Blog-Writing Prompt #10 - Premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's Innocence

      Recently, IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn was recently arrested on rape charge, and many people in the media judged him guilty even before the case got to trial. Was it fair for the media to form a premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's innocence? I feel that it is not very fair to do so, firstly because the victim might not be stating the truth, and that they are in no position to judge him. However, as an important person, I think that he should not be caught doing this as it would damage the reputation.
 
      Firstly, the victim might not be stating the truth, and is just trying to cause trouble for Strauss-Kahn, or she might just want the attention. As shown in the Time magazine, 'The Manhattan district attorney's office was reported to have new information that undermined the accuser's credibility, including evidence that not long after the alleged assault, she called a boyfriend in an immigration jail in Arizona and told him, in words roughly translated from her native Fulani language, "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing."'
This causes some suspicion on her statement, that Strauss-Kahn had tried to rape her. The New York Times aso shown that she repeatedly lied to the police since making her first statement. With so many errors in her statements, who is going to believe that what she said is the truth? Thus, I feel that premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's innocence is not fair.
 
       Secondly, they are in no position to judge Strauss-Kahn. Strauss-Kahn can only be convicted of rape in court, and without the court convicting him, we cannot know if he is innocent or not. Thus, it is very ridiculous that the media is making such a big fuss before Strauss-Kahn is even convicted, and I feel that it is extremely unfair for him.
 
       However, I also feel that Strauss-Kahn should b more careful, as he is an important person. Thus, he should try hard not to let such scandals affect him life, the fact that he was arrested on rape charge showed that he is unable to prove that he is innocent, and this should not be the case, since it will affect his reputation. However, this cannot be easily done, as Strauss-Kahn is not psychic and cannot predict what will happen to him. Thus, I feel that this case is unfair for Strauss-Kahn.
     
        In conclusion, I feel that the media and everyone who feels that Strauss-Kahn should be convicted of rape should not make a premature opinion about his innocence, as it is unfair to him and even if they are right, Strauss-Kahn is still human, and to err is human. We all make mistakes and we should not be making premature opinions about him. If the media wants to make opinions of Strauss-Kahn, I feel that they will need evidences to prove it.

In-Class online lesson #11 - Speeches and Public Speaking

   Theme: Prejudice

Speech topic: Can prejudice be prevented?

   

      Good Afternoon. Today, my speech will be about prejudice. Do we know anyone who had used any racist slurs before? What about prejudice remarks? I am quite sure the answer is yes. We had seen many people being prejudice towards others, in our school, in our nation. Why is there prejudice? Some people say it is because "bad people exists", but it is actually because people are judging people before having enough knowledge! So, I ask. Can prejudice be prevented? My answer is no, prejudice cannot be prevented.  

     

       Firstly, we need to understand what prejudice is. Prejudice is most commonly used to refer to judging of people based on their personal characteristics. We all like to judge people, some because they want to feel better about themselves, some because they are jealous of one another. This trait is hard to get rid of, because we humans like to be the best.Therefore, as we try to show that we are better than others, prejudice occurs. Thus, prejudice cannot be prevented.

       Secondly, there are many people who are not educated yet. This amount is about 15% of the total number of people in the world. Our world is big and our people is many. Even though the uneducated rate is decreasing, there will still be people in the world that never goes to school. These people will not learn about respect or prejudice, and will then be more likely to judge people based on their physical appearance, leading to prejudice. Therefore, even though we can reduce prejudice, I believe that it is impossible to remove prejudice. 

       I had asked if prejudice can be prevented. Now, I will state again, that prejudice cannot be removed, and it will remain in our life. In conclusion, I feel that although we cannot prevent prejudice, we can work hard to reduce the rate of prejudice. By doing so, our world will become a better and safer place to live in. It will be hard, but it is possible. Thank you. 

Blog - Writing Prompt #12 - Casey Anthony

       Recently, a mother named Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee, even though he didn’t report the little girl’s disappearance for over a month, and circumstantial evidence pointed to other suspicious behaviour. She was vilified both in the media and online; after the verdict was announced, the “I hate Casey Anthony” Facebook page received almost 39,000 “likes”. Should the general public show mercy by accepting the court decision and leaving her alone? I think that the general public should do so and leave her alone.
      
       Firstly, the court had already decided that Casey Anthony was innocent. She did not find out that her daughter was missing, this was because she had mental problems. The court had accepted this fact, thus she was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. What more do the public want? Why will it be fair for Casey Anthony if she is judged by the public for what she did not do? I think that this is unfair for her, thus, the public should show mercy by accepting the court decision and leaving her alone. 


       Secondly, even if she was guilty, how does it affect us? This case is in Orlando, somewhere in the United States. It does not affect us, since the majority of the human population do not live in it. Why should we not leave her alone and instead, create a “I hate Casey Anthony” Facebook page? I feel that all this is unnecessary, we do not have evidences to prove that she is guilty of murdering her daughter. Thus, it is silly for the public to do so, and we should leave her alone and not bother her.


       However, if she were to be guilty, it will be going against the human's rights, it is inhuman to murder one's daughter, no matter what reason she gives. However, we do not have evidence to show that she was guilty of murdering her daughter, thus, I feel that this is unfair for her if the public assumes this. Thus, I feel that the public should show some mercy and leave her alone.


       In conclusion, I feel that we should not judge others based on what we think. Such will be unfair for the person, and it is not right to do so. Thus, I conclude that we should all leave Casey Anthony alone and give her the benefit of doubt, and show some mercy.

Blog-Writing Prompt #6 - Negative consequences of Apple not allowing the full iTunes Music Store in Singapore

      Apple has only allowed the App Store in Singapore, but not the full iTunes Music Store, which means that iPhone owners can buy apps but not music, movies, or books through Apple. Their reason is rampant piracy throughout Asia. However, by doing so, they had created some negative consequences. These includes losing many potential customers, causing more piracy and causing less people will trust Apple and it's product any more.

     Firstly, Apple will lose many customers, since Asia has a huge population of about 3,880,000,000. This is more than half of the world's population. When Apple does not allow the full iTunes Music Store in Asia, this will reduce the amount of people buying the Apple's product from the iTunes Music Store. This thus reduces Apple's income from the sale of music, movies and books because people from Asia countries are unable to purchase them. Therefore, this is an negative impact on Apple when they do not allow the iTunes Music Store in Asia.

     Secondly, piracy of music, movies and books of iTunes Music Store will increase instead of deceasing. An comment on Apple not setting up a iTunes Music Store in Asia was that she "can't even buy a single song from the iTunes Store, and since original CDs and DVDs are too expensive, the only solution seems to be piracy". This shows that iTunes Music Store not set up in Asia will cause the people to not be able to purchase songs through the iTunes, and thus resort to piracy because original CDs and DVDs were too expensive. Thus, another negative consequence is that piracy will increase.

      Thirdly, more Apple's customers would not trust Apple any more. Nobody would like to buy Apple products if they are deprived of new products by Apple. Comments state that Apple is racist and only allows Americans to buy music, movies and books in the iTunes Music Store. This thus makes customers of Apple angry, and nobody would want to trust Apple in providing good services any more. This shows that less people will trust Apple and is thus a negative impact on Apple.

      In conclusion, I feel that Apple not setting up a iTunes Music Store is causing a negative impact on itself, and thus it would be better if it allows a iTunes Music Store to be set up in Asia.

Blog - Writing Prompt #5 - Descriptive Narrative prose(Without adjectives or adverbs)

     I glanced outside. There were trees, grass and flowers. I strolled outside. The breeze blew against me and I breathed in. The scent gave me a sense of elation. I loved the nature. Why must man cut down the trees? Why must man destroy nature? Sadness filled me as I thought about the men who came and cut down the trees in front of my house.
     I had just seen men coming here and cutting down some trees. This was one of last place that had scenery. The scientists had said that time is ending. I would agree. The air is filled with carbon dioxide. I filled like choking on the air. Oxygen was low.

     I walked towards the trees, grass and flowers. I touched the tree trunk, the grass and the flower. I hoped that nature will give everyone a sense of elation. I hoped that everyone will appreciate nature. I hoped for Planet Earth. Please stay alive.......

In-Class online lesson #10 - Shakespeare in the News

    A present-day conflict is the "New Australian Law to pass for burqa ban"

      It was a beautiful Sunday. But not so perfect after the Australians's most populous state New South Wales giving the police the power to ask Muslim women to life their veils! This morning, when I was going shopping with my wife in New South Wales. Two more days and we will be leaving to go back to our country. However, just as we reach the shopping mall, a policeman stop us, asking my wife to lift her veil! My wife refused, politely. However, the policeman refused to back down and told my wife angrily that she can be fined up to $55000 or having to spend a whole year inside prison! Of course there was a fuss. I was so angry! What is this! These people do not accept our culture!

       The New South Wales officials say that the law is implemented so that more authority for the police can be assure. I think that it is culturally insensitive! This law harms the basic rights of immigrants Muslims and us, tourists! Although this law does not ban anything directly, chances of burqa clad women being mistreated by police will definitely increase! Thus, I feel that such a rule is insensitive and Australia should make away such a rule!

Reflections:
   I feel that we should not have such a law, although it will mean more authority for the police, reducing crime. However, I feel that it is being insensitive to other people's culture. I think that it is important to respect others, and not create such a law that will anger those of that culture. In the history of Singapore, the Maria Hertogh Riot, was because of religious insensitive, thus leading to anger in the Muslims and such an unhappy situation ended with several deaths and even more injuries. It was such a horrifying experience that the Singapore government used Social Studies to educate the students about the troubles if we do not be sensitive about such topics. Thus, I think that maintaining sensitivity and thus not setting up such a law is better, since religion is a sensitive topic and the Australian government should be more careful and not have such a law.  

Blog-Writing Prompt #7 - If Antonio should loan Bassanio the money

     In Act I Scene I, Bassanio tried to borrow some money from Antonio. If I were Antonio, should I loan him the money? The three main points are that he still owes me money, he spends beyond his means and that he seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely.

     Firstly, Bassanio still owes me money. However, he still tries to borrow some money from me to marry Portia. This is supported by Bassanio saying, "To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love", showing that I had lent him much money already. Also, he is a risk-taker and might not be able to return me my money, as showed that "In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight, The self-same way with more advised watch", and he might lose both shafts, which represent my money. Therefore, if I lend Bassanio money, he might not be able to return me.
   
      Secondly, Bassanio spends beyond his means. This is showed when Bassanio says, "How much I have disabled mine estate", showing that he spends beyond what he had and thus caused himself to have debts. Thus, this makes me hard to lend Bassanio money, since it will be unlikely that he will be able to return me my money, and he might just spend the loaned money on parties and spend all of it.

      However, Bassanio seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely. This can be showed in Act 1 Scene 1, where Bassanio says that "And from your love I have a warranty
To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe." This showed that he wants to clear all the debts he owe and thus shows that he is now more determined to live more wisely. However, I do not know if he will really do so, or it is just an empty promise.

       Therefore, in conclusion, I feel that I should not lend Bassanio money, since there is much risk in lending him money, and he might not return me my money. Even if he is my friend and I will help him with all I can, I think that not lending him is a better way of helping him since he will know how important money is and will thus not spend beyond his means.

Blog-Writing Prompt #4B - Gender Imbalance

     What will be the effect on Asian society by such a large gender imbalance if this trend continues? Firstly, the treatment towards women might change. Secondly, the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. Lastly, the population of the country will decrease.

     Firstly, the treatment towards woman might change. Beijing-based science journalist Mara Hvistendah stated that some men pay traffickers for abducted brides. In recent years, thousands of women from Vietnam have been smuggled into China to work as prostitutes or to be sold into marriage. Vietnam also provides a source of mail-order brides for bachelors in Taiwan and South Korea. As gender imbalance occurs, more men would be unable to find a wife. This will thus cause discomfort and some will pay traffickers to abduct brides. Also, many Vietnam women will be smuggled into countries for prostitution or for marriage. This means that the treatment of woman will change, because of gender imbalance.

     Secondly,  the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. A Radio Free Europe commentary stated that, "political and social stability in both countries (China and India) could suffer. It is feared that the millions of reckless young men could begin venting their frustrations through violence, crime and political extremism." This showed that chaos will begin to erupt when gender imbalance occurs too seriously and young men starts to show their unhappiness by creating trouble. This will thus cause political and social challenges, causing the country to develop slower.
 
     Lastly, the population of the country will decrease. The result of China's one child policy caused China to have 32 million more males than females under the age of 20. As China's gender imbalance continues, less males will be able to find a wife. This will thus decrease the birth rate and finally causing the country to have a declining birth rate.
 
      In conclusion, gender imbalance will cause many problems to rise and this will cause insecurity in many countries will serious gender imbalance. Therefore, it will be important to keep the sex-ratio equal. This is what countries should do in order to create security and peace in the country.

Expert Circles

EXPERT CIRCLE 1

Topic 1:

Shakespeare's authorship was first questioned in the middle of the 19th century, when adulation of Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time had become widespread. Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.
Supporters of alternative candidates argue that theirs is the more plausible author, and that William Shakespeare lacked the education, aristocratic sensibility, or familiarity with the royal court that they say is apparent in the works.

There are 70 over candidates and four main candidates were  Francis Bacon, Derby, Malowe and Oxford.

Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate because he was a politician and he knows the court.

Topic 2:

Queen Elizabeth I
Born: 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace

Became Queen: 17 November 1558

Coronation: 15 January 1559
Westminster Abbey

Died: 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace

Buried: 28 April 1603
Westminster Abbey

QN1) Queen Elizabeth I: Shakespeare's Patron
The poet was throughout his life greatly indebted to the patronage and support of royal and noble personages; his royal patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I, both of whom gr0eatly loved the drama. Employer- employee relationship.
Shakespeare was ardently attracted to Elizabeth and her Court, and proved a faithful servant to his royal mistress

QN2)  Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603
She became queen at the age of 25
She died on 24 march 1603 (aged 69)
She was a Protestant. This caused her much trouble with other country because of her strong belief.
She had more power than a modern prime minister or president. Often disagreed with the parliament.

QN3) ALLIANCE
ENGLAND + NETHERLANDS

August 14, 1585 – Queen Elizabeth issues a declaration taking the Netherlands under her protection

·         December 8, 1585 – Robert Dudley, 1st earl of Leicester (close friend of Elizabeth) leads the English army to fight The Spanish Forces who are occupying the Netherlands.

·         In return, Netherlands helped fight the Spanish Armanda when the English fleet was in peril.

 

CONFLICTS

Conflict between ENGLAND and SPAIN.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Triumph of England’s new Protestant church angered the King of Spain, Philip II.

·         Competition in trade Angle-Spanish War from 1585-1604

·         Elizabeth rejected Philip 11’s hand in marriage and cause severe blow to his pride of country

England and Scotland Conflicts.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Elizabeth cancelled a meeting with Mary, Queen of Scots because of Mary’s continued attacks of French Protestants. Mary was imprisoned by Elizabeth.

·         Many protestants wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with Queen Mary, by an assassination plan. But it was foiled and Mary was executed, on 8 February.

IRELAND AND ENGLAND CONFLICTS, previously Catholic, had conflicts with Hugh O’Neill’s ambition to control Ireland and england’s advance on Ireland.

·         Ireland + spain, lost. Irish commanders received good terms from the new King, James I.

·         Elizabeth tried to eliminate Ireland’s Catholic churches but Ireland resisted, main religion changed into Protestant.

QN4) Portia:
Lead female in Merchant of Venice play.
Heroine who saves the day.
Independent woman.
Strong headed woman

Elizabeth:
Same as Portia.
Tribute paid to Elizabeth who was a patron of Shakespeare’s work
Famous of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
Strong woman like Portia
Gave England Identity

Topic 3: 



1. There was virtually no hygiene back in the Elizabethan era. Only rich people had soap, used perfume, bathed once every few weeks, and used something that was similar to a modern-day toilet (it’s just a hole in the wood with no flushing). Poor people fling their waste out of their windows. Women covered their body in white powder to make their skin look lighter. Hair was styled with lard and lead powder, and rich people who feasted on sugary sweets had rotten teeth.


2. There are things such as blood sports, such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. Team sports were also available, like football (similar to American football) and soccer, but these sports were extremely violent as there were few rules. Individual activities consisted of fencing, in which a person had a risk of dying, and hawk-training, where gentlemen train hawks to hunt other birds. Other activities include a game called BOWLS (which is similar to modern-day bowling but much crappier) and of course, there were theatre plays to watch in the open-roof theatres.


3. The rich had numeral country mansions and tudor manors were remodelled for the rich to live in. The poor lived in mud houses within the towns and cities. The rich lived in the west, while the poor lived in the east, where modern fleet streets are.


4. Rich peoples’ diet consisted of sugary sweets, bread and meat, while poor peoples’ diet consisted of bread, cheese and fish. The thing about their diets is that it had almost no fruits and vegetables, therefore scurvy was rampant.



5. Bright colours, elaborate trimmings and excessive padding was the most notable thing in clothing during the Elizabethan era. Padding was so full that all outward semblance to the human form was completely lost, both in men and women.


Topic 4: 

1.Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East.
During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition 
The dominant religion in Venice was Roman Catholicism. Jews were evicted from England in the 1290s and were forced out of many countries in Europe in the 15th and 16th century. They were allowed in only certain countries like Venice because they had value and were beneficial to the country. Jews were discriminated by the Christians in the 16th century in Europe, especially in England and Venice. Christians saw Jews as a threat to Christianity and that they were inferior and were excluded from society. In Venice, Jews were restricted from working in certain sectors like in manufacturing. They were not allowed to be bankers, lawyers, doctors or merchants and could only be moneylenders, which were important to the Venetian economy. However, in 1516, there was a set up of a Jewish ghetto in Venice where several thousands of Jews were crammed into the small walled area and were restricted from moving to other parts of the city.

2. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world, before the great expeditions during the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. Venice was also a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice.

3. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice. Also, The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, since Jews were not allowed to live in other places of Europe. 


Topic 5:


1. The dominant religion in England during the 15th century were the Christians. The dominant religion in England during the 16th century were the Catholics during 1529-1559, and later the 3. Christians during Queen Elizabeth I era. The dominant religion in Venice in both 15th and 16th century were the Jews.


2. Jews tried to exterminate the Christians which sparked off a bad start. Unhappiness caused among both religions.


3. Many countries banned Jews in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. In countries that did not ban Jews from their country, the Jews were heavily discriminated and they had many restrictions. They were only limited to jobs, land ownership and residential areas that made them seem inferior from the other citizens.


Topic 6:

1.Open Air Theatres with no electricity or lighting


2. No electricity or lighting or sound amplification


3.People with a good memory and coordination for stunts partook in the plays. The general public could watch them.


4.”Queen Elizabeth” liked plays but the authorities did not.


5.Golden Globe theatre was a lot less developed than modern days theatres and the stages were usually bare with little technology

Blog-Writing Prompt #4 - Paragraph of narrative in sentences of seven or fewer words

    Darkness engulfed the day. The grandfather clock stroked twelve times. It was midnight. Everyone was asleep, except for one person. He, was talented at picking locks. Skilled, he picked the window lock. The window was unlocked easily! Before entering, he glanced around. He saw no signs of anyone awake. "I am lucky!" He entered through the window. Then, he began tiptoeing to the drawers. He opened the drawers and grabbed everything! Then, he placed valuables into his pocket. Just then, someone woke up! "Who is there?" The thief got a shock! He cursed under his breath. He needs to find a hiding place!

Online Lesson #9 - War poem

War poem on Spainish Civil War (1936-1939)

Life makes a sudden change
Destiny bonds us together
But fate changed it all

17 July the dread
Fate turned
Destiny changed
Life Gone

Republicans and Nationalists
Which is good and which is bad
I don't know
But war had changed my life and fate and destiny
And I would never forget it

They damaged our houses
They killed our people
They claimed it was for a better good
But all I saw was terror
Bodies piling on the floor
Blood spilling on the ground

Blog-Writing Prompt #3 - Would the world be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic?

    The world will be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic. Firstly optimism improve human beings' health. Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism. Lastly, human beings will be more happier with optimism.
    Firstly, being optimism improves human beings' health. When one's mind is optimistic, our physical health is improved. A study of cancer patients showed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within 8 moths than optimistic patients of the same initial health, status and age. This showed that those who were optimistic would be more willing to continue living than those who are pessimistic. Therefore, it showed that the world would be different.
    Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism instead of pessimism. An example will be Donald Trump. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Trump Organisation, a real-estate developer based in the United States. Although he had been bankrupt many times, he was still optimistic and turned  his failures into success. This showed that with the help of optimism, human beings can continue to work harder to achieve success even after failures. Therefore, if human beings were not inherently optimistic, they would not be able to try harder for success after failure, thus turning the world into a place where people are "born to be losers" and do not try to achieve success after failure.
   Lastly, people are more happy with optimism. When one is optimism, he thinks positively. They see negative events as minor setbacks that can be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things. By believing themselves, they create more positive events in their life. Thus, they become happier than pessimistic people since pessimistic people have more stress than optimistic people. If human beings are not optimistic, the world will become a place of sadness, where everyone is unhappy with even a small thing.
     In conclusion, I think that optimism is very important in our life, since it helps us to have a positive mindset and reduce our stress, as well as giving us a better life. Therefore, without optimism, the world will transform into a negative and sad place.