Marc Ong 2i218

A little late, but I've been meaning to write on this so here goes.
A few weeks ago, we had our first taste of Student-led conferencing, an iSpark-only initiative where students are given a chance to talk to their parents. The objectives of this program are to allow students to have a chance to communicate with their parents, enabling them to express their aspirations as well as reflect on their past failures and successes.

Honestly, I was pretty worried about this. I prepared feverishly for the SLC, expecting to be judged based on some rubric, some set of requirements at SLC. However, it was an entirely different story on the day itself. There wasn't even a teacher present at the SLC session itself and it turned out to just be a casual chat with my mom. No one to pressure me to say something politically correct or appear perfect, no one to take down notes disapprovingly while I stammered. All in all, it was kind of nice to be able to sit down with my mom (father was unable to make it) and talk about something we normally never would, that is, my future plans that I wish to achieve. I suppose this is the beauty of SLC- it gives you an opportunity to let your parents know you better, without any pressure from normal academic standards.

As for those whose parents could not make it and had to speak to teachers instead, I feel sorry for them. SLC should be an opportunity for you to share your personal aspirations with your parents, and although teachers might be kind enough to lend a listening ear, it might still be too awkward to share some things with them. I hope parents realise the importance of SLC, giving parents an opportunity to connect with their sons.

Well, Friday's CA was certainly interesting (and not just because I got to play MM Lee in the debate). The current affairs debate was on the Government's reactions to complaints regarding the recent flash floods in Singapore. On one side, various Singaporeans argued about the Government's supposedly inadequate response to the flash floods, while the other side defended themselves.

We had a rather interesting Geography lesson last week, which talked about land reclamation in Dubai. Unlike Singapore, where land is reclaimed because... Singapore is tiny, Dubai's land reclamation projects are actually grand projects aimed at increasing Dubai's tourism income.

Finally, after more than 2 years of intense planning, the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games are coming to Singapore. However, as shown in this poll:http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/90-per-cent-not-interested-at-all-in-yog/, Singaporeans show a disturbing indifference to the games. 90% of people surveyed were not interested in the YOG at all.

I feel that in the play, while there are examples of mercy being shown, it is too often due to selfish motives to be considered "real" mercy. As Portia said in her speech about mercy in Act 4 Scene 1, "The quality of Mercy is not strain'd". This means that real mercy is not forced, it is done purely out of one's will to show mercy to the offending party.

For example, when the Duke spared Shylock's life in Act 4 Scene 1, "I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it", he has his own motives: he wants to prove himself better than what he considers "an inhuman wretch". As shown later in the scene, he is not really showing mercy to Shylock, as Shylock says "You take my house when you do take the prop/ That doth sustain my house. You take my life,/ When you do take the means whereby I live." This shows how the Duke is not killing Shylock outright but leaving him to die- a far more cruel fate. Shylock, alone in the world after his daughter abandoned him, is left an old bankrupt Christian, preventing him from practicing money lending.

Another example of how "false" mercy is shown in the play is how Portia toys with Shylock in the court scene. She leads him along, making him believe that his case is solid and giving him chances to show mercy-not because she wants him to take them, but rather to make sure that he contradicts himself when she tells him of the loophole in his bond. Portia has no right to be an actual Judge, but still administers the penalty of forfeiting all his goods to the state. This shows how "false" mercy is often merely to lead others into traps.

In Elizabethan times, the anti-Semitic audience would probably have believed that Shylock was shown pure mercy and justice due to their belief that he was a generic villain. However, now in modern times Shylock is seen as a morally grey character, thus showing how some characters are hypocritical in their treatment of him.

After more than three months, it seems that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is finally drawing to a close:
http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/08/04/1619420/lawmakers-focus-on-chemicals-used.html?storylink=mirelated
While this is certainly great news, it is obvious that there is still a great deal of oil in the ocean to clean up (up to 4 million barrels of oil spilled). The surrounding area should be cleaned up as fast as possible to prevent any further damage and pollution to the wildlife in the area.

As it looks like America can finally begin to put the oil spill behind it, I think there are some lessons to be learnt from the American reaction to this situation. Obviously, regulations involving drilling platforms should be tightened to ensure that this type of accident does not happen again. However, after the oil spill, various Americans cried to to boycott BP (http://www.facebook.com/BoycottBP). They felt that BP was ruining their country. While this is true, they forgot that the explosion was an accident. Boycotting BP would not solve much in the long run. After all, what would someone do if they boycotted BP? Go to Shell? Exxon? Those other oil companies have had their own environmental accidents in the past, and yet people can decide to boycott BP just because theirs was the most recent.

I believe such a problem should be solved from its root- America's dependance on oil. They use the most oil in the world and it is this insatiable thirst for it that has caused oil companies around to world to try and find as much oil as they can. As long as America keeps up its demand for oil, companies are going to be drilling as much as they can- a situation where accidents can easily occur. I am not saying BP is not to blame for the oil spill, but I do feel that American people's responses to it have been rather hypocritical.

The recent STOMP article written about how teachers took away students' belongings has been a source of controversy both on STOMP and among Hwa Chong students. In the article (submitted by an angry secondary 4 student who wished to complain about the school's practices), it is described how teachers took away student's belongings that were left unattended on tables*. I feel that the student was being very inconsiderate by tarnishing the school's reputation. Although it is understandable that he might be angry after he had his personal space invaded and his belongings taken, he should have taken his complaint to the school administration itself rather than making this issue public. The matter could have been resolved quietly and internally instead of what it has become now- a public mess. The STOMP article has attracted many hateful comments toward Hwa Chong students and the school, questioning their "giftedness" if they can make a mistake as simple as leaving their belongings around.