Vatican to issue new statement on use of condoms against Aids

The Straits Times-World, Tue April 25th 2006

The catholic church has always opposed the use of condoms and other contraceptives as part of its teachings against contraception. It maintained that promoting the use of condoms contributes to the immoral and hedonistic lifestyles of the people and the spread of Aids. However, now the Vatican are contemplating issuing a new statment allowing the use of condoms, and for the vatican to change a statement which has been present for so many years, i believe that it is due to the case of Aids becoming increasingly serious. Personally i agree with the catholic church that condoms should not be used as we should let nature take its course and not try to prevent ourselvs from getting pregnant. If we choose to engage in sexual activity we should be responsible for our own actions and not fear accidental pregnancy. I believe that Aids is getting more serious by the day as more people around the world are engaging in unprotected premarital sex. Nowadays most young people do not think much of their virginity and are thus very casual about sex, and so many such young people engage in premartial sex without 'protection'. This is dangerous as casual sex with many partners can lead to the transmission of many sex-related diseases, such as AIDs. One way to reduce the risk of catching Aids through sex is by using condoms, but these are not 100% safe. To fully protect oneself from sexually transmitted diseses is to practice abstinence, i believe that this is the safest and best way to protect one's self. In the first place sex should be between a couple who are ready to be in a relationship and are committed and faithful to each other only, who do not party and fool around and engage in affairs. By being faithful in a sexual realtionship, it can decrease the chances of Aids being spread, as a faithful partner is usually 'clean'. All in all people should think twice before they engage in casual sex and should use a condom if they are unsure of the other person's sex life history. As the issue of Aids becomes increasingly serious i do not think that we should depend on condoms but opt for the safer route instead, which is to abstain and not treat sex so casually.

Stem cells that kill

Times pg 38, April 24 2006

I am fascinated by this new advancement in science which could have found a potential cure for cancer. Recently it has been discovered that only a small percentage of cancerous tumours are made up of dangerous cancer cells, the rest of the tumour is made up of relatively harmless cells some of which are called cellular noise. Those few cancer cells are the root of the problem of cancer and if they can be destroyed, the cancer can be cured. Although scientists still have not found a way to directly get rid of those cancer cells in tumour, at least they have found the root cause of cancer and this discovery could lead to new ways of treatment and a possible cure. I myself am glad that people have come a step closer to completely getting rid of the problem of cancer, and it would not be a surprise to me if in the future a cure will be found, and cancer will no longer be treated as the dreaded, killer illness, but only one of secondary importance and will be treated on the same level as that of a cold. This new discovery of cancer tumours has given cancer patients a new lease of hope, and hopefully they can be given a new lease of life too.

Behaviour tips for 'ugly Americans'

The Straits Times-World, Tue April 18th 2006

The reputation of ugly Americans abroad are becoming worryingly accurate and the US State Department wants to give these Americans an image makeover by issuing tips on how to behave while travelling. Personally, i believe that the way one acts and behaves gives people an impression of the kind of person we are. So it is important for one to behave and leave a good impression especially if one is travelling into a foreign country. When we are in another country, we must pay attention to the way we behave as what we do may have great influence on how others think of our country. If we misbehave, people will have misconceptions about our country and think that allpeople in our country are generally rude and ill-mannered, and thus will avoid visiting the country. However if we just learn to behave and potray some good mannerism, people will be impressed by our behaviour and will generally have an overall good impression of the country. Therefore our behaviour is important as it is a form of common etiquette, and we should learn to control it and behave properly.

Cot on camera: Virtual visit service at SGH

The Straits Times-Home, Fri April 20th 2006

I am amazed at the wonders of technolgy and the conveniences it brings to us. Now after giving birth, a new mother can go home and recuperate with a peace of mind, leaving the baby behind in the hospital. The mother can then monitor her baby from home via a live video camera trained on his cot. I am impressed with this new innovation as i believe it has alot of advantages. With this virtual visit concept, family members of the couple have a chance to catch a first glimpse of the baby and do not need to travel all the way to the hospital each day just to visit the baby, thus saving alot on transportation costs and time. Also, the video taken of the baby can be sent directly to the father's handphone so that the father can see his baby anytime, anywhere even when at work, providing alot of convenience for the working parent. Furthermore this virtual visit service is cheap and easy to use. I believe that in the future this virtual visit service will become popular among the couples and will be widely used in hospitals around the country in time to come.

Man killed by whirling helicopter blades

The Straits Times, Sat 1st April 2006

A man was killed instantly when he was struck on the head by a helicopter's whirling blades. I am really sad to hear of such a tragedy. I believe that such an accident could have been avoided if more saftey precautions were taken. It is said that helicopter blades should be stationary before passengers are allowed to alight or board the helicopter, but this was not the case for Mr Joseph Chan who got hit by the helicopter's whirling blades while hurrying away from it. If there had been more stricter saftey measures taken, i believe that Mr Joseph Chan would still be alive today. If only Mr Chan had stopped and waited for the helicopter's blades to stop whirling, it might have made a big difference to his life. The company that Mr Chan was working for should have hired a professional helicopter handler to be in charge of escorting students to the helicopter instead of getting Mr Chan to do the job when he had no prior knowledge of how to get close safely to a helicopter. In this case, i feel that the company Mr Joseph Chan was working in is to blame as they should have taken into consideration the saftey factor of the job and should not have let Mr Chan work too close to a helicopter that is starting rotate its blades.

Pet poo can cause HFMD?

The Newpaper, Sat 1st April 2006

To stop irresponsible pet owners from not cleaning up their pets poo, the management of Pine Grove condominium cried Hand Foot and Mouth Disease(HMFD). The condo managers put up notices saying that pets' poo may invite the outbreak of HFMD hoping it will cause residents to pick up after their pets, even though the information is false. I am shocked that this is what some condo managers would do just to stop residents from leaving their pet poo lying around. They resort to lying about something that is considered a serious matter. HFMD is a disease and should not be used to scare pet owners into cleaning up after their pets, but instead it should be taken seriously. I believe that many residents believed what was written about the pets' poo being able to cause HFMD, and this might have led to many misunderstandings. Some parents who have pets and small children might think that the pets pose a threat to their children and hence think of giving up their pets. Whatever the case it was wrong of the management of the condoinium to give out false information just to solve their own problems. By doing so the management has been unfair to the residents, and since they can lied it shows that this management is not really a good one.

Pakistan inducts first female pilots

The Straits Times, Sat 1st April 2006

I am glad to know that Pakistan is finally letting women be pilots instead of the previous all male pilot rule. This shows that women are reaching a point where they are considered to have equal status and opportunities as men, and this is really interesting news in a country where women are known to be conservative and are considered less superior to men. I believe that in all countries women should be given equal treatment as men and should not be treated as the weaker sex. Now in this modern era, women have come a long way from the once meek ideology that all women should just learn to be good housewives and take good care of thier husbands. Now women have risen in the ranks in business and sports and have shown that they are capable and can be domineering too, even over men. For example, the secretary of state in the US, the president of the Phillipines and the Queen of England are all women, this shows that woman too can lead and handle great responsibilities. Therefore i am glad to see that Pakistan is opening up its doors to female pilots where it was once considered a male dominant career in the country.

She's like family

The NewPaper, Thursday 30th march 2006

An Indonesian maid was on such good terms with her employers that she was considered part of the family. However one day, the maid alledgedly snapped and stabbed her employer for no apparent reason. I was quite taken aback when i read this article, I am shocked that such a thing could happen at the very place we call home. The maid just lost it and stabbed her employer out of the blue, and it really scares me to know that such a thing actually happened. I myself have a maid at home and i shudder to think of the outcome if all maids suddenly snapped like that indonesian maid and do such a scary thing. Recently over the past few years, they have been quite a few cases of maids murdering and attacking their employers and i believe that this is starting to become a more serious problem. Many of such cases are attributed to the maids, who unable to tolerate the strict scoldings, try to kill their employers to seek revenge. In my opinion, maids are humans too and have their own rights. Though they come to Singapore to work as maids, we should not treat them like slaves but instead appreciate them and give them some space of their own. I am not sure what exactly caused the indonesian maid to snap and to want to stab her employer but her actions have caused distress to the victim's family and i believe she does deserve punishment as nothing can justify what she did. No matter how angry or uncontrollable our emotions are, we should not think of violence and hatred, but insead we should learn self control. I hope that the employer is alright and that she will be able to find out the reason behind their maid's behaviour, a maid that they trusted and treated like family. This incident shows me how unpredictable life is and it makes me wonder whether maids can truely be trusted and whether they deserve to be treated as part of the family as u never know if they will turn on you just like the indonesian maid mentioned in this article. Maids afterall are outsiders.