of tourists who stay overnight in Singapore after visiting the casinos. This can therefore imply that the foreigners spend money within the area and because of this, there is an inflow of money into Singapore. Furthermore, one of the two casinos in Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, is located in the heart of Singapore’s financial region and it offers high technology exhibition and convention facilities. Doubtlessly, this will attract a huge amount of high-end companies to hold their international meetings in Marina Bay Sands. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> By opening the casinos in Singapore, it has supplies new jobs for the unemployed. This new industry brings new job opportunities and creates more work for local suppliers and services like security guards and servers. According to various sources, the casinos have generated some 35,000 jobs. This had definitely led to a great reduction in the unemployment rate in Singapore, and will ensure that the people of Singapore have jobs with steady incomes to sustain their lives, This would lead to the stimulation of the economy, and in turn provide even more jobs for other people with the multiplier effect. All in all, the casinos help to transform the staid city into a more attractive destination for tourists, foreign talents and investors as the country diversifies its economy to stay ahead amid stiffer competition from neighbouring countries, and it generates jobs that would sustain the lives of the citizens. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Some may say that the casinos in Singapore have led to negative social effects, such as prostitution and gambling addiction. However, that only applies to the minority who are unable to control their gambling urges. To combat this problem, the government has put up what is called an entrance levy. This ensures that all Singaporeans and permanent residents have to pay $100 in order to enter the casinos. This helps to keep the problem at bay, and promotes self-awareness during gambling, such that the gamblers would not be willing to spend so much whilst gambling. If, say, the gambling of a family member is really getting out of hand, family members may apply for the Family Exclusion orders. The Family Exclusion enables a family to apply for exclusion of a problem gambler from casinos and serves as a social safeguard to prevent problem gamblers and those with financial difficulties from entering the casinos in Singapore. Furthermore, problem gamblers in Singapore have many outlets and ways to which they could manage their gambling addiction. Gamblers can seek help from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), and organisations like Care Corner. Though other negative social effects may occur, but under the meticulous control of the government, only a small minority of people would commit crimes due to the opening of the casinos. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Therefore, I conclude that allowing casinos in Singapore was a correct decision, and that the positive effects of casinos in Singapore outweigh the negative effects of casinos in Singapore. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">After revision, 25/30

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">As far as avatars are concerned, they are unable to teach as human teachers do. With the lack of emotion and abilities of a human, its only job is to generate information and answer questions, which is not the same as teaching. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> With a human teacher, a child can understand him/her better and can put forward his doubts about the topic in a clear way. However, it is highly impossible with avatars, as they may be programmed to only know one way of explanation for a topic. If a student does not understand its explanation, the avatars may not be able to describe or explain it to them in a different manner, so students are unable to fully understand a topic. Technology will never replace “good teachers,” maintains Susan Feldman, research vice president of Search and Discovery Technologies at IDC. “What a teacher does is to engage in a conversation with a student or many students. A real teacher doesn’t just broadcast; she senses what the students understand and don’t understand to get them to where they need to be. That’s not what a computer does.”
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> E-learning: //Is it a good idea to use avatars to replace humans as teachers in schools?// **

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