Well, as we all know, there are two integrated resorts. When I first heard about building these resorts in Singapore, I was rather excited and curious because it is the first time that Singapore is going to have a universal studio theme park and a casino. I began to thought about the implications of these and today, I am going to focus more on the casino.
Firstly, the plan to build a casino in Singapore is mainly to boost the economy by attracting more tourists to Singapore and in the process, provide more jobs for the jobless people in Singapore. There are some concerns over the social problems that the casino would bring about, which I do not deny, but looking at the bigger picture, this is actually a good chance to earn more revenue and it is also one of the few chances where a country's economy can be significantly improved.
I would like to talk more about the good points the casino can bring. Firstly, the casino is built mainly to boost the economy by attracting more tourists to Singapore, which I have mentioned in the previous paragraph and in the meantime, create more job opportunities for the unemployed in Singapore. Many countries like Malaysia and Macau have built casinoes to increase revenue and this is a fast and effective way to do so. The casino will no doubt have a significant impact as shown in the number of people going to the casinoes in the opening days. The queue for foreigners is much longer than that of the locals and I think the government has achieved the aim of earning money from the foreigners. Think about it. There is no doubt there most of the foreigners stay for more than a day and from the nights they stay in the hotel, the government is actually earning money from the taxes too. The casino serves as an attraction for foreigners and regardless whether they gamble or not, the government will most likely be able to earn money and generate more revenue.
However, there are some people who are against the decision of building the casinoes. What is their major fear? They fear that their family members would be addicted to gambling and risk getting themselves in huge debt, broken families etc. There is no doubt that there might be a possibility of this happening. However, I feel that the government has put measures in place to discourage Singaporeans from entering the casino to gamble. Firstly, there is the exorbitant entrance fee of $100 per entry. Also, family members now have the choice to call the NCPG, or the National Centre for Problem Gambling, to put a bar on their family members, thus preventing them for entering the casinos. There are also television advertisements reminding us the disastrous consequences of gambling. I feel that these measures are sufficient enough to discourage most people from entering the casino regularly, unless they are already addicted.
Overall, I believe that building the casino could turn out to be a good decision. I think that it is also a last resort to boost the economy as Lee Kuan Yew has always firmly rejected ideas to build casinoes in Singapore, for fear of the worst. With the advantages of the casino, coupled with measures put in place to discourage Singaporeans from gambling, I believe that the decision of building the casino is a good one, although it remains to be seen.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
If I could eliminate an emotion in this world, what would that be?
Hey guys,
I am back for another post. I am often pondering over this question:If I could eliminate an emotion in this world, what would that be? This is a rather tough but interesting question for me. What would be the choice for you guys? After all, there are so many emotions that are part and parcel of our life and they all play a part too. So, after much thinking, I have come to make a decision.
Jealousy.
Actually, come to think about it, I feel that there are two sides to this emotion. Why? This emotion is the cause of many crimes, like thefts and murders. Take a child for example. If he sees a friend of his holding on to the latest games, won't he be jealous? Won't he want to get his hands on that game? Won't he have the desire to steal that game if it is left unguarded on a table? I definitely think that most children feel that way, but don't get me wrong as I am definitely not a thief.
However, there is another side to this emotion. A good side. Anyway, the point is this. This emotion is evil if you let it overwhelm you. A little bit of jealousy might be quite good actually. Imagine this, if you see a model student passing his exams with flying colours, you would naturally envy him and therefore that can be a motivation to put in extra hard work to get similar results. However, when it reaches another level, it might lead to horrible things happening. Something I call over-jealousy might lead you to alter your marks and so on. Sadly, many people nowadays fall prey to this temptation. Rising crime rates is a good evidence.
Overall, if there is one emotion that I am forced to eliminate in this world, I would eliminate jealousy. It can be good, it can be bad. Jealousy can help one, but definitely, it can destroy one too as it is the cause of many crimes.
I am back for another post. I am often pondering over this question:If I could eliminate an emotion in this world, what would that be? This is a rather tough but interesting question for me. What would be the choice for you guys? After all, there are so many emotions that are part and parcel of our life and they all play a part too. So, after much thinking, I have come to make a decision.
Jealousy.
Actually, come to think about it, I feel that there are two sides to this emotion. Why? This emotion is the cause of many crimes, like thefts and murders. Take a child for example. If he sees a friend of his holding on to the latest games, won't he be jealous? Won't he want to get his hands on that game? Won't he have the desire to steal that game if it is left unguarded on a table? I definitely think that most children feel that way, but don't get me wrong as I am definitely not a thief.
However, there is another side to this emotion. A good side. Anyway, the point is this. This emotion is evil if you let it overwhelm you. A little bit of jealousy might be quite good actually. Imagine this, if you see a model student passing his exams with flying colours, you would naturally envy him and therefore that can be a motivation to put in extra hard work to get similar results. However, when it reaches another level, it might lead to horrible things happening. Something I call over-jealousy might lead you to alter your marks and so on. Sadly, many people nowadays fall prey to this temptation. Rising crime rates is a good evidence.
Overall, if there is one emotion that I am forced to eliminate in this world, I would eliminate jealousy. It can be good, it can be bad. Jealousy can help one, but definitely, it can destroy one too as it is the cause of many crimes.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Task B - Intrapersonal
Hi guys, now, I will start with my next task, the intrapersonal task. I will be doing task a.
Well, If I could be friends with one of the characters in the novel, I would definitely pick Atticus Finch for he has many attributes that I can learn from. Firstly, I find that he has courage to stand up for what he believes in and this is especially evident when he took up the court case to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro. He knew that he would lose in the end, but he continued and chose to fight for justice as he believes that everyone should be treated equally and with respect too.
Atticus is intelligent, calm, and shows exemplary behaviour. This is the reason why he is respected by everyone and he is the moral backbone of Maycomb in the story.
Also, among other attributes that he has, he is also a humble person. He was the best shooter in town but he didn't make it known to his children, Scout and Jem as he doesn't want to show off his talents to others.
I would definitely want to be friends with Atticus Finch if I were given a chance to do so. He is a great person in the story and is respected by everyone. I would want to be friends with him to pick up his good attributes and to learn things from him too as I think that this would enable me to improve myself to become a better person.
Well, If I could be friends with one of the characters in the novel, I would definitely pick Atticus Finch for he has many attributes that I can learn from. Firstly, I find that he has courage to stand up for what he believes in and this is especially evident when he took up the court case to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro. He knew that he would lose in the end, but he continued and chose to fight for justice as he believes that everyone should be treated equally and with respect too.
Atticus is intelligent, calm, and shows exemplary behaviour. This is the reason why he is respected by everyone and he is the moral backbone of Maycomb in the story.
Also, among other attributes that he has, he is also a humble person. He was the best shooter in town but he didn't make it known to his children, Scout and Jem as he doesn't want to show off his talents to others.
I would definitely want to be friends with Atticus Finch if I were given a chance to do so. He is a great person in the story and is respected by everyone. I would want to be friends with him to pick up his good attributes and to learn things from him too as I think that this would enable me to improve myself to become a better person.
Task B- Naturalist
As you all know, from the previous post, I am more of naturalistic and intrapersonal. Thus, I will be doing two different things about this for Task B.
Firstly, I will be doing the one about the naturalist. Let me give you a brief introduction about the mockingbird. Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: Mimus and Nesomimus are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be some thrashers, such as the Sage Thrasher. Melanotis is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae. The mockingbird eats mainly ripe berries and garden insects and lives in open country with thickets, farmland and desert brush.
Also, there is an interesting fact about the mockingbird, discovered by someone called Doug Levey. In 2009 it was reported that Doug Levey, a biologist at the University of Florida, had discovered that mockingbirds could pick out a threatening person from a crowd. Levey had one person stand near a mockingbord nest and touch it, while other people avoided the nest. Later on, the mockingbirds recognized the intruder and attacked him, while ignoring the other people. Research has shown that the birds recognize and remember people based upon as few as two encounters that can last less than 30 seconds.
I think that the mockingbird lives in Maycomb as there are probably berries like blackberries, elderberries and raspberries in Maycomb. Also, there could be huge open areas covered with grass and also farms, as mockingbirds usually live in these areas.
Firstly, I will be doing the one about the naturalist. Let me give you a brief introduction about the mockingbird. Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: Mimus and Nesomimus are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be some thrashers, such as the Sage Thrasher. Melanotis is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae. The mockingbird eats mainly ripe berries and garden insects and lives in open country with thickets, farmland and desert brush.
Also, there is an interesting fact about the mockingbird, discovered by someone called Doug Levey. In 2009 it was reported that Doug Levey, a biologist at the University of Florida, had discovered that mockingbirds could pick out a threatening person from a crowd. Levey had one person stand near a mockingbord nest and touch it, while other people avoided the nest. Later on, the mockingbirds recognized the intruder and attacked him, while ignoring the other people. Research has shown that the birds recognize and remember people based upon as few as two encounters that can last less than 30 seconds.
I think that the mockingbird lives in Maycomb as there are probably berries like blackberries, elderberries and raspberries in Maycomb. Also, there could be huge open areas covered with grass and also farms, as mockingbirds usually live in these areas.
Task A: Discovering your Learning Profile
Hi guys, this would be my first post of the year and it would be on discovering my own learning profile. Well, through this Multiple Intelligence test, I knew more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses. I find that this test is really interesting and in the process, I can discover more about myself. Also, it is useful when it comes to determining the areas where one is better or weaker at as the results are plotted evidently in different colours, each representing a different area. Through this test, I found out that I was naturalistic and intrapersonal and I am weaker in linguistic areas. I can make use of the results of the test to improve on areas that I am weaker in.
However, I feel that there is a disadvantage in this test. I think that there are too little questions to determine our strengths and weaknesses. There should be more questions to gauge our learning profile to make it a more accurate one. Some of the results are inaccurate, for example on the spatial/visual one, the result for me is rather low, but I feel that I am a rather spatial person.
Overall, I feel that this Multiple Intelligence test is useful, interesting and can help one improve by knowing the areas that he/she is weaker in. The only shortcoming for me is that there are too little questions in the test. All right, that would be all for my first post on my feelings towards the Multiple Intelligence test. Do keep a lookout for my next blog post where I will be starting on Task B.
However, I feel that there is a disadvantage in this test. I think that there are too little questions to determine our strengths and weaknesses. There should be more questions to gauge our learning profile to make it a more accurate one. Some of the results are inaccurate, for example on the spatial/visual one, the result for me is rather low, but I feel that I am a rather spatial person.
Overall, I feel that this Multiple Intelligence test is useful, interesting and can help one improve by knowing the areas that he/she is weaker in. The only shortcoming for me is that there are too little questions in the test. All right, that would be all for my first post on my feelings towards the Multiple Intelligence test. Do keep a lookout for my next blog post where I will be starting on Task B.
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